Jonathan Huberdeau

[RandR]

In games like tonight, a great team is the difference between a win and a loss. I'm not sure if you even watched the game, but Huberdeau was pretty invisible for large portions of the game. However, the team stays in the game and he gets a great feed and roofs the game winner and he is the hero of the game.

IMO, Jurco and Galiev were both better than Huberdeau tonight, and I thought Kirkpatrick was better than him in Game 1.

I agree with this. After the game, Huberdeau said on TV that this wasn't one of his best games and he seemed to agree with his interviewer that he had been frustrated for part of it. Remember he sat out a couple of shifts at the beginning of the 2nd period, presumably as a motivational tactic by Gallant.

I've seen Huberdeau live a few games and on TV a few more. As much as I love watching this guy play, nothing he has displayed the last 2 games is much different that what he has already proven himself to be.

I think that the best he can do is to solidify his position amongst other draft picks, but I doubt he would jump over RNH or any other pick that the early picking teams had already decided on as being a notch better. However, I do think his performance will raise his floor; ie- he won't drop as low as he once might have.

So I still think he goes no higher than #3, and I am now convinced he goes no lower than #6. I'll be ecstatic if the Senators are lucky enough to pick him, but I think that is becoming less likely.

 

[I am the Liquor]

RNH didn't get shut down in the 1st round.. He dominated the Oil Kings in round 1.

As for being shut down in the 2nd round... so was Stamkos. I think he had like 1 goal and was -5 in the 2nd round of the OHL playoffs.

The difference is St Johns would still be an elite team without Huberdeau, whereas Red Deer are NOTHING without RNH.

Not an informed opinion.

I was at games three and four of the Oil Kings series. He didnt "dominate" at all. Yes he scored points, but was not a huge factor in the game and certainly not dominant. Red Deer was top ten ranked CHL team all year. Darcy Keumper was WHL player of the year I believe. The Rebels were much more than just "Hopkins".

 

[SDig14]

This "Hopkins had no one to work with" talk is completely bogus. Red Deer was ranked in the top ten CHL teams in the country consistently all year. Petrovic, Dumba, Froese and Keumper are all very good players in their own right. Hopkins rolled snake eyes against the Tigers. Huberdeau is still a big factor when the chips are down.

I would rather have Toews over Thornton or Sedin any day of the week.

Hopkins wasnt even the #1C in Red Deer and barely took a draw in game four vs the Oil Kings.

Huberdeau is the better all round player.

Well, you're definitely entitled to thinking that Huberdeau is better than RNH, but he's gonna need to do more than roof an OT winner to convince me.

I'm not really sure what those 3 NHLers have to do with this, but Huberdeau doesn't really scream Toews. He plays wing A LOT, isn't as good defensively as Toews, but is probably more pure offense. If anything, he reminds me much more of Sedin....

IMO, saying RNH wasn't their #1 centre has less validity than arguing that a stronger team affects, but that's just me. Sure, RD announcers said this, but what does #1C even mean? If by that you mean he isn't the guy they use in defensive situations, sure.

For arguments sake, let's assume he was their 2C. How is this a bad thing? So, he put up 25 more points, playing less minutes, than the best centre on the team that is 2 years older than him? Doesn't sound bad to me. I didn't see him getting sheltered minutes either.

Is it a surprise he puts up a ton of PP points when he gets to play with the guys you mentioned? How many points would have put up with Kudrna and Froese on his line? 130+? I don't get why the "has no one to play with" is not a valid argument when determining TEAM playoff success. Let's face it, one player doesn't win games. Sure, the 4 guys you mentioned are good, but if you run into a team that's disciplined, then RNH doesn't see the ice with Dumba, Froese, or Petrovic in an offensive way. They play a much more defensive style 5-on-5 than the Sea Dogs do and it is reflected in their 5-on-5 numbers.

I have no idea what the faceoff part is for, but barely taking a draw is still better than taking zero draws, which is what Huberdeau is seeming to do as of late. Hell, Huberdeau isn't even playing centre during the shift...

 

[SDig14]

I agree with this. After the game, Huberdeau said on TV that this wasn't one of his best games and he seemed to agree with his interviewer that he had been frustrated for part of it. Remember he sat out a couple of shifts at the beginning of the 2nd period, presumably as a motivational tactic by Gallant.

I've seen Huberdeau live a few games and on TV a few more. As much as I love watching this guy play, nothing he has displayed the last 2 games is much different that what he has already proven himself to be.

I think that the best he can do is to solidify his position amongst other draft picks, but I doubt he would jump over RNH or any other pick that the early picking teams had already decided on as being a notch better. However, I do think his performance will raise his floor; ie- he won't drop as low as he once might have.

So I still think he goes no higher than #3, and I am now convinced he goes no lower than #6. I'll be ecstatic if the Senators are lucky enough to pick him, but I think that is becoming less likely.

Ya, I wish I would have been able to see him live. I've seen him 4 times now, twice online and 2 games on tv, and I just don't see the consitent effort in his game. I have concerns taking him 1st overall. Then again, every prospect has concerns.

If this was admittedly not his best effort, then I'll take his game with a grain of salt and hope he plays better in the last couple games of the Mem Cup.

 

[I am the Liquor]

Well, you're definitely entitled to thinking that Huberdeau is better than RNH, but he's gonna need to do more than roof an OT winner to convince me.

I'm not really sure what those 3 NHLers have to do with this, but Huberdeau doesn't really scream Toews. He plays wing A LOT, isn't as good defensively as Toews, but is probably more pure offense. If anything, he reminds me much more of Sedin....

IMO, saying RNH wasn't their #1 centre has less validity than arguing that a stronger team affects, but that's just me. Sure, RD announcers said this, but what does #1C even mean? If by that you mean he isn't the guy they use in defensive situations, sure.

For arguments sake, let's assume he was their 2C. How is this a bad thing? So, he put up 25 more points, playing less minutes, than the best centre on the team that is 2 years older than him? Doesn't sound bad to me. I didn't see him getting sheltered minutes either.

Is it a surprise he puts up a ton of PP points when he gets to play with the guys you mentioned? How many points would have put up with Kudrna and Froese on his line? 130+? I don't get why the "has no one to play with" is not a valid argument when determining TEAM playoff success. Let's face it, one player doesn't win games. Sure, the 4 guys you mentioned are good, but if you run into a team that's disciplined, then RNH doesn't see the ice with Dumba, Froese, or Petrovic in an offensive way. They play a much more defensive style 5-on-5 than the Sea Dogs do and it is reflected in their 5-on-5 numbers.

I have no idea what the faceoff part is for, but barely taking a draw is still better than taking zero draws, which is what Huberdeau is seeming to do as of late. Hell, Huberdeau isn't even playing centre during the shift...

Well, Hopkins wasnt even on the first pp unit many shifts. And when he was on a pp unit, he was usually playing the point. When he did take shifts at center he either didnt take the draw and lined up as a winger during face offs, or the few draws he did take, he would lose. He has a long, long way to go to play center in the nhl. Certainly wont be next season if the team who picks them has any brains in their hockey personnel development dept.

The Toews comparison is not because he is a center primarily, it is because he plays hard when the chips are down. I didnt see any of the Rebel vs Tigers games, but when you lose 9-0 and go out in four or five games, what is there to say really?

 

[4thliner*]

RNH didn't get shut down in the 1st round.. He dominated the Oil Kings in round 1.

As for being shut down in the 2nd round... so was Stamkos. I think he had like 1 goal and was -5 in the 2nd round of the OHL playoffs.

The difference is St Johns would still be an elite team without Huberdeau, whereas Red Deer are NOTHING without RNH.

My bad, round 2. Still no difference.

Ice Dogs are not much of an elite team without Huberdeau. A good team? Maybe, a QMJHL or mem cup? no way.

 

[Ogopogo*]

Well, Hopkins wasnt even on the first pp unit many shifts. And when he was on a pp unit, he was usually playing the point. When he did take shifts at center he either didnt take the draw and lined up as a winger during face offs, or the few draws he did take, he would lose. He has a long, long way to go to play center in the nhl. Certainly wont be next season if the team who picks them has any brains in their hockey personnel development dept.

The Toews comparison is not because he is a center primarily, it is because he plays hard when the chips are down. I didnt see any of the Rebel vs Tigers games, but when you lose 9-0 and go out in four or five games, what is there to say really?

You can't pin that on RNH - otherwise you must say Brayden Schenn failed when Kootenay hammered Saskatoon. You must say that Ryan Johansen was the reason Portland lost to Kootenay as well.

It is never one player. Heck, the Soo didn't win the OHL championship when Gretzky dominated the league either.

 

[RandR]

My my, look at this ...

Cox: Huberdeau puts himself in running to go No. 1

EDIT: Personally I disagree, but the story is out there so it is a legitimate topic for discussion.

 

[SDig14]

Well, Hopkins wasnt even on the first pp unit many shifts. And when he was on a pp unit, he was usually playing the point. When he did take shifts at center he either didnt take the draw and lined up as a winger during face offs, or the few draws he did take, he would lose. He has a long, long way to go to play center in the nhl. Certainly wont be next season if the team who picks them has any brains in their hockey personnel development dept.

The Toews comparison is not because he is a center primarily, it is because he plays hard when the chips are down. I didnt see any of the Rebel vs Tigers games, but when you lose 9-0 and go out in four or five games, what is there to say really?

Well, I agree he did rarely take shifts at centre on the PP, but is that his fault? Froese is 2 years older, much stronger, and much more skilled on the draw, so it doesn't really make sense for RNH to take the draw. He either played the point or the half wall on his off wing, and the plays were nearly always run through him.

All in know is tonight, the chips were down all night, and he was nearly invisible for 60 minutes. He did show up in OT, but I'm not going to crown him the best player all around in the draft unless he proves a lot more than he has so far in the Mem Cup.

I agree RNH has a long way to go to play centre in the NHL, but I firmly believe that's the end destination. I am uncertain whether that's Huberdeau's end spot in the NHL.

 

[SDig14]

My my, look at this ...

Cox: Huberdeau puts himself in running to go No. 1

EDIT: Personally I disagree, but the story is out there so it is a legitimate topic for discussion.

Since I believe Cox is always wrong, I will steer clear of Huberdeau JK

IATL, the one thing I see that is similar between the 2 guys is that they both can make 2-3 good plays and be seen as dominant. I know you don't think RNH was dominant in the 2 playoff games in Edmonton, but he made more plays those nights than Huberdeau did tonight, yet Huberdeau is better all around?

Sure, RNH made 4-5 really good plays, lost a lot of draws, and was quiet in other times of the game, but Huberdeau didn't make more than 2 significant plays all night tonight. Let's hope he is better next game.

 

[Lottery Oilers*]

My bad, round 2. Still no difference.

No difference except you didn't even know RNH dominated the Oil Kings.

Kind of like reading the last chapter in a book and telling everyone how much the book sucks.

Your entitled to your opinion but I think I'll take a review from someone who has been paying attention.

 

[Lottery Oilers*]

You can't pin that on RNH - otherwise you must say Brayden Schenn failed when Kootenay hammered Saskatoon. You must say that Ryan Johansen was the reason Portland lost to Kootenay as well.

It is never one player. Heck, the Soo didn't win the OHL championship when Gretzky dominated the league either.

Good post, strong logic, but I'm sure it will be ignored.

 

[I am the Liquor]

Well, I agree he did rarely take shifts at centre on the PP, but is that his fault? Froese is 2 years older, much stronger, and much more skilled on the draw, so it doesn't really make sense for RNH to take the draw. He either played the point or the half wall on his off wing, and the plays were nearly always run through him.

All in know is tonight, the chips were down all night, and he was nearly invisible for 60 minutes. He did show up in OT, but I'm not going to crown him the best player all around in the draft unless he proves a lot more than he has so far in the Mem Cup.

I agree RNH has a long way to go to play centre in the NHL, but I firmly believe that's the end destination. I am uncertain whether that's Huberdeau's end spot in the NHL.

You may be right. I think Huberdeau did more tonight that you are giving him credit for. He created chances. It was a great game between two very good teams. Looking forward to a rematch.

But if you think about it, Kootenay is probably going to win the rubber boot in this thing, and will in all likelihood go 0 fer in the tourney. Considering they humbled the team that completely shut down Hopkins and the Rebels, Huberdeau looks like he is doing just fine to me.

I could be wrong but I think Huberdeau already had more points in the two games he has played in this tourney than Hopkins had in the entire series against inferior competition in the Tigers.

Could Huberdeau have no chance to be a center in the nhl? Perhaps. I cant really speak to that. Most of the time when I have seen him play this year he has been playing wing. Not all the time mind you, but a great majority of it. Considering the center on his line is draft eligible too, that presents some problems.

Phillips seems to be kind of slow afoot though, and that may be why Huberdeau is on the wing instead of Phillips, who has great hands, but isnt much of a skater.

However you slice it this draft is a minefield for Stu with the #1 pick. Its not cut and dried, like it was last year imo. It has "I told you so" written all over it.

I do think Huberdeau has more tools than Hopkins. A better shot, and more willingness to use it, goes a long way imo. I think he could be the most offensively prolific player to come out of this draft. Im fairly confident of it.

 

[Jabba11]

You may be right. I think Huberdeau did more tonight that you are giving him credit for. He created chances. It was a great game between two very good teams. Looking forward to a rematch.

But if you think about it, Kootenay is probably going to win the rubber boot in this thing, and will in all likelihood go 0 fer in the tourney. Considering they humbled the team that completely shut down Hopkins and the Rebels, Huberdeau looks like he is doing just fine to me.

I could be wrong but I think Huberdeau already had more points in the two games he has played in this tourney than Hopkins had in the entire series against inferior competition in the Tigers.

Could Huberdeau have no chance to be a center in the nhl? Perhaps. I cant really speak to that. Most of the time when I have seen him play this year he has been playing wing. Not all the time mind you, but a great majority of it. Considering the center on his line is draft eligible too, that presents some problems.

Phillips seems to be kind of slow afoot though, and that may be why Huberdeau is on the wing instead of Phillips, who has great hands, but isnt much of a skater.

However you slice it this draft is a minefield for Stu with the #1 pick. Its not cut and dried, like it was last year imo. It has "I told you so" written all over it.

I do think Huberdeau has more tools than Hopkins. A better shot, and more willingness to use it, goes a long way imo. I think he could be the most offensively prolific player to come out of this draft. Im fairly confident of it.

Same goes for me.

 

[I am the Liquor]

Since I believe Cox is always wrong, I will steer clear of Huberdeau JK

IATL, the one thing I see that is similar between the 2 guys is that they both can make 2-3 good plays and be seen as dominant. I know you don't think RNH was dominant in the 2 playoff games in Edmonton, but he made more plays those nights than Huberdeau did tonight, yet Huberdeau is better all around?

Sure, RNH made 4-5 really good plays, lost a lot of draws, and was quiet in other times of the game, but Huberdeau didn't make more than 2 significant plays all night tonight. Let's hope he is better next game.

Well considering Hopkins was playing the lowly Oil Kings and Huberdeau was playing what appears to be the second best or possibly the best team in the country, I dont really think its much of a fair comparison.

Hopkins has unparalleled vision and passing. That cant really be disputed. He is dogged on the puck and has a really quick first step and amazing agility. I cant really say he has anything else though. Is that enough? Im not sure it is.

 

[McOvechking]

The fact that somebody actually mentioned Huberdeau could go #1 just makes me realize, as an Oilers fan, how indistinct the #1 pick is. It's not even going to feel like an actual #1 pick because none of these top ranked players are actually THAT amazing...

Maybe it's only because I was spoiled with Taylor Hall last year.

 

[I am the Liquor]

You can't pin that on RNH - otherwise you must say Brayden Schenn failed when Kootenay hammered Saskatoon. You must say that Ryan Johansen was the reason Portland lost to Kootenay as well.

It is never one player. Heck, the Soo didn't win the OHL championship when Gretzky dominated the league either.

Pretty sure you were a Hall guy last year right? Did you ever say anything about Seguin's performance or lack thereof vs the Spitfires? I think we made the right choice then. No. I know we made the right choice then. Im hoping we make the right choice now. Dont know about you, but it isnt nearly so clear to me this year. All I know is I get real bad vibes about taking Hopkins.

 

[SDig14]

You may be right. I think Huberdeau did more tonight that you are giving him credit for. He created chances. It was a great game between two very good teams. Looking forward to a rematch.

But if you think about it, Kootenay is probably going to win the rubber boot in this thing, and will in all likelihood go 0 fer in the tourney. Considering they humbled the team that completely shut down Hopkins and the Rebels, Huberdeau looks like he is doing just fine to me.

I could be wrong but I think Huberdeau already had more points in the two games he has played in this tourney than Hopkins had in the entire series against inferior competition in the Tigers.

Could Huberdeau have no chance to be a center in the nhl? Perhaps. I cant really speak to that. Most of the time when I have seen him play this year he has been playing wing. Not all the time mind you, but a great majority of it. Considering the center on his line is draft eligible too, that presents some problems.

Phillips seems to be kind of slow afoot though, and that may be why Huberdeau is on the wing instead of Phillips, who has great hands, but isnt much of a skater.

However you slice it this draft is a minefield for Stu with the #1 pick. Its not cut and dried, like it was last year imo. It has "I told you so" written all over it.

I do think Huberdeau has more tools than Hopkins. A better shot, and more willingness to use it, goes a long way imo. I think he could be the most offensively prolific player to come out of this draft. Im fairly confident of it.

Fair enough. Now we wait to see which of the 2 is better It definitely has the "I told you so" feeling, even more than the idiots that come out every year after the draft and say things like Skinner and Fowler should have went before Hall.

I read an interview with the head coach of the Sea Dogs, I'll try to find it, but he said that the 2 main reasons for having Huberdeau play wing was that he has the speed to beat defenders wide and that they wanted him to focus on offensive production without being hindered by defensive responsibility overload.

Huberdeau having more tools than RNH is at least debateable, I'll give you that. IMO, RNH has just as good of a shot and release, but I suppose that makes no difference if you choose not to use it. I believe that at the NHL level, with less time to make the perfect pass, RNH will take advantage of his shot and use it more, but I could be wrong. I think it's safe to say Huberdeau can do it all offensively, we just disagree on who will do it more successfully at the NHL level.

It's definitely going to be a tough pick for Stu. He has a lot of things to weigh this year, but I'm hoping the one thing we can agree on is that Stu has the tools as a head scout to make this decision and I believe in his decision making because he has yet to make me doubt his skills.

It's kind of a cool feeling to know that everything we have argued about over the last month about Larsson, RNH, Huberdeau, Couturier, etc. will all be discussed by Stu and his team. Now, we just wait a month to find out how they see it.

 

[SDig14]

Pretty sure you were a Hall guy last year right? Did you ever say anything about Seguin's performance or lack thereof vs the Spitfires? I think we made the right choice then. No. I know we made the right choice then. Im hoping we make the right choice now. Dont know about you, but it isnt nearly so clear to me this year. All I know is I get real bad vibes about taking Hopkins.

I get similar vibes with Larsson. I have this gut feeling that his offensive abilities will be average at the NHL level and that will limit him from being a clear #1 or a franchise guy. I'd actually rather have Huberdeau because I want the dynamic centre, if he can play it, and I don't see a franchise d-man in this draft to make me leave a centre on the board.

Larsson seems like a guy who will be a great defender, eat a ton of minutes, but i question the offense. People hear Lidstrom comparisons and think, "Ok, obviously he won't be as good as a top 2-5 d-man of all time, but he must have potential to dominate offensively". I just don't see it.

 

[Ogopogo*]

Pretty sure you were a Hall guy last year right? Did you ever say anything about Seguin's performance or lack thereof vs the Spitfires? I think we made the right choice then. No. I know we made the right choice then. Im hoping we make the right choice now. Dont know about you, but it isnt nearly so clear to me this year. All I know is I get real bad vibes about taking Hopkins.

I definitely was a Hall guy and I think we made the right choice.

This year, you are correct, it is not a clear-cut choice. Any one of RNH, Huberdeau, Hamilton or Strome could turn out to be the best player in the draft, IMO.

I understand the bad vibes and, sometimes, I get them about RNH as well. But, I have to go with what I saw when I watched him play twice this season and with what Stu says about him.

I went down to Red Deer for game 2 of the playoff series with the Oil Kings and the RNH I saw went into the corners, played physical when he had to, was a deadly accurate passer and created opportunities. He looked good to me when I saw him - and I did see Stu at that game as well. The only real concern is that he needs to put on more weight. If that is the only problem, I will take him to DQ myself to get a little more meat on his bones.

When you pick at #1, you don't go for the safe pick, IMO. Larsson is the safe pick. You go for the home run at #1 - especially when you have the #19 pick as well. #19 can be the safe pick - unless we trade up to get Hamilton. I believe Hamilton will be a better NHLer than Larsson and Larsson's 9 points this season really make me question his offensive abilities.

I think RNH could be the home run and we need to take that chance. If it blows up in our faces, so be it, but every scouting service in the world has RNH at #1 so if we went with someone else and watched RNH become a HOFer in another uniform, we would all be absolutely ill.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

Huberdeau will make an inappropriate joke in his interviews and will drop him to 11th overall...

 

[Ogopogo*]

I get similar vibes with Larsson. I have this gut feeling that his offensive abilities will be average at the NHL level and that will limit him from being a clear #1 or a franchise guy. I'd actually rather have Huberdeau because I want the dynamic centre, if he can play it, and I don't see a franchise d-man in this draft to make me leave a centre on the board.

Larsson seems like a guy who will be a great defender, eat a ton of minutes, but i question the offense. People hear Lidstrom comparisons and think, "Ok, obviously he won't be as good as a top 2-5 d-man of all time, but he must have potential to dominate offensively". I just don't see it.

Agreed. I would take RNH, Huberdeau, Strome and Hamilton all ahead of Larsson.

 

[BluechipBulletin]

Sounds Seguin/Hall-ish.

...except that neither of them are anywhere near as good as Seguin or Hall.

 

[SDig14]

Huberdeau will make an inappropriate joke in his interviews and will drop him to 11th overall...

Oiler trade up from 19, take both Huberdeau and RNH, and everybody wins?

Alright, time for bed.

 

[I am the Liquor]

Oiler trade up from 19, take both Huberdeau and RNH, and everybody wins?

Alright, time for bed.

I heard we are trading Hall to Colorado for #2 and #11.