Shaune Vetter: Joe Nieuwendyk? Really? Flames first round pick has been compared to some in the organization to Joe Nieuwendyk...

For some reason I expected you to be on the side of people defending the pick.

It's going to be a defining mark of the Feaster era here for better or worse.

To already compare Jankowski to Nieuwendyk....wow talk about a setup for failure. I hope the kid proves me wrong!

To already compare Jankowski to Nieuwendyk....wow talk about a setup for failure. I hope the kid proves me wrong!
- Hockey_Hoser

Well to be fair here, when you gamble in the first round you have to sell it to the media a bit (just like Burke did when he drafted Rielly, not that that was near as much a reach as this was.) that said ill definitely remember Weisbrod's words if this kid is a bust

For some reason I expected you to be on the side of people defending the pick.

It's going to be a defining mark of the Feaster era here for better or worse.
- S Kaspar Rollins

I hope the scouts know what they're doing. The kid's really young. It's almost like trying to pick a 2013 pick today... it's just so much easier when you've had that extra year to watch them grow and develop.

He's tall though, and he seems to have all of the skills that you want in your top line center... great vision, the ability to predict the play, sick hands.

You have to wonder if all of that's real though... I mean, I remember watching Byron Ritchie playing in Lethbridge when he was a kid. (Now he was only 5'10" so this may not be a great comparison) That kid tore it up in '96-'97. 126 points, 110 PIMS... looked like a steal for the Whalers as a 7th round pick.

But he was never able to play that way against men.

This could be even worse... this kid is playing against really inferior competition, and while he looks like a superstar now, we really won't know if he's going to be able to translate that game until he starts playing against high-quality competition.

I have my fingers crossed, but I'm far from sold right now.

I hope the scouts know what they're doing. The kid's really young. It's almost like trying to pick a 2013 pick today... it's just so much easier when you've had that extra year to watch them grow and develop.

He's tall though, and he seems to have all of the skills that you want in your top line center... great vision, the ability to predict the play, sick hands.

You have to wonder if all of that's real though... I mean, I remember watching Byron Ritchie playing in Lethbridge when he was a kid. (Now he was only 5'10" so this may not be a great comparison) That kid tore it up in '96-'97. 126 points, 110 PIMS... looked like a steal for the Whalers as a 7th round pick.

But he was never able to play that way against men.
This could be even worse... this kid is playing against really inferior competition, and while he looks like a superstar now, we really won't know if he's going to be able to translate that game until he starts playing against high-quality competition.

I have my fingers crossed, but I'm far from sold right now.
- jtommyt

I as well. Specially considering the state of the franchise today.

Kid is young as hell and has the size, but he has been beasting on talent comparable to that faced by players in midget AAA. It's a rough transition and a ballsie move. You have to hope for the kid with some lofty expectations on him and I hope he goes to the USHL first and isn't rushed into the NCAA. One of the biggest boom/busts of all time.

Shaune Vetter: Joe Nieuwendyk? Really?
Flames first round pick has been compared to some in the organization to Joe Nieuwendyk...
- vetts

Since he was taken in first round, he's gonna be the next joe nieuwendyk. If he was taken where he should have been taken, he would have just been another pick that is a big project, with a long shot of reaching the nhl. Kk

Well to be fair here, when you gamble in the first round you have to sell it to the media a bit (just like Burke did when he drafted Rielly, not that that was near as much a reach as this was.) that said ill definitely remember Weisbrod's words if this kid is a bust
- S Kaspar Rollins

Rielly was a top five ranked North American player, that was not a reach at all. As for Feaster, you guys should be very afraid. He pulls off a smart move by moving down in the draft and then goes way WAY off the boards and picks a project???

I thought Jankowski was playing for a High School team not a colledge one.

Shaune Vetter
- vetts

It's alive. It's alive... It's alive, it's moving, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, IT'S ALIVE!

I thought Jankowski was playing for a High School team not a colledge one.
- flamminghead

yes

Prep High School

For some reason I expected you to be on the side of people defending the pick.

It's going to be a defining mark of the Feaster era here for better or worse.
- S Kaspar Rollins

Mixed messages is what I see... The pick COULD be awesome. Time will tell, but the rest of the moves so far don't scream long-term re-build... This pick kind of does...

Welcome to Hockeybuzz always nice seeing new bloggers.

I don't know this is a gamble...

Welcome to Hockeybuzz always nice seeing new bloggers.
- Oil Tycoon

Rielly was a top five ranked North American player, that was not a reach at all. As for Feaster, you guys should be very afraid. He pulls off a smart move by moving down in the draft and then goes way WAY off the boards and picks a project???
- LeftCoaster

You misread my comment in several ways. What I was trying to say was, I think what these GMs say about their picks isn't always completely honest. Rielly wasn't that much of a reach, but it WAS controversial, and Burke must have known that when he said he would have taken him if he had the no. 1 overall. Similarly, I find it hard to believe Feaster and Weisbrod actually believe this kid is Nieuwendyk/"the best player in the draft in 10 years".

For the record, I still despise this pick and have since it was announced, I just temper myself a bit here because you can't have a discussion otherwise. All I want people to accept at this point is that this was an extremely risky pick, that Feaster and co. fully deserve criticism for if it fails. If it succeeds of course, they look like geniuses, but we won't know for years, and in the meantime a good amount of players they passed up on will probably be in the league already.

He's the least likely of all 1st picks this year to actually make it to the NHL. Flames scouting is crazy. No wonder flames only have 1 prospect to talk about. They're gonna stay old and mediocre for years to come

Any takers on The nail gun having 100 goals before Mark the Janitor Jankowski plays an NHL game?

He's the least likely of all 1st picks this year to actually make it to the NHL. Flames scouting is crazy. No wonder flames only have 1 prospect to talk about. They're gonna stay old and mediocre for years to come
- nhark

you draft poorly. your pro team will suffer for it, just ask Columbus

Well really what kind of impact does the average pick at the 21 spot have at the NHL level? Let's have a look

1996 Marco Sturm
1997 Mika Noronen
1998 Mathieu Biron
1999 Nick Boynton
2000 Anton Volchenkov
2001 Colby Armstrong
2002 Anton Babchuck
2003 Mark Stuart
2004 Wojtek Wolski
2005 Tuukka Rask
2006 Bob Sanguinetti
2007 Riley Nash

So for the most part these are not high impact NHLers quite a few of them are not NHLers at all and most of the ones that are offer services that are easily replaceable through UFAs. So really I'm not that mad at the Flames for taking a risk for a guy who may never play a game in the NHL but who they believe does have the potential to be a number 1 center.

So really I'm not that mad at the Flames for taking a risk for a guy who may never play a game in the NHL but who they believe does have the potential to be a number 1 center.
- flamminghead

Are you mad that they didn't stay at 14 and take a center who, while it does not look like he is a number one, could be a leader and a nasty, big center with skill who is very difficult to play against?

Problem with the Flames ownership is that they're too proud to trade Kipper and poor old Jarome wants to retire there, forget what he could do to help the organization. Both should have been gone 2yrs ago and I was shocked neither one was moved at the deadline or even in the offseason. Now they're value is going to be even lower at the next deadline and will have to settle for a couple picks and prospects.

I believe Feaster is a good GM but his hands are tied when it comes to the big contracts and oldtimers. I think if it were up to him, this team would have been in full rebuild with assets and money to spare to actually sign and ATTRACT free agents. It's a graveyard there right now and will be until the dead weight is moved.

There was some talk before Jankowski was drafted that he was comparable to Jason Spezza. The Nieuwendyk comparison came up afterwards.

Given how the management and scouting system have already given us a great player in Sven Baertschi, I'll go with the glass half full scenario and say it's a great pick.

Plus, there were also rumours that three other teams were ready to take Jankowski in the first round. So I'm glad they snapped him up now.

Time will tell, just like it will for all the other players in this draft. Just maybe a bit longer for Jankowski.