Smashian Kassian Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Unless he suddenly discovers how to defend, yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intoewsables Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Only included players with the potential to play in the NHL at some point in their careers (not necessarily regulars). Goaltenders: Eddie Lack: Regular NHL starter Defense: Chris Tanev: #2/3 defenseman Frank Corrado: #3/4 defenseman Kevin Connauton: #5/6 defenseman, possibly a top-4 guy if all goes well. Don't see it though. Yann Sauve: #7 defenseman/AHL player Forwards: Nicklas Jensen: Second line winger Zack Kassian: Second line winger Jordan Schroeder: Second line center Joseph LaBate: Second/third line center/winger. Not sure whether he has the offensive upside to be a legitimate top-6 forward but I'm higher on him than most it seems. Brendan Gaunce: Third line center Alexandre Mallet: Bottom-six forward, not overly optimistic. Alex Friesen: Fourth line center/AHL forward Anton Rodin: AHL/Euro player. Tools are impressive but he needs to start producing. Probably gets a few games in the NHL but will never be a regular IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkstar Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Goalies: Eddie Lack- NHL Starter Defensemen: Chris Tanev- Second pairing d-man Frank Corrado- Second pairing d-man Kevin Connauton- #6,7 d-man Yann Sauve- #7,8 d-man Patrick McNally- #5,6 d-man Forwards: Nicklas Jensen- 1st line forward Zack Kassian- 2nd line forward Jordan Schroeder- Depth centre Brendan Gaunce- 3rd or 4th line centre Alex Friesen- 4th line centre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watermelons Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Wasn't McEneny supposed to be a top pick in the last draft though? If it wasn't for his injuries he definitely would have been chosen early so I think that if he recovers well he will surprise a lot of people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CmdrAdama Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 The biggest thing I've seen, is that I'm really happy Luongo is still with the big club. There's no way Lack could back up either Schneider or Luongo, at this point in time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ossi Vaananen Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Off the top, not going to make it: Rodin, Blomstrand, Price, Hutton, Myron, Beattie, Labate, Tochkin, Friesen, Rai, Archibald, Honzik NHLers: Forwards: Schroeder - 2nd line potential, should be a dynamic forward in the NHL Jensen - 1st line scoring winger - great puck possesion, and a hell of a wrister Kassian - 1st line power forward - he's got sick hands, goes hard to the net, at worse he's your Byfuglien on the powerplay Sweatt - 3rd liner at best, his scoring has tailed off since his rookie season, he's more of a checker with speed Mallet - 4th line centre and top rate goon, this kid can hit and isn't afraid to throw down Gaunce - 2nd line centre, every time I see him play he reminds me of Couture, he dangles, has great vision of the ice Grenier - 4th line with some upside Defence: Tanev - 2nd pairing, top rate shutdown defenseman (though he is starting to show some offense) Connauton - 3rd pairing, power play guy, hell of a slapper Corrado - 2nd pairing, steady all around guy (Hamhuis jr.) McNally - 3rd pairing, offensive upside Andersson - Depth defenseman, shut down type Sauve - 3rd pairing, physical defenseman, protects his goaltender Polasek- Depth defenseman, used for physicality Goalies: Lack - NHL starter, he's struggled this season, but he's got the body and the reflexes to become a top goaltender Cannata -NHL backup, he's a technical goalie, reads the play well Some of these are optimistic I guess, but I am making a lot of these assumptions based on what I know of other teams prospects and of how our own prospects compare to one another. Being one of our stronger prospects should convert to being a stronger NHLer. Due to this, guys like Kassian and Jensen should have their names up there with the likes of Baertschi, Granlund, Armia, Tatar, Strome, Scheifele, etc. Our D is probably the strongest going forward, with guys like Tanev, Connauton, and Corrado coming up we should be comfortable on the back end. McNally is a darkhorse, as far as I'm concerned anyone going to Harvard for their undergrad isn't going to accept a reduced role, he'll make it if only for motivation. I apologize for being so long winded, I have a passion for prospects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ossi Vaananen Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 I see a lot of you guys are underestimating Gaunce and Schroeder. I can only assume it's due to smear articles by Gallagher - criticisms about Schroeder's size and Gaunce's skating. none of which are of real concern. Gaunce plays on a much larger international ice surface for home games, and is widely considered a 2 way forward. I can't see how you can be a poor skater while being effective on both sides of a larger ice surface. Small forwards make it in the NHL, many turn out to be very effective forwards; yes there are the success stories of St.Louis, Fleury, Parise and Cammalleri, but factor in guys like Desharnais, Ennis, and even younger guys are making it now. The factors that really matter are skill, motivation, and heart - factors that both Gaunce and Schroeder have. Of note, the CSS rankings for both draft years had Schroeder and Gaunce much higher up than where they went. Schroeder was even ranked top 5 for NA skaters. Here are the NA skater rankings for their respective years: 2009, 2012 Let's not underestimate these two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Surfer Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Great post; enjoyable to hear someone who is both a believer and one who follows every Wolves game + our prospects beyond. And fun analogies... Byfuglien does outweigh Kassian, but I think Kass works a lot harder! He is our most guaranteed to play guy; because he has the physical tools plus some talent. 2knd line PF Jensen has the most upside and appears to have a nose for scoring 1st line potential, perhaps a 1 or 2 time all star. Schroeder; I disagree. Its not a really qualified opinion, I have only seen him play a couple of times but I do not see the instincts that Hodgson had. To make up for his size he needs more than speed. Mallet; I love your outlook on him; plus we need a goon ! Gaunce seems destined for our stereotypical 3rd line center. Malhotra who can chip in? 2knd line potential when either Hank or Kess moves on. Tanev? Everybody loves him, except me? When he was paired with Hamhuis, Sutter immediately targetted him and punished us for having a small guy on a stopper line. And he's not fast enough, nor does he carry the puck, or shoot well to be a top 4 guy. He's just an amazingly efficient composed player; who is fantastic when not overwhelmed by the top big athletes some teams can throw out there. great 3rd pair and fill guy! Corrado; has what Tanev does plus better skills. He's your 2knd pair guy! Connauton; Think Mathieu Schneider, just not at his peak. Great PP specialist, good as long as you can cover him the rest of the time. Lack; great backup, would push for a starter role on many teams. Would like to think Rodin could make it? Not qulaified on the balance, maybe not here at all but... Off the top, not going to make it: Rodin, Blomstrand, Price, Hutton, Myron, Beattie, Labate, Tochkin, Friesen, Rai, Archibald, Honzik NHLers: Forwards: Schroeder - 2nd line potential, should be a dynamic forward in the NHL Jensen - 1st line scoring winger - great puck possesion, and a hell of a wrister Kassian - 1st line power forward - he's got sick hands, goes hard to the net, at worse he's your Byfuglien on the powerplay Sweatt - 3rd liner at best, his scoring has tailed off since his rookie season, he's more of a checker with speed Mallet - 4th line centre and top rate goon, this kid can hit and isn't afraid to throw down Gaunce - 2nd line centre, every time I see him play he reminds me of Couture, he dangles, has great vision of the ice Grenier - 4th line with some upside Defence: Tanev - 2nd pairing, top rate shutdown defenseman (though he is starting to show some offense) Connauton - 3rd pairing, power play guy, hell of a slapper Corrado - 2nd pairing, steady all around guy (Hamhuis jr.) McNally - 3rd pairing, offensive upside Andersson - Depth defenseman, shut down type Sauve - 3rd pairing, physical defenseman, protects his goaltender Polasek- Depth defenseman, used for physicality Goalies: Lack - NHL starter, he's struggled this season, but he's got the body and the reflexes to become a top goaltender Cannata -NHL backup, he's a technical goalie, reads the play well Some of these are optimistic I guess, but I am making a lot of these assumptions based on what I know of other teams prospects and of how our own prospects compare to one another. Being one of our stronger prospects should convert to being a stronger NHLer. Due to this, guys like Kassian and Jensen should have their names up there with the likes of Baertschi, Granlund, Armia, Tatar, Strome, Scheifele, etc. Our D is probably the strongest going forward, with guys like Tanev, Connauton, and Corrado coming up we should be comfortable on the back end. McNally is a darkhorse, as far as I'm concerned anyone going to Harvard for their undergrad isn't going to accept a reduced role, he'll make it if only for motivation. I apologize for being so long winded, I have a passion for prospects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uber_pwnzor Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Gotta love how you say that Kassian will be a second liner, and then compare him to Todd Bertuzzi... Yeah, he was a pretty alright second liner... What was it? 46 goals during the dead puck era? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eh! Team Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 No it isn't, hes had 3 years since draft and hasn't had a single NHL game and doesn't come close to a point per game in the lower leagues. He is too small to play bottom 6, and not good enough to play top 6. He will be in the AHL for his entire career unless he learns to create plays like a sedin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 ^ Correct in saying we should be patient with our prospects in general, like we were with Schneider. Flawed in pointing out that we could've taken Rodin in 1st round instead of Schroeder. Yay? Overall, our prospect pool looks shallow to some, in that we don't have a ton of scoring stars or stud d-men, but to me it looks quite full in terms of team-first oriented guys and role players. But a lot of guys are still some time away. ie. It looks like the prospect pool of a team that is enjoying current success in the NHL. Opportunites on the NHL squad need to exist for these prospects to flourish anyway. Oh, and there also needs to be NHL hockey again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jägermeister Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Well it could be worse... We could be San Jose. They have only have Thomas Hertl, Freddie Hamilton, and maybe Matt Nieto who could develop into NHLers. We're still probably in the bottom 5 in terms of future talent, but San Jose is last by a long shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaku Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Well it could be worse... We could be San Jose. They have only have Thomas Hertl, Freddie Hamilton, and maybe Matt Nieto who could develop into NHLers. We're still probably in the bottom 5 in terms of future talent, but San Jose is last by a long shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langdon Algur Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Goaltenders: -Eddie Lack: NHL Backup/ 1b Starter - (NHL comparable: Craig Anderson) -Joe Cannata: AHL starter ------------------------------------------- -David Honzik: BUST Defense: -Chris Tanev: NHL 2nd/3rd pairing (NHL comparable: Cody Franson) -Kevin Connauton :NHL 2nd pairing, PP QB (NHL comparable: Ryan Ellis, Christian Ehroff) -Frank Corrado: NHL/AHL split 3rd pairing NHL (NHL comparable: Evan Oberg) -Yann Sauve: NHL/AHL split 3rd pairing NHL (NHL comparable: Arron Rome) -------------------------------------- -Adam Polasek: Europe top 6 LW: -------------------------------------------- -Darren Archibald: AHL bottom 6/4th liner -Steven Anthony: BUST -Bill Sweatt: AHL 1st liner/NHL injury plug (NHL/AHL comparable: Brett Sterling) RW: -Nicklas Jensen: NHL 2nd liner (NHL comparable: Kris Versteeg/ David Booth) -Zack Kassian: NHL 3rd liner (NHL comparable: Chris Neil) ------------------------------------------ -Anton Rodin: Europe top 6 Centers: -Jordan Schroeder: NHL 2nd liner (NHL comparable: Cliff Ronning) -Brendan Gaunce: NHL 3rd liner (NHL comparable: Manny Maholtra) ------------------------------------------- -Alexandre Mallet: AHLer with occassional NHL callups (NHL comparable: Steve Pinizotto) -Prab Rai: BUST -Alex Freisen: hard to tell but likely AHLer -Stefan Schneider: AHL 4th liner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodee Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 I doubt Connauton, Lack, Jensen, Mallet will make the NHL. Mallet would have to develop like RR to make the NHL, Connauton doesn't play his size or with enough intensity similarly Jensen and Lack is imo just too tall/lanky to make it for us............maybe another team. We are really struggling imo. Gaunce, Sweatt, Tanev, Schroeder, Kassian and maybe Suave and Rodin with Connauton as an outside chance if he develops more aggression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-Haired_Shanks Posted November 26, 2012 Author Share Posted November 26, 2012 Gotta love how you say that Kassian will be a second liner, and then compare him to Todd Bertuzzi... Yeah, he was a pretty alright second liner... What was it? 46 goals during the dead puck era? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thad Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 can someone please PM King of ES and tell him about this thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamJamIam Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 I doubt Connauton, Lack, Jensen, Mallet will make the NHL. Mallet would have to develop like RR to make the NHL, Connauton doesn't play his size or with enough intensity similarly Jensen and Lack is imo just too tall/lanky to make it for us............maybe another team. We are really struggling imo. Gaunce, Sweatt, Tanev, Schroeder, Kassian and maybe Suave and Rodin with Connauton as an outside chance if he develops more aggression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-Haired_Shanks Posted November 26, 2012 Author Share Posted November 26, 2012 can someone please PM King of ES and tell him about this thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerines Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 why? whats wrong with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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