Ari Ahonen - What a disapointment

theoil

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Aug 17, 2003
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Yeah, I see we had the 11th, 19th and 47th guys on the list. Good thing number 47 came through because the other two totally busted. In fact if you reversed the numbers and started from the other end the success rate for predicting would be pretty much the same.
 

GKJ

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Feb 27, 2002
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playing on horrible albany teams didnt help him either

That's the biggest problem of them all. New Jersey has a lot of solid prospects, there is no doubt about that. However, recently a lot of flamed out because they don't have the confidence and then the drive to get better because they are never developed in a winning enviroment. When you're a goalie that consistently loses year after year your confidence goes out the window. I truly believe Ahonen, developed correctly would have been a successful goalie. The way Finland runs their junior programs churning out goalies left and right, it's not a fluke. When you look at recent goalies over the past 3 or 4 years, Niittymaki, Lehtonen, Toivonen, even Pasi Nurminen, possibly Pekka Rinne...all goalies who were brought into winning enviroments. Ahonen never got that. He never got 20 wins, and I'm not even sure he was ever THE #1 guys in Albany, and I'm suprised that he was even still Devils property.

26. Kiril Safronov (22), D, Phoenix
He is a future top 3 defenseman in the making. Safronov will likely make the Coyotes this upcoming season, considering the team has dealt away veterans Keith Carney and Jyrki Lumme, and they are now looking for reliable help on the blue line.

18. Maxime Ouellet (16), G, Philadelphia
Two years later, Pelletier is with the Hurricanes, Boucher showed promise in his rookie season but was horrible last year, and Ouellet has franchise goaltender written all over him. Another French-Canadian butterfly goaltender, Ouellet just finished his four-year junior career.

...

He will come to training camp this year in hopes of beating out Brian Boucher for the back-up spot, but he probably will spend a year or two in the minors before stepping in to the NHL.

oops...
 
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Draft Guru

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Well, as the guy who wrote most of the scouting reports listed in that article (although the actual order of the list was a group effort), I'm not afraid to admit a lot of them turned out to be pretty wrong. But hey, hindsight is always 20/20. This was made five years ago. Five years ago, all those players were the cream of the crop. Some didn't turn out for various reasons, while others did. Prospects are a crap shoot. Always have been, always will be.
 

J17 Vs Proclamation

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Well, as the guy who wrote most of the scouting reports listed in that article (although the actual order of the list was a group effort), I'm not afraid to admit a lot of them turned out to be pretty wrong. But hey, hindsight is always 20/20. This was made five years ago. Five years ago, all those players were the cream of the crop. Some didn't turn out for various reasons, while others did. Prospects are a crap shoot. Always have been, always will be.

Nice recovery :D.
 

The Viking Fury

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Well, as the guy who wrote most of the scouting reports listed in that article (although the actual order of the list was a group effort), I'm not afraid to admit a lot of them turned out to be pretty wrong. But hey, hindsight is always 20/20. This was made five years ago. Five years ago, all those players were the cream of the crop. Some didn't turn out for various reasons, while others did. Prospects are a crap shoot. Always have been, always will be.
I understand. 5 years is a long time and many things happen in the ADHD world of prospect fandom
 

Jussi

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Well, as the guy who wrote most of the scouting reports listed in that article (although the actual order of the list was a group effort), I'm not afraid to admit a lot of them turned out to be pretty wrong. But hey, hindsight is always 20/20. This was made five years ago. Five years ago, all those players were the cream of the crop. Some didn't turn out for various reasons, while others did. Prospects are a crap shoot. Always have been, always will be.

You might still want to change your username though. :D
 

Vincent_TheGreat

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Goalies develop different. A can't miss is a guy like Luongo, MA Fleury and Lethonen. Ahonen I don't consider a can't miss, but he was an elite prospect who hasn't done much.
 

Slats432

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You might still want to change your username though. :D

No he shouldn't...here are some winners that are on my draft platform....

I was high on Alexei Smirnov.
I really thought Kris Beech would amount to something.
I thought that Jason Bonsignore had all the physical tools to be pretty dominant. Great hands and speed for a big guy.
Ouelette in my mind was going to be an NHL starter...almost guaranteed.
I saw Jani Rita at camp more than once and said.."I don't get it, this guy is one of the best players on the ice."

That is just to name a few....and we all do it. No need to work over DG over what all of us do. It isn't an exact science, because if you didn't know already, NHL teams spend millions to get a high percentage of picks wrong. :D
 

boredmale

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I am suprised the Devils never gave up and tried to unload him for a draft pick at some point.
 

Abyss

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I love looking at stuff like that :) it really makes you take a look at the current top 50 and wonder how we'll look at it in 5 years.
 

Brodeur

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I am suprised the Devils never gave up and tried to unload him for a draft pick at some point.

I know that they tried to use Ahonen (apparently with Hale and Matt DeMarchi) to get Blake in 2001. Obviously the Avs trumped that offer. After 2003, I can't imagine Ahonen had much trade value-see Maxime Ouellet.

No he shouldn't...here are some winners that are on my draft platform....

I was high on Alexei Smirnov.
I really thought Kris Beech would amount to something.
I thought that Jason Bonsignore had all the physical tools to be pretty dominant. Great hands and speed for a big guy.
Ouelette in my mind was going to be an NHL starter...almost guaranteed.
I saw Jani Rita at camp more than once and said.."I don't get it, this guy is one of the best players on the ice."

Yup, I bet the farm on Jere Karalahti in one of my keeper fantasy leagues. (cue Whammy)
 

X-SHARKIE

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I had Jakub Koreis at 13 on my list in 02. I thought he was the real deal, the next year I watched him at the WJC's and thought he was the Czechs best center.

Even after his piss poor rookie year in the AHL I saw some signs of life late in the season.. Then I watched him this year and it looked like a train reck.

I thought Woywitka would be a very good #3. Hey, it happens. I could go on and on.
 

Baron Von Shark

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I think my favoriate is:

7. Jeff Jillson (15), D, San Jose
Just call Jillson a poor man's version of Chris Pronger. When the Sharks selected Jeff with the 14th pick of the 1999 NHL entry draft, they might have hit the jackpot.

Man I said all along he would be a bust, and fellow Sharks fans tried to call me disloyal and pessimistic. He had a horrible personality, didn't have the mindset to be a succesful NHLer.
 

Le Golie

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Five years from now I bet we'll be seeing this thread about Tukka Rask. It happens. That top 50 list came at the end of the worst draft period in memory. There were some awful, awful drafts for a few years preceeding those rankings.

Thankfully, the talent pool has improved more recently and I bet the current list will be a little closer to reality five years from now than this list.
 

HFNHL Canadiens

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Five years from now I bet we'll be seeing this thread about Tukka Rask. It happens. That top 50 list came at the end of the worst draft period in memory. There were some awful, awful drafts for a few years preceeding those rankings.

Thankfully, the talent pool has improved more recently and I bet the current list will be a little closer to reality five years from now than this list.
or Carry Price...
 

IdiotsPickedMyName*

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29. Anton Volchenkov
4. Dany Heatley
3. Jason Spezza

The sens have done pretty well on that list. Especially if you include Gleason at 44.
 

RTWAP*

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Except, Heatley wasn't drafted by the Sens.

HFBoards rule #67942 - The "Excellent Drafting" Rule.
Subsection 1 -- Any good player playing on my team is a sign of my team's excellent drafting.

Subsection 2 -- Any good player my team could have drafted if they'd had a higher pick is a sign of my team's excellent drafting.

Subsection 3 -- Any bad player my team didn't draft is a sign of my team's excellent drafting.

Subsection 4 -- Any player my team drafted and then discarded, who later becomes a star is a sign of my team's excellent drafting (the Demitra rule).​
 

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