Mark "Fricken" Jankowski (aka The Big Jankowski)

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Friars score again to go up 2-0. Jankowski with his 2nd assist of the game.

keep chirping him, it's working.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Yeah, four points in 6 games isn't bad considering the time he missed. He needs to have a "big" game though. One of my biggest criticisms for Jankowski is that he always seems to pick up a goal here, an assists there.. don't think he's ever had that big 3-4 point game.

He has only had one 3 point game in his college career, and it was almost exactly 2 years ago. November 16, 2012, he had a goal and 2 assists.

[getbak]

Quote from the coach. Jankowski was the first star in the game (PC won 3-0):

Mark Divver ‏@MarkDivver

Leaman on Jankowski: “Mark was on tonight. Mark was assertive . . . He wants the puck. A lot of it has to do with he’s getting healthier'

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by getbak

He has only had one 3 point game in his college career, and it was almost exactly 2 years ago. November 16, 2012, he had a goal and 2 assists.

This is exactly what the top tier NHL prospects do that sets them apart from the rest of the NCAA. Further to that, many tend to go on extended runs statistically at least a few times a year. Until Jankowski takes a step forward in that regard I can't view him as a viable Pro prospect for the Flames. That's just me though.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

This is exactly what the top tier NHL prospects do that sets them apart from the rest of the NCAA. Further to that, many tend to go on extended runs statistically at least a few times a year. Until Jankowski takes a step forward in that regard I can't view him as a viable Pro prospect for the Flames. That's just me though.

Maybe he isn't a "top tier" NHL prospect, but I don't see why that doesn't make him a viable prospect either. That's just me though.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

This is exactly what the top tier NHL prospects do that sets them apart from the rest of the NCAA. Further to that, many tend to go on extended runs statistically at least a few times a year. Until Jankowski takes a step forward in that regard I can't view him as a viable Pro prospect for the Flames. That's just me though.

For all you stats watchers, based on your twisted perspective here's another guy that wasn't much of a viable prospect either.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/p...php?pid=121548

You have to take system into consideration.

[442scotty]

Still have high hopes for Janko. Get him in the AHL next year and lets see what he can really do.

[Robbob]

I still think when you look at his points per game you have to consider the system he plays in. Hearing that the coach put him in all the key situations means just as much to me. When he leaves college he will be a 200ft player. My hope is that his skill translate to the next level. There is nothing wrong with slowly bringing a player along.

[Fire]

Originally Posted by 442scotty

Still have high hopes for Janko. Get him in the AHL next year and lets see what he can really do.

I agree, I want to see him in the AHL next season. I don't think another year in college would hurt him but maybe his rate of development will increase in the AHL. Josh Jooris left after three seasons and it worked for him!

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by 442scotty

Still have high hopes for Janko. Get him in the AHL next year and lets see what he can really do.

I agree with you somewhat - I think Jankowski may indeed be ready to enter the AHL next season. Wouldn't hurt playing him with better wingers, that's for sure! However, I still think patience is key with this kid, and I am actually very comfortable with him continuing with Providence next year.

It has been a while since I have added much to this thread, so here goes!

I think the worst-case scenario for Jankowski was getting drafted by the Flames. Why? Because the Flames were DESPERATE for young blood. I believe this was part of Feaster's reasoning for his idiotic proclamation that Jankowski was going to be the best player in the draft. Regardless if he felt that was true or not, it was at least partly driven by Feaster to sell 'hope' to the fanbase (and at the same time, trying to push any blame onto Weisbrod if it didn't work out!). I liked the fact that the Flames were willing to draft a project as I think it showed they were not looking for quick-fixes, and that they were finally starting to plan for the future instead. I just hate how they trotted him out in that way, and it quickly escalated into the biggest joke of the draft. Really felt sorry for the kid right after Feaster's comments.

Todd Button actually spoke about Jankowski - was in one of Sureloss' posts regarding the current Flames prospects. He said (paraphrasing) "Having a bunch of prospects emerging into the NHL and doing well takes the pressure off with regards to Jankowski and allows the Flames to be more patient with him." Something like that. I think we can all agree with him on that now.

Jankowski was a project - a long-term project. He could very well pay-off and be a key component of this rebuild. I actually believe he will be. Let him keep developing physically, let him keep developing his 2-way game, and give him a chance to dominate before turning pro - may help his confidence when he does turn pro. I think he may indeed be ready to step into the AHL next season, and if he really is fully ready, I would support it. I would think at this point he is being developed properly in Providence. I do think it is tough as a fan to gauge how good he really is doing as compared to the other Flames' prospects though.

If he was in a program run by someone who wasn't so respected (Nate Leaman is a fantastic coach to develop under) or was being developed in a way that wasn't conducive to the pro game, then I would be hoping he would leave Providence ASAP. I like that he is being forced to play 2-way hockey even if it may be hurting his offence a bit. I like that Leaman likes to use Jankowski in key points in the game. I don't think Jankowski would necessarily be getting as much experience in the AHL as he may be getting in Providence at the moment, though I may be wrong. Reinhart and Arnold are both further ahead of him developmentally (and are both older), and Granlund is definitely ahead of him developmentally.

For me, I thought Jankowski was more of a 'risk' (i.e. bust potential) due to him not playing at a high enough level in regards to systems and defence. I think offensively, he has a tonne of skill, but I do think his two biggest questions marks coming out of the draft was his physical development (which is coming along very nicely now) and his ability to play within a structured system - specifically defensively. I think his development has been perhaps a little bit disappointing for stat-watchers. However, when you take into consideration everything to do with Jankowski as a prospect - especially the weaknesses coming into the draft, and the type of game Providence plays - I think he is coming along admirably and I think his 'bust' potential has dramatically fallen. Can he bust? Sure he can. He can still be an outright bust and I do understand some posters who are adamant that he will bust. I just think the chances of him doing so are so much lower now as we have seen him developing in the NCAA.

I still believe he can be a top-line center (though probably never a 'star' center or anything of the ilk), but I also think he would make for a great bottom 6 center as well (which for me, erases much of the bust potential) due to his size, skating and IQ. People may laugh or roll their eyes for my continued belief in his ceiling, but he has excellent skating, excellent vision and passing abilities, and since last season, he has started going hard at the net more. He does have a huge amount of talent, and it will be interesting to see how it translates. I do think his ceiling is still that of a top-line center, but also think he can also be a very good bottom-6 center or even winger. I really believe as the last few years have rolled by since the draft, he has a lot of holes in his game being patched up. With his size and skating ability, combined with his IQ, vision and skill level - he is the type of prospect that can fit anywhere in a lineup. I think he will provide loads of versatility, and at least be a guy that can help shut-down opposing lines while providing depth scoring.

I think a lot of prospects bust because they are often not dedicated enough (Jankowski seems to be, and has apparently been working out very hard putting on much needed size), or they are poor skaters with skills (Jankowski is actually pretty quick and agile on skates, and becomes even more impressive with his size), or they have low-IQ (High IQ has always been one of his strengths in every draft report about him and that is evident with how quickly he picked up his defensive responsibilities in Providence). Lousy attitude also seems to be a big underlying reason why a prospect busts, but I don't think I have ever heard anyone mention any negative attribute about Jankowski's attitude in any way.

Providence (IMO) plays a very NHL-type game relying on structure and solid defensive acumen. I am rather comfortable with him continuing to develop under such circumstances. I hope that he exceeds expectations and turns pro after this season, but I am very happy to see him continuing his development in Providence even if he isn't throwing up big numbers offensively. With all the prospects starting to emerge out of the pipeline, I think we should be extremely patient with Jankowski. I think if the Flames show a lot of patience, he is going to be a key player down the road. 6'4" centers with that skill level and skating ability are difficult to find in any draft. I still find him, Gaudreau and Ferland the most interesting prospects in the system, and I am very high on all 3.

A key change since the draft really is that the Flames can afford to take their time with him. Providence for another year after this if there is value there, 'x' amount of time in the AHL, and then hopefully gets to the point where he deserves a cup of coffee in the NHL and hopefully become a key contributor.

/end my semi-annual long Jankowski post.

[edslunch]

Great writeup C4L. I also think he's moved out of bust territory and looks like he could be an NHL player based on the two-way experience he's getting as well as his natural gifts (of course anything can happen). While the structured game at Providence is great training I'd like to see him move to a more offensive setting in the AHL next year to let him develop that side of his game more.

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

Calgary4Life, I hate it when you post. It just means I'll be sitting in front of my computer for the next 20 minutes because I can never skip over what you write.

Grade A post as usual. Thanks.

[dino7c]

Likely a bad pick, doesn't mean he's a bad prospect

[Ulrith]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Likely a bad pick, doesn't mean he's a bad prospect

That's really my thoughts. I still think he is a good prospect and might well turn out to be a key part of the rebuild, but I think there were better options available. Girgensons was the 14th pick (where the Flames were originally) and is looking pretty good so far this year on an awful team. Hertl was a big win for the Sharks and Terravainen is looking like a great pick as well (although unproven). Of course taking one of them would mean no Sieloff, but even after Janko there was Maata, Pearson, etc.

That being said...if he can continue developing and become an NHL regular and Sieloff can regain the form he had before his injury woes it might end up being a great pick.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire

Calgary4Life, I hate it when you post. It just means I'll be sitting in front of my computer for the next 20 minutes because I can never skip over what you write.

Grade A post as usual. Thanks.

20 minutes is nothing. I swear it took me an hour since I am at work and kept getting interrupted and then trying to find my place again.

[TheDebaser]

Jankowski is what happens when you put an attention hog with experience being a terrible GM in the NBA in charge of scouting hockey players.

How Weisbrod got another job, not only in the realm of professional sports, but in a completely different sport he had no experience in is mindblowing to me. From his wikipedia (Under the section titled "Notable Trades and Downfall"):

Weisbrod was also responsible for the blockbuster trade of disgruntled superstar Tracy McGrady. In a 7-player deal which sent McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and another player to the Houston Rockets, the Magic received erratic point guard Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato. Weisbrod received written death threats from fans on different occasions following this transaction. That megatrade was only the beginning of the dismantling of the 2003–2004 team; Weisbrod only retained three of the players for the 2004–2005 season.

Weisbrod is a total blowhard who has no clue what he's doing and I'm glad he's part of the Canucks now, because he seems to have a knack for being promoted way above his level of competence.

Jankowski might still turn out though. I just think Weisbrod wanted to show everybody just how smart he is with that pick. Everyone misquotes Feaster when they say that he was the one who called Jankowski one of the best players in the draft, what Feaster actually said was that Weisbrod thought he would end up being one of the best players in the draft. I'm glad Burke fired him.

[MrMastodonFarm]

yawn....

The draft is over and done with, long ago. Ancient history. This thread has been decent lately for actually talking about Jankowski's play, good bad or whatever. Let's continue with that and not return to the same debate over and over again. The circumstances of how he became Flames property no longer matter.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by New Era

For all you stats watchers, based on your twisted perspective here's another guy that wasn't much of a viable prospect either.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/p...php?pid=121548

You have to take system into consideration.

Yes but show me where it says jooris was ever pumped up to be a top prospect? It's hardly a twisted perspective to ask for any sort of offensive progression in a first round pick. Go ahead and blame it all on the system though and see where that gets you. I'm certainly not asking for ppg plus numbers here.

[FlameZilla]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

Yes but show me where it says jooris was ever pumped up to be a top prospect? It's hardly a twisted perspective to ask for any sort of offensive progression in a first round pick. Go ahead and blame it all on the system though and see where that gets you. I'm certainly not asking for ppg plus numbers here.

Then what are you expecting?

Improvement?

2012-13: 0.53 PPG - 5th in team scoring
2013-14: 0.64 PPG - 3rd in team scoring
2014-15 (so far): 0.71 PPG - 3rd in team scoring (despite missing games to injury)

There's a clear progression from a player who was thrown in at the deep end by going to the NCAA a season earlier than planned. He plays a very strong defensive game and is a career +14 in the NCAA. Perhaps he won't be an elite #1 center, an opinion the Feaster Kool-Aid and Craig Button were pushing, but we don't need him to be a #1 center.

I think the kid is going to be a player along the lines of Joe Colborne. He probably needs another year in college after this and then a couple in the AHL, but we can afford to play the long game. That's what the plan was all along.

[Crumpy-Gunt]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

Yes but show me where it says jooris was ever pumped up to be a top prospect? It's hardly a twisted perspective to ask for any sort of offensive progression in a first round pick. Go ahead and blame it all on the system though and see where that gets you. I'm certainly not asking for ppg plus numbers here.

I dont think the point was that Jooris was ever pumped up to be a top prospect. The point is that a player in a defensive system with mediocre numbers in college can be productive offensively in the NHL; as Jooris has been.

At this point I am cheering for Jankowski a bit more than any other prospect of ours. Mostly because I cant wait for all the impatient negative 'fans' who have doubted him since the beginning to eat their words. He is a good player and has progressed about as good as we could hope in terms of gaining size, learning how to play a 2 way game and even consistently upping his scoring production since his freshman season. I dont know what some people want?

Maybe this is all because in retrospect people feel like we should have taken someone else in the draft like Maata, but who knows? Dont forget we got Sieloff in that trade down and he and Jankowski still need time before we can even say that was a bad move by Feaster.

This kid doesnt get a fair chance from a lot of fans because he is to them, only ours as a result of a wiesbrod and feaster screw up. Not fair to Janko - he is a good prospect!