Prospect Info: 2022 HFDevils Prospect Rankings #4

[Forge]

Grits, add Salminen

 

[MasterofGrond]

Add Adrian Foster

 

[crashline]

Gritsyuk. Add Popugaev.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

thanks for the info.

based on his bio and stats he could be a rugged power forward type with some skills. does he fits this player type? how good is his skating?

I don’t know much about him offhand, i was familiar with him cuz a friend and I were running Vegas in a fantasy league. But i found this article from the Golden Knights SBN site.

Golden Knights Top 25 Under 25: Jack Dugan remains electric rising star, on verge of crashing NHL scene

The winger makes a dramatic 13-spot jump in the rankings, landing at No. 8.

www.knightsonice.com

Jack calls himself a “power playmaker” like Blake Wheeler or Jamie Benn. Safe to say he doesn’t have that sort of upside or he’d be in the NHL by now.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

Wow I had no idea we signed Jack Dugan. He was the more hyped player on Tyce Thompson's Providence College team, I guess he couldn't crack Vegas's lineup as his AHL stats are not that impressive last year. Like his chance to maybe wow in Utica and get some games this year.

LW Jonathan (aka Jack) Dugan - Providence College, NCAA (2017, 142nd, VGK)

Kid scored a pretty nasty goal for USA against Russia the other day. Also has pretty good numbers in the USHL so far. Jonathan Dugan

forums.hfboards.com

 

[Triumph]

Wow I had no idea we signed Jack Dugan. He was the more hyped player on Tyce Thompson's Providence College team, I guess he couldn't crack Vegas's lineup as his AHL stats are not that impressive last year. Like his chance to maybe wow in Utica and get some games this year.

LW Jonathan (aka Jack) Dugan - Providence College, NCAA (2017, 142nd, VGK)

Kid scored a pretty nasty goal for USA against Russia the other day. Also has pretty good numbers in the USHL so far. Jonathan Dugan

forums.hfboards.com

I absolutely do not have a clue why he was non-tendered there, that is extremely rare for a player that age to not receive a contract offer, and it's not like he got a great deal from us, either.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

I absolutely do not have a clue why he was non-tendered there, that is extremely rare for a player that age to not receive a contract offer, and it's not like he got a great deal from us, either.

yeah i was certain i’d find some news about a bad injury or his skating not being NHL caliber to coincide with his lackluster AHL stats last season, but i didn’t see anything.

He had quite a bit of hype around him as far as filling a depth role in Vegas last year, but Leschyshyn and Rondbjerg took those roles and Dugan stayed in Henderson. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[HBK27]

Not sure what to make of what happened with Jack Dugan. Seemed to be on a great trajectory with Vegas following the '20-'21 season, though last season didn't go as well. Still surprising to see him not qualified and then sign the lowest possible contract with NJ.

This article on him was written a year ago:

The Gifted: Why Golden Knights prospect Jack Dugan is the anti-power forward, and that's OK

Vegas prospect Jack Dugan gives you something you maybe don't expect in his game, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

theathletic.com

For those that subscribe to The Athletic, there are 20 or so clips of his performance in the article and a lot more detail. For those that don't here's some of the text.

Jack Dugan has never carried the cache that he is probably owed.

Providence College assistant coach Joel Beal will tell you that he was “one of the most prolific playmakers in college hockey that we’ve seen in the last five or six years.” Those who worked with him with the Chicago Steel before Providence, and at Northwood School before that, will tell you that he’s been a legitimate NHL prospect for years. His rookie season in the AHL, which included 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points in 37 games made him the Henderson Silver Knights’ second-leading scorer — and one of the AHL’s most productive rookies.

His trophy case tells a similar story: 2018 USHL First All-Star Team, 2019 Hockey East All-Rookie Team, 2020 NCAA leading scorer and Hobey Baker finalist.

But he was also an overaged, late-blooming, slow-skating, heavyset fifth-round pick. And even after he made quick work of his two-and-done college career, he’s now a 23-year-old who only has one professional season under his belt and one year remaining on his entry-level contract.

So the clock is ticking and the natural question becomes “What is Jack Dugan?”

The answer to that question is trickier than you might imagine, though, because he’s a pretty singular player who plays a style you might not expect.

And it’s a style that I think really works — and one which should make him a top-nine NHLer who can improve a power play and give his line something a little different.

Here’s why.

The tape

If you were to pull up a stat page for a 6-foot-2, 209-pound winger who has been among his league’s leaders in penalty minutes in three of his last four seasons, what would you assume of his offensive production or his style of play were I not to fill in the rest of the blanks?

I’m guessing the first thing you’d envision is a physical, power-forward type who occasionally crosses the line, isn’t particularly skilled, plays the net front on the power play (if he’s on it), forechecks hard, creates room for his linemates and does most of his work on the cycle.

But Dugan is almost none of those things. He’s physical, sure, but he doesn’t often chase it. He’s good on the cycle, sure, but he’d rather be a few feet off the boards making things happen. He’s a perimeter playmaker more than a net-driven attacker. He’s much better suited for either of the flanks on the power play than the net front. And instead of fitting in as a complementary piece for more talented players on his line at even strength, he’s actually better suited as an active, highly skilled carrier and distributor who can create for them instead of playing off them.

Are there elements to his game that fit into that “power forward” box? Sure. But there are more that don’t than that do.

We often expect players of certain compositions to play a certain way. If you’re big, you should be using that size to get to the guts of the ice, leveraging your frame against opposing players. You shouldn’t be drifting to the outside to look to pass. Right?

But why not?

Why can’t length and strength be used as assets in facilitation as well? Why can’t they be used in a player’s ability to hold the puck off his hip and not drive or in a player’s ability to back defenders off only to bend and shape passes around them with a long stick?

If we teach bigger players to think one thing (impose themselves) and one thing only, that’s what they’re going to do. They’re going to drive. They’re going to push. And they’re going to get rid of the puck when those things aren’t there so that someone else can do the things they aren’t wired to.

But Dugan is one of those rare bigger, heavier players who doesn’t fit into that niche. His game is about slowing things down, surveillance and passing. He’ll sooner slow down and pull up to wait for a seam to develop than attack because there isn’t one there.

----

So what is Jack Dugan?

He’s a bit of an anti-power forward. He gives you something you maybe don’t expect. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I’d argue that difference is an asset to a team because there are more players that look like the prototypical power forward than the hybrid one that he is.

If the Golden Knights can recognize that and encourage him to play his game while giving him opportunities that suit him (i.e. The wall on the power play instead of the net front), I fully expect him to thrive and provide the team with a unique skill set.

Seems like a player we could possibly see as a call-up this season.

 

[Guttersniped]

I don’t know much about him offhand, i was familiar with him cuz a friend and I were running Vegas in a fantasy league. But i found this article from the Golden Knights SBN site.

Golden Knights Top 25 Under 25: Jack Dugan remains electric rising star, on verge of crashing NHL scene

The winger makes a dramatic 13-spot jump in the rankings, landing at No. 8.

www.knightsonice.com

Jack calls himself a “power playmaker” like Blake Wheeler or Jamie Benn. Safe to say he doesn’t have that sort of upside or he’d be in the NHL by now.

Dugan is an incredible playmaker and puck handler, one issue is he’s less of a goal scorer. 20-21 was barely a AHL season and he was injured part of the time last season (like half of Vegas/Henderson apparently).

Coming out of college later gives you less runway and Vegas moved on. Being a playmaking winger is also not something that necessarily excites teams because they need bottom six guys to put the puck in the net themselves. (Kuokkanen had that problem.)

I don’t know how the rest of his game rounds up, the comparisons are a hint that agility isn’t his strong suit with skating. I do wonder if he plays center at all and/or if the plan was to have him at center in Utica. (That’s just a wild guess only based mostly on our current grotesque deficit at that position in Utica next season.)

 

[Oneiro]

Casey, add Moynihan.

 

[Rhodes 81]

I've followed Vegas pretty closely up until this last year when they were a significantly less fun team to watch due to all the injuries, so I don't know too much about what happened with Dugan specifically, but I think het got pretty overrated for a bit like a lot of prospects that do well as older NCAA players. He still has some NHL traits, but he's not much more of a prospect than Talvitie and the other fringe guys in the system.

Anyway, Gritsyuk like everyone else. I'll never not be impressed by young players succeeding in the KHL. Add Clarke

 

[Guttersniped]

I've followed Vegas pretty closely up until this last year when they were a significantly less fun team to watch due to all the injuries, so I don't know too much about what happened with Dugan specifically, but I think het got pretty overrated for a bit like a lot of prospects that do well as older NCAA players. He still has some NHL traits, but he's not much more of a prospect than Talvitie and the other fringe guys in the system.

Anyway, Gritsyuk like everyone else. I'll never not be impressed by young players succeeding in the KHL. Add Clarke

I will say I knew Dugan’s stats from following Tyce & Moynihan, I didn’t know how old he was.

Well, I actually have seen his age before but for some reason I didn’t do the math lol. He started college even later than Tyce did, which explains why it took a why he’s this old after only 2 years in college & 2 years in the AHL.

I don’t know what we have there, in the short term I just was more excited about him being in Utica. God knows the Comets need him, that team is in real danger of being notably worse after losing a bunch of talent and not adding much at all through free agency.

 

[My3Sons]

I will say I knew Dugan’s stats from following Tyce & Moynihan, I didn’t know how old he was.

Well, I actually have seen his age before but for some reason I didn’t do the math lol. He started college even later than Tyce did, which explains why it took a why he’s this old after only 2 years in college & 2 years in the AHL.

I don’t know what we have there, in the short term I just was more excited about him being in Utica. God knows the Comets need him, that team is in real danger of being notably worse after losing a bunch of talent and not adding much at all through free agency.

They should have added Morrison.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Gritsyuk has 10x more votes than the next highest guy, time for #5!

 

[Nubmer6]

OK, shutting this down in an hour because I haven't figured out how to shut down polls immediately on the new site software.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

OK, shutting this down in an hour because I haven't figured out how to shut down polls immediately on the new site software.

in that case i’m sorry for rushing you

 

[Nubmer6]

in that case i’m sorry for rushing you

No you're not

 

[My3Sons]

No you're not

Less talk more poll closure you slacker.

 

[Nubmer6]

Less talk more poll closure you slacker.

You're not my manager!

 

[My3Sons]

You're not my manager!

I'm your elder now respect me and go to your room.

Edit: Don't make me turn this message board around mister.

 

[devilsblood]

i didn’t even realize Walsh wasn’t on the list. His last season is getting severely underrated around here.

But i think my vote’s gonna be Zetterlund until he’s chosen. He exceeded every expectation last season and still has room to improve. I think he’s gonna force his way onto the roster this year with his play style.

add Walsh

Zetterlund add Walsh as well.

I'm putting Z's AHL & NHL results over Grit's KHL results. For similar reason Walsh needs to get love here (I too was not realizing Walsh was not on the list, clearly should be on there).

 

[Bad Goalie]

Casey.
Add Schmid.

 

[Nubmer6]

Casey.
Add Schmid.

I think you're one poll behind. Poll #5 is up already.

 

[Bad Goalie]

I think you're one poll behind. Poll #5 is up already.

Call me a slug.
I already voted in #5