hey all i've been waiting for more activity before giving any updates and what better time during the world juniors?
The tournament started this past weekend and several ducks prospects are already making marks in a positive way.
first let me list the players that made their respective teams
Brandon McMillan-CAN
Jake Gardiner-USA
Kyle Palmieri-USA
Igor Bobkov-Russia
Radoslav Illo-Slovakia
Sami Vatanen-Finland
Luca Sbisa-Switzerland
Sbisa played his first game of the tournament against team USA, and he is clearly the best player, he logged huge minutes and made a few attempts at C2C goals as he doesn't have many talented forwards to work with, he has good ideas with playmaking but not the caliber of mates that know what to do in those situations. Don't expect big point numbers but when you watch him you can see at this point he's a level above most other players
Brandon McMillan has had a surprisingly good season and played himself on to Canadas top six, this was a player who went from off the radar to a prominent position. He does a bit of everything, he's a great skater, his hockey sense is well above average,, responsible defensively and is now starting to display an offensive upside nobody knew he had. He reminds you of former Duck Chris Kunitz, with a mix of speed, grit, heart and skill. he had a goal and an assist against Latvia, expect this tournament to springboard his career.
Sami Vatanen, during the summer I was raving about this kid, he has to overcome the size obstacle, but from a pure talent standpoint he is one of the best young defensemen out there. Don't believe me? watch this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzQdajbP4CQ&feature=player_embedded
also he tested as one of the best conditioned athletes at the draft combine, hes wirey strong and has amazing endurance, I expect Vatanen to possibly be one of the stars of the tournament.
Jake Gardiner, has been slotted in a defensive role, no PP time and basically covering for his young d partners he has done a good job of using his skating and size to protect his side of the ice in the long term this could be great for him, he has struggled through a reported shoulder injury most of the year. His combo of size and speed is very interesting especially as he rounds out his defensive game.
Kyle Palmieri, he is a pure agitator, but with talent, hes physical, fast and good at 1 on 1 battles how much skill does he have? time will tell but he is playing on team USA's top 6 and has 2 assists so far in two games.
Radoslav Illo, Illo like Vatanen could be one of the big surprises of the tourney. being healthy this year and having a really good year in the USHL has led to huge leaps in his development, he has 1 goal and 3 assists in two games so far. He has some grit to go along with an outstanding shot, his slapshot is hard and heavy and is also known to have quite a snap/wrist shot as well. He could emerge from this tourney as a blue chipper.
Igor Bobkov, Russia has played one game, it wasn't of consequence, hard to tell anything at this point
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
No. 1 Luca Sbisa
1. Luca Sbisa- Sbisa was selected 19th in the 2008 draft. Sbisa is a very good all around player. He does a bit of everything, he can skate, pass, shoot, hit, fight and defend. He’s a player that really broke out in the 2008 WHL playoffs. He’s also blessed with good size at 6’2 190, so obviously he has room to grow into his frame and become a solid 200+ pounder.
He was so impressive at Flyers camp last year, he made the team and played in 39 games. He was later sent back to Lethbridge as the Flyers had a glut of D as well as cap issues so removing his cap number helped. He went on to play over 30 minutes a game back in junior helping his team advance in the playoffs.
Sbisa is expected to make the Ducks right out of camp, many expect him to be paired with Scott Niedermayer, on one hand that’s going to help him learn a lot about what it takes to become a great player. On the other, that means Carlyle is throwing him into the fire against top offensive players. Can he help contain players like Joe Thornton, Pavel Datsyuk and so on? If he can it could accelerate his development, if he can’t….it could stunt his growth. So It’s a bit risky, no doubt but I’ve heard rave reviews about his character.
Sbisa has number 1 type upside with his all around talent and if he can start to excel in a few areas, he could be one of those franchise type D every team craves.
He was so impressive at Flyers camp last year, he made the team and played in 39 games. He was later sent back to Lethbridge as the Flyers had a glut of D as well as cap issues so removing his cap number helped. He went on to play over 30 minutes a game back in junior helping his team advance in the playoffs.
Sbisa is expected to make the Ducks right out of camp, many expect him to be paired with Scott Niedermayer, on one hand that’s going to help him learn a lot about what it takes to become a great player. On the other, that means Carlyle is throwing him into the fire against top offensive players. Can he help contain players like Joe Thornton, Pavel Datsyuk and so on? If he can it could accelerate his development, if he can’t….it could stunt his growth. So It’s a bit risky, no doubt but I’ve heard rave reviews about his character.
Sbisa has number 1 type upside with his all around talent and if he can start to excel in a few areas, he could be one of those franchise type D every team craves.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
No.2 Jake Gardiner
Gardiner was drafted as a project he’s a recently converted defensemen who hit a growth spurt over the last year, he went from 6’0 to 6’2 and 187 pounds. If he has another growth spurt we could be talking about a beast of a player. He improved significantly through the course of his freshman season in Wisconsin.
Flat out, he is one of the best skaters I have ever seen and I’ve seen plenty of Scott Niedermayer and Paul Coffey. Ilya Kovalchuk is the only player that I can think of that hits that top gear so fast, he literally gets to it in about 2-3 strides and because he played so much forward he has puck skills a lot of D lack, when you combine these three assets……Size, speed, puck skills you have yourself a player that could be a big time impact player. His defensive abilities have gotten better and I saw some instances where he showed some bite to his game. He had 3 goals and 18 assists for 21 points last year, with Jamie McBain moving on Gardiner is expected to anchor the UW power play, he could have a major increase in production this year.
He could be ready to turn pro after next season but remember he’s in a great program for defensemen so the Ducks could keep him there longer, but I think they really want to get him into a pro camp and see how he stacks up, he should make the US WJC U20 team this year, he drew rave reviews from the recent camp.
Gardiner is a boom or bust type of player but he could always possibly be switched back to forward, but I doubt it, he seems to be making big improvements on D he could really compliment Luca Sbisa, Ryan Whitney and James Wisniewski in the future.
Flat out, he is one of the best skaters I have ever seen and I’ve seen plenty of Scott Niedermayer and Paul Coffey. Ilya Kovalchuk is the only player that I can think of that hits that top gear so fast, he literally gets to it in about 2-3 strides and because he played so much forward he has puck skills a lot of D lack, when you combine these three assets……Size, speed, puck skills you have yourself a player that could be a big time impact player. His defensive abilities have gotten better and I saw some instances where he showed some bite to his game. He had 3 goals and 18 assists for 21 points last year, with Jamie McBain moving on Gardiner is expected to anchor the UW power play, he could have a major increase in production this year.
He could be ready to turn pro after next season but remember he’s in a great program for defensemen so the Ducks could keep him there longer, but I think they really want to get him into a pro camp and see how he stacks up, he should make the US WJC U20 team this year, he drew rave reviews from the recent camp.
Gardiner is a boom or bust type of player but he could always possibly be switched back to forward, but I doubt it, he seems to be making big improvements on D he could really compliment Luca Sbisa, Ryan Whitney and James Wisniewski in the future.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
No. 3 Peter Holland
1. Peter Holland, I wrote a long report about Peter Holland after the draft, I think he has big time upside that a lot of people don’t see due to the system he plays in. He’s a big kid that can skate, is defensively responsible and has an excellent wrist shot, with good playmaking abilities.
People out there will question his drive and character but let’s make one thing clear, Character has been a big deal to the ducks the last several years, if he impressed them in his interviews, well that’s good enough for me. Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan both had their drive and character questioned, and now they are the anchors of the teams offensive future along with Corey Perry.
Holland just has a ton of talent, that’s why the ducks took him where they did he could be the guy that compliments Ryan Getzlaf as the teams number 2 center in the distant future. Holland will finish out his junior career this season, but I look forward to how he performs in his first pro camp this fall. Being on the ice with the talent the ducks have could really motivate this guy to steal a roster spot next year, though the ducks are known for being patient with their players.
People out there will question his drive and character but let’s make one thing clear, Character has been a big deal to the ducks the last several years, if he impressed them in his interviews, well that’s good enough for me. Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan both had their drive and character questioned, and now they are the anchors of the teams offensive future along with Corey Perry.
Holland just has a ton of talent, that’s why the ducks took him where they did he could be the guy that compliments Ryan Getzlaf as the teams number 2 center in the distant future. Holland will finish out his junior career this season, but I look forward to how he performs in his first pro camp this fall. Being on the ice with the talent the ducks have could really motivate this guy to steal a roster spot next year, though the ducks are known for being patient with their players.
Friday, September 18, 2009
No. 4 Nick Bonino
4. Nick Bonino-
This may surprise many of you that he’s rated this high but flatout he’s a stud, here’s a quote from Max Gieses blog which was talking about Patrick White but referenced Bonino
“I also can't believe the Sharks traded that Bonino kid, the kid's a stud!"
Now if you remember after the trade deadline when the ducks got him Bob Murray was really speaking highly of this guy.
So what does Bonino go and do? Help lead BC to a national championship. He’s a thick body at 6’1 190, he will play one more year in BU then likely turn pro, remember how I just said Holland could be the teams no.2 center? Well Bob Murray was projecting Bonino for that type of role after the trade.
He has to improve his skating, but he can shoot the puck and he can pass it and is not afraid of the dirty areas one bit. The Sharks will regret this trade I have almost no doubt, the reason Bonino gets no talk at all……his draft position, if he was a first or second rounder instead of a 6th round pick, more people would be on the bandwagon.
I could see him in the NHL after spending a half a year, to a year in the AHL. The ducks have some big time forwards coming to surround their 3 franchise forwards, Bonino is one of them.
I would compare him to Joe Pavelski of the Sharks, not the best skater but very good at a lot of things.
This may surprise many of you that he’s rated this high but flatout he’s a stud, here’s a quote from Max Gieses blog which was talking about Patrick White but referenced Bonino
“I also can't believe the Sharks traded that Bonino kid, the kid's a stud!"
Now if you remember after the trade deadline when the ducks got him Bob Murray was really speaking highly of this guy.
So what does Bonino go and do? Help lead BC to a national championship. He’s a thick body at 6’1 190, he will play one more year in BU then likely turn pro, remember how I just said Holland could be the teams no.2 center? Well Bob Murray was projecting Bonino for that type of role after the trade.
He has to improve his skating, but he can shoot the puck and he can pass it and is not afraid of the dirty areas one bit. The Sharks will regret this trade I have almost no doubt, the reason Bonino gets no talk at all……his draft position, if he was a first or second rounder instead of a 6th round pick, more people would be on the bandwagon.
I could see him in the NHL after spending a half a year, to a year in the AHL. The ducks have some big time forwards coming to surround their 3 franchise forwards, Bonino is one of them.
I would compare him to Joe Pavelski of the Sharks, not the best skater but very good at a lot of things.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
No.5 Mark Mitera
5. Mark Mitera- Mitera was selected 18th in the 2006 draft. He’s a big strong defensive defensemen who plays with nastiness to his game. At 6’3 and 215 pounds he has a pro body, when you combine that size with his skating, defensive intelligence and toughness you have a guy who should be a top 4 shutdown type D.
He’s an excellent penalty Killer and makes that all important first pass. Last season he tore his ACL early in the season but returned in time to play a couple of games at the end of the season as well as play for the Ducks former AHL affiliate, Iowa Chops.
No doubt the knee injury is going to set him back in terms of his NHL debut. He will likely start the year in the minors but do not be surprised one bit if he leapfrogs Festerling, Mikkelson, and Salcido on the depth chart and earns the first callup. Mitera has the pedigree to back it up. Mitera will be attending his first pro training camp which is going to be big in evaluating where he’s at. He’s always been highly underrated by the “prospect media” but from what I’ve seen he should be a very effective pro.
I would compare him as a player that could turn out between a Sean O’Donnell and a Robyn Regehr type player
He’s an excellent penalty Killer and makes that all important first pass. Last season he tore his ACL early in the season but returned in time to play a couple of games at the end of the season as well as play for the Ducks former AHL affiliate, Iowa Chops.
No doubt the knee injury is going to set him back in terms of his NHL debut. He will likely start the year in the minors but do not be surprised one bit if he leapfrogs Festerling, Mikkelson, and Salcido on the depth chart and earns the first callup. Mitera has the pedigree to back it up. Mitera will be attending his first pro training camp which is going to be big in evaluating where he’s at. He’s always been highly underrated by the “prospect media” but from what I’ve seen he should be a very effective pro.
I would compare him as a player that could turn out between a Sean O’Donnell and a Robyn Regehr type player
no.6 Kyle Palmieri
6. Kyle Palmieri-
Palmieri was selected 26th in the 2009 draft. This guy was one of the top testing players at the draft combine. He’s not the tallest guy but he’s very thick weighing in at 190 pounds despite only being 5’10.
First let’s address the so called “character” concerns…..he had girls up in his room and broke a team rule. This is a teenage boy, who really has a problem with that? Not me, so he was eventually kicked off the team and dropped in the draft.
Palmieri is a very skilled offensive player you’ll notice his wrist shot right away when you watch him. He can skate, he gets under your skin, and goes to the dirty areas. HF did a very lazy thoughtless write up on him which tells me they hardly watched him play characterizing him as “a player who doesn’t have high upside”
Well he was one of the best players at team USA’s U20 camp last month and is now virtually a lock to make the team. He will likely be in their top 6 and heavily counted on for offense.
He will be attending Notre Dame this fall, I’d expect him to spend about two years there before turning pro. He reminds me of former Duck, Chris Kunitz, not quite as fast but a better shot and a bit more skill.
Palmieri was selected 26th in the 2009 draft. This guy was one of the top testing players at the draft combine. He’s not the tallest guy but he’s very thick weighing in at 190 pounds despite only being 5’10.
First let’s address the so called “character” concerns…..he had girls up in his room and broke a team rule. This is a teenage boy, who really has a problem with that? Not me, so he was eventually kicked off the team and dropped in the draft.
Palmieri is a very skilled offensive player you’ll notice his wrist shot right away when you watch him. He can skate, he gets under your skin, and goes to the dirty areas. HF did a very lazy thoughtless write up on him which tells me they hardly watched him play characterizing him as “a player who doesn’t have high upside”
Well he was one of the best players at team USA’s U20 camp last month and is now virtually a lock to make the team. He will likely be in their top 6 and heavily counted on for offense.
He will be attending Notre Dame this fall, I’d expect him to spend about two years there before turning pro. He reminds me of former Duck, Chris Kunitz, not quite as fast but a better shot and a bit more skill.
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