The right way to be a prospect of the Wings

[newfy 695]

This kid is the real deal. Hudler with speed I've heard. If Hudler could skate he wouldn't be nearly as bad defensively and he would get a lot more points just like the way someone like Helm gets his points.

Tatar could be a legit 80 point guy in the future and that excites me. Ferraro I think will bounce back, he was probably just frustrated on a bad team and all his injuries in what should've been a great year for him. Hopefully he can make the World Junior team next year and we will really get a chance to see what he can do.

I think with his feistiness, grit, blazing speed and solid hands already he will at least make it as a third liner or could be a checking line center. He could be much more then that but I think he's pretty much the closest thing to an NHL player that this team has playing junior.

[cjm502 165]

Some guys just dont mess around, Tatar seems like one of them. When he is hot you really cant stop the kid. Some day he will be a real force in the NHL.

[Travis 576]

You just amassed five hundred cool points.

I have no idea whether or not this is sarcastic.

[Guest mindfly]

Some guys just dont mess around, Tatar seems like one of them. When he is hot you really cant stop the kid. Some day he will be a real force in the NHL.

Yeah....in 3-4years like always...kenny always let them stay in the AHL...for too long

[Konnan511 1,736]

I have no idea whether or not this is sarcastic.

No it's for serial. I liked the GRap references. The BOB, oh geez. Haha.

Yeah....in 3-4years like always...kenny always let them stay in the AHL...for too long

Who stayed in the AHL too long? Hudler, Helm, J-Ho, Filppula, Kronwall, or Ericsson? Kindl or Ritola? I'd say he made the right choices there.

[magicaldatsyuk 6]

i think tatar has more potential then the players you just named and therefore he should be able to get a chance at the NHL sooner then those names you mentioned. i dont think hes going to need much longer in the AHL..

[titanium2 867]

Who stayed in the AHL too long? Hudler, Helm, J-Ho, Filppula, Kronwall, or Ericsson? Kindl or Ritola? I'd say he made the right choices there.

As far as forwards go, Filppula was there for barely over one year; Helm was there for almost two years as his '08 playoff run was after his first year in GR and Abdelkader was there for about one and half years. Hudler was there for three years but he had to deal with some maturity issues along with the speed of the game.

Of course defensemen and goaltenders will spend a lot more time in GR though. There's a lot to learn.

[ben_usmc 253]

(Smith) if you can't see where the kid is coming you must not have made the most of your college experience. Drinking/parties/fights are a corner stone of any good college experience. If he is a dick, he will be probably get humbled in the AHL. My god did everyone on here just get shat out at the age of 40? Most teens/early 20's males are cocky also wow.....

[under_par_00 45]

I remember hearing an interview with Tatar last season on the Griffins radio. Although his English wasn't fantastic, he came across as a real good kid with a great sense of humor. It was around the time of the Olympics, and they were asking him about the Slovakian players. He mentioned Chara, and said 'he's a little bit more higher than me, and a little bit more weigher'.

I know you can't tell much from a tiny snippet, but he struck me as having a good head on his shoulders and as someone who will make the best of his situation no matter what it is. I'd guess he'd be a hit with his teammates, too.

Really excited to see how he comes along.

Knowing what these players come from in countries like Slovakia, it is no wonder that Tatar has a strong desire to play in the NHL. He will work as hard as he can to achieve his goal. That is the difference between Tatar and Smith, it is their upbringing and how that effects their attitude. It is players like Tatar that, once they reach the NHL and become dominant players, you need to watch out for them slacking off. I think a player like Gaborik is a good example of this, he has his big money contract, his new lambo that he drives around in Slovakia, so what does he care if his team makes the playoffs? We can only hope that Tatar will turn out with a true work ethic and drive to be the best similar to Datsyuk.

Edited June 8, 2010 by under_par_00

[Travis 576]

No it's for serial. I liked the GRap references. The BOB, oh geez. Haha.

Good!

[VM1138 1,921]

Yeah....in 3-4years like always...kenny always let them stay in the AHL...for too long

Well, so far we haven't had a sure-fire hit like Tatar probably will be. Everyone needed to be given those extra years just to be sure of what we had. Tatar, unlike them, is on the fast track. He'll be here full time season after next, I bet, if he has a good year and gets called up a few times.

A lot of important contracts end next season and Datsyuk and Zetterberg will be another year older. The need for a player like Tatar will be greater than the need for a Kronwall or a Hudler was in their time.

[magicaldatsyuk 6]

Well, so far we haven't had a sure-fire hit like Tatar probably will be. Everyone needed to be given those extra years just to be sure of what we had. Tatar, unlike them, is on the fast track. He'll be here full time season after next, I bet, if he has a good year and gets called up a few times.

A lot of important contracts end next season and Datsyuk and Zetterberg will be another year older. The need for a player like Tatar will be greater than the need for a Kronwall or a Hudler was in their time.

agreed. i think also tatar needs to be called up next year for a couple of games at the least so that he gets the experience and understands even better what it takes to be in the next level. im pretty sure if not next season then he will definitely be on the roster for the 2011-2012 season

[Konnan511 1,736]

As far as forwards go, Filppula was there for barely over one year; Helm was there for almost two years as his '08 playoff run was after his first year in GR and Abdelkader was there for about one and half years. Hudler was there for three years but he had to deal with some maturity issues along with the speed of the game.

Of course defensemen and goaltenders will spend a lot more time in GR though. There's a lot to learn.

Like I said, who was there too long? They all seemed to be down there for the right amount of time. You proved my point that Holland made the right decisions.

[magicaldatsyuk 6]

this kid looks like a really hard worker and hes got great speed Edited June 8, 2010 by magicaldatsyuk

[Echolalia 2,961]

this kid looks like a really hard worker and hes got great speed

He is amazing at finding those small holes that open up right in front of the net for just a moment, and that's all he needs to redirect a shot into the net. He has a great eye for how the game unwinds. I'd like to see him build up some more muscle because those holes are less common in the NHL, and the punishment for getting caught in them is a bit steeper.

I'm excited about Tatar, to say the least.

[titanium2 867]

Like I said, who was there too long? They all seemed to be down there for the right amount of time. You proved my point that Holland made the right decisions.

Haha. Sorry, I wasn't arguing with you. Just some banter with Mindfly citing the names you had.

I'd be willing to bet that Smith takes 2 to 2 1/2 years. In regards to a forwards spot, Draper's contract comes off the books in 2011, which could open up a spot for Tatar.

[Z Winged Dangler 2,082]

If you count the Lashoff and Coatzee signings (FA kids taken after the 09 rookie camp... Nill called them "bonus draft picks") the 2009 draft year is looking like a real gem for Detroit. Ferraro has been the biggest disappointment and in all honesty it's highly unlikely he doesn't bounce back this season. I'd be a bit shocked if Ferraro was a bust... it seems like he's got too much talent and character to disappear.

didn't he break his leg or something??

ferraro was supposed to be a right handed helm with more scoring touch. i'm excited about LOTS of wings draft picks...tatar, nestrasil, almqvist, smith, coetzee, andersson, ferraro...what's not to be excited about right now? hopefully kindl turns out to be a good player, and we'll see how well ritola does if he gets a shot next year. either way, the future is bright. so all the people saying the wings dynasty is over will be pulling their feet out of their mouths to eat crow soon.

Zetterberg and Datsyuk's replacement?? More like linemate. They are gonna be around around 10 more years. this team is gonna be sick in a few years down the road once the prospects finish developing to take spots on the wings...

Z - Dats - Franzen

Tatar - Flip - Huds

Andersson - Abdelkader - Coetzee

Ferraro - Helm - Eaves

Ritola??

Kronwall - Smith

Stuart - Almqvist

Kindl - Ericsson

Lashoff??

don't know about you guys, but i'm excited to see how the team looks in a few years.

[55fan 5,133]

(Smith) if you can't see where the kid is coming you must not have made the most of your college experience. Drinking/parties/fights are a corner stone of any good college experience. If he is a dick, he will be probably get humbled in the AHL. My god did everyone on here just get shat out at the age of 40? Most teens/early 20's males are cocky also wow.....

I'm over 40, and I vaguely remember my teens and early twenties. I had a blast, but I also saw a lot of friends with self-inflicted problems. Some of them were temporary; some were permanent. A few were fatal.

Boys will be boys. He's going to go out and get wasted and all of that. I'm just hoping that he does it safely so that he doesn't ruin his life. He has a lot of potential. It's not like me and my friends spending our party years sucking down booze and popping, dropping, and toking our lives away. This kid has a future. He has the potential to be somebody.

I just don't want to see him end up losing it all over a stupid mistake.

Edited June 8, 2010 by 55fan

[Jesusberg 1,256]

I'd be really psyched to see both Tatar and Mursak excel. Both players have great speed, and once their hands catch up too, watch out.

[HankthaTank 1,100]

At Wisconsin, its a pre-requisite to be able to drink and party. One of the craziest college towns in the country. Can't really point the finger with Smith too much. Just hope it was a college thing and that's it.

[eva unit zero 271]

Well, so far we haven't had a sure-fire hit like Tatar probably will be. Everyone needed to be given those extra years just to be sure of what we had. Tatar, unlike them, is on the fast track. He'll be here full time season after next, I bet, if he has a good year and gets called up a few times.

A lot of important contracts end next season and Datsyuk and Zetterberg will be another year older. The need for a player like Tatar will be greater than the need for a Kronwall or a Hudler was in their time.

If Tatar is a sure-fire hit, how come he didn't step right on to the Wings' roster? He won't be on the roster this year either, and is unlikely to see time as a call up.

He's a damn good prospect, but those of you sitting there bashing Hudler need to remember that Hudler was drafted in 2002, played 2002-03 in Europe, and in 2003-04 he split the season between Grand Rapids and Detroit.

If Tatar is such a sure fire hit, why hasn't he jumped into the fold yet?

[Konnan511 1,736]

(Smith) if you can't see where the kid is coming you must not have made the most of your college experience. Drinking/parties/fights are a corner stone of any good college experience. If he is a dick, he will be probably get humbled in the AHL. My god did everyone on here just get shat out at the age of 40? Most teens/early 20's males are cocky also wow.....

I lived it up in college. Lived with a couple soon to be NFL players from this past NFL Draft. The kids I lived with were aggressive and dumb as bricks, but they knew not to jeopardize their careers by getting into fights at parties.

So you're telling me if more was expected out of you, you wouldn't have handled yourself differently in college? I know damn well if I was expected to conduct myself to a higher a standard to not jeopardize my future as a pro athlete, I would not have had a problem to do so.

[Guest Lidstromboli]

[Jesusberg 1,256]

Huge win... lol

[ben_usmc 253]

I'm over 40, and I vaguely remember my teens and early twenties. I had a blast, but I also saw a lot of friends with self-inflicted problems. Some of them were temporary; some were permanent. A few were fatal.

Boys will be boys. He's going to go out and get wasted and all of that. I'm just hoping that he does it safely so that he doesn't ruin his life. He has a lot of potential. It's not like me and my friends spending our party years sucking down booze and popping, dropping, and toking our lives away. This kid has a future. He has the potential to be somebody.

I just don't want to see him end up losing it all over a stupid mistake.

Agreed, It certainly isn't smart. But its just what people tend to go through in life, you look back and think wow was I stupid, but it was fun.......

I lived it up in college. Lived with a couple soon to be NFL players from this past NFL Draft. The kids I lived with were aggressive and dumb as bricks, but they knew not to jeopardize their careers by getting into fights at parties.

So you're telling me if more was expected out of you, you wouldn't have handled yourself differently in college? I know damn well if I was expected to conduct myself to a higher a standard to not jeopardize my future as a pro athlete, I would not have had a problem to do so.

I'd try to but as a student athlete; much less and almost sure fire pro I'm pretty sure a lot of people are trying to be your friend. A lot more hot ass girls are trying to get with you, so I can see where this kid is coming from. To think he should be a 18-21 then everyone else because has talented is asking a lot.