he made it seem like bowman had a choice and CHOSE to get rid of guys like ladd, byfuglien and steeg. Fact is, the dude he subtly praised(tallon) was directly responsible for the mess. Fact is, we were picked as cup favorites by people before last season. The roster isn't really a problem so much as the coaching.
JJ is a clown but he's right about Saad. I'd say we're more likely to end up with a Troy Brouwer 3rd wheel than a PPG winger.
Put Saads numbers up against Browers at the same age and they're not even close. Brower was held down at Rockford because of skating issues which he didnt really improve on until his second or third year with the Hawks. Saads max output may not be a ppg winger but theres really no comparison to Brower, not even close.
As far a JJs comments on Saad, Im ignoring his analysis b/c it carries no weight by me, no more than any other poster here.
Put Saads numbers up against Browers at the same age and they're not even close. Brower was held down at Rockford because of skating issues which he didnt really improve on until his second or third year with the Hawks. Saads max output may not be a ppg winger but theres really no comparison to Brower, not even close.
As far a JJs comments on Saad, Im ignoring his analysis b/c it carries no weight by me, no more than any other poster here.
Might want to check those numbers again. I agree Brouwer isn't a dynamite skater by any stretch, but neither is Saad. People need to curb their expectations or they're going to tear him apart once he doesn't put up 50-60 points as a rookie.
And of more concern, neither have the Hawks. He didn’t show it in a couple of games early last season or in the playoffs. He was just there. So he comes in and sort of sleepwalks through Prospect Camp this year (the way I hear it)—and something’s changed?
Wait, what? I admit I wasn't there, but everything I read lead to believe that he was one of, if not the best player on the ice almost every day. Brad Gardiner(I think his name is) who was there all 5 days said that Saad was THE best player there and was great every single day. He said Saad, Danault and Teravainen were 3 players that were in their own class in his opinion.
So where is this coming from that Saad was unimpressive? I know JJ is the biggest idiot and pretty much hockey retarded but he did say that he heard it from someone else.
Might want to check those numbers again. I agree Brouwer isn't a dynamite skater by any stretch, but neither is Saad. People need to curb their expectations or they're going to tear him apart once he doesn't put up 50-60 points as a rookie.
"at the same age" are the operative words in my post.
Brower posted 102 pts in 70 games as a 20 y/o in his final season at Moose Jaw. Before that, Brower never approached a ppg.
Saad as a 19 y/o led the O in pct scoring with 76 pts in 44 games. Previously, Saads numbers were close to, equal to or slightly better than a ppg at every level.
Aside from number crunching, Saads real value is his understanding for positioning. Simply, Brower made himself good for originally being a 7th round pick and the Hawks were able to turn that over into a 1st (Danault) but is nowhere near Saad in terms of class.
Wait, what? I admit I wasn't there, but everything I read lead to believe that he was one of, if not the best player on the ice almost every day. Brad Gardiner(I think his name is) who was there all 5 days said that Saad was THE best player there and was great every single day. He said Saad, Danault and Teravainen were 3 players that were in their own class in his opinion.
So where is this coming from that Saad was unimpressive? I know JJ is the biggest idiot and pretty much hockey retarded but he did say that he heard it from someone else.
JJ lives in Columbus from what I remember in one of his posts way back when. Brad on the other hand is a Rockford local and grew up following the Hogs when they were in the IHL.
Im not always in agreement with Brads evaluations since he did say on Puck Chatter that he had Saad as the Hawks 4th best prospect at the time. He has since amended that evaluation and has now come to his senses. Im not holding him to his initial ranking since everyones entitled to change their prospect ranking evaluation.
I do agree with his reports on what he saw at the rookie camp though.
he made it seem like bowman had a choice and CHOSE to get rid of guys like ladd, byfuglien and steeg. Fact is, the dude he subtly praised(tallon) was directly responsible for the mess. Fact is, we were picked as cup favorites by people before last season. The roster isn't really a problem so much as the coaching.
Brower posted 102 pts in 70 games as a 20 y/o in his final season at Moose Jaw. Before that, Brower never approached a ppg.
Saad as a 19 y/o led the O in pct scoring with 76 pts in 44 games. Previously, Saads numbers were close to, equal to or slightly better than a ppg at every level.
Aside from number crunching, Saads real value is his understanding for positioning. Simply, Brower made himself good for originally being a 7th round pick and the Hawks were able to turn that over into a 1st (Danault) but is nowhere near Saad in terms of class.
Missed that bit. It was in reference to the poster who said that Saad's shot now beats Brouwers and his skating is better than Brouwer's. Brouwer is no where near an an excellent skater, but then again neither is Saad. Like you said Saad is a strong positional player. He was the man on Sagainaw because he really was a boy among men.
He disappeared in the WJC classic along with the rest of his team. Any numbers he put up were because of that first game beatdown. I'm of the opinion that he is going to be a third wheel, dig in the corners and look for muck around the net kind of player. Just like Brouwer. His upside is absolutely higher than that. However I'd rather taper my expectations than expect the world out of this kid then hate on him when he's not putting up 50-60 points his rookie year. You'll see quite a bit of this in the upcoming season from this board.
I think Saad will not end up as a player like Hossa who will create on his own and score on his own. He won't end up as a Brouwer guy too. Somewhere in the middle
I think Saad will not end up as a player like Hossa who will create on his own and score on his own. He won't end up as a Brouwer guy too. Somewhere in the middle
Kopecky will go to the front of the net and wreak havoc on the netminder on the PP, or at even strength, really, (Something this team desperately needs, but too late now.) and can score the occasional clutch goal. However, Saad is miles ahead of Kopecky in terms of absolute talent and upside.
saad seems to be a great special teams player. had 9 PPG in 44 games with saginaw last year. also had 6 SHG which is insane. great size too. a damn good prospect. could definitely see him playing a lot this year, especially if he has a good camp, which he seems to be doing.
Missed that bit. It was in reference to the poster who said that Saad's shot now beats Brouwers and his skating is better than Brouwer's. Brouwer is no where near an an excellent skater, but then again neither is Saad. Like you said Saad is a strong positional player. He was the man on Sagainaw because he really was a boy among men.
He disappeared in the WJC classic along with the rest of his team. Any numbers he put up were because of that first game beatdown. I'm of the opinion that he is going to be a third wheel, dig in the corners and look for muck around the net kind of player. Just like Brouwer. His upside is absolutely higher than that. However I'd rather taper my expectations than expect the world out of this kid then hate on him when he's not putting up 50-60 points his rookie year. You'll see quite a bit of this in the upcoming season from this board.
I'm surprised you see their skating as near-similar. I saw Brouwer as a slower, effort skater. Saad seems to me to be a much better natural-flow skater with a much better burst.
I love how JJ spins things to make his points seem more accurate. Saad didn't fall because scouts believed he could only excell against physically immature boys. He fell because of his injury and a perceived lack of intensity, heart or whatever you want to call it.. which, from what I saw this year, can almost completely be chalked up to his injury.
His article is garbage, as is anything he writes concerning the Hawks brass. That's the problem with blogs; JJ writes like a whiney, spoiled fan and not a journalist. He has no sources. He has no insider information. He's a clown that writes for a crappy hockey website.
It's funny how a guy who supposedly "coasted" through Prospects Camp was one of the guys everyone who was there said played well and he scored 2 goals. JJ must be a pessimist, I am too - to an extent - but give me a break.
Missed that bit. It was in reference to the poster who said that Saad's shot now beats Brouwers and his skating is better than Brouwer's. Brouwer is no where near an an excellent skater, but then again neither is Saad. Like you said Saad is a strong positional player. He was the man on Sagainaw because he really was a boy among men.
He disappeared in the WJC classic along with the rest of his team. Any numbers he put up were because of that first game beatdown. I'm of the opinion that he is going to be a third wheel, dig in the corners and look for muck around the net kind of player. Just like Brouwer. His upside is absolutely higher than that. However I'd rather taper my expectations than expect the world out of this kid then hate on him when he's not putting up 50-60 points his rookie year. You'll see quite a bit of this in the upcoming season from this board.
For his size, Saad has outstanding skating. In general, he's an above-average skater. He's strong on his skates and explosive. He has breakaway speed, though, it's tough to gauge how fast he'll be/look in the NHL. Skating isn't the thing you notice most about Saad when you watch him, but when he has the chance, he can fly. He's not Stamkos but he's miles ahead of Brouwer.. I'd say he's a Hossa-esq skater. Long, powerful strides and more than capable of glosing a gap/seperating himself from a Dman on a break.
I'm not a fan of Stan Bowman, but I just can't take this article seriously. I think ebony might be on to something. JJ may be mad at Stan for not making any of his rumors come true.
For his size, Saad has outstanding skating. In general, he's an above-average skater. He's strong on his skates and explosive. He has breakaway speed, though, it's tough to gauge how fast he'll be/look in the NHL. Skating isn't the thing you notice most about Saad when you watch him, but when he has the chance, he can fly. He's not Stamkos but he's miles ahead of Brouwer.. I'd say he's a Hossa-esq skater. Long, powerful strides and more than capable of glosing a gap/seperating himself from a Dman on a break.
The fact is people are over-hyping Saad, just like they did Morin previously. Even Q got into the act recently. He hasn’t proven anything at the NHL level. Hopefully that will change, Saad will play well enough to make the Hawks and consistent enough to play a full season here.
The fact is people are over-hyping Saad, just like they did Morin previously. Even Q got into the act recently. He hasn’t proven anything at the NHL level. Hopefully that will change, Saad will play well enough to make the Hawks and consistent enough to play a full season here.
