Traverse City Prospect Tournament 2018
- Thread starter TGWL
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? I'm not really sure what you mean.
The only insight I am asking for is insight into the player, which no one (save for one poster here) has been able to provide. Kjellberg is the most anonymous draft pick I can remember this team making since I started really following the draft in the 90s. There's literally nothing of substance written about him, at least in English--and I did actually search in Swedish. Just news reports about him being drafted. No scouting reports, nothing. All I know is that CSS had him ranked low, then dropped him entirely, he has decent size, and that's it. Literally nothing else.
Again, this is the most anonymous pick I can recall. He's like the unknown man. I made the comment that "the most notable thing about him is that his father is a scout for us," and so far for me, it's true. Again, I am not suggesting we drafted him because of that. Just, in the total absence of any other information about the player, it's the only noteworthy thing about him. And that seems unusual, and makes me wish we had drafted someone else.
Joey Bones
***** 2k16
That's not what I'm implying, though. In the sense of where the pick was and who was available it's hard to judge family ties to playoff success.
My point was just that he is in that group of guys who is a solid high quality steady low key 2-way D with size in the SuperElite junior league in Sweden. He has been borderline Swedish junior team U16 and U17, played a handful of games yearly, and out of the U18 team. Many of the scouting services claims to cover everyone -- but it just don't add up. Who spends enough time watching hockey to get a good track of someone in that category? We have Gordie plus Bobo plus 18 full time scouts working for us. 20 full time pros. I am sure we would attest to having plenty of grey areas sitting at the floor at the draft, albeit having taken measures to try to risk minimize those grey areas. But I would definitely bet that there is a good number of picks made at the draft that our guys wouldn't want to comment on without looking into them further.
I also get what you mean for sure and thought the same thing, but I think we must give it a couple of years and see where its heading before drawing any conclusions, because the absent of info on a kid don't have to say anything.
For example, if we compare Simon Kjellberg with Mattias Ekholm (drafted as an overager in the 4th round), Ekholm was 5+7 in 37 games in the SuperElite U20 league and 1+0 in 6 games in the U18. I would have been surprised if anyone knew anything about Ekholm his draft year. You have to have great track of the U20 league to spot guys like that.
Mac n Gs
Drury plz
- Jan 17, 2014
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I definitely agree that it's a bit fishy, but I'll try to give them the benefit of the doubt with this pick. I've never even heard of the kid until draft day.
My best guess is that they've known about him for a couple of years now and caught a glimpse of him when they were scouting Timothy Liljegren. Liljegren and Kjellberg were both on the Rogle U20 team two years ago. They also could've watched him while they were scouting guys like Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz for the 2020 draft.
CSS had Ekholm #113 among European skaters in 2009. They have 30 scouts total and work for the NHL itself. They're certainly not infallible and they can miss guys, but their coverage is generally pretty good. I can't find rankings for McKeen's, or McKenzie/TSN, Red Line Report, etc., as 2009 is too far back and most of what was published online is now gone.
As for the Rangers scouts, a number of them are pro scouts and most of the rest are North American scouts. For Europe we have Gajdosik, Hascak, Eloranta, Kjellberg and Lutchenko. It's pretty easy to guess what regions/countries those guys are primarily assigned to. Who do you think has the primary assignment of Sweden?
Whether or not you put any stock in the scouting services, it's unusual to draft a guy that was completely unranked by every service. I'm not saying it doesn't happen; it's just not common, even in the later rounds. You look at the guys drafted in the rest of the round after Kjellberg and they were all ranked, some pretty decently. Our guy wasn't. It's okay, though, maybe he works out. I don't know. Maybe Gajdosik flew into Sweden to catch some games and also liked Kjellberg and he really is just a prospect everyone missed (even though, again, CSS had him ranked then dropped him completely--so they knew him).
Could be. At the same time, if you have a staff member with an NHL pedigree, and his kid starts out on a pro career (and happens to have good size), you probably take a couple looks at him as a courtesy. The NHL is an Old Boys Club, after all. Now taking a look at the kid and drafting him just because of the relationship are two different things, which is why I'm not saying that's the reason the Rangers drafted him. The Rangers may have ended up scouting him when few else were because of the relationship, however. That wouldn't surprise me.
Also, I know a few people in response to any mention or implication of nepotism bring up Jack Drury. I can think of plenty of reasons why father, son, or both, would not want the team to draft the player. For instance if my dad was in Chris's shoes and I were in Jack's, I know for certain my dad wouldn't support drafting me--he'd want me to make it on my own and avoid any potential charges of "you're only doing XYZ because your dad works for the team"--and I wouldn't want to be drafted into the organization for the same reasons. I'd want to strike it out on my own. However, not everyone is like that. Some father/son tandems want to be associated like that. My point is that not drafting Jack Drury doesn't mean there wasn't an element of nepotism in the Kjellberg pick.
Anyway, I'm really done with the Kjellberg thing. I hope he works out, and is one of those "diamond in the rough" guys. I happen to believe the reason we scouted him was because his father is a scout assigned to the region/country in which he plays, and that also probably played a role in the draft selection when there were probably some other guys we also liked at that spot. But, whatever, it is what it is. C'est la vie.
eco's bones
Registered User
Certainly Kjellberg's father is going to know what his son is doing. I would expect other Rangers scouts also took a look at him. The scouting services--all the draft profilers seemed to lose him on the radar.
I don't think the Rangers draft him if they don't see any potential and by the time we get to the 6th round pickings are a lot of slimmer. Deciding who might become a real player like rolling the dice. FWIW I don't mind the strategy of going overage European at that point. Picking some 19-20 year old who's doing okay in the KHL, Liiga or SHL or even a sophomore college player who had a good freshman year.
I don't think the Rangers draft him if they don't see any potential and by the time we get to the 6th round pickings are a lot of slimmer. Deciding who might become a real player like rolling the dice. FWIW I don't mind the strategy of going overage European at that point. Picking some 19-20 year old who's doing okay in the KHL, Liiga or SHL or even a sophomore college player who had a good freshman year.
nyr2k2- Yeah I understand what you mean and I am not implying anything else.
Just saying, I bet nobody was even close to ranking Ekholm in 08' (he was ranked and drafted a year later, after he had played well in the Allsvenskan). Kjellberg has been in the nationalteam mix, I don't know if he was top 12 or 18 or 24 for the U18 team, but since he played for the U17 I bet he was up there somewhere. These guys are not going to stand out and get any recognition unless they are scorers. There are 1 or 2 roles for a player like him on the national team, Ginning had one of them.
My point is just, I would be worried if we drafted a top scorer that nobody had mentioned. But how many SuperElite league games do you have to watch to make out who is the top low key stay at home D at that level? All teams three times? 45 games? If CSS had eyes on him more than on one or two occasions I would have been surprised.
With that said -- my first impression was identical to yours. Still is. But...
Just saying, I bet nobody was even close to ranking Ekholm in 08' (he was ranked and drafted a year later, after he had played well in the Allsvenskan). Kjellberg has been in the nationalteam mix, I don't know if he was top 12 or 18 or 24 for the U18 team, but since he played for the U17 I bet he was up there somewhere. These guys are not going to stand out and get any recognition unless they are scorers. There are 1 or 2 roles for a player like him on the national team, Ginning had one of them.
My point is just, I would be worried if we drafted a top scorer that nobody had mentioned. But how many SuperElite league games do you have to watch to make out who is the top low key stay at home D at that level? All teams three times? 45 games? If CSS had eyes on him more than on one or two occasions I would have been surprised.
With that said -- my first impression was identical to yours. Still is. But...
Inferno
Registered User
6eah if the rangers aren't sending lias, chytil, howden, hajek, etc..they should not even be in the tournament anymore.
The ECHL isn't a particularly competitive league compared to some others but it's a very physical league from all accounts. Not someplace I'd want to throw in a young kid even if he's talented enough to keep up
Zibanejbread
Rebuilding.
Irishguy42
Mr. Preachy
Amazing Kreiderman
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2011
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No one? Andersson, Chytil, Lindgren, Hajek, Howden, Gettinger, Fontaine, Day, Meskanen, Lindqvist, Keane, Ronning. That is a lot of talent.
Amazing Kreiderman
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- Apr 11, 2011
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Committed to Wisconsin. Can't participate in Traverse unless he pays for all his expenses and gets permission to go.
Irishguy42
Mr. Preachy
My understanding was that NCAA players were prohibited outright from playing in Traverse because it's considered a professional event.
They can pay their own way to development camp and those things, but Traverse I thought was off limits entirely.
Harbour Dog
Registered User
Our Top 9 Fowards and Top 5 D...we should win this tournament imo...
Andersson
Chytil
Gettinger
Fontaine
Howden
Meskanen
Lindqvist
Ronning
Leedahl
Day
Crawley
Hajek
Lindgren
Keane
Andersson
Chytil
Gettinger
Fontaine
Howden
Meskanen
Lindqvist
Ronning
Leedahl
Day
Crawley
Hajek
Lindgren
Keane
Pratt is on an ECHL deal with us/Maine.
Stukel is an unsigned pick of the Canucks who had an okay WHL career.
Johnson is going back to Red Deer for his over-age year as their Captain.
Potts appears to f***ing suck--not even a Good Locker Room Guy who gets a letter despite no production--so he must know someone.
Brodeur is Fatso's kid which is f***ing disgusting and I hope he misses repeated planes and fails to make it to the rink, until after the tournament is over.
Stukel is an unsigned pick of the Canucks who had an okay WHL career.
Johnson is going back to Red Deer for his over-age year as their Captain.
Potts appears to f***ing suck--not even a Good Locker Room Guy who gets a letter despite no production--so he must know someone.
Brodeur is Fatso's kid which is f***ing disgusting and I hope he misses repeated planes and fails to make it to the rink, until after the tournament is over.
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