Minnewildsota
He who laughs last thinks slowest
- Jun 7, 2010
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Minnesota 2023-2024 Affiliates Thread (Iowa Wild, Iowa Heartlanders)
- Thread starter MuckOG
- Start date
Circulartheory
Registered User
Oh, that move was actually sick and slick. Bankier might be the next prospect I'm going to crush on.
Jbcraig1883
Registered User
I already had a crush on Milne after last year but Bankier has been my favorite prospect to watch because of how much he has grown. He still has some things to improve, as do most, but his all around game and confidence driving to the net is like night and day from October.
The fact both of the above guys were injured for so much of the season is another reason to be impressed with their development. I think both are going to have strong years next year in Iowa (wouldn't be surprised if both got some callups, too).
Jbcraig1883
Registered User
Firstov not in the lineup for the second day in a row. If he was scratched, it would be his third scratch since he has joined Iowa.
Topo with the first goal and Johansson with the second goal. Topo hit the post off a nice pass from Bankier earlier in the second. Fogarty scores on the PP to make it 3-0. Jones keeping them in this one as they are currently being outshot 24-11.
Fogarty scored again - missed it and MB's goal. Just saw Lambos drop the gloves for a third time this year and he got rocked, again. He should not be dropping the gloves at all.
Topo with the first goal and Johansson with the second goal. Topo hit the post off a nice pass from Bankier earlier in the second. Fogarty scores on the PP to make it 3-0. Jones keeping them in this one as they are currently being outshot 24-11.
Fogarty scored again - missed it and MB's goal. Just saw Lambos drop the gloves for a third time this year and he got rocked, again. He should not be dropping the gloves at all.
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Jbcraig1883
Registered User
Saw most of the 1st. Both Cossa and Wallstedt playing well as both teams exchange quality chances. Firstov had some very good offensive plays in the first, particularly his playmaking. Beckman was stopped on a breakaway.
Milne just drew a penalty and then scored on the PP.
Edit1: Wild kill PP and Milne finds Lambos as trailer and Lambos shelves it - Wild are up 3-0. Spacek with 2 assists so far. Lambos takes penalty right after and Grand Rapids scores. 3-1.
Milne just drew a penalty and then scored on the PP.
Edit1: Wild kill PP and Milne finds Lambos as trailer and Lambos shelves it - Wild are up 3-0. Spacek with 2 assists so far. Lambos takes penalty right after and Grand Rapids scores. 3-1.
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Jbcraig1883
Registered User
He could play on the 4th line next year, imo, especially if he puts on another five pounds. He's created turnovers, generated PP, and is always moving.
With that said, I probably lean towards one more AHL year with some callups. He played half a season and really, really came on strong the last month. I think he has some offense that could even make him a strong third liner.
If he has a great camp and clearly shows he is an asset on PK and forces himself on there, great. But if not, no harm in letting him play 70 more AHL games since it may make him a better player in the long run.
I've been a fan for awhile (can see from post history) and might be getting a little biased but he gets opponents hating him, not to the extent Ek does, but it's getting close.
With BG saying he wants the team to regain its FU and be harder to play against, he's probably the most in your face player in Iowa that could probably hang in the NHL. Him, Hartmann, and Ek could definitely make teams hate playing them.
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I liked him last year, but he lost momentum with his injury at the beginning of the year. Good to hear that he is getting it back. I just think he is the one guy on the team that could help on the 4th line- you don't want Bankier, Ohgren, Beckman, or Walker there(for a variety of reasons)- and improve the team. I think he is faster, hopefully stronger, and has a higher ceiling than what we have been trotting out there late in the year.
Hopefully, by mid year, we'll be doing;
Kap - JEE - Boldy
Ohgren- Rossi - Zucc?
Johansson - Hartman- Foligno
Milne - Gaudreau - Marat
Wow, still a pretty small lineup, and that's if Foligno can stay healthy.
Jbcraig1883
Registered User
Masters and Novak in for the final game for Hunt and Elson. Here we go. Milne almost scores 1st shift in. Teasdale finishes easily after Fogarty cuts off an outlet pass for a little 2 on 1. 1-0 Wild.
Lambos takes penalty and old man Grimaldi scores quickly. 1-1.
Beckman made a great pass on the PP but Kincaid made a great save. Then Firstov made an even better pass and Beckman has an easy finish. Firstov has been quite the playmaker these last two games. Noticed him backchecking, too. Spacek playing more assertive. Wild outshooting Wolves 16-5.
Late edit: Peart scores late on a clap bomb. He's played on PP tonight and has looked good. Wild up 3-2, Iowa season almost over. Firstov has been a magician but has also given Wolves a few 2 on 1s trying to be too cute. Milne also put one through goalie 5-hole but puck just went wide.
Lambos takes penalty and old man Grimaldi scores quickly. 1-1.
Beckman made a great pass on the PP but Kincaid made a great save. Then Firstov made an even better pass and Beckman has an easy finish. Firstov has been quite the playmaker these last two games. Noticed him backchecking, too. Spacek playing more assertive. Wild outshooting Wolves 16-5.
Late edit: Peart scores late on a clap bomb. He's played on PP tonight and has looked good. Wild up 3-2, Iowa season almost over. Firstov has been a magician but has also given Wolves a few 2 on 1s trying to be too cute. Milne also put one through goalie 5-hole but puck just went wide.
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Jbcraig1883
Registered User
Alright, Iowa's season is over. I watched way too much Iowa hockey this year (dealing with some injuries) but here are some closing thoughts -
As BG and Co alluded to in their presser yesterday, he did not create enough depth for the big club and essentially took all of Iowa's veteran players, which is one main contributing factor as to how Iowa's season played out. Another is a rookie coach. While he did have a ton of moving parts this year, I do think he was polar opposite of Deano in that when he did have the same guys suited up, he changed lines too often. It was rare to see guys on the same line for two games in a row. With that out of the way, here are thoughts on some players:
Forwards:
Sammy Walker: He was more consistent, as was most of the team, the last month or so. He can be a top liner in the AHL but I just don't see much progression in his game for him to be anything at the NHL. Classic tweener, ala Petan, who looks great in the AHL but can't make it as a top 6 in NHL, and isn't a checker/grinder for the bottom 6.
Beckman: Streaky scorer put up 20. Easy kid to root for. Though his game has matured and he isn't shooting from every angle every possession, his offensive production hasn't changed improved that much since his first year. Granted they were awful this year, he still leaves you wanting more.
Bankier: I've already written about him yesterday but I think he is someone who is going to climb the prospect charts. He has size, he has enough speed, he's got an underrated snapshot, he's fairly smart, and his hockey awareness/positioning improved a lot since his first 10 games. Granted he was coming back from a torn achilles, and a rookie, it was obvious. Made a lot of good defensive plays by being in right position, little stick lifts, etc. If he can get a little thicker and slightly faster, I actually think he has a shot as a 2nd liner with his shot, hands, and smarts. With that said, if you are stat watching, the plus/minus is awful and he's just about a half a point player. His defense when he came back from injury was literally nonexistent. So, with all that said, I expect him to be around .8 pts a game or higher next year. If the defense can get the puck up and forwards can maintain some possession, he will produce.
Milne: Again, I've been talking about him for over a year now in that I think he is a for sure NHLer, it just depends if it's a 4th liner or 3rd liner. He finished the season at a point a game (last 11 game I believe) and seemed to draw a penalty or two every game. He's like a mini Ek in that regard - he's always near the net, always moving, and opponents hate him. He doesn't seem very thick so that is the concern with him - can he get inside position, can he control the puck, etc. at the NHL level. I think he will be able to, just not sure when. He is great on the PK due to his speed and smarts, and has underrated hands.
Toporowski: Started off on a tear. He was out of lineup at the end due to injury, so not sure when that occurred. He also slowed down after he was taken off Bankier's line. I didn't watch his shifts close enough to give a good report but I like his shot, he's not afraid to go to the tough areas, and didn't seem to be slow, too small, etc. I look forward to seeing what he does next year. Unsure if he is a Dewar type player or just an AHLer.
Firstov: He's an enigma. Has definitely improved since he left for the KHL, but doesn't have a complete game to me, and I'm not sure he has top 6 NHL in him. It would be interesting to see him play with NHLers though in training camp/preseason game because it may be that he is like Ohgren and looks better when surrounded by better players. He has a good shot and certainly has some offensive flair but he also tries fancy plays and gives up odd man rushes quite a bit. He was scratched 2 or 3 times when coming back - not sure why. If it was lack of defense or effort, he definitely changed that the last few games because any time he turned it over, he was strong on the backcheck. And he also was more physically engaged. Long story short - I don't think we will see him because I don't think he makes the top 6 next year and I don't think he will go to Iowa.
Defense:
Peart: Small sample size but I like what I saw. He made some of the same mistakes the other young rookies did but he seemed to be able to make adjustments in a short amount of time. He got PP time the last few games and understand his role, is mobile, and has some good hands. I don't see enough of that for him to QB a PP in the NHL, but I think he could find himself in that role next year. I know it has been rough watching Goose the end his career but Peart's game kinda reminds me of his...mobile, pretty smart, some offense, etc. Not saying he will be a prime Goose but just talking about play style.
Lambos: Ok, I don't want to be too hard on the kid but I just don't think he's that smart. He was healthy scratched and played a lot of third pairing minutes the last half of the season. He got a little bit better at playing less panicky (which was evident going back to his WJC) but just didn't seem to improve his decision making to me. He has the north/south skating and has a good wrist shot, but his positioning, when he pinches, his outlet passes, just didn't improve. He took quite a few penalties (64 PIM - more than "tough" D ROR) from being out of position, getting beat, etc.. He also fought at least 3 times and got his ass kicked. I admire his effort to stick up for teammates or whatever but he's not a fighter. His body language/facial expressions remind me of Cam Barker - just kinda looks lost. I hope he proves me wrong and ends up being amazing...but as a prospect I don't care for him at all. I'll take Chisolm and Peart over him on the left side any day.
ROR: I want to like him as a throwback D who can turn into a Middleton-type player. Don't see much difference in him at game 72 than game 1. He doesn't play with confidence. His mobility is decent, his frame is good, but he didn't stand out in terms of making it hard for opponents to play against him - whether that be in front of the net, fighting, etc., there just wasn't any one thing that seemed to improve. He is the style of D that is better the less you notice him, so that could be possible, but he had the worst +/- on the team. He's still really young but I am not nearly as optimistic about him playing games in the NHL as I was a year or two ago.
Johansson: Ok, so he had a terrible first half, got scratched and was 7th D for a little while, and then something clicked as he went on a 5 or 6 game point streak in February. Not saying it means he's going to be an NHLer but he had some traits that stood out the rest of the season. He started using that big frame of his, he started joining the rush and showed he could finish (9 goals), he showed he could protect the puck along the boards and pivot off guys to make outlet passes. His +/- was in the ROR range (they were D partners for quite a bit if I recall correctly) and as you can see, ended up -20. Not great, but probably was projected to be -30sh. If he can improve his gaps (still gets beat wide too much) and improve his first step, he just might be able to play some games.
Spacek: I was very high on him before the season started and thought he was a sleeper that would wow everyone. He certainly improved over the year (and the ECHL was a wakeup call for him per in-game commentary/interviews) but needs to put in work to get faster/stronger. He's a smart player but can't impose his game defensively or offensively. His shots are OK - takes a little too long to get them off (whereas I thought he had a heavy shot in juniors and at WJC) and doesn't always hit the net; and he doesn't have a ton of success separating guys from the puck or closing off lanes. His understanding of positioning and pinching did improve throughout the year, so I am hopeful that he comes back next year for a strong sophomore AHL season.
Masters and Novak only had like a handful of games and didn't get a ton of TIO.
You all already know Wallstedt.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading and putting up with my commentary/observations. As much as I'd like to watch them next year, I hope my body is healed so I can return to my hobbies.
As BG and Co alluded to in their presser yesterday, he did not create enough depth for the big club and essentially took all of Iowa's veteran players, which is one main contributing factor as to how Iowa's season played out. Another is a rookie coach. While he did have a ton of moving parts this year, I do think he was polar opposite of Deano in that when he did have the same guys suited up, he changed lines too often. It was rare to see guys on the same line for two games in a row. With that out of the way, here are thoughts on some players:
Forwards:
Sammy Walker: He was more consistent, as was most of the team, the last month or so. He can be a top liner in the AHL but I just don't see much progression in his game for him to be anything at the NHL. Classic tweener, ala Petan, who looks great in the AHL but can't make it as a top 6 in NHL, and isn't a checker/grinder for the bottom 6.
Beckman: Streaky scorer put up 20. Easy kid to root for. Though his game has matured and he isn't shooting from every angle every possession, his offensive production hasn't changed improved that much since his first year. Granted they were awful this year, he still leaves you wanting more.
Bankier: I've already written about him yesterday but I think he is someone who is going to climb the prospect charts. He has size, he has enough speed, he's got an underrated snapshot, he's fairly smart, and his hockey awareness/positioning improved a lot since his first 10 games. Granted he was coming back from a torn achilles, and a rookie, it was obvious. Made a lot of good defensive plays by being in right position, little stick lifts, etc. If he can get a little thicker and slightly faster, I actually think he has a shot as a 2nd liner with his shot, hands, and smarts. With that said, if you are stat watching, the plus/minus is awful and he's just about a half a point player. His defense when he came back from injury was literally nonexistent. So, with all that said, I expect him to be around .8 pts a game or higher next year. If the defense can get the puck up and forwards can maintain some possession, he will produce.
Milne: Again, I've been talking about him for over a year now in that I think he is a for sure NHLer, it just depends if it's a 4th liner or 3rd liner. He finished the season at a point a game (last 11 game I believe) and seemed to draw a penalty or two every game. He's like a mini Ek in that regard - he's always near the net, always moving, and opponents hate him. He doesn't seem very thick so that is the concern with him - can he get inside position, can he control the puck, etc. at the NHL level. I think he will be able to, just not sure when. He is great on the PK due to his speed and smarts, and has underrated hands.
Toporowski: Started off on a tear. He was out of lineup at the end due to injury, so not sure when that occurred. He also slowed down after he was taken off Bankier's line. I didn't watch his shifts close enough to give a good report but I like his shot, he's not afraid to go to the tough areas, and didn't seem to be slow, too small, etc. I look forward to seeing what he does next year. Unsure if he is a Dewar type player or just an AHLer.
Firstov: He's an enigma. Has definitely improved since he left for the KHL, but doesn't have a complete game to me, and I'm not sure he has top 6 NHL in him. It would be interesting to see him play with NHLers though in training camp/preseason game because it may be that he is like Ohgren and looks better when surrounded by better players. He has a good shot and certainly has some offensive flair but he also tries fancy plays and gives up odd man rushes quite a bit. He was scratched 2 or 3 times when coming back - not sure why. If it was lack of defense or effort, he definitely changed that the last few games because any time he turned it over, he was strong on the backcheck. And he also was more physically engaged. Long story short - I don't think we will see him because I don't think he makes the top 6 next year and I don't think he will go to Iowa.
Defense:
Peart: Small sample size but I like what I saw. He made some of the same mistakes the other young rookies did but he seemed to be able to make adjustments in a short amount of time. He got PP time the last few games and understand his role, is mobile, and has some good hands. I don't see enough of that for him to QB a PP in the NHL, but I think he could find himself in that role next year. I know it has been rough watching Goose the end his career but Peart's game kinda reminds me of his...mobile, pretty smart, some offense, etc. Not saying he will be a prime Goose but just talking about play style.
Lambos: Ok, I don't want to be too hard on the kid but I just don't think he's that smart. He was healthy scratched and played a lot of third pairing minutes the last half of the season. He got a little bit better at playing less panicky (which was evident going back to his WJC) but just didn't seem to improve his decision making to me. He has the north/south skating and has a good wrist shot, but his positioning, when he pinches, his outlet passes, just didn't improve. He took quite a few penalties (64 PIM - more than "tough" D ROR) from being out of position, getting beat, etc.. He also fought at least 3 times and got his ass kicked. I admire his effort to stick up for teammates or whatever but he's not a fighter. His body language/facial expressions remind me of Cam Barker - just kinda looks lost. I hope he proves me wrong and ends up being amazing...but as a prospect I don't care for him at all. I'll take Chisolm and Peart over him on the left side any day.
ROR: I want to like him as a throwback D who can turn into a Middleton-type player. Don't see much difference in him at game 72 than game 1. He doesn't play with confidence. His mobility is decent, his frame is good, but he didn't stand out in terms of making it hard for opponents to play against him - whether that be in front of the net, fighting, etc., there just wasn't any one thing that seemed to improve. He is the style of D that is better the less you notice him, so that could be possible, but he had the worst +/- on the team. He's still really young but I am not nearly as optimistic about him playing games in the NHL as I was a year or two ago.
Johansson: Ok, so he had a terrible first half, got scratched and was 7th D for a little while, and then something clicked as he went on a 5 or 6 game point streak in February. Not saying it means he's going to be an NHLer but he had some traits that stood out the rest of the season. He started using that big frame of his, he started joining the rush and showed he could finish (9 goals), he showed he could protect the puck along the boards and pivot off guys to make outlet passes. His +/- was in the ROR range (they were D partners for quite a bit if I recall correctly) and as you can see, ended up -20. Not great, but probably was projected to be -30sh. If he can improve his gaps (still gets beat wide too much) and improve his first step, he just might be able to play some games.
Spacek: I was very high on him before the season started and thought he was a sleeper that would wow everyone. He certainly improved over the year (and the ECHL was a wakeup call for him per in-game commentary/interviews) but needs to put in work to get faster/stronger. He's a smart player but can't impose his game defensively or offensively. His shots are OK - takes a little too long to get them off (whereas I thought he had a heavy shot in juniors and at WJC) and doesn't always hit the net; and he doesn't have a ton of success separating guys from the puck or closing off lanes. His understanding of positioning and pinching did improve throughout the year, so I am hopeful that he comes back next year for a strong sophomore AHL season.
Masters and Novak only had like a handful of games and didn't get a ton of TIO.
You all already know Wallstedt.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading and putting up with my commentary/observations. As much as I'd like to watch them next year, I hope my body is healed so I can return to my hobbies.
Thanks for taking over on the Iowa Wild Watch this year!
How did you feel about Hunt?
Jbcraig1883
Registered User
Oops, I knew I'd forget someone. He is fairly easily the most polished of all the D prospects in Iowa. He faced the hardest lines/toughest minutes and still ended up with a respectable +/- relative to his teammates. He is still learning when to pinch and when not to, when to go for a big hit, etc. I'd like to see him assert himself a bit more in terms of being a bit nastier in his own zone but I also know he is injury prone so that may be something they told him to be careful of. His positioning seems good, he seems to block a lot of shots, and has no problem keeping up with mobile players. He has a lapse of judgement or gets caught flat footed every now and then, but who doesn't?
They gave him some time on PP but he's not a puck carrier/mover. He's got good enough hands and a shot to produce (as evidenced by his numbers), but it's going to be 5 on 5 where he scores. I think he can already be a serviceable 5-6th D man but hope he can develop into a 4 or 3. If he continues developing that offense without becoming a turnover machine, I think he just might do it. I'm not sure he has a spot over Merrill or Chisholm at this point but a good offseason and a good camp can change that (likely Merrill - he has an entirely different skillset to Chisholm).
