Red Wings Center Top Prospects

[Pop Zeus]

If they start the season eligible for the Calder, they are prospects.
Zadina, Rasmussen and Cholowski are ineligible. Lindstrom, Smith and Svech, I believe, are eligible.
Rank them, 1-15. You can rank more, but the top 10 will be used to rate the prospects.
(15 points for 1st, 1 point for 15th).

1. Seider
2. Raymond
3. Veleno
4. Berggren
5. Johansson
6. Niederbach
7. McIsaac
8. Svechnikov
9. Wallinder
10. Mastrosimone
11. Smith
12. Soderblom
13. Hanas
14. Phillips
15. Petruzelli

[jaster]

If they start the season eligible for the Calder, they are rookies, sure. I can see wanting to exclude Zadina if the argument is that he's "made it," and is now a Red Wing. But Ras and Cholo are still toiling away in the minors, both having failed, to date, to demonstrate they are NHLers. How is Svechnikov a prospect but not them? Heck, Ras is 2.5 years younger.

[jaster]

1. Seider
2. Raymond

(Zadina)
3. Berggren
4. Veleno
5. Johansson
(Rasmussen)

6. Niederbach
7. Wallinder
8. Mastrosimone

9. Svechnikov
10. Lindstrom
11. Smith
(Cholowski)

12. Pearson
13. McIsaac
14. Petruzzelli
15. Phillips

[Fil Zaronek]

1 Seider
2 Berggren
3 Raymond
4 Johansson
5 Veleno

[Murmansk16A]

You're all forgetting Ryan O'Reilly! With that name he has to succeed.

1. Raymond
2. Seider
3. Niederbach
4. Berggren
5. Johansson
6. Veleno
7. Wallinder
8. McIsaac
9. Soderblom
10. Pearson
11. Viro
12. Tuomisto
13. Bednar (wishful thinking)
14. Lindstrom
15. O'Reilly!

[Pop Zeus]

You're all forgetting Ryan O'Reilly!
15. O'Reilly!

OH REALLY?

[hiramnicak]

1. Moritz Seider
2. Lucas Raymond
3. Albert Johansson
4. Theodor Niederbach
5. Joseph Veleno
6. William Wallinder
7. Jonatan Berggren
8. Gustav Lindstrom
9. Elmer Soderblom
10. Cross Hanas
11. Jared McIsaac
12. Kirill Tyutyayev
13. Antti Tuomisto
14. Keith Petruzelli
15. Evgeni Svechnikov

HM: Robert Mastrosimone, Otto Kivenmaki, Eemil Viro, Albin Grewe, and Donovan Sebrango. they're all decent enough picks, but i don't see any of them making it for various reasons.

[jaster]

I'm interested to watch Soderblom in the tournament. Because, so far, I just don't see it with him. When I watch him, all I see is Johan Ryno. Great stick handler for being so huge, and a heady passer, but can't skate, low intensity, and not a two-way player. Boom or bust with these types, and 99.9% of the time it's bust. Hope he proves me wrong.

[Fil Zaronek]

I'm interested to watch Soderblom in the tournament. Because, so far, I just don't see it with him. When I watch him, all I see is Johan Ryno. Great stick handler for being so huge, and a heady passer, but can't skate, low intensity, and not a two-way player. Boom or bust with these types, and 99.9% of the time it's bust. Hope he proves me wrong.

I thought his skating looked pretty good for such a big kid at the Wings camp. He kinda reminds me of Antropov with his size and soft hands and he is already a faster, more agile skater then Nikolai ever was and his skating will only improve as he gets stronger (this an issue for young taller players more so than it is for guys who aren't so tall because the tall guys need the strength to move their bigger bodies). Antropov had elite hockey sense and developed a power game to go along with the size and soft hands though.

[jaster]

I'm interested to watch Soderblom in the tournament. Because, so far, I just don't see it with him. When I watch him, all I see is Johan Ryno. Great stick handler for being so huge, and a heady passer, but can't skate, low intensity, and not a two-way player. Boom or bust with these types, and 99.9% of the time it's bust. Hope he proves me wrong.

I thought his skating looked pretty good for such a big kid at the Wings camp. He kinda reminds me of Antropov with his size and soft hands and he is already a faster, more agile skater then Nikolai ever was and his skating will only improve as he gets stronger (this an issue for young taller players more so than it is for guys who aren't so tall because the tall guys need the strength to move their bigger bodies). Antropov had elite hockey sense and developed a power game to go along with the size and soft hands though.

I will concede that his skating looks good.... for a behemoth. That tag line has followed him and it's probably fair. But man, to be an NHLer at that size your skating has to be way better than just 'pretty good for your size' against kids His skating has a ways to go, and as you say, it's entirely possible that he gets it to where it needs to be. I'm not ruling out the possibility, but it will be difficult. There's a reason he was drafted in the 5th round, and it's not because his skating is destined to improve to a necessary level and NHL teams just didn't realize it.

I'm interested to see how he looks against the best of his age group. It'll go a long way towards where he projects. If he can reach Antropov's level, great. I'm not seeing it yet though. But I'm rooting for the kid.