Prospect Info: Devils Prospect Scrimmage will be Open to the Public (July 18th)

[Emperoreddy]

Nobody said anything about Blandisi... Injured?

He didn't play but I don't recall why. Most likely injury.

 

[217 Forever]

Surprised more people aren't talking about goulet. I thought he was the best forward from either team.

Nice hands from kerfoot on multiple occasions.

I thought Chatham had some surprisingly good moves with the puck.

Zacha started a bit slow but was great by the end of the game.

Coleman and pietila were good, but they should be given their age. They were both very strong.

I thought jq was largely invisible save for a couple nice dangles that didn't amount to much.

Fitzgerald is a good passer. He's probably too poor a skater for his size though.

Speers needs to improve his skating. Wasn't too impressed with him but he's got a lot of time.

Kelleher made stuff happen. He did get knocked down a bunch but if he adds some weight I think he'll he a good ahl player

Not sure I've seen a player as small as gaudreau. Too bad because he has decent hockey sense.

Gavrus has good offensive skills but an awful shot.

Agree with many of your observations, especially regarding Kerfoot and Goulet. They were the best two forwards I thought. Goulet looked quick and skilled to me. The other guy I thought was tremendous was Rehill the defenseman. Looked like a tower of power back there along with Santini. Fitzgerald was surprisingly good as well.

 

[OmNomNom]

Nobody said anything about Blandisi... Injured?

i think it was him who had a hip flexor injury or something like that.. TG tweeted it before the event i think.

 

[Sascha Goc]

Coleman is really solid. Think he may have a shot of impressing and forcing his way onto the team in camp.

 

[Belizarius]

Nice highlights video
#IsItOctoberYet ?

 

[HenriquesJawLine]

Nobody said anything about Blandisi... Injured?

Hip flexor but holding him out was only precautionary, don't want to risk anything in July

 

[Devil X]

Kerfoot real deal

While Kerfoot has nice hands i felt like the only time i noticed him was on his breakaways. I felt like he didnt do much in the 5v5 setting. I didnt see him fighting on the boards or winning puck battles. Stuff along those lines.

Agree with many of your observations, especially regarding Kerfoot and Goulet. They were the best two forwards I thought. Goulet looked quick and skilled to me. The other guy I thought was tremendous was Rehill the defenseman. Looked like a tower of power back there along with Santini. Fitzgerald was surprisingly good as well.

Goulet also only showed up for me when he scored. I saw him a few other times he was getting up and down the ice fast but didnt stick out as impressive as some of the others.

Rehill got dangled hard by Ramen Hrbankanianfdsjfdsan (whatever lol) just right around him. I was shocked he made his penalty shot!

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Really too bad Boucher and Blandisi couldn't make the scrimmage. Would've loved to see where they stand relative to this group.

 

[Devil X]

I give this guy over at njdevs.com a lot of credit. He recorded the whole scrimmage on his phone. Here is the link if you want to watch. Im not sure how it came out i didnt watch it.

 

[ScottyK]

http://gfycat.com/QuestionableOrdinaryBeardeddragon

 

[Offseason Champs]

It was fun to check out the scrimmage. Definitely a nice event I hope they keep going.

Zacha is a freaking beast, man. He was hard to knock off the puck, always making stuff happen, and he's a really smooth skater from what I saw. Really impressed by him.

Other takeaways from my point of view were that Blackwood is definitely a raw talent, and he didn't seem to be too disappointed or effected by all of the goals he gave up. Kind of a "whatever" attitude which is a good thing and a bad thing, I think.

Kerfoot had some nice snipes for sure, but I didn't notice him all that much in the first half. Coleman was all over the place, so was Kujawinski.

I also really liked D'Amico. Hoping he gets a shot in the AHL. He was also someone making stuff happen. Speers was sadly super unimpressive. I thought he was supposed to be fast, but he didn't seem anywhere near as quick as some of the other guys. Maybe I was thinking of the wrong player. Chatham looked surprisingly good on both sides of the puck. Was not expecting that at all.

Really impressive from a bunch of the guys, but I'm also not a scout, so maybe I'm just easily impressed. I still thought that Zacha looked like the best guy out there most of the time. Couturier made some nice defensive plays around him, but man. Zacha did feel like he was a step over the rest.

 

[Cheddabombs]

That between the legs move right before passing to Severson, oh my. Don't know who he turned around there, but that looked fantastic by Zacha

 

[Devil X]

That between the legs move right before passing to Severson, oh my. Don't know who he turned around there, but that looked fantastic by Zacha

Speaking of which at one point Qunniville tried the old between the legs shot on goal trick. I believe it was during 3v3 which they had at the last 5 minutes at the end of 20 for each period. He did not score but the goalie needed to make the save.

 

[Billdo]

How did Goulet look? I think he can be solid.

 

[Kurt Cobain]

How did Goulet look? I think he can be solid.

He looked really good . I hope we offer him a contract.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Really too bad Boucher and Blandisi couldn't make the scrimmage. Would've loved to see where they stand relative to this group.

Agreed, especially since it sounded like Boucher didn't have a good day at the office on Wednesday. He will be at normal camp most likely so we will get a better idea there I guess. Blandasi too.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

That Kalinin shootout goal was sick.

 

[Cheddabombs]

Also, what a great shot by Sevs in that highlight. Absolutely picked that corner like it was nobody's business.

How many more weeks until the season ?

 

[OmNomNom]

thinking about it, JQ had a really good shootout attempt. too bad he hit pipe haha

 

[Comparison Ford]

Sorry for the late post, but here are my opinions about some of the players that left an impression with me at the Prospects game.

70-MacKenzie Blackwood – 2015 second-round pick
I know he got "lit" up so to speak, but this guy is a stud. The way he moved, especially his quickness was quite impressive for a big dude. He is definitely very athletic. I think he could afford to not go down as quickly, because the players knew what he was going to do and were trying to roof it on him. Good on the forwards for recognizing that, but that's the only complaint I had for the kid.

34-Raman Hrabarenka – signed as undrafted free agent
Definitely a good team guy. He was wearing his helmet backwards during the shootout on the bench and really cheering on the guys. He has a bit of an awkward skating style probably because he is huge, but if he can refine that and make it more fluid I think he could cut the top 6 this year or next on the big club. Has a big shot too.

61-Josh Jacobs – 2014 second-round pick
This was my biggest surprise. Jacobs has a huge nasty streak, but is very poised on the ice. He hits well, skates extremely well and was great on the boards. All around, I thought he was the best defenseman besides Severson, which is saying a lot with Santini and Hrabarenka on the ice as well. I think the most notable thing for me was his shot. Damn he can shoot. It's kinda crazy, but to me he kind of reminded me of a mix between all of Merrills good traits and all of Gelinas's good traits. Jacobs is definitely one to look out for this coming year, and he definitely looks like he has the potential to be an impact defenseman for us.

38-Steven Santini – 2013 second-round pick
Great presence on the ice. His hitting is great, but his poise with the puck in his own zone and his skating ability will definitely make him an NHL player. He had a couple of fantastic tape to tape passes from his own zone that were super impressive.

28-Damon Severson – 2012 second-round pick
Absolute stud. Thats all.

52-Brandon Baddock – 2014 seventh-round pick
Showed off some skill and skating ability. Obviously his physical play is his strong suit, but with some refining, I see his potential as a Brian Boyle type. I don't think he is nearly as skilled though, which may hold him back from being an NHL player.

45-Connor Chatham – 2014 third-round pick
Right out of the gate he was FLYING, throwing his body at everyone in the opposite color. Definitely was noticeable in a good way. He is a pretty fast skater too, but he has a super awkward stride. Its almost like his skates are too fast for his body, i know that sounds weird, but it looked like his body was out of balance every time he would skate fast.

40-Blake Coleman – 2011 third-round pick
Very mature player, found himself in a lot of good positions, just couldn't bury his chances. He reminds me of a steve ott type, but still has something to prove to me in the point scoring department before I give him a top 9 potential marking. This year will be big for him.

54-J.D. Dudek – 2014 sixth-round pick
Love this kid. His style of play really reminds of David Krecji for some reason. He has an extremely high IQ, he was legit in the right spot every time he was on the ice. Also a very fluid skater. Lots of potential here, can't wait to see him at BC.

51-Artur Gavrus – 2012 sixth-round pick
Skilled with the puck, but not fast and easy to knock off the puck. To me he doesn't look like an NHL player.

76-Alexandre Goulet – undrafted free agent (Charlottetown, QMJHL)
Get this kid a contract. He might not play defense all that well, but thats because whenever he is on the ice he is a hound. Especially in the offensive zone. You can teach defense, you can't teach goal scoring.

42-Sergey Kalinin – signed as undrafted free agent
This guy is totally going to be in the NHL next year. He reminds me of a more skilled Ryan Carter. Big body, extremely fast skater, not afraid of dirty areas and showed some pretty nice creativity with the puck on his stick. I think John Hynes is gonna love this player.

73-Tyler Kelleher – undrafted free agent (University of New Hampshire)
Lots of skill, but got lit up pretty much every other shift.

56-Alexander Kerfoot – 2012 fifth-round pick
This dude needs to have an injury free season this year, because he seems like he could be a Joe Whitney type of he can stay healthy.

41-Ryan Kujawinski – 2013 third-round pick
I might get bashed for this, but from what I saw, Kuja is a very raw player and didn't stand out to me as an NHL player. He is not the fastest skater, and at some points defensively I said to myself "what are you doing". I just don't see him playing center for us anytime soon. Maybe with two or 3 years in AHL he could refine his game, but for me, I just don't see it with Ryan.

36-Blake Pietila – 2011 fifth-round pick
Both blakes looked really good together (coleman and pietila) and I can see both of them getting called up next year. Pietila is pretty elite defensively, I would say the best out of our prospects, but his offensive instincts leave a lot to be desired. I definitely see him as a 4th liner/1st line PKer for us, but not anything more than that.

47-John Quenneville – 2014 first-round pick
He definitely grew, and definitely worked on his skating. He was super impressive to me. Showed a lot of skill too, and not afraid to use it (even if it didn't turn into any points). I can see Quenneville centering our third line for a long time. He actually reminds me of Zajac in size and awareness with Henriques skating style. We definitely have ourselves an NHL caliber prospect here. In comparison, he looked way more refined and skilled than Kuja (albeit JQ was a 1st round pick and only a year younger).

74-Blake Speers – 2015 third-round pick
Seemed super nervous and looked like a young player out there. Puck seemed to bounce off his stick every time he had it. Defintely has the skill, just needs to not grip the stick as much.

59-Miles Wood – 2013 fourth-round pick
If Jacobs was my most surprising defenseman, Wood gets the award for most surprising forward. He really does play a lot like Kreider, and his board work is amazing. Lots of hockey IQ in all three zones and he is a pest too. There was one play when Sweeney had the puck and Wood lined him up and made this big O face like he was gonna lay it on him, and Sweeney coughed up the puck and Wood just skated right around him and stayed in position to make a play in the zone. It was almost like he tricked/scared Sweeney into giving up the puck. Love this pick. He definitely has top 6 potential.

37-Pavel Zacha – 2015 first-round pick
Totally met expectations. Elite skater, elite offensive ability, wicked shot (took Jacobs out of the game with a slapper) and actually pretty surprisingly good on defense. He always knows where the puck is, and seems to always have a positive impact on the ice. Can't believe this kid is only 18. With the right development he is going to be a 1st line center no doubt.

Sorry for the long post, but all in all there was something different about this team. Hynes really has them playing fast and developing into fast thinkers, skaters, and players. The direction this team is going in is certainly the right one.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Thanks for the info, that was a great read.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Nice write up! Much appreciated.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Great write up and gets me excited for real hockey to get back.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Sorry for the late post, but here are my opinions about some of the players that left an impression with me at the Prospects game.

70-MacKenzie Blackwood – 2015 second-round pick
I know he got "lit" up so to speak, but this guy is a stud. The way he moved, especially his quickness was quite impressive for a big dude. He is definitely very athletic. I think he could afford to not go down as quickly, because the players knew what he was going to do and were trying to roof it on him. Good on the forwards for recognizing that, but that's the only complaint I had for the kid.

34-Raman Hrabarenka – signed as undrafted free agent
Definitely a good team guy. He was wearing his helmet backwards during the shootout on the bench and really cheering on the guys. He has a bit of an awkward skating style probably because he is huge, but if he can refine that and make it more fluid I think he could cut the top 6 this year or next on the big club. Has a big shot too.

61-Josh Jacobs – 2014 second-round pick
This was my biggest surprise. Jacobs has a huge nasty streak, but is very poised on the ice. He hits well, skates extremely well and was great on the boards. All around, I thought he was the best defenseman besides Severson, which is saying a lot with Santini and Hrabarenka on the ice as well. I think the most notable thing for me was his shot. Damn he can shoot. It's kinda crazy, but to me he kind of reminded me of a mix between all of Merrills good traits and all of Gelinas's good traits. Jacobs is definitely one to look out for this coming year, and he definitely looks like he has the potential to be an impact defenseman for us.

38-Steven Santini – 2013 second-round pick
Great presence on the ice. His hitting is great, but his poise with the puck in his own zone and his skating ability will definitely make him an NHL player. He had a couple of fantastic tape to tape passes from his own zone that were super impressive.

28-Damon Severson – 2012 second-round pick
Absolute stud. Thats all.

52-Brandon Baddock – 2014 seventh-round pick
Showed off some skill and skating ability. Obviously his physical play is his strong suit, but with some refining, I see his potential as a Brian Boyle type. I don't think he is nearly as skilled though, which may hold him back from being an NHL player.

45-Connor Chatham – 2014 third-round pick
Right out of the gate he was FLYING, throwing his body at everyone in the opposite color. Definitely was noticeable in a good way. He is a pretty fast skater too, but he has a super awkward stride. Its almost like his skates are too fast for his body, i know that sounds weird, but it looked like his body was out of balance every time he would skate fast.

40-Blake Coleman – 2011 third-round pick
Very mature player, found himself in a lot of good positions, just couldn't bury his chances. He reminds me of a steve ott type, but still has something to prove to me in the point scoring department before I give him a top 9 potential marking. This year will be big for him.

54-J.D. Dudek – 2014 sixth-round pick
Love this kid. His style of play really reminds of David Krecji for some reason. He has an extremely high IQ, he was legit in the right spot every time he was on the ice. Also a very fluid skater. Lots of potential here, can't wait to see him at BC.

51-Artur Gavrus – 2012 sixth-round pick
Skilled with the puck, but not fast and easy to knock off the puck. To me he doesn't look like an NHL player.

76-Alexandre Goulet – undrafted free agent (Charlottetown, QMJHL)
Get this kid a contract. He might not play defense all that well, but thats because whenever he is on the ice he is a hound. Especially in the offensive zone. You can teach defense, you can't teach goal scoring.

42-Sergey Kalinin – signed as undrafted free agent
This guy is totally going to be in the NHL next year. He reminds me of a more skilled Ryan Carter. Big body, extremely fast skater, not afraid of dirty areas and showed some pretty nice creativity with the puck on his stick. I think John Hynes is gonna love this player.

73-Tyler Kelleher – undrafted free agent (University of New Hampshire)
Lots of skill, but got lit up pretty much every other shift.

56-Alexander Kerfoot – 2012 fifth-round pick
This dude needs to have an injury free season this year, because he seems like he could be a Joe Whitney type of he can stay healthy.

41-Ryan Kujawinski – 2013 third-round pick
I might get bashed for this, but from what I saw, Kuja is a very raw player and didn't stand out to me as an NHL player. He is not the fastest skater, and at some points defensively I said to myself "what are you doing". I just don't see him playing center for us anytime soon. Maybe with two or 3 years in AHL he could refine his game, but for me, I just don't see it with Ryan.

36-Blake Pietila – 2011 fifth-round pick
Both blakes looked really good together (coleman and pietila) and I can see both of them getting called up next year. Pietila is pretty elite defensively, I would say the best out of our prospects, but his offensive instincts leave a lot to be desired. I definitely see him as a 4th liner/1st line PKer for us, but not anything more than that.

47-John Quenneville – 2014 first-round pick
He definitely grew, and definitely worked on his skating. He was super impressive to me. Showed a lot of skill too, and not afraid to use it (even if it didn't turn into any points). I can see Quenneville centering our third line for a long time. He actually reminds me of Zajac in size and awareness with Henriques skating style. We definitely have ourselves an NHL caliber prospect here. In comparison, he looked way more refined and skilled than Kuja (albeit JQ was a 1st round pick and only a year younger).

74-Blake Speers – 2015 third-round pick
Seemed super nervous and looked like a young player out there. Puck seemed to bounce off his stick every time he had it. Defintely has the skill, just needs to not grip the stick as much.

59-Miles Wood – 2013 fourth-round pick
If Jacobs was my most surprising defenseman, Wood gets the award for most surprising forward. He really does play a lot like Kreider, and his board work is amazing. Lots of hockey IQ in all three zones and he is a pest too. There was one play when Sweeney had the puck and Wood lined him up and made this big O face like he was gonna lay it on him, and Sweeney coughed up the puck and Wood just skated right around him and stayed in position to make a play in the zone. It was almost like he tricked/scared Sweeney into giving up the puck. Love this pick. He definitely has top 6 potential.

37-Pavel Zacha – 2015 first-round pick
Totally met expectations. Elite skater, elite offensive ability, wicked shot (took Jacobs out of the game with a slapper) and actually pretty surprisingly good on defense. He always knows where the puck is, and seems to always have a positive impact on the ice. Can't believe this kid is only 18. With the right development he is going to be a 1st line center no doubt.

Sorry for the long post, but all in all there was something different about this team. Hynes really has them playing fast and developing into fast thinkers, skaters, and players. The direction this team is going in is certainly the right one.

Thank you for the detailed write-up! It was a good read.

 

[Bleedred]

Kerfoot might be a Joe Whitney type? Well hopefully the new regime values that type of player more than the old one did.

Still bitter that we didn't give him more of a chance, yet kept calling up Sestito and Sislo.