I'm New Here! - Habs' top10 with comments
Jul 8, 2003 23:31:12 GMT -5
Post by HFRichard on Jul 8, 2003 23:31:12 GMT -5
Hello. I was invited to Habsrus about 3 months ago from Hockeysfuture, but I didn't know about the private message feature until a couple days ago...but I'm here now and that's what counts. Anyway, here's my opinion of Montreal's top 10 prospects with comments...I posted this on Hockeysfuture a week or so ago, but I figure you guys will appreciate this just as much as they did there.
1. Mike Komisarek - Each time I watch him play, he's better than he was the time I watched him play prior to that. He is always improving. I keep going back to the Rangers' game at the end of last year. If he can do that on a regular basis, we have a genuine superstar defencemen on our hands. He's more solid in his own end than half the defencemen in the NHL are right now, and he is ALWAYS playing very physical, and even throws a big hit every now and then, but he's really come a long way this year in learning when he can make the hit without compromising his positioning. However, he still must improve the quickness of his decision making with the puck, and that includes the speed at which he releases his slap shot. No worries there though, cuz 2 years ago we complained about how long it took Markov to wind up for his slapshot, and now he's got one of the quickest releases on the team. I see Komisarek as almost a sure bet to be Montreal's #1 or #2 d-man in the future.
2. Andrei Kastsitsyn - I hate commenting on guys I haven't seen play, but from all the reading I've done, this appears to be an appropriate place. Redline considered him the "best player in the draft -- period," but I'm not going to hype him and put him #1 if I haven't seen him play, and one source, despite how prestigious it is, does not guarantee anything. The potential in him is tantalizing though, and we can only hope that we have the next Forsberg on our hands...though you probably won't see me complaining too much if he turns into a 2nd liner either. It's too early for me to predict what type of role he will settle into.
3. Chris Higgins - If you take a look at my Oilers' board, you'll notice I have Stoll as their #1 prospect. Higgins plays a similar game to that of Stoll, but Higgins is a much better skater and appears to be stronger. Stoll is a better passer, but Higgins has a lot more creativity, and one thing that impressed me a lot was his ability to be creative with the puck at top speeds. Higgins is also a very smart player who plays with intensity and is strong in both ends...I love the way he "hovers" around the puck, reads the play, and then knows exactly what to do with the puck when it pops free. At this point, I see Stoll as a 2nd line player, but I think Higgins' speed, intensity and creativity give him more potential at the NHL level. Higgins could be the type of center that leads his team to the Stanley Cup Finals, though he likely won't be top 10 in the NHL in scoring ever. Higgins still could only turn into a 3rd liner, but has the potential to be a top notch 1st liner. Ideally, I see him being one of those 2nd line centers who is better than a lot of 1st line centers but isn't as prolific offensively and is extremely valuable because of his intensity, work ethic, and hockey sense.
4. Ron Hainsey - Hainsey is one of those guys who has done everything you want him to do, but he never seems to do all of it at the same time. When drafted, Hainsey was considered a top-notch puck-moving defencemen who gives a great first pass. In pre-season, he showcased his tremendous smarts and quickness at the blue-line, especially on the powerplay. He's also a strong skater with slick stickhandling, and during the Bulldogs' playoffs, he was hitting like a madman...better than Komisarek at times. From this description, Hainsey should be the team's #1 prospect and be a potential superstar. However, he never seems to utilize all of the above attributes at the same time, and it is still evident that he must shore up his defensive coverage. Hainsey has the potential to be a star d-man, but I see him settling in as Montreal's #3 d-man in the future, and then being traded to score a lot of points as a team's #2 d-man, similar to Tom Poti in that respect.
5. Alexander Perezhogin - The only reason he's this low is because Montreal has such great prospects and I've seen the rest (aside from Kastsitsyn) play a lot more often and thus feel safer rating them higher. Nonetheless, from what I've seen of Perezhogin, he could very well become IMO the team's best prospect if I see him play 3 or 4 games at the level I've seen him play at. Perezhogin has speed, a good shot, tremendous stickhandling skills and a willingness to go into traffic, and he has great hockey sense in both zones, and basically no real weaknesses except maybe his strength, which can be worked on very easily. It's just a matter of seeing him against stiffer competiton. Perezhogin could be a superstar winger, but if he's a bust, I feel he'll be a 3rd line PK'er at worst because he has great hockey sense and he's a quick skater and decision maker, thus he could salvage his career in that way and not be a career minor leaguer.
6. Jason Ward - Ward plays with tremendous intensity and is able to do everything right when it comes to things that we don't notice unless he scores a goal. He has very good hockey sense, and he can get his stick into unimaginable positions. He's also not nearly as slow of a skater as people would make you think. I see Ward settling into a role as #2 or #3 RW on Montreal as early as next season.
7. Marcel Hossa - Hossa is a frustrating prospect, but honestly, all I think he needs to do to be successful is to get stronger (both upper and lower body). Nobody is going to question his shot, because it's wicked. He's also a good skater, good at shielding the puck on the boards and then getting it out in front of the net to a guy in the open. However, he lacks intensity and I am beginning to think that it is as a result of frustration from losing battles along the boards and such, or even just checking away from the puck. Hossa needs to play like a power forward to be successful, and in order to do that, he has to be strong enough to be a power forward. At 6'2, he's only about 200lbs right now, and for a guy who is supposed to be an expert along the boards, I can see him getting frustrated against the bigger NHL'ers. Bertuzzi and LeClair are only 1 inch taller than Hossa, but they weigh about 25-30lbs more. Hossa is a project, but I think that we just have to wait for him to grow into his body and gain the confidence necessary for him to flourish. Hossa may never be successful in the NHL if he doesn't get more consistent, but like most of Montreal's top prospects, the sky is the limit.
8. Jozef Balej - He has all the tools to be an offensive wizard, but an injury plagued season hindered him because I have yet to see him play at the pro level. Another all-or-nothing prospect.
9. Tomas Plekanec - It's obvious that Plekanec must get a lot stronger, but he has tremendous vision on the ice and is a very slick stickhandler. Plekanec joins Balej in the "haven't seen much all-or-nothing prospect" category.
10. Michael Ryder - Remdinds me of Fernando Pisani. Everybody kept writing Pisani off, but he just kept plugging away and made the Oilers last season and impressed a lot of people. Unfortunately, he has been very streaky at the NHL level, looking like a game-breaker at times, but looking lost at others. Pisani has a very heavy shot and is willing to skate with the puck. He is also strong and is willing to hit, though not overly noticeable an that department, and he is not an explosive player. Pisani also lit it up in the AHL for a number of years before getting his opportunity with Edmonton. I just described Fernando Pisani, but I'm pretty sure it describes Michael Ryder as well, as Pisani is a few years past Ryder being 26 years old. However, Pisani could still turn out to be a decent 2nd line player once he gets a bit more consistent at the NHL level, and there's still a decent possibility of that because this is the first chance he's ever gotten, and he meets NHL minimums in all aspects of his game. We must be patient with Ryder, but down the road, I see him on Montreal's 3rd line with the potential for 2nd line duty.
__________________
"I couldn't beat Theodore when I was 15 years old, and I can't beat him now." - Jeff O'Neill 2001
1. Mike Komisarek - Each time I watch him play, he's better than he was the time I watched him play prior to that. He is always improving. I keep going back to the Rangers' game at the end of last year. If he can do that on a regular basis, we have a genuine superstar defencemen on our hands. He's more solid in his own end than half the defencemen in the NHL are right now, and he is ALWAYS playing very physical, and even throws a big hit every now and then, but he's really come a long way this year in learning when he can make the hit without compromising his positioning. However, he still must improve the quickness of his decision making with the puck, and that includes the speed at which he releases his slap shot. No worries there though, cuz 2 years ago we complained about how long it took Markov to wind up for his slapshot, and now he's got one of the quickest releases on the team. I see Komisarek as almost a sure bet to be Montreal's #1 or #2 d-man in the future.
2. Andrei Kastsitsyn - I hate commenting on guys I haven't seen play, but from all the reading I've done, this appears to be an appropriate place. Redline considered him the "best player in the draft -- period," but I'm not going to hype him and put him #1 if I haven't seen him play, and one source, despite how prestigious it is, does not guarantee anything. The potential in him is tantalizing though, and we can only hope that we have the next Forsberg on our hands...though you probably won't see me complaining too much if he turns into a 2nd liner either. It's too early for me to predict what type of role he will settle into.
3. Chris Higgins - If you take a look at my Oilers' board, you'll notice I have Stoll as their #1 prospect. Higgins plays a similar game to that of Stoll, but Higgins is a much better skater and appears to be stronger. Stoll is a better passer, but Higgins has a lot more creativity, and one thing that impressed me a lot was his ability to be creative with the puck at top speeds. Higgins is also a very smart player who plays with intensity and is strong in both ends...I love the way he "hovers" around the puck, reads the play, and then knows exactly what to do with the puck when it pops free. At this point, I see Stoll as a 2nd line player, but I think Higgins' speed, intensity and creativity give him more potential at the NHL level. Higgins could be the type of center that leads his team to the Stanley Cup Finals, though he likely won't be top 10 in the NHL in scoring ever. Higgins still could only turn into a 3rd liner, but has the potential to be a top notch 1st liner. Ideally, I see him being one of those 2nd line centers who is better than a lot of 1st line centers but isn't as prolific offensively and is extremely valuable because of his intensity, work ethic, and hockey sense.
4. Ron Hainsey - Hainsey is one of those guys who has done everything you want him to do, but he never seems to do all of it at the same time. When drafted, Hainsey was considered a top-notch puck-moving defencemen who gives a great first pass. In pre-season, he showcased his tremendous smarts and quickness at the blue-line, especially on the powerplay. He's also a strong skater with slick stickhandling, and during the Bulldogs' playoffs, he was hitting like a madman...better than Komisarek at times. From this description, Hainsey should be the team's #1 prospect and be a potential superstar. However, he never seems to utilize all of the above attributes at the same time, and it is still evident that he must shore up his defensive coverage. Hainsey has the potential to be a star d-man, but I see him settling in as Montreal's #3 d-man in the future, and then being traded to score a lot of points as a team's #2 d-man, similar to Tom Poti in that respect.
5. Alexander Perezhogin - The only reason he's this low is because Montreal has such great prospects and I've seen the rest (aside from Kastsitsyn) play a lot more often and thus feel safer rating them higher. Nonetheless, from what I've seen of Perezhogin, he could very well become IMO the team's best prospect if I see him play 3 or 4 games at the level I've seen him play at. Perezhogin has speed, a good shot, tremendous stickhandling skills and a willingness to go into traffic, and he has great hockey sense in both zones, and basically no real weaknesses except maybe his strength, which can be worked on very easily. It's just a matter of seeing him against stiffer competiton. Perezhogin could be a superstar winger, but if he's a bust, I feel he'll be a 3rd line PK'er at worst because he has great hockey sense and he's a quick skater and decision maker, thus he could salvage his career in that way and not be a career minor leaguer.
6. Jason Ward - Ward plays with tremendous intensity and is able to do everything right when it comes to things that we don't notice unless he scores a goal. He has very good hockey sense, and he can get his stick into unimaginable positions. He's also not nearly as slow of a skater as people would make you think. I see Ward settling into a role as #2 or #3 RW on Montreal as early as next season.
7. Marcel Hossa - Hossa is a frustrating prospect, but honestly, all I think he needs to do to be successful is to get stronger (both upper and lower body). Nobody is going to question his shot, because it's wicked. He's also a good skater, good at shielding the puck on the boards and then getting it out in front of the net to a guy in the open. However, he lacks intensity and I am beginning to think that it is as a result of frustration from losing battles along the boards and such, or even just checking away from the puck. Hossa needs to play like a power forward to be successful, and in order to do that, he has to be strong enough to be a power forward. At 6'2, he's only about 200lbs right now, and for a guy who is supposed to be an expert along the boards, I can see him getting frustrated against the bigger NHL'ers. Bertuzzi and LeClair are only 1 inch taller than Hossa, but they weigh about 25-30lbs more. Hossa is a project, but I think that we just have to wait for him to grow into his body and gain the confidence necessary for him to flourish. Hossa may never be successful in the NHL if he doesn't get more consistent, but like most of Montreal's top prospects, the sky is the limit.
8. Jozef Balej - He has all the tools to be an offensive wizard, but an injury plagued season hindered him because I have yet to see him play at the pro level. Another all-or-nothing prospect.
9. Tomas Plekanec - It's obvious that Plekanec must get a lot stronger, but he has tremendous vision on the ice and is a very slick stickhandler. Plekanec joins Balej in the "haven't seen much all-or-nothing prospect" category.
10. Michael Ryder - Remdinds me of Fernando Pisani. Everybody kept writing Pisani off, but he just kept plugging away and made the Oilers last season and impressed a lot of people. Unfortunately, he has been very streaky at the NHL level, looking like a game-breaker at times, but looking lost at others. Pisani has a very heavy shot and is willing to skate with the puck. He is also strong and is willing to hit, though not overly noticeable an that department, and he is not an explosive player. Pisani also lit it up in the AHL for a number of years before getting his opportunity with Edmonton. I just described Fernando Pisani, but I'm pretty sure it describes Michael Ryder as well, as Pisani is a few years past Ryder being 26 years old. However, Pisani could still turn out to be a decent 2nd line player once he gets a bit more consistent at the NHL level, and there's still a decent possibility of that because this is the first chance he's ever gotten, and he meets NHL minimums in all aspects of his game. We must be patient with Ryder, but down the road, I see him on Montreal's 3rd line with the potential for 2nd line duty.
__________________
"I couldn't beat Theodore when I was 15 years old, and I can't beat him now." - Jeff O'Neill 2001
And he also lacked creativity.
