Prospect Info: 2016 Leafs Pick - 72nd Overall (NJ) - J.D. Greenway - D - USNTDP [6-5/205]

[saltming]

I'd write him off. I don't think he gets a contract, and his rights expire in 2 years (so he needs to be really good with Maine to earn an ELC). The only successful player I can think of who played there at 20, who was a late-emerging prospect. Not someone like Greenway who was part of elite programs throughout most of his life. Someone who has an NHL future playing in the USHL at 20, should be the most dominate player in the league by a good margin.

edit: and the only reason Montour was there, was he was waiting to be cleared by the NCAA to be allowed to play at UMass-Amherst, where he dominated in the 2nd half of the season once he was cleared.

The reason greenway was there was he was transferring schools.
I get that at 20 in the USHL is not a good thing, but he when to play while waiting to transfer schools. It's not like he started there and was still there at 20.
Big bodied players sometimes take more time. I'm good waiting to see how these next 2 years unfold is all.

 

[saltming]

Agree with 93. There's always a chance he blows up in his final two years at Maine, but we have to be realistic. He's the same age as Middleton, who we didn't sign coming off a year as one of the best defensive defencemen in the OHL and is now on pace for 30 points as an AHL rookie. The bar is high.

His ceiling is higher and his tools are better than Middleton

 

[4thline]

His ceiling is higher and his tools are better than Middleton

Yes but he's much worse at playing hockey. That's a pretty key element to the equation.

I'm all for the projectable fence swinging but for him to become anything something has to click into place in a pretty big way.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Greenway is a better skater which is why Leafs liked him better than Keaton. But Keaton has many more leadership skills and is a much more dominating physical presence in the defensive end. Keaton will play in NHL as a 4 or 5 defenseman and could be captain material. I think the Leafs could have used at least 1 player like Keaton. Greenway though is not that guy. He is very unlikely to make it.

 

[7even]

Greenway is a better skater which is why Leafs liked him better than Keaton. But Keaton has many more leadership skills and is a much more dominating physical presence in the defensive end. Keaton will play in NHL as a 4 or 5 defenseman and could be captain material. I think the Leafs could have used at least 1 player like Keaton. Greenway though is not that guy. He is very unlikely to make it.

15 years ago, maybe.

 

[Mr Hockey]

Greenway is a better skater which is why Leafs liked him better than Keaton. But Keaton has many more leadership skills and is a much more dominating physical presence in the defensive end. Keaton will play in NHL as a 4 or 5 defenseman and could be captain material. I think the Leafs could have used at least 1 player like Keaton. Greenway though is not that guy. He is very unlikely to make it.

I dunno if Middleton makes the NHL but I liked his skill set and would have liked to see him on the Marlies

 

[saltming]

Yes but he's much worse at playing hockey. That's a pretty key element to the equation.

I'm all for the projectable fence swinging but for him to become anything something has to click into place in a pretty big way.

I agree. I'm just not ready to write him off yet. That's all.
Steep hill for him yes, but stranger things have happened

 

[93LEAFS]

The reason greenway was there was he was transferring schools.
I get that at 20 in the USHL is not a good thing, but he when to play while waiting to transfer schools. It's not like he started there and was still there at 20.
Big bodied players sometimes take more time. I'm good waiting to see how these next 2 years unfold is all.

But he's transfering schools because he wasn't good enough to get good minutes at a solid D1 program.

Look, I'd love to be wrong and for Greenway to turn into a viable NHLer for us. But, I just think the odds of him actually doing it are minuscule.

 

[saltming]

But he's transfering schools because he wasn't good enough to get good minutes at a solid D1 program.

Look, I'd love to be wrong and for Greenway to turn into a viable NHLer for us. But, I just think the odds of him actually doing it are minuscule.

I agree on the odds, but what's wrong with cheering for an underdog?
I thought it was off ice issues that saw him losing ice time? Osiecki said really good things about him. Ya his point totals didn't impress in his stay with Wisconsin but sometimes big bodies take time.

 

[93LEAFS]

I agree on the odds, but what's wrong with cheering for an underdog?
I thought it was off ice issues that saw him losing ice time? Osiecki said really good things about him. Ya his point totals didn't impress in his stay with Wisconsin but sometimes big bodies take time.

Look cheer for him to make it, nothing wrong with that. I'm just not expecting anything from him, and view him as a long-shot to even get an ELC, let alone make the NHL.

 

[saltming]

Look cheer for him to make it, nothing wrong with that. I'm just not expecting anything from him, and view him as a long-shot to even get an ELC, let alone make the NHL.

All fair

 

[Menzinger]

The Badgers are a great hockey program:. His inability to stick it out there is a fairly good sign he’s not trending in the right direction.

Wish him the best though.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

He is not going to make it. His brother will but not JD.

Keaton is a man of men. Everyone listens to him and does what he says he has a lifting personna. Minor hockey, ohl and now ahl same thing each level. Very few guys have it. It is hard to explain but everyone who knows him and played with him understands. His only downside is his skating. But Pronger was not a great skater. Even Gretz was a bad skater.

 

[hockeynorth]

He is not going to make it. His brother will but not JD.

Keaton is a man of men. Everyone listens to him and does what he says he has a lifting personna. Minor hockey, ohl and now ahl same thing each level. Very few guys have it. It is hard to explain but everyone who knows him and played with him understands. His only downside is his skating. But Pronger was not a great skater. Even Gretz was a bad skater.

Okay wait, Middleton will not become Pronger, and definitely not Gretz! Though we should have put him at least on the Growlers but hindsight.

 

[GoldenGOOSE]

Gretzky a bad skater? Oh my. What a thing to wake up to. I am not going to dignify that with a response.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Gretzky a bad skater? Oh my. What a thing to wake up to. I am not going to dignify that with a response.

Read his book. He even says it himself. He did not think he was a top half skater in the NHL. It is because he wasn't. He was the greatest visionary in the history of hockey with the best hands and mind to ever lace it up. He knew where the puck was going 5 steps before everyone else on the ice knew what was going on and he could process puck movement like no other. The keenest hockey sense of all time.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Keaton will be on the Sharks in 2-3 years. Greenway will never even get signed by Leafs.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Keaton will be on the Sharks in 2-3 years. Greenway will never even get signed by Leafs.

You can't possibly know that.

 

[deletethis]

Gretzky a bad skater? Oh my. What a thing to wake up to. I am not going to dignify that with a response.

It was actually something some dumb scouts were saying about him when he was a teenager. I think they thought his skating style was too unusual and that he lacked top end straight ahead speed. What they didn't get is that his ability to stop and start, do edges and crossovers at full speed was unmatched. Also I remember when he came into the league he was one of the rare forwards who could skate backwards really well.

 

[LeafChief]

Greenway's raw tools for out perform the tools of Middleton. The issue with Greenway is that his game is currently chaotic.

Middleton has a limited game but it is somewhat polished in the sense that he can play defensively. He is what he is at this point (which is not very good but passable). Greenway is getting a long look because first of all they can afford to give him a longer look because of how much longer they own his rights, but also because if he by chance figures out a way to put it all together, he could be a real gem.

I hope he figures it out.

Also, it never made sense to give Middleton any sort of contract. No need to take away ice time from our more deserving prospects.

 

[Walshy7]

is this another busted giant? Hunter is 0 for 4 now? with only Gordeev left. I guess Rasanen is still a possibility but his KHL form doesn't seem to be really good

 

[Menzinger]

is this another busted giant? Hunter is 0 for 4 now? with only Gordeev left. I guess Rasanen is still a possibility but his KHL form doesn't seem to be really good

Yeah, most of those large boys from the ‘16 and ‘17 draft classes don’t seem to be turning into much.

I actually had thought Greenway had the best shot of most of them to make it, but right now I’m not too confident. Maybe Rasanen will pull things together instead

 

[ponder]

For all the ripping on Hunter, he was only here for 3 drafts right? 2015, 2016, 2017? Obviously his first round picks were great - Marner, Matthews and Liljegren. Outside the first round Dermott was a great pick, and Grundstrom is looking good too. Not many standouts otherwise, but it’s still very early to judge a lot of these guys.

Don’t think the Hunter era was amazing for drafting, but it was decent at worst.

 

[Menzinger]

For all the ripping on Hunter, he was only here for 3 drafts right? 2015, 2016, 2017? Obviously his first round picks were great - Marner, Matthews and Liljegren. Outside the first round Dermott was a great pick, and Grundstrom is looking good too. Not many standouts otherwise, but it’s still very early to judge a lot of these guys.

Don’t think the Hunter era was amazing for drafting, but it was decent at worst.

At the moment I’d say “average” is how I’d feel about it. Though I do like the 2015 selections more than his other two (outside of the first round).

 

[deletethis]

Hunter's drafts contained at least 6 large defensemen who HAD to seriously improve their skating to have any hope of making the NHL. Those were very low percentage picks as far as I'm concerned.

P.S. Oddly enough Greenway isn't one of those defense picks with skating issues.