C Auston Matthews - ZSC Lions, NLA (2016 Draft) III

[93LEAFS]

The scoring race competition in NLA is way tougher then in Finland. PPG aside he is performing much better then the Finns.

And to your initial statement, no. Crosby didn't outperform everyone in WJC and he is the player of a whole generation. So your WJC foundness is silly.

Same with McDavid (who was coming of injury), it is way too small a sample size to draw a conclusion.

Matthew's looks to have the potential to be Sakic level good. Its not like what he's doing in Switzerland is all that people are basing his draft position on. Matthews last year broke the scoring record at the USNDP program surpassing guys like P. Kane, Eichel, and Kessel, and he is a complete all-around center. How many center prospects have had his combo of skating, passing, shot and strong two-way game recently? Maybe Eichel? The guy might be the most complete all around center to enter the draft in a long time. McDavid isn't as well rounded, but his uber-elite hands, vision and skating make him the best prospect to emerge in awhile, even if he is weaker than Matthews in regards to defensive play and physicality. The only knock I ever hear about him is that he's not as dynamic as flashier guys like Eichel.

 

[thomast]

You can also pick out David MacIntyre who was an average AHL player yet is almost at ppg in the FEL. Yeah sorry theres no way he would outperform Matthews. Same with Eric Perrin. Matthews has already played with elite players in the WC. It's fine if you guys want to underrate him.

Read my whole post again and comment please. Are you blind or do you have hard time to understand what i wrote? I just praised Matthews???

 

[BrianSTC]

Sorry guys, but there is no proof of Matthews being clearly the best talent in this draft. If he would be really so clearly the best player in this draft he would have been able to outscore the Finns and anyone else clearly at the WJC. if he was so much better and the clearly best prospect, he would have been able to carry the otherwise superstrong team USA easily to the final and to the gold medals. I mean come on, Russia was not really that great team after all. And Finland beat them with a team of a few really big junior stars, but most of the team was pretty average. Matthews was incapable to do either. It was his chance to shine and to prove that he is head above all the other junior prospects. He got the chance to do it, but he couldn't prove that. There was clearly better players in the tournament. If you can't perform better than that and others outperform you in this once in a lifetime opportunity, then you just are not head above the others. A great prospect, but not a clear number one otherwise, but because of being a center and strong North American homerism.

And Matthews's stats in NLA are definitely not really more impressive than Laine's stats are in FEL, as NLA is really defensively and by goaltending clearly a weaker league than FEL. But only time will really tell us the real answers. Lets see about it in a couple of years...

Why are you continually dissing Matthews in this thread??

***Newflash***
Matthews will be drafted ahead of the Finns.
Get over it.

If you want to hype up Laine (or whoever the Finn of the day is), then do it in their own thread. Please and thanks...

 

[93LEAFS]

You can also pick out David MacIntyre who was an average AHL player yet is almost at ppg in the FEL. Yeah sorry theres no way he would outperform Matthews. Same with Eric Perrin. Matthews has already played with elite players in the WC. It's fine if you guys want to underrate him.

Huh? what do you mean by WC, because he wasn't on the USA world championship team last year. He may play on it this year, but he hasn't played at that level yet. The highest level Matthews has played at is the NLA.

 

[Ippenator]

Why are you continually dissing Matthews in this thread??

***Newflash***
Matthews will be drafted ahead of the Finns.
Get over it.

If you want to hype up Laine (or whoever the Finn of the day is), then do it in their own thread. Please and thanks...

Wakey wake up! Read again what I have written. I have not dissed Matthews. I have said as my opinion that he is the most balanced player in this year's draft. I have also said that he is a very good player and because of him being a center, an American homeboy and also a very good player, he will be most likely taken as number one in this year's draft.

But when I also say that Laine is still in my opinion a better prospect and point out good reasons for it I'm the one who gets dissed here. And I'm sorry, but I don't see as the headline for this thread:"Only praise American wonderboy Matthews, and don't dare to be a critic and question anything about him!" If the thread was named like this, I could understand comments like yours. But as it is not named like that, I have to say that these kind of comments only show the North American arrogance that I have never been able to stand (although I'm half American myself).

 

[93LEAFS]

Wakey wake up! Read again what I have written. I have not dissed Matthews. I have said as my opinion that he is the most balanced player in this year's draft. I have also said that he is a very good player and because him being a center, an American homeboy and also a very good player, he will be most likely taken as number one in this year's draft.

But when I also say that Laine is still in my opinion a better prospect and point out good reasons for it I'm the one who gets dissed here. And I'm sorry, but I don't see as the headline for this thread:"Only praise American wonderboy Matthews, and don't dare to be a critic and question anything about him!" If the thread was named like this, I could understand comments like yours. But as it is not named like that, I have to say that these kind of comments only show the North American arrogance that I have never been able to stand (although I'm half American myself).

You use the this WJC alot, but don't seem to ever talk about last years U18 WJC, where Matthews was byfar the best player at and led his team to gold, which should count for something.

And Matthews won't go #1 because of this north american arrogance you talk of. We saw a Russian winger go over a guy who played in the OHL at 15 and made the WJC team at 16, we also saw a Finnish goalie go over a guy who is the only Canadian to make the WJC as a 16 year old defender. The overrating of prospects is done by all nationalities, and to say its dis-proportionally done by North American is flat out incorrect.

 

[Ippenator]

Cant wait to see him bust.

If this comment was written because of me bringing out two earlier draft number ones who became complete busts, I have to still point out that I was not referring to Matthews becoming a bust. Not for sure, as I definitely can't see him becoming a bust. I was bringing those busts here because I wanted to still remind how easily players can still be overhyped. In my opinion Matthews is slightly overhyped, although I see him as a very good prospect. Just not head above Laine and Pulju, and in fact a bit behind Laine in talent.

 

[BrianSTC]

Wakey wake up! Read again what I have written. I have not dissed Matthews. I have said as my opinion that he is the most balanced player in this year's draft. I have also said that he is a very good player and because of him being a center, an American homeboy and also a very good player, he will be most likely taken as number one in this year's draft.

But when I also say that Laine is still in my opinion a better prospect and point out good reasons for it I'm the one who gets dissed here. And I'm sorry, but I don't see as the headline for this thread:"Only praise American wonderboy Matthews, and don't dare to be a critic and question anything about him!" If the thread was named like this, I could understand comments like yours. But as it is not named like that, I have to say that these kind of comments only show the North American arrogance that I have never been able to stand (although I'm half American myself).

I come to this thread, to see how Auston Matthews is doing, as well as to get other info about him. However, when I have to scroll thru pages and pages of Laine, Puljujarvi, Aho, etc. I kind of get irritated.

Criticize Matthews if you want, but please enough with pimping the Finns on this thread!

 

[Ippenator]

You use the this WJC alot, but don't seem to ever talk about last years U18 WJC, where Matthews was byfar the best player at and led his team to gold, which should count for something.

And Matthews won't go #1 because of this north american arrogance you talk of. We saw a Russian winger go over a guy who played in the OHL at 15 and made the WJC team at 16, we also saw a Finnish goalie go over a guy who is the only Canadian to make the WJC as a 16 year old defender. The overrating of prospects is done by all nationalities, and to say its dis-proportionally done by North American is flat out incorrect.

Yes the U18 was magnificent by Matthews. But it was all the same for Laine and Pulju also, and they got their team to the final with team USA, and just barely lost by a goal in overtime. Of course Matthews was great in that tournament. But even there he wasn't head above Laine and Pulju. Just a bit ahead, that I admit. But in U18 tournaments the half a year of age difference also shows much more than later, and that advantage was still then more seen. Less than a year later we already saw how things can change for the benefit of the a bit younger prospects like Laine and Pulju. I believe this same thing will still happen between Matthews and the Finns for the next two years at least. Anyway the most recent comparable performances are only really valid when comparing top prospects of this age. NLA and FEL performances and statistics are not unfortunately comparable at all, so I have to compare these players with the only clear evidence there is. And that is the latest WJC, where each of these prospects played in the same top class tournament.

 

[FinPanda]

Matthews has been amazing in NLA and will be the 1st overall pick. WJC don't matter because it's just 7 games during a long season, and Matthews was great there too.

Laine has been good and who knows if he'll be better, most likely not. Matthews has everything what you want from your 1st C.

 

[VictorLustig]

We are witnessing the most impressive draft year season ever by a Euro-based player.

 

[wings5]

Read my whole post again and comment please. Are you blind or do you have hard time to understand what i wrote? I just praised Matthews???

I wasn't just talking about you, mainly other Finnish posters who downplay his accomplishments. The other points refer to when you brought up St.Pierre, theres still other NA players who have come close to ppg who aren't at Matthews level. I mentioned the WC because he practiced with the team the whole tournament and was among the best players in Exhibition games.

 

[Zaddy]

We are witnessing the most impressive draft year season ever by a Euro-based player.

I didn't watch Hedman in his draftyear outside of the WJC. How does his SHL season compare?

 

[thomast]

I wasn't just talking about you, mainly other Finnish posters who downplay his accomplishments. The other points refer to when you brought up St.Pierre, theres still other NA players who have come close to ppg who aren't at Matthews level. I mentioned the WC because he practiced with the team the whole tournament and was among the best players in Exhibition games.

Tell how i was underrating Matthews like you said???? I don't know what to say anymore about you posting me underrating Matthews and quoting my post where i basically say Matthews has most impressive season of all draft eligibles, he is favourite to go first and prolly will go, having excellent WJC's, saying how special his year is in NLA. Is that underrating him??? So i have to call him generational talent or Lemieux level of prospect so you don't think it's underrating? Gimme a break...

I took St. Pierre into the discussion because that every player stats doesen't translate to other league so smoothly. Other players play better in AHL than in Liiga. Then there is some players who play better in a bigger rink and worse in AHL. There was nothing about me comparing St. Pierre to Matthews. Someone was refereing 0.3ppg players in AHL having almost PPG in Liiga. Look at Rantanen who was 0.5 ppg in Liiga last year and now well over PPG in the AHL because i actually think his game is much better in small rink. It's not just too black and white like some posters try to say. There is many factors.

 

[Beukeboom]

I have to correct my two goal report last night. They changed the scoresheet so he only got one. Still at 22 goals and just one goal away from the leader with 14 games less played.

And yet again, the 0.3AHL'rs was to show that there are no ex NHL or KHL'rs to compete with in Finland except for some older domestic players. In NLA Matthews has to compete with many ex NHL and KHL'rs from various countries. So to be involved in the goal scoring race and to be around top 10 in points total with 10 games less is more impressive then to be doing the same thing in Finland (which the finns aren't anywhere near doing).

 

[tinozz]

I have to correct my two goal report last night. They changed the scoresheet so he only got one. Still at 22 goals and just one goal away from the leader with 14 games less played.

And yet again, the 0.3AHL'rs was to show that there are no ex NHL or KHL'rs to compete with in Finland except for some older domestic players. In NLA Matthews has to compete with many ex NHL and KHL'rs from various countries. So to be involved in the goal scoring race and to be around top 10 in points total with 10 games less is more impressive then to be doing the same thing in Finland (which the finns aren't anywhere near doing).

not anywhere near is pushing it since laine is 3 points from being ''around top 10 in points'' and 2 goals from being top 5 in goals with 10-15 less games played

 

[Beukeboom]

not anywhere near is pushing it since laine is 3 points from being ''around top 10 in points'' and 2 goals from being top 5 in goals with 10-15 less games played

Yeah last time I checked he was way off but he seems to have climbed a lot. Puljujarvi is way off however. But Laine is not 3 points from being top 10 however, 6 from what I can see? Maybe an old list.

Still his competition is way easier than in NLA in terms of top scoring guys.

 

[WaltWhitman]

I have to correct my two goal report last night. They changed the scoresheet so he only got one.

.

bust

 

[wings5]

Tell how i was underrating Matthews like you said???? I don't know what to say anymore about you posting me underrating Matthews and quoting my post where i basically say Matthews has most impressive season of all draft eligibles, he is favourite to go first and prolly will go, having excellent WJC's, saying how special his year is in NLA. Is that underrating him??? So i have to call him generational talent or Lemieux level of prospect so you don't think it's underrating? Gimme a break...

I took St. Pierre into the discussion because that every player stats doesen't translate to other league so smoothly. Other players play better in AHL than in Liiga. Then there is some players who play better in a bigger rink and worse in AHL. There was nothing about me comparing St. Pierre to Matthews. Someone was refereing 0.3ppg players in AHL having almost PPG in Liiga. Look at Rantanen who was 0.5 ppg in Liiga last year and now well over PPG in the AHL because i actually think his game is much better in small rink. It's not just too black and white like some posters try to say. There is many factors.

Relax I said other Finnish posters were underrating him, the only thing with you I was talking about was the scoring rate bc as you said its too black and white. Maybe he'd be a bit over .5 ppg or maybe he'd be close to ppg no one knows. Chill out.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

A common theme in this thread is more flash equals more potential. I really doubt NHL GMs see it that way.

 

[thomast]

Relax I said other Finnish posters were underrating him, the only thing with you I was talking about was the scoring rate bc as you said its too black and white. Maybe he'd be a bit over .5 ppg or maybe he'd be close to ppg no one knows. Chill out.

You quoted my post and said this.

It's fine if you guys want to underrate him.

Of course i want to know why you did it? In that connection it your post includes me into same group that underrates Matthews. Maybe you have to pay attention more reading posts.

 

[tinozz]

Yeah last time I checked he was way off but he seems to have climbed a lot. Puljujarvi is way off however. But Laine is not 3 points from being top 10 however, 6 from what I can see? Maybe an old list.

Still his competition is way easier than in NLA in terms of top scoring guys.

yeah sorry thanks for correcting me

 

[Stavros]

I have to correct my two goal report last night. They changed the scoresheet so he only got one. Still at 22 goals and just one goal away from the leader with 14 games less played.

And yet again, the 0.3AHL'rs was to show that there are no ex NHL or KHL'rs to compete with in Finland except for some older domestic players. In NLA Matthews has to compete with many ex NHL and KHL'rs from various countries. So to be involved in the goal scoring race and to be around top 10 in points total with 10 games less is more impressive then to be doing the same thing in Finland (which the finns aren't anywhere near doing).

Finn are competing with future NHL´rs and KHL´rs: 38 drafted players have played FEL this season 18 have played NLA. Counting out lock out players, 43 NHL players this season with Fel background 20 with NLA background. 76 KHL players this season have palyed FEL before, 24 played NLA before.

NLA teams have faced FEL teams this and last seasons 18 times fin teams have averaged 2,8 goals, NLA teams have scored on average 1,8 goals. That is one big difference compared to 2,9 goals per game they score against other NLA teams.

Then there is the things with his ridiculous shooting percent which is over 22, way too much over leagues average to be sustainable.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

We are witnessing the most impressive draft year season ever by a Euro-based player.

Yep. Though I recall Jagr having a pretty good season.

 

[Ippenator]

Finn are competing with future NHL´rs and KHL´rs: 38 drafted players have played FEL this season 18 have played NLA. Counting out lock out players, 43 NHL players this season with Fel background 20 with NLA background. 76 KHL players this season have palyed FEL before, 24 played NLA before.

NLA teams have faced FEL teams this and last seasons 18 times fin teams have averaged 2,8 goals, NLA teams have scored on average 1,8 goals. That is one big difference compared to 2,9 goals per game they score against other NLA teams.

Then there is the things with his ridiculous shooting percent which is over 22, way too much over leagues average to be sustainable.

Extremely good points. The other (probably North American) poster tried to imply that everything is just about how bad scoring players FEL has, by trying to make a point with how some North American minors players are playing in FEL. It shows how North Americans so easily like to think only through what is well known to them, and not taking seriously some things that they don't know about or can't understand. Here Stavros presented hard, cold facts that prove that in general FEL is a tougher league. Some few North American guys playing here and there prove nothing (Brian Rafalski was not appreciated in the minors an not even in Swedish Elitserien, but he became a magnificent player in FEL and a great NHL player after it). The proof is the class of the young prospects and other potential great Finnish players there are. Not maybe NHL-great most of them, but KHL potentials at least. And I claim that there's a huge amount more of this level players in FEL than in NLA.