Thoughts on Button's Prospect Ranking

[Bubba55]

While no one is perfect I have, over the years, considered Craig Button's prospects analysis as credible. Here is an interesting list, and what has piqued my interest is his ranking of Calum Ritchie. 6th overall and a AA rating, one of only 7. As a second-round pick, Ritchie's ascension here has me puzzled, but Button has his reasons, and he has listed them in this article. What does the forum think of Richie and of the list overall? As Button states, to be found at the link below, let the debate begin. Hopefully this generates some discussion on the boards around here.

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/cutter-gauthi...list-1.2079455

[senryu]

Easy to pick on lists. But I don't see any legitimate world where each of the below is less than Ritchie

Gabe Perrault
Dustin Wolf
Lane Hutson
Yaroslav Askarov
Jesper Wallstedt
Devon Levi
David Jiricek
Logan Stankoven
Olen Zellweger

If any of these were offered to Colorado for Ritchie, then Joe Sakic breaks his ankles running to the phone to say yes.

Calum Ritchie, to me, seems like a B level prospect, someone you'd like to have, but nothing about him screams 1st liner.

[Belexus75]

Easy to pick on lists. But I don't see any legitimate world where each of the below is less than Ritchie

Gabe Perrault
Dustin Wolf
Lane Hutson
Yaroslav Askarov
Jesper Wallstedt
Devon Levi
David Jiricek
Logan Stankoven
Olen Zellweger

If any of these were offered to Colorado for Ritchie, then Joe Sakic breaks his ankles running to the phone to say yes.

Calum Ritchie, to me, seems like a B level prospect, someone you'd like to have, but nothing about him screams 1st liner.

it is really matter of opinion as it is with every prospect until they make an impact at top level. Personally i see a lot of Mason McTavish in Ritchie. I do think he got a chance to be a first liner and from your list i have him ahead of 4 players as of now and that's Hutson, Levi, Stankoven and Zellweger....NHL is a different game than AHL and definitely junior ranks ...some player transfer well while some not so much..for now its guessing game when it comes to all of these guys you listed and we all got different opinions.

[senryu]

it is really matter of opinion as it is with every prospect until they make an impact at top level. Personally i see a lot of Mason McTavish in Ritchie. I do think he got a chance to be a first liner and from your list i have him ahead of 4 players as of now and that's Hutson, Levi, Stankoven and Zellweger....NHL is a different game than AHL and definitely junior ranks ...some player transfer well while some not so much..for now its guessing game when it comes to all of these guys you listed and we all got different opinions.

This absolutely could happen. And reminds me that I should look at this with a non-fantasy mindset. I was thinking only in terms of fantasy and Button probably isn't. But if Ritchie is well-rounded and brings more than scoring, then he could very well outperform a guy like Hutson, who probably won't be a plus defender.

[Pengwin7]

Personally, I find that Button tends to pick 2-3 players and really upvote or downvote them relative to the masses.
And he's usually wrong/off with his shock-value player.
So... I've found... I completely ignore his lists.
They just seem out-of-line.

If Calum Ritchie seems "out-of-place"... its standard Button.
Eventually he'll probably hit on one of these guys and backpat himself for 5-10 years over it.
But mostly... he's missing.

Somewhere on the forums I've criticized and referenced his lists before.
I wish I could find those, because I'd bet revisiting them... his shock upweight players are still duds.

Sandin-Pellikka should probably be 25-35 range on this list too...
8 is crazy. Crazy.
I'd have to guess Button propped him in the past and refuses to acknowledge he missed.
8 is crazy for ASP.

[Pengwin7]

Yup... here it is.
Button had ASP at #5 overall for last year's draft.
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/draftcentre/c...op-5-1.1960662

He fell to Detroit at #17.

[Bubba55]

Yup... here it is.
Button had ASP at #5 overall for last year's draft.
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/draftcentre/c...op-5-1.1960662

He fell to Detroit at #17.

Thanks for digging this up! I now see that Button also had Ritchie at 13th overall on that list. So, ya, he's certainly continuing to pump both Ritchie and ASP. The million-dollar question is, is he right, or wrong? We won't really know for a few more years, but this is absolutely the way of it when ranking prospects (:

[Axeman33]

The one thing I always give Button credit for is his credentials. He's one of the few media personalities who actually has pro NHL scouting in their resume, as well as being a GM in the league.

That being said, scouts miss a lot as we see every year in the NHL draft.

He does watch a lot of minor hockey and does tv analysis for a lot of them too, so he does get to see these kids live and in person, which I'm sure is more than some other media scouts can attest to.

Like any others out there (Pronman, Cosentino, etc) I take Button's opinion and lists with a grain of salt. It's hard for me to discredit them because I'm not and never have been, a pro scout. I watch hockey. I play hockey and I like to think I know hockey but these guys that do it for a living have things they look for that I'll never be able to see.

If Button has Ritchie that high vs others, he clearly sees something he likes in him. Who am I to discredit him.

[DangerCat]

One wonders if that former scouting experience is causing him to have that kind pedestal mentality and heÂ’s trying to prove it by attempting to hit on one of these guys he elevates.

My thoughts:

RitchieÂ’s stock has risen quite a bit this year I believe and the guys over at fantasy hockey life really like him so there could be something here. I wouldnÂ’t rest my fantasy decisions on ButtonÂ’s list especially if what Pengwin is saying is true about him always super-elevating a few prospects contrary to consensus opinion. But I do like Ritchie more from listening to the FHL (Victor Nuno is really insightful with prospects) but like every prospect sites we all have guys were high on and they bust and all have guys were low on and woops shoulda taken him!

[Pengwin7]

I think a lot of scouts hang on to "what worked for them"... in "their day".
And so this would be why so many smaller players have fallen in drafts in the past 5 years.
There was no place in the NHL for 98% of smaller players in the 1990s and 2000s.
And most of the top scouts are "older" (age 50+).

The first "shock value" picks of Button's I remember... where he elevated them above others was post 2019 WJC.
He put Denisenko as his #1, Kravtsov as his #2.
5 years ago.
https://www.tsn.ca/russian-wingers-t...ects-1.1241872


If anybody was all aboard the Button faith-train back then... they wasted two picks in their fantasy league.
Both players were essentially "dropped" from their NHL teams.

[DangerCat]

Yikes eh? Hilariously enough without Button’s insight I picked Denisenko but at like 13 OA. Did trade him for roster players trying to not get relegated from my league. I mean if we’re real there was a tremendous amount of hype around denisenko and Kravstov both in their draft years but Denisenko at 1? I mean how did he come to that conclusion? That was like the guys saying Eichel shoulda been chosen over McDavid or Fantilli over Bedard like no nobody should think that or should’ve thought that but for the sake of controversy we’ll say it. I don’t follow button but to me that seems to be his modus operandi.

[pdel21]

I wasn't sure what to make of it myself. In my pool Ritchie is available still. Anyone else in the top 30 of button's picks are gone. It got me thinking as to why that is. I am not all that familiar with him, but I was thinking about dropping a prospect from my list and taking a chance on Ritchie given that position. I did read an article on him suggesting he is their #2 center (eventually).

[Belexus75]

i dont know your league obviously, but there is many leagues that follow whats going on at NHL / AHL level and dont pay attention to anything otherwise. Im in 6 leagues and he is owned in all 6.

[pdel21]

Hmm, well then, I think I should jump on him. Question now is, who to drop as I am up against a player limit. Maybe Gunler?

[ericdaoust]

My thoughts on Button:

"For entertainment purposes only"