Inept outsider fan asking a question: Who is "the goalie"?

[aragorn]

Gustavsson is your guy, and he's about two seasons away from starting regularly in the NHL.

1 - Brannstrom
2 - Batherson
3 - Brown

4 - Tkachuk
5 - Chabot

I'd add White as the #6th player on your list, he's already showing in his first yr that he is a player for this team.

 

[bert]

I wouldn't agree he's been rushed. It's usually quite a big transition from SHL to NHL for a goalie and it takes some time to get used to. He could've played another season in SHL but I'm not sure that'd make him break into NHL any sooner. Especially since it's not at all sure he'd be 1A on the team because they already have one of SHL's top 3 goalies. Other former top G prospects also has moved over at about the same age so it's not unusual. But in any case, one shouldn't judge the potential of a young SHL goalie from their first NA hockey year.

Comparing Gus and Hog as juniors, Gus should be way ahead. He's one of the most promising prospects from SHL since Lundqvist, while Hog wasn't even top in his age group. Definitely has starter potential in a few years (at 23-25 yo). But you never know until they had a couple of seasons who'll adapt the best in the end, Hogberg's size and style might suit NHL better and take him further. As far as Daccord concerns, it's difficult to compare him with the others at this stage because we've not seen him in similar situations. At the moment I'd put my money on Gus (at least the scouts did that during their draft years) but I guess we have to wait 2-3 years before we can say where they're heading with reasonable safety.

I just didnt see the point of moving Gustavsson over here yet, goalies take so long to develop and really are wild cards for the most part. Their development curve is a very long one as it takes a long time to develop hockey sense. Goalies that go the NCAA route from north america have had the better track records in recent years as they often dont take the mental beating of getting lit up in Jr and have more time to hone their skills. Daccord is having an absolutely incredible season right now and from what I have watched he looks great. Tracks the puck really well doesnt over commit on shots and has terrific agility and movement. On top of him being an absolutely superb puck handler. Check out this highlite pack.

 

[WaitingInVain]

I'd add White as the #6th player on your list, he's already showing in his first yr that he is a player for this team.

I don't see White as a 'star player' though, so he's not part of the list on purpose. The three in AHL that I mentioned could very well be elite, with Brown as the biggest wildcard and highest positional importance.

If Brannstrom is a #1 on >75% of teams...
If Batherson is the #1RW on >75% of teams...
If Brown is the #1C on ~50% of teams...

You're looking at stars.

Like Stone carrying his line and drawing tough matchups, or Karlsson carrying the D-corps, you have to be a top line player and among one of the best at your position in the league to make it to star potential. I hope that is Dorion's and Melnyk's definition of star.

I do think all three can make it to that level, but history tells us not to be hopeful that it will all work out. If it does, you're looking at 5 stars (Chabot and Tkachuk) that might be a core talented enough to make a sustained push. Two #1D and a complete top line, biggest wildcard is the goalie situation but they have two options if they can get Daccord on contract, and perhaps can push for more prospects when room is cleared.

The best thing they have going for them is that all 5 of those potential stars bring something different to the table.

 

[aragorn]

I don't see White as a 'star player' though, so he's not part of the list on purpose. The three in AHL that I mentioned could very well be elite, with Brown as the biggest wildcard and highest positional importance.

If Brannstrom is a #1 on >75% of teams...
If Batherson is the #1RW on >75% of teams...
If Brown is the #1C on ~50% of teams...

You're looking at stars.

Like Stone carrying his line and drawing tough matchups, or Karlsson carrying the D-corps, you have to be a top line player and among one of the best at your position in the league to make it to star potential. I hope that is Dorion's and Melnyk's definition of star.

I do think all three can make it to that level, but history tells us not to be hopeful that it will all work out. If it does, you're looking at 5 stars (Chabot and Tkachuk) that might be a core talented enough to make a sustained push. Two #1D and a complete top line, biggest wildcard is the goalie situation but they have two options if they can get Daccord on contract, and perhaps can push for more prospects when room is cleared.

The best thing they have going for them is that all 5 of those potential stars bring something different to the table.

I still don't agree, there is 2 pts difference between Tkachuk & White both in their rookie seasons. IMO White has proven he is a top 6 player in the NHL in his rookie season, people give so much credence to players who are not even in the NHL yet but a guy who is & has shown he can play here gets less, doesn't make sense to me. Jury is still out on Brannstrom although early indications are that he could be an elite offence D, defensively is another story.

The best thing that White has going for him is that he brings something different than all 5 of those as well & that is that he is good at faceoffs & should get better. That he is already very good defensively & will only get better with more experience, something young players struggle with. And that he is a very smart player who can play on any line as an offensive contributor or defensive specialist as well as play on the PK. This team lacks players who can prevent goals against & White is a 200' player, it's every bit as important to prevent goals as it is to score them & you need a balance of both on any team. IMO White could turn into a Bergeron lite kind of player who makes those around them better & helps reduce the goals against for this team. Because Crosby is an elite player does that mean that Malkin is not since he is considered the 2nd line centre & doesn't play on the top line?

 

[derriko]

What.in.the.hell did I just see starting at :33 seconds in that video....Daccord frickin went outside the circle to take a pass so he could set up a breakout. Can't say I've seen that one often...or ever haha

 

[tigerman67]

I just didnt see the point of moving Gustavsson over here yet, goalies take so long to develop and really are wild cards for the most part. Their development curve is a very long one as it takes a long time to develop hockey sense. Goalies that go the NCAA route from north america have had the better track records in recent years as they often dont take the mental beating of getting lit up in Jr and have more time to hone their skills. Daccord is having an absolutely incredible season right now and from what I have watched he looks great. Tracks the puck really well doesnt over commit on shots and has terrific agility and movement. On top of him being an absolutely superb puck handler. Check out this highlite pack.

He's also a very good skater, you can tell from that vid. Moves are both fluent and fast.

But what actually struck me the most from that clip was the shockingly low tempo on the play. I rarely watch anything else than NHL and SHL hockey, maybe some AHL or KHL game/year (plus WC/WJC of course), and that was really lazy. I know there are some seriously good players in NCAA, but overall it has to be quite a lot easier to stand out from that pack than in SHL or AHL. If he play like that in the big league he'll most probably get into trouble. Anyway, stopping pucks from going in is far more important than nice passing skills. Not that I doubt he can do that too, at least his stats are pretty solid.