Article: What Do Scouts Say About New Wild Defenseman David Jiricek?

[mnfaninnc]

20 hours ago, M_Nels said:

Yeah that defender over Tkachuk is a little baffling and was a huge miss. Would like to know the story behind that one if there other details to it or he was a straight bust like Yakupov.

Knies is a miss but it's not like the Wild were the only team that let him slip to #57.

I'm not on the fire Brackett bandwagon either. But low hanging fruit needs to get put in the basket. When you've got a guy in your own back yard, and one could also say that Peart was in our extended back yard (maybe neighbor's yard), it's hard to pass on a guy like that. However, at the time, I will state that Covid interfered with everything, Brackett was smiling like he got 3 top 20 picks, and the goal was to build the team from the back out. Wingers with skill and size don't grow on trees, and if it was back then, I probably would have been pounding my head on the table with my hands in the air saying "Another LW???"

But, knowing the skill of Knies should have been a no brainer in Brackett's notes. Peart being undersized and still undersized has never bothered him before because he takes the same type of defender every year, sometimes twice. Smooth skating, puck moving, smart guys are what he looks for. It's really fairly predictable. And then, they have no plan to develop these guys! 

My conclusion on this matter is that in the cone of silence, Brackett has put Guerin's microphone on mute, except he forgot in 2023. I have liked some of Brackett's picks, but there are others that just drive me nuts!!! Now, Buium appears to be the best one of the lot followed by Lambos. 

Also, when you are interested in a prospect, it's a good idea to meet his family. Look and see the genetic stock you have to work with, and vocation. Run away if they are participation trophy people. Look at the siblings and mom & dad (hopefully they are still together). This should be in the report as well as a picture. If mom is 5'4" and dad is 5'10" and the siblings are all around dad's height, what sort of a projection can you make from that? If a dad is a producer at NPR vs. a Police Captain in their neighborhood, I would suggest that these households were raised with different values.

[mnfaninnc]

15 hours ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

Kearney, NE, is around 3 hours West of Omaha, NE, so I'm not sure that counts as being in the Wild's back yard. Knies didn't play for the U of MN until after he was drafted. He was with the Tri-City Storm in Kearney, NE, ahead of the 2021 draft.

Nice call, point ceded.

[mnfaninnc]

4 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

It's official: I am no longer in the trade Rossi at TDL this year for a top six wing.  I vote we give this kid a bridge deal that makes both sides happy, Rossi bets on himself for his next contract, and we keep him on our team for a dependable secondary scoring option. 

Speaking of this, I did not like Rossi's game last night. I thought he looked small, slow, with no explosion in his game. Now, we don't have access to the players, and we have no idea if bugs are going through the team right now (which wouldn't surprise me with all the travel), perhaps Rossi was gutting it out playing at less than 100% for which I'd give him points. 

The pass at the end does not make up for the rest of the game, however.  He got caught from behind on that play, shook off the defender and still made a nice pass, but he really shouldn't have been caught from behind at all. 

I do think he's the best center right now for Kaprizov, and I'm not advocating trading him, but he's got to pick it up a bit.