The Kent Johnson thread

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Viqsi

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Oct 5, 2007
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I know past performance doesn't always dictate future results and we're talking about different players at different times, but if I remember correctly Johansen, PLD and Werenski all were perceived as SLIGHT overreaches relative to other players available. From a pure on-ice perspective, those guys all turned out to be good picks. (Yes, I know there are other issues with some of these dudes).

I feel oddly confident about the CBJ's ability to evaluate in the top 10 in the last decade or so ... it's picks after that that have been questionable.

That obviously reflects the nature of the draft itself but we've seen this "was this pick a reach?" discussion before and I FEEL like CBJ have fared well. Someone feel free to correct me.
Been left with a similar impresson, so I'm not too worried.
 

Cowumbus

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"They put him and Beniers on the same line and they clicked right away," the Blue Jackets general manager said. "Kent Johnson always has played center except at Michigan, but he's also a freshman. We talked to him and he is adamant that, 'I am a center.' We talked to the coaching staff at Michigan, what do they see? Yeah, they see him as a center.
"It's hard to play center as an 18-year-old against the 24-, 25-year-olds in college, so we believe he is a center. He has all those abilities, all the ingredients of a good center in the National Hockey League."

^ From Jarmo
 

Long Live Lyle

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I know past performance doesn't always dictate future results and we're talking about different players at different times, but if I remember correctly Johansen, PLD and Werenski all were perceived as SLIGHT overreaches relative to other players available. From a pure on-ice perspective, those guys all turned out to be good picks. (Yes, I know there are other issues with some of these dudes).

I feel oddly confident about the CBJ's ability to evaluate in the top 10 in the last decade or so ... it's picks after that that have been questionable.

That obviously reflects the nature of the draft itself but we've seen this "was this pick a reach?" discussion before and I FEEL like CBJ have fared well. Someone feel free to correct me.

I'm pretty sure Werenski was pretty consensus BPA at #8, but Johansen and PLD definitely were not when they were taken. I agree we now generally do well around this slot (unlike the first decade), and I'm starting to like the pick more and more the more I read about him.
 

CBJWerenski8

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By these definitions of "blue chip" there aren't a ton of drafts with blue chip prospects in them. No blue chippers in this most recent draft for instance.

Bingo. The terms blue chip and generational are thrown around too often.
 
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Monk

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"They put him and Beniers on the same line and they clicked right away," the Blue Jackets general manager said. "Kent Johnson always has played center except at Michigan, but he's also a freshman. We talked to him and he is adamant that, 'I am a center.' We talked to the coaching staff at Michigan, what do they see? Yeah, they see him as a center.
"It's hard to play center as an 18-year-old against the 24-, 25-year-olds in college, so we believe he is a center. He has all those abilities, all the ingredients of a good center in the National Hockey League."

^ From Jarmo

Are there many 24-25 year olds playing hockey in college?
 

majormajor

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OK but then you can see how other posters get angsty when you definitively say Johnson isn't a blue chip prospect. In your opinion (which folks here obviously value), based on your definition of blue chip (which some folks disagree with), you're 100% correct because you can't be wrong.

The problem is it's all semantics and opinion when we're talking about prospects, so it's off-putting when opinions aren't shared with that context, even though it may well be implied. That's why you're getting these somewhat heated reactions IMO :)

The most salient thing about Kent Johnson that has been mentioned about him ad nauseum is that he is a boom-bust prospect, so this thing about Johnson being a "blue chipper" looks like homerism settling in early. Though if folks watch him and feel confident that he'll make it then go ahead and feel that way. I watch prospects myself and come up with my own views so they should be able to do that too. I just felt like "more nonsense from majormajor" was a bit over the top, given that I was giving the standard opinion about Kent Johnson.
 

Cowumbus

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The most salient thing about Kent Johnson that has been mentioned about him ad nauseum is that he is a boom-bust prospect, so this thing about Johnson being a "blue chipper" looks like homerism settling in early. Though if folks watch him and feel confident that he'll make it then go ahead and feel that way. I watch prospects myself and come up with my own views so they should be able to do that too. I just felt like "more nonsense from majormajor" was a bit over the top, given that I was giving the standard opinion about Kent Johnson.
You phrase it as if we don’t watch as much hockey as you. We watch the prospects too! Crazy thought right? I’ve watched him plenty of times at Michigan. If it makes you feel better to go by your own definition of blue chip, and only label players that you want as blue chip then go ahead I guess.

I don’t know why you keep saying that when it is not the ‘standard’ opinion. There are many people who had him much higher than you did.

Elite Prospects - NHL Draft Center NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING TOP 32 NA
 
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Cowumbus

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Bailey Johnson Smaht Scouting
Lists Johnson’s ceiling as high as a top-line center/winger (NHL), floor is a top six forward (NHL).

It’s not hyperbolic to say that no one has lit up the BCHL in their draft-minus-one year like Kent Johnson did last season. After putting up 46 points in 57 regular season games with the Trail Smoke Eaters as a 16-year-old and adding another 12 in 12 playoff games, Johnson exploded in his 17-year-old season for 101 points in just 52 games. You have to look all the way back to Scott Gomez in 1997 to find a player that tops Johnson’s 1.94 points per game pace. All of that is to say that, at only age 17, Johnson was far and away the best forward in the BCHL last year and one of the best in the last 20+ years. (Even better than that Newhook guy who played there too)

Per Madeline Campbell’s tracking, Johnson has more zone entry attempts than anyone else on Michigan by a wide margin with 106 — the next closest is 89. He’s successful with his high volume of zone entries, too, with a 73.3% controlled entry percentage. When exiting the defensive zone, Johnson is second among Michigan’s forwards in exit attempts and has a 66.2% controlled exit percentage.
 

LetsGOJackets!!

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Thanks for this last post Cowumbus. More zone entry attempts, successful on zone entry attempts 73.3% controlled entry. UM's head coach said Johnson is the most naturally talented player on the team, and he has been called the hardest worker by Tambelini and his current coach. (He & Silly referred to as rink rats - Johnson needs to get stronger). He has been compared to Pettersson by some scouts. Personally I am reminded of Mike Modano. Like many others I was thinking Eklund fell to us... then we picked Johnson - & that is the beauty of Jarmo and Ville - they eat & breath this shit. Did they have a high understanding that Sillinger would fall to us at 12 when they picked Johnson? I want to see the behind the scenes footage like they did with PLD. That will tell us more about Jarmo and Ville's thought process.

Taken from Scott Wheeler's final 100 June)

Here’s Wolverines associate head coach Bill Muckalt on Johnson: “It’s hard for me to give an honest assessment of the other players but I would have a hard time believing there’s anybody more skilled offensively than Kent Johnson in this draft. The shit he does offensively, you only see it once every four or five years. But he’s physically the least mature of our freshmen as far as our strength and he’s playing against guys some nights that are seven-to-eight years older, so it makes it difficult on him. But he does highlight-reel stuff. Where (Matt) Beniers has this motor that is just 200 feet, Kent is more artistic and creative, and more high-risk. But he’s going to be like an (Elias) Pettersson or a (Patrick) Kane … Kent’s elusive. He’s special. He’s really slippery. And if we let him on the ice for 10 hours a day, he’d be on the ice for 10 hours a day.”
 
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EDM

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As for relying upon Jarmo’s assessment as accurate, let us not forget that Jarmo’s assessment of Tex & Bemstrum has not been exactly dead on.
 

Halberdier

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As for relying upon Jarmo’s assessment as accurate, let us not forget that Jarmo’s assessment of Tex & Bemstrum has not been exactly dead on.

Hmm.

Texier was selected 2nd round, 45th overall, Bemström 4th round, 117th overall.

They are pretty good hockey players for being 45th & 117th OA for their respective draft years.
 
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CBJx614

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Yes but that wasn't EDM's point. Jarmo did way oversell (to this point) on the impact both of those players would have here.
Or maybe he see's their high end potential and knows they are still young players who still have an opportunity to reach said potential. It's not like they are 30 years old and are heading to the khl to finish out their careers.

However this will be a big year for both as they are both expected to take on more responsibility.
 
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thebus88

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As for relying upon Jarmo’s assessment as accurate, let us not forget that Jarmo’s assessment of Tex & Bemstrum has not been exactly dead on.

Neither is/has yours….

Both are still very young (small amount of NHL games) and neither has been given huge opportunities.
 

thebus88

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Lets look back on this 10 years from now eh? Silly just had 4 goals in the last scrimmage for the Team Canada WC team.. even Johnson tipped his cap to Sillinger

Johnson seems to bring much more offensively than Sillinger. IMO people seem to downplay some of Johnson’s “exceptional” abilities and yet do the opposite for Sillinger and “over project” his abilities moving forward as a pro.

I openly question the (positive) things said about Sillinger’s skating and his ability to potentially play center at the pro level. These 2 things, that I think Johnson actually shows more potential than Sillinger, are held AGAINST Johnson by more than a couple people.

Sillinger isn’t going to “overpower” goalies with his shot or defenseman in front of the net at the pro level the way he has playing against much younger players. Sillinger has to prove much more against better competition for me to look at him as “better” than Johnson in any way, now or moving forward.
 
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