Confirmed with Link: 1st Overall - Aaron Ekblad (signed 9/3/14)

[Android 16]

Goals: 10
Assists: 22
Points: 32
Games: 82
+/-: +3

 

[I am not exposed]

I will be ecstatic if hits these numbers you guys say he will.

 

[Juggernaut27]

@EK5Colts: Just landed in Fort Lauderdale for Panthers dev camp


I'm starting to really like this kid.

 

[Rattrick]

No chance at all he'll have a + +/-. Even the best rookies end up being massively negative (think -20ish).

 

[Laus723]

No chance at all he'll have a + +/-. Even the best rookies end up being massively negative (think -20ish).

You're so negative.

 

[Rattrick]

You're so negative.

Just preaching the truth brotha!

 

[Laus723]

Just preaching the truth brotha!

Yes, I know. Still interested to see him out there.

 

[Rattrick]

Yes, I know. Still interested to see him out there.

Oh, me too, but year 1 will be about learning and hopefully producing on the powerplay. Not expecting him to be a defensive stalwart out of the gate.

 

[Erased]

No chance at all he'll have a + +/-. Even the best rookies end up being massively negative (think -20ish).

Now I'm not expecting him to be great(Seth Jones finished the year -23) but I'm still hoping that he will finish the hear least close to even ±.

 

[flapanthersfan]

No chance at all he'll have a + +/-. Even the best rookies end up being massively negative (think -20ish).

Hampus Lindholm was a +29 this year.

I realize you're probably using Gudbranson, Jones and Fowler as your guidelines, but it's unfair to generalize like that. Ekblad doesn't seem to have the negative traits those 3 do. (Lack of hockey IQ (Gudbranson) and being charmin' soft (Fowler/Jones)

 

[flapanthersfan]

Let me clarify that I obviously don't see him being a +29 this year, but I don't see a -20 either. He strikes me as a much more complete prospect than the others.

I think alot will depend on how the team around him fairs. if we're a good team, i see him being anywhere from a +5 to a -5. if we're terrible again, anywhere from -10-15

 

[Rattrick]

Hampus Lindholm was a +29 this year.

I realize you're probably using Gudbranson, Jones and Fowler as your guidelines, but it's unfair to generalize like that. Ekblad doesn't seem to have the negative traits those 3 do. (Lack of hockey IQ (Gudbranson) and being charmin' soft (Fowler/Jones)

Really?? You're gonna use Lindholm as an example? LOL. Dude played on one of the best teams on the planet. I could have been a + player on that team.

 

[flapanthersfan]

Really?? You're gonna use Lindholm as an example? LOL. Dude played on one of the best teams on the planet. I could have been a + player on that team.

LOL, Okay.

How about:

Kevin Miller +18
Danny DeKeyser +10
Mark Barbeiro (LOL) +10
Olli Maata +8
Nathan Beaulieu +6
Ryan Stanton +5
Jacob Trouba +4
Ryan Murray +4


How about in 12-13?

Jake Muzzin +16
Dalton Prout +15
Patrick Weirchoch +9
Thomas Hickey +9
Simon Despres +9


I could keep going but I don't have to.

I guess "even the best rookies" don't always end up being massively negative, huh?

 

[Rattrick]

LOL, Okay.

How about:

Kevin Miller +18
Danny DeKeyser +10
Mark Barbeiro (LOL) +10
Olli Maata +8
Nathan Beaulieu +6
Ryan Stanton +5
Jacob Trouba +4
Ryan Murray +4


How about in 12-13?

Jake Muzzin +16
Dalton Prout +15
Patrick Weirchoch +9
Thomas Hickey +9
Simon Despres +9


I could keep going but I don't have to.

I guess "even the best rookies" don't always end up being massively negative, huh?

I see a lot of guys who weren't highly touted dmen going to great teams on that list. How about giving me a guy who went in the top 5 and came in at 18 years old.

 

[Sparkman112]

I see a lot of guys who weren't highly touted dmen going to great teams on that list. How about giving me a guy who went in the top 5 and came in at 18 years old.

Last 18 year old dman and top 5 pick to post a positive +/- was zach bogosian

Zach Bogosian 2008‑09 47GP 9G 10A 19P 47PIM +11

and before him Kyle Mclaren (9th OVR) and Jay McKee (14th OVR) in 1977 lol

 

[Rattrick]

Last 18 year old dman and top 5 pick to post a positive +/- was zach bogosian

Zach Bogosian 2008‑09 47GP 9G 10A 19P 47PIM +11

Thanks for that, as I suspected it's been awhile since it's happened.

 

[16Skippy]

Question for the prospect buffs: How does Ekblad compare/rank compared to other recent hyped defense prospects? Namely Jones, Nurse, Ryan Murray, Griffin Reinhart, Larsson, Guds, and Fowler.

 

[flapanthersfan]

I see a lot of guys who weren't highly touted dmen going to great teams on that list. How about giving me a guy who went in the top 5 and came in at 18 years old.

what does it matter if they aren't highly touted? they're still rookies.

point is, your blanket statement of "even the best rookies always end up being massively negative" is wrong.

 

[batting1k]

what does it matter if they aren't highly touted? they're still rookies.

point is, your blanket statement of "even the best rookies always end up being massively negative" is wrong.

Barkov was only a -3 last year, albeit while only playing 54 games

 

[flapanthersfan]

Question for the prospect buffs: How does Ekblad compare/rank compared to other recent hyped defense prospects? Namely Jones, Nurse, Ryan Murray, Griffin Reinhart, Larsson, Guds, and Fowler.

I'd rank them NOW as follows:

Ekblad
Murray
Jones
Fowler
Reinhart
Nurse
Larsson
Gudbranson

I've never been an enormous Jones fan though, too soft for my liking.

If you're talking about how much they were hyped coming into their drafts, well that's an entirely different list which would probably look like:

Jones
Larsson
Ekblad
Murray
Reinhart
Nurse
Fowler
Gudbranson

 

[flapanthersfan]

Barkov was only a -3 last year, albeit while only playing 54 games

he's a forward though, different animal than playing defense at the NHL level

 

[FlaPanthers11]

I'd rank them NOW as follows:

Ekblad
Murray
Jones
Fowler
Reinhart
Nurse
Larsson
Gudbranson

I've never been an enormous Jones fan though, too soft for my liking.

If you're talking about how much they were hyped coming into their drafts, well that's an entirely different list which would probably look like:

Jones
Larsson
Ekblad
Murray
Reinhart
Nurse
Fowler
Gudbranson

Nope.

 

[RogerRoger]

Question for the prospect buffs: How does Ekblad compare/rank compared to other recent hyped defense prospects? Namely Jones, Nurse, Ryan Murray, Griffin Reinhart, Larsson, Guds, and Fowler.

Ekblad would have been ranked second behind Jones. He's more defensive than Jones and more of a shooter than a QB on the PP. He's also more physical but I wouldn't consider him a physical dman Gudbranson or Nurse though.

 

[batting1k]

he's a forward though, different animal than playing defense at the NHL level

Huberdeau was a -15 in his rookie year, Yakupov was a -33 last season.

 

[Rattrick]

what does it matter if they aren't highly touted? they're still rookies.

point is, your blanket statement of "even the best rookies always end up being massively negative" is wrong.

Because highly touted guys go to **** teams like the Panthers and usually do too young at 18 nonetheless, that's why. Do I need to hold your hand to get you to understand that? Being 22 and joining the Red Wings isn't the same as 18 on the Panthers.