2019-20 Sabres Prospects

[Randall Flagg]

I would be inclined to want to try him on his off wing (and thus on Jack's line) - does anyone know if he played there in Roch and how it worked?

[TrueBlueGED]

@Randall Flagg Seeing you so wildly optimistic about a Sabres prospect is just weird. Unusual, but in a good way. 

[Randall Flagg]

Just now, TrueBlueGED said:

@Randall Flagg Seeing you so wildly optimistic about a Sabres prospect is just weird. Unusual, but in a good way. 

I just like good hockey players my guy 

And Vicky O is a really good hockey player 

[dudacek]

30 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

His first "holy *****" play for me:

And assists are easier to get than goals

But you may be right that his stat line will get dominated by goals

Just checked his rochester stat sheet: 66 games, 30 goals, 33 assists

Great feed. Being me, I also have to point out the terrific stick and body position on the zone exit by 23 to set it all up. 

But 2ndary assists mean nothing right?

26 minutes ago, WildCard said:

Will Krueger let the inexperienced NHL guys get significant ice time? I hope so 

Edmonton fans say he was notably generous with ice time to the kids and very common sense with player usage in general.

I don’t recall another fanbase ever saying the latter about any coach ever.

[Randall Flagg]

6 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Great feed. Being me, I also have to point out the terrific stick and body position on the zone exit by 23 to set it all up. 

But 2ndary assists mean nothing right?

Edmonton fans say he was notably generous with ice time to the kids and very common sense with player usage in general.

I don’t recall another fanbase ever saying the latter about any coach ever.

Sam did have the best play of the three there, in typical Sam fashion. (Quietly, unheralded) 

[TrueBlueGED]

33 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Great feed. Being me, I also have to point out the terrific stick and body position on the zone exit by 23 to set it all up. 

But 2ndary assists mean nothing right?

Edmonton fans say he was notably generous with ice time to the kids and very common sense with player usage in general.

I don’t recall another fanbase ever saying the latter about any coach ever.

Said nobody ever. I'm sad that your love of Samson pushed you to an uncharacteristic strawman. 

[Curt]

Glad to see all the optimism regarding Olofsson.  I guess that’s what happens when a guy gets dropped in our laps at 23 years old and truly NHL ready.  I also have a lot of hope for him this coming season.

Just a reminder to everyone.  Olofsson is about 2.5 years older than Nylander, Thompson, and Asplund.  Two and three years ago in the SHL, Olofsson produced points at a rate similar to what Nylander and Asplund did in the AHL this past season. He “broke out” and scored a bunch of goals in his age 22 season.  Just keep in mind that these guys are still developing until ages 23-24-25.  20-21 is still quite young.  Remain patient.

[dudacek]

33 minutes ago, TrueBlueGED said:

Said nobody ever. I'm sad that your love of Samson pushed you to an uncharacteristic strawman. 

It was mostly a sarcastic reference to recent things I’ve been reading about Dahlin not being that great because he piled up so many 2ndary assists (many of them on great breakouts like that)

[Thorner]

2 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

30-31-61

That would be great.

I'm optimistic on him too but it'll depend where he plays. I'll say 20-21-41 and I'd be ecstatic with that. 

Edited June 28, 2019 by Thorny

[Taro T]

11 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

I think Olofsson is going to be so good 

Yep.

11 hours ago, WildCard said:

25-17-42 for him next year calling it now 

So, you're expecting Mittelstadt as his C.

11 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

30-31-61

So, you've got Eichel as his pivot.

[WildCard]

13 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

I would be inclined to want to try him on his off wing (and thus on Jack's line) - does anyone know if he played there in Roch and how it worked?

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

Except that great pass to Jack was on the RW.  I believe he also played some RW for the Sabres in his late season tryout.

[WildCard]

Just now, GASabresIUFAN said:

Except that great pass to Jack was on the RW.  I believe he also played some RW for the Sabres in his late season tryout.

Sam was on the ice for that, so he was likely playing LW, and was just over on the right side of the ice to get the puck

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Maybe Victor could play the time honoured position that I used to play when I was not on the 7th D pairing ... rover.  Yup.  I was all over the place, but generally just chasing the puck.

[dudacek]

“That is one big, big boy...and he can skate!” -Craig Rivet on Mattias Samuelsson.

Steve Greeley identified him as the prospect he’s most anxious to see at development camp, mentioned he put on 12 pounds since last year. 

Kid is 19 but he looks like he’s 26.

[GASabresIUFAN]

3 minutes ago, dudacek said:

“That is one big, big boy...and he can skate!” -Craig Rivet on Mattias Samuelsson.

Steve Greeley identified him as the prospect he’s most anxious to see at development camp, mentioned he put on 12 pounds since last year. 

Kid is 19 but he looks like he’s 26.

If develops into a faster version of his Dad we are going to have a great D for a long-time.  Let’s hope.

[WildCard]

@GASabresIUFAN If we're being honest I'm a little disappointed your new avatar isn't a picture of Krueger striking a similar pose as Housley was in your previous one

[nfreeman]

15 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

I think Olofsson is going to be so good 

 

15 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

30-31-61

Let the record reflect that Dr. Fancystats is putting his credibility behind #vickeo (and also, I believe, behind a failure prediction for TT -- but please correct me if I'm wrong on that).

I sure hope you're right about Olofsson.  The Sabres need one (really more like 2 or 3) of these prospects to step up and contribute.

[Randall Flagg]

8 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

 

Let the record reflect that Dr. Fancystats is putting his credibility behind #vickeo (and also, I believe, behind a failure prediction for TT -- but please correct me if I'm wrong on that).

I sure hope you're right about Olofsson.  The Sabres need one (really more like 2 or 3) of these prospects to step up and contribute.

I wouldn't go that far. 

-> I believe Olofsson has very good hockey sense, perfectly acceptable skating, and combined with the best shot in the organization, will put it together and be a fixture for years. This has nothing to do with any fancy stats of his, which I've never seen.
-> I believe Tage Thompson was dreadful last year, and did every step of the way once I saw him play in more than a couple of games. This later bore out in fancy stats. AND regular ones. He simply wasn't ready, and couldn't think quick enough to be an effective NHLer. However, this doesn't guarantee that he'll fail this year or always. We'll have to watch him and see if he's developed. This is why he appeared in the list of prospects of which I believe two will break out and become full-time good NHL players. It was something like Mitts, Olofsson, Tage, Nylander, Pilut, Borgen. Though I think the others (besides Borgen) have higher odds for this coming season.

Edited June 28, 2019 by Randall Flagg

[Randall Flagg]

Besides I already lost my credibility when I said Sheary's acquisition would be just as good if not better than Skinner's 

[GASabresIUFAN]

3 hours ago, WildCard said:

@GASabresIUFAN If we're being honest I'm a little disappointed your new avatar isn't a picture of Krueger striking a similar pose as Housley was in your previous one

Lol.

It’s a placeholder until I figure out what direction Jbot is going to take us this summer. I was going for the hope that the 80’s olympic team gave everyone.

[Hoss]

Okay, I'm sitting down and making a run at my rankings. It was a tie one whether or not we should include Tage. I'm not going to include him. Next vote on Tage will decide whether or not he should be included in the voting we do later on.

I'm going to rate each prospect's NHL potential and each prospect's chances of making it full-time to the NHL on a scale of 1-10.

I'll also say what I think they end up us vs what I think their ceiling is (i.e. top-six winger, 2nd line center, starting goalie and so forth).

1. Dylan Cozens, C.

NHL Potential: 9

Full-time chances: 7

Arrival: 2020-21

I think his ceiling is definitely first-line material but I see him settling into a goal-scoring number two center which will be the perfect compliment to Eichel's playmaking on line one.

2. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G.

NHL Potential: 10

Full-time chances: 5

Arrival: 2021-22

This kid could be a franchise-changing goalie. He transformed into a goalie in full control of his movement and still displays the ability to cover all areas. I think he's our long-term answer in net.

3. Victor Olofsson, LW.

NHL Potential: 10

Full-time chances: 6

Arrival: Immediate

Olofsson has shown all the ability to be an elite-goal scorer in the top six. That's what I'm expecting out of him at this point, and I think his skills translate to immediate success. There's still a chance he hits a wall, but I'm banking on that not happening.

4. Rasmus Asplund, C.

NHL Potential: 7

Full-time chances: 7

Arrival: 2020-21

Asplund might be able to sneak into the lineup this year, but I like the idea of giving him another full season in Rochester. I think he's got a relatively low ceiling all things considered, but I think his chances of reaching that ceiling are relatively good. He's going to be a middle-six center that you won't be afraid to slide up into the second line but ultimately anchors are rock solid third line.

5. Will Borgen, D.

NHL Potential: 6

Full-time chances: 6

Arrival: 2020-21

Borgen likely gets a solid shot at some point this season, but if the team can add to the D right away then I could see him staying down most of this season. He's been a pleasant surprise and I think he's going to be a guy you can rely on up and down your defensive lineup but ultimately steadies the bottom pairing.

6. Mattias Samuelsson, D.

NHL Potential: 8

Full-time chances: 5

Arrival: 2021-22

I think he's very unfairly been put into a corner by Sabres fans already. I don't think many people will have him this high (and definitely not higher than Johnson), but I think he's a step ahead in development compared to Johnson. I have a quiet confidence that Samuelsson will be a 12-year NHL defenseman when all is said and done. He's going to sit on the second pairing and never move off it. A huge body that will clear the front of the net and, hopefully, develop an ability to move the puck to safety when needed.

7. Ryan Johnson, D.

NHL Potential: 7

Full-time chances: 5

Arrival: 2021-22

I'm still trying to get a feel for who Johnson is, but I think the idea is similar to Samuelsson with a steady defenseman who allows the high-skill guys like Montour and Dahlin to play their games while locking down late game. I don't think he's got a ton of offensive upside.

8. Alex Nylander, RW.

NHL Potential: 8

Full-time chances: 5

Arrival: Immediate

As much as I think labeling him a bust already is silly, I think we're getting to make-or-break time for him. He could benefit from some new voices in his ear, but he also made a decent amount of progress last season. He should probably be expected to be on the roster this season. His ceiling is as high as any forward not named Cozens or Olofsson in the system. I don't know if I see him actually making sense of the NHL game, but I'm higher than most on him still.

9. Marcus Davidsson, C.

NHL Potential: 7

Full-time chances: 4

Arrival: 2021-22

Davidsson is going to get a HUGE opportunity overseas this season. He's going to be anchoring a top line in a man's league. If he shows up and performs his name shoots up this list. His ceiling appears to be a second-line center who might actually be perfect on Cozens' wing as a distributor who can also camp in front of the net and clean up/tip shots. His defensive abilities might be his best asset.

10. Lawrence Pilut, D.

NHL Potential: 7

Full-time chances: 6

Arrival: Immediate

If I'm being honest this is probably a bit of disrespect for a guy who was a star in the AHL. He showed flashes in the NHL but the game was still overwhelming to him, so he's going to need to figure that out. He's already figured out the AHL so his development might be best served with more NHL ice time. A high-skill defenseman who could benefit from a long-term pairing with guys like Johnson or Samuelsson.

11. Oskari Laaksonen, D.

NHL Potential: 8

Full-time chances: 4

Arrival: 2021-22

Everyone who has watched him closely has raved about the jumps his game has made with added offensive abilities to a confident game. I think he's got a high ceiling but remains a long-shot to actually put it all together in the NHL. I hope to see him make his way to Rochester sooner rather than later.

12. Arttu Ruotsalainen, C/LW.

NHL Potential: 7

Full-time chances: 6

Arrival: Immediate

I think the team plans to have him playing in the NHL immediately but I think the leash will be short, unlike guys like Thompson and Mittelstadt. He already produced in a men's league and is only 21, so he might be ready to do the same at an NHL level. If he's a legit NHL player it chances the complexion of this team's future.

 

I think the remaining names are all major long shots, but I still like some of the names. Best of the rest:

13. Aaron Huglen

14. Metaj Pekar

15. Erik Portillo

[...]

32 minutes ago, Hoss said:

Okay, I'm sitting down....

Hmmm.  Without Tage, even, you make it seem like the pipeline is stocked pretty well.  

[dudacek]

43 minutes ago, Hoss said:

Okay, I'm sitting down and making a run at my rankings. It was a tie one whether or not we should include Tage. I'm not going to include him. Next vote on Tage will decide whether or not he should be included in the voting we do later on.

I'm going to rate each prospect's NHL potential and each prospect's chances of making it full-time to the NHL on a scale of 1-10.

I'll also say what I think they end up us vs what I think their ceiling is (i.e. top-six winger, 2nd line center, starting goalie and so forth).

 

I very much like the takes and I mostly like the order.

Olofsson does not have a 10 ceiling, Borgen is too high (I like him, but I'd put him around Laaksonen) and I have no sense of Ruotsolainen yet but anything else would be quibbling. I like Bryson as a longshot with a shot.

Edited June 28, 2019 by dudacek

[phil_soisson]

If you watch the video of Ralph Krueger addressing prospects, check out the shoulders on Victor Olofsson and Jacob Bryson;  they stand out! No wonder Olofsson has a "blink of the eye" release.