Helenius disappoints, Smolenak shines

Let us for a moment forget that the Lightning did not get any results it wants to talk about at the prospects camp in Traverse City Mich. At 0-3-1, the team finished last in the eight-team tournament and allowed five regulation goals in its final game to a Stars team that had scored two in its previous three games.

The tournament was much more about personnel. Thumbs up to Radek Smolenak. Thumbs down to Riku Helenius and, you know, whatever, to Andy Rogers.

"The surprise for me, personally, is just how much it's cost Helenius missing a year,'' GM Jay Feaster said. "It is clear this kid has not played. He doesn't have a lot of confidence right now.''

Helenius, 19, the No. 15 overall pick of the 2006 draft, had an .818 save percentage and a 5.16 goals-against average. It seems missing last season with a shoulder injury has really taken its toll. Let's hope he regains his form with WHL Seattle.

Feaster, though, couldn't say enough about Smolenak, tied for second in the tournament with seven points. The forward led the team with three goals, four assists and 20 shots on goal. He will now report to training camp at AHL Norfolk.

"If he continues to do what he did up there in Norfolk's camp, he has played himself into being a prospect for this organization,'' Feaster said. "I can't tell you how many scouts and GMs and assistant GMs mentioned him to me in Traverse City, that they liked his game and liked the way he was playing. he looked like a completely different guy.''

As for Rogers, it was obvious he, too, simply has not played enough after struggling with multiple injuries the past two seasons. Rogers had zero points in the tournament and was minus-5.

"It's a mixed bag,'' Feaster said. "He skates so well, and yet there are times his decision making with the puck needs to be so much better. He still has that tendency when he's under pressure to just fire it off the glass. I've talked about this before. When you've invested $20-million in three world-class forwards (Vinny Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Marty St. Louis), we need to get them the puck in transition. Having it come off the glass and hit the back of their head isn't transition. Andy still has a lot of work to do, and yet there are things that you see from him at times that you're real excited about.''

Defenseman Mike Lundin, 22, the Lightning's fourth-round pick in 2004 who will be at training camp, also got some good reviews after his two-goal, four-point effort.

"He's a  college kid and he's a little bit older, so you might expect that against younger competition,'' Feaster said. "But I just felt he was consistently strong throughout the entire time period.'' 

Comments

[goldenbolt]

Amen mike..... That dump out of the zone was a Rammer thing and I hope that goes the way of a lost puppy. Really getting psyched for the start of the season. We need to do an article on the potential lines. Yes, we can all agree it would be nice to have this and have that but we can only deal with what we have.

Damian start a blog on potential lines and we can fill in the pieces.

thanks Goldenbolt

[mbab]

i loved feasters comments about wrapping the puck around the boards....i must of saw that 10,000,000 times from our defense...especially sarich and pratt......when sarich touched the puck we use to call it hot potato...because he sure didn't want it for more than two seconds....i would watch buffalo and they would tic tac toe out of the zone time after time...i really thought that was what torts taught... wrap the safe pass around the board to a stationary forward...i saw this 10,000,000 times last year with our lightning....getting all 6 defenseman to move the puck forward with a purpose,that would be one of the single greatest changes....well....since God talked to moses!!!!!and if i told you a million times before...stop exaggerating!!!!

[Randy]

I know there were high hopes that Rogers would have a good tournament in Traverse City which could have garnered him an invite to the Bolts camp. But that was not to be. Looks as if Rogers will be doing his training camp at Chilled Ponds in Chesapeake, Virginia rather than in Florida.

Smolenak's play gives me some optimism for Norfolk's offense this year. Hopefully, he will skate himself into being a prospect this year.

Lundin showed some real promise at Traverse City. The only question is after training camp will he have secured a spot on the Admirals or will he begin his season in Mississippi. By far and away, Lundin and Mihalik were the two best prospect dmen for the Bolts at Traverse City. Mihalik is already heading to Norfolk and I hope to see his continued improvement while with the ADS.