Prospect Info: Vancouver Canucks Top 25 Prospects 2015 - Final Rankings

[Catamarca Livin]

1) Boeser
2) Virtanen
3) Demko
4) Tryamkin
5) Gaunce
6) Subban
7) Stecher
8) Gaudette
9) Brisebois
10) Zalewski
11) Pedan
12) Cassels
13) Olson
14) Zhukenov
15) Sautner
16) Labate
17) Nilsson
18) Jasek
19) Laplante
20) Neill
21) McEneny
22) Garteig
23) Cederholm
24) Blomstrand
25) Stewart

The first seven were pretty easy. Blomstrand was included solely so I could make it to 25.

Good list I think the first 11 have potential nhl ability then the next 3 are possible but need progress again this year. The last 10 are very long shots.

 

[biturbo19]

It's really hard to say.

From what I've read, he was inconsistent in Utica but showed flashes of dynamic play. However, he was pretty bad when he got called up to the Canucks.

We don't really know if he's not ready for the NHL, or is just a bust. He'll be 23 when the next season starts but he'll only have about 150~ AHL + NHL games under his belt, which is less than 2 seasons' worth. So although he's at the graduate age, he hasn't really played enough games that a project D-man like him would usually need.

He's waiver-eligible next season but I don't know if anybody would pick him up. Unless he has a really good camp he should probably be sent down to Utica otherwise he'll be rotting in the press-box.

A very astute point regarding Pedan.

He's at the age and the threshold for waivers where you start looking at it as "make or break". But for a project guy like that, he really hasn't had much high level Pro experience - between injuries and ECHL assignments in the plugged up Isles system.

I think he's a guy you can slip through waivers at the right time in the preseason, and that really does seem like the best chance of getting an NHL player out of him. His development curve is likely set back a bit, and another year in the AHL likely does him good. He's going to need to be very "over-ripe" before making the jump from the looks of it.

 

[jeromemorrow]

A very astute point regarding Pedan.

He's at the age and the threshold for waivers where you start looking at it as "make or break". But for a project guy like that, he really hasn't had much high level Pro experience - between injuries and ECHL assignments in the plugged up Isles system.

I think he's a guy you can slip through waivers at the right time in the preseason, and that really does seem like the best chance of getting an NHL player out of him. His development curve is likely set back a bit, and another year in the AHL likely does him good. He's going to need to be very "over-ripe" before making the jump from the looks of it.

I'm not sure if he'll go through waivers that easily. Big and mobile dman with the willingness to fight (and winning most of them) could be useful on a lot of teams. We also gave up a former 2nd rd pick (Mallet) and a 3rd-rder (this year's 3rd rder - which came back to us) to get him. I don't think we should risk him on waivers.

If I recall correctly, he won the fastest skater and hardest shot in the Canucks skill competition. (Hansen was injured I think... Not sure about Edler at the time this took place).

 

[MS]

Pedan was absolutely terrible last season. Not even close to an NHL player.

Unless he makes a *massive* leap forward at training camp, he should be getting waived. Would be a complete waste of a roster spot, at the expense of a more deserving player.

 

[jeromemorrow]

Pedan was absolutely terrible last season. Not even close to an NHL player.

Unless he makes a *massive* leap forward at training camp, he should be getting waived. Would be a complete waste of a roster spot, at the expense of a more deserving player.

There's no deserving player on our current d corps to oust Pedan from a 7/8 spot.... unless you're suggesting to keep Biega/Sbisa over Pedan

 

[MS]

There's no deserving player on our current d corps to oust Pedan from a 7/8 spot.... unless you're suggesting to keep Biega/Sbisa over Pedan

Abso-****ing-lutely I'm suggesting we keep Biega over Pedan. They aren't even close as players.

Even Sbisa is a far better player than Pedan, although I'd rather have Pedan on the roster if we could get rid of Sbisa's nightmare contract.

Pedan just looked clueless here last year. The guy can't skate and he can't think the game at the NHL level.

 

[m9]

I'm not sure if he'll go through waivers that easily. Big and mobile dman with the willingness to fight (and winning most of them) could be useful on a lot of teams. We also gave up a former 2nd rd pick (Mallet) and a 3rd-rder (this year's 3rd rder - which came back to us) to get him. I don't think we should risk him on waivers.

If I recall correctly, he won the fastest skater and hardest shot in the Canucks skill competition. (Hansen was injured I think... Not sure about Edler at the time this took place).

Mallet was just a contract dump, and a 3rd rounder two years away is of diminished value so far away. We gave up the equivalent of maybe a 4th rounder.

I like Pedan as a prospect, but I'm the first to admit he was bad up here last year. He's in tough this year.

 

[jeromemorrow]

Abso-****ing-lutely I'm suggesting we keep Biega over Pedan. They aren't even close as players.

Even Sbisa is a far better player than Pedan, although I'd rather have Pedan on the roster if we could get rid of Sbisa's nightmare contract.

Pedan just looked clueless here last year. The guy can't skate and he can't think the game at the NHL level.

I'm not going to argue that he looked clueless out there.. But there were glimpses that he made smart plays. Besides, his physical tools and mobility as a big man is something I'll take over Biega any day. Pedan's only 23... You can get Biegas any time.


It's kind of unfair that Pedan was up in the press box quite regularly when he was called up.. and then he had to play forward. Takes time to get your timing back when ur bottled up in the press box.

 

[MS]

I'm not going to argue that he looked clueless out there.. But there were glimpses that he made smart plays. Besides, his physical tools and mobility as a big man is something I'll take over Biega any day. Pedan's only 23... You can get Biegas any time.


It's kind of unfair that Pedan was up in the press box quite regularly when he was called up.. and then he had to play forward. Takes time to get your timing back when ur bottled up in the press box.

If he can play far better at camp, great. If he can go to Utica, continue to improve, and earn a spot later, great. But there is no way he should be anywhere near our NHL roster looking how he did last year.

Completely disagree that he's 'mobile'. He's fast in straight lines when he's up to speed, which is largely useless for an NHL defender. His lateral mobility and footwork - the bit of skating that's *actually* important for a defender - absolutely sucks. His mobility is very poor for a defender at this level.

 

[jeromemorrow]

If he can play far better at camp, great. If he can go to Utica, continue to improve, and earn a spot later, great. But there is no way he should be anywhere near our NHL roster looking how he did last year.

Completely disagree that he's 'mobile'. He's fast in straight lines when he's up to speed, which is largely useless for an NHL defender. His lateral mobility and footwork - the bit of skating that's *actually* important for a defender - absolutely sucks. His mobility is very poor for a defender at this level.

Ohhh okay.. Yeah I see what you mean in terms of lateral movement and mobility. I do see that too.

With that in mind, I definitely agree on Pedan getting regular ice time in AHL.. but I just don't think the Canucks should deplete their pre-existing defensive prospects (or lack thereof) by risking Pedan on waivers.

We gave up too much for him to lose him for free... ughhh .. which brings us back to Sbisa. UGHHHHH... really wish Hammer was there instead of Sbisa.

 

[MS]

Ohhh okay.. Yeah I see what you mean in terms of lateral movement and mobility. I do see that too.

With that in mind, I definitely agree on Pedan getting regular ice time in AHL.. but I just don't think the Canucks should deplete their pre-existing defensive prospects (or lack thereof) by risking Pedan on waivers.

We gave up too much for him to lose him for free... ughhh .. which brings us back to Sbisa. UGHHHHH... really wish Hammer was there instead of Sbisa.

We gave up a mid-round pick for him. It's a sunk cost. Mallet was a worthless asset to even up contract slots.

Handing roster spots to bad players who don't deserve them solely because they're waiver eligible is terrible management. The vast majority of players clear, and Pedan would probably clear. And keeping him and sticking him in the press box for most of the season does nothing - IF he's ever going to be something, he needs to play lots for 80 games at an appropriate level. All keeping him up here to struggle and be scratched does is fully confirm he'll never be an NHL player.

 

[coldsteel79]

We gave up a mid-round pick for him. It's a sunk cost. Mallet was a worthless asset to even up contract slots.

Handing roster spots to bad players who don't deserve them solely because they're waiver eligible is terrible management. The vast majority of players clear, and Pedan would probably clear. And keeping him and sticking him in the press box for most of the season does nothing - IF he's ever going to be something, he needs to play lots for 80 games at an appropriate level. All keeping him up here to struggle and be scratched does is fully confirm he'll never be an NHL player.

He needs a full season in the ahl yet, with no fights. I think he'll get picked up on waivers though which would really suck. He's not due a contract is he? If he was given a one way deal(I know not deserving at this point) at around the million mark he might slip through waivers although Toronto would still probably grab him.

 

[jeromemorrow]

He needs a full season in the ahl yet, with no fights. I think he'll get picked up on waivers though which would really suck. He's not due a contract is he? If he was given a one way deal(I know not deserving at this point) at around the million mark he might slip through waivers although Toronto would still probably grab him.

RFA at the moment. And needs to be re-signed this summer.... along with Vey, Baertschi and Etem.

 

[VC]

I think it is reasonable to expect Pedan to clear waivers at this point. He is an intriguing prospect but hasn't shown nearly enough to warrant a roster spot. He isn't on Corrado's level last for a team willing to wait for him on the main club. Without a much improved training camp, he needs another year in the A.

 

[topheavyhookjaw]

Right now I'd have our prospects as :

1) Brock Boeser
2) Thatcher Demko
3) Nikita Tryamkin
4) Brendan Gaunce
5) Jordan Subban
6) Troy Stecher
7) Guillaume Brisebois
8) Mike Zalewski
9) Adam Gaudette
10) Andrey Pedan
11) Cole Cassels
12) Tate Olson
13) Dmitri Zhukenov
14) Joe Labate
15) Ashton Sautner
16) Carl Neill
17) Yan-Pavel Laplante
18) Lukas Jasek

... and then just garbage like Stewart, Pettit (will be a UFA June 1), Cederholm after that.

Kenins, Grenier, and Friesen are all 25 now and no longer prospects by HF standards. Virtanen and Horvat are graduated.

It's gotten a lot thinner in the last year, even with the incoming picks from this year's draft.

It looks a bit better adding the #5 and Virtanen (later in thread acknowledged you'd have him at #2). But surprisingly not many graduations off of last year's list then (just Hutton really, Horvat already had, and McCann traded).

It's mostly just bled out assets via trade and the ones that have aged out as you note.

I think the only promising thing to me is the late rounders from last draft that had positive development seasons (Olsen, Neill, Gaudette) which bodes well for cheap depth in the future. Provided they aren't dealt.

I wanted to add, I'm a huge critic of JB, but it is a bit hard to gauge prospect depth a month before the draft and compare it to post draft the year before as you're considering the graduations but not new picked players. But that said, when you see the prospects traded out of the pool, and less than a full complement of picks, it's not comforting.

 

[MS]

It looks a bit better adding the #5 and Virtanen (later in thread acknowledged you'd have him at #2). But surprisingly not many graduations off of last year's list then (just Hutton really, Horvat already had, and McCann traded).

It's mostly just bled out assets via trade and the ones that have aged out as you note.

I think the only promising thing to me is the late rounders from last draft that had positive development seasons (Olsen, Neill, Gaudette) which bodes well for cheap depth in the future. Provided they aren't dealt.

I wanted to add, I'm a huge critic of JB, but it is a bit hard to gauge prospect depth a month before the draft and compare it to post draft the year before as you're considering the graduations but not new picked players. But that said, when you see the prospects traded out of the pool, and less than a full complement of picks, it's not comforting.

Keep in mind we only had 2 picks in the top 110 last year, so it wasn't like last year's draft loading things up or anything. It's much thinner than it was at this time last season.

With guys getting traded and aging out of the system, 4 top-110 picks in 2 years isn't enough to replenish the system. Like you say, we've only had Hutton graduate and our prospect pool has taken an a huge hit over the last year.

 

[topheavyhookjaw]

Keep in mind we only had 2 picks in the top 110 last year, so it wasn't like last year's draft loading things up or anything. It's much thinner than it was at this time last season.

With guys getting traded and aging out of the system, 4 top-110 picks in 2 years isn't enough to replenish the system. Like you say, we've only had Hutton graduate and our prospect pool has taken an a huge hit over the last year.

yeah, all I'm saying is its a more helpful exercise to revisit this in August again than now. I'd expect at least some other transaction impacting the picks they'll have at the draft (not sure it'll help how we feel about this list). Just acknowledging this is a particularly arbitrary endpoint given the prospect cycle in the NHL.

 

[RobertKron]

yeah, all I'm saying is its a more helpful exercise to revisit this in August again than now. I'd expect at least some other transaction impacting the picks they'll have at the draft (not sure it'll help how we feel about this list). Just acknowledging this is a particularly arbitrary endpoint given the prospect cycle in the NHL.

The flip side is that prospects often look the best they ever will the day after the draft.

 

[kanucks25]

I'm not sure if he'll go through waivers that easily. Big and mobile dman with the willingness to fight (and winning most of them) could be useful on a lot of teams. We also gave up a former 2nd rd pick (Mallet) and a 3rd-rder (this year's 3rd rder - which came back to us) to get him. I don't think we should risk him on waivers.

If I recall correctly, he won the fastest skater and hardest shot in the Canucks skill competition. (Hansen was injured I think... Not sure about Edler at the time this took place).

Fans hang onto prospects for way too long. We keep seeing "potential" for years and years when other teams see the same player as a guy who busted a long time ago.

I doubt any of the other 29 teams see Pedan as someone worth risking a contract spot over. If he can't even make the Canucks' D then he likely won't have a chance elsewhere.

I don't think he's a complete bust yet (because the GP thing I mentioned in my earlier post) but at the same time he's not exactly a hot commodity.

 

[topheavyhookjaw]

The flip side is that prospects often look the best they ever will the day after the draft.

Maybe, but the august rankings last year don't show the recent draftees ranking artificially high at all, doesn't seem to be problem in this type of exercise (may moreso happen on lottery picks).

 

[RobertKron]

Maybe, but the august rankings last year don't show the recent draftees ranking artificially high at all, doesn't seem to be problem in this type of exercise (may moreso happen on lottery picks).

Fair enough, yeah. Stewart ahead of Gaudette.

 

[Bitz and Bites]

I think it is reasonable to expect Pedan to clear waivers at this point. He is an intriguing prospect but hasn't shown nearly enough to warrant a roster spot. He isn't on Corrado's level last for a team willing to wait for him on the main club. Without a much improved training camp, he needs another year in the A.

100% agree with this.

Keep in mind that any team thinking of making a claim for him would have to keep him on their NHL roster for the year.What team is going to do that when you can get actual NHL players off waivers as opposed to a project who really needs to develop in the AHL for another full season.