Cody Franson
 

There are several Admirals fans that would tell you he isn't ready to make the jump to Nashville next year, but our scouts have always been very high on him and he definitely seems like he will be an amazing player some day. What do you guys think about our #1 rated prospect? What player in the league already is his play similar to? Does he play physical at all or is he more of a pure offense guy?

from what I've been told by our posters that are Ads fans that would be a no ... and he's at the very least a year away MAYBE two

I saw the Admirals twice this year, in person. In both games, he looked VERY raw, to put it politely. In the second game in particular, I'd say he was the Ads' worst defenseman. You can see that he's got tools, but I think we need to take advantage of our depth at D and let him develop slowly...and continue to fill out. I think he needs another full season in Milwaukee, and perhaps even another two.

Yeah, the cool thing is that we have the depth for sure to give him as much time as he needs. BTW, if I'm not mistaken, this is the guy that our scouts said they would put his cross - ice pass up against anyone's in the NHL.

He is very young, and he is very raw. He is putting things together, but not unexpectedly, it is taking him more time than a defender that is already polished defensively/hit their growth spurt earlier (remember - Franson is a late bloomer both on the ice and physically). Sulzer should look better than him right now - he is several years older, has faced stiffer competition for several years, and he is a defensive defenseman. I say in 09-10, he is a starter for this team....

Im also an avid Ad's fan and I agree with all of you. Cody needs some roughness added to his style as he doesn't play physical well at all and with our depth at D he can take his sweet time doing that! But I kind of find the situation a little weird because usually the bigger framed guys have an easier time developing physicality and agressiveness but according to Cody's style it's not so easy for Cody!

I do think that he'll do way better in the big leagues if he get's a year more to kind of prepare for the jump and try to get some ruff stuff in his game.

Prediction:
We'll see him as a starter in 2009-10 but don't be suprised if we see Cody brought up for a few games here and there to just get a sample of what it's like.

Vancouver Giants fan here. Cody Franson is a nice, solid defenseman who will make the NHL, but he'll be nothing special. I doubt he becomes top-four. Former teammate Blum has a better chance.

I've always liked Blum too. I kinda like comparing him to Vlasic from the Sharks. Does anyone think that's a fair comparison? Does he have anywhere near that type of potential or am I dreaming?

I think he'll be better, if he fills out the way Pickles has.

Dang, I have a lot of respect for Vlasic, so if Blum can be comparable to him (as I suspected); and when Franson becomes the player that we think he can be; and we're able to keep Weber, Suter, and Hamhuis our defense is gonna be so freakin' ridiculous. That would be a defense to be proud of for sure. :yo:

I love Franson. I've just always been puzzled by how UN-physical he plays for a big man. See my avatar, Franson gave me one of his sticks he didn't use in WJC a few years back, so I definitely think the world of him! :naughty:

EDIT: I've always been meaning to ask serious Preds fans - what did you guys think of Ryan Parent?

I always heard that he was a good defensive - defenseman that was hard to get around. I remember he played for Guelph and there were people on these boards that were saying at the time he was one of the better defensive guys in that league. (What is that league anyway the WHL or the OHL I can't remember?) He was ultimately expendable though, as we probably had at the time of us trading him to Philly at least two other defensivemen in our system that were just as good or had more potential. Us grabbing Blum this past draft has all but eliminated any worry I ever had of dealing him in the Foppa trade. By the way, I don't know where they got this info from, but I recall somebody saying that Philly was hoping to get Franson originally, but Poile wouldn't give him up.

I actually heard something similar, that Philly was more interested in Franson than Parent. I guess at the time there was some concern that Parent had some issues with his back? He looked 'decent' in his limited time with Philly this season. I think he can only get better.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=196374

He was the one Preds defenseman I didn't want traded, and yet he is the only one we have!

I think the Vlasic/Blum comparison is a non-starter. Blum's game is based around his offensive abilities, which while MEV is good with the puck....he is more of a consistent, steady, Hamhuis type defenseman.

Let me just say that you guys are in such an amazing position with all of your defensemen and it's going to be fun to watch them develop.

While your prospects are PHENOMINAL, I really love watching Hammer. I just think he deserves more credit around the league as being one of the better up and coming DMen. I can't wait to see what he looks like in 5 years! LOOK OUT!!!

As for Parent, I love watching this kid skate. He is such a gifted skater and I think the rest of his game will develop from there. He looked ok in the playoffs. The first game he showed some nerves, but in the series against the Pens he settled down, and actually played with a little bit of a mean streak.

I've seen about every game Franson has played in Vancouver and this is what I saw:

1. His shot release, from any body position, was NHL calibre as an 18 year old. His ability to let loose with a snap shot and catch goaltenders was amazing. His wrist shot was equally as good and he really never used a slapper as it didn't add much to shot speed. Thats how good his snap and wrister were.

2. His passing ability at 18 was NHL calibre also. The ability to find forwards moving with speed on a breakout was outstanding. Once in the opposition zone his cross zone passes were executed crisply and often forwards in jr had a tough time catching his passes. Basically he has great vision and sense and will find you with the puck.

3. Skating, his foot speed for a big guy was normal. He struggled with lateral movement and was beat wide at times. He was caught a bit flat footed at times in the neutral zone which goes to his transition skating. This, in my opinion will take a few years to correct as his body is not fully developed.

4. Physical play, he never was a physical defenseman. He always struck me as a smart, puck moving defenseman who will eventually increase his physical presence once his body fully develops. A guy like this will be 23-24 when this happens.

I'm guessing another year in Milwaukee with some call ups next year.

Yeah! Finally some good news about Franson. I thought most people on these boards had written him completely off with all the negative stuff about him. This place is just so gloomy sometimes.

I haven't written him off. I think its the NP.com boards that typically label him as trash. He performed quite well for a rookie that is just starting to physically mature.

Hamhuis doesn't get the recognition he deserves because his youth is overshadowed by the likes of Suter/Weber. The truth is that Hamhuis is still very young and still improving, but he's already been pressed into a ton of action in Nashville, so people tend to regard him as a veteran defenseman rather than a youngster. I look forward to watching him continue to excel (and lots of future hipchecks :handclap:).

Yeah people trash him over there more than here. I guess the two boards kind of run together to me sometimes and it amplifies the negativity.

To be fair, they are not impressed with anyone except Fiddler, Smithson, etc...

That's a low blow friend. Very low blow. :rant:

And not entirely true.

I am really looking forward to seeing Franson, personally. I only trust a couple of posters who watch the Ads on a regular basis because a few years ago one poster from Milwaukee was ADAMANT that Hamhuis was a bust and was not anywhere near ready for the NHL. He was actually sent back to MIL after that preseason and that poster was laughing at us for thinking Hamhuis had any level of talent for the NHL. One injury call-up later and he hasn't been back to MIL since.