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RWC Archives - Griffins Mid-Season Report Cards
Five players in Grand Rapids finish first half with A grades ...
By Jason Kasiorek
www.griffinscentral.com
January 14, 2006
The Grand Rapids Griffins have reached the 40-game mark and are just a few points out of first place in the American Hockey League.
As would be expected with a top-ranked team, there are plenty of good grades to go around in this year's edition of the mid-season report cards on
www.RedWingsCentral.com
. Highlighting the list are five A grades, including to rookies
Valtteri Filppula
and
Kyle Quincey
.
The grading scale is as follows: A ' excellent; B ' above average; C ' average; D ' poor; F ' unacceptable. Grades are based on AHL play and will not correspond to end-of-season organizational prospect grades.
The following are the grades:
A GRADES
Eric Manlow
(41-13-28-41-22, plus-7) ' Playing on the No. 1 line with time on the top power-play unit will pad anyone's stats, but Manlow has gotten it done all over the ice. He is an ace penalty killer and the go-to guy for must-win faceoffs.
Kent McDonell
(38-11-19-30-84, even) ' McDonell is the grinder on the
Eric Manlow
-
Jiri Hudler
line, digging pucks out and doing the dirty work. He has some skill with the puck and brings leadership, experience and a physical edge every night.
Valtteri Filppula
(37-15-26-41-20, plus-9) ' The skilled Finn has drawn rave reviews since showing up at training camp. He gets it done in all three zones, puts up points, goes into high-traffic areas and does the little things that make a team successful.
Kyle Quincey
(35-4-15-19-56, plus-8) ' The 21-year-old rookie has stepped in and established himself as the team's top defenseman. Quincey has poise that belies his age, plays a physical game, is used in all situations and is rarely rattled.
Matt Ellis
(39-12-15-27-41, plus-3) ' With a better supporting cast, Ellis hasn't stood out as much as he did last year. Still, the team's captain sets an example every shift with his hard work, intensity and gritty, go-to-the-net type of game.
A-MINUS GRADES
Jiri Hudler
(37-21-30-51-22, plus-3) ' It's hard to give the AHL points leader anything but a perfect grade, but his lack of defensive play hurts him. He is disinterested, doesn't backcheck, and spends too much time at the opposition's blue line.
Nate DiCasmirro
(36-7-19-26-58, plus-10) ' A tough, gritty speedster with some skill, DiCasmirro was in need of a fresh start after being buried in the Edmonton Oilers system. Much like his linemate,
Matt Ellis
, he plays all-out on every shift.
B-PLUS GRADES
Bryan Helmer
(41-7-13-20-70, plus-6) ' The team's only experienced defenseman most of the season, Helmer has done a good job working with the organization's youth. He has a booming slap shot but has been prone to occasional defensive miscues.
Darryl Bootland
(41-11-17-28-195, plus-9) ' Bootland came to camp with a no-nonsense attitude and has excelled at both ends of the ice. He is better-conditioned, scoring more and working hard away from the puck. He even kills penalties.
B GRADES
Tomas Kopecky
(39-13-19-32-54, plus-12) ' Kopecky has swept away two disappointing seasons with inspired play this year. He drives to the net and uses his soft hands for tips and redirections. He is finally competing with fire on a nightly basis.
Donald MacLean
(39-21-12-33-33, minus-1) ' A slow start compounded by injuries placed a lot of pressure on the former AHL scoring champ. He responded with a point-per-game pace his next 30 games, including 13 goals in a 16-game stretch.
Clay Wilson
(22-6-7-13-15, even) ' A late addition to the Griffins from the United Hockey League, Wilson is a mobile defenseman with a quick shot. His defensive play, however, can be an adventure sometimes and needs some work.
Drew MacIntyre
(12 GP, 2.53 GAA, .908 SPCT) ' MacIntyre played his heart out early in the season. But once
Joey MacDonald
and
Jimmy Howard
were back on the farm, MacIntyre found himself on the bench, in the press box, and then the ECHL.
B-MINUS GRADES
Ryan Oulahen
(36-5-7-12-12, plus-2) ' Oulahen has grown by leaps and bounds this season, evidenced by his increased ice time and scoring. He started as a healthy scratch but is showing impressive offensive skills to go along with a good defensive game.
C GRADES
Greg Amadio
(34-0-3-3-76, plus-10) ' A physical blueliner, Amadio had a great start to the season before tailing off recently. A hard worker who is well-liked in the room, he needs to regain his composure and earn back his ice time.
Eric Himelfarb
(26-3-9-12-30, minus-1) ' Himelfarb missed much of the season's first half with injuries and has been slow returning to form. A dynamic skater with good moves, Himelfarb is the type of player who could take advantage of the new rules.
Nick Martens
(37-2-9-11-26, plus-1) ' Martens earned a contract after a strong camp and turned heads with a steady two-way game. Since being moved from a pairing with
Kyle Quincey
, he has struggled to maintain his high level of play.
Joey MacDonald
(14 GP, 3.67 GAA, .880 SPCT) ' Off-season back surgery destroyed MacDonald's chance of battling for a job in Detroit out of camp. He had some rough outings early on but has slowly been finding his old groove.
Jimmy Howard
(14 GP, 3.00 GAA, .895 SPCT) ' The rookie goaltender has been up and down this season. In general, he hasn't looked comfortable in the net thus far, but the hope is he will settle down and mature with more regular playing time.
C-MINUS GRADES
Brad Bonello
(8-0-1-1-12, even) ' A capable fill-in player, Bonello provided some spark and jump in his role as an agitator. He got into trouble taking some bad penalties and didn't produce much offensive. He has potential as an AHL energy player.
D GRADES
Derek Meech
(40-1-9-10-47, plus-1) ' Meech has taken steps backwards, especially in recent weeks. He has been a defensive liability and his offensive game has dried up. Finding confidence will be key in fighting through the dreaded sophomore slump.
Ryan Keller
(8-1-0-1-10, minus-4) ' Keller played well in spurts but was largely ineffective. He was unable to find the net on even a semi-regular basis despite some nice chances. He is in the United Hockey League working on his game.
F GRADES
Todd Jackson
(5-0-1-1-2, plus-2) ' The speedy winger did not get much of a look this season, but it was enough to know he wasn't ready for the AHL. Injured several times, Jackson hasn't shown the size or durability to see extended duty in Grand Rapids.
Michael Hackert
(16-0-3-3-14, plus-1) ' The summer free-agent signing got off to a bad start in North America coming off a broken leg. He never looked comfortable and rarely showed the skill that earned him notice in Germany. He returned to Europe.
INCOMPLETE GRADES
Brett Lebda
(11-2-5-7-10, plus-5) ' Injuries and his terrific skating ability landed him a job in Detroit. He played well in short spurts in Grand Rapids, and may find himself in a Griffins jersey again once
Niklas Kronwall
returns from knee surgery.
Travis Richards
(13-0-4-4-10, plus-8) ' Injuries have kept Richards from having a solid season. He has played well when in the lineup and the penalty-killing unit has missed his fearless shot-blocking and veteran presence.
Jason Kasiorek contributes monthly Grand Rapids Griffins reports. They appear on RedWingsCentral.com at the start of each month.
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