Jägermeister

Hahaha my Girlfriend shows me InPower stuff all the time. It's a hoot. I've heard a lot girls talk about some pretty shady things that pretty famous athletes, actors and musicians have done or said.

I'd temper your expectations a little bit. And hope that others seeing Jasek's gaudy numbers right now do the same. I'll admit all I can do (like most of you) can stat watch as I don't watch Czech hockey, but there are still some things that people should think about. The league he is currently ripping up right now is the Czech U20 league, which is probably around the same talent level as Jr. B or maybe Jr. A in Canada. There are not a lot of top Czech prospects playing in this league as most (including Jasek for most of the year) have graduated to the Czech2 or Extraliga by the time they are 18/19. There are very few players who have real NHL potential. Jasek is a big fish in a tiny pond here. What he did in the Czech2 league looks impressive, but I struggled a bit to find many solid Czech players who played an extended period in the league the past few years. Most went from U20 to either the CHL or the Extraliga. Filip Hronek played a few games in the league last season (but spent the majority in the Extraliga) and managed to get drafted in the 2nd round. He's had a tremendous season in the OHL this year. Also keep in mind Jasek put up 0 points in 16 games in the Extraliga this year. It's not exactly a super talented league , with the top players in the league being guys who have either played their whole career there, had some decent KHL seasons, or had short and not overly successful stints in North America. The leagues 2nd leading scorer Dominik Kubalik was a .5ppg player in the OHL as an 18 year old 3 seasons ago. I'd say it is a pretty significant step-off from the SEL or the SM-Liiga in terms of talent as far as the Euro leagues go. It really is a shame that he didn't manage to get over to the CHL, as that seems to be the course that the majority of the top Czech prospects are taking nowadays. It really seems like the teams in the Extraliga do a poor job of developing good prospects. Now I'm not saying Jasek is going to suck or anything, but it appears by his struggles to carve out a role for himself in the Extraliga this year that he is still a project (he even played less games in the 1st league than he did both last season and the season prior to that). To expect him to come to NA next year and be a significant contributor for Utica might be asking too much. I'm still intrigued by Jasek as a prospect however, as he was noticeable (albeit unspectacular) at the WJC and by the fact that he has taken such an unusual road in his development.

Seattle still has that awful o-line, and they think Eddie Lacy is going to squeeze his fat butt through the holes they make? I forsee a lot of this in Eddie's future: Somebody better lather him up in butter before each play. He'd probably lick it all off himself though...

It would have been nice to see him sign, but Gaudette going back is what might be best for his development. He still needs to adds strength, and I think a season of being "the guy" for his team will help him to round out some of the kinks in his game and deal with the increased pressure and attention that comes with it. If he has another great season next year then he should definitely be ready to go pro. We still have his rights until 2019, so there isn't any need to be sweating about him not signing here.

He really does remind me of Dan Hamhuis though. Simple and smart hockey. Not overly strong, but doesn't need to be as he always seems to just have his body and stick in the right spot to make the play. Not a phenomenal shooter, but gets the puck to the net. Not sensational with his puck skills, but he is a great passer as he has the vision to make some sneaky passes on the breakout and in the offensive zone. Not a dynamic skater, but quick and agile, and has more than enough speed to make a break when he needs to. Skill wise, pretty much just a good at everything but great at nothing kind of guy. But just like Hammer he has tremendous hockey sense. I think he has a little bit more untapped offensive potential however thanks to his playmaking abilities. If he has a career anything like Hammers I'll be very pleased.

Also for what it's worth, I can pretty confidently say the effort concerns are a thing of the past. Ever since he turned pro and wasn't over-skilled for the level he was playing in he has shown a much higher compete level, and the results clearly speak for themselves. The kid is no Bo, but he's not a floater anymore by any means. He works hard along the boards and will battle for loose pucks and is much more active when playing away from the puck than he used to be. His defensive work remains his biggest issue, but that is largely in-part due to strength and just not having the best defensive positioning awareness. I think both of those issues will continue to improve greatly over the course of the next few years however. I really see no reason this kid shouldn't be at least a solid 2nd line player in the league. He has the offensive talent to be even better than that. He's the player I was hoping we would get when I heard Hansen was going to SJ, and I truly believe this is the best trade Benning has made at GM.

Kid is going to be with the roster from here on out. He's served his dues in the AHL and is ready to graduate. I'd be surprised if he found himself back in the minors again, with the exception of if Utica makes the playoffs this year.

They play a somewhat similar game, but Goldobin has way more skill than Shinkaruk does IMO. He has a better shot, great vision, and is a very explosive skater. Overall I'd say Goldobin legitimately has top line production potential. The issue with both players are that they are a bit weak and can get a little lost defensively, but I think Goldobins offensive skill should be enough to allow him to carve out a good NHL career. I'm not so certain about Shink at this point.

AP wouldn't do a thing behind Seattles awful o-line. Look how he did this year with Minnesota's line. Seattle should be just fine with a duo of Rawls and Prosise anyways. In any regard, AP looked pretty washed up this year even before his injury. I can't imagine any team thinking that going into the season with AP penciled in as their feature back would be a good idea.

I mean I loved Burr, but it is hard to argue that he didn't cross the line on occasion. The guy played with a ton of heart and always put it on the line, but sometimes in doing so he said and did things that were definitely regrettable.

Anyone have any good recommendations for Realism/3D tattoo artists around Vancouver? I had been thinking about getting a half-sleeve for a while but have decided that I don't have the money to set aside get that much work done and would likely not for a long time. Going to get a piece that covers my left pec now (maybe a little bit more $$$ permitting).

By far the best thing that scrub ever did for the franchise.

I'm not sure he'll even be a 3rd line guy that puts up 30 points a year, but he definitely seems like a safe bet to be a reliable 4th liner for a good number of years. If he can keep playing his sound game and start putting up 15-20 points a year I will be happy with what we got out of him. The kid works hard enough and gets enough chances that he should be able to achieve that.

You've been able to pause and rewind TV for a long time.

What Joe Mixon did was disgusting, but he was only 18 and from all reports he's been a pretty standup character since the incident. Definitely not a fan of the guy, but we've seen prospects with far worse character and behavioural issues be allowed to participate in the combine and end up being drafted.

McGuire may be a tool, but if there is one thing that I will trust him on it is his evaluation of young players. It's good to hear that Boeser keeps getting such strong praises from hockey analysts despite not putting up much in the way of numbers at the moment.

That was stupid. I hate to admit it. But Brady is the GOAT. That was full blown ridiculous.

Truth be told I'm more interested in what he shows when he comes to camp for next season.

You said it yourself, you care about where Virtanen is in 2 years. I do as well. It is naive not to have some questions about whether or not we see a discernible difference in his progression by that point based on what we have seen from him this far however. Might as well discuss those questions a little while we wait no? The wait and see game makes for boring dialogue.

He's had nearly 2 years in the pros. He might still get it eventually, but at a certain point you have to wonder what the delay is. If his diet and work ethic is still that much of an issue come the off-season it is a massive (even in comparison to right now) red-flag in terms of how we should be expecting him to progress as a player. It also makes you wonder where managements collective head was at drafting a kid who had such issues with such a high pick. Either they knew and took an unnecessary risk in the hopes he would figure it out, or they did not do their due diligence.

Wait... so our 20 year old 6th overall pick doesn't need to produce because he's too focused on learning how be a pro, how to work hard and how to eat right? That is discouraging on so many levels.

Tomorrowland round 2 baby!!!

I really want Atlanta to win, but to be honest I just hope it's an entertaining game. For the most part these playoffs have been garbage.

I love the NFL draft. There's always so many interesting story lines, questionable picks and instant steals. I don't really follow any of the prospects outside of guys who are either studs in the NCAA or guys that are probably going to be 1st or 2nd round picks during the season, so it's always cool to watch the draft process start to unfold. Regarding the Browns, they are probably the only team in the league that I could actually see skipping on Garrett . It would be idiotic though. He could and should be the next elite NFL edge rusher, and recent NFL history is showing just how important it is to have a guy like that anchoring your D. The 3 QBs are good, but none of them look like for sure NFL stars. Trubinksy has a safe floor I'd say, but might not be able to put it all together to become an elite QB. Kizer and Watson both have elite potential for sure, but carry a ton of weaknesses as well. After seeing what happens when teams reach at #1 for a QB just last draft, I think the Browns will make the obvious choice and go with Garrett.