Ottawa Senators Top 10 Prospects - as voted on by GMH members!

It might be easier to give them a rating out of five.

1.Erik Karlsson - 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Pros: can outlet the puck better than most NHLers at the age of 19, knows when to pinch, knows how to draw defenders away from him and thread a pass to an open man. Two of his best attributes are his hockey IQ/sense. He can read a play magnificently sometimes waiting for the clog of bodies in the neutral zone to dissipate before outletting. The other attribute would be that shot - a laser beam that, like his more established peer, seems to find its way to the net most of the time.

Cons: he's not the biggest guy in the world, but he doesn't really need to be. He likes to try to out think opponents in the defensive zone - and that can lead to pucks being smacked back into dangerous areas. Possibly lacks that explosive speed that makes guys like Campbell and to a lesser extent Corvo have.

Comparibles: Dan Boyle, Nicklas Kronwall.

Talent floor: A PP specialist that will be able to transition the play well.

Talent ceiling: An all-round D-man, complete with the tools to be effective in his own zone as well as commanding a PP. Points-wise, the sky's the limit. 60 won't be out of reach in 5 years.

SpezDispenser wrote:1.Erik Karlsson - 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Pros: can outlet the puck better than most NHLers at the age of 19, knows when to pinch, knows how to draw defenders away from him and thread a pass to an open man. ...

Is that a Jedi mind trick?

More seriously, though, I am not sure I would say at this point that he knows when to pinch. He's gotten caught a couple of times and it will happen more when the regular season starts with *real* lineups. It would be fair to say that he *likes* to pinch, and is quick enough on his skates to do that. But he will get caught, probably quite a bit.

I'll give Karlsson a go:

Pros: Probably as close to "perfect" offensively as can be expected of a defenceman prospect. Has the skill to manufacture his own offense but isn't overreliant on it. Supremely confident, and seems to be well-liked by his team-mates. Exemplary passer that can hit a player in mid-stride or thread the needle in the offensive zone. Possesses a strong, accurate shot, and, unlike the last 19-year-old defenceman to play in Ottawa, is capable of getting it through to the net. Possesses a mean-streak and is aggressive. Can make plays under pressure which increases his effectiveness in the defensive zone, and is accustomed to playing in clutch situations. Is a strong, smooth skater with a seemingly low centre of gravity. Has the hockey IQ and willingness to become an effective defender, and has taken steps in this regard.

Cons: Small, which is probably more of a problem for a defenceman than for a forward (as in the case of shot-blocking). Will occasionally get over-powered probably even once fully developed. Can pull some head-scratchers in the defensive zone and can occasionally be overconfident offensively. Is not as effective at individual defending as at defending through team system. Is more effective when playing with skilled players (although who isn't?). Although his typically cool on-ice demeanor may be interpreted now as having "ice in his veins", if near the end of his career he should decline, he may be (perhaps unfairly) viewed, like Redden, of lacking passion.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5, but with the potential to end up better than that.

Jared Cowen (whom I haven't watched as much as of Karlsson)

Pros: Incredible size and speed combination. Opposite Karlsson, is probably as close to "perfect" defensively as can be expected of a defenceman prospect. Has the size and strength to confront big forwards but also the speed and nimbleness necessary to take smaller ones. Effective at defending a la Lidstrom (although one should never compare a prospect to Lidstrom) but can also be physical. Possesses excellent defensive IQ and a strong shot, and has shown at Junior levels to be capable of being an effective part of a transition game. A winner.

Cons: Underdeveloped offensive game as compared to his Swedish counterpart Hedman. Declined slightly at the beginning of last season when he got caught up in the race to be number 1 (although he was returning to his usual dominance prior to his injury). We'll have to wait and see if his injury has any long-term effects.

Rating 4.5 out of 5, with the potential to be better. I believe he's the best prospect we have and potentially a franchise defenceman. Combine his attributes with Karlsson and you'd have a 5.5 or 6.0 out of 5 defenceman. Hedman is probably the closest you'll get to a hybrid, though he's not as good offensively as Karlsson and not quite as good defensively as Cowen IMO.

wprager wrote:Is that a Jedi mind trick?

More seriously, though, I am not sure I would say at this point that he knows when to pinch. He's gotten caught a couple of times and it will happen more when the regular season starts with *real* lineups. It would be fair to say that he *likes* to pinch, and is quick enough on his skates to do that. But he will get caught, probably quite a bit.

Very true, but he has some nice instincts that will only get better as the real season wears on.

What I meant about drawing guys away was on the PP. He likes to sort of manoeuvre himself to the boards and draw one or two of the defenders into a position to try to defend his shot, then makes the perfect pass to his D partner who has the time and now space to get a shot away - or make a pass.

Very nice write ups Asq. :rockon:

asq2 wrote:I'll give Karlsson a go:

Pros: Probably as close to "perfect" offensively as can be expected of a defenceman prospect. Has the skill to manufacture his own offense but isn't overreliant on it. Supremely confident, and seems to be well-liked by his team-mates. Exemplary passer that can hit a player in mid-stride or thread the needle in the offensive zone. Possesses a strong, accurate shot, and, unlike the last 19-year-old defenceman to play in Ottawa, is capable of getting it through to the net. Possesses a mean-streak and is aggressive. Can make plays under pressure which increases his effectiveness in the defensive zone, and is accustomed to playing in clutch situations. Is a strong, smooth skater with a seemingly low centre of gravity. Has the hockey IQ and willingness to become an effective defender, and has taken steps in this regard.

Cons: Small, which is probably more of a problem for a defenceman than for a forward (as in the case of shot-blocking). Will occasionally get over-powered probably even once fully developed. Can pull some head-scratchers in the defensive zone and can occasionally be overconfident offensively. Is not as effective at individual defending as at defending through team system. Is more effective when playing with skilled players (although who isn't?). Although his typically cool on-ice demeanor may be interpreted now as having "ice in his veins", if near the end of his career he should decline, he may be (perhaps unfairly) viewed, like Redden, of lacking passion.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5, but with the potential to end up better than that.

Jared Cowen (whom I haven't watched as much as of Karlsson)

Pros: Incredible size and speed combination. Opposite Karlsson, is probably as close to "perfect" defensively as can be expected of a defenceman prospect. Has the size and strength to confront big forwards but also the speed and nimbleness necessary to take smaller ones. Effective at defending a la Lidstrom (although one should never compare a prospect to Lidstrom) but can also be physical. Possesses excellent defensive IQ and a strong shot, and has shown at Junior levels to be capable of being an effective part of a transition game. A winner.

Cons: Underdeveloped offensive game as compared to his Swedish counterpart Hedman. Declined slightly at the beginning of last season when he got caught up in the race to be number 1 (although he was returning to his usual dominance prior to his injury). We'll have to wait and see if his injury has any long-term effects.

Rating 4.5 out of 5, with the potential to be better. I believe he's the best prospect we have and potentially a franchise defenceman. Combine his attributes with Karlsson and you'd have a 5.5 or 6.0 out of 5 defenceman. Hedman is probably the closest you'll get to a hybrid, though he's not as good offensively as Karlsson and not quite as good defensively as Cowen IMO.

You should replace the Sens Crew on HF. Very well written, as precise as you can get anywhere on the net.

Ok, Sens fans. Who's on your current Best Sens Prospects list?

We have players like Lazar, Stone, Hoffman, Guptill, Driedger, Englund, Claesson, Lindberg, Puempel, Prince, Paul, Dzingel, JGP, Grant, Wikstrand, Borowiecki, Wideman, Rutkowski.

How do you rank them? Who are our best 10?

spader wrote:Ok, Sens fans. Who's on your current Best Sens Prospects list?

We have players like Lazar, Stone, Hoffman, Guptill, Driedger, Englund, Claesson, Lindberg, Puempel, Prince, Paul, Dzingel, JGP, Grant, Wikstrand, Borowiecki, Wideman, Rutkowski.

How do you rank them? Who are our best 10?

I tend to think of Stone as a regular now.

1. Lazar

That's pretty much it.

Oh, andLindberg is crazy fast.

Lazar
Ceci
Stone
Puempel
Hoffman
Claesson

crapshoot after that

I think the safest prospect aside from Lazar is going to be Englund. Limited everything including downside or bust potential.

NEELY wrote:I think the safest prospect aside from Lazar is going to be Englund.   Limited everything including downside or bust potential.

he could never make the NHL. You never heard of him until two weeks ago. We can't rank him top 10 yet IMO.

A lot of guys I have no idea who they are until they are drafted, love hockey but not enough time in my life to keep tabs on it all including Jr. hockey outside of the 67's and Spits. That said, looked into the scouting reports for Englund, kid can skate, play physical, and keep up with men now and his game should translate well to smaller ice in NA. Seems like limited upside but IMO the Sens drafted an NHLer in the 2nd round and that is always a good draft pick.

Dunno if we can count Ceci as a true prospect anymore, since he's already a legit NHLer.

I'd put Lazar and probably Claesson as #1 and #2.  Claesson is going to surprise a bunch of people...he's really good.

tim1_2 wrote:Dunno if we can count Ceci as a true prospect anymore, since he's already a legit NHLer.

I'd put Lazar and probably Claesson as #1 and #2.  Claesson is going to surprise a bunch of people...he's really good.

Not convinced Ceci doesn't start the year in the AHL.

Depends what they do with BoroCop and Gryba.

Gryba I don't think is going anywhere, only RHD that PK's on a regular basis and he's a bottom pairing guy. IMO a small but big piece in Ottawa, glad he has become a legit NHLer.