Hey, remember Brock Nelson?
by MacHamonic47-36 on Mar 17, 2011 9:54 PM EDT
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This is my first contribution to lighthouse hockey. Please excuse the grammatical errors, I am not much of a writer.
During my usual youtube binge consisting of various Islanders highlights from then and now and "Family Guy" clips I came across a video with a familiar name in it: "Brock Nelson Hockey" the link. To be honest I didn't know much about the UND freshman other than he averaged about 3 points per game in hockey-rich Minnesota high school league.
My first impressions of Brock was "he must be a puck hog to have those kind of stats" but after watching the full 8 minutes of the hockey guantlet his skills put you through, I realized he is not a puck hog. His passing skills, scoring skills and not to mention his silky-smooth hands make him and his linemates almost emulate the Sedins-Kesler line in Vancouver. This kid can play, hes got size, speed, and a ridiculous amount of hockey sense.
The beginning of his first season with the big boys in the WCHA showed he was mortal on the ice; however, the way he is playing now definetly gives us something to look forward to in 3 to 4 years when he is NHL ready. By that time i'm hoping and can almost garuntee the isles first 2 lines will be a solid offensive juggernauts. With proper development through Bridgeport, in 2014 (hopefully) Captain Jack can stick him at center around the likes of the natural born kirills and create a ridiculous 3rd line of offense and checking, of course after the isles trim the fat that is Trent Hunter, and from there the sky (or cup) is the limit.
Comments are welcome.
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I remember seeing that after he was first drafted.
The only thing is to take it with a grain of salt. I’d have to poke Dave, but I believe that Brock didn’t play against the top flight HS talent in Minnesota as compared to Jason Clark who was. I was a bit worried about him, but he’s definitely had a solid first season.
"Wonder where Botta will go from here?" "to work for the Ministry of Truth?" ~ Original Rob
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
His lack of scoring to start the season is mainly due to the role he was playing
North Dakota is stacked with good players (including our own Jason Gregoire). He was used mainly on the 4th line to start. Despite the slow start he surprised many and made the world juniors team where he looked pretty good. Now he’s been getting 2nd and 3rd line time including shifts with Gregoire and now the points are coming. He’s a long term project but he’s looking good.
You mean to tell me shooting the puck from 70 feet out doesn't earn us extra goals?
Yep
That considered he had good freshman year and he looked good in the UND games I caught this year. No reason his less than offensivly explosive (which I fully expected given UND’s depth) should in no way temper anyone’s expectations for Brock in the future. At this point like you said he is long term project and its hard to yet predict what kind of role he could have at the NHL level but the good news for us is that he is adept at a checking role so he not one of the boom or bust/top six or nothing type of prospects.
Amen
Heed the call.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
by Dominik on Mar 18, 2011 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Our problem is not our talent...
…but the talent we play against. Can we get a few games against Minnesota HS kids.
Lighthouse Hockey: where "you better check yourself before you rec yourself" -bobl
If your life isn't pathetic enough already, follow me on twitter @JPinVA
3rd person opinion on Brock
My buddy (huge Devil fan) does the NCAA circuit traveling around hawking sports drinks, vitamins and other health club type stuff … His first exposure to Nelson was at the WJC … He wasn’t overly impressed … but said the kid was noticable on the ice. His second exposure was at a game shortly after the WJC at the UND working with his boss. He said Brock put up a 2 spot in the game, and if he can fill out, he’s going to be a pretty good NHL’r … He also said he’s got a great skating stride and a wicked shot that he should use more.
As a freshman on a great team he kinda was low on the depth chart … but gave the UND a solid set of lines. Next year should be a break out year for Brock, and tell us what we really have in the young future power forward. He also liked our boy Jason Gregorie.
I was hoping my friend would be doing the NCAA playoffs to check out Lee … which he is … but they have him working the Basketball tournament this spring. He isn’t too happy about it either since he’s a puck head like us.
To expand on what JP indicated … I don’t think the Isles have a problem with talent now in the pipeline … BUT … what I’d like to really have is an honest gauge of how the Isles core and prospect pool measures up against other teams … because at the end of the day … If the Isles’ prospect pool jumps up 5 pegs that is awesome … but if most other teams’ prospect pool jumps up 6 – 10 pegs … then the Isles still fall behind, even while moving forward.
by 19 Isle in NJ 22 on Mar 18, 2011 12:20 PM EDT reply actions
Where the pool ranks
For what it’s worth THN’s latest Future Watch issue — based on polling of 18 scouts — ranks the Islanders at ninth overall, and their “performance” as fourth when you control for teams’ average position in the first round over the last several years.
Nino was put at 6th best, after: Schenn, Johansen (Nino’s teammate), Kuznetsov, Gudbranson, Tarasenko. Five of the scouts voted that Nino was anywhere from 2nd to 4th overall.
So while there’s no way to really measure systems against one another (what’s your biggest criteria? Depth, or high-end talent?), the Islanders appear to be doing pretty well.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
I'll argue the Isles have solidified their depth ...
… but they are still hungry for high-end talent.
Nino to me is still young and we can’t really call him a boom or bust player until we see him with a year or two of NHL experience under his belt. Personally … I see Nino as a solid winger who will put up points after getting his NHL legs … competitive spirit will bring it all out for him. If he becomes a 30 goal scorer within 3 years … he has to be labeled a Boom. At around 25 goals after 3? On target. Under 20 after 3? A project … Under 15 after 3? A Bust.
So what does that tell us about Bailey? I’m not sure. After all … He wasn’t even ranked in the top 10 in his draft year. He was high on Garth’s board, and I can see flashes of why Garth had him ranked so high. But, Bailey is a tale of 3 seasons … and in this season he’s seemed to sum up his previous 2 in one season.
Comeau is a member of the better late than never department … but as a mid-2nd round pick … he might just be about on target.
KO’s injury really cut into my ability to measure him up … but what he does on the ice doesn’t always translate to the score sheet… I think KO’s emerging to be on target.
Next season will be a more telling to gauge the upward trajectory of this team’s talent development.
With other core members like the elder statesman Matt Moulson, the Flash on Blades Mike Grabner along with the distinguished center of the Isleverse … John Taveres we can only be certain for sure that Johnny T is the only sure shot high-end talent … MM and MG are in the conversation … with a seat at the table for sure … and I’d even vouch for their memberships … but the Isles definitely need some of that high-end talent pool to increase.
by 19 Isle in NJ 22 on Mar 18, 2011 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions
High-end talent: Requires being bad or lucky, or both
I agree with your assessments — particularly enjoy the Bailey summation (though I think he has been better than his production would indicate).
As far as high-end talent though, I really think it’s just too hard to identify within a prospect pool while that pool is still “prospects.” We know top 3 – 5 picks tend to be high-end talent. Beyond that, it’s a whole basket of maybe will/maybe won’ts. That stuff comes from any mix of late bloomers to guys who have crazy skill in one category but questionable attributes in others.
So a team that doesn’t have repeated top 3-5 picks has to hit on something lucky — it’s almost by definition lucky because other teams passed on such a player and his elite talent only became clear years later.
This is why, even if they don’t pan out, I like picks like Kabanov and Petrov, even Lee perhaps: There are certain qualities that could be very important, and the things that allowed them to drop were variables that shift a team’s analysis into “too risky” when selecting in the first round, but could turn to “glad we scratched that lottery ticket” when taken in later rounds.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
Agreed.
Proud Islanders fan, the organization that iced the greatest team to ever play the game and won 4 straight cups. Best overall player in the nhl right now=Pavel Datsyuk.
I'm also an optimistic Knicks fan, pessimistic Mets fan, and a happy Jets fan.
Kabanov, Petrov, Lee etc.
As opposed to drafting for AHL/ECHL depth, 4th line “character players” (god I hate that term) etc in rounds 3 and on, I like how Garth has instead taken chances on guys who still have high end potential and were passed up for one reason or another. Thats been his MO for a while. Katic was highly ranked but passed up for lack of size, same with Ness. Trivino and Toews fell to the second and third round in 08 (not sure why they fell but were at one point ranked as first rounders by ISS) Lee was a standout HS football player and there were concerns he wouldn’t pursue hockey. Petrov dropped due to signability concerns. Kabonov- we know the story there. While so far the returns have been mixed we at least took chances and if we had instead drafted players ranked in the 3rd/4th/5th rounds its not likely that any of those guys would be tearing up the NHL yet (or likely ever) anyway
Good post.
Proud Islanders fan, the organization that iced the greatest team to ever play the game and won 4 straight cups. Best overall player in the nhl right now=Pavel Datsyuk.
I'm also an optimistic Knicks fan, pessimistic Mets fan, and a happy Jets fan.
"Hey, remember brock nelson?"
Who could possibly forget The Rev?
May The Cup be with you.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
We believe in Garth, may he be the GM almighty
creator of the Isles rebirth,
with all moves made and not made.
We believe in our #1 center, John Tavares,
the number 1 pick of Garth,
eternally begotten of the draft,
John from Garth, pick was right,
true talent from true talent,
chosen and developed,
one in being with the Islanders.
Through him all things will be won.
For us fans and for our salvation
he came down from Canada:
By the power of the draft lottery
he was chosen by the GM, and was made Islander.
We were tormented under Mike Millbury;
we suffered, cried, and kept losing.
In the third decade we rise again in accordance with the bloggers;
We will ascend into the standings
and be seated at the cup ceremony booing Bettman.
We will win again in glory defeating all other teams,
and the dynasty will have no end.
We believe in the Islanders, our team, though a giver of strife.
Through Isles fans they will one day be worshipped and glorified.
It has been spoken through the bloggers.
We believe in our team, the Islanders.
We acknowledge and forgive their past sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the team,
and the Stanley Cup celebration to come. Amen.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Mar 18, 2011 6:14 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs
Sweet! I'm a believer!
"Seriously that's the last time you guys f#@%ing won?" -RSH (about beating the Penguins in '93)
by Bryan2112 on Mar 18, 2011 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'm going to try to modify the Karaethon Cycle
.. for our boy JT
Yet one shall be born to face the Shadow,
born once more as he was born before,
and shall be born again, time without end.
The Dragon shall be Reborn,
and there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth at his rebirth.
In sackcloth and ashes shall he clothe the people,
and he shall break the world again by his coming,
tearing apart all ties that bind.
Like the unfettered dawn shall he blind us, and burn us,
yet shall the Dragon Reborn confront the Shadow at the Last Battle,
and his blood shall give us the Light.
Let tears flow, O ye people of the world.
Weep for your salvation.
That’s only one stanza though, so it may take a while
There's a mountain of buoyant nostalgia under this team and it's going to erupt like Vesuvius when the Islanders are back in playoff contention.... Count on it.
by Nova Scotia Isles Fan on Mar 18, 2011 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
nice
The Dragon shall be Reborn
and there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth at his rebirth.
And with this line can there please be no more questioning of our team mascot?
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Mar 19, 2011 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions
Rec'd
Proud Islanders fan, the organization that iced the greatest team to ever play the game and won 4 straight cups. Best overall player in the nhl right now=Pavel Datsyuk.
I'm also an optimistic Knicks fan, pessimistic Mets fan, and a happy Jets fan.
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1979-80
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May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
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May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
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May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
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May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
