Prospect Info: Pittsburgh Penguins Prospects Thread: 2023-2024 Edition

[Pancakes]

Yager had a lot of questions about him in his draft year.

It's why he dropped so far. I'm tired of having to take this perspective on the player I wanted us to select for about a year prior to last year's draft and that I really like.

Yager rocks.

I will say I'm highly skeptical of prospects that say stuff like "Yeah my numbers dipped because I was focusing on defense or passing or etc". In Yager's case it might actually have been true, but there's a lot of cases where guys are just saying that and the truth is that they kinda suck.

It's good to see that Yager is on track.

Is funny though that Yager is our best prospect in years and his player comparable is....Travis Konecny. It'd be great to get one of those into the org, but it does show that we sure as hell aren't rebuilding the team with 14th overall picks. I don't know why Dubas or Hextall ever thought you could do that. You need to properly bottom out unless you get insanely lucky to find a late round gem like Getzlaf/Giroux etc.

 

[Gurglesons]

I will say I'm highly skeptical of prospects that say stuff like "Yeah my numbers dipped because I was focusing on defense or passing or etc". In Yager's case it might actually have been true, but there's a lot of cases where guys are just saying that and the truth is that they kinda suck.

It's good to see that Yager is on track.

Is funny though that Yager is our best prospect in years and his player comparable is....Travis Konecny. It'd be great to get one of those into the org, but it does show that we sure as hell aren't rebuilding the team with 14th overall picks. I don't know why Dubas or Hextall ever thought you could do that. You need to properly bottom out unless you get insanely lucky to find a late round gem like Getzlaf/Giroux etc.

Honestly, pulling a player of Konecny's caliber with a 14th overall is fantastic work.

Right in line with what I see from Yager. Likely a winger, 30-30 potential, all situational player.

 

[Ryder71]

Yager had a lot of questions about him in his draft year.

Such as?

Honestly, pulling a player of Konecny's caliber with a 14th overall is fantastic work.

Right in line with what I see from Yager. Likely a winger, 30-30 potential, all situational player.

Kyles done a great job thus far, we all know that, we all won't admit it however.

 

[Gurglesons]

Such as?

I'm not wasting my time.

 

[Pancakes]

Honestly, pulling a player of Konecny's caliber with a 14th overall is fantastic work.

Right in line with what I see from Yager. Likely a winger, 30-30 potential, all situational player.

Oh it 100% is a great draft pick if that's what he turns into.

But you don't rebuild a franchise with those types of players. You need true star players. And you probably aren't getting those without top 5 picks.

 

[Kasperi kapanen]

Yager had a lot of questions about him in his draft year.

It's why he dropped so far. I'm tired of having to take this perspective on the player I wanted us to select for about a year prior to last year's draft and that I really like.

Yager rocks. The only dissapointing part is we could've got Benson which I never thought was a reality.

I’m actually glad Benson went ahead. No doubt he is a better player now and probably the next couple years but I think Yager has more game breaking potential. Benson doesn’t have any elite qualities in his game he’s just kinda good but not great at a lot of things. Yager already has an elite shot and will hopefully become a more explosive skater than he already is.

That Konecny comp is actually pretty good, a center version of Konency is easily a 1c scoring 70-80 points. Although I see more Brayden Point in his game.

 

[Pancakes]

That Konecny comp is actually pretty good, a center version of Konency is easily a 1c scoring 70-80 points. Although I see more Brayden Point in his game.

Jesse thinks they should move him to wing when he turns pro for what it's worth.

 

[Gurglesons]

Oh it 100% is a great draft pick if that's what he turns into.

But you don't rebuild a franchise with those types of players. You need true star players. And you probably aren't getting those without top 5 picks.

We have plenty of time to get true star players. Yager probably won't even be here when we are competitive again after this group.

Jesse thinks they should move him to wing when he turns pro for what it's worth.

I don't see how Yager at his size is an NHL C.

 

[Kasperi kapanen]

Oh it 100% is a great draft pick if that's what he turns into.

But you don't rebuild a franchise with those types of players. You need true star players. And you probably aren't getting those without top 5 picks.

It’s still too early my friend. That was only our first pick in the top15 in like 10 years hahah

Patience!

 

[Pancakes]

We have plenty of time to get true star players. Yager probably won't even be here when we are competitive again after this group.



I don't see how Yager at his size is an NHL C.

I mean the good news on the rebuild front is no matter how hard Dubas tries to avoid tanking the Pens are probably gonna within the next 2-3 years anyways. There's pretty much no avoiding it unless some of their current prospects do something nutty.

Those top 5 picks are gonna come soon whether Dubas likes it or not.

 

[Ryder71]

I'm not wasting my time.

Because you're making things up again?

 

[Kasperi kapanen]

I don't see how Yager at his size is an NHL C.

Wait until he is 21-22 to make that assumption. He’s still getting stronger and putting on weight. He’s also like 6’0 already so not small in stature. If he tops out at 6’0 185-190 he will definitely be a center.

 

[Ryder71]

Wait until he is 21-22 to make that assumption. He’s still getting stronger and putting on weight. He’s also like 6’0 already so not small in stature. If he tops out at 6’0 185-190 he will definitely be a center.

He's making things up again, he really is.

 

[Andy99]

Jesse thinks they should move him to wing when he turns pro for what it's worth.

Yeah, not the only one who thinks he’ll be a winger in the NHL

 

[Ryder71]

Yeah, not the only one who thinks he’ll be a winger in the NHL

Who else? because it's not a prevalent sentiment.

 

[chethejet]

He worked on his game to be a better center. He focused on assists and playmaking vs scoring. He is a good number 2 type center eventually as he matures. another 10 to 15 pounds next couple and he is legit. As to Poulin, he doesn't stink. He has had issues, but he certainly can be that 4rth line center.

 

[Sorry]

Yager will be a winger in the NHL.

 

[Kasperi kapanen]

Yager will be a winger in the NHL.

There it is folks. He has spoken.

I wanna hear the logic/argument behind Yager being a winger in the NHL. When ya know he was drafted as a center to play center because he projects better as a center…

 

[Ryder71]

Yager will be a winger in the NHL.

Maybe early on but I don't think he'd stay there.

There it is folks. He has spoken.

I wanna hear the logic/argument behind Yager being a winger in the NHL. When ya know he was drafted as a center to play center because he projects better as a center…

We have several here making things up. It's a long offseason I guess.

 

[DearDiary]

Yagers focus this season has been improving his all around game. So I wouldn't look too much at his offensive stats, which have been bumped up by Firkus and Maty. That said, Yager has been covering a lot of Firkus's cheating all over the ice.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I don't know enough about Yager or prospects in general to say with any authority but I suspect from what I've seen and read about him that he's going to be a little like Guentzel and be a more complete and easier-to-transition NHL wing even though he played center in junior/NCAA. It's certainly not a given but I don't know if Yager has the size, vision/awareness/IQ and ability to distribute to be a center at the NHL level even though he has a solid/respectable two way game. None of this is a knock... you hope with that shot, skating and ability to fly down the wing and fire it along with his solid passing and two way game that he'd make a much more complete NHL wing. A complete, two-way wing who can score is far from a bad thing.

But again that's just my very casual observation about him as a player based on how I've seen similar guys to him make the jump in years past.

 

[Ryder71]

Yagers focus this season has been improving his all around game. So I wouldn't look too much at his offensive stats, which have been bumped up by Firkus and Maty. That said, Yager has been covering a lot of Firkus's cheating all over the ice.

''Firkus'', that's a stupid name, bet he gets teased a lot.

 

[Darren McCord]

We have plenty of time to get true star players. Yager probably won't even be here when we are competitive again after this group.



I don't see how Yager at his size is an NHL C.

I think he will still be here Ilyin comes over

 

[Freeptop]

Yager rocks. The only dissapointing part is we could've got Benson which I never thought was a reality.

Not sure they could have gotten Benson, really. He was picked right before the Pens' pick, and nobody picking above them was apparently willing to move down, considering none of those picks moved at all (not counting the Sens' pick, since that was for Chychrun, rather than a case of moving down, per se).

 

[Jacob]

Don't see how 6'0" is too small for a center.