GDT: 2023 Prospects Challenge, Sept. 15th-18th - LECOM Harborcenter, Buffalo, NY

[Hisch13r]

Part of me is glad but also worried. The good news about that is it means our roster is stacked to the gills but it's obviously bad when we need cheap ELC's to infiltrate the roster to help this team continue to be good. Scouting department has its hands full in the coming years to keep this pool stacked. Stankoven over Stillman will be a thorn in our side for a while, lol. Probably Boqvist over Jason Robertson bad.

Being annoyed by Robertson over Boqvist feels very hindsighty. Boqvist was a good pick at the time and became a competent bottom 6er. That’s a good pick for a 2nd rounder. Taking him instead of Robertson was far from egregious. It’s not even comparable to the Stillman one which was awful at the time and has only looked worse over time

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Being annoyed by Robertson over Boqvist feels very hindsighty. Boqvist was a good pick at the time and became a competent bottom 6er. That’s a good pick for a 2nd rounder. Taking him instead of Robertson was far from egregious. It’s not even comparable to the Stillman one which was awful at the time and has only looked worse over time

Then Zacha shouldn't be complained about either with that logic, the Devils are still waiting for that pure goal scorer next to Hughes so no it's not and this is coming from someone who likes Boqvist more than most people here.

 

[RNCDevil]

Zacha was not without issues. He was tools pick that did not put up the numbers expected. Like a negative Reid Boucher. Devils missed on both. Well, Zacha, for me is still a quality but incredibly temperamental player and I am happy we moved on.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

Ok so I watched every game , but I had to watch them super late at night so by the 3rd period I was starting get sleepy.

I'm not gonna comment on every player but Vilen was really bad in the Bruins game. So many turnovers and errors with and without the puck. It was frustrating to watch. I was hoping he would follow up with some better play in the 3rd period but the 1st and 2nd were rough. I'm not sure what everyone's expectations for him are but I think at best (which is still great considering where he was drafted) he tops out as a 3rd pairing d man. I don't see anything in his game that makes him standout at anything. It doesn't hurt to have a good #5/6 D man on any team but these games tampered my expectations on him a little but.

Cam Squires stood out to me a good amount. There is deffinently some skill there. He should be a player to watch in hopes he can really break out this yearin the QMJHL.

 

[Devs3cups]

Ok so I watched every game , but I had to watch them super late at night so by the 3rd period I was starting get sleepy.

I'm not gonna comment on every player but Vilen was really bad in the Bruins game. So many turnovers and errors with and without the puck. It was frustrating to watch. I was hoping he would follow up with some better play in the 3rd period but the 1st and 2nd were rough. I'm not sure what everyone's expectations for him are but I think at best (which is still great considering where he was drafted) he tops out as a 3rd pairing d man. I don't see anything in his game that makes him standout at anything. It doesn't hurt to have a good #5/6 D man on any team but these games tampered my expectations on him a little but.

Cam Squires stood out to me a good amount. There is deffinently some skill there. He should be a player to watch in hopes he can really break out this yearin the QMJHL.

I watched some Vilen games at the last WJC, in Liiga last season as well as the team scrimmages last year and he looked way better than he has in this tournament, even though I didn't think he was bad all the way through this year's tournament. The Boston game was rough for him but bad games happen sometimes.

I don't disagree with your assessment though, I think he ultimately is a pretty solid bottom-4/3rd pairing guy that skates well and can contribute offensively. I was pretty impressed with his play at the WJC. Kid logged in 26 minutes on average for Finland.

 

[Triumph]

Then Zacha shouldn't be complained about either with that logic, the Devils are still waiting for that pure goal scorer next to Hughes so no it's not and this is coming from someone who likes Boqvist more than most people here.

The difference is that ~200 games of replacement level hockey is actually above the 50th percentile from an early 2nd round pick whereas Zacha's is well below, especially when considering that draft.