Prospect Info: [2020 - 102nd] Jack Smith (NCAA - Minnesota-Duluth)
- Thread starter Adam Michaels
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Gravity
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Why isn't he playing in the NCAA? I thought he was off to North Dakota along with Biondi.
montreal
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Generational Poster
montreal
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yes. it's their tier 1 junior league, it's set up to feed the NCAA though not all go that route it's mostly the case. there are tier 2 leagues under them like the NAHL, etc..
i was in a rush but keep in mind that Smith played only 11 games in the USHS last year due to injury so perhaps that's why he's not at UMD. He needs to bulk up a bit unlike Biondi, often that's the main reason why kids go to the USHL at 18 so that they are more ready for the NCAA at 19. Other times it can be there's no room for them on the roster. since NCAA teams don't have players they can just call up from somewhere they have to carry extra bodies but due to the rules some can only give so much in scholarships so that becomes a factor as well. Other rarer times it can be due to grades.
CheldishGamibno
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Pompeius Magnus
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You can really see his quickness on that play, he looks like a very shifty skater.
montreal
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looks like they took away the assist he was given so just 1 pt last night. Still playing on the top line and PP was good to see.
I was impressed with him last night other then he had some struggles with FO's, and that double minor late in the game although I didn't see it to be fair.
I was impressed with him last night other then he had some struggles with FO's, and that double minor late in the game although I didn't see it to be fair.
Whitesnake
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Kobe Armstrong
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Already answered but yes it is the American equivalent. Although the competition is a tier below CHL players because most of the top American prospects play for the USDP team.
USDP is team USA's developmental program - They have a U18 and a U17 team. The USDP teams play games against the USHL and the NCAA with exhibitions against other teams.
The good CHL teams would dominate the USHL teams, but the USDP team would dominate the good CHL teams IMO
It is pretty rare for a top American prospect (1st round caliber) to play in the USHL during their draft year because most of them join the USDP program
Estimated_Prophet
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The USDP would not dominate in the CHL......far from it. They are too young and would be hard pressed to win half of their games.
Toene
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The u17 team, sure. But the U18? Depends on the year, that Hughes/Caufield/York/Turcotte/Zegras etc. edition would stomp most CHL teams imo. It was really stacked, and they are used to play college kids which can be older than junior ones. They're the cream of the crop of all USA prospects put in one team.
Estimated_Prophet
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Most of their U18 teams would struggle to be a .500 team in the CHL as they are just too young. They also lose most of their games to NCAA teams so it is hardly a bragging point to mention their involvement in these games. It should also be pointed out that these are meaningless exhibition games for the NCAA teams and they still win most of them.
The CHL is ruled by kids 1-3 years older than the U18 teams' kids, many of whom are NHL prospects in their D+1 and D+2 seasons not to mention each team having two 20 year old overagers who may not be great NHL prospects but are better at this stage of their development their younger opponents on the U18 NDTP.
The Hughes/Caufield/Zegras/Turcotte team was an exceptional U18 team and I think even they would be hard pressed to keep up with the top CHL teams. I think you are seriously underestimating the developmental gap between 17 year olds and 18-20 year old kids. I am also very sceptical about these young American teams holding up physically in the CHL with the demanding schedule and far more physical play.
Toene
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Maybe you're right. Would be awesome to see real life match-ups to compare.
Honestly don't think they would. It's just such a big age gap, 18-19 + overagers vs a team that's entirely 16 or 17 is a really tough gap to make up even with a talent advantage. Someone like D+2 Suzuki is just going to absolutely dominate a player like draft year Hughes if they're playing head to head in a junior game, and then you have the overagers too.
Estimated_Prophet
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Sagikev
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I know you haven't seen him much, but how's his game like? What are his strong points and weaknesses, what does he need to work on to get to the NHL? Do you think he has a chance?
If you haven't seen enough of Smith, I'll ask another time :p
Edit : I didn't read the comments that followed lol
montreal
Go Habs Go
i've seen some games from last year and all of his games so far this year. Great skater, good offensive skills, hasn't really shown off the shot much in the USHL but he can snipe it from what i've seen.
lacks strength, mass, weak on FO's.
He’s deal with a sprained wrist since the 1st game- that’s why he’s not shooting much and probably has something to do with FO’s
montreal
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where did you hear that as I would have thought they would have brought it up during one of the games as i've seen every one up to this past Friday. That makes a ton of sense though since I saw him pick the top corners in some USHS games last year. I know he missed a lot of time then too, was that due to the wrist or something else?
He missed time last year with a torn labrum in his shoulder, had it repaired last spring- wrist is slowly getting better- as they say, a break is sometimes better than a sprain
montreal
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thanks for the info btw.
So i just watched his last game from Saturday night and posted about it in the stickied prospect thread but I wanted to pay close attention to the shot. Now that you say that it does make sense, here's a shot from Sat vs a shot from last season,
Saturday night,
last year,
now maybe he just didn't get much on that shot from Saturday but it certainly did not look like what he was doing last year. I could have found a better clip from last year but since he only played 11 games i just grabbed the first one I found.
1st game of the regular season against Fargo he had a nice short side upper comer goal, if you watch the next few games he couldn’t shoot., in fact missed the net by 3 feet because the puck just rolled off the end of his stick. He’ a lefty and it’s his left wrist that’s sprained. Hard to get the quick snap and strength on a shot without a bottom hand-
