Cicada 4 Report post Posted July 3, 2007 Since i live 1/2 a world away and never get to see live hockey, i was wondering how close our foward prospects are. looking at the list we've got signed Ryno Mursak Helm Emmerton McGrath and Ritola and we've also got Abdelkader.. any of them close to coming at least to GR this year? i feel we might need them sooner than later? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hank 0 Report post Posted July 3, 2007 (edited) Since i live 1/2 a world away and never get to see live hockey, i was wondering how close our foward prospects are. looking at the list we've got signed Ryno Mursak Helm Emmerton McGrath and Ritola and we've also got Abdelkader.. any of them close to coming at least to GR this year? i feel we might need them sooner than later? www.redwingscentral.com and www.hockeysfuture.com are two very good sites to get lowdowns on future prospects. From the limited reading I've done on these kids: Ryno - has potential to be a big grinding forward in the NHL. I've heard that he has decent enough hands to be an offensive threat. (Could be anywhere between 2-4 years away). Mursak - really impressed Wings staff with short stint during the Griffins playoff run. They love his speed and offensive skill set. Could be a top 6 winger. (2-4 years away) Helm - Future grind liner. Very fast, very responsbile defensively and has decent hands. (3-4 years away). Emmerton - needs to work on his skating. Aside from that, they love his offensive prowess. He's a pass first, shoot second kind of guy. But the Wings love his on-ice vision. Played centre in junior but the Wings are looking at him as a winger. (3-4 years away). McGrath - small centre with "NHL potential" offensive skills. However, he's been known to be inconsistant and needs to work harder on his game. I'd say he's a long shot to make the NHL and will probably bounce around the minors and eventually find a stable career in Europe. I hope I'm wrong as I'm a McGrath fan. But it seems like he hasn't quite grasped the concept of what it takes to make the NHL. However, hearing Nill say that he has NHL skills means that if he does get this together, he could be a dandy for the Wings. Ritola - another player with very impressive offensive skills. Fast, quick, good vision, etc. But he too suffers from brain-farts and doesn't seem to put in 100% effort each and every game. I remember seeing him play at the World Juniors and he was very, very good. The TSN commentators even made a comment on how the Wings had another 'steal' on their hands and some felt he was a future 80 point guy in the NHL. But since that tourny, he's been shuttled between the top Swedish league to the 3 tier league (think Junior B or USHL). If this kid can get his crap together it sounds as if he could be a top line winger. I believe he could literally make the team this year if he was able to get his head straight. At the very least, he could be a strong AHL player this season. He's either going to be a gem or he'll go the way of Pavel Brendl. All the tools, no toolbox. I'm sure others here have better scouting reports on these kids. But that's basically what I've read over the past couple of seasons. EDIT: One kid I'm excited about is Dick Axelsson. He reminds me a bit of Daniel Alfredsson for some reason. From www.RedwingsCentral.com "He's a natural scorer. He has a great feel inside the blue line -- score, pass ... whatever. Put him with a good center -- he can be a real finisher." -- Red Wings director of European scouting Hakan Andersson (January 2007) Edited July 3, 2007 by Hank Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SweWings 45 Report post Posted July 3, 2007 Ryno has got great potential but needs to come over to the NHL to develop properly. I truly hope he'll at the very least play for the Griffins next year. Overall though most of our prospects have great talent but they need to start working harder if they want to become NHL regulars... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hank 0 Report post Posted July 3, 2007 Ryno has got great potential but needs to come over to the NHL to develop properly. I truly hope he'll at the very least play for the Griffins next year. Overall though most of our prospects have great talent but they need to start working harder if they want to become NHL regulars... That seems to be the common theme with a lot of them. From Axelsson, Ryno, Ritola to McGrath. I'm geeked about Mursak though. He plays big for his size and can really fly. I think he could be another Slava Kozlov type player. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SweWings 45 Report post Posted July 3, 2007 That seems to be the common theme with a lot of them. From Axelsson, Ryno, Ritola to McGrath. I'm geeked about Mursak though. He plays big for his size and can really fly. I think he could be another Slava Kozlov type player. Agreed. Mursak seems really cool. Ryno I hope comes over because his physical playing style can't be developed in Sweden. Also he's been jumping around between clubs and could use some stability within one organization for a year or two. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
