Big center with a balanced offensive game. He's not talked about much because his draft is a year away and he plays in Jr. A. He also hasn't played much in high-profile events yet. He's currently listed at 6'3, with a big wingspan and needs to fill out. 6'3 centers with high hockey-IQ will always be in demand, regardless of what league they play in. He needs to fill out and improve his skating.
He was invited to the U-18 tryouts and is on the Hlinka try-out roster (would be a massive shock if he doesn't make it). He can get his name in the top 3 discussions with strong international appearances and a dominant Jr. A. season. He could also stagnate and have his stock implode.
Most guys who get hype tend to play in marquee events or on major teams. I doubt many people here are streaming Jr. A games for a prospect not eligible for the draft until next year. Compare that to Ryan Merkley, who most OHL observers were able to watch either live, through a cable package or an easily accessible stream.
No...2018 supposed to be better than 2017 crop but no way is it exceptional in the class of expectation for 2019 2020 and 2021 which Pierre McGuire keeps telling us are so very deep and so very chock full of top talents ..These 3 drafts are where you do NOT want to have less than a full compliment of picks ...Vegas already has more than that for 2019...wuth 3 stockpiled for round 2 in addition to their own first ..McPhee knew when to load up ...Teams that give away picks for tge 19 20 and 21 drafts ...especialky top 3 rounds will be comitted g suicide ...McGuire has never raved about drafts to the extent he keeps pumping up the excitement about tge exceptional it and depth in these 3 drafts.2018 will not be as goid as any of the great 3 coming but it will be better than a very iffy of (overall) 2017 draft of not deep first round talent and average to below average depth..There will always of course be surprises who do better than their draft position indicates tgey would ...late bloomers etc. ..but on average tge expectation by most of the consensus was that 2017 was at best merely average but coukd be worse than average ...that 2018 will be better than average ..but that 2019 20 and 21 are alk going to provide exceptionally deep picking opportunities and lots of really impact pkayer's who will star in the NHL..
Yea, I mean, the only relatively big-name prospect for 2019 who played a full season in the CHL this year was Nolan Foote. Some of the younger WHL guys we got glimpses of such as Krebs and Dach. But, trying to predict the depth of those classes right now is just insanity. In regards to NA prospects, I basically just ignore the hype until I see them in the CHL or USHL/USNTDP in regards to expectations for the NHL. Yes, there are stories of guys like McDavid, Crosby, Mackinnon, and Tavares who were highly hyped at 14/15 but there are also a bunch of John MacFarland, Alex Forsberg, Patrick McNeil, Steven Anthony, etc. Other guys who were hailed as prodigies turned into decent players and may turn into decent players like Hawlyruk, and Sean Day.Link?
Anyone posting a top 10 ranking of the 2019, 2020 and 2021 draft will be way off. Everyone is clueless about those drafts at this point.
We should be able to have a rough idea of who are tracking to be high picks on 2019 mid-way through the upcoming season with the U-17 challenge and players entering the CHL and USNTDP/USHL. Guys like Foote, Krebs, and Dach look really promising out west, but there aren't many high-end late birthdays that emerged this year. I'm interested in how Hughes, Beecher, and Turcotte look at the USNTDP. There are a bunch of promising guys, but midget/rep hockey up to Major Junior level is always a huge test.2019 rankings can start coming out later this year, 2018 should be already coming out. Anything beyond that is really just an uninformed guess.
We should be able to have a rough idea of who are tracking to be high picks on 2019 mid-way through the upcoming season with the U-17 challenge and players entering the CHL and USNTDP/USHL. Guys like Foote, Krebs, and Dach look really promising out west, but there aren't many high-end late birthdays that emerged this year. I'm interested in how Hughes, Beecher, and Turcotte look at the USNTDP. There are a bunch of promising guys, but midget/rep hockey up to Major Junior level is always a huge test.
Thanks, I don't know enough of the class to really give a top 31. I have sources I trust, I'm pretty sure HockeyProspect.com's list from the Black Book will soon become public.
Yeah, I could do a rough top 10 at best. I'd probably have something along these lines. Outside of the NHL, I primarily watch the OHL, and in my opinion, the OHL crop is pretty suspect this year at least in regards to who played in it this year. Svechnikov coming over is big though. The kids in the 2018 draft at the top were fairly spread out. From everyone listed including the HM, you have 2 guys in the QMJHL, 2 in Sweden (with one mostly playing J-20), 1 in the USHL, 1 U-18 USNTDP, 3 in U-17 USNTDP, 2 in the WHL, 1 in the Czech Republic, and 1 in the OJHL.
1: Dahlin
2: Svechnikov
3: Tkachuk
4: Veleno
5: Zadina
6: Ty Smith
7: McIssac
8: Jet Woo
9: Farabee
10: Mattias Samuelsson
HM: Boqvist, Wilde, McBain, and Wahlstrom.
There is a big drop-off after the top 2 who are both franchise changing level talents. It will be interesting to see how things play out after the Hlinka, where a bunch of top players outside of the USNTDP and the overagers should be at.
Thanks, I don't know enough of the class to really give a top 31. I have sources I trust, I'm pretty sure HockeyProspect.com's list from the Black Book will soon become public.
Yeah, I could do a rough top 10 at best. I'd probably have something along these lines. Outside of the NHL, I primarily watch the OHL, and in my opinion, the OHL crop is pretty suspect this year at least in regards to who played in it this year. Svechnikov coming over is big though. The kids in the 2018 draft at the top were fairly spread out. From everyone listed including the HM, you have 2 guys in the QMJHL, 2 in Sweden (with one mostly playing J-20), 1 in the USHL, 1 U-18 USNTDP, 3 in U-17 USNTDP, 2 in the WHL, 1 in the Czech Republic, and 1 in the OJHL.
1: Dahlin
2: Svechnikov
3: Tkachuk
4: Veleno
5: Zadina
6: Ty Smith
7: McIssac
8: Jet Woo
9: Farabee
10: Mattias Samuelsson
HM: Boqvist, Wilde, McBain, and Wahlstrom.
There is a big drop-off after the top 2 who are both franchise changing level talents. It will be interesting to see how things play out after the Hlinka, where a bunch of top players outside of the USNTDP and the overagers should be at.
I think he needs to round out his game (better defence and show more compete) and play less of a perimiter game. The talent is there to go high.What do you think keeps (or could keep) Wahlstrom from being a top 10 or top 5 guy? I thought he was really good for USA at the WJC.
It's more his lackluster effort at time. It's frustrating enough when wingers give up on plays, let alone defenders after a rush.The Murphy comparisons really have affected your opinion on Merkley.
That's a long "sentence".
Thanks, I don't know enough of the class to really give a top 31. I have sources I trust, I'm pretty sure HockeyProspect.com's list from the Black Book will soon become public.
Yeah, I could do a rough top 10 at best. I'd probably have something along these lines. Outside of the NHL, I primarily watch the OHL, and in my opinion, the OHL crop is pretty suspect this year at least in regards to who played in it this year. Svechnikov coming over is big though. The kids in the 2018 draft at the top were fairly spread out. From everyone listed including the HM, you have 2 guys in the QMJHL, 2 in Sweden (with one mostly playing J-20), 1 in the USHL, 1 U-18 USNTDP, 3 in U-17 USNTDP, 2 in the WHL, 1 in the Czech Republic, and 1 in the OJHL.
1: Dahlin
2: Svechnikov
3: Tkachuk
4: Veleno
5: Zadina
6: Ty Smith
7: McIssac
8: Jet Woo
9: Farabee
10: Mattias Samuelsson
HM: Boqvist, Wilde, McBain, and Wahlstrom.
There is a big drop-off after the top 2 who are both franchise changing level talents. It will be interesting to see how things play out after the Hlinka, where a bunch of top players outside of the USNTDP and the overagers should be at.
I think Brady Tkachuk who is more likely a very high-end complimentary piece (in the sense you don't want either to really be the driving force of an NHL first line/primary puck carrier) similar to his brother. This gets him knocked down by stat-watchers when comparing the two. They forget his brother was playing with Matthews and had another great linemate in Roslovic forming a dominant line at USNTDP and later in London with Marner and Dvorak, while Brady played with guys like Scott Reedy, Josh Norris, and Pastujov while being asked to be his team's best offensive player.Farabee seems criminally underrated by some people on here who barely have him in the top 25 - he looks like a top 10 talent to me, not sure what the concerns could be with him.
Also Tkachuk shouldn't go much lower than his brother did draft wise, not sure people realize how good this kid is and maybe are just assuming he isn't as good as his brother Matthew was - not sure.
Good year for the US, need some more kids to step up but we should have a few top 10 talents, possibly 3, and a few more sneaking into the top 15...definitely better than last year overall with solid depth.
I think he needs to round out his game (better defence and show more compete) and play less of a perimiter game. The talent is there to go high.
It's more his lackluster effort at time. It's frustrating enough when wingers give up on plays, let alone defenders after a rush.
He competes a hell of a lot harder than Merkley. I wouldn't have taken him top 5 but had him at 7. But was more worried about his competition level and transition up from there than actual effort. Makar also possesses a more sturdy frame, Merkley isn't only short but is also slightly built for a defender.How did you feel about Makar in this draft?
He competes a hell of a lot harder than Merkley. I wouldn't have taken him top 5 but had him at 7. But was more worried about his competition level and transition up from there than actual effort. Makar also possesses a more sturdy frame, Merkley isn't only short but is also slightly built for a defender.
Merkley plays a very me-first game, Guelph is a mess so it's hard to tell how much fault lies with him. With their new coach, they will also be ultra-defensive, it will be interesting to see how Merkley adapts. If he doesn't buy in, he will ride the pine.
Here's my initial rankings for the 2018 draft going into this season. I'll leave it at 45.
1. Rasmus Dahlin
2. Andrei Svechnikov
3. Adam Boqvist
4. Bode Wilde
5. Joe Veleno
.