Jonathan Ericsson

[2probert4 8]

Because he wasn't good at forward. Or at least I'm assuming that, since Detroit told him to switch positions.

they said the Swedish scout recommended it after he was drafted.

[e_mcgrath88 0]

i have no clue what you guys are talking about but he looked really nervous in that Vancouver game and had a number of turn overs... i have seen him play a bunch of games in GR.. he has all the tools to be an excellent defenceman one day... but as of now he is not here to stay... not even close..

[Konnan511 1,736]

What kind of offensive upside does everyone think Ericsson will have?

Offensively? I see him racking up the assists, I see him being a PP specialist with the rocket attached to his stick. He needs to work on positioning on the PP. When the opportunity has presented itself, he has rushed and created 3 on 2's for us.

Offensive upside is there, having been forward his whole life naturally is going to help him be an offensive defensmen. With his above average on-ice vision, I see him as a 50-60 assist, 15-20 goal defensman in the furute, maybe 5 years from now, maybe a wee bit less.

[betterREDthandead 58]

Offensively? I see him racking up the assists, I see him being a PP specialist with the rocket attached to his stick. He needs to work on positioning on the PP. When the opportunity has presented itself, he has rushed and created 3 on 2's for us.

Offensive upside is there, having been forward his whole life naturally is going to help him be an offensive defensmen. With his above average on-ice vision, I see him as a 50-60 assist, 15-20 goal defensman in the furute, maybe 5 years from now, maybe a wee bit less.

Wow! Let's not get carried away here. 80 points in a season? Those would be Nick Lidstrom numbers, if Nick Lidstrom would stop bothering himself with defense and join the damn rush more. (Seriously man. Lidstrom has hit the 80-point mark just once in his career. 80 on the nose in 2006, and that's it.)

Ericsson's a 9th round pick. 9th. It's awesome that he's even made it to the NHL and frankly, anything better than a very solid 3rd pairing defenseman is a bonus. Let's aim for 12-18 points in a season. Tops. Anything more is gravy. Expecting Ericsson to outpace the likes of Lidstrom, MacInnis, Blake, Pronger, etc......yowza.

[Guest CaliWingsNut]

GRRRRRRRRR!!! Nolan tryin' to hump his leg!

Is that a string caught in his skate?!?!?

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Offensively? I see him racking up the assists, I see him being a PP specialist with the rocket attached to his stick. He needs to work on positioning on the PP. When the opportunity has presented itself, he has rushed and created 3 on 2's for us.

Offensive upside is there, having been forward his whole life naturally is going to help him be an offensive defensmen. With his above average on-ice vision, I see him as a 50-60 assist, 15-20 goal defensman in the furute, maybe 5 years from now, maybe a wee bit less.

After just 2 games? The top point-producing defensemen in the league have a difficult time getting to 70-80 points as it is in the league today. Thinking Ericsson would accomplish such a thing is extremely unrealistic I think.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Wow! Let's not get carried away here. 80 points in a season? Those would be Nick Lidstrom numbers, if Nick Lidstrom would stop bothering himself with defense and join the damn rush more. (Seriously man. Lidstrom has hit the 80-point mark just once in his career. 80 on the nose in 2006, and that's it.)

Ericsson's a 9th round pick. 9th. It's awesome that he's even made it to the NHL and frankly, anything better than a very solid 3rd pairing defenseman is a bonus. Let's aim for 12-18 points in a season. Tops. Anything more is gravy. Expecting Ericsson to outpace the likes of Lidstrom, MacInnis, Blake, Pronger, etc......yowza.

That Zetterberg kid was 210th. I hear he's half decent.

Have you looked at his GR stats or read any scouting reports? OR are you just going by the draft order?

Ericsson leads the Griffins in scoring. LEADS. On a horrible team with a losing record we have a big sophmore d-man who just made the AHL all-star team.

From RWC:

STRENGTHS

Surprising mobility and agility for a big man ... good hands and puck skills ... makes good first pass ... booming slap shot (100.1 miles per hour at the 2008 AHL skills competition) ... uses his skating, impressive reach and positional game to neutralize opponents in the defensive zone ... uses his size and gets involved ... willing to stand up for his teammates, fighting when necessary ... quick and willing learner ... character player ...

WEAKNESSES

Needs to continue improving his consistency defensively and moving the puck ... the ultimate project player because he began his career as a forward and only converted to the blue line in his draft year ... heavy shot but a quicker release will help him get NHL power-play time ...

PROJECTION

Mr. Irrelevant, the last pick in the 2002 draft, is suddenly very relevant. The late-blooming blueliner shocked everyone in 2006-07 with an outstanding AHL rookie season and showed no signs of slowing down as a sophomore in 2007-08. Ericsson projects as a two-way, top-four defenseman and should be ready for NHL duty in 2008-09, although his waiver-free status will hurt his chances of staying in Detroit.

This kid is gold, and honestly he's my favourite prospect by a long shot.

Big, moble, great hands and eyes, what else do you want? He's mentally tough and plays consistently, even on horrible losing teams (he was usually the only bright spot in griffin blow outs this season).

Ericsson is money. Oh, and in case you're wondering, he's ranked second on the depth chart according to RWC. Hockey's Futures has him ranked 8th on our depth chart as of September 2nd, which is exactly where RWC had him ranked at that time.

I'd trade Quincey or possibly even Kindl before Ericsson. Ericsson made a huge impact in his first North American season whilst Kindl is really struggling badly in the AHL even after having played in the OHL. Kindl still has tons of upside, and is 3 years younger than Ericsson but Ericsson keeps delivering today instead of promissing to deliver tomorrow and it's clear the Wings need a ready NHL d-man next season. I honestly think Ericsson is the man for that job.

[2probert4 8]

That Zetterberg kid was 210th. I hear he's half decent.

Have you looked at his GR stats or read any scouting reports? OR are you just going by the draft order?

Ericsson leads the Griffins in scoring. LEADS. On a horrible team with a losing record we have a big sophmore d-man who just made the AHL all-star team.

From RWC:

STRENGTHS

Surprising mobility and agility for a big man ... good hands and puck skills ... makes good first pass ... booming slap shot (100.1 miles per hour at the 2008 AHL skills competition) ... uses his skating, impressive reach and positional game to neutralize opponents in the defensive zone ... uses his size and gets involved ... willing to stand up for his teammates, fighting when necessary ... quick and willing learner ... character player ...

WEAKNESSES

Needs to continue improving his consistency defensively and moving the puck ... the ultimate project player because he began his career as a forward and only converted to the blue line in his draft year ... heavy shot but a quicker release will help him get NHL power-play time ...

PROJECTION

Mr. Irrelevant, the last pick in the 2002 draft, is suddenly very relevant. The late-blooming blueliner shocked everyone in 2006-07 with an outstanding AHL rookie season and showed no signs of slowing down as a sophomore in 2007-08. Ericsson projects as a two-way, top-four defenseman and should be ready for NHL duty in 2008-09, although his waiver-free status will hurt his chances of staying in Detroit.

This kid is gold, and honestly he's my favourite prospect by a long shot.

Big, moble, great hands and eyes, what else do you want? He's mentally tough and plays consistently, even on horrible losing teams (he was usually the only bright spot in griffin blow outs this season).

Ericsson is money. Oh, and in case you're wondering, he's ranked second on the depth chart according to RWC. Hockey's Futures has him ranked 8th on our depth chart as of September 2nd, which is exactly where RWC had him ranked at that time.

I'd trade Quincey or possibly even Kindl before Ericsson. Ericsson made a huge impact in his first North American season whilst Kindl is really struggling badly in the AHL even after having played in the OHL. Kindl still has tons of upside, and is 3 years younger than Ericsson but Ericsson keeps delivering today instead of promissing to deliver tomorrow and it's clear the Wings need a ready NHL d-man next season. I honestly think Ericsson is the man for that job.

Lets just not start comparing this kid to Lidstrom, and see what he becomes on his own. Switching him to forward wont happen, and he may not be ready for the NHL, but who wouldn't make mistakes in their 1st or 2nd game? I think he did fine considering the circumstances....

[eva unit zero 271]

That Zetterberg kid was 210th. I hear he's half decent.

Have you looked at his GR stats or read any scouting reports? OR are you just going by the draft order?

Ericsson leads the Griffins in scoring. LEADS. On a horrible team with a losing record we have a big sophmore d-man who just made the AHL all-star team.

From RWC:

STRENGTHS

Surprising mobility and agility for a big man ... good hands and puck skills ... makes good first pass ... booming slap shot (100.1 miles per hour at the 2008 AHL skills competition) ... uses his skating, impressive reach and positional game to neutralize opponents in the defensive zone ... uses his size and gets involved ... willing to stand up for his teammates, fighting when necessary ... quick and willing learner ... character player ...

WEAKNESSES

Needs to continue improving his consistency defensively and moving the puck ... the ultimate project player because he began his career as a forward and only converted to the blue line in his draft year ... heavy shot but a quicker release will help him get NHL power-play time ...

PROJECTION

Mr. Irrelevant, the last pick in the 2002 draft, is suddenly very relevant. The late-blooming blueliner shocked everyone in 2006-07 with an outstanding AHL rookie season and showed no signs of slowing down as a sophomore in 2007-08. Ericsson projects as a two-way, top-four defenseman and should be ready for NHL duty in 2008-09, although his waiver-free status will hurt his chances of staying in Detroit.

This kid is gold, and honestly he's my favourite prospect by a long shot.

Big, moble, great hands and eyes, what else do you want? He's mentally tough and plays consistently, even on horrible losing teams (he was usually the only bright spot in griffin blow outs this season).

Ericsson is money. Oh, and in case you're wondering, he's ranked second on the depth chart according to RWC. Hockey's Futures has him ranked 8th on our depth chart as of September 2nd, which is exactly where RWC had him ranked at that time.

I'd trade Quincey or possibly even Kindl before Ericsson. Ericsson made a huge impact in his first North American season whilst Kindl is really struggling badly in the AHL even after having played in the OHL. Kindl still has tons of upside, and is 3 years younger than Ericsson but Ericsson keeps delivering today instead of promissing to deliver tomorrow and it's clear the Wings need a ready NHL d-man next season. I honestly think Ericsson is the man for that job.

Ericsson was picked earlier in the thread as a future 75+ point defenseman. Let's put this into perspective:

Currently, only Nick Lidstrom is on that kind of pace this season.

Scott Niedermayer's 69 points in 79 games led in 06-07.

Only Lidstrom cleared 75 in 05-06, with McCabe at the proper pace (68pts in 73GP)

Sergei Gonchar's 58 in 71 led all defensemen in 03-04, with Bryan Berard's 47 in 58 (66 in 82) as the best ppg among top 30 d.

Al MacInnis' 68 in 80 led all defense scorers in 02-03.

Gonchar and Lidstrom tied for the lead with 59 points in 01-02.

Leetch's 79 points in 82 games led defense in 00-01, and Pronger (47 in 51) was the only other regular with pace for 75+ points.

So ultimately, it has happened twice in the past six seasons, and could happen again this year.

Let me get this straight..Ericsson will regularly do what Lidstrom has only done once to date? Does that make Ericsson the best defenseman ever?

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Ericsson was picked earlier in the thread as a future 75+ point defenseman. Let's put this into perspective:

Currently, only Nick Lidstrom is on that kind of pace this season.

Scott Niedermayer's 69 points in 79 games led in 06-07.

Only Lidstrom cleared 75 in 05-06, with McCabe at the proper pace (68pts in 73GP)

Sergei Gonchar's 58 in 71 led all defensemen in 03-04, with Bryan Berard's 47 in 58 (66 in 82) as the best ppg among top 30 d.

Al MacInnis' 68 in 80 led all defense scorers in 02-03.

Gonchar and Lidstrom tied for the lead with 59 points in 01-02.

Leetch's 79 points in 82 games led defense in 00-01, and Pronger (47 in 51) was the only other regular with pace for 75+ points.

So ultimately, it has happened twice in the past six seasons, and could happen again this year.

Let me get this straight..Ericsson will regularly do what Lidstrom has only done once to date? Does that make Ericsson the best defenseman ever?

My point wasn't to defend the position that Ericsson could put up 80pt seasons- I laughed out loud when I read that just as you must have.

Rather, I was defending Ericsson's potential in light of assumptions that he was destined to be a 3rd pairing guy with 20 pt seasons.

I see Ericsson as a 40-50 point player on account of his good vision, quick release and heavy shot from the point.

So, in summary, my point was that Ericsson is looking like a potential top 4 defenseman, not that he's likely to have huge 80pt seasons on a regular basis!

[Yemack 1]

I agree with the report that he is an ultimate project player. What makes it promising is that he's got all the tools and he is a smart player. Just goes to show you how good our scouting management team is.

I really wish Fisher was around to show him some tricks and mindset to play like a big D man in NHL. Imagine the twin tower manning our blueline. You think Anaheim (or any other team) will try to pound our team without thinking twice? Not only we will have double cannons to make their forwards cower in their zone, it will also free alot of spaces to our fowards to do what they do best.

Anyway I still wish somewhat that he would stick with the team after our injured players come back and take Lebda's spot in top 6. If not, give him some more time and responsibilities and go from there. He might make a crucial mistake in a very important game in playoff but I think it is going to be a huge development process that can't be taught down in Griffins. Besides Cheli will be watching over him trying to show him how to deal with situations out in street while he learns so much from Lids. Let me ask you a question, is Lebda or Meech gonna be with us in future? who knows? But I bet Ericsson is in our plan as of now.

Looks like everyteam in Western Conference will improve next year and have a shot at playoff (maybe minus LA). If we want to stay where we are, we can't be in status quo and I think the experience coming from going far into playoff this spring and Ericsson will be the key.

[betterREDthandead 58]

That Zetterberg kid was 210th. I hear he's half decent.

Have you looked at his GR stats or read any scouting reports? OR are you just going by the draft order?

Ericsson leads the Griffins in scoring. LEADS. On a horrible team with a losing record we have a big sophmore d-man who just made the AHL all-star team.

Uh, what?

http://griffinshockey.com/newsstats/griffinsstats/

I think there are a few players ahead of him. Just sayin'.

Look, I love Ericsson too. I think he's going to be an absolute rock defensively. For about two years now I've been looking forward to him getting his chance. But even if you had been right about leading the Griffins in scoring, scoring success in the minors doesn't necessarily translate to the NHL. Carl Corazzini, perfect example. Kirk Maltby, perfect example. Corazzini is second on the Griffins in scoring. He and his Norfolk Admirals teammate Martin St. Pierre were offensive dynamos for that team. You see them much in the NHL? Maltby was a 50-goal scorer in juniors and a 20-goal scorer in the AHL, and never reached 40 points in the NHL.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Uh, what?

http://griffinshockey.com/newsstats/griffinsstats/

I think there are a few players ahead of him. Just sayin'.

Look, I love Ericsson too. I think he's going to be an absolute rock defensively. For about two years now I've been looking forward to him getting his chance. But even if you had been right about leading the Griffins in scoring, scoring success in the minors doesn't necessarily translate to the NHL. Carl Corazzini, perfect example. Kirk Maltby, perfect example. Corazzini is second on the Griffins in scoring. He and his Norfolk Admirals teammate Martin St. Pierre were offensive dynamos for that team. You see them much in the NHL? Maltby was a 50-goal scorer in juniors and a 20-goal scorer in the AHL, and never reached 40 points in the NHL.

Opps. I ment to say he's leading scoring amongst the prospects on the Griffins.

So, to restate it correctly- Ericsson is the highest scoring NHL prospect on the Griffins.

[CdnWingsFanEh 2]

Uh, what?

http://griffinshockey.com/newsstats/griffinsstats/

I think there are a few players ahead of him. Just sayin'.

Look, I love Ericsson too. I think he's going to be an absolute rock defensively. For about two years now I've been looking forward to him getting his chance. But even if you had been right about leading the Griffins in scoring, scoring success in the minors doesn't necessarily translate to the NHL. Carl Corazzini, perfect example. Kirk Maltby, perfect example. Corazzini is second on the Griffins in scoring. He and his Norfolk Admirals teammate Martin St. Pierre were offensive dynamos for that team. You see them much in the NHL? Maltby was a 50-goal scorer in juniors and a 20-goal scorer in the AHL, and never reached 40 points in the NHL.

I think what the other poster meant is that Ericsson leads the defensemen in scoring on the Griffins (although he is actually tied for first in defense with Stafford, both with 7-18 and 25). Not trying to put word in the other poster's mouth, but I had heard it announced during the last game this way, and initially it was kind of misleading. They originally said leads the team, then had to correct themselves to say leads the team's defense.

[norrisnick 1]

Lilja-esque. Maybe he does have a nice slap shot, but there's a reason he's no longer a forward.

That reason being the potential impact of a hulking smooth-skating two-way blueliner is far greater than if he were a hulking smooth-skating two-way forward.