Prospect Info: Joel Armia (2011, 16th) – '14-15: Rochester #33 (AHL) – 2015: Traded to Jets

[Chainshot]

In response to the OP -- no, not yet. He's grown in areas of deficiancy since being drafted. This upcoming season, as an entire body of work, will be a good indicator of what they have. Moskau's comments about being a momentum player ring true -- he puts up points in clusters.

The short answer -- not at this time.

 

[joshjull]

No, but only because I'm not counting on anything, either. I haven't been penciling him in as our top line winger in two years or anything. If he busts it wouldn't be a huge shock.

Are you saying you see him as a boom or bust type of player? As in he will either hit his potential or bust.

He could fall short of his high end potential but become 2nd or 3rd line RW. Or do you consider that busting?

 

[SabresBillsBuffalo]

He had points in the FEL playoffs

 

[haseoke39]

Are you saying you see him as a boom or bust type of player? As in he will either hit his potential or bust.

He could fall short of his high end potential but become 2nd or 3rd line RW. Or do you consider that busting?

Yeah, if he's Drew Stafford again, that would be fine. If he doesn't stick in the NHL, too, that wouldn't be shocking.

 

[Jame]

Phillipe Boucher *MEH*

:*****slap:

 

[Chainshot]

He had points in the FEL playoffs

Yep, he did. He was held scoreless in the Finals.

 

[Dubi Doo]

It's too early to be worried about him. He has an elite shot and is building on his 2-way game. I can't complain much, though I would like to see him score more.

 

[old kummelweck]

People need to remember that he was a 16th overall pick. In my mind, that's a 30 goal scorer when he reaches his prime and for a pure offensive talent, development would be up and down with periods of struggle.

I would be concerned if he was taken 2nd or 3rd overall and not dominating a rookie tournament at his age.

 

[jBuds]

Morreale, players who stood out at traverse city from NHL.com:

Joel Armia, Buffalo Sabres (2011, No. 16): The 6-foot-3, 187-pound right wing is the best prospect at his position within the organization. He is expected to earn a roster spot with the big club out of training camp after spending the past two seasons in his native Finland with Assat in SM-liiga. Armia totaled 18 goals and 38 points in 54 games in 2011-12 and 19 goals and 33 points in 47 games last season. He didn't register a point in Traverse City, but finished with a plus-2 rating and generated 11 shots on goal. He skated effortlessly in the offensive end and appeared at ease on the top line.

"His skill level was at a different stratosphere than most players [in Traverse City]," Chadd Cassidy, who coached the Sabres prospects and serves as the coach of the Rochester Americans, the Sabres' American Hockey League affiliate, told NHL.com. "He didn't put up the points that he probably wanted to or that we expected him too, but you can see there's a different level of puck skills with him."

 

[tsujimoto74]

Yeah, if he's Drew Stafford again, that would be fine. If he doesn't stick in the NHL, too, that wouldn't be shocking.

I could see that happening. He' already got the scoring streakiness thing down pat. I think Armia definitively has better hands than Staff, but I see the overall comparison. I hope for more from him, but getting a solid 2nd line winger (if that's how he develops) out of the mid 1st isn't anything to complain about.

 

[Jim Bob]

Today, no.

Ask again in 12 months.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

Of course rational people worry about all draft picks, fanboys don't because in their world each and every draft pick is a future NHLer.

Even first round picks are far from sure things.

First round picks since 1988:

Joel Savage *BUST*
Kevin Haller *BUST*
Brad May *GOOD*
Phillipe Boucher *MEH*
David Cooper *BUST*
Wayne Primeau *MEH*
Jay McKee *OK*
Martin Biron *OK*
Erik Rasmussen *BUST*
Mika Noronen *BUST*
Dmitri Kalinin *MEH*
Barrett Heisten *BUST*
Artem Kryukov *BUST*
Jiri Novotny *MEH......BUST*
Keith Ballard *OK*
Daniel Paille *OK*
Tomas Vanek *VERY GOOD*
Drew Stafford *OK*
Marek Zagrapan *WTF ...... BUST*
Dennis Persson *BUST*
Tyler Myers *GOOD*
Tyler Ennis *GOOD*

Most of these prospects people, including me, get excited about won't even see the NHL let alone become significant players.

It does look like a promising group we have now, I think Zadorov and Girgensons are the best bets for being substantial contributors, then Risto, of the rest, I like McCabe, Catennaci and Bailey. And Pysyk.

Grigorenko is suspect more than most.

Most likely stud of the future - Zadorov.

The nice thing is that stars come from anywhere, while top prospects disappoint, some of the lesser ones will become players.

WAT

 

[lifeisruff]

I think you would be a fool if you thought all our recent 1st rounders pan out, and Armia has high bust potential, but the Traverse City Tournament isn't enough to change ones outlook

 

[joshjull]

I think you would be a fool if you thought all our recent 1st rounders pan out, and Armia has high bust potential, but the Traverse City Tournament isn't enough to change ones outlook

First off who said anything about all of our 1st rounders panning out?

Second why does Armia have high bust potential?

 

[Jim Bob]

Second why does Armia have high bust potential?

Heading into the 2011 Draft, Armia had the tag as an Offense Only guy with questions about his compete level.

There were a lot of "Boom or Bust"s getting thrown around after the pick.

 

[joshjull]

Heading into the 2011 Draft, Armia had the tag as an Offense Only guy with questions about his compete level.

There were a lot of "Boom or Bust"s getting thrown around after the pick.

I know that by why now?

 

[cardiffgiant]

 

[Reddawg]

I traded him in my keeper...so I'm not worrying anymore.

 

[Gaps]

As someone who's watched him play in Finland for the last few years, I wouldn't worry at this point. His overall game is a work in progress, he only got into it last spring. He needs to find a balance between a solid overall game and his best attribute (the goal-scoring). I'm not sure if many of you here understand exactly how large the difference between his best and worst game has been. He's finally started to find some consistency in his game, meaning that even if he's not scoring, he's much less invisible than he used to be.

The way I see it, we're dealing with a 20-year-old who's still growing both as a player and as a person. He has seemed very young to me in interviews, Ristolainen on the other hand has come off as more mature. Armia is on the right track at the moment and as long as he stays on it, he should have a fine future ahead of him. As long as he doesn't check out for good and give up due to his lack of scoring or other difficulties in adapting, I wouldn't worry. I think this season is going to be very trying for him, mentally in particular. He could have a lot of growing pains. If he makes it through this season without giving up, I think he'll make it and be good for you guys and hopefully soon for Team Finland as well.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[joshjull]

I traded him in my keeper...so I'm not worrying anymore.

As someone who's watched him play in Finland for the last few years, I wouldn't worry at this point. His overall game is a work in progress, he only got into it last spring. He needs to find a balance between a solid overall game and his best attribute (the goal-scoring). I'm not sure if many of you here understand exactly how large the difference between his best and worst game has been. He's finally started to find some consistency in his game, meaning that even if he's not scoring, he's much less invisible than he used to be.

The way I see it, we're dealing with a 20-year-old who's still growing both as a player and as a person. He has seemed very young to me in interviews, Ristolainen on the other hand has come off as more mature. Armia is on the right track at the moment and as long as he stays on it, he should have a fine future ahead of him. As long as he doesn't check out for good and give up due to his lack of scoring or other difficulties in adapting, I wouldn't worry. I think this season is going to be very trying for him, mentally in particular. He could have a lot of growing pains. If he makes it through this season without giving up, I think he'll make it and be good for you guys and hopefully soon for Team Finland as well.

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for your 2 cents. Always nice to get the perspective of someone thats watched him.

 

[Ruckus007]

Are you saying you see him as a boom or bust type of player? As in he will either hit his potential or bust.

He could fall short of his high end potential but become 2nd or 3rd line RW. Or do you consider that busting?

Heading into the 2011 Draft, Armia had the tag as an Offense Only guy with questions about his compete level.

There were a lot of "Boom or Bust"s getting thrown around after the pick.

I know that by why now?

Pretty much anyone who has paid attention to Armia since being drafted will agree that he's made substantial strides in improving his overall game.

To me, the question that is still outstanding is if he's improved enough, and will continue to improve, his overall game to the point where he legitimately raises his floor. Theoretically, Armia could end up a 2nd/3rd line player if he continues the work he's done but, obviously, we want the big time goal-scoring winger that is his ceiling. Personally, I would prefer he became a defensively-flawed goal-scorer than a middling-but-well-rounded player. Obviously the latter is better than a non-NHLer though.

To answer the original question, I'm no more or less concerned than I was when he was drafted, but I had some concern when he was drafted to begin with.

 

[Rhett4]

I'm not worried. Then again, I don't have super high expectations for him. I don't think he's going to be a top-line right wing, but I think he has a solid shot of putting up 20 or 25 goals on the second line for many years to come.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

WAT

Are you actually suggesting the guy nicknamed bust-muffin is not a bust?

Brad May is good, but apparently Jay McKee is "ok"...don't understand that one.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

Are you actually suggesting the guy nicknamed bust-muffin is not a bust?

Brad May is good, but apparently Jay McKee is "ok"...don't understand that one.

He certainly failed to live up to expectations. But my tolerance for 'bust' is somewhere under 500 nhl games.

 

[SabresBillsBuffalo]

Armia has played on NA ice before....but that being said it doesn't really bother me. He went fr
International ice to basically the Pepsi center lol