Nope. I have him at #6 as well. That's not a knock on him- more of a praise for our other prospects. And I wanted Dumba months and months before the draft like Talon.
Question for you (and Talon and anyone who has Dumba around his draft position): Did you think this year was a weak draft class?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fel 96
So much for having a closer poll this time.
One of these polls will be closer...right?
__________________
Blog: First Round Bust: A Cast of Thousands celebrating a rather dodgy track record of Minnesota Wild Drafting.
"Will beats skill when skill doesn't have enough will."
-Doug Woog
I think Phillips has more upside than Zucker (or, bold statement, Coyle for that matter), but he's also much less likely to reach that untapped potential.
Absolutely. While I rank Zucker above Phillips, that's almost entirely based upon floor, not ceiling. Coyle meanwhile is going to be that Gilles type prospect in retrospect about 5-7 years from now.
Absolutely. While I rank Zucker above Phillips, that's almost entirely based upon floor, not ceiling. Coyle meanwhile is going to be that Gilles type prospect in retrospect about 5-7 years from now.
I wouldn't go that far, but I see Coyle's maximum potential being a 2nd line player.
I guess I don't see how Dumba should be up for consideration until Zucker, Coyle, Larsson, Bulmer, and (depending on your thoughts of goaltenders) Hackett are off the board...
I get that the potential upside of a defenseman carries some weight but those prospects aren't your ordinary prospects and all have proven themselves on a larger scale. Not to mention much further along in their maturation as a prospect. Perhaps in a year when/if Dumba takes another step he could be talked about as a top MN Wild prospect, but just being a 7th overall selection isn't good enough for me.
__________________
After Meaningless Win - 3/29/12 - Game 77 | SoH-"Who knows, that could have cost us a Cup tonight." | Dooohkay
As everyone has said, the next 4-5 spots can go either way.
I voted Larsson. I think he's a top 6 forward who will PK, win key faceoffs, bring it every night, and provide leadership.
Dumba, Coyle, Zucker, Bulmer....man, argument could be made for all of em.
Also, after I clicked Larsson and replied, I immediately thought of Hackett. I know goalies are hard to judge but here's a kid who has had two strong seasons in the AHL and was rock solid in his NHL debut. I think an argument could be made that he could be in this spot as much as anyone. He has proven, imo, as much as any of the other prospects. And then we get into the potential question...which, imo, is a starting goalie.
I guess I don't see how Dumba should be up for consideration until Zucker, Coyle, Larsson, Bulmer, and (depending on your thoughts of goaltenders) Hackett are off the board...
I get that the potential upside of a defenseman carries some weight but those prospects aren't your ordinary prospects and all have proven themselves on a larger scale. Not to mention much further along in their maturation as a prospect. Perhaps in a year when/if Dumba takes another step he could be talked about as a top MN Wild prospect, but just being a 7th overall selection isn't good enough for me.
Because he's the highest drafted prospect the Wild owns the rights to. And his potential is arguably as high as anyone. For me only Granlund would beat him in that category.
When you take look at the prospects included in the poll so far, only Larsson and Bulmer took large steps forward this past season versus previous years in the same league. The rest made slight gains or just held serve. Also, none of them have made it yet full-time in a North American pro league. Maturation =/= improvement necessary for NHL success.
Except for Granlund's hockey IQ and stick handling are off the charts... so yeah, you can't compare the two.
Also... Granlund's skating isn't slow... just not fast. He's very average speed-wise.
Phillips is no slouch when it comes to stick handling and hockey IQ, either.
I never compared Phillips to Granlund, and I didn't say Granlund was slow - just that he improved his skating, which was one of his biggest areas for improvement.
Question for you (and Talon and anyone who has Dumba around his draft position): Did you think this year was a weak draft class?
Not really. I guess I consider them about equal. I loved the first four picks of last years' class a ton, and a few of the rest of the top 10 picks. I liked every single one of the top 10 picks in this years' class sans Reinhart. Wanted either Galchenyuk or Dumba, so I am pleased.
Didn't see the Brodin pick coming last year, but as you can tell, I am pleased with it now.
I suppose I like the top end talent that the 2011 draft had to offer more; but when it comes to strengthening your overall team, 2012 hands down.
Phillips is no slouch when it comes to stick handling and hockey IQ, either.
I never compared Phillips to Granlund, and I didn't say Granlund was slow - just that he improved his skating, which was one of his biggest areas for improvement.
Never said he was... but if compared to Granlund... absolutely!
Granlund's skating improved slightly... but I don't think it needed all that much improving to begin with. As mentioned... he's just not a fast skater is all. Much like Koivu, he's been ripped unjustifiably about his skating ability. He's always been just fine as a skater... people just think if you lack blazing speed, you must be a weak skater which isn't the case.
A weak skater is someone like Bruno... where skating is an absolute liability.
Phillips is an ok skater too... he can't stick handle in a phone booth like Granlund, but he's good with the puck... and he has a bit more size to help him out too.
My problem with Phillips, he's a very generalized player... he does a lot of things decently, and maybe above average on a few things, but is special at absolutely nothing.
That's where Larsson gets the edge... he's not special at anything either, but he's above average at just about everything. I remember someone recently calling Larsson a Mini-Koivu... I think that is a very apt description... only he's a little faster on his skates than Koivu.
My worst fear when it comes to Phillips... is right now I see a lot of James Sheppard in his game. A lot of people loved Sheppard early on too... I hope Phillips has more of a hockey IQ and less of an attitude to not fall into the same trap that Sheppard did.
For the record... I don't think Phillips will end up like Sheppard... it's just that I see similarities in their game when compared at this age etc, thus with how Sheppard turned out, I just have that fear about his development.
I think Coyle is Mr. Underestimated around here. All the reports I've read from Boston to St. John have him as the next big thing.
Underestimated because he's behind only Granlund and Brodin? I don't think that's an underestimation having him still above Larsson and Dumba! That's mad respect in my book!
