Top 60 prospects (NHL.com)

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Top NHL prospects led by Tampa Bay Lightning's Jonathan Drouin - NHL.com's Top 60 Prospects

 

[DragonfromTO]

Top NHL prospects led by Tampa Bay Lightning's Jonathan Drouin - NHL.com's Top 60 Prospects

I'll never understand all the love for Fucale

 

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I'll never understand all the love for Fucale

* patiently waits for juliansteed to chime in and concur *

 

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Also, I haven't seen enough of Teravainen, but if he does become a special NHL player, the Flames have nobody to blame but themselves for passing on him.

 

[pixburgher66]

Also, I haven't seen enough of Teravainen, but if he does become a special NHL player, the Flames have nobody to blame but themselves for passing on him.

Really wanted him in 2012...so I certainly hope Pouliot is everything that's been advertised.

 

[forty_three]

I'll never understand all the love for Fucale

My sample size is admittedly very small, but after reading the press on the kid, I sought out some games to watch him.

He's got skill, no doubt. But I don't see anything really spectacular. Jocelyn Thibault 2.0?

Gibson on the other hand - That kid is a stud.


Interesting that they have Milano on there. Especially in light of guys like Rychel and Bjorkstrand in the system. Bjorkstrand had a ridiculous year (109 pts in 69 games with the Winterhawks), and Rychel (90 in 58 with two teams in the O) was even par with Wennberg at rookie camp. And they were head and shoulders above the rest.

And I've heard some really great things about Kuznetsov, but not sure I've heard things THAT good. Above Ekblad and Reinhart? hmmmmmm

 

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I noticed that Hunter Shinkaruk did not make the list - Geez, that guy's stock dropped faster than Blackberry.

 

[DragonfromTO]

My sample size is admittedly very small, but after reading the press on the kid, I sought out some games to watch him.

He's got skill, no doubt. But I don't see anything really spectacular. Jocelyn Thibault 2.0?

Gibson on the other hand - That kid is a stud.


Interesting that they have Milano on there. Especially in light of guys like Rychel and Bjorkstrand in the system. Bjorkstrand had a ridiculous year (109 pts in 69 games with the Winterhawks), and Rychel (90 in 58 with two teams in the O) was even par with Wennberg at rookie camp. And they were head and shoulders above the rest.

And I've heard some really great things about Kuznetsov, but not sure I've heard things THAT good. Above Ekblad and Reinhart? hmmmmmm

At first glance I thought it seemed to really give preference to older guys. I'm more into upside.

 

[puckhead]

At the WJHC, Drouin had absolute magic mittens.
tried to do it all by himself too often though.

put him with some either a finisher or someone that will give him space.... look out!


Nice to see so many Canucks to look forward to finally.
(no shinkaruk? - he's got a lot to prove this year)

 

[juliansteed]

* patiently waits for juliansteed to chime in and concur *

With a weak Mooseheads team in front of him this year, he'll likely get exposed for the decent but over-rated goalie that he is.

 

[oaknightshockey1]

One name I think people tend to overlook that I think will end up being pretty good is Kevin Roy. Anaheim drafted him in 2012 and he's currently playing college hockey at Northeastern. He came through the USHL the year after Johnny Gaudreau and absolutely destroyed the stats Gaudreau put up (32 more points) on his way to putting up the most goals and points (54 G, 50 A) in the "modern" USHL. He was 12th in the NCAA for points as a sophomore last year, and should climb higher this year. I would imagine Anaheim will try to get him to leave school after this year.

While his stats are pretty impressive, they don't tell the whole story. He is the best player I've ever watched at that level from a vision/intelligence perspective. He is one of those players that just sees the ice so well, and always knows where to be. I've watched junior hockey my whole life and seen a lot of players come through the USHL (David Backes, Joe Pavelski, and Thomas Vanek, among others) and none of them came close to what this kid can do. He's undersized, but in the same sense that Kane is undersized, meaning that it doesn't matter a whole lot because no one can really get him lined up anyways. You heard it here first, folks

 

[DragonfromTO]

One name I think people tend to overlook that I think will end up being pretty good is Kevin Roy. Anaheim drafted him in 2012 and he's currently playing college hockey at Northeastern. He came through the USHL the year after Johnny Gaudreau and absolutely destroyed the stats Gaudreau put up (32 more points) on his way to putting up the most goals and points (54 G, 50 A) in the "modern" USHL. He was 12th in the NCAA for points as a sophomore last year, and should climb higher this year. I would imagine Anaheim will try to get him to leave school after this year.

While his stats are pretty impressive, they don't tell the whole story. He is the best player I've ever watched at that level from a vision/intelligence perspective. He is one of those players that just sees the ice so well, and always knows where to be. I've watched junior hockey my whole life and seen a lot of players come through the USHL (David Backes, Joe Pavelski, and Thomas Vanek, among others) and none of them came close to what this kid can do. He's undersized, but in the same sense that Kane is undersized, meaning that it doesn't matter a whole lot because no one can really get him lined up anyways. You heard it here first, folks

Roy is a few months older than Gaudreau though, which means he was over a full year older when he put up those numbers in the USHL. Makes a pretty big difference when projecting.

 

[oaknightshockey1]

Roy is a few months older than Gaudreau though, which means he was over a full year older when he put up those numbers in the USHL. Makes a pretty big difference when projecting.

True, but 30+ more points is pretty impressive nonetheless. My liking for him comes a lot more from watching how he plays than the numbers though. I've honestly never seen anyone like him, and I've been watching hockey at the junior, college, and pro levels my whole life. I could be completely wrong about him, but obviously I don't think I am.

 

[DragonfromTO]

True, but 30+ more points is pretty impressive nonetheless. My liking for him comes a lot more from watching how he plays than the numbers though. I've honestly never seen anyone like him, and I've been watching hockey at the junior, college, and pro levels my whole life. I could be completely wrong about him, but obviously I don't think I am.

You said that "no one can really get him lined up". But do you honestly think that will be true at higher levels as well? The players in the AHL and NHL are quite a bit better at "lining guys up" than the guys in Hockey East and the USHL.

 

[DragonfromTO]

True, but 30+ more points is pretty impressive nonetheless. My liking for him comes a lot more from watching how he plays than the numbers though. I've honestly never seen anyone like him, and I've been watching hockey at the junior, college, and pro levels my whole life. I could be completely wrong about him, but obviously I don't think I am.

For a guy who's a year older and playing in an inferior league? Gaudreau was scoring a point per game in Hockey East at the same age, you don't think he could've increased his output by 40% if he'd gone back to the USHL instead?

 

[oaknightshockey1]

You said that "no one can really get him lined up". But do you honestly think that will be true at higher levels as well? The players in the AHL and NHL are quite a bit better at "lining guys up" than the guys in Hockey East and the USHL.

Like I said, I could be wrong. And that IS the big question, and in my opinion, the reason he was taken in the 4th round. No one knows at this point. It is entirely possible that he can't make the jump, and with faster and stronger players at the next level he's entirely ineffective. I'm not trying to argue that he should be in the top 60, just saying that in my opinion, he's gonna make some noise when he gets a shot.

For a guy who's a year older and playing in an inferior league? Gaudreau was scoring a point per game in Hockey East at the same age, you don't think he could've increased his output by 40% if he'd gone back to the USHL instead?

He might have, but again, he didn't come back. That would have been great if he did though because the scoring race between those two would have been a lot of fun to watch. Gaudreau certainly has more talent around him at BC than Roy does at Northeastern though, when it comes to comparing points in college. Because of the age difference though, any direct comparison of stats is not going to be perfectly valid.

 

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Might as well drop this here - Craig Button's initial list of prospects for the 2015 draft.

Craig's List: September 2014 Archive

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

I don't consider Tanner Pearson to be a prospect anymore. I also think if he were I'd rate him much higher than 34th.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I said this a bunch back at FN, but I get the feeling Mantha is going to be the next great Red Wing and it kills me that he was taken one position higher than a certain bag of shit who was taken by a certain bag of shit team.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

I said this a bunch back at FN, but I get the feeling Mantha is going to be the next great Red Wing and it kills me that he was taken one position higher than a certain bag of shit who was taken by a certain bag of shit team.

Every draft year there's somebody like that. Many times they don't even go in the 1st round.