LongLiveRalph Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Pretty in-depth, a good read: http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=37926...mp;service=page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayFinkle Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Solid link. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 My guess is that the Sabres will soon be a very different team. The defense sounds like it is finally on its way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLiveRalph Posted August 4, 2008 Author Share Posted August 4, 2008 My guess is that the Sabres will soon be a very different team. The defense sounds like it is finally on its way. Possibly, for the first time in a long time...Weber opened some eyes in his brief stint in Buffalo last year, and I thought Sekera was probably their best defensman after the Campbell trade. I also didn't know Weber won a hardest shot contest in OHL two years ago, that's a bonus for a "defensive" d-man. The Sabres do deserve credit for always seeming to get their top-5 prospects a few games at the NHL level...Often times it is necessary because of injuries, etc. but I like the way Lindy handles it. He doesn't baby them, and uses them in big spots. I remember in one of MacArthur's first games with the Sabres, Buffalo was up by 1 in the closing minutes, and Lindy had him out there on the PK trying to protect the win...No sense bringing guys up if you don't find out what they have when it counts... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 im real interested in watching this Gerbe kid come into the league. could be a great player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans4e64 Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 That is probably the most positive piece of writing that could exist on the Sabres prospects. I have heard and read many reports on them, but this makes it seem like all of them will be perennial all-stars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 ...but this makes it seem like all of them will be perennial all-stars. It did seem like a bit of fluff. Mancari, Zagrapan, and Card are in no way going to make any impact on the Sabres. Mancari might be a good AHL player but I don't think his skating will ever translate to the NHL. Zagrapan has talent but so far has played somewhere between enigmatic and aloof. Card just sucks, Cristiano said as much, labeling him as a defensive defensman who need to get stronger and play better defense. Yikes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLiveRalph Posted August 4, 2008 Author Share Posted August 4, 2008 That is probably the most positive piece of writing that could exist on the Sabres prospects. I have heard and read many reports on them, but this makes it seem like all of them will be perennial all-stars. The only source of info in the article is the Sabres pro scout. He likely had a hand in selecting these players, and he certainly has a hand in developing them. Of course he's going to focus on the good.... Rather than a "company line" article, I tend to rely on the positives I saw out of Weber and Sekera last season, as clearly, the defense is the position in most need. As far as forwards, you only have to look at the current roster and see Roy, Pommer, Vanek, Gaustad, Stafford, MacArthur, Paille, Kotalik, Max, etc. as guys who were identified, drafted, and developed by the organization. I think they've earned the right to boast the potential of their prospects, at least a little bit, based on the success they've had developing guys from amateurs to solid NHL contributors.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans4e64 Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 The only source of info in the article is the Sabres pro scout. He likely had a hand in selecting these players, and he certainly has a hand in developing them. Of course he's going to focus on the good.... Rather than a "company line" article, I tend to rely on the positives I saw out of Weber and Sekera last season, as clearly, the defense is the position in most need. As far as forwards, you only have to look at the current roster and see Roy, Pommer, Vanek, Gaustad, Stafford, MacArthur, Paille, Kotalik, Max, etc. as guys who were identified, drafted, and developed by the organization. I think they've earned the right to boast the potential of their prospects, at least a little bit, based on the success they've had developing guys from amateurs to solid NHL contributors.... Yeah, I like reading from the one website.... hockey's future or something? Can't remember the name, but they have prospect reports on all clubs and rank each team's top prospects. They give an un-biased opinion, pretty realistic. They do a very good job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Yeah, I like reading from the one website.... hockey's future or something? Can't remember the name, but they have prospect reports on all clubs and rank each team's top prospects. They give an un-biased opinion, pretty realistic. They do a very good job. Yes it is hockeys future.com. Also, nhl.com has good features. It is interesting to follow some of the teams and players at the junior and collegiate levels. Information is available to us all. I am still not sold that the video system of scouting employed by the Sabres is preferable to scouts getting out across the plains and the waterways. Defense is what tanked against the Canes (along with exhaustion) and certainly against the Sens. The Sabres have a very young team. If perhaps this team turns out to be very good, I hope the front office has the vision to recognize and resign the most talented players before they become unaffordable.. As much as I don't like it, I think I may have to be a little more patient with the team as opposed to the recent past. The desired changes may take a while especially at defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Possibly, for the first time in a long time...Weber opened some eyes in his brief stint in Buffalo last year, and I thought Sekera was probably their best defensman after the Campbell trade. I also didn't know Weber won a hardest shot contest in OHL two years ago, that's a bonus for a "defensive" d-man. The Sabres do deserve credit for always seeming to get their top-5 prospects a few games at the NHL level...Often times it is necessary because of injuries, etc. but I like the way Lindy handles it. He doesn't baby them, and uses them in big spots. I remember in one of MacArthur's first games with the Sabres, Buffalo was up by 1 in the closing minutes, and Lindy had him out there on the PK trying to protect the win...No sense bringing guys up if you don't find out what they have when it counts... There is some reason for optimism. The Sabres are determined to develop from within and occasionally pick up players through trade or F.A. One guy they have to keep is Ruff. Just get the coach some talent. The Campbell loss was a bad one for the current roster but believe it or not, after trading Bernier the Sabres ultimately got what I believe was first, second and third round draft picks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLiveRalph Posted August 8, 2008 Author Share Posted August 8, 2008 Yes it is hockeys future.com. Also, nhl.com has good features. It is interesting to follow some of the teams and players at the junior and collegiate levels. Information is available to us all. I am still not sold that the video system of scouting employed by the Sabres is preferable to scouts getting out across the plains and the waterways. It was strange timing to make that change, too...If you have looked at the 20 guys dressing for the Sabres on any given night over the past three years, the majority of them were identified by the road scouts, drafted by the club, and brought up through the organization. Now, they take a formula that has clearly worked and helped them build a team that was mentioned among the best in the league, and they toss it aside? Just another log on the fire for the accusations that they are a cheap franchise. It's hard to come up with any logical reason why that operational change was made, other than cost savings. I agree, there's certain things that don't translate to video. Maybe a scout will be watching a specific player, and he'll see the kid sitting on the bench getting verbally hammered by the coach. Any good scout will pay attention to how the kid reacts, and it could tell a lot about the player. On video, the film is focused on the the play on the ice while the kid is on the bench. Little things like that- interaction with coaches and teammates, interaction with referees, body language- are all items that don't seem to translate to film study. I can't say for sure because I don't have access to these videos the Sabres are watching. But I find it hard to believe they're getting hi-def isolation video on a prospect from Flin Flan, Manitoba. I'm sure they have a decent grasp of what each player brings on the ice, but it seems that a lot of the intangibles wouldn't get picked up. The impact shouldn't be devastating for 1st-round picks, because those players typically have world-class talent that any chimpanzee could see on video. It could hurt in the draft's later rounds, when you're looking for the next Gaustad or Pomminville- guys who wouldn't necessarily jump off the TV as amateurs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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