Prospect Info: 2023 WJC Thread

[Nocashstyle]

I do like the hockey at the WJC but rarely watch them for some reason lol. I don't really care for the outcomes of the games, as long as Devils prospects play well I'm happy. Sad Nemec is out but sounds like he had a pretty good tournament overall. Hoping he can keep that momentum up back in the AHL

A Canada/US bout doesn’t get you going?

I’ll probably be prioritizing that game over the Devils tomorrow night.

 

[Cheddabombs]

A Canada/US bout doesn’t get you going?

I’ll probably be prioritizing that game over the Devils tomorrow night.

Not really though I'm sure it'll be a great game. I'd only tune in to see Hughes lol

 

[Hisch13r]

God he’s such a f***ing monster

 

[Captain3rdLine]

God he’s such a f***ing monster

He’s looked really good. The Czech team in general has been phenomenal and the best in the tournament to this point.

 

[My3Sons]

He’s looked really good. The Czech team in general has been phenomenal and the best in the tournament to this point.

Having watched a decent amount of Czech games to see Hauser, my impression is that the Czech forwards carried much of the play for that team (Kulich has looked really good as have Marcel and Hauser) and I found Jiricek mostly noticeable when he launched a canon shot. His defense and puck moving were good but I thought Vilen was probably better defensively than Jiricek or Nemec. Jiricek definitely has a better all around team or at least a team playing as a unit and firing on all cylinders.

 

[Eggtimer]

He’s looked really good. The Czech team in general has been phenomenal and the best in the tournament to this point.

He has looked very good but for now l take Nemec for his skating ability. That may very well change , but for now I thimk Nemecs skating will help him be more successful once both hit the NHL.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Having watched a decent amount of Czech games to see Hauser, my impression is that the Czech forwards carried much of the play for that team (Kulich has looked really good as have Marcel and Hauser) and I found Jiricek mostly noticeable when he launched a canon shot. His defense and puck moving were good but I thought Vilen was probably better defensively than Jiricek or Nemec. Jiricek definitely has a better all around team or at least a team playing as a unit and firing on all cylinders.

Honestly the way the Czech’s have played as a whole unit has been really impressive. Look like they’ve been playing together for years particularly in zone where you have guys crossing, forwards rolling high, defensmen diving down. Czech coach deserves a shot ton of credit along with the players.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Obviously the quality of the team will have a large impact on how your microstats look in a short tournament. Playing almost 30 minutes a game on a mediocre team is quite a task.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

He has looked very good but for now l take Nemec for his skating ability. That may very well change , but for now I thimk Nemecs skating will help him be more successful once both hit the NHL.

Ya I still prefer Nemec although Jiricek has looked good and on a good track.

Would also be dumb to compare them to closely at this tournament. Especially with how good Czech’s have been. Far and away the best team in the tournament to this point. Jiricek’s playing second pair on a dominant team with an incredibly high functioning offense while Nemec is playing top pair hard minutes on a much worse team that’s offense was essentially funnel it to the net and everyone crash.

 

[My3Sons]

Honestly the way the Czech’s have played as a whole unit has been really impressive. Look like they’ve been playing together for years particularly in zone where you have guys crossing, forwards rolling high, defensmen diving down. Czech coach deserves a shot ton of credit along with the players.

That team is playing well and showing depth that few probably thought they had heading into the tournament. Hauser has three goals in four games and is a plus six. He plays in their bottom six and as we are well aware was a very unheralded pick. That's a sign of a team that embraced the coaching and checked their egos at the door.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Obviously the quality of the team will have a large impact on how your microstats look in a short tournament. Playing almost 30 minutes a game on a mediocre team is quite a task.

Ya Nemec’s good but not really good numbers I’d say is a combination of him playing a lot of minutes on a shitty team with a bad system for him and him not being quite good enough in a couple areas.

 

[My3Sons]

Ya Nemec’s good but not really good numbers I’d say is a combination of him playing a lot of minutes on a shitty team with a bad system for him and him not being quite good enough in a couple areas.

it's hard to say. He did have moments against Canada where he looked like a different player who was emotionally engaged. According to the notes on the IIHF website Nemec has led the entire tournament in ice time up through today. That has to be exhausting.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

it's hard to say. He did have moments against Canada where he looked like a different player who was emotionally engaged. According to the notes on the IIHF website Nemec has led the entire tournament in ice time up through today. That has to be exhausting.

Absolutely. It’s harder to play well in a lot of minutes. Averaged about 26:14 which is a ton.

 

[Devs3cups]

Having watched a decent amount of Czech games to see Hauser, my impression is that the Czech forwards carried much of the play for that team (Kulich has looked really good as have Marcel and Hauser) and I found Jiricek mostly noticeable when he launched a canon shot. His defense and puck moving were good but I thought Vilen was probably better defensively than Jiricek or Nemec. Jiricek definitely has a better all around team or at least a team playing as a unit and firing on all cylinders.

This is a significant point. Their surrounding casts weren’t similar at all. Also, I’ve slightly preferred Svozil so far this tournament.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Let me start by saying I really enjoy watching the WJC. It is exciting wide open hockey. It is hilarious to see talking heads overreact both positive or negative wrt a player's performance on the basis of goals and assists. The WJC is a short pond hockey style tournament where there is very little chemistry and use the most basic systems to get results.

Mitch Brown has done an absolutely tremendous job tracking stats that very much match what my eyes see throughout the tournament so far. That is what you can draw from this tournament, what players have success doing and what players have trouble doing. With that in mind, here are my thoughts on the big 3 that I have watched quite closely.

Topias Vilen
Topias is you prototypical new age two way defensmen. He is slightly above average defending the rush leaving a little too much of a gap. He makes up for this below the hashmarks showing very good ability to lean on players and end plays. He has shown to be physical and display good positioning without the puck, something Finland was quite good at. Where he really excelled was in the transition game, he has an excellent first pass which he used in a variety of ways stretching the defense vertically and horizontally. He also used his above average skating and fluidness to avoid forcheckers.

Offensively Vilen will be below average at the NHL level. He doesn't make many plays into HD scoring areas and his shot is average. Overall I really liked Vilen's game and he should jump right into Utica's lineup as soon as possible.

Simon Nemec
I will start with the weaknesses. In crunch time I didn't feel he transitioned the puck all that well in his own zone. He missed the mark on a lot of passes and his lack of urgency hurt him at times as he was stripped of the puck. Everyone ran through him so he was often put in high leverage situations. The urgency also hurt below the goal line as he had trouble ending plays. Nemec played very physical in front of the net and was quite good defending the rush with a fluid stick and good gap control. He did an excellent time defending Bedard numerous times.

Nemec is a magician with the puck on his stick in the neutral zone and offensive zone, he often finds the player in soft coverage creating scoring chances. He does a tremendous job of keeping plays alive in the offensive zone. He is a very smooth skater with above average speed, it doesn't look like he is moving fast but he certainly does. Nemec has a very hard accurate wrist shot and does a tremendous job QBing the PP.

Nemec will look better with a structured system and a level of predictability of his linemates. I still think he is our QB of the future and has the potential to be a shutdown defensmen with very good offensive abilities.

Luke Hughes
Most dynamic defensmen of his size that I have seen since...I don't know. He breaks the mold. His size/skating/edgework are almost unchartable. He has a very good shot for his age and strength. That will only get better as he filles out. I believe his vision is above average and he may frustrate people based on how many plays he will try in the offensive zone, remind you of someone. He gets the puck to the net or high danger areas better than any defensmen in this tournament.

Now the parts he needs to work on. Defending the rush, defending the rush...defending the rush. When he plays the forward straight up, he has pretty good success. When he is playing a bail style defense he gets turned around so easily. NHLers will eat him alive if he does this. His positioning and stick positioning without the puck is fine but could be better and he needs to improve his strength IOT end plays behind the goal line, I felt he had issues getting the puck back.

All in all, I don't care about the defense. Good coaching will fix this as long as he is receptive. His offensive skills will make him one of the better 5 on 5 weapons in the NHL.

 

[Hisch13r]

Let me start by saying I really enjoy watching the WJC. It is exciting wide open hockey. It is hilarious to see talking heads overreact both positive or negative wrt a player's performance on the basis of goals and assists. The WJC is a short pond hockey style tournament where there is very little chemistry and use the most basic systems to get results.

Mitch Brown has done an absolutely tremendous job tracking stats that very much match what my eyes see throughout the tournament so far. That is what you can draw from this tournament, what players have success doing and what players have trouble doing. With that in mind, here are my thoughts on the big 3 that I have watched quite closely.

Topias Vilen
Topias is you prototypical new age two way defensmen. He is slightly above average defending the rush leaving a little too much of a gap. He makes up for this below the hashmarks showing very good ability to lean on players and end plays. He has shown to be physical and display good positioning without the puck, something Finland was quite good at. Where he really excelled was in the transition game, he has an excellent first pass which he used in a variety of ways stretching the defense vertically and horizontally. He also used his above average skating and fluidness to avoid forcheckers.

Offensively Vilen will be below average at the NHL level. He doesn't make many plays into HD scoring areas and his shot is average. Overall I really liked Vilen's game and he should jump right into Utica's lineup as soon as possible.

Simon Nemec
I will start with the weaknesses. In crunch time I didn't feel he transitioned the puck all that well in his own zone. He missed the mark on a lot of passes and his lack of urgency hurt him at times as he was stripped of the puck. Everyone ran through him so he was often put in high leverage situations. The urgency also hurt below the goal line as he had trouble ending plays. Nemec played very physical in front of the net and was quite good defending the rush with a fluid stick and good gap control. He did an excellent time defending Bedard numerous times.

Nemec is a magician with the puck on his stick in the neutral zone and offensive zone, he often finds the player in soft coverage creating scoring chances. He does a tremendous job of keeping plays alive in the offensive zone. He is a very smooth skater with above average speed, it doesn't look like he is moving fast but he certainly does. Nemec has a very hard accurate wrist shot and does a tremendous job QBing the PP.

Nemec will look better with a structured system and a level of predictability of his linemates. I still think he is our QB of the future and has the potential to be a shutdown defensmen with very good offensive abilities.

Luke Hughes
Most dynamic defensmen of his size that I have seen since...I don't know. He breaks the mold. His size/skating/edgework are almost unchartable. He has a very good shot for his age and strength. That will only get better as he filles out. I believe his vision is above average and he may frustrate people based on how many plays he will try in the offensive zone, remind you of someone. He gets the puck to the net or high danger areas better than any defensmen in this tournament.

Now the parts he needs to work on. Defending the rush, defending the rush...defending the rush. When he plays the forward straight up, he has pretty good success. When he is playing a bail style defense he gets turned around so easily. NHLers will eat him alive if he does this. His positioning and stick positioning without the puck is fine but could be better and he needs to improve his strength IOT end plays behind the goal line, I felt he had issues getting the puck back.

All in all, I don't care about the defense. Good coaching will fix this as long as he is receptive. His offensive skills will make him one of the better 5 on 5 weapons in the NHL.

I really don’t expect Luke’s defense to be “fixed”. I think he is what he is. Great offensive Dman who is going to have his holes defensively. At best I expect average and think even that might be a lot to ask

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

I really don’t expect Luke’s defense to be “fixed”. I think he is what he is. Great offensive Dman who is going to have his holes defensively. At best I expect average and think even that might be a lot to ask

I think it can be average to slightly above average, most players that are really poor defensively are A. Very small and weak B. Poor decisions with the puck. Luke has neither of those affecting him.

 

[bossram]

I really don’t expect Luke’s defense to be “fixed”. I think he is what he is. Great offensive Dman who is going to have his holes defensively. At best I expect average and think even that might be a lot to ask

Yeah. He's kind of like another really dynamic guy in Morgan Rielly. Rush defending has been a weakness for his entire career but he's never figured out how to "fix" it. Just who he is.

Physical and/or in-zone defending is easier to teach. It's more about where to stand and body positioning. Rush defending is a lot more mental, it's about making the right reads. He clearly has the skating ability to match speed on the rush, so the weakness is to do with decision-making.

That said, he'll be a very good NHL player. Staple him next to Marino to mitigate the poor defending.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I’d expect Luke to have a positive impact defensively in the way Hamilton does. Not through actually defending at that high of a level, but being so great offensively and in transition that the other team doesn’t have the puck.

 

[Hisch13r]

Yeah. He's kind of like another really dynamic guy in Morgan Rielly. Rush defending has been a weakness for his entire career but he's never figured out how to "fix" it. Just who he is.

Physical and/or in-zone defending is easier to teach. It's more about where to stand and body positioning. Rush defending is a lot more mental, it's about making the right reads. He clearly has the skating ability to match speed on the rush, so the weakness is to do with decision-making.

That said, he'll be a very good NHL player. Staple him next to Marino to mitigate the poor defending.

lol Rielly’s exactly the guy I was thinking of. I like Luke’s edges more and think he might have a bit better puck skills so maybe he could be a bit better offensively but defensively I think Luke could very well end up with the same issues and struggle quite a bit

 

[Blackjack]

I think it can be average to slightly above average, most players that are really poor defensively are A. Very small and weak B. Poor decisions with the puck. Luke has neither of those affecting him.

I hesitate to throw this name around but does anyone have a good sense for what Makar’s defensive ability was at the same point that Luke is now? (Mid season d+2)

 

[devilsfan35]

Jiricek’s skating ability is still a major concern for me. He looked exposed when he got called up this year by Columbus. He’s got all the other tools (size, shot, IQ) but his skating is below average. He’s dominating against his age group however the NHL is a whole different animal

 

[MauDevils]

God he’s such a f***ing monster

For me it will always come down to his ability to skate North/South at the NHL level. The guy probably loses a footrace to Dougie Hamilton.

 

[Lou is God]

Jiricek’s skating ability is still a major concern for me. He looked exposed when he got called up this year by Columbus. He’s got all the other tools (size, shot, IQ) but his skating is below average. He’s dominating against his age group however the NHL is a whole different animal

As did Lafreniere.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

I hesitate to throw this name around but does anyone have a good sense for what Makar’s defensive ability was at the same point that Luke is now? (Mid season d+2)

Bad, very bad at the world hockey championships.