Manitoba Moose Update

The Manitoba Moose have been playing mediocre hockey for most of march. Sure they have won 9 of 14 games this month, however there was a stretch where they only won 1 game out of 5. Tonight they play the Rochester Amerk's in the second game of a double header. The Moose really have to take it to the Amerk's. The Amerk's have been hit by the casualty of having many of their players called up to the Florida Panthers late in the season. The Amerk's were competing for a playoff spot at the NHL trade deadline however have since lost 10 of 11 games. Dave Tallon (GM of the Florida Panthers is to blame) for trading away all his players at the deadline and then being forced to call players up from his AHL affiliate. Dave Tallon is an idiot that caused the Blackhawks to not be able to compete for the top spot in the league, by signing players to ridiculous contracts( Cambpell 7 mil a season, Huet 5 mil a season, Boland 3.75 million a season). It resulted in the blackhawks firing him, and having to trade away Versteeg, Ladd and Bifugly for virtually no return.

Tonight the Moose must take advantage of the Amerk's. It could be a great opportunity for players on the Moose to make a bid to play on the Canucks third line for the remainder of the season. The Vancouver Canucks are looking for a third line/fourth line player and a good night by Sweatt, Shirokov or Hodgson could go a long way in giving them an opportunity to take part in a long NHL playoff run. It's not something the Moose fans want to consider, losing one of their best players to the Canucks, but its something the Moose can afford to do because they have been scoring by committee all season. Shirokov, their leading goal scorer would be the biggest loss, but it is unlikely the Canucks would call him up because he is not a natural center which the Canucks are looking for. Eddy Lack will not be getting the start tonight, he will be rested as the Moose are on a stretch of hockey that see them play 6 games in eight nights.

I am expecting another great night from Rick Rypien. He has been playing with a lot of hockey smarts, always making smart first passes with the puck and getting involved any chance he can after the whistle, mixing it up with the other team. Cody Hodgson will have to have a better night tonight. With the Moose up 2-1 in the third period of last nights game, Cody Hodgson coughed the puck up while he was on the PP, allowing Thomas of the Amerk's to go in alone shorthanded on Lack and tie up the game late. Fortunately the combination of Yann Sauve and Bill Sweatt were able to combine for each of their second points of the night, and regain late in the game the win that Hodgson nearly threw away.

-Hark

Canucks sign ball sweatt

The canucks signed forward ball sweatt yesterday to a one year deal at 500,000. He is likely to play with the nux ahl affiliate this year but may get a call up if injuries occur. He definitely will be given a chance to make the team at training camp, but with names like hodgson, schroeder, tambellinin and shirokov ahead of him, it may be difficult.

Ball sweatt went the ncaa college route. After being drafted in the second round by chicago in 2007, he decided to finish his degree at the university of colorado. This past year he led the team in scoring. In 2007 he was the top forward at the under 18 world juniors notching 25 points in 17 games.

A lot of college players are overlooked from being signed in the nhl theses days. The canadian route (whl, ohl and qmjhl) gives the young players money to go to school in the future and allows them to excel and enter the nhl at a young age. While the ncaa route demands the players to do a four year degree while playing hockey. Ncaa players take longer to mature but they can really come into their own once they do mature. Take for instance, duncan keith, a former ncaa player.

Because the canucks didn't have a 1st or second round pick this year, they have been going the college route to sign players. These players have already played four years in college and have seen their entry level contracts expire so now they are free agents.

Ball sweatt was a blackwhore, but he got traded to tornonto a few months earlier in the versteeg deal. Burke offered ball sweatt the max contract for a young player, but ball sweatt's agent wanted him to test free agency. In the end he signed for the minimum in vancouver.

It is a little bit odd considering he might have got third line play in toronto, and now ball sweatt will get third line play for the manitoba moose. It may be because the canucks signed his brother lee sweatt in may. Lee sweatt is a defender who went the same ncaa route as his brother Ball. Lee went over to europe last year. After a disastrous half-season in the khl, he went to the premiere league in finland. In the playoffs he set records for points by a defenseman (16 points in 15 games) and went on to win the award for best defenceman in the playoffs.

All in all, canucks have a decent pairing with the Sweatty brothers. Koodo to mike gillis on using the ncaa signings to compensate for no draft picks this year.

-hark
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