Prospect Info: Detroit Red Wings Prospect Tracker Part II

[Frk It]

#freevili

 

[Frk It]

 

[Winger98]

I would rather put Vili in Grand Rapids. Honestly I would pull him right now. He can put on weight this summer. I like the idea of keeping him local right under our watch. It didn't work out like we hoped in Flint, but still I like GR over Finland.

So do I. He'd get, what, 40 games over seas? We could get him that in GR, pick his spots to shield him a bit, and keep him moving forward with developing on NA ice.

 

[Frk It]

So do I. He'd get, what, 40 games over seas? We could get him that in GR, pick his spots to shield him a bit, and keep him moving forward with developing on NA ice.

USHL is not a bad route, he'd be playing more against guys at his development level physically, while on NA ice.

Maybe next year put him in GR.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I would rather put Vili in Grand Rapids. Honestly I would pull him right now. He can put on weight this summer. I like the idea of keeping him local right under our watch. It didn't work out like we hoped in Flint, but still I like GR over Finland.

I really like Villi, but I don't see GR as a developmentally appropriate place for him to land next year. I have a hard time seeing him earn a regular shift there next season and am not about to assume fitness gains in the offseason. I do, however, think he should be sent there at the end of the CHL season.

 

[TheRatPoisoner]

I'd like to see him get a shot in GR next season also. Obviously it's important he continues to put on some size during the offseason, but he's never gonna be a guy who plays an overly physical game anyways and is gonna have to rely on his shiftiness/hockey IQ/skating.

And if he doesn't pan out in GR, can't ya just ship him back to Finland anyways? That's what they did with Backman I'm pretty sure.

 

[The Zermanator]

If Almquist could handle the AHL then Vili should be able to adapt. Sure, Almquist had played against grown men in Europe but that's pretty much the alternative for Vili so it's probably grown men either way. At least his skating is much better than Almquist's which should help him a lot.

 

[John Price]

 

[FissionFire]

Vili is not ready for the AHL. The best option for him is to get traded to a different OHL team.

 

[jaster]

Vili is not ready for the AHL. The best option for him is to get traded to a different OHL team.

Came to say the same thing, that's by far the best option. He's not physically ready for the A, he's too good for the USHL, and it doesn't make sense to send a European kid, who intentionally chose to get acclimated to NA ice as soon as possible, back to Europe after 2 years in NA.

 

[Tatar]

Came to say the same thing, that's by far the best option. He's not physically ready for the A, he's too good for the USHL, and it doesn't make sense to send a European kid, who intentionally chose to get acclimated to NA ice as soon as possible, back to Europe after 2 years in NA.

I disagree. At least in Europe he'd be playing against men. Which would hopefully get him to put some muscle on. if He really wanted to stay in NA I would say go the NCAA route. Not quite as much skill as the OHL but it's a much tougher, grittier league.

 

[bishop]

I disagree. At least in Europe he'd be playing against men. Which would hopefully get him to put some muscle on. if He really wanted to stay in NA I would say go the NCAA route. Not quite as much skill as the OHL but it's a much tougher, grittier league.

Unfortunately you can't go from any CHL league to the NCAA, only the other way around, since CHL players are paid a stipend.

 

[ChadS]

Came to say the same thing, that's by far the best option. He's not physically ready for the A, he's too good for the USHL, and it doesn't make sense to send a European kid, who intentionally chose to get acclimated to NA ice as soon as possible, back to Europe after 2 years in NA.

I agree the best scenario would be moving to a quality OHL organization.

On a different note, is the USHL really that much worse than CHL? I think it's kind of a underrated at least for the draft.

 

[joe89]

It's not that much left of the season so I don't think whatever happens is too dramatic for Vili. He's already played around 60 games. In Europe many prospects will end their seasons in a few weeks time. Let him hang around and train with the Griffins if nothing else.

 

[Henkka]

Vili is not ready for the AHL. The best option for him is to get traded to a different OHL team.

There's always Toledo.

 

[Kronwalled55]

Vili is not ready for the AHL. The best option for him is to get traded to a different OHL team.

I've seen him play a handful of times and I agree. I would much rather give him another year in a league below the AHL and have him gain more confidence while getting stronger. He's a very smart puck handler so I think he would still do fine in the AHL, but I wouldn't mind ripening Vili.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I was always under the impression the Finnish teams played on smaller ice than most of Europe. Maybe that has changed in recent years but back in the day you heard that their rinks were closer to NHL than the rest of Europe.

In any event SM-Liiga isn't a wallflower league either. Those men can knock Vili into next week as well without the proper weight gain and other things. I see no point in sending him back to Europe. Either force a trade in the OHL or put him in the AHL/ECHL. Vili is going to have to learn to protect himself in NA at some point. I am not as worried about him because of his skating, he should stay pretty clean until he gets to the NHL where teams have upwards of 10 forwards that can chase and hit him. Not really the case at the AHL level where half the roster really shouldn't get ahold of Vili often.

 

[Tatar]

Unfortunately you can't go from any CHL league to the NCAA, only the other way around, since CHL players are paid a stipend.

**** you're right.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

Get him traded to another ohl club

Not a top team but a solid and well respected one..

 

[FireBird71]

Flint may not be willing to do that...if Detroit yanks him after the season Flint will just draft another import high

 

[FissionFire]

Flint may be lucky to get any high draft picks to even report.

 

[Kronwalled55]

I can't believe Frk has more goals right now than Mantha...

 

[MTU hockey]

I can't believe Frk has more goals right now than Mantha...

So which one's the bust...

 

[Reddwit]

I can't believe Frk has more goals right now than Mantha...

So which one's the bust...

Frk was a top pick for the CHL import draft and was a top 5 "future watch" pick at one point. He was expected to be a 1st rounder the year before his draft year. He ended up with a bad concussion in his draft year that caused him to miss half the season and he ended up pretty out of shape once he recovered from it. But for that mess, he probably gets drafted, ironically, around where Mantha was drafted. Even with all that, he was only taken 1 round later than Mantha

He's also always been known for his shot/goal scoring ability. In fact, he has a much longer pedigree than Mantha does in that regard. His shot was considered heads-and-shoulders above his peers to the point that it buoyed his draft status in the face of other deficiencies, prior to the concussion.

So its not really some big deal that a guy with a renowned shot relative to his peers would be outscoring a guy who has half the number of professional games under his belt, many of which consisted of him trying to get back into game shape while learning the professional game.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I can't believe Frk has more goals right now than Mantha...

It is really good to see Marty turn things around and get some much needed confidence. His skating still needs to improve, however, if he wants any shot of playing in the NHL. I am happy for him though.