RW JC Lipon - Kamloops Blazers, WHL (2013, 91st overall, Winnipeg)

[Michael Farkas]

I really hope a team doesn't use that high of a pick on him. I would say a 4th rounder would suffice.

Agree with bolded. 4th-6th or so should be sufficient unless he really wows someone at the WJCs. Just doesn't quite have enough of "it" for me...I can't really describe it well enough. I wish him all the best though, I don't mind being wrong if it means a nice kid can make a good career out of playing the game certainly.

 

[arsmaster*]

I really hope a team doesn't use that high of a pick on him. I would say a 4th rounder would suffice.

If he shines in the WJC and Kamloops goes to the Memorial Cup, with him leading the way, then maybe, but I dont think we see him approaching Tanner Pearson territory.

He doesnt have the size that attracts NHL attention. I think there is a good chance he goes undrafted tbh. Which may work out better for him as he could sign as a free agent, which I could see happening.

Agree with bolded. 4th-6th or so should be sufficient unless he really wows someone at the WJCs. Just doesn't quite have enough of "it" for me...I can't really describe it well enough. I wish him all the best though, I don't mind being wrong if it means a nice kid can make a good career out of playing the game certainly.

The question I ask, is what separates him and Tanner Pearson???

I realize the depth of each draft is drastically different, but why 4th to 6th? Is there 120-150 better players than him right now?

He's the same height as Pearson, put up similar numbers (in a tougher league...without a top 10 pick feeding him pucks).

Lipon being immature physically IMO, makes his production look even better.

I'm not suggesting he's a 1st round prospect, but I don't think 'wowing' at the WJC makes a difference...people that see him play regularly with Kamloops know what he is all about already.

I think it's almost a ridiculous notion that teams will let him fall through the draft a 3rd time, especially seeing his year to year improvement.

 

[BillP]

for those that haven't seen kamloops play many times. colin smith is the anchor, and whoever gets to flank him gets a treat indeed (see tyler hansen) lipon is gritty, no idea how well he'll do in the bigs but he has heart and he won't back down from anyone. seems to intimidate a lot of players actually...ideal situation would be for him to join smith in colorado. hopefully!

 

[YEGJuniorFan]

Lipon is 6'0, he is not big but he's no midget either. If he plays pro at 6'0 195 I don't see size being the issue. Guess we will have to see how he does with Canada. If MacKinnon is 4th line RW then is Lipon the 13th forward? (assuming Camara is 4th line LW)

 

[Garyboy]

Agree with bolded. 4th-6th or so should be sufficient unless he really wows someone at the WJCs. Just doesn't quite have enough of "it" for me...I can't really describe it well enough. I wish him all the best though, I don't mind being wrong if it means a nice kid can make a good career out of playing the game certainly.

You're not related to Jeff Farkas, by any chance?

 

[Wats]

Is he better or worse than Tanner Pearson?

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

for those that haven't seen kamloops play many times. colin smith is the anchor, and whoever gets to flank him gets a treat indeed (see tyler hansen) lipon is gritty, no idea how well he'll do in the bigs but he has heart and he won't back down from anyone. seems to intimidate a lot of players actually...ideal situation would be for him to join smith in colorado. hopefully!

Exactly... I am so happy to see Lipon on team Canada but alot of his success is because of Colin Smith

 

[Michael Farkas]

You're not related to Jeff Farkas, by any chance?

No sir (at least not that I know of), but you certainly aren't the first to ask.

 

[S E P H]

Is he better or worse than Tanner Pearson?

Worse, like 3rd-5th round pick.

 

[R S]

The question I ask, is what separates him and Tanner Pearson???

I realize the depth of each draft is drastically different, but why 4th to 6th? Is there 120-150 better players than him right now?

He's the same height as Pearson, put up similar numbers (in a tougher league...without a top 10 pick feeding him pucks).

Lipon being immature physically IMO, makes his production look even better.

I'm not suggesting he's a 1st round prospect, but I don't think 'wowing' at the WJC makes a difference...people that see him play regularly with Kamloops know what he is all about already.

I think it's almost a ridiculous notion that teams will let him fall through the draft a 3rd time, especially seeing his year to year improvement.

That's not what drafting and projecting is about. No, there's not 12-150 prospects better than him right now....but it's about which players will make the best NHLers...

 

[Jerky]

That's not what drafting and projecting is about. No, there's not 12-150 prospects better than him right now....but it's about which players will make the best NHLers...

True...that's why Brendan Gaunce was a 1st rounder, as scouts believe he's the next Shane Doan......I think he's the next Jason Ward! (who was also a 1st rounder...but a huge bust)

 

[BoHorvat53]

That's not what drafting and projecting is about. No, there's not 12-150 prospects better than him right now....but it's about which players will make the best NHLers...

Then how on earth did Mark Jankowski fall to 21?

 

[R S]

Then how on earth did Mark Jankowski fall to 21?

Not every team sees every player the same way.

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

I think he'll go 5th round or later.

 

[McMozesmadness]

I've watched Lipon play quite often in the last 4 years (used to live in Kamloops) and I feel he is going to be a very solid pro. 373 PIMS and 188 PTS in 248 games in his junior career.

I feel he is the next small super pest who can score (i.e Burrows, Marchand, or Gallagher)

He hits fights scores and is just annoying as he'll to play against.

He has all the tools to be the rat that pisses the other team off by throwing a late check snowing the goalie giving the opponent a glove to the face then also scoring on them, but unlike a guy like Alex Burrows he will stand up for himself, he is a proficient power play guy with a great shot and decent hands around the net. He is also tenacious on the for check and good in his own zone.

The only knocks on him are his size (just around 5'11 180) and his skating ability.

I feel he will go early in the third round or late in the second if a team likes him enough keep in mind this is a deep draft.

Would be good fit for the Oilers in third round

 

[puckfan13]

I've watched Lipon play quite often in the last 4 years (used to live in Kamloops) and I feel he is going to be a very solid pro. 373 PIMS and 188 PTS in 248 games in his junior career.

I feel he is the next small super pest who can score (i.e Burrows, Marchand, or Gallagher)

He hits fights scores and is just annoying as he'll to play against.

He has all the tools to be the rat that pisses the other team off by throwing a late check snowing the goalie giving the opponent a glove to the face then also scoring on them, but unlike a guy like Alex Burrows he will stand up for himself, he is a proficient power play guy with a great shot and decent hands around the net. He is also tenacious on the for check and good in his own zone.

The only knocks on him are his size (just around 5'11 180) and his skating ability.

I feel he will go early in the third round or late in the second if a team likes him enough keep in mind this is a deep draft.

Would be good fit for the Oilers in third round

Burrows! I've been saying that for a while with Lipon. Great little player who plays with spunk. This guy can play with good players and offer a different element along with skill just like Burrows. Stu McGregor is a former Kamloops GM and I don't think he's drafted a Blazer yet. Could finally be the time, you know he has his eye on them. I actually like both Lipon and Bell as overagers, a lot more than some of the draft eligibles. No third this year for the Oilers because of the Fistric trade, but I don't think I'll be mad if they grab Lipon in the fourth or fifth.

Andrew Shaw was an EXTREMELY rare find for Chicago on the fifth and worked out beautifully, hard not to be tempted here with Lipon here with a similar brand of thinking. You're playing with like 10% odds by rounds 4/5/6 so it could be worth it, he definitely shows the battle/compete/skating.

 

[Ivan13]

I could see Colorado picking him up with their 3rd rounder if he's still there when they're up. He plays with Smith and he was their training camp invitee so I think they're pretty high on him.

 

[DKQ]

I could see Colorado picking him up with their 3rd rounder if he's still there when they're up. He plays with Smith and he was their training camp invitee so I think they're pretty high on him.

Add to this that they aren't afraid to grab overage players early on (Heard last year)

 

[arsmaster*]

Burrows! I've been saying that for a while with Lipon. Great little player who plays with spunk. This guy can play with good players and offer a different element along with skill just like Burrows. Stu McGregor is a former Kamloops GM and I don't think he's drafted a Blazer yet. Could finally be the time, you know he has his eye on them. I actually like both Lipon and Bell as overagers, a lot more than some of the draft eligibles. No third this year for the Oilers because of the Fistric trade, but I don't think I'll be mad if they grab Lipon in the fourth or fifth.

Andrew Shaw was an EXTREMELY rare find for Chicago on the fifth and worked out beautifully, hard not to be tempted here with Lipon here with a similar brand of thinking. You're playing with like 10% odds by rounds 4/5/6 so it could be worth it, he definitely shows the battle/compete/skating.

The thing with Shaw, is he was always a role player.

Lipon was a checker, and now a top 6 forward at the WHL level. I think he could iron out a spot like Shaw has.

I could see Colorado picking him up with their 3rd rounder if he's still there when they're up. He plays with Smith and he was their training camp invitee so I think they're pretty high on him.

Not suggesting you're downgrading Lipon, but a lot of people use him playing with Smith as sort of a mark against JC.

Well the last 2 or 3 times I saw Kamloops (plus additional game highlights) Lipon and Smith were on different lines.

IIRC it was Smith centering Bozon and Ranford, while Lipon was playing with Ully and Kessy.

So he's not riding coattails.

I like what he brings to the table, I think he gets picked up between 45-90.

 

[R S]

I've watched Lipon play quite often in the last 4 years (used to live in Kamloops) and I feel he is going to be a very solid pro. 373 PIMS and 188 PTS in 248 games in his junior career.

I feel he is the next small super pest who can score (i.e Burrows, Marchand, or Gallagher)

He hits fights scores and is just annoying as he'll to play against.

He has all the tools to be the rat that pisses the other team off by throwing a late check snowing the goalie giving the opponent a glove to the face then also scoring on them, but unlike a guy like Alex Burrows he will stand up for himself, he is a proficient power play guy with a great shot and decent hands around the net. He is also tenacious on the for check and good in his own zone.

The only knocks on him are his size (just around 5'11 180) and his skating ability.

I feel he will go early in the third round or late in the second if a team likes him enough keep in mind this is a deep draft.

Would be good fit for the Oilers in third round

That's a bad sign then, if you ask me. Little guys usually have to be great skaters to succeed at the NHL level.

I have Lipon ranked in the 5th or 6th round right now.

 

[arsmaster*]

That's a bad sign then, if you ask me. Little guys usually have to be great skaters to succeed at the NHL level.

I have Lipon ranked in the 5th or 6th round right now.

That isn't little though RS.

5'11" 180 is the same size as the other pests he's mentioned with. His skating also isn't really an issue IMO.

The question is can he play, and I feel he can play it any way you want. Nothing holds him back at the WHL level. He's competitive, which makes the 5'11" 180lbs almost mean nothing.

We see lots of 6'2" 200 pounders wilt when the playing gets tougher. I see Lipon relishing those spots. I think he has the motor to put your concerns to bed.

I guess we'll have to wait a few years to find out.

 

[Zandar]

I could see Colorado picking him up with their 3rd rounder if he's still there when they're up. He plays with Smith and he was their training camp invitee so I think they're pretty high on him.

Maybe their fourth but he looks like a 5th rounder. Too much potential in the top few rounds to not see a good player fall into their laps at 61-65.

 

[JCLiponfanboy*]

Really glad Jets took him

 

[garret9]

Thus far 27th in rookie scoring:
44 GP, 6G, 19A, 25 pts

Not bad for a 3rd rounder playing on third line playing mostly 5v5 and PK (has been getting some more PP as of late).

 

[ps241]

Thus far 27th in rookie scoring:
44 GP, 6G, 19A, 25 pts

Not bad for a 3rd rounder playing on third line playing mostly 5v5 and PK (has been getting some more PP as of late).

Ask any St Johns Ice Caps fan and they will tell you that JC is one of the reason's the Caps have had a turnaround this season. Lippy has picked up where he left off in Kamloops......he hits, fights, agitates, and produces points off the 3rd line. His production rates are very similar to Gallagher during his time with Hamilton in the AHL.

I predict Lipon will make the Jets at some point in the near future and he will be a key role player for Winnipeg.