CBJ Prospect and Player Thread

[jimotis4heisman]

it was asked for some player and prospect info. so here it is.

first an explanation. most of these are of my head type things. this is just off the cuff stuff. tons of kids are in the system, though i will focus on those with nhl caliber stuff. i dont claim to be any super expert (so im not like 21, wad, 22 etc ) come talent evaluation or what not. most of this info is actually recycled stuff that come from others but is my own words. essentially this is info that i or one of probably 100 posters in the football thread could do a run down on of a football recruit for the buckeyes.

that being said keep in mind its even more difficult in hockey. instead of projeceting a kid for college it would be like taking that info on hs kids and projecting them directly to the nfl. sure you can do it with a couple of kids a year with ease, but beyond that its nearly a crap shoot.

that being said here we go...



EDIT:
hockeys future rankings of cbj
#5 overall org prospects ranks
within the org here is the rankings
1 gilbert brule c (not going to do a thread you all know him)
2 pascal leclaire g (same thing)
3 derick brassard c
4 adam pineault rw
5 alexander picard lw
6 aaron johnson d
7 ole kristian tollefsen d
8 geoff platt c
9 kris russell d
10 joakim lindstrom lw

[jimotis4heisman]

kris russell 5-10 177lbs (some have him listed at 5-9 160 still)
pos: dman
shoots: l
born 5-87 (19)
pick 67th by cbj
current team: medicine hat tigers of the whl (candian hockey league [jrs])
http://whl.ca/en/stats/player.php?id=23310
what youve got: a little guy who is offensively minded. cut from the mold of
what they are calling the "new nhl dman" he is a ittle guy who posses huge offensive upside as seen in his numbers. though that being said he has shown a level of fearlessness that you have to like. in the world jrs he played very very well and has done so this winter in a few international competitions.

playing style: feisty and competitive are the two words you hear a lot of. he has the ability to control the game, words like hockey awareness and uncanny sense are thrown around a lot with kris. when russell spent some time up in columbus earier this year during camp i noticed how he plays at different paces, sometimes he attacks sometimes he sits back. kind of puts the offensive guy offbalance.


what ive heard from people out there: if he was two inches taller and 20lbs heavier he would have been a sure fire 1st rounder. but that being said he playes like hes bigger than he is. hes a gritty kid who blocks shots and plays hard. plays well on both ends of the ice, but will really scrape and fight on the boards in front of the net.


stats:
yr/games/goals/assists/pts/ +-/penalty mins
03-04/55/4/15/19/-1/30
04-05/72/26/35/61/+29/37
05-06/55/14/33/47/+8/18
06-07/54/29/32/61/+9/50

all with mh tigers of the whl.


where he projects: probably youd say 3-5 dman in the nhl. with his size being the limiting factor. that being said max abilit is prob 2-3 (doubtful with his size he really ever could be a true first pairing dman) on the flip side id say 7th dman and ahl caliber player.

3/21 hf info

36. Kris Russell, D - Columbus Blue Jackets

It has been another banner year Kris Russell, who earned his second gold medal with Team Canada's WJC squad. One of five returnees to the squad from last year's blue line, the puck-moving defenseman tied the highly-touted Jonathan Toews for the team lead in goals with four. Russell has been an offensive dynamo with the Medicine Hat Tigers, notching a league-high 32 goals among defensemen and 68 points (placing him second). Coupled with his uncanny offensive awareness, Russell has heart and leadership that are far and away larger than his small frame. Russell has been the captain of the Medicine Hat squad for two seasons, and coupled with his important roles in international play, this has shaped the 5'10 blueliner into one of the top prospects among defensemen in any league. In spite of his small stature, Russell has shown a fearless competitive spirit, and will have to continue his tenacious play to make up for his lack of size in the professional game.

edit 3/23 named first team all star all whl (unanimous)

http://bluejackets.com/news/features/arts/3696.0.html

*Kris Russell
^Blue Jackets 3rd pick, 67th overall, 2005 Entry Draft.
Western Hockey League Playoffs
Russell recorded an assist in the Medicine Hat Tigers 2-0 Game 7 victory over Red Deer in the first round of the WHL playoffs. In the seven game series, Russell had two goals and eight assists. In games four and six, Russell was named No. 2 star of the game and was named No. 3 star in game five. Medicine Hat advances to the second round of the playoffs, but must wait for other series to finish before it will know its next opponent.

5/2 http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=...ticleid=301910

The championship series in the WHL is also set, featuring Medicine Hat against defending champion Vancouver. The best-of-seven series will start Friday in Medicine Hat.
The Tigers bounced Calgary 4-1 in the Western Conference Final. Derek Dorsett, Columbus Blue Jacket property, was the star for the Tigers, notching four goals and six points in the five games. For the playoffs, Dorsett has eight goals and 14 points in 11 games for the Tigers. He has scored at least one point in each of his past eight games.
Darren Helm and Kris Russell have been the big guns for Medicine Hat throughout the playoffs. Helm has 20 points, including nine goals, to sit third overall on the postseason scoring list. Russell, meanwhile, has 16 points, including a team-best 12 assists, in 16 outings.

russell named whl player of the year
http://bluejackets.com/news/press/arts/3739.0.html

5/20
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/ne...2-eb6deb843778
hitch and his take on russell

Can diminutive Jackets prospect Kris Russell, captain of Medicine Hat, play in the NHL?"He's a special player. People talk about his size, but for me that's completely irrelevant. He does things transition-wise that no [junior] player can do."

[jimotis4heisman]

derrick brassard 6-0 172 (listed by the q at 6-1 182)
pos: c
shoots:l
born:9/87 (19)
pick: 6th cbj
current team: drummondville voltigeurs (no i have no idea what that is but it looks like some sort of pirate)
the team pages for the qmjhl stink so i wont waste your time.
here is his central scouting report from iss (predraft)
http://bluejackets.com/team/players/bio.php?id=220

considered perhaps the best all around player in his draft class. wasnt necessarily the best at anything but amongst the skaters was considered in the top 5 or so in every thing. patterns himself after brad richards he claims. thats a tall task to ask.

he is a competitor and a kid who is playmaker, he is wiling to pay the price to make the pass. has great on ice vision. has good hockey sense and awareness. has the ability to throw tape to tape passes with a lightning quick release. has a nice wrist shot and willing to go to the net. very agile skater with good change in direction.

not real good at faceoffs. and not the fastest skater. not overly physical. needs to put on weight and strength.

projects as a #1 center (though thats something he will have to develop into.) likely has the ability to make the team next year.

suffered a shoulder injury that put him out until about a week ago in drummondville prior to ever being able to take a skate in rookie camp for the bugs.


yr/games/g/a/pts/penalty mins
03-04/10/0/1/0
04-05/69/25/51/76/25
05-06/58/44/72/116/92
all for drummondville in the qmjhl (chl)


add 3/21

26. Derick Brassard, C - Columbus Blue Jackets

Brassard's season got off to an extremely late start as he recovered from a dislocated shoulder suffered before the start of training camp. It delayed his season debut with the QMJHL's Drummondville Voltigeurs until mid February. Although he is still working himself into game shape with an eye towards the playoffs, he has been able to continue to show the prodigious offensive gifts that make him a big part of Columbus' future. In just 11 games, he has scored five goals and added 16 assists - not far from his two points per game pace of 2005-06, and more than promising considering the severity of his injury.

note still on pace of about 2 ppg... not sure where that math comes from...

http://bluejackets.com/news/features/arts/3696.0.html

*Derick Brassard
^Blue Jackets 1st pick, 6th overall, 2006 Entry Draft.
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Playoffs
Brassard helped lead No. 4 seed Drummondville past No. 5 Quebec (4-1) in the first round of the QMJHL playoffs. In five games, Brassard had a goal in each contest and added eight assists for a 13 point series. In addition to the points, Brassard was named No. 1 star of the game for the first, second and fifth games of the series. The Voltigeurs advances to play the No. 6 seed Rouyn-Noranda in the second round of the playoffs, with the series beginning Apr. 6.

[jimotis4heisman]

adam pineault 6-1 193 (crunch list at 202)
pos rw
shoots r
born 5/86
current team syracuse crunch (previously with boston college and moncton)


this is the kid i was pimping preseason. power forward. maybe next year or the next he might be ready for the nhl. (07-08 or 08-09) depending on when he can devlop to id say about 210ish. plays hard-nosed, gritty. causes losses pucks all over the ice. great acceleration with a powerful stride. good vision and good passing skills. has wicked hard shot. hes not freddy mo, but his release is much quicker. nor his he feds in his prime. but still has a heavy twig to let his booming slapshot off with.

interesting thing is struggles on the wing and looks more at ease at center, but with that shot hes a winger. projects as a tweener between a first and second line winger. most likely in our situation is second line down the road.

some interesting stuff about him. played for the u-18 us team at 16. went to college at bc as a young 17 year old. in what i have been told with struggled with "maturity issues" he left bc. (a lot of kids leave college hockey to play in the chl. [ill point out that this year kevin montgomery of osu a avs prospect left osu midseason to go play for the london knights]) its something that at 17 i dont think many people are ready for.

yr/team/league/games/g/a/pts/pim
03-04/bc/ncaa(hea)/28/4/4/8/30
04-05/montcon/q/61/26/20/46/64
05-06/montcon/q/55/29/30/59/94
06-07/crunch/ahl/46/11/10/21/54



[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bVwmhzREC4[/youtube]

[Bucky Katt]

Originally Posted by jimotis4heisman

current team: drummondville voltigeurs (no i have no idea what that is but it looks like some sort of pirate)

The Voltigeurs were a group of Quebecian militiamen fighting for the British during the War of 1812.

Voltigeur

That's my contribution. Thanks for putting this together, Rick!

[jimotis4heisman]

(an older picture, not many ones of him/his body around it seems)
joakim lindstrom 6 1 187lbs
pos low
shoots l
born 12/83 (23)
current team: syracuse crunch

from sweeden played and grew up in the modo system (most famous sweedish team due to forsberg)

youve seen him in columbus 8 times. five of which were this year.

has very good offensive skills and plays very physical. although he has had several shoulder issues. good ice vision and great hockey sense.

has a lot he needs to improve on, mostly he really needs to work on playing with his body and fram and using it to his advantage. in cuse he has been known to play lax. we havent seen that in his few trips up to the big club. needs to relax and play hockey as he often times plays like hes pressured when hes not and rushes things rather than waiting for things to develop.

projects i would say 3rd liner. some have said second, i doubt that.

im going to try and link his stat lines...
http://www.syracusecrunch.com/team/p...m?objectID=110

[jimotis4heisman]

of note keep in mind two young kids have this exact name. the other is a young dman.



alexander picard
6-2 190lbs
pos llw
shoots l

what you have: coming out of the q (the most offensive of all the chl) you had a guy who put up 39 and 40 goals in his last two years in jrs. he was seen as having a great deal of offensive upside. we have yet to see that in the professional ranks. now in his second year in pros pic had his best offensive week in his pro career with two goals and three assists.

picard has the ability to play a very physical game (hell hit anything that moves) what you have is a guy who is willing to pay the price physically. what you have now is a guy who has decent offensive upside, but likely projects a line lower than he did coming out of jrs. now a 2/3 line player. pic lacks some consistency which often times comes with time. pic also has a tendency to neglect his defensive game. both things that ive heard he has improved very much this year.

stats
yr/team/league/games/g/a/pts/pim
01-02/sherbrooke/q/6/0/3/3/0
02-03/sherbrooke/q/66/14/15/29/41
03-04/lewiston/q/69/39/41/80/88
04-05/lewiston/q/65/40/45/85/160
05-06/cbj/nhl/17/0/0/0/14
05-06/crunch/ahl/45/15/15/30/54
06-07/cbj/nhl/9/0/0/0/0
06-07/crunch/ahl37/8/13/21/65

3/21 hf info

31. Alexandre Picard, LW - Columbus Blue Jackets

Picard turned pro out of the QMJHL in 2005 and was assigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. He has delivered two solid performances in the AHL in the past year in a half, as well as call-ups to the Blue Jackets for a total of 28 games. He has not scored in the NHL yet, however, which must be a bit concerning for the organization. Picard has been battling some injures which have slowed his development slightly, but he is on the brink of earning a regular roster spot. Picard could be an extremely talented forward on the left side of a third line or possibly, with some improvement in his offensive game, be a top-six forward.

here is the youtube link to picards injury
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpXN7C60HjE
(i have no idea how to embed it without the cheat help soo)

Blue Jackets' Picard suffers serious knee injury

Monday, April 16, 2007 2:55 PM
By Aaron Portzline


COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Left winger Alexandre Picard, the Blue Jackets' No. 1 draft pick in the 2004 NHL draft, will likely miss at least part of the 2007-08 season after suffering a serious knee injury over the weekend. Picard suffered torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee Friday when he was submarined by a defender while playing for the Blue Jackets' top minor-league club, the Syracuse Crunch, a Blue Jackets source said.
Typically, the injury requires at least a six-month recovery from the time of surgery.
Picard's surgery, which will be performed at the Cleveland Clinic, has not been schedule. If it were done next week, a six-month recovery would put his return around mid-October, about a week into the season.

[jimotis4heisman]

steve mason 6-3 186lbs
pos goaltender
catches right
current team: london knights
draft: 3rd round cbj in 2006
born 5/88

central scouting report from his nhl draft
Central Scouting Report: Is a good skater with good balance and athleticism ... moves laterally in the butterfly position with good body control covering the lower portion of the net ... has very quick feet and pads ... shows quickness in both reaction and recovery ... uses the paddle down technique effectively on wraparound attempts or in scramble situations ... he has excellent rebound control and a very good catching glove ... good at stopping the puck behind the net on shoot ins and setting it up properly for his defense ... can also shoot the puck effectively to his forwards around the boards or up the ice... plays in a well balanced wide butterfly stance and square to the shooter... plays his best when challenging the shooters at the top of the crease, but at times loses that aggressiveness and hangs back too far in his crease ... gets his pads down and out quickly, shutting off the lower portion of the net ... strong in his crease and good at covering up loose pucks .
.. shows a very good attitude and works hard at his game ... maintains a level demeanor and doesn?t get rattled ... at one point in the season he did not play for 45 straight games, he still showed a good attitude and continued to work hard in practice


steve is a big long lanky fluid kid. who competes all the time. a very smart kid who is known as a student of the game. i can go on and on but central scouting is the best in the business. that being said developments between this year and last year. steve has taken over as the starting goalie for the london knights. who play in a "run and gun" up and down system that creates lots of scoring on both ends. (essentially they are going to try and outscore you) steve played in the prospect camp and camped for a bit in columbus. he will credit a lot of his development in the past year on seeing what it takes to play at the next level. he credits the younger guys for helping him transition and keeping a positive point of view. while hes commented the "vets" allowed him learn what it takes at the next level (footer and feds)

steve has also been able to take advantage playing in london (probably the best or of the best clubs in the chl) this has allowed him to work with a full time goaltender coach (a luxury few jr teams even have any access to) steve also plays the puck very well as a stickhandler (im not claiming hes marty b) but for his age very good.

steve has been noted for his size and mental toughness.

projection: likely would have been one of the two candian wjc goalies had he not suffered through december with concussion like symptoms. hard to tell with a kid who is in the 12th grade, but of the three young goaltenders (popperle 22, lacosta20)developing in the systme i would say that steve mason has the hghest likely hood of being a factor for the big club. i would say impact at the nhl level is atleast 3 years of. goalies tend to hit their stride in their mid twenties. i would say he is a kid to keep an eye on for the second ten years of the franchise.

year/league/team/games/min/ga/gaa/so/save percentage
05-06/ohl/london knights/12/497/22/2.00/0/estimated .930
06-07/ohl/london knights/55/3302/180/3.27/1/.019

his save percentage in 05 06was about .930 that was a near year end number.

edit 3/20: steve has set the record for ohl wins for a goaltender in a season, 45 and counting.


http://bluejackets.com/news/features/arts/3696.0.html

*Steve Mason
^Blue Jackets 2nd pick, 69th overall, 2006 Entry Draft.
Ontario Hockey League Playoffs
Mason lead the London Knights to a 4-0 sweep of Owen Sound in the "Series A" of the Western Conference in the first round of the OHL playoffs. In 245 minutes of play, Mason made 193 saves, allowed 12 goals and collected all four wins. In game one, he was named No. 3 star and in a 2-1 overtime victory in game two, he was the No. 1 star of the game. London advances to play Sault Ste. Marie in "Series F" of the Western Conference in the second round of the playoffs, with the series beginning Apr. 5.

4/13 steve was named ohl goalie of the year


4/14 good read on masons playoffs CHL Junior Hockey News - No stone hands for Mason - sportsnet.ca

worth the read but i like this quote about tavares (the next big deal in hockey)

"I know there was one game in particular in Oshawa," Knights goaltender coach Dave Rook recalled, "John Tavares had a cross-crease pass with a wide open net and Mason came across and caught it. Tavares sat on his knees with his head in the air and I know he has frustrated a few players throughout the season."

mason inks 3 year pro deal
http://bluejackets.com/news/press/arts/3739.0.html

june 20th mason named to super series roster (canada vs russia)
TSN : CANADIAN?HOCKEY - Canada's Sports Leader

TSN : CANADIAN?HOCKEY - Canada's Sports Leader

mason will start the first game of the super series

Mason is big and athletic and fills the net at six foot three and 186 pounds. He led the Ontario Hockey League with a league-record 45 wins last season, but what stands out about him was the 11 assists he had in the regular season and the playoffs.
He's not shy about handling the puck.
''I used to be a player for five years before I started to switch over to a goalie and I always enjoyed it,'' Mason said. ''Even after practices nowadays, I go out after the guys and skate around with my stick and puck.
''My coaches joke around and say they're going to put me on the power play. I got a pretty good shot. I just like to have fun and it helps out with my game too.''
He came to the Canadian team with the lowest profile of the three invited.
rving was backup to Carey Price on Canada's gold-medal team at this year's world junior hockey championship.
Both Bernier and Mason were invited to try out for the team, but Mason was not really able to due a concussion he suffered just prior to selection camp.
He managed to get in the last exhibition game of camp, but that wasn't enough time to play himself onto the team.
Mason's ability to pass the puck may lighten the load on Canada's defenceman Monday.
''It would definitely help out the defenceman even through they are all great defencemen,'' Mason said. ''It would help with the breakouts and setting up plays. I don't know what ice conditions are going to be like, but it would help out I think.''
Mason was told he was the starter prior to that breakaway drill and performed outstanding in it.
''I wanted to be the go-to guy and I worked hard all week in practices and I thought I looked good out there,'' he said.

[jimotis4heisman]

here is a guy who has seen sometime with the big club lately.

marc methot 6 3 235lbs (cbj site lists him at his draft weight still)
pos dman
shoots left
team syracuse (currently playing for columbus though formerly of the london knights)
draft 2003 sixth round 168th overall by the cbj
dob 6/85

stay at home defender. you guys have seen him the last few games up in columbus. steady as can be. solid player. makes the easy plays. big, strong but deceptive speed. rarely gets beat to the outside. never will be much of an offensive threat. though always has great plus number.

a solid steady player. projects as a #5 or so dman. though his play of recent makes me wonder if down the road he could likely end up on the second pairing as the #4 dman.

im not going to post numbers, i cant find his plus/minus and just know that hes good for 2 goals and 12 assists per year while logging big minutes.

[Bucky Katt]

Originally Posted by jimotis4heisman

adam pineault 6-1 193 (crunch list at 202)
pos rw
shoots r
born 5/86
current team syracuse crunch (previously with boston college and moncton)

Sounds like your guy may make his debut tonight, jo.

[jimotis4heisman]

Originally Posted by Bucky Katt

Sounds like your guy may make his debut tonight, jo.

from the press box

[jimotis4heisman]

a few notes. pineault is out for the year with an ankle injury. word is he would be able to be back for about five games but they are going to shut him down to be safe seeing as niether club can muster their way into the p word.


i edited steve masons profile to reflect his recent ohl record in wins for a season.


also added hockeysfuture info for their top fifty player from
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/9502

[jimotis4heisman]

matt marquardt

6 2 222lbs
lw
shoots l
bday 7 19 1987
draft 7th round cbj


wasnt drafted in the ohl going into jrs. so he headed over to the q where he signed undrafted. he got some pub last year during the memorial cup as people said he was starting to put his game together. hes a big kid with nice size as obvious by his 222lbs frame. the video below shows hes a punishing hitter. has really nice hands that are suprisingly soft. has a nice shot that is accurate. his skating was more than questionable but apparently has improved. is noted for an incredible work ethic.


yr/team/gp/g/a/pim/plus minus
05 06/montcon (q)/68/16/9/25/68/minus4
06 07/montcon (q)/67/41/29/70/68/minus9



video
http://www.moncton-wildcats.com/vide...dingScorer.mpg

[jimotis4heisman]

added playoff info to mason, brassard, russell

[jimotis4heisman]

tom sesito
http://www.plymouthwhalers.com/tomsestito.html
signed a pro contract recently (3/27) so i figured he needed a post.

scored 42/22/62 this year for plymouth in the ohl

i honestly dont know much about this kid. he has bigtime size and has a lot of pim. (88,176,135) the last three years. i would expect him to be in dayton/cuse next year depending on who from cuse plays for the big club.