Prospect Info: Caps Top Prospects General Discussion Thread Vol. 1

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twabby

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Mar 9, 2010
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I don't watch prospects because I don't have time for it, but what are we looking at as a realistic NHL outcome for McMichael given his D+1 season to date? Top 6? Future #1 C? And who are some of his comparables?
 

Langway

In den Wolken
Jul 7, 2006
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Maybe something like a mix between Couture, Guentzel & William Karlsson if he continues to maximize his skill set. A safer projection might be something like a more complete Vrana or a player like McCann. It's just junior and all that but he does seem to have the ability to carry his team on a fairly consistent basis. It's been a really big jump from his draft year but the trajectory looks pretty special.
 

Sam Spade

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May 4, 2009
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I don't watch prospects because I don't have time for it, but what are we looking at as a realistic NHL outcome for McMichael given his D+1 season to date? Top 6? Future #1 C? And who are some of his comparables?

I read this after he was drafted and obviously before he started going insane this season. Good breakdown of his game and his potential. Also includes links to others assessments if you are so inclined.

Scouting the NHL Draft: Connor McMichael is the home run swing for the Tampa Bay Lightning
 
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Sam Spade

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Pronman has Protas as the highest early riser of the 2019 class in his latest Athletic article.

His take on McMichael in a reader response as to why he wasn't a "riser":

Marginally I would say yes. He's torching it right now obviously and has been impressive overall. In terms of significantly improving his NHL stock, not sure the skating has improved enough.
 

TheFountainhead

Red Nation
Sep 8, 2008
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His skating looked very solid to me during the preseason. Kinda reminds me of when the predraft scuttlebutt around Varna knocked his skating (Button gave Vrana a 3/5 during his draft on that front). Was obviously nonsense in Vrana’s case, and while it’s not quite that egregious, I think the McMichael criticism is invalid as well.
 
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tenken00

Oh it's going down in Chinatown
Jan 29, 2010
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Fehervary I get and McMichael I know. Who is Viper?

Why, baby Viper is the scoring leader right now in the whole WHL :nod:


In Protas, the Capitals have a young player who Habscheid said has the hockey intelligence to play in the NHL right now.

"If it was just based on hockey IQ, he could play right now," he said. "He's that smart."

He also has a very cool nickname that the Capitals fans will learn to love: 'The Viper.'


The story of how he got his nickname is also legendary.

"It's a Don Cherry night where we had to wear Don Cherry themed jerseys," Habscheid said. "Part of the thing was to put your nickname on the back. He didn't really have one, we just called him 'Alex.' But his [hockey] billet just decided to put 'Viper' on there. He was like 'what is Viper?' He didn't know, but he was such a good sport about it. Just a good guy. As good of a player as he is, he's just an awesome kid. He's a special kid, he really is. He's a good kid. He's a really good teammate; he fits in with the guys. The guys loved him. he fit into the dressing room really well, and that says a lot about him."

 
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txpd

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Jan 25, 2003
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So, he is not a quick strike like Viper. I see....He could be....
Dodge_Viper_car.jpg
 

tenken00

Oh it's going down in Chinatown
Jan 29, 2010
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So, he is not a quick strike like Viper. I see....He could be....
Dodge_Viper_car.jpg

That works. I get the same feeling when I see the Dodge Viper as when I see this:

Screenshot_20191125-133512_Chrome.jpg



Smooth and slick and yet EXTREMELY powerful at 6'5 inches and 645 horsepower

Edit: I actually have no idea how smooth and slick he is or isn't. I'm just the hype man.
 
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Hivemind

We're Touched
Oct 8, 2010
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Maybe something like a mix between Couture, Guentzel & William Karlsson if he continues to maximize his skill set. A safer projection might be something like a more complete Vrana or a player like McCann. It's just junior and all that but he does seem to have the ability to carry his team on a fairly consistent basis. It's been a really big jump from his draft year but the trajectory looks pretty special.
Don't see the Vrana comparison, but the other names all make sense to me. It's obviously still optimistic, but hard to ask much more from a D+1 season than McMichael is doing right now.
 

Langway

In den Wolken
Jul 7, 2006
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Don't see the Vrana comparison, but the other names all make sense to me. It's obviously still optimistic, but hard to ask much more from a D+1 season than McMichael is doing right now.
More the hands/finishing aspect of Vrana than his speed. That said, there's very little likelihood CMM is done maturing physically. He's maybe not a burner like Foudy right now but, y'know, hockey sense. He's going to need to continue to dominate to belong up in a Marner type category as a prospect. I'm not sure he's there really...but he is a hell of a finisher at that level and I believe in his IQ. Both CMM & Protas displayed an impressive level of craftiness and IQ in their first pre-season stints...something we haven't seen in a while in a forward. Their physical maturity will only improve, it's just a matter of how much but even at 18 they showed a lot of promise re: their sense.
 
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CapitalsCupReality

It’s Go Time!!
Feb 27, 2002
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His skating looked very solid to me during the preseason. Kinda reminds me of when the predraft scuttlebutt around Varna knocked his skating (Button gave Vrana a 3/5 during his draft on that front). Was obviously nonsense in Vrana’s case, and while it’s not quite that egregious, I think the McMichael criticism is invalid as well.

well hell if his skating is as “bad” as Vrana, we’re good.
 

Futures Passed

Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy.
Sep 2, 2018
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For what it’s worth, after the draft McMichael mentioned he saw himself as a two way center and patterned his game off of Horvat and Monahan.
 

HTFN

Registered User
Feb 8, 2009
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The guy that sticks out to me is Brayden Point, as comparables go. Maybe needs to shore up the defense a little to justify it, but otherwise crafty and well-rounded center with a smaller frame who seems equally capable of being a goal scorer or distributor and is more impressive for his IQ than a propensity for flash, even if they’re still talented.
 
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Jacoby4HOF66

Pull my finger
Mar 13, 2009
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Pronman has Protas as the highest early riser of the 2019 class in his latest Athletic article.

Pronman: Biggest risers from the 2019 NHL Draft

Aliaksei Protas, C, Washington
Drafted: No. 91 overall
Protas is the top early riser from the 2019 draft. He’s been a leading scorer in the WHL, second in the league as of this writing. It’s not just his points that intrigue, though. It’s the vision, shot and size I saw last season; coupled with more confidence with the puck, a more well-rounded game where he attacks the middle and plays tough minutes, and a much-improved skating stride. I thought his skating was fringe pro quality last season; Prince Albert’s coach Marc Habscheid called it almost NHL quality when I talked to him a few weeks ago. I know some scouts who disagree with that, but it’s clear he’s made strides in that area, which has led to his significant improvement as a prospect.
 

tenken00

Oh it's going down in Chinatown
Jan 29, 2010
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Pronman: Biggest risers from the 2019 NHL Draft

Aliaksei Protas, C, Washington
Drafted: No. 91 overall
Protas is the top early riser from the 2019 draft. He’s been a leading scorer in the WHL, second in the league as of this writing. It’s not just his points that intrigue, though. It’s the vision, shot and size I saw last season; coupled with more confidence with the puck, a more well-rounded game where he attacks the middle and plays tough minutes, and a much-improved skating stride. I thought his skating was fringe pro quality last season; Prince Albert’s coach Marc Habscheid called it almost NHL quality when I talked to him a few weeks ago. I know some scouts who disagree with that, but it’s clear he’s made strides in that area, which has led to his significant improvement as a prospect.

I remember after the draft seeing that his skating ability is the single biggest weakness that Protas had. This is huge.
 

Futures Passed

Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy.
Sep 2, 2018
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low bar....
Hey, I hope you're right. If that's his floor though, I'll be pretty darn happy honestly. Monahan had strong possession numbers, a 51.1% face-off %, 34 goals, and 82 points in 78 games at the age of 24 last season. He had two prior 31 goal seasons. Bozak is quite a nice two-way center in his own right. It gives us a sense of how Connor views his own playing style more than anything though.

If the bar is much higher than that, then we are talking about a new core member of the franchise. Either way, I'm enthusiastic about his two-way potential and face off abilities as well. It's not just Backstrom's offense that we'll need to replace down the line. I see Connor as more of a goal scorer than an elite playmaker though. I think he'll be fine as a second line quality passer- but I see him more as a goal scoring center. It would be pretty sweet to have a thirtyish goal-scoring, second line quality, two-way center though. For me, anything after that is just gravy.
 
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