Best and Worst Personal "Finds"

[4thline]

Simple fun idea for a summer thread, what are some of the best and worse calls you made from impressions from live viewings, separate from media and scouting reports.

Two of my best now were Simmonds and Giordano when they were in Owen Sound,

worst was Kevin Dallman in Guelph, I was sure he was going to be a star.

Click to read more...

 

[CraigBillington]

In the flip side, I felt from viewings that Tyson Sexsmith as a Giant was never going to make it

 

[Juxtaposer]

I called Auston Matthews a future superstar almost two years ago. I don't think I'll ever get a better one.

 

[KingBrian]

Tyler Johnson in his second season in the whl

 

[FlamesFan18]

I thought Ryan White was going to be much better. After watching S Reinhart play the Hitmen over the years I have yet to be impressed with him.

 

[Pothier]

Best: Giroux early on in his rookie season with Gatineau. There was no doubt in my mind he was going to be a star.

Worst: Mark Mancari. I was convinced he was going to become a real solid power forward for Buffalo. Wayyy off on that one.

 

[jacobhockey13]

I called Auston Matthews a future superstar almost two years ago. I don't think I'll ever get a better one.

I've followed him since bantams and I was so excited when I saw your writeup raving about him. Even I could have never predicted this.

 

[McDNicks17]

I remember watching Jonas Brodin at the u18s and thinking his hockey sense should have had him ranked way higher than the late-ish 1st area he was at the time.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

I had Gaudreau in my 1st round in 2011 after seeing him dominate a friend of mine in the USHL.

I also thought Chad Denny was going to be a good defenseman. I'm not as good with the dmen

 

[Brock Radunske]

I thought Marcus Foligno was going to be a stud top line power forward.
I also thought Martin Frk was going to be a star.
What do I know?

 

[Boud]

I thought Mark Stone would never be a NHL regular because he was way too slow.

 

[stempniaksen]

I was convinced John Moore was going to be a great #2/#3 defenceman after watching him in Kitchener. He's still young-ish, so it's not too late for him to improve, but he's cetainly not trending towards that.

 

[PsYcNeT]

I remember watching Getzlaf with the Hitmen back in the day and wondering exactly how much ass he was going to kick at the pro level.

 

[KingTux]

On top of my head

I thought Louis Leblanc would be a solid 2/3 two-way center with grit
I thought Dan Carcillo would be the next Dale Hunter
Brett Connolly was a 100% failure territory.
I laughed when Ottawa drafted Karlsson in 08 and I was really piss when Calgary drafted Greg Nemisz with the pick Montreal traded for Alex Tanguay

I thought Gallagher was going to be a steal in 2010 draft
I really, really wanted Montreal to draft that American kid in 2009 named Kreider instead of Lebust. Im still piss about it.
I thought Larkin was at least a top-10 pick in 2014
I thought Columbus future would be insane after they got Filatov

 

[Keke]

I thought Jonatan Tanus would become a star

 

[Little Bobby Boo]

I wanted florida to trade the Ekblad pick to Vancouver, Philly or Winnipeg

 

[Mark Kandy]

I thought Jonathon Blum would become a superstar lol. During his junior years and also in his first season with Milwaukee in the AHL... then he busted.

My "best find" would be Mark Stone, I was convinced he'd become a beast even if he was drafted in the 6th round and he's finally becoming a pretty strong player.

 

[PB37]

Simple fun idea for a summer thread, what are some of the best and worse calls you made from impressions from live viewings, separate from media and scouting reports.

Two of my best now were Simmonds and Giordano when they were in Owen Sound,

worst was Kevin Dallman in Guelph, I was sure he was going to be a star.

You're not that wrong on Dallman. He may not have made it in the NHL, but he's been a stud in the KHL.

 

[Jaynki]

I was very high on Corey Perry and i always taught that Grigorenko was going to bust,i was so afraid that the habs draft him at 3rd overall in 2012 but i guess there was a reason he slided at 13th. I also fell in love with Tatar times ago during his WJC year.

On the other side, i expected Patrice Cormier to be a stud and tough middle six player

 

[KingTux]

I thought Jonathon Blum would become a superstar lol. During his junior years and also in his first season with Milwaukee in the AHL... then he busted.

My "best find" would be Mark Stone, I was convinced he'd become a beast even if he was drafted in the 6th round and he's finally becoming a pretty strong player.

Blum looked like quite the deal between 09-11. It is much a surprise he busted IMO

 

[Morgs]

I thought Nik Zherdev was the next best thing.

 

[cybresabre]

Simple fun idea for a summer thread, what are some of the best and worse calls you made from impressions from live viewings, separate from media and scouting reports.

Two of my best now were Simmonds and Giordano when they were in Owen Sound,

worst was Kevin Dallman in Guelph, I was sure he was going to be a star.

To be fair, Dallman is a star, just not in North America.

 

[Plastic Joseph]

I thought Nik Zherdev was the next best thing.

Ive heard some credible sources say that to this day he has the best hands a prospect ever had

 

[Brodeur]

Living in California, I don't get to see too many prospects live. But in recent years, I have been making an effort to visit friends and catch junior/college games.

I'm not sure I would call it a find per se, but I watched Michigan whenever they were on TV while Jon Merrill was there. So there were semi-frequent matchups against Michigan State. I liked what I saw out of Torey Krug there, but I can't say that I thought he was a surefire NHLer.

I caught a London/Plymouth game in person in November 2012. Domi/Zadorov were the heralded prospects, but I came away liking Bo Horvat more from that game. It was somewhat gratifying to see him steadily rise up the rankings that year.

The first junior game I saw live was a season opener in September 2009 between Portland and Seattle. Definitely was a humbling experience in pretending to be a pseudo-scout. I came away from the game liking Troy Rutkowski who'd end up being a 5th rounder at the 2010 Draft.

Meanwhile I completely missed some unheralded rookies in Ryan Johansen and Nino Niederreiter.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Saw Mike Comrie playing in the Viking Cup tournament as a 16 year old. I said to myself, "self, I think that kid is going to make the NHL". And he did.