Defensive depth evident in Colorado Avalanche Fall Top 20

[HF Article]

Photo: Top Colorado Avalanche prospect Mikko Rantanen has over 100 professional games on his resume already (courtesy of Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)


</p>Defense wins championships and that is what Patrick Roy returned to Denver to accomplish. Despite his team taking a step back in his sophomore season behind an NHL bench, Roy is confident the lessons learned will only help the team going forward. In addition to his role as head coach, Roy holds a second title as Vice President of Hockey Operations, giving him a voice in all player personnel decisions. The new philosophy as to how the team will be constructed both now and in the future is trending towards an emphasis on size, character, and skills.… read more

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[tigervixxxen]

Good list, can't disagree with much. I might have a few ordered differently but pretty much the same. I like how you managed to work Nantel in even with the new additions. I have to say pretty bold in saying Smith might be the most skilled prospect we have. Don't know if I'd go that far but does affirm my position that I don't see much separating him and Hishon.

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

Beaudin 71st overall in hopes that one day he will be able to fill O’Reilly’s shoes one day.

Looks like your editor let you down Chau!

Good article though. I think Borna is a bit high, I don't see what he has that Greer or Hishon don't. Possibly even Martin too.

Was Aittokallio in your considerations when you made the list? I don't know if I would have ranked him, but just curious.

Mironov is perhaps the most surprising to me. I think it is interesting how high people are on him (especially yourself). Having never seen him play or even heard about him before the draft, do we really have more than just a decent 3rd pairing defender sitting in Russia right now?

 

[not a troll]

Good list, can't disagree with much. I might have a few ordered differently but pretty much the same. I like how you managed to work Nantel in even with the new additions. I have to say pretty bold in saying Smith might be the most skilled prospect we have. Don't know if I'd go that far but does affirm my position that I don't see much separating him and Hishon.

Thanks

I think that if we were to have a skills competition today, Smith would be one of if not the top guy on the ice.

Looks like your editor let you down Chau!

Good article though. I think Borna is a bit high, I don't see what he has that Greer or Hishon don't. Possibly even Martin too.

Was Aittokallio in your considerations when you made the list? I don't know if I would have ranked him, but just curious.

Mironov is perhaps the most surprising to me. I think it is interesting how high people are on him (especially yourself). Having never seen him play or even heard about him before the draft, do we really have more than just a decent 3rd pairing defender sitting in Russia right now?

Yeah, seems like it. I don't blame him though, I'd go crazy editing these articles too.

I ranked Rendulic high because he's closer to his ceiling than Hishon. I've been kind of disappointed in Hishon, he should be tearing it up in the AHL but hasn't.

Greer I want to wait until he has at least half a season of top-six minutes at BU. I've been burned in the past ranking guys high right off the bat (Magyar).

Aitto was somewhere between 21-25 for me along with Hamilton, Magyar, and Boikov. Just too many new guys that pushed him out.

Mironov is playing in the second (or third depending on who you ask) best league in the world and was an All-Star. To me it was a close call on who our second best defensive prospect is but in this case went with Meloche's potential over Mironov's accomplishments.

Anyways, thanks to whoever read it. These articles are fun to write and as everyone is aware I don't claim to know everything about everyone so there will always be some sort of disagreement but this list is just my opinion and rankings.

 

[henchman21]

Good job Chau! It is nice to see Beaudin getting some love.

 

[S E P H]

I laughed at the Beaudin comment when I was reading it, but thankfully that wasn't Mr. Chau who wrote that. Bleackley is probably going to be the player who is capable of filling Ryan O'Reilly's shoes the closest (even if he turns winger for the pros).

Great read though, personally I don't have Mironov or Rendulic that high, but I understand why they are there. Even though I don't have Rendulic high, he is still one of the players I hope he can reach as an NHL calibre player.

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

Anyways, thanks to whoever read it. These articles are fun to write and as everyone is aware I don't claim to know everything about everyone so there will always be some sort of disagreement but this list is just my opinion and rankings.

I think we're all happy to read your articles. They're a lot more insightful and well written than what we had years ago. Those threads were a goldmine.

 

[not a troll]

I think we're all happy to read your articles. They're a lot more insightful and well written than what we had years ago. Those threads were a goldmine.

Thanks! I try my best to keep up but I feel like tigervixen, henchman, SEPH, TMV, RS, and a few others definitely give you the best news and updates. I have to work with predetermined article topics and deadlines.

 

[landy92mack29]

Rantanen's rating was changed right? thought it was 8.0 or 8.5 D after draft and is now 8.0 C

 

[not a troll]

Rantanen's rating was changed right? thought it was 8.0 or 8.5 D after draft and is now 8.0 C

The rating system isn't perfect (surprise surprise) and there has been a lot of internal discussions about it.

Everyone's comments are being taken into consideration.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Thanks for the kind word Chau

I noticed the change, glad it happened. I know there will always be something to complain about in rankings but Rantanen at 8D was a crime.

 

[tucker3434]

Not bad. Much better top 8 than we've had in a while.

Rantanen's rating was changed right? thought it was 8.0 or 8.5 D after draft and is now 8.0 C

Yes, it started as an 8D. I'd imagine they thought that was a bit silly after everyone around him (and much lower) was getting 8C's.

 

[cgf]

Good read.

Though Mironov doesn't seem to be that physical stay at home guy that many expect because of the remarkable hits he's laid and the defensive responsibilities he has already succeed through. He does a good job in his own zone and on the PK, but he isn't constantly banging on guys like Footer did or Stuart does. Meloche seems to play with more of that constant/in-your-face physicality, as do Geertsen and Siemens (at least when he's playing well and not still getting back into form after an injury); though Mironov's hits are probably more dynamic/explosive when he does line someone up.

Where he's surprised me is in his sense for jumping up to get a rush going when his team's breakouts start to flounder. Not going to fly away from any NHLers, or stickhandle his way through a crowd, but his burst was better than I expected and his instincts/timing were good as he didn't do it often, but when his team would start to struggle he really did a nice job of making sure they got going up ice when they needed him to step up and take care of it.

 

[tigervixxxen]

I think what keeps Mironov high is there's no doubt if he ever does sign he will be on the roster. Other than pretty much Bigras we can't say that definitively any other D prospect will be a regular NHLer