Prospect Info: Marlies/Prospects Thread - 2023-23 Season Edition
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Namikaze Minato
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Add him to our other Harvard Alum haha.
I think hes leaving because their LD depth is absurd, so i wonder if hes just going to go to the highest bidder, the fastest way into the nhl, maybe just wants to be closer to home or if he just wants to be somewhere with unlimited resources, trainers, dietitians and coaches.....
Topi Niemela seems to have his raw point totals at a solid spot again, and is making strides defensively. He would probably receive zero skepticism if fans didn't have the context of his previous season offensively. He's in a good spot.
Zine
Registered User
- Feb 28, 2002
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Trenin was 3/4 line guy on SKA during the Covid stoppage, then stepped right into Nashville's lineup, The other guys were also 3/4 liners in KHL then stepped right into NHL lineps with no or very minimal AHL time the following year.
You said:
"if we want him to be in the NHL once his contract expires, he should be able to crack any top 6 in the KHL.".
This doesn't neccessairy need to be the case. Nothing more, nothing less.
Namikaze Minato
Registered User
The team that just had an elite defensive prospect leave because their defensive core was too full?
Kid went to Harvard, lets give him a little credit.
SeaOfBlue
The Passion That Unites Us All
- Aug 1, 2013
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He was already in Nashville's lineup before the stoppage. He was developed in North America. He had 6 years of NA experience; years where he was playing on a North American ice surface and developing specifically to be an NHLer.
It is pretty clear to see this is not apples-to-apples. In fact, St. Petersburg probably didn't give him top 6 minutes for that exact reason... They had top 6ers who were going to be there the entire year, and he is not exactly a special enough player to justify putting him in the top 6 over those guys if he is only going to be there temporarily. They are not going to mess with their lineup for a guy of his caliber.
Rather than listing a bunch of fringe or depth NHLers (many of which had to spend time in the AHL before cracking the NHL in any capacity), here are some good Russians: Panarin, Kaprizov, Kucherov, Kuznetsov, Kuzmenko, Mikheyev, Buchnevich, Tarasenko, Nichushkin, Dadonov... I could also throw in Barabanov in there too but he is not as good.
All of them, except Buchnevich once he moved to St. Petersburg, were top 6ers (if not the headliner) on their teams before coming to the NHL. And all of them played on upper-mid level teams (aka Magnitogorsk-level); not basement level. Buchnevich moved mid-season from a lower mid-tier team (in the top 6 of that team, a position he held for 2+ years) to a team with a top 6 that had 6 of the best KHL forwards in the league, so it was a bit tough to crack through that even though he was doing fairly well in a depth role there. Grebyonkin has 1 year in the top 6 of a basement team.
There is not much of a mid-tier when it comes to Russian forwards. Most of them are starters/top 4 defensemen/top 6 forwards or they are replacement-level and likely heading for Russia in the near future. Most mid-tier Russians choose to come to North America (Trenin, Barbashev, and Namestnikov to name a few) for better opportunities and can have nice, long careers. Some higher end ones, like Sergachev, Provorov, etc. come too. But at that point, they are developing like a normal North American prospect (CHL/USHL/NCAA then likely some time in the AHL and eventually the NHL if they are good enough): see Abramov and SDA. There is a reason that there are maybe a dozen draftable Russian prospects in each draft (this year is deeper for Russians and I still have less than 20 on my entire ~150 prospect board). That doesn't stop NHL teams from drafting double that number each year, and watching as almost all of them fail to even make it off the ground as prospects...
The ones that come straight from Russia are top-tier guys in that league before they come over, or they are going to the AHL and developing there (historically, most do not choose to do that, but it has become a little bit more popular among solid talents who are buried in deeper systems). Grebyonkin falls more in the latter category. He has shown he is at least worth developing in the AHL based on this year, which is more than most Russian prospects can say, but people really need to pump the breaks if they think he is anywhere close to the NHLer. Unless he takes a massive leap next year, he is still a few years away from NHL-caliber.
I was joking.
Seems all players opt for Ufa when there college career is over they seem to want to play for the Rangers.
kk87
Registered User
Anyone know why Thrun was drafted so late in 2019? At the time, I remember thinking he should've been taken higher solely on the basis of his USNTDP offensive output mixed with his size.
BertCorbeau
F*ck cancer - RIP Fugu and Buffaloed
Good question! You have to guess either it's a mobility issue or his defensive game had big holes.
CantLoseWithMatthews
Registered User
- Sep 28, 2015
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I believe that was his second goal of the game if I am not mistaken. If the source I am reading on twitter was accurate.
Fogelhund
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- Sep 15, 2007
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Neither of those things. His mobility is quite good. His consensus was #64, he went #104.
Here is a scouting report on him. Perhaps that he was committed to Harvard, and it's not uncommon for guys who play there three years, to stay the fourth and go UFA...
Henry Thrun Scouting Report: 2019 NHL Draft #56
Henry Thrun put up eight goals and 29 assists for 37 points in 64 games this year. Thrun added one assist in seven games at the Under-18 World Championship
lastwordonsports.com
Just came across this tweet from Kyle Cushman on William Villeneuve. I feel like this kid is going to be a sneaky good player in time. From what I remember of when we selected him, he was this highly touted bantam selection in the Q and was more of an offence first guy. He then showed a statistical regression from D+0 to D+1, but that was due in large part to following a directive to round out his game. To which, by all accounts he did just that.
My first time watching him play was online when the LeafsTV aired their Dev camp games I think in Traverse city. I then watched him a handful of times in preseason. Every time I've seen him he seems to stand out for his IQ. he seems so poised, and doesn't seem to get too flustered under pressure. I do not have AHLTV this year, but I know lots of you guys do. How has he looked overall?? By Cushman's assessment it sounds like he's adjusting quite well.
20 year old 6'02 RS defensemen with strong hockey IQ. I know skating is, and always has been the issue for him. But I feel like High intelligence can overcome some of that. Lilly is a prime example of that. Never thought of as a burner, but positionally knows where to be and when to be there.
Wondering if Abruzzese gets an audition before the deadline. Interested to see where he'd slot as a call-up. So far IMO:
Holmberg
McMann
Anderson
Hunt
Steeves
SDA
Third in points with 35 in 48 games and by all accounts has been finding his stride. Also Gaudette remaining.
Holmberg
McMann
Anderson
Hunt
Steeves
SDA
Third in points with 35 in 48 games and by all accounts has been finding his stride. Also Gaudette remaining.
Love this kid.
Behind Knies, Niemela is the next prospect I would be loathe to lose in a trade at the TDL.
Thanks for sharing @CantLoseWithMatthews
kb
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- Aug 28, 2009
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I think that the acquisition of Timmins has softened the blow of possibly trading Niemela.
But I would love to keep him too.
Menzinger
Kessel4LadyByng
Isaac Nootin
Registered User
- Sep 28, 2017
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Knies having himself a night. 1 + 2 so far as #1 Minnesota is pounding #7 Penn State 7-1.
Unless we add a RHD in trade, in a couple of years I’m hoping our RHD pairings are:
1st-Liljegren
2nd-Timmins
3rd-Niemela
Really liking what this bunch could do if they develop. They all have good potential.
notdoneyet
Registered User
Dont sleep on Villeneuve. He is going to surprise a lot of people. Works very hard to get better. When he is ready and he has his confidence watch out.
Fonzieleaf
Registered User
It's too bad that one of our star prospects are probably going to have to be traded in order to make a big deadline acquisition.
SprDaVE
Moderator
- Sep 20, 2008
- 55,845
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Leafs received unsigned prospect Josh Pillar as part of the big trade that just happened.
Josh Pillar Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com
Statistics of Josh Pillar, a hockey player from Warman, SASK born Feb 14 2002 who was active from 2017 to 2025.
www.hockeydb.com
SeaOfBlue
The Passion That Unites Us All
- Aug 1, 2013
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He is an AHL contract candidate. Production is not there enough to earn more than that but maybe he is willing to work his way up from the Growlers... And the Marlies should be moving on from a good number of their AHL contracts so there will be room for him if we want him.
Fits the mold for our system and plays on the same team as Lisowsky (I think they are even on the same line). Was someone I thought the Leafs could have drafted back in the day.
But most likely just goes unsigned and turns into nothing. I think Minnesota had to give up something and we couldn't even get a 7th rounder instead.
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