EVERETT – Peter Mueller and Devin Setoguchi have much in common.
Each is the top offensive weapon for his team, Mueller for the Everett Silvertips and Setoguchi for the Prince George Cougars.
Each was taken eighth overall in the NHL draft, Setoguchi by San Jose in 2005, Mueller by Phoenix a year later.
Each led his team to its first-round playoff victory, Mueller scoring a team-high nine points in Everett’s six-game victory over Spokane, Setoguchi scoring a team-high seven points in Prince George’s four-game sweep against Kamloops.
And most importantly, each poses the primary danger to ending the other team’s season.
So when the puck drops tonight for Game 1 of the second-round Western Hockey League playoff series between Everett and Prince George, Mueller and Setoguchi will be in the spotlight, both for the spectators and the opposing coaches.
“If either of those two guys gets hot, they can win a series all by themselves,” Prince George coach Drew Schoneck said.
But which of the two is more likely to do that? Who poses a greater danger? The two coaches who were victimized in the first round, Spokane’s Bill Peters and Kamloops’ Dean Clark, took a moment to size up the matchup.
“They’re very comparable,” Clark said. “Both are gamebreaker type of players.”
Both were good during the regular season. Setoguchi led his team in both goals (36) and points (65) and was named the team’s MVP. Mueller, while finishing second to Zach Hamill in scoring among Silvertips with 78 points, led the league in points per game at 1.53.
Both were even better in the first round of the playoffs. Setoguchi scored goals in each of Prince George’s four first-round games, three of those being game winners. Mueller orchestrated Everett’s offense all series and polished it off with a highlight-reel goal in the decisive Game 6.
That Setoguchi did his damage primarily with goals and Mueller did his primarily with assists is indicative of their different styles of play.
Mueller is the consummate playmaker, the type of player who makes everyone around him better.
” (Mueller) is a different player than Devin, more of a playmaker where Devin is more of a natural scorer,” Clark said. “If you worry too much about Peter he passes it and hurts you that way. With him you have to be very aware of everything, not just him, because if you give all your attention to him he has a better ability to make a play for someone else.”
Setoguchi has advantages on the physical side, being stronger and faster, and also has an explosive shot. He also has the edge in experience, being in his fourth season in the league to Mueller’s second.
“Seto is a real horse down low,” Peters said. “He’s strong on the puck in the offensive zone and dangerous off the rush because of his speed and quickness. You’ve got to make sure you have good gaps on Seto in your own zone, then be aware he’s got a quick release with his shot.”
Neither Peters’ Chiefs nor Clark’s Blazers had much luck stopping Mueller or Setoguchi, respectively, in the first round. But both have an idea of how they would have liked to have done it.
“With Peter Mueller, the big thing is matchups,” Peters said. “You want to have the right guys on the ice against him. Then if you have one line against him they have to be very aware of their responsibilities because he can hurt you in transition if you turn the puck over.”
As for Setoguchi: “I don’t know if you can stop him,” Clark said. “You can do some things to limit his abilities, but you can do a good job on him for 50 minutes and then he hurts you in the last 10 because his conditioning is good. You’ve got to try and take away his ice because once he gets going at full speed he’s hard to slow down.”
So which player would Clark and Peters rather have on their team?
“If I knew Peter Mueller was coming back next year I’d take him because he’d only be 19,” Clark quipped, referring to the fact that Setoguchi is destined for professional hockey next season, while Mueller could still be sent back to the WHL.
“You can’t argue either way,” Clark continued. “We just lost to Prince George and all Devin Setoguchi did was score three game winners in a row, so we’ve really got that on the brain. But both are dynamic players, either guy would make you very happy.”
Peters thought he found the solution: “I’d like to have both and play them on the same line.
“It depends on the what you have, whether you need a goal scorer or a playmaker,” Peters added. “But I think all 21 teams in the league would find a place for either of them.”
Noncommittal answers? Perhaps.
The next 13 days should help provide a more definitive answer.
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