Which kid to target?

[Big Ev]

Forsbergs 63pts imo is way more impressive than Stone's 64pts considering he is 2 and half years younger. In two and half years Forsberg will be a ppg player (compared to stone just cracking the roster at that age) Just my opinion .. 2 and a half years is a huge gap for a players just getting adjusted to the nhl

I don't mind that you have a different opinion but you are expecting too much out of most of these players. There were how many 80 point players this year? Yet you think Drouin, Forsberg, and Galchenyuk will all be point-per-game players. It's doubtful these players reach those numbers, especially Forsberg on Nashville and Galchenyuk on Montreal.

My point was that Stone is legit, has proven it at all levels, and IMO taking some of these guys over him is a gamble similar to taking young kids over proven older players. It happens every year. Most young, hyped prospects don't meet expectations. I don't see why you would Forsberg 1st but Stone last saying you need to see it again from him. If you watched all the games you will see his god given talent on the ice.

To me wherever you rank Gaudreau and Forsberg is where you rank Stone (above or below). You say Gaudreau was drafted late and has a chip on his shoulders. That applies to Stone too.

It's just comments like this (from Big Baby) that have me puzzled, not so much the rankings. The reasoning is just odd, to me.

Forsberg (already proven what he can do)
Barkov (19 year old #1C)
Gaudreau (great rookie year, let's see it again)
Galchenyuk (so much hype but nothing to show,so far)
Stone (half a good year doesn't have me convinced)So Forsberg has already proven what he can do and is ranked high. OK, cool. But Stone has already proven what he can do as well, yet we're going to say it was just one good "half-year". Pretty sure most of Forsberg's production came in the first half.

And then Gaudreau, "great rookie year, let's see it again". Ok, that should be the same as Stone.

Barkov #1C at 19? Really?

Anyways, everyone can have whatever ranking they want, I just think you guys are sleeping on a proven player who has boatloads of upside as well.

[fungchen3]

My point was that Stone is legit

Stone is definitely legit IMO. Him, Monahan and Barkov are the "safest" picks out of the group. But if we're looking at upside and potential, some of the other guys have a better raw skill set (whether they live up to it or not is debatable) or are not as developed as he is.

The fact is, it doesn't matter where Stone ranks in this list IMO because the gap from 1st to last is razor thin. There's a case for ANY of these players ending up the best producer in 3 years - it comes down to hunch.

And I'm willing to bet that Stone is up there with the Calgary guys next year as the best producers on the list. 2-3 years down the line is where I see some of these young bucks hitting their stride.

[Big Ev]

Stone is definitely legit IMO. Him, Monahan and Barkov are the "safest" picks out of the group. But if we're looking at upside and potential, some of the other guys have a better raw skill set (whether they live up to it or not is debatable) or are not as developed as he is.

The fact is, it doesn't matter where Stone ranks in this list IMO because the gap from 1st to last is razor thin. There's a case for ANY of these players ending up the best producer in 3 years - it comes down to hunch.

And I'm willing to bet that Stone is up there with the Calgary guys next year as the best producers on the list. 2-3 years down the line is where I see some of these young bucks hitting their stride.

Depends what we're talking about in terms of skill. I don't think any guy on this list has Stone's hockey IQ. He'd be close to last in terms of skating.

Anyway I digress - I will gladly take him lower in my drafts

[Happy Hour]

This isn't easy as many of these kids all have similar upsides. In a lot of these cases, it's the possible +/- that's pointing me in the direction of the rankings more than the expected point output.

Well, here's my crapshoot of a ranking for you:

Jonathan Drouin
Johnny Gaudreau
Sean Monahan
Mark Stone
Alex Galchenyuk
Mark Scheifele
Valeri Nichushkin
Philip Forsberg
Aleksander Barkov

Surprised to see Barkov listed last on this list. I would insert him between Monahan and Stone but I like the rest.

[Axeman33]

Surprised to see Barkov listed last on this list. I would insert him between Monahan and Stone but I like the rest.

Someone has to be last on a list full of high end prospects. Doesn't mean he's not a good prospect.

[petegreg21]

Sean Monahan
Val Nichushkin
Jonathan Drouin
Filip Forsberg
Mark Stone
Aleksander Barkov
John Gaudreau
Mark Scheifele
Alex Galchenyuk

[Nikerato]

I don't mind that you have a different opinion but you are expecting too much out of most of these players. There were how many 80 point players this year? Yet you think Drouin, Forsberg, and Galchenyuk will all be point-per-game players. It's doubtful these players reach those numbers, especially Forsberg on Nashville and Galchenyuk on Montreal.

My point was that Stone is legit, has proven it at all levels, and IMO taking some of these guys over him is a gamble similar to taking young kids over proven older players. It happens every year. Most young, hyped prospects don't meet expectations. I don't see why you would Forsberg 1st but Stone last saying you need to see it again from him. If you watched all the games you will see his god given talent on the ice.

To me wherever you rank Gaudreau and Forsberg is where you rank Stone (above or below). You say Gaudreau was drafted late and has a chip on his shoulders. That applies to Stone too.

It's just comments like this (from Big Baby) that have me puzzled, not so much the rankings. The reasoning is just odd, to me.

Forsberg (already proven what he can do)
Barkov (19 year old #1C)
Gaudreau (great rookie year, let's see it again)
Galchenyuk (so much hype but nothing to show,so far)
Stone (half a good year doesn't have me convinced)So Forsberg has already proven what he can do and is ranked high. OK, cool. But Stone has already proven what he can do as well, yet we're going to say it was just one good "half-year". Pretty sure most of Forsberg's production came in the first half.

And then Gaudreau, "great rookie year, let's see it again". Ok, that should be the same as Stone.

Barkov #1C at 19? Really?

Anyways, everyone can have whatever ranking they want, I just think you guys are sleeping on a proven player who has boatloads of upside as well.

I agree with all of this.

Forsberg produced better in the first half, whereas Stone produced better in the second half. I think the fact that Forsberg did it at a younger age is definitely impressive; but Stone fought for his ice time, moved up the depth chart, and literally forced the coaches to give him his opportunities. He didn't produce much in the first half because he was playing third line and 13min a night. Equally, if not more impressive.

I only watched Stone during the second half when I took notice, but he's legit. One of the smartest players I've ever seen that took me completely by surprise. Hadn't even heard of him till last Feb. By the end of the first round against the Habs I told myself this is the kid to acquire right now. Let's hope his hockey sense/IQ helps him keep the success going. A lot can go wrong, but no matter what, for that half season I really believe Stone played elite and not just hot.

As for the ranking, I'm also a big believer in Drouin, but this is my list for 3 years from now:

Gaudreau
Stone
Monahan
Drouin
Forsberg
Nichushkin
Barkov
Galchenyuk
Scheifele

These players will move up and down a lot over this time though. A crapshoot like Axeman said cause they're so close in upside. That said, I tend to think that Gaudreau, Stone, Monahan, and Drouin will be 75-80pt players; and Forsberg, Nich, Barkov, Gally, and Scheif all end up somewhere between 65-75pts.

[TheBadger]

My better judgement wants to put Stone above Drouin but the amateur stock trader in me wants to hold in the case of the good possibility of realized potential or a trade.


Filip Forsberg
Sean Monahan
Johnny Gaudreau
Jonathan Drouin
Mark Stone
Valeri Nichushkin
Mark Scheifele
Aleksander Barkov
Alex Galchenyuk