CBJ Board Summer '16 Prospect Rankings: #1

[CBJWerenski8]

IMO, it is....

Weresnki
Dubois


Bjorkstrand

It was a hard choice between Werenski and Bjorkstrand for me. But my belief that Werenski will become a top 4 PP specialist put Bjorkstrand over the top, who I believe can be a 30-40 goal scoring top line winger.

 

[major major]

Anyone else remember when Jenner was "third liner tops"?

 

[stevo61]

A PP specialist for Werenski...? what? Are some people scared because JJ didnt turn into what people hoped that its going to happen to Werenski? He reminds me of Pietrangelo offensively and on defense his game looks so much better compared to before. Or is this about silly bitter stuff like getting walked around a couple times at the WJC.
I think the only reason Werenski wouldnt be a top pair guy is because Murray-Jones has pair 1 locked down and contrast each other so well. He'll still be a big minute player

 

[Jackets16]

It was a hard choice between Werenski and Bjorkstrand for me. But my belief that Werenski will become a top 4 PP specialist put Bjorkstrand over the top, who I believe can be a 30-40 goal scoring top line winger.

You actually think that is what Werenski will become? Wow.

 

[Jackets16]

This is close to exactly how I put it, with an even bigger gap after Bjork.

Agreed

 

[LetsGOJackets!!]

I have a very tough time picking between Werenski & Dubois. I have seen more of Werenski, but Dubois was the top rated Canadian Jr. player, was a scoring machine at C & seems to have extraordinary high character.. I'm going to call it a draw. I also agree that Bjork is the next player after a small gap from the top 2.

The future is bright for this young team.. bring them along slow and steady. Didn't Jarmo recently say about Werenski and Dubois picks.. something to the effect that St Louis fans got mad when he picked Pieterangelo & look how that turned out. i think he was saying I know my ****.. don't question me.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

A PP specialist for Werenski...? what? Are some people scared because JJ didnt turn into what people hoped that its going to happen to Werenski? He reminds me of Pietrangelo offensively and on defense his game looks so much better compared to before. Or is this about silly bitter stuff like getting walked around a couple times at the WJC.
I think the only reason Werenski wouldnt be a top pair guy is because Murray-Jones has pair 1 locked down and contrast each other so well. He'll still be a big minute player

That's not it at all. JJ has no impact on him for me at least. I don't think Werenski's defensive abilities are going to let him become a top pairing D. His abilities to defend at the WJHC in the big games weren't very good. IIRC he took some bad penalties against both Sweden and Russia, and was beaten alot against Russia which ultimately ended USA's gold chances. I'm not saying he's going to be awful defensively, I just don't think his offensive abilities will make up for his defensive deficiencies. He'll still be very valuable, but I see him closer to James Wisniewski than Pietrangelo.

You actually think that is what Werenski will become? Wow.

Yeah. I said it at least years draft and I still believe it. However, his AHL performance did have me reconsider, but its too small of a sample size.

 

[major major]

That's not it at all. JJ has no impact on him for me at least. I don't think Werenski's defensive abilities are going to let him become a top pairing D. His abilities to defend at the WJHC in the big games weren't very good. IIRC he took some bad penalties against both Sweden and Russia, and was beaten alot against Russia which ultimately ended USA's gold chances. I'm not saying he's going to be awful defensively, I just don't think his offensive abilities will make up for his defensive deficiencies. He'll still be very valuable, but I see him closer to James Wisniewski than Pietrangelo.
.

A lot of his mistakes are the ones that 18 year old D make that most older D don't. He was also making mistakes a year ago that he doesn't make now - you can see him eliminating them (and quickly).

I think he's Shattenkirk at worst.

 

[blahblah]

Anyone else remember when Jenner was "third liner tops"?

Nope.

 

[Viqsi]

Anyone else remember when Jenner was "third liner tops"?

Tops? No. Likely? Absolutely. But I always remember him as being described as having the upside to possibly be a useful second-liner but that his skating would hinder him from being truly great.

 

[major major]

Tops? No. Likely? Absolutely. But I always remember him as being described as having the upside to possibly be a useful second-liner but that his skating would hinder him from being truly great.

Yeah that sounds right. I remember likely third liner with limited upside.

My point is that he's obviously blown past those supposed upside limits. We see it from time to time that the projected upside caps on some of these players are way off, and so I take those with a grain of salt.

 

[Jackets16]

Zach is elite on offense and his defense is improving at a high rate.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Here is my list (not including the goalies)

1. Dubois
2. Werenski
3. Bjorkstrand
4. Anderson
5. Milano
6. Carlsson
7. Bittner

This takes into account career projections, where they are at now, how high their ceilings are, and how likely they are to reach their ceiling.

Dubois, imo, is for sure #1. He is going to be a sure-fire #1C in the league, whether it is in 2 years or 5.

Werenski is closer to making an impact, but he is still #2 on my list....mainly because I don't see him being a true #1D - I see him more as a complimentary top pairing guy...a more offensively minded Ryan Murray. (a side note, I cannot wait for the day that he, Jones and Murray all play to their potential. It'll be something special).

Bjorkstrand will for sure make an impact at the NHL level, but I don't think at the same elite level that Dubois/Werenski will be at. He's a bit small, but I think once he hits his prime he will consistently hit 25 goals a season. Hopefully one day, it will be like having 2 Cam Atkinsons on the team. His ceiling is sky high, but I don't see him as likely to reach it as the previous two guys in front of him.

Anderson will be a bottom-9 guy in the NHL, and there's nothing wrong with that. I sort of see him producing at a similar rate as Matt Calvert. Not nearly as high of a ceiling, but I think he will atleast reach it, if not exceed it.

Milano is a boom or bust kind of prospect. He is very gifted in the skills department, just needs to develop his game more. The second half of the past season was a big step forward for him. I think this next season will determine if he can reach his ceiling.

Not much is known about Carlsson, but scouting reports coming out of Europe so far sound good.

Bittner seems like a mix of Jenner and Hartnell. He's got size, grit, and some skill. I could see him taking over Hartnell's roster spot in the next year or two if he can make the jump to the NHL. Last season was a lost season for him, which hopefully did not hurt his development.

You realize you'll need to keep voting, right? That one post in one thread when we're going to have a poll for each slot doesn't count for anything in the next thread?

 

[Old Guy]

Dubois, imo, is for sure #1. He is going to be a sure-fire #1C in the league, whether it is in 2 years or 5.

Can I ask how you know this? You say "in your opinion" but then follow it up with a rather assertive statement.

I'm not challenging you or your opinion. I'm wondering how you got there. Did you get to watch PLD skate in the Q? Is it a combination of what you have read and seen? If it was a visual? was it anything other than YouTube clips?

I've watched a lot of hockey for a lot of years, and still can't be so certain of there types of matters.

 

[Old Guy]

Anyone else remember when Jenner was "third liner tops"?

He was drafted in the second round the year CBJ did not have a first round pick. The Dispatch did a series on him periodically over his last year in the OHL. I remember much of what was made of his work ethic being learned growing up on the farm. My thought was at the time, "......second rounder...yea. But you just never know how far a 'farm boy' work ethic can take a player with a modicum of skill"

 

[JohnnyJacket13]

You realize you'll need to keep voting, right? That one post in one thread when we're going to have a poll for each slot doesn't count for anything in the next thread?

Yes I realize this, I was just contributing to the conversation that was being discussed right before my post.

Can I ask how you know this? You say "in your opinion" but then follow it up with a rather assertive statement.

I'm not challenging you or your opinion. I'm wondering how you got there. Did you get to watch PLD skate in the Q? Is it a combination of what you have read and seen? If it was a visual? was it anything other than YouTube clips?

I've watched a lot of hockey for a lot of years, and still can't be so certain of there types of matters.

I have never seen Dubois skate in person, but I have high expectations of him between what I have read and heard from scouts and hockey writers and have seen of in his highlights. There have been a lot of Kopitar and Benn comparisons, and he's got the size, skill, and skating ability to reach that potential. There is a reason why he was drafted #3 OA over Mr. Puljujarvi.

 

[JohnnyJacket13]

delete

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Yes I realize this, I was just contributing to the conversation that was being discussed right before my post.

Just making sure we have as many voices in each poll as possible.

 

[blahblah]

Yeah that sounds right. I remember likely third liner with limited upside.

Who? I've always heard top six upside.

 

[Sstroh84]

That's not it at all. JJ has no impact on him for me at least. I don't think Werenski's defensive abilities are going to let him become a top pairing D. His abilities to defend at the WJHC in the big games weren't very good. IIRC he took some bad penalties against both Sweden and Russia, and was beaten alot against Russia which ultimately ended USA's gold chances. I'm not saying he's going to be awful defensively, I just don't think his offensive abilities will make up for his defensive deficiencies. He'll still be very valuable, but I see him closer to James Wisniewski than Pietrangelo.QUOTE]

If I am remembering those tournaments well enough, didn't he get used an obscene amount of minutes and most of those errors come due to tired legs. I remember watching and thinking Werenski never came off the ice. He is a lot better defensively than I think he showed towards the end of that tournament.

 

[niflheim]

He'll still be very valuable, but I see him closer to James Wisniewski than Pietrangelo.

I don't know why, but ( imho) only comprasion for Zach ( in my universal ) is Doughty ( maybe it's subjective), I quess he probably never be 102% perfect defensively, but he is.. like young God. In Zach I believe

 

[theD86]

Werenski #1.

However I really like Carlsson. This kid has all the tools and don't be surprised if he's in the minors for a short time.