Ryan Whitney

[Oilers Chick]

I have....and I think your assesment is way off. Noah Has some mad skill which isnt JUST limeted to :getting the puck on net and making a good first pass. I dont see what you are seeing...

OILERSCHICK?????

What, stardog????

To person who made the comment that stardog pointed out.....I have no idea where you're getting this from, but either you've never seen Welch play or simply don't like the guy or maybe just being very selective. If you don't like him that's fine. But to say that he limited in what he can do, vastly underrates Welch's skills. I've seen alot of Harvard this season and I can show you tape that would prove you wrong on your point.

...and to the person whose implying that I'm down on Whitney. I'm only down on his defensive game, which IMO can and should be improved. If I was completely down on Whitney, I wouldn't be talking up his talent and skills like I have.

 

[stardog]

What, stardog????

To person who made the comment that stardog pointed out.....I have no idea where you're getting this from, but either you've never seen Welch play or simply don't like the guy or maybe just being very selective. If you don't like him that's fine. But to say that he limited in what he can do, vastly underrates Welch's skills. I've seen alot of Harvard this season and I can show you tape that would prove you wrong on your point.

...and to the person whose implying that I'm down on Whitney. I'm only down on his defensive game, which IMO can and should be improved. If I was completely down on Whitney, I wouldn't be talking up his talent and skills like I have.

Haha...I was calling for you to come to the rescue with that one....and of course you did...
Thanks for the input, though I knew that is basically what you would say as we have talked about him before.

 

[stardog]

Only involved in 2 out of 2 BU goals......Terrible. Wish he had some Offensive potential!

Geez....did anyone say he didnt have offensive potential? NO....All that has been pointed out (by me at least) is that he is over rated, that his defense needs MAJOR improvment, and that the Leetch/Gonchar/ whoever comparisons are way off base.
Also I feel, that if he WERE as good as some Pens fans think he is, his numbers would be much better than they are now. MUCH better.

I feel Welch is both the better player right now, better prospect and that he will have a better NHL career. Of course that is all my own opinion.

I also wouldn't mind seeing him traded while his value is still high. I think we could get a better player by someone willing to take that chance that he WILL be a top flight defenseman. I would be willing to deal him for a pick in the top round (pick 4-8) of this years draft. Or package him to move up and draft Barker, who will also be much better IMO.

 

[Evilo]

How could he put better umbers when he leads his team in scoring (easily I might add) on a team that is NOT scoring?
IMO the Gonchar comparison is dead on (not the Leetch, people tend to forget Leetch is one of the best ever) : great offensively, but very suspect defensively. It took Gonchar quite a few years to get better, I expect the same for Whitney.

 

[Jacob]

I hope he's signed before the AHL season is over. Getting him under Therrien's wing ASAP would do Ryan a lot of good.

 

[jmelm]

I hope he's signed before the AHL season is over. Getting him under Therrien's wing ASAP would do Ryan a lot of good.

couldn't agree more.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

That makes three of us.

 

[Evilo]

Make it four!

 

[#66]

While I think that we all agree that these 2 dmen are going to be very good, its just the high end comparisons that I disagree with. Like Evilo said these are some of the best dmen playing and its just unfair to Welche and Whitney to get compared to the best. I also agree with stardog that Welche is more NHL ready and the Pens best prospect (aside from MAF). Down the road if Whitney comes along and plays the way he does now I think that he'll be a Tom Poti type. If the Pens can get him to play a two way game and make him a little more intense he could become a dman like Tomas Kaberle. Welche is a dman that I see using his skills to play a more defense first game. I think that he's going to be a very important part of the Pens D and you can't tell his value from his stats. I would compare him to Adrian Aucoin or Jason Smith. If his offense can carry over to the pro's, I think that Derek Morris is the type of player that he'll be.

 

[stardog]

While I think that we all agree that these 2 dmen are going to be very good, its just the high end comparisons that I disagree with. Like Evilo said these are some of the best dmen playing and its just unfair to Welche and Whitney to get compared to the best. I also agree with stardog that Welche is more NHL ready and the Pens best prospect (aside from MAF). Down the road if Whitney comes along and plays the way he does now I think that he'll be a Tom Poti type. If the Pens can get him to play a two way game and make him a little more intense he could become a dman like Tomas Kaberle. Welche is a dman that I see using his skills to play a more defense first game. I think that he's going to be a very important part of the Pens D and you can't tell his value from his stats. I would compare him to Adrian Aucoin or Jason Smith. If his offense can carry over to the pro's, I think that Derek Morris is the type of player that he'll be.

Jason Smith is much much more punishing than Whitney is. I wouldn't dare to compare the two of those. So is Aucoin, but thats a better comparison IMO...


Here is an article written about him in today's Post Gazette. I find this article to be pretty off base.
It is written by Dejan, the reporter who was suspended by the paper for unprofessional behavior. He basically called out another writer from the same paper for not writing an accurate story. The problem was, he did it on a message board and urged others to write the paper voicing thier displeasure with the writer in question.
Ironically, it seems Dejan wrote this article without checking his facts, as he makes some pretty inaccurate opinions IMHO.
Such as, Whitney is NHL ready, and that he is WIDELY considered among the top three defensemen in college hockey.
To me it seemed like a puff piece, never mentioning his lack of defensive awareness or physical play. These both, are reasons why Whit isn't ready to play in the NHL right now, or even next year IMO.

Any ways, here is the article.

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/04055/276887.stm

 

[Jacob]

Dejan doesn't just pull stuff out of his rear end, though. He usually goes straight to the Penguins brass or other journalists for his information. And he said that Whitney's ready to contribute in the NHL immediately, simply because his offense is all there. That doesn't mean he wouldn't be struggling in his own zone and things like that.

 

[#66]

Jason Smith is much much more punishing than Whitney is. I wouldn't dare to compare the two of those. So is Aucoin, but thats a better comparison IMO...


Here is an article written about him in today's Post Gazette. I find this article to be pretty off base.
It is written by Dejan, the reporter who was suspended by the paper for unprofessional behavior. He basically called out another writer from the same paper for not writing an accurate story. The problem was, he did it on a message board and urged others to write the paper voicing thier displeasure with the writer in question.
Ironically, it seems Dejan wrote this article without checking his facts, as he makes some pretty inaccurate opinions IMHO.
Such as, Whitney is NHL ready, and that he is WIDELY considered among the top three defensemen in college hockey.
To me it seemed like a puff piece, never mentioning his lack of defensive awareness or physical play. These both, are reasons why Whit isn't ready to play in the NHL right now, or even next year IMO.

Any ways, here is the article.

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/04055/276887.stm

Maybe I didn't come across clearly. I would compare Whitney to Poti with an upside of Kaberle. While I think that Welche is more like Aucoin or Smith.

As for Dejan, I can see what he's talking about. Whitney is a great passer. On the other hand his overall game is flawed and he needs time in WBS.