T
triplcrown
Lurker
I was at saturday night's Reign game at Toyota Center in Ontario.
End score was 5-1 Reign, so it was a fun night.
Here are my basic impressions of certain players . . .
Kupari
I love this guy. He's BIG. Looks like 6'2" at least, to me.
Large frame, too, with wide shoulders.
He was pushing play all night. His effort level and motor are top-notch, IMO.
His speed is obvious, and he's got good strength too, as far as I could see.
He had 1G/1assist and was game's 2nd star.
No argument there.
Helge Grans
Didn't do anything spectacular, but he looked solid.
Big and mobile, as reported by others.
Tyler Madden
Had a few nice moments with the puck, but no points.
Has somewhat better speed than I thought he had.
Fagemo
Showed good effort level throughout.
Works the boards pretty hard.
On one play right near us, he was in a scrum along the boards
and somebody's stick came down and kinda' scraped him
on the side of the head. Not super hard, no blood or anything,
but I'm sure it didn't feel good. But it didn't slow him down. Later on,
he scored on a nice 1-timer from the left side (his off-wing).
Not a spectacular player, but there is a lot there to like.
Villalta
I know with Petersen's struggles, there will be extra interest
in how he performs.
Team played well overall in front of him, limiting the O-zone time
on Gull forays. But he did look solid. The only goal they scored against him
was when he foolishly went behind his net, got caught back there a
second or 2 too long, and they scored what was essentially an empty-netter.
Otherwise, he stopped 33 out of 34 shots, and except for the one booboo,
looked comfortable in net all night.
Akil Thomas
Puck seemed to be avoiding him all night. He seemed to be in good position
most of the night, and had a couple physical encounters where he looked
pretty solid. He had no points, but was a +1 as his linemate (Dudas) scored.
Played steady, but didn't stand out a lot.
Jordan Spence
Looked slick and quick, as you'd expect. He's an aggressive puck-mover
who plays the perimeter, then suddenly rushes in deep to join the play for brief moments.
He really had his eye on Tynan, and seemed very responsive to everything
Tynan was trying to do in the O-zone. His defensive positioning was good,
and it struck me that he seems to be more advanced defensively than Durzi (JMO).
Had 2 assists in the game, as he so often does. I predict he will average over
a point-a-game (mostly assists) this season.
Bjornfot
Spence's D-partner pretty much all night.
They make a fine pair; I wonder if we will see them together on the Kings one day(?).
Has a GREAT stick on D---Like a surgeon (cue Weird Al
), he gets his stick right on the puck,
even when an opponent has it, and doesn't quit on the play. Plays a very controlled game.
Helenius
He's BIG, likes to hit, and had an assist.
Didn't stand out a whole lot, but he had his moments. Has a lot of work to do on
his game overall, but he's definitely got the frame.
MISC
Too bad Chromiak is out (appendix), but he should only make
the team better when he arrives.
Tynan is not a prospect, but looks like a great captain. He was clearly
very talkative and communicative to his teammates on the ice.
Everything he does seems purposeful and intelligent. Great motor too.
Seems to be an outstanding leader for the team already.
End score was 5-1 Reign, so it was a fun night.
Here are my basic impressions of certain players . . .
Kupari
I love this guy. He's BIG. Looks like 6'2" at least, to me.
Large frame, too, with wide shoulders.
He was pushing play all night. His effort level and motor are top-notch, IMO.
His speed is obvious, and he's got good strength too, as far as I could see.
He had 1G/1assist and was game's 2nd star.
No argument there.
Helge Grans
Didn't do anything spectacular, but he looked solid.
Big and mobile, as reported by others.
Tyler Madden
Had a few nice moments with the puck, but no points.
Has somewhat better speed than I thought he had.
Fagemo
Showed good effort level throughout.
Works the boards pretty hard.
On one play right near us, he was in a scrum along the boards
and somebody's stick came down and kinda' scraped him
on the side of the head. Not super hard, no blood or anything,
but I'm sure it didn't feel good. But it didn't slow him down. Later on,
he scored on a nice 1-timer from the left side (his off-wing).
Not a spectacular player, but there is a lot there to like.
Villalta
I know with Petersen's struggles, there will be extra interest
in how he performs.
Team played well overall in front of him, limiting the O-zone time
on Gull forays. But he did look solid. The only goal they scored against him
was when he foolishly went behind his net, got caught back there a
second or 2 too long, and they scored what was essentially an empty-netter.
Otherwise, he stopped 33 out of 34 shots, and except for the one booboo,
looked comfortable in net all night.
Akil Thomas
Puck seemed to be avoiding him all night. He seemed to be in good position
most of the night, and had a couple physical encounters where he looked
pretty solid. He had no points, but was a +1 as his linemate (Dudas) scored.
Played steady, but didn't stand out a lot.
Jordan Spence
Looked slick and quick, as you'd expect. He's an aggressive puck-mover
who plays the perimeter, then suddenly rushes in deep to join the play for brief moments.
He really had his eye on Tynan, and seemed very responsive to everything
Tynan was trying to do in the O-zone. His defensive positioning was good,
and it struck me that he seems to be more advanced defensively than Durzi (JMO).
Had 2 assists in the game, as he so often does. I predict he will average over
a point-a-game (mostly assists) this season.
Bjornfot
Spence's D-partner pretty much all night.
They make a fine pair; I wonder if we will see them together on the Kings one day(?).
Has a GREAT stick on D---Like a surgeon (cue Weird Al
), he gets his stick right on the puck, even when an opponent has it, and doesn't quit on the play. Plays a very controlled game.
Helenius
He's BIG, likes to hit, and had an assist.
Didn't stand out a whole lot, but he had his moments. Has a lot of work to do on
his game overall, but he's definitely got the frame.
MISC
Too bad Chromiak is out (appendix), but he should only make
the team better when he arrives.
Tynan is not a prospect, but looks like a great captain. He was clearly
very talkative and communicative to his teammates on the ice.
Everything he does seems purposeful and intelligent. Great motor too.
Seems to be an outstanding leader for the team already.
Last edited by a moderator:
