Prospect Info: 2019 top prospects #10
- Thread starter Paul4587
- Start date
- Jul 25, 2012
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Mahura for me ... but with how last voting went i feel like guhle will win.
Like groulx and mcclaughlin a lot too
Like groulx and mcclaughlin a lot too
Goose of Reason
El Zilcho
- May 1, 2013
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Hockey Duckie
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Went with LaCombe. Far younger version of Guhle (skating-wise) with more offensive potential and isn't tainted like Guhle has been for the Sabres for the time being. hahahhahaha If Tracey went 7th overall in this poll rankings, then I don't understand why LaCombe isn't extended the same high end potential excitement? I thought we trust Madden & Co. in their selections of defensemen in the drafts?
Guhle obviously will win this one pool. I want to plant a seed about LaCombe here as it feels as though his potential is being neglected.
Guhle obviously will win this one pool. I want to plant a seed about LaCombe here as it feels as though his potential is being neglected.
eternalbedhead
Let's not rebuild and say we did
I think the thing with LaCombe is that he's very much an unknown quantity. At least with Tracey, he's played a full season in major juniors with good results, but LaCombe has only played in high school thus far. (albeit, he dominated)
With the amount of other players on the board who are either extremely close to NHL ready (Guhle) or more known in their ceiling (McLaughlin), I think it's hard to take LaCombe this early, but he has a better chance than anyone of shooting up the rankings over the next few years. I'm really looking forward to see what he does in college this next year.
MMC
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TopShelfWaterBottle
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- Mar 16, 2014
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Hockey Duckie
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LaCombe isn't an unknown quantity. You denoted he dominated his competition. What we all don't know is his play against better competition. But that can be said for all prospects as they all try to improve at every level, with the ultimate goal being the NHL.
Here's the odd part about Tracey that so many have brought up as a significant hindrance in his production - he relied on two other overagers in Moosejaw. Langan has 113 points, Almeida had 111 points, and Tracey earned 81 points. He was the third wheel on a offensive top line. The next, highest scoring forward had 24 points. Can Tracey generate on his own? To me, I don't think it matter because Tracey will always be surrounded with top talent as he continues his way to the NHL. But what I did highlight was that he did perform well at the WJC-18. That performance solidifies that Tracey can produce with other talents around him. Now, put that under the Ducks' org context, Tracey will have the following forwards to eventually play with in a few years: Steel, Terry, Comtois, Lundestrom, Jones, and Zegras.
It appears your standard waffles between how close a player is to the NHL or having a more known "ceiling" by having a year or more of development already seen. If that's the case, then why are Zegras and Tracey so high up? Steel, Terry, Jones, Comtois, Larsson, and Guhle all have played at the NHL level. They possess more known quantity at an NHL level competition than a Zegras, Tracey, or LaCombe. Yet, Zegras is #1 overall on this prospect list. Tracey goes #7 overall. This contradicts your standard and I'm surprised you're not more adamant that both Zegras and Tracey being ranked lower like you are about LaCombe. I respect how you think, but I'm just pointing out the contradiction.
Now, back to LaCombe. You state that he's "very much an unknown quantity". To whom is he an unknown quantity? To you? To Me? To the Ducks' scouting staff? Since the Ducks scouting staff drafted him, then maybe we should try to channel our inner-Madden as to why his staff selected LaCombe 39th overall in the 2019 Entry Draft despite far more well known prospects still on the board. We know that Madden and Co. like to draft on where a player will be years from now based on their criteria, as opposed to drafting a player based upon present production. We also know that Madden and Co. know how to identify defensemen who can make it into the NHL ranks. I recall how several legacy media reported the Ducks overreached to draft D Montour in the 2nd round. Montour was the second pick for the Ducks in the 2nd round, with D Pettersson being selected earlier in the second round. Both made it to the NHL
Also, LaCombe's future college coach was simply raving to have him and identify LaCombe's skating will make it far easier to adapt sooner than later as well as allows the coach to put him into many different situations.
There isn't much to knock down on LaCombe since it's all potential right now, akin to Zegras and Tracey. All three have very high potentials. If you like where both Zegras and Tracey were ranked, then why isn't that same line of logic extended to LaCombe? With Guhle, his scouting profile had high potential, but as years have gone by, his probability of reaching said high potential has dropped to where Guhle just might need a new environment to change his declining trajectory. We went through this with C Peter Holland, successful at the AHL, but not so much at the NHL level. The Ducks traded him away b/c his ceiling for the Ducks was dropping fast. (Surprisingly, GM Bob traded him away and came away with two draft picks in 2014. In the 2nd round, he nabbed D Pettersson. In the 7th round, he won with F Kase.)
You can rank the prospects wherever you want, but I'm looking for consistency in the ranking. I like discussing things like this because it does make me do more research as well as shines a light on perspectives people rarely see beyond the legacy media. If the rankings are based upon experience ( the more years played, the more we know), then none of the 2019 draft prospect should be ranked higher than any prospect who already possesses NHL experience b/c that floor is already high enough that they made it to NHL ice. Since you're not angry about Zegras and Tracey being ranked so high, then that kinda makes my point as to why I wanted to plant a seed about LaCombe. You're not advocating for LaCombe to being a possibility of being ranked 11th, 12th, or 13th this year. You're actually going to wait a year or three to push him up the rankings as you think "he has a better chance than anyone of shooting up the rankings". This recognition implies he has one of the highest potentials in the Ducks system, but you're knocking him down because he has yet to prove he can actualize said potential. Confusing since you're not upset that Zegras and Tracey are ranked higher than those who are close to NHL level today or have "more known in their ceiling (McLaughlin)".
Like I said previously, I'm just planting a seed here for the future polls. You've already admitted that LaCombe isn't a possibility for the next couple of poll rankings. Although I identified the inconsistency in your thought process of ranking prospects, I'm not trying to change your mind, but other readers' minds about the opportunity of thinking LaCombe could be a possibility in the next following poll rankings. Is there a reason why LaCombe was selected 39th overall amongst more notable, prominent prospects in the draft? If you believe yes, then LaCombe isn't an unknown quantity as being paraded often.
Paul4587
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- Jan 26, 2006
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