It's soooo nice to have a really great prospect like Sven.
To me he's essentially on par to Hall/RNH/Eberle....sure most would probably take him after all of those 3...but Sven is right there....it's nice to know that although we don't have depth...we have one ELITE, Blue Chip prospect.
I think what's interesting is the development and emergence of Reinhart and Gaudreau...because although Sven would go after all the Edmonton kids.....he'd probably go before the best of the trio in Anaheim.
....Etem, Palmieri and Holland are three excellent kids to build around...and the Ducks are seen as having depth(atleast at forward) largely because of them....It's interesting to know that our top 3 when you factor in Sven being the best of the bunch does rival theirs...
Much will depend on Gaudreau shedding his diapers and putting on line 40 pounds or so...but I like our top 3 Forward prospects...
We just need to add another Top 6 forward prospect this year....and try and find another Brodie, puck moving gem...
Pretty good chance both Leach and Ramage will be NHLers IMO...
Not sure if Reinhart is going to be a huge offensive threat in the NHL.
I might also put Etem at the same level cause he has speed to burn and very good scoring ability shown thus far. I would put Ferland on par with Reinhart for offense and Guadreau and Granlund on a level above them.
Etem is a good prospect don't get me wrong...but I think Sven is a step ahead..
That's a tough call.
Etem potted 50 in 50 on a sub par team.
I think that Sven is a lot closer to being a pro than Etem, but I don't think that Sven will be the better pro. Etem's game better correlates to the current NHL.
I think that Sven is a lot closer to being a pro than Etem, but I don't think that Sven will be the better pro. Etem's game better correlates to the current NHL.
Sven shows up when the games matter so far Etem hasnt. Last year in the finals against the Ice this year in the WJC and against Moosejaw invisible in the games he played. He doesnt seem to do well when the game gets physical in the pros that could be tough. The sub par team was 4th in the conference lol
Etem's hockey IQ is not even close to Sven's. Good luck scoring in the NHL relying just on speed and physical strength.
Reinhart is ahead of Gaudreau. Both are incredibly smart players with good offensive skills but Reinhart is bigger and is a phenomenal two-way player. He has already had some excellent showings in the AHL. Reinhart's absolutle minimum potential is an effective 3rd line centerman. However, he may break out in much the same way Stepan and Henrique have.
After the top-4 of Baertschi, Reinhart, Gaudreau, and Ferland, our forward prospects are pretty underwhelming, but we'll have to wait and see who develops.
Just to throw a curveball at everyone, I think our top offensive prospect is not Baertschi but is Mr. Gaudreau. The kid has exceptional tools to work with. He has vision like no other player I have seen since a certain player who sall not be named for the Oilers. His hockey sense or IQ is off the charts and he anticipates the play at levels beyond his age or competition. His shot is sneaky and incredibly accurate. It will not overpower a goaltender at this point, but it finds the holes consistently. He can do eveything at speed and is only limited by his confidence and size. There is the rub and why he is not respected as a serious bluechip prospect. Gaudreau's size is a concern, but every other aspect of his game is top notch, and I would say superior to Baertschi's. Don't discount this kid. If he is handled right he is a star in the making and could be that high skilled player the team desperately needs. The big question is how long before he arrives if he ever arrives at all?
Reinhart's absolutle minimum potential is an effective 3rd line centerman. However, he may break out in much the same way Stepan and Henrique have.
I frickin LOVE Stepan! That kid is just such a good young hockey player, as is Henrique, but I have a big man crush on Stepan. I hope you are right about Reinhart, he is extremely smart and has a great hockey sense. I really want to draft his brother, I really think it would be great for both of their development to have them on the same team.
Etem's hockey IQ is not even close to Sven's. Good luck scoring in the NHL relying just on speed and physical strength.
Reinhart is ahead of Gaudreau. Both are incredibly smart players with good offensive skills but Reinhart is bigger and is a phenomenal two-way player. He has already had some excellent showings in the AHL. Reinhart's absolutle minimum potential is an effective 3rd line centerman. However, he may break out in much the same way Stepan and Henrique have.
After the top-4 of Baertschi, Reinhart, Gaudreau, and Ferland, our forward prospects are pretty underwhelming, but we'll have to wait and see who develops.
I think you are forgetting about Granlund, he has great vision and I think he has as good offensive skill as Ferland.
tops 3rd line forward IMO. If he can learn to skate properly he may become something better, but he really struggles on his edges.
Gadreau really is a beauty, especially if he can put on some more weight, which it looks like he is doing!
Nemisz has already showed he is capable of playing on the 3rd line and not look out of place, do you think he won't grow any more offensively? When guys like Reinhart are mentioned as offensive prospects, Nemisz deserves to be mentioned too.
Nemisz has already showed he is capable of playing on the 3rd line and not look out of place, do you think he won't grow any more offensively? When guys like Reinhart are mentioned as offensive prospects, Nemisz deserves to be mentioned too.
People seem to forget that Baertschi started on a line with Nemisz and they were dominant out there. They didn't play against great competition, but they were tough to play against and a big reason for that was Nemisz's ability to control the boards and his willingness to go to the dirty areas. Baertschi likely doesn't score at least one of his goals if Nemisz isn't forechecking, digging the puck out, or crashing the front of the net. Nemisz isn't a graceful skater out there, but he is more than adequate and shows the ability to contribute in the top 9 already. He has the skills to contribute more. Remember, Joel Otto and Jim Peplinski were not exactly graceful skaters and they were both crucial to the success of the Flames development of a championship team. Don't anyone write this kid off yet. I think he's in the lineup come season opener.
People seem to forget that Baertschi started on a line with Nemisz and they were dominant out there. They didn't play against great competition, but they were tough to play against and a big reason for that was Nemisz's ability to control the boards and his willingness to go to the dirty areas. Baertschi likely doesn't score at least one of his goals if Nemisz isn't forechecking, digging the puck out, or crashing the front of the net. Nemisz isn't a graceful skater out there, but he is more than adequate and shows the ability to contribute in the top 9 already. He has the skills to contribute more. Remember, Joel Otto and Jim Peplinski were not exactly graceful skaters and they were both crucial to the success of the Flames development of a championship team. Don't anyone write this kid off yet. I think he's in the lineup come season opener.
yeah, he can play 3rd line now, but he's not an ideal 3rd liner yet. If this team is going to go younger, then I'd pencil him in as 3rd line RW. You're right he did look good with Bartschi, though I'm starting to see that Bartschi has that effect on most guys he plays with.
I just think that if he doesn't grow into his skates, he'll never be a top 6 forward. But he's still young, so like Backlund, we should be patient. If he can keep and edge to his game, and be solid on the boards, he'll excel on a 3rd line with guys like Bartschi/Backlund.
yeah, he can play 3rd line now, but he's not an ideal 3rd liner yet. If this team is going to go younger, then I'd pencil him in as 3rd line RW. You're right he did look good with Bartschi, though I'm starting to see that Bartschi has that effect on most guys he plays with.
I just think that if he doesn't grow into his skates, he'll never be a top 6 forward. But he's still young, so like Backlund, we should be patient. If he can keep and edge to his game, and be solid on the boards, he'll excel on a 3rd line with guys like Bartschi/Backlund.
if any of thoese prospects doesn't grow in at least 1 key area they won't be top 6 forwards, Nemisz has no more flaws to his game than the other guys mentions
if any of thoese prospects doesn't grow in at least 1 key area they won't be top 6 forwards, Nemisz has no more flaws to his game than the other guys mentions
No real flaws but he has yet to show an "elite" level of specialization. Though if he keeps working on skating then I can see his offensive numbers go up. On the other hand at least you can plug him into a bottom six role too. The only issue I had with him is that both his junior linemates have already surpassed him so I feel his junior offensive numbers were more and indication of his line mates than him. Decent ahl numbers so there might be more potential there certainly but I'm nit really holding my breath at this point.
Just to throw a curveball at everyone, I think our top offensive prospect is not Baertschi but is Mr. Gaudreau. The kid has exceptional tools to work with. He has vision like no other player I have seen since a certain player who sall not be named for the Oilers. His hockey sense or IQ is off the charts and he anticipates the play at levels beyond his age or competition. His shot is sneaky and incredibly accurate. It will not overpower a goaltender at this point, but it finds the holes consistently. He can do eveything at speed and is only limited by his confidence and size. There is the rub and why he is not respected as a serious bluechip prospect. Gaudreau's size is a concern, but every other aspect of his game is top notch, and I would say superior to Baertschi's. Don't discount this kid. If he is handled right he is a star in the making and could be that high skilled player the team desperately needs. The big question is how long before he arrives if he ever arrives at all?
I was coming to the thread to write pretty much exactly this.
I have seen Gaudreau play a fair bit now and his skills are off the charts. And his hockey IQ is excellent.
Baertschi is a blue chipper because he is all but certain to be a high end NHLer. You can't say that about Gaudreau yet of course. But he has the potential to be an elite offensive player in the NHL. I can't wait to see how he progresses (and grows) next season.
I think Reinhart has the potential to be an excellent 2nd liner - a 60 pt, solid 2-way kind of guy. And as of right now, he is my sleeper surprise to crack the lineup.
And I also agree with CGYPUKSUX about Nemisz. I think what he needs is to play with decent offensive players and when he does, he seems to know how to play - he can manage the boards and go to the net. He seems to have solid hockey sense when playing with decent players.
The big positive to Nemisz is that his biggest flaw is his skating, which is usually one of the areas that can be most improved with a young player. I also think Nemisz will make the opening lineup, I've been pretty hard on him in the past but I do think he has really done a nice job overall this past season playing a complete game. I think Nemisz from day 1 has always been labelled as a 3rd line winger, with top 6 potential. IMO, that hasn't changed and I think he is right where he should in terms of his development. I think we need to create a spot for him in the lineup next year because we now need to know whether he has it or not.
Assuming no trades or made, here's my opening lineup.
The opportunity is there for Nemisz to seize a spot. We could always let someone sign Comeau and then we just receive the compensation for it, which I believe will probably be a 3rd round pick.
The door is wide open on RW for either Aliu or Nemisz to step up and make the team this year. It seems highly likely to me that one of them is going to be on the 3rd line.
Unless they continue to retool Nemisz to be a C (which I would love to see), in which case he probably spends the year (or at least starts it) in Abby.
