Prospect Info: Who is the Canucks #15 prospect?

[pitseleh]

I like how so many people go with Subban when Cassels was ranked above him by pretty much the entire league a month ago.

Voted Cannata.

Perhaps... I just get the feeling that if his last name was Blooblan than he wouldn't be getting a fraction of this recognition.

Voted Cannata

Been answered by a couple of people already, but I've been going with Subban for a while because he was a top offensive defender in the CHL on a poor offensive team. In terms of production, you can put his numbers up against any defenceman taken in the first round this past year.

I know there's a lot of concern about his size, but the kid is already built like a tank, and look at the impact a similarly sized player in Torey Krug had this past playoffs.

The bigger question with Subban, for me, is whether he learns to play defence. I've been voting for him for a while because I'm a lot more confident he can learn to play defence than I am most of the next seven picks will learn to play offence (McNally and Hutton excluded). Subban, if he learns to play defence, is a top-4 defender.

I don't really like low upside guys. Guys who barring an Alex Burrows like miracle will be fourth liners (Mallet, Blomstrand, Archibald) or bottom pairing defenders who don't bring offence (Tommernes, Andersson) are the types of players that are freely available on the waiver wire or as cheap UFAs every season. There isn't much value in developing them yourself. Same with goalies (Cannata).

 

[Verviticus]

or bottom pairing defenders who don't bring offence (Tommernes, Andersson) are the types of players that are freely available on the waiver wire or as cheap UFAs every season. There isn't much value in developing them yourself. Same with goalies (Cannata).

tommernes is, by definition, an offensive defenceman

 

[pitseleh]

tommernes is, by definition, an offensive defenceman

He might be, but he's one without much of a track record of actually producing offense outside of one decent year in 2010/11. He strikes me as a Lukas Krajicek type - a player who is pegged as an offensive defender simply because he doesn't bring much defensively or physically. Maybe I'm writing him off unfairly, but there isn't much in his record to suggest to me that he's going to produce offense at the NHL level.

 

[Saturated Fats]

Thanks for doing this for me. I have been AFK for a few days.

 

[Southern_Canuck]

...or bottom pairing defenders who don't bring offence (Tommernes, Andersson) are the types of players that are freely available on the waiver wire or as cheap UFAs every season.

I can't say much for Andersson, however one thing that Tommernes showed in my limited exposure to him is a high level of confidence - kind of like Corrado. If he is the type of player that keeps that confidence even as the level of hockey ramps up, then he will have a chance.

It is his size and "stick-checkingness" that are his weak points - his vision and awareness are above average.

S_C

 

[Intoewsables]

I don't really like low upside guys. Guys who barring an Alex Burrows like miracle will be fourth liners (Mallet, Blomstrand, Archibald) or bottom pairing defenders who don't bring offence (Tommernes, Andersson) are the types of players that are freely available on the waiver wire or as cheap UFAs every season. There isn't much value in developing them yourself. Same with goalies (Cannata).

Couldn't agree more.

Voted LaBate. I still think he can be a decent middle-six forward down the road.

 

[arsmaster*]

Been answered by a couple of people already, but I've been going with Subban for a while because he was a top offensive defender in the CHL on a poor offensive team. In terms of production, you can put his numbers up against any defenceman taken in the first round this past year.

I know there's a lot of concern about his size, but the kid is already built like a tank, and look at the impact a similarly sized player in Torey Krug had this past playoffs.

The bigger question with Subban, for me, is whether he learns to play defence. I've been voting for him for a while because I'm a lot more confident he can learn to play defence than I am most of the next seven picks will learn to play offence (McNally and Hutton excluded). Subban, if he learns to play defence, is a top-4 defender.

I don't really like low upside guys. Guys who barring an Alex Burrows like miracle will be fourth liners (Mallet, Blomstrand, Archibald) or bottom pairing defenders who don't bring offence (Tommernes, Andersson) are the types of players that are freely available on the waiver wire or as cheap UFAs every season. There isn't much value in developing them yourself. Same with goalies (Cannata).

Torrey Krug has 2 NHL regular season games. I wouldn't be basing my views of Subban based on him.

There are very few dmen that size in the NHL.

 

[pitseleh]

Torrey Krug has 2 NHL regular season games. I wouldn't be basing my views of Subban based on him.

There are very few dmen that size in the NHL.

I'd be surprised if Subban didn't end up the same size as a guy like Kimmo Timonen or Tobias Enstrom by the time he's done growing. He might end up an inch shorter, but he's also built a lot thicker than those guys. I don't think height in and of itself is a determining factor for defencemen - weight and reach are far more important in terms of actually being able to play. I don't think Subban will have any problem reaching a weight that will allow him to play against NHL forwards, and if his brothers are any indication, his wingspan is probably well in excess of his height.

Other guys have succeeded with a similar build - Brian Rafalski, Francis Bouillon, Brian Campbell, Lubomir Visnovsky, Mark Streit, etc.

 

[Vankiller Whale]

Cannata, followed by either McEneny or Subban.

 

[Wisp]

There's still some intriguing names in the teens, huh?

 

[Blue Suede Shoes]

There's still some intriguing names in the teens, huh?

Agreed. Our prospect pool has become pretty deep, very nice to see.


If Cannata wins this, then there are a few forwards I'll vote for next. But I'm not sure how to rank them. As far as I see them...

Archibald - closest to reaching nhl
Lain - likeliest to have long career
Labate - highest upside

 

[Luongos Knob]

Horvat=M.Richards
Shinkaruk=Versteeg
Gaunce=Laich
Jensen=Michalek
Schroeder=Roy
Kassian=Stewart

boom

 

[604]

Is it just me or does our prospect pool not suck anymore?

Things always look up until they're not.

I think with prospects we always think we're getting better but at the end of the day, prospect rankings and all that stuff on a macro level doesn't matter, it's how your 4 or 5 best prospects are doing on a micro level that matters because they're the only ones who are going to make a difference (and likely only 2 or 3 of them will actually have an impact at the NHL level.

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

Gotta go Archibald as he'll likely get a cup of coffee in the NHL this season unless he hardcore regressed.