It was an amazing atmosphere tonight at the home opener with the Ottawa 67‘s back at TD Place after spending two years playing at the Canadian Tire Centre where the Ottawa Senators play. The crowd really got excited when the home team made a great comeback scoring three in the third, including two of Dante Salituro‘s three on the night, to win 4-3. The 2015 draft prospect had an excellent game. On the eventual game winner he broke past a forward, split the D, and deked out the goalie in what was one of the nicest goals you’ll ever see. There was also a crazy moment in the second period where Niagara’s Fitzmorris hit Ottawa’s Barron shattering the glass.
This game had the added bonus of a Columbus Blue Jacket prospect in action. This was my first time seeing defenseman Blake Siebenaler our third round draft pick from this summer. Here are a few points I jotted down during the game:
Speed – much like my previous prospect viewing of Jullien Pelletier I was very impressed with Siebenaler’s skating. Very smooth, long, and effortless strides.
1 on 1 – There was a 1 on 1 break in the first where he showed good poise and positioning in keeping the player in front of him and taking away the potential scoring chance. It was a bright spot defensively in a somewhat shaky defensive performance overall.
PK – I had him down as being on the second or third most used PK pair. It honestly seemed to depend on who had just had a shift prior to the penalty. I didn’t notice anything too positive or negative from him here.
PP – He stood out as being used on the first PP line. He passed the puck well and had several shot attempts. Not many of them made it on net, but it definitely felt like that part of the game could have clicked for him with a little luck.
EV – At even strength he appeared to be on the second pairing defensively. But, it easily could have been a 1A/1B scenario.
Offensive minded – He was always looking to join the rush on breakouts. Always looking to pinch to keep the play alive knowing he could use his speed to save him (most of the time). He seemed quite confident at all times in the offensive zone and was constantly seen tapping his stick on the ice wanting to take shots. I found this very encouraging as defense can be taught, but most offensive skill has to come naturally as his does.
Defense – The one area that he was hit and miss at best was defense. He seemed to end up matched up against Travis Konecny or Dante Salituro most of the game which didn’t look like an easy job at all. He had his moments where he was positionally sound and broke up plays. But, there were a few sloppy moments as well, with several shifts ending with an assistant coach in his ear and two ending in goals against.
Overall, I was impressed with his talent with the areas of his game needing improvement being ones that can be coached. The Blue Jackets have to be thrilled. As for the 67’s 2015 draft eligible players Konecny and Salituro, after watching the game I hope Columbus have their eye on adding one in next years draft. I look forward to covering them more closely and watching them grow throughout the season.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
