Craig's List 2014 Prospects

[Caged Great]

Virtanen might rise to the lead of group c, but he's not as good as any of group a or b.

(group a - Reinhart maybe Ekblad, B - Bennett Dal Colle Draisaitl.)

[Caged Great]

It would be like us taking Horvat when Monahan was still on the board last year.

[The Original FFIV]

Originally Posted by T@T

LOL. Brutal comparison.

Schremp was only about puck skills, nothing powerful, not big, not a great shot and was a total wimp.

There is nothing in Virtanen's game like Schremp's.

Schremp in the sense I don't see him succeeding at the pro level despite being lauded. Again a gut feel and he may go on to a successful nhl career. But there's just a hunch to stay clear.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Pronman mentioned on Twitter that he doesn't think Virtanen should be considered for a top 5 pick.

Only seen him three time but the only negative in his game is he tries to do it all himself sometimes, It's weird really because his vision and IQ is there but sometimes he switches it off. It's his draft year and he's young, it's possible he's just trying too hard to impress. A third year in the dub might prove what this kid really is.

Personally I think he'll be an Evander Kane type player in a few years.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by The Original FFIV

Schremp in the sense I don't see him succeeding at the pro level despite being lauded. Again a gut feel and he may go on to a successful nhl career. But there's just a hunch to stay clear.

Oh OK

I haven't seen him all that much but in 2 of the 3 games I have he was the best player on the ice and looked like a man against boys. care to elaborate on your hunch?

[Leperus Leprechaun]

I hope we take Ho-Sang with a late 1st if we get one. I think he becomes a very comparable player to Kadri.

[sureLoss]

Ross Maclean Scouting Director for ISS touches on some highly ranked prospects
http://www.thepipelineshow.com/clips...Lean_Feb22.mp3

Summary:

Virtanen:

• seen an improvement in him this season in consistency
• no question when he came into league he was a player with potential
• kid at 15,16 yrs old was playing like a man throwing people around and shot is harder than most NHL players
• he never brought the same game over and over again and it was a problem early on in this season too
• last month and a half we are starting to see consistency
• there is an interesting trend with Virtanen in which the games he is physical early tend to be the games he puts up a lot of goals, if he is passive he tends not to
• no question he is best skater, comparable in structure and mechanics to Mackinnon in skating, has a stride that just delves speed and power almost effortlessly
• doesn't even look like he is moving his feet at times and just glides around defensemen who are pumping their feet as hard as they can
• Taylor Hall is another example of a player that Virtanen moves like
• tend to think of as a powerful player but a lot of finesse in his feet
• Virtanen is a goal scorer

Reinhart

• kid has 43 points in last 19 games, 16 goals in last 16 games, only 6 games all year he hasn't registered a point, has had a point in every single game since coming back from the WJC
• been a noticeable boost in his game, trying to answer critics
• pays a lot of attention to his own strength and weaknesses and is not content to be a certain type of player and wants to get better all the time
• he is moving a lot quicker and being more active recently
• Reinhart is definitely pass first but we have seen situations where he is the trigger man
• at the u18s last year McDavid looked like Crosby while Reinhart looked like James Neal pulling the trigger on McDavid's passes
• Reinhart is in the upper echelon of forwards, a little more dynamic.
• While guys like Virtanen and Draisaitl have consistency issues, Reinhart has been steady

Perlini

• big strong kid, deceptively athletic, strong offensive force
• really excels because of puck possession ability, extremely difficult to knock the puck away from
• great pace, plays with intensity, sees the ice really well and not afraid to play physical
• has a dangerous shot and great appeal as a power forward at the next level
• compares Perlini to Rick Nash's ability to create space and hold pucks during the Olympics
• when compared to Ryan Strome: Perlini is more a power forward, Strome is a finesse guy. Strome has more quickness in his feet, Perlini has a bit more bite and edge. They both think the game similarly.

McKeown

• consistent 2 way defender
• really mature and poised, good technical package, strong transitional player
• controls the lanes very well
• makes consistently smart plays on the ice.
• is not going to rush the puck up the ice and take a lot of risks
• extremely high hockey IQ - off the charts
• doesn't always stand out and not extremely exciting but you will thank god that he is on your bench because he can be put in any situation
• there is some offensive upside to his game
• does distribute the puck very well, sees options, and uses good active fakes to create lanes
• his shot selection is very good, he gets pucks through to the net not into defender's pads
• compares well to Mark Pysyk
• fits very well with anyone you pair them with and plays well in all situations

Sleepers in the draft

• G Julio Billia - probably the most talented goaltender tin the draft, but is scaring people away because he is small. Plays a lot like Jonathan Bernier in his draft year.
• D Joe Hicketts - everyone hyped him last year but got injured and fell off the radar. Tremendous offensive dman, very mature and great leadership characteristics.
• RW Jaden Lindo - prototypical 3rd/4th liner. Someone will get a steal with him. Absolute force as an energy player.
• RW Chase Lang - 2 way versatility

[Freeway]

Virtanen's only problems are between the ears - consistency, judgement and his ability to use his teammates. He's got GREAT skill and the ability to completely take over a game.

Unfortunately, he's inconsistent, he takes dumb penalties on occasion and he tries to do too much on his own. These are the things that push him to the middle of the first as opposed to the early part of it.

[The Original FFIV]

Originally Posted by T@T

Oh OK

I haven't seen him all that much but in 2 of the 3 games I have he was the best player on the ice and looked like a man against boys. care to elaborate on your hunch?

See Freeway's summary - when it comes so easily so young, it's tough to maintain when everyone catches up and God given natural ability isn't the only factor in succeeding at the next level. Need players that think the game through instead of relying solely on talent (ie Hockey IQ).

[djsFlames]

Time to start dealing our vets away, get the youth in here, and get our top 3 finish solidified.

Cammy, Stemp, and one of Jones/Galliardi (if possible) should be dealt. Bring back another 1st, and a young kid or two with some NHL experience.

Call up Markus Granlund cause he's due for a promotion, and Max Power to fill in.

And then we get to enjoy what these kids can do and the chemistry they can develop for the remaining games, as well as likely improved lottery odds.

[Vulcan]

I can see Virtanen's stock rising as his scoring rises. Who wouldn't want a big, scoring Right hand shot.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

Time to start dealing our vets away, get the youth in here, and get our top 3 finish solidified.

Cammy, Stemp, and one of Jones/Galliardi (if possible) should be dealt. Bring back another 1st, and a young kid or two with some NHL experience.

Call up Markus Granlund cause he's due for a promotion, and Max Power to fill in.

And then we get to enjoy what these kids can do and the chemistry they can develop for the remaining games, as well as likely improved lottery odds.

The only problem with that is from what I remember from last season, when we brought in the kids, we started winning more.

[djsFlames]

This is true ^

But if we're going to go out winning, then I'd rather do it with kids than with vets playing for contracts or whatnot. But with Berra likely in for a little while, and Ramo needing time to get up to speed again when he gets back, I don't think we'll be winning a whole lot.

(Although I'll admit Berra played excellent in Sochi)

[PeteMoss]

Bob Waterman ‏@esbbob 50m
Easiest remaining schedules for @NHL teams: NYI .512 opp. points pct., NJ .534, CGY .542, BOS .543, TB .545.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

Bob Waterman ‏@esbbob 50m
Easiest remaining schedules for @NHL teams: NYI .512 opp. points pct., NJ .534, CGY .542, BOS .543, TB .545.

Go Islanders!

[sureLoss]

Hockeyprospect.com top 10. Ehlers is a surprise at #3


http://www.hockeyprospect.com/februa...kings-preview/

We have new player moving into our top 5 this month. Nikolaj Ehlers from the Halifax Mooseheads moves from the 7th spot on our list into our top 5 at 3rd overall. Ehlers plays fast. He is an incredible skater, he flashes both great speed and agility. He combines scoring skills and the ability to play a role as a playmaker. He possesses Drouin like abilities.

[sun]

Ehlers has ECHL'er written all over him...

Well, aside from the C I guess.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

Bob Waterman ‏@esbbob 50m
Easiest remaining schedules for @NHL teams: NYI .512 opp. points pct., NJ .534, CGY .542, BOS .543, TB .545.

That's good news because it means a lot of bad teams are going to be racking up points against the god-awful (and tanking) Isles.

[Aarongavey]

Brayden Point, the Calgary kid playing on a god awful hockey team is starting to really take off at the end of the year. Looks like he will be top 15 in the WHL in scoring in his draft year, he is in on 44.5% of Moose Jaw's goals and leads the second leading scorer on his team by 30 points. It is too bad that he does not really have anyone to play with otherwise he probably would be leading the league in scoring in his draft year. I sure hope Burke takes a look at him in the 2nd round.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

Brayden Point, the Calgary kid playing on a god awful hockey team is starting to really take off at the end of the year. Looks like he will be top 15 in the WHL in scoring in his draft year, he is in on 44.5% of Moose Jaw's goals and leads the second leading scorer on his team by 30 points. It is too bad that he does not really have anyone to play with otherwise he probably would be leading the league in scoring in his draft year. I sure hope Burke takes a look at him in the 2nd round.

Interesting stats - you always have to strongly consider a prospect with those kinds of numbers. What are his PP vs EV points like?