[News] TSN.ca's 2014-15 NHL Season Preview: Calgary Flames

[lanny9]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

in 2 years when he is ready (has to) turn pro:

Bennett will be coming off his rookie year, Monahan will have signed his RFA deal and Backlund will be locked up long term.

Stajan will have 2 years left on his contract.


Him not getting in line behind Arnold, Granlund and Knight is not screwing the Flames over.

On the other hand the Flames will also be looking hard at where he fits in and whether a #51 pick is a better asset for the Flames.

What makes you so sure he won't turn pro after this year? If he puts on another 10 lbs he very well could be ready for the AHL. I even suggested that skill wise he may be ready but could stand to put on some more weight before making the move. Reason I suggested he come out early is so his offensive game can be given a better chance to develop as that part of his game is being wasted where he is. Had he gone to a different school and played in a different system them i would say leave him there for all for years.

[lanny9]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

i see jankowski fairing about the same as a guy like colborne, where it will take them longer to really make a push for an NHL spot, and even then take some time (or never) get to a point where they are able to combine their puck skills and size to be effective offense generators at the NHL level.

i don't see the comparison to otto, as the intensity/will of jankowski has been commented on during people who seem to have watched him play.

I still think baertchi is higher in the prospect rankings , and i suppose the reason we don't see him in the tsn rankings is that they aren't viewing him as a rookie based on games played.

I see his game being more similar to Nieuwendyk's than to Otto's. Not saying he will develop to that level but there is something about the way he plays that just reminds me of him.

[ForeverFlameFan]

I think Jankowski can turn into a pro, I really do. But, patience is key if we really want that to happen.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by lanny9

What makes you so sure he won't turn pro after this year? If he puts on another 10 lbs he very well could be ready for the AHL. I even suggested that skill wise he may be ready but could stand to put on some more weight before making the move. Reason I suggested he come out early is so his offensive game can be given a better chance to develop as that part of his game is being wasted where he is. Had he gone to a different school and played in a different system them i would say leave him there for all for years.

On the plus side Jankowski reported that he's hit the 200 lb. mark, so he is growing. As for his scoring, he's still behind another player to become their first line centre but that should happen in his 4th year. The problem I see with him is that he doesn't physically engage and he doesn't take pucks away. Maybe with his increased size he will but so far a comparison to Otto doesn't make sense. He's got a long, long way to go and may never get there but we shouldn't write him off yet either.

A comparison to Colborne is often made but Colborne scored at a PPG in his second year of college.

[lanny9]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

On the plus side Jankowski reported that he's hit the 200 lb. mark, so he is growing. As for his scoring, he's still behind another player to become their first line centre but that should happen in his 4th year. The problem I see with him is that he doesn't physically engage and he doesn't take pucks away. Maybe with his increased size he will but so far a comparison to Otto doesn't make sense. He's got a long, long way to go and may never get there but we shouldn't write him off yet either.

Hopefully Burke sat him down and asked for more truculence? I do agree he needs to be more forceful out there and as you say maybe with the added weight he will feel free to impose his size on guys a bit more.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Jankowski is now not going to sign, or the Flames are going to choose not to sign him? What obscure stat points to either? This after being named an 'A' prospect in the organization. Doesn't make sense.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

...A comparison to Colborne is often made but Colborne scored at a PPG in his second year of college.

Colborne was a year older than Jankowski is now when he finished his sophomore season at U Denver. That makes a considerable difference which helps to explain his higher college production.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Colborne was a year older than Jankowski is now when he finished his sophomore season at U Denver. That makes a considerable difference which helps to explain his higher college production.

Yeah, 7 mo. and 14 days older and I admit it makes a difference along with Jankowski being a late maturer but this just adds to Mark's long road with no guarantees that he'll ever reach where some project him to be. Colborne did outscore Jankowski in his first year of college compared to Jankowski's second year though.

[spuzzum]

I love arguments about the potential differences in grammar and syntax. Kind of defeats the purpose of arguing about the actual topic. For the love of Pete, his position can be read either way:

'Could' have a monster on our hands. At worst, sir Otto, and at best, sir Thornton.

I absolutely believe in the potential of the big but skinny J, and am excited to watch him progress from an outstanding hockey program into the AHL.

[Finger Cookin]

nm, wrong thread

[spuzzum]

Looks like threads were merged or some crazy page action is happening.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by spuzzum

I absolutely believe in the potential of the big but skinny J, and am excited to watch him progress from an outstanding hockey program into the AHL.

Not that this is directed at you, but I really want the fans to recognize they keep falling back to things said about Jankowski when he was drafted two years ago. The one that is most annoying right now is him being a big skinny kid. He just made it public that he's over 200 now, 202 iirc, which puts him in some fine company, according to NHL.com's Top 60 prospects. Consider the size of the following players:

Leon Draisaitl - 6'2, 204
Anthony Mantha - 6'4, 190
Nikita Zadorov - 6'4, 200
Darnell Nurse - 6'4, 185
Griffin Reinhart - 6'4, 205
Mirco Mueller - 6'3, 195
Jacob De La Rose - 6'3, 187
Kevin Hayes - 6'3, 205

All of these guys are players that the scouts are all excited about, and their size is one of the things identified in each of their bios as a big strength. So how is Jankowski, at 6'4, 202, a tall skinny drink of water, but Darnell Nurse at 6'4, 185, or Kevin Hayes at 6'3, 205, ready to compete because of their physical gifts?

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

in 2 years when he is ready (has to) turn pro:



Bennett will be coming off his rookie year, Monahan will have signed his RFA deal and Backlund will be locked up long term.



Stajan will have 2 years left on his contract.





Him not getting in line behind Arnold, Granlund and Knight is not screwing the Flames over.



On the other hand the Flames will also be looking hard at where he fits in and whether a #51 pick is a better asset for the Flames.

Not so sure you can speak in absolutes regarding 2 years in the future. There are way too many variables that can change the situation. Maybe Jankowski has an amazing Hobey Baker quality year this year, effectively pushing himself up the depth chart past Granlund, Knight, etc. Maybe Bennett sticks this year which makes trading Stajan/Backlund an option. What if Granlund or Knight regress this year? Maybe all 3 will have amazing seasons and we have the opportunity to trade one for a blue chip D prospect we sorely need. Barring an extension, Backlund could be a UFA after 2015/2016, maybe he walks. All I can hope is he continues to improve as do Knight, Granlund, Reinhart and we have a very nice problem of having too many NHL quality Centermen.

[spuzzum]

Originally Posted by New Era

Not that this is directed at you, but I really want the fans to recognize they keep falling back to things said about Jankowski when he was drafted two years ago. The one that is most annoying right now is him being a big skinny kid. He just made it public that he's over 200 now, 202 iirc, which puts him in some fine company, according to NHL.com's Top 60 prospects. Consider the size of the following players:

Leon Draisaitl - 6'2, 204
Anthony Mantha - 6'4, 190
Nikita Zadorov - 6'4, 200
Darnell Nurse - 6'4, 185
Griffin Reinhart - 6'4, 205
Mirco Mueller - 6'3, 195
Jacob De La Rose - 6'3, 187
Kevin Hayes - 6'3, 205

All of these guys are players that the scouts are all excited about, and their size is one of the things identified in each of their bios as a big strength. So how is Jankowski, at 6'4, 202, a tall skinny drink of water, but Darnell Nurse at 6'4, 185, or Kevin Hayes at 6'3, 205, ready to compete because of their physical gifts?

Spot on. 6'4 202 is tall and skinny like the others. I'm 6'1 and wish I was 202. I'm a tad higher than that. Obviously anyone over 6'1 + 200 lbs is a big boy. I just think of hockey or football players having a height of 6'4 or 6'5 and built like a brick house. This group are all still teenagers.

[kehatch]

Originally Posted by New Era

Jankowski is now not going to sign, or the Flames are going to choose not to sign him? What obscure stat points to either? This after being named an 'A' prospect in the organization. Doesn't make sense.

He is the prototypical big centre that all teams desire. His supporters project him as an A prospect. He is expected to play four seasons of college at which point he can sign anywhere. He will be facing a pretty respectable young C depth in Calgary at that point. The number one reason college players don't sign with their drafting team is due to a lack of opportunity.

Either he progresses into a top prospect, in which case fans should be worried he could sign somewhere else; or he won't progress into a top prospect, in which case ...

Personally I will worry if there is something to worry about. He might sign after three seasons. He might sign in Calgary after four. He may not amount to anything special. He might be traded for a decent return. To many what ifs and maybes for me to bother with stress. But for those that like to worry, there is a reasonable trajectory to a situation that is worth worrying about.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by kehatch

...The number one reason college players don't sign with their drafting team is due to a lack of opportunity...

According to whom?

[kehatch]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

According to whom?

According to most of the college players who signed elsewhere and interview afterwards and say such things. You don't agree?

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by kehatch

According to most of the college players who signed elsewhere and interview afterwards and say such things. You don't agree?

Not without seeing these, no. The incident is so rare in the first place that I don't recall many—if any—interviews and such where players have reported this as their "primary reason" for exploring UFA after college.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Not without seeing these, no. The incident is so rare in the first place that I don't recall many—if any—interviews and such where players have reported this as their "primary reason" for exploring UFA after college.

Yeah, who are all these players and where are all the interviews? Kevin Hayes obviously had reasons other than opportunity for not signing with Chicago. When it came to signing with teams that could afford him instant opportunity he turned his nose up at them and went with a team with a high profile but more competition. There were obviously other motivators for going to New York, but Hayes hasn't disclosed those publicly at this point.

[Tinordi]

Glad to see we're already pivoting our unhinged delusional paranoia to whether Jankowski will sign. This conversation should fester for the next 3 years. Great.