Summer 2014 Prospect Ranking Poll Rd13

[c.t.ner]

Glad to see Sieloff last round. But for me it's between Knight and Arnold. I give the edge to Knight as he's a step ahead in development and I want to see how Arnold is in the AHL and possibly not playing on a line with Johnny Hockey.

Once Knight and Arnold are gone, It's going to be tough to decide between guys like Hanowski/Agostino and Smith/MacDonald.

[Neeper]

Wolf seems like a wasted vote, so I'll go with the other guy I really like. Michael Ferland.

[djsFlames]

Kulak.

But Arnold, Smith, Ferland are acceptable too.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

Kulak.

But Arnold, Smith, Ferland are acceptable too.

Hopefully that's our 3rd line someday

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

It was a toss up between Knight and Kulak for me. I went with Knight though.

Yes, I'm a little biased because I saw a whole year of Corban. He had one of the best rookie AHL seasons of any Flames prospect in the last 10 years. He's not a bottom 6 player, but can play bottom 6. He's just got too much skill not to be a top two line center or transition him to the wing. His on-ice vision is one of the best in the organization and has the ability to snipe it. He took huge steps in his defensive game as the season progressed. As a bonus, he's got outstanding character.

Kulak, to me, is our closest prospect to what Brodie is now. Kulak is an extremely smooth skater, but needs to pay greater focus to a consistent defensive game. He has tons of skill in the O-zone and when the puck's on his stick. He just needs to work a bit at the other end.

Arnold would be my third choice after those two. The fact that Arnold put up points when he wasn't with Johnny is intriguing and raises his stock IMO.

[the_only_turek_fan]

Corban Knight for me.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire

It was a toss up between Knight and Kulak for me. I went with Knight though.

Yes, I'm a little biased because I saw a whole year of Corban. He had one of the best rookie AHL seasons of any Flames prospect in the last 10 years. He's not a bottom 6 player, but can play bottom 6. He's just got too much skill not to be a top two line center or transition him to the wing. His on-ice vision is one of the best in the organization and has the ability to snipe it. He took huge steps in his defensive game as the season progressed. As a bonus, he's got outstanding character.

Kulak, to me, is our closest prospect to what Brodie is now. Kulak is an extremely smooth skater, but needs to pay greater focus to a consistent defensive game. He has tons of skill in the O-zone and when the puck's on his stick. He just needs to work a bit at the other end.

Arnold would be my third choice after those two. The fact that Arnold put up points when he wasn't with Johnny is intriguing and raises his stock IMO.

I'm going to really miss your boots on the ground in Abbotsford for the Flames prospects

You really make me think on prospects and I appreciate that. So valuable to have that right there vantage point.

[djsFlames]

^ Definitely wouldn't have said such things about Corban, he looked pretty out of place at the NHL level in a bottom 6 role. But then again, we didn't watch him all year.

Interesting that you say he's got the skill to be in the top 6. I'd disagree, but that's an intriguing perspective on the guy. Maybe he just needs more time to develop.

[ricardodw]

I agree that Granlund and Baertschi and Reinhart have more skill and are all close to NHL ready.

However they all score low on the RGI in the NHL:

Granlund .6
Baertschi 1.3
Reinhart .9
Knight 2.0

It is particularly difficult for Reinhart who is supposed to break through as a bottom 6 player. He had 1 hit in his 8 game NHL call-up and he had to understand that his way onto the Flames was playing hard.

Byron, when given his NHL shot last year improved his RGI from .8 to 1.9 last year ... and became a fan favorite rather than a small softie.

Look for Knight to be a surprise roster player when a few of better prospects get sent back to the NHL.

The 3 soft skilled spots on the Flames are taken by Gaudreau, Hudler and Raymond. Makes it harder for the Baertschi/Granlund/Reinhart to add to the lineup.

[codynw]

What is RGI?

[Enoch Root]

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[flamesfan55]

This is when these start to get interesting for me. The first 10 round have been somewhat obvious. Maybe not the order but in terms of who would be in the top 10. I'm really curious to see where everyone rates the Flames secondary prospects.

[Fire]

Knight is one of those older college players that will have to prove himself quickly or he will miss his chance. He will be 24 going into this season. Odds are he won't get more than a cup of coffee in the NHL during his career.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

I went with Knight, but understand the feelings around Arnold. Similar to how I view Reinhart, I am not so sure Arnold will necessarily stick in the NHL, but I hope I am wrong.
I think we are at the stage where the prospects may top out at bottom 6 forwards. I will be looking at the D a little more closely, as I am hopeful there is more upside left there.

[djsFlames]

If I were to rank the highest ceilings of the guys remaining it would be:

McDonald (future starter/backup)
Ferland (2nd line power forward)
Kulak (2nd pairing offensive d-man)
Smith (top 9 big, skilled winger)
Arnold (smart 2-way 3rd line center)
Kanzig (4-5 physical stay at home d-man)
Agostino (3rd line energy player with some offensive edge)
Knight (physical, smart 3rd line winger)

McDonald, despite still being more or less a project at this point should be going sooner than later based on potential.

Edit: Since Arnold's floor is probably amongst the highest given his game and physicality and the current stage of his development, it makes sense if he goes this round. After that, many of the prospects could go either way, so you might lean more towards ceiling/projections. Maybe with the exception of Smith, who may have a higher floor than most given his immense size and skill to compliment it.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

If I were to rank the highest ceilings of the guys remaining it would be:

McDonald (future starter/backup)
Ferland (2nd line power forward)
Kulak (2nd pairing offensive d-man)
Smith (top 9 big, skilled winger)
Arnold (smart 2-way 3rd line center)
Kanzig (4-5 physical stay at home d-man)
Agostino (3rd line energy player with some offensive edge)
Knight (physical, smart 3rd line winger)

McDonald, despite still being more or less a project at this point should be going sooner than later based on potential.

His potential is high, but so is his risk multiple by virtue of being a goalie.

If you want to go by potential alone, I would put Smith ahead of him.

[codynw]

No way Knight ends up being a winger. He's built to play center in the Pacific Division, plus he's really good at faceoffs.

[djsFlames]

Sorry, I got mixed up about who I was describing there, make that "physical, smart 3rd line center"

Although I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if he translates as a winger. Our pool for depth centers is stacked as is. It may end up being a numbers issue more than anything (IF he translates).

[CsInMyBlood]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

I agree that Granlund and Baertschi and Reinhart have more skill and are all close to NHL ready.

However they all score low on the RGI in the NHL:

Granlund .6
Baertschi 1.3
Reinhart .9
Knight 2.0

It is particularly difficult for Reinhart who is supposed to break through as a bottom 6 player. He had 1 hit in his 8 game NHL call-up and he had to understand that his way onto the Flames was playing hard.

Byron, when given his NHL shot last year improved his RGI from .8 to 1.9 last year ... and became a fan favorite rather than a small softie.

Look for Knight to be a surprise roster player when a few of better prospects get sent back to the NHL.

The 3 soft skilled spots on the Flames are taken by Gaudreau, Hudler and Raymond. Makes it harder for the Baertschi/Granlund/Reinhart to add to the lineup.

What the hell is RGI?

[N-E-B]

I think Mason McDonald is being seriously overlooked by many here. Just my opinion.