AHL Farm Rankings: #18 Scarborough Shooters

[Cheapthief]

#18 Scarborough Shooters


There were a lot of factors that went into evaluating a players value in the AHL, including age of the prospect, salary, and progression. A younger prospect is given more leeway in terms of production than an older player who has yet to produce at the pro level. The level of competition was also factored.

We broke down the teams into 5 tiers:

Tier 1: PPG potential for a $3.00 forward, 50 point potential for a dman. This group will also have some players with lower base salaries that have high upside, but they aren’t held to quite that standard. For a $1.00 3rd rd pick he needs to have 60+ point upside to be in this elite tier. Most every top prospect drafted in 2020 is given serious consideration of being in this tier.

Tier 2: This is where you will find the very good prospects, some $3.00 players who have regressed a little, and some cheaper players on the uptick production wise.

Tier 3: With the players in this group, their trajectory could go either way and the jury is still out. Typically there is potential at reaching tier 2, but just as likely to fall to the bottom.

Tier 4: They are still considered prospects, but their days are numbers and they don’t have a lot of time left to break out.

Tier 5: These are the duds. The only reason any of them should be on a farm is because there is extra space. There is no upside.

In ranking the farms, the entire farm depth was looked at, with extra weight given to high end talents, especially those already producing at the NHL level.

For each report we will cover the average age of the group, number of players drafted by round, and finally, the number of players in the NHL now. Within the summary write up for every team, we will also include what their draft pick status is for the next 3 seasons.

Summary:

This is the team with Connor McDavid. McDavid can’t catch a break in Edmonton or Scarborough it seems, a superstar having to do it all on his own best describes both teams. A difficult question to answer is: which direction are they headed? Jury is still out, and in the meantime we have a less than adequate team to support McDavid’s efforts.

When we take a closer look at the core, there is stuff there. Young stuff, but really expensive stuff at the top. Connor McDavid 24 is a bargain at $10 next season and signed for several more, but then you have William Nylander 24 locked in at $9 and $10. Again, these are really good players, but the issue is depth past that. As far a young core, it only goes two more deep. Anthony Duclair 25 is signed at $2.50 and $2.75, while waiver pickup Philip Kurashev is in line for an Aho deal and great value.

On the farm, as you will see with the deeper dive, the pickings are slim. I can’t get behind Liam Foudy or Jake Bean in the top tier, and the same goes for Martin Kaut. There needs to be additions to this group and the Shooters have kept their picks, with the exception of their first round pick this season, for the next 3. This season they have an extra second, then their own picks for the next two years.

With Broadway, Screamin’ Eagles, and Swackers on the rise, it is possible that Shooters sit at the bottom of the South along side PK Dealers. Is it time to shake things up? Could McDavid and Nylander find a new home with the Mustangs or some other win now candidate who is willing to over pay? With no young core, and a farm that doesn’t excite too much, it might just be time to consider a dedicated rebuild… without the services of Connor McDavid. Life after McDavid would be ugly for the fan base, but it might just be exactly what is needed for this team to have an identity outside of the one man show that is Connor McJesus.

There is a new team in Vegas who is always willing to swing for the fences… so maybe pick up the phone and call a Vegas resident GM.


Average Age: 22.9
Currently in the NHL: 5

1st rd picks: 5
2nd rd picks: 4

3rd rd picks: 4

4th rd picks: 2

Tier 1:

Nothing to see here, and Connor McDavid isn't happy about it

Tier 2:

Liam Foudy 21 F CLB $2.00 AHL 6 2-7=9
-Getting it done in the AHL and had a few cups of coffee with the big club
Jake Bean 22 D CAR $2.50 NHL 32 1-10=11
-Excellent AHL numbers last year and holding his own in his rookie NHL season
Martin Kaut 21 F COL $2.50 AHL 13 5-9=14
-Having the breakout season he needed with PPG production in his 3rd AHL season


Tier 3:

Jean-Luc Foudy 18 F COL $1.00 AHL 23 2-7=9
-Modest OHL numbers have turned into modest rookie numbers in the AHL
Roni Hirvonen 19 F TOR $1.00 SML 54 6-15=21
-Similar numbers in two SML seasons, several years away from being on the NHL radar

Tier 4:

Jacob Larsson 23 D ANA $0.50 NHL 36 0-4=4
-A forced Toews call up, hasn't produced offensively with a career high 11 points and unlikely he ever will
Filip Johansson 21 D MIN $1.50 SweHL 46 6-5=11
-Totals are improving each season but they still aren't all that impressive
Gabriel Carlsson 24 D CBJ $2.00 NHL 13 1-2=3 -
Played parts of 5 NHL seasons and is having a career year with... 3 points
Julien Gauthier 23 F NYR $2.50 NHL 27 2-6=8
-Produced at the AHL level but there are no signs he will be a top 6 NHL player that is fantasy relevant at $2.50


Tier 5:

Andreas Englund 25 D OTT $1.50 Swe-1 NA
-Hasn't played this year after getting in 24 NHL games last season posting... 3 points
Michael Dal Colle 24 F NYI $3.00 NHL 21 1-3=4
-It's a bust, a $3 pick putting up 4 pts in 21 games at age 24 is dead weight despite being chosen 5th overall in 2014
Rinat Valiev 25 D CAL $1.00 AHL 49-2-8=10
-A lifelong minor leaguer who won't blow the doors off the AHL any time soon
Dillon Heatherington 25 D DAL $0.50 KHL 41 2-5=7
-He begins his KHL career this season, and the hopes of the NHL are dust
Zach Nastasiuk 26 F DET $1.00 AHL 19 1-2-3
-Dud, not even good at AHL level, would drop if it was a minor league fantasy league
Griffin Reinhart 27 D VGK $2.50 DEL 21 3-8=11
-NHL days are well behind him as he carves out a career in the DEL, a 4th overall pick in 2012, total bust