Preseason Classic: What did we learn?

Published 3:35 pm Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Last weekend’s Holiday Inn Preseason Classic was our first opportunity to see the Everett Silvertips in a true competitive situation. So what did the first impression tell us about this season’s Tips?

1) The team is not ready for the season yet.

Everett finished 2-1 at the tournament, but despite the wins the Tips did not appear regular-season ready. The Tips played hard, but have yet to develop a lot of chemistry — the experimenting with line combinations throughout the weekend do doubt contributed to that — and there was a lack of polish. Those things contributed to Everett falling behind in each game. While it was encouraging that the Tips were able to battle back in all three, they don’t want to make needing to come back a habit. This is not unexpected as teams typically need some game time before being ready for the season.

2) This year’s team is a superior skating team to last year’s.

The most obvious physical difference from last year’s team was the players’ speed on the ice. New additions Landon Ferraro and Josh Birkholz are both elite skaters, something last year’s team didn’t really have. Other newcomers, like Manraj Hayer and Cody Fowlie, can also tick off the skating box when discussing their strengths. That skating ability is crucial for playing coach Craig Hartsburg’s pressuring style. It also gives further understanding to the decision to swap Byron Froese for Ferraro as Ferraro’s skating may make him a better fit for the Tips.

3) Everett could be able to field three lines that can score.

For the most part Everett was a two-line team offensively last season. This year could be a different story. With Scott MacDonald and Clayton Cumiskey building off last season’s strong final month and showing signs of stepping their production, the Tips look like they have the depth to give opponents an extra unit to account for.

4) The young defense is still a work in progress.

The unexpected losses of Chris de la Lande and Curtis Kulchar mean inexperienced defensemen are going to have to play significant roles. This weekend saw some positive signs in that regard, but the youngsters still had moments where their inexperience showed.

Next up for the Tips are exhibition games Thursday and Friday at the Tri-City Classic against Seattle and Portland. All the teams will be missing their NHL campers, so there will be plenty of opportunity for youngsters and fringe candidates to stake their claims on roster spots. Everett will be missing seven players (Ferraro, Birkholz, Kellan Tochkin, Alex Theriau, Rasmus Rissanen, Kent Simpson, Thomas Heemskerk), including its two experienced goaltenders. Portland, with half of its roster off to NHL camps, will be a shell of itself. Seattle, with just two NHL campers, will be near full strength.

Things will be pretty slow on the blog for the rest of the week. Not only will the Tips be out of town, but I’m immersed in Northwest League baseball playoffs. In fact, come on down to Everett Memorial Stadium and see if the AquaSox can bring home their first league title since hooking on with the Seattle Mariners.