gravey9
Registered User
- Dec 29, 2008
- 2,945
- 6,331
So, roughly 30 games into 2019 here's where the kids are at:
D
1. Fox -- exceeded expectations. Is already a 3-4 D. Will hit a wall soon, but he should be fine.
2. Lindgren - exceeded expectations as well. Likely a solid 5-6.
3. Hajek -- uneven. Needs time. Likely needs a stint in the minors.
4. Rykov - finally playing again. Needs time. Needs to clean up his game a bit.
5. Keane - looking fairly solid in A. Looks to have a future in the NHL.
6. TDA - finally a full time NHLer. Will have a long career. Tough to say if its the Del Zotto kind of career or the Yandle kind or something more.
7. Lundkvist -- Lights out in SHL and CHL games. May be 2nd or 3rd best young D we have in the entire system.
8. K. Miller - having a rough sophomore year. Needs to figure out how to play in his own zone. Wisconsin's youthful team means Miller's offensive numbers aren't so gaudy which means we're able to see his development more clearly. Has a lot of work to do. I would put Lundkvist ahead of him.
7. Reunanen -- not having as big of an offensive year as last. But it might be due to focusing on other areas of his game. May turn out to be the most NHL ready LD prospect after Lindgren (over Hajek, Rykov) come next season.
9. Robertson, Jones both need at least 1-2 years of cooking.
At this moment, i'd rank the NHL readiness/effectiveness of the D kids like this.
1. Fox/TDA
2. Lindgren
3. Lundkvist
4. Keane, Rykov, Hajek
5. Reunanen
6. Miller
F
1. Kakko -- with space, shows his offensive skills. Needs to work on his skating, stamina and shot. And may need a Finn around for his confidence. Really needs time.
2. Chytil -- blossoming. Is the most effective F prospect.
3. Lias -- read the news. Really has a skating and pace issue. May never make it as a full-timer. Needs to go back home and play.
4. Krav -- needs time. needs to fill out a bit. Needs to earn his opportunity. Needs to learn when to use his creativity and play a 200 ft game. IF he can stay on course, my guess is likely a good 1-2 seasons away from being a top 6-9.
5. Howden -- decent speed. plays responsibly and can handle NHL pace. But needs time and confidence to round out his game. And hopefully he has the frame to get stronger as he's having a hard time with the physicality of the league. (early season physicality pales in comparison to late season and playoffs - so he has a long way to go with strength/balance). Might be his base, might be his core. Might be both. Dom Moore made his NHL debut at 23. Hopefully Howden's game can mature to the same point by the time he's 23.
6. Buch -- a little old (like TDA) to consider him a kid. But he still battles consistency and confidence. Really, the thing that holds him back seems to be strength. He's not a weak kid, but he seems to revert to a more perimeter game due wanting to stay out of traffic. When he does that, he ends falling into a funk or receiving the ire of Quinn. Streaky player.
7. Nieves, Fogarty -- one or both should be up and playing on the 4th line. Fogarty has continued to develop his game in the A despite being an older player at this point. Nieves is what he is. A big, fast kid who can forecheck somewhat effectively and possibly play PK at the NHL.
8. Barron - hard to say how his game will ultimately translate to Pros. Not bad wheels, good size. May not be able to get off his shot at the next level. Would be great if he could be a Tyler Toffoli type.
9. Henriksson -- needs several years to cook in sweden.
10. Aaltonen - ditto in Finland.
11. Pujaniemi -- he's scoring from the same spots Kakko scored a bunch of his goals last year, minus the nifty stick handling and passing around the net. Not sure if his game will translate to the NHL. He's a kid who will need prove he has a well rounded game and can play at a higher pace to go pro in NA.
At this moment, i'd rank the NHL readiness/effectiveness of the F kids like this.
1 Chytil.
2. Buch
3. Howden
4. Nieves
5. Kakko
Everyone else is a huge question mark.
(6. Kravtsov maybe)
Would like to see all of our kids work on growing their whole game, positioning, pace, boardwork/physicality.
There's a reason why Chytil, Howden, Fox and Lindgren made the jump -- they all play 200 ft and play with pace. It's why I'm really high on Lundkvist. He's my favorite non-goaltending prospect in the entire system right now.
D
1. Fox -- exceeded expectations. Is already a 3-4 D. Will hit a wall soon, but he should be fine.
2. Lindgren - exceeded expectations as well. Likely a solid 5-6.
3. Hajek -- uneven. Needs time. Likely needs a stint in the minors.
4. Rykov - finally playing again. Needs time. Needs to clean up his game a bit.
5. Keane - looking fairly solid in A. Looks to have a future in the NHL.
6. TDA - finally a full time NHLer. Will have a long career. Tough to say if its the Del Zotto kind of career or the Yandle kind or something more.
7. Lundkvist -- Lights out in SHL and CHL games. May be 2nd or 3rd best young D we have in the entire system.
8. K. Miller - having a rough sophomore year. Needs to figure out how to play in his own zone. Wisconsin's youthful team means Miller's offensive numbers aren't so gaudy which means we're able to see his development more clearly. Has a lot of work to do. I would put Lundkvist ahead of him.
7. Reunanen -- not having as big of an offensive year as last. But it might be due to focusing on other areas of his game. May turn out to be the most NHL ready LD prospect after Lindgren (over Hajek, Rykov) come next season.
9. Robertson, Jones both need at least 1-2 years of cooking.
At this moment, i'd rank the NHL readiness/effectiveness of the D kids like this.
1. Fox/TDA
2. Lindgren
3. Lundkvist
4. Keane, Rykov, Hajek
5. Reunanen
6. Miller
F
1. Kakko -- with space, shows his offensive skills. Needs to work on his skating, stamina and shot. And may need a Finn around for his confidence. Really needs time.
2. Chytil -- blossoming. Is the most effective F prospect.
3. Lias -- read the news. Really has a skating and pace issue. May never make it as a full-timer. Needs to go back home and play.
4. Krav -- needs time. needs to fill out a bit. Needs to earn his opportunity. Needs to learn when to use his creativity and play a 200 ft game. IF he can stay on course, my guess is likely a good 1-2 seasons away from being a top 6-9.
5. Howden -- decent speed. plays responsibly and can handle NHL pace. But needs time and confidence to round out his game. And hopefully he has the frame to get stronger as he's having a hard time with the physicality of the league. (early season physicality pales in comparison to late season and playoffs - so he has a long way to go with strength/balance). Might be his base, might be his core. Might be both. Dom Moore made his NHL debut at 23. Hopefully Howden's game can mature to the same point by the time he's 23.
6. Buch -- a little old (like TDA) to consider him a kid. But he still battles consistency and confidence. Really, the thing that holds him back seems to be strength. He's not a weak kid, but he seems to revert to a more perimeter game due wanting to stay out of traffic. When he does that, he ends falling into a funk or receiving the ire of Quinn. Streaky player.
7. Nieves, Fogarty -- one or both should be up and playing on the 4th line. Fogarty has continued to develop his game in the A despite being an older player at this point. Nieves is what he is. A big, fast kid who can forecheck somewhat effectively and possibly play PK at the NHL.
8. Barron - hard to say how his game will ultimately translate to Pros. Not bad wheels, good size. May not be able to get off his shot at the next level. Would be great if he could be a Tyler Toffoli type.
9. Henriksson -- needs several years to cook in sweden.
10. Aaltonen - ditto in Finland.
11. Pujaniemi -- he's scoring from the same spots Kakko scored a bunch of his goals last year, minus the nifty stick handling and passing around the net. Not sure if his game will translate to the NHL. He's a kid who will need prove he has a well rounded game and can play at a higher pace to go pro in NA.
At this moment, i'd rank the NHL readiness/effectiveness of the F kids like this.
1 Chytil.
2. Buch
3. Howden
4. Nieves
5. Kakko
Everyone else is a huge question mark.
(6. Kravtsov maybe)
Would like to see all of our kids work on growing their whole game, positioning, pace, boardwork/physicality.
There's a reason why Chytil, Howden, Fox and Lindgren made the jump -- they all play 200 ft and play with pace. It's why I'm really high on Lundkvist. He's my favorite non-goaltending prospect in the entire system right now.
