When will people wake up?
- Marwood

Good question lol

There are for sure enough casuals, if you talk to some of them they still bring up the bubble playoffs as sign of this team's potential, when the Canucks got .932 sv% goaltending while their opponents got .894 sv% and the Canucks still only went 10-7
- Nucker101

The bubble only showed top end potential if play together. It wasn’t sustainable without the hunger. It only took one thing to go south to come back to earth. They found it again on the BB bump. Then again it was fragile expectation. The kids never took it to the next level. The D always was patch work. The one thing they cannot grasp & execute is this is a league where it takes 60mins every game to work & skate hard. Players like Boeser don’t get it. The forecheck is an indicator it’s a team problem. The PK just puts an exclamation point on it.

All of the top teams have talent that doesn’t take nights off. Losing streaks & a poor home record are the result of this fragile team looking & waiting for the magic instead of being the magic. Not even close to enough warrior spirit & detemination from a majority of the roster. Passengers are a big problem.

- LeftCoaster

When will people wake up?
- Marwood

6am

Good question lol
- Bettmanhatesus

The best time to enjoy marmalade is in the morning.

The bubble only showed top end potential if play together. It wasn’t sustainable without the hunger. It only took one thing to go south to come back to earth. They found it again on the BB bump. Then again it was fragile expectation. The kids never took it to the next level. The D always was patch work. The one thing they cannot grasp & execute is this is a league where it takes 60mins every game to work & skate hard. Players like Boeser don’t get it. The forecheck is an indicator it’s a team problem. The PK just puts an exclamation point on it.

All of the top teams have talent that doesn’t take nights off. Losing streaks & a poor home record are the result of this fragile team looking & waiting for the magic instead of being the magic. Not even close to enough warrior spirit & detemination from a majority of the roster. Passengers are a big problem.
- Nighthawk

Exactly why they need to make big changes.

Yeah, the majority of fans are homers who don't really know much about hockey or the league.
- Nucker101

Those same fans never did a hard days work in their life. Clueless to what team sport is all about & what it takes to win. Simply out to lunch.

I have two grown kids, from the time they were 13 until today they've had a bad attitude more often than not...this is not something new. Unless you're a whiteclaw drinking 30 something wanna-be with no kids.
- LeftCoaster

We have an 18 yo, freaking nightmare. The problem has and continues to be putting kids in a position they aren’t ready for yet. Beyond just playing hockey, life is tough without a proper support system.

The best time to enjoy marmalade is in the morning.
- Marwood

6:15am

By Corey Pronman
Jan 5, 2023

2023 World Juniors standouts and disappointments: Bedard is MVP, but who underwhelmed?

The 2023 World Junior Championship concluded with Canada defeating Czechia 3-2 in overtime and Connor Bedard having a historic tournament. Between live and video viewings, I watched every game, and after doing so I’m offering my take on who I thought excelled and disappointed in this tournament. If a player isn’t mentioned, it’s likely because I didn’t feel their performance warranted mention in either direction. I will follow this up with a new drafted prospect ranking in the next few weeks.

Standouts

Connor Bedard, RW, Canada (2023 draft eligible)

The offensive leader at this tournament by a significant margin was Bedard, the projected first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft who won’t turn 18 until July. He was a dominant player, controlling the play when he was on the ice and being the driver of the best line at the tournament. Canada’s power play was deadly and it was because it rolled through Bedard. He showed his typical high-end skill and goal-scoring ability; he’s also a great playmaker, and that aspect was on display often at the World Juniors. He played with pace, he competed hard. Bedard shows all the traits you want in a top NHL forward, other than size. I’m hesitant as of now to slap the “generational” tag I’ve seen being used around the mediaspehere this week despite his record-setting performance at this tournament, but he projects as an elite NHL forward who will help turn around a rebuilding NHL franchise.


Logan Stankoven, C, and Joshua Roy, LW, Canada (Dallas and Montreal, respectively)

Stankoven and Roy played a bit in Bedard’s shadow all tournament but they were also important parts of the tournament’s best line. Stankoven had his best international showing that I could recall. He played at a great pace and competed like he usually does in the WHL while creating a lot of offense. Roy’s compete level as well was as good as I’ve ever seen it, to go with his usual skill and sense that stand out. These are both non-first-round-pick forwards who are trending strongly in the right direction, even if Stankoven lacks size and Roy lacks speed for the NHL.

Lian Bichsel, LHD, Switzerland (Dallas)

Bichsel was a big reason why Switzerland was able to beat Finland and be competitive in Group B. He faded a bit in the second half of the tournament, but the first few games he was a force. He’s quite mobile for a huge defenseman and when you combine his tendency to play physical, he was able to shut down a lot of the opponent’s offense. He showed flashes of offense, mostly off the rush and skating with the puck around the blue line, but I wouldn’t call him a natural puck-mover. Bichsel hasn’t had the biggest year in the SHL, so this was a great sign for his development as a potential top-four NHL defenseman.

Filip Bystedt, C and Leo Carlsson, LW, Sweden (San Jose and 2023 draft eligible, respectively)

Bystedt and Carlsson’s line was the only one on Sweden that was ever going consistently at even strength. Bystedt’s size, speed and skill combination allowed him to make a real impact, especially in transition, even if he’ll never be mistaken for an amazing two-way player. Carlsson lacks Bystedt’s quickness, but his high-end skill and brain were often on display. Between his courage and powerful frame, he was seemingly the only forward on Sweden who could get to the net consistently to create offense. They showed great chemistry together, fed off each other’s strengths — and maybe will be future teammates one day in San Jose?

Logan Cooley, C, and Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, United States (Arizona and St. Louis, respectively)

Cooley and Snuggerud drove the bus for USA all tournament. Snuggerud especially was consistently impactful from puck drop on Boxing Day through USA’s last shift. He’s had a great season being one of the best players in the first half in the NCAA as well. He lacks ideal foot speed, but as he’s shown in college, he has a lot of skill, can make and finish plays, and competes like a pro. Snuggerud won a lot of battles and created and finished chances for USA. Cooley was what he always is, a play-driving playmaker. Cooley’s skating and skill combination is dynamic to go with a high motor and he was the most exciting player at the tournament to watch not named Bedard.

Dylan Guenther, RW, Canada (Arizona)

Guenther and his line weren’t always as flashy as the Stankoven/Roy/Bedard line, but they played a lot of minutes for Canada. The offense didn’t come consistently for them or him, but it did in big moments. Guenther scored two massive goals in the gold medal game, including the OT winner, and a high-end snipe from the circles. I liked his speed and work ethic in the event, even if it wasn’t always rewarded with goals at even strength. He looks like a pro.


Ludvig Jansson, RHD, Sweden (Florida)

On an injury riddled blue line that also was missing Simon Edvinsson, Sweden needed someone to step up. That person was Jansson. He provided a ton of offense from the blue line, showing good playmaking ability and a shot threat. He’s not the biggest or most physical defender, but his skating is good and allowed him to be fine in transition and on retrievals. He’s got a long way to go still to be an NHL player, but he’s much more of a legit prospect than I thought previously.

Adam Gajan, G, Slovakia (2023 draft eligible)

Gajan was a great and unique story at the World Juniors as a player who wasn’t on Slovkia’s initial roster or really on their radar but was a last-minute invite and quickly became one of the best players at the tournament. Gajan helped lead Slovakia to an upset win over the USA and nearly beat Canada. We’ve seen goalies come out of nowhere and have big tournament before who aren’t legit pro prospects, but Gajan is 6-foot-3 and has legit high-end athleticism for higher levels. The tough saves he was able to make are the type that project to the NHL. He was my vote for top goalie at the tournament, and I think he will be a top-two-round pick in the upcoming draft with a chance to be the first goalie off the board.

David Jiricek, RHD, Czechia (Columbus)

Jiricek was the most consistently impactful player for Czechia, including a great performance in the semifinal against Sweden. Jiricek looked as confident and creative with the puck as I’ve ever seen him, always trying to activate off the blue line or make a play with the puck at either end of the rink. He combined that with a large, powerful frame and was steady defensively. He’s in the midst of a great season (he arguably wasn’t even as good at the World Juniors as he has been in the AHL) and the sixth overall pick from the 2022 draft looks like a great future pro for Columbus.

Jiri Kulich, LW, Czechia (Buffalo)

Kulich’s development has been on a sharp upward trend over the last 18 months and that continued at this tournament. There’s nothing spectacular about Kulich’s game, but he does everything well and looks like a pro. He plays fast, has good skill, can shoot the puck and plays in a direct style. He attacks the net, gives an honest effort every night and wins a lot of one-on-one battles. After his play in the AHL in the first half and now at this event, I would imagine if you re-did that 2022 NHL Draft, he would go well higher than the 28th slot where he was selected.


Carl Lindbom, G, Sweden (Vegas)

Sweden pushed Czechia right to the edge in their semifinal and overachieved in large part due to the play of their goaltender, Lindbom. Lindbom looked like a very intelligent and technically sound goalie. Despite not having much in terms of size or pure lateral quickness, he made a lot of tough stops and often made dangerous scoring chances seem like simple saves. I’ve had skepticism about whether he was a legit pro prospect but based on how he’s looked versus men this season and at this tournament, I could buy backup NHL goalie potential.

Luke Hughes, LHD, United States (New Jersey)

Hughes was one of my two all-star votes for defensemen at the tournament, but I did that with reservations given that he had a good but not amazing semifinal against Canada, and even though he had a great tournament, those big moments matter. You ride the wave with Hughes. For most of the tournament, he was an elite transition player whose skating and skill took over shifts. He plays a risky style, the mistakes look glaringly bad with him and at times his defensive play was lackadaisical. In sum, I think it was still a very positive tournament with a lot of good from Hughes that looked like a potential impact NHL defenseman, including shutting down Bedard more than any other defender seemed able to in the tournament, but it’s also hard to look past the zero points in a big game.

Matyas Sapovaliv, C, Czechia (Vegas)

Sapovaliv centered the top line for Czechia and was highly effective. He’s a big, powerful center who won a lot of battles at both ends of the rink. He’s not an offensive dynamo with some heavy skating as well, but he made enough plays and was a factor in a top team’s offense. He looks like a future bottom-six center in the NHL.

Maxim Strbak, RHD, Slovakia (2023 draft eligible)

Strbak isn’t the flashiest player in the world, and is about a half point-per-game in the USHL right now. But when the games got hard and the tempo elevated, especially against Canada in the quarterfinals, he was a player the coaching staff turned to. In that thrilling game against Canada’s best junior players, the 17-year-old was second on his team in time on ice. He was making a lot of stops due to his skating and reach, but mostly because of his tremendous compete level. He looked like a future NHL defenseman.

The Stanislav Svozil (Columbus) and David Spacek (Minnesota) defense pair, Czechia

Jiricek was the leader on defense for Czechia, but Svozil and Spacek were right there with him and better on some nights. Svozil looked as good as he’s ever been. He was attacking with pace, making highly skilled plays at a high rate and being solid defensively, too. Spacek showed so much more pace in his all-around game than I’ve seen before. He was attacking with his skating, being involved in the offense and competed well on defense. While I’m not sure I would call them top-flight prospects, both looked like guys who will play NHL games on day.

Disappointments

Adam Fantilli, LW, Canada (2023 draft eligible)

Fantilli’s tournament didn’t go as some would have hoped. That doesn’t mean it went poorly. Between his skating, physicality and high-end puck skills, he showed some of the elite tools that will make him a very high 2023 draft pick. Despite his feet and effort, the pace seemed a little quick for him at times, and he steadily dropped down the Canadian lineup. He redeemed himself a bit with a solid medal round, and in fact they used him a lot in the gold medal game overtime, but for a guy who has been one of the top scorers in college hockey this season, I thought he would be a little more consistent with his impact at this level.

Kevin Korchinski, LHD, Canada (Chicago)

I want to preface this with a note that I think Korchinski is a great pro prospect who has looked great this season in the WHL. This tournament wasn’t his best hockey, though. It’s not easy for an 18-year-old to get big minutes on Team Canada, but I didn’t feel he did what he was capable of. He didn’t move and transport pucks like he does in the WHL, and the defensive issues you’ve seen at times in club play were accentuated on the big stage, where you saw his minutes limited in the big games. I love this player, he’s an awesome skater with legit offense and will be a very good NHL player, but this wasn’t his week.

Team Finland

The Finns scored only 14 goals over five games and generally seemed like they were searching for someone to make a play the entire tournament. At times, Nashville pick Joakim Kemell rose to the occasion; due to his speed, skill and physicality, he could make things happen at even strength. You saw glimpses from others like Jani Nyman (Seattle), Niko Huuhtanen (Tampa Bay) and Oliver Kapanen (Montreal), but they were quite inconsistent and they faded in the hard games. That three-time World Junior member Brad Lambert (Winnipeg) wasn’t even on the ice for the important moments when they needed a goal says a lot about how his tournament went as well.

Sweden’s forwards outside of Bystedt and Carlsson

Sweden had a young team, with a lot of big roles handed to 2004-born players in a 2003 age group tournament. That said, given how many high picks they had up front, the lack of offense they showed was highly concerning. Fabian Lysell (Boston), Isak Rosen (Buffalo), Noah Ostlund (Buffalo), Liam Ohgren (Minnesota) and Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Vancouver) all are first-round picks who disappointed to various degrees. Lekkerimaki played his way onto the bench in the medal round, Ostlund was fine at even strength but was taken off the power play prior to the bronze medal game. Lysell recorded a zero-point tournament. Ohgren had two points, although I liked his compete. Rosen was fine but certainly not impactful.

Exactly why they need to make big changes.
- Nucker101

Referred to as culture change aka a big shake up. The character of many players is in question. Bear & Schenn have even called that out.

Paid fanboy actors?
- CanuckDon

These people are real. I’ve met them at games/bars/parties. I still never forget the guy that my gf’s best friend was dating.

He went on a 10 minute spiel about his stacked the Canucks are going to be once Lind/Woo/DiPietro/Gadjovich/Rathbone/Madden are all on the team.


Sadly they broke up during covid lockdowns so I haven’t seen him since

@lefty

Pronman sucks. He’s no better than any fan who follows draft prospects closely.

@lefty

Pronman sucks. He’s no better than any fan who follows draft prospects closely.
- Nucker101

Sure....but at least it's something to read for y'all that is normally behind a paywall and it's something different than the circling that goes on here. Just be happy for once someone is trying to add some flavor to the conversation, good, bad or indifferent...Jeez man!!

By Corey Pronman
Jan 5, 2023

2023 World Juniors standouts and disappointments: Bedard is MVP, but who underwhelmed?

The 2023 World Junior Championship concluded with Canada defeating Czechia 3-2 in overtime and Connor Bedard having a historic tournament. Between live and video viewings, I watched every game, and after doing so I’m offering my take on who I thought excelled and disappointed in this tournament. If a player isn’t mentioned, it’s likely because I didn’t feel their performance warranted mention in either direction. I will follow this up with a new drafted prospect ranking in the next few weeks.

Standouts

Connor Bedard, RW, Canada (2023 draft eligible)

The offensive leader at this tournament by a significant margin was Bedard, the projected first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft who won’t turn 18 until July. He was a dominant player, controlling the play when he was on the ice and being the driver of the best line at the tournament. Canada’s power play was deadly and it was because it rolled through Bedard. He showed his typical high-end skill and goal-scoring ability; he’s also a great playmaker, and that aspect was on display often at the World Juniors. He played with pace, he competed hard. Bedard shows all the traits you want in a top NHL forward, other than size. I’m hesitant as of now to slap the “generational” tag I’ve seen being used around the mediaspehere this week despite his record-setting performance at this tournament, but he projects as an elite NHL forward who will help turn around a rebuilding NHL franchise.


Logan Stankoven, C, and Joshua Roy, LW, Canada (Dallas and Montreal, respectively)

Stankoven and Roy played a bit in Bedard’s shadow all tournament but they were also important parts of the tournament’s best line. Stankoven had his best international showing that I could recall. He played at a great pace and competed like he usually does in the WHL while creating a lot of offense. Roy’s compete level as well was as good as I’ve ever seen it, to go with his usual skill and sense that stand out. These are both non-first-round-pick forwards who are trending strongly in the right direction, even if Stankoven lacks size and Roy lacks speed for the NHL.

Lian Bichsel, LHD, Switzerland (Dallas)

Bichsel was a big reason why Switzerland was able to beat Finland and be competitive in Group B. He faded a bit in the second half of the tournament, but the first few games he was a force. He’s quite mobile for a huge defenseman and when you combine his tendency to play physical, he was able to shut down a lot of the opponent’s offense. He showed flashes of offense, mostly off the rush and skating with the puck around the blue line, but I wouldn’t call him a natural puck-mover. Bichsel hasn’t had the biggest year in the SHL, so this was a great sign for his development as a potential top-four NHL defenseman.

Filip Bystedt, C and Leo Carlsson, LW, Sweden (San Jose and 2023 draft eligible, respectively)

Bystedt and Carlsson’s line was the only one on Sweden that was ever going consistently at even strength. Bystedt’s size, speed and skill combination allowed him to make a real impact, especially in transition, even if he’ll never be mistaken for an amazing two-way player. Carlsson lacks Bystedt’s quickness, but his high-end skill and brain were often on display. Between his courage and powerful frame, he was seemingly the only forward on Sweden who could get to the net consistently to create offense. They showed great chemistry together, fed off each other’s strengths — and maybe will be future teammates one day in San Jose?

Logan Cooley, C, and Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, United States (Arizona and St. Louis, respectively)

Cooley and Snuggerud drove the bus for USA all tournament. Snuggerud especially was consistently impactful from puck drop on Boxing Day through USA’s last shift. He’s had a great season being one of the best players in the first half in the NCAA as well. He lacks ideal foot speed, but as he’s shown in college, he has a lot of skill, can make and finish plays, and competes like a pro. Snuggerud won a lot of battles and created and finished chances for USA. Cooley was what he always is, a play-driving playmaker. Cooley’s skating and skill combination is dynamic to go with a high motor and he was the most exciting player at the tournament to watch not named Bedard.

Dylan Guenther, RW, Canada (Arizona)

Guenther and his line weren’t always as flashy as the Stankoven/Roy/Bedard line, but they played a lot of minutes for Canada. The offense didn’t come consistently for them or him, but it did in big moments. Guenther scored two massive goals in the gold medal game, including the OT winner, and a high-end snipe from the circles. I liked his speed and work ethic in the event, even if it wasn’t always rewarded with goals at even strength. He looks like a pro.


Ludvig Jansson, RHD, Sweden (Florida)

On an injury riddled blue line that also was missing Simon Edvinsson, Sweden needed someone to step up. That person was Jansson. He provided a ton of offense from the blue line, showing good playmaking ability and a shot threat. He’s not the biggest or most physical defender, but his skating is good and allowed him to be fine in transition and on retrievals. He’s got a long way to go still to be an NHL player, but he’s much more of a legit prospect than I thought previously.

Adam Gajan, G, Slovakia (2023 draft eligible)

Gajan was a great and unique story at the World Juniors as a player who wasn’t on Slovkia’s initial roster or really on their radar but was a last-minute invite and quickly became one of the best players at the tournament. Gajan helped lead Slovakia to an upset win over the USA and nearly beat Canada. We’ve seen goalies come out of nowhere and have big tournament before who aren’t legit pro prospects, but Gajan is 6-foot-3 and has legit high-end athleticism for higher levels. The tough saves he was able to make are the type that project to the NHL. He was my vote for top goalie at the tournament, and I think he will be a top-two-round pick in the upcoming draft with a chance to be the first goalie off the board.

David Jiricek, RHD, Czechia (Columbus)

Jiricek was the most consistently impactful player for Czechia, including a great performance in the semifinal against Sweden. Jiricek looked as confident and creative with the puck as I’ve ever seen him, always trying to activate off the blue line or make a play with the puck at either end of the rink. He combined that with a large, powerful frame and was steady defensively. He’s in the midst of a great season (he arguably wasn’t even as good at the World Juniors as he has been in the AHL) and the sixth overall pick from the 2022 draft looks like a great future pro for Columbus.

Jiri Kulich, LW, Czechia (Buffalo)

Kulich’s development has been on a sharp upward trend over the last 18 months and that continued at this tournament. There’s nothing spectacular about Kulich’s game, but he does everything well and looks like a pro. He plays fast, has good skill, can shoot the puck and plays in a direct style. He attacks the net, gives an honest effort every night and wins a lot of one-on-one battles. After his play in the AHL in the first half and now at this event, I would imagine if you re-did that 2022 NHL Draft, he would go well higher than the 28th slot where he was selected.


Carl Lindbom, G, Sweden (Vegas)

Sweden pushed Czechia right to the edge in their semifinal and overachieved in large part due to the play of their goaltender, Lindbom. Lindbom looked like a very intelligent and technically sound goalie. Despite not having much in terms of size or pure lateral quickness, he made a lot of tough stops and often made dangerous scoring chances seem like simple saves. I’ve had skepticism about whether he was a legit pro prospect but based on how he’s looked versus men this season and at this tournament, I could buy backup NHL goalie potential.

Luke Hughes, LHD, United States (New Jersey)

Hughes was one of my two all-star votes for defensemen at the tournament, but I did that with reservations given that he had a good but not amazing semifinal against Canada, and even though he had a great tournament, those big moments matter. You ride the wave with Hughes. For most of the tournament, he was an elite transition player whose skating and skill took over shifts. He plays a risky style, the mistakes look glaringly bad with him and at times his defensive play was lackadaisical. In sum, I think it was still a very positive tournament with a lot of good from Hughes that looked like a potential impact NHL defenseman, including shutting down Bedard more than any other defender seemed able to in the tournament, but it’s also hard to look past the zero points in a big game.

Matyas Sapovaliv, C, Czechia (Vegas)

Sapovaliv centered the top line for Czechia and was highly effective. He’s a big, powerful center who won a lot of battles at both ends of the rink. He’s not an offensive dynamo with some heavy skating as well, but he made enough plays and was a factor in a top team’s offense. He looks like a future bottom-six center in the NHL.

Maxim Strbak, RHD, Slovakia (2023 draft eligible)

Strbak isn’t the flashiest player in the world, and is about a half point-per-game in the USHL right now. But when the games got hard and the tempo elevated, especially against Canada in the quarterfinals, he was a player the coaching staff turned to. In that thrilling game against Canada’s best junior players, the 17-year-old was second on his team in time on ice. He was making a lot of stops due to his skating and reach, but mostly because of his tremendous compete level. He looked like a future NHL defenseman.

The Stanislav Svozil (Columbus) and David Spacek (Minnesota) defense pair, Czechia

Jiricek was the leader on defense for Czechia, but Svozil and Spacek were right there with him and better on some nights. Svozil looked as good as he’s ever been. He was attacking with pace, making highly skilled plays at a high rate and being solid defensively, too. Spacek showed so much more pace in his all-around game than I’ve seen before. He was attacking with his skating, being involved in the offense and competed well on defense. While I’m not sure I would call them top-flight prospects, both looked like guys who will play NHL games on day.

Disappointments

Adam Fantilli, LW, Canada (2023 draft eligible)

Fantilli’s tournament didn’t go as some would have hoped. That doesn’t mean it went poorly. Between his skating, physicality and high-end puck skills, he showed some of the elite tools that will make him a very high 2023 draft pick. Despite his feet and effort, the pace seemed a little quick for him at times, and he steadily dropped down the Canadian lineup. He redeemed himself a bit with a solid medal round, and in fact they used him a lot in the gold medal game overtime, but for a guy who has been one of the top scorers in college hockey this season, I thought he would be a little more consistent with his impact at this level.

Kevin Korchinski, LHD, Canada (Chicago)

I want to preface this with a note that I think Korchinski is a great pro prospect who has looked great this season in the WHL. This tournament wasn’t his best hockey, though. It’s not easy for an 18-year-old to get big minutes on Team Canada, but I didn’t feel he did what he was capable of. He didn’t move and transport pucks like he does in the WHL, and the defensive issues you’ve seen at times in club play were accentuated on the big stage, where you saw his minutes limited in the big games. I love this player, he’s an awesome skater with legit offense and will be a very good NHL player, but this wasn’t his week.

Team Finland

The Finns scored only 14 goals over five games and generally seemed like they were searching for someone to make a play the entire tournament. At times, Nashville pick Joakim Kemell rose to the occasion; due to his speed, skill and physicality, he could make things happen at even strength. You saw glimpses from others like Jani Nyman (Seattle), Niko Huuhtanen (Tampa Bay) and Oliver Kapanen (Montreal), but they were quite inconsistent and they faded in the hard games. That three-time World Junior member Brad Lambert (Winnipeg) wasn’t even on the ice for the important moments when they needed a goal says a lot about how his tournament went as well.

Sweden’s forwards outside of Bystedt and Carlsson

Sweden had a young team, with a lot of big roles handed to 2004-born players in a 2003 age group tournament. That said, given how many high picks they had up front, the lack of offense they showed was highly concerning. Fabian Lysell (Boston), Isak Rosen (Buffalo), Noah Ostlund (Buffalo), Liam Ohgren (Minnesota) and Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Vancouver) all are first-round picks who disappointed to various degrees. Lekkerimaki played his way onto the bench in the medal round, Ostlund was fine at even strength but was taken off the power play prior to the bronze medal game. Lysell recorded a zero-point tournament. Ohgren had two points, although I liked his compete. Rosen was fine but certainly not impactful.
- LeftCoaster

Fantilli was meh after all the hype.

I still hope we can pick Will Smith.

Sure....but at least it's something to read for y'all that is normally behind a paywall and it's something different than the circling that goes on here. Just be happy for once someone is trying to add some flavor to the conversation, good, bad or indifferent...Jeez man!!
- LeftCoaster

The standards are higher for giant walls of text. This falls below Moby D!ck

Fantilli was meh after all the hype.

I still hope we can pick Will Smith.
- Nighthawk

Someone should slap you for this.

Fantilli was meh after all the hype.

I still hope we can pick Will Smith.
- Nighthawk

alpha

Strbak probably moving up & not there in the 2nd for us. We need trades for prospects for needs & picks. I’m stepping out from my optimists point of view & want change & sink in the standings. This season shows many things are needed & should be a set up for the future not for a slim playoff push.

Someone should slap you for this.
- 1970vintage

You believe we’re getting a top 3 pick? Not I so I proceed to trades & shake up the roster & restock.

More picks & take someone like Weiermaier.

You believe we’re getting a top 3 pick? Not I so I proceed to trades & shake up the roster & restock.
- Nighthawk

No, for two completely different reasons:
1) Will Smith, really, you don’t know another Will Smith who delivered an open handed slap on live TV?
2) You quoted a post that is ten pages long, forcing everyone else to scroll for days. You know you can delete stuff when quoting right?

@lefty

Pronman sucks. He’s no better than any fan who follows draft prospects closely.
- Nucker101

He, quite obviously, knows nothing about Goalies.

No, for two completely different reasons:
1) Will Smith, really, you don’t know another Will Smith who delivered an open handed slap on live TV?
2) You quoted a post that is ten pages long, forcing everyone else to scroll for days. You know you can delete stuff when quoting right?
- 1970vintage

1) idgaf about that stick to hockey.
2) I gleaned all that I cared from it. I already pumped Strbak’s tires.

He, quite obviously, knows nothing about Goalies.
- Load Management

I’d like a goalie to call out players. They see all the crap going on in front of them. Lol