I definitely think so, if it all breaks right. He has good skill, a good motor, good wheels, and he knows where to go on the ice. I mean I don't see him as a big scorer, but upside I could see a 20-20 guy. He has a lot to prove though before that kind of projection becomes even remotely realistic.Does Ronning have a shot at being a scoring talent?
Howden forced a turnover leading to a Hagbelwachs, or however the **** you spell it, goal:
SJ signed Halbgewachs.I hope we sign Halbgewachs, just to hear Sam pronounce his name
Does Ronning have a shot at being a scoring talent?
SJ signed Halbgewachs.
Yeah, and neither were drafted. Halbgewachs just signed an ELC recently with SJS and an UDFA. Neither are big-time prospects, and it's debatable whether either is a legitimate prospect at all.
I mean, no doubt. The sheer number of UDFA players also completely dwarfs the amount of guys that are drafted, not signed, and then end up signing a contract elsewhere.In general, a drafted player who goes unsigned is more of a long-shot than an undrafted player in my opinion. There are exceptions, obviously.
I’ll take 1/2 a Steen and be happyYou never know when a guy can just 'get it' and have that scoring touch. Ronning has scored from his skating and hard wrist shot all year. It very well could translate to a 20+ goal guy at an NHL level.
He actually reminds me a bit of Alex Steen (before he broke up with career high assist totals a few years ago)
I think Burke is a better prospect than Halbgewachs. Burke is really slight of build but at least isn't tiny, and he has decent wheels. Halbgewachs is tiny and worse, he's kind of slow. Like, fine-for-CHL-speed but not enough for the pro game. Like Michael St. Croix. They both sling the puck around pretty damn well, so maybe vision and IQ can make up for physical limitations? Personally I don't see it, but again, if one makes it I'd bet it's Burke.
Howden is better than both by a mile.
EDIT: This is all based on last year, I don't know what they've looked like this year.
Isn’t Gilmour an unsigned draft pick?I mean, no doubt. The sheer number of UDFA players also completely dwarfs the amount of guys that are drafted, not signed, and then end up signing a contract elsewhere.
Just looking at our unsigned draft picks from the past 20 years who eventually signed NHL deals and played in any games, and you have Pat Leahy, Nate Guenin and Dylan Reese. Slim pickins'. Ryan Mantha may stand a chance to join that list, and he'd be the first in 11 years of drafting. Meanwhile we've had plenty of undrafted guys come through--Girardi, Zuccarello, Talbot, Gilroy, Pionk, Lettieri, Marchessault (on an AHL deal), etc. On the current team you've got McLeod and Desharnais, and then we also had Holden. And there's dozens of other guys that have played for the organization in the past 20 years that weren't first signed by us, but still came in as UDFA players. Not even counting Zaitsev, Read, Sustr, Kinkaid, guys like that who we had in for camps but couldn't/didn't sign.
Basically if an NHL team drafts you, watches you develop for three of four years and then walks away (essentially admitting a wasted pick), you're probably not good. If another team then signs you, you still probably suck (Josh Nicholls, WTG Rangers). Whereas even with the advances in scouting, there are still guys who get missed or underestimated or bloom late.
Yes. He was a Calgary pick that signed with us.Isn’t Gilmour an unsigned draft pick?
I'd like to think Gorton went into the rebuild with that in mindJust realized that Chytil, Andersson, Hajek, Howden, Day and Gettinger all are on sliding contracts this season. This could benefit NYR in the potential Seattle expansion draft (barring any rule changes).
Yep. And I didn't mean to imply unsigned picks have no chance; they're just far more unlikely to make it than an UDFA that receives a contract. Which is what AK said, I just expanded on it.Isn’t Gilmour an unsigned draft pick?
Yep. And I didn't mean to imply unsigned picks have no chance; they're just far more unlikely to make it than an UDFA that receives a contract. Which is what AK said, I just expanded on it.
Yeah, I think I just misread that and thought you were mentioning league wide unsigned picks who played NHL games rather than just our own picks. That’s what I get for reading a bunch of stuff I missed throughout the day instead of going to sleep last nightYep. And I didn't mean to imply unsigned picks have no chance; they're just far more unlikely to make it than an UDFA that receives a contract. Which is what AK said, I just expanded on it.
There's an important distinction to make between guys like Hayes and Vesey and a guy like Gilmour. Hayes and Vesey were guys whose teams WANTED to sign them, but the players themselves chose not to sign and instead went the free agency route. The guys that refuse to sign are usually pretty highly-regarded players, who choose not to sign because they know they'll get a lot of interest. Butcher and Kerfoot this summer for instance. Gilmour was a guy that probably would have taken a contract from Calgary, but the Flames just chose not to sign him.Kids from the NCAA are little more of the exception. We have 3 on our roster (Hayes, Vesey, Gilmour).
Junior kids are more worrisome IMO. There I would prefer an UDFA over one that was drafted and left unsigned.