Showing posts with label 30. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 30. Show all posts

Saturday, August 17, 2013

30 Teams in 30 Days - Winnipeg Jets

This is the END! Last stop, Winnipeg!Mark Scheifele - Barrie ColtsScheifele had a terrific season, undoubtedly his last in the OHL. I was actually reasonably critical of his play in 2011/2012, after I felt like he was not consistently noticeable enough for a top 10 pick. At the time (August 2012), I said, "If he does return to Barrie, I'm hoping he can really dominate and come back like a man on a mission. In order to do that, he's going to have to take that next step in using his size aggressively on offense, taking over the boards and being a load to stop on the way to the net." Well, that's EXACTLY what he did this year. Scheifele was an absolute load to handle for opposing defenses in 2012/2013. With the puck, he was aggressive in looking to the middle of the ice and consistently drove to the net looking to create. Without the puck, he did the same thing, trying to open up space for linemates, in addition to looking for scoring opportunities in close to the crease. He was more aggressive physically without the puck and transformed himself into a very difficult player to win battles in the corners against. Offensively, he became a multi-faceted player, a guy who could beat you off the rush, but also below the hash-marks. Scheifele also had significantly more confidence in his shot this year, looking to use it whenever he could. His release looked much improved and he had no trouble burying his share of chances (next to OHL leading goal scorer Reid Boucher, he had the best goals per game average in the league). On top of the improvements offensively, Scheifele also looked stronger defensively as he brought more intensity to his backchecking assignments. To sum it up, the Jets made the right choice sending him back for another year. In 2013/2014, Scheifele can play in the AHL or the NHL. I'd be surprised if he doesn't make the Jets at this point, where I suspect he'll have a pretty decent first season. IMO a 20/20 year is well within his grasp.   Scott Kosmachuk - Guelph StormAnother solid year for Kosmachuk, playing his brand of in your face offensive hockey. He's definitely what you would refer to as a "crease crasher." He's constantly buzzing without the puck and is relentless in puck pursuit. His play with the puck is an underrated component of his game, as he has enough skill to take defenders one on one and loves to try and get past them on the outside. I think he'll still need to add another gear to his stride in order to be more effective at this, but the effort level is there. Even though the goal numbers didn't improve considerably, I did think his shot looked better this year. He had more power behind it and looked more confident doing it. In a lot of ways, Kosmachuk plays the game like his coach in Guelph, Scott Walker. He's certainly the perfect guy to be teaching him the ropes. Next year, Kosmachuk will return to Guelph and should have a big year. After leading the Storm in scoring this year, I expect that to grow even more, perhaps to the tune of a 40 goal, 80 point season in 2013/2014.  Austen Brassard - Belleville BullsTruthfully, I was a little surprised that Brassard got a contract offer from the Jets after he posted the worst offensive numbers since his 16 year old season. Now numbers don't tell the whole story, but they do tell some of it. This year, Brassard did play the most aggressively that he has as an OHL player. He was a consistent physical threat and grew into a quality player without the puck, at both ends of the ice. But he wasn't able to get a whole lot done with the puck this year. While he was aggressive in trying to drive to the net, his puck skills nor his acceleration have ever really ever improved to the point where he's a consistent scoring threat from the outside. His shot is also not terrific and he needs time and space to get it off. With his size, he should be scoring a lot more goals in close to the net, but that wasn't the case this year as he often found himself out of scoring position. After last year's breakthrough offensively, I had high expectations for him but was left underwhelmed. Next year he'll be in the AHL where I imagine he'll start on a checking line. At this point, it's hard to imagine him putting up large offensive numbers and I think he'll take some time adjusting to the speed of the pro game. A 10-10 first year would be a realistic expectation.   Jimmy Lodge - Saginaw SpiritI thought Lodge was a steal and a half where the Jets picked him up. He needs to fill out his frame, but he oozes offensive potential (as I've mentioned in a previous article, Lodge finished the season with 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) in his final 31 games). He's a great skater and can be aggressive coming down the wing, whether it be looking to go hard to the net, or finding space for his above average shot. He's also got good offensive instincts and seems to find himself in good position to make offensive plays. He'll need to continue to round out his game by working harder in his own end and in the corners. And he'll need to get stronger so he's not pushed off the puck as easy, and to make him more effective along the wall. But the potential is very high. Next year he'll continue to play on Saginaw's first line. This could include Eric Locke (who he's built up great chemistry with) if he's returned by Buffalo for his overage year. I think he'll have an excellent season and can crack the 70 point mark. 
Source:http://ohlprospects.blogspot.com/2013/08/30-teams-in-30-days-winnipeg-jets.html

30 Teams in 30 Days - Winnipeg Jets Images

30 TEAMS IN 30 DAYS
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Rant Sports NHL 30 Teams in 30 Days: Winnipeg Jets
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Winnipeg Jets 2011-2012 Preview « Raincity Hockey
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... in Winnipeg on Sat., March 30, 2013. (Kevin King, Winnipeg Sun files
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Friday, July 12, 2013

March with Out4Immigration at SF Pride, Sunday, June 30

We have LOTS to celebrate, so please consider marching with us this Sunday, June 30.Here are the details:Contingent #34Meet at Area G - Spear between Mission & HowardTime to Have Vehicle/Representative in Assembly Area: 9:30 AMContingent Should Be in Place by: 10:00 AMRSVP at this link, and please share: https://www.facebook.com/events/387862484663627/We are marching with our long-time allies Marriage Equality USA (MEUSA) - and we are up at the front of the parade!!! (There are over 200 contingents this year, so our prominent spot will certainly ignite the crowd.)We're expecting a lot of you to march with us, and could use a few extra contingent monitors. There is one last training tonight (Friday) in San Francisco, from 7-9pm at the Women's Building, 3543 18th Street, San Francisco.Those of you who have done the training before know that it's fast (usually doesn't take the whole 2 hours), fun (hey, Safety Freddy is still on the job) and you get to wear a snazzy button on Pride Day.We also could use a few more people volunteering at our booth at the "Marriage Pavilion" (we're sharing space with MEUSA).Please go to this link and RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/139310356263937/Can you do an hour or two in the booth helping Dennis and Amos on Saturday explain what the end of DOMA means to same-sex binational couples? Or, Sunday, after the parade? We should be done marching by noon.Finally, if you do not have one of our "United by Law, Divided by Law" t-shirts with the broken heart on the back (now a collector's item, btw!!!) - please let us know what size you need and we will have some available on Sunday. We ask for a $15 donation to cover costs.If you have any questions about Pride, the contingent training or volunteering in the booth, please email us info@out4immigration.org.For all your questions (and we know many of you have a LOT of them regarding the end of DOMA and green card applications), please read our press release. If you scroll to the end there are several resources, including two FAQ sites for same-sex binationals. This should help you get someanswers: http://out4immigration.blogspot.com/2013/06/breaking-supreme-courts-doma-decisio\n.htmlAlso -- for those of you who we will see this weekend, our local volunteers Amos, Erik, Chris, Gina and Kathy will be able to answer a lot of questions for you in person.See you on Sunday!
Source:http://out4immigration.blogspot.com/2013/06/march-with-out4immigration-at-sf-pride.html

March with Out4Immigration at SF Pride, Sunday, June 30 Images

... Blog: March with Out4Immigration at San Francisco's LGBT Pride Parade
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... march in the annual Gay Pride parade Sunday, June 30, 2013, in Seattle
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... to March with Out4Immigration at San Francisco Pride 2009 : Indybay
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... March held Saturday in San Francisco's Dolores Park. ( Susannah Kay
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