The Mercury is running a live chat on its website throughout showcase weekend. Check it out:
http://www.estevanmercury.ca/article/20111014/ESTMERCURY0204/111019862/-1/estmercury02/sjhl-showcase-live-chat
Friday, October 14, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Jelinski named captain; dressing room photos
It was a big day on the news front for the Bruins as they named their next captain and also showed off the new dressing room.
Josh Jelinski will wear the C, with Dom Perrault, Matt Dochylo and Derek Whitehill getting the As.
I like the decision to pick Jelinski. He's shown a lot of leadership during the early part of the season and a lot of that is his on-ice play. He's a hard worker and has fired up his teammates with his physical play on a few occasions.
The fact that he's wearing the C as a 19-year-old is an extra honour but he'll have support from three 20-year-olds also wearing letters.
As for the dressing room, wow. I had seen it about a month ago when it was far from done, and I was blown away then, but to see the finished product is something else. This was a labour of love for Gerry Aspen and you can tell with all the little personal touches like spotlights above the stalls, pucks beside the nameplates, carved Bruins logos in every drawer below the stalls.
The players got their first look at it and they were blown away.
Here are a few photos of the room.
Here are some interviews for you:
Bruins dressing room and new captain by lewis94
Josh Jelinski will wear the C, with Dom Perrault, Matt Dochylo and Derek Whitehill getting the As.
I like the decision to pick Jelinski. He's shown a lot of leadership during the early part of the season and a lot of that is his on-ice play. He's a hard worker and has fired up his teammates with his physical play on a few occasions.
The fact that he's wearing the C as a 19-year-old is an extra honour but he'll have support from three 20-year-olds also wearing letters.
As for the dressing room, wow. I had seen it about a month ago when it was far from done, and I was blown away then, but to see the finished product is something else. This was a labour of love for Gerry Aspen and you can tell with all the little personal touches like spotlights above the stalls, pucks beside the nameplates, carved Bruins logos in every drawer below the stalls.
The players got their first look at it and they were blown away.
Here are a few photos of the room.
 |
| Derek Whitehill, Steven Glass, Eric Baldwin |
 |
| Ryan Ostertag, Calder Neufeld, Jeff Bartel |
 |
| Members of the Bruins Alumni, which donated $40,000 toward the room and put in a lot of hours the last few weeks. |
Here are some interviews for you:
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Showcase preview
Here's the preview of this weekend's SJHL Showcase running in today's Mercury:
SJHL Showcase to invade Spectra Place
In two days, one of the marquee events on the SJHL calendar will kick off in Estevan.
The SJHL Showcase will bring all 12 member clubs to Spectra Place to play two games apiece in three days.
Local fans will get a steady dose of hockey, beginning Friday at 11 a.m. with Weyburn facing La Ronge, and ending Sunday at 7:30 p.m. when Flin Flon takes on Notre Dame.
Bruins president Jeff Pierson said he's excited for everything that the Showcase brings, including a chance to show off Spectra Place.
"We're showcasing one of the best Junior A hockey rinks in the country. That exposes our city more than our hockey club. Everyone who will hear and see about this, it's just super-exciting," said Pierson.
"I just really hope the people of Estevan and surrounding area come out and support this. This is step one in both the Bruins club and the city looking to attract bigger hockey events to Spectra Place. That part of it is pretty simple: good volunteers and good fan support will look very good on a resume for the World Junior A Challenge or even the RBC Cup."
The purpose of the annual event, aside from providing a financial boost for the host centre, is to showcase SJHL players for scouts ranging from the college level to the NHL.
Pierson said he's been in contact with three NHL scouts who are coming and there could be more.
The Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and NHL Central Scouting will all have representatives at Spectra Place.
Read the rest of the story here.
SJHL Showcase to invade Spectra Place
In two days, one of the marquee events on the SJHL calendar will kick off in Estevan.The SJHL Showcase will bring all 12 member clubs to Spectra Place to play two games apiece in three days.
Local fans will get a steady dose of hockey, beginning Friday at 11 a.m. with Weyburn facing La Ronge, and ending Sunday at 7:30 p.m. when Flin Flon takes on Notre Dame.
Bruins president Jeff Pierson said he's excited for everything that the Showcase brings, including a chance to show off Spectra Place.
"We're showcasing one of the best Junior A hockey rinks in the country. That exposes our city more than our hockey club. Everyone who will hear and see about this, it's just super-exciting," said Pierson.
"I just really hope the people of Estevan and surrounding area come out and support this. This is step one in both the Bruins club and the city looking to attract bigger hockey events to Spectra Place. That part of it is pretty simple: good volunteers and good fan support will look very good on a resume for the World Junior A Challenge or even the RBC Cup."
The purpose of the annual event, aside from providing a financial boost for the host centre, is to showcase SJHL players for scouts ranging from the college level to the NHL.
Pierson said he's been in contact with three NHL scouts who are coming and there could be more.
The Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and NHL Central Scouting will all have representatives at Spectra Place.
Read the rest of the story here.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Bruins-Terriers recap with Brandon Stone video
It had to happen eventually, and tonight it did. After reeling off five straight wins in Spectra Place, the Bruins suffered their first loss at home tonight in a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Yorkton Terriers.
After talking about the Terriers' good job in finding Junior B gems in my game preview earlier today, Yorkton got all four goals from Jr. B grads: Jeremy Johnson (2), Jamie Vlanich and Zak Majkowski.
Ben Johnstone had the Bruins' lone goal, scoring in his second straight game. It was a beauty as he took a slick pass from Michael Hengen while driving to the net, slipped to his forehand and went roof daddy over Kale Thomson's glove. He might have been the Bruins' best forward tonight.
While the Bruins outshot the Dogs 38-34, I agreed with Keith's assessment in the post-game interview, which is that their forwards didn't do enough dirty work in digging for pucks and creating scoring chances. Instead, they often sat back waiting to set up the perfect play, and as we all know, that doesn't work out too often.
There were some shifts especially in the third where some Bruins just floated around out there, waiting for the play to come to them. That's not the way to try to build on a late second period goal.
Both Connor Milligan and Brandon Stone made their Bruin debuts tonight. I thought Milligan was for the most part very good, showing the ability to make a good first pass and maintaining pretty good positioning. What impressed me most was that in his first game, he wasn't afraid to take charge out there and communicate with the guys around him. You need those leaders out on the ice, especially with such a young blueline and a guy starting his first SJHL game.
As for Stone, there were a lot of positives to take out of his game. The only goal I could really fault him on was Johnson's first one in the second period when he lunged out of the crease after a loose puck and missed it, which left Johnson the open net.
Majkowski's goal, I think you can lay equally on Stone and the defence. He didn't look ready for the original shot and made the blocker save, but the rebound stayed out front. I thought the D should have been able to clear it, but it stayed right there for Majkowski to tap in.
I thought Stone showed quick lateral movement, a clean butterfly style and he did a good job of handling the puck. He also didn't seem to get rattled when the puck was bouncing around in front.
The Bruins are in Yorkton tomorrow before coming back home for the showcase.
Rest assured this will not be a regular feature haha.
Here you go. Look for the big glove save at the end.
After talking about the Terriers' good job in finding Junior B gems in my game preview earlier today, Yorkton got all four goals from Jr. B grads: Jeremy Johnson (2), Jamie Vlanich and Zak Majkowski.
Ben Johnstone had the Bruins' lone goal, scoring in his second straight game. It was a beauty as he took a slick pass from Michael Hengen while driving to the net, slipped to his forehand and went roof daddy over Kale Thomson's glove. He might have been the Bruins' best forward tonight.
While the Bruins outshot the Dogs 38-34, I agreed with Keith's assessment in the post-game interview, which is that their forwards didn't do enough dirty work in digging for pucks and creating scoring chances. Instead, they often sat back waiting to set up the perfect play, and as we all know, that doesn't work out too often.
There were some shifts especially in the third where some Bruins just floated around out there, waiting for the play to come to them. That's not the way to try to build on a late second period goal.
Both Connor Milligan and Brandon Stone made their Bruin debuts tonight. I thought Milligan was for the most part very good, showing the ability to make a good first pass and maintaining pretty good positioning. What impressed me most was that in his first game, he wasn't afraid to take charge out there and communicate with the guys around him. You need those leaders out on the ice, especially with such a young blueline and a guy starting his first SJHL game.
As for Stone, there were a lot of positives to take out of his game. The only goal I could really fault him on was Johnson's first one in the second period when he lunged out of the crease after a loose puck and missed it, which left Johnson the open net.
Majkowski's goal, I think you can lay equally on Stone and the defence. He didn't look ready for the original shot and made the blocker save, but the rebound stayed out front. I thought the D should have been able to clear it, but it stayed right there for Majkowski to tap in.
I thought Stone showed quick lateral movement, a clean butterfly style and he did a good job of handling the puck. He also didn't seem to get rattled when the puck was bouncing around in front.
The Bruins are in Yorkton tomorrow before coming back home for the showcase.
*********
I decided to try something different tonight. I've seen this done a couple of times with European NHL goalie prospects where bloggers try to give North American fans a sense of how the goalie looks. With it being Brandon Stone's first game as a Bruin, I shot some video of him and put it together into a compilation.
Rest assured this will not be a regular feature haha.
Here you go. Look for the big glove save at the end.
Bruins lose Daae; EST-YKT preview
Good afternoon. It's another Bruins game day as the team opens up a home-and-home against the Yorkton Terriers tonight at Spectra Place.
The Bruins will do it without left winger Austin Daae, who has joined the WHL's Prince George Cougars. I'm not sure how the Cougars got his rights from the Blades, but he's headed to BC for a second crack at the Dub.
Daae, an Estevan native, posted six points in five games with the Bruins, all assists, with four of them coming on Friday in Weyburn.
Here's a look at tonight's game.
The Bruins are coming off a split with the Wings. It will be interesting to see what happens with the big line of Neufeld-Olson-Smith over the next little while. Neufeld was replaced with Daae during the third period on Friday and the result was four goals. Then on Saturday, the Bruins relied on secondary scoring for the win with three rookies lighting the lamp. The trio has obviously set the league on fire so far, but it's also no secret that the coaching staff is looking for a better effort from them in terms of their own end.
I would expect we see a line of Froese-Whitehill-Jelinski tonight with the departure of Daae. This is a unit that can be intimidating along the boards but also has the potential to put up a lot of points. We'll also have to see if the line of Hengen-Johnstone-Ostertag sticks together tonight. After the game Benny had on Saturday, it's my opinion that he can't be sitting out anymore.
On the back end, there's a good chance Connor Milligan makes his Bruin debut. He's been impressive in practice and the team hopes he can make an impact as a top four guy. It also sounds like new goalie Brandon Stone could get his first start tonight. I'll be keeping an eye on those two for sure.
The Terriers have lost three straight games, including back-to-back defeats to Melville on the weekend, and they'll be looking to turn things around tonight. It appears goalie Warren Shymko is about ready to return from injury, although I'm not sure if he'll be in tonight.
One of Yorkton's problems has been the absence of top returning scorer Brent Struble, who has yet to play due to injury. Newcomers Ryon Sookro and Jamie Vlanich have picked up the slack so far, with help from Jeremy Johnson. If that's not an advertisement for Junior B hockey, I don't know what is. Zak Majkowski, Brenden Poncelet and Kyle McLeod will be other forwards to watch tonight.
Devon McMullen and Sam Rockwell lead the way on a blueline that is, if possible, even younger than that of the Bruins. If the tale of the tape tells us anything, it's that we could be in for a shootout tonight.
The Bruins will do it without left winger Austin Daae, who has joined the WHL's Prince George Cougars. I'm not sure how the Cougars got his rights from the Blades, but he's headed to BC for a second crack at the Dub.
Daae, an Estevan native, posted six points in five games with the Bruins, all assists, with four of them coming on Friday in Weyburn.
Here's a look at tonight's game.
 | ||
| Estevan Bruins (6-3) |
I would expect we see a line of Froese-Whitehill-Jelinski tonight with the departure of Daae. This is a unit that can be intimidating along the boards but also has the potential to put up a lot of points. We'll also have to see if the line of Hengen-Johnstone-Ostertag sticks together tonight. After the game Benny had on Saturday, it's my opinion that he can't be sitting out anymore.
On the back end, there's a good chance Connor Milligan makes his Bruin debut. He's been impressive in practice and the team hopes he can make an impact as a top four guy. It also sounds like new goalie Brandon Stone could get his first start tonight. I'll be keeping an eye on those two for sure.
 |
| Yorkton Terriers (4-6) |
One of Yorkton's problems has been the absence of top returning scorer Brent Struble, who has yet to play due to injury. Newcomers Ryon Sookro and Jamie Vlanich have picked up the slack so far, with help from Jeremy Johnson. If that's not an advertisement for Junior B hockey, I don't know what is. Zak Majkowski, Brenden Poncelet and Kyle McLeod will be other forwards to watch tonight.
Devon McMullen and Sam Rockwell lead the way on a blueline that is, if possible, even younger than that of the Bruins. If the tale of the tape tells us anything, it's that we could be in for a shootout tonight.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Bruins split home-and-home with Wings
The Bruins took a 2-0 lead in the first period and held on for a 3-1 win over Weyburn tonight, getting back in the win column after last night's 5-4 defeat.
Tanner Froese, Ben Johnstone and Taylor Reich had the Bruins' goals while Coltyn Sanderson scored for the Wings.
I thought Johnstone was one of the best players on the ice. Aside from scoring his first SJHL goal, he was a pinball out there, hitting everything that moved. In fact, the play he scored on began with a hit he made in the Bruins' end.
It was definitely his best game as a Bruin, I thought.
Steven Glass was more than solid in the Estevan cage, winning his third game of the year. After tonight's win, he's carrying a 1.33 goals-against average and .952 save percentage - both first among all SJHL goalies. He's done nothing but impress so far.
The Bruins are still undefeated at Spectra Place with a 5-0 record. Just wait till they get into their new room.
Post-game with Keith Cassidy:
Keith Cassidy Oct. 8 by lewis94
Tanner Froese, Ben Johnstone and Taylor Reich had the Bruins' goals while Coltyn Sanderson scored for the Wings.
I thought Johnstone was one of the best players on the ice. Aside from scoring his first SJHL goal, he was a pinball out there, hitting everything that moved. In fact, the play he scored on began with a hit he made in the Bruins' end.
It was definitely his best game as a Bruin, I thought.
Steven Glass was more than solid in the Estevan cage, winning his third game of the year. After tonight's win, he's carrying a 1.33 goals-against average and .952 save percentage - both first among all SJHL goalies. He's done nothing but impress so far.
The Bruins are still undefeated at Spectra Place with a 5-0 record. Just wait till they get into their new room.
Post-game with Keith Cassidy:
Keith Cassidy Oct. 8 by lewis94
Bruins-Wings lineups
Not enough time for a full preview, but here are the lines for tonight's back end of the home-and-home between the Bruins and Red Wings.
Steven Glass gets the start for the Bruins. Michael Hengen is back in after missing two games with a quad strain.
Estevan
Neufeld-Olson-Smith
Daae-Whitehill-Froese
Dochylo-Jelinski-Reich
Hengen-Johnstone-Ostertag
Bartel-Boesch
Yano-Kauk
Perrault-Baldwin
Glass
Tendler
Weyburn
Bruce-Sanderson-Ross
Kirkham-Kennelly-Whitell
Hermary-Kosloski-Pirio
Schneider-Carleton-Wilkinson
Macoretta-Johnson
Borstmayer-Morrison
Coupal-Kmita
Kilgore
Matheson
Steven Glass gets the start for the Bruins. Michael Hengen is back in after missing two games with a quad strain.
Estevan
Neufeld-Olson-Smith
Daae-Whitehill-Froese
Dochylo-Jelinski-Reich
Hengen-Johnstone-Ostertag
Bartel-Boesch
Yano-Kauk
Perrault-Baldwin
Glass
Tendler
Weyburn
Bruce-Sanderson-Ross
Kirkham-Kennelly-Whitell
Hermary-Kosloski-Pirio
Schneider-Carleton-Wilkinson
Macoretta-Johnson
Borstmayer-Morrison
Coupal-Kmita
Kilgore
Matheson
Friday, October 7, 2011
Bruins bring in '93 goalie, '92 defenceman
The roster moves continue for the Estevan Bruins.
There's a new goalie and a new defenceman in camp this week, bringing the roster back up to the max of 25 players.
The Moose Jaw Warriors have re-assigned 1993 goalie Brandon Stone to the Bruins. Stone is an Abbotsford native who got into 15 games with the Warriors last year. Keith said he'll let that situation play itself out and that he's in no hurry to get back down to two goalies.
"We’ve been happy with the goaltending we’ve had. I think both guys have done everything asked of them and more. (But) we’ll see how that competition plays out," he said.
"He’s a bigger goalie, he’s certainly got some reasonable experience over the past couple of seasons. He's looked very good in practice so far. The one thing that catches my attention right away is his work ethic."
Stone's stats:
The Bruins have also acquired 1992 defenceman Connor Milligan from the AJHL's Camrose Kodiaks. Milligan was a rookie on last year's RBC Cup team in Camrose which bowed out in the semis.
The Winnipeg native was a stud in midget AAA, winning MVP and top defenceman honours in the Manitoba midget league in 2009-10. He captained his midget team and was also recruited by Keith when he was with the Winnipeg Saints.
"We’re not looking for him to be Bobby Orr. We don’t need that, we need someone who can play some steady minutes for us and he’ll be a solid, steadying influence for us."
Keith also described him as a good character player and added that he's a right-handed shot, which is an added plus for a Bruins team that only has two on the back end. I think there's a good chance we see him lining up across from Dominic Perrault.
Milligan's stats:
There's a new goalie and a new defenceman in camp this week, bringing the roster back up to the max of 25 players.
The Moose Jaw Warriors have re-assigned 1993 goalie Brandon Stone to the Bruins. Stone is an Abbotsford native who got into 15 games with the Warriors last year. Keith said he'll let that situation play itself out and that he's in no hurry to get back down to two goalies.
"We’ve been happy with the goaltending we’ve had. I think both guys have done everything asked of them and more. (But) we’ll see how that competition plays out," he said.
"He’s a bigger goalie, he’s certainly got some reasonable experience over the past couple of seasons. He's looked very good in practice so far. The one thing that catches my attention right away is his work ethic."
Stone's stats:
The Bruins have also acquired 1992 defenceman Connor Milligan from the AJHL's Camrose Kodiaks. Milligan was a rookie on last year's RBC Cup team in Camrose which bowed out in the semis.
The Winnipeg native was a stud in midget AAA, winning MVP and top defenceman honours in the Manitoba midget league in 2009-10. He captained his midget team and was also recruited by Keith when he was with the Winnipeg Saints.
"We’re not looking for him to be Bobby Orr. We don’t need that, we need someone who can play some steady minutes for us and he’ll be a solid, steadying influence for us."
Keith also described him as a good character player and added that he's a right-handed shot, which is an added plus for a Bruins team that only has two on the back end. I think there's a good chance we see him lining up across from Dominic Perrault.
Milligan's stats:
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