Jacob Trouba

[knorthern knight]

It's going to be very interesting to see how Trouba will perform whether he be playing with the Jets or in St. Johns next season. A lot of hype no doubt and I absolutely can't wait. Here is some highlights of his freshman year that I just watched and I can't believe that he was perceived to be a shut-down D with little offence pre-draft.

He's a right-handed shooter, but a lot of his shots in that clip seem to come from the left point. Which side does he play? If the answer is "whichever side the team needs", that'll be an extra reason for keeping him up.

 

[allan5oh]

It's pretty clear - not just from that clip - that he's played in a system without a lot of structure. Many of those plays were Buff style pinches. They just happened to work out, but if they don't it's a 2-1 or 3-1 the other way. It's not every day you see four attacking players around the net like that. I love his shot, not a huge slow windup like some guys have, he can really get it off quick.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

It's pretty clear - not just from that clip - that he's played in a system without a lot of structure. Many of those plays were Buff style pinches. They just happened to work out, but if they don't it's a 2-1 or 3-1 the other way. It's not every day you see four attacking players around the net like that. I love his shot, not a huge slow windup like some guys have, he can really get it off quick.

Red Berenson (head coach at U of M) is actually kinda fairly notorious for not developing any kind of positional or teamwork skills into his players. Many D grads going forward have had the natural skill but completely lack hockey sense or positional play (ie Jack Johnson, Jon Merrill, Steven Kampfer, Brandon Burlon, Matt Hunwick, Danny Richmond). That has limited their ultimate upside. Even the smart "safe" defenders of Chris Summers and Mark Mitera have been COMPLETE busts coming out of Michigan.

I love Michigan. Honestly when I watch NCAA hockey that is my 2nd favourite team (after Boston College). And they do produce forwards (Mike Cammalleri, Jed Ortemeyer, Eric Nystrom, David Moss, T.J. Hensick, Kevin Porter, Andrew Cogliano, Max Pacioretty, Carl Hagelin, Aaron Palushaj), but Berenson has absolutely no idea how to develop D, he has been "OH"FER in the past dozen years. Other than Jack Johnson, an elite talent who has never quite lived up to potential, the last real NHLer Michigan actually developed was Mike Komarisarek who left Michigan in 2002 and was a #7 overall pick himself prior to Michigan.

Which is why I am glad Trouba got out ASAP!

 

[wpgsilver]

I agree with everything Holden said above, but especially this:

Which is why I am glad Trouba got out ASAP!

I did not want Jacob to spend a lot of time playing fast and loose.
Happy he turned pro after his freshman year.

 

[CorgisPer60]

I agree with everything Holden said above, but especially this:


I did not want Jacob to spend a lot of time playing fast and loose.
Happy he turned pro after his freshman year.

Agreed. I imagine that's why Trouba was still available when the Jets picked at 9 last year. There's no way that the Wild, Isles or BJs would have let him go by had he not illustrated his intent on going to Michigan.

 

[wpgsilver]

Agreed. I imagine that's why Trouba was still available when the Jets picked at 9 last year. There's no way that the Wild, Isles or BJs would have let him go by had he not illustrated his intent on going to Michigan.

That might be a stretch, but if thats the case WOOOHOOOOO

 

[CorgisPer60]

That might be a stretch, but if thats the case WOOOHOOOOO

Seriously. Dumba over Trouba?

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Agreed. I imagine that's why Trouba was still available when the Jets picked at 9 last year. There's no way that the Wild, Isles or BJs would have let him go by had he not illustrated his intent on going to Michigan.

I don't agree with this idea.

I can see the appeal of all of Dumba, Reinhart, and particularly Murray.

Trouba when he was drafted was seen as a shutdown D. His hockey sense, hitting, skating, postional play was what we were (and scouts were) talking about. The big question mark was upside. He was a safe bet to a bottom pairing D as a shutdown D (complete downside as Matt Greene), the question was with upside. I saw something in him that would be an elite shutdown D plus maybe with some solid puckmoving/shooting ability. Which is why I had him as my #2 D prospect (#7 overall) in 2012 draft, but it easy to see why some thought his "upside" was not as high as the other drafted.

Murray is still rated above Trouba for me. Yes Murray has the injury problems this season, but he is just so solid and consistent it is REALLY hard to deny him. Still think (and have since pre-draft) Trouba has more upside but Murray will be a solid top 4 D, if not top 2 or #1 D for a lot of years. He is just SO smooth, moves the puck so well, plays position unreal, seperates man from puck. He does not have the "gamebreaking" shot or hitting of Trouba, but is a more solid consistant everyday player compared to Trouba. No chance ANYBODY could pass on Murray for Trouba at draft or even now.

Dumba has the potential kinda look of a Doughty. He skates well, likes to jump in to make plays (hits, turnovers, passes, rushes), etc. I mean to many he looks like that type of player, the gamebreaker #1. I see him as a no hockey sense, smooth skating, more physically mature for junior level type of player that never really transitions to more than an "impact" (trying to hit, big shot/solid offense) 3rd pairing D. But the "upside" is still solid. His downside has also been miles lower than Trouba.

Reinhart I have never really been a big fan of, but I can see where some teams MIGHT see as an almost less mean Chris Pronger. He has the size, reach, shot, decent puck skills that you might expect of a player of that type. However I just don't see him putting together like NYI hopes, however it is easy to see why some people might HOPE that he puts it together into a dominant #1, whereas I see him no more than a potential #3/5. Again if he cannot put the tools together his downside was waaay lower than Trouba, but if he can put it together (which I have never quite believed he can) his upside was higher (arguable now).

The real question mark was Derrick ****ing Pouliot. Could never figure out what the hell Pittsburgh was thinking. I had him at #28. Smooth skater, solid shot, but little if ANY IQ and yes maybe his complete upside was a Kris Letang, but I still rated him as a D according to hf rankings. Why they would think that that would be worth it, I have no idea. However I was never really concerned with Faksa and Trouba BOTH still on the board.

 

[ps241]

Good recap of the D prospects from that draft.

First off to Trouba the reason I really wanted him and had him at 4 was what I saw at the U20 and mostly the U18. I really liked what he brought to the PP not just his shot but his O instincts moving the puck. I really thought he flashed allot more O than people were talking about but nothing close to what he showed after the draft.

To your point about Murray I completely agree. I can't believe how a shoulder injury totally pushed this guy out of the limelight. He rarely shows up on HFBoards but nothing has changed on my mind on him either......his skills will translate like butter. I see him being a big minute top pairing type possibly along the Ryan Suter mold (upside).

I am starting to cheer for Dumba.....he has gotten beaten up a bit since the draft and I hope he makes it.

Reinhart was my biggest fear in the draft. big kid that isn't mean had Dave Babych written all over him not that that is a terrible thing but I just didn't like him. Now I am not saying he won't be good he does have skills he just didn't do it for me.

Hampus Lindholm (and Rielly) are the ones you didn't address that went above Trouba. Lindholm is the other guy I wanted. I may be wrong but I really like his skill set and his interview was one of my favorites. My only challenge at the time was my sample on Hampus was not very comprehensive to say the least.

Rielly takes heat because he is an overhyped leaf prospect (like there is any other kind). funny thing is though is though he has a total non leaf vibe.....very friendly likable kid that I can't cheer against. I hope they don't rush him and wreck him in Toronto. He needs at least one more year and maybe two developing his complete game but his ceiling is hard to deny.

Edit:

Going into the draft my hopes were

TROUBA (fingers crossed)
H Lindholm



Faksa

Guy I preyed we didn't get a shot at .....Reinhart


Once we arrived at our pick on draft day it was

TROUBA (can't believe our luck).........Forsberg (surprised he is still here and would be ok with the pick but it was my 1b option)


Faksa

 

[Hank Chinaski]

Trouba when he was drafted was seen as a shutdown D. His hockey sense, hitting, skating, postional play was what we were (and scouts were) talking about. The big question mark was upside. He was a safe bet to a bottom pairing D as a shutdown D (complete downside as Matt Greene), the question was with upside. I saw something in him that would be an elite shutdown D plus maybe with some solid puckmoving/shooting ability. Which is why I had him as my #2 D prospect (#7 overall) in 2012 draft, but it easy to see why some thought his "upside" was not as high as the other drafted.

I didn't see much of Trouba in his draft year, but I'm really confused as to how he got pegged as having shutdown D upside, at least based on what I saw this past season. The comparable I heard a few times (even from the TSN panel, IIRC) was Adam Foote. That's a flattering comparison, and I would be thrilled if Trouba became anywhere near the defenseman that Foote was, but I don't really see any similarities.

Of course there is a chance that Trouba's offensive game won't translate in the NHL, and he'll have to adapt into more of a shutdown role. But he has way too much in his skillset to get pegged with that upside.

 

[untouchable21]

Yeah, I remember the Adam Foote comparisons too, but with the way he has developed and showed a much higher offensive upside, I think his playing style is eerily similar to that of Rob Blake.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

Yeah, I remember the Adam Foote comparisons too, but with the way he has developed and showed a much higher offensive upside, I think his playing style is eerily similar to that of Rob Blake.

Good call, that's the guy who I kept thinking of. Don't know if he'll ever quite have Blake's skating ability, but they have a similar style.

He just needs to perfect Blake's patented "ass-check".

 

[Warhead77]

He's a right-handed shooter, but a lot of his shots in that clip seem to come from the left point. Which side does he play? If the answer is "whichever side the team needs", that'll be an extra reason for keeping him up.

Trouba looks great.

I just hope he doesn't get "ruined" by one C. Noel.

 

[sully1410]

Trouba looks great.

I just hope he doesn't get "ruined" by one C. Noel.

Noel developed Suter and Weber. I wouldn't worry.

All that aside...I don't think he'll be around much longer regardless.

 

[King Woodballs]

Trouba looks great.

I just hope he doesn't get "ruined" by one C. Noel.

Where did this Noel ruins young players come from?
Because one young player didn't listen to him?

 

[Hank Chinaski]

Noel developed Suter and Weber. I wouldn't worry.

All that aside...I don't think he'll be around much longer regardless.

That's a bit of a stretch, those two played a combined 109 games under Noel. His role in their development would have been minimal at best.

 

[CorgisPer60]

That's a bit of a stretch, those two played a combined 109 games under Noel. His role in their development would have been minimal at best.

None of our super young stars have played that many games underneath him (outside of active roster), and within the roster, the ones that fit that bill are Bogosian, Kane, and Burmistrov. I haven't seen regression or stagnation of Bogo and Kane under Noel's coaching thumb, and Burmi hasn't been "ruined" in the sense of the word. The point of that post, I think, was to illustrate that Noel was the HC for the farm teams that Weber and Suter played for, and they both turned into fantastic defensemen. So, the only outlier here would be Burmi, but we don't really know what went on behind the scenes.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

^Fair enough, that makes sense.

 

[Stej]

Red Berenson (head coach at U of M) is actually kinda fairly notorious for not developing any kind of positional or teamwork skills into his players. Many D grads going forward have had the natural skill but completely lack hockey sense or positional play (ie Jack Johnson, Jon Merrill, Steven Kampfer, Brandon Burlon, Matt Hunwick, Danny Richmond). That has limited their ultimate upside. Even the smart "safe" defenders of Chris Summers and Mark Mitera have been COMPLETE busts coming out of Michigan.

I love Michigan. Honestly when I watch NCAA hockey that is my 2nd favourite team (after Boston College). And they do produce forwards (Mike Cammalleri, Jed Ortemeyer, Eric Nystrom, David Moss, T.J. Hensick, Kevin Porter, Andrew Cogliano, Max Pacioretty, Carl Hagelin, Aaron Palushaj), but Berenson has absolutely no idea how to develop D, he has been "OH"FER in the past dozen years. Other than Jack Johnson, an elite talent who has never quite lived up to potential, the last real NHLer Michigan actually developed was Mike Komarisarek who left Michigan in 2002 and was a #7 overall pick himself prior to Michigan.

Which is why I am glad Trouba got out ASAP!

Spot on. This was the biggest reason that I was thrilled Trouba left.

 

[allan5oh]

On the flipside maybe it wasn't such a bad thing going to Michigan, allowing Trouba to develop his offensive game and giving him confidence.

 

[Mathmew Purrrr Oh]

On the flipside maybe it wasn't such a bad thing going to Michigan, allowing Trouba to develop his offensive game and giving him confidence.

definitely not a bad thing imo

I'm happy he's left because clearly he's progressed to a point where NCAA won't challenge him properly and now there's no risk of him developing any bad habits.

Was never too worried with him spending a season there since, unlike JMFJ, he possessed excellent defensive acumen

 

[Brodeur]

Red Berenson (head coach at U of M) is actually kinda fairly notorious for not developing any kind of positional or teamwork skills into his players. Many D grads going forward have had the natural skill but completely lack hockey sense or positional play (ie Jack Johnson, Jon Merrill, Steven Kampfer, Brandon Burlon, Matt Hunwick, Danny Richmond). That has limited their ultimate upside. Even the smart "safe" defenders of Chris Summers and Mark Mitera have been COMPLETE busts coming out of Michigan.

I love Michigan. Honestly when I watch NCAA hockey that is my 2nd favourite team (after Boston College). And they do produce forwards (Mike Cammalleri, Jed Ortemeyer, Eric Nystrom, David Moss, T.J. Hensick, Kevin Porter, Andrew Cogliano, Max Pacioretty, Carl Hagelin, Aaron Palushaj), but Berenson has absolutely no idea how to develop D, he has been "OH"FER in the past dozen years. Other than Jack Johnson, an elite talent who has never quite lived up to potential, the last real NHLer Michigan actually developed was Mike Komarisarek who left Michigan in 2002 and was a #7 overall pick himself prior to Michigan.

Which is why I am glad Trouba got out ASAP!

Dean Lombardi was fairly critical about Michigan in this regard. This has made me paranoid about Jon Merrill since he doesn't seem that much better for Michigan in 2013 than he did in 2011. Albeit he had a suspension and missed half of this past season with a neck/back injury.

I watched as many Michigan games as I could to track Merrill and you can't help but notice Trouba on the ice. I thought Trouba got away with freelancing a lot last season. If he starts in the AHL to work on simplifying a few things, that wouldn't be the worst option for his development. As a Devils fan, I'm extremely thankful that Pittsburgh opted for Pouliot over Trouba. I'm all for Trouba dominating......in the other conference.

 

[Mathmew Purrrr Oh]

@JacobTrouba 33m
Getting the Wisdom Teeth out is no fun. #chipmunkcheeks

"Is it safe?"

 

[Mathmew Purrrr Oh]

Dean Lombardi was fairly critical about Michigan in this regard. This has made me paranoid about Jon Merrill since he doesn't seem that much better for Michigan in 2013 than he did in 2011. Albeit he had a suspension and missed half of this past season with a neck/back injury.

I watched as many Michigan games as I could to track Merrill and you can't help but notice Trouba on the ice. I thought Trouba got away with freelancing a lot last season. If he starts in the AHL to work on simplifying a few things, that wouldn't be the worst option for his development. As a Devils fan, I'm extremely thankful that Pittsburgh opted for Pouliot over Trouba. I'm all for Trouba dominating......in the other conference.

thought he did a solid job in the WC toning his game down - only time I saw him resemble his Michigan self was in the OT vs Finland when it was the proper time to do it

 

[garret9]

He's a right-handed shooter, but a lot of his shots in that clip seem to come from the left point. Which side does he play? If the answer is "whichever side the team needs", that'll be an extra reason for keeping him up.

The shots on the left side are from PP; he played right side for even strength.
Almost all teams switch D sides on the PP because it's better for one timers + angle of rebounds and also because all the defensive reasons you want them on their handed side isn't as big of a deal with you having nearly all the possession.