Micklebot
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- Apr 27, 2010
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Ottawa Senators prospects list flush with surprising additions and improvement
- Thread starter HF Article
- Start date
Chris Wideman has graduated from our prospect criteria as detailed here. Otherwise, he would have been high on this list indeed.
Furthermore, it was impossible to make a list that everybody would agree with; there really isn't much separating the prospects from the 3rd spot all the way down to the 17th. A lot of players with similar levels of potential--but somebody has to come first. It's an exciting fall for prospect watchers!
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I agree with you Kris. Its an opinion thing, and you backed it up with why you think what you do. Every single one of us would have different rankings.
I could see the argument for Wikstrand and Gagne being ranked where they are. Gagne is a very boom or bust prospect and may never amount to anything more than wasted potential. Im a big fan of his after watching some tape and reading scouting reports...but he is very far from becoming a good bet to be a player and there are some red flags in his game.
Jaros, Englund, etc. are possibly safer than Wikstrand as of now. Yeah those two may top out as bottom pairing defensive d-men, but thats still an NHL'er which is better than nothing. Wik may become a solid offensive #3, but theres also more risk in his game as well. And Hell, he may never even come over.
The one thing I disagree with a good amount is Prince. I think leading Bingo in scoring at his age and with his speed, hands, and IQ lends him to be a top 3 prospect.
I could see the argument for Wikstrand and Gagne being ranked where they are. Gagne is a very boom or bust prospect and may never amount to anything more than wasted potential. Im a big fan of his after watching some tape and reading scouting reports...but he is very far from becoming a good bet to be a player and there are some red flags in his game.
Jaros, Englund, etc. are possibly safer than Wikstrand as of now. Yeah those two may top out as bottom pairing defensive d-men, but thats still an NHL'er which is better than nothing. Wik may become a solid offensive #3, but theres also more risk in his game as well. And Hell, he may never even come over.
The one thing I disagree with a good amount is Prince. I think leading Bingo in scoring at his age and with his speed, hands, and IQ lends him to be a top 3 prospect.
I like Prince too. He has the same potential rating as Puempel and Paul. The reason why his probability rating is lower is due to the fact that team executives seem to favour Paul and Puempel--which was a factor in my decision making process.
Gagne, Wikstrand, and O'Connor are all players who could move up this list extremely quickly by the time I write the February edition of the Top 20 (it's a biannual article). If Wikstrand and O'Connor have great first seasons in Binghamton, expect big changes!
You're absolutely right about Gagne--he is a high risk/high reward prospect. Things are already looking up for him though; He stood out in Sens development camp, and he is currently having a great camp in Vic.
Where I would disagree with you is the thought that Englund and Jaros could at best become bottom-pairing guys. I think Englund's outlet pass is good enough to make him a potential partner for Karlsson somewhere down the line. I see Jaros as a good middle-pairing man. Wikstrand also has this potential, but I will need to see a good half-season to move him up. He is probably a better player than Jaros right now, but he is also three years older than him. In the long run, I think Jaros will be a superior defender.
Gagne, Wikstrand, and O'Connor are all players who could move up this list extremely quickly by the time I write the February edition of the Top 20 (it's a biannual article). If Wikstrand and O'Connor have great first seasons in Binghamton, expect big changes!
You're absolutely right about Gagne--he is a high risk/high reward prospect. Things are already looking up for him though; He stood out in Sens development camp, and he is currently having a great camp in Vic.
Where I would disagree with you is the thought that Englund and Jaros could at best become bottom-pairing guys. I think Englund's outlet pass is good enough to make him a potential partner for Karlsson somewhere down the line. I see Jaros as a good middle-pairing man. Wikstrand also has this potential, but I will need to see a good half-season to move him up. He is probably a better player than Jaros right now, but he is also three years older than him. In the long run, I think Jaros will be a superior defender.
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