Prospect Info: HFRedWings Midseason Prospect Rankings #10

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Rankings:
1. Anthony Mantha - 77.38%
2. Andreas Athanasiou - 63.04%
3. Evgeny Svechnikov - 77.05%
4. Xavier Ouellet - 69.70%
5. Vili Saarijarvi - 52.00%
6. Axel Holmstrom - 40.48%
7. Tyler Bertuzzi - 32.08%
8. Robbie Russo - 34.62%
9. Joe Hicketts - 32.43%

​

Click to read more...

 

[SirloinUB]

Finally Little Joe gets his dues.

Slim pickings left. Im going to have to think on this one before I vote.

 

[Ingvar]

I don't understand why Nosek gets so little love.

 

[Frk It]

I don't understand why Nosek gets so little love.

Good point. Makes way more sense to vote for Nosek than Jensen, IMO. If you value pro readiness.

I go more for ceiling, personally.

 

[sean3250]

Going with Sproul for this one.

No one else left on this list has any legitimate NHL potential.

Jensen is 25. Everyone seems to love this guy, but if he had some potential he would've been in the show a while ago. He's played in the NCAA for 3 years and has over 100 games at the AHL level. If he was good enough he would have forced managements hand already.

Turgeon is almost 20 and this is his first year putting up decent numbers. You think someone in their 19-20 yr season would put up better numbers than 1.0ppg. Career .55 in the dub is very disappointing even considering the fact he played behind other players. For example Mantha, AA, Bert etc. had much better final CHL seasons. By a long shot too. I assume management hoped he could somehow play like his father (which is why I'm sure he had a "First round grade"). I doubt he sticks at the pro level long, if he even makes it that far (Name recognition should help him in that department).

Zach Nasty can barely even crack an ECHL roster, nevermind the Griffins. At best he's a Joakim Andersson type.

Frk can barely skate. Great Shot but that's about it. He's almost a poor man's Pulkkinen. He'll make a great first liner for GRG or he'll go back to Europe and dominate over there.

Coreau is the only player left on this list, besides Sproul, who has NHL potential. Not sure what Coreau's potential is considering he just started playing well this year.

Sproul has really improved on the backend and it's not like his offensive game has/will disappear/ed. He has very good size, and skating. Still a good puckmover. He will definitely make the NHL in some capacity, whether that's as a top pairing guy or bottom pairing guy is up to him.

 

[Frk It]

Jensen is 25. He turns 26 in September.

Regarding Frk, I think his skating has improved quite a bit. His bigger issue (IMO) is he doesn't move his feet, which makes his skating seem worse than it is.

 

[sean3250]

Jensen is 25. He turns 26 in September.

My mistake. I'll edit my post. My point still stands, though.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

Good point. Makes way more sense to vote for Nosek than Jensen, IMO. If you value pro readiness.

I go more for ceiling, personally.

I voted Nosek for the last three rounds. After his call up there is no question in my mind that he can play in the NHL as a fourth liner. I think this is important given that, as of today, no one left has a particularly high ceiling.

 

[Electric Eric]

Going with Sproul for this one.

Turgeon is almost 20 and this is his first year putting up decent numbers. You think someone in their 19-20 yr season would put up better numbers than 1.0ppg. Career .55 in the dub is very disappointing even considering the fact he played behind other players. For example Mantha, AA, Bert etc. had much better final CHL seasons. By a long shot too. I assume management hoped he could somehow play like his father (which is why I'm sure he had a "First round grade"). I doubt he sticks at the pro level long, if he even makes it that far (Name recognition should help him in that department).

Turgeon was buried behind some fantastic WHL depth for a few seasons. This the first year he's been able to consistently play on the top line. He's never been touted as a offensively elite type prospect but the Wings did see him as a 1st round talent.

Not to mention the WHL is probably the tightest league defensively in the WHL. Hard to compare numbers between the leagues.

 

[Pavels Dog]

I really think Sproul should have still been ahead of Hicketts. Sure he hasn't developed like we hoped he would, but I still think he looks like a guy with real potential to become an NHLer in some capacity. He has size, he can skate, there is plenty of offensive upside.. and at least from what I've seen, he's not awful defensively anymore.

Hicketts is too much of a longshot for me. He'll need to at least do big things in the AHL for me to start thinking he could make it in the NHL.

 

[Vatican Roulette]

Traded picks and prospects are starting to show in the depth of the pool.

 

[The Zermanator]

Jensen is 25. Everyone seems to love this guy, but if he had some potential he would've been in the show a while ago. He's played in the NCAA for 3 years and has over 100 games at the AHL level. If he was good enough he would have forced managements hand already.

I don't think it's that simple. By most accounts he's played well enough to earn a spot, or at least a shot. Problem is, where Nyquist had 1 Cleary blocking him out of 13 roster spots for forwards, Jensen has/had Kindl, Smith, Lashoff, and whatever other mediocre talents who somehow have/had guaranteed roster spots for the longest time blocking him out of only 7 roster spots on D.

Our D is in this weird twilight zone where it's so underwhelming yet simultaneously near impossible to crack. Jensen and Ouellet should both have had good long tastes at this point but those games were wasted on Kindl especially.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I don't think it's that simple. By most accounts he's played well enough to earn a spot, or at least a shot. Problem is, where Nyquist had 1 Cleary blocking him out of 13 roster spots for forwards, Jensen has/had Kindl, Smith, Lashoff, and whatever other mediocre talents who somehow have/had guaranteed roster spots for the longest time blocking him out of only 7 roster spots on D.

Our D is in this weird twilight zone where it's so underwhelming yet simultaneously near impossible to crack. Jensen and Ouellet should both have had good long tastes at this point but those games were wasted on Kindl especially.

This is exactly how I feel about the situation. There has never been any question in my mind that XO and Jensen are better than Kindl (and probably Smith for long stretches). Our NHL roster's defense has never been a meritocracy. Most of our defensive roster decisions have been about preserving as much depth as humanly possible. Holland is on record as saying that you will need 8-9 NHL defensemen during the course of the season. If you honestly feel that way, you need to take advantage of minor league options.

 

[Winger98]

This is exactly how I feel about the situation. There has never been any question in my mind that XO and Jensen are better than Kindl (and probably Smith for long stretches). Our NHL roster's defense has never been a meritocracy. Most of our defensive roster decisions have been about preserving as much depth as humanly possible. Holland is on record as saying that you will need 8-9 NHL defensemen during the course of the season. If you honestly feel that way, you need to take advantage of minor league options.

Yeah, not happy with our blueline management at all. Even if you want to argue that the kids wouldn't have been better than Kindl/Smith/Commodore/etc., I don't think they'd have been worse. And right now they'd be a lot cheaper. When a couple of these guys hit waivers this fall, someone should grab them. They deserve a shot somewhere.

as for the poll, I went with Jensen. After about the top 5 or 6, though, I could see an argument for pretty much anyone in whatever order.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

sproul easily

wayyyyy more upside than jensen and as good a chance as ever actually establishing himself as a full time red wing

 

[BinCookin]

I went Jensen.

To me Sproul is a big time bust. Jensen might never make the NHL, but not because he CANT play there, just because hes a #7 (he might be more, but i dont think he will ever make it).

Sproul however im pretty confident will never be as good as Jensen.

But who really cares here. I dont think there is any NHL talent after our #10 on the team.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

sproul easily

wayyyyy more upside than jensen and as good a chance as ever actually establishing himself as a full time red wing

Nah, he was a healthy scratch throughout the playoffs last season in GR. The guy that scratched him is now coaching in Detroit. He has been marginally better this season, but I have a hard time seeing him cracking the big club's line up anytime soon.

 

[SirloinUB]

I voted Turgeron. Mature player, with youth and pedegree on his side. Now that he is getting an opportunity to play in a more offensive role, he is showing there is more to his game than PKing and great shutdown abilities. Not sure if his Offense will translate to the pros but it also wouldn't suprise me if the kid is a better pro than junior.

And everyone else has done nothing to seperate themself.