Prospect Info: 2017-18 Prospects Thread (CHL, NCAA, Junior A, Europe)

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

As if Timmins won't be involved in the Drae trade

He won't be because Chia is going to trade Draisaitl this off-season for Nemeth, Swedish shutdown dman extraordinaire.

 

[Perratrooper]

He won't be because Chia is going to trade Draisaitl this off-season for Nemeth, Swedish shutdown dman extraordinaire.

Nemeth, Siemens, Morrison and the rights to Comeau, gotta be strong and physical

 

[Foppa Frossa]

I want Timmins and Meloche to play top minutes for the Eagles next season.

EJ - Z
Barrie - Nemeth
Girard - Barberio
Alt

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I want Timmins and Meloche to play top minutes for the Eagles next season.

EJ - Z
Barrie - Nemeth
Girard - Barberio
Alt

I'm strangely at ease with that. In fact Barrie, Girard and Barberio have all shown the ability to play for stretches when needed a level higher than you have them.

The guy I kinda feel bad for is Duncan, I liked most of what I saw from him this year. I imagine he probably wants to move on and get a shot elsewhere but I would not hesitate to give him another two-way deal and have him be the first AHL Eagles team captain and have him get a callup upon occasion.

 

[CobraAcesS]

I'm strangely at ease with that. In fact Barrie, Girard and Barberio have all shown the ability to play for stretches when needed a level higher than you have them.

The guy I kinda feel bad for is Duncan, I liked most of what I saw from him this year. I imagine he probably wants to move on and get a shot elsewhere but I would not hesitate to give him another two-way deal and have him be the first AHL Eagles team captain and have him get a callup upon occasion.

I don't have a problem with Nemeth and Barbs being on the team next year, but if both are dressed on day one we are setting ourselves up for failure IMO.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I don't have a problem with Nemeth and Barbs being on the team next year, but if both are dressed on day one we are setting ourselves up for failure IMO.

Ideally we'd get an improvement for the second pairing yes...but it really depends on the cost (trade) and cost/term (UFA). If they can't get a reasonable upgrade I'd be satisfied moving into camp and see what shakes out and possible look for a trade 20ish games into the season if necessary. It's not ideal, but it's not heart-attack inducing to me either, as I said, I'm strangely at ease. If we can't get an upgrade during the summer if I was Bednar I would at least play with this in training camp/pre-season to see what happens:

EJ/Zadorov - Barrie
Zadorov/EJ - Girard
Barbario-Nemeth​

I'd like to see someone like Timmins make it hard for Bednar to re-assign him but I'm not counting on him being ready off the bat.

​

 

[Foppberg]

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Any chance that Dan Weiss will be moving to Colorado to join the Eagles next season?

 

[Foppa Frossa]

Any chance that Dan Weiss will be moving to Colorado to join the Eagles next season?

As my old teacher used to say, "Slim to none, and Slim just left town."

SAR will still be around as the STL affiliate.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

As my old teacher used to say, "Slim to none, and Slim just left town."

SAR will still be around as the STL affiliate.

That's unfortunate. He was a good follow on twitter for our AHL folks.

 

[Foppa2118]

Even if Geertsen and Meloche never become full time NHLers, it's still a positive sign that the coaching staff and development team got them to improve this season. In the past, prospects like them have just stagnated in their development once they hit the AHL.

 

[Freudian]

Timmins is first in OHL playoff defender scoring with 3 goals and 7 assists in 8 games.

Tough series against Owen Sound though. Tied 2-2 now.

 

[LTC Pain]

But did he get beat to the outside!?!

And, has he improved his loathesome skating!

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

With Adam Werner making his first start in the AHL I went back and watched the game. Here's my scouting report on his April 8th start vs the Cleveland Monsters:

"Was an inconsistent game from him. Plays a more technical based type of game. Uses a stance where he keeps his legs tall and upper body gets low while setting up with his toes touching the top of the crease. This stance allows him to make use of his footwork which is the best part of his physical skill set. Doesn’t move overly quickly either on his feet or on his knees but he moves best while staying on his feet keeping his form together with few additional holes opening up. Struggled at times keeping up with the speed of the game making it difficult for him to stay with the puck putting him behind the play. Other than those moments he did well keeping up with the movement of the puck.

When it came to shots his puck tracking was inconsistent resulting in his rebound control being inconsistent as well as allowing in two goals he should have had. He adjusted to this disadvantage later in the game by not trying to control rebounds rather focusing on ensuring his body was in front of the puck. In order to get his quickness up to an average level he’ll need to improve on his physical mechanics particularly when it comes to activating his edges. Generally liked his overall positioning as no matter how he was moving he focused and did well on keeping his form together. Didn’t play the puck often but showed good decision making when he did."

What does this all mean? First off that Werner learned that the AHL is the great equalizer. It's not easy for any goalie his age to come into the AHL and be good right off the bat. The AHL eats 20/21yo rookie goalies alive and Werner was no different this game. Werner has a solid base of skills though and his success in the Swe2 league isn't wiped out because he struggled in his first AHL game. I think this game shows that Werner getting an ELC and being loaned back to Sweden would be beneficial for both parties now that Werner knows where he needs to get his level of play to.

Side note 1: Loved watching Meloche play and I'm fully on board with the idea that he'll push for a NHL spot come training camp.

Side note 2: Columbus prospect Matiss Kivlenieks was in the Cleveland net and he couldn't be more of a different goalie than Werner. Always fun watching two goalies go at it with completely opposite styles of play.

 

[The Kingslayer]

With Adam Werner making his first start in the AHL I went back and watched the game. Here's my scouting report on his April 8th start vs the Cleveland Monsters:

"Was an inconsistent game from him. Plays a more technical based type of game. Uses a stance where he keeps his legs tall and upper body gets low while setting up with his toes touching the top of the crease. This stance allows him to make use of his footwork which is the best part of his physical skill set. Doesn’t move overly quickly either on his feet or on his knees but he moves best while staying on his feet keeping his form together with few additional holes opening up. Struggled at times keeping up with the speed of the game making it difficult for him to stay with the puck putting him behind the play. Other than those moments he did well keeping up with the movement of the puck.

When it came to shots his puck tracking was inconsistent resulting in his rebound control being inconsistent as well as allowing in two goals he should have had. He adjusted to this disadvantage later in the game by not trying to control rebounds rather focusing on ensuring his body was in front of the puck. In order to get his quickness up to an average level he’ll need to improve on his physical mechanics particularly when it comes to activating his edges. Generally liked his overall positioning as no matter how he was moving he focused and did well on keeping his form together. Didn’t play the puck often but showed good decision making when he did."

What does this all mean? First off that Werner learned that the AHL is the great equalizer. It's not easy for any goalie his age to come into the AHL and be good right off the bat. The AHL eats 20/21yo rookie goalies alive and Werner was no different this game. Werner has a solid base of skills though and his success in the Swe2 league isn't wiped out because he struggled in his first AHL game. I think this game shows that Werner getting an ELC and being loaned back to Sweden would be beneficial for both parties now that Werner knows where he needs to get his level of play to.

Side note 1: Loved watching Meloche play and I'm fully on board with the idea that he'll push for a NHL spot come training camp.

Side note 2: Columbus prospect Matiss Kivlenieks was in the Cleveland net and he couldn't be more of a different goalie than Werner. Always fun watching two goalies go at it with completely opposite styles of play.

Appreciate this stuff Gigantor.

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

Appreciate this stuff Gigantor.

No problem. I really wanted to know what the Avs have in Werner and thought it would be helpful to share what I saw.

 

[Pokecheque]

So ND players are signing all over the place...what's the deal with Morrison?

 

[henchman21]

So ND players are signing all over the place...what's the deal with Morrison?

There should be no deal... he should stay another season.

 

[Pokecheque]

There should be no deal... he should stay another season.

I know this season was a step back for him but I don't think he necessarily has to stay. Guess we'll see.

 

[henchman21]

I know this season was a step back for him but I don't think he necessarily has to stay. Guess we'll see.

I don't even think it was a step back so much as a leveling off... Morrison still has a lot to learn at the NCAA level and he can be a leader and the guy on that team next year. I think it would serve him very well to be that player for Notre Dame.

 

[McMetal]

His season was a bit of a disappointment because he didn't take any real steps forward, which is always what you hope to see from any prospect. He should absolutely be in college another year, and then hopefully no matter what signed after next year even if it's purely for the AHL. Not worth taking a chance on the college free agent loophole with a second round pick.

 

[CobraAcesS]

So is he legit? Or is this Sgarbossa 2.0?

 

[CobraAcesS]

No one has an opinion on if Lewis is legit or not?

 

[cgf]

No one has an opinion on if Lewis is legit or not?

We'll see how he takes the next step

 

[chet1926]

No one has an opinion on if Lewis is legit or not?

It's just tough to say how his game translates to the next level.

On the plus side he just had a great season in the WHL. He out-scored and had similar pts/game as guys like Sam Steel, Brett Howden, Kieffer Bellows who are regarded as a solid prospects for their teams and are all about the same age as Lewis. Lewis has also shown progression every year so far going from a role player and .5 pts/game to star play on the team and 1.4 pts/game. So it's always nice to see advancement in the players game.

On the down side, he is a bit on the smaller side 5'11 188lbs, which is probably generous as they always beef up the numbers a bit. And we already have a plethora of smallish young guys up front like Jost, Kerfoot, and Compher. He is a top-6 or bust type, so if he can't score at the NHL level he is not going to be well suited for bottom line roles. Which might force him to be an AHL level player.

All I know is I'm excited to see him at the AHL level in Loveland next season. See what he can do there, as I assume he'll probably be given the opportunity for top 6 minutes. It's nice that we got a guy who just posted a great season absolutely free, so anything we get from him is gravy.