Prospect Info: CHL, NCAA and European 2018-19 Prospects Thread II
- Thread starter Emperoreddy
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OmNomNom
Taco is Love, Taco is Life
Good question.
He didn't play 25 games this year, so he's still eligible to be a rookie next year by NHL rules.
Between Mac, Hughes and Smith it would be nice to have one of them contend for the Calder
GameSeven
ἢ τὰς ἢ ἐπὶ τὰς
- Jan 11, 2008
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OmNomNom
Taco is Love, Taco is Life
In my book I mean, he shouldn't count as a prospect, since he's proven himself
Emperoreddy
Show Me What You Got!
That's more a question of whether not he's Calder eligible. I don't really consider him a prospect anymore, though.
- Apr 20, 2005
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I like what Blackwood has shown, but what exactly has he proven?
21 starts with a .918 SA% is nice. But in 2017, Kinkaid has 23 starts with a .916. The Devils ended up trading him for less than a bag of pucks. Blackwood is just 22 and has never played more than 45 games in a season in his pro career.
I was thinking maybe that would be a possible non-arbitrary rule of thumb to decide whether a player is a prospect or an established NHL player.
There's a rule about how many games a player can play and still be Calder eligible. Not sure what it is, though.
OmNomNom
Taco is Love, Taco is Life
he knows how to rebound well (in terms of games, as well as with pucks in-game, which kinkaid could literally not do)
goalies have been traded off to become starters for less, and more often than not, they become capable backups, at least. i think macblack is at LEAST backup caliber, which would put him out of prospect territory
25 games. That's why I said Blackwood is still considered a rookie next year, and is eligible for the Calder.
BurntToast
Registered User
Hoelscher is such an interesting prospect. He could be a monster in the bottom 6, and he has his moments were you can see more offensive upside.
Azathoth
Registered User
I think its definitely true we really don't know what we have in Blackwood yet. However, Kinkaid in 2017 put up those numbers playing in front of a mostly healthy playoff team where as Blackwood posted those numbers playing in front of an injury riddled revolving cast of AHL caliber players so I think there is still good cause to be optimistic.
Kink was also 27 years old and was in his 3rd NHL season as a backup.
Blackwood is 22 and seeing NHL action for the first time. And if you watch him, he looks the part of a big time prospect. The big and athletic scouting report holds true. He's not just a big body who blocks shots, he makes impressive saves. Now he does need to continue to refine his game, positioning and all that, but I don't see his situation as comparable to 16-17 Kink's.
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Call Me Al
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- Aug 28, 2017
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It's funny, but the mentality of some here, including myself, was that Blackwood wasn't a top prospect because he wasn't a 1st round draft pick and he wasn't ranked as the top goalie by some (Samsonov was rated higher by many, I think), when in reality he was picked very high for a goalie, and the Devils had stated that he was the top goalie on their list.
Add to that the fact that we didn't seem to need a goalie at the time plus his early struggles and it felt like it was a bizarre, off-the-board pick.
I think Blackwood's biggest problem - well maybe not "problem", but what he needs to work on the most - is the use of his stick. There's several situations in breakaways and shootouts where I felt he would have benefited going to a stick check. Interestingly, in the Athletic's article on Akira Schmidt (How Akira Schmid's wild journey to America's heartland has... - Paywall), Akira's coach actively worked on that with him.
- Apr 20, 2005
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All fair.
I agree he looks like a good prospect.
My point wasn't that Blackwood is Kinkaid, it's merely that, in my opinion, this past season isn't sufficient evidence for me to believe he's proven he can be a starting goaltender - which is what I thought the other poster was implying. The other poster said he believed Blackwood should at least be considered a back-up now. I don't agree, but it is a much more reasonable position. Also, I don't think the distinction between "is Blackwood a proven backup who needs to show more before he can be considered an NHL starter" or "is Blackwood still a prospect who needs to show more before he can be considered an NHL starter" is worth further conversation. Tomayto tomahto.
I think he's at least earned a look as a backup, but I'm a big proponent of hedging your bets - signing someone like Lack (preferably better) who can sit in the AHL to mentor our guys there while being a viable backup if Big Mack should falter.
- Apr 20, 2005
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The issue with the pick was that he was that the Devils traded down and then picked a goaltender a) in a draft that was regarded as historically deep in skaters; b) when there wasn't an apparent need for a goaltender (vs other positions); and c) Blackwood wasn't rated as an off the charts goaltending prospect. Blackwood was picked around where he was slated to go, but given the team's other needs at the time and the difficulty most teams have had in projecting goalies, it seemed like a weird move.
Blackwood’s in the position of having good stats and doing well on the eye test. He seems to have the tools to eventually become a good starter, hopefully he continues on this trend.
Being a bit more agressive with his stick on breakaways is certainly something he could look to add, just to add an extra dimension. I wouldn’t expect it to come out every time though.
Two things really impress me about his game, besides the obvious size and athleticism.
First, it’s his stick position. This is one of the most basic things, but I often see goalies’ sticks either slide forward or lift off the ice when they change positions (especially when they butterfly and tuck elbows to prevent 7 hole gaps as so many do now). This is the kind of little thing that makes a massive difference to the number of 5 hole goals conceded.
Second, his technical work when he tracks the puck. Watch him move when the puck goes from low to high, or even when we’re breaking out. He doesn’t bob up out of position and transitions smoothly and efficiently from one stance to another.
The fact that Blackwood pays attention to little details like this suggest to me that he’s going to be able to maintain those great numbers he had. It’ll be interesting now that teams will have video on him and will be able to try and find any weaknesses.
Being a bit more agressive with his stick on breakaways is certainly something he could look to add, just to add an extra dimension. I wouldn’t expect it to come out every time though.
Two things really impress me about his game, besides the obvious size and athleticism.
First, it’s his stick position. This is one of the most basic things, but I often see goalies’ sticks either slide forward or lift off the ice when they change positions (especially when they butterfly and tuck elbows to prevent 7 hole gaps as so many do now). This is the kind of little thing that makes a massive difference to the number of 5 hole goals conceded.
Second, his technical work when he tracks the puck. Watch him move when the puck goes from low to high, or even when we’re breaking out. He doesn’t bob up out of position and transitions smoothly and efficiently from one stance to another.
The fact that Blackwood pays attention to little details like this suggest to me that he’s going to be able to maintain those great numbers he had. It’ll be interesting now that teams will have video on him and will be able to try and find any weaknesses.
Darkauron
Registered User
Yeah Blackwood was our best goalie last year by far with the stats and the eye test. Even though he doesnt have much nhl games experience, he deserves a shot at the backup.
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