Grading the Flyers: Darroll Powe
by Geoff Detweiler on Jun 29, 2009 5:17 PM EDT
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8 comments
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | TOI/G | SH/G | Hits | BkS | FO% | TkA | |
| 08/09 Regular Season | 60 | 6 | 5 | 11 | -8 | 35 | 10:32 | 1:00 | 124 | 31 | 48.7 | 21 |
| 08/09 Playoffs | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 14:01 | 1:27 | 16 | 8 | 38.5 | 0 |
Entering training camp, the Flyers were looking for role players. Jim Dowd was cut, leaving Glen Metropolit, Arron Asham, Riley Cote, Jared Ross, and Steve Downie looking for ice time. Despite catching the GM's attention during camp, Powe started the year with the Phantoms. After a brief 3 game stint with the Flyers at the end of October, Powe was recalled for good December 4th. Despite not having outstanding numbers in the minors or at Princeton, Powe filled the energy/agitator role admirably.
His play earned praise from coach John Stevens and former linemate Scottie Upshall. Said Stevens, "He's a very consistent player, which is what you like from a guy on your third or fourth line. You know exactly what he's going to do. He goes straight ahead with pucks, he's probably one of our fastest-skating players." Upshall added, "He's a guy you can rely on out there. That's something he's shown our team this year, that he's a guy that can be counted on to go out there. He can kill penalties, he can muck it up, an energy guy. At times he's one of the fastest guys out there, he battles hard." That type of play allowed Powe to stay with the club, filling a much needed hole when Upshall was traded.
Despite not being as skilled as Upshall, Powe plays a similar, but more defensive-minded, game. He is always willing to go into a corner and battle, to throw his weight around, stick up for a teammate, or just skate hard every shift. That tenacity, coupled with his ability to effectively kill penalties, has made the third line winger his job to lose. With the team needing to add at least two forwards this off-season, where Powe will play next year is not certain. He will never score 20 goals, but 10 goals at 20 assists are possible down the line, especially if he stays on a line with Briere and Giroux.
Next year, Powe can continue being an effective defensive centerman, but he needs to improve his face-off percentage if he wants to get a larger role on the team.
Up next in our Grading the Flyers series: Matt Carle
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I just have to ask...
The two people who voted “F”, can I get an explanation?
Broad Street Hockey -
Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Geoff Detweiler on Jun 29, 2009 8:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I second that request
You gotta love what Darroll Powe brings to the table. If you were grading him on goals scored or points tallied, I guess he would get an “F.” As Shagg pointed out, he is not going to put up big numbers and nor is that his role.
Darroll Powe summed up to a T:
He is always willing to go into a corner and battle, to throw his weight around, stick up for a teammate, or just skate hard every shift.
I don’t think you can ask for more from a 4th line center. He was a great energy guy, not to mention his defensive competency, especially as a penalty killer. It is huge that the Flyers can send out their 4th line center as an effective penalty killer. That takes weight off of Richards, Carter and Gagne, giving them a rest, without a defensive drop off or any liability factor.
by flyrsfrk05 on Jun 30, 2009 12:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i like a 3rd line with him, danny, and giroux…………….i mean who wouldn’t
by JpH89 on Jun 30, 2009 1:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Powe is a solid B. He was one of the pleasant surprises of the season. You’re not going to get a ton of points from a player like him, so that shouldn’t be held against him. However, the times he did score or helped score were always very timely. His goals always seemed to come when the game was tied or to tie it. He’s the perfect 4th line center and 3rd line fill-in.
by SJPhillyVT on Jun 30, 2009 10:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I was very impressed with Powe
And I hope he is a Flyer for awhile, but I gave him a C+ for a few reasons. Being a third/fourth line center/wing, he proved he’s versatile and consistent. You know what you get with him. The reason I didn’t give him a B was when I did a closer look at his stats (I probably should have added them to the post). His faceoff percentage was below 50%, which is a pretty solid benchmark. He wasn’t bad at draws, but one of the Flyers needs is a fourth line center to win faceoffs. I would like to see him come closer to 50% this year. Also, of his 6 goals, at least 2 were empty netters and I think three of them were. Mostly, when Powe was on the ice, the other team scored 25 goals compared to 15 for the Flyers. That -10 differential was better than only Andreas Nodl and Dan Carcillo.
Bottom line, Powe had a fantastic year considering noone knew his name before this year. But since he has a lot of room to improve, I just couldn’t give him a B.
Broad Street Hockey -
Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Geoff Detweiler on Jun 30, 2009 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good and detailed response. I just think people put too much stock in the +/- stat.
by SJPhillyVT on Jun 30, 2009 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh, I agree. I look at alternatives to the standard +/-. The 10 includes power play and short handed situations as well. So when you look at his SH TOI/G, you see how often he played SH and how few goals he gave up. Also, it’s good to look at who he was playing with and against, hence quality of competition and teammates. All in all, I still think +/- can be useful, if used as part of the story and not the answer.
Broad Street Hockey -
Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Geoff Detweiler on Jun 30, 2009 8:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
To me, he played kinda like Detroit’s Helm, only not as many points. His speed really made him stand out. I thought he played great this season.
by philiafan14364 on Jun 30, 2009 2:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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Atlantic Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Jersey
|
58 | 36 | 20 | 2 | 74 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
59 | 35 | 22 | 2 | 72 |
|
Philadelphia
|
57 | 29 | 25 | 3 | 61 |
|
New York Rangers
|
59 | 26 | 26 | 7 | 59 |
|
New York Islanders
|
58 | 23 | 27 | 8 | 54 |
(updated 2.9.2010 at 12:41 AM EST)
Flyers Schedule
Next 5 Games
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@
New Jersey
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Wed 02/10 | 7:00 PM EST |
|
Montreal
|
Fri 02/12 | 6:00 PM EST |
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Montreal
|
Sat 02/13 | 7:00 PM EST |
|
@
Tampa Bay
|
Tue 03/02 | 7:30 PM EST |
|
@
Florida
|
Wed 03/03 | 7:30 PM EST |
Last 5 Games
|
New Jersey
|
Mon 02/08 | W 3 - 2 |
|
@
Minnesota
|
Sat 02/06 | L 1 - 2 |
|
@
Edmonton
|
Wed 02/03 | L 0 - 1 |
|
@
Calgary
|
Mon 02/01 | W 3 - 0 |
|
New York Islanders
|
Sat 01/30 | W 2 - 1 |
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