Prospects who have stagnated.

[gifted88]

Filip Mesar..

Other than the hot start in the OHL his draft year, he went long stretches of being invisible. And to top it off had a weak playoff.
This year however, he looked much more engaged game to game and was quite productive in the playoffs.

I'm not sure he fits the bill for "players who have stagnated".

I do agree with your assessment though. He just looks like a really good transition player and that's about it.

 

[Hanji]

I can't stop thinking of Tyson Jost here. Leaves college much much too early. Reasonable rookie year. Then completely stagnates.

 

[DANOZ28]

i agree with the op carson lambos hasn't shown much yet, probably too soon but i'd trade sam honzek for charlie stramel.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Saying Dalibor Dvorsky stalled is a ridiculous take. After leaving a SHL team whose only concern was winning now to avoid relegation thus stapled him to the bench for 57 minutes a game, he absolutely dominated at Sudbury. He's got a chance to earn a roster spot out of camp. That's the high end of the trajectory we expected from him when we drafted him.

Much like expected, Dvorsky has been assigned to the AHL. With multiple pre-season games left it didn't seem like he even made it a difficult decision.

 

[HighLifeManIsHigh]

i agree with the op carson lambos hasn't shown much yet, probably too soon but i'd trade sam honzek for charlie stramel.

I wouldn’t trade a wet fart for Stramel

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

Much like expected, Dvorsky has been assigned to the AHL. With multiple pre-season games left it didn't seem like he even made it a difficult decision.

I know you're trying to play 'gotcha' because you're oddly hung up on Dvorksy's development being a failure, but there's not a single person who didn't see the progression from OHL>AHL as the most likely outcome.

 

[DANOZ28]

I wouldn’t trade a wet fart for Stramel

i was trying too be funny, i've always liked honzek and i think gm billy guerin should be fired for picking stramel over gabe perrault. you should never pick a player with zero stats atleast until the 3rd rnd or later.

 

[Nicko999]

With Reinbacher out long term, he definitely should be added to the list.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Honzek stagnating all the way into leading the NHL preseason in assists and points

also:

https://x.com/i/web/status/1840939276990624116

 

[jfhabs]

I know you're trying to play 'gotcha' because you're oddly hung up on Dvorksy's development being a failure, but there's not a single person who didn't see the progression from OHL>AHL as the most likely outcome.

So many people here think 19-20 years old should all be impact NHL players. In fact, there are only a handful of these and they don't always end up having the best NHL career either.

 

[Pavels Dog]

I know you're trying to play 'gotcha' because you're oddly hung up on Dvorksy's development being a failure, but there's not a single person who didn't see the progression from OHL>AHL as the most likely outcome.

You should stop trying to create false narratives. I literally said this:

On the positive side I think you can hope for a development like the one Brad Lambert has had so far. Where he's got a bad track record at the pro level, but takes a step back to juniors and then bounces back with a strong AHL year.
I do think you're tripping a bit if you think Dvorsky has NHL potential this upcoming season however.

In no way is it a failure to go to the AHL. You were simply overrating his immediate potential for NHL impact, like several of us tried to say.

So many people here think 19-20 years old should all be impact NHL players. In fact, there are only a handful of these and they don't always end up having the best NHL career either.

Maybe 0.1% of prospects should be in the NHL at 19. It's almost never the best development path.

 

[SoundAndFury]

To be fair Honzek is exactly the concept of this thread the way OP defined it: players who aren't busts but have stagnated. You could say he is proving this to a T. His last season was a deep slumber at best yet it's clear now he is by no means a bust.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

I'd say Drew Helleson fits the criteria. 2nd rounder who was supposed to be more of safe pick, if not with the greatest upside. Progressed well through three college seasons following his draft, signed at the end of his college season in D+3 (after being traded to ANA with a 2nd round pick for Josh Manson) and saw significant AHL time that year (17 regular season games and two in the playoffs).

2022/23 (D+4) was his first full season as a pro, he had the usual rookie defenseman growing pains in the AHL but showed well enough to earn a three game NHL debut at season's end, where most of us agreed he handled himself quite well.

This past season (D+5) you would have expected him to step up and solidify his status as an NHL option, having a full pro season and NHL debut under his belt. He did deal with a couple injuries, one that had him out for a couple weeks shortly into the new year and another that made him miss a month from late Feb to late March (possibly preventing an NHL call up when the Ducks moved Lybushkin).

Nonetheless, it doesn't speak well to Helleson's development this season, that he saw zero NHL time as a D+5 23 year old, for a bad team that gave significant minutes to several younger D (Mintyukov, Luneau, Lacombe, Zellweger) and two waiver pickups (Lagesson/Lindstrom). I think it's safe to say he's plateaued to some degree and has reached a bit of a make or break point for this coming year, where he will be turning 24 and completing his ELC.

Still not looking like a threat to make the team here in pre season

 

[AvatarAang]

With Reinbacher out long term, he definitely should be added to the list.

Wow finally a non-biased habs fan. That is refreshing to see, great post!

 

[Kshahdoo]

With Reinbacher out long term, he definitely should be added to the list.

Injuries have killed a lot of promising hockey careers, it's sad but nothing new.

 

[CowbellConray]

Couple of Sabres players who seem to have hit their ceilings.

Brett Murray - Will never be more than an AHL player. Unfortunate but true
Lukas Rousek - 13th/14th forward at best, likely in Europe next year
Tyson Kozak - was a surprise in D+1, and then moved to the AHL. Injuries have stalled his development and I dont think there is an NHL player there.

 

[DJJones]

To be fair Honzek is exactly the concept of this thread the way OP defined it: players who aren't busts but have stagnated. You could say he is proving this to a T. His last season was a deep slumber at best yet it's clear now he is by no means a bust.

Honzek never fit the thread at all.

It was his D+1 year and he got hurt multiple times. He never even got the chance to stagnate. He didn't magically stop stagnating over the summer he just got healthy.

 

[Leviathan899]

Just shows the gap between the SHL and the CHL and I think the phrase "absolutely dominates" is a bit excessive.

Not necessarily. Wes Clark said it best when asked if they value prospects playing against men over juniors, and he scoffed at the question. Said it doesn’t matter and it’s true. If it were, we’d see way more good players coming out of the pro leagues in Europe and ncaa, but we don’t. The CHL is also a more skilled league than the SHL, despite the age differences. Lots of mid 20’s guys in the SHL who have very little skill. The CHL is by far the best development league in the world, and he was playing with players with more skill than anyone else on his SHL team. There was nobody on his team with the talent level of a Musty and Goyette. The infatuation with playing against men is crazy to me, as it has never been a good indicator of future NHL success. We just saw 19 Canadian kids go in the first round, 17 of them play in the CHL, so NHL teams as a whole don’t view it nearly as valuable as fans do.

 

[Leviathan899]

I can't stop thinking of Tyson Jost here. Leaves college much much too early. Reasonable rookie year. Then completely stagnates.

He’s a good example of rushing a prospect too early and the shiny new toy syndrome. A good lesson for those who want the NHL CHL agreement abolished as well. Rushing players too early almost always leads to a bust, and you don’t need to rush your players to the AHL too soon either, just because you’re bored of your current roster and want to see the newest prospects sooner. Colorado avalanche should not make this mistake with Cal Ritchie this year!

 

[Our Lady Peace]

Elmer Soderblom. Hasn't found a killer instinct to combine with his size and skill. Likely Europe bound in a season or two it seems

 

[Cowumbus]

I’ve seen Kent Johnson’s name in this thread and it’s quite unfortunate. He looked like one of if not our best player before he got hurt.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

I'd say Drew Helleson fits the criteria. 2nd rounder who was supposed to be more of safe pick, if not with the greatest upside. Progressed well through three college seasons following his draft, signed at the end of his college season in D+3 (after being traded to ANA with a 2nd round pick for Josh Manson) and saw significant AHL time that year (17 regular season games and two in the playoffs).

2022/23 (D+4) was his first full season as a pro, he had the usual rookie defenseman growing pains in the AHL but showed well enough to earn a three game NHL debut at season's end, where most of us agreed he handled himself quite well.

This past season (D+5) you would have expected him to step up and solidify his status as an NHL option, having a full pro season and NHL debut under his belt. He did deal with a couple injuries, one that had him out for a couple weeks shortly into the new year and another that made him miss a month from late Feb to late March (possibly preventing an NHL call up when the Ducks moved Lybushkin).

Nonetheless, it doesn't speak well to Helleson's development this season, that he saw zero NHL time as a D+5 23 year old, for a bad team that gave significant minutes to several younger D (Mintyukov, Luneau, Lacombe, Zellweger) and two waiver pickups (Lagesson/Lindstrom). I think it's safe to say he's plateaued to some degree and has reached a bit of a make or break point for this coming year, where he will be turning 24 and completing his ELC.

Helleson is really making the most of his call up to the Ducks. A big right shot D who skates pretty well, maintains his gaps, wins battles, makes sound and simple decisions with the puck - should be a recipe for a long career if he can keep this going. Even shows some decent vision in the offensive end. Worth noting that the AHL Gulls are also on a six game losing streak since he was recalled along with Jansen Harkins.

Has been talked about a fair bit on the Ducks board. Helleson seemed to look really good in his initial NHL stint two years ago, now has played really well again, well beyond the reports of his AHL play. One can't help but wonder if some of these "safe and simple" defenders actually perform or at least look better with the speed and structure of the NHL game. Able to play a more "robotic" style rather than trying to navigate the chaos albeit with a bit more time and space.