Prospect Info: The 2021/2022 Prospects Thread

[wetcoast]

This year is the year were good scouting will pay big dividends. Due to Covid's influences, a lot of players did not get the experience or exposure that they would have normally. We could see a proliferation of late round or unsigned gems turning up at a rate not seen since the late 80's / early 90's.

Maybe we can get some extra draft picks then?

The 23 first round is what we need to shoot for though getting an extra 1st in 23 would do wonders for any franchise.

 

[wetcoast]

I think some of the expectations for Klimovich have been out of whack. People see 15 points in 51 games and think he's trash but it's alright for a kid that young in the AHL. He's basically on the same level as rookie Kole Lind was-- and Klimovich is 15 months younger compared to rookie Lind at an age where that usually makes a substantial difference. Lind thereafter followed a fairly normal and predictable trajectory and is good enough at 23 to be a tweener; Klimovich figures probably to become a full-time NHLer. He has some real skill-- especially his shot-- his hockey sense is alright and he's a big lad who doesn't shy away from contact. I think he's the most valuable prospect in the organization.

I don't think that comparing Klimovich in any way to Lind is going to impress people to be honest.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Western Hockey League

Headquartered in Calgary, Albert, the Western Hockey League (WHL) consists of 22 Member Clubs located throughout Western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

whl.ca

Good for Bains, excited to see how he does in the playoffs.

 

[Tables of Stats]

While all of our college and European prospects are mostly done for the season, international tournaments aside, our AHL team has made the playoffs, Silovs ECHL team has made the playoffs and all of our CHL prospects are on teams that made the playoffs as well. I know our CHL prospects - Bains who has been added above aside - have disappointed but I still figured this was worth noting.

 

[Blue and Green]

I don't think that comparing Klimovich in any way to Lind is going to impress people to be honest.

I think that the reason for using Lind as a point of comparison was made quite clear.

 

[wetcoast]

I think that the reason for using Lind as a point of comparison was made quite clear.

Sure but the point was that Lind isn't going to get anyone excited and even if Klimovich becomes slightly better than Lind it's a problem for this team with so few prospects, not a slight on Klimovich but the Canucks have had too many misses and need some prospects to super exceed at this point.

 

[Blue and Green]

Sure but the point was that Lind isn't going to get anyone excited and even if Klimovich becomes slightly better than Lind it's a problem for this team with so few prospects, not a slight on Klimovich but the Canucks have had too many misses and need some prospects to super exceed at this point.

Lind turned 20 in the month that he started his first full AHL season. Klimovich was 18 years, 9 months. That makes more than a slight difference in most cases. If Lind had shown in his rookie season what he had showed in his second season we would've rightfully projected him as having a good chance to become a regular in the NHL.

I see genuine potential in Klimovich. And nobody can say that I'm wearing rose-coloured glasses because I've been very clear from the start of the season about his present shortcomings. But there's no way that I'm going to obsess over flaws at the AHL level from a 2nd-round D+1 kid who last season was playing in a league that, by my best estimate, is something like Junior A level hockey.

 

[MS]

Klimovich is really, really hard to get a read on. He should never have been playing in the AHL this year.

When he gets the puck in the right situation - carrying through the neutral zone with time and space, or in a one-timer position on the PP - he flashes impressive tools. Size, skating, puck skills, shot. You can see the top-6 upside there. But you could also see all those tools in Fedor Fedorov and there's more to being an NHLer than just flashing tools in the right situation.

Away from the puck he's just a total disaster. It's difficult to overstate how bad he is. He plays in bursts when he has the puck or is chasing the puck offensively. No motor or 3 zone game. And his puck management and decision making are the worst I've ever seen from a player at this level. Just jaw-droppingly terrible turnovers and positioning errors on pretty much a nightly basis. Cull is struggling to find a place to play him on a good team and honestly I can't really blame him that much.

The concern for me is that I don't see any improvement over the season, in the way we do from other players (Wouters, Nielsen, Rathbone). He looks like literally the exact same player in April as he did in October.

Now, how much of this is magnified because he's stupidly playing at this level two years too soon? And how much different would his defensive play look in the CHL compared to CHL players? That's what's really hard to say.

 

[wetcoast]

Lind turned 20 in the month that he started his first full AHL season. Klimovich was 18 years, 9 months. That makes more than a slight difference in most cases. If Lind had shown in his rookie season what he had showed in his second season we would've rightfully projected him as having a good chance to become a regular in the NHL.

I see genuine potential in Klimovich. And nobody can say that I'm wearing rose-coloured glasses because I've been very clear from the start of the season about his present shortcomings. But there's no way that I'm going to obsess over flaws at the AHL level from a 2nd-round D+1 kid who last season was playing in a league that, by my best estimate, is something like Junior A level hockey.

See the post above from MS, that's how I feel about Klimovich.

I'm really afraid that he will be one of those that "looks" much better than he actually becomes.

 

[MS]

See the post above from MS, that's how I feel about Klimovich.

I'm really afraid that he will be one of those that "looks" much better than he actually becomes.

Yeah. He'll need to score a lot to outscore his defensive deficiencies based on what we see now.

I'll reiterate that my biggest concern is the lack of improvement. Like, what we saw in October? Sure - the guy is coming from a nothing junior league and looks overmatched defensively at this level.

But the hope is that with a full season he'll learn and improve and be able to tread water in a regular shift in soft minutes. And that hasn't really happened. And offensively he's become much less noticeable (32 SOG in his first 12 games, 13 SOG in his last 15 games).

I posted about it in the Abbotsford thread - in the last game, he might have made the most braindead play I've ever seen from a pro hockey player. Abbotsford was trapped in their own zone for about a minute and they finally get it out and Klimovich hits the center red line ... and tries a blind behind-the-back cross-ice drop pass that gets easily intercepted and ends up pinning the tired defensive pair in our zone for another shift. Cull benched Klimovich for a period for that and justifiably so. And plays like this really leave you wondering how much of a toolbox he has to go with his tools.

Of course, he then created a goal the next time he got a shift, which is part of the enigma.

 

[wetcoast]

Yeah. He'll need to score a lot to outscore his defensive deficiencies based on what we see now.

I'll reiterate that my biggest concern is the lack of improvement. Like, what we saw in October? Sure - the guy is coming from a nothing junior league and looks overmatched defensively at this level.

But the hope is that with a full season he'll learn and improve and be able to tread water in a regular shift in soft minutes. And that hasn't really happened. And offensively he's become much less noticeable (32 SOG in his first 12 games, 13 SOG in his last 15 games).

I posted about it in the Abbotsford thread - in the last game, he might have made the most braindead play I've ever seen from a pro hockey player. Abbotsford was trapped in their own zone for about a minute and they finally get it out and Klimovich hits the center red line ... and tries a blind behind-the-back cross-ice drop pass that gets easily intercepted and ends up pinning the tired defensive pair in our zone for another shift. Cull benched Klimovich for a period for that and justifiably so. And plays like this really leave you wondering how much of a toolbox he has to go with his tools.

Of course, he then created a goal the next time he got a shift, which is part of the enigma.

I have seen him a couple of times live and other than an occasional burst of flash of his skillset (skating and shooting) I just don't see an NHL player.

Agree with you that if he can harness those skills and become better than a total liability defensively we might have something but our history developing prospects just doesn't inspire me all that much.

 

[MS]

I have seen him a couple of times live and other than an occasional burst of flash of his skillset (skating and shooting) I just don't see an NHL player.

Agree with you that if he can harness those skills and become better than a total liability defensively we might have something but our history developing prospects just doesn't inspire me all that much.

Under Benning, he would have had no chance of developing. Nobody developed under the Jim Benning shit umbrella. Hopefully the new regime can fix some things on that front.

I can see the upside but he really isn't my favourite kind of prospect. I like guys who generate results and I like guys with big motors and three-zone games. I don't love enigmatic all tools/no results kind of guys much where you cross your fingers and hope that 'maybe he can put it all together one day!'.

Klimovich reminds me quite a bit of Niklas Jensen in some ways.

 

[wetcoast]

Under Benning, he would have had no chance of developing. Nobody developed under the Jim Benning shit umbrella. Hopefully the new regime can fix some things on that front.

I can see the upside but he really isn't my favourite kind of prospect. I like guys who generate results and I like guys with big motors and three-zone games. I don't love enigmatic all tools/no results kind of guys much where you cross your fingers and hope that 'maybe he can put it all together one day!'.

Klimovich reminds me quite a bit of Niklas Jensen in some ways.

I agree with you as we like the same things in prospects.

 

[iceburg]

I still see Klimovich as a big unknown. He came on the scene during the COVID season and really only had any significant exposure at one tournament. His development in the next couple of years is critical, as for all 19 year old prospects, but to me, his more so.
I think he showed enough this year to argue that the organization should continue to invest is his development but that's about it. I have no idea at this stage whether he'll be an NHL player.

 

[MS]

I still see Klimovich as a big unknown. He came on the scene during the COVID season and really only had any significant exposure at one tournament. His development in the next couple of years is critical, as for all 19 year old prospects, but to me, his more so.
I think he showed enough this year to argue that the organization should continue to invest is his development but that's about it. I have no idea at this stage whether he'll be an NHL player.

For sure. I don't think anyone is saying he's a bum or that he isn't worth continuing to develop. He's definitely interesting and is the #2 prospect in this very terrible prospect pool.

I just see a lot of narrative forming that he's 'really improved this year' or 'upped his stock since the draft' or is 'a likely NHLer' and I don't think any of that is true. I think he'd actually fall slightly in a re-draft when you look at some of the guys who have blown up behind him, and he's still a pretty major project/question mark overall.

 

[sting101]

I don't think being a 18yr old playing AHL hockey should be discounted or his past experience

top15 picks in this draft are struggling immensely at weaker pro hockey leagues. It's way too soon to make huge assumptions about what he looks like at 22/23.

It's really too bad he was drafted to the Q not the Giants or a pacific WHL team.

 

[Daniel Gee]

Hey! Did a breakdown of Arshdeep Bains -- looked at some of his tools/habits/etc. Lots of video

What Canucks can expect from WHL top scorer Arshdeep Bains | Offside

Surrey native and Canucks prospect Arshdeep Bains led the entire WHL in points with 112 points this past season.

dailyhive.com

 

[MS]

I don't think being a 18yr old playing AHL hockey should be discounted or his past experience

top15 picks in this draft are struggling immensely at weaker pro hockey leagues. It's way too soon to make huge assumptions about what he looks like at 22/23.

It's really too bad he was drafted to the Q not the Giants or a pacific WHL team.

I mean, the two top-15 picks who are struggling are probably going to be busts.

As I said earlier, the fact that he's been stupidly put at too high of a level makes him really hard to judge. But you can see tendencies and IQ and defensive play are likely going to be recurring themes for this player.

Agreed on the league thing. But the Q would still have been just fine.

 

[Three On Zero]

No Europe or College signings for Canucks?

 

[David Bruce Banner]

I mean, the two top-15 picks who are struggling are probably going to be busts.

As I said earlier, the fact that he's been stupidly put at too high of a level makes him really hard to judge. But you can see tendencies and IQ and defensive play are likely going to be recurring themes for this player.

Agreed on the league thing. But the Q would still have been just fine.

I don’t think his 2-way game would have been helped at all playing in the Q.

 

[Tables of Stats]

The post-season is starting for our CHL and ECHL prospects and as these are more easily watchable for most of us I figured I'd post the matchups and dates so we can all follow along.

Arshdeep Bains - Red Deer Rebels vs Brandon Wheat Kings
Game 1 – Friday, April 22 at ? p.m. ? at Red Deer
Game 2 – Saturday, April 23 at ? p.m. ? at Red Deer
Game 3 – Tuesday, April 26 at ? p.m. ? at Brandon
Game 4 – Wednesday, April 27 at ? p.m. ? at Brandon
Game 5 – Friday, April 29 at ? p.m. ? at Red Deer (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Sunday, May 1 at ? p.m. ? at Brandon (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Tuesday, May 3 at ? p.m. ? at Red Deer (If Necessary)

Artus Silovs - Trois-Rivières Lions vs Newfoundland Growlers
Game 1 – Friday, April 22 at 7 p.m. NT at Newfoundland
Game 2 – Saturday, April 23 at 7 p.m. NT at Newfoundland
Game 3 – Tuesday, April 26 at 7 p.m. ET at Trois-Rivières
Game 4 – Thursday, April 28 at 7 p.m. ET at Trois-Rivières
Game 5 – Saturday, April 30 at 7 p.m. ET at Trois-Rivières (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Monday, May 2 at 7 p.m. NT at Newfoundland (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Tuesday, May 3 at 7 p.m. NT at Newfoundland (If Necessary)

Connor Lockhart - Erie Otters
Sadly Lockhart's team missed the post-season by a single point so his season has ended.

Ethen Keppen - Flint Firebirds vs Owen Sound Attack
Game 1 – Friday, April 22 at 7 p.m. ET at Flint
Game 2 – Saturday, April 23 at 7 p.m. ET at Flint
Game 3 – Tuesday, April 26 at 7 p.m. ET at Owen Sound
Game 4 – Wednesday, April 27 at 7 p.m. ET at Owen Sound
Game 5 – Friday, April 29 at 4 p.m. ET at Flint (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Sunday, May 1 at 7 p.m. ET at Owen Sound (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Tuesday, May 3 at 7 p.m. ET at Flint (If Necessary)

Viktor Persson - Kamloops Blazers vs Spokane Chiefs
Game 1 – Friday, April 22 at ? p.m. ? at Kamloops
Game 2 – Saturday, April 23 at ? p.m. ? at Kamloops
Game 3 – Monday, April 25 at ? p.m. ? at Kamloops
Game 4 – Friday, April 29 at ? p.m. ? at Spokane
Game 5 – Saturday, April 30 at ? p.m. ? at Spokane (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Monday, May 2 at ? p.m. ? at Spokane (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 4 at ? p.m. ? at Kamloops (If Necessary)

I couldn't find times for the WHL games, but I'll add them when I do.

 

[Lindgren]

The post-season is starting for our CHL and ECHL prospects and as these are more easily watchable for most of us I figured I'd post the matchups and dates so we can all follow along.

Arshdeep Bains - Red Deer Rebels vs Brandon Wheat Kings
Game 1 – Friday, April 22 at ? p.m. ? at Red Deer
Game 2 – Saturday, April 23 at ? p.m. ? at Red Deer
Game 3 – Tuesday, April 26 at ? p.m. ? at Brandon
Game 4 – Wednesday, April 27 at ? p.m. ? at Brandon
Game 5 – Friday, April 29 at ? p.m. ? at Red Deer (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Sunday, May 1 at ? p.m. ? at Brandon (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Tuesday, May 3 at ? p.m. ? at Red Deer (If Necessary)

Artus Silovs - Trois-Rivières Lions vs Newfoundland Growlers
Game 1 – Friday, April 22 at 7 p.m. NT at Newfoundland
Game 2 – Saturday, April 23 at 7 p.m. NT at Newfoundland
Game 3 – Tuesday, April 26 at 7 p.m. ET at Trois-Rivières
Game 4 – Thursday, April 28 at 7 p.m. ET at Trois-Rivières
Game 5 – Saturday, April 30 at 7 p.m. ET at Trois-Rivières (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Monday, May 2 at 7 p.m. NT at Newfoundland (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Tuesday, May 3 at 7 p.m. NT at Newfoundland (If Necessary)

Connor Lockhart - Erie Otters
Sadly Lockhart's team missed the post-season by a single point so his season has ended.

Ethen Keppen - Flint Firebirds vs Owen Sound Attack
Game 1 – Friday, April 22 at 7 p.m. ET at Flint
Game 2 – Saturday, April 23 at 7 p.m. ET at Flint
Game 3 – Tuesday, April 26 at 7 p.m. ET at Owen Sound
Game 4 – Wednesday, April 27 at 7 p.m. ET at Owen Sound
Game 5 – Friday, April 29 at 4 p.m. ET at Flint (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Sunday, May 1 at 7 p.m. ET at Owen Sound (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Tuesday, May 3 at 7 p.m. ET at Flint (If Necessary)

Viktor Persson - Kamloops Blazers vs Spokane Chiefs
Game 1 – Friday, April 22 at ? p.m. ? at Kamloops
Game 2 – Saturday, April 23 at ? p.m. ? at Kamloops
Game 3 – Monday, April 25 at ? p.m. ? at Kamloops
Game 4 – Friday, April 29 at ? p.m. ? at Spokane
Game 5 – Saturday, April 30 at ? p.m. ? at Spokane (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Monday, May 2 at ? p.m. ? at Spokane (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 4 at ? p.m. ? at Kamloops (If Necessary)

I couldn't find times for the WHL games, but I'll add them when I do.

Great work. Much appreciated!

 

[VanJack]

Arshdeep Bains becomes the first player of South Asian descent to win a CHL scoring title....and judging from that highlight package, you can see the skating and creativity he has.

I get the fact that he's a 20 year old dominating against players 17 and 18, but still his game looks like it might translate to the next level. Well worth the risk to sign him. Hopefully he can pick it up in Abbotsford next season.

 

[Yultron]

Arshdeep Bains becomes the first player of South Asian descent to win a CHL scoring title....and judging from that highlight package, you can see the skating and creativity he has.

I get the fact that he's a 20 year old dominating against players 17 and 18, but still his game looks like it might translate to the next level. Well worth the risk to sign him. Hopefully he can pick it up in Abbotsford next season.

I’m extremely hopeful .

Some overage players that come to mind who have had very successful NHL careers are Jake Muzzin , Mike Hoffman , Conor Garland , Kevin Leblanc and Ryan Callahan so it’s definitely a possibility he could have a future with the Canucks

Fingers crossed

 

[David Bruce Banner]

Hopefully he brings more to the table than just some offensive prowess. Most guys who make the NHL were big scorers in Junior, but had to transform their game in order to take it to the next level.