Prospect Info: 2019-20 Prospects Thread (CHL, NCAA, Junior A, Europe)

[McMetal]

I hope Avs decide to bring Kvaca over as well, he's had a great year in the Czech league. I hear the people who want Annunen to come over, but I suggest he still has a lot to learn in Liiga. I want him him to get more explosive, but more importantly I want him to work on his consistency.

Next year we should roll with...
NHL
1. Grubauer (Still under contract)
2. Francouz (Would like to re-sign him)

AHL
1. Werner (Another season getting adjusted to NA hockey and angles)
2. Miska (I think he has played well enough to be re-signed)

ECHL
1. Kvaca (Get adjusted to NA hockey and angles)
2. Shamkov (He's 20 years old and can't play in USHL after this year, sign him to AHL contract)

Outside
- Annunen (Work on consistency in Liiga, play more games)
- Miner (Play his entire junior eligibility)

I'm not so sure about Kvaca. Finally breaking into the top Czech league at age 22 seems like an awfully slow progression for a goaler with any prayer of becoming an NHLer. I haven't actually seem him play since dev camp last time he was here but he just seems like he's lagging way behind where you would hope an NHL prospect would be at this stage in his career.

 

[henchman21]

I wouldn't be so keen on giving Kvaca a contract. It sets up a 2 year commitment and I'd rather use that contract space elsewhere. Miska has been solid and has earned a 1 year deal to back up Werner again. Which gives flexibility the following year when Annunen will be ready to come over. Miska can stay and mentor Annunen if Werner takes the NHL backup job with the Frank/Grubs situation is all figured out. Or run a Werner/Annunen tandem for a season if it isn't or some other goalie in the NHL. and Miska can move on. It may not sound like a lot, but committing 2 years to a player that you're not thrilled about isn't a route I'd go. If he wants an AHL/ECHL deal, by all means bring him over for a year... if he needs an ELC, I wouldn't do it. Being careful allows you to dodge the useless ELCs.

Which that is an interesting topic... for all the hoopla about Saigeon not getting an ELC last summer, seems like the right move now. Being locked into him would suck...

 

[ljb4]

This list was released yesterday. Look who's #1.

The NHL’s Top 100 Prospects – Midseason Rankings:

https://thehockeywriters.com/nhl-top-100-prospects-ranking/

Tough seeing Dorofeyev at #35. Avs could have drafted him with either 3rd round pick last year. Some mocks had him in the late first round.

 

[cgf]

Tough seeing Dorofeyev at #35. Avs could have drafted him with either 3rd round pick last year. Some mocks had him in the late first round.

Yeah, it woulda been nice to have our next Jost all locked n loaded

 

[S E P H]

If he wants an AHL/ECHL deal, by all means bring him over for a year... if he needs an ELC, I wouldn't do it. Being careful allows you to dodge the useless ELCs.

That's what I was thinking, I am not sure Kvaca himself thinks he deserves an ELC. An AHL contract is more than fair for him at two years.

 

[ljb4]

Yeah, it woulda been nice to have our next Jost all locked n loaded

True, but based on the Avs mid-round drafting I would take a Jost in the third round. I would also take #35 on the list over Stienberg.

 

[cgf]

True, but based on the Avs mid-round drafting I would take a Jost in the third round. I would also take #35 on the list over Stienberg.

Wasting picks on non-NHLers is pointless regardless of where you do it

Doro will continue to do well at lower levels & get hyped until he has to deal with NHL skaters and no longer has the time & space to utilize his skillset effectively. Stienberg may be a wasted pick to, but not having Doro isn't exactly worth lamenting.

 

[henchman21]

Pronman: 2019-20 midseason NHL prospects ranking

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Meh. Never like Pronman and this list doesn't change that, despite my thinking his Byram description was pretty accurate.


I dont agree with the Zegras evaluation at all. And I completely disagree with the Newhook evaluation. He's playing 3rd line minutes on a BC team that wasn't supposed to be all.that strong this year, and he's almost a PPG through nearly 20 games, while being 2nd in goals among freshman and putting up very comparable offensive numbers to the guys drafted ahead of him in Turcotte, Zegras, and Caufield.

What kind of ridiculous expectations did he have if nearly a PPG isn't meeting them. And an even worse evaluation of Caufield.
He also quite clearly put a ridiculous amount of stock in 7 or 8 games from the World Juniors. To have guys like Romanov, Marchenko, and Soderstrom jump so much over 8 games is just dumb.


Edit: Actually my mistake on Caufield. When I first scanned the list for some reason I thought I saw Caufield at 34 not 4 which would have been ridiculous. Caufield at 4 is well deserved, though again I would argue he is underrating his upside by quite a bit.


Anyways that's my venting on Pronman. I appreciate the lists because it at least gives us something to talk about and the work he puts into them is undeniable. But he's bottom tier in my books regarding these list makers.

 

[Hasbro]

Wasting picks on non-NHLers is pointless regardless of where you do it

Doro will continue to do well at lower levels & get hyped until he has to deal with NHL skaters and no longer has the time & space to utilize his skillset effectively. Stienberg may be a wasted pick to, but not having Doro isn't exactly worth lamenting.

When we should be lamenting not drafting Ron Attard!

 

[cgf]

Meh. Never like Pronman and this list doesn't change that, despite my thinking his Byram description was pretty accurate.


I dont agree with the Zegras evaluation at all. And I completely disagree with the Newhook evaluation. He's playing 3rd line minutes on a BC team that wasn't supposed to be all.that strong this year, and he's almost a PPG through nearly 20 games, while being 2nd in goals among freshman and putting up very comparable offensive numbers to the guys drafted ahead of him in Turcotte, Zegras, and Caufield.

What kind of ridiculous expectations did he have if nearly a PPG isn't meeting them. And an even worse evaluation of Caufield.
He also quite clearly put a ridiculous amount of stock in 7 or 8 games from the World Juniors. To have guys like Romanov, Marchenko, and Soderstrom jump so much over 8 games is just dumb.


Edit: Actually my mistake on Caufield. When I first scanned the list for some reason I thought I saw Caufield at 34 not 4 which would have been ridiculous. Caufield at 4 is well deserved, though again I would argue he is underrating his upside by quite a bit.


Anyways that's my venting on Pronman. I appreciate the lists because it at least gives us something to talk about and the work he puts into them is undeniable. But he's bottom tier in my books regarding these list makers.

...Romanov's hype predates the WJC...

 

[henchman21]

...Romanov's hype predates the WJC...

This WJC... the last WJC is where I think it got strong. His two year performance is about as good as there has been in a very long time.

I think you can gripe about Pronman plenty, but you have to give him credit for putting in the work, talking to hockey people, and most of all his willingness to re-evaluate prospects and his own views. Personally, only one player in his top 20 would be the same as my own ranking (Zegras).

 

[Ararana]

I think you can gripe about Pronman plenty, but you have to give him credit for putting in the work, talking to hockey people, and most of all his willingness to re-evaluate prospects and his own views. Personally, only one player in his top 20 would be the same as my own ranking (Zegras).

Pronman is awesome and one of my biggest sources on how prospects are currently playing because I'm too lazy to do most the work myself. But after his Makar evaluations I take his projections with a bit more skepticism. He's just another dude watching hockey players.

But projecting Byram as a 'legit top pairing talent'. Yeah I'm not going to get upset about that.

 

[henchman21]

Pronman is awesome and one of my biggest sources on how prospects are currently playing because I'm too lazy to do most the work myself. But after his Makar evaluations I take his projections with a bit more skepticism. He's just another dude watching hockey players.

But projecting Byram as a 'legit top pairing talent'. Yeah I'm not going to get upset about that.

Corey would be the first person to tell you he missed on Makar and why he thinks that is... and he projected him highly for over the past year.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

There are thousands of prospects out there and hundreds that are legit NHL possibilities that these prospect guys are supposed to know everything about.

Pronman, like everybody else who follows prospects has a general census, along with some handpicked outliers that force him to either love or hate based on a couple of viewings that swayed him one way or another.

I love Pronman for his individual details on players, but when it comes to overall rankings he just doesn’t have the resources to be as accurate as an NHL executive or places like TSN who pools NHL executives.

Realize that Pronman has to move on each day to continue to work. If he watches a game or tournament and falls in love with a player, his job isn’t to start focusing on that player. He needs to pack it up the next day and focus on something new. If an NHL executive falls in love with a player, they focus on him more and more and out more resources into that player. It’s their job to find a future part of their team’s foundation. Pronman’s role is to be as knowledgeable as possible on the broadest capacity possible.

 

[Ararana]

Corey would be the first person to tell you he missed on Makar and why he thinks that is... and he projected him highly for over the past year.

Agreed. He gets all the credit for owning up to his mis-projections, one of the reasons I like him so much, but it's a good reminder we're all just people watching dudes skate around on ice.

 

[Bubba Thudd]

When we should be lamenting not drafting Ron Attard!

Better than Rhea Attard!

 

[henchman21]

I love Pronman for his individual details on players, but when it comes to overall rankings he just doesn’t have the resources to be as accurate as an NHL executive or places like TSN who pools NHL executives.

Yup... it is funny when you chat with people and hear stories of how much time NHL front offices, their scouts, and consultants all spend evaluating players. Apparently the Avs had a rotation of 8-9 guys following Makar the last half of his draft season. Pro and amateur scouts, Sakic, Billington, and MacFarland. Doesn't count other people they chat with either.

 

[Ararana]

Yup... it is funny when you chat with people and hear stories of how much time NHL front offices, their scouts, and consultants all spend evaluating players. Apparently the Avs had a rotation of 8-9 guys following Makar the last half of his draft season. Pro and amateur scouts, Sakic, Billington, and MacFarland. Doesn't count other people they chat with either.

And still had Patrick #1 on their board

 

[Perratrooper]

Anyone wanna spill the details on where the Avs prospects landed for Pronman?

 

[henchman21]

And still had Patrick #1 on their board

The reason why sitting with the Avs 1st round pick in 2020.

 

[Ararana]

The reason why sitting with the Avs 1st round pick in 2020.

Wheat Kings homer? I have no idea who either of those guys are.

 

[henchman21]

Wheat Kings homer? I have no idea who either of those guys are.

Wade Klippenstein... Avs scout for WHL, BCHL, and AJHL. He was a long time front office man for Prince George and ran Brandon's scouting department for a few years prior to joining the Avs. Pictured is Braden Schneider a defensemen for Brandon who should be a mid to late 1st round pick.

If Patrick can come back and play, and Philly ever wants to move on... Avs will probably be one of the first teams calling.

 

[Ararana]

Anyone wanna spill the details on where the Avs prospects landed for Pronman?

3. Bowen Byram, D, Colorado (Vancouver-WHL)
June 13, 2001 | six-foot | 194 pounds
Drafted: Fourth-overall (2019)
Previous ranking: No. 5
Skating: 65
Puck Skills: 55
Physical Game: 50
Hockey Sense: 60
Byram’s season has been an interesting one. He’s still logging the massive time on ice as he did in his draft season for the Giants, but his numbers haven’t been at the same level. He was also Canada’s No. 1 defenseman in its run to gold at the world juniors. The numbers aren’t a great sign, but the arguments against that are that he doesn’t have much of a supporting cast and he’s only so far removed from torching the WHL.
Byram remains a world-class skater with legit offensive skill. I don’t think he’s an elite skill type, but he is a creative puck-mover who can skate circles around opposing teams. His shot hasn’t looked as dangerous as it did last season, though. Defensively, Byram continues to play the tough minutes at the WHL and U20 level. He has an edge to his game and uses his skating to make stops. He may not have star level upside, but I see a guy who can be a legit top-pairing defenseman in the NHL for a long time.

26. Alex Newhook, C, Colorado (Boston College-Hockey East)
Jan. 28, 2001 | 5-foot-9 | 174 pounds
Drafted: 16th-overall (2019)
Previous ranking: No. 24
Skating: 65
Puck Skills: 60
Physical Game: 35
Hockey Sense: 65
Newhook has been a good player for Boston College this season and was a late cut from Canada’s U20 team. I think it’s fair to say Newhook has been impressive but also fair to say he hasn’t blown people away with his play. The components that made him excite in junior remain. He’s a great skater who brings a lot of energy to every shift. He has a high amount of skill and vision, and can make difficult plays at a quick pace. I don’t think the offensive ability has been as elite as a freshman as I thought it would be right away, but I do think he has that in him to go along with a quality game off the puck.

 

[Perratrooper]

View attachment 308093

Thank you, greatly appreciate the amount of detail!