Flames vs Oilers vs Canucks prospects Battle Royale

[Street Pharmacist]

I thought it would be a completely useless but fun exercise to compare our top ten prospects vs the other two rivals in a one on one epic ten round battle. What else can we talk about when there's no news?

What really struck me was not the quality at the top, which I think it's fantastic, but it was interesting to see how much more the flames have in the 7th+ best prospects compared to the other two teams. The depth of prospects is quite impressive.

Caveats:
-Done by a Flames fan with the inevitable homerisms, and greater familiarity with Flames prospects vs the others
-Used our top 4 already voted on and made the rest up myself. Many people may disagree with my yup ten because it leaves out many great prospects
-Used the current HFBoards polls on the Oilers and Canucks boards. Both are only at 7, so I added the next three to vote getters. That means things may change, but good enough for me.
-Prospects listed Calgary vs Edmonton vs Vancouver if you're not sure who is whose
-I've never watched any of these players live except the few abbotsford heat and flames games I've seen the flames prospects in
-Edmonton is no good, and Vancouver is also no good

ROUND ONE

Gaudreau vs Draisaitl vs Horvat

This one is actually a tough one. Horvat is out very early here IMO. No real progression this year, many people suggesting he may only be a 3rd line center. Draisaitl looks to be a pretty good bet to make a solid second line type center. Gaudreau looks to be electrifying, but definitely some question marks about how his game translates to the NHL (not in my mind, but a partial observer may feel so.

1st Place: Gaudreau (CGY)
2nd Place: Draisaitl (EDM)
3rd Place: Horvat (VAN)

ROUND TWO

Bennett vs Nurse vs Virtanen

Nurse fits Edmonton's needs more than Bennett, but isn't a better prospect IMO. On no planet is Virtanen a better than Bennett or Nurse.

1st Place: Bennett (CGY)
2nd Place: Nurse (EDM)
3rd Place: Virtanen (VAN)


ROUND THREE

Baertschi vs Marincin vs Shinkaruk

Baertschi showed much more than Shinkaruk in junior, but took a step back this year. Shinkaruk was injured this year and tougher to gauge because of it, but I think most would still believe Baertschi to be a better prospect. Marincin is not maybe as talented as the other two, but has at least shown he can play the pro game. Baertschi still for me but I could see an argument for Marincin due to both of their last seasons.

1st Place: Baertschi (CGY)
2nd Place: Marincin (EDM)
3rd Place: Shinkaruk (VAN)


ROUND FOUR

Poirier vs Klefbom vs Jensen

Poirier has shown incredible speed, a great scoring touch and a very gritty game. Impressive. Klefbom showed early in his career some glimpses of what could be a great defenseman. Unfortunately, injuries hampered his progression as did learning to play in North America. Jensen isn't really an exciting LW prospect, but he's tall I guess. Not in the same stratosphere as Poirier or Klefbom.

1st Place: Poirier (CGY)
2nd Place: Klefbom (EDM)
3rd Place: Jensen (VAN)


ROUND FIVE

Granlund vs Yakimov vs Gaunce

Granlund has shown he can play pro in the AHL while posting over a PPG in his first year as pro in North America. Yakimov is a 6'5" string bean with a career PIM high of. Apparently quite skilled but stats suggest he's not the Lucic clone some want him to be, and hasn't every put up any points. Gaunce is a decent prospect I guess as a 2012 PPG Center in the OHL. The trouble is he's still only a PPG center as a 20 year old in the OHL. No real progression, but there might be something there.

1st Place: Granlund (CGY)
2nd Place: Gaunce (VAN)
3rd Place: Yakimov (EDM)

[Street Pharmacist]

ROUND SIX

Klimchuk vs Khaira vs McCann

Klimchuk showed a very nice increase in his PPG this year, and had a great development camp. Khaira is a big 6'4" LW/C that supposedly plays with some edge and put up 44 pts on 59 games with the Silvertips as a 19th last year. McCann was a first round center from this year's draft that put up a PPG while being considered one of the better 2 way forwards in the draft. Really tough call, but Klimchuk has a higher curling IMO.

1st Place: Klimchuk (CGY)
2nd Place: McCann (VAN)
3rd Place: Khaira (EDM)


ROUND SEVEN

Reinhart vs Simpson vs Corrado

Reinhart 2 almost a PPG center and lead his AHL team in scoring as a 22 year old in his 2 year pro. Dillon Simpson is entering his first year as a pro. The former 4th round pick has two 0.5 PPG seasons as a defenseman for UND. Corrado is (apparently) a good skating defenseman that makes a good first pass. Not an offensive threat to date on his career. Easy choice to go with Max.

1st Place: Max Reinhart (CGY)
2nd Place: Corrado (VAN)
3rd Place: Simpson (EDM)


ROUND EIGHT

Wotherspoon vs Chase vs Vey

Wotherspoon is a rugged stay at home defenseman who earned a spot on the big club late in the season as a 20 year old after impressing the coach in Abbotsford and if expect him to stay there. Greg Chase is a 19 year old center that just finished his 4th season with the Hitmen where he put up 85 points in 70 games. Not bad for a seventh round pick. Linden Vey is a RW that was recently acquired by Vancouver from the Kings. He's just came off a season where he put up over a PPG in the AHL and earned a call up to the Kings.

1st Place: Wotherspoon (CGY)
2nd Place: Vey (VAN)
3rd Place: Chase (EDM)


ROUND NINE

Ortio vs Moroz vs Demko

Ortio was one of if not the best Goalie in the AHL most of the season last year and the biggest reason for any success in Abbotsford. Moroz is a big LW who just finished his 5th season with the Oil Kings and put up ok numbers. Demko was often rated as the best goalie in this year's draft.

1st Place: Ortio (CGY)
2nd Place: Demko (VAN)
3rd Place: Moroz (EDM)


ROUND TEN

Arnold vs Ewanyk vs Hutton

Arnold is awesome and I haven't heard of these other two guys. Ewanyk had 5 seasons as a center with the Oil Kings and had a career high of 27 points in 70 games. And he's smallish. Hutton is a defenseman worth the University of Maine and had a really nice looking season last year doubling his offensive output.

1st Place: Arnold (CGY)
2nd Place: Hutton (VAN)
3rd Place: Ewanyk (EDM)




That still leaves an awful lot of decent prospects in Calgary's stable and it doesn't look like there's much left to talk about for the other two teams.


Are there any you disagree with?

Did I miss someone?

[Caged Great]

Personally, I'd take Corrado and Vey over Reinhart and Wotherspoon but it's close.

In every other case, I would take the Flame player in those matchups. The Flames might just have the deepest overall system in the NHL. Still lacking high end skill though, especially on the back end.

[ripTDR]

Homerism wins out on any message board....weeee!

[Psytic]

I'm thinking Draisital over Gaudreau if we are going by likelihood of making an NHL impact over total upside.

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by Psytic

I'm thinking Draisital over Gaudreau if we are going by likelihood of making an NHL impact over total upside.

You're kidding right? Homerism aside, Gaudreau has shown a hell of a lot more evidence of becoming a legit NHLer than Driasaitl. Small sample sizes, however Johnny scored a goal in his first NHL game and played incredible in 8 games vs other NHLers at the WHC. Prior to this he absolutely owned the NCAA. What has Draisaitl shown? He barely outscored Bennett in Junior.

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by MisterJoji

You're kidding right? Homerism aside, Gaudreau has shown a hell of a lot more evidence of becoming a legit NHLer than Driasaitl. Small sample sizes, however Johnny scored a goal in his first NHL game and played incredible in 8 games vs other NHLers at the WHC. Prior to this he absolutely owned the NCAA. What has Draisaitl shown? He barely outscored Bennett in Junior.

I love me some Gaudreau, but Draisaitl is an 18 year old 3rd overall pick. No doubt Draisaitl has more of a chance of becoming an everyday NHLer over Gaudreau.

[Drury18]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

ROUND THREE

Baertschi vs Marincin vs Shinkaruk

Baertschi showed much more than Shinkaruk in junior, but took a step back this year. Shinkaruk was injured this year and tougher to gauge because of it, but I think most would still believe Baertschi to be a better prospect. Marincin is not maybe as talented as the other two, but has at least shown he can play the pro game. Baertschi still for me but I could see an argument for Marincin due to both of their last seasons.

1st Place: Baertschi (CGY)
2nd Place: Marincin (EDM)
3rd Place: Shinkaruk (VAN)

Sorry but no. No way does Baertschi win this one over Marincin. Not after this past season.

Baertschi spent last season sliding backwards starting at Prospect Camp. Poor prospect camp, average training camp, ran into roadblocks while on the Flames, struggled with Abbotsford until late in the season when he showed a brief maybe month of brilliance and then faded away into obscurity again. He did not get an invite to play for Switzerland, who isn't exactly a world power hockey team, in the Olympics. He really just had a bad year that all he can do is put it behind him and move forward. It happens, he's young.

Marincin took a huge jump forward last season. He started in OKC where he played a strong defensive game that earned him a call up to the Oilers.It can be argued that the Oilers aren't deep on Defence, and that's fine, but Marincin still made it to the big club and stuck there after his 2nd call up in late December. And played in a Top 4 role. His play also earned him a spot on the Slovak Olympic Team. His development and professional progression both took a huge step forward.

Just with how different both seasons went and how it looks like now Marincin is a full time NHL player with Edmonton while Baertschi is still a bubble player, I can't see how Baertschi wins this one.

..now excuse me, I need to go shower with bleach for defending an Oiler not named Horak.

[Tinordi]

/homer goggles

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by CalgaryFan1988

I love me some Gaudreau, but Draisaitl is an 18 year old 3rd overall pick. No doubt Draisaitl has more of a chance of becoming an everyday NHLer over Gaudreau.

Based on what?

[Textcritic]

ROUND ONE

1st Place: Gaudreau (CGY)
2nd Place: Draisaitl (EDM)
3rd Place: Horvat (VAN)


ROUND TWO

1st Place: Bennett (CGY)
2nd Place: Nurse (EDM)
3rd Place: Virtanen (VAN)


ROUND THREE

1st Place: Marincin (EDM)
2nd Place: Baertschi (CGY)
3rd Place: Shinkaruk (VAN)


ROUND FOUR

1st Place: Poirier (CGY)
2nd Place: Klefbom (EDM)
3rd Place: Jensen (VAN)


ROUND FIVE

1st Place: Granlund (CGY)
2nd Place: Gaunce (VAN)
3rd Place: Yakimov (EDM)


ROUND SIX

1st Place: Klimchuk (CGY)
2nd Place: McCann (VAN)
3rd Place: Khaira (EDM)


ROUND SEVEN

1st Place: Corrado (VAN)
2nd Place: Max Reinhart (CGY)
3rd Place: Simpson (EDM)


ROUND EIGHT

1st Place: Vey (VAN)
2nd Place: Wotherspoon (CGY)
3rd Place: Chase (EDM)


ROUND NINE

1st Place: Ortio (CGY)
2nd Place: Demko (VAN)
3rd Place: Moroz (EDM)


ROUND TEN

1st Place: Arnold (CGY)
2nd Place: Hutton (VAN)
3rd Place: Ewanyk (EDM)

I've got the Flames with 7 first-place finishes, and 3 second-place finishes
· Vancouver with 2 first-place, 4 second-, and 4 third-place finishes
· Edmonton with 1 first-place, 3 second-, and 6 third-place finishes

There are a couple of toss-ups: Draisaitl and Gaudreau, possibly; perhaps Poirier and Klefbom; and anyone falling outside of the top five arguably. I would be really interested to see how fans from these other teams would rank them, but even doing my best to quell my own bias, it is difficult not to conclude that the Flames run away with this. Especially in the top five, the Flames would not have a single prospect ranked third, and arguably have the top prospect in at least three of them.

[saXon]

Gaudreau beats them all.

Spoiler!

[Read Only]

Interesting to take a look at. I think I agree for the most part with a few guys moved around.

ROUND ONE

Gaudreau vs Draisaitl vs Horvat

1st Place: Horvat (VAN)
2nd Place: Gaudreau (CGY)
3rd Place: Draisaitl (EDM)

I would have Bennett here and it would be an easy win for him but with the choices you have I go with Horvat who may never be a top line center but seems like a good bet to be a solid 2nd line center for the Canucks.

ROUND TWO

Bennett vs Nurse vs Virtanen

1st Place: Bennett (CGY)
2nd Place: Nurse (EDM)
3rd Place: Virtanen (VAN)

Virtanen a very distant 3rd here and Bennett a clear step or 3 ahead of these two guys. If we switched Gaudreau and Bennett like I would I would have had it Nurse, Gaudreau and Virtanen again a very distant 3rd.

ROUND THREE

Baertschi vs Marincin vs Shinkaruk


1st Place: Baertschi (CGY)
2nd Place: Shinkaruk (VAN)
3rd Place: Marincin (EDM)

Baertschi easily wins this. I know many hate Shinkaruk because of some sort of need to justify the Flames skipping him but he has a ton of offensive talent but is still a ways from showing it can put it all together at the NHL level. Marincin was horrible in his time in the NHL and looked even worse when playing international last year. Hopefully he spends a lot of time being a pylon for the Oilers in the next couple of years.

ROUND FOUR

Poirier vs Klefbom vs Jensen

1st Place: Poirier (CGY)
2nd Place: Jensen (VAN)
3rd Place: Klefbom (EDM)

Jensen gets 2nd by default because while he hasn't shown much he hasn't shown he sucks like Klefblom has.

ROUND FIVE

Granlund vs Yakimov vs Gaunce

T-1st Place: Gaunce (VAN)
T-1st Place: Granlund (CGY)
100th Place: Yakimov (EDM)

Gaunce and Granlund look to both be future AHL/Euro scoring leaders so had them tied with Gaunce getting a slight advantage of being listed 1st as he has more of a chance to make NHL for more than a cup of coffee. Yakimov a distant 100th as he looks like a pile of nothing.

for the others just rankings:

ROUND SIX

1st Place: McCann (VAN)
2nd Place: Klimchuk (CGY)
3rd Place: Khaira (EDM)


ROUND SEVEN

1st Place: Max Reinhart (CGY)
2nd Place: Corrado (VAN)
3rd Place: Simpson (EDM)


ROUND EIGHT

1st Place: Wotherspoon (CGY)
2nd Place: Vey (VAN)
3rd Place: Chase (EDM)


ROUND NINE

1st Place: Ortio (CGY)
2nd Place: Moroz (EDM)
3rd Place: Demko (VAN)


ROUND TEN

A whole lot meh this round so they can rank however they want

Who cares: Arnold (CGY)
Who cares: Hutton (VAN)
Who cares: Ewanyk (EDM)

[Textcritic]

So . . .

Originally Posted by Read Only

ROUND ONE

Gaudreau vs Draisaitl vs Horvat

1st Place: Horvat (VAN)
2nd Place: Gaudreau (CGY)
3rd Place: Draisaitl (EDM)

I would have Bennett here and it would be an easy win for him but with the choices you have I go with Horvat who may never be a top line center but seems like a good bet to be a solid 2nd line center for the Canucks.

But then . . .

Originally Posted by Read Only

ROUND THREE

Baertschi vs Marincin vs Shinkaruk


1st Place: Baertschi (CGY)
2nd Place: Shinkaruk (VAN)
3rd Place: Marincin (EDM)

Baertschi easily wins this. I know many hate Shinkaruk because of some sort of need to justify the Flames skipping him but he has a ton of offensive talent but is still a ways from showing it can put it all together at the NHL level. Marincin was horrible in his time in the NHL and looked even worse when playing international last year. Hopefully he spends a lot of time being a pylon for the Oilers in the next couple of years.

I'm struggling to figure how Horvat gets a pass for his less-than-stellar offensive trajectory over a dazzling prospect like Gaudreau and another high-end player like Draisaitl, but then for some reason Shinkaruk gets consideration because of his high offensive skill—despite the fact that he has taken some steps back in two straight seasons.

It seems strange to me.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Psytic

I'm thinking Draisital over Gaudreau if we are going by likelihood of making an NHL impact over total upside.

Oh for sure, reminds me of the 1998 draft when it was pretty damn obvious that David Legwand would have a much better career than some late round skill player like Pavel Datsyuk.

[Read Only]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

So . . .


But then . . .


I'm struggling to figure how Horvat gets a pass for his less-than-stellar offensive trajectory over a dazzling prospect like Gaudreau and another high-end player like Draisaitl, but then for some reason Shinkaruk gets consideration because of his high offensive skill—despite the fact that he has taken some steps back in two straight seasons.

It seems strange to me.

Short answer is Shinkaruk only beat out Marancin if he had tougher competition that round he likely finished third. Plus he "gets consideration" because that is the point of the thread rate the guys listed. I also don't see Draisatl as a high end prospect.

Horvat was ranked 1st based on who he was against, if he was in the 2nd group I think I would have him 3rd behind Bennett and Nurse.

Edit: I guess I could have changed some of the individual team rankings to fit what I thought of where guys fit in each organization

[Monahan23]

ROUND 1:
1. Gaudreau
2. Draisaitl
3. Horvat

ROUND 2:
1. Bennett
2. Nurse
3. Virtanen

ROUND 3:
1. Baertschi
2. Marincin
3. Shinkaruk

ROUND 4:
1. Klefbom
2. Poirier
3. Jensen

ROUND 5:
1. Gaunce
2. Granlund
3. Yakimov

ROUND 6:
1. Klimchuk
2. McCann
3. Kharia

ROUND 7:
1. Corrado
2. Reinhart
3. Simpson

ROUND 8:
1. Wotherspoon
2. Vey
3. Chase

ROUND 9:
1. Gillies
2. Demko
3. Moroz

ROUND 10:
1. Jankowski
2. Hutton
3. Ewanyk


1. Flames
2. EDM
3. VAN

[SHOGUN]

Gaudreau > Draisaitl at every thing except size/strength

[Burke Salad]

They are all on equal terms until they, you know, do something in the NHL!!!

[#-3]

I don't really like the exercise, After the top 2 or 3 players in any teams system, it is all about having depth because with mid level prospects you just never know.

So round 1: Flames vs Oilers vs Canucks

1. Flames
2. Oilers
3. Canucks

Flames top three and depth takes it.

Gaudreau looks like he is already 60+ point winger in the NHL, so there is allot of hope there.

Bennett was the #1 rank prospect in the past draft by many scouts.

And there seems to be a number of guys who are sure things to be NHLers in the #3 spot, Poirier, Baertschi, Wootherspoon, depending on who you look at it.



The Oilers top 3 is certainly next,

Drasaitl is the most NHL ready prospect from the past draft.

And they have big strong blue chip Dmen in the #2 & 3 spots Nurse, Marincin or Klefbom.

High End skill could be a question mark for their top 3, as some will argue all of these guys pretty much max out as 2nd liners, or 2nd pair Dmen.



Vancouvers top 3 has allot of risk in it.

Horvat seems like a safe pick, but dose not have high end skill.

Shinkaruk fell in the draft, it generally seems like the hockey world is not that high on him. He had terrible injury problems, and a lower PPG following his draft year.

Virtanen seems to be less liked by guys who have watched him more, is that a bad sign?

I think Vancouvers depth is better than Edmontons, but like I said at the start prospect depth can end up meaning nothing in 10 years, if you have a bunch of players that turn into tweeners or great AHLers