Annual expectations thread 2022/23: #77 JJ Peterka

[dudacek]

Seth Appert likes to point out that JJ Peterka had just 3 goals at Christmas time. My favourite Peterka numbers are 7/5/12, as in the numbers he had in just 10 playoff games.

Peterka had an historic season for the Amerks — the third most productive AHL season by a U20 player ever. But even more impressive than his overall numbers was the meteoric rise that his game took during his first year in North America, starting as a promising but raw 2nd-round rookie and finishing as perhaps the best player on the ice.

https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=226507

Despite overwhelming numbers that seem to indicate he’s done all he needs to do in Rochester, fandom seems mixed as to whether Peterka will or should be a Sabre.

It’s not a size issue, not after he took a brutal pounding from Utica and Belleville without missing a stride. Besides he’s an explosive, powerful skater with a squat 190-pound hockey player’s frame. And it’s probably not a defence issue, not after listening to Mike Peca extol the virtues of his two-way growth during development camp.

It’s more a numbers game, where some don’t see a top 6 role for him and don’t want him in the NHL if he’s not being used in that manner.

What do you expect from JJ Peterka?

[Pimlach]

I think he plays quite a bit in the NHL this year and he gets better along the way and finishes strong.  
 

I’ll go with #2 and will add that if he gets 15 goals that will be a big plus.  

[Taro T]

With his skipping the prospects challenge expect he's penciled into the top 12 & it'll take a really bad camp to start the year in Ra-cha-cha.  Prior to that thought Sheahan would be penciled in as the 4C & his being among the skaters dressing nightly would bump Peterka out of the top 12 & into the lead scoring role in Ra-cha-cha out of the gate waiting for the 1st injury to become an NHL full-timer.

Still have his 2 games in Buffalo etched into the memory more than that fantastic playoff run which caused the expectation that it'll take him some time to really dial in.  But do expect he'll give Quinn a good run for Sabres 2nd best rookie.  Also expect him & Quinn stealing votes from each other for end of the year awards.

Also expect him to become nearly as popular as Cozens before the season is over.  He's fun to watch.

[French Collection]

I think he is one of the 12 best forwards on the Sabres. Where DG slots him in will affect his production. I am not opposed to a kid line of Quinn, Krebs and Peterka given some nice matchups.

I took option #2 which would really boost secondary scoring.

[LGR4GM]

JJP will start a little slow but by the end we won't have any doubts. Even if he gets sent back to Rochester for 1 more year, there is a bonafide NHL player in the making here. 

[dudacek]

I think the fan base loves JJ but is still underrating him a tad.

My lasting impression of JJP was his playoff dominance. He was so good against a couple nasty teams.

He is such a strong, explosive skater, his hands and vision are very good and he competes hard.

He has all the elements, including the intangibles, to be a legitimate first-line NHL winger. His ceiling is as good as any forward in the organization.

For this team to become a true contender someone will have elevate beyond their hype like Bergeron and Kucherov did. JJ’s our best bet to be that player.

I think he makes the team and is a making an impact by the end of the season.

[French Collection]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

I think the fan base loves JJ but is still underrating him a tad.

My lasting impression of JJP was his playoff dominance. He was so good against a couple nasty teams.

He is such a strong, explosive skater, his hands and vision are very good and he competes hard.

He has all the elements, including the intangibles, to be a legitimate first-line NHL winger. His ceiling is as good as any forward in the organization.

For this team to become a true contender someone will have elevate beyond their hype like Bergeron and Kucherov did. JJ’s our best bet to be that player.

I think he makes the team and is a making an impact by the end of the season.

That is an optimistic view and I like it.

JJ’s development path took an upward arc last year and I want to see him have success at the next level. If this 2nd rounder becomes a top six forward that is another feather in the scouting/analytics cap.

Some posts want him to go back to Rochester but I don’t think there is much for him to learn there.

[DarthEbriate]

JJP is the final cut of the preseason simply because Quinn finds more open space and seams for quality scoring chances in the preseason games. Get him the PP/PK/1st line minutes, not 4th line action, especially during the initial western Canada road trip to start the season (where Sheahan's size and experience and faceoff potential are useful). JJP heads back to Rochester and dominates. He and Kozak score multiple shorties. He's the first injury callup at forward and never wears an Amerks uniform again.

JJP appears in 64 Sabres games, going 9-16-25, with 4 goals appearing in a single hot week. His scoring appears streaky, but all around play gets better and better. One of the goals is a SHG.

[Flashsabre]

6 hours ago, dudacek said:

I think the fan base loves JJ but is still underrating him a tad.

My lasting impression of JJP was his playoff dominance. He was so good against a couple nasty teams.

He is such a strong, explosive skater, his hands and vision are very good and he competes hard.

He has all the elements, including the intangibles, to be a legitimate first-line NHL winger. His ceiling is as good as any forward in the organization.

For this team to become a true contender someone will have elevate beyond their hype like Bergeron and Kucherov did. JJ’s our best bet to be that player.

I think he makes the team and is a making an impact by the end of the season.

I agree. I think he is an impact NHLer before it is said and done. Such a package of explosiveness and tenacity.

[dudacek]

Quotes from Donnie on Quinn and Peterka:

“I don’t think about them showing me they’re ready…they’ve earned the right, we know them, these are guys that are going to help us. We know they are going to help us.”

“Where they’re at in the process, that’s what we need to evaluate.”

”We want them to be in our lineup.”

Sounds to me like there’s a pretty wide landing pad.

Edited September 23, 2022 by dudacek

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

 

Sounds to me like there’s a pretty wide landing pad.

Sounds to me that they are written into the Sabres lineup in ink.

[Huckleberry]

I have him 20+20 more 🙂

[nfreeman]

Well, JJP looked really good last night, innit?

He played 16 shifts in just under 12 minutes, all 5-on-5, and was tied for 2nd among forwards with 4 shots.

More importantly, he and Cozens dominated most of their shifts with speed, range and forechecking, although they probably benefited from weaker matchups (not sure if that data is posted anywhere).  Krebsie turned it over too many times, but he seemed pretty capable on that line as well.

Suddenly I'm feeling pretty confident about JJP being a real contributor this year.