2024/25 Roster Discussion

[ricardo]

Spirit’s Calem Mangone commits to Lake Superior State University

chl.ca/ohl/article/spirits-calem-mangone-commits-to-lake-superior-state-university/

[donjohnson]

It will be a fascinating year as you mentioned...glad we got our title last year instead of navigating the mess this year

It will be interesting to see how it changes the standings for the Spirit just from a regular season W/L standpoint. We obviously played two really good games over the weekend which makes us look like a contender but we also have a tendency to fall asleep for games and that makes me a little nervous. We're about 2 months from trade-deadline time and it will be interesting to watch the standings which will tell the story of what Saginaw does. I honestly think the choices are stand-pat and sell...I just don't think we sell off young pieces but Najim could be someone that other teams are looking at.

[MidlandSpiritFan]

Nov 12, 2024 9:54:00 GMT -5 ricardo said:

Spirit’s Calem Mangone commits to Lake Superior State University

chl.ca/ohl/article/spirits-calem-mangone-commits-to-lake-superior-state-university/

As a Michigan Tech alum I was hoping he would end up in Houghton. Not a surprise that he chose Lake Superior State since that is very close to home for him. Congrats Calum!

[donjohnson]

Great move for Mangone...the level of NCAA hockey is going to increase with the CHL players and his skill will instantly translate.

The one interesting thing will be fighting...last time I went to a NCAA game it was really rough and physical but there's no fighting...wonder if these OHL guys will try to drop the gloves with someone even though it's full cages.

[donjohnson]

Full lineup of forwards (now that Moore is gone) for the Flint game tonight so I thought I'd look at lines and how they stack up...the biggest question is where does Igor slot in when he finally makes his debut.

Willis - Misa - Epperson (This line is lethal and would be considered one of the top lines in the league)
Mangone - Hay - Sima (This is probably where Igor will slot in for Sima and it will create a 2nd very strong line)
Harmer - Gervais - Cloutier (This is a good third line with some potential...would Sima drop to this line and replace Harmer???)
Najim - Storch - Zhilkin (I can see Sima or Harmer on this line as well)

I think we're actually in decent shape in the forward department with the exception of depth. We only have 13 forwards on the roster and while we could call up a Liam Campbell, it might be nice to find a good depth player in a trade who could provide some toughness (a Sima type). That said, I can also see someone like Sima getting traded...I think he potentially could be a victim of ice-time and he would bring a decent return because he'd be an OA for someone next year.

I think the defense has been playing better than I thought but we need some depth back there too...finding a 2nd pair dman would be huge and we probably need one more but I don't know if we'll be able to find it. If we could somehow snag Tretheway from the US team, that would be HUGE.

[donjohnson]

London just got Halttunen back and have assets to add more...if we're doing something other than selling this year it's the wrong move. This London team may be better than the Corey Perry team.

[aj0512]

As a BU alum I try to keep up on our recruits. Sure feels like a lot of them are heading to the CHL. Charlie Trethewey, come on down. (one can dream)

And yeah, the rich get richer in London. They can easily ship out a body or two for more assets and make a big splash at the deadline. Musty, perhaps?

[eric8199]

Nov 15, 2024 17:29:01 GMT -5 donjohnson said:

London just got Halttunen back and have assets to add more...if we're doing something other than selling this year it's the wrong move. This London team may be better than the Corey Perry team.

Giving up in November because one team is good when you're second in the division and fifth in the conference will never win you a championship. Just sayin.

For what it's worth, Laz on coach's corner before the start of the game against the Sting did not sound like a coach who has any intention of throwing in the towel.