Prospect Info: Penguins Prospect Rating #1

[Night Shift]

I got Hallander.

He'll have a better opportunity here to be in the top 6 than in Toronto.

 

[Flying Dego]

Zohorna is definitely my #2 prospect.

Big time bust potential but he flashes special quite often. I really hope that he makes the team out of camp.

Zo was awesome. hopefully he takes another step this year and finds permanence on the bottom 6

I haven't been this excited about a prospect in some time. I've watched Poulin and others and they leave me feeling like ok there's potential to be a good NHLer but nothing gamebreaking...Zohorna has some serious size, wheels, and hands that the others don't. I'm crossing my fingers he gets a shot on Geno's line whenever he's back.

So I could see him being a stud winger or busting into 12th/13th forward at best. So Definitely a crazy range. Someone like Poulin is stamped to be a tweener winger IMO. Safe and that's fine.

 

[Ugene Magic]

He'll have a better opportunity here to be in the top 6 than in Toronto.

So you expect him to super seed Crosby, Malkin and Carter?

 

[Night Shift]

So you expect him to super seed Crosby, Malkin and Carter?

Show me where I implied this, this year.


LOL Am I on the prospects thread??

 

[Ugene Magic]

Show me where I implied this, this year.

It just seems implied considering you didn't get specific on anything other than he'll have a better chance here than in Toronto.

It was basically a blanket statement. Being a straight up center I don't see where/how he would have any better option, here.

 

[Flying Dego]

So you expect him to super seed Crosby, Malkin and Carter?

Pretty sure he'd be LW to break in...and for arguments sake if I were wanting to establish as a Center I'd love the Pens...guaranteed to have at minimum 2 centers out for lengthy periods of time. You'd be gifted great chances.

 

[Night Shift]

It just seems implied considering you didn't get specific on anything other than he'll have a better chance here than in Toronto.

It was basically a blanket statement. Being a straight up center I don't see where/how he would have any better option, here.

LOL..

Do I need to get into specifics to explain the age difference between Torontos 2 centers to ours? So Ya...he has a better chance here in the near future than he did in Toronto.

 

[Night Shift]

Hallinder is 21 so he's at the age where he should be getting time. Once Carter retires after next year here I expect him to get a serious look and compete for 3C.

 

[Ugene Magic]

LOL..

Do I need to get into specifics to explain the age difference between Torontos 2 centers to ours? So Ya...he has a better chance here in the near future than he did in Toronto.

You do know JT turns 31 do ya? Crosby is here for 4 years, and Geno and Letang will be signing new deals.

4 years....Will Hallander be here that long?

Beyond that, I think it's pretty premature to label a guy a top 2 center when he's being labeled high floor low ceiling. Would he not first have to break the bottom six barrier? I don't think he's going to be handed a thing here. He played LW while on loan, but that doesn't mean anything here.

To top it off, the guy has yet to make across the pond due to Corona..

I don't have as high a ceiling feel as you do.

Edit: This is a much better outlook.

Hallinder is 21 so he's at the age where he should be getting time. Once Carter retires after next year here I expect him to get a serious look and compete for 3C.

 

[Night Shift]

You do know JT turns 31 do ya? Crosby is here for 4 years, and Geno and Letang will be signing new deals.

4 years....Will Hallander be here that long?

Beyond that, I think it's pretty premature to label a guy a top 2 center when he's being labeled high floor low ceiling. Would he not first have to break the bottom six barrier? I don't think he's going to be handed a thing here. He played LW while on loan, but that doesn't mean anything here.

To top it off, the guy has yet to make across the pond due to Corona..

I don't have as high a ceiling feel as you do.

Edit: This is a much better outlook.

Hallender will also get the chance to fill in through injury. Hopefully Sid and Geno will not fall off a cliff in 2+ years or start getting the injury bug more frequently. (The latter more likely because of age).

That said while he arguably is in a weird spot here, there is a slightly better chance here to get ice time

 

[KareemTrustfund]

I’m pretty excited about Lindberg too, but he only played half the games in college splitting time with the other Murray. (I also believe Murray got the tougher starts, or so I’ve read). 949 save percentage is awesome, but it was over a fifteen game sample. I don’t have him over either Blomqvist or Clang yet until I see him as a true number one.

 

[Peat]

Hallander's been listed a W/C forever and judging from Swedish posters' posts, played W at the World Cup for them. Tbh, I can't remember the last time people were talking about him playing C.

 

[OtherThingsILike]

But, well, while I think there's some good comparables, that 2015 pool was more or less an absolute best case development. Maybe there's the same amount of talent available today as there was then, but there's nobody we expect to be on Guentzel's level.

Did anyone expect Guentzel to be on Guentzel's level in 2015?

 

[Peat]

Did anyone expect Guentzel to be on Guentzel's level in 2015?

Clearly not very many. Which is why I'm harping on about 2015 being a case of player development over player potential, and not expecting the same results from what is honestly today probably a slightly higher potential group of players.

 

[OtherThingsILike]

Clearly not very many. Which is why I'm harping on about 2015 being a case of player development over player potential, and not expecting the same results from what is honestly today probably a slightly higher potential group of players.

Do you think WBS was better at developing players a few years ago than they are now?

 

[Peat]

Do you think WBS was better at developing players a few years ago than they are now?

Not particularly sure tbh. They've not done much recently, but they've had next to zero raw material to work with. JD Forrest is a guy I know next to nothing about.

And I'd also that this is about more than WBS. Guentzel barely touched there; his development came in the NHL. Rust took huge steps forwards in the NHL. Blueger's a guy who clearly developed a lot at WBS, but also kept developing up a level. And so on. A big part of this team's success at developing guys, imo, is that sticking them in the same room as Sid, Geno, Tanger, and other guys who've learned from them the work rate and decision making needed to win cups, is a fantastic education. If WBS can refine a talent into being a guy who can take NHL shifts, we're a good finishing school.

My guess is we've still got a solid player development system and feeding it some talent should get some results. Just that I'm not expecting the same results. What happened with the 2015 pool was freakish considering the pedigree; I think you could have the exact same development guys there and not get it again.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

It’s Hallander imo. I love his game. Long time pro in a good league.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

I've not read the other posts yet since I don't want to be influenced, but here's my list:

1. POJ
2. Poulin
3. Hallander or DOC
4. DOC or Hallander
5. Legare or Zohorna
6. Zohorna or Legare
7. Lindberg
8. Gruden
9. Puustinen
10. Angello
11. Bjorkqvist
12. Broz
13. Bellerive
14. Reilly
15. Lee
16. Clang
17. Blomqvist
18. Maniscalco
19. D'Orio
20. Svejkovsky
21. Drozg
22. whoever else was drafted

Can obviously change based on how I'm feeling and what I learn. I wonder if Felix Robert will earn himself an NHL contract this season. And whoever that other college goalie they gave like a 5 year AHL deal to. Nappier?

 

[Ugene Magic]

Not particularly sure tbh. They've not done much recently, but they've had next to zero raw material to work with. JD Forrest is a guy I know next to nothing about.

And I'd also that this is about more than WBS. Guentzel barely touched there; his development came in the NHL. Rust took huge steps forwards in the NHL. Blueger's a guy who clearly developed a lot at WBS, but also kept developing up a level. And so on. A big part of this team's success at developing guys, imo, is that sticking them in the same room as Sid, Geno, Tanger, and other guys who've learned from them the work rate and decision making needed to win cups, is a fantastic education. If WBS can refine a talent into being a guy who can take NHL shifts, we're a good finishing school.

My guess is we've still got a solid player development system and feeding it some talent should get some results. Just that I'm not expecting the same results. What happened with the 2015 pool was freakish considering the pedigree; I think you could have the exact same development guys there and not get it again.

The same thing happen you are talking about being up with a fairly stacked team concerning the 2015 class. They were sprinkled in with a lot of vets. I don't think people take that into consideration and think the team was flooded with youth. More than anything these guys were hitting just before their mid 20's and for me adding youth is like adding Maatta and Guentzel who are now just in their mid 20's and now guys like Rust/Sheary's are now clocking their late 20's kicking the 30's door down.

So 2015 comes with a lot experienced guys surrounding those 4/5 young guys. I agree you won't get the same results because the depth just isn't there.

 

[Peat]

Can obviously change based on how I'm feeling and what I learn. I wonder if Felix Robert will earn himself an NHL contract this season. And whoever that other college goalie they gave like a 5 year AHL deal to. Nappier?

Yeah, Nappier. Wonder if he regrets that decision at all now we've signed Lindberg. Hope he likes Wheeling. Tbh, assuming the plan is to move him onto an NHL deal at some point, if he gets one we've got a really crowded goaltender pipeline all of a sudden.

 

[eXile3]

Scott Young is saying that they see Hallander as a winger.

I went with POJ. I really liked what I saw from him last year.

 

[KareemTrustfund]

I've not read the other posts yet since I don't want to be influenced, but here's my list:

1. POJ
2. Poulin
3. Hallander or DOC
4. DOC or Hallander
5. Legare or Zohorna
6. Zohorna or Legare
7. Lindberg
8. Gruden
9. Puustinen
10. Angello
11. Bjorkqvist
12. Broz
13. Bellerive
14. Reilly
15. Lee
16. Clang
17. Blomqvist
18. Maniscalco
19. D'Orio
20. Svejkovsky
21. Drozg
22. whoever else was drafted

Can obviously change based on how I'm feeling and what I learn. I wonder if Felix Robert will earn himself an NHL contract this season. And whoever that other college goalie they gave like a 5 year AHL deal to. Nappier?

Interested to hear why you have Blomqvist and Clang so low, especially below guys like Reilly.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

I've not read the other posts yet since I don't want to be influenced, but here's my list:

1. POJ
2. Poulin
3. Hallander or DOC
4. DOC or Hallander
5. Legare or Zohorna
6. Zohorna or Legare
7. Lindberg
8. Gruden
9. Puustinen
10. Angello
11. Bjorkqvist
12. Broz
13. Bellerive
14. Reilly
15. Lee
16. Clang
17. Blomqvist
18. Maniscalco
19. D'Orio
20. Svejkovsky
21. Drozg
22. whoever else was drafted

Can obviously change based on how I'm feeling and what I learn. I wonder if Felix Robert will earn himself an NHL contract this season. And whoever that other college goalie they gave like a 5 year AHL deal to. Nappier?

I trust your AHL analysis but I’d have Broz a little higher. Was an A rated prospect by CS.

Where would Robert slot in if signed?

 

[Peat]

I trust your AHL analysis but I’d have Broz a little higher. Was an A rated prospect by CS.

Where would Robert slot in if signed?

I didn't watch as much as Randy, but I'm not sure he'd be top 20. Like, if it's him or Svejkovsky, then Svejkovsky's production seems more advanced at a similar age and he's bigger... I love Robert's game, and if he makes it he'll be good, but I just don't feel good about the odds.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Interested to hear why you have Blomqvist and Clang so low, especially below guys like Reilly.

I've not seen Blomqvist or Clang play so I can only judge them on what I've read. Plus, goalies are all over the place and are unpredictable. Once or if they start posting good numbers in the AHL, that's when I'll start being more hyped about them. Same with Lindberg. His college stats are pretty dang good, but let's see how the AHL goes.

I trust your AHL analysis but I’d have Broz a little higher. Was an A rated prospect by CS.

Where would Robert slot in if signed?

Yeah, I don't know much about Broz yet. And I think my list leans more towards NHL readiness than upside.

Regarding Robert, I think I'd have him ranked right above D'Orio.