Prospect Info: #13OA - D Jake Bean - Calgary, WHL

[Blueline Bomber]

Notice that a lot of the highlights had him scoring because the goalie was screened. Doubt he'll have that help with this team.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Notice that a lot of the highlights had him scoring because the goalie was screened. Doubt he'll have that help with this team.

we got him that help 8 picks later lol

 

[CandyCanes]

I look back at the 2014 draft when we took Fleury. Going into that draft there was a pressing need for defensemen in our system. I think we may of rated Nylander & Ehlers slightly higher on that day, but due to our organizational depth at defense at the time we went and grabbed Fleury over them.

I'm not saying Fleury is a bust. But Nylander or Ehlers now looks like it would of been the better pick. I think Francis learned from this draft that you just have to stick to the best player available in the early rounds. This is why we ended up picking Bean over some of the forwards we coveted during this draft.

With this mindset, and after watching & reading more on Bean I really do like this pick. The kid is super talented.

 

[bleedgreen]

Too easy to look back and second guess. We really needed d, a lot of d. I don't question the Fleury pick at all. I still think he can easily be top 4 for us.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Not only that, we won't know how good or bad the Fleury pick was for probably another 4-5 years, once these guys have a number of NHL seasons under their belts.

 

[GoldiFox]

Too easy to look back and second guess. We really needed d, a lot of d. I don't question the Fleury pick at all. I still think he can easily be top 4 for us.

Yep... Impossible to say who will be better before they even step foot in the NHL.

It is no secret that forwards have an impact earlier than defense. Every year the top forwards from the past few drafts are pumped up while the defenders are downplayed. It's instant gratification for the hockey world. Think of Hedman and Larsson, two D that were labeled mistakes by the majority of HF because they were compared to the forwards taken around them in the short-term. Once these guys develop they are the most valuable commodity in the NHL.

 

[CandyCanes]

Too easy to look back and second guess. We really needed d, a lot of d. I don't question the Fleury pick at all. I still think he can easily be top 4 for us.

I still think Fleury can be a heck of a player, never said he won't be. Really excited to see how he plays out this season whether it's in Charlotte or Raleigh. But when you look back at that time it screamed we must draft a defensemen in that draft. Look what happened before Fleury has even stepped foot in a regular season NHL game for the Hurricanes, we are stacked at D now, even without Fleury.

We look at our squad now and this draft was saying pick a forward, pick a forward, andddd pick a forward. Pretty sure all of us in our mock drafts picked a forward for the Canes, including myself. But in 2-3 seasons from now Bellows or Kunin (if we took them at 13) could of been that guy like Fleury. Where by the time they are ready for the NHL, we already have the strong incredible offensive depth.

So in all in all, I have come to be a huge proponent of best pick available in the early rounds. Which is why I am very satisfied with taking Bean at #13. The shape of the system is going to look a lot differnt in 2-3 seasons when Bean is ready to play.

 

[NotOpie]

I still think Fleury can be a heck of a player, never said he won't be. Really excited to see how he plays out this season whether it's in Charlotte or Raleigh. But when you look back at that time it screamed we must draft a defensemen in that draft. Look what happened before Fleury has even stepped foot in a regular season NHL game for the Hurricanes, we are stacked at D now, even without Fleury.

We look at our squad now and this draft was saying pick a forward, pick a forward, andddd pick a forward. Pretty sure all of us in our mock drafts picked a forward for the Canes, including myself. But in 2-3 seasons from now Bellows or Kunin (if we took them at 13) could of been that guy like Fleury. Where by the time they are ready for the NHL, we already have the strong incredible offensive depth.

So in all in all, I have come to be a huge proponent of best pick available in the early rounds. Which is why I am very satisfied with taking Bean at #13. The shape of the system is going to look a lot differnt in 2-3 seasons when Bean is ready to play.

The only thing different that I would say is that we are not "stacked" on defense. We have 3.5 or maybe 3.75 guys who project anywhere near NHL quality. Sure Fleury and McKeown likely make the jump over time. Murphy may or may not pan out but he's a capable #7 right now (okay maybe a stretch). I would argue Carrick would be a capable #6/#7 right now. Jake Chelios, as an emergency stand in #7 would be satisfactory. To me, that's not stacked....you want to see the definition of stacked depth? Take a look at Arizona's forward corp. They've got 7 guys who would walk into Charlotte and all land in our Top 6. That's stacked. Now they're not there on the big club yet, but when you talk depth, that's what depth looks like to me.

With the Bean selection we're getting closer. I'd be more comfortable with one more projectable blueline prospect.

What's really nice is that we're also getting there on the front end. Not to the extent that the Coyotes are, but we're rising fast. This year's draft only added to that. Overall our depth has improved across the board and done so in the course of two short seasons. It's still a work in progress but I like where it's heading.

 

[SaskCanesFan]

I look back at the 2014 draft when we took Fleury. Going into that draft there was a pressing need for defensemen in our system. I think we may of rated Nylander & Ehlers slightly higher on that day, but due to our organizational depth at defense at the time we went and grabbed Fleury over them.

I'm not saying Fleury is a bust. But Nylander or Ehlers now looks like it would of been the better pick. I think Francis learned from this draft that you just have to stick to the best player available in the early rounds. This is why we ended up picking Bean over some of the forwards we coveted during this draft.

With this mindset, and after watching & reading more on Bean I really do like this pick. The kid is super talented.

Could have sworn I mentioned something like this

If this was BPA then its the right pick. I originally wanted a forward, but the more I think about it picking for need early is stupid. It's too hard to predict what will be needed down the line. Just 2 years ago we were looking bare on D. The consensus at the time seemed to be that Fleury was a bit of a reach and probably not BPA at 7, but he was such an organizational need that the Canes wouldn't pass him up. Fast forward, with the addition of Hanifin, now Bean, the emergence of Slavin and all of a sudden LHD isn't a need at all, but skilled C/RW William Nylander would look perfect on Carolina's roster. Those are the kind of things that can happen, so pick the best guy.

Agree though, most of these guys won't make an impact on the team for a couple of years, and you just can't predict what the makeup of the roster will be at that time. So instead of reaching for a position that you may not need filled in the future, pick the BPA. Get the most talent you can on the team, and you can always make trades or adjustments later as guys progress. Seems like that's what the Canes did here.

 

[dogbazinho]

Well when people say pick for needs I don't necessarily think it means pick for your current NHL roster needs but rather pick needs based on your organizational prospect depth. I think that is fair approach vs BPA.