Confirmed with Link: ALL-Star Micheal Leighton signed

[A Star is Burns]

I'm pretty sure all teams sign guys they are familiar with to be their vets in the minors. Nothing to worry about at all. Having one or both of Ned and Altshuller spend time in the ECHL this year is no big deal to me. I'd love for Charlotte to get some time in the playoffs this year.

 

[Ole Gil]

If you don't think the kids are ready, having a veteran 3rd seems like the right move. Maybe moreso with such a mediocre nhl tandem. Also, with the canes kids, I wouldn't be sure they expect them ever to be ready. Neither screams NHL stuff.

 

[AhoLottaLove]

250k is a lot to pay a guy to ride the pine in the minors.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I think I experienced some sort of PTSD moment when I saw this headline.

 

[Vagrant]

250k is a lot to pay a guy to ride the pine in the minors.

He most certainly will not be riding the pine. No more than Mac did last year. He's there to start games and to push and mentor whoever ends up splitting time with him in Charlotte. Altshuler seems to have the inside track on development, but Ned has the inside track on talent and pedigree. I still think Ned starts the year in Florida and gets as many starts as he can handle. If he puts together some good tape, they'll evaluate from there.

 

[GoldiFox]

The level of talent in the OHL is arguably higher than the ECHL and those players live a seriously low quality life. The old joke is "What do you call a (ECHL) player without a girlfriend? Homeless". It would be a downgrade from a development standpoint. If my team sent me down to those conditions I'd be a little ticked, it is why almost no goalie with Ned's pedigree and skill get sent down that far unless they are really struggling. Maybe I'm biased here, I've had close family friends play at that level for many years and have seen a ton of games and seen/heard a lot of stories. It's not pretty.

 

[bleedgreen]

While I see Vagrants point I can't help but agree. I've had some experience around the guys and the lifestyle of the echl player. Even if you're earmarked to be brought up and have expectations of the NHL.....you're a LONG way away from that environment. Ned would be the only player there with a remote chance of actually making it. I know we use our echl team more than most but I agree with the notion that our higher end prospects should never be down there unless they've played themselves down to that level.

On the plus side, it's a character builder and a character indentifier if the guy takes it in stride and has fun with it. He's young enough to enjoy any pro hockey i would think.

 

[A Star is Burns]

There are a decent number of pretty good goalies in the league right now that spent at least split seasons in the ECHL. Not a big deal in any way. May not be fun for the guy or guys that end up there, but it doesn't mean much.

 

[geehaad]

He's young enough to enjoy any pro hockey i would think.

...or, better yet: dislikes the notion so much that he ensures that he is not the guy sent down, or if sent down, plays his way outta there ASAP.

 

[Anton Babchuk]

The level of talent in the OHL is arguably higher than the ECHL

That's completely and totally absurd. All you have to do to realize that is look at a young player's production in the OHL versus ECHL. You're talking about facing 16-20 year olds compared to grown men. It's not even remotely close.

and those players live a seriously low quality life. The old joke is "What do you call a (ECHL) player without a girlfriend? Homeless". It would be a downgrade from a development standpoint. If my team sent me down to those conditions I'd be a little ticked, it is why almost no goalie with Ned's pedigree and skill get sent down that far unless they are really struggling. Maybe I'm biased here, I've had close family friends play at that level for many years and have seen a ton of games and seen/heard a lot of stories. It's not pretty.

The difference between Ned and those other players is that Ned will be making 70K per season and has already received 185K in signing bonuses (and is due another 92.5K). It's not like when he gets sent to the ECHL he starts making 500 a week like guys on ECHL deals.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Honestly, if a goalie can't handle the mental strain of spending a few months in the low minors, then what the heck would he look like in the NHL?

 

[GoldiFox]

That's completely and totally absurd. All you have to do to realize that is look at a young player's production in the OHL versus ECHL. You're talking about facing 16-20 year olds compared to grown men. It's not even remotely close.

The difference between Ned and those other players is that Ned will be making 70K per season and has already received 185K in signing bonuses (and is due another 92.5K). It's not like when he gets sent to the ECHL he starts making 500 a week like guys on ECHL deals.

My observation is by watching both leagues fairly extensively over my lifetime. There is a large skill gap on the high-end, Ned will never face a guy with the skillset of a Marner or Strome in the ECHL. Lower scoring doesn't necessarily mean a better league. These are guys who couldn't hang in the AHL on their best day.

I'm not concerned about Ned's finances. I'd be concerned about him being entrenched in the ECHL culture. Riding crappy buses around to crappy destinations and staying in so-so hotels. Playing with and against guys who will likely never play above the ECHL level outside of a couple AHL callups for the very best guys. It is a culture that I am very familiar with and it isn't one that I'd personally want to live in or subject our potential goalie-of-the-future to. At least in Charlotte he is playing with some future NHLers in bigger arenas with nicer road accommodations and general amenities.

That said, I think there is a very small likelihood he will ever see ECHL time. I guess we will soon see what shakes out.

Honestly, if a goalie can't handle the mental strain of spending a few months in the low minors, then what the heck would he look like in the NHL?

I don't think anyone is questioning whether or not he could handle the mental strain. I'm questioning whether it would stagnate or even hurt his development. The ECHL is a terrible league. Almost every goalie drafted in the range where Ned was drafted and performed the way Ned has performed up to this point has started in the AHL. Some Euro goalies start in the ECHL to get a better grip on the NA-style game and NA ice. That isn't the case here.

 

[geehaad]

I'd be concerned about him being entrenched in the ECHL culture. Riding crappy buses around to crappy destinations and staying in so-so hotels. Playing with and against guys who will likely never play above the ECHL level outside of a couple AHL callups for the very best guys. It is a culture that I am very familiar with and it isn't one that I'd personally want to live in or subject our potential goalie-of-the-future to.

In this, I mentally replaced occurrences of "ECHL" with "AHL", and occurrences of "AHL" with "NHL".

 

[WreckingCrew]

There are a decent number of pretty good goalies in the league right now that spent at least split seasons in the ECHL. Not a big deal in any way. May not be fun for the guy or guys that end up there, but it doesn't mean much.

I think people often forget that Johnathan Quick played most of a season in the ECHL (38 games). Scott Darling (Chicago) started off in the SPHL for a while and has turned into a pretty solid backup goalie the past couple years. Michael Hutchinson, James Reimer, Michael Neuvirth, Jaroslav Halak, Devan Dubnyk, and Braden Holtby spent parts of a season down there as well.

 

[Vagrant]

I think people often forget that Johnathan Quick played most of a season in the ECHL (38 games). Scott Darling (Chicago) started off in the SPHL for a while and has turned into a pretty solid backup goalie the past couple years. Michael Hutchinson, James Reimer, Michael Neuvirth, Jaroslav Halak, Devan Dubnyk, and Braden Holtby spent parts of a season down there as well.

Jack Campbell played a few ECHL games too. It's not nearly as negative for a goaltender as it is for a skater. A lot of squads are using their ECHL affiliates to season their goaltenders in a lower pressure but still professional atmosphere.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Jack Campbell played a few ECHL games too. It's not nearly as negative for a goaltender as it is for a skater. A lot of squads are using their ECHL affiliates to season their goaltenders in a lower pressure but still professional atmosphere.

isnt jack campbell like "done" as a prospect though?

i thought hes basically a bust at this point, he was traded for nick ebert and still split time between ahl and echl last year as a 23 year old

not that i disagree with the point itself, just that maybe campbell isnt the best example to use of the echl being positive for an eventual nhl goaltender

 

[NotOpie]

If it turns out that Nedeljkovic is the 3rd best AHL goalie after his training camp performance I would far and away prefer him to get 50 starts in FL than 25 starts in Charlotte. He needs to see games and lots of pucks.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I don't think anyone is questioning whether or not he could handle the mental strain. I'm questioning whether it would stagnate or even hurt his development.

It sounds a lot like you're questioning whether he can handle life on the road in the low minors. And believe me, I know it sucks. When I was a day-to-day fan of that league, we heard about stuff like the Knoxville Cherokees getting stuck in a blizzard, putting on their skates, and skating down the highway. Players who effectively had no "home" to speak of, per the joke upthread. Players with all sorts of issues that would have made them completely non-functional in the NHL. It's not an easy life, by any means, but it's also not necessarily harder than the rigor of an NHL lifestyle. Again, a lot of guys who would be non-functional in the NHL manage to function in the ECHL.

As far as development, playing against ECHL competition temporarily shouldn't be an issue. Ned has been there before for a handful of games, specifically to give him a taste of the professional game. For a 20 year old kid, there are worse things than to be around a bunch of guys who are absolutely desperate for an opportunity, playing hard and spilling blood in front of small crowds to chase their dreams, while also being held to professional standards. He's coming from a context where players are billeted and treated like high school sports stars, so a brief stay in the low minors would serve as a transition period to drive the point home... this is the real thing, it's not going to come freely, work your way up from the bottom.

As long as he ends up in Charlotte (assuming he earns it) by the end of the season, I don't see it as anything especially detrimental. If he's still there to start next season, that's a different story.

 

[NotOpie]

It sounds a lot like you're questioning whether he can handle life on the road in the low minors. And believe me, I know it sucks. When I was a day-to-day fan of that league, we heard about stuff like the Knoxville Cherokees getting stuck in a blizzard, putting on their skates, and skating down the highway. Players who effectively had no "home" to speak of, per the joke upthread. Players with all sorts of issues that would have made them completely non-functional in the NHL. It's not an easy life, by any means, but it's also not necessarily harder than the rigor of an NHL lifestyle. Again, a lot of guys who would be non-functional in the NHL manage to function in the ECHL.

As far as development, playing against ECHL competition temporarily shouldn't be an issue. Ned has been there before for a handful of games, specifically to give him a taste of the professional game. For a 20 year old kid, there are worse things than to be around a bunch of guys who are absolutely desperate for an opportunity, playing hard and spilling blood in front of small crowds to chase their dreams, while also being held to professional standards. He's coming from a context where players are billeted and treated like high school sports stars, so a brief stay in the low minors would serve as a transition period to drive the point home... this is the real thing, it's not going to come freely, work your way up from the bottom.

As long as he ends up in Charlotte (assuming he earns it) by the end of the season, I don't see it as anything especially detrimental. If he's still there to start next season, that's a different story.

....and ultimately would be on him and nobody else.

 

[tarheelhockey]

....and ultimately would be on him and nobody else.

Yep. He's not going to stay in the E long if he doesn't deserve to be there.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Why are we assuming Ned will be in the ECHL as opposed to Altshuller? Other than an initial hot streak, he didn't exactly light it up in the AHL. I know notopie thinks highly of Altshuller, but he could just as easily be back in the ECHL

 

[Sens1Canes2]

Can we go back to OHL > ECHL?

Because that's just not true.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Why are we assuming Ned will be in the ECHL as opposed to Altshuller?

I read it on the internet.

 

[Vagrant]

Why are we assuming Ned will be in the ECHL as opposed to Altshuller? Other than an initial hot streak, he didn't exactly light it up in the AHL. I know notopie thinks highly of Altshuller, but he could just as easily be back in the ECHL

Well in my opinion, Altschuller beat the ECHL last year and played well enough in the AHL to give him the inside track this year to be in Charlotte. Ned hasn't had the opportunity and truthfully, we don't even know where he is in his development. We haven't had him long enough. We should have a good idea after main camp of where he stands and Charlotte's camp will help determine a lot too. So if Ned is going to jump Altschuller on the depth chart, he's going to have to show pretty damn strong. I don't doubt he's capable, but I would like for him to start his career in a league that didn't immediately put him over his head.

 

[NotOpie]

Why are we assuming Ned will be in the ECHL as opposed to Altshuller? Other than an initial hot streak, he didn't exactly light it up in the AHL. I know notopie thinks highly of Altshuller, but he could just as easily be back in the ECHL

It is less that I'm "high" on Altshuller and more that I think he gets the short end of the stick when he seems to rise to the occasion everywhere he goes, the end of last year's AHL season notwithstanding.

Don't get me wrong, I think he's got talent and could be a solid NHL back up someday, maybe even a starter if he continues to grow as a goaltender. I don't think Ned was at his best during prospect camp this Summer, but he still flashed some brilliance.

Also, Charlotte has, in the past, carried 3 goaltenders for short periods of time, not that it would be ideal. While I think Altshuller will be the odds on favorite going into camp, Nedeljkovic could easily outplay him, landing Daniel back in FL.