I'll be posting a new "Oilers top 20" in the next while, as we get close to draft day. The Oilers have some players who are no longer their property (among them Hrabel and Umicevic, although Hrabel apparently may still be an Oiler), and some who have graduated. To my way of thinking, once a prospect passes the 50-game plateau at the NHL level we can probably take him off the prospect list.
Marc Pouliot was never ranked #1 on my list, although he's my favorite prospect since Hemsky. Pouliot did not deliver enough offense to be considered a top 2 center moving forward, but much of his time with Edmonton saw him centering an albatross on one wing and an anvil on the other.
I think Pouliot will be a solid NHL player for years to come, but he isn't out of danger. The Oilers have so many prospects up front currently that the window of opportunity for any of these kids to show something isn't large. Rob Schremp and Andrew Cogliano are two centers who'll get a long look with the big club in the fall, and should one or both show well Pouliot might find himself on the outside looking in.
I don't think it will happen.
Ladislav Smid is a player who was thrust into the spotlight and exposed for what he is: an inexperienced but otherwise talented finesse defensive defenseman. His offense isn't what we thought (Redline report nailed it, other scouting services not so much) but he can carry the puck with authority and make people miss. His slapshot from the point makes me miss Tom Poti, and that's impossible. I suspect we'll see him through a different lens this fall as the sting of replacing Chris Pronger gives way to actually seeing how long it'll take this young man to help win hockey games.
Patrick Thoresen never made my list, as he was a signing from the pro side. Edmonton is going to need at least one more pleasant surprise from the professional procurement side this year (probably a forward, maybe a goalie). Thoresen started out with 9 points in his first 18 NHL games and then faded from the scoresheet, but he showed a lot of hustle and intelligence in his first NHL season.
Brad Winchester graduates from last summer's list. Although he has played a full NHL season, MacT made it pretty clear in the post-season interviews that he doesn't have Winchester in his future plans. Winchester's career looks pretty similar to his comp (Dan Lacouture) and if he learns how to play a little closer to Lacouture's style he should have a career.
Robert Nilsson has passed the 50-game line in the sand, so he won't appear on my new list. He's an interesting prospect in that he is probably in direct competition with Rob Schremp for a roster spot this fall (there's no way MacT will start the season with Schremp, Nilsson AND Lupul on the roster).
- # of truly useful rookies: Jan Hejda (not technically a rookie)
- # of useful looking rookies moving fwd: Smid, Pouliot, Thoresen
All other Oiler rookies from this past season (Jacques, Roy, those guys) will appear on the top 20 save Danny Syvret and Sebastien Bisaillon who didn't make the cut.
Rookie Scoring
- Patrick Thoresen 68gp, 4-12-16, minus 1
- Marc Pouliot 46gp, 4-7-11, minus 2
- Ladislav Smid 77gp, 3-7-10, minus 16
- Brad Winchester 59gp, 4-5-9, minus 10
- Jan Hejda 39go, 1-8-9, minus 6
- Tom Gilbert 12gp, 1-5-6, minus 1
- Mathieu Roy 16gp, 2-0-2, minus 7
- Kyle Brodziak 6gp, 1-0-1, even
- Zack Stortini 29gp, 1-0-1, minus 7
- Danny Syvret 16gp, 1-0-1, minus 10
- Alexei Mikhnov 2gp, 0-0-0, even
- Rob Schremp 1gp, 0-0-0, even
- Sebastien Bisaillon 2gp, 0-0-0, minus 1
- Jean Francois Jacques 37gp, 0-0-0, minus 11
Very interesting post LT. Personally I think if there is a decision to be made between Schremp and Nilsson, Nilsson gets the nod based simply on the fact that he's closer to being ready and is not a poor skater.
ReplyDeleteSomething that's unrelated but also very interesting are some of the comments from Tim Panaccio at Eklund's site. I don't care at all for the dummy in charge there, but Tim consistently has some pretty interesting, believable things to say and his most recent posting is no exception. Apparently Feaster confirmed that neither Richards or Lecavalier are on the market. As well, the #2 overall is up for grabs and he believes Holmgren would not be against dealing Pitkanen. The most interesting thing for me though was the mention that he believes several teams are preparing an offer sheet for Vanek given Buffalo's vulnerable position against the cap. Here's the link if anyone cares to see for themselves.
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=8056
I know I said the same thing last year at the same time, but it should prove to be an interesting season, for better or worse.
Thoresen started out with 9 points in his first NHL game
ReplyDeleteThat's one freaking successful first game!
Given the defensive carnage surrounding them and who these two young guys were forced to play with - MAP and Thoresen did damn fine in the +/- department over a substantial number of games. They'll be fine.
ReplyDeletejames l: Fixed. Facts are mere playthings to me. :-)
ReplyDelete