AHL: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins: '24-'25 The Players Sully Hates

[Sike Mullivan]

i think we will get our center this year so it won't be as bad as it looks.

I hope so. Would love to get a nailed on top 6 center.

 

[Andy99]

It was more the “experts” saying he was pro ready as a 20 year old and HFboards comparing the d+1 stats of one guy to the d+2 stats of another guy.

I just don’t think he’s a play driver at the next level. He put up some points on a pretty deep and skilled Michigan roster. He is going to (hopefully) be a complementary winger and we have 0 skilled centers in the system to play with him and make him productive. Or, he’s just the next highly drafted big depth winger ala Mike Rupp.

And that’s why it was stupid to trade Yager for him…

 

[eXile3]

That's absurd. They're borderline AHL players. They absolutely should not have more points than a recent 1st round pick. Even in such a small sample size lol.

What are you talking about? Older players with more pro experience usually outscore younger ones without it. Thats the entire point of the AHL. To get young guys experience playing a pro game.

 

[Factorial]

Wasn’t the main appeal to getting him was that he was supposed to be pro (NHL) ready?

No, it was that he was closer to being "pro (NHL) ready" than Yager and that remains to be seen.

 

[Ulf5]

What are you talking about? Older players with more pro experience usually outscore younger ones without it. Thats the entire point of the AHL. To get young guys experience playing a pro game.

I'm talking about Johnstone has 33 points in 120 AHL games. He absolutely sucks.
Imama 74 in 316. They absolutely suck.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I personally think neither Yager or Groats will pan out to much. They're both outside-the-golden-range first round picks. Meh.

Regardless one assist in 7 games and a -5 is hardly the start in this organization I was hoping for. Hopefully he finds some confidence soon and starts producing. Not the end of the world but once this kind of rut drags into months as opposed to weeks then you have to start raising an eyebrow. It's not his fault but dude was sold pretty hard.

 

[Gurglesons]

I personally think neither Yager or Groats will pan out to much. They're both outside-the-golden-range first round picks. Meh.

Regardless one assist in 7 games and a -5 is hardly the start in this organization I was hoping for. Hopefully he finds some confidence soon and starts producing. Not the end of the world but once this kind of rut drags into months as opposed to weeks then you have to start raising an eyebrow. It's not his fault but dude was sold pretty hard.

Conor Geekie looks great in Tampa after getting some rope.

Our top prospect looks like shit after getting dropped into the minors so we could play Kevin Hayes Anthony Beauvillier and Blake Lizotte.

I'm truly shocked.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Conor Geekie looks great in Tampa after getting some rope.

Our top prospect looks like shit after getting dropped into the minors so we could play Kevin Hayes Anthony Beauvillier and Blake Lizotte.

I'm truly shocked.

I can't speak to WB/S as I don't watch them but I assume he's at least being given good linemates and appropriate role? I was a little concerned when I heard they started him on the third line.

But yeah I mean... they haven't handled him great to start out his Penguins career. Like you said... shocker. Dubas and Sullivan are going to be a hell of a duo when it comes to developing all these picks ya'll wanna hoard so badly. Which is a little funny considering some of those picks come attached to a player like Hayes who is potentially blocking the prospects they need to start developing.

 

[Gurglesons]

I can't speak to WB/S as I don't watch them but I assume he's at least being given good linemates and appropriate role? I was a little concerned when I heard they started him on the third line.

But yeah I mean... they haven't handled him great to start out his Penguins career. Like you said... shocker. Dubas and Sullivan are going to be a hell of a duo when it comes to developing all these picks ya'll wanna hoard so badly. Which is a little funny considering some of those picks come attached to a player like Hayes who is potentially blocking the prospects they need to start developing.

I saw something saying that essentially the only Dubas picks in Toronto right now from his time as GM are Knies and Mitten. lol.

 

[Gurglesons]

Yeah reviewing.

Kyle was GM in Toronto from 2018 - 2023.

The only current roster players that are Dubas picks are Nick Robertson, Matthew Knies, and Pontus Holmberg.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yeah reviewing.

Kyle was GM in Toronto from 2018 - 2023.

The only current roster players that are Dubas picks are Nick Robertson, Matthew Knies, and Hildeby.

That's not a terrific crop for a farm-builder.

 

[SomeDude]

I personally think neither Yager or Groats will pan out to much. They're both outside-the-golden-range first round picks. Meh.

I still think Yager is the better prospect but time will tell who the best pro is.

I think Yager was overlooked/underranked by a lot of the “expert” prospect rankers due to a few things but one of them being it’s been so long since we’ve had a legit prospect that nobody really cares about Pens prospects, and prospects from Canadian markets, like where Rutger was, generate more attention and clicks.

Yager went into his draft year (one of the deepest/best in decades) as one of the top prospects. The knock on him at that time was he was one-dimensional offense only. He changed his game in his draft year to show that he could play a two-way game at the expense of some offensive stats. He got rewarded by the same “experts” who called him one-dimensional by saying his offense has stalled. Since then, he has put up basically exactly what you could have wanted offensively in juniors.

I have admitted that I am bullish on Yager compared to most and part of that is that he seems like just a smart, coachable player that still has that high end offensive upside.

I fully expect that people will be more high on Yager after this year than they were with Rutger last year. Part of it being deserved and part of it being him now in a Canadian market where more attentions and clicks are generated.

 

[Gurglesons]

I still think Yager is the better prospect but time will tell who the best pro is.

I think Yager was overlooked/underranked by a lot of the “expert” prospect rankers due to a few things but one of them being it’s been so long since we’ve had a legit prospect that nobody really cares about Pens prospects, and prospects from Canadian markets, like where Rutger was, generate more attention and clicks.

Yager went into his draft year (one of the deepest/best in decades) as one of the top prospects. The knock on him at that time was he was one-dimensional offense only. He changed his game in his draft year to show that he could play a two-way game at the expense of some offensive stats. He got rewarded by the same “experts” who called him one-dimensional by saying his offense has stalled. Since then, he has put up basically exactly what you could have wanted offensively in juniors.

I have admitted that I am bullish on Yager compared to most and part of that is that he seems like just a smart, coachable player that still has that high end offensive upside.

I fully expect that people will be more high on Yager after this year than they were with Rutger last year. Part of it being deserved and part of it being him now in a Canadian market where more attentions and clicks are generated.

This was never the knock on Yager.

The knock on Yager was a few things.

1. Size
2. Skating
3. Production in his draft year going down from the previous year.
4. Compete

His production has improved since he was drafted, but I don't really see anything in his skating, size or compete that is proving that narrative wrong.

And most people had him in the top 5 prior to his draft year.