I ventured out to the Prospect Camp on Sunday with a friend, to get a look at the baby Hawks, and I can't say I wasn't a little surprised. The raw talent is there, with each of the players, but some were clearly more ready than others. Now, these observations are based on the Sunday sessions alone. The only player on the camp roster that I didn't see out there was one of the the biggest ones, Dan Delisle. I'm not really sure why he wasn't out there, but it's a shame, because I wanted to see how he moved at 6'5" 225. That's A LOT of player right there. Be sure to check the Puckin Hostile Facebook page to see some pictures and a video from Sunday's action. Anyhow, on to my observations:
This guy is a machine, and I love his style. He's on the smallish side, for NHL D-Men, but his hockey IQ looks to be at genius level. He plays solid position, and has a little attitude to his game. I watched him push around young kids just about every time there was a drill that allowed contact. I see reports out there, that he's too small, bla, bla, bla. Nik Lidstrom is 6'1"/190 and Kevin Bieksa is 6'1"/200, so that size argument only holds so much water with me. Not every defenseman can be 6'5" 220, nor would you WANT that. If you have the brains and a mean streak, you can work around the size disadvantage. This guy has a some sass in his game, and has no problem blasting someone to the ice. I like his poise, and confidence on the ice, as well. He holds his position and doesn't seem to give up and ground. He will play in the NHL SOMEWHERE in the future. He might not be a #1 or #2 guy, but he can be a #5 or #6 guy, at the very least, somewhere. There is clearly something the Hawks like about defensemen from Notre Dame, because there were 3 of them in this camp, and all of them have the goods to play in the NHL someday. I'd be surprised if he can't make it to a #3 or #4 slot, at some point in his career.
A player no one has heard of, from the Leominster MA, where the International Dek Hockey headquarters are located (Coincidence? highly doubtful). Again, balk all you'd like at his small stature, but the kid has happy feet and quick hands. The roster has him listed at a very generous 5'9" 170, but he was always making a play with the puck. As a goalie, I would much rather see a big guy coming at you, than some tiny little waterbug, that can stop on a dime. Theo Fleury and Steve Sullivan have made quite some careers this way. Now, I'm not saying he's the next Fleury/Sullivan, but he has skill. He does get pushed around at times, but he can also use his small frame to get underneath and squirt off bigger players, too. He may or may not ever play in the NHL, but it's not because he doesn't have skill. I'm rooting for the kid, and would love to see this exciting kid in Rockford, at least. Unfortunately, Sunday's camp was mostly drills and I didn't get to see his positioning, and that may blow my whole theory out of the water, but on raw skill alone, he's got something.
He's got some spice and spunk to his game. Well rounded offensive skills, but, of course, I didn't get to see him in game action. I would say he has some potential to be a slightly bigger Sharpie, but that's being very generous. He's got the tools, but you really can't tell what he looks like until you see him in a REAL game situation. He didn't do anything flashy, but he did what he was asked to do, and did it well. All that being said, he was well worth the draft pick. Maybe the steal of this draft.
I know he's not a huge surprise, but he's certainly a huge kid. At 6'5" and LISTED at 210, you can't miss him. Even thought he's listed at 210, reports are that he weighs as much as 235, now. I watched him rip off quite a few wrist shots at those poor goalies. He's a big body, and could help at wing with that size. He makes Troy Brouwer look like Stevie Moses, dwarfing Brouwer by 3 inches and roughly 20 lbs. That's nothing to sneeze at, and he now has some AHL experience under his belt, so let's see what he can do in the big boy camp. At the very least, he's a year away, and best case scenario, he plays well enough to earn some time with Hawks this season. Pack your bags, Kyle Beach.
He's ready for the big time, and it's just a matter of where. With the Defensive Corp already crowded, he's not going to see much time with the Hawks unless we see injuries or catastrophic fails by someone. This is a very nice problem to have, though, so lets enjoy it. He has the size and maturity to make the jump, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do when camp starts in a few months. All indications point to a baby Seabrook, in the making. I'll take that any day of the week, because I'm a BIG fan of Seabrook. If he looks this poised in camp, he may make Hammer expendable at the trade deadline, which would free up even more salary. And, PLEASE, don't yap at me about Hammer, because I've seen what he can do, but if we can replace that with younger and cheaper, they are going to do it. Olsen IS younger, cheaper, and probably more talented.
I'm not going to list each and every middle of the road player in the camp, but there were a few that didn't blow me out of my seat, but have some skill. I'll like list out a few bullet points below:
- Mark NcNeill looked average. He clearly has the tools and brains, so he just had an average day. No reason to panic and curse Stan out.
- Kevin Hayes had flashes, but nothing really grabbed me with him, either. Maybe that is because of his big brother making everyone look like children. He'll be fine.
- Byron Froese, Rob Flick, Philippe Paradis, and David Gilbert all looked pretty good. They are all pretty good size, and moved well. Nothing too flashy, except Froese practicing his one timers after practice with Sam "The Dean of Mean" Jardine (I've been dying to use that). Froese was parked at the top of the circle and didn't miss a single shot, which is NOT easy to do with one timers, goalie or not.
- Andrew Shaw looked pretty good for his size. It was clear that the organization likes him, because he was pulled aside with Hayes and Lavin, by Marc Bergevin to get a little fighting tutorage. Nothing like watching a 5'10"/180 guy trying to wrestle a 6'5"/233 guy.
- Ludvig Rensfeldt, Joakim Nordstrom, and Mirko Hoefflin were pretty much what you'd expect out of European prospects. They were a little on the thin side which means that they are pretty open to being planted into the tenth row of the seats, and rendered useless from then on. That being said, they can skate the hell out of the puck, when they want to, but that brings one name to mind: Marcus Kruger.
- Adam Clendening, Shayne Taker, Paul Phillips, and Michael Paliotta all caught my attention. Clendening, Phillips and Paliotta looks solid both ways, and Taker is out of the Lavin/Johns Notre Dame mold. Take it for what it's worth, they were drills, folks.
- The Goalies were nothing to write home about. Simpson, Carruth and Heeter were clearly the top three, in that order, and "Mr.Irrelevant" Johan Mattsson showed me the least. Drills don't always showcase a Goaltender's skills the best, and they certainly leave these guys hung out to dry, so again, take it for what it's worth.
