I think you can find a couple predictor qualities when looking at euro prospects...
How long do they hold onto the puck for? Do they seem slow to notice their options? Even if they are good at moving the puck, if they cannot deal with a player bearing down on them then they will make poor decisions.
How good is their skating? On smaller ice, you might not need a great top gear, but enough gears to separate you from other players is what can buy you some time.
A player like Zibby IMO, does a decent job at moving the puck relatively quickly. He isnt gunna be that creative offense star that threads the needle out of nowhere, and I dont think people expect that.
But he can move it efficiently, and set himself up to shoot pretty well because he has above average mobility (including a nice explosive stride). I think for Mika the key is learning his role on NA ice, especially around the net. Once he finds his positioning a bit more I think it will only be a matter of time before he can get his shot off with more consistency. He tends to make decent decisions, I think he is learning he must make them faster.
And because he has good size he is not afraid to take a hit to make a play & doesn't mind as much the more physical play in NA.
I don't think Zibanejad will ever be as good as Couturier. We're going to look pretty stupid for passing on him, but we won't be alone.
If you tally up times teams have looked stupid in the draft, by your standard, you'd realize all teams are ****ing retarded and it's not easy to determine who the least dumb team is.
If you tally up times teams have looked stupid in the draft, by your standard, you'd realize all teams are ****ing retarded and it's not easy to determine who the least dumb team is.
We have had our fair share of retardation. Daigle over Pronger, Lee over Kopitar, Those were humangus s
We have had our fair share of retardation. Daigle over Pronger, Lee over Kopitar, Those were humangus s
I'm sure you're just unaware and too young to understand but the bolded is a ludicrous statement. Passing over Daigle at the time would have been like passing over a Stamkos, Hall or Tavares. These are things you are required to know to have a passable opinion.
I'm sure you're just unaware and too young to understand but the bolded is a ludicrous statement. Passing over Daigle at the time would have been like passing over a Stamkos, Hall or Tavares. These are things you are required to know to have a passable opinion.
But he did highlight how easy Captain Hindsight can crawl out of his hole to point out any mistake (in hindsight) at the draft.
I'm sure you're just unaware and too young to understand but the bolded is a ludicrous statement. Passing over Daigle at the time would have been like passing over a Stamkos, Hall or Tavares. These are things you are required to know to have a passable opinion.
It's not hindsight when the whole world is watching Couturier drop. It's not hindsight when Staal & Kopitar are available and your GM picks some high school kid nobody had ever heard of.
Pronger over Daigle, or looking at a draft 5 years later and seeing stars picked late and *****ing about your draft... THAT is hindsight.
It's not hindsight when the whole world is watching Couturier drop. It's not hindsight when Staal & Kopitar are available and your GM picks some high school kid nobody had ever heard of.
Pronger over Daigle, or looking at a draft 5 years later and seeing stars picked late and *****ing about your draft... THAT is hindsight.
So you brought up an example of the 2011 draft, and were still in 2012. If Zibanejad develops well, it will be nothing to gripe about. Getting a good player at one spot and seeing a better player go after is something teams live with several times in every draft. Too many teams though, select players, sometimes with high priority picks, that don't play in the league.
So yes, the 2005 example is one of scouting travesty.
So you brought up an example of the 2011 draft, and were still in 2012. If Zibanejad develops well, it will be nothing to gripe about. Getting a good player at one spot and seeing a better player go after is something teams live with several times in every draft. Too many teams though, select players, sometimes with high priority picks, that don't play in the league.
So yes, the 2005 example is one of scouting travesty.
I like Zibanejad, but don't you think it was kind of stupid to pass on a big center that at one time was rated #1 for a guy that MIGHT put it all together one day, and if / when he scores his 6th goal it will be his career high?
The Sens passed on Couturier on purpose. They didn't think Zibanejad was the better player skill wise. He's not, he never has been, and projecting him to one day be the better player?
Back then no team would have taken Pronger over Daigle. So I wouldn't call taking Daigle over Pronger a case of stupidity.
This needs to be stressed more, for the younger fans around here.
Imagine if Sidney Crosby was a total bust... That's how hyped Daigle was. He was on the front of every magazine. He was an absolute phenom. He was such a sought-after player that the league literally changed their entry draft rules and put in a lottery system so that no team could ever "throw games" in order to get a prospect as generationally talented as Daigle was, as the Sens were accused of doing in '93.
Can you realistically imagine Pittsburgh, after ALL the hype Crosby got, deciding instead to take Bobby Ryan? Or Jack Johnson? No. No you can't. That's how silly, at the time, the Sens would have looked by taking Pronger instead of Daigle. It's not even realistic to think about.
Make no mistake about it: Alexander Daigle was among the most naturally gifted, talented teenagers ever drafted. The kid had every tool you could want, plus some. The PROBLEM was that his toolbox was about the size of a thimble, and his work ethic was, at best, questionable. He never worked on his game after being drafted. That Alex Daigle was hyped so hard and fell so far was due mostly to teams at the time not paying attention to character & psychological issues. In fact, Daigle is a HUGE reason why it's such a major part of team's prospect assessment these days.
So yeah. Picking Pronger over Daigle was never, ever going to happen. Every other team would have taken Daigle without hesitation.
I like Zibanejad, but don't you think it was kind of stupid to pass on a big center that at one time was rated #1 for a guy that MIGHT put it all together one day, and if / when he scores his 6th goal it will be his career high?
The Sens passed on Couturier on purpose. They didn't think Zibanejad was the better player skill wise. He's not, he never has been, and projecting him to one day be the better player?
That is what I call "wishful thinking".
Zibanejad was the better in their draft years, quite clearly. Couturier was seen in a negative light by many in his draft year and we saw a big center from Sweden, with a first line quality skill set.
Like I said earlier, scouting is a game of who can make the fewest mistakes. Because they all make em in every round.
This needs to be stressed more, for the younger fans around here.
Imagine if Sidney Crosby was a total bust... That's how hyped Daigle was. He was on the front of every magazine. He was an absolute phenom. He was such a sought-after player that the league literally changed their entry draft rules and put in a lottery system so that no team could ever "throw games" in order to get a prospect as generationally talented as Daigle was, as the Sens were accused of doing in '93.
Can you realistically imagine Pittsburgh, after ALL the hype Crosby got, deciding instead to take Bobby Ryan? Or Jack Johnson? No. No you can't. That's how silly, at the time, the Sens would have looked by taking Pronger instead of Daigle. It's not even realistic to think about.
Make no mistake about it: Alexander Daigle was among the most naturally gifted, talented teenagers ever drafted. The kid had every tool you could want, plus some. The PROBLEM was that his toolbox was about the size of a thimble, and his work ethic was, at best, questionable. He never worked on his game after being drafted. That Alex Daigle was hyped so hard and fell so far was due mostly to teams at the time not paying attention to character & psychological issues. In fact, Daigle is a HUGE reason why it's such a major part of team's prospect assessment these days.
So yeah. Picking Pronger over Daigle was never, ever going to happen. Every other team would have taken Daigle without hesitation.
Ya ya yayayayaa, Phil Kessel goes 1st overall if 2006 draft was in 1993.
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