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Rookie Face-Off: Ducks v Golden-Knights

In the final game of tournament for which they played host, the Ducks iced a more experienced line-up than the previous game but also gave a few tryouts another look. It was also the first time many of these players had played each-other since that bittersweet Conference Finals loss in Chicago for the Gulls last Spring.

Lines and defensive pairings were:

Forwards:

Comtois – Lundestrom – Terry

Kopacka – Steel – Tracey

Jones – Groulx – Morand

Gates Jr. – Dostie – May

Defense:

Hayes – Larsson

Guhle – Mahura

Benoit – Drew

Goal:

Eriksson Ek

Dostal

Player evaluations for those whom I managed to get some notes on – are as follows:

#2 Brendan Guhle – Did not dominate with his speed quite as much as he perhaps should have. Had a few chances from the point and had a penchant for jumping in on the play at the right moment but could not capitalize

#32 Jacob Larsson – Played his off-side once again but did not look quite as uncomfortable as the last outing. There was a play late in the third period where he took a pass from Hayes and seemed to want to rip a one-timer on net but because he was on his off-side I am betting he didn’t strike it the way he would have liked.

#34 Sam Steel – All you need to know is “that goal”. Steel was playing a relatively quiet game by his standards until that point, showing just the one spin move on a rush in the middle frame. Then in the final ten minutes of the third period he took a puck in the slot, dipsy doodled around a Vegas player, slipped around another defender before faking a forehand shot in close and executing a brilliant backhand wrap-around that was initially stopped but which he was able to finish with a skillful backhand rebound swat.

#48 Isac Lundestrom – Was a lot quieter tonight and seemed content to allow his team-mates to shine. He did not make as many puck-carries or rushes as the previous game but he made several nice passes to his line-mates and at times was a little TOO unselfish, looking to make the pass when he should probably have pulled the trigger.

#49 Max Jones – Seemed determined to show off his hands at each and every opportunity, drop passing to himself between the legs at the midway point of the first. He might have gotten a little too cute on some plays where he should have taken the shot. Just before the Steel goal he had displayed some of the stubborn power game we have come to know him for as he toe-dragged and moved in on the Vegas net then would not be denied in close as he fought for a rebound.

#50 Benoit-Oliver Groulx – Played the heavy game, sealing off forwards or puck carriers but other than that – again did not have too much for me to write about. He had a good chance down low near the end of the second and seemed to get a good high shot off that the Vegas net-minder was equal to. He played well with Jones and Morand, doing his part to win puck battles down low but was largely overshadowed by his line-mates. He had a nice steal in the neutral zone late in the third period which impressed me.

#53 Maxime Comtois – If it wasn’t already evident through what we have seen of his game so far; it was made painfully obvious in this match-up. Comtois loves a hard-nosed physical game, he excelled at winning puck battles down low to feed the slot both at five on five and on the Power Play. Although the interference penalty he took in the second period was pretty obvious and bad on his part. A small thing but its something I liked as evidence of the kind of team-player guy he is; he gave up his stick twice to a defender when they lost or broke theirs before going to the bench at the right time to get one for himself.

#54 Antoine Morand – Played another strong game, at one point he had a two on one opportunity but looked off the pass and eased himself into a scoring position only to be stopped by a good save. Both he and Dostie were involved heavily in transitional play and puck retrieval.

#55 Brent Gates Jr. – Had a good shot in the high slot near the midway point of the first, managed to get it away in a hurry and it almost handcuffed the Vegas net-minder. He followed that up moments later by setting up the Ducks opening goal for Dostie, firing a shot from near the point which bounced at the nearside post to Dostie. Was again solid defensively, getting in shooting lanes and making key blocks. He was always looking to make the play throughout the night, setting up Dostie in the slot near the end of the first. He seemed to tail off in the third period or at least was not as noticeable but it was by far and away his best game of the tournament.

#56 Brayden Tracey – Continued his strong and fearless play, caught my eye when he got in on the cycle down low – again despite his size. He drew a penalty in the first when he took the hit to make a play but was boarded in the process. He didn’t quite jump out at your in this game as he did in the previous one but I liked his tenacity and that “Honey Badger” style. In one sequence he didn’t appear to see a hit coming but moved at the very last second to foil the Vegas player who almost went into his own bench.

#57 Alex Dostie – Scored the Ducks opening goal by being in the right place at the right time. He had moments earlier worked hard to win a puck battle and get the puck to Johno May who in turn fed Gates Jr. near the point. Great hustle play and a prime example of the kind of game Dostie can play. He consistently looked to make a play, carrying pucks, aiding in transition and drawing penalties by displaying great puck patience. While also tenaciously winning puck battles in the offensive zone to create great chances in front – he looked good in the face-off circle also. It was a positive game to end the tournament and head into training camp on – if he keeps this kind of play up I can see him having a breakout year for the Gulls.

#59 Jack Kopacka – Saw some penalty killing time in the second where he generated his own partial break along with Lundestrom but – despite there being the option – failed to make the pass and elected to try beat his man and get the shot off. This is one aspect of Kopackas game I worry might plague him heading into his sophomore year, he needs to be less selfish with the puck when options are available. He appeared to lose focus a few times, including taking his eye off the puck when he could have had a wide open chance in the slot but failed to control a pass.

#61 Troy Terry – Was a threat whenever he had the puck, he made a nice pass to Comtois down-low part way through the first. Even when not on the man advantage his ability to slow play down and look for options was evident. His quick, deft passes through traffic and on the rush put him clearly head and shoulders above his peers. His first goal on the breakaway – the Ducks second on the night – was a sneaky smart move as he faked to go to the backhand but then let the pucks momentum follow through and past the goaltender. His second goal was a text-book sniper goal, stealing the puck down-low off of a Benoit dump in then cutting in from the left side boards and shifting the shooting angle after lining up the shot to fool the net-minder.

#72 Hunter Drew – Continued to gain in confidence in his third straight game of action. He had a very nice rush up the left boards, getting the zone entry and setting up a forward in the slot in the first. In one sequence he had three consecutive shots from the point on a delayed penalty call in the second period, he was a lot more offensively involved as his confidence appears to have grown game by game. He and Benoit had the most shots from the blue line with four shots each and he joined the rush a lot more as the night went on, including getting a very good opportunity down low near the end of the second period. He didn’t look good on the the first Vegas goal – though it was their best player – Elvenes made him look more than a little silly as he shifted the puck right through him before going in on Eriksson Ek to deek him wide. It was a strange play given how physical Drew had shown to be thus far; perhaps a momentary lapse in concentration. Perhaps my favorite play of the game for him was when he broke his stick making a pass from his zone and while on the back-check – caught up to and wiped out the puck carrying Vegas player with a shove before he could make a dangerous play.

#74 Zach Hayes – Did not look bad alongside Larsson or on the Penalty Kill. He never passed up an opportunity to lay the body and made a few very nice hits that appeared to get under the skin of some of the Vegas players. If I had to rank the tryout players I would put Hayes as second best behind Davidson. He was mostly defensively sound in the action that I saw him but his game lacks the offense that Davidson can bring.

#76 Josh Mahura – Like Larsson he played his off-wing and did not look too bad doing so but also did not appear to be at his absolute best – at least offensively – either. He played a pretty solid defensive game, once again displaying a physical side that we have not been so familiar with so far in his career. Once he switched back to his left-side and Guhle took his turn on his off-side he appeared to enjoy a lot more offense, jumping into the play and getting a good chance in the opening minutes of the third period. He got perhaps a little too physically involved as he was tied up with a Vegas player and lost his stick on the play that resulted in the Golden-Knights game-trying goal in the third.

#77 Johno May – Looked a tad out of place on his line with Dostie and Gates Jr but did make himself available for passes when either of the play-making forwards were looking to find him in space; he just didn’t have the wheels or skill to do much with the puck once he received it.

#86 Simon Benoit – Was solid again. He gave little to no space to any Vegas offensive rush. At one point I saw him skate all the way down to the Vegas goal line to line up his man. Jumped up on attack with great timing and was never caught out of position. Was perfect on zone-entries and did not push things or try to do too much. Was the best defender on the ice for the Ducks.

#78 Olle Eriksson Ek – Had a very quiet first period as Vegas had just the five shots but was called upon in the second and looked very sharp, making back to back saves in traffic during some very poor defensive play on the Ducks part and then finishing the sequence with a huge left pad save after a puck deflected wide to an open attacker. Looked composed and technically strong on the penalty kill. Could not be really faulted for either of the first two goals he allowed, the first was a pure speed and skill move executed to perfection by Elvenes and the second was a flawless cross-ice pass on an odd-man break. The third goal I thought he might have gone down a little too quickly rather than come across in the butterfly to get square to the shooter.