Ranking Prospects Post-Matthews

[Coco-puffs]

LOL Craig Button.

Top 5 Leafs Prospects not in the NHL according to Button (in order):

Nielsen
Kapanen
Brooks
Grundstrom
Bracco

Link:  http://www.tsn.ca/who-are-the-best-players-not-skating-in-the-nhl-1.677389
It should be noted that Button tends to ignore most guys over 21, leaving the likes of Liepsic and Rychel out.

My take:  I don't see how anyone could put Nielsen ahead of Kapanen.  And, while its my own opinion, I'd have Dermott ahead of Nielsen too. 

For what's it worth, Bob McKenzie said Nielson is an intriguing prospect who might have a future as an offensive d-man, but it's his play without the puck that's concerning.  He also mentioned that Dermott might be the better of the two as a prospect though.

Nielsen certainly developed much more of an offensive game than expected since the day he was drafted- specifically on the PP where he has 19 of his 30 points this year.  Dermott's play without the puck is much further ahead too, and his offense is still good for a 20 yr old rookie AHL d-man- he has 10 pts 5-on-5 while Nielsen has 11 (in 13 more games).

 

[herman]

Korshkov is back from his broken leg, in time for the KHL playoffs.
https://streamable.com/hccxh #96 with the drag and tuck.

 

[Coco-puffs]

It should be noted that Button tends to ignore most guys over 21, leaving the likes of Liepsic and Rychel out.

At first I thought that this meant he had an age-cutoff in his criteria. But I noticed a couple of 22-23 year old guys on those lists. So not including Brendan Leipsic in the Leafs top-5 is pretty inexcusable.

Most of those 22/23 year olds are goalies and defensemen, which take longer to develop.  There are two forwards of that age on that list, and both of them only started their pro careers this year (after going the NCAA route).

I'm not sure about Leipsic.  He reminds me a bit of this guy (ie, a tweener):

http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/toronto-maple-leafs-prospects/2017/2/21/14663294/why-isnt-seth-griffith-in-the-nhl-toronto-marlies-toronto-maple-leafs

Then again, the Leafs prospect depth is no longer stellar with the graduates this year so maybe tweeners should be on that list.  Only Kapanen is to me, better than a 75% bet to be an NHLer.  Dermott I'd put around 50% (my money is on him being our 3rd pair LD in two years, but not a sure thing).  Everyone else, below the 50% mark. 

Guys like Korshkov, Brooks, and Bracco could be middle-six players- Grundstrom, Dzerikals, bottom six/energy but they are all still long shots.  Nielsen reminds me of Cody Franson- but he has a long way to go in the defensive end to just be barely adequate like Cody was.

Of the Marlies, Rychel, Johnsson, and Timashov had pretty poor starts to their Marlies careers, and other than Timashov, they are already at an age where they should be dominating the AHL if they expect to be NHLers- although it being Johnsson's first year here I won't make that judgement entirely just yet.  Its good to see all three of them coming on now though.

 

[herman]

Re: Rychel, Johnsson, and Timashov
They weren't really getting the minutes that befit their skill sets (or the centres), as Kapanen and Leipsic were on a tear. Their numbers being boosted coincides with the latter two's injuries and their new deployment.

On the Leafs' eventual 4-line team of skilled puck holders and movers, this is a good thing.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/JSportsnet/status/839630061116526593
www.twitter.com/JSportsnet/status/839630061116526593

 

[herman]

Monday Maple Leafs prospect report: Nicolas Mattinen
https://theathletic.com/46922/2017/03/27/monday-maple-leafs-prospect-report-nicolas-mattinen/

A really good look at one of the head scratcher pucks from the most recent draft. Mattinen has some really good tools to work with (skating, size, shot), so it'll be interesting to watch him develop.

 

[herman]

RHD Jesper Lindgren (2015 4th rd) has been signed to a Marlies ATO for their home stretch.

Who?
Here's a bit of context about the player

pre-draft scout reports:
a smooth skating offensive minded blueliner?more agile and fluid than a speedster?has impressive hockey sense and vision?makes some incredible high-end passes?not only hitting targets through skates and sticks but also finding open spots to head the puck?has a good hard shot that is has good placement?good defensively as well?while not a bruiser by any stretch physical play is solid, he never shies away from fighting along the boards?likes to use his body to separate the puck from the opponents in one on one situations?reads passes well and can step up to intercept before quickly transitioning the play?offensive puck moving is where he stands out most. [future considerations, december 2014]

possible first round sleeper who has come out of nowhere with eye-popping skating, skills and swashbuckling offensive skills. an aggressive offensive player you will jump up in pinches and fake defenders to him and place the puck to an opponent or simply freeze the defender and blow on by. incredibly cool and confident, with legs and moves that sometimes don?t work, but cause defenders to think about what they might encounter on the next touch. he has elusive puck control that isn?t going to ever stay back if he has an inkling he can make a play. his feet let him get back when the puck is turned over in transition. a bold gunslinger who needs to get stronger, bigger and continue to progress. displays karlsson-like attributes and seems on a quick developmental track to the first round if there is a team looking willing to take the chance to watch him progress. [bill placzek, draftsite.com]

jesper lindgren had a great year despite his terrible team, putting up 24 points [3g + 21a] in 50 gp as a 19 year old rd. that's good enough to be...
1st in u20 defensemen scoring
4th in u20 scoring
7th in defensemen scoring

 

[Coco-puffs]

Pierre Engvall was also added to the Marlies on a ATO:

https://theleafsnation.com/2017/04/12/toronto-marlies-sign-pierre-engvall-to-ato/

He's a winger, so I'm not sure if he'll see much ice-time considering the number of wingers on the Marlies roster.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I kind of forgot about Lindgren. His stats seem promising, although they're in the secondary league in Sweden (so weird that Modo got relegated) so it's tough to compare them to past players.

 

[herman]

I wouldn't mind them taking extra time with Engvall and Lindgren because I think they'll be useful depth at minimum.

Lindgren looks more promising of the two due to position and bearing all the skill markers that I'm looking for in defensemen. He narrowly missed out on making the WJC team of stacked defenders.

 

[Highlander]

I wouldn't mind them taking extra time with Engvall and Lindgren because I think they'll be useful depth at minimum.

Lindgren looks more promising of the two due to position and bearing all the skill markers that I'm looking for in defensemen. He narrowly missed out on making the WJC team of stacked defenders.

I know highlight reels make anyone look great, but Engvall is #3 in U21 scoring and is 6'4".  Looks like he has the scoring touch and skates straight up ice fast. He is certainly going to fill out to at least 220-230 and why not leave him in Sweden for another year and then a year or two with the Marlies.
Lindgren sounds like a bit of a Stralman clone, which works well in the Clone Wars.

 

[herman]

A passing remark by Lou has set the hype train going...
https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2017/05/03/travis-dermott-next-in-line-on-the-maple-leafs-blue-line/

Dermott progressed in an almost trial by fire, learning to adjust to the AHL pace and increased physicality of the AHL. His strength is a dynamic skating ability combined with heads up playmaking skill, and he exhibited those with timely, simple outlets and complicated stretch passes. Skating skills should allow for more rushing and puckhandling, however, he seemed to conform more to a team concept of moving the puck up ice, and supporting the rush when he could. Struggled initially with some of the AHL physicality at times, but learned to use escape maneuvers (good edges, timely passes and clear avoidance) and teammates as options to move the play along instead of absorbing physical play. Showcased his skillset enough to warrant a potential graduation to the Leafs in 2017-18. Player to watch.
? Scouting report by Gus Katsaros (@KatsHockey)

In the above scouting report submitted to MLHS, Gus Katsaros mentioned Dermott?s ability to adjust to the physical rigors of the AHL. Not the tallest defenceman, Dermott is sturdy (5?11, 215 pounds) and has surprised many opponents with his strength at a tender age, whether that?s winning battles along the boards, laying hits on bigger forwards, or dropping the gloves on two occasions. The physical maturity is there.

Dermott is a tank. A smart, maneuverable, patient tank.

 

[Kin]

Bracco just had a gorgeous assist to put Windsor up late.

 

[L K]

Bracco just had a gorgeous assist to put Windsor up late.

Somewhat of a disappointing OHL season from him but he has been great for Windsor in the Memorial Cup.

3G 5A P in 4 games

 

[herman]

Bracco finished the game with 1G 2A.

https://twitter.com/TLNdc/status/869012239688269825
www.twitter.com/TLNdc/status/869012239688269825

https://twitter.com/coreypronman/status/869010875730071555
www.twitter.com/coreypronman/status/869010875730071555

 

[herman]

http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/2017/5/28/15707860/leafs-prospect-jeremy-bracco-caps-off-perfect-season-with-memorial-cup

On the ice, Bracco was magic.

?He's just one of the best players I've played with,? said Mikhail Sergachev, Windsor's top defencemen, of his teammate.

[...]

It wasn't always easy though. Bracco cooled off after his trade from the Kitchener Rangers to the Spitfires at the OHL's deadline.

?When we first acquired him, he was two points a game,? said Spitfires general manager Warren Rychel, who became Bracco's billet father in Windsor. ?We had to adjust him and he was cheating a bit. And Bracco was great on the boards tonight. Bracco has been great.?

?Warren took me into his home with his family and I?m grateful for that,? Bracco noted.

The players struggled to adjust to Bracco's style too.

?To be honest with you, at first we couldn't do anything,? Sergachev said. ?We couldn't connect with him on the ice because he was just so much different. He?s another level of player. And now he played his best and our team played its best.?

That being said, I would trade Bracco for Sergachev in a heartbeat.
Cool that he lived with Kerby's family though.

 

[herman]

More Bracco:

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2017/05/29/leafs-links-barnaby-marek-gush-over-jeremy-bracco-after-first-star-performance-in-memorial-cup-win-offseason-gameplan/

Kitchener Rangers assistant coach Matthew Barnaby:

We had to make that decision to trade Jeremy and give him that opportunity to help a team win. There were a lot of teams that were looking for his services, trust me. He?s the best passer in the CHL in junior hockey, bar none, and no one is even close. When he opens up into his 10-2, his skill level is off the charts.

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/869002089375989760
www.twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/869002089375989760

At the beginning of the clip on this Memorial Cup winning goal, you can see Bracco freezing the defender with his 10-2 skating (also called heel-to-heel, Mohawk, or spread eagle turning | video).

Jeff Marek explains:

Such a highly-skilled player. You look at that goal that ended up being the game winner. He starts off that mohawk style skating around the blue line, and no one does it better in the CHL than Jeremy Bracco. He may be the most creatively gifted playmaker in the entire CHL, with all due respect to Mathew Barzal. When you look at that 10-2 skating style ? the Jeff Skinner, Ulf Dahlen style of skating ? there is no one better than Jeremy Bracco right now. It confuses the defencemen because you don?t know which way he?s going to go. You don?t know what he?s going to do; you don?t know if he?s going to accelerate or decelerate, or if he?s going to shoot or pass.

Crosby also likes to use this when swinging back up to the slot from down low as it keeps his body as a shooting and passing threat for the entire trip (video). Jeff Skinner uses it for shortening turn times (wraparounds) from his figure skating training. I don't know many others that actually do it for neutral zone transition down the ice though; Bracco uses it for picking up speed the way others are taught to do linear crossovers.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/JeffVeillette/status/869612796534824961
www.twitter.com/JeffVeillette/status/869612796534824961

Lindberg was underwhelming this year, mostly due to being hampered by injuries. Defensively responsible lefthand shot that can play both wings... should get a shot winning a spot on the big club in a couple of years when we part ways with JvR, Komarov, (and Martin, pls), and shift Hyman to RW. He's just behind the Rychel/Leipsic/Aaltonen tier of older LW, with the more promising Johnsson/Timashov/Grundstrom/Dzierkals group.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

[tweet]870617531693895680[/tweet]
www.twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/870617531693895680

The Leafs had until yesterday to sign this trio before they lost their rights. No real losses there. Desrocher and Korostelev were the Leafs last 2 picks in the 2015 draft. Korostelev was viewed as a potential steal in the 7th round at the time, but his D+1 year was pretty disappointing as he fell below the PPG mark. He got back over it in his D+2 but that obviously wasn't enough. Herzog was all the way back in the 2013 draft and has been playing in Europe the past 3 seasons after going to the Q for his D+1 year.

Not signing Desrocher is maybe a little bit surprising, but the Marlies are looking to have quite the LOGJAM of lefties on their blueline next season, so he'd be pretty far down the depth chart there. I wouldn't be completely surprised to see him ink an AHL deal though and start in the ECHL.

 

[bustaheims]

Not signing Desrocher is maybe a little bit surprising, but the Marlies are looking to have quite the LOGJAM of lefties on their blueline next season, so he'd be pretty far down the depth chart there. I wouldn't be completely surprised to see him ink an AHL deal though and start in the ECHL.

Losing Desrocher completely would be disappointing. He's definitely a longer-term project type prospect, but there's definitely something intriguing about a guy his size who has puck skills and good instincts. There's potentially concerns with his mobility at the NHL level, but, I'd still like to see the team give him some time in the system to see how much of an impact that might actually have.