HOCKY NEWS 2018 NHL FUTURE WATCH

[RetroCanuck]

If Lind had made the World junior team he would be in the top 100. My guess is he just missed out on the list.

[Phat Fingers]

2 hours ago, wildcam said:

The #1 is Casey Mittelstadt C, 20, 201lbs.....

Cause Casey Mittlestad has broken records only held by HOF players, won the scoring title in a pro league, likely will win the MVP too?! 

 

Suck it TNH. 

[cory40]

EP is going to have to come to the NHL and dominate to get any respect, or respect from TSN etc. EP is the best player not playing in the NHL. And he has all the tools to be the best player in the NHL. His shot vision and the plays he executes will make him a high point producer in the NHL. Kinda like a Lemieux who you seldom noticed out on the ice but had three points at the end of the game. I am saying point per energy used will be off the charts. McDavid is probably the player that uses the most energy to get points unless McDavid is flying and dodging and using his speed he seldom gets points. That's why I expect big things from EP. Just seems to get it done.

[48MPHSlapShot]

8 hours ago, wildcam said:

The #1 is Casey Mittelstadt C, 20, 201lbs.....

Bahahaha! 

[Phat Fingers]

On 2018-03-15 at 10:42 PM, cory40 said:

EP is going to have to come to the NHL and dominate to get any respect, or respect from TSN etc. EP is the best player not playing in the NHL. And he has all the tools to be the best player in the NHL. His shot vision and the plays he executes will make him a high point producer in the NHL. Kinda like a Lemieux who you seldom noticed out on the ice but had three points at the end of the game. I am saying point per energy used will be off the charts. McDavid is probably the player that uses the most energy to get points unless McDavid is flying and dodging and using his speed he seldom gets points. That's why I expect big things from EP. Just seems to get it done.

EP is the genetic hockey experiment 20 years ago to create the prefect Swedish Canuck. Combine the twins into one player with Peter Forsberg’s relentless two way puck hounding and a solid dose of Markus Naslund’s shot. 

 

[10pavelbure96]

7 hours ago, Eastcoast meets Westcoast said:

Cause Casey Mittlestad has broken records only held by HOF players, won the scoring title in a pro league, likely will win the MVP too?! 

 

Suck it TNH. 

I don't think Kent Nilsson is in the hof

[Phat Fingers]

2 minutes ago, 10pavelbure96 said:

I don't think Kent Nilsson is in the hof

He may not be, but he is a &^@#ing way better player than any player that Casey Mittlestad will ever be. 

[Guest]

22 hours ago, Brobidus said:

I don't know if it's me, but I see myself disagreeing with The Hockey News a lot when it comes to the Canucks. I almost get the feeling they are biased against us and don't really like us that much. We constantly seem to be getting underrated. Is this actually a thing, or am I being too harsh on them?

 

You may be underrating other teams’ prospects.

[Brobidus]

3 minutes ago, VancouverHabitant said:

You may be underrating other teams’ prospects.

I think I am, but not significantly, I think
But I'm also not really focusing on just the prospect rankings. Every time I read an article that mentions the Canucks on Hockey News it's always negative and always underwhelming. Then when I read a similar article about some of the Eastern teams, it feels like there was so much more effort put into the article. 

They seem very sluggish on the team. 

[Camel Toe Drag]

Brutal rankings. 

[Alflives]

1 hour ago, VancouverHabitant said:

You may be underrating other teams’ prospects.

I don't think so.  There is an eastern bias to the article, especially for the Leafs.  I think the writer knows how to appeal to the biggest audience (Toronto) to make more money.  Seriously, Littlegren in the top 100 of prospects is too high.  The guy is a bust.  He's no better than our little ex Subban.  In fact he's not as good.  That one ranking of Littlegren makes this guy's list entire list suspect.

[CanuckinEdm]

14 hours ago, 10pavelbure96 said:

I don't think Kent Nilsson is in the hof

Hes not in the Hockey HOF but hes in the WHA HOF and the IIHF HOF he also put up Hockey hall of fame numbers 1.24 P/PG in the NHL.

[The_Rocket]

On 2018-03-16 at 10:17 AM, Alflives said:

I don't think so.  There is an eastern bias to the article, especially for the Leafs.  I think the writer knows how to appeal to the biggest audience (Toronto) to make more money.  Seriously, Littlegren in the top 100 of prospects is too high.  The guy is a bust.  He's no better than our little ex Subban.  In fact he's not as good.  That one ranking of Littlegren makes this guy's list entire list suspect.

I think Toronto is rated number 1 because they base their rankings on the top 10 prospects for the team as well as their roster players under the age of 22. Matthews, marner, and nylander contribute to them being ranked number 1

[JamesB]

On 3/15/2018 at 10:20 AM, wildcam said:

The #1 is Casey Mittelstadt C, 20, 201lbs.....

 

On 3/15/2018 at 10:29 AM, ReggieBush said:

He's not even at a PPG in the 3rd best hockey league in the NCAA. Not saying he won't be good but common, EP is the best prospect in hockey.

 

On 3/15/2018 at 10:39 AM, Isam said:

Yeah there is alot of bias going to that wjc performance. I think they are also giving him the benefit of the doubt with his performance at Minnesota since that team is probably the biggest tire fire in the ncaa this year. However the kid gloves should be off mittlestadt next year.

Yes, the WJC apparently played a big role. I took the following quote from HF boards:

 

"The polling tends to happen right after the WJC, so the rankings usually seems to be bit slanted towards players who participated."

 

I would not call it "bias". It is just a question of what the scouts put weight on. Wth different players in different leagues, it is understandable that a lot of weight gets placed on the one major high profile event where the top prospects are playing against each other.

 

A lot of time has passed since the WJC. Pettersson has continued to do very well, whereas Mittlestadt has not impressed as much. If the poll were done now, I would expect Pettersson to move ahead.

 

As for Lind, here is another quote from HF Boards. " I'm hoping we can minimize the number of "I can't believe where they have (my team's prospect). He should easily be 20 spots higher" type posts."

 

One thing we can be sure of is that pretty much every team has a lot of fans who have that kind of view.  As fpr Lind, it is noteworthy that i) he was not great in camp last year, ii) he did not make the WJC this year, and iii) he was passed over for the WHL western conference all-star team, not even making the second team. (Glass was on the first team.)

 

Lind is obviously a good prospect but, for some reason, he is not getting as much acclaim as you might expect given his numbers, so scouts must see something that they are not all that positive about regarding how his game will transition to the NHL.

 

[JamesB]

On 3/18/2018 at 5:40 PM, Canadian Clay said:

I think Toronto is rated number 1 because they base their rankings on the top 10 prospects for the team as well as their roster players under the age of 22. Matthews, marner, and nylander contribute to them being ranked number 1

Yes, I don't see it as "bias" that Toronto is ranking #1. Since Shanahan came on board the Leafs have handled their rebuild well and are seeing the results.

 

If the Canucks had more than one top young player on the team, had prospects lighting up the AHL, or had prospects dominating the WJC they would have been ranked higher. I think the Canucks are currently ranked #9 for prospect pool quality, which is probably fair. The Canucks need another good draft this year if they are going to contend for a Cup in near to medium-term future.  

[cory40]

Well I don't like Toronto and they got Matthews and that made them all look a little genius. But we got EP! And we got him at 5th, and he was ranked closer to tenth! And he could be the best player in the draft. Now my friends that is Genius. Wait until we lose the draft lottery and get the best player out of the draft. But we won't know it for a year or two.

[Phat Fingers]

On 2018-03-15 at 1:31 PM, Brobidus said:

I don't know if it's me, but I see myself disagreeing with The Hockey News a lot when it comes to the Canucks. I almost get the feeling they are biased against us and don't really like us that much. We constantly seem to be getting underrated. Is this actually a thing, or am I being too harsh on them?

 

My only disagreement is with whom was picked to be number one over EP.  Ridiculous and taints the rest. I agree with the other rankings.  

 

 

EP is clearly the best prospect or

non drafted player currently not playing in the NHL.  Just ask the ‘generational’ player likely to go 1st OA this year. Dahlin thinks EP is incredible and would love to come to Vancouver to play with him. 

 

EmW

[Phat Fingers]

On 2018-03-31 at 3:12 AM, JamesB said:

Yes, I don't see it as "bias" that Toronto is ranking #1. Since Shanahan came on board the Leafs have handled their rebuild well and are seeing the results.

 

If the Canucks had more than one top young player on the team, had prospects lighting up the AHL, or had prospects dominating the WJC they would have been ranked higher. I think the Canucks are currently ranked #9 for prospect pool quality, which is probably fair. The Canucks need another good draft this year if they are going to contend for a Cup in near to medium-term future.  

 

On 2018-03-16 at 2:48 PM, CanuckinEdm said:

Hes not in the Hockey HOF but hes in the WHA HOF and the IIHF HOF he also put up Hockey hall of fame numbers 1.24 P/PG in the NHL.

It is a gap tha should be addressed by the NHL. It is the Hockey hall of fame and Neilson was one of the best Swedes to ever play. I was really young, but I do remember him being so skilled. He played his best hockey in leagues that were not the NHL, but not lesser leagues. The the WHA was legitimate competition to the NHL for the best hockey in North America. 

[TheYjUstMaKeYoUwooZy]

On 3/31/2018 at 12:12 AM, JamesB said:

Yes, I don't see it as "bias" that Toronto is ranking #1. Since Shanahan came on board the Leafs have handled their rebuild well and are seeing the results.

 

If the Canucks had more than one top young player on the team, had prospects lighting up the AHL, or had prospects dominating the WJC they would have been ranked higher. I think the Canucks are currently ranked #9 for prospect pool quality, which is probably fair. The Canucks need another good draft this year if they are going to contend for a Cup in near to medium-term future.  

Our prospect pool goes down next for sure.  Wtih OJ, EP, Dahlen and probably coming over next year ther is no way we can replace that in one drafting year.  Also AG doesnt look out of place and will strat with the club net year.  That's 4 of our top 5 prospects making the NHL.

[JamesB]

34 minutes ago, TheYjUstMaKeYoUwooZy said:

Our prospect pool goes down next for sure.  Wtih OJ, EP, Dahlen and probably coming over next year ther is no way we can replace that in one drafting year.  Also AG doesnt look out of place and will strat with the club net year.  That's 4 of our top 5 prospects making the NHL.

Usually there are a few prospect pool rankings that come out at the beginning of the season. They use different rules about who counts as a prospect. But usually only NHL regulars from the previous year are excluded. So Boeser would not be included.

 

At the beginning of the year Pettersson, Dahlen, Demko, Juolevi, Gaudette, Lind, Brisebois, DiPietro, Jasek and Gadjovich  should all be eligibile, along with whoever the Canucks pick in the 2018 draft.

 

That prospect poll should be pretty good and I am looking forward to seeing how it ranks. Certainly above #9 overall.

 

That said, I agree that I expect that Pettersson will make the team, and that Dahlen, Gaudette and Juolevi all have a very good shot so, by year-end, the prospect pool will be partially depleted through "graduation".