[News] With the 104th overall pick, the Flames select LW John Gaudreau

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by Red Ice Player

I'll say it now. In both skill and size, JG looks to me like the reincarnation of the former Soviet star Valeri Kharlamov. Kharlamov was 5'8" 170 throughout his career. Every highlight video of him shows him breaking through the defence with the flat footed defenders fruitlessly trying to hook him down. If Johnny adds a bit more lower body strength he'll be almost unstoppable. It's a good thing Bobby Clarke no longer plays. Now I sure wish I'd said this when he was drafted...

Thank you for that. Kharlamov truly was something to watch in the 70's. The Russian team was a huge threat, whenever he was on the ice. I never knew he was so small, and agree that, from what I have seen of JG so far, he has the potential to be as good. Hopefully our fighters can provide him with the protection he needs.

I have always thought that the Broad Street Bullies took some of the beauty out of the game. Hopefully, we can get to witness some of that beauty in JG, and his skills extend to avoiding hits from the more physically aggressive players.

[kirant]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

Anyone know how past Hobey Baker winners fared in their NHL rookie seasons?

I'll just go back 10 years and list their first year. Bear in mind though that Gaudreau is fairly unique as he won the Hobey Baker at a much younger age than most of these players:
- Johnny Gaudreau - Don't know yet.
- Drew LeBlanc - Struggled in AHL. Hasn't seen much NHL time.
- Jack Connolly - Never drafted into the NHL. Played in SEL after. Doesn't look like he'll come back to this side of the Atlantic any time soon.
- Andy Miele - Has looked great statistically in AHL. Still trying to break into the NHL as part of the Coyotes organization.
- Blake Geoffrion - Retired due to injury.
- Matt Gilroy - Played what looks like a 3rd pairing role (16:18 minutes/game on average) for the Rangers
- Kevin Porter - Struggled and split time between the AHL and NHL. He's an AHL offensive machine.
- Ryan Duncan - Never drafted into the NHL. Mostly playing in Austria though he had a reasonably good stint in the AHL a few years back.
- Matt Carle - Played a good number of minutes (18:08/game) and was utilized primarily as a PP specialist.
- Marty Sertich - Never drafted. He floated around the AHL for a while but moved to European leagues after.
- Junior Lessard - Undrafted, but the Stars gave him a contract after winning the Hobey Baker. Was an AHL presence for a while but his production vanished. Currently plays in lower level professional leagues.

A notable trend with the undrafted players is size...most of them are Gaudreau sized players.

[DeluxeMoustache]

The Hobey Baker doesn't seem to be special of late.

Here are some 80s plus winners
81 Neal Broten
82 George McPhee
83 Mark Fusco (80 games with Whalers)
84 Tom Kurvers
87 Tony Hrkac
88 Robb Stauber
93 Paul Kariya
97 Brendan Morrison
98 Chris Drury
99 Jason Krog
01 Ryan Miller
02 Jordan Leopold

I think that takes us up to the previous post reflecting the last 10 year winners

Generally players ranging from mediocre to fair except Kariya

[Da_Chief]

Hobey has been given to older undrafted players for awhile so their chances of making it are pretty low.

[getbak]

Here's the Hobey Baker winners list sorted by the players' ages the day they won the award:

---------- 18 ----------
Paul Kariya
---------- 20 ----------
Robb Stauber
Johnny Gaudreau
Ryan Miller
Tony Hrkac
Kip Miller
---------- 21 ----------
Bill Watson
Neal Broten
Matt Carle
Tom Kurvers
Chris Drury
Brendan Morrison
Jordan Leopold
Ryan Duncan
---------- 22 ----------
Mike Mottau
Mark Fusco
Kevin Porter
Blake Geoffrion
David Emma
Scott Pellerin
Chris Marinucci
Brian Bonin
Marty Sertich
Brian Holzinger
Jack Connolly
---------- 23 ----------
Andy Miele
Lane MacDonald
Scott Fusco
Jason Krog
Peter Sejna
George McPhee
Drew LeBlanc
Junior Lessard
---------- 24 ----------
Matt Gilroy

Gaudreau is the third-youngest Hobey Baker winner. Of all the players who won the Hobey Baker before celebrating their 21st birthdays, Robb Stauber is the only one who could be considered an NHL bust. All the others played at least 400 NHL games. Kariya averaged a point a game in the NHL, Hrkac and Kip Miller were both around half a point a game, and Ryan Miller has had a solid NHL career.

[Lanny_McDonald]

nvm

[#-3]

/\
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You could also point out that he for all intents and purposes won it in 2013, when he was 19. They just didn't give it to him.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I haven't seen this posted anywhere yet, and thought it was really cool (even if it is from HF).

The Flames have a special talent on their hands with Gaudreau, who is the only player in history to win a Hobey Baker Award, a USHL Title, a NCAA Championship, and a gold medal at the World Junior Championship.

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/article...flames-2014-15

A Stanley Cup ring would go great with that hardware (and all the other hardware he has accumulated already that wasn't mentioned).

[ForeverFlameFan]

That sure makes him a winner. Hopefully he can add the SC to his resume in his career.

[heep223]

Cullen has JG ranked 63rd in projected scoring next year. Ahead of Backes, Nash, Stastny, Lucic, Semin, Carter, Simmonds, Gaborik, Steen, Skinner, E. Kane, Oshie, Ryan, Vrbata and Cammy. Only Flames player in top 100.

63. Johnny Gaudreau CGY LW 77(GP) 23(G) 32(A) 55(Pts) 3(+/-) 15 (PPP) 22 (PIM)

http://www.tsn.ca/fantasy_news/feature/?ID=125019

Note Monahan at 267th with 32 points.

[handgroen]

Originally Posted by heep223

Cullen has JG ranked 63rd in projected scoring next year. Ahead of Backes, Nash, Stastny, Lucic, Semin, Carter, Simmonds, Gaborik, Steen, Skinner, E. Kane, Oshie, Ryan, Vrbata and Cammy. Only Flames player in top 100.

http://www.tsn.ca/fantasy_news/feature/?ID=125019

Note Monahan at 267th with 32 points.

yeah yahoo has him really high too. seems like the word is out and the poolies are pretty bullish on gaudreau

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by heep223

Note Monahan at 267th with 32 points.

Hope Johnny makes a big splash this year but given the chance I'd draft Monahan into my pool first.

[codynw]

Originally Posted by heep223

Cullen has JG ranked 63rd in projected scoring next year. Ahead of Backes, Nash, Stastny, Lucic, Semin, Carter, Simmonds, Gaborik, Steen, Skinner, E. Kane, Oshie, Ryan, Vrbata and Cammy. Only Flames player in top 100.

http://www.tsn.ca/fantasy_news/feature/?ID=125019

Note Monahan at 267th with 32 points.

Off topic, but man is MSL overrated on that list. The dude is 39, plus he plays for the Rangers (where high scoring players go to die). I'd be surprised if he got more than 55 points.

[albertGQ]

23 goals in 77 games as a rookie? That's a higher GPG average than Nathan Mackinnen last year. And of course Nate had much better linemates to play with.

Of course JG is older but Nathan IMO is more physically mature

I don't see him getting 20+ goals. I'd be thrilled with 15-18.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by codynw

Off topic, but man is MSL overrated on that list. The dude is 39, plus he plays for the Rangers (where high scoring players go to die). I'd be surprised if he got more than 55 points.

I agree, then again I've been saying that for the past 5 years.

[bubbsy]

NCAA loves them some gaudreau....

NCAA Ice Hockey ‏@NCAAIceHockey 25m The College Hockey regular season starts in... pic.twitter.com/xg5w81VF38

[robertsfan]

Originally Posted by getbak

Gaudreau is the third-youngest Hobey Baker winner. Of all the players who won the Hobey Baker before celebrating their 21st birthdays, Robb Stauber is the only one who could be considered an NHL bust. All the others played at least 400 NHL games. Kariya averaged a point a game in the NHL, Hrkac and Kip Miller were both around half a point a game, and Ryan Miller has had a solid NHL career.

I'll always remember Robb Stauber as the guy who backstopped the Kings past the Flames in 1993. Vernon was hurt and Jeff Reese crapped the bed.

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

23 goals in 77 games as a rookie? That's a higher GPG average than Nathan Mackinnen last year. And of course Nate had much better linemates to play with.

Of course JG is older but Nathan IMO is more physically mature

I don't see him getting 20+ goals. I'd be thrilled with 15-18.

Monahan had 22 in 75 last year, so not a stretch

[MissTeeks]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/c...rtin-st-louis/

As it turned out, Treliving learned far more that day by watching Gaudreau’s American teammates, rather than Gaudreau himself.

"The players know," Treliving told us this summer, as he described a USA push with the goalie pulled that began with genuine NHL players like Tyler Johnson, Justin Abdelkader and Jake Gardiner getting the puck to Gaudreau, nominating an undersized college kid with one NHL game under his belt to start the offensive thrust.

"I was down at the half wall, trying to send it to the point, or send it down low to Johnson. He had both the goals with the goalie out (two in 13 seconds), and I got a lot of touches," a humble Gaudreau said Monday morning. "The coach (Peter Laviolette) believed in me to put me out at the end of the game. Went out there, we had a few goals. Couldn’t score another one. I think we had a minute left too.

"It definitely helped my confidence, playing with NHL guys and (being) one of the last guys out there."

On the Boston College roster from last season he is 5-foot-8, 159. Does one grow an inch from age 20 to 21? Not often.

If that one-inch, 23-pound swing teaches us anything, perhaps it is this: Who cares how big Johnny Gaudreau is? Who cares what this kid doesn’t have, when you see the incredible hockey sense that he possesses?

"What he has," begins head coach Bob Hartley. "The vision of the game. How quick he can shift from left, to right, to left. It’s amazing. For special teams, for power play, Johnny Gaudreau could be a very effective player."

Gaudreau was a point-per-game player that season at B.C. and finished second in scoring. Under promise, over deliver.

The Flames had a guy like this once, and let him go. So we’ll make two predictions:

One, they’ll keep Johnny Gaudreau around until he proves he can’t play in the NHL. Two, that day will never come.

[ForeverFlameFan]

The last line was my favorite.