Part 2 continues the coverage of Victoria's prospects. This time we take a closer look at the younger players on the roster.
First up is Tyler Graovac a center with good size, whose upside is most likely a 4th or at best a 3rd line center. He was acquired from Fort Erie in an earlier deal. Tyler did make the papers during the offseason when he was traded to Washington. So far in the NHL 17-18 season, he has played in 2 of the Caps 4 games so far playing about 6 minutes a game. Not all that promising but as a center, there is a bit of a premium on players like him.
Next up is Nick Shore who is another center currently playing for the LA Kings in the NHL. Unlike Graovac, Shore has played in all 3 of the Kings games and is surprisingly tied for 3rd in scoring with 2 points. Clearly, he is ticketed for checking line duty but if he can make a good showing for a team like the Kings who are clearly about to be in transition, perhaps he can move up the depth chart to some degree. While the Ronin have almost no expectations for him, his early season numbers are encouraging.
William Carrier occupies the 3 hole up front for Victoria and like Shore, he has also played in every game for Vegas this season. With the depth and competition for the Golden Knights its surprising that William has made the cut. Yet his 9 minutes of ice time indicate he is barely holding onto to his job at the NHL level. Ronin management is hoping he can find his way to better linemates once GMGM makes a deal or two to stock up on more draft picks for Vegas going forward.
Gustav Forsling has had an impressive start to the NHL season. Last season he found his way into 38 games for the Blackhawks, and so far this year not only has he played in all 5 games but has 4 points to show for it. Playing just under 18 minutes a game and with Chicago bumping up against the cap its looking like Forsling could be in line for a full NHL season. Thus further stocking the Ronin with younger NHL defensemen.
Brett Kulak just can't seem a get a break. The young Flame defensemen dealt with a tough transition to the NHL playing in just 21 games last season. Yet with the acquisition of fellow Ronin Travis Hamonic to Calgary, Brett was pushed even farther down the depth chart behind #5 Michael Stone. He was resigned to a 1 year 2-way deal this offseason and did not make the cut with the big club so far in the early part of the season for Calgary. Yet he has NHL size, skates well but just a bit snake bit with the impressive depth on the blueline for the Flames.
Scott Mayfield has really taken a big step forward over the past 12 months or so, according to his NHL coach Doug Weight. Mayfield who was acquired from the Musicmen is 6'4” and 227lb. The impressive numbers don't say that he can also skate very well. Playing in 3 of the Islanders first 4 games for about 15 minutes per game shows that clearly more is expected from him going forward. The Ronin are hoping the former 2nd rounder can mature into a 2nd pairing dman, but so far the numbers clearly indicate a bottom pairing for the young man. It also is worth mentioning that the Islanders did make a very healthy draft pick offering to Las Vegas to lay off Adam Pelech and another defenseman or two on the club. So perhaps Mayfield can grow into a more important role.
Last up is Jusse Saros, another former Musicman. He had a relatively effective first season in the NHL playing in 21 games and posting a 923 save percentage. So far in the early part of the 17-18 season, Jusse has played in 1 game where he did not put up very encouraging numbers. Victoria is hoping that Nashville will opt to rest Pekka Rinne on more than some nights allowing Saros to get some quality starts under his belt. As long as Rinne is a Predator with his contract, the best Saros can hope for is backup duty, but that might be just enough for the Ronin to make use of him. While he hasn't seen a game so far this CCHL season, that may not be for much longer as his numbers are better than current starter Steve Mason.
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