News Article: Balanced prospect pool paying dividends for San Jose Sharks

[Barrie22]

Looking at what a prospect ends up doing once they're an NHLer against what was expected of them would be interesting. But that shouldn't have anything to do with an orgs prospect rankings since the simple fact that the player has cemented themselves as an NHLer (usually by a specified number of games played) means they are no longer a prospect.

the way it is right now, means that looking at the prospect pool rankings is just pointless. which they are right now.

how many years in a row now have the sharks apparently had the worst prospect pool in the league? atleast the past 3 years if my memory serves me right

but yet the sharks keep having players push there ways onto the big club. and most of them in top roles on the team, not just the run of the mill bottom 6 forwards.

 

[OrrNumber4]

Who cares about the prospect rankings? Funniest post on Hfboards, at least in a while, was when a poster was freaking about the Sharks's place in the rankings. I was confused; I thought he meant record, and was like "the Sharks lead the division". The poster was like, no, the "PROSPECT RANKINGS"! The poster then proposed that the Sharks trade for picks and prospects to remedy the situation.

The point of the game isn't to collect the shiniest, best, youngest, prospects.

 

[hockeyball]

Who cares about the prospect rankings? Funniest post on Hfboards, at least in a while, was when a poster was freaking about the Sharks's place in the rankings. I was confused; I thought he meant record, and was like "the Sharks lead the division". The poster was like, no, the "PROSPECT RANKINGS"! The poster then proposed that the Sharks trade for picks and prospects to remedy the situation.

The point of the game isn't to collect the shiniest, best, youngest, prospects.

Tell that to Lowe.

 

[do0glas]

I think we have a fundamental disagreement then. A prospect that pushes his way into an nhl lineup regularly should weigh in on the clubs ranking. Obviously he was a better prospect than his peers, no?

Secondly there should be a team weight based on previous 3-5 years standings. A team like the oilers or flames would get less points because their lineup should be easier to crack.

That's an over simplification. But maybe number of Vets over 27 could play in too. Long term contracts etc.

I don't put a lot of stock on the rankings. It mostly annoys me that it could be done a lot more scientifically.

If I really want a look at how my team develops it's prospects that ranking is useless to me.

 

[sr228]

I think we have a fundamental disagreement then. A prospect that pushes his way into an nhl lineup regularly should weigh in on the clubs ranking. Obviously he was a better prospect than his peers, no?

Secondly there should be a team weight based on previous 3-5 years standings. A team like the oilers or flames would get less points because their lineup should be easier to crack.

That's an over simplification. But maybe number of Vets over 27 could play in too. Long term contracts etc.

I don't put a lot of stock on the rankings. It mostly annoys me that it could be done a lot more scientifically.

If I really want a look at how my team develops it's prospects that ranking is useless to me.

Of course it's useless if you're wanting to know how a team develops it's prospects because a majority of the prospects in these rankings haven't actually joined (and in several cases even signed a contract) their NHL clubs (or their AHL affiliates) yet.

Ranking a group of 17-22ish year olds as a group is pretty meaningless, I don't argue that at all and no one should ever look at these ranking as anything other then someone's opinion on the projections of those players which is why I don't have a problem with how they go about it.

 

[zombie kopitar]

Abeltshauser geez, I don't know how a 6'5 German defenseman can look any less intimidating haha. I think he will be a good bottom pairing defenseman in a few years though, probably will replace Stuart.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

Who cares about the prospect rankings? Funniest post on Hfboards, at least in a while, was when a poster was freaking about the Sharks's place in the rankings. I was confused; I thought he meant record, and was like "the Sharks lead the division". The poster was like, no, the "PROSPECT RANKINGS"! The poster then proposed that the Sharks trade for picks and prospects to remedy the situation.

The point of the game isn't to collect the shiniest, best, youngest, prospects.

You just summed up HFboards...in which 27 is washed up and 32 is old.

 

[sr228]

You just summed up HFboards...in which 27 is washed up and 32 is old.

And a draft pick is more valuable then a regular NHL player.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

And a draft pick is more valuable then a regular NHL player.

Exactly

 

[210]

Also, I really, really hope Gogol isn't in the org long enough to ever see a minute of NHL time.

I can't see how it's even possible.

 

[210]

Great stuff. Only gripe is I'm pretty sure Viedensky is Slovakian, not Czech.

He is...

 

[CanadienShark]

This sounds more exciting then Mueller:

That kind of reminds me of Subban years ago.

 

[SJeasy]

You can compare prospect rankings to draft retrospectives which are frequently done by many. TSN has been doing them for years with Cullen and has been publishing them yearly right around the time of the draft. I have done one.

My take is that over time and even now that the Sharks are in the top 15 teams in retrospective performance. There are teams that are horrific with drafting. Edmonton is a great case study. They had a blip in competitiveness in the the first half of the 00's. It coincided with a decent stretch of secondary drafting immediately prior. That secondary drafting performance has returned to the bottom of the porcelain bowl and is reflected in their ability to compete. A few teams that have been horrific over time are Florida, Carolina and Winnipeg. Toronto and St. Louis had long stretches of horrors that have been somewhat corrected.

 

[Juxtaposer]

Tell that to Lowe.

Tell that to Vaasa.

 

[whlscowt]

Thanks for all the kind words and corrections (DURRRRR that was such a stupid mistake I made with Viedensky) I was away on holidays and it's such an amazing feeling to come back to see these comments--you guys are way too kind.

Another good write up Craig!

I know you haven't been shy about being a huge fan of Brodzinski but the comment about him being the first from the 2013 draft to make the NHL is bold. I've been lucky enough to be able to watch 3 Minnesota games so far and while his offensive skills and instincts are undeniable he's a huge adventure everywhere else on the ice.

He's in a very good position to learn how to play sound, positional defense and how to pick his spots better playing for Lucia and I'm looking forward to seeing big improvements in that part of his game. Boom or bust is a very accurate description for him.

Joakim Ryan has taken a decent sized step forward in his all around play so far from what I understand. Not sure he's going to be an NHLer (or even signed once he's done with college) but I've been told he's been great.

Also, I really, really hope Gogol isn't in the org long enough to ever see a minute of NHL time.

I agree with everything you said. Brodzi's been playing a lot better defensively the last two games--so maybe we're already seeing some coaching taking effect. His decision to play for the U of M was a really solid move for his career. Prospect coaching is one of the most under appreciated elements in the whole prospectin' game. Look at Nieto with York--the guy was drafted as a defensive liability. He's not a shutdown forward by any means but he's looked decent. And then there's guys like Tierney with Hunter who blossom into these beasts under the strong tutelage of a master.

Ryan's looked REALLY good. I'm still a bit unsure how I feel about ECAC hockey, but he's really stood out in the games I've watched.

I like Gogol. I don't know why. He's not that great, but I like the way he plays. He's got a lot of heart. Him getting called up would be unlikely, but I guess what I was trying to get at by saying what I did, was that the other more promising players in that group are still a ways away.