Mark "Fricken" Jankowski (aka The Big Jankowski)

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Bandwagon In Flames

Uhh... Yes he did? Sorry maybe it was Gaudreau going back for his 3rd season, but the point stands. He wanted to play a year with his brother and his mom wanted him to finish school..

.

Originally Posted by devo22

no, he didn't. Johnny Gaudreau DID NOT play his 4th year at Boston College.

Jankowski has regressed in goals this season, but has improved everything else. Assists, points per game, faceoffs ...

He played 3 years:

1. Freshman
2. Sophomore
3. Junior
4. Senior (did not play)

I believe this bother played with him in his 3rd year.

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by Bandwagon In Flames

Uhh... Yes he did? Sorry maybe it was Gaudreau going back for his 3rd season, but the point stands. He wanted to play a year with his brother and his mom wanted him to finish school..

My point kind of got thrown out the window with the Gaudreau talk. My point is that, many saw this as a project pick and if you go back the timeline was 3-5 years. It's been 3 years and he's not even knocking at the door. Yes it's still too soon, but you can't blame fans for losing hope of Jankowski ever reaching his top-6 potential.

Also, if I'm to do some stat picking, you can say that Jankowski regressed at scoring goals. This year was his least productive goal scoring season, with less than half as many as last year.

There was speculation that he might go pro after his second year, but he held on a year to play with his brother (among other reasons and it was a good choice). He left after his third season

[Bandwagon In Flames]

Originally Posted by devo22

no, he didn't. Johnny Gaudreau DID NOT play his 4th year at Boston College.

Jankowski has regressed in goals this season, but has improved everything else. Assists, points per game, faceoffs ...

Correct, I had edited this after remembering that it was in fact his 3rd season (but you are quick). Got confused because of all the talk of him not signing with the Flames if he went back for his final year.

Another statistic I would consider important is points on your team. Last year Jankowski was 3rd on his team in scoring and this year he finished 6th. He's also got the lowest +/- out of the top 15 scorers on his team. Again, I'm cherry picking stats, but there is some cause for concern looking at these particular stats.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Bandwagon In Flames

Agree with much of your post, but a couple question marks have been raised for me. I haven't seen any praise from his coach, can you give some context as to Jankowski being "the best forward for us" - Was this in reference to a game, the season, or what?

I also don't recall Jankowski being touted for his 2-way play, but more for his offensive abilities. His biggest selling point was having the skill and soft hands of a small finess player, but recently gaining the size to become a power forward.

I'm hoping for the best with Jankowski, but you can't blame fans for losing patience, as it has been 3 seasons now. It's safe to say he's going back for his senior year, where an NHL caliber player like Gaudreau had a tough choice to make.

First, let's go over this that Sureloss posted a while back:

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=134613

on Mark Jankowski

• Malloy: can't judge a player in college hockey, especially Hockey East, based solely on stats. it's a tough conference to play in
• Button: when we drafted Mark we knew he was a longer term project. Hasn't seen him play at providence yet as that is more of a development team's responsibility
• Flames development team are happy with his progress. Think center is his natural position and Ron Sutter says that he is learning the details of the game.
• Everyone wants to see him put up more points but statistics is not the overall barometer of a player is developing or not
• The details and the day to day things are going to make him a successful NHL player more than his natural abilities which he already has.
• Cohen: watches a lot of college hockey. Likes how when Jankowski is close to the net he can bury the puck. Can really see Mark's excellent vision. Mark is ahead of his pace from last year so not sure what else someone is looking for saying he is not giving enough.
• Button: It's fair for people to judge him on his stats when they can't watch him regularly. It's not an issue for the Flames. Flames knew he was going to be a long term project.
• Strength and conditioning were going to be a factor going forward.
• Still a 6'4''center that moves well and has good hands. Once he is able to keep the weight on, comfortable playing at that weight, and the strength comes... that's why the Flames drafted him for his long term potential.

and this one:

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=141006

Mark Jankowski

• going into Sophomore year Flames expectations were for Jankowski to take a step from his freshman year and he certainly did that
• with Mark it is a lot of small steps
• going from Quebec high school to NCAA was a big jump, not mentally but physically. going from 9th or 10th graders to 23/24 year old men
• injured first weekend
• Mark has progressed steadily [physically] (put on 8 or 9 lbs)
• he is still on the track that they had for him when they drafted him - it is a lot of physical development and a lot of patience
• the ability is there and the brain is there, just a matter of letting the maturation process take full course before pushing him into anything further
• easier to be patient with prospects when you have other younger guys that can play (e.g. Monahan)
• Cohen: thinks he good in transition, really good passer, excellent vision, when he gets in close he can do really well even before he gained weight (so he should get better). anxious to see what he does this year
• Button says Jankowski always had quick hands, quick muscles and skill but when he get knocked off the puck or knocked around it is really hard to execute
• Quickness in tight corners has always been there with Mark. Now its just not about strength but also confidence to use that strength

Good summaries by Button - though he doesn't see Jankowski at all much since he is on the amateur side of things.

He keeps preaching patience here. That the Flames selected him knowing he would take years to make the NHL. In that second part, also states that it is easier to be patient when you have guys like Monahan (and now Gaudreau, Granlund, Poirier, Ferland, etc.) on the team.

I also look at a draft like this:

Top 5 it is a bit disappointing when they don't make it in their first or second year post-draft.

Top 10-15 or so, usually in the first 3 years (and there are quite a number of guys who are rookies this year - Forsberg, Reinhart was #4, and only played 8 games thus far (in the AHL now), Dumba, Pouliot and Grigorenko. Faksa and Koekkoek were 14th and 10th overall respectively. All these guys were higher picks. I don't think ANY of them had the 'project' label slapped onto them - of course there are always the sayings that defencemen mature later, etc., but thinking back from memory, I think only Teravainen had a 'slight' project label attached to him, but Jankowski sure as heck did.

So, if these guys are only breaking out this year, and some guys still haven't had a sniff of the NHL, then why should so many people be expecting Jankowski to be so much further along? Heck, the kid is almost a full year younger than some of these picks to boot.

Sure, his stats can be a bit disappointing, but they also show progression. Given what Button was talking about, it makes things seem much more reasonable. The main point is that when you select a prospect with a 'project' label, you know it is going to take longer than average for that prospect to develop. This is why I think people shouldn't lose patience. I think if you have lost patience with a project pick, then you must not have read the project label to begin with - especially when said project has done practically nothing except progress.

Don't get me wrong - I am not aiming the above remarks on you, nor do I know how you feel about him one way or the other. Just addressing the 'you can't blame people for losing patience'. Given that, I do understand why people lose patience, but they just have to remind themselves that Jankowski is a long-term project pick, that he is progressing in every area he needed to address from draft day, and he is still only 20 years old. Not everyone can be Monahan after all.

As for the coach remarking about Jankowski being "the best player" - for the sake of not making this long post even more unbearable, he stated this after a number of games this year and last (can't recall if it happened in the first season or not). To my knowledge, he has never said Jankowski is the best forward on the team period - just after games. Definitely not just shining some unearned compliments Jankowski's way - he often has Jankowski on the ice in the dying minutes of games whether the team is up by one, or down by one.

He has stated a few times now that he counts on Jankowski to help get that goal when the team is trailing by one, or to help protect the lead when Providence is up by one. Has stated many times that Jankowski has been great defensively even from last year.

However, I don't think your summary on Jankowski was accurate. He was always known for his 2-way game, but had HUGE question marks about how it would end up translating. There was definitely LOADS of room to doubt his defensive ability given where he was coming from (much lower level systems and quality of competition), but he wasn't at least a one-trick-pony.

From his own coach at Stansfield:

http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2012/6/1...ospect-profile

From the same post by Pat Hickey, his current coach James Rioux at Stanshead:

"His size and reach are big assets. He's a two-way player who's good in his own zone. He's one of the best distributors of the puck I've seen, so he does make his teammates better. He's very unselfish, but he can also put the puck in the net."

From the hockeywriters:

http://thehockeywriters.com/mark-jan...the-wild-card/

Jankowski, while still very raw, can play a two-way game and doesn’t take a shift off even if he still needs to get used to his rapidly-changing body. He needs to add weight to play a more physical game along the boards and improve his strength over the summer in order to be more fluid and strong on his skates. The Dundas native will also need to work on improving the speed and the release of his shot as it could be much better.

Lots of people will doubt Jankowksi, especially at the draft. However, this is a kid who kept drawing people toward him. Stansfield saw maybe a few scouts a year. Because of him, there were 40 a night.

Something I didn't read before (or remember if I did read it in the past) from the "In Lou We Trust" link:

When asked about his decision to select Providence, Jankowski said:

More than 25 schools expressed an interest in Jankowski, but he selected Providence because he was impressed with coach Nate Leaman, who was coaching at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., when he first contacted Jankowski.
"What he did at Union was amazing," Jankowski said. "He brought that program from nothing and they were in the Frozen Four this year. He went to Providence, and he's doing the same thing there."

I think with so many schools going after Jankowski, I think (and only rationalizing here, and can be completely off-base) that so many schools went after him because he was a potential high-end talent, but also a project that needed so many years to develop before leaving for the NHL.

However, I do disagree with the "end up as a power-forward". I don't think he will ever be considered a power-forward. He models his game after Malkin (or used to, anyways), and though Malkin is big and extremely hard to contain, he isn't the power-forward that Ovechkin is. A power-forward for me is someone who can run people over, crash the net, and pick up those garbage goals.

Jankowski has HUGELY advanced his game in those dirty areas - he will drive the net and has scored some garbage goals these past two years. He is becoming a much stronger presence on the puck and much harder to knock off. He is becoming tougher in the corners, and doesn't hesitate as much. However, I don't think he will ever be the type of player that people consider a power-forward.

That's ok with me. I think that having guys like Jankowski and Colborne makes the Flames tougher to play against in the playoffs. Big guys just take more energy to play against, even if they aren't knocking you down every chance you get. You can see Colborne out-muscle guys on the boards much more regularly. Having another big forward who has hands and IQ would make for a difficult match-up. Neither one is going to intimidate out there, but large sized guys with skill are just physically demanding to contain, and that really helps especially in playoff situations.

Ok, ok.. no more Jankowski novels from me for at least a month

[Bandwagon In Flames]

Thanks for the detailed write-up. I just wish every response wasn't the size of a short story. I wouldn't of even glanced at that wall of text if it hadn't been addressed to me. This is a forum, so point form or short paragraphs will cause more people to take the time to read. I do appreciate you being thorough though.

Is the most recent talk of Jankowski really from the start of the year? The major red flag for me was brought up in my last post. As a 2-way centerman, he's 6th on team scoring with the lowest +/- of the top 15 scorers on his team (a much higher scoring team this season by the way). Take that with halving last years goal total and I think Jankowski's progression is not as absolute as you deem it to be.

It's not the time to give up, but you can't deny the stats indicate little to no progression this season. He had last season to familiarize himself with the defensive responsibilities of playing center. It's safe to say fans expected an increase in his offensive production this season.

Next year will be a big test as there looks to be a good junk of Seniors graduating. If he can role with top line duties than I'm sure he'll have a steady year of development.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by Bandwagon In Flames

Thanks for the detailed write-up. I just wish every response wasn't the size of a short story. I wouldn't of even glanced at that wall of text if it hadn't been addressed to me. This is a forum, so point form or short paragraphs will cause more people to take the time to read. I do appreciate you being thorough though.

Calgary4LIfe is one of my favourite posters here due to his inciteful, well-written posts (don't ever stop C4L). Maybe it's an age thing and younger people with their shorter attention spans (generalizing here) don't care for his detailed posts but I'd much rather have one post thoroughly outlining one's thoughts than 20+ smaller posts that rarely get to the point.

Of course, if you remove the inciteful and well-written aspects of a long post, then I agree wholeheartedly with you.

[Inglewood Jack]

Originally Posted by D as in David

Calgary4LIfe is one of my favourite posters here due to his inciteful, well-written posts

haha you keep using that word...I do not think it means what you think it means

[madmike]

Originally Posted by Bandwagon In Flames

Thanks for the detailed write-up. I just wish every response wasn't the size of a short story. I wouldn't of even glanced at that wall of text if it hadn't been addressed to me. This is a forum, so point form or short paragraphs will cause more people to take the time to read. I do appreciate you being thorough though.

Is the most recent talk of Jankowski really from the start of the year? The major red flag for me was brought up in my last post. As a 2-way centerman, he's 6th on team scoring with the lowest +/- of the top 15 scorers on his team (a much higher scoring team this season by the way). Take that with halving last years goal total and I think Jankowski's progression is not as absolute as you deem it to be.

It's not the time to give up, but you can't deny the stats indicate little to no progression this season. He had last season to familiarize himself with the defensive responsibilities of playing center. It's safe to say fans expected an increase in his offensive production this season.

Next year will be a big test as there looks to be a good junk of Seniors graduating. If he can role with top line duties than I'm sure he'll have a steady year of development.

To be fair, Jankowski missed a few games and the guys ahead of him in scoring are all 23- and 24-year-old seniors, while Jankowski is 21.

But at this point I think anyone would have to admit his production has been underwhelming. He needs a big year next year.

[FlameZilla]

Jankowski won't silence the haters until he plays a whole season with the Calgary Flames. Even if he put up Gaudreau- or Monahan- level points there will be haters. It's much easier to say "I told you he was going to be a bust" than it is to have a bit of hopeful optimism.

Great post C4L. You should get these epic posts uploaded to a blog if you haven't already.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by madmike

To be fair, Jankowski missed a few games and the guys ahead of him in scoring are all 23- and 24-year-old seniors, while Jankowski is 21.

even bette, Janko is still 20. He only turns 21 in September.

Epic post by C4L, as usual. Couldn't agree more, and I have no problem with the length of his posts either. I gladly take time to read long posts when they are that well-thought.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by Inglewood Jack

haha you keep using that word...I do not think it means what you think it means

I was too incited.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by devo22

even bette, Janko is still 20. He only turns 21 in September.

Epic post by C4L, as usual. Couldn't agree more, and I have no problem with the length of his posts either. I gladly take time to read long posts when they are that well-thought.

My only issue with the long posts is that while I am slacking off at work I can't give them the full attention they deserve

[David Struch]

Originally Posted by devo22

Janko is still 20. He only turns 21 in September.

Same age as Joe Nieuwendyk when he left school before his senior year to turn pro and join the Flames.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Bandwagon In Flames

Thanks for the detailed write-up. I just wish every response wasn't the size of a short story. I wouldn't of even glanced at that wall of text if it hadn't been addressed to me. This is a forum, so point form or short paragraphs will cause more people to take the time to read. I do appreciate you being thorough though.

Is the most recent talk of Jankowski really from the start of the year? The major red flag for me was brought up in my last post. As a 2-way centerman, he's 6th on team scoring with the lowest +/- of the top 15 scorers on his team (a much higher scoring team this season by the way). Take that with halving last years goal total and I think Jankowski's progression is not as absolute as you deem it to be.

It's not the time to give up, but you can't deny the stats indicate little to no progression this season. He had last season to familiarize himself with the defensive responsibilities of playing center. It's safe to say fans expected an increase in his offensive production this season.

Next year will be a big test as there looks to be a good junk of Seniors graduating. If he can role with top line duties than I'm sure he'll have a steady year of development.

I think every poster here has their own personal quirks. Mine happen to be lengthy posts (I hope that is the only quirk). I find that I enjoy reading some other posters lengthy posts personally. It is a forum, but I think everyone has the freedom to post in whatever way suits them. I am fully aware that a great many people just skip my post, and that is also fine with me. I understand that not everyone has the time nor the patience to read a lengthy post - especially if it happens to be boring! Some people do enjoy it, some hate it.. I just post how I post. If I have a lot to say, they become lengthy, if I don't, they can be short and sweet. Unfortunately, at 3am my filter turns off, and they start to compete with such classics like War and Peace...

Back on topic - I would be lying if I said that I wasn't disappointed with Jankowski's offensive output. I would have loved to have seen a huge increase - and was expecting it quite frankly. Why was his numbers a bit low? I have no idea. Might have been a coaching thing, a nagging injury, adjusting to bigger minutes and the better defensive pairings keying-in on him, something with the system. I really have no clue, and I would be guessing. When I do watch him, I do see a skilled player with size. Does he leave me hungry for more? Absolutely. I just look at him as a 20 year old kid still.

His ceiling is a 1st line center. Given his offensive output, that may definitely be lowering as he develops. However, he may become a very good 3rd line center that chips in offensively. To me, that isn't bad at all, and I would say it is worth more than a 2nd round pick. He may not turn out to be that 'sexy player', but he may yet turn out to be a player that really helps the team win down the road. Besides, there are many instances where guys haven't produced too much in the NCAA, but have gone on to be decent in the NHL - Jooris for one (and he had the same coach in his first year at Union).

I just look at Jankowski as a long-term project, and his coach and program are turning him into a well-rounded player. Time will tell how that story goes - and yes, I do acknowledge that there is definitely the chance he busts - but I think he is progressing positively and has received many accolades from his coach.

[Hugh Jahrmes]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

I think every poster here has their own personal quirks. Mine happen to be lengthy posts
------wall of text removed-----.

TL;DR---- You are a wonderful hypocrite and I hope your long posts are a source of inner turmoil for years to come!


Edit- I generally end up with mid to large sized posts (generally rambling, off topic, or inaccurate unfortunately), but I also think the attention span of today's average person has really raised the bar for expectations when it comes to one's ability to condense our thoughts and opinions (thanks, Twitter). Generally I skim the first and last paragraphs of a really long post, and if it seems well thought out & written, I give it the unselfish lover treatment and really spend some time on it. As someone who enjoys talking and reading equally, kudos to those who don't feel the need to truncate posts to appease the instant gratification crowd. TL;DR's can often draw in a larger crowd though and I appreciate those who also take the time to include them.

[FlameZilla]

I'll be over the moon if he ends up being a great shut-down centre with good faceoff skills who uses his size & good hands to chip in offensively from time to time. I don't see him projecting to be anything less than that. When you look at the statistical likelihood of late 1st rounders becoming anything more than bottom 6 players then you can appreciate that Jankowski is still a really solid prospect, despite not putting up huge numbers in the NCAA.

He still has plenty to prove and I expect he'll spend another year at Providence. After that I expect him to spend at least a season in the AHL. I'll be expecting more from him, but I'm still a long way from giving up on him. He should be ready to contribute once our other young stars have become solid veterans. I for one think we can all afford to wait this one out.

[Vinny01]

Does he go pro after this season for 1-2 years in the AHL or does he go back for his senior year?

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Does he go pro after this season for 1-2 years in the AHL or does he go back for his senior year?

truthfully I wouldn't be shocked to see the entire trio from Providence turn pro after this season.

[devo22]

I think Gillies is a lock to turn pro. Hiller and Ortio are the only two goaltenders signed for next season, and given that Ortio was solid in his NHL stint and will be on a one-way and subject to waivers next season, Gillies can have the starter's job in Stockton. I'd be very surprised if he didn't sign with the Flames this year.

With Gilmour and Jankowski, it's a more interesting case.

NHL defensemen under contract (6): Brodie, Giordano, Russell, Wideman, Smid, Engelland
AHL defensemen under contract (5): Wotherspoon, Culkin, Sieloff, Kulak, Kanzig
UFA defensemen (3): Potter, Schlemko, Diaz
RFA defensemen (3): Cundari, Acolatse, Ramage

I also firmly believe that Wotherspoon will be in the NHL next season, so that leaves 4 young contracted defensemen on the farm plus whatever AHL defenseman the Flames will re-sign. I doubt that they will sign Eric Roy, but let's not forget Rushan Rafikov who's a wildcard to come over to NA. Is there really a spot for Gilmour? Not sure.

NHL forwards under contract (8): Monahan, Gaudreau, Hudler, Jones, Stajan, Colborne, Bollig, Bennett
AHL forwards under contract (4): Poirier, Klimchuk, Granlund, van Brabant
UFA forwards (2): Setoguchi, McGrattan
RFA forwards (12): Backlund, Bouma, Jooris, Shore, Ferland, Wolf, Arnold, Byron, Reinhart, Agostino, Hanowski, Elson

Again, the big question is which RFAs they keep around. Will there still be a spot for Byron next season? Do they keep Reinhart? Have they seen enough of Agostino and Hanowski? Do they like Wolf and Elson enough to keep them around? Those are the questions that will determine whether Janko goes pro or not. Frankly, I'm fine either way. Another college season surely wouldn't hurt, but if the Flames think he's ready for pro and better off in Stockton under their own "control" than in Providence, then that's obviously great too.

EDIT: also, Austin Carroll will surely be signed and be in the AHL next season. Not sure about Hunter Smith, but I think one more OHL season would be good for his development.

[dammage79]

Well, Smith's number are an impressive improvement over last seasons. More Points, More PIM and a very high +/- and less GP. Good for him. Maybe he does turn pro this off season.