Prospect Info: HFAvs Prospect Ranking Polls 2024 - #6

[McMetal]

Jean-Luc Foudy rounds out the top 5 prospects, dropping one spot from 2023.

1) Calum Ritchie
2) Mikhail Gulyayev
3) Sean Behrens
4) Ilya Nabokov
5) Jean-Luc Foudy

Added Tory Pitner and Ivan Yunin to the polls. Remember to vote for two new additions every round!

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[henchman21]

Curran is my guy here... it is purely projection. He has size, plays a heady game, some two way ability... and when he got hurt, was seemingly getting the hang of NA hockey. He needs to learn how to play more physical and to shoot the puck A LOT more. I want to see him put up a 90+ point season and show more physicality. The base is there though.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Curran.

Add Jedlicka and Cloutier.

 

[tigervixxxen]

I know he’s been written off but Olausson is the best prospect of that’s left

Add Miner, he’s the orgs third goalie until something changes lol and everyone else is a long shot for a contract.

 

[Deadsy]

OO, still hoping it's just taking a bit longer for him to put things together.

Add Humphreys and .... let's say Bardakov.

 

[The Abusement Park]

OO, still hoping it's just taking a bit longer for him to put things together.

Add Humphreys and .... let's say Bardakov.

I mean OO’s almost 22 and had 40pts in 102 AHL games. I think we’re pretty much at the point where it’s clear he isn’t a NHL’er at this point.

 

[McMetal]

I'm going with Curran as well. Ivan has a pretty low ceiling as a potential 4th line/tweener. Zellers I'm not sold on yet, he needs to excel against stiffer competition before I get excited. And Olausson is a colossal bust who will be back in Sweden within two years. He's Sampo Ranta except he got there faster.

Curran's young age means he has a little bit of extra growth potential over the next couple of years. Hopefully he can stay healthy and put together a strong 2nd season in the WHL, which is becoming a really damn strong league in recent years.

 

[dahrougem2]

I know he’s been written off but Olausson is the best prospect of that’s left

Add Miner, he’s the orgs third goalie until something changes lol and everyone else is a long shot for a contract.

What do you mean he's the orgs third goalie? Mandolese trade seems to indicate he is #3, not Miner.

 

[tigervixxxen]

What do you mean he's the orgs third goalie? Mandolese trade seems to indicate he is #3, not Miner.

Really neither are. Mandolese is the next Arvid Holm if anything.

 

[Deadsy]

I mean OO’s almost 22 and had 40pts in 102 AHL games. I think we’re pretty much at the point where it’s clear he isn’t a NHL’er at this point.

I can still dream for one more season

 

[Vaslof]

I mean OO’s almost 22 and had 40pts in 102 AHL games. I think we’re pretty much at the point where it’s clear he isn’t a NHL’er at this point.

Almost as in 4 months time he will be 22.

I can't talk about his play, but age wise he absolutely still has time.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Pitner.

Add Humphreys

 

[S E P H]

Olausson will always be extremely one-dimensional, but the bloke lost significant time due to injuries on top of that. Will he bust? Probably, but we ain't even close to that stage yet. I still want to see how well his offensive tools will develop.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Almost as in 4 months time he will be 22.

I can't talk about his play, but age wise he absolutely still has time.

So by the time next season starts.

I just don’t know how he makes the NHL. He’s an all offense guy who doesn’t even score much at the AHL. He’ll have to completely reinvent his game to make the NHL imo.

 

[McMetal]

So by the time next season starts.

I just don’t know how he makes the NHL. He’s an all offense guy who doesn’t even score much at the AHL. He’ll have to completely reinvent his game to make the NHL imo.

Not only that, but he didn't even light up the OHL in his D+1 year. That was the first red flag, even a late 1st rounder should be expected to be well over PPG in the CHL as an 18 year old, especially if offense is their calling card. Olausson posted 26G-23A-49P for 0.89 PPG in 55 OHL games, that's just not nearly good enough.

He should have come in and done what Ritchie did in his D+1 year (also a late 1st round pick) if he had any prayer of becoming a top six NHLer. As it is now, his one-dimensional offense won't fit in a bottom six role, and frankly his one dimension isn't even NHL caliber.

 

[henchman21]

Not only that, but he didn't even light up the OHL in his D+1 year. That was the first red flag, even a late 1st rounder should be expected to be well over PPG in the CHL as an 18 year old, especially if offense is their calling card. Olausson posted 26G-23A-49P for 0.89 PPG in 55 OHL games, that's just not nearly good enough.

He should have come in and done what Ritchie did in his D+1 year (also a late 1st round pick) if he had any prayer of becoming a top six NHLer. As it is now, his one-dimensional offense won't fit in a bottom six role, and frankly his one dimension isn't even NHL caliber.

Yup... his OHL year was bad. Draft year first rounders should be around or above PPG, let alone a +1 first rounder. Production isn't everything, but as a top 6 or bust guy... you absolutely need to produce. OO has to show he can do that... and we're not talking a .5ppg AHL guy. We need a .85+ and really nearing PPG.

JJ Peterka is 2020 draft year instead of 21... but he also played as a rookie in his +2 year in the AHL. That was his first year in NA... he came over and put up 68 points in 70 games. Then as a rookie in the NHL put up 32 points and last season 50 points. That is the type of progression you ideally want to see out of these late 1st/early 2nd guys. Or as a later guy to come over, Macelli in his +3 season (equivalent to last year for OO) put up 57 points in 47 games in the AHL. Top 6 talent players should produce early and towards the top of the league. I'm fine with a mulligan year, but not two. Certainly not three.

 

[Pokecheque]

It's too bad, people whose opinions I trust praised the Olausson pick when it happened. I was really optimistic he'd turn out to be a player.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Olausson has talent, they at least drafted for that. He has 2 years left on his ELC too due to mistakenly agreeing to go to the AHL early.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

What's souring me with OO is that he is singularly incapable of getting a call up. If he isn't impressing Bednar as a 2nd liner in camp, he won't ever have the opportunity to impress Bednar until the following year's campl. Whenever someone is injured we always daisy chain up from the active roster and then call up whatever forward Bednar will commit to giving 4-6 minutes in a heavily sheltered/protected role. This is the antithis of what OO does.

But if he isn't getting games this season, I have to label him a bust. This would give the kid what is more likely an easier path to the NHL with a GM who still really likes him, but it also allows CMac to recoup a little and move on to what will hopefully become a prospect with higher potential for a carer (at any level) in the NHL. We need boom and bust prospects, but the key for these working is cashing out before all other GMs view him as a bust as well.

The Avs just aren't good at ever promoting high level talent because, it either starts in the NHL rather immediately, or was a just a bad pick in general.

 

[henchman21]

IMO the basic problems with OO are that he’s not a high intelligence player, he doesn’t have a high motor, not super willing to attack the middle of the ice, and while he’s got some legit talent in his skating and shot… he’s not talented enough to get by on that alone. Take Burkie, he had a lot of those same strengths and weaknesses, but he was legit ppg level talent. Coaches forgive a lot if you can pot 20g consistently despite flaws. They may look to upgrade, but you’ll get a job in the NHL.

If OO can’t do that, the rest of his game just isn’t something coaches will want to tolerate. I personally have a hard time seeing that level of talent in his game and the switch suddenly flipping based on what we’ve seen. I’d say it pretty much has to happen this year for the Avs to have any reason to hold on to him.

 

[McMetal]

Completely forgot to put in my votes: Add Fisher and Jedlicka.

 

[tigervixxxen]

What's souring me with OO is that he is singularly incapable of getting a call up. If he isn't impressing Bednar as a 2nd liner in camp, he won't ever have the opportunity to impress Bednar until the following year's campl. Whenever someone is injured we always daisy chain up from the active roster and then call up whatever forward Bednar will commit to giving 4-6 minutes in a heavily sheltered/protected role. This is the antithis of what OO does.

But if he isn't getting games this season, I have to label him a bust. This would give the kid what is more likely an easier path to the NHL with a GM who still really likes him, but it also allows CMac to recoup a little and move on to what will hopefully become a prospect with higher potential for a carer (at any level) in the NHL. We need boom and bust prospects, but the key for these working is cashing out before all other GMs view him as a bust as well.

The Avs just aren't good at ever promoting high level talent because, it either starts in the NHL rather immediately, or was a just a bad pick in general.

I mean, he did get called up twice at least.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I mean, he did get called up twice at least.

Yeah, he did. I'm just a bit perturbed that Wood would get pushed into the second, well before the 3rd was elevate to the 2nd. Why not use this opportunity to check out where OO really is at in the role everyone seems to claim he is boom or bust over (2nd line). Playing him in the bottom six for minimal minutes just doesn't seem like a lot of faith is reamining in him. I could be reading the situation completely wrong though and if so I apologize.