Prospect Info: 2013-14 Prospect Updates: The Start of the Jim Nill Era

[BigG44]

Faksa and Sudbury limp into the OHL playoffs:

Ben Leeson ‏@ben_leeson

Colts win 6-3, clinch fourth. Series will open in Barrie on Thursday.

Barrie winning gives them home advantage against the Sudbury Wolves. Team has 5 wins in their last 20 games.

 

[Bluesoma]

So looking at things. Starting to see the results of Dallas doing the shotgun type drafting. So many center prospects coming to the pro now and almost no RWs.

 

[BigG44]

So looking at things. Starting to see the results of Dallas doing the shotgun type drafting. So many center prospects coming to the pro now and almost no RWs.

Don't worry. Dallas is going to sign Mitch Holmberg (Spokane/WHL).

Overage and undersized ... he did manage to score a little bit this year. With one game to go, he popped 62 goals and 118 total points in 71 games.

 

[Bluesoma]

That one of your FA hopefuls G?

 

[BigG44]

That one of your FA hopefuls G?

Sure he's a possibility. Dallas hasn't been as active with undrafted free agents though so I'm not going to get my hopes up. That said, Detroit has been in on a few lately so maybe Nill will put a bigger emphasis on it.

 

[Hull Fan]

A Mike Winther sighting. He's back in the Calgary lineup and has a goal, two assists and +4 in their 6-3 win against Kootaney.

I have no idea how the organization feels about him after lackluster career followed by this injury ravaged season but if he can stay healthy he'll have a chance to make a case for getting an ELC with Calgary's playoff run.

Ully has 2 assists tonight as Kamloops continues to get drummed night in and night out. I'd really like to see him in Austin for the playoffs. Just the opportunity to play for a winning team would probably do wonders for his confidence heading into next season. Kamloops has 14 wins in 71 games. That's got to be a beating.

 

[glovesave_35]

That one of your FA hopefuls G?

Imagine most teams will at least try to woo the guy.

Sure he's a possibility. Dallas hasn't been as active with undrafted free agents though so I'm not going to get my hopes up. That said, Detroit has been in on a few lately so maybe Nill will put a bigger emphasis on it.

I'm not going to get my hopes up either, but I would be really happy if we did manage to sign him. The quotes from Holmberg himself and from his coach earlier in the season that I saw were really positive. Kid has a good head on his shoulders. I wonder if offering up an audition with Benn and Seguin might help persuade him.

 

[BigG44]

I'm not going to get my hopes up either

Exactly ... I enjoy following the NCAA free agents and everything and keeping up with them, but the chances of Dallas landing even one of them is slim.

Blue is correct, RW looks a little thin next season.

No guarantee Glennie gets through waivers or spends the season as a 13th forward (to avoid waivers, Sceviour will be gone, and I wouldn't exactly put it past Ritchie (dude's looked great even when he's not scoring ... just has a positive impact on the game) to force his way into an NHL spot.

Best case scenario, for Texas, you have Ritchie and Stransky as right wings. Vause is a right shot center that can play wing, but he's only on an STO with Texas. He could bolt for a better situation on a different AHL team. Unlike Hedden and Dowling, he's not getting a choice opportunity among Dallas' prospects.

Holmberg and other undrafted free agent RW would make quite a bit of sense right now. Otherwise, we'll probably see them go pay more for an AHL veteran making a higher AHL salary to fill some holes.

 

[BigG44]

This wasn't his original tweet ...

Devin Shore ‏@devinshore

Heading back to Orono. Thanks to the five seniors and the rest of my teammates for a hell of a year. We had ourselves a time eh boys

Original said, "One last trip."

I highly doubt he was revealing anything when he said that. The reason I laugh though is clearly he or one of his teammates realized what that sounded like.

 

[BigG44]

Henri Kiviaho's Liiga and junior team's season are both over.

Aleksi Makela's Liiga, Mestis, and junior team's are all done.

Esa Lindell and Jokerit were unable to secure a Top 6 spot in Liiga. They are currently in a short playoff to earn one of the final spots in the Liiga playoffs. His Mestis team is already playing in the first round of their playoffs.

 

[BigG44]

Jokerit drops the playoff 0-2 today to the 10th place team. Lindell's Mestis team is currently down 1-2 in the first round, and they're losing right now 3-5 in the 2nd period of Game 4.

Jokerit's U-20 team was just bounced in the quarterfinals.

Possibility he comes to Texas, but it would likely be in a practice only role.

 

[BigG44]

Ludwig Bystrom misses Game 1 for Farjestad because of illness.

 

[BigG44]

Here's your answer about Devin Shore going pro:

BlackBearHockey ‏@MaineIceHockey

Devin Shore Named 2014-2015 Captain, Stu Higgins and Jake Rutt to Serve as Alternate Captains http://*******/1gzkXe5

 

[Captain Awesome]

I don't think it means he'll stay 100%, it might be an incentive if he does want to stay. It's certainly not positive news for his going to the AHL. My first thought was that Nill thinks it's too crowded, but it's just going to get more crowded in the next year or two with all these successful draft picks hopping there. Maybe Nill sees him as the kind of guy who can develop in the NCAA and move straight to the NHL afterwards, or thinks Shore needs more filling out. I don't really watch him so all I know about him is the positive word of mouth accounts we're always hearing.

 

[BigG44]

I think it does. It would be extremely silly for his team to name him captain without talking to him and knowing for sure he was coming back. I hope there's a chance that's not the case, but like I said, there's no point in naming a guy captain and just hoping he's coming back.

 

[glovesave_35]

He's only 19, going on 20 in July. I know that's right around the time that most junior guys turn pro but I won't be too torn up or worried about Shore staying another year. He could probably use the time to bulk up a bit more and getting a chance to captain an NCAA team might be more beneficial down the line than being just another face in the crowd in Austin. I know we all want to see these guys as soon as possible but this might be a case where a guy staying (if he ultimately does) really pays off in the long run.

 

[Frozen Failure]

He's only 19, going on 20 in July. I know that's right around the time that most junior guys turn pro but I won't be too torn up or worried about Shore staying another year. He could probably use the time to bulk up a bit more and getting a chance to captain an NCAA team might be more beneficial down the line than being just another face in the crowd in Austin. I know we all want to see these guys as soon as possible but this might be a case where a guy staying (if he ultimately does) really pays off in the long run.

I agree with this in it's entirety.

 

[BigG44]

Reilly Smith and Alex Chiasson both stayed 3 years. I'm anxious to see him in a pro setting just because he's an exciting prospect, but I'm not concerned about him staying one or even two more years. Hockey East is one of the best conferences in the NCAA so he's going up against tough competition.

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

I think he'll struggle for ice time in Texas. I'd prefer him to stay another year.

 

[BigG44]

Niklas Hansson scored a goal in a 4-3 loss. Rogle dropped their first game.

Frolunda lost in double OT, and the series is tied at 1. Klingberg assisted on the one goal, and he played over 34 minutes today.

Bob Sturm RTed a Pronman comment about the number of minutes he played, and he mentioned the front office has high hopes for him.

 

[BigG44]

I think he'll struggle for ice time in Texas. I'd prefer him to stay another year.

Possibly, but Dallas could have easily adjusted based on him signing. If goes pro, Dowling is gone in Texas, and you're fine with Morin, Shore, Faksa, and Peters at center.

If he wanted to go pro, there was plenty of room for him. Willie is like Ruff in that he rolls 4 consistently. Not surprised he'd go back though. He seems very committed to the program, and to me he comes off as a guy that would like to accomplish more there based on some of his tweets and interviews I've seen.

 

[beardedgraf]

I received my THN Prospect/Future Watch/whatever issue and I was surprised to see that they had Dallas ranked 20th. I know we are all Stars fans but could this be accurate? A friend of mine who is a casual fan said he saw a ranking somewhere that had Dallas in the top ten. I am very high on our prospect pool, am I that way just because I remember the days of Sawada and Sacchetti topping our lists?

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

They might graduate Nuke? All I can think.

 

[beardedgraf]

They might graduate Nuke? All I can think.

Yeah no mention of Val other than him being someone that Ritchie will have to challenge along with Chiasson for a spot in the lineup. He also wasn't included in their top 50 prospects. Oleksiak and Ritchie came in at #38 and #39, respectively. I guess he isn't considered a prospect by THN anymore.

 

[BigG44]

I received my THN Prospect/Future Watch/whatever issue and I was surprised to see that they had Dallas ranked 20th. I know we are all Stars fans but could this be accurate? A friend of mine who is a casual fan said he saw a ranking somewhere that had Dallas in the top ten. I am very high on our prospect pool, am I that way just because I remember the days of Sawada and Sacchetti topping our lists?

Dallas never seems to get a ton of love in those things.