|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jun 22, 2002 15:48:12 GMT -5
Sorry Hudler, we don't have a third round pick. Maybe if nobody picks you we will give you a walk on tryout.
|
|
|
|
Post by MPLABBE on Jun 22, 2002 16:24:56 GMT -5
Bulis ? Bulis is very close to being a goner, his contract ends in one season, and unless he shows something more than he's shown to date, I expect him to go back to Europe. So don't expect him to fetch us any kind of a pick around where we are now in the draft. These are after all teams who have been waiting for their 1st pick for hours now, they won't dump their picks for marginal young guys... Ah, PTH, Bulis was just the first name that came to mind. Could have been another name..it didn't happen, so let's move on. |
|
|
|
Post by MPLABBE on Jun 22, 2002 16:27:00 GMT -5
I agree with your point PTH aobut picking the best talent available rather than drafting based on need. I think that we have to be careful about thinking tht you can "manage" everything in developing a team. There are too many variables to be able to do this precisely and the best general approach is to stock pile assets because as long as you have assets you can keep improving your team- something h&c pointed out somewhere else. Few teams picked up the ''best talent'' available today. Hudler, Evseev, Koltsov, etc are all more talented than the Mike Morris' of this world. In a weak draft, teams went with the sure bets and not the wildcards. |
|
|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jun 22, 2002 16:28:43 GMT -5
Evseev, Hudler, Linhart.
In three years look back and see who is playing in the NHL and at what level. My faith in St. Savard is being tested.
|
|
|
|
Post by MPLABBE on Jun 22, 2002 16:34:27 GMT -5
There must be something we don't know? But 30 GM's know about it ;D Hudler is just too small for everyone's liking. It sucks, but it's true. Anyone got a profile of Linhart? cool name. |
|
|
|
Post by PTH on Jun 22, 2002 16:46:56 GMT -5
Few teams picked up the ''best talent'' available today. Hudler, Evseev, Koltsov, etc are all more talented than the Mike Morris' of this world. In a weak draft, teams went with the sure bets and not the wildcards. Going by need and going for the sure bet are different axes in the graph of ways to go. Going by need, or by best available, are 2 different ways of going. Going for most talented/most upside or for most sure bet, is a different way of evaluation who the best available actually is. I think most are going for best available, but just evaluate things differently than the media that we're all basing ourselves on for our own ratings. |
|
|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jun 22, 2002 17:02:08 GMT -5
But 30 GM's know about it ;D Hudler is just too small for everyone's liking. It sucks, but it's true. Anyone got a profile of Linhart? cool name. I phoned Linhart's mother and she said she vaguely remembers something about one of her children playing hockey but had no details. |
|
|
|
Post by habmeister on Jun 22, 2002 17:06:03 GMT -5
Bulis ? Bulis is very close to being a goner, his contract ends in one season, and unless he shows something more than he's shown to date, I expect him to go back to Europe. So don't expect him to fetch us any kind of a pick around where we are now in the draft. These are after all teams who have been waiting for their 1st pick for hours now, they won't dump their picks for marginal young guys... Do you really think a kid who moved over here when he was 15 so that he had a better shot of playing in the nhl would leave for europe now that he's in it for less money?  ? |
|
|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jun 22, 2002 17:17:32 GMT -5
In the Czech city of Pardubice there is an established franchise, known for raising quality prospects. Today's NHL stars as future Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek or Colorado Avalanche's forward Milan Hejduk have made their first strides in the arena near the Labe river in Pardubice and there are good chances that some guys from this year's junior team may join them in the future. Pardubice have build a strong core of 1984 born players, where some players can look forward to the NHL Entry Draft. Sized efenseman Tomas Linhart is one of them.
Tomas Linhart didn't have 'hockey player' written all over him since he was a small kid. None of his relatives played the game, which is quite different from most players, who have often their fathers or even grandfathers former players or current coaches. Tomas is a proof that advertising can pay dividens, this time it was advertising of hockey. Like all other kids, when Tomas was six years old, he started attending elementary school and one day he saw there a poster which invited the youngest kids to the selection for the youngest grade team of the local Pardubice team. And because he liked the game, he quickly decided to grab this chance and go to the rink. He asked his grandmother to go with him to the arena and his hockey career has just started. Tomas' grandmother also followed him to the practices when he was a small kid and was along with his parents his first huge fan.
From the first practice Tomas was slotted to play defense. He was very satisfied with this fact, he didn't dream of a sniper's career, more he liked to prevent the other snipers from scoring. He was a tall kid and thanks to his talent he could foresee the plays and the opposing forwards really began to have a tough time against Linhart. Tomas started to perform at various youth tournaments and there he saw that his dedication to the game has sense. Tomas was always doing also various off-ice workouts to gain strength, footspeed and to bulk up. Now he saw that he has more power than his opponents and this contributed to improving his play to very solid and reliable. On a few tournaments, when the result of the games wasn't that important, Tomas even tried the forward position but soon he saw that the blue line is his home and that he doesn't want to change anything.
|
|
|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jun 22, 2002 17:18:53 GMT -5
change anything.
Nearly every player who is now considered a serious NHL prospect has won some trophies on the youth tournaments. Not Tomas Linhart. He always brought a strong defensive style to the table, but on the Pardubice 1984 born team there were lots of quality players like current Hull Olympique Martin Vagner and Tomas wasn't a clear standout on the team. He did the little things well and how valuable he is to the team became visible in the higher grades. Tomas had very strong seasons for the 7th and 8th grade and it became evident that it will be time for him to move up to the midget ranks and start performing in the midget Extraleague.
The 1998-99 season Tomas spent playing for the 9th grade team of Pardubice but the next season the awaited promotion to the midgets took place. Tomas got used to the faster play at the midget level very soon and had no trouble battling the sometimes older opposition. He could keep the attacking forwards off the crease and his defensive zone coverage saw a rapid improvement, too. In 1999-2000 Tomas played 45 games for the Pardubice midgets where he recorded 10 points for 2 goals and 8 assists and a quite high numbers of PIMs, 83, which contributes to the fact that he wasn't afraid of the rough stuff.
|
|
|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jun 22, 2002 17:20:33 GMT -5
No wonder that his role models are sized, feisty defensemen. Tomas admires the play and strength of Detroit Red Wings rearguard Jiri Slegr, another idol for him is Ales Pisa, Edmonton Oilers property, who skated with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL this year. Pisa is like Linhart from Pardubice and he is one of the players Tomas patterns his game after. Like Slegr and Pisa, Tomas Linhart already has a huge frame and due to this he is nicknamed 'Rambo' by his teammates, after the action movies hero Sylvester Stallone, who became a legend thanks to his bodybuiliding figure and the series of films about fomer soldier John Rambo.
But the invitation to the Under-16 team missed him. He wasn't among the top prospects at the time when the new Under-16 team of the 1984 borns was formed and the coaches overlooked him. With his play in the 1999-2000 it was for sure that this won't happen the next international season.
But first Tomas got a 'C' on his jersey of the Pardubice midgets. And soon it was told between the players from the opposing teams that the Pardubice midgets captain is really a tough cookie. Tomas was hitting everything that moved and soon gained a reputation of one of the toughest players of the midget Extraleague. In just 23 midget games he notched not only 12 points for 5 goals and 7 assists, but also a number of 82 PIMs, which is good for an average of almost 4 PIMs per game.
That was something the Pardubice juniors needed, a big, rugged defenseman with a booming shot. They didn't hesitate to promote Tomas to the junior team and suddenly he changed from the midget captain to the underaged rookie among the juniors.
|
|
|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jun 22, 2002 17:21:32 GMT -5
His international career began with the Under-17 team in 2000-2001. Tomas immediately became one of the defensive anchors of the team with his savvy play and left out only the European's Youth Olympics from the season's schedule because he battled with Pardubice juniors in the playoffs. This fact made him the leader among the defensemen of the Under-17 team in games played, Tomas appeared in 20 contests which topped the team's blueliners, but scored just 1 point on 1 goal in the 4:3 win over Finland in a three-game series against Finland played in November. At all the other tournaments including two Four Nations Tourneys and the World Hockey Challenge he was kept off the scoresheet while recording a +/- of +3 and 4 PIMs.
He saw a much increased role with the Pardubice juniors this past season. He was no longer eligible to play in the midget ranks and had already some useful experience with elite junior hockey. In November he suffered a broken nose, he was checked from behind, his helmet has fallen off and he hit the ice with his face first. Pardubice juniors were a dominating team also this season. After a stellar play in the regular season and in the Final Group they made it into the playoffs. There they defeated Sparta Praha juniors in the semifinals and were succesfull also in the final series against Ceske Budejovice juniors. This meant a back-to-back series and second junior Extraleague title also for Tomas Linhart. He was patrolling the blue line with poise and for one game he was recalled to the Div I league where he helped Hradec Kralove, where the Div I franchise moved from Sumperk recently. In that game he went scoreless but recorded 2 PIMs. For the Pardubice juniors Tomas then played 38 games, in which he scored 6 points for 2 goals and 4 assists plus 38 PIMs.
|
|
|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jun 22, 2002 17:22:45 GMT -5
Tomas Linhart is a solid skater for a player of his size (6'2'', 210 lbs.) and is also very mobile. His defensive zone coverage is great and Tomas can be described as very reliable. His defensive play is nearly mistake-free and he tries to keep it simple. He can make very strong decisions with the puck and knows when to dish it off and when to make a pass. Tomas has a good vision but even if his passing skills are good, he can still improve there. But he has a very hard, accurate slap shot, which is tippable. Tomas likes to fire hard and also at the practices he shoots lot of pucks to become better in this skill. He has a very good reach to go along with his size. Tomas can use his size well and likes to hit hard. He fights along the boards a lot and is a superb crease-clearer. On the downside he could use a more smooth puckhandling, but else is almost a complete defenseman.
His non-hockey time Tomas splits between school, other sports and resting. He is about to finish his studies at a high school for electrotechnicians and then concentrate fully on hockey. From other sports Tomas likes to play soccer and tennis in the offseason, which are very popular sports among Czech players and Tomas is no exception. He spents lots of his free tim with resting to have strength for the game and watching TV movies. He prefers the comedies, with 'Ace Ventura' and 'Scary Movie' being the frontrunners. From his favorite food there are mostly various kinds of meat and fruit. To his dinners Tomas likes to drink juices.
From the NHL teams the Colorado Avalanche is the favorite team of Tomas because they have a good squad and local Pardubice hero, winger Milan Hejduk is a member of the Avs. But now is Tomas looking forward to the NHL Entry Draft in Toronto, which will decide about his future. He is ranked 22nd overall among European skaters in the CSB Final Rankings and has a chance to be picked this year as a mid-round pick. Whatever team will select him, Tomas will be happy. Good luck!
|
|
|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jun 22, 2002 17:23:57 GMT -5
He finished second among Pardubice midgets defensemen in scoring in 1999-2000, when he scored 10 points for 2 goals and 8 assists. The following season then Linhart split between the midgets and juniors of Pardubice, going with 12 points (5 goals + 7 assists) for the midgets in 23 games and 7 points (1 goal + 6 assists) for the juniors in 29 games. < against series three-game a in goal after came point only His games. 20 appeared he when season, last played games defensemen team Under-17 Czech among leader the was Tomas team, Under-16 for up showing not After league. I Div of Sumperk MD HK dressing games, senior first his 2001-2002 In>
Linhart is a hardworking stay-at-home defenseman with a great size. The hulking blueliner is willing to throw his body around and can deliver great hits. He also absorbs the hits with ease and stability. Linhart's skating skills are just average, he could make faster turns and be faster backwards. Tomas excells on the defensive side, always takes his man and stays with him all the way.
He has also a mean streak to go along with him. Linhart doesn't tend to make risky plays, he keeps it simple. In front of his own goalie he turns into a tenacious crease-clearer. His positional play is very solid, but not perfect. Linhart won't hurt you offensively, but isn't a huge factor here. He has good passing skills but needs to learn how to keep his shots less telegraphed and more tippable. < round late or mid- worth definitely is and NHL making tools Has blueliner. defensive reliable be to out turn can who talent raw Linhart Overall,>
From Hockeys Future.
|
|
|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jun 22, 2002 17:27:58 GMT -5
Getting a slow injury prone ordinary defenseman for a team that is overloaded with s;ow ordinary defensemen when you could have a potential superstar in Hudler.......
I hope Hudler does well on the Wings next year.
|
|
|
|
Post by MPLABBE on Jun 22, 2002 18:40:31 GMT -5
did Hudler go to the Wings? I am not surprised one bit.
Madden was interviewed on RDS and he said that Linhart was a solid physical d-man who they liked when they saw him play on a small ice surface
|
|
|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jun 23, 2002 1:41:25 GMT -5
This isn't like last year where we celebrated the coming of Komi. We made two safe picks. I'm not extatic about what we obtained and I'm not unhappy with either player. Higgins can skate and works hard. Linhart is strong, safe, and clears the front of the net. I'm disappointed about the players who were available when we selected and the possibility that we missed out on two players who could become great. If Evseev overcomes a single ordinary year by an 18 year old, he could become a great player, far better potential than Higgins who could be very good. Hudler could become a superstar or he could be too small to be effective in the NHL. With a mid second round pick on a team that already has a lot of young talent waiting in the wings, I would have rolled the dice and tried for greatness. We have Milroy, Hossa, Ward, Balej, Ribeiro who could be very good. Hudler could become great. We are deep in unspectacular d-men. Linhart is a stay at home, safe unspectacular defenseman who needs to work on his skating and speed. I hope Savard proves me wrong? |
|
|
|
Post by habwest on Jun 23, 2002 3:10:13 GMT -5
Yea, after cogitating for a while I must admit that I'm underwhelmed by the first two picks. A lot of it is probably due to my own expectations. I was truely hoping for a forward with size, speed and skill and a fair scoring potential upside. Or at least size and speed and defensive ability.
Higgins may turn out to be OK. Average size after he's finished growing, some skill, speed, comes to play every night, not afraid of traffic. In a college program so he had time to develop. Might turn out to be a solid, if unspectacular, player.
Linhart's average skating skills and slowness of foot concerns me (I have been a persistent critic of Souray on this very point). But at least he's big, strong and mean. Plus he certainly looks the part- ferocious.
But I dunno. Better get the Pardubice coach to ramp up the foot speed and agility drills.
Like somebody said, a "safe" draft. Trouble is, if you get too cautious you start making mistakes. Time will tell.
Hopefully day 2 will bring more intriguing prospects.
|
|
|
|
Post by habwest on Jun 23, 2002 8:43:07 GMT -5
I found this in an Hockey's Future article on the Czech prospects for the draft:
"Tomas Linhart
Position: defenseman
Team: HC Pojistovna Pardubice
Born: February, 16th, 1984
Height: 6'3''
Weight: 209 lbs.
Shoots: L
CSB final rank: 22nd among Euro skaters
Another player from the mighty Pardubice Jr. team, Tomas Linhart had his season capped off by a separated shoulder which required a surgery in the end. Still before this happened he could leave an impression at the international tournaments including the Viking Cup and also play his Div I league debut. Tomas excells on the defensive side of his game and is able to dominate that area with his imposing frame, mobility and strong skating skills. He also isn't afraid of throwing his body around and sweeping the opponents from the crease. Linhart launches missiles from the blue line and has an excellent reach but could use a smoother puckhandling and upgrade his decisions with the puck. A rugged defenseman, Tomas is expected to be selected in the upper half of the draft. Won't be the next Darius Kasparaitis, but has the tools of a future top six NHL blueliner"
So here he has "mobility and strong skating skills". Go figure. If this is closer to the truth then we might have something with this guy.
|
|
|
|
Post by MPLABBE on Jun 23, 2002 10:07:35 GMT -5
Guys, please answer my question, was Hudler picked up by the Wings or not?
|
|
|
|
Post by BadCompany on Jun 23, 2002 10:39:39 GMT -5
Hudler was indeed picked by the Wings.
I wouldn't worry too much about the draft picks. It usually takes a good 3-5 years before we have a real idea of how they will pan out, so I'm not going to get too excited one way or the other. Remember, everyone panned the Hossa and Hainsey picks as well (hello Jack Todd), but they seem to be doing all right.
There will undoubtably be a player or players who will be better than the guys we got, and who we should have picked up. Might be Hudler, might be Evseev, might be whoever. Always happens. Doesn't mean the guys we got are going to be bums.
|
|
|
|
Post by GARB08 on Jun 23, 2002 10:59:23 GMT -5
any info on this andre deveaux all i no hes a 6'3 220 center out of belleville
|
|
|
|
Post by MPLABBE on Jun 23, 2002 16:50:15 GMT -5
Hudler was indeed picked by the Wings. I wouldn't worry too much about the draft picks. It usually takes a good 3-5 years before we have a real idea of how they will pan out, so I'm not going to get too excited one way or the other. Remember, everyone panned the Hossa and Hainsey picks as well (hello Jack Todd), but they seem to be doing all right. There will undoubtably be a player or players who will be better than the guys we got, and who we should have picked up. Might be Hudler, might be Evseev, might be whoever. Always happens. Doesn't mean the guys we got are going to be bums. Thanks for answering my question BC.What's your take on the Higgins pick and the Czerkaski deal? |
|
|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jun 23, 2002 17:14:55 GMT -5
Thanks for answering my question BC.What's your take on the Higgins pick and the Czerkaski deal? Higgins had 3 goals and 8 assists in 30 games playing for Yale according to Hockey's Future. Unless the NHL is a notch below US college hockey and his scoring improves this was a bonehead pick. Higgins is listed at 5"11 and Hudler a dimunative 5"9. I hope Savard knows what he's doing because I don't! |
|
|
|
Post by JohnnyVerdun on Jun 23, 2002 17:35:34 GMT -5
Savard MUST know something. Two picks after he took Higgins the Sens drafted Klepis, a smart, hardworking centerman from the Czech Republic (played in Portland last year) who's already 6-2 and 200 lbs. Savard MUST have seen a lot in Higgins. The numbers, the league (ECAC), his size, don't add up. Savard MUST know something. Since we had two players in Portland last year, Savard and Madden must have watched and studied Klepis. They decided on Higgins for a reason. We don't know what that reason was, but that there was a reason we can not doubt....
|
|
|
|
Post by habwest on Jun 23, 2002 19:25:30 GMT -5
HFLA, the figures I have on Higgins from the Hockey's Future Canadiens Draft Preview for the past season are 27 games, 14G, 16A for 30 points in 27 games. Maybe the figures you saw were for his freshman year?
Also, his performance in the world juniors was pretty good. He was at about a point a game clip.
|
|
dd
Rookie
Posts: 49
|
Post by dd on Jun 23, 2002 19:33:32 GMT -5
AS said Higgins doesn't have exceptional skill, but has good hands in tight.And with his work ethic, will continue to progress.Geez, in a mediocre draft class, sounds good to me.Kinda like what Mike Peca was like in '92. Once again, intelligent analysis and no flaws for Higgins.
Shrewd.....
|
|
|
|
Post by GARB08 on Jun 23, 2002 19:48:19 GMT -5
mike peca was a sleeper in the "o" maybe this higgins can be one to
|
|
|
|
Post by MPLABBE on Jun 24, 2002 10:13:56 GMT -5
Savard MUST know something. Two picks after he took Higgins the Sens drafted Klepis, a smart, hardworking centerman from the Czech Republic (played in Portland last year) who's already 6-2 and 200 lbs. Savard MUST have seen a lot in Higgins. The numbers, the league (ECAC), his size, don't add up. Savard MUST know something. Since we had two players in Portland last year, Savard and Madden must have watched and studied Klepis. They decided on Higgins for a reason. We don't know what that reason was, but that there was a reason we can not doubt.... Because our own western scout, seventeen, said he saw Klepis and Jakub looked like a bust  ;D |
|
|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jun 24, 2002 10:55:24 GMT -5
I found this in an Hockey's Future article on the Czech prospects for the draft: "Tomas Linhart Position: defenseman Team: HC Pojistovna Pardubice Born: February, 16th, 1984 Height: 6'3'' Weight: 209 lbs. Shoots: L CSB final rank: 22nd among Euro skaters Another player from the mighty Pardubice Jr. team, Tomas Linhart had his season capped off by a separated shoulder which required a surgery in the end. Still before this happened he could leave an impression at the international tournaments including the Viking Cup and also play his Div I league debut. Tomas excells on the defensive side of his game and is able to dominate that area with his imposing frame, mobility and strong skating skills. He also isn't afraid of throwing his body around and sweeping the opponents from the crease. Linhart launches missiles from the blue line and has an excellent reach but could use a smoother puckhandling and upgrade his decisions with the puck. A rugged defenseman, Tomas is expected to be selected in the upper half of the draft. Won't be the next Darius Kasparaitis, but has the tools of a future top six NHL blueliner" So here he has "mobility and strong skating skills". Go figure. If this is closer to the truth then we might have something with this guy. I read that he had strong skating skills and lateral mobility but that he was slow, especially skating backwards. I guess we are all making decisions based upon questionable second hand reports and not on our having observed them play (paid for by Hab's Europe junta). I still have faith in St. Savard, but he better be right. I don't think we made mistakes, but we didn't hit a home run either. Watch for a big year by Hossa and Milroy. Ribs could break out too. We need to hold our breath for a few years with Higgins. |
|
;D