Prospect Info: Pittsburgh Penguins Prospect Discussion

[Zen Arcade]

I disagree about Grant. People keep saying "he has no shot of making the NHL." I think he could find a solid career as a 7th D PP specialist, much like Ben Lovejoy. Now if the issue is whether or not he will play in the NHL for Pittsburgh, then you are right, there is no chance there. But he could move on to a different team with less defensive depth and make a name for himself in the NHL.

Lovejoy is a much more well rounded player than Grant, and he already was when he was Grant's age.

 

[wej20]

I disagree about Grant. People keep saying "he has no shot of making the NHL." I think he could find a solid career as a 7th D PP specialist, much like Ben Lovejoy. Now if the issue is whether or not he will play in the NHL for Pittsburgh, then you are right, there is no chance there. But he could move on to a different team with less defensive depth and make a name for himself in the NHL.

maybe if he's lucky, I don't think Grant's talented enough offensively to make it as a PP specialist.

 

[Sivek]

Only way I see Grant making it in the NHL is if he undergoes a position change and becomes a 4th-liner that can play the point on a 2nd pp unit and occasionally scrap (poorly). I don't think people realize how good guys like Lovejoy/Bortuzzo/etc were in the AHL. They were legitimately great AHL players and still had/have a hell of a time cracking the line-up regularly. Grant is a 3rd-pairng AHL guy that was getting scratched in the playoffs.

 

[Waffle Fries]

So Jayson Megna, what are the chances he makes it to the NHL? And if he can, how soon could we expect it (1 more year in AHL, 2, 3 etc.)?

 

[Burgs]

Very slim chance I'd say. Megna has some physical tools but seems to lack a toolbox to properly sort and use them. He was a late bloomer though and had just one year of NCAA experience (as a 21/22 year old freshman) so he could still put it together. But I get the impression he's a scatterbrain kind of player who looks good in scrimmages but gets overwhelmed in real games.

 

[Waffle Fries]

Ah I see. It just seemed like the organization thought somewhat highly of him since he had that unexpected camp invite.

 

[Zen Arcade]

Very slim chance I'd say. Megna has some physical tools but seems to lack a toolbox to properly sort and use them. He was a late bloomer though and had just one year of NCAA experience (as a 21/22 year old freshman) so he could still put it together. But I get the impression he's a scatterbrain kind of player who looks good in scrimmages but gets overwhelmed in real games.

Yeah, watching Megna all year, that seems to be the case.

It's like someone was taught all the individual skills that are needed to be a good player without actually being taught how to use those skills in an actual game.

His hands and speed are impressive, but he just seems to roam around out there without any real direction.

 

[JTG]

I call Megna a "stick time player." Great when he's just on the ice skating around stick handling, and awesome in no checking scrimmages...I don't think he has the ability to put those skills to use at the highest level though. He may very well be a good to great AHL player though

 

[Honour Over Glory]

How much of it is him not figuring it out and a coaching staff/player development staff that doesn't know how to help him figure it out, down in WBS?

Looking at WBS, it's not exactly churning out quality players for the Pens. Most have spent most of their time in College and a sip of coffee in the AHL before they either made it to the NHL or were moved.

 

[Solution]

John Hynes actually has a good reputation around the hockey circles as a player development coach from what I understand.

 

[Jacob]

How much of it is him not figuring it out and a coaching staff/player development staff that doesn't know how to help him figure it out, down in WBS?

Looking at WBS, it's not exactly churning out quality players for the Pens. Most have spent most of their time in College and a sip of coffee in the AHL before they either made it to the NHL or were moved.

Meh, I think the coaching and development in WB/S is fine. Hard to develop a lot of NHL regulars when you draft late in the 1st round or not at all.

 

[Milliardo]

And coaching can only take you so far, in the end, it's always on the player himself. If you're good, you'll make it. If you're not good, you probably won't make it.

 

[wej20]

He's not exactly been blessed with a ton of talented offensive forwards to develop. Hopefully he can do something with Kuhn if the guy can stay healthy.

 

[Karnage420*]

Honestly i feel like Crosby was powerless out there after that punch to the jaw. He looked out of place as we all know - but i think the fact that no one stepped up for him and protected him after that messed with his confidence.

shame none of us noticed it, and shame on blysma for not noticing it either. For the first time in maybe forever we could have used a fight with chara - just so he knows not to take liberties with our star and get away unscathed.

really the more i look at it, that punch to the jaw was the end of the series.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

How much of it is him not figuring it out and a coaching staff/player development staff that doesn't know how to help him figure it out, down in WBS?

Looking at WBS, it's not exactly churning out quality players for the Pens. Most have spent most of their time in College and a sip of coffee in the AHL before they either made it to the NHL or were moved.

How many contenders have AHL affiliates "churning out" talent? It's not like everyone else has stocks of NHL ready guys just waiting for a call up.

 

[Burgs]

John Hynes spent years working for the U.S. junior development program (USNTDP in Ann Arbor) and won WJC and U18 Worlds gold medals as American head coach. He had no previous experience coaching pros so teaching and developing prospects should be his strong suit and the reason the Penguins hired him. I don't think the Baby Pens coaching is a problem.

 

[Jacob]

Honestly i feel like Crosby was powerless out there after that punch to the jaw. He looked out of place as we all know - but i think the fact that no one stepped up for him and protected him after that messed with his confidence.

shame none of us noticed it, and shame on blysma for not noticing it either. For the first time in maybe forever we could have used a fight with chara - just so he knows not to take liberties with our star and get away unscathed.

really the more i look at it, that punch to the jaw was the end of the series.

Who's going to fight Chara? And why would he even entertain that notion and drop his gloves? Come on. The playoffs are about winning, you can send messages in the regular season.

 

[Karnage420*]

Who's going to fight Chara? And why would he even entertain that notion and drop his gloves? Come on. The playoffs are about winning, you can send messages in the regular season.

ive seen crazier things happen in the playoffs.

i hate the idea of dressing an enforcer during the playoffs too. but if the refs/league isnt going to protect him, who is?

Also, the refs really go out of their way to not call penalties against him it seems, i remember that one play where he was clearly hooked on a 2 on 1 and yelled at the ref right after.

it just seems like he gave up after that game. no support from the refs. bigger players taking liberties on him without repercussions...just a true shame.

edit: i thought i posted that in the enforcer thread? how did it get here...am i just Pejorative Slured?

 

[Zen Arcade]

How much of it is him not figuring it out and a coaching staff/player development staff that doesn't know how to help him figure it out, down in WBS?

To be brutally honest, there are times when he looks like he's never played competitive hockey.

There's a reason why someone as obviously talented as him was passed over and ended up as a free agent.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Who's going to fight Chara? And why would he even entertain that notion and drop his gloves? Come on. The playoffs are about winning, you can send messages in the regular season.

No one has to fight Chara, but if you watch the Hawks series, it doesn't take much to get under his skin. Chicago figured out how to get under his skin, go after Rask (something that I never understood why the Pens were so scared to do, crash the net) and look at how rattled Chara looks after, he tries to go after Toews or Bickell and his team is now tied 2-2.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

To be brutally honest, there are times when he looks like he's never played competitive hockey.

There's a reason why someone as obviously talented as him was passed over and ended up as a free agent.

There are a lot of College FA's that are passed over and make a good career out of it after. So let's not act like all of these guys are complete lost causes and the Pens are doing god's work in giving him a paycheque. They saw something in him, if they aren't going to help guide that in the right direction, their money, their loss.

 

[Solution]

There are a lot of College FA's that are passed over and make a good career out of it after. So let's not act like all of these guys are complete lost causes and the Pens are doing god's work in giving him a paycheque. They saw something in him, if they aren't going to help guide that in the right direction, their money, their loss.

So you believe that if a player struggles and cannot adjust, it is on the coaching staff for not providing direction? While I will agree that this sometimes happens (probably more than most realize), I have also heard of the opposite where the player is incapable of adjusting despite repeated efforts and different approaches to improve the game. Sometimes players that have gotten by on skill alone cannot adjust to others having the same amount of skill. I do not know what is the case with Megna, but I think that maybe it is a bit early to make the decision yet.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

So you believe that if a player struggles and cannot adjust, it is on the coaching staff for not providing direction? While I will agree that this sometimes happens (probably more than most realize), I have also heard of the opposite where the player is incapable of adjusting despite repeated efforts and different approaches to improve the game. Sometimes players that have gotten by on skill alone cannot adjust to others having the same amount of skill. I do not know what is the case with Megna, but I think that maybe it is a bit early to make the decision yet.

Not at all.

I think if you go out and sign a guy, you have an idea of what he needs to work on, if that player is willing and the staff is as well, you can make something of it. But it's not always the case.

In any case, I was never high on Megna, Thiessen, Thompson or Gibbons. If they ever make the NHL, I'll be surprised. With that said, when was the last time WBS developed a player that was top 6 material? I don't count Beau, he barely played a full season there. I look at Tangradi as a guy that had promise, looked good in WBS, but then that was it. I don't care for Tangradi, but I sometimes wonder about how blind the people here are in terms to "Omg, Shero's tenure has been awesome, amazeballs!" to the point where he could almost do no wrong until his vote of confidence for Bylsma. If Kuhnhackl is healthy next season, I want to keep close tabs on him and how well the developmental staff develops him.

 

[Zen Arcade]

There are a lot of College FA's that are passed over and make a good career out of it after. So let's not act like all of these guys are complete lost causes and the Pens are doing god's work in giving him a paycheque. They saw something in him, if they aren't going to help guide that in the right direction, their money, their loss.

Lots of guys are passed over, but Megna has a pretty flashy skillset. If you watch him in a scrimmage or a training camp, he stands out in a big way. Watching him in an actual game is a completely different story.

The Pens obviously were impressed by his hands and his speed, but there's something lacking in his mental game that's going to prevent him from taking the next step.

A lack of hockey sense isn't an indictment of the coaching staff.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Lots of guys are passed over, but Megna has a pretty flashy skillset. If you watch him in a scrimmage or a training camp, he stands out in a big way. Watching him in an actual game is a completely different story.

The Pens obviously were impressed by his hands and his speed, but there's something lacking in his mental game that's going to prevent him from taking the next step.

A lack of hockey sense isn't an indictment of the coaching staff.

Hockey sense is definitely something you can't teach. If you have it, you can develop it, but if you lack it...it's game over.

I've seen and heard about Megna's skills in training camp, etc. I don't see him ever putting it together.