Prospect Info: 2018-2019 General Prospect Discussion Thread

[Saga of the Elk]

Mario Lucia scored 40+ in the BCHL, is that something you've accomplished or bested?

Clearly, nobody here has any real NHL, or professional hockey, talent, otherwise we wouldn't be browsing a message board.

But I didn't say Lucia "sucks" either. I just find it a rude way to characterize someone - especially at the prospect level. Also if the Wild had signed Duke you wouldn't hear "he sucks" you'd hear "he's a potential 20+ goal guy from the 3rd line" on this board. So it goes.

 

[Wabit]

But I didn't say Lucia "sucks" either. I just find it a rude way to characterize someone - especially at the prospect level. Also if the Wild had signed Duke you wouldn't hear "he sucks" you'd hear "he's a potential 20+ goal guy from the 3rd line" on this board. So it goes.

It goes that way for lots of prospects, unfortunately. And to be fair most other team's fanbases do similar things. For some MN fans Kunin will always be "not Kieffer Bellows"

 

[Saga of the Elk]

It goes that way for lots of prospects, unfortunately. And to be fair most other team's fanbases do similar things. For some MN fans Kunin will always be "not Kieffer Bellows"

Fair enough...he seems to be a very solid WHLer.

 

[Caser]

Sokolov officially made it to the Team Russia WJC roster.

 

[SomethingGeneric]

Sokolov officially made it to the Team Russia WJC roster.

Any preliminary guesses on how much we could see of him? Will he be a horse or a passenger this tournament?

 

[Caser]

Any preliminary guesses on how much we could see of him? Will he be a horse or a passenger this tournament?

Hard to tell now, he played on the 2nd line, but wasn't too good at the pre-WJC exhibition games, so it's kind of depends on his performance.

 

[Al Lagoon]

Any preliminary guesses on how much we could see of him? Will he be a horse or a passenger this tournament?

Nice to have at least a horse in the tournament - it's not like 3 captains, which the Wild have pulled off twice, but better than nothing.

 

[Wabit]

I know he's not well liked, but Gabriel got injured pretty badly last month. Down on the Farm: Gabriel on long road back to recovery

And make no mistake, Gabriel intends to be back on the ice in a Wild uniform before the end of the 2017-18 season despite a partial cut of his median nerve, as well as damage to a major muscle and a ligament in his wrist sustained in a game Nov. 17. The 24-year-old Ontario native underwent successful surgery to repair the damage three days after sustaining the cut that jarred just about everyone on the Iowa bench.
"It was scary," Iowa coach Derek Lalonde said. "I didn't know if he had broken his arm or what, but the look on his face showed he was scared. He was screaming in pain."
Gabriel said that what scared him most was the pain he felt when he got cut. Gabriel had flattened a Grand Rapids player into the boards just prior to getting cut.
"I had turned away to see where the puck was after I knocked him over," he said. "He was trying to get up right behind my knees when I fell backward over him. The back point of his skate was pointing up when I fell back and I hit directly on the back point of his skate."
Immediately, Gabriel felt a searing pain that told him he had been injured severely.

I wouldn't want that to happen to anyone.

 

[Wild11MN]

Wow, that's awful. Sounds like a total fluke injury too. Hope he fully recovers soon.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

 

[Saga of the Elk]

I can't see the stats on the first page but I'll do a little prospect roundup anyhow.

Pavel Jenys is quietly having a decent season. ECHL but still, 21 points in 29 games is solid for a guy his age. Bouramman is also doing pretty well, with 15 in 24.

In college:
12 points in 15 games for Nick Swaney, who was hurt for a month (third on the Bulldogs). Teammate Avery Peterson has just 7 in 16.

Bryce Misley is struggling with just 3 points, but he's also still just 18.

Brandon Duhaime has 15 points in 22 games - solid work from him. Can see the Wild turning him pro pretty soon.

Greenway has 17 in 20.

You guys see plenty of Jack Sadek. I'm not sure I see an NHL prospect there, same with Nick Boka. But both guys have another season to develop risk-free.

Belpedio on pace for a career high season with 18 points (seven goals) in 20 games to date.

Europe:

Kahkonen continues his strong season, having lowered his GAA by a full half-goal.

Stezka is sinking, even in the Czech 2nd league.

Kaprizov we have covered (he's good) but Svetlakov has surpassed his career best already, with 17 in 33.

CHL

Shaw still out. Golden producing almost zero offense. Sokolov we covered recently too.

Lodnia is at 46 points in 40 games - two goals behind Sokolov right now. I'm guessing he's one guy that moves up a lot next time we rank prospects.

Baribeau doesn't compare too favorably to his peers with a .892 save percentage but he's getting a lot of starts and improving. I still like the signing.

This is not everyone by any means, but a lot of the most notable names apart from the AHLers, most of whom strike me as just that, Kunin and Menell aside.

I think they'll let a lot of guys walk this summer.

 

[Bazeek]

Lodnia is at 46 points in 40 games - two goals behind Sokolov right now. I'm guessing he's one guy that moves up a lot next time we rank prospects.

Any thoughts on his chances to play in the WJC next year? It seems like he's doing great this year, but I have no idea what his competition for Team USA looks like.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Any thoughts on his chances to play in the WJC next year? It seems like he's doing great this year, but I have no idea what his competition for Team USA looks like.

He was on a lot of people's prelim rosters right after the tourney ended. Most have him on the 3rd line RW, but a couple had him on the top line.

 

[BagHead]

Thanks for the write-up Peter! I do wish HF still had you doing articles on these guys, I loved reading them. Anyway, I'm most excited about Lodnia's improvement, as I really like the way he plays. From the little I've seen of him he's a really slippery player for defenders to deal with. I was nervous, when we drafted him, about his 2 points in 22 playoff games the season before, but was told not to worry about it (for what reason I can't remember, but I think he was playing 4th line at the time because of a trade?). I'm a lot less concerned today than I was then.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Anas is about to equal his prior year points total in less than half of the games (already tied his goal total); anybody who has seen Iowa play know if there is something to keep an eye on there?

 

[Saga of the Elk]

Anas is about to equal his prior year points total in less than half of the games (already tied his goal total); anybody who has seen Iowa play know if there is something to keep an eye on there?

He's a terrific talent but he's still 170 pounds with his equipment on and therefore still a longshot NHLer.

 

[Ban Hammered]

He's a terrific talent but he's still 170 pounds with his equipment on and therefore still a longshot NHLer.

And also has a bad injury history.

 

[Nharris31]

He's a terrific talent but he's still 170 pounds with his equipment on and therefore still a longshot NHLer.

Could care less how much he weighs

 

[Saga of the Elk]

Could care less how much he weighs

Good to know. The laws of physics, professional coaches, and common sense dictate that it's an important factor why he is an AHLer and not more.

 

[Nharris31]

Good to know. The laws of physics, professional coaches, and common sense dictate that it's an important factor why he is an AHLer and not more.

It doesn’t hurt to give him a chance can’t be any worse than Stewart.These are the same people who dropped casey mittelstadt in the draft because he couldn’t do a pull-up

 

[Bazeek]

Pronman has a new top 50 NHL prospects article on The Athletic.

7. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Minnesota
Age: 20 | Height: 5-foot-10 | Weight: 192 pounds
Drafted: Fifth round, 135th overall in 2015
2017-18 team: CSKA Moskva
Kaprizov has been the top scorer for one of the top teams in the KHL this season. He stands out in so many ways. He skates very well, is a great playmaker and stick handler who makes plays at pro speed, and can finish chances, too. I don’t think he’s fantastic defensively, but he’s decent, has killed penalties at times this KHL season and can win some puck battles despite not being the biggest guy. The only downside for Kaprizov from an NHL standpoint is, well, if he’ll ever come to the NHL. He is signed in the KHL through 2019-20 after re-signing in the summer, and I’ll continue to rate him as an NHL prospect until the end of that deal. He could be in the Olympics for Russia if Wild fans want to get a glimpse of him.

41. Luke Kunin, C, Minnesota
Age: 20 | Height: 6-foot | Weight: 192 pounds
Drafted: First round, 15th overall in 2016
2017-18 team: Iowa Wild
Kunin has been up and down between the Wild and AHL this season. He’s been fine in the NHL but won’t be up permanently until a spot opens up for him to get real ice time. He has a lot of value from his versatility. Kunin can play center or wing, make plays on both special teams, be a setup man or wire his high-end shot to finish chances. His skill and speed are solid, albeit he’s not a spectacular offensive player. He’s earned the notice of fellow coaches who selected him to the AHL All-Star Game in his first full year as a pro. I expect he’ll be up with the Wild for good soon.

Greenway was an honorable mention. Eriksson Ek didn't meet the criteria since he's considered "graduated."

 

[57special]

Don't know how well Kunin has been playing, but he sure isn't scoring down in the AHL. Unless he is Iowa's version of Bob Gainey, I don't see how he got an invite to an Allstar game.

 

[Nharris31]

Don't know how well Kunin has been playing, but he sure isn't scoring down in the AHL. Unless he is Iowa's version of Bob Gainey, I don't see how he got an invite to an Allstar game.

He hasn’t played the last couple of games. He has been injured

 

[BagHead]

Not to step on 57special's feet here, but Kunin has 12 points in 22 games and a -10 +/- rating. I mean, Sam Anas is on the team, has 31 points in 33 games and is a +1. He has more goals than Kunin has points. Is he not more deserving?

 

[Saga of the Elk]

Hopefully if Kunin can't go, Anas gets the nod. But part of these events is always the marketing.