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Prospect Info: With the 101st Overall Pick the New York Rangers Select Nico Gross

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Generalsupdates said:
But how can you say you don't think he's that good if you didn't watch much of him at all...?

He was a top 10 two-way defenceman in the OHL last season. Only OHL d-men who I'd say had a better year as a 2-way guy doing it at both ends were Thomas Harley (1st rounder), Kevin Bahl (2nd rounder), Alec Regula (3rd rounder), Jamie Drysdale (top 10 pick) and Tyler Tucker (signed by STL)

He profiles as a shutdown defender in pro hockey as a guy who's going to log big PK minutes and has the skating to go against the other teams top players and hold his own every night
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I watched many of his games in 18-19 and was thoroughly unimpressed. I've watched him in 10-12 U20 games over the past two years including the last two WJCs. Watching him against his peers, I'm still unimpressed. The couple times I checked in on him this year, still saw nothing other than a chippy guy who can skate well. Other than his skating, I don't really see any NHL-caliber skills. I've never seen anything that makes me think he has the vision or passing ability to be a point producer at the NHL (as I've said many times over the past couple years), and even on the PP he never really ripped that shot. 18-19, when I watched him more, his gaps weren't great and despite the generally good skating he seemed easy to knock off his skates. Has that gotten better? Looked the same in the WJC, to me. Even for a f***ing stud shutdown defenseman like him, his production was uninspiring for a 19-20 year old who played on the PP.

Sorry, I don't see it. He looks like AHL depth to me. Maybe 5/6 upside? That's fine. I'm not saying he's a bad prospect. He's a mediocre prospect that should get a contract because there is some upside there. But that's all I see. If you want to lump him in with top prospects, fine, again I just don't see it. Reminds me of the Oil Kings news guy who came in to sell me on Michael St. Croix being a future stud, despite me saying he was physically and mentally slow and was never gonna make it.

I hope you're right, though!
 
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The question is if he's worth and ELC. ELC or not, he can spend him the next three years in the Swiss league.

Gross has had a lot of hockey I his career, already playing against men at 16.

He will be a good career hockey player. Very likely in Europe.
 
Mikos87 said:
The question is if he's worth and ELC. ELC or not, he can spend him the next three years in the Swiss league.

Gross has had a lot of hockey I his career, already playing against men at 16.

He will be a good career hockey player. Very likely in Europe.
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Why wasn't he able to dominate in the CHL?
 
Kakko Schmakko said:
Why wasn't he able to dominate in the CHL?
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Based on his play at the WJCs, I would say it is because he wasn't good enough to dominate.

But if that guy with the Generals fan account is to be believed, he *did* dominate and it just never so much showed up on scoresheets.

Either way, no harm in signing him to an ELC.
 
Kakko Schmakko said:
Why wasn't he able to dominate in the CHL?
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He's a defensive defenseman. Low end puck skills, but if it involves playing from his own blue line in, he's a very good player. Not much of an asset with the puck on his stick or in the offensive zone.

IMO he should have stayed in Europe, he would have had 5 years as a pro player by now. Very interesting development curve.
 
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Kakko Schmakko said:
Why wasn't he able to dominate in the CHL?
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not every genuine prospect dominates, depends also on skillset, role, usage
J.Richards didn't "dominate" at Duluth, he just did his job very well; now we see folks projecting him into NYR bottom 6 before too long

Gross,near-term, seems no more a question mark, than than the guys he's join among LHD in Hartford:
Miller (still learning),
Rykov (lost 1/2 season to injuries),
Reunanen (will be 1st season on NA ice playing NA style game) or
Hajek (coming off an up-and-down 2d pro season)

Understood, the projected upside of those guys may all be higher
but he may be as ready as any of them to contribute full-time in Pack top 6 in '20-21
which is a fine expectation for a rookie pro

I will be hoping they sign Gross right up until 5pm Monday ....
 
Mikos87 said:
He's a defensive defenseman. Low end puck skills, but if it involves playing from his own blue line in, he's a very good player. Not much of an asset with the puck on his stick or in the offensive zone.

IMO he should have stayed in Europe, he would have had 5 years as a pro player by now. Very interesting development curve.
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Yes I am also very puzzled why he came over when he could have been playing against men and getting paid for it and I am puzzled why Rangers were so high on him.
 
Irishguy42 said:
Posted this in the main prospect thread, but relevant here:
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I feel like barring something unusual, he's not signing. We don't usually wait until the deadline to sign guys, so even if this is pushed out, seems like it doesn't matter.

He'll probably sign with Zug and have a nice career there. JMO.
 
Irishguy42 said:
Posted this in the main prospect thread, but relevant here:
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FYI Cap friendly reporting that this extension does NOT apply to the Nico Gross scenario



EDIT adding the earlier CF tweet cited int he tweet above:
 
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5 p.m. ET deadline for Gross. I don't remember us every signing someone so close to the deadline, so it would seem he's a goner.
 
nyr2k2 said:
5 p.m. ET deadline for Gross. I don't remember us every signing someone so close to the deadline, so it would seem he's a goner.
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Samuel Noreau, Calle Andersson signed on May 31st
Tim Erixon, Oscar Lindberg signed June 1st

Going back 10 years, these are the 4 examples I could find. This site below is very handy to do detailed searches based on dates.

Search Hockey Transactions
 
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If Gross doesn't sign, it's not the end of the world. I think they will draft 2-3 defensemen this summer and restock the shelves, so to speak, after parting ways with Skjei, Keane and Day as well
 
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from another local board
Trade Rumors and Free Agent Talk :: Confirmed Signing with Link: 2020 Prospect Thread
S E P H said:
Pretty unbelievable that Rangers didn't sign Gross if you'd ask me. Probably was the best shutdown player in the entire CHL this past season.
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cwede said:
from another local board
Trade Rumors and Free Agent Talk :: Confirmed Signing with Link: 2020 Prospect Thread
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I think with Gross, it came down to the numbers game than a consideration concerning a lack of talent.

You lot have;
- Trouba (Just signed to long-term deal)
- Fox (Which will probably get a long-term deal)
- Lindgren (Showed NHL potential)
- Miller (Calibre prospect)

That's already your top 4 potentially a couple years down the line, so in the end during the FO meetings the decision came down to either Gross or Lundkvist and you lot spent a 1st rounder on Nils (who had a really good season in his own right). Plus the emergence of Jones including drafting Robertson quite high also made their decision easier to let Gross go. It's still a bit shocking because he was able to shutdown Byfield for half the season it seemed like.
 
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