Captain Bowie
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- Jan 18, 2012
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Why not, he was a very likeable guy and played hard, even if he wasn't all that talented on the ice. Not everyone looks at a player that isn't a star and just labels them "garbage".
Draft: Glass or Vilardi?
- Thread starter huntison
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Why not, he was a very likeable guy and played hard, even if he wasn't all that talented on the ice. Not everyone looks at a player that isn't a star and just labels them "garbage".
Horse McHindu
They call me Horse.....
thelittlecoon
ELIAS PETTERSSON
Watching both of those shift by shift videos of the two, I was surprised at how quick Glass is on his feet and making plays. Vilardi does has superior puck protection and strength but I found he holds on to the puck too long sometimes waiting for the perfect pass, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something I noticed. On the other hand when Glass sees an open man his passes are quick and sharp with no hesitation, similar to Elias Pettersson. Glass is also much better at defensive play and hounds pucks in his own end down low, which is probably just because he played C all year, whereas Vilardi played RW, but it was very noticeable in most of the games just how hard he works in both ends.
Overall I'd say Glass is the better player and his speed and smarts will ensure he plays C at the next level. Vilardi is a fantastic prospect though, I hope he gets picked 3 or 4 so we don't have to choose between the two and regret it a few years later.
Overall I'd say Glass is the better player and his speed and smarts will ensure he plays C at the next level. Vilardi is a fantastic prospect though, I hope he gets picked 3 or 4 so we don't have to choose between the two and regret it a few years later.
This is literally the EXACT drafting philosophy of the 1990s Oilers when they were doing things like drafting Steve Kelly over Shane Doan and had maybe the worst-drafting decade in the history of the sport.
__________
I have Vilardi at #3 and Glass at #10. How Vilardi plays the game will generate offense at higher levels, and he'll play center at higher levels. Guys who are that strong on the puck with that sort of vision do very well.
This is precisely the reason you don't pick Vilardi....What is he?...a winger or a centre...?
y2kcanucks
Le Sex God
He's a center who played wing this year because of the C depth Windsor had. There really is no question, and if Windsor didn't have the C depth (let's say they didn't have Logan Brown) then Vilardi would have been playing C all year. Just like he has his entire career.
I find it's people who don't know a whole lot about this player that are the ones making this claim that he's probably more of a winger than a C.
He is 100% a center and Windsor have already come out and said he'll definitely be playing center next year.
Windsor's 3 best forwards this year (Brown, Luchuk, and Vilardi) all played C and they had no winger depth, and Vilardi was considered the most versatile.
Must confess I've only seen highlight packages of Glass and Vilardi, and of course the Memorial Cup....so just don't have a good read on who's better.
But I'm just not bullish on the WHL....it's falling way behind the OHL and even trailing the Q in terms of player development....and the Canucks track record of WHL drafts is awful...but I guess there's always a chance for a new beginning by the Canucks amateur scouts.
But I'm just not bullish on the WHL....it's falling way behind the OHL and even trailing the Q in terms of player development....and the Canucks track record of WHL drafts is awful...but I guess there's always a chance for a new beginning by the Canucks amateur scouts.
StIllmatic
Registered User
The overwhelming majority prefers Vilardi. Will be a "fun" thread to visit in a couple years, similarly to the predraft 2014 and 2016 threads.
You are 100% WRONG! I'm not making any mistakes here because I don't have the opportunity to.
MS;1336:sarcasm:16313 said:
There were some terrible drafts in the 1990s. But Kelly over Doan was a shocker? Glass over Vilardi wouldn't be. If the prospects are close in talent I have no problems with the philosophy of drafting the better skater. That's the thing. It's not like Vilardi is miles ahead except for skating that no one thinks Glass may be the better prospect.
I think Benning has a specific skillset that he likes in his draft picks and I don't see anything wrong with it: Skill, speed on the forecheck (if it's a forward), high Hockey IQ (especially if it's a Dman), shot/release. It's not a bad thing to have a vision of how you want your team to play and stick with it, especially when it reflects what is needed to win. Gillis was great until he started chasing goal posts. Detroit for many years drafted with a specific focus.
There are bound to be players who succeed despite their skating. But there are also a lot of players who fail to translate their game to the NHL due to their skating. In the long run, I actually think it's a good idea to have a vision of how you want your team to play and stick with it. Obviously, when it comes to the draft it's rare you have an ideal prospect you want to choose. Unless you're drafting in the top 2-3, you're usually dealing with some flaws.
Horse McHindu
They call me Horse.....
polarbearcub
Registered User
I'm on the fence on this. Our chief amateur scout in the WHL is Delorme (whom I don't trust at all). I do think that a player drafted out of the WHL is more likely to want to stay in Vancouver. The OHL does seem to produce more NHL players but that likely has to do with population.
Kelly was rated behind Doan but not significantly so.
But again, I'm talking about the philosophy. Edmonton through that stretch 'only took great skaters'. Stuff like 'if you can't skate, you can't play in Edmonton!' was the mantra.
Skating is one of MANY skills for a hockey player, and to put extra focus on that one skill over other skills or how effective the player actually is at playing hockey is a formula for catastrophic errors.
Glass although i would explore the possibility of trading down a few spots for Petterson (~8 range) if we can decent return for trading down
hellstick
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groovygoodwine
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- May 8, 2013
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NeoCanuck
Jay Beagle? In THIS economy?
We don't agree often but agree here.
Glass was a solid 4th liner here who was a likeable guy and worked his ass off and did a good job on some of the best teams we've ever had. Yeah, he wasn't very skilled and missed a scoring chance in the Finals, and yeah it was frustrating when Vigneault occasionally used him on the 3rd line ... but that wasn't his fault.
Also he's one of the few players in the last two decades here who have any connection to Vancouver Island, having played some junior in Nanaimo, so I cheered a bit extra for him on that account.
He obviously wasn't a great player here or anything and it was no great loss when he left ... but it's ridiculous when people treat contributing players on those circa-2011 teams as the butt of jokes. Same goes for Mason Raymond. And Aaron Rome.
Breakers
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biturbo19
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- Jul 13, 2010
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I'd prefer Glass. I would understand Vilardi though, or even Mittelstadt or Pettersson for that matter. I think you can make a very reasonable argument for any of them.
Vilardi's skating is a concern to me. I don't think it will be a terribly detrimental factor with what he does excel at. He doesn't need to have high-end mobility to use his size and strength to protect the puck down low, behind and around the net. In that sense, i don't worry about his projection. As long as he's playing with the right linemates, he'll have opportunities to play the half court game in the offensive zone and play to his strengths.
The concern for me, is in how it will hold back his all-around game. So much of the game these days is played in the neutral zone and in quick transition. That's where Vilardi's weakness as a skater will really show up most, and that's a big deal to me. Makes it really hard for me to project him as a 200 foot Center at the highest level. Even if he does somehow find a way to tread water in the middle with his skating limitations, i think that ends up taking away from what he does best in the first place. Just too hard for me to project him as a Center and having a 200 foot impact, when it's something he hasn't really shown he can do at a high level in Jrs yet...combined with the skating limitations that are already a red flag in that regard.
I do think his skating is starting from an already weaker point that the oft cited examples like Tkachuk/Draisaitl/Horvat. Plus, Vilardi is already a big strong kid...not sure how much room there's going to be to improve his skating by getting more powerful in that regard.
Whereas Glass has a ton of filling out to do with his frame. He needs to get quite a bit bigger and stronger in pretty much every way. Which i think will naturally help improve the comparatively minor weaknesses in his skating.
He's a natural center who plays the whole ice and has a significant impact in all three zones. He's got great vision and anticipation (better than Vilardi imo), and consistently positions himself well to support play in all facets of the game. So many of the little things he does are what allow a team to "play fast" in transition. He makes the players around him better in a lot of ways. Those are strong qualities in a Center.
I think the raw skill is close between the two (albeit stylistically very different execution), which is where that projectability as a natural center and true 200 ft player swings it pretty easily for me. That's my preference. That's more valuable and higher "upside" to me as a potentially bigger contributor overall.
But with this draft even more than most, i don't think there's a lot of room for black & white declarative statements about how one or the other would be amazing or conversely, absolutely catastrophically stupid as a pick. They're all good prospects with specific strengths, but each also with their own pretty glaring weakness or liability. Any one of the 4 could ultimately end up the best or worst of the bunch, and it's entirely conceivable that someone from completely outside that group ends up better than any of them.
Vilardi's skating is a concern to me. I don't think it will be a terribly detrimental factor with what he does excel at. He doesn't need to have high-end mobility to use his size and strength to protect the puck down low, behind and around the net. In that sense, i don't worry about his projection. As long as he's playing with the right linemates, he'll have opportunities to play the half court game in the offensive zone and play to his strengths.
The concern for me, is in how it will hold back his all-around game. So much of the game these days is played in the neutral zone and in quick transition. That's where Vilardi's weakness as a skater will really show up most, and that's a big deal to me. Makes it really hard for me to project him as a 200 foot Center at the highest level. Even if he does somehow find a way to tread water in the middle with his skating limitations, i think that ends up taking away from what he does best in the first place. Just too hard for me to project him as a Center and having a 200 foot impact, when it's something he hasn't really shown he can do at a high level in Jrs yet...combined with the skating limitations that are already a red flag in that regard.
I do think his skating is starting from an already weaker point that the oft cited examples like Tkachuk/Draisaitl/Horvat. Plus, Vilardi is already a big strong kid...not sure how much room there's going to be to improve his skating by getting more powerful in that regard.
Whereas Glass has a ton of filling out to do with his frame. He needs to get quite a bit bigger and stronger in pretty much every way. Which i think will naturally help improve the comparatively minor weaknesses in his skating.
He's a natural center who plays the whole ice and has a significant impact in all three zones. He's got great vision and anticipation (better than Vilardi imo), and consistently positions himself well to support play in all facets of the game. So many of the little things he does are what allow a team to "play fast" in transition. He makes the players around him better in a lot of ways. Those are strong qualities in a Center.
I think the raw skill is close between the two (albeit stylistically very different execution), which is where that projectability as a natural center and true 200 ft player swings it pretty easily for me. That's my preference. That's more valuable and higher "upside" to me as a potentially bigger contributor overall.
But with this draft even more than most, i don't think there's a lot of room for black & white declarative statements about how one or the other would be amazing or conversely, absolutely catastrophically stupid as a pick. They're all good prospects with specific strengths, but each also with their own pretty glaring weakness or liability. Any one of the 4 could ultimately end up the best or worst of the bunch, and it's entirely conceivable that someone from completely outside that group ends up better than any of them.
