Prospect Info: Leafs Board Prospect Ranking #6

[Schenn]

I will make a thread everyday until we have determined the top 30 prospects according to Leaf fans on HFBoards.

Rankings:
1. Morgan Rielly - 92.86%
2. Frederik Gauthier - 32.39%
3. Matt Finn - 43.32%
4. Joe Colborne - 65.44%
5. Tyler Biggs - 31.91%
6.

______________
On The Docket:

Tony Cameranesi
Spencer Abbott
Kenny Ryan
Greg McKegg
Tom Nilsson
Carter Ashton
Dominic Toninato
Stuart Percy
Brad Ross
Jesse Blacker
Josh Leivo
Jerry D'Amigo
Garret Sparks
Connor Brown
Petter Granberg
____________
Next on the List:

Andrew Crescenzi
Sam Carrick
Kevin Marshall
Tyler Brenner
Marcel Mueller
Jamie Devane
David Broll
Max Everson
Andrew MacWilliam
Dennis Robertson
Simon Gysbers
Eric Knodel
Ryan Rupert
Viktor Loov
Carter Verhaeghe
Fabrice Herzog
Antoine Bibeau
Andreas Johnson
______________
Past Results:
Prospect Ranking #1
Prospect Ranking #2
Prospect Ranking #2 - Tie Breaker
Prospect Ranking #3
Prospect Ranking #4
Prospect Ranking #5

Suggest who I should add next

Click to read more...

 

[BIitz]

Voting Spencer Abbott since you removed Owuya.

 

[Rare Jewel]

Leivo

Again.

 

[IBeL34f]

Voted Percy. Leivo and Granberg next up, but those three plus Biggs do really seem to be in a similar category around here, hard to be upset with how they end up being ranked.

I'd like to see Verhaeghe, Broll or MacWilliam on the list next. Broll really intrigues me, and I'm excited to see MacWilliam with the Marlies this year. Verhaeghe getting more opportunity should help him get a lot more exposure this year, and could end up being another Leivo-type pick in a year or two.

 

[7even]

Percy again. Then Leivo. Don't think Biggs has done enough to be labeled our 5th best prospect.

 

[Sergei Berezin]

Percy again. Then Leivo. Don't think Biggs has done enough to be labeled our 5th best prospect.

Quite clear you've never been a fan of him, but I'll bite anyway.

What were you expecting of him, realistically, the past two seasons?

 

[Green Snow Storm]

Percy, Leivo next. Then it's wide open.

 

[tp71]

Granberg

 

[7even]

Quite clear you've never been a fan of him, but I'll bite anyway.

You caught me

What were you expecting of him, realistically, the past two seasons?

Realistically? I was fine, if not slightly underwhelmed, by his season with Miami. It's tough for a freshman to earn a lot of playing time and I get that. Entering his draft +2 year I was expecting a lot more. Playing weaker competition on a good team with a major scorer in Boone Jenner, all while being more physically mature than just about the entire league and all. It's not the end-all be-all, but scoring at (and preferably above) a point a game is a good litmus test for being able to contribute any meaningful offense at the NHL level, and honestly that's what I was looking for. And his numbers just underwhelmed the hell out of me. 53 in 60 just isn't a good sign at all moving forward. Like Frederik "Colborne 2.0" Gauthier did better at 17 than Biggs did at 19. And I get that he hustles and I get that he can hit and fight and all that rock 'em sock 'em stuff, and he's a good skater for his size, but those players aren't exactly rare. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed with the development of his offensive game to date.

 

[Terrence]

Leivo.

Add Verhaege.

 

[SeenSchenn2]

Stu Poisy.

 

[DD03]

You caught me



Realistically? I was fine, if not slightly underwhelmed, by his season with Miami. It's tough for a freshman to earn a lot of playing time and I get that. Entering his draft +2 year I was expecting a lot more. Playing weaker competition on a good team with a major scorer in Boone Jenner, all while being more physically mature than just about the entire league and all. It's not the end-all be-all, but scoring at (and preferably above) a point a game is a good litmus test for being able to contribute any meaningful offense at the NHL level, and honestly that's what I was looking for. And his numbers just underwhelmed the hell out of me. 53 in 60 just isn't a good sign at all moving forward. Like Frederik "Colborne 2.0" Gauthier did better at 17 than Biggs did at 19. And I get that he hustles and I get that he can hit and fight and all that rock 'em sock 'em stuff, and he's a good skater for his size, but those players aren't exactly rare. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed with the development of his offensive game to date.

I think you need to be a bit more patient with him. What other PWFs put up PPG in the OHL in their first season?

 

[HeroNtF]

Percy. Release the herzog !

 

[Green Snow Storm]

I think you need to be a bit more patient with him. What other PWFs put up PPG in the OHL in their first season?

Agreed. I think a lot more patience is needed with Biggs around here in general. He's going to be a very useful player for the Leafs in the future. He might not fill the boxscores, but everyone sees the importance of being able to play a physical style of game in the playoffs and Biggs will contribute to that for us.

 

[ChrisCall]

Percy

I thought about this one for a good while. It's a tough read and i can only go with as much info as i have on any of the players. In the case of Granberg that's even less than anyone else. Still, it appears that Granberg's offensive upside is ZERO. I think generally in a classic 1st pair D-man you're going to have some kind of scoring ability. Not absolutely necessary, but it has to count for something if your top pairing guy puts up something like 5 points in a season. Maybe the importance of scoring can be even more pronounced in the 3/4 spot because being a little more deficient defensively keeps them from being a top pair player but is compensated for by point production. Usually the 5/6 role doesn't require point production, but rather the 'stay at home' role.

So with that in mind, i think that Granberg would have to be just that more 'all-star' in his defensive ability to crack the top-4 in the NHL because he really hasn't shown any kind of scoring yet.

Percy on the other hand has that scoring touch and seemingly, also defensive upside, so i'm tempted to tilt in favor of him on this one.

Regarding Leivo, i will vote for him top-10, but i need to have a longer look at him this season. He's got great hands and speed, but he also coasts... by which i mean, he seems to stop sometimes and observe the play. He's got good hockey IQ and that allows him to bust into the play and come away with the puck ... i'm just not yet sure if that'll fly in the pros. I want to see how the next couple of years impact his positioning.

Also regarding new entry Connor Brown,
it has to be a good thing that he plays along side Connor McDavid and they seem to have an excellent chemistry together. Watching them it feels like Brown belongs on that line and isn't being carried by the future superstar. I think that's a good sign. 28-41-69 (-11) for Brown and 25-41-66 (-24) for David.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Based on upside...

Leivo, no knock on Percy but he is number 4 Dman tops,good replacement for Gunner.

 

[Renegade]

Leivo

 

[Stephen23]

Start Percy.

 

[7even]

I think you need to be a bit more patient with him. What other PWFs put up PPG in the OHL in their first season?

I don't think that's a super fair question. Biggs started his first OHL season at 19; most OHL prospects start a few years earlier than that. If you want to talk OHL PWFs in their draft +2 years:

Steve Ott scored 43-45-88 in in 53 games (1.66PPG).

Wayne Simmonds scored 33-42-75 in 60 games (1.25PPG).

Mike Richards scored 22-36-58 in 43 games (1.35PPG).

Zack Kassian scored 26-51-77 in 56 games (1.38).

Corey Perry scored 47-83-130 in 60 games (2.17PPG).


Other prospects:

Austin Watson scored 25-43-68 in in 61 games (1.14PPG).

Jared Knight scored 26-26-52 in 52 games (1.00PPG).

John Mcfarland scored 24-26-50 in 49 games (1.02PPG).

Christian Thomas scored 34-33-67 in 55 games (1.23PPG).

Tyler Toffoli scored 52-48-100 in 65 games (1.54PPG).

Nick Cousins scored 27-76-103 in 64 games (1.61PPG).

Brett Ritchie scored 41-35-76 in 53 games (1.43PPG).

And that's all I really care to do. Again, it was Tyler's first OHL season, but the amount of guys who can hit at least a PPG in their 19/20 year is pretty huge; for example, I'd never even heard of John Mcfarland or Christian Thomas before, and they did it.

I understand you have to be patient with guys like Biggs, and I'm nowhere near calling him a bust, but his lack of offensive production coupled with his average defensive play leaves me underwhelmed, and I don't think he's Toronto's 5th best prospect.

 

[BlazingWithCharizard*]

voted gregg mckegg, this kid absolutely tore it up in JR. I expect big things out of him.

 

[Eyedea]

Do we still own Mueller's rights? Haven't heard anything about him since he went back overseas.

 

[ChrisCall]

voted gregg mckegg, this kid absolutely tore it up in JR. I expect big things out of him.

I've been a big Mckegg fan since they drafted him. Eakins gave him and Ross really pathetic ice time last year though ... hopefully they get more of a chance to make an impact with the marlies this year.

In fact, i think it hurt Ross a bit. He looked a bit lost on the ice during those 5 minutes he'd play every 2 weeks. Like he didn't know if he should be physical or not, which is one of his best strengths. I remember in the playoffs when he delivered the bone crushing hit in game 2 which turned the tide of the game for the marlies ... Eakins BENCHED HIM. I was pretty pissed.

I was pissed at the way Eakins handled Ross all season as a matter of fact...
I do believe Eakins knows how to coach, but the way Ross was handled mystifies me.

 

[Duffman955]

I don't think that's a super fair question. Biggs started his first OHL season at 19; most OHL prospects start a few years earlier than that. If you want to talk OHL PWFs in their draft +2 years:

Steve Ott scored 43-45-88 in in 53 games (1.66PPG).

Wayne Simmonds scored 33-42-75 in 60 games (1.25PPG).

Mike Richards scored 22-36-58 in 43 games (1.35PPG).

Zack Kassian scored 26-51-77 in 56 games (1.38).

Corey Perry scored 47-83-130 in 60 games (2.17PPG).


Other prospects:

Austin Watson scored 25-43-68 in in 61 games (1.14PPG).

Jared Knight scored 26-26-52 in 52 games (1.00PPG).

John Mcfarland scored 24-26-50 in 49 games (1.02PPG).

Christian Thomas scored 34-33-67 in 55 games (1.23PPG).

Tyler Toffoli scored 52-48-100 in 65 games (1.54PPG).

Nick Cousins scored 27-76-103 in 64 games (1.61PPG).

Brett Ritchie scored 41-35-76 in 53 games (1.43PPG).

And that's all I really care to do. Again, it was Tyler's first OHL season, but the amount of guys who can hit at least a PPG in their 19/20 year is pretty huge; for example, I'd never even heard of John Mcfarland or Christian Thomas before, and they did it.

I understand you have to be patient with guys like Biggs, and I'm nowhere near calling him a bust, but his lack of offensive production coupled with his average defensive play leaves me underwhelmed, and I don't think he's Toronto's 5th best prospect.

Regardless of age, why would you compare someone who has 4 years of league experience to someone who has none?

Not a fair comparison. Thats just hating.

 

[Anth93]

Um, in what world is Tyler Biggs a better player than Josh Leivo?

Can any fellow OHL followers chime in here.

 

[7even]

Regardless of age, why would you compare someone who has 4 years of league experience to someone who has none?

Not a fair comparison. Thats just hating.

It's really not -- I acknowledged that in my post, and really, I want Biggs to do nothing but succeed.

Personally, by the time you're 19/20, I'd think moving to a weaker league where you're physically a lot more mature and experienced than the majority of your competition would only inflate your numbers. It was Gauthier's first season in a new league as well, and he outperformed Biggs as a 17 year old. I think the "it was his first year in a weaker league" is a bit of an excuse, in all honesty.