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

[Chiarelli]

Yeah, but is low end 1D > Elite 1W? That's where it gets tricky. Who would you rather have, Pastrnak, or prime EJ?

very easy choice for Chiarelli

 

[Foppa2118]

Yeah, but is low end 1D > Elite 1W? That's where it gets tricky. Who would you rather have, Pastrnak, or prime EJ?

Yeah I think elite 1W probably gets the edge, but they have to be truly elite with multiple PPG+ seasons IMO. So yeah Pasta over EJ at the draft.

But if I'm the Avs back in 2010-11, I might still trade a high end winger for a defenseman like EJ because they had such a desperate need for one. Not sure about a Pasta level winger but I'd have to think about it. I'm also saying this without hindsight on EJ's injury history.

Also just to point out, a prime EJ on this current Avalanche team would be incredible. He just never had any support on defense, got some unreliable goaltending, and had forwards who didn't help out enough defensively during those prime years.

 

[Foppa2118]

I guess we'll have to see how many schools follow suit. Newhook, Helleson, etc might be looking for a place to play next season.

Ivy League canceled all sports until Jan 1 earlier today too.

That includes Matthew Stienburg, the Avs 3rd round pick last year who plays for Cornell.

Also means the ECAC division in the NCAA might do the same with Union and RPI following suit.

 

[Brett44]

change of subject, there are not many defenseman with the Eagles. I noticed a player who did not sign with the team that drew it. Xavier Bouchard, right-handed defender, good physique and in my opinion very underestimated. What do you think?

 

[McMetal]

The NCAA's stupid ass rules about compensation might end up costing them a ton of good players if things keep going this way. Teams aren't going to let their prospects miss a year of development.

 

[UncleRisto]

How old do you think I am?!?!?!

800?

 

[UncleRisto]

That includes Matthew Stienburg, the Avs 3rd round pick last year who plays for Cornell.

Do I have this right, do you mean future U Sports forward Matthew Stienburg?

 

[Richard88]

The NCAA's stupid ass rules about compensation might end up costing them a ton of good players if things keep going this way. Teams aren't going to let their prospects miss a year of development.

Which rules are you referring to? Are you referring to how teams don't get compensation for college free agents who don't sign with the team that drafted them, or what?

I wonder if teams are thinking of setting up some sort of extended development camp in the event that most junior/college leagues get cancelled.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Which rules are you referring to? Are you referring to how teams don't get compensation for college free agents who don't sign with the team that drafted them, or what?

I wonder if teams are thinking of setting up some sort of extended development camp in the event that most junior/college leagues get cancelled.

The rule is college players are not permitted to sign a professional contract while playing college hockey, and as soon as they sign a deal they can no longer play NCAA hockey.


So if the NCAA loses next season, lots of players like Caufield/Newhook are just going to sign with the NHL teams and play AHL hockey instead.

 

[Tralfamadore]

That kinda sucks. I wanted Newhook to marinate one more year in college like a well marinated Cake Malar.

 

[Avs_19]

Newhook needs more time and another college season would be ideal but could this situation still be fine for his development? Normally he'd get around four months to rest and train for the upcoming season, wouldn't be able to participate in NHL camp, and would report to BC in Aug/Sept to play in the fall. If there's no NCAA hockey this year and he turns pro then he'd probably train until November, participate in Avs camp, and then hopefully play a shortened AHL season. He needs to actually play hockey and work on his game but that's a lot of time to get stronger and work on other areas to get ready for playing in the AHL.

 

[McMetal]

Usually, top end college players prefer to skip riding the buses in the AHL, making the jump when they're sure they can make the NHL roster. But it's not like the AHL would be a BAD place for Newhook's development. It's a step up from a league he very nearly torched as a freshman, and would be a great way to adjust to pro hockey while still making the NHL team the same year he would have expected to if COVID never happened.

It doesn't usually happen because of the NCAA's eligibility rules, and because they chose the college route and want to see it through, but there's no reason why it would be terrible for him to come into the minors next season.

Where I worry is the guys on the fringe. The Avs have 7 prospects in college right now, not counting Morrison and Smirnov who likely aren't going to be around. Are guys like Wiess, Lievermann, and Stienburg all just going to get dumped into the pro system at the same time? Even if you stuff some of them in the ECHL that's a lot of youth on your minor league squads all at once, which isn't a recipe for success down there. The alternative would be to just let them all sit for a year and do nothing, which could be even worse for their development. And if you do give them AHL contracts, you burn their NCAA eligibility for good so they can't go back after this is all over. Just shitty all around. Newhook will be fine no matter what, he can handle the AHL, but some of those guys will be in a tight spot.

 

[AnimalMother73]

Could some head to European leagues?

 

[McMetal]

Could some head to European leagues?

Hadn't thought of that. Ranta certainly could, Finland is home anyway. Some of the American/Canadian kids might have a hard time adjusting to life overseas, but it's certainly worth considering to keep them on their skates.

 

[PAZ]

I could potentially see the lower leagues getting an influx of talent too like the BCHL, AJHL, etc.

 

[MarkT]

My worry honestly is the supply and demand issue. It looks like a lot of hockey leagues, especially at the junior or lower levels, won't run next season. That means spots in the leagues that do run will be at a premium. The end result of that is lower end prospects might have a tough time even finding a place to play. If the ECHL does stay in business it might have to become the de facto developmental league for almost every team's lower-end North American prospects. But if that happens you have the NCAA eligibility issue.

I also like the idea of prospects going to play in Europe, but European leagues that do play might be overrun by prospects and ECHL-level players trying to get jobs, and many (maybe all?) such leagues have limits on the number of imports they can have.

I also don't know how scholarships really work - if sports are cancelled, are sports-based scholarships even still valid?

 

[Hasbro]

I also don't know how scholarships really work - if sports are cancelled, are sports-based scholarships even still valid?

Yes, BUT.

Some schools are paring down on sports and some teams might not offer additional scholarships. Some NCAA teams don’t offer scholarships anyway and some players get partials.

For sports that have truncated seasons at both sides of the crisis, I think the NCAA should offer an extra year of eligibility.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Usually, top end college players prefer to skip riding the buses in the AHL, making the jump when they're sure they can make the NHL roster. But it's not like the AHL would be a BAD place for Newhook's development. It's a step up from a league he very nearly torched as a freshman, and would be a great way to adjust to pro hockey while still making the NHL team the same year he would have expected to if COVID never happened.

It doesn't usually happen because of the NCAA's eligibility rules, and because they chose the college route and want to see it through, but there's no reason why it would be terrible for him to come into the minors next season.

Where I worry is the guys on the fringe. The Avs have 7 prospects in college right now, not counting Morrison and Smirnov who likely aren't going to be around. Are guys like Wiess, Lievermann, and Stienburg all just going to get dumped into the pro system at the same time? Even if you stuff some of them in the ECHL that's a lot of youth on your minor league squads all at once, which isn't a recipe for success down there. The alternative would be to just let them all sit for a year and do nothing, which could be even worse for their development. And if you do give them AHL contracts, you burn their NCAA eligibility for good so they can't go back after this is all over. Just shitty all around. Newhook will be fine no matter what, he can handle the AHL, but some of those guys will be in a tight spot.

The AHL isn’t going to be up and running any earlier than the NCAA so it’s not a better option. The ECHL will probably be last to get off the ground and there’s no way anyone should be playing there. Fall schedules are light anyway, if they can still get in 20-25 NCAA games then it’s fairly normal. The Avs don’t seem to mind guys having nothing to do until the end of the year anyway.

 

[henchman21]

Hockey East Announces Plan To Play 2020-21 Season - Hockey East Association

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Hockey East Announces Plan To Play 2020-21 Season - Hockey East Association

Fantastic. Great news for Newhook and Helleson.

 

[Foppa2118]

I don't want to be a negative Nancy, but that press release means nothing to me.

They just announced their, "intent to play the 2020-21 college hockey season." They're just like everyone else, they don't really have any idea how bad things are gonna be in the fall when flu season hits, and whether they will have effective therapeutics and a vaccine by the end of the year.

They could easily not play, and I would bet they're tentatively planning on starting in January like a lot of other leagues.

 

[PAZ]

I don't want to be a negative Nancy, but that press release means nothing to me.

They just announced their, "intent to play the 2020-21 college hockey season." They're just like everyone else, they don't really have any idea how bad things are gonna be in the fall when flu season hits, and whether they will have effective therapeutics and a vaccine by the end of the year.

They could easily not play, and I would bet they're tentatively planning on starting in January like a lot of other leagues.

I still see it as a positive. It shows Hockey East is organizing return to play and looking into the necessary safety measures and planning to make it happen, assuming a second outbreak doesn't occur. I agree that there will be a delayed start, but to me anytime we see proactive news is good news. We can see the stark difference between a league that planned return to play well (NHL), and a league that did not (MLB).

 

[Foppa2118]

I still see it as a positive. It shows Hockey East is organizing return to play and looking into the necessary safety measures and planning to make it happen, assuming a second outbreak doesn't occur. I agree that there will be a delayed start, but to me anytime we see proactive news is good news. We can see the stark difference between a league that planned return to play well (NHL), and a league that did not (MLB).

Yeah but the only difference is they announced their "intent to play" whereas other leagues have an intent to play too, they just don't want to set any expectations yet by announcing it.

 

[Psycho Mantis]

I am so excited about Newhook. I’m trying to be patient. Whatever happens, I hope nothing ruins his development.

 

[Papa Francouz]

I am so excited about Newhook. I’m trying to be patient. Whatever happens, I hope nothing ruins his development.

I've been thinking about his spot on the future squad recently. His foot speed will allow him to fit in pretty quickly, and his shot arsenal should provide for some decent offense. What I'm really hoping he does is develop his two-way game so he can be a legitimate shutdown player, if the need arises. I'm not saying he needs to become ROR, but if he can become a good deal more defensively responsible than MacKinnon, that would be a really nice one-two punch. If not, we might be in a bit of trouble because we don't have a second Landeskog to do the heavy lifting for Newhook.