Calgarypuck Prospect Ranking 2021 Round 18 Run Off

[Bingo]

Welcome to the annual Calgarypuck Prospect Poll!

As per usual ...

1. Rank the prospects as you like. Upside, chances, or trade value
2. I will try and do one a day which should get us to rookie camp range
3. Graduates and/or runoffs will be determined in each case
4. Please don't complain that the polls are going to deep. We go until all the prospects are ranked, so don't vote if you don't want to.

Link to previous years ... Link

2021 Ranking:
1. Coronato, Matthew 44%
2. Zary, Connor 65%
3. Pelletier, Jacob 86%
4. Wolf, Dustin 40%
5. Vladar, Daniel 45%
6. Mackey, Connor 38%
7. Stromgren, William 26%
8. Kuznetsov, Yan 36%
9. Ruzicka, Adam 27%
10. Kinnvall, Johannes 29%
11. Heineman, Emil 38%
12. Francis, Ryan 30%
13. Poirier, Jeremie 46%
14. Phillips, Matthew 38%
15. Pospisil, Martin 34%
16. Pettersen, Emilio Mathias 59%
17. Gawdin, Glen 28%

[Jiri Hrdina]

First time we've had a three-way run off?

[FBI]

Don’t know much about the first two, most convincing argument wins!

[Bingo]

As I said in the regular round 18 topic I'm going to run off the three and then only graduate one.

Seems like the right thing to do with a tight three way race.
Plus we have the time.
Plus no matter what choice I made I'd have people unhappy!

[Cali Panthers Fan]

I worry about Huckins' lack of footspeed. It could make his transition to the NHL really tough. I know skating can be improved, but that has more to do with efficiency and edgework. Pure quickness doesn't tend to improve that much.

I like Jordan's perceived hockey IQ, skating ability, and first pass/play reads. He's got an average NHL frame that he should fill out a bit more and plays well in his own end. He's not an elite player, but he could be a solid depth defenseman.

I don't think much of Parsons these days. He's really struggled as a pro, more than most goalies do when they make the transition. Also, if you have 3 equal prospects and one of them is a goalie, the goalie should always be ranked last due to volatility of the position.

I went with Cole Jordan.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

I worry about Huckins' lack of footspeed. It could make his transition to the NHL really tough. I know skating can be improved, but that has more to do with efficiency and edgework. Pure quickness doesn't tend to improve that much.

I like Jordan's perceived hockey IQ, skating ability, and first pass/play reads. He's got an average NHL frame that he should fill out a bit more and plays well in his own end. He's not an elite player, but he could be a solid depth defenseman.

I don't think much of Parsons these days. He's really struggled as a pro, more than most goalies do when they make the transition. Also, if you have 3 equal prospects and one of them is a goalie, the goalie should always be ranked last due to volatility of the position.

I went with Cole Jordan.

I think you might be selling Cole Jordan a little short on his upside. I think this year will be telling with him getting the top D minutes. I am hoping he blows up. Apparently can skate very well for his size at 6'2" and 205 lbs right now. Although I am saying all this with out even seeing him play.

[Sandman]

Cole Jordan could be the next TJ Brodie. He's 6'2", and was one of the best skaters in the draft. He hit 10pts in 23 games, only because he wasn't used on the top-pair with Daemon Hunt.

I like Huckins, as he's big, tough, and gritty-but he needs to work on his skating, as he's got fairly heavy feet.

[Enoch Root]

Huckins, then Jordan, for me

[FBI]

K I’m voting for speed over slowness then

[mikephoen]

Might need a run off for the run off.

[kehatch]

I think we should all vote with a target of 33% across the board.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Battle of the Coles.

[Macindoc]

Jordan for the speed and hockey IQ.

[united]

Huckins for me in the Cole v. Cole derby but I am excited for to see Jordan this upcoming season as well.

Cole Huckins
A scrappy player with a long professional hockey player lineage, Huckins is a forward who has played both centre and wing, but transitioned to mostly wing this season. The Fredricton native already possesses a large frame despite turning 18 years old in May. I don't see him filling out into the thicc Tom Wilson/Ryan Reaves/Milan Lucic build, but he is certainly a rangy player who will likely play pro with the size of players like Vincent Lecavalier, Chris Kreider, Alex Barkov, Tomas Hertl, to name a few. Demonstrating hands unexpected for his size, like fellow Flames 2021 draftee, William Stromgren, Cole Huckins brings the coveted blend of functional size but adds an element of toughness as well, and thrives when crowding the paint in front of the opposition's net where he is able to cause mayhem while simultaneously cleaning up the garbage. Though a player with a decent hockey IQ in all three zones, Huckins isn't beyond undisciplined moments leading to penalty issues, not dissimilar to those experienced by two of his cousins, Ryan and Brad Malone.

Ceiling: 2nd-line winger
Probable: 4th-line winger (Style: Scott Hartnell)
Floor: AHL agitator

Cole Jordan
The second-oldest first-time player in the draft I believe, Cole Jordan is an effortless skater who dominates the neutral zone on both sides of the puck. However, either side of the neutral zone he is a high-event player, for better or worse, and his play in his own zone is something of a work in progress not unlike previous Flames draftee and breathtaking skater, Oliver Kylington. In the offensive zone, he is fearless walking the line begging forwards to take the bait and be pulled out of position creating brilliant opportunities, however he has a propensity to get himself into trouble and force high-risk, often no-look passes that result in rush and odd-man chances against. Jordan also isn't afraid to jump down on a line to the back post when the opportunity presents itself. In the defensive zone he has the ability to be a one-man breakout machine easily evading the first forechecker creating a numbers advantage heading up ice, but sometimes gets into trouble trying to do too much. Hands and passing ability are still a step behind as he noticeably will have the right idea but put the puck right into a teammates skates or lead them straight into traffic. A player with very impressive skating, Jordan has a high ceiling and is a wide variance prospect.

Ceiling: #3 defenceman (Style: Jake Gardiner)
Probable: Cup of coffee
Floor: Bust

[Rick M.]

This run off is Cole-powered.

[united]

Here are the Coles versus their stylistic comparable. Please note that the criteria each model uses for star and NHLer is different! JFresh/TopDownHockey will almost always be lower than Bader's as their thresholds are a much higher standard so adjust accordingly.

Hockey Prospecting
Calgary's own, and fellow Flames fan, Byron Bader runs the excellent site, Hockey Prospecting. You have likely seen his graphics before. At just $25/year his site is a wonderful resource for any fan interested in prospects. You can register here and support Bader's work if you are interested: https://hockeyprospecting.com/register/

Spoiler!

JFresh/TopDownHockey
JFresh and his partner TopDownHockey introduced their NHLe model this year. You will be familiar with the NHL player graphics they produce regularly. At $7/month the subscription is a no-brainer for any hockey fan. You can register here and support their work if you are interested: https://www.patreon.com/jfreshhockey

Spoiler!