Login

***bluesfan55*** · 08-24-2020, 05:17 PM

I’m a big fan of looking at prospects. It’s always fun (at least in my opinion) to take a look at the future of this league and see what they have to offer. In this case, I’m going to take a look at the prospects that my team, the New England Wolfpack, have in the system. We’ve got a lot of youngsters in the pipeline, most of whom could become big parts of this team going forward, so I think it’ll be nice to go over their strengths, weaknesses, and overall potential. Consider this an end-of-season prospect review of sorts.

The Surefire Call-ups
These three players will all be called up next season and figure to play big roles on a Wolfpack team likely to regress following the loss of Eko van Otter and two players from expansion.

RW Ethan Price (@Zomp ), 701 TPE

Price has definitely left his mark on the Outlaws, having won a Four Star Cup with them in S52 and leading the team in goals as they made the Four Star Cup Finals last season. This season has been more of the same from Price as he again led the Outlaws in points with 48 (having done so in S53 as well with 41 points), finishing his juniors career with his best season. Price, a second round pick in S53, has emerged as one of the best snipers in the SMJHL (and boasts fantastic hands as well) but is no slouch at the defensive end as he’s adept at reading the play defensively. Price also brings a great locker room presence, and while the New Hampshire native hasn’t been the highest earner in his class, he’s still been a consistent earner and productive player. He’s got great potential as a goal-scoring second line forward and should adjust to life easily in the SHL.

RW (Clean) Andrei Kostitsyn, 587 TPE (@Clean Andrei Kostitsyn)

Who doesn’t love themselves a bit of (Clean)? Already a beloved locker room figure in New England following his acquisition in the Clapper/Zheng trade, (Clean) Andrei Kostitsyn will make his long-awaited SHL debut next season. Andrei is a two-way forward who is insanely well-rounded, and he’s more than willing to throw the body around (he’s had more than 60 hits in each of the past three seasons) and while he’s never been the greatest scorer, he more than makes up for it with his defensive aptitude. (Clean) strikes me as a player similar to Stan Hanson, who made his SHL debut this season. While his offensive prowess won’t blow you away, (Clean), a former third round pick, has high upside as a high-character player/defensive forward who racks up high hit totals.

D Erben Kasius, 788 TPE (@Paq)

One player who’s already had a cup of SHL coffee is defenseman Erben Kasius, called up for 6 games (registering 2 assists) by the New Orleans Specters to replace the suspended Charlie Serpe. While an offensive defenseman, Kasius has never been the most productive player, with his best season being S52 where he scored 25 points. Kasius, a former first round pick acquired in the Rex Kirkby trade, has spent all four of his SMJHL seasons with the St. Louis Scarecrows, and is a fairly well-rounded player who can shoot the puck and pass well but also get back and get the puck away from you, whether it be with the stick or the body. However, his 38 giveaways are a cause for concern, and he still needs to work on his defensive game. Kasius has high potential as a second-pairing OFD and while his defensive game lacks a bit he should be able to make up for that.

The SMJHL Stars
These four players are amongst the best players in their classes, whether it be on the blueline or up front, and when they’re ready will be fantastic SHL players.

D Matthew Sawful, 615 TPE (@SAwful)

The best defenseman in Anchorage’s star-studded blue line, Matthew Sawful has all the talent to live up to the hype of being the third overall pick in S54. He’s a great two-way defenseman who can basically do everything, brings a fantastic locker room presence and enthusiasm for the league, and has performed great on the ice to boot (27 takeaways as a rookie in S53 and 35 this season, consistently improving point totals, and a willingness to block shots). Sawful can easily become an elite defenseman in this league if he keeps doing what he’s doing.

RW Alexander Oscarsson, 458 TPE (@Zema)

The first of New England’s three first round picks in S55 was Swedish winger Oscarsson, who impressed as a rookie the previous season with 18 points, a consistent enthusiasm for the league, and high work ethic. This season Oscarsson has continued to improve along with a young Maine Timber core to the tune of 37 points, 15 of which were on the power play. Oscarsson is a purely offensive player with great scoring instincts, but is also a surprisingly good stickchecker and shot blocker. He’s got high potential as a top line playmaker but needs to keep working on his defensive game.

RW Gudmundur Kristjansson, 438 TPE (@Fluw)

Another RW who was selected in the first round by the Wolfpack last season was Icelandic playmaker Gudmundur Kristjansson, who’s become a key part of a Colorado Raptors team that could make a deep run in the postseason. Kristjansson isn’t a scorer, as shown by his 7 goals this season, but the main reason why he has 35 points is because he’s a fantastic passer who racks up assists like they’re nothing. He’s also got a solid defensive game which still has room to grow. With his passing skill, Kristjansson could become one of the premier playmakers in the game (a la Slap McShotty or Daniel Smeb).

LW Ryan Rieley, 436 TPE (@Brandon)

One of the premier players on a Quebec City Citadelles team that’s exceeded expectations this season, Ryan Rieley brings a fantastic goalscoring touch to his team.The former Colorado Raptor only scored 13 points last season, and improved to 19 in his first season with the expansion Citadelles. Besides his scoring ability, Rieley is more than willing to throw the body around (101 hits this season). However, he needs to improve his speed and puck management skills (32 giveaways isn’t good) in order to reach that top level. Rieley strikes me as a future goal-scoring power forward who should make it as a top 6 option.

The Value Picks
These five players are projects; while there’s obvious talent, they still need more seasoning in the SMJHL and won’t come up until after their fourth or fifth (if they pass waivers) SMJHL seasons. They’ll be future contributors to SHL rosters and should prove to be great value as later picks.

D Leonids Balzams, 378 TPE (@Cyanide)

Balzams came in as a DFA with the Scarecrows last season (scoring 14 points, 89 hits, and 23 takeaways) and has been a near max-earner since then, and the S55 second-round pick, while behind most of his classmates TPE-wise due to his late start, has more than made up for it with his consistent earning, positive LR presence, and stable defensive play. Balzams, who was selected by the Nevada Battleborn in the expansion draft, has brought his rough-nosed defensive style of play with him, as he’s 64 hits, 29 takeaways, and 11 points. Every team needs a defensive defenseman and in Balzams the Wolfpack have a future top 4 d-man.

C Bobby Bergen, 333 TPE (@Nobody)

Bergen brings an active LR presence (but inconsistent earning) to the table. The Carolina Kraken center is a two-way forward who has never been the best scorer (his best SMJHL season was S54, where he scored 33 points). He brings a decent defensive game as well, and strikes me as a good offensive third-line option in the future.

D James LeBlond, 409 TPE (@eMLBCommish)

LeBlond’s broken out this season as an offensive defenseman, and the former second round pick does bring offensive skill, specifically a surprising goal-scoring touch (19 goals and 38 points) to the table. The Outlaws blueliner is also more than competent defensively with his 36 takeaways (fourth in the league), and he also has 67 hits to boot. However, LeBlond also has 46 giveaways, signalling that his puck management needs work, and hasn’t really been the most consistent earner. LeBlond should be a good third-pairing defenseman who can bring an offensive game night in and night out.

D Hennessey-Gallchobhar O’McGuinness, 238 TPE (@the_paytonium)

Ginger ‘fro wearing Brit O’McGuinness has never really been a consistent earner, but he’s been active both on the site and in the LR. The Timber defenseman, a third round pick in S55, is more of a defensive player like Balzams, but has less takeaways (18) and shots blocked (26), instead showing a surprisingly good playmaking ability (14 assists this season and 17 points total). And when you add in the fact that he’s been this productive from the third pair (he sits behind Rikard Bjerg and Nathan Thomas on the depth chart), you get a sense that O’McGuinness is obviously talented. He, like LeBlond, strikes me as a good third-pairing defenseman who can bring a steady two-way game rather than LeBlond’s offensively-focused game.

LW Stein Nilsen, 350 TPE (@bordon23)

Another prospect acquired in the Rex Kirkby trade, Stein Nilsen has been a decent earner and looks to be decent value as a fourth round pick in S54 (snagging an active that late in the draft is always good). The Norwegian winger has been a bottom 6 forward for the Kraken since being drafted there in S53 and plays the kind of decently well-rounded game you’d expect from a player like him. His build shows the same, as he’s got good passing and shooting ability as well as decent defensive positioning and reading. Nilsen should be a solid third-line forward who can bring a well-rounded style of play to his team.

All in all, the Wolfpack have a pretty good prospect group, and that’s before this season’s draft, where they hold four first round picks. The future of this Wolfpack team is bright for sure.