Summer 2015 Prospect Ranking - Round 7

[Clever_Iggy]

I didn't realize how much my opinion of Granlund as a prospect had slipped until we got into this and the previous rounds. I think I would vote Hickey, Jankowski and Klimchuk ahead and possibly Kylington. Granlund just doesn't seem like an upside Center to me. Maybe a decent winger in the NHL and a star in the AHL.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Klimchuk for me. He's a whole lot better than most people have seen and has the mental makeup of an NHLer. He's almost certainly going to be a player, just a matter of when.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

As others have said, Kylington has the physical tools to be a top 3 prospect, but the struggles this year and some significant parts of his game that need a lot of improvement keep me from putting him anywhere in the top ten. We're already at #7 and I don't see him as better than guys who have been around and shown more than him so far. I don't really disagree with any of the top 6 so far and I rank the rest of the list as such (in bold):

7) Klimchuk
8) Hickey
9) Culkin
10) Morrison

And even after that, I have guys like Kulak, Arnold, and McDonald ahead of Kylington. It's just that OK has to show everyone that he can improve on the things that scared scouts away at this draft. Until then, he shouldn't be considered a top prospect.

[Enoch Root]

Wotherspoon?

[heep223]

Everybody sees things differently and there is no wrong opinion.

Personally, I don't see Granlund as being an impact NHL player for the Flames. He's currently an NHL/AHL tweener that doesn't quite have the skill set to be a top 6 player but doesn't have the size, skating, strength or physicality of an effective bottom six player. To me his ceiling is an OK 3rd line NHLer on a middling team. We already have an excellent player for that role and others on the way that I think will be better than Granlund. I don't think this is irrational, nor do I "hate" anybody.

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Agree with what you're saying but for me, the difference is that Jankowski showed some real progression last year.

Remember, he didn't crack the top 10 in the prior 2 years (too raw), but now that he is showing more legitimacy, he has moved up.

Now if I would have posted something that verifiable wrong there would have been a bunch of instant replies and fact checks and nasty comments

Lucky you ... no one really pays much attention to your posts

He was #5 in 2013 after his ho-hum Freshman year when he was still the best player picked in the 2012 draft....

[Finger Cookin]

Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan

As others have said, Kylington has the physical tools to be a top 3 prospect, but the struggles this year and some significant parts of his game that need a lot of improvement keep me from putting him anywhere in the top ten. We're already at #7 and I don't see him as better than guys who have been around and shown more than him so far. I don't really disagree with any of the top 6 so far and I rank the rest of the list as such (in bold):

7) Klimchuk
8) Hickey
9) Culkin
10) Morrison

And even after that, I have guys like Kulak, Arnold, and McDonald ahead of Kylington. It's just that OK has to show everyone that he can improve on the things that scared scouts away at this draft. Until then, he shouldn't be considered a top prospect.

What I'm struggling with deciding on who to vote in this 7-12 range is that we have so many prospects at different stages of development who still look promising. Morrison, Klimchuk, and Culkin for example are further along and closer to contributing as pros, while you still have prospects with tantalizing potential and upside like Hickey, Kylington, Andersson, or even McDonald. There's a bunch in this range that are very, very hard to choose from. So much so that I don't think there's going to be a huge difference between prospects voted in at 7 or 8 compared to ones being voted in at 12 or 13.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

Now if I would have posted something that verifiable wrong there would have been a bunch of instant replies and fact checks and nasty comments

Lucky you ... no one really pays much attention to your posts

He was #5 in 2013 after his ho-hum Freshman year when he was still the best player picked in the 2012 draft....

lol

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Wotherspoon?

Yes, thanks. This is my point exactly. We have such a plethora of decent and solid prospects that anyone with major flaws stands out like a sore thumb. Until Kylington proves otherwise, he's pretty low on the totem pole despite his elite level of skill.

I'd be happy to be proven wrong of course, and I'm betting that's why the scouts recommended taking OK when they did.

[BlackWallStreet]

No way is hickey better than granlund smh

[Goodlad]

Originally Posted by BlackWallStreet

No way is hickey better than granlund smh

Because....?

[Big Erned Nevergivn]

I like Janko, and I get voting based on ceiling vs. NHL readiness. But I do not understand the underrating of Granlund in this poll. The guy can skate at an NHL level, is more than solid defensively for his age and has an above average shot for the NHL. How is he not a top 5 prospect in our organization?

[GreenLantern2814]

Yesterday was my first chance to watch Hickey. His skating style is very similar to Duncan Keith. I suppose he ultimately tops out as a 2nd pairing D on our team, but he looks like a stud.

I like Granlund, but I don't see him having the impact Hickey will.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Big Erned Nevergivn

I like Janko, and I get voting based on ceiling vs. NHL readiness. But I do not understand the underrating of Granlund in this poll. The guy can skate at an NHL level, is more than solid defensively for his age and has an above average shot for the NHL. How is he not a top 5 prospect in our organization?

Because our prospect depth is amazing.

[Finger Cookin]

Originally Posted by Big Erned Nevergivn

I like Janko, and I get voting based on ceiling vs. NHL readiness. But I do not understand the underrating of Granlund in this poll. The guy can skate at an NHL level, is more than solid defensively for his age and has an above average shot for the NHL. How is he not a top 5 prospect in our organization?

I just think this prospect pool is much, much deeper than the Flames have had in the past. I look back at the groups from the last two years, and I think this group will have better prospects at 15 and lower than 2014, and better than prospects rated 10 or lower in 2013. It strikes me as a very deep group.

I've been voting for Granlund since Round 2. The first 6 selected so far were almost certainly in my top 10 though.

[neo45]

I also have been voting Granlund since round 2. He has scored at a 40-goal per season pace in the AHL. It is kind of baffling that people don't see upside with him given his pedigree.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Yanda

disgusted by the Granlund hate.

You really see hate? Or other prospects being picked ahead of him?

[Big Erned Nevergivn]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Because our prospect depth is amazing.

Hard to disagree with that . I guess I just don't get as excited about the new(er) draft picks as other fans do.

To me Kylington has shown nothing but great skating ability and gaping flaws in his overall game , while Hickey has shown great improvement in his last year at BU with a great team surrounding him but still has a lot to prove. Meanwhile Granlund has shown he can produce in a professional league, not look out of place in the NHL ,all while being defensively responsible.

In my opinion (however wrong it may be), these younger prospects do not stack up in comparison.

[Big Erned Nevergivn]

Originally Posted by Finger Cookin

I just think this prospect pool is much, much deeper than the Flames have had in the past. I look back at the groups from the last two years, and I think this group will have better prospects at 15 and lower than 2014, and better than prospects rated 10 or lower in 2013. It strikes me as a very deep group.

I've been voting for Granlund since Round 2. The first 6 selected so far were almost certainly in my top 10 though.

I agree, its all gravy really! We have a solid NHL team that has a good shot of making some waves in the playoffs coming season and we are spending our summer debating which of our prospects,(whom all have NHL upside), should be ranked the highest in a meaningless poll.

Life's good. Also STAMPEDE!

[Gaudfather]

Voted Grandlund as has already gone a significant way towards proving he can play in the NHL.