Prospect Info: Annual Devils Prospect Rankings #10

[Zippy316]

#1. Pavel Zacha [80/89 Votes = 88.89%] (Added Coleman/Boucher/Matteau)
#2. Steve Santinti [65/92 Votes = 70.65%](Added Speers)
#3. John Quennville [36/90 Votes = 40%](Added Pietila)
#4. Reid Boucher [33/74 Votes = 44.59%](Added Kerfoot)
#5. Stefan Matteau [41/73 Votes = 56.16%](Added Kalinin)
#6. MacKenzie Blackwood [41/76 Votes = 53.95%](Added Seney)
#7. Blake Coleman [30/70 Votes = 42.86%](Added Hrabarenka
#8. Joshua Jacobs [19/72 Votes = 26.39% -- Won Tiebreaker with Joseph Blandisi 40/58 Votes = 68.97%] (Added Helgeson)
#9. Blake Speers [22/69 Votes = 31.88%] (Added Mozik)

Make sure you post who to add

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[JimEIV]

Wood is our best prospect remaining. He may even be our second best forward prospect overall.

 

[Bologna 1]

went hrabarenka, really liked what he showed in that final game last season. think they might have something there.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Voted Hrabrenka. I like what he showed last year.

 

[Davegarri]

Went with Wood, but I think I should've picked Hrabarenka or Scarlett

 

[Tretyak 20]

Hrabarenka, add Chatham.

 

[Zippy316]

I find it funny Blandisi almost went #8 and now he might not go until #11.

Actually, someone voted Blandisi after DevilsTrap started the tie breaker too.

 

[OmNomNom]

haha yeah the last round was arguable. we prob should've/could've gone tiebreak. it's all for fun anyway, for all we know, the top 8 could bust

 

[Tretyak 20]

I find it funny Blandisi almost went #8 and now he might not go until #11.

Actually, someone voted Blandisi after DevilsTrap started the tie breaker too.

I'm not too high on Blandisi. It's nice that we basically got a free prospect, but at this point he's basically the equivalent of a college kid putting up big numbers in High School. Until he shows something in the AHL, I don't consider him a top prospect.

 

[Cheddabombs]

I'm not too high on Blandisi. It's nice that we basically got a free prospect, but at this point he's basically the equivalent of a college kid putting up big numbers in High School. Until he shows something in the AHL, I don't consider him a top prospect.

To be fair, no one at this stage should really be considered a "top prospect," our pool just isn't that deep. Everyone on that list has some question marks around them, but some nice upside that they could reach.

Blandisi is a strange case. He wasn't invisible for his OHL career until the last season where he magically put up amazing numbers. He consistently potted nearly a PPG pace every year with various teams, some good some bad. I remember reading an article that said he worked out extremely hard the past off-season to try and land a contract with the Avs, or another NHL team. It seemed to pay off judging by the season he had, and that we signed him, so maybe he's more motivated now? He truly is a curious case, and I think he has more a chance to make it big then some people give him credit for, but it's still going to be a challenge.


That being said, I'm going to vote for Wood. Making the USA junior team last season was really impressive for a Prep kid. I think he has all the tools to be an effective player for us down the road.

 

[Tretyak 20]

To be fair, no one at this stage should really be considered a "top prospect," our pool just isn't that deep. Everyone on that list has some question marks around them, but some nice upside that they could reach.

Blandisi is a strange case. He wasn't invisible for his OHL career until the last season where he magically put up amazing numbers. He consistently potted nearly a PPG pace every year with various teams, some good some bad. I remember reading an article that said he worked out extremely hard the past off-season to try and land a contract with the Avs, or another NHL team. It seemed to pay off judging by the season he had, and that we signed him, so maybe he's more motivated now? He truly is a curious case, and I think he has more a chance to make it big then some people give him credit for, but it's still going to be a challenge.


That being said, I'm going to vote for Wood. Making the USA junior team last season was really impressive for a Prep kid. I think he has all the tools to be an effective player for us down the road.

Yeah, I guess "top prospect" is the wrong term. Basically of the guys on the above list, I don't really consider either Kalinin or Mozik prospects, and of the others I think Hrabarenka is the only one with a really solid chance of hitting the 200 games played mark in the NHL.

At this point the others just have either too much still to prove or they have low ceilings.

What Wood did is impressive under the circumstances, but let's be honest - if we had drafted a kid out of the University of Wisconsin and he made the US junior team as a bottom-6 grinder, would we be getting excited? Making that team is impressive for a Prep School kid, but it isn't really exciting compared to other NHL prospects. Until he shows something at a higher level, he belongs in the "other notables" category IMO.

 

[MoonDragn]

Same could be said for Hrabarenka. Undrafted and only has one season of good numbers. He's older than the other prospects too.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

I don't envy anyone writing a top-10 list for the Devils this offseason. Zacha at 1 seems like the only sure thing. At this point, I really have no idea who I think should be at 10. It's a toss-up between Wood, Blandisi, Helgeson, and Hrabarenka for me right now.

 

[MoonDragn]

Even Zacha is a question mark at this point. Sure we were all high on him but there is still a lot of questions unanswered. Can only wait to see the numbers he put up next season.

 

[SeidoN]

Wood is the best prospect there

 

[Tretyak 20]

Same could be said for Hrabarenka. Undrafted and only has one season of good numbers. He's older than the other prospects too.

Hrabarenka has had three AHL seasons and always been solid (last year being very good). He also actually played in the NHL and didn't look out of place. That's light years ahead of where Wood and Blandisi currently are.

 

[MoonDragn]

Hrabarenka has had three AHL seasons and always been solid (last year being very good). He also actually played in the NHL and didn't look out of place. That's light years ahead of where Wood and Blandisi currently are.

He's about 2 years better than Blandisi and 3 years better than Wood. Both younger at 20 and 19 respectively.

 

[Tretyak 20]

He's about 2 years better than Blandisi and 3 years better than Wood. Both younger at 20 and 19 respectively.

That argument assumes Blandisi and Wood will do the same things by age 22. Statistics say that isn't likely, however.

 

[MoonDragn]

That argument assumes Blandisi and Wood will do the same things by age 22. Statistics say that isn't likely, however.

Zacha has not done anything in the AHL or NHL yet, yet people have him as the #1. Sure he was in a league with men in Europe, but so was Tedenby and look where he is now.

 

[Tretyak 20]

Zacha has not done anything in the AHL or NHL yet, yet people have him as the #1. Sure he was in a league with men in Europe, but so was Tedenby and look where he is now.

You're seriously comparing Wood and Zacha now? Zacha was dominant in the WJC, Wood was a 4th liner.

 

[MoonDragn]

You're seriously comparing Wood and Zacha now? Zacha was dominant in the WJC, Wood was a 4th liner.

No, not comparing the two. I'm pointing out that people's rankings are based on potential when refering to Zacha, yet based on AHL performance in terms of Hrabarenka. Keep in mind Tedenby was in the WJC also and people had him ranked as #1 for a few years til he basically flopped out.

You can't have it both ways. Either this ranking is based on current accomplishments or based on future potential. Which is it?

 

[Lou is God]

Wood is our best prospect remaining. He may even be our second best forward prospect overall.

I think he should have been voted a long time ago.

 

[Tretyak 20]

No, not comparing the two. I'm pointing out that people's rankings are based on potential when refering to Zacha, yet based on AHL performance in terms of Hrabarenka. Keep in mind Tedenby was in the WJC also and people had him ranked as #1 for a few years til he basically flopped out.

You can't have it both ways. Either this ranking is based on current accomplishments or based on future potential. Which is it?

It's always based on potential! Why do Hrabarenka's current accomplishments mean less than Wood's current accomplishments? Because Wood is doing it at a lower level? Because Hrabarenka is somehow too old to be considered a prospect?

Age, accomplishments, and level of competition are all major factors in projecting a prospect's potential. That said there is simply no way that a 19 year old Prep School kid that played 4th line grinder minutes at the WJC is anywhere near the level (of projectability) of a 22 year old kid playing 1st pair minutes and putting up excellent numbers in the AHL. Different universe.

 

[MoonDragn]

It's always based on potential! Why do Hrabarenka's current accomplishments mean less than Wood's current accomplishments? Because Wood is doing it at a lower level? Because Hrabarenka is somehow too old to be considered a prospect?

Age, accomplishments, and level of competition are all major factors in projecting a prospect's potential. That said there is simply no way that a 19 year old Prep School kid that played 4th line grinder minutes at the WJC is anywhere near the level (of projectability) of a 22 year old kid playing 1st pair minutes and putting up excellent numbers in the AHL. Different universe.

I'm not comparing Zacha to Woods, I'm comparing Blandisi to Harabrenka. Just because Blandisi is an overager doesn't lessen his accomplishments. It is possible that Blandisi is a late bloomer, like Harabrenka.

As for projections, you never know. Kreider was only playing in high school when they drafted him. Look where he is now.

 

[JimEIV]

Just last year the reports I remember hearing was Hrabarenka wasn't a very good defender....We all saw how raw and undefined Helgeson was and he is further along than Hrabarenka. That doesn't mean and cannot grow into a good player, but from perspective it means he should be lower on the prospect chart...the guys we are looking now like Wood or Blandisi have accomplished a times more than Hrabarenka did when he was 19/20.