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Non-Rocket Habs Prospect tracker


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I didn't know Thrower's age was an issue for contract

Was good to hear Bennett hit 195lb target, he started out on fire last year, till Michigan went in the tank.

He is a strong skater and rusher with puck, but will his offense be good enough to offset defensive weakness (like Beaulieu who was even pushed around by small NHLers)

I think 13-15 goals would be a very promising year or target for him as a senior and the captain.

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If he gets the option of playing in Wheeling on a PTO/AHL deal, would he be better served doing that or going back to junior? I like the idea of getting players adjusted to the pros as soon as reasonably possible but after the year he just had, I think there's still quite a bit of room for improvement there which might make that route the better one.

Unrelated to this but I have to say it - Mac Bennett drops to #24?? I know my vote boosted him last year but you guys have him far too low. :)

I don't know if he'd be better off doing that. Obviously if the organization offered him that deal, they'd think it was better for him than the WHL. I think the Habs generally think anything under their control is better for prospects than handing them over to someone else, but Don Hay may be an exception.

As for Bennett... I just don't see the level of progression in the amateur ranks that makes him into a NHLer. He needed to take a major step at some point by age 22 and he hasn't. He's still mainly a good skater with some passing ability that doesn't read the play well. If he were more than that, he'd be dominant in the CCHA at age 22. That's my take. At this point, his ultimate upside doesn't even seem to be that of a player we couldn't find on the cheap anyways. He's currently about at the level of NCAA play Aaron Ness was at two years ago. Ness turned pro two years ago and is still in the AHL... and is only a year older than Bennett. Being a year behind the Ness' of the world isn't encouraging to me. There are too many people to surpass for him to make it.

That said, I like that remix he did of a Rufus Wainwright song.

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As for Bennett... I just don't see the level of progression in the amateur ranks that makes him into a NHLer. He needed to take a major step at some point by age 22 and he hasn't. He's still mainly a good skater with some passing ability that doesn't read the play well. If he were more than that, he'd be dominant in the CCHA at age 22. That's my take. At this point, his ultimate upside doesn't even seem to be that of a player we couldn't find on the cheap anyways. He's currently about at the level of NCAA play Aaron Ness was at two years ago. Ness turned pro two years ago and is still in the AHL... and is only a year older than Bennett. Being a year behind the Ness' of the world isn't encouraging to me. There are too many people to surpass for him to make it.

That said, I like that remix he did of a Rufus Wainwright song.

I think you're understating his skating ability - it's a lot better than good for a d-man. That speed with his passing abilities should make him a quality powerplay guy at the very least (the Habs have a lot of shooters from the point but don't have too many setup guys). I grant you that he didn't have the major step you like to see in any NCAA prospect but I don't get the sense he regressed any either. He's a 'tools' player but the ones he has make for an interesting prospect.

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I was expecting to see one player removed today from the Habs' roster on NHL.com, Dustin Walsh whose rights were relinquished after 5 PM today...at least I think they were. Instead, they removed Patrick Johnson from the roster, a player thought to be released a couple of years ago. Scott Kishel, another player thought to be long-gone, is still there as well so I'm beginning to wonder if I'm interpreting the CBA wrong - by my account, all three of those players should be gone.

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I see Gregoire had 2 goals in pre-season game. Was he quite underrated due to injuries and might be quite similar player as Emile Poirier?

It's possible he's underrated but I'm not about to compare a 6th rounder to a 1st round pick and call them similar less than 2 months after the draft. Gregoire looks like a bottom six guy, hard working and defensively reliable. Poirier can also be that type of player but has the offensive skill to contribute in the top six as well. The key for Gregoire will be whether or not he can maintain the offensive production he had after being traded (35 points in 45 games while getting just 15 in 35 with Chicoutimi). If he reverts back to his first half numbers from last year, he'll look like a longshot at best to be an NHL'er but if he maintains/improves his Baie-Comeau numbers, he'll start to get some attention. That all said, I wouldn't peg him as a top six guy even with improved numbers as I would with Poirier.

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It's possible he's underrated but I'm not about to compare a 6th rounder to a 1st round pick and call them similar less than 2 months after the draft. Gregoire looks like a bottom six guy, hard working and defensively reliable. Poirier can also be that type of player but has the offensive skill to contribute in the top six as well. The key for Gregoire will be whether or not he can maintain the offensive production he had after being traded (35 points in 45 games while getting just 15 in 35 with Chicoutimi). If he reverts back to his first half numbers from last year, he'll look like a longshot at best to be an NHL'er but if he maintains/improves his Baie-Comeau numbers, he'll start to get some attention. That all said, I wouldn't peg him as a top six guy even with improved numbers as I would with Poirier.

Sure, it seems some thought Poirier was picked higher than should of and I thought Poirier would of been good @25, but more as a gritty 2 way forward, not top 6.

Which is the "same type" as I think Gregoire is? But I haven't seen either play and thought Timmins maybe got another quality late rounder like a Hudon seems to be.

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Sure, it seems some thought Poirier was picked higher than should of and I thought Poirier would of been good @25, but more as a gritty 2 way forward, not top 6.

Which is the "same type" as I think Gregoire is? But I haven't seen either play and thought Timmins maybe got another quality late rounder like a Hudon seems to be.

I'd give Poirier more of the power forward type of label. Gregoire reminds me somewhat of Vail - a quality defensive player with some, but sporadic, offensive abilities. If I had to pick a Hab prospect to compare Poirier to, I'd go with de la Rose (2nd/3rd line 'tweener' that plays hard in all three zones, positional flexibility). I wouldn't put Gregoire in the same category of Hudon, someone that after one year looks like a bonafide steal. Hudon was pegged as a 3rd round pick in his draft, Gregoire went around where most had him pegged. That's not to say I don't like Gregoire - I think he was a solid pick - but I'm not ready to be all that excited about his potential yet.

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Gregoire had a real nice playoff run in the Q. Could just be a blip or maybe he started to put it all together late in the year. He was a top prospect heading into his Q career. I'm cautiously optimistic about his potential, but he's a 'backburner' type prospect.

Like Dustin Walsh always was for me. Injuries with him seemed to rob him of taking the leaps he looked capable of making.

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Collberg has a goal and an assist so far today in European Trophy action. He's on Frolunda's 2nd line with Mathis Olimb and Fabian Brunnstrom. The play-by-play on the scoresheet is rather...unique. It's not your standard 'shot by ___ at ___,' for example:

If they want to get anything out of this game, EVZ should try and score rather sooner than later.

That's not something you expect to see when reading the PBP of a game.

http://europeantrophy.com/live.php?id=267

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I was expecting to see one player removed today from the Habs' roster on NHL.com, Dustin Walsh whose rights were relinquished after 5 PM today...at least I think they were. Instead, they removed Patrick Johnson from the roster, a player thought to be released a couple of years ago. Scott Kishel, another player thought to be long-gone, is still there as well so I'm beginning to wonder if I'm interpreting the CBA wrong - by my account, all three of those players should be gone.

Hi Brian--- My source still has Walsh on the team/ did you get any more imformation? I wonder if he was red-shirted for a year and still has year elligibility?

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Hi Brian--- My source still has Walsh on the team/ did you get any more imformation? I wonder if he was red-shirted for a year and still has year elligibility?

NHL.com's extended roster has him still with the organization but the Habs have taken him off of their roster on the website. With that last bit and the fact he's not at rookie camp after being at the development one, I'm under the impression he's no longer part of the organization in the Habs' view. He wasn't red-shirted either as he played four years already.

If I had to guess what the NHL's site is using to determine this, it may be something along the lines of actual courses taken in school - if a player takes fewer courses than the standard and isn't scheduled to graduate with his matriculating class, the team can maintain his rights until he graduates (or get within 5% of course completion towards graduation). I think Patrick Johnson may have been in that situation (he recently went back to school after retiring from Wheeling in 2012), his course completion would then have taken him off the list. I have no idea if this is the case with Walsh (or Kishel who also is on the NHL.com roster despite being removed from Montreal's site after the four years) so there's likely some other determinant as well.

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Connor Crisp had back to back hat tricks in pre-season.

They were actually intrasquad scrimmages, not actual games but still, it's nice to see him start camp showing off some offensive skill.

Speaking of offensive skill, Tim Bozon had a pair of goals in his preseason debut last night.

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Maxim Trunev has been dealt to Admiral Vladivostok of the KHL. I think they're an expansion team so perhaps he'll get a chance to actually play a little bit...although I still highly, highly doubt he amounts to anything or ever crosses the pond.

Speaking of the KHL, Andreas Engqvist's season (and yes, he's still Montreal property) kicked off today. He played nearly 20 minutes and won 67% of his faceoffs though he was held pointless in a 2-0 loss.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Watched the game between Leksand and Brynäs today (didnt really follow any player closely but DelaRose played). Leksand was really bad and the 1-3 loss could have been alot worse. Great goaltending kept them in,

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Watched the game between Leksand and Brynäs today (didnt really follow any player closely but DelaRose played). Leksand was really bad and the 1-3 loss could have been alot worse. Great goaltending kept them in,

He played just over 12 minutes, had 4 hits, and was -1. That's not great but a decent SHL debut for him. There's two former Hab prospects on his team too, Ryan Russell and Mikael Johansson. I knew Russell had signed there but I had forgotten about Johansson until I saw him on the scoresheet.

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He played just over 12 minutes, had 4 hits, and was -1. That's not great but a decent SHL debut for him. There's two former Hab prospects on his team too, Ryan Russell and Mikael Johansson. I knew Russell had signed there but I had forgotten about Johansson until I saw him on the scoresheet.

De la Rose Just had his first SHL-point. A nice assist on a 0-1 firstperiod goal. Leksand still outplayed alot so Im getting a bit worried about my team. They need at least one good Dman.

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  • dlbalr changed the title to Non-Rocket Habs Prospect tracker

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