The Hodgson, Duchene and Grachev Thread

[The Scouting Report]

Hodgson: 1990-Feb, 1.8ppg
Tavares: 1990-Sep, 1.9ppg
Duchene: 1991-Jan, 1.4ppg

Hodgson is on par with Tavares, and it showed during the WJrs. If he hits his peak, he's going to be on another level beyond Drury. I fail to see the problem in being excited about your own team's prospects, especially when their production warrants that praise.

Unless Duchene ups his ppg in his second year to a near 2 ppg, Hodgson is right now the better player.

Uhh are you kidding me. Your basing NHL potential off OHL scoring levels. Seriously, like I could probably name 100 players who have scored around 2PPG that never amounted to anything in the NHL. Now obviously Hodgson is a very good prospect, but if your going to look at scoring -> birthdate, I guess Brandon Kozun > Cody Hodgson?

 

[PensFan101]

Duchene has the highest upside by far I would think. He's big, explosive, and got great hands. Makings of a future star power forward. Grachev looks like he'll be a similar player to another Rangers prospect in Anisimov, but he reminds me a lot of Antropov in both build and skating, and could have his offensive upside. Hodgson is that Linden-esque everyman that is good at everything but not great at anything. when I've watched him I've never gone "wow" but he does enough in both ends to get the job done.

 

[Britton]

Look at the quality of players surrounding Hodgson in Brampton all season versus the team that surrounded JT for most of the year in Oshawa. Now ask yourself, if JT was playing in London all year by just how much would he be blowing Hodgson out of the water? Barring a few injuries this season, Duchene would be producing on a level comparable to Hodgson last year, their point per game paces are comparably similar and scouts will tell you that Duchene's skating and his ability to exercise all of his offensive tools at top speed make him a more projectable offensive pro talent than Hodgson.
EVERY NHL prospect will tell you the hardest part of adapting to the game at the next level is adjusting to the speed. That's what's going to limit Hodgson's offensive output at the NHL level. It's why his offensive numbers are more in the Chris Drury realm.

Hodgson's skating has improved tremendesly this year which has really improved his stock and taken away the only knock on him. His top end speed has always been good, he just didn't have the explosive accelerations guys like Duchene and Stamkos had, but theres been a big change in that department since his work with Dave Gagner and you can see it in his play.

 

[timw33]

Grachev's combination of size, speed and skill makes him dominant when on his game.

Duchene is an explosive player who should become a very solid NHL scorer.

But you can't look past the complete game and intangibles that Hodgson brings to the table.

I'd take Cody, but just barely.

 

[Asquaredx2]

Grachev's combination of size, speed and skill makes him dominant when on his game.

Duchene is an explosive player who should become a very solid NHL scorer.

But you can't look past the complete game and intangibles that Hodgson brings to the table.

I'd take Cody, but just barely.

Duchene's a pretty solid guy in his own end as well.

IMO,

1. Duchene
2. Hodgson
3. Grachev

 

[RangerRed]

Hodgson's skating has improved tremendesly this year which has really improved his stock and taken away the only knock on him. His top end speed has always been good, he just didn't have the explosive accelerations guys like Duchene and Stamkos had, but theres been a big change in that department since his work with Dave Gagner and you can see it in his play.

He still doesn't have the explosive acceleration that guys like Duchene and Stamkos have. Yes, his skating is stronger than it was but so is JT's compared to where it was a year ago. People still use it as a knock against Tavares' draft stock and it's knock that still hurts Hodgson's value as well. Some guys just aren't explosive skaters, they can't do it. Cody Hodgson is one of those guys. There's nothing wrong with having a flaw in his game, there aren't any flawless players. Good prospects are supposed to improve year to year, many of them do and some of them don't. Cody did, which is great but he still lacks the kind of explosive package that makes for big point totals as a pro. He's more Chris Drury than Mike Richards, nothing wrong with that, on the scoresheet it just means 10-15 less points (mostly assists) per season.

 

[timw33]

Duchene's a pretty solid guy in his own end as well.

IMO,

1. Duchene
2. Hodgson
3. Grachev

No, I know, but Hodgson's attitude, leadership, character and ability to score important goals give him a slight edge in my books, but thats just my opinion.

 

[Grub]

I would take hodgson. He is a captain and you build people like that... It's fine for canucks fan to over-hype him they should be excited to have.

I'm laughing that some TO fans like Ranger Red is bashing him. Hodgson is a complete player, you should see him in interview, class act.

I don't get it what's wrong with canucks fan overhyping hodgson??? You TO fans overhype Schenn alot.

 

[thrillhous]

First the Hodgson hype went a little far but now the whole "we mentioned Hodgson in a thread, look out for Canucks homers" thing has gone just as far.

 

[Drop the Sopel]

Yeah, but the degree of Canucks homerism that surrounds this kid is completely egregious. I used to like Hodgson as a prospect before Canucks fans started openly and flagrantly fellating the kid at every given opportunity. Now, I find even his name annoying and that's a shame because he is quite a good hockey player, but I think Canucks fans have set him up for a hell of a fall if he doesn't immediately prove himself to be the second coming.

Ahhh, spite.

Hodgson gets a lot of attention from Canuck fans, deservedly so when you look at their draft history. From everything I've read the majority see Hodgson as having PPG upside. Is that really that far fetched?

Keep in mind outside HF nobody dislikes Cody Hodgson. He'll be fine regardless how his rookie season plays out.

But maybe I'm just crazy. After all I root for Carey Price to do well even though I'm not a fan of the Montreal Canadiens.

 

[PensFan101]

. . .

Care to elaborate? He obviously doesn't have the power forward size, but he looks and plays a lot bigger than 5'11 195 lbs. When I watched him he had some of those tendencies, but of course he may not be physical enough for that.

 

[CallMeJerry]

Thanks for all the opinions so far. But I'm waiting to hear from a Brampton fan who sees these guys play regularly. I don't see these guys play at all - except for some Youtube highlights.

I know Hodgson is the #2 prospect in the Hockey News and that Duchene is #3 to #5in the upcoming draft and I know Grachev's stock has really risen. Really I want to know how Grachev measures up against the other 2. From the stats, he is in the same league as Hodgson & Duchene. From the highlights, he is a tank with speed and a killer wrist shot.

 

[windflare]

Care to elaborate? He obviously doesn't have the power forward size, but he looks and plays a lot bigger than 5'11 195 lbs. When I watched him he had some of those tendencies, but of course he may not be physical enough for that.

My facepalm is really directed towards the use of the term Power Forward. Definitely not what I would call a power forward at all, as he doesn't have the size, puck protection skills, and the level of grit that a power forward has. Duchene is one of my favorite prospects out there, but a Power Forward he isn't.

It would be kind of like calling Joe Sakic a power forward, if you know what I mean.

But of course, that's a bit off topic, since we're really talking about the attributes of a PF now instead of the original topic. My apologies.

 

[RangerRed]

Ahhh, spite.

Hodgson gets a lot of attention from Canuck fans, deservedly so when you look at their draft history. From everything I've read the majority see Hodgson as having PPG upside. Is that really that far fetched?

Keep in mind outside HF nobody dislikes Cody Hodgson. He'll be fine regardless how his rookie season plays out.

But maybe I'm just crazy. After all I root for Carey Price to do well even though I'm not a fan of the Montreal Canadiens.

I don't dislike Cody Hodgson. I really don't, you can look back at the other posts I've made even just on this thread and you'll see that before he started getting all this hype from Canucks homers, I thought very highly of him as a player and as a prospect (still do). He's in the same boat Luke Schenn is in because Leafs fans do the same thing with Schenn and Habs fans have done the same thing with Price. I agree that nobody on HF genuinely dislikes the kid but I think that Canucks fans are building up unrealistic expectations for this kid to meet next year and I think that if he fails to meet them, a lot of people will start saying some not particularly nice things about him. Because I understand prospects take time to develop, I'm going to stay final judgment for a few seasons. No, I don't think Hodgson has PPG upside. I think he has 70 point potential. That's great offensive output considering his other assets as a prospect. Not every player has 80+ point potential, there's nothing wrong with Cody Hodgson not having 80+ point potential.

 

[Saren]

Look at the quality of players surrounding Hodgson in Brampton all season versus the team that surrounded JT for most of the year in Oshawa.

I don't mean to tell you everything that you seem to know, but you realize Hodgson does not play with either Duchene or Grachev, right (I recall him on the PP with Duchene once)? Those two play together, while he literally runs a line by himself.

 

[windflare]

I don't mean to tell you everything that you seem to know, but you realize Hodgson does not play with either Duchene or Grachev, right (I recall him on the PP with Duchene once)? Those two play together, while he literally runs a line by himself.

Hodgson plays with Duchene and Gratchev on the PP. Even strength, Hodgson plays with Shalla and Dale, until Peluso joined up.

 

[Drop the Sopel]

I don't dislike Cody Hodgson. I really don't, you can look back at the other posts I've made even just on this thread and you'll see that before he started getting all this hype from Canucks homers, I thought very highly of him as a player and as a prospect (still do). He's in the same boat Luke Schenn is in because Leafs fans do the same thing with Schenn and Habs fans have done the same thing with Price. I agree that nobody on HF genuinely dislikes the kid but I think that Canucks fans are building up unrealistic expectations for this kid to meet next year and I think that if he fails to meet them, a lot of people will start saying some not particularly nice things about him. Because I understand prospects take time to develop, I'm going to stay final judgment for a few seasons. No, I don't think Hodgson has PPG upside. I think he has 70 point potential. That's great offensive output considering his other assets as a prospect. Not every player has 80+ point potential, there's nothing wrong with Cody Hodgson not having 80+ point potential.

From what I've read on the Canuck board most people were expecting a 30-40 point rookie season from Hodgson. Not too unrealistic IMO. Sure there are going to be the hyperbolic, outlandish claims coming from the odd fan but you'll see these comments from pretty much every fanbase.

Can you really decipher between 70 and 80 point upside? Statistics are very situational and depend highly on linemates and opportunity. If Hodgson is always the best player on his line he won't produce as much as if he's flanked by 2 excellent wingers for example.

IMO it isn't the offensive upside that is what intrigues Canuck fans most regarding Hodgson, it's his play away from the puck and intangibles. Hodgson's a born leader and winner. That's what has Canuck fans so excited.

 

[Saren]

Hodgson plays with Duchene and Gratchev on the PP.

Hmm, last game I caught he was only on there with Duchene! Thanks for the info though.

 

[AgentNaslund*]

I don't dislike Cody Hodgson. I really don't, you can look back at the other posts I've made even just on this thread and you'll see that before he started getting all this hype from Canucks homers, I thought very highly of him as a player and as a prospect (still do). He's in the same boat Luke Schenn is in because Leafs fans do the same thing with Schenn and Habs fans have done the same thing with Price. I agree that nobody on HF genuinely dislikes the kid but I think that Canucks fans are building up unrealistic expectations for this kid to meet next year and I think that if he fails to meet them, a lot of people will start saying some not particularly nice things about him. Because I understand prospects take time to develop, I'm going to stay final judgment for a few seasons. No, I don't think Hodgson has PPG upside. I think he has 70 point potential. That's great offensive output considering his other assets as a prospect. Not every player has 80+ point potential, there's nothing wrong with Cody Hodgson not having 80+ point potential.

Believe it or not, I've already said that, Hodgson shouldnt even make it to the NHL next season. As for a few Canuck fans too. Right now hes too good for the OHL, but i personally don't think he should be in the NHL next year. He might be skilled enough, but I dont think hes fast or strong enough yet. Why do you punks targeting us. If Hodgson is overrated at number 2, then every prospect in the world is overrated. For such a big fan base, what we said about him is fair. Most of us already believe Duchene is going to be better then Hodgson, because Duchene resemble's pavel Bure. We think hes better then Grachev, but you can't slam us for thinking that. Since the world juniors thread, we have not really talked much bout Hodgson at all in the open forums. The way we feel about Hodgson is pretty much the same way someone like Patt Quinn, Bob Mckenzie feels about him My expectations for Hodgson is a point per game guy. I expect him to put him Henrik Sedin numbers, point per game. We've also never attacked ANYONE who said he has 60 point potential or 70 point potential. This is expected. High profile prospect on a team that has a huge fan base. The "oh here come the Canuck fans comming to get us" is far too exagerated. It's also unfair to attack our entire fan base because someone thinks he should be drafted ahead of Doughty. Like Cmon.

Back on topic. Duchene will score more goals then Hodgson. Hodgson will probably get more assist. Duchene will probably get more points in his prime. AT 3rd is Grachev.

The lines right now is Duchene is on the same line as Grachev. Hodgson's linemate are a bunch of plugers we don't even know who his regular 5 on 5 linemates are. ON the power player, Hodgson will play with Duchene. THe fact that Hodgson is still able to rack up points with pluggers really shows how good he can be. And please don't attack me, (us) for overrating him again.

 

[TrevorLinden16]

There is hate for Hodgson because of Canuck fans such as myself overhyping him. Its a fact. We haven't had a prospect like him since Trevor Linden. And he's projected to be better than Trevor.

Bure?

 

[PensFan101]

My facepalm is really directed towards the use of the term Power Forward. Definitely not what I would call a power forward at all, as he doesn't have the size, puck protection skills, and the level of grit that a power forward has. Duchene is one of my favorite prospects out there, but a Power Forward he isn't.

It would be kind of like calling Joe Sakic a power forward, if you know what I mean.

But of course, that's a bit off topic, since we're really talking about the attributes of a PF now instead of the original topic. My apologies.

Alright, sorry. Probably wasn't even thinking when i actually typed that.

 

[Gutchecktime]

Leafs fans started not liking Hodgson as soon as the Canucks drafted him. Duchene will be the best, and he has the coolest name.

I swear this whole "rivalry" thing between the Leafs and Canucks exists only in the imaginations (and very creative ones I might add) of those in Vancouver... I don't even know if I've ever had a Leaf fan even bring up Vancouver in conversation to me. You're just not on our minds. Sorry.

I'm a Brampton supporter and always went to their games last year with the intention of carefully watching draft eligible, Cody Hodgson. I would've been pretty happy had the Leafs walked away with him at the draft. In the first game I went to that season though, Duchene really stole the show. The troops were down 4-1 to Peterborough and Duchene notched a hat trick to tie the game at 4, then assisted on the winner. I could hardly take my eyes off of him. His raw skill is pretty incredible.

I believe Duchene will be the better player but that certainly isn't taking anything away from Cody.

 

[CherryToke]

Hodgson is easily the best of the three right now, and probably the safest bet to reach his potential in the NHL. I would still take Duchene over the other 2 for his upside alone.

1. Duchene
2. Hodgson
3. Grachev

 

[Senator Stanley]

In terms of potential

1a) Duchene
1b) Grachev
2) Hodgson

In terms of likelihood of reaching their potential

1) Hodgson
2) Duchene
3) Grachev

 

[gd7]

Look at the quality of players surrounding Hodgson in Brampton all season versus the team that surrounded JT for most of the year in Oshawa. Now ask yourself, if JT was playing in London all year by just how much would he be blowing Hodgson out of the water? Barring a few injuries this season, Duchene would be producing on a level comparable to Hodgson last year, their point per game paces are comparably similar and scouts will tell you that Duchene's skating and his ability to exercise all of his offensive tools at top speed make him a more projectable offensive pro talent than Hodgson.
EVERY NHL prospect will tell you the hardest part of adapting to the game at the next level is adjusting to the speed. That's what's going to limit Hodgson's offensive output at the NHL level. It's why his offensive numbers are more in the Chris Drury realm.

Hodgson is playing on the second line with Pylons, except for the odd game.

Therefor, The numbers aren't comparable.

All I know is all three players have huge potential and Grachev is a vastly underrated prospect. 3rd rounder...... what a fantastic pick, even if he doesn't pan out.