Prospect Info: At 18th Overall the Winnipeg Jets Select C Chaz Lucius

[DRW204]

RH KC potentially. keep up the league-wide "brothers" theme and draft his bro Cruz next year

 

[kylbaz]

I like taking this calculated risk. Drafting is always a bit of a crap shoot so let’s pick the kid in the mid 1st round with the highest upside that has great work ethic.

Same. Good gamble especially for that spot in the draft.

 

[Jetsfan79]

Chaz has the potential to be a top 3 player in this draft but also the possibility of flopping. One of the biggest upsides in this draft but needs a lot of work.

That's where development becomes important. No way to prove this, but former players who flopped in the past may have not flopped if the Jets developed them. Admittedly that's a pretty arrogant statement, Nonetheless, I have always been a fan of the Jets developmental program. I'm confident they will produce the best version of Chaz Lucius

 

[DeepFrickinValue]

I don’t see the KC comparison except for shooting. KC is a speed demon.

 

[WiscoJet]

I don’t see the KC comparison except for shooting. KC is a speed demon.

I am going with Brock Boeser as a comp

 

[RustyCat]

That's where development becomes important. No way to prove this, but former players who flopped in the past may have not flopped if the Jets developed them. Admittedly that's a pretty arrogant statement, Nonetheless, I have always been a fan of the Jets developmental program. I'm confident they will produce the best version of Chaz Lucius

I don't think it is an arrogant statement at all. I genuinely believe the Jets development has been top tier. They spend a lot of time and effort on their assets and it shows.

 

[Flair Hay]

Watching some highlights last night, the first name that popped into my head was Jeff Carter. The video had one of his comps as Toffolli which made some sense as well. Either way, kid can snipe and seems pretty well rounded. Just needs a couple years to get bigger, faster, stronger like most.

 

[untouchable21]

Perhaps Justin Williams lite. Not the biggest nor the fastest, but a very cerebral player that has a knack for scoring clutch goals when his team needs it most.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

The title on this thread is just wrong. That seems to be the official description because Ari's pick was forfeited. But it is still a ridiculous misstatement of mathematical fact. He was the 17th player taken, even if he was chosen in the 18th slot. There were only 16 players selected before him.

Does it really matter? No, but it is irritating.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I gonna come clean guys...that JFresh Hockey Card is a fabrication.

 

[Jets 31]

Can't wait to yell Looooooooooooooo every time he scores.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

The forgotten prospect!!

One of

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Who's going to remind the Boomers that the cold war ended 32 years ago?

It has nothing to do with the cold war. It never had anything to do with the cold war - even during the cold war.

It was always about flight risk, especially from Winnipeg. Too much like home in Siberia.

We have had some interesting posts from people more familiar with Russia and the KHL suggesting that the fear of the flight risk is now outdated.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I'd be quite happy if that is the level of player he turns into.

A top 6 RW? Bring him on!

 

[untouchable21]

The title on this thread is just wrong. That seems to be the official description because Ari's pick was forfeited. But it is still a ridiculous misstatement of mathematical fact. He was the 17th player taken, even if he was chosen in the 18th slot. There were only 16 players selected before him.

Does it really matter? No, but it is irritating.

I agree. Leading up to the draft and during the draft I was referring to Winnipeg’s pick as pick #17. Just call it what it is, a 1st round with 31 picks. There, simple as that!

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I hope so! I think out of all eligible Jets prospects only Tyrell Bauer has little to no chance to make his team.

Johannesson will obviously need a fast start since he played 0 games in 20-21, but he's probably a lock to run their 1st or 2nd PP.

Torgersson should be a lock to make it, and should physically dominate that competition. I'm really keen to get a look at him vs the better teams in the WJC and betting that he'll shake the 'forgotten prospect' tag.

I think Perfetti only has a miniscule chance of playing WJC as the Jets will likely keep him at the pro level and not risk a Kirby Dach situation like last year.

Lucius should be there, but I guess if Kyle Connor can be snubbed after dominating the USHL, anything can happen. That said, he's a USNDP kid, so the big diss isn't likely.

Kuzmin will be running Belarus powerplay and likely their best overall player... if they're in the main tourney this year. I'm not sure what they're doing this year. Belarus wasn't in the main tourney last year and their D1A was cancelled so they had no chance to qualify.

Chibrikov will be there but may not get top 6 icetime until the following WJC

It seems like Jets will have safely have 3 players in the tourney, possibly 4 players, and maybe even 5 if Belarus is allowed to partake.

WJC is pretty good development and players are no more likely to get injured there than playing Jr or AHL. Teams sometimes release players even when they are on the NHL roster, if they are not being relied upon to compete.

If he is our full time 2LW, they will keep him out, but if not, they probably release him.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Looks like Calgary got a good one in Coronato too.

 

[ps241]

Looks like Calgary got a good one in Coronato too.

He looks really good and was one of the guys I liked coming into the draft.

 

[Whileee]

Digging a bit deeper to look at Lucius, it seems the main concern is his skating. In some ways, that mirrors the concerns about Perfetti. If either of them were top end skaters, they'd be elite level prospects.

With Lucius, I have a lot of confidence that he's been well-scouted, with the Jets' US super scout Max Giese on the case. He hasn't led the Jets astray on many US-based prospects.

Looking at the Jets roster, they do have a nice mix of high-end speed on their roster (Scheifele, Ehlers, Connor) and in the pipeline (Vesalainen and Torgersson are both big wingers who have good speed). Chibrikov is a strong skater who is strong in transition and zone entries. Perfetti can complement faster forwards with high end IQ and puck skills, and Lucius has high-end scoring instincts and talent.

The Jets could use a big, play-driving winger in their line-up as Wheeler winds down. Maybe Vesalainen or Torgersson can fill some of that role at some point. Chibrikov is also noted for his physical play and aggressiveness, and has been compared to Blake Coleman (with more playmaking and less scoring).

 

[JetsUK]

Lucious in at #22 in Wheeler's ranking:

NHL top 50 prospects, 2021 edition: Byfield, Caufield and Power headline Wheeler’s drafted skaters ranking

22. Chaz Lucius, C, 18 (Winnipeg Jets — 18th overall, 2021)
It was a weird draft year for Lucius and he’s going to have to stay healthy and prove some of the teams that passed on his uncertainty wrong with his play, but based on everything I know about his health and his skill level, I expect him to become an impactful goal-scoring forward (that may be at the wing but he is a natural center). His ability to shoot from a variety of stances, get his shots off quickly under pressure, get open and then create for himself with his hands when there isn’t a clear opportunity, are A-level tools that grade out among the best prospects in the sport in each category. But he’s also a sneaky-good playmaker who I suspect will offer more dimension in college (and beyond) than people expect.

 

[Whileee]

Lucious in at #22 in Wheeler's ranking:

NHL top 50 prospects, 2021 edition: Byfield, Caufield and Power headline Wheeler’s drafted skaters ranking

22. Chaz Lucius, C, 18 (Winnipeg Jets — 18th overall, 2021)
It was a weird draft year for Lucius and he’s going to have to stay healthy and prove some of the teams that passed on his uncertainty wrong with his play, but based on everything I know about his health and his skill level, I expect him to become an impactful goal-scoring forward (that may be at the wing but he is a natural center). His ability to shoot from a variety of stances, get his shots off quickly under pressure, get open and then create for himself with his hands when there isn’t a clear opportunity, are A-level tools that grade out among the best prospects in the sport in each category. But he’s also a sneaky-good playmaker who I suspect will offer more dimension in college (and beyond) than people expect.

This is very encouraging. It seems that Lucius tends to elicit a range of opinions from scouts, with some lower on him due to his skating, while others see a multi-dimensional offensive player. Suffice to say, I like the gamble on skill and hockey IQ, even without great skating, especially fitting into a Jets' line-up that will have a lot of strong skaters that can complement a player like Lucius. Going into the draft, I thought the Jets would do well if they could strengthen the right side of their forward group with skill, and with Lucius as a scorer and Chibrikov as a play-driver, it looks like it might turn out to be a good draft for the Jets.

 

[garret9]

That's where development becomes important. No way to prove this, but former players who flopped in the past may have not flopped if the Jets developed them. Admittedly that's a pretty arrogant statement, Nonetheless, I have always been a fan of the Jets developmental program. I'm confident they will produce the best version of Chaz Lucius

I can't say who, but there is a NHL team that their development position is if the players are worth it they will put in the work themselves, and essentially have no developmental system in place.

 

[SLAYER]

I can't say who, but there is a NHL team that their development position is if the players are worth it they will put in the work themselves, and essentially have no developmental system in place.

I knew Buffalo was bad but yikes!


EDIT: All joking aside, this is quite surprising to hear.

 

[Teemusalami204]

Mark my words chaz will carve out a way better career then perfetti.

This guy is the real deal

 

[bennylundholm]

Reminds me of Cam Neely.