Yeah and that will determine whether he becomes a very good 2nd line center or not.. I'm really excited to see how consistent he will be this year
Top 50: Alex Galchenyuk takes over as the top NHL prospect
- Thread starter Pegasus
- Start date
Yeah and that will determine whether he becomes a very good 2nd line center or not.. I'm really excited to see how consistent he will be this year
One should be careful about comparing Beaulieu's potential to Subban. Yes, I agree he has the offensive tools to be become as good as PK offensively. However, he will never be - I highly doubt that - as good a shutdown dman as PK.
Also, I think Kuznetsov is way too low on the list particularly compared to fellow Russians Yakupov and Tarasenko. I saw all three play for Russia at the WJC and Kuznetsov was by far the best player demonstrating a complete offensive game and he reportedly does very well in the KHL - he really carried Russia while Yakupov was a dissapointment at the WJC as well as at Canada-Russia series. I think the fact that he is in Russia and that he was not a top pick hurt Kuznetsov in these rankings.
Also, I think Kuznetsov is way too low on the list particularly compared to fellow Russians Yakupov and Tarasenko. I saw all three play for Russia at the WJC and Kuznetsov was by far the best player demonstrating a complete offensive game and he reportedly does very well in the KHL - he really carried Russia while Yakupov was a dissapointment at the WJC as well as at Canada-Russia series. I think the fact that he is in Russia and that he was not a top pick hurt Kuznetsov in these rankings.
Subban was considered very weak defensively when drafted, to the point where a lot of people were thinking they might convert him to a forward. You're probably right but it's so hard to predict how well offensive d men can mature defensively.
He was considered so weak defensively that the reputation followed him to the NHL and amazingly still alive and kicking to this day.
That's true - after watching him at the dev camp after the draft I told my friend that i did not know if he would play defence at the NHL level, but in the very least he could be our next Mark Streit. When I saw him performing at the WJC a year and a half later, I was stunned at the progress he made defensively - he was already terrific.
David Thicke
Registered User
I agree with you talent wise Kuznetsov is better than the other two Russians but he's also proven to be more brittle and needs to remain healthy. His size could make it more difficult at the NHL level compared to the other two. He really excels on the big ice surface where has more time and space to use his shiftiness and speed but he can be kept more easily in check on the small ice surface. The big, quick NHL defensemen will take the body every chance they get with him. It's the injury factor that kept him down for most of the committee. I actually had him ranked higher than the other two but it was a majority rule.
The top 50 list is just a moment in time (I could have a different ranking every week or month) and will be very different by next spring because about 12-15 player will have graduated off the list based on the HF prospect criteria. The NHL lockout changed the outlook of this list. In the past, there has been player that played 55 game in the NHL but weren't graduated off because they didn't reach the 65 game criteria due to injury or multiple call-ups so we felt that we couldn't change our rule just for the Lockout. There was no way of knowing for sure if those players would have been healthy for the full 82 game as anything can happen. We stuck to our principles and follow our criteria despite people thinking it's a stupid list.
Price is Wright
Registered User
Dominator13
Registered User
Beaulieu HAS elite potential. He had an amazing 2 pre-season game camp and he shows no sign for a 20 year old that he is going to bust. Remember he had over 30 points last season on a terrible Bulldogs team as a rookie.
FlyingKostitsyn
Registered User
Yeah right. And Yannick Weber had Nicklas Lidstrom potential I suppose?
Don't get me wrong, Beaulieu is an excellent prospect but the chances he ever gets close to Subban's current level are one in a hundred.
Is Beaulieu ever mentionned when lists of future star NHL defensemen are made? I know you could have said the same about Subban years ago but then again we won't get lucky every single time. I think he'll be a solid player, definitely a top4, possibly a top2 if he gets stronger, but not a Norris contender, thats far too unlikely and unfair to him.
Maxpac said:
You could say similar things about literally hundreds of current or past NHL players that were not elite. That is unless ''elite'' doesn't mean much to you.
poetryinmotion
Registered User
- Jul 12, 2011
- 5,876
- 159
Way to go on a limb there. Cue the flood of people crying over him whenever his name is mentioned.
I'm outraged.
In my earlier post, when I called Galchenyuk average sized, I was comparing him to NHL players, not to me, not to "average " 19 year olds.
Smokey Thompson
Registered User
Average size doesnt mean much. Two players can have the same height and weight but have different builds.
Galchenyuk has that prototypical Russian body. Similar to a Kovalchuk or Ovie. Big wide frame. He's already at 205 lbs, and will probably hit 215-220 in a couple of years.
6'1" 220lbs is big and strong in my books.
Galchenyuk has that prototypical Russian body. Similar to a Kovalchuk or Ovie. Big wide frame. He's already at 205 lbs, and will probably hit 215-220 in a couple of years.
6'1" 220lbs is big and strong in my books.
Team_Spirit
95% Elliotte
- Jul 3, 2002
- 38,008
- 18,287
I was looking at his contract and he can earn $2,300,000 bonus money.
How many goals and points does he need?
http://www.capgeek.com/canadiens/
How many goals and points does he need?
http://www.capgeek.com/canadiens/
Mrb1p
PRICERSTOPDAPUCK
I don't think I ever said Beaulieu would be as good as Subban. I think I said he had the potential to be. Two different nuance.
Beaulieu has a lot of things going for as far as tools.
-He's an excellent skater
-He has stick skills and a good shot
-Offensive IQ is there
-He has size and has shown that he uses it
He simply needs to round out his defence and fill out his frame. Guys like Ryan Ellis had offense, but never the combination of being a PPQB and being a physical player.
While nothings guaranteed, as long as he develops a professional approach and a good work ethic, he is simply to talented and too naturally gifted to not be in the NHL, even if he only ends up being an average player. He could just end up being an all-the-tools-no-toolbox player, (which I even doubt, because he at least has a strong offensive IQ).
Beaulieu could certainly not meet his ceiling (or anywhere close), but after seeing him in those pre-season games, I find myself second guessing my worries about him busting. He put up good points on a bad team in Hamilton last year. I expect him to be ready in at least two years, as long as his body fills out. Right now he's 6ft2 195lbs, that's not too bad at all. If he can get up to about 215lbs he'll be able to start to establish his physical game.
______________________
As for Galchenyuk, he's simply incredible. He is still so raw in talent that we haven't even seen what it's like when he puts it all together. The encouraging thing is he doesn't seem to be a player who rests of his talent and really works hard to improve and to hustle on the ice. We have great mix of a high ceiling and a mature attitude in a prospect; something that even if it isn't all that rare is something you should cherish and really make the most of.
-He's an excellent skater
-He has stick skills and a good shot
-Offensive IQ is there
-He has size and has shown that he uses it
He simply needs to round out his defence and fill out his frame. Guys like Ryan Ellis had offense, but never the combination of being a PPQB and being a physical player.
While nothings guaranteed, as long as he develops a professional approach and a good work ethic, he is simply to talented and too naturally gifted to not be in the NHL, even if he only ends up being an average player. He could just end up being an all-the-tools-no-toolbox player, (which I even doubt, because he at least has a strong offensive IQ).
Beaulieu could certainly not meet his ceiling (or anywhere close), but after seeing him in those pre-season games, I find myself second guessing my worries about him busting. He put up good points on a bad team in Hamilton last year. I expect him to be ready in at least two years, as long as his body fills out. Right now he's 6ft2 195lbs, that's not too bad at all. If he can get up to about 215lbs he'll be able to start to establish his physical game.
______________________
As for Galchenyuk, he's simply incredible. He is still so raw in talent that we haven't even seen what it's like when he puts it all together. The encouraging thing is he doesn't seem to be a player who rests of his talent and really works hard to improve and to hustle on the ice. We have great mix of a high ceiling and a mature attitude in a prospect; something that even if it isn't all that rare is something you should cherish and really make the most of.
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