Prospect poll #9

[Calicaps]

Caps' top 10 prospects

1. Ryan Leonard, #8 2023, RW, Boston College
2. Cole Hutson, #43 2024, D, Boston University
3. Andrew Cristall, #40 2023, RW, Spokane
4. Ivan Miroshnichenko, #20 2022, LW, Hershey/Washington
5. Hendrix Lapierre, #22, 2020, C, Hershey/Washington
6. Ilya Protas, #75, 2024, LW, Windsor
7. Terik Parascak, #17, 2024, RW, Prince George
8. Ryan Chesley, #37, 2022, D, University of Minnesota

Click to read more...

 

[WanderingCapsFan]

Mateiko.

** edited for "e before i, except after y". Or something.......

 

[Holtbyisms]

Vinny, should already be off the board.

 

[Hivemind]

Stevenson

 

[qc14]

Toss-up between Rybynski and Iorio to me. Now at the part of the list where there's really not a whole lot of major upside left so I heavily weight towards "floor" or ability to actually play NHL games. I think both of them top out as bottom of the lineup guys in the NHL but they're actually relatively close to getting there. Ultimately decided on Rybynski as I think his game is more projectable to an NHL 4th line than Iorio's is to a 3rd pair

 

[Kazer]

Toss-up between Rybynski and Iorio to me. Now at the part of the list where there's really not a whole lot of major upside left so I heavily weight towards "floor" or ability to actually play NHL games. I think both of them top out as bottom of the lineup guys in the NHL but they're actually relatively close to getting there. Ultimately decided on Rybynski as I think his game is more projectable to an NHL 4th line than Iorio's is to a 3rd pair

I see Iorio as pretty clearly ahead of Rybinski.

Rybinski was called up on December 21 and available for the December 22/23 games. On the 22nd, they iced a full lineup but on the 23rd they scratched Lapierre and played McIlrath for 1:45 instead of Rybinski. Meanwhile, Iorio is a year younger and has already played several NHL games (and an NHL playoff game but that's when it felt like the whole defense was injured).

I definitely think Rybinski is in the mix for a future fourth line NHL spot and has improved a lot year over year (new career highs in goals and points with a third of the season left), but I'm still putting him behind several guys who have higher potential ceilings.

My current voting plan is Iorio -> Mateiko -> Allen/Muggli/Sikora [not sure which order]. Rybinski is after that group for me. I also need to figure out where to put Kempf.

 

[Melkor]

Mateiko.

 

[qc14]

I definitely think Rybinski is in the mix for a future fourth line NHL spot and has improved a lot year over year (new career highs in goals and points with a third of the season left), but I'm still putting him behind several guys who have higher potential ceilings.

My current voting plan is Iorio -> Mateiko -> Allen/Muggli/Sikora [not sure which order]. Rybinski is after that group for me. I also need to figure out where to put Kempf.

I guess I see the likelihood of anyone not already ranked (and honestly Chesley as well) hitting their ceilings as absolutely minuscule, to the point that I'm now taking much more seriously the likelihood of being any kind of NHLer. How many of us two years ago would've had Suzdalev much, much higher than Malenstyn?

I totally understand having Iorio ahead of Rybinski, I think as I said it's more a matter of taste and I don't see Iorio's role translating to the NHL as well as Rybinski's. Would very much push back though on having Mateiko/Allen/Muggli/Sikora ahead of him (and Trineyev!).

And yes, by this logic I would've had Frank 8th ahead of Chesley -- even though he's in the poll though I feel like it's kind of against the spirit of the exercise though so I'm not really considering him lol

 

[Ridley Simon]

Eriks Mateiko (again)

 

[DWGie26]

Iorio. I think Chesley is ahead of him but he has value.

I refuse to vote for the overages especially since @Calicaps was forced to add them. Should have never happened. Not your fault. Can’t please everyone. But i won’t vote for them. And only one left. Thanks for leading the charge Cali!

 

[Kazer]

I guess I see the likelihood of anyone not already ranked (and honestly Chesley as well) hitting their ceilings as absolutely minuscule, to the point that I'm now taking much more seriously the likelihood of being any kind of NHLer. How many of us two years ago would've had Suzdalev much, much higher than Malenstyn?

I totally understand having Iorio ahead of Rybinski, I think as I said it's more a matter of taste and I don't see Iorio's role translating to the NHL as well as Rybinski's. Would very much push back though on having Mateiko/Allen/Muggli/Sikora ahead of him (and Trineyev!).

And yes, by this logic I would've had Frank 8th ahead of Chesley -- even though he's in the poll though I feel like it's kind of against the spirit of the exercise though so I'm not really considering him lol

This is a very good point, but at the end of the day I would rather vote for a guy who might have become a middle six winger (Suz) than a guy who at best is a 4LW (Malenstyn). This whole exercise is extremely subjective, and I respect that everyone approaches the question of talent ceiling vs talent floor vs likelihood differently.

And that's why I would put Mateiko/Allen/Muggli/Sikora ahead of Rybinski and Trineyev. They're much more likely to make the NHL but with very low ceilings. Sikora could be a 2nd/3rd line center. He's a long way off, but I loved his WJC (7 points in 7 games while playing 2nd line center). Muggli and Allen could still be 3-4 D (Allen has really impressed me this year with his offense). And there's obviously plenty of love for Mateiko out there, which is deserved after he was Latvia's best player at the WJC by a wide margin.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

“Top prospect” is too vague….that’s why opinions vary greatly on some of these.

I picked Iorio because I see him on an NHL roster next year (assuming he’s not exempt, still have not seen that confirmed). The others may never get close…but Mateiko is next for me.


Someone like Frank I’ve already aged out of this conversation in my own head.