[News] With the 32nd OA pick, the Flames select C Cullen Potter

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Calgary Highlander

This is the guy I wanted.

He will end up somewhere between Gaudreau and Phillips and the journey to find out will be fun.

Great job taking BPA at 18 and 32.

Originally Posted by Finger Cookin

This is one Grand Canyon of a chasm.

He will either be an elite top line, 100+ point scoring forward or not good enough to play in the NHL. I'm excited.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by CFO

How many forwards under 5'10" are legit top 6 forwards in the NHL today?

There are plenty listed at 5'10" like he is

Its the 32nd overall pick were you expecting a can't miss blue chip prospect? Its awesome they are going high risk, high reward.
Average NHLers are a dime a dozen, shoot for the high ceiling guys with these later picks who have only dropped due to their size. If he was 6'3" he would be going in the top 3

[Matty81]

Love the pick, exactly what the flames should be doing with a 2nd 1st swinging big on offence with how hard that is to find. Can't help but be a little concerned after fox and then tkachuk refusing to re sign... did he look a little flat and unexcited after the pick to anybody else? Hopefully he keeps progressing and will sign here. Reminded me of when the grease drafted mcdavid a bit, not even a smile

[Tbull8]

graviteh on YouTube gave a nice comparison I hadn’t even thought of. On the high end, could be an Ehlers type player. Now that would be a steal

[Bingo Jr.]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Love the pick, exactly what the flames should be doing with a 2nd 1st swinging big on offence with how hard that is to find. Can't help but be a little concerned after fox and then tkachuk refusing to re sign... did he look a little flat and unexcited after the pick to anybody else? Hopefully he keeps progressing and will sign here. Reminded me of when the grease drafted mcdavid a bit, not even a smile

I took it as more of a Thank god moment.

Kid spent all day waiting for his dream to come through just to sit through almost 5 hours of other people getting drafted ahead of him.

Mentally exhausted imo.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Didn’t realize that Arizona changed conferences last year and are now up against traditionally strong western programs like Denver and Colorado College etc.

[icarus]

Hope he turns out better than our last ASU prospect, Koumontzis!

[jg13]

I think at 32 this is absolutely the right pick for Conroy and co.

[Jay Random]

I knew nothing about Potter before the draft, but the more I dig, the better I like the pick. Doing what he's done as a 17-year-old rookie in one of the better NCAA conferences is mighty impressive.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Reminded me of when the grease drafted mcdavid a bit, not even a smile

He looked like he wanted to puke.

[FlamesAddiction]

Regarding how players look when they are drafted, level of excitement and all that. Of course these guys, just being normal humans, have their preferences for teams to be drafted by. I am sure there is often an initial feeling of, damn I was hoping such and such a team would draft me. In most cases that subsides quickly when the realization kicks in that they were selected by a club that chose them and preferred them to the others that were left, and they start to see their career path forming. Putting them under the microscope and over analyzing expressions literally seconds after they are called and still processing seems pretty unfair.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

I knew nothing about Potter before the draft, but the more I dig, the better I like the pick. Doing what he's done as a 17-year-old rookie in one of the better NCAA conferences is mighty impressive.

Same, took awhile but I was told "everyone talks about his speed and skating but not how he can handle the puck at such high speed, not many can do that and his shot is not talked about enough, don't worry about his size, I think he'll play."

[sch19lks]

He didn’t look thrilled when he was drafted, but at least he didn’t shake his head and say “fvck” when he was picked

[CliffFletcher]

I get the strategy of drafting for ceiling. But beyond the skating, I’m not seeing the elite tools that you’re hoping for in a guy of this size.

Would have preferred Gastrin. With the weakness of the Flames’ C pipeline, and the difficulty of getting your hands on even a #3 checking centre, he would have filled a big need in the prospect pool.

[Hells Bells]

When I watch this kid's highlights, I get Marian Gaborik vibes. A little smaller, but the same powerful stride and explosiveness.

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Regarding how players look when they are drafted, level of excitement and all that. Of course these guys, just being normal humans, have their preferences for teams to be drafted by. I am sure there is often an initial feeling of, damn I was hoping such and such a team would draft me. In most cases that subsides quickly when the realization kicks in that they were selected by a club that chose them and preferred them to the others that were left, and they start to see their career path forming. Putting them under the microscope and over analyzing expressions literally seconds after they are called and still processing seems pretty unfair.

If they mature enough, yes, this is how it should play out. Doesn’t always turn out that way but in most cases it does.

I’d trust Conroy though. I’m sure he did his due diligence, interviewed the kid and if there were indicators that he was a flight risk, they wouldn’t have drafted him.

Also agree that I’d be hesitant to make judgments about whether him smiling or not means much of anything. Perhaps he was just uncomfortable with thousands of people looking at him walk up to a stage with cameras in his face. Probably wouldn’t be the only 18 year old out there to feel that way. They’re literally kids.

I like the risk/reward here. Sounds like some question whether his size will mean he’s better suited as a winger. Add another LHS forward to the crop of forwards. Interested to see what is going to give……at some point.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Joe Mullen vibes?

Hakan Loob?

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

Maybe Mason Raymond is a good comp? Solid complimentary middle 6er who can fly

Maybe somewhere between Debrinkat and Garland - hopefully with some Konecny

Edit: Haken Loob would be nice!

[troutman]

Coronato is 5’ 10”, and doing great.

[Enoch Root]

You can play in the NHL at 5'10"... that isn't - or shouldn't be - up for debate.

The problem is that you can only have so many of those guys, and the question is: how many?

One? Irrelevant. Two? Still not a concern. Three? That's getting problematic. If 4 or 5 of your top 9 are small, you're in big trouble. You're dead in the water.