[News] With the 21st overall pick Flames select C Mark Jankowski

[Go_Flames4ever]

Originally Posted by Itse

I thought it was a pretty good analogy. As you said, no right answer. What ever you do, if it works you're smart and if it doesn't you "obviously" should have done the other thing.

Totally reminds me of the non-bunt in the top of the 9th in the ALCS with runners on 2nd and 3rd and no outs...

[Party Elephant]

Originally Posted by Hackey

I think its because when you litterally have no good prospects you'd like to hit with the opportunities you do have. Taking a kid out of high school who is a projected to take a good 4-5+ years to make the team comes with risk. Obviously all players have risk but I think its reasonable to see why some people may see this as more risk when other players are legitatemately a season or two away from the NHL. Projections a year or two away are always easier than 5 years away in anything. The way the team sits now I don't mind the pick because its basically icing on the cake. I'm happy with the team whether or not Jankowski makes it. When Jankowski was drafted though we didn't have a Monahan, Gaudreau, Bennett, Poirier, etc. I guess its just a matter of opinion. If you're down by 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th do you prefer to swing for the fences or do you want to play safe and get runners on base?

I know I'm nitpicking here but Gaudreau was drafted the year before Jankowski. Also, at the time Baertschi was arguably at his highest value having just come off a great WHL season and of course the 5 game NHL stint. But I agree that other than those 2 we really didn't have much to get excited about in the prospect department.

[saillias]

Nate Leeman talking to Pinder on Fan 960.

Confirms he's pushing 6'4" and playing at 200. Thinks he will play at 215
-leading their forwards in minutes and points, is even snake bitten he hit 3 posts last game.
-called him their best forward.
-he has the strength now to "make any play he wants" and his confidence is making a big difference to make those plays. We've heard this a lot lately that he always had the vision and Hands but now the strength and confidence is coming around.

Some talk on Gilmour too

[saXon]

Wow, Pinder confirming that there was even some scrutiny by staff in the Flames org over the Janko pick. I've heard of Flames fans and around the league fans, but nothing about internal turmoil. Makes sense I guess.

[Chingas]

^not too much of a surprise as many believe that this is one of the main reasons for Feasters release.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Chingas

^not too much of a surprise as many believe that this is one of the main reasons for Feasters release.

I think the offer sheet fiasco was a bigger hit to his status.

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by Chingas

^not too much of a surprise as many believe that this is one of the main reasons for Feasters release.

I think I also remember references to this being "Weisbrod's pick", and the controversy over it put him on ice so thin that he couldn't really get back on stable ground with the organization.

All conjecture from third party sources, though.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by saillias

Nate Leeman talking to Pinder on Fan 960.

Confirms he's pushing 6'4" and playing at 200. Thinks he will play at 215
-leading their forwards in minutes and points, is even snake bitten he hit 3 posts last game.
-called him their best forward.
-he has the strength now to "make any play he wants" and his confidence is making a big difference to make those plays. We've heard this a lot lately that he always had the vision and Hands but now the strength and confidence is coming around.

Some talk on Gilmour too

I just took a listen. A few more things that stood out:

-Janko was extremely raw with high expectations coming into NCAA but just took it one game at a time in adjusting. Always had a good stick.
-"Mark is not only our best player but our best practicer". Sounds like a guy who's going to be a coach favorite quickly.

-Says Gilmour is 6'1" (I always thought he was under 6'0) and their best gapping defenseman.

-As a team, they can watch tape of opponents but in reality teams are bringing a much higher level of play against them - always get the opponent's A-Game
-No situation rattles them anymore, confidence sky-high

[mikephoen]

Originally Posted by Yamer

I think I also remember references to this being "Weisbrod's pick", and the controversy over it put him on ice so thin that he couldn't really get back on stable ground with the organization.

All conjecture from third party sources, though.

I'm piecing stuff together from a couple conversations (also third party stuff), but this is what I've heard. Weisbrod wanted to be known as the brilliant guy who finds players that others missed, like Jankowski, but he had no desire to do any of the more mundane stuff an assistant GM normally does. Basically, he wanted to be a part time scout, with no assigned territory, who collected an Assistant GM's salary, and had an unlimited expense account to play with.

I had heard this before Burke made the comment that he had no idea what Weisbrod did in the organization, because the guy was never around.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by mikephoen

I'm piecing stuff together from a couple conversations (also third party stuff), but this is what I've heard. Weisbrod wanted to be known as the brilliant guy who finds players that others missed, like Jankowski, but he had no desire to do any of the more mundane stuff an assistant GM normally does. Basically, he wanted to be a part time scout, with no assigned territory, who collected an Assistant GM's salary, and had an unlimited expense account to play with.

I had heard this before Burke made the comment that he had no idea what Weisbrod did in the organization, because the guy was never around.

Yeah I heard Weisbrod never moved from Florida and he definitely made the Jankowski pick as Feaster had turned that part of his duties over to him.

[Phanuthier]

Can't really give Weisbrod credit for Jankow as it was Tod Button who scouted him, and told him to go take a look.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by saXon

Wow, Pinder confirming that there was even some scrutiny by staff in the Flames org over the Janko pick. I've heard of Flames fans and around the league fans, but nothing about internal turmoil. Makes sense I guess.

Word has it that Weisbrod's role in the draft was reduced after 2012 because of the pick. Not everyone was on board with the Jankowski pick as the Flames weren't really in a position at the time to use a 1st round pick on a project center as this was before Monahan or Bennett were in the fold and at the time Baertschi was the only really promising prospect as Gadreau was only on the radar at that time. It doesn't look as bad today because of the players taken in years after that have filled the position but still I believe he's one of only two players from that first round that has yet to play a game in the NHL. I believe Sieloff was also a Weisbrod pick and that pick doesn't look that great as the three players the Flames took after look better.

[tvp2003]

^^ There are four first rounders that have not yet played an NHL game. To be fair though, after Jankowski was taken at 21, only Maatta and Tanner Pearson have had any significant NHL action. Nobody out of the first dozen picks in the second round, and only a few more in the entire second round.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

^^ There are four first rounders that have not yet played an NHL game. To be fair though, after Jankowski was taken at 21, only Maatta and Tanner Pearson have had any significant NHL action. Nobody out of the first dozen picks in the second round, and only a few more in the entire second round.

Looking back on it that was definitely one of the worst drafts in recent memory for top talent. Would be some vindication for Weisbrod if Jankowski turns out to be one of the best players to come out of the draft and there's actually some possibility that it could happen if Jankowski comes around as he's got the size and it's a matter of if he will be a Colborne type player or more than that.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Word has it that Weisbrod's role in the draft was reduced after 2012 because of the pick...

I think more accurately that many outside observers have assumed that Weisbrod's role was scaled back as a result of the Jankowski pick, but that all of this is mere speculation.

I accept mikephoen's assessment as a much more sober and less sensationalistic perspective of Weisbrod's time with the Flames.

[Strange Brew]

mikephoen said some things I hadn't heard before which I found very helpful. I believe every word of it. Burke's comment that he didn't really know what Weisbrod did was very telling.

As for Jankowski I am thrilled he is starting to show some promise. But being a good player for Providence is miles away from being an impact player in the NHL. I have quite low expectations at this point so anything we get would be gravy.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I loved the Jankowski pick at the time and I still love it now.

At the time he was selected, without a doubt he was a 'project pick'. However, he also had the highest ceiling after Grigorenko dropped to #12 overall. Some may argue Teravainen had the highest ceiling, but he was always the 'small, highly talented center that may have to play wing in the NHL". Some may say Maatta - and though he looks like a legitimate top 4 young defencemen in the making (even ignoring his injury/health issues), a "Top line center potential" with size, skating and IQ to me is a much higher ceiling.

Another reason I really liked that pick was that it was a HUGE statement:

"The Calgary Flames are no longer a team that is trading futures in an attempt to win now. They are building through the draft."

I can understand why some people didn't like the Flames picking a project pick. I can understand their view of a pick having a higher potential of completely busting the longer the development is expected to take. I just loved the pick because it was a good shot at a potential #1 center - the position the Flames have historically had the most difficult in finding since Nieuwendyk was traded, and a position that is so rarely and usually very prohibitively expensive to trade for.

Any way you slice it, it really worked out well for the Flames. Flames entered a rebuild, so the 'project' stamp was relatively meaningless (busting aside), and they were not in a position any longer at competing when that pick was made anyways. By the time Jankowski enters the NHL (might be the end of this season, who knows) the Flames SHOULD be reaping an ELC on a very strong 2-way center with size and IQ to help them compete when it is starting to matter.

As for Weisbrod - I think what most people above are saying is fairly accurate. The whole "Not well liked in the hockey world" is also another thing I kept hearing.

Sieloff wasn't exactly a "Weisbrod pick". I think it was more a Button pick. Weisbrod just sold it quite a lot with his "We would have taken him in the 1st round if Jankowski was off the board at 21" comment. I remember in the interview after the draft, Button was asked that directly, and he responded with: "Well, Sieloff was there with some other guys we liked like Finn, and a few others".

Weisbrod just really sold almost every pick the Flames made in the drafts he was here for. I still remember the Kulak and Culkin thing - how astounded he was that they were both available and that he thought he would only get one. He made it sound like every player they selected from round 1 through 7 matched up exactly with their own internal rankings 1-7 of the best players overall in the entire draft.

Funny fact, though - he stated that Jankowski was going to be the best player from this draft years down the road, but Galchenyuk was ranked first overall (not Yakupov BTW) by the Flames. You know you had to take everything he said with a big grain of salt whenever he was talking about the prospects. I always liked listening to Button a LOT more about prospects - seems much more knowledgeable, and while he (of course) remains 'positive' about them, he doesn't exaggerate or make huge proclamations about their ceilings and how important this 'cornerstone' of the franchise is going to be.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

...I think it was more a Button pick....

They are ALL Button's picks. Jankow is just the 1st rounder thats easy for someone to take credit for.

[sureLoss]

Ugh stay away.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/3...onnel-choices/

This is the time of year I start checking out potential NCAA free agents. Doesn’t sound like an incredibly deep crop, as teams will keep spots open to wait out the Aug. 15 decisions of Mark Jankowski and Jim Vesey.

[JJ1532]

There haven't been any indications or rumours that he wouldn't sign with us have there? Not like Vesey with the Maple Leafs.