Porter Stoutheart
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Prospect Info: Prospect Thread (Overseas, College, Junior, etc)
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I read the scouting on his skating, I don't care how they project him.Read the whole article dude.
I guess you're referring to his size comments, which that article does have him at 6'.
It was also written June 12, 2023.
Porter Stoutheart
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Never mind, then. If you can't be bothered to actually read it, then don't ask for it. And don't lol at things you don't seem to even want to try to understand, maybe?
Why you want to get defensive or argumentative about things that challenge some surface-level organizational blurb you've programmed into your head, I don't know, but you go right ahead. By the time Molendyk gets to the NHL he will have improved his overall leg strength and his burst anyway. Every teenage hockey prospect has things to work on. And will work on them. Just like there's no point in arguing about whether he's 5'11" or 6'1" when everybody knows the combine measurements are the best data. Fill your boots.
Let's start over.Never mind, then. If you can't be bothered to actually read it, then don't ask for it. And don't lol at things you don't seem to even want to try to understand, maybe?
Why you want to get defensive or argumentative about things that challenge some surface-level organizational blurb you've programmed into your head, I don't know, but you go right ahead. By the time Molendyk gets to the NHL he will have improved his overall leg strength and his burst anyway. Every teenage hockey prospect has things to work on. And will work on them. Just like there's no point in arguing about whether he's 5'11" or 6'1" when everybody knows the combine measurements are the best data. Fill your boots.
You said some scouts questioned his first step and his quickness. I said I had never heard that and asked you for a link. You linked a scouting report that questioned his straight line speed that said he's uses his crossover and edging to create his speed and needs to develop his top end speed buy lengthing his stride.
Tell me what I'm missing.
Porter Stoutheart
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Not sure what's so difficult... in that article alone:
... If the opponent dumps the puck in and a forechecker is coming in fast, Molendyk does not win those races consistently. Case in point, he can’t rely on the crossovers he uses heavily when he is carrying the puck when it comes to those short-area races. He loses a lot of battles due to his lack of explosiveness and inability to get a better initial step on an opponent. ...
... Hypothetically, if he unlocks that next level to his offensive game, bulks up, improves his acceleration and short-area burst, and continues to build his defensive game to be more consistent, he could be a solid top-four defender. ...
... still needs to improve his defensive game, especially his quickness in short puck races, ...
You can probably Google loads of other ones. And there are videos you can watch. I'm not invested in the argument, because I do not think it matters any more than the 2 inches matters. He didn't score high in the jump tests in the Combine either, which is often another indicator of a lack of explosiveness which correlates with the observations. But who cares. He was 18 and prospects at that level are very aware of things they can work on. You also have to remember that scouting reports are nitpicking for negatives... when a guy is noticeably super fast rushing the puck end-to-end like he is, then even just being "average" in some other area is something they will try to pounce on. And sometimes it's also just a conscious choice by the player. Josi does some of the same things defensively, laying off on the defensive zone races because he thinks he has a better chance of stripping the puck or containing the opponent than winning a race (or risking injury in a race collision), or starting up his rush at a slower pace to figure out where the gaps are that he can exploit.
If you think these observations are wrong, you could always go to the videos and analyze them now to look for that issue specifically. I personally wouldn't bother to go to that extent, because I don't actually care and take it for granted that any such issues - if they even exist - will be addressed long before we see the player in the NHL. Why mention them at all, then? Because I think we get a really very shallow and uninformed view of many of our players and prospects as presented by our local media, and it can't hurt to point out that they may not all be as perfect as we are led to believe, and that we might want to at least slightly temper our expectations in general.
Gotcha, now I follow. It's all kind of weird to me as to me, first steps are usually how you push on your edges, and usually strong edging and the ability to have strong crossovers to me would mean a quick first step
Porter Stoutheart
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Quick and strong aren't always the same, I notice he was one of the higher peak power players on the bike, meaning once he got up to his max speed his peak 5 seconds of leg power output were among the best in the draft. It doesn't always translate for skating, since there are other elements like the edgework and other stride mechanics that factor in. But I would imagine there's a general correlation. They don't do sprints on or off the ice in the combine anymore, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was ever so slightly slower off the blocks than some if he was a sprinter, but more than makes up for it to win the race in the end - if the reported observations even hold any merit at all, that is. I'm not studying him. I'm assuming they are and aren't just making up stuff. Or weren't, at the time, anyway. Just a little fast-twitch work and he'll probably be fine. That it's more just a training/muscle development thing than anything to do with his overall skating/edgework/mechanics, which he seems to be top-notch at.
It's fun to argue about prospects in July. If everybody just said "well, he could be good, he could be bad" then it would be a boring offseason. It's fun to have strong opinions and make predictions on guys, but the reality is what they are now, and what they will become has SO many potential outcomes and that's not even considering off ice factors. 
I think sometimes I type like I'd talk to you in a bar while having beers together. If you can't hear the tone, it might type out as rude or argumentive, when I'm not trying to be.It's fun to argue about prospects in July. If everybody just said "well, he could be good, he could be bad" then it would be a boring offseason. It's fun to have strong opinions and make predictions on guys, but the reality is what they are now, and what they will become has SO many potential outcomes and that's not even considering off ice factors.
but there are times when I'm just being a dick. I guess it's my fault that everyone assumes that's what I'm doing.....
Jersey Fan 12
Positive Vibes
- Nov 20, 2006
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Campbell's NHL rights expire on August 15th but he is signed to an AHL deal with Milwaukee.
Is there a likelihood he earns an ELC - either with Nashville or elsewhere - down the road?
Is there a likelihood he earns an ELC - either with Nashville or elsewhere - down the road?
Would say unlikely. He's really not progressed much. Obviously, if he comes out and tears up Milwaukee they will look to sign him...but it seems unlikely.
Porter Stoutheart
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Hard to say for sure... he did score a few goals and even got into some playoff games for the Ads last year when he finished school. And there were a fairly large number of bodies around with the Ads, so getting into playoff games wasn't easy for several players in their Black Aces.
I think they see some hope in Campbell and Haider, hence signing them on the AHL deals, whereas others like Fontaine, McLane, and Reid were not afforded the same opportunities.
The Novak case is probably an example of the kind of longshot scenario where Campbell could still earn his way. Novak also didn't seem to progress much in his 4 NCAA years, but joined the Ads after graduation, played on an AHL deal, then earned himself an ELC after that. And look at him now. Like Campbell he maybe really needed to add strength after coming out of college, and maybe the organization wanted to see if he'd be able to do that before committing to him. So I wouldn't necessarily totally write Campbell off... but he'll definitely need to show something this coming season.
Sombastate
Registered User
Been slowly looking at prospects I've liked and seeing what fanbases think of them. What are your thoughts on Fink?
Has a good skill set. Worried that he will have issues making things translate to the NHL. Had a nice freshman year but several undersized players have done well at the NCAA level but fail to ever make a NHL impact. I really like him but will continue to try to be very skeptical of him until he gets some AHL time.
AintLifeGrand
Burnin Jet-A
one of our best prospects
out produced highly touted guys like Frank Nazar and Isaac Howard in his D+1 year.
our 3rd best offensive prospect behind wood and kemmell
Sombastate
Registered User
Feel like there’s a real pathway to the NHL for him?
Sorry for the interrogation, just used to love following prospects, fell out of it and wanting to get back in
Porter Stoutheart
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I think it's impossible to say with a 7th round pick who is 5'9" and playing in a bit of a backwater program, right? What you like as a prospect-watcher is his value relative to his draft position, how he was rated higher, how he had a fantastic freshman NCAA year, even given the caveats of falling off a bit towards the end and the weaker team he's on where he gets more opportunity than he might elsewhere.
At the end of the day, I don't think it would be "sensible" to project any real NHL pathway for him? If teams were doing that, he wouldn't have gone where he did in the draft. But then at the same time, there are 1 or 2 guys out of every draft that defy those kinds of odds and put themselves on the map. So far, he's doing all the right things to be that unique outlier. You have to appreciate that, even if at the end of the day the odds probably still aren't great.
So as Preds fans, we're very happy with what he's doing. Just like we were once-upon-a-time with like Darren Haydar or Patrick Harper or Simon Gamache or whoever.
AintLifeGrand
Burnin Jet-A
Fake NewsI think it's impossible to say with a 7th round pick who is 5'9" and playing in a bit of a backwater program, right? What you like as a prospect-watcher is his value relative to his draft position, how he was rated higher, how he had a fantastic freshman NCAA year, even given the caveats of falling off a bit towards the end and the weaker team he's on where he gets more opportunity than he might elsewhere.
At the end of the day, I don't think it would be "sensible" to project any real NHL pathway for him? If teams were doing that, he wouldn't have gone where he did in the draft. But then at the same time, there are 1 or 2 guys out of every draft that defy those kinds of odds and put themselves on the map. So far, he's doing all the right things to be that unique outlier. You have to appreciate that, even if at the end of the day the odds probably still aren't great.
So as Preds fans, we're very happy with what he's doing. Just like we were once-upon-a-time with like Darren Haydar or Patrick Harper or Simon Gamache or whoever.
Fink is 5'10 on Elite Prospects, 5'11 per the Preds Website
The entire team fell off towards the end of the season...he carried Penn State's Offense as a true freshman and had the same production as Frank Nazar, who is a year older, shorter, and who was blessed with playing on a stacked Michigan squad who played 3 NHL games this year.
It's 100% sensible to project him as a special talent.
Fink is already over 10lbs heavier and an inch taller than Harper is currently (as an adult)...
Do your homework
Porter Stoutheart
Seen Stamkos?
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Team sites are usually 1-2" exaggerated, at all levels. It's SOP in the hockey world. I guess in that context, you could just call a guy 5'10" or 5'11", knowing that if everybody else in the league is also exaggerated by 1-2", it means the same thing in a relative sense as far as hockey goes.
Fink was definitely in the 5'8"-5'9"/150 range as a junior, but there are some anecdotes out there suggesting he was one of those rare guys still growing at that age. So it's possible he's up to 5'10" now, and will certainly be adding strength with the college setup. I don't think it's very material to argue over 1" either way... I would say EXACTLY the same things about his NHL odds whether he's 5'9" or 5'10". It's not the extra inch that is going to get him into the NHL. It's all the other things he's going to have to do. Being 180 lbs vs. 150 would definitely make a much bigger difference. But the rest is going to be purely down to his hockey.
Gnashville
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Gnashville
HFBoards Hall of Famer
Being a part of Team Canada’s WJ showcase is a very positive experience for anyone though.
how has the development of fydor svechkov been? ...is he playing C in Milwaukee? any chance he makes the big club this year?
