Thoughts? These numbers suggest upsides as:
Tuohimaa-backup goalie
Rajala-4th line RW
Bigos-third pairing D
Plante-third paring D
Rieder-second line forward at best, could drop to a third/fourth liner
Gernat-top four D at best, 4-6 D at worst
Roy-1A goalie
Davidson-4/5 D
Blain-4/5 D
Teubert-4/5 D
Hamilton-3rd line LW
Pitlick-3rd line C
Bunz-No.1 goalie
Musil-top four D
Hartikainen-2nd line LW
Omark-2nd line RW
Lander-3rd line C
Marincin (who is now 8C)-No.2 D
Klefbom-No.2 D
Nugent-Hopkins(who is now 9B)-No.1 Franchise Center
I may be out to lunch on this one... But I swore I kept hearing Klefbom was under contract in Sweden next year as well and wanted to stay for it... The article says he would come over next year even to play in the AHL... Is this correct?
I may be out to lunch on this one... But I swore I kept hearing Klefbom was under contract in Sweden next year as well and wanted to stay for it... The article says he would come over next year even to play in the AHL... Is this correct?
He stated in an pre-WJC interview that he would play in the AHL if that's what Oilers want him to do.
I'm glad people are starting to notice Blain for the right reasons. He'll finish the season as the top D scorer for both Tigres and Titan. Hopefully a deep run for him in the playoffs is in store
I may be out to lunch on this one... But I swore I kept hearing Klefbom was under contract in Sweden next year as well and wanted to stay for it... The article says he would come over next year even to play in the AHL... Is this correct?
No I definitely remember hearing that when he was drafted. Would be nice if he came and played a season in the AHL to get used to NA game and easier to keep track of his development.
No I definitely remember hearing that when he was drafted. Would be nice if he came and played a season in the AHL to get used to NA game and easier to keep track of his development.
I personally think that he should stay in Sweden for one more year. I think the SEL and KHL are both at least a small step up over the AHL and if he can get upwards of 17-19 MPG (or more) in Sweden next year, that'll be even better than coming to the AHL.
First, it's a comfortable environment and style of game for him. Secondly, he'd be playing against a lot more veterans than the AHL has, so his game would become a bit more savvy. Finally, by the time he came to the A in 2 seasons, it would be more to learn the North American game, rather than trying to both, develop further AND learn the North American game, all the while being 19 and in a foreign land.
I just think he can make bigger strides in Sweden next year. And he'll be a lot better prepared to come over the season after that.
No I definitely remember hearing that when he was drafted. Would be nice if he came and played a season in the AHL to get used to NA game and easier to keep track of his development.
i honestly wonder if hes talked to mps and found out that the games are different so its probably best to play a little in the ahl first and take a few stints with the big club in the latter part of the season
No I definitely remember hearing that when he was drafted. Would be nice if he came and played a season in the AHL to get used to NA game and easier to keep track of his development.
I think he should come to camp next year, but if cut, sweden wouldn't hurt.
I personally think that he should stay in Sweden for one more year. I think the SEL and KHL are both at least a small step up over the AHL and if he can get upwards of 17-19 MPG (or more) in Sweden next year, that'll be even better than coming to the AHL.
First, it's a comfortable environment and style of game for him. Secondly, he'd be playing against a lot more veterans than the AHL has, so his game would become a bit more savvy. Finally, by the time he came to the A in 2 seasons, it would be more to learn the North American game, rather than trying to both, develop further AND learn the North American game, all the while being 19 and in a foreign land.
I just think he can make bigger strides in Sweden next year. And he'll be a lot better prepared to come over the season after that.
That's if they actually play him. ST is going to have to talk to the GM of his SEL club and find out what the plan is for 12-13.
I think he should come to camp next year, but if cut, sweden wouldn't hurt.
It's rare for that to happen. The SEL is already playing when our TC starts and players generally don't come here unless they know they are staying in NA for the year.
He's doing what's expected of him. Lacks consistency in terms of effort. That kills a prospect's value if he pulls this crap before he's an established NHL player.
There really aren't too many options up front going forward, that's what concerns me. Realistically, Hamilton, Lander and Hartkainnen should all be 3rd line players one day, probably nothing more. That only leaves us with Omark and Pitlick as potential top 6 guys to go along with Paajarvi, who's a huge question mark.
He's doing what's expected of him. Lacks consistency in terms of effort. That kills a prospect's value if he pulls this crap before he's an established NHL player.
See Alexi Kovalev.
Looks like a bust unfortunately. With the depth at forward and more prospects coming into the fold this year, the clock is already ticking for Martindale.
There really aren't too many options up front going forward, that's what concerns me. Realistically, Hamilton, Lander and Hartkainnen should all be 3rd line players one day, probably nothing more. That only leaves us with Omark and Pitlick as potential top 6 guys to go along with Paajarvi, who's a huge question mark.
We really need to draft some forwards this year.
You can't draft everybody.
Hall, RNH, Eberle, Paajarvi, Gagner are under 22 years of age. They might be adding Yakupov/Grigorenko to the mix. Potentially that's 6 guys that are projected into the top 6, four them being 1st line/franchise type talent. If anything it would not hurt them to get a veteran or two in there.
Hall, RNH, Eberle, Paajarvi, Gagner are under 22 years of age. They might be adding Yakupov/Grigorenko to the mix. Potentially that's 6 guys that are projected into the top 6, four them being 1st line/franchise type talent. If anything it would not hurt them to get a veteran or two in there.
I'm thinking if the team is going to be successful down the road, it'll look like this.
Hall-Gagner-Eberle : There's some obvious and unreal chemistry here, keep these three together so we can get the most of Gagner.
Paajarvi - RNH - Scorer/Power forward type? : This line has some major question marks. Is Paajarvi a legit 2LW? Where will get a scoring 2RW from? Is Pitlick that guy? Is Hartkaiennen that guy? Can that guy be acquired via draft ala Martin Frk? Should we acquire that guy over free agency? Lot's of options.
Smyth - Horcoff - Jones : Really is a solid 3rd line and should continue as such for another couple of years. IMHO Hamilton can take Smyth's spot in a year or two. Once Horcoff is our true 3C, we're in good shape.
Hartkainnen - Lander - Pettrell : I really like this 4th line.
The question marks for me:
1) Paajarvi, a legit top 6 guy?
2) Who can fill the hole as the 2RW?
3) Can Gagner keep it up between Hall and Eberle?
4) Is our scoring depth past the first line and RNH strong enough?
I'm surprised that Cornet isn't even in your top-20. Was he in your previous top 20?
He's having a pretty good season and from what I've read, wasn't out of place when he played in Edmonton.
Not sure about his potential, but seems to know how to score.
I am not sure how you can say this. In Marincin, Gernat and Klefbom you have at least 3 guys with definite top 4 potential. Musil could also be a top 4 though more as a shutdown guy. Add in Davidson and Blain who both have size and skill and then remember that Taylor Fedun might well have made the team out of camp and I am not sure how this group is thin.
I think the D pool now looks pretty good. I'm more worried about the top forward lines. We may have 4 in the NHL right now in RNH, Eberle, Hall and Gagner but I don't see much else coming down the pipe for the 2nd line. MPS may make it but based on his play he needs at least another year in the AHL, perhaps longer and he may ever only be a 3rd line player. After that, I see mostly 3rd and 4th line players. Having the top 4 'prospects' playing now tells us how poor we were for talent in the NHL. However, it depletes your prospect pool real fast. We still need to keep drafting high end forwards and hopefully our scouts do a great job going forward. It's pretty easy to take the top rated player when your last. They need to pick some top end players from the later rounds or we're going nowhere, ala NYI, etc.
I am not sure how you can say this. In Marincin, Gernat and Klefbom you have at least 3 guys with definite top 4 potential. Musil could also be a top 4 though more as a shutdown guy. Add in Davidson and Blain who both have size and skill and then remember that Taylor Fedun might well have made the team out of camp and I am not sure how this group is thin.
