Prospect Info: Round 2, Pick 54: Emil Andrae, D, HV71 (SHL)

[HeadLiceHatty]

Zamula is playing like shit this year and Andrae is playing out of his mind. Based on their play in the past, their normal levels are not as far off as it may seem right now.

Zamula at no point has shown what Andrae did last game, not even f***ing close lol.

 

[FLYguy3911]

Zamula at no point has shown what Andrae did last game, not even f***ing close lol.

You must have forgotten during WJCs when Zamula > Sanheim. Or the run Zamula went on last year after getting PP time.

They are different players. Zamula will never be all over the ice noticeable like Andrae was last game. He’s going to play with the game in front of him. He’s going to pass his way out of trouble. Andrae is an attacking defenseman. He’s going to try to go around forecheckers. While noticeable is usually good, like the other night, it’s can be a dangerous game when you skate like Andrae.

If you think Andrae can play every game like he did against San Jose, well then everyone underrated him and he’s one of the best prospects in hockey. Not to sound like a certain poster, but I feel like we need to point out that he had 14 ES points last year in the AHL. Zamula at the same age had 24. Nearly double the per game rate. And that was Andrae’s 5th (partial) pro season. That’s not insignificant.

I’ve watched/followed Andrae for parts of six seasons now. That was the best individual game I ever saw from him. And I thought early in his draft year he was an easy first rounder. Then the more you watched the more the warts started to show. Including being downright terrible in his D+1. He can be very mistake prone and his aggressive style at his size and skating profile can backfire.

tl;dr his play is very encouraging right now. Be excited. But there is a reason he was only seen as merely a good prospect and not a great one. Hell the team had Ginning pegged above him coming into the season and Andrae “won” the 8th spot by default. He’s taken advantage of the opportunity. Good for him.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

I want to be very clear here that I am not making the player comparison. What I am doing is relating the reactions of the fanbase. Think back to what we had in our brains about Drysdale 10 days after that trade. Just wait and see. There’s no need to fire off takes.

 

[deadhead]

You must have forgotten during WJCs when Zamula > Sanheim. Or the run Zamula went on last year after getting PP time.

They are different players. Zamula will never be all over the ice noticeable like Andrae was last game. He’s going to play with the game in front of him. He’s going to pass his way out of trouble. Andrae is an attacking defenseman. He’s going to try to go around forecheckers. While noticeable is usually good, like the other night, it’s can be a dangerous game when you skate like Andrae.

If you think Andrae can play every game like he did against San Jose, well then everyone underrated him and he’s one of the best prospects in hockey. Not to sound like a certain poster, but I feel like we need to point out that he had 14 ES points last year in the AHL. Zamula at the same age had 24. Nearly double the per game rate. And that was Andrae’s 5th (partial) pro season. That’s not insignificant.

I’ve watched/followed Andrae for parts of six seasons now. That was the best individual game I ever saw from him. And I thought early in his draft year he was an easy first rounder. Then the more you watched the more the warts started to show. Including being downright terrible in his D+1. He can be very mistake prone and his aggressive style at his size and skating profile can backfire.

tl;dr his play is very encouraging right now. Be excited. But there is a reason he was only seen as merely a good prospect and not a great one. Hell the team had Ginning pegged above him coming into the season and Andrae “won” the 8th spot by default. He’s taken advantage of the opportunity. Good for him.

The sky is falling, we agree on something!

Andrae right now is 3rd pair playing 2nd pair minutes, much like Risto.
San Jose isn't exactly a strong defensive team, and they don't have much of a forecheck so I wouldn't read too much into this game.
But Andrae skated better than I can ever remember, and given his skill package, skating is a key to his success.

Zamula has below average speed, but a smooth skater with good vision and is a good passer.
But as Torts pointed out, he's been slow in his decision making, and other teams have noticed that and are pressuring him early, hoping to force him into a mistake.

The travails of a young player, flash talent, opposing HCs study film, attack your weaknesses. Can you adjust?