Prospect Info: 2018 Draft Thread (STL #1 via WPG is 29th OA)

[MissouriMook]

I expect Svechnikov goes #2 to Canes...

I read speculation somewhere earlier this week that the Canes may take Zadina at #2 because he has had chemistry in the past with Necas at the international level. Interesting spin, but I think you have to take Svechnikov if you feel he is the better player.

 

[Blueston]

I read speculation somewhere earlier this week that the Canes may take Zadina at #2 because he has had chemistry in the past with Necas at the international level. Interesting spin, but I think you have to take Svechnikov if you feel he is the better player.

Yeah, they were great together at WJC but unless you think he is Svechnikov's equal would be a mistake to pick him based on that.

 

[Blueston]

Yup.

Veleno and Kupari have been disappointing. Players like Wahlström who have played center this year are more than likely to end up as wingers in the NHL. The remaining centers just seem like middle-6 options if everything goes right. It just isn’t a great draft to find top end centers. I still think it’s a great draft, just isn’t a 2015 level draft. I’d say it’s on the 2016 level with more defense and less centers.

There were probably 6 centers taken last year as good as any this year, which is why people are overrating the 1 who looks like he good potentially be a really good one (although I would caution that he seems to have best case top end of mid-low #1C and not elite).

Watching Wahlstrom at U18s he didn't look like future center at all. May well be bigtime sniper though. Kupari too looked like his speed and questionable hockey sense may make him better option on wing. I haven't seen Veleno, but he apparently improved after being traded so maybe he could be good one too but guys like him and others seem more like future 2-3 centers than top liners.

 

[hawkeerox]

Bit shocked Kotkaniemi is still #16 spot. If he doesn't go top10, he's going to be steal.

Below is the ISS Top 31, highlighting the rankings for the top 31 prospects:

Rank	Player	Position	Team	League
1	Dahlin, Rasmus	LD	Vastra Frolunda	SweE
2	Svechnikov, Andrei	RW/C	Barrie	OHL
3	Zadina, Filip	RW	Halifax	QMJHL
4	Tkachuk, Brady	C	Boston U.	H.E
5	Wahlstrom, Oliver	C	USA U18	NTDP
6	Bouchard, Evan	RD	London	OHL
7	Hughes, Quinn	LD	U. of Michigan	Big Ten
8	Boqvist, Adam	LD	Brynas IF Jr.	SweJE
9	Dobson, Noah	RD	Acadie-Bathurst	QMJHL
10	Veleno, Joseph	C	Drummondville	QMJHL
11	Farabee, Joel	LW	USA U18	NTDP
12	Hayton, Barrett	C	Sault Ste. Marie	OHL
13	Kaut, Martin	RW	Pardubice	CzeE
14	Noel, Serron	RW	Oshawa	OHL
15	Kupari, Rasmus	C	Karpat Oulu	FinE
16	Kotkaniemi, Jesperi	C	Assat	FinE
17	Ginning, Adam	RD	Linkoping HC	SweE
18	Denisenko, Grigori	LW	Yaroslavl Loko	RusJr
19	Smith, Ty	LD	Spokane	WHL
20	Lundestrom, Isac	C	Lulea HF	SweE
21	McIsaac, Jared	LD	Halifax	QMJHL
22	Groulx, Benoit-Olivier	C	Halifax	QMJHL
23	Wilde, Bode	RD	USA U18	NTDP
24	Alexeyev, Alexander	RD	Red Deer	WHL
25	Bernard-Docker, Jacob	RD	Okotoks	AJHL
26	McLeod, Ryan	C	Mississauga	OHL
27	Thomas, Akil	C	Niagara	OHL
28	Bokk, Dominik	LW	Vaxjo	SweJE
29	Marchenko, Kirill	RW	Khanty Mansiysk	RusJr
30	Berggren, Jonatan	RW	Skelleftea	SweJr
31	Samuelsson, Matthias	LD	USA U18	NTDP
Goalies
1	Rodrigue, Olivier	G	Drummondville	QMJHL
2	Mandolese, Kevin	G	Cape Breton	QMJHL

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Well, that list is intriguing, since it puts Groulx, McLeod and Thomas ahead of Bokk and a number of stronger players. IMO. Akil had a troubling tournament for example...

 

[MSSLYNX]

How good a player could we get at #14 if we still had that pick?

Top 9 picks pretty much set with same 4 fwds and 5 d on most lists.
Based on last 2 drafts:
10. Edm should be looking at a dman (Ty Smith?)
11 and 12 NYI should be splitting d-fwd but more likely c-w because next dman is quite lower so lets call Kotkaniemi or Veleno then Farabee or Denisenko.
13. Dallas should go fwd so 1 of the 2 remaining.

14. That leaves you 1 of the 4 bolded and then mostly centers: Hayton, Kupari, Lundestrom or winger Kaut. 1 dont see a dman at 14 unless Smith is still there.

 

[carter333167]

Top 9 picks pretty much set with same 4 fwds and 5 d on most lists.
Based on last 2 drafts:
10. Edm should be looking at a dman (Ty Smith?)
11 and 12 NYI should be splitting d-fwd but more likely c-w because next dman is quite lower so lets call Kotkaniemi or Veleno then Farabee or Denisenko.
13. Dallas should go fwd so 1 of the 2 remaining.

14. That leaves you 1 of the 4 bolded and then mostly centers: Hayton, Kupari, Lundestrom or winger Kaut. 1 dont see a dman at 14 unless Smith is still there.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[stl76]

Don't think he's been mentioned around here before, but Aidan Dudas is a guy I really hope the Blues take a look at in the mid rounds. Could be a steal in the 4th round.

EDIT: crap, forgot we don't have a 4th this year. Here's hoping Armstrong makes some trades to get Armstrong some more picks!

Some more info on Dudas:
Aidan Dudas – Owen Sound Attack – Player Profile

https://thehockeywriters.com/2018-nhl-draft-underrated-prospects/

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Don't think he's been mentioned around here before, but Aidan Dudas is a guy I really hope the Blues take a look at in the mid rounds. Could be a steal in the 4th round.

EDIT: crap, forgot we don't have a 4th this year. Here's hoping Armstrong makes some trades to get Armstrong some more picks!

Some more info on Dudas:
Aidan Dudas – Owen Sound Attack – Player Profile

https://thehockeywriters.com/2018-nhl-draft-underrated-prospects/

The 4th we traded for Soshkinov was a 2019 pick

 

[stl76]

The 4th we traded for Soshkinov was a 2019 pick

 

[MissouriMook]

Don't think he's been mentioned around here before, but Aidan Dudas is a guy I really hope the Blues take a look at in the mid rounds. Could be a steal in the 4th round.

EDIT: crap, forgot we don't have a 4th this year. Here's hoping Armstrong makes some trades to get Armstrong some more picks!

Some more info on Dudas:
Aidan Dudas – Owen Sound Attack – Player Profile

https://thehockeywriters.com/2018-nhl-draft-underrated-prospects/

From what little I've seen of the kid he seems to have quite a motor. I'm not sure it would be too much of a stretch to grab him in the 3rd if everyone else we were looking at was gone or is just kinda meh. He's a mid-level guy that I'd really like to see us come away with from this draft. If he blossoms, I could see him turning into a Gallagher type.

 

[Memento]

I'd love to get Grigori Denisenko, not just because of his name, but because he reminds me of Panarin.

 

[Zamadoo]

I'd love to get Grigori Denisenko, not just because of his name, but because he reminds me of Panarin.

I agree Denisenko is very skilled. Others I like are Filip Hallander and Vitali Kravstov. I hope the Blues select one of these three players with the WIN pick.

 

[Stealth JD]

So, we've either got the 27th pick...or #30/#31? If the difference is four/five spots at the end of the 1st, I'd just assume watch Stastny and the Jets take out the Preds. I've grown to dislike the Preds so much with RyJo & Subban.

 

[stl76]

So, we've either got the 27th pick...or #30/#31? If the difference is four/five spots at the end of the 1st, I'd just assume watch Stastny and the Jets take out the Preds. I've grown to dislike the Preds so much with RyJo & Subban.

I've been rooting for the jets for a while now, it'd be nice for the Stastny family to finally get a cup.

Curious what people see in Hallander that has them so excited about him. Good on the forecheck and net front presence? He's a good prospect, but I'm not really that impressed watching highlights and reading scouting reports...what am I missing?

 

[jbron]

Hallander can find open space on the ice. He has the instinct to drive to the net and to put himself in position to score around the net. He has a quick release and is versatile. Hallander can play center or wing, but most likely RW in the NHL. Hence, why he should be around at the end of the first round or top of the second. It's future potential that is the key. He is putting up solid numbers for Timra at 17 years old. (6-29-00) yet,has the frame to get stronger. Already a good 2 way player he will only get better. Would be a solid pick for the Blues.

 

[EL Bandito]

Ok so as it stands the Blues have picks (27-31), 45th, 76th, 107th, 138th, 169th and 200th.

I'm a giant draft nerd so I follow these guys quite a bit throughout the year and I also get some good info from family who are Q scouts.

In this draft if you are not in the top 10, I'd much prefer to be picking multiple players in the 25-60 range. I think there's very good depth all the way up to around 80-90 before it levels off. So IMO the real value in this draft is in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. I do think they will be able to pick up a couple of additional picks in that range in moving a Berglund, Sobotka, etc so we'll see what they can pull off. Here's the guys I would really like that I feel have legitimate possibility being available at their selections.

27th-31st overall....

Jack McBain
Martin Kaut
Akil Thomas
Ty Dellandrea
Jett Woo
Alexander Alexeyev

45th overall.....

Jack McBain (really doubt he winds up this far even though there are lists with him in the 50s)
Ty Dellandrea
Jett Woo
Alexander Alexeyev
Jake Wise
Jay O'Brien
Stanislav Demin
Jack Drury
Alexander Khovanov (mega boom/bust)
Jared McIssac (dropping too far on lists, quality dman)
Liam Foudy
David Gustafsson
Xavier Bernard
K'Andre Miller
Jacob Olofsson
Alexander Romanov
Niklas Nordgren

For the 3rd and 4th rounds.....

Ivan Morozov
Alec Regula
Simon Johansson
Xavier Bouchard
Xavier Bernard
Nando Eggenberger

5th, 6th and 7th rounds......

Jack Jensen
Nikolai Kovalenko
Connor Roberts
Logan Hutsko
Seth Barton
Nico Gross

If they had to pick a goalie I'd take a late flyer on Jordan Kooy or Jacob Ingham but neither before the 5th.



If I had to nail down a pick my perfect draft would go:

1. Jack McBain
2. Alexander Khovanov or Alexander Alexeyev
3. Ivan Morozov or Simon Johansson
4. Alec Regula
5. Jack Jensen
6. Nikolai Kovalenko
7. Jacob Ingham

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Ok so as it stands the Blues have picks (27-31), 45th, 76th, 107th, 138th, 169th and 200th.

I'm a giant draft nerd so I follow these guys quite a bit throughout the year and I also get some good info from family who are Q scouts.

In this draft if you are not in the top 10, I'd much prefer to be picking multiple players in the 25-60 range. I think there's very good depth all the way up to around 80-90 before it levels off. So IMO the real value in this draft is in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. I do think they will be able to pick up a couple of additional picks in that range in moving a Berglund, Sobotka, etc so we'll see what they can pull off. Here's the guys I would really like that I feel have legitimate possibility being available at their selections.

27th-31st overall....

Jack McBain
Martin Kaut
Akil Thomas
Ty Dellandrea
Jett Woo
Alexander Alexeyev

45th overall.....

Jack McBain (really doubt he winds up this far even though there are lists with him in the 50s)
Ty Dellandrea
Jett Woo
Alexander Alexeyev
Jake Wise
Jay O'Brien
Stanislav Demin
Jack Drury
Alexander Khovanov (mega boom/bust)
Jared McIssac (dropping too far on lists, quality dman)
Liam Foudy
David Gustafsson
Xavier Bernard
K'Andre Miller
Jacob Olofsson
Alexander Romanov
Niklas Nordgren

For the 3rd and 4th rounds.....

Ivan Morozov
Alec Regula
Simon Johansson
Xavier Bouchard
Xavier Bernard
Nando Eggenberger

5th, 6th and 7th rounds......

Jack Jensen
Nikolai Kovalenko
Connor Roberts
Logan Hutsko
Seth Barton
Nico Gross

If they had to pick a goalie I'd take a late flyer on Jordan Kooy or Jacob Ingham but neither before the 5th.



If I had to nail down a pick my perfect draft would go:

1. Jack McBain
2. Alexander Khovanov or Alexander Alexeyev
3. Ivan Morozov or Simon Johansson
4. Alec Regula
5. Jack Jensen
6. Nikolai Kovalenko
7. Jacob Ingham

Love it, although I’d definitely go with Alexeyev and Johansson in the 2nd and 3rd. I also prefer Dellandrea to McBain, but either one would be a great addition imo

 

[EL Bandito]

For me it's all about projection for McBain. I saw an interview of him where he says the player he most models his game after is Ryan Getzlaf and to me that's exactly who he reminds me of, a young 18 yr old Getzlaf. He wasn't a good skater at all, wasn't amazing in his draft year, questions about drive, etc. Much the same is said about McBain. Call it a hunch, I think he's going to be a very good player in 3-4 years time.

I basically agree with you on the Alexeyev pick instead but I'm just picturing taking Khovanov and he booms and we get to watch a Kostin-Khovanov-Tarasenko line, lol.

I like Johansson too but Ivan Morozov is criminally underrated for a mid third round rating. This is why I say they need more 2nds and 3rds on draft day, there's some damn good prospects even into the 4th. I hope they are able to snag Alec Regula though. He's got upside and I'm sure they got to see him plenty while watching Thomas in London.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

For me it's all about projection for McBain. I saw an interview of him where he says the player he most models his game after is Ryan Getzlaf and to me that's exactly who he reminds me of, a young 18 yr old Getzlaf. He wasn't a good skater at all, wasn't amazing in his draft year, questions about drive, etc. Much the same is said about McBain. Call it a hunch, I think he's going to be a very good player in 3-4 years time.

I basically agree with you on the Alexeyev pick instead but I'm just picturing taking Khovanov and he booms and we get to watch a Kostin-Khovanov-Tarasenko line, lol.

I like Johansson too but Ivan Morozov is criminally underrated for a mid third round rating. This is why I say they need more 2nds and 3rds on draft day, there's some damn good prospects even into the 4th. I hope they are able to snag Alec Regula though. He's got upside and I'm sure they got to see him plenty while watching Thomas in London.

Totally agreed all around. I guess I’m seeing conflicting reports about McBain’s “drive.” Some people have questions, others seem to think it’s the foundation of his game. My opinion falls somewhere on the more optimistic side of the spectrum, based off of what I’ve seen especially in the top prospects game or whatever. He just needs to learn to make the right decisions, and that will come with time. Hockey East will do wonders for him.

 

[EL Bandito]

Totally agreed all around. I guess I’m seeing conflicting reports about McBain’s “drive.” Some people have questions, others seem to think it’s the foundation of his game. My opinion falls somewhere on the more optimistic side of the spectrum, based off of what I’ve seen especially in the top prospects game or whatever. He just needs to learn to make the right decisions, and that will come with time. Hockey East will do wonders for him.

The drive thought was more around Getzlaf but there are some who question McBain because they feel he should be dominating the OJHL. In the playoffs he did completely dominate, I wonder if it has to do even more with the quality of players around him. I could still see someone take him as high as 20th overall and as low as 50. I think some team will snag him late in the first, possibly between picks 27 and 31

 

[hawkeerox]

Totally agreed all around. I guess I’m seeing conflicting reports about McBain’s “drive.” Some people have questions, others seem to think it’s the foundation of his game. My opinion falls somewhere on the more optimistic side of the spectrum, based off of what I’ve seen especially in the top prospects game or whatever. He just needs to learn to make the right decisions, and that will come with time. Hockey East will do wonders for him.

The conflicting reports about McBain's "drive" are a bit of a tempest in a pot of tea, so to speak. According to a couple articles I read, scouts and analysts were concerned that he was not focused solely on hockey before getting drafted to the OHL. But he was a high-high-level competitor in skiing and some other summer sport (tennis?vball??), and to some that means he lacks hockey drive/focus, I guess. Maybe choosing OJHL and then NCAA does not help either.
The fact is he appears to be a real great athlete and competitor, so not sure where this lack of drive perception comes from, unless people see him stink the rink out on occasion during a game and assume that is because of a lack of drive.
To me, there could be a number of things that cause players to be awful or lethargic at times - inconsistency due to youth, fighting an illness that we don't know about, just not feelin' the other players that day, who knows. I agree that NCAA hockey should encourage better and more consistent play in him.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

The conflicting reports about McBain's "drive" are a bit of a tempest in a pot of tea, so to speak. According to a couple articles I read, scouts and analysts were concerned that he was not focused solely on hockey before getting drafted to the OHL. But he was a high-high-level competitor in skiing and some other summer sport (tennis?vball??), and to some that means he lacks hockey drive/focus, I guess. Maybe choosing OJHL and then NCAA does not help either.
The fact is he appears to be a real great athlete and competitor, so not sure where this lack of drive perception comes from, unless people see him stink the rink out on occasion during a game and assume that is because of a lack of drive.
To me, there could be a number of things that cause players to be awful or lethargic at times - inconsistency due to youth, fighting an illness that we don't know about, just not feelin' the other players that day, who knows. I agree that NCAA hockey should encourage better and more consistent play in him.

I hadn’t heard that, but that’s super interesting. I feel like there has been a whole body of research lately that multi-sport athletes are typically better prepared for pro sports because you need to master body movements and strengths in a whole range of areas instead of just one hyper-focused area. You might not grow at the same pace as your peers, but you ultimately come out on top or something like that. For McBain, going the NCAA route and focusing on training is - again - the best decision for him to sort of play catch up in that regard. He seems like a competitive guy, and if that drive bleeds beyond the game of hockey all the better as far as I’m concerned.

The best possible scenario is those concerns are taken seriously by other teams and he drops to us at 45, but I wouldn’t have any problems with taking him in the first round either. Make our big 4 a big 5 or 6 this year, Barmstrong!

 

[alwaysBlue]

I'm all for best player available, but it seems like we're a bit RW or at least forward heavy with prospects inThomas, Kyrou, Kostin, Thompson, Blais, Stevens, Foley, and Kaspick. I'm a big fan of Merkley if he falls to the WPG pick which it looks like he might. I also like Aidan Dudas who looks like a 2nd/3rd/4th round pick. Undersized but knows how to play. Much like a Gallagher type player.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

I'm all for best player available, but it seems like we're a bit RW or at least forward heavy with prospects inThomas, Kyrou, Kostin, Thompson, Blais, Stevens, Foley, and Kaspick. I'm a big fan of Merkley if he falls to the WPG pick which it looks like he might. I also like Aidan Dudas who looks like a 2nd/3rd/4th round pick. Undersized but knows how to play. Much like a Gallagher type player.

I just don’t see our front office taking the gamble with Merkley. His skill speaks for itself... he’s absolutely phenomenal. He *should* be a top pick. The fact that he isn’t is worrying. He’s 17, everybody is entitled to be a shit head when they’re that old, but we’ve seen with Ho Sang and Sean Day, sometimes those habits carry forward and can impact a career. If you want boom/bust you take Merkley, and seeing as how we took Kostin who had different question marks, but question marks nonetheless last year, maybe we do roll the dice.

We’re at a critical point in our team building where we’re riiiiiight about to turn a big corner, and imo, if we’re going to be getting a guy who is sort of troublesome, I’d rather he be the kind of guy who gets into the other team’s head, not our own. There are guys we can take in the late 20s who will have a positive impact on our team and don’t carry that baggage, and I think I would rather roll the dice with them. Guys who want to be here, guys who want to work to improve their game instead of whining and relying on their natural skill. I’ve worked / played sports with those kind of guys, and they can be absolutely infuriating. Do we want to take the chance of adding that negative element to our locker room? I’m not sold I guess.

 

[Oberyn]

Not interested in Merkley but I can see why some would be enthralled by his talent level. He's not someone I'd target with our pick.