OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - What Happens In Vegas: A Golden Knights Story

dannibalcorpse · 04-04-2017, 05:14 PM

The summer has wound down, and the players have returned to the locker rooms to get back to the grind. The goal? For the vast majority of the league, the Stanley Cup - but it sits locked on a pedestal behind 7 preseason games, 82 regular season tilts, and at least 16 playoff matches. But, as last year’s champions the Washington Capitals can tell you, every single second of struggle is worth it once you get your hands on the Cup itself - your name set to be etched into the annals of history.

For some, the first step on that road is the hardest - just ask Josh Ho-Sang, the man expected to step up and be a big part of this year’s Golden Knights’ team. Rumor has it that Ho-Sang showed up in no shape to be getting ready for the season; when asked, Coach Dan Hampton denied the allegation and said, “Any issues we have with a player are dealt with in-house. We’re not in the business of creating distractions for ourselves - we’ve got 31 other teams trying to do that for us already.”

The Golden Knights’ wrapped up their camp in Reno this weekend, after playing their home preseason games on their ECHL team’s rink. The team went 3-3-1 in the preseason, with the offense showing a spark not seen all that often in the team’s inaugural season. The goalies, however - world-beaters they were not.

“It’s the pre-season - none of this counts at the end of the day”, coach Hampton said to reporters this morning as the team packed up to head back to Vegas. “To me, the most important thing is to get the the guys back up to full speed on the ice, and to make sure we get through with everyone’s health intact. Which we did, so I think we succeeded.”

With opening night less than a week away, the Golden Knights’ roster seems set. NHL.com ran a preview earlier this week, with their guesses at the team’s depth chart shaking out thusly:

LEFT WING
1 - Ondrej Palat (LY: 75 GP, 15-25-40)
2 - Jordan Greenway (LY: 33 GP, 23-24-47**)
3 - Jason Dickinson (LY: 76 GP, 7-16-23)
4 - Igor Barbashev (LY: 65 GP, 27-43-70*)

CENTER
1 - Tyler Johnson (LY: 82 GP, 35-23-58)
2 - Adam Henrique (LY: 76 GP, 13-27-40)
3 - Alan Quine (LY: 67 GP, 6-7-13)
4 - Chase De Leo (LY: 65 GP, 25-41-66*)
5 - Cristobal Nieves (LY: 26 GP, 1-3-4)

RIGHT WING
1 - Josh Ho-Sang (LY: 55 GP, 6-8-14)
2 - Jakob Silfverberg (LY: 82 GP, 20-35-55)
3 - Jon Marchessault (LY: 75 GP, 15-20-35)
4 - Oliver Bjorkstrand (LY: 66 GP, 5-16-21)
5 - Riley Barber (LY: 71 GP, 18-25-43*)

LEFT DEFENSE
1 - T.J. Brodie (LY: 80 GP, 4-44-48)
2 - Nikita Zadorov (LY: 77 GP, 11-23-34)
3 - Dennis Seidenberg (LY: 82 GP, 4-9-13)

RIGHT DEFENSE
1 - Kevin Shattenkirk (LY: 75 GP, 18-24-42)
2 - Julius Honka (LY: 77 GP, 13-24-37)
3 - Jordan Subban (LY: 28 GP, 5-15-20)
4 - Matt Carle (LY: 18 GP, 1-6-7)

GOALIE
1st: Craig Anderson
LY: 65 GP, 36-24-5, 2.65, .908, 6 SO

2nd: Malcolm Subban
LY: 27 GP, 15-8-3, 2.75, .907, 1 SO*

(* - AHL Stats; ** - NCAA Stats)

The biggest surprise in the preseason was Josh Ho-Sang skating on the first line. After the second preseason tilt against the Florida Panthers, the media asked Coach Hampton if this was something to look for in the regular season. “Yeah, I think Josh gives us an interesting spark on the top line. I think he’s a great playmaker, and someone I’m comfortable getting the puck to two of our biggest scoring threats [Ondrej Palat & Tyler Johnson]. Plus, it means that Jakob is going to be playing on the second line and giving us two top lines with a scoring punch - Jakob is more of a goalscorer than Josh is so I wanted to separate him out from the other top line guys and spread that scoring touch throughout the lineup.”

The team heads into the year without many other major changes - Jordan Greenway steps in for the departed Evander Kane and is expected to give the team a big body down low on the second line & power play units. And the Subban brothers, Malcolm and Jordan, both made the team out of camp after strong showings - Jordan continued to show the offensive flair that brought him up to the NHL, but also showed more discipline on the defensive end, while Malcolm’s strong showing in camp cemented him as the team’s #2 goalie.

The Golden Knights have a lot to live up to after last year’s surprise run to the playoffs - they’ll look to come out of the gates fast on opening night against the Kings. We’ll check back with the team about a quarter way through the year to see how they’re holding up.

04-04-2017, 05:14 PM	#18
dannibalcorpse Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 168	The summer has wound down, and the players have returned to the locker rooms to get back to the grind. The goal? For the vast majority of the league, the Stanley Cup - but it sits locked on a pedestal behind 7 preseason games, 82 regular season tilts, and at least 16 playoff matches. But, as last year’s champions the Washington Capitals can tell you, every single second of struggle is worth it once you get your hands on the Cup itself - your name set to be etched into the annals of history. For some, the first step on that road is the hardest - just ask Josh Ho-Sang, the man expected to step up and be a big part of this year’s Golden Knights’ team. Rumor has it that Ho-Sang showed up in no shape to be getting ready for the season; when asked, Coach Dan Hampton denied the allegation and said, “Any issues we have with a player are dealt with in-house. We’re not in the business of creating distractions for ourselves - we’ve got 31 other teams trying to do that for us already.” The Golden Knights’ wrapped up their camp in Reno this weekend, after playing their home preseason games on their ECHL team’s rink. The team went 3-3-1 in the preseason, with the offense showing a spark not seen all that often in the team’s inaugural season. The goalies, however - world-beaters they were not. “It’s the pre-season - none of this counts at the end of the day”, coach Hampton said to reporters this morning as the team packed up to head back to Vegas. “To me, the most important thing is to get the the guys back up to full speed on the ice, and to make sure we get through with everyone’s health intact. Which we did, so I think we succeeded.” With opening night less than a week away, the Golden Knights’ roster seems set. NHL.com ran a preview earlier this week, with their guesses at the team’s depth chart shaking out thusly: LEFT WING 1 - Ondrej Palat (LY: 75 GP, 15-25-40) 2 - Jordan Greenway (LY: 33 GP, 23-24-47) 3 - Jason Dickinson (LY: 76 GP, 7-16-23) 4 - Igor Barbashev (LY: 65 GP, 27-43-70)* CENTER 1 - Tyler Johnson (LY: 82 GP, 35-23-58) 2 - Adam Henrique (LY: 76 GP, 13-27-40) 3 - Alan Quine (LY: 67 GP, 6-7-13) 4 - Chase De Leo (LY: 65 GP, 25-41-66)* 5 - Cristobal Nieves (LY: 26 GP, 1-3-4) RIGHT WING 1 - Josh Ho-Sang (LY: 55 GP, 6-8-14) 2 - Jakob Silfverberg (LY: 82 GP, 20-35-55) 3 - Jon Marchessault (LY: 75 GP, 15-20-35) 4 - Oliver Bjorkstrand (LY: 66 GP, 5-16-21) 5 - Riley Barber (LY: 71 GP, 18-25-43)* LEFT DEFENSE 1 - T.J. Brodie (LY: 80 GP, 4-44-48) 2 - Nikita Zadorov (LY: 77 GP, 11-23-34) 3 - Dennis Seidenberg (LY: 82 GP, 4-9-13) RIGHT DEFENSE 1 - Kevin Shattenkirk (LY: 75 GP, 18-24-42) 2 - Julius Honka (LY: 77 GP, 13-24-37) 3 - Jordan Subban (LY: 28 GP, 5-15-20) 4 - Matt Carle (LY: 18 GP, 1-6-7) GOALIE 1st: Craig Anderson LY: 65 GP, 36-24-5, 2.65, .908, 6 SO 2nd: Malcolm Subban LY: 27 GP, 15-8-3, 2.75, .907, 1 SO* (* - AHL Stats; - NCAA Stats) The biggest surprise in the preseason was Josh Ho-Sang skating on the first line. After the second preseason tilt against the Florida Panthers, the media asked Coach Hampton if this was something to look for in the regular season. “Yeah, I think Josh gives us an interesting spark on the top line. I think he’s a great playmaker, and someone I’m comfortable getting the puck to two of our biggest scoring threats [Ondrej Palat & Tyler Johnson]. Plus, it means that Jakob is going to be playing on the second line and giving us two top lines with a scoring punch - Jakob is more of a goalscorer than Josh is so I wanted to separate him out from the other top line guys and spread that scoring touch throughout the lineup.” The team heads into the year without many other major changes - Jordan Greenway steps in for the departed Evander Kane and is expected to give the team a big body down low on the second line & power play units. And the Subban brothers, Malcolm and Jordan**, both made the team out of camp after strong showings - Jordan continued to show the offensive flair that brought him up to the NHL, but also showed more discipline on the defensive end, while Malcolm’s strong showing in camp cemented him as the team’s #2 goalie. The Golden Knights have a lot to live up to after last year’s surprise run to the playoffs - they’ll look to come out of the gates fast on opening night against the Kings. We’ll check back with the team about a quarter way through the year to see how they’re holding up.