Predicting THN's Flames top 10 prospects

[Body Checker]

About this time each year, The Hockey News comes out with their top 10 prospects for each team (Future Watch).

So the challenge is to predict the top 10. Give yourself 1 point for picking a player in the top 10 and 3 points if you get their ranking spot correct. Here's my top 10:

1. Mikael Backlund
2. Leland Irving
3. Greg Nemisz
4. Keith Aulie
5. Kris Chucko
6. Matt Pelech
7. John Negrin
8. Mitch Wahl
9. Ryan Wilson
10. John Armstrong

Honorable mentions to TJ Brodie, Aaron Marvin and Alexander Deilert.

Tally your score and post it once the Future Watch edition is out. Kudos to the winner.

[Lunatik*]

1. M. Backlund
2. L. Irving
3. G. Nemisz
4. J. Negrin
5. K. Aulie
6. M. Keetley
7. M. Wahl
8. K. Chucko
9. A. Marvin
10. M. Pelech

[Hyperkookeez*]

1. Backlund
2. Irving
3. Negrin
4. Nemisz
5. Pelech
6. Wahl
7. Aulie
8. Keetley
9. Chucko
10. Wilson

[cross16]

1. Backlund
2. Nemisz
3. Irving
4. Negrin
5. Wahl
6. Armstrong
7. Pelech
8. Chucko
9. Brodie
10. Aulie.

Is how I would rnak them, but doubt THN will be the same.

[flamesfan12]

1. Mikael Backlund
2. Leland Irving
3. Greg Nemisz
4. Matt Pelech
5. John Negrin
6. Kris Chucko
7. Matt Keetley
8. Keith Aulie
9. Kyle Greentree
10. John Armstrong

[Phaneufed]

1. Backlund
2. Nemisz
3. Irving
4. Aulie
5. Negrin
6. Keetley
7. Wahl
8. Pelech
9. Chucko
10. Brodie

I personally disagree with these rankings, but THN should rank them something like this.

[JiriHrdina]

Tough to predict, THN has a habit of leaving "name" prospects in their top 10 even after other guys have passed them by.

I figure it looks like this:

1. Backlund
2. Irving
3. Nemisz
4. Aulie
5. Wahl
6. Chucko
7. Pelech
8. Ryder
9. Vandergulik
10. Keetley

I bet they leave guys like Brodier and Wilson off entirely. Hopefully we don't see anything monumentally stupid like Jusso Puustinen on the list. I bet Ryder gets on their though for name recognition alone.

For the record I would do my own rankings:
1. Backlund
2. Irving
3. Nemisz
4. Negrin
5. Wahl
6. Chucko
7. Pelech
8. Aulie
9. Brodie
10.Keetley

Nice to have some depth in the organization now that makes doing these lists tough - because certainly guys like Vandergulik, Lalande, Armstrong, Greentree etc merit consideration.

[flamesfan12]

Out of curiousity does anyone have last year's list?

[Snoil11]

Originally Posted by flamesfan12

Out of curiousity does anyone have last year's list?

I remember that Puustinen and Didiomete were still on their list in the season preview edition last fall.

[JiriHrdina]

Last year's list was:
1. Backlund
2. Irving
3. Taratuhkin (even though he had already gone home)
4. Prust
5. Ryder (even though he wasn't even playing)
6. Ramholt
7. Pelech
8. Chucko
9. Puustinen
10. Didiomete

Not a great list.

[flamesfan12]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Last year's list was:
1. Backlund
2. Irving
3. Taratuhkin (even though he had already gone home)
4. Prust
5. Ryder (even though he wasn't even playing)
6. Ramholt
7. Pelech
8. Chucko
9. Puustinen
10. Didiomete

Not a great list.

Thanks Jiri.

Not a good list at all. It is actually an awful list.

[Hyperkookeez*]

Originally Posted by flamesfan12

Thanks Jiri.

Not a good list at all. It is actually an awful list.

no kidding

its amazing what a year can do to a prospect pool

[cross16]

Originally Posted by Hyperkookeez

no kidding

its amazing what a year can do to a prospect pool

It does help when you nail a draft, and pick in the 2nd round for the first time since 2003. People tend to forget that Sutter's only 2nd round pick other than Mitch Wahl was Tim Ramholt in 03. Tougher to build top prospects when your ony picking in the 1st and 3rd rounds.

But Sutter, IMO, had his best draft ever as the Flames GM last April and it shows in the rankings.

[Areid1990]

1. Backlund
2. Irving
3. Negrin
4. Nemisz
5. Pelech
6. Wahl
7. Aulie
8. Keetley
9. Chucko
10. Wilson


Last years list looks terrible, Sutter did really good in this past draft.

[Ronald Pagan]

1. Backlund
2. Nemisz
3. Irving
4. Negrin
5. Wahl
6. Pelech
7. Brodie
8. Aulie
9. Keetley
10. Chucko

These are my rankings

[Ronald Pagan]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Last year's list was:
1. Backlund
2. Irving
3. Taratuhkin (even though he had already gone home)
4. Prust
5. Ryder (even though he wasn't even playing)
6. Ramholt
7. Pelech
8. Chucko
9. Puustinen
10. Didiomete

Not a great list.

Yeesh, why don't we all put that behind us...

[Hyperkookeez*]

Originally Posted by cross16

It does help when you nail a draft, and pick in the 2nd round for the first time since 2003. People tend to forget that Sutter's only 2nd round pick other than Mitch Wahl was Tim Ramholt in 03. Tougher to build top prospects when your ony picking in the 1st and 3rd rounds.

But Sutter, IMO, had his best draft ever as the Flames GM last April and it shows in the rankings.

then again take out wahl and its still much better than last years

wilson, deilert, and brodie are looking very good for undrafted and later round pickups. with the exception of getting dman with legit top pairing potential the flames are pretty much set on d for a bit

[Eb0la11]

Im a big brodie fan and am pulling for him to do some good things in the NHL. He'd be on my top 10 list.

[Dallas Flames Fan]

anything with Chucko in top 10, cant be that good.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Dallas Flames Fan

anything with Chucko in top 10, cant be that good.

So take him out of your top 10 - your hatred for him is well established.

Remove him from your own top 10 and the list still looks good.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Areid1990

Last years list looks terrible, Sutter did really good in this past draft.

The list is terrible primarily because THN did a terrible job of it. The prospect stable wasn't as strong last year but at the same time was better than it appeared in the THN. The list should have looked more like:

1. Backlund
2. Irving
3. Prust
4. Pelech
5. Negrin
6. Chucko
7. Pardy
8. Keetley
9. Auile
10. Vandergulik or Ramholt

Much better looking list and all those players were in the system last year. THN completely ignored Negrin and Aulie even though by the time the Futures Report came out both were advancing nicely (particularly Negrin). Instead they chose to include 3 prospects that were virtually out of the Flames plans (Ryder, Taratuhkin, Puustinen)...4 if you include Didiomente. Heck a guy that is now a regular NHLer under a year later (Pardy) was totally of THN's radar and list.

The prospect stable for the Flames last year wasn't terrible, THN's list though was.

And I suspect that will be the case again this year.

[PIMking]

1. M. Backlund
2. L. Irving
3. G. Nemisz
4. J. Negrin
5. K. Aulie
6. M. Pelech
7. M. Wahl
8. K. Greentree
9. K. Chucko
10. R. Wilson

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by Dallas Flames Fan

anything with Chucko in top 10, cant be that good.

Your man crush isnt healthy..

Chucko is a top ten right now he is having a break out year and starting to show bright spots in his game. the funny part is that he is having a better year than number one backlund. But he has ways to go.

Greentree needs to be added (which I did) and keets needs to be dropped.

[Grove]

Is Puustinen not Flames property anymore or has he just fallen of the charts?

He's having a a very good season here in Finland.

[flamesfan12]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

The prospect stable for the Flames last year wasn't terrible, THN's list though was.

And I suspect that will be the case again this year.

Agreed. Quite an embarrasing list. I would expect a lot better from THN.

Is Puustinen not Flames property anymore or has he just fallen of the charts?

He's having a a very good season here in Finland.

Anyone's guess. According to Sutter he is no longer flames property, but HF checked it out and he is. It seems no one knows for sure.