www.todaysslapshot.com 'Canes draft preview

StevenToddIves

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May 18, 2013
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You are very, very high on Fleury and Ned huh? Solid read.

I am indeed. I admit it is always difficult to project goaltenders, but Nedeljkovic's athleticism is off the charts and I love his fire. Fleury -- I am very confident he will develop into a top-pairing NHL-er.

Thanks for the kind words!
 

Boom Boom Apathy

I am the Professor. Deal with it!
Sep 6, 2006
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What I find a bit amusing, is that Francis took a couple of plays right out of JR's playbook by drafting 2 from Plymouth and one of them being a nepotism pick (Wesley), yet the article calls out Rutherford for drafting too many Plymouth players. :laugh:

Other than that, it was an enjoyable article to read. It's frequently gloom and doom about prospects around here so nice to see someone else have be high on a couple of the guys. I hope your optimism is right on Fleury and Ned.

I was also interested to see Pesce viewed so highly. Most around here have Carrick, McKeown, and maybe even Slavin rated over him, although, admittedly it's been viewed as a bit of a toss-up.
 

FlyingSquirrels

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Jul 5, 2011
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Very well done Steven. Especially like the comment about Warren Foegele. We are definitely not used to hearing "Hurricanes" and "draft steal" in the same sentence.

And your review of Rutherford is excellent too. He has left us in shambles, and that's putting it kindly.
 

Unsustainable

Bunch of Jerks
Apr 14, 2012
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Charlotte, NC
I'm excited for the Draft and really hope Hanifin falls to us.

I think Greenway goes early, but my pick has been Fischer in the 2nd.

3rd I haven't studied enough.

A future of:
Hanifin - Faulk
Fluery - (who ever pans out)
(Whoever pans out) - Murphy

That just makes me happy.
 

bleedgreen

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Dec 8, 2003
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Last time we drafted for physicality and size it was a disaster. As much as I think we are the wussiest team in the league, we can't draft for need like that. If the players are equal, the one more likely to play with some gumption is fine with me.
 

StevenToddIves

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May 18, 2013
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Thanks for the kind words, guys!

There is a solid chance Hanifin falls to you in the first, and I am confident Greenway will be around for you at the #35 pick. Hanifin is a can't-miss star, while Greenway is a bit of a project but has a tantalizing mix of size and skating.

I think Ron Francis has the Hurricanes swirling in the right direction and can't wait to see what he does at the 2015 draft.
 

NotOpie

"Puck don't lie"
Jun 12, 2006
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North Carolina
Unless Greenway was hurt significantly his production is a red flag. His lack of scoring with his size and skill is a red flag. Most importantly, the reports of lack of effort and conditioning is a red flag. Roslovic, Fischer, Novak, Nattinen, or Yan....without a doubt would be very solid options. I don't want Greenway given that other, seemingly superior options should still be on the board.

My fantasy is that Paul Bittner somehow falls to us (assuming we get Hanifin in Rd. 1). I do believe that if we get one of the forward prospects in the 1st round, we're likely to pick up one of the falling blueliners (Meloche, Carlo, Pilon, Andersson, or Zboril).
 

DaveG

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Apr 7, 2003
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Call me crazy on this one, for the exact same reasons that Bleed just stated above, but I would LOVE if the team ended up with Greenway and Der Kolisar in this draft. Greenway is as boom or bust as anyone in this draft but he could easily be a premier PF, I honestly think he has more raw talent then Lucic did in his draft year. Kolisar is one of the more underrated players in the entire draft.
 

StevenToddIves

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May 18, 2013
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Call me crazy on this one, for the exact same reasons that Bleed just stated above, but I would LOVE if the team ended up with Greenway and Der Kolisar in this draft. Greenway is as boom or bust as anyone in this draft but he could easily be a premier PF, I honestly think he has more raw talent then Lucic did in his draft year. Kolisar is one of the more underrated players in the entire draft.

My new 2-round mock just was published on TSS: http://www.todaysslapshot.com/nhl-prospects-2/2-round-nhl-mock-draft-2015-updated-for-june/13/

I have the Canes doing quite well. I agree with you that Jordan Greenway and Keegan Kolesar are the type of players Carolina could really benefit from.
 

GoldiFox

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Apr 21, 2014
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NotOpie

"Puck don't lie"
Jun 12, 2006
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Call me crazy on this one, for the exact same reasons that Bleed just stated above, but I would LOVE if the team ended up with Greenway and Der Kolisar in this draft. Greenway is as boom or bust as anyone in this draft but he could easily be a premier PF, I honestly think he has more raw talent then Lucic did in his draft year. Kolisar is one of the more underrated players in the entire draft.

Call me crazy Dave, but I'd rather have Chlapik, Ahl, Fischer, or even Senyshyn than Greenway. I agree he's boom or bust player, but if we end up with Hanifin in the 1st round, we need a 2nd rounder that brings us a forward that can be closer to a sure thing. Fischer and Ahl actually are also good skaters from what I've seen and read. Senyshyn is one of those mystery guys. He's either going to go too high or he's going to drop some in my opinion.
 

NotOpie

"Puck don't lie"
Jun 12, 2006
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I like Ahl too, a LOT actually, so I'd be very much in favor of him if he's our pick.

Yeah, there are a couple of mocks I've seen where they have us picking him, and I'd be fine with that. My big point is I think we have to go with forwards early and often in this draft because the backend is much deeper in the middle rounds. There will still be good blueline value in the 4th and 5th rounds.
 

Penaltykiller17

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Apr 21, 2015
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Raleigh, NC
What I find a bit amusing, is that Francis took a couple of plays right out of JR's playbook by drafting 2 from Plymouth and one of them being a nepotism pick (Wesley), yet the article calls out Rutherford for drafting too many Plymouth players. :laugh:

Other than that, it was an enjoyable article to read. It's frequently gloom and doom about prospects around here so nice to see someone else have be high on a couple of the guys. I hope your optimism is right on Fleury and Ned.

I was also interested to see Pesce viewed so highly. Most around here have Carrick, McKeown, and maybe even Slavin rated over him, although, admittedly it's been viewed as a bit of a toss-up.

I think Carolina's prospects are ranked low is because most media doesn't pay much attention to us. Also, most of our top prospects aren't playing in the AHL. Fleury, McKeown, Pesce, Ned, and Tolchinsky have yet to receive ice time in Charlotte.
 

Boom Boom Apathy

I am the Professor. Deal with it!
Sep 6, 2006
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I think Carolina's prospects are ranked low is because most media doesn't pay much attention to us. Also, most of our top prospects aren't playing in the AHL. Fleury, McKeown, Pesce, Ned, and Tolchinsky have yet to receive ice time in Charlotte.

I wasn't commenting about the media's view on our prospects, I was talking about our own on this board. re: the guys you mention:

Fleury: Most are down on him because his offensive numbers regressed in year 2. I still think that's just a bump in the road and he'll be fine. All the qualities that got him drafted so high still exist.
McKeown: A bit of Shiny new toy syndrome so people are a bit higher on him, but he's not a sure-fire NHL'r by any means.
Pesce: I'm actually higher on Pesce than many others. I'm also probably less informed than many others :laugh:, but on this board, McKeown, Carrick and probably even Slavin are viewed higher than Pesce.
Ned: Agree, I think most on this board are still pretty high on him, but recognize he's a ways off.
Tolchinsky: A portion of the board might be overly optimistic on this guy. This year in the AHL will say a lot for me.

But even beyond that, there isn't a guy in the AHL that I would say is banging down the door to be at the NHL level soon, other than maybe Jordan and Biega. And even those guys aren't sure things and would be 5/6/7 guys. Francis has a long way to go to build via the draft / develop mantra, but having 10 picks this year and an extra 1st (LAK) and extra 3rd (WPG) next year can go a long way. Add Marner/Hanifin, a solid pick in the 2nd round this year, and two more 1st round picks next year and our depth is suddenly much better.
 

nobuddy

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Oct 13, 2010
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Yeah, I'd love to be proven wrong but I really don't think Tolchinsky amounts to anything.

Agree on Pesce, higher on him than I am on most.

Disagree on McKeown. I definitely regard him higher than Slavin, Pesce, Carrick, etc. He was considered a first round talent by many last year for a reason. His pedigree and natural skillset is better than any of those guys.
 

NotOpie

"Puck don't lie"
Jun 12, 2006
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North Carolina
I, too, am very high on Pesce. This year in Charlotte will certainly be telling for him. I am also much higher on Carrick that some seem to be. I believe we will see a fair sampling of him in Raleigh this year. I also think the team will cut bait on some of our lesser defensive prospects - Rissanen, Levi, Schmitz - especially with Jenkins, Slavin, and Robertson all showing promise at various levels.

On the forward side I think we've got some interesting options. Di Giuseppe and McGinn really need to show something this year, some sort of marked progression for them to live up to their billing as potential NHLers. Continued progress from Woods would be a significant development. Also, if Greg Nemisz shows up like he did at the beginning of last year (prior to injury), he too has "late bloomer" potential and I wouldn't rule him out. Finally, I'd say that this is the last opportunity for Brody Sutter and Justin Shugg to put some sort of mark on their future. I thought Shugg looked pretty good during his brief call up, but Sutter hasn't shown quite the scoring prowess of his junior years. There may always be room for these kind of guys in our minor league system as the grizzled vets, etc. But at some point they will likely be replaced by other "up and comers".

I'm not particularly hopeful for either Jared Staal or Patrick Brown. Maybe their size helps carry the day for them, but I just don't see it.
 

bleedgreen

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I watched the Charlotte game where they all played, and while it was a small sample obviously it did some basic looks at what we have.

Pesce - has moved up the most. He's quick for being pretty big, heads up, keeps it simple and moves the puck. Hits pretty hard. I was indifferent, now I'm impressed. He may actually the closest to stealing a job.

Fluery - most skilled, has a J-bo feel overall. Is hesitant and lacks confidence. Great skater for the size. Highest ceiling makes sense.

Carrick - most physical with the biggest shot, skating is really choppy. Transitions from forward to backward were ugly at times. Looks like a bottom pair guy unless the skating gets better. I've watched him a bunch, not just this game.

Mckeown - tough to read. I've watched his junior games and he's used to being the top dog, on the pp too. Great lateral movement, good overall skill level, isn't afraid to jump up and hit or join the play. Will throw himself in front of anything to keep it out of his net. Love all that but it seemed he was more of a jack of trades and master of none. His offense is good but not dominating, defensive effort is there but he seems to be chasing too much, willing hitter but obviously not all filled in yet. Looks like he could be a good 3-4 guy. He could be a Faulk level guy, but with more natural offensive abilities.

I like Pesce and Mck a lot. They could really make it. Fluery will make it, but I don't know to what level yet. He's the only top pairing type of the bunch. I feel I may have over rated Carrick in my head for awhile. If he makes it even to the bottoms pairing it's still a big plus.

I have little invested in tolchinsky. Hope to be proved wrong.

Id never seen Pesce before this game, but I'd watched the others. Tough to judge Fluery, I'm sure he'll get more confident. We need to not rush him.
 
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