Prospect Info: Round 1, Pick #19: Jay O'Brien, C, MA-USHS --> Providence U

[JojoTheWhale]

Is watching Providence going to make my eyes bleed? I can’t take another Ohio St.

 

[Jtown]

You are assuming there was a dance partner. You think NYI wanted to gives us one of the guys who fell to them? Or the Oilers who had a RHD fall to their laps filling their biggest need because Kravstov and Hayton were taken earlier than expected?

Use some common sense. You are a smart guy.

you make them dance.

 

[FLYguy3911]

Is watching Providence going to make my eyes bleed? I can’t take another Ohio St.

Probably. They are a defensive team.

 

[Tripod]

From the main boards thread:

Pronman: He’s a skilled center who can create chances, but every scout you talk to about him will first point to how hard he works to win battles and gain pucks. Often at the fall classic he would shove players off him with such ease to win a puck. “His work ethic and drive to get better is as good as anyone I’ve ever coached,” Andrew Orpik his coach with the U18 Cape Cod Whalers

USA Today named O'Brien it's Player of the Year for high school hockey in the U.S.

Neutral Zone: O’Brien didn’t disappoint; he led the tournament in points with 11 in 6 games and was dominant offensively throughout. He’s a polished skater who can pull away from opponents in the neutral zone, he has a rocket release and can shoot to score in stride and with defenders in his face. His stickhandling and creativity with the puck is rare and he’s able to make a lot of opponents miss. Nobody in the tournament could match his skill set and he always had the puck on his stick and was a legit scoring threat every time he was on the ice. Dynamic, skilled, sharp shooting forward

From Mark Scheig after the combine who covers the Blue Jackets.

"....Speaking of the Blue Jackets, keep an eye on center Jay O’Brien. He’s a name that generated some buzz this week and could go in the first round. When I spoke to him, he admitted that not only did he meet with the Blue Jackets, he said they went to Thayer Academy “four or five times” this season to watch him. As they say, the Blue Jackets frequented his games. They want center depth. O’Brien is an excellent skater. He’s also the best prep skater available in this draft. This adds up. Let’s see what happens in Dallas now."

Just thought I would post it here since I know some of you avoid the main boards.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

Is watching Providence going to make my eyes bleed? I can’t take another Ohio St.

Like the basketball team all those years, the hockey team is going to go into the Four Corners and burn clock.

 

[Jtown]

he did not look nearly as good when he had a us u 18 jersey on. and failed to impress in 7 games there.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

Like the basketball team all those years, the hockey team is going to go into the Four Corners and burn clock.

Hal Gill went to Providence. I think this means you’re right.

 

[sa cyred]

he did not look nearly as good when he had a us u 18 jersey on. and failed to impress in 7 games there.

??? Complete opposite what hockeyprospect said. They stated he looked fantastic there.

 

[BernieParent]

While I agree that the focus of the Flyers should be the present, or near future, it's no time to think about current needs in the first round. Look forward to July 1st to see if Hextall understands that he has an elite core that won't stay forever. You don't draft players expecting them to have an immediate impact, unless it's Crosby or McDavid. Projects aren't wrong choices.

I appreciate your, and others', even-tempered reply to my expression of frustration. Like I posted, it's definitely a culmination of a big day of nothing on the trade front, and hearing the second most caucasian vanilla name in the draft after Ty Smith called out at 19, for a player I didn't see on anyone's top 20 list was hard to swallow. I am glad that Hextall has the foresight to keep adding to the prospect list for a competitive team for years to come.

But right now, I'd like to see some focus on what the 2018-19 squad will look like and how the on-ice product can be improved, now and moving forward.

 

[TheKingPin]

This does seem like a stretch pick a little more than prior years. A. The flyers are awesome at drafting. B. Is there another team in the league better suited to take a risk here? Everything from pool size and depth, current players, and already drafting a higher ranked pick. I’m good with it. If he hits like Frost, we are going to have to trade a lot of people in the future.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

From the main boards thread:

Pronman: He’s a skilled center who can create chances, but every scout you talk to about him will first point to how hard he works to win battles and gain pucks. Often at the fall classic he would shove players off him with such ease to win a puck. “His work ethic and drive to get better is as good as anyone I’ve ever coached,” Andrew Orpik his coach with the U18 Cape Cod Whalers

USA Today named O'Brien it's Player of the Year for high school hockey in the U.S.

Neutral Zone: O’Brien didn’t disappoint; he led the tournament in points with 11 in 6 games and was dominant offensively throughout. He’s a polished skater who can pull away from opponents in the neutral zone, he has a rocket release and can shoot to score in stride and with defenders in his face. His stickhandling and creativity with the puck is rare and he’s able to make a lot of opponents miss. Nobody in the tournament could match his skill set and he always had the puck on his stick and was a legit scoring threat every time he was on the ice. Dynamic, skilled, sharp shooting forward

From Mark Scheig after the combine who covers the Blue Jackets.

"....Speaking of the Blue Jackets, keep an eye on center Jay O’Brien. He’s a name that generated some buzz this week and could go in the first round. When I spoke to him, he admitted that not only did he meet with the Blue Jackets, he said they went to Thayer Academy “four or five times” this season to watch him. As they say, the Blue Jackets frequented his games. They want center depth. O’Brien is an excellent skater. He’s also the best prep skater available in this draft. This adds up. Let’s see what happens in Dallas now."

Just thought I would post it here since I know some of you avoid the main boards.

So basically a speedier Gretzky with the temperament of Cam Neely. Excellent.

 

[Magua]

he did not look nearly as good when he had a us u 18 jersey on. and failed to impress in 7 games there.

You have to factor he played bottom 6 minutes. He's a November birthday, so he can't play at the u18 tournaments. Just being invited to play when they needed a player was pretty complimentary for someone who couldn't be part of the team. And people who saw the games thought he impressed in low minutes. If he was born 2 months later, it's probable he stays all season, if he wants, and has a great year in a big role.

It's a very non-Flyers pick for a very Flyers player. I love their U.S scouting. I love when they get bold. They did both with this pick. He's also in that floor AND ceiling range the Flyers love, where he could play on any line or role potentially, depending on how much he hits his ceiling.

 

[Jtown]

??? Complete opposite what hockeyprospect said. They stated he looked fantastic there.

in the beginning of the video he looks good , but that looked like a all star game. When he was u18 in the video with wise on his ilne he looked overmatched quite a bit. Basically you expect a 1st rounder to be quite noticeable and toa degree downright dominate. he was not that

 

[Tripod]

As Ron Popeil would say, "set it and forget it".

He is behind the 1st wave of forwards like Allison, Ratcliffe, etc... See you in 3-5 few years.

 

[Jtown]

You have to factor he played bottom 6 minutes. He's a November birthday, so he can't play at the u18 tournaments. Just being invited to play when they needed a player was pretty complimentary for someone who couldn't be part of the team. If he was born 2 months later, it's probable he stays all season, if he wants, and has a great year.

if us hockey wanted him on the team he would have been there a year earlier. Im not gonna watch tape on him at thayer to evaluate. But watching him on the ice against hughes even if it was an all star game looked good

 

[Striiker]

??? Complete opposite what hockeyprospect said. They stated he looked fantastic there.

Well who are you gonna trust?

Pro scouts or the guy who said Couturier wouldn’t hit 40 points?

 

[sa cyred]

in the beginning of the video he looks good , but that looked like a all star game. When he was u18 in the video with wise on his ilne he looked overmatched quite a bit. Basically you expect a 1st rounder to be quite noticeable and toa degree downright dominate. he was not that

Again, going based on any scouting reports on him there, he played fantastically. We might want to go past just the videos.

 

[sa cyred]

 

[captainpaxil]

I thought hexxy could have traded back and acquired another assrt and picked obrien. His d+1 will be crucial in seeing how he does against a higher level of competition. I like the player though

 

[Magua]

if us hockey wanted him on the team he would have been there a year earlier. Im not gonna watch tape on him at thayer to evaluate. But watching him on the ice against hughes even if it was an all star game looked good

Guys get overlooked for the U.S Development Program. It happens a lot. Because he's a '99 birthday, he would've had to play all year at age 17 in his D-1 like Hughes and Tkachuk. Which means he would've had to been on the radar a lot earlier. Some guys just aren't on the radar like others or on that development pace. I don't think it's worth reading into too much. I think you should watch all his video closely at least; you might be surprised.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

Again, going based on any scouting reports on him there, he played fantastically. We might want to go past just the videos.

And account for him being freshly turned 18 and playing Michigan St, made up of largely 96s.

 

[Jtown]

Guys get overlooked for the U.S Development Program. It happens a lot. Because he's a '99 birthday, he would've had to play all year at age 17 in his D-1 like Hughes and Tkachuk. Which means he would've had to been on the radar a lot earlier. Some guys just aren't on the radar like others. I don't think it's worth reading into too much. I think you should watch all his video closely at least; you might be surprised.

i have been watching. I do like his speed Clearly he can beat people off the rush, and has great puck skills. Great vision too. I also have seen him get blown off the puck and rubbed out agains the boards.
If he hits, could be abrayden point type. I think he is faster than Frost. but other than that i wouldn't even be able to know how to compare the two.

 

[Magua]

Is watching Providence going to make my eyes bleed? I can’t take another Ohio St.

Well.............shit. To be fair, I can watch 1-2 seasons of shit, uncreative, defensive hockey for a player I really want to see and root for. 3rd season? Sorry, Jay. Fortunately, we get to watch another fun team with a ton of talent........

But c'mon, Jojo. We can get through Providence games. Together.

 

[The Madrigal]

pm compared him to joe pavelski.

 

[BernieParent]

So basically a speedier Gretzky with the temperament of Cam Neely. Excellent.

A non-sociopathic Marchand with better, and less, facial DNA.