Ryan Strome first gained notice as a member of the Barrie Colts. A 16-year old center on a contending OHL team doesn't get a lot of ice time, but he showed well when given opportunity. Strome was dealt to Niagra last spring and ripped up the OHL as a 17-year old. His NHLE ranks number one among the top rated draft eligibiles for 2011's entry draft but there is very little buzz about him going at the top of the draft.
Why not? It has a lot to do with strength, size and how he projects as a player.
Kirk Luedeke: Average size, but grew a bit since last year, which helped him in terms of where he's regarded amongst scouts. Excellent skater who can beat defenders with his speed or elusiveness. Very soft hands and superb puckhandler who uses his feet and creativity to be a going concern offensively. Just a dynamic scorer who isn't quite in RNH's class, but isn't too far off, either.
Strome finished third in the Ontario Hockey League scoring with 106 points (33-73-106) in 65 games, leading the IceDogs to a franchise best 45 wins and 96 points in 2010-11. His 1.63 points-per-game average ranked first among all the top producing OHL forwards this season. He was voted the Most Improved Player and the Best Playmaker in the 2011 OHL Eastern Conference Coaches Poll. Strome also tied for the Best Stickhandler with Ryan Spooner, drafted 45th overall by Boston in 2010.
- NHL Central Scouting's Chris Edwards: "He skates very well and has very good speed. He's a creative playmaker who sees the ice very well. He goes to the net and battles in front. He is able to get to rebounds and loose pucks in front. He has good hands and has scored some goals off tip-ins in front."
- Niagara GM and head coach Marty Williamson: "Ryan is one of those guys that initiates contact and makes a great play. He plays in those traffic areas and he wins battles and then he makes great passes. He's got great vision . . . He's confident, he feels good on the ice, and when you have skill and a lot of confidence, good things happen."
- More Williamson: He's been a game breaker, dangerous on the powerplay. But to be able to score 5x5 at his age that's a real compliment to him. He's also been a very consistent player all year."
- Again Williamson: "He's not killing penalties for me, we wanted to keep him rested for even strength and the powerplay."
He would probably be better served if the team that drafted Strome would turn him into a winger. That way he can attack with speed of the wings and doesn't have to think too much about defense. He'd be a mini version of Taylor Hall without the pedigree.
ReplyDeleteDepth. When was the last time the draft had 4 centers projecting over a 100 points, or commited over a hundred points in the top 10?
ReplyDeletePhilly acquires Bryzgalov's rights.
ReplyDeleteOh, Philly. Pay him too much, won't you?
ReplyDeleteLT, I wonder if that Av's scouting meeting changes your mind on Couturier as your #1?
ReplyDeleteLooks like they feel he the knocks on him are:
1) playing 30 minutes a night
2) not consistent effort
3)looking bored
4)perhaps older than some of the others
Ducey: It was an interesting video, no doubt. I found the comments on RNH to be very interesting, seems as though the Avs agree with what we've heard about the Oilers scouting staff. There's something about the Burnaby kid that scouts see as being special, plus plus.
ReplyDeleteAs for Couturier, it sounds like they're pretty down on him. If he's playing 30 minutes a night then that certainly skews the numbers.
I think the Oilers will take RNH and I have no argument with it.
This year's Skinner?
ReplyDeleteLT/Ducey:
ReplyDeleteIs this Av's video available anywhere?
Found it. Nevermind. Lazy like that.
ReplyDeleteI can see Strome being the first pick for Winnipeg.
ReplyDeleteBryzgalov made $4.25 mil last year,if he gets the same or a raise,that should kickstart the Richards rumors again.
Oh, Philly. Pay him too much, won't you?
ReplyDeleteOf course Holmgren/Clarke will.
Word is that he was asking for 6.5MM and 6 years from the Yotes, but that was probably just his "hit this and I'll stay where I don't want to" offer.
Rumors have him asking for $5M from PHI, my crystal ball says 4.75MM cap hit when its done.
Other rumors have Matt Carle (3.437MM 1 year left) and Jeff Carter available (5.27MM 11 years left) being available for young uns.
Assuming the cap goes to 62.5MM, and Bryz signs for 4.75MM, and Leighton is buried, PHI's cap situation looks like:
61.1MM for 18 players.
If they can move Carter and Carle that makes it $52.4MM with 16 players signed.
10MM to sign 7 players.
They probably want to re-sign Lenio. Let's call that 2.0 (I'd offer him 2.5, Finns win)
8MM to sign 6 players.
Unless Hartnell (4.2MM two more years) agrees to waive his NTC, PHI HAS to move Carter. He's the only guy making serious coin without a NTC.
I'd love to see:
MPS-Carter-Hemsky
Hall-Horcoff-Eberle
Harski-Gagner-Youtube
Frick-Frack-Tabernac
Whitney-Gilbert
Carle-Petry
Smid-Peckham (both leftys)
DD
Whatever
PHI can't take back much salary if any.
Does Martindale + 19th + other sundries get that done?
Why do I think Carter will end up next to Nash in CLB for the 8th and not much else?
I guess Richards NMC doesn't kick in until 2012, but Carter's been in so many rumours you'd think it will be him before Richards.
ReplyDeleteUnless some gets really stupid and offers the moon for Richards.
I guess Frick-Frac-Tabernac would probably be:
ReplyDeleteJones-Lander-Brule
Mirtle figures Leino will get $3MM.
ReplyDeleteMaybe PHI doesn't re-sign him.
Man there's a lot to grab with PHI's cap trouble.
It would cost a pretty penny for those beauty Flyer forwards. Love to have one of them, though.
ReplyDeleteI had to post something just for my verification word:
ReplyDeleteLoweatin.
You can fill in whatever object you want after that.
hypothetically, If Carter goes to COL, is Umberger available and would you trade Hemsky for Umberger +?
ReplyDeleteI am sure somebody has thought this through: Why in the world would Colorado post their scouts meeting on the net???? The ONLY possible audience they would want to influence would be the Oil..... so why??????
ReplyDeleteI would be very surprised if we could not beat any offer by Columbus if we were prepared to trade # 19 and one of: Hamilton, Pitlick or Marcinin
I would do it if, as Ducey says, Carter is willing to come here.
Also not sure Carter is the perfect fit in CLB. He is a shoot first centre and CLB needs someone to feed Nash
Didn't a legitimate source report Hartnell waived his NTC for Edmonton at one point? Maybe in exchange for Souray and something? Am I remembering correctly or is it the DTs?
ReplyDeleteThe ONLY possible audience they would want to influence would be the Oil..... so why??????
ReplyDeleteMaybe they are taking a page out of the Oiler book and trying to engage their fans in their rebuild.
Their ticket sales last year were some of the worst on record.
Their pro football team is terrible, their basketball team is average.
There is an opportunity to grab the sports fan in Denver again and they are probably willing to try anything.
No doubt that nothing is on there that they don't want their competitors to see.
The other thing about the Colorado scouting video is that we just don't know what is being omitted/edited. Obviously they have full control and aren't gonna give away anything of real value. Makes for good speculation or conjecture though.
ReplyDeleteI watched the Colorado video 3 times now ...... the ONLY guy they identified with any flaws was Couturier. Not RNH, GL, AL, JH.
ReplyDeleteSo how many new fans are they selling "new interest" to and would they see the video on NHL.com?
So how many new fans are they selling "new interest" to and would they see the video on NHL.com?
ReplyDeleteWell you saw it and you don't even live in Denver.
Maybe they are promoting it in the local market.
The drafts less than 3 weeks away. I bet MBS has made up his mind already, and no Avalanche scouting video is going to change it.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I think about Jeff Carter, I can't help but think of what Carter did to Philly. Is it just me, lol?
ReplyDeleteAs for the scouting video... When Colorado calls out, "Couturier" with their 2nd overall pick, it will make more sense at that time. :p
ReplyDeleteTOJ and Jay: That would be hilarious. I think they don't draft him unless they trade Statsny and some rumours flotted around him.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they even trade Statsny to get 2 guys.
For once I can't say I understand what Philly wants to do.
ReplyDeleteThey choked in the playoffs because of goalies, now they want to acquire a goalie who choked in the playoffs.
And it's especially stupid to pay big money when you have a 21 years old kid who posted numbers over average.
Silly Philly.
The Oilers haven't had their big draft meeting yet, so I doubt the Avs have either. OTOH, the scouting sounds true/sincere.
ReplyDeletePartial transcript:
ReplyDelete"Is there anybody in this room who thinks Nugent-Hopkins' offence won't translate?"
[Dead fucking silence]
Philly offered Hartnell for Souray. The deal was done then Tambletooni backed out. Genius move.
ReplyDeleteBruce
ReplyDeleteIf you believed that, why would you tell the world? There is absolutely no reason in the world to communicate that message. None. Now if the video highlighted the flaws of everyone, I get it. It did not.If you thought RNH would be that good, why would you communicate that to the only team that could deny you that player? You are smart guy.....WHY?
ReplyDeleteIf you believed that, why would you tell the world? There is absolutely no reason in the world to communicate that message. None. Now if the video highlighted the flaws of everyone, I get it. It did not.If you thought RNH would be that good, why would you communicate that to the only team that could deny you that player? You are smart guy.....WHY?
Likely because you know they realize it too, so what difference does it make? I mean every public list feels the same way.
I doubt Edmonton is going to make their decision based upon an edited 5 minute segment released publicly by the Avalanche organization.
ReplyDeleteThere is also the possibility that the Avalanche suspect Edmonton is going to take RNH anyway. Hell, half the folks in Edmonton who have internet access know it. I'm sure they've discovered through their own means that the Oilers are leaning a particular way.
In any case, the video gives some good insight into how Couturier is being viewed in scouting circles right now. It seems that there are motivational, character and skating issues that are being considered.
I wonder how much of that can be attributed to his agent's ill-advised media silence.
Well. That would figure as a good argument for RNH. I think since 2004 Colorado has a pretty wealthy record of drafting.
ReplyDeleteBefore that it's abysmal tough.
Ah yes, here it is:
ReplyDeleteSouray for Hartnell
jonk: I found it interesting that they really put Couturier through the wringer while the rest of the top 5 showed nothing but positivity. Almost like sending out a smokescreen.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how playing 30 minutes a night would be viewed as a negative when it comes to scouting. If I was coaching Drummondville I might see it that way, but not scouting.
I guess the thing is scouts are viewing RNH, GL, AL and JH as winners while SC looks like a lethargic slouch. The biggest thing when drafting a player is, do you strongly believe a winning gameplan can be designed with the player you are drafting?
Maybe they didn't see Zapruder filming them.
ReplyDeleteThe irony for me is that I have the Avs taking SC. Sortofa Pitt 3 centre thing.
ReplyDeleteFact to note, Couturier is the only one playing PK (I think, not sure on Landeskog) in the bunch, so it's due to increase his overall playing time.
ReplyDeletePretty much had the worst club too.
I thought Couturier played for the 4th overall Drummondville not last place Rouyn-Noranda.
ReplyDeleteSure I can see the COL meeting clearly....
ReplyDelete"OK guys here's the plan- we make a little promo video about the draft and tell everyone about our list - that way no one will bother us with any deals that we don't want. We hate that Coutourier kid as well"
Mercy I can't believe people are taking this stuff seriously....
Hockey: Largely due to him and Palat.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of the club is pretty much garbage. The next scorer is at 50 something points, and both goalies had save % under ,900.
I suspect that PHA traded that good of a pick because they have a"strong feeling" that Bryz is willing to sign a one time short cheap deal to get a shot with a contender in the East.
ReplyDeleteSpoiler: Well they did with Hamhuis too and up and away he went.
ReplyDeleteCoachpb,
ReplyDeleteJust what I needed. Another reason to lower the expectation level for Tambellini's ability.
An ant would have a hard time limboing under that bar about now.
LT,
Zing!
Geez, that's right, that film isn't for Avs fans at all, it's just counterintelligence to suck the Oilers into buying into the RNH plot.
ReplyDeleteShould have heard the bullshit the scout that knew him best went into before that question got asked. "Best I've seen in 20 years" - hah! Nice try, you evil Avs!
Bruce: Well if he did say that, then yes it looks like something terribly planned and acted.
ReplyDeleteThat Avs scouting video is painful to watch. These guys are supposed to be the experts? Maybe they're just bad at articulating their thoughts, I was grinding my teeth when the best thing they could mention about Landeskog was that he was a "Character" guy.
ReplyDeleteFPB: You watch it and tell me. Maybe they are bad actors and good scouts. Maybe they are all actors and none of them are hockey scouts at all! It's all a conspiracy, I tell you.
ReplyDelete@Bruce
ReplyDeleteClearly he must been asleep at the games when scouting Sidney Crosby.
While the video is terrible, it has created discussion amongst fans on their message boards as well as Non-Avs fans, so I imagine the idea has already succeeded, albeit poorly executed.
Bruce: I mean. I can understand thinking RNH is the best man out there. But in 20 years? C'Mon. There's cheese and cheese.
ReplyDeleteOK, mine was the Cole's notes version. Here's a transcript of exactly what was said by the scout (Donny ?? I need to watch the intro again, but he's one of the more experienced scouts; note, he may also work exclusively in the west):
ReplyDelete"This kid, offensively, sees the ice as well as anybody I've seen in twenty years. His puck reaction, his creativity, and his mechanics are just outstanding... I haven't seen a kid like this for many years as far as offence is concerned."
Bruce: Thanks. It makes more sense now. Especially if he works in the West exclusively.
ReplyDeleteCounterintelligence? I think you're giving these NHL front office types too much credit LOL...
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think is the more likely scenario:
1) The scouts telling the video producers: "You can't show everything, but you can show our thoughts on stuff that are obvious to everyone else in the NHL"
In this case, among the stuff *obvious" to everyone involved in the NHL are: Couturier's flaws, RNH's upside, and the fact that the Avs are NOT taking Couturier at No.2.
or,
2) The scouts telling the video producers: "Let's get together and produce a video to try to deceive others in the NHL. Even though the strategy would have been much more effectively & efficently carried out by simply relaying our thoughts to a local reporter or to NHL.com, but you know, an internet video is so much more fun!"
FPB, now that your horse isn't just dead but beaten into a sub-atomic purée, would it help if I told you that RNH's favorite player is Rocket Richard?
ReplyDeleteHow could you not like him now?
Spoiler: I don't like Couturier because his name is COuturier, or he's good looking or whatever.
ReplyDeleteI like him because every stat imaginable push towards him. It's not foolproof, but that's what I think is better.
If it was the same for RNH i'd root for RNH.
I'l like him the day he proves me wrong. Or if he's already picked and he'S a nice interview and doesn't say clichés just to sound nice.
@choppystride: I'm with you. Good thinking to present a ready-made Door No. 2 for the conspiracy theorists to put their ear against. :) That'll keep everybody happy.
ReplyDelete@FPB: The Nuge is a real focussed kid with a huge respect for the game. More importantly, he's a compelling talent and great to watch. I won't say he's the best I've seen in 20 years, but he does certain things that make me cast my mind back that far, let's put it that way.
@All: I know we each have our favourites, but there's no point on getting entrenched on any one guy. I'm going to pull hardest for whatever kid becomes an Oiler on June 24. As such, I'm not "against" any of them. In Stu I trust.
Bruce: Yeah I guess we get worked up too much some times.
ReplyDeleteI should just chill more 0_0.
"This kid, offensively, sees the ice as well as anybody I've seen in twenty years. His puck reaction, his creativity, and his mechanics are just outstanding... I haven't seen a kid like this for many years as far as offence is concerned."
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't think RNH is really the best if the entire CHL is considered, I wouldn't be surprised if he's near the top.
I think most people still don't appreciate how rare it is to find a 100 pt guy in the WHL in his draft year who also:
1) lead his team in scoring by a 20 pts margin
2) still has 2 yrs junior eligibilty post-draft
3) is 6 ft tall
4) has no skating issues
5) has no character issues (from what we've seen & heard so far)
And he posted his numbers on a team that allowed only 159 GA. And it's not one of those offensive juggernauts with 300+ GF.
I think someone wrote a few days ago that the WHL is league of tough dmen & gritty 2-way power fwds. This is true and it only goes to show that the kid has been executing in a tough environment. And he's still a stringbean with a 6 ft frame that's yet to fill out.
I say that's very impressive.
the other comment about the video that I have is how the guy to the right of the head scout said something like the sky is the limit for Landeskog as far as scoring is concerned.
ReplyDeleteAll that I've seen and read is he's more of a character guy, all round player with limited offensive upside compared to other forwards in the top 5.
They seem to be extremely positive about him.
As for the Courtier comments, the more they talk about the kid, it sounds like he's making the scouts nervous because of the mono, not the same spit and polish we saw in Hall, etc. I take that as making the scouts nervous. And thus they aren't anxious to pin their hopes on him.
The tinfoil hats iterate the common-knowledge game theory equation once, then run screaming from the room, leaving cooler heads to continue turning the crank. In terms of lasting impact, one really has to judge "A Beautiful Mind" as epic fail, at least on behalf of the good John Nash.
ReplyDeleteHere's the short course: if you have *any* predictable response to disingenuous information tipped by an adversary, the adversary is positioned to exploit you.
Another possibility is when the adversary believes you are so inexperienced or mentally unbalanced that they can precipitate an opposite-George tail chase. Somewhere around opposite-George to the power of one million you begin to lose parity (and focus). For this purpose Colorado could just pluck petals off a daisy on whether Couturier sucks/doesn't suck. Either way, it primes the pump.
A third possibility is that Colorado is trying to pull a fast one on Grand Nagus Zek by poisoning both glasses, on the theory that any player selected by Colorado will outperform any player selected by Edmonton. Either way, later on they say "I told you so". From their perspective, Souray + Khabibulin = incite the trifecta. Until recent behaviour by Colorado, I might have given the third possibility some credence.
Turns out a Nash-optimal poker strategy (in the zero-sum two player context) can't be beaten, but it rarely wins, either. You can only win by adopting a beatable strategy.
Bruce Schneier summed it up pretty good when he described counter-espionage as "wheels within wheels".
The real idiot in the room is the person who buys into *last year's* top performing mutual fund (as seen on Oprah).
All this Nobel-prize winning mathematics boils down to a good set of earplugs as the best investment.
That Hartnell - Souray deal is just a rumor so can't get all that worked up about it.
ReplyDeleteIf it is true, however, it tosses fuel on the fire that Toonces had every intention of tanking. You know, unless he was reasonably sure Harrell would have a little injury problem.
DeadmanWaking, you spend too much time on introspection and reading =).
ReplyDelete"Wheels within wheels" isn't a new thing though, attributable to a line in the Christian bible, and used more recently and arguably famously by Frank Herbert in Dune to describe plots and intrigues.
Everyone is reading way more into this than I am I suppose. I'd be surprised if Colorado didn't pick Larsson myself.
Agreed Uni.Unless the Oilers pull a surprise and take him,Larsson is going to Colorado.
ReplyDeleteIts tough to see the Av's taking the only guy they slagged in the promo video. Maybe they could make a crack about him needing to decide whether he wants to spend time on the El Cid softball team. That will get their fans excited.
ReplyDeletetest
ReplyDeleteUnlike the vast majority of people on this site, I have actually watched Ryan Strome play. On the bright side, he is a wonderful player blessed with tremendous offensive talent, and the defence will come with time. Ryan is also a very good skater. The problem that I have with this player is what happened in the OHL playoffs. Specifically, I am talking about Niagara's series against Mississauga. If you ask ANY Ice Dogs fan "what did Strome do in that series?" The answer will be "ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!" In other words, he seems to disappear when faced with a tough checking defensive team. By contrast, Taylor Hall had a great series last year against the same defensive minded team. Moreover, even Huberdeau played very well in this year's Memorial Cup against St. Mike's.
ReplyDeleteThe point here is, one MAJOR thing that needs to be looked at (when drafting a player) is evaluating how well a player does against tough competition. Any skilled player can get 3-4 points against a team like Belleville or Peterborough (from this past season), but not every skilled player can still excel vs. the better teams.
Having said that, I compare Strome to a more talented version of Jarret Stoll. Not as strong or as good defensively, but much better offensive upside. I still like Strome, no question. The thing is, he needs to be on the right team that will bring him along slowly with the right system to complement his game.
Good points, Rob. Cherry picking helped create Rob Schremp.
ReplyDeleteDeadman
ReplyDeleteDisinformation as a tactic has been used as a tactic for a very long time militarily. It was used by the Allies in WWII at the Normandy invasion: with Patton, the phony first Army Group and the "real crossing" at Calais. It is done deliberately because if it works.Its goal is to cause your opponent to pause before acting.
If Colorado thinks any of the prospects are better than RNH it increases the likelihood their pick is available to reaffirm what the Oilers are already thinking.
We will definitely know disinformation is the play when Florida posts a video of their scouts touting the RNH as the best vision in the Dub since Rob Browns 212 pt season and Landeskog the reincarnation of Cam Neely and they project him to score 30 in his draft year
This isn't a conspiracy: there is no way another group of professional scouts employed by an NHL team are going to be influenced by a video from another scouting department, especially this late in the game.
ReplyDeleteThey aren't taking Couter, or Larsson. Colorado will select Landeskog with the 2nd overall pick:
They don't need a #1 centre, they have Stastny
They don't need a #1 dman in the making, that's why they picked up Erik Johnson.
To acquire Johnson they gave up a really good young powerforward in Chris Stewart, whom Landeskog would effectively replace.
All signs point to Landeskog.
Cam
ReplyDeleteAgree with you all signs point to GL but SpOILer had an interesting comment that Colorado could draft a center and try the Pittsburgh Crosby/Malkin/Staal triumvirate at centre. If they believe Landeskog CAN score, and they said so in meeting, he will be a great addition
Do not believe video would change StuM mind, might reinforce their mindset
Didn't we chose Abney because the others wanted him?
ReplyDelete@FPB: No, I think "we" chose Abney because "we" wanted him.
ReplyDelete