Ryan Whitney

[AJ1982]

Is it fair to say that Whitney has rebounded rather nicely this year? He is leading Boston U. in scoring this year with 18 points in around 30 games. Those numbers are pretty good for an NCAA defenseman but especially when you consider the limited offensive production of BU this year and the fact he is their leading scorer. Anyhow, I still think this guy has top pair potential in the NHL.

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[Alex Kovalev]

Is it fair to say that Whitney has rebounded rather nicely this year? He is leading Boston U. in scoring this year with 18 points in around 30 games. Those numbers are pretty good for an NCAA defenseman but especially when you consider the limited offensive production of BU this year and the fact he is their leading scorer. Anyhow, I still think this guy has top pair potential in the NHL.

I think its safe to say that you are correct. I am very happy with the way he is playing this year. He has proven that he can put points on the board even on a weak offensive team. He has been BU's best play this year. He could definitely be a good one thats for sure.

 

[st_roland]

How often does Whitney lay the body?

 

[Oilers Chick]

How often does Whitney lay the body?

Not often enough, I'm afraid. As I've mentioned before over on the Pens board, as great as he has been offensively, his defensive side has been mediocre at best. In the several BU games that I've already seen this season, I cannot even begin to tell you how often I've seen him either being beaten in the puck possession battles and/or simply failing to take out his man. Case & point, was game I saw versus Boston College earlier this season, where he just got outplayed and beaten badly at times by Patrick Eaves throughout the game. Don't get me wrong, I love Whitney but frankly, if he's ever gonna play in the NHL, he's got to get his defensive game together.

 

[johnny cool]

let's be honest here.. anyone that has seen whitney play since late last season can see that this kid looks completely lost out there most of the time. heck, you wanna talk about Pat Eaves making him look bad? How about Jordan Black and Rob LaLonde from Merrimack making him look worse. And they play for MERRIMACK!!!

this kid doesn't have it, plain and simple. whatever promise he showed during his freshman year is totally gone at this point.

and to say that it's impressive for him to lead BU with 18 points, allow me to put that into perspective for you.. BU is far and away the worst team in Hockey East this year. whitney's 18 points wouldn't put him anywhere near the number one spot on any other team in hockey east.. in fact, the highest he'd get is something like 3rd on Northeastern and 4th on Merrimack. And he's 6th in scoring among defensemen in the league, all of whom are undrafted.

that said, whitney was a waste of a #5 pick, not only because he can't put points on the board, but also because he won't hit anyone and totally lacks any kind of leadership ability.

believe me, I've seen enough hockey east games (although lowell is my favorite team, i see lots of non-lowell games too), and i wouldn't even put whitney on a list of the top 10 d-men in the league.

 

[Frolov]

let's be honest here.. anyone that has seen whitney play since late last season can see that this kid looks completely lost out there most of the time. heck, you wanna talk about Pat Eaves making him look bad? How about Jordan Black and Rob LaLonde from Merrimack making him look worse. And they play for MERRIMACK!!!

this kid doesn't have it, plain and simple. whatever promise he showed during his freshman year is totally gone at this point.

and to say that it's impressive for him to lead BU with 18 points, allow me to put that into perspective for you.. BU is far and away the worst team in Hockey East this year. whitney's 18 points wouldn't put him anywhere near the number one spot on any other team in hockey east.. in fact, the highest he'd get is something like 3rd on Northeastern and 4th on Merrimack. And he's 6th in scoring among defensemen in the league, all of whom are undrafted.

that said, whitney was a waste of a #5 pick, not only because he can't put points on the board, but also because he won't hit anyone and totally lacks any kind of leadership ability.

believe me, I've seen enough hockey east games (although lowell is my favorite team, i see lots of non-lowell games too), and i wouldn't even put whitney on a list of the top 10 d-men in the league.

 

[stardog]

let's be honest here.. anyone that has seen whitney play since late last season can see that this kid looks completely lost out there most of the time. heck, you wanna talk about Pat Eaves making him look bad? How about Jordan Black and Rob LaLonde from Merrimack making him look worse. And they play for MERRIMACK!!!

this kid doesn't have it, plain and simple. whatever promise he showed during his freshman year is totally gone at this point.

and to say that it's impressive for him to lead BU with 18 points, allow me to put that into perspective for you.. BU is far and away the worst team in Hockey East this year. whitney's 18 points wouldn't put him anywhere near the number one spot on any other team in hockey east.. in fact, the highest he'd get is something like 3rd on Northeastern and 4th on Merrimack. And he's 6th in scoring among defensemen in the league, all of whom are undrafted.

that said, whitney was a waste of a #5 pick, not only because he can't put points on the board, but also because he won't hit anyone and totally lacks any kind of leadership ability.

believe me, I've seen enough hockey east games (although lowell is my favorite team, i see lots of non-lowell games too), and i wouldn't even put whitney on a list of the top 10 d-men in the league.

Thanks for the analysis. However, I must point out that he is still young and his offensive skill IS sick!
Your defensive analysis is dead on however and I think he is severly over rated by some Pens fans.

Would it be safe to say that Noah Welch is a better prospect than Whitney, as is my contention?
Where do you see Welch playing in the league?

I remember before the draft that year, hoping that the Pens would trade up and get Pitkanen or Lehtonen (that way they could have gotten Horton/Stall this year) or not trade up and pick up Lupul, or trade down and pick up Babchuk. I wasn't a fan of that pick then and I am not one of it now.

His point total isn't near as impressive as one would think a 5th overall pick could get.
Guys like Hainsey,Komisarek,Ballard,Jillson and Tanabe all put up equal or better numbers,and (with the exception of Tanabe) are MUCH better defensivley despite having been drafted lower than Whitney. Even undrafted Tomas Pock is putting up numbers better than Whitney.
My point is that Whitney's numbers aren't all THAT impressive (especially for such a high pick). And they aren't good enough to offset his other short comings in the other areas of his game....he shouldnt be the Penguins top rated prospect, yet he is, due to his lofty draft status.

I hope for the sake of the team I love, that he can turn into the top line player alot of the Pens faithful think he can be. But when I see names like Leetch, Ozo, Kaberle,Gonchar Darrian Hatcher (yeah I know...) thrown around when discussing Whitney, I can't agree at all.

 

[Jacob]

and to say that it's impressive for him to lead BU with 18 points, allow me to put that into perspective for you.. BU is far and away the worst team in Hockey East this year. whitney's 18 points wouldn't put him anywhere near the number one spot on any other team in hockey east.. in fact, the highest he'd get is something like 3rd on Northeastern and 4th on Merrimack. And he's 6th in scoring among defensemen in the league, all of whom are undrafted.

But if there was more offensive talent on BU, I'm forced to believe that Whitney's numbers would be better, as well. I wonder what he could do if he played for the Gophers.

The guy's leading BU in scoring.. As a defenseman. That's all the more perspective I need.

 

[john g]

RW = Bret Hedican

He will not jump in from BU to the NHL, a year or so of seasoning in the A will do him just fine. I am pretty certain with his offensive skill and size that he will be no less of a disappointment than Brooks Orpik.

 

[AJ1982]

let's be honest here.. anyone that has seen whitney play since late last season can see that this kid looks completely lost out there most of the time. heck, you wanna talk about Pat Eaves making him look bad? How about Jordan Black and Rob LaLonde from Merrimack making him look worse. And they play for MERRIMACK!!!

this kid doesn't have it, plain and simple. whatever promise he showed during his freshman year is totally gone at this point.

and to say that it's impressive for him to lead BU with 18 points, allow me to put that into perspective for you.. BU is far and away the worst team in Hockey East this year. whitney's 18 points wouldn't put him anywhere near the number one spot on any other team in hockey east.. in fact, the highest he'd get is something like 3rd on Northeastern and 4th on Merrimack. And he's 6th in scoring among defensemen in the league, all of whom are undrafted.

that said, whitney was a waste of a #5 pick, not only because he can't put points on the board, but also because he won't hit anyone and totally lacks any kind of leadership ability.

believe me, I've seen enough hockey east games (although lowell is my favorite team, i see lots of non-lowell games too), and i wouldn't even put whitney on a list of the top 10 d-men in the league.

I can pretty much pick apart most of your argument. First of all, Whitney's defensive play needs improvement, probably a full rehaul. But that was known on his draft day and learning the defensive side of the game is more likely than developing offensive awareness, touch and talent. You point out how bad BU is, which make Whitney look EVEN better. 18 points in as many games as he has played is a good number for any NCAA defenseman playing in a league like Hockey East, the CCHA or WCHA. And as another poster pointed out, put Whitney on a GOOD team and let's see what his production looks like. I have a feeling he would produce more not less as you seem to predict. So back to his defense, yes it needs to be improved big time, but it's not a fair assessment to say that a defenseman who leads a crappy team in points can't put up points.

 

[johnny cool]

The problem with that is that BU came in looking like they could be alright. If I recall correctly, they were pegged to finish 4th or 5th in Hockey East. They are currently in last with 1 win and a few ties. Whitney was supposed to be an integral piece of the pie down at the ol' Walter Brown and has so far, despite putting up decent numbers (again, not even in the top 5 in scoring for defensemen in Hockey East), he's done nothing but fail on a sub-.500 team.

BU's best offensive player, coming into the year, was considered to be Frantisek Skladany (whom I have tremendous respect for), and he's only got 17 points in as many games as Whitney. While this doesn't mean he's a worse offensive player than Whitney, it is certainly indicative of the whole season for BU.. missed opportunites and relying way too much on a stellar goaltender in Sean Fields (who, as a result of said reliance, looks only mediocre most of the time). When Jackie Parker can't make a team win, it's because the talent simply isn't there for the most part. And because Whitney was supposed to be the go-to guy for BU this year, I think that's a big indictment on what this kid can and can't do. What good does 18 points do you when you're losing almost every game? What good does it do when they're allowing other teams to steamroll right past them? BU is a joke this year and, since Whitney was supposed to be what BU hangs their hats on, so to speak, it doesn't speak to well for him.

And don't get me wrong, I don't like seeing kids fail (unless they go to UNH), and I do have a tremendous respect for BU and Jack Parker, but the problem with Whitney is this: He's a #5 pick, which, to me, means he's one day going to be NHL-bound. That said, shouldn't he be DESTROYING these college kids that won't get beyond the ECHL in their pro careers? Whitney has a world of potential and he's doing absolutely zilch with it.

 

[Jacob]

The problem with that is that BU came in looking like they could be alright. If I recall correctly, they were pegged to finish 4th or 5th in Hockey East.

So how is that Whitney's problem? Nobody's disagreeing with you that BU blows. They seem to be pretty dreadful this season. But just about everything I read or hear, be it publications or just fan reports, say that Whitney has been one of the few bright spots on the season. This obviously differs with your opinion.

this doesn't mean he's a worse offensive player than Whitney

You won't say it, but I will. Skladany is a worse offensive player than Whitney. He's got 2 goals, as you said. He was, coming into this season, expected to be BU's top offensive performer, and he has a whopping 2 goals. This is the guy Whitney is headmanning his pucks to, the guy he's sharing powerplay time with. Not Parise, not Vanek.

 

[craig1]

The problem with that is that BU came in looking like they could be alright. If I recall correctly, they were pegged to finish 4th or 5th in Hockey East. They are currently in last with 1 win and a few ties. Whitney was supposed to be an integral piece of the pie down at the ol' Walter Brown and has so far, despite putting up decent numbers (again, not even in the top 5 in scoring for defensemen in Hockey East), he's done nothing but fail on a sub-.500 team.

BU's best offensive player, coming into the year, was considered to be Frantisek Skladany (whom I have tremendous respect for), and he's only got 17 points in as many games as Whitney. While this doesn't mean he's a worse offensive player than Whitney, it is certainly indicative of the whole season for BU.. missed opportunites and relying way too much on a stellar goaltender in Sean Fields (who, as a result of said reliance, looks only mediocre most of the time). When Jackie Parker can't make a team win, it's because the talent simply isn't there for the most part. And because Whitney was supposed to be the go-to guy for BU this year, I think that's a big indictment on what this kid can and can't do. What good does 18 points do you when you're losing almost every game? What good does it do when they're allowing other teams to steamroll right past them? BU is a joke this year and, since Whitney was supposed to be what BU hangs their hats on, so to speak, it doesn't speak to well for him.

And don't get me wrong, I don't like seeing kids fail (unless they go to UNH), and I do have a tremendous respect for BU and Jack Parker, but the problem with Whitney is this: He's a #5 pick, which, to me, means he's one day going to be NHL-bound. That said, shouldn't he be DESTROYING these college kids that won't get beyond the ECHL in their pro careers? Whitney has a world of potential and he's doing absolutely zilch with it.

Your argument is slightly off base. Bad teams can have some good players on them. Luongo plays for Florida. I consider him to be an elite goaltender in the NHL. Am I wrong since Florida is not a playoff team? Some guy named Lemieux played for a terrible Pens team in the mid to late 1980's. Was he a bad player?

Whitney needs to solidify his defensive game. He is not terrible defensively, he just needs to be more physical. His transition game and offensive ability are incredible.

 

[Oilers Chick]

Here's two things to think about when talking about BU's performance this season:

1) They (as a team) have had trouble scoring all season. It has been one of, if not THE cause of them being near the bottom of the Hockey East standings (FYI, only Northeastern is lower in the HE standings).

2) Yes, Whitney leads the team in scoring, but if you want to put this aspect into better perspective in the overall scheme of things for BU consider this: 4 of their top 10 points-getters are defensemen. Despite having players who CAN put the puck in the net, it's the defensemen who've been getting the job done as far as consistent scoring is concerned for BU this season.

I don't think that Whitney is a waste at all. His offensive skills are excellent, but it's his defenseive side (as I mentioned already) that I'm worried about. I do think he can be more physical. The most I saw him being physical this season (or in his collegiate career for that matter) was during that brawl that took place near the end of that great game versus Maine a few weeks ago. It's just too bad that he's not anywhere's near that physical most other times.

 

[Alex Kovalev]

I dont understand why we didnt just take Eminger. If we wanted a defensemen at 5th overall, he should be the one we should have took.

 

[Jacob]

Even in hindsight, that doesn't look like a favorable tradeoff.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

that's one draft where i think it wouldve been worth it to trade down and take a semin or eminger.

 

[Evilo]

Can't believe how everyone is writing off a 20 year old Dman that leads his team in scoring.
Unbelievable.
What if he hadn't been picked 5th overall? We'd hear raves about how this guy has all the tools, both offensively and defensively, but only needs time to make smarter decisions with the puck.
Well it's my analysis.
I don't regret that pick at all. This guy has a higher upside than Eminger or Semin. He may be more risky, but it might be worth it if we have another Gonchar in our hands. It took a while for Gonchar. I expect the same thing for Whitney.
"It's going to take time, a whole lot of precious time. It's going to take patience sometimes..."
But in the end, it might be worth it.

 

[clefty]

that's one draft where i think it wouldve been worth it to trade down and take a semin or eminger.

What makes you think that Semin or Eminger will pan out better than Whitney?

 

[spence___]

I dont understand why we didnt just take Eminger. If we wanted a defensemen at 5th overall, he should be the one we should have took.

What's so great about Eminger? The only person I would've taken over Whitney is Babchuk and look at where he went.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

What's so great about Eminger? The only person I would've taken over Whitney is Babchuk and look at where he went.

Agreed, totally. Babchuk is so far looking like a great pick by the Hawks. But I think Whitney's potential is a bit higher.

 

[john g]

2 g's 1 a looks like for Mr. Whitney tonight

imagine what he would have had if he was good

 

[Jacob]

He must read these message boards.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

He does. I know because I am he.

 

[Jacob]

Play the body more, you big pansy.