So Backstrom and Carlson good to go, yes?

Get him on the 'roids yet?
- Feds91Stammer

Nope, just good genes. he's 14 yrs old and 6'3", lefty pitcher.

So Backstrom and Carlson good to go, yes?
- MattStrat

Better hope Carlson is in. He has been one of the best drivers of PIT scoring chances at 5v5.

Nope, just good genes. he's 14 yrs old and 6'3", lefty pitcher.
- TaxMan22

Gonna get drafted out of HS?

?
- MattStrat

I hate Mondays. Obviously I need another cup of coffee. Meant Sully.

Gonna get drafted out of HS?
- Feds91Stammer

Don't know, that's a ways away. His first love is football.

How about the D stop pinching at every opportunity?

I know they basically have a live/die by the sword type of mentality, but their D are making poor pinches and leading to an ungodly amount of oddman rushes against.
- jmatchett383

Although I agree that they have been generally very suspect in taking care of the puck in danger areas, I honestly don't think the issue in the last game was pinches but rather just two brain dead plays on Letang's part.

on Kuznetsov's goal, he's way over on Dumo's half of the ice...not a pinch, just a major lapse.

Same thing on Vrana's goal...Dumolin goes in deep and gets a great chance, and Sheahan covers for him. OV made a nice play, but he's still being forced wide...and Letang right there but he doesn't do anything to tie up the stick, its just poor coverage.

As an aside on that last play, I'm not finding fault with Dumo, because Holtby made a great save on him..but if he had just slid the puck to Kessel there, its an empty net tap in. So frustrating.

Better hope Carlson is in. He has been one of the best drivers of PIT scoring chances at 5v5.
- Feds91Stammer

I didnt realize that. To the eyes he's been a beast on their PP though. Plus you lose a top 4 guy and then the pairings get all shagged up.

I hate Mondays. Obviously I need another cup of coffee. Meant Sully.
- Emperor Filonius

Hahah it's obviously Monday becuse the only Wilson I could think of was Tom. RW was totally alluding my Monday brain.

Don't know, that's a ways away. His first love is football.
- TaxMan22

Don't you know the 3 laws of parenting a kid who plays sports:

1. Force you kid to play the sport and/or position that you always wanted to play.

2. Make you kid believe that he is the team's best player, and yell at the coach if you kid doesn't get preferential treatment.

3. Engage in fist fights with the parents of both your kid's teammates and opponents at every occasion.

Good AHL team is 0 indicator of prospect pool. GRG won the calder cup last year and DET has one of the worst prospect pools in the league. PIT has plenty of young talent to implement in the current roster to keep a championship contending window open for at least 3 more seasons.
- Feds91Stammer

Why I agree that a good AHL team doesn't mean you have great prospects, the idea that it has zero indicator is not typically true.

Don't know, that's a ways away. His first love is football.
- TaxMan22

Quarterback?

I didnt realize that. To the eyes he's been a beast on their PP though. Plus you lose a top 4 guy and then the pairings get all shagged up.
- MattStrat

Carlson is the PP specialist everyone thought Mike Green was. He is going to get massively overpaid this summer.

Don't you know the 3 laws of parenting a kid who plays sports:

1. Force you kid to play the sport and/or position that you always wanted to play.

2. Make you kid believe that he is the team's best player, and yell at the coach if you kid doesn't get preferential treatment.

3. Engage in fist fights with the parents of both your kid's teammates and opponents at every occasion.
- jmatchett383

Why I agree that a good AHL team doesn't mean you have great prospects, the idea that it has zero indicator is not typically true.
- wcorvette

It depends on how you construct your AHL team. If you are truly using it as a developmental league and have success, then you should have at least a handful of good NHL-caliber prospects. Maybe not superstars, but decent players. If, on the other hand, it's an AHL-vet team that is built simply for success at the AHL level, it's a different story.

Of course, there's no direct correlation. At the AHL level, players like Brandon Manning and TJ Brennan are All Stars. But those guys are AHL tweeners/6-7 D guys at the NHL Level with little room to improve. So while AHL success doesn't equal a good prospect pool, one could assume that there are at least a few decent NHL players (middle 6 forwards, bottom-3 defenders) on any AHL championship team.

Why I agree that a good AHL team doesn't mean you have great prospects, the idea that it has zero indicator is not typically true.
- wcorvette

GRGs top 5 scorers last playoffs were Nosek (4th liner in NHL), Ben Street (Career AHLer), Tyler Bertuzzi (Middle 6 NHLer), Eric Tangradi (Career AHLer), and Mitch Callahan (Career AHLer).

0 indicator of prospect pool.

Many of the top AHL teams are led by 26-30 year old career AHLers.

Quarterback?
- Feds91Stammer

Tight End and D End

Don't you know the 3 laws of parenting a kid who plays sports:

1. Force you kid to play the sport and/or position that you always wanted to play.

2. Make you kid believe that he is the team's best player, and yell at the coach if you kid doesn't get preferential treatment.

3. Engage in fist fights with the parents of both your kid's teammates and opponents at every occasion.
- jmatchett383

I've seen too much of that over the years.... For instance, his rec coach plays him at 3rd base because his son likes to pitch and play 1st. I just laugh.

Him and his size speaks for him.

GRGs top 5 scorers last playoffs were Nosek (4th liner in NHL), Ben Street (Career AHLer), Tyler Bertuzzi (Middle 6 NHLer), Eric Tangradi (Career AHLer), and Mitch Callahan (Career AHLer).

0 indicator of prospect pool.

Many of the top AHL teams are led by 26-30 year old career AHLers.
- Feds91Stammer

Since he said "typically", let's take a look at the champions from the previous year, the 2015/2016 Lake Erie Monsters.

Top 5 scorers in the playoffs were Bjorkstrand (2nd line winger) Sedlak (bottom-6 center), Werenski (top-pair defenseman), Ryan Craig (career AHLer), and Zaar (back to Europe). Josh Anderson (2nd/3rd line center) was 6th.

Again, it's how you want to construct your team. If you use it as a developmental league for your top young players and win, it indicates that you probably have some decent NHL prospects. If it's a team that made up of AHL vets, then you probably don't.

So while one does not equal the other, I'd argue that "typically" there is some correlation.

I've seen too much of that over the years.... For instance, his rec coach plays him at 3rd base because his son likes to pitch and play 1st. I just laugh.

Him and his size speaks for him.
- TaxMan22

Rec coaches are the worst. When I was a young lad I played little league for 1 season. I didn't get to pitch because there were 2 kids better than me and 1 terrible kid who got to pitch cause his dad was one of the coaches.

I've seen too much of that over the years.... For instance, his rec coach plays him at 3rd base because his son likes to pitch and play 1st. I just laugh.

Him and his size speaks for him.
- TaxMan22

Well, FWIW, that's not a bad thing.

When I was playing little league, there a kid named Casey McCarthy. The kid could do it all; best pitcher in the league, HR leader, and the only kid who could hit one out of the park regularly.

By high school, he was ruined because the coaches overused him and he'd thrown his arm out and he has elbow issues. So let the rec coach let him worry about hitting and let him show what he has when he moves up the ladder.

Since he said "typically", let's take a look at the champions from the previous year, the 2015/2016 Lake Erie Monsters.

Top 5 scorers in the playoffs were Bjorkstrand (2nd line winger) Sedlak (bottom-6 center), Werenski (top-pair defenseman), Ryan Craig (career AHLer), and Zaar (back to Europe).

Again, it's how you want to construct your team. If you use it as a developmental league for your top young players and win, it indicates that you probably have some decent NHL prospects. If it's a team that made up of AHL vets, then you probably don't.

So while one does not equal the other, I'd argue that "typically" there is some correlation.
- jmatchett383

Okay I will accept some correlation but also Werenski only joined the AHL after his college season ended. He was not truly in the AHL. CBJ sucked and did not make the playoffs that season.

Well, FWIW, that's not a bad thing.

When I was playing little league, there a kid named Casey McCarthy. The kid could do it all; best pitcher in the league, HR leader, and the only kid who could hit one out of the park regularly.

By high school, he was ruined because the coaches overused him and he'd thrown his arm out and he has elbow issues. So let the rec coach let him worry about hitting and let him show what he has when he moves up the ladder.
- jmatchett383

This is true. A kid I went to school with got drafted 16th overall out of HS. Never made it past AA baseball.

Okay I will accept some correlation but also Werenski only joined the AHL after his college season ended. He was not truly in the AHL. CBJ sucked and did not make the playoffs that season.
- Feds91Stammer

I'm not going to dispute that, simply stating that, again, "typically," there is some correlation.

But really, the only way to judge a prospect pool correctly is to see how well the team fairs in line brawls.

I'm not going to dispute that, simply stating that, again, "typically," there is some correlation.

But really, the only way to judge a prospect pool correctly is to see how well the team fairs in line brawls.
- jmatchett383

Yeah I guess I'm thinking most impact players don't spend much time in the AHL. I have also seen GRG win 2 calder cups in the last handful of years and I know DET has had a terrible prospect pool that entire time.