Prospect Info: Annual Devils Prospect Rankings #1

[Emperoreddy]

What about Kahlin and Moe? The two from the KHL? Both are our prospects new right?

 

[SeidoN]

Zacha, add Black Woodmiles

 

[JimEIV]

Black and Wood and Blackwood how do you even chose?

 

[HBK27]

Zacha-Santini is an easy 1-2. After that, it gets interesting.

Boucher and Matteau should be included as neither has held a spot in the lineup for an extended period of time or are considered a lock to play next season like Severson is.

 

[CerebralGenesis]

Wheres Chatham?

 

[Csonked Out]

Hrabarenka is getting no love here ever. I have been pimping this guy for 2 months now, he will be the surprise of the season

 

[AfroThunder396]

Zacha, add Speers

 

[JimEIV]

Wheres Chatham?

In Morris county.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham,_New_Jersey

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

Voted for Blandisi

52 goals 60 assists 112 points in 68 games

v

Zacha

16 goals 18 assists 34 points in 37 games

 

[Emperoreddy]

Voted for Blandisi

52 goals 60 assists 112 points in 68 games

v

Zacha

16 goals 18 assists 34 points in 37 games

I think Blandasi could be an excellent prospect for us. But he did all that as an overager while it was pointed out why Zacha's point totals were low (suspensions, injury, world juniors).

 

[OmNomNom]

In Morris county.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham,_New_Jersey

funny response. i always thought it was funny we had a prospect with a town name. he'll be the next david clarkson, just you watch

 

[Marshal Rochambeau]

Voted for Zacha. Add Kerfoot.

 

[Devilsfan992]

1) Zacha
2) Santini
3) Blandisi
4) Quenneville
5) Wood
6) Jacobs
7) Coleman
8) Black
9) Helgeson
10) Speers

Edit: I forgot Kuja. He's right after Coleman at 8.

 

[OmNomNom]

1/2) Zacha/Santini
3) Blandisi
4) Quenneville
5) Kuja
6) Black (i put him higher than below due to AHL experience
7) Coleman (>jacobs due to NCAA exp and older)
8) Jacobs
9) Woods
10) Speers[/QUOTE]

i don't count hulk as a prospect really, he's kind of in between.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Blackwood should be somewhere in the top-10

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

I'm surprised so many people are ready to hand the #2 spot to Santini. He hasn't exactly given any indication that he's any more than our next McPherson yet. I think I'd have all of Quenneville, Coleman, Speers, and Hrabarenka ahead of him, maybe Jacobs too. Blandisi's a guy I have absolutely no idea where to rank.

 

[EnglishDevil]

My own extremely subjective rankings:

1) Zacha - Safe bet to be a Top 6 forward.
2) Quenneville - Fairly safe bet to be a 2nd/3rd line center.
3) Blackwood - Fairly safe bet to be a starting NHL goaltender.
4) Santini - Fairly safe bet to be at least a 2nd pairing defenceman.
5) Wood - High ceiling, could be a 2nd line LW, could bust entirely.
-
6) Matteau - Fairly safe bet to be bottom 6 winger / 3rd line ceiling.
7) Coleman - Reasonably safe bet to be at least a 3rd line winger.
8) Blandisi - High ceiling, could be a 2nd line C, could bust entirely.
9) Speers - Decent ceiling, could be top 6 winger, could bust entirely.
10) Jacobs - Decent ceiling, could be 2nd pairing defender, could bust entirely.
-
11) Kujawinski - High ceiling but also very high bust potential.
12) White - Decent ceiling, could be a 2nd pairing defender, could bust entirely.
13) Hrabarenka - Low ceiling, but should be an okay 3rd pairing / 7th defender.
14) Boucher - High ceiling, very close to being a bust though.
15) Black - Low ceiling, could be a decent 3rd/4th line forward.
-
16) Chatham - Low ceiling, could be a 4th line forward / AHL call-up.
17) Helgeson - Low ceiling, physical 3rd pairing / 7th defender.
18) Wedgewood - Low ceiling, maybe an NHL backup one day, more likely a career AHLer.
19) Seney - Decent ceiling but 99% chance he'll bust due to his size.
20) Scarlett - Career AHLer.

People who i have no idea how to rank, mostly due to knowing very little about them:

Kerfoot, Dudek, Gavrus, Pietila, Baddock, Thomson, Rehill, Faust, Brodeur.

 

[Buggsy]

I'm surprised so many people are ready to hand the #2 spot to Santini. He hasn't exactly given any indication that he's any more than our next McPherson yet. I think I'd have all of Quenneville, Coleman, Speers, and Hrabarenka ahead of him, maybe Jacobs too. Blandisi's a guy I have absolutely no idea where to rank.

Besides him making the WJC, being a lock to make it last year despite injury and the heaps of praise he gets in the college community?

 

[JimEIV]

My own extremely subjective rankings:

1) Zacha - Safe bet to be a Top 6 forward.
2) Quenneville - Fairly safe bet to be a 2nd/3rd line center.
3) Blackwood - Fairly safe bet to be a starting NHL goaltender.
4) Santini - Fairly safe bet to be at least a 2nd pairing defenceman.
5) Wood - High ceiling, could be a 2nd line LW, could bust entirely.
-
6) Matteau - Fairly safe bet to be bottom 6 winger / 3rd line ceiling.
7) Coleman - Reasonably safe bet to be at least a 3rd line winger.
8) Blandisi - High ceiling, could be a 2nd line C, could bust entirely.
9) Speers - Decent ceiling, could be top 6 winger, could bust entirely.
10) Jacobs - Decent ceiling, could be 2nd pairing defender, could bust entirely.
-
11) Kujawinski - High ceiling but also very high bust potential.
12) White - Decent ceiling, could be a 2nd pairing defender, could bust entirely.
13) Hrabarenka - Low ceiling, but should be an okay 3rd pairing / 7th defender.
14) Boucher - High ceiling, very close to being a bust though.
15) Black - Low ceiling, could be a decent 3rd/4th line forward.
-
16) Chatham - Low ceiling, could be a 4th line forward / AHL call-up.
17) Helgeson - Low ceiling, physical 3rd pairing / 7th defender.
18) Wedgewood - Low ceiling, maybe an NHL backup one day, more likely a career AHLer.
19) Seney - Decent ceiling but 99% chance he'll bust due to his size.
20) Scarlett - Career AHLer.

People who i have no idea how to rank, mostly due to knowing very little about them:

Kerfoot, Dudek, Gavrus, Pietila, Baddock, Thomson, Rehill, Faust, Brodeur.

I like this list a lot except for Boucher.... But overall is pretty damn close to the list I did last night. I didn't have a goalie on my list just ranked skaters...

Boucher at #14 is a travesty

 

[EnglishDevil]

I like this list a lot except for Boucher.... But overall is pretty damn close to the list I did last night. I didn't have a goalie on my list just ranked skaters...

Boucher at #14 is a travesty

I just don't see it with Boucher at all; nothing about his game outside of his shot looks remotely NHL calibre and time is running out for him to drastically improve in those areas.

You can't make it in the NHL anymore being completely one-dimensional, especially when your one huge asset (his shot) is probably the hardest skill of them all to translate over from juniors into the NHL. The NHL is a different beast entirely to juniors; the goaltenders are bigger, more agile and more skilled, the defenders are smarter, more physical and have vastly improved positioning. Space to actually use that shot is at a premium and i don't see how he's going to find it.

He dominated inferior competition in juniors but i just can't see him having that kind of impact in the NHL, his skating is outright poor, he's average at best along the boards and in terms of his defensive play, nor is he much of a passer/playmaker.

I hope i end up eating my words, really i do, but i don't rate Boucher highly at all in the context of our prospect pool, he belongs roughly where i put him with the other boom/bust prospects. Except in his case he's had some chances in the NHL already and failed to impress.

 

[JimEIV]

I just don't see it with Boucher at all; nothing about his game outside of his shot looks remotely NHL calibre and time is running out for him to drastically improve in those areas.

You can't make it in the NHL anymore being completely one-dimensional, especially when your one huge asset (his shot) is probably the hardest skill of them all to translate over from juniors into the NHL. The NHL is a different beast entirely to juniors; the goaltenders are bigger, more agile and more skilled, the defenders are smarter, more physical and have vastly improved positioning. Space to actually use that shot is at a premium and i don't see how he's going to find it.

He dominated inferior competition in juniors but i just can't see him having that kind of impact in the NHL, his skating is outright poor, he's average at best along the boards and in terms of his defensive play, nor is he much of a passer/playmaker.

I hope i end up eating my words, really i do, but i don't rate Boucher highly at all in the context of our prospect pool, he belongs roughly where i put him with the other boom/bust prospects. Except in his case he's had some chances in the NHL already and failed to impress.

Wow...I don't know to begin.

But I would say out of any prospect we have brought up in the last 10 years Boucher has displayed a better hockey sense than anyone not named Adam Henrique (not too hard really)

Your boards comment particularly stuck out to me because I think it is one of the best parts of his game. He has a spark plug type of build allowing him to battle against much bigger men and he seems to win those battles.

This is a player who all his career has just needed to find soft spots on the ice and shoot the puck(this is why I believe there is perceived skating issue when there isn't) and now has been asked to redine his game.

There is nothing terribly wrong with his skating we've seen him on rush and he wasn't at all lacking...but a shooter like this often coasts behind the play looking for open ice had he found success in his short stints here people would've used terms like "deceptive speed"...

You have a player here with a lot of people whispering in his ear telling what he needs to do to play in the NHL and I think with a new staff it is going to throw him another curve ball with a new set of guidelines on "how to make the NHL".

But the truth of the matter is this is a prospect that has accomplished more at every level than any prospect we have. He has managed to scored goals at a good pace at level he's played...there is certainty more positives to point to than a Kujawinski, Blandisi, Matteau, Wood or Speers.

 

[Bologna 1]

Hrabarenka is getting no love here ever. I have been pimping this guy for 2 months now, he will be the surprise of the season

I liked his skillset in the game he played at the end of last season. Agree that there might be something there, more than we think.

 

[nugg]

Zacha -add Mozik

 

[Bleedred]

I guess I went against the grain and picked Santini. I didn't think it would be quite as lopsided in favor of Zacha.

Zacha would absolutely be second for me though.