First annual JOSH JOORIS AWARD

[Fan69]

Want to start a yearly category and this year I think it should be the
“ Josh Jooris award”
Given to the player who best exemplifies coming out of nowhere to earn an NHL contract with the team.

Rules are they can not be in the top ten of our current prospect rankings, can be a walk on or tryout or invite.
My vote this year for the Jooris award?

Adam Ruzicka

With honorable mention Parsons.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Luke Philp

[1qqaaz]

Roman Horak came out of no where back in the day. Possible because Feaster wanted it to look like he won the Tim Erixon trade (which he did).

Zavgorodniy maybe? I guess this wouldn't be quite as surprising. Pretty sure he's a top 10 prospect.
Alexander Yelesin could conceivably make the team. Mostly because of age and experience.

[Wood]

Based on who isn't in the CP top 10 for me it's easily Ruzicka

I think Ruzicka is a Ryan replacement sooner than later. I'm a huge Backlund fan and I think Ryan is the perfect 4th line centre at the moment, but I can see Ruzicka sliding in to either a centre or wing spot due to injury this season and staying, taking someone's role going into next season with the potential to be a 3rd or 4th line centre

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

Roman Horak came out of no where back in the day. Possible because Feaster wanted it to look like he won the Tim Erixon trade (which he did).

Zavgorodniy maybe? I guess this wouldn't be quite as surprising. Pretty sure he's a top 10 prospect.
Alexander Yelesin could conceivably make the team. Mostly because of age and experience.

I am big on Zavgo, but he is top 10

[GranteedEV]

I could see Yelesin surprising this year, though tre has made it his mission to saturate the blueline with mediocre vets.

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

I could see Yelesin surprising this year, though tre has made it his mission to saturate the blueline with mediocre vets.

Interested in him too. That is what is surprising me about where the team is at. At this point in that half a dozen guys could easily win it and none of them look out of place. I think Nikolaev would have been my pick but he isn’t in North America but it’s the only reason I dropped him.

[Wood]

I love when an unexpected guy earns a call up and forces his way onto the team

Brodie, Moss, Ferland, Prust, Hathaway, Jooris, Bouma, Pardy, Kulak, Grant and Cracknell are all guys who were late picks and worked their way out of the AHL

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

I could see Yelesin surprising this year, though tre has made it his mission to saturate the blueline with mediocre vets.

Interested in him too. That is what is surprising me about where the team is at. At this point in that half a dozen guys could easily win it and none of them look out of place. I think Nikolaev would have been my pick but he isn’t in North America but it’s the only reason I dropped him.

[TheScorpion]

I agree about Luke Philp. I could see him being an early call-up if injuries hit.

[FlamesAddiction]

I liked what we saw from Buddy Robinson last season. Sure he is never going to be a top 6, or maybe even a top 9 forward, but he plays with a lot of passion and adds to the 4th line IMO.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

I could see Yelesin surprising this year, though tre has made it his mission to saturate the blueline with mediocre vets.

Well then it should be easy for Yelesin, right?

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Fan69

Interested in him too. That is what is surprising me about where the team is at. At this point in that half a dozen guys could easily win it and none of them look out of place. I think Nikolaev would have been my pick but he isn’t in North America but it’s the only reason I dropped him.

Nikolayev needs to show he can handle the KHL first

[Enoch Root]

I think the two primary opportunities are RW and RD. So I will take Zavgorodniy (though I don't believe he has a chance).

I would take Kinnvall if he were in NA. I also think Ruzicka is a good possiblity.

[Enoch Root]

dp

[JTech780]

Justin Kirkland

[N26]

I totally support this thread.

However I have given out a very similar award (along with others) several times since 2015 as part of the prospect ranking threads.

Some examples:

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showth...65#post5357165

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showth...18#post5833018

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showth...08#post7155908

Previous winners are

2015 Josh Jooris
2016 Brett Kulak
2017 Garnett Hathaway
2018 David Rittich
2019 Adam Růžička

Haven't done it yet this year but i think my vote goes to Luke Philp

[TheIronMaiden]

If Ruzicka played with the heart and hustle that Jooris did he would already be an NHLer.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Colton Poolman

[Calgary4LIfe]

It is going to be a tough roster to crack by the looks of it, barring injuries or trades between now and opening night.


By the definition above, it has to be either Ruzicka or Yelesin.



Ruzicka has always been very promising, but it is his lack of consistency that is the issue. He has to jump a number of forwards, however. Not match what those other players ahead of him bring, but exceed. It is always going to be a smart move organizationally to send down the players that aren't waiver eligible unless they are CLEARLY better and ready for the NHL.


Yelesin is the only other prospect that I can think of that has a shot at it (once again, using the definition of non-top 10 ranked). I thought he was NHL-ready in the games that he was in last year. That's a tiny sample size, but I thought he did admirably in the minutes that he got. If he wasn't NHL-ready, I thought he was pretty darn close. I think Mackey is higher on that list (but was top 10) too. That's also a lot of players that Yelesin has to jump over.



It is going to be tough for any player to be on that opening night roster. Treliving has signed a good amount of depth (and still might be more to come if Dreger's rumblings were timely and accurate). I don't see it this year, but a pleasant surprise is always welcome.