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- Ghost - 07-21-2017
2000 WORDS, READY FOR GRADING
We're back today with our meet the Whalers series and today we are introducing the Vancouver wingers. First up today we'd like to talk about lumbering 6'3" 220lbs power forward Cam Ouellette (<a href='index.php?showuser=2603' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>Camo</a>). Ouellette was an early free agent acquisition for the Whalers in S34 and has turned out to be an amazing pick up, especially considering it cost Vancouver absolutely no draft picks to sign him, considering his skill and SHL draft position would have very likely been a first round SMJHL pick. Ouellette is a skilled goal scorer considering his size and strength posting 16 goals and 17 assists in the S35 season, he doesn't hit as hard or as often as his coaches may want considering his size but he still holds his own. What's even more impressive about his scoring ability is that he got all these points while playing most of his minutes on the third line and finished the season off with an impressive 0.76 points per 20 minutes on ice. Another strong sophomore voice in the locker room he has rubbed off on rookies such as Joakim Lindqvist and Inari Twain. We met up with Whalers general manager Adam Kaiser and he had this to say about the towering forward.
"I've known Cam Ouellette since he was a child. My own son and him were close growing up and even practised hockey together even though there is a big of an age gap between the two. As soon as I heard that Cam had registered for the SMJHL I knew that I had to get him on the team and that he would be playing a big role with the team in the seasons to come. Once the league approved all his paperwork I contacted him and I knew right away that he was on board to come and play with us. He even went as far as not taking league max to play here because we were so tight up against the cap last season. He very likely could have doubled his money by choosing to sign with another team but he chose us. We owe it to Cam to win the Four Star Cup this season and prove to him that he made the right choice coming here. This may be his last season in the juniors so it will be nice to have him go out a champion."
A great pickup by Vancouver and an equally great pickup in the first round of the SHL draft by the Minnesota Chiefs. It won't be long until he shows the star he is capable of becoming in the SHL.
Next up on our list is the feisty Finnish forward Inari Twain (<a href='index.php?showuser=2690' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>microdinosaur</a>). Twain isn't big by hockey standards standing 5'9" and weighing in at 185lbs but he doesn't let that get in his way. Another forward who shys away from the checking and physical part of the game but is also sly enough not to take many hits either. Inari was only hit 26 times all season, and the extra time he had the puck on his stick really helped his team win a few extra of those close games. Twain was a rookie this season and played most of his time on the third and fourth lines so amassing 5 goals and 6 assists was actually quite impressive for the youngster. Considering how late in the draft he went he should be in the running for biggest steal of the S35 draft. With the SHL draft looming you can be sure he will make quite the leap from his original draft position. We again reached out to general manager Adam Kaiser on his thoughts for this late round steal.
"When we interviewed Twain before the draft one thing that really stuck out to us was how professional he was. Now we know these kids are taught from a very young age how to deal with the media and these interviews but this was different. He's answers we're truthful and not the cookie cutter replies you get from some of the other kids where you know it has all been scripted out beforehand. This kid was special. Wise beyond his years and his play this year has proven that. I don't think I've seen a kid as young as him with the hockey vision he has, not only to make a great play but to avoid hits as well. Now don't get me wrong with all this praise, he has been a huge surprise and if we knew that he was going to be as good as he has been, then we would have drafted him way earlier than we actually did. He sure has seemed to find his groove here in Vancouver though so I guess this worked out well for all parties involved."
Twain is going to go down as one of the biggest steals of the stacked S31 draft. His elusiveness with the puck and world class vision will have him jumping up many spots in the upcoming SHL draft and whichever team decides they want Inari Twain on their team is going to be in for a pleasant surprise.
The next winger we are going to introduce is S33 Vancouver Whalers team MVP Emiya Shirou. Shirou was a second round pick of the Whalers who had an outstanding rookie season on a what was at the time a fairly weak Vancouver squad. That rookie season Shirou really showed his leadership and was instantly named as one of the alternate captains. His dedication to the team has since fallen off but we can only speculate at this time why that may be. Shirou's rookie season was good enough to see him drafted by the Edmonton Blizzard of the SHL but it looks like unless he has a major change of heart that he will be a career SMJHL'er. Shirou still managed to pick up a few points this past season with 12 goals and 15 assists while playing quite a bit less time than the other top forwards of Vancouver. We met up with the team coach to see what he had to say about the once star rookie.
"Emiya Shirou, where to start. Emiya is an odd case, he came into his rookie season all guns a blazing, ready to do whatever it took to turn this team around when we were in the early stages of a rebuild. He had a fantastic rookie season as we all know but something happened right near the end of the season and something changed with Emiya. It was like a switch flipped and he was all of a sudden a different player. He wasn't putting in an extra effort anymore and we could all tell. We tried talking to him to see what was the issue and to help him resolve it, but he just wouldn't open up to us. It's really too bad to see such potential go to waste like it is as he could have had an amazing career in the SHL. Hopefully he figures out what the issue is and hopefully it won't be too late but it isn't looking that way at the moment. Thankfully for us in Vancouver he still has a ton of hockey skill that he can summon even with out having the will to give it his all anymore. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours."
While Shirou isn't going to make or break the Whalers playoff chances this season he is still a very good depth forward who can be dangerous when he wants to be. We will see if he can keep cracking the Whalers lineup in the next couple seasons before he ages out and can no longer play in the SMJHL.
Next up we have another late round draft pick but this time from the S34 draft. Mr. Jack Dore is a depth player who adds a little size to the Whalers bottom 6. He has a heck of a shot but hasn't really figured out when and where to use it and because of such only managed to light the lamp 3 times this season. If Dore can figure out how to deploy the bomb of a shot he has, you can expect his scoring numbers to rise substantially. If he can't then he may end up being a perennial SMJHL athlete, which would be a huge disappointment to the Portland Admirals who gave Dore a massive payday at $8m on his first contract. After signing the contract Dore was famously quoted as saying "Now that I've got my money I can run." Widely believed to be a joke but no one can quite say for sure. Dore's defensive play will also need some fine tuning if he expects to play in the SHL as he finished the season as a -8 on a team that was heavily positive in goal differential. One of the team trainers was in the building when we were researching for this article and gave us this quote on Dore.
"Dore? He's a good kid. He trains really had I know that for sure. He's a big kid and he trains like no other, it's really a shame that he hasn't been able to put it together on the ice like some of his peers. I feel for the kid, I really do. But you know what? He hasn't done too too bad considering he gets what? Like 7 minutes on the ice per game on average. I'd had trouble getting into a grove playing that little as well. I'm actually really glad that Portland gave him that huge contract and that even if he doesn't make the SHL he should have a fairly good little nest egg saved up that should help him find his way in a career after hockey. If anyone deserves it, it is him. Damn good kid."
No one has completely written Dore off yet, but next season will be a huge challenge for him. If he steps up to the plate and impresses people and figures out his game then his career could do a 180 and he could end up having a long career in the SHL. If he has another season like he has this year where he shows little to no progress then his hockey playing days may be numbered.
Last but not least here today in our Meet the Whalers: Winger Edition is play maker Marius Bauer. Bauer suited up for all 50 games the Whalers played this season and ended the season with a huge goose egg in not only the goal scoring column but the points column as well. Bauer did not get much of a chance to play this season, as even though he was dressed for every game he basically rode the pine all season long. By start of the playoffs, Bauer had had enough and showed the Vancouver management his frustration by announcing his retirement. This was not a huge surprise to anyone but it really is a shame that things had to work out they way they did for Bauer and the Whalers. Thankfully for Vancouver Bauer was a late round draft pick and they were aware of this risk before the draft and decided to take a chance on the kid, which in the end didn't wind up working out.
Editors note: the Whalers have 3 wingers not listed in today's article as Captain Angelo Odjick, alternate Sophia Bennett, and alternate Spitfire were already covered in our Meet the Whalers Captain Edition. These 3 were an integral part of what could possibly be a championship team this season as they are facing off against the Colorado Mammoths in the Four Star Cup finals, which will be starting tomorrow. We wish them all the best of luck in the upcoming series.
That's all we have for today but join us again in our next article when we cover the Whalers goalie tandem.
- Camo - 07-21-2017
Ooo Im on a thing
- sarmo - 07-21-2017
Quote:Originally posted by Camo@Jul 21 2017, 11:53 AMBeast junior FA signing, you gold mine
Ooo Im on a thing
- Camo - 07-21-2017
Quote:Originally posted by sarmo@Jul 21 2017, 08:27 PM
Beast junior FA signing, you gold mine
Oh you <3