Speculation: Minor League Affiliates (Hershey Bears, SC Stingrays) - summer 2018 to summer 2019

[hb12xchamps]

at midseason, wondering how you guys see the top 10 prospects for the caps.
biggest surprise? riser? disappointment?

I’m going off the top of my head since I’m on my phone so might miss someone.

1) Alexeyev
2) Siegenthaler
3) Hobbs
4) Samsonov
5) Johansen
6) Malenstyn
7) Gersich
8) AJF
9) Priskie
10) Vanecek
11) Pilon
12) Geisser

Broke the rules and went top 12. Oh well. Biggest risers for me would be Alexeyev, Siegenthaler and Malenstyn. All having good years in their respective leagues. Disappointment category would probably be Gersich, AJF and Samsonov. I think they are more of a disappointment because of all the hype they have received over the past year. Biggest surprised would be Priskie and Siegenthaler. Priskie is well over a PPG as a D man for Quinnipiac University and Siegenthaler has shown he can hold his own in the NHL after having a tough season in Hershey last year

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I’m going off the top of my head since I’m on my phone so might miss someone.

1) Alexeyev
2) Siegenthaler
3) Hobbs
4) Samsonov
5) Johansen
6) Malenstyn
7) Gersich
8) AJF
9) Priskie
10) Vanecek
11) Pilon
12) Geisser

Broke the rules and went top 12. Oh well. Biggest risers for me would be Alexeyev, Siegenthaler and Malenstyn. All having good years in their respective leagues. Disappointment category would probably be Gersich, AJF and Samsonov. I think they are more of a disappointment because of all the hype they have received over the past year. Biggest surprised would be Priskie and Siegenthaler. Priskie is well over a PPG as a D man for Quinnipiac University and Siegenthaler has shown he can hold his own in the NHL after having a tough season in Hershey last year

Good list but I would think AJF has to be at the top of the disappointment list. After his performance in the WJC and in the SHL playoffs it wasn't far fetched to think he'd be a big contributor for the Bears with the potential for a call up to the big club. That he went back home and is struggling mightly there is pretty disappointing.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Good list but I would think AJF has to be at the top of the disappointment list. After his performance in the WJC and in the SHL playoffs it wasn't far fetched to think he'd be a big contributor for the Bears with the potential for a call up to the big club. That he went back home and is struggling mightly there is pretty disappointing.

Agreed with Gersich a close second. He’s been spoonfed top 6 minutes in Hershey with very little production. I think a lot of people expected more given how well he handled the NHL ice time he was given last year

 

[Silky mitts]

I’m going off the top of my head since I’m on my phone so might miss someone.

1) Alexeyev
2) Siegenthaler
3) Hobbs
4) Samsonov
5) Johansen
6) Malenstyn
7) Gersich
8) AJF
9) Priskie
10) Vanecek
11) Pilon
12) Geisser

Broke the rules and went top 12. Oh well. Biggest risers for me would be Alexeyev, Siegenthaler and Malenstyn. All having good years in their respective leagues. Disappointment category would probably be Gersich, AJF and Samsonov. I think they are more of a disappointment because of all the hype they have received over the past year. Biggest surprised would be Priskie and Siegenthaler. Priskie is well over a PPG as a D man for Quinnipiac University and Siegenthaler has shown he can hold his own in the NHL after having a tough season in Hershey last year

I’d put Fehervary top 3-5

 

[hb12xchamps]

I’d put Fehervary top 3-5

Knew I’d miss someone. Completely forgot about him. I’d slot him in at 6 behind Johansen and drop Geisser out of the top 12. There’s just so many D prospects to keep track of

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

They really need to draft or acquire some forward prospects.

 

[Sam Spade]

 

[francaisvolantsparis]

1) Alexander Alexeyev (D)

2) Martin Fehérváry (D)

3) Ilya Samsonov (G)

4) Jonas Siegenthaler (D)

5) Connor Hobbs (D)

6) Chase Priskie (D)

7) Riley Sutter (RW)

8) Shane Gersich (C/LW)

9) Axel Jonsson Fjällby (LW)

10) Juuso Ikonen (RW/LW)

11) Tobias Geisser (D)

12) Vitek Vanecek (G)

13) Damien Riat (W/C)

14) Garrett Pilon (C)

15) Maximilian Kammerer (C)

16) Kody Clark (RW)

17) Beck Malenstyn (LW)

18) Brian Pinho (C)

19) Sebastian Walfridsson (D)

20) Lucas Johansen (D)

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Hivemind]

No way should Ikonen or Geisser be that high or Johansen that low.

 

[Chockey Hockey]

• IMHO, Malenstyn will in the NHL sooner than most on these lists for the role he plays.

 

[Melkor]

Vanecek is a top-10 prospect for this team.

 

[Silky mitts]

1. Alexeyev
2. Samsonov
3. Siegenthaler
4. Fehervary
5. Hobbs
6. Johansen
7. Kody Clark
8. Riley Sutter
9. Priskie
10. Gersich

 

[hb12xchamps]

Samsonov with back to back shutouts. 1-0 OT win for Hershey

 

[TheFountainhead]

 

[francaisvolantsparis]

It seems we all agree with the top-5 in no particular order :

Alexander Alexeyev (D)

Martin Fehérváry (D)

Connor Hobbs (D)

Ilya Samsonov (G)

Jonas Siegenthaler (D)

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

It may be nice if someone could create a Poll to rank our prospects as we used to do years ago.

 

[hb12xchamps]

I think people are still really undervaluing Lucas Johansen. I’ll call it the shiny new toy effect with prospects being drafted after him. LuJo’s numbers don’t look great this year in a vacuum but pretty much every young Hershey player struggled during the first 15-20 games of the season. New coaching staff, new systems, and pretty much a completely new team. I’ll use Siegenthaler as an example because he was in the same boat. He did not look great the past two seasons for Hershey and had a lot of Hershey fans calling for him to be benched/traded. He’s now looking solid for Washington. LuJo has the skill level to be a good NHL player, he just needs to get playing again and be a little more consistent in his play. I’d expect him to be back in the lineup in the next few weeks considering he’s already skating on his own.

This Hershey team was definitely a mess to start the year. We knew from the start it wasn’t going to be a great year when we saw the free agent signings. I’m hoping that they are finally turning a corner now that they’ve won 3 out of their last 4 games. It was definitely an adjustment period but I think it’s trending in the right direction now. The Ryan Sproul signing has helped tremendously to stabilize the backend and he’s another resource for the young guys to talk to, especially Hobbs.

 

[Melkor]

It seems we all agree with the top-5 in no particular order :

Alexander Alexeyev (D)

Martin Fehérváry (D)

Connor Hobbs (D)

Ilya Samsonov (G)

Jonas Siegenthaler (D)

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

It may be nice if someone could create a Poll to rank our prospects as we used to do years ago.

No, Johansen is a top-5 pretty easily.

 

[peterthegreat12]

I think people are still really undervaluing Lucas Johansen. I’ll call it the shiny new toy effect with prospects being drafted after him. LuJo’s numbers don’t look great this year in a vacuum but pretty much every young Hershey player struggled during the first 15-20 games of the season. New coaching staff, new systems, and pretty much a completely new team. I’ll use Siegenthaler as an example because he was in the same boat. He did not look great the past two seasons for Hershey and had a lot of Hershey fans calling for him to be benched/traded. He’s now looking solid for Washington. LuJo has the skill level to be a good NHL player, he just needs to get playing again and be a little more consistent in his play. I’d expect him to be back in the lineup in the next few weeks considering he’s already skating on his own.

This Hershey team was definitely a mess to start the year. We knew from the start it wasn’t going to be a great year when we saw the free agent signings. I’m hoping that they are finally turning a corner now that they’ve won 3 out of their last 4 games. It was definitely an adjustment period but I think it’s trending in the right direction now. The Ryan Sproul signing has helped tremendously to stabilize the backend and he’s another resource for the young guys to talk to, especially Hobbs.

What is LuJo’s injury? He has been out for longer than I thought he would be.

 

[hb12xchamps]

What is LuJo’s injury? He has been out for longer than I thought he would be.

As far as I know they’ve only called it an “upper body” injury. Maybe @Lurch or @Holtbyisms saw /heard some specifics

 

[hb12xchamps]

Bears sign Jordan Samuels-Thomas to AHL deal and assigned him to South Carolina. Recently put up 24 points in 56 games for San Diego. Interesting signing. He most recently played in the Austrian league

 

[Calicaps]

It seems we all agree with the top-5 in no particular order :

Alexander Alexeyev (D)

Martin Fehérváry (D)

Connor Hobbs (D)

Ilya Samsonov (G)

Jonas Siegenthaler (D)

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

It may be nice if someone could create a Poll to rank our prospects as we used to do years ago.

I can add a poll. How do you want it set up?

 

[Holtbyisms]

Bears vs Baby Pens 1/19: Bears first 4 game win streak of the season! Woohoo!

Samsonov back in net and looks completely locked in. His progress has been really encouraging and fun to watch. You can tell he's an elite level player by the continual rapid progress he's made throughout the year. He had a showstopper early in the game to keep it 0-0. Samsonov's shutout streak ends on a stupid 5-3 with about 7 minutes to go in the second period. There was a double scrum O'Brien/Gersich. Gersich got 2 for roughing(his shoving partner got nothing). Before the puck dropped they called O'Brien off the bench for unsportsmanlike and gave the Pens a 5-3 for 2 full minutes.

Ikonen was the intermission interview. Very impressed with his English, he speaks very well and seems to understand all the slang as well. He mentions it was rough to adjust to rink size but it's finally starting to feel pretty comfortable. He's coming off a three game point-streak. Say he enjoys playing with Kammerer and Gustafsson. Talks about how cool it was to be in camp with the Stanley Cup champions and was able to see the work they put in and why they are indeed the champs.

Bears have now scored the first goal in 10 straight games.

Barber is the best player on the ice for the Bears. He made a nice pass to get the 1st goal on the PP. Loved his compete level the entire game. He had a vicious counter hit at the end of the 1st period that made the entire crowd "oooooo". A heck of a snipe on the PP in the third period, post and in.

Gersich scoring today is only his 5th this season...I know that sounds terrible for someone a lot of us expected to have a big season from but he's played mostly well this year. A combination of injury, being snake bit and playing on a terrible team have contributed to this. I think he's a bit less ready than the Washington fan base thought he was as well. Gersich needs to get stronger and get the puck up when he shoots. Pro goalies all have great legs and get post to post really quick or else they wouldn't be pro goalies. In college it's easier to beat guys down low.

Hobbs has been such a calming force since returning. He's playing some of the best hockey I've ever seen him play in Hershey. His pairing with Geisser has been a nice combo. Hobbs hammered the post on the PP inside of a minute left in the 2nd period. Had my arms up, thought it was in. Hah!

I like Geisser (I think more than most Bears fans). I think he could be a pretty decent NHL player one day. He already shows some signs and he's pretty young to be in the AHL. It might take him a couple years to really figure out how to use his size but he doesn't necessarily shy away from physical contact so he's certainly occasionally willing. I wouldn't ever expect him to be a monstrously physical guy though.

Ikonen and Kammerer are fun together. I like the chemistry the two of them have. Gustafsson is centering them but would love to see someone more skilled between them like Pilon perhaps.

Still totally man crushing on Malenstyn. He's without a doubt a future NHLer. He hustles every second he's on the ice. His hustle nullified a Pens powerplay when the momentum had swung their way late in the 2nd period. He's a terrific PKer. Might be the end of Nathan Walkers chances in the NHL because they're very similar players and Malenstyn in my eyes has quite a bit more NHL potential.

1-0: Bears scores on the powerplay. Mike Sgarbossa scores his 18th of the year assisted by Riley Barber and Aaron Ness.


2-0: Gersich scores his 5th of the season. Megna made a nice retrival behind the net after dumping it in. Got the puck to the corner where Pihno sent a quick pass to Gersich skating into the dot. He one-timed it into the net. Nice shot and a nice pass from Pinho. No hesitation by either one.


2-1: Pens score on a gimmie by the refs because of a poorly called 5 on 3. Samsonov made a terrific save but just couldn't get the rebound. No fault of Sammy here.

3-1: Bears score another on the PP Ness from the point to Sgarbossa on the halfwall. Megna cruising into the slot one times it in about 2 minutes into the 3rd period.

3-2: Pens score on the PP again. Had a man in the Oshie spot wide open between the bears 4 man box. Wrist shot beats Sammy blocker side.

4-2: Third PP goal of the night, Riley Baber with a beautiful shot from the top of the circle. 16th of the year. Aaron Ness another assist, third of the game. Sgarbossa also got his 3rd point of the night with the secondary on this one. That's 10 assist against the Pens this year for Ness, wow.


* Gersich took a really dirty shot to the head about 5 minutes into the third, caught open ice with his head down. Hobbs immediately went after the Pen and answered the bell. Hobbs got the best shots in but the fight was mostly even after a lot of punches and wrestling both ways. Gersich seemed alright and never left the bench. Hobbs however pointed to his cheek and went into the locker room. He returned a few minutes later with a bandage on his face.

5-2: Shorthanded goal from Megna, his second goal of the game(good sign for the Bears...he REALLY needs to get going), assist from Beck Malenstyn. Was a breakaway and he scored a Kucherov style goal although it looked unintentional. Think he actually lost control of the puck as opposed to pretending to. Either way it was the dagger.

5-3: Pens score on a 2 on 1 one-timer. First goal today I feel like Samsonov misplayed. He kind of lunged across the crease face first stomach down with his legs spread...looked more like my old ass doing yoga...lol It just looked really awkward. However, will say Geisser could have played the 2 on 1 better. He didn't really make a decision and just floated between the two attackers. He should have played the pass and let Samsonov take the shooter and I feel like things would have turned out different.

 

[Holtbyisms]

As far as I know they’ve only called it an “upper body” injury. Maybe @Lurch or @Holtbyisms saw /heard some specifics

Haven't heard a peep officially but I recall thinking it's the shoulder back in Nov against Lehigh. (I'm not a doctor by any means hah)

 

[francaisvolantsparis]

I can add a poll. How do you want it set up?

Like Re-Draft polls in General forum Polls section.

- You start with an empty 'Prospects ranking list' and a Poll with ten options, something like:

• Alexander Alexeyev (D)
• Martin Fehérváry (D)
• Shane Gersich (C/LW)
• Connor Hobbs (D)
• Lucas Johansen (D)
• Chase Priskie (D)
• Ilya Samsonov (G)
• Jonas Siegenthaler (D)
• Riley Sutter (RW)
• Vitek Vanecek (G)

- Every ~48 hours one player is elected from the Poll list. His name is removed from the Poll and added to the 'Prospects ranking list' to the end of the list. You may add one or two new player names, suggested by other fans, to the Poll options each time you remove one player.

- If at some point two ore more players are close one to another in votes. You may pause the normal process for ~24 hours and make a 'Decisive poll' with only Poll leading players as possible options.

- The Poll stops then Top-20 players are ranked in the 'Prospects ranking list'.

We had similar polls some years ago. It was fun. But I guess it take a lot of time to organize such poll and I do not have permission to create polls. It is ok to not do it.

 

[Calicaps]

Like Re-Draft polls in General forum Polls section.

- You start with an empty 'Prospects ranking list' and a Poll with ten options, something like:

• Alexander Alexeyev (D)
• Martin Fehérváry (D)
• Shane Gersich (C/LW)
• Connor Hobbs (D)
• Lucas Johansen (D)
• Chase Priskie (D)
• Ilya Samsonov (G)
• Jonas Siegenthaler (D)
• Riley Sutter (RW)
• Vitek Vanecek (G)

- Every ~48 hours one player is elected from the Poll list. His name is removed from the Poll and added to the 'Prospects ranking list' to the end of the list. You may add one or two new player names, suggested by other fans, to the Poll options each time you remove one player.

- If at some point two ore more players are close one to another in votes. You may pause the normal process for ~24 hours and make a 'Decisive poll' with only Poll leading players as possible options.

- The Poll stops then Top-20 players are ranked in the 'Prospects ranking list'.

We had similar polls some years ago. It was fun. But I guess it take a lot of time to organize such poll and I do not have permission to create polls. It is ok to not do it.

Ok. Will do when I'm next at a computer