Compare and Analyze : Kessel / Backstrom / Frolik / Little / Boyd

[*OvechKiN*]

Ok, here are my thoughts:
Backstrom: He is dominating against men in sweden right now. Excellent vision and skill set and also plays the PK very well. Lock to make the Caps next year.

Phil Kessel: Already on the Bruins playing top 6 minutes. Very fast and has excellent offensive skills.

Frolik: Boom or bust guy. Exceptional offensive potential. Will this guy turn into a Jagr? or will he be more of a Kristian Huselius player? How will he fair when he gets to the NHL? how far is he from being ready?

Little: Dont know too much about him, is he close to being NHL ready? or what can you guys tell me? Speedy and good offensive skills? how is his defense?

Boyd: Good skills at both ends of the ice and will most likely join the flames and their defensive system next year. Safe bet to make the NHL.

More so, compare FRolik vs. Little because they were taken one after the other, I just cant decide who I'd rather have.

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[Blind Gardien]

On Frolik vs. Little, I go with Little hands down.

Frolik's boom-and-bust label really shouldn't have a Jagr-like boom attached to it anymore, at least as far as I can see from the humble confines of my cushy armchair perspective. I saw him 4 times at the prospects tourney for Florida. Not much to sell me there on a big boom. Stylistically not necessarily comparable to Huselius, but in terms of overall impact maybe that's more of the boom (or "pop") that I'd be looking for. Or he might more likely just harness his boom over a longer period of time in a series of pops that ultimately end up in a good place (e.g. Nagy?), but let's not reach for Hall-of-fame MVP types like Jagr in that hope.

As for Little I have a lot of confidence in him being a solid NHL citizen. No real bust side at all AFAIC. He's not actually "speedy" at all either, but he'll play a solid all-round game if a team wants him to. I don't find a lot of people who agree with me, but I still compare him to a Chris Drury type in terms of what his ultimate NHL style will end up being. Again, maybe without the speed, but on the other hand I think Little is improving in that area, and when he meets the challenges of the NHL he'll make another quantum leap forward in that department too once he realizes exactly how much he'll need it. He seems to be a very driven and determined player, which is a good part of why I don't believe he has any significant bust potential.

I know there are those who want to sling around names like Jagr and Yzerman when they talk about Frolik and Little, but ultimately I don't think those are very helpful comparisons. Yes, I suppose anything is possible... Yzerman and Jagr wouldn't have gone 4th and 5th overall themselves if anybody truly knew how good they'd be... obviously it's not impossible that either one of Frolik or Little could emerge as superstars. But now we're talking 10th and 12th overall picks, and just to be a little bit more fair to them - while still actually being statistically optimistic - I think if you readjusted the sights on them to Havlat/Hossa/Nagy and Drury type targets (with notably better odds of Little hitting his target than of Frolik hitting his) then maybe it would be a better starting point, at least.

I'd say Little could be playing in the NHL today, given some of his recent OHL brethren who are. (But then, reports from the Atlanta training camp wouldn't remotely seem to support that.) Frolik should have 2 more years in junior at a minimum IMO. Then see if he has Radulov-like numbers in his 2nd year before you know if additional AHL seasoning is needed on top of that.

 

[Redwingsfan]

backstrom is for sure a lock if he decides to leave next year. alltough he said in an interwiew today that he had no idea where he would play next season. he hasn't decided yet.

 

[#66]

On Frolik vs. Little, I go with Little hands down.

Frolik's boom-and-bust label really shouldn't have a Jagr-like boom attached to it anymore, at least as far as I can see from the humble confines of my cushy armchair perspective. I saw him 4 times at the prospects tourney for Florida. Not much to sell me there on a big boom. Stylistically not necessarily comparable to Huselius, but in terms of overall impact maybe that's more of the boom (or "pop") that I'd be looking for. Or he might more likely just harness his boom over a longer period of time in a series of pops that ultimately end up in a good place (e.g. Nagy?), but let's not reach for Hall-of-fame MVP types like Jagr in that hope.

Thats a good call even as a Frolik supporter I would never say he has that upside. A good comparison IMO is Milan Michalek. Some skill mixed with some two way play and doesn't shy away from the boards. I think that he'll need a year or two of seasoning before making any sort of impact but I do think that he'll be good in the long run.

As for Little, I think that he'll be a Savard or Briere type of player. Good skills, not overly fast but very brainy. Down the line he should be working with an elite sniper and could get some glitzy stats.

 

[*OvechKiN*]

Thats a good call even as a Frolik supporter I would never say he has that upside. A good comparison IMO is Milan Michalek. Some skill mixed with some two way play and doesn't shy away from the boards. I think that he'll need a year or two of seasoning before making any sort of impact but I do think that he'll be good in the long run.

As for Little, I think that he'll be a Savard or Briere type of player. Good skills, not overly fast but very brainy. Down the line he should be working with an elite sniper and could get some glitzy stats.

Frolik has 2-way capability?
I didnt know that..........can anyone confirm?

 

[Blind Gardien]

Frolik has 2-way capability?
I didnt know that..........can anyone confirm?

I would never have guessed it... from a couple of TV tourney viewings and 4 live games where I was mostly looking at other players, for whatever paltry amount that's worth. Now Tlusty, that's another story... he seemed to have some 2-way sensibilities in his game. Frolik... well, again, not that I was trying to study him or anything, but anytime I did manage to notice him it was for (extremely occasional) offensive actions.

Savard and Briere are also terrible comparisons for Little IMHO.

But a chacun son gout. I'm just one half-assed observer with my full *** planted comfortably in my fantasy armchair

 

[*OvechKiN*]

what about the potential of Backstrom vs. Kessel?
Huge Backstrom fan here because he will be riding shotgun with Ovechkin for years to come (hopefully), but I have never seen him play. ive only heard about how great he is / will be.
Kessel seems to be coming along pretty well in the NHL also.

 

[Phanuthier*]

I can't say for sure what Boyd will become, but I like the fact that's he's got a strong overall game with no noticable holes in his game, and is still on a 2 PPG pace in his rookie season in the AHL, at 20, 5th in AHL scoring.

The guy may not be Robbie Schremp but he's a "hockey player"

 

[burstnbloom]

what about the potential of Backstrom vs. Kessel?
Huge Backstrom fan here because he will be riding shotgun with Ovechkin for years to come (hopefully), but I have never seen him play. ive only heard about how great he is / will be.
Kessel seems to be coming along pretty well in the NHL also.

Ok let me preface this by saying that I havent had a chance to see Backstrom play very much, though I am a Bruins fan and have watched Phil Kessel very closely. That said, here is my opinion. Its pretty hard to compare these two guys. They are very different players. Backstrom doesnt strike me as the pure goal scoring sniper that Kessel is becoming. I see Backstrom as the kind of player us Bruins fans all hope Bergeron becomes. Solid in all three zones, excellent passer, makes his teamates better but can score when he needs to.
I see Kessel more as a dangler type. He can stick handle around many NHL defenseman at 19, hes a good passer but prefers to shoot as his wrist shot has a lightning quick release. He has a goal scorers mentality, skill set, and instincts. I love both these guys and on draft day I was pretty excited after the third pick knowing the B's would end up with one of the two.