Confirmed with Link: Sharks sign Vincent Praplan to ELC

[Lebanezer]

Click to read more...

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

3.5 years old but I will leave this here.

 

[Kcoyote3]

Sounds like a good backup praPlan.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

Who dis?

 

[Beethovens 10th]

Sick mitts. I’ll take all the free Donskoi’s we can find...

 

[hohosaregood]

Weren't we looking at him last year?

 

[Lebanezer]

He attended rookie camp this year, I think the Sharks let him return to Switzerland to compete in the Olympics which is why he was signed now.

Here's a quote from a Swiss fan back on August 30th 2016.

Watch out for Praplan. He told Swiss media today that he was expecting to sign a contract with the Sharks after the rookie camp. Now I don't know if that's his goal or if he's had serious talks with the organization.

As for Rod, he'll probably never make it to NHL and clearly stated that he would never go back to the AHL. This rookie camp is pretty much a waste of time and is just going to make him miss the start of the season with Geneva.

 

[OffSydes]

Plan the parade

 

[hohosaregood]

Next year's AHL squad is gonna be crowded. I'm expecting Halbgewachs, Gambrell, Praplan, Gregor, Blichfeld and Letunov to be guys that join the Cuda next year. I think I could see Letunov staying for his senior year though.

 

[The Nemesis]

Interesting. He's also only 23. Seems like a solid low-risk opportunity to get some more skill into the org. He's leading Kloten in scoring this year and has been top 3 on the team in scoring for each of the last 2 years. He also had a decent 53 points in 61 games with North Bay in the OHL as an 18 year old (after which he left and went back to NLA)

 

[The Nemesis]

The Cuda are going to be super interesting next season. Just spitballing with no real attention paid to contracts of current guys or the like.

Blichfeld - Gambrell - Balcers
Mashinter - Halbgewachs - Gregor
Praplan - Chartier - Wiederer
McCarthy - True - Sandberg

They can basically turn over half the roster with interesting incoming prospects. And that's with Letunov returning for another year of NCAA work.

 

[PacificOceanPotion]

I was excited about him when he went through the rookie mini camp. Sick highlights. DW and Co. Always seem to find these gems.

 

[The Nemesis]

I was excited about him when he went through the rookie mini camp. Sick highlights. DW and Co. Always seem to find these gems.

Based on the small amount of info I've seen and his stats history, I'm thinking he maybe fits into the Donskoi mold of being a good 2nd liner with the right linemates or a very good offensive 3rd liner (if you build a 3rd line that can push for offence instead of just being either a shutdown defensive unit or a gritangibles "energy" line). There was a comment from Zach DeVine noting that he had some issues with the pace of the NA game at rookie camp, so that could hinder his NHL/AHL scoring potential. But for a league like NLA that doesn't put up points like crazy, he did alright for himself over there.

The next question is, of course, whether he'll come back for an AHL gig or this is going to be another Rod situation where he's content to ply his trade at home rather than fight for a spot in the minors here. Because I don't see a reasonable case to be made for him skipping right to an NHL job unless it turns out that he's actaully time-travelling Pavel Datsyuk in disguise.

 

[Kcoyote3]

Needs more puns.

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

This guy???!! Nice hat though.

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Hinterland]

Based on the small amount of info I've seen and his stats history, I'm thinking he maybe fits into the Donskoi mold of being a good 2nd liner with the right linemates or a very good offensive 3rd liner (if you build a 3rd line that can push for offence instead of just being either a shutdown defensive unit or a gritangibles "energy" line). There was a comment from Zach DeVine noting that he had some issues with the pace of the NA game at rookie camp, so that could hinder his NHL/AHL scoring potential. But for a league like NLA that doesn't put up points like crazy, he did alright for himself over there.

The next question is, of course, whether he'll come back for an AHL gig or this is going to be another Rod situation where he's content to ply his trade at home rather than fight for a spot in the minors here. Because I don't see a reasonable case to be made for him skipping right to an NHL job unless it turns out that he's actaully time-travelling Pavel Datsyuk in disguise.

Problem with pace? This is hilarious. Speed is hardly ever the problem for European skaters and the level at a rookie camp isn't exactly the same as in the NLA. Praplan was one of the standouts of the Sharks rookie camp...just as expected. That's why I was really upset when he rejected the Sharks invitiation for their NHL camp. I still don't know why he left but it was such a Swiss thing to do. Stupid. Doesn't seem to hurt him though since there was still a lot of interest from NHL clubs. I don't know whether he had other offers to choose from but he got scouted. Glad he finally signed with the Sharks but like you, I'm wondering whether he'll be willing to work his way up or whether he'll just pack his bags again if things don't go his way. NLA is very convenient and good players can make a lot of money. Don't think he'll be particularly happy with the Barracuda

 

[Alaskanice]

Based on the small amount of info I've seen and his stats history, I'm thinking he maybe fits into the Donskoi mold of being a good 2nd liner with the right linemates or a very good offensive 3rd liner (if you build a 3rd line that can push for offence instead of just being either a shutdown defensive unit or a gritangibles "energy" line). There was a comment from Zach DeVine noting that he had some issues with the pace of the NA game at rookie camp, so that could hinder his NHL/AHL scoring potential. But for a league like NLA that doesn't put up points like crazy, he did alright for himself over there.

The next question is, of course, whether he'll come back for an AHL gig or this is going to be another Rod situation where he's content to ply his trade at home rather than fight for a spot in the minors here. Because I don't see a reasonable case to be made for him skipping right to an NHL job unless it turns out that he's actaully time-travelling Pavel Datsyuk in disguise.

Nem,
Maybe he’s of a different mindset due to the fact that he was here playing in the OHL and seemingly went home to have the chance to play in the Olympics. Food for thought.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

Considering he is 23, I sure hope he would stand out at a rookie camp.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

And pace of play isn't the speed of the player. It's the pace of the game. Plenty of "speedy" Europeans have struggled adjusting to NA hockey.

 

[Hinterland]

And pace of play isn't the speed of the player. It's the pace of the game. Plenty of "speedy" Europeans have struggled adjusting to NA hockey.

Rookie camp is like slow motion compared to NLA. To even claim a thing like that is ridiculous. Of course there are always a few other matured standouts but overall the level isn't really high. Lots of random kids around a player like Praplan can handle with ease.

 

[hohosaregood]

Rookie camp is like slow motion compared to NLA. To even claim a thing like that is ridiculous. Of course there are always a few other matured standouts but overall the level isn't really high. Lots of random kids around a player like Praplan can handle with ease.

It's usually a matter of playing on NA rinks rather than the international size when they talk about players transitioning from europe to america.

 

[Hinterland]

Nem,
Maybe he’s of a different mindset due to the fact that he was here playing in the OHL and seemingly went home to have the chance to play in the Olympics. Food for thought.

He played four NLA seasons since and he rejected an invitation for the Sharks NHL camp. I wouldn't count on it. Difficult with the Russians and the Swiss. Competitive leagues, lots of spectators and lots of money on offer. Plus in Switzerland you are guaranteed an easy schedule with almost no travelling.

 

[The Nemesis]

Problem with pace? This is hilarious. Speed is hardly ever the problem for European skaters and the level at a rookie camp isn't exactly the same as in the NLA. Praplan was one of the standouts of the Sharks rookie camp...just as expected. That's why I was really upset when he rejected the Sharks invitiation for their NHL camp. I still don't know why he left but it was such a Swiss thing to do. Stupid. Doesn't seem to hurt him though since there was still a lot of interest from NHL clubs. I don't know whether he had other offers to choose from but he got scouted. Glad he finally signed with the Sharks but like you, I'm wondering whether he'll be willing to work his way up or whether he'll just pack his bags again if things don't go his way. NLA is very convenient and good players can make a lot of money. Don't think he'll be particularly happy with the Barracuda

Pace as in pace of play, speed of hte game, etc. Not actual footspeed of players. Lots of European players end up having an initial sort of "culture shock" with the western game because the smaller ice leaves you a lot less time to make decisions as opponents close in on you, or a lot less time to react when something happens.

Nem,
Maybe he’s of a different mindset due to the fact that he was here playing in the OHL and seemingly went home to have the chance to play in the Olympics. Food for thought.

I'm talking like 4 years ago. He played in the OHL during the previous olympic year (and played at the WJCs), then left after that. If the olympics were his goal he wouldn't have needed to go so early. It seems like perhaps he thought coming over as an 18-year-old would've made him attractive as a late draftee, then after he didn't get picked as a draft+1 he decided to go back to the pro game.

I wasn't making any judgements about his mindset anyway. Just Rod's.

 

[Hinterland]

It's usually a matter of playing on NA rinks rather than the international size when they talk about players transitioning from europe to america.

He's played in NA before so the Rookie Camp was childs play for Praplan. Would have been interesting for me to watch him during the NHL camp but he obviously decided to pack his bags. Makes little sense to attend a rookie camp just to leave right after but okay. Sharks obviously still liked what they saw

 

[Gene Parmesan]

Because he wanted to play in the Olympics. Can't do it with an NHL contract.