Named second star of the game.
Prospect Info: 2022-23 Ducks Prospects
- Thread starter MMC
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Ben king finished with three shots and the game winning SO goal in a 1-0 win. Named second star of the game.
Hockey Duckie
Registered User
Huh. I keep forgetting that King could be eligible to be signed this off-season by the Ducks if the org wanted to bring him over. CapFriendly has last signing date Jun 1, 2024. I know he's a double overager when we drafted him and he was supposed to work on his skating. His long term injury derailed that development.
- Jul 25, 2012
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Pastujov currently playing against Mintyukov
Pasta has an assist after 2
Pasta has an assist after 2
Everyone was absolutely raving about Sam Steel as well. Granted we didn't treat him well, but his praise was so universal it did seem like his success was a sure thing.
For the junior coaches, Gaucher is that man against boys physically (for the most part) and he plays a bit like a pro. For the scouts, he's the safe pick because he will obviously make the NHL at the very least for a cup of coffee.
As for me (neither a professional coach or a scout, obviously), his ceiling is super questionable. His game reminds me of all those players we refer to as ''goddammit, that dude can't do anything with the puck, why do we play him?''. He is far more similar to Jones than he is to McT.
I'm a broken record of this sentiment, lol. I will say it again, I have nothing against him, I just would have hoped our mgmt would have picked someone with size AND offensive potential (there were options). And I really hope to be proved wrong about this all.
- Jul 25, 2012
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Eh I see the gaucher pick as forward thinking…. And playing the odds, projecting a top 5 pick in 23. You already have top 6 players in zegras terry mctavish and 23 1st…. You have compliment guys in comtois/vatrano/strome. Was anyone in that range of picks gunna knock out any of those guys? Prob pretty unlikely…. You look at a potential 3rd line, you want speed/size, solid 2 way game and possibility to chip in offensively.
You see a guy like gaucher that plays fast, has good size, and leader qualities… can take face offs and kill penalties and maybe has some offensive upside untapped. Pencil him in on a line like Jones - Lundy - gaucher and let them wear down defenses
I don’t hate the pick cause I can see gaucher being a big part of our 3rd line when we start getting to that point but I get why people would hate the pick, cause you had potential to find a more boom prospect
Hockey Duckie
Registered User
- Jul 25, 2012
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I think it’s just a new system new players…. I imagine it’s tough to play with a player like Mintyukov
Hockey Duckie
Registered User
No. I'm sorry. I don't buy that. Verbeek thought we'd be close to or at .500 to start the season.
Gaucher's selection is different from the previous two late, first round picks:
2019: 29th OA, LW Tracey (late riser, top-6 scorer)
2020: 27th OA, RW Perreault (top-6 scorer, dropped due to motivation)
2022: 22nd OA, C Gaucher (safe, 3C)
This is Verbeek's philosophy. We didn't take a gamble until the 5th round in Sept born LW Hvidston.
Hockey Duckie
Registered User
You didn't read articles citing the team telling Minty to play a certain way that were stifling his offensive play. Yet, the team was giving Minty more of a defensive structure.
Hinds finished today with an assist, +2. His +34 rating is 14 better than the next defenseman on his team.
GreatBear
Registered User
I don't understand the incessant chatter denigrating Gaucher as a later 1st round pick. The average number of quality hockey players (top six forward, top four defenseman) out of a hockey draft is around 30. Some of those 30 will come from later rounds, so by definition some of the first round choices will not make it. In my opinion if you get a solid third line forward out of the second half of the first round of the draft you should be happy with that selection. A good number of players from the second half of that round bust, or end up as fourth liners. Indeed, even some players from the top half of the first round bust or are disappointments given their draft position.
Second, a solid third line player is an important contributor to a hockey team. I am still convinced that the Ducks would not have won the Cup in 2007 but for the contributions of their third line. I thought at the time that the Paulson line was the best third line in hockey, and could be matched against the other team's first line as necessary. Lundy seems to be viewed here as a positive, important contributor to the team when he is playing to his capacity as a third line center who can be moved up as need be. So why is he fine, whereas Gaucher, who may make the same sort of contribution not? They were both picked within the same range in the draft.
Third, there is a problem with the average size of the Duck players. They are too small and get pushed around. While I don't agree with the apparent extent of Dirk's dedication to large, mean, fighting players, the Ducks need some larger players, particularly larger forwards. Verbeek is moving the team in that direction based upon last year's draft. Gaucher fits into that need.
Fourth, it is always easy to pick the better player years after the draft. All draft choices are a gamble. Before you can evaluate the gamble you have to wait and see how the player develops. Back to one of my favorite phrases, "Patience, Grasshopper, Patience". So let's wait and see where Gaucher is is five years versus some of these other players.
Fifth, the Ducks have recently taken shots at scoring players in the second half of the first round. Right now Tracey and Perreault don't look as promising as they did when they were drafted. Sure, there were other choices available at the time (I will admit that I was not a fan of the Tracey choice, although I did like the Perreault choice), some of which will turn out much better than those choices, but some of which will not. I just assume that if the Ducks have perfect foresight that they would have chosen the players who will be better. But, the Ducks, like all teams, do not have perfect foresight. Indeed, overall, while the Duck drafting is not perfect, it seems to be above average for NHL teams.
- Apr 9, 2012
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For sure, but they better do a better job of finding good AHL vets for them to play with than they did this year. Would be bad if the team was like 90% 20 and 21 year olds.
Not impressed at all with what Dimaio has done for San Diego (if he's done anything). I suppose they do have some vets that have been injured a ton like Juolevi and De Leo, but that possibility needs to be accounted for and not just sign random scrubs to PTO's when guys get hurt. Several years ago the Gulls always had some of the best established players in the AHL like Carrick, Poturalski, etc. An effort was made to get those guys in the offseason, whereas it doesn't feel like it was the last few years.
MMC
Global Moderator
The vets aren't really the problem in SD, it's moreso injuries, and then young players not producing as hoped
The Midnight Burrito
True Fan
But you realize that in an alternate universe if Steel had been picked 1 slot behind Gaucher there would be people losing their shit that we had left a high-end offensive talent on the table to go after the kid with with the big frame who plays a pro-style game, right?
Gaucher reminds of Bjugstad. I would be quite happy if he reached that level honestly. by no means is this a player who has even a touch of offensive wizardry to his game, but he could still end up complementing our other young guys well.
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