Prospect Info: 2013-14 Prospect Thread

[nickschultzfan]

I always get a kick out of comments such as "He didn't do well, he's a bust."

Did Michael Jordan not make the high school team? Did Herb Brooks not get kicked off the 60s team?

I don't care if people/kids fail. What I do care about is if they give up and if they learn.

Plus, I would argue that Phillips had a decent season in Houston. With all the promotions, that team was garbage, and he was one of the better, if not the best, offensive players for Iowa.

 

[Scoutguy77]

Send down Coyle or call up Phillips?

Coyle should have been in Iowa this past season. Phillips has a long way to go to make the NHL.

As for Dumba, he's turning 20. Shouldn't touch NHL ice for another 1-2 years.

Look at the guys he was compared to:

PK Subban spent four years in juniors and a year in the AHL. He didn't make the NHL until 21.

Dion Phaneuf spent four years in juniors. He made the NHL at 20, but he was also a physical beast.

Niklas Kronwal spent four years in Sweden and two years in the minors. He made the NHL at 24.

Dumba should have been in juniors all year, then spend 1-2 years in the AHL. People should be screaming about him spending TOO much time in the minors, not wondering if he's ready! And that's how it should be for almost all your prospects.

Phillips will be NHL ready by Xmas.Having Warren Peters as your centerman all year could not have been fun,lol !
Coyle belongs in NHL now.

 

[Puhis]

I would like to see Phillips tried on the wing in the NHL level as well. A right-handed playmaking winger with excellent hands could be exactly what we need. In future, I definitely see him on a line with Haula and perhaps Zucker. Those two have barn-burning speed, so Phillips and his lack of wheels shouldn't hurt too much.

 

[AJ Thelen]

I actually still thought Phillips where a center, playing more wing now it seems.

 

[Scoutguy77]

Has played the wing.
Reminds me a lot of TylerToffol.
The fact that Torchetti,Jim Mill and current coach Kurt K.,Who called him his best player this year,is enough for me.

 

[Harvest]

I would like to see Phillips tried on the wing in the NHL level as well. A right-handed playmaking winger with excellent hands could be exactly what we need. In future, I definitely see him on a line with Haula and perhaps Zucker. Those two have barn-burning speed, so Phillips and his lack of wheels shouldn't hurt too much.

Line is always as fast as the slowest guy.

 

[Vagrant]

Any information on if the team is negotiating with Christoph Bertschy or will they allow him to go back into the draft? Was disappointed for him not being able to play in the WJC this season. For a team hurting in the skill department in the minor professional level it seems like an odd decision to let him walk if that's the path they choose.

 

[Engebretson]

Any information on if the team is negotiating with Christoph Bertschy or will they allow him to go back into the draft? Was disappointed for him not being able to play in the WJC this season. For a team hurting in the skill department in the minor professional level it seems like an odd decision to let him walk if that's the path they choose.

Since the NHL and Swiss League don't have a formal agreement, so he's considered a "defected player" and is still Wild property for the time being. The only player whose rights we lost/dropped on June 1st was Daniel Gunnarson.

 

[Vagrant]

Since the NHL and Swiss League don't have a formal agreement, so he's considered a "defected player" and is still Wild property for the time being. The only player whose rights we lost/dropped on June 1st was Daniel Gunnarson.

You'd think that I would know that considering it happened with Carolina prospect Greg Hofmann just last season. Facepalm. But thank you for the information. I like him a lot as a prospect.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Since I didn't want to derail any other threads any further, I'll pose this question here;

Why does Minnesota have such a difficult time developing offensive players/prospects? Is it that we're not drafting the right guys? Is it the structure within the organization?

You look at a team like Tampa Bay after Yzerman came in; they had some rough spots. They got rid of the big '3' this year, slowly. They lost Steven Stamkos for the majority of the year. And yet guys like Ondrej Palat (7th round pick), Tyler Johnson (undrafted), Alex Killorn (3rd round pick) made significant contributions to the team. How is it that they are getting these contributions from the fringe players? What do they see, how are they developing them so that they can make an impact on their organization? What can Minnesota do to emulate that?

 

[Minnewildsota]

They can not care about defense.

 

[Jarick]

1. They don't draft elite offensive talent.

2. The farm team sucks, so the offensive players won't have anyone to play with and numbers/development suffers.

3. Talented kids barely get any ice time, let alone PP time, with the Wild, so the numbers are low up here as well.

 

[Nharris31]

Since I didn't want to derail any other threads any further, I'll pose this question here;

Why does Minnesota have such a difficult time developing offensive players/prospects? Is it that we're not drafting the right guys? Is it the structure within the organization?

You look at a team like Tampa Bay after Yzerman came in; they had some rough spots. They got rid of the big '3' this year, slowly. They lost Steven Stamkos for the majority of the year. And yet guys like Ondrej Palat (7th round pick), Tyler Johnson (undrafted), Alex Killorn (3rd round pick) made significant contributions to the team. How is it that they are getting these contributions from the fringe players? What do they see, how are they developing them so that they can make an impact on their organization? What can Minnesota do to emulate that?

Tyler Johnson chose Tampa over Minnesota. He went to wild trainning camp first.

 

[tomthestone*]

Since I didn't want to derail any other threads any further, I'll pose this question here;

Why does Minnesota have such a difficult time developing offensive players/prospects? Is it that we're not drafting the right guys? Is it the structure within the organization?

You look at a team like Tampa Bay after Yzerman came in; they had some rough spots. They got rid of the big '3' this year, slowly. They lost Steven Stamkos for the majority of the year. And yet guys like Ondrej Palat (7th round pick), Tyler Johnson (undrafted), Alex Killorn (3rd round pick) made significant contributions to the team. How is it that they are getting these contributions from the fringe players? What do they see, how are they developing them so that they can make an impact on their organization? What can Minnesota do to emulate that?

I think you're once again highly underselling how hard it is to turn a draft pick into an everyday NHLer, let alone an elite offensive force. Look back at every first round selection since Leddy in 2009 -- the Wild are hitting at a very high rate while mixing in the occasional steal like Haula (7th round). One first rounder went into Pominville (an elite offensive player), and Fletcher stole Nino to offset the loss of that pick. Nino isn't elite offensively but he's being developed into a legit power forward along with Coyle (another nifty draft-day pull via trade).

The system that had been in place since day one to protect a roster full of grinders makes point-per-game players something you don't see. Either way pretty much every youngster brought in since Fletcher took over is helping turn the Wild into a respected team skill-wise. Not sure how you could argue the team should have been doing anything differently to develop the prospect pool that's finally paying dividends.

 

[nickschultzfan]

High-End offensive players come almost always from the 1st round. Off the top of my head, the only 1st round players we've draft in the last decade have been Granlund, Phillips, Sheppard, and Pouliot.

 

[Jarick]

Granlund is on his way to becoming a great 1st round pick, as is Brodin. Phillips and Dumba have a long way to go.

Of the non-1sts, only two guys have really earned a place in the NHL, and that's Haula and Kuemper (both late rounders).

I'd also like to see more quality players instead of role players. Right now, everyone looks like a Tweener (outside Granlund and Brodin).

 

[thestonedkoala]

They can not care about defense.

And yet they still made the playoffs?

1. They don't draft elite offensive talent.

Why though?

2. The farm team sucks, so the offensive players won't have anyone to play with and numbers/development suffers.

Shouldn't that be a concern for the organization is giving these players system to thrive in?

3. Talented kids barely get any ice time, let alone PP time, with the Wild, so the numbers are low up here as well.

So, system issue.

I think you're once again highly underselling how hard it is to turn a draft pick into an everyday NHLer, let alone an elite offensive force.

And yet, the organizations that have been doing it are constantly in the playoffs. Why aren't we one of those teams?

Look back at every first round selection since Leddy in 2009 -- the Wild are hitting at a very high rate while mixing in the occasional steal like Haula (7th round).

Who though? Outside the 1st round, who has been contributing to the team? Kuemper and ...? We have had a few undrafted/FA players that have mixed in well but we've only had one player contribute outside the 1st round and that's Haula. Kuemper should factor in but then who?

The system that had been in place since day one to protect a roster full of grinders makes point-per-game players something you don't see. Either way pretty much every youngster brought in since Fletcher took over is helping turn the Wild into a respected team skill-wise. Not sure how you could argue the team should have been doing anything differently to develop the prospect pool that's finally paying dividends.

Because we're still struggling offensively. We've gone down in goals scored. We have had this issue for years? And the young guys should have shored up the offense. But why do we still have grinders? Why are we protecting them? Should we get more skill? More talent?

I would say Parise and Suter helped turn the Wild into a respected team. The youngsters helped but they are still wildly inconsistent on the ice. And what dividends? We're still arguing about Vanek or another goal scorer to bring in. Who have we exactly developed in the minors over the years?

 

[tomthestone*]

What organizations should the Wild be looking up to? And how many late-round draftees do you expect to contribute? Having two longshots turn into NHL players is quite a bit. If more late picks cracked the roster it would mean the big club isn't good enough. These supposed teams that are in the hunt every year yet keep developing prospects? Chicago and LA has a leg up on Minnesota in the West, otherwise the Wild are right there with the rest of the conference. No roster out East should make the Wild front office blush. With goaltending on par with LA and Boston the Wild would be playing deep into the playoffs every year. Discussing the idea of adding a guy like Vanek is not an indictment on the Wild's roster quality when pretty much every team in the league would get better by signing him.

 

[DANOZ28]

What organizations should the Wild be looking up to? And how many late-round draftees do you expect to contribute? Having two longshots turn into NHL players is quite a bit. If more late picks cracked the roster it would mean the big club isn't good enough. These supposed teams that are in the hunt every year yet keep developing prospects? Chicago and LA has a leg up on Minnesota in the West, otherwise the Wild are right there with the rest of the conference. No roster out East should make the Wild front office blush. With goaltending on par with LA and Boston the Wild would be playing deep into the playoffs every year. Discussing the idea of adding a guy like Vanek is not an indictment on the Wild's roster quality when pretty much every team in the league would get better by signing him.

only one year hanging with the hawks doesnt make us a powerhouse yet. we got dang lucky with cabbage patch goaltending last year. imo stable goaltending , add a sniper then possibly upgrade #4 & #5 D men and we could be there; provided nino , coyle granlund , haula & brodin keep improving.

 

[thestonedkoala]

What organizations should the Wild be looking up to?

Detroit, Anaheim, San Jose, Boston - Here's the thing. Minnesota is unique because the talent they have? Most of it were brought in from trades or from free agent signings. We had to supplement the dry years of Riser and the uneven years of Fletcher. We are still looking outside this organization in order to improve instead of looking at what we have within this organization.

Look at 2009 and 2010 drafts - We thought they were good but in hindsight?

Nick Leddy, Matt Hackett, and Alexander Fallstrom were traded. Foucault, Hamburg and Sallinen look like busts. Kuemper and Haula are solid prospects but nothing game breaking. In 2010, Larsson was traded. Bulmer is still developing but is injury prone. Zucker everyone wants to trade. Gustafsson was meh. Granlund is great. McKinlay is a bust.

So, out of 14 prospects, 3 have shown they can contribute to the Wild.

The last 14 picks DR made; Eero Elo, Sean Lorenz, Marco Scandella, Tyler Cuma, Carson McMillian, Harri Ilvonen, Cody Almond, Justin Falk, Colton Gillies, Chris Hickey, Julien Walker, Niko Hovinen, Kyle Medvec, Cal Clutterbuck.

Out of 14 picks, Clutterbuck and Scandella made contributions for the Wild.

If you want to look at players suited up for the Wild; Hackett, Foucault, Gustafsson, Zucker, Larsson and Bulmer all suited up. Cuma, McMillian, Almond, Falk, Gillies. Again 1 more player suited up.

Mind you, this was also the bad drafting years for the Wild and this is three drafts for DR and two drafts for GMCF.

And how many late-round draftees do you expect to contribute? Having two longshots turn into NHL players is quite a bit.

It's not just the long shots- it's the guys like Granlund, like Coyle, like el Nino. Out of all three of them, el Nino leads the bunch in 14 goals scored. These aren't scrubs but 1st round talent players. I agree with Jarick, why wasn't Coyle sent down? We still have gaps where we are rushing our prospects.

Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson - both rookies had 50+ points this year.

I would like to see some contributions from our 2nd round picks as well. Who do we have on this team that is a 2nd round pick that has made a significant contribution to this organization? To this team? You have a player like Alex Chiasson, 2nd round pick putting up 35 points. You have a second round talent like Jenner and Toffoli putting up 30 points. Hell both Jenner and Toffoli had more goals than Koivu.

If more late picks cracked the roster it would mean the big club isn't good enough.

Not necessarily. It means you are developing your players correctly if they are making contributions to the team. Who cares if they are a 3rd or a 7th or a 1st round pick. If they score 15-20 goals and have 20-30 assists, who cares if they come from the 7th round. It shows your team is good at developing prospects. It gives the team flexibility. It gives the team room to work with. It gives the team depth.

Chicago and LA has a leg up on Minnesota in the West

How do they have a leg up? LA has constantly traded and modified their roster year after year due to smart drafting.

No roster out East should make the Wild front office blush.

Boston? Detroit? They are constantly churning out good players. Tampa Bay actually looks like they are starting to develop players.

With goaltending on par with LA and Boston the Wild would be playing deep into the playoffs every year

Not really. They ran out of gas against Chicago because they didn't have the depth. The Wild are still struggling to find reliable goal scorers or a player that can turn the game around.

Discussing the idea of adding a guy like Vanek is not an indictment on the Wild's roster quality when pretty much every team in the league would get better by signing him.

It is. And not necessarily every team. Some teams have enough depth internally that they would be fine passing on Vanek because he doesn't do much more than suck up cap space. This team is a bunch of mercenaries - which isn't bad but for growth and longevity, this team needs to start look internally.

 

[Avder]

We didn't run out of gas against Chicago. We had plenty left in the tank. A bad powerplay and some lucky goals from Kane were the difference.

 

[Sharppi]

We didn't run out of gas against Chicago. We had plenty left in the tank. A bad powerplay and some lucky goals from Kane were the difference.

****ing Kane is so ****ing good and so ****ing annoying. I really wish we draft Ho-Sang or Milano as those two kids project most closely to Kane. We really need one Patrick Kane for us.

 

[tomthestone*]

I could respond to so many things, but the part about Detroit and Boston having better rosters than the Wild really stood out. Rask makes all the difference in the world otherwise the Bruins are an old, slow bunch. Detroit, on the other hand, is a mess. Right now the Wild are closer to the mid 90s Wings than the current Detroit club. Not so sure I'd switch personnel with San Jose given the chance, either.

The Wild have been gradually getting better any way possible -- through the draft, signing free agents or making trades. The mix of Brodin, Granlund and Haula (draft) Coyle and Niederreiter (prospects pulled via trade) Suter and Parise (UFAs) and Pominville (trade) shows the team is pursuing every avenue to improve. And I don't know what I would call Haula if not a "game-breaker" after his playoff performance. He's a bouncing puck away from an odd-man rush at all times.

 

[tyratoku]

Pronman thinks Gustav Olofsson is one of most improved 2013 prospects, along with a certain Minnesotan:

Fasching, Possler, Johnson, Bjorkstrand come to mind RT @Jakelesnake: @coreypronman which 2013 prospect you think has improved the most?

Could throw Gustav Olofsson in that mix too (character limit)

 

[BusQuets]

Yeah Detroit is not in any way better than Wild. Dats and Zet are getting there with age and they have no talent to replace them. Boston is probably better only because of Rask.