Prospect Info: The Prospect Thread (Part XXXI)

[timw33]

You know, with the benefit of hindsight, that entire 2014 first round is looking pretty meh....Bennett isn't doing much in Calgary; and Draisaitl is nothing special in Edmonton....Ehlers has lots of flash and dash, but not lighting it up in the Peg either...Nylander might end up being the best of the lot, but just too early to know for sure.

Ehlers' flash and dash is converting at a high end 1st line clip right now. Draisaitl is doing well too, on pace for 55-60 points.

 

[sting101]

You know, with the benefit of hindsight, that entire 2014 first round is looking pretty meh....Bennett isn't doing much in Calgary; and Draisaitl is nothing special in Edmonton....Ehlers has lots of flash and dash, but not lighting it up in the Peg either...Nylander might end up being the best of the lot, but just too early to know for sure.

thats a pretty crazy assertion considering a great deal of that draft class just started their 1st year of pro hockey

 

[Southern_Canuck]

Thu Nov 24 (Happy Thanksgiving)

OHL

Sault Ste. Marie 6 North Bay 1
McKenzie 1 assist, even

Hamilton 5 Barrie 6
Candella 2 assists, +1

S_C

 

[PhilMick]

Hamilton 5 Barrie 6
Candella 2 assists, +1

S_C

Crazy boxscore; 6 straight for Barrie followed by 5 straight for Hamilton. I wish there was an opportunity to see Candella play, I wonder what we've got there?

 

[FytinSioux]

Rumors are he has a wrist injury and has for awhile. I know he has been playing with a brace on that wrist.

 

[timw33]

Rumors are he has a wrist injury and has for awhile. I know he has been playing with a brace on that wrist.

How about....we like...don't play injured..Brock.

We want you healthy for us, your real parents.

 

[WTG]

Let him recover for the weekend, they really shouldn't need Brock vs Michigan State (not Lockwood's team).

The injury makes sense in the time frame, of his slump.

 

[Rotting Corpse*]

Kind of glad to hear he's sitting out. Didn't really like the reports of him playing with a brace.

 

[GetFocht]

Virtanen not doing anything, I'm over him now. I would absolutely trade him for Evander Kane at this point

 

[Josepho]

Gaudette with 4 points tonight. He and Sikura work very well together.

Can't remember the last time a Canucks pick and Blackhawks pick were killin' it in college together.

 

[GetFocht]

Gaudette with 4 points tonight.

Jesus, he's becoming a legitimate prospect with high upside

 

[Josepho]

Jesus, he's becoming a legitimate prospect with high upside

Yeah, during the intermission I'll probably type up a thread about him on the main board. I'll paste my post here too. Really liking what I've seen from him this year.

 

[Josepho]

voila

Thanks to Northeastern University being awesome and streaming virtually every game of theirs, I've been more and more exposed to this kid's game. And I like him. Last season he really turned it on during the second half and this season he's gotten off to a fantastic start with 20 points in 14 games and some remarkable shot totals, riding shotgun with Blackhawks draft pick Dylan Sikura (who I'm also quite fond of).

The main thing I see from him when I watch him is a smart hockey player. He knows his limitations and he doesn't try to expand beyond them. He doesn't overcommit on the forecheck, nor does he consistently try to unsuccessfully fly through the opposing team's defenders. He could definitely benefit from bulking up a bit. Ideally he'd have the same weight as someone like Nick Bonino, who is actually pretty similar to Gaudette in terms of playing style. Gaudette isn't fast, especially in terms of his first step (a very recurring theme among late round prospects), but he's strong on his feet and tough to take off of the puck. He has the ability to stickhandle in many situations and he's surprisingly elusive for a guy with subpar skating skills. He often makes his linemates better and he's great at setting them up, though his shot is nothing to scoff at either. Defensively he's very sound, I rarely see him out of position and he's quite smart with his stickchecking.

I wasn't exactly thrilled with the pick when it was made, but he's tracked quite well for a 5th rounder. I think it's pretty reasonable to suggest that this guy could contribute in Utica as early as next season.

and my bad, it was 3 points.

 

[PhilMick]

Gaudette with 4 points tonight. He and Sikura work very well together.

Can't remember the last time a Canucks pick and Blackhawks pick were killin' it in college together.

I can't tell if this is sarcasm or if you forgot about Schmaltz and Boeser just last year? I need to get my sarcasm detector tuned up!

 

[docbenton]

voila



and my bad, it was 3 points.

Disagree majorly about his skating. He was slow last year but this year it's the biggest difference. His skating is breathtaking. Stylistically similar to a guy like William Nylander the way he accelerates on his edges.

His linemate Sikura has just as good if not better hands, but he can't skate like Adam can and is on the smaller side. Gaudette is an elite player in college. There are not many centers you'd take over him right now, he's just such a good 200 ft player. He's relentless and all over the puck all the time.

 

[GetFocht]

Columbus picking Pierre Luc Dubois may have been a blessing, he is looking terrible

 

[timw33]

Columbus picking Pierre Luc Dubois may have been a blessing, he is looking terrible

Good to know the Canucks reallllllly wanted him then

Alex Nylander has 13 points in 18 AHL games on a truly terrible Rochester team. The guy is 18 years old. Those Nylander brothers are good.



Ugh, Virtanen gets an assist on an ENG but absent for the other 4 goals while the rest of Utica's weak lineup got the goals. The Virtanen pick becomes more and more of a disaster each day.

 

[GetFocht]

Nylander brothers had a good upbringing, their dad gave them the best resources and training to become hockey players.

 

[Josepho]

Disagree majorly about his skating. He was slow last year but this year it's the biggest difference. His skating is breathtaking. Stylistically similar to a guy like William Nylander the way he accelerates on his edges.

His linemate Sikura has just as good if not better hands, but he can't skate like Adam can and is on the smaller side. Gaudette is an elite player in college. There are not many centers you'd take over him right now, he's just such a good 200 ft player. He's relentless and all over the puck all the time.

In terms of technique and top end speed, his skating is okay. However, his acceleration (an important, yet fixable element of skating) is definitely off, and his skating as a whole isn't even close to that of Nylander.

 

[GetFocht]

I always take skating assessments with a grain of salt, almost everyone has differing opinions on this topic for prospects

 

[docbenton]

In terms of technique and top end speed, his skating is okay. However, his acceleration (an important, yet fixable element of skating) is definitely off, and his skating as a whole isn't even close to that of Nylander.

I would characterize his acceleration as explosive. For example,

https://twitter.com/ryanbiech/status/794703292395712512

 

[docbenton]

Speaking of skating one guy who I think could really benefit from improved skating is Olli Juolevi. Sure he's a smooth skater with good transitions but he really lacks power in that first step. He gets burned for it sometimes, and his offensive game would be helped by more jump in that first step as well.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

Virtanen not doing anything, I'm over him now. I would absolutely trade him for Evander Kane at this point

No you don't
You don't trade a struggling young prospect for a average NHL player that's a POS off the ice.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

Juolevi with 0 points tonight.
One thine I realize is that other than Mete, London's D really don't get points often....

 

[PhilMick]

Columbus picking Pierre Luc Dubois may have been a blessing, he is looking terrible

No blessing, it gifted the Oilers Puuljujarvi, which makes me angrier every time I think about it.