Hockey's Future ranks Flames Prospect Pool 6th

[Hackey]

Buffalo is definitely set up very well for a rebuild. All about capitalizing on their opportunities.

[Table 5]

If Buffalo doesn't become a Cup contender within 5 years, they can only blame themselves. The amount of prospects they have is enough to make any fan jealous...the amount of fantastic picks they have in the next couple of drafts, on top of that, just makes it ridiculous.

Their biggest challenge will be to develop all this talent in a meaningful way...but man are they ever set up for good times if they do.

[Vulcan]

My top five prospects would be Gaudreau, Granlund, Ortio, Wotherspoon and Reinhart. There are a lot of close calls though with Baertschi at six but I think any list should have Gaudreau #1.

I kind of look at it as more of a depth chart so younger players like Poirier get the short end.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

2011 draft were all scouts from the Sutter era. Feaster supposedly had them refocus rankings based on hockey sense as a priority.

After the 2011 draft, Feaster did not renew about 4 scouts contracts and did some more turnover and added more scouting positions in the subsequent years.

A lot of people think all Darryl's drafts were dumb oafs, but besides 2005 adn 2006, I don't think thats really the case at all. Looking at the Flames picks since 2007, bolding useful names:

2007:
Mikael Backlund
John Negrin
Keith Aulie
Mickey Renaud
CJ Severyn

2008:
Nemisz
Wahl
Bouma
Larson
Brodie
Grandham
Deilert

2009:
Erixon
Howse
Bjorklund
Bennett
Ortio
Patterson

2010:
Max Reinhart
Joey Leach
John Ramage
Bill Arnold
Michael Ferland
Patrick Holland

__________________________________________________ ________

2011: (Darryl's scouts, but Feaster at the helm)
Sven Baertschi
Markus Granlund
Tyler Wotherspoon
John Gaudreau
Brossoit

__________________________________________________

2012:
Mark Jankowski
Patrick Sieloff
John Gillias
Brett Kulak
Ryan Culkin
Coda Gordan
Matt Deblow

2013
Monohan
Porier
Klimchuk
Kanzig
Roy
Harrison
Rafikov
Gilmour



I'm not sure I really see that big of a difference. I think its just an evolution of Flames scouting that got better, not that Feaster had a magic touch or anything.

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by Kavvy

Do people agree they should be ranked so low?

Just based on the research they have put in and the errors on it, I put less stock in it than other publications

but in general I would think right now they are anywhere in the 15-25 range

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

I'm not sure I really see that big of a difference. I think its just an evolution of Flames scouting that got better, not that Feaster had a magic touch or anything.

hitting picks in rounds 1-3 is a lot better than a few late round gems a year I think is the difference, Feaster looks like has left the team with 3-4 potential top 6 players as well as some depth

where as outside of Brodie and Backlund the picks by Sutter were mostly depth guys (and that's with 4-5 years of development time)

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

hitting picks in rounds 1-3 is a lot better than a few late round gems a year I think is the difference, Feaster looks like has left the team with 3-4 potential top 6 players as well as some depth

where as outside of Brodie and Backlund the picks by Sutter were mostly depth guys (and that's with 4-5 years of development time)

Well keep in mind the pick of Erixon turned into Granlund and Wotherspoon

Without that, Fester's drafting is Monohan, Porier, Gaudreau..... and whatever Jankowski and Sieloff become. To me, picking Monohan doesn't really make him a draft guru but I'm willing to give him that since its really not worth arguing. Porier and Gaudreau were the great picks, I do agree. Not sure Darryl would have been ok drafting Gaudreau.

[Vulcan]

One problem Sutter had was trading away draft picks especially 2nd rounders so than he'd trade down with his first to get back a 2nd. His drafting record doesn't look so good taken on it's surface but than when you consider it also gave us players like Kiprusoff, it's not so bad.

[wingmaker]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

Well keep in mind the pick of Erixon turned into Granlund and Wotherspoon

That isn't really fair. Feaster still had to make the picks count and he deserves full credit. A draft record is a draft record, regardless of how the draft picks were acquired. That is a separate discussion.

Definitely the difference is that the Flames have made their top round picks count the last few years whereas they didn't under Sutter, other than Backlund.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by wingmaker

That isn't really fair. Feaster still had to make the picks count and he deserves full credit. A draft record is a draft record, regardless of how the draft picks were acquired. That is a separate discussion.

I'm not taking anything away from Feaster. I was just pointing out that you can't say Darryl only made 2 good picks (Brodie and Backlund) because we should factor in the return for Erixon as well, so Erixon was a good pick.

[wingmaker]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

I'm not taking anything away from Feaster. I was just pointing out that you can't say Darryl only made 2 good picks (Brodie and Backlund) because we should factor in the return for Erixon as well, so Erixon was a good pick.

No he wasn't. We lucked out getting the return we did. Erixon is still not even playing in the league. If we are debating draft picks with hindsight fully intact, Erixon can't be considered a good pick.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by wingmaker

That isn't really fair. Feaster still had to make the picks count and he deserves full credit. A draft record is a draft record, regardless of how the draft picks were acquired. That is a separate discussion.

Definitely the difference is that the Flames have made their top round picks count the last few years whereas they didn't under Sutter, other than Backlund.

Other than Monahan, it's too early to say.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by wingmaker

No he wasn't. We lucked out getting the return we did. Erixon is still not even playing in the league. If we are debating draft picks with hindsight fully intact, Erixon can't be considered a good pick.

He was one of the top rated prospects at the time of the trade and came off a fantastic WJC showing.

[Huntingwhale]

Anaheim is so lucky. They have some fantastic propects coming thru the pipeline, and have a high draft pick with the Sens pick this year. Good times to be a Ducks' fan.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

Other than Monahan, it's too early to say.

Exactly. I think some people are give credit way too early (as do all fans, on prospects). How is Erixon a bad draft pick at the age of 20, but Porier is a great draft pick right now?

[wingmaker]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

He was one of the top rated prospects at the time of the trade and came off a fantastic WJC showing.

Yes. At the time, the pick made sense. But the way it works is that drafting records are based on what the players drafted accomplish, not what their ranking was going into the draft. I mean, people on this board rag on the Oilers all the time for their top picks. Erixon may have seemed like a good pick at the time, which is why we got the return we did, but Erixon has not panned out. And until he does, it still goes into the the "first round pick not playing in the NHL" column.

Being a GM is a brutal business. Context doesn't mean anything. It is all results. The only reason the Erixon pick is even arguably a good one is because another GM made the same incorrect analysis that Sutter did in drafting Erixon and overpayed to get him.

[ignite09]

Completely random, but Rafikov will be considered a top ten prospect by this time next year.

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by TheDebaser

A little OT here, but I really wonder how good Buffalo is going to be after their rebuild is over. Their prospect pool is ridiculous as it stands, and they're set to pick 10 times in the 1st and 2nd round of the 14/15 drafts. They'll probably get a stellar player out of the 2nd pick overall too.

Next year they won't have Miller, so Eichel and McDavid are real possibilities for them.

I'm thinking 3 or 4 cups and a challenger for a decade.

I'd be happy with one. It's been a long time.

[trackercowe]

Originally Posted by ignite09

Completely random, but Rafikov will be considered a top ten prospect by this time next year.

You mean for us, right? Saying he will be a top ten prospect leaguewide is utter insanity.

[theoforever]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

I'm thinking 3 or 4 cups and a challenger for a decade.

I'd be happy with one. It's been a long time.

Are you sure because Edmonton is building something special.