ROUNDTABLE BOYS RETURN
FEAT. ŽG, NR + ED
Please enjoy the following roundtable discussion conducted at the Mini Golf café next to Hala Tivoli. This took place last Monday 24th October, so keep that in mind! You have heard my opinions on all things Olimpija, so now's the time to amplify the voices of other enlightened fans! I will jump in with edits/comments when I fancy it, but otherwise it's the roundtable boys in full flow. Responses have been edited for clarity, any mistakes are mine. ZG and NR return from last season; ED subbed in for GB, who couldn't make it this time. All involved are Olimpija fans, in case that wasn't obvious.
Illustration of how the Roundtable Boys and I looked during the discussion:
Who has impressed you the most so far?
ZG - Brennan, his scoring! I didn't know he could score that many points.
NR - Brennan is the flashiest on offense and he does a really good job on defence. I didn't know what to expect from him but the team runs well now. I also forgot how good Horak is, to be honest. I'm enjoying remembering that now!
ED - Apart from Brennan, I like Kirichenko. He makes Atwal look even worse from last year. He hits really hard and doesn't make any big mistakes. I also like Polei's character as someone who doesn't take any BS and protects his teammates.
Who do we need more from?
ZG - Halbert is my choice, but he is scoring points now. He can score at both ends, as we've seen...
NR - Some of the new players were not very visible at the start, but they have at least been quiet workers. Meyer's passes have been fantastic, though.
ED - Boychuk. He saved us vs KAC but was out of position when we conceded the 2nd goal. He does tend to come in when we need him, but as the marquee signing of this group you would want him to be more dominant in games. (EDIT - ED called it, as Boychuk saved us versus RBS with a late goal!).
ZG - Boychuk has stepped back a bit, I think, because Brennan and Meyer have been doing so much offensively that he doesn't need to be the star of the show right now.
Thoughts on Coach Cooper?
ZG - I am impressed most by how he has changed the mentality of the pre-existing players on the team. They seem to play with more passion now. One thing I don't like is that when we have a big lead, I think he plays the 3rd and 4th lines too much. Then, in P3 you barely see the 4th line, or Mehle stops being sent out...
NR - Thank God it doesn't look so difficult for us on the PP anymore! Although it happened in the KAC game, I am not so afraid of getting scored on as I was in previous seasons. Cooper has applied his strategy into our team and it has worked fantastically. All that remains is to show some capability to readjust when others start to figure out our system (EDIT - as it appears Innsbruck have...).
ED - I was a bit sceptical about his system. I didn't really notice it in preseason but now it's falling into place. It's layered, with no-look passes working well. I think Ćosić should play more and Crnović should play less. Ćosić is more consistent and Crnović is less consistent. Crni scores just enough to stay in. I don't like playing G.Hebar in net, either. I have some concern over the continued success of our PP, too, as we seem to be devolving into 'the TJ show', overly-relying on him to make things happen.
ZG - Would Cooper leave if he got offered somewhere else? I don't think the DEL would do it, it would be AHL or higher. I think he likes the project here and wants to build a great team, like the RBS dynasty of which he was a part. The team surely wants to keep him as long as they can. I wonder what his contract is like?
What are our realistic chances this season?
ZG - As we are looking right now, I would say we can get to the semi-finals of the playoffs. HCB, RBS and HCP are the other teams in a tight top-4 with us.
NR - We should avoid the pre-playoffs this year. It won't be a successful start to this new project if we end up there again. Pustertal are a bit of a curse for us at this point. We took Petan from them, who scored on us last year, but I still think they'd play better playoff hockey than us, given the chance. As ZG said, there are 4 quite equal top teams, but another could step up. A resurgent AVS? Can you ever count out RBS? It's too early to say but at least automatic playoffs then it's just down to the form on the day and the opponent. I think this year is too soon for us to win it all.
ED - If we can avoid HCP in the pre-playoffs, that's a good thing. I think it's quarter-finals or all the way. Of course, it depends on injuries. We haven't been very lucky to begin the season (EDIT - e.g. Sabla and Sodja, then Kapel, Polei, Halbert as the first two return...). It also depends on how others adapt to us and we re-adapt. Playoff hockey is completely different, but we have grizzled Canadian veterans this time around. That should help.
Thoughts on the new players
Boychuk
ZG - Point-wise, I am not so worried. I didn't expect point-per-game play from him. Sometimes he is playing in the shadow of Meyer and Brennan, but it suits him because he's on the older side. He doesn't need to be in the spotlight, but he can step up when we need him. He's performed as I expected him to. He's not Ty Ronning of the DEL (EDIT - ZG is a big fan of Ronning's ^^), so although he comes with name-recognition, he is not a light-the-league-on-fire kind of guy anymore.
NR - He's been good and he's a better option at 1C than last season's (EDIT - no KK slander here, please!! ^^). He's not the flashiest, but he does the job and thats what matters. I don't have any major concerns.
ED - I think he came over-hyped at the start and I expected more from him. Like I said, he always steps up when necessary, especially in shootouts. Others are not so focused on him now, so we can shift our emphasis off TJ/Meyer and onto him if we need.
Petan
ZG - I remember him from his HCP days. I didn't know he was this good! He's played great on our 2nd line, you can't expect any more from him. Atwal and Ege were both awful imports from HCP last year, so I didn't expect much from Petan. Thankfully, he's been showing off his Canadian skills and I hope he will stay for 2/3 seasons here (same for Boychuk).
NR - The best thing is that he's no longer on HCP! He was the most noticeable player in HCP matches against us in the past. He's done a lot of smaller work that goes largely unnoticed for us, but he does it well. Maybe I wanted more from him, but mainly I'm just happy we have him and not HCP!
ED - His role is different with us than with HCP. He's making the 2nd line better, especially Mahkovec. He gets a lot done properly and makes those around him better.
Polei
ZG - A great, physical player. He does the dirty work in front of the net. I didn't know what we were getting with Polei, but low expectations mean he's been a plus addition for sure.
NR - I feel quite similarly, I didn't have a clue where he was coming from, but I like the physical work he does - and it's clean physicality, too, such as the huge, clean hit against RBS. I really like that we have someone with his skillset who can defend his teammates. Notice that he seems to be a locker room 'glue guy', as well - he often hands out the MVP mask in the locker room, too...
ED - There's still potential in his game to get better. He lifts the spirit of the team and seems to make a big impact in the locker room - him and Petan stay to the end to welcome all the players back into the tunnel. The whole team seems more connected and happier than last year.
Meyer
ZG - His passing is really oustanding. I knew he was an excellent player from his RBS days, as well as his time in Sweden. His vision and passing impress me every game. It's Dončič-esque (EDIT - big words from a Slovene!). He's added so much to our PP.
NR - He was quiet in the first few games, but he's been racking up points ever since. I think he's great, his advanced vision does a similar job to Bonino's passes. It's not a 1:1 comparison, but Meyer is high-level.
ZG - Meyer is better for our team than Bonino was, because others weren't anticipating Bonino's passes. Now, we have players and a team that can work with each other at a high-level of offensive play.
ED - I like his agility - it always seems to be others chasing him. I really dislike his lack of celebration, though - it doesn't seem like he's enjoying himself! He looks bored, show some energy! ^^
Quince
ZG - He came to us from the DEL, where he scored 0pts in 15 games. Therefore, I wasn't expecting very much out of him. Before the DEL, he was in Slovakia; their league isn't as good as ours. I saw this and thought he'd be another Bičevskis (EDIT - i.e., a sound defensive centre who doesn't offer much offensively). However, he's been playing fantastically! He's adapted well to the team, doesn't make big mistakes and looks happy with his role as 3C. It suits him well and Cooper seems to trust him.
NR - I don't have much to say. He's another quiet worker who does his job. He's not a handicap to the team, his role suits him and the team well. As long as the results keep coming, I'm satisfied! He's made Simšič and Kapel look good (ZG - not Simšič! Get rid of Zajc 2.0!).
ED - He's not made too much of a positive/negative difference, but he's consistent and keeps the 3rd line working so the 1st and 2nd can rest. He's definitely made Kapel look better, Simšič is Simšič.
Kirichenko
ZG - He's another I didn't expect a lot from. He wasn't good on PIV. I don't know where they got the money from, they are trash! Anyway, he's been doing a great defensive job, he's a physical player. He isn't scoring many points, but Brennan has been doing so much that Kirichenko isn't as needed. He's doing the dirty work and I like him.
NR - He's been making eye-catching huge hits, making Atwal look even worse. I want him to score more, as his shot is good. He's been a bit unlucky in that respect but he is defensively good, especially with his physicality. The only thing I don't like is that 2 or 3 times now he has made blind passes from behind the net, resulting in turnovers (like Mašič did last year (EDIT - I knew NR couldn't resist a swipe at Bine's performance last year ^^)). If you get rid of that, he's a great player for us!
ED - Atwal is Kirichenko from Wish (EDIT - a website full of rubbish things). He makes big hits and protects Horak. He doesn't need to be the main point-producer on D, like when he was at PIV.
Halbert
ZG - He has some offense, he's started to pass more noticeably well. He turned it over too much at the start, but he's established his role in the team now and consequently has not been making as many overly-risky plays. Offensively, he's been finding empty space to pass and score to good effect, especially in the slot. He has a nose for scoring even though he's a defender. He's been mixed overall but is ascending. I hope he can stay here for a few seasons, he's at a good age (30).
NR - Similar to Quince - there isn't that much to see, but he does what he's here for. Aside from early turnovers, he's not been that physical but he has contested the boards and wins some of those battles. Unlike Ege and Atwal, he hasn't been a useless handicap to the team.
ED - He's scored a few goals but conceded some own goals. He's an ok defender and looks better because he's got Gregorc and Crnović playing behind him.
ZG - Gregorc and Crnović look like they're made out of wood sometimes. They score occasionally but do not look good enough for this level anymore. I'd easily have Ćosić and Bohinc over them.
Bukovec
ZG - If Mehle's future is in the top-6 (1st/2nd line) then Bukovec has a role on the 4th line. I don't think he's got top-6 potential, but he's great for the 4th line. He hasn't had enough ice time yet.
ED - He's a big guy, plays a physical game. Offensively, he's still got work to do.
ZG - He only played for Celje previously, so he doesn't have much experience yet.
NR - He's a very chill guy - perhaps a little too chill for a rookie? I'd like to see him play with more energy and then the ice time will come.
Brennan
We felt we'd discussed TJ enough at the start, but we summarised with "he's great" and "we like his white stick" 😂
Favourite moment of the season so far?
ZG - Our big wins at the very start were amazing, but I love to win against RBS and Hala Tivoli was rocking for that game. I've never seen it so full in my life, only in videos from the past!
NR - The RBS win. The atmosphere was just 'wow'. Pance said it was a playoff atmosphere and I have to agree. To get a win after 11s in OT has be the best moment thus far, but early hype-inducing wins were good to see, too.
ED - RBS, sure, but also the Erasmus student game. It's a good way to fill up Hala Tivoli, even if the students don't really know where they are or why they're there...
ZG - In the playoffs, I want real fans only.
Least favourite moment of the season so far?
ZG - The HCI loss (6-7 OT) felt really bad, but it's only one game. I also didn't like the KAC game when Brennan couldn't play due to neck stiffness. He was sorely missed on the ice and the team didn't look ready to play without him.
NR - HCI - even without half the team playing, seemingly, and the other half not 100%, it was a lazy game. We scored when we were firing on all cylinders, but got scored on when we weren't. It was still entertaining, though. A loss had to come at some point!
ED - I agree with HCI. It's not because we lost, but because the difference in a couple of days when we won away and lost at home was too much. We can't afford to have such a big difference in our play from game to game against the same team. More consistency is a must. Last year we really needed the points we kept dropping in these slip-up games and I hope we won't be feeling their absence this time around. For now, though, we are looking quite safe in the upper half of the table.
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