ROOS LETS LOOSE POLL: Prospects Crystal Ball

[RizzeeDizzee]

Readers of my columns know that I'm not at my strongest when talking about prospects, as my main league is a limited keeper where no one can be kept for more than three years and no one can be drafted until they've signed an NHL deal. But I get a lot of questions about prospects, so I'm trying to hone my expertise in the area. One way to do that is by shaping my monthly poll around them.

I've put together a list of 20 prospects ranked highly in the Top 50 Defensemen Prospects list (https://dobberhockey.com/2021/05/14/...emen-may-2021/), the top 200 Forwards Prospects List (https://dobberhockey.com/2021/05/12/...ards-may-2021/) or the top 100 Keeper League Goalie List (https://dobberhockey.com/2021/05/31/...ders-may-2021/). It's up to you to decide which five will make have the greatest NHL success. What defines success? While of course there are many factors and league-dependent situations; however, if they end up on the top 100 Roto Rankings (https://dobberhockey.com/2021/05/15/...ings-may-2021/) for a while, that'd be a pretty good indication of success.

Note that by design all 20 are guys who've yet to see any NHL game action, so you'll really have to put on your thinking caps. I've listed all choices in alphabetical order (sorry - Raymond should be before Rossi, not after) with their ranking on their respective list noted as well. If the goalies seem like they're ranked low, it's because their ranking comes from the Goalie Keeper list, which has active NHLers on it too.

As usual, please add a post here indicating who you voted for and why, as knowing everyone's thought process will be particularly insightful in this case.

[RizzeeDizzee]

I voted for these guys:

Merkley - I love the talent, and the situation he'll be in
Podkolzin - I'm not letting Jake Virtanen's failures scare me off, as what he did in the KHL playoffs shows he should be something special
Raymond - He's entering a situation where they need him and need him now, and he should deliver a great shot in the arm
Rossi - Provided COVID is behind him, I can't see a universe in which he doesn't get superb deployment and, given his talent, make the best of it
Tomasino - Seeing what Tolvanen was able to do, and with Tomasino arguably possessing more talent, there might finally be the dawn of an offensive era in Nashville

[senryu]

Voted for Seider on the basis that the poll asks for NHL success, would have replaced him with Raymond had it been fantasy success.

Askarov
Seider
Rossi
Tomasino
Perfetti

[Axeman33]

So I voted for:

Boldly
Harley
Lundqvist
Rossi
Seider

For some reason I'm more confident in the D I chose over the forwards but we'll see.

[RizzeeDizzee]

Voted for Seider on the basis that the poll asks for NHL success, would have replaced him with Raymond had it been fantasy success.

Askarov
Seider
Rossi
Tomasino
Perfetti

I should've been more clear in the poll title, but as noted in the post itself success is equated with presence on the Top 100 Roto Rankings, so it does in fact mean fantasy success. Sorry for the confusion.

[Belexus75]

Rossi
Podkolzin
Holtz
Lundkvist
Askarov

[senryu]

I should've been more clear in the poll title, but as noted in the post itself success is equated with presence on the Top 100 Roto Rankings, so it does in fact mean fantasy success. Sorry for the confusion.

The problem is that I am easily confused!

[tentacles]

Lundkvist is near the top for me. Sorry, but terrible write up in latest Roos article. Did Rick even do any research before writing up some of these players? Lundkvist broke records this year in the SHL, won the Salming award and looked fantastic at the WC's before getting hurt. Just signed his ELC and should make the team out of camp this fall. The kid looks like he could be a star.

[Belexus75]

Lundkvist is near the top for me. Sorry, but terrible write up in latest Roos article. Did Rick even do any research before writing up some of these players? Lundkvist broke records this year in the SHL, won the Salming award and looked fantastic at the WC's before getting hurt. Just signed his ELC and should make the team out of camp this fall. The kid looks like he could be a star.

i dont know if i put him at the top as some of those forwards have high upside...but i absolutely agree that he has a potential to be a star....he is in my top 5 for sure

[FatFrodo]

I voted
Askarov
Lundkvist
Raymond
Rossi
Seider

Holtz and Harley on the outside looking in.

[RizzeeDizzee]

Lundkvist is near the top for me. Sorry, but terrible write up in latest Roos article. Did Rick even do any research before writing up some of these players? Lundkvist broke records this year in the SHL, won the Salming award and looked fantastic at the WC's before getting hurt. Just signed his ELC and should make the team out of camp this fall. The kid looks like he could be a star.

Did you miss the first line of the column and this forum post where I say prospects aren't my strong point? I have an idea, you can write 3,000 to 10,000 words 51 out of 52 weeks each year on fantasy hockey and I can play armchair quarterback about your writing. Sound good?

[tweetdrivr]

Don’t let the trolls get to you Rick. Great work as usual. It’s great to see who people think will turn into someone at the NHL level. Such a fun part of the game trying to get that right and so incredibly hard to do.

[Eskimo Brother]

Don’t let the trolls get to you Rick. Great work as usual. It’s great to see who people think will turn into someone at the NHL level. Such a fun part of the game trying to get that right and so incredibly hard to do.

Agreed. It's all very subjective at this point because none of us do have an actual crystal ball to know how things will pan out.

[tentacles]

Seriously? So you do a write up where much of what you wrote was factually incorrect and you think it is excusable because you wrote that you don’t know much about prospects? Sorry but that is utter garbage. What you wrote was written as facts not as opinion at least the details about Nils Lundkvist. If you don’t know something for sure then don’t write it as fact. Undermines everything you do. From what you wrote people would believe Lundkvist had a disappointing year when that is completely wrong and you not only try to defend yourself but you attack me? Great journalism and integrity.

[TheWherewithal]

Perunovich – already plays like a vet.
Rossi – all around tools.
Raymond – the next hossa?
Seider – he’s under-ranked in dobber’s list. played like a 28 yr old vet in IWHC. should already be in the nhl.
Thomson – this was the toughest pick, but I really see it. the only impediment is in the number of young great dmen already in o-town blocking the way (chabot, brannstrom, bernard-docker, zub, mete…)

*count me out on the merkley train*
*typo in moritz seider’s name – it’s current written mortiz*