Ontario Reign: #FancyStats 1st Quarter Review
Reign scoring chances, Corsi, and faceoff data at the quarter mark: Michael Mersch pushes chances and possession, Nic Dowd dominates on the draw. Also, Mersch tells us about his amazing goal against San Diego and Chris Hajt talks about Kevin Gravel & Zac Leslie.
Here are estimated Ontario Reign scoring chance, Corsi, and faceoff counts at the quarter mark of the season.
This weekend, the Reign are in Charlotte for a back-to-back against the Checkers.
Team Even Strength Corsi/Scoring Chances
| GP | SCF | SCA | SCF% | CF | CA | CF% | |
| ONT | 17 | 199 | 147 | 57.51% | 854 | 729 | 53.95% |
Individual Even Strength Corsi/Scoring Chances
Faceoffs
Recorded from October 31, 2015 on:
| Number | Name | FOW | FOL | FO% |
| 9 | A. Kempe | 31 | 51 | 37.8% |
| 14 | D. Arnold | 6 | 18 | 25.0% |
| 21 | A. Crescenzi | 77 | 73 | 51.3% |
| 24 | R. Horvat | 43 | 34 | 55.8% |
| 26 | N. Dowd | 144 | 104 | 58.1% |
Notes
- Michael Mersch/
I asked Mersch about this jawdropping goal that he scored against San Diego last weekend:
"We work on that type of stuff at practice...so it's almost instinct. I was just fortunate that there was nobody on my backhand side.
"You work on different moves, try to be a little crafty. You got to think a little outside the box if you're going to score goals.
"I make some of it up myself and kind of pick some of it off other players. There's always puck protection involved with it. You're trying to shield the puck away from opponents.
If Gretzky's office was behind the net, Mersch's is clearly in front:
"I like watching hockey...I watch around the net. The puck's around maybe the blueline, and I'm watching around the net.
"There's no one in particular [I watch now]. Any guy who plays in front of the net on the power play or that kind of power game."
In a previous interview with JFTC, Mersch had cited Tomas Holmstrom as a model for his game.
Finally, had he ever scored a goal like this at any level?
"I had an interesting one in college...I've seen it on YouTube. It was against Michigan."
- Chris Hajt on Kevin Gravel/
I asked Assistant Coach Chris Hajt what defenseman Gravel has to work on to make the NHL:
"Just his overall game. He's a good skater, he's got a real good stick, one of the best sticks in the league."
Gravel took a big leap last season, when he went from occasional scratch to regular during Manchester's Calder Cup-winning turn. What did he improve?
"His determination and his ability to play in certain situations. He was very versatile being able to play 4-on-4 and the left side and the right side." Hajt expanded on Gravel's versatility, "That's very valuable as a defenseman when you can play both sides...he just kept getting better and better in terms of his consistency and how he played everyday.
"As a left handed shot, no matter what, you're probably going to be better on your left side. But we feel comfortable with him on both sides."
Finally, does Hajt see any parallels between his game as a player and Gravel's? Both were tall, long defensive defenseman, who focused on airtight positional play:
"Maybe the only thing would be the stick. I felt like I had a really good stick when I played.
"He's a very explosive guy off the ice [with his jumping and training]...and with his skating, being able to close on guys. So he's definitely a step up from me with my slow skating. He has that explosive power."
- Chris Hajt on Zac Leslie/
Leslie is Ontario's most aggressive defenseman on the rush. Here's just one of many examples:
Hajt agreed. He actually has a long history with Leslie: "I was fortunate enough to coach him in Guelph as a 17, 18-year-old and see him as a 19-year-old as an assistant GM. That's always been part of his game...He likes to be involved in the offensive play."
Learning when to attack or back off is difficult, especially when transitioning levels, but so far, Leslie has been solid. "He's done a really good job of understanding when to go in and when to get out. That's half the battle of realizing when a possible turnover can happen off the rush or when there's danger.
"We want [all the defensemen] involved in the rush, we want them involved in the play. It's part of our game. Zac really likes that part. He concentrates on it as much as anybody."
We got a glimpse of Leslie's upside against Stockton:
- Chris Hajt on Being Swept/
It was a rough weekend for the Reign, as San Diego swept the home-and-home. How did Hajt and Head Coach Mike Stothers greet the players when they returned to practice on Monday?
"You make it known that losing isn't okay. But at the same time, you're not dwelling on it.
"We have a great leadership group that understands that. You're going to have games when you're not going to play your best.
"How do you move forward from it? It's the next day. The sun comes up."
Not surprisingly, this is lockstep with Stothers's normal "big picture" philosophy.
- Justin Auger/
Auger is intriguing because of his 6'7" frame, but these flashes suggest he may have something more. This is a highly-touted defenseman he's taking on in San Antonio's Nikita Zadorov:
- Adrian Kempe/
It's clear that Kempe's skating is more than NHL-caliber, but this is the kind of thing he has to work on to crack the Kings' lineup sooner than later.
11/20/15
AHL Live stream cut out during 2nd period from 20:00-18:31, 16:08-15:42, 8:51-8:10. 3rd period from 19:54-19:03.
Even Strength Scoring Chances
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | TOTAL | |
| ONT | 5 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 20 |
| SA | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
Even Strength Scoring Corsi
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | TOTAL | |
| ONT | 26 | 12 | 20 | 3 | 61 |
| SA | 12 | 11 | 13 | 0 | 36 |
Faceoffs
| Name | FOW | FOL | FO% |
| A. Kempe | 2 | 8 | 20.0% |
| A. Crescenzi | 8 | 7 | 53.3% |
| R. Horvat | 6 | 1 | 85.7% |
| N. Dowd | 17 | 7 | 70.8% |
Individual Even Strength Corsi
| Number | Player | CF | CA | CF% |
| 4 | K. Gravel | 18 | 13 | 58.1% |
| 5 | V. LoVerde | 22 | 12 | 64.7% |
| 7 | V. Zykov | 13 | 5 | 72.2% |
| 9 | A. Kempe | 18 | 10 | 64.3% |
| 12 | J. Brodzinski | 15 | 4 | 78.9% |
| 16 | S. Backman | 17 | 11 | 60.7% |
| 18 | J. Samuels-Thomas | 12 | 8 | 60.0% |
| 20 | K. MacDermid | 19 | 11 | 63.3% |
| 21 | A. Crescenzi | 17 | 9 | 65.4% |
| 23 | N. Ebert | 20 | 12 | 62.5% |
| 24 | R. Horvat | 8 | 8 | 50.0% |
| 25 | S. Sabourin | 7 | 8 | 46.7% |
| 26 | N. Dowd | 23 | 11 | 67.6% |
| 27 | M. Mersch | 23 | 11 | 67.6% |
| 28 | J. Lowry | 7 | 5 | 58.3% |
| 33 | K. Raine | 20 | 16 | 55.6% |
| 39 | J. Auger | 20 | 11 | 64.5% |
| 55 | J. Schultz | 20 | 12 | 62.5% |
Lines
Ontario Reign
39 Auger - 9 Kempe - 16 Backman
27 Mersch - 26 Dowd - 12 Brodzinski
18 Samuels-Thomas - 21 Crescenzi - 7 Zykov
28 Lowry - 24 Horvat - 25 Sabourin
20 MacDermid - 5 LoVerde
4 Gravel - 33 Raine
55 Schultz - 23 Ebert
31 Budaj
32 Emery
San Antonio Rampage
28 Agozzino - 25 Cliche - 96 Rantanen
71 Rendulic - 37 Smith - 48 Petryk
58 Bordeleau - 38 Hishon - 11 Bourke
24 Schumacher - 42 Henley - 44 Maggio
15 Siemens - 6 Zadorov
3 Bigras - 54 Labrie
4 Geertsen - 26 Noreau
30 Martin
35 Will
11/21/15
Even Strength Scoring Chances
| 1 | 2 | 3 | TOTAL | |
| ONT | 7 | 2 | 4 | 13 |
| TX | 6 | 4 | 5 | 15 |
Even Strength Scoring Corsi
| 1 | 2 | 3 | TOTAL | |
| ONT | 26 | 14 | 10 | 50 |
| TX | 24 | 17 | 22 | 63 |
Faceoffs
| Name | FOW | FOL | FO% |
| A. Kempe | 4 | 10 | 28.6% |
| A. Crescenzi | 8 | 10 | 44.4% |
| R. Horvat | 1 | 6 | 14.3% |
| N. Dowd | 16 | 17 | 48.5% |
Individual Even Strength Corsi
| Number | Player | CF | CA | CF% |
| 4 | K. Gravel | 20 | 22 | 47.6% |
| 5 | V. LoVerde | 15 | 22 | 40.5% |
| 7 | V. Zykov | 11 | 14 | 44.0% |
| 9 | A. Kempe | 14 | 19 | 42.4% |
| 12 | J. Brodzinski | 16 | 16 | 50.0% |
| 16 | S. Backman | 14 | 20 | 41.2% |
| 18 | J. Samuels-Thomas | 14 | 19 | 42.4% |
| 20 | K. MacDermid | 11 | 14 | 44.0% |
| 21 | A. Crescenzi | 15 | 15 | 50.0% |
| 23 | N. Ebert | 17 | 26 | 39.5% |
| 24 | R. Horvat | 3 | 11 | 21.4% |
| 25 | S. Sabourin | 4 | 10 | 28.6% |
| 26 | N. Dowd | 18 | 18 | 50.0% |
| 27 | M. Mersch | 20 | 21 | 48.8% |
| 28 | J. Lowry | 4 | 7 | 36.4% |
| 33 | K. Raine | 18 | 18 | 50.0% |
| 39 | J. Auger | 14 | 15 | 48.3% |
| 55 | J. Schultz | 19 | 25 | 43.2% |
Lines
Ontario Reign
39 Auger - 9 Kempe - 16 Backman
27 Mersch - 26 Dowd - 12 Brodzinski
18 Samuels-Thomas - 21 Crescenzi - 7 Zykov
28 Lowry - 24 Horvat - 25 Sabourin
20 MacDermid - 5 LoVerde
4 Gravel - 33 Raine
55 Schultz - 23 Ebert
32 Emery
31 Budaj
Texas Stars
34 Shore - 23 Morin - 19 Ranford
16 McKenzie - 29 Faksa - 27 Rallo
38 Dickinson - 10 Dowling - 28 Stransky
8 Kane - 14 Smith - 11 Troock
3 Lindell -4 Johns
13 Nemeth - 12 Blacker
5 Backman - 6 Honka
40 Muse
1 Campbell
11/25/15
[Recap]
Even Strength Scoring Chances
| 1 | 2 | 3 | TOTAL | |
| STK | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| ONT | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
Even Strength Scoring Corsi
| 1 | 2 | 3 | TOTAL | |
| STK | 13 | 22 | 15 | 50 |
| ONT | 14 | 18 | 12 | 44 |
Faceoffs
| Name | FOW | FOL | FO% |
| A. Kempe | 4 | 7 | 36.4% |
| J. Brodzinski | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| D. Arnold | 1 | 6 | 14.3% |
| R. Horvat | 5 | 6 | 45.5% |
| N. Dowd | 9 | 12 | 42.9% |
Individual Even Strength Corsi
| Number | Player | CF | CA | CF% |
| 4 | K. Gravel | 13 | 13 | 50.0% |
| 5 | V. LoVerde | 11 | 17 | 39.3% |
| 7 | V. Zykov | 11 | 13 | 45.8% |
| 8 | Z. Leslie | 15 | 14 | 51.7% |
| 9 | A. Kempe | 7 | 19 | 26.9% |
| 12 | J. Brodzinski | 16 | 10 | 61.5% |
| 14 | D. Arnold | 8 | 6 | 57.1% |
| 16 | S. Backman | 9 | 18 | 33.3% |
| 18 | J. Samuels-Thomas | 16 | 14 | 53.3% |
| 20 | K. MacDermid | 13 | 19 | 40.6% |
| 23 | N. Ebert | 18 | 18 | 50.0% |
| 24 | R. Horvat | 15 | 12 | 55.6% |
| 25 | S. Sabourin | 6 | 8 | 42.9% |
| 26 | N. Dowd | 15 | 14 | 51.7% |
| 27 | M. Mersch | 15 | 13 | 53.6% |
| 28 | J. Lowry | 6 | 5 | 54.5% |
| 39 | J. Auger | 7 | 18 | 28.0% |
| 55 | J. Schultz | 18 | 19 | 48.6% |
Lines
Ontario Reign
39 Auger - 9 Kempe - 16 Backman
27 Mersch - 26 Dowd - 7 Zykov
18 Samuels-Thomas - 24 Horvat - 12 Brodzinski
28 Lowry - 14 Arnold - 25 Sabourin
20 MacDermid - 5 LoVerde
4 Gravel - 8 Leslie
55 Schultz - 23 Ebert
31 Budaj
32 Emery
Stockton Heat
9 Hathaway - 26 Granlund - 15 Agostino
13 Elson - 27 Grant - 21 Poirier
11 Hamilton - 23 Shore - 20 Carroll
18 Klimchuk - 46 Arnold - 25 Riley
2 Kulak - 33 Nakladal
43 Smid - 7 Morrison
4 Kylington - 5 Wotherspoon
30 Simpson
39 Nagle
11/27/15
AHL Live stream cut out during 3rd period from 13:00-11:30.
Even Strength Scoring Chances
| 1 | 2 | 3 | TOTAL | |
| ONT | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| SD | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
Even Strength Scoring Corsi
| 1 | 2 | 3 | TOTAL | |
| ONT | 11 | 10 | 5 | 26 |
| SD | 12 | 12 | 15 | 39 |
Faceoffs
| Name | FOW | FOL | FO% |
| A. Kempe | 5 | 5 | 50.0% |
| D. Arnold | 1 | 3 | 25.0% |
| A. Crescenzi | 9 | 6 | 60.0% |
| N. Dowd | 18 | 7 | 72.0% |
Individual Even Strength Corsi
| Number | Player | CF | CA | CF% |
| 4 | K. Gravel | 10 | 15 | 40.0% |
| 5 | V. LoVerde | 10 | 10 | 50.0% |
| 7 | V. Zykov | 6 | 10 | 37.5% |
| 9 | A. Kempe | 6 | 14 | 30.0% |
| 12 | J. Brodzinski | 8 | 15 | 34.8% |
| 14 | D. Arnold | 4 | 5 | 44.4% |
| 16 | S. Backman | 7 | 9 | 43.8% |
| 18 | J. Samuels-Thomas | 7 | 12 | 36.8% |
| 20 | K. MacDermid | 8 | 6 | 57.1% |
| 21 | A. Crescenzi | 8 | 11 | 42.1% |
| 23 | N. Ebert | 8 | 16 | 33.3% |
| 25 | S. Sabourin | 4 | 4 | 50.0% |
| 26 | N. Dowd | 8 | 9 | 47.1% |
| 27 | M. Mersch | 8 | 9 | 47.1% |
| 28 | J. Lowry | 5 | 4 | 55.6% |
| 33 | K. Raine | 11 | 15 | 42.3% |
| 39 | J. Auger | 6 | 14 | 30.0% |
| 55 | J. Schultz | 5 | 16 | 23.8% |
Lines
Ontario Reign
39 Auger - 9 Kempe - 16 Backman
27 Mersch - 26 Dowd - 7 Zykov
18 Samuels-Thomas - 21 Crescenzi - 12 Brodzinski
28 Lowry - 14 Arnold - 25 Sabourin
20 MacDermid - 5 LoVerde
4 Gravel - 33 Raine
55 Schultz - 23 Ebert
31 Budaj
32 Emery
San Diego Gulls
14 Bonis – 18 Sgarbossa – 12 Friberg
19 Cramarossa - 21 Thompson - 34 Jackman
28 Laganiere - 22 Bailey - 16 McGrattan
17 Kerdiles - 15 Mueller - 11 Noesen
24 Megna - 26 Montour
5 S. O'Brien - 27 Theodore
25 A. O'Brien - 2 Bickel
31 Hackett
30 Faragher
11/28/15
AHL Live stream cut out during 2nd period from 3:52-3:20. 3rd period from 7:08-6:39, 3:37-2:43, 0:36-0:00.
[Recap]
Even Strength Scoring Chances
| 1 | 2 | 3 | TOTAL | |
| SD | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| ONT | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
Even Strength Scoring Corsi
| 1 | 2 | 3 | TOTAL | |
| SD | 5 | 17 | 9 | 31 |
| ONT | 10 | 21 | 8 | 39 |
Faceoffs
| Name | FOW | FOL | FO% |
| V. Zykov | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| A. Kempe | 6 | 3 | 66.7% |
| A. Crescenzi | 7 | 10 | 41.2% |
| R. Horvat | 3 | 2 | 60.0% |
| S. Sabourin | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| N. Dowd | 8 | 11 | 42.1% |
| M. Mersch | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
Individual Even Strength Corsi
| Number | Player | CF | CA | CF% |
| 4 | K. Gravel | 13 | 16 | 44.8% |
| 5 | V. LoVerde | 14 | 7 | 66.7% |
| 7 | V. Zykov | 10 | 10 | 50.0% |
| 8 | Z. Leslie | 15 | 13 | 53.6% |
| 9 | A. Kempe | 8 | 8 | 50.0% |
| 12 | J. Brodzinski | 8 | 9 | 47.1% |
| 15 | P. Bissonnette | 14 | 1 | 93.3% |
| 16 | S. Backman | 6 | 8 | 42.9% |
| 18 | J. Samuels-Thomas | 8 | 9 | 47.1% |
| 20 | K. MacDermid | 16 | 8 | 66.7% |
| 21 | A. Crescenzi | 10 | 6 | 62.5% |
| 24 | R. Horvat | 12 | 5 | 70.6% |
| 25 | S. Sabourin | 14 | 2 | 87.5% |
| 26 | N. Dowd | 10 | 12 | 45.5% |
| 27 | M. Mersch | 11 | 12 | 47.8% |
| 33 | K. Raine | 8 | 10 | 44.4% |
| 39 | J. Auger | 6 | 8 | 42.9% |
| 55 | J. Schultz | 12 | 9 | 57.1% |
Lines
Ontario Reign
39 Auger - 9 Kempe - 16 Backman
27 Mersch - 26 Dowd - 12 Brodzinski
18 Samuels-Thomas - 21 Crescenzi - 7 Zykov
15 Bissonnette - 24 Horvat - 25 Sabourin
20 MacDermid - 5 LoVerde
4 Gravel - 8 Leslie
55 Schultz - 33 Raine
31 Budaj
32 Emery
San Diego Gulls
14 Bonis – 18 Sgarbossa – 12 Friberg
19 Cramarossa - 21 Thompson - 34 Jackman
28 Laganiere - 22 Bailey - 16 McGrattan
17 Kerdiles - 15 Mueller - 11 Noesen
24 Megna - 26 Montour
5 S. O'Brien - 27 Theodore
25 A. O'Brien - 2 Bickel
30 Faragher
1 White
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