kehatch Posted August 9, 2017 Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 I remember a lot of the same people questioning Gaudreau. Sure he has questions in his game, he was a third round pick a year ago. But when you have an 18-year old putting up those kind of numbers in that league then get excited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjgallow Posted August 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 32 minutes ago, kehatch said: I remember a lot of the same people questioning Gaudreau. Sure he has questions in his game, he was a third round pick a year ago. But when you have an 18-year old putting up those kind of numbers in that league then get excited. Exactly. Sometimes it's ok to be impressed, even if the package isn't complete yet. And if it never is, oh well. So we got excited. Big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cross16 Posted August 9, 2017 Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 Not sure when it suddenly became an insult to think players need time. 3-4 years away means fox would be in the lineup at 23 and play 2 more years of college and a year on the AHL. Fail to see how that is putting down a player, especially when I've said multiple times I like him and he has high upside. I just think you'll need to be patient with him that's all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kehatch Posted August 9, 2017 Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 6 minutes ago, cross16 said: Not sure when it suddenly became an insult to think players need time. 3-4 years away means fox would be in the lineup at 23 and play 2 more years of college and a year on the AHL. Fail to see how that is putting down a player, especially when I've said multiple times I like him and he has high upside. I just think you'll need to be patient with him that's all. I wasn't replying to you specifically Cross and I am not suggesting you are insulting him. I agree with you that he is a ways away and he has some growth required in his game before he is ready for the NHL. But that is true for virtually every prospect not selected top 10 and it doesn't change what he has accomplished. Fans should be excited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cross16 Posted August 9, 2017 Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 2 hours ago, kehatch said: I wasn't replying to you specifically Cross and I am not suggesting you are insulting him. I agree with you that he is a ways away and he has some growth required in his game before he is ready for the NHL. But that is true for virtually every prospect not selected top 10 and it doesn't change what he has accomplished. Fans should be excited. Absolutely we should be. The only reason I even mentioned a 3-4 year time frame was that if fox pans out he'll line up very nicely with what is likely going to be a changeover on the D core. I never used it in the context of setting expectations or anything like that or suggesting people shouldn't be excited because he is further away, I thought I was saying quite the opposite. Wasnt really specific to you either and definetly part of a general frustration I have that when you call someone a project or suggest they take their time it's somehow now perceived as a slight on the player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjgallow Posted August 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 8 hours ago, cross16 said: Wasn't really specific to you either and definitely part of a general frustration I have that when you call someone a project or suggest they take their time it's somehow now perceived as a slight on the player. The only way to know for sure whether calling someone a project is a slight, is to test it out on your wife and see how it goes, imho. On a more serious note, what aspect of Fox's game do you see as the bottleneck which makes him a project? The skating, the defence, or something else? I actually disagree with the skating claims and feel his mobility would translate really well to the NHL in a couple years or even sooner. His defense, to me, is his most glaring weakness but this is a very fixable problem with willingness and good development/coaching/training. It is a "teachable" skill...less so with elite skating or elite offense. Basically I don't see any barriers that Fox can't overcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zima Posted August 9, 2017 Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 16 hours ago, zima said: He's comfortable now playing the game in any situation for 60 minutes. That's a pretty special player. We all see it from the offensive side but he can handle tough minutes too 15 hours ago, JTech780 said: On offense he was a completely different player, great vision, and had a great ability to read the play. Mcavoy had a different take on Fox's game so I guess I will go with the opinion of someone who was around him and made the decisions of where he would slot him. I don't see him making it in 3-4 yrs I see him in a Flames jersey next season the kid is defining his skills in leaps and bounds some say if sure if he hurts himself to the point can't play but that is the only if I C with this kid he has made skills. But for sure time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travel_dude Posted August 9, 2017 Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 14 minutes ago, zima said: Mcavoy had a different take on Fox's game so I guess I will go with the opinion of someone who was around him and made the decisions of where he would slot him. I don't see him making it in 3-4 yrs I see him in a Flames jersey next season the kid is defining his skills in leaps and bounds some say if sure if he hurts himself to the point can't play but that is the only if I C with this kid he has made skills. But for sure time will tell. Hope you aren't too disappointed if he goes back to Harvard for a 3rd year. Lots of prospects in the system right now. Lots of NHL players on the team right now. He won't be in a Flames jersey until he is at least par with Dougie, Hamonic or Stone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cross16 Posted August 9, 2017 Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 2 hours ago, jjgallow said: On a more serious note, what aspect of Fox's game do you see as the bottleneck which makes him a project? The skating, the defence, or something else? I actually disagree with the skating claims and feel his mobility would translate really well to the NHL in a couple years or even sooner. His defense, to me, is his most glaring weakness but this is a very fixable problem with willingness and good development/coaching/training. It is a "teachable" skill...less so with elite skating or elite offense. Basically I don't see any barriers that Fox can't overcome. I think I need to clarify because people are either not understanding what i'm saying or are mistaking me for other's opinions. I have never suggested that I have concerns about Fox's games or that I think he has issues he can't overcome, or that I question whether or not he will over come. When I call a player a project I personally view it as a good thing because to me a project means there is high upside there once you work out a few kinks. This is why i'm very surprised this thread turned so negative because I view a project in a positive way, not a negative one and also the term project to me implies the issues are fixable. If the issues were not he woudn't be a project, he'd be a bad pick and i've never thought he was a bad pick. Hopefully that clarifies that I have no issues with Fox, like the player, like the upside, love what i'm seeing so far, and to me a project is a positive not a negative. To answer the question, the 3 areas I think Fox needs improvement on are strength, skating and defense, but again all 3 are areas you can improve on. Strength is obvious and true of 90% of prospects anyway. Fox has a smaller frame so its a slightly bigger issue for him but again nothing a few years of development can't take care off. I would call his skating average mostly because ideally when you have a prospect who is on the smaller side you ideally want them to be very agile with good top end speed so they can get in and out of situations quickly because they'll likely get out muscled. however, I think you have to temper the skating concerns somewhat because Fox's IQ is so high as well as his ability to move the puck. He tends to do a very good job, especially in the O zone and neutral zone, because of his abiity to read the play, anticpiate the play, and make a great pass so while skating is normally a big concern, I think with Fox you have to temper that with the IQ much like Monahan. Monahan isn't a great skater but he's incredibly smart, Fox is in that category but I still think you need to see him improve on his footwork and his agility in order to keep improvement at the next level as mistakes are more costly and he needs more speed to recover form those mistakes. I agree the D zone is the biggest area he needs to improve upon, but to give him credit it sounds like he has already made strides here. When I saw him play last year I saw a player that was generally disinterested in D and lacked a lot of instincts of how to read the play. Again, these are critical for him because of his size so it is a big concern when they are not there but I agree that is is most definitely a teachable skill but it will take some time and need to be worked on as he moves up the ladder of development. I think his understand of D Zone concepts and his D zone instincts are below what you would normally expect of a prospect his age and that's primarily why i use the term project specifically with Fox. Again, that term doesn't mean he has issues he CAN"T fix, it just means he needs more work because IMO he is a little behind where you ideally would want someone of his age/experience. When I think of Fox I think Ryan Ellis. Ellis isn't the best skater, never was the best skater, was always smaller in stature but he developed into a VERY good dman because he used his intelligence to offset his weaknesses. It also helps that the game is moving away from the most physical, shut down style, to a more possession oriented game and that favors dman like Ellis and Fox who move the puck as well as they do. I think Fox's upside is Ryan Ellis if he can make some of the improvements to his game. Like Ellis before him, I think Fox could step into the NHL today and run a PP and do a very good job doing it. That is how highly I think of his offensive IQ and his offensive instincts. However, much like Ellis I think the rest of his game needs work and it would not be a wise thing to rush him, let him take his time and see if you can reach that upside that alot of us see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zima Posted August 9, 2017 Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 Hey Cross16 I would have Quoted you but lots there to digest But looks like no more needs to be said I just hope he signs before his last yr in College. My heart couldn't handle it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickross Posted August 9, 2017 Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 I remember when Fox was drafted the commentators barely even made mention of it...except for one (can't recall his name) but he made it a point to single out Fox as a potential 3rd round steal. He sounded genuinely surprised he fell to the Flames in the 3rd and was really high on the kids potential, especially after what he had just accomplished in the US development program. Fox is probably our fastest rising prospect next to Parsons, definitely our most intriguing D prospect at the moment. Between Andersson, Kylington, Valimaki and Fox the Flames should have a very skilled and mobile defence core for years to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zima Posted August 9, 2017 Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 No offence to Val but Fox made it clear in the summer slam he might have been 3rd rnd pick but he has first rnd possibilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420since1974 Posted August 10, 2017 Report Share Posted August 10, 2017 I still have Fox behind Andersson on the Flame's RHRD depth chart. I can envision them both replacing Hamonic & Stone 2 - 3 seasons down the road. I feel that both Kulak and Wotherspoon could fill the #6 LD slot right now. Bartkowski can eat popcorn in Calgary, or go down to Stockton. One of the three will probably be the Top pairing LD in Stockton. None of them are waivers exempt, so there is a risk that one of them gets claimed in October. Kylington and Valamaki will have to outplay an aging Giordano or a just past prime Brodie in 3 - 4 years, IMO not an unreasonable expectation for either of them. As Bruce, Culkin, Falkovsky, Kanzig and Morrison have moved on, the last of the current depth is Healey, who might become a gritty, bottom pairing NHL LD in the future. If I'm not mistaken, OIlas-Mattsson is only on a AHL PTO. I see him as a similar type as Wotherspoon. I also expect a few more "AHL only" D contracts this season. With this level of D depth, I'd strongly consider using Calgary's first pick in 2018 (3rd round) on a defense-man who shows some potential to become a Top 4 D. It would be great if our scouts can replicate their success from the 2016 draft. Not all of those picks will become NHLers, but that is looking like the best draft year for the Flame's in a long while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowtownguy Posted August 10, 2017 Report Share Posted August 10, 2017 On August 9, 2017 at 9:07 AM, jjgallow said: The only way to know for sure whether calling someone a project is a slight, is to test it out on your wife and see how it goes, imho. I am so going to use this on my wife jj. That should make for a good laugh over a family dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC331 Posted August 11, 2017 Report Share Posted August 11, 2017 23 hours ago, Cowtownguy said: I am so going to use this on my wife jj. That should make for a good laugh over a family dinner. Be careful LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjgallow Posted August 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2017 On 8/10/2017 at 10:49 AM, Cowtownguy said: I am so going to use this on my wife jj. That should make for a good laugh over a family dinner. So....you need a place to stay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowtownguy Posted August 11, 2017 Report Share Posted August 11, 2017 1 hour ago, jjgallow said: So....you need a place to stay? Ask me on Friday when I return from a large (multi) family camping trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjgallow Posted December 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2017 So this Adam Fox kid....what to think in his second college year? He's 9 points in 10 games. That's a bid off from his great first year, although not by much. I'm ok with it, as he's on a severely depleted Harvard team. Think of it this way: He's gone from 5th on his team scoring, to 2nd. Hoping he can actually still pick up his point totals as the year progresses. Either by working on his goal scoring, or by making the far lesser players around him better (with the exception of that Donato kid who's making his Dad proud). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xstrike Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Fox with 2 assists and the game winning goal for the USA vs Finland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travel_dude Posted March 11, 2018 Report Share Posted March 11, 2018 Fox is playing Dartmouth in quite possibly his last college game; if they lose that is. Tied 1-1 after first period. I wonder if they feel he should be signed this year. Could use him in Stockton for the playoff push. Would need to sign ATO. I don't see him going back to college for another year. Won;t be a competitive team. 2-1 for Harvard late in the 2nd. Harvard wins 4-2, Fox gets GWG. Harvard lives to play another day, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fins&FIre15 Posted March 12, 2018 Report Share Posted March 12, 2018 He wants to finish school, won't be signing with us until that's done. If he chooses us, that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travel_dude Posted March 12, 2018 Report Share Posted March 12, 2018 1 hour ago, Fins&FIre15 said: He wants to finish school, won't be signing with us until that's done. If he chooses us, that is. Wondering where you got that from. Last I heard (last summer) he said he understands the blueline depth we have but wants to start off right, whether that means AHL or not. I've never heard him say he wants to stay in college for 4 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travel_dude Posted March 18, 2018 Report Share Posted March 18, 2018 Fox watch begins. Is Conroy in Vegas or in NY? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zima Posted March 18, 2018 Report Share Posted March 18, 2018 If he signs it will be with the promise of him using up 1 yr of his ELC and play the last few games we have left or I doubt he signs. If he decides to finish out his college career I would bet he gets traded next draft just like Hickey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travel_dude Posted March 18, 2018 Report Share Posted March 18, 2018 3 minutes ago, zima said: If he signs it will be with the promise of him using up 1 yr of his ELC and play the last few games we have left or I doubt he signs. If he decides to finish out his college career I would bet he gets traded next draft just like Hickey. Based on what information? He's said that he understands the need to play in the AHL to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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