So we all have out favorite prospects regardless of where HF, or Chris Botta or anywhere else ranks them... Here is my, what I like to call, "excitement list" and to make it interesting, I'll add a second list of, guys I don't see making it.
First listtop 10 and a bonus player)
1. Calvin DeHaan- impressive in camp. Almost a little too impressive for his own good, meaning thank God they didn't rush another younster, as Josh Bailey should probably be leading this list. DeHaan a ton of poise to go with serious puck moving skills and intelligence.. Only concern is size.
2. Travis Hamonic- his overall game and size gave him consideration for the first overall slot. Was drafted as a 6'0 195 lb shutdown d-man. Two years later he is still that shutdown d-man but has grown to 6'2 215 lbs and has shown much more offensive ability than first thought of. He currently leads all WHL D-men in points. Best prospect in terms of overall game. Wouldn't be surprised to see him skip AHL and jump straight to the big club next year.
3. Mikko Koskinen- huge,yet smooth/fluid goalie. Pleasant surprise that he came to North America this year, but in true ridiculous/clueless Islander prospect grooming, he is involved in a 3 goalie rotation.. That wasn't a misprint. They are rotating three goalies.
4. Corey Trivino- major offensive upside. Now in his sophomore season, no better place for him to improve his overall game and mature then at Boston College under legendary coach Jack Parker. Maybe a few years away, but should be worth the wait. I can't help but think Marty Mcginnis (except a bit more talented).
5. David Ullstrom- If there is one thing the Islanders are missing up front (besides a TRUE heavyweight), it is a forward that physically lines up at center[ and provide the intangables that size provides. Good along the boards,face-offs,etc. Ullstrum may very well be that guy.Has very good wheels . This alone seperates him from other big men, very good skater.
6. Anders Nilsson- not much known of him. Plays in Sweden. Very good size at 6'5. Islanders in no rush with this kid as we are stacked at goalie.
7.- Aaron Ness- most prospect reports have him higher then this.. But his size will really be a problem at the next level.. I feel a team can only afford to carry one smallish offensive type of defenseman. The drafting of DeHaan complicates Ness' future on the blue line in my opinion.. Obviously both of these guys will grow as they get older. But their natural builds are slight and neither plays a physical style. With the size of today's forwards, could the Isles afford both of them in lineup?? With that said, his skating and offensive upside are unquestioned.. He will certainly play for someone somewhere in the NHL. Along with #1 prospect DeHaan, probably the most skilled of all prospects in Isles system.
8.Matt Donovan- a bit of a sleeper, as he hails from Oklahoma. A freshman defender for collegiate powerhouse Denver of the WCHA. Off to a good start. Plays an overall game. Good skater, defensivly responsable with good poise and offensive instincts with the puck. Maybe that late round surprise pick that ends up making the big club.
9.Casey Cizikas Casey plays an overall game. Good defender and averaging a point a game thus far this season. Great skater and leading his OHL club (Mississauga) to a fast start Casey had a major incident occur in his life over a year ago in which a player he tackled died during a rugby game. This incident was still in legal proceedings at the time of draft and surely affected his draft status.. Incident has since been legally completed.
10.Anders Lee 6'2 215lbs.. how does a kid with this size and strength last till the 6th or 7th round?? I'm not really sure.. Was a two sport star, as he was the starting QB of his high school team.. graduated from high school this past spring.. Has committed to going the college route at Notre Dame. But Anders feels like he needs a season of minor league hockey in the USHL and has joined the Green Bay Gamblers for a season before he joins Notre Dame next season. He is off to a good start with Green Bay, as he leads them with 6 points through the first five games (5GP-4-2-6).. Anders is definetly a work in progress. He could ultimately still be 5 years away, but the reward may be worth the wait for this confident late round pick.
11. Lastly we have Matt Martin. Matt is the classic overacheiver. He was a walk-on player for a Sarnia (OHL) team that included Steven Stamkos. Matt does a little bit of everything. Matt works the corners, fights, scores a bit and leads by example. Isn't the most talented guy on the ice, but gets the job done through hard work.. Whether he has the talent to make it at the next level is yet to be determined, as he has just started his first season at Bridgeport.
Those are the players that excite me most as having the greatest chance of making an impact on the big club.... Next up are players I think we won't ever see in an Islander uniform and/or if they do don the uniform, the impact they make will have little to no impact...
1. Any player currently on the Bridgeport roster, except for Kostinen and Martin. I feel the Bridgeport roster is devoid of players that could impact the next level. This group is led by Jesse Joensuu, Trevor Smith, Robin Figren, Dustin Kohn, Mark Katic and Justin DiBenedetto. Some people may be suprised to see Joensuu on this list, as he still has his supporters. My biggest problem with him is his speed. He has decent straight line speed. But in terms of hockey quickness, it's just not there.
Instead of dissecting each of these players individually, they all have one thing in common, none of them could crack one of the worst lineups in the league. Each of them had a chance to go to camp and take a roster spot, but the only one who did so was Matt Moulsen.. Congrats to Matt!!
The one player outside of Bridgeport is Kirill Petrov... Not that the guy isn't talented, but he doesn't display an aggressive desire to play in North America... From what I've read, he isn't exactly progressing at warp speed anyway... Maybe in six or seven years when he wears out his welcome in Russia, he'll come over here for a few years.. By then we'll no longer own his rights, so he'll sign with the Rangers and score 50 goals a year...
There are three players I didn't mention, that are somewhere in between these two lists... Jason Gregoire, David Toews, and Jyri Niemi.... Gregoire and Toews would have easily been on my second list because of their lack of size.... We have an endless list of 5'10/5'11 180 lb forwards with average speed/skills, but both of them are off to very good starts for North Dakota, and Gregoire seems to have put on some size, so instead of being put on that second list, I just left him off both lists. Niemi, i havent heard anything about this year.
OK... thats it from me... Feel free to give me ur list... Forgive me for any spelling/grammar errors... I did this between 2:30 and 4:30Am and am super tired.... All comments welcome.
Last edited by DaMick: 10-25-2009 at 08:53 PM.
Reason: i fixed 3 mistakes for you...nice thread idea!
So we all have out favorite prospects regardless of where HF, or Chris Botta or anywhere else ranks them... Here is my, what I like to call, "excitement list" and to make it interesting, I'll add a second list of, guys I don't see making it.
First listtop 10 and a bonus player)
2. [b]Travis Hamonic[b]- his overall game and size gave him consideration for the first overall slot. Was drafted as a 6'0 195 lb shutdown d-man. Two years later he is still that shutdown d-man but has grown to 6'2 215 lbs and has shown much more offensive ability than first thought of. He currently leads all WHL D-men in points. Best prospect in terms of overall game. Wouldn't be surprised to see him skip AHL and jump straight to the big club next year.
Those are the players that excite me most as having the greatest chance of making an impact on the big club.... Next up are players I think we won't ever see in an Islander uniform and/or if they do don the uniform, the impact they make will have little to no impact...
1. Any player currently on the Bridgeport roster, except for Kostinen and Martin. I feel the Bridgeport roster is devoid of players that could impact the next level. This group is led by Jesse Joensuu, Robin Figren.
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Hamonic has to be signed by July 1,2010.I expect we'll see him signed at the end of his junior season.If it ends before the isles season,we could see him get a quick nhl look like Okposo did.
Also,I'm a lot higher on Joensuu and Figren then you are.
Hamonic has to be signed by July 1,2010.I expect we'll see him signed at the end of his junior season.If it ends before the isles season,we could see him get a quick nhl look like Okposo did.
Also,I'm a lot higher on Joensuu and Figren then you are.
It would be great to get a look at Hamonic with the big club towards the end of the season...
What has Figren done thus far for anyone to be high on him??
It would be great to get a look at Hamonic with the big club towards the end of the season...
What has Figren done thus far for anyone to be high on him??
Figren had a very strong 2007-2008 season,playing for the Edmonton Oil Kings.He played at close to a pt per game and was a key player for them.
Figren's 2008-2009 was a waste.He got lost in the shuffle,playing on a men's SEL team.Their coaches first priority was making the postseason,not developing a 20 yr old for an nhl team.If he'd been at Bridgeport,there would have been more of a focus on getting him icetime in all situations.
If it's a list of most exciting then what about Mark Katic? he's pretty tied into that group of several mid-level defensive prospects, but when he gets comfortable he is one of the more exciting players when he has the puck.
Because I don't get to travel all over the world to see Junior games, my opinions are only from what I can gather on the web. That said:
I'm excited about the future d pairing of Calvin DeHaan and Travis Hamonic. Smooth skaters with offensive upside. One with a big shot and the other a big hitter. I wonder if they'll be nice enough at the WJC to pair them together.
I am curious to find out if Rhett Rakhshani's game can translate to the NHL, because if it did this guy could be captain material. He's in his senior year and ready to go pro. Plus "Captain Rakhstar" sound awesome.
There's something about French Canadian goaltenders. Kevin Poulin's late bloom in the Q could make the Isles a little deeper in net. Add Swede's Anders Nilsson and Stefan Ridderwall and we don't look as ridiculously thin in goal as in the last few years.
It's hard to get excited about a projected 3rd liner, but David Ullstrom might be worth it. Big, fast and strong. I suspect we'll just focus on his lack of hands, though.
Petrov, Klementyev, and Ness might be interesting.
I think Joensuu will take a frustratingly long time, but will be serviceable third liner.
Everyone else falls into the category of 'It would be nice, but I'm not expecting much.' category.
Because I don't get to travel all over the world to see Junior games, my opinions are only from what I can gather on the web. That said:
I'm excited about the future d pairing of Calvin DeHaan and Travis Hamonic. Smooth skaters with offensive upside. One with a big shot and the other a big hitter. I wonder if they'll be nice enough at the WJC to pair them together.
I am curious to find out if Rhett Rakhshani's game can translate to the NHL, because if it did this guy could be captain material. He's in his senior year and ready to go pro. Plus "Captain Rakhstar" sound awesome.
There's something about French Canadian goaltenders. Kevin Poulin's late bloom in the Q could make the Isles a little deeper in net. Add Swede's Anders Nilsson and Stefan Ridderwall and we don't look as ridiculously thin in goal as in the last few years.
It's hard to get excited about a projected 3rd liner, but David Ullstrom might be worth it. Big, fast and strong. I suspect we'll just focus on his lack of hands, though.
Petrov, Klementyev, and Ness might be interesting.
I think Joensuu will take a frustratingly long time, but will be serviceable third liner.
Everyone else falls into the category of 'It would be nice, but I'm not expecting much.' category.
From what I have read DeHaan is the extra dman, 7th dman for Team Canada.
I don't like that list much.. #'s 3, 4, 7, 10 have significant obstacles to overcome to make the show. And, we don't know anything much about #6.
Here's a list of players most likely to make an impact in the NHL in the next 3-4 years rated in terms of likelihood first and impact 2nd.
1. Hamonic (top-4, 2011-2012)
1a. De Haan (top-4, 2011-2012)
3. Martin (4th line, 2010)
4. Gregoire (3rd line, 2010-2011)
5. Katic (bottom 2 D, 2010-2011)
6. Toews (3rd line, 2010-2011)
7. Ullstrom (3rd/4th line, 2010-2011)
8. Cizikas (3rd-line, 2011-2012)
9. Petrov (top-6, but unlikely, 2011-2012)
10. Rakshani (a redundant player, I believe, so long as we have Nielsen and Park, 2010-2011)
Basically, we've got no blue-chip top-6 forward prospect in the whole system. We've got two very good defensive prospects. We've got a quartet of projectable prospects with 3rd line upside (Gregoire, Toews, Ullstrom, Cizikas), a 4th liner/goon (Martin), and a few projects (Rakshani because of size, Petrov because his status is uknown and he seems to barely play, Koskinen because of his injury).
Anders Lee, Aaron Ness, Anders Nilsson, Matt Donovan, and Trivino have so far to go compared to the other guys that I don't think it's worthwhile even ranking them.
So, basically, if we're going get help up front by 2011, we're gonna have to do it through the draft, or by going outside the organization. It's going to get really urgent, too, because Bergenheim has showed he's streaky and lacks durability (that's all he is, we know this by now), and Nielsen is a utility-forward a la Richard Park. The team only has 3 forwards with legitimate top-6 talent. What makes this even more sad is they only have 1 additional forward with legitimate top-9 talent (Hunter). The rest can play top-9 roles, but not reliably.
The silver lining is that we've got 4 forwards coming up with speed, grit, and defensive ability or size (Ullstrom, Toews, Gregoire, Cizikas). Players like that can usually contribute quickly.
I think that if there's any lesson we can take away from this season so far it's this: the quickest way to improve this team is to improve the penalty kill, which really stinks. And you do that with quick, heady forwards.
The only one on the whole list very likely to play a role with the big team next year is Matt Martin. This team is on a path to be good around 2014, I think, unless there's a major change - like several big acquisitions. I don't think that there can be several big acquisitions because that hurts the ability to give good 2nd contracts to players like Tavares and Okposo. So life is not getting any easier for Snow.
I don't like that list much.. #'s 3, 4, 7, 10 have significant obstacles to overcome to make the show. And, we don't know anything much about #6.
Here's a list of players most likely to make an impact in the NHL in the next 3-4 years rated in terms of likelihood first and impact 2nd.
1. Hamonic (top-4, 2011-2012)
1a. De Haan (top-4, 2011-2012)
3. Martin (4th line, 2010)
4. Gregoire (3rd line, 2010-2011)
5. Katic (bottom 2 D, 2010-2011)
6. Toews (3rd line, 2010-2011)
7. Ullstrom (3rd/4th line, 2010-2011)
8. Cizikas (3rd-line, 2011-2012)
9. Petrov (top-6, but unlikely, 2011-2012)
10. Rakshani (a redundant player, I believe, so long as we have Nielsen and Park, 2010-2011)
Basically, we've got no blue-chip top-6 forward prospect in the whole system. We've got two very good defensive prospects. We've got a quartet of projectable prospects with 3rd line upside (Gregoire, Toews, Ullstrom, Cizikas), a 4th liner/goon (Martin), and a few projects (Rakshani because of size, Petrov because his status is uknown and he seems to barely play, Koskinen because of his injury).
Anders Lee, Aaron Ness, Anders Nilsson, Matt Donovan, and Trivino have so far to go compared to the other guys that I don't think it's worthwhile even ranking them.
So, basically, if we're going get help up front by 2011, we're gonna have to do it through the draft, or by going outside the organization. It's going to get really urgent, too, because Bergenheim has showed he's streaky and lacks durability (that's all he is, we know this by now), and Nielsen is a utility-forward a la Richard Park. The team only has 3 forwards with legitimate top-6 talent. What makes this even more sad is they only have 1 additional forward with legitimate top-9 talent (Hunter). The rest can play top-9 roles, but not reliably.
The silver lining is that we've got 4 forwards coming up with speed, grit, and defensive ability or size (Ullstrom, Toews, Gregoire, Cizikas). Players like that can usually contribute quickly.
I think that if there's any lesson we can take away from this season so far it's this: the quickest way to improve this team is to improve the penalty kill, which really stinks. And you do that with quick, heady forwards.
The only one on the whole list very likely to play a role with the big team next year is Matt Martin. This team is on a path to be good around 2014, I think, unless there's a major change - like several big acquisitions. I don't think that there can be several big acquisitions because that hurts the ability to give good 2nd contracts to players like Tavares and Okposo. So life is not getting any easier for Snow.
Cheers,
Dan-o
Good post. Couple comments.
Rakhshani will be here before all those players because he'll have four years of college seasoning by the time the year is up, and he'll spend next year in the Bridge hammering out his adjustment to the pro game.
Gregoire and Toews, both sophomores, will very likely finish college. My odds on them seeing the pros before 2011 would be 40:1.
I don't think you give Ness enough credit. He's immensely talented, but in a bad program. He may come to the Bridge at the end of the season, and he seems ready for it. Could end up on the ice sooner than you think.
Other than that, I believe your assessment is correct in that the Islanders don't have a sure-fire top-six player in this pool, but it's because they're already in the NHL. Okposo, Tavares, and Bailey are on the Islanders. Your best candidates for a meteoric rise to top-six territory (besides Petrov) are Cizikas (a total valkyrie apparently, though I've never seen him... leads all non-Barrie and non-Windsor OHL players in +/-), Ullstrom (good size and speed), and Lee (an underscouted, undervalued guy because everyone thought he would play D1 football, currently tearing up USHL).
On defense, I saw Hamonic in that WJC game the other night, and do not be surprised if he becomes the team's #1. That's not to say he'll be a superstar, or a #1 by NHL standards, but I see it happening. De Haan, when he bulks up, is a lock to make the NHL.
The bottom-six forwards and the bottom-four d-men slots on the team need a serious infusion of youth anyway. By 2011, you're probably gonna get it. Too many candidates for that not to happen. Additionally, as they stockpile draft picks and continue to pick up more late-round gems, you can hope the first-rounders will slide into the top-six and you'll hit the jackpot with one or two of the guys from the later rounds.
1. Hamonic. Big, mobile, mean nasty d-men are hard to come by. He's on the second pairing on Team Canada and has scouts from other teams saying "he was outstanding in every phase of the game."
2. DeHaan- has top Qb potential, needs more size and time. Bit f a project in that regards but I like his upside. Showed a laser of a shot in exhibition games and got better with playing time at times controlling the pace of play.
3. Poulin- top prospect in 2008, fell out of top 10 with inconsistent play. Right now he is top three in every statistical goaltending category, making 40+ saves routinely. Isles brass loves him, I think he's ranked highly.
4. Matt Martin- not huge upside, but very likely to be an NHL player. First year in the AHL he should hit 30 points. Hits hard, fights, crashes the net. Good player, he'll get better.
5. Petrov- potential is to high, question mark with injuries last year and contract. A strong WJC and an early departure from Russia would be a huge win for this team.
6. Rhett Rhakashani- was offered a contract this summer, is having another solid year in college. Hard worker, has speed, can make plays, but undersized. Has history with Okposo back in the WJC.
After that most of the other guys were drafted to recently or still have question marks as to where they stand in the organization.
Hamonic and Dehaan are our only to real blue chippers, but there are some interesting prospects at all positions. Kessel and Klementyev could be bottom pairing guys down the road. We could definetly use more top six skill and another top 3 dman. Maybe this years draft and a solid free agent pick up could bring a little more hope and a playoff spot next year.
Rakhshani will be here before all those players because he'll have four years of college seasoning by the time the year is up, and he'll spend next year in the Bridge hammering out his adjustment to the pro game.
Gregoire and Toews, both sophomores, will very likely finish college. My odds on them seeing the pros before 2011 would be 40:1.
I've seen Rakshani play a bunch, and was not impressed. He's nifty, for sure, but he's no burner. Undersized guys who aren't elite skaters just don't excite me. He'll go pro, but I don't think he's much better than a borderline NHL'er - another Kip Miller/Jason Krog kind of guy.
As for Gregoire and Toews - if the organization thinks they're ready, they'll have to turn down money to go back to school. If Gregoire is the elite penalty killer/clutch player, as he's been noted, Isles shouldn't let him graduate.
I forgot about Poulin... I've never seen him, but if the organization is *that* high on the guy (someone who speaks to Botta obviously is), he should make the top 10. My bad.
top 10 and a bonus player)
