GDT: Exhibition • Dec. 21 • Finland vs. Russia • 7:00 PM ET
- Thread starter Systemfel
- Start date
I've seen enough of Hintz during the last two years to be confident and comfortable with my view.
BusQuets
Registered User
- Jul 16, 2010
- 12,104
- 3,096
By that logic Saarela should be top15 pick but he isn't. There are always late risers in the draft. Players improvement is not linear.
I've seen Hintz live 6 or 7 times during the last two years. In addition I've seen plenty of video of him, including many of his Liiga games this season. I follow the progress of top Finnish prospects rather closely. Whether I'm right or wrong most of the time is a open for debate, but I don't think it's fair to question my logic based on just my last comment.
Hintz made his debut in Liiga already last season and had a really good year in Jr.A, so I don't understand the talk that some have about him emerging out of nowhere. He has shown rather good development in his game lately and that's definitely a positive, but in my eyes this doesn't alter the limits of his upside or potential that much. Rantanen is still the better prospect from these two.
Some prospects improve their stock later on, that's true. On the other hand some prospects are ranked so horribly by scouting agencies that their true worth is revealed to the general public only at the draft. As far as Saarela goes, yes, he's a good example of player's development not being linear. One can easily imagine his draft stock plummeting hard. Interesting to see where he goes in the draft, if he goes at all that is.
BusQuets
Registered User
- Jul 16, 2010
- 12,104
- 3,096
FinPanda
Barkov Stanley cup champ!
kelsier
Registered User
- Aug 17, 2013
- 4,280
- 1,741
Do I hope you are wrong. Regardless wether your assesments are right or not, the reports from the viewers of the Russia game were more than just positive. Hintz' game and frame might just fit the small rinks better and could solve a part of the center dilemma. Personally I've never been a big fan of Rantanen. While he seemed to be dominating against lesser teams last year in the u18 he struggled big time against better and faster teams (not that there was much anything positive to say about the team in general). Skating was the biggest issue. Rantanen has taking some nice strides in developement this season though. Last year I wouldn't have imagine him even in top15, but now it looks possible. Hintz still looks like a potential top2 rounder. Will be interesting player to follow, especially when my viewings about him have been rather limited. Hope he lives up to the most extreme expectations and proves a lot of people wrong.
On most nights you can find positive things to say about Hintz's game. Usually it's rather easy to distinguish him on the ice due to the speed and hustle he brings to the table. The fact that I think Rantanen is the better NHL prospect from these two doesn't mean that Hintz is a bad player or that he won't have a positive impact playing for this Finnish WJC team. And for the record, I have Hintz ranked as the 3rd best Finn for this upcoming draft at the moment, so it's not like I think he's a worthless.
I should probably have prefaced my summary by saying that with the exception of players returning from last year’s U20 team, this is the first time I’ve seen these guys play, so that needs to be kept in mind.
With regards to Ikonen and Rantanen’s play with Hintz, it was obvious that Hintz was the engine that drove that line. I wouldn’t say Ikonen was particularly good or bad. Ikonen scored the game-winning shootout goal and saw some time on the second power-play unit, but he didn’t really stand out at even strength. Rantanen, looked, well raw. He also had some issues with puck control, he just never seemed that comfortable handling the puck. In particular, at one point he found himself unchecked with the puck in front of the Russian net, but couldn’t get it to settle, and missed a golden opportunity to score. I’m not saying that team Finland would have been better off last night if Rantanen hadn’t suited up. In general he had a competent if unspectacular game in spite of his flaws, and he may well have been having an off-day or been more affected by the recent time change. That’s where the opinions of guys like Tormentor need to be factored in. The other thing is that when you see Hintz and Rantanen together, even though Rantanen is taller, it’s obvious, even through his equipment, just how skinny he is. Hintz, in contrast, seems to have a very powerful build and used it well to win battles.
Some of my impressions may be biased by expectation. Coming into this tournament, Rantanen is the only Finn who is generally seen as a first rounder, while Hintz is a bit of an afterthought. But last night, Hintz was superior in every way. Rantanen definitely looks like a player with a lot of potential, but it seems to me like people on these boards have been saying this about him for years, and now that he’s turned 18, I guess I was expecting that he’d have done more to realize that potential.
With regards to Ikonen and Rantanen’s play with Hintz, it was obvious that Hintz was the engine that drove that line. I wouldn’t say Ikonen was particularly good or bad. Ikonen scored the game-winning shootout goal and saw some time on the second power-play unit, but he didn’t really stand out at even strength. Rantanen, looked, well raw. He also had some issues with puck control, he just never seemed that comfortable handling the puck. In particular, at one point he found himself unchecked with the puck in front of the Russian net, but couldn’t get it to settle, and missed a golden opportunity to score. I’m not saying that team Finland would have been better off last night if Rantanen hadn’t suited up. In general he had a competent if unspectacular game in spite of his flaws, and he may well have been having an off-day or been more affected by the recent time change. That’s where the opinions of guys like Tormentor need to be factored in. The other thing is that when you see Hintz and Rantanen together, even though Rantanen is taller, it’s obvious, even through his equipment, just how skinny he is. Hintz, in contrast, seems to have a very powerful build and used it well to win battles.
Some of my impressions may be biased by expectation. Coming into this tournament, Rantanen is the only Finn who is generally seen as a first rounder, while Hintz is a bit of an afterthought. But last night, Hintz was superior in every way. Rantanen definitely looks like a player with a lot of potential, but it seems to me like people on these boards have been saying this about him for years, and now that he’s turned 18, I guess I was expecting that he’d have done more to realize that potential.
PlusMinusZero
Registered User
Thanks for the reports.And for some reason Rantanen has looked pretty bad lately,he started this year so good and now he is actually only a shadow of hes former self so I just dont know what to think about that.And Hintz have been a really pleasant surprise to me this year,didn't know too much about him before but now I'm pretty excited to see what he can do in this tournament.
