Prospect Info: All-Purpose Prospect Thread v9.0: IceHogs/Fuel/NCAA/Jr./Int'l - Too Many Cooks in Net

[anofsti]

Hi!

How has Andreas Martinsen been doing for the Ice Hogs? I see that he's been putting up points lately - and wonder if he looks like he would maybe get a call up to see if he could perform in the NHL.

 

[SAADfather]

Highmore had a hat trick in the Hogs win tonight.

 

[clydesdale line]

Highmore, Jurco and Fortin have been red hot lately. Same with Kampf who was called up.

 

[hawksfan50]

Saw Dylan Sikura on tv today playing for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in his attempt to impress forcacre-set spit on Canada's Olympic team ...He was 1 of only 2 NCAA Canadian players on the roster for this tournament. .The rest of the squad were Canadians playing in several euro pro leagues ...several former NHL players like Chris Kelly,Jay McClemment...Maxime Lapierre and P..A.Parenteau ,to name a few...

Anyway ..to.me Sikura was "just another guy" ..did not look anything special ..I counted 3 shot attempts NY hom ..2 missed the net and 1 git deflected up and out of play ..Discover not see any special skills ...did not see hom dominate shifts or create mich ..mostly chasing pucks and not engaging physically ..he has goid mobility but often just takes wide circles without the puck I the o-zone ..did not see anticipation or hockey sense to get to better spots to receive oases or to intercept opposition attacks..Overall..not impressed ..just did not see talent he bus supposed to have compared to journeymen former NHLERS on display on thevteam. ..If you think he is the Saviour for the Hawks joining us late in the season this spring ...well you will be disappointed if this is what he brings..He did look talker than his listed height when drafted ...to me he looks almost 6'1 ..but he also still looks awfully skinny and will get pushed around by savvy vets bin the borosilicate ..Sorry to report this but I did not see mich from him today to get anywhere excited..

Now on to the WJHC
..am watching the Sweden vs. Switzerland game ...SWEDES are leading 3-2 after 2 periods... 4 of tye goals have been unassisted. ..off turnovers ...Lots of turnovers in tjis game by both teams .Blackhawks prospect Tim Soderlund has no points in tge game so far ...mostly they have used him as a 4th liner and in reserve for pk situations ..and sometimes they rotated 3 lines consecutively so that the 4th line got only a few shifts for tge first 30 monutes of the game ..only in the last half of the 2nd did they go to a regular 4 line rotation apart from pp situations..But still despite this, Soderlund caused 2 Swiss turnovers that resulted in Sweden scoring ...but of course he got no credit for assists since his checking pressure caused tge Swiss players in the 2 cases to make hurried bad passes that led to lose pucks transitionedvtgebothervwayvfor scores ...The TSN analyst...Dave Reid... said he could not recall any game where there were 4 unforced turnover goals ..he was 75% wro g ..because Soderlund CAUSED 2 Swiss turnovers by bad passes because of his checking pressure ..and 1 of the Swiss goals was an own goal caused by Swiss forward tapping the stick of Swedish dman trying to exit the zone directly in front of his own crease ...The other Swiss goal came from a steal and break-away ...and only 1 Swedish goal came from an unforced errant pass ..Thus 3 of the total 5 goals came due to forced turnovers ... as I said..it was Soderlund by his checking that caused 2 of tge Swedish goals to result after they captured the loose puck .

Anyway ..here is an example of a player not getting in on the scori g but really tge main contributor to 2 goals being scored for his team..and also showing shoddy analysis by a tv analyst who was blind to not see that Soderlund's checking was the causebofvthose 2 Swiss turnovers and also his blindness not crediting the Swiss player's tap on the Sedish dman for the cause of then own goal ..In the scoring that Swiss player was given credit for that goal but the tc commentators argued that since he never shot the puck, the goal should have gone to the last Swiss player that actually touched the puck ...but even if they had done that I the official scoring,it woukd nit change the fact that an own goal is a turnover caused by the player tapping the stick that caused then own goal.


Now as I typed this Sweden scored again to lead 4-2 ...The 5th consecutive unassisted goal of this game off a turnover !

And a few monutes after I finished typing this ,Soderlund scores of a nice dash rush !!! This was not off a turnover ...and I think there was an assist on the play .

But anyway ...Soderlund gets 1 goal but caused 2 others to result for Sweden but got no credit in asdists.


NOW Sweden scores another goal off a turnover ...unassisted ...They apiarently did not give any assist on the Soderlund goal but should have..if that stand it is 7 consecutive unassisted goals total in this game.

AND Sweden scores again...now leads 7-2 ..this time they gave assist ! SO that ends the 7 consecutive unassisted goals streak in this game which has to be some kind of record.

Still about 5 and a half monutes remaining in this slaughter by Sweden 0f the Swiss.

 

[hawksfan50]

SODERLUND almost scored another goal..a speed rush from.i sidebhisbblue line all the way up the right boards directly to the net ..but the Swiss goalie stoooedbhim..tremendous speed he has ...
..

 

[hawksfan50]

Game over ...7-2 final for Sweden over the Swiss...very impressed by Soderlund even though he was just a role player on the 4th or sometines 3rd line (he did get more shifts in the last 30. minutes of the game than ge got in the first half of the game..not sure if this was because they went back to a regular 4 line rotation or whether they switched him.up to 3rd line in the 2nd half mid-way in the 2nd ..but whatever the case he made significant contribution when Sweden exploded for goals from.mid -way in the game from a quite sloppy and dozing first 30 minutes...Sweden dominated I the 3rd period ..upped their compete level. ..

 

[LDF]

Saw Dylan Sikura on tv today playing for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in his attempt to impress forcacre-set spit on Canada's Olympic team ...He was 1 of only 2 NCAA Canadian players on the roster for this tournament. .The rest of the squad were Canadians playing in several euro pro leagues ...several former NHL players like Chris Kelly,Jay McClemment...Maxime Lapierre and P..A.Parenteau ,to name a few...

Anyway ..to.me Sikura was "just another guy" ..did not look anything special ..I counted 3 shot attempts NY hom ..2 missed the net and 1 git deflected up and out of play ..Discover not see any special skills ...did not see hom dominate shifts or create mich ..mostly chasing pucks and not engaging physically ..

your comment remind me what was being said about D-cat last yr...... i would be extremely happy if Sikura will rebound as nicely as D-cat.

 

[Putt Pirate]

Fiddy was pretty spot on with Cat last season.

 

[LDF]

Fiddy was pretty spot on with Cat last season.

i was referring to how D-cat didn't make the team CA and he impressed so much in training camp.

i really don't take the results of these tourney's that seriously. yeah it is nice and all on the players playing and doing well.

but when D-cat didn't make it last season, i just look to see how he would do in rest of his season and in next training ..

 

[neelynugs]

where do you guys see kayumov fitting into your lists? jokiharju is #1 but then it gets tricky.

 

[TLEH]

Before this tournament most people had kind of forgotten about him. He didn't do much in the MHL last year and hasn't done much in the KHL this year. Hard to see highlights. He's played well at this tournament and opened peoples eyes again.

 

[hawksfan50]

What impressed me about Kayumov was his closing and taking away pucks in tge neutral zone...this kind of stuff separates those who can just put up points in a juniors tournament frpm guys who can play in the nhl...coaches love players who can play well without the puck to add to their offensive potential. .He seems to think the game well positional ly ..has obvious speed to close and back-check and showed sone offensive ability too especially relative to other Russian forwards at this tournament. . DID not look at his faceoff stats ..that Co ukd be a deal-breaker if not good enough.
But otherwise whike I do not see elite scoring threat ,I see perhaps potential to be Bergerpn-loke defensively and perhaps enough offense to be a good 2C or 3C withvtgexrifht linemates ...playing without the puck and as a good per is half the battle to coaches trusting a player and finding a rile for them.

 

[hawksfan50]

Tim Soderlund impressed again..2 assists..the 2nd was highlight reel stuff...He also had a rush taking it to the net where he almost scored..ALSO tremendous agility in addition to speed and protects puck well in the board battles and twists this and that way to shed his checks along the boards to maintain the puck and keep the attack going..This guy is 100% certain to be a keyBlackhawks player soon ..I woukd give 1 more year to mature a bit more against SHL pros then come over and go immediately into Hawks lineup. .His speed and compete level and ability to generate dagerous attacks on net are too good not to utilize. .whoever is coaching us will not hesitate to find a role fo r him .BUT of note..he was nit playing Centre...They used him on the wing .He probably still will never be a top 2 line player..but coukd be a 3rd or 4th line winger that is a cut way way above average for a bottom six player. ..Probably coukd helo any line as a catalyst with energy ,compete and the speed and skill to lead his line to great contribution...Proved he can go north North -South straight line speed or go east Westbank both cycle game and in cuttinaccross defenses to dish to guys for shots in goal .So I see him helping drive any line he plays on.

Very intesting that he played with Steen and Lundestrom. ..Steen he played with last WJHC and Sweden kept them together her ..but the draft eligible kid Issac Lundstrom with the 2 finishes off dishes to hom by Soderlund perhaps has out ideas into our Scouting Staff that he might be our draft target (unless we win a lottery pick to draft in the top 3) .. Lundestrom is in a lot of 15-early 20s range draft lists ..so the possibility to draft hom to play with Soderlund since they seem to have developed chemistry is a very intriguing prospect as a Centre with Soderlund at RW ..

 

[TLEH]

Altybarmakyan is f***ing gooooood.

 

[TLEH]

Also. I hope to god we take Jacob Ragnarsson.

 

[BK]

This draft class for the Hawks is looking like it could be incredible.

HJ was the Finns best D, Mitchell looks great, etc.

 

[LDF]

again, SB does what he does best ............... scouting and drafting.

to be honest, i can't wait to see these kids in a chi uni.

 

[Hawkaholic]

This draft class for the Hawks is looking like it could be incredible.

HJ was the Finns best D, Mitchell looks great, etc.

Soderlund as well, from the game I saw a couple days ago.

 

[TLEH]

That was Adam fox defending altybarmakyan too... only the best NCAA dman

 

[BK]

That was Adam fox defending altybarmakyan too... only the best NCAA dman

Krys would have stopped him....

100% Joking.

 

[hawksfan50]

I f we are drafting in the teens ,I think there are several options to consider ..doubt you can make a case for a BPA at that pinning thus draft ..There are lots of close calls within a range for Stan to consider ..especialky if we eliminate d-men ..not because some Dmen on the board in this deep first round of Dmen might be considered as prizes to add to a pipeline and perhaps a dman Stan's staff ranked a few spots ahead of the forwards choices s remaining for us to consider some of whom might be a bit less safe bets to impact in future than such dman ..but because our pipeline has dman depth but lacks depth at C especialky and maybe an elite scoring winger ..And so if I am planning our first rounder and if it is in the early to late teens (sssumong we either do not win the Cup again or falk to a kiterynpuck and win one of the top 3 picks) then I woukd NOT be targeting a dman ..but only targeting Centres (first) or wingers if the C or C's I coveted are off the board already.

For Cs I am looking at Jack McBain or Isaac Lundestrom...

For Wngers looking at Vitaly Kravtsov (RW )or Gregory Denisenko (LW) ..
I think they are all good prospects for us to consider within a 12 -19 range where we could be drafting depending on whether we falterboutbof a wildcard or just get into a wildcard or 6th or 5th place ..in the Western Conference ..


Denisenko at 5'10 165 no doubt does however present another smallish (though very skilked) player who we already have on our squad and so ,and so If we are taking a winger maybe Kravtsov at 6'2 and 170 (needs to add weight) might be a better choice as he has exceptional puck skills and hands but may be better on size and defending responsibility ...IF we want another winger I guess it is whichever Russian Stan prefers if both still on the board...BUT ..I gotta think our pipeline need is at C ...McBain at 6'3 196 is too inviting to pass up I'm my opinion
...some have said he should have dominated his league with even higher production..but against his peers at tge World Jr A Challenge he got 2 hand 4a in 4GP to 1g and 3 a for Denisenko ..so ..just saying. .
Lundestrom may not have the upside of McBain or tge flash Russian wingers ..but he may be tge closest to the NHL ..Maybe 1 more year of development in Sweden..bring intensity ..a good 200ft game ,good on the boatds..and can make plays in tight traffic ..He is 6'1 185 and does lot s of things well with a work effort to boot ...he shoukd be a goid player but perhaps without a ceiling of greatness. NOW as it relates to tge C position..what I do not have is a report on faceoff prowess fir either McBain ir Lundestrom...if one is vastly superior in that area that should too the scale on who to target first ahead of the other if still on the board.
We absolutely do need more C depth in our pipeline and while Kayumov surprised us with his WJHC showing , I still think if you can grab a goid C talent in round 1 ,it is likelier that C will be better than C's you can get in rounds after round 1 .. In most drafts tge best 3-5"Cs likely to be off tge board before 20 ...sometines a late 20s C is a home run. .but considering the Hawks have drafted very late or given away our first rounders we have not gotten many chances to get a top C from the top 2/3 of round 1 ..That could be possible this draft and if we can be in that position I woukd not pass up that opportunity.

Nobody is going to trade you a C capable of being a to 1 or 2 C in future
or starting for you as a 2C talent playing 3 C for your team to make you exceptionally derp in C's on your NHL squad ..I you have 3 C's who can put up points you should be an exceptional squad scoring ..We all know the Hawks have to add C's from the draft ..best if we start by doing it in this roundv ..since we have no 2nd or 5th rounders..Meaning even if we want to add C's we have to only think of round 3 and round 5 to start drafting sone IF we bypass our big chance I roundv.

Honestly I do not think we can talk BPA where we are going to draft most likely ...different if we had a top 3 pick
Or even a top six pick shoukd no C's be ranked by Stan till #7: anyway. .But we are not likely winning a lottery into the vote 3 picks. SO given our likely 12 -18 slot..I think we need to draft a goid Centre there.

 

[LDF]

I f we are drafting in the teens ,I think there are several options to consider ..doubt you can make a case for a BPA at that pinning thus draft ..There are lots of close calls within a range for Stan to consider ..especialky if we eliminate d-men ..not because some Dmen on the board in this deep first round of Dmen might be considered as prizes to add to a pipeline and perhaps a dman Stan's staff ranked a few spots ahead of the forwards choices s remaining for us to consider some of whom might be a bit less safe bets to impact in future than such dman ..but because our pipeline has dman depth but lacks depth at C especialky and maybe an elite scoring winger ..And so if I am planning our first rounder and if it is in the early to late teens (sssumong we either do not win the Cup again or falk to a kiterynpuck and win one of the top 3 picks) then I woukd NOT be targeting a dman ..but only targeting Centres (first) or wingers if the C or C's I coveted are off the board already.

For Cs I am looking at Jack McBain or Isaac Lundestrom...

For Wngers looking at Vitaly Kravtsov (RW )or Gregory Denisenko (LW) ..
I think they are all good prospects for us to consider within a 12 -19 range where we could be drafting depending on whether we falterboutbof a wildcard or just get into a wildcard or 6th or 5th place ..in the Western Conference ..


Denisenko at 5'10 165 no doubt does however present another smallish (though very skilked) player who we already have on our squad and so ,and so If we are taking a winger maybe Kravtsov at 6'2 and 170 (needs to add weight) might be a better choice as he has exceptional puck skills and hands but may be better on size and defending responsibility ...IF we want another winger I guess it is whichever Russian Stan prefers if both still on the board...BUT ..I gotta think our pipeline need is at C ...McBain at 6'3 196 is too inviting to pass up I'm my opinion
...some have said he should have dominated his league with even higher production..but against his peers at tge World Jr A Challenge he got 2 hand 4a in 4GP to 1g and 3 a for Denisenko ..so ..just saying. .
Lundestrom may not have the upside of McBain or tge flash Russian wingers ..but he may be tge closest to the NHL ..Maybe 1 more year of development in Sweden..bring intensity ..a good 200ft game ,good on the boatds..and can make plays in tight traffic ..He is 6'1 185 and does lot s of things well with a work effort to boot ...he shoukd be a goid player but perhaps without a ceiling of greatness. NOW as it relates to tge C position..what I do not have is a report on faceoff prowess fir either McBain ir Lundestrom...if one is vastly superior in that area that should too the scale on who to target first ahead of the other if still on the board.
We absolutely do need more C depth in our pipeline and while Kayumov surprised us with his WJHC showing , I still think if you can grab a goid C talent in round 1 ,it is likelier that C will be better than C's you can get in rounds after round 1 .. In most drafts tge best 3-5"Cs likely to be off tge board before 20 ...sometines a late 20s C is a home run. .but considering the Hawks have drafted very late or given away our first rounders we have not gotten many chances to get a top C from the top 2/3 of round 1 ..That could be possible this draft and if we can be in that position I woukd not pass up that opportunity.

Nobody is going to trade you a C capable of being a to 1 or 2 C in future
or starting for you as a 2C talent playing 3 C for your team to make you exceptionally derp in C's on your NHL squad ..I you have 3 C's who can put up points you should be an exceptional squad scoring ..We all know the Hawks have to add C's from the draft ..best if we start by doing it in this roundv ..since we have no 2nd or 5th rounders..Meaning even if we want to add C's we have to only think of round 3 and round 5 to start drafting sone IF we bypass our big chance I roundv.

Honestly I do not think we can talk BPA where we are going to draft most likely ...different if we had a top 3 pick
Or even a top six pick shoukd no C's be ranked by Stan till #7: anyway. .But we are not likely winning a lottery into the vote 3 picks. SO given our likely 12 -18 slot..I think we need to draft a goid Centre there.

i agree with this draft and the uncertainty of where the Bhawks will pick. i too am looking in the range of 8-15 .

i also have some fav's that i have been following ..... but those are wingers or centers ... after the All-star game i will look at the whole draft and see again what has change.

 

[Caser]

Hockey agent Dan Milstein told that Blackhawks were among the teams that showed interest in Alexei Polodyan (he is still draft eligible).

 

[TLEH]

Would love Polodyan and was talking about him previously. Ultra talented just inconsistent.

 

[hawksfan50]

As I posted in the other section on our WJHC prospects thread, Soderlund had a rough game today against USA in tge semi-final...on for both USA goals (primarily his fault as he made poor checking attempts ) and then with the score 4-3 wuth about 2 monutes remaining he trips a guy on another poor checking attempt costing Sweden a 6 on 4 as they had pulledvtheirvgpalie and kept the net empty on that pp.. He also did little on attack today and made sone poir clear attemotscearlierbi the game..Overall a very poor show from Soderlund today in contrast to strong play in prior games ...Swe sin started the game buy shifting Soderlund down to the 4th line and away from Steen and Lundestrom who he had played so well with the last 2 games..They were Sweden's best linevtheblastv2 games previous ..so hardcover understand why Soderlund was put down to the 4th line for this entire game..he either was not feeling well or pouted at being off a line he had chemistry with and put just on a 4th line for lesser minutes..They still had him on pk duty ..but he did not have any jump today and was not hustling lije in prior games...looked awkward in feeble checking too..surprisingly bad today..So as I said maybe he was not 100% health today or he just froze in a big game and big moments..but his response today was a poor performance ..and cost his team 2 goals and almost a third with that stupid trip with 2 monutes remaining as all Sweden needed to do was check hard for 2 monutes with USA goalie out and extra attacker on. But his penalty put then on a 6 on 4 and the USA almost scored to get it to down only 1..but somehow the Sedish killed it till the clock ran out..Anyway Soderlund had a terrible game today .