HF Fan's: Ducks Top 20 Prospects Discussion

1. Ryan Getzlaf 35 of 60 votes (58.33%)
2. Bobby Ryan 23 of 38 votes (60.53%)
3. Corey Perry 26 of 44 votes (59.09%)
4. Ladislav Smid 16 of 16 votes (100.00%)
5. Brendan Mikkelson 18 of 34 votes (52.94%)
6. Dustin Penner 11 of 35 votes (31.43%)
7. Jordan Smith 13 of 24 votes (54.17%)
8. Aaron Rome 12 of 28 votes (42.86%)
9. Tim Brent 14 of 33 votes (42.42%)
10. Shane O'Brien 12 of 19 votes (63.16%)
11. Jean-Phillipe Levasseur 6 of 19 votes (31.58%)
12. Nathan Saunders 7 of 22 votes (31.82%)
13. Shane Hynes 6 of 16 votes (37.50%)
14. Curtis Glencross 9 of 21 votes (42.86%)
15. Michael Wall 5 of 15 votes (33.33%)
16. Joel Perrault 6 of 15 votes (40.00%)
17. Pierre Parenteau 4 of 11 votes (36.36%)
18. Vladimir Korsunov 5 of 14 votes (35.71%)
19. Kyle Klubertanz 8 of 12 votes (66.67%)
20. Gabriel Bouthillette 5 of 19 votes (26.32%)

honorable mentions: Brian Salcido and Matt Auffrey each with 4 votes in the final poll.

Nice to see 3 goalies in our top 20 for a change. We haven't had depth at that position in a long time.

Here is the top 20 from our HF page for comparison:
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/article.php?sid=7899&mode=threaded&order=0

1. Bobby Ryan, RW
2. Ryan Getzlaf, C
3. Ladislav Smid, D
4. Corey Perry, RW
5. Brendan Mikkelson, D
6. Tim Brent, C
7. Jordan Smith, D
8. Shane O'Brien, D
9. Shane Hynes, RW
10. Vladimir Korsunov, D
11. Aaron Rome, D
12. Curtis Glencross, LW
13. Nathan Saunders, D
14. Joel Perrault, C
15. J-P Levasseur, G
16. Dustin Penner, LW
17. Pierre Parenteau, RW
18. Kyle Klubertanz, D
19. Drew Miller, LW
20. Brian Salcido, D

Mike Wall wasn't a member of the organization when this top 20 was made.

Penner is the benefit of the flavor of the month boost in our rankings, but is ridiculously low in Forbesy's rankings. Tim Brent is a bit low in our rankings. And the one's below about #10 in our rankings don't get my juices flowing, with the possible exception of Boots since we have no depth at that position in terms of prospects.

Penner is the benefit of the flavor of the month boost in our rankings, but is ridiculously low in Forbesy's rankings. Tim Brent is a bit low in our rankings.

Penner is the real deal, IMO. He's right where he belongs in the poll. As for Brent I see him pretty much on equal footing with Smith and Rome so call them all '7' if you want.

Perry got slighted on both lists after watching him play so far this season.

And definitely agree 11-20 is nothing to get excited about. Good prospects there but the AHL is filled with those types of guys.

Penner is the benefit of the flavor of the month boost in our rankings, but is ridiculously low in Forbesy's rankings. Tim Brent is a bit low in our rankings. And the one's below about #10 in our rankings don't get my juices flowing, with the possible exception of Boots since we have no depth at that position in terms of prospects.
Glenncross was a flavor of the month, but Penner is better cut out for the pro game. He is producing over a ppg in the AHL at what 21? Penner definitely has top six potential. He is big, he is physical and he is a good athlete. As he matures he will be impossible to move in front of the net.

Here's what I see:

-Our top 4 compares nicely with any of the other 29 teams top 4's.

-Mikkelson and Penner are nice second tier guys. And I don't think Penner is a flavor of the month, he is the real deal. He is truly an impact player, and we may see him in Anaheim very soon. Mikkelson looked solid as a skinny 18 yr old playing against men in the Kings-Ducks preseason game. He is a nice d-man prospect just below Smid.

-Smith, Brent, Rome and O'Brien are a good third tier of prospects. They are key players in Portland. O'Brien and Rome should both be in Anaheim next year with Salei and Marshall on the way out in the summer. (I'd sign Carney to a new 2 year deal and let Salei and Marshall walk as UFA's) Brent and Smith need one more year each in the AHL after this one.

-Then you have the goalies. Levasseur gets the 11th spot due to him having the highest upside of the three goalies.

- Then you have the next group of AHLers...Saunders if he rounds out his game will be a welcome addition on the third pairing in Anaheim in 07-08 or 08-09. Hynes I'm not so sure what he is going to bring to the organization, I'm not sure why he is in Forbes' top 10, he definetly should not be ahead of Penner. Glencross I think will make it to the NHL simply because he is one of the best bodycheckers I have ever seen and he skates well. He is perfect for a third/fourth line role as early as next season. (remember he was a final cut at training camp) Perrault and Parenteau are enigmas, unfortunately because of injuries. They are talented kids but this is the final year of each of their entry contracts so who knows if they will be around next season. Of the 2 Perrault has the best chance to make it because of his size, but It's still doubtful at this point.

-Then we have Korsunov and Klubertanz to finish out the top 20 with Salcido and Auffrey just missing out. I doubt Burke signs Korsunov by the June 1st deadline for European picks drafted in the 02 draft or earlier under the new CBA rules. Klubertanz is a long long term project. This year and then 2 more NCAA seasons then a couple AHL seasons.

-The interesting thing is Salcido isn't in our top 20 but he could be a big surprise for us. Auffrey switching to the OHL will need to be signed by June 1st. It will be interesting to see if Burke wants to sign him.

-Our NCAA prospects definetly aren't well known around here. Bailey, Christie, Southern, and Miller are other players missing from the top 20 mostly because they are unknowns to us.

-Other than the NCAA players the notable prospects missing from the top 20 are Bobby Bolt, who looks like a long-term project who brings a lot of size, and Europeans: Janne Pesonen, Ville Mantymaa, and Joonas Vihko.

Some of you guys kill me, Penner the real deal? Based on what exactly? The AHL? :shakehead

I know this is a prospect board so everyone tends to overhype prospects, but this claiming of the "real deal" is a joke. The kid has done nothing yet.

He is clearly the flavor of the month or 6 months or year for that matter.

To me this poll was a popularity contest for prospect.

I'm not trying to undermine McD's work, I love to discuss this crap. But lets stop humping Penner here and let the guy play in the NHL before you call him the "real deal"

And let me ask the "real dealers" this. Is Perry the "real deal", is Getzlaf the "real deal"?

Some of you guys kill me, Penner the real deal? Based on what exactly? The AHL? :shakehead

Gee, one could argue that playing very well in the 2nd best pro-league and being the last cut after a great training camp is a sign of something.. :shakehead indeed.

I know this is a prospect board so everyone tends to overhype prospects, but this claiming of the "real deal" is a joke. The kid has done nothing yet.

So how did Ryan make it to no.1 spot in the HF article then? When have you actually done something? Has Getzlaf done something? Has Perry done something?

I don't know whether to laugh or cry...

Some of you guys kill me, Penner the real deal? Based on what exactly? The AHL? :shakehead

Based on seeing him play. An entire profession is built upon doing just that.

He is clearly the flavor of the month or 6 months or year for that matter.

So he's been consistently good for a year and that doesn't tell you something? I was very skeptical of Penner last year, but I have been blown away by his progress in the times I've seen him play.

And let me ask the "real dealers" this. Is Perry the "real deal", is Getzlaf the "real deal"?

In a word: YES. You don't think so?

Like I said, Perry got overlooked in this poll. If I voted again today I wouldn't be able to choose between him and Getzlaf for the #1 spot. Ryan would slide to #3 just because he's more of an unknown to me. I like Smid at 4. Penner was my #5 and Mikkelson looked very good in the Kings game like Mac19 said. Based on that and his potential its fair to peg him at #6 (or even #5 like the poll) IMO.

Some of you guys kill me, Penner the real deal? Based on what exactly? The AHL? :shakehead

I know this is a prospect board so everyone tends to overhype prospects, but this claiming of the "real deal" is a joke. The kid has done nothing yet.

He is clearly the flavor of the month or 6 months or year for that matter.

To me this poll was a popularity contest for prospect.

I'm not trying to undermine McD's work, I love to discuss this crap. But lets stop humping Penner here and let the guy play in the NHL before you call him the "real deal"

And let me ask the "real dealers" this. Is Perry the "real deal", is Getzlaf the "real deal"?
If this is the case, why bother discussing prospects at all? How many times have you watched him play?

The AHL is one of the top leagues in the world after the NHL, so yes I do think what a young player does there can be taken pretty seriously. It's not like Penner is 28, and small.

I think Perry and Getzlaf are showing flashes of being the "real deal", I don't know about you.

Some of you guys kill me, Penner the real deal? Based on what exactly? The AHL? :shakehead



He has played well at every level so far including the NHL preseason, AHL, Rookie Tournaments, NCAA.

He is the rare 6'4 243 pounder who can put the puck in the net. If he doesn't become an impact player at the NHL level I'd be very surprised.

The logic used by certain people is mind-boggling to say the least.

Bobby Ryan is considered a real deal despite not playing a minute outside of JUNIOR league (no pro games or even WJC games) while great performance in PRO league and NHL training camp don't mean anything.

If anything, Ryan is the 'flavor of the month' (note that I rank him highly).

Putting Penner outside of our top10 is extremely questionable IMHO.

Penner an "impact player"? Let's not cheapen that phrase. I think of an impact player as someone like Forsberg, Pronger, Iginla, even Naslund or Selanne. Playing on the top 2 lines, or even being a good 1st line player doesn't equate to being an "impact player".

I'd say Penner has a decent chance to be a top 6 forward, and an okay chance of being top line. I'd say he's a longshot (at best) to be an impact player.

Yeesh the hype has reached new levels.

Penner an "impact player"? Let's not cheapen that phrase. I think of an impact player as someone like Forsberg, Pronger, Iginla, even Naslund or Selanne. Playing on the top 2 lines, or even being a good 1st line player doesn't equate to being an "impact player".

I'd say Penner has a decent chance to be a top 6 forward, and an okay chance of being top line. I'd say he's a longshot (at best) to be an impact player.

Yeesh the hype has reached new levels.

Those players you are listing are future hall of famers.

I think your definition of impact player is wrong.

Impact players can be someone who has a big impact on a particular NHL team (in this case a 6'4 240 pound second line powerforward who helps his team win) it doesn't have to be a Hall of Famer.

Those players you are listing are future hall of famers.

I think your definition of impact player is wrong.

Impact players can be someone who has a big impact on a particular NHL team (in this case a 6'4 240 pound second line powerforward who helps his team win) it doesn't have to be a Hall of Famer.
Well then we have a different definition of impact player. I think of an impact player as someone who has an impact on the league, not just on one team. I don't think of a 2nd line powerforward as an impact player. By that definition Mike Leclerc is almost an impact player.

Well then we have a different definition of impact player. I think of an impact player as someone who has an impact on the league, not just on one team. I don't think of a 2nd line powerforward as an impact player. By that definition Mike Leclerc is almost an impact player.

Leclerc was an impact player for a short time. For me an impact player is a top 6 forward or top 4 d-man who consistenly does things to make his team win.

I agree, impact player doesn't have to be a HoF player or a superstar like Näslund. Penner COULD be a impact player for us.

If this is the case, why bother discussing prospects at all? How many times have you watched him play?

The AHL is one of the top leagues in the world after the NHL, so yes I do think what a young player does there can be taken pretty seriously. It's not like Penner is 28, and small.

I think Perry and Getzlaf are showing flashes of being the "real deal", I don't know about you.

This is exactly why we discuss prospects, because I feel like a lot of guys here overhype every prospect that comes in here. Thats why I made comments, thats why we are talkingabout it now.

The AHL being a top league could be discounted,I do see your point though. However calling him the real deal to me is very premature.

Getzlaf and Perry have shown flashes of brilliance, but to be the real deal its something that needs to be done consistantly.

I would put the question to all the Chistov fans. Did you think he was the real deal? Did you call him the real deal? Is he the real deal?

I could be wrong on Chistov but if I remember correctly people were in love with him at the time. Were you wrong? Is the jury still out?

He has played well at every level so far including the NHL preseason, AHL, Rookie Tournaments, NCAA.

He is the rare 6'4 243 pounder who can put the puck in the net. If he doesn't become an impact player at the NHL level I'd be very surprised.

Playing well at those levels doesn't mean **** to me. Nor does it warrant someone being called the "real deal".

I would ask is he the "real deal" or an impact player? I think they are two different things. Real deal for his size would be Bertuzzi like. Impact would be Drake like IMO.

The logic used by certain people is mind-boggling to say the least.

Bobby Ryan is considered a real deal despite not playing a minute outside of JUNIOR league (no pro games or even WJC games) while great performance in PRO league and NHL training camp don't mean anything.

If anything, Ryan is the 'flavor of the month' (note that I rank him highly).

Putting Penner outside of our top10 is extremely questionable IMHO.


Is this pointed at me?

I never called Ryan the real deal. I think he is our best prospect but never called him the real deal. We could argue about the prospects rankings, I have no issue with that, but when someone calls a player the real deal without any NHL experience then I have an issue.

Thats where my comments were pointed.

Gee, one could argue that playing very well in the 2nd best pro-league and being the last cut after a great training camp is a sign of something.. :shakehead indeed.



So how did Ryan make it to no.1 spot in the HF article then? When have you actually done something? Has Getzlaf done something? Has Perry done something?

I don't know whether to laugh or cry...

His play does say something. It says he has a lot of potential and has progressed well. But the "real deal"? Again I think that is way premature at this point.

You've done something when it is done in the NHL. No one remembers the guy that plays well in the AHL and is the last cut at training camps, they remember the guy who produces at the NHL level. He produces in the NHL then I will be happy to praise him, until then he is just another prospect with a lot of the dreaded P word.

You've done something when it is done in the NHL. No one remembers the guy that plays well in the AHL and is the last cut at training camps, they remember the guy who produces at the NHL level. He produces in the NHL then I will be happy to praise him, until then he is just another prospect with a lot of the dreaded P word.

That's probably a good idea. Nevermind the junior/college/euro phenoms who merely become run-of-the-mill AHL players, even out of the really good AHL players maybe only around a quarter of them ever turn out to be more than journeymen.

Penner's on the right track, because you have to at least be good enough to make an impact in minor pro if you're going to be good enough make an impact in the bigs. Plus he's improved by leaps and bounds nearly every year since he was a teen, and shows no signs of stopping that curve. But that's still a ways from being a key player at the NHL level.

This is exactly why we discuss prospects, because I feel like a lot of guys here overhype every prospect that comes in here. Thats why I made comments, thats why we are talkingabout it now.

The AHL being a top league could be discounted,I do see your point though. However calling him the real deal to me is very premature.

Getzlaf and Perry have shown flashes of brilliance, but to be the real deal its something that needs to be done consistantly.

I would put the question to all the Chistov fans. Did you think he was the real deal? Did you call him the real deal? Is he the real deal?

I could be wrong on Chistov but if I remember correctly people were in love with him at the time. Were you wrong? Is the jury still out?
I was never sure about Chistov, because all the reports from training camps and such all said the same thing...he has a poor work ethic. I haven't heard the same thing from the same people in the training camps regarding Getzlaf and Perry.

Infact, Perry supposedly has a great work ethic.

I was never sure about Chistov, because all the reports from training camps and such all said the same thing...he has a poor work ethic. I haven't heard the same thing from the same people in the training camps regarding Getzlaf and Perry.

Infact, Perry supposedly has a great work ethic.
He's supposedly a big diving wussy, too, and Lupul and Getzlaf are bad skaters. If we're not going to believe the bad stuff we hear we should probably discount the good stuff too and just judge based on what we see.

For the rest of the discussion I'd say that I don't see what's so objectionable about calling a prospect the real deal. Some people think he's going to be great - that's as valid a prediction as saying he'll suck. For myself, I think there's no telling what Penner's upside is. He could stop where is right now, just short of being an NHLer, or he could continue to improve. He seems to make these galactic strides forward every once in a while instead of improving gradually, so his ultimate potential IMO is in flux. 4 goals in a pro game is no joke - not an indicator of sure greatness but definitely an indicator of underlying skill. Just something to file away under "Penner" and we'll see how he goes.

Playing well at those levels doesn't mean **** to me. Nor does it warrant someone being called the "real deal".



well it means something to me. I guess we can disagree.

Playing well in CHL/AHL does mean a lot when assessing the performance of a prospect. What qualifies as "the real deal"? I guess that's up to the definition everyone has but I don't think it's too far fetched to call Penner a real deal.

Oh and I don't think I ever called Chistov the real deal.

Just a few comments,

My list was made before almost anything that happened this season, including the rookie tournament, the preseason and the beginning of the season. They represent a moment in time that makes it very difficult to compare one for one with this list.

Obviously Penner has had a hot start and if he can keep it up, he would definitely move up. Just be careful before heaping too much praise on him. Everyone (including myself) was just as excited by Glencross' impressive Cincinnati debut followed by his dominant showing at the rookie tourney a year ago. It remains to be seen whether Penner can continue to compete at a higher level.

As always, it appears it is more a question of ice time and opportunity on the farm team. As we have seen before with hot streaks by Parenteau and Brent among others, the players who get the icetime, put up the points. That makes it harder to judge, by the simple fact that if you slot any of those middle tier guys onto the top line in Portland, they should produce. Penner is doing well right now, but let's not get foolish with ourselves.

Ranking the three goaltenders in the top 20 is a surprise, especially considering who was left out. Bouthillette and Levasseur are statistically top goaltenders in the Q, although Bouthillette benefits a bit, due to his age. Wall has been decent, but nothing special so far in Portland, and he appears to be on the losing side of the starting position battle.

Auffrey has done well switching to the CHL. It will be interesting to see if that helps his future development. You need to get minutes to grow. In the same breath, Hynes' jump to pro leagues hasn't been as successful. Cornell is supposed to have a strong team this year and Hynes would have been a top player there.

Salcido is tied for second in the WCHA in scoring. Kyle Klubertanz hasn't had as strong of a start, second on his team in defensive scoring with five assists. Miller is averaging a point per game as captain of the #6 ranked Michigan State Spartans.

As always, we are unsure if Korsunov will be signed and brought over. (while I am unsure, you guys seem to mostly have written him off) Until he is no longer Anaheim property, I can't turn a blind eye towards his talent. He's having another strong season in the RSL this year.

I was surprised to see Festerling's name appear so quickly on the polls.

Good effort guys, always an interesting thing to watch.