Prospect Info: New Jersey Devils Draft Simon Nemec, 2nd Overall

[njdevils1982]

More and more time has passed and more and more happier I have become with this pick.

ya, i was just thinking this today

 

[Devs3cups]

Where will he play next season?

95% sure he'll play with Utica in the AHL.

 

[Comparison Ford]

95% sure he'll play with Utica in the AHL.

my prediction is this and a mid year call up when someone gets hurt and he stays on the rest of the year

 

[Deleted member 336773]

The Stillman pick was dumb because he shouldn’t have even been in the conversation.

With how Shane Wrights season went this year, having him in the same tier as Nemec isn’t remotely shocking. Then you ask where you need more assets…

I’m far from defending past picks, but you can really follow the logic of this one.

I’ve seen a lot of people rag on the Stillman pick but I honestly don’t know why. I dont Recall seeing much on him after the pick, so I’d love to learn more. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[Blackjack]

I’ve seen a lot of people rag on the Stillman pick but I honestly don’t know why. I dont Recall seeing much on him after the pick, so I’d love to learn more. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

He scored well under a ppg in his D+1 in the CHL. That's typically a very bad sign, although it's certainly possible he could turn it around.

 

[Devs3cups]

He scored well under a ppg in his D+1 in the CHL. That's typically a very bad sign, although it's certainly possible he could turn it around.

An injury and switching teams can sometimes do that. With that being said, let’s see what he shows next year. Crucial year for him, I expect a great season from him.

 

[Guttersniped]

He scored well under a ppg in his D+1 in the CHL. That's typically a very bad sign, although it's certainly possible he could turn it around.

Also a lot of his scoring came from the PP and he didn’t particularly play well defensively. Those are both bad things if he’s supposed to be a two way player.

He’s also more of a feisty guy with a motor to me than a power forward, he’s 6’1” and 180 and not particularly powerful.

The Sudbury Wolves were a mess and hopefully some of his lack of noticeable hockey IQ/two way play/ defense, etc came from missing last year and that team kind of sucking. But two-way players typically play center in the CHL, so a winger not producing at even strength… yeah.

He missed a year of hockey though. Well he did play 8 games in Denmark U20 and 7 games at the U18 in 20-21 but that’s not a whole lot.

 

[Antiillafire]

Does he get released to go to august WJC?

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I’ve seen a lot of people rag on the Stillman pick but I honestly don’t know why. I dont Recall seeing much on him after the pick, so I’d love to learn more. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

A lot of people ripped the pick to pieces and then majority of the people (as usual) calmed down after Steven said it was a great pick. I thought it was a terrible pick at the time and still do.

An injury and switching teams can sometimes do that. With that being said, let’s see what he shows next year. Crucial year for him, I expect a great season from him.

Hate to say it but if a prospect is struggling in their d+1 year in juniors, no matter the reason, their ceiling probably isn't very high. He may be able to make it as a 3rd or 4th liner.

 

[Devs3cups]

A lot of people ripped the pick to pieces and then majority of the people (as usual) calmed down after Steven said it was a great pick. I thought it was a terrible pick at the time and still do.



Hate to say it but if a prospect is struggling in their d+1 year in juniors, no matter the reason, their ceiling probably isn't very high. He may be able to make it as a 3rd or 4th liner.

I don’t disagree. I’m just saying that some circumstances this year probably have made it worse than it was supposed to go and that next season is big for him. I don’t think most saw him as more than a bottom-6 guy anyways.

 

[RememberTheName]

I don’t disagree. I’m just saying that some circumstances this year probably have made it worse than it was supposed to go and that next season is big for him. I don’t think most saw him as more than a bottom-6 guy anyways.

Meh. I don't really buy that. A lot of Sudbury fans were quite happy to see him leave, a lot of them even saying that he might have been bringing down linemate and 2022 61st overall pick David Goyette and that he took off once Stillman finally left. Just browsing through their thread on the OHL forum, phrases like "bad teammate" and "didn't show up" were used. I didn't get a chance to watch him this year but this is just quoting from the Sudbury threads. Seems like he just mailed it in the whole year.

 

[Devs3cups]

Meh. I don't really buy that. A lot of Sudbury fans were quite happy to see him leave, a lot of them even saying that he might have been bringing down linemate and 2022 61st overall pick David Goyette and that he took off once Stillman finally left. Just browsing through their thread on the OHL forum, phrases like "bad teammate" and "didn't show up" were used. I didn't get a chance to watch him this year but this is just quoting from the Sudbury threads. Seems like he just mailed it in the whole year.

That might be the case. As I said, next year is big for him. He needs a big one.

 

[ninetyeight]

A lot of people ripped the pick to pieces and then majority of the people (as usual) calmed down after Steven said it was a great pick. I thought it was a terrible pick at the time and still do.

Steven has his flaws just like other scouts/analysts (amateur or pro). He gives a lot of crap for the more result (well points) focused analyst scouts, but I think he sometimes ignores that side and focuses too much on compete, energy and effort. Very important qualities, but worthless if you don't have the stick skills.

Growing up watching finnish hockey in the 90's scarred me for unskilled high compete players. The whole 80s 90s and 00s, finnish junior development focused completely on defensive high effort team play and shied-away from any individual training and focusing on puck handing and shooting skills. This all resulted 99% of our players (with only few exceptions like Selänne) to be defensive grinders with zero finishing ability or stickhandling skills. While they were almost always in the internation tournament playoffs, they'd always (outside wc95) fail in the finals or semis due to lack of finishing ability. In this time frame they didn't really develop star players either, but defensively responsible depth guys with terrible shooting percentages. It was only after 2010 or so when things started to change and Finland now has all these high skilled forwards like Aho Barkov Rantanen Laine etc..

Cool story bro.. Yeah I know, but this experience has imprinted a serious dislike for grinding high energy players, with zero shooting accuracy and stick skills, to me. And while I welcome them in bottom6 defensive roles, I would never spend a first round pick for a bottom6 grinder.

All that said the story is still unwritten for Stillman, but it doesn't look good at this point.

 

[Capt Nico Poo]

Steven has his flaws just like other scouts/analysts (amateur or pro). He gives a lot of crap for the more result (well points) focused analyst scouts, but I think he sometimes ignores that side and focuses too much on compete, energy and effort. Very important qualities, but worthless if you don't have the stick skills.

Growing up watching finnish hockey in the 90's scarred me for unskilled high compete players. The whole 80s 90s and 00s, finnish junior development focused completely on defensive high effort team play and shied-away from any individual training and focusing on puck handing and shooting skills. This all resulted 99% of our players (with only few exceptions like Selänne) to be defensive grinders with zero finishing ability or stickhandling skills. While they were almost always in the internation tournament playoffs, they'd always (outside wc95) fail in the finals or semis due to lack of finishing ability. In this time frame they didn't really develop star players either, but defensively responsible depth guys with terrible shooting percentages. It was only after 2010 or so when things started to change and Finland now has all these high skilled forwards like Aho Barkov Rantanen Laine etc..

Cool story bro.. Yeah I know, but this experience has imprinted a serious dislike for grinding high energy players, with zero shooting accuracy and stick skills, to me. And while I welcome them in bottom6 defensive roles, I would never spend a first round pick for a bottom6 grinder.

All that said the story is still unwritten for Stillman, but it doesn't look good at this point.

Yeah, I agree on this one. I believe Joel Armia was killing it as a junior in the Finnish Liiga as a goal scorer before coming to the US. What was the role he then fitted into in NHL? A grinder that can occasionally score as well.

I think the grinding kind of a player is the basis point for an average NHLer. Just like in the 90s it was sufficient to stay on your skates and not to drink too much beer, being a high energy grinder is the minimum what is expected from a 4th liner today. To make it into top 6, you actually need to have other traits besides energy and speed.

I too have watched way too much of traditional internatinal Finnish hockey of outworking the opponent but still losing (and probs also losing in shots too). Kind of reminds me of the devils few years ago that just ground around the boards and dump and chased.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Steven has his flaws just like other scouts/analysts (amateur or pro). He gives a lot of crap for the more result (well points) focused analyst scouts, but I think he sometimes ignores that side and focuses too much on compete, energy and effort. Very important qualities, but worthless if you don't have the stick skills.

Just to be clear, I'm not hating on Steven lol. I just like to tease him

 

[ninetyeight]

Just to be clear, I'm not hating on Steven lol. I just like to tease him

Me neither he's the best!

But a little bit of questioning and debate keeps this place interesting and further from an echo chamber.

 

[NJDevs26]

A lot of people ripped the pick to pieces and then majority of the people (as usual) calmed down after Steven said it was a great pick. I thought it was a terrible pick at the time and still do.

Eh for me the moment was more when it became obvious Wright came off as an entitled putz. At that point you might as well just pick whatever since all the guys after Slaf and supposedly Wright were on the same level anyway.

 

[Triumph]

Eh for me the moment was more when it became obvious Wright came off as an entitled putz. At that point you might as well just pick whatever since all the guys after Slaf and supposedly Wright were on the same level anyway.

The post you are replying to is talking about Stillman, not Nemec. Somehow this thread got way off course.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Does he get released to go to august WJC?

Why wouldn't he play?

 

[Triumph]

Why wouldn't he play?

To focus on the upcoming season? It wouldn't surprise me if he misses this WJC but plays in the one in December/January.

 

[Antiillafire]

To focus on the upcoming season? It wouldn't surprise me if he misses this WJC but plays in the one in December/January.

I think he’s more likely than Slafkovsky to play next month. Would be valuable experience for him going into the season.

Seider in his DY+1 had 6 points in 7 games. Good comparison there, production wise.

 

[Bcap88]

I don’t really see him playing in the upcoming wjc just due to the fact that camp will be right around the corner and I’m sure he wants to get settled into the area since he’s most likely gonna be in the A

 

[Antiillafire]

I don’t really see him playing in the upcoming wjc just due to the fact that camp will be right around the corner and I’m sure he wants to get settled into the area since he’s most likely gonna be in the A

I agree, I think it would be probably be better for him to settle in and skate in New Jersey while preparing for camp. That August WJC looks pretty out of whack with seemingly lots of guys not planning on going

 

[Bcap88]

I agree, I think it would be probably be better for him to settle in and skate in New Jersey while preparing for camp. That August WJC looks pretty out of whack with seemingly lots of guys not planning on going

Plus developmental camp is this week it just seems like to much is crammed in a short time for him. Especially for a young teenager in a foreign country

 

[Oneiro]