Prospect Info: Marlies/Prospects Thread

[Sergei Shirokov]

Sorry intrude but this Imoo story is very curious.

I understand the Leafs doing this b/c they have positioned their organization in a certain way, but its a very interesting precedent.

This essentially boils down to firing someone for 'political views' - and not even overt statements (tho I give them the benefit that they did a deeper dive after the fact) - so does this now mean they have to vet any potential employees going forward based on what they think of certain things? (If they have consistency/integrity)

There's also something about a mob further inferring/completely judging a person based on a limited sample of 'liked Tweets' thats unsettling to me, but thats more of a general thing.

I don't share some of Imoo's alleged/apparent views in this case.

 

[93LEAFS]

Sorry intrude but this Imoo story is very curious.

I understand the Leafs doing this b/c they have positioned their organization in a certain way, but its a very interesting precedent.

This essentially boils down to firing someone for 'political views' - and not even overt statements (tho I give them the benefit that they did a deeper dive after the fact) - so does this now mean they have to vet any potential employees going forward based on what they think of certain things? (If they have consistency/integrity)

There's also something about a mob further inferring/completely judging a person based on a limited sample of 'liked Tweets' thats unsettling to me, but thats more of a general thing.

I don't share some of Imoo's alleged/apparent views in this case.

This is why you vet this stuff ahead of time, and if someone has something that doesn't match your brand as a public-facing buisness, you don't even interview them. Especially for a position that doesn't have stringent professional hiring standards (seriously, you could hire any somewhat respected NHL goalie to this position and no one would bat an eye). Now, you just put this all out in the public. Instead of it being something no one talks about.

 

[Thornbury]

Can we get back to the discussion of prospects.

 

[SprDaVE]

Can we get back to the discussion of prospects.

Agreed.

 

[stickty111]

Another goal for Amirov in pre season.

 

[Cor]

Feels like our prospect pool is off to a crazy good start this year. Slowly but surely our prospect pool is showing it’s depth.

Matthew Knies looks unreal so far. Would certainly take some of the pressure off of the fact we only draft 2 skaters and 1 goalie this year if Knies can turn into the potential he’s showing lmao

 

[WTFMAN99]

Pontus Holmberg had a pretty sexy goal the other day. Is he someone we're sleeping on?

 

[zeke]

Pontus Holmberg had a pretty sexy goal the other day. Is he someone we're sleeping on?

No reason to sleep on a kid who just won the Swedish Conn Smythe trophy at age 21.

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

Pontus Holmberg had a pretty sexy goal the other day. Is he someone we're sleeping on?

The only ones sleeping on him are the posters who don't follow this thread and claim our drafting and prospect pool are poor.

 

[Apex Predator]

I can’t wait to see how some of our over seas guys do in the AHL. A lot of them I think will need at least a year but that can give us a good read on how far they are.

 

[stickty111]

Artur with a 24 save shutout in KHL pre season.

 

[aingefan]

Pretty exciting preseason for almost everyone playing. Feels good

Also, not sure if it’s been mentioned, but Jesper Lindgren is listed as UFA on CapFriendly. Not much room for him, but he was an interesting guy before the trade to Pittsburg.

 

[weems]

It's very exciting to see our prospect's producing.
I think drafting has been by far the most impressive thing in Dubas's tenure so far.
I will say that the way we draft (prioritizing skill/speed over size/projectability) will lead to us almost always having prospects that are scoring lots and all over the scoring leaderboards. This is very good for prospect value and that can matter alot when potentially moving them in any deal. The big question will come down to how they transition into the NHL game whereas some other prospects who are less offensively skilled might do less producing in the minors/junior but possibly transition easier.

Either way been very happy with the teams drafting the past 2-3 years.

 

[SprDaVE]

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

I think most people have Amirov behind Liljegren and Robertson, but I think he's probably our top prospect. I can't wait to see what he does with a bigger role

 

[Twine Tickler]

Artur with a 24 save shutout in KHL pre season.

Honestly, We desperately could use some monumental progression from Artur this year. He is easily our best goalie prospect in the system which is a very weak crop. Luckily we only need one to really hit. So far he has tracked amazingly from his 4th round spot. I think I read an article a few months back that said Ak-Bars Kazan lost 1 of their 2 goalies with the KHL club to free agency or retirement which all but paved the way for Artur to consistently be up in the KHL as either a 1A/1B split or the backup. The Leafs brass obviously have some finger on the pulse with Ak-Bars goalie system having selected Artur's goalie partner in this years draft. Hard to believe they would have selected his backup if they weren't certain he would now be the starter for the MHL affiliate knowing full well that Artur will be a permeant fixture on the KHL team.

If all goes well, Artur steals the job at the KHL level and becomes the true #1 with Ak-Bars and Vyachleslav Peksa becomes the full time #1 in the MHL

fingers crossed!

 

[hockeynorth]

Maybe a stupid question, but since when is Ahktyamov a good prospect?

Always got the impression he was basically on par with Woll/Scott

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

Artur with a 24 save shutout in KHL pre season.

Looks great here but unfortunately needs an injury to Bobkov of Bilyalov (probably both) if he wants to see regular action in the KHL this year.

 

[Cor]

Mirtle with more anti-Liljegren nonsense today.

I don't get how someone can get paid to follow this team, and still have opinions that people who don't watch the Marlies have lol

He said Liljegren has a lack of decision making ability.

One of the key pros to Liljegren's game right now, is how good he is in transition on both sides of the ice, which is heavily reliant on quick decision making.

It boggles my mind

 

[SprDaVE]

Maybe a stupid question, but since when is Ahktyamov a good prospect?

Always got the impression he was basically on par with Woll/Scott

He's pretty much on par with those prospects at this time. Maybe that changes if he has a huge year and all that... but... Woll and Scott looked very good in their respective Junior leagues.

Woll was talked about as a potential Team USA goaltender for their Olympic team a few years ago but just never really progressed in the AHL, where he looks really inconsistent. Scott looked amazing in his last CHL season and then lost all that momentum with a huge groin injury.

Goaltenders are voodoo. The hardest prospects to judge by a mile.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Mirtle with more anti-Liljegren nonsense today.

I don't get how someone can get paid to follow this team, and still have opinions that people who don't watch the Marlies have lol

He said Liljegren has a lack of decision making ability.

One of the key pros to Liljegren's game right now, is how good he is in transition on both sides of the ice, which is heavily reliant on quick decision making.

It boggles my mind

Wasn't it him or Wheeler that said Soup was an average skater prior to him joining our team?

Anyways, from the limited action I saw of Liljegren, he's improved quite a lot, the only thing I would say is I wish he would release it sooner on the point, takes too long sometimes.

 

[SprDaVE]

Mirtle with more anti-Liljegren nonsense today.

I don't get how someone can get paid to follow this team, and still have opinions that people who don't watch the Marlies have lol

He said Liljegren has a lack of decision making ability.

One of the key pros to Liljegren's game right now, is how good he is in transition on both sides of the ice, which is heavily reliant on quick decision making.

It boggles my mind

I think he has a point that the Leafs aren't exceptionally high on Liljegren either. And if he can't beat out the current players, I think it's probably time to accept that he'll never be as good as we expected him to be.

I will say though, I've seen a lot of him and I think he's a very good prospect that needs to be given a chance. I hope he gets a serious look this training camp. He's been on the AHL bus for a long time and has improved tremendously since his rookie campaign there.

 

[Twine Tickler]

Maybe a stupid question, but since when is Ahktyamov a good prospect?

Always got the impression he was basically on par with Woll/Scott

To be honest, I feel like Artur is tracking in the exact same capacity as Scott and Woll did at the same point in their developments. But truth be told, Scott and Woll have been in a constant state of negative regression since their D+1 seasons. It's still way too early to write them off because they are still relatively young from a goaltenders perspective. I guess I just would have like to see some form of progression from one of them since ~2019, which just hasn't been the case.

I think at this point I have limited hope for either one of them. Scott just can't stay healthy, and it has really effected his ability to develop, and Woll just has way too many flaws in his game IMO. Massively inconsistent, and just doesn't seem to read the game at a high level. Seemed lost more often than not this year with the Marlies. I am sure he is a better goalie than what he showed last year, but at this point he is about a season away from going from prospect to suspect. To a lesser degree so is Ian Scott.

Artur shows the most promise, only really because he is trending in the right direction. Like I said earlier, I think he is the best goalie in our system mostly by virtue of a weak crop but that's not to say I don't think he has promise. I just think he has a long way to go before cementing himself as a sure thing

 

[Cor]

Maybe a stupid question, but since when is Ahktyamov a good prospect?

Always got the impression he was basically on par with Woll/Scott

Goalies are voodoo. Things change quickly.

Ian Scott was incredibly promising coming out of junior, but has played just 6 games since the 18-19 season due to a major injury, and those 6 games in the AHL/ECHL... he did not look comfortable.

Joseph Woll was impressive coming out of Boston College, on a steady incline in terms of progression. He has the size of a modern NHL goalie, but his first two season with the Marlies, he has yet to find his game.

Artur Akhtyamov is the now the new young guy. His numbers are impressive in the MHL, and he didn't do that bad when he got a couple KHL games in (which, for a teen goalie, is impressive), and most that have watched games of his, are usually impressed with his movement, and at 6'1/6'2, he does have some height to him still. It's hard not to consider him our top goalie prospect, however, part of that is due to the stagnation of Scott and Woll.

 

[Cor]

I think he has a point that the Leafs aren't exceptionally high on Liljegren either. And if he can't beat out the current players, I think it's probably time to accept that he'll never be as good as we expected him to be.

I will say though, I've seen a lot of him and I think he's a very good prospect that needs to be given a chance. I hope he gets a serious look this training camp. He's been on the AHL bus for a long time and has improved tremendously since his rookie campaign there.

I simply don't buy that Keefe and Dubas aren't high on Liljegren, given how they used him with the Marlies, at a younger age. Keefe constantly spoke highly of him. (and from what I read - Mirtle didn't even mention those two not liking him in his mailbag today - perhaps I missed it though)

I don't disagree that his 11 games in the 19-20 season had some downs, but for his age 20 season, it's no different than the downs Sandin has had this year. In fact, the two games Liljegren played this year, he looked a lot more comfortable and making fewer mistakes.

He's done nothing but excel at the AHL level, and he's only been given a couple games here and there in the NHL. I don't get how anyone can reasonably judge him as "nothing more than a bottom pairing defender in the future" like James Mirtle has done. This is a player that played in the SHL before his draft year, during his draft year, and then came to the Marlies after his draft, and played a big part in the Calder Championship win, and, as you said, has done nothing but grown, and expand his game since that rookie year.

We saw the errors that Sandin can make - and he made the same ones in the AHL - and I just find it odd how people can look at those errors Sandin makes, and watch Liljegren play - on the same team - and view Sandin as a NHL read prospect, and Liljegren as a nothing prospect. Now, that isn't me shitting on Sandin - he is a stud prospect, and I personally have Sandin and Liljegren in the same tier - however it's just comparing the two, in my opinion - there is one that has some work to do, and is better suited for the AHL right now - even if only for a couple months, and another that is ready to get a lengthy chance in the NHL