Login

Talls · 04-17-2021, 09:42 PM

Anaheim Outlaws: Preseason is Over

April 17, 2021

nick.flint, Colorado Raptors Beat Writer

Now that the preseason has concluded, I wanted to give the Anaheim Outlaws a preseason analysis to help inform Raptors fans about one of their top rivals. In this article, I am going to cover three aspects of the Outlaws: their rookie class with time on ice, their top scorer, and their goalie. Or, in other words, the future, the leader in the offensive zone, and the foundation of the team.

The Outlaws finish the S59 preseason with a record of 1-3-3-5, with a -9 goal differential. Before Raptors fans celebrate, remember the Raptors went 1-5-1-3, with a -10 goal differential. But, for both teams, this is preseason. The points don't matter and it gives the players a chance to get ice time they would otherwise not get in the regular season.

A good place to start is the rookies that saw ice time (in all 7 games played) this preseason:

The first thing that jumps off the page is that rookie goaltender Zhen Roza and rookie center Igor Bursov saw no ice time this preseason. This will provide a steep learning curve if and when they draw into the lineup this season. Now, to focus on the rookies that did see ice time.

As most people would expect, none of the rookies had a lasting affect on the preseason record, but one did perform a little better than expected. The case could be made the Jonathon Hagan was a decent player. He played a decent amount of minutes (around 18 minutes a game) and was able to affect game in a positive way. A quick analysis of his stats shows that he is defensively sound, with a 13 rating for his checking. As for his offensive skills, he is well rounded with 9 ratings across the board. He got his shot and he obviously took it. Hagan will be an intriguing player to watch this year to see how he progresses his game.

As for the rest of the rookies, they all ended with +/-s at -3 or worse. They are all offensive minded players with varying levels of effort present in their defensive skills. This is very apparent when analyzing Merica Jr. He has a 15 (!) rating in both getting open and shooting accuracy but ratings of 5 across the board for defensive ratings. But, enough about the rookies, let's look at the rest of the team.

The Anaheim Outlaws top scorer is Kaapo Kampainen with a line of 3-5-8, and a +/- of +4. That is good for the team lead in goals and assists, as well. Kampainen is an interesting case-study of a great SMJHL player. He is now one of the older members of the team and has used his experience to be a defensively sound center, with bright spots in his offensive game. Remember this rookies, being a better defenseman leads to more opportunities in the offensive zone. He has a 25% shot percentage that is sure to come back down to earth in the regular season, but this guy is definitely someone to watch. Kampainen is a master of taking advantage of his opponents' mistakes.

In the 7 games played this preseason, goaltender Vincent Mietitore started all 7 games and was never pulled. He finished the preseason 1-3-3, a goals against average of 3.09, a save percentage of 0.919, and a game rating of 82. For perspective, he is the best goalie with 7 games played and third best goalie by game rating overall, in the preseason. He did all that facing an average of 38.9 shots per game. If Mietitore can keep those numbers up in the regular season, the Outlaws will be in great shape.

All this said, the regular season is a different game all together. Raptors fans still have a right to be optimistic but cautious. These Anaheim Outlaws are the real deal (and they didn't even win the division this preseason). One thing is for sure, this season will be as entertaining as ever.

Continue to look for coverage on all things Raptors this season, right here, in the media section (and sometimes deep dives too).

(702 words)

@"nick.flint" APPROVED! +5 TPE

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us