[News] With the #22 overall pick the Flames select LW/RW Emile Poirier

[flames_fan_down_under]

I'll be honest I know nothing about prospects, or scouting, but Craig Button had him as high as 29th, so the pick isn't completely off the board. Seems like an exciting, talented, fast forward.

It will be interesting to see how he turns out.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

He's a top 6 player if everything comes together, but I don't really see him as a bottom 6 guy.

Hmm, I don't see why you'd say that?

If he's anything like his reports say, he has a solid defensive game, good on the PK, plays physical and apparently leaves it all on the ice.

Combine that with speed and some scoring ability, and I think that sounds exactly like a bottom 6 winger who can provide the team with some energy and secondary scoring.

So why not a bottom 6 guy in your eyes?

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by flames_fan_down_under

I'll be honest I know nothing about prospects, or scouting, but Craig Button had him as high as 29th, so the pick isn't completely off the board. Seems like an exciting, talented, fast forward.

It will be interesting to see how he turns out.

Well Todd Button is his brother and the Flames were picking 28th so I'm sure he had some inside info on the Flames being really interested.

[Niemo]

I think that a Matthew Lombardi level player should be reserved more for a 2nd round pick in the 40's.

In a deep draft year, I would be disappointed if Porier did not turn out to be better than Lombardi. I'm hoping for a bonafide 2nd line RWer (Versteeg level) at least.

[MrMastodonFarm]

These Lombardi comparisons based on him flying down the right wing cutting to the net are funny but.. Just to put it in perspective.. Lombardi had 18 goals 44 points in his initial draft year. Emile Poirier has 30 goals and 70 points.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Itse

Hmm, I don't see why you'd say that?

If he's anything like his reports say, he has a solid defensive game, good on the PK, plays physical and apparently leaves it all on the ice.

Combine that with speed and some scoring ability, and I think that sounds exactly like a bottom 6 winger who can provide the team with some energy and secondary scoring.

So why not a bottom 6 guy in your eyes?

I'm not sure why I think it, just call it instinct. I still see him as a offense first player, that goes out and makes teams focus on his speed and size in the ozone.

I'm not sure how I see him being rolled out to focus on taking another offensive player out of the game.

I like the kid the more I see him, and by what I've read it sounds like he has a decent defensive game, but a third or fourth line guy is willing to sell out his offense to keep the other team off of the board.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Niemo

I think that a Matthew Lombardi level player should be reserved more for a 2nd round pick in the 40's.

In a deep draft year, I would be disappointed if Porier did not turn out to be better than Lombardi. I'm hoping for a bonafide 2nd line RWer (Versteeg level) at least.

I don't see him as anywhere near a Lombardi type of player. Lombardi god love him was a stretch player who wasn't a real strong on the puck player.

Piorier is a big kid who can drive through the ice fearlessly.

Your right Lombardi is was a second round or later player.

I think that this kid got relegated to second round based on the fact that he was far better in the second half of the season and scouts might have forgotten about him a bit.

I'm not saying he's a sure fire first rounder, but I believe he was worth the gamble if the Flames really liked him as much as they do.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by 868904

As for Mckenzie, readily admits that he doesn't see these kids and he relies on team scouts for info. Think about that, if you were a team scout, would you be giving Mckenzie the true goods and reports on the guys you like? If you were Tod Button or Trevor Timmons and Mckenzie came to you asking who your sleeper or favourite was, would you straight out tell hi or maybe give some false info?

McKenzie's list has proven to be quite accurate. He could be drawing names out of a hat for all I care... whatever his method is, the results show that it works.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Question: If he's as good a prospect as most are making, why wasn't he ranked higher? Where are his warts?

He looks like a late bloomer to me. He was still in midget at 16, so has only two years of junior. Decent 40 point season in 2011-12, but really turned it on in the back half of this year. There was an Ottawa Citizen story that argued the only reason he was ranked as low as 39th was that CSB's final list came out before the playoffs. Poirier was stellar in the post-season, and was a standout player in Gatineau's series against Halifax. The Citizen noted that he showed he could skate with the likes of MacKinnon and Drouin.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by StrykerSteve

Again, if he felt the guy wouldn't be there for the next pick, then it's not going off the board.

fyp

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by Sandman

sounds like you have a story to tell. guess you know him?

I have a bunch of buddies who played with/against him throughout the years and none of them have good things to very few of them have good things to say about him/his attitude. I've heard from his dad paying his way onto teams when he was younger, to his dad fudging his bantam AAA stats to get him drafted higher by giving him extra assists etc.

[devo22]

Calgary (Poirier at 22) and Columbus (Dano at 27) could roll the dice a little bit. They had made their safe picks earlier (Monahan/Wennberg and Rychel) and could reach a bit for a guy they really liked. I don't see a problem with this, especially if Montreal and Anaheim liked him enough to take him at 25 or 26. Other teams had only one 1st round selection and made a similar reach (Winnipeg with Morrissey, Montreal with McCarron, Anaheim with Theodore), so it shouldn't be an issue.

I was skeptic right after the selection yesterday, but Poirier is quickly becoming my favourite 1st round pick yesterday ... I expected Monahan and Klimchuk was a nice pick too, but Poirier seems like a really interesting selection too. Blazing speed, good size and nice hands ... could be a valuable 2nd/3rd line winger in a few years.

[Bourque's Twin]

Based on what I've seen from his highlights, he looks similar to Lombardi but a much stronger finisher. He dekes out goalies with more confidence than Lombardi and he has more power than Lombo when he's skating through/around D. I think he has a higher ceiling and that's why he went #22.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Cheerio

I have a bunch of buddies who played with/against him throughout the years and none of them have good things to very few of them have good things to say about him/his attitude. I've heard from his dad paying his way onto teams when he was younger, to his dad fudging his bantam AAA stats to get him drafted higher by giving him extra assists etc.

I thought corruption and bribery was the way things worked in Quebec Just playing by the rules in that region :P

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by SebC

McKenzie's list has proven to be quite accurate. He could be drawing names out of a hat for all I care... whatever his method is, the results show that it works.

McKenzie's list has proven to be quite accurate at predicting when players will actually be drafted. As far as I know, he has no particular track record of predicting which players will actually pan out.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

I thought corruption and bribery was the way things worked in Quebec Just playing by the rules in that region :P

I'm pretty sure Cheerio is talking about Shinkaruk.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

McKenzie's list has proven to be quite accurate at predicting when players will actually be drafted. As far as I know, he has no particular track record of predicting which players will actually pan out.

Thanks for the clarification, but that is what I meant.

If you can predict the draft order, then you have a pretty good idea where you can trade up or down.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Yeah after Fata and Lombardi im always scared of drafting guys for speed but he looks like he has the hands to boot.

Good pick

Question: If he's as good a prospect as most are making, why wasn't he ranked higher? Where are his warts?

I don't think Poirier was drafted due to his speed but if a guy can skate it's certainly a positive.

Answer(?) : The 2013 draft was deep, it was deep in talented offensive players. His ranking doesn't really matter, a couple guys after him were considered reaches by the panel too but each time has their own lists and it there was a plethora of similar players available.

Can't speak to warts, I think I saw him play once on TV last year but not familiar with the guy. I don't even think most here are saying a lot about him besides the usual fan comments saying he looks good etc. Certainly not to warrant a comment like "as good a prospect as most are making".

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by SebC

McKenzie's list has proven to be quite accurate. He could be drawing names out of a hat for all I care... whatever his method is, the results show that it works.

I totally agree with this but it's a consensus .. So if Calgary had an inkling that Montreal also had him ranked higher then the concenous, you take him. You don't risk dropping back because a media member has him ranked higher in his roll. No matter how good his ranking system is.

I'm out in the sun, kinda drunk, don't know how well I explained that.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by SebC

Thanks for the clarification, but that is what I meant.

If you can predict the draft order, then you have a pretty good idea where you can trade up or down.

That's true. But you can't predict the draft order based on the consensus. If a player is the #30 consensus pick, but the team picking at 21 has the hots for him, you don't expect to land him at 30.

All the players on McKenzie's top 50 went in the top 60 of the actual draft. Bravo for him. But you'll find that he was not nearly so accurate at predicting which exact spot those 50 players would go in.