Matthew Frickin' Tkachuk!

[Beninho]

Originally Posted by bigrangy

Yeah I was so, so, so, so wrong. Tkachuk is unreal.

I still think Keller might be something really special, but Tkachuk is going to be one heck of a player moving forward.

Keller is great and I wanted him over Nylander if we had to chose. Hard to say how good Keller will be but this team needed a guy like Tkachuk badly and if he continues to progress he's gonna be just so good in his prime. I think Canuck fans are gonna be killing themselves with the thought they passed on both Tkachuk and Keller for a Dman who has never produced at a PPG pace in junior.

[sun]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

So I guess some of you have changed your tune eh? 27/290 pages of the draft thread turned up beauty quotes like...






Dare I read further?

Yeah, get a load of these total losers who changed their minds once they were presented with new evidence contrary to their original position. Simpletons.

[Sylvanfan]

Tkachuck was getting a fair bit of love on NBC's hockey day US pre game show on Sunday. Right now he does appear to be the crown jewel to emerge from the St. Louis minor hockey system.

It's taken 50 years, but we are starting to see pretty good hockey systems coming into place in Pittsburgh and St. Louis in terms of being able to produce multiple NHL players. Than consider guys like Seth Jones, and Austin Matthews from non-traditional hockey regions in the US.

Going into the draft I was wanting the Flames to try and move up to get Pulijarvi. Past that I really didn't have strong convictions one way or the other. I was mostly hoping the Flames wouldn't make a Logan Brown type off the board pick. As it turns out Tkachuck's early play can't leave anyone disappointed. Thus far he's really been a real gem.

In time some of these other guys may emerge, but early on, it's going to be very tough to be critical of the Flames grabbing him with the 6th pick.

[atb]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Elite vision and hockey IQ
Great passer
Great compete
Great in the tough areas of the ice
Able to handle himself physically
Able to elevate his game in big moments

That's a pretty stellar package of skills. Tkachuk's my favourite of the Flames' group of young forwards, and regardless of age and salary, the one who I think emerges as the leader of this team.

The other big thing I see out of Tkachuk is consistency, which always seems like one of the hardest thing for young players to maintain. Playing with other really consistent players in Backlund and Frolik is great for his development as well. I see a lot what makes Corey Perry so successful, so it's exciting to think how high the ceiling for Tkachuk is.

[Bear]

I was mildly disappointed at draft day as I really wanted Dubois and I didn't get the hype over Tkachuk.

Happy to admit a large part of that was sheer ignorance to the aspects of his game that have translated beyond belief to the pro game. I tend to fall in love with highlight reel stuff more than I should in the lead up to the draft.

He's exactly what this team needed and those of us that were wrong are delighted to be so. He's my favourite player by a country mile now.

FWIW, I expressed concerns over Puljujarvi's puck handling (I think his hands are sloppy in tight areas) and the more I watch him the more I think its a legitimate concern. I'm long over due to be right about a prospect so fingers crossed he's the one.

[tvp2003]

We've been pretty spoiled by players making the jump directly to the NHL. First Monahan, then Gaudreau out of college. Bennett hasn't met expectations (as the highest ever Flames draft pick) but has still contributed at the NHL level. Now Tkachuk exceeding all expectations in just his rookie year as an 18/19 year old.

Now we just need some defensemen to graduate and hopefully Jankowski earns a spot next year as well.

[FanIn80]

A+++++ Would draft again.

[3rd Degree]

This kid is so much fun to watch, an absolute s#!t disturber! He's my favourite flame. As such, I decided to pull the trigger on his rookie game worn home set 1 jersey and his rookie game worn retro jersey. I feel like it's like having his rookie card on steroids.

[oldschoolcalgary]

its definitely funny in retrospect... i know tons of posters were upset about EDM getting Puljujarvi

but when Tkachuk slipped to 6, i know a bunch of us were thrilled...

i will be interested to see how Tkachuk develops compared to the others in the second ledge. Matthews and Laine were always a lock to be the top two, but after that it got fuzzy...

I only see the kid getting better; one thing that he always had going for him was that he was a pro even in junior; having a dad that was a long time NHL'er undoubtedly showed him the right path in terms of rest, recovery, nutrition, dedication....

without the 3M line, we' would have been out of the playoff hunt a long time ago

[Reggie Dunlop]

Wanted Tkachuk before the draft. Thrilled with the pick now.

[N-E-B]

Dvorak is a good player in his own right, but I think it's quite apparent that he was more a product of playing with Tkachuk/Marner than the other way around (which was a knock on Tkachuk at the draft).

[Beninho]

You could tell even at the young stars tournament how much he just loves competing. He embraces every part of the game which has allowed him to develop such a well rounded game for a 19 year old. I don't remember the last time a #6 pick was this NHL ready after being drafted. If he can improve his skating even marginally, whoa

[Beninho]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

Dvorak is a good player in his own right, but I think it's quite apparent that he was more a product of playing with Tkachuk/Marner than the other way around (which was a knock on Tkachuk at the draft).

I'm happy that this notion existed because it probably was one of the factors that allowed Tkachuk to drop. If he was the main man on some other OHL team I think he gets drafted higher. Dvorak is no slouch but Tkachuk is on a different level and most knowledgeable hockey fans would've agreed with that even before the draft. MT playoffs and memorial cup play was incredible regardless of his line mates.

[TheAlpineOracle]

From the minute I watched him at the Memorial Cup, I knew I wanted him over anyone in the draft not named Laine or Matthews. I always thought he might be just a passenger on that Dvorak/Marner line, but after watching a few games at the Memorial Cup, it became pretty evident he was a key cog in it and a dominant player on his own.

[Vinny01]

I wanted Matthews or one of the Finns but Tkachuk was 4th on the list for me and he has easily surpassed Puljujarvi now. Kid is a star and will be a huge part of the team and identity going forward.

Funny of our big 4 forwards Bennett would have been the guy I was least worried about moving forward. It this season has been a struggle. I still think extremely high of him just notnsure he will be better than Tkachuk, Monahan, or Gaudreau

[ASP#26525]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Dare I read further?

Yes, please! This is fun!

[polak]

I'll admit I wasn't big on Tkachuk but I'm so happy I was wrong. I thought he'd have a hard time playing the big mans game in the NHL but he's seemed to be able to adapt his game to not being one of the bigger players.

He's everything I wanted Bennett to be.

[greentree]

I loved our pick then, love it even more now.
I was--and am still--amazed the Canuckleheads passed on Tkachuk. I was convinced they would nab him.
Hahaha, Stupid Canucks!

[yourbestfriend]

Originally Posted by Beninho

I agree that people make a lot of assumptions about young players without watching them nearly enough but It is what it is. Most people don't have time to watch an entire junior game so people just watch highlight compilations and you don't really see the greatness of Tkachuk by just watching those. Making this a discussion about how posters got him wrong is pointless and happens every year, we are all happy he is thriving and should leave it at that.

It is what it is? wtf does that even mean? I think FDW's point was that most of the people who were arguing against drafting Tkachuk were not basing their arguments on watching his play but rather on baseless rumors, irrational hate and hear say. That's why he's bringing it up now. Maybe some posters should actually do a little bit of research before posting...?

No one is gonna flame you if you say, "I've watched 10 different ISO cams of Tkachuk from the knights, and i don't think he'll translate to the NHL because of x y z". Where as most of the stuff written on this board and other ones are, "he can't skate well", "he's a product of Marner, Dvorak and Matthews" without ever having watched him play.

Obviously those same posters now love him because they ACTUALLY get to watch him play. Who woulda thought?
Had they watched him in junior they woulda known the potential was there all along

[Beninho]

Originally Posted by yourbestfriend

It is what it is? wtf does that even mean? I think FDW's point was that most of the people who were arguing against drafting Tkachuk were not basing their arguments on watching his play but rather on baseless rumors, irrational hate and hear say. That's why he's bringing it up now. Maybe some posters should actually do a little bit of research before posting...?

No one is gonna flame you if you say, "I've watched 10 different ISO cams of Tkachuk from the knights, and i don't think he'll translate to the NHL because of x y z". Where as most of the stuff written on this board and other ones are, "he can't skate well", "he's a product of Marner, Dvorak and Matthews" without ever having watched him play.

Obviously those same posters now love him because they ACTUALLY get to watch him play. Who woulda thought?
Had they watched him in junior they woulda known the potential was there all along

I'm a bit confused on why you got offended by my post. Many people make assumptions off just watching highlight compilations. Which is why I said it is what it is and people will continue doing so. Before I watched the OHL playoffs and then memorial cup I thought similar things other posters thought about Tkachuk. I thought he had a productive WJC but I didn't watch him every shift and that his high production could be from playing with some great players. From watching him play shift by shift during Londons playoff run you could see why he was rated so highly and why he's been so good in the NHL. I'm still not gonna fault people who thought he was a product of his linemates because it was a legitimate worry. Don't really get why you attacked my post but some people like arguing for the sake of arguing. This is all 20/20 hindsight and sometimes people's opinions get proven incorrect, it's still unfair to get mad at someone for giving their opinion. I'm sure most people here have said something about a player which would be proven wrong, it's pretty pointless to go back and see what people were saying and then use it to shame them. Everything is in hindsight and making fun of people who thought something different before he played in the NHL is not fair. He's proved people wrong and we are all happy he is thriving. No need to embarrass