Calgarypuck Prospect Ranking 2021 - Round 12

[Wood]

Francis here, he's one of the last forwards with top 6 potential. He can be a lot like Mangiapane or Dube as a middle 6 winger

Next for me is Poirier, boom or bust guy but big potential

[N-E-B]

I went Poirier myself

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

It's hard to produce much when the team you're playing for is barely scoring 2.0 goals per game down the stretch. Ruzicka slowed down even more.

Pettersen and Phillips are definitely getting underrated in these rankings.

But isnt the fact they(Matthews, Ruzicka, Pettersen) didnt produce more goals than that...on them?

So did they not produce because the team didn't, or did the team not produce because they didn't?

Im looking squarely at the players first.

Could have been just a bad year and hopefully that is the case. But it isnt hard for people to look at that and start to believe they dont really have what it takes to make the NHL when they stumble that badly in the A. Its a big leap between the two, so naturally they will get overlooked in favor of players that haven't proven themselves incapable at the lower level.

Then you add in the obvious size issues, the type of team this coach will deploy, and the guys ahead of them already on the depth chart. Its zero surprise they all have fallen dramatically and why Ruzicka is getting the nod among them.

[Funkhouser]

Francis has a PPG of 1.5 in his D+1 year
Phillips had 1.28PPG, and then increased it the following year and has since proven himself in the AHL. Until Francis has a longer track record, I still think Phillips is on top.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Funkhouser

Francis has a PPG of 1.5 in his D+1 year
Phillips had 1.28PPG, and then increased it the following year and has since proven himself in the AHL. Until Francis has a longer track record, I still think Phillips is on top.

Phillips is on a one year deal. This is a "show me" contract or I think he's gone from the organization next summer and trying to find a full time AHL gig. To be honest, he's the perfect player for European hockey, and that's probably where he's headed. I just can't see Sutter playing the smallest player to suit up in the modern era.

[Flames1217]

Francis all day!

[Finger Cookin]

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by transplant99

But isnt the fact they(Matthews, Ruzicka, Pettersen) didnt produce more goals than that...on them?

So did they not produce because the team didn't, or did the team not produce because they didn't?

Im looking squarely at the players first.

Could have been just a bad year and hopefully that is the case. But it isnt hard for people to look at that and start to believe they dont really have what it takes to make the NHL when they stumble that badly in the A. Its a big leap between the two, so naturally they will get overlooked in favor of players that haven't proven themselves incapable at the lower level.

Then you add in the obvious size issues, the type of team this coach will deploy, and the guys ahead of them already on the depth chart. Its zero surprise they all have fallen dramatically and why Ruzicka is getting the nod among them.

Yeah... but they also lost half their top-nine up front and top-four on defense from the start of the season. They were decimated by injuries and recalls. Made the situation significantly less favourable down the stretch.

Phillips was still the same player from start to finish but he only had one guy at his disposal who was capable of finishing... and Ruzicka, inconsistent as ever, completely disappeared during Stockton's cold streak.

There were absolutely other factors at play and everyone certainly could have been better. I think it's also very difficult to judge someone off a shortened season. Phillips likely has at least two more seasons in the organization to prove himself and I'm confident he'll impress enough to get his shot.

[Sandman]

Poirier was amazing in the Q playoffs, and he’s already taking steps toward improving his defensive play. The Sea Dogs improved a bit this year, but still finished in 11th place-same position as the previous year. Poirier went from a minus-25 to a minus-3. A lot of that can be attributed to a coaching change though, but I see the effort in his play.

[Mindtravellee]

You can only play with the cattle that are on the park and it's also hard to judge since we barely watched Stockton last year unless your Scorpion. Camp will be interesting, Sutter's comments about Phillips at the end of his only game were positive, and he doesn't seem like someone to ignore the work ethic

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Mindtravellee

You can only play with the cattle that are on the park and it's also hard to judge since we barely watched Stockton last year unless your Scorpion. Camp will be interesting, Sutter's comments about Phillips at the end of his only game were positive, and he doesn't seem like someone to ignore the work ethic

Phillips never played for the big club last year.

I agree though that IF MP has a good work ethic and can stand out from bigger bodies, Sutter will give him a fair shake.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Phillips never played for the big club last year.

I agree though that IF MP has a good work ethic and can stand out from bigger bodies, Sutter will give him a fair shake.

He actually did play a game for the Flames, it's just not registered on hockeydb. It's shown on eliteprospects though.

[transplant99]

huh.....i have no recollection of that at al....maybe i didnt watch it at that point.

or i have subconciously decided to forget the whole season.

[united]

Same as last round - the final player in my third tier, Ryan Francis.

Spoiler!

Ryan Francis
Similar to Jakob Pelletier in both height and per-game production, Francis is another "undersized" player who isn't afraid to get to the tough areas of the ice. In fact, this season, a handful of Francis' goals came within an arm's length of the blue paint. Though not possessing notable straight-line speed, Francis can be described using a term that has become prevalent in hockey parlance: a waterbug. In the neutral and offensive zones, Francis has the ability to take advantage of his lower centre of gravity by controlling defenders' feet and hips with shifty and erratic movement. This season, I saw a regression in defensive play from the winger-turned-centre but that was offset by a commensurate progression in offensive ability - Francis actually outpaced the highly-regarded Pelletier albeit by a sliver. All those positives in mind, translating an offence-focused game at 5'10 is more difficult than a defensive-focused game so his time in the AHL will tell us a lot. Wide variance player.

Ceiling: 2nd-line winger
Probable: AHL tweener (Style: Dillon Dube)
Floor: Bust

Next up in tier four (no particular order):

Jeremie Poirier (erratic but with big potential)
Ilya Solovyov (KHL experience but upside?)
Rory Kerins (missed basically the entire season but WJHC showcase attendee)
Cole Huckins (big frame with decent mitts but skating/defensive commitment question marks)
Martin Pospisil (wildcard/loose cannon but limited offensive upside)
Emil Heineman (will N-S style translate?)
Adam Ruzicka (on the brink of tweener territory with questionable work ethic)
Yan Kuznetsov (terrific defensively but limited upside)

[united]

Here is how the two public models see this round's winner. Please note that the criteria each model uses for star and NHLer is different! JFresh/TopDownHockey will almost always be lower than Bader's as their thresholds are a much higher standard so adjust accordingly.

Hockey Prospecting
Calgary's own, and fellow Flames fan, Byron Bader runs the excellent site, Hockey Prospecting. You have likely seen his graphics before. At just $25/year his site is a wonderful resource for any fan interested in prospects. You can register here and support Bader's work if you are interested: https://hockeyprospecting.com/register/

Spoiler!

JFresh/TopDownHockey
JFresh and his partner TopDownHockey introduced their NHLe model this year. You will be familiar with the NHL player graphics they produce regularly. At $7/month the subscription is a no-brainer for any hockey fan. You can register here and support their work if you are interested: https://www.patreon.com/jfreshhockey

Spoiler!