Prospect Info: CBJ Prospect Thread XI

[Doggy]

For Knazko I don't see an NHL path on any club, I'm not sure if you've picked up evidence of growth that I haven't heard about?

Richard I've been bullish on since his draft, but the trajectory is mostly flat. I'm still hoping the club signs him and gets him to Cleveland.

I don't know anything about Makarov lately, other than the fact that he still isn't a full time KHL player at age 22. That doesn't look like an NHL path.

I think it is so difficult to assess defensive defensemen...especially the ones we don't get to see all that much (which is pretty much everyone here judging every prospect). In all seriousness, unless someone lives near Providence and attends a significant number of Friars home games how can they truly know whether Richard has any real NHL potential (and no...watching the games online is not the same as seeing the kids live and certainly not the same as someone who watches highlight films? We are going to have the same problem with some of the new kids like Elick.

All we can do is wait and hope. For the most part, most of us here won't get to see these kids live until (if) they get to Cleveland.

 

[majormajor]

I think it is so difficult to assess defensive defensemen...especially the ones we don't get to see all that much (which is pretty much everyone here judging every prospect). In all seriousness, unless someone lives near Providence and attends a significant number of Friars home games how can they truly know whether Richard has any real NHL potential (and no...watching the games online is not the same as seeing the kids live and certainly not the same as someone who watches highlight films? We are going to have the same problem with some of the new kids like Elick.

All we can do is wait and hope. For the most part, most of us here won't get to see these kids live until (if) they get to Cleveland.

Live viewing might be best, but even video coverage would give us 100x the information we have now on players like Richard. We don't know anything currrently.

 

[Doggy]

Live viewing might be best, but even video coverage would give us 100x the information we have now on players like Richard. We don't know anything currrently.

Then we certainly know nothing about Makarov's abilities and growth. For all we know it has become known he wants to jump to North America and his KHL club is giving him the "Marchenko treatment". I try to watch NCAA hockey on ESPN+ when I can but not usually seeing Friars games (I am drawn more to BU & BC (just because they are so talented), QU (niece worked with the program there for years) and UNH (a friend's cousin plays there).

 

[tunnelvision]

Some Richard shifts (#4 in white) from this season against powerhouse BC and their top line Hagens-Perreault-Leonard:



0:35-2:51
4:22-4:52
5:58-6:38
7:10-8:10
10:35-11:08
11:57-14:06
15:22-16:13
17:14-18:34
19:00-20:08
21:05-21:47
22:33-23:18

That's just one video from November, but Providence and BC had 2b2 games against each other over the weekend in which Hagens scored 4 points, so soon you might find more shift-by-shift clips of Richard on this or some other draft prospect YT channel that covers Hagens.

I'm also a strong proponent for Richard. I think he's going to be top 6 in the NHL and be a very solid player (no offensive flash, but skates well, size and puck distribution is very very good).

I'm not sure about the bolded part but I do agree that he could pan out as a fine bottom-pair defensive LD. Just not necessarily for Columbus since there is and likely will be so much competition for the same lineup spot.

 

[S1N4TR4]

Oiva Keskinen has reached 27 points, which was his point total last season. the catch? he has done it in 12 less games.

the 20 year old continues to grow and play well for tampere.

he sits at 3rd in most points on his team, 2nd in goal scoring and is the only player born after 2003 to have 40+ games this season.

 

[Aaaarrgghh]

Guillaume Richard nominated for Hobey Baker. I'm not overly familiar with the nomination process, so I don't know how special that is.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets/latest-news/blue-jackets-draft-pick-guillaume-richard-nominated-for-2025-hobey-baker-award

EDIT: After some quick googling, it seems like it's three players per school. So not huge, but still noteworthy.

 

[Doggy]

Oiva Keskinen has reached 27 points, which was his point total last season. the catch? he has done it in 12 less games.

the 20 year old continues to grow and play well for tampere.

he sits at 3rd in most points on his team, 2nd in goal scoring and is the only player born after 2003 to have 40+ games this season.

Sorry to be the downer here. I know every player needs to be judged on their own merits but thinking back to other mid-round Swedish players we have drafted that have excelled in Europe and then been nothings in the NHL (Bemstrom, Davidsson, etc) makes it hard to get excited about him. I reserve 100% judgement until he comes to North America, excels in the AHL and then gets promoted and is productive in the NHL. Until then, Zzzzz.

 

[S1N4TR4]

j

Sorry to be the downer here. I know every player needs to be judged on their own merits but thinking back to other mid-round Swedish players we have drafted that have excelled in Europe and then been nothings in the NHL (Bemstrom, Davidsson, etc) makes it hard to get excited about him. I reserve 100% judgement until he comes to North America, excels in the AHL and then gets promoted and is productive in the NHL. Until then, Zzzzz.

good thing oiva isn’t swedish.

 

[majormajor]

Sorry to be the downer here. I know every player needs to be judged on their own merits but thinking back to other mid-round Swedish players we have drafted that have excelled in Europe and then been nothings in the NHL (Bemstrom, Davidsson, etc) makes it hard to get excited about him. I reserve 100% judgement until he comes to North America, excels in the AHL and then gets promoted and is productive in the NHL. Until then, Zzzzz.

Sweden and Finland do have that particular defensive style of play that is very different from the NHL. So likewise I am very skeptical of scoring totals in those leagues, especially the smaller players who are only special at shooting through crowds, which is the main way their scoring leaders set themselves apart.

Keskinen I thought was a little more robust and well rounded? Someone can correct me on that.

 

[Doggy]

j


good thing oiva isn’t swedish.

I still stand by what I said (changing Swedish to Nordic hockey) but damn am I embarrassed. Thanks for the correction.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[Dux917]

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Scott Wheeler ranked our pool 6th. He was also on Porty’s Front and Nationwide podcast to talk about it, if you’re into that sort of thing. I enjoyed his breakdown of Elick particularly

 

[ColumbusTrill]

Scott Wheeler ranked our pool 6th. He was also on Porty’s Front and Nationwide podcast to talk about it, if you’re into that sort of thing. I enjoyed his breakdown of Elick particularly

His description reminded me a lot of Peeke

 

[majormajor]

His description reminded me a lot of Peeke

After going through Elick's draft year videos that @tunnelvision was sharing (after the draft) I came to think of Elick as a Peeke type. Not a guy who is going to help us get up the ice - but depending on our system when he is ready we might be able to use him as a Peeke/Carlo type.

But now that starts to feel generous. Elick is producing about as much in juniors as Peeke was at that age in the NCAA.

 

[Doggy]

Scott Wheeler ranked our pool 6th. He was also on Porty’s Front and Nationwide podcast to talk about it, if you’re into that sort of thing. I enjoyed his breakdown of Elick particularly

Agreed, worthy listen. Whether or not you agree with Wheels, he certainly backs up his analysis.

Fun play to watch, he is still nearly a complete zero offensively.

 

[Doggy]

Wheels is still a fan of Ivanov despite the statistically very down year he is having (compared to last season). It's a small sample size but keep looking for bright spots in his game this year. I know his team is awful.

In his last six starts he is 2-4 with an umimpressive 2.80 GAA but also a respectable .920 Save Percentage facing an average 33 shots per game.

For the season he is at 3.18 and .906 which puts him nowhere near the top thirty in the league.

Ivanov getting the start today vs CSKA.

 

[Doggy]

Gonna add to my post above, Ivanov shut out CSKA today stopping 35 shots and picking up an assist in a 2-0 win.

That lowers his GAA to 2.39 and raises his Save Percentage to .932 over his last seven games. Kid is hitting another hot streak. Hoping he rolls this way through the end of the season (late March). Fourteen games left in their season. Too bad his contract doesn't end with the final game of the season or he could have come over and joined Jet in Cleveland for a playoff run.

 

[majormajor]

I don't think Ivanov's numbers are very telling one way or another. And unfortunately we don't have a lot of KHL watchers or goalie scouts on our board.

I will say, and this is coming from someone with little knowledge of goaltending, that I didn't think Ivanov looked very good when I watched him. In addition to being on the small side, he's not particularly athletic or technically smooth. He just seemed to track pucks well. So I tend to think of him as a lower upside goalie.

 

[Xoggz22]

I don't think Ivanov's numbers are very telling one way or another. And unfortunately we don't have a lot of KHL watchers or goalie scouts on our board.

I will say, and this is coming from someone with little knowledge of goaltending, that I didn't think Ivanov looked very good when I watched him. In addition to being on the small side, he's not particularly athletic or technically smooth. He just seemed to track pucks well. So I tend to think of him as a lower upside goalie.

For what it's worth (maybe nothing), this is pretty much the exact opposite of what Wheeler has said about Ivanov. He loves him and thinks he's very technical and composed. I can't speak on the subject as when it comes to goalies, I'm a true stat guy. His look pretty good and he's on a terrible team, so I tend to value him a bit higher.

 

[cbjthrowaway]

His description reminded me a lot of Peeke

if anything, peeke had more offense as a prospect than elick. i genuinely would be surprised if elick's puck game ever reached NHL level. the skating/physicality, though, are miles ahead of peeke.

haven't really followed elick's performance this year but i think the best case comp is probably something like gudbranson.

 

[majormajor]

if anything, peeke had more offense as a prospect than elick. i genuinely would be surprised if elick's puck game ever reached NHL level. the skating/physicality, though, are miles ahead of peeke.

haven't really followed elick's performance this year but i think the best case comp is probably something like gudbranson.

Peeke is not a great player but I think your description of him is off track. Elick would still have to make a lot of improvements to reach Peeke's level of strength and skating.

Peeke never got enough credit for being an elite skater - if he wasn't putting himself behind the play I think people would see his speed and skating were elite. Funny enough, what was Babcock's first comment after the Blue Jackets first practice with him? It wasn't about Laine or KJ or Werenski. He said something like "wow that Peeke guy is a great skater. nobody told me that". Peeke also plants guys on their asses every game, he's not a Gudbranson level beast and not a crunching open ice hitter, but he throws guys over every chance he gets. Boston fans picked up on it right away, you'd think Jackets fans would have noticed at some point.

I'm curious what you mean by the Gudbranson comp. If you mean stylistically, there isn't a huge difference between Gudbranson and Peeke, Gudbranson is just bigger and slightly more of a pylon. And Elick is Peeke's size. If you meant in terms of role, again it's largely the same 3rd pair RD role for both. Lately Peeke has actually supplanted Carlo in Boston's top 4, though I don't think that Peeke is a real top 4 guy.

 

[Cowumbus]

I don't think Ivanov's numbers are very telling one way or another. And unfortunately we don't have a lot of KHL watchers or goalie scouts on our board.

ESPN+ used to show KHL games and it was awesome, obviously they don’t do that now