Prospect predictions

[FlyTimmo]

It is summer the draft is over and I am already bored. And I trust Hexy will make FA boring, which should maybe be a good change.

What are your predictions for our prospects? Everything from points to accomplishments to their struggles. Can be any prospects not just the ones that were just drafted.

Click to read more...

 

[jd2210]

Sounds fun:

I'll leave out the kids we just drafted. I have zero idea on any of them.

Laughton, morin, hagg, ghost, stolarz will all have long nhl careers

Guys who will have limited nhl success cousins, Wilcox, alt, akeson

Guys who play less than 100 games leier, McGinn, the Dane, parks, straka

 

[OrangeAndBlackMetal]

I know we all like to think that Morin, Sanheim, Gostisbehere and Hagg are going to be our blue line saviors but how about we look back at lineup predictions from 2006-2007ish?

In reality, we will be lucky if 2 of them end up being legitimate top 4 nhl defensemen.

 

[OriginJM]

I'll go ahead and make some random claims and see how I do down the road

Laughton will be your average 3C and be well respected by HF for some reason
Morin will be a good #3 or #4 but will be prone to defensive lapses and will become the whipping boy
Ghost will have a pretty great rookie season then get a concussion and "never be the same"
Hagg will turn out amazing and be the Flyer's rock for years to come
Stolarz will get lit up on his debut and get traded around becoming a journeymen backup
Sanheim will start looking real great and we'll trade him for a proven piece for a cup run in a few years

see ya in a couple years future OriginJM

 

[Funf]

I'm 100% prepared for Morin to be the future whipping boy. When he makes mistakes he looks pretty bad doing it. He just has that big, gangly look, and I can definitely see him getting that 'dumb' label that Coburn currently has.

Likewise, I'm prepared for Hagg to be labeled a lazy player, similar to Carter when he was with us. He's got that effortless, confident way about him, and combined with being inconsistent with his positional play, fans will accuse him of not caring.

And as far as lineup predictions for 2006/07 go, I'd say this is a very different scenario. This is probably the deepest pool of defensive prospects we've had in a long, long time. In 2007, we were looking at Joni Pitkanen and Ryan Parent as the only promising young talent on the blue line. One of whom had a terrible attitude (reportedly). Parent projected only as a shutdown d-man and suffered from a lot of injuries, if I remember correctly.

 

[Striiker]

All defensive prospects become #1's and allstars, eventually they make it into the HoF. Schenn becomes best player in the world and Couturier causes Malkin to be sent to a mental institution. We win 15 consecutive cups until Bettman makes a deal with us to move the Leafs to Puerto Rico in exchange for us letting someone else win. Then Giroux retires after breaking every record and still losing every poll on HFboards, becomes GM, and starts the cycle all over by drafting a new set of godly defensive prospects.


In reality, I think Morin ends up similar to Coburn but more physical, Sanheim ends up the best of all our D prospects by being good offensively and mostly solid defensively, Ghost becomes a 50ish point offensive defenseman and ends up similar to Timonen, and Hagg falls a bit short of our hopes because of inconsistency but is still a good defenseman. I don't see any of them being total busts because they all have very important assets like competitiveness (except for Hagg sometimes), hockey sense, and skating.

 

[ilovetheflyers8]

I know we all like to think that Morin, Sanheim, Gostisbehere and Hagg are going to be our blue line saviors but how about we look back at lineup predictions from 2006-2007ish?

In reality, we will be lucky if 2 of them end up being legitimate top 4 nhl defensemen.

From a year or so later I believe I remember others and myself on here looking forward to Marshall and Bourdon coming to the NHL.

 

[dats81]

Morin never lives up to the hype and turns into Coburn-lite before being traded for a washed up Veteran.

Ghost will put up great offensive numbers but will be prone to turnovers and poor defensive play. He ends up a solid role player and mediocre #4. His leadership and will to succeed make him a valuable contributor.

Hägg will become a Coburn clone and plays big minutes as a future #2. He never matches the offensive numbers of his first full NHL season ever again but fans like him because he exceeds expectations.

Sanheim turns into a solid top-4 defenseman but plays too soft and gets critizised for his lack of physical play. He plays a style similar to former Flyer Kim Johnsson.

Laughton becomes a journeyman 3C.

Leier pans out as a solid bottom-6 contributor for many years to come.

Cousins gets called up once but can't stick. He never turns into an NHL regular, Flyers qualify him, let him walk away after his RFA period is over...

 

[mja]

1. Ghost becomes Bobby Orr
2. Sanheim becomes Bobby Orr
3. Morin becomes Chris Pronger
4. Hagg becomes Niklas Lidstrom
5. Laughton becomes Bobby Clarke

We win ten straight Stanley Cups.

Am I doing this right?

 

[flyershockey]

I know we all like to think that Morin, Sanheim, Gostisbehere and Hagg are going to be our blue line saviors but how about we look back at lineup predictions from 2006-2007ish?

In reality, we will be lucky if 2 of them end up being legitimate top 4 nhl defensemen.

Morin, Sanheim and Gostisbehere are the best defensive prospects we've had since Pitkanen. (We'll never know how Sbisa might have turned out if he wasn't rushed to the NHL at 18) People are justified in being excited for these guys. None of Marshall, MAB, Ratchuk, Lehtivouri, Bodrov, Bartulis, etc. had the skill sets that these guys have at 18-20. The only ones that are relatively close are MAB and Bodrov, and you could argue that both might be in the NHL if not for injuries (Bourdon) or the KHL money (Bodrov). I think it's fair to project that all four become NHL players. It might not happen, but it's not an unreasonable projection like it may have been with some of the defensive prospects within the last 6-7 years.

 

[OrangeAndBlackMetal]

Morin, Sanheim and Gostisbehere are the best defensive prospects we've had since Pitkanen. (We'll never know how Sbisa might have turned out if he wasn't rushed to the NHL at 18) People are justified in being excited for these guys. None of Marshall, MAB, Ratchuk, Lehtivouri, Bodrov, Bartulis, etc. had the skill sets that these guys have at 18-20. The only ones that are relatively close are MAB and Bodrov, and you could argue that both might be in the NHL if not for injuries (Bourdon) or the KHL money (Bodrov). I think it's fair to project that all four become NHL players. It might not happen, but it's not an unreasonable projection like it may have been with some of the defensive prospects within the last 6-7 years.

I understand all this fine. I'm not saying it's not fair to project that they will all be nhl players, they're all great prospects... However, I'm speaking strictly to the reality of prospects. If 2 of those guys turn into full time top 4 nhl defensemen, we will be fortunate.

There are countless, and I mean countless guys who could have been projected to be nhl defenseman that don't quite work out and far fewer who do, even in the 1st round.

It's simply unrealistic to expect all 4 guys to have legitimate NHL careers. Is it possible? Of course, but likely it is not.

I do believe they will all play in the nhl in some capacity, but I believe only 2 will be long term productive top 4 defensemen. I'm going to go with Sanheim and Gostisbehere. Morin I think will end up being a fringe #4/realistic #5 with modest offensive output. Hagg will be a #6/#7/call up type of guy for a few years and then head back to Sweden.

 

[flyershockey]

I understand all this fine. I'm not saying it's not fair to project that they will all be nhl players, they're all great prospects... However, I'm speaking strictly to the reality of prospects. If 2 of those guys turn into full time top 4 nhl defensemen, we will be fortunate.

There are countless, and I mean countless guys who could have been projected to be nhl defenseman that don't quite work out and far fewer who do, even in the 1st round.

It's simply unrealistic to expect all 4 guys to have legitimate NHL careers. Is it possible? Of course, but likely it is not.

I do believe they will all play in the nhl in some capacity, but I believe only 2 will be long term productive top 4 defensemen. I'm going to go with Sanheim and Gostisbehere. Morin I think will end up being a fringe #4/realistic #5 with modest offensive output. Hagg will be a #6/#7/call up type of guy for a few years and then head back to Sweden.

Fair enough. I think that's a bit conservative on Morin and Hagg, but I'm not going to argue about something neither of us know for sure.

 

[jd2210]

I understand all this fine. I'm not saying it's not fair to project that they will all be nhl players, they're all great prospects... However, I'm speaking strictly to the reality of prospects. If 2 of those guys turn into full time top 4 nhl defensemen, we will be fortunate.

There are countless, and I mean countless guys who could have been projected to be nhl defenseman that don't quite work out and far fewer who do, even in the 1st round.

It's simply unrealistic to expect all 4 guys to have legitimate NHL careers. Is it possible? Of course, but likely it is not.

I do believe they will all play in the nhl in some capacity, but I believe only 2 will be long term productive top 4 defensemen. I'm going to go with Sanheim and Gostisbehere. Morin I think will end up being a fringe #4/realistic #5 with modest offensive output. Hagg will be a #6/#7/call up type of guy for a few years and then head back to Sweden.

On draft day, the head of scouting for LA was on Siruis radio and said something to the effect of "scouting is the only job where you can be right 15% of the time and still be considered a huge success."

I'd probably add weather man to the list.

 

[renberg]

Scouting has come a long way in the last ten years. The scrutiny put on these guys is greater than ever and the level of play that the juniors are playing at rises every year. Its still selecting 18 year olds and predicting where they are going to be at 25 but the scouting systems are getting better at it.
-Sanheim will be a top pairing guy. The skills are there and so is the hockey IQ.
-Morin is too good and getting better. The Flyers weren't the only team that saw his talents. The Habs wanted him badly. If there is one ting that Montreal knows, its defensemen.
-Ghost looks like Torey Krug. He should be a nice second pair guy and triggerman on the PP. We'll find out this fall when he is in Philly
-Haag is an enigma. He has the talent to be quite good. He took to playing in the A pretty quick this spring. He obviously had a clash with his coach in Sweden and that guy has continued to bad mouth him ever since he left there. We'll find out if he wants to be a player and dedicates himself to the game this season. I wouldn't bet against him. Future second pair guy?
-Cousins. He had his eyes opened up for him last year. He has a lot of work to do on his game. The potential is there to be another Brad Marchand. The puck still finds his stick and he knows what to do with it.
-Leier-He shouldn't be written off. He is strong on his skates and is defensively responsible. A checking line forward for sure. If he can grow his offensive side, who knows?

 

[Flyotes]

1. Ghost becomes Bobby Orr
2. Sanheim becomes Bobby Orr
3. Morin becomes Chris Pronger
4. Hagg becomes Niklas Lidstrom
5. Laughton becomes Bobby Clarke

We win ten straight Stanley Cups.

Am I doing this right?

For HFBoards in general, yes.

For here, no. We trend negative.

 

[ilovetheflyers8]

Morin, Sanheim and Gostisbehere are the best defensive prospects we've had since Pitkanen. (We'll never know how Sbisa might have turned out if he wasn't rushed to the NHL at 18) People are justified in being excited for these guys. None of Marshall, MAB, Ratchuk, Lehtivouri, Bodrov, Bartulis, etc. had the skill sets that these guys have at 18-20. The only ones that are relatively close are MAB and Bodrov, and you could argue that both might be in the NHL if not for injuries (Bourdon) or the KHL money (Bodrov). I think it's fair to project that all four become NHL players. It might not happen, but it's not an unreasonable projection like it may have been with some of the defensive prospects within the last 6-7 years.

It doesn't change what you are saying but Bodrov went back because his girlfriend was pregnant.

 

[Newest sens fan]

Morin averages as a 4/5
Ghost flops hard
Hagg eventually turns into a 2/3
Laughton 2/3C
Sanheim flops

 

[BernieParent]

1. Ghost becomes Bobby Orr
2. Sanheim becomes Bobby Orr
3. Morin becomes Chris Pronger
4. Hagg becomes Niklas Lidstrom
5. Laughton becomes Bobby Clarke

We win ten straight Stanley Cups.

Am I doing this right?

If 1 and 2 are correct, we will label Sanheim as redundant and want him traded.

 

[McNasty]

People really need to temper their expectations here. They haven't had a good track record developing defenseman, to expect them to go 4/4 on their top blueline prospects is unrealistic.

Hextall will have to display more patience than Holmgren and Clarke did and be willing to let these kids play through the inevitable growing pains. We're all hopeful that's what he does, but we also know Big Ed wants another cup before he dies.

 

[mja]

I'll say this, I'm cautiously optimistic that all 4 of the defenseman have decent NHL careers, be it in Orange & Black or somewhere else.

Morin will have an NHL career, that's pretty much a given. There's always room for that combination of Big/Fast/Mean. Even if he is unable to further refine his skill level, he's probably a bottom pairing guy at worst.

Hagg has all of the tools, but we don't know yet if he has a toolbox or if he can find one. Toolsy guys tend to have a place in the NHL. I think he may need to make a choice between trying to be a two-way guy or simplifying his game and focusing on one end of the ice.

Ghost I think makes it. He's been playing against men & dominating. I don't know if his D translates but I think his O definitely will.

It's too early to tell with Sanheim, but he looks damn impressive from the highlight video. Next year will tell us a lot. If he continues his upward trajectory and becomes a PPG player, he might just be the best of the bunch. Big & Fast & Skilled gets you a spot in the bigs.

 

[dats81]

People really need to temper their expectations here. They haven't had a good track record developing defenseman, to expect them to go 4/4 on their top blueline prospects is unrealistic.

Hextall will have to display more patience than Holmgren and Clarke did and be willing to let these kids play through the inevitable growing pains. We're all hopeful that's what he does, but we also know Big Ed wants another cup before he dies.

I agree.

And even more unrealistic to assume all 4 would be on the Flyers roster at the same time. They are separated by almost 5 years age-wise and take different development curves. By the time Sanheim turns into a regular starter (if he ever makes it), Ghost may have already started for 3+ seasons and the Flyers may have lost his rights or traded him to improve another roster spot.
Same with Hagg, he may turn into a fringe NHLer for a couple of seasons and not get the contract he is looking for and head back to Europe before Morin or Sanheim even get their first cup of tea... just one out of 1000 different possible scenarios....who knows?

 

[Flyotes]

A lot of conjecturing followed up by ... who knows? Then why say anything?

We don't have a crystal ball and there are already too many unfounded comments souring on Hagg. The guy just got here. Defensemen are like wine. Resist the urge to find a whipping boy.

 

[flyershockey]

A lot of conjecturing followed up by ... who knows? Then why say anything?

We don't have a crystal ball and there are already too many unfounded comments souring on Hagg. The guy just got here. Defensemen are like wine. Resist the urge to find a whipping boy.

I've noticed this as well. Hagg has been the trendy prospect to suddenly get down on, despite the fact that he was very good for the first ten games he played with the Phantoms at the end of the season.

 

[dats81]

A lot of conjecturing followed up by ... who knows? Then why say anything?

We don't have a crystal ball and there are already too many unfounded comments souring on Hagg. The guy just got here. Defensemen are like wine. Resist the urge to find a whipping boy.

None of the prospects except for Laughton have even played a single game in the NHL so far.
This whole thread is just about speculation, unfounded comments and having fun predicting the future!!!

There are just as many Morin will bust comments as there are for Hägg... I don't think anybody is looking for a scapegoat yet. In fact it's just the opposite: setting the bar low to look back and laugh about it later.

 

[Cyborg LeClair]

I believe in our scouting team to get their first round picks right, especially with them as low as 11 and 17. I loved everything I saw in Morin from when we drafted him, in the prospects games, in the preseason, and he appears to keep continuing to do well. I'm willing to be patient with him to let him develop the Shea Weber way. Give him this season in the Juniors again the be the #1, then a season or half a season in the AHL, then bring him up to the NHL.

Same thing with Sanheim. Take the time with him. Morin looks like a Chara sized homerun pick and Sanheim looks like a Pietrangelo sized one. I think that Sanheim will continue to gain confidence and mature to score around a ppg pace in Juniors next season as well as have a big WJC tournament and playoffs. Give him another season or two in the AHL and then bring him up. I'm fine with staggering when we bring these players up because we dont want to overwhelm them with big minutes right away, maybe after a season or so increase their minutes until by their 2nd or 3rd year they are our top 2 dmen.

I think Ghost is gonna be great too, like Torey Krug, a dynamic offensive defenseman who is smart defensively and scores on the PowerPlay.

Laughton i think should join the team as 3rd line center this season and maybe play some second line PK minutes.

I also expect Couturier to score 50+ points this season with more Selke caliber defense. Maybe place top 4 in voting.