Interesting: Laine slips to ninth and they now have Tkachuk at 2nd.
Again, a little odd. Should be Puljujärvi falling since he's the one playing below expectations. Of course it's a very short term point of view and things can change fast but right now Jesse's trending down.
I got the impression this was a weak draft as well. Some of the lottery picks just seem a bit underwhelming but hey what can you do.
Trailer Fire- If you do see a Penticton Vees game make sure you look for Dante Fabbro as well. He's a D ranked anywhere from 8-20 and may just end up in the Flames rang
I went to the Langley-Penticton game recently specifically to see Jost and Frabbro.
Jost I can see being a player, albeit undersized. Hell of a quick release and excellent hockey sense. That being said, will be interesting to see how his game translates to the pro level. Could have been an off game but I was expecting more dominance from the vees (was their first loss in 20+ games)
Fabbro on the other hand left me wanting more. Can see he has an excellent shot but defensive game was lacking. Again, limited viewing but didn't get the hype.
Will try to get to the island for their feb road swing and might spin up to Merritt if I can for some additional viewings.
I know it's not fair but I keep thinking Anthony Mantha when it comes to Gauthier.
50+ goals in draft year and then 81 G in 81 GP the year after. Yet he has struggled to adjust to the pro game. He's 1 of I think 8 yet to play a Nhl game fro 2013 1st round, although Det is very patient.
I saw him at the Q-Rus game though and he was very impressive. Seems to play much more of a power game than Mantha.
Last edited by druetetective; 12-06-2015 at 09:52 PM.
I know it's not fair but I keep thinking Anthony Mantha when it comes to Gauthier.
50+ goals in draft year and then 81 G in 81 GP the year after. Yet he has struggled to adjust to the pro game. He's 1 of I think 8 yet to play a Nhl game fro 2013 1st round, although Det is very patient.
I saw him at the Q-Rus game though and he was very impressive. Seems to play much more of a power game than Mantha.
Mantha's not a bust, but the general consensus is that there were a lot of details and general intensity/consistency commitments he needed to make in the AHL because he simply never learned them in the Q. Since Gauthier's from the same team I think it's safe to assume there's a 3.5-4 year lead time on him despite the stats.
Mantha's not a bust, but the general consensus is that there were a lot of details and general intensity/consistency commitments he needed to make in the AHL because he simply never learned them in the Q. Since Gauthier's from the same team I think it's safe to assume there's a 3.5-4 year lead time on him despite the stats.
Offense is goals and he's scoring one every game. So yeah, in a way he's definitely creating the offence.
Hasn't Ovechkin had less assists than goals in a season? Is that a reason to not consider a premiere offensive talent?
That is slightly different. Typically anyone at the Junior level that is lopsided one way or the other (say 5 goals and 30 assists) has something in their game that requires further investigation. If they can't score but are setting everyone up, they likely have a noodle shot. If they score but don't get A's usually means they can't pass and aren't quality playmakers. That tends to show lower hockey IQ.
That is a generality though and elite talents break rules like Ovechkin. If Gauthier is an elite talent, that's a lot different story and you will see him be #2 behind Matthews at the end of the year. It has more to do with his approach when he doesn't have the puck. That is what is still yet to be determined. If he thinks the game well and finishes as well as he does, he is a beast. If he doesn't, he'll still be useful, but not in the same manner.
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Offense is goals and he's scoring one every game. So yeah, in a way he's definitely creating the offence.
Hasn't Ovechkin had less assists than goals in a season? Is that a reason to not consider a premiere offensive talent?
I said at the JUNIOR level, not the NHL, therefore Ovechkin's goal/assist ratio is irrelevant. But even if it were, Ovechkin has never had this big of a gap between goals and assists, and he leads his team in points every year. Gauthier is currently 3rd on his team. His finishing ability looks impressive, but he doesn't seem to be the one driving the offense, so that could be seen as a bit of a red flag.
I'm not saying it IS a bad thing in this particular case, I'm just pointing it out.
"Laine is a player with great offensive instincts and a nose for the net," said Goran Stubb, NHL Director of European Scouting. "He is not only a sniper, he's also a very effective playmaker and passer who knows his defensive duties. He has matured both on and off the ice."
Sounds like there was a bit of frustration last year. Perhaps a cause of the incident at the Hlinka:
Quote:
Laine gained the attention of most scouts in April at the 2015 IIHF Under-18 World Championship in Switzerland when he scored eight goals and 11 points in seven games to help lead Finland to a silver medal. His offensive output was certainly surprising, considering he had five goals and 12 points in 36 games while on loan with LeKi in Mestis in Finland's minor-league system.
"Playing with my home team was quite difficult because I didn't get a lot of ice time and my confidence was quite down," Laine said. "I don't know what exactly happened at the under-18 tournament. I know I had great linemates."
Quote:
Laine was asked if he considered himself a better draft-eligible prospect than Puljujarvi. Laine and Puljujarvi are the only A-rated skaters on Central Scouting's players to watch list from Finland.
"I think Jesse is a better skater than me but I can read the game better than him," Laine said with a grin. "I think that's the biggest difference between us. My strengths are scoring goals and playing with the puck in the offensive end."
He also likes the physical part of the game, something he believes he'll enjoy even more once established in North America.
"I like to tackle and mess up the opposition," he said. "I like playing physical. I have these skills so I know I need to do the physical job; I like that."
Quote:
"He's a goal scorer with a terrific shot," Rantanen said of Laine. "I think he has the best shot on this team right now and he has improved his skating too. He moves well and is just big and strong."
Finland national junior coach Jukka Jalonen likes what he sees in Laine.
"I think if there's any comparison to be made with [Auston] Matthews, Laine might be the one," Jalonen said.
Quote:
Hakan Andersson, Director of European Scouting for the Detroit Red Wings, considers Laine the complete package and said any team would be lucky to add him to their roster at the 2016 draft.
"He's similar to Puljujarvi in some ways; he's a big body with a right-handed shot and good hands," Andersson said. "He might be a little bit more of a pure goal scorer but he's a very exciting player to watch. He might also be a little more physical in terms of pure hitting.
"Is there a formula somewhere that would allow us to still be in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and have a chance to pick one of these players? That would be very nice."
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I posted this just before recent vacation (December 3rd) so obviously Flames draft slot looks much different at this point, but here's the mock draft for those interested.
I know it's not fair but I keep thinking Anthony Mantha when it comes to Gauthier.
50+ goals in draft year and then 81 G in 81 GP the year after. Yet he has struggled to adjust to the pro game. He's 1 of I think 8 yet to play a Nhl game fro 2013 1st round, although Det is very patient.
I saw him at the Q-Rus game though and he was very impressive. Seems to play much more of a power game than Mantha.
Mantha's draft year the head coach of Val d'Or was fired part way through the year.
The fired coach Marc-André Dumont has a good track record of getting players drafted. However, the coach that replaced him and finished Mantha's draft season (and is still in Val d'Or) is former World Junior head coach Mario Durocher.
Durocher is an odd coach. He doesn't develop players well, he makes poor decisions both behind the bench and as a GM, he has lost numerous dressing rooms, yet has 2 QMJHL titles, a Memorial Cup final appearance and coached the Canadian World Junior team. His resume is far more impressive than his ability (which is a special talent in and of itself).
Regardless, with Durocher don't expect Gauthier to be getting much instruction on defensive systems, nor on passing the puck. Gauthier will be getting tons of ice time, even if his play starts to slip.
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I posted this just before recent vacation (December 3rd) so obviously Flames draft slot looks much different at this point, but here's the mock draft for those interested.
On "red flags", Laine could flip off the coach again, punch the mascot, pull down his pants and take a #### on the center of the ice and he'd still get picked in the top-5.
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