Rate your prospects using the new HF' system

[Munchausen]

Kastitsyn plays for a Russian team in the Russian Superliga. That team will do anything in their power to make their players perform as good as possible. If you think they were negligent just because Kastitsyn is from Belarus I think you may have read a bit to much on conspiracy theory.

Well I' not going to pretend to know about any kind of racism going on there, heck it's already hard to find stats coming out of Russia, so stories like this will always only be rumors and suppositions.

What we do know however is that the RSL isn't a development league. They are there to make money and win and were certainly not going to invest time and patience in a rookie player that would leave for NA in a year or two.

Kostitstyn is known as a bellow-average player in his own zone, that probably killed any chance to get quality ice time under a hard defensive coach who wasn't willing to let him be a liability on the ice in order to improve over time. This is something he'll have the occasion to do in the AHL. Play a lot and improve his defensive game under Jarvis, then join the Habs when his game is more rounded. From what I saw, he sure does not lack offensive weapons. But he's not polished enough yet to play at the highest level with the pros (IMO).

 

[Saku K]

When Gainey commented about Kostitsyn's possible probs to crack the Russia first division, he stated some reasons including the possibility that Kostitsyn was a stranger who did'nt grew up in the Russian system.

About Komisarek... I see in him the same great defensive sense, the same caractere, leadership, winner mind, physical presence that Stevens bring on the ice and off ice... Komisarek wont hit open ice as much but will at time and will give the opponents a hard time along the board.

I think DutchLeafsFan & Munchausen are pretty accurate about your conspiracy theory about Kastsitsyn.

So Komisarek doesn't hit as much on open ice, does not even come remotely close to Stevens' offensive production in his early years, has yet to emulate any of Stevens' achievements yet will have a greater or similar career? Could you please elaborate on that one?

Komisarek couldn't land a spot in training camp this year, even though he had a strong finish in 2002-03 & althought he apparently has the same leadership, hockey sense, character & physical presence as Scott Stevens. That makes perfect sense.

Komisarek is so great he even is a great physical presence off the ice.

Chara is not lazy and he is 6-9 260 pounds he's the biggest NHLer in the league but yet, he is not compact/big enough for you.

Chara is a far better comparison if you look at how he has progressed over the years, particularly his offensive game. I think Komisarek has the potential to do the same. Chara fights, he loves to hit, is a great teammate and was a Norris candidate this year and has a mammoth frame like Komisarek. Still, my comparison isn't good enough for you.

Stevens was an instant impact on his team as a 18 years old and you cannot take away anything from his early career (what DLF mentionned) and Komisarek doesn't have a fraction of Stevens' accomplishements had at the same age and is a bad comparison as a result. Komisarek's career highlight so far is a big hit on an injured Joe Thornton, that's not a lot compared to what Stevens did at the same age. I consider my comparison to be far better and I'm sure a lot of people would even say I may over-rate Komisarek a bit by comparing him to Zdeno Chara.

 

[Ruckus007]

I'm not sure if any of these prospects are affected by the new eligibility rules. Oh well.

LW
Thomas Vanek: 8.5C (it's hard to judge with Vanek because I think he'll be either a legitimate sniper or out of the NHL. This isn't going to be a guy that can settle into a 3rd line role if he can't score).
Dan Paille: 6.5B
Milan Bartovic: 6B
Clarke MacArthur: 6C
Michael Ryan: 5.5A
Dylan Hunter: 4F
Michal Vondrka: 4F
Marek Dubec: 4F

C
Chris Thorburn: 6B
Jiri Novotny: 6.5C
Maxim Schevjev: 6D
Paul Gaustad: 5.5A

RW
Jason Pominville: 7B
Branislav Fabry: 7C
Drew Stafford: 6.5B (noticeably identical to Paille)
L.P. Martin: 5.5C
Patrick Kaleta: 5C
Mark Mancari: 5C
Sean McMorrow: 4.5B
Jakub Hulva: 4C

D
Michael Funk: 7C
Denis Ezhov: 6B
Andrej Sekera: 6B
Thomas Morrow: 6C
Denis Denisov: 5.5C
John Adams: 5.5C
Mike Card: 5.5C
Pavel Voroshnin: 5C
Calle Aslund: 5C
Nathan Paetsch: 4.5C
Ryan Jorde: 4.5C
Martin Cizek 4C

G
Ryan Miller: 8.5B
Michal Valent: 6C
Jeff Weber: 5D

 

[NewHabsEra*]

My english isnt very good, no need to be sarcastic Im sure you understood what I meant... Komisarek has a great attitude and I expect him to be a great leader for us in the future, on and off ice...

About the Komisarek - Stevens comparaison... I'm not concerned about how Stevens did 20 years ago, Im rather concerned about what type of player Stevens has been in the last couple of years.. From what I saw of him... I unfortunately did'nt have the chance to see him at his NHL debut...

Chara is a monster, no doubt about that... But I personnally dont like the comparaison, I just dont find their style of play similar... Chara looks like a Zombie on skates, his moves look smooth and effortless while Komisarek is more compact and crisp... I also question his reliability in his own end at time, bad positionning, nonchalance..

Also Im for sure not saying Komisarek is already at the level Stevens is.. What Im saying is that I expect Komisarek reach his potential and become this type of defenseman sooner than later.

 

[Prucha73]

Rangers

1 Balej 7.5A
2 Montoya 8.5B
3 Tyutin 8A
4 Lundqvist 8B
5 Jessiman 8C
6 Prucha 7.5C
7 Korpikoski 7C
8 Immonen 7.5C
9 Helminen 6.5B
10 Pock 7B-
11 Kondratiev 7B+
12 Baranka 7B
13 Dubinsky 7C
14 Dawes 7C
15 Graham 7C
16 Murray 6A
17 Petruzalek 7D
18 Olver 7C
19 Liffiton 6.5B
20 G. Moore 6.5B
21 Bahensky 7C
22 Lampman 6B
23 Guenin 6C
24 Ryan 7D
25 Callahan 7D
26 Taylor 6C+
27 Potter 6C
28 Jonasen 6.5C
29 Walsh 6D
30 D. Moore 6.5C
31 Wiseman 6.5C
32 Roche 6.5D
33 Crabb 6D
34 Paiement 5.5D
35 Psurny 6.5D
36 Kozak 5.5B
37 Byers 5.5B
38 Holt 6.5C
39 Giroux 6C
40 Foote 6C
41 Falardeau 5.5D
42 Reese 5D
43 Petterstrom 6D-
44 Weller 5B
45 Stals 4.5D
46 Dornic 5.5D
47 Ulmer 5.5F
48 Labarbera 6C-
49 Furrer 5D-
50 Hirschovits 6D
51 Flynn 4.5C

 

[#2]

Washington Prospects:
1. Alexander Ovechkin - 9.5 B
2. Alexander Semin - 8 B
3. Maxime Ouellet - 8.5 C
4. Eric Fehr - 7.5 B
5. Steve Eminger - 7 B
6. Shaone Morrison - 7.5 C
7. Jared Aulin - 7 B
8. Tomas Fleischman - 6.5 C
9. Jakub Klepis - 7 C
10. Mike Green - 7 B

Anaheim Prospects:
1. Ryan Getzlaf - 8 B
2. Ilya Bryzgalov - 8 B
3. Corey Perry - 7.5 C
4. Ladislav Smid - 8 B
5. Mark Popovic - 6.5 A
6. Thomas Malec - 7.5 B
7. Tim Brent - 6.5 B
8. Chris Kunitz - 7.5 C
9. Aaron Rome - 6.5 C
10. Mikael Holmqvist 7 D

Minnesota Wild Prospects:
1. Mikko Koivu - 8 D
2. Brent Burns - 7.5 B
3. Patrick O'Sullivan 8 C
4. A.J Thelen - 7.5 B
5. Rickard Wallin - 7 B
6. Josh Harding 7 B
7. Matt Foy - 7 C
8. Roman Voloshenko - 7.5 C
9. Kyle Wanvig - 6 B
10. Adam Courchaine 6.5 C

just decided to do some teams top 10 prospects, my opinon.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

For the Habs:
- Maxim Lapierre 5.5A

I think he's more of a 6/6.5A.

Lapierre is one of my favorite prospects.

 

[gib]

Rangers
6 Prucha 7.5C
8 Immonen 7.5C

Everyone seem to put Prucha and Immonen pretty even, but what I have seen I Prucha is the one who is more likely to become succesful NHLer. I have seen Prucha only in WCships in 2004, but I was impressed about his play then. He is big skilled guy, when Immonen is little smaller skilled guy. That is the main difference of those to players, so if Prucha has 7.5C I would give Immonen 7.0C.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Everyone seem to put Prucha and Immonen pretty even, but what I have seen I Prucha is the one who is more likely to become succesful NHLer. I have seen Prucha only in WCships in 2004, but I was impressed about his play then. He is big skilled guy, when Immonen is little smaller skilled guy. That is the main difference of those to players, so if Prucha has 7.5C I would give Immonen 7.0C.

Prucha is tiny...

 

[gib]

Prucha is tiny...

Oh, your are right. Immonen is actully bígger than Prucha How come I remember Prcuha looked pretty big in WCships

 

[SneakerPimp82]

My english isnt very good, no need to be sarcastic Im sure you understood what I meant... Komisarek has a great attitude and I expect him to be a great leader for us in the future, on and off ice...

About the Komisarek - Stevens comparaison... I'm not concerned about how Stevens did 20 years ago, Im rather concerned about what type of player Stevens has been in the last couple of years.. From what I saw of him... I unfortunately did'nt have the chance to see him at his NHL debut...

Chara is a monster, no doubt about that... But I personnally dont like the comparaison, I just dont find their style of play similar... Chara looks like a Zombie on skates, his moves look smooth and effortless while Komisarek is more compact and crisp... I also question his reliability in his own end at time, bad positionning, nonchalance..

Also Im for sure not saying Komisarek is already at the level Stevens is.. What Im saying is that I expect Komisarek reach his potential and become this type of defenseman sooner than later.

The Scott Stevens of the last couple of years has been a shell of his former self in ever facet of the game. Komisarek will never be Scott Stevens, and will probably not be as good as Chara either.

 

[Fat Elvis]

Kings:
Grebeshkov - 8B
Though he didn't do too much in his first few games, he still has the smarts to make a good transition into the NHL.

Brown - 8B
He earned himself a roster spot during training camp, but he would have been better off developing in Guelph for one more season, and not getting hurt.

Gleason - 7A
Has shown good speed and great strength, definitely plays like a top 4 defenseman. He just needs to fine tune his positioning, as that was his biggest downfall last season.

Tukonen - 7.5B
Already physically and mentally mature enough to compete in the NHL, and he's only 17. Won't be a superstar, but he's going to be a solid player.

Kanko - 6.5A
A great pest and grinder who already made a bit of an impact in a few games for Manchester.

Pushkarev - 7B
A dark horse sniper. Hopefully what he's been doing in Russia will transcend now that he's coming to North America (I think he's playing for the Hitmen next season?)

Cammalleri - 7.5C
As I said in another thread, he has flashes of brilliance, but I think his size will be an issue.

Tambellini - 7.5C
He played injured last season, so his numbers are slightly deflated. He still has the upside of a good second-liner, but I have a hard time giving him a higher probability because I don't know which Tambellini will develop... this year's or last year's.

Boyle - 8D
Simply hit or miss. He apparently played pretty decently at the prospect camp. He's a big guy with big upside, but he hasn't shown any clear indication he can become that good of a player.

Hogeboom - 6.5B
Seems pretty likely he'll be a third line grinder. He's got some skills, but nothing spectacular.

Am I overrating/underrating? I only did the top 10. Thanks for the input

KP, I think your rankings are fair enough. Grebs is most likely our best prospect but he is probably not a superstar. You did a good job of not getting overly optimistic like many have done with their teams. At best, it's an educated guess and for some an uneducated stab that proclaims their team a young elite all-star squad. Hopefully we can trade for some of their 1st line and 1st D pair guys to help round out our team