Prospect Info: Prospect Rankings #8

[Braeden]

SKATER PROSPECT: A player 24 or younger with 50 or fewer NHL games. Therefore, Adam Clendening has now graduated with 60 NHL games under his belt and the full season on the NHL roster.

GOALIE PROSPECT: A player 25 or younger with 25 or fewer NHL games.

EXCEPTION 1: If a player completed the required 50/25 games, but is still not regarded as an NHL regular because he's shuffling between the NHL and the AHL, he could still be a prospect as long as he's 24 or younger and if agreed upon by most people here.

EXCEPTION 2: A player who is no older than 25 years old at the time of the vote and is a borderline NHLer could still count if agreed upon by most people here. Hrivik falls under this exception.

1- Brock Boeser RW (64.04%) - Selected 23rd overall by Vancouver in 2015
"Some scouts are seeing quite a bit of Patrick Sharp in Mr. Boeser. He skates well and has a complete set of goal-scorer's tools. Doesn't give up his own end, and transitions to offense in such a quick and concrete way that he can catch the opposition off-guard."

2- Olli Juolevi D (82.89%) - Selected 5th overall by Vancouver in 2016
"A strong and balanced skater, he can rush the puck through the neutral zone with ease or backcheck with haste. Uses his size to his advantage, but knows his physical limits and plays within them. Instead of playing overly physical, he makes his presence felt by exhibiting his high-end playmaking ability and puck possession play."

3- Thatcher Demko G (86.44%) - Selected 36th overall by Vancouver in 2014
"Thatcher Demko is an exceptionally athletic goaltender that can seem unbeatable on many occasions. His composure in net and modified butterfly style have scouts comparing him to Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators. He prepares himself well, positionally, for initial shots and the subsequent rebounds, and his cross-crease lateral movement is very good. As he tracks the puck, his stick always covers the five-hole and he makes himself big."

4- Jake Virtanen RW (46.23%) - Selected 6th overall by Vancouver in 2014
"Jake Virtanen is an imposing power forward in the truest sense. Possesses a non-stopping motor and creates an abundance of on-ice energy when throwing his weight around and establishing his physical presence. Exhibits world-class skating ability, and can blow by defenders just as easily as he can go through them. Stands up for his teammates and never backs down from a challenge. Displays a wicked, NHL-level release that challenges goaltenders of all skill levels. Becoming a recognizable asset when playing a more defensive role as well."

5- Adam Gaudette C (71.76%) - Selected 149th overall by Vancouver in 2015
"An intense, hard-working forward who shows a lot of character in not backing down under adversity. A mobile and edgy skater, but needs to improve his explosiveness with the puck. Makes smart plays under pressure, never wanting to make a mistake; sometimes a bit too careful, holding onto dead plays, but this is not a problem that will be hard to curb. Likes to go hard to the nets. Needs to get stronger and more physically astute along the boards. "

6- Will Lockwood RW (42.19%) - Selected 64th overall by Vancouver in 2015
"A hard-nosed two-way winger that thinks ahead of the play and seeks to be proactive whenever he is on the ice. In every situation, he exhibits haste, quickness, and urgency. He utilizes his high end footspeed to gain position on the opposition, and inherently knows how to create time and space for himself and teammates."

7- Guillaume Brisebois D (54.84%) - Selected 66th overall by Vancouver in 2015
"A passionate two-way defenseman who takes a very student-like approach to the game. For many players, it takes them a shift or two to "wake up" and get the ball rolling. The unique thing about this defenseman is that he's always alert and ready to make a play, right from the get-go. He forces things to happen, and is a catalyst for positive plays at both ends of the ice. Under pressure, he calm and poised, focusing on his own game rather than what is going through other players' minds. He is an excellent skater with a high level of hockey sense, and he realizes his role in all situations."

Click to read more...

 

[hellstick]

Oh man, who's it going to be!?

 

[MS]

Subban by default here.

Then I guess McEneny based on the good last month he's had? So thin past this point.

 

[PG Canuck]

Subban.

This is incredibly thin and saddening.

 

[701]

(Basically re-posting this from the end of #7 to here at #8. I've always liked both Subban and McEneny,
but IMO McKenzie has a chance to be a wheelhorse kind of bottom-six stalwart with decent skill,
size, skating, and defensive awareness. How much this 7th-round re-draft guy differs from, say,
first-round Brendan Gaunce could be a minor but interesting discussion.)

I'm wondering if Brett McKenzie really deserves to be way down in the "hasn't totally sucked" category.
He's 18th in the OHL in scoring, 3rd in shots on goal, and tied for 2nd in short-handed goals. So at
very least he's got a nose for the net and good anticipation. So far as the eye test goes, he's got
good size and his whole thing seems to be relentlessly driving to the net. His skating seems pretty
good as he's always going in on breakaways, which seem to be a mix of hockey sense and skating
speed. So I'm wondering why McKenzie would be ranked so much lower than Gaudette and Lockwood?

No axe to grind here, just an honest question.

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Came across this Brock Otten piece on McKenzie, re top OHL re-draft (i.e. passed-over) prospects.
It's old news, but considering McKenzie is currently at 1.10 PPG, he's showing very decent offensive
skill for a guy touted for his defensive prowess on defense-first sort of team:

"1. Brett McKenzie - Forward - North Bay Battalion
Quite honestly, I do expect Luff and Helvig to be drafted ahead of McKenzie this year. But I prefer the Battalion pivot as a prospect long term and thus I've got him ranked first. I must admit, I felt he should have definitely been drafted last year, when he was a key cog to North Bay's deep playoff run (as the team's 3rd line center). But ultimately, I suppose, NHL teams felt that his skating needed to be upgraded and that he didn't show enough offensive upside to warrant a selection. This year, he made improvements to nearly every area. His skating is definitely better, more explosive. His shot has added velocity and become a major asset. He had 26 goals on the year, but only 2 were on the powerplay (which points to a continued trend upwards next year when he gets more PP time). McKenzie is also a terrific two way player who excels on the penalty kill (with 5 shorthanded goals) and loves using his size to disrupt on the forecheck and along the wall. In terms of progression, not a ton separating McKenzie from a guy like Nick Paul at this point in their development (Paul also had 26 goals in his 19 year old season). You have to trust Stan Butler when it comes to the development of big centers with offensive talent."

 

[Hugh Mungus]

Subban by default here.

Then I guess McEneny based on the good last month he's had? So thin past this point.

it got pretty thin after #5 tbh

subban here *sigh*

 

[Rotting Corpse*]

Subban and then we should just stop.

 

[Get North]

I guess it looks bad, but Tryamkin, Stecher could be on this list along with Hutton. Granlund was traded for Shinkaruk, so that's another player that could have been on this list but was traded for a better player (currently). A 2nd round pick we traded for Baerstchi. That is 5 players we could have on this list if they were in the AHL instead of the NHL.

 

[Nucker101]

Man, I hope in 1-2 years, this list is deeper.

 

[NuxFan09]

Yeah, I guess Subban here. After that, McKenzie and Neill stick out.

 

[M2Beezy]

Mckenzie here. Neil next

 

[Get North]

Subban probably has more value but I can see McEneny making the NHL first and being the better all-around player.

 

[Lindgren]

I voted McEneny. I'm almost certainly overvaluing a recent good run, but I don't see much in the options.

I don't think that Subban is going to be an NHLer.

 

[Braeden]

I guess it looks bad, but Tryamkin, Stecher could be on this list along with Hutton. Granlund was traded for Shinkaruk, so that's another player that could have been on this list but was traded for a better player (currently). A 2nd round pick we traded for Baerstchi. That is 5 players we could have on this list if they were in the AHL instead of the NHL.

???

SKATER PROSPECT: A player 24 or younger with 50 or fewer NHL games. Therefore, Adam Clendening has now graduated with 60 NHL games under his belt and the full season on the NHL roster.


Tryamkin, Stecher, Hutton, Granlund and Baerstchi aren't considered "prospects" anymore as they're NHL regulars. There are guidelines as to what a prospect is and it's highlighted in the main post.

Suggest you give it another quick read before you suggest something again.

 

[Get North]

???

SKATER PROSPECT: A player 24 or younger with 50 or fewer NHL games. Therefore, Adam Clendening has now graduated with 60 NHL games under his belt and the full season on the NHL roster.


Tryamkin, Stecher, Hutton, Granlund and Baerstchi aren't considered "prospects" anymore as they're NHL regulars. There are guidelines as to what a prospect is and it's highlighted in the main post.

Suggest you give it another quick read before you suggest something again.

Yeah I know the rules. Stecher, Tryamkin, Hutton could be in the AHL or overseas in Russia and considered prospects if they didn't make the NHL. If we didn't trade Shinkaruk for Granlund, that's another prospect added to the list, Baertschi was traded for a 2nd, if we kept the 2nd that's another prospect on the list.

My point is that this list could be better if we kept our picks or if our prospects weren't in the NHL. It's not directed at you, it's directed to people who think this list is really bad.

 

[Scygen]

???

SKATER PROSPECT: A player 24 or younger with 50 or fewer NHL games. Therefore, Adam Clendening has now graduated with 60 NHL games under his belt and the full season on the NHL roster.


Tryamkin, Stecher, Hutton, Granlund and Baerstchi aren't considered "prospects" anymore as they're NHL regulars. There are guidelines as to what a prospect is and it's highlighted in the main post.

Suggest you give it another quick read before you suggest something again.

put it this way..
if we didn't trade Shinkaruk for an NHL player, and if both Tryamkin and Stecher were not ready for the NHL.. all 3 would still be in our top 6 prospects.. I encourage you to goto any team and take out 3 of their top 6 prospects and I don't think any team outside of a few would be looking all that much better then what our depth looks like now.