• Moderators, please send me a PM if you are unable to access mod permissions. Thanks, Habsy.

Leafs' Prospect/Marlies Discussion Thread!

lots of violent talk about 'bullets'....not cool in 2024

couldn't watch after that
 
Some guys that seem Leafy ("skilled, smart and help you win" whatever that means): Mews, Solberg, Brandsegg-Nygards, Luchanko, Beaudoin, Vanecker, O'Rielly.

Its actually a solid draft. I would move down and get an extra 2nd/3rd.
Why move down? Trade coveted Kampf to NJ for their 1st. I feel like they may like him for some reason.
 
This is a weird year. Past 1, there's no consistent path for the next 10 (though the players are mostly the same), and then the next 20 are all over the place. Given that, I'm hopeful for one of Solberg (consistent defensive d-man, Seider-lite), Greentree (big scoring winger, poor skater), Hage (offensive centre, but no standout skill), or Luchanko (2-way centre with solid floor). Connelly may be around, and he's got the highest skill of the bunch, but there's a bit of DeAngelo-between-the-ears issues going on there.
 
Whoever we get, he should be fast. They need to put a premium on skating from now on.
Normally I agree, but the fast guys with any skill are all at the top of this draft. I'm fine with average/good skating so long as the IQ and skill there, or there's a defining trait. Luchanko may be your guy, but his ceiling is questioned.
 
This is a weird year. Past 1, there's no consistent path for the next 10 (though the players are mostly the same), and then the next 20 are all over the place. Given that, I'm hopeful for one of Solberg (consistent defensive d-man, Seider-lite), Greentree (big scoring winger, poor skater), Hage (offensive centre, but no standout skill), or Luchanko (2-way centre with solid floor). Connelly may be around, and he's got the highest skill of the bunch, but there's a bit of DeAngelo-between-the-ears issues going on there.
There will definitely be quality available at 23 for sure. Greentree or Connelly could fall, Basha and Chernyshov really interesting in this range as well.
 
"do you value players with pro experience?"

"No"

At this point there's more than enough data to help with projecting statistical future performance to support the eye testy and personality/interview stuff they like, regardless of the intake league. There's no reason to put outsized value on a kid who snuck onto a KHL/Liiga/SHL 4th line over a high level CHL player, USNDP kid, etc.
 
At this point there's more than enough data to help with projecting statistical future performance to support the eye testy and personality/interview stuff they like, regardless of the intake league. There's no reason to put outsized value on a kid who snuck onto a KHL/Liiga/SHL 4th line over a high level CHL player, USNDP kid, etc.

Skaters: no. Goalies: yes. Goalies facing professional competition at an early age has shown to be a good thing many, many times. The CHL transfer agreement hurts them the most.
 
Skaters: no. Goalies: yes. Goalies facing professional competition at an early age has shown to be a good thing many, many times. The CHL transfer agreement hurts them the most.

It's cool though, we have a director of goalie scouting to handle that advanced stuff.

88ut0ulxc4t81.gif
 
Post All Star edition:

1) Cowan
2) Niemela
3) Minten
4) Hildeby

I don't see any reason to make changes here. Cowan is a pimp and our clear top prospect. Niemela still having a really nice AHL rookie season and showing that what he did as a 19 yr old in Liiga wasn't a fluke. Minten a pretty clear NHL'er but maybe/probably limited on upside to a good 3C and Hildeby had a rough patch recently but maybe broke out of it with a shutty. The rough patch also coincided, oddly, with his return to the Marlies after the call up to the Leafs with no playing time. Weird.

5) Tverberg
6) Grebyonkin
7) Ahktyamov

Tverberg makes a big jump on the back of excellent play in the AHL during his 21 yr old season. Greby has been a stud for the last 6 weeks in the KHL and Ahky putting up a good KHL season in his rookie year their as well. Not a whole lot more to see from Greby and Ahky in the KHL honestly. It will be nice to get them over to north america shortly. Voit losing the entire development year is bad, so I'm going to move him down.

8) Steeves
9) Holmberg
10) Villeneuve
11) Chadwick
12) Voit
13) Moldenhauer
14) Hirvonen
15) Peksa
16) Kokkonen
17) Miettenen
18) Miller

Holmberg would be graduated if I had any faith at all in Sheldon doing the right thing. The guy is clearly a NHL player. Dunno what he is there quite yet, but he thinks the game at NHL speed and has NHL skating & hands. Steeves is long overdue a shot at earning a full time job as well. Has done everything an organization could ask for. Gets a bit better every year. Everyone else is wait and see at this point, only other guys to point out are that Peksa has sucked in the ECHL this season, which is obviously not good and Miller's goal scoring seems to have ticked up at Harvard this season. Looks like your dime a dozen NCAA skill midget to me, but sometimes when those guys are left to marinate for the full 4 years they actually turn out to be NHL players in the end.

19) Malinoski
20) Lisowski


Post Draft Edition - Now with a new tier structure for 24/25. For my innaugural, I'm going with 90's/00's rappers because it's my list, make your own list if you don't like it.

Tier 1 - The Nas Tier: Top tier from a young age, potential to be great

1) Easton Cowan - According to some pork afficionado on Twitter, he had a 4% chance of making the NHL. *Laughs in Wes Clark*. Stud, and a top ~15 prospect in the league. Our only true top prospect though sadly.

Tier 2 - Method Man: Pretty, pretty good. Not elite, but can be a big part of a good team.

2) Topi Niemela - Really good debut season in the AHL, probably closer to the show than most people think. Should get his first NHL reps at some point this year covering for injury

3) Dennis Hildeby - A few ups and downs in his AHL rookie season, was lights out for stretches, leaky for others. Can't teach 6'7 and athletic though. Likely to get 40-50 AHL starts this year and maybe his first NHL action.

4) Fraser Minten - I've said what I think in other conversations. Limited upside, probably not a source of offensive output but if he turns into a 3C, fine, we'll take it. There are prospects with more upside lower on the list, and his ranking here is pretty volatile. If he's not ready to be a 2-3C in the AHL right now, then he's a few years away from being anything in the NHL. For now I'll treat him like he's in relatively close proximity to being NHL ready.

5) Dan Benford - Another Wes Clark special. Don't be super shocked if the offence shows up this year and if it does he's a top pairing level prospect. The edge work is lovely, hopefully that translates on both sides of the puck as a pro

Tier 3 - Chi Ali: Talented, but so much can go wrong before you make it big

6) Nikita Grebenkin - some really sexy production comparables when you look at his KHL stats. NHL size, NHL speed, NHL skill set. Get to see him in the AHL this year, will tell us a lot about how quick he is. Might be ready sooner than we think and could move up a tier if he's an impact player in the AHL right away. Imo we're looking for 30/70 type paces to get excited given his age and professional experience

7) Artur Akhtyamov - 2 legit goalie prospects in the top 7? Is that legal? Does that mean we have to trade Hildeby for the worst goalie in the NHL now? Ahky was good in the KHL last year as a rookie and then a stud when sent down to the VHL for the end of the year and the playoffs. Hildy-Akhy is the best prospect tandem we've had since Rask/Pogge and that makes me sad on multiple levels.

8) William Villeneuve - I feel like he should be getting more hype. 6'2 RHD with excellent 5v5 numbers in the AHL. The type of prospect who no one outside of lunatics like us can pick out of a police lineup before he gets an injury call up, steals someones job in the NHL and sticks around for 10 years.

9) Noah Chadwick - The skating is a question mark, but he's yuge and skilled.

Tier 4 - Flavor Flav: Nothing wrong with playing your position and supporting the talent

10) Tverberg - Interesting AHL rookie season, but a 22 yr old 7th rounder is going to have to show that he's an AHL impact player this year for their to be much hope of him carving out a NHL role

11) Alex Steeves - The perennial sorta prospect. Would be nice to see him get an extended shot before he ends up waived and scoring 30 for Anaheim next year or some shit. Did improve last year fwiw.

12) Ty Voit - Schrodinger's 5th rounder. Both alive and dead at the same time. No idea what to expect, but interesting enough to not be in the next tier

13) Nick Moldenhauer - Good 2nd half, freshman struggling to get opportunity on a top NCAA program, etc. Could be a breakout prospect this year

Tier 5 - Aesop Rock: The "who the fuck is that guy?" tier. Maybe he'll be great, maybe he'll be at the bus station begging for change one day...dunno. Everyone else is in this tier until further notice imo. Hirvonen, Peksa, all the Wes Clark specials from earlier today including the big plugs in the 7th round. All of them. Here for now.
 
Back
Top