Garret Ross
 

Who is this dude tearing up the OHL right now? I noticed we drafted him in the 5th round this year and he was 2 years past his draft eligibility when he was picked, but if you look at his track of improvement over the last 3 years, it looks like Stan was on to something.

Do any of you know if this guy is a legit prospect or just a guy getting lucky putting up points or anything at all about him?

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/p...php?pid=122903

He's not a legit top-6 prospect, but he is a legit bottom-6 guy, with some skill. Plays hard, plays physical and has enough skill/hockey sense/talent to be a third liner in the NHL some day. I wouldn't put too much stock into his production this year, being an overager, but he has the potential to be a very good role player in Chicago.

He's supposed to be comparable to Shaw right?

Yes.. but, I wouldn't say he's as smart on the ice.

isn't he an overager in the OHL right now? I don't see that we would hit on another 5th round pick as we did hit Shaw

Why not? This team has a track record of hitting on mid-low rounds picks. Was certainly worth the pick. Nothing to lose.

that's true, but you can't hit with every pick that looks good in juniors.

Well of course not, no one's gonna hit on every pick from wherever they come from, but there's just as much reason to believe he could turn out to be a solid NHL player as there is to believe he wont. It's all about keeping realistic expectations for what their NHL role will be. Being a top goal scorer as an overager isn't going to likely translate to being a top NHL scorer but that doesn't mean an effective role can't be found a la Shaw, Bolland, etc.

If they had no track record of hitting on mid-low round players it'd be one thing, but they've been very successful with them in recent years so there's reason for optimism and again, with a fifth round pick there's not much to lose. Could turn out to be a steal. We'll see.

He also has a ton of chemistry with Saad since they were linemates last year.

This is true.. but seeing as Saad will likely be in Chicago's top-6 (already is) and Ross will most likely find himself on Chicago's 4th line, it won't matter much. Should make Ross' transition into the NHL and lockerroom smoother.. but, the kid seems like quite a character, so I doubt he would have had much trouble anyways.

Never seen the guy play, only read reports. How do you feel he'd be for a fourth liner. Is his defensive game good? Physical at all? Intelligent?

Does Ross have any potential on special teams?

He'd be a great 4th liner. He works hard, is phsyical, wins battles along the boards and in the corners and has enough skill and hockey sense that I could see him being a quality third liner in the NHL. As far as his two-way game, I don't think it's there quite yet.. but he's a smart player and he won't hurt you defensively, IMO. He doesn't have off-the-charts smarts/hockey sense, but he's not merely a grunt. He can think and make plays.

Tough to say. I wouldn't have thought Shaw would and now he's on Chicago's PP. Ross is bigger than Shaw and I don't think he'd have a problem being a net presense, so in that way I think he could be, otherwise, likely not. He can contribute to a PK though.

Thanks, sounds like he was worth taking a shot on.

We took a similar player in the 1st round a few years ago, with discipline issues. :laugh: