Kirk Luedeke NEHJ Prospect Review

[DKH]

Kirk Luedeke in the July NEHJ listed his- the comments are mine

Kirk is about as good as it gets- in the trenches guy/scout who watches some live, lots of film, but can ask wide range of hockey people about different players. He has a nice pipeline into Boston and ability to talk to players he has dealt with to get snipets into THEIR games and the personalities of others those players may know or played against or with.

Here is Kirk's AMATEUR Bruins Prospect Depth Chart

1. Danton Heinen -C whhhhh-owwwww; 116th overall to top billing

2. Jakub Zboril-D- golden retreivers are jealous of the way he can get a puck

3. Jake DeBrusk- LW knack of getting in prime scoring position and finishes

4. Peter Cehlarik-LW (I've gone from meh to)

5. Zach Senyshyn (sadly for him the heir apparent to Sobotka and Knight)

6. Brandon Carlo-D (one half of the Pterodactyl Twins)

7. Matt Grzelcyk-D (cant wait till 4 on 4 with him and Krug on D together)

8. Ryan Donato- C (future Hobey Baker finalist and NHL 20 goal scorer)

9. Rob O'Gara-D (the left shot version of the Pterodactyl Twins)

10. Jeremy Lauzon-D (future fan favorite- Ference with more offense)

11. Jacob Forsbacka-Karlsson-C BU bound all around center

12. Sean Kulray- C/F San Jose 4th rated prospect in Future Watch

13. Ryan Fitzgerald- LW 'was he and Ryan Donato switched at birth'?

14. Anders Bjork- C/W if he plays half as good as Ray I'll be happy...I kid

15. Matt Benning- improving game may some day remove all doubt of nepotism

16. Daniel Vladar G the one pick I didn't like but Kirk did and he's an old goalie

17. Jesse Gabrielle- LW intriguing pick who has that Julien Edelman make it feel

18. Emil Johansson- D active skater and moves the puck- fun to watch in DC

19. Cameron Hughes- C big year in Wisconsin coming/ WBC8 loves him

20. Wiley Sherman- D big Harvard boy, hurt not at DC- anyone named Wiley ok

21. Jack Becker- C/LW last pick of Boston and I don't want to expose myself anymore as a fraud so other than seeing him at camp I don't have a lot to offer but he's on my radar



BRUINS PROVIDENCE-AHL PROSPECT DEPTH CHART UNDER 25

1.Malcom Subban G- time to step up

2. Alex Khokhlachev C- should dominate in the AHL and be first C callup

3. Seth Griffith RW- interesting spot at 3 can AHL dominance translate to NHL

4. Colin Miller RD- he can shoot, skate, put up points- can he defend?

5. Zane McIntyre G- is he the next Jonathan Quick?

6. Joe Morrow LD- make or break year in B's org- D yutes are coming

7. Brian Ferlin RW- hmmm. I think Kirk dropped him from last year rating

8. Linus Arnesson LD- scouting report says 'blanket' type defender

9. Austin Czarnik- C - smallish, skilled but fearless.. My Sleeper

10. Zack Phillips LW- former first rounder in good spot to show his game

11. Anton Blidh LW- cant wait to see if he is real deal- Sobotka comps

12. Justin Hickman RW- Seattle captain plays 200 feet in with an edge

13. Colby Cave C/W- I admit if he was in a shelter I'd bring him home

14. Anthony Camara LW- Here's hoping he and they haven't given up

15. Frank Vatrano LW- impressed with skating at DC/ love the signing

16. Tyler Randall RW- double hmm....Kirk? I think Sweeney really likes him

17. Noel Acciari C/W- I love his game, his name, his school....sending good thoughts

18.Chris Casto RD- call me crazier than am but I've always liked his game and I've seen a lot of him

19. Colton Hargrove LW- could start in ECHL and end up in Providence as a regular by the Valentine's Day....plays hard

20. Ben Sexton C- suffered unfortunate injury in Prov exhibition season never got it going hopefully healthy this camp

there you go folks-

Forty one players and I can see 25% (10ish) becoming full timers in the NHL

best group I've seen since the late 70's early 80's but that was a different world

there are a half dozen forwards who SHOULD be top 9 or higher (Koko, Heinen Senyshsyn, DeBrusk, Donato, Celharik to me)

another half dozen who COULD be top 12 - or higher (Seth Griffith, Ferlin, Phillips, Kulary, Fitz, Randall)

and a group who I have no idea of where they end up but with all the all the curiosity of a child looking at wrapped Christmas packages under a Christmas tree, I cant wait to see what Vatrano, Aiccari, Czarnik, Blidh, JFK, Cave, Bjork....etc are

I expect at least one of this last group to produce an NHL top 9 forward

the DEFENSE is restocked and getting deeper

Zboril
Carlo
Arnesson
OGara
Grzelcyk
Lauzon
Colin Miller
Morrow

and others in lower levels of development tha can move up

GOALIES

Subban and McIntyre on the face of it make this very deep up there with the Jets

very happy with this and that they have an extra first (SJ) next year and an extra second in 2017 (Edmonton)

great asset management and thanks to Kirk for the list

Click to read more...

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Very encouraging.

i remember posting a few weeks back that possibly the reason why no player was really standing out a DC was because of how good as a whole this group was.

Bruins are not in a rebuild, they are in a 12 month renovation.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

...

I like this as its own thread.

Will we have more info about why Kirk placed who he has where? Would be a great read and further discussion fodder.

Surprised by more than a couple on this list.

 

[the negotiator]

I've been a fan since the days of Orr and Espo and I can't remember ever seeing so much depth....a big change from the days when we hoped Cameron Mann was the real deal.

Some will nit pick and say the depth doesn't have enough elite talent but given where we were a year ago the progress has been amazing.

I hated seeing Looch dealt and thought Dougie had the potential ( emphasis on potential) to be a#1 Dman so losing both is a short-term hit, that said the long-term view is a lot brighter. This year will be a bridge and making the playoffs is probably as good as it will get....but I'll sit in my seats knowing that change is happening in front of us and one more year of strong drafting will set us up for another nice run.

 

[Danton Heineken]

Can someone quote the original post please

 

[DKH]

...

I like this as its own thread.

Will we have more info about why Kirk placed who he has where? Would be a great read and further discussion fodder.

Surprised by more than a couple on this list.

Wily Sherman isn't the only one whose wily. I found his list pretty fascinating overall.

The Heinen top spot was a surprise but Kirk talks to college coaches and NHL scouts.

I like Seth Griffith but thought he was higher than I expected. You take those Providence potential top 3 RW's

Griffith
Ferlin
Randall

Griffith has more offensive skills but adding in board work, defense, physicality- Boston need? maybe Kirk just went with skills not who is the best fit for what they are looking for.

It would appear Ferlin because of his skillset would be more likely to play on any line where as Seth is probably best suited for offensive tilted line.

as for Heinen

Danton Heinen reminds me of Mookie Betts of the Red Sox in his development. Betts like Heinen was not on the scouts radar but once drafted the lights started to shine on him quickly. Then the intangibles started being apparent.

Last spring training Betts was not in the Red Sox top 10-15 prospects but by mid May it was apparent the Red Sox had hit on something special.

Betts went from unknown to crack Baseball America's top 25 fast. He looks like a foundational player that Tom Verducci the outstanding baseball writer for SI said right now is closing in on one of the top 20 players in the game let alone prospects.

Heinen I doubt will have that drastic a jump but he certainly looks like a successful NHL career is probable.

 

[ronwm]

Kirk also started an interesting blog, too....

https://scoutingpost.wordpress.com/

I love it when he's pulled in for radio interviews....I find his viewpoints interesting and even-handed.

 

[BNHL]

Not a fan of Senyshyn?

 

[DominicT]

Not a fan of Senyshyn?

I don't want to put words in Kirk's mouth, but when you look at his list and combine the AHL prospects with the Amateur Prospects, My guess is that Senyshyn is the top RW prospect.

It's hard when you are trying to compare different positions and where the players that play those positions rank

 

[whatsbruin]

I don't want to put words in Kirk's mouth, but when you look at his list and combine the AHL prospects with the Amateur Prospects, My guess is that Senyshyn is the top RW prospect.

It's hard when you are trying to compare different positions and where the players that play those positions rank

Is it Kirk, or DKH that thinks Senyshyn will get the Sobotka/Knight treatment at Prov ?
and why does he feel that way.

That is especially discouraging.

 

[JRull86]

Is it Kirk, or DKH that thinks Senyshyn will get the Sobotka/Knight treatment at Prov ?
and why does he feel that way.

That is especially discouraging.

Believe it was DKH

 

[ODAAT]

can`t honestly recall even once having a pool of prospects who left me as optimistic as this

good stuff, so much can happen, these are kids but nonetheless, nice to see the cupboard appearing to be well stocked

 

[PlayMakers]

Kirk's the best.

But for the sake of discussion, I'll add my opinion and rankings based heavily on what I saw at Development Camp...

1. Danton Heinen - Big, smooth and smart. He and Donato were the two best players at camp. Has kind of a Krejci vibe to his game. Legit top6 potential.

2. Ryan Donato - Slippery 1on1 player who constantly challenges players taking it to the net. If they were calling penalties in the scrimmage he'd have drawn 3 or 4 because he had to be tackled to stop 1on1. He's got good size and vision to go along with his sick mitts.

(IMO, Donato was actually better than Heinen, and was second only to Pastrnak at last year's camp. That said, Heinen's 45 points in 40 games as a 19 year old at Denver can't and shouldn't be downplayed, so he holds the #1 spot.)

3. Rob O'Gara- The best defenseman in camp (as he should be, as an older player). Huge, rangy, mobile and physical. Added more of an offensive/attacking dimension to his game at this camp but I don't think that's going to be his game at the NHL level. I also wouldn't be surprised if he joins the Bruins after Yale's season ends.

4. Emil Johansson- Good skater and puck handler, was able to twist and turn away from forechecking pressure to shake his attacker. Really calm under pressure and made the best breakout passes of anyone at camp, saucing it over forecheckers, looking off short passes to go cross ice... Legit PMD. Also was surprising strong in battles, using his low center of gravity to get under guys and knock them on their *****. Most underrated prospect in our pool, IMO.

5. Peter Cehlarik- Big, smooth winger who protects the puck well, gets inside position and has good hands. I think he'll step into the NHL as soon as he comes over.

6. Zach Senyshyn- Size, speed, hands, shot... He has all the tools. He's also really raw and looked like a deer caught in headlights most of camp, but he put it all together on the last day and flashed some serious upside. Erik Cole type.

7. Brandon Carlo- Impressive combination of size, mobility and snarl. Serious, top4 upside as a Boychuk type.

9. Jake DeBrusk- Had a quiet camp but I caught him working with the goalies before one of the practices and he was absolutely lethal within 15 feet. Had sort of a Brett Hull-esque quality to the way he consistently painted the corners and found the holes. OBVIOUSLY not saying he has that upside, just that knack for not just getting his shot on net but in a high-quality shooting area. Needs time to get more comfortable, but I won't be surprised if he shoots up the rankings.

10. Jeremy Lauzon- I actually liked him more than Zboril. They both have skill and mobility but Lauzon had more energy and drive to his game. Could be an absolute steal.

11. Jakub Zboril- Honestly, he looked out of shape. I heard he was recovering from an injury (rumor, not confirmed) so that could have been why he wasn't as dynamic as reported. You can see he's very skilled and smart, but was sluggish for this viewing.

12. Matt Grzelcyk- I'm curious to see if he can repeat his big numbers from last year or if they were driven by Eichel. Could be a Krug clone, but I'd be surprised if the B's ever ice a defense with both of them.

13. Jacob Forsbacka-Karlsson- Looked better than the first rounders for most of camp. Quick, smart and sees the ice well.

14. Cameron Hughes- Small, but fast, feisty and creative. I expect a big boost prouction-wise this season. Could be a Cam Atkinson-type.

15. Sean Kuraly- Good size and does everything hard. Real good straight line speed. Heavy shot. Looked better in the drills than the game though. Made some questionable offensive decisions and lacked touch. I think Paille could be a good comp.

16. Ryan Fitzgerald- Started camp strong, but then really fizzled. He's smart, competitive but he's not a dynamic stickhandler like Donato, and his lack of size/speed has me concerned about how he'll translate to the pro game (when everyone else is significantly bigger and/or faster than him).

17. Daniel Vladar- Huge butterfly goalie who plays the percentages. It will be interesting to see how if he can develop into a Ben Bishop type.

18. Anders Bjork- Had a quiet camp, but looked good last year. This season will tell us a lot about the direction he's trending.

19. Matt Benning- Looked very good at camp. Quicker, smarter, more poised. He's come a long way.

20. Wiley Sherman- Huge, rangy and mobile. Didn't make it to camp but I saw him at Hotchkiss quite a bit and I think he has the potential to be another O'Gara. Similar path too (O'Gara went to Milton then Ivy).



BRUINS PROVIDENCE-AHL PROSPECT DEPTH CHART UNDER 25

1. Colin Miller RD- I'm not sure why he wouldn't be ranked first. He's accomplished more in the AHL than anyone in Providence.

2.Malcom Subban G- I thought he had a good year, but like Dan said, it's time for him to step up and become the starter.

3. Seth Griffith RW- I thought he was better than Koko last year, both in Providence and in the NHL. I think he's NHL ready and don't know where or how they can fit him in but I think he belongs in the National.

4. Alex Khokhlachev C- Needs to have a dominant AHL season to show his numbers last year weren't driven by Pastrnak (cuz his offense dried up once DP88 was promoted). I think he's the second call-up (Griffith should be first if he's not already in the NHL), and I expect to see him play 20+ games in the NHL this year.

5. Joe Morrow LD- Big year for Morrow too. He should have been Providence's best defenseman last year, but I thought he took a small step back. (PB's best Dman was Trotman IMO.)

6. Linus Arnesson LD- Smooth PMD has pro experience and could come in and pass everyone on the depth chart. #darkhorse

7. Anton Blidh LW- Should be an impact player right away (if he doesn't force his way onto the NHL roster). I like the Sobotka comps, similar spunk and drive, although SOB was a better hitter while Blidh, IMO, is a better defensive player.

8. Zane McIntyre- Such steady, consistent progress. I think the "plan" is for him to back up Subban in his first pro season but he has the talent and attitude to do more. Legit starter potential.

9. Brian Ferlin- Looked better in the NHL than the AHL, but IMO, he needs to find his offense in the AHL to prove he's got legit top9 upside.

10. Frankie Vatrano- Built like a fire hydrant but surprisingly fast and rugged. Has a wicked shot to boot. My pick for surprise player in Providence this year.

 

[JRull86]

Great stuff from both DKH and Playmakers (and Kirk naturally).

As mostly everyone else has stated, this is by far the deepest the Bruins prospect pool has been in my lifetime (29). There really is a good reason to be excited for the future.

 

[DKH]

Great stuff from both DKH and Playmakers (and Kirk naturally).

As mostly everyone else has stated, this is by far the deepest the Bruins prospect pool has been in my lifetime (29). There really is a good reason to be excited for the future.

I thank you but If you are awarding medals mine's bronze.

Bill provided an outstanding summation on these guys. Emil Johanssen really was as he said the Pasta mane flying in wind added a fun element.

Lauzon has that Thursday night pickup league 'out with the boys this is fun'. I agree with Bill someday he's going to be a top 6 and fan favorite

Senyshyn started out like 'we aren't in Kansas or Sault Ste Marie anymore and started to ramp up each day. Love the Eric Cole comparison - can see Zach getting position and using speed and hands to power in near unstoppable off the wing

JFK was smooth the second he hit the ice. Ill be interested to see how he adapts to the college game. In a deep draft his spot was Bergeron's 45 and ahead of other second round forwards like Lucic and Krejci

 

[toasterjam]

Great thread guys, I like seeing everyone in the system listed.

Really excited to see how these guys turn out, Providence is gonna be really interesting to watch this season!

 

[DitClapper]

If Lauzon turns into Ference 2.0, call me excited.

 

[Gordoff]

If Lauzon turns into Ference 2.0, call me excited.

I think many here are going to be shocked at what DS has done in just a few short weeks. It's as though a whole **** load of moves were waiting at the gate and not made and all of a sudden the flood gates opened all at once BAM! The coffers are full.
It's going to be one heck of an interesting season, and if I read Dom correctly we shouldn't be surprised to see DS make a trade or two before camp/season.

 

[DKH]

I think many here are going to be shocked at what DS has done in just a few short weeks. It's as though a whole **** load of moves were waiting at the gate and not made and all of a sudden the flood gates opened all at once BAM! The coffers are full.
It's going to be one heck of an interesting season, and if I read Dom correctly we shouldn't be surprised to see DS make a trade or two before camp/season.

My next door neighbor is a big Bruins fan since the Orr Bruins and this morning as I'm walking by with my dog he's cutting his lawn. The second he sees me he shuts off the mower and walks over and says 'I really like what Sweeney is doing except for Rinaldo. I just don't get it. It's like your looking at a picture with a group of objects and you have to pick which one doesn't belong'

Needless to say he is not a fan of the move and thinks he will not change his ways.

He's also a college football and hockey guy and BU alum (BC season tickets in football but I guess that's allowed) and he likes the college free agents and drafted college kids in the system but he ain't buying Rinaldo no matter what I say

 

[Gee Wally]

Thanks to everyone for their observations.

I havent felt this good about a prospect cupboard since the days of my beloved Boston Braves.

And I dont mean the baseball team.




http://digital.hockeyjournal.com/nxtbooks/seamans/nehj_201507/index.php#/28

 

[Gordoff]

My next door neighbor is a big Bruins fan since the Orr Bruins and this morning as I'm walking by with my dog he's cutting his lawn. The second he sees me he shuts off the mower and walks over and says 'I really like what Sweeney is doing except for Rinaldo. I just don't get it. It's like your looking at a picture with a group of objects and you have to pick which one doesn't belong'

Needless to say he is not a fan of the move and thinks he will not change his ways.

He's also a college football and hockey guy and BU alum (BC season tickets in football but I guess that's allowed) and he likes the college free agents and drafted college kids in the system but he ain't buying Rinaldo no matter what I say

Ross Brooks gives his blessings!
I can understand his consternation re: Rinaldo but as we've seen before sometimes a player like his needs a change of scenery to change his style. If in a few months he can't prove his value killing more penalties than he gets he'll be moved IMO. He (Rinaldo) can't be as dumb as he sounds and must know that doing stupid stuff all the time is frowned upon but getting the other team to respond to his needling will be how he'll prove his worth, that and smashing Habs into the boards will (if he plays it smart) will make him a fan favorite IMO.

 

[Zac Rinaldo*]

i've seen arnesson play quite a bit. he's not nearly as strong as seidenberg at this point ofc, but he's a much smoother skater and he pivots really well. he does have very good upper body strength and a shot that, if refined, can be decent. he's never going to be a guy who puts up a ton of points because he doesn't jump up into the play at all, he hardly ever pinches and hardly ever shoots with the intention to score. the reason i say seidenberg is i see them as very similar players (younger seids obviously, not rn lol) and arnesson as his natural replacement. he's going to be a lesser version of hjalmarsson; he never seems to get tired and he shuts guys down repeatedly and frustrates the hell out of them. he doesn't see the ice as well as hjarmalsson does but he has the same compete level and could possibly end up stronger physically. he has a knack for timing his shot blocks really well too that is reminiscent of seids.

most underrated b's prospect imho.

he put on probably 10 pounds this past season also.

 

[BB88]

Man that D situation looks strong, but I'm having hard time for finding spots for them no matter how hard I try
7-8 D players on that alone that I can't wait to see up and playing in Boston.

 

[Zac Rinaldo*]

a big thing i remember, and this was 2 years ago i believe actually, was rickard wallin (färjestad captain that played briefly with the leafs a few years back) yapping at arnesson for an entire period about a play where his stick came up and smacked one of the younger guys. linus kept his mouth shut the entire game, but early in the third laid out wallin two shifts in a row, once with a loud hipcheck and once with an aaron ward type shiver. wallin is a pretty big guy and an older guy too, he's about 6'3 and 200 pounds or so and arnesson was just a kid. loved it. he never talked back once after that either. he's very composed.

 

[cobrak]

Love the comments for each player. I have not been this positive about so many prospects pretty much ever. It generally is one or two to look out for but now there are at least ten that I am genuinely excited to see how they develop over the next couple of years and fit in the system.