2012/13 Prospect Stats & Updates Thread

[Major Major]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

dat Brossoit

Shutout and first star. Oil Kings move on to the WHL Finals against Wotherspoon and the Winterhawks.

Guarantees two Flames prospects in Memorial Cup. I'd like to see Brossoit get some redemption from last year. Also though, there is not a Flames D prospect I am more excited about than Wotherspoon. I don't know what to think of Ferland and his overage free walk to the Mem Cup season after not cutting it as a pro. And then there's the whole pending aggravated assault charges thing... He will need to show something in a big way.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

5 goalies and only 4 spots, unless they decide to run with a "three headed goalie monster" on one of the rosters.

Think I'd rather have one of them start off as a starter in the ECHL then spend long stretches doing nothing in the AHL. Rather have the young guys playing then sitting.

[Vulcan]

or we could send Brossoit to Finland, it's seemed to work for Ortio. They must have some good goalie coaches over there seeing how they produce a lot of top goalies.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

or we could send Brossoit to Finland, it's seemed to work for Ortio. They must have some good goalie coaches over there seeing how they produce a lot of top goalies.

They used to anyways. Only 6 Finnish goaltenders played more than 1 game in the NHL this season. Only 1 (Rask) will be under 30 when the calendar year expires.

Also we don't know if anything has actually worked for Ortio other that he has been great in Finland. Until he crosses the pond and does something of note here he hasn't accomplished anything that matters to me. Same goes for Karri Ramo. Call me a cynic, but we see so many "great" European goaltenders come across and fail that I don't get too excited for them.

[Henry Fool]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

They used to anyways. Only 6 Finnish goaltenders played more than 1 game in the NHL this season. Only 1 (Rask) will be under 30 when the calendar year expires.
[...]

"Only" 6 Finnish goalies, but they're all starters: Rask, Rinne, Niemi, Lehtonen, Bäckström, Kiprusoff. That's wildly disproportionate for a small country so I wouldn't expect it to continue given that there are only 30 spots in the league, but that doesn't mean that the coaching that produced those players no longer produces the same talent.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

"Only" 6 Finnish goalies, but they're all starters: Rask, Rinne, Niemi, Lehtonen, Bäckström, Kiprusoff. That's wildly disproportionate for a small country so I wouldn't expect it to continue given that there are only 30 spots in the league, but that doesn't mean that the coaching that produced those players no longer produces the same talent.

I would say because it was so disproportionate that it is very likely they won't produce talent to the same degree in the future.

[Henry Fool]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

I would say because it was so disproportionate that it is very likely they won't produce talent to the same degree in the future.

My point is that it's not the talent, it's the level of competition that makes it unlikely. Finland produces many more great young goalies than they did when the 30-year-old goalies now playing the NHL were teenagers. The level of overall talent has never been better. However, other countries, bigger countries continue to produce goalies as well.

You seem to think that there should be a steady stream of Finnish goaltenders into the league. That's completely unrealistic because there are only so many spots. We won't know what the next generation of NHL goalies looks like until we get there. If you're just taking the NHL perspective, young goalies go off the radar for years and then they suddenly arrive.

[devo22]

word out of Switzerland is that not Berra, but oldie Martin Gerber will begin as the starter at the WC vs Sweden. Their coach feels that the team needs a veteran in net because they already have so many young, experienced players.

http://www.basellandschaftlichezeitu...-tor-126504368

[Henry Fool]

With regard to Ortio and the possibility of him playing in the AHL next year, HIFK has signed two goalies for next season already, the latest one being this year's league MVP Antti Raanta who also happens to be Ortio's partner in the world championships.

So I haven't heard anything about Ortio's plans, but HIFK seem to be planning for a future without him. One important thing is that Raanta could still sign with a KHL or NHL team. It's entirely possible - maybe even probable - that he'll never play a single game for HIFK.

It kind of feels like there's a news item about Ortio's next season that I've totally missed or something. I guess we'll see eventually.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

With regard to Ortio and the possibility of him playing in the AHL next year, HIFK has signed two goalies for next season already, the latest one being this year's league MVP Antti Raanta who also happens to be Ortio's partner in the world championships.

So I haven't heard anything about Ortio's plans, but HIFK seem to be planning for a future without him. One important thing is that Raanta could still sign with a KHL or NHL team. It's entirely possible - maybe even probable - that he'll never play a single game for HIFK.

It kind of feels like there's a news item about Ortio's next season that I've totally missed or something. I guess we'll see eventually.

Antii Raanta is only 24 this month. Some NHL team should sign him with his great stats.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/p...php?pid=112590

[Major Major]

That might be initially disappointing, but starters for a team like Switzerland don't matter so much in this type of tournament. He will lose a game, remind everyone he is Martin Gerber, and Berra will get a crack.

[Henry Fool]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

Antii Raanta is only 24 this month. Some NHL team should sign him with his great stats.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/p...php?pid=112590

Yeah those are Tim Thomas like numbers and it continued in the playoffs. Either way, since they're signing goalies left and right, I wonder if Ortio already told HIFK that he'll go to NA next season. Seems odd that he isn't getting mentioned anywhere.

[Henry Fool]

Ortio is confirmed to start against Germany today in Finland's first game in the tournament.

[Henry Fool]

Finland beats Germany 4-3 in OT. Classic first game of a tournament with some struggles.

First goal was the team leaving a forward alone in front of Ortio. The defenseman charged towards the guy with the puck and Hagman couldn't get in front of the net fast enough to cover for him. Really embarrassing and you have to feel bad for the goalie.

Second goal was a hard Ehrhoff blast straight from the faceoff on the PP.

The third goal Ortio should have had, however, even though he was screened and the puck seemed to change direction slightly. Fair or not, that's not a goal the coaching staff will have much tolerance for in a tournament setting.

Ortio misread the play a couple of times. Granted, these are tough games because there aren't many shots, and he wasn't bad, but I think the ball might be in Raanta's court to take the number one spot in the next game. I could be wrong of course - it was really just one goal that he should have had - but a lot of it is which goalie you feel more confident with, even if it's not an entirely fair situation.

Anyway, first big tournament game for Ortio. Probably a little nervous but a win nevertheless. The entire team was probably a little nervous.

OT - if you thought Hagman was bad when he was with the Flames, he's even worse now. I think when he turned 30, he just plain forgot how to skate. It's like the ice is sliding to the opposite direction when you watch him trying to pick up speed. The feet are going but he's behind the play just like with the Flames. Based on this game, he shouldn't be in this tournament.

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

Thanks a ton Henry Fool. Keep those updates coming. Really appreciate it.

[Brad Marsh]

Broissot wins round one of the WHL final backstopping the Oil Kings to a 4-1 win and stopping 35 of 36 shots while doing it.

Tyler Wotherspoon finishes the night at -3.

Game 2 Saturday night.

[devo22]

I agree with everything Henry Fool was saying. I thought Ortio was decent overall, though there was a moment when they were still ahead 1-0 and Ortio did his best Quick-impression behind the net, losing the puck to a forward (who didn't capitalize though).

Was shocked to see that Finland nearly has a full roster of SM-liiga players. Only one NHL player (Korpikoski), I think.

[FlameZilla]

Would Barkov have been on the Finnish team had he not injured his shoulder?

[Henry Fool]

Originally Posted by FlameZilla

Would Barkov have been on the Finnish team had he not injured his shoulder?

I doubt it but he could have maybe played a few pre-tournament games had his SM-Liiga team not been in the finals at the same time. I think Ristolainen was with the men's team at some point but I could remember wrong. In any case his main event would have been the U18's.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

I doubt it but he could have maybe played a few pre-tournament games had his SM-Liiga team not been in the finals at the same time. I think Ristolainen was with the men's team at some point but I could remember wrong. In any case his main event would have been the U18's.

I think he would have been in, but since we're all guessing who knows.

As to goalies, Raanta shut out Slovakia and looked much better than Ortio, so the #1 spot is very much his to lose now.

I'll be a little surprised if Raanta plays more than a season here in Finland, and if he puts up a couple more performances like that, KHL might come calling as soon as next season.