Toggle sidebar

Prospect Info: The Second Overall Pick Thread: Part III (Kakko/Hughes Talk)

  • Xenforo Cloud will be upgrading us to version 2.3.5 on March 3rd at 12 AM GMT. This version has increased stability and fixes several bugs. We expect downtime for the duration of the update. The admin team will continue to work on existing issues, templates and upgrade all necessary available addons to minimize impact of this new version. Click Here for Updates
  • We're expeting server maintenance on March 3rd starting at midnight, there may be downtime during the work.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Inferno said:
What Hughes has done is mind boggling...some of the numbers he's putting up are insane.

I want to hear people say that kucherov isn't an amazing player and didnt just have an amazing year because he did it on a stacked team. Being the best player on a stacked team is in and of itself quite an accomplishment.

Don't kid yourself...when Hughes is on the ice he's an absolute #1 true blue elite first line center man.

Generational? That is arguable. .. but kakko isn't generational either.

Hughes is amazing. The edgework and change of direction he does is going to break some defenseman ankles when he makes the big club.
Click to expand...

Well yeah that's the thing isn't it. It's always numbers and people don't really care to dig down beneath the surface - in this case the digits. He was very fortunate not only to have an excellent US born players around all throughout the year from the USHL to the U18 WJHCs. I'm not even sure when's the last time this has happened where USA having as dominant generation in general. Needless to say that boosted him up and of course vice versa.

But still, mind-boggling? Breaking a record with most points in the U18s is great as well as breaking the NTDP record. But then again should we look at U18 World Juniors top 10 point record holders, we can see 3 Finns there, Granlund, Pulkkinen and Rajala. Hughes actually had 4 points more than Pulkkinen who played 2 less games. How great of a player did Pulkkinen become, let alone Rajala? Ha. I watched Nylander dominate and Puljujärvi absolutely demolish this tournament not so long ago. If Hughes was so sensational, then why was he nothing more than a shadow in the U20s? I'll answer for you. He didn't have the tools against the physical demands and this so called 110% sure bonafide center superstar has a lot left to figure out if he even wants a chance to stay in the big league next year. With that said, Kakko actually delivered and despite of him breaking records too, I don't consider his season extra-ordinary either. At least Hughes won't be losing a third gold medal game straight against him this time around. But then again, that's got nothing to do with him.

I guess we have different standards for what's mind-boggling. Laine's season in 2015-16 was that and then some. At first dominating and winning gold in the U20 WJC, then leading a professional team to playoff trophy by being selected as the MVP and lastly followed by another MVP from men's World Championships. Now that is mind-blowing. Oh well, I suppose Hughes still has the chance to prove himself worthy against better and older competition in the WHC, but if he's racking up points thanks to team mates pawing him open space on the ice, I won't certainly be overlooking that, but I wouldn't be surprised if half of the hockey world ignore it and just focused on what's Hughes' PPG today.

Generational? Sigh. Why are people even bringing this up every damn year. There should be like more than a dozen generational players in the league should we have 1 or 2 coming every year. I think they're both great players though. While I think Hughes can improve his shot to at least an average level, his size might prevent him from breaking into the absolute top end forwards. Stepping into the small rink at 170lbs? Geez, I'd get cold shivers just from the thought of it. However the game is evolving so maybe there's some hope for that yet. Kakko on the other hand doesn't seem to have any glaring concerns and will only get stronger and better, thus seems a more logical choice.

The NYR will win this draft simply by not having to draft first and deal with the media pressure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: egelband and Rongomania
kelsier said:
Well yeah that's the thing isn't it. It's always numbers and people don't really care to dig down beneath the surface - in this case the digits. He was very fortunate not only to have an excellent US born players around all throughout the year from the USHL to the U18 WJHCs. I'm not even sure when's the last time this has happened where USA having as dominant generation in general. Needless to say that boosted him up and of course vice versa.

But still, mind-boggling? Breaking a record with most points in the U18s is great as well as breaking the NTDP record. But then again should we look at U18 World Juniors top 10 point record holders, we can see 3 Finns there, Granlund, Pulkkinen and Rajala. Hughes actually had 4 points more than Pulkkinen who played 2 less games. How great of a player did Pulkkinen become, let alone Rajala? Ha. I watched Nylander dominate and Puljujärvi absolutely demolish this tournament not so long ago. If Hughes was so sensational, then why was he nothing more than a shadow in the U20s? I'll answer for you. He didn't have the tools against the physical demands and this so called 110% sure bonafide center superstar has a lot left to figure out if he even wants a chance to stay in the big league next year. With that said, Kakko actually delivered and despite of him breaking records too, I don't consider his season extra-ordinary either. At least Hughes won't be losing a third gold medal game straight against him this time around. But then again, that's got nothing to do with him.

I guess we have different standards for what's mind-boggling. Laine's season in 2015-16 was that and then some. At first dominating and winning gold in the U20 WJC, then leading a professional team to playoff trophy by being selected as the MVP and lastly followed by another MVP from men's World Championships. Now that is mind-blowing. Oh well, I suppose Hughes still has the chance to prove himself worthy against better and older competition in the WHC, but if he's racking up points thanks to team mates pawing him open space on the ice, I won't certainly be overlooking that, but I wouldn't be surprised if half of the hockey world ignore it and just focused on what's Hughes' PPG today.

Generational? Sigh. Why are people even bringing this up every damn year. There should be like more than a dozen generational players in the league should we have 1 or 2 coming every year. I think they're both great players though. While I think Hughes can improve his shot to at least an average level, his size might prevent him from breaking into the absolute top end forwards. Stepping into the small rink at 170lbs? Geez, I'd get cold shivers just from the thought of it. However the game is evolving so maybe there's some hope for that yet. Kakko on the other hand doesn't seem to have any glaring concerns and will only get stronger and better, thus seems a more logical choice.

The NYR will win this draft simply by not having to draft first and deal with the media pressure.
Click to expand...

While some of this is arguably true i can't help but notice alot of bias in your comments. And some of your evaluations are way too far fetched. I just wish some of you could stop being so obviously biased. Also it's 100% obvious that all of you who talk all negative smack about Hughes haven't ever seen him play because those who have do see why he is the conceous 1.

Kakko right now would make a bigger impact maybe. But later on it will be Hughes. That's what the professional scouts say and all other experts. But sure it could be the other way around. To me it's a toss up almost atm. But the negative smack talk because you're jelaous of Hughes is kindof seethrough for every 1 so do yourself a favor and go watch the dude before you critizise so hard without anything good to say. I don't have anything against you i'm just trying to get other fellow finns to not be so damn biased. It's toxic to these boards. Have a nice day :nod:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Miamipuck, Inferno and Platypus420
The Crypto Guy said:
Nobody was worried.
Click to expand...
Best thing I took from that is (out of character or more likely in his genius way) he just casually says “we’re trying to trade people” when discussing on everyday activities and bringing on someone to replace Sather. That’s sound significant like he’s working on something.
 
KappoTheGoat said:
Did not know how much but i heard something about it though. Sure it is a concern but i think Hughes will fit in nicely to the NHL.
Click to expand...

I think there's a bit of a worry with smaller players that they can excel in the regular season but when checking is tighter and lots of stuff is let go in the playoffs, some of them struggle to work through it. Obviously some are fine (Kane), but it's maybe a little extra something to figure that part out.

But I'll be happy to have Hughes if the Devils decide to take Kakko for some reason. There are a lot of things I like about Kakko but that doesn't mean Hughes isn't/won't be better
 
KappoTheGoat said:
While some of this is arguably true i can't help but notice alot of bias in your comments. And some of your evaluations are way too far fetched. I just wish some of you could stop being so obviously biased. Also it's 100% obvious that all of you who talk all negative smack about Hughes haven't ever seen him play because those who have do see why he is the conceous 1.

Kakko right now would make a bigger impact maybe. But later on it will be Hughes. That's what the professional scouts say and all other experts. But sure it could be the other way around. To me it's a toss up almost atm. But the negative smack talk because you're jelaous of Hughes is kindof seethrough for every 1 so do yourself a favor and go watch the dude before you critizise so hard without anything good to say. I don't have anything against you i'm just trying to get other fellow finns to not be so damn biased. It's toxic to these boards. Have a nice day :nod:
Click to expand...

Come again? You know, you're basically telling I'm biased because I happen to like one over the other and for that one being a Finn. M'kay. Applying this logic all the Americans in the Hughes camp should be labelled as homers as well since the scouts have said it's a razor thin gap at the moment (meaning the end result could sway either way). Furthermore you're saying I haven't watched or seen Hughes, which again is just false. International games do count as far as I know and in many ways they're actually much better stages to evaluate prospects compared to some junior leagues for instance, because you have world's best age groups going head to head. Then lastly and most absurdly, your're claiming I'm criticizing Hughes. Geez, like seriously? It seems as if you either didn't read at all what I was saying or you had trouble understanding the context. The only things I've "criticized" him of are lack of size and shot. First is hardly his fault and second can be improved.

Having an opinion such as a player breaking a record not being extra-ordinary or otherworldly achievement if what not, is hardly belittling or a mocking of a gifted young talent like Hughes. Nonetheless he's been able to make the size a no-concern up until this point, mostly because he's been playing in the juniors where he's been far ahead of his peers for years now. But at the same time the lack of size is the one fact(or) he can never really escape and it's going to be ten times tougher in the NHL versus in a junior program and those defenders aren't going to let him just skate by, they'll just drop him instead of following the puck.

I have Kakko ahead of him because he's bigger, stronger and I couldn't give a straight answer which one had more skill cause it looks to be close. Hughes beats him at skating but that's pretty much the only clear advantage there is. Whatever or wherever the scouts have these two doesn't really matter to me and if there's bias, that's where you should be looking at instead of labelling hockey fans who disagree with you. Nationality does matter and there are scouts who want to have their mock draft in order, mirroring the actual draft order to gain credibility. The Devils are taking Hughes and everyone knows it (that at least unless he utterly fails and Kakko thrives in the WHC).

Actually some of what you said reminded me of a talk I had with one of my friends just the other day of how the media sells a narrative in order to manipulate the audience. No matter how absurd something sounds at first, but if a person keeps hearing/reading it over and over, eventually the masses succumb to certain way of thinking. Of course it doesn't apply to everyone and the ones who trust their own gut the most are the ones who see through it. Basically you're telling people here to do the same by urging them not to have their own opinions at all and trusting blindly to the system & authority (and the ones who disagree are biased. crazy homers, ofc). How good does a re-draft look today by the way should we look into 2017 by the way? How's it possible that our all-knowing professional scouting agencies did not only miss on the 1st overall, but second as well. Both Pettersson and Heiskanen are miles ahead/better than Hischier and Patrick. Lers not even pretend that was the first time, ha. Anyway, before you decide to reply, please at least try and read to fully understand what's been said. Cheers!
 
  • Like
Reactions: egelband
I was reading a mainboard thread on if the Devils are the most prepared team down the middle for the future. When people there were pushing back on the OP (who of course has the username Hischier and Hughes), a handful of people mentioned how it's uncertain whether Hughes will even end up a center. Since I haven't seen anything remotely indicating that before, I was wondering if there's actual questions where he ends up playing or if it's just HFBoards nonsense.
 
Greg02 said:
I was reading a mainboard thread on if the Devils are the most prepared team down the middle for the future. When people there were pushing back on the OP (who of course has the username Hischier and Hughes), a handful of people mentioned how it's uncertain whether Hughes will even end up a center. Since I haven't seen anything remotely indicating that before, I was wondering if there's actual questions where he ends up playing or if it's just HFBoards nonsense.
Click to expand...
This is something that has been brought up before by the likes of McKenzie while talking to scouts, but the majority say he’s a center at the NHL.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Greg02
kelsier said:
Well yeah that's the thing isn't it. It's always numbers and people don't really care to dig down beneath the surface - in this case the digits. He was very fortunate not only to have an excellent US born players around all throughout the year from the USHL to the U18 WJHCs. I'm not even sure when's the last time this has happened where USA having as dominant generation in general. Needless to say that boosted him up and of course vice versa.

But still, mind-boggling? Breaking a record with most points in the U18s is great as well as breaking the NTDP record. But then again should we look at U18 World Juniors top 10 point record holders, we can see 3 Finns there, Granlund, Pulkkinen and Rajala. Hughes actually had 4 points more than Pulkkinen who played 2 less games. How great of a player did Pulkkinen become, let alone Rajala? Ha. I watched Nylander dominate and Puljujärvi absolutely demolish this tournament not so long ago. If Hughes was so sensational, then why was he nothing more than a shadow in the U20s? I'll answer for you. He didn't have the tools against the physical demands and this so called 110% sure bonafide center superstar has a lot left to figure out if he even wants a chance to stay in the big league next year. With that said, Kakko actually delivered and despite of him breaking records too, I don't consider his season extra-ordinary either. At least Hughes won't be losing a third gold medal game straight against him this time around. But then again, that's got nothing to do with him.

I guess we have different standards for what's mind-boggling. Laine's season in 2015-16 was that and then some. At first dominating and winning gold in the U20 WJC, then leading a professional team to playoff trophy by being selected as the MVP and lastly followed by another MVP from men's World Championships. Now that is mind-blowing. Oh well, I suppose Hughes still has the chance to prove himself worthy against better and older competition in the WHC, but if he's racking up points thanks to team mates pawing him open space on the ice, I won't certainly be overlooking that, but I wouldn't be surprised if half of the hockey world ignore it and just focused on what's Hughes' PPG today.

Generational? Sigh. Why are people even bringing this up every damn year. There should be like more than a dozen generational players in the league should we have 1 or 2 coming every year. I think they're both great players though. While I think Hughes can improve his shot to at least an average level, his size might prevent him from breaking into the absolute top end forwards. Stepping into the small rink at 170lbs? Geez, I'd get cold shivers just from the thought of it. However the game is evolving so maybe there's some hope for that yet. Kakko on the other hand doesn't seem to have any glaring concerns and will only get stronger and better, thus seems a more logical choice.

The NYR will win this draft simply by not having to draft first and deal with the media pressure.
Click to expand...
Gretzky the greatest player who ever lived imho was 6’ 170lbs.
Hughes will need some protection is all.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom