mikey's Thread of Penguin Randomness

[Gaucho]

Oh.

[FistOfCaufield]

I've got a hockey question - in reading about Simon, it comes down to players that drive possession.

My question is - what is it that a player will do that drives possession. Takeaways? No Giveaways? Is it defensive positioning that forces the opponent into dumping earlier than they'd like, is it puck retrieval. With a guy like Dominik Simon who has these possession numbers wherever he plays in the lineup - what's he doing that coaches see that correlate that possession number. I'm thinking more in terms of a forward.

I mean a defenseman - you kinda know a bit of where that comes from. Their ability to move the puck, keep the puck, etc... but I always wondered what kinds of things a forward does that makes them a possession driver and I'm not talking in the Sidney Crosby way where he's protecting the puck in the corner before spinning out and finding someone open for a shot.

[mikey]

First question is: Are we talking public numbers, which are focused on shot-based metrics or proprietary things that teams actually use? Clean zone entries, working to the inside of the dot line, in-house scoring chances, etc.

[IMFC]

what's he doing that coaches see

Doesn't Sully seem to talk about "being strong on the puck" a lot? In my (extremely) limited coaching experience coaching kids with very little talent/experience/knowledge of the game, I tried to emphasize body positioning, using your feet to protect the puck, and making sure you push the puck to safe open ice (corners, sideboards, etc), such that a teammate has a REAL fighting chance to get the puck if/when you were forced to give it up. Try to never do anything randomly. This kept us in games, annoyed the other team, and let our one insanely talented player go all Kelly Leak on the league.

I'm talking about situations where there is no clear path, passing lane or "talent play" - what does a player do when 'squeezed' to increase the chances of keeping possession. I never had to "count" this, it's easy to see WHERE they are sending the puck when squeezed and ask if it made it easier or harder on which team.

Under pressure, Simon tries to do something odds-based, he gives someone on the ice a fighting chance to keep it going. Sully prefers house odds, but makes allowances for insane talent. I have problems with Sully, but Simon isn't one of them.

That's why I like watching Simon, even when I'm frustrated that he doesn't finish. Hopefully that part continues to develop.

[mikey]

Predictability and, more aptly, making the game more predictable for your teammates is a foundation piece of team success...

[shmenguin]

simon seems to have an above average amount of flubs with the puck. what he intends to do is predictable, but he's in sort of that sheary/kessel mold of, "i have no clue if this is gonna be a perfectly placed puck, or he's going to vomit on his skates".

[willeyeam]

Simon is smart enough to do the right thing, he's just not good enough to actually execute at putting the puck in the net or making difference making plays imo. So imo his advanced stats might make it seem as if he's on the verge of breaking out or that the regression will happen and the points will come. But I don't think he has the skill. If that makes any sense

[Gaucho]

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they’ve invited 51 players to camp that opens next week. They are:

(* denotes AHL only contract, ** is unsigned draft choice)

Goaltenders (6): Casey DeSmith, Alex D’Orio, Tristan Jarry, Emil Larmi, Matt Murray, Dustin Tokarski*

Defensemen (17): Mat Abt*, Calen Addison, Niclas Almari, Kevin Czuczman, Brian Dumoulin, Erik Gudbranson, Jack Johnson, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Michael Kim*, Kris Letang, John Marino, Marcus Pettersson, Juuso Riikola, Chad Ruhwedel, Justin Schultz, Zach Trotman, David Warsofsky

Forwards (31): Andrew Agozzino, Justin Almeida, Anthony Angello, Zach Aston-Reese, Jordy Bellerive, Kasper Bjorkqvist, Nick Bjugstad, Joseph Blandisi, Teddy Blueger, Joseph Cramarossa, Sidney Crosby, Thomas Di Pauli, Jan Drozg, Alex Galchenyuk, Jake Guentzel, Ryan Haggerty, Patric Hornqvist, Adam Johnson Dominik Kahun, Sam Lafferty, Nathan Legare**, Jake Lucchini, Evgeni Malkin, Jared McCann, Sam Miletic, Oula Palve, Samuel Poulin**, Bryan Rust, Ben Sexton*, Dominik Simon, Brandon Tanev

https://www.pensburgh.com/2019/9/4/2084 ... eux-events

[Gaucho]

[mikey]

On 9/27 the Rimouski Oceanic will retire Sid's #87 jersey.

[IMFC]

Simon is smart enough to do the right thing, he's just not good enough to actually execute at putting the puck in the net or making difference making plays imo. So imo his advanced stats might make it seem as if he's on the verge of breaking out or that the regression will happen and the points will come. But I don't think he has the skill. If that makes any sense

This makes total sense. His lack of skill is still in the right "direction" though and doesn't immediately go the other way like some of the blunders of more talented player trying to thread the needle or doing something random. Simon is always fractionally adding, which is hard to appreciate - and even hard to justify maybe - when playing top 6.

[Gabe]

So, (very long term) is Simon a guy that makes a good coach of some kind, someday? He knows the game and the fundamentals, but he is just not personally talented enough to play the game at that same level.

[IMFC]

So, (very long term) is Simon a guy that makes a good coach of some kind, someday? He knows the game and the fundamentals, but he is just not personally talented enough to play the game at that same level.

His shooting % has to be at least league average (9% - he was 11% his first year and 6.6% last year) or he's headed back to CZ for a solid career and see if he can mentor/coach down the road. He's coachable, but that doesn't mean he can coach. I've never seen an interview that made me think of him as coach material, but he's still very young.

[MR25]

Original:

[Ted]

How are season ticket sales these days? Going to be interesting to see what happens there once reality sets in that the Crosby/Malkin window is closed.

[DigitalGypsy66]

I get bombarded by Pens ads in Facebook to buy NHL.tv and game tickets. I don’t remember seeing ticket ads in there before...

[dodint]

Yeah, I got a direct mailer from the Pens offering full and half packages. The waitlist is gone, basically. I jumped off of it last year and it hasn't affected my ability to buy a package.

[NTP66]

[Gaucho]

Saturday, September 7 (HarborCenter, Buffalo, NY)

-Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New Jersey Devils, 3:30 p.m.

How to watch: Televised on njd.TV (online at NewJerseyDevils.com)

[Gaucho]

I watched the game last night and would like to thank the Edmonton Oilers organization for their continued incompetence. John Marino is a solid prospect.

Also: Calen Addison, man. Sky's the limit.

[FistOfCaufield]

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they’ve invited 51 players to camp that opens next week. They are:

(* denotes AHL only contract, ** is unsigned draft choice)

Goaltenders (6): Casey DeSmith, Alex D’Orio, Tristan Jarry, Emil Larmi, Matt Murray, Dustin Tokarski*

Defensemen (17): Mat Abt*, Calen Addison, Niclas Almari, Kevin Czuczman, Brian Dumoulin, Erik Gudbranson, Jack Johnson, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Michael Kim*, Kris Letang, John Marino, Marcus Pettersson, Juuso Riikola, Chad Ruhwedel, Justin Schultz, Zach Trotman, David Warsofsky

Forwards (31): Andrew Agozzino, Justin Almeida, Anthony Angello, Zach Aston-Reese, Jordy Bellerive, Kasper Bjorkqvist, Nick Bjugstad, Joseph Blandisi, Teddy Blueger, Joseph Cramarossa, Sidney Crosby, Thomas Di Pauli, Jan Drozg, Alex Galchenyuk, Jake Guentzel, Ryan Haggerty, Patric Hornqvist, Adam Johnson Dominik Kahun, Sam Lafferty, Nathan Legare**, Jake Lucchini, Evgeni Malkin, Jared McCann, Sam Miletic, Oula Palve, Samuel Poulin**, Bryan Rust, Ben Sexton*, Dominik Simon, Brandon Tanev

https://www.pensburgh.com/2019/9/4/2084 ... eux-events

I've never heard of half of these guys and the ones I do know are way past their prime.

[meow]

Some of these guys never had a prime

[Jim]

I am actually glad that there are no PTOs. I would rather a WBS guy get a shot than a PTO.

[willeyeam]

so what's the plan for Jarry? I feel like we botched that situation somehow

[meow]

Botched how?