Cornwall Ontario – Whether for a NHL roster or a hockey pool; a good GM is always looking for a way to evaluate talent. There’s always a different nuance or perspective. Fans too argue over the value of players. Today there’s analytics, which is still in its infancy and some very strange theories are pimped.
Then there is old school hockey which realizes that you need to score one more goal than your opponent to win and that can happen in many ways. What makes a hockey stud and why like in any sport is something that is always a hot question.
Being one of the first hockey videostatographers all the way back in the 90’s I always felt that our role wasn’t to usurp experienced scouts, coaches, and GM’s, but to save them some time and energy and fine tune what they instinctively know and to sometimes, if we’re really good, as I was in the Habs vs Rangers series back in 96, find some threads and trends that could help a team in a game or series.
Having some fun and a smidge of time I thought I’d see how many NHL players have broken the Triple 100 mark for this current season. It’s a small club generally the exclusive domain of D men as they generally get more minutes of ice time.
The Triple 100 Club is 100 shots + 100 hits + 100 blocked shots. It’s a mix of offense, defense, and involvement. It clearly is not scientific, but abstract. It’s sign of durability and trust by a player’s coaching staff. As of approximately game 70 of this season there are only 10 players out of 30 teams that have hit the bar. There were a few who also were close, but you don’t get the trophy unless you hit the target.
Triple 100 Club as of Game 70
Rasmus Ristolainen 169 174 151 = 494
Dustin Byfuglien 216 169 112 = 497
Johnny Boychuk 140 140 126 = 406
Shea Weber 164 129 143= 436
Alex Martinez 126 119 140 = 385
Deryk Engelland 100 118 115= 333
Dion Phaneuf 138 111 135 = 384
Zdeno Chara 112 106 117 = 335
Brent Seabrook 108 102 122 = 332
Codi Ceci 118 100 135 = 353
While much of these number can be debated; after all a hit from Zdeno Chara surely would have more impact that of JG Pageau, it certainly is something to mull over as I can’t imagine any of the players on this list not being more than welcome on any NHL squad?
Interesting that the Ottawa Senators, a team that’s having an amazing season considering that it’s most expensive player has tanked and in of itself has no major stars not named Karlsson, has two players on this list. Coach Guy Boucher has done a stellar job this season in spite of playing for a penny wise pound foolish owner.
The most surprising player on this list for this writer was Deryk Engelland who at 34 is essentially having a career season in Calgary.
Most of those on the least are seasoned veterans if not stars. Rasmus Ristolainen and Codi Ceci are the youngest in the group.
What do you think dear CFN hockey fans? Would you not want any of these D men on your squad?
You can post your comments below.
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