Prospect Info: Brett Bulmer Re-Signed (1 Year, 2 Way)

[Randy BoBandy]

Why we would ever draft a player like Bulmer in the second round is beyond me. He gets one last shot I guess.

 

[Victorious Secret]

Why we would ever draft a player like Bulmer in the second round is beyond me. He gets on last shot I guess.

To be fair. It was a weak part of the draft. There was only 5 solid NHLers in the following 12 picks. That's a low percentage for the 2nd round.

Come on, now.

 

[Nharris31]

Why we would ever draft a player like Bulmer in the second round is beyond me. He gets on last shot I guess.

They Wild like to draft grinders in the second round for some reason.

 

[Victorious Secret]

They Wild like to draft grinders in the second round for some reason.

Size. Plus, he had to have amazing character if the Wild drafted him, too.

 

[Avder]

Well I mean we kept rooting for him to make the team year after year for a while, so it's not like we weren't excited about him at one point.

 

[Circulartheory]

Why we would ever draft a player like Bulmer in the second round is beyond me. He gets one last shot I guess.

Well, Bulmer wasn't a out of the world pick in the 2nd round. 40 points in 65 games in his first WHL season is quite good for a powerforward. In addition, he produced at that rate while being 6-3 185lbs ish size - how much can he produce when he gets stronger (200lbs) and fills out that frame?

So there was alot of untapped potential for a 6-3 210lbs 2nd/3rd liner physical forward there.

But drafting isn't an exact science. You pick the tools and hope you can train them together. I guess Bulmer just never developed his offensive side of his game while suffering from numerous injuries over the years.

I'm fine with the pick in the context of picking at the exact moment on June 2010.

 

[saywut]

Why we would ever draft a player like Bulmer in the second round is beyond me. He gets one last shot I guess.

Lacked the skillset at the time. Didn't have Coyle, Nino, or Tuch. Was a bit of a reach but we got the player I wanted at #39 with the 56th pick(Johan Larsson). Didn't have many expectations, was surprised he got a look as a 19 year old, not surprised he hasn't managed to stick. Only a couple notable players that turned out much better around him.

 

[Nharris31]

Size. Plus, he had to have amazing character if the Wild drafted him, too.

They draft size over skill for some reason in the second round.
That's probably what I should have said in the first place.

 

[Nharris31]

Lacked the skillset at the time. Didn't have Coyle, Nino, or Tuch. Was a bit of a reach but we got the player I wanted at #39 with the 56th pick(Johan Larsson). Didn't have many expectations, was surprised he got a look as a 19 year old, not surprised he hasn't managed to stick. Only a couple notable players that turned out much better around him.

Larsson would be much better to have right now then Bulmer.

 

[Circulartheory]

They draft size over skill for some reason in the second round.
That's probably what I should have said in the first place.

But it isn't like he was some stumbling 6-5 enforcer void of all skill (Matt Kassian). He had size with room to fill out and decent enough skill to score 40 points in 65 games in his first WHL season. We were banking on the idea that as he grew stronger, so would his ability to create offense. We drafted him for his untapped potential.

I honestly don't find that idea of imagining him 4 years down the road as a 6-4 220lbs powerforward with 2nd/3rd line scoring upside that weird of a 2nd round pick at all.

Report from former Islanders NHL scout Michael Remmerde

Strengths: Decent shooting touch. Excellent puck in possession along the boards. Energetic and physical. Above average skater for his size.

Weaknesses: Needs to get stronger. Stickhandling and receiving passes isn't great. Defensive zone instincts aren't real good. Overall game is still a bit raw.

--

A big time late season riser. Lanky with a frame that projects well. Improved his stride quite a bit this season, so he's got that always very desirable package of size and skating. Quick, accurate release on his wrist shot. But overall his hands are only so-so.

Excellent on the low cycle, has a knack for protecting the puck despite overall lack of strength. Good vision when he's working the low boards or behind the net and loves to dish to the slot with the backhand pass. Started to show just a little bit of dynamic ability off the rush late in the season, but lateral quickness and stickhandling will need to improve for this to become a real strength in his game.

Competes and throws the body around pretty regularly. Not very effective physically yet, but the desire and the frame suggest his physical effectiveness could get much better in the future.

Summary: I think he's only begun to show what he can do. Still mostly projection, but he could have some 2nd line upside. This is a guy I'd love to steal with a 3rd, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. If I'm picking around 55th and he's available, I'd argue hard for him. Somewhat risky (seems like a boom-or-bust prospect to me) as a 2nd/3rd rounder, but provides more upside than the usual player you get in that 50-100 pick range.

Draft Day: I think he's a late riser on many NHL lists and could be in several teams 2nd round range. I won't be shocked if he goes as high as 40-50 overall. He becomes a serious steal anywhere after the 70th pick.

 

[thestonedkoala]

But it isn't like he was some stumbling 6-5 enforcer void of all skill (Matt Kassian).

Let's compare:

Matt Kassian drafted 57th overall, played 76 games in the NHL and had 4 goals, 1 assist for 5 points

Brett Bulmer drafted 39th overall, played 14 games in the NHL and has 0 goals and 3 assists for 3 points

As well, at the time, Matt Kassian did have a skill and that was punching people.

Kassian also at least netted the Wild a 6th round pick.

Minnesota has this weird obsession with power forwards that they simply cannot develop; Coyle, Bulmer, Bussieres, and then you have Gabriel and Greenway. How many more power forwards do you need and not develop?

 

[TaLoN]

How can you add Greenway when the Wild haven't even had TIME to develop him yet?

Also, I wouldn't call Gabriel a power forward... Power Forwards are expected to be players that can put up points.

 

[Circulartheory]

Let's compare:

Matt Kassian drafted 57th overall, played 76 games in the NHL and had 4 goals, 1 assist for 5 points

Brett Bulmer drafted 39th overall, played 14 games in the NHL and has 0 goals and 3 assists for 3 points

As well, at the time, Matt Kassian did have a skill and that was punching people.

Kassian also at least netted the Wild a 6th round pick.

Minnesota has this weird obsession with power forwards that they simply cannot develop; Coyle, Bulmer, Bussieres, and then you have Gabriel and Greenway. How many more power forwards do you need and not develop?

I didn't know I was in the minority on this one. Am I the only one thinking Matt Kassian was a worst pick of a 2nd rounder (at the time of their respective draft) than Bulmer? As in, if the draft was today, I would draft a 6-3 190lbs 40pt WHLer over a 6-4 6 point WHL enforcer.

For me, there are signs for Bulmer. Point production (40 points in 65 games), room of muscle growth (~20 pounds), puck protection, detailed praise from a NHL scout. Kassian was punching people.

I really didn't know I was a minority in this. I apologize for my insistence on this point then.

 

[Sharppi]

The obsession with size is odd. I believe that Greenway wasnt BPA, but is still a OK pick.

 

[Minnewildsota]

I didn't know I was in the minority on this one. Am I the only one thinking Matt Kassian was a worst pick of a 2nd rounder (at the time of their respective draft) than Bulmer? As in, if the draft was today, I would draft a 6-3 190lbs 40pt WHLer over a 6-4 6 point WHL enforcer.

For me, there are signs for Bulmer. Point production (40 points in 65 games), room of muscle growth (~20 pounds), puck protection, detailed praise from a NHL scout. Kassian was punching people.

I really didn't know I was a minority in this. I apologize for my insistence on this point then.

No I'm with you. Just had refused to reply until now. This site is getting more and more like the old Wild boards.

 

[BagHead]

I didn't know I was in the minority on this one. Am I the only one thinking Matt Kassian was a worst pick of a 2nd rounder (at the time of their respective draft) than Bulmer? As in, if the draft was today, I would draft a 6-3 190lbs 40pt WHLer over a 6-4 6 point WHL enforcer.

For me, there are signs for Bulmer. Point production (40 points in 65 games), room of muscle growth (~20 pounds), puck protection, detailed praise from a NHL scout. Kassian was punching people.

I really didn't know I was a minority in this. I apologize for my insistence on this point then.

I'm also with you, but didn't feel the need to post until now. The guy obviously had some skills and good size. He was always going to be a project, but there was lots of potential there. Often, those projects fail. Still a much better pick than Matt Kassian. I get the feeling that some of the people here think scouts should always know the future, but here's the thing: If they knew the future, these guys would be billionaires, not NHL scouts!

 

[123TripleDoge]

Minnesota has this weird obsession with power forwards that they simply cannot develop; Coyle, Bulmer, Bussieres, and then you have Gabriel and Greenway. How many more power forwards do you need and not develop?

This is such a loaded / flawed post.

How is it a weird obsession? We didn't even draft Coyle, for one. Bulmer looked like a good pick and most were excited for him when he got a taste of the NHL (he looked pretty good too), then got railroaded by injuries.

The Wild, and other teams, pick all sorts of players. Should the Wild just stop picking bigger forwards because some second rounders didn't work out? Should they purposely avoid guys with size? You always complain that can't develop goal scorers, so would you rather have a two way big body guy or a weak guy who can't score?


As far as the drafts trend to go, GMCF certainly goes to the safer route usually, but hindsight is always 20/20.

 

[Saga of the Elk]

I think it's a flawed strategy to ever draft a kid in the third round or higher who is less than a point-per-game in his draft year in the CHL. It's not hard to believe that Tyler Toffoli is looking like a very good player in the NHL and Brett Bulmer is a very good inline hockey player who's probably done with this organization after this season. Opportunity costs are real.

 

[Randy BoBandy]

I think it's a flawed strategy to ever draft a kid in the third round or higher who is less than a point-per-game in his draft year in the CHL. It's not hard to believe that Tyler Toffoli is looking like a very good player in the NHL and Brett Bulmer is a very good inline hockey player who's probably done with this organization after this season. Opportunity costs are real.

This is what I'm talking about. Skill is what you have to go for in the early rounds. For some reason we like to go for "if we are lucky they could be a third liner" in the second. That whole strategy is idiotic to me. Role players like him can be signed for under a million dollars on the open market. Don't waste draft assets on players like him ever. Mike Santorelli just signed for 870k in UFA. That is what you do to fill the third/fourth line. You don't draft them in the 2nd round.

I think skill should be the most important thing when drafting a player. He has skill, hopefully he develops size/toughness... Not the other way around. It doesn't work that way.

 

[Nharris31]

This is what I'm talking about. Skill is what you have to go for in the early rounds. For some reason we like to go for "if we are lucky they could be a third liner" in the second. That whole strategy is idiotic to me. Role players like him can be signed for under a million dollars on the open market. Don't waste draft assets on players like him ever. Mike Santorelli just signed for 870k in UFA. That is what you do to fill the third/fourth line. You don't draft them in the 2nd round.

I think skill should be the most important thing when drafting a player. He has skill, hopefully he develops size/toughness... Not the other way around. It doesn't work that way.

Exactly.

 

[Al Lagoon]

This is what I'm talking about. Skill is what you have to go for in the early rounds. For some reason we like to go for "if we are lucky they could be a third liner" in the second. That whole strategy is idiotic to me. Role players like him can be signed for under a million dollars on the open market. Don't waste draft assets on players like him ever. Mike Santorelli just signed for 870k in UFA. That is what you do to fill the third/fourth line. You don't draft them in the 2nd round.

I think skill should be the most important thing when drafting a player. He has skill, hopefully he develops size/toughness... Not the other way around. It doesn't work that way.

I'm down with that too.

 

[BagHead]

This is what I'm talking about. Skill is what you have to go for in the early rounds. For some reason we like to go for "if we are lucky they could be a third liner" in the second. That whole strategy is idiotic to me. Role players like him can be signed for under a million dollars on the open market. Don't waste draft assets on players like him ever. Mike Santorelli just signed for 870k in UFA. That is what you do to fill the third/fourth line. You don't draft them in the 2nd round.

I think skill should be the most important thing when drafting a player. He has skill, hopefully he develops size/toughness... Not the other way around. It doesn't work that way.

Hm. I agree with the main point of your post, "draft for skill". Skill should be the deciding factor when choosing between players of similar ranking. Picking "safe" often times ends up meaning that you're picking the worse player, because you took the guy with the physical tools, but that guy was also the one lacking skill or hockey sense. Think Colton Gillies and Benoit Pouliot. You're absolutely right that the other way around doesn't work.

I disagree that we have been drafting for the third line in the 2nd round. Bulmer was projected as a big middle six player who could agitate and score. Larsson was projected as a 2nd or 3rd line center, and looks to be on track. Zucker was projected as a 3rd line speedster/agitator (oddly enough, he ended up looking like the scorer out of that bunch). Mario Lucia was projected as a 2nd line scorer. Raphael Bussieres was projected as a 3rd liner that could score and agitate (similar upside to Zucker at the time selected). Gustav Olofsson has 2nd pairing upside. Jordan Greenway is a huge body that has 1st line upside, but that's an outside chance. The problem with him isn't a lack of skill, but more that nobody really knows what he is due to inconsistency, which is why he fell out of the 1st round.

Out of all those guys, Zucker and Bussieres are really the only ones that match your accusations of "third liner if we're lucky". Some people thought even then that those two had 2nd line upside.

In the 2nd we have drafted guys with size or speed that can agitate (maybe tenacity is a better word), play well defensively, and usually have 2nd line upside. That's what we pick in the 2nd round.

 

[saywut]

Larsson would be much better to have right now then Bulmer.

Well yeah, Larsson's always been the superior player. Buffalo likely doesn't trade us Pominville if its Bulmer in place of Larsson.

Let's compare:

Matt Kassian drafted 57th overall, played 76 games in the NHL and had 4 goals, 1 assist for 5 points

Brett Bulmer drafted 39th overall, played 14 games in the NHL and has 0 goals and 3 assists for 3 points

As well, at the time, Matt Kassian did have a skill and that was punching people.

Kassian also at least netted the Wild a 6th round pick.

Minnesota has this weird obsession with power forwards that they simply cannot develop; Coyle, Bulmer, Bussieres, and then you have Gabriel and Greenway. How many more power forwards do you need and not develop?

Kassian was a different regime. Coyle's developing(hindering him having to play center IMO), too early to tell with everyone else except Bulmer I guess.

The obsession with size is odd. I believe that Greenway wasnt BPA, but is still a OK pick.

Its not odd at all.

I didn't know I was in the minority on this one. Am I the only one thinking Matt Kassian was a worst pick of a 2nd rounder (at the time of their respective draft) than Bulmer? As in, if the draft was today, I would draft a 6-3 190lbs 40pt WHLer over a 6-4 6 point WHL enforcer.

For me, there are signs for Bulmer. Point production (40 points in 65 games), room of muscle growth (~20 pounds), puck protection, detailed praise from a NHL scout. Kassian was punching people.

I really didn't know I was a minority in this. I apologize for my insistence on this point then.

Kassian's the worst value pick the Wild have made in their existence IMO. Sure we've had 1st rounders who've played less games in this league but at least they had upside at the time. Kassian was an average skater which is good for his size and could fight. Not much of a hockey player.

I think it's a flawed strategy to ever draft a kid in the third round or higher who is less than a point-per-game in his draft year in the CHL. It's not hard to believe that Tyler Toffoli is looking like a very good player in the NHL and Brett Bulmer is a very good inline hockey player who's probably done with this organization after this season. Opportunity costs are real.

Disagree, players can be buried on good teams or struggle to produce on weak teams against players 2 years older than them. Plenty of examples in that 2010 2nd round that have accomplished less than Bulmer despite outproducing him at the CHL level in 09-10.

 

[DANOZ28]

last chance for bulmer, when we drafted him he was big & mean. just didnt pan out into a producer thats big & mean. oh well.

 

[TaLoN]

Picking "safe" often times ends up meaning that you're picking the worse player, because you took the guy with the physical tools, but that guy was also the one lacking skill or hockey sense. Think Colton Gillies and Benoit Pouliot.

Pouliot was nothing even close to picking "safe". That was a pure skill pick through and through. The ONLY reason he failed was because he didn't have the desire to be the player his skill said he should be. He ended up being lazy.

Colton Gillies was absolutely a safe pick through and through, exact opposite of Pouliot.