Post by atlantagm on Jun 30, 2006 11:44:52 GMT -5
Mid Season Report – Atlanta Thrashers
It’s Midseason in the IWHL and the Atlanta Thrashers have had an up and down first half. In the beginning the Thrashers were not in the playoffs. They got hot and moved up to second in the conference. In a tough last ten games the Thrashers currently sit in seventh in the conference.
Team Grades
A+
Simon Gagne: You can’t argue with what Gagne has done this season for the Thrashers. He currently leads the League in points with 55 points. He leads the team in goals, assists and points. He has been a leader on the team and could possibly be a Hart Trophy candidate.
Jaroslav Modry: Modry has been superb for the team. The top defenseman on the Thrashers sits at a team best +17 and has 29 points, good for tenth in the league by defenseman.
Chad LaRose: While LaRose has not done a lot in the IWHL this season thus far, he was tearing up the farm league. Chad was second in scoring when he was brought up to the big squad. Currently he is expected to stay with the team throughout the season.
A
Patrick Lalime: Although Lalime has been stuggling his last couple of outings it has been due to overuse. He had been 13-3-5 to start the year. He is 1-4-1 in his last six but he should be picking that up.
Ryan Smyth: The team captain has been a solid contributor to the team. Smyth has a solid 31 points (14 goals) and a solid +9. He has been a man that players like Havlat and Gagne can look up too.
Martin Havlat: Marty Havlat has quietly been having a solid season thus far for the Thrashers. He sits second on the team in points with 39 and third in goals. He also has a four game point scoring streak going.
Milan Hedjuk: Much like Havlat, Hedjuk has quietly been having a solid season. Since Forsberg was acquired his numbers has gone up. He is third on the team with 37 points.
Peter Forsberg: Since coming over from Minnesota, Forsberg has solidified the teams #2 line with Smyth and Hedjuk. Forsberg will be a major contributor in the second half.
B+
Scott Hannan, Bret Hedican, and Dick Tarnstrom: This trio of defensemen has been stellar for the team. Hedican and Hannan are playing very well defensively (as expected) and have contributed offensively with 21 and 22 points respectively. Tarnstrom has been an offensive force for the Thrasher.
B
Evgeni Malkin: With all the hype around Malkin, he has had an up and down season as of late. After a slow start Malkin was able to find a home with Gagne and Havlat. He had an impressive 11 game scoring streak during the season. He tends to take too many penalties but mostly due to his hard-hitting style.
C
Slava Kozlov, Chris Gratton: The two veterans have played solidly for the team. Kozlov centres Dagenais and LaRose while Gratton is a force on the penalty kill.
D
Richard Jackman, Greg DeVries, Shaen Donovan: Donovan was expected to provide some scoring punch but he has been a disappointment this season. Jackman, similarly was expected to play a significant role but has not. DeVries was acquired for defensive purposes but has not played well.
Hopefully the Thrashers can build on the second half.
It’s Midseason in the IWHL and the Atlanta Thrashers have had an up and down first half. In the beginning the Thrashers were not in the playoffs. They got hot and moved up to second in the conference. In a tough last ten games the Thrashers currently sit in seventh in the conference.
Team Grades
A+
Simon Gagne: You can’t argue with what Gagne has done this season for the Thrashers. He currently leads the League in points with 55 points. He leads the team in goals, assists and points. He has been a leader on the team and could possibly be a Hart Trophy candidate.
Jaroslav Modry: Modry has been superb for the team. The top defenseman on the Thrashers sits at a team best +17 and has 29 points, good for tenth in the league by defenseman.
Chad LaRose: While LaRose has not done a lot in the IWHL this season thus far, he was tearing up the farm league. Chad was second in scoring when he was brought up to the big squad. Currently he is expected to stay with the team throughout the season.
A
Patrick Lalime: Although Lalime has been stuggling his last couple of outings it has been due to overuse. He had been 13-3-5 to start the year. He is 1-4-1 in his last six but he should be picking that up.
Ryan Smyth: The team captain has been a solid contributor to the team. Smyth has a solid 31 points (14 goals) and a solid +9. He has been a man that players like Havlat and Gagne can look up too.
Martin Havlat: Marty Havlat has quietly been having a solid season thus far for the Thrashers. He sits second on the team in points with 39 and third in goals. He also has a four game point scoring streak going.
Milan Hedjuk: Much like Havlat, Hedjuk has quietly been having a solid season. Since Forsberg was acquired his numbers has gone up. He is third on the team with 37 points.
Peter Forsberg: Since coming over from Minnesota, Forsberg has solidified the teams #2 line with Smyth and Hedjuk. Forsberg will be a major contributor in the second half.
B+
Scott Hannan, Bret Hedican, and Dick Tarnstrom: This trio of defensemen has been stellar for the team. Hedican and Hannan are playing very well defensively (as expected) and have contributed offensively with 21 and 22 points respectively. Tarnstrom has been an offensive force for the Thrasher.
B
Evgeni Malkin: With all the hype around Malkin, he has had an up and down season as of late. After a slow start Malkin was able to find a home with Gagne and Havlat. He had an impressive 11 game scoring streak during the season. He tends to take too many penalties but mostly due to his hard-hitting style.
C
Slava Kozlov, Chris Gratton: The two veterans have played solidly for the team. Kozlov centres Dagenais and LaRose while Gratton is a force on the penalty kill.
D
Richard Jackman, Greg DeVries, Shaen Donovan: Donovan was expected to provide some scoring punch but he has been a disappointment this season. Jackman, similarly was expected to play a significant role but has not. DeVries was acquired for defensive purposes but has not played well.
Hopefully the Thrashers can build on the second half.