April 7th Ramblings This is Zach Hopkins, your rookie rambler, coming back at you with another edition of Prospect Ramblings. Let’s jump right into it. * I really can’t stand Kevin Hayes. Actually, that is a lie. I LOVE Kevin Hayes. Unfortunately for me, I had him on my bench last night [...]
April 4th
A quick look at some of the top performers in the CHL playoffs, a couple of impressive 2016 prospects, and more...
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The Flames called up Sam Bennett, who was in contention for the first overall pick a year ago. The North Bay Battalion held Bennett to just three assists and a minus-nine as they knocked out the Frontenacs in four games. The playoffs can make a prospect’s career but #SmallSampleSizes and Bennett did have 24 points in 11 games. Even with Calgary leaning on their young players, I think Bennett will take some time to get up to speed. Watch how he plays more than the points.
Instead of playing him right away, they decided to leave Markus Granlund in and he rewarded them with the first two goal game of the 21 year old’s career. While he has five points in his last six games, he really doesn’t have the same skillset as his brother, and he is only getting around 11 minutes a game on a surprising Flames team. There is still time for Granlund to develop, but his upside is around 55 points and he is an underdog for a long-term spot in the Flame’s top-six.
Zach Hopkins checks in with the latest on some Flyers prospects, the Frozen Four and more...
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Hello again. This is your favorite rookie rambler Zach Hopkins back for another edition of Prospect Ramblings. I’ll be splitting this week with my good pal Austin Wallace (look for his ramblings later this week) so hold on and enjoy the ride!
Those of you who are familiar with me know that I scout the Philadelphia Flyers organization and typically start my ramblings off with some thoughts on the orange and black. This time around, I think I’ll switch it up. Just kidding; here we go…
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OHL draft eligible stars shine heading into playoffs, NCAA tourney kicks off, Jimmy Vesey, OHL Cup, college free-agent signings and Toronto Maple Leafs thoughts
Friday, March 27th, 2015
The Canadian Hockey League regular seasons have been completed and the playoff matchups dictated. On Thursday, playoffs throughout the CHL began as teams vie for their respective league championships and hopefully earn a berth into the illustrious CHL Memorial Cup that will be held in Quebec City.
Austin touched on the incredible finish to the OHL scoring race down the stretch as Erie’s Dylan Strome posted a four goal, six point final game to overtake London’s Mitch Marner, who held the lead for quite some time. It was a remarkable season for 2015 NHL Draft eligibles in the OHL.
There’s obviously Connor McDavid, the prized gem of the draft. Mitch Marner (126 points in 63 games) and Dylan Strome (129 points in 68 games) continue to be heavily debated as the next best prospect from the OHL. Both players own tantalizing upside but play two very different games. Dylan Strome is a visionary with the puck and has the size, strength and plays the center position that NHL teams covet. Mitch Marner is a slick creative winger (who can also play down the middle) that dictates pace of the game but doesn’t come packaged in the “ideal” 6-foot-plus frame that scouts look for. At this point in time, it’s a coin flip and no one can say for certain who the better NHL prospect is.
BONUS READ: “Otters scoring champ Strome a humble kid”
“Strome-Marner-McDavid marks 1st time #OHL Top-3 scorers are 17-year-old NHLDraft prospects. 2010 Top-2 were Hall/Seguin ahead of OA Pither” (via Paul Krotz on Twitter)
Beyond Strome, Marner and McDavid who finished 1-2-3 in regular season OHL scoring, Lawson Crouse is a two-way forward that possesses the physical size and strength, solid offensive skills and astute defensive awareness that comes with a high NHL certainty level. Former Elgin-Middlesex line-mate, Travis Konecny, has regained his form and is creeping up the draft rankings. He’s a natural competitor who plays at a high pace and owns an outstanding shot off the rush.
Rasmus Andersson had an excellent first year in North America scoring at a near point-per-game pace (64 points in 67 games) excelling as a puck moving defenseman for the Barrie Colts. Oshawa’s Mitchell Vande Sompel was in and out of the lineup but still managed to rack up 63 points in 58 games making him one of the best offensive defensemen in the draft. Niagara defenseman Vince Dunn entered his draft season as one of my hidden gems and despite a slow start, he has hit his stride finishing with 18 goals and 56 points in 68 games.
OHL draft eligible stars shine heading into playoffs, NCAA tourney kicks off, Jimmy Vesey, OHL Cup, college free-agent signings and Toronto Maple Leafs thoughts
Friday, March 27th, 2015
The Canadian Hockey League regular seasons have been completed and the playoff matchups dictated. On Thursday, playoffs throughout the CHL began as teams vie for their respective league championships and hopefully earn a berth into the illustrious CHL Memorial Cup that will be held in Quebec City.
Austin touched on the incredible finish to the OHL scoring race down the stretch as Erie’s Dylan Strome posted a four goal, six point final game to overtake London’s Mitch Marner, who held the lead for quite some time. It was a remarkable season for 2015 NHL Draft eligibles in the OHL.
There’s obviously Connor McDavid, the prized gem of the draft. Mitch Marner (126 points in 63 games) and Dylan Strome (129 points in 68 games) continue to be heavily debated as the next best prospect from the OHL. Both players own tantalizing upside but play two very different games. Dylan Strome is a visionary with the puck and has the size, strength and plays the center position that NHL teams covet. Mitch Marner is a slick creative winger (who can also play down the middle) that dictates pace of the game but doesn’t come packaged in the “ideal” 6-foot-plus frame that scouts look for. At this point in time, it’s a coin flip and no one can say for certain who the better NHL prospect is.
BONUS READ: “Otters scoring champ Strome a humble kid”
“Strome-Marner-McDavid marks 1st time #OHL Top-3 scorers are 17-year-old NHLDraft prospects. 2010 Top-2 were Hall/Seguin ahead of OA Pither” (via Paul Krotz on Twitter)
Beyond Strome, Marner and McDavid who finished 1-2-3 in regular season OHL scoring, Lawson Crouse is a two-way forward that possesses the physical size and strength, solid offensive skills and astute defensive awareness that comes with a high NHL certainty level. Former Elgin-Middlesex line-mate, Travis Konecny, has regained his form and is creeping up the draft rankings. He’s a natural competitor who plays at a high pace and owns an outstanding shot off the rush.
Rasmus Andersson had an excellent first year in North America scoring at a near point-per-game pace (64 points in 67 games) excelling as a puck moving defenseman for the Barrie Colts. Oshawa’s Mitchell Vande Sompel was in and out of the lineup but still managed to rack up 63 points in 58 games making him one of the best offensive defensemen in the draft. Niagara defenseman Vince Dunn entered his draft season as one of my hidden gems and despite a slow start, he has hit his stride finishing with 18 goals and 56 points in 68 games.
Highlights galore, the race for the OHL championship and more.. *** It has been a pretty crazy couple of weeks since my last ramblings a couple of weeks ago, and I want to shout out Zach Hopkins for doing an excellent job filling in for me. Brendan has also been busy going [...]
Touching on the following happenings in the prospect world - Connor McDavid's point streak ends, new #2015NHLDraft rankings, Marner vs Strome debate, a Mock Draft, O'Connor-gate, Auston Matthews future, William Nylander and the return of Sam Bennett
Thursday, March 12th
The 2015 NHL Draft’s cream of the crop, Connor McDavid, was riding a 27-game point streak heading into Wednesday’s game versus Niagara and it was a streak totaling 26 goals and 67 points. For only the second time this season, McDavid was held pointless snapping his streak. McDavid can’t be much of a fan of Niagara, they’re the only team to stop him this season (twice). Is this a good sign for him playing in Buffalo, located just across the Falls from Niagara?
Additional Read: With the hoopla that surrounds Connor McDavid, comes sell-out crowds in the OHL. The demand for tickets when McDavid comes to town hasn’t been like this since a young Eric Lindros took the league by storm.
Touching on the following happenings in the prospect world - Connor McDavid's point streak ends, new #2015NHLDraft rankings, Marner vs Strome debate, a Mock Draft, O'Connor-gate, Auston Matthews future, William Nylander and the return of Sam Bennett
Thursday, March 12th
The 2015 NHL Draft’s cream of the crop, Connor McDavid, was riding a 27-game point streak heading into Wednesday’s game versus Niagara and it was a streak totaling 26 goals and 67 points. For only the second time this season, McDavid was held pointless snapping his streak. McDavid can’t be much of a fan of Niagara, they’re the only team to stop him this season (twice). Is this a good sign for him playing in Buffalo, located just across the Falls from Niagara?
Additional Read: With the hoopla that surrounds Connor McDavid, comes sell-out crowds in the OHL. The demand for tickets when McDavid comes to town hasn’t been like this since a young Eric Lindros took the league by storm.
Lack vs. Lehner, the Lawson Crouse debate and much more...
Thanks to a switch to help me deal with some Stats/Computer Science/Business midterms (which went well, I think), these are my second ramblings in four days, you can check out the previous one here. Buckle up, these are what I call a doozy.
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There are some interesting prospect notes in Friedman’s latest 30 Thoughts, and I encourage you to read the whole thing, as it is excellent as usual.
Maybe the most fantasy relevant thing talked about is the uncertainty in the goalie market. There are a number of potential starters that could be moved, and that makes things interesting if you own a starter-ready backup.
Mar 6th Ramblings
When it makes sense to draft McDavid fourth overall, some OHL updates, and maybe the best OHL season ever.
I’ve mostly been letting Brendan Ross take care of hyping the draft-eligible class, but you can’t help but notice Connor McDavid’s dominance and a recent forum post got me researching just how dominant he has been. As far as the OHL goes, it’s best to be blunt: Best. Ever.
Of draft-eligible players, he has the highest ever points per game (at least 40 games played). The last person to beat him: Wayne Gretzy. Before it was the OHL, Gretzky put up 2.84 points per game at age 17. McDavid’s 2.68 points per game is just as close to Gretzky’s as it is to his closest competitor in the past 20 years: Patrick Kane’s 2.50.