Prospect Info: 2018 NHL Draft - Shall We Begin?

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IronMarshal

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Anyone have a scouting report on Nils Lundkvist? He’s a right handed defenseman from the SHL that is #19 on hockey prospects but can’t find a mention of him anywhere else let alone a player profile.
Smallish non-physical defender who is a good skater with good speed and decent agility. Could be better moving backwards. He has a very average shot, good release on wrister, but a weaker slapshot and one timer. He is very skilled though, can handle the puck and pass it well. Great vision and a high hockey IQ. He needs to work on his defensive zone presence, despite his IQ. The lack of size and physicality worries me in a defenseman, but that is just me. He could go late first to a team who can wait on him and is trying to hit a homer. Probably an early second rounder.
 

BigToe

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I fully expect he goes before the Blues pick, top 10 even. At the moment I'm more circling names like Farabee, Kotkaniemi, Smith, Kaut.

And there's a couple guys I need better reads on, all Europeans. Like Kravtsov, Bokk, Lundestrom, Kupari. It's hard for me to get watches on some of those guys. But they may be more around our pick than the Blues pick, with the possible exception of Kupari, who did leave me mixed at Hlinka. At least I'll get to see him at the u18s next month, unlike the others.

That said, I've seen Bouchard plenty, and I'm not as high on him as consensus. Wrote this a few weeks ago.
What’s it you like so much about Kaut? Only have watched his highlights and him at the WJC, but he looks like a third liner to me.
 

Magua

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What’s it you like so much about Kaut? Only have watched his highlights and him at the WJC, but he looks like a third liner to me.

Wrote this the other week:

Seems like a Flyers type too. Non-stop motor without being reckless; good size and frame and already equips himself well against men; could work on the starts and footwork but a sneaky powerful skater in stride; skilled and versatile, with a noticeably plus shot. Seems like a real smart kid too up and down the ice, positionally and with the puck. Thinks and plays fast. As I said, he PKs and certainly Does The Work in both ends at ES too. Strikes me as the type that will excel on small ice. Kid has a presence out there.

I think he's high floor, but I don't think that should be misconstrued as low ceiling either. I think Ryan McLeod is a low ceiling 3rd liner (even if I don't dislike him as one); I think a guy like Lundestrom, whose name gets floated, might have a lower ceiling than Kaut. I guess I'm just not totally sure what looks like a "third liner" about him. There aren't that many kids with high end skills and the other pro pre-requisites. Even finding guys with solid skill and the pre-reqs to look like NHLers can be a b*tch. That's how'd I describe Kaut. It's why he's not going top 5, though Tkachuk is, and he's not exactly a "highlight reel" guy.

I see he only has a WJC highlight video on YouTube, along with a Czech league goal. Not exactly a lot of tape. But I actually think that WJC video sums up what I see in his pro-league games, and it's a good video because it's 8 minutes and covers a variety of non-sexy plays on/off puck that he does consistently to win shifts. It's not really a highlight reel, but I'm not sure what doesn't showcase skill about it either....and against u20 competition. Highlight reels that cover a smattering of skill plays with the puck over the course of a whole season are deceptive because a game is 20+ shifts a night, not 20+ plays a year. I remember last year people thinking Patrick was bland on his highlights and shift tape. And how many times I see players with great highlight videos and sh*t game tape is too often to count. I'm looking for consistent, translatable scoring stuff, and it's not always the flashiest because neither is NHL scoring.

Let me put it this way: I think Kaut plays with the intensity and jam of a "3rd liner" (though that's an antiquated term), with the ability and hands and assertiveness of a potential scorer. He's not always razzle dazzle, but neither is a guy like Lindblom (and others), and we don't talk about him as a 3rd line ceiling kid. Kaut absolutely has an A-quality shot and the wherewithal to put himself in good positions. Off the rush he's dangerous with his wheels, and he's an above-average passer, who at absolute worst knows how to smartly and quickly move pucks to space. The ability to play fast and smart is never overrated......I think Hayton has some of the better hands in the draft, but I don't think he plays particularly fast or smart for example; I don't think Wahlstrom is that much more skilled than Kaut, but he plays slow. I don't think Kaut is a line driving type, but I think as a 2-way, high motor, PWF/goal scorer, who is a beast in the cycle and driving play, there's a 25-30 goal, 50-60 point potential guy there and a relatively safer one at that.
 

BigToe

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Wrote this the other week:



I think he's high floor, but I don't think that should be misconstrued as low ceiling either. I think Ryan McLeod is a low ceiling 3rd liner (even if I don't dislike him as one); I think a guy like Lundestrom, whose name gets floated, might have a lower ceiling than Kaut. I guess I'm just not totally sure what looks like a "third liner" about him. There aren't that many kids with high end skills and the other pro pre-requisites. Even finding guys with solid skill and the pre-reqs to look like NHLers can be a b*tch. That's how'd I describe Kaut. It's why he's not going top 5, though Tkachuk is, and he's not exactly a "highlight reel" guy.

I see he only has a WJC highlight video on YouTube, along with a Czech league goal. Not exactly a lot of tape. But I actually think that WJC video sums up what I see in his pro-league games, and it's a good video because it's 8 minutes and covers a variety of non-sexy plays on/off puck that he does consistently to win shifts. It's not really a highlight reel, but I'm not sure what doesn't showcase skill about it either....and against u20 competition. Highlight reels that cover a smattering of skill plays with the puck over the course of a whole season are deceptive because a game is 20+ shifts a night, not 20+ plays a year. I remember last year people thinking Patrick was bland on his highlights and shift tape. And how many times I see players with great highlight videos and sh*t game tape is too often to count. I'm looking for consistent, translatable scoring stuff, and it's not always the flashiest because neither is NHL scoring.

Let me put it this way: I think Kaut plays with the intensity and jam of a "3rd liner" (though that's an antiquated term), with the ability and hands and assertiveness of a potential scorer. He's not always razzle dazzle, but neither is a guy like Lindblom (and others), and we don't talk about him as a 3rd line ceiling kid. Kaut absolutely has an A-quality shot and the wherewithal to put himself in good positions. Off the rush he's dangerous with his wheels, and he's an above-average passer, who at absolute worst knows how to smartly and quickly move pucks to space. The ability to play fast and smart is never overrated......I think Hayton has some of the better hands in the draft, but I don't think he plays particularly fast or smart for example; I don't think Wahlstrom is that much more skilled than Kaut, but he plays slow. I don't think Kaut is a line driving type, but I think as a 2-way, high motor, PWF/goal scorer, who is a beast in the cycle and driving play, there's a 25-30 goal, 50-60 point potential guy there and a relatively safer one at that.
Haven’t seen much of his shot and play so I’ll take your word for it. I guess I just like more of the flashy guys.
 

Strawberry Fields

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It wouldn't have too much of a draft impact on us, but has anyone considered the possibility of the Islanders winning two of the lottery picks since they have Calgary's too? Like, maybe even picks one and two?
 
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Rebels57

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It wouldn't have too much of a draft impact on us, but has anyone considered the possibility of the Islanders winning two of the lottery picks since they have Calgary's too? Like, maybe even picks one and two?

That would be a disaster for the Metro.

Adding Dahlin and Svechnikov to Barzal would be the foundation of a future powerhouse.

Can't believe Calgary didn't put a top 10 protection that pick. Hopefully they make the playoffs.
 

FLYguy3911

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His OHL points for a D-man is pretty impressive. Especially when the rest of the team seems pretty anemic.
It is, but he literally plays 30+ minutes a game and he's a 3rd year junior player so you have to factor that in. Most of these kids don't come anywhere close to the usage he sees. We've discussed it a good bit. I honestly haven't seen enough of London to have a strong opinion either way, but those would be some of my reservations. Button usually has a good eye for defensemen though. I have to check out Beaudin now.
 

LegionOfDoom91

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It’s the same thing with London every year. They’ll have 4-6 players drafted with most of them not really having impressive stats because they were buried in the lineup most if not all of the year. They moved a lot of pieces this year at the deadline so some guys got more ice time later in the year & ran away with it.

Besides Bouchard these guys will probably get drafted too G Jordan Kooy, D Alec Regula, F Nathan Dunkley, F Liam Foudy, & F Billy Moskal.
 

SolidSnakeUS

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It is, but he literally plays 30+ minutes a game and he's a 3rd year junior player so you have to factor that in. Most of these kids don't come anywhere close to the usage he sees. We've discussed it a good bit. I honestly haven't seen enough of London to have a strong opinion either way, but those would be some of my reservations. Button usually has a good eye for defensemen though. I have to check out Beaudin now.

With him playing that much, it should help him a bit for the NHL to get used to even 20 minutes a game, if need be. While the NHL is a much stronger and harder game, I think he could do it, but we'll see. But yeah, even if you are playing 30+ minutes a night, the fact that you're 33 points above 2nd place on your team says a lot more about the player's skill than just TOI.
 

Psuhockey

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Looks like there seems to be 8 guys in everyone’s top 10: Dahlin, Tkachuk, Svechnikov, Zadina, Boqvist, Bouchard, Dobson, Wahlstrom.

What’s the scouting report on Bode Wilde? I had read questionable hockey sense but looks like a consistent top 15 guy in most rankings and could be there when the Flyers pick.
 

LegionOfDoom91

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With him playing that much, it should help him a bit for the NHL to get used to even 20 minutes a game, if need be. While the NHL is a much stronger and harder game, I think he could do it, but we'll see. But yeah, even if you are playing 30+ minutes a night, the fact that you're 33 points above 2nd place on your team says a lot more about the player's skill than just TOI.

They’re not made available to the public but ice times in juniors aren’t comparable to the NHL. They seriously cut down most of the bench in juniors if a team has multiple top players. A top forward in the NHL is probably playing around 20 minutes or so but in juniors they’re going over half a game.
 

SolidSnakeUS

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That's what I mean, and as a D-man, he could see 20 minutes a game or so, and that's a normal thing. But playing that long in juniors at least helps in terms of conditioning.
 

Chinatown88

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Looks like there seems to be 8 guys in everyone’s top 10: Dahlin, Tkachuk, Svechnikov, Zadina, Boqvist, Bouchard, Dobson, Wahlstrom.

What’s the scouting report on Bode Wilde? I had read questionable hockey sense but looks like a consistent top 15 guy in most rankings and could be there when the Flyers pick.

I believe Magua wrote a somewhat lengthy paragraph or paragraphs expressing his discontent for Wilde. Could be wrong though, I'm growing more senile everyday.
 
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LegionOfDoom91

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That's what I mean, and as a D-man, he could see 20 minutes a game or so, and that's a normal thing. But playing that long in juniors at least helps in terms of conditioning.

The biggest thing is just that they’re playing & doing so a lot. It’s not as straining because they’re young & because the playing field isn’t nearly leveled as it can be in other leagues as you move up. There’s a lot more PP opportunities as well.
 
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