Most underrated/overrated prospects on HFBOARDS?

redwingsdude

Registered User
Aug 2, 2005
1,212
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Grand Rapids
Overrated/overhyped: Gotta go with Malkin as well. Remember when half the people said Crosby would be a leading scorer, and half would say he might get 70? Well he and AO turned out to be very pleasant surprises. That doesn't mean Lightning will strike again with Malkin. Agreed he's a great player, but don't compare him to any of the big names, YET.

Underrated: I don't hear much about Al Montoya, but he was very good in college, and played very well in his first WJC and was solid in his part of a season in the AHL. All the praise goes to (deservedly) Lundqvuist, but Montoya could be a very good goalie.
 
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Incarnation

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Dec 29, 2005
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Finland
Overrated - Malkin, just like redwingsdude said it.

Underrated - Juhamatti Aaltonen. This guy here made an breakthrough in SM-liiga last season and looks like no one notices that he's a future NHL 1st/2nd liner.
 

Jason MacIsaac

Registered User
Jan 13, 2004
22,221
5,935
Halifax, NS
Overated - Teams with loads of posters and recently drafted players
Underated - Teams with no posters and possibly from 2002 or 2003 draft yet havent made it yet.
 

8BostonRocker24

Registered User
Feb 8, 2006
9,275
8
Silicon Valley
Overrated:
Jonathan Toews, IMO he'll be a good two way player but my gut tells me Hawk fans are going to wish The F.O. drafted Backstrom.

Overhyped:
Malkin, Yes, He might be great (someday) but some of the Pens Fans here are a little over the top.

Underrated:
Al Montoya, great college goalie, great WJC goalie, pretty good first year in the AHL. Yes, The Rangers have Lundqvuist and he might be traded some day, but don't write this guy off.

Jimmy Howard, This guy is going to be a stub. He is still the best college goalie I have ever seen. I have seen him (live) play into triple overtime (Hockey East final at The Garden). He had a great SV% and GA while at Maine.

Cam Baker, When did his stock drop? I wouldn't trade him for Jack Johnson or Erik Johnson stright up.
 

HOCKEY_GURU

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Jun 27, 2002
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Overrated - Malkin, just like redwingsdude said it.

Underrated - Juhamatti Aaltonen. This guy here made an breakthrough in SM-liiga last season and looks like no one notices that he's a future NHL 1st/2nd liner.

yep i heard afew things about him but yes not a lot of talk... on the same note is Lindgrens upside more? and u dont hear too much hype about him either.
 

Acadmus

pastured mod
Jul 22, 2003
16,963
180
Vermont
Underated: Rostislav Olesz

Though I agree he's an underrated player, and I know technically he hasn't graduated as a prospect, I don't consider him to be just a prospect now since he's spent one complete season in the NHL and his level of play was such that I don't expect he'll be sent down to the minors or back to juniors.

I know from experience that a lot of Panthers fans like myself overrate their team's prospects due to their hopes of the future and underrate a lot (though not all) of the prospects from other teams because they don't know as much about them. Plus, one must remember most of us don't ever get to see prospects play except the odd college or juniors game.

In all honesty, though, I found the most overrated prospects are high first round draftees from weak draft years (like Patrik Stefan, the Sedin twins in Vancouver, and Florida's Denis Shvidki were, and I'd say anyone from this year's draft are), and the most underrated are later first and second round picks in deeper drafts. Olesz is somewhat an example - he went 7th overall in '04, so people don't think of him as a top pick and then there's that whole Phaneuf knockout thing. But one must remember that Phaneuf was also in that draft, Ovechkin, and several other really promising potential stars. '04 and '05 were really very good draft years and will probably be the drafts that brought the next big wave of NHL stars with the likes of Bourque, Yzerman, Lemieux, Gretzky, Coffey, Roy, and soon Leetch, Sakic, Modano, Belfour etc., etc., and so on retiring. But right now players drafted in '06 are being given as much credibility, just as the first round draftees in '01 were - and most of them really didn't amount to much, at least as much as people expected.
 

unitedstars87

Registered User
Jun 2, 2006
1,207
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I think that Bobby Ryan isn't talked about much at all. But I don't know if he's underrated. As other posters said, Barker is also zero talked about, and underrated.
Radulov is overrated, can't think of any one else out of the top of my head that hasn't been mentioned before. It's abit early to say that any of the 06 draftees is over- or underrated, but Staal's a bit too highly thought of sometimes, and I still think that Little is questioned and underrated because of his size.

bobby ryan is a gem....keith tkchuck (i think thats how u spell it) meets mike modano.
 

Legionnaire

Help On The Way
Jul 10, 2002
44,254
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LA-LA Land
overated: Schremp
underated: Noah Welch

Beat me to it.

Yes I did. However one could say since someone else was going to post him, he isn't underated :teach:


But yeah, seriously...nobody knows who he is and, well...they should. He is gonna be a stud.


I've been trying to tell that to Pens fans for the last few years. He will be your number 1 guy, no Ryan Whitney.
 

Juan

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Apr 30, 2002
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bobby ryan is a gem....keith tkchuck (i think thats how u spell it) meets mike modano.

That is perhaps the worst comparison I have ever seen on this board.

Anyone who watches the OHL will tell you that Ryan's two biggest weaknesses, such as they are, are skating and lack of aggression/toughness for his size.

Yet you compare him to one of the best skaters in Modano and one of the toughest skilled power forwards in Tkachuk of their generation.

I watched a lot of Jason Allison in London in the early 90's. Ryan is a carbon copy of him at the same age.
 

J17 Vs Proclamation

Registered User
Oct 29, 2004
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Though I agree he's an underrated player, and I know technically he hasn't graduated as a prospect, I don't consider him to be just a prospect now since he's spent one complete season in the NHL and his level of play was such that I don't expect he'll be sent down to the minors or back to juniors.

I know from experience that a lot of Panthers fans like myself overrate their team's prospects due to their hopes of the future and underrate a lot (though not all) of the prospects from other teams because they don't know as much about them. Plus, one must remember most of us don't ever get to see prospects play except the odd college or juniors game.

In all honesty, though, I found the most overrated prospects are high first round draftees from weak draft years (like Patrik Stefan, the Sedin twins in Vancouver, and Florida's Denis Shvidki were, and I'd say anyone from this year's draft are), and the most underrated are later first and second round picks in deeper drafts. Olesz is somewhat an example - he went 7th overall in '04, so people don't think of him as a top pick and then there's that whole Phaneuf knockout thing. But one must remember that Phaneuf was also in that draft, Ovechkin, and several other really promising potential stars. '04 and '05 were really very good draft years and will probably be the drafts that brought the next big wave of NHL stars with the likes of Bourque, Yzerman, Lemieux, Gretzky, Coffey, Roy, and soon Leetch, Sakic, Modano, Belfour etc., etc., and so on retiring. But right now players drafted in '06 are being given as much credibility, just as the first round draftees in '01 were - and most of them really didn't amount to much, at least as much as people expected.

Phaneuf was drafted in 03 ;). Remember, the year we got Horton.

Olesz is underated, actually i think he is underated by panthers fans as well. I remember you saying that he wont score more 50 points in a season over his career. Remember he had 20 points whilst missing 20+ games as a rookie whilst being expected to play defense, pk etc. He showed glimpses of offensive explosion, couple of times he scored coast to coast. I can def see him scoring 70 points one day.

Whoever said Price was underated and Pogge overated must be a habs fan ... oh wait, they were.
Pogge was heavily overated mainly by Toronto fans but he is now become underated (Its a cycle that often happens here). He is still a good prospect and people tend to criticise him unfairly.
 

Vic Rattlehead*

Guest
Overrated:Kessel,Parise
Underrated:Barker,Toews,Backstrom,Setoguchi

Kessel overrated? The guy has been bashed non-stop for the past couple of months, and went from #1 to #5 in less than a year for the 2006 draft.
 

captain AARON MAIDEN*

Guest
Overrated:Zagrapan,Pogge,Parise,Frolik,Semin
Underrated: Kopecky,Lascek,Sekera,Dubnyk,Colby Armstrong,Tukonen,Valabik
 

caldercup0

Registered User
Jun 23, 2005
721
0
Hartford, CT
Underrated: Daniel Girardi

He doesn't get enough credit, despite the fact that he was by far the best defenseman on the Hartford Wolf Pack last season. Plus, it was his first season out of juniors. He was solid on defense and put up good numbers on offense as well.
 

Abyss

GO BRUINS
Jun 20, 2005
5,761
3
CT
I've been trying to tell that to Pens fans for the last few years. He will be your number 1 guy, no Ryan Whitney.

Well, if he is traded to the Bruins and turns into our #1 guy I'll be pretty happy :sarcasm:

But yeah, he is gonna be quite the player and should compliment Whitney (if he plays with him) very nicely.


Another "underated" prospect: Carl Soderberg
Edit: another..Nigel Dawes
 

Draiskull

Registered User
Oct 26, 2005
23,320
2,160
Underrated : Lepisto, Tukonen and Olez
Overrated : Schremp, Parise and Coburn

Its funny how Schremp is showing up on ppls' "overrated" list but never showed up in their "top 20 prospect" list. Shouldnt one be in the underrated list after scoring ~3PPG during regular season and playoffs and still not make the top 20 prospect list?
then again im probably just being a homer.
 

Legionnaire

Help On The Way
Jul 10, 2002
44,254
3,965
LA-LA Land
Well, if he is traded to the Bruins and turns into our #1 guy I'll be pretty happy :sarcasm:

But yeah, he is gonna be quite the player and should compliment Whitney (if he plays with him) very nicely.


Another "underated" prospect: Carl Soderberg
Edit: another..Nigel Dawes

I guess I should have made it apparent that I was quoting myself. ;)
 

Incarnation

Registered User
Dec 29, 2005
150
0
Finland
yep i heard afew things about him but yes not a lot of talk... on the same note is Lindgrens upside more? and u dont hear too much hype about him either.
Lindgren is more ready to play NHL than Aaltonen, although Lindgren needs some muscles too. Lindgren played solid game almost every night, but Aaltonen strangely disappeared sometimes and wasn't capable to step up when his sniper skills were needed. I forgive that because last season was his rookie season and when he found that something ("the game joy" maybe?), he was very dangerous.

Anyway, it's impossible to compare Aaltonen and Lindgren because they represent entirely different player types:
Aaltonen is a winger with Teemu Selänne-like sniper skills and Lindgren is a playmaking center. But they are both very skilled, creative and - could I say - artist characters.
 

Vote Quimby

Registered User
Apr 6, 2005
180
0
Langley BC
I guess its all relative but

Underrated

Jesse Schultz - never heard of him, most haven't but he has pretty much been given one of the top two right wing spots on the Canucks. Even HF doesn't rank him in the top 20 Canucks prospects. From what Vigneault and Nonis have been saying, the job is his to lose and Vigneault coached him last year in Manitoba. He did score 37 goals last year with the Moose.

Gilbert Brule - I know he was a high draft pick but to be 29th on the top 50 is low. He is a fast, talented, albeit small forward. Think a little bigger and little less dirty Theo Fleury (not the off ice issues Fleury).

Overrated
Schremp - lot of talent but doesn't work nearly hard enough. Future Pavel Brendl here.
 

Rabid Ranger

2 is better than one
Feb 27, 2002
31,014
11,020
Murica
I guess its all relative but

Underrated

Jesse Schultz - never heard of him, most haven't but he has pretty much been given one of the top two right wing spots on the Canucks. Even HF doesn't rank him in the top 20 Canucks prospects. From what Vigneault and Nonis have been saying, the job is his to lose and Vigneault coached him last year in Manitoba. He did score 37 goals last year with the Moose.

Gilbert Brule - I know he was a high draft pick but to be 29th on the top 50 is low. He is a fast, talented, albeit small forward. Think a little bigger and little less dirty Theo Fleury (not the off ice issues Fleury).

Overrated
Schremp - lot of talent but doesn't work nearly hard enough. Future Pavel Brendl here.

You can say a lot about Schremp, but not working hard isn't one of them.
 

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