Prospect Info: Winnipeg Jets Prospects Thread 2018-19

[Daximus]

Sure, but you could also consider 1 Cup and several years of playoffs. That certainly looks like a plausible scenario for the Jets, considering their current roster, young core and future assets.

Absolutely. You just have to pick the right spot to double down. Last year was one of those years, this coming season might be as well. But if you do double down and end up losing assets you have to be prepared to maybe take a step back while young guys acclimate. And it's not like the other 6 teams in our division will be sitting on their hands during this time frame either.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

My point is that it's almost impossible to draft for need when most prospects don't make an impression in the NHL for 4-5 years after drafting.

Yeah, I get that. I'm not really advocating drafting for need - but need needs to be given some consideration. Early picks are more like 2-3 years away than your 4-5 so need is somewhat known. Maybe it should just be a matter of drafting a mix of positions in the early rounds, IDK. But I do know that endlessly drafting wingers is not going to work if you can't occasionally trade them for D & C. Maybe just try to have a good mix in the prospect pool rather than worrying about fitting the needs of the parent team.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Perreault gives the Jets a better chance to win this year than Bode Wilde or any other #38. Chevy has to balance now vs. future at this point, and if you have the horses that are serious Cup contenders, you would need a very strong rationale to weaken the team now to try to preserve some future assets. Presumably, the main goal is to win a Cup at this point, while decimating the future. I think the Jets have a very strong young core, and they still have a decent prospect pool. A player like Samberg might well fit into the top-4 in the future, and he's played a fair amount on RD. It was just a year or two ago that the main concern was with the Jets' LD pipeline, but now with Niku and Samberg (and maybe even Stanley), it doesn't look bad at all.

You've missed something somewhere. We have replacement LWs. We don't have a reliable backup goalie, even after signing one. I don't trade MP to strengthen the team. I think we weakened the team more by paying Habs to take Mason than we would by moving Perreault. You may disagree but that is not the argument you are making.

Perreault is probably no higher than 3rd on our LW depth chart. He did not have a great season last year. Not horrible either but not his usual standard. He is approaching 31 and has taken a lot of pounding. I wonder how much he has left in the tank.

Meanwhile we have several candidates to take over at LW with little loss of production - at least potentially.

 

[Whileee]

Yeah, I get that. I'm not really advocating drafting for need - but need needs to be given some consideration. Early picks are more like 2-3 years away than your 4-5 so need is somewhat known. Maybe it should just be a matter of drafting a mix of positions in the early rounds, IDK. But I do know that endlessly drafting wingers is not going to work if you can't occasionally trade them for D & C. Maybe just try to have a good mix in the prospect pool rather than worrying about fitting the needs of the parent team.

It's even less rational to go for position for high picks. Lower picks are usually at least 3-4 years away on a deep team like the Jets (see Morrissey, Roslovic, Petan, Niku, Appleton, Lemieux, etc.).

I think that a mix is desirable, but in the end you have to go with BPA. I'd bet the Jets would have liked a D or C most of the time with a high pick, but teams kill themselves by reaching for position and missing stars like Ehlers and Connor.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

It's even less rational to go for position for high picks. Lower picks are usually at least 3-4 years away on a deep team like the Jets (see Morrissey, Roslovic, Petan, Niku, Appleton, Lemieux, etc.).

I think that a mix is desirable, but in the end you have to go with BPA. I'd bet the Jets would have liked a D or C most of the time with a high pick, but teams kill themselves by reaching for position and missing stars like Ehlers and Connor.

You can find fault all day with drafting for position but BPA is not a lot better when you can't make trades to correct the imbalance.

The solution should be to do a better job of drafting for position. It looks simple but no one seems able to do it. So obviously it is harder than it looks.

BPA may be the best way to go but it isn't a very good way. It is only the best of the bad solutions.

 

[Whileee]

You can find fault all day with drafting for position but BPA is not a lot better when you can't make trades to correct the imbalance.

The solution should be to do a better job of drafting for position. It looks simple but no one seems able to do it. So obviously it is harder than it looks.

BPA may be the best way to go but it isn't a very good way. It is only the best of the bad solutions.

Drafting for position is a shaky concept because you don't know which are going to be the major gaps 3-5 years in advance.

Even if the Jets went for a really good LD in 2016 (instead of Stanley), the emergence of Niku and Samberg make that side stacked. Trouba's maneuvering all of a sudden make RD look like a gap, when it has always been considered a strength.

Draft the best C's and D's seems to be a good rule-of-thumb, but if there's a top-end winger like Ehlers, Connor, Laine or KVes available, you have to pull the trigger. Elite scoring is a rare commodity.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Drafting for position is a shaky concept because you don't know which are going to be the major gaps 3-5 years in advance.

Even if the Jets went for a really good LD in 2016 (instead of Stanley), the emergence of Niku and Samberg make that side stacked. Trouba's maneuvering all of a sudden make RD look like a gap, when it has always been considered a strength.

Draft the best C's and D's seems to be a good rule-of-thumb, but if there's a top-end winger like Ehlers, Connor, Laine or KVes available, you have to pull the trigger. Elite scoring is a rare commodity.

I've thought of that 'rule of thumb' for years. Those top end wingers falling into our laps prevented that though. Certainly would have been foolish to pass on them because of a positional bias. It is those premium wingers who have put us into contention.

I'm not sure KV falls into that same category but he still might. OTOH, so might 1 or 2 RHD who were still available when we took him. And we certainly knew of the need for RHD by that time.

We might have done better in the 2nd & 3rd rds. Maybe. But asking for an even better draft record than what Chevy has compiled might be just a little ..... hmmm, greedy?

In '12 we could have had Jake McCabe or Damon Severson instead of Sutter.
Lindell or Gostisbehere instead of Kosmachuk.
In'13 we could have had Bowey instead of Petan.
Pesce instead of Comrie.
Don't worry about goaltending. We could have had Saros instead of Lodge.

Cherry picking like crazy, I know.

 

[DEANYOUNGBLOOD17]

I was okay with the Lodge pick in 2013 at the time ( it did not work out) ...... I did want to double down on Portland and pick Bjorkstrand (Clbs) instead, since we had already drafted Petan.

 

[Whileee]

I've thought of that 'rule of thumb' for years. Those top end wingers falling into our laps prevented that though. Certainly would have been foolish to pass on them because of a positional bias. It is those premium wingers who have put us into contention.

I'm not sure KV falls into that same category but he still might. OTOH, so might 1 or 2 RHD who were still available when we took him. And we certainly knew of the need for RHD by that time.

We might have done better in the 2nd & 3rd rds. Maybe. But asking for an even better draft record than what Chevy has compiled might be just a little ..... hmmm, greedy?

In '12 we could have had Jake McCabe or Damon Severson instead of Sutter.
Lindell or Gostisbehere instead of Kosmachuk.
In'13 we could have had Bowey instead of Petan.
Pesce instead of Comrie.
Don't worry about goaltending. We could have had Saros instead of Lodge.

Cherry picking like crazy, I know.

Sure, and in 2014 we could have picked Point or Arvidsson instead of RD Glover...
...in 2011, Gaudreau over RD Serville,

Etc.

Bad picks are bad picks, regardless of position.

 

[Whileee]

Jets prospects tournament line-up is up...

 

[koth]

Joey Ratelle, 5'10", 174 lbs, 200 PIMs in the ECHL last year. Who is this guy?

 

[Mathil8]

Joey Ratelle, 5'10", 174 lbs, 200 PIMs in the ECHL last year. Who is this guy?

Seems to be a rat.

 

[Joe Hallenback]

 

[garret9]

I've thought of that 'rule of thumb' for years. Those top end wingers falling into our laps prevented that though. Certainly would have been foolish to pass on them because of a positional bias. It is those premium wingers who have put us into contention.

I'm not sure KV falls into that same category but he still might. OTOH, so might 1 or 2 RHD who were still available when we took him. And we certainly knew of the need for RHD by that time.

We might have done better in the 2nd & 3rd rds. Maybe. But asking for an even better draft record than what Chevy has compiled might be just a little ..... hmmm, greedy?

In '12 we could have had Jake McCabe or Damon Severson instead of Sutter.
Lindell or Gostisbehere instead of Kosmachuk.
In'13 we could have had Bowey instead of Petan.
Pesce instead of Comrie.
Don't worry about goaltending. We could have had Saros instead of Lodge.

Cherry picking like crazy, I know.

Aside:
My model picks McCabe, Gostisbehere, Petan, (don't have goalies built yet), and Bjorkstrand for those picks.

Would be nice...

 

[Atoyot]

Virtanen with an A in a pre-season game last night.

 

[GJF]

Dear Jets,

The guy is called Leon Gawanke. Not Jacob Gawanke. It's easy to remember because he's German and who is THE German player for the next X years? The other Leon.

Greetings from Germany,
GJF

 

[Whileee]

Dear Jets,

The guy is called Leon Gawanke. Not Jacob Gawanke. It's easy to remember because he's German and who is THE German player for the next X years? The other Leon.

Greetings from Germany,
GJF

If he keeps playing as he has, it won't matter what Jets' fans call him. He needs to improve a lot...

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

Dear Jets,

The guy is called Leon Gawanke. Not Jacob Gawanke. It's easy to remember because he's German and who is THE German player for the next X years? The other Leon.

Greetings from Germany,
GJF

He changed his name so he wouldn't have to go through his career as "the other Leon". Plus, he knows there will soon be a "Jacob" vacancy on the Jets.

 

[cbcwpg]

Clark re-signs with Icemen - The ECHL - Premier 'AA' Hockey League

The Jacksonville Icemen, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Winnipeg Jets and American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose, announced the return of forward Everett Clark for the 2018-19 season.

 

[Gil Fisher]

Clark re-signs with Icemen - The ECHL - Premier 'AA' Hockey League

The Jacksonville Icemen, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Winnipeg Jets and American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose, announced the return of forward Everett Clark for the 2018-19 season.

We're reaching for news a bit here. Is there an "Around the ECHL" thread?

 

[csk]

It might be fun to talk about the prospects we will be paying closest attention to. For me it is:

Green
Stanley
Kovacevic
Harkins
Berdin
Gustafsson

 

[Whileee]

It might be fun to talk about the prospects we will be paying closest attention to. For me it is:

Green
Stanley
Kovacevic
Harkins
Berdin
Gustafsson

For me, the prospects to watch (in order) are:

Samberg
Niku
Appleton
Lemieux
Stanley
Gustafsson
Spacek...

If Vesalainen doesn't make the Jets, then he jumps to the top of the list.

 

[Gil Fisher]

I think this is a big year for Green...first full year back from the knee surgery. I'll be more interested in 2nd half numbers.

I think Lemieux-Appleton-Vesalainen would be a monster first line in the A.

 

[Whileee]

I think this is a big year for Green...first full year back from the knee surgery. I'll be more interested in 2nd half numbers.

I think Lemieux-Appleton-Vesalainen would be a monster first line in the A.

Green needs to learn how to play D. I'll be interested to see if he can be reliable defensively before thinking too much about his productivity.

 

[ffh]

For me, the prospects to watch (in order) are:

Samberg
Niku
Appleton
Lemieux
Stanley
Gustafsson
Spacek...

If Vesalainen doesn't make the Jets, then he jumps to the top of the list.

Stanley should be higher up but the kid we got in the 3rd round this year will be worth keeping an eye on.