HabsWorld.net --
We have hit the one quarter mark of the Hamilton Bulldogs season and the
affiliate of the Habs is struggling to say the least. Through 19 games,
they have posted a 6-11-1-1 record putting them last in the AHL’s North
Division. Here is a look at how each player has fared so far; despite the
struggles, there are a few bright spots. In Part 1, the goalies and
defencemen.
Note: To be graded, each player must have played at least 8 games with
Hamilton this season.
Goalies
Nathan Lawson: C+ Early on, he stole a couple of games for the
Bulldogs which gave everyone hopes he really could be another Curtis Sanford for
them. However, injuries and inconsistency have brought his early season
numbers back to earth along with any expectations.
Season Stats: 13 GP, 5-6-1 record, 2.88 GAA, .912 SV%, 0 SO
Robert Mayer: D On the plus side, he has done what I thought he would
going into the season which can’t be said for a whole lot of the Bulldog players.
Sadly, those expectations were extremely low as he sits 48th out of 51
qualifying goaltenders in both goals against average and save percentage.
Season Stats: 9 GP, 1-5-1 record, 3.99 GAA, .877 SV%
Defence
Frederic St. Denis: B+ With all of the injuries/departures, he was
thrust into the top role on Hamilton’s blueline. To his credit, he handled
it quite well as his defensive game didn’t suffer a whole lot while his
offensive one was well improved. As the Habs’ blueline slowly eases to
help, his return will be critical for Hamilton.
Season Stats: 14 GP, 3-5-8, -3 rating, 0 PIMS, 19 SOG
Garrett Stafford: C+ He was brought in to take some of the pressure
with all of the injuries on the blueline which he accomplished by logging heavy
minutes. However, for one of the AHL’s top offensive defencemen last year,
he has had very little impact in that regard with the Bulldogs.
Season Stats: 15 GP, 3-4-7, -8 rating, 8 PIMS, 19 SOG (includes
stats with Portland)
Joe Callahan: C To be fair, he had no training camp to speak of as he
was signed right after Jeff Woywitka was lost to the Rangers. His campaign
thus far has been up and down; if his offensive game is on, his defensive ones
struggles and vice versa. As the blueline rounds back into shape, I
suspect he’ll become a more consistent player.
Season Stats: 18 GP, 1-7-8, -5 rating, 12 PIMS, 21 SOG
Alex Henry: C The captain has played better compared to the way he
finished off the 2010-11 campaign. His minutes have been limited where
possible and he’s staying out of the box a lot more. This should pay
dividends as the season wears on.
Season Stats: 19 GP, 1-0-1, -2 rating, 14 PIMS, 13 SOG
Mark Mitera: D+ A lot of fans, myself included, thought the trade to
Montreal could get Mitera back on the right track. So far, it hasn’t
happened. He has no offensive game to speak of while defensively, he sits
dead last in plus/minus. Not just on the team either, but in the entire
AHL.
Season Stats: 19 GP, 0-2-2, -11 rating, 20 PIMS, 19 SOG
Joe Stejskal: D+ After making enough of an impression to see some
playoff action last year, Stejskal has regressed a little. The physical
play isn’t there while like most of the other Hamilton blueliners, he has been
prone to mistakes in his own end. He has been a plus player just once so
far this year.
Season Stats: 13 GP, 0-1-1, -6 rating, 6 PIMS, 12 SOG
Zack FitzGerald: F I get that he was brought in for toughness but a
defenceman leading the entire league in penalty minutes is never a good thing.
Sadly for the Bulldogs, his best value is actually in the box where he can’t
make the mind-numbing mistakes that have plagued him so far this year.
Season Stats: 19 GP, 1-0-1, -10 rating, 91 PIMS, 10 SOG
N/A – Olivier Dame-Malka (only 6 GP), T.J. Fast (only 7 GP with
Hamilton).
