Prospect Info: Jets Prospects

[Flair Hay]

Damn Walton is a big surprise for me, barely even paid attention to him as I've been so fixated on K.HE and Yager these past couple months.

You love to see it, the cupboards aint bare, thats for sure

Dude is 6'5 and scoring more than Yager

 

[MrBoJangelz71]

Walton has scored or assisted 48% of the Wolves' goals. That's crazy good.

Only potential issue with his breakout is that he has 21 PPP, #1 in the OHL. You generally want the ratio of PPP/EVP to be a bit lower. Still, not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He's doing remarkably well.

Just watching some highlights off the Wolves website.

Most of the assists I have seen are primary assists leading to open net goals. His PP points that I have watched are mostly primary assists or goals.

I feel less that he is benefitting from a strong PP, rather he is making the PP strong with his vision and scoring.

Its noticeable he looks off who he is passing to till the last second, fooling defenders on where the passes are going, leading to some very easy goals

 

[Romang67]

Just watching some highlights off the Wolves website.

Most of the assists I have seen are primary assists leading to open net goals. His PP points that I have watched are mostly primary assists or goals.

I feel less that he is benefitting from a strong PP, rather he is making the PP strong with his vision and scoring.

Yeah, that's what it looked like on the highlights posted above too. Those were some wicked passes.

 

[Whileee]

Just watching some highlights off the Wolves website.

Most of the assists I have seen are primary assists leading to open net goals. His PP points that I have watched are mostly primary assists or goals.

I feel less that he is benefitting from a strong PP, rather he is making the PP strong with his vision and scoring.

Its noticeable he looks off who he is passing to till the last second, fooling defenders on where the passes are going, leading to some very easy goals

Yup. He has high-end offensive instincts and skills.

 

[MrBoJangelz71]

Yup. He has high-end offensive instincts and skills.

Crazy how he slipped to the 6th round.

Article I just read:
Wolf Tracks: Kieron Walton exceeding expectations

What seems predictable at this point is that Walton will find a way to contribute consistently, regardless of who’s around him.
For junior hockey die-hards, a big part of the appeal is watching a young kid advance from being a wide-eyed rookie into a sophomore who can contribute and then trying to gauge how good they can be in years three and four of their junior career.

Walton was obviously stuck behind some really talented offensive stars last season, so top-six minutes and power-play time were at a premium. He showed flashes of brilliance, though, stickhandling through traffic to score some sweet goals and making some pretty passes here and there. Opportunity knocked when many of those stars graduated and Walton has answered in a big way.

 

[MrBoJangelz71]

I am on the Walton train lol, this article from April pegged him as a potential draft steal:

Kieron Walton has potential to be one of the 2024 draft's top steals

t’s much easier said than done, but every year there are players who fall down draft boards due to various circumstances only to become a perceived steal years later.

Kieron Walton might be one of those players in 2024.

Walton has all the makings of an NHL player, but he’s struggled to earn ice time on a stacked Sudbury Wolves roster which has him potentially flying under the radar in draft circles.

This season, however, he has seen his role grow a bit and his production has followed. Through 65 games, Walton has 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists).

While his production may not jump off the page compared to more highly touted prospects, part of that is out of his control as he’s once again found himself buried on the depth chart.

“I think he’s flying under the radar a bit because he’s not scoring like a top prospect,” Goudy said. “He’s ninth on Sudbury. But he’s only playing 13 minutes a night because that team is so stacked.”

Another aspect of Walton’s game that stands out is his overall hockey IQ and creativity with the puck. It can be a dangerous combination when a player of his size possesses the finesse and creativity that he does, and it makes him a real threat at times.

“I like the way his mind works,” Goudy said. “He’s smart, uses his body well, seems to have pretty good vision, and he’s incredibly creative at times.”

Walton also possesses some acute on-ice vision and playmaking skills which add another layer to his game. He combines his reach with strong anticipation to pick off passes or find open ice to receive the puck from his teammates.

When he has the puck, he uses his reach and strong stick handling to control possession and evade opponents. When he’s on his game, Walton’s an incredibly hard player to get the puck off of, because of just how big he is and how well he can handle and protect the puck in traffic.

 

[SUX2BU]

 

[Aggie204]

I wonder what team he signed in Europe.

 

[bustamente]

Wasn't expecting much from Nikkanen and he delivered in spades.

 

[Mud Turtle]

Walton has scored or assisted 48% of the Wolves' goals. That's crazy good.

Only potential issue with his breakout is that he has 21 PPP, #1 in the OHL. You generally want the ratio of PPP/EVP to be a bit lower. Still, not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He's doing remarkably well.

48% is crazy!

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Walton has scored or assisted 48% of the Wolves' goals. That's crazy good.

Only potential issue with his breakout is that he has 21 PPP, #1 in the OHL. You generally want the ratio of PPP/EVP to be a bit lower. Still, not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He's doing remarkably well.

26 EV especially when leading his team by a Longshot is still good, no? Greentree and Sennecke who were both 1st rounders have 17 and 18 PPP respectively. 3 extra PPP isn't a red flag at all, since he's still super productive on EV.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Crazy how he slipped to the 6th round.

Article I just read:
Wolf Tracks: Kieron Walton exceeding expectations

Bit of a late bloomer.

Yup. Let him go back to Finland. He was not developing here.

 

[Romang67]

26 EV especially when leading his team by a Longshot is still good, no?

Oh, absolutely. His 26 EVP only trails the total points of 2 of his teammates.

 

[Generalsupdates]

After a slow 10 games post trade, Colby Barlow is back to scoring at a crazy clip

 

[ICdave]

 

[BoneDocUK]

He plays, He scores.

 

[Flair Hay]

Bit of a late bloomer.



Yup. Let him go back to Finland. He was not developing here.

The articles I read outlining Walton as a possible steal pretty draft basically said he was good but was buried further down the lineup than most guys of his ability.

Like it's still early in the year... but he has to be entering the conversation for being our best forward prospect?? If he keeps this up.

Not closest to the NHL of course. But if he can score better in CHL at same age as guys like Lambert and Yager at 6'6, 212 lbs... things change quick sometimes and this seems like a case of him arguably being our #2 prospect behind Salomonsson now. I had mentioned Lowry as a comparable guy earlier this year and some on here were rightfully quick to correct me. May be talking more a guy like Roope Hintz?

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

The articles I read outlining Walton as a possible steal pretty draft basically said he was good but was buried further down the lineup than most guys of his ability.

Like it's still early in the year... but he has to be entering the conversation for being our best forward prospect?? If he keeps this up.

Not closest to the NHL of course. But if he can score better in CHL at same age as guys like Lambert and Yager at 6'6, 212 lbs... things change quick sometimes and this seems like a case of him arguably being our #2 prospect behind Salomonsson now. I had mentioned Lowry as a comparable guy earlier this year and some on here were rightfully quick to correct me. May be talking more a guy like Roope Hintz?

I'm not ready to go that far. Wait'll we see Yager at the WJC and back in Jr on a better team. Hard to judge Lambert this year with the Moose being such a mess but I think Yager is our more likely future 2C.

Walton is in a cluster of players that look very promising but still too far away to rank with certainty. Lambert is not so far away but I lump him in with Walton, HE and possibly a few others behind Salo, Yager and Chibs.

 

[Flair Hay]

I'm not ready to go that far. Wait'll we see Yager at the WJC and back in Jr on a better team. Hard to judge Lambert this year with the Moose being such a mess but I think Yager is our more likely future 2C.

Walton is in a cluster of players that look very promising but still too far away to rank with certainty. Lambert is not so far away but I lump him in with Walton, HE and possibly a few others behind Salo, Yager and Chibs.

No bonus points for being early on this kind of stuff. Nothing wrong with patience.

But it's painting a pretty clear picture for me which guy has the best combination of production and size to succeed in a top six role in the NHL.

Steep upward trajectory is pretty much the best green flag you can get in a prospect, and we have it in a guy that is 6'6 and driving the bus on his team.

 

[Gm0ney]

The articles I read outlining Walton as a possible steal pretty draft basically said he was good but was buried further down the lineup than most guys of his ability.

Like it's still early in the year... but he has to be entering the conversation for being our best forward prospect?? If he keeps this up.

Not closest to the NHL of course. But if he can score better in CHL at same age as guys like Lambert and Yager at 6'6, 212 lbs... things change quick sometimes and this seems like a case of him arguably being our #2 prospect behind Salomonsson now. I had mentioned Lowry as a comparable guy earlier this year and some on here were rightfully quick to correct me. May be talking more a guy like Roope Hintz?

Walton's passing game is solid. He and Barlow seem to be more triggermen than playmakers.

 

[Romang67]

Walton's passing game is solid. He and Barlow seem to be more triggermen than playmakers.

We need to just start calling him Kevin.

 

[AtomicJets]

It's a long road to the NHL. This time last year we were marvelling at what a steal Jacob Julien looked like, but he's come back down to earth this season.

I'm not saying that will be the case for Walton, and also not saying I'm giving up on Julien. They are totally different players. Just saying it's a long road with lots of ups and downs still to come.

Brayden Yager is still our clear #1 forward prospect IMO, based on a long track record of success at every level, but that can always change.

 

[Flair Hay]

It's a long road to the NHL. This time last year we were marvelling at what a steal Jacob Julien looked like, but he's come back down to earth this season.

I'm not saying that will be the case for Walton, and also not saying I'm giving up on Julien. They are totally different players. Just saying it's a long road with lots of ups and downs still to come.

Brayden Yager is still our clear #1 forward prospect IMO, based on a long track record of success at every level, but that can always change.

I'm not afraid of being wrong reading the tea leaves. My guess is the prospect ranking changes by end of the year. In my reality this has already changed. No different than our Barlow discussion but this one has gone incredibly well for us.

 

[AtomicJets]

I'm not afraid of being wrong reading the tea leaves. My guess is the prospect ranking changes by end of the year. In my reality this has already changed. No different than our Barlow discussion but this one has gone incredibly well for us.

Nothing wrong with that at all, it's not like we are making decisions for the team. I've watched a lot of Yager and Barlow, not so much Walton yet.

 

[SLAYER]

We need to just start calling him Kevin.

I'm gonna start calling him KeHe.