C Michael Rasmussen - Tri-City Americans, WHL (2017, 9th, DET)

[newfy]

Looked good against Russia in the super series. Hes on a lowish scoring team, hes went from about 5th or 6th in points per game on his team last year to first. 58% on draws. A lot of people forgot that he had an injury where he didnt play for 6 months until the start of this season, hes starting to heat up more now though and the points are coming. Hes also looking like a bit more of a playmaker this year and picking up some assists which is good as well.

I didnt love the pick but realistically everyone picked around where he was had question marks and hes definitely developing nicely

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

For a big man he plays I'd like to see him not divert to the perimeter as much. With his skill, size and strength he can be hard to handle if he drove the middle of the ice more.

In particular, he seems hesitant to drive the middle of the ice when he's got the puck, even when there's space. I think he's not very confident in his ability to keep possession of the puck in close quarters. If he has the puck, he seems to like to be at the perimeter where he can use his reach. But that's not really in his best interests, because he's not a big threat from that distance; he's not a sniper, hasn't been the kind of guy to thread a pass, and is not always fast enough to cut in to the goal.

He's in a weird place where he has to find another aspect of his game to become consistently dangerous on offense. To his credit, his passing seems to have improved this year.

 

[Tryamkin]

Everyone seems to hate on him, I don’t really get it. He plays under the mold of Ryan Getzlaf. Playing good this season. Could see him in the NHL next year.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Everyone seems to hate on him, I don’t really get it. He plays under the mold of Ryan Getzlaf. Playing good this season. Could see him in the NHL next year.

Given his performance in training camp this year, it would certainly not be a shock if he made the team next year.

 

[tfong]

Everyone seems to hate on him, I don’t really get it. He plays under the mold of Ryan Getzlaf. Playing good this season. Could see him in the NHL next year.

There were better picks to be had instead of a player in the mould of Franzen (ish). Realistically its because I don't believe Rasmussen has much game breaking potential when he gets to the NHL. Feels like the second coming of Brian Boyle to me tbh. Or at the very least he can be a net front presence guy but I really wanted a game breaker type talent for the Wings.

Off the top of my head I really wanted Necas or Yamamoto or Suzuki.

 

[Tryamkin]

There were better picks to be had instead of a player in the mould of Franzen (ish). Realistically its because I don't believe Rasmussen has much game breaking potential when he gets to the NHL. Feels like the second coming of Brian Boyle to me tbh. Or at the very least he can be a net front presence guy but I really wanted a game breaker type talent for the Wings.

Off the top of my head I really wanted Necas or Yamamoto or Suzuki.

I think most people will be pleasantly surprised with the skill set. Some scouts had him at 1.

 

[boredmale]

There were better picks to be had instead of a player in the mould of Franzen (ish). Realistically its because I don't believe Rasmussen has much game breaking potential when he gets to the NHL. Feels like the second coming of Brian Boyle to me tbh. Or at the very least he can be a net front presence guy but I really wanted a game breaker type talent for the Wings.

Off the top of my head I really wanted Necas or Yamamoto or Suzuki.

I think the potential is there for him to be a Ryan Smyth(or a more modern example may be Anders Lee) kind of player

 

[FinlandPanther]

I think most people will be pleasantly surprised with the skill set. Some scouts had him at 1.

Sure.

 

[newfy]

There were better picks to be had instead of a player in the mould of Franzen (ish). Realistically its because I don't believe Rasmussen has much game breaking potential when he gets to the NHL. Feels like the second coming of Brian Boyle to me tbh. Or at the very least he can be a net front presence guy but I really wanted a game breaker type talent for the Wings.

Off the top of my head I really wanted Necas or Yamamoto or Suzuki.

If he has a peak similar to Franzen he'll be considered an awesome pick. ~ 6 seasons which is half his career, on pace for over 25 goals including multiple 30 goal seasons and some insane playoff runs. People expect way too much at 9th overall, especially in a weak draft. The people who say they wanted a game breaker than list Necas I dont really understand. Hes a 2 way center thats more of a play maker but hes not some crazy offensive talent. And while I understand some wating Suzuki, hes still tiny. Yamamoto waydown at 22 was not getting picked in the top 10 when hes 5'7 on a good day

 

[WingsMJN2965]

Franzen was great until he became the streakiest player in the league. He'd be a ghost for a month and a half and then suddenly score 7 goals in two games.

I guess it wouldn't be a bad thing to have, I'd just hope for better. I wasn't happy with the pick due to his age and other things. I understand Vilardi had questions about his skating ability but when everybody else is getting a superstar "Comparable" and Rasmussen's comparable is Anders Lee, its' cause for concern. Obviously comparables are often BS, but still.

 

[Tryamkin]

Franzen was great until he became the streakiest player in the league. He'd be a ghost for a month and a half and then suddenly score 7 goals in two games.

I guess it wouldn't be a bad thing to have, I'd just hope for better. I wasn't happy with the pick due to his age and other things. I understand Vilardi had questions about his skating ability but when everybody else is getting a superstar "Comparable" and Rasmussen's comparable is Anders Lee, its' cause for concern. Obviously comparables are often BS, but still.

Comparisons are awful.. what kind of comparison is Anders Lee , similarities aren’t really there except for maybe screens. He plays stylistically like Ryan Getzlaf, that’s not a potential projection, just stylistic.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

Comparisons are awful.. what kind of comparison is Anders Lee , similarities aren’t really there except for maybe screens. He plays stylistically like Ryan Getzlaf, that’s not a potential projection, just stylistic.

As I recall the comparison was made mostly due to size similarities and the fact that they kinda drive the net.

 

[93LEAFS]

Franzen was great until he became the streakiest player in the league. He'd be a ghost for a month and a half and then suddenly score 7 goals in two games.

I guess it wouldn't be a bad thing to have, I'd just hope for better. I wasn't happy with the pick due to his age and other things. I understand Vilardi had questions about his skating ability but when everybody else is getting a superstar "Comparable" and Rasmussen's comparable is Anders Lee, its' cause for concern. Obviously comparables are often BS, but still.

I had Villardi at 3 and thought he was clearly the 3rd best player in the draft. Now, in retrospect, there is a strong possibility teams didn't like something in his medicals that led them to take other guys over him. He hasn't played since the Memorial Cup and he could be out til mid-February. If you are drafting a guy, knowing he's going to miss over half a season (and summer) of development at 18, it will make you skeptical. Secondly, Villardi also got knocked on the belief he projected as a winger.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

I had Villardi at 3 and thought he was clearly the 3rd best player in the draft. Now, in retrospect, there is a strong possibility teams didn't like something in his medicals that led them to take other guys over him. He hasn't played since the Memorial Cup and he could be out til mid-February. If you are drafting a guy, knowing he's going to miss over half a season (and summer) of development at 18, it will make you skeptical. Secondly, Villardi also got knocked on the belief he projected as a winger.

Hmm... I remember comments about him not ending up a center, but nothing on the medicals. Has something come out since the draft about that?

As I recall the main criticism was that he fell so hard because teams were skeptical about his skating ability, and the theory was that if your skating is in question by that age, you don't normally overcome it.

 

[93LEAFS]

Hmm... I remember comments about him not ending up a center, but nothing on the medicals. Has something come out since the draft about that?

As I recall the main criticism was that he fell so hard because teams were skeptical about his skating ability, and the theory was that if your skating is in question by that age, you don't normally overcome it.

He hasn't played since the Memorial Cup last year. Whatever is wrong with him (back/hip related) has already lingered for over 6 months, with him not expected to be back until sometime in 2018. So, while I haven't heard anything concrete on that causing him to fall, there may have been something their that scared teams off.

 

[lawrence]

There were better picks to be had instead of a player in the mould of Franzen (ish). Realistically its because I don't believe Rasmussen has much game breaking potential when he gets to the NHL. Feels like the second coming of Brian Boyle to me tbh. Or at the very least he can be a net front presence guy but I really wanted a game breaker type talent for the Wings.

Off the top of my head I really wanted Necas or Yamamoto or Suzuki.

????
There were better picks ? This is based on what ? The so called experts on hfboards.com ? All scouting sources and publishing sources had him going around the exact spot he was destined to go. The only people writing him off was the members here because he racked up most of his points on the power play ? I will never question a team like Detroit, when it comes to drafting. No they do miss some like everyone else , their track record says it all when it comes to drafting.

 

[ManUtdTobbe]

All mock drafts had him around 10, most rankings had him lower, quite a bit lower.

 

[Tryamkin]

As I recall the comparison was made mostly due to size similarities and the fact that they kinda drive the net.

Which isn’t really a comparison at all

 

[Tryamkin]

Johnny Gaudreau and Martin St Louis are both tiny so they are a great comparison... doesn’t work like that.

 

[Fear]

Johnny Gaudreau and Martin St Louis are both tiny so they are a great comparison... doesn’t work like that.

Getzlaf is a weird comparison as well ... Getz is an elite playmaker

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

Getzlaf is a weird comparison as well ... Getz is an elite playmaker

Yeah, agreed. I think he's more on par with, like... a rich man's Brian Boyle. He's huge, he can score some dirty goals, he's defensively responsible. He's got a lot of value as a depth guy and a role player, but he's not going to stir the drink. He doesn't even touch the drink itself. He's the napkin.

 

[93LEAFS]

????
There were better picks ? This is based on what ? The so called experts on hfboards.com ? All scouting sources and publishing sources had him going around the exact spot he was destined to go. The only people writing him off was the members here because he racked up most of his points on the power play ? I will never question a team like Detroit, when it comes to drafting. No they do miss some like everyone else , their track record says it all when it comes to drafting.

Quite a few people had him below 9. Button at 21, and Hockey Prospect at 15, and those are two of the more respected sources. 9 to 15 and 21 is a sizable jump, so everyone didn't have him that high. Pronman had him at 19, and FC had him at 16. I know of other sources that have him lower, but I don't put that much stock into what they say such as Jeff Marek.

 

[93LEAFS]

Getzlaf is a weird comparison as well ... Getz is an elite playmaker

Yeah, I don't see Getzlaf at all. Getz uses his size in the corners and to buy time on the puck to throw it out front. Rasmussen likes to park himself in front of the net offensively. You aren't going to run your power play through him like you do with Getz who likes to use the corners and the side-wall while someone like Perry causes havoc in front of the keeper.

 

[Reddwit]

????
There were better picks ? This is based on what ? The so called experts on hfboards.com ? All scouting sources and publishing sources had him going around the exact spot he was destined to go. The only people writing him off was the members here because he racked up most of his points on the power play ? I will never question a team like Detroit, when it comes to drafting. No they do miss some like everyone else , their track record says it all when it comes to drafting.

You’re giving Detroit way too much credit for their drafting. Do you know how many defenseman Detroit has drafted in the past 25 YEARS who have hit the reasonable 30-point mark?? ONE. Niklas Kronwall. That was 17 years ago. Detroit hasn’t even managed to draft a top 3 defenseman of any variety in that time.

That’s just one little taste of the reality of Detroit’s scouting efficacy post 2001. They’ve done a decent job of landing skilled but weak wingers every other draft but they basically had 15-20 years worth of average returns while Zetterberg and Datsyuk blinded everyone.

 

[newfy]

You’re giving Detroit way too much credit for their drafting. Do you know how many defenseman Detroit has drafted in the past 25 YEARS who have hit the reasonable 30-point mark?? ONE. Niklas Kronwall. That was 17 years ago. Detroit hasn’t even managed to draft a top 3 defenseman of any variety in that time.

That’s just one little taste of the reality of Detroit’s scouting efficacy post 2001. They’ve done a decent job of landing skilled but weak wingers every other draft but they basically had 15-20 years worth of average returns while Zetterberg and Datsyuk blinded everyone.

Not that theyre unquesitonable but their forward drafting is right up there with pretty much anyone. In that same time frame you listed, they've drafted roughly 8 top 6 forwards in the late second round or later. That doesnt count guys like Larkin, Mantha or Frk from recent drafts (2 of which look really good for where they were drafted)

I think people should wait a bit before judging this pick. It wasnt considered a strong draft with top end talent, and now some people are upset the wings didnt take a guy who looks like a first line center. Hes been very good in the WHL for someone who missed the last 6 months of hockey. Let him develop before people want to call it a bad pick. No one in here has actually scouted him especially leading up to the draft. He was drafted right where he was projected