Warriors hero in Game 2 of WHL finals
F Jagger Firkus - Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL (2022, 35th, SEA)
- Thread starter Frk It
- Start date
Fistfullofbeer
Moderator
Can't wait to see this kid in the AHL next season. Really hoping he can make it to the next level.
Artorius Horus T
sincerety
You don't think he can make it from the Seattle camps and preseason to the NHL?
he has all summer to improve his physique and what ever his game lacks at pro level
George is there any 130 pt player in junior who you don't think should be in the NHL as soon as possible?
Firkus has some quickness that Dumais lacks, so I'm more confident in him, but he's not as sturdy as say, Logan Stankoven. And Stankoven probably benefited tremendously from taking the ramp up through the AHL. I don't see why we would take a different approach from Stankoven with Firkus.
Even if Firkus is one of the best twelve forwards for the Kraken in training camp, is it worth it for his development to put him in the NHL right away? We want him to dominate pros in the AHL first. Take the ramp up!
Fistfullofbeer
Moderator
I would be very surprised if he is NHL ready by the beginning of the 2024-25 season. He will be given every chance to earn that spot because the Kraken desperately need to add offense to the team, but it is a long shot. There is no need to rush him either, so if he needs AHL time, let him marinate in the AHL.
I am not sure if he has put on much muscle and weight since he was drafted. He looked slightly "bigger" in the last few viewings I have seen of him but that was against other junior players, so does not tell me as much.
Fistfullofbeer
Moderator
When I was watching the highlights of his last played game, I noticed the same. He was skinny but he looked taller to me as well.
If people were confident Firkus could fill out he would have been a consensus first rounder. Maybe top half of the first. My guess has always been that he's putting on maybe ten lbs tops.
That said, 5'11 170 is almost Bjorkstrand size, a player he does remind me of a lot. He has that crazy shot release. Bjorkstrand has this wild ability to lever his core strength to win battles. I'm not sure I ever see Firkus figuring that part out. But he has the shot, and maybe even better scoring instincts.
AHL would be great for a couple more reasons - he gets to learn how to protect himself vs pros in a more controlled environment. And most importantly they can have Jagger in the gym during the week. The AHL schedule allows for it. I actually love it when teams take it a step further and cut back on games played to let players focus on training.
Also remember seeing a video from the Kraken training camp before this season where they ran some fitness tests and were happy with the progress Firkus has been making.
