Prospect Info: CBJ in Traverse City, 2022 Edition | Sept. 15-19
- Thread starter tunnelvision
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I agree, I'll just add that getting gap control right will make everything else easier. A lot of those plays he can't get any lower because he isn't matching the attackers speed and they'll just walk him if he goes down.
Agreed.
Could be, I think Mateychuk has a good chance that he'll be further along than Zellweger defensively. It helps that he is already significantly bigger and stronger.
I started watching when it was 2-1 Toronto in the beginning of the 2nd period. Jiricek scored the first CBJ goal and the commentators were praising him quite a bit today I felt. Him and Mateychuk were noticeable but I don't remember any specific wow moments.
Dumais tied it up with a minute to go after a scramble in the front of the net with some plays by Pyyhtiä, Johnson, and Marchenko who got it to Dumais who made a nice fronthand backhand to put it over the goalie for a tie game. CBJ net was empty.
Greaves and Cajan split the net and Cajan certainly looked much better now than in the previous game. He was beat by one shot that hit the crossbar but otherwise was good.
#88 Roman Ahcan had a PK breakaway and almost scored but was denied by the skate blade. It was a good move though.
Dumais tied it up with a minute to go after a scramble in the front of the net with some plays by Pyyhtiä, Johnson, and Marchenko who got it to Dumais who made a nice fronthand backhand to put it over the goalie for a tie game. CBJ net was empty.
Greaves and Cajan split the net and Cajan certainly looked much better now than in the previous game. He was beat by one shot that hit the crossbar but otherwise was good.
#88 Roman Ahcan had a PK breakaway and almost scored but was denied by the skate blade. It was a good move though.
Did your opinion change by the end of the game? I didn't see the first period, but I thought that the 2nd and 3rd were pretty normal Johnson, especially in the 3rd - he gets the puck, he creates chances. This game he tried to shoot a bit more (unsuccessfully), not sure if all of those were good decisions. He made a couple of nice "small" passes - one to Pyyhtiä I think stood out to me (Johnson was surrounded by 3 Leafs players and Pyyhtiä got almost alone against the goalie but shot him in the chest). Marchenko and Johnson seemed to be connecting a bit more today, would be nice if the chemistry started building.
CBJWerenski8
Rest in Peace Johnny
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DougKnowsBest
Registered User
Johnson would be my top forward pick, followed by Marchenko. I think they'll make the big club unless they want Marchenko to start in the AHL for roster/acclimation reasons. After those two I think the gap is quite big. Dumais was the most impactful of the rest, so he'd round up my top-3. DBB, Pyyhtiä would probably be next. I thought #76 Owen Sillinger actually had his best game in the last one (nothing spectacular, just a couple of good, basic plays).
Of the defensemen a lot of them actually had some nice moments. I don't think Mateychuk or Jiricek will stay up this season but they did look good at times and others are better at analyzing their play than me. Knazko and Svozil both also had their offensive moments in these three games. I also noticed #68 Clayton a few times in a positive way, like he seemed to make the right play at the right time. I have zero knowledge about him so that was a nice surprise (but probably doesn't mean anything in the end).
Of the defensemen a lot of them actually had some nice moments. I don't think Mateychuk or Jiricek will stay up this season but they did look good at times and others are better at analyzing their play than me. Knazko and Svozil both also had their offensive moments in these three games. I also noticed #68 Clayton a few times in a positive way, like he seemed to make the right play at the right time. I have zero knowledge about him so that was a nice surprise (but probably doesn't mean anything in the end).
I'd love to have an opinion on that but they didn't upload the last game (seriously, why is CBJ youtube asleep here?)
Before today's game I would have said Mateychuk was clearly in the top 3 players. Him and KJ were the top two.
The player whose stock changed the most for me was Dumais. He looks so much stronger and more robust out there.
With Dumais moving up and Dolzhenkov dominating the MHL, it looks really good for the NHLe approach. I don't know if this was a Weissbock and Lawrence thing but I'm guessing this is their influence.
CBJWerenski8
Rest in Peace Johnny
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Really hard to pick top 3 from Dumais, Marchenko, Johnson and Mateychuk. I think I would drop Marchenko from that group to 4th.
Mateychuk being better than Jiricek does not surprise me. I thought they were close in the draft and also expected Jiricek would have a lot of work to do. Mateychuk is a lot physically stronger than Jiricek but Jiricek needs strength more than Mateychuk does to effectively play his game.
Mateychuk being better than Jiricek does not surprise me. I thought they were close in the draft and also expected Jiricek would have a lot of work to do. Mateychuk is a lot physically stronger than Jiricek but Jiricek needs strength more than Mateychuk does to effectively play his game.
In a league where teams still draft based on character and shoe size, NHLe does seem like the way to go for the 2-7 rounds. Many high end producers drop to late rounds for trivial reasons. I recall both Dumais and Dolzenkhov being 1st rounders in NHLe? Cant really go wrong with that even if they have flaws in their game
CBJWerenski8
Rest in Peace Johnny
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Given that Jiricek has played professionally against men, it surprised me how much more polished Mateychuk looked in comparison. Jiricek was billed as someone who was close to NHL ready by most pundits, some even thought he’d challenge for a spot this year on here. Not only will he not do that, I’m not even sure he’s ready for the AHL.
I’m not worried, but I do think it’s going to require more time than I originally thought and scouted him out to be
Other than Button talking out of his butt, I didn't see many seriously suggest that Jiricek could make the NHL club this year. The scouting analysis I gathered pre-draft was that Jiricek is top heavy and needs to get a lot stronger to play his game at the highest levels. He's a long term play.
For me his skating has been disappointing. I thought he looked shaky at times last year and didn't look great coming back from that knee injury. But I was looking for improvements after the offseason and there really aren't any that I can see, he looks even wobblier.
Fortunately the answer to everything is "get stronger". Time is on his side. Might just be a lot of time.
CBJWerenski8
Rest in Peace Johnny
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I meant people on here, not the pundits. Most pundits said he required another year. Which I agreed with in the scouting season, but now might think it could be two.
Yeah the skating is concerning. I think he’s still untrustworthy of his knee after the injury. Might just need more time on the knee to Trust it more. Ideally I think he would play on a team with NHL regulation rinks but it’s clearly not going to be in the NHL, and again I’m not sure he’d be ready for AHL action either.
NotWendell
Has also never won the lottery.
I've always thought two. Seider and Makar took two. There's a lot of benefit for letting them "try things" at lower levels and perfect their craft before they make it. But yes it now looks like two years might be a physical necessity.
I don't care as much about rink size. And Czech league seems like a good difficulty level for him. But he needs the strength trainers and the skills trainers. AHL might be too good for him right now but it is where the best trainers are, in Cleveland. So do we fly them out to Czechia?
He isn't AHL ready right now but I think the strength training aspect is so crucial that I don't want him in Czechia. The AHL wouldn't be so over his head to where it would stunt his growth or anything imo. Right now to me the pros outweigh the cons of putting him in Cleveland. Two seasons up there would do him right.
CBJWerenski8
Rest in Peace Johnny
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Does it have to be Czechia? Or can we send him to more of an “NHL feeder” team in the SHL/Liiga? Probably wouldn’t want him in the KHL.
For me much of this talk about where Jiricek should be assigned comes down to very particular knowledge about where the better coaches are, where the better trainers are, where the better skill coaches are. If he does stay in Europe I hope Jarmo steers him to a team and city where they have the best of all of those things. There are some teams in every league with atrocious coaching and terrible prospect development, and Euro leagues in general don't tend to prioritize strength. Sometimes there are good reasons for not deprioritizing strength training but that won't work with Jiricek. He needs to get massively stronger. I can't comment on where the best are, I hope Jarmo has a good idea.
Try this
Video quality on the device I'm using is very 2007ish but better than nothing I guess.
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