Prospect Info: #208OA - Hurricanes select LHD Ronan Seeley

[HisIceness]

I'm noticing more and more that our more recent picks are getting progress updates in their prospects thread. Either we've got more "scouts" now or our prospects are the real deal for where they were drafted. Hoping its more the latter.

But even then, we've got a lot of guys to get excited about.

 

[Novacane]

Oops, just saw in a different thread

 

[MinJaBen]

Oops, just saw in a different thread

My first thought was:”They should at least show the tattoo.”

 

[emptyNedder]

It's pretty obvious I think highly of Seeley. Hoping the timing of the signing means the team liked what they saw in the first two days of camp.

While the one-camera view during the prospect tourney wasn't great, Seeley did look like the player I expected: positions himself well, reads plays as they develop, adds to offense with quick transitions and occasional stretch pass. Not flashy, but makes the team better when he is on the ice.

 

[Unsustainable]

 

[emptyNedder]

Seeley had a nice opening game. He ended up with two points and took seven shots. He assisted on the initial goal and scored the game winner in OT. I watched the 5 minutes of highlights on the WHL site, it was basically either Seeley or the Spokane goalie. Seeley also broke up an odd-man rush by laying out and taking the puck away from the opponent.

 

[Evgeny Oliker]

Where do you see him playing next season? I’m assuming he would be ready for AHL?

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Where do you see him playing next season? I’m assuming he would be ready for AHL?

He’ll be in Chicago after the W season is over

 

[emptyNedder]

Everett played two games this weekend. Seeley had a goal on Friday and primary assist on Saturday. He did take his first penalty of the season for goalie interference, which for a D-man might actually be a positive.

12gp/3g/7a/+12

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Everett played two games this weekend. Seeley had a goal on Friday and primary assist on Saturday. He did take his first penalty of the season for goalie interference, which for a D-man might actually be a positive.

12gp/3g/7a/+12

Adding him to an already ridiculously deep Chicago roster will be crazy in March

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I don't follow prospects at all, other than the good info all you guys post in these threads, which I really appreciate.

Would you guys say that Morrow (who if I understand it correctly has a high ceiling but is still raw) and Seeley are the top defensive prospects in the Canes system?

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

I don't follow prospects at all, other than the good info all you guys post in these threads, which I really appreciate.

Would you guys say that Morrow (who if I understand it correctly has a high ceiling but is still raw) and Seeley are the top defensive prospects in the Canes system?

I would rate them as such:
Tier 1: Nishikin, Seeley, Morrow
Tier 2: Keane, Sellgren
Tier 3: Honka, Fensmore, Montgomery

each one of Tier 1 have reasons to be considered the top D prospect

 

[chaz4hockey]

I would rate them as such:
Tier 1: Nishikin, Seeley, Morrow
Tier 2: Keane, Sellgren
Tier 3: Honka, Fensmore, Montgomery


each one of Tier 1 have reasons to be considered the top D prospect

Do you think only the tier 1s will stick in the nhl? Any Top pairing possibilities?

 

[Unsustainable]

I don't follow prospects at all, other than the good info all you guys post in these threads, which I really appreciate.

Would you guys say that Morrow (who if I understand it correctly has a high ceiling but is still raw) and Seeley are the top defensive prospects in the Canes system?

Nikishin and Morrow are my top 2

 

[emptyNedder]

I don't follow prospects at all, other than the good info all you guys post in these threads, which I really appreciate.

Would you guys say that Morrow (who if I understand it correctly has a high ceiling but is still raw) and Seeley are the top defensive prospects in the Canes system?

I think Morrow has the most upside of any D prospect. His ceiling is similar to Klingberg.

Seeley has some superficial similarities to Slavin (excellent skater, incredibly low PIM), but I think the more reasonable comparable for ceiling is the one the Canes let get away in Forsling.

I haven't seen other than highlights of Nikishin, his ceiling is something like Edmundson. He has a higher probability of reaching it as his floor and ceiling are close.

Fensore is as talented as any D prospect, but while there are several 5'9" blue liners, there just aren't any 5'7".

I have always liked Keane and Sellgren, but I think both are nearing their sell-by date and neither has blown up in the AHL.

If you really want a list:

1. Morrow--high boom/bust quotient
2. Seeley--I admit bias
3. Heimosalmi--another I haven't seen more than highlights, but really impressive international results
4. Nikishin--at a minimum should be similar to Hakanpää
5. Hreschuk/Honka/Fensore--all have some NHL qualities

 

[bleedgreen]

I think all our dmen are long shots for legit nhl roles aside from Morrow and maybe Seeley, and they both have a little long shot vibes about them too at times. Hoping to watch some umass games with Morrow, I didn’t like the game I saw when he was playing against inferior talent. Very boom or bust as stated. Seeley is an
NHL skater but we don’t know really how he will process pro games. Aside from the skating I don’t know that he has a higher level of game.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Do you think only the tier 1s will stick in the nhl? Any Top pairing possibilities?

No. I think all tiers have NHL possibilities.

Honka and Fensmore are great skaters and puck movers. Their ability to get here is dependent on their ability to overcome their 5’9 or less statures with excellent positioning and stick play. They are boom or bust types.

Montgomery has the best chance of the 3 to make it on pure defensive play. NHL teams want more and more offense from the D prospects. He doesn’t have that in his game at all. He looks like he could be a third line shutdown type in 2-3 years and play well. Unless his offensive instincts and production increase his xGF% will always be super low.

Tier 2: Sellgren’s shot will be dependent on his ability to add some more offense to his game and his ability to withstand the physicality of the NHL game. He is a strong position and stick player already. Just need some more offense to make an undersized guy stick around.

Keane needs more consistency with his play to be a serious contender to stick around.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

I think all our dmen are long shots for legit nhl roles aside from Morrow and maybe Seeley, and they both have a little long shot vibes about them too at times. Hoping to watch some umass games with Morrow, I didn’t like the game I saw when he was playing against inferior talent. Very boom or bust as stated. Seeley is an
NHL skater but we don’t know really how he will process pro games. Aside from the skating I don’t know that he has a higher level of game.

Next season is probably the first of a few consecutive years we need to consider adding more ELCs / low dollar prospect contracts to roster make the cap work, including D.

 

[bleedgreen]

I think Keane may have missed his window, which is unfair as he’s still young. Sellgren is still newish to North America, I think he has some time and has third pairing possibilities.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

I think Morrow has the most upside of any D prospect. His ceiling is similar to Klingberg.

Seeley has some superficial similarities to Slavin (excellent skater, incredibly low PIM), but I think the more reasonable comparable for ceiling is the one the Canes let get away in Forsling.

I haven't seen other than highlights of Nikishin, his ceiling is something like Edmundson. He has a higher probability of reaching it as his floor and ceiling are close.

Fensore is as talented as any D prospect, but while there are several 5'9" blue liners, there just aren't any 5'7".

I have always liked Keane and Sellgren, but I think both are nearing their sell-by date and neither has blown up in the AHL.

If you really want a list:

1. Morrow--high boom/bust quotient
2. Seeley--I admit bias
3. Heimosalmi--another I haven't seen more than highlights, but really impressive international results
4. Nikishin--at a minimum should be similar to Hakanpää
5. Hreschuk/Honka/Fensore--all have some NHL qualities

Nikishin’s ceiling is way higher than Edmundson. He has the offensive chops and has upside there which Joel has never had. Also he’s a better skater than Edmundson and though it may be hard to believe he is actually more physical than Joel. Also I think his instincts in the D zone are already better than Joel’s. There’s a reason guys his age never play top pairing D minutes in the K and he has been. Kid is a stud.

 

[bleedgreen]

I think it’s really difficult to rate things like skating and offensive skill when comparing to the khl. Edmunson could probably occasionally go end to end over there.

I don’t know how you can possibly say Nikishin has better defensive instincts.....how often have you watched him and against who? These leagues aren’t comparable.

 

[emptyNedder]

Nikishin’s ceiling is way higher than Edmundson. He has the offensive chops and has upside there which Joel has never had. Also he’s a better skater than Edmundson and though it may be hard to believe he is actually more physical than Joel. Also I think his instincts in the D zone are already better than Joel’s. There’s a reason guys his age never play top pairing D minutes in the K and he has been. Kid is a stud.

He may be playing more than other D men his age, but his offensive production is behind Mukhamadulin and almost identical to Novikov who is 1 1/2 years younger and was drafted in the 6th and Yefremov who went undrafted. So not obvious that his "offensive chops" indicate NHL production more than 20 points, which is Edmundson level. Also, Edmundson was a 2nd rounder who has had a solid NHL career, that is not a slight to Nikishin.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

He may be playing more than other D men his age, but his offensive production is behind Mukhamadulin and almost identical to Novikov who is 1 1/2 years younger and was drafted in the 6th and Yefremov who is a year younger and went undrafted. So not obvious that his "offensive chops" indicate NHL production more than 20 points, which is Edmundson level. Also, Edmundson was a 2nd rounder who has had a solid NHL career, that is not a slight to Nikishin.

Edmundson was never more than a 3rd pair guy and was never even close to being a shutdown defenseman. Nikishin has elite shutdown potential and while he’ll never be a Makar or Fox offensively he has Sergachev upside there. I’m not saying Boom will definitely meet his potential. He may never even come to the US. But saying his ceiling is a 3rd pair guy who does nothing spectacular is ridiculous and definitely a slight. He is way more athletic and his skating and instincts are already better than Edmundson’s.

I think it’s really difficult to rate things like skating and offensive skill when comparing to the khl. Edmunson could probably occasionally go end to end over there.

I don’t know how you can possibly say Nikishin has better defensive instincts.....how often have you watched him and against who? These leagues aren’t comparable.

Fair to question how his game may translate to NA as there are many factors there and it’s not as simple as how skilled a player is or how they adapt on the ice. Adapting to living in another country and speaking another language is a huge factor and a big reason why a lot of skilled Russians don’t do well here and this is very overlooked. So of course there are no guarantees. But yes I have watched him quite a bit. Been specifically seeking out Spartak and Torpedo games during the day to throw on in the background at work to watch Nikishin and Kochetkov when he plays. I’ve watched a lot of him and of course I’m no expert scout or anything but my reading of his play is that his skill set will transfer and he has a ton of upside. Fair to be hesitant. Just my opinion, and it’s more than just looking at stats and highlights.

 

[emptyNedder]

Edmundson was never more than a 3rd pair guy and was never even close to being a shutdown defenseman. Nikishin has elite shutdown potential and while he’ll never be a Makar or Fox offensively he has Sergachev upside there. I’m not saying Boom will definitely meet his potential. He may never even come to the US. But saying his ceiling is a 3rd pair guy who does nothing spectacular is ridiculous and definitely a slight. He is way more athletic and his skating and instincts are already better than Edmundson’s.

I may be under-estimating Nikishin. But you are under-stating Edmundson's actual NHL role based on his year in Carolina.
In both 17-18 and 18-19 (on a Stanley Cup Champion), Edmundson was 3rd and 4th in EV TOI. He was also second in PK TOI, which is the role you would give a shut-down D. Edmundson is not an elite D playing on the 2nd unit (Pesce) but t0 say he was "never more than a 3rd pair guy" is factually wrong.

I hope Nikishin becomes an elite shutdown D, but again comparing him to Edmundson is not a slight.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

I may be under-estimating Nikishin. But you are under-stating Edmundson's actual NHL role based on his year in Carolina.
In both 17-18 and 18-19 (on a Stanley Cup Champion), Edmundson was 3rd and 4th in EV TOI. He was also second in PK TOI, which is the role you would give a shut-down D. Edmundson is not an elite D playing on the 2nd unit (Pesce) but t0 say he was "never more than a 3rd pair guy" is factually wrong.

I hope Nikishin becomes an elite shutdown D, but again comparing him to Edmundson is not a slight.

I watched Edmundson on the Blues a fair amount. He was over-slotted. He never should've been higher than 3rd pair or 2nd PK unit. They didn't have a good group of LHD. They had Joel, an old and not very good Bouwmeester and another 3rd pair guy in Gunnarsson. Pietrangelo and Parayko were the shutdown D they had on each PK and each of their top 2 units. Both of those guys are elite guys and carried their pairings. Any by the time they actually made their cup run, Bouwmeester had surpassed Joel on the depth chart. In those playoffs Bouwmeester played 23:30 per game, Edmundson played 16:32 per game. Edmundson briefly had a top 4 role, yes, but he shouldn't have and there's a reason he fell from grace and the Blues threw his ass to the curb. He's not good and never was. Was only put in that position because the Blues had nothing else at the time.

Comparing Nikishin to Edmundson is fine, lazy, but fine. When you say Boom's ceiling is Edmundson that's what I find to be completely ridiculous. That suggests that if he meets his full potential and becomes the best player he can ever possibly be that he'll still just be a 3rd pair caliber guy. That is absurd. Most players don't meet their full potential and he likely won't either but his ceiling is significantly higher than that, and that's clear to anyone who actually watches him play, and not just highlights.