Prospect Info: The 2023-2024 Prospects Thread Pt. 3

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VanJack

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Canucks Army speculating whether Lekkerimaki has a real shot at sticking with the parent Canucks. Re-watching some of those Lekkerimaki YouTube highlights, his shot is NHL ready now.

Would love to see him stick around and generate some serious laser beams from the half-wall on the PP. But I guess it all depends whether Tocchet would ever trust him defensively. He doesn't tend to give young, offensive guys a lot of rope.
 

Vector

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Canucks Army speculating whether Lekkerimaki has a real shot at sticking with the parent Canucks. Re-watching some of those Lekkerimaki YouTube highlights, his shot is NHL ready now.

Would love to see him stick around and generate some serious laser beams from the half-wall on the PP. But I guess it all depends whether Tocchet would ever trust him defensively. He doesn't tend to give young, offensive guys a lot of rope.

Are you referencing Daniel Gee’s excellent article?

Because Gee pretty definitively shows that Lekkerimaki will be in the AHL this season.
 
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DFAC

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Canucks Army speculating whether Lekkerimaki has a real shot at sticking with the parent Canucks. Re-watching some of those Lekkerimaki YouTube highlights, his shot is NHL ready now.

Would love to see him stick around and generate some serious laser beams from the half-wall on the PP. But I guess it all depends whether Tocchet would ever trust him defensively. He doesn't tend to give young, offensive guys a lot of rope.

With all the wingers we brought in this offseason I really hope we don't rush JL and let him play big minutes in the AHL.

God knows how many prospects we've rushed into the NHL lately... JV, McCann, Podkolzin..
 

MS

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Canucks Army speculating whether Lekkerimaki has a real shot at sticking with the parent Canucks. Re-watching some of those Lekkerimaki YouTube highlights, his shot is NHL ready now.

Would love to see him stick around and generate some serious laser beams from the half-wall on the PP. But I guess it all depends whether Tocchet would ever trust him defensively. He doesn't tend to give young, offensive guys a lot of rope.

He didn’t look anywhere close during his AHL stint last year.
 

arttk

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He didn’t look anywhere close during his AHL stint last year.
I think it’s different coming in at the end of the season adapting to a different culture, team and role vs moving over in the summer, going through training camp and having time to adapt to things.
 

MS

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I think it’s different coming in at the end of the season adapting to a different culture, team and role vs moving over in the summer, going through training camp and having time to adapt to things.

It is, but that difference is probably the difference between 'struggling in the AHL' last spring and 'solid AHL player' in 24-25. I've seen guys join late-season in the AHL and been like 'oh, he's close' but that wasn't the impression I had at all on Lekkerimaki. I was actually taken aback a bit by how small/weak he looked relative to AHL players.

Edit : I'd also add that EP2 joined at the same time/same age/same situation at a harder position and probably exceeded expectations.
 

arttk

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It is, but that difference is probably the difference between 'struggling in the AHL' last spring and 'solid AHL player' in 24-25. I've seen guys join late-season in the AHL and been like 'oh, he's close' but that wasn't the impression I had at all on Lekkerimaki. I was actually taken aback a bit by how small/weak he looked relative to AHL players.

Edit : I'd also add that EP2 joined at the same time/same age/same situation at a harder position and probably exceeded expectations.
Well every human being is different and they adapt differently. D Petey also stuck around longer while Lekk came in and got called up and took off pretty fast.
 

MS

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Well every human being is different and they adapt differently. D Petey also stuck around longer while Lekk came in and got called up and took off pretty fast.

All I can say about Lekkerimaki in the AHL last year is that neither his production nor his performance nor his size/build/physicality looked anywhere close to playing in the NHL.
 

Vector

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Lekkerimaki is a pretty long term project. His draft year was considered weak and weird and he was drafted on one elite skill. In the years since he's improved after recovering from injuries and illness but has a profile that has significant bust risk. Since being drafted, he's pretty consistently needed time to adjust to the next level of play. I can't see a realistic scenario where he comes out of camp on the NHL roster.
 
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arttk

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All I can say about Lekkerimaki in the AHL last year is that neither his production nor his performance nor his size/build/physicality looked anywhere close to playing in the NHL.
Lekkerimaki is a pretty long term project. His draft year was considered weak and weird and he was drafted on one elite skill. In the years since he's improved after recovering from injuries and illness but has a profile that has significant bust risk. Since being drafted, he's pretty consistently needed time to adjust to the next level of play. I can't see a realistic scenario where he comes out of camp on the NHL roster.
Agreed, it sounds like his physical development is not there yet and you can't really speed up growing (unless you get him to take some not really sanctioned substance) so we'll see where he is physically at the camp.

I would be more worried if he is physically ready but is just poor.
 
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quat

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I'm guessing it was a case of being the smartest guy in the room knowing the untapped talent he was trading to get with Clendenning.

My knowledge of almost all draft picks before they're selected is marginal at best, but I never understood why a GM like Benning would draft a player who had zero chance of impacting the roster for so, long due to contracts and what not. He was making so many trades for age gap players but then chose Podkolzin. Struck me as very odd at the time. Not his skillset or upside, just the lack of team control and availability.

Like many prospects in the organization, Podz has grown on me and while I understand he's been given more than a fair share of opportunities, it's tough to see him go to the Oilers.
 
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sting101

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Weak and weird what do you mean @Vector?

Draft excerpts..

Jonathan Lekkerimaki's Player Profile​

Adam Kimelman - NHL.com - June 29th: "Lekkerimaki (5-10, 171) has an NHL-caliber shot, with a one-timer or wrist shot he can use to pick corners. He's an excellent skater with good offensive instincts."

Mike - Morreale - June 29th: "A pure sniper with a hard wrist shot who plays a two-way game with good hands and explosiveness. He led the World U-18s with 15 points and 10 assists for first-place Sweden."

Peter Harling - NHL Rumors - June 27th: "Another sniper, Lekkerimaki has a lethal shot and can light the lamp. He has more elements to his game than just goal scoring but that’s his bread and butter. Has top-six upside in the NHL."

Jeff Svoboda - NHL.com - June 27: "He's a versatile player in the offensive zone with excellent skating skills, a great release -- he might have the best shot in the draft -- and the ability to handle the puck at a high level."

Alexa Potack - Dobber Prospects - June 18th: "He appears patient but when shooting the puck that frequently, some lack a clear path or angle. If he opts to pass, his strong vision is on display."

Scott Wheeler - The Athletic - June 6th: "He’s dynamic in control and threatening from anywhere in the offensive zone. He can beat you in an instant or hang onto pucks and make things happen himself."

Corey Pronman - The Athletic - May 31: "He is a goal-scoring threat from the faceoff dots with a hard, accurate wrist shot and one-timer that projects to be a weapon in the NHL. He has good speed, hands and vision to generate clean entries and make plays but those aspects don’t pop like his shot."

Chris Peters - Daily Faceoff - June 10th: " Lekkerimaki is an advanced offensive performer with a top-tier shot that is both quick and stunningly accurate. He started scoring at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup last summer and just didn’t stop until he missed the last month of the season with what was believed to be mono. "
 

Vector

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Weak and weird what do you mean @Vector?

Draft excerpts..

Jonathan Lekkerimaki's Player Profile​

Adam Kimelman - NHL.com - June 29th: "Lekkerimaki (5-10, 171) has an NHL-caliber shot, with a one-timer or wrist shot he can use to pick corners. He's an excellent skater with good offensive instincts."

Mike - Morreale - June 29th: "A pure sniper with a hard wrist shot who plays a two-way game with good hands and explosiveness. He led the World U-18s with 15 points and 10 assists for first-place Sweden."

Peter Harling - NHL Rumors - June 27th: "Another sniper, Lekkerimaki has a lethal shot and can light the lamp. He has more elements to his game than just goal scoring but that’s his bread and butter. Has top-six upside in the NHL."

Jeff Svoboda - NHL.com - June 27: "He's a versatile player in the offensive zone with excellent skating skills, a great release -- he might have the best shot in the draft -- and the ability to handle the puck at a high level."

Alexa Potack - Dobber Prospects - June 18th: "He appears patient but when shooting the puck that frequently, some lack a clear path or angle. If he opts to pass, his strong vision is on display."

Scott Wheeler - The Athletic - June 6th: "He’s dynamic in control and threatening from anywhere in the offensive zone. He can beat you in an instant or hang onto pucks and make things happen himself."

Corey Pronman - The Athletic - May 31: "He is a goal-scoring threat from the faceoff dots with a hard, accurate wrist shot and one-timer that projects to be a weapon in the NHL. He has good speed, hands and vision to generate clean entries and make plays but those aspects don’t pop like his shot."

Chris Peters - Daily Faceoff - June 10th: " Lekkerimaki is an advanced offensive performer with a top-tier shot that is both quick and stunningly accurate. He started scoring at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup last summer and just didn’t stop until he missed the last month of the season with what was believed to be mono. "

Not that Lekkerimaki is weak and weird but the 2022 draft was considered weak and weird. It was a post-COVID draft with a lot of players lacking information, no real consensus on where anyone was going, and teams were drafting based on singular elite skills since everyone was finding it difficult to project these players. Lekkerimaki's strength, as you can see in those pre-draft excerpts, was his shot.
 
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arttk

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Not that Lekkerimaki is weak and weird but the 2022 draft was considered weak and weird. It was a post-COVID draft with a lot of players lacking information, no real consensus on where anyone was going, and teams were drafting based on singular elite skills since everyone was finding it difficult to project these players. Lekkerimaki's strength, as you can see in those pre-draft excerpts, was his shot.
that shot though ..
 

credulous

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Nov 18, 2021
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Not that Lekkerimaki is weak and weird but the 2022 draft was considered weak and weird. It was a post-COVID draft with a lot of players lacking information, no real consensus on where anyone was going, and teams were drafting based on singular elite skills since everyone was finding it difficult to project these players. Lekkerimaki's strength, as you can see in those pre-draft excerpts, was his shot.

the 2022 draft is already looking terrible in retrospect

it wouldn't surprise me if mintyukov is the only real star to come out of that draft. even guys like cooley, slafkovsky and wright look more like middle of the lineup guys than true stars
 
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Vector

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the 2022 draft is already looking terrible in retrospect

it wouldn't surprise me if mintyukov is the only real star to come out of that draft. even guys like cooley, slafkovsky and wright look more like middle of the lineup guys than true stars

Don't even need retrospect. There's a reason so many teams were willing to get rid of their 1sts that season. Slafkovsky will probably end up a very good 1st line power wing but won't be anywhere close to any of the other 1st overalls taken around him. It's going to be a pretty middling draft with a bunch of good players popping up in different rounds and a bunch of 1st round guys that disappoint and/or bust. And all this was expected during that draft. A bunch of us were commenting that it was going to be a wild draft because there's so few stand-out players and the lack of information/weirdness of COVID made it hard to project these kids.
 

David Bruce Banner

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Waaaaay over there
I expect a larger than usual number of busts and steals from that '22 draft. Hard to scout guys who weren't playing... hard also to make some critical development steps without playing.
 

Ernie

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Since being drafted, he's pretty consistently needed time to adjust to the next level of play. I can't see a realistic scenario where he comes out of camp on the NHL roster.

That goes for most prospects though. Generally only players who are top of the lineup NHLers bypass the AHL.
 

sting101

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It was just weak at the top. Lots of good late 1st rounders and 2nd 3rds that are progressing nicely.

Agree Covid made for more variance as the info just wasn't there for teams and you can see some really bad decisions already which usually takes until players first pro seasons to see.

2021 was the same to which Dallas says thanks
 
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MS

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the 2022 draft is already looking terrible in retrospect

it wouldn't surprise me if mintyukov is the only real star to come out of that draft. even guys like cooley, slafkovsky and wright look more like middle of the lineup guys than true stars

Slafkovsky is a monster.

Guy scored 35 points in 40 games to close out the season and was still only 19. And is 6'3 240.

He's going to be a big-time impact player for a long time.
 

Vector

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Slafkovsky is a monster.

Guy scored 35 points in 40 games to close out the season and was still only 19. And is 6'3 240.

He's going to be a big-time impact player for a long time.

His development is super interesting to me. I'm not convinced he'll be consistent but after last season, it seems like his floor is 1st line power wing. One of the few times that picking against the grain early in the draft will work out.
 

VanJack

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Watching Lekkerimaki closely in his brief five-game stint in Abbotsford last season, I was struck by his 'shoot from anywhere' mentality. A lot of his shots were getting blocked as the lanes closed down early on the smaller ice.

But once he adds that split-second improvement in his release, he's going to give the goalie fits in any league. As other posters have pointed out--it's a skill you can definitely build around.
 
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