HF Habs: Post-draft Top 20 prospects.

[HockeyDBspecialist]

Fleury had a very average first year in the AHL

what the... ? no that's not true at all. HE needs to be better defensively but for a 19/20 years old he did a damn good job and Bouchard even told at the radio that he was the one that impressed him the most.

Fleury will play in the NHL, it's not even a question.

 

[montreal]

Fleury had a very average first year in the AHL. He could still blossom but at this point you got to consider him a suspect more than a prospect.

Imo it was more above average, only 4 U-21 defensemen had more goals then him. He was 19 for the first 2 months of the season, lost some time to injury early on but managed to work his way up to the top pairing. Laval was the lowest scoring team in the league, so with a bit more offense his production would have likely been 30ish points which would have been a very solid season. The problem is his defensive game, clearly needs improvement, he seemed to do much better when paired with Alzner but when they put him with Ouellet it wasn't pretty.

Elite Prospects - AHL Stats 2018-2019

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Imo it was more above average, only 4 U-21 defensemen had more goals then him. He was 19 for the first 2 months of the season, lost some time to injury early on but managed to work his way up to the top pairing. Laval was the lowest scoring team in the league, so with a bit more offense his production would have likely been 30ish points which would have been a very solid season. The problem is his defensive game, clearly needs improvement, he seemed to do much better when paired with Alzner but when they put him with Ouellet it wasn't pretty.

Elite Prospects - AHL Stats 2018-2019

Agreed, his defensive zone play has always been a significant issue. Hopefully he can straighten things out because he probably has better physical tools than Juulsen and may have a future in Montreal.

 

[TT1]

Lmao, i have Fairbrother ahead of everyone in front of him.



Harris is insanely low, he's a stud. He has a lot of Duncan Keith in him. His hockey IQ/decision making is off the chart.

Brown's 15 to 11 list:
15. Harris
14. Pitlick
13. Ikonen
12. Evans
11. Fleury

Mitch Brown knows his hockey :thinking:

 

[Le Barron de HF]

I know he's a divisive name on this board but Pronman published his mid-season rankings for drafted prospects outside the NHL (80 names). Caufield is 4th and Romanov is 18th on his list.

 

[WinterLion]

I know he's a divisive name on this board but Pronman published his mid-season rankings for drafted prospects outside the NHL (80 names). Caufield is 4th and Romanov is 18th on his list.

He also didn't have Primeau among his top 7 G prospects.

It's a decent list. He really likes Caulfield. He thinks he can be a top line difference maker.

 

[WinterLion]

I know he's a divisive name on this board but Pronman published his mid-season rankings for drafted prospects outside the NHL (80 names). Caufield is 4th and Romanov is 18th on his list.

Oh and he also had Poehling as graduated to the NHL.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Brown has been releasing his rankings over on The Athletic, so far:
15. Fairbrother
14. Olofsson
13. Evans
12. Pitlick
11. Hillis
10. McShane
9. Harris
8. Struble
7. Norlinder
6. Brook

He would obviously sign McShane, he's disappointed by lack of progression in his skating. McShane is a better shooter and passer than all the forwards so far on the list. He's rounded out his game enough since he was drafted that he should be given a shot. In his opinion, he has the best shot at becoming a top six forward on that list.

Regarding Harris, not impressed by his offensive abilities nor his decision making. He's good at shot-passes or shots to be deflected though. Doesn't think he'll be a top 4D.

Struble: He's been very impressed by him and the progress/details he adds to his game every week. (Note: the decision to bypass BCHL is paying off big time). He struggled with puck retrievals at the start and now he excels at it. He's improved in all the facets that were lacking during the season (NZ play, breakouts). Believes he could be a 2 year NCAA player instead of 4 like initially suggested.

Norlinder: Thinks he's too aggressive in the NZ and can have tunnel vision at times.

Brook: Sees the same struggles and mistakes that Brook had in the second half of his draft year. Not too worried about his pro start so far.

 

[26Mats]

Brown has been releasing his rankings over on The Athletic, so far:
15. Fairbrother
14. Olofsson
13. Evans
12. Pitlick
11. Hillis
10. McShane
9. Harris
8. Struble
7. Norlinder
6. Brook

He would obviously sign McShane, he's disappointed by lack of progression in his skating. McShane is a better shooter and passer than all the forwards so far on the list. He's rounded out his game enough since he was drafted that he should be given a shot. In his opinion, he has the best shot at becoming a top six forward on that list.

Regarding Harris, not impressed by his offensive abilities nor his decision making. He's good at shot-passes or shots to be deflected though. Doesn't think he'll be a top 4D.

Struble: He's been very impressed by him and the progress/details he adds to his game every week. (Note: the decision to bypass BCHL is paying off big time). He struggled with puck retrievals at the start and now he excels at it. He's improved in all the facets that were lacking during the season (NZ play, breakouts). Believes he could be a 2 year NCAA player instead of 4 like initially suggested.

Norlinder: Thinks he's too aggressive in the NZ and can have tunnel vision at times.

Brook: Sees the same struggles and mistakes that Brook had in the second half of his draft year. Not too worried about his pro start so far.

Why McShane above Hillis?

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Why McShane above Hillis?

Like I said, it's because he's the better shooter and passer.

 

[montreal]

Like I said, it's because he's the better shooter and passer.

he's not a better passer then Hillis and I don't think he's a better passer then Fonstad either.

 

[ahmedou]

If a few of them gonna be in the top 20 (with the pros) someday that's would be ideal.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Brown released his top 5:

5) Ylonen: Great at disrupting plays with his skating. Tools are there to be a top 6 guy but execution is still inconsistent in that manner. Concerns over finish, vision (à la Eller in the sense of holding on to the puck for too long), finding the trailer on a play and utilizing his speed to maximize his game (not driving down the middle). Likewise to what Bexell was saying on EOTP, not too concerned over his production due to his team. He also says that in the last 3 years, he hasn't been playing with great linemates which has an obvious impact on his points totals.

4) Primeau: Impressed by his movements on cross-slot passes; movements are more controlled. Good at evaluating situations and threats (e.g. if he loses sight of the puck behind the net, he'll make movements to maximize the probability of a save).

3) Poehling: Big fan of the little details in his NHL stint (forecheck and backcheck). Believes Poehling playing on the wing limits his biggest skill: his playmaking ability. Feels the mechanics in his shot have improved this year (shooting off the rush especially).

(Primeau and Poehling are interchangeable in his ranking he says)

2) Romanov: Loves his gap control and puck recovery ability. Has improved his decisions with the puck for passing this season. Evaluates his options more vs tunnel vision.

1) Caufield: has improved his % for 5 on 5 scoring chances set up 'individually' (by 13%). So it quiets down the concerns over the impact that Hughes had on his production last year. Underrated his skating his summer evaluation, good at beating defenders with crossovers. Can get impatient with his passes which leads to his passes missing their target by a fair distance. He also has been set up on the perimeter more this year.

 

[Mrb1p]

With Poehling and Brook doing bad this year, the prospect pool is back to square one. Unimpressive. Zzzz.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

According to Scott Wheeler, Habs have the second best prospect pool in the league.

Caufield
Harris (!)
Romanov
Struble
Poehling
Primeau
Norlinder
Ylonen
Brook
Hillis
Pitlick
McShane
Fonstad
RHP
Stapley

Juulsen would have ranked 7-8. Ikonen 9-12. Olofsson 9-12. Houde 13+. Teasdale 13+ Fairbrother 13+

 

[Adam Michaels]

 

[ViD]

According to Scott Wheeler, Habs have the second best prospect pool in the league.

Caufield
Harris (!)
Romanov
Struble
Poehling
Primeau
Norlinder
Ylonen
Brook
Hillis
Pitlick
McShane
Fonstad
RHP
Stapley

Juulsen would have ranked 7-8. Ikonen 9-12. Olofsson 9-12. Houde 13+. Teasdale 13+ Fairbrother 13+

His piece on Romanov was terrible, apparently if you’re 5’11, you can’t be a dominant d man

 

[MaynardJames]

Anyone placing Poehling before Primeau lose credibility in my book. I just don't see the logic. One has third line ceiling vs elite starter goalie

 

[26Mats]

Anyone placing Poehling before Primeau lose credibility in my book. I just don't see the logic. One has third line ceiling vs elite starter goalie

Poehling's absolute ceiling isn't 3rd line.
And it's not all about ceiling. There's also probability of reaching the ceiling.
Let's be patient with Poehling...

 

[Habs Halifax]

our #2 best Prospect ATM. No one saw him coming

@montreal was high on Harris last year. I'm high on Struble this year equally cause he is 18 and showing signs of a high learning curve

Harris our 2nd best prospect? Not so sure about that. Are you including Suzuki in that or has he graduated? Some would say Kotkaniemi graduated last year but what would they say this year? Best to talk age 20 and under IMO.

It's a moving target but as of today (age 20 and under)...
Suzuki
Romanov
Primeau
Kotkaniemi
Caufield
Poehling
Harris
Brook
Ylonen
Norlinder
Struble

Then add Hillis, Olofsson, Stapley, Pitlick, Fairbrother, McShane, Fonstad, etc.

In 12 months time, the shuffling continues and some move up and some move down. Probability is working in our favor big time. Not many will admit it but our group of prospects with more coming this next draft is not just some normal situation

 

[Techcoockie]

Harris our 2nd best prospect? Not so sure about that. Are you including Suzuki in that or has he graduated? Some would say Kotkaniemi graduated last year but what would they say this year? Best to talk age 20 and under IMO.

It's a moving target but as of today (age 20 and under)...
Suzuki
Romanov
Primeau
Kotkaniemi
Caufield
Poehling
Harris
Brook
Ylonen
Norlinder
Struble

I wouldn't put Suzuki as a recruit (55 NHL games), if you look at the Athletic ranking, Harris took an amazing leap and is #2 before Romanov, Primeau, Poehling, etc. I saw him as our future #2 LD but he has the capability to be our first pairing LD over Romanov IMO.

Wheeler sees him as a top 4D in his ranking

I saw a real potential in Harris at the camp, the kid is taking major leap every year and he does everything well on the ice while having an amazing speed. Next year will be the more telling year, if he breaks or keep leaping over his normal development curve.

IF I would do a ranking of prospects and rookies:

Suzuki
Caufield
Kotkaniemi
Harris
Romanov
Struble
Primeau
Poehling
Norlinder
Brook
Ylonen

 

[MrNasty]

Here is what Wheeler from the Athletic has for his top 10 Habs prospects. He has 4 LHD prospects in his top 7 (Harris, Romanov, Struble, Norlinder)...now RHD is our weakest prospect depth.
Wheeler's 2020 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 2 Montreal...

Habs also ranked as 2nd best crop of prospects behind LA.

 

[Big Empty]

Wheeler's 2020 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 2 Montreal...

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked our prospect pool 2nd best in the entire league.

The article is behind a paywall so here is the list
(each gap is a separate tier)

1. Cole Caufield, RW, 19, (University of Wisconsin)

2. Jordan Harris, LHD, 19, (Northeastern University)
3. Alexander Romanov, LHD, 20, (CSKA Moskva)
4. Jayden Struble, LHD, 18, (Northeastern University)
5. Ryan Poehling, C, 21, (Laval Rocket)
6-20 available at the link above

We we’re still ranked number 2 without Kotkaniemi, Suzuki and Fleury being included in the list. Pretty impressive.

 

[ahmedou]

I guess it depends of what's their definition of the NHL...

 

[Mrb1p]

Meh