The Official Prospects Thread

[theohall]

Watching a Tampa game from the other day, and Sarnia is retiring Yzerman's 91. Interestingly, Kyrou had 94 point in his first 66 games for Sarnia. Stamkos had 92 in 63. Kyrou could exceed Stamkos total points over 2 years based on his 1st 32 games.

Stamkos, however, excelled at goal scoring netting 100 goals in 2 seasons.

Kryou
GP 66 G 30 A 64 Pts 94 PIM 36 +/- 5
GP 32 G 21 A 41 Pts 62 PIM 10 +/- 15

Stamkos
GP 63 G 42 A 50 Pts 92 PIM 56 +/- 13
GP 61 G 58 A 47 Pts 105 PIM 88 +/- 18

I will be very surprised if he isn't on the Blues roster next season, especially after training camp this past season.

[glen a richter]

FWIW, I was just on hockeydb.com and in the "Last 5 minutes" box, Thomas and Kyrou were respectively the #2 and #5 searched prospects. That kind of ranking can't be exclusive to Blues fans, so it seems they're drawing some attention elsewhere as well. I've heard rumblings of them being included in trade talks, so that could be where the interest is coming from.

[theohall]

If Armstrong trades either of them, mark it down as one of the dumbest things Armstrong ever does. The only exception to this would be a Tavares for Thomas (plus whomever) type deal - not Kyrou.

[theohall]

London Knights (Robert Thomas) vs Sarnia Sting (Jordan Kyrou) is on NHL Network this afternoon at 2:30 CT.

Nevermind - Thomas got traded to the Hamilton Bulldogs for 1 player, a draft pick and 4 more conditional draft picks. Yeah - it's OHL draft picks, but still... Hamilton is currently in 1st place in the Eastern Conference and has been loading up via trades this season for a Memorial Cup run.

At least still get to watch Kyrou.

[glen a richter]

Since they're back in the 1st round now and I'm guessing that'll be a bottom 5 pick, I started looking at some of the players projected to go down that far. A couple jumped out to me... Serron Noel (RW) and Mattias Samuelsson (LHD) seem to be solid prospects that far down.

[glen a richter]

Some lower tier guys...

Evan Fitzpatrick actually looks like he may have figured out how to play goal. He's on a new team now and putting up some nice numbers, 14-3 with a 2.06 GAA. He'll probably slot in at San Antonio next season.

Austin Poganski is looking okay, probably won't get an ELC though.

Offensively speaking, David Noel is looking pretty good, but he's also a -44 which is 12 worse than the next worst +/- on his team. Kind of awful but there are a lot of minuses on that team so I'd like to see what he can do elsewhere.

[theohall]

With Fitzpatrick's team in 1st place overall, there will be a chance to see what he can do in a playoff setting. He's struggled when in 'big game' situations like playing for Team Canada. So we'll see. The struggles may have been just from being a teenager. He's only 20.

Forget Poganski unless the Blues just sign him for AHL depth.

Noel is truly playing on an awful team. 3rd worst record in QMJHL. Tied for fewest goals in QMJHL. Would fit right in with the Blues right now.

With him leading his team in scoring, there is potential for him to be traded to a contending junior team next season. It should be noted, though, 2 of his team's top 3 forwards in scoring have missed 10+ games each. Odds are Nicolas Ouellet would be leading if he hadn't missed a bunch of games. Hopefully, Noel gets moved to a contending team next season, but juniors are weird.

Robert Thomas named OHL player of the week for the Hamilton Bulldogs. This is awesome as it proves his success wasn't just from playing on a strong London Knights team (he was traded from London to Hamilton at the OHL trade deadline) and he can play and excel with different linemates on completely different teams.

[theohall]

This is from Eliot Friedman's 31 Thoughts blog this week.

25. In the aftermath of the trade deadline, I asked junior expert extraordinaire Sam Cosentino for feedback on what went down with some of the prospects. He had an interesting answer about the upcoming draft.

Sam said he would compare it to 2008, where 12 defencemen went in the first round. Eight of them were right-shot defenders, some real studs among the group: John Carlson, Drew Doughty, Erik Karlsson, Alex Pietrangelo. Add Zach Bogosian, Michael Del Zotto, Jake Gardiner, Tyler Myers, Luca Sbisa and Luke Schenn — you’ve got a lot of guys who hit 500 games (Sbisa is at 495.) In his February rankings, Sam had 13 defencemen in the first round, six with right shots. With defence and centre being the most premium spots to pick, it’s a really good year to take a shot at a top pairing defender.

So looks like finding a RD or C is very possible in the 1st round - even if not in the top 10.

Here are Cosentino's 2018 1st Rd Draft Rankings

1. Rasmus Dahlin, D, six-foot-two, 181 pounds (Frolunda, SHL): Kinda like Muhammad Ali in the day, the undisputed champ.

2. Filip Zadina, RW, six-foot, 196 pounds (Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL): Started with little room to move, but the snipe show has transcended league play, international play and best-on-best at the Top Prospects game.

3. Andrei Svechnikov, RW, six-foot-two, 186 pounds (Barrie Colts, OHL): Big, strong and powerful — skating is smooth as silk. Game is less dynamic and more pro.

4. Brady Tkachuk, LW, six-foot-three, 196 pounds (Boston University, NCAA): World junior performance carries a lot of weight as do the bloodlines.

5. Adam Boqvist, D, five-foot-11, 168 pounds (Brynas Jr.): Game-changing offensive abilities where the feet and hands work well in concert.

6. Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, six-foot-one, 205 pounds (USNTDP): His shot would play in the NHL today. He has improved his all-around game and ability to utilize teammates.

7. Noah Dobson, D, six-foot-three, 180 pounds (Acadie-Bathurst Titan, QMJHL): His rise from the start of the season to now is reminiscent of Travis Sanheim from the 2014 draft.

8. Evan Bouchard, D, six-foot-two, 193 pounds (London Knights, OHL): Three years ago a few wisemen (Dale and Mark Hunter) claimed Bouchard as one of the smartest young players they had seen in some time. Go figure.

9. Quinn Hughes, D, five-foot-10, 170 pounds (U of Michigan, NCAA): He’s been bypassed by both Dobson and Bouchard, but still remains inside the top 10.

10. Barrett Hayton, C, six-foot-one, 191 pounds (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, OHL): As mature a young man as you’ll find, he’s got game that when matched with character makes him an easy pick.

11. Rasmus Kupari, C, six-foot-one, 183 pounds (Karpat, Finnish Liiga): Was incredibly close to going to Sault Ste. Marie after the world juniors and now it looks like important peer viewings will not be garnered in the upcoming Five Nations tournament.

12. Joel Farabee, LW, six-foot, 164 pounds (USNTDP): Highly skilled forward who presents the dual threat as his hockey IQ makes him equally as dangerous a playmaker as he is a shooter.

13. Isac Lundestrom, C, six-foot, 185 pounds (Lulea, SHL): Excellent speed and versatility with attention to detail in his game make him a solid pick.

14. Joe Veleno, C, six-foot-one, 195 pounds (Drummondville, QMJHL): The weight of the draft and taking on more than he could chew in Saint John stymied the production. The real Joe Veleno is emerging daily in Drummondville.

15. Mattias Samuelsson, D, six-foot-four, 217 pounds (USNTDP): Think Cal Foote from the 2017 draft. Not flashy — just gets the job done.

16. Ty Smith, D, five-foot-11, 176 pounds (Spokane Chiefs, WHL): Despite a poor showing at the Top Prospects game, there’s too much evidence in skating, character and compete to knock him too far down the list.

17. Jared McIsaac, D, six-foot-one, 195 pounds (Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL): Brings a little bit of everything into the fold with just enough of an old school touch to let you know he’s a defenceman first.

18. Bode Wilde, D, six-foot-three, 195 pounds (USNTDP): There’s a lot of risk in his game, but rather than the prototypical undersized puck mover, Wilde has size without sacrificing mobility.

19. Grigori Denisenko, LW, five-foot-11, 176 pounds (Yarolsavl Jr.): Wickedly skilled, but will likely go lower than where his skill set says he should.

20. Serron Noel, RW, six-foot-five, 200 pounds (Oshawa Generals, OHL): At the start of the year he looked more like a project, but the player he can become is starting to come into focus.

21. Jacob Olofsson, C, six-foot-two, 192 pounds (Timra, Allsvenskan): Has always produced despite playing second fiddle, be it internationally or in the Allsvenskan.

22. Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, six-foot-two, 188 pounds (Assat, Finnish Liiga): Drives the play, doesn’t give up the play and can play any style of game.

23. Ryan McLeod, C, six-foot-two, 200 pounds (Mississauga Steelheads, OHL): Excellent vision accompanied by dynamic playmaking ability. Is a bit of a wild card as to where he’ll end up.

24. Rasmus Sandin, D, five-foot-11, 183 pounds (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, OHL): He’s found comfort in his new digs and it shows in his play.

25. Jett Woo, D, six-foot, 205 pounds (Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL): Getting healthy and a long playoff run should help scouts get a better feel for NHL projection.

26. Benoit Olivier-Groulx, C, six-foot-one, 192 pounds (Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL): Third-line centre would be his floor, but with increased scoring this year, the ceiling has risen.

27. K’Andre Miller, D, six-foot-three, 206 pounds (USNTDP): A converted forward from a few years ago, Miller is still refining his game. But he’s an elite skater, which helps him immensely on both sides of the puck.

28. Akil Thomas, C, five-foot-11, 169 pounds (Niagara IceDogs, OHL): There’s a complete package to work with and he’s started to produce more consistently.

29. Dominik Bokk, LW, six-foot-one, 180 pounds (Vaxjo, SHL): Chose Sweden over the CHL as a means to balance game play and practice. Leon Draisaitl comparisons are a stretch, but late first round is not.

30. Ryan Merkley, D, six-foot, 170 pounds (Guelph Storm, OHL): Most polarizing figure in this draft — he’s a top-10 talent, but talent alone doesn’t get you by like it used to.

31. Martin Kaut, RW, six-foot-two, 176 pounds (Pardubice, Czech Extraliga): Good-sized right shot was very effective at the world juniors playing in all situations. Is also having a solid year in a tough league playing against men.

[glen a richter]

Sarnia is headed to the playoffs, so Kyrou's regular season is finished... 56 games played, 39-70-109. He missed 12 games of the Sting's season, so those numbers could have been even gaudier. Hell of a season, can't wait to see him in the Note. I don't necessarily want Sarnia to fall apart in their playoffs, but it would be pretty damn great if the Blues manage to secure the 8 seed and get him on the roster headed into the playoffs.

[theohall]

Robert Thomas had a 4 point game (2G 2A) for Hamilton in their first playoff game. His only 2 shots on goal both found the twine.

[theohall]

Robert Thomas named OHL Playoff MVP for OHL Championship winning Hamilton Bulldogs

12 goals, 20 assists and 32 points in 21 games, collecting seven of those points in the Rogers OHL Championship Series.

Memorial Cup preview on Thomas:

Hamilton Bulldogs, Robert Thomas: Arguably the CHL’s most-rounded and NHL-ready player, Thomas gave the Bulldogs game-changing ability after he was acquired from London. It took a while for the St. Louis first-rounder to adjust to fewer minutes and less power play time, but after he bought into coach John Gruden’s philosophy, the Bulldogs became a different team. Thomas takes all of Hamilton’s important faceoffs, he brings Mastercard Memorial Cup experience and he can impact the game in a variety of ways that don’t always involve putting up points. Further, he’s been able to take over the Hamilton room without disrespecting the previous leadership group. Along with those intangibles, he brings London swagger, an always-appreciated asset at this time of year.

Prior Wayne Gretzky '99' Awards winners (the OHL playoff MVP):
Mitch Marner
McDavid
Bo Horvat
Robby Fabbri
Austin Watson
Adam Henrique
Taylor Hall
Austin Watson

Couple of dudes in the past 10 I haven't heard of:

Warren Foegele - last year currently Carolina prospect; Rob Mignardi 2011 fell off the map after that year)

The NHL Network is televising most of the Memorial Cup games so there is a chance to see Thomas in action during that series. For those unaware how this cup works...

The WHL, OHL, QMJHL Champions and the host city play a round robin. The top team gets a bye to the finals and the 2nd and 3rd play in the semis. A tiebreaker is played if necessary to determine the final order before the semi-final, since a round robin could result in ties.

For sure when on the air (all times ET)
5/19 1 am Regina vs Hamilton (re-air of game played 5/18 at 10 pm); condensed version re-airs at 11:30 am same day.
5/21 8 pm Swift Current vs Hamilton
5/23 2 am Arcadia-Bathurst vs Hamilton (re-airs at 1 pm same day)

Potential games:
5/24 8pm Tie Breaker (if necessary)
5/25 Semi-Final 10 pm
5/27 Final 7 pm

As a side note: Kryou disappeared in the OHL playoffs. Kyrou did win the Red Tilson Trophy for most outstanding player in the OHL regular season and the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy, which the OHL awards to the top scoring right winger. The last 3 winners of the Red Tilson - Alex DeBrincat, Mitch Marner, and Connor McDavid.

[glen a richter]

I'm curious about how badly Yeo will mismanage the youngsters next season. The time is right to give Thomas and Kyrou more time, as well as maybe Blais and definitely you have to put Stevens and Kaspick into the picture as well. It just seems like we jump from one lousy coach to the next... Murray, Hitchcock, Yeo. Switch up the philosophy, how about it?

I would love to see Army sign John Tavares to slot directly into the #1 center role because if he joins the Blues and his scoring disappears, it'll be tangible evidence that Yeo is a moron who can't coach an offensively gifted team to save his life and may accelerate his termination. Don't let Yeo get his grubby paws on the youngsters for an extended period of time lest their development gets stunted just like Perron's did. And I'm not convinced Berglund's problem is actually Berglund's fault. Just like Perron during his time in St. Louis, he never had the right coach at the NHL level. Do we really want the next generation of talent to turn into a bunch of Berglund clones?

[theohall]

Well said, glen.

There is a question about durability in relation to Blais, though. He clearly has talent, but wound up injured once, finally got recalled, and was injured again on a relatively normal NHL check.

Watch the Blues wind up having Robert Thomas play in San Antonio, even though almost all experts agree he is the most NHL-ready player currently playing in all three junior leagues which compose the CHL. After all, he's only 6'0, under 200, and right-handed. You know, not 6-3, 210, and a checker like Sundqvist.

[WaukeeBlues]

Glenn Gawdin.

He was our 4th round pick in 2015.

2013-14 Swift Current Broncos WHL 66 10 12 22 34 -11
2014-15 Swift Current Broncos WHL 72 15 39 54 59 -9
2015-16 Swift Current Broncos WHL 53 19 34 53 63 +7
2016-17 Swift Current Broncos WHL 52 26 33 59 80 +21
2017-18 Swift Current Broncos WHL 67 56 69 125 101 +61

Blues never signed him, Calgary snagged him with a contract in November 2017 and the kid has (of course) f**king exploded and was recently named WHL playoff MVP.

We could've had three players (Kyrou, Thomas, Gawdin) as CHL MVP's either playoffs or regular season.

1) What the f**k Blues? Okay, the kid didn't have his numbers spike but they were climbing...?
2) If this guy turns into a legitimate NHL player I'm going to be pissed.

[WaukeeBlues]

Found this article. Feel slightly better. Slightly.

Guess he re-entered the draft entirely in 2017 and went undrafted. Wasn't just us then.

Clicky!

It’s Tuesday afternoon in the bowels of the Scotiabank Saddledome, one week ago. The Swift Current Broncos are in high spirits, having just beaten the Calgary Hitmen in the final game of a road trip – their first win in Calgary in five years. The Broncos were led to victory by their captain Glenn Gawdin, who signed with the Calgary Flames as a free agent in November.

Before Gawdin could tend to his media responsibilities he was met by a large contingent of Flames hockey operations staffers, including president of hockey operations Brian Burke and general manager Brad Treliving. That’s life for the Western Hockey League’s leading scorer, and represents a big reversal of fortune for a player that wasn’t signed by the St. Louis Blues and was passed over upon re-entry into the NHL Draft.

A product of Richmond, British Columbia, Gawdin played his minor hockey in the area and was drafted by the Broncos in 2012 WHL Bantam Draft. He made the leap into the Dub after a productive season in midget with the Greater Vancouver Canadians.

His WHL career has been consistently productive, even before this season.
Season Age GP G P PPG 5v5 P 5v5 P1
2012-13 15 2 0 0 0.00 0 0
2013-14 16 66 10 22 0.33 19 16
2014-15 17 72 15 54 0.75 37 26
2015-16 18 53 19 53 1.00 35 29
2016-17 19 52 26 59 1.13 41 31
2017-18 20 65 55 122 1.88 70 52

(Stats via Prospect-Stats.com)

Gawdin’s been regarded in WHL circles as a strong 200-foot player basically since his first full season – 0.33 points per game as a 16-year-old rookie is pretty respectable – and his strong overall play saw him get drafted in the fourth round (116th overall) by the Blues in 2015. (The Flames selected Andrew Mangiapane 50 spots later.)

But two factors likely led to the Blues opting not to sign Gawdin: productivity and the NHL’s expansion. In terms of productivity, Gawdin’s two post-draft seasons saw a slight uptick in scoring but not the big jump that’s often see in players that become prospects of note. (For reference, Dillon Dube’s two post-draft seasons have seen him post 1.38 and 1.50 points per game.) The other piece was the NHL expanding to 31 teams, which led to the Blues no longer having an AHL affiliate of their own after Vegas came the new parent of the Chicago Wolves.

From Arch Authority:

That apparently wasn’t enough to sell the Blues on Gawdin, though it’s understandable why they might have felt that signing him would be overkill, as they’re already attempting to develop a multitude of mid-level forward prospects such as Mackenzie MacEachern, Adam Musil, Conner Bleackley, Samuel Blais, and Justin Selman. Since they won’t have an AHL affiliate next season, they’ll have a limited number of AHL roster spots available, and perhaps they felt that it was more sensible to let Gawdin hook on with another organization than to add him to the already large stable of organizational forwards.

Gawdin re-entered the NHL Draft and ended up unclaimed. But the Flames reached out with an invite to their summer development camp. He impressed and earned an invite to participate in the Young Stars Classic tournament in Penticton, and he was good enough there to spend some time in main camp. He ended up finally signing an entry-level contract with the Flames in November.

By the time he signed with the Flames on Nov. 16, he already had 40 points and was well on his way to the best offensive season he’s ever had. Through 65 games, he has 122 points – nine more than the next-best WHLer – and has doubled his best offensive year’s production. He’s always been a smart player who can contribute in all three zones, but he just seems to be exactly where he needs to be with the puck (and able to find his teammates with the puck) this season.

Speaking at the Saddledome after Swift Current’s big win, Gawdin shared that he didn’t think he was doing anything differently than he was in previous seasons. He began the season playing with Panthers prospect Aleksi Heponiemi and Coyotes prospect Tyler Steenbergen, but has since rotated throughout the lineup and maintained his torrid offensive pace.

“I feel like I’m just making the most of my opportunities,” said Gawdin. “I feel like I was always getting chances, and sometimes they weren’t always going in, but I’m definitley getting more chances and kinda just riding a confidence wave. To start this year my linemates included Heponiemi and Steenbergen, we had a good start and we just kinda built off that. Those guys are pretty easy to play with. Steener’s getting close, but Hepo’s over 100 [points], too, so you’re gonna get looks with those guys, it’s just making the most of them.”

For his part, Gawdin seems more focused on team goals than individual goals, which makes sense considering he’s spent four full seasons in the WHL and has made it out of the first round of the playoffs just once.

“If you win the scoring title, you win the scoring title,” said Gawdin. “Basic thing for us is just winning games and hopefully you’re playing in May in the Memorial Cup. That’s our focus and that’s the biggest goal.”

The Broncos begin the WHL playoffs in a couple weeks. Flames fans can see Gawdin there, or wait until development camp in July or prospect camp in September.

[theohall]

Right now - one should remember Gawdin is now an "over-ager" in the WHL, so is the success now from being the maximum age for the league against many players 2-3 years younger? Or is he really that much better? This is what happened with former Blues prospect Brett Sonne. Gawdin turned 21 in March. Robert Thomas won't be 19 until July.

Also, Blues goaltending prospect Evan Fitzpatrick won the QMJHL title with Acadia-Bathurst and is starting for them in this Memorial Cup.

[glen a richter]

Fitzpatrick will probably be the #1 in San Antonio next year with Husso backing up Allen and Hutton gone as a UFA. I wouldn't have really expected it, the way Fitz started out with those hideous numbers but he seems to have found his game so more power to him and more depth if necessary. What's the word on Binnington? I know he was loaned out this season but he should still be in the organization. I'm guessing his turn is up as there are younger options moving forward between Husso, Fitzpatrick and Opilka who was injured all season.

[theohall]

The concern with Fitzpatrick, he didn't play well for Sherbrooke which was an "ok" team. Traded to Acadie-Bathurst which has the 3 highest scoring defensemen in the QMJHL - all over-agers - and he did well with that strong defense in front of him. Yes, Fitzpatrick played way better than the guy who was starting for Acadie-Bathurst before the trade. So the question - will Fitzpatrick be a strong netminder regardless of the skill of the defense in front of him, or does he have to have that strong defense in front of him to be successful?

Binnington played great for Providence in the regular season 17-9-0, 2.05, .926, but fell apart in the playoffs. 3 starts - 1-1 (1 no decision when he got pulled because Providence tied the game after he was pulled) 4.39, .865. He got pulled in his last start giving up 3 goals on 14 shots in one period. Restricted free agent who helped himself with that regular season, then immediately hurt himself with that awful playoff record rearing the question mark which has existed even before he was drafted - consistency.

If the Blues do re-sign him, he's most likely going to be on loan to someone again, playing in the ECHL, or traded. Heck, his rights alone might be traded for a later round pick. Fitzpatrick will be a San Antonio goalie. Whether or not Binnington is with San Antonio likely depends on Luke Opilka's health whose undergone 3 hip surgeries already. Opilka is under contract and too old to stay in juniors, but hasn't played a game since the end of the 16-17 season.

[theohall]

first time i've ever seen this.

at the end of the Acadie-Bathurst vs Regina game... Regina had a massive comeback - down 7-2... got it to 7-6. Then, as time was running out, A-B put the puck into the empty net. The refs hadn't counted the goal and let the clock run out. Regina stayed on their bench arguing there was time left, so the refs put the empty net goal on the the board and .8 seconds so A-B beat Regina 8-6. Just silly to argue for more time knowing you would be down 2 with less than a second left.

[WaukeeBlues]

Right now - one should remember Gawdin is now an "over-ager" in the WHL, so is the success now from being the maximum age for the league against many players 2-3 years younger? Or is he really that much better? This is what happened with former Blues prospect Brett Sonne. Gawdin turned 21 in March. Robert Thomas won't be 19 until July.

Good points, thanks for easing my irrational emotional response haha.