Baseball Prospectus - Chat with Corey Pronman (Hockey)

Chat: Corey Pronman (Hockey)

Welcome to Baseball Prospectus' Saturday June 25, 2011 1:00 PM ET chat session with Corey Pronman (Hockey).

Join hockey prospect expert Corey Pronman to talk NHL draft.

Corey Pronman (Hockey): If anyone asks just one question about the draft....

Russell (Jupiter, FL): Are there any teams which are noticeably better or worse than others at developing talent once it's been drafted?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Might seem like a cop-out answer, but Detroit and Nashville truly stand out amongst the rest.

Tom (Edmonton): Who's a good NHL comp for John Gibson?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Hes a big, technically sound goalie with low upside, so he's a perfect comp for about 90% of the league's netminders.

Mike (Chicago): I have seen in certain mock drafts that the Blackhawks are going to draft a wing, don't the hawks need a center?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): I think Marcus Kruger is going to fill such a need in a very short time period.

garik16 (The Island): Any thought on the Isles strategy this draft? Seems to be drafting a mass of defenders after the first round and hoping to get lucky.

Corey Pronman (Hockey): They mixed up the risky and safe picks while still getting a high level of talent from this draft. Liked what they've done so far.

Justin Hall (Toronto): Hellberg sounds a lot like a bigger, more athletic Carey Price.

Corey Pronman (Hockey): He's actually a bigger Patrick Roy. You fans are your pessimistic viewpoints.

ODurkin (CANADA): Is there an outstanding issue with G prospect Conz that keeps him off scout's lists? I was impressed with what I saw

Corey Pronman (Hockey): They dont like the size from what I've heard.

Ryan (New Brunswick, Canada): Just curious how well do you think MTL drafted so far?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Loved the Beaulieu pick, lukewarm on the others.

Ryan Ram (Montreal): What do you think of how the Habs draft is going? When can we see these guys on the big club?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Beaulieu is a few years away. Physically he needs to bulk up a ton and iron out some kinks in his decision-making. Others guys are low-tier prospects and going to be a ways away.

Nice Call Corey (this site): So much for Landeskog going out of the top 10 eh? Nice job mr. expert

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Said I wouldnt take him top 10, not that he wouldn't go top 10. I still stand by that.

Marissa (Las Vegas): Who's going to win the Stanley Cup next season?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the team that wins four 7-game series in the 2012 Playoffs.

Kenny Galloway (Montreal): Archambault is a lower tier prospect? Puh-leaze. He was selected 1st overall in the 2009 QMJHL draft. You and your other media thugs are so obsessed with size you ignore skill level.

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Ya that's me, Mr. Size-Pusher.

pokerface (nyc): MTL- not high on Nygren?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Never saw a shift of him. Going to have be a guy I research for my draft reviews.

hockeyfan1088 (Minnesota): Minnesota Wild fan here. I haven't seen much, if any of Brodin, but what I've read of him makes him seem similar to Nik Hjalmarsson. Is that a fair comparison, or does a better one come to mind? Thanks.

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Not a fan of comps. I think Brodin can be a below-average 1st pairing to above-average 2nd pairing dman with great possession numbers. Read into that however you want.

ODurkin (Canada): Any late round potential gems standing out for you?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Rangers getting St. Croix stood out to me. Liked Columbus getting Tynan too.

tarlinian (SJ): What caused Nieto to fall so much? He was being touted as a mid first rounder to start the year right?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Some were underwhelmed with his performance as a freshman and I think as a scouting community we somewhat overstated his true skill level.

krissbeth (watertown, ma): Why was there virtually nothing on the Stanley Cup at Hockey Prospectus?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): We prefer writing about the actual playoffs and let others talk about the Cup.

Andrew (Winnipeg): What caused Ambroz to slip so far and what is his true upside?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): There was some non-hockey concerns and the fact his major weaknesses (skating mostly) showed next to no improvement. In terms of true upside, I could see Ambroz as a below-average second line player with coaching protection, but is a long ways from being that.

Neil (Canada): Who are some of the top remaining players yet to be drafted?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Asides from the Russian dmen in Russia like Arza, Marchenko and Yarullin... I like Max Everson, Boyce-Rotevall and Reece Scarlett.

Timo Seppa (2011 NHL Entry Draft): Thoughts on how the Isles and Devils have done?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Like what the Isles have done throughout the draft, for the Devils it looks so far like Larsson is what will define theirs.

garik16 (The Island): There's some fear among Isles fans that Ryan Strome's profile/stats is eerily similar to that of Josh Bailey. Is there any reality to that fear?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Stats are nothing to get truly worried about in a one season sample. Strome has top-end upside and I think he has all the makings to be terrific possession player.

Russell (Jupiter, FL): There are a few prospects where you seem to differ with the consensus (Landeskog a bit, Siemens a lot, Kabanov last year). Could you briefly mention prospects in the past where this happened, and how they ended up? Or maybe what you would consider your biggest hit and your biggest miss?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Havent been doing this long enough to have that kind of history. Also as I keep doing this I learn more and may not make the same rankings in 5 years from now that I would today based on my developing knowledge of the game.

Sky (Roc, NY): Will Regher help the Sabres actually move the puck out of the defensive zone?

Corey Pronman (Hockey): I dont think they would let him, because if that were to happen then Ryan Miller will get bored not facing 35 shots a night.

Corey Pronman (Hockey): Thanks for the questions everyone, will summarize the draft in the coming week.