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Prospect Info: Development/Rookie Camp

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MN14 said:
Sounds like *gulp* Jason Allison :sarcasm:

Thank you both for the writeups!
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Lol. Allison is a stretch. But i was just impressed with the guy. I went there to watch zykov, pearson and toffoli. But it was Auger who caught my eye.

I never played hockey but just love the sport as a fan, so im sure i am not a great talent evaluator. So take what i say with a grain of salt. But i didnt watch him and think "bad skater". Seemed like he was strong on his skates and not easy to knock off the puck. I didnt notice him being slow, but did see him blow by a defenseman and also seperate himself from backcheckers on a few occasions. After watching him he seems like one of those guys whos game might translate better against higher levels of competition.

Im going tommorrow afternoon i will write something again if someone catches my eye.
 
My thanks to everyone attending and sharing their impressions, always happy to read that stuff during the lean summer months.
 
losingsand said:
Only made it to the afternoon sessions

Lots of 3 on 3 // 4 on 4 // and 3 on 3 with 2 nets on one side of the blue line.. (small hockey)

here are some random firey thoughts:
--Auger looked awkward as expected on the stickhandling drills but used his size effectively on the 4 on 4's. Shot was a bit weak. He's for sure a project.
--Toffoli looked so natural and comfortable. He was making it all look so effortless and easy.. . Dude's a stud and is beaming with confidence... His hands and offensive awareness are attributes that are advertised about.. but to me he looked to be one of the FASTER skaters today. Awesomeness
--Another surprisingly fast player was Kitsyn, who also looked to be an offensive stand out today, his hard work contributed to the only 4 on 4 goal scored in the scrimmage-drill.. created space and shot it to a spot where mersch could easily tip it in. BUt yes, that awkward walking in mud skating style is a think of the past... he looks good out there in the skating department.
--Colin Miller is a smooth-slick player. Almost dazzling at times with the way he was stick handling and skating...maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but Miller is a treat to watch.
-----Was paying more attention to the offensive side of things... noticing good plays on Offensive rather than taking note on defensive plays... overall the defense was really tight... Like i said earlier.. only ONE goal was scored on the 4 on 4...maybe 3 goals on the small ice 3 on 3.. and NO goals scored on the full ice 3 on 3.

--Now i know you want to hear about ZYKOV... He comes as advertised as well, a heavy player.. not so tall, but really fearless and good against the boards. He kept up just fine in all the drills. Still too soon to tell, nothing discouraging nothing outrageously ENcouraging.
--Other players i liked were: Macdermid, Bartosak, Mersch, Pearson, Weal, Andreoff.
--Players somewhat disappointing even though it really is unfair to say so given the one hour sample size: Forbort, Berube, Shore.

To me the highlight of the day was a save that Niederberger made going post to post on a gimme one timer thru the crease.

Not sure if i'll be able to make it tomorrow but i know KP will be there.

#hockeyinjuly
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Rusty Batch said:
I attended the afternoon session today. It was very entertaining, lots of highly competitive drills, and a 4 on 4 scrimmage. I was very impressed by Auger. I thought he showed a lot of skill. His skating seemed good to me. At one point he blew by a defensemen on a 3 on 3 drill. He also made some great passes and showed oaff really impressive puck possesion skills. There was one play in particular where he was skating the puck up the ice and protecting the puck from 2 players who were draped all over him. He used his size very well and had complete control of the puck the entire time. He broke free from the players and created a scoring chance.

Auger looks like one of those players that is "calm with the puck".When he gets the puck, he controls it, takes his time, and makes a good decision. I didnt see a lot of panic in his game.
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Thank you two! :)
 
DP said:
Great to hear about Miller, kid seems solid. Is he Manchester bound this season?
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If the Kings like what they see in camp, hopefully he will be signed to a entry-level contract (he is not signed yet FYI). Then he will be able to go to rookie camp in September, and hopefully make the Manchester squad in the fall.
 
Peter James Bond said:
Colin also won the coveted Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy.

http://www.saultstar.com/2013/05/30/colin-miller-lauded-for-leadership

He scored 20 goals this season...55 pts in 54 games and then scored
7 pts in 6 playoff games. I think the Kings may have another late round gem.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=130532

.
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I commented on Miller's winning the Renaud when he won it and am happy to see you posting it again here. For those who aren't aware of how big an honor that is I can only say when you look at the people who have won that award it is a real list of great hockey players.

From it's inception in 08 Chris Terry, Johnny Kurtz, Ryan Ellis and Andy Agozzino have won the award and those are some great young hockey players.

It speaks really really well for how solid Miller is to win that award.
 
Miller is truly a sleeper prospect. Was one of the best dmen in the CHL last year and has great tools. I think he'll thrive in Manch this year.
 
Will post complete thoughts after the noon session.

Amongst the forwards, Toffoli, Pearson, Shore, Andreoff and Mersch all stood out positively.

Macdermid was the best defenseman, in my opinion. Leslie looked good too. Starting to get concerned about Forbort's progress though.

Amongst goalies, Berube had best showing, as expected. Fotinos really struggled, which is normal. I just felt bad because he just looked so deflated when a puck got by him. I like both Bartosak and Niederberger.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Kings invited Fotinos for the sole purpose of of having another goaltender, right?
 
I came here looking for info on three particular players, got this...

Docgonzo said:
Just left camp, the kids from Manchester stood out the most. Toffoli, Pearson and Andreoff, Mersch also looked good. Among the D I'd say Miller and Gravel looked decent and the goalie we just drafted (on my phone and don't want to spell it) looked good.
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Ziggy Stardust said:
Concerned about Forbort? Over practice? He seemed to do quite well in Manchester. I don't know what you are seeing in these brief drills to show concern...
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In terms of fundamentals, yes, I am concerned that a player in his third camp is showing slower development in fundamentals than a player in his second camp. Which is why I said progress. It's not a statement he's a bust. Just a comparative observation of fundamentals

I'm typing a brief summary on my phone since my hotel room isn't available yet. Figured some brief thoughts would be welcome. I mean, the sarcastic recitation of underwhelming former prospects is certainly one for the ages, but I had a silly notion people might want to read something substantive, albeit brief.

And I don't draw conclusions based off of a practice. I do, however, feel like I am fair when I remark on progress.
 
The Exiled One said:
I came here looking for info on three particular players, got this...
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Who are you looking for in particular, the St. Cloud kids? Our posters are pretty bang-on if you're looking for specific feedback.

Was trying to get out there myself, but this whole work-for-a-living thing is a drag...
 
What fundamentals? I know these drills are meant to mimic certain situations, but still, it's vastly different when you're actually playing in a game as opposed to running drills and learning some new concepts that the coaches are trying to teach.

While reports on how guys look out there are welcome, I'll reserve judgement until I see how some of these guys perform against competition during the pre-season, where they are actually evaluated and are trying to make the team. At this stage it is for development, hence the name, development camp. If we were to take away reports from the past, then Petr Kanko would be guaranteed of a roster spot.

Here's a fun trip down memory lane from the Kings' 2006 rookie camp:
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=269255

Do you guys remember how much Kings fans on message boards would be glowing with glee, reporting that Richard Petiot is close to NHL ready and that he'll be a stalwart on defense and looked to be the most NHL ready prospect at these camps? Where is he at now and how many NHL games did he appear in? That's my point when people write "yeah, this guy looks bad and this guy looks great" based off of drills and practice. Describing what they did and who stood out in those drills, that's fine. Nitpicking a guy apart when they're learning something and developing and honing their skills? That's being a bit too harsh, don't you think?
 
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King'sPawn said:
In terms of fundamentals, yes, I am concerned that a player in his third camp is showing slower development in fundamentals than a player in his second camp. Which is why I said progress. It's not a statement he's a bust. Just a comparative observation of fundamentals

I'm typing a brief summary on my phone since my hotel room isn't available yet. Figured some brief thoughts would be welcome. I mean, the sarcastic recitation of underwhelming former prospects is certainly one for the ages, but I had a silly notion people might want to read something substantive, albeit brief.

And I don't draw conclusions based off of a practice. I do, however, feel like I am fair when I remark on progress.
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In support of what you are seeing Forbort I want to add that I too have seen the same in his play and have mentioned it several times this past season. Both at UND and MCH. It isn't that he is a bad prospect or anything close to that, it is just that he isn't as developed as is to be expected.

He is a big guy so it is to be expected that it can take a bit longer to get ahead but the reward will be there in the end. If you get a chance watch how he pivots his feet right before he starts to skate. He is what is called a "nervous starter" in that he typically will take a shuffle step or two before he begins making his power strides.

The way he is trying to remedy this is by pivot his feet keeping them on the ice as he begins his stride. When a prospect is focusing their attention on trying to develop or work through a specific detail of their game they tend to struggle in others. It's why they are prospects.

Since I am not at camp I go by what I read here and am really enjoying everyone of the posts comments that I read. Even when I see something that doesn't fit with what I know or see in a particular prospect I get allot out of the chance to see what others are seeing and thinking.

I say keep em coming!
 
Ziggy Stardust said:
What fundamentals? I know these drills are meant to mimic certain situations, but still, it's vastly different when you're actually playing in a game as opposed to running drills and learning some new concepts that the coaches are trying to teach.

While reports on how guys look out there are welcome, I'll reserve judgement until I see how some of these guys perform against competition during the pre-season, where they are actually evaluated and are trying to make the team. At this stage it is for development, hence the name, development camp. If we were to take away reports from the past, then Petr Kanko would be guaranteed of a roster spot.

Here's a fun trip down memory lane from the Kings' 2006 rookie camp:
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=269255

Do you guys remember how much Kings fans on message boards would be glowing with glee, reporting that Richard Petiot is close to NHL ready and that he'll be a stalwart on defense and looked to be the most NHL ready prospect at these camps? Where is he at now and how many NHL games did he appear in? That's my point when people write "yeah, this guy looks bad and this guy looks great" based off of drills and practice. Describing what they did and who stood out in those drills, that's fine. Nitpicking a guy apart when they're learning something and developing and honing their skills? That's being a bit too harsh, don't you think?
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The first two posts on that thread made the whole link worth it :laugh:
 
Ziggy Stardust said:
What fundamentals? I know these drills are meant to mimic certain situations, but still, it's vastly different when you're actually playing in a game as opposed to running drills and learning some new concepts that the coaches are trying to teach.

While reports on how guys look out there are welcome, I'll reserve judgement until I see how some of these guys perform against competition during the pre-season, where they are actually evaluated and are trying to make the team. At this stage it is for development, hence the name, development camp. If we were to take away reports from the past, then Petr Kanko would be guaranteed of a roster spot.

Here's a fun trip down memory lane from the Kings' 2006 rookie camp:
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=269255

Do you guys remember how much Kings fans on message boards would be glowing with glee, reporting that Richard Petiot is close to NHL ready and that he'll be a stalwart on defense and looked to be the most NHL ready prospect at these camps? Where is he at now and how many NHL games did he appear in? That's my point when people write "yeah, this guy looks bad and this guy looks great" based off of drills and practice. Describing what they did and who stood out in those drills, that's fine. Nitpicking a guy apart when they're learning something and developing and honing their skills? That's being a bit too harsh, don't you think?
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Jonathan Quick-I see quite a bit of potential here. He is very good at stopping the first shot but he needs to control his rebounds better. Overall I was pretty impressed with his play.
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Mad props to poster TWS
 
Ziggy Stardust said:
What fundamentals? I know these drills are meant to mimic certain situations, but still, it's vastly different when you're actually playing in a game as opposed to running drills and learning some new concepts that the coaches are trying to teach.

While reports on how guys look out there are welcome, I'll reserve judgement until I see how some of these guys perform against competition during the pre-season, where they are actually evaluated and are trying to make the team. At this stage it is for development, hence the name, development camp. If we were to take away reports from the past, then Petr Kanko would be guaranteed of a roster spot.

Here's a fun trip down memory lane from the Kings' 2006 rookie camp:
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=269255

Do you guys remember how much Kings fans on message boards would be glowing with glee, reporting that Richard Petiot is close to NHL ready and that he'll be a stalwart on defense and looked to be the most NHL ready prospect at these camps? Where is he at now and how many NHL games did he appear in? That's my point when people write "yeah, this guy looks bad and this guy looks great" based off of drills and practice. Describing what they did and who stood out in those drills, that's fine. Nitpicking a guy apart when they're learning something and developing and honing their skills? That's being a bit too harsh, don't you think?
Click to expand...

But that is looking at a particular prospect in a vacuum. Richard Petiot was a great young prospect who suffered injuries and confidence problems that saw him lose his confidence and ultimately his shot with us. He is still playing in the AHL today and has a shot at making the NHL but it is a long one.

I do agree that these camps do nothing to show where a prospect is in the their developmental arc but it is a great introduction to allot of fans who didn't have the chance to watch them play anywhere else or at any other time during their development.

To me its pick away. It will only make people allot happier when they see how well the kids do (more often than not) when they play against equal and greater competition.

I don't see a right or wrong in it.
 
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