Brett Connolly: Why the hype

[Qubax]

Many people consider this guy the 3rd best Forward, despite missing almost the entire season...

So what is the book on this kid?

What makes many believe he would be so good had he stayed healthy.

Is Connolly a future injury risk?

What is his upside as a pro?

Any and all responses appreciated....

Click to read more...

 

[iCanada]

Big frame, good foot speed, overpowers your average WHL defender. At 16 (last year) he led his team in points/goals, and was the first player to score 30 goals in the WHL at 16 years of age since Patrick Marleau in 1996.

From the game i saw him play, he looks a lot like Devin Setogutchi, and with his first year numbers he definitely has the potential to be the same quality player. Helps that he is the best WHL forward of the draft.

As for proffesional opinions:
“He puts the puck in the net, he's got good size, great on-ice awareness. He's not a crasher or a banger, but he finishes his checks. He does everything well." -Peter Sullivan (NHL central Scouting)

"Brett is a very gifted player and it's too bad we haven't been able to see more of him this season because of his injury. Brett can take over a game with his skill and puck control and he's also a very intelligent player. He has always been a dependable player at both ends of the ice, whether it be five-on-five or on special teams and he's a real competitive kid. When the game is on the line, he wants to be out there to make a difference." -Head coach Dean Clark

As for injury risk, i got nothing.

 

[Qubax]

Wow, very thoughtful and thorough response...I appreciate it.

I've heard comparisons to Dany Heatley too...although I haven't seen the kid play myself

 

[IFK]

Many people consider this guy the 3rd best Forward, despite missing almost the entire season...

So what is the book on this kid?

What makes many believe he would be so good had he stayed healthy.

Is Connolly a future injury risk?

What is his upside as a pro?

Any and all responses appreciated....

I don't understand this hype at all. Brett Connolly has 1 points in this U18 championships, McFarland have 3 points, Howden have 2 points and Gudbranson have 0 points. They all have estimated to be in first round in this years entry draft. There is also lot of other guys how have estimated to be in very high in the draft. Still many don't doupt them and think they should be in a first round. Canada was one of the best team in this tournament and they do nothing here, they suck in big time.

In U20 championship Mikael Granlund was best in points in crap Finnish team, he was injury almost 1,5 month before in that tournament and he wasn't even close in his best. Still many think after that tournament that he shouldn't be in first round or at least he shouldn't be in top 10. Mikael Granlund has one of the best all time points whole europe in premier league in that age and also 1 PPG in playoffs. If you think that's not good because FNL sucks, you can half his points and still he is high in whole europe premier league's all time records, examble better points than MPS has last year?

 

[Vasilevskiy]

I don't understand this hype at all. Brett Connolly has 1 points in this U18 championships, McFarland have 3 points, Howden have 2 points and Gudbranson have 0 points. They all have estimated to be in first round in this years entry draft. There is also lot of other guys how have estimated to be in very high in the draft. Still many don't doupt them and think they should be in a first round. Canada was one of the best team in this tournament and they do nothing here, they suck in big time.

In U20 championship Mikael Granlund was best in points in crap Finnish team, he was injury almost 1,5 month before in that tournament and he wasn't even close in his best. Still many think after that tournament that he shouldn't be in first round or at least he shouldn't be in top 10. Mikael Granlund has one of the best all time points whole europe in premier league in that age and also 1 PPG in playoffs. If you think that's not good because FNL sucks, you can half his points and still he is high in whole europe premier league's all time records, examble better points than MPS has last year?

That's allright man but this is about Connolly, not about Granlund.

 

[bottomofthefoodchain]

Missing an entire year because of injury should mean he's basically at the same level he was a year ago, no? I guess it's safe to say he'll get sent back to the juniors after being drafted.

 

[IFK]

That's allright man but this is about Connolly, not about Granlund.

Yes, but i don't understand how you act when is Canadian players suck big time or when other nationality player plays better than ok lot of better tournament than this. These Canadian "possible" 1 round draft players play against players who are same age or younger and still you just say, ooh, this was just bad torunament, we don't have our best players etc.? If Brett Connolly have estimated to go first round, i think he should make more points than 1 even he was blind and he don't have legs.

 

[wej20]

I don't understand this hype at all. Brett Connolly has 1 points in this U18 championships, McFarland have 3 points, Howden have 2 points and Gudbranson have 0 points. They all have estimated to be in first round in this years entry draft. There is also lot of other guys how have estimated to be in very high in the draft. Still many don't doupt them and think they should be in a first round. Canada was one of the best team in this tournament and they do nothing here, they suck in big time.

In U20 championship Mikael Granlund was best in points in crap Finnish team, he was injury almost 1,5 month before in that tournament and he wasn't even close in his best. Still many think after that tournament that he shouldn't be in first round or at least he shouldn't be in top 10. Mikael Granlund has one of the best all time points whole europe in premier league in that age and also 1 PPG in playoffs. If you think that's not good because FNL sucks, you can half his points and still he is high in whole europe premier league's all time records, examble better points than MPS has last year?

One tournament doesn't make or break their draft position.

 

[james30]

Brett Connolly is ranked so high based on his last year's play. He has size, but has injury issues this year. Rankings are based on potential into the NHL.

 

[Cardiac Jerks]

All I can say is with that hip injury I wouldn't want to touch him unless I'm a team with a well-stocked cupboard of prospects who can afford the risk. Very high risk/high reward player.

 

[james30]

And Sequin has a weakness in his groins and he is going 1st or 2nd overall. He said that in a you tube video www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkHw81fq41E around the 1:15 minute mark.

 

[pld459666]

.

And Sequin has a weakness in his groins and he is going 1st or 2nd overall.

sore groin is one thing.

Missing basically 80% of the season due to a hip injury is something totally different.

 

[speedway]

Injuries heal.

 

[nowayguy]

Injuries heal.

and sometimes they don't.

 

[The Pucks]

I don't understand this hype at all. Brett Connolly has 1 points in this U18 championships, McFarland have 3 points, Howden have 2 points and Gudbranson have 0 points. They all have estimated to be in first round in this years entry draft. There is also lot of other guys how have estimated to be in very high in the draft. Still many don't doupt them and think they should be in a first round. Canada was one of the best team in this tournament and they do nothing here, they suck in big time.

In U20 championship Mikael Granlund was best in points in crap Finnish team, he was injury almost 1,5 month before in that tournament and he wasn't even close in his best. Still many think after that tournament that he shouldn't be in first round or at least he shouldn't be in top 10. Mikael Granlund has one of the best all time points whole europe in premier league in that age and also 1 PPG in playoffs. If you think that's not good because FNL sucks, you can half his points and still he is high in whole europe premier league's all time records, examble better points than MPS has last year?

You base your arguments on stats, but NHL scouts look at things like skating, hand skills, physical play, size, puck smarts, desire.

You dont have to be statistically better to be the better pro prospect.

 

[Roof Daddy]

Injuries heal.

Exactly. Fans of the NFL will understand perfectly when I say the name Adrian Peterson. Was a top 3 talent in his draft year, fell to number 7. Arguably the most dynamic back in football.

Another example (that is horribly painful for me), is my Oilers at the 03 draft. They were worried about Parise's concussion problems, New Jersey wasn't.

Bottom line is I'm sure all scouts have access to every piece of medical info regarding these prospects, as well as their own team Doctors to confer with. If Connolly is ranked top 5 I think it's safe to say the injury doesn't look like a chronic one.

 

[The Pucks]

sore groin is one thing.

Missing basically 80% of the season due to a hip injury is something totally different.

In this case it was originally a poor diagnosis, the did pretty much worthless physio to try and get him back, then they relied on to the player to tell them when he was ready. He came back to soon, got hurt again right away and they finally sent him to a groin specialist who diagnosed a hip flexor. If the diagnosis was correct during the 1st injury he should have been back in 6-8 weeks with no lingering problems.

A poor job by his team, but also a learning experience.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I don't understand this hype at all. Brett Connolly has 1 points in this U18 championships, McFarland have 3 points, Howden have 2 points and Gudbranson have 0 points. They all have estimated to be in first round in this years entry draft. There is also lot of other guys how have estimated to be in very high in the draft. Still many don't doupt them and think they should be in a first round. Canada was one of the best team in this tournament and they do nothing here, they suck in big time.

In U20 championship Mikael Granlund was best in points in crap Finnish team, he was injury almost 1,5 month before in that tournament and he wasn't even close in his best. Still many think after that tournament that he shouldn't be in first round or at least he shouldn't be in top 10. Mikael Granlund has one of the best all time points whole europe in premier league in that age and also 1 PPG in playoffs. If you think that's not good because FNL sucks, you can half his points and still he is high in whole europe premier league's all time records, examble better points than MPS has last year?

Not sure why Gudbranson's point total is a point of comparison to the other guys, him being a defenseman and all.

Not to suggest he's having a good tournament (I haven't seen any games), but it seems a bit disingenuous to list his point total in comparison to forwards as some sort of "he's not doing anything" insinuation.

 

[DuklaNation]

I need to see more of him but I feel he is far away from any impact status.

Finns are always trying to hijack threads to pump up their biased opinions. Scouting is about projection not the present.

 

[Sore Loser]

Brett Connolly is ranked so high based on his last year's play. He has size, but has injury issues this year. Rankings are based on potential into the NHL.

This.

Connolly was so good as a 16 year old that he turned alot of a heads, and thus he's ranked so highly for this year's NHL draft. He projects as a top-line forward at the NHL level, and if his injury heals he will still do that.

I do agree, however, that his injury should hamper his position a little - but is it possible that if he wasn't injured his projected position would be higher?

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

well, I think the right way to think of it is that Brett Connolly was expected to be the third forward taken heading into the U18 tourney. Lets wait to see how things change afterwards.

 

[bottomofthefoodchain]

I doubt this tournament will have negative on any players draft ranking. But looking at the entire season, Jeff Skinner seems to be a better pick as far as high risk/high reward players go.

 

[speedway]

and sometimes they don't.

I think that a hip specialist is the most qualified person to make that judgement. He likely came back too soon from his original injury ('too soon" meaning, before his particular injury was 100%, not what lay people think is the "proper" time limit for a hip flexor strain. If it was a Grade 3 strain, healing time is significant) this does not mean that his injury has destroyed his body for life or that it will become chronic.

 

[periferal]

Exactly. Fans of the NFL will understand perfectly when I say the name Adrian Peterson. Was a top 3 talent in his draft year, fell to number 7. Arguably the most dynamic back in football.

Another example (that is horribly painful for me), is my Oilers at the 03 draft. They were worried about Parise's concussion problems, New Jersey wasn't.

Bottom line is I'm sure all scouts have access to every piece of medical info regarding these prospects, as well as their own team Doctors to confer with. If Connolly is ranked top 5 I think it's safe to say the injury doesn't look like a chronic one.

"Horribly painful" for you...?

I'm an Isles fan (where JP Parise played), and we had no worries about Zach's concussion problems...We just thought Robert Nilsson was a better player.

x 1,000,000

 

[IFK]

You base your arguments on stats, but NHL scouts look at things like skating, hand skills, physical play, size, puck smarts, desire.

You dont have to be statistically better to be the better pro prospect.

Of course, you have to look those, absolutely. But here was a lot of Canadians who dis Granlund because one tournament and that tournament wasn't U18, it was U20 world championship. Granlund get more than 1 PPG in crap team and he just coming in that tournament when he was almost 1,5 month injury, so he wasn't his best. Don't you see this turn of your speaking how these tournament's should influence to players ranks in draft rankings?

If possible early first rounder do only 1 point in this kind of tournament, you should think why he cant do more points against the same age and younger player. I believe NHL GM's will think this, maybe you don't. I think this tournament has shown that he is very risky pick to take early first round.