Prospect Info: #8OA, Marco Kasper

[Henkka]

@OgeeOgelthorpe

Maybe you've mentioned this before and I missed it, but what is your NHL comparable here?

Sean Couturier is the name I see most.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

@OgeeOgelthorpe

Maybe you've mentioned this before and I missed it, but what is your NHL comparable here?

Brah, I posted a whole range of them in my post above, but here it is.

Low low end (3rd/4th line tweener)- Sammy Pahlsson/Rob Niedermeyer - our worst case scenario
Low end (3rd line)- Darren Helm/Lars Eller - 2nd worst scenario but I think it's unlikely this happens
Low-mid (2nd/3rd line tweener) - JG Pageau/Mike Fisher
Mid (2nd line) - Philip Danault/Joel Eriksson-Ek/Andrew Copp/Bo Horvat
Mid-high (Upper tier 2nd line/1st line tweener) - Ryan Kesler/Sean Coutourier/Nico Hischier
High (two-way 1st line center) - Ryan OReilly/Dylan Larkin
Best case outcome - Patrice Bergeron/Henrik Zetterberg

Obviously we all want Kasper to turn into that perennial Selke contender 1C but I wouldn't be down if he becomes a solid 2nd line center that gets top 10 Selke votes.

I think the most likely outcome is in the middle as a Danault or Eriksson-Ek level guy that gets 40-50 points and makes life hell for the other team's top players.

However, I would not be the least bit surrpised to see Kasper becoming a 60-70 point guy that does the same. I would say he is pretty close to Anton Lundell as a prospect and he's looking like a future 1st line center

His calling cards are his smarts, his work ethic and his speed. And from all reports he's got a great attitude and works his tail off all the time. I wouldn't be surprised to see him blow away the middling offense 2nd liner label.

 

[Bench]

Brah, I posted a whole range of them in my post above, but here it is.

Well I didn't read that far! Lol, thanks man.

What Yzerman and the scouts say about him sure sounds a lot like Ryan O'Reilly with better skating to me (but without the elite faceoffs). O'Reilly was also considered to have questionable offense to his game as well at draft time, so maybe we get lucky here.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Well I didn't read that far! Lol, thanks man.

What Yzerman and the scouts say about him sure sounds a lot like Ryan O'Reilly with better skating to me (but without the elite faceoffs). O'Reilly was also considered to have questionable offense to his game as well at draft time, so maybe we get lucky here.

I don't want to get my hopes up TOO high, but I think so. It might take him a second to get there but with patience we very well could have that kind of center in Kasper.

 

[Baaaaaaaaaaaaah]

I'm ok with the pick. Safe (maybe boring) and well rounded player I had at a similar spot on my board.

I had dreams of trading down and taking McGroarty, and then grabbing Hutson with the payment.

Wings are going to need to work on Kasper's shot.

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

I have a hard time listening when I hear "ya know" 8x within first 1m:10sec & a few bonus "uhm / uuuhhms" thrown in.

In fairness to Drapes (whom I have the utmost respect for) he was speaking with HSJ.

Thanks for the vid though. I'll watch later w/a more receptive mindset.

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

see post #310 for summary:
Prospect Info: - #8OA, Marco Kasper

 

[kabidjan18]

Interesting comment by former Atlanta Thrashers scout Bernd Freimüller on his blog today (translation by me):


Original (German): Das erwartet Marco Kasper bei Detroit Red Wings

Klagenfurt is where Kasper grew up and played hockey until he turned 16.

So the Red Wings sought out a scout who had observed Kasper in a playmaking role before his move to Rögle. That might have fed into Yzerman's opinion that Kasper has "underrated skill"/untapped potential.

Theokritis and me are both Austrian hockey guys. But I think some context for the people who aren't Austrian hockey guys.

The concept of "Marco Kasper the power forward" emerged very late. And in my opinion, very inappropriately. Watching him from youth, the concept of "power forward" would never possibly have come to mind. Mostly because he was always many years younger than his opponents, he was tiny, and he was exclusively a perimeter player. But looking back in those days his talent was undeniable, specifically his offensive talent. I said years ago that he was the best Austrian prospect I've ever seen, and by now I go back quite a bit.

I feel like the "Marco Kasper, power forward" narrative has almost exclusively risen in the last 12 months. Although it probably predates that by just a bit. Because he grew a lot, and he put on a lot of weight over a short period of time. I personally think a lot of it was his personal eagerness to play in the SHL. Maybe also some bitterness over having always been smaller and weaker. But eventually I still believe he will be a perimeter player. Maybe one with great "get", a strong motor, a competitive edge.

But this is something I've seen a lot with young hockey players, wanting to fit in at the next level they do things like go to the front of the net and go to the dirty areas more. Basically compensate for existing holes in their game by asserting themselves as a super willing competitor. That's why it can stunt a player's development to play up. They try to play a very simple, mistake free game based on effort, instead of working on creativity. And sometimes they play too much in front of the net instead of with the puck.

But that's no concern because Marco basically always has the puck on his stick, whether it's with Rogle or Austria. As he adapts to the speed of the game and develops other abilities, he will be an incredibly good player. Far from the assessment by others that he has less room to develop, I think he has significantly more room to develop really than anyone else in the top 10. Maybe Logan Cooley aside.

 

[TheOctopusKid]

Mid-high (Upper tier 2nd line/1st line tweener) - Ryan Kesler/Sean Coutourier/Nico Hischier
High (two-way 1st line center) - Ryan OReilly/Dylan Larkin
Best case outcome - Patrice Bergeron/Henrik Zetterberg

I didn’t want to say it and be the first to put it out there, but the reason I stayed with #teamkasper, is that I think he could be a bigger Z. I am reminded of Hank so much by Kasper, just a guy whose defined by being “good” at everything but not “great” , but what separates him is his smarts, sense, and heart.

Hank did everything he could to help us win games, period. He wasn’t the faster skater, His game was not flashy and would best be described as utilitarian and efficient. He didn’t have the best shot but could get the puck in the net in a number of ways and never gave up on the play and wasn’t afraid to crash into the net to get those dirty rebounds. Hank played all 200 ft and from game to game would play different roles to give the Wings what they needed to win the game. No one competed harder than him.

That’s what I see with Marco, except Kasper is 3 inches taller and will probably end up 20 pounds heavier than Z, and might actually be faster on his skates.

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

Summary:

- ranked 1st @ combine for Wingate test (Fatigue Index)
- tied for 2nd on VO2 Max (endurance)
- 2.6 shots attempts per game
-needs to shoot a lot more
-64.7 (mid) high slot shot % (very high); @net 74.7% (Snoop Dogg)
67.4% (left high slot) & 60% + (right high slot) (both very high)
-very accurate, but not hard shot
-defers to slap shot too much, probably from not being too confident in wrister in motion.

-ability to drive net, creates scrums/multiple scoring chances..."Brady Tkachuk"
-gets shots through to net, regardless of where he is on ice
-wrist shot: good in motion, quick release/snap, needs more strength to beat G's from outside.
-spacial recognition, using every inch of space.
-always changing angles to get highest % shooting location.
-Hands & Compete around net..."a thing of beauty"
-Hides very well in coverage. Protects the puck in tight.

-Translateable Skill - "has more than anyone in this draft class, hands down!"

- Fantastic skater. stops on a dime, exc.edgework, top speed, ton of power on crossovers, balance, rolls of checks & keeps footing.
-"Kasper has Old School brand of hockey in him."
-"Playmaking is good, but not a strength, nor weakness."

-lacks in flash & makes up in compete, old school vibe w/modern day skating + skill = rare commodity w/almost untouchable projectability, safe pick, but he may be both HighCeiling & Safe. need to work on shot mechanics & add power (which he will) Floor is 3rd line. 2yrs away SHL+AHL is in his best interest, then NHL. Power Fwd.

 

[newfy]

Theokritis and me are both Austrian hockey guys. But I think some context for the people who aren't Austrian hockey guys.

The concept of "Marco Kasper the power forward" emerged very late. And in my opinion, very inappropriately. Watching him from youth, the concept of "power forward" would never possibly have come to mind. Mostly because he was always many years younger than his opponents, he was tiny, and he was exclusively a perimeter player. But looking back in those days his talent was undeniable, specifically his offensive talent. I said years ago that he was the best Austrian prospect I've ever seen, and by now I go back quite a bit.

I feel like the "Marco Kasper, power forward" narrative has almost exclusively risen in the last 12 months. Although it probably predates that by just a bit. Because he grew a lot, and he put on a lot of weight over a short period of time. I personally think a lot of it was his personal eagerness to play in the SHL. Maybe also some bitterness over having always been smaller and weaker. But eventually I still believe he will be a perimeter player. Maybe one with great "get", a strong motor, a competitive edge.

But this is something I've seen a lot with young hockey players, wanting to fit in at the next level they do things like go to the front of the net and go to the dirty areas more. Basically compensate for existing holes in their game by asserting themselves as a super willing competitor. That's why it can stunt a player's development to play up. They try to play a very simple, mistake free game based on effort, instead of working on creativity. And sometimes they play too much in front of the net instead of with the puck.

But that's no concern because Marco basically always has the puck on his stick, whether it's with Rogle or Austria. As he adapts to the speed of the game and develops other abilities, he will be an incredibly good player. Far from the assessment by others that he has less room to develop, I think he has significantly more room to develop really than anyone else in the top 10. Maybe Logan Cooley aside.

He said in an interview that he plays like that now because he was always playing against guys like 4-5 years older than him. He learned to protect himself, and now that hes finally with his age group and grown hes able to dish it out instead of just protecting himself.

Might explain a lot of that

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

Excellent Forechecker
High Motor
Comparable - Sam Bennett
Off the charts Compete level
High Floor, Low Ceiling 2/3L C/W
14/15yo playing in Top Austrian league
"Double Underager in SHL"
Complementary scorer
PK/2PP
Disciplined
Mature, near NHL ready

 

[Frk It]

View attachment 566787

Including Wheeler and Ferrari over HP?

Ehhhhhhhhhhh

 

[Murmansk16A]

I didn’t want to say it and be the first to put it out there, but the reason I stayed with #teamkasper, is that I think he could be a bigger Z. I am reminded of Hank so much by Kasper, just a guy whose defined by being “good” at everything but not “great” , but what separates him is his smarts, sense, and heart.

Hank did everything he could to help us win games, period. He wasn’t the faster skater, His game was not flashy and would best be described as utilitarian and efficient. He didn’t have the best shot but could get the puck in the net in a number of ways and never gave up on the play and wasn’t afraid to crash into the net to get those dirty rebounds. Hank played all 200 ft and from game to game would play different roles to give the Wings what they needed to win the game. No one competed harder than him.

That’s what I see with Marco, except Kasper is 3 inches taller and will probably end up 20 pounds heavier than Z, and might actually be faster on his skates.

I think one of the main things that separated Zetterberg from others was his ability to hang on to the puck, not let anyone get it away from him. If Kasper can do that too, he can be very good.

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

Including Wheeler and Ferrari over HP?

Ehhhhhhhhhhh

it's not my video/meme

scroll up, edited

 

[jkutswings]

Ok, so 48 hours after drafting the kid, we have him narrowed down to...

... Somewhere between a 20-point grinder and a PPG power forward.

Dear HFBoards:

 

[RedHawkDown]

Ok, so 48 hours after drafting the kid, we have him narrowed down to...

... Somewhere between a 20-point grinder and a PPG power forward.

Dear HFBoards:

I do not think Yzerman is Holland. He would not have drafted this kid 8th overall if he thought his potential was just a 40pt 2-3C.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Ok, so 48 hours after drafting the kid, we have him narrowed down to...

... Somewhere between a 20-point grinder and a PPG power forward.

Dear HFBoards:

Why are we pumping our brakes? I feel like we’ve got a pretty good spectrum of outcomes covered. The only things we are missing are Nail Yakupov and Wayne Gretzky, but I feel like our range is more than adequate

 

[Oddbob]

Why are we pumping our brakes? I feel like we’ve got a pretty good spectrum of outcomes covered. The only things we are missing are Nail Yakupov and Wayne Gretzky, but I feel like our range is more than adequate

I think he will be somewhere between a 0pt player and a 100pt player. Does that help narrow it down?

 

[better Red than Dead]

Talking heads and amateur scouts are always 100% correct when it comes to prognosticating talent, How right were they about Seider being no better than 2nd pairing defenseman? I have not seen Kasper play, but when Yzerman says he has “underrated skill” I’m in

 

[Bench]

I think he will be somewhere between a 0pt player and a 100pt player. Does that help narrow it down?

Dude you're way off. Have a little faith.

Between 10 and 110.

 

[Frk It]

it's not my video/meme

scroll up, edited

I know, I was just speaking to those that made it.

 

[MBH]

I think one of the main things that separated Zetterberg from others was his ability to hang on to the puck, not let anyone get it away from him. If Kasper can do that too, he can be very good.

Kasper looks like a weak-shot Hossa more than a Zetterberg.

 

[heyfolks]

I don't doubt Yzerman but he'll have to be the greatest Austrian to ever play in the NHL to be considered even a modest success.

If drinking, and I am, and if that provides great hockey insight, it does, Elijah Craig and I think this was a terrible pick. We'd have preferred Frank Nazar.

 

[r0bert8841]

If you want my comparison, it’s a less skilled Mackinnon. I have been saying it for awhile, but whenever I watch him that’s all I see. Before someone jumps all over more me, i said less skilled, so don’t expect the same point totals. But the combination of speed, smarts, and physicality is few and far between.