2022-23 NCAA CHL, OHL and European prospects thread
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Lane Hutson has a very slight frame, so I agree with you that he'll never be a player with the strength of a more muscular sub-6'0 frame defender like Rafalski or Letang. He's also not exceptional in his positioning or gaps like a Andy Greene, so Hutson's future is going to be reliant on his high-octane offense while not getting completely caved in defensively.
Hutson to me has more upside than Girard, whom I feel has been a bit over-rated by the analytics folks. Girard getting hurt in the playoffs last year actually helped Colorado in their Stanley Cup run, in my opinion. He's just poor defensively and gets consistently caved in when caught on the ice against good forward lines. Girard is a player-type I wouldn't really want on my team, which is to say a B-level offensive defender with sub-optimal defensive ability. Players like Girard -- and Jake Gardiner and Tony DeAngelo and Shayne Gostisbehere -- to me, they are always exposed in big games and the playoffs, when you're much better off with just a solid defensive guy who can win battles down low and clear creases.
The question with Hutson is: does he have the ability to become an A-level, elite offensive defenseman like a Quinn Hughes or Erik Karlsson or John Carlson? That will be the factor which determines his NHL career. Personally, I really like Hutson's upside and am holding out hope for him.
Jason MacIsaac
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The problem with Hutson is that he isn't an elite skater at 155, there is no chance in hell he will be better than average at 175 without a absolute remake of his stride ALA Point. You can count the number of players who remade their strides on two hands.
Absolutely a concern, because Hutson's straightaway speed is not close to a Quinn Hughes. But I'd also think you'd agree with me that Hutson's edges and mobility are pretty elite, and he's as elusive as it gets. So I concur that the odds are kind of stacked against Hutson becoming more than a third-pairing, sheltered-minutes offense-generator, I'm just not giving up hope because the kid has a pretty unique skill-set and he's defied expectations at every step of the way.
I find it weird that a kid like Lane Hutson has become such a polarizing player (not you, of course, I'm talking the knee-jerk dopes in social media). On one hand you have the old-school, tunnel vision set saying essentially he's too small to ever have a shot in the NHL, especially without elite wheels, and the Canadiens wasted their draft pick on him. On the other hand, you have the analytic-lemmings deluding themselves that he's somehow the second coming of Erik Karlsson and rationalizing that size is completely irrelevant in professional hockey.
Not only do I find both extremes wrong, but I can't imagine using a kid as hard-working and fun to watch as Lane Hutson as a surrogate bat to blindly swing in defense of your own biases. Personally -- and I have no problem giving away all my philosophies since I'm hanging up the draft-writing soon -- I don't really tend to see players in terms of extremes at all. It's not a matter of "Player X can bust" or "Player X can become a superstar" so much as "what are the likely scenarios for Player X in the context of the current league landscape?" This is to say that -- of course Lane Hutson is never going to be a shut down defenseman at the NHL level, and he lacks the near-limitless upside of a Rasmus Dahlin or Luke Hughes due to physical limitation. But he also possesses several elite qualities which can generate offense from the blueline at any level.
The combination of Hutson's limitations and elite abilities makes him, of course, very difficult to project. The likely scenario -- as I've said and I'm guessing you'd agree -- is somewhere in the middle. If a coach shelters his minutes and he's partnered with a very good defensive guy, I think he can be effective at the highest levels. But we have to also be realistic and understand he'll never be a 20+ minute NHL defenseman because, quite simply, there's no way he's going into a corner with Brady Tkachuk and coming out with the puck. To simply take his dazzling highlights and stats in the US-NTDP and college and not apply the realities of the game into Lane Hutson's projection is simply deluding oneself to the actuality of what the sport currently is.
Anyway, I'm rooting for Lane Hutson all the way. I cheer his NCAA highlights and hold out hope he carves an offensive role in the NHL. Conversely, I also do not understand why his youth coaching did not convert him to forward earlier in his development -- I feel his skill set would have had the chance to take him a great deal further had he been on the wing. Because as much as I like Lane Hutson, if Montreal's GM offered him to me in a trade I'd politely decline and ask for someone else in the organization instead. For me, there are just too many variables involved with a player like Lane Hutson. Ultimately however, that does not mean I do not really hope Lane Hutson proves all the skeptics, myself included, wrong.
- Dec 20, 2018
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You can root for him. I’m rooting for him. He’s a neat little player.
I wouldn’t draft him in the 2nd round though. It was easier for Montreal to pick him because he was the 4th player they picked when they took him at #62.
I’m not Physiologist (in case people were confused about that lol), I certainly don’t pretend to know for a fact where this kid ends up physically.
Hutson is very very lanky though, I don’t know how much weight he can realistically add. People are excited that he grew taller but height isn’t going to help if weighs 160-165.
You can be too small and physically weak to play in the NHL, an endless parade of skilled players have ended up as tweeners in less physical leagues.
To me Quinn Hughes is at the limit for defensemen, teams aren’t going to take a smaller, weaker defenseman who can’t ever physically engage with any opposing player in any situation. No defenseman can be that sheltered.
Stouter undersized defenseman who aren’t immediately assist machines like Hughes have a very tough time getting anywhere in the NHL.
Erik Brännström had a real struggle to break in with Ottawa, it’s not like that was a stacked defense and he’s listed at 185.
I would have real issues with Casey as a pick if he wasn’t bigger than Hutson. Again, we’ll see what they’re both like in a couple of years.
Grits point totals have really dropped off this season. Looking very pedestrian.
Any ideas as to why?
New Jersey Devils Canadian Juniors Prospect Update: Breaking Down Chase Stillman’s Four Goal Night
Stillman recently turned heads with a four goal (five point) performance against Mississauga. Has the pesky forward turned a corner? This post goes over Stillman’s big night and what his future may hold and provides updates on the other Devils prospects in the CHL.
www.allaboutthejersey.com
Jason MacIsaac
Registered User
I believe they have a new coach and the team isn't going to do any favors for someone with one foot out the door.
So he was demoted from the top line/s and PP unit? Less minute?
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Looks like he did lose some ice time to Reid Boucher. Also it might be a case of shooting percentage not being as consistent a stat as we'd like to think in hockey. Arguably Gritsyuk had a high percentage last year (15.8%) and this year he has an unsustainably low percentage (5.2%). A couple weeks ago I think it was down to 4%. Sometimes a player's shooting percentage can look like a rollercoaster year-to-year. Jesper Bratt's first five NHL seasons: 13%, 8.8%, 15.8%, 6.9%, 13.2%.
At this point I'm just hoping Gritsyuk can play in North America next season. His shot was actually the component of his game that I had the fewest concerns about. My main concern would be whether his skating will be on par.
MasterofGrond
No, I'm not serious.
Yeah, hopefully this presages a move to the A for next season. I remain bullish that he can find his way to the NHL eventually.
And that was something I was surprised to hear was an issue.
The NHL is very much a skating league, so as we've seen with Holtz, it's not easy lot to overcome that if you hope to excel in this league.
I think the NHL gets slightly faster every couple of years. Guys that were just average five or six years ago are a half stride behind now. To me that is why guys like Butcher started out getting by and just fell off. Same for a guy like Ty Smith.
Guadana
Registered User
7 points in 7 last games. He doesn`t have really good partners and have some puck unluck. In bad team. And his potential was not Kaprisov high from the beggining. Have a patience. Even 0.5 ppg for 21yo third liner is a very good level of production.
Team Canada announced its December camp roster. Brennan got an invite, Stillman did not: World Juniors IIHF Connor Bedard Adam Fantilli | TSN
Team USA's camp roster includes Hughes, Casey: 2023 WJC | Preliminary Roster
Team USA's camp roster includes Hughes, Casey: 2023 WJC | Preliminary Roster
Lou is God
Registered User
If Nemec joins Sweden and Luke USA, it's going to be a great WJC for us to watch.
Don’t forget Hauser for the Czechs. Is Topias Vilen still eligible?
Yup, 2003 born (and later) are eligible. So out of our drafted (non-Russian) prospects the following would be hypothetically available:
2020 draft: Hughes (invited), Stillman (not invited), Salminen (tbd), Vilen (tbd)
2021 draft: Nemec (tbd), Casey (invited), Brennan (invited), Leddy (not invited), Hauser (tbd), Filmon (not invited)
2023 World Juniors Schedule Announced
Team USA opens play against Latvia on December 26, 2022
teamusa.usahockey.com
Team USA's eventual schedule:
Monday, December 19th: [6pm EST] Finland (pre-tournament)
Wednesday, December 21st; [2:30pm EST] Sweden (pre-tournament)
Monday, December 26th: [4pm EST] Latvia
Wednesday, December 28th: [4pm EST] Slovakia
Thursday, December 29th: [4pm EST] Switzerland
Saturday, December 31st: [4pm EST] Finland
Edit: Scratch that, I was reading that as 4pm PST which is isn't...
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- Dec 20, 2018
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If Nemec joins Sweden he’s a filthy traitor lol.
- Dec 20, 2018
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New Jersey Devils European Prospects Update: Topias Vilen Getting Noticed
After scoring zero goals last season, former fifth round pick Topias Vilen is now amongst the goal-scoring leaders for a defenseman in the SM-Liiga. This posts spotlights Vilen’s encouraging development and provides updates on the other Devils prospects playing in Europe.
www.allaboutthejersey.com
- Dec 20, 2018
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Recently Elite Prospects did a stock watch for the AHL, NCAA, USHL, Russia, Sweden, Finland, WHL, OHL and QMJHL.
There were 18 NHL prospects with Stock Rising, 11 NHL prospects with Stock Steady, and 11 NHL prospects with Stock Falling.
We had a strong representation in the 18 Rising with 3 of them, plus they gently neg Luke’s defense while putting him in the Steady group.
There were 18 NHL prospects with Stock Rising, 11 NHL prospects with Stock Steady, and 11 NHL prospects with Stock Falling.
We had a strong representation in the 18 Rising with 3 of them, plus they gently neg Luke’s defense while putting him in the Steady group.
Jersey Fan 12
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Nice to see that Janne Kuokkanen will be playing for Finland in next week's stage of the European Trophy tournament.
Obviously this is a tournament without the NHL players so he will likely be one of the team's top forwards.
Mikael Granlund's brother Markus is also on the team.
Obviously this is a tournament without the NHL players so he will likely be one of the team's top forwards.
Mikael Granlund's brother Markus is also on the team.
Jersey Fan 12
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