Senators News: December 11th

-Here’s my look at Binghamton over the last ten games.

–Scott Cruickshank writes about Sens prospect Chris Driedger, with the goaltender saying:

Last year, I would have a really good couple games, then a really bad couple  games, then one good game, then one bad game. Now I’m just trying to prepare for each game the exact same every day. It seems to be working. Kind of cool to get recognized publicly [WHL goaltender of the month for November]. It’s nice to see that a little hard work has paid off. Then again, you have to  give a lot of credit to the team. Right now I’ve been very happy with how the games are working out. If the defencemen keep the shots from the outside, it’s going to make you  look a lot better — and our defencemen have been doing a phenomenal job of it.  My stats have been looking pretty good . . . the most goals we’ve given up in  the last month and a half is four. Hopefully, we can keep winning.

His coach Mike Williamson said:

He showed signs of being a top, top goalie last year, but he had a tough time  sustaining a high level. We felt it was an experience,  maturity thing. He’s done a better job of preparing and practising harder.  Because of that, he’s had a lot of success.

-Here’s the weekly prospect update (for players with more than 10 games played I’ve indicated where they are in scoring; for blueliners they are compared to other defensemen on the team):

CHL
Cody Ceci (OHL Ottawa) 33-7-24-31 (1st)
Matt Puempel (OHL Kitchener) 26-21-7-28 (1st) (injured)
Stefan Noesen (OHL Plymouth) 26-17-9-26 (3rd)
Jordan Fransoo (WHL Victoria) 25-2-6-8 (t-2nd)
Jakub Culek (QMJHL Cape Breton) 8-4-3-7 (9th)
Jarrod Maidens (OHL Owen Sound) (injured)
Chris Driedger (WHL Calgary) 16-5-2 2.29 .922
Francois Brassard (QMJHL Quebec) 17-7-1 2.48 .913

Allsvenskan (Swe)
Mikael Wikstrand (Mora) 29-9-9-18 (1st)

KHL
Nikita Filatov (Salavat) 33-8-11-19 (t-2nd)

NCAA
Ryan Dzingel (Ohio) – 16-6-8-14 (1st)
Jeff Costello (Notre Dame) – 14-5-7-12 (5th)
Bryce Aneloski (Nebraska-Omaha) – 16-3-9-12 (t-1st)
Max McCormick (Ohio) – 16-5-4-9 (3rd)
Michael Sdao (Princeton) – 12-3-4-7 (1st)
Tim Boyle (Union) – 7-0-2-2

USHL
Robbie Baillargeon (Indiana) – 23-6-9-15 (5th)

–Varada shows us what sports journalism should look like as he explores NHL economic issues (in contrast to John Shannon‘s nonsense from yesterday) and I encourage you all to check it out (it’s basic stuff about the value of owning an arena, but it’s little discussed in hockey circles).

–Stu Hackel reviews the latest CBA developments without suggesting which way the worm will turn.  Given that there’s still plenty of time left for a deal I think that’s only sensible.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Advertisement

December 11, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Binghamton at the Twenty Game Mark

The Binghamton Senators have reached the 20-game mark so it’s time to take stock and see how the team and the players are doing (for the previous ten games go here).  Binghamton was 9-1-0, placing them 4th in their conference and 2nd in their division.  Their 64 goals-for put them tied for 10th in their conference, while their 48 goals allowed is 2nd best in the conference.

Player’s stats (INJ=games missed due to injury, SCR= scratched, SUS=suspended, NHL=games in the NHL, ECHL=games in the ECHL):

Jakob Silfverberg 10-5-6-11 +7
Pat Cannone 10-4-5-9 +12
Derek Grant 10-7-1-8 +8
Andre Benoit 10-4-3-7 +3
Patrick Wiercioch 10-3-4-7 +7
Corey Cowick 9-1-5-6 +1 SCR 1
Cole Schneider 6-2-3-5 +6 SCR 4
Shane Prince 9-2-3-5 +4 SCR 1
Tyler Eckford 10-3-2-5 +7
Mike Hoffman 10-1-4-5 +5
Stephane Da Costa 3-3-1-4 +4 INJ 7
Mika Zibanejad 6-1-3-4 Even INJ 4
Hugh Jessiman 10-1-3-4 Even
Fredrik Claesson 10-0-4-4 +9
David Dziurzynski 10-0-4-4 +6
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 10-0-4-4 -1
Eric Gryba 7-2-1-3 +10 INJ 3
Mark Stone 10-2-1-3 +3
Mark Borowiecki 8-0-2-2 +8 INJ 2
Andre Petersson 7-1-0-1 -3 SCR 3
Chris Wideman 5-0-0-0 -3 [ECHL 1-0-1-1 -3]
Jack Downing DNP [ECHL 12-4-8-12 Even]
Louie Caporusso DNP [ECHL 11-4-6-10 +3]
Dustin Gazley DNP [ECHL 6-1-5-6 -3]
Darren Kramer DNP [ECHL 6-1-2-3 Even]
Danny New DNP [ECHL 8-0-2-2 +2]
Brad Peltz DNP [ECHL 3-0-1-1 Even]
Ben Blood DNP [ECHL 11-0-0-0 -2]
Jared Cowen DNP (injured)
Wacey Hamilton DNP (injured)

Robin Lehner 4-1-0 1.75 0.947
Ben Bishop 5-0-0 2.73 0.932
Nathan Lawson DNP
Marc Cheverie DNP [ECHL 3-4-0 2.52 0.920]

Most players had solid to good results, with the exceptions of Andre Petersson who is struggling in a sophomore slump and Mark Stone whose offensive numbers have dwindled since he returned from injury.  There’s also some disappointment that Mike Hoffman hasn’t been able to put his game in gear offensively.  Silfverberg and Cannone‘s numbers are no surprise and the former has played a huge role in Cannone bouncing back from a slow start to the season (he also lead the team in plus/minus over the stretch).  Derek Grant‘s numbers are a pleasant surprise, particularly given that his linemates (Dziurzynski and Stone) did not produce much.  On the blueline performances are largely as expected, although Fredrik Claesson looks like he’s well ahead of schedule in putting up unexpected points along with solid defensive play.  On the down side Ben Blood has been underwhelming even at the ECHL level.  Goaltending has been stellar, particularly with Ben Bishop back in his usual form.

I don’t expect Binghamton to maintain this pace, but their performance shows just how strong they can be.  The main concern is on the blueline if the NHL lockout ends, but it’s possible Blood and Wideman will be more useful players in an AHL drained of its highest talent.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 11, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 3 Comments