Honestly I think Hronek is a clear step above anyone else. I think he has top pairing upside, second pairing floor, and is also the most developed as he's already succeeding in the AHL. Cholo is less developed and I'm not sure he has top pairing upside. Until exploding in Juniors this year he hasn't really done a ton and this is his D+2 season so he really should be pretty great in Juniors.
I thought Ras was a terrible choice at the draft and view him as a 3C+PP player long term. That's just my opinion though. Then Svechnikov is really tough to predict because of his months of poor play followed by dominance. Saarijarvi has awesome skill but it's tough to project him as anything more than a second line and PP specialist at his size. So Hronek to me is our best project by a very definitive step.
Interesting. I have them ranked
1) Cholowski
2) Rasmussen
3A/B) Svech/Hronek
In regards to Cholowski, he went to College as an undersized 18 year old competing against guys who were older and stronger. It was a tough go for him but he is an excellent passer who skates like the wind and thinks the game at a high level. Given that he plays an excellent two-way game, I see this year as a breakout where he is finally in a position to excel and is taking advantage. His smarts can take him a long way, especially now that he has developed his body.
Rasmussen is the youngest of the lot but I think many of you know I’m a big fan. This guy’s skill is criminally underrated due to buzz words like “character” and “work ethic.” He is not a dangler per say but his puck control, passing and hand eye are all excellent attributes. I know lots of you favour guys with pro experience but I see Rasmussen as the kind of player who will get better as he rises through the ranks. He has the size, the skating and the smarts to step into the NHL next year.
Svechnikov is an interesting one. I really like the pick at the draft and he looked great up until this year. I think he can still be a 3rd line scorer or even a top 6 forward if he can learn to level his peaks and valleys. If I’m not mistaken, he was #1 or #2 in our last ranking? I rank him 3A because I’m not biting on his early season struggles but I could easily have him and Hronek swapped.
What I like most about Hronek is that he seems to be transitioning to pro much better than our previous generations of D prospects. He was great in the OHL and has stepped into the AHL and played well. I love his skillset but I have questions about how well his game will translate at the NHL level. We often hear that he has some dynamic abilities but will he be able to show that in the NHL? Im not sure. I see him as a second pairing PP guy.
