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 Geplaatst: 14-10-2019 07:01:36 Onderwerp: because two of those |
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| Some of us are morning people while others are night owls. In golf some are early season performers and others wait until the fall. So far in his career, David Hearn is most definitely not someone who enjoys the early part of the calendar. At least not when it comes to logging high finishes. "For whatever reason, Ive never had much success early in the year," said Hearn. "The West Coast just hasnt been good for me." In the four tournaments hes played since the calendar changed years, Hearn as two missed cuts, a T58 and a T38. Its a slow but not unexpected beginning. A year ago, in five West Coast starts, he missed three cuts. A year prior to that, he posted a tie for 10th at the SONY in Hawaii before missing the next two cuts. "Id like to be in a better spot, obviously," said Hearn from Florida where he was getting in some practice before heading to Los Angeles for his next start. "Hopefully that will happen at Riviera." Hearn isnt worried about his spot on the money list just yet. In fact, hes quite optimistic about where things are headed. He says his game is coming together faster than in any previous years, adding theres no glaring holes in his performance - its just a matter of tightening everything up. There hasnt been much down time for the Brantford, Ont., product of late. He played four times before Christmas on the new wrap-around schedule and then teamed with Brad Fritsch to represent Canada in the World Cup in Australia in late November. There was a little time spent at the TaylorMade test centre dialing in his new gear as well as some family time back in the snow in Ontario. And he made the trek to Ann Arbor, Mich., to watch his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs play the Detroit Red Wings outdoors at the Big House. But shortly after, it was back to work. Hearn enjoyed his best year as a professional in 2013, earning more than $1.1 million. The highlight of his season came at the John Deere Classic where he lost in a playoff. That performance didnt surprise him in any way; he always believed he had the talent to play at that level. And it provided a taste of what hed like to experience more often. "Thats what Im trying to accomplish each and every week," he said. "You just want to put yourself in that position as much as you can." Rather than being known as a long driver or a pure ball-striker or a great putter, Hearns strength has always been his consistency with every club in his bag, his all-around game. Its something hes been focused on in the early part of this season. "My stats are not that great but if I can just improve the numbers a little bit Ill be happy," said Hearn, who will continue to use his long putter this season. "It really just boils down to being competitive. Im always trying to improve." Hearn has always been an ardent flag-waver and senses an up-tick in the play of Canadian professionals on various tours. He thinks some of that is awareness caused by his best friend out on tour. "I think Canadians are getting highlighted and inspired thanks to how well Graham [DeLaet] is playing," he stated. "Its fun to watch him play these days. It doesnt seem to matter what he does on Thursday and Friday, he just finds a way to get into contention on the weekend." For Canadian golf, Hearn said, that builds momentum. Its something thats been missing for a while, since the days Mike Weir was seemingly in the hunt to win every week. "When Mike was in his prime, I dont think people realized how good he was," Hearn stated. "It wasnt just the Masters win, it was major after major, week after week, he was in contention. "That definitely inspired me and I think thats happening again. We have a lot of good players right now." For the next couple of weeks, Hearn will be in the cheering section, watching Canadas athletes at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Obviously hockey will be at the forefront of his viewing schedule but he also said hell follow almost any sport and is amazed at such endeavours as biathlon. "It will be disappointing being in the U.S., though," he laughed. "Ill have to watch mostly U.S. athletes." If his play continues to improve, two years from Hearn might be representing Canada at the Olympics in Rio rather than watching from a distance. Adidas Nmd Trainers Uk Sale . Julien coached the Bruins to the Stanley Cup championship in 2010-11 and is the longest serving coach in consecutive seasons in the teams history. Claude is one of the top coaches in the NHL and has consistently shown a passion for winning, general manager Peter Chiarelli said Sunday in announcing the signing. Wholesale Adidas Nmd r1 Uk . PAUL, Minn. http://www.nmdukonlinestore.com/nmd-xr1-trainers-outlet-deals.html . Jacobs scored two in the first end, but Jahr briefly took charge with two in the second end and two more in the third. Jacobs, from Sault. Marie, Ont., gave Canada some breathing room, following his big fourth end by adding two more points in the fifth to go up 7-4. Adidas Ultra Boost Outlet Uk .com) - Many people at Eastern Washington are waiting to see if star quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. Adidas Nmd Wholesale China . 28 with a Vancouver entry for the first time in 10 years and a novel new collective bargaining agreement.The 2014 NHL draft class can be forgiven for feeling as though it has a case of middle-child syndrome. Which is to say, the top of this years draft class is not as dynamic or exciting as the 2013 class of Nate MacKinnon, Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Drouin and Seth Jones and its not as strikingly promising as the highly-anticipated 2015 slate of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin. But it would be a disservice to damn Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Leon Draisaitl and Michael Dal Colle with faint praise. "They are all very good prospects, theyre all going to play in the NHL, they all should turn out to be very good players for a long time," one NHL scout said. But the draft is all about projection. And where MacKinnon, Barkov and Drouin were projected as first-line forwards and Jones was projected a likely No. 1 defenceman destined for greatness -- this years crop of forwards is projected more as second liners with defenceman Ekblad perhaps getting "top pairing" billing though not necessarily a future dynamic No. 1. Good, maybe very good, but not necessarily great. The draft is also about question marks and, according to the scouts, even the elite picks this year have a few. And once one gets outside the top five of this years draft, question marks really abound. "There are some really talented kids in this draft, and not just at the top either," an NHL scout said, "but I dont recall a year recently when there were as many question marks. Skilled kids who lack size; players who might have issues with attitude or commitment. It seems to be a really volatile draft. Good luck trying to figure out this one." That said, in the eyes of the scouts, at the top, its rock solid, and, really, it has been all season long. Barrie Colt defenceman Aaron Ekblad is No. 1 on TSNs Top 60 Final Rankings for the 2014 draft, a position hes owned or had a share of since last September. Seven of the 10 scouts surveyed by TSN to compile the rankings had Ekblad at No. 1. No scout surveyed had him outside of the top three. Only two other prospects got first-place votes. No. 2-ranked Sam Reinhart, a centre with the Kootenay Ice, had one and No. 3-ranked Sam Bennett, a centre with the Kingston Frontenacs, had two. "The difference between the top guys this year is not significant," a scout said. "Thats why youre hearing more talk of teams drafting with position in mind." To say nothing of those question marks. For example, as good as the 6-foot-4, 216-pound Ekblad is, some scouts wonder if he an upside greater than being a steady, reliable two-way defender. Is there a dynamic quality there that is usually associated with a potential first overall pick? Barrie head coach Dale Hawerchuk, a former NHL star, doesnt know about dynamic, but he does know impactful, because thats what Ekblad has been from the moment he showed up to Barrie as a 15-year-old who was granted exceptional status by Hockey Canada to enter the OHL a year early. "Hes been a top pair, shutdown defenceman who played against the best players in our league from the day he got here," Hawerchuk said, "and theres no doubt in my mind, none whatsoever, that hes going to be a really good top pair, shutdown defenceman who plays against the best players in the NHL. Hes been impactful since Day 1. He does it all and he does it all consistently and hes going to be a 15 to 20 year top-pair NHL defenceman." This years top prospects earn rave reviews for some specific trait or quality, but the praise is accompanied by a question. Reinharts hockey sense, for example, is widely hailed, elite level, as good as it gets. But will his average speed and size put a second-line ceiling on him or reduce his effectiveness against men? Bennetts complete game equal parts skill, smarts, spirit, edge and work ethic is lauded but can an average size centre translate that style to the NHL against men? No. 4-ranked Leon Draisaitl, the Prince Albert Raiders German-born and trained centre, has a big NHL frame and can make plays but will the lack of a dynamic step keep him from being a first-liner? No. 5-ranked Michael Dal Colle, the Oshawa Generals rangy winger who is equally adept at shooting or making plays, but will his play without the puck be an issue? And yet, for all the questions being asked, scouts concede these five are all good NHL prospects with a strong likelihood of having long NHL careers. But there is a high degree higher than usual of subjectivity this year. Nowhere is that more evident than in the players, ranked Nos. 6 through 10 on TSNs list. No. 6-ranked Nick Ritchie, the Peterborough Pete winger, has all the physical tools to be the consummate scoring power forward but theres been a lot of immaturity, inconsistency as well as some injuries in his game. No. 7-ranked Jake Virtanen, the Calgary Hitmen winger, is another who has all the tools to be a scoring power forward but some scouts are a little wary because he tends to get tunnel vision when he has the puck. No. 8-ranked Haydn Fleury, the Red Deer Rebel defenceman, has the size and speed scouts love but he has not established himself as either an offensive defenceman or a punishing defenceman. No. 9-ranked William Nylander, the Canadian-born, Swedish-trained winger, may be the most skilled player in the entire draft class, but scouts worry about a stubborn streak that has often seen him play a more individual than team game. No. 10-ranked Nikolaj Ehlers, the Halifax Mooseheads Danish winger, was as prolific as any prospect this year, scoring 49 goals and 104 points in 67 games, and theres no doubting his skill level, but hes listed at 160 pounds, or as one scout put it, &"he has to put on 20 pounds to be considered small.dddddddddddd" "Its a funny draft," a scout said. "A kid like Ritchie, with his size and skill, or Nylander, with his skill level, could one day be the best of this class but theres some real risk associated with these guys. What if Ritchie doesnt get fully committed to being as good as he can be? What if Nylander just decides hes going to play like hes the only guy on the ice?" Thats always a theme in any draft, but this year it seems to be even more prevalent earlier than ever involving more prospects than usual. Size is certainly on the mind of a lot of teams, especially after the very large Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup. Whether anyone likes it or not, thats the standard by which players are now judged. "I look at these kids and I try to project them playing against the Los Angeles Kings one day," a scout said. "Can they play that game at that level?" Even that exercise can be fraught with peril because two of those outstanding Kings Tanner Pearson, who went 30th overall in the 2012 draft, and Tyler Toffoli, who went 47th overall in 2010 were passed over by many teams in their respective draft year because they were perceived as too slow or too weak or too incomplete or too flawed. Go figure. Guelph centre Robby Fabbri (No. 14 on TSNs list) scored 45 goals for the Storm in the regular season, was the OHLs playoff MVP and plays a hard-nosed game for a 5-foot-10 pivot, but will he stand up to the L.A. King litmus test? Ditto for smallish Swiss forward Kevin Fiala, No. 15 on the TSN list, though Fiala had the benefit of playing against men in both the Swedish League and for Switzerland at the World Championships. But no two players represent the uncertain quality of this years draft like the 30th and 31st-ranked Josh Ho Sang of the Windsor Spitfires and Anthony DeAngelo of the Sarnia Sting. Ho Sang is an electrifying, highly-skilled albeit undersized skilled forward who has some very firm ideas on how the game of hockey should be played and how he should play it. First-round talent? Absolutely. Will a team step up and take him in the first round? Thats the fascinating aspect of this draft. So much natural talent; so many question marks. "The question with Ho Sang is whether he wants to be a hockey player or he wants to be an artist or an entertainer," one scout said. "When he plays the give and go game, hes effective and dangerous but a lot of the time he only wants to go, theres no give (the puck to anyone else). Is he going to figure it out? Because if he does, the skills he has
" DeAngelos situation, though, takes it to another level of uncertainty. The American blueliner is undersized at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, but he put up 15 goals and 71 points in 51 games for Sarnia. Imagine how many more points he would have registered if he hadnt been suspended on three separate occasions this season for either violating the OHLs diversity policy or verbally abusing an on-ice official or, as fate would have it, both. In December of 2013, DeAngelo was suspended five games for violating the leagues diversity policy in a verbal spat with an on-ice official. In January of 2014, he received an eight-game suspension for violating the leagues diversity policy in a verbal exchange with a teammate. Five games after returning from that eight-game suspension, he was suspended two games for (verbal) abuse of an official. Many scouts dont know what to make of DeAngelo. The vast majority of them say the north New Jersey kid, wholl effectively be at "home" for this weeks NHL draft in Philadelphia, is (in spite of size concerns) a first-round talent, a smart, mobile and offensively gifted blueliner. "Look at the talented small defencemen and where theyve been taken in the draft, guys like Ryan Ellis, Ryan Murphy, Derrick Pouliot, even Erik Karlsson," a scout said. "DeAngelo should, on talent, be taken in that 10 to 20 range but Im not sure he will be because of the other stuff." Some of the scouts surveyed by TSN said they wouldnt take DeAngelo at all. Others said he would be a consideration in the second round talent like that is hard to pass but a couple did say they wouldnt rule out considering him in the first round. "If you read stuff that people write, I think they go overboard with it because they dont know the details," DeAngelo told the Camden Courier Post. "They think I have character issues. I dont think I have character issues." Interestingly, USA Hockey chose to not invite DeAngelo to its summer evaluation camp for the 2015 U.S. national junior team. Of all the stories in what is expected to be an unpredictable draft, DeAngelos is bound to be one of the most compelling. Hes expected to have upwards of 100 friends and family in attendance Friday night and whether hes chosen or not in the first round will be an intriguing storyline. Getting consensus for the TSN rankings was never more difficult than this year. Outside of perhaps the top 35 to 40, there was no real consensus. Even within the top 30 in the first round, there was a far greater variance from player to player than ever before. TSNs rankings do not take into account the teams order of selection; theres no allowance made for a teams personal or positional preference. These rankings are not so much an evaluation of which players will one day turn into the best NHLers as it is a forecast of what order in the draft this Friday and Saturday these players will reasonably be chosen. The list is determined on a mostly objective formula based on numerical rankings assigned by the scouts interviewed by TSN. ' ' ' |
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