Harrington has looked very solid this tourney. I will however bring it back down to earth a bit.
He reminds me of a lanky michalek. His defensive play has been very solid but there were a few shifts in the Finland game that his pair got pinned in. Granted it was mostly against the granlund line, but he certainly was scrambling n floppin a bit. Most notably on the play where he basically stacked the pads to block a shot from going in a wide open net. It was a great play but it was all a result of him and Murray being completely out of sorts on the play. He does make good passes and gets around well, but he's got to bulk up.
It will be truly telling against us tomorrow. Some of the bigger USA forwards could give his pair problems.
If Harrington pans out as a "lanky Michalek", I'd say that's a fantastic pick. If every defensive defenseman we draft can turn out as good as Michalek, I'm not sure how that's "bringing it down to earth".
If Harrington pans out as a "lanky Michalek", I'd say that's a fantastic pick. If every defensive defenseman we draft can turn out as good as Michalek, I'm not sure how that's "bringing it down to earth".
I meant bring the hype from this tourney down. Hes a great 2nd round pick so far but he's not been nearly as dynamic as you would think by reading this thread.
Its not like wed be able to get any other member of canadas d corps in a straight up trade for him. He looks like a pretty solid defender with a good first pass but he certainly is a bit erratic at times in his own end.
EDIT: Damn, couldn't score. Goalie celebrated like he won the Stanley Cup. Archibald had him beat, but couldn't put it on his backhand. Goalie didn't even make the save, got lucky that JA couldn't finish.
Sweden's Sebastian Collberg is my new man-crush. If we can somehow land this kid late in the first round in June, I'd be a happy happy camper. We've passed up a lot of similarly skilled guys the last few seasons, but I think this guy has the goods.
If he keeps showing off his hands, though, he may move up in Round 1. That's the catch.
Watching the Sweden-Slovakia game, and I think I just developed a man crush on him too. The kid is silky smooth and has a bomb of a shot. I hope some of our scouts are at the tournament!
I meant bring the hype from this tourney down. Hes a great 2nd round pick so far but he's not been nearly as dynamic as you would think by reading this thread.
Its not like wed be able to get any other member of canadas d corps in a straight up trade for him. He looks like a pretty solid defender with a good first pass but he certainly is a bit erratic at times in his own end.
I wouldn't qualify his play in his own end as "erratic" at all. In fact, he and Murray are probably the two defensemen who that term would apply to the least.
Harrington's definitely not dynamic in any sense though, so we agree on that.
EDIT: Damn, couldn't score. Goalie celebrated like he won the Stanley Cup. Archibald had him beat, but couldn't put it on his backhand. Goalie didn't even make the save, got lucky that JA couldn't finish.
Harrington has looked very solid this tourney. I will however bring it back down to earth a bit.
I'll bring it back up again: Harrington will still be elligible for next year's U20 tournament.. So imagine how much better he'll be with another year's worth of experience and development. If Hamilton makes the B's, that'll make Murray and Harrington the only returning blueliners.. So he might even wear a letter.
He's been solid, and he's no fluke. He didn't look out of place in camp or any of the preseason games, either.
I don't think anyone here is thinking this guy's going to be the next Lidstrom or anything, but I'm reasonably excited for this kid. He's at least shown that he was a great pickup in the late 2nd round.
I'll bring it back up again: Harrington will still be elligible for next year's U20 tournament.. So imagine how much better he'll be with another year's worth of experience and development. If Hamilton makes the B's, that'll make Murray and Harrington the only returning blueliners.. So he might even wear a letter.
He's been solid, and he's no fluke. He didn't look out of place in camp or any of the preseason games, either.
I don't think anyone here is thinking this guy's going to be the next Lidstrom or anything, but I'm reasonably excited for this kid. He's at least shown that he was a great pickup in the late 2nd round.
Exactly. Can anyone remember the last time a defenseman drafted outside the 1st round looked this good in the WJCs as an 18 year old?
I can't, off the top of my head.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mpp9
Can anyone think of a better depth chart than this outside of a team's top 4....
Niskanen/Engelland/Lovejoy/Despres/Bortuzzo/Strait/Morrow/Harrington. All bring different skillsets.
Yeah, pretty damn awesome - not even counting guys D'Agostino, Sneep, and Samuelsson. I'd say our blueline prospect pool is top 5 in the league.
Last edited by Rowdy Roddy Peeper: 12-30-2011 at 09:04 PM.
Who is projected to make the big club on offense first? And when-ish? Its veeeery much deserved to talk about our D prospects alot but i dont know tons on the offense.
Thanks
P.S. Who wants to spend a few minutes and describe who some of them project to be like. (current nhl player wise, not just on our team)
I wouldn't qualify his play in his own end as "erratic" at all. In fact, he and Murray are probably the two defensemen who that term would apply to the least.
Harrington's definitely not dynamic in any sense though, so we agree on that.
I said "erratic AT TIMES". No he's not all over the place, and that's not what I meant. But if you actually read my previous posts youd see my comments about him floppin to block shots and getting caught out of position.
he's not some rock steady defender like orpik or Hal gill or brayden Coburn. He's a hustle, stick check, block shots, scramble defender like Michalek and scuderi before him. He spends a lot of time low to the ice or on the ice. That's the point im making. And im only taking into account the Finn game because that's the only game that he's faced legit competition. And they certainly had a few long shifts in their zone, esp in the 1st period while it was close.
And yes he's a fine 2nd round pick, but I personally don't like the "scrambling" defenders. I've criticized michalek and scuds in the past for this same reason. Id rather have defenders who are calming in their presence, not exciteable.
Its funny how posts are like the game telephone. My original post defining what I meant by his "erratic" play in his own end is only like 6 posts above this one and in the few subsequent posts it became me saying everything he does is erratic.
Sweden's Sebastian Collberg is my new man-crush. If we can somehow land this kid late in the first round in June, I'd be a happy happy camper. We've passed up a lot of similarly skilled guys the last few seasons, but I think this guy has the goods.
If he keeps showing off his hands, though, he may move up in Round 1. That's the catch.
Great, someone to hype as Shero's pick for him to inevitably pass on for someone that nobody considered so everyone can complain.
Watching the Sweden-Slovakia game, and I think I just developed a man crush on him too. The kid is silky smooth and has a bomb of a shot. I hope some of our scouts are at the tournament!
im on the collberg train too but he's already moving up many rankings so I doubt he falls to us. Would be exactly the skillset we need in our prospect pool though.
I said "erratic AT TIMES". No he's not all over the place, and that's not what I meant. But if you actually read my previous posts youd see my comments about him floppin to block shots and getting caught out of position.
he's not some rock steady defender like orpik or Hal gill or brayden Coburn. He's a hustle, stick check, block shots, scramble defender like Michalek and scuderi before him. He spends a lot of time low to the ice or on the ice. That's the point im making. And im only taking into account the Finn game because that's the only game that he's faced legit competition. And they certainly had a few long shifts in their zone, esp in the 1st period while it was close.
It depends on whether you consider Michalek "erratic". I don't.
Harrington and Michalek both absolutely flop to block shots and get low for stick checks, but that's more a personal style critique than anything else - it's sure been effective for both of them. If you're 6'5" plus like Gill or Coburn, you're not hustling or "scrambling" to do anything because your hook check covers half the width of the ice.
In the Finn game (or any game this tourney), Harrington's pairing has probably spent less time in its own zone than any other. If you measure prospects against the best of his contemporaries, I don't see how your assessment applies. But hey, that's me.
Quote:
And yes he's a fine 2nd round pick, but I personally don't like the "scrambling" defenders. I've criticized michalek and scuds in the past for this same reason. Id rather have defenders who are calming in their presence, not exciteable.
Michalek's not calming? I guess we just have fundamentally different ideas about these players.
It depends on whether you consider Michalek "erratic". I don't.
Harrington and Michalek both absolutely flop to block shots and get low for stick checks, but that's more a personal style critique than anything else - it's sure been effective for both of them. If you're 6'5" plus like Gill or Coburn, you're not hustling or "scrambling" to do anything because your hook check covers half the width of the ice.
In the Finn game (or any game this tourney), Harrington's pairing has probably spent less time in its own zone than any other. If you measure prospects against the best of his contemporaries, I don't see how your assessment applies. But hey, that's me.
Michalek's not calming? I guess we just have fundamentally different ideas about these players.
it is a personal critique of mine. And sure they've been successful, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't be more effective if they went down less. Nothing Po's me more than seeing a defender pull himself out of the play because he went down to early. I am a goalie so that's part of why i have such a strong opinion on it, but there's still been numerous times where michaleks been way out of position because of it. Esp the beginning of this season, he was certainly our worst defender. Him getting injured was probably good for everyone because he's playing much better now.
and regarding the height with gill and Coburn, maybe they weren't great examples. I picked them because i know people are familiar with them. Orpik however is roughly the same height as Harrington, and he stays on his feet. Dennis Seidenberg would also be a good comparable for a guys whose defending style id prefer.
I'll bring it back up again: Harrington will still be elligible for next year's U20 tournament.. So imagine how much better he'll be with another year's worth of experience and development. If Hamilton makes the B's, that'll make Murray and Harrington the only returning blueliners.. So he might even wear a letter.
I think Ryan Murray will be in the NHL next season. In fact, he probably has a better shot than Hamilton. Not sure of Boston's UFA situation on the back end, but the Bruins will be harder to crack than whatever lottery team lands Murray, imo.
In fact, if the Oilers draft Murray he'll lead them in ice time right away.
it is a personal critique of mine. And sure they've been successful, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't be more effective if they went down less. Nothing Po's me more than seeing a defender pull himself out of the play because he went down to early. I am a goalie so that's part of why i have such a strong opinion on it, but there's still been numerous times where michaleks been way out of position because of it. Esp the beginning of this season, he was certainly our worst defender. Him getting injured was probably good for everyone because he's playing much better now.
I guess that's sort of skewed perception on Michalek a bit. It was a problem earlier this year, but generally it's been an effective tool for him. When you're judicious with it (not necessarily using it less, but knowing when to use it), it can help a lot particularly on 2-on-1s or taking away options on a PK.
In fact, it's a huge reason why our PK jumped upon his arrival, IMHO.
Quote:
and regarding the height with gill and Coburn, maybe they weren't great examples. I picked them because i know people are familiar with them. Orpik however is roughly the same height as Harrington, and he stays on his feet. Dennis Seidenberg would also be a good comparable for a guys whose defending style id prefer.
Sure, but I don't think either of them is as effective as Michalek defensively either.
I guess what I'm saying is that it takes all kinds. Harrington's tendency to drop in certain situations isn't necessarily a bad thing, or a result of scrambling or erratic play (given the connotations associated with those terms). He's oozed composure both with and without the puck.
Prior to returning home to Landshut, Germany for Christmas, he was shooting pucks at the Gatorade Garden City Complex in St. Catharines and broke a pane of glass.
“I knew he had a good shot. I didn’t realize how good it was,” said Williamson of Kuhnhackl, whom the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted in the fourth round (110th overall) in 2010. “The Pittsburgh people had told me that he’s got a pro shot, that he could have the second or third best shot on the Penguins [now].”
That shot helped Kuhnhackl score 39 goals in 63 regular-season games as an OHL rookie a year ago. He’ll add to a potent Niagara attack that scored 141 goals in its first 36 games, tying the IceDogs with Barrie for the East lead.
Was it just me or did Pulkinen's behavior in the third period last night against Denamrk rub anybody else the wrong way? I know that he is not a Penguins' prospect, but so many were critiquing Shero for not drafting him. I wanted to pay attention to him. Shooting the puck on net in the last seconds of a game you are winning 10-1 and then when the buzzer goes off asking the ref to call upstairs to see if it counts after already having 4 goals.
Was it just me or did Pulkinen's behavior in the third period last night against Denamrk rub anybody else the wrong way? I know that he is not a Penguins' prospect, but so many were critiquing Shero for not drafting him. I wanted to pay attention to him. Shooting the puck on net in the last seconds of a game you are winning 10-1 and then when the buzzer goes off asking the ref to call upstairs to see if it counts after already having 4 goals.
If THAT is the worst you can say about this kid, the Wings struck gold once again.
