Prospect Info: Ville Husso (2014 Draft - 94 Overall)

[TheDizee]

I honestly think Copley could come up and perform as well as Hutton, at least. Not a huge fan of Hutton's game this year.

Hutton has been better than Jake.

Jake's play is a big reason this team sucks this year. Same goes for Steen and Stastny.

 

[Thallis]

I honestly think Copley could come up and perform as well as Hutton, at least. Not a huge fan of Hutton's game this year.

Both of our goalies have been incredibly disappointing this year. I was fooled by Hutton's training camp and preseason this year. Happens too often to me.

 

[Robb_K]

Hutton has been better than Jake.

Jake's play is a big reason this team sucks this year. Same goes for Steen and Stastny.

I don't agree. They've BOTH been lousy, and inconsistent, and have large holes in their games.

 

[Renard]

Bolded: What if game I hate it. We can debate maybe Copley who'll turn 25-years old next month could become next Tim Thomas, but are the odds for it?

I see it that you priorize your prospects. Btw doesn any other team hold three goaltender prospect under they NHL team?

OT: I still heavily criticize our GM Doug Armstrong about holding his assets too long and not make right time decisions and right moves. This isn't just Copley/Binnington case.

That's the argument that many people make. If a guy hasn't succeeded in the minors by 22 or 23, he is clearly never going to succeed, they say. I don't agree with that argument. Every year, there is a draft, and sometime a team will spend a high pick on a prospect. Because a high draft choice is spent on a guy, he gets moved up and an existing minor league is shoved aside to make way. The guy who gets pushed aside is tagged as a loser at 23 years of age.

I don't follow other teams a much as many other forum members, but I can think of several good NHL goaltenders who spent four years plus in the minors before succeeding in the NHL. Jimmy Howard, Dwayne Roloson, Tim Thomas, Corey Crawford all come to mind.

Meanwhile, I can think of a bunch of goaltending prospects who came and went without making much of an impact.

I have no idea if Husso will be our goaltender in the future. But a lot of dark horses have won goaltender competitions. The competition should be decided by performance on the ice, not on age or draft position.

 

[lakai17]

Husso with the win yesterday stopping 23/25 shots for his 4th win with Chicago.

 

[Ranksu]

Husso with the win yesterday stopping 23/25 shots for his 4th win with Chicago.

 

[Renard]

Ah, the ravages of time. My hair color was the same as Husso's in that picture, at least until I was about 35 years old.

Good for Husso in winning another game and doing well.

 

[lakai17]

Husso with another win against Charlotte last night stopping 22 of 24 shots for his 5th win in the AHL.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

So does this mean he's staying in the AHL for good? Because that'd be cool.

 

[ManyIdeas]

Stats look great for him, hopefully he is up in the NHL soon :x

 

[Ranksu]

Stats look great for him, hopefully he is up in the NHL soon :x

Or Army could use him in package deal to get center.

 

[ManyIdeas]

Or Army could use him in package deal to get center.

#1 center for #1 goalie trades rarely happen

 

[Ranksu]

#1 center for #1 goalie trades rarely happen

Shattery + dmen prospect + Husso <-> 1/2c

 

[Majorityof1]

Shattery + dmen prospect + Husso <-> 1/2c

That's robbing Peter to pay Paul. Allen currently does not look like a long term solution at goal. Maybe he will turn into one, but he has not so far. Husso is far and away our most likely goalie prospect to turn into a long term solution. So while we need a center badly, we also need a long-term goalie solution. Until Allen solidifies his spot and proves he can handle it, I don't trade Husso for anything but gross overpayment. That's definitely not a 2C. Husso's value to any trade is not worth a fraction of what he would be worth to us if he hits his potential.

What's with the push to trade Husso, Ranksu? You are obviously a fan of his. Is this sarcasm? Do you want to move him away from this gong show of a franchise for Husso's own good? Are you hoping DA trades all the Fins, so you can find a new favorite team? Or do you legitimately think trading him is the best move?

 

[542365]

Shattery + dmen prospect + Husso <-> 1/2c

That would be a waste of Husso. If the Blues truly think he's the starter after Allen then packaging him in a deal for a center would be awful. Prospect goalies have basically no value(I know, I know Pheonix Copley, but he was not the attractive piece in that deal, it was a deal for Brouwer) until they prove something in the NHL. If a team said "no deal without Husso" for a good young center then obviously you do it. I really doubt that happens though. Every team in the league has a good prospect goalie. They're a dime a dozen and are basically worthless until they're good in the NHL.

 

[BlueSeal]

Ring Ring Ring. Call up time?

 

[bleedblue1223]

Ring Ring Ring. Call up time?

No, he still needs time. Let him fight with Hutton next camp, no need to rush him up.

 

[542365]

Ring Ring Ring. Call up time?

I think he still has at least one more year in the AHL after this one. 2018-19 will be his shot IMO. Hutton will be gone and he'll likely be fighting with either Copley/Binnington(whoever they decide to keep long term) or a veteran backup. No need to rush him either. He's only 21 which is very young for a goalie who wasn't chosen in the first round. Guys like Fleury, Vasilevski, Price, and Rask get looks at a younger age because their team spent a high value pick on them. Otherwise it seems most goalies debut around 23 and have a roster spot locked down around 24-25.

 

[BlueSeal]

No, he still needs time. Let him fight with Hutton next camp, no need to rush him up.

Not much of a fight there lol. Husso is the REAL deal.

 

[BlueSeal]

I think he still has at least one more year in the AHL after this one. 2018-19 will be his shot IMO. Hutton will be gone and he'll likely be fighting with either Copley/Binnington(whoever they decide to keep long term) or a veteran backup. No need to rush him either. He's only 21 which is very young for a goalie who wasn't chosen in the first round. Guys like Fleury, Vasilevski, Price, and Rask get looks at a younger age because their team spent a high value pick on them. Otherwise it seems most goalies debut around 23 and have a roster spot locked down around 24-25.

Reading this, I tend to agree. For some odd reason I think Copley will come out over Binnington.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Not much of a fight there lol. Husso is the REAL deal.

I agree, but still good competition. Going from the ECHL to the AHL is a pretty sizable jump. You are basically going from a semi-pro league to a pretty much fully professional league where everyone has a clear NHL goal and there are proper facilities and coaching staffs.

 

[Thallis]

I agree, but still good competition. Going from the ECHL to the AHL is a pretty sizable jump. You are basically going from a semi-pro league to a pretty much fully professional league where everyone has a clear NHL goal and there are proper facilities and coaching staffs.

Husso has spent the majority of his time in professional leagues since being drafted though. It's not like this is some kid coming from junior.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Husso has spent the majority of his time in professional leagues since being drafted though. It's not like this is some kid coming from junior.

I don't mean it like that, I meant it's one thing to adjust to the NA game in the ECHL, but there is definitely a big step up in quality to the AHL, so combine that with the adjustment to the NA game, he's still going to have a learning curve.

Let him finish out the year and if he dominates in camp or at the start of the AHL season next year, then bring him up like Nashville did with Saros.

 

[STL fan in MN]

I agree, but still good competition. Going from the ECHL to the AHL is a pretty sizable jump. You are basically going from a semi-pro league to a pretty much fully professional league where everyone has a clear NHL goal and there are proper facilities and coaching staffs.

I know you're defending the AHL and ECHL here but I'd say your wording still sells the two leagues a bit short. The ECHL isn't a semi-pro league. It's a legit pro league. These guys are professionals and they make enough from playing that it's not like they need a side job stocking groceries to make ends meet. Some of these guys are the pros you'll find running the summer hockey camps our kids to go so it's not like they're rolling in dough but they make enough to have a good living and make hockey their full time job.

And the AHL isn't "pretty much" a full pro league. It's absolutely a pro league. Arguably the 2nd best league in the world and at worst 3rd best, depending on where one places the KHL. The NHL is still a HUGE jump up from there...not just in terms of skill but also pay, status, accommodations, travel, etc. but the life as an AHLer isn't bad at all. A minimum $65k/year to work about 9 months out of the year (but you better work your butt off the other 3 months too if you want to keep your job). And most players fall in the $80-200k range. It's really just the really young guys on ELCs that make $65k and that a still pretty good pay for a guy in their late teens/early 20s.

Perhaps I'm being nit picky here but I know some AHL and ECHL guys and they are absolutely "pros". It's their job and they know they're absolutely privileged and lucky to be there...even if they're not quite privileged/lucky/talented enough to be even higher - in the NHL.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I know you're defending the AHL and ECHL here but I'd say your wording still sells the two leagues a bit short. The ECHL isn't a semi-pro league. It's a legit pro league. These guys are professionals and they make enough from playing that it's not like they need a side job stocking groceries to make ends meet. Some of these guys are the pros you'll find running the summer hockey camps our kids to go so it's not like they're rolling in dough but they make enough to have a good living and make hockey their full time job.

And the AHL isn't "pretty much" a full pro league. It's absolutely a pro league. Arguably the 2nd best league in the world and at worst 3rd best, depending on where one places the KHL. The NHL is still a HUGE jump up from there...not just in terms of skill but also pay, status, accommodations, travel, etc. but the life as an AHLer isn't bad at all. A minimum $65k/year to work about 9 months out of the year (but you better work your butt off the other 3 months too if you want to keep your job). And most players fall in the $80-200k range. It's really just the really young guys on ELCs that make $65k and that a still pretty good pay for a guy in their late teens/early 20s.

Perhaps I'm being nit picky here but I know some AHL and ECHL guys and they are absolutely "pros". It's their job and they know they're absolutely privileged and lucky to be there...even if they're not quite privileged/lucky/talented enough to be even higher - in the NHL.

They are pros in a sense. Husso's own words talked about how many of his teammates with the Mavericks knew they didn't have a long future for the sport, so they didn't take it as seriously. He didn't have a full-time goalie coach or a team workout facility. Technically the ECHL is a pro league, but not one that many people think of. It's not like the minors in baseball where there is still some funding from the big club to provide proper coaching staffs and facilities.

I don't mean to insult the players, but many of the players in the AHL and ECHL will need some sort of income to supplement their salaries, and will definitely need it when they retire, even if those incomes are hockey related. I am sure they are very professional, there is just a difference in how much time can be invested in training and development in those leagues.

My point is, expecting a quick jump from ECHL to NHL is a bit too optimistic.