The Official Prospects Thread

[theohall]

http://twitter.com/ECHL/status/1070347062301155329

[theohall]

Hugh McGing (LW) is having a great season for Western Michigan 16 GP 10 G 6 A.

Tyler Tucker (LD 6 1 205) is having a very good season for the Barrie Colts in the OHL 33 GP 8 G 19 A. He was one of the defenseman who looked good in the Traverse City tournament most of the time.

Scott Perunovich (LD 5 9 164) at Univ of Minnesota-Duluth is on a better than point per game pace. 16 GP 2 G 16 A. At the college level, 16 defenseman lead their team in scoring this season. Perunovich is one of them.

Mathias Laferriere (listed as RW playing C) is also having a strong season for his junior team, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. 35 GP 17 G 25 A. 2nd on the team in scoring.

While Joel Hofer has gotten most of the work for the Swift Current Broncos, the team isn't very good. They are in dead last in the WHL. Hofer is 4-19-1-1-2 (W-L-OTL-SOL-SOW) with a 4.20 GAA .899 SV%. Considering Evan Fitzpatrick had similarly awful numbers his entire time with Sherbrooke, this is a wait and see prospect until he gets a shot with a better team in front of him, like happened with Fitzpatrick. Especially when, as the backup last season, Hofer was 8-3-1 2.61 .914. Swift Current was WHL champs last season and are in the basement this season due to losing so many players. If you look at Swift Current's roster comparing last season to this season, there is one player in the top 20 in games played on both rosters and he's a 3rd pairing defenseman.

There isn't enough information on how Bokk is doing other than he's playing up a league for his age in the Swedish Hockey League. 21 GP 3 G 7 A and is playing for Germany in the World Junior Under 20 D1A producing 1 G 7 A in 5 GP, which is tops in the tournament in scoring. Germany is 4-1-0-0 (W-WOT-OTL-L) - so undefeated in the tournament. Other teams in the tournament are Belarus, Austria, Norway, Latvia and France.

So the 2018 draft looks promising in how the prospects are developing.

[glen a richter]

I'm excited to see how Perunovich and Laferriere develop moving forward. Both could be players in a couple of seasons. I didn't realize McGing was doing so well, but I keep forgetting they drafted him so I haven't followed much.

Hofer, yeah he's following the same basic trajectory as Fitzpatrick. Given how much Husso has fallen on his face this season and with Opilka retiring, you really can't have enough goalies in the system so hopefully Hofer continues to improve the same way Fitzpatrick demonstrated. That said, I would still use one of the draft picks on a goalie this June.

[theohall]

The key difference between Perunovich and Reinke, seeing as they are both small, Perunovich has really good foot speed that Reinke lacks.

[theohall]

Evan Fitzpatrick has been re-assigned to Tulsa, so he can continue to be a starter... which likely means Husso is about to return from his injury, whatever that was.

[theohall]

Blues 4th rounder G Joel Hofer traded from Swift Current Broncos to Portland Winterhawks

In search of a move to raise their status as a contender in the Western Hockey League’s Western Conference, Portland Winterhawks Vice President, General Manager and Head Coach Mike Johnston made a big splash Wednesday morning.

In the deal, St. Louis Blues goaltending prospect Joel Hofer is the newest member of the U.S. Division club while the Winterhawks have sent six selections over the next three WHL Bantam Drafts to the Broncos as the defending WHL Champions look to continue their rebuild towards the future.

“We’d like to thank Joel for his contributions on and off the ice over his time in Swift Current,” said Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Dean Brockman. “He leaves us as a WHL Champion and as an established goaltender.”

In the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, the Broncos have acquired selections in the first and third round. In the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft, the Broncos acquired a second-round selection, a fourth-round selection, and a fifth-round selection. In the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft, the Broncos also receive a first-round selection from the Winterhawks.

It’s a steep price to pay, but a deal worth making in the eyes of Johnston as his team sits 11 points behind the Everett Silvertips for first place in the U.S. Division and Western Conference. With a talented forward core at his disposal that includes two of the leagues top 10 scorers in Joachim Blichfeld (San Jose Sharks) and captain Cody Glass (Vegas Golden Knights), the time to make a move was now.

“We are excited to add Joel to our group for the next two seasons,” Johnston said. “He has proven to be an elite goaltender in the Eastern Conference.”

Originally listed by the Broncos, the 18-year-old from Winnipeg, Man. has developed well among WHL goaltenders. Hofer joined the Broncos on a full-time basis at the start of the 2017-18 WHL Regular Season, posting an 8-3-1-1 record, 2.61 goals-against-average, 0.914 save percentage, and one shutout in 19 games. Hofer won his WHL debut, stopping 23 of 25 shots in a 5-2 win against the Saskatoon Blades on September 22, 2017.

Hofer then appeared in two games during the 2018 WHL Playoffs, playing a supporting role behind Edmonton Oilers prospect Stuart Skinner as the Broncos captured their first WHL Championship since 1993. In those two appearances, Hofer posted a 2.60 GAA and a 0.875 SV%, stopping 14 of 16 shots in 46 minutes of action.

At the 2018 National Hockey League Draft, Hofer was selected in the fourth round, 107th overall, by the Blues. Hofer was the top WHL goaltender selected at the draft.

This season, Hofer has been a key cog for the Broncos in their post-championship season, posting a 6-21-2-1 record, 4.02 GAA, 0.904 SV% and one shutout. That clean sheet came last Saturday as he recorded a 46-save shutout in a 1-0 win against the Regina Pats. Hofer leads the WHL in shots faced (1,257) and saves made (1,136).

Overall, Hofer has appeared in 49 WHL regular season games, posting a 14-24-3-2 record, 3.55 GAA, 0.907 SV%, and two shutouts.

Hofer will be going to a Manitoban-friendly team, with Glass, rookie forward Seth Jarvis, rookie defenceman Nick Cicek, and rookie goaltender Dante Giannuzzi all contributing to the Winterhawks’ success through their first 40 games.

Already 3-0 on their bi-annual road trip through the East Division, the Winterhawks will make their fourth of six stops on the road trip Wednesday, January 9 (7:00 p.m. CT) against the Regina Pats at the Brandt Centre.

In other words, Hofer is considered a quality goaltender already even with those awful numbers this season which are the consequence of Swift Current turning over essentially their entire roster this season after winning the WHL last season. Also a good move - going from the worst team in the WHL to the team currently 4th in points in the WHL and 2nd in their division.

[glen a richter]

Looks like the same path for Hofer as it was for Fitzpatrick. Husso better watch out before he ends up dead last on the depth chart.

Given the progress of Binnington so far, and Fitzpatrick and Hofer looking up, I don't think I'm going to put a whole lot of importance on the team drafting a goalie this year. When Opilka retired, I really started thinking that they'd need to draft someone else but I'm ok with the situation as it is. There are a couple of guys projected to be late round picks that I'd look at if they want to get another goalie into the system though, notably Mads Sogaard, a tall Dane splitting duty up in Medicine Hat.

[glen a richter]

Only two games in, but Hofer's team change has started off nicely. GAA down, saver percentage up, good move for his development.

[theohall]

Tyler Tucker everyone.
https://twitter.com/ryanpmcarthur/status/1086106783649800193 Not surprised at all in Hofer after how well he played as the backup for Swift Current last season. Playing on the equivalent of an expansion team as a goalie is never a good thing, which is what Swift Current became.

[WaukeeBlues]

Tyler Tucker everyone.
https://twitter.com/ryanpmcarthur/status/1086106783649800193 Not surprised at all in Hofer after how well he played as the backup for Swift Current last season. Playing on the equivalent of an expansion team as a goalie is never a good thing, which is what Swift Current became.

Ouch. Those last few punches were brutal. He's a big kid! Looking on hockeydb his stats have show steady improvement in this his third year in the OHL.

[theohall]

UMD made the NCAA regionals so Blues prospect Scott Perunovich is still playing. Bowling Green vs UMD, Sat Mar 30, 4 ET on ESPNU. That's it for NCAA prospects still playing.

Hugh McGing was an assistant captain for Western Michigan. Finished 3rd on the team in scoring 16 G 14 A +2. WMU had a good year, but got knocked out in the NCHC tournament by Colorado College.


Good source for college hockey tournament news and where to watch: College Hockey News

[theohall]

Minnesota-Duluth vs Providence Frozen Four Semi-final today @ 4 CT ESPN2

[glen a richter]

Alexei Toropchenko is having a pretty solid season and postseason for Guelph. It should be interesting next year to see if he lines up with Kostin who had a crap season. See if the Russians can find some chemistry and develop better together at the AHL level. No way either cracks the NHL next season, just no way.

[theohall]

Toropchenko is developing and improving because he took the junior route which actually develops players and teaches non North Americans how to adapt to North American hockey and culture. No one is doing the off ice thing for Kostin, because he's lived with his father the whole time he's been in North America. He made a large mistake not taking the junior route, IMO, and not letting someone other than his father teach him how to adapt culturally.

[WaukeeBlues]

Toropchenko is developing and improving because he took the junior route which actually develops players and teaches non North Americans how to adapt to North American hockey and culture. No one is doing the off ice thing for Kostin, because he's lived with his father the whole time he's been in North America. He made a large mistake not taking the junior route, IMO, and not letting someone other than his father teach him how to adapt culturally.

I've quickly gone from excited to nervous about him. Granted he's still really young- turning 20 in four days- but he's looking like the Nail Yakupov mode: "I want to play pro, that's all I'm playing, I'm good enough" and then... isn't.

Next year is huge for him. I hope he knows it.

[theohall]

I was trying to remember the name Yakupov... but forgot it. The difference with Kostin is Yakupov was a #1 overall pick thrust into the NHL too soon, but he did make the same mistake in terms of not adapting to North American culture.

It should be noted Tarasenko stayed in the KHL to develop when he was 18, 19, and 20. He didn't join the Blues until he was 21. That might have been a smarter thing for Kostin to do also. The guy just seems like a head case which was reinforced when JR did an interview for The Athletic where Kostin insisted on having a translator, which it was found out later he didn't even need and was just screwing around. I get 19 year old kids screwing around - I did - but I wasn't getting paid almost 900K per year to play hockey.

I hope he turns it around, but everything around Kostin is screaming "head case" wasting his talent. It's as if he believes his talent is enough and he shouldn't have to adjust anything he does, because he's so talented. What happens to guys who don't adjust - they wind up staying in the AHL, falling to the ECHL, or going back to the KHL.

[WaukeeBlues]

I was trying to remember the name Yakupov... but forgot it. The difference with Kostin is Yakupov was a #1 overall pick thrust into the NHL too soon, but he did make the same mistake in terms of not adapting to North American culture.

It should be noted Tarasenko stayed in the KHL to develop when he was 18, 19, and 20. He didn't join the Blues until he was 21. That might have been a smarter thing for Kostin to do also. The guy just seems like a head case which was reinforced when JR did an interview for The Athletic where Kostin insisted on having a translator, which it was found out later he didn't even need and was just screwing around. I get 19 year old kids screwing around - I did - but I wasn't getting paid almost 900K per year to play hockey.

I hope he turns it around, but everything around Kostin is screaming "head case" wasting his talent. It's as if he believes his talent is enough and he shouldn't have to adjust anything he does, because he's so talented. What happens to guys who don't adjust - they wind up staying in the AHL, falling to the ECHL, or going back to the KHL.

And even at the time we picked him he was considered a "boom/bust" even then. So far it's looking like that latter but we can't even be mad because that was the risk/reward at the time he was selected. There's a reason he was available at 31...

[theohall]

Didn't feel like starting another thread for this, but watching the U18 World Championships, Cole Caufield, while under-sized at 5-7 is flipping amazing at scoring. Doesn't matter where he's shooting from, he almost never misses the net - even when picking corners. And it isn't always Jack Hughes setting him up. In the opening game, Caufield had a hat trick before Hughes even registered his first point.

[theohall]

Toropchenko goal Game 3 of OHL Finals

[WaukeeBlues]

Didn't feel like starting another thread for this, but watching the U18 World Championships, Cole Caufield, while under-sized at 5-7 is flipping amazing at scoring. Doesn't matter where he's shooting from, he almost never misses the net - even when picking corners. And it isn't always Jack Hughes setting him up. In the opening game, Caufield had a hat trick before Hughes even registered his first point.

Debrincat 2.0? Still burns me that he fell to the flipping Blackhawks.

I hope we hold on to our first round pick this next year to select someone in 2020. Obviously if something makes sense down the line to trade it then do what you gotta do Army but I'm a big advocate of hanging on to your firsts wherever possible.