Tag Archives: Tuscon Roadrunners

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Prospects

David Musil Gonzo?

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David Musil most likely done in the Oilers Org.

Oilers figure he needs a change of scenery. Drafted in 2011, he has had ample time to develop and they’re disappointed by his slowed development. We’ve also got guys coming from recent drafts. Caleb Jones, Ethan Bear and William Lagesson to name a few.

Those are the words I was passed on this evening re: David Musil. I can’t say I’m surprised one bit. The boots were just too much of an obstacle to overcome and being a lefty on the backend did him no help either. Maybe it was just one too many Edmonton Oil Kings as well…

If you’re not aware of David Musil, here are a few quotes to give you an idea of what the Oilers were looking at in previous seasons:

Shoots: L Height: 6-4 Weight: 203
Born: 1993-04-09 Hometown: Delta, BC, Canada Drafted: 2011 by Edmonton, 31st overall

 

 

 

 

PRE-DRAFT

  • David has excellent size and strength and plays a rugged brand of hockey with a bit of a mean streak. He reads developing plays well and uses anticipation to break up plays before they become dangerous. He’s got good hockey sense in all three zones, but his offensive upside is limited due to his mediocre point shot.

    Maintains great gap control and always squares up to the puckhandler. Has good poise, plays solid, mistake-free game in own zone and is excellent positionally. Reads and anticipates developing plays well. Good laterally, but 1st step and straightaway speed are average. Is not good as either a PP quarterback or trigger-man— has weak shot and makes poor decisions in puck distribution. – Red Line Report via Oilers Nation

  • A physically imposing defender, Musil needs to develop more before he could be a serious addition to the Jackets lineup. His style, by his admission, is that of a Chris Pronger type. Of the current Jackets, Musil would be comparable to a Marc Methot type. Strong on playing the body, and while possessing the ability to move the puck, that’s not necessarily his strength. – Jackets Cannon
  • Another aspect of Musil’s game we have heard troubling things about is with the intensity and desire — some NHL evaluators have said that he is the product of hockey coming very easy to him early on and the natural physical advantage he enjoyed at a younger age. Now, his peers are catching up to him and surpassing him, and he’s not consistently bringing the kind of intensity you want. – Lighthouse Hockey

POST-DRAFT

  • With ~300 major junior games on his resumé and another 50 or so in a variety of international events, it’s time to turn him loose in the pros. Variously listed at 6’3 or 6’4 and over 200 pounds, Musil needs to show that he can continue to dominate physically when matched up against older and occasionally larger men. He also needs to prove he can skate with them. For all the outstanding fundamentals of his defensive game, it is his sluggishness afoot that may hold him back from making the bigs, at least for awhile. – Bruce McCurdy, Cult of Hockey
  • In an era where speed is king, David Musil is bucking the trend. Make no mistake about his potential, we’re talking about a player who—if everything breaks right—will play in the NHL as a pure defender and PK man. That’s a third pairing defender, along the lines of Ladislav Smid or Eric Gryba. – Lowetide

So there you have it. The overwhelming consensus is that Musil doesn’t have the footspeed to keep up in today’s NHL and the day of the pure shutdown defender are probably coming to an end and with it, these kinds of players are finding it harder and harder to make it to the NHL.

That said, one could argue that Adam Larsson is a pure shutdown defender. True, but he’s got much better wheels and his hockey IQ, in my opinion, is ridiculously good. He’s also got some of the sweetest hands for a defensive dman. And to add to all of that, he’s got ice in his veins. Perfect for playoff hockey.

I wish David Musil good luck as these AHL loan deals usually mean that the player’s time with their club is over, not helping is Musil’s pending free agent status.  I enjoyed watching him in his cup of coffee with the Oilers a couple of seasons ago. Hopefully, he’ll catch on with a club who isn’t as stacked on the left side and he’ll make an NHL career out of it yet.

What do you think? Should the Oilers be moving on from Musil or should they keep him around? Let us know in the comments below!

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rob Cooke, Trades

Good Wood: A Defenseman for the Oilers

The Oilers are going to play a red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets tonight and I think they might get the two points. But that’s not the only thing on my mind today…

NHL draft and prospect guru Corey Pronman recently posted an interesting tweet that got my headbone churning. It was a list of the top 20-year-old point scorers in the AHL and atop said list was a defenseman out of the Arizona organization surnamed “Wood”.

https://twitter.com/coreypronman/status/815748202943184897

I’ll be honest, I had no bloody clue who this kid was but the reason I decided to dig into him is because he was a d-man piling up the points as a rookie in the AHL. The most immediate question that came to mind was, is he right-handed?… YES! The next question was, did he have size. YES! And that sealed the deal, an article was to be posted detailing this 20-year old rearguard.

I mean honestly, if you’re looking at the Oilers depth chart, what position are they in dire need of upgrading? Right-shot players I’d say and one that plays defense is the cherry on top.

At the moment the right-side defense’s depth chart looks something like this (please let me know if I’ve left anybody out):

  • Adam Larsson (NHL)
  • Matt Benning (NHL)
  • Eric Gryba (NHL)
  • Mark Fayne (AHL)
  • Ethan Bear (WHL)
  • Filip Berglund (SHL)
  • John Marino (NCAA)
  • Vincent Desharnais (NCAA)

So they way I see it, Fayne and Gryba will most likely be gone sooner than later. Ethan Bear will need a season or two in the AHL, Filip Berglund probably won’t come over until he’s at least 21; and John Marino and Vincent Desharnais are probably long shots at playing a game in the NHL.

On top of that, the Oilers AHL club has so many left-handed dmen that they moved Joey  Laleggia to forward and are using Mark Fayne and another fella named Bryce Aneloski (I don’t know who he is either). They could use some help down there.

So that’s why the Oilers should be looking into the availability of Kyle Wood. He’s 3rd in AHL rookie scoring, 4th in points for a defenseman, and sits in 18th place overall for scoring in the entire league. Not too shabby, if you ask me.

Sir McDavid takes on Kyle Wood back in their OHL days.

Kyle Wood

Born: May 4th, 1995
Birthplace, Waterloo, ON, Canada
Age:20
Position: Defense
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 209lbs
Drafted: 3rd round #84 by Colorado in 2014

Kyle Wood was originally a pick by the Colorado Avalanche but the Arizona Coyotes acquired him as part of the package for Mikkel Boedker and he is rapidly making a name for himself in Arizona.

Wood’s stats are pretty damned good for a player who wasn’t known to bring much offense to the table coming out of junior. Here are some quotes regarding Mr.Wood that will help shed some light on the player he was in junior and is now as a pro in Tuscon.

“At 6’5, 230lbs, he has the size to cause scouts to salivate. And he actually moves decently well for a big man. He’s also a physical player who is already very tough to play against in the corners. As time goes on, he’ll become quite a defensive force. Offensively, he’s actually surprisingly effective. He can lead the rush and he’s been quarterbacking the Battalion 2nd powerplay unit.” – Brock Otten (source)

“He’s obviously a big kid but one of the things our scouts liked about him is that he was willing to move pucks under pressure. He’s calm and makes a good first pass; he doesn’t seem to get rattled easily.” Jim Playfair, ARI Asst. Coach (source)

“Towering over other players, Wood can be mistaken for a pure defensive defenseman but that is not the case. Wood has an underrated offensive game and was the second power play unit’s quarterback for his junior team. He uses his size well and to his advantage. Teammates love having him on the back end and opposing players hate going up against him.” – Hockey’s Future (source)

“Wood is a big defenseman who has shown solid two-way potential.  He has great size that he uses to his advantage, and an above average hockey IQ.  The book on him is a little lacking because he missed the first half of the season due to injury, but Wood will most likely be a solid defender for North Bay in the future with a very solid chance to make it at the NHL level.” – Shane O’Donnell (source)

The Shot

“He’s got a heavy shot, and learned to shoot it when he’s supposed to,” Samuelsson added. “But he’s got the hardest one-time I’ve seen, so it’s been nice to see him score a lot. It’s hard and it’s accurate, so it’s good to have on the power play for sure.” – Henrik Samuelsson

“When you see him loading up, it’s time to get out of the way and let him shoot,” Perlini joked. “I just try to give him a good lane because I’m in front of the net because it’s obviously coming in fast, so if I get a little screen on the goalie, he can wire it.” – Brendan Perlini

“He shoots the puck like Shea Weber,” continued Lamb. “That’s who he shoots it like. He’s a big, right-hand D that is skating.”

Where a lot of Wood’s points have come from is the Roadrunners’ deadly top power play unit, which has been the most productive power play unit in the entire league by far, cashing in on 31.3% (21-of-67) of their man-advantages. – Jason Bartel

(source)

Say What?! A shot like Shea Weber?… Well that sort of does it for me. Wood has the size, the skating, the hockey IQ, and he puts up some pretty rad numbers on the PP. Now, we know that the Oilers are looking for both size AND a shot for their PP. Wouldn’t this kid fit the bill?

Wouldn’t this kid fit the bill? I should ask though, is he more Shea Weber or Cody Franson?

The alternative to Kyle Wood would be to pick up Michael Stone from the Coyotes. The soon-to-be UFA right-handed defenseman is sure to be a playoff pickup for some NHL team but I know that the Oilers have been barking up this tree all season. This scenario is much more likely unless the Edmonton could offer the Coyotes something they couldn’t refuse for Kyle Wood. The old Griffin Reinhart + Benny Pouliot offer isn’t likely to tempt Mr.Chayka.

What would you offer the Coyotes for Kyle Wood or Michael Stone? Let us know in the comments below!

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