Rinzel went form looking like a teen age kid, to looking like a man in one College season. Will be good to see him grow into his frame.

He can skate for his size, looked fairly calm during world jrs, I know many including me didn't really like that pick at the time, but i have a good feeling about him, and he always seems to be forgotten in the system compared to all the other young defenders.
- vabeachbear

He moves like Drew Doughty I said it when he was drafted.

After drafting Levshunov I’d say the Blackhawks prospect pool is weakest at:

1. Goaltending
2. Centre
3. Left Wing
4. Right Defense
5. Left Defense
6. Right Wing
7. Zamboni driver

Other than these 7 positions I think the Hawks have one of the deepest prospect pools.
- DarthKane

Scotty Bowman always believed have a strong defense and anybody can play goalie.

They don’t. Maybe you should be a Hab or Isles fan, then you’d be happy. 😃
- paulr

I think there's a lot of Toews in Boisvert, lanky two way player, a real Center, and he's a better fighter.

Makar fell to 4th
- vabeachbear

I can't prove it but I don't think KD would have drafted Kane #1 overall.

I can't prove it but I don't think KD would have drafted Kane #1 overall.
- rpeters01

Sure you can. He didn't draft Demidov.

Hahaha, very true, i always enjoy when i hear untapped potential and he has all the tools, said about Levshunov by the Blackhawk scouts. The funny thing based on all the mocks it was between Demidov and Levshunov so it's not like they reached on a player. More concerning is the Ducks and Blue Jackets passed on Demidov?

I think Reichel will get a longer leash unless he really stinks out there on the ice.
- BetweenTheDots

Reichel needs to show he competes hard wins some battles and doesn't get pushed around. If that happens the rest will come.

Sure you can. He didn't draft Demidov.
- Chunk

He gave Demidov a free dinner.

He gave Demidov a free dinner.
- rpeters01

Come to think of it, he did draft Bedard 1st, so I don't think it's out of the realm of possibilities that he would have drafted Kane.

He gave Demidov a free dinner.
- rpeters01

When I heard the news about the Hawks trying to trade up to #4, my immediate thought wasn't that they wanted Demidov, but that they also wanted to draft Lindstrom. I don't know if they officially said who they were targeting at number 4, but that's who I personally think they would have taken.

When I heard the news about the Hawks trying to trade up to #4, my immediate thought wasn't that they wanted Demidov, but that they also wanted to draft Lindstrom. I don't know if they officially said who they were targeting at number 4, but that's who I personally think they would have taken.
- breadbag

Several sources have said that they were targeting Demidov for what it's worth.

When I heard the news about the Hawks trying to trade up to #4, my immediate thought wasn't that they wanted Demidov, but that they also wanted to draft Lindstrom. I don't know if they officially said who they were targeting at number 4, but that's who I personally think they would have taken.
- breadbag

It would have been great but I'm not giving up on Boisvert yet.

The Hawks right now have a bunch of "could be's" which is really exciting. They have several defensemen of all types who look promising. They have some players with actual size (not just tall), they have some 200' guys, they have scorers, they have playmakers, most of them have good speed, and they all seem to be big competitors. We'll see over the next 4-5 years which ones grab a spot and which fall through. By sheer volume of high picks, they should hit on a good number of players. Definitely exciting.

I'm really happy that they put some real NHL talent on the roster to get them moving in the right direction.
- Chunk

Really, when you think about it, every team in the league has a bunch of could be's.

Its the nature of prospects

Been a long time since we could look at it from a standpoint of wondering who among the 15 to 20 prospects they are building up will make it, as opposed to wondering if this 3rd or 4th or 5th round guy could be a diamond in the rough.

Definitely will be exciting, especially 2 years from now.

There are a lot more kids besides KK. Even if he stays up doesn't mean they have deviated from the plan. He's just the obvious guy.
- rpeters01

I don't know, there was a point there in the interview where it sure sounded like he was saying KK was kind of forced to be there, and sure sounded like he would like him in Rockford this year.

I might be reading into it, as I'm firmly in the over develop camp, but thought that's what i heard.

Several sources have said that they were targeting Demidov for what it's worth.
- Chunk

Ogi bless his heart wouldn't have been happy.

I don't know, there was a point there in the interview where it sure sounded like he was saying KK was kind of forced to be there, and sure sounded like he would like him in Rockford this year.

I might be reading into it, as I'm firmly in the over develop camp, but thought that's what i heard.
- vabeachbear

I'm pretty much in the camp of you don't take a 22 minute per game player and send him down.

Several sources have said that they were targeting Demidov for what it's worth.
- Chunk

I didn't see that, just the speculation because the media liked to put it down to those two. It doesn't matter now since they didn't make the trade, but I think we would have been pretty happy either way.

I'm pretty much in the camp of you don't take a 22 minute per game player and send him down.
- rpeters01

KK was a 22 minute player (actually a little over 19) on a 52 point team. If the Hawks were an 80 point team, would they have left him in junior? Or play him 12-14 minutes a game?

I don't know, there was a point there in the interview where it sure sounded like he was saying KK was kind of forced to be there, and sure sounded like he would like him in Rockford this year.

I might be reading into it, as I'm firmly in the over develop camp, but thought that's what i heard.
- vabeachbear

That's what i heard as well, and it makes a lot of sense to pair Phillips with a vet like Murphy or Brodie to give him a real chance. I thought his physicality was lacking and he has this bad habit of being on the wrong side of the puck in his own end, maybe just maybe the light comes on this season?

Could EDM use EdM?
- bjphawkfan

they pobably aren't inetrsted in another Bakerfirled Condor like DelMastro, b/c their next run is next year.
It is kinda ridiculous they are subtracting Holloway or Broberg (as said coast effective deals as young 'uns.
Ceci is gone, and do we really know the amopunt of baggage Evander still has in his lockeroom ways?

I think although, he was a fun, and essential cheap add when he was looking for a change of scenery, the fact he was unable to help win the Cup at the end has instill some anxiety that he may not be a guy you pay any more.

KK was a 22 minute player (actually a little over 19) on a 52 point team. If the Hawks were an 80 point team, would they have left him in junior? Or play him 12-14 minutes a game?
- LAHawk

Does he get paid NHL or AHL $'s if sent down? 22 is what I saw posted here? On a good team he would have stayed in Juniors I would think...

I didn't see that, just the speculation because the media liked to put it down to those two. It doesn't matter now since they didn't make the trade, but I think we would have been pretty happy either way.
- breadbag

Friedman, Roumeliotis and one other guy whose name escapes me reported it.

KK was a 22 minute player (actually a little over 19) on a 52 point team. If the Hawks were an 80 point team, would they have left him in junior? Or play him 12-14 minutes a game?
- LAHawk

Who knows but it's not like any other propsects were making it hard for them to keep playing KK.

Friedman, Roumeliotis and one other guy whose name escapes me reported it.
- Chunk

Demidov's agent.

Just wonder are all these leagues equal?
- BetweenTheDots

Nah they do maths to try to even it out. I think its interesting when you see consistencies and it fills gaps or confirms a bias but its really a wild ass guess.

Stuff like puck retrievals, denying entries, shooting the puck at the net or whatever maybe cut and dry. How those are combined to get stuff like expected goals and overall ratings or league adjusted gets a little muddier because thats based on interpretation and bias rather than raw numbers. How much of an impact do completed passes have on stuff like quality of teammates? 60% of the time every time kinda thing. What regression do you use to account for the quality of competition in something like the USHL vs CHL vs NCAA vs Europe. You make stuff up that kinda sort of makes sense and if your model mostly fits historical data then it's probably mostly close.

Does predict success? Yes but also no.

Patrick Kane for example is someone who is usually underwater "possession" wise but consistently outscores opponents. Does not fit model but tough to argue with the end result. Probably still want him on your team.

So its somewhat instructive, personality and leadership qualities are important, knowing role important, understanding positioning isn't really something there is qualitative data on. So it's a tool. I have table saw and a mitre saw. Both are great but I'm probably not going to cut fence posts to length with a table saw.

Nah they do maths to try to even it out. I think its interesting when you see consistencies and it fills gaps or confirms a bias but its really a wild ass guess.

Stuff like puck retrievals, denying entries, shooting the puck at the net or whatever maybe cut and dry. How those are combined to get stuff like expected goals and overall ratings or league adjusted gets a little muddier because thats based on interpretation and bias rather than raw numbers. How much of an impact do completed passes have on stuff like quality of teammates? 60% of the time every time kinda thing. What regression do you use to account for the quality of competition in something like the USHL vs CHL vs NCAA vs Europe. You make stuff up that kinda sort of makes sense and if your model mostly fits historical data then it's probably mostly close.

Does predict success? Yes but also no.

Patrick Kane for example is someone who is usually underwater "possession" wise but consistently outscores opponents. Does not fit model but tough to argue with the end result. Probably still want him on your team.

So its somewhat instructive, personality and leadership qualities are important, knowing role important, understanding positioning isn't really something there is qualitative data on. So it's a tool. I have table saw and a mitre saw. Both are great but I'm probably not going to cut fence posts to length with a table saw.
- fattybeef

Where's Wiz did he forget to set his alarm clock?