Jonathan Cheechoo To Get A Look At Dallas Stars Camp
by Art Middleton on Sep 4, 2010 10:46 AM CDT
in Dallas Stars News
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PrintThe Stars announced early this morning that Jonathan Cheechoo has accepted an invite to attend the Dallas Stars training camp when it opens September 17 in Prince Edward Island (less than 13 days away people!).
From the Stars official press release:
"We're pleased that Jonathan has accepted our invitation to come to our training camp," (Stars GM, Joe) Nieuwendyk said. "He has shown the ability to be an effective scorer in this league. He's a competitor and we're going to give him an opportunity."
File this under the "Well, it can't hurt.." category for the Stars.
Cheechoo should of course be familiar with most Stars fans as he came up through the San Jose Sharks system and was an offensive dynamo scoring 121 goals in his first three seasons with the Sharks. A run that included a 56 goal effort in the 2005-06 season en route to winning the Maurice "Rocket" Richard trophy for the NHL's top goal scorer.
Since then he's had a bit of a fall from grace as his numbers sharply declined and pressure was on him to perform under a long term contract extension he had signed during his prime offensive seasons. He seemingly hit rock bottom as he was traded to the Ottawa Senators last summer in the Dany Heatley trade and then proceeded to have the worst season of his career as a change of scenery which was maybe thought would help Cheechoo instead only made things worse. Jon never really fit in with the Sens at any point and ended up with only 5 goals and 9 assists in 61 games before being optioned down to the Sharks AHL affiliate in Binghamton.
Cheechoo is a right handed shot - a bit of a need the Stars do have. He has been known mostly in his career as someone who needs to be on a line with a playmaker in order to have any success. He is only two seasons removed from being at least a 20 goal scorer, so if the Stars can get that back out of him, then this is a briliant move by Joe Nieuwendyk.
And if they can't... Well again, it doesn't hurt to have invited him to camp to compete for a roster spot right?
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ribs morrow and cheecho
that might work. which center was he playing with in ottowa? it couldve hurt his production
He was moved around a lotl
But generally played on the third line. Don’t remember who his center was.
One of the last Joe Nieuwendyk supporters in Dallas....
Defending Big D - Dallas Stars news & analysis; SB Nation Dallas-Fort Worth
by Brandon Worley on Sep 4, 2010 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions
I've always like Cheechoo..
Well, I didn’t like him when he was scoring a ton of goals against the Stars.
This is absolutely a win-win situation for the Stars and Cheechoo. On the right line and in the right system, he could once again be a very dangerous player.
One of the last Joe Nieuwendyk supporters in Dallas....
Defending Big D - Dallas Stars news & analysis; SB Nation Dallas-Fort Worth
I said this when we picked him up last year
I figured maybe putting him on a line with Spezza would re-create the magic he had with Thornton, or at least come close. It didn’t at all.
Then again, Cheechoo cost us a lot more (part of the Heatley package) than he’s costing you guys (nothing). Your “it doesn’t hurt” mentality is apt, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up putting him on a line with Ribeiro and Morrow ^, or anything.
by Peter Raaymakers on Sep 4, 2010 11:02 AM CDT up reply actions
Exactly.
He’s not going to be put on the 2nd line. Not with players like Jamie Benn able to play on the RW as well.
But 15 goals from the third or fourth line? Hopefully that’s a possibility.
One of the last Joe Nieuwendyk supporters in Dallas....
Defending Big D - Dallas Stars news & analysis; SB Nation Dallas-Fort Worth
by Brandon Worley on Sep 4, 2010 11:05 AM CDT up reply actions
They could stear from the the "top 6 - bottom 6" mentallity
Detroit does it in the playoffs all the time and they seem to be pretty good. Give top minutes to the Richards line then roll your 2nd and 3rd equally. I wouldn’t be opposed to trying a Benn-Wandell-Ott line if Cheechoo shows some chemistry with Ribs and Brenden in camp.
That said, I’m also holding no reservations for Cheechoo. He could walk out at the end of camp just as easily as he walked in. However, giving him a free tryout can only have be positive for everyone, in my mind.
Just like to point out i beat you guys on the fanpost :)
but that just says ALOT about my love life hahaha
Art is old. He types slow.
One of the last Joe Nieuwendyk supporters in Dallas....
Defending Big D - Dallas Stars news & analysis; SB Nation Dallas-Fort Worth
by Brandon Worley on Sep 4, 2010 10:59 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
It’s not that I’m old.. it’s that two finger typing is just sooooooo difficult!
Defending Big D: A Dallas Stars blog on SBN: easy to use, free to join.
@GameTimeArt: Offending and/or boring sports fans one tweet at a time!
by Art Middleton on Sep 4, 2010 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions
HEY!
some of us are older than Art and I would put my typing skills up against any of you!
Proud fan of the #1 college hockey team in the nation - Miami University Redhawks - The Brotherhood. RIP Brendan Burke.
Wouldn't expect too much from Cheechoo
He was popular in Ottawa and you could tell he was working his butt off, but it looked like the guy was skating on asphalt. And when he’d get into scoring position, it just looks like he’s lost his touch; I assumed it was that maybe he was just holding his stick too tightly, but it didn’t wear off.
Last year, he went from top-six forward (played with Jason Spezza for a bit) to bottom-six, to healthy scratch, to AHL. It was pretty painful, especially since you could see how hard he was working. He just wasn’t good enough. Even in Binghamton (Ottawa’s AHL affiliate, by the way), he only put up 14P in 25GP.
by Peter Raaymakers on Sep 4, 2010 11:00 AM CDT reply actions
Yeah...
I did a lengthy article on Cheechoo for PHT during the season and it was just sad to see how far he had fallen.
It’s just a tryout, and I don’t think anyone should expect him to crack the top-six.
But could he better a better third or fourth line option than say…..Fabian Brunnstrom? Possible.
One of the last Joe Nieuwendyk supporters in Dallas....
Defending Big D - Dallas Stars news & analysis; SB Nation Dallas-Fort Worth
by Brandon Worley on Sep 4, 2010 11:03 AM CDT up reply actions
Depends… Can Brunnstrom skate? If so, then Cheechoo is a worse fit. Honestly. If you get to see him in training camp, you’ll see what I mean. If he does enough to earn a two-way deal at league minimum, I’ll actually be surprised.
by Peter Raaymakers on Sep 4, 2010 11:09 AM CDT up reply actions
Thanks for that Peter!
From what I’ve been told by some Sens fans I know, he played a lot with Steve Kelly as his center when he went to the bottom two lines… so right there, that’s like having Modano play with Fabian.
Work ethic is not an issue with this guy. By all accounts I got, he plays hard, isn’t afraid to grind and even when he just skated with the Sens during the playoffs, he was again considered a good team guy to have.
Love this deal for the Stars! I’m sure he won’t come at to high a price if he does catch on.. Solid move by GM Joe.
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@GameTimeArt: Offending and/or boring sports fans one tweet at a time!
by Art Middleton on Sep 4, 2010 11:12 AM CDT up reply actions
Sorry.. *Chris* Kelly
Got my Kellys mixed up there for a moment.. Again.. old age…
Steve Kelly was the guy for the Oilers that… actually, ya know you’re probably better off not knowing how bad he was.
Defending Big D: A Dallas Stars blog on SBN: easy to use, free to join.
@GameTimeArt: Offending and/or boring sports fans one tweet at a time!
by Art Middleton on Sep 4, 2010 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions
Think he'll have an awkward conversation with coach Barnes?
Stu: “Hey, uh…remember that time you ended my career? lol”
Cheecho: “Yeah, it was right before I mysteriously ended mine. lol”
Nisky laughs, they both look over at him, he stops, awkwardly slinks away.
DefendingBigD: A Dallas Stars Blog
The Maneater: The Mizzou Student Newspaper I cover women's soccer and other sportsy stuff.
They call me.......Flat-Bill-Crooked-Hat-Earring-Bad-Beard.
Marty springs from the shadows and gives Cheech a severe slash across the calf
“When you killed Stu, you killed my Stanley Cup run and let Detroit beat me .. AGAIN!”
-
Seriously though, seems like a low risk situation, I mean if he works out he works out, at least he won’t miss an empty net and give away the game tying goal, right?
Weird note, what’s the convention on his Nickname? Cheech? Cheecher? Cheechy? Cheechs? or does it riff of Johnathan? Or does he have a nickname like Bubbles or something?
by Waywardstars on Sep 4, 2010 11:33 AM CDT up reply actions
I like it.
A low risk move that could actually improve our depth. Salient point on him being a right-handed shot – that alone makes him worth a look, and might even make it more likely that he makes the roster.
5 goals and 9 assists in 61 games is better production than what Fabian Brunnstrom gave us…
by Past A Diving Michael Young on Sep 4, 2010 12:38 PM CDT reply actions
Exactly.
I also feel like this move is partly to give Brunnstrom a little kick in the ass.
DefendingBigD: A Dallas Stars Blog
The Maneater: The Mizzou Student Newspaper I cover women's soccer and other sportsy stuff.
They call me.......Flat-Bill-Crooked-Hat-Earring-Bad-Beard.
I hate to say this but I wonder if some of this is also because Jere Lehtinen is not coming back...
then again, I’m on cold meds so hopefully it’s just medicine that’s clouding my thoughts …. It just seems that as we add more right handed shots and the longer Jere goes without signing, it makes me wonder.
NOT that I am implying Cheechoo is a replacement for Lehts. So don’t flame me for saying that because I am not.
Proud fan of the #1 college hockey team in the nation - Miami University Redhawks - The Brotherhood. RIP Brendan Burke.
Personally I think Jere is lining up to pull
a Forsberg. He is a fiend for working out and he hasn’t even started yet. He and Joe both seem so complacent that I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a decision about the first of the year depending on how the team is going. He just doesn’t seem to be able to hold up to a full season anymore, but when he is out there he still does a ton of the little things you got to do to win.
this makes me happy
go GM Joe! this is turning out to be a season of new beginnings across the board. if we can bring the superstar out lehtonen and cheecho then gm joe should get a statue
GET OFF NIEUWENDYK'S NUTS
Why not...
I’m not thrilled about this, but why not…
Right handed shot is a plus, but I’m not sure who would lose his minutes to Cheechoo.
If this goes well, that is.
Maybe Cheechoo will fit in with Crawford's system.
Like you guys said, though, it won’t hurt a thing by having him at training camp. We do need the right wings after all.
But can I just remark on how crazy this is? I never dreamed that Cheechoo would be a Star or even have the opportunity to become one. I still think of him as a Shark. Does anyone else feel that way, or is it just me?
Here's to all us girls who love hockey...and the men who play it.
by Brad_Richards_Rocks on Sep 4, 2010 5:49 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
I think of him as a bust who can't play anymore
But that’s just me.
I wouldn’t expect much. At all. But I guess it can’t hurt to try.
I feel kinda the same way..
In the seven games he’s played in his career against the Stars, he has four goals and four assists.. He has always played the Stars tough when he was in San Jose.
Defending Big D: A Dallas Stars blog on SBN: easy to use, free to join.
@GameTimeArt: Offending and/or boring sports fans one tweet at a time!
by Art Middleton on Sep 4, 2010 11:35 PM CDT up reply actions
I doubt he does anything.
But that’s no reason not to give it a shot anyways (it’s not like the Stars are relying on him for something). So sure, why not see what he’s got.
by Giant Space Ants on Sep 5, 2010 12:12 AM CDT reply actions
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