-Binghamton defeated Wilkes-Barre 3-1 last night in a game I was able to watch.  By and large the B-Sens controlled the play throughout the game and other than Ben Bishop giving up a weak goal short side in the third the Penguins were never really in it.  Hugh Jessiman, Jakob Silfverberg, and Patrick Wiercioch scored the goals and Silfverberg, Wiercioch, and Andre Benoit had two points each.

–Ben Blood was re-assigned to Elmira. Dustin Gazley was re-assigned yesterday.

-Elmira defeated Orlando 4-1 last night, with Cheverie picking up the win; Downing and Caporusso picking up a point each among the Binghamton signees.

–Stefan Noesen‘s suspension could prevent him from playing in the WJC for the United States.  Ken Warren reminds us that Tom Kuhnhackl missed last year’s division one WJC for similar reasons, although if the IIHF decides to honour the OHL ban US Hockey can appeal it.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 15, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

-Binghamton plays Wilkes-Barre (13-8-2) tonight; the Penguins are lead by Beau Bennett (21 points) and backstopped by Jeff Zatkoff (10-6-0 2.00 .922).  Wilkes-Barre won the last game against Binghamton (1-0 in a shootout) over a month ago.

–Bobbykelly wonders about Andre Petersson‘s slow start in Binghamton and offers two related theories: 1) perhaps his numbers in his rookie season were a reflection of protected minutes along with being on a bad team, 2) there’s more competition for minutes.  I think the first is too speculative; we know from Petersson‘s own comments last year that he was being played in all situations.  The second thought may have some validity, although I suspect health is also an issue.  All in all its speculation until Luke Richardson says something about him.

-Elmira faces Orlando (10-11-4) tonight; the Solar Bears are lead by Nick Petersen (24 points) and backstopped by John Curry (9-5-2 2.64 .911).

–Pierre Dorion talked about Mikael Wikstrand:

Ya, he’s having a great year so far. Putting up numbers as a puck-moving offensive defenseman not in the top league in Sweden, but in the second league in Sweden. Their previous tournament in November he was the number one defenseman for Team Sweden, played power-play, penalty kill and regular shifts. I’d be very surprising if he didnt’ make that (WJC) team, he’s been invited to be on the team. He’s a seventh-round pick…so expectations aren’t set as high for him, but we still feel we have a pretty good prospect there. I think a lot of credit [in picking him] goes to our two European scouts, Vaclav Burda and Mikko Ruutu. Both those guys really liked Wikstrand last year, and obviosuly myself and Greg Royce had a chance to see him. But he just looked like a really smart defenseman, that made every pass on the tape, and he wasn’t flashy. It was just something that we felt was a good late gamble, and maybe we should of taken him earlier, but you know sometimes things fall into place for the right reason.

-And about Chris Driedger and Francois Brassard:

Chris was splitting time last year and he became the number one goalie on his team. He’s a big goalie who blocks pucks, a lot of pucks hit him, he makes good reads. This year he’s really been a key component, if I’m not mistaken Calgary and Edmonton are one and two in their division, and they’re two of the better teams – and Chris is a big part of that you know as an 18-year-old goalie showing that he can really carry the load, and really carry his team to being the top team in the conference, I think that says a lot about him.

I think with Francois Brassard, another situation where he was the backup last year. Now Quebec’s a really good team, and having our people talk to Patrick Roy, they’ve indictated that Patrick seems to think he’s one of the better goalies in the league if not the best goalie in the league. He’s really risen his game, and he’s still gotta get stronger, but he really competes hard, he’s a very intelligent goalie as far as being able to read the play, and getting in position, he’s gotten stronger he’s gotten quicker. He’s a quiet competitor, and probably as far as mental toughness one of the best guys I’ve seen in my scouting career how he can forget a bad goal and you know just move on from there. So, these are two guys that unfortunately we were hoping either one might get invited to the Canadian junior camp this year. But I think they are two guys who will challenge for next year’s world junior camp.

-And about the 2013 draft:

Obviously last year’s draft…we can say was an average draft as far as depth of talent. While this year’s seems to be a very good draft. I think there’s high end prospects at the top part of the draft, but I think going through the first, second and third rounds I think teams are going to see good players being taken. Guys that will be good regular NHL players as we move forward four, five years down the road. It really looks like a very good draft, the only thing this year it seems to be a bit more spread out than in other years…I’m at a game here today at a high school, you’re all over the place as compared to other years.

–Stefan Noesen has been suspended for ten games after leaving his feet to hit Tyler Hore.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 14, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 2 Comments

-Binghamton lost 4-3 to Syracuse last night in a game I was able to watch (with a lot of subpar camera work from the broadcaster).  The B-Sens did not play well (firing only 18 shots), clearly suffering from the lack of Patrick Wiercioch and Mark Borowiecki on the blueline along with the flu virus that’s running through the team.  Robin Lehner wasn’t at his best, but can’t be blamed for the result.  Mike Hoffman scored twice and Mark Stone had the other goal; here are the highlights.  The main problem for the B-Sens was their structure–it was poor defensively and offensively and the team spent most of the night chasing the puck.

–Ryan Kennedy decided to weigh in on the Mika Zibanejad WJC situation after the Swedish Federation has already accepted the situation.  Kennedy didn’t bother to research what was going on, because while it’s understandable he doesn’t follow The 6th Sens (where the link comes from) it’s not too much to suggest he could have found the comments included there from The Expressen directly.  What’s even less understandable is that he’s unaware that Zibanejad is hurt, but let’s put that aside and look at the logic of the column:
1. Zibanejad is struggling in the AHL
2. The WJC will rejuvenate him because it helped Devante Smith-Pelly, Brett Connolly, Brayden Schenn, and Alex Pietrangelo
The funny thing is none of Kennedy’s examples make sense (none of them were playing in the AHL, none of them are Swedes, and none of the pro’s meaningfully improved their numbers after the WJC).  I’m also at a loss to the overall logic–Zibanejad struggles on small ice against men, therefore the big ice in Russia facing teenagers is going to help him?  And what does he have left to achieve in the tournament?  So on its own merits the thought process doesn’t work, but the fact Kennedy didn’t bother to research the issue is the kind of lazy journalism that irks me.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 13, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

-Binghamton plays Syracuse (14-6-3) tonight; the Crunch are lead by Tyler Johnson (25 points) and backstopped by Dustin Tokarski (8-4-2 2.45 .903).  The B-Sens defeated the Crunch 5-2 last Monday which was the scene of Borowiecki‘s mugging by Eric Neilson.

-Binghamton has recalled Ben Blood from Elmira, which makes me think Mark Borowiecki isn’t ready to play.  Blood will likely take Wideman‘s spot in the lineup.

–Luke Richardson reflected on Binghamton’s last game:

We still had a pretty good effort on Saturday; just things just weren’t bouncing our way and then once we got behind, you could see maybe a little fatigue setting in with the second game in two nights. Norfolk were fresh and they have been struggling of late, so they were really pushing it and skating well that night. It seemed like we were chasing it a little bit that night and it wasn’t to be. It would have been nice to get that (tenth win in a row) but we’re pretty proud of how the guys have been playing and even that night, it was a good effort; just not the (right) result.

And that’s just it: the effort is what really matters in a developmental league, not the results.

-He also talked about Stephane Da Costa:

We talked about his fitness level and building his body up – not just to play at this level, but for the next level because he has the (NHL) skillset. He really took it to heart and he was coming in in the morning at 7 am and riding the bike with the trainer and myself when he was injured. Then he was doing it again on game nights, so he was really working hard. And then Steve Stirling was looking after some extra skating after practice when he made his way back; so he really took the fitness up a little bit. We saw the results right away – in his first game back, he had four points with a hat-trick. In his last game, just with his skill alone in his last game that he had, I think he created two breakaways for himself and just missed. He just could not finish them off. He probably had at least four scoring chances himself in the second period; which was great to see. We would have loved to see him finish those off, but he is an offensively gifted guy that can do that and break open a game at any level. He really has great passing skills and he’s not a big guy, but some guys just have that knack for shooting the puck. And he can really rip the puck. I think it was his third goal against Syracuse last weekend when he had a cross-ice pass and before the goalie could get across (the crease), (the puck) was in and out. You love to see that talent and sometimes you get frustrated that he does not use the shot more often, but he is working on when he should use that and when he should use those passing skills. He is coming along and coming back from injury, we had him on a line with Shane Prince for a while and they were working well. But we thought that we would juggle it up after a loss and get him back in a spot where we think and predict that he should be, and that is with (Jakob) Silfverberg and Mike Hoffman to see if those three talented guys can get clicking and put some goals in the net.

That combination (Hoffman-Da Costa-Silfverberg) should be a good unit whenever it gets put together.  Conditioning is the refrain for Da Costa and I think it’s clear he understands its importance now.

-Finally, Richardson spoke again about Robin Lehner:

Well, he’s been our best player from training camp til this point. And now we have Ben Bishop going as well. Both of them are probably the top tandem in the league. I can’t see anybody any different. Robin, I’ve known him for a few years now, and he’s a great competitor. I think over the first couple of years, he has had some high highs and some lows. He has been a Calder Cup champion and the MVP of that run and there has been some times where with injury to himself, I think he has had some learning curves being in proper condition and different types of condition. And also, with injuries to the Ottawa Senators goaltending, which brings him out of his development – coming up and sitting around and practicing a bit but not playing a lot with the big club. And then back-and-forth and up-and-down. You know you’re young and there is a starter, that plays on the psyche a bit. So he has really matured over the last few years and this year, he’s been confident and steady. He has been the competitor that he always is and he wants to win every night. He’s a leader in the dressing room and sometimes, that’s rare for a goaltender. Usually on game days, they want to stay on their own page, quiet and out of the way and just focus on their thing… Whereas he can do that and be a supporter of the guys – at timeouts, he’s encouraging his teammates. He’s a leader in the dressing room. He always knows what’s going on and caring about his teammates. He is the full package and he is what the Ottawa Senators thought he was when they drafted him. After a couple of years in the minor leagues with the ups and downs of the and the learning, especially at that position, it’s a tough position, and he’s come in at camp and he said he was going to be focused and ready and in top, and he still is. He has done exactly what he said he was going to do and what was expected of him this year. And we’re benefitting from it down in Binghamton because we have great goaltending.

I’m glad Richardson raised the point of how much being called up to Ottawa over and over as a young player messed with Lehner‘s head.  I thought it was a particularly bad choice by the organisation to decide a finished Alex Auld would be the NHL back-up even though Lehner was clearly a better goaltender.  Regardless, everything this season indicates that Lehner is ready to deal with whatever the franchise wants him to do.

-There are other comments from Richardson via the link above, but they echo his previous sentiments so I haven’t repeated them.

–Eric Macramalla goes through the legal in’s and out’s of decertification/disclaimer of interest for the NHLPA, which I think is about as likely to happen as me being run over by a truck in my bedroom (Eric essentially comes to the same conclusion).

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 12, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 6 Comments

-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)

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

-In expected news the NHL has now cancelled games through December 30th.

–Stefan G:son quotes the VP of the Swedish Hockey Federation on Mika Zibanejad‘s status for the WJC:

We’ve had a good dialogue with Senators management this past week, but Mika have not been able to be on the ice for ten days due to medical reasons. … Ottawa want Mika to get healthy and we understand that now that he’s been ill for a long time. They waited over the weekend to see if he would get better, but he didn’t. Had Mika been healthy, Ottawa would’ve liked to see him play at the WJC.

None of this really fits with what the Senators brass has been saying, but there’s no doubt Mika isn’t healthy at the moment (I think Stefan’s speculation about a concussion is pushing things a bit far).

-After picking up a point in Elmira Brad Peltz has been recalled to Binghamton.  Elmira has also signed forward and former San Jose draft pick Justin Daniels (3-62/08) who has been playing for Augusta in the SPHL (6-1-0-1 -8).

-As an illustration of what to look for when deciding if an article is substantive or not I’ll quote John Shannon who talks about the financial distress of NHL franchises:

I’ve been told that 18 teams in the NHL lost money last year.

That’s great John; I’ve been told the world will end because of the Mayan calendar–being told something isn’t presenting facts.  You can see the counterpoint to this idea here and Stu Hackel takes his time in examining the facts as he is able to ascertain them.  I think fans get too riled up by vague polemics from journalists (much like in politics) and don’t step back to look at the quality of the information being provided.  Shannon isn’t an idiot so presumably his sources are within the NHL, but he’d be better off revealing that and writing a more balanced opinion piece.  This is the kind of thing that made me blow up at Marc Spector a few weeks ago–it’s just lazy journalism.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 10, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 3 Comments

-Binghamton lost 3-1 to Norfolk last night, putting an end to their nine-game winning streak.  The B-Sens struggled to solve Frederik Andersen despite firing 40 shots his direction; Robin Lehner made 32-saves in the loss.  Derek Grant scored the only goal for Binghamton, his league-leading third shorty off a turnover he created.

–Luke Richardson talked about the loss:

For the most part I think the whole night was just a little bit off for everybody, including me. I think we all get a little bit complacent at times. I think we were striving to get better and pushing as far as we could, and playing better as a team, but (Saturday) it caught us. We just weren’t at our best, from start to finish.

I like that Richardson includes himself as a factor in the team’s performance–it fits the idea that the team winning and losing together includes the coaching staff.

–Jakob Silfverberg talked about his watershed moment in the AHL:

We were up 5-0 [on Syracuse] then all of a sudden, hell breaks loose. Ending up in a game like that was a big difference for me. I knew there was fights going on (in games here), but I didn’t really imagine there would be that many in one game. But even that was a good experience, even though we ended up losing. I learned a lot from that game.

–Richardson talked about Derek Grant‘s future:

[He] has been the guy that’s bloomed into a real good two-way forward. He’s a going to be a great checking forward because he’s got size and he’s got a great stride, he can skate with anybody. He’s getting stronger and stronger on faceoffs, and you he’s getting a bit of an offensive touch. Not to compare him to Mike Fisher, because he has a totally different style of play, but when you get a so-called checking centre that can score goals, and kill penalties … that’s a dangerous thing. I don’t know if he’s ready yet, but he’s getting close. He’s a guy that’s really put himself in a great spot.

This is exactly what most players have to do when making the transition to the NHL–become defensively reliable.

-Elmira also lost 3-1 last night, with Cheverie in net and Caporusso and Peltz providing points among those with Binghamton connections.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 9, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

-The Binghamton Senators crushed the Portland Pirates 6-1 last night (I was able to watch some of the third).  Ben Bishop made 40-saves to earn the win, while Pat Cannone and Patrick Wiercioch each scored twice and Jakob Silfverberg and Hugh Jessiman added singles.  Cannone, Jessiman, and Wiercioch each had three-point nights.  With the game out of reach things got a little goofy (Brett Hextall went after Jean-Gabriel Pageau for no particular reason).  Bobbykelly was able to watch the entire game and has an entertaining piece about it.  Here are the highlights.

-Tonight Binghamton faces off against Norfolk (9-12) who are lead by Peter Holland (21 points) and backstopped by Frederik Andersen (6-6).

–Brad Peltz has been loaned back to Elmira (the Jackals have played a man short the last couple of games).

-Speaking of Elmira, they lost 7-4 to Reading last night with Louie Caporusso and Jack Downing each having three-point nights.  The teams play each other again tonight.

–Hockey’s Future has weighed in with their team rankings and placed Ottawa fourth.  They write:

Strengths: Ottawa has a talented group of talented, versatile forwards led by Mika Zibanejad, Jakob Silfverberg, Stefan Noesen, and Matt Puempel. Further down the depth chart, the Senators have many players with top-nine potential such as Shane Prince, Mark Stone, and Andre Petersson. They also possess a diverse group of defensive prospects led by offensive defenseman Cody Ceci and stay-at-home defenseman Fredrik Claesson. Goaltending prospect Robin Lehner is among the top netminders in the AHL.

Weaknesses: While the organization has several quality goaltending prospects, they are short on depth at that position. The Senators could also stand to add some more depth on the right wing.

Top 5 Prospects: 1. Mika Zibanejad, C; 2. Jakob Silfverberg, RW; 3. Robin Lehner, G; 4. Stefan Noesen, RW; 5. Cody Ceci, D.

One could quibble with where players are positioned, but it’s a fair assessment and the nuance of who is where within the top group isn’t terribly important.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 8, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 3 Comments

-Not much happened yesterday beyond more of the CBA back and forth–brief moments of optimism were followed by consternation and anger.  The soap opera continues and I’ll get excited when a deal is struck.

-Binghamton plays Portland (10-9-2) tonight; the Pirates are lead by Alexandre Bolduc (22 points) and backstopped by Chad Johnson (7-5-0).  Former B-Sen Rob Klinkhammer and former Sen David Rundblad are also part of the crew.

–Don Brennan reports that Mark Borowiecki is doubtful for tonight’s game after suffering a neck injury when he was jumped by Eric Neilson.  He also indicates Chris Wideman has been recalled from Elmira and is expected to play.

–Luke Richardson talked about Jakob Silfverberg‘s improvement through the season thus far:

I was talking with Ben Bishop about him the other day. He scored a goal on Sunday night or afternoon, we had a late afternoon game. He ripped one top corner and there was no windup on the release; it was just a rocket. That’s what Ben said, ‘You know he’s going over the glove and you still can’t get there quick enough.’ He has that spot picked and he’s dangerous every night. Not only did he score the last couple of games, but he is creating chances and now he is creating so much awareness that he is so dangerous in small areas. And he is getting comfortable in those small areas and the smaller, tighter surface with the tighter checking and the physicality. He is getting more comfortable with it, as we’ve talked about. People are paying more attention to him, so that’s just going to make more people on the ice open and available for those great, little plays that he makes. Not only does he have the big cannon, but he does make great, little plays in small areas. So he is coming along great, and he’s a competitor. When things don’t go well on the power play, he comes off the bench and slams the door because he’s frustrated because he wants to make something happen all the time.

It’s more of the same from Richardson, but illustrates that the adaptation phase for Silfverberg seems to be ending.

-Richardson then talked about Stephane Da Costa:

He had a little bit of an illness at the summer that held him back. He had a little medical procedure that just kind of slowed him down in preparing for camp. So when he came into camp, he was a little bit… not out of shape but not in top shape. I think that hampered him in the fitness testing and it wore on his body and he had a bit of a sore back because of that. In his first game back after that, after missing a few games at the start of the year, he got slashed on his baby finger and that split open and he broke the tip of it. So that was very sore, especially when the centerman takes draws, for a while. And then in his first game back from that, he had a great game in Norfolk and in the next game, he flew into the boards and hurt his knee. So then he just had a rough start; very frustrated. His body was beaten up and he was very down on himself. We took him right out. We gave him a week of just gym exercises to build up his body. And then he skated all last week and to his credit, we challenged him to work hard and push himself and build his body and he did that. He had a smile on his face all last week. He didn’t get into the game on Friday because we had a healthy lineup. We dressed him in warmup and he still had a great attitude and worked his butt off every day. He got in there Sunday and just continued to work hard and things went well with Shane Prince. It really clicked and they got off to a good start in the game; they were one of our best forechecking lines and he got rewarded with three goals and an assist that game. He was the game’s first star, I believe. He just looked engaged. He’s a special player and he makes very good plays – not just scoring goals but he can really find people. He has great vision. If he can continue to build his body, because he’s not a big guy, but play in a big man’s league in big games over here on smaller ice surfaces, he will continue to grow and get better because of his talents. He just has to make sure that he keeps up that drive, that inner drive and the compete level. And he’s proving that right now, so we just have to make sure that we remind him every day to continue to build on that.

A big info dump from Richardson, but it provides context to Da Costa‘s slow start.

-Richardson moved on to Mika Zibanejad:

He just had his four wisdom teeth out last week and a throat infection, so that put him on the sidelines for the weekend, last weekend. But other than that, he’s on the mend and hopefully he’s back in the lineup in the next game or two. He’s doing really well on the smaller ice surface. We have tried him on the wing. We have had him at center and he’s very versatile. He kills penalties very well and he’s starting to get engaged and use his body a little more. But we’re just trying to get him skating and getting used to skating into areas where maybe he doesn’t get enough room because it is a different dimension to look at out there on that smaller ice surface. But just feeling myself, I didn’t really have much input into it. I just gave my opinion in that I think that he’s coming along fine and if you send him over there for two weeks to a month for the world juniors, then you’re right back onto the bigger ice surface again. You’re holding onto the puck too long. You’re skating to the wrong areas and looping in the neutral zone. It’s not the same style as it is here, so when he comes back, you’re starting all over again at the adjustment stage. If you’re making a commitment and hopefully the lockout comes to an end soon, the intentions of Ottawa is to develop and keep developing here in this type of game – the North American game and the North American ice size – and give him a real chance to vie for a roster spot when the lockout ends or soon after. So that was the thought process and it kind of makes sense to me.

The message boils down Zibanejad not yet adjusting to the North American style and Richardson wants the team to spend with him to get him there (the focus seems to be in timing and offensive positioning).

–Finally, Richardson talked about Patrick Wiercioch:

He came to training camp in great shape. He suffered an injury during training camp, but he has come back strong at the time Jared Cowen left us. He really knew how to seize this opportunity. He plays more than often with Andre Benoit. Because he has improved defensively, we’re not afraid to use him in crucial situations. He had to improve defensively to play in the NHL. In Ottawa, he knows he will never be the number one offensive defenseman.

The refrain about Wiercioch all season is praising his conditioning and how much that comes into play with his ability to perform.

-Elmira plays Reading (14-7-1) tonight; the Royals are lead by Denny Urban and David Marshall (20 points each) and backstopped by Philipp Grubauer (11-4-0).

-Speaking of Elmira, Danny New has been placed on the 21-day IR.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 7, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 2 Comments

–Stephane Da Costa talked about his goals for the season:

I just want to be more of an all-around player. Physically I want to be a little better, too. I got a little better physically, I think. I can take impacts a little better. We played simple, because that was my first game back and it was a hard game. I’m trying to make an impact, trying to show I can play here. I need to work hard, and I think I can make it there again. I just want to have a really good year. I’m trying to take it week to week and we’ll see what happens.

–Stefan Noesen has made the preliminary US roster for WJC.

–D. J. Powers writes about NHL prospects in the NCAA, but other than a passing reference to Jeff Costello offers nothing on the Sens.

–Brochenski writes about former Sen Brandon Bochenski and I bring it up only for this:

Even Don Cherry was on the Bochenski Bandwagon, as he picked him to win the Calder Trophy that year, despite Bochenski up against a stacked rookie class which included the likes of Crosby and Ovechkin. Oops.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 5, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment