Jill-bear, Jill-bear :)

[FrankMTL]

He's probably been more impressive on the ice than on the statsheet. Dominating in pretty much every aspect of the game. Just destroyed Everett and is now doing the same to Moose Jaw. Flat-out awesome.

I had some doubts last year about his team play, and disagreed with people who said he had a Roenick-type upside. I was wrong. He's going to make a huge impact, starting next year. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him score 30-35 goals right out of the gate.

No knock on Price, who is a fine goalie prospect and should have been a top-15 pick, but taking him over Brule right now looks monumentally stupid.

Far easier to find quality goaltending than this sort of impact player.

Those are the key words right now...btw Bobby Ryan didn`t have a very good playoffs...neither did Benoit Pouliot...does that mean that Brule will be a better player...ofcourse not. Its good the Brule is doing great right now but who knows what the future holds for him..just like Price or Pouliot or Ryan...The Draft was less then 10 months ago....give these kids some time to develop before making assumptions that one will be better then the other. The thread should just have been on how great Brule is doing, not on how other teams are stupid for having drafted other players...

 

[pei fan]

Yeah, James Sheppard is a beauty.

Yeah a real beauty but did you watch the world championships yesterday?

What do you think ? Will it be a Vancouver vs. London Memorial Cup final?that would be a pretty exciting game imo.

 

[rigger]

I still maintain that Brule was the second best offensive and all around player in the draft next to sid the kid. Also had Brule has more weight this year he would have put up 70 points in the NHL.

He has an incredible shot, very quick release, as good or better then Crosby's shot. He hits and plays the body very well (not just for his size but very well for a hockey player). His vision and defensive play impresses me.

I think he will develop into a more offensively gifted version of Mike Peca. Smallish in size but no one would ever notice because of his open ice hits and strong physical play.

He needs to bulk up but he is a strong skater and strong on the puck.

I expect big things from him.

 

[FrankMTL]

You can say one thing for sure..our National team will be stacked for years...look at all the crazy young forward talent we have!!

Cheechoo, Thornton, Crosby, Bergeron, Staal, Nash, Heatley, Richards, Lecavalier, Marleau, Spezza, Gagne, Tanguay, etc etc....non of these guys are over 26 years old..not to mention other players such as Iginla who is only 28 and many more. Plus we have the young stars coming in like Brule and the next superstar Tavares, Looking good for the future!!

 

[Matrix]

Montreal and Minnesota really ****ed up big time.

I guess it makes up when the Jackets ****ed up big time by choosing Alexandre Picard instead of all the others behind him but especially Radulov....

Pretty condescending and way too early to know who ****ed up 1 year after.....And what about Anaheim??? And what about Carolina, anybody knows how Johnson game will really translate in the bigs....

It's either you due that analysis, or you don't and let the kids develop....then comeback and pat yourself on the back....

 

[Slats432]

And I thought this was a thread about women's protective gear....my bad....carry on.

 

[ZombieMatt]

A number of teams likely passed over Brule because of his size and the fact that he's going to have a very difficult time transitioning to playing in the NHL full-time and keeping the style that has makes him so dominant at the major junior level. A guy Brule's size is going to face a lot of challenges to play the in-your-face physical game that he can at the junior level and do it successfully. Even more so, he's going to have to find a way to play that style against guys significantly larger than him without getting injured, and this concern likely dropped him several spots.

12-Jan-06: Missed 18 games (broken right leg) and returned to his junior team (Vancouver-WHL).
01-Dec-05: Broken right leg, mid-January.
20-Nov-05: Missed 18 games (sternal clavicular sprain).
09-Oct-05: Sternal clavicular sprain, late November.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Benoit Pouliot's problem, from what it looks like, is both talent and work ethic. Once Lemaire and company get a hold of Pouliot, we'll see how everything goes. Schultz has the same problem as Pouliot, he's lazy and he's unproductive. It takes a lot to get him going. And yet everyone thinks Schultz is a top rated defenseman?

Pouliot probably needed to be in the AHL this year, not the OHL, which is again a flaw in the NHL/CHL agreement. I think keeping him on the Wild roster so long was also a bit damaging because when he was sent back down, it probably inflated his ego, because he barely missed being placed on the roster. I think it would've been made easier if Emmerson, the tree, didn't fall on O'Sullivan, but unfortunately that did happen.

Pouliot needs to have a strong coach that can ride him. I think Lemaire and Trembley can do that. He'll have talent on the Wild roster, no doubt, but he'll need someone to give him direction and not to take a shift off.

 

[montreal]

No one claims that Tri City is better without Price but the AMS have other good players too. The have two players in the Western Conference All Star Teams and neither one is Price. I'm just fed up that a lot of people (and I don't mean you) who have probably never seen a Dub game this season claim that Tri City is probably the worst team in the league and Price is the only reason why they made the play-offs.

I watched Tri City play early in the season and thought they were one of the worst teams I've ever seen. I saw them get owned by Everett twice early on, Tri City couldn't do anything in either game. That said I wasn't impressed with Price at all other then how well he handled the puck. I live on the east coast and have to get up at 6 am for work, so I honestly had a hard time staying awake watching such a crappy boring team. I did think they were much better later on in the season when Price seemed to have his act together and I believe the team had made some changes to the lineup. I watched the games on webcast btw, so the video isn't great.

That said even Price said he didn't have as good of a season as last year. He had a great draft year but the next season wasn't that good imo. We'll see what he does next year. I know he got rave reviews from his performances at the Habs rookie camp but I wasn't there and have learned it's best to stick with my opinions cause hype runs wild with a new draftie.

The funny thing is that the Habs can't win here. If they had of picked Brule, I can say for sure people would be saying the Habs pick another smallish forward to go with their crop of smurfs! I like Brule but the injuries do scare me. As for his playoff performance, so what. I saw Duncan Milroy have a great playoff and Memorial Cup (considering he was not that highly rated of a prospect at the time, was thought of as a late 1st rounder if I recall correctly) Milroy put up some damn impressive numbers, and 3 years later still isn't a effective forward in the AHL and tends to shy away from contact.

I'm sure Brule will be a good one but we'll see what Price does and if it's a mistake.

 

[Habsaku]

Have people already forgotten about the great Duncan Milroys playoff performance? He was as good as Brule is right now, it doesnt mean anything at all. Two major injuries in a year does though.

 

[MS]

Have people already forgotten about the great Duncan Milroys playoff performance? He was as good as Brule is right now, it doesnt mean anything at all.

No, he wasn't. Not even close. The numbers might look similar, but the two players aren't/weren't even on the same planet in terms of pro tools.

 

[Habsfan18]

I guess it makes up when the Jackets ****ed up big time by choosing Alexandre Picard instead of all the others behind him but especially Radulov....

Pretty condescending and way too early to know who ****ed up 1 year after.....And what about Anaheim??? And what about Carolina, anybody knows how Johnson game will really translate in the bigs....

It's either you due that analysis, or you don't and let the kids develop....then comeback and pat yourself on the back....

pwned!

 

[hockeyfan125]

Have people already forgotten about the great Duncan Milroys playoff performance? He was as good as Brule is right now, it doesnt mean anything at all. Two major injuries in a year does though.

guys like Milroy, Reid, Gamache, etc. all play a great minor hockey game. Brule plays the type of game that translates to pro hockey very well. Comparing him to Milroy is a slap in the face.

 

[montreal]

No, he wasn't. Not even close. The numbers might look similar, but the two players aren't/weren't even on the same planet in terms of pro tools.

I wouldn't compare the two, but I brought up Milroy's name just cause I've seen him excell in the playoffs yet he has been a bust so far. I don't want to imply Brule will bust or be anything like Milroy, just saying that people can get carried away with CHL success. I fully think Brule will be a great NHLer assuming he can stay healthy.


Just for fun here's the numbers for each

Milroy- 22-17-20-37 26 pims
Brule- 17-16-12-28 40 pims

guys like Milroy, Reid, Gamache, etc. all play a great minor hockey game

Milroy does not play a great minor hockey game. He's slowly improved his defenisve play to be a solid checking line forward in Hamilton but the fact that he shys away from contact and doesn't play in high traffic areas often, hurts his offensive game. He's been a margial AHLer to above average. I am a huge Hamilton fan and have seen him play more times then I can count. Really good wrist shot, too bad he doesn't use it enough or be able to get it off in prime areas.

 

[Randall Graves*]

Can't help but think Brule's style could make him injury prone. He'll have to alter it in the pros IMO!

and for good measure

:

 

[Chaos Giraffe]

Have people already forgotten about the great Duncan Milroys playoff performance? He was as good as Brule is right now, it doesnt mean anything at all. Two major injuries in a year does though.

Produce in the playoffs, you lose.
Don't produce in the playoffs, you lose.

Just no way around it is there?

Unless it's your own team's prospect.

 

[FrankMTL]

Produce in the playoffs, you lose.
Don't produce in the playoffs, you lose.

Just no way around it is there?

Unless it's your own team's prospect.

Nobody said he will be like Duncan Milroy...they`re just saying to hold on before you start saying hes god BECAUSE other players have also had good playoffs but have had problems in the NHL afterwards....what more do you want people to say about Brule...everybody is saying how great he is, and some have already stated teams such as Montreal and Minnesota to be stupid for not having picked him...but then again I guess someone with an avatar such as yourself woulden`t be happy unless somebody called him the number 1 prospect in the world....

 

[hockeyfan125]

I wouldn't compare the two, but I brought up Milroy's name just cause I've seen him excell in the playoffs yet he has been a bust so far. I don't want to imply Brule will bust or be anything like Milroy, just saying that people can get carried away with CHL success. I fully think Brule will be a great NHLer assuming he can stay healthy.


Just for fun here's the numbers for each

Milroy- 22-17-20-37 26 pims
Brule- 17-16-12-28 40 pims





Milroy does not play a great minor hockey game. He's slowly improved his defenisve play to be a solid checking line forward in Hamilton but the fact that he shys away from contact and doesn't play in high traffic areas often, hurts his offensive game. He's been a margial AHLer to above average. I am a huge Hamilton fan and have seen him play more times then I can count. Really good wrist shot, too bad he doesn't use it enough or be able to get it off in prime areas.

I meant CHL as in minor hockey, sorry should have specified that in my original post.

 

[ZombieMatt]

Can't help but think Brule's style could make him injury prone. He'll have to alter it in the pros IMO!

and for good measure

:

100% agree. As I said earlier:

A number of teams likely passed over Brule because of his size and the fact that he's going to have a very difficult time transitioning to playing in the NHL full-time and keeping the style that has makes him so dominant at the major junior level. A guy Brule's size is going to face a lot of challenges to play the in-your-face physical game that he can at the junior level and do it successfully. Even more so, he's going to have to find a way to play that style against guys significantly larger than him without getting injured, and this concern likely dropped him several spots.

CBus has this same challenge with a guy like Alexandre Picard. A player who I absolutely loved to watch in the Q, but he only knows one speed and it has also caused some injury problems for him.

 

[X0ssbar]

My question to Montreal fans is this:

If you could redraft, who would you take? Price or Brule?

For the record, I understand Montreal fan's argument. You can't judge these prospects now but still with what we know up to this point I'd be interested to read a few Montreal fan's answers to the question above.

Personally I've been very surprised w/ Brule this year since he was sent back to the WHL. His year could have completely blown up after those fluke injuries. I have been more impressed with his maturization of how he's responded to those setbacks more than anything else.

 

[turnbuckle*]

guys like Milroy, Reid, Gamache, etc. all play a great minor hockey game. Brule plays the type of game that translates to pro hockey very well. Comparing him to Milroy is a slap in the face.

The important point is to not get overly excited about a strong playoff performance and vastly overrate a player. Steven Weiss was a very similar player to Brule in junior, and had a great playoff run as well when he was a year younger than Brule. He has yet to translate that into NHL success, so when I read from one overly zealous poster that Brule could have scored 70 points in the NHL THIS season, I can't help but chuckle.

I like Brule more than Weiss, especially in the grit and shooting departments, but there are certainly similarities.

I see people here all the time who are far too quick to annoint a player as a great prospect after a strong playoff series - it happens pretty much every year. I'd be wholly surprised if many NHL scouts would pick Brule over Ryan today - fact is Ryan's game translates to the NHL, and Brule suffering two serious injuries at the NHL level this past season certainly doesn't help IMO.

Nobody knows if Brule will be better than Pouiot or Price at the NHL level - and to claim to know who will have the best NHL career less than a year after their draft is borderline comical

 

[Rise from the Ashes]

well top shelf... the answer to your question is i PERSONALLY would take Luc Bourdon... since hes french and montreal needs defence, but i would take Brule also at this point, when i heard Timmins say from the WHL I WAS LIKE YES.... the Tri-City americans i was like huh... the Canadiens select goaltender Carey Price. I was freaking out i mean Brule is french too and is gonna be a superstar! I know Gilbert's father also was pissed but whatever. I guess they just felt they needed to solidify that position for the future now by seeing what Price can do and the fact there arent many Franchise goalies coming up in the next few drafts.

IMO Price is a backbone to what the Habs plan on doing, which is building from goaltender out.

But whatever success Brule and Bourdon have it will hurt me inside....lol

 

[FrankMTL]

My question to Montreal fans is this:

If you could redraft, who would you take? Price or Brule?

For the record, I understand Montreal fan's argument. You can't judge these prospects now but still with what we know up to this point I'd be interested to read a few Montreal fan's answers to the question above.

Personally I've been very surprised w/ Brule this year since he was sent back to the WHL. His year could have completely blown up after those fluke injuries. I have been more impressed with his maturization of how he's responded to those setbacks more than anything else.

I would have taken Bourdon...haha but in all seriousness...i think most habs fans will tell you its pretty obvious who they would have taken...but all were saying is great, brule is playing amazing good for him..but wait before making any judgements about who messed up not taking who. Maybe next year, who knows, maybe Brule has a bad year...or he starts having concussion problems (god i hope not) or whatever, and Price rips it up, or Pouliot jumps to the big leaugues and has an amazing year...i mean you can base who made a mistake in the draft after 10 months...wait atleast a few years. But this thread was supposed to be about how great Brule is playing, and he is playing great. Keep it up Gil!!

 

[Riggins]

I wanted Brule at the time and would take him in a re-draft.

His skill level and intensity are very high, plus living in Vancouver I'd have been stoked to follow the Giants more closely and see a Habs prospect lead them. On the flip side I would be concerned about his reckless style and injury concerns. He'll need to tone it down at the next level. If Brule was drafted by Montreal right now he would no doubt be written off as another injury prone midget. As for Price, with Theodore now gone the pick is looking better than it did previously.

 

[KStewart113]

I'd also say Anaheim screwed up. Not takign anything away from Ryan, but having a Getlzaf/Brule centre combo with Perry,Lupul, etc. on the wings