Hamilton Bulldogs Season Preview
The Hamilton Bulldogs could’ve easily been coming into the 2014-15 seasons with a roster very similar to that which finished the 2013-14 campaign. Despite two seasons spent toiling in the AHL’s Western Conference basement, coach Sylvain Lefebvre was confident he’d be returning, and with seemingly few roster spots available in Montreal, most of the organization’s prospects were likely to return as well.
Louis Leblanc couldn’t have yet another stagnant year, right? And Patrick Holland would return to the form with which he completed his rookie season, rather than the slump that prevailed throughout his sophomore year. Mike Blunden and Gabriel Dumont seemed natural fits to assume team leadership, while Dustin Tokarski was going to be returned from the Canadiens due to the term remaining on Peter Budaj’s contract. Patch the line-up with some free agents who were scorers at other levels and – if they’re lucky – would be able to reproduce even 50% of that success as professionals. Sprinkle in a few newly graduating junior standouts, rinse, and repeat, for another season of praying that your whole line-up consistently plays up to its full potential for even a shot at returning to the post-season. Why would we expect anything different when that’s been the situation for the past two years? Was it fair to begin asking whether Marc Bergevin and his staff cared about having a winning program for the purpose of prospect development?
But then, things did change. The ‘Dogs cut ties with their under-producing veteran core in Blunden and Martin St. Pierre, replacing them with fresh blood in T.J. Hensick and Jake Dowell. Whereas in past the club might supplement a pair of veterans with uncertain gambles, training camp brought a couple of presents to Bulldog fans in the NHL-experienced Drayson Bowman and Eric Tangradi to significantly upgrade the 2013-14 forward group. And perhaps most unexpected of all, Magnus Nygren seems to have matured over the past few months, claiming he was misquoted in alleged slanderous statements about the city of Hamilton, stating his willingness to stick it out with the Steeltown troop this time around until he can prove that he’s NHL-worthy.
All this to say there is plenty to be excited about for the coming year. The ‘Dogs will enter the season with more experience, skill, and depth than they’ve had at any time since their last Calder Cup championship.
To give you an idea of what to look out for, here’s how the revamped roster (projected lines / depth chart only) looks a few days before the season opens. Over the course of the season, I’ll be updating the performances and progress of each of these players.
Sven Andrighetto – T.J. Hensick – Eric Tangradi
The Bulldogs desperately needed some size in their top six, which meant the Holland-for-Tangradi swap was just what the doctor ordered. 25-year old Tangradi’s 6’4” frame will help to create space for the 5’9” Andrighetto and 5’10” Hensick, while the two skilled forwards should easily enable the former Penguin and Jet to set AHL career highs in goals and points. The challenge for Tangradi will be to go to the net with consistency , while Andrighetto should be the trio’s primary puck carrier. The line’s elder statesman at 28, Hensick’s speed should help him play a puck retrieval role and provide a nice compliment to Andrighetto’s shiftiness. While it should be expected that Andrighetto spend some time in Montreal this season as one of the primary call-up options for any top 6 forward vacancies, if this unit stays together, it has all the makings of a legitimate AHL first line, the kind Hamilton hasn’t seen since the days of Aaron Palushaj and Matt D’Agostini.
Charles Hudon – Jacob De La Rose – Christian Thomas
The next group features two pro rookies, though De La Rose is only a rookie on North American ice. The 19-year old Swede has played against men in the Allsvenskan (tier 2) and the SHL (first tier) leagues the last three seasons, and seemed like he would’ve made his NHL debut in Montreal’s season opener had Lars Eller not recuperated from a minor injury in time. His maturity makes him the defensively responsible counterpart to his threatening wingers, while also bringing size and physicality to balance out his smaller teammates. Hudon, the other rookie, should be expected to produce less than his 76-point final junior season, but he has all the makings of a successful pro player, with a high compete level and on-ice awareness… provided he can stay healthy. Thomas, meanwhile, will be on a mission to rebound from an underwhelming second AHL season, and is coming off a great camp which turned heads in Montreal. He’ll be counted on as his unit’s sniper, with Hudon a possible set-up man. All three of these players are candidates to be early call-ups to the Habs if they get off to good starts.
Gabriel Dumont – Jake Dowell – Drayson Bowman
If this trio of veterans is united, I wouldn’t hesitate to call it the AHL’s best third line, though in reality based on this projected line-up, all of the top nine would likely get about even billing. All three should play key leadership roles on the team, with Dowell and Bowman each boasting over 100 NHL games on their resumes. Dumont, meanwhile, is the longest-serving Bulldog, entering his fifth full season with the club, while remaining a strong option for a call-up if Montreal needs to reinforce its fourth line. As a group, this reads as a pretty typical third line, likely to be matched up against the opposition’s most dangerous players. Dowell and Dumont excel at a typical checking forward game, while Bowman’s speed and tenacity make him a pest on the forecheck. This isn’t your typical shutdown group, however, as each of the three is also very capable of producing 30+ points, a feat accomplished by only 4 ‘Dog forwards last season.
Nick Sorkin – Maxime Macenauer – Daniel Carr
Another significant change in Hamilton’s roster for the coming year is the amount of depth to the team’s name. These three are perhaps the odds-on favourites to enable coach Lefebvre to roll four lines, but the team could also substitute in more toughness in a pinch by dressing Connor Crisp, Jack Nevins, and Stefan Fournier (though it’s possible all three start on the IR, as all missed significant chunks of training camp with injuries). Or, if an offensive player is slumping, Tim Bozon is sure to get a look at some point during the course of the year, even if it’s probably best for him to start out playing bigger minutes with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers. Macenauer returns as yet another face with NHL experience, but the revamped roster has him penciled into a 4C hole whereas he often received top minutes a year ago. His versatility to win face-offs and play on either the penalty kill or powerplay should keep him in the line-up more often than not. Sorkin and Carr are two AHL rookies who were darlings of Montreal and Hamilton training camps respectively, and are thus major wildcards that could easily climb the depth charts if their success continues on into the season. Carr is a college standout with impressive hands, while Sorkin is a fluid skater backed by a 6’3” body.
Mac Bennett – Greg Pateryn
The return of Pateryn was great news for the ‘Dogs, as while he may be considered too slow a decision-maker for the speed of the NHL, he has proven he can be a dominant blueline force in the American League. With Nathan Beaulieu in Montreal, he will uncontestably be the team’s #1 guy, and should receive top minutes on the penalty kill while also quarterbacking the powerplay. It wouldn’t be a surprise for the team to try him beside 23-year old pro rookie Bennett, his former defense partner at the University of Michigan, to see if the two can rekindle old chemistry. An average-sized, mobile, two-way blueliner, Bennett is far down Montreal’s depth chart, but his skating ability should balance out the principal weakness in Pateryn’s game well enough to form a formidable pairing.
Davis Drewiske – Darren Dietz
Many thought Drewiske had shown enough to hold on to the #7 spot in Montreal, but the team opted to retain Jarred Tinordi over the 29-year old with 135 games of NHL experience. The long-time L.A. King didn’t quite find his groove after returning from injury last year, but with the notable graduations of two top prospects, he’ll be counted on to start fresh and fill the big hold left on the ‘Dogs’ blueline. Dietz was another surprising stud in Canadiens’ camp for a second year running whose main challenge this season will be to stay healthy, something he struggled to do in his rookie season. If the 21-year old can do so, he would play the role of puck-mover to Drewiske’s defensive game, while both blueliners are capable of playing physically as well. Dietz will likely battle Pateryn to serve as first call-up in case of injuries in Montreal.
Joe Finley – Magnus Nygren
Despite his experience and success in Sweden’s top leagues, Nygren may be penciled in as third-best righty upon his return to the city he once fled. Most critically, his booming slapshot lets him replace Nathan Beaulieu as Pateryn’s triggerman on the powerplay, though if he envisions a call-up at some point, he’ll have to prove his all-around game is far more polished than where it was last year when he was a virtual turn-over machine. If Crisp and Nevins don’t make Hamilton’s everyday line-up, Finley will almost be assured a spot, as most clubs dress at least one enforcer on a nightly basis and he’ll be needed for protection. The 6’8” behemoth has suited up for 21 NHL games, though that’s entirely due to his pugilistic tendencies rather than his on-ice contributions. When not facing the Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren bolstered Toronto Marlies, he can easily be swapped out for a Morgan Ellis, Dalton Thrower (likely to start in the ECHL once healthy, as he’ll need to be playing), or Bobby Shea.
Joey MacDonald
Mike Condon
Franky Palazzese
The Canadiens were well prepared for the eventuality that Dustin Tokarski would remain in Montreal all summer long, as they added a high quality AHL starter in 34-year old MacDonald early on in free agency. MacDonald has played 32 games for the Calgary Flames over the past two seasons, and even posted a .912 save percentage and 2.16 GAA in 14 games for the Detroit Red Wings back in 2011-12. Challenging the veteran for playing time will be 24-year old Condon, coming off a pro rookie season in which he was one of the ECHL’s top netminders. He proved all he could at that level, and is ready to take on a new challenge, even if MacDonald should start roughly two out of every three games. If MacDonald isn’t an upgrade on Tokarski, Condon should provide greater consistency to what Robert Mayer delivered last year. Palazzese, meanwhile, is a recent Bulldog signee for depth at this position, expected to begin his pro career with the Wheeling Nailers after an OHL career split between the Kingston Frontenacs, Kitchener Rangers, and Sudbury Wolves.
Without a doubt, the Bulldogs will benefit from a greatly improved roster in 2014-15, and will be well-equipped to supply the Canadiens with suitable call-ups in the case of injuries or transactions. The season gets underway for Hamilton this Saturday, October 11th, in Rochester, before returning to First Ontario Centre for their home opener against the Toronto Marlies on October 17th.