Mid Season Top 20 Prospects Review

[TLEH]

These were the results below. Always interesting to review after 8 months.

#1: Connor Bedard 100%
#2: Lukas Reichel 47.8%
#3: Kevin Korchinski 81.8%
#4: Oliver Moore 58.1%
#5: Frank Nazar 100%
#6: Wyatt Kaiser 28.3%
#7: Sam Rinzel 36.7%
#8: Drew Commesso 30.7%
#9: Ethan Del Mastro 32.6%
#10: Nolan Allen 38%
#11: Ryan Greene 46.7%
#12: Isaak Phillips 54.4% - run off vote
#13: Roman Kantserov 35.8%
#14: Alex Vlasic 25.7%
#15: Adam Gajan 24.3%
#16: Arvid Soderblom 30.6%
#17: Nick Lardis 45.6%
#18: Colton Dach 23.4%
#19: Martin Misiak 36.4%
#20: Gavin Hayes

I’d definitely have Frank #1.. after that it gets into a lot of preference.

Click to read more...

 

[EddieTheEagle]

Vlasic.

 

[Hattrick Kane]

So Bedard, Vlasic, Korchinski and Reichel have graduated. Phillips and Soderblom to some degree as well I suppose.

My top 5 as of right now is Nazar, EDM, Moore, Rinzel and Allan. Kaiser falls down the list quite a bit. But a lot of good depth, Hawks should be a good team eventually.

 

[bwanajamba]

Right now I would say there's a clear top three of

1. Nazar
2. Rinzel
3. Moore

Round out the top 10 with some mix of.. Kaiser, Dach, EDM, Allan, Greene, Lardis, Slaggert, Kantserov. No idea how I would rank them though.

For goalies, I would say I'm now higher on Gajan than Commesso, but probably too early to tell for both at this point

 

[Kevin Musto]

Bedard and Vlasic have graduated.

Reichel has graduated, but graduated with an F.

I'm not going to count Korchinski as graduated yet. He still looks like a player who could use time in Rockford.

1. Frank Nazar
2. Oliver Moore
3. Kevin Korchinski
4. Drew Commesso
5. Sam Rinzel
6. Ethan Del Mastro
7. Landon Slaggert
8. Nick Lardis
9. Nolan Allan
10. Ryan Greene
11. Gavin Hayes
12. Paul Ludwinski
13. Adam Gajan
14. Samuel Savoie
15. Colton Dach

 

[CallMeShaft]

Vlasic with that astronomical rise.

Legit did not see him becoming what he is during last season. Thought he'd likely end up a bottom pairing guy with size. Thankfully, he learned how to use his reach effectively and damn did that make a difference.

 

[scorehawks]

Bedard and Vlasic have graduated.

Reichel has graduated, but graduated with an F.

I'm not going to count Korchinski as graduated yet. He still looks like a player who could use time in Rockford.

1. Frank Nazar
2. Oliver Moore
3. Kevin Korchinski
4. Drew Commesso
5. Sam Rinzel
6. Ethan Del Mastro
7. Landon Slaggert
8. Nick Lardis
9. Nolan Allan
10. Ryan Greene
11. Gavin Hayes
12. Paul Ludwinski
13. Adam Gajan
14. Samuel Savoie
15. Colton Dach

Elaborate on Nazar. Comparables?

 

[Kevin Musto]

Elaborate on Nazar. Comparables?

Brayden Point

 

[WarriorofTime]

For clarity and to set a firm criteria, we should use the Pronman guide for what is a prospect

A player is considered a prospect if he has played less than 25 games in one NHL campaign (regular season and playoffs combined), less than 50 games total in their career, and is 25 years old by Sept 15. (From: “Pronman: 2019-20 NHL Farm System Rankings”).

It's always going to be a bit arbitrary, but this sneaks Wyatt Kaiser (23 GP this season) just into prospect, but if he gets called up once he clears concussion (maybe if a trade happens?) he graduates from it. He definitely feels prospect-y even if he hits 30 games though, as I can see him starting next season in the AHL while still waiver-exempt.

By that definition, graduated prospects this season


Connor Bedard (39 GP)
Lukas Reichel (48 GP)
Alex Vlasic (48 GP)
Kevin Korchinski (45 GP)
Cole Guttman (27 GP)
Isaak Phillips (27 GP)
Arvid Soberbom* (20 GP and 38 career GP), I guess I dunno how he views dressing as a backup, but Soderblom has dressed every game this season, so while violating my own rule on arbitrariness, I'll say that qualifies him as graduated and either way he'll probably see action in at least 5 more games in 2023-24.

That is a lot, puts the Hawks youth into perspective.

#4: Oliver Moore 58.1%
#5: Frank Nazar 100%
#6: Wyatt Kaiser 28.3%
#7: Sam Rinzel 36.7%
#8: Drew Commesso 30.7%
#9: Ethan Del Mastro 32.6%
#10: Nolan Allen 38%
#11: Ryan Greene 46.7%

#13: Roman Kantserov 35.8%

#15: Adam Gajan 24.3%

#17: Nick Lardis 45.6%
#18: Colton Dach 23.4%
#19: Martin Misiak 36.4%
#20: Gavin Hayes

From this list, I'd move Nazar ahead of Moore, it's pretty close, Moore is a year younger, but Nazar is looking really really good and had a great WJC. I'd move Del Mastro up and Kaiser down. Probably move C. Dach up (great training camp). Admittedly difficult to try and compare Kantserov with the OHL guys, but I think Hayes should move up a bit. Feel the same with Commesso and Gajan. Add in Ludwinski and Slaggert to the top 20.

#1: Frank Nazar - C (Michigan)
#2 Oliver Moore - C (Minnesota)
#3 Ethan Del Mastro - D (Rockford)
#4 Sam Rinzel - D (Minnesota)
#5 Wyatt Kaiser - D (Rockford)
#6 Colton Dach - LW (Rockford)
#7 Nolan Allan - D (Rockford)
#8 Adam Gajan - G (Green Bay)
#9 Drew Commesso - G (Rockford)
#10 Roman Kantserov - RW (Metallurg Mg)
#11 Ryan Greene - C (Boston U)
#12 Gavin Hayes - LW (Soo)
#13 Nick Lardis - LW (Brantford)
#14 Paul Ludwinski - C (Kingston)
#15 Landon Slaggert - LW (Notre Dame)
#16 Martin Misiak - C/LW/RW (Erie)
#17 Samuel Savoie - LW (Rouyn-Noranda)
#18 Louis Crevier - D (Rockford)
#19 Ilya Safonov - C (Ak Bars Kazan)
#20 Aidan Thompson - C (Denver)
#21 Victor Stjernborg - C (Vaxjo)
#22 Ryder Rolston - LW (Rockford)
#23 Connor Kelley - D (Providence)
#24 Milton Oscarsson - C (Orebro)
#25 Jiri Felcmann - C (SCL)

 

[kmwtrucks]

Ben Pope suntimes came out with a list: 3-6 seem to high greene and rinzel Laridis Gajan seem low IMO
Nazar
moore
dach
kaiser
slaggert
Commesso
mastro
Allan
ludwinski
hayes
greene
rinzel
lardis
kantserov
savoie
misiak
gajan
safonov
james
thompson

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Too much Slaggert slander.

 

[hawksrule]

If Reichel was still eligible he’d barely make the list. What an awful awful season for him.

 

[ChiHawks10]

If Reichel was still eligible he’d barely make the list. What an awful awful season for him.

The benefit with Reichel is he's still just 21 and has time to get things back on track.

 

[Idionym]

Ben Pope suntimes came out with a list: 3-6 seem to high greene and rinzel Laridis Gajan seem low IMO
Nazar
moore
dach
kaiser
slaggert
Commesso
mastro
Allan
ludwinski
hayes
greene
rinzel
lardis
kantserov
savoie
misiak
gajan
safonov
james
thompson

Rinzel and EDM are far too low. @benpopecst explain

 

[Dr Salt]

Nazar has been eating this year, can't wait for him to sign soon

 

[hawksrule]

The benefit with Reichel is he's still just 21 and has time to get things back on track.

It’s a very bad sign for a forward like Reichel to take such a big step back in their 21-year-old season. It exists in the realm of possibility that he can turn it around, but he’s sucked all season and there’s no sugarcoating it.

 

[Wally1112pac]

Reichel hasn't been great for 75% of the season but everyone needs to cut him some slack.

Prospects his age are supposed to be complementary pieces to a scoring line. Instead he is being put in a position where he is supposed to be the line driver. All while playing with 4th liners and ahlers.

He looked fine with AA last year. I'll reserve judgement on him until he plays with some actual NHL scoring forwards.

 

[ChiHawks10]

It’s a very bad sign for a forward like Reichel to take such a big step back in their 21-year-old season. It exists in the realm of possibility that he can turn it around, but he’s sucked all season and there’s no sugarcoating it.

Guys have sophomore slump type of seasons all the time. His isn't even that, as it's his first true year in the NHL. If he's still playing this way all throughout next season, then I'd start to throw the towel in on him. He's 21. He has barely even played a full season of NHL games. He's literally a rookie. I think it's weird to speak so definitively and give up on him with barely a full season of NHL games, and when we've seen how much better a player he is than he has shown this season. DeBrincat absolutely shit the bed in his 22 year old season, and people were trying to say similar shit about him... and he had double the games in the NHL that Reichel has.

Step back? He played in 23 games last year. If it were a full season at nearly ppg and then this season... maybe I'd be inclined to agree with the premise of taking a step back.

Let's not forget that he was tossed into the fire as a center for much of the season, and it probably f***ed with his game quite a bit. As a guy who played wing his whole life... I won't even play center in men's league most the time, let alone trying to do it at the NHL level.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Let's not forget that he was tossed into the fire as a center for much of the season, and it probably f***ed with his game quite a bit. As a guy who played wing his whole life... I won't even play center in men's league most the time, let alone trying to do it at the NHL level.

Reichel played Center in Rockford quite a bit. I believe he wanted to give it a go.

 

[hawksrule]

Guys have sophomore slump type of seasons all the time. His isn't even that, as it's his first true year in the NHL. If he's still playing this way all throughout next season, then I'd start to throw the towel in on him. He's 21. He has barely even played a full season of NHL games. He's literally a rookie. I think it's weird to speak so definitively and give up on him with barely a full season of NHL games, and when we've seen how much better a player he is than he has shown this season. DeBrincat absolutely shit the bed in his 22 year old season, and people were trying to say similar shit about him... and he had double the games in the NHL that Reichel has.

Step back? He played in 23 games last year. If it were a full season at nearly ppg and then this season... maybe I'd be inclined to agree with the premise of taking a step back.

Let's not forget that he was tossed into the fire as a center for much of the season, and it probably f***ed with his game quite a bit. As a guy who played wing his whole life... I won't even play center in men's league most the time, let alone trying to do it at the NHL level.

Debrincat shitting the bed was 45 points in 70 games, coming off 40 goals in his 21-year-old season. There’s no comparison. Reichel has 9 points in 48 games. Nine.

The center experiment was a failure, but that was months ago already. He’s been no better at wing.

I’m rooting for him, and I had very high hopes for him. But there hasn’t been a sliver of anything positive to be excited about from Reichel.

 

[ploppsdman]

Saw Allan a few months ago - he looked like just a guy. Del-Mastro looked like a player. Sneaky offense to him.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Debrincat shitting the bed was 45 points in 70 games, coming off 40 goals in his 21-year-old season. There’s no comparison. Reichel has 9 points in 48 games. Nine.

The center experiment was a failure, but that was months ago already. He’s been no better at wing.

I’m rooting for him, and I had very high hopes for him. But there hasn’t been a sliver of anything positive to be excited about from Reichel.

I get where you're coming from, but I just don't think it's logical to give up on him after a poor showing in his rookie year at 21 years old. Especially with the lack of talent across the board on this team.

 

[TLEH]

Really isn't that many players that had the success that Reichel had at 19 in the AHL and weren't something. I'm not writing him off completely but I also am not expecting much.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

I'm not giving up on Reichel but that game last year against Calgary I think? he was the best player on the ice. Really dangerous every time he went over the boards. He has shifts where he looks alright but he's not attacking guys with speed or stick handling past guys like he was doing at every level before this season. His mental is just toast.

 

[Northernhawk]

Three very promising fowards out of CHL
Gavin Hayes
Paul Ludwinski
Samuel Savoie

Four very promising forwards out of NCAA
Frank Nazar
Oliver Moore
Ryan Greene
Landon Slaggert

Along with and lead by Connor Bedard and maybe just maybe Macklin Cellebrini…wow!