Silver Nuggets: Jakob Silfverberg is living up to the hype
Although things started slowly in the AHL for Jakob Silfverberg, he's quickly turned the corner and looks to be responding very well to the challenge of the North American game.
Things started slowly this season for Jakob Silfverberg, and he's the first to admit it. In his first ten AHL games, the Silfver Surfer scored just four points (2G, 2A), and has attributed it--at least in part--to the smaller ice surface in North America (an adjustment made even more significant considering the fact that Binghamton's ice is even smaller than NHL-sized rinks). Although he didn't look out of place and was praised for his play on the defensive side of the puck, the lack of room to manoeuvre had severely limited his ability to create scoring chances.
But since that slow start, things have really picked up for Silfverberg, and thanks to 11P (5G, 6A) in the last 10GP he's now leading the team in points. He's also leading the team in assists (8) and shots (69), and is tied for second in goals (7). Things are looking up. He's not quite on a point-per-game pace yet, but the way his production curve is sloping would suggest it's not remotely out of the realm of possibility.
While success in Binghamton is nice, we all know what the real end-game is here: His AHL time is a transitory stage between the SEL and the NHL. Do you think his AHL time will significantly reduce the learning curve once Silfverberg really begins his NHL career? What have your thoughts been to date on Silfverberg's play with the B-Sens?
Senators headlines:
- Daniel Alfredsson turns 40 today. (Citizen)
- Don Cherry recently disagreed with Mr. Alfredsson. (Sun)
- SteffeG outlines some health concerns with Mika Zibanejad. Those concerns may be why he's not heading to Ufa for the World Junior Championships. (The 6th Sens)
- Varada takes a look at hockey economics and the multi-faceted investment game associated therewith. (WTYKY)
League headlines:
- blah blah blah lockout blah blah blah
- Oh man, this is rich: Mike Milbury's Twitter account. (Lighthouse Hockey)
- A great long-form feature on elite women's hockey coach Digit Murphy. (SB Nation)
- A really interesting article on Patrick Kane's adventures in Switzerland (with an appearance by Jason Spezza). (Wall Street Journal<\a>)