C Mark Jankowski (2012, 21st, CGY) II

[Spade]

If he got a pro contract id be suprised. Cant see many teams wasting a contract. Flames would probaly be better off getting that 2nd round pick as comp

Jankowski is farther along so I'll have to disagree with you there. Like him or not, he's still a decent asset and one who has been on an (admittedly slow) upward trajectory.

***

Mark's an interesting case, it's really hard to get a read on him. Flames fans hope he has a Riley Sheahan/Kevin Hayes/Connor Brickley in him and that his transition to the pros will be as smooth as the other 3 were. You never want to see a top prospect develop that slowly, most people want to see massive jumps in production, which is fair because honestly speaking, players who don't produce at lower levels almost never produce in the big league.

Jankowski has really shifted, in my mind, from a boom-or-bust project pick when he was drafted to a safe, reliable player. His work in Providence has been exemplary, and he's gone from a one-dimensional forward to a guy who the Friars rely on to take key matchups against other teams' top players. He's excellent in the dot at the college level, and plays a very strong positional game. Nate Leaman runs a defensive-oriented system with the team, and his go-to option as a defensive stopper has been Jankowski for more than 2 years now.

In terms of talent, he still has what got him drafted in the first round, and the team/fans saw that at the prospect camp in the summer, because he was arguably the best forward there. His hands, shot and playmaking abilities are still near the top of the prospect pool.

When he was drafted, the expectations were that he'd be a top-6 forward or he'd straight-up be a bust. He still could be that bust, but I'm not worried about it as much as I was after his freshman season because he's adapted his game to suit his situation better. Now, I think that even if he never becomes that top-6 scoring forward, he'd still be a really good shutdown center thanks to his speed, reach and smarts.

It's not his fault that the expectations on him were artificially inflated thanks to John Weisbrod and Jay Feaster, but he's still very much a prospect and I think he might surprise some people with his jump to the AHL/NHL next year.

 

[Whileee]

Jankowski is older and more experienced than most of his opponents. As a 1st round pick, he should be dominating his opposition at that level. Until he plays at a higher level it's hard to project his future role or effectiveness at the NHL level. Most effective NHLers exhibited mastery of lower levels of competition earlier than Jankowski.

 

[Rebuilt]

I keep hearing about him year after year but havent seen a lot of film of him. I guess we have to wait until next year when he finishes school.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

Jankowski is older and more experienced than most of his opponents.

Jankowski turned 21 a month ago. NCAA Average Age is 21, with senior average age being 23 and freshmen average age being 19. So no, he's not older. He's exactly the average age right now.

As for experience, most of his opponents spent their pre-freshmen developmental years (16-19) playing in American Junior leagues like the USHL/NAHL, and Canadian Junior A leagues like the BCHL, AJHL, MJHL, OJHL. Jankowski played prep school hockey as a 16-17 year old. Guys who do play prep school hockey usually spend their 18/19 year old season(s) in the USHL. In Jankowski's case, at 18 he started his freshman year but weighed 168 lbs and was thrust from a level of play that's probably just around Junior B level to about three tiers higher. So after his first year of "experience" he was just caught up in "experience" to the average freshmen entering college hockey. He's played 112 games in the NCAA, but that's all he's played at any notably high level.

For some comparision, Blake Wheeler was also a high school first round draftee. He played 58 games in the USHL as an 18 year old, his draft+1. He had 83 NCAA Games the two years after. That's 141 games at a notably high level of play, and that's a first round talent at the age Jankowski's at right now, which is the average age in the NCAA.

Look at your average NCAA guy, like this one for example (I just picked a defenseman at the team that the Friars seem to face every other week who fit the age, maybe he's an outlier):

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=134259

Same age as Jankowski (actually, 9 months older but eh), except there's

110 USHL Games
80 NCAA Games

and that guy just is going into his Junior Year.

So is Jankowski older and more experienced than his opposition, right now as a 21-year old with 112 NCAA games? I don't believe so.

 

[Reinhart]

Jankowski is older and more experienced than most of his opponents. As a 1st round pick, he should be dominating his opposition at that level. Until he plays at a higher level it's hard to project his future role or effectiveness at the NHL level. Most effective NHLers exhibited mastery of lower levels of competition earlier than Jankowski.

Older and more experienced? He JUST turned 21. There are 11 guys on his team right now that are older, and 8 guys that are younger. I would expect that to be the norm on NCAA teams, no? NCAA is not junior-level hockey.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0005762016.html

Also, trying to compare him to other 1st round picks who went the NCAA route is tough to do with him. He was a project pick, and selected with the prior knowledge that his development arc would take much longer than most other kids. He was drafted out of a Canadian high school prep program. He had a long development path given this, coupled with his physical stature (6'3", 175lbs at the draft).

I loved this pick at the draft, and I still absolutely love it. I think he has taken huge strides in addressing his propensity to bust, and it will be really interesting to see how he does as a pro next year - whether it be in the NHL or at the AHL level. One of my favorite prospects I have been tracking over the last few years and definitely one of the more interesting ones due to various factors that make comparisons more difficult to do.

 

[JFHockey]

I'm pro-Jankowski but I still have to admit he needs a huge stats year in the NCAA to maintain his upside. If he stays below a ppg, then I'm not sure if he'll have any NHL potential. Good news is that he has 5 points in 2 games so far.

 

[Yanda]

He could get 0 points this season and still develop into a solid 2 way bot 6 center. I used to think it was a risky pick but now I think he will make the show in at least some capacity.

 

[InfinityIggy]

He reminds me of Colborne so far in his development curve. People forgot how young he still is, he literally only just turned 21.

 

[tfong]

Think most fans saw this. Most knew he was a project pick and I think given his camps and his progress at college, will develop I hope into a 2nd/3rd line center.

Though I think he will more than likely turn into our next Joe Colborne.

 

[Mickey the mouse]

Don't get to excited about his play last weekend, points specifically.

Miami was AWFUL on Friday and their goalie was really off.

Providence is a very good team with 19 or 20 returners. So , he has a great supporting cast to play with.

His wingers do all the dirty work, finish checks, cycle , etc.. He seems to wait around for them to get possession but looked to be in the right place most of the time. No toughness or grit from what I saw. Feed on internet was good too.

Hard to project any comparisons but Kopitar, etc are way off base.

Big kid, can skate decent but by no means has the look of an elite NHL player in anyway right now

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

I agree that comparing him to Kopitar is way off.

Like Monahan is a comparable to Kopitar. Look at how much better he was at the same age then Mark.

All that said, I hope he breaks out this year. Providence doesn't have Gillies anymore so they can't just plug up the neutral zone to win games 2-1. They will let their players play a little more offensively.

I'm hoping for a breakout year offensively from Jankowski. I look at Kevin Hayes. Never did too much before his Senior season. 6'4" like Mark. Then he took off (partly cause of Gaudreau and Arnold). Now he is a solid top-9 forward.

I think our fanbase is severly over-rating him in some cases. But I still think he easily has the size, intelligence, skating and skill to be an effective top-9 or top-6 forward for a long time in the NHL.

 

[MrLunatik]

I'm pro-Jankowski but I still have to admit he needs a huge stats year in the NCAA to maintain his upside. If he stays below a ppg, then I'm not sure if he'll have any NHL potential. Good news is that he has 5 points in 2 games so far.

He doesn't need "huge stats". Ideally he will be involved in 30-35% of the goals his team scores.

 

[MrLunatik]

I think our fanbase is severly over-rating him in some cases. But I still think he easily has the size, intelligence, skating and skill to be an effective top-9 or top-6 forward for a long time in the NHL.

I think 1 person is overrating him. Most of us are saying exactly what you are.

 

[robbie111]

Jankowski continues a strong start to his season with 2 more points today and now has 2g and 5a for 7pts in his first 3 games and is tied for second in NCAA scoring. He is also a +5 so far this season. Gonna be lots of posters eating crow.

 

[King In The North]

Jankowski continues a strong start to his season with 2 more points today and now has 2g and 5a for 7pts in his first 3 games and is tied for second in NCAA scoring. He is also a +5 so far this season. Gonna be lots of posters eating crow.

Great start now that he's being used as a focal point offensively.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

Flames-hater Ryan Lambert with an article with some observations on Janko's game this year:

http://flamesnation.ca/2015/11/21/5-things-college-prospect-update

Jankowski as of now (Game 11 still in progress) has 15 in 11 games while leading all Friars forwards in +/- at +8

Jankowski also has yet to pick up his first minor penalty this season despite being Providence's go-to center in all situations, particularly defense. Future Lady Byng Winner?

 

[DonskoiDonscored]

Flames-hater Ryan Lambert with an article with some observations on Janko's game this year:

http://flamesnation.ca/2015/11/21/5-things-college-prospect-update

Jankowski as of now (Game 11 still in progress) has 15 in 11 games while leading all Friars forwards in +/- at +8

Jankowski also has yet to pick up his first minor penalty this season despite being Providence's go-to center in all situations, particularly defense. Future Lady Byng Winner?

To be fair the only reason he has low PIMs is because there is virtually no risk in his game. He's a safe player but won't take chances.

He also should've gotten two minors in one of the Miami games. I forget which one.

 

[Ignite09]

Another solid weekend from Janko. Few more of these and the Flames might have a player

 

[L13]

He's started the season super well! Seems like things are really coming together for him.

Also, he was named Hockey East's player of the week, which Jay Feaster duly retweeted

 

[King In The North]

He's started the season super well! Seems like things are really coming together for him.

Also, he was named Hockey East's player of the week, which Jay Feaster duly retweeted

Hahha that's funny.

Great start for Jankowski so far. Can't wait to see what he'll do in the pro

 

[seafoam]

Seems like he has an NHL future. In what capacity remains to be seen.

 

[King In The North]

Seems like he has an NHL future. In what capacity remains to be seen.

Hoping he can turn out to be Joe Colborne type. With Monahan and Bennett in place Jank can hopefully be a more utility type; big winger for one of our top 2 centers or a shutdown role C

 

[seafoam]

Hoping he can turn out to be Joe Colborne type.

He's got good size, and seemed to focus on his defensive game his first few years at PC.

There's nothing wrong with that. In my personal opinion, good defense leads to more sustainable and consistent offense (if that makes sense).

Calgary could definitely use that.

 

[YMCMBYOLO]

16 points in 12 games for Jankowski now

 

[NHL Dude 120]

been some time, but hows he doing??
updated projections, does he sign with the flames or go to UFA
I see he has zero PIM which is pretty good and has 20pts in 20 games.
(http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=146518)