Prospect Info: 2014-15 General Prospect Discussion Thread

[MuckOG]

Nah. I bet he'll be like Zucker last year. Going back and forth quite a bit.

We have Granlund/Koivu/Coyle/Haula as our centers, not including a guy like Carter who might play down the middle if brought back.

Plus, it would be nice to have Graovac have another year with some of the talent that is being brought in. Downing/Lucia(?) should definitely provide boosts. Not to mention an improved (hopefully) blueline with Labbe and Olofsson and possibly some other guys.

Labbe is a perfect example of a guy we don't have to even think about rushing due to our NHL depth on the blueline. I'm really looking forward to tracking his development. Could turn out to be a great 4th round pick.

 

[TaLoN]

My point still stands. Whether or not he's been playing center lately, I'm just wondering if it's HIS roster spot that Fletcher/Yeo will have Graovac fill next season: part time center/4th line/PK guy.

Graovac has spent the better part of two seasons in Iowa now. His numbers look decent for playing on a bad team. It'll probably time to see if he's ready to graduate to the NHL.

Completely agreed.

 

[Al Lagoon]

We're talking picks after the 3rd round. Minnesota was actually 25th of 30 teams (they have since moved up a little bit..maybe?). Let me see if I can find that record:

http://www.defendingbigd.com/2014/1...ton-oilers-columbus-blue-jackets-dallas-stars

This was at the beginning of the season, so Haula and Kuemper didn't count at that time.

So far, it looks like this;

Dallas Stars 47 9 19.15%
Ottawa Senators 52 9 17.31%
Columbus Blue Jackets 53 9 16.98%
Nashville Predators 57 9 15.79%
Pittsburgh Penguins 46 7 15.22%
San Jose Sharks 52 7 13.46%
Toronto Maple Leafs 52 7 13.46%
Tampa Bay Lightning 53 7 13.21%
Colorado Avalanche 47 6 12.77%
Buffalo Sabres 55 7 12.72%
New Jersey Devils 49 6 12.24%
LA*Kings 58 7 12.07%
New York Islanders 59 7 11.86%
Anaheim Ducks 43 5 11.63%
Edmonton Oilers 53 6 11.32%
New York Rangers 47 5 10.64%
Montreal Canadiens 48 5 10.42%
Calgary Flames 49 5 10.20%
Carolina Hurricanes 47 4 8.51%
Washington Capitals 49 4 8.16%
Philadelphia Flyers 50 4 8.00%
Chicago Blackhawks 63 5 7.94%
St Louis*Blues 51 4 7.84%
Arizona Coyotes 43 3 6.98%
Minnesota Wild 46 3 6.52%
Detroit Red Wings 52 3 5.77%
Florida Panthers 53 3 5.67%
Winnipeg Jets 56 3 5.36%
Boston Bruins 43 2 4.65%
Vancouver Canucks 44 1 2.27%

Kind of a dirty mockup. I don't know why they have their cut off at 50, they count everyone they drafted (including players that didn't sign OR were traded) But as it stands, Minnesota only moved up one to 24th/30th for picks making and playing in the NHL more than 50 games between 2005-2014.

What they've missed on picks they've more than made up for with signings like Spurgeon, Folin, Backstrom, etc.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Yeah, there's no need to rush Graovac. Keep giving him tastes of the NHL until he forces his way into the lineup.

 

[FinPanda]

Kaapo Kähkönen (goaltender) scored an empty netter and kept a shutout tonight.

 

[Keke]

So who said here that Finns can't score?

 

[Stanleyjub]

Here's the video

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Wild close to signing University of Vermont goalie Brody Hoffman

The Wild is close to signing 24-year-old University of Vermont junior goaltender Brody Hoffman to an entry-level contract, sources say.

The deal, which will be one year long due to his age, is not yet finalized.

The contract will start next season and he will likely not report to Iowa this season on an amateur tryout. University of New Hampshire forward Grayson Downing signed an ATO along with his entry-level deal last Tuesday.

Hoffman, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 205 pounds, went 13-6-2 in 22 games this past season. He ranked 18th in the NCAA with a 2.06 goals-against average and tied for 29th with a .922 save percentage. He was 34-33-9 in three years there with a 2.45 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.

 

[tyratoku]

Wild close to signing University of Vermont goalie Brody Hoffman

So this all but guarantees that Michalek will not go pro, and that Kaaponen won't come over, IMO.

Probably for the best.

 

[gphr513]

Wild close to signing University of Vermont goalie Brody Hoffman

Pretty good numbers on a mediocre Vermont team.

 

[Minnesota]

We've been signing a lot of Hockey East players lately.

 

[J22*]

So this all but guarantees that Michalek will not go pro, and that Kaaponen won't come over, IMO.

Probably for the best.

Michalek still has a year left doesn't he? I can't see why he would leave a school like Harvard a year early to go play in the AHL/ECHL.

 

[Quicy]

I think Michalek is done, he didn't play in a game his Soph year and went to the USHL, but I thought he still lost a year of eligibility .

This site has him listed as a Senior

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Isn't Michalek done with school though?

You can play 4 years and just like start a masters or something if you've already gotten a degree, Ponder got a degree and an MBA while he was playing for FSU. Not sure if Michalek is still eligible to play his 4th year, he played a year at Harvard, then USHL then 2 at Harvard, don't know how eligibility rules work.

 

[gphr513]

You can play 4 years and just like start a masters or something if you've already gotten a degree, Ponder got a degree and an MBA while he was playing for FSU. Not sure if Michalek is still eligible to play his 4th year, he played a year at Harvard, then USHL then 2 at Harvard, don't know how eligibility rules work.

Isn't it just the 5/4 rule?

So once he started at Harvard, the clock started ticking, and he had 5 years to use up his 4 years of eligibility. So if the timeline you have there is correct, 1 year at Harvard, 1 back in the USHL, and 2 more back at Harvard, I believe he'd still be eligible to play 1 more year at Harvard.

 

[J22*]

Isn't it just the 5/4 rule?

So once he started at Harvard, the clock started ticking, and he had 5 years to use up his 4 years of eligibility. So if the timeline you have there is correct, 1 year at Harvard, 1 back in the USHL, and 2 more back at Harvard, I believe he'd still be eligible to play 1 more year at Harvard.

I don't know the actual rule, but I do know that Max Gardiner played 1 year at the U, went to the USHL for a year, and then played 3 more years at Penn State. Have to believe that Michalek has 1 more year of eligibility.

 

[Foxlockbox]

Louie Belpedio's Amazing Empty-Net Save

 

[Minnesota]

Louie Belpedio's Amazing Empty-Net Save

Woah. Hopefully he's not still hurt. Pretty impressive save.

 

[grN1g]

If the wild go deep and we end up with a low pick i really hope we use it on Daniel Sprong if he falls, and the run on all the good centers happens.

Would be a perfect replacement for Pominville in 3-4 years, and could be our future goal scorer.

 

[Jesus comma Brodin]

Palmquist had an A and was +2 for the IA Wild last night. Sign em all!

 

[Nharris31]

• General Manager Chuck Fletcher said that after defenseman Dylan Labbe and center Christoph Bertschy finish their seasons, the Wild will look to sign the prospects. Labbe plays for Shawinigan, and it’s down 3-2 in a Quebec League playoff series to Halifax. Bertschy couldn’t be signed until after the world championships, assuming Switzerland selects him.

• Harvard senior goalie Stephen Michalek, who lost a year because of a schoolwide academic scandal in 2012, has petitioned the NCAA for another year of eligibility. If it’s not granted, the Wild will look to sign him.

• The Wild met with Notre Dame junior Mario Lucia on Saturday, according to sources. The forward, who scored 21 goals this season, is contemplating whether to sign with the Wild or return to school.
http://m.startribune.com/sports/wild/298696641.html


• Defenseman Gustav Olofsson, who has missed most of Iowa’s season because of a shoulder injury, has begun practicing with contact

 

[thestonedkoala]

What they've missed on picks they've more than made up for with signings like Spurgeon, Folin, Backstrom, etc.

Etc? Except for Fontaine that's pretty much all of them. Backstrom also wasn't a Fletcher signing. Folin has been meh. Spurgeon has been the only one of the group that has shown anything.

 

[jonas2244]

Bertschy's team SC Bern confirms that he'll sign with the Wild.

Link in German:
http://www.scb.ch/news/meldung/newsitem/abschied-vom-ausnahmetalent.html

 

[BagHead]

Etc? Except for Fontaine that's pretty much all of them. Backstrom also wasn't a Fletcher signing. Folin has been meh. Spurgeon has been the only one of the group that has shown anything.

Just because Backstrom hasn't been good lately, doesn't mean that at one time he didn't put up Vezina level numbers. He was a candidate for the award, one year, too. That's not "nothing."
(edit: nevermind, just read it again and I totally read your post wrong the first time regarding Backstrom.)

Folin is in his rookie season. I'm willing to give this at least a couple more seasons before I say he is "meh".

Did we all forget about Prosser? He hasn't always been the best, but this season he has been improved, and is a good #6-7 defenseman. That's not bad value for giving up zero assets. Twice.

 

[swissexpert]

Bertschy's team SC Bern confirms that he'll sign with the Wild.

Link in German:
http://www.scb.ch/news/meldung/newsitem/abschied-vom-ausnahmetalent.html

Kid made huge steps this season, although injuries hit him in the middle of the season. He's pretty fast, plays a solid two way game and battles hard. His shot could be better and a few more hours in the gym could do him well.
Guy Boucher is fascinated by him, seems to be a hard worker on and off the ice.

e: hope he gets top 6 minutes in Iowa next year