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Ducky

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Here's an except of a write up on David Gustafsson from Scott Wheeler of the Athletic.   This was written pre-draft when previewing potential targets for the Leafs ...  (There were also some GIFs in the article if some of the comments seem a little out of context.

Again, one man's opinion, so we will have to wait to see how Mr's Gustafsson projects down the road. 

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David Gustafsson – C, HV71, 6-foot-1
My ranking: No. 19

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I believe David Gustafsson, widely ranked outside of the first round by most I’ve spoken to, is the most underrated player in this class — or close to it.

Dominated the under-18 level as a 16-year-old? Check. Briefly torched the under-20 level as a 17-year-old? Check. Finished one-goal shy of Rasmus Dahlin for the most by an under-19 player in the SHL, in a tie with first-round lock Isac Lundestrom? Check. Contributed offensively while showing he was capable defensively in just 11:12 average ice-time a night over the course of 45 games as a rookie? Check. Big, strong centre? Check. Strong showings offensively against his peers at under-17 and under-18 worlds, including three assists in this year’s bronze medal win over the Czechs?  Check.

The Leafs haven’t shied away from taking Swedes for the better part of the last decade now, and there’s a lot to like about Gustafsson package. They’ll be familiar with him too, after he played on a line with prospect Pierre Engvall for parts of this season.

He does most of his damage around the net with little chip plays like this off of his backhand in tight.

But there’s a lot more skill in his game as a passer, and particularly as a shooter than he’s given credit for.

He uses his core strength to turn on pucks and score across his body really effectively.  

 

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On ‎2018‎-‎06‎-‎24 at 10:22 AM, The Unknown Poster said:

^^^^

Seems like jets went with a kid who was rising but maybe a bit too late to jump up most teams’ list. But certainly looks like they got a player ranked by Lake well above 60. 

Should be a good player. Time will tell. 

Armia 3.0?

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On ‎2018‎-‎06‎-‎24 at 11:51 AM, Goalie said:

Really? Have you heard of any of them at all? Cuz i haven't so who knows. Jets are a good drafting team.. In 3 years or so a few will likely be contributing. 

I hope you are right.  Chevy's been pretty successful with the later round picks.  And he's going to have to be if the Jets are going to go deep in the playoffs for the foreseeable future.

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This is your friendly reminder that nothing American Hockey League rookie of the year Mason Appleton does on the ice this week will determine whether the versatile forward is playing for the Winnipeg Jets or Manitoba Moose next season.

The same premise holds true for any player taking part in the annual Jets development camp, which runs Tuesday to Friday at Bell MTS Iceplex after fitness testing took place on Monday.

As has been the case since the first development camp was held, the Jets use these days to help players get an understanding of their expectations for them and to help get them acclimated with the organization and some of the players and staff members in it.

Sure, there is time to show off their respective skill sets – culminating with a scrimmage on Friday – but there isn’t the same type of scrutiny given by coaching staff or management that you’d see at an actual training camp.

So with that as a backdrop, here are five players who are sure to draw attention this week:

LW Kristian Vesalainen – The Jets 2017 first-rounder had an outstanding season as an 18 year old in Finland’s Liiga, helping Karpat capture the league title after arriving in a trade. Vesalainen showed great growth this season and it’s expected he’s going to come over to play in North America this fall. It would not be a surprise if the Jets announced his entry-level contract at some point this week.

D Dylan Samberg – The 2017 second-rounder probably feels like he’s been living his life in fast forward and it’s hard to believe he’s just one year removed from primarily playing high school hockey in Minnesota (along with a cameo in the USHL). Last season was a productive one for Samberg, who suited up for the United States at the 2018 World Junior Hockey Championship in Buffalo (taking home a bronze medal) and also helped the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs capture the NCAA Frozen Four Championship. He’s a hard-hitting blue-liner and is expected to return to school for his sophomore season.

D Logan Stanley – The 2016 first-rounder is here for what will be his third (and most likely final) development camp appearance. He’s completed his Ontario Hockey League career and is ready to get the pro journey going in the fall. He’s coming off his most productive offensive season (15 goals, 42 points in 61 games) and he’ll also be playing a mentorship role this week, helping newcomers like Kitchener Rangers teammate and fellow blue-liner Giovanni Vallati feel comfortable.

C David Gustafsson – The Swedish pivot was the first player chosen by the Jets on Saturday, going 60th overall. He mentioned the importance of working on his skating during the weekend, but he’s heading back to HV71 Linkoping for the next two seasons – so folks might be looking at him more closely since he won’t likely be back for training camp in the fall because of his contractual obligations back home.

G Mikhail Berdin – The Russian goalie signed his entry-level deal after completing two seasons in the USHL with the Sioux Falls Stampede. He’s one of the few goalies to be credited with a goal who actually shot the puck into the empty net himself. Berdin is an athletic goalie and likes to play the puck. He joined the Moose late last season and is eager to get his pro campaign underway.

And here are three of the more under the radar guys to keep an eye on:

D Jonas Muller – He’s 22 and considered to be more of a defensive defencemen, but he competed for Germany at both the Olympics (capturing a silver medal) and the 2018 IIHF World Men’s Hockey Championship after completing his season with Berlin in the Deutschland Elite League. Muller is left-handed and the Jets could use a bit of depth in their prospect pool on that side, so we’ll see if this appearance leads to anything down the road.

C Nathan Smith – Chosen by the Jets in the third round on Saturday, Smith is a classic late bloomer who only started playing hockey when he was 11. So while some look at his age (19) and figure he’s behind the curve, it’s an interesting study as the Tampa product went from putting up big numbers while playing high school hockey in Florida to having a solid season in the USHL. He’s committed to attending Minnesota State (Mankato) in 2019-20) so he’s more of a project at this stage.

C Kristian Reichel – The 20-year-old Czech forward is back after playing for the Jets at the 2017 Young Stars Classic in Penticton). While he went undrafted, Reichel played for his country at the past two World Junior Hockey Championships and is coming off a strong season with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League (34 goals, 57 points in 63 games). So he could be trying to earn a longer look from the organization, just like Axel Blomqvist did a few years back.

 

Edited by The Unknown Poster
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