Latendresse

[ZombieMatt]

I may as well do this before the cat-calling begins.

Obviously I was very wrong with Guillame Latendresse, he plumetted on draft day, so while I was incorrect in my assessment, I certainly acknowledged he had the possibility of being a big time faller.

I think what this shows is not all that much off what I indicated. My expectations/hopes for Guillame Latendresse were built solely on him being able to play at the level he did during the Q playoffs. This result on draft day demonstrates 1)His skating was a far bigger issue than I was led to believe and 2)Teams believe his play in the playoffs was exceptional and unusual for him.

So, most importantly, I was off base with my own predictions, and the only tiny solace I can take is that the entire QMJHL Order has been completely bizarre in relation to basically every single published list before the draft.

Click to read more...

 

[KH1]

I for one was dissapointed that Latendresse didn't fall one spot farther to the Islanders in the second round. I found it interesting that one power forward with skating issues (although clearly far less severe,) Bobby Ryan went higher than anticipated while the other plummeted to the middle of the second round.

 

[Blackshad]

Having seen Latendresse a couple of time i think he was drafted way too low for his potential. I personally prefer Bourret, bu Latendresse was without a doubt in my mind a top 20 prospect.

 

[mister lerock]

saw him at the u18 and his skating didnt look that bad but man can he frickken hit oh and first post been reading these pages since2001

 

[freakazoid]

saw him at the u18 and his skating didnt look that bad but man can he frickken hit oh and first post been reading these pages since2001

If the whole cracking down on obstruction thing goes down the drain again, this pick will look great for the Habs.

 

[mister lerock]

The fact the habs have been looking for a player in his mold is what intregues me even more like i said jus work on his skating and the habs have legit first line power froward

 

[PEli*]

I was quite surprised myself. His skating is in need of some serious help. However, when you've got a skillset like he does, you'd think that somebody would take a chance on him. I was surprised to see him slip as far as he did.

Despite the falling and how long it lasted, you could still see people everywhere crossing their fingers that he'd still be available when their team drafted.

 

[Kasparov*]

Where will Latendresse play next year?

 

[mister lerock]

da Q

 

[Starsdude]

How the stars would take Neal over him is amazing

 

[disturbedraven]

Im thrilled with the Habs picking up Latendresse. Im really shocked he fell as low as he did but I think he was a great pickup. He is still young and can easily improve on his skating if he works hard enough at it. If he pans out he will be a heck of a steal for the Habs where they drafted him. They needed a power forward and they got him in Latendresse

 

[ZombieMatt]

I think the reason that he fell was likely because I underestimated how much the teams would take the new rules into play when selecting players.

 

[DaveyCrockett]

I think the reason that he fell was likely because I underestimated how much the teams would take the new rules into play when selecting players.

I think you are off base with that assertion. Latendresse has quite a few holes in his game that do not make him a great 1st round pick as he is a huge risk. He is a bad skater, has questionable goal scoring upside, and is inconsistent. Most 1st round picks don't have significant holes in their game. Ryan is a bad skater but he dominated the OHL and has elite hands and stickhandling ability.

 

[HabLover]

I was quite surprised myself. His skating is in need of some serious help. However, when you've got a skillset like he does, you'd think that somebody would take a chance on him. I was surprised to see him slip as far as he did.

Despite the falling and how long it lasted, you could still see people everywhere crossing their fingers that he'd still be available when their team drafted.

His skating is not in need of 'serious' help. I watched the guy @ the U18's and he didn't look out of place at all. Obviously he wasn't the fastest or quickest guy out there, but the U18's were also played on the big ice and I thought he looked fine. I don't believe his skating has changed since the beginning of the year and he was a pretty fine prospect then!

Anyways, what a great pick for the Habs! I believe the guy was a Top 20 pick and to select him at 40 something is awesome. Hopefully he has a big year coming up and proves everybody wrong.

 

[montreal]

I am surprised no one brought up the shoulder concerns. I would think that and the skating/foot speed/inconsistent play would be the cause of him dropping. He's got great hands imo and when he wants to can hit like a truck. Habs already have a solid group of prospects but lack a true skilled PF. Hopefully he can stay healthy, improve his foot speed/skating and have a great year!

 

[TylerT]

Before the draft lottery when I found out montreal would be selecting 5th I had hoped if they had a 15-25 range pick that they would take him. Since he slipped to 45th I'm happy with this pick, and consider Price to be a bonus on my expectations for the 2005 draft. As much as I hoped Ryan would drop to #5 with that not happening I'm happy with the way things turned out because I didn't know enough about Kopitar and Brule's size and position were not montreals needs.

 

[FLYLine27*]

I may as well do this before the cat-calling begins.

Obviously I was very wrong with Guillame Latendresse, he plumetted on draft day, so while I was incorrect in my assessment, I certainly acknowledged he had the possibility of being a big time faller.

I think what this shows is not all that much off what I indicated. My expectations/hopes for Guillame Latendresse were built solely on him being able to play at the level he did during the Q playoffs. This result on draft day demonstrates 1)His skating was a far bigger issue than I was led to believe and 2)Teams believe his play in the playoffs was exceptional and unusual for him.

So, most importantly, I was off base with my own predictions, and the only tiny solace I can take is that the entire QMJHL Order has been completely bizarre in relation to basically every single published list before the draft.

How bout TJ Hensick...I knew he wouldnt get picked before the 3rd round and it ended up being the 4th.