Prospect Info: Summer 2014 Prospect Poll: Final rankings

[Beacon]

After over a month of voting, we have our prospect rankings!

In our top-30, the breakdown by position is as follows:

C: 7
LW: 5
RW: 4
D: 11
G: 3


TOP PROSPECTS

1. C J.T. Miller
2. D Brady Skjei
3. LW Anthony Duclair
4. D Dylan McIlrath
5. RW Jesper Fast
6. LW Pavel Buchnevich
7. C Oscar Lindberg
8. D Conor Allen
9. RW Danny Kristo
10. RW Ryan Haggerty


SECOND TIER

11. G Brandon Halverson
12. C Adam Tambellini
13. LW Marek Hrivik
14. C Boo Nieves
15. D Ryan Graves
16. LW Ryan Bourque
17. D Petr Zamorsky
18. C Keegan Iverson
19. D Mat Bodie
20. G Igor Shestyorkin


PROJECTS & SUSPECTS

21. C Michael St. Croix
22. RW Richard Nejezchleb
23. G Mackenzie Skapski
24. D Calle Andersson
25. LW Chris McCarthy
26. D Daniel Walcott
27. D Ryan Mantha
28. D Tommy Hughes
29. D Sam Noreau
30. C Steven Fogarty


LONG SHOTS

31. LW Andrew Yogan
32. RW Michael Kantor
33. D Troy Donnay
34. G Jason Missiaen
35. D Tyler Nanne
36. RW Josh Nicholls

Click to read more...

 

[Beacon]

Please post rankings as you see them so we could test you out later:



1. C J.T. Miller
2. LW Pavel Buchnevich
3. D Brady Skjei
4. LW Anthony Duclair
5. D Dylan McIlrath
6. RW Jesper Fast
7. C Oscar Lindberg
8. RW Ryan Haggerty
9. D Conor Allen
10. G Brandon Halverson
11. D Ryan Graves
12. LW Marek Hrivik
13. C Boo Nieves
14. LW Ryan Bourque
15. D Petr Zamorsky
16. D Mat Bodie
17. G Igor Shestyorkin
18. C Keegan Iverson
19. RW Danny Kristo
20. G Mackenzie Skapski
21. C Adam Tambellini
22. C Michael St. Croix
23. D Tommy Hughes
24. D Sam Noreau
25. D Ryan Mantha
26. LW Chris McCarthy
27. RW Richard Nejezchleb
28. D Daniel Walcott
29. D Tyler Nanne
30. RW Michael Kantor
31. LW Andrew Yogan
32. Calle Andersson
33. D Troy Donnay
34. C Steven Fogarty
35. G Jason Missiaen
36. RW Josh Nicholls

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

1. C J.T. Miller
2. D Brady Skjei
3. LW Anthony Duclair
4. LW Pavel Buchnevich
5. RW Jesper Fast
6. D Conor Allen
7. D Dylan McIlrath
8. C Oscar Lindberg
9. D Ryan Graves
10. C Adam Tambellini
11. RW Ryan Haggerty
12. G Brandon Halverson
13. RW Danny Kristo
14. C Keegan Iverson
15. D Mat Bodie
16. D Petr Zamorsky
17. C Boo Nieves
18. G Mackenzie Skapski
19. LW Marek Hrivik
20. G Igor Shestyorkin
21. LW Ryan Bourque
22. LW Chris McCarthy
23. RW Richard Nejezchleb
24. D Daniel Walcott
25. C Michael St. Croix
26. D Sam Noreau
27. D Ryan Mantha
28. D Calle Andersson
29. D Tommy Hughes
30. D Troy Donnay
31. LW Andrew Yogan
32. D Tyler Nanne
33. RW Michael Kantor
34. RW Josh Nicholls
35. C Steven Fogarty
36. G Jason Missiaen

 

[Beacon]

Wow, Allen ahead of McIlrath. Quite a statement, whether you mean Allen is good or McIlrath is bad.

You killed Bouque too.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

Wow, Allen ahead of McIlrath. Quite a statement, whether you mean Allen is good or McIlrath is bad.

You killed Bouque too.

The funny thing is, I have no idea how it lines up with my actual voting - I just know that when I looked at them as a continuum, this is what made sense.

Re: McIlrath and Allen - I guess it's a combination of both. I think Allen has legitimate second pair potential and could play right away. Meanwhile McIlrath's go-to move to counter speedy forwards going wide around him on the rush remains "fall down and stretch out". I like his upside, but until he fixes that Jessiman-esque problem, I can't see him above Allen.

As for Bourque, I agree with you that he resuscitated his chances as a prospect last year, but the size and concussion history are major concerns - and so as I got into the teens and started doing the calculus on "Boo or Bourque," "Zamorsky or Bourque," etc. he came up on the short end of the comparison until he fell to where I have him.

Obviously, all of this is subject to change a week into training camp.

 

[CTRanger]

Some minor changes for me, and I'll contain it to the top 10 as beyond that it gets very muddled to say the least.

1) I would move Buchnevich up. Buch has been playing against men in a top 5 league, and had a great WJC.

2) I would move Lindberg up. IMO along with Skjei and Miller, Lindberg is as close to automatic that we have to be a contributor at the NHL level. Probably as soon as this year. He will be able to play on any line and in any situation during his career and help a team.

3) I would move up Halverson and Kristo out.

1A. J.T. Miller
1B. Brady Skjei
3. Oscar Lindberg
4. Pavel Buchnevich
5. Dylan McIlrath
6. Jesper Fast
7. Anthony Duclair
8. Connor Allen
9. Brandon Halverson
10. Ryan Haggerty

 

[eco's bones]

1. JT Miller-C/LW
2. Brady Skjei-D
3. Dylan McIlrath-D
4. Anthony Duclair-LW
5. Oscar Lindberg-C
6. Conor Allen-D
7. Pavel Buchnevich-LW
8. Jesper Fast-RW
9. Danny Kristo-RW
10. Ryan Haggerty-RW
11. Petr Zamorsky-D
12. Mat Bodie-D
13. Ryan Bourque-LW
14. Adam Tambellini-C
15. Brandon Halverson-G
16. Ryan Graves-D
17. Boo Nieves-C
18. Chris McCarthy-LW
19. MacKenzie Skapski-G
20. Keegan Iverson-C/W
21. Igor Shesterkin-G
22. Marek Hrivik-LW
23. Tommy Hughes-D
24. Michael St. Croix-C
25. Ryan Mantha-D
26. Daniel Walcott-D
27. Samuel Noreau-D
28. Richard Nejezchleb-RW
29. Andrew Yogan-LW
30. Troy Donnay-D
31. Steven Fogarty-C
32. Calle Andersson-D
33. Tyler Nanne-D
34. Michael Kantor-RW
35. Josh Nicholls-RW
36. Jason Missiaen-G

 

[bernmeister]

1. Generally yes, agreed w/poll/results.

2 Thanks again to Beacon for annual bang up job with this!

3. If when more real free time emerges, hope to comment more fully.

Only immediate huge glare is Fogarty. Last year yes, don't consider him worth the spot as to roster head count. Was ok to sign him, but never showed any real progress, IMO, and his rank is based on affection, not performance.

 

[eco's bones]

1. JT Miller-C/LW
2. Brady Skjei-D
3. Dylan McIlrath-D
4. Anthony Duclair-LW
5. Oscar Lindberg-C
6. Conor Allen-D
7. Pavel Buchnevich-LW
8. Jesper Fast-RW
9. Danny Kristo-RW
10. Ryan Haggerty-RW
11. Petr Zamorsky-D
12. Mat Bodie-D
13. Ryan Bourque-LW
14. Adam Tambellini-C
15. Brandon Halverson-G
16. Ryan Graves-D
17. Boo Nieves-C
18. Chris McCarthy-LW
19. MacKenzie Skapski-G
20. Keegan Iverson-C/W
21. Igor Shesterkin-G
22. Marek Hrivik-LW
23. Tommy Hughes-D
24. Michael St. Croix-C
25. Ryan Mantha-D
26. Daniel Walcott-D
27. Samuel Noreau-D
28. Richard Nejezchleb-RW
29. Andrew Yogan-LW
30. Troy Donnay-D
31. Steven Fogarty-C
32. Calle Andersson-D
33. Tyler Nanne-D
34. Michael Kantor-RW
35. Josh Nicholls-RW
36. Jason Missiaen-G

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

Wow, Allen ahead of McIlrath. Quite a statement, whether you mean Allen is good or McIlrath is bad.

You killed Bouque too.

One other thing I should mention regarding Bourque - 21st is not the mark of shame on this list that it would have been in years past. I like many of the guys ranked down into the twenties (even one or two of the kids in the thirties) and there is a lot of parity in my mind after you get past the low teens. Honestly, you could shuffle players 15-22 on my list into almost any order and I wouldn't have too big a gripe with it.

 

[silverfish]

Gonna do top 10 because that's really all I know...

1. Brady Skjei
2. Dylan McIlrath
3. JT Miller
4. Jesper Fast
5. Connor Allen
6. Oscar Lindberg
7. Anthony Duclair
8. Pavel Buchnevic
9. Danny Kristo
10. Brandon Halverson

Think these rankings will disagree with everyone else's. And that's okay

Skjei at one because he has McDonagh potential. He can be a 1LD. McIlrath at 2 because he is seriously what this organization is missing - and for all intents and purposes he continues to improve. If his skating is on par with what I've read, he's going to be a good player for us.

I have Duclair as low as 7 because high-scoring in the Q doesn't really mean a lot to me. It's everything else I've heard about him that keeps him in the top 10. I hope he goes back to the Q because he'll have a long season with the Ramparts as they host the Memorial Cup. It will be a great year for Duke who might be able to jump right to the NHL in 15/16.

Halverson jumps into the top 10 to misplace Haggerty. Need to see what he can do at the pro-level before claiming him one on our top-10 prospects as an undrafted college FA. And to be fair, I LOVE undrafted college players. I think that is a hot bed for filling organizatonial prospect depth that a lot of teams do not take advantage of. From the ECHL to the NHL if you get very lucky.

Guys like Jack Connolly, former captain of Minnesota-Duluth has no business not playing in North America. He's undersized but he has led teams to championships. Callahanesque. I'd love for the Rangers to give him a shot, but I'm sure he's making an okay living out in Sweden. 23 points in 55 games for Farjestad last season. Think Brian Gibbons. A lot of fans here clamoring for him this off-season. Then you have the opposite end of the spectrum with a guy like Scooter Vaughan. He may not be good enough to play in the NHL, but he'll have a long AHL career if he wants. And that is very good for the organization as a whole. Undrafted. College. Free. Agents.

Wow. Sorry for the rant.

 

[Beacon]

One other thing I should mention regarding Bourque - 21st is not the mark of shame on this list that it would have been in years past. I like many of the guys ranked down into the twenties (even one or two of the kids in the thirties) and there is a lot of parity in my mind after you get past the low teens. Honestly, you could shuffle players 15-22 on my list into almost any order and I wouldn't have too big a gripe with it.

I agree. On my own list, there is a lot of parity from 8 to 21. They are all very close. Then up to Calle Andersson at 32, we still have solid prospects who may jump on this list very quickly.

P.S. That's why I didn't stop at the top 20 prospects. We would've missed out on:

- 4 of our picks this year.
- St. Croix who got 200 points in his last two junior seasons, a year removed.
- Several prospects who've shown good improvement like Skapski and Noreau.
- Proven young NHLer in Hughes.

 

[cwede]

y'all will think I'm nuts
I'm used to it.

01. Brady Skjei-D
02. Oscar Lindberg-C
03. JT Miller-C/LW
04. Dylan McIlrath-D
05. Jesper Fast-RW
06. Adam Tambellini-C
07. Mat Bodie-D
08. Anthony Duclair-LW
09. Pavel Buchnevich-LW
10. Ryan Graves-D
11. Conor Allen-D
12. Petr Zamorsky-D
13. Marek Hrivik-LW
14. MacKenzie Skapski-G
15. Brandon Halverson-G
16. Keegan Iverson-C/W
17. Steven Fogarty-C
18. Tommy Hughes-D
19. Chris McCarthy-LW
20. Michael St. Croix-C
21. Ryan Mantha-D
22. Daniel Walcott-D
23. Ryan Bourque-LW
24. Igor Shesterkin-G
25. Richard Nejezchleb-RW
26. Danny Kristo-RW
27. Boo Nieves-C
28. Josh Nicholls-RW
29. Calle Andersson-D
30. Ryan Haggerty-RW
31. Michael Kantor-RW
32. Samuel Noreau-D
33. Andrew Yogan-LW
34. Tyler Nanne-D
35. Troy Donnay-D
36. Jason Missiaen-G

 

[Zil]

1. D Brady Skjei
2. C J.T. Miller
3. LW Anthony Duclair
4. LW Pavel Buchnevich
5. D Dylan McIlrath
6. RW Jesper Fast
7. C Oscar Lindberg
8. D Conor Allen
9. RW Ryan Haggerty
10. C Adam Tambellini
11. C Boo Nieves
12. D Ryan Graves
13. D Petr Zamorsky
14. G Brandon Halverson
15. C Keegan Iverson
16. LW Marek Hrivik
17. LW Ryan Bourque
18. D Mat Bodie
19. G Igor Shestyorkin
20. RW Richard Nejezchleb
21. LW Chris McCarthy
22. RW Danny Kristo
23. G Mackenzie Skapski
24. D Daniel Walcott
25. D Ryan Mantha
26. C Michael St. Croix
27. D Tommy Hughes
28. D Tyler Nanne
29. D Calle Andersson
30. LW Andrew Yogan
31. D Sam Noreau
32. D Troy Donnay
33. RW Josh Nicholls
34. RW Michael Kantor
35. C Steven Fogarty
36. G Jason Missiaen

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

1. D Brady Skjei
2. C J.T. Miller
3. LW Anthony Duclair
4. LW Pavel Buchnevich
5. D Dylan McIlrath
6. RW Jesper Fast
7. C Oscar Lindberg
8. D Conor Allen
9. RW Ryan Haggerty
10. C Adam Tambellini
11. C Boo Nieves
12. D Ryan Graves
13. D Petr Zamorsky
14. G Brandon Halverson
15. C Keegan Iverson
16. LW Marek Hrivik
17. LW Ryan Bourque
18. D Mat Bodie
19. G Igor Shestyorkin
20. RW Richard Nejezchleb
21. LW Chris McCarthy
22. RW Danny Kristo
23. G Mackenzie Skapski
24. D Daniel Walcott
25. D Ryan Mantha
26. C Michael St. Croix
27. D Tommy Hughes
28. D Tyler Nanne
29. D Calle Andersson
30. LW Andrew Yogan
31. D Sam Noreau
32. D Troy Donnay
33. RW Josh Nicholls
34. RW Michael Kantor
35. C Steven Fogarty
36. G Jason Missiaen

You know, Zil, the more I think about it, the more I may agree with you about Skjei being ahead of Miller.

On the other hand, while I'm also somewhat down on Kristo... 22nd?!? Yikes. I don't know if I'd go that far. He's got offense that can play in the NHL. Yes, he can be clueless, but with his ability to score I think I was already pushing it by dropping him to 13th.

 

[Zil]

You know, Zil, the more I think about it, the more I may agree with you about Skjei being ahead of Miller.

I have Skjei and Miller both as surefire NHLers. Skjei's high end potential nabs him the top spot once you equalize those odds.

On the other hand, while I'm also somewhat down on Kristo... 22nd?!? Yikes. I don't know if I'd go that far. He's got offense that can play in the NHL. Yes, he can be clueless, but with his ability to score I think I was already pushing it by dropping him to 13th.

I just don't think there's enough there with Kristo. A lot of Hartford watchers didn't think he looked that good even during his hot start. He doesn't have a particularly interesting ceiling or floor. Add in his age and you get a very blah prospect.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

I have Skjei and Miller both as surefire NHLers. Skjei's high end potential nabs him the top spot once you equalize those odds.



I just don't think there's enough there with Kristo. A lot of Hartford watchers didn't think he looked that good even during his hot start. He doesn't have a particularly interesting ceiling or floor. Add in his age and you get a very blah prospect.

If I did it over again, I might just move Skjei ahead of Miller. Towards the end of last year you could see him realizing what he's capable of doing with each passing game. One of the games against PSU in particular was a total eye-opener for me.

As for Kristo, well, I AM a Hartford watcher. (And one of the ones who was telling people to temper expectations with him to boot.) But that doesn't change the fact that his 1-on-1 offense is probably top 3-5 in the prospect pool - and I just feel like that, despite his knuckleheaded play elsewhere, should be enough to keep him in the top 15, at the very least...

 

[nyr2k2]

y'all will think I'm nuts
I'm used to it.

01. Brady Skjei-D
02. Oscar Lindberg-C
03. JT Miller-C/LW
04. Dylan McIlrath-D
05. Jesper Fast-RW
06. Adam Tambellini-C
07. Mat Bodie-D
08. Anthony Duclair-LW
09. Pavel Buchnevich-LW
10. Ryan Graves-D
11. Conor Allen-D
12. Petr Zamorsky-D
13. Marek Hrivik-LW
14. MacKenzie Skapski-G
15. Brandon Halverson-G
16. Keegan Iverson-C/W
17. Steven Fogarty-C
18. Tommy Hughes-D
19. Chris McCarthy-LW
20. Michael St. Croix-C
21. Ryan Mantha-D
22. Daniel Walcott-D
23. Ryan Bourque-LW
24. Igor Shesterkin-G
25. Richard Nejezchleb-RW
26. Danny Kristo-RW
27. Boo Nieves-C
28. Josh Nicholls-RW
29. Calle Andersson-D
30. Ryan Haggerty-RW
31. Michael Kantor-RW
32. Samuel Noreau-D
33. Andrew Yogan-LW
34. Tyler Nanne-D
35. Troy Donnay-D
36. Jason Missiaen-G

What has Tambellini done to find himself ahead of Duclair and Buchnevich?

I'm no Kristo fan, but 26? Wow. Same for Nieves, really.

 

[cwede]

What has Tambellini done to find himself ahead of Duclair and Buchnevich?
I'm no Kristo fan, but 26? Wow. Same for Nieves, really.

are we ranking the best 20 year olds? or the most promising prospects?
to me those are different questions

in a year, if Buchnevich actually makes the commitment to leave Russia and come to Hartford, after a good year over there, he'll probably move into the top 7-8 if not higher

Your question about "what has tambellini done?" -
how come that doesn't apply to Boo?

and back to
"What has Tambellini done to find himself ahead of Duclair and Buchnevich?"
obviously Clarke and Gorton saw a difference when NYR picked him 10 spots ahead of Buch and 15 ahead of Duke

Duclair had great year, but there are scores of high-scorers from the Q who were well under 6' and 200# who never made a dent at NHL level

Tambellini is a hunch. I like Tambellini's height and reach, the way he responded to icetime in Calgary, and the way he looked on film at Dev camp

to be honest, its all almost a tossup for the guys between the top 6-8 and the bottom 6-8

 

[Raspewtin]

I pretty much agree on the rankings we voted on.

By this time next year, I have some predictions.

1. Buch will force his way into our top 3 with a tremendous year for Severestal with an increased role.

2. Duclair will break, or just miss 60 goals.

3. Ryan Graves will be in everyone's (this board's) top 10 prospects, as he really solidifes himself on whatever team he's on's top pairing. If he's still with Val-d'Or, he becomes their #1 LHD, with Jeremy Roy (proj. 2015 1st rounder) as his partner. Expect to see him playing 24+ mins a game like in the Memorial Cup.

4. Keegan Iverson grabs his new top-6 role by the horns, and becomes a PPG player who plays hard in all three zones.

5. A great WJC performance will really put Igor Shestyorkin on the map of Ranger fans.

Gonna do top 10 because that's really all I know...

1. Brady Skjei
2. Dylan McIlrath
3. JT Miller
4. Jesper Fast
5. Connor Allen
6. Oscar Lindberg
7. Anthony Duclair
8. Pavel Buchnevic
9. Danny Kristo
10. Brandon Halverson

Think these rankings will disagree with everyone else's. And that's okay

Skjei at one because he has McDonagh potential. He can be a 1LD. McIlrath at 2 because he is seriously what this organization is missing - and for all intents and purposes he continues to improve. If his skating is on par with what I've read, he's going to be a good player for us.

I have Duclair as low as 7 because high-scoring in the Q doesn't really mean a lot to me. It's everything else I've heard about him that keeps him in the top 10. I hope he goes back to the Q because he'll have a long season with the Ramparts as they host the Memorial Cup. It will be a great year for Duke who might be able to jump right to the NHL in 15/16.

Halverson jumps into the top 10 to misplace Haggerty. Need to see what he can do at the pro-level before claiming him one on our top-10 prospects as an undrafted college FA. And to be fair, I LOVE undrafted college players. I think that is a hot bed for filling organizatonial prospect depth that a lot of teams do not take advantage of. From the ECHL to the NHL if you get very lucky.

Guys like Jack Connolly, former captain of Minnesota-Duluth has no business not playing in North America. He's undersized but he has led teams to championships. Callahanesque. I'd love for the Rangers to give him a shot, but I'm sure he's making an okay living out in Sweden. 23 points in 55 games for Farjestad last season. Think Brian Gibbons. A lot of fans here clamoring for him this off-season. Then you have the opposite end of the spectrum with a guy like Scooter Vaughan. He may not be good enough to play in the NHL, but he'll have a long AHL career if he wants. And that is very good for the organization as a whole. Undrafted. College. Free. Agents.

Wow. Sorry for the rant.

Duclair's Q stats don't impress you, but Halverson never being a starter in a league worse defensively than the Q is worthy of a top 10 spot?

I don't understand.

Junior stats don't EVER tell the whole story, but people act like they're just to be ignored. It doesn't work like that. 99 points in 59 games is very impressive in the modern QMJHL.

 

[Beacon]

Raspewtin,

People confuse what a lot means. Scoring 1.2 points per game is a lot and scoring 1.7 ppg is a lot, so people say, "scoring a lot in juniors means nothing."

But the reason those 1.2 ppg players went bust or didn't manage to score in the NHL is that dozens of kids do this every year. Scoring 1.2 or even 1.4 ppg (=scoring 95 points in 68 games) means very little, it really isn't a sign of being a strong offensive player. Duke was on pace for 114 points over 68 games. Such offensive output is truly rare and shows skill above and beyond what we've seen from Grachev, St. Croix, Tambellini, Bourque and others who scored "a lot."

He is our highest scoring prospect in the juniors since Marc Savard, who was drafted the year Duke was born. Of course for every Savard, there's a Christian Dube, who was drafted in the same draft, two rounds earlier and also dominated the juniors, but went nowhere in the pros.

But the Duke is a top prospect because his "a lot" is much more than our other prospects' "a lot."

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

I pretty much agree on the rankings we voted on.

By this time next year, I have some predictions.

1. Buch will force his way into our top 3 with a tremendous year for Severestal with an increased role.

2. Duclair will break, or just miss 60 goals.

3. Ryan Graves will be in everyone's (this board's) top 10 prospects, as he really solidifes himself on whatever team he's on's top pairing. If he's still with Val-d'Or, he becomes their #1 LHD, with Jeremy Roy (proj. 2015 1st rounder) as his partner. Expect to see him playing 24+ mins a game like in the Memorial Cup.

4. Keegan Iverson grabs his new top-6 role by the horns, and becomes a PPG player who plays hard in all three zones.

5. A great WJC performance will really put Igor Shestyorkin on the map of Ranger fans.
Duclair's Q stats don't impress you, but Halverson never being a starter in a league worse defensively than the Q is worthy of a top 10 spot?

I don't understand.

Junior stats don't EVER tell the whole story, but people act like they're just to be ignored. It doesn't work like that. 99 points in 59 games is very impressive in the modern QMJHL.

You've basically called out good things for most of the guys I'm most excited about too.

What about some negative predictions, just to be fair and balanced? (For meaningful prospects - saying Jason Missiaen will not be offered another contract doesn't count.)

 

[silverfish]

Duclair's Q stats don't impress you, but Halverson never being a starter in a league worse defensively than the Q is worthy of a top 10 spot?

I don't understand.

Junior stats don't EVER tell the whole story, but people act like they're just to be ignored. It doesn't work like that. 99 points in 59 games is very impressive in the modern QMJHL.

Halverson was voted into the 11th spot by the board. I bumped him 1 spot into the 10th. Did that really necessitate such a response? I have him in the top 10 because of the organizational necessity he fills. Need more goalies in the system.

Plus, Halverson was behind Matt Murray, an overage goalie who has been with the Greyhounds for 3 seasons before last. 2012 third round pick for the Pens. Started for Canada at the 11/12 U18s. So it's not like he was behind some super scrub and couldn't win the job. He was behind a 20 year old who was a veteran of the club and is turning pro this season.

I'm not ignoring Duke's stats, at all. I'm just saying stats in juniors don't tell the whole story. Lucky for us, all reports tend to point to Duclair being a very solid player along with his offensive instincts. He's got speed and grit, from what I understand.

Again I'll say, this is a big season for Duke. He'll have a long grind with the Ramparts. Let's see what he does when he takes on an even bigger role as an older guy, and most-likely a large leadership position.

 

[nyr2k2]

are we ranking the best 20 year olds? or the most promising prospects?
to me those are different questions

in a year, if Buchnevich actually makes the commitment to leave Russia and come to Hartford, after a good year over there, he'll probably move into the top 7-8 if not higher

Everything Buchnevich has said, and everything that the organization has said, indicates he'll be coming over next year.

Your question about "what has tambellini done?" -
how come that doesn't apply to Boo?

Okay, so let's say it does apply to Boo. And let's also look at the draft position argument that you use. Why would you put Tambellini twenty-one spots ahead of Nieves? Tambellini sucked in his half-year of NCAA hockey and then played good but not great in the WHL. That's a top ten prospect? I don't know, man.

and back to
"What has Tambellini done to find himself ahead of Duclair and Buchnevich?"
obviously Clarke and Gorton saw a difference when NYR picked him 10 spots ahead of Buch and 15 ahead of Duke

Duclair had great year, but there are scores of high-scorers from the Q who were well under 6' and 200# who never made a dent at NHL level

Okay, and Carl Hagelin was taken a round after Max Campbell and four behind Antoine Lafleur. Jesper Fast was picked after Jason Wilson. Then they play their post-draft year, and you reassess. I guarantee you that if the draft was done again today, both Buchnevich and Duclair would go far ahead of Tambellini. You have two guys that had great seasons and exceeded expectations, and one guy that was "meh." I just don't know how you could objectively assess their performances to date, and their demonstrated skill levels, and say that Tambo is ahead of either of those two.

Tambellini is a hunch. I like Tambellini's height and reach, the way he responded to icetime in Calgary, and the way he looked on film at Dev camp

Okay, if it's just a hunch, there's no point arguing it.

I don't really have any others problems with your rankings beyond what I mentioned. I really think you're being too hard on Nieves though. He had a great freshman campaign, and a good end to his sophomore campaign. Really the only change from the first year to the second was that his shooting percentage fell off an absolute cliff, which if you watch the kid play is pretty clearly bad luck and unsustainable.

 

[Beacon]

Re: Nieves

I've really learned not to pay that much attention to a kid's struggles in college as a teenager. I mean, so long as he's a top-9 forward, no problem. Obviously if he's having a hard time cracking the team, it's different, but that wasn't the case with Nieves.

The key year for college players, as I've noted before, is the year they are 20, which is usually their junior year. Prior to that, they are playing against kids who are more experienced and more physically developed. Similarly, paying too much attention to an overage player (23+ years old) is a fools errand usually because that player is able to do well usually only because he's more developed physically, intellectually and emotionally. The junior year as a 20 year old is key because the player is right down the middle in terms of age, maturity and experience. The senior year also counts, but with higher expectations than the junior year.

But usually, a player who doesn't show something real by the time he's legally able to buy beer is not someone who's going to be an NHLer.