Habs top 20

[montreal]

I was asked by HF to do an article on the Habs top 20 prospects, here it is.

Habs Top 20 Prospects

By Dan Linn


1. Mike Komisarek- Montreal Canadiens, NHL. Stays at the top of the pack of an impressive group of prospects. His size, skating, and defensive play make him one of the top young defensemen in the NHL. A full season in the NHL is expected, and would be important to his continued development.

2. Alex Perezhogin- Montreal Canadiens or AHL. Recently signed this summer, Perezhogin makes his North American debut this season. After a strong season playing for Omsk in the Russian Super League and both the Senior and Junior National teams, Perezhogin has a strong skill set, to go with his hard work, and impressive skating.

3. Andrei Kastsitsyn- CSKA or CKSA-2, RSL. Kastsitsyn remains a bit of a mystery, as questions over his health and age and general lack of playing time make it hard to properly gauge his abilities, but with several impressive showings in international play, the Habs could have a potential game breaker in the organization, which has been lacking from the lineup for some time.

4. Chris Higgins- Montreal Canadiens or AHL. Higgins recently turned pro, after two very successful seasons with the Yale Bulldogs, as their top player and one of the top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker award for the top player in college hockey. Higgins also has had an impressive showing at the international level, leading Team USA in scoring as an 18 year old, and 2nd in scoring his final year. A gifted scorer that has a great skating ability, and all around hockey sense, the Habs have a player that is a threat in any situation, and at both ends of the rink.

5. Ron Hainsey- Montreal Canadiens or AHL. The Habs first pick of the 2000 draft, Hainsey is blessed with a lot of natural skills, but has yet to put it all together. Young defensemen take longer to develop, as the position requires a great deal of thinking, and being able to react to the play in a instant. A good skater that is known for his abilities on offence Hainsey needs to improve his reaction time, and decision making in his own end. Another year in the AHL would be good for his development, but another strong camp could change that.

6. Marcel Hossa- Montreal Canadiens. After a red-hot start when called up to the NHL, Hossa has not performed well since then. A player loaded with skill, but lacks intensity and consistency, which leave coaches and fans shaking their heads. Having a brother that is one of the top players in the NHL can make things that much more difficult for the young player, but with NHL size, skating, and abilities on offence, it is up to him to find success.

7. Tomas Plekanec- Hamilton Bulldogs, AHL. A solid rookie season in North America, should earn him increased ice time in Hamilton next season. Plekanec is a skilled center, with great stickhandling abilities, a creatitive playmaker, solid skating, and overall hockey sense.

8. Corey Urquhart- PEI Rocket, QMJHL. The leading scorer of the Rocket, and the Habs 2nd round pick in the 2003 draft, Urquhart is a talented center that knows how to put the puck in the net. A impressive wrist shot with a quick release that will force goaltenders to consider a career change, the Habs hope he can improve his overall game under coach Alain Vigneault.

9. Duncan Milroy- Hamilton Bulldogs. A star of the Western hockey league, Milroy is a hard working player that has the smarts and great positional play to force Habs management to take a chance on him very early in the 2001 draft, going 37th overall. A great wrist shot, and a player that can play in all situations, Milroy has recently turned pro, and will look to earn a spot on one of the top lines in Hamilton if possible.

10. Josef Balej- Hamilton Bulldogs. An injury plagued rookie pro season was one for Balej to look past and focus on earning a spot on one of the top lines in Hamilton. A skilled winger, that is very fast and has a great slap shot that is heavy and accurate. Balej needs to work on his overall game, especially in his own end, and improve his hockey sense.

11. Michael Ryder- Montreal Canadien or AHL. Ryder is coming off a career year in the AHL, as one of the top goal scorers in the entire league, and one of the main reasons the team went so far in the playoffs. It’s uncertain just where he fits into managements plans for the future, but if he continues to play as he did last season, they will have to find a spot for the 216th pick of the ’98 draft.

12. Corey Locke- Ottawa 67’s, OHL. Locke was the leading scorer of the entire CHL, putting up an amazing 151 pts in just 66 games. What is impressive is that Locke had only 43 pts in 55 games the prior season, yet in one years time nearly tripled his offensive production. This could be his final season in the OHL, Locke doesn’t have anything to prove on the scoresheet, but will need to work on his skating, strength, and speed if he is to earn a contract, and show 29 GM’s they overlooked a highly skilled player due to a lack of size.

13. Francois Beauchemin- Montreal Canadiens or AHL. Beauchemin is also coming off a career year with Hamilton, as one of the top defensemen in the entire AHL. A physical defensemen that can play in all situations, Beauchemin improved his offensive production, while learning to stay out of the penalty box, a sign of maturity and understanding of what it takes to succeed in today’s hockey. Beauchemin could play in Montreal, but another season in Hamilton as the top defensemen would be good as well.

14. Konstantin Korneev- AK Bars, RSL. Korneev lacks in size, but makes up for it with skill. After an impressive showing at the U-18 and U-20 international tournament, Korneev may force management to bring him over to North America. Taken 275th overall in 2002, Korneev is solid in his own end, while being able to produce on offence as well.

15. Jonathan Ferland- Hamilton Bulldogs, AHL. Recently signed to a pro contract, Ferland is a physical winger that can play in all situations, and is a threat to score inside in the offensive zone. A hard working player that will battle for the puck along the boards, Ferland didn’t need to be signed, but his hard work and offensive production as one of the top scorers on his team, made it an easy choice to turn pro. Taken 212th overall in 2002, Ferland has some tough competition in Hamilton, if he is to earn a spot on one of the top lines.

16. Joni Puurula- HPK, SM-Liiga. Another late pick, taken 243rd overall in 2000, Puurula was named the starter of HPK after an impressive playoff performance in the ’01 season. Playing for one of the top teams in the Finnish Elite league, Puurula was able to take his team far in the playoffs, but questions did arise about his consistency. Hopefully his goalie coach, and Finnish National team goalie coach, Kaarela will work on this and other areas of his game.

17. Andrew Archer- Hamilton Bulldogs, AHL. Signed recently to a pro contract, Archer the former captain of the OHL’s Guelph Storm, looks to take his game to the next level in the AHL. Another late pick, taken 203rd overall in the 2001 draft, Archer already has impressive size, but needs improvement on offence.

18. Maxim Lapierre- PEI Rocekt, QMJHL. Lapierre is known for his in your face style, and quick skating, which got him drafted by the Habs in the 2nd round, 61st overall in 2003. Lapierre needs to work on his offensive game, but increased ice time could under coach Vigneault could improve several areas of his game, after an impressive rookie season.

19. Ryan O’byrne, Cornell, ECAC, NCAA. O’byrne was somewhat of a surprise pick at 79th overall in the 2003 draft, after playing for Nanimo Clippers of the BCJHL. But there’s no question in regards to his size, and moving on the Big Red of the ECAC a program know for it’s strict defensive system should be a great learning experience.

20. Matt Shasby- Hamilton Bulldogs, ECHL or unknown. Shasby is still without a pro contract, after finishing his NCAA career, as one of the top players at the University of Alaska Anchorage. The gifted puck moving defensemen, is coming off a rough senior season, after being the most improve Habs prospect the prior season. Taken 150th overall in the 1998 draft, Shasby will be at the rookie tournament, playing for a contract and a chance to join Hamilton in the AHL.

Honorable Mention:
Oskari Korpikari, Karpat, SM-liiga.
Danny Stewart, Rimouski, QMJHL.
Mark Flood, Peterbrough, OHL.
Michael Lambert, PEI, QMJHL.

[MPLABBE]

good job...although I think O'Byrne should be higher

[montreal]

After the top 5 or 10 it gets very close, with too many new guys I have never seen. This makes it very difficult, and opinions will vary greatly.

[Thomas]

Do you not consider Linhart a decent prospect anymore? I've heard he had a weak season, but he does have some potential.

[montreal]

Thomas said:

Do you not consider Linhart a decent prospect anymore? I've heard he had a weak season, but he does have some potential.

A not so great season did set him back some, with others like Korneev, Beauchemin, Archer all have solid to great seasons, thus moving up. They all can't be in the top 20-25, but it's only one persons opinion, and I'm wrong a lot.

[legaspesien]

Where do you thing C.Larrivée stands if not in top 20

[NWTHabsFan]

montreal said:

After the top 5 or 10 it gets very close, with too many new guys I have never seen. This makes it very difficult, and opinions will vary greatly.

There seems to be a general consensus on the top 6 guys (haven't seen to many lists lately without those 6), as you say...it gets really tough after that. How do you measure an unproven 18 year old with real upside potential compared to a more established guy like Ryder, who has proven himself at the level below the NHL but may have lower upside. No matter how you rate it, wonderful read as always. Your research on our prospects is always appreciated.

[montreal]

legaspesien said:

Where do you thing C.Larrivée stands if not in top 20

I like Larrivee, but with perhaps the top group of prospects in the NHL, Larrivee has some tough competition to overcome. I can't wait to see how he handles the AHL (as I assume he makes the dogs). He is one very overlooked and forgetten prospect that could surprise fans in the future. I sort of feel the same way with M-A-Thinel, just to a lesser extent. If Larrivee can handle himself along the boards, in his own end, and around the net, he has a future with the Habs. But for now he's down on the list.

[montreal]

NWTHabsFan said:

There seems to be a general consensus on the top 6 guys (haven't seen to many lists lately without those 6), as you say...it gets really tough after that. How do you measure an unproven 18 year old with real upside potential compared to a more established guy like Ryder, who has proven himself at the level below the NHL but may have lower upside. No matter how you rate it, wonderful read as always. Your research on our prospects is always appreciated.

Thanks. Your right, it's hard to compare an 18 year old aginst a 23 year old with several years of pro experience, but I try and take everything into consideration on a pro rated scale. As an example, take Ryder vs Urquhart. Ryder at 23 has 4 years of developement on Urquhart, but if you look at Ryder at 19 years old, then what he's done in each year after that, and how well he's progressed verus what Urquhart has done so far + what he could do if he progresses at the pace he's currently on. Then you take into consideration that teams they played for, the league they were/are in, the time frame for those years (certain years had higher scoring then others for certain leagues) and there's injuires, awards, etc.. to consider as well.

In the end it's all just opinion. I almost want to laugh at times, when people freak out over a prospect being a 5.5 instead of a 6 which is where they see such and such. I love to hear others opinions, it helps me take a step back and rethink my rankings, but I almost feel sorry for the ones that get so offended when someone is ranked half a point lower then they think it should be, like it's a personal attack or that it's being written in stone, so if I said it, it will now come true. But I just enjoy talking about our prospects, as in the past I didn't have much to talk about. ;D

[Plekanec]

Hi Montreal...

That's a nice list you did, but I think Lapierre is really too low...

If we take a look at the best American skaters ranked just before the draft, Lapierre is very high rated on their list....

1-Stall
2-Brown
3-Vanek
4-Horton
5-Getzlaf
6-Coburn
7-Suter
8-Phaneuf
9-Parise
10-Fritsche
11-Bernier
12-Stone
13-Pouliot
14-O'Sullivan
15-Eric Fehr
16-Klesler
17-Stuart
18-Klein
19-Stewart
20-Jessiman
21-Tambellini
22-Kreps
23-LAPIERRE
24-Filewich
25-Seabrook
26-Bernier M-A
27-Carter
28-Bergeron
29-Hennessey
30-Richards
31-Eaves
32-UQUHART
33-Belle
34-Boyle....

I think Lapierre should higher... I never saw him play but he has'nt been ranked 23th better north american skater in a so deep draft just for fun! Locke is a nice prospect but if we could select him in the fourth round and that he has been ranked 61th better prospect, I imagine there is a nice reason for!

[Cranky]

Dan,

You ranked Hainsey too low. If you ranked him based on his ability to play in the NHL, I would place him second.

If you rank them nased on potential, I would place him thind.

I am NOT a Hainsey fan but his talent is undeniable.

[MPLABBE]

HabsAddict said:

Dan,

You ranked Hainsey too low. If you ranked him based on his ability to play in the NHL, I would place him second.

If you rank them nased on potential, I would place him thind.

I am NOT a Hainsey fan but his talent is undeniable.

wait after all the sticking up you've done for the guy, it turns out you are NOT a Hainsey fan?

[BadCompany]

Nice work Dan. Interesting read. I can't argue too much about your top 5, though I wonder just what exactly Perezhoughin will project to be. When drafted, he was described as a highly skilled project, much like Kastitsyin. Wasn't he called the 3rd most talented player in the draft, behind Kovalchouk and Chistov? Red Line was pretty high on him too. But while having decent World Juniors (though injured in one) he didn't look all that dominant to me. And now we hear he has become a penalty killing, defensive specialist. So what exactly are we looking at now? A Marian Hossa, or Niklas Sundstrom? Both are good (first moreso than the latter, obviously), but I would flip him and Hainsey, if he is going to become a 3rd line checker, popping in 20 goals. I can't wait to see him on a more regular basis this year, either in the NHL or AHL, to get a better read on him.

I'd also move Ryder ahead of Balej, and maybe even Milroy. Neither of those two impress me, though Milroy plays a similar style. Balej just seems to disappear when the competition gets tougher. Sure, he has great speed, but so does Johan Witehall. Personally, I'd drop Balej pretty far down the list.

I also think Puurula should be ranked higher. Regardless of how good the team in front of him is, there is no denying that he outright stole the starting position away from the incumbent (despite coming off a serious illness), and has so far held off all challengers to the position, including a high draft pick. He has outplayed Kari Lehtonen on several occassions. I think he has Vokoun/Tarasov like potential in him, in that he could be a sleeper who just sort of appears in North America one day. I'd have him breaking the top 10, actually, based on age, stats, and circumstance.

I am also very, very curious to see Ryan O'Byrne, or at least to hear more about him. He's already huge, and if the reports are correct, and that he has good speed and mobility already, he could turn out to be a very, very good find. Moving to the NCAA will mean he will have much better coaching, much better training facilities, and much better competition. I think he might shoot up the list over the next couple of years.

Shasby had a brutal year in the NCAA, both on the ice and off it. He hasn't been signed yet, and its starting to get worrisome. I think Gainey and company might be waiting for further confirmation as to what Hamilton will look like (i.e Tampa players, AHL free agents) before committing to Shasby. In other words, he's an emergency backup. While Olivier Michaud also had a bad year, he is signed, and will be given a shot to compete at the AHL level. For that reason I would drop Shasby, and throw Michaud in there.

But of course, I'm just quibbling...

[Plekanec]

Perezhogin has learnt to play a nice 2 way game but he also scored 15 goals (4 less than Grigorenko) playing on a fourth line a part of the season without any PP ice time! Grigorenko was playing on the first line of a younger team with alot PP ice time...
Perezhogin is faster, better sniper, better playmaker and more energic than Sundstrom... don't worry about it!

Ryder is 2 years older than Balej... Ryder has a very great shot, nice speed, nice scoring touch but he does'nt have great hands, is'nt always safe in his own zone, does'nt have a nice first step, average playmaker skills, does'nt have a great hockey sense and should have some difficulty to make it at a higher level! Balej has been stopped by injury, that's why he did'nt progress as expected but the offensives skills are undeniable! He is more skilled than Ryder and have an alot better upside!

[MPLABBE]

You know, Plekanec raised a good point over at HF, Lapierre was ranked 23rd by central scouting service for the 2003 draft among NA guys.

Ahead of 1st rounders like Seabrook, Carter, Eaves, Belle and even rated ahead of guys who went before him in the 2nd round like Urquhart, Boyle and Hennessey.

I wonder, what's the deal with Lappy? is he a late 2nd round steal? are his numbers mediocre because he was a checking line center for the Rocket and he didn't really concentrate on offence?

It's gonna be interesting to follow what him and Urkle do this upcoming season.

[montreal]

HabsAddict said:

Dan,

You ranked Hainsey too low. If you ranked him based on his ability to play in the NHL, I would place him second.

If you rank them nased on potential, I would place him thind.

I am NOT a Hainsey fan but his talent is undeniable.

That's one opinion, but I like the others more, and Hainsey less and less. Hainsey was good in Quebec, but struggled in the playoffs, then played well at times in Hamilton, but really struggled in the NHL, only to play decent back in Hamilton, with an impressive playoff run.

I am a Hainsey fan, but I see no reason why he would be #2 or #3 over Perezhogin or Kasty or Higgins.

[montreal]

To Bad Company,

Perezhogin is a goal scorer, think 1st line that is good in his own end. He put up 47 goals in a weak junior league at 17 (it's not the goals, but the goals per game averge which I would have to look up). This year in his first full season on one of the top teams in the RSL, he scored 15 goals with no PP time, 4th then 2nd then 4th line duty and PK plus missing time for the Russian Senior and Junior National team (not many junior aged players make the Senior National team), also his coach Hilika plays a defensive system, so if you want to play, you get better in your own end or you sit. Perezhogin learned to play good in his own end, his speed and skating make him a good PKer, plus he's dangerous on the PK as he can take off and score. His 15 goals don't sound like much, but when you factor in everything+ that he was one of the top goal scorers on his team (I think he was 3rd in goal scoring, not bad for a 19 year old rookie), Perezhogin is highly skilled, and if I had seen more of him, he'd be #1 prospect IMO, but Kasty could overtake him from the sound of it.

Ryder I'm a fan of, but you have to take into consideration that he's close to 24, and has many years of pro experience over others who are rookie pros or entering their 2nd pro season. Ryder had a breakout season, but there's more to look at then just his numbers this year. It's a close call for me between Ryder, Milroy, Balej, Beauchemin, but I had to put each of them somewhere. All could be in any order, all have good skills but holes in their game as well. I was a lot more impressed with Beauchemin then just about any Hab prospect, but again he's had a few years of development.

Puurla, I had higher, but I spoke with some Finnish fans and they said he is the most overrated goalie in the SM-liiga, with a really bad goalie coach (team Finland gaolie coach as well), and they claim it's more a matter of his great team nnot so much him. In the playoffs he struggle with his consistency, letting in soft ones one night and getting a SO the next. They said that he would not have been the starter this season coming up, cause of the backup behind him played better, but he then got signed by boston, so HPK brought in some veteran goalie which they said could mean he wont start or if he plays bad he will be replaced.

[montreal]

To BC continued...

O'byrne sounds like a good one, and I'll get to see him play this year. Cornell is the top team in the ECAC, and after watching them last year I thought they were going to win the frozen 4. They had a sick defensive system, much like NJ, giving up less then 20 shots a game, and an outstanding goalie that is now gone. But the BCJHL is hard to get info from, and the very few fans of the Clippers that I spoke with had mixed opinions of him. If I get to see him, and he odes well, he'll be moved up for sure.

Shasby played on the worst team in the NCAA div 1. I watched them play a home and home against the 2nd worst team, and they made Wisconisn look like a good team (they only had 1 win before the home and home, left with 3 wins, UAA 0 wins all season) The team was loaded with freshman, and the coach was clearly focused on the future. Shasby does have a ton of skill, even if he doesn't get signed.

Michaud I'm not a fan of. He was brutal this year until traded, and even then with one of the top defense's in the Q, he won a lot but his numbers were still shaky at best, and a unimpressive playoffs didn't help matters. (I have a friend thats a scout for the Q)

[montreal]

Marc said:

You know, Plekanec raised a good point over at HF, Lapierre was ranked 23rd by central scouting service for the 2003 draft among NA guys.

Ahead of 1st rounders like Seabrook, Carter, Eaves, Belle and even rated ahead of guys who went before him in the 2nd round like Urquhart, Boyle and Hennessey.

I wonder, what's the deal with Lappy? is he a late 2nd round steal? are his numbers mediocre because he was a checking line center for the Rocket and he didn't really concentrate on offence?

It's gonna be interesting to follow what him and Urkle do this upcoming season.

Marc, it's tough to do, but forget where players are ranked. For one thing, after a few years it becoms clear that rankings mean little. But this draft it had to be very difficult to rank the players, cause there were so many good ones, with a fine line between very large groups of prospects.

Lapierre sounds like a good one, but his offensive abilities could be a major problem for him. As a 17-18 year old rookie in the Q, he did well, but this year will tell more about his offence, cause if he can't score in the Q, he's in trouble.

I tried hard to factor in everything I possibly could, and tried to be as fair or even a tad bit hard on all of them. In the end time will tell, I just try and come up with something to read in the mean time. ;D

[BadCompany]

Hey Dan, certainly hope you didn't take my post as a criticism of yours, as you said, its all subjective, and meant to engineer debate, or at least be interesting. In the end, "rankings" mean very little.

Having said that...

Plekanec, Dan, after re-reading my post, I thought briefly of changing my Perezhoughin/Sundstrom comparison to either Brian Rolston, or Jere Lehtinen, but in the end couldn't be bothered. What I was trying to ask, was whether Perezhoughin was going to become an elite sniper, or an elite checker. I know we don't think of Sundstrom as an elite checker, but he did come into the league highly touted offensively. 15 goals is indeed impressive in the RSL, but 20 goals in the NHL would be impressive to, if they came while shutting down the opposing team's top lines, and/or killing penalties. It's a question, I guess, on how to best use Perezhoughin - as a pure offensive force, with little defensive responsibilities (as a 1st liner, he would be facing checkers, and not have to be "as" defensive) or as an excellent two-way guy, capable of burning you on the counter-attack. Does he have an NHL upside of 40 goals, or 20-25? Hossa, or Lehtinen?

Ryder, to me, isn't the most talented guy in the universe, and indeed, probably should rank down near 20 on skills alone. Certainly a guy like Balej has a much better skill set. But in the immortal words of Cliff Fletcher "all he does is score" Ryder has always been written off. I think he was a walk-on to his junior team (not sure of that though), an extremely late draft pick, an ECHL reject. Nobody ever expected anything from him. Yet he just keeps coming back, especially around playoff time. I remember him leading Hull on a phenomenal playoff run a few years back, and his AHL playoff numbers are always good. He outplayed both Eric Chouinard and Mike Ribeiro at the World Juniors. Much better playoff numbers than Balej, who has mediocre (at best) second-season stats, one brutal World Junior Championship, and a skipped second World Junior Championship, because he wanted to pad his stats and improve his contract negotiating position. Balej SHOULD be better than Ryder, but he isn't, and like that darn cat, Ryder just keeps coming back, everytime you try to write him off. Perseverance like that says something about the character of the player, and has a funny way of being rewarded.

Interesting news on Puurula though, I hadn't heard that. Bears watching.

[montreal]

I enjoy the respones I get, and never take it personally. As for Perezhogin, I'd say he's more Mogilny thats good in his own end. (No we wont score 76 goals like Alex cause that NHL is long gone) Someone from Russia said think Simone Gagne, but who knows. I've seen so little of him, but was very impressed with his recent WJC performance.

Yes Ryder was a walk on to Julien's Hull team, but he was not a ECHL reject, he was named to the ECHL all stars but never made the game due to callup and never looked back. Ryder has gotten it done, and like I said it's a close call between him and others. But it's tought to compare him and Balej even though they were drafted only 2 years apart and about 140 spots between them (Ryder 216th, Balej 78th) but Balej is a highly skilled but has only 1 year as a pro on a team that was LOADED with talent, and an injury cost him his place in the lineup. Ryder has a deadly wrist shot, but Balej has a cannon of a shot, the question is can Ryder handle himself against the bigger, faster, stronger defensemen and can Balej learn better hockey sense and get much stronger?

In the case of Puurula and others, it's also very tough, as I have to rely on outside info. Over the years, I've learned who to listen to and who to dismiss, but Euro players are just hard to gauge.

[MPLABBE]

Over at the russianprospects message board I asked about Perez's potential and the owner of the site(Eugene something) said he is similar to Simon Gagne for what it's worth.

I would have no problem with a Russian Simon Gagne! ;D

Rolston and Lehtinen are also good comparaisons. Heck, Sundstrom DOES have talent, but his problem is his creativity has been kind of shut down because they wanted him to be a checker so early in his career and the fact he does not shoot enough.

[BadCompany]

montreal said:

I enjoy the respones I get, and never take it personally. As for Perezhogin, I'd say he's more Mogilny thats good in his own end. (No we wont score 76 goals like Alex cause that NHL is long gone) Someone from Russia said think Simone Gagne, but who knows. I've seen so little of him, but was very impressed with his recent WJC performance.

Yes Ryder was a walk on to Julien's Hull team, but he was not a ECHL reject, he was named to the ECHL all stars but never made the game due to callup and never looked back. Ryder has gotten it done, and like I said it's a close call between him and others. But it's tought to compare him and Balej even though they were drafted only 2 years apart and about 140 spots between them (Ryder 216th, Balej 78th) but Balej is a highly skilled but has only 1 year as a pro on a team that was LOADED with talent, and an injury cost him his place in the lineup. Ryder has a deadly wrist shot, but Balej has a cannon of a shot, the question is can Ryder handle himself against the bigger, faster, stronger defensemen and can Balej learn better hockey sense and get much stronger?

In the case of Puurula and others, it's also very tough, as I have to rely on outside info. Over the years, I've learned who to listen to and who to dismiss, but Euro players are just hard to gauge.

By saying Ryder was an ECHL reject, I meant that Ryder had been exiled to that league, not that he didn't play well there. But yeah, I get your point that it is hard to compare Balej and Ryder, given the age differences and all. I don't know, something about Balej just rubs me the wrong way - character issue or something. Not that he has a bad attitude, just that I don't like the way he disappears in big games, and the whole "missing the World Juniors to pad his stats" really bothered me, especially since he was being relied on to be a key member of that Slovakian team. Oh well, time will tell.

[montreal]

BadCompany said:

By saying Ryder was an ECHL reject, I meant that Ryder had been exiled to that league, not that he didn't play well there. But yeah, I get your point that it is hard to compare Balej and Ryder, given the age differences and all. I don't know, something about Balej just rubs me the wrong way - character issue or something. Not that he has a bad attitude, just that I don't like the way he disappears in big games, and the whole "missing the World Juniors to pad his stats" really bothered me, especially since he was being relied on to be a key member of that Slovakian team. Oh well, time will tell.

Oh, my bad on the Ryder ECHL part, should have gotten that. Ryder's 40+ goals this year was a giant step for him, but we'll have to see if he can build off that. I really hope he gets some games in with the Habs (he should have already, IMO) Balej's 51 or so goals in the WHL are also impressive, but I do agree he has disappeared in tough times. He was a no show in the playoffs in his final season with Portland, but I was told that the Thunderbirds really keyed in on Balej (Spiller and the rest of defense shut him down for sure, after he ran all over all season long). But the WJC thing, is a little different, he wanted to stay in Portland to work on his game, which he felt he couldn't do at the WJC's. I thought that he should have went, but I can also see why he wanted to stay. And to his credit, I thought he should have played more for Hamilton, as he looked good in his short playoff run this year, and the goal he scored was SICK.

[montreal]

Marc said:

Over at the russianprospects message board I asked about Perez's potential and the owner of the site(Eugene something) said he is similar to Simon Gagne for what it's worth.

I would have no problem with a Russian Simon Gagne! ;D

Rolston and Lehtinen are also good comparaisons. Heck, Sundstrom DOES have talent, but his problem is his creativity has been kind of shut down because they wanted him to be a checker so early in his career and the fact he does not shoot enough.

Is that where I read it. I don't recall Eugene saying that though, as there are a few different guys at the site. Eugene and I have had a few conversations on Perezhogin, and I don't recall him ever using Gagne as a reference. Rolston and Mogilny were names he used for certain aspects of Perez's game, but either way we'll see soon enough!

[Thomas]

BadCompany said:

Nice work Dan. Interesting read. I can't argue too much about your top 5, though I wonder just what exactly Perezhoughin will project to be. When drafted, he was described as a highly skilled project, much like Kastitsyin. Wasn't he called the 3rd most talented player in the draft, behind Kovalchouk and Chistov? Red Line was pretty high on him too. But while having decent World Juniors (though injured in one) he didn't look all that dominant to me. And now we hear he has become a penalty killing, defensive specialist. So what exactly are we looking at now? A Marian Hossa, or Niklas Sundstrom? Both are good (first moreso than the latter, obviously), but I would flip him and Hainsey, if he is going to become a 3rd line checker, popping in 20 goals. I can't wait to see him on a more regular basis this year, either in the NHL or AHL, to get a better read on him.

Marc asked a question at the russianprospects board about who they would compare Perezhogin to, and the guy replied a European Gagne. I think his coach back in Russia wanted to help him with his defensive game and thus put him on the PK and focused on his defensive skills, because he already had the offensive skills, but thats just speculation on my part.

Edit: Didnt notice the second page, Marc already posted the above...

[MPLABBE]

montreal said:

Is that where I read it. I don't recall Eugene saying that though, as there are a few different guys at the site.

Yeah it has to be there..

after seeing Perezhogin twice at the WJC and once the year before at the WJC(when he was hurting) I'd say that a guy like Gagne or Rolston is a good comparaison. Extremely talented players, good wheels, not very big but big enough, smart players, good hands,etc

[NWTHabsFan]

montreal said:

Michaud I'm not a fan of. He was brutal this year until traded, and even then with one of the top defense's in the Q, he won a lot but his numbers were still shaky at best, and a unimpressive playoffs didn't help matters. (I have a friend thats a scout for the Q)

I am not a Michaud fan as well. If management was confident about his ability to make the jump to the AHL, they would not have gone out and acquired Damphousse recently. As for the recent article in which Michaud talks about his key role in Hamilton as a stepping stone to one of the two spots with the Habs shortly...all I can say is...thanks for the morning chuckle, Olivier. He really hasn't dominated at the junior level, which I would have liked to see to really consider him a top 20 prospect.

Puurula, from Dan's comments, obviously has some detractors in Finland. I find it hard to argue with his numbers, they are pretty good for a 21 year old playing in the top mens' league. It appears as though coach-bashing is an international phenomenon, as they are bashing their national goalie coach as well.

As for BC's comments about Ryder, I fully agree. This guy has more lives than the proverbial cat and a "never say die" attitude. You just can't seem to knock this guy down. Nowhere near the potential upside of some of our younger prospects, but I can see Ryder working himself onto the big club in some role at some point. Gainey, AS and TT all like character guys, and this guy really seems to have it in spades.

[NWTHabsFan]

montreal said:

Is that where I read it. I don't recall Eugene saying that though, as there are a few different guys at the site. Eugene and I have had a few conversations on Perezhogin, and I don't recall him ever using Gagne as a reference. Rolston and Mogilny were names he used for certain aspects of Perez's game, but either way we'll see soon enough!

The nice thing is that Perezhogin's game has been successful at each level he has played at, instead of tapering off or hitting a plateau at some point. He has done well at the junior league level, played quite well at the RSL level considering his ice time and role, and really shown himself as a top calibre junior at the world stage. He was even named to the Russian national team, which bodes well for such a young guy.

I don't think he is anywhere near done developing yet, which should make his appearance at camp very interesting to watch and monitor. He is up against a lot of other forwards at camp, and likely will see some Hamilton time due to depth...but watch out later this season and hopefully seasons to come. The Habs offence of the future will be a lot more of a balanced attack with some good bona fide offensive and two way players emerging.

[MPLABBE]

I agree on Michaud, I don't see this guy becoming a NHL goalie. That 20 minute stint in Edmonton 2 season's ago really boosted his stock way too much.


btw congrats on post 300 NWT