Prospect Info: Marlies/Prospects Thread

[Legionnaire11]

Looking for info on players who made their NHL debut last season. Can anyone here tell me a bit about these guys like what role they played last season, what type of player they are and what their future outlook could be? Thanks!!

Nicholas Abruzzese
Alex Steeves
Kristians Rubins
Erik Kallgren
Joseph Woll

 

[Maplebeasts]

Looking for info on players who made their NHL debut last season. Can anyone here tell me a bit about these guys like what role they played last season, what type of player they are and what their future outlook could be? Thanks!!

Nicholas Abruzzese
Alex Steeves
Kristians Rubins
Erik Kallgren
Joseph Woll

Abruzzese- Not very impactful in his games with us but he has the skillset to become a complimentary piece on a second line with some more seasoning.

Steeves- Really good with the Marlies this year and a bright spot. He could be a third liner.

Rubins-Depth defenseman.

Kallgren and Woll- Both career AHLers.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Looking for info on players who made their NHL debut last season. Can anyone here tell me a bit about these guys like what role they played last season, what type of player they are and what their future outlook could be? Thanks!!

Nicholas Abruzzese
Alex Steeves
Kristians Rubins
Erik Kallgren
Joseph Woll

Nick Abruzzese: A lot like Kerfoot. High IQ, more of a playmaker first. Needs to get a bit stronger and faster, but with a solid NHL summer, he has the skill and IQ to play in an NHL bottom 6 as a depth scorer. I also think he can adapt to a PK role like Kerfoot did as well.

Alex Steeves: Looks a lot like Trevor Moore. Can shoot and pass. Works hard, plays hard. Not a super speedster but he can move well enough. Can contribute on both special teams. Most likely just a bottom 6er, but a good one.

Kristians Rubins: Not much in terms of NHL upside. He is very inconsistent, but he does move well (and not just for a big guy). He can be physical, but in a lot of ways, he is like Marincin-lite.

Erik Kallgren: I am not sure he ends up in the NHL full time (he may be a solid backup), but I think he can at least continue being a good #3 goalie like he effectively was this year.

Joseph Woll: I think he still has tandem starter upside. He is much better than his numbers. I am not sure if that is 1A or 1B (most likely the latter), but he has the things you like in a tandem goalie. Health has been an issue. Consistency has been getting better. I think he could be a guy who has a Driedger or Husso resurgence in a few years, if he doesn't crack the NHL earlier than that.

Also to add in Pontus Holmberg can probably replace what Blackwell brought to the 4th line. Holmberg is a little bit less pure grit, but I think he can adapt to that style of game on a 4th line and he does bring more to the table skill-wise than Blackwell does.

 

[Clyde Brewer]

What chance does Curtis Douglas have of making the Leafs next season?

 

[SprDaVE]

What chance does Curtis Douglas have of making the Leafs next season?

Depends on a few things but it's more likely he's starts as a call-up for the season. He's waiver exempt so unless he looks terrific, it's more likely he starts with the Marlies.

 

[horner]

You draft the guys who can turn into NHLers, and preferably key NHLers. Should we continue drafting Korshkov's over DeBrincat's? Should we ignore guys like Anthony Cirelli because he was a 160lbs kid?

Sure, the Leafs probably should not be chasing after one-dimensional guys like Bracco. Dubas has also not drafted guys with Bracco's profile (at least not with high draft picks). Smaller guys like Niemela, Hirvonen, Amirov, etc. have two-way profiles. Niemela was actually lauded for his defensive game more than his offensive game when he was drafted, and now he is one of the most productive young defensemen in Liiga history without compromising on his defensive game.

Pontus Holmberg, Alex Steeves, Joey Anderson, Ty Voit, Mikhail Abramov, etc. are all guys who have the potential to factor in on both special teams, get in hard on the forecheck, and can put up offense while also being very reliable defensive players. The types of guys you want in your bottom 6, even if they aren't big players.

Alot of the players that we draft don't seem to have alot of bite to there game .
Robertson has some bite to his game but he isn't strong enough to use it.
Iam hoping Anderson and Steeves turn into those type of players.
Douglas and knies seem to be those type of players.
Defenceman we don't have any tough defensive defenceman in the system.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Alot of the players that we draft don't seem to have alot of bite to there game .
Robertson has some bite to his game but he isn't strong enough to use it.
Iam hoping Anderson and Steeves turn into those type of players.
Douglas and knies seem to be those type of players.
Defenceman we don't have any tough defensive defenceman in the system.

We don't have guys like Simmonds, but we do have guys like Bunting.

Whatever that may be worth.

 

[justashadowof]

Nick Abruzzese was better than I expected in that unearned 9 game trial. I can see him developing into an NHL level player after a couple seasons of AHL hockey. But maybe don't make that type of commitment for this level of prospect again. It served no purpose and blocked games for more deserving prospects.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Nick Abruzzese was better than I expected in that unearned 9 game trial. I can see him developing into an NHL level player after a couple seasons of AHL hockey. But maybe don't make that type of commitment for this level of prospect again. It served no purpose and blocked games for more deserving prospects.

Why exactly was he undeserving? He was a PPG player in the Olympics, he was one of the top NCAA players, and he earned a look at the NHL level considering how low stakes it was at that point in the season.

Robertson, Steeves, and Anderson all got looks in the NHL this year themselves. They were the only forwards worth looking at for the NHL this year, and other than Anderson, I think everyone got the games they deserved.

 

[Stephen]

Alot of the players that we draft don't seem to have alot of bite to there game .
Robertson has some bite to his game but he isn't strong enough to use it.
Iam hoping Anderson and Steeves turn into those type of players.
Douglas and knies seem to be those type of players.
Defenceman we don't have any tough defensive defenceman in the system.

My semi concern over our drafting is as follows 1) if the core is the most important part of the organization and 2) you draft young kids who can back fill certain roles on ELCs to support and augment them 3) even the players we pick who turn into NHL caliber guys 4) aren't necessarily compatible with the needs of the team.

So do you draft a collection of Sandin, Niemela, Rindell, Fusco, Loponen and Koster knowing your blueline at the NHL level can probably have a maximum of 2x undersized skill based defensemen with the hope you have an Adam Fox lottery ticket, or do you look off some of the finesse upside and potential and draft an army of fridges like Ilya Lyubushkin who you can parallel track develop for different blueline roles?

They say you never draft for need, but there is a point on the timeline where if you never draft to fill needs they also never get filled.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

My semi concern over our drafting is as follows 1) if the core is the most important part of the organization and 2) you draft young kids who can back fill certain roles on ELCs to support and augment them 3) even the players we pick who turn into NHL caliber guys 4) aren't necessarily compatible with the needs of the team.

So do you draft a collection of Sandin, Niemela, Rindell, Fusco, Loponen and Koster knowing your blueline at the NHL level can probably have a maximum of 2x undersized skill based defensemen with the hope you have an Adam Fox lottery ticket, or do you look off some of the finesse upside and potential and draft an army of fridges like Ilya Lyubushkin who you can parallel track develop for different blueline roles?

They say you never draft for need, but there is a point on the timeline where if you never draft to fill needs they also never get filled.

I can't speak to the hope for picking Rindell, Loponen, and Fusco. I personally did not like those picks (or was indifferent about Loponen). I do not advocate drafting offensive defensemen unless they have massive offensive upside. Maybe they believe they can transform their game, but personally, that is a philosophical belief I do not believe in (for defensemen; they have proven they can do so for forwards).

One thing I will disagree with is saying that Sandin, Niemela, and Koster are like the aforementioned three though. Sandin's defensive game needs more pro refinement, but when he fully develops, he is going to be a guy who is not much unlike Liljegren. Niemela was drafted as more of a defensive specialist with limited offensive creativity. The added offense is a surprise and makes him that much more lethal. Koster is small, but he plays hard. Maybe you can't have too many 5'9" defensemen on your blueline, and it is obviously a long shot, but he is drafted to be like a Jared Spurgeon; not a sheltered offensive defenseman.

Just because these guys may only be 6'0" or 6'1" instead of 6'3" or 6'4" does not mean they won't be able to handle defensive responsibilities or the physical rigors of being a defenseman.

I would also say drafting a bunch of fridges with the hope you get a mediocre (at best) #6 defenseman who was acquired as an undrafted free agent is not exactly the best move either. If you want that guy, you don't need to waste draft asset after draft asset on it.

 

[horner]

I can't speak to the hope for picking Rindell, Loponen, and Fusco. I personally did not like those picks (or was indifferent about Loponen). I do not advocate drafting offensive defensemen unless they have massive offensive upside. Maybe they believe they can transform their game, but personally, that is a philosophical belief I do not believe in (for defensemen; they have proven they can do so for forwards).

One thing I will disagree with is saying that Sandin, Niemela, and Koster are like the aforementioned three though. Sandin's defensive game needs more pro refinement, but when he fully develops, he is going to be a guy who is not much unlike Liljegren. Niemela was drafted as more of a defensive specialist with limited offensive creativity. The added offense is a surprise and makes him that much more lethal. Koster is small, but he plays hard. Maybe you can't have too many 5'9" defensemen on your blueline, and it is obviously a long shot, but he is drafted to be like a Jared Spurgeon; not a sheltered offensive defenseman.

Just because these guys may only be 6'0" or 6'1" instead of 6'3" or 6'4" does not mean they won't be able to handle defensive responsibilities or the physical rigors of being a defenseman.

I would also say drafting a bunch of fridges with the hope you get a mediocre (at best) #6 defenseman who was acquired as an undrafted free agent is not exactly the best move either. If you want that guy, you don't need to waste draft asset after draft asset on it.

I thought what dubas would do is draft the bpa but the find out what our team needs and us these players to trade for what we need.
TB has used this standard for yrs .
We could have traded for Nick Paul but for some reason we didn't.
Last yr we had a chance to trade for Sam Bennett . His regular season wasn't the best but he always brought his A game in the playoffs.

 

[notbias]

We don't have guys like Simmonds, but we do have guys like Bunting.

Whatever that may be worth.

How many guys like Simmonds do you need on your team?

Are they easier to sign as a free agent than a Bunting?

I will never understand people who want to draft low-skilled players who can fight or hit, just sign those guys.

 

[Lemontree]

How many guys like Simmonds do you need on your team?

Are they easier to sign as a free agent than a Bunting?

I will never understand people who want to draft low-skilled players who can fight or hit, just sign those guys.

I think the idea is that fans want players who can be physical, hit and play with some skill. Skilled enough to keep up with the skill players and add the physical element this team is lacking all over the lineup. Those players are worth their weight in gold right now.

 

[stickty111]

Dubas mentioned Holmberg as one of the players who will compete for a roster spot. This shouldn't surprise people. He's closer than people realize

 

[kerk]

don't know if he still counts as a prospect, but could be an option next season as well

 

[SeaOfBlue]

don't know if he still counts as a prospect, but could be an option next season as well

Next year he is the same age as Marchment was when he was a full time NHLer for the first time. I would say the clock is still ticking for Malgin.

I just don't know where/how he fits. He is a middle-6 forward who can provide some solid secondary scoring. It would be nice if he could factor in on the PK, and fill a role similar to Kase.

 

[uncleben]

Next year he is the same age as Marchment was when he was a full time NHLer for the first time. I would say the clock is still ticking for Malgin.

I just don't know where/how he fits. He is a middle-6 forward who can provide some solid secondary scoring. It would be nice if he could factor in on the PK, and fill a role similar to Kase.

If Mikheyev is gone and/or Kase can't play, I think we have to give him a shot in our middle 6.
If he can PK in the NHL that would be clutch

 

[Phion Keneuf]

So hyped for Knies

 

[keonsbitterness]

So hyped for Knies

Could be Sept/23 camp before he gets here.

 

[notbias]

I think the idea is that fans want players who can be physical, hit and play with some skill. Skilled enough to keep up with the skill players and add the physical element this team is lacking all over the lineup. Those players are worth their weight in gold right now.

And basically non-existent outside the first round unless you get lucky and someone develops well.

If the combination of skill + size is there, I am sure we would draft them (Knies)

 

[Phion Keneuf]

Could be Sept/23 camp before he gets here.

Should be worth the wait. Such an interesting prospect

 

[WTFMAN99]

Should be worth the wait. Such an interesting prospect

I think he's a late season edition next year.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Newfoundland Growlers Advance to Eastern Conference Finals

The Newfoundland Growlers have completed the comeback with a 4-2 win over the Reading Royals to take the serie...

vocm.com

Forgot to post this yesterday.

They were down 3-1 in the series. Won 3 straight to upset Reading. Petruzzelli had a .921 and only gave up 5 goals in those 3 games (although Newfoundland's defense was on lockdown too), but has generally struggled in these playoffs.

They now play Florida (*shudders*) for the Eastern Conference Championship.

Newfoundland has played in 6 playoff series in their history. They are 6-0.

 

[RoadWarrior]

Next year he is the same age as Marchment was when he was a full time NHLer for the first time. I would say the clock is still ticking for Malgin.

I just don't know where/how he fits. He is a middle-6 forward who can provide some solid secondary scoring. It would be nice if he could factor in on the PK, and fill a role similar to Kase.

Malgin was invisible in his first go round. I’m not swayed by a few good performances on big ice. I think it’s much more likely they try to re sign Mikheyev.