Prospect Info: Flames prospect rankings: #20 RUN-OFF POLL

[Tkachuk Norris]

Prospect ranking isn't solely based upon the single datapoint of how likely a prospect is to reach the NHL. Equally important, is upside.

Remember the premise of our rankings is 'if you can only keep one'.

I know. And I agree. But guys like Phillips were 7th round picks for a reason. He's got some potential for sure. But I give less than a 1% of being an NHL player. This guy is not John Gaudreau. Yes he had a great shootout move and one nice deke in the prospect camp, but he also got destroyed 3 times and didn't show great vision, he's not super fast and he makes Gaudreau look big. Him over guys like Ollas-Matsson or Pribyl who both are solid prospects is craziness to me.

 

[Volica]

Calgary's struck rich with three tiny guys; so I can see how people might like him

AOM is a decent prospect, Pribyl's closer to being an NHLer than anyone not named Tkachuk. Really is shiny new toy syndrome; or hope for new prospects to surpass safer guys like those two.

 

[Anglesmith]

Calgary's struck rich with three tiny guys; so I can see how people might like him

AOM is a decent prospect, Pribyl's closer to being an NHLer than anyone not named Tkachuk. Really is shiny new toy syndrome; or hope for new prospects to surpass safer guys like those two.

I think it's just that people don't hold out much hope of these mid-20s Euro signings after Cervenka, Berra (technically was a prospect, of course) and Nakladal all failed to really be difference-makers.

That's not to say that they can't be good players, but it's just perception.

 

[Anglesmith]

Final run-off poll (I think it's best to stop at 20).

Matthew Phillips (19.51%)
Daniel Pribyl (31.71%)
Adam Ollas Mattsson (26.83%)

 

[Lunatik]

Pribyl

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

I know. And I agree. But guys like Phillips were 7th round picks for a reason. He's got some potential for sure. But I give less than a 1% of being an NHL player. This guy is not John Gaudreau. Yes he had a great shootout move and one nice deke in the prospect camp, but he also got destroyed 3 times and didn't show great vision, he's not super fast and he makes Gaudreau look big. Him over guys like Ollas-Matsson or Pribyl who both are solid prospects is craziness to me.

Phillips and Gaudreau were literally the same size when they were drafted, feel free to look it up. Gaudreau was also never the top skater among his peers. No one is saying Phillips is going to be Gaudreau, but saying we shouldn't be excited over a guy that has his types of skills is funny.

Again, you are so fast to say a "prospect" is going to be this or that, or won't be this or that. You have no clue what they will become, nor does anyone on here. Phillips could easily become a Haula caliber, or maybe he does bust. You cannot make any definitive claims at this point which you always seem to do.

Also, Gillies might bust, nothing is guaranteed when it comes to him. Stop saying he's going to be the next Lundqvist, who's a future HOF.

 

[InfinityIggy]

Gillies is gonna be the next Hasek.

 

[Lunatik]

He's gonna beat people up playing street hockey?

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Phillips and Gaudreau were literally the same size when they were drafted, feel free to look it up. Gaudreau was also never the top skater among his peers. No one is saying Phillips is going to be Gaudreau, but saying we shouldn't be excited over a guy that has his types of skills is funny.

Again, you are so fast to say a "prospect" is going to be this or that, or won't be this or that. You have no clue what they will become, nor does anyone on here. Phillips could easily become a Haula caliber, or maybe he does bust. You cannot make any definitive claims at this point which you always seem to do.

Also, Gillies might bust, nothing is guaranteed when it comes to him. Stop saying he's going to be the next Lundqvist, who's a future HOF.

Hox you do it too man. You expect Jankowski to be better offensively then Monahan...

I never said Phillips will bust. I'm just saying he's a 5'6 PPG player that isn't a burner, and that the odds are highly against him. Using his and Gaudreaus name in the same sentence needs to stop. Nathan Gerbe, Tyler Ennis sure. But Jonny is a unique talent. It takes one viewing of Gaudreau to see that just like it takes one viewing to see Phillips has a mountain to climb. Again, not saying he can't do it.

You know who I wanted in the 2015 draft? Three players (although I didn't think Barzal or Connor would be there at 15) I wanted Boeser, Eriksson EK or Zboril (I was literally on an island with that opinion, like usual). The vast majority of this site wanted Merkley.

As for Gillies, again, I'm not saying he's going to be Henrik Lundqvist. But every game I've watched he looks special and that's what I go on. I think he's one of two blue-chips in the Flames organization. The rest of our prospects are highly flawed/high potential (ie Andersson, Kylington, Mangiapane) or more middle of the lineup solid players with mediocre offensive abilities (Kulak, Hickey, Jankowski). To me Gillies has elite potential and he doesn't have flaws like our other prospects (other then health).

Also, to the people that don't have Matt Tkachuk as our top prospect... Just...no

 

[Flames Fanatic]

You know who I wanted in the 2015 draft? Three players (although I didn't think Barzal or Connor would be there at 15) I wanted Boeser, Eriksson EK or Zboril (I was literally on an island with that opinion, like usual). The vast majority of this site wanted Merkley.

I was similar ish. My list was:

1.McDavid
2.Eichel
3.Strome
4.Provorov (I really really like him, think he's the complete package)
5.Marner
6.Hanifin
7.Zacha
8.Werenski
9.Connor
10.Ratanen
11.Barzal
12.Chabot
13.Zboril
14.White
15. Boeser
16. Konecny
17. Ek-Eriksson
18. Aho
19. Merkley

I desperately was hoping that Connor or Barzal would fall. Provorov would have been my dream pick after the top two, but I knew he was going high.

 

[L13]

Hox you do it too man. You expect Jankowski to be better offensively then Monahan...

I never said Phillips will bust. I'm just saying he's a 5'6 PPG player that isn't a burner, and that the odds are highly against him. Using his and Gaudreaus name in the same sentence needs to stop. Nathan Gerbe, Tyler Ennis sure. But Jonny is a unique talent. It takes one viewing of Gaudreau to see that just like it takes one viewing to see Phillips has a mountain to climb. Again, not saying he can't do it.

I agree comparing Phillips to Gaudreau needs to stop because it raises unreasonable expectations, but Gaudreau was not only the same size as Phillips when he was drafted, as JH said, but also he looked distinctly unremarkable in his first development camp. People said he had some obvious skill, but lacked the wow factor of a future NHLer, was muscled off the puck too easily, didn't have the skating ability he'd need to overcome his drawbacks, etc.

Gaudreau exploded developmentally in a truly absurd way in the first two years after he was drafted, but to claim his potential/specialness~ was always obvious is revisionist history. He was just as tiny as Phillips in 2011 and did not make a deep impression on anyone immediately. (Some of our scouts thought he was awesome, just like Conroy thought Phillips is awesome, but I'm referring specifically to the first impression he made on the fanbase.)

As I said, comparing the two is way too much, but not because there's a substantial difference between how Phillips looks now and how Gaudreau looked then, which there really isn't--but because the strides Gaudreau made between 2011 and 2013 to hone his raw talent were enormous and no prospect should be expected to improve at that rate.

 

[Volica]

Err L13; I believe you're wrong man. He won rookie of the year for Dubuque and the year before he was America's most impressive player at the Hlinka.

The kid's been an offensive Dynamo throughout his career. Phillips has been great so far, but as everyone has said; expecting a Johnny Hockey out of him is absurd.

 

[L13]

Err L13; I believe you're wrong man. He won rookie of the year for Dubuque and the year before he was America's most impressive player at the Hlinka.

The kid's been an offensive Dynamo throughout his career. Phillips has been great so far, but as everyone has said; expecting a Johnny Hockey out of him is absurd.

Yes, and Phillips won Rookie of the Year for the Royals. Gaudreau was more dominant in his league relative to his peers than Phillips, but one could argue that the fact the high-end talent in the USHL (certainly in 2011) was weaker than in the WHL evens things out a bit. (There's also the age structure of each league. Gaudreau led all U18s in the USHL in scoring and Phillips, albeit 19th overall in scoring, was second only to Patrick among U18s, IIRC.) All in all, their pre-draft profiles really aren't that far apart.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

Hox you do it too man. You expect Jankowski to be better offensively then Monahan...

I never said Phillips will bust. I'm just saying he's a 5'6 PPG player that isn't a burner, and that the odds are highly against him. Using his and Gaudreaus name in the same sentence needs to stop. Nathan Gerbe, Tyler Ennis sure. But Jonny is a unique talent. It takes one viewing of Gaudreau to see that just like it takes one viewing to see Phillips has a mountain to climb. Again, not saying he can't do it.

You know who I wanted in the 2015 draft? Three players (although I didn't think Barzal or Connor would be there at 15) I wanted Boeser, Eriksson EK or Zboril (I was literally on an island with that opinion, like usual). The vast majority of this site wanted Merkley.

As for Gillies, again, I'm not saying he's going to be Henrik Lundqvist. But every game I've watched he looks special and that's what I go on. I think he's one of two blue-chips in the Flames organization. The rest of our prospects are highly flawed/high potential (ie Andersson, Kylington, Mangiapane) or more middle of the lineup solid players with mediocre offensive abilities (Kulak, Hickey, Jankowski). To me Gillies has elite potential and he doesn't have flaws like our other prospects (other then health).

Also, to the people that don't have Matt Tkachuk as our top prospect... Just...no

I think Janko has more natural offsensive skill than Monahan. But if t if I was a betting man I'd guess he becomes as productive as Backlund although I definitely thinks he has the potential to score more. Monahan is already a star in the NHL, I have no idea if Janko will be a better player, but I think it's possible.

Regarding Phillips, my comparable and projection for him would be Cam Atkinson. I think he could a top 6 player, capable of scoring 45-55pts, assuming he hits his potential. I don't think he's ever going to be an elite player, although I hope I am wrong.

I agree with you on the draft. My top choices were Connor, (I didn't think Barzal would be there), then Konecny, Merkley or Kylington.

Anyways, vote Phllips, he's the next Gaudreau and Mattson is the next Jankowski.