Prospect Info: 2018-19 Flyers Prospects - Top 30 SKATERS, #12

[FLYguy3911]

Maybe, but it is going to take a total reconstruction of his skating mechanics. His stride is incredibly choppy, weak and slow. There really isn't anything to build off of. It is possible he can fix it, but you never know how ingrained some of these bad habits are. I'm also a fairly big fan the next group: Kalynuk, Lycksell, Cates, Kase, and Hogberg all of whom lack any fatal flaws and still have some decent NHL potential.

Maybe they don't have any fatal flaws, but they also might not have the same upside.

Kalynuk- Really like him. Looks like a great find in the 7th round, but he's a 97. Realistically how high in the lineup could you envision him on the Flyers? Is there any way he gets PP time to maximize his skillset?

Lycksell- Really young and promising, but his Junior scoring numbers don't allow me to think he has realistic top 6 upside.

Cates- Good year in the USHL. Not exactly a burner himself. Let's see how he does at the higher levels.

Kase- Could be a solid NHLer. I guess we'll know more this year if he plays in the AHL.

Hogberg- I like him, but another LHD. Is there any Top 4 upside?

Of these guys, I think Strome has the best chance to find his way on an NHL PP which also gave him a slight bump for me. I have all 5 of those guys right behind Strome fwiw. I like them, but I don't see any slam dunks.

 

[CutOnDime97]

Don't know much about a lot of these guys, but I went with Friedman.

 

[FlyTimmo]

Maybe they don't have any fatal flaws, but they also might not have the same upside.

Kalynuk- Really like him. Looks like a great find in the 7th round, but he's a 97. Realistically how high in the lineup could you envision him on the Flyers? Is there any way he gets PP time to maximize his skillset?

Lycksell- Really young and promising, but his Junior scoring numbers don't allow me to think he has realistic top 6 upside.

Cates- Good year in the USHL. Not exactly a burner himself. Let's see how he does at the higher levels.

Kase- Could be a solid NHLer. I guess we'll know more this year if he plays in the AHL.

Hogberg- I like him, but another LHD. Is there any Top 4 upside?

I have all 5 of those guys right behind Strome fwiw. I like them, but I don't see any slam dunks.

I guess it all depends on if you view that Strome can make major improvements to his skating. If he doesn't improve his skating, then I doubt he has any NHL potential begin with. It is very much a fatal flaw. If his skating improves to a below-average level (probably the most that can reasonably be expected), then he has middle-six potential.

Kalynuk has #4 potential in my opinion, but if he makes it will probably be as a bottom pair player.

Cates, while he isn't "fast" is still considerably faster than Strome. But he is likely a bottom-6 player if he ever makes it.

Kase, again, probably a bottom-6 guy.

Hogberg, probably bottom pair as well.

But at least their upside seems somewhat tangible, while Strome's feels unreachable unless his skating becomes passable. And I get the feeling that his skating will never improve quite enough. I view skating as the 2nd most important trait in hockey, behind IQ. And I think there is a threshold required to be an NHLer, and Strome is still well-below that threshold at the moment. But, since I'm no expert and I don't know how ingrained any of those traits are, I can still feel comfortable putting him inside the top-20.

 

[CutOnDime97]

As an aside, what's the best place to watch Phantoms highlights? Wanted to see more of Aube-Kubel but couldn't find much.

 

[FLYguy3911]

But at least their upside seems somewhat tangible, while Strome's feels unreachable unless his skating becomes passable. And I get the feeling that his skating will never improve quite enough. I view skating as the 2nd most important trait in hockey, behind IQ. And I think there is a threshold required to be an NHLer, and Strome is still well-below that threshold at the moment. But, since I'm no expert and I don't know how ingrained any of those traits are, I can still feel comfortable putting him inside the top-20.

Good thing he's pretty smart.

You do need to meet a certain speed threshold, but I've always believed there is something to be said for kids that "can't skate" but always find ways to produce. His production as a 17 and 18 year old in what many consider the best junior league in hockey is pretty telling when it comes to his other skills. So maybe his "fatal flaw" won't be his fatal flaw. Everyone knows his weakness. He knows it. The team knows it. It will be the primary focus from now until he's no longer in the organization. I'm sure the team will get him on a strict diet and strength and conditioning program to try to unlock every ounce of skating potential he has. Will it work out? No idea, but at this point I'm willing to bet it improves enough to be a productive NHL player in a few years.

And now that I'm thinking about it, his scoring dried up in the OHL Finals and Mem Cup, but it wasn't for a lack of chances. He was still getting scoring chances.

 

[FlyTimmo]

Good thing he's pretty smart.

You do need to meet a certain speed threshold, but I've always believed there is something to be said for kids that "can't skate" but always find ways to produce. His production as a 17 and 18 year old in what many consider the best junior league in hockey is pretty telling when it comes to his other skills. So maybe his "fatal flaw" won't be his fatal flaw. Everyone knows his weakness. He knows it. The team knows it. It will be the primary focus from now until he's no longer in the organization. I'm sure the team will get him on a strict diet and strength and conditioning program to try to unlock every ounce of skating potential he has. Will it work out? No idea, but at this point I'm willing to bet it improves enough to be a productive NHL player in a few years.

And now that I'm thinking about it, his scoring dried up in the OHL Finals and Mem Cup, but it wasn't for a lack of chances. He was still getting scoring chances.

Yep, his IQ is high. His hands are great. His shot is strong. He is responsible defensively, but..... you know my complaint

Next year will be telling. No solid strides in his skating and I'll have a hard time seeing him make it. His brother, Dylan, made some good improvements over the last year, so maybe he can too. Though Matthew's skating is on a different tier of bad than either of his brothers.

 

[NicolasAubeKubel]

Kase, but St Ivany is a beast, strongly considered.

 

[wasup]

Went with Hogberg but could have went several ways . Probably Kase next .

 

[Magua]

Our recent 2nd round pick, even with that just drafted new car smell bump, hasn’t been mentioned once among our top ~15-20 names.

For shits and giggles, where would other players we passed over have ranked in our system? Pick any names.

 

[BigToe]

Our recent 2nd round pick, even with that just drafted new car smell bump, hasn’t been mentioned once among our top ~15-20 names.

For ****s and giggles, where would other players we passed over have ranked in our system? Pick any names.

I think most of the ones that everyone liked would be 7th or 8th. Depending on how much you like Morin.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Our recent 2nd round pick, even with that just drafted new car smell bump, hasn’t been mentioned once among our top ~15-20 names.

For ****s and giggles, where would other players we passed over have ranked in our system? Pick any names.

DeBrincat would have looked good on the Phantoms third line this past year.

 

[Flyerfan13]

As an aside, what's the best place to watch Phantoms highlights? Wanted to see more of Aube-Kubel but couldn't find much.

@Stizzle is the man when it comes to highlight videos not sure if he made 1 up for nak on YouTube

 

[Ghosts Beer]

It’s worrisome that Strome only has 5 goals in 27 career OHL playoff games, considering hands & goal scoring are his best attributes. It really makes me wonder if his skills are significantly nullified at higher paces of play against better competition.

 

[Stizzle]

@Stizzle is the man when it comes to highlight videos not sure if he made 1 up for nak on YouTube

I haven't done an NAK video, sorry.

 

[Flyerfan13]

I haven't done an NAK video, sorry.

All good sir i appreciate the videos u do make

 

[Angry Hockey Dad]

I voted Strome. As mentioned his skating is bad, but maybe some sort of miracle occurs and he discovers a beautiful stride

 

[captainpaxil]

I'd love to see a comparison between this bottom 10 and one of the top tens from when homer was gm. Id give it a fighting chance to have more nhl players.

 

[kelmitchell]

Went hog last time and will do it again, i think hes gonna be a really good dman

 

[deadhead]

I don't think anyone we passed over for Ginning would have got a sniff at our top ten.
I mean how do you rank a high upside/low probability forward with limited production over Sushko or even Twarynski (and his 45 goals as a PD+2).
There's no shame for Ginning to be behind Friedman, a 3rd rd pick when he's an unknown late 2nd rd pick.

What stands out about the Flyer prospect pool is the paucity of mid-round picks who dropped out like Dove-McFalls, usually after 2-3 years, the majority of your picks after the 2nd rd play themselves out of consideration. Instead, we have 7th rd picks like Bernhardt and Kalynuk playing there way into consideration.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

I'd love to see a comparison between this bottom 10 and one of the top tens from when homer was gm. Id give it a fighting chance to have more nhl players.

No question about it. There were times during the past 30 years where our prospect pool was just all but nonexistent, to the point where it beggared belief. We just weren't focused on building through the draft - we'd tack on pieces to the tail end of the previous group, make big trades to launch the next group, etc. We'd have drafts like Carter-Richards where we nailed the first round, but the "pool" was more like a puddle. As a true believer in building through the draft, it was extremely frustrating to watch.

 

[Hakroach]

I'd love to see a comparison between this bottom 10 and one of the top tens from when homer was gm. Id give it a fighting chance to have more nhl players.

A quick search found a link to 2013-2014 #21 poll thread:
https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/top-25-flyers-prospects-21.1493087/

1. C Scott Laughton(77.36%)
2. D Samuel Morin(59.70%)
3. D Robert Hagg(69.74%)
4. D Shayne Gostisbehere(66.30%)
5. G Anthony Stolarz(48.15%)
6. C Nick Cousins(77.22%)
7. RW Petr Straka(39.17%)
8. LW Tye McGinn(63.33%)
9. C/RW Jason Akeson(28.28%)
10. D Mark Alt(36.36%)
11. LW Marcel Noebels(45.31%)
12. D Oliver Lauridsen(40.38%)
13. LW Taylor Leier(36.84%)
14. D Brandon Manning(31.48%)
15. D Marc-Andre Bourdon(42.55%)
16. LW Kyle Flanagan(35.85%)
17. D Valeri Vasiliev(46.67%)
18. D Frederic Larsson(30.43%)
19. D Reece Willcox(44.90%)
20. LW Tyrell Goulbourne(46.00%)

 

[Tripod]

A quick search found a link to 2013-2014 #21 poll thread:
https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/top-25-flyers-prospects-21.1493087/

1. C Scott Laughton(77.36%)
2. D Samuel Morin(59.70%)
3. D Robert Hagg(69.74%)
4. D Shayne Gostisbehere(66.30%)
5. G Anthony Stolarz(48.15%)
6. C Nick Cousins(77.22%)
7. RW Petr Straka(39.17%)
8. LW Tye McGinn(63.33%)
9. C/RW Jason Akeson(28.28%)
10. D Mark Alt(36.36%)
11. LW Marcel Noebels(45.31%)
12. D Oliver Lauridsen(40.38%)
13. LW Taylor Leier(36.84%)
14. D Brandon Manning(31.48%)
15. D Marc-Andre Bourdon(42.55%)
16. LW Kyle Flanagan(35.85%)
17. D Valeri Vasiliev(46.67%)
18. D Frederic Larsson(30.43%)
19. D Reece Willcox(44.90%)
20. LW Tyrell Goulbourne(46.00%)

Barf.

Pretty bad when 4 years later, your highest scoring forward had 20 points.

 

[mja]

Barf.

Pretty bad when 4 years later, your highest scoring forward had 20 points.

Pssh. That list isn't that bad. There's actual NHLers on it. I remember the days when guys like Jeff Lank, Brian Wesenberg, and J.M. Pelletier led the ranks.

 

[Tripod]

Pssh. That list isn't that bad. There's actual NHLers on it. I remember the days when guys like Jeff Lank, Brian Wesenberg, and J.M. Pelletier led the ranks.

Trust me, I remember. I was a HUGE Kimbi Daniels supporter!

 

[Fire Tortorella]

Pssh. That list isn't that bad. There's actual NHLers on it. I remember the days when guys like Jeff Lank, Brian Wesenberg, and J.M. Pelletier led the ranks.

Mike Testwuide? Marcel Noebels? Some finish goalie whose last name started with an L I think?