How’s Honzek doing these days?

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

There's more than a few 50 goal scorers that averaged over 15% for his career but it's a an area reserved mostly for elite players. Draisaitl has been a 18% shooter his entire career.

True enough. Still, most guys who get to 50 in a season take a lot of lower-percentage shots to get there.

[blender]

Update from Kamloops.
Blazers were full value for the 3-2 win against Honzek and the Vancouver Giants, dominating the shot clock and the pace of play for the most part.
It was my first time seeing Honzek live in over a year. He played well, and as is often the case with top-level junior players he seemed to be coasting at times. He flashed NHL-level hands to redirect the Giants first goal, and he never left the ice for the last 3 minutes as the Giants pressed for the tying goal.

Still, I would have been more encouraged by a dominant performance. For a Giants team that struggled to create anything for most of the game (they didn't register their 10th shot until half way through the second) Honzek wasn't even their most dangerous player. He did show the most ability to finish though, and his size is a big advantage, although he could use an additional 10 or 20 pounds as he didn't win any more than his share of puck battles.

Overall, his talent is evident, but not an outstanding performance.

[blender]

Had a last live look at Honzek last night as the Giants came to town and trounced the Blazers 9-2.

Honzek was pretty noticeable with a goal and two assists.

Hard to take much away from a game that was over before it started (Giants buried one 14 seconds in!), but he has poise and skill. Hopefully he has a good playoff run and a productive off season and can make noise in the AHL next season.

[Ashasx]

Honzek is now below a point per game (30 points in 31 games).

This has been an abysmal season for him.

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Honzek is now below a point per game (30 points in 31 games).

This has been an abysmal season for him.

Honzek's D+1 season is the most disappointing for a Flames first round pick since Pelech in 2005, Krahn in 2000, and Tkaczuk in 1997. Honorable mentions to Jankowski in 2012 and Nystrom in 2002.

I believe that Honzek's statistical regression is the third worst after Tkaczuk and and Nystrom (they are the only other two who regressed in their D+1 year, if I'm not mistaken). With Tkaczuk, most of the players taken after him in the first round also ended up being busts. The problem with Honzek is that most of the players taken after him are looking fantastic. However, I would say that Stramel (Minnesota) and Sale (Seattle) are looking worse.

I don't know if Honzek's extensive injury history should be viewed as a positive or negative. It's possible that he plays much better if he fully heals. But it's also possible that the injuries have taken a serious toll on him.

Congrats to Lipinski for straight up having better production than Honzek despite being taken way later. He's also larger, plays center, healthier, younger, and more aggressive. Really, Lipinski is quite all around.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Down years for good players that start with injuries are unpossible!

Bust 4sho

[ForeverFlameFan]

Can’t teach size.

I think he’s still trying to figure it out and injuries are getting the best of him. Gain some muscle, work on your faults, and work your ass off to be a potential NHL call up. We have a GM and a coach that are willing to give you the ice time if you prove yourself. He was always going to be a project.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

We need to hit with our upcoming draft picks so I hope Conroy takes notes and adjusts his approach. Take a player with a large, proven body of work in his draft season rather than a guy that was on a heater for part of a season before injury that requires more projection to guess where they stack up.

Getting tunnel vision for one player is also dangerous. Important to be as unbiased as possible and get a consensus from the scouts so you don't fall victim to availability heuristic/bias for the guy you happened to watch in person the most.

[FlamesAddiction]

I hope his career isn't being derailed by injuries. He missed significant time playing only 43 games last year, and only 30 this year. He practically went 11 months without playing meaningful games. He was injured at the WJCs and out for the season, then injured at the Flames camp and didn't come back until the end of November.#

It's actually a positive that he is still a PPG player considering.

[traptor]

How does everyone currently peg our 1st rounders NHL potential right now?

Honzek - middle 6 winger/center - 15 goals/45 points
Coronato - 2nd line scoring winger - 25 goals/ 60 points
Zary - 1st line winger - 25 goals / 70 points
Pelletier - middle 6 winger - 15 goals/45 points


At this point it seems like zary and coronato will have the highest ceilings.
Honzek has alot of tools though so he might just be a slow burner.

[mrdonkey]

Originally Posted by traptor

How does everyone currently peg our 1st rounders NHL potential right now?

Honzek - middle 6 winger/center - 15 goals/45 points
Coronato - 2nd line scoring winger - 25 goals/ 60 points
Zary - 1st line winger - 25 goals / 70 points
Pelletier - middle 6 winger - 15 goals/45 points


At this point it seems like zary and coronato will have the highest ceilings.
Honzek has alot of tools though so he might just be a slow burner.

Honzek - AHL tweener, awful pick
Coronato - middle 6, 20/20
Zary - 2nd line, 25/60
Pelletier - middle 6, 15/30

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by mrdonkey

Honek -AHL tweener-awful pick
Coronato - middle 6, 20/20
Zary - 2nd line, 25/60
Pelletier - middle 6, 15/30

Opposed to?

What’s your book on Honzek? Based on what? In person viewings? Discussions with other NHL scouts/executives?

I call BS. You don’t know what you don’t know.

[Tiger]

Originally Posted by TOfan

Opposed to?

What’s your book on Honzek? Based on what? In person viewings? Discussions with other NHL scouts/executives?

I call BS. You don’t know what you don’t know.

Remember when everyone was down on zary. Up to the start of the season people were saying bust

[InternationalVillager]

How this organization passed on Gabe Perreault- a potential top 10-12 pick in order to draft Sam Honzek- I will never understand. Makes me wonder what all these scouts actually are doing. There is no set of of reasons that you can provide me with where the conclusion ends up that Honzek was a better player in his draft year than Perreault.

Kid has 50 pts in 30 games in his first year playing college. Sure he's on a team with Will Smith, Cutter Gauthier, Ryan Leonard but you still have to be able to play with talent in order to put up points. Flames need to stop overthinking things and just go with the best consensus player available.

I think Bob Mckenzie's draft rankings are usually better than what entire scouting staffs of some organizations put together.

[Yobbo]

If I've learned anything over the years it's that you never fully know for sure what to expect from a drafted player.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by TOfan

Opposed to?

What’s your book on Honzek? Based on what? In person viewings? Discussions with other NHL scouts/executives?

I call BS. You don’t know what you don’t know.

You're talking to mrdonkey. He's one of those posters who start with the conclusion, ‘Therefore the Flames suck and their management are idiots,’ and work backwards from there. If they can't find facts that will lead to that conclusion, they make up their own.

Clearly, mrdonkey knows Honzek will never be more than an AHLer because the Flames drafted Honzek. What more proof could anyone ask for?

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

I think Bob Mckenzie's draft rankings are usually better than what entire scouting staffs of some organizations put together.

That's because McKenzie's rankings are an aggregate of scouting reports from all the organizations. He himself does no scouting at all.

[memphusk]

Originally Posted by Yobbo

If I've learned anything over the years it's that you never fully know for sure what to expect from a drafted player.

Or a Donkey.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

We need to hit with our upcoming draft picks so I hope Conroy takes notes and adjusts his approach. Take a player with a large, proven body of work in his draft season rather than a guy that was on a heater for part of a season before injury that requires more projection to guess where they stack up.

Getting tunnel vision for one player is also dangerous. Important to be as unbiased as possible and get a consensus from the scouts so you don't fall victim to availability heuristic/bias for the guy you happened to watch in person the most.

Why do you assume he had tunnel vision or a bias?

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

How this organization passed on Gabe Perreault- a potential top 10-12 pick in order to draft Sam Honzek- I will never understand. Makes me wonder what all these scouts actually are doing. There is no set of of reasons that you can provide me with where the conclusion ends up that Honzek was a better player in his draft year than Perreault.

Kid has 50 pts in 30 games in his first year playing college. Sure he's on a team with Will Smith, Cutter Gauthier, Ryan Leonard but you still have to be able to play with talent in order to put up points. Flames need to stop overthinking things and just go with the best consensus player available.

I think Bob Mckenzie's draft rankings are usually better than what entire scouting staffs of some organizations put together.

bobs list isn’t a ranking. It’s a survey of NHL scouts.
And Honzek was 17 on that list. One spot off where the Flames took him