Prospect Info: Round 6, 174th Overall - Ethan Samson (D) - Prince George Cougars - 6'3", 183 pounds

[Larry44]

I hope he's a good player a decade from now.

He’ll be a star in the North Surrey Men’s No Contact League, Thurs nights.

 

[pit]

"accelerates through passes to join the rush" to me shows he will jump up in the play on transition. At best that means he might have some straight line acceleration (or doesn't, yet still does this in much the way Mr. Hagg used to). Nothing about joining the rush says "decent mobility" to me.

 

[Starat327]

"accelerates through passes to join the rush" to me shows he will jump up in the play on transition. At best that means he might have some straight line acceleration (or doesn't, yet still does this in much the way Mr. Hagg used to). Nothing about joining the rush says "decent mobility" to me.

I think youre interpreting this all wrong, Pit. Despite their being a direct quote that his skating is poor, theres a very good chance hell have decent mobility based on the fact that he is WILLING to join a rush.

 

[Tripod]

I think youre interpreting this all wrong, Pit. Despite their being a direct quote that his skating is poor, theres a very good chance hell have decent mobility based on the fact that he is WILLING to join a rush.

There was a quote of Konecny being a poor skater too, remember.

 

[Starat327]

There was a quote of Konecny being a poor skater too, remember.

Was Konency described as having "zero quickness by [WHL] Standards?"

I just went back, because i wasnt sure if this was true or not, and i cant find a single thing that says Konecny was a poor skater. In fact, most seem to call it as a strength.

A skilled forward who is a threat in all three zones…has great speed and quickness with tremendous feet and balance on his edges; great agility…

talented scoring forward that can play either as a center or on the wing; plays with the bite and intensity of a guy who is willing to do anything to win a game. Possesses dynamic skating ability that allows him to accelerate rapidly with each step, incredible hockey sense, electrifying puckhandling skills, and a lightning release on his shot

Travis Konecny has excellent speed, and tremendous acceleration. He utilizes it both on the rush, and to be a cannonball on the forecheck. He has good balance and is strong on his skates. This helps him to to grind in the corners, work in the cycle game, or fight through checks to get to the front of the net.

 

[pit]

There was a quote of Konecny being a poor skater too, remember.

By the winky face, I assume you're joking about the narrative that has sprung up that Konecny was a bad skater, but just for the people in the back nodding their heads in agreement because they think that was the case, these are from pre-draft reports on Konecny:

"His speed, skating, puck control and passing are all outstanding, and he possesses elite levels of awareness and creativity in the offensive zone."
"It is very difficult to pinpoint what Konecny’s best assets are simply because he is just so darn good at so many things; he hits, he scores, he skates, he leads and he delivers. Konecny possesses the determination, speed and goal scoring abilities of Zach Parise, but also provides leadership, physicality and dependability. "
"Travis Konecny has excellent speed, and tremendous acceleration."
"His speed is electric"
"Konecny is a standout player in many aspects but it's his dynamic skating ability and lethal shooting arsenal that draws the most attention. "

 

[Tripod]

Was Konency described as having "zero quickness by [WHL] Standards?"

I just went back, because i wasnt sure if this was true or not, and i cant find a single thing that says Konecny was a poor skater. In fact, most seem to call it as a strength.

By the winky face, I assume you're joking about the narrative that has sprung up that Konecny was a bad skater, but just for the people in the back nodding their heads in agreement because they think that was the case, these are from pre-draft reports on Konecny:

"His speed, skating, puck control and passing are all outstanding, and he possesses elite levels of awareness and creativity in the offensive zone."
"It is very difficult to pinpoint what Konecny’s best assets are simply because he is just so darn good at so many things; he hits, he scores, he skates, he leads and he delivers. Konecny possesses the determination, speed and goal scoring abilities of Zach Parise, but also provides leadership, physicality and dependability. "
"Travis Konecny has excellent speed, and tremendous acceleration."
"His speed is electric"
"Konecny is a standout player in many aspects but it's his dynamic skating ability and lethal shooting arsenal that draws the most attention. "

I was certainly joking....and alluding to draft day when both McGuire and Button mention Konecny needing to be "quicker". Go to 4:10

 

[deadhead]

Lindblom fell to the 5th rd b/c he was supposedly a poor skater.

 

[Starat327]

I was certainly joking....and alluding to draft day when both McGuire and Button mention Konecny needing to be "quicker". Go to 4:10

Gotcha. I'd never seen that clip before.

 

[CapnZin]

Ethan Samson is an odd prospect. I don’t understand the pick or the potential in him, but I do at the same time.

I got to watch 5 of his games and I’ve come to the following conclusion:

SKATING:
Absolutely horrendous. There’s no other way to describe it. Shorter strides for a tall Dman leads him to be off balance most of the time. You can tell that he’s not fully comfortable taking longer strides as it actually slows him down: he leans forward, not as of to use his momentum as leverage, but due to the fact that his legs are a bit weak. The same works for him when he skates backwards. Funny enough, his transition from skating forwards to backwards is actually pretty fluid.
He’s not able to make quick maneuvers in tight spaces or even handle to pick up close. It will get lost in his skates and his edge work is nonexistent.
The bright light is that once he gets going he can pick up speed. He’s actually pretty good jumping up in the rush, but don’t expect a quick transition back.
His lateral skating is slower, but better than Haggs at his current NHL level. The angle of his turns are way too wide at the CHL level, but you can tighten that with training. That isn’t a concern for me.

Gap control, via skating, is very loose, but he has to play that way given his skill set. His reach allows him to back off, but it’s just not good enough.

Grade: 1.75/10

OFFENSE:
For a defensive Dman his offense isn’t as bad as you think. His mind for the OZone is better than I expected. For most prospects trying to make a name for themself you’d think they’d be a bit selfish. Against Kelowna Samson was at the far right corner moving with the puck towards the boards to move the support F and defending F on him to the right. Smart play as this opened up Ty Grosnick on the left dot for a one-time. The pass from across the ice wasn’t great, but it should have been handled. I would’ve expected Samson to make the shot, but it was a smart play with good vision and IQ.
His shot has some power to it, but it could just be the level of play. Not much accuracy as his lower half is inept in this regard. It’s more an upper body fling towards the net. All the power is generated in his shoulder and the shot is a bit wonky. I feel like it plays to his style as it may be hard to pick up.

With the good comes the bad. Mistakes come with confidence for him it seems. He tried to open up a lane at the center portion of the blue line by doing a Ghost-like lateral move, but his skating just can’t do that. He was stripped and there was a break away.

Other than some smart plays he’s pretty bland. For him, no news is good news as a simple play style is best.

Grade: 3.75/10

DEFENSE:
I don’t see it, lol. He constantly gets beat up ice even when he leaves enough room to fit 5 JVRs in between.
Board battles may be his best bet since he’s big and aggressive in the corner. My only thing is that he got absolutely manhandled by Trevor Wong on a 1-1 board battle where Wong got the puck and set up a goal. Wong is about 6 inches shorter and 25-30 pounds lighter. Skill > physicality if you aren’t good.

I was so unimpressed by his ability to shut down play or any shot that wasn’t a low scoring chance.

Grade: 2.00/10

PHYSICALITY:
I can understand why scouts say this is his best attribute. If he has the opportunity to make contact he will. I wouldn’t say that he’s a physical Dman as he has no leverage with his legs. The impact isn’t big and it’s not great at separating the puck. He with throw cross checks in a board battle, won’t really chase hits, but if he does then he’s beat 100% of the time.
I like that he’s aggressive at the blue line when he needs to be. I feel like he wants to be aggressive, but he doesn’t have the skating to make up for taking himself out of the play. He’s also not big into post-whistle scrums.

Grade: 5.50/10

————
Total Grade: 2.50/10
————
I think his tool box is there, but I don’t think it can come together. His sloppy skating, use of his body, and aspects of his game that he needs to fix isn’t just a long-shot prospect, but one that won’t be in the NHL. If he puts it together then I think he’s valuable.
They made this pick in hopes that he can put it together. I don’t he can, but I hope I’m wrong.

 

[Tripod]

Gotcha. I'd never seen that clip before.

Draft "experts".

 

[deadhead]

————
I think his tool box is there, but I don’t think it can come together. His sloppy skating, use of his body, and aspects of his game that he needs to fix isn’t just a long-shot prospect, but one that won’t be in the NHL. If he puts it together then I think he’s valuable.
They made this pick in hopes that he can put it together. I don’t he can, but I hope I’m wrong.

We be talking 6th rd here, long shot territory.

He's extremely young for his draft class, hasn't even turned 18 yet, so it's reasonable they see him as a raw athlete who can be taught how to skate - in which case his size potential makes him a steal as a RHD. That's obviously a gamble, but that's what you look for in the 6th rd, not a safe pick with an AHL ceiling, but someone with obvious flaws who might be fixed.

 

[CapnZin]

We be talking 6th rd here, long shot territory.

He's extremely young for his draft class, hasn't even turned 18 yet, so it's reasonable they see him as a raw athlete who can be taught how to skate - in which case his size potential makes him a steal as a RHD. That's obviously a gamble, but that's what you look for in the 6th rd, not a safe pick with an AHL ceiling, but someone with obvious flaws who might be fixed.

I get it, but potential is a slippery slope. I mean, Samson is a stretch in the 6th round given his skill set. He’s a person you invite to development camp on a try-out. If you want a big RHD that’s more ‘together’ then go for Ryan Mast who was still available. He’s a RHD thats bigger and easier to project.
Hell, if they wanted some physical then go for the bruising Nate Benoit who was still there. Samson is just an odd pick.

Connor Lockhart was still there. Those 3 players listed, who were still there, have a specialized portion of their game. Samson does not.

 

[GKJ]

Looks like he signed his ELC yesterday

Ethan Samson Contract, Cap Hit, Salary and Stats - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

Ethan Samson contract, salary, cap hit, salary cap, aav, career earnings, lifetime earnings, aav, advanced stats, transaction history, trade history, and rfa or ufa free agent status

www.capfriendly.com

 

[BringBackHakstol]

Why?

 

[FLYguy3911]

From last year.

 

[Curufinwe]

I was certainly joking....and alluding to draft day when both McGuire and Button mention Konecny needing to be "quicker". Go to 4:10

Button must have confused him with Merkley or another player. Nothing else makes sense. Bobby Mac was having none of it.

 

[Ironmanrulez]

From last year.

View attachment 629042

Shot per 60 is good. SIGN HIM!