Prospect Info: The First Annual Jaster Prospect Ranking List

[Fil Larkmanthanasiou]

1 ASP
2 Buchelnikov
3 Cossa
4 Daniel son
5 Lombardi
6 MBN
7 Augustine
8 Mazur
9 Plante
10 Finnie
11 Kiiskinen
12 Wallinder
13 Buium
14 Anton Johansson
15 Savage

 

[Frk It]

You guys are really testing my patience with these lists without NDN on it.

 

[izlez]

You guys are really testing my patience with these lists without NDN on it.

-He's had a total of 15 points playing in a variety of different leagues and tournaments since we drafted him a year and a half ago.
-His brother has been an unsuccessful prospect.
-I can not differentiate between the brothers and have no idea which is the older one and which is the younger one.

As you can see, he is clearly just not a very good prospect

 

[Voodoo Glow Skulls]

You guys are really testing my patience with these lists without NDN on it.

Best case: Middle 6 winger
Likely case: AHL/SHL top 6 winger

 

[Henkka]

Noah is clearly in front of the development vs his brother.

 

[simonedvinsson]

01. GT Sebastian Cossa
02. RD Axel Sandin-Pellikka
03. RW Dmitri Buchelnikov
04. RC Nate Danielson
05. RW Michael Brandsegg-Nygård
06. GT Trey Augustine
07. LW Carter Mazur
08. RD William Wallinder
09. LC Amadeus Lombardi
10. LD Shai Buium
11. LC Max Plante
12. RW Jesse Kiiskinen
13. LD Brady Cleveland
14. RD Anton Johansson
15. LW Emmitt Finnie

*edit: bumped Buchelnikov up from fifth to third.​

 

[Frk It]

Best case: Middle 6 winger
Likely case: AHL/SHL top 6 winger

You could say that about a lot of the forwards in our pipeline.

I just think what he has accomplished since his draft year is being overlooked, not sure why. Probably because he was injured and missed time last year. But the Draft year production was great, being full time in the SHL this year is good (he would have been last year had he not been hurt), and he played for Sweden at both the U18s and Hlinka.

I find all of that encouraging and I think he has some good offensive tools. I think he easily deserves to be included in any type of top 15 list for this org.

Like Finnie was under a PPG in his +1 season last year in Juniors and we are putting him over NDN? Nah.

 

[raymond23]

1. Sandin-Pellika
Really believe this kid has the chance to take this team to the next level.

2. Cossa
Hasn't been lights out this year but just steadily good to great. Really good sign that even his off days aren't very bad anymore.

3. Buchelnikov
Can't help but give him a top three spot at this point. The clips I see of him are kind of unreal along with his production.

4. Danielson
Need a second half similar to Kasper's last season or he's in trouble of dropping more. Giving me Filppula vibes.

5. Augustine
Probably my favorite prospect in the system and a chance to be #1 real soon. So much fun to watch.

6. Brandsegg-Nygard
I see the vision with this kid. Hilariously strong and physical for his age in a pro league. Crazy good shot. Next year will be a lot more telling.

7. Finnie
This kid has the "it" factor. I'm hopeful that he's our Palat/Johnson/Gourde.

8. Kiiskinen
I don't know much about the Lliga but he's a teenager and one of the top scorers in the league. Not to mention an awesome WJC performance. Kid takes like 8 shots a game. Sleeper...

9. Buium
10. Mazur
11. Lombardi
12. Wallinder
13. Plante
14. James
15. Johansson
16. NDN
etc

 

[stillwater]

Valtteri Filppula Played 1000+ NHL games, averaging about .5 pts per game over his career. In his prime years, he could have been the league's best 3rd-line center. At 40, he still plays pro-hockey in Finland.

If that's all Danielson is, I'll take it. Give the kid a chance to grow.

The expectations on these young players is just so extreme, it's crazy. He's still just a kid. So is Kasper, so is Raymond ... though Raymond appears to be taking off into a galaxy that no one really saw coming.

 

[raymond23]

Valtteri Filppula Played 1000+ NHL games, averaging about .5 pts per game over his career. In his prime years, he could have been the league's best 3rd-line center. At 40, he still plays pro-hockey in Finland.

If that's all Danielson is, I'll take it. Give the kid a chance to grow.

The expectations on these young players is just so extreme, it's crazy. He's still just a kid. So is Kasper, so is Raymond ... though Raymond appears to be taking off into a galaxy that no one really saw coming.

I think we do a pretty great job as a group being patient on young players and being reasonable with expectations. A decade of being shit on will do that.

Danielson needs a Kasper-like second half to crack the top 3 for me. No shame in that, we have a loaded pool. He just hasn’t been that threatening in Grand Rapids outside of a couple stretches. I’m rooting for the kid

 

[RedHawkDown]

1.ASP
2.Cossa
3.Augustine
4. Buchelnikov
5. Kiiskinen
6. Danielson
7. MBN
8. Mazur
9. Plante
10. Finnie
11. Lombardi
12. Buium
13. Wallinder
14. James
15. NDN

Valtteri Filppula Played 1000+ NHL games, averaging about .5 pts per game over his career. In his prime years, he could have been the league's best 3rd-line center. At 40, he still plays pro-hockey in Finland.

If that's all Danielson is, I'll take it. Give the kid a chance to grow.

The expectations on these young players is just so extreme, it's crazy. He's still just a kid. So is Kasper, so is Raymond ... though Raymond appears to be taking off into a galaxy that no one really saw coming.

I think this is totally fair, but I really don't understand what people don't get about expectations. Danielson is a top-10 pick. That's why there are expectations. Dvorsky, taken 1 pick afterwards and an entire year younger than Danielson, has put up 11 more points in 4 less games in the AHL. This matters.

Every other team's young players are also "still kids". But if they do better than our young players, then those teams will pass us. Your top 10 pick players need to knock it out of the park, or your rebuild falls behind, and you dont develop into a contender. That's why we have expectations/hopes. If he was a 2nd or 3rd rounder nobody would say anything. No one's saying Danielson is a failure as a hockey player in a vacuum if he just ends up a 3rd line C, but it is absolutely a failure as a top 10 pick in terms of pushing us into contender status.

Is Ras a failure of an NHL player? No, but didn't do well for his draft position either. Was Zadina a bust? Yes. Let's say these two guys were Q. Hughes and M. Necas/G. Vilardi - we are MUCH further ahead today as a team.

22 pts in 44 AHL games is not great for a top 10 pick in his D+2; it's not terrible but it doesn't help us project him as an offensive difference-maker. That doesn't mean he is a failure or anything, but if he ends up a Rasmussen instead of a Vilardi, it will have significant repercussions for our rebuild, because top 10 picks are what the rebuild is based on. That matters, and I don't get why people keep acting like it doesn't.

 

[Our Lady Peace]

1.ASP
2.Cossa
3.Augustine
4. Buchelnikov
5. Kiiskinen
6. Danielson
7. MBN
8. Mazur
9. Plante
10. Finnie
11. Lombardi
12. Buium
13. Wallinder
14. James
15. NDN


I think this is totally fair, but I really don't understand what people don't get about expectations. Danielson is a top-10 pick. That's why there are expectations. Dvorsky, taken 1 pick afterwards and an entire year younger than Danielson, has put up 11 more points in 4 less games in the AHL. This matters.

Every other team's young players are also "still kids". But if they do better than our young players, then those teams will pass us. Your top 10 pick players need to knock it out of the park, or your rebuild falls behind, and you dont develop into a contender. That's why we have expectations/hopes. If he was a 2nd or 3rd rounder nobody would say anything. No one's saying Danielson is a failure as a hockey player in a vacuum if he just ends up a 3rd line C, but it is absolutely a failure as a top 10 pick in terms of pushing us into contender status.

Is Ras a failure of an NHL player? No, but didn't do well for his draft position either. Was Zadina a bust? Yes. Let's say these two guys were Q. Hughes and M. Necas/G. Vilardi - we are MUCH further ahead today as a team.

22 pts in 44 AHL games is not great for a top 10 pick in his D+2; it's not terrible but it doesn't help us project him as an offensive difference-maker. That doesn't mean he is a failure or anything, but if he ends up a Rasmussen instead of a Vilardi, it will have significant repercussions for our rebuild, because top 10 picks are what the rebuild is based on. That matters, and I don't get why people keep acting like it doesn't.

Having Danielson and MBN below Kiiskinen is a blatant crime lol

If Danielson ends up like a Rasmussen, I will eat my shoes. Danielson has 10x the vision and playmaking that Ras does, and can make effective small area plays along the boards instead of just chipping it forward to himself like Ras. Danielson has a better shot and is a stud of a defensive player

And another point, to which I don't trust only statwatching;

Dvorsky, who I've watch just over a half dozen times lately and will be squaring up against Danielson tonight, is a hilarious case of "good" stats that the eye test just does not match IMHO

I don't see how this player will be a center in the NHL and and for the matters below, he will be a passenger-finisher type player. There's some things to like about his game, but I cannot get over how terrible his foot speed is. Needs major improvement in his skating, though I will give him the benefit of the doubt for now as he has this offseason to tackle that feat. He's also not very good defensively as a center and drifts away from the middle at the wrong times

Danielson has created way more offense than 22 points in 44 games has shown. He's also been an all-situations #1C for the last 2.5 months with Lombardi out. Dvorsky plays #2C and doesn't play on the PK

Strictly speaking offensively, I would bet that Danielson shows better results faster than Dvorsky will in the NHL. I understand the age difference of 9 months, but these players are very, very different and I can't help but bang the drum that we absolutely picked the right player. Time will tell

I promise this is not a paid Danielson bot messager, lol. I've been critical of him where he needs it but all things considered this season, he's been very good. I expect a big 2nd half once Lombardi comes back to play C

 

[RedHawkDown]

Having Danielson and MBN below Kiiskinen is a blatant crime lol

If Danielson ends up like a Rasmussen, I will eat my shoes. Danielson has 10x the vision and playmaking that Ras does, and can make effective small area plays along the boards instead of just chipping it forward to himself like Ras. Danielson has a better shot and is a stud of a defensive player

And another point, to which I don't trust only statwatching;

Dvorsky, who I've watch just over a half dozen times lately and will be squaring up against Danielson tonight, is a hilarious case of "good" stats that the eye test just does not match IMHO

I don't see how this player will be a center in the NHL and and for the matters below, he will be a passenger-finisher type player. There's some things to like about his game, but I cannot get over how terrible his foot speed is. Needs major improvement in his skating, though I will give him the benefit of the doubt for now as he has this offseason to tackle that feat. He's also not very good defensively as a center and drifts away from the middle at the wrong times

Danielson has created way more offense than 22 points in 44 games has shown. He's also been an all-situations #1C for the last 2.5 months with Lombardi out. Dvorsky plays #2C and doesn't play on the PK

Strictly speaking offensively, I would bet that Danielson shows better results faster than Dvorsky will in the NHL. I understand the age difference of 9 months, but these players are very, very different and I can't help but bang the drum that we absolutely picked the right player. Time will tell

I promise this is not a paid Danielson bot messager, lol. I've been critical of him where he needs it but all things considered this season, he's been very good. I expect a big 2nd half once Lombardi comes back to play C

I like to evaluate players based on their actual performance rather than draft pedigree. Kiiskinen Is 19 years old and PPG in a top 5 men’s league and was the highest scorer for his team in the WJC. I don’t see how he has any lower potential than MBN for example.

I don’t watch very much GR so I’ll admit I’m stat watching there. Hope you’re right.l

That being said, time and time again it’s been shown that point production is the number one predictor of NHL success. pNHLe exists for a reason.

 

[Hazy Little Thing]

Having Danielson and MBN below Kiiskinen is a blatant crime lol

If Danielson ends up like a Rasmussen, I will eat my shoes. Danielson has 10x the vision and playmaking that Ras does, and can make effective small area plays along the boards instead of just chipping it forward to himself like Ras. Danielson has a better shot and is a stud of a defensive player

And another point, to which I don't trust only statwatching;

Dvorsky, who I've watch just over a half dozen times lately and will be squaring up against Danielson tonight, is a hilarious case of "good" stats that the eye test just does not match IMHO

I don't see how this player will be a center in the NHL and and for the matters below, he will be a passenger-finisher type player. There's some things to like about his game, but I cannot get over how terrible his foot speed is. Needs major improvement in his skating, though I will give him the benefit of the doubt for now as he has this offseason to tackle that feat. He's also not very good defensively as a center and drifts away from the middle at the wrong times

Danielson has created way more offense than 22 points in 44 games has shown. He's also been an all-situations #1C for the last 2.5 months with Lombardi out. Dvorsky plays #2C and doesn't play on the PK

Strictly speaking offensively, I would bet that Danielson shows better results faster than Dvorsky will in the NHL. I understand the age difference of 9 months, but these players are very, very different and I can't help but bang the drum that we absolutely picked the right player. Time will tell

I promise this is not a paid Danielson bot messager, lol. I've been critical of him where he needs it but all things considered this season, he's been very good. I expect a big 2nd half once Lombardi comes back to play C

If Danielson has a good shot, why does he shoot so poorly? 5.1% shooting rate, 4 goals on 78 shots. That’s really bad. Not like it’s a small sample size either.

 

[Frk It]

Having Danielson and MBN below Kiiskinen is a blatant crime lol

For some reason that is a hot take I can appreciate... lol

I am not sure these forwards should be on a pedestal just because they were drafted in round 1.

I would not be surprised at all if Buchelnikov became a better player than Danielson, or if Plante became a better player than MBN. Some of these guys picked in rounds 2-7 are really raising their stock. I do not think there is a ton of separation among our forward prospects at the moment.

If Danielson ends up like a Rasmussen, I will eat my shoes. Danielson has 10x the vision and playmaking that Ras does, and can make effective small area plays along the boards instead of just chipping it forward to himself like Ras. Danielson has a better shot and is a stud of a defensive player

I hope you are right. I think folks on this board generally tend to overstate the floor of prospects, in most cases.

In reality I think even a guy like Danielson has a pretty wide range of outcomes at the NHL level.

I do agree with your assessment that Danielson is better at Rasmussen at those specific things. What will it translate to at the NHL level though? I have not a clue.

I thought Veleno was better than Rasmussen at a bunch of things too, and he kinda sucks.

 

[schuelma24]

As a semi-regular Griffins watcher, I'd make a few other points re: Danielson and his ... well lack of points.

1- They don't score a lot, period. They didn't really last year and they don't this year. Not saying Danielson isn't blameless in that - but it seems pretty clear to me Watson's system isn't exactly run and gun. Nate isn't getting any freebie points. And I think you can kind of see that in Kasper and Soderblom's production - I'd argue it's significantly higher in the NHL than you might expect if you go by the GR counting stats.

2- Related....he's not surrounded with a lot of talent right now. Last year when Kasper started really producing, he had Burger and Mazur on his line. Danielson right now has Watson and a rotating cast of characters.

3-Again, related - he's getting the toughest matchup and toughest minutes. I don't think its a coincidence that his production (and the teams, honestly) started to slow when Lombardi went out. GR is a pretty easy team to shut down right now.

That said, I certainly don't think he's perfect. Like I've said before, I think he needs to be more assertive on offense, and IMO he also could use some better shot selection when he does shoot it. But I still maintain the tools are all there and he's a very hard worker, so I'm still very optimistic on him.

 

[Our Lady Peace]

If Danielson has a good shot, why does he shoot so poorly? 5.1% shooting rate, 4 goals on 78 shots. That’s really bad. Not like it’s a small sample size either.

He's had some poor shooting luck mixed with being oddly averse to shooting the puck at times

He's been shooting more lately though and he's getting to various scoring areas. I also see that he doesn't have very good playmaking linemates. I like Watson enough. However the rotating wheelhouse of bodies at his LW (the side where his forehand is facing towards) has not been ideal for him

For some reason that is a hot take I can appreciate... lol

I am not sure these forwards should be on a pedestal just because they were drafted in round 1.

Personally the draft position doesn't matter so much as I see Danielson and MBN as outright superior prospects than a guy like Kiiskinen. I'm glad we got JK for Gibson though, good trade. I just personally rank Kiiskinen lower due to his lack of a standout skill. Could just be the next grindy scorer that sits in our bottom 6 and we don't complain about

I would not be surprised at all if Buchelnikov became a better player than Danielson, or if Plante became a better player than MBN. Some of these guys picked in rounds 2-7 are really raising their stock. I do not think there is a ton of separation among our forward prospects at the moment.

Definitely not far-fetched those could be very real outcomes and I really like all 4 of those players for different reasons

You're right though, even before the season I had trouble ranking Kasper in the list too cause they're all good offensive players but in different ways

I hope you are right. I think folks on this board generally tend to overstate the floor of prospects, in most cases.

In reality I think even a guy like Danielson has a pretty wide range of outcomes at the NHL level.

I do agree with your assessment that Danielson is better at Rasmussen at those specific things. What will it translate to at the NHL level though? I have not a clue.

I thought Veleno was better than Rasmussen at a bunch of things too, and he kinda sucks.

Your first point is true for sure. IMO Danielson's outcome could be that of many. Him and Buchelnikov ironically are the two ceilings I have the most trouble nailing down. Danielson I have no doubt at minimum is a 3C for a very long time. I've personally been on the side of eventual 1C (hence my ranking of him) but I'm one of few. Would be willing to admit my fault if he became just a 2C. Which is still awesome because he will always excel at shutting down top players

HockeytownWestPodcast a couple weeks ago were talking about how the scouts at the GRG games rave about Danielson's game when they're around them. Now they didn't elaborate on if the scouts commented on his ultimate offensive upside

Big thing with Danielson is how he takes so many smart routes around the ice. His calling card is playing with speed and pace, to which it's kind of been neutered playing under Dan Watson's system. I recently noted that I think he would be putting up respectable numbers in the fashion that we know Marco has done now, AHL vs. NHL

 

[OldnotDeadWings]

As a semi-regular Griffins watcher, I'd make a few other points re: Danielson and his ... well lack of points.

1- They don't score a lot, period. They didn't really last year and they don't this year. Not saying Danielson isn't blameless in that - but it seems pretty clear to me Watson's system isn't exactly run and gun. Nate isn't getting any freebie points. And I think you can kind of see that in Kasper and Soderblom's production - I'd argue it's significantly higher in the NHL than you might expect if you go by the GR counting stats.

2- Related....he's not surrounded with a lot of talent right now. Last year when Kasper started really producing, he had Burger and Mazur on his line. Danielson right now has Watson and a rotating cast of characters.

3-Again, related - he's getting the toughest matchup and toughest minutes. I don't think its a coincidence that his production (and the teams, honestly) started to slow when Lombardi went out. GR is a pretty easy team to shut down right now.

That said, I certainly don't think he's perfect. Like I've said before, I think he needs to be more assertive on offense, and IMO he also could use some better shot selection when he does shoot it. But I still maintain the tools are all there and he's a very hard worker, so I'm still very optimistic on him.

All good points. Counting stats are useful of course, but looking at them without understanding the context of how the team plays is kinda pointless. Danielson is having a perfectly fine season, not great and not unsatisfactory either. If he is a 15 ES minutes third-line center in the NHL who shuts down opposing top six centers -- which Lundell is in Florida -- then it does not at all hurt the Wings' rebuild. It helps, regardless of what other guys picked around him do.

 

[RedHawkDown]

All good points. Counting stats are useful of course, but looking at them without understanding the context of how the team plays is kinda pointless. Danielson is having a perfectly fine season, not great and not unsatisfactory either. If he is a 15 ES minutes third-line center in the NHL who shuts down opposing top six centers -- which Lundell is in Florida -- then it does not at all hurt the Wings' rebuild. It helps, regardless of what other guys picked around him do.

The problem with this line of thinking is that it’s not about whether or not a player helps your team get better. It’s about whether that player helps your team get better than other teams.

Every rebuilding team has guys picked in the top 10. If Danielson ends up a Lundell, and Dvorsky ends up a 1/2C and Benson a 1W and Leonard a 1W, etc, then that puts us behind those teams. So it doesn’t matter if 3C Danielson makes us 5% better if those other guys make their teams 10% better, because the overall effect is still that we don’t progress as a team.

I feel like a lot of people on these boards evaluate our prospects in this vacuum as if nobody else in the NHL is developing good talent.

 

[schuelma24]

The problem with this line of thinking is that it’s not about whether or not a player helps your team get better. It’s about whether that player helps your team get better than other teams.

Every rebuilding team has guys picked in the top 10. If Danielson ends up a Lundell, and Dvorsky ends up a 1/2C and Benson a 1W and Leonard a 1W, etc, then that puts us behind those teams. So it doesn’t matter if 3C Danielson makes us 5% better if those other guys make their teams 10% better, because the overall effect is still that we don’t progress as a team.

I feel like a lot of people on these boards evaluate our prospects in this vacuum as if nobody else in the NHL is developing good talent.

I like Leonard, but I'm not at all convinced on Dvorsky and Benson.

 

[OldnotDeadWings]

The problem with this line of thinking is that it’s not about whether or not a player helps your team get better. It’s about whether that player helps your team get better than other teams.

Every rebuilding team has guys picked in the top 10. If Danielson ends up a Lundell, and Dvorsky ends up a 1/2C and Benson a 1W and Leonard a 1W, etc, then that puts us behind those teams. So it doesn’t matter if 3C Danielson makes us 5% better if those other guys make their teams 10% better, because the overall effect is still that we don’t progress as a team.

I feel like a lot of people on these boards evaluate our prospects in this vacuum as if nobody else in the NHL is developing good talent.

I get your point, but it's not as simple as you lay out. For starters Leonard wasn't available and Dvorsky is in St. Louis and what the Blues do in the WC is irrelevant to the Wings. He might not be a top six C in Detroit, he might be Danielson's winger on the third line for all we know. His development and outcome in St. Louis is unique and doesn't guarantee the same outcome anywhere else. Team improvement depends on a lot more than a single Draft and I don't think anyone expects the Wings to select what proves to be the best possible player every year or should be disappointed if they only get the second or third best possible player. Nobody is going to get better than them by being perfect every year.

 

[RedHawkDown]

I get your point, but it's not as simple as you lay out. For starters Leonard wasn't available and Dvorsky is in St. Louis and what the Blues do in the WC is irrelevant to the Wings. He might not be a top six C in Detroit, he might be Danielson's winger on the third line for all we know. His development and outcome in St. Louis is unique and doesn't guarantee the same outcome anywhere else. Team improvement depends on a lot more than a single Draft and I don't think anyone expects the Wings to select what proves to be the best possible player every year or should be disappointed if they only get the second or third best possible player. Nobody is going to get better than them by being perfect every year.

I completely agree with you. I'm not saying its that simple, that the entire rebuild hinges on Danielson or anything like that. I'm just saying for those people that say if Danielson is just a 3C that it doesn't really matter - I disagree. It does matter.

The NHL, and all pro sports, are fundamentally a zero-sum game. What the Blues do does matter because if they get better, somebody else in the NHL has to get worse, i.e. they have to beat someone. The idea of a rebuild is to get better, well, "better", than the other teams that are getting better, so you can get to the top. If you don't do that, and the guys you draft end up just being OK, then you get stuck spinning your wheels in the middle.

I am in no way saying that's what we are doing overall. 2019,2020,2021 1st round drafting was absolutely knock-it-out-of-the-park fantastic, and Kasper looks quite good for 9OA as well currently. But I'm just saying that it's not fair to dismiss the point I'm making either.

 

[Frk It]

He's had some poor shooting luck mixed with being oddly averse to shooting the puck at times

He's been shooting more lately though and he's getting to various scoring areas. I also see that he doesn't have very good playmaking linemates. I like Watson enough. However the rotating wheelhouse of bodies at his LW (the side where his forehand is facing towards) has not been ideal for him

Personally the draft position doesn't matter so much as I see Danielson and MBN as outright superior prospects than a guy like Kiiskinen. I'm glad we got JK for Gibson though, good trade. I just personally rank Kiiskinen lower due to his lack of a standout skill. Could just be the next grindy scorer that sits in our bottom 6 and we don't complain about

Definitely not far-fetched those could be very real outcomes and I really like all 4 of those players for different reasons

You're right though, even before the season I had trouble ranking Kasper in the list too cause they're all good offensive players but in different ways

Your first point is true for sure. IMO Danielson's outcome could be that of many. Him and Buchelnikov ironically are the two ceilings I have the most trouble nailing down. Danielson I have no doubt at minimum is a 3C for a very long time. I've personally been on the side of eventual 1C (hence my ranking of him) but I'm one of few. Would be willing to admit my fault if he became just a 2C. Which is still awesome because he will always excel at shutting down top players

HockeytownWestPodcast a couple weeks ago were talking about how the scouts at the GRG games rave about Danielson's game when they're around them. Now they didn't elaborate on if the scouts commented on his ultimate offensive upside

Big thing with Danielson is how he takes so many smart routes around the ice. His calling card is playing with speed and pace, to which it's kind of been neutered playing under Dan Watson's system. I recently noted that I think he would be putting up respectable numbers in the fashion that we know Marco has done now, AHL vs. NHL

Do you think he could end up a winger to take advantage of his skating/shooting?

Or are you pretty convinced he will be a center on lines 1-3?

I remember seeing Danielson play in his draft year and thining there is more here than meets the eye. I always thought he was more skilled than the scoring reports on him let on.

I’m a little underwhelmed at the lack of points and specifically goals when it comes to Danielson’s play this year. But then again I’ve seen a decent amount of clips of him making skilled player, and as Petes said with Kasper, sometimes you just want to see those flashes when these guys are playing their first season at a higher level.

 

[OldnotDeadWings]

I get your point, but it's not as simple as you lay out. For starters Leonard wasn't available and Dvorsky is in St. Louis and what the Blues do in the WC is irrelevant to the Wings. He might not be a top six C in Detroit, he might be Danielson's winger on the third line for all we know. His development and outcome in St. Louis is unique and doesn't guarantee the same outcome anywhere else. Team improvement depends on a lot more than a single Draft and I don't think anyone expects the Wings to select what proves to be the best possible player every year or should be disappointed if they only get the second or third best possible player. Nobody is going to get better than them by being perfect every year.

Your main point is a good one, Wings' improvement should be measured against the improvement of other teams. Other teams are also going to make good picks, like Leonard for Washington seems likely to be., like Benson might be for Buffalo. Those are teams the Wings may have to beat someday. I disagree about characterizing Danielson being disappoiinting if he's a 3C. If, like Lundell, he's "only" a 3C because of the circumstances of being on a very good team, then I don't think the Wings are losing any measurable ground vs. other teams.

 

[Henkka]

It's still extremely funny how people admire Florida when their 2nd line center is 0.61 points producing Bennet we are not really far away from that.