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2013-14 Prospect Thread


thefiestygoat

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I don't know if this has ever been brought up, but I read somewhere that the youngest Zajac is as good as Travis, if not better (but he's a defenseman). He also apparently hasn't been drafted. Was the talk of him being the best of the four just bullsh!t? Anyone have any idea?

Travis is without a doubt the best of the bunch by a decent margin. Nolan Zajac is 21 and playing D as a sophomore for the University of Denver. Their father Tom actually played for Denver from 1973-76. Nolan isn't that big, 5'11, 180 lbs. and his stats suggests he's a bit of an offensive D, or at least has that aspect in his game. 6 goals, 20 assists in 37 games as a freshman, now he has 2 goals, 13 assists in 26 games this season.

I haven't seen him play but I imagine he will spend the full 4 years at Denver and then try to catch on somewhere in the AHL like Darcy and Kelly did. It's a bit puzzling why the Devils gave Darcy a NHL contract last summer. Kelly is having a solid year for Albany and I could see the Devils giving him a NHL contract this summer.

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Wednesday 2/5
QMJHL
Gatineau defeated Sherbrooke 7-2
Anthony Brodeur G: 15 Saves on 17 Shots
Season: 24 GP 11-11-0, 3.01 GAA, .885 SV%, 1 SO

WHL
Kelowna defeated Red Deer 4-3
Damon Severson D: Assist, +2, 2 PIM (Roughing)
Season: 46 GP 12-31-43, +32, 32 PIM

Myles Bell RW: Assist, E
Season: 51 GP 35-27-62, +23, 38 PIM

-- Bell has 6 goals and 4 assists in his last 3 games.

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Thursday 2/6
Euro Ice Hockey Challenge - Gdansk 2014
Belarus defeated Hungary 2-1
Artur Gavrus F: E, 1 Shot

OHL
Windsor defeated Sault Ste. Marie 4-3
Ben Johnson LW: Goal, +1
Season: 42 GP 20-15-35, +18, 20 PIM

-- Johnson has 3 goals and 4 assists in his last 5 games after a streak of just 1 assist in 6 games.

North Bay defeated Sudbury 2-0
Ben Thomson LW: Assist, +1* 3rd Star
Season: 39 GP 18-14-32, +7, 68 PIM

Kingston defeated Barrie 10-6
Ryan Kujawinski C: DNP (Right Hand)
Season: 35 GP 16-13-29, E, 27 PIM

 

https://twitter.com/Craig_Ripley/status/431621458645614593

 

"Frontenac's fwd Ryan Kujawinski said he is still a couple weeks away. Still has a cast on his right hand."

NCAA
Wisconsin defeated Minnesota 2-1
Joe Faust D: E, 2 Shots, 1 Block
Season: 25 GP 2-10-12, +9, 6 PIM, 9.09 SH%, 0.88 SH/GP

Edited by thefiestygoat
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Friday 2/7
Euro Ice Hockey Challenge - Gdansk 2014
Belarus lost to Italy 2-1
Artur Gavrus F: E, 3 Shots

QMJHL
Gatineau defeated Cape Breton 4-0
Anthony Brodeur G: DNP

OHL
Windsor lost to Mississauga 3-2
Ben Johnson LW: Assist, +1

-- Johnson has 3 goals and 5 assists in his last 6 games.

Kingston defeated Peterborough 7-6 (SO)
Ryan Kujawinski C: DNP (Right Hand Injury)

WHL
Swift Current lost to Brandon 8-1
Graham Black C: Goal (PP), -1

Kelowna lost to Edmonton 3-2 (SO)
Damon Severson D: Assist (PP), E, Stopped in SO
Myles Bell RW: Goal (PP), E, 2 PIM (Slashing), Stopped in SO

-- Severson has a goal and 5 assists in his last 5 games. Bell has 7 goals and 4 assists in his last 4 games.

NCAA
Wisconsin defeated Minnesota 2-1
Joe Faust D: E, 1 Block

Ohio State tied Michigan State 2-2
Curtis Gedig D: Assist, -1, 3 Shots

North Dakota defeated Nebraska Omaha 4-2
Derek Rodwell RW: E, 2 Shots, 1/1 Faceoff

Miami lost to Western Michigan 5-2
Blake Coleman C: DNP (Collarbone Injury)

Michigan Tech defeated Alabama Huntsville 4-1
Blake Pietila LW: 2 Goals (1 PP), +1, 7 Shots, 10/19 Faceoffs

-- Pietila has 3 goals and 5 assists in his last 5 games.

Boston College defeated Merrimack 6-1
Steve Santini D: +2, 1 Block

Harvard defeated Dartmouth 3-0
Alex Kerfoot F: DNP (Injured)

-- Apparently Kerfoot had his head slammed into the boards in Harvard's game against Northeastern on Monday. I guess that's why he didn't play tonight. Hopefully he is ok, missed most of last year with a shoulder injury.
 

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How far along are Pietila, Severson, and Bell? I would assume Pietila and Severson are sooner rather than later with the extended look Severson got in camp and Pietila appears looks like he's being groomed for a John Madden role from what I've heard but I know virtually nothing about Bell other than he's a converted D.

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I know from talking to MacIsaac that he isn't too high on Bell, but I think he's only seen him in one or two games.  I never trust guys who tear up junior as overagers - it's nice that he is doing that, but I could see him coming into Albany and scoring 15 goals per 80 games, which would mean he's 99% to not be an NHLer.  We'll see - from the way MacIsaac talks about him, he's another Michael Ryder sort.

 

Pietila is having a rough year, they need to get him into the pros immediately - his college team switched conferences and he's playing against weaker competition now.

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While Bell's skating, positioning and overall play with the puck must improve, his shot would be a 70 already. It is near elite (both slap and snap), Pietila still passed every eye test at the WJC, his skating, shot and defense will fit in nicely with the likes of Mike Silso.

Edited by Jas0nMacIsaac
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Even Strength CHL Scoring

 

Graham Black ES - 52 GAMES 16 GOALS, 31 ASSISTS, 47 POINTS
Ben Johnson ES - 43 GAMES 16 GOALS, 16 ASSISTS, 31 POINTS
Ryan Kujawinski ES - 35 GAMES, 10 GOALS, 9 ASSISTS, 19 POINTS
Damon Seversen ES - 47 GAMES, 7 GOALS, 20 ASSISTS, 27 POINTS
Myles Bell ES - 52 GAMES, 28 GOALS, 16 ASSISTS, 44 POINTS

Ben Thomson ES - 39 GAMES, 11 GOALS, 12 ASSISTS, 23 POINTS

Edited by Jas0nMacIsaac
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How far along are Pietila, Severson, and Bell? I would assume Pietila and Severson are sooner rather than later with the extended look Severson got in camp and Pietila appears looks like he's being groomed for a John Madden role from what I've heard but I know virtually nothing about Bell other than he's a converted D.

I'm happy to see Pietila putting up points lately after a real rocky start. Seemed like his SH% was abnormally low (in the 3%ish range) for most of the year. Michigan Tech is only 44th out of 59 teams in goals per game so I'm not sure how much talent he has had around him. He did benefit this weekend from playing against WCHA newcomer Alabama Huntsville so the quality of competition isn't good as triumph noted, but still nice to see the points coming for him.

Tonight he had 2 goals and 2 assists to give him 5 goals and 7 assists in his last 6 games. It seems like he's being used as a C this year and he seems to do well at faceoffs. I haven't tallied his most recent games up but he was above 60% after 25 games.

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Saturday 2/8
Euro Ice Hockey Challenge - Gdansk 2014
Belarus lost to Poland 4-2
Artur Gavrus F: -1, 4 Shots

OHL
North Bay lost to Plymouth 5-1
Ben Thomson LW: Goal, +1, 2 PIM (Roughing)

WHL
Swift Current defeated Moose Jaw 6-3
Graham Black C: Goal, 3 Assists (1 SH, 1 PP), +2* 2nd Star

Kelowna lost to Victoria 6-4
Damon Severson D: Assist, E, 6 PIM (Cross Checking, Interference, Roughing)* 3rd Star
Myles Bell RW: -2

-- Severson has an assist in each of his last 4 games.

NCAA
Ohio State tied Michigan State 2-2
Curtis Gedig D: +1, 2 Shots, 1 Block

North Dakota lost to Nebraska Omaha 6-3
Derek Rodwell RW: Goal, +1, 4 Shots, 0/1 Faceoff

Miami lost to Western Michigan 3-2
Blake Coleman C: DNP (Collarbone Injury)

-- Miami is 2-6-1 since Coleman's injury.

Michigan Tech defeated Alabama Huntsville 10-4
Blake Pietila F: 2 Goals (Both PP), 2 Assists, +2, 2 PIM (Roughing), 5 Shots, 14/22 Faceoffs

-- Pietila has 5 goals and 7 assists in his last 6 games.

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http://www.hockeyprospect.com/new-jersey-devils-prospects-david-conte/

 

Interview with David Conte, interesting views on some players. They had Severson ranked in the top 10 before the top prospects game.

Just had a chance to listen to this, really interesting interview. The Severson comment was really interesting and so far it seems like he's been rewarding them. A couple of other things I thought were interesting:

 

Apparently Kujawinski has been battling a groin injury on and off this season. Conte's comment about Doug Gilmour thinking highly of him seems like a nice sign.

Boucher's pro success aided by his "natural instincts, natural ability." They are also "exceptionally happy" with Scarlett's pro debut as well.

Mentioned Coleman's skating needs work but otherwise seemed complimentary of his game and progress as a two way player.

In my opinion, he didn't come off too committed in terms of Johnson getting a contract offer before the deadline. Praised certain aspects of his game but implied it hasn't come together, or at least as quickly as they would have liked to have seen.

I thought it was interesting when he spoke of how in general he feels prospects are getting micromanaged, even from a young age, and that they aren't necessarily being allowed to develop naturally anymore. Sort of like kids nowadays are being put into a cookie cutter one size fits all type of way of learning the game and not being encouraged to run with their natural talents. Just a trend he sees in the hockey world from the youth levels up.

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Sunday 2/9
QMJHL
Gatineau defeated Rouyn-Noranda 6-3
Anthony Brodeur G: DNP
Season: 24 GP 11-11-0, 3.01 GAA, .885 SV%, 1 SO

OHL
Windsor defeated North Bay 6-5
Ben Johnson LW: Goal (PP), E, 2 PIM (Slashing)
Season: 44 GP 21-16-37, +19, 22 PIM

-- Johnson has 4 goals and 5 assists in his last 7 games.

Ben Thomson LW: Goal, -1
Season: 41 GP 20-14-34, +7, 70 PIM

-- Thomson has 12 goals and 6 assists in his last 16 games.

Kingston defeated Sarnia 4-2
Ryan Kujawinski C: DNP (Right Hand Injury)
Season: 35 GP 16-13-29, E, 27 PIM

WHL
Swift Current defeated Brandon 3-0
Graham Black C: E
Season: 54 GP 28-45-73, +17, 37 PIM

-- Black is tied for 5th in the WHL in assists. He's the 3rd oldest player in the WHL according to EliteProspects but I'm willing to give him some leeway given the health issues he's had to overcome.
 

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Monday 2/10
NCAA
62nd Beanpot Championship
Boston College defeated Northeastern 4-1
Steve Santini D: +3, 6 Shots, 9 Blocks
Season: 24 GP 2-6-8, +26, 36 PIM, 7.69 SH%, 1.08 SH/GP, 47 Blocks

62nd Beanpot Consolation
Harvard defeated Boston University 6-2
Alex Kerfoot F: DNP (Injured)
Season: 18 GP 6-5-11, +3, 6 PIM, 20.0% SH%, 1.66 SH/GP

-- Injury Update from Josh Seguin: "Harvard's Alex Kerfoot was held out of the lineup for a second consecutive game. Precautionary measure, nothing major on him."

WHL
Kelowna defeated Seattle 7-3
Damon Severson D: 2 Assists (1 PP), +1
Season: 49 GP 12-35-47, +33, 38 PIM

-- Severson has 6 assists in his last 5 games. He is tied for 7th in D scoring in the WHL.

Myles Bell RW: Goal (PP), Assist (PP), E* 2nd Star
Season: 54 GP 37-28-65, +21, 40 PIM

-- Bell is 3rd in the WHL in goals.

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Obviously he's a ways away yet, but I'm really excited to see Santini if he continues to develop. He could be that super solid shutdown defenseman the Devils haven't had in ages (unless you count Salvador or Volchenkov, and if you do..well, we'll have to agree to disagree).

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Obviously he's a ways away yet, but I'm really excited to see Santini if he continues to develop. He could be that super solid shutdown defenseman the Devils haven't had in ages (unless you count Salvador or Volchenkov, and if you do..well, we'll have to agree to disagree).

 

I hope he becomes more than that because that role is slowly but surely disappearing from the NHL. 

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Wednesday 2/12
QMJHL
Gatineau defeated Saint John 4-2
Anthony Brodeur G: DNP
Season: 24 GP 11-11-0, 3.01 GAA, .885 SV%, 1 SO

WHL
Kelowna defeated Spokane 2-1
Damon Severson D: Assist, +1
Season: 50 GP 12-36-48, +34, 38 PIM

-- Severson has 7 assists in his last 6 games.

Myles Bell RW: Goal (PP), +1
Season: 55 GP 38-28-66, +22, 40 PIM

-- Bell has 9 goals and 5 assists in his last 7 games.

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Thursday 2/13

MHL

Dinamo-Shinnik defeated Yunost 3-0

Artur Gavrus C: 2 Goals (Both PP), E, 4 Shots, 11/19 Faceoffs

Season (MHL): 2 GP 2-0-2, -3, 0 PIM, 3.5 SH/GP, 28.6 SH%, 52.4 FO%

 

QMJHL

Gatineau lost to Halifax 5-1

Anthony Brodeur G: Stopped all 7 Shots in 24:04 of relief

Season: 25 GP 11-11-0, 2.95 GAA, .886 SV%, 1 SO

 

OHL

Windsor lost to North Bay 3-2

Ben Johnson LW: Assist, +1

Season: 45 GP 21-17-38, +20, 22 PIM

 

-- Johnson has an 8 game scoring streak: 4 goals and 6 assists. 

 

Ben Thomson LW: E, 4 PIM (Kneeing, Unsportsmanlike Conduct)

Season: 42 GP 20-14-34, +7, 74 PIM

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