Blake Wheeler potential ?

[One Winged Angel]

That being said, Wheeler skates well, has a very good shot, and knows where to go. He could stand to be much more physical, but he's shown flashes. While I expect him to play all 4 years at Minnesota before going pro, his upcoming sophomore campaign will be very important in gauging his development as he will be one of the go-to players on the Gophers' roster. Based on what he has shown so far, I expect him to be an Eric Daze type player, good for 30-40 goals on first line duty.

The Daze comparison is perfect, although I think Wheeler will find that physical element and use it to his advantage, something that Daze could never do because of how brittle he is.

they should have picked olesz, the best availiable player at their draft position, the

best availiable player today. I think they would be lucky if he makes it to the NHL,

let alone score 40...

Thank god you're not writing for HF.

Which is why you're some internet schmuck and not a NHL GM or scout......

And that's all she wrote.

Olesz had significant concussion issues in his draft year.

Considering at draft time, two stud Coyote prospects (Kolanos and Podlesak) pretty much had their careers ended or stunted because of severe concussions... Olesz was not attractive.

You mean "Dion Phaneuf issues." Phaneuf knocked Olesz straight out of the 04 WJC with ONE OF THE BIGGEST HITS I'VE EVER SEEN. No shame in being smoked by Dion. Panthers fans just have to hope he can still be very effective, and that looks to be the way so far.

Wheeler still could turn out great. Olesz right now is just looking a better pick, his upsides are similar and his bust rate is alot lower. This may change however, and Wheeler may end being better.

The reason for that is Olesz's development is further along than Wheeler's. Wheeler was drafted straight out of high school, while Olesz was playing in the junior Czech league. A player of Wheeler's caliber, straight out of high school, will take more time to develop, although there have been exceptions over the years. A few that come to mind are Brian Leetch, Keith Tkachuk, and Tony Amonte.

Can we have a discussion about what Wheeler can and can't do and how he may progress this year without rehashing the draft position crap yet again?

No, he isn't who I wanted them to pick and to this day still would have preferred another player. But what is done is done and Wheeler is in the Yotes organization.

i am really looking forward to tracking his progress with the Gophers this year as it will definitely give everyone a better idea of what he may be capable of over the next several season.

You think this is bad, try having a discussion about Hugh Jessiman on the Ranger boards.

I don't mean to belittle Yotes fans here, but it's even worse for the Rangers with the Jessiman situation because of the fact that the 03 draft was one of the deepest drafts EVER, at least in our generation. I'd say it's right up there with the 79 draft.

 

[J17 Vs Proclamation]

You mean "Dion Phaneuf issues." Phaneuf knocked Olesz straight out of the 04 WJC with ONE OF THE BIGGEST HITS I'VE EVER SEEN. No shame in being smoked by Dion. Panthers fans just have to hope he can still be very effective, and that looks to be the way so far.


The reason for that is Olesz's development is further along than Wheeler's. Wheeler was drafted straight out of high school, while Olesz was playing in the junior Czech league. A player of Wheeler's caliber, straight out of high school, will take more time to develop, although there have been exceptions over the years. A few that come to mind are Brian Leetch, Keith Tkachuk, and Tony Amonte.



You think this is bad, try having a discussion about Hugh Jessiman on the Ranger boards.

I don't mean to belittle Yotes fans here, but it's even worse for the Rangers with the Jessiman situation because of the fact that the 03 draft was one of the deepest drafts EVER, at least in our generation. I'd say it's right up there with the 79 draft.

Oh no, im saying Olesz has a lower bust rate because he is playing in the NHL. I agree with you on their developments. Im not saying Wheeler is going to be bust. Olesz played in the mens league in the Czech Republic, and this year scored coast to coast twice. We got very lucky he fell to us. Im glad he got Phaneufed .

It is interesting though. Alot of people when hearing the name Wheeler think he was very much off the board pick. Well, although we don't know this, it is interesting to hear that other teams picking in the top 10 had Wheeler very high as well.

 

[One Winged Angel]

Oh no, im saying Olesz has a lower bust rate because he is playing in the NHL. I agree with you on their developments. Im not saying Wheeler is going to be bust. Olesz played in the mens league in the Czech Republic, and this year scored coast to coast twice. We got very lucky he fell to us. Im glad he got Phaneufed .

Oh I know, I was just stating the reason, I never thought that you were saying Wheeler was going to be a bust. I liked Olesz as well, I thought the Rangers were going to make a move to grab him. Getting "Phaneufed" - good one - is not normally a good thing, but since he's alright, it worked out pretty well... for you that is, geez, I never want to be hit like that.

It is interesting though. Alot of people when hearing the name Wheeler think he was very much off the board pick. Well, although we don't know this, it is interesting to hear that other teams picking in the top 10 had Wheeler very high as well.

Yeah, I was kind of baffled as well, because I've been reading the hockey news, and other draft previews for a while, and Blake Wheeler wasn't even projected as a 1st round pick in some of the reviews I saw, and then as a top 3 pick in some others. Just goes to show you how it's based upon needs in the system more than it is talent. If there's a glaring need in the system, it's going to be addressed. If not, than the BPA will be selected. Which was sort of the case with the Rangers and Montoya. He was the BPA, but with Dan Blackburn's status unknown, he filled a need as well.

Personally, since I knew we weren't getting Ovechkin or Malkin, I wanted Cam Barker bad. I thought Barker would be the stud defender we were missing for years. But that didn't happen, and now I'm VERY HAPPY with Marc Staal, because his development has been nothing short of spectacular.

 

[hbk]

Oh no, im saying Olesz has a lower bust rate because he is playing in the NHL. I agree with you on their developments. Im not saying Wheeler is going to be bust. Olesz played in the mens league in the Czech Republic, and this year scored coast to coast twice. We got very lucky he fell to us. Im glad he got Phaneufed .

It is interesting though. Alot of people when hearing the name Wheeler think he was very much off the board pick. Well, although we don't know this, it is interesting to hear that other teams picking in the top 10 had Wheeler very high as well.

It should be pointed out that despite the limited offensive production and struggles to adapt to a higher level, Wheeler was still listed as a Top 25 Prospect (ahead of Montoya) in last years THN Future Watch Issue.

 

[J17 Vs Proclamation]

It should be pointed out that despite the limited offensive production and struggles to adapt to a higher level, Wheeler was still listed as a Top 25 Prospect (ahead of Montoya) in last years THN Future Watch Issue.

Doesn't really suprise me. That is because of his big upsides and where he was drafted. Also, Montoya's stock was falling at that time, but i believe he had a very good year in the AHl this year.

GretzNYR99, i prefer Staal over Barker too. . Still annoyed that we picked 29th overall (traded up). I mean ... we are Florida, we should not be picking there.

 

[hbk]

Doesn't really suprise me. That is because of his big upsides and where he was drafted. Also, Montoya's stock was falling at that time, but i believe he had a very good year in the AHl this year.

GretzNYR99, i prefer Staal over Barker too. . Still annoyed that we picked 29th overall (traded up). I mean ... we are Florida, we should not be picking there.

Personally, I was shocked that Wheeler ranked that high based on his statistics and a couple of games that I took in personally last year. The point I guess is that there are scouts looking at this kid who are coming away impressed. If he wasn't on their horizons prior to the 2004 draft, he is now.

 

[MN_Gopher]

There is a good chance Wheeler will play top center minutes. And its almost a gurantee he play some center this year. He is fairly versatile. He just finished third in the gopher iron man competition.

This year there is no real excuses. The weight and height should have evened out where he will not have the awkward excuse. He is strong and fit enough to play down low. I expect really big things this year.