All posts by Kosmic Burrito

Edmonton Oilers, Kosmic Burrito, NHL

Laurent Brossoit has the richest sounding name in Hockey: The Future

Thursday, March 10, 2016

The Future

Commencing Landing….

What is up BLH Universe. Here we are again, spacing out with me, the Kosmic Burrito! And what do I have “on tap” for you to chug back today at Beer League? It’s none other than my man, Mr. LB, the man with the richest name in hockey (trust me, say it in your richest French accent!)….Laurent Brossoit. Or who I like to refer to as “The Future”. Come on, let’s face it, the kid has been trending upwards for quite some time and for those following, it’s given some of us hope. Let’s start with a little background on Monsieur Brossoit.

Laurent was drafted in the 6th round of the 2011 NHL Draft by the rival Calgary Flames. He went 164th overall, not exactly numbers that scream “future NHL starting goaltender”. But it is what he has done to get where he is now, that makes me personally believe this kid is legit.

In 2008 LB was chosen 26th overall by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2nd round of the WHL Bantam Draft. He only played in 1 game for the Oil Kings that year, allowing 5 goals against in only 37 minutes of playing time. I know, I know….WTF!!! Next year, the 2009-10 season, he only appeared in 2 games for the Oil Kings. So you’re probably thinking, wow, how the hell did he end up as the Oilers backup goalie with those numbers? Well, it wasn’t until the 2010-11 season where Brossoit finally saw some solid WHL playing time. Where he appeared in 34 regular season games (13-12-2 3.32 .887). Again, not the most solid of numbers. But the experience was all he needed, because in the 2011-12 season, The Future arrived. LB played his ass off that season, appearing in 61 games and he fashioned a record of 42-13-5. He also had a 2.47 GAA and .914 Save Percentage to go along with it.

As nice as those numbers are for a WHL goaltender, it’s what he did that season…not only did the Oil Kings win the Central Division, they were also the WHL Champions!! Brossoit cruised through the playoffs with a 16-4 record and a 2.04 GAA with .933 SP to go with it. It was a slightly different story in the Memorial Cup, as Brossoit finished 1-3 with a 4.04 GAA and .871 SP. Again, that’s great experience people! How many goalies have had the chance to lead their team to the Memorial Cup? The 2012-13 season saw more of the same for LB, he played in 49 games and put together a 33-8-6 record with a 2.25 GAA and .917 SP. He had a post season record of 22GP 1.82 GAA and a .935 SP, as the Oil Kings lost to Portland in the WHL Final. Surprisingly, the Flames didn’t call Brossoit up to end the 2013 season, after they signed him to an entry level deal.

Later on in 2013, November to be exact, Laurent Brossoit was traded to Edmonton Oilers, along with forward Roman Horak (who I thought at one point might have an NHL career?), in exchange for Defencemen Ladi Smid (an Oilers fan favourite), and goaltending prospect Olivier Roy. Considering how Brossoit has trended upwards, and Smid has gone the opposite direction (the 2 centrepieces of the trade), I would say that the Oilers currently have the upper hand in this one. In 2013-14, he definitely racked up some miles, and I’m not even talking about playing time. He played for 4 different f**king teams! He played 2 games with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat, 3 games with the ECHL’s Alaska Aces, and 8 games with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons. But it’s the 35 games that he played with the Bakersfield Condors, who were still in the ECHL at the time, where he saw steady time. He had a 25-22-4 record with a 2.56 GAA and .918 SP. He also went 10-6 in the post season.

Not too shabby of a first professional season, for a 2 time WHL Champion goalie that was drafted in the 6th round. 2014-15 was different, Brossoit played in 53 AHL games for the former Oilers farm team, the Oklahoma City Barons. Ladies and gentlemen, he looked absolutely fantastic. Oilers fans started to rejoice in the thought that we may have our goaltender of…..The Future. Laurent put together a 25-22-4 record, with a 2.56 GAA and a .918 SP. Not too mention he played 2 games in the AHL post season and went 1-0 with a 3.46 GAA and .909 SP. But it was his NHL debut that had fans talking.

April 9th 2015, Edmonton versus San Jose with now-Oilers head coach Todd McLellan running the show. Even though the Oilers lost that game, Brossoit turned away 49 of the 51 shots that he faced! He’s the first NHL goalie since Manny Legace in 1998, to see that much rubber and make that many saves. Laurent would finish the game with a 2.00 GAA and an incredible .961 SP. Let’s not forget the fact that he was named the game’s first star. How’s that for a debut by a goaltender on a crappy team, with little to no defensive help? Pretty freaking sweet if you ask me. Pretty freaking sweet…

Fast forward to this season, and you’ll currently find Brossoit’s name on the big league roster. Backing up Cam Talbot, thanks to the Anders Nilsson trade. But before that, he was the starting tender for new AHL and Edmonton Oilers farm team, the Bakersfield Condors. Now Brossoit started off the year with Ben Scrivens also in town. But seriously, was LB ever in jeopardy of losing the starters role to The Professor? Ummmm yeah…not so much. Brossoit put together a record of 28 GP 15-9-3, a 2.69 GAA, with a .919 SP before being called up to back up Talbot. Also, it was quite obvious that Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli had seen enough of LB to recognize his talent. As he signed him to a 2 year contract extension. So far in 2 games played, Brossoit has a record of 0-1-0 3.37 GAA with a .883 SP. Not quite the same numbers as his stellar debut, but he’ll get there….just look at his history up until now.

He may not have the draft pedigree, but he has the resume. I believe that he deserves this shot in the NHL, no doubt about it. But at the same time I wouldn’t mind seeing him still getting the lion’s share of playing time in the AHL. Personally, I think that Brossoit is Edmonton’s goalie of…”The Future”, and we may see him there sooner than later.

As always, I love to hear your feedback, so send away!!

You can find me on the Twitter @kosmicburrito!

click the pic and give us your questions!

 

Edmonton Oilers, Kosmic Burrito, NHL

Kosmic’s World Cup of Hockey Team North America Roster Prediction

March 1st 2016
Post Deadline

Well….here I am…I must have done something right, because I’m back to trip with the BLH Universe again! How’d you like Chia Pete’s first go as an Oiler at the ol’ deadline? Do you think that the Oilers made out alright? Me, I don’t really have any complaints, plus, that’s not what my post is about, haha…

As promised, this is my 2016 World Cup of Hockey Team McDavid, errr, I mean Team North America roster predictions/report. Let’s face it folks, this team belongs to the McWizard!

But first, I have to get something of my chest. I don’t even like the inclusion of the 23 and under North American and European teams. Do you really think that Mcdavid wants to be the one who scores the goal that eliminates Team Canada (hypothetically speaking)? Of course he doesn’t!! He wants to score the huge goals for Canada, and party with the big boys!! But….here we are, and that train has left the station.

Too be honest though, as an Oilers fan this team does possess a lot of Edmonton connections. First off, the GM is Peter Chiarelli, and the Head Coach is Todd Mclellan. Plus some key members of the team I might add.

So, just like my last report, we’ll start with the Goaltenders. Speaking of which, I think this is going to be the team’s weakest position. Only due to the lack of experienced ’tenders. There is USA’s John Gibson, who has won both gold and bronze at the World Juniors. Also, Jets prospect Connor Hellebuyck won bronze at the World Championships. So there is some experience there, that can’t be discounted. I do honestly believe that Gibson is on the verge of breaking out huge, and what a scene that would be if he could do it on the world stage.

Potential Goalies: John Gibson, Connor Hellebuyck, Malcolm Subban, Matt Murray, and Zach Fucale

Again, this is just my personal opinion, but you can’t ignore Gibson and Hellebuyck’s international resumes. So I see Chiarelli going with (in this order):

John Gibson – Connor Hellebuyck – Malcolm Subban

The defence is a different story….this is seriously a stacked backend ladies and gentlemen! We’re talking about names like Ekblad, Reilly, Jones, and Hanifin. That’s heavy duty. Baby’s got back! I didn’t realize just how stacked they are until I started to research this story. So let’s get on with it.

Potential Defencemen: Aaron Ekblad, Noah Hanifin, Matt Dumba, Morgan Reilly, Colton Parayko, Seth Jones, Dougie Hamilton, Connor Murphy, Jacob Trouba, Cody Ceci, Colin Miller, and Ryan Murray

Making my prediction for the defence was actually tougher than originally thought, but if I was GM, the defence would like something like this:

Seth Jones – Aaron Ekblad
Morgan Reilly – Jacob Trouba
Ryan Murray – Dougie Hamilton
Extra Skater: Matt Dumba

Ah yes, now the Mcdavid’s, I mean the McJesus’, Errg…Now for the forwards. You thought that the defence was stellar? Shit dude, you haven’t seen anything yet! We’re talking about names like 2 time Cup winner Brendan Saad, Johnny Hockey himself, and that other fellow, what”s his name, oh yeah…CONNOR MCDAVID! Honestly, this team should not be taken lightly at all. There is A LOT of potential firepower on this squad. So let’s get cracking at it.

Potential Forwards: Connor McDavid, Brendan Saad, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nathan McKinnon, Curtis Lazar, Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Sean Couturier, Ryan Strome, Sean Monahan, Alex Galchenyuk, Jonathon Huberdeau, Mark Scheifele, Jonathon Drouin, Sam Reinhart, Max Domi, Dylan Larkin, Boone Jenner, Sam Bennett, Robby Fabbri, Anthony Duclair, and Bo Horvat

See, I told you that they’re doing pretty well for themselves….so take this with a grain of salt, but here are my line predictions:

Johnny Gaudreau – Connor McDavid – Nathan McKinnon
Brandon Saad – Sean Monahan – Jack Eichel
Alex Galchenyuk – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Ryan Strome
Max Domi – Sean Couturier – Curtis Lazar
Extra Skater: Auston Matthews

As awesome as it will be for all of these kids to play together, you can’t tell me that they wouldn’t have preferred to play for their respected countries? So hopefully the next inception of the World Cup only includes countries. But regardless, the North American team is an incredibly talented squad and they’re my sleeper pick to win it all. They definitely shouldn’t be underestimated just due to their age, they have a lot of international hardware between them, plus…..McDavid.

Well folks, once again, thanks for tripping with me!! Stay tuned for my next article……an introduction to the future, the man known as Laurent Brossoit….

Follow me on the Twitter @kosmicburrito

Edmonton Oilers, Kosmic Burrito, NHL

Kosmic’s Introduction to BLH/2016 World Cup of Hockey Team Canada Roster Prediction

February 28th, 2016 Somewhere in the Universe (OK, just outside of Toronto)

So here we are…February 28th…NHL Trade Deadline Eve. Many GM’s suffering from what surely feels like cauliflower ear after working the phones for hours. Breath stinking with coffee, a side effect from not sleeping, or “conducting business” as they tell their families…

Whoa hold up dude! I am so sorry! Let me back this up. I was born in Canada, where are my manners?

Hello Beer League Heroes universe, my name is…well…just call me Kosmic Burrito. I’m going to be your bushy bearded, burrito loving blogger, bringing you some spaced out Oilers sports reports. Before I go any further, I want to say a huge thank you to the staff here at Beer League Heroes for giving me the opportunity to connect with their wonderful audience and fans. It is an absolute honour to be working as a part of this team. Might I add, that now being behind the scenes, holy f%8k these guys bust their asses off! Like come on, we all knew how hard they work for us fans, but…. No you didn’t! Trust me! I have a whole new level of appreciation for them, and I am more than stoked to be working with this great team.

3, 2, 1…Blast off…

Could Taylor Hall really make Team Canada for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey this summer?

Welcome aboard ladies and gentlemen, I’m glad to be taking this trip with you…I know, I know…It’s NHL trade deadline eve! But that’s not what I’m going to write about. We have a lot of fantastic authors taking care of all your fiendish trade needs. Do you know what’s going down this summer? It’s the return of the World Cup of Hockey…yes, and it just so happens to be taking place in my neck of the woods, Toronto. Yes that’s right, Kosmic Burrito is digging for Oil in Leafs Nation, haha!

What version of Team Canada do you think we’ll see in September at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey? Will it be an offensive dynamo led by Sidney Crosby and John Tavares? Or will it be just like the defensive juggernaut that we saw in 2014 with Jonathon Toews? Speaking of which, who will be El Capitano? Toews or Crosby? Do you strip 2010’s Golden Boy of the “C” and pass it over to 3 time Stanley Cup champion, Captain Serious? That’s a huge decision, and I’m kind of glad that I don’t have to make it. Also, if Subban makes the team, will he actually see ice this time? Sorry not sorry Habs fans, I had to! And please, for the love of Pete!!! Give us a healthy Stamkos!

Since we already know that Mike Babcock will be returning as head coach, and with the official roster announcement coming on March 2nd, let’s take a look at some players that may be included on the roster. Some will be guaranteed locks (Crosby, Toews, etc), and some will have a potential roster spot (Eberle, Getzlaf, etc).

I’ll start with the goaltenders, since there really isn’t as much debate there.

Possible Goaltenders: Carey Price, Braden Holtby, Roberto Luongo, Corey Crawford, and Marc Andre-Fleury

Personally, I see them going with: Price, Holtby, and Luongo (in that order). With the year that Holtby is having, he almost deserves the shot over Price. Honestly though, congrats Braden, you’re having a helluva season! I added Luongo in there for some mentorship, and veteran presence. But really, this is Price’s job too lose. Especially with his 2014 Olympic performance still freshly lingering.

Moving on to the Defense, we’ll start with the left side. Because let’s face it, you know Babcock loves a balanced “lefty/righty” lineup. You can’t knock the job his defense did in 2014, it was historic. So he’ll definitely run the same type of game plan, I am sure.

Possible LHD: Duncan Keith, T.J. Brodie, Marc-Eduard Vlasic, Dan Hamhuis, Mark Giordano and Jay Bouwmeester

Possible RHD: Drew Doughty, P.K. Subban, Brent Seabrook, Shea Weber, Alex Pietrangelo, Brent Burns, and Kris Letang

The Defense always seems to drum up just as much debate among Canadians, as which forwards were omitted. So take my prediction with a grain of salt haha! I think that the pairings could look something like this:

Keith – Weber
Giordano – Doughty
Vlasic – Burns
Extra Skater: Letang

Now the forwards…..the forwards….WE HAVE SO MANY AWESOME FORWARDS!!!!!! I remember growing up, my Dad would always tell me:

“Son, Canada is so good, we could dress 3 teams and win all 3 medals!!” – Papa Burrito

I’d like to think that the rest of the world is catching up though. But on with the forwards!!! I’m not going to break it down by positional possibilities, because there will most definitely be a few guys playing out of their natural position. But I will make my predictions for possible line combinations.

Possible Forwards: Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Steven Stamkos, Taylor Hall, Ryan Johansen, Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, John Tavares, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Claude Giroux, Matt Duchene, Patrice Bergeron, Jeff Carter, Ryan O’Reilly, Jordan Eberle, Joe Thornton, and Logan Couture

Again, just like my defensive prediction, take this with a grain of salt as. But here is what I think the forward lines just might look like:

Hall – Crosby – Stamkos
Benn – Seguin – Johansen
Carter – Toews – Bergeron
Duchene – Tavares – Giroux
Extra Skater: O’Reilly

I’d like to think that this possible roster boasts a combination of size, speed, grit, and skill. It does have the Babcock trademark balance of left and right shot defensemen, and I’m not sure if you could find a better trio of goalies. All in all, I don’t know about you, but I am really excited to see the return of the World Cup.

Again, the great thing about being fans, is that we can debate the rosters all day. But it’s anyone’s guess until they make the announcement on March 2nd. I do know one thing though…it sure would have been nice to see McDavid’s name on there, possibly lining up with Sid and Serious…

Speaking of which, stay tuned for my 2016 World Cup of Hockey Team North America Under 23 team report.

Thanks for tripping with me, I’m going to look forward to your feedback!

Follow me on the Twitter @kosmicburrito