Penaltykiller17
Registered User
His points totals look good in the dub but points don't tell everything obviously.
No it doesn't, but neither does 7 games of putting a bunch of players unfamiliar with each other.
His points totals look good in the dub but points don't tell everything obviously.
Cory Pronman's top 50 drafted prospects are out today. He ranked them after the the WJC. Canes have three in the top 50: Bean at #14, Gauthier at #16, and Roy at #46.
Top 50 Drafted Prospects
No it doesn't, but neither does 7 games of putting a bunch of players unfamiliar with each other.
I don't think anyone is judging him based off that tournament, though, which is what you seemed to be implying in your original post about him.
Saying he had a bad tournament doesn't mean we're writing him off completely.
Also, in addition to his broken hand at the beginning of the season, I didn't realize until today that Jake Bean had also broken his foot 2 months prior to the draft.
I hope this kid doesn't break.
Poor Josh Bean is never going to get a fair shake around here it appears. It's not his fault we drafted into an area of immense strength. I'm more salty about the Haydn Fleury pick personally.
Poor Josh Bean is never going to get a fair shake around here it appears. It's not his fault we drafted into an area of immense strength. I'm more salty about the Haydn Fleury pick personally.
bc his name is jake i think so we dont mention josh as much
Poor Josh Bean is never going to get a fair shake around here it appears. It's not his fault we drafted into an area of immense strength.
Here's all you need to know:
Wilkins looks to be having a pretty good first year at providence. Second in team scoring. Can't say I know anything more about the guy.
Doesn't look like Brind'amour has played many games at all this year.
One of my sons played against Wilkins a number of times, both in Ice and Roller Hockey. Kid was a fantastic talent, very creative offensively and things seemed to come natural to him, because he displayed this even as a very young player. Of course it's all relative in terms of level of competition, but he (Wilkins) was a regular on some of the more elite travel teams in the area as he got older.
I realize he's a bit older (19 YO Freshman), but seems to be doing well and is the 2nd leading scorer on Providence. Good to see.
Wasn't Josh Wilkins at one of, or even the latest, prospect camp? Didn't he score a highlight reel goal?
Yes and yes (kinda). It was a spin around, through the legs type move. The puck kinda got away from him but he recovered and finished.
An update on Bean from a Hitmen season ticket holder:
Firstly, on the injury front. The broken foot was a result of getting hit with a puck in the playoffs last year. I don't recall the exact play so I can't tell you if it was an intentionally blocked shot, or if it just hit him. More on shot-blocking below. As for the broken hand, it was the result of a dirty slash and the player that slashed him was suspended 3 games as a result. So I wouldn't call Bean injury-prone as a result of either.
I've seen 3 very different Jake Beans this season, and it shows tremendous growth. I had him in the 20-25 range in last year's draft and though Carolina reached a bit for him. Last season he played very sheltered minutes beside Travis Sanheim and was really only asked to be an offensive catalyst. He set the franchise record for single-season goals by a defenseman, mostly walking down from the left point and picking corners with his lethal wrist shot.
This season, pre-injury, he was still being given sheltered minutes (second defensive pairing), and paired with a shutdown style partner. His role was clearly as an offensive catalyst again. His defensive style was to funnel the attacking player either into his partner and let them deal with it, or to force the player into a low-quality scoring opportunity and allow the shot. This is where I could see him getting injured by a shot. Rarely would he initiate body contact, or attempt to take the puck away; rather, he would let his teammates do the work and then turn the puck up ice.
Post-injury, he did not skate with the Hitmen before heading to the WJC. There, he was thrust into a VERY different role - asked to be in a more shutdown position against much more talented players. In the semi-final game, he and Juulsen played top shutdown minutes against Sweden's top line to allow more open ice and offensive opportunities for Chabot. This was a big transition for Bean, and while I understand why he picked up the "hot garbage" label, I saw massive improvement in his game, primarily defensively and in turning the play.
Now that he's back with the Hitmen post-WJC, he's using his speed and puck handling abilities to defend, take the puck away from the attacking player, and pivoting up ice. He's clearly the top defenceman on the team, and he's now being played as such. Much smarter in his own zone, and he's showing a willingness to skate the puck up ice if the pass isn't there. So I've seen a big upswing in Bean's game in the last month - the downside is that the rest of the team has taken a big downswing. The Hitmen are terrible this year, and Bean has little to no support. He's also no longer under the radar, as other teams are keying in on him this season the same way they did to Sanheim last year. Bean's goal totals have dropped because his walk down from the point is gone, but he's still making plays so his assist totals are going up.
I expect him to dominate at the WJC next year as a 19 year old - the same way Chabot did this year after an underwhelming stint as an 18. I'll try to drop in and post updates on Bean for the rest of the season, and any other 'Canes prospects in the WHL that I get a chance to see.