Prospect Info: Offseason Prospect Ranking #9

[Predsanddead24]

Vote for the best prospect (with whatever reasoning you want) from the above poll.

Rankings:
1. Yaroslav Askarov (G, 11OA, 2020 Draft)
2. Joakim Kemell (RW, 17OA, 2022 Draft)
3. Matthew Wood (LW/C, 15OA, 2023 Draft)
4. Luke Evangelista (RW, 42OA, 2020 Draft)
5. Juuso Parssinen (C/LW, 210OA, 2019 Draft)
6. Philip Tomasino (RW, 24OA, 2019 Draft)
7. Tanner Molendyk (D, 24OA, 2023 Draft)
8. Fedor Svechkcov (C, 19OA, 2021 Draft
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Click to read more...

 

[Predsanddead24]

I think I talked myself into going with Chistyakov. The being in Russia for a while is unfortunate, but it could actually work out well where we get a bonus player in a few years that is NHL ready.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I am going L'Heureux. I have confidence they'll get his "issues" sorted out in the pros as he matures in age and has to answer to the experienced people in our system. I think the thing that separates him from Schaefer for me is the offensive upside. Schaefer is probably "safer" because he has size and can be Austin Watson. But if we're going to get a guy to possibly chip in 20 goals and be an "agitator", as opposed to just a "grinder", then I think L'Heureux has a little bit more upside in that sense.

Note that Kalan Lind may start nipping at L'Heureux's heels in that "agitator" role.

Cousins, Hartman, these are the kinds of player L'Heureux projects to becoming, if things pan out. Hartman ended up doing incredible, unexpected, things in Minnesota, probably have to throw away his one crazy season in that projection.

 

[Viqsi]

Going with Nilsson; I really really like his upside. I don't have L'Heureux until much later or Chistyakov at all because I'm not convinced they're going to be NHLers; they have the skill, but L'Heureux can't get out of his own way and Chistyakov is giving me very strong "I'm happy to stay in Russia forever" vibes.

 

[herzausstein]

I went with L'Heureux. I think he has solid middle six ability but if things go south could still be a Tootoo type energy and agitator player.

Still lots of quality players with depth NHL potential in there. Stastney wasnt really on my radar till he got called up so im gonna have to keep an eye on him. Was pretty impressed

 

[wmupreds]

Definitely feels like we've reached a lower tier here

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I went with L'Heureux. I think he has solid middle six ability but if things go south could still be a Tootoo type energy and agitator player.

Still lots of quality players with depth NHL potential in there. Stastney wasnt really on my radar till he got called up so im gonna have to keep an eye on him. Was pretty impressed

Yeah, I am trying to temper my expectations on Stastney a little bit. I mean, we thought he was "3rd pair"... in the AHL. Then he played... ?8 games? for us and looked really smooth and competent. But 8 games to me doesn't quite overturn the whole past history of the draft and everything. Stastney put himself on our radar. That is huge kudos to him. Now we talk about him. But his overall body of work still doesn't elevate him above NHL 1st round draft picks or the other guys he has been playing with in Milwaukee. He "done good" for a tiny tiny sample size of NHL play. So he put his foot in the door. But... there is more than that which goes into these rankings.

 

[PredsV82]

Egor time. While he didn't light things up, he also didn't look out of place in an NHL lineup

 

[Flgatorguy87]

Lot of similar players with new face question marks. This is where votes will start spreading thinner and thinner.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Going with Nilsson; I really really like his upside. I don't have L'Heureux until much later or Chistyakov at all because I'm not convinced they're going to be NHLers; they have the skill, but L'Heureux can't get out of his own way and Chistyakov is giving me very strong "I'm happy to stay in Russia forever" vibes.

Nilsson is very interesting. Our scouts liked him enough to trade up to get him, which suggests to me we might have had him ranked near the 1st round. So, if your scouts like him at that level, well, that's interesting. But most of the new draft picks, I guess we just aren't familiar enough with to rank outside of just where they got drafted? Based on the way our staff has been drafting in recent years, however, I bet some of these guys we just drafted rise meteorically in the coming year once we all start watching them more.

EDIT: Wait, do meteors rise? Doh.

 

[AintLifeGrand]

Guys stop voting for Afanasyev… I dont even think hes a top 15 prospect

 

[AintLifeGrand]

also Kalan Lind has out produced Schaefer every year at comparative ages so he should be 10 IMO then Nilsson, then Livingstone, Stastny, then Ufko IMO

 

[maplepred]

I feel like Schaefer is a for sure NHL player so I went with him. First round pick and hasn’t done anything to hurt his stock.

 

[Viqsi]

also Kalan Lind has out produced Schaefer every year at comparative ages so he should be 10 IMO then Nilsson, then Livingstone, Stastny, then Ufko IMO

I've got Schaefer just above Lind because Schaefer seems "safer" to me. Could be that Lind ends up better in the end but there's still just that little bit of uncertainty.

The rest of my list:
9. Felix Nilsson (C)
10. Reid Schaefer (LW)
11. Kalan Lind (LW)
12. Ryan Ufko (RD)
13. Zachary L'Heureux (LW)
14. Spencer Stastney (LD)
15. Egor Afanasyev (C, LW)

 

[Viqsi]

EDIT: Wait, do meteors rise? Doh.

They don't. But folks use the phrase "meteoric rise" regardless, because the englidge languish is wierd.

 

[triggrman]

Guys stop voting for Afanasyev… I dont even think hes a top 15 prospect

also Kalan Lind has out produced Schaefer every year at comparative ages so he should be 10 IMO then Nilsson, then Livingstone, Stastny, then Ufko IMO

I'm going to go out on the limb and say, you vote what you believe and no one will object. It's not "guess who Aintlifegrand voted for" poll.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I've got Schaefer just above Lind because Schaefer seems "safer" to me. Could be that Lind ends up better in the end but there's still just that little bit of uncertainty.

The rest of my list:
9. Felix Nilsson (C)
10. Reid Schaefer (LW)
11. Kalan Lind (LW)
12. Ryan Ufko (RD)
13. Zachary L'Heureux (LW)
14. Spencer Stastney (LD)
15. Egor Afanasyev (C, LW)

I think the new draftees are just always left out a little bit, because they are "new" and "unknown". But it won't take them long to take prominent places on next year's list. Wood, Molendyk, Nilsson, Lind, Kiiskanen, even some of the later picks are probably due for "meteoric rises" as soon as they play another season of juniors and get more firmly onto our radar.

 

[Viqsi]

I think the new draftees are just always left out a little bit, because they are "new" and "unknown". But it won't take them long to take prominent places on next year's list. Wood, Molendyk, Nilsson, Lind, Kiiskanen, even some of the later picks are probably due for "meteoric rises" as soon as they play another season of juniors and get more firmly onto our radar.

It's especially interesting to me because I see the opporite effect back at HFCBJ; up here the familiar is Already Failed and the new and unknown is Exciting and Full Of Promise. Either way I end up with people looking at me going "you're voting for THAT guy? WTF?"

 

[Viqsi]

I went with L'Heureux. I think he has solid middle six ability but if things go south could still be a Tootoo type energy and agitator player.

I'm not convinced Tootoo would have a job in the modern NHL; not with all the new rules introduced over the last several years to try to prevent injury. That's what concerns me about L'Heureux. Getting in people's heads with psychological warfare is one thing; doing so with "sneaky hits" and the like is getting increasingly cracked down on.

 

[Armourboy]

Yeah, I am trying to temper my expectations on Stastney a little bit. I mean, we thought he was "3rd pair"... in the AHL. Then he played... ?8 games? for us and looked really smooth and competent. But 8 games to me doesn't quite overturn the whole past history of the draft and everything. Stastney put himself on our radar. That is huge kudos to him. Now we talk about him. But his overall body of work still doesn't elevate him above NHL 1st round draft picks or the other guys he has been playing with in Milwaukee. He "done good" for a tiny tiny sample size of NHL play. So he put his foot in the door. But... there is more than that which goes into these rankings.

He's done more to prove himself than any of those 1st overalls or other guys have. He may have not been on anyone's radar but he came up and did the job and did it pretty well I might add. What you have shown in the NHL means a lot more to me than hope and the number next to your draft position.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

He's done more to prove himself than any of those 1st overalls or other guys have. He may have not been on anyone's radar but he came up and did the job and did it pretty well I might add. What you have shown in the NHL means a lot more to me than hope and the number next to your draft position.

I don't disagree, and vaulted him up enormously in my own rankings accordingly. Though at the same time, I do follow the draft and the Ads, and won't overlook that he was not really seen as THAT good at any point right up until he made his brief NHL debut. So there is an opposing factor too. I just think it's great that we have this kind of depth, where even a guy who probably doesn't make the top-20 last season can even get top-10 votes a year later. Who knows what the future holds for any of them, but it's great that SO MANY guys are showing something already.

 

[Armourboy]

I don't disagree, and vaulted him up enormously in my own rankings accordingly. Though at the same time, I do follow the draft and the Ads, and won't overlook that he was not really seen as THAT good at any point right up until he made his brief NHL debut. So there is an opposing factor too. I just think it's great that we have this kind of depth, where even a guy who probably doesn't make the top-20 last season can even get top-10 votes a year later. Who knows what the future holds for any of them, but it's great that SO MANY guys are showing something already.

Well part of that in the AHL may be because of the fact the coach was playing him on the 3rd pair because it made the team better, not because it was where he deserved to be. If I remember right we were playing several AHL vets above him.

 

[triggrman]

I don't disagree, and vaulted him up enormously in my own rankings accordingly. Though at the same time, I do follow the draft and the Ads, and won't overlook that he was not really seen as THAT good at any point right up until he made his brief NHL debut. So there is an opposing factor too. I just think it's great that we have this kind of depth, where even a guy who probably doesn't make the top-20 last season can even get top-10 votes a year later. Who knows what the future holds for any of them, but it's great that SO MANY guys are showing something already.

Disagree, last years training camp, he was spotlighted often by the local media.

 

[Edgework]

Though at the same time, I do follow the draft and the Ads, and won't overlook that he was not really seen as THAT good at any point right up until he made his brief NHL debut.

He was talked about extensively by some of the locals beginning around training camp.

Also, sometimes being invisible is a good thing for a defensive defender. It’s like cornerback in football—if they’re doing their job, you never see them on camera.

 

[Predsanddead24]

Kind of interesting that Stastney didn't even make the list last year and we had five other defenseman ahead of him (Prokop, Chistyakov, Ufko, Del Gaizo, and Kulonummi). Props to Flgatorguy87 to be the only one to vote for him.