Prospect Info: 2018 NHL Entry Draft Discussion: Final Countdown! Tomorrow is the big day!

Who is BPA available at 24?

  • Benoit-Oliver Groulx - C

  • Jacob Olofsson - C

  • Dominik Bokk - C

  • Ryan Merkley - RD

  • Rasmus Sandin - LD

  • Jett Woo -RD

  • Miller LD/Samuellsson LD/Thomas LW (3/8 appearances)

  • Liam Foudy - C


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WTFMAN99

Registered User
Jun 17, 2009
32,835
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That's awesome! I wanted Garikov too way back when. I had him on my board for our 4th rounder and Kaprizov for our 5th rounder (granted the rest of my board was **** outside of our 1st). Unsure if Garikov or Kaprizov will ever come over but he was worth the flier for where he was taken and he's a beast of a defenseman if he does come over.

Kaprizov was a heck a player. I think if you are going to draft Russians you need an open dialogue. Kaprizov was critical of knowing nothing of Minnesota or any of their management. He actually cited how we went over to visit Zaitsev personally when we wanted him to come join the team. I think we can do alright with Russians. Problem is most of the development is going to happen in the KHL for them, we'll need an open roster spot and essentially need to give them a spot on the team. May or may not work out.
 

Morgs

#16 #34 #44 #88 #91
Jul 12, 2015
19,518
15,389
London, ON
Kravtsov has now scored 3G in 3 KHL playoff games.This guy is a steal outside the first, but I'm starting to think he's not making it that far.

Tolvanen has 2G in 3 games in comparison.
 

realgoodleafs

Registered User
Oct 29, 2006
10,647
685
SW Ontario
Kravtsov has now scored 3G in 3 KHL playoff games.This guy is a steal outside the first, but I'm starting to think he's not making it that far.

Tolvanen has 2G in 3 games in comparison.

Leafs liked Korshkov at 31 and Kravstov seems like a much better prospect. Wouldn't surprise me if we end up drafting him.
 

93LEAFS

Registered User
Nov 7, 2009
33,841
20,900
Toronto
merkley just standing still again multiple times tonight
He got his highlight reel assist and a point. So, the people who love him will still love him.

Gotta love the idea of a defender who turns the puck over a bunch being the 4th man back when he does.
 

Fogelhund

Registered User
Sep 15, 2007
21,054
23,158
ISS has Merkley out of the first round now.'

They've finally move up Kotkaniemi as well.

I do wonder though... Merkley with all his warts... 93Leafs... where would you draft him, if he were available, just to take a flyer that somehow all that talent comes good at some point, and his attitude is cleaned up after being drafted? Is he worth a 3rd?
 

93LEAFS

Registered User
Nov 7, 2009
33,841
20,900
Toronto
ISS has Merkley out of the first round now.'

They've finally move up Kotkaniemi as well.

I do wonder though... Merkley with all his warts... 93Leafs... where would you draft him, if he were available, just to take a flyer that somehow all that talent comes good at some point, and his attitude is cleaned up after being drafted? Is he worth a 3rd?
I don't think I'd draft him at this point. I would actually need to sit down with the kid and get some straight answers. Everything I've heard screams run like hell. But, I'd probably use a 3rd on him, and make him work his ass off for an ELC. I'm not that comfortable using a pick much higher, on a kid I'm skeptical about even offering a contract. I also think his skill/iq is dramatically overrated. He makes flashy plays and has good numbers, but that doesn't really quantify how often the stuff he does try fails, and then ends up with an odd-man rush against. His plus/minus somewhat captures it. I would love to see his xGF against.

I may be overly cynical, but I think its more than growing up with this kid. There's immature and people who need better work habits, which they work out of. Then their are just assholes who will always be difficult to deal with, and rarely change. You see young workers improve their day to day habits, but if someone is a rude and inconsiderate person in the workplace at 20, they tend to also be at 35.

ISS finally took Adam Samuelsson off, my guess is they finally figured out which Samuelsson's which, and will put Mattias in next month so it looks less obvious.

93Leafs put too much coal into the Denisenko steam engine, now going to go top ten. Yes, obviously paid NHL staff comes to steal 93Leafs' draft board.
If any NHL team is out there stealing my list, please PM me so you can at least pay my cable and hockey subscription bills. Not asking for much more than that. Maybe a better couch. It would improve my work environment and maybe my list.......
 

WTFMAN99

Registered User
Jun 17, 2009
32,835
10,822
If any NHL team is out there stealing my list, please PM me so you can at least pay my cable and hockey subscription bills. Not asking for much more than that. Maybe a better couch. It would improve my work environment and maybe my list.......

Relying on Sports Devil at present myself lol.
 

highslot

Registered User
Jul 10, 2012
1,601
18
Merkley is a toxic asset at this point. If anyone has access to it, I recommend watching the Guelph vs Flint game. It was attrocious. The kid has quit on his team. He was cheating on zone exits (which is crazy for a defender on a bad team), and took one of the stupidest offensive zone penalties I've seen. He appeared to be upset that a teammate didn't pass to him on a breakout he cheated on, which put him close to being off-side but would have given him a breakaway with a clean pass, so he got the puck back in the offensive zone, got close to the net and shot, not scoring, then just loops around the back of the net, and cross-checks the first flint defender he saw. He also got kicked off the bench a week ago, then suspended for the next game by the coach. I heard from people there, that it was one of the worst performances they've seen from him. It also appeared to be fully in response to getting suspended/healthy scratched for "violation of unspecified team rules'.


sounds either islanders or khl bound. i don't want.
 

Walshy7

Registered User
Sep 18, 2016
25,326
9,343
Toronto
sounds either islanders or khl bound. i don't want.

not even with a 7th rounder, its just far too much risk at this point. 93leafs posts about him just show an arrogant little POS who i dont think can be changed. That's not the culture we want at the leafs
 

Albert Iafrate

Registered User
Feb 29, 2008
356
216
Does anyone think we can get McLeod? Will he be picked higher than he is ranked just because he is a center and this draft is devoid of quality centers? He was supposed to be ranked higher based on his past, so why has he fallen off in what many consider a weakish draft? With everyone talking about trading for RNH, this guys seems to fit that bill, and would be a year away from the NHL possibly to fix our center depth issue for years to come if he translates his skills to the NHL.

Thoughts?
 

Albert Iafrate

Registered User
Feb 29, 2008
356
216
Actually looking at the standings, we could move up 8 spots in the draft and still be in the same position playoff wise then where we are likely to end up (3rd in the division). With Matthews not at 100%, it wouldn't surprise me to move down in the standings. Realistically, I don't imagine we are able to beat Tampa Bay and Boston, so I think I'd be happy with us beating at least one to get to the second round and put up a good fight against the other. This might sound crazy with this in mind, dropping in the league standings wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, from a draft position perspective.
 

Lil Tuzzi Bert

Slaw Bunnies
Jul 14, 2009
2,508
380
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Does anyone think we can get McLeod? Will he be picked higher than he is ranked just because he is a center and this draft is devoid of quality centers? He was supposed to be ranked higher based on his past, so why has he fallen off in what many consider a weakish draft? With everyone talking about trading for RNH, this guys seems to fit that bill, and would be a year away from the NHL possibly to fix our center depth issue for years to come if he translates his skills to the NHL.

Thoughts?
He's bellow ppg as one of the oldest in the draft. It's his third year in the league he definitely hasn't made huge strides since last season.
 

DraftGuru

Registered User
Mar 6, 2018
185
37
From everything I'm seeing and reading, I'm willing to use my first round pick on Ty Dellandrea. He is checking so many boxes for me. He was just named one of the hardest working and top defensive forwards in the OHL by his peers in the annual coaches poll. Throw in his near point per game clip as one of the youngest top prospects in the draft. Sitting at about 6'1" 190lbs....700 faceoff wins while continuing to have a positive attitude for a terrible team in Flint....I think he could be one of the safer picks and underrated players in this draft.
I watched a recent video clip of his Billets taking about him in Flint and the quality of this kid brought them to tears while talking about him.
 
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hockeynorth

Registered User
Aug 31, 2017
12,572
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ISS has Merkley out of the first round now.'

They've finally move up Kotkaniemi as well.

I do wonder though... Merkley with all his warts... 93Leafs... where would you draft him, if he were available, just to take a flyer that somehow all that talent comes good at some point, and his attitude is cleaned up after being drafted? Is he worth a 3rd?
3rd yes but I dont know if earlier
 

hockeynorth

Registered User
Aug 31, 2017
12,572
6,364
From everything I'm seeing and reading, I'm willing to use my first round pick on Ty Dellandrea. He is checking so many boxes for me. He was just named one of the hardest working and top defensive forwards in the OHL by his peers in the annual coaches poll. Throw in his near point per game clip as one of the youngest top prospects in the draft. Sitting at about 6'1" 190lbs....700 faceoff wins while continuing to have a positive attitude for a terrible team in Flint....I think he could be one of the safer picks and underrated players in this draft.
I watched a recent video clip of his Billets taking about him in Flint and the quality of this kid brought them to tears while talking about him.
Ty Dellandrea would be a great pick up for us. The kids a great hockey player as well as a great person
 
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93LEAFS

Registered User
Nov 7, 2009
33,841
20,900
Toronto
Does anyone think we can get McLeod? Will he be picked higher than he is ranked just because he is a center and this draft is devoid of quality centers? He was supposed to be ranked higher based on his past, so why has he fallen off in what many consider a weakish draft? With everyone talking about trading for RNH, this guys seems to fit that bill, and would be a year away from the NHL possibly to fix our center depth issue for years to come if he translates his skills to the NHL.

Thoughts?
He's his brother with maybe slightly better vision, but not as hard a worker, probably not quite the same level of skater. His number really aren't that impressive when age-adjusted.

I'd also put caution on expecting any kid drafted in the 20's or later to be a year away. We are trying to be a contending team, when something like 35% of kids in that range become something of value long-term (top 9 forward, top 4 defender or starting goalie), you have to hope you hit on one of those. To hope for it in a year, is wishful thinking.

I can't think of the last center drafted in the 20's who was an NHL center within a year of being drafted. You see wingers who can make the transition quickly, or centers moved to the wing. If you want to look at 1st rounders (I don't think there were any 2nd rounders or later, but I don't have the time to thoroughly check) who were capable of playing center in their draft +2 season since 2010, the list is basically this. RNH, Sean Couturier, MacKinnon, Barkov, Monahan, Horvat, McDavid, Eichel, Matthews, Hischier and Patrick.

Fringe guys who moved back and forth from wing include: Seguin, RyJo, Zibanejad, Larkin, Galchenyuk, Lindholm, Bennett, Reinhart, Nylander, Fabbri, and Jared McCann.

A couple things to note. Pretty much every kid who was drafted in the 20's who made the jump either primarily played wing like Fabbri or clearly weren't ready and were sent back to the AHL (McCann). Next, pretty much every kid who was ready to be a full-time center in their draft +2 was a top 10 pick. Also, most of these guys played for bad teams, if you look at playoff teams, most of those kids were asked to play the wing primarily like Seguin, Galchenyuk, and Larkin. The only guys who could quickly play 3rd line on a good team were pretty elite players. Matthews was #1 center on a playoff team as a rookie, I'm sure pretty much all the guys in the first grouping could be good 3rd line guys on a team with serious aspirations in their first draft +2.

I'm not a fan of either McLeod brother, but I can see their appeal in the 20's. I'm fine with the pick if that is indeed our choice, but I wouldn't be expecting him to be a contributor in our line-up in 2019/20, especially as a center.

This isn't really about McLeod though, I wouldn't expect any kid in this draft to be a legitimate top 9 center by 2019-20. Even if we got Kupari, Kotkaniemi or Veleno.
 
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A4T1L6

Registered User
Feb 10, 2015
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Grew up knowing Merkley through having the same teammates, kid is absolutely full of himself and is very well known to be that way. Just imagine if the ego if hes drafted by the leafs, it wont be a good situation to have.
 

DraftGuru

Registered User
Mar 6, 2018
185
37
He's his brother with maybe slightly better vision, but not as hard a worker, probably not quite the same level of skater. His number really aren't that impressive when age-adjusted.

I'd also put caution on expecting any kid drafted in the 20's or later to be a year away. We are trying to be a contending team, when something like 35% of kids in that range become something of value long-term (top 9 forward, top 4 defender or starting goalie), you have to hope you hit on one of those. To hope for it in a year, is wishful thinking.

I can't think of the last center drafted in the 20's who was an NHL center within a year of being drafted. You see wingers who can make the transition quickly, or centers moved to the wing. If you want to look at 1st rounders (I don't think there were any 2nd rounders or later, but I don't have the time to thoroughly check) who were capable of playing center in their draft +2 season since 2010, the list is basically this. RNH, Sean Couturier, MacKinnon, Barkov, Monahan, Horvat, McDavid, Eichel, Matthews, Hischier and Patrick.

Fringe guys who moved back and forth from wing include: Seguin, RyJo, Zibanejad, Larkin, Galchenyuk, Lindholm, Bennett, Reinhart, Nylander, Fabbri, and Jared McCann.

A couple things to note. Pretty much every kid who was drafted in the 20's who made the jump either primarily played wing like Fabbri or clearly weren't ready and were sent back to the AHL (McCann). Next, pretty much every kid who was ready to be a full-time center in their draft +2 was a top 10 pick. Also, most of these guys played for bad teams, if you look at playoff teams, most of those kids were asked to play the wing primarily like Seguin, Galchenyuk, and Larkin. The only guys who could quickly play 3rd line on a good team were pretty elite players. Matthews was #1 center on a playoff team as a rookie, I'm sure pretty much all the guys in the first grouping could be good 3rd line guys on a team with serious aspirations in their first draft +2.

I'm not a fan of either McLeod brother, but I can see their appeal in the 20's. I'm fine with the pick if that is indeed our choice, but I wouldn't be expecting him to be a contributor in our line-up in 2019/20, especially as a center.

This isn't really about McLeod though, I wouldn't expect any kid in this draft to be a legitimate top 9 center by 2019-20. Even if we got Kupari, Kotkaniemi or Veleno.
Patrice Bergeron is the only C taken so late that I can think of that made the immediate jump and he was taken at 45.
 
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