[News] With the 54th overall pick the Flames select RW Hunter Smith

[saXon]

Spoiler!

Hunter Smith.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by saXon

Spoiler!

Hunter Smith.

Stop derailing the thread

[saXon]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Stop derailing the thread

[JiriHrdina]

Get the thread back on track - which is about updates and news on Hunter Smith.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

As for the goalie, the only issue I had with taking macdonald was that they seemed to want to draft a goalie no matter what with that pick once Lemieux was off the board rather than BPA approach. I guess BPA > BGA methodology.

They wanted a goalie with that pick because they didn't think MacDonald or Demko would be their for their next pick and they obviously liked both quite a bit. It's called strategizing. They know in the draft there tends to be a run on goalies at some point. So instead we started that run and took they guy we liked best.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Smith = BIG!

Big = GOOD!

Really though... once you get past Entry Level contracts, where you're drafted means little.

It's a league where undrafted defensemen slog through years in the minors only to become Norris Trophy candidates and all sorts of later round picks can make impact.

The book on Hunter Smith is still on the Table of Contents. Like to see what he can do.

[Ashasx]

Only going to response to the sections you didn't make personal.

Absolute not necessary to make comments such as "Again, I figured you wouldn't understand." Childish is the only adjective one can use to describe it.

Originally Posted by Jay Random

Because there are only two goalies on a team, and one of them usually plays a significant majority of games. A #1 goalie gets more ice time than any other player on the team, and plays a more important role. Every other skater's job is fungible to some degree. If the goalie does his job poorly, that alone will make the team lose any given game.

If anything, this goes against your argument. Yeah, you can only have one goalie in net at a time. Ideally, you only play one goaltender a game.

Hence the importance of skaters. You need more of them. You can play five skaters on the ice at once. This means that if you draft five skaters in one draft, you can ice an entire line up. If you draft goaltenders, regardless of how good they are, you can only play one at a time.

Goaltenders also have minimal value relative to skaters in trades. Additionally, you can always find good to decent goaltenders in free agency every year (see Hiller and Miller). Quality skaters rarely hit UFA. When they do, they become vastly overpaid.

Now you're just blowing smoke. Present the examples, and the metrics by which they are adjudged to have ‘stronger MVP seasons’. Otherwise, you are simply assuming facts not in evidence.

That is purely subjective. That is my point. You cannot say that Price is objectively more valuable than any past Hart winner.

Actually, you cannot assume ANYTHING about the relative values of X and Y. They are unknown values until you go looking for evidence of what their values actually are.

Yet you can assume this?:

Originally Posted by Jay Random

The value of a regular NHL goalie is so much greater than the value of an average NHL skater that the opportunity cost of passing up a good goalie is huge.

The average NHL goaltender is not a starting goaltender.

Which is not an insult.

Then most certainly calling somebody's actions "childish" is not.

This is not about a single incident. This is about a pattern of rude and abusive behaviour that you have been showing on this forum for years.

Okay, you may think this, but why bring it up?

How does it add anything to the discussion?

It doesn't. You're only intent with such a comment in to entice a negative response from me.

[JiriHrdina]

Didn't I just ask for this thread to be put back on topic? Take it to PM.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Players I think Smith could emulate and cut out a career in a similar fashion.

Adam Creighton
Dave Andreychuk
Eric Daze
Tim Kerr

i would love to see a big man like any of these guys in the Flames lineup, especially cleaning up the garbage that the smaller skill guys create.

[Ziggy Lidstrom]

Smith to me is capable of being a future captain and a Zdeno Chara on offense. Just with his prowess for garbage goals, will be akin to ZC's old offense from the point he used to bring. Maybe not, but he could be a bigger version of Old Lucic. He's going to be a PWF who will fight, hit, block shots and score greasy goals.

This kid just needs to stay healthy. He hits everything in sight, he's improved his offense each year in the league. Plus he's 6'7, is sorta mobile for his size, he fights and scores. Him and Austin Carrol could be serviceable players if they can stay relatively healthy through their impending AHL trials.

And it seems to fit Button's eye right now, in that he isn't shying from taking players whom were passed over in their first years of draft eligibility.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

He's not a "goon" as we understand it at the NHL level.

In fact, many enforcers who play in the NHL today were quite good in their junior leagues and were counted on for more than just using their fists.

That does not mean they should have been projected as anything else as an NHLer.

Most goons were big time fighters in junior. They may have gotten points as well (when they were 19/20) but they fought a ton.

[ClubFlames]

Originally Posted by New Era

Players I think Smith could emulate and cut out a career in a similar fashion.

Adam Creighton
Dave Andreychuk
Eric Daze
Tim Kerr

i would love to see a big man like any of these guys in the Flames lineup, especially cleaning up the garbage that the smaller skill guys create.

Dave Andreychuk? The guy who scored 600+ goals and had 1300+ points? That's reaching Oiler-esque expectations. I would totally even take a Eric Daze type player minus the injuries.

[Jay Random]

Yeah, Andreychuk is a pretty wild comparison. He scored about 1.5 ppg in his draft year, compared with Smith's 0.62. It's nice that Smith has taken a big step forward offensively this year. But even based on this year's stats, he has an NHLE of about 22 points per 82 games.

If he continues to improve, and if his skating is good enough for the NHL, he should be a solid third-line winger who makes opponents tremble in fear. This is no bad thing. If he ever earns a spot on a scoring line, it could well be as Johnny Hockey's bodyguard, banging and crashing and digging in the corners so Gaudreau has room to freewheel with the puck. Sort of the role Gary Roberts played in his early years on the line with Nieuwendyk and Loob.

If he doesn't continue to improve, he's a fourth-line guy; and if he is too slow on his skates (something I do not have the information to judge), he'll be the reason why his AHL team needs to travel in two buses. That will be unfortunate if it happens, but at this point I can't see why anyone would call him a wasted pick.

[ricardodw]

Where does Hunter Smith play next year?

In an imaginary world where you could only draft 19 year olds I think that he would have moved up from his #54 spot last year.

If he has a good rookie/training camp the best spot for him might be the AHL rather than back in the OHL physically dominating a bunch of kids.

Bouma went back to the WHL as 20 year old and it didn't hurt him, but I think Smith might be ahead of Bouma at similar points in their careers although Bouma was far better as a 16 year old being on the memorial cup winner.

[ForeverFlameFan]

I think Smith should start playing in Stockton.

[getbak]

Yeah, I see him playing in the AHL next season, and I wouldn't even be surprised to see him get a call up at some point.

[Robbob]

I think he needs to start playing against men rather then 17-20 year olds. He will need to adapt in the pro game so the sooner he starts that, the better it will be for him.

[Enoch Root]

He is physically too much for the CHL and would stagnate there. I think he needs to be in Stockton for a few reasons:

1) to get professional coaching and learn how to play the power forward game
2) to work full time on his conditioning - he needs to get significantly stronger
3) to work full time on his skating - he needs an explosive first stride

He needs to be pushed. He needs to develop in ways that will make him a good pro.

If they can get that big frame into awesome shape, teach him how to utilize it, and develop his skating, Smith could be a very impactful NHLer in a couple of years.

To those saying he could get a call-up this coming season, not a chance IMO, he's not even close to ready yet.

[Erick Estrada]

He's going to need at minimum a full season in the AHL I would think. He's a guy that needs to play not be alternated between the Flames pressbox and 5-8 minutes a game in the NHL.

[codynw]

I personally think he could use another year in the OHL. He progressed a little bit, but he certainly didn't dominate offensively. Let him keep working on his scoring touch in a bigger role than he would get in the AHL.