Ekblad makes good first impression at Panthers' development camp

[MintyFresh88]

Flash was the greatest Point guy I've ever seen.

I heard Gallant say he plans on using him to QB the PP this season.

 

[CHGoalie27]

Pretty sure he starts with the bigs.

Who drafts someone first overall that isn't NHL ready??

 

[flapanthersfan]

Pretty sure he starts with the bigs.

Who drafts someone first overall that isn't NHL ready??

Alot of teams.

Even Steven Stamkos wasn't ready at 18 years old.

 

[CHGoalie27]

Alot of teams.

Even Steven Stamkos wasn't ready at 18 years old.

? No. What teamS? Stamkos not being ready got 23 goals.

What gives?

 

[flapanthersfan]

? No. What teamS? Stamkos not being ready got 23 goals.

What gives?

The last defensman picked #1 overall was Erik Johnson, who I'm pretty sure didn't play in the NHL his first season.

Stamkos had an absolutely awful start to his rookie year. I didn't realize he ended up with 23 goals...but physically, no, he wasn't ready. he was a twig.

 

[gudzilla]

The last defensman picked #1 overall was Erik Johnson, who I'm pretty sure didn't play in the NHL his first season.

Stamkos had an absolutely awful start to his rookie year. I didn't realize he ended up with 23 goals...but physically, no, he wasn't ready. he was a twig.

melrose (?i think was the coach?) ruined his season more than anything

 

[Laus723]

Yeah, Melrose wanted him sent back and didn't use him well.

 

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

melrose (?i think was the coach?) ruined his season more than anything

It was Melrose. Tocchet came in and gave him minutes which somewhat saved his season.

 

[spacemanatee]

Flash was the greatest Point guy I've ever seen.

 

[Erased]

? No. What teamS? Stamkos not being ready got 23 goals.

What gives?

Stamkos really struggled for most of his first season before putting up 19 points over the last 20 games.

 

[CHGoalie27]

Yea that one draft, and not to say EJ wasn't ready exactly, just wanted to finish school year.

Stamkos was, as said, horribly disrespected. Totally NHL ready though.

 

[flapanthersfan]

Yea that one draft, and not to say EJ wasn't ready exactly, just wanted to finish school year.

what? nothing about that is accurate. he went to his freshmen year in college instead of the NHL.

Stamkos was, as said, horribly disrespected. Totally NHL ready though.[/QUOTE]

he wasn't nhl ready, up until very late in the season as was pointed out by another poster.

 

[Laus723]

Melrose didn't use him properly, it was discussed at length at the time.

 

[CHGoalie27]

what? nothing about that is accurate. he went to his freshmen year in college instead of the NHL.

Stamkos was, as said, horribly disrespected. Totally NHL ready though.

he wasn't nhl ready, up until very late in the season as was pointed out by another poster.[/QUOTE]

Regarding Johnson, I said he wanted to finish that school year, more over meant he chose to go to school over a straight trip to the NHL. Point was it was by his choice, not management saying he wasn't ready. Why is NOTHING about that accurate?

Again, you said "lots of teams"…still waiting on that one. Trying to be argumentative with no real argument?

One team, St.Louis, chose someone who wasn't ready to jump into the game.

 

[flapanthersfan]

he wasn't nhl ready, up until very late in the season as was pointed out by another poster.

Regarding Johnson, I said he wanted to finish that school year, more over meant he chose to go to school over a straight trip to the NHL. Point was it was by his choice, not management saying he wasn't ready. Why is NOTHING about that accurate?

Again, you said "lots of teams"…still waiting on that one. Trying to be argumentative with no real argument?

One team, St.Louis, chose someone who wasn't ready to jump into the game.[/QUOTE]

Johnson "didn't want to finish that school year" like you said in your post. it was inaccurate. period.

even your attempt to correct your original statement was false, as it was a mutual decision, not one strictly on EJ's part. the blues did not think he was ready, and the fact that defensmen picked in the top-5 tend not to be ready has always been a reason as to why i'm against picking them in the top-5 in years past. i was passionately against picking seth jones last year.

for the record, this is the one year I was fine with taking a d-man. I like Ekblad. but that's not to say he's clearly, 100% ready for the NHL. there are still plenty of concerns with his game. particularly, his skating.

as far as my "lots of teams" comment - i've already named you two, and if i cared enough I could probably have looked some up and listed more.

forwards generally are NHL ready, and that's why they're almost always picked #1 ov.

the last time a d-man was picked #1 ov he did not play in the nhl. coincidence?

same goes for goalies. both those positions are harder to adjust to than forward is. alot more responsibility. they take years to develop.

i believe marc andre fleury and dipietro were #1 ov picks that didn't play in the nhl at 18 years old. and if they did, they clearly weren't ready for it.

point of the story: you originally said "who drafts someone first overall that isn't NHL ready??". several teams have, thus your statement is unequivocally wrong. period. end of discussion.

all this being said, i think Ekblad will be on our NHL team this season, so this discussion is pointless.

 

[Android 16]

I'm a huge advocate of letting players develop and not rushing them, but Ekblad is another kid in the 'Gudbranson situation'. The kid proved his dominance in junior hockey. However, a year of pro hockey in the AHL probably wouldn't hurt. Heck, it would most likely do the kid a lot of good in terms of adjustment. The rules in place do the opposite of development in this case. Ekblad is old enough to play in the NHL but not the AHL. Year after year, it's an absolutely senseless rule.

 

[Juggernaut27]

I imagine it's something the CHL has had written into a contract somewhere?

That said, all they have to do is give each team 1 exemption and it would solve 90% of the cases and still stop marginal guys from being taken out of the CHL early.

I do also wonder if some teams just aren't set up very well to develop picks (especially D) in the AHL and if they are physically mature (Jones/Ekblad/Guds/Matta types) they'll have more support and better mentors with the big club.

 

[gudzilla]

well, you need to keep in mind that if all young drafted players go to the AHL, the CHL loses A LOT of money since all their stars will run

 

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

I'm a huge advocate of letting players develop and not rushing them, but Ekblad is another kid in the 'Gudbranson situation'. The kid proved his dominance in junior hockey. However, a year of pro hockey in the AHL probably wouldn't hurt. Heck, it would most likely do the kid a lot of good in terms of adjustment. The rules in place do the opposite of development in this case. Ekblad is old enough to play in the NHL but not the AHL. Year after year, it's an absolutely senseless rule.

Ekblad was granted exceptional status, he's 10x the prospect Gudbranson was, and that's not even a knock on Guds, it's an unfair comparison. Tavares wasn't sent down, Mackinnon wasn't, and McDavid won't be. I know we're used to rushing players, but we've never drafted a player like Ekblad, and I have a feeling he will look much less out of place than Jones with the Preds this year.

 

[Puck Junkie]

well, you need to keep in mind that if all young drafted players go to the AHL, the CHL loses A LOT of money since all their stars will run

The CHL isn't suffering cash shortages as far as I know. Players are only paid a little over $1.5 K a month in allowance, and that is to live on if they are away from home and to also buy all their equipment. Most buildings are full to watch these junior teams because there's little else to do in some of these towns and they're all hockey crazy. Many of the very good prospects go straight into the NHL, and the rest often play only 1 more season in junior before they go pro. I don't think this would impact the league that much financially, as people go just to watch hockey, not to watch players since they only last 3-4 years at most, and will still often get traded.

The only thing you would really do without is watching a recently drafted player progress and dominate the competition at that level, which is used as a marker for future success. I think you could do away with that and just put them into a pro league if they show they are ready for it (which is the only reason any team with the rights to the player would do it anyway), realizing of course that most 18 year olds are definitely not ready for a pro league.

It's a rare problem that would be solved well with exceptional status exemptions like Ekblad had when he came into junior a year early.

 

[gudzilla]

The CHL isn't suffering cash shortages as far as I know. Players are only paid a little over $1.5 K a month in allowance, and that is to live on if they are away from home and to also buy all their equipment. Most buildings are full to watch these junior teams because there's little else to do in some of these towns and they're all hockey crazy. Many of the very good prospects go straight into the NHL, and the rest often play only 1 more season in junior before they go pro. I don't think this would impact the league that much financially, as people go just to watch hockey, not to watch players since they only last 3-4 years at most, and will still often get traded.

The only thing you would really do without is watching a recently drafted player progress and dominate the competition at that level, which is used as a marker for future success. I think you could do away with that and just put them into a pro league if they show they are ready for it (which is the only reason any team with the rights to the player would do it anyway), realizing of course that most 18 year olds are definitely not ready for a pro league.

It's a rare problem that would be solved well with exceptional status exemptions like Ekblad had when he came into junior a year early.

if the top talent of the NHL left for KHL every year, NHL would slowly lose out on money

it isnt the salaries that are the problem, the problem is that sometimes you have to compete with other stuff, and if you're forced to ice a mediocre team every 2 years because your drafted players goes to another league, you're in trouble.

SHL/FEL/etc are losing A LOT of money because of KHL, hell, even an FEL franchise have joined the KHL

players sell tickets, just like bure etc sold tickets in sofla. if you think that icing a ****** team doesnt affect standings, you're really overrating the markets.

look at chicago, penguins, hell, even habs have had issues filling up the stands

 

[Puck Junkie]

if the top talent of the NHL left for KHL every year, NHL would slowly lose out on money

This is already happening with regards to Russian/European talent, but it's more 2nd tier athletes that go there, or malcontents. NHL has been steadily increasing arena revenue year over year despite 2 lockouts that should have killed the league financially.

But regardless, those are pro leagues that are paying players comparable salaries. Putting a young athlete in the AHL one year earlier is fair if they are able to compete in that league and draw a salary. Keeping young marketable athletes with junior teams might help a little at the box office, but it's rather selfish and a little like indentured servitude when they are getting almost no money to compete and make revenue for ownership. It's fair for the market if a young athlete can go earn a salary earlier in the AHL and therefore NHL because with entry level contracts and RFA years players rarely earn their maximum dollars until much later these days. With the sport rapidly becoming a young man's game (players over 30 are often though of as on the decline), the amount of years a player can earn a UFA contract has been diminished and eroded unless they enter the league at a younger age, which exceptional players do, but those who are needing a season in the AHL, or might just need a conditioning stint, can't do so because of the rules in place regarding junior aged players.

it isnt the salaries that are the problem, the problem is that sometimes you have to compete with other stuff, and if you're forced to ice a mediocre team every 2 years because your drafted players goes to another league, you're in trouble.

If the rules are the same for ALL teams in the league, then every team has the same competitive level and there should be no change in the quality of team you're able to ice. The logic doesn't follow here.

SHL/FEL/etc are losing A LOT of money because of KHL, hell, even an FEL franchise have joined the KHL

You are comparing pro leagues where free agency dictates where players play, not an arbitrary age bracket. This is not comparable to CHL/USHL and any pro league.

players sell tickets, just like bure etc sold tickets in sofla. if you think that icing a ****** team doesnt affect standings, you're really overrating the markets.

look at chicago, penguins, hell, even habs have had issues filling up the stands

Montreal has never had much of a problem selling tickets or filling a building. That's just plain incorrect. Pittsburgh had many years of ineptitude before drafting Crosby, and so did Chicago before Toews/Kane, that's why the arenas were half full (still better than Florida). It's a performance based market, and fans are rarely going to buy expensive tickets to see a bad product, you are correct there, but just having a star player doesn't change that if the team is poor.

It's not a comparable to a junior team where tickets are much cheaper and they still make quite a bit of revenue. The hitmen made over $10 million in revenue from tickets alone, and you can't tell me they need all of that to ice a team and cover costs.

Bottom line is, the junior league is a developmental league that serves a purpose, but players deserve the right to make a pro salary once they are drafted, and the age restrictions are a little silly when a player obviously is too good for that league. It's good to have stars in the league, yes, but there should at least be an exemption for exceptional players to turn pro 1 year earlier if they wish.

 

[CHGoalie27]

Johnson "didn't want to finish that school year" like you said in your post. it was inaccurate. period.

even your attempt to correct your original statement was false, as it was a mutual decision, not one strictly on EJ's part. the blues did not think he was ready, and the fact that defensmen picked in the top-5 tend not to be ready has always been a reason as to why i'm against picking them in the top-5 in years past. i was passionately against picking seth jones last year.

for the record, this is the one year I was fine with taking a d-man. I like Ekblad. but that's not to say he's clearly, 100% ready for the NHL. there are still plenty of concerns with his game. particularly, his skating.

as far as my "lots of teams" comment - i've already named you two, and if i cared enough I could probably have looked some up and listed more.

forwards generally are NHL ready, and that's why they're almost always picked #1 ov.

the last time a d-man was picked #1 ov he did not play in the nhl. coincidence?

same goes for goalies. both those positions are harder to adjust to than forward is. alot more responsibility. they take years to develop.

i believe marc andre fleury and dipietro were #1 ov picks that didn't play in the nhl at 18 years old. and if they did, they clearly weren't ready for it.

point of the story: you originally said "who drafts someone first overall that isn't NHL ready??". several teams have, thus your statement is unequivocally wrong. period. end of discussion.

all this being said, i think Ekblad will be on our NHL team this season, so this discussion is pointless.

Since 2000, Erik Johnson would be the only one who wasn't NHL ready by whoever's decision. Does it matter how I did or didn't attempt to clarify* what I said? He wanted to go to school* Management might have deemed him not ready, still doesn't mean he surely couldn't have handled the job. Stupid side argument for you to dwell on, really.

DP and Fleury were oh most definitely ready, their teams sucked. Stamkos was ready, bad coaching. Mentioning them holds no water.

My statement is not "unequivocally" wrong lol. In this millennium, there has been ONE team that hasn't picked someone ready for opening night. >NOT SEVERAL, NOT EVEN TWO< Also, just so you know, several doesn't equal…TWO. Again, mentioning guys that were in fact ready doesn't deem what you said to be valid.

I stick by my original statement and you've only backed it by pointing out the last 7 years of NHL ready (forwards) being picked. No it's not a coincidence, but I would think if Tallon wants playoffs NOW, I'm almost certain he wouldn't pick someone he was sure he couldn't use right away. Dman or not, and thankfully this Dman seems ready.

 

[I am not exposed]

Since 2000, Erik Johnson would be the only one who wasn't NHL ready by whoever's decision. Does it matter how I did or didn't attempt to clarify* what I said? He wanted to go to school* Management might have deemed him not ready, still doesn't mean he surely couldn't have handled the job. Stupid side argument for you to dwell on, really.

DP and Fleury were oh most definitely ready, their teams sucked. Stamkos was ready, bad coaching. Mentioning them holds no water.

My statement is not "unequivocally" wrong lol. In this millennium, there has been ONE team that hasn't picked someone ready for opening night. >NOT SEVERAL, NOT EVEN TWO< Also, just so you know, several doesn't equal…TWO. Again, mentioning guys that were in fact ready doesn't deem what you said to be valid.

I stick by my original statement and you've only backed it by pointing out the last 7 years of NHL ready (forwards) being picked. No it's not a coincidence, but I would think if Tallon wants playoffs NOW, I'm almost certain he wouldn't pick someone he was sure he couldn't use right away. Dman or not, and thankfully this Dman seems ready.

Just because 1st overall drafts hit the NHL straight doesn't mean they are 'ready'. Just saying.

 

[CHGoalie27]

Just because 1st overall drafts hit the NHL straight doesn't mean they are 'ready'. Just saying.

Obviously agreed.