Prospect Info: Riley Heidt, C, 64th Overall, 2023 NHL Draft

This is a narrative that just seems really misplaced.

GMBG has:
-re-signed Spurgeon to big money/term
-re-signed Zucc
-drafted all these small players that he hates (Rossi, Marat K, Heidt, etc)
-traded for undersized players (Jost, Goli, Addison, etc)
-had the shortest and lightest team in the league for years. (even in PIT)

I think he just completely changed his mind about the importance of size. Possibly after Rossi struggled with 1 point in 19 GP and Wild getting bounced in the first round yet again.

Most of your examples happened before that. After that, they have:
  • drafted Stramel and Kumpulainen with their first two picks
  • traded for Bogosian
  • given Foligno everything (money, term, trade protection) to make sure he stays
  • signed Trenin
  • traded Khusnut for Brazeau
  • Ttaded for Jiricek
  • had constant trade rumors about Rossi
 
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This is a narrative that just seems really misplaced.

GMBG has:
-re-signed Spurgeon to big money/term
-re-signed Zucc
-drafted all these small players that he hates (Rossi, Marat K, Heidt, etc)
-traded for undersized players (Jost, Goli, Addison, etc)
-had the shortest and lightest team in the league for years. (even in PIT)
Part of what I mentioned is tongue in cheek.

But I wouldn't be surprised if Heidt was a bust if you even want to use that term
 
Amazing that he developed all of those things, yet regressed in production. Maybe if he keeps developing he can get to under a point per game in the CHL!

If only prospect development wasn't linear. Then there would still be a chance for Heidt. DAMMIT!
 
I think he just completely changed his mind about the importance of size. Possibly after Rossi struggled with 1 point in 19 GP and Wild getting bounced in the first round yet again.

Most of your examples happened before that. After that, they have:
  • drafted Stramel and Kumpulainen with their first two picks
  • traded for Bogosian
  • given Foligno everything (money, term, trade protection) to make sure he stays
  • signed Trenin
  • traded Khusnut for Brazeau
  • Ttaded for Jiricek
  • had constant trade rumors about Rossi
This is kind of how I see it too. He has made the team smaller overall, but there seems to have been a change in strategy that started around 2023. That said, they did still draft some smaller guys like Heidt, Kiviharju, and even Buium to a degree (almost average sized, but with a high-ish 1st round pick).

Honestly, I think they're trying both tactics at once. The only thing almost all of their picks have in common are that they tend to be draft-day fallers.
 
Goals are comparable while assists are down, after losing 2 major offensive players from last year. Still leading the team in production and top 12 in the league in scoring. No cause for major alarm bells.
You'd think the goal scoring would increase given his apparent development in speed, strength and skill.
 
I think he just completely changed his mind about the importance of size. Possibly after Rossi struggled with 1 point in 19 GP and Wild getting bounced in the first round yet again.

Most of your examples happened before that. After that, they have:
  • drafted Stramel and Kumpulainen with their first two picks
  • traded for Bogosian
  • given Foligno everything (money, term, trade protection) to make sure he stays
  • signed Trenin
  • traded Khusnut for Brazeau
  • Ttaded for Jiricek
  • had constant trade rumors about Rossi

They are still the smallest team in the league this year.

Bogo was traded for because the d-corps was trash with all of Addison, Goli, Mermis, and Merrill being differing degrees of bad; plus Spurgeon missed most of the season. That's not a size thing, it's a filling a lineup hole for cheap (7th), they lso picked up Chisholm off waivers.

Trenin is a filling the hole GMBG sees in the lineup that Duhaime and Reeves (also traded for) had filled in prior seasons. A more expensive Greenway 2.0.

Foligno's signing was an overraction to Reeves not re-signing and getting that weird deal from TOR.

The Marat K trade is just a meh swap of fringe players.

The trade for Jiricek is weird to me, but the team is barren for RD prospects. I remember he was highly touted his draft year, but haven't paid attention to him since.

Rossi being in trade rumors doesn't mean much. Brodin and Dumba were in trade rumors for years. Every team has someone in the rumor mill every year. Rossi is the only player MN has with any value that doesn't have a long term deal and/or a NTC of some sort.

I really think some of these deals are a part of GMBG not being able to get FAs to sign with him.
 
Maybe he should spend another year in the CHL; hasn't developed enough and would be overmatched in the AHL (like 57 said).

Why so pissy? Lol

You full well know that prospects development isn't linear, points aren't the be all end all, and there is context when comparing last year vs this year.
 
Honestly my favorite Riley Heidt stat so far is that Shane Wright had 156 CHL games played when he was granted early access into the AHL, and Heidt had 248 CHL games played when he was forced to go back for a 5th season and 65 (and counting) more games.
 
He should go play for Michigan State for a season just to make it easier to watch our prospects.

Well it's too late now, he can play in Iowa next season. He should have gone to Michigan St this season.
 
Maybe he should spend another year in the CHL; hasn't developed enough and would be overmatched in the AHL (like 57 said).
Improvement from last year would've been top 5 scorer in all of the CHL. If that's what you feel is needed to graduate, then so be it I guess.

My hope was similar production with a better all-around game, knowing that they were losing a lot of offense from last year's team. But I don't watch, so can't opine on the all-around stuff.
 
Improvement from last year would've been top 5 scorer in all of the CHL. If that's what you feel is needed to graduate, then so be it I guess.

My hope was similar production with a better all-around game, knowing that they were losing a lot of offense from last year's team. But I don't watch, so can't opine on the all-around stuff.
He was outscored by a 4th rounder, an incoming Badger hockey recruit (undrafted-same age), and the guy right beneath him is a dman that couldn’t hack it in NCAA hockey.

This is giving Lambos vibes - where he puts up nice production but the game won’t translate.
Shit, Gophers have a lot of holes right now.
Nono, everything is fine there!
 
Honestly my favorite Riley Heidt stat so far is that Shane Wright had 156 CHL games played when he was granted early access into the AHL, and Heidt had 248 CHL games played when he was forced to go back for a 5th season and 65 (and counting) more games.

Wright had the COVID season exemption on his record. I also would bet that SEA pushed hard to get Wright into their system. Something along the lines of, you're not getting him so you might as well let him go. He also played the same amount of AHL Playoff games as he did total OHL games.
 
Wright had the COVID season exemption on his record. I also would bet that SEA pushed hard to get Wright into their system. Something along the lines of, you're not getting him so you might as well let him go. He also played the same amount of AHL Playoff games as he did total OHL games.

Heidt played 22 out of a possible 22 games in a covid shortened season, and if it had been 25 out of 25 he would have met the four seasons threshold. Three games short.
 
He was outscored by a 4th rounder, an incoming Badger hockey recruit (undrafted-same age), and the guy right beneath him is a dman that couldn’t hack it in NCAA hockey.

This is giving Lambos vibes - where he puts up nice production but the game won’t translate.

Nono, everything is fine there!

CHL points are pretty meaningless after the ppg mark. Once they hit that they need to move on to a "better" league.
 

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