Prospect Info: 2018 NHL Draft

[Voodoo Glow Skulls]

Very intrigued by this Blake McLaughlin kid. Leading draft eligible pt scorer in the USHL so far, and did well for USA at the Hlinka as well.

Intriguing player. Thanks for sharing.

 

[plymouthmi]

Do you guys have specific people you follow on Twitter or blogs/websites that are the best for scouting prospects?

Sorry, longtime lurker and reader around here. I want to make an effort to start posting once in awhile but I am clueless about the best places to go to get info.

 

[Claypool]

Do you guys have specific people you follow on Twitter or blogs/websites that are the best for scouting prospects?

Sorry, longtime lurker and reader around here. I want to make an effort to start posting once in awhile but I am clueless about the best places to go to get info.

Craig Button does good round ups on prospects all the time. Just bookmark the TSN draft center page. Usually new stories every week.

Example:
http://www.tsn.ca/craig-s-list-defenceman-dahlin-leads-draft-class-1.847739

Bob McKenzie also does pre, mid and post season draft rankings.

 

[Frk It]

good article on Ty Smith: https://futureconsiderations.ca/smith-showcasing-strong-maturity-spokane/

I think he might be the best pick we could make from a "fit" perspective. He complements our current young group of defenseman almost perfectly.

Smith-Hronek
Cholowski-Saarijarvi

That could be a really strong group of young defenseman.

 

[Frk It]

Do you guys have specific people you follow on Twitter or blogs/websites that are the best for scouting prospects?

Sorry, longtime lurker and reader around here. I want to make an effort to start posting once in awhile but I am clueless about the best places to go to get info.

hockeyprospect.com is one of the best scouting services out there, but to get full access to their stuff you have to pay.

Other than, Bob McKenzie and Craig Button are great free resources (as Claypool said). Bob McKenzie's ratings come with actual input from NHL scouts, so that is as connected to scouts as most of us can get.

hockeyprospect.com just put out a ranking yesterday, found here:
https://www.hockeyprospect.com/hockeyprospect-com-2018-nhl-draft-rankings-top-62-november-edition/

Cool thing about them is their director Mark Edwards will answer questions over on the prospect board. I thought it was very interesting that he had K'Andre Miller over Bode Wilde, so I asked him why they did that, and he gave the following reply:

It's tight. Had it flipped yesterday. Miller is raw with Huge upside. Bode is very talented but continues to make mental errors. We have Bode ranked high compared to some NHL scouts I know.

 

[Voodoo Glow Skulls]

Do you guys have specific people you follow on Twitter or blogs/websites that are the best for scouting prospects?

Sorry, longtime lurker and reader around here. I want to make an effort to start posting once in awhile but I am clueless about the best places to go to get info.

Eliteprospects.com is a good place to go for stats.

Brock on the prospect board is very good for OHL prospects.

 

[Frk It]

Missed this last article from Button, but 2 interesting notes:

2. Oliver Wahlstrom, a right wing with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, was a YouTube sensation as a nine-year-old with this nifty shootout move at a Boston Bruins game.
Wahlstrom continues to develop (9-5-14 in eight games) and is a gifted offensive player with excellent puck skills. He possesses arguably the best shot and release of any player available in the 2018 NHL Draft.

5. Jacob Olofsson is a 17-year-old centre playing for Timra in the Swedish Allsvenskan league. It’s the same team that produced Henrik Zetterberg and Vancouver Canucks’ 2017 first-round selection Elias Pettersson. Olofsson has four goals and five points in 10 games, and has the skill, intelligence and competitiveness to be a top-two centre in the NHL. He has a style similar to Ottawa’s Derick Brassard. Expect him to be a first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.

Hot Button Issues: Dahlin continues to dazzle - Article - TSN

 

[golffuul]

How do we feel about Filip Zadina? 2nd in scoring and goals in the QMJHL in his first season in North America and comes from the "East Coast Hockey Factory" of Halifax.

Guessing the World Juniors will probably make or break him, at this point. But he's done really well, so far. Maybe a sleeper if we fall to 5th or 6th, or a possible trade up without losing much to get him.

 

[Frk It]

How do we feel about Filip Zadina? 2nd in scoring and goals in the QMJHL in his first season in North America and comes from the "East Coast Hockey Factory" of Halifax.

Guessing the World Juniors will probably make or break him, at this point. But he's done really well, so far. Maybe a sleeper if we fall to 5th or 6th, or a possible trade up without losing much to get him.

Like the player, not crazy about drafting a winger. Would say the same about Wahlstrom and Tkachuk.

There aren’t really great center options at the top of this draft, though.

 

[Frk It]

I'd be a lot more receptive towards drafting a winger with our first pick if we can pick up a second 1st rounder.

Something like

top 10 pick: Wahlstrom/Zadina/Tkachuk
20-30 pick: Merkley/McIsaac/Dobson/Addison/Woo

Would be a pretty nice haul.

 

[Redder Winger]

good article on Ty Smith: https://futureconsiderations.ca/smith-showcasing-strong-maturity-spokane/

I think he might be the best pick we could make from a "fit" perspective. He complements our current young group of defenseman almost perfectly.

Smith-Hronek
Cholowski-Saarijarvi

That could be a really strong group of young defenseman.

We need someone to play defense.

 

[Redder Winger]

There are some good centers.
Veleno.
Akil THomas.
Ryan McLeod
Isac Ludestrom (he'll be a riser)

The idea that we can get McIsaac or Merkley in the bottom 10 of the first round seems unrealistic. McKeens has McIsaac at 9 and Merkley at 12.

Maybe you get a Rasmus Sandin or Bode Wilde at 25.

 

[Frk It]

There are some good centers.
Veleno.
Akil THomas.
Ryan McLeod
Isac Ludestrom (he'll be a riser)

The idea that we can get McIsaac or Merkley in the bottom 10 of the first round seems unrealistic. McKeens has McIsaac at 9 and Merkley at 12.

Maybe you get a Rasmus Sandin or Bode Wilde at 25.

McIsaac is hovering at .5 PPG, there is a very real chance he (continues to) drop. Don't think Mckeen's is the authority or best resource out there, by any means. hockeyprospect.com's most recent ranking had Mcisaac at #19, and Merkley at #26. Merkley has a lot of red flags, although very talented. Another good candidate for being a faller.

Those center options relative to other draft classes are not strong at all.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

The especially worrying thing about McIsaac is that he's on a team with Zadina, who is tearing it up. McIsaac should be benefitting from that much more than he is. Or even worse: what if this *is* McIsaac benefitting from Zadina?

 

[Beltv]

I'll be happy as long as we take the best skill guy. Last year was all more of a "sure thing, attitude" type guys. We need to draft the guy with the highest upside IMO.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

Completely unscientific and not supported analysis based on how I feel their names strike me think of them as a star.

Guys I want from the top 31
------------
Rasmus Dahlin
Oliver Wahlstrom
Adam Boqvist
Brady Tkachuk
Noah Dobson
Ryan Merkley

Guys we should stay away from at all costs.
--------------
Grigori Denisenko
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
K'Andre Miller
Jett Woo
Alexander Alexeeyev
Barrett Hayton
Dominik Bokk
Isac Lundestrom

I will check into these closer in the coming weeks to see if my off the cuff feelings are anywhere close to right. Again, there is no data to support these as of yet.

 

[Frk It]

Completely unscientific and not supported analysis based on how I feel their names strike me think of them as a star.

Guys I want from the top 31
------------
Rasmus Dahlin
Oliver Wahlstrom
Adam Boqvist
Brady Tkachuk
Noah Dobson
Ryan Merkley

Guys we should stay away from at all costs.
--------------
Grigori Denisenko
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
K'Andre Miller
Jett Woo
Alexander Alexeeyev
Barrett Hayton
Dominik Bokk
Isac Lundestrom

I will check into these closer in the coming weeks to see if my off the cuff feelings are anywhere close to right. Again, there is no data to support these as of yet.

For being purely random, I kinda like it.

 

[Marky9er]

For being purely random, I kinda like it.

If we follow the habits of DRW drafting, we can probably solve this thing. Player X will either be from Michigan, Sweden, or the Guelph Storm.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

If we follow the habits of DRW drafting, we can probably solve this thing. Player X will either be from Michigan, Sweden, or the Guelph Storm.

With the 158th overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft, the Detroit Red Wings are proud to select Karan Higdon from the University of Michigan.

"We really liked his character and explosiveness. We really think that Karan will make strides in learning the game down in Toledo."

 

[PuckLife]

Completely unscientific and not supported analysis based on how I feel their names strike me think of them as a star.

Guys I want from the top 31
------------
Rasmus Dahlin
Oliver Wahlstrom
Adam Boqvist
Brady Tkachuk
Noah Dobson
Ryan Merkley

Guys we should stay away from at all costs.
--------------
Grigori Denisenko
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
K'Andre Miller
Jett Woo
Alexander Alexeeyev
Barrett Hayton
Dominik Bokk
Isac Lundestrom

I will check into these closer in the coming weeks to see if my off the cuff feelings are anywhere close to right. Again, there is no data to support these as of yet.

I'm confused - you mean you don't like their names? How is that relevant in any way?

 

[TheMule93]

I'm confused - you mean you don't like their names? How is that relevant in any way?

Completely unscientific and not supported analysis based on how I feel their names strike me think of them as a star.

He pretty much said it wasn't relevant to anything. Just a fun thing to do.

 

[Marky9er]

He pretty much said it wasn't relevant to anything. Just a fun thing to do.

I don't know how Alex Alexeyev ended up on the dislike name pile. And, is there 2 of them? Alexander and Alexey?

 

[TheMule93]

Based on names alone I thought Tomas Jurco was going to be a star. Oops.

For me, no one's name in the 2018 top 31 screams future star to me.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

He pretty much said it wasn't relevant to anything. Just a fun thing to do.

Pretty much.

And honestly, I'm kinda interested to see how completely random picking works out compared to studying and studying and studying. I'll eventually build up my knowledge to see if I'm way way off or anything. And my very lacking logic was just this... "Do I expect to see this name in "X cleared waivers" or "X is a league leader in points."

Mostly though, I'm not as prospect savvy as most people on here. If I throw something out like this... It would give me a reason to actually seek out stuff on Adam Boqvist or Alex Alexeeyev. So maybe when it comes to draft day in 8 months, I'll actually be rightfully pissed if they pass on Ryan Merkley or Jared McIssac.

I don't know how Alex Alexeyev ended up on the dislike name pile. And, is there 2 of them? Alexander and Alexey?

Alexeeyev sounds like the guy who you always will want more from and think is capable of more, but he's on the waiver wire in a few years. More accurately... Alex Alexeeyev sounds like an NHL 18 name that comes out like four or five years into a dynasty.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

Based on names alone I thought Tomas Jurco was going to be a star. Oops.

For me, no one's name in the 2018 top 31 screams future star to me.

For me, that was Xaiver Ouellet. That and the fact that I think he was like OHL defenseman of the year or something.