An A for the O but a C on D
It’s probably best that as the Hamilton Bulldogs pass the quarter pole of their season, the defending champions not pause too long to look at the Ontario Hockey League standings.
Because a quick glance doesn’t offer a pretty view.
Sitting 15th in a 20-team league isn’t exactly going to make anyone in black and gold feel all that wonderful about themselves or their performance. Nor, for that matter, will dropping five games in a row before finally earning a W on Sunday.
“It’s a funny thing,” says associate coach Vince Laise. “After you win a championship, your expectation levels are so high that you should just automatically be back to that point.” Clearly, that hasn’t happened. Now, it’s worth pointing out that there are still 51 games to play. It’s even more relevant that the gap between where the Bulldogs are sitting and third place in the entire league is five points, so catching up is hardly equivalent to Evel Knievel jumping the Snake River Canyon (to use a reference that predates every player on the team and several of their fathers).
Still, this is a team with enough talent that it shouldn’t be in the bottom half of the standings at any point. Not with certain firstround NHL draft pick Arthur Kaliyev scoring at a 64-goal pace. Not with Colorado Avalanche prospect Brandon Saigeon averaging better than a point-and-ahalf a game. Not with Kade Landry providing plenty of offence from the blue line.
Not with Chicago Blackhawks prospect Mackenzie Entwistle on pace to obliterate his career best in points. Not with Matt Strome on pace to better his best total despite a slowish start. And not with Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick Nicholas Mattinen already halfway to his best statistical season.
Those are the ingredients for a good outfit. Surely, Laise believes this team is better than its 8-9 — one of those losses coming in overtime — record.
“We do,” he says. “And so do they.” So what’s the issue?
Well, it’s not the just-mentioned offence. This team can score just fine. It’s scored five or more goals eight times already. That’s terrific firepower.
The trouble is keeping the puck out of its own net.
Only five teams have surrendered more goals than Hamilton this season. Perhaps that was to be expected when Ben Gleason, Riley Stillman, Justin Lemcke, Jack Hanley and Connor Walters all moved on from last year’s blue line. Plus goalie Kaden Fulcher. That’s a lot of experience gone.
Replacing it hasn’t been seamless. Scoring five goals a game all those times is nice until you realize the current crop has surrendered five or more, seven times already. Even in Sunday’s win, you could see the mistakes inside their own zone. One led directly to a goal when a player was left wide open in front of the net on a blown coverage.
Things could be uglier but for the work of goalie Zachary Roy.
The guy who started the year as the backup has been generally terrific when given his opportunities. On Sunday he gave the Bulldogs — who were outshot — a chance to win. If he hasn’t won the No. 1 spot yet, the 17-year-old is well on his way to doing that. And maybe giving the team stability in net for the next two or three seasons.
If the goaltending can become consistently strong, the defence will have a chance to settle down and figure things out. Considering there’s only one 20-year-old back there, that would be massive. Especially with a manageable stretch coming up.
Only three of the Bulldogs’ remaining games this month are against teams — Niagara (two) and Mississauga — that are among the league’s better squads. The other six contests are there for the taking. Win six of those nine and things start looking much nicer in the standings. Possibly very nice.
Either way, Laise says these early season struggles are a good thing in disguise.
“Sometimes you need that to reveal what’s actually going on,” he says.
It’s been revealed. The next three quarters of the season will be about fixing it. And getting back to where a team with this talent should be.