Boston Bruins Bruins Prospects Discussion IV - Mod warning 565

[Saxon Eric]

completely random question, but I'm just curious. Are Bruins fans upset about the 2015 draft? Or were you upset at the time for the three 1st rd picks you made that can be viewed as questionable (especially at the time). From an outsider pov, it sounds like you needed D and C's but took 2 wingers who were reaches.

I think the 2015 draft caught alot of Bruins fans by surprise but now 3 years in we kind of expect them to go out side the box,they certainly aren't beholden to TSN,RedLine,The Hockey News etc,they have their own in house list and live by it,they might give off a hint of arrogance but so far I think they've done well. An interesting side note is the majority of Bruins fans that follow the draft and prospects will tell you their second round picks the last 3 years have been pretty freaking good.

 

[DKH]

I think the 2015 draft caught alot of Bruins fans by surprise but now 3 years in we kind of expect them to go out side the box,they certainly aren't beholden to TSN,RedLine,The Hockey News etc,they have their own in house list and live by it,they might give off a hint of arrogance but so far I think they've done well. An interesting side note is the majority of Bruins fans that follow the draft and prospects will tell you their second round picks the last 3 years have been pretty freaking good.

Donato was a second rounder and I'm not sure there is a prospect with better combo hands/decisions than this guy

He was ridiculous today scoring forehand backhand dekes

He doesn't stick out skating or size so you need to keep an eye on him

 

[Gator Mike]

interesting. so carlo and macavoy are good no doubt. I just was curious on zboril and the debrusk/senyshyn picks when there was barzal/konecny/chabot/connor/white/ek/boeser on the board. sounds like they could have been worse picks.

Just my opinion, but at 13-15, if you pick three NHLers, I think you're doing a pretty decent job.

Zboril, DeBrusk, and Senyshyn are all progressing towards being NHLers. I don't see much in terms of red flags in their development to this point.

 

[Marcobruin]

Double in goal scoring

 

[finchster]

Just my opinion, but at 13-15, if you pick three NHLers, I think you're doing a pretty decent job.

Zboril, DeBrusk, and Senyshyn are all progressing towards being NHLers. I don't see much in terms of red flags in their development to this point.

Zboril has had big red flags since his draft.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

Zboril has had big red flags since his draft.

Such as?

 

[DKH]

Such as?

People and players can overcome labels

Radek Bonk was a player I could not stand based on reputation and validated when I saw him but he became more controlled tweaked his game and became a favorite

I've already seen enough of Zboril to realize he's got more tools than Home Depot

I want to see him after 40 games in Providence

Of course I said that about Carlo

 

[Blowfish]

People and players can overcome labels

Radek Bonk was a player I could not stand based on reputation and validated when I saw him but he became more controlled tweaked his game and became a favorite

I've already seen enough of Zboril to realize he's got more tools than Home Depot

I want to see him after 40 games in Providence

Of course I said that about Carlo

So the bruins are desperate for a left hand shot D...can this be Zboril's opportunity?

I can't believe how many good prospects the bruins have at almost every position. Truly amazing. Going to be a fun 3-5 years. The only thing we may be arguing about is which prospects are better...We tend to do that here on HB.

 

[ODAAT]

So the bruins are desperate for a left hand shot D...can this be Zboril's opportunity?

I can't believe how many good prospects the bruins have at almost every position. Truly amazing. Going to be a fun 3-5 years. The only thing we may be arguing about is which prospects are better...We tend to do that here on HB.

whether it`s Zboril/Lauzon/O`Gara or Grizz, a spot could be there if DS isn`t able to find one over the summer.

I worry about Lauzon, whether it`s bad luck or not, the guy just can`t stay healthy at this stage for consistent periods of time

 

[00BW]

https://www.nhl.com/bruins/news/bru...ampaign-at-wisconsin/c-290329568?sf96336287=1

Some really nice things to like here.
Frederic grew an inch and is filling out upper body strength.
He's first on, last off the ice which is a trait he shares with Pasta.
He worked on what Bruins development team asked him to do.
Hughes helped him work on his hands after practice at Wisconsin. Things like this are probably why Hughes had an 'A' last year and will be Captain at Wisconsin this year.

 

[ODAAT]

https://www.nhl.com/bruins/news/bru...ampaign-at-wisconsin/c-290329568?sf96336287=1

Some really nice things to like here.
Frederic grew an inch and is filling out upper body strength.
He's first on, last off the ice which is a trait he shares with Pasta.
He worked on what Bruins development team asked him to do.
Hughes helped him work on his hands after practice at Wisconsin. Things like this are probably why Hughes had an 'A' last year and will be Captain at Wisconsin this year.

man, everything I`m reading about this kid has me incredibly optimistic. Have to temper my expectations as he`s not "there" yet but for a guy who drew the ire of many here on draft day, might be one of those "steal" picks

 

[ORR2Sanderson2ORR]

The Boston Bruins are starting to see Trent Frederic as someone who might become a top-six forward in the NHL.
Frederic was taken with the 29th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and afterwards Boston's former amateur scouting chief Keith Gretzky projected that he would become a bottom-six forward. However, Frederic had a solid offensive season as a freshman with the University of Wisconsin, scoring 15 goals and 33 points in 30 games. "He plays top line at Wisconsin. … Obviously, time will tell what he’ll be in pro hockey but there’s more skill to his game than people thought coming out of the draft," Bruins player development coordinator Jamie Langebrunner said. The Bruins went off the board when they took Frederic but it looks like that might pay off for them in the end.
Source: Boston Herald

 

[DKH]

The Boston Bruins are starting to see Trent Frederic as someone who might become a top-six forward in the NHL.
Frederic was taken with the 29th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and afterwards Boston's former amateur scouting chief Keith Gretzky projected that he would become a bottom-six forward. However, Frederic had a solid offensive season as a freshman with the University of Wisconsin, scoring 15 goals and 33 points in 30 games. "He plays top line at Wisconsin. … Obviously, time will tell what he’ll be in pro hockey but there’s more skill to his game than people thought coming out of the draft," Bruins player development coordinator Jamie Langebrunner said. The Bruins went off the board when they took Frederic but it looks like that might pay off for them in the end.
Source: Boston Herald

Thing is he's got the plus skating and size now. He played the defensive shutdown guy on US-NTDP behind Brown & Keller so he's got the defensive zone acumen

 

[Gator Mike]

Zboril has had big red flags since his draft.

If you had asked me a year ago, I'd have said the drop in point production in his D+1 year was a red flag. But he bounced back last year, so to me, the drop in points wasn't an indication of a lack of ability.

The other flaws in his game - consistency, decision-making, maturity, positioning - those are things that generally improve over time. The tools are there, he just has to figure out how best to use them.

 

[finchster]

Such as?

Please, don't be willfully ignorant here. You cannot pretend you haven't heard/read any criticism of Zboril's game from very reputable people

If you had asked me a year ago, I'd have said the drop in point production in his D+1 year was a red flag. But he bounced back last year, so to me, the drop in points wasn't an indication of a lack of ability.

The other flaws in his game - consistency, decision-making, maturity, positioning - those are things that generally improve over time. The tools are there, he just has to figure out how best to use them.

I think the year after a player's draft is very important, seeing an improvement there is usually a good indicator. Having a bad year after your draft is a big red flag for players. He was 19-20 last season, he should be playing well at that age if he is to have a chance in the NHL. I think we cannot pretend his stock hasn't dropped. At the draft, he was the right pick, but hindsight is what it is.

 

[SanDogBrewin]

Please, don't be willfully ignorant here. You cannot pretend you haven't heard/read any criticism of Zboril's game from very reputable people

Other than Luedeke "good cop, bad cop". Who else in the media has critiqued Zboril in a negative way ? What I saw is a "pile on" after that article.

 

[chizzler]

People get too caught up with 18 yr olds. It's the time they change the most.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

Please, don't be willfully ignorant here. You cannot pretend you haven't heard/read any criticism of Zboril's game from very reputable people


I think the year after a player's draft is very important, seeing an improvement there is usually a good indicator. Having a bad year after your draft is a big red flag for players. He was 19-20 last season, he should be playing well at that age if he is to have a chance in the NHL. I think we cannot pretend his stock hasn't dropped. At the draft, he was the right pick, but hindsight is what it is.

I have "heard" things like he MAY have some character issues, he MAY be selfish at times. I also see a kid that went from a player who was used in all roles in his draft year and was taken 13th. Then the following year was asked to play as the defensive stopper because the Seadogs had more offensive guys like Chabot and Green.

Understandable that an 18/19 year old kid might be a little peeved about being asked to step back and play a less "glamorous" role. By all accounts he adjusted and played well after a slow start and put up 10 pts is 17 playoff games. This year he had 41 pts in 50 games and played a large role on a very good team.

I'm sure the kid has some warts, most of them do, but I'm hardly going to write him off based on some very vague reports and whispers. I would rather see for myself, and so far he seems to be saying/doing all the right things. Sometimes these kids just mature at different rates (see Marchand). They aren't all going to be Bergeron and 18 going on 80.

 

[ODAAT]

People get too caught up with 18 yr olds. It's the time they change the most.

especially one`s, like Zboril who, IMO, had that maturity hiccup the year before last and by all accounts, approached his responsibilities this past years like a pro

I`ve been guilty of doing it myself with players who are young, hearing a few negative things and found myself doing the easiest thing which is simply piling on

 

[ickie*]

zboril needs to be given a chance in the nhl because he is that good. move what you need to move to make a spot for him.

 

[roflstomper]

I heard a rumor from the lady that grooms Trent's cousins hamster that he won't sign an ELC in Boston and wants to play in Toronto.

 

[Gator Mike]

I think the year after a player's draft is very important, seeing an improvement there is usually a good indicator. Having a bad year after your draft is a big red flag for players.

I disagree with this premise. Skill development is rarely linear. There are peaks and valleys and plateaus, and there's rarely any way of predicting any of it. Some times, you've got to screw up and learn what not to do in order to figure stuff out.

I think we cannot pretend his stock hasn't dropped. At the draft, he was the right pick, but hindsight is what it is.

I never said anything about his stock. Nor do I really care about his stock.

I'm not under any illusions about Zboril. Some players need to work on their skating or their hands or their strength. Jakub needs to work on the mental side of his game. And just as some prospects never skate well enough or get themselves strong enough, there's risk that Zboril never becomes good enough with his decision-making or consistency.

But the fact that he shows flashes of "getting it" mentally means that he has the ability. He just has to figure it out.

 

[finchster]

I disagree with this premise. Skill development is rarely linear. There are peaks and valleys and plateaus, and there's rarely any way of predicting any of it. Some times, you've got to screw up and learn what not to do in order to figure stuff out..

I agree, when you are dealing with players in professional leagues. However, it's a different thing all together when you are dealing with youth players in an age restricted league. I looked at this in regards to forwards in the CHL and if I have time, I will look at this more in depth and more thoroughly. However, I don't think anyone can ignore, having a good year after your drafted is a very good indicator.
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=124894005&postcount=259

As for defencemen, points are not as important as forwards when judging their improvement, but I don't think you would find many top four defencemen in the NHL that had a big decline the year after their draft year.

 

[ickie*]

I agree, when you are dealing with players in professional leagues. However, it's a different thing all together when you are dealing with youth players in an age restricted league. I looked at this in regards to forwards in the CHL and if I have time, I will look at this more in depth and more thoroughly. However, I don't think anyone can ignore, having a good year after your drafted is a very good indicator.
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=124894005&postcount=259

As for defencemen, points are not as important as forwards when judging their improvement, but I don't think you would find many top four defencemen in the NHL that had a big decline the year after their draft year.

it's more common than you think, even for returning forwards. should be considered also that zboril was deployed completely differently in much harder minutes and in a relative shut-down role as compared to the year before. good way to put it into perspective would be early torey krug vs. recent torey krug.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

I agree, when you are dealing with players in professional leagues. However, it's a different thing all together when you are dealing with youth players in an age restricted league. I looked at this in regards to forwards in the CHL and if I have time, I will look at this more in depth and more thoroughly. However, I don't think anyone can ignore, having a good year after your drafted is a very good indicator.
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=124894005&postcount=259

As for defencemen, points are not as important as forwards when judging their improvement, but I don't think you would find many top four defencemen in the NHL that had a big decline the year after their draft year.

So, skill development is not linear in Pro leagues, but it is linear in amateur leagues like the CHL?

Interesting.