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SabresFan · 01-07-2022, 05:12 PM

The Tampa Bay Barracuda
From Below Sea Level Up

Today, I am getting to know the organization that I intend to be a part of for the next ten seasons or more. I’m reviewing a number of players starting with those who were drafted along with me in the S63 class. I will then begin working my way up the roster, probably leaving the veteran core of the team for a separate article.

The Prospects

Property of the Tampa Bay Barracuda and the Vancouver Whalers, at Left Defense, #45 - Dexter Kirk.

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For obvious reasons, we can’t wait for this guy to be a captain somewhere. Kirk is not going anywhere too boldly so far in his young SMJHL career. He looks to be building toward playing equally well on both ends of the ice. After scanning his scouting report, I was surprised to see that Kirk put up 30 points his rookie season in the SMJHL. He had good puck handling, checking, balance, strength and stamina at his last scouting report and should only get better by the start of the S63 season. There is a good team around him as well. I expect his numbers to improve modestly over that good rookie season, with the increased ice time he is likely to get. Any projections on these players in the SHL is just too soon to tell. Kirk is currently listed 19th among the prospects in his class and was drafted 19th overall, so there was fair value from the start with that pick.

Property of the Tampa Bay Barracuda and Anaheim Outlaws, at Left Wing, #9 -Lesgo Brandon

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Looking at the scouting report, Brandon has the look of a pure scorer. He knows how to find holes on the ice and has a quick release. His slight frame may result in him getting bumped off the puck every so often, but I expect a fairly dramatic increase in his production in the ‘J’, which was an already respectable 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points last season. The 14th overall pick in the SHL draft, Brandon has shown by his work ethic and by his presence already in the Tampa Bay locker room that he is one of the steals of the draft. The Barracuda got a top five value at number 14.

Property of the Tampa Bay Barracuda and the St Louis Scarecrows, at Center, #77 Sisyphus Embros.

When the Tampa Bay Barracuda chose Sisyphus Embros with the third overall pick in the SHL draft, they had to be looking at intangibles. Embros had a tough time in S63 posting only 7 goals and 6 assists for 13 points and a -43 rating. Embros and Brandon looked like they belonged in the SMJHL by the time of the World Junior Championships, where they both posted at least a half of a point per game for the silver medal USA team. The last scouting report on Embros showed that his one above average skill in the SMJHL was his passing. Embros is slowly forming into a decent two-way player in the SMJHL that some scouts project as a player similar to the recently retired Tom Fiddler. Overall, this description would make Embros a bit of a reach at number 3 OA.

Looking at this S63 class as a whole, Embros was a top 8 pick based on what is currently known, Brandon was a top 5 or maybe even a top 3 pick who, fell into Tampa’s lap at #14. Perhaps the Barracuda found a future captain as well, at #19 overall, in Kirk. The grade for this draft based on pick for pick value has to be at least a B. With three first round picks, relative to most other teams in the draft, the grade may prove to be an A. Only Toronto and New England had more prospects selected in this draft.

The Young Pros

From the class of S59, at Right Defense, #75 - Ethan Bouchard

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Bouchard was selected #13 overall in the S59 draft and is now listed 6th in the SHL class in overall value. Bouchard will be entering his second season in the SHL in S63 after posting 2 goals and 19 assists in his rookie campaign. Bouchard is a mobile puck handling defenseman who projects as a power play quarterback and a great transition player once the S63 prospects are ready to enter the SHL. One of the most impressive things to me about Bouchard in his rookie year was that he managed to hang onto the puck against better competition. He had only 23 giveaways, for a rookie attacking defenseman. Bouchard has a good stick on both offense and defense. I’m a fan of this guy already. He’s only 5’11 and 190 to 195 pounds, but he knows his role and plays it smartly and at pace. He’s also not afraid to block shots. He tallied a respectable 81 blocked shots as a rookie, showing that he is more than a speedy forward who can skate backwards.

Again, from the class of S59, acquired in an after draft-day trade, at Center, #11 - Marco Berengrub

Berengrub was drafted #31 overall in the S59 draft and since then has risen to become 7th rated prospect in his class. The Estonian is much the flip side of Bouchard who was discussed just prior. Berengrub is a center who prioritizes defense first. He has excellent hockey IQ and positioning for an SHL sophomore and good checking and stick skills to go with the mental side of the game. Once the defense has possession of the puck, Berengrub presents a good target for an outlet pass. Berengrub possesses good puck handling, skating and passing skills to help clear the zone. Due to his youth, Berengreb’s passing skills are a bit underwhelming for the SHL. Yet, Berengreb still put up 3 goals and 21 assists in his rookie campaign with the Pride. He would likely admit that his shot is only of average SMJHL quality right now, and that he needs to build more strength for the SHL level. I’d be willing to bet that he has already hit the gym in the offseason and will begin the S63 season with some added strength. By the time I reach the SHL in S66 or S67, I will be ready to fill this spot as Bernegrub moves up the depth chart as a 10-15 goal scorer and 30-35 assist guy in the top six.

From the class of S58, at Right Defense, #42, the answer to life the universe and everything - Luc Blouin

Blouin was the 1st overall pick in the S58 draft and is still among the top players from that class, as he is tied for 10th in the current scouting ratings for that class. Blouin is a defensive defenseman first, but does possess some two-way ability. Like the other two young pros so far in this list, Blouin is more of a finesse player than a physical one, relying on his positioning and good stick skills rather than trying to take the man off the puck. On the offensive side of the game, Blouin has good puck handling and passing skills as well as solid ability to read the play. He has shown an improvement in all advanced stats from S61 to S62 with the exception of PDO. I find PDO to be a quite flaky statistic that is less useful even than the + / - rating. I believe that Bouchard will develop into a better offensive defenseman than Blouin, with Blouin being the more well rounded of the two. Despite that prediction, Blouin did contribute 7 goals and 18 assists in his sophomore campaign. Although Blouin is not a big hitter so far in his short SHL career, he is more physically developed than any of the young players we have seen so far in this review. He is the more well balanced skater and is strong enough to compete with some SHL veterans already.

Also, from the class of S58, at Right Defense, also wearing #42, the alternate answer to life, the universe and everything - Finn von Murphenstein

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Von Murphenstein was picked 8th in the S58 draft and is currently tied with teammate Luc Bluin above for the 10th rated prospect from that class. Von Murphenstein is a two-way defenseman with a bit of an accent on the offensive side of the ice. His passing and puck handling are his stand out skills. He has sufficient strength for the SHL and most of the rest of his skills grade out as satisfactory. Von Murphensein still has SMJHL level shooting accuracy, hitting and shot blocking and will likely work on rounding out some of these skills in the near future. He made a nice jump in production in his third SHL season, posting 12 goals and 23 assists. Von Murphenstein projects as an average defensive defenseman, but a quality offensive one who will see time on the power play by the time I enter the SHL. I expect he and Bouchard to be filling some of those duties by then, perhaps on the second unit. You can see from Von Murphenstein’s career stats that he was pressed into action a bit too soon. His Corsi relative was a -6.3 in S60. He has steadily raised it to a more respectable -2.7 by the end of S62. This is why I am projecting him to not be a defensive liability by the time I reach the SHL. I can see the steady progress in his game.

The interest of the writer lies primarily in the seasons from S66 and beyond. These seven players covered so far, represent the future of the Tampa Bay Barracuda. There are currently no players in the Barracuda organization from S57 to continue with. The players who are from 56 and beyond include the budding stars of today and those veterans already doing their best to stave off a decline. However, I am still interested in getting to know these players. Many of them will still be around by the time my SHL career begins. The youngest of them, in fact, will still be the stars of the team at that time. A few of the oldest will likely be fading or even retiring by then. I’m still interested in following the older players on the team both as a prospect and simply as a fan of the team. These, my current and future mentors, will be covered in another article coming soon.