Blowfish
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2018-2019 Final Grades ,Prospects only
Defense
Connor Clifton Mid Season grade A-,promoted to Boston, will stay in Boston ,the kid is a hockey player.
Cooper Zech - Should I say they struck Gold again in the College FA market? Yes I should... another rock star in the making, the 20 year old is very polished for his age, a Krug/Grzelcyk hybrid whom I'm not sure who he's most like at this point, adjusted well to the speed difference from School to pro's,showed durability,especially those first few games where he got creamed,does all the good things these smaller puck movers do,decent defender which leaves me to speculate he could possibly be better than the 2 I mentioned above,start reading up on him cause I think he's going to be crazy good. Grade Inc. only played 16 games
Jakub Zboril Mid season grade B, missed some time with injuries but was called up to Boston for 2 games, Imo was the best defender during the playoffs,did seem to regress a bit offensively,still prone to poor decision making but overall solid in his own end,still a work in progress though I think he can play in the NHL right now on the right team with the right Coach, at this point being the #1 guy in Providence beats being #7 in Boston,yes there were better players taken after him in 2015 but he doesn't suck,he'll make it.Final Grade B+
Jeremy Lauzon Mid season grade A,injuries again struck him down,only played 29 games in Providence,16 in Boston,was laboring in the playoff's,clearly not 100% but when he's healthy he's a stud,going forward what's best for him and the organization? injuries aside I don't think he needs more AHL time.Ready for prime time or possible trade bait? he'd look good in a Leafs uniform...
Final Grade B+
Emil Johasson Mid season grade B-, he's hard to project, he plays a very simple defense first,safe game but is inconsistent moving the puck, was yanked in and out of the lineup which he always struggled with when put back in,didn't play in the playoffs which I found to be disappointing,he's got a ton of pro experience for being almost 23, He's a second tier prospect whom I can't close the door completely on yet. Final Grade B-
Urho Vaakanainen I can't remember his Mid Season grade but I'm sure it was good
Looked the part early in the season,called up,concussed ,out for Months, had a very strong World Juniors,Wins Gold,starts ramping it up again in Providence,hurt again,comes back, looks terrible ,misses all sorts of time, plays in the playoff's, looks to be at 80%,not even close to the level at the start of the season,really disappointing
When healthy he's one of the best defensive prospect in the 2 divisions we play(Jake Bean is the other one). I'm backing off saying he's in the NHL at the start of the season,Imo he needs another 40+ AHL games and I see scenario where he's called up and never goes back
Final Grade Inc.
Victor Bergund ,played 4 games in Providence,had a goal and an assist in very limited playing time,looked like an 8th grader playing Varsity,can certainly shoot and move the puck,I can see why they took a flier on him in round seven back in 2017, I think staying in Sweden and making a SHL team is best for him,desperately needs weight gain,He's only 19,assuming all goes well I'd sign him and loan him out like they did with Axel Andersson next year,there's no rush.
Wiley Sherman Big Sherms Mid season grade C+, was outclassed in the beginning of the year,poor positioning,bad angles,bad reads,at times timid and soft but as the season wore on he improved,had a few fights,scored a few goals,overall was a decent bottom pairing player that had some ups and downs and no real responsibilities,he's another second tier prospect that didn't play in the playoff's
Final Grade C+
Thanks SE...love your insight. Is Zach officially signed by the bruins?