Prospect update 2014-2015

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

Wow. I disagree with McKeen's assessment about his instincts. Morin has fantastic instincts and great hockey IQ. On top of it, they don't talk about Sam's work ethic either, which is nothing short of fantastic. When he turns 25, he'll be the league's elite shut down defender. He'll grow into his role like Chara did. If the Flyers are patient, they'll be rewarded handsomely with Morin.

[jammer2]

@BobbyClarkeFan16   They threw some compliments Sam's way also. From the reports I've read on McKeen's they are tough grading kids, don't hold back on a perceived weakness. In the end, they compare him to Chara, so although they list a lot of things he needs to work on, in the end they like his upside.

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

@OccamsRazor I'm thinking the only one of the "big 4" defensive prospects that might miss is Hagg. He's a respectable prospect, but he's not overly proficient at any one skill, which could lead to bust....but I'm hopeful he becomes a solid second pairing type...time will tell.

I've got high expectations for Hagg. I think he could end up being a Marcus Ragnarsson type of defender. People forget that he's 19 and playing pro hockey. On top of it, he's been doing very well and while he hit a rough patch, he was turning it around prior to the WJC. I'm so looking forward to when he, Morin, Gostisbehere, Sanheim and Alt all play together. One other name wet can add to the list is Mark Friedman and it's the possible he might be another Gostisbehere type of defender. The pipeline is starting to fill up.

[OccamsRazor]

@OccamsRazor   I'm thinking the only one of the "big 4" defensive prospects that might miss is Hagg. He's a respectable prospect, but he's not overly proficient at any one skill, which could lead to bust....but I'm hopeful he becomes a solid second pairing type...time will tell.

 

 

That and the fact that there are questions about his work ethic...and well those are things that you just can't teach.

[OccamsRazor]

I've got high expectations for Hagg. I think he could end up being a Marcus Ragnarsson type of defender. People forget that he's 19 and playing pro hockey. On top of it, he's been doing very well and while he hit a rough patch, he was turning it around prior to the WJC. I'm so looking forward to when he, Morin, Gostisbehere, Sanheim and Alt all play together. One other name wet can add to the list is Mark Friedman and it's the possible he might be another Gostisbehere type of defender. The pipeline is starting to fill up.

 

 

Yeah sorry but the work ethic questions are just something that sends up a red flag....like even in my profession they just fired a young kid because he has zero motivation/work ethic some real qualities well that are just not genetically handed down or taught either you have it or you don't.

[JackStraw]

Yeah sorry but the work ethic questions are just something that sends up a red flag....like even in my profession they just fired a young kid because he has zero motivation/work ethic some real qualities well that are just not genetically handed down or taught either you have it or you don't.

I haven't seen or heard of any questions regarding Hagg's work ethic. The one criticism of him that I've seen, and it's been consistent since juniors, is that he occasionally suffers lapses in judgement/focus leading to mistakes, generally in his own zone. I've seen it happen on several occasions in Phantoms games. They're really obvious blunders and seem pretty isolated, it's not as if he keeps doing the same thing. To me it looks like at times he gets over-confident and just tries things that have no chance of working.

Murray called him out in the press about this kind of thing, poor decisions. Not work ethic. The guy plays huge minutes for the Phantoms, at 19 years old. He must be a hard worker.

[OccamsRazor]

I haven't seen or heard of any questions regarding Hagg's work ethic

 

Well it's not want i remember reading to far back to try and fetch. There have been mentioned issues all the way back sort of since his SHL coach. And well it kind of exist today still from what i've read. So we'll see.

 

But i will say work ethic and consistency kid of go hand in hand almost the same...you can't really teach it i think.

[JackStraw]

Well it's not want i remember reading to far back to try and fetch. There have been mentioned issues all the way back sort of since his SHL coach. And well it kind of exist today still from what i've read. So we'll see.

I've read all his scouting reports. It's decision making and focus that's the question, not work ethic.

[OccamsRazor]

I've read all his scouting reports. It's decision making and focus that's the question, not work ethic.

 

 

And consistency which i kind of hand in hand the same thing......does he want it bad enough....not sure he does.

[JackStraw]

And consistency which i kind of hand in hand the same thing......does he want it bad enough....not sure he does.

Consistency is an aspect of it. He's not inconsistent in the sense of having good games and bad games (from what I've seen), it's an issue of having occasional lapses in games where otherwise he plays well. That's what I mean by focus. Sometimes the light switch upstairs just seems to get turned of for one play and he does something that leaves you with your mouth hanging open.

I think he will learn. Most of the time he plays a very heads up game.

[jammer2]

@JackStraw   Here's what McKeen's has on Hagg....

 

 "SCOUTING REPORT .. cerebral, two-way defenseman with size, skill, and poise .. strong puckmover who senses and reacts to pressure well, never panics .. delivers hard, long stretch passes on the tape, showing impressive vision of the ice .. able to control the tempo of a game through the quality of his decision making .. joins the rush at times – exploiting an ability to navigate the puck up ice .. effective power-play weapon packing a booming shot .. gets tremendous weight on a crushing slapshot – with just minimal windup .. neither fast nor explosive, yet deceptively quick due to a smooth, comfortable stride which he elongates to bolster a good top-end gear .. strong on his feet, yet can improve his lateral movement particularly when pivoting and skating backwards .. steady defensively – sustains decent gap control, willingly blocks shots, skillful stickwork .. will go hard into corner battles and engage physically .. thanks to a sturdy frame already developed, especially in the upper body, he can push opponents off their feet exploiting pure strength .. a dominant force when fully engaged, yet also prone to lags in focus and intensity .. makes questionable defensive decisions and errant plays with the puck .. tends to stop moving his feet and gets caught standing still instead of being active, involved, and playing with determination .. a prospect oozing potential – but in need of better consistency of effort .. certainly showed his ‘Jekyll-and Hyde’ game during an erratic performance at the U18 Worlds in April."

[JackStraw]

@jammer2 - yep, I saw that one. What they're talking about near the end- focus, occasional decision making, that's what I see. For example:

One game he's skating the puck out of his own zone, he has no support. He tries to split two forecheckers and turns the puck over at his own blue line. Even Orr wouldn't have tried to do that.

Another game he's skating it out of his own zone and makes a slick little drop pass... but there was no one back there! An opposing forward got to it first and got a scoring chance.

Another time he made a bad decision trying to challenge the puck carrier entering the zone. He tried to close on the guy (instead of forcing him wide) but he was way to far away and had no chance. Got beat clean.

Those are three that I can think of and every one was so glaring that I saw it coming- as in "he's not really going to try that is he?"

[jammer2]

@JackStraw   Well, that's ok, that kinda stuff can be reeled in with proper coaching etc....at least he has a strong set of natural skills to draw on, that's a big part of the puzzle. I'm sure the undisciplined stuff will disappear as his paycheques get bigger.....lol.

[OccamsRazor]

Consistency is an aspect of it. He's not inconsistent in the sense of having good games and bad games (from what I've seen), it's an issue of having occasional lapses in games where otherwise he plays well. That's what I mean by focus. Sometimes the light switch upstairs just seems to get turned of for one play and he does something that leaves you with your mouth hanging open.

I think he will learn. Most of the time he plays a very heads up game.

 

 

I hope you're right. The Flyers need him. They need a 2nd round pick to turn out to be a steal....hell eff that..............I NEED IT!!!!

[flyercanuck]

@jammer2 - yep, I saw that one. What they're talking about near the end- focus, occasional decision making, that's what I see. For example:

One game he's skating the puck out of his own zone, he has no support. He tries to split two forecheckers and turns the puck over at his own blue line. Even Orr wouldn't have tried to do that.

Another game he's skating it out of his own zone and makes a slick little drop pass... but there was no one back there! An opposing forward got to it first and got a scoring chance.

Another time he made a bad decision trying to challenge the puck carrier entering the zone. He tried to close on the guy (instead of forcing him wide) but he was way to far away and had no chance. Got beat clean.

Those are three that I can think of and every one was so glaring that I saw it coming- as in "he's not really going to try that is he?"

 

Which is why he fell to the 2nd round. His skill is first round talent. As mentioned, he may not do any one thing great, but everything good when focussed. The problem with Hagg seems to be he can't keep that focus all the time. Whether he learns to do that or not will be the reason he becomes an NHL regular or a callup.

[Podein25]

As mentioned, he may not do any one thing great, but everything good when focussed. The problem with Hagg seems to be he can't keep that focus all the time

 

 

I'm not sure if their game's compare, but it sounds a lot like Klefbom. I watched an Oiler's game a little while ago and all I can say is: Whoa! The guy is a menace in his own end.

[Podein25]

Bump

Lindblom with a hatty today vs the Swiss. He's looked good all tournament. Plays in all situations. Can score. Has some snarl.

I'm convinced he's gonna be a fine pro for the Flyers. Not bad for a 5th round pick.

[jammer2]

@Podein25   I don't ever recall a Canadian player registering a hat trick against the Swiss, if it did happen it was over a decade ago. The Swiss are no powerhouse, but always play a tight defensive game and usually have outstanding goaltending, making this feat all the more impressive. The kid already plays a North American game, loves the hitting and just lives in the dirty areas. The great part, he does not even turn 19 until August, so very impressive stuff from a 5th round pick.

[Podein25]

@Podein25 I don't ever recall a Canadian player registering a hat trick against the Swiss, if it did happen it was over a decade ago. The Swiss are no powerhouse, but always play a tight defensive game and usually have outstanding goaltending, making this feat all the more impressive. The kid already plays a North American game, loves the hitting and just lives in the dirty areas. The great part, he does not even turn 19 until August, so very impressive stuff from a 5th round pick.

Yeah, he's only a few weeks away from being 2015 eligible. And yet he strikes me as a very mature player in every way. Smart player too.

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

Lindblom was a steal, especially when you consider he was rated to be a 2nd round pick. He had questions about his skating and hands, but I think those questions have been answered. I wish he wasn't playing pro in the SEL though. He should be in North America playing against his peers and playing a lot of hockey. With that being said, I'm sure Hextall is watching things and wouldn't it be something if Lindblom came over and played in the AHL for the 2015 - 2016 season.

[OccamsRazor]

Lindblom was a steal, especially when you consider he was rated to be a 2nd round pick. He had questions about his skating and hands, but I think those questions have been answered. I wish he wasn't playing pro in the SEL though. He should be in North America playing against his peers and playing a lot of hockey. With that being said, I'm sure Hextall is watching things and wouldn't it be something if Lindblom came over and played in the AHL for the 2015 - 2016 season.

I'm certain like Hagg and Petterson he will be a Phantom next year.

Plus with his size and skillset, no disrespct to Leier he is their top LW prospect. So the sooner he comes over the sooner he can get acclimated to the smaller rink....and when ready will join the Flyers i imagine around 21 if not sooner.

[AJgoal]

I'm not certain if he has a contract, but I think he could jump to the AHL in early march after his team's season ends. Isn't that what Hägg did last year?

[OccamsRazor]

I'm not certain if he has a contract, but I think he could jump to the AHL in early march after his team's season ends. Isn't that what Hägg did last year?

Yes he came over on a PTO contract, he can/should do the same.

[Podein25]

Another snipe by Lindblom. Get that kid a contract!

[OccamsRazor]

Another snipe by Lindblom. Get that kid a contract!

 

 

WJC is Oskar Lindblom’s Coming Out Party

 

http://thehockeywriters.com/wjc-is-oskar-lindbloms-coming-out-party/

 

enjoy!!!!!!!!