Over/underrated

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BobMarleyNYR

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May 2, 2004
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Hey guys... This is my first post on HF, but I've been reading this stuff for a while. To be honest, I'm an 18-year-old college kid, who's lucky enough to see some CHL, USHL, NCAA & European games and watch videos. With that said, I'm no expert so just take my opinions (and everyone's for that matter) with a grain of salt...

Here's a list with analyses of '04's overrated and underrated prospects, IMO.

Underrated:

1 and 2. Andrej Meszaros/Johan Fransson - Meszaros doesn't get near the credit he deserves... Aside from Enver Lisin, he's likely the fastest skater in the draft. Sure he needs to develop, but so do most prospects in the draft. Huge offensive talent... Fransson is a similar guy, but plays a more refined game. He gets compared to Kenny Jonsson quite a bit, but I think he might have just a little more offensive potential.

2. Jakub Sindel - People knock him for being "soft." Guys take runs at him because he's so good, and he's starting to fight back 'cause he realizes he it. He has excellent cognition in the game and he leads by example. No, he isn't Valabik.

3. Enver Lisin - Style-wise, he's much like Radek Dvorak, IMO. Great hands, hard/heavy shot and water-smooth, lightning-quick skating. People say all he can do is skate... no, he's not Malhotra!

4. Carl Soderberg - He is rarely talked about, and he'll smack us all in the face if/when he makes it big. He has the talent. Strong, charging legs and a howitzer of a shot are his two best assets. Reminds one of Forsberg at times, but really needs to develop playmaking strengths.

Overrated:

1. Alvaro Montoya - I think people hear the Latino ring to "Alvaro Montoya," and think "Manny Fernandez." Well, sorry, he's no Fernandez. I'll be shocked if he's selected ahead of Schwarz... in fact, I can really see him slipping into the bottom half of the 1st round. 20th max.

2. Mike Green - It may sound like blasphemy to some, but let's face it, he's not all that special. Buffalo would be stupid to take him 13t h, as would the Isles 3 picks later... Habs would be reaching at 18. I could see him going to the Caps late 1st. I'd certainly take Meszaros, Fransson or Smid over Green, and Tesliuk is equally good/safe.

3. Jeff Schultz - His flaws seem more like lack of skill rather than crudeness of play that couldc be corrected by development.

Let me rank DF IMO... some way into the 2nd round:
1. Barker
2. Thelen
3. Smid
4. Valabik
5. Meszaros
6. Fransson
7. O'Neill
8. Lyamin
9. Green
10. Tesliuk
11. Hedman
12. Yemelin
13. Fistric
14. Wharton
15. Rogers

Thanks guys!
 

thestonedkoala

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Fernandez isn't bad, a very solid backup but I think Montoya can be better than him.
 

Boomhower

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Aug 23, 2003
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BobMarleyNYR said:
3. Jeff Schultz - His flaws seem more like lack of skill rather than crudeness of play that couldc be corrected by development.

Let me rank DF IMO... some way into the 2nd round:
1. Barker
2. Thelen
3. Smid
4. Valabik
5. Meszaros
6. Fransson
7. O'Neill
8. Lyamin
9. Green
10. Tesliuk
11. Hedman
12. Yemelin
13. Fistric
14. Wharton
15. Rogers

Thanks guys!

Schultz isn't that bad, give me him over Wharton everyday.

I agree with you about Meszaros being underrated.
 

KH1

Registered User
Andy Rogers is really underrated. He's got all the tools and is apparently a very hard worker.

As for Mike Green, if he were 2 inches taller he'd be a lock for the top 10, maybe even higher. But he really does everything right. I think he can certainly develop into a top-4 defenseman in this league.
 

BobMarleyNYR

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See, I knew this would be a contraversial thread! Thanks all for your thoughts. Let me try to explain some of my claims...

Like I said, not to bash Schultz, I just have a tough time seeing him fit into the professional game... maybe the AHL. And I hope I'm wrong, but he seems to have quite a few dangerous downfalls. Most players only have one (Schremp - complacency, Ladd - floating, Meidl - coordination) real downfall -- Schultz shows quite a few... including a lack of refined hockey sense.

Maybe I was rather harsh on Green... The reason I like guys like Lyamin over him is because, while they have a much higher risk factor, they show such brilliant potential. I still like Green. Good pick. Safe pick. 99% NHL-bound pick -- which is the main reason he's ranked so high.

I may have Rogers rather low... excellent defensive tools. Wharton is also a good pick, but much more of a risk than Lyamin, IMO...

Don't doubt Yemelin. He has a big frame to grow into, but he is improving almost as quickly as the fastest progressing prospect in this draft -- Thelen. REMEMBER: this does NOT mean I'm comparing Yemelin to Thelen!

Take it easy.
 

Jasper17

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Apr 27, 2004
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I think Green is going to be a very solid NHL defensman at the least. And I think Montoya has the potential to be a very good NHL goaltender, better than Fernandez on his best day.
 
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