Hi guys, coming to Utah for the Devils game in Utah on Dec 29 and the winter classic on Dec 31. Never been to Salt Lake or Utah. Any ideas of what to do or where to eat? Thanks
Was interesting to read the national perspective on our guys. Here's who was on the 156 player list.
Tier 3 (Bubble NHL star and top of the lineup player)
#6 Logan Cooley (#5 is Carlsson, #7 is Sennecke)
Tier 5 (Bubble top and middle of the lineup player)
#24 Caleb Desnoyers (#23 is Malhotra, #25 is McQueen)
#34 Dmitri Simashev
#47 Tomas Lavoie
#49 Ethan Belchetz
Tier 6 (Middle of the lineup player)
#78 Tij Iginla
#84 Gabe Smith
#89 Daniil But
#107 Vojtech Hradec
#122 Maveric Lamoureux
#150 Michael Hrabal
$156 Vadim Moroz
Let's do what Clubber Nation does best, be the good in the world!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-kelsey-flakes-lung-transplant?cp_src=m
Tusks Up! Ordering mine right now.
April 11, 2007 | 6-foot-2 | 182 pounds | Shoots left
Drafted: No. 4 in 2025
Tier: Bubble top and middle of the lineup player
Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Analysis: For the second year in a row, Desnoyers was one of the best players in the QMJHL. He checks every box for what you want in a center. He’s tall and fast and makes a lot happen with and without the puck. Desnoyers displays excellent skill and playmaking ability. He creates offense on the move, off the perimeter and at the net. He isn’t an offensive dynamo, and in the NHL he’s probably not going to be the primary offensive guy on a top-two line, but he can make plays and support the playmakers. Desnoyers can be trusted to check top players, as he has a physical edge in his game and gives a high effort. He has the potential to be a second-line center who plays tough minutes.
I modeled how individual players influence whether a shot is blocked. By combining this skill estimate with their defensive shot exposure, I created an estimate of value (in terms of goals added relative to league average defenseman) of a player's shot blocking. Here is a ranking of that blocking valuation.
This work is obviously part of a broader issue of long-standing across hockey circles: is blocking a viable defensive skill, or is merely a symptom of bad defenders hemmed into their own zone.
I'm a Flyers fan, and the community generally really likes Nick Seeler, the other elite blocker on this list. Yes he blocks a lot of shots (and is good at blocking them), but the analytics show he is also good at driving play the other way to minimize shots against.
In posting on broader hockey subreddits, I have gathered that the reception for Cole is ... not as high. What do you all think?
For full season review and player evaluation: https://xjawn.com/players/8474013
For more technical description of how this blocked shot valuation was quantified:
https://xjawn.com/blog/blocked-shots
My old car finally bit the dust. Tried transferring my Blues magnet, but it's so old it just crumbled to pieces. I mostly rock Mammoth gear these days anyway...
In the 24-25 season he scored 20 goals. Sure, his goal total went down significantly for 25-26, but I’m willing to bet he hits 20 goals this upcoming season.
I know I’m in the minority, but Hayton is just waiting to have a breakout season, or to start having consistent 20+ goal seasons. I felt like if we had let him go, then it’d be Doan all over again.
I am missing the Mammoth so bad that I actually watched a Kraken vs Coyotes game from 2022 on YouTube today. (Veggie let in two goals in the first 49 seconds and got pulled for…wait for it…Scott Wedgwood). Can’t wait for our boys to hit the ice. Tusks Up!
I think Cooley and Leo Carlson are very comparable players, with very high potential. Cooley will cost us 10mil, while Leo will be that infamous 18mil. Meaning we have Guenther and Cooley for a million less than the Ducks have Leo haha. Take into account Gauthier will have to be signed within the next year, and the ridiculous gets even more ridiculous… Guenther and Gauthier both hit 40 goals last season, with Gunner having more assists. People have said Gauthier is looking for 15mil/year contract… so yikes!
I’m sure our guys are thinking they could have gotten bigger contracts, but I like to think they took team friendly deals because they prioritize having a chance to win.
Also… the cost of Bedard and Byram costs more than Cooley, Gunner, and Keller, or Cooley, Sergachev, and either Keller or Gunner…
Are other teams just screwing their cap up, or is BA just a bad ass? The only team that has better contracts for their young stars in the upcoming season is Montreal, but it’s pretty similar to Utah.
Tusks f’n up!
Let’s go boys.