McCagg mentions possibly the best Big Three since Robinson, Savard and Lapointe in his ranking of the CH’s top prospects → https://t.co/ifzJq41rbU
– DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) July 27, 2023
Oliver Kapanen is one of the CH’s most underrated prospects, says Grant McCagg
Auteur: Manuel Sperandio-LemayBut what about the more underrated prospects? Because, at the moment, they have one thing in common with the big prospects. What’s that, you might ask? Well, they still don’t have a place in the team’s line-up. They’re all still “hopefuls”, and on an equal footing in that respect.
On Tony Marinaro’s excellent podcast, guest Grant McCagg had nothing but good things to say about the Finn, and admitted that Kapanen is the most underrated prospect with second-center potential.
Grant McCagg: Oliver Kapanen is the most underrated Habs prospect with 2C upside@grantmccagg joins @TonyMarinaro to discuss the #Habs prospects.
Full pod👇
Watch: https://t.co/KuNSoYlXpn
Listen: https://t.co/GaAm7pmDyC#GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast pic.twitter.com/aKuN8AaoNe– The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) July 27, 2023
It’s a big statement, but McCagg has never been shy about admitting that Kapanen is vastly underrated. The proof: how many experts, analysts, fans, etc. have Kapanen in their top-5, even top-10, team prospects?
I know one, and it’s McCagg. The former Tricolore scout doesn’t just have him in his top-5, he has him in his top-4. Only three defensemen, Logan Mailloux, Lane Hutson and David Reinbacher, are ahead of the center in his ranking.
So, in his opinion, Kapanen is the club’s best forward prospect. He’s ahead of guys like Owen Beck and Joshua Roy.
Oliver Kapanen, Kasperi Kapanen’s cousin, isn’t the Montreal prospect who makes headlines every day. He does his own thing and is very effective. In 2022-2023 in SM-liiga, he collected 27 points in 55 games. For a 19-year-old, that’s far from catastrophic.
In short, Kapanen may be a name we should be paying more attention to. I can’t wait to see if Grant McCagg’s optimism about the youngster will be explained in a few years’ time.
In Brief
– Did the Kraken ruin his development?
Most U16 points in the OHL in league history:
77 – John Tavares
71 – Jason Spezza
66 – Shane Wright
66 – Connor McDavid
56 – Michael Misa (2025 prospect)A year off of organized field hockey really ruined his development. pic.twitter.com/HiyCOG0Nai
– Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) July 27, 2023
– Cry me a river.
He’s disappointed with his new deal.https://t.co/5UGjE1fy5a
– TVA Sports (@TVASports) July 28, 2023
– He didn’t do anything wrong.
Lee Hodges at the helm of the 3M Championshiphttps://t.co/7gEzhOX9Ig
– RDS (@RDSca) July 28, 2023
– Once again: quite a player!
We’re talking about one of the best one-day performances in history. https://t.co/LhQSgBav3V
– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) July 28, 2023
– Good news.
Simmons wouldn’t have been healthier since his last season in Philly – but will have to fight for his job. https://t.co/gE64X63nFR
– AlleyOop360 (@AlleyOop360) July 28, 2023