Prospect Info: Victor Mete

[ECWHSWI]

Gallagher, Hudon, deLaRose, Condon, Beaulieu and Andrighetto all graduated to regular roles in the NHL passing through Sly, Pateryn a borderliner. Admittedly, Gallagher was only there one half-season.

should wait before saying Hudon and DLR are regular NHLers...

 

[Habs Halifax]

Many people are on the fence because no matter how much we need him I think we are obligated to do what is best for the Kid at this point and not the current team. Had we a contending core the situation might be different as I posted elsewhere.
1)Finish up Junior make a run at a Memorial and a Team Canada Gold play to be a winner.
2)Settle in with the Habs on a third pairing with PP time and a huge opportunity to end up on a top pairing before the season is done.

As much as I like how door number two feels can we justify it as a bubblish squad?
I'm also not high on sending kids back after a stint in the Bigs. We have seen it negatively affect others in the same situation,

It really is a tough decision. For me, the only real problem is can he handle a 82 NHL game schedule as a small defenseman at the age of 19. I worry that he gets hurt and this derails his development.

The other thing you mentioned about the letdown of being sent down to Junior is a good point. Look at Sergachev's stats last year from Oct-Dec in junior for example. I'm not too sure Mete would be as upset because I bet he's just as surprised as we are at how good he has been at the NHL level.

Should be interesting on how it unfolds...

 

[417]

Zubrus was simply not that skilled. Nothing to do with graduating at 18. I called it the day we made that trade. The usual crowd was pumping Zubrus tire. I remember we were not a lot to say he was not very good and projected as a 2nd line player at the very best.

Del Zotto was nothing special either. I loled every time the usual crowd said he was as good as Subban when Subban was bridged by MB. I mean Del Zotto was an interesting young player and while i expected more from him i'm not surprised that much by his struggle. Defensively speaking he's not very good. I personally think Beaulieu is more skilled than Del Zotto.

Joe Thornton started on a 4th line at 18 years old. He did not even break the 10 points barrier than year. 7 points in 55 games. Yep Joe Thornton did that in his first year from a 4th line.

What can kill a young player is the lack of support from the team, not graduating at 18. If we ice Mete just to scratch him at the first defensive mistake then we should return him in the CHL. Scratching him at the first defensive mistake and calling him out in the media for not being a good person and not having rispek could jeopardize his future.

If we plan to ice him 17-18 minutes at 5 on 5 with no PP time and no PK time and replacing him in the last 5 minutes at the end of the game by Alzner when we are leading while accepting he'll do mistakes and it's part of the progression of a young player then fine. We can scratch him between 10-20 games to let him breath but ideally you tell him and everyone including the media at the beginning of the season he'll be scratched some games and it has nothing to do with sending a message that would be totally useless.

Agreed - if the Habs plan on keeping Mete, they have to be able to live with his mistakes just like they are other veterans on the team.

If they're not and expect him to play mistske-free hockey...

Then send him down

 

[nhlfan9191]

So MB's draft pick saved his butt? Isn't his job to hire someone who will draft good players?

Horr


can he still go to WJC if he stays up past the 9 games? Or its only if he goes back to JR's?

He could still go. But if he's with the team still by Christmas, it means he's a regular in the NHL. The World Juniors is nothing but a prospect spectacle and chance for kids not in the NHL to show they can one day belong which is why it would make no sense to send Mete unless he gets sent back to juniors.

 

[nhlfan9191]

How so? It could be a valuable experience.

Sending everyone to the Olympics could be a valuable experience too. Doesn't mean the NHL wants or is going to do it. The most valuable experience Mete can get if he doesn't get sent down to juniors are minutes in the NHL, not a tournament for kids under 20.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Agreed - if the Habs plan on keeping Mete, they have to be able to live with his mistakes just like they are other veterans on the team.

If they're not and expect him to play mistske-free hockey...

Then send him down

I think Julien would be much better at managing Mete's development with the big club. Mete is a humbled kid so he's going to listen to everything that he is being told and not talk back. Attitude is not a problem in this case IMO. Mete has lots of confidence because of his superior skating. He is able to create time and space and this is key in today's NHL. I just hope his upper body can handle the big boys pounding him into the glass as it's going to happen. If he stays with us...

 

[417]

I think Julien would be much better at managing Mete's development with the big club. Mete is a humbled kid so he's going to listen to everything that he is being told and not talk back. Attitude is not a problem in this case IMO. Mete has lots of confidence because of his superior skating. He is able to create time and space and this is key in today's NHL. I just hope his upper body can handle the big boys pounding him into the glass as it's going to happen. If he stays with us...

Yeah he's very poised out there which is huge for any player.

I'm more concerned with how he could potentially look in January, February...then I am concerned with how he will look early.

He's earned his spot but it'll be up to him to keep it and up to the coaching staff to put him in right situations

 

[Habs Halifax]

Yeah he's very poised out there which is huge for any player.

I'm more concerned with how he could potentially look in January, February...then I am concerned with how he will look early.

He's earned his spot but it'll be up to him to keep it and up to the coaching staff to put him in right situations

It's a good problem to have for sure! Our Bergevin prospects are finally starting to push for spots!

2012: Galchenyuk
2016: Lehkonen, Ghetto
2017: Drouin (Sergachev), Hudon, Mete, DLR
2018: Scherbak, McCarron, Lernout
2019: Juulsen, Poehling, Ikonen
2020: Brook, Bitten

That 3 year gap between 2012-2016 hurt us big time! We have other prospect options but the guys I show above are our best shots at making impacts. Kids like this on ELC is going to help us with the Cap Space we need in future years (Patch, Galchenyuk, Lehkonen, Danault)

 

[sampollock]

silver lining to this , but dark preseason, nice to see

 

[Fastpace]

It really is a tough decision. For me, the only real problem is can he handle a 82 NHL game schedule as a small defenseman at the age of 19. I worry that he gets hurt and this derails his development.

The other thing you mentioned about the letdown of being sent down to Junior is a good point. Look at Sergachev's stats last year from Oct-Dec in junior for example. I'm not too sure Mete would be as upset because I bet he's just as surprised as we are at how good he has been at the NHL level.

Should be interesting on how it unfolds...

Yes Mete would be upset as any other players would upon hearing a return to junior for another year, but here's why it's set him apart from many others , he has the ability to adjust from any situation. He's just that guy that turn something negative to positive in a heart beat, and this very much show in his plays on the ice, someone mentioned his high IQ earlier but I like to add his maturity for his age will keep him on the team playing pro hockey in the NHL this year .

 

[Habs Halifax]

Yes Mete would be upset as any other players would upon hearing a return to junior for another year, but here's why it's set him apart from many others , he has the ability to adjust from any situation. He's just that guy that turn something negative to positive in a heart beat, and this very much show in his plays on the ice, someone mentioned his high IQ earlier but I like to add his maturity for his age will keep him on the team playing pro hockey in the NHL this year .

I think you might be right. Based on his play so far, you are spot on!

 

[MSLs absurd thighs]

Any worries about Mete's ability to adjust to a long season and to the NHL are invalid and completely short-sighted.

For one, he's 19 years old. Stamina-wise I'm not even worried about this. He just has to keep playing to his strengths and playing with Weber should prevent him from getting abused repeatedly.

As for adjusting to the actual pace of the game; it should not even be a concerned, as he's probably as quick as any player in this league. He'll make mistakes. But in preseason everytime he did a bad play he came back right after and fixed his error with his skating.

There's also the Weber factor. This guy will learn a lot of things playing with Weber. From positionning to stick play and board play. He'll actually learn more there than in Juniors. Plus, him getting leveled is not as concerning as one would think. These shorter guys are harded to knock down. They have a low center of gravity and it's hard to actually catch them with a huge hit as they usually roll under the hits. McCormick pushing him after the play won't change anything about that, he just has to be careful about boneheaded players like this and he'll be fine.

To judge if a player is ready I like watching his decision-making ability, his poise, and his authority with the puck. He passes with flying colours in each of these area. Positionning, stick work and other details can be learned. But confidence, poise and Ice-Q are things that you can't learn. You have them at birth, and you develop them. Some quicker (Mete), some slower (Hudon), some never do (Beaulieu). The fact that he's quick as hell just gives him a nice little buffer to fix the mistakes he'll probably make, until he adapts to the quickness of the NHL.

 

[CanadienShark]

Any worries about Mete's ability to adjust to a long season and to the NHL are invalid and completely short-sighted.

For one, he's 19 years old. Stamina-wise I'm not even worried about this. He just has to keep playing to his strengths and playing with Weber should prevent him from getting abused repeatedly.

As for adjusting to the actual pace of the game; it should not even be a concerned, as he's probably as quick as any player in this league. He'll make mistakes. But in preseason everytime he did a bad play he came back right after and fixed his error with his skating.

There's also the Weber factor. This guy will learn a lot of things playing with Weber. From positionning to stick play and board play. He'll actually learn more there than in Juniors. Plus, him getting leveled is not as concerning as one would think. These shorter guys are harded to knock down. They have a low center of gravity and it's hard to actually catch them with a huge hit as they usually roll under the hits. McCormick pushing him after the play won't change anything about that, he just has to be careful about boneheaded players like this and he'll be fine.

To judge if a player is ready I like watching his decision-making ability, his poise, and his authority with the puck. He passes with flying colours in each of these area. Positionning, stick work and other details can be learned. But confidence, poise and Ice-Q are things that you can't learn. You have them at birth, and you develop them. Some quicker (Mete), some slower (Hudon), some never do (Beaulieu). The fact that he's quick as hell just gives him a nice little buffer to fix the mistakes he'll probably make, until he adapts to the quickness of the NHL.

I'm not sure so much about confidence, but Hudon has been touted as having very good hockey IQ since he was drafted.

 

[Habs Halifax]

should wait before saying Hudon and DLR are regular NHLers...

Well they are better than they were last year so that means the development is working and I guess you can call us foolish to expect them to get even more better as they adapt to the NHL game with more experience.

Our failed drafting from 2008-2011 and two 1st round busts (Tinordi and Leblanc) has severely tarnished our perspective of any future prospects we may have tried to develop afterwards with better draft positions. Give these kids a chance! They worked hard and deserve it for what they accomplished so far!

 

[MSLs absurd thighs]

I'm not sure so much about confidence, but Hudon has been touted as having very good hockey IQ since he was drafted.

His decision making and time-space management on the ice were not up to par a couple of years ago. Some guys get it sooner. Some later. And it's pretty clear as far as decision-making, sharpness and authority with the puck, Mete is NHL-calibre. He won't improve his decision-making by playing against Juniors. And he'll get away with poor positionning in the OHL anyway because he's already quicker than most NHL players. He won't be pressured into improving any of these two areas of this game. So we might as well let him take another step in his development.

It's the complete opposite of Sergachev last season who looked tentative with the puck, didn't look like he had a clue what he was doing, and got where he had no business to be on the ice.

 

[yianik]

I think you make good points, but where I'm coming from is that I want what's best for mete the hockey player. In the long run, is he better served staying with the big club?

I can't really answer that, but I do wonder what kinds of players zubrus, or del Zotto could have become if they didn't enter the league so quickly. OTOH, there are also players who seem to do just fine during their career after making the team quickly.

The Flyers botched up in their approach to Zubrus

When he came over there was a screw up and he was not eligible to play in juniors so had to play Jr A

Flyers brought him up because he was physically a solid man.

You can't predict what could have been, maybe the skill was never there, but I certainly think they developed him wrong.

 

[OnceWasNot]

Looks like Timmins may have finally found another gem of a defenseman outside the first round. Only took 9 years.

 

[Belial]

Can't wait for Pierre to be proven wrong once again.

 

[Runner77]

His decision making and time-space management on the ice were not up to par a couple of years ago. Some guys get it sooner. Some later. And it's pretty clear as far as decision-making, sharpness and authority with the puck, Mete is NHL-calibre.

Can't argue that he showed the above during the pre-season. Just want to see it validated further with meaningful games, esp. against those teams who will use greater physicality against him to try and get him off his game. He does have high hockey IQ and we have seen similar players adapt more quickly to physical play and to the league, so every player needs to be assessed on his own merits. Glad he's getting that opportunity.

 

[EveryDay]

Can't wait for Pierre to be proven wrong once again.

Coming from that big mouth I'm not surprise....he dump on MTL every time he can even if that's means throwing an 19 yo kids under the bus.

 

[Runner77]

I have heard McGuire praise Habs management profusely, whenever they are deserving of it but somehow no one remembers it.

He has also called the Habs on some stuff and has been both right and wrong about some others.

Bottom line, you can't spill your mind on daily show throughout the hockey season and not be wrong about something and not be perceived as someone who has misplaced allegiances.

As for his Mete view, he's said this before about other young players, especially teenage players knocking on the door of the NHL. It's his default position as an analyst and it coincides
with Bergevin's mantra about how no one will ever fault you for having a young player play an extra year in the juniors or AHL, but someone will definitely call you on it if you bring
him up too soon.

 

[Bryson]

Can't wait for Pierre to be proven wrong once again.

If Piere McGuire actually said this then I am even more hopeful for Mete's future.

 

[Scriptor]

His decision making and time-space management on the ice were not up to par a couple of years ago. Some guys get it sooner. Some later. And it's pretty clear as far as decision-making, sharpness and authority with the puck, Mete is NHL-calibre. He won't improve his decision-making by playing against Juniors. And he'll get away with poor positionning in the OHL anyway because he's already quicker than most NHL players. He won't be pressured into improving any of these two areas of this game. So we might as well let him take another step in his development.

It's the complete opposite of Sergachev last season who looked tentative with the puck, didn't look like he had a clue what he was doing, and got where he had no business to be on the ice.

Accurate outlook across the board, IMHO.

 

[G0bias]

Sending everyone to the Olympics could be a valuable experience too. Doesn't mean the NHL wants or is going to do it. The most valuable experience Mete can get if he doesn't get sent down to juniors are minutes in the NHL, not a tournament for kids under 20.

Depends what kind of minutes he's getting here come December/January. If he's down to sub 15min/game I don't see how playing 25+mins all situations as Canada's top dman for two weeks would hurt him.
Pastrnak was by all means having a good rookie season with the Bruins, they still loaned him to his national team.

Unless he's already playing top minutes here, then sure keep him.

 

[Devourers]

Coming from that big mouth I'm not surprise....he dump on MTL every time he can even if that's means throwing an 19 yo kids under the bus.

What is Monteal thinking here? They have Yann Danis, they have Jose Theodore, they have Patrick Roy's jock strap.

He seems like a big time Habs hater who just became even more bitter by not being hired. The guy thinks every prospect is the next Lemieux except for ours.

As for the prospects:

Mete - Future diamond in the rough we desperately needed IMO.
Hudon - Future potential Plekanec replacement (#2C)