Prospect Info: #166 Overall, LW Josh Filmon, Swift Current WHL

[Cheddabombs]

As a fellow skinny guy, I won't have this shaming of Filmon! He's a strong string bean!

 

[OmNomNom]

He is a string bean you gotta figure he's gonna need to put on some muscle to really make it at the pro level if his 6'1", 159 lbs. frame is accurate per Elite Prospects.

it's worse now: WHL site has him 6'-3", 161lb

Western Hockey League

whl.ca

 

[Better Call Sal]

As a fellow skinny guy, I won't have this shaming of Filmon! He's a strong string bean!

Haha, I'm also a skinny guy, I just wish I was as tall as he!

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

so is the early round drafting. john quenneville, indeed.

Quenneville and Stefan Matteau might still end up with better NHL careers than Stillman.

But that’s a good point, the drafting was just bad. But at least in the early rounds, the Devils were mostly taking guys with some talent. Pretty much every draft hit between 2000 and Shero came from the first two rounds. Then in 2015, Shero makes five picks and ALL of them have played NHL games. That’s a huge leap from the JD Dudeks and Ryan Rehills and Mauro Jorgs of the world.

 

[Clam Jensen]

He obviously needs to pack on some size, but whenever I watch post game interviews I’m always shocked at how small most players upper bodies are (Fabian and Riley Cote notwithstanding).

 

[Blackjack]

it's worse now: WHL site has him 6'-3", 161lb

Western Hockey League

whl.ca

He’s wasting away!

 

[DevilsHughes86]

Good news and not surprising to be honest. Swiff Current I believe lost Pickering yesterday as well. At this point, better off in the AHL for Josh then a sucky junior team

 

[Triumph]

Quenneville and Stefan Matteau might still end up with better NHL careers than Stillman.

But that’s a good point, the drafting was just bad. But at least in the early rounds, the Devils were mostly taking guys with some talent. Pretty much every draft hit between 2000 and Shero came from the first two rounds. Then in 2015, Shero makes five picks and ALL of them have played NHL games. That’s a huge leap from the JD Dudeks and Ryan Rehills and Mauro Jorgs of the world.

I do not think Shero had much to do with the 2015 draft. He might've told them to take a goalie in the 2nd round, and obviously he made the trade down, but I imagine those were Conte and his scouting group making the selections.

 

[sddev]

He is a string bean you gotta figure he's gonna need to put on some muscle to really make it at the pro level if his 6'1", 159 lbs. frame is accurate per Elite Prospects.

 

[New Jersey]

Friendly reminder Bratt was a sixth rounder.

Ya never know!

 

[OmNomNom]

imagine this guy somehow packs on mass and becomes 6'-3" 195 with those mitts

sheeshhhhhhhh

that'd be gaining like 20% extra bodyweight though

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

I do not think Shero had much to do with the 2015 draft. He might've told them to take a goalie in the 2nd round, and obviously he made the trade down, but I imagine those were Conte and his scouting group making the selections.

i also assume that, but the difference between the 2014 and 2015 draft is so stark, it’s hard not to think Shero helped to shift everyone’s priorities. Or maybe it’s as simple as scouts intrinsically not bringing as many “lou” type players to the table?

Or maybe it’s just me, but luckily the result is much less Seth Helgesons in the system and more Josh Filmons.

 

[My3Sons]

He is a string bean you gotta figure he's gonna need to put on some muscle to really make it at the pro level if his 6'1", 159 lbs. frame is accurate per Elite Prospects.

His height at the pre-draft combine was 6'2.5". He's a long term project anyway so he has years to put on some weight.

 

[New Jersey]

GET SWOLE SON

 

[Billdo]

.That’s a huge leap from the JD Dudeks and Ryan Rehills and Mauro Jorgs of the world.

I was actually fairly high on this kid

 

[DerekDevils30]

Just get him on the Vince McMahon “diet.”

 

[Blackjack]

Haha, I saw that and thought about spotting it…

But it’s anti Italian discrimination!

 

[Eggtimer]

View attachment 679258

Just get him on the Vince McMahon “diet.”

I was on that diet when I was in my early 20’s . It’s called the vitamin S diet. High doses of vitamin S , eat whatever the hell you want and work out like a beast. It works.

 

[tailfins]

Quenneville and Stefan Matteau might still end up with better NHL careers than Stillman.

But that’s a good point, the drafting was just bad. But at least in the early rounds, the Devils were mostly taking guys with some talent. Pretty much every draft hit between 2000 and Shero came from the first two rounds. Then in 2015, Shero makes five picks and ALL of them have played NHL games. That’s a huge leap from the JD Dudeks and Ryan Rehills and Mauro Jorgs of the world.

I know people like to crap on the drafting, and it was legitimately poor, but I don't really know that it was much more than luck.

Shero's 2015 class - yes they all played, but Colton White is the only one outside the top 2 rounds who *might* cross 100 games. And likely only because he's on the Ducks.

Meanwhile, from 2000 - 2014, you've got 13 players:

- Rupp, 2000 3rd round, 609 GP
- Engelland, 2000 6th round, 671 GP
- Aaron Voros, 2001 6th round, 162 GP
- Cam Janssen, 2002 4th round, 336 GP
- Mark Fraser, 2005 3rd round, 219 GP
- Mark Fayne, 2005 5th round, 389 GP
- Matt Halischuk, 2007 4th round, 280 GP
- Adam Henrique, 2008 3rd round, 825 GP
- Scott Wedgewood, 2010 3rd round, 95 GP (still active)
- Blake Coleman, 2011 3rd round, 457 GP
- Reid Boucher, 2011 4th round, 133 GP (would like to forget about him)
- Alexander Kerfoot, 2012 5th round, 434 GP
- Miles Wood, 2013 4th round, 395 GP

That's nearly a player per year. That seems pretty reasonable hit rate to me?

The issue here is that none other than Henrique, Coleman, and Kerfoot are players of consequence (and you can argue on Kerfoot - both because he didn't sign with the Devils and because the Leafs have been trying to trade him almost since the day he arrived). That combined with the lack of success from the 1st and 2nd round (due to combo of limited # of picks, low position of those picks, and just poor drafting) really did the team in.

But, even with the recent later round success, how many will be impact players? Bratt obviously. But, then? Hopefully Schmid. Maybe Sharangovich. Fingers crossed on Gritsyuk. It's still early for Daws. Villen, Orlov, Brennan, Hauser, Fillmon, Barabosha. Notice those are all since 2018. In part because it looks like we have something with Rango and Schmid. But also in part because it's too early to call on the others. A few years ago, we might have added Zharkov or Urbom to our list of late round hits. Unfortunately, most of the names above will end up in the same spot.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

I was actually fairly high on this kid

i probably was too back then. Now i look back and see box scores that make me say “yes obviously he was gonna struggle to even be an AHL-caliber player.” The endowment effect is a hell of a drug. It’s like sports fandom stockholm syndrome.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

- Rupp, 2000 3rd round, 609 GP
- Engelland, 2000 6th round, 671 GP
- Aaron Voros, 2001 6th round, 162 GP
- Cam Janssen, 2002 4th round, 336 GP
- Mark Fraser, 2005 3rd round, 219 GP
- Mark Fayne, 2005 5th round, 389 GP
- Matt Halischuk, 2007 4th round, 280 GP
- Adam Henrique, 2008 3rd round, 825 GP
- Scott Wedgewood, 2010 3rd round, 95 GP (still active)
- Blake Coleman, 2011 3rd round, 457 GP
- Reid Boucher, 2011 4th round, 133 GP (would like to forget about him)
- Alexander Kerfoot, 2012 5th round, 434 GP
- Miles Wood, 2013 4th round, 395 GP

this is an absolutely awful list of drafted players. Like it’s ungodly bad to go through 13 drafts and have this be your haul. It’s not surprising the Devils bottomed out so bad.

And it’s also not surprising that when the drafting turned around, the team followed. I’m not saying it’s easy to get star players, but having Hughes and Hischier is not the reason the Devils are good. Every team that sucks for a decade gets good players. You have to take swings with every opportunity like the Devils did on Filmon or else you wind up with Casey Cizikas making 25 million dollars to be your 4C for a decade.

 

[glenwo2]

Friendly reminder Bratt was a sixth rounder.

Ya never know!

But is Bratt a "phenom", though?

 

[My3Sons]

I was on that diet when I was in my early 20’s . It’s called the vitamin S diet. High doses of vitamin S , eat whatever the hell you want and work out like a beast. It works.

Long term that is so dangerous. I'm amazed McMahon hasn't died of liver cancer by now.

 

[hockeykid87]

Good news and not surprising to be honest. Swiff Current I believe lost Pickering yesterday as well. At this point, better off in the AHL for Josh then a sucky junior team

The Broncos season ended over the weekend. That's the only reason these guys are able to join their AHL teams.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]