Calgarypuck Prospect Ranking 2019 - Round 4

[Mass_nerder]

Originally Posted by mikephoen

One bad year might be possible to excuse, but two bad years in a row? How many prospects make the NHL after two bad seasons? The number must be minuscule. And we're not talking about seasons that were a little down, or didn't show improvement (those are bad enough for a prospect), but Parsons had straight up BAD seasons.

If he played any other position, I would agree 100%, but goalies are so all over the map.
Can I point to a successful goalie who had two consecutive bad seasons prior to making it in the NHL? No, but again, goalies are such a crap-shoot.
It's such a mentally taxing position, and I believe he's had some mental health issues, so it seems like something that he could more likely overcome.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by shogged

Yes you’re right, if you lower your expectations then this years crop does start to look better. I still think the drop off is pretty steep this year compared with previous years.

Are your expectations that a team should consistently keep their prospect pool brimming with high-end talent regardless of where and how often they draft? Because if that is the case I would call those higher expectations of your thoroughly unrealistic.

[Calgary4LIfe]

The only answer that I have for as to why people are thinking that the prospect pool is shallow is that they haven't tracked any of the prospects - even just stat watching.


There are still legitimate top six (and even top-line) talent in this pool left unpicked. Pettersen, Phillips, Zavgorodny. then there are a number of middle-six players on top of this, some with legitimate top 6 potential. You have two potential starting goalies in Parsons and Wolf, with Schneider having taken a step forward, and though Gillies hasn't had great seasons, he hasn't looked bad in his NHL games that he got up to this date - nothing to sneeze at.


The only place I find the pool shallow is on defence. Yes, it is very shallow there, but that is also ok. Most of the defencemen on the team are either in their prime with a number of years ahead of them, or really young and at the start of their careers. I am sure Treliving will help to address this by aggressively going after college UFAs, future drafts, or whenever something comes up in trade talks.


Make no mistake - this is a fairly deep pool with the forwards. This is about as talented and deep as you could possibly get without tanking and drafting high. Treliving in the upcoming seasons can stop trying to plug holes with expensive UFAs - Flames will have some luxury in plugging holes with home-grown options from the farm.


It has taken a very long time, but the Flames' organization as a whole from top-to-bottom is on a clear upward trajectory that is SUSTAINABLE. What I mean is that this team doesn't need to mortgage the future in order to try and win now. They don't have to trade 2nd's because they feel their drafting and development is sub par, and it is better to acquire players than just throw those picks away at the draft.


The last season's playoffs didn't bug me as much as it should have, and I think it is because I saw it as just the real start to a continuous series of playoff appearances, rather than "This is the year you have to try to win, as you probably won't be this good for a long time again" moment.



I am excited about the Flames for the future and it isn't because I have been drinking any Edmonton water. Calgary actually has proven themselves as above average in drafting and development, and this current pool of prospects has a tonne of potential players - some of them will fail, but some will succeed and thrive, and that's all you need.

[shogged]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Are your expectations that a team should consistently keep their prospect pool brimming with high-end talent regardless of where and how often they draft? Because if that is the case I would call those higher expectations of your thoroughly unrealistic.

No, not at all lol. I simply made an observation that the cupboards are getting bare. I even agree it’s for the same reasons you listed, graduating prospects and playing well/drafting later.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by mikephoen

One bad year might be possible to excuse, but two bad years in a row? How many prospects make the NHL after two bad seasons? The number must be minuscule. And we're not talking about seasons that were a little down, or didn't show improvement (those are bad enough for a prospect), but Parsons had straight up BAD seasons.

Impossible to judge goalies and their development strictly from the numbers. Goalie stats are conflated with team defense so GAA in particular can be a terrible gauge.
Factor in that Parsons has had some mental issues.
Factor in that goalies often take 6-8 years to fully develop.
What can we conclude? Not much really. Parsons still has nice upside. The Flames seem happy with the progress he made last season. He still obviously has a long ways to go. It’s obviously a big year for him.

I have no idea where to put him. I’m not down on him but at the same time there’s less argument to be super high on him. I think he’s still one of our top 10 probably

[united]

Jakob Pelletier
Terrific two-way winger with a balanced skillset of playmaking and scoring. 30 even-strength goals in 65 games as a first time draft eligible is a big positive, as is his generating over 3 shots per game. Not afraid to go to the tough areas despite his size but does so intelligently and with a positive purpose. Very smart player.

Ceiling: 1st line W
Probable: 2nd line W
Floor: 4th line W

Also in consideration
Martin Pospisil
Passable two-way utility player but a loose cannon. Big on-ice discipline issues but deserves a pile of credit for reigning that in relative to last year (still wild compared to peers). Despite that, his per-TOI production is very very impressive, even if his individual ability to generate shots is average. Excellent on the powerplay. If he can improve his skating, and pick his spots of aggression a bit better - which should come with maturity - he could be a coveted player with a mean streak who can also contribute offensively. I see him playing wing full-time as a pro.

Ceiling: 2nd line W/pest
Probable: 3/4 line W
Floor: Loose cannon bust

Emilio Pettersen
Fantastic numbers on the surface and getting a ton of hype as a result. Saw much more of a playmaker side of his game developing in his first year of college. However, he scored 1 even-strength goal in 40 games and generated fewer than 2 shots per game - both of which cause me to pause as I value both highly in offensive prospects. I am very keen to monitor his progress next season as 1 even-strength goal is a massive red flag to me, but his progression in playmaking while playing against those up to four years older than him cannot be discounted either. I also value the opinion of some others who remain confident in him. Pettersen is the biggest mystery for me right now.

Ceiling: 2nd line C/W
Probable: undetermined
Floor: Tweener/bust

Adam Ruzicka
He's big, he has decent hands and offensively ability, he is decent in his own end...but his attitude and commitment are concerns. He isn't always engaged and is easily rattled and knocked off his game, and when that happens he looks like a beer league player during a 10:45 PM weekday game going through the motions to get home ASAP. But when he is on he can drive a line and contribute at both ends of the ice. 32 even-strength goals in 65 games is impressive as is generating over 3.5 shots per game, while also having decent vision. Excellent in the dot, too. If he can get the mental side figured out he has a good shot at making it. If not, he'll be saying "what if" when he looks back on things later in life.

Ceiling: 2nd line C
Probable: 4A C
Floor: Outright bust