Prospect Info: Alex Vlasic, Defence, USNTDP, 43rd overall (2019)

[St Anley]

a lot of this development might be due to Luke Richardson....

 

[Pez68]

a lot of this development might be due to Luke Richardson....

He's basically looked the part from day 1 of the season. So, not likely. If anything, it was the Rockford coaches last season.

 

[WarriorofTime]

It's a weird jump. He did not look like this in Rockford last year.

This is wrong. He looked very good in Rockford. This board has a bad habit of picking right away if it likes or dislikes a player and not coming off it for far too long.

 

[kmwtrucks]

at some point if you are good GM you have to make a bet on growth. My guess is his deal is 5 years. he is going to be 23 when he signs his next contract. June BDAY.

 

[BobbyJet]

It's easier to be assertive when you have a reliable partner. He hasn't had one since Jones got hurt. Totally changes your risk tolerance when that's gone.

Though I agree in general, not so much in this case.

Vlasic was paired with Seth early on and looked very good - when Seth went down to injury I thought Vlasic's game would suffer but he has continued his stellar play despite the lack of an experienced guy on the other side. Hopefully, as his confidence grows he will become more physical. That would make him a complete Dman in my mind.

 

[Chelios]

I would lock him up for as long as possible.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

He's so much more assertive. He's never going to be a physical player but he's confident in his skill set. He makes plays now. Last year hockey happened around him.

 

[Hattrick Kane]

He's so much more assertive. He's never going to be a physical player but he's confident in his skill set. He makes plays now. Last year hockey happened around him.

Hammer was never overly physical either. When you’re a big strong guy like that, you don’t necessarily have to be. Just leaning on guys with that size is going to cause issues.

 

[clydesdale line]

Hammer was never overly physical either. When you’re a big strong guy like that, you don’t necessarily have to be. Just leaning on guys with that size is going to cause issues.

Hammer was pretty physical coming into the league. His hit on Pominville changed his game quite a bit. But he still did lay the boom every once in a while.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Hammer was never overly physical either. When you’re a big strong guy like that, you don’t necessarily have to be. Just leaning on guys with that size is going to cause issues.

Hammer was a far more physical player than Vlasic.

 

[TLEH]

You don't have to be physical in hockey but you damn better be assertive or players will take note and absolutely pick on you.

Korchinski will/is facing the same issues.

 

[dj Mahoney]

It's a weird jump. He did not look like this in Rockford last year.

I thought he looked very good last year , was carrying the puck , pinching , hopefully he continues progressing.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Vlasic looked good in Rockford last year but Mitchell and Phillips looked better. This jump in play is wild.

 

[Pez68]

Vlasic looked good in Rockford last year but Mitchell and Phillips looked better. This jump in play is wild.

Some guys just play better at higher levels. It's a weird thing. His hockey IQ is obviously extremely high. Thinking the game at a higher level than your teammates and opponents isn't always beneficial.

The kid is the goods.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Some guys just play better at higher levels. It's a weird thing. His hockey IQ is obviously extremely high. Thinking the game at a higher level than your teammates and opponents isn't always beneficial.

The kid is the goods.

For sure. Kid is incredibly cerebral. He understands hockey at a level on the ice I never will. Used to hate guys for it. Vlasic is great.

 

[Darkstar]

Vlasic looked good in Rockford last year but Mitchell and Phillips looked better. This jump in play is wild.

I'm a little shocked as well and I've been a believer in him, ranking him above guys like Phillips in our previous prospect polls. I like his smooth simple game and the occasional sneaky good stretch passes. I guess things finally just clicked for him.

 

[pvr]

At the game last night. Vlasic was matched up against McDavid essentially every shift. They doubled shifted McDavid to get him away from Vlasic. Played just about every tough minute with a suboptimal partner.

He was incredible. Great stick, gap control, skating, passing. Best dman on the team by far Including Jones.

His ceiling is a defensive leaning number one, and I won’t be surprised if he hits it. If he adds a little nastiness as he physically matures, then he’d be a beast. He’s so under the radar in the hockey world right now.

 

[giza]

5 years an no less, I tell ya! Vlasic still needs to put on a few pounds of muscle and he'll be even more assertive. Hammer was told to hold back on the physicality....he could've demolished people...seemed like he got called for that too....but damn he was a great defensive D man with a decent shot too....miss Hammer.

 

[Pez68]

At the game last night. Vlasic was matched up against McDavid essentially every shift. They doubled shifted McDavid to get him away from Vlasic. Played just about every tough minute with a suboptimal partner.

He was incredible. Great stick, gap control, skating, passing. Best dman on the team by far Including Jones.

His ceiling is a defensive leaning number one, and I won’t be surprised if he hits it. If he adds a little nastiness as he physically matures, then he’d be a beast. He’s so under the radar in the hockey world right now.

Wait until he starts getting more confident with the puck, too. I think he's going to shock a lot of people.

 

[hawksfan50]

Vlasic is the only Hawks dman on the roster who can just skate the puck out fro behind our net through checkers and out over the blueline when he wants to do it ...maybe KK coukd do it a lot more ,but I do not think hevhss tgecsame confidence so he doesn't do it enough ..STAH dmen are notcsuposed to have tgat ability.. soot is shocking that he does..If he gets mire confident I attack the only drawback would be getting caught upnice such that hisxd-partner needs to be back to over for thise forays .He is better on o-zone entries than any of the Hawks we have on roster.(according to my eye test) including Bedard.and including Korchinski..

The only thing Vlasic lacks to be a real offesive is an effective shot from distance that beats goalies.. But neither does Korchinsji show that.
Hawksxwoukd need to draft a dman with a distanceshot that is top level to be on PP1 and be a goal scoring threat for the Opps ..
Sam Dickinson (LD) could be that guy or Zayne Parekh (RD) if we draft one of them.

VlaSic has never been a top level goal scoring dman ..but hevis very goidxat keeping pucks in and passes well and sees the ice well..So I woukd like to see him on PP1 at Left point over Korchinski ..because I think he would keep more plays alive in the zone by keeping more pucks in at the line..Since neither he nor Korchinski beat goalies with piintcshots,if you had a tremendous offensive talent like Parekh at RD with Vlasic LD then I think Hawks would solve the PP current disaster.
Seth Jonesvisxa disaster running the PP...he shoukd nit be on either PP1 or PP2....Rather they shoukd tell hom to buckle up and try to improve defending for the PK..jevisn't good defensively either ..but if you took offensive weight of "carrying " team offense away from him,maybe he focuses more on his defending(we would he)..

In any case,Vlasic is so conptent in all but his shot tgat hexwillbe a Hawks mainstay for a log long time..He could score more offensively with dishes or with closer in goals if he develipsxtgatxaspect once Hawks have better forwards who can score and set up..

However.. I do not believe you just can develop your shot from distance...either you havevonevirvyou do not.. Neither VlasicorxJorchinski do ,so that is an aspect Hawks will need to address by draftibgcacDman who does beat goalies with his long abd medium range shots.

 

[Dead Meat]

I'll go there - I hope he represents the Hawks at the all star game.

 

[WarriorofTime]

I'll go there - I hope he represents the Hawks at the all star game.

will be Dickinson

 

[Taze em]

$3.75x8.

 

[Mrfenn92]

$3.75x8.

Done.

Think he’ll look at Mikey Anderson/ Mattias Samuelsson type of deals if both sides go long term.

 

[TLEH]

$3.75x8.

He would never sign that.