Friday, May 4, 2007

Ohio Junior Blue Jackets 2007-08 Preview

Ohio didn't have the best of seasons, but they were able to round up some pretty decent talent. They didn't have one 86 born player on their roster at season's end, so all of those kids gained some valuable playing time at this level. They will return most of their roster, including goalie Corson Cramer.

Key Departures:
Zac MacVoy-13 points with the Jackets and led them to their first road win.
Chris Reed-25 points, one of their better defenseman.
Dennis Urban-Leader on defense.


Goalies (2):
Corson Cramer (1988) - Cramer was released by Texas (NAHL) and quickly grabbed by Ohio. He turned out to be a quality starter for them.
Brandon Czarnecki (1990) - Young. Got some games in to get some experience. Could be decent.

Goalie Evaluation:
Cramer should be one of the better goalies in the league next season. Czarnecki is a capable backup, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if they brought in a more established goalie to help push Cramer. Regardless, they have a good duo in net to help them win some games.

Defense (5):
Danny Markowitz (1988) - Acquired from Tri-City, may head to college this fall.
Nolan Ryan (1988) - Big kid with lots of promise.
Patrick Goebel (1987) - Extremely short. Started to produce towards the end of the year.
John Ryder (1989) - I've always thought he was an excellent talent and he should get looks from a few colleges.
Ryan Hill (1988) - Decent size, but stuck with a horrible +/- rating (-29).

Defense Evaluation:
The defense looks to be pretty solid. With guys like Goebel, Ryder, and Ryan having a year of USHL experience under their belts, they should be able to be better prepared and able to produce right out of the gate. Hill is a defensive minded player with size, so he had all the makings to be very good in this league. Markowitz may still go off to Dartmouth this fall, but it's not certain whether he will stay or go at this point.

Forwards (13):
Alexei Dostoinov (1989) - Dostoinov came over from Sioux Falls and put together a solid 18 games in Ohio.
Ben Dykstra (1989) - Don't know too much about him.
Daniel Barczuk (1988) - Will be 3rd year guy, will be relied on for offense and leadership.
Danny Hobbs (1989) - Rated by NHL CSB, so he must be good.
Sean McCauley (1987) - Good talent, but just wasn't able to put up a whole lot of points.
Derek Roehl (1988) - Had a solid year and should improve on that next season.
Clark MacLean (1987) - Not a great rookie campaign, should increase his numbers to about 20 points.
Eric Rex (1987) - Same boat as McCauley.
Tim Hall (1990) - One of the biggest surprises in my eyes. Led the team in scoring as a 16 year old rookie.
Charles Brockett (1988) - Should build on a solid rookie season.
Matt Bourdeau (1989) - Big kid, needs to score some more.
Andy Taranto (1988) - Good size, but was bothered by injuries.
Justin Cseter (1988) - 4th year guy, will need to produce offensively.

Forward Evaluation:
Barczuk and Cseter will be relied on for leadership next fall. They will also need to score and so will guys like McCauley, Rex, and Roehl. Hall will need to avoid a "sophomore slump" but I don't think that will be too likely, and would count on him leading the team in points again. A healthy Taranto and a scoring Bourdeau could make this team really scary.

Futures Outlook:
Tommy Cross and Andrew Glass lead this group. These two are outstanding players and it'd be beneficial not only to the Jackets, but to the league as a whole to have this talent in the league. Ohio's first pick, Jimmy Hayes, reportedly will not play in the USHL and C.J. Severyn has a scholarship for next fall.


Overall Evaluation: B-

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

if they are looking for leadership from cseter they will be in desperate trouble.

Anonymous said...

ouch, that was a burn... likely from a green bay fan.

what is cseter's deal though. does he have any interest coming from ncaa programs? he's an 88 i think, so he has time, but is he even on the recruiting radar?

Ryan said...

not sure, but off ice issues may be playing a part.

Anonymous said...

he's a bum, with subastnce abuse history....bad act in the lockerroom bad act away from the rink....he will be released by sept. 1, guaranteed.

Anonymous said...

dont talk about ppl like you know them personally.. cuz half of u people have no idea about ne thing that goes on in the hockey world! cseter doesnt have ne problems off the ice at all..its bc of ppl like u that like to gossip that schools dont want to recruit him..

Ryan said...

no off ice problems? I guess he was traded twice because he was a saint right?

Ryan said...

plus, schools aren't going to pay attention to what random people are saying, they see how he plays and how he carries himself off ice. They see his grades and his attitude, so I highly doubt schools don't recruit him because of what has been said on the internet.

Anonymous said...

matt bourdeau has chosen to sign with the lewiston maineiacs of the qmjhl and forfit his eligibility....could be a big blow to ohio for next season