Craig's List 2014 Prospects

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by nik-

uhh. Who is the second of the top 3 that is the son of a Flame? Bennett models his game after Gilmour. He's not his son.

Edit: Nevermind, I can't read.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by nik-

uhh. Who is the second of the top 3 that is the son of a Flame? Bennett models his game after Gilmour. He's not his son.

I was confused by that too since it was my quote.

That was from Button's preseason ranking that had Reinhart, Ekblad, and Nylander as the top 3 (and Ryan MacInnis was 17th).

http://www.tsn.ca/draftcentre/feature/?id=95286

[dammage79]

I think Draisaitl would develop better in the Flames system. I have him high because he seems to be very coachable and there's some serious untapped potential there.

Slowing the game down isn't as detrimental as other may allude.
Its about developing that to NHL standards.

That's why I have him over Reinhardt. I know what I'm going to get with him (Reinhart). But Draisaitl intrigues me so much more because there's so much more to his game that isn't developed yet.

[PeteLFan]

I don't believe in taking defenceman first overall especially over a #1 center. I like the sounds of Bennett if he can be a center in the NHL he provides the ingredients needed to win playoff hockey games. Offensive ability with jam that's hard to come by.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

Ekblad - I really like him too. However, there is one big question mark about him - does he project to be a #1 defender? Some scouts say yes, others say no. To me, he seems like the complimentary #2 guy. Why? Ekblad did get comparable points to Seth Jones last year. However, majority of Ekblad's points has come from the PP. I think I read somewhere around 70%. That is a very, very high ratio. I don't think that high ratio is as bad as it would be for a forward - being a good PP quarterback has lots of value in itself, unlike a PP specialist of the forward ranks (they simply do not exist I think). He is also a very good defensive-defencemen. Defensive-Ds should never be taken that high.

It does get a bit more fuzzy comparing Ekblad to Jones though - Jones played on a powerhouse team - a team that put up a lot of goals in the season. It is only natural for a defencemen to put up higher points on such a team at ES. Ekblad isn't the skater that Jones is either - but he is hardly a 'bad' skater - just doesn't have that elite skating ability that Jones had. However, Ekblad plays a much more physical brand of hockey - something that is sorely lacking in the Flames' top 4.

Well if he's a PP QB then you can't really call him a defensive defensemen. He's clearly a two-way defenseman that can play in all situations.

Talked to a guy who travelled to the WJC in Sweden. He thought after Ekblad took a couple games to adapt that he was their best defensemen. He also thought Reinhart was pretty much a non-factor in that tourney. Take it for what its worth.

I think scouts always thought Ekblad was good defensively and I think coming into this year his offense was a question mark. Well its a question mark no longer and thats why most of them believe he's a future top pairing guy. If you look at the rankings he's the majority #1 so far. Might change based on the playoffs.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by Gaskal

Well, the way I see it: If Florida end up ahead of Edmonton they'll likely take Ekblad, which will cause the Oilers to take Draisaitl instead. Assuming we finish 4th and don't get bumped down, this means that we'll end up with Bennett who I'm the highest on. However if Edmonton remains 2nd overall and take Ekblad, Florida will probably run at Bennett instead and leave Draisaitl on the table.

How do you know the Oilers don't have Draisaitl rated ahead of Ekblad anyway?

[Psytic]

Originally Posted by Five-hole

1) Reinhart. Seems to have really stepped up his game since the WJC. Destroyed the Hitmen. Game breaking center. You can never have too many of those.

2) Bennett. Seems like a Brian Burke player. I agree with FDW that Monahan has #1 upside but I see him more as a great #2 (like a Ron Francis). Having two great #2 centers is the next best thing to a true #1, and I see Bennett as another great #2.

3) Ekblad. For all the reasons FDW likes him I like him to, but I have to admit that based on what he is I'm skeptical about him in that scouts aren't falling all over themselves to praise him. Peaked too early? If he hits his upside he might be as good or even a better player than Reinhart, if he hits his. I just see centers as more likely to hit their upside than D-men. They seem more variable.

4) Dal Colle. Big, skilled winger. Would look great next to Monahan to increase the size of our top 9 who are looking a bit small at present. Poirier - Monahan - Dal Colle would be a fantastically skilled first line with lots of size.

5) Draisaitl. Seems like a boom/bust player. Question marks of drive and consistency are two of the biggest red flags for prospects for me.

1 Wayne Gretzky EDM, LAK, STL, NYR 1487 2857 1.92
2 Mark Messier EDM, NYR, VAN, NYR 1756 1887 1.07
3 Gordie Howe DET, HFD 1767 1850 1.05
4 Ron Francis HFD, PIT, CAR, TOR 1731 1798 1.04
5 Marcel Dionne DET, LAK, NYR 1348 1771 1.31
6 Steve Yzerman DET 1514 1755 1.16
7 Mario Lemieux PIT 915 1723 1.88
8 Jaromir Jagr PIT, 1391 1688 1.21
9 Joe Sakic QUE/COL 1378 1641 1.19


Yea I think if Monahan turns out anything like him we are laughing. He was a first liner trapped behind Mario.

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by Psytic

Yea I think if Monahan turns out anything like him we are laughing. He was a first liner trapped behind Mario.

Just going off my own fuzzy memory but didn't Francis play regularly with Mario and Jagr? Maybe that was just the powerplay.

Edit: Googled it, looks like they only played together for parts of 2 seasons. Damn good line though.
95-96
Lemieux 69-92-161 points
Jagr 62-87-149 points
Francis 27-92-119 points

[Psytic]

Early 90's

Stevens-Lemieux-Tocchet
Errey-Francis-Mullen
Loney-Trottier-Jagr
Bourque-Hrdina-Caufield
McEachern

They did play Lemieux, Jagr and Francis together around 95-96 for a bit though

[Table 5]

Lemiuex, Jagr, Trottier, Francis on the same team (never mind Mullen, Tocchet, etc). Daymn.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Well if he's a PP QB then you can't really call him a defensive defensemen. He's clearly a two-way defenseman that can play in all situations.

Talked to a guy who travelled to the WJC in Sweden. He thought after Ekblad took a couple games to adapt that he was their best defensemen. He also thought Reinhart was pretty much a non-factor in that tourney. Take it for what its worth.

I think scouts always thought Ekblad was good defensively and I think coming into this year his offense was a question mark. Well its a question mark no longer and thats why most of them believe he's a future top pairing guy. If you look at the rankings he's the majority #1 so far. Might change based on the playoffs.

Sorry - should have clarified that statement - he could end up being a PP quarterback.

Ekblad hasn't silenced the critics when it comes to his offence due to the vastly disproportionate ratio of EV vs PP points he has been putting up. It does, however, force people to ask questions such as "Does Ekblad have a much higher offensive ceiling than previously thought?". He could very well be developing his offensive game, and he could very well end up becoming a legitimate #1 defencemen. I do think you can play him in all situations. In summary, it is a huge positive to see him getting that offence, but there is still some lingering questions due to his disproportionate PP vs EV points it seems.

As for Reinhart - was this guy a scout? The only reason I ask is because many people just notice the 'flash' in the prospects. Reinhart will rarely blow you away with his flashiness, much like Monahan will not impress you in that way (though he does have his moments as youtube highlight reels can attest to). He just makes everything so simple, and he plays such an effective game. For instance, it is SIMILAR (and in no way am I directly comparing them, but just wanting to explain my point through a bit of an example) to Crosby vs Spezza (or maybe a better comparison is Toews vs Spezza, though I think Reinhart has a bit more of an offensive flair than Toews). Crosby is all 'smarts' and hard work. He won't often stun you with a flashy play (though at times, he does in fact do this). Spezza on the other hand seems to have a lot more 'flash' to his game, and gets noticed more (well, at least when he is actually 'on' his game).

I find it difficult to describe Reinhart - but I think he comes in underrated essentially because he doesn't have that 'flash appeal' that is often synonymous with '1st line elite center' prospect. RNH had that 'flash', Reinhart doesn't as often, and therefore I think he is less noticeable out there.

However, I thought Ekblad had a very good tourney, and is very deserving of all the accolades he has received for it. Don't get me wrong - I don't think Ekblad is a bad prospect in any way - I think he will be a very valuable player to whatever team ends up drafting him. I just personally feel Reinhart is the best prospect at this point. I can see why some posters think it is Ekblad, and to me there isn't a huge argument with it. Would I be 'disappointed' if the Flames won the lottery and draft Ekblad? I would be for exactly 15 seconds before I get up and start doing my dance of joy.

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

How do you know the Oilers don't have Draisaitl rated ahead of Ekblad anyway?

I'd be downright ecstatic if the Oilers were that dim, because one of Bennett or Ekblad might fall to 4th like Jones did, and there's a chance of us finishing in 4th.

Unfortunately Edmonton seems to have already pencilled in Ekblad.

If the Oilers do pick Draisaitl I imagine it'd look like this:

Reinhart
Draisaitl
Bennett/Ekblad
Bennett/Ekblad
Dal Colle

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

I just don't see any warts at all in his game.

He doesn't have great size, speed, or a great shot. I wouldn't call those 'warts', but there aren't many #1 centres who aren't elite in at least one of those qualities. Maybe Toews, but he has elite tenacity and grit. And while Reinhart is smart and responsible defensively, some observers have remarked that he doesn't have much jam in his game. He's like his dad in that respect (Paul Reinhart had elite skating and skill, but his game wilted when things got rough).

[Calgary4LIfe]

I agree with SCH - they may in fact have Draisaitl higher than Ekblad.

Oilers need a defencemen, but you can argue that organizationally, they need a center with size even more.

Oilers are really no good!! In all their rebuilding, they haven't two 2 of the top 3 needs for a team - Center and Defence. Highly questionable if they even addressed their third - goaltending.

In light of that, I wouldn't put it past them to rank Draisaitl high. They need a big presence up front, and and they need a better center than Gagner. Draisaitl helps address two holes in one swoop.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

I agree with SCH - they may in fact have Draisaitl higher than Ekblad.

Oilers need a defencemen, but you can argue that organizationally, they need a center with size even more.

Oilers are really no good!! In all their rebuilding, they haven't two 2 of the top 3 needs for a team - Center and Defence. Highly questionable if they even addressed their third - goaltending.

In light of that, I wouldn't put it past them to rank Draisaitl high. They need a big presence up front, and and they need a better center than Gagner. Draisaitl helps address two holes in one swoop.

Yep in the future he could allow them to give RNH some more sheltered minutes and they could actually ice two decent scoring lines. I mean we all know they wanted Monahan last year and Draisaitl may fit a similar need for them.

It's funny with so many high picks how they've failed to find what I consider the key components of a cup contender.

Top pairing defensemen, preferably with size (they might actually have one in Nurse if they don't screw up his development, I actually didn't mind that pick). Haven't seen him at all this year so I don't know how his development has gone
Top two line centres with size
Big, strong powerforwards with skill
Franchise goalie

I've always though you can trade for goalscorers more easily than any of the above types of players or find them later in the first round. They wasted a lot of their 1st rounders grabbing the same type of player.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Yep in the future he could allow them to give RNH some more sheltered minutes and they could actually ice two decent scoring lines. I mean we all know they wanted Monahan last year and Draisaitl may fit a similar need for them.

It's funny with so many high picks how they've failed to find what I consider the key components of a cup contender.

Top pairing defensemen, preferably with size (they might actually have one in Nurse if they don't screw up his development, I actually didn't mind that pick). Haven't seen him at all this year so I don't know how his development has gone
Top two line centres with size
Big, strong powerforwards with skill
Franchise goalie

I've always though you can trade for goalscorers more easily than any of the above types of players or find them later in the first round. They wasted a lot of their 1st rounders grabbing the same type of player.

So, are the Oilers the poster boys for taking skill wise the BPA and not taking into considerations their needs?

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

So, are the Oilers the poster boys for taking skill wise the BPA and not taking into considerations their needs?

Correct. They are no good at this "building a contender" thing. Hilarious that so many were suckered into to propaganda about building something special.

[IgiTang]

Originally Posted by devo22

so many sig worthy things in that post. Sorry man, but that's ... let's just say your post wasn't thought through very well.

When was the last time you watched him play? I've been watching him quite a bit lately and he is certainly looking like a shadow of his former self. He has zero confidence and his execution/timing is way off.

You may not agree with my post but the facts are the facts. Ferland, Street and with JG, Poirier, Klimchuck, Jankowski, Agostino...

Sven could slide very quickly.. And could find himself fading away..

Either he starts performing like the top prospect this team had labelled him 2 years ago or he needs to be moved before he fades anymore.

So Sig it up. I'm not saying he's incapable of turning it around, but do you take the chance on a guy who could be mentally fragile.

[Sylvanfan]

I have Drasaitl as 5th on my want list. But where the Kopitar comparison comes into play is 17 year old center with size puts up strong numbers in another countries top junior league. For some reason 9 teams passed on Kopitar after Crosby was taken by Pittsburgh. Every one of those teams save Montreal would not hesitate to take Kopitar today if they could change their mind.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Correct. They are no good at this "building a contender" thing. Hilarious that so many were suckered into to propaganda about building something special.

We know that's a given. My post was more a dig on the people who insist that BPA is always the right choice.