Weber still not ready for NHL

Pat Hickey article from today's Gazette:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/Weber+still+ready/1089547/story.html

No discussion about how to fix the Canadiens' broken power play is complete
without a mention of Yannick Weber.

He's the 20-year-old Swiss defenceman who earned rave reviews during
training camp with his booming shot from the point.

He's currently playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs, but there are those who
believe Weber's talents could be put to good use in Montreal, where the
once-feared power play currently ranks 29th in the National Hockey League.

Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau is not one of those.

"He's not ready," Carbonneau said last week. "He's a prospect, but right now
he's not strong enough defensively to play at this level."

Carbonneau also dismissed the idea of using Weber as a forward on the fourth
line and then moving him to the point in power-play situations, a strategy
that proved successful with another Swiss defender, Mark Streit.

"There's a difference," Carbonneau explained. "Streit was a much stronger
player and he had a lot of international experience that Weber doesn't
have."

So where is Yannick Weber in his development?

Hamilton coach Don Lever said Weber was more polished than he expected, but
that there are still things he needs to learn.

"He has to work on his defensive zone coverage, he has to be better in
one-on-one battles," Lever said. "He's stronger than you think he is and
he's making progress.

"He's going to be a good offensive defenceman."

Weber, who led all Ontario Hockey league defencemen in scoring last season
with 20-35-55 totals when he played for the league-champion Kitchener
Rangers, said the first thing he noticed in making the jump to pro hockey is
that the players are smarter.

"In junior, everybody's running around trying to do things, but the players
in pro hockey are smarter," he said. "They think more about what they're
going to do. They don't waste as much energy."

Weber said he feels fortunate to be in a situation where the coaches work
with him and help him get better. He's hoping to dispel the myth he's a
one-dimensional player and that he is small. He packs a solid 200 pounds on
a 5-foot-11 frame and says he's working to get stronger. And he's also
working with Lever on that shot. As good as it is, Lever said it could be
better.

"The problem is that he was always shooting to score," the coach said.

While that doesn't sound like a bad thing, Lever said it meant that
sometimes Weber was trying to make too good a shot and was missing the net.
Lever tells Weber to try to concentrate on putting the shot on net rather
than trying to pick the top corner.

"When he shoots the puck low, it's very difficult for a goaltender to
handle," Lever said. "We're looking for a shot that's about a foot off the
ground and right on the net."

And anyone who still believes Weber can turn the Canadiens' power play
around overnight should look at the numbers in Hamilton.

Lever said the Bulldogs' power play is "in the middle of the pack" in the
AHL. Weber has scored four of his five goals on the power play and five of
his seven assists. He's a plus-3 in even-strength situations.

Weber has the potential to help the Canadiens' power play at some point, but
this is a team that believes in developing players to make sure they're
ready, and Weber's chance will come later rather than sooner.

On Dec 18, 11:14 am, "bloke" wrote:
....
Good and timely article, I hope Habs fans read it. However, perhaps
worth pointing out:

> Weber, who led all Ontario Hockey league defencemen in scoring last season
> with 20-35-55 totals when he played for the league-champion Kitchener
> Rangers, said the first thing he noticed in making the jump to pro hockey is
> that the players are smarter.

He didn't lead the OHL in goals or points. Ryan Wilson had 71 points
and Bobby Sanguinetti had 29 goals. A few other defensemen in
addition to those two also had more points than Weber. Weber was
6th. FWIW.

l8r,
Gerry