Post by Kevin on Dec 6, 2009 10:41:36 GMT -5
Now that the end of the regular season is beginning to slowly creeping up, I thought we could take a look at some players who should be considered as early finalists for the BuHL's Rooke of the Year honors.
After much deliberation and scouring through all the available statistics for each team in both conferences, I've cut the class down to 5 guys who I think have shown that they can contend at the elite level of the BuHL at this early stage in their career. All 5 of these gentlemen have been thrust into starring roles on their respective teams, either garnering top PP time, top 6 forward/top 4 defensemen minutes or being named as the starting goalie.
Alexander Ovechkin (Quebec Nordiques)
The name alone should get this kid a few votes, but his play hasn't really hurt his chances of winning ROTY honors either. After being taken 1st overall (Josh, you'll have to help me here - I can't remember if he was 1st or 2nd behind Malkin), GM Swaikoski and Coach Gretzky wasted no time with this kid. At the beginning of the season, he found himself playing alongside Williams and Sjostrom on the 4th line. Some questioned this decision and wondered why he wasn't just given a starring role on the Avalanche, but Alexander wasn't about to complain. He quickly found himself moving up the depth chart all the way to the top 6. At time of press, he was currently playing alongside veterans Zubrus and Hejduk, as well as 2nd unit PP duties. His numbers aren't exactly mind-boggling, but for a kid of 18 you got to give him credit - he hasn't looked out of place playing at this level. He's been good in all aspects of the game, including his defense which some questioned at the beginning of the season (tied 3rd on the Nordiques with +/- 9). Whether he is the most deserving of ROTY honors waits to be seen, but no one is questioning the incredible potential and skill of this kid.
GP: 59 G: 14 A: 16 PTS: 30
Randy Jones (New Jersey Knights)
Probably the biggest surprise on this list, Jones has put up very respectable numbers for the Knights. In fact his play has impressed the brass in New Jersey to the point that he is now playing on the 2nd line ahead of all-world talents such as Redden, Allen and Mironov. To make his story even more amazing, Jones actually started the season on the Devils roster, playing only one game, but this just goes to show you how much confidence GM Conidi and Coach MacTavish have in the 21 year old. The only thing really hindering Jones chances at winning ROTY honors is his lack of playing time on the PP and PK (however, it should be noted that, at time of press, he has more PP goals than Ovechkin). Jones has made good use of the playing time he's been getting though as he finds himself among the team leaders in +/- and SB.
GP: 68 G: 6 A: 22 PTS: 28
Mark Streit (Indianapolis Racers)
Streits story is a little different from the first two...well, a lot different then any other player really. Coach Ruff has always been known to be hard on his players and expect 110% from anybody (like any other coach really), but also as an incredibly knowledgeable and creative coach. Ruff saw the plethora of offensive defensemen in his lineup and thus decided to have a little fun. He had Streit playing 3rd line RW to start the season, giving the Racers a solid and respectable 3rd line of Gelinas, Horcoff and Streit. Although this experiment didn't last too long, it was an interesting way for the 25 year old rookie to start his BuHL career. Getting to the point, Streit has put some decent offensive numbers since being moved back to D and seeing 2nd line and 2nd unit PP time. He has been somewhat overshadowed by offensive juggernauts such as Jovanoski and Salo, but having him in the lineup isn't hindering the team as he is just another weapon on the high-powered Racers offense. His numbers don't quite match those of the others named in this article, but he has shown that he comes to compete night in and night out
GP: 70 G: 7 A: 17 PTS: 24
Jason Bacashihua (Vancouver Canucks)
This may be Bacashihua's rookie season, but he really proved his meddle and just how talented he is last year. Along with guys like Kesler, Backes and Arkhipov, the 22 year old netminder backstopped the Moose to the AHL's best record. Fast forward to this year, and Jason hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. After starting the first quarter of the season on the Moose, where he was among or atop the leaders in every goaltending category, Jason was called up to the big team. The job was DiPietros, the highly touted, young American goaltender who was picked up in the Pronger deal, but Rick just wasn't impressing anyone. So Ricks demise was Jasons time to shine, and that he did. Jason now finds himself in the leagues top 3 in PCT, top 15 in GAA and if it had not been for missing the first part of the season, his win totals might be up there with some of the veterans in this league as well. The big thing hindering Bacashihuas chances here is his fast start and his subtle downhill fall since then. However, the fall in stats can be partly excused as the Canucks have move toward an all out offensive attack. Still, Bacashihua has stood his ground (albeit on his own) and has helped the Canucks find themselves in 7th place in the conference and making a serious push for a higher positioning come playoff time.
GP: 40 W-L: 16-13-8 PCT: 0.899 GAA: 2.72 SO: 2
Kari Lehtonen (St. Louis Blues)
Lehtonen, the other goalie "nominated" here, has had a slow but quite successful season despite playing on the basement dwelling Blues, the 3rd worst defensive team in the BuHL. His stats have also taken a hit as he has shared goaltending duties with two different gentlemen this season - Mathieu Garon and now Jason Labarbera (however, at time of press, he was listed as the Blues starting goalie). Despite all of this, the 21 year old netminder finds himself in the leagues top 5 in PCT and has a very respectable GAA considering the circumstances. The only thing really hindering this kids chances at becoming ROTY is his GP, as it isn't quite up to par with Bacashihua's. However, he is on an incredibly poor defensive team and is still managing to put up good numbers so his chances here are quite good. If he continues to play top minutes, his numbers should get better. Either way, the Blues have themselves a young goalie who has shown his worth and has yet to even reach his full potential.
GP: 30 W-L: 8-11-2 PCT: 0.898 GAA: 3.01 SO: 0
Despite it still being early in the season, I predict the balloting will come down to either Ovechkin or Bacashihua. Bacashihua needs to show that he is still deserving of the number one position in Vancouver as the team pushes for a playoff spot, and Ovechkin needs to start contributing with top 6 numbers. My darkhorse here would be Lehtonen based on his stats and the team playing in front of him. Randy Jones has a definite shot here as well considering his point total and his lack of PP time, but his +/- is what holding him back as the Knights are the leagues top defensive team. Mark Streit seems to be the one on the outside looking in, but being on the Racers, his numbers can only get better.
- Jordan Snyder
After much deliberation and scouring through all the available statistics for each team in both conferences, I've cut the class down to 5 guys who I think have shown that they can contend at the elite level of the BuHL at this early stage in their career. All 5 of these gentlemen have been thrust into starring roles on their respective teams, either garnering top PP time, top 6 forward/top 4 defensemen minutes or being named as the starting goalie.
Alexander Ovechkin (Quebec Nordiques)
The name alone should get this kid a few votes, but his play hasn't really hurt his chances of winning ROTY honors either. After being taken 1st overall (Josh, you'll have to help me here - I can't remember if he was 1st or 2nd behind Malkin), GM Swaikoski and Coach Gretzky wasted no time with this kid. At the beginning of the season, he found himself playing alongside Williams and Sjostrom on the 4th line. Some questioned this decision and wondered why he wasn't just given a starring role on the Avalanche, but Alexander wasn't about to complain. He quickly found himself moving up the depth chart all the way to the top 6. At time of press, he was currently playing alongside veterans Zubrus and Hejduk, as well as 2nd unit PP duties. His numbers aren't exactly mind-boggling, but for a kid of 18 you got to give him credit - he hasn't looked out of place playing at this level. He's been good in all aspects of the game, including his defense which some questioned at the beginning of the season (tied 3rd on the Nordiques with +/- 9). Whether he is the most deserving of ROTY honors waits to be seen, but no one is questioning the incredible potential and skill of this kid.
GP: 59 G: 14 A: 16 PTS: 30
Randy Jones (New Jersey Knights)
Probably the biggest surprise on this list, Jones has put up very respectable numbers for the Knights. In fact his play has impressed the brass in New Jersey to the point that he is now playing on the 2nd line ahead of all-world talents such as Redden, Allen and Mironov. To make his story even more amazing, Jones actually started the season on the Devils roster, playing only one game, but this just goes to show you how much confidence GM Conidi and Coach MacTavish have in the 21 year old. The only thing really hindering Jones chances at winning ROTY honors is his lack of playing time on the PP and PK (however, it should be noted that, at time of press, he has more PP goals than Ovechkin). Jones has made good use of the playing time he's been getting though as he finds himself among the team leaders in +/- and SB.
GP: 68 G: 6 A: 22 PTS: 28
Mark Streit (Indianapolis Racers)
Streits story is a little different from the first two...well, a lot different then any other player really. Coach Ruff has always been known to be hard on his players and expect 110% from anybody (like any other coach really), but also as an incredibly knowledgeable and creative coach. Ruff saw the plethora of offensive defensemen in his lineup and thus decided to have a little fun. He had Streit playing 3rd line RW to start the season, giving the Racers a solid and respectable 3rd line of Gelinas, Horcoff and Streit. Although this experiment didn't last too long, it was an interesting way for the 25 year old rookie to start his BuHL career. Getting to the point, Streit has put some decent offensive numbers since being moved back to D and seeing 2nd line and 2nd unit PP time. He has been somewhat overshadowed by offensive juggernauts such as Jovanoski and Salo, but having him in the lineup isn't hindering the team as he is just another weapon on the high-powered Racers offense. His numbers don't quite match those of the others named in this article, but he has shown that he comes to compete night in and night out
GP: 70 G: 7 A: 17 PTS: 24
Jason Bacashihua (Vancouver Canucks)
This may be Bacashihua's rookie season, but he really proved his meddle and just how talented he is last year. Along with guys like Kesler, Backes and Arkhipov, the 22 year old netminder backstopped the Moose to the AHL's best record. Fast forward to this year, and Jason hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. After starting the first quarter of the season on the Moose, where he was among or atop the leaders in every goaltending category, Jason was called up to the big team. The job was DiPietros, the highly touted, young American goaltender who was picked up in the Pronger deal, but Rick just wasn't impressing anyone. So Ricks demise was Jasons time to shine, and that he did. Jason now finds himself in the leagues top 3 in PCT, top 15 in GAA and if it had not been for missing the first part of the season, his win totals might be up there with some of the veterans in this league as well. The big thing hindering Bacashihuas chances here is his fast start and his subtle downhill fall since then. However, the fall in stats can be partly excused as the Canucks have move toward an all out offensive attack. Still, Bacashihua has stood his ground (albeit on his own) and has helped the Canucks find themselves in 7th place in the conference and making a serious push for a higher positioning come playoff time.
GP: 40 W-L: 16-13-8 PCT: 0.899 GAA: 2.72 SO: 2
Kari Lehtonen (St. Louis Blues)
Lehtonen, the other goalie "nominated" here, has had a slow but quite successful season despite playing on the basement dwelling Blues, the 3rd worst defensive team in the BuHL. His stats have also taken a hit as he has shared goaltending duties with two different gentlemen this season - Mathieu Garon and now Jason Labarbera (however, at time of press, he was listed as the Blues starting goalie). Despite all of this, the 21 year old netminder finds himself in the leagues top 5 in PCT and has a very respectable GAA considering the circumstances. The only thing really hindering this kids chances at becoming ROTY is his GP, as it isn't quite up to par with Bacashihua's. However, he is on an incredibly poor defensive team and is still managing to put up good numbers so his chances here are quite good. If he continues to play top minutes, his numbers should get better. Either way, the Blues have themselves a young goalie who has shown his worth and has yet to even reach his full potential.
GP: 30 W-L: 8-11-2 PCT: 0.898 GAA: 3.01 SO: 0
Despite it still being early in the season, I predict the balloting will come down to either Ovechkin or Bacashihua. Bacashihua needs to show that he is still deserving of the number one position in Vancouver as the team pushes for a playoff spot, and Ovechkin needs to start contributing with top 6 numbers. My darkhorse here would be Lehtonen based on his stats and the team playing in front of him. Randy Jones has a definite shot here as well considering his point total and his lack of PP time, but his +/- is what holding him back as the Knights are the leagues top defensive team. Mark Streit seems to be the one on the outside looking in, but being on the Racers, his numbers can only get better.
- Jordan Snyder