He's 6.04, 202, has a January birthday and comes from West Van. Shoots left (I know) and has all the tools.
- The Scouting Report: Reinhart has to be considered more of a project than Murray, as he is a raw talent – but the big defenseman certainly has all of the necessary tools at his disposal. With NHL size, Reinhart would benefit most in his expanded role with the Oil Kings this year by using that size to his advantage, and showing that he is capable of being a physical presence. Reinhart is a good skater for a player of his stature, he is also an above average puck mover from the backend, and has a strong shot from the blueline.
- He can fight too.
- dobber hockey: Meet the potential Shea Weber-clone. Griffin has a full tool box of skills that scouts are looking for in today’s NHL defensemen - he has the size (6’4”, 210 lbs), is a good skater, his shot is cannon-like, and he plays the game with a whole lot of nastiness. Griffin is the son of former NHLer Paul Reinhart who had a successful 11-year career with Atlanta, Calgary and Vancouver and it is looking as though some of his skills are rubbing off on his children (Max, 19, and Sam, 16, are also excellent hockey players). Griffin needs to improve on some of the defensive aspects of his game including positioning and gap control but his total package of size and skill is impossible to teach. The West Vancouver native is one of the many WHL defensemen to keep an eye out as it looks that he will become a top 10 draft pick.
Adding Reinhart to the group that includes Petry, Marincin, Klefbom, Teubert, Blain, Davidson, Gernat and Simpson would look very good. The Oilers blue prospects are well behind the forwards, but adding Reinhart at the 2012 draft makes a lot of sense.
A "Shea Weber clone" is exactly what this team needs, seeing as it's unlikely Weber will be coming here.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of top defensive prospects for next year's draft, I find the scouting reports I have read about Ryan Murray incredibly intriguing. I haven't see him play yet, but it sounds like he could be a Scott Niedermayer in the making. Anyone who has seen him agree with that?
LT
ReplyDeleteDo you see a top pairing guy in the group of young Oilers you refer to in your Reinhart article.? Paul Reinhart was definitely a top pairing guy but he is a little long in the tooth
TOJ: Too soon to know. Petry, Marincin and Klefbom probably have a chance.
ReplyDeleteWow, talking about the 2012 prospect list before we've hit September 1st, 2011. Doesn't this usually wait for December or thereabouts?
ReplyDeleteOr is the defense/goaltending situation THAT bleak?
catippin: Feline equivalent of cow tipping.
I am hopeful that Petry, Klefbom, Musil, Teubert, Plante, etc have good seasons, so that adding a D in the first round of 2012 might tend to make less sense for the Oilers. I don't agree that the Oilers need a D more than a F at this point.
ReplyDeletespeeds: Do you see any real chance the Oilers pick a forward next season in the first round?
ReplyDeleteOn an abrupt change of subject, looks like we're going to have more opportunities than ever to be Stempniaked next year.
ReplyDeleteI remember the expansion Oil Kings were the opposite. Shit-awful team, but fantastic goaltending from Alex Archibald that kept them in a lot of games longer than they deserved. Finished the year with a .915 save percentage, and while that may have been inflated a touch by the 34.3 SA/60 the team gave up, I'd bet they conceded a lot more scoring chances than average, too.
ReplyDeleteNice to see that team making progress. Theoretically, they're division rivals, but until last year, they were punching bags, so I can't really get upset about them succeeding just yet.
LT:
ReplyDeleteToo early to say. Given the projected depth in D in the 2012 top 15, there's probably a pretty good chance they take one relative to a normal year.
speeds: What area up front do you think needs to be addressed?
ReplyDeleteLooking ahead to the 2012 draft, I find it less likely that the Oilers pick a forward--unless they have a chance to grab Nail Yakupov. Given Reckhab and our d corps, it might be a possibility.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is really any position that "needs" improvement, but you can't have enough scoring forwards.
ReplyDeleteRight now the top 5 F prospects are probably RNH, Lander, Hartikainen, Hamilton, Pitlick. The top 5 D prospects are Petry, Klefbom, Marincin, Musil, and Teubert.
Yes, the Oilers have Hall etc in the NHL, but they are already in the NHL. They'll improve (hopefully), but they are already taking up a roster spot. In terms of actual prospects, the Oilers aren't nearly as forward heavy as some think, IMO.
I trust that Stu will take the BPA, like he should in the first round.
ReplyDeleteSpeeds
ReplyDeleteCan never have enough F but not sure we have a top pairing D man in the system.
Petry may develop but is going to be 24 this year. Klefbon may not score much. Marincin is very interesting but a project. So if I had a shot at a top D next June, I take one
Given what happened to Fowler two years ago and to a lesser extent Larson last year, it seems to me the Oilers fans can have their cake and eat it to. Hopefully a bottom 25-20 finish, which is to say a vast improvement over last year, but not so good that we don't still get an excellent player.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I am reading about Murray, he sounds a lot more like Lidstrom than Larson ever did. Half Lidstrom half Niedermayer, I'll take that!
And, I bet we could get him around 5th overall, after the three Russians and the unknown Huberdeau/PAtrick Kane of 2012...25th is where I hope we finish.
What area up front do you think needs to be addressed?
ReplyDelete@LT: Coke machine. ;)
TOJ:
ReplyDeleteIt's not easy to tell who will or won't be a "top pairing D" - I'm not saying that I expect Klefbom or Marincin to end up as a top pairing D, but given the way D can develop, who knows?
That said, I'm not sure about the premise that a team needs a "top pairing D" - obviously it's good to have as many great players as possible, but is it worth having a top pairing D at the expense of a first line F, even if you already think you have a couple?
If we're picking top 3, I think there's a pretty good chance we're taking a forward. Other than that, I'd say odds are we're taking a Dman, assuming they don't all go early and everyone develops this year as expected. Which won't happen.
ReplyDelete