Prospect Info: HFWild Prospect Ranking #9

[Digitalbooya]

Rank the prospects how you see fit!

1. Danila Yurov (55.1%)
2. Jesper Wallstedt (52.8%)
3. Zeev Buium (94.6%)
4. Liam Ohgren (85.4%)
5. Riley Heidt (69.4%)
6. Marat Khusnutdinov (52.9%)
7. Ryder Ritchie (44.8%)
8. Jack Peart (33.3%)
9.

Click to read more...

 

[Wild925]

Stramel and it’s not even remotely close.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Stramel and it’s not even remotely close.

Strong take. Why is it not even remotely close?

 

[Digitalbooya]

I haven’t voted yet. There are realistic arguments for a ton of guys here and the poll results reflect that. Honestly, I haven’t follow Healey at all and some other guys I’ve only read a little about them.

What do people think of Spacek? He stood out in his final WJC two years ago and as a key part to a gold winning WC team this past season, but did not stand out at all for Iowa. Does anyone else think that is weird or is it just me? I can’t tell if I should be chalking it up to Iowa being a tire fire or if he just plays better in international tournaments (bigger ice?).

I’m curious if he had a spot on the team to start the year if he would run with the opportunity. The way the roster is currently set up, Chisholm probably isn’t an ideal partner for him. But I see a path forward for Spacek to get into the NHL lineup for 25-26 with Buium taking the LD spot on the 2nd pairing, Middleton moving down to the 3rd pairing, Bogosian as the 7th D, and Merrill walks:

Brodin-Faber
Buium-Spurgeon
Middleton-Spacek
Bogosian

Eventually you swap Buium and Brodin.

 

[Wabit]

I haven’t voted yet. There are realistic arguments for a ton of guys here and the poll results reflect that. Honestly, I haven’t follow Healey at all and some other guys I’ve only read a little about them.

What do people think of Spacek? He stood out in his final WJC two years ago and as a key part to a gold winning WC team this past season, but did not stand out at all for Iowa. Does anyone else think that is weird or is it just me? I can’t tell if I should be chalking it up to Iowa being a tire fire or if he just plays better in international tournaments (bigger ice?).

I’m curious if he had a spot on the team to start the year if he would run with the opportunity. The way the roster is currently set up, Chisholm probably isn’t an ideal partner for him. But I see a path forward for Spacek to get into the NHL lineup for 25-26 with Buium taking the LD spot on the 2nd pairing, Middleton moving down to the 3rd pairing, Bogosian as the 7th D, and Merrill walks:

Brodin-Faber
Buium-Spurgeon
Middleton-Spacek
Bogosian

Eventually you swap Buium and Brodin.

BoGo is a better partner for Zeev to start off with.

Spacek just seems to be a normal d-man product from the Q to me. The style of play works well on bigger ice, but doesn't work well at the NA pro level.

 

[57special]

I haven’t voted yet. There are realistic arguments for a ton of guys here and the poll results reflect that. Honestly, I haven’t follow Healey at all and some other guys I’ve only read a little about them.

What do people think of Spacek? He stood out in his final WJC two years ago and as a key part to a gold winning WC team this past season, but did not stand out at all for Iowa. Does anyone else think that is weird or is it just me? I can’t tell if I should be chalking it up to Iowa being a tire fire or if he just plays better in international tournaments (bigger ice?).

I’m curious if he had a spot on the team to start the year if he would run with the opportunity. The way the roster is currently set up, Chisholm probably isn’t an ideal partner for him. But I see a path forward for Spacek to get into the NHL lineup for 25-26 with Buium taking the LD spot on the 2nd pairing, Middleton moving down to the 3rd pairing, Bogosian as the 7th D, and Merrill walks:

Brodin-Faber
Buium-Spurgeon
Middleton-Spacek
Bogosian

Eventually you swap Buium and Brodin.

I am on the fence with Spacek. He needs to be more consistent, especially defensively. Right now, I don't see a prospect that deserves to be called up, but i also have some hope that he will be a NHL'er at some point. He has some decent skating, and puck skills.
I don't put a lot of stock in the WJC compared to a full AHL season.

I don't know if the Iowa team was bad because it's defense was bad, or if the defense was under so much pressure from the poor play up front that they were made to look worse than they really were. I do think that the goalies had worse stats than they should have because of the poor team in front of them.

I think we can all see a clear path for a RHD prospect on this team as Spurgeon and Bogo age, but we have to be careful with confusing that desire and assessing how good or ready the RHD prospects are. To me, it was pretty obvious that Hunt was the best Dman in Iowa throughout the course of the year, though SJo, Spacek, and Peart had spells where they looked good(not great).

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

I like Spacek and could see him having an impact potentially even this upcoming season. I still think his game could use some refining and more strength, but I think a lot of the attributes will scale up well into the NHL. I like his processing speed especially, and his shot is good enough to be a threat soon if not now. If he progresses, I see him as a similar player to Chisholm but on the right side that can be pretty valuable.

 

[Digitalbooya]

I am on the fence with Spacek. He needs to be more consistent, especially defensively. Right now, I don't see a prospect that deserves to be called up, but i also have some hope that he will be a NHL'er at some point. He has some decent skating, and puck skills.
I don't put a lot of stock in the WJC compared to a full AHL season.

I don't know if the Iowa team was bad because it's defense was bad, or if the defense was under so much pressure from the poor play up front that they were made to look worse than they really were. I do think that the goalies had worse stats than they should have because of the poor team in front of them.

I think we can all see a clear path for a RHD prospect on this team as Spurgeon and Bogo age, but we have to be careful with confusing that desire and assessing how good or ready the RHD prospects are. To me, it was pretty obvious that Hunt was the best Dman in Iowa throughout the course of the year, though SJo, Spacek, and Peart had spells where they looked good(not great).

It could be both, but if I had to choose I would lean more towards the forwards not being helpful to the defensemen.

 

[MNRube]

I think Stramel ends up as an NHLer. Classic late bloomer IMO

 

[Spurgeon]

I think Stramel ends up as an NHLer. Classic late bloomer IMO

He was an early bloomer physically & I think that’s what got him drafted in the 1st round.

Without that 1st round status, I don’t think he’s even in our Top 15. His D+1 season was worst than his draft year. Still pisses me off that Guerin fumbled Perreault landing right in his lap.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Healey with better production as a young sophomore RHD than Stramel in his career.

 

[MNRube]

He was an early bloomer physically & I think that’s what got him drafted in the 1st round.

Without that 1st round status, I don’t think he’s even in our Top 15. His D+1 season was worst than his draft year. Still pisses me off that Guerin fumbled Perreault landing right in his lap.

Yeah I mean that’s probably a fair take, but we can’t go back in time and Stramel still has plenty of time to find his game. He’s a massive RHS, he only really needs to find his motor & confidence to make it. Plus we’ve largely written him off, so anything we get from him now is gravy

It’s probably irrational but I’m still a believer

 

[Digitalbooya]

He was an early bloomer physically & I think that’s what got him drafted in the 1st round.

Without that 1st round status, I don’t think he’s even in our Top 15. His D+1 season was worst than his draft year. Still pisses me off that Guerin fumbled Perreault landing right in his lap.

Brackett too.

 

[Spurgeon]

Brackett too.

Still fully believe Guerin went off Brackett’s board with that pick.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Still fully believe Guerin went off Brackett’s board with that pick.

Why is that?

 

[Spurgeon]

Why is that?

Comments after that draft & it not aligning with other draft experiences.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Comments after that draft & it not aligning with other draft experiences.

Okay, but if Guerin said we need a big center then Judd still effed it by choosing Stramel over Ritchie and Edstrom.

 

[BagHead]

Brackett too.

Still fully believe Guerin went off Brackett’s board with that pick.

Comments after that draft & it not aligning with other draft experiences.

Okay, but if Guerin said we need a big center then Judd still effed it by choosing Stramel over Ritchie and Edstrom.

This is why the buck stops with the big boss guy, in both failure and success. Not even just with NHL GMs, but in any and all business. Brackett is an advisor to Guerin, Guerin is the boss. Stated like a business, Guerin is the CEO, and Brackett is his acquisition manager.

Rossi is Guerin's pick. Wallstedt is Guerin's pick. Stramel is Guerin's pick. Buium is Guerin's pick.
Brackett helps Guerin pick the guy. Guerin picks the guy.

 

[Jbcraig1883]

I haven’t voted yet. There are realistic arguments for a ton of guys here and the poll results reflect that. Honestly, I haven’t follow Healey at all and some other guys I’ve only read a little about them.

What do people think of Spacek? He stood out in his final WJC two years ago and as a key part to a gold winning WC team this past season, but did not stand out at all for Iowa. Does anyone else think that is weird or is it just me? I can’t tell if I should be chalking it up to Iowa being a tire fire or if he just plays better in international tournaments (bigger ice?).

I’m curious if he had a spot on the team to start the year if he would run with the opportunity. The way the roster is currently set up, Chisholm probably isn’t an ideal partner for him. But I see a path forward for Spacek to get into the NHL lineup for 25-26 with Buium taking the LD spot on the 2nd pairing, Middleton moving down to the 3rd pairing, Bogosian as the 7th D, and Merrill walks:

Brodin-Faber
Buium-Spurgeon
Middleton-Spacek
Bogosian

Eventually you swap Buium and Brodin.

Late to the party but here goes...

I liked Spacek a ton at this time last year based on the WJC and his play in juniors. He started the season off terribly (not sure if he didn't come into camp in shape or what), got sent down to the ECHL for a little bit, and then came back up. He looked to be a bottom pairing guy without any noticeable traits for a long time. They gave him PP time, PK time, etc., but he just didn't stand out. But, the last month of the season something seemed to click, and bits and pieces of his strengths in the WJC and juniors appeared IMO. I am not saying that he started playing unreal and looked like a legit prospect, but improvements were made, which wasn't that evident for some of the other players in Iowa.

Brackett said something along the lines of he always rises to the occasion when challenged, so my hopes are that he was challenged at the end of the season in end-of-season interviews and is now training like a pro should train, and will be more noticeable this year. It will be interesting because he will have more competition on his side this year. If he has a solidish year this year, I think I will feel comfortable projecting him as the 7th/callup guy next year.

 

[AKL]

This is why the buck stops with the big boss guy, in both failure and success. Not even just with NHL GMs, but in any and all business. Brackett is an advisor to Guerin, Guerin is the boss. Stated like a business, Guerin is the CEO, and Brackett is his acquisition manager.

Rossi is Guerin's pick. Wallstedt is Guerin's pick. Stramel is Guerin's pick. Buium is Guerin's pick.
Brackett helps Guerin pick the guy. Guerin picks the guy.

Still not sure this is totally true. There's room for, and I'm pretty sure this was the case for Guerin's first couple years here, where Guerin is entirely hands off and says, okay Judd, pick your guy. Guerin did at one point early on state publicly that he was not involved in the scouting and drafting at all, but would like to be in the future.

If I had to speculate, I would say the first couple of drafts happened in a manner where Brackett was choosing his guys completely unchecked by Guerin. After that, I don't know how involved Guerin was or currently is. We don't get a lot of insight into that. What we do have are comments from Brackett shortly after the 2023 draft that, if they don't outright say, heavily imply that Stramel is probably not who Brackett would have picked personally, had Guerin not been in his ear about size and whatever else they saw in Stramel.

I would agree with the point that, if Stramel was the first guy with size that Brackett had on his list over guys like Ritchie or Edstrom, that's on Brackett (at least as far as we can tell one year post-draft). But I'd be curious who Brackett would have picked if it was completely up to him.

 

[BagHead]

Still not sure this is totally true. There's room for, and I'm pretty sure this was the case for Guerin's first couple years here, where Guerin is entirely hands off and says, okay Judd, pick your guy. Guerin did at one point early on state publicly that he was not involved in the scouting and drafting at all, but would like to be in the future.

If I had to speculate, I would say the first couple of drafts happened in a manner where Brackett was choosing his guys completely unchecked by Guerin. After that, I don't know how involved Guerin was or currently is. We don't get a lot of insight into that. What we do have are comments from Brackett shortly after the 2023 draft that, if they don't outright say, heavily imply that Stramel is probably not who Brackett would have picked personally, had Guerin not been in his ear about size and whatever else they saw in Stramel.

I would agree with the point that, if Stramel was the first guy with size that Brackett had on his list over guys like Ritchie or Edstrom, that's on Brackett (at least as far as we can tell one year post-draft). But I'd be curious who Brackett would have picked if it was completely up to him.

I didn't present this clearly enough. If Brackett picks the guy, Guerin picks the guy. If Guerin doesn't pick the guy, Guerin picks the guy.

If a CEO gives his managers and other officers cart blanche, he has to answer for that decision. He has the power to decide how much control he would like to exert, so he is the one who gets the credit and blame.

The alternative is that we use the imperfect information we have, and the biases we've picked up from it, to just pick and choose who we want to give credit or blame to. That's speculation, not analysis, and it results in people giving the guy they like all the credit, and the guy they don't like all the blame, and justifying it to themselves with... the imperfect information that informed their bias in the first place.

So, we can either let our biases fuel themselves, or use the only factual information we have, their job titles. I know which I'm picking.

 

[AKL]

I didn't present this clearly enough. If Brackett picks the guy, Guerin picks the guy. If Guerin doesn't pick the guy, Guerin picks the guy.

If a CEO gives his managers and other officers cart blanche, he has to answer for that decision. He has the power to decide how much control he would like to exert, so he is the one who gets the credit and blame.

The alternative is that we use the imperfect information we have, and the biases we've picked up from it, to just pick and choose who we want to give credit or blame to. That's speculation, not analysis, and it results in people giving the guy they like all the credit, and the guy they don't like all the blame, and justifying it to themselves with... the imperfect information that informed their bias in the first place.

So, we can either let our biases fuel themselves, or use the only factual information we have, their job titles. I know which I'm picking.

No I get what you're coming from, but the reality is if Guerin is completely hands off and just acts as a yes-man to whatever Brackett wants to do at the draft, you can say the "buck stops here" with Guerin, and ultimately Guerin will have to answer for it in some fashion, but if Brackett has sole discretion over the draft, and doesn't do well, Brackett is the first one fired, not Guerin, because in reality, Brackett is picking those guys, not Guerin.

It's ultimately pretty moot here and now, because Guerin is involved at this point, but back when Guerin publicly stated he wasn't involved at all, and Brackett had sole responsibility over the draft? I'm not putting those picks, good or bad, on Guerin. And even now, not knowing what percentage input each has over the pick, I'm not putting it all on one or the other.

I'm not going to sit here and get in an argument about hypotheticals, but I'm not going to pretend like Guerin should get all the credit or criticism for the draft either just because he's the GM. The managers and other officers still have to answer for the bad, and they still get credit for the good, even if the CEO gave them carte blanche to do what they want.

The only exception being Stramel, because we had Brackett heavily imply that Stramel was not Brackett's first choice at the draft, which would mean that wasn't just Guerin being a yes-man, it was Guerin overruling his scouting director. That would mean, to me, that Guerin has more than 50% responsibility for that pick. That's why Guerin gets more criticism for Stramel. And if Stramel turns out good, Guerin can get more credit for it too.