Calgarypuck Prospect Ranking 2017 - Round 1

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski

Where does Versteeg fit?

Completely forgot about him.

I guess the only place for Janko would be the 4th line due to Versteeg then. (Ferland line 1, Tkachuk 2 and Steeg in Ferland's spot on the 3rd line)

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by New Era

Not even the best defensive prospect in the system. Holy flavor of the month syndrome Batman!

I sure hope Valimaki isn't just a Flavour of the month.

You could make a case for any of Anderson, Kylington, Fox or Valimaki as our top D prospect. (I wouldn't include Kylington in that class but would understand if someone made a case for him)

[Lucky23]

There's no one I'm more excited to see score their first NHL goal than Jankowski.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

Completely forgot about him.

I guess the only place for Janko would be the 4th line due to Versteeg then. (Ferland line 1, Tkachuk 2 and Steeg in Ferland's spot on the 3rd line)

You have to wonder if the plan prior to main camp is for him to go back? Obviously if he plays well they make room for him but on the fourth line? Also, what would he have to do? Lead team in preseason scoring?

Do they project him to play like he did in AHL? I'm wondering if he plays really well (like outplays Bennett) do they shift Bennett to wing?

That would make the forward group quite deadly overall. Lots of offense spread out.

[Mr.Coffee]

I said Kulak which apparently was wildly unpopular.

He's already an NHL player??

[blender]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Has to be Valimaki.

Thanks for clearing that up. I'll change my vote.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

I said Kulak which apparently was wildly unpopular.

He's already an NHL player??

I think because few of us can envision him as a high-end player in the NHL, Kulak is in the second tier. I think Kulak is good but it's doubtful he'd ever be a top pairing guy or a top 6 forward or a starting goaltender. At this point I would say the tiers are

Tier 1 Prospects - Upside to become Top 6 / Top Pair / #1G and developing nicely
Jankowski
Parsons
Andersson
Valimaki
Kylington


Tier 1.5 Prospects - Some greater reason to be skeptical, but overall talent still right there
Fox
Rittich
Gillies

Tier 2 Prospects - Upside and solid likelyhood to become Top 9 / Top 4 / NHL G:
Dube
Foo
Kulak
Mangiapane
Klimchuk


Tier 2.5 Prospects - Upside to become top 9 / Top 4 / NHL G, but reason to be skeptical:
Shinkaruk
Pribyl
Phillips
Poirier
Lindstrom
Tuulola

Tier 3 prospects - Limited upside, but solid NHL prospects nonetheless
Ollas-Mattsson
Healey
Wotherspoon
Hathaway
Lomberg


And then the rest, guys we don't know a whole lot about or who have a whole lot to prove, McDonald, Joly, Mattson, Ruzicka, etc

And then that overager goon we drafted in this year's draft..

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Samonadreau

I sure hope Valimaki isn't just a Flavour of the month.

I don't think he is a bad prospect, but to immediately name him as our best prospect, well that's just weak. This was an average draft, so the guys selected are already behind the curve IMO. I would like to see some development opportunities before giving the latest draft class as being anything more than "good" prospects.

You could make a case for any of Anderson, Kylington, Fox or Valimaki as our top D prospect. (I wouldn't include Kylington in that class but would understand if someone made a case for him)

I would have all of them ahead of anyone from this latest draft class. Still a lot to prove for the latest group of guys.

[H2SO4(aq)]

Ive never taken so long to decide during one of these.

Parsons or Jankowski.

Im taking the (hopefully) number one goalie but my valuation is probably skewed because our current group has depth at centre and its been a long time since we had a bonafide 1G.

[Stay Golden]

Jankowski

[Mister Yamoto]

It's gotta be Parsons. He is probably among the top 30 rated prospects in all of hockey right now.

But it could be almost any of them. Really all we are doing here is guessing.

[Hugh Jahrmes]

Janks!
I didn't follow prospects nearly as closely as previous years, but I have a hard time believing a guy we've snagged mid first round has a higher combined ceiling / NHL readiness than some of the very solid guys in the system already. Valimaki likely rounds out the top5 for me..
That said, I am also a bit of a homer when it comes to a few of our guys who should go in the next few rounds


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[activeStick]

I rank them based on likelihood of making the NHL and then reorder based on how high I see them potentially on the depth chart. So a guy like Jankowski I see making it, but I rank him below Parsons because I see Jankowski being a 2nd line centre at best but see Parsons being a number one goalie.

[savardandjokinen]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

He's played 180 NHL games. The general rule for prospects is they've graduated once they've played 65.

Then shouldn't Hamilton and Hrivik be on it?

[Calgary4LIfe]

I voted Jankowski, and really feel he is the best prospect on the Flames, and I said the next round is going to be tough.

I am still unsure who I will vote, but the "Flavor of the month" responses with regards to Valimaki I think are actually unwarranted. I don't THINK I will pick him next, but I wouldn't argue with a single person if they did.

For instance, everyone knows that Valimaki was nearly a PPG defencemen in his draft year in the WHL. Anyone bother to go and check that out for themselves?

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/l...010092017.html

Yes, he was 4th in scoring on the team. Pretty high for a defencemen. Funny enough, he was the 2nd highest scoring defencemen on the team (though he scored the most goals). Parker Wotherspoon (yes, our Wotherspoon's brother) is a fairly highly regarded defencemen in his own right, but this was his draft +2 season. Only 5 more points in 9 more games.

Pretty good, right?

I have said this before a few times, but I honestly think that not only did the Canucks screw up in not taking Tkachuk, but they made a worse mistake in selecting Juolevi.

The Knights are not a strong team this year (though Parsons says what?), but it is worth glancing at their team.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/l...008142017.html

8th in team scoring, including 2 defencemen ahead of him (including a 16 year old defencemen). He had a decent playoff run, so there's that.

Valimaki is a much better prospect in my opinion. Flames did excellent in nabbing him, and I bet he becomes a fairly good player for the Flames and forces the Flames to make a decision. I wouldn't ridicule anyone for thinking he is the #1 prospect even. I think he is that good.

For those that doubt Jankowski, just imagine a 6'4" center that skates very well, and uses his long reach to just control the game. The way he uses his reach really reminds me of Jagr/Lemieux. You then watch Colborne play, and he just doesn't really make plays while using his reach. Colborne used his reach to just knock pucks off opposing players sticks, and sometimes for protecting the puck. Jankowski does that, AND makes plays around players with his reach. It is difficult to explain, but I think his skill will really surprise some people on these boards.

I think he has all the tools to become a #1 center. Mangiapane has been the only really skilled player that Jankowski has played with in like... 7 years? I can't wait to watch him with actual talent around him. He has great vision out there. I actually really enjoy watching him play. High ceiling, and fairly high floor. I really think he is going to at LEAST be a #3 center in the NHL with his skating, IQ and defensive acumen (including face-offs).

It is just going to be really interesting to see where the Flames slot him in. I hope it isn't on the 4th line. I would love to see him play with Bennett as Bennett's LW (and Versteeg on the right) for now. Heck, flip-flop them every 10 games from wing to center and see who does better as a center. I just think he needs a top 9 spot with skilled players to really shine.

[Lanny_McDonald]

@Calgary4life

All those things you said about Valimaki were also said about Anderson the year he was drafted. Remember how excited we were when he scored 64 points in 67 games and was 4th in team scoring. Seriously, go check it out for yourself.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/p...php?pid=165972

All of these kids have talent, but all of them have holes in their games. They all have things they have to work on to become professionals. Continuing down the Andersson example, his conditioning and dedication to the game were in question, and it took a couple years to turn that around. Only after that was addressed did we start to see a player that has actual NHL potential. Valimaki will fall in the same boat. There are things he will have to work on before the team thinks he's ready to challenge for a position, and that should always be remembered.

To put things into perspective, Valimaki was drafted three picks after Sven Baertschi was picked in his draft, and that was a better draft. I caution people to not get too excited about players just selected, especially outside of the top 10. Patience to see what you have is required. Immediately slotting a just drafted kid into your top prospect slot is a clear display of flavor of the month behavior. That, or your development system is completely bereft of talent, which we know is not the case for the Flames, especially at defense. I think it is just stating the obvious that Valimaki, as gifted as he is, should have to perform to see what we've got. I would suspect the team believes he's a good prospect, but is behind several players at just his position, like Andersson, Kylington, and Fox. That doesn't include our other top prospects at other positions, like Jankowski, Gillies, Parsons, etc. I encourage you to select who you like, but I just want to remind people that the year after being drafted is usually the one that you see what you have and what kind of prospect you have. I think Valimaki's going to be good, but I gotta see him perform in context, and with some direction from the team, to get that full sense of who and what he is going to be.

[N26]

And time for my 4th annual Prospect Awards:

The Gaudreau Award for me thinking little of them when drafted but now excited about the possibilities - Matthew Phillips
(previous winners Ollas Mattsson, Culkin & Gaudreau)

The Tkaczuk (note spelling) Award for the player with the most disappointing season - Mason McDonald
(previous winners Greg Nemiscz, always Greg Nemiscz)

The Chucko Award for biggest dropper on my list - Brett Pollock
(previous winners Culkin, Granlund & Reinhart)

The Jooris Award for biggest riser on my list - David Rittich
(previous winners Hathaway, Kulak & Jooris)

The Nemiscz Award for the prospect I'm most worried about - Mason McDonald
(previous winners McDonald, Shore & Ferland)

The Jankowski Award for best long-term project - Adam Růžička
(previous winners Fox, Jankowski & Jankowski)

The Seiloff Award or the "try not to get hurt this year OK buddy?" award - Daniel Přibyl
(previous winners Culkin, Seiloff & Seiloff)

The Eat Bread Award for best name - D'Artagan Joly
(previous winners E2 Tuulola, Mangiapane)

new award this year The Deblouw Award or the "You're still a Flames prospect? Forgot you existed." award - Tim Harrison

[savardandjokinen]

Originally Posted by N26

And time for my 4th annual Prospect Awards:

The Gaudreau Award for me thinking little of them when drafted but now excited about the possibilities - Matthew Phillips
(previous winners Ollas Mattsson, Culkin & Gaudreau)

The Tkaczuk (note spelling) Award for the player with the most disappointing season - Mason McDonald
(previous winners Greg Nemiscz, always Greg Nemiscz)

The Chucko Award for biggest dropper on my list - Brett Pollock
(previous winners Culkin, Granlund & Reinhart)

The Jooris Award for biggest riser on my list - David Rittich
(previous winners Hathaway, Kulak & Jooris)

The Nemiscz Award for the prospect I'm most worried about - Mason McDonald
(previous winners McDonald, Shore & Ferland)

The Jankowski Award for best long-term project - Adam Růžička
(previous winners Fox, Jankowski & Jankowski)

The Seiloff Award or the "try not to get hurt this year OK buddy?" award - Daniel Přibyl
(previous winners Culkin, Seiloff & Seiloff)

The Eat Bread Award for best name - D'Artagan Joly
(previous winners E2 Tuulola, Mangiapane)

new award this year The Deblouw Award or the "You're still a Flames prospect? Forgot you existed." award - Tim Harrison

There needs to be an award called the Ben Hanowski award with the prospect who will be involved in every trade proposal (former award winners, Jankowski and Hanowski himself)

[N26]

Originally Posted by savardandjokinen

There needs to be an award called the Ben Hanowski award with the prospect who will be involved in every trade proposal (former award winners, Jankowski and Hanowski himself)

I like it.

It's on next year's award show lineup. Can I count on you as a presenter? I'm hoping it will be in Vegas with a back up plan of Strathmore. Nickleback's agent already called me to see if the can be the washed-up irrelevant musical act.

I considered another potential award this year. The Red Wing Award which would go to the prospect taking the most time to ripen. Was going to give it to Wotherspoon.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by New Era

@Calgary4life

All those things you said about Valimaki were also said about Anderson the year he was drafted. Remember how excited we were when he scored 64 points in 67 games and was 4th in team scoring. Seriously, go check it out for yourself.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/p...php?pid=165972

All of these kids have talent, but all of them have holes in their games. They all have things they have to work on to become professionals. Continuing down the Andersson example, his conditioning and dedication to the game were in question, and it took a couple years to turn that around. Only after that was addressed did we start to see a player that has actual NHL potential. Valimaki will fall in the same boat. There are things he will have to work on before the team thinks he's ready to challenge for a position, and that should always be remembered.

So, what holes specifically do you see in Valamaki's game?

We have been doing this long enough by now that you should honestly know better: every poster who participates in this exercise will employ her/his own criteria when ranking prospects. Some will weigh potential very heavily; others will weigh development; most will try to carefully consider these factors together. That is why most of us disagree all the time about how they all ought to be ranked.

It is beyond condescending for you to lecture other posters about what they should or should not be doing when compiling their own rankings of the team's prospects. I don't really care where Valamaki was drafted, nor how supposedly thick or thin the 2017 draft class is—he is a very impressive young player, and it does not appear remotely unlikely that he could round out to be the best Flames defense prospect. That is why I voted for him in this first round of the rankings, but am completely aware that with Jankowski, Parsons, and probably Andersson there is some lively debate about who belongs at the top.

There is more than one way to do this. Get over yourself.