Prospect Info: End of season prospect rankings

[Aceboogie]

Bouchard
Yamamoto
Benson
Bear
Jones
Samorokuv
Lagesson
Marody
Mcleod

 

[McFlyingV]

"He defends well for the most part" is really selling his defense short. He was voted best defensive dman in his conference by OHL coaches, and if you ask around, the consensus would be that he was the best in the entire league.

Obviously that doesn't mean it's NHL ready yet, he has to grow his game in the AHL next year.

I don't think it is. He still makes mistakes and has his share of poor defensive reads, but I attribute that more to being a junior player than anything else. As I said, he's a 5-tool D at the OHL level, meaning he is one of the most complete D in that league with no real major weaknesses. I'll wait until I see him defend against men before I call him a future top pairing D, but I certainly don't disagree that he has the potential to be. What is encouraging is that he received good reviews last season when he went to Bakersfield, and his game has improved significantly from where it was at last year.

He looks like he's starting to put it together and is eliminating a lot of the inconsistency that plagued his game in the past 2.5 seasons. I hope he keeps it up and continues to grow because the physical tools are all there.

 

[Bring Back Bucky]

1. Starrett
2. Samorukov
3. Marody


/QUOTE]

MO. DIZZLE.

 

[fireantz]

No love for Maximow! As a RW I see his potential higher than Pulj, Yamo and Marody. Confident he will play beside McD or Drai soon.

 

[McTonyBrar]

Yamamoto should definitely be higher. When he got adjusted to the AHL he was putting up a ppg. And he's a year younger than Benson, 2 younger than Marody.

I'd do it like this:

Bouchard
Benson
Samorukov
Yamamoto
Jones
Bear
Marody
Lagesson
McLeod
Maksimov
Perrson
Starret (I don't really know where to put him).

They're missing Yamamoto in the AHL right now. Playoff scoring from forwards isn't coming

 

[McTonyBrar]

1 - Benson - Kid stays healthy for a full year and it happens to be his first pro season and he has not disappointed in the least. Regardless of what happens in the Calder Cup playoffs, he's got a legit shot at starting next season on the big club's 3rd line.
2 - Bouchard - Had a hard time showing that his game converts in the NHL when he came up to play in the ****show with his fellow Oilers on this train wreck of a season. Went back down and made a joke of the OHL and looked like Bobby Orr through the playoffs while London was still in it. Looks like a great talent, but he'd gotta prove he can do what makes him great against faster, stronger and smarter competition. Will likely spend all of next season in the AHL.
3 - Jones - Was brought up via injury call-up and was likely sent back down to avoid complicating the expansion draft. Is more than ready for 3rd pairing minutes 5 on 5 and to get some time on the 2nd PP unit. Back down in the AHL he produced at a really good pace and has officially clearly leapfrogged Bear. Has a chance to start next season with the Oilers.
4 - McLeod - Big strong center that is putting up a ton of points. What's not to drool over?
5 - Bear - Injuries have a ruined a potential break out season. When healthy he's put up very good numbers and he looks to be a lock to make it in the NHL, but he's got to stay healthy and stay the course. Likely to only be called up to the Oilers in case of injuries next year.
6 - Samorukov - Good size and great numbers this year. I don't know if he's AHL eligible next year, but he'll have a lot of hype behind him going into Bakersfield when he goes.
7 - Yamamoto - Still boasts tons smarts and skill. He should probably be #3 or #4 on this list and he would be there if not for injuries.
8 - Marody - Really wanted to put Lagesson here. Tried so hard to do it, but Marody and Benson were like Batman and Robin this year. Like Benson, Marody has a legit chance at making the club next season. Don't cross your fingers that they start off playing on the same line. Remember back to the Cogliano-Gagner-Nilson combo? Wonder why it sucked? Hint: It's not because they didn't have the potential.
9 - Legesson - The offensive output was a very pleasant surprise. Looks like we really do have a future NHLer in this guy.
10 - Starret - Surely we've got an NHL back-up goalie capable of playing 20-30 games next season or the season after. The question is whether or not we've actually got a starting goalie. Exciting notion, but it's too early to count our chickens.

Ummm about what you're saying about Bouchard. He just got drafted.... and you expected him to convert to the NHL right away after not even playing any time in pro?

 

[McSendy]

1. Samorukov - The guy seems to do it all. It's about time the Oilers hit a home run in the later rounds.
2. Bouchard - Cautiously optimistic are the words that come to mind. He'll be on the blue line eventually, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's another year and a half before he is over ripe.
3. Jones - The sibling rivalry motivation is strong with this one. He's a player and should challenge for a full time spot next year.
4. Yamamoto - Incredibly inconsistent at this point. The potential is there.
5. Benson - I see a solid third line player here, with the ability to move up and down the lineup if needed.

 

[thadd]

Ummm about what you're saying about Bouchard. He just got drafted.... and you expected him to convert to the NHL right away after not even playing any time in pro?

2 - Bouchard - Had a hard time showing that his game converts in the NHL when he came up to play in the ****show with his fellow Oilers on this train wreck of a season. Went back down and made a joke of the OHL and looked like Bobby Orr through the playoffs while London was still in it. Looks like a great talent, but he'd gotta prove he can do what makes him great against faster, stronger and smarter competition. Will likely spend all of next season in the AHL.

I just said it as it was. Didn't say he was a disappointment.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

2 - Bouchard - Had a hard time showing that his game converts in the NHL when he came up to play in the ****show with his fellow Oilers on this train wreck of a season. Went back down and made a joke of the OHL and looked like Bobby Orr through the playoffs while London was still in it. Looks like a great talent, but he'd gotta prove he can do what makes him great against faster, stronger and smarter competition. Will likely spend all of next season in the AHL.

I just said it as it was. Didn't say he was a disappointment.

What did you expect? 18 year old defensemen never make an impact unless they're Dahlin level.

 

[Dan Kelly]

My top 20:

1. Evan Bouchard (D)
2. Dmitri Samorukov (D)
3. Kailer Yamamoto (RW)
4. Caleb Jones (D)
5. Tyler Benson (LW)
6. Cooper Marody (C)
7. Ryan McLeod (C)
8. William Lagesson (D)
9. Joel Persson (D)
10. Filip Berglund (D)
11. Ethan Bear (D)
12. Kirill Maksimov (RW)
13. Shane Starrett (G)
14. Olivier Rodrigue (G)
15. Stuart Skinner (G)
16. Ostap Safin (RW/LW)
17. Hayden Hawkey (G)
18. Vincent Desharnais (D)
19. Dylan Wells (G)
20. Michael Kesselring (D)

good to see some love for the often forgotten but solid all round d-man in Filip Berglund ! likely to be heading to the AHL next season and may not take long to get to the NHL? great size, good mobility, very sound defensively and is a right shooter. very curious to see where all these D prospects end up the next few years! nice to finally see some great D depth in the system. and Starrett doesn't seem to get much love but, as mentioned on here already by another poster, had an outstanding year and at 25 will likely be given a very long look at training camp for a backup spot this season.

 

[thadd]

What did you expect? 18 year old defensemen never make an impact unless they're Dahlin level.

LOL Dahlin?
Bad comparison but BTW: What's he done so far?
Doughty was very much worthy of 1st overall and I really thought J-Bo was in his draft year, but seldom do I find myself thinking a recently drafted d-man has the capability of saving a team.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

LOL Dahlin?
Bad comparison but BTW: What's he done so far?
Doughty was very much worthy of 1st overall and I really thought J-Bo was in his draft year, but seldom do I find myself thinking a recently drafted d-man has the capability of saving a team.

What has Dahlin done?

Only be the best drafted D prospect in years.

Would of been the best Oiler D last year by a mile. At 18 years old.

 

[thadd]

What has Dahlin done?

Only be the best drafted D prospect in years.

Would of been the best Oiler D last year by a mile. At 18 years old.

I'm really having a hard time figuring out what my point was when I made that response.
That was sent at almost 6 in the morning. I actually thought I went to bed at 4.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

My top 10

1)Bouchard

Benson
Yamamoto/Jones/Bear/Lagesson

Marody/Persson/Starrett

10) Samorukov
HM: Maksimov (by a hair)

It's tough to judge guys at different points of their development, however I also tend to lean towards Pro success > junior, as it means they're closer to the show.

Thus why I've got a guy like Marody higher Maksimov. I like Maksimov's potential more, but Marody just lit the AHL on fire as a first year pro. That's worth more in my book.

Same with someone like Lagesson over Samorukov. The way I view it, it's not a tough argument to make that Lagesson is near on par with Bear and Jones. Now is what Samorukov did this year any more impressive than Jones' or Bear's last junior season? I'd say no.

Bouchard is the obvious except here, but that should be clear why.

If anyone's wondering where I would put Pulju, he'd be ahead of Benson. When they shared the ice this year in Bakersfield, Pulju was the best player. It's not his fault that this organisation is hell bend on not having him on a proper development path.

 

[bone]

Obviously, a few of our prospects are still competing in their respective playoffs, but I think we have enough info to go on to rank our prospects.

We'll go with a top-20, to make it easier.

1. Evan Bouchard, D

• Another strong, excellent season in the OHL. Some defensive issues were noticed throughtout. Should be AHL bound next season.

2. Tyler Benson, LW

• What a season. Shot up in my books and should be ready to contend for a spot in the top-9 next season.

3. Dmitri Samorukov, D

• A breakout season. World Juniors set the stage. Absolute monster in the 2nd half of the season. Seems underrated when it comes to our prospects. To me, he looks the most likely to be a top-4 dman outside of 'The Bouch'

4. Cooper Marody, C

• Just like Benson, what a season. Should be ready to contend for a bottom-6 role next season.

5. Caleb Jones, D

• Hell of season. Showed flashes of his abilities in his 17 games with the big club. A very solid season in the minors

6. Ethan Bear, D

• Struggled with injuries, but seemed like he rounded out his defensive game well this season.

7. Kirill Maksimov, RW

• A 40 goal season. Points wise didn't like the 79 he put up, but fine-tuned his game in to a more 2-way style.

8. William Lagesson, D

• Put up some offense, which he isn't known for. Defensive game is splendid. Should compete for a bottom-pairing role next season.

9. Joel Persson, D

• Back-to-back excellent seasons in Sweden. To me, should spend AT LEAST half the season in the AHL.

10. Ryan McLeod, C

• Was doing pretty well, but offense wore off after the trade to Saginaw. Most likely to be in the AHL the entire season next year. To me, seems like the perfect 3C a couple years down the road.

11. Kailer Yamamoto, RW

• Rushed to the NHL, struggled which in turn seems like it got to him psychologically in Bako. Didn't light it up, should spend at least half the season in the AHL in '19-'20 to get his offense going,

12. Shane Starrett, G

• Hell of a season. He's not higher right now because I want to see if he can continue it next season.

13. Hayden Hawkey, G

• A very good season in the NCAA, not sure if we sign him though. We do have an abundance of goalies in the system. I'd let go of Dylan Wells to get him signed.

14. Ostap Safin, LW

• A terrible season in terms of his injury. Didn't post the offense when he did return. Playoffs aren't going well for him either. A lost year for development. Should spend a couple years in the AHL to get him back up to speed. There is a player here.

15. Phil Kemp, D

• Offense ran in place pretty much, but is known for his defensive game. Was highly thought of enough to be on the US World Junior team. Seems to have leadership abilities despite not wearing a letter. Diamond in the rough?

16. Michael Kesselring, D

• Stock rose after his trade to Fargo. Put up ten more points in the same number of games. NCAA bound, won't see him for a few years.

17. Olivier Rodrigue, G

• Despite his GAA and SV% numbers being similar year-over-year, he really stepped up for his team, winning 35 of the 48 games he played. Should be a contender for the starting job for Canada's WJ team next season.

18. Vincent Desharnais, D

• Numbers were similar year-over-year, but solidified his defensive game. He was counted on to be a workhouse on the back-end. Looks like he won't be signed.

19. Patrik Siikanen, LW

• Playing the Finnish Junior league, was close to a point-per-game. Could play in the men's finnish league, or be signed and brought over to the AHL. We'll see what happens.

20. John Marino

• His numbers were similar year-over-year as well, but his defensive game has solidified. Along with Desharnais, looks like he won't be signing with us.

What's nice in general is that for the first time in pretty much forever we actually have legitimate prospect balance on the back end. There are 3 left shot Defense and 3 right shot Defense that have a legitimate chance to play games in the NHL in their careers. Several of which could as soon as next year provided it is third pairing minutes.

Would like some more forward prospects with high offensive potential, but at least there are a few reasonable options there and fortunately with the quality of the top 3 currently in place on the big team, they don't need to be locks for top-6 to bring real value to the team.