Prospect Info: At 9th Overall the Detroit Red Wings Select Michael Rasmussen

Beltv

Registered User
Apr 13, 2017
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Don't know much about Rasmussen and didn't get much of a feel for how he plays based on the highlight vids available,
so I watched the top prospects game and made a compilation of his shifts. Take it for what it's worth...



Needs some work on skating like yesterday. Seems like a Martin Hanzal, from what I've seen (Which isn't a ton..)
 

crashnburnluder

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Dec 19, 2010
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For me I have heard the Holmstrom with speed comparisons, I think he is more of a Franzen in his prime. Franzen in 08 was a beast and if he reaches that, we have a gem.
 

Leronziia

kenorH
Jan 10, 2016
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Massive body and looks like he knows how to actually use it, which is nice. A few big hits and the solid work along the boards.

Has pretty good hands too and will finish goals like he did with a legit playmaker with ease.

Skating needs a bit of work, but isn't concerning at all tbh. Actually quite good for a guy his size, and he always seemed to be moving which is handy.
 

haulinbass

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Mar 6, 2014
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He gets around the ice well and plays an honest game. His biggest asset right now is knowing where to be and putting himself into position to always be involved in the game. He certainly looks like a guy who will stick at center moving up into the pro leagues. He is pretty decent along the boards but I would 17 hope year olds would have a hard time dealing with a guy of his size. His awareness is there but I wouldn't say he has any special vision/ability to make plays. He doesn't have anything special for hands. His shot seems solid but nothing special.

He needs to learn that if hes going to make it to the NHL his elite skill needs to be being able to hang on to the puck to give himself time and space to find plays. He does not seem to like to have the puck on his stick for very long, he looks for the first opportunity to dish it off his stick. If he can't be a force with the puck on his stick he does not enough skill or talent to be a top six center in the NHL.

If he can become a guy that can use that size, reach and weight to protect the puck. He has enough awareness to make some plays. There is untapped potential here. With those attributes and being smart positionally he could be a very good hockey player. If he doesn't he likely is only a 3rd line player.

To compare big players. I would have to say Logan Brown at 11th overall in 2016 was a better pick.
 
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newfy

Registered User
Jul 28, 2010
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Maybe for a bigger player, but in comparison to an NHL player I would say he needs some work.

Skating looks fine to me, working on it wouldnt hurt him but I really doubt thats what would hold him back from the NHL
 

Beltv

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Apr 13, 2017
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Skating looks fine to me, working on it wouldnt hurt him but I really doubt thats what would hold him back from the NHL

Where do you think his biggest weakness is?

As far as something to improve on I think his stride is just very odd. Almost like he isn't getting a full stride restricting his speed. Maybe it's just because he is tall.
 

newfy

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Jul 28, 2010
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Where do you think his biggest weakness is?

As far as something to improve on I think his stride is just very odd. Almost like he isn't getting a full stride restricting his speed. Maybe it's just because he is tall.

I think his stride looks a lot like Mantha who is plenty fast. And really not sure on what he needs to improve, I've watched him twice but that video his skating looks pretty good and his combine results were really good as well.

I would think he just needs to add to his offensive toolset a bit and keep that coming. Score more 5 on 5 goals next year and make your shot a threat that players need to defend/respect. He looks good in that prospect game at pretty much everything, he was dishing the puck nicely/setting up plays, played physical and was in good position on D.

He was a 9th overall, highly rated pick. He doesnt have as many weaknesses as the people on here crying about the pick would have you believe. On pace for 50 goals in his draft year is a pretty exclusive list of players that we all heard about when Mantha got drafted. Except Ras is fairly physical and solid defensively to go with that
 

Ezekial

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Yea Rasmussen looks kinda odd when he's skating out there, but I never see him lagging behind in pursuit. He's a solid skater, nothing spectacular.
 

Rzombo4 prez

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May 17, 2012
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His skating is good for a 6'5" 18-year-old. His posture is a bit unique (you don't often see tall guys with that much knee bend) but he is good on his edges and has pretty quick feet for his size (which is arguably most important). He needs to continue to work on his skating just like all prospects but does not need to make any abnormal gains in that department. Skating is not something to be worried about with Ras.
 

lilidk

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Mar 4, 2008
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Yea Rasmussen looks kinda odd when he's skating out there, but I never see him lagging behind in pursuit. He's a solid skater, nothing spectacular.

just like Mantha ,Svechnikov and everybody we drafted last 2 years
 

MTU hockey

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Mar 4, 2013
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Colorado
I wasn't a huge fan of this pick originally, but I've warmed up to it a tad. Watching that top prospects game highlights has eased some concerns even if it is only one game. He seems to have good hockey IQ in terms of knowing where to be on the ice to make plays, he seems to make good passes, he made some hits. His skating needs work but that can be said about just about any prospect except for the very elite which this draft really didn't have. Like most prospects he needs to improve his first few steps for the NHL and his balance and stride should improve as he bulks up and grows into his body. But those are very minor concerns with regards to skating and are very easily fixed with a little work, it's not like he's Joakim Andersson out there with lead skates.

A positive sign is that he definitely looked like he belonged in that top prospects game, he didn't stand out in a bad way at all. He seemed to mesh well with Glass and Lind and compliment them pretty well and didn't hold them back or lag behind of the play. That bodes well for the future because this team could possibly be picking in the top 10 for the next 5 years, so plenty of time to surround this kid with talent once he gets to the NHL. I'd like to see him improve his 5 on 5 production next year as well as show a little more playmaking ability though.

I understand the frustration from others with this pick, and I agree it would have been nice to get a player with a higher ceiling and this seems like a safe pick. But the Wings need so many pieces at the moment I think we all need to be more patient as this team wasn't going to get fixed in one draft. We need a first pairing Dman, probably a #2 dman as well as a #1 center and winger. I have faith in Larkin, Mantha, Hronek, and Cholo but at the moment none of them are sure things to reach the ceilings we have in mind for them
 

NarcoPolo

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Jul 16, 2012
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I've seen a bit of Rasmussen over the years. The first time I saw him was at the U17 development camp in Calgary and he was one of the best players on the ice imo. He was big then, great skater, played with a chip on his shoulder. From what I've seen of him with tricity his game, like most players in the draft, will need some coaching and he does have areas of his game to improve. The biggest thing for me is that he doesn't drive the middle, or drive the net as much as he shoukd. He's a huge kid obviously and he's got the skills, power and mobilty to really lean on guys and drive, but too often he plays to the outside and sets up along the perimeter. If he can just play a simpler game that way, driving the middle and opening up space for his wingers, he'd be a lot more effective at even strength imo. This narrative that he's a stupid player, or that he's "David Steckel/Brian Boyle" is beyond ridiculous.
 
Jul 30, 2005
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I mean, what is location, really
Watched that Top Prospects game video. I liked his skating. He looks a lot like Mantha in terms of his stride, and both guys have surprising mobility for their size. He didn't seem super quick laterally, but hopefully he can add some of that over time. His stickhandling looked fine, and the goal he scored was great hand-eye. So I don't really worry about his hands too much. He has enough reach that puck protection will be easy for him in any league, really.

I'm a little concerned about his offensive decision making, though. He made a fair amount of ill-advised moves, failed to connect on a couple of relatively easy passes, and shot from some questionable places. It might just have been that it was the top prospects game, and he was trying to show he could play that way. But if that was the goal, I'm not really sure he did.

I also wanted to see an aggressive forecheck from him, and I actually saw virtually no forecheck at all. Maybe they just wanted him to be the F3 and stay high in the zone, but I think a guy like him has to be a really tenacious forechecker. I did like the bit of physicality I saw, but I value puck hound a lot more than big hitter.

That said, he did look very raw, so maybe that stuff will improve. The guy I saw there should play junior and then probably a year or two in the AHL. Sure, he can tip pucks and play in front of the net right now, but he needs time to become a well-rounded offensive player and develop confidence as more than a grinder type. I hope the Wings give him that kind of time.
 
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Ezekial

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This was pretty slick
giphy.gif


If Glass was a lefty or if he coulda got a better pass it woulda been sick. I thought Glass had a relatively weak game for himself.

I thought Rasmussen had a solid prospect game, this was a big boy shift:
giphy.gif


giphy.gif
 

lomekian

Registered User
Oct 28, 2013
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London
For me I have heard the Holmstrom with speed comparisons, I think he is more of a Franzen in his prime. Franzen in 08 was a beast and if he reaches that, we have a gem.

If his all round game doesn't progress much but he works on his hand-eye and play on the corners and in the boards, we end up with a better skating bigger Homer.

If he doesn't develop his hand eye or board play much, but becomes defensively stronger and a bit better at passing and shooting from the face-off dots he could be a bigger Franzen.

If his all round game develops at the same rate over the next two years as it did since 15-16, he could be very special indeed.

At worst (barring horrendous injuries) he'll be a 3rd or 4th line PP specialist. At best he could be a 1st line goalscoring center. He'll probably never be a great playmaker, a shut down specialist or a flier, but if he really kicks on between now and his 20th birthday, we'll be very happy bunnies indeed.
 

HIFE

Registered User
May 10, 2011
3,219
250
Detroit, MI
Don't know much about Rasmussen and didn't get much of a feel for how he plays based on the highlight vids available,
so I watched the top prospects game and made a compilation of his shifts. Take it for what it's worth...



:bow: Thanks for creating this clip! It's way more valuable watching Rassy take shifts than the highlight comps. I'm thankful to get to judge myself rather than only trusting other peoples opinion on his game. He's a good player I'm exited to see if he pans out.
 

canyon1

Registered User
Jun 23, 2017
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After watching that game I don't see why there was so much hate for our first round pick I think he will end up being just fine.
 

Invictus12

Registered User
Aug 1, 2010
3,722
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New York
If this is his usual game as of now, I think priority 1 should be working on obtaining softer hands for him. Too stiff when the puck goes to his stick.
 

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