Hockey's Future Top 50 prospects: 1-10

[Enoch]

If you saw Suter play in the AHL, I saw him twice this year, and then you saw Michalek and Vanek play at the same level. At the moment Suter is behind there progress. Not saying he’s not a good prospect, in fact he’s great, but he doesn’t deserve to be ahead of those two. I also saw Ryan countless times last year in Wisconsin.

Disagree. I saw Vanek play in the AHL, he was completely invisible. Guess who was playing against his line? Ryan Suter . I guess it just depends on what game you see Vanek in.......oh yeah, thats the knock against him. Lazy/inconsistent. Don't worry though, I certainly realize how close everything is. As I said in my first post, I'm disputing over peanuts and opinions .

Haven't seen Michalek since game 1 last year of the Sharks due to his year long injury.

The one player that I felt sure that would make this list, that was still unable to get there was Timofei Shishkanov. I thought he would make it last year, but he has been right on the bubble the past two years apparently. This is okay, but I would venture he is one of the closest prospects over the past two years to crack the list.

 

[SmokeyClause]

Disagree. I saw Vanek play in the AHL, he was completely invisible. Guess who was playing against his line? Ryan Suter . I guess it just depends on what game you see Vanek in.......oh yeah, thats the knock against him. Lazy/inconsistent.

Haven't seen Michalek since game 1 last year of the Sharks due to his year long injury.

Agreed, how many games has Sharkie seen Vanek, Michalek, and Suter play at the AHL level? Maybe 1 for Michalek, 1 for Vanek, and two for Suter? They've played a grand total of 24 games there spread out of 2 years.

 

[Riddarn]

SmokeyC that is the scariest avatar ever.

 

[SmokeyClause]

The one player that I felt sure that would make this list, that was still unable to get there was Timofei Shishkanov. I thought he would make it last year, but he has been right on the bubble the past two years apparently. This is okay, but I would venture he is one of the closest prospects over the past two years to crack the list.

If he hadn't injured his ankle towards the end of last season, he would probably have been included. It was a pretty bad injury and he didn't recover from it last year. He was on pace for 70+ points as an AHL rookie at that time.

 

[Enoch]

If he hadn't injured his ankle towards the end of last season, he would probably have been included. It was a pretty bad injury and he didn't recover from it last year. He was on pace for 70+ points as an AHL rookie at that time.

See I bought into the injury thing, until I saw how high Michalek and Grigorenko are still ranked. Either some people believe injuries do not affect these players and do affect others (for the Predators Upshall and Shishkanov), or it was something else that caused them to not be on the list. I don't have the answers . Maybe the group just didn't like either one. Its tough to swallow, but I'm confident that both will make an impact at the NHL level.......which is all that really matters.

 

[SmokeyClause]

See I bought into the injury thing, until I saw how high Michalek and Grigorenko are still ranked. Either some people believe injuries do not affect these players and do affect others (for the Predators Upshall and Shishkanov), or it was something else that caused them to not be on the list. I don't have the answers . Maybe the group just didn't like either one. Its tough to swallow, but I'm confident that both will make an impact at the NHL level.......which is all that really matters.

I think it's more like this...Michalek and Grigorenko were injured. Everyone on HF knew this. So when they looked at the stats, the lack of numbers didn't bother them. They understood the lack of production because they just didn't play. Shishkanov was injured, and no one outside of Nashville or Milwaukee knew this. He still played 80+ games including playoffs though 30-40 of them were on a bum leg. But since they had no idea he had to be carried off the ice on a stretcher previous to those 30-40 games, they just assume his play dipped for other, more punishable reasons.

 

[Vatican Roulette]

Disagree. I saw Vanek play in the AHL, he was completely invisible. Guess who was playing against his line? Ryan Suter . I guess it just depends on what game you see Vanek in.......oh yeah, thats the knock against him. Lazy/inconsistent. Don't worry though, I certainly realize how close everything is. As I said in my first post, I'm disputing over peanuts and opinions .

Haven't seen Michalek since game 1 last year of the Sharks due to his year long injury.

The one player that I felt sure that would make this list, that was still unable to get there was Timofei Shishkanov. I thought he would make it last year, but he has been right on the bubble the past two years apparently. This is okay, but I would venture he is one of the closest prospects over the past two years to crack the list.

i dont think Vanek being invisible was all on the part of Suter. Vanek is usually invisible. I still dont know how people consider him a top 10 prospect.


good job on the list though HF.

 

[Slats432]

If I explained here why prospect A or B was left off the list, then I would get jumped on by the fans of that team trying to justify that they should have been on, and that HF is whacked, yada yada yada.

Ward, Lundqvist, Stuart all were strongly considered. Both would be in a 50-60 range.(I almost contemplated asking the Editors for us to bump it to a Top 100, but then we would have the February release date complaints to deal with ) I think all three are fantastic prospects and are decent bets to make the show.

As for the inconsistencies between pages and the list. There is one little minor criteria on team pages that isn't included in a Top 50. That is closeness to the NHL. All things considered equal on the team page, the player closest to the NHL will rank higher.

 

[montreal25m]

my two cents...

I just wonder how these list are formulated. A lot of good prospects were left off the list that I would have to question. In addition, some prospects on the list that I think personally shouldn't be there. Anyway, in the end it doesn't really matter. It makes it fun for debate. As a hab fan, not seeing Alexandre Perezoghin on there is a bit of a shocker. Another prospect that I thought should have probably made it was Kyle Chipchura who has been in about 50% of his teams goals this year and is playing a solid two way game.

 

[X-SHARKIE]

Disagree. I saw Vanek play in the AHL, he was completely invisible. Guess who was playing against his line? Ryan Suter . I guess it just depends on what game you see Vanek in.......oh yeah, thats the knock against him. Lazy/inconsistent. Don't worry though, I certainly realize how close everything is. As I said in my first post, I'm disputing over peanuts and opinions .

Haven't seen Michalek since game 1 last year of the Sharks due to his year long injury.

The one player that I felt sure that would make this list, that was still unable to get there was Timofei Shishkanov. I thought he would make it last year, but he has been right on the bubble the past two years apparently. This is okay, but I would venture he is one of the closest prospects over the past two years to crack the list.

Good points, I only saw Vanek once this year as well, I guess Suter could be a better prospect, you never know. Btw, how is Ryan, he left the ice vs the Wolves in the 2nd holding his wrist, is he ok?

 

[Mothra]

Another prospect that I thought should have probably made it was Kyle Chipchura who has been in about 50% of his teams goals this year and is playing a solid two way game.

Maybe you missed this the previous 100 times its been said......

This season was not factored in

 

[neelynugs]

One thing that I really don't get is how players like Bergeron and Staal aren't eligible for this list and players like Horton and Zherdev are. Horton would have played a full NHL season if not for injuries, and he still played a great deal of the season and played a pretty decent amount. Zherdev played a lot for CBJ this year as well. What was the GP cut off list for this list?

Once again, disappointed not to see Cam Ward crack the list. The main oversight.

mark stuart is neck-and-neck with ward for oversights IMO.

 

[Lionel Hutz]

I have only one minor complaint, I fail to see why Zherdev ranks above Malkin. I assume it is because Zherdev had a great rookie campaign in the NHL, while we have yet to see Malkin cross the pond. Many think that the gap has closed b/t Malkin and Ovechkin, so they are close in upside or; as "prospects". Yet Ovechkin ranks #1 on every list without a second thought, without ever playing in the NHL.

So, applying that logic, if NHL performance is that important, shouldn't Zherdev be ahead of Ovechkin as well?

I think 1) Ovechkin 2) Malkin 3) Zherdev

Nonetheless a very good ranking, kudos to the HF staff.

 

[Rattrick]

Good job HF.

Its impossible to cater to all the homers, I mean fans. I love reading the 15 pages homer comments of who should have made it.

Seriously! We all know Krajicek is #1 anyway. That AO guy is WAY overrated.

Good work guys, can't complain when we are getting this stuff for free.

 

[Mothra]

Many think that the gap has closed b/t Malkin and Ovechkin, so they are close in upside or; as "prospects". Yet Ovechkin ranks #1 on every list without a second thought, without ever playing in the NHL.

Many? Thats a bit of an overstatement.......even in the list the HF exact wording is

"there were some that would suggest that"

 

[montreal25m]

Didn't know that...

Maybe you missed this the previous 100 times its been said......

This season was not factored in

Then it surprises me to see Schremp and Ladd in there to be honest, especially schremp, based on last year, he did nothing spectacular.

 

[HOCKEY_GURU]

Hockey_Guru - Taffe is graduated. Sjostrom also graduated under the old system but you're right probably re-qualifies as a prospect with 57 NHL games. I dont think they were aware of that though.

David Leneveu should be a notable prospect.

I think its interesting that of four similar goaltenders - Toivonen, Deslauriers, Ward and Leneveu.. the two that are on HF's list also match two of the biggest message boards on HF (Boston and Edmonton) and the two that arent, come from comparatively tiny forums (Carolina and Phoenix). Shows the power of HF hype.

I'd agree with trying to do a separate goalie ranking. They are really tough to do.

well I just went by the 65 games cutoff for being a prospect...i dont know what designates a person being "graduated".....personally i consider Horton and Zherdev and many others as graduated..because I cant see them going back to AHL etc...

 

[Enoch]

Then it surprises me to see Schremp and Ladd in there to be honest, especially schremp, based on last year, he did nothing spectacular.

You are correct, but some people are still oogled by his upside. To each their own, I guess .

Sharkie - Suter hurt his shoulder and I believe is out 2 weeks. Phaneuf and Suter both recieved similar injuries at almost the exact same time. Vanek is certainly talented, to be quite honest with you..I wanted the Preds to draft him with their pick. Of course at the time, I didn't think Suter would fall to the 7th pick . I think both clubs will be happy with their pick, but my bias wants me to believe Suter will be the best.

 

[thestonedkoala]

mark stuart is neck-and-neck with ward for oversights IMO.

And Harding...Seriously as I said in my By the Numbers thread that Harding, Ward, LeVeanue, Toivonen, and JDD look like all solid goaltenders. Harding, Ward, and JDD all came out of the CHL and pretty much competed neck and neck with each other.

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

How is this post necessary? Everyone on here (or most on here) knows that prospects, for the most part, don't care about lists such as these. But they are getting punished (using a loose definition of the word) for being durable. Obviously, they aren't feeling any pain, discomfort, or unhappiness, but they are being penalized (do you like that word better?) for nothing more than being durable.

You still don't get it because you're too wrapped up in HFmania.

Not making those lists anymore is not necessarily "punishment", even in the loose and overly dramatic definition your are using. In certain cases I guess it could be, when you're dropped the list because you're not considered good enough.

In the case of Staal, it's simply a cutoff number to signify you aren't a prospect anymore. Staal was not punished. He was promoted. He's "happy". In fact, one could say that it's Horton who gets the shaft here.

Now, do I also need to explain that Stanley Cups are more important than "winning" the top organizational rank spot in HF's top 30 or do you get that part?

 

[PanthersRule96]

Lundqvist 4-10???

Shiskanov and Radulov should be there. I swear, if I didn't know better, I would think that Henrik Lundqvist is the best goalie prospect in the world.

I'm surprised Colailacovo made it where he did when Smid and Krajicek, Stuart, and Mejsaroz were left off. Ovechkin is clear #1, Lehtonen 2. I would've put Malkin 3, Zherdev 4, Horton 5, Phaneuf 6, Fleury 7, Suter 8, Michalek 9, and Vanek, like 20.

 

[Patty Ice]

I think it's more like this...Michalek and Grigorenko were injured. Everyone on HF knew this. So when they looked at the stats, the lack of numbers didn't bother them. They understood the lack of production because they just didn't play. Shishkanov was injured, and no one outside of Nashville or Milwaukee knew this. He still played 80+ games including playoffs though 30-40 of them were on a bum leg. But since they had no idea he had to be carried off the ice on a stretcher previous to those 30-40 games, they just assume his play dipped for other, more punishable reasons.

I think this is rather arrogant of you. Shishkanov doesn't make the list because no one outside of Nashville knew of him. Baloney! The guys who make these were perfectly aware of Timofei and his potential. What makes him more worthy to be on the list over someone like Suglobov who has just as much if not more (you could argue either way) potential? You always seem to think that just because a player is drafted by Nashville he's magically moved to a realm where only Preds fans can bask in the prospect's glory and that you have the inside track on him. Hate to break it to you but theres guys in all over this board who follow prospects regardless of what team he was drafted by simply because they are fans of the players rather than indiviual teams. That group who made the list is made of such fans. The fact is you simply can't argue for him to be on the list because there are around 25-30 other guys who deserve to be on it just as much. Its my opinion that its a pretty bad idea to make a list anything more than the top 20 prospects because you start gettin into a dip of talent level where there are too many players with the potential to be good NHLers (as oppose to the few number of players that could be superstars which is why at most I'd do is top 20).

 

[Enoch]

You still don't get it because you're too wrapped up in HFmania.

Not making those lists anymore is not necessarily "punishment", even in the loose and overly dramatic definition your are using. In certain cases I guess it could be, when you're dropped the list because you're not considered good enough.

In the case of Staal, it's simply a cutoff number to signify you aren't a prospect anymore. Staal was not punished. He was promoted. He's "happy". In fact, one could say that it's Horton who gets the shaft here.

Now, do I also need to explain that Stanley Cups are more important than "winning" the top organizational rank spot in HF's top 30 or do you get that part?

Please....cut the diatrab Vlad. Smokey is just as quality of a poster as you, and you should know that. His point was simple and easy to understand. Is Horton any less of a prospect than Staal? No. Would Horton not have played the entire season if able? Yes, he would have. The point is, since Horton was able to play slightly less than 65, he is still considered a prospect..when in reality...he is every bit of an NHL player now like Eric Staal, who managed to play the entire season. The only reason he didn't play the full season was due to injury. Thus he reasoned maybe increasing the game limit to an entire seasons worth, would be more fair an evaulation technique. With that technique in use, the Staal/Horton thing would be a non-issue.

 

[JR#9*]

Lundqvist 4-10???

Shiskanov and Radulov should be there. I swear, if I didn't know better, I would think that Henrik Lundqvist is the best goalie prospect in the world.

QUOTE]

Have you even seen Lundquist play???

Do you not think he should be in a top 50 prospect list, especially when you look at what he's accomplished both in the Swedish Elite league where his #'s are unmatched as well as on the international stage where he emerged and was named the best goalie in the world championships while playing against NHL players.

This year his numbers are identical to that of Kipprosoffs(sp?)who happened to be the best goalie in the world from January on last year.

Do you think the goalies that made this list have a more impressive PROVEN body of work???

 

[Mothra]

Please....cut the diatrab Vlad. Smokey is just as quality of a poster as you, and you should know that. His point was simple and easy to understand. Is Horton any less of a prospect than Staal? No. Would Horton not have played the entire season if able? Yes, he would have. The point is, since Horton was able to play slightly less than 65, he is still considered a prospect..when in reality...he is every bit of an NHL player now like Eric Staal, who managed to play the entire season. The only reason he didn't play the full season was due to injury. Thus he reasoned maybe increasing the game limit to an entire seasons worth, would be more fair an evaulation technique. With that technique in use, the Staal/Horton thing would be a non-issue.

The line has to be drawn somewhere....and there will always be someone on the outside just missing that cutoff.....regardless of whether its 65/82/100 or whatever

I cant understand what all the crying is over.....(not you...in general)