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F Frank Vatrano (2012 undrafted; 2015 signed, BOS)

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Reminds me a bit of a young Chuck Kobasew. Before the injuries. Good north-south game. Not big, but thick. Great shot. Can still knock bigger players off the puck and take the body with consistency. Willing to get his nose dirty in the trenches. Probably has more hands and hockey sense than Kobasew ever had (who was quite limited in that area). Obviously shoots with more volume. Hard to believe skating was ever an issue him. Can really get up and down.

Will probably be a 2nd/3rd line tweener if he pans out, but it wouldn't shock be to see him see him find a niche in the top-6.
 
Only scored 1 goal last night, so his goals per game went down. 20 goals and 29 points in 18 games is pretty nuts.
 
I think that the Frankie V. accolades might have to be tempered a bit. He may be an AHL superstar, but that doesn't always translate to NHL success. During his stint with Boston earlier this year, he notched a grand total of seven points in 30 games. I wish him well and hope that he can succeed, but it might be best to hold off on anointing him a future goal-scoring machine for the big club.
 
I don't think anyone is suggesting that Vatrano is a finished product at age 21 based on his prolific goalscoring at the AHL level.

But still, that kind of production is hard to ignore. And while he didn't set the NHL on fire in his first 30 games, he flashed some real talent at times. When you look at the big picture, it's becoming far easier to believe that there's possibly a very good NHL player in there somewhere.
 
Estlin said:
I think that the Frankie V. accolades might have to be tempered a bit. He may be an AHL superstar, but that doesn't always translate to NHL success. During his stint with Boston earlier this year, he notched a grand total of seven points in 30 games. I wish him well and hope that he can succeed, but it might be best to hold off on anointing him a future goal-scoring machine for the big club.
Click to expand...

What a redundant comment... Nobody is even close to hyping him as a future goal scoring machine in the NHL, and surely everyone has to prove their worth in the real league after dominating junior or AHL. But writing about 7 points in 30 games as a benchmark for a 21 year old undrafted player with just 1 NCAA season and a completely missed year due to a NCAA ban the year before... well, wow. If you'd know anything about Vatrano u'd see just how remarkable his development curve has been of lately.
 
Now leads AHL in goals with 26 goals in 26 games. Mike Sislo is tied with him and has played 53 games.
 
Estlin said:
I think that the Frankie V. accolades might have to be tempered a bit. He may be an AHL superstar, but that doesn't always translate to NHL success. During his stint with Boston earlier this year, he notched a grand total of seven points in 30 games. I wish him well and hope that he can succeed, but it might be best to hold off on anointing him a future goal-scoring machine for the big club.
Click to expand...

He has a legendary shot, worst case hes a huge PP threat who plays lower ES minutes

Just needs to be coached into a system
 
I think he'll get another extended look at the NHL, probably next year, if for no other reason then the hardest commodity in the NHL these days is scoring goals.

Scoring covers a lot of other flaws. Vatrano may in fact be a one trick pony, but it's a helluva a coveted miniature horse.
 
IMO, this guy is NHLer already. Yep he didn't score that much in the NHL, but believe me he didn't look out of place on most night. hard work, skate hard, shot hard and often and on the NET always the first to back check. I like this Kid.
 
Marchand didn't out up huge numbers in his first 20 games either, it sometimes take a few rodeos before you stay on the bull. I'd love him to replace our other hometown boy Hayes in the lineup.
 
Mad Brills said:
So why isn't he in the NHL?

He seems too good for the AHL.
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Knowing completely nothing, Boston's top six may be already set, and it's possible Claude Julien doesn't feel like Vatrano plays enough of a "bottom sixer's"
game yet.
 
Mad Brills said:
So why isn't he in the NHL?

He seems too good for the AHL.
Click to expand...

He's not yet better than Eriksson, Marchand or Beleskey and would be a waste on the 4th line. Makes more sense for him to rip it up in AHL and gain huge confidence for next season. I think he'll have his chance sooner rather than later.
 
Reason he isnt in the nhl : hasnt learned to play defence at the professional level. Playing on the third line and hell get eaten up by top players
 
When he was up in the pros, you can tell the kid has NHL level talent and drive. He was working very hard, especially in the backcheck. Still, he needs to learn positioning and gain experience. He's getting that right now in the minors and getting a chance to play more minutes and be on a scoring line. With the pro club, he's not going to play over Eriksson, Marchand, or Beleskey right now which means he would have been regulated to the 4th line playing with lesser talent. It's a smart move by Boston and he could be why they're willing to play lowball on Eriksson's contract knowing that they have a potential top 6 guy on the backburner.

But, the AHL has a long history of having hotshot goalscorers who couldn't cut it in the NHL. So the jury is still out on Vatrano. But so far, so good.
 
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