Prospect Info: 2013-14 Sabres Prospect Repository - Part II

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

Mike Morreale ‏@mikemorrealeNHL 7m

The Traverse City (Mich) Prospects Tourney, Sept. 12-16, will again feature prospects from BUF, CAR, CBJ, DAL, DET, MIN, NYR and STL.

best roster we will ice all season

 

[ResilientBeast]

Come in peace here just wondering.

Is Matt Hackett going to be your "goalie of the future" or has he fallen off since he left Minny?

 

[FoSotC]

Come in peace here just wondering.

Is Matt Hackett going to be your "goalie of the future" or has he fallen off since he left Minny?

The latter.

 

[Paxon]

Come in peace here just wondering.

Is Matt Hackett going to be your "goalie of the future" or has he fallen off since he left Minny?

He's fallen way off, while others have risen. Linus Ullmark (2012 late pick) was the goalie of the year in the SHL as a 20 year old, and the previous year he was goalie of the year in SHL's juniors. Petersen (2013 late pick) had a great year in the USHL, arguably the best goalie in that league. Makarov also played well when he got the opportunity in Rochester late in the year, and has a lot of talent. In Rochester, Hackett lost the job to a fairly low-level prospect in Lieuwen, though he got to play for Buffalo late in spite of that and looked decent. It should also be noted that Lieuwen played damn well for Rochester and also looked as decent in Buffalo, but Hackett really had a rough go of it down there.

I don't know how the organization sees him but he's on the outside looking in for me. We also drafted Jonas Johansson, who was rated pretty highly by some.

 

[Sabre the Win]

Come in peace here just wondering.

Is Matt Hackett going to be your "goalie of the future" or has he fallen off since he left Minny?

We will trade him for brand new self cooling gatorade coolers..

 

[Beerz]

Corey Pronman ‏@coreypronman 2m

Barbashev, Buchnevich, Goldobin, Zykov, Kamanev, Tokchinsky, Fazleev, Zadorov, Rafikov, Valiev, Sorokin Shesterkin part of Russia's U20 camp

 

[Snippit]

Joel Armia and Mikhail Grigorenko

I remember these two prospects used to be considered first-line material in the future. Is this still the case, or do you guys see 1 or both busting?

 

[tsujimoto74]

I remember these two prospects used to be considered first-line material in the future. Is this still the case, or do you guys see 1 or both busting?

Both still have the talent. Next year will be a big one for Armia. He turned it on in the AHL playoffs, so hopefully that carries over to this season.

 

[Jacob582]

I remember these two prospects used to be considered first-line material in the future. Is this still the case, or do you guys see 1 or both busting?

Both have enough talent to still be considered potential first-line material. Both could bust if they don't show progression. Too early to make the call.

 

[Woodhouse]

I remember these two prospects used to be considered first-line material in the future. Is this still the case, or do you guys see 1 or both busting?

Both are making strides in their game. Armia played well in the AHL postseason, while Grigorenko hit the gym this summer and is up to 219. Both had their issues last season -- Armia lingering wrist/hand injury and Grigorenko yo-yo'd from team-to-team again -- but will come into training camp expected to be key performers for the Amerks this season. If they shine, they'll earn a recall. Calling either busts now would be just someone looking to get a rise IMO, but you can't ignore that this will be a pretty telling year for both of them, as you want to see them both with consistent performances to maintain those earlier projections.

 

[joshjull]

I remember these two prospects used to be considered first-line material in the future. Is this still the case, or do you guys see 1 or both busting?

Here is what Murray thinks of the two

http://www.nicholsonhockey.com/wort...es-murray-shares-opinions-on-grigorenko-armia

On Grigorenko:

"I've got an open mind on him," Murray said. "I think next year is when he shows us what he is: a top prospect, a good prospect or a middle prospect."

On Armia:

"He was outstanding," Murray said. "He's everything I heard he wasn't. He's not a shrinking violet, he's not a lazy player. He's the opposite."

Armia's inconsistency "was nothing out of the ordinary. "I thought he showed flashes of top-end talent."

 

[Beerz]

Both are making strides in their game. Armia played well in the AHL postseason, while Grigorenko hit the gym this summer and is up to 219. Both had their issues last season -- Armia lingering wrist/hand injury and Grigorenko yo-yo'd from team-to-team again -- but will come into training camp expected to be key performers for the Amerks this season. If they shine, they'll earn a recall. Calling either busts now would be just someone looking to get a rise IMO, but you can't ignore that this will be a pretty telling year for both of them, as you want to see them both with consistent performances to maintain those earlier projections.

Anyone remember Grigs weight in his draft year?

 

[dotcommunism]

Anyone remember Grigs weight in his draft year?

2012 Central Scouting rankings list him at 200 lbs

EDIT: 2012 Combine measurements also list him at 200

 

[Beerz]

2012 Central Scouting rankings list him at 200 lbs

thats some good beef he's added..i like it.

 

[Moskau]

thats some good beef he's added..i like it.

Just means he isn't cultivating hard enough. Bust.

 

[couture23]

Had no clue he thought so highly of Joel, good quotes there.

 

[Revelate]

Had no clue he thought so highly of Joel, good quotes there.

i'm surprised the Armia hype train hasn't picked up much steam from that playoff performance. he was outstanding. he looked as dangerous as any Sabres prospect i've seen on the Amerks in a long time. I guess people are just being realistic. One playoff performance doesn't offset an up and down season.

 

[LaxSabre]

CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game - Featuring McDavid/2015 Draft Picks - To Be Played - St. Catharines, Ontario.
John Vogl - BuffaloNews.com - Thursday, July 3, 2014.

Sabres fans interested in seeing the best players in the 2015 NHL Draft won't have to travel far. The Niagara IceDogs, who play in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada will host the next CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on January 22. The list of players is expected to include Connor McDavid, the favorite to be selected at the top of the next draft.

"This is an event that all NHL scouts look forward to attending," NHL Central Scouting Director Dan Marr said on NHL.com. "The game is a unique opportunity to evaluate 40 of the top draft-eligible prospects on a single stage in what has annually become an intense competition."

This year's Top Prospects Game featured 17 players taken during the first round of last month's NHL Draft, including #1 overall pick Aaron Ekblad and Buffalo's Sam Reinhart, who went second. The players for the 2015 game will be chosen in December.

Tickets will cost $35, with IceDogs season-ticket holders getting first priority. Individual tickets will be made available in September at www.NiagaraIceDogs.net.

Buffalo will host the USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game in September. It is expected to feature Jack Eichel, who is regarded as a draft rival to McDavid.

http://blogs.buffalonews.com/sabres...o-be-played-in-st-catherines-ont.html?ref=bmh

IceDogs To Host Top Prospects Game - Niagara IceDogs Official Website - NiagaraIceDogs.net - Thursday, July 3.

The Canadian Hockey League in association with the Ontario Hockey League, BMO Financial Group, and the Niagara IceDogs Hockey Club, today announced that the 2015 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will be hosted by the IceDogs on Thursday January 22, 2015.

The 2015 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will mark the 20th annual showcase of the CHL’s top-40 NHL draft eligible players featuring talent from the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League competing before hundreds of NHL scouts in attendance.

http://www.niagaraicedogs.net/article/icedogs-to-host-top-prospects-game

 

[Dubi Doo]

I remember these two prospects used to be considered first-line material in the future. Is this still the case, or do you guys see 1 or both busting?

Armia was dominant in the playoffs last year for the Amerks. He was probably their best player. I think he's going to be a stud, but I've always thought highly of him. He'll look mighty fine on Samson's wing. IF he maxes his potential and plays on Reinhart's wing...I think he has the tools to be a consistent 30 goal scorer and possibly hit 40 at his peak, but again, that's a HUGE if.

Grigorenko is more risky, imo. He hasn't shown that dominance in the AHL like Armia has. Armia's also a couple years older I believe. I still like Grigorenko, and I'm not ready to give up on him. Big bodied centers with his vision are hard to come by. His skill set and tools are a rare combination. I hope like hell he figures it all out.

If both these guys pan out we won't need a lottery pick this year, but we'll more than likely be picking top-3 anyways so...

 

[Puppa2Miller]

CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game - Featuring McDavid/2015 Draft Picks - To Be Played - St. Catharines, Ontario.
John Vogl - BuffaloNews.com - Thursday, July 3, 2014.

Sabres fans interested in seeing the best players in the 2015 NHL Draft won't have to travel far. The Niagara IceDogs, who play in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada will host the next CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on January 22. The list of players is expected to include Connor McDavid, the favorite to be selected at the top of the next draft.

Is Eichel expected to play in the game in St. Catharines?

 

[Zman5778]

Is Eichel expected to play in the game in St. Catharines?

The St. Catharines game is a CHL showcase. I don't think anyone from the USNDTP or collegiate levels will be there.

 

[couture23]

Is Eichel expected to play in the game in St. Catharines?

No, since he won't be playing in the CHL. He's attending Boston University.

 

[ottawah]

i'm surprised the Armia hype train hasn't picked up much steam from that playoff performance. he was outstanding. he looked as dangerous as any Sabres prospect i've seen on the Amerks in a long time. I guess people are just being realistic. One playoff performance doesn't offset an up and down season.

It was a 5 game run. With 6 points. If that makes a great prospect, you can probably find 50 Amerks last year who did that over the course of the season.

So yes, I'd say people are just being realistic.

 

[Samsonite23]

It was a 5 game run. With 6 points. If that makes a great prospect, you can probably find 50 Amerks last year who did that over the course of the season.

So yes, I'd say people are just being realistic.

It was more about his overall game than having 6 points. But the amount of games obviously isn't sufficient to get overly excited about.

 

[Revelate]

It was a 5 game run. With 6 points. If that makes a great prospect, you can probably find 50 Amerks last year who did that over the course of the season.

So yes, I'd say people are just being realistic.

Ha. like it's that simple. First of all, 5 playoff games is not equivalent 5 regular season games. and if any Amerks player dominated like he did during those games, i must have missed it.