Nick Larson article

[Reggie Dunlop]

Link (http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/06/22/sports/local/10424172.txt)

Looks like he'll be spending another season in the USHL before college (Notre Dame).

[Reggie Dunlop]

These third and fourth round types are always the most intriguing, because that's where the scouting staff really need to do their homework.

In the first two rounds you've usually got a fair number of reasonable choices, and in the last few rounds, you're basically taking a flier.

If one or more of Bouma, Brodie and Larson pan out (on top of Wahl and Nemisz) that's an excellent draft.

[loknessmonsters]

On average you would need two kids a year to make your NHL roster going forward. In a deep draft like this years I would think that most teams would like to get 3.
Every second year you need either a top 3 or top 6 forward and you need a top 4 d-man.
That tends to be the cycle that is needed to be a top 10 team in the league. Any better than that and you become the San Jose Sharks or the Detroit Red Wings. Any less than that you risk becoming the Florida Panthers.
The real key is finding those top 3 forwards every second year.

[Reggie Dunlop]

If the kid was named Niklas Larssen from Modo, I think more folks would be all over the selection.

I think he's this draft's sleeper pick. A two-way player with the potential to be more of an offensive type. If not, then he's still in the Johnny Armstrong mold - a potentially solid player.

[ricoFlame]

his coaches name is P.K. O'Handley. that sounds about as real as Mclovin.

hopefully he is a sleeper. sounds like he is a long ways off if he sees the Notre Dame thing through.

[Canada 02]

his coaches name is P.K. O'Handley. that sounds about as real as Mclovin.

hopefully he is a sleeper. sounds like he is a long ways off if he sees the Notre Dame thing through.sounds like that is a positive from the Flames perspective. Hold his rights for upto 5 years, giving him plenty of time to develop, and the Flames time to make a decison on whether to one day sign him

[Tilley]

Add me to the group that thinks Larson will be a sleeper. If he spends another year in the USHL I'll have a chance to catch a couple of games. Everything I have found regarding Larson has been very positive about his ability increase his offfensive output. He could end up being a real find.

[Bingo]

doesn't bother me at all that the Devils were sniffing around him as well ... Conte likes is all good for me

[dustygoon]

Here is another article on Larson from April. I love when you see breakdown of stat trends.....improving as the season went on, playoff performance, etc.

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/04/11/sports/local/10263199.txt

After a typically slow rookie start, Larson has developed exponentially over the last half of the USHL season.

Through 30 games, he had just five goals and 11 points. In his last 27 games, Larson has 14 goals and 13 assists, including an incredible six-point game last Friday in a 7-1 win over Green Bay, where he had a goal and five assists.

"The first half of the year was really about getting used to the talent level of the league and everything that was coming at me," Larson said. "This last half ... I felt more relaxed mentally and have just started playing my game."

Simply put, Larson's game is to get in front of the net and cause havoc. And he's been successful at it after he added 15 pounds of muscle to his frame through the Black Hawks' strength and condition program, which was developed by Northern Iowa Exercise Science graduate student Blake Palmer.

"He is a big kid who skates really well. When he is playing physical, he is playing at his best," O'Handley said.

[SparkyOne]

I should be able to see Larson quite a bit this fall. I'm working with a client in Cedar Rapids til the end of the year....and not only is Waterloo only 40 miles from CR, but the Black Hawks also play the Rough Riders quite a bit.

Plus my client has season tickets in CR...

[Vulcan]

sounds like that is a positive from the Flames perspective. Hold his rights for upto 5 years, giving him plenty of time to develop, and the Flames time to make a decison on whether to one day sign him

That development time only goes so far as by 27, everybody becomes a UFA and if they don't play enough games in the NHL, like Nystrom, he becomes a UFA sooner. I don't think Sutter drafts these guys with a five year plan before he can get a hold of them. Three more years at the most before turning pro and a draft pick starts to give diminishing returns.

[Canada 02]

That development time only goes so far as by 27, everybody becomes a UFA and if they don't play enough games in the NHL, like Nystrom, he becomes a UFA sooner. I don't think Sutter drafts these guys with a five year plan before he can get a hold of them. Three more years at the most before turning pro and a draft pick starts to give diminishing returns.the 5 year thing are words from both Sutter and Button

[Vulcan]

the 5 year thing are words from both Sutter and Button

Never heard that.
Well like you said "up to five years" and I'm making the point that every year past two or three starts to yield a diminishing return. Players out of Canadian junior generally turn pro at 20 and then Sutter has said words to the effect that with the new agreement, they should be knocking on the NHL door within 3 years.