Lueskelin vähän saksalaisen foorumin jutustelua Morandista. Seitsemään harjoitusotteluun yksi syöttöpiste, ja lähtö tuli. Positiivisina asioina mainittiin että luistin liikkuu ja kädet käy, mutta kaksinkamppailupelaamisessa jäi pahasti jalkoihin. Joku arveli että laitahyökkääjän paikka ei sopinut Morandin pelityylille, mutta jos voimanpuute oli ongelma, niin tuskin tilanne olisi paljoa parantunut sentterin paikallakaan?
Sormen tilanteeseen ei tullut enempää selvyyttä. Sanamuodot tosin viittaisivat "vääntymiseen", mikä ei ehkä olisi niin paha juttu kuin jos luu olisi mennyt pahemmin päreiksi. Augsburger Panther on nyt hakemassa uutta ykköskorin hyökkääjää kovalla kiireellä, eli kysyntää riittää pelaajamarkkinoilla edelleen.
Neuzugang: www.aev-panther.de/start.html
www.aev-forum.de
Tuossa vielä kopio yhden sakemannin viestistä:
Stats: Antoine Morand at eliteprospects.com
Age: 23
Games counting towards veteran status: 152
Salary: $70,000
Panther Player Connections: No
Profile: Made in the QMJHL during his junior days Morand a good impression. Here are a few numbers:
16/17 Acadie-Bathurst: 67 pl 28 T 46 A 74 P (Assistant)
PO: 11 pl 2 T 10 A 12 P
He was the second best scorer on his team and ranked 23rd in the league. His team failed in the quarterfinals. A few players for comparison. The Polar Bears' Giovanni Fiore is 2 1/2 years older and scored 90 points in 61 games.
17/18 Acadie-Bathurst: 66 pl 26 T 50 A 76 P (assistant)
PO: 20 pl 8 T 11 A 19 P
In his sophomore year, he became his team's top scorer and was ranked 14th in the QMJHL scorer ranking. He won the championship with the Titans.
18/19 Halifax: 62 col. 22 T 48 A 70 P (Captain)
PO: 23 col. 5 T 10 A 15 P
Now came the change to Halifax. He was 5th in points and 26th in the league. The Mooseheads made it to the finals.
Statistics in the junior period are always difficult to assess. It's just completely different hockey and the players are still developing physically and humanly. There is also the WHL, NCAA and the OHL. But he definitely showed his offensive potential, he didn't get drafted in Round 2 for nothing.
Then came the leap to the pros. It went straight to the AHL in San Diego. If you're not a top pick, you've got to get into men's hockey first. I think 16 points in 54 games is fine for the 1st pro year. Especially since his team was more defensive (15th best attack, 6th best defense).
In the Corona year, things were not going well in San Diego (21 col. 1 T 5 A) and he had a deadline to organize the Tampa Bay Lightning. Here he got a good 12 points in 19 games. Since only two points were achieved in the PP, this is a good value.
However, he didn't make a breakthrough there last season and after 10 points in 44 games he was traded to San Jose. Things didn't go much better there with 4 points in 14 games.
Reports describe him as a quick forward with skills. These are important qualities that our squad needs.
Conclusion: At junior level he showed that he has something offensively capable. And you don't get drafted in position in the 2nd round for nothing. However, junior hockey is something completely different. He came to the AHL when he was 20 and it's a different wind blowing there. To date, he has not made it to three AHL teams and two teams have already traded him. Apparently they weren't really convinced of him. And now San José didn't give him a qualifying offer either. Sure, the Sharks need their AHL roster spots for their rebuild, but no other AHL team hit it. Unusual for a 23 year old.
What is hope? He is described as a nimble and quick striker. He's young and hungry, sees Europe as an opportunity to rediscover his offensive role and start the scoring machine again.
We need young, fresh blood in the team again. We have enough players whose careers are on the home straight and the center market was just difficult. It was important that he brings speed with him, that's still missing, even in the new squad.
Overall, it's a classic piñata that can hit, but it can also flop completely. I suspect that we had planned more money for the center than for the wing, but then it was noticed that there was nothing suitable in the center position and we put the money on Puempel.
Morand is cheap, only made $70,000 in the AHL. In principle, I think it's good to give young people a chance, but in the middle I have a bad stomach ache with us. LeBlanc is questionable about getting back into shape. Morand is a grab bag. Stieler is not getting any younger and had a bad year. In addition, Volek/Clarke (would be better off as Wing) or the hopefully upcoming U23 player. That's really thin in this important position. Let us surprise. I hope now that at least one U23 player comes along who is better than Nieleck. But where is it supposed to come from?
