CAN THE '22-23 ICEDOGS PULL THE NOSE UP ON THEIR START?

It has not been a pretty start for the newly defined Niagara IceDogs. A slew of trades for some relatively veteran and skilled players has resulted in a 3-6-3-0 start, with last Friday's 11-3 home thumping at the hands of the excellent Windsor Spitfires a potential tipping point. A great start with two wins and an OT loss has been wasted and team right now is in the throes of a five game losing streak in which they have given up 31 goals. Given that defense was supposed to be strong point this year with three OA D man and a veteran goaltending core, this is especially alarming. A big three game northern road swing with stops in North Bay, Sudbury and the Soo looms large.

Can they turn things around? Well, the stock answers is that we are not yet at the quarter point of the season so of course they can. However, not being in a contending position by the trade deadline will lead to some people being shipped out, so the reality is you've got roughly 1/2 the season to figure out where you are. Perhaps the '22-23 edition can turn around like the '14-15 team did. That team came out of the game looking awful and were 2-13 at one point in the season before slowly picking themselves off the mat in the 2nd half fashioning a five game win streak and two four game win streaks. Let's compare the rosters to see if the '22-23 team can perform similar magic.

THE STORY AROUND THE 2014-2015 TEAM

It was the first year of the Meridian Centre so the team embarked on a six game road trip before their home debut. They went an ugly 0-6 on that trip, not exactly thundering out the gate. They did not win a road game until November 7th when they beat Mississauga. At the midway point they were 12-20-2 and the improvement was noticeable. in the 2nd half of the season they were a sizzling 25-7-2, beat Ottawa in the 1st round of the playoffs before succumbing in a tough series 4-1 to the eventual Memorial Cup Champions Oshawa.

At this point in the season the fans of the '22-23 squad would take anything remotely close to the '14-15 version, but can they get there? Lets compare the two teams.

GOALTENDERS:

2014-1015- Brandon Hope and Brent Moran

2022-2023- Josh Roszenswag and Owen Flores

Hope was an OA goaltender from Sarnia who was picked up early in the season to shore up the position. He was excellent. Best known to IceDog fans for getting in a fight with IceDogs back up Dalton McGrath, he fashioned a 19-7-3 record and became the number one goaltender at playoff time. Moran, a Dallas Stars draft pick, was on the rise the season before after an excellent playoff performance but he levelled off and was 18-18-1 with a 3.46 average, nothing wrong with those numbers but more was expected. He was traded the next year for Alex Nedelklovic who was outstanding for the IceDogs.

'22-23's goaltenders Josh Roszenswag and Owen Flores are a veteran duo but have been wildly inconsistent, partly due to some indifferent D play but goals against averages close to five and save % well below .900 aren't getting it done. Roszenswag was excellent last year as the starter for a rebuilding team while Flores got 23 games in. Both are capable of better but Hope and Moran are the far better duo.

DEFENSE KEY PLAYERS

'14-15: Vince Dunn, Aaron Haydon, Ryan Mantha, Alex Mikuloivich , Blake Siebanler

'22-23: David Jesus, Nathan Ribau, Gerard Keane, Rodwin Dionicio, Landon Cato, Andrew Leblanc

Dunn was excellent, and is currently in the NHL with Seattle. He had 18 goals 38 assists, though he did get suspended in the playoffs. Both Siebanaler (Columbus) and Mantha (NYR) were NHL Draft picks with solid credentials. SIebenaler had 12g 25 assists while Mantha, who possessed a booming shot had 10 goals. Haydon and Miklulovich were both big rugged hard hitting D man who were fan favourites.

There are no NHL draft picks in this years core, but at the OHL level there is great potential. Jesus, and Ribau are playoff testes with Ribau being noteworthy for playing all 25 playoff games last year with Windsor as they made a run to the final losing in Game 7 to Hamilton. Jesus played a prominent role with Oshawa for two years. Keane is a puck moving D man acquired from London who can QB a PP. DIonicio and Cato are original IceDogs who are still not reaching their full potential while Leblanc has been quietly effective. Give the nod to the '14-15 team here as they had a mixture of strength and scoring that has not been realized yet with the '22-23 version. This year's version has not reached their potential yet as they are billed as a veteran, savvy core of D man.

FORWARD KEY PLAYERS

'14-15: Carter Verhaeghe, Brendan Perlini, Josh Ho Sang, Anthony DiFruscia, Jordan Maletta, Graham Knott, Billy Jenkins and Mikaal Aagard

'22-23: Nolan Dann, Pasquale Zito, Pano Fimis, Aidan Castle, Juan Copeland, Andrew Leblanc, Declan Waddick, Brendan Sirizotti, Kevin He

Oh that '14-15 forward core. Verhaeghe and Perlini had magical chemistry together. Verhaeghe, at the time, was a skilled player, but not nearly the player who has become an excellent NHL'er with Florida. Perlini, a first round pick of the Coyotes, did not pan out as a pro but possessed a booming shot and great size that he leveraged well. Surprisingly he went the opposite way than Verhaeghe and did not pan out as an NHL'er. Ho-Sang was a highly skilled player, who was enigmatic at times. Under Marty Williamson he played his best hockey and hasn't reached that level since. Difruscia was a hard working, though undisciplined captain and Maletta, Jenkins and Aagard were reliable point getters and Knott chipped in 25 goals from a 3rd line position and seemed poised for a great pro career as he was drafted in the 2nd round by Chicago and won a Memorial Cup with Windsor. Things haven't panned out professionally for Knott though.

This years team has talent that goes on for days, but the chemistry just hasn't been there yet. Though just having one NHL prospect in Zito, there is a skill level with this group of forwards that will bust out with more attention to detail on both ends of the ice . Fimis, Castle, Waddick and Copeland have the potential to flourish in their 2nd year of on lice action while rookie Kevin He has NHL feet and NHL potential at 16 years old. The nod goes to the '14-15 forwards, but its close as the '22-23 have the potential. They need to look at the chemistry the '14-15 forwards have to realize their vast potential.

COACH/GM

'14-15- Marty Williamson (both roles)

'22-23 Daniel Fitzgerald (coach) Darren Dedobbelaar (GM)

This one is no contest. Marty was a go for broke, lets win now veteran an savvy coach and GM. He was a guy who did BOTH jobs equally well and has a lot of credibility around the league. Daniel Fitzgerald, at this point, is a coaching unknown in the OHL so his grade is incomplete. Same goes for Dedobbelaar who fancies himself currently as the Jerry Jones of the OHL as the owner who is also the GM. This is better assessed at the end of the season.

OVERALL

The '14-15 team was a talented team who had a lousy start but Marty Williamson steered the course and eventually team performed to capabilities and became a very dangerous team in the playoffs. This year's version? Needs the same steering but also needs the veterans they acquired to step and play to their potential. That hasn't happened yet. Is the chemistry something that could be improved and thus result improve? Time will tell, but at this point the '14-15 team, even with a 2-13 record did not panic and were able to put together a great record. '22-23's three game trip up north would a great time to build credibility and chemistry.

Steve Clark

Steve is in his 15th season as the IceDogs TV voice.