Prospect Info: 54th Overall - Jack Peart

[Wabit]

It has been clear that not having Mermis or someone of that ilk around is an issue with the young D corp. I sure hope they don't rely on ROR to be the "vet".

I get your point - just sayin' that I don't think it's good for development.

The "vet" just takes ice time away from one of the prospects each game. I don't think it would have gone over well if Mermis was playing every night and one of the prospects spent even more time in the ECHL.

 

[Digitalbooya]

I think eventually he will prove to be the best of the LHD quartet. Sharp puck-mover and has a quiet mind

I hope so. The rest did not inspire confidence this season.

 

[Jbcraig1883]

The "vet" just takes ice time away from one of the prospects each game. I don't think it would have gone over well if Mermis was playing every night and one of the prospects spent even more time in the ECHL.

We will have to agree to disagree on that one. Watching them this year it is evident there isn't a veteran D to be a leader for them, role model, teach them during the game, traveling, etc. They have come out flat and totally just caved several times from lack of confidence. I think a calming presence back there would've helped. I've watched more than I should this year due to my own injuries, haha, but it is pretty obvious to me they have lacked a veteran on the back end...and the Wild management must've agreed since they got Butcher for that...and there has been some stability back there since they got him.

We may have a fundamental disagreement on development and what veterans offer, but I am a believer in them, and most teams tend to have them. Yes, you can't logjam all prospects but you also can't have an entire backend or 4 forward lines of rookies/sophomores.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

Excited to see him enter the fold, hope he can get acclimated and find a sense of areas to focus over the off-season. Can only help to have more pressure on that bottom LHD slot in camp, though I fully expect him to be AHL all next year. Adjust to the pro game and continue the physical development to get prepared for the rigors of the NHL.

I will say, that if he hits, I think Chisholm is a decent comp based on what we have seen so far, they have a lot of overlapping skills, though I think I favor Peart's defensive acumen a slight bit. Chisholm took his time developing the offense, I think Peart can get there eventually too.

 

[Wabit]

We will have to agree to disagree on that one. Watching them this year it is evident there isn't a veteran D to be a leader for them, role model, teach them during the game, traveling, etc. They have come out flat and totally just caved several times from lack of confidence. I think a calming presence back there would've helped. I've watched more than I should this year due to my own injuries, haha, but it is pretty obvious to me they have lacked a veteran on the back end...and the Wild management must've agreed since they got Butcher for that...and there has been some stability back there since they got him.

We may have a fundamental disagreement on development and what veterans offer, but I am a believer in them, and most teams tend to have them. Yes, you can't logjam all prospects but you also can't have an entire backend or 4 forward lines of rookies/sophomores.

They've had Butcher for the last couple of months and Mermis at the very start of the season. They've also had Miller on the (AHL signing) roster most of the year.

The d-corps could be better, for sure, but the problem in the lineup is the holes at FWD; specifically center. I'd say a Cal O'Reilly (when he played for Iowa) does more for the team than Mermis would have.

 

[Jbcraig1883]

They've had Butcher for the last couple of months and Mermis at the very start of the season. They've also had Miller on the (AHL signing) roster most of the year.

The d-corps could be better, for sure, but the problem in the lineup is the holes at FWD; specifically center. I'd say a Cal O'Reilly (when he played for Iowa) does more for the team than Mermis would have.

Mermis' 5 games isn't that much. And Miller, meh.

Again, we see different things on the ice. Yes, forwards have struggled, and at center. But their struggles for most of the year has been they couldn't make a simple breakout, their d zone coverage looked like bantams, they couldn't keep the puck in the zone at the point, etc. If you can't get the puck to your forwards, can't keep it in the zone, and can't close gaps to cause turnovers, it's a tough day at the office.

 

[State of Hockey]

I definitely don't have the high hopes I once had for Peart. Thought he was a very intriguing prospect his freshman and sophomore seasons, but this year he was almost invisible. I'm just not seeing the offensive game to be anything more than a bottom pairing guy. And if you're going to be a bottom pairing defensive guy, I'd like to see a bigger guy in that spot. At this point I don't get the worry about losing him after one more season in St. Cloud. I think he could use the opportunity to grow and be the main guy there. He still would have been just 21 at the end of his college career. Or maybe better he could be trade bait. Now he'll likely be in a log jam of similar defensemen in Iowa struggling for opportunities.

 

[57special]

Was mildly disappointed with his year, after being pretty high on him last year. Good skater, reasonably smart, decent positioning, firm passes, but lacked offense this year. Wish he played with more energy and passion, instead of just being there. Medium sized at best. Seems sturdy on his skates, but he is not a guy who is going to be a physical force in the pros.

I think Iowa will be fine with a ROR/Hunt/RyJo/Spacek led D corps next year. Maybe get one big guy who can fight. The first three have seen plenty of AHL games. If they can't figure it out next year then maybe they just aren't the right guys. Personally, i think that Hunt might make the team next year, so that will open a spot.

 

[BagHead]

Was mildly disappointed with his year, after being pretty high on him last year. Good skater, reasonably smart, decent positioning, firm passes, but lacked offense this year. Wish he played with more energy and passion, instead of just being there. Medium sized at best. Seems sturdy on his skates, but he is not a guy who is going to be a physical force in the pros.

I think Iowa will be fine with a ROR/Hunt/RyJo/Spacek led D corps next year. Maybe get one big guy who can fight. The first three have seen plenty of AHL games. If they can't figure it out next year then maybe they just aren't the right guys. Personally, i think that Hunt might make the team next year, so that will open a spot.

Honestly, all of that can be said about Jonas Brodin, as well... not to compare the two directly. My point is that I won't fault a guy for being reserved in his game as long as he is also very effective in it.

 

[HobeyBroten]

Signed his ELC this morning:

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/latest-news/wild-sign-jack-peart-to-an-entry-level-contract

 

[57special]

Honestly, all of that can be said about Jonas Brodin, as well... not to compare the two directly. My point is that I won't fault a guy for being reserved in his game as long as he is also very effective in it.

Peart is a solid defender, but is not the peerless defender Brodin was at his age. We'll see how his defensive game holds up in the AHL.

 

[BagHead]

Peart is a solid defender, but is not the peerless defender Brodin was at his age. We'll see how his defensive game holds up in the AHL.

Yeah, that's sort of why I said I didn't want to compare them directly. I don't expect him to become such a defensive stalwart as Brodin. I guess what I'm getting at is that middle and bottom pairing defenders can have unspectacular games, and just get the job done quietly. In fact, I'd say that the further down the lineup a defenseman plays, the better it is to have a quiet game. I don't really want a bottom pairing defender that I notice too much, unless it's because our blueline is full of top-4 defenders.

I don't know how Peart will pan out, I haven't gotten to watch him, so I'm just trying to be patient.

 

[Wabit]

Mermis' 5 games isn't that much. And Miller, meh.

Again, we see different things on the ice. Yes, forwards have struggled, and at center. But their struggles for most of the year has been they couldn't make a simple breakout, their d zone coverage looked like bantams, they couldn't keep the puck in the zone at the point, etc. If you can't get the puck to your forwards, can't keep it in the zone, and can't close gaps to cause turnovers, it's a tough day at the office.

Those were a lot of the same issues as last year when they had Mermis on the teamm 5v5 they were just as bad. The flow of the AHL team fell off when Dewar, Shaw, Duhaiume, and Addison were promoted to the NHL. Then they lost Rossi this year and nobody came in to replace what was lost from them.

A lot of the Wild's d-done systems (Iowa is very similar to MN) rely as much on the center as the d-men. The wingers play a part too (mainly off wing collapsing into the trapezoid. This is where I see the disconnect happening in the d-zone from the Iowa games I've watched. The o-zone plays looks disjointed too, with the d-men playing on their heels and cheating back towards center ice. I do think that not having the L-bros hurts more than not having Mermis.

I'm fine with running a younger d-corps next year. Hunt, S. Jo, ROR are well past the wet behind the ears stage in the AHL. Lambos, Masters, and Spacek have an AHL season under their belts. Peart is the only real "rookie" of the bunch. Getting him into a few games before the season end will help him see what he (and the other d-man kids) needs to work on in the offseason to be better for next year.

S. Jo will be 25 next year. He's been in the SHL, Liiga, and the AHL with ~250 men's pro league games between those leagues. ROR will have ~160 AHL games, Hunt will have over 100 AHL games. They'll all be going into their 3rd (or 4th) AHL season. So they "should" be able to handle any workload/pairing thrown at them at the AHL level. I would like to see a bigger d-man added into the mix, but they drafted so many same age 5'-11" to 6'1" 180 lbs d-men that it created a logjam.

Maybe (?) one of them takes a NHL spot out of camp and Merrill gets sent though waivers and that fixes the "vet" issue without anything else needing to be done.

 

[Jbcraig1883]

Those were a lot of the same issues as last year when they had Mermis on the teamm 5v5 they were just as bad. The flow of the AHL team fell off when Dewar, Shaw, Duhaiume, and Addison were promoted to the NHL. Then they lost Rossi this year and nobody came in to replace what was lost from them.

A lot of the Wild's d-done systems (Iowa is very similar to MN) rely as much on the center as the d-men. The wingers play a part too (mainly off wing collapsing into the trapezoid. This is where I see the disconnect happening in the d-zone from the Iowa games I've watched. The o-zone plays looks disjointed too, with the d-men playing on their heels and cheating back towards center ice. I do think that not having the L-bros hurts more than not having Mermis.

I'm fine with running a younger d-corps next year. Hunt, S. Jo, ROR are well past the wet behind the ears stage in the AHL. Lambos, Masters, and Spacek have an AHL season under their belts. Peart is the only real "rookie" of the bunch. Getting him into a few games before the season end will help him see what he (and the other d-man kids) needs to work on in the offseason to be better for next year.

S. Jo will be 25 next year. He's been in the SHL, Liiga, and the AHL with ~250 men's pro league games between those leagues. ROR will have ~160 AHL games, Hunt will have over 100 AHL games. They'll all be going into their 3rd (or 4th) AHL season. So they "should" be able to handle any workload/pairing thrown at them at the AHL level. I would like to see a bigger d-man added into the mix, but they drafted so many same age 5'-11" to 6'1" 180 lbs d-men that it created a logjam.

Maybe (?) one of them takes a NHL spot out of camp and Merrill gets sent though waivers and that fixes the "vet" issue without anything else needing to be done.

We're just kinda going in circles at this point. I understand your opinion on the center, systems, and I see where you are coming from. I guess I just didn't see it the way you did, even when the L-bros were in Iowa (Khaira too).

Is it a guarantee that they qualify S. Jo and he elects to play another year in Iowa? His name is never mentioned with the other prospects and I don't think that is because of age...

With that said, to your last point, that very well may be true. Selfishly, I'd rather Hunt play than Merrill but they may prefer Hunt playing more minutes in the AHL. Brodin-Faber, Middleton-Spurgeon, Chisholm/Merrill-Bogosian?

 

[thestonedkoala]

So who's out at defense: Lambos, O'Rourke and Peart. I think Hunt may play right?

 

[57special]

So who's out at defense: Lambos, O'Rourke and Peart. I think Hunt may play right?

Butcher is also LH. Spacek and SJo the only righties, though Masters is lurking.

I would think that they would move Hunt to RD, as he is the closest to coming up to the big club, and might have to play on the off side up here. Could also be that some are playing with a knock or two, and might get subbed out.

You would think out of Lambos, Hunt, Peart, and ROR we'd get at least one NHL Dman somewhere down the road.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Butcher is also LH. Spacek and SJo the only righties, though Masters is lurking.

I would think that they would move Hunt to RD, as he is the closest to coming up to the big club, and might have to play on the off side up here. Could also be that some are playing with a knock or two, and might get subbed out.

You would think out of Lambos, Hunt, Peart, and ROR we'd get at least one NHL Dman somewhere down the road.

I mean Hunt is probably going to be an NHL, just depth is all.

WTF happened to Minnesota's defensive development team? They churned out a bunch of good depth guys like Seeler, Scandella, Stoner, Soucy, Spurgeon (maybe we need to go back and just draft defensemen with an S)

 

[57special]

I mean Hunt is probably going to be an NHL, just depth is all.

WTF happened to Minnesota's defensive development team? They churned out a bunch of good depth guys like Seeler, Scandella, Stoner, Soucy, Spurgeon (maybe we need to go back and just draft defensemen with an S)

Stoner player 4+ AHL seasons.
Soucy was drafted in 2013, and played full time in the NHL in 2019.
Seeler was drafted in 2011, full time NHL in 2018-19.

Spurgeon was drafted by NYI, and wasn't even offered a contract by them. He is/was a freak, even more so than Faber.

Scandella took 3+ years to play in the NHL after his draft year.

Even Dumba, a 7oa pick, was playing in the AHL in his D+3 year.

Lambos, ROR, Hunt, Spacek, Masters, and Peart are all relatively young. To make definitive opinions about their development when they are in the 20-22yo range is premature.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Stoner player 4+ AHL seasons.
Soucy was drafted in 2013, and played full time in the NHL in 2019.
Seeler was drafted in 2011, full time NHL in 2018-19.

Spurgeon was drafted by NYI, and wasn't even offered a contract by them. He is/was a freak, even more so than Faber.

Scandella took 3+ years to play in the NHL after his draft year.

Even Dumba, a 7oa pick, was playing in the AHL in his D+3 year.

Lambos, ROR, Hunt, Spacek, Masters, and Peart are all relatively young. To make definitive opinions about their development when they are in the 20-22yo range is premature.

Seeler spent 3 years in the NCAA, 2 years in the AHL and then made the NHL (played 22 games in 17-18).

Scandella spent 3 seasons in the Q, 2 years in the AHL and then made the NHL in 10-11 (played 20 games).

Dumba spent a season in the AHL, but that doesn't take into account he did play a majority in Minnesota.

O'Rourke is an interesting case due to Covid, but he spent 3 seasons in the OHL and now 2 seasons in the AHL.

Lambos spent 3 seasons in the WHL and one season in the AHL.

More so, you're talking about guys taken after the 2nd round. O'Rourke and Lambos are both top 60 picks. I'm surprised they haven't called up O'Rourke yet personally. Lambos...meh.

 

[57special]

Seeler spent 3 years in the NCAA, 2 years in the AHL and then made the NHL (played 22 games in 17-18).

Scandella spent 3 seasons in the Q, 2 years in the AHL and then made the NHL in 10-11 (played 20 games).

Dumba spent a season in the AHL, but that doesn't take into account he did play a majority in Minnesota.

O'Rourke is an interesting case due to Covid, but he spent 3 seasons in the OHL and now 2 seasons in the AHL.

Lambos spent 3 seasons in the WHL and one season in the AHL.

More so, you're talking about guys taken after the 2nd round. O'Rourke and Lambos are both top 60 picks. I'm surprised they haven't called up O'Rourke yet personally. Lambos...meh.

ROR, Lambos, Hunt, Spacek are 21 yo. Masters and Peart 20 yo.

Stoner, Soucy, and Seeler were all 25 yo before they played a full NHL season.

Dumba was a 7th oa pick, and his first NHL year was when he was 21yo.

Scandella and Spurgeon were 21 yo in their first NHL year.

I don't see the big problem. The prospects are still young, with their opportunities lessened by unfortunate contracts to Goligsoki and Merrill. They should start to filter in next year, and Faber, obviously has already hit, and hit big. Hunt could easily have been up here as 6/7 Dman with limited playing time, but they elected to keep him in the AHL where he would get lots of playing time, allowing his offense to develop , which it has(23 pts in 42 gp vs 11 pts in 59 gp last year). So far, i think it's a wise decision.

 

[thestonedkoala]

ROR, Lambos, Hunt, Spacek are 21 yo. Masters and Peart 20 yo.

Stoner, Soucy, and Seeler were all 25 yo before they played a full NHL season.

Dumba was a 7th oa pick, and his first NHL year was when he was 21yo.

Scandella and Spurgeon were 21 yo in their first NHL year.

I don't see the big problem. The prospects are still young, with their opportunities lessened by unfortunate contracts to Goligsoki and Merrill. They should start to filter in next year, and Faber, obviously has already hit, and hit big. Hunt could easily have been up here as 6/7 Dman with limited playing time, but they elected to keep him in the AHL where he would get lots of playing time, allowing his offense to develop , which it has(23 pts in 42 gp vs 11 pts in 59 gp last year). So far, i think it's a wise decision.

I was going to continue this debate, but I'm just going to drop It because I can see both sides of the argument and I'm not going to continue dragging it out.

I'm curious to see how much ice time Peart gets next season as O'Rourke is definitely going to be the vet and Lambos will be in his second year and will need time to develop.

 

[Wabit]

ROR, Lambos, Hunt, Spacek are 21 yo. Masters and Peart 20 yo.

Stoner, Soucy, and Seeler were all 25 yo before they played a full NHL season.

Dumba was a 7th oa pick, and his first NHL year was when he was 21yo.

Scandella and Spurgeon were 21 yo in their first NHL year.

I don't see the big problem. The prospects are still young, with their opportunities lessened by unfortunate contracts to Goligsoki and Merrill. They should start to filter in next year, and Faber, obviously has already hit, and hit big. Hunt could easily have been up here as 6/7 Dman with limited playing time, but they elected to keep him in the AHL where he would get lots of playing time, allowing his offense to develop , which it has(23 pts in 42 gp vs 11 pts in 59 gp last year). So far, i think it's a wise decision.

Dumba played a total of 20 AHL games in his career. They burnt his 19yo ELC slide year by playing him for more than 9 games (13) at the start of the season. He was on the opening night roster as a 20yo, got sent down for a (needed) 20 game stint in Dec-Jan that season.

Spurgeon played 23 AHL games and never looked back as a 21 yo.

Scandella (2nd rounder, most applicable situation imo) bounced up and down a few times, but still had less than 100 AHL games total. Half of those games were in the weird lockout season.

With Lambos, ROR, Hunt, Peart, Benoit, and Masters MN spent a lot of draft capitol in a 2 year window: 1st, 2 x 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th (used to trade up) and a 6th on 5 LD and 1 RD. If you add in the overagers they drafted in the following years Spacek (5th) and Poink (5th) you get 1 more LD and RD. If you add in Faber via trade there is another RD. So that is a total of 6 LD and 3 RD from the 2020 and 2021 draft classes and a backlog has happened.

As far as which LD is closest to the NHL, I can't say. The separation in points is mainly from the PP (I couldn't say how that time has been distrubited); but I don't see any of the LD getting PP time in the NHL over Chisholm, Faber, and Spurgeon. ROR might be able to take some PK shifts a little better than the rest.

I do think ROR (more of a Scandella/Middleton style) would be the best partner for Spurgeon. He needs to learn it's okay to cross the blueline into the o-zone though.
I think Chisholm and Hunt are the same roster spot, but Chisholm is better.
Lambos needs more time to figure things out, because he just looks lost way to often.