-Lineup for tonight’s game against Hershey: Silfverberg-Pageau-Zibanejad, Dziurzynski-Culek-Stone, Cowick-Grant-Peltz, Kramer-Gazley-Downing; Eckford-Blood, Gryba-New, Claesson-Wideman; Robin Lehner gets the start.

-Tim Murray has praised Robin Lehner and Jared Cowen‘s training camp thus far.

–Mark Borowiecki talks about this year’s training camp experience:

There’s nothing unexpected here, but there’s little reason to doubt Borowiecki‘s sentiment that the players feel like they have something to prove this season.

–SteffeG offers some insight on Mika Zibanejad:

I do think he’s [Zibanejad] better suited at wing. He likes to rush down the wing and try to beat his defender or fire a hard shot from distance, which might be a good way to create chances for a certain type of player, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the full capacity of the wingers are used if the finishing player is the centre. In addition to that, he’s struggled in the face-off circle in Sweden, which usually means he’d have an even tougher time in the NHL in that aspect. [Zibanejad‘s] shown great maturity and defensive qualities early in his career. Perhaps even more so in his first year, as an SEL rookie, actually. I don’t think he’ll ever be a part of a good PP unit. Well, he likes to shoot and his shot is his best PP quality, so if anywhere, that’s where he should be. Perhaps as the net-front presence if he can handle that on an NHL power play.

The description of Zibanejad‘s style reminds me a lot of Mike Fisher–a player who loved to rush down the wing and fire the puck (high, hard, and wide most of the time).  That style is much better suited on the wing, although for whatever reason Fisher was never able to thrive that way.

-Binghamton plays Hershey in their first pre-season game tonight so I thought I’d look at the Bears and the changes to their roster since last season (this is their training camp roster).  Six of the team’s top-eight scoring forwards are elsewhere (Chris Bourque with Providence, Keith Aucoin with the Toronto Marlies, Jacob Micflikier with Biel in the NLA,  Kyle Greentree with Zagreb in Austrian league, Cody Eakin with Texas, and Christian Hanson with Providence).  Remaining with Hershey are former B-Sen Ryan Potulny along with Boyd Kane, top-blueliner Patrick McNeill and the goaltending tandem of Braden Holtby and Dany Sabourin.  Veterans signed include Jeff Taffe (from Houston), Jon DiSalvatore (also Houston), and Garrett Stafford (from Hamilton).  In terms of interesting or highly ranked prospects there’s Dmitry Orlov (who spent most of last season with Washington) and former 8th overall pick Zach Hamill.  No word on either lineup as yet.  Addition: here’s a Hershey blog that examines the players in training camp.

–Bob Howard wonders if Luke Richardson will be the best coach in Binghamton’s history, basing his speculation on Richardson’s past as an NHL player.  I don’t follow the logic–Scotty Bowman never played in the NHL and that didn’t hurt his coaching acumen, while there is a long laundry list of former players who have crashed and burned as head coaches.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 3, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

–Luke Richardson singled out David Dziurzynski as the most impressive skater at camp so far.

-Besides Dustin Gazley being added to Binghamton’s camp there are two other roster notes related to Elmira: forwards Chris Campanale (SPHL 22-4-7-11) and Rob Bellamy (ECHL 63-11-13-24) were added to training camp.

–Bobbykelly begins projecting Binghamton’s lineup with the forwards because hey, why write one article when you can write two or three?  Before I get to his lines here’s a quote:

Being productive in the AHL versus the NHL are often two different skill-sets. To be a winner in the former, your body needs to be conditioned to handle the wear-and-tear of a very physical league, for up to three games in three days. Air Canada doesn’t charter many flights–you’re riding the bus. A player who can work in a third-line role in the NHL, cycling well from the corners and scoring goals from dirty areas might excel in the AHL. Similarly, a smooth-skating top-line NHL star could be slightly worn down by the drudgery of the AHL schedule. The Corey Lockes and Mike Zigomanises (Zigomanii?) are often the league’s leaders and top playmakers.

Let’s be clear, players who are good in the NHL are good in the AHL.  A more accurate way of looking at the differences between the leagues is that the AHL has a lower level of talent so players can get away with things in that league that won’t work in the NHL.  With that aside, onto his lines:

Silfverberg-Hoffman-Petersson
Zibanejad-Da Costa-Stone
Prince-Cannone-Dziurzynski
Hamilton-Grant-Cowick

There’s some speculation included here that I want to address before I consider his lines: neither David Dziurzynski nor Hugh Jessiman are in danger of assignment to Elmira; Pageau will go back to the Q before being sent to Elmira; it’s unlikely that college FA signee Cole Schneider will spend much time in Elmira; Darren Kramer is also unlikely to go to the ECHL given the lack of heavyweights in Binghamton; Petersson‘s production was consistent throughout last year (he finished 15th in AHL rookie scoring); Brad Peltz doesn’t have a contract yet so there’s no guarantee he’ll be in Elmira; the attempted speculation about translating European and Collegiate success in North America can be more fully explored here (Europe) and here (college).

So what about the lines?  First we can throw Shane Prince out as he’ll be returned to junior–his performance at camp is irrelevant because the team has too many forwards to indulge testing him out in the AHL (it would also make an already small forward group even smaller).  Bobbykelly’s top-six is reasonable, although it’s not identical to mine.  Grant won’t play on the fourth line, but I agree that Cannone is a top-nine forward.  Hamilton and Cowick are in the mix for fourth-line roles.  All that being said his line speculation is reasonable.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 2, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment