Kingston – McKeen's Hockey

OHL: Greyhounds Game 3 Greatness

Gus Katsaros — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 06:00:16 +0000

Scouts will expound the preference to scout prospects in Friday games as opposed to Sunday games. The reasoning revolves around breaking down game conditions and optimal levels of excellence and energy a prospect can demonstrate and that means more in a Friday contest than a Sunday game.

A Friday game is normally the beginning of a weekend series where most games are played and prospects are approaching the games fresh and full of energy to showcase their best. In contrast, Sunday games are usually the tail end of the series as junior players gear up to go back to school on Monday or looking forward to the next week’s slate of games.

This is especially true when trying to assess a player that’s appeared in the three-games-in-three-nights (3-in-3) scenario.

Prior to the CHL seasons commencement, I broke down all three member leagues schedules highlighting the number of 3-in-3 sets played by each team. The entire breakdown is available here.

The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds distinct advantage over all other CHL teams in 2013-14.

The northern Ontario town endured one lone 3-in-3 set all season, a distinct low amongst Ontario Hockey League teams and a far cry from the OHL team average of six.

There’s more. The Soo also enjoy 16 games played against an opponent dressing for the third game in their 3-in-3 set. Once again, the league average was six (6), so the Greyhounds almost tripled the league average.

In 2012-13, the Kitchener Rangers led the OHL with 10 such games. I hadn’t gone back before that season, but the game numbers are indeed random year over year but will expand on that when I do the schedules for the 2014-15 season, because I feel it’s an important to distinguish that scheduling is a random science of balancing availability, travel and convenience. It’s not exact and one season’s advantage can be the next season’s drawback.

Behind the Soo were the Windsor Spitfires (12) and the Oshawa Generals (10).

To date, the Greyhounds have played 15 of 16 games amassing a stellar 14-0-1 record. They played six games as a rested team (where they had not played the previous day) and 11 games were at home.

Being based out of Ontario – and given the information at hand – I wanted to break down the records of teams in each of those games. The results are in the table below.

	1				2				3
Team	Gms	W	L	O	Gms	W	L	O	Gms	W	L	O	Rested
Barrie	4	1	2	0	5	3	2	0	3	2	1	0	1
Belleville	6	2	4	0	15	5	9	0	4	0	3	1	1
Erie	6	5	0	0	5	3	2	0	3	1	1	0	0
Guelph	6	2	3	0	10	7	0	1	3	2	1	0	1
Kingston	5	3	2	0	3	1	1	1	9	4	5	0	7
Kitchener	6	1	4	0	7	2	2	1	4	1	3	0	2
London	7	6	1	0	6	5	0	1	5	4	0	0	0
Mississauga	5	2	3	0	5	2	3	0	7	4	3	0	2
Niagara	9	4	5	0	3	1	2	0	1	0	1	0	1
North Bay	10	6	2	1	3	0	2	0	6	5	1	0	3
Oshawa	6	3	2	0	3	3	0	0	10	7	2	0	6
Ottawa	8	2	5	1	2	1	1	0	7	3	3	1	5
Owen Sound	9	3	4	1	7	2	4	1	5	4	0	0	1
Peterborough	2	0	2	0	3	2	0	1	3	1	2	0	1
Plymouth	3	1	1	1	8	2	4	1	7	3	2	1	0
Saginaw	4	0	2	2	12	6	5	0	7	3	3	1	3
Sarnia	3	0	3	0	8	3	4	0	3	0	2	0	2
Sault Ste. Marie	5	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	16	14	0	1	6
Sudbury	2	2	0	0	12	7	4	1	3	0	0	2	1
Windsor	12	10	1	0	1	1	0	0	12	7	3	1	6
Records of listed team versus an opponent playing in Games 1, 2, or 3 of a 3-in-3 set

The table represents the team listed in the first column, the amount of games they played versus a team in Games 1, 2 or 3 during a 3-in-3 set and their record in those games. The Greyhounds have 29 points in 15 games played against a team in Game 3 of a 3-in-3 set with one more remaining on the schedule (entering the weekend of mar 6 thru 9).

Some of the other numbers are interesting. The Soo scored 4.9 goals per game in Game 3’s (scoring 67 goals) while averaging 3.6 goals in other games. Defensively they allowed 2.26 goals against in Game 3’s (33 goals allowed), and 3.06 in other games.

As of this writing, they’ve amassed 86 points en route to a West Division Crown, with 29 points versus opponents in Game 3’s representing 33.7% of their total.

Windsor sitting in second place in the division with 75 points sported a record of 7-3-1 against teams in Game 3’s, earning 15 points while 24 points were earned via team’s starting off their 3-in-3 set in Game 1’s.

Sudbury, in a battle with the North Bay Battalion for the division crown, had a total of three games this season against a team playing Game 3 having played two of them, garnering a point in each with shootout losses in both.

The East division leader Oshawa Generals strung together a 7-2 record garnering 14 points over division rivals Kingston – coincidentally matching the gap separating the Generals (88 points) and Frontenacs (74 points). Kingston has a 4-5 record versus opponents playing in Game 3’s. Those five losses could have really closed the gap and made it a closer race for the division lead.

In the Midwest Division, the first place Guelph Storm and second place Erie Otters each played three games against teams in Game 3’s, representing half of the OHL league average. The Storm have completed their three games with a 2-1 record, while Erie (1-1) has one game remaining and five points back of the Storm.

Sault Ste. Marie in their lone 3-in-3 set went 1-2 in 2013-14.

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OHL 2014 Draft Eligibles: We Three Kings-ton Frontenacs

Sean Lafortune — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 06:46:40 +0000

Sean Lafortune of thescout.ca has reports on recent OHL viewings with a Kingston Frontenacs heavy review of 2014 draft eligibles along with a review of Hall of Fame Al MacInnis son, Ryan, and defenseman Roland McKeown.

Also featured is Sam Bennett who started the season with a 20-point run (10-10-20) in his first 10 games dressed, lining up alongside Tampa Bay 2013 pick, Henri Ikonen (6th rnd 154th overall). He missed one game (game 7) but recorded a point in every contest in in the first 10 in which he dressed. Talk about making a statement out of the gate in your draft year.

There's a slight detour from Kitchener before heading to Kingston.

Ryan MacInnis, C, Kitchener Rangers (2014)

A high potential pivot making playing in his inaugural OHL season. Son of NHL Hall of fame defenseman Al MacInnis. Has represented the United States internationally at the 2012 World Under 17 Challenge, playing a lead role in the team's bronze medal victory. A tall, lanky play maker with quick, soft hands. Slippery in traffic, protects and handles the puck comfortably, aided by an extended wingspan. Calm in possession, can dangle and weave through checks. Packs a tricky wrist-shot, one that has a deceptive release point that always keeps goaltenders guessing. Efficient at finding open ice in the offensive zone, getting lost in coverage and opening himself up for a quick strike. Balance, coordination and agility all need to come along. A somewhat slushy and upright skater, must strive to get stronger on his feet and continue to add length to a somewhat short stride. Top speed is adequate, should improve as he ads lower body strength. Could inject a more consistent physical edge, does not always project a strong, aggressive presence. Added success and strength to a somewhat lean frame should benefit multiple aspects of his game. Far from a finished product, projects as a smart, top 6 forward at the next level, one who already possesses size and a pro shot. Will be asked to play significant minutes for a rebuilding Kitchener Rangers squad, allowing him to develop all aspects of his game.

Roland McKeown, D, Kingston Frontenacs (2014)

The undisputed leader of the Kingston Frontenacs defence core. Has represented Canada internationally twice, first as an underage player at the World U18 Championships in April and at the Summer Ivan Hlinka Tournament, winning a Gold medal on both occasions. A skilled, creative puck mover with gifted vision and offensive awareness. Agile, lively skater who generates a sharp acceleration burst from a wide stride. Slick on his edges, boasting exceptional lateral quickness and agility. Can paralyze opponents one on one with rapid stick handling moves. Lethal in transition, deft long range passer and talented shooter. Confidently joins the attack, has a knack for has a knack for sneaking into open spaces. Imaginative powerplay quarterback, has a flirt for walking the line and finding open passing lanes. Gradually adding muscle to a fairly lean frame and learning to use his skating to sustain a positional edge defending one on one. Lacks intensity in puck battles, can be too accommodating when opposition forwards drive the net. Must develop more of a physical presence down low. Must define his positional reads and develop a bigger push back around his crease. Gained valuable experience last year on a rebuilding Frontenacs squad, must now take that next step and prove he can lead a talented squad through the rigors of a championship drive.

Sam Bennett, C, Kingston Frontenacs (2014)

A multipurpose pivot who plays a competitive, two way game. A winning pedigree after winning championships internationally at both the World U18 Championship, the summer Ivan Hlinka tournament and throughout his minor hockey career with the Toronto Marlboros. In the midst of a break out sophomore season with the Kingston Frontenacs. Analytic two way pivot with clever play making skills. Displays a competitive edge, hates to lose and never stops working. Cerebral in possession, plays with impressive poise and intelligence, deft one touch passer, identifies options and makes a quick decision. Excels at holding the puck and finding open seams in coverage. Strong, disciplined checker, finishes hits and forechecks with enthusiasm. Displays a knack for coming up with loose pucks, guided by strong anticipation and positioning. Makes smart mature plays in the defensive end, tracks back deep and supports his defenders. A good but not elite skater, lacks strong separation speed or an explosive second gear. Still fairly undersized, must continue to add strength and mass to a somewhat underdeveloped frame. Improving his upper body strength should add more zip to an average shot. Projects as a top end, two way pivot who leads by example. Will lead the Frontenacs offensively this year, attempting to take the Frontenacs deep into the playoffs and perhaps earn a Memorial Cup berth.

Spencer Watson, RW, Kingston Frontenacs (2014)

A London Ontario native who displays excellent finishing ability. Was a stand out for Team Canada at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Tournament, finishing with 10 points in 5 games and helping lead his country to a gold medal. Small, determined sniper with a competitive nature. Drives aggressively to the net and works diligently to find scoring areas. Shoot first mentality, always driving to unleash a quick, accurate wristshot that he can unload in full flight, thanks to soft hands. Shot also packs impressive torque and strength for a player of his size. An agile skater with good top speed, stride is comfortable and efficient, however lacks that elite second level of mobility. Wants to make a difference when the game is on the line. Displays skill and elusiveness in possession, yet needs to mature as a puck mover, learn to make patient and more impressive reads. Too frantic and rushed at times, tends to take the first option. Also requires improvement in his positioning and skating routes away from the puck. Must maximize strength potential in order to fulfill his promising potential, adding depth and mass to a somewhat slender frame. Projects as a top 6 forward at the next level, one who has the ability to be finisher when paired with a true puck distributor. Will team with linemate Sam Bennett to lead the Kingston Frontenacs offensively this year as they attempt to grow on last year’s success and gain entry into the 2014 memorial cup.

Josh Ho Sang, RW, Windsor Spitfires (2014)

A high skilled forward who plays all three forward positions with the Spitfires. Represented Ontario internationally at the 2013 World U17 Challenge. A skater with natural speed and fluidity. Acceleration is top notch, specifically on crossovers, which creates outside separation. Cuts fluidly east to west, makes tight spins and sharp lateral cuts, exploiting strong balance and edge control. Strong passer and puck handler, gets a real zip on crisp passes. Tricky and elusive one on one, especially in open ice. Thrives to make dazzling end to end solo rush, exploring sublime puck skills and a dynamic change of pace. A dangerous and creative player on certain nights, yet prone to over handling the puck in search of a perfect play, drawing unnecessary physical abuse and failing to integrate linemates. At his best when driving aggressively into land and striving to show off a powerful shooting arsenal. Will need to continue to increase his involvement in the defensive zone, has made improvements, however his enthusiasm and commitment can wane dramatically. Will need to increase his mass and body strength. Has made gains in the past 6 months, however will need to mature his game, playing more of a team focused style in order to capitalize on his long term potential. Has become a key player in Windsor with the graduation and maturation of other veterans, seeing significant ice time while becoming one of the most dangerous offensive players on the roster.

CHL: 3-in-3 Sets 2013-14

Gus Katsaros — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 16:48:53 +0000

The distance between Sault Ste. Marie and Windsor, Ontario is approximately, 568 kilometers. The Greyhounds begin their lone 3-games-in-3 nights set in 2013-14 starting with Ontario’s southernmost franchise, before moving on to Plymouth and Saginaw in Michigan to complete the set.

This isn’t the only benefit the Hounds enjoy this season. The second encompasses 25% of their schedule with a marked advantage.

Strictly by coincidence, Windsor was one of three teams with one 3-in-3 set in 2012-13, along with the Edmonton Oil Kings and Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL. In 2013-14, the Greyhounds are the only OHL club to have one 3-in-3 set with Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Moose Jaw and Regina in the WHL sharing the same number.

The distance traversed is less than the furthest expanse for the Greyhounds. For instance, there’s an 800 km distance between Sault Ste. Marie and Ottawa that can be travelled between 8-10 hours and passes through Sudbury and the newest OHL franchise, North Bay Battalion – after they moved from Brampton on the outskirts of the GTA. Traveling into the Toronto area is similar in length – about 700 km – with a travel time of 7-8 hours, where there are five teams within a 2-3 hour drive

THREE GAMES IN THREE NIGHTS

One of the driving attributes of schedules distinguishing the National Hockey League to other North American leagues is that the NHL does not schedule 3-games in 3 night sets. The American Hockey League – a talent feeder league – schedules games over three straight days, usually, if not exclusively, to the weekend Friday-Saturday-Sunday combination.

Member leagues under the CHL umbrella share this same scheduling attribute. Apart, as separate entities, the OHL, WHL and QMJHL vary in their particular characteristics, but share the same philosophy.

The OHL has a higher average number of overall sets per team, hovering around six, with the other leagues at about half of that, counting about three sets per club.

	Average	Min	Max
	OHL
3-in-3	5.9	1	9
3-in-3 Rd	1.35	0	3
	WHL
3-in-3	2.9	0	7
3-in-3 Rd	1.1	0	5
	QMJHL
3-in-3	2.8	2	3
3-in-3 Rd	1.7	0	3

The number of sets is scattered in the OHL with member clubs distances making for travel between arenas accommodating for short-ish jaunts during winter weekends. Consider, for instance a Friday night game in Mississauga then Saturday contest in Oshawa and then off to one of Belleville, Peterborough or Kingston only a short drive from General Motors Centre where the Generals suit up. The end result is a mix of 3 games in 3 night set combinations, the end result potentially varying each season.

Stability is available in the QMJHL where parity among clubs amounts to a similar number of 3-in-3 sets, with 2013-14 at three per team, falling in line with the previous season. Travel is slightly more spread out in ‘the Q’ – mimicking similarities to the OHL – yet expansive enough to limit games to consecutive nights and dropping the third game entirely. Less teams (18 teams in the QMJHL) also makes for lessened travel, while the Q starts their season one week earlier than the other two leagues, spreading games slightly further.

The WHL features four teams without any 3-in-3 sets in 2013-14; Victoria, Red Deer, Calgary and the Eastern-most outpost, Brandon, home of the Wheat Kings. The challenge of expanse and long bus rides are slightly diminished in higher density areas closer to the West coast resulting in the Western Conference having a slight higher concentration of 3-in-3 sets.

For instance, the distance between bookend franchises in the Western Hockey League is a 21 hour bus ride, maybe more.

The QMJHL have similar effects with a 20 hour span between Cape Breton and Rouyn-Noranda.

Let’s look back before moving ahead.

2012-14 SEASON RECAP

I broke down last season in detail here, but here’s a summary of all three leagues in the image below.

Explanations of the headings are as follows.

The TOTAL column denotes the number of 3-in-3 sets

The Rd Column signifies the number of sets all played strictly on the road. The WHL in this case is very different from ’12-13 to ’13-14 as we shall see. Vancouver and Victoria were the only two clubs with sets strictly on the road. That changes this season.

The Gm1 through Gm3 columns designate the amount of games in which the team lined up on the left faced an opponent playing in the associated game number, 1, 2, or 3 during a 3-in-3 set.

For example, Vancouver led the entire CHL dressing for 11 games where the opponent was playing their third game in three nights. The Kitchener Rangers played 10 such contests.

2013-14 SEASON – RELEASE THE HOUNDS!

I added two additional columns for the ’13-14 edition.

With all the attention I’ve devoted to teams playing rested/tired in the NHL I couldn’t resist figuring out the CHL equivalent. I defined Rested and Tired in a post here , with the definitions appearing below.

Rested – a team that has not played the previous night facing a team in the second game of a back-to-back set on consecutive nights.
Tired – a team playing its second game on consecutive nights versus a team that is rested and has not played the previous night.

Enough prelude, on to the data.

We start with the OHL with notes below the table.

OHL
Team	3-in-3	3-in-3 Rd	Gm1	Gm2	Gm3	Tired	Rested
Barrie	9	1	4	5	3	20	10
Belleville	5	2	6	15	4	14	14
Erie	5	2	6	5	3	16	12
Guelph	7	1	6	10	3	12	14
Kingston	6	2	5	3	9	13	19
Kitchener	6	0	6	7	4	6	10
London	8	3	7	6	5	10	7
Mississauga	6	2	5	5	7	6	12
Niagara	8	1	9	3	1	18	10
North Bay	2	2	10	3	6	14	14
Oshawa	6	0	6	3	10	12	17
Ottawa	4	2	8	2	7	10	13
Owen Sound	6	0	9	7	5	10	11
Peterborough	6	1	2	3	3	17	11
Plymouth	6	1	3	8	7	10	7
Saginaw	3	1	4	12	7	5	10
Sarnia	9	1	3	8	3	17	9
Sault Ste. Marie	1	1	5	0	16	10	12
Sudbury	9	2	2	12	3	15	16
Windsor	6	2	12	1	12	9	16
Average	6	1	6	6	6	12	12
Min	1	0	2	0	1	5	7
Max	9	3	12	15	16	20	19

The clear takeaway here, is not only the one 3-in-3 set, but the 16 games the Greyhounds face an opponent playing their third game in three nights. In a 68 game schedule, that amounts to 25% of the total schedule. Windsor lags by four games, with Oshawa rounding out the double digits.

Scouts often emphasize the Friday games versus a Sunday game and comparison of scouting views. This little tidbit is helpful in this regard. Watching players on a Friday night is very different from a Sunday game after the weekend grind.

Sudbury, Sarnia and Barrie share the lead with nine (9) sets.

Barrie leads the OHL playing in 20 games as a tired team, balanced by half that amount as a rested team. Kingston leads the league with 19 games as a rested team.

Let’s move on to the more stable QMJHL.

QMJHL
Team	3-in-3	3-in-3 Rd	Gm1	Gm2	Gm3	Tired	Rested
Acadie-Bathurst	3	2	7	1	4	7	10
Baie-Comeau	3	3	2	2	4	6	8
Blainville-Boisbriand	3	2	3	3	7	6	10
Cape Breton	2	2	1	2	0	9	4
Charlottetown	3	1	0	7	2	5	12
Chicoutimi	3	3	3	2	1	9	10
Drummondville	3	1	5	2	6	11	12
Gatineau	3	1	2	0	4	7	6
Halifax	3	2	1	1	2	13	10
Moncton	2	1	2	1	4	9	7
Quebec	3	1	3	3	1	11	8
Rimouski	2	2	4	2	1	7	3
Rouyn-Noranda	3	3	1	1	1	8	8
Saint John	3	1	3	5	4	8	10
Shawinigan	3	1	2	5	3	9	10
Sherbrooke	3	1	7	7	3	3	6
Val-d'Or	3	3	1	1	1	10	6
Victoriaville	3	0	4	6	3	10	8
Average	3	2	3	3	3	8	8
Min	2	0	0	0	0	3	3
Max	3	3	7	7	7	13	12

The entire league is fairly vanilla across all categories. The average number of 3-in-3 sets is a consistent three (3), with all but Victoriaville playing at least one set with every game on the road.

Blainville-Boisbriand leads the ‘Q’ with seven (7) games against a team playing their third game in three nights. Unsurprisingly, CapeBreton is the only Quebec team without an instance against a team on their third game in three nights (Saskatoon is the only other team in the CHL that is blanked.)

Halifax plays the most games as a tired team, with the Charlottetown Islanders leading the rested category with 12.

Moving over to the WHL, we see a difference from ’12-13 both in the number of teams without a 3-in-3 set as well as the increase in the number of sets strictly on the road, a little different from the Vancouver/Victoria combination of a year ago.

WHL
Team	3-in-3	3-in-3 Rd	Gm1	Gm2	Gm3	Tired	Rested
Brandon	0	0	4	1	2	7	10
Calgary	0	0	4	3	4	5	9
Edmonton	3	2	4	3	3	10	10
Everett	6	0	4	6	4	6	8
Kamloops	3	2	1	4	4	5	8
Kelowna	4	2	5	2	1	9	6
Kootenay	2	0	3	5	5	7	7
Lethbridge	1	0	2	5	2	4	11
Medicine Hat	1	0	3	1	1	13	9
Moose Jaw	1	1	0	2	2	11	8
Portland	5	2	9	2	5	9	7
Prince Albert	2	1	1	1	2	8	8
Prince George	5	5	0	1	3	7	2
Red Deer	0	0	3	3	2	11	8
Regina	1	0	2	2	1	6	9
Saskatoon	5	2	4	1	0	15	6
Seattle	7	2	5	6	5	5	3
Spokane	5	3	2	3	4	5	8
Swift Current	4	1	0	0	2	5	9
Tri-City	3	1	3	5	3	6	4
Vancouver	5	0	2	3	6	6	10
Victoria	0	0	2	4	2	3	3
Average	3	1	3	3	3	7	7
Min	0	0	0	0	0	3	2
Max	7	5	9	6	6	15	11

Already having covered the zero set teams, the Western Conference Seattle Thunderbirds lead the WHL, with Everett a close second and Portland, Vancouver, Spokane and Saskatoon rounding out third overall.

Prince George is the only CHL team that plays all it’s 3-in-3 sets on the road. Scheduling will bite them in ’13-14 as they face a team on their third game in three nights three times, and end up as a tired team seven (7) times in a not-so-lucky turn of events. All that while playing a WHL low two games as a rested team.

Strength of schedule on a macro level may not have a significant effect, however, taking it to the micro level, counting the little intricacies associated to each club paints a bit of a different picture.

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