Local Boy Aaron McGill Makes an Impression · Friday August 31, 2007

While my son and I watch the training camp scrimmages at the Memorial Coliseum to entertain ourselves we like to play coach and manager. It makes watching the games more interesting. We try and pick the best prospects at camp. Our game looks at the new players in camp and leaves out guys like (Tyler Swystun, Mark Guggenberger, Radim Valchar); they for the most part already have been slotted into the organization. So that leaves a host of mostly younger players that the Hawks are probably looking at only as future considerations. We knew little about these players beyond some of the bantam draft rankings.

So at the end of camp, I asked my son who he thought was the best prospect for a slot. He said, “Aaron McGill (red #7).” “Why him?” “He seem to want it more than the rest, he made an impression.” I agreed he did make an impression with his aggressive play, wanting to scrap and what the Hawks coaching staff seem to emphasize, attitude.

Now finding out that Aaron is a undrafted local boy makes the pick that much better. I don’t know if local had anything to do with his signing, but from our perspective he was the best new kid at camp.

Hawks Sign McGill...

— S. Blanchard

Frazer McLaren (Tough Guy) · Monday July 9, 2007

The NHL is looking for it and San Jose Sharks found it with the 203rd pickin the 2007 NHL Entry draft. Frazer McLaren is a true tough guy in the WHL and playing for the last placed team in the league can leave a tough guy not many nights off.

The Anaheim Ducks proved that tough guys are important part of a Stanley Cup run. The San Jose Sharks their cousin down the street may now be looking to upgrade in that department. Good for San Jose, bad for Portand. On a team badly in need of leadership and maturity, Frazer McLaren is the one Winter Hawk essential for the upcoming season.

I would be hard to watch another year of underagers get beat up by the WHL tough guys without McLaren there to balance the scales.

Here is a YouTube clip of one of my favorite fights as McLaren shows great form taking on much disliked Vancouver Giant J.D. Watt. For me this was a little pay back for running over Goalie Blake Grenier in the 2006 season before the playoffs.

McLaren vs Watt

McLaren may want to forget this fight against Boogard but this shows what tough guys are all about. Take a big shot and walk off the ice even though you may be more hurt than you show. Never show your hurt, even though he was sidelined for a few games after. Boogard also illustrated tough guy class by not tauting and quickly skating to the penalty box as an act of professionalism and respect.

McLaren vs Boogard

Note: The Boogards now teach these techniques in a safe environment.

School of Hard Knocks

Related
Hawks First Half Report
Hawks Greatest Come Back?
Letter to New GM/Coach Mike Johnston
Hope vs. Hopelessness Revisited
Hawks Need Scoring Acquire Cody Rainaldi and Joel Ridgeway

— S. Blanchard

US Divisional News · Friday January 18, 2008

— S. Blanchard

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