2018 NHL Entry Draft

[Wabit]

Going from a pure name perspective Jett Woo, Bodie Wilde, Alexander Alexeyev would be the fun names to draft. Woo and Alexeyev could be around when the Wild pick.

Woo could end up as a steal for whoever takes him. I've seen him all over the place in mock drafts.

 

[TaLoN]

is our pick #24? (jeff gordon) we should not have traded scandella then claim we need to draft a D man. we still need speed or C as our highest priority.

We need dynamic skilled players first and foremost.

 

[Wabit]

We need dynamic skilled players first and foremost.

We're drafting 24th, not top-3; there might be a Pasta or Kuznetsov, but probably not. Getting a middle-6 FWD or 2nd pair d-man is a win imo.

Chase Wouters would be an interesting pick as a 3rd rounder, he's a project but could turn into a nice bottom-6 center, or at least a 4th line grinder wing.

 

[57special]

We need dynamic skilled players first and foremost.

SOOO 2016.

 

[TaLoN]

We're drafting 24th, not top-3; there might be a Pasta or Kuznetsov, but probably not. Getting a middle-6 FWD or 2nd pair d-man is a win imo.

Chase Wouters would be an interesting pick as a 3rd rounder, he's a project but could turn into a nice bottom-6 center, or at least a 4th line grinder wing.

"But probably not"

Yeah, that's what people said about the Pastrnak year too.

We're in no position to turn away from potential high end skill at this point.

 

[Wabit]

"But probably not"

Yeah, that's what people said about the Pastrnak year too.

We're in no position to turn away from potential high end skill at this point.

Yak, Schroeder, and Phillips (off the top of my head) were all potential high end guys, look where they are now. Go for broke and miss and that's 2 straight years of no 1st or 2nd rounders, and only two 1sts and one 2nd over a 5 year span.

Martin Kaut is the guy you're looking for, he's been a riser this year, so chances are he'll be taken before the Wild pick. He seems to be going between 20-30 right now.

 

[TaLoN]

Yak, Schroeder, and Phillips (off the top of my head) were all potential high end guys, look where they are now. Go for broke and miss and that's 2 straight years of no 1st or 2nd rounders, and only two 1sts and one 2nd over a 5 year span.

Martin Kaut is the guy you're looking for, he's been a riser this year, so chances are he'll be taken before the Wild pick. He seems to be going between 20-30 right now.

I thought Schroeder was overrated in his draft year, wanted noting to do with him. Most here wanted him and got upset with the Leddy pick I recall.

I had no opinion one way or another on Phillips, but after he was drafted and I saw him at prospect camp I was never a fan.

IMO, the first round is there to swing for the fences as often as you can. It's why I wanted Dumba in his draft year, and why I wanted Pastrnak in his year. It's just how I look at that round.

You can't teach offense.

 

[Digitalbooya]

I thought Schroeder was overrated in his draft year, wanted noting to do with him. Most here wanted him and got upset with the Leddy pick I recall.

I had no opinion one way or another on Phillips, but after he was drafted and I saw him at prospect camp I was never a fan.

IMO, the first round is there to swing for the fences as often as you can. It's why I wanted Dumba in his draft year, and why I wanted Pastrnak in his year. It's just how I look at that round.

You can't teach offense.

I'm not sure I agree with that. You can't teach elite offensive instincts.

 

[TaLoN]

I'm not sure I agree with that. You can't teach elite offensive instincts.

More, you can't teach elite stick handling, passing, shooting and vision either.

Thus what I mean by you can't teach offense.

 

[TZM]

I like the look of Serron Noel, in limited viewings. Big, fast, with some offense. Apparently he struggles with consistency.

I think there is a Finnish C, Kotkaniemi? Any intel from Finn bros? Sounds interesting, and might be available.

K'Andre Miller , a LHD With USNDP ...from Tonka, I think...lotsa physical talent, but is raw. Don't know if I want him in the first round.

Kravtsov, C with some size....Russian factor, again.

Like Ty Madden in the mid rounds. Small, but mentally tough, and skills out the wazoo. Fast. Second coming of Jason Zucker?

Possible round 3 guys is where we have to be doing our work. We've got 3 picks there.

A couple of late round picks -local boys, both RHD's with decent size. Lagerstrom out of Shattuck. Haven't seen him for a couple of years, but used to be very good, and seems to be scoring a lot for Shattuck.

Vorlicky, going to Wisconsin. A bit more meat and potatoes, but smart. Can skate, and handle the puck.

I think he'll be drafted before our pick, in the top 15. A big C with a good vision. Needs to add speed to his game to translate. Would pick if he falls to our lap, no question.

 

[Saga of the Elk]

Pronman ranked Kotkaniemi fourth - chances he's around at 24 are zero. (Scott Wheeler also at the Athletic has him ninth.)

Still in the midst of the aforementioned mock... the one big takeaway for me is how much talent goes off the board during the second round. Has to be frustrating for scouts.

 

[BagHead]

I think he'll be drafted before our pick, in the top 15. A big C with a good vision. Needs to add speed to his game to translate. Would pick if he falls to our lap, no question.

Top 15? I'd take him in the top 10, maybe 5. Maybe.

One guy I find interesting if we want to go for a high-potential player is Kirill Marchenko. He may be a small reach at 24th, as I think he's probably more of a 2nd rounder, but we don't have a 2nd, so...

From Pronman:

Marchenko is one of the more interesting prospects in this draft class due to his toolkit. I saw him in November and liked what I saw. I liked him again in February. Then I saw him in April and was blown away. He’s a 6-foot-3 forward who can skate and make highly skilled offensive plays. Anytime you say that, the ears perk up on talent evaluators. When I’ve watched Marchenko this season, there are quite a few times he brought folks out of their seats with his display of skill and ability to create offense out of nothing. He’s not a blazer, but he skates well for a tall guy and can gain the offensive zone fine with his speed. I’m not sold on his instincts being at a very high level, but he can make some nice passes here and there. I’d like to see more awareness in making more plays at a quicker pace, but what I do like is he attacks with pace with his speed and skill. He’s just OK defensively, as he can win a few battles but isn’t a premier defender. His stats won’t jump off the page, but those looking for statistical indicators can look to his strong 16-year-old season.

 

[57special]

I thought Schroeder was overrated in his draft year, wanted noting to do with him. Most here wanted him and got upset with the Leddy pick I recall.

I had no opinion one way or another on Phillips, but after he was drafted and I saw him at prospect camp I was never a fan.

IMO, the first round is there to swing for the fences as often as you can. It's why I wanted Dumba in his draft year, and why I wanted Pastrnak in his year. It's just how I look at that round.

You can't teach offense.

But wasn't Schroeder's deal supposed to be offense? Wasn't the risk his size, or lack thereof? It's not like he was billed as a gritty, two way grinder. He WAS a swing for the fences pick.

 

[57special]

More, you can't teach elite stick handling, passing, shooting and vision either.

Thus what I mean by you can't teach offense.

You can teach stick handling, passing, and especially, shooting. I get your point that if they haven't developed them by the time the draft rolls around then they are not likely to develop those skills.

Vision is something that you have, or you don't.

Gretzky's father used to have him to endless passing drills in their little backyard rink. He didn't just "happen" to get his skills. Mittelstadt is a rink rat. Always farting around with a stick and puck. I used to see John Madden work his young son, Ty(2018 draft),on the ice. It looked more like he was training a circus act than a hockey practice. He literally had him jumping through hoops, up ramps, around swinging objects...all while handling the puck.

An old hockey coach of mine said, "Getting a great shot is easy. Just take 100,000 shots in the driveway every summer."

 

[Saga of the Elk]

But wasn't Schroeder's deal supposed to be offense? Wasn't the risk his size, or lack thereof? It's not like he was billed as a gritty, two way grinder. He WAS a swing for the fences pick.

True, he still plays at like 170. He had a great freshman season - and he's still a legit pro, just not an NHLer. That's the problem with drafting so late all the time. You get guys with major drawbacks. And every so often those guys pan out, but the odds are against it.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Yak, Schroeder, and Phillips (off the top of my head) were all potential high end guys, look where they are now. Go for broke and miss and that's 2 straight years of no 1st or 2nd rounders, and only two 1sts and one 2nd over a 5 year span.

Martin Kaut is the guy you're looking for, he's been a riser this year, so chances are he'll be taken before the Wild pick. He seems to be going between 20-30 right now.

So, what you're saying is that sometimes draft picks work out, and sometimes they don't.

Interesting.

 

[DANOZ28]

news flash! this week is next weeks last week. baghead, if i was picking marchenko i would trade down not pick him at #24.

 

[Wabit]

So, what you're saying is that sometimes draft picks work out, and sometimes they don't.

Interesting.

I was saying going all in on a higher risk boom or bust pick wasn't a good idea this year. I'd go with the higher floor, but not as high of a ceiling pick.

All picks are a gamble, but I like the "safer" picks (no red flags).

 

[TaLoN]

But wasn't Schroeder's deal supposed to be offense? Wasn't the risk his size, or lack thereof? It's not like he was billed as a gritty, two way grinder. He WAS a swing for the fences pick.

Just because someone is a swing for the fences pick doesn't mean they're the right one. Not all of them are created equal. Leddy wasn't a "safe" pick either remember.

I just didn't see Schroeder as an NHL player.

 

[TaLoN]

You can teach stick handling, passing, and especially, shooting. I get your point that if they haven't developed them by the time the draft rolls around then they are not likely to develop those skills.

Vision is something that you have, or you don't.

Gretzky's father used to have him to endless passing drills in their little backyard rink. He didn't just "happen" to get his skills. Mittelstadt is a rink rat. Always farting around with a stick and puck. I used to see John Madden work his young son, Ty(2018 draft),on the ice. It looked more like he was training a circus act than a hockey practice. He literally had him jumping through hoops, up ramps, around swinging objects...all while handling the puck.

An old hockey coach of mine said, "Getting a great shot is easy. Just take 100,000 shots in the driveway every summer."

You said you got my point then went on to explain in detail for no real reason. All of those details are either done by the time a player is a prospect, or it's too late to get it done.

At this point, all of that is moot. You can't teach any of it after they're drafted. They are what they are in that aspect.

 

[Wabit]

Here's a boom or bust guy that might be around with Buf's 3rd. Jakob Lauko Jakub Lauko at eliteprospects.com

Talented centre-winger who is a bit farther away from turning pro, but who displays keen offensive skills. Has superb feet and lateral agility to dart and turn defenders inside out in the attack zone. Displays solid vision and creative play-making, coupled with end to end speed. Didn’t see much playing time in World Junior U-20 but shined at the Five Nations under 18. Has really nice hands and a quick release on his snap shot. Needs to get much stronger and bulk up and needs to be a 60 minute dominant attacker. So far, his dynamic offense shows, but seems to fade and disappear. He sometimes play so fast, that his take-ways leave his line mates in the dust behind the play, so learning to use his speed, create space and let plays percolate are what need developing, along with upper body strength. Not ready to absorb the physicality of the pro game, I would call him a work in progress hwo has to get better defensively and continue to grow his hockey awareness.
—Bill Placzek—

 

[57special]

What modestly skilled checking forward or stay at home defenseman will the Wild pick?

NHL Draft prospect rankings: Rasmus Dahlin or Andrei Svechnikov? It's 1A vs. 1B atop 2018 class

ISS Top 31 - Top Prospect Rankings

The Wild possess their own 1st rounder, plus three 3rd rounders, two 5ths, their own 6th and 7th.

The 2nd belongs to Arizona, part of the deal for Martin Hanzal.

I like what this team has done at the draft with limited resources from 2015 on. This is a big one.

ISS has Kaut at #13, and no Kravtsov at all in the top 31. Weird.

 

[Saga of the Elk]

ISS has Kaut at #13, and no Kravtsov at all in the top 31. Weird.

I think what we're starting to see is a wider degree of disagreement because of how much the game has changed over the past 2-3 seasons.

 

[57special]

Less worries about size, and valuing skating and skill over grit due to the emphasis of calling hooking/slashing in the NHL, you mean?

Maybe Kravtsov will go lower because of the fear that he will sign with a KHL contract, a la Kaprizov.

Also had to laugh at the description of Miller as being the USDP's "most reliable defender". I know the kid's game pretty well, and he is talented, but he just switched to D a couple of years ago. he is anything but a solid defender. He was a dominant forward in local elite hockey circles for years.

 

[Wabit]

Also had to laugh at the description of Miller as being the USDP's "most reliable defender". I know the kid's game pretty well, and he is talented, but he just switched to D a couple of years ago. he is anything but a solid defender. He was a dominant forward in local elite hockey circles for years.

Did the USDP have much of anything for d-men last season? He looks to have a NHL floor with high upside player right now. Lots of tools, just needs to find the toolbox?

Converted forward who is a large physical defense-first defender who is over 200 pounds and very good in motion as a puck carrier who can shoot the puck as a point man or when he activates as part of the attack. Uses his size to and length against attackers and lets the opposition know he is there near the blue paint. Responsible in his end, makes sound decisions, a good outlet pass, but gets in trouble with his stop/starts, or when caught not moving. Passes well in all phases, and reads his end well, and uses his teammates on the way out. Will let his big shot go while pressing in the attack zone, and opens up with a hard fast one-timer. Still learning the nuances of the backline, and is quite smart at trying to do things as simple as possible at this point. As he improves his feet, he might gain more assertiveness going up ice through the middle zone with zone enrties, but at this point projects as a bottom four defender.
—Bill Placzek