News Article: Rick Pracey Hired as Director of Amateur Scouting

[McDNicks17]

For those who look only stats I can see how they can be so fooled. Vermont is a low rate school for ability to attract players and have low low scoring from everyone. The talent is still there Love the Muzenberger pick. Wjc player...bug, mean, freight train.

If the first three things you use to describe a player is big, mean and played at the world juniors, that player is 99% a guaranteed bust haha.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

If the first three things you use to describe a player is big, mean and played at the world juniors, that player is 99% a guaranteed bust haha.

I eyerolled so hard, I saw my brain.

Lets go back to drafting coke machines! Maybe we can get another JF Jacques out of it!!

 

[McTonyBrar]

I love Bourgault but he was always going to be a complimentary guy. His meh production in the AHL speaks more to the lack of center depth the condors have.

Interesting to hear all about the Johnston love now and not back when he had 12 goals and 30 points before the draft.

You really can’t say he’s complimentary only when it was his first year in the AHL. Also, which Oiler prospect did better than him on forward except him? Maybe Yamamoto?

Plus, we don’t need Bourgault to be a driver

I’m just repeating what Stauffer said for the consumption of the forum. I’m neither here nor there on XB nor have I posted any personal opinion of him. Hope he pans out but Stauffer said Coffey wanted Wyatt Johnson and Wright went with XB after passing Wallsted. Call Stauffer and shit on him not me.

I think I sent that to you accidentally lol it was aimed at Soundwave LOL

 

[McTonyBrar]

Broberg was Holland stupidly listening to Yzerboy.

Sorry when did Broberg become a bust? Has he had a chance to play a full season yet? He had COVID for a full year and, according to reporters on Oilers Now, it affected him badly. That pushed his development back.

Maybe give him half a season before ripping him to pieces Anarch

 

[FlameChampion]

Sorry when did Broberg become a bust? Has he had a chance to play a full season yet? He had COVID for a full year and, according to reporters on Oilers Now, it affected him badly. That pushed his development back.

Maybe give him half a season before ripping him to pieces Anarch

I agree but I think he needs to show more this year. Its a pretty important year for him. I just wish he was put in a better position to succeed. But maybe he could start on LD and try Ekholm on RD.

 

[Anarchism]

If the first three things you use to describe a player is big, mean and played at the world juniors, that player is 99% a guaranteed bust haha.

Howden, Roy, Kolesar, McNabb, Whitecloud, Hague.
Big, mean and can skate.
And combined shut down our wings and dominated our right side D.

 

[Anarchism]

Sorry when did Broberg become a bust? Has he had a chance to play a full season yet? He had COVID for a full year and, according to reporters on Oilers Now, it affected him badly. That pushed his development back.

Maybe give him half a season before ripping him to pieces Anarch

There are definite reasons to 'suspect' him at this point including his good/bad play at rookie camp alongside Wanner.
At this point i would have traded his upside for a guy like kovacevic or a player like that.
But lets hope he can break through a bit this season.
Also maybe I have a thing against this player as i was more than angry when Holland selected him...could not believe it.

 

[McTonyBrar]

There are definite reasons to 'suspect' him at this point including his good/bad play at rookie camp alongside Wanner.
At this point i would have traded his upside for a guy like kovacevic or a player like that.
But lets hope he can break through a bit this season.
Also maybe I have a thing against this player as i was more than angry when Holland selected him...could not believe it.

At the time, our D was weak so you can understand why

 

[Broberg Speed]

Our season rests on identifying whether or not a coaching "adjustment" is necessary in order to take us to the finals this upcoming season. This needs to be sorted out early.

Preseason will be for scrutinizing defensive zone coverage and systems play as much as it will be for evaluating which rookie can make the cut, determining what the lines and pairings will look like, developing chemistry, or who the 11th-12th forwards are and who the 6th-7th defensemen will be.

We can score, hopefully more efficiently during even strength with the addition of Brown and internal improvement from blank... hopefully this causes a ripple effect down the lineup and the team is less dependant on offense created from the power play. Now let's learn to play team defense.

Attention to team defense and defensive zone coverage isn't something a hockey team can just pick up or activate late in the season. Hopefully the Oilers learned their lesson last season.

Before someone jumps in and defends the Oilers 5-on-5 play or the overall defensive play, neither will take us to the finals without impressive steps forward.

 

[Anarchism]

At the time, our D was weak so you can understand why

I understand his logic but believe he reached for Broberg....took a maybe that was very far away instead of a next to sure thing that was much closer to playing.

 

[TheNumber4]

Broberg was Holland stupidly listening to Yzerboy.

He was? Where you getting this?

 

[Oilhawks]

He was? Where you getting this?

 

[TheNumber4]

Lol what am I missing?

 

[aspin3]

I eyerolled so hard, I saw my brain.

Lets go back to drafting coke machines! Maybe we can get another JF Jacques out of it!!

Ya. Would really hate to have a Xhekaj here. smh

​

 

[duul]

Ya. Would really hate to have a Xhekaj here. smh

​

I believe we're starting to see a shift back to a highly physical league. We saw the dramatic increase in fighting over the last couple years.

Problem is we've been drafting guys like Niemo who can throw huge hits but can't play the game. Need to find guys like Xhekaj who can play and hit. Tons of great defencemen out there who can play the game well and be physically imposing. Not sure if we have a single one. We all like to think Nurse is a big physical guy but does he do much hitting or dirty stick work? He often finds himself way out of position when he tries to step up on people.

Seider in Detroit for example is the perfect modern NHL defenceman. Well, besides Makar obviously. I expect to see physicality and fighting continue to ramp up before it corrects itself again.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Ya. Would really hate to have a Xhekaj here. smh

Still a stupid philosophy if you think one undrafted defenseman will change everyone mind about the end of the Barry Fraser era.

 

[FlameChampion]

Nice work Rick!

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Ya. Would really hate to have a Xhekaj here. smh

​

I’d rather have good hockey players

 

[joestevens29]

View attachment 739555

Nice work Rick!

I'm more surprised where we are at on that list.

Then again when I go take a look at who we drafted there, a lot of those guys could be found for close to league minimum on July 1st.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

View attachment 739555

Nice work Rick!

Interesting to see these numbers. I've always felt # of NHL games played is an incomplete measure for amateur drafting success. Layering over quality measures like point production (collective and individual) helps to further illuminate team amateur scouting results. Tampa getting a player like Brandon Point, the Flamers hitting on Johnny Walker Gaudreau, Kaprizov by the Wild, Canadiens with Brendan Gallagher, Blues with Parayko. Even the lowly Sabres found gold with Linus Ullmark in the 6th round.

The Oil big draft 'wins' were likely Marino and a 478 NHL game Tobias Rieder, the latter who only played 67 of those games in Edmonton before fading out to Euro league competition.

Thank goodness the Oil high pedigree guys McDavid, Draisaitl, Nugent Hopkins have covered their draft spots when even top picks Yakupov and Puljujarvi flamed out. Amateur scouting has been a significant weakness for an epic long time.

 

[joestevens29]

Interesting to see these numbers. I've always felt # of NHL games played is an incomplete measure for amateur drafting success. Layering over quality measures like point production (collective and individual) helps to further illuminate team amateur scouting results. Tampa getting a player like Brandon Point, the Flamers hitting on Johnny Walker Gaudreau, Kaprizov by the Wild, Canadiens with Brendan Gallagher, Blues with Parayko. Even the lowly Sabres found gold with Linus Ullmark in the 6th round.

The Oil big draft 'wins' were likely Marino and a 478 NHL game Tobias Rieder, the latter who only played 67 of those games in Edmonton before fading out to Euro league competition.

Thank goodness the Oil high pedigree guys McDavid, Draisaitl, Nugent Hopkins have covered their draft spots when even top picks Yakupov and Puljujarvi flamed out. Amateur scouting has been a significant weakness for an epic long time.

That's kind of what I saw. Marino really as only guy playing meaningful minutes elsewhere. Then guys like Niemo, Deharnis and Skinner as TBD.

Sure guys like Pitlick, Khaira, Jones, Bear and Gustafsson are still in the league making a career for themselves, but they aren't exactly guys that are hard to find for cheap.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

That's kind of what I saw. Marino really as only guy playing meaningful minutes elsewhere. Then guys like Niemo, Deharnis and Skinner as TBD.

Sure guys like Pitlick, Khaira, Jones, Bear and Gustafsson are still in the league making a career for themselves, but they aren't exactly guys that are hard to find for cheap.

Yup, NHL games played is an incomplete measure that neglects quality imperative for amateur draft work. There's also distortion effect for guys like Hegel drafted by Buffalo, not signed and slipped as a signing into the Hawks organization. Marino wilted under a perceived competitive young d-corp pipeline in Edmonton to sign in Pittsburg. Zero games.

A Point in hand is worth ten Bears in the bush.

 

[Broberg Speed]

View attachment 739555

Nice work Rick!

That's 100% misleading. Nobody forces bad players into the lineup like the Oilers. Not just in the NHL but all of professional sports.

 

[McDoused]

Yup, NHL games played is an incomplete measure that neglects quality imperative for amateur draft work. There's also distortion effect for guys like Hegel drafted by Buffalo, not signed and slipped as a signing into the Hawks organization. Marino wilted under a perceived competitive young d-corp pipeline in Edmonton to sign in Pittsburg. Zero games.

A Point in hand is worth ten Bears in the bush.

Its a terrible graph.

Given that we drafted 1,1,1,7,3,1,4,22,10,8 and 14th you would think that given our draft position we would see a lot of guys with high games played.

It doesn't factor in teams with a bunch of picks either who just throw a lot of darts at the dart board.

Like Tampa Bay is #1 with Connolly at 536 games, Gudas at 682 games, Namestnikov at 630 games, Drouin at 485 and Paquette at 448. Thats 2,781 games of garbage. I'm not suggesting they didn't do a good job drafting (because they did) but look at GP over a specific range is a terrible way at grading someone's draft.

 

[FlameChampion]

Agreed with many of the points above. Man games isnt everything.

But also seems like Pracey didnt really hit on any prospects after 2009 (beyond very high picks).