Prospect Info: 2021 Devils-Centric Mock Draft 2.0 for May

[Brodeur]

Hughes is hard to guess. If he has a great year in the NCAA I could see him jumping right in but I could also see him taking a few years to work on some stuff including his defensive game.

I could see Luke following Quinn's development path. Quinn was a late birthday (October) while Luke just makes the cutoff (September) for this year's draft. Quinn played two full years at Michigan and played out his WJC eligibility then turned pro after his sophomore year completed.

 

[Goomba]

I could see Luke following Quinn's development path. Quinn was a late birthday (October) while Luke just makes the cutoff (September) for this year's draft. Quinn played two full years at Michigan and played out his WJC eligibility then turned pro after his sophomore year completed.

Agreed. However I could also see Luke make it earlier due to his height and reach; though this would be dependent on Michigan doing poorly, which isnt very likely.

Odds have to be in favor of Luke being an NHL regular at the start of of the 2023-2024 season, with some games at the end of the 2022-2023 season

edit: ill also add if we draft him, I could see the team wanting him to come in for the 2022-2023 season since were so young. Worst case hes up with his bro and takes some games off until hes ready. However this only works if you dont believe in early callups being the ruining of players; ive never been of that mindset. I think the player is ruined by himself or the people around him, not the circumstance itself.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I would be surprised if Hughes wasn't in the NHL in 3 years.

 

[longislanddevil]

If the Islanders lose in the first two rounds the pick is 20 or lower. The only way it’s lower is if a team behind them in the regular season standings makes it to the conference finals by winning 2 rounds. The 4 teams behind them in the playoffs are Montreal, Winnipeg, Nashville and St.Louis. I’d actually rather Winnipeg beat Edmonton especially if Montreal beats Toronto because that would guarantee the Islanders pick moves up.

The absolute best case scenario which is very unlikely would be Edmonton winning round one but losing to Montreal in round 2, Nashville and St. Louis coming back and winning their series(not gonna happen) and the Islanders losing in the first 2 rounds. That would give us pick 17 and Edmonton’s 3rd instead of 4th.

Realistically, I think there’s a decent chance that Islanders pick can move from 20 to 19. I can see Winnipeg coming out of that weak Canadian division. St Louis is cooked and I’d be very surprised if Nashville beat Carolina. If somehow Nashville did beat Carolina, they will get smoked by Tampa or Florida.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Realistically, I think there’s a decent chance that Islanders pick can move from 20 to 19. I can see Winnipeg coming out of that weak Canadian division. St Louis is cooked and I’d be very surprised if Nashville beat Carolina. If somehow Nashville did beat Carolina, they will get smoked by Tampa or Florida.

The only thing I disagree with here is that the Canadian division is weak.

 

[Guttersniped]

Agreed. However I could also see Luke make it earlier due to his height and reach; though this would be dependent on Michigan doing poorly, which isnt very likely.

Odds have to be in favor of Luke being an NHL regular at the start of of the 2023-2024 season, with some games at the end of the 2022-2023 season

edit: ill also add if we draft him, I could see the team wanting him to come in for the 2022-2023 season since were so young. Worst case hes up with his bro and takes some games off until hes ready. However this only works if you dont believe in early callups being the ruining of players; ive never been of that mindset. I think the player is ruined by himself or the people around him, not the circumstance itself.

I assuming he’s going to be in school for at least two years, Luke’s defense is pretty suspect at times. He also lost a good chunk of this year with the USDP/USHL and the U18 tourney because of his foot injury. That doesn’t speed things up.

Werenski and Maker had two years in college and Sanderson is going back for his sophomore year. I can’t see Luke’s game maturing so fast that he would he only need one year on college and it would be stupid to rush him even if he’s very productive offensively as a freshman.

 

[longislanddevil]

Is there any area in which Hughes is superior to Clarke besides skating? If not, I prefer the player who has demonstrated early on that he excels in various facets of the game. The fact that Clarke plays the right side considering that position is such a glaring need ..it’s just a perfect fit.


By no means am I crapping on Hughes. By all accounts, his future does seem to be bright and he has pedigree working for him hopefully. If Clarke is off the board, I would be delighted to have him. With that said, give me the player who has a more refined and already stellar game, albeit it early, as opposed to a the player who is more of a projection.

On another topic- how does Clarke compare to Drysdale? Just curious....how do they stack up and compare? IE- who gets the nod in each important category?

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Is there any area in which Hughes is superior to Clarke besides skating? If not, I prefer the player who has demonstrated early on that he excels in various facets of the game. The fact that Clarke plays the right side considering that position is such a glaring need ..it’s just a perfect fit.


By no means am I crapping on Hughes. By all accounts, his future does seem to be bright and he has pedigree working for him hopefully. If Clarke is off the board, I would be delighted to have him. With that said, give me the player who has a more refined and already stellar game, albeit it early, as opposed to a the player who is more of a projection.

On another topic- how does Clarke compare to Drysdale? Just curious....how do they stack up and compare? IE- who gets the nod in each important category?

He’s an inch taller inch taller in most listings.

 

[Goomba]

I assuming he’s going to be in school for at least two years, Luke’s defense is pretty suspect at times. He also lost a good chunk of this year with the USDP/USHL and the U18 tourney because of his foot injury. That doesn’t speed things up.

Werenski and Maker had two years in college and Sanderson is going back for his sophomore year. I can’t see Luke’s game maturing so fast that he would he only need one year on college and it would be stupid to rush him even if he’s very productive offensively as a freshman.

For sure.

i wasnt arguing if Luke would be in an ideal situation to come up, but moreso the team will have a hole for him to learn and grown in.

I dont see the NHL as ever too early for a player. If they are up to it and arent afraid (because thatll Get you hurt) then by all means.

Zacha came up early yet thats not what ruined him prior to last year, it was coaching and confidence issues (which extended past theNHL)

 

[Goomba]

Is there any area in which Hughes is superior to Clarke besides skating? If not, I prefer the player who has demonstrated early on that he excels in various facets of the game. The fact that Clarke plays the right side considering that position is such a glaring need ..it’s just a perfect fit.


By no means am I crapping on Hughes. By all accounts, his future does seem to be bright and he has pedigree working for him hopefully. If Clarke is off the board, I would be delighted to have him. With that said, give me the player who has a more refined and already stellar game, albeit it early, as opposed to a the player who is more of a projection.

On another topic- how does Clarke compare to Drysdale? Just curious....how do they stack up and compare? IE- who gets the nod in each important category?

While I cant attest to specifics, I highly doubt Luke is only a better skater. Otherwise Clarke would be the clear-cut #1 and this draft would be about 2-8

if I had to take an educated guess, id say Luke was higher on the 32 teams lists per average than Clarke (prior to Lukes injury); now whether thats a majority because of his skating, thats another conversation

 

[Captain3rdLine]

While I cant attest to specifics, I highly doubt Luke is only a better skater. Otherwise Clarke would be the clear-cut #1 and this draft would be about 2-8

if I had to take an educated guess, id say Luke was higher on the 32 teams lists per average than Clarke (prior to Lukes injury); now whether thats a majority because of his skating, thats another conversation

Can I ask what about your guess is educated? It’s your opinion and preference but what tells you that he’s higher on the teams lists per average other than that?

The first part of what you said isn’t true either. We’re just comparing the 2 players and just because Clarke is better than Hughes at most aspects other than skating it doesn’t mean he’s better at those aspects than other players.

 

[Goomba]

Can I ask what about your guess is educated? It’s your opinion and preference but what tells you that he’s higher on the teams lists per average other than that?

The general consensus of scouts and analysts, Luke having the highest specifically-graded physical trait (skating [his brothers have shown their level of skating is game-changing]), as well as him being the youngest draft-eligible player in the top-50 as far as Ive seen it.

Im splitting hairs when saying this but since thats the job of scouts, to nitpick the tiniest things and decipher things down to a tee, I figured its best to take a side rather than play the fence.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

On another topic- how does Clarke compare to Drysdale? Just curious....how do they stack up and compare?

I personally think Drysdale has higher potential than Clarke but that doesn't mean Clarke will be crap. To think he was just 1 pick away. Ugh.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Zacha came up early yet thats not what ruined him prior to last year, it was coaching and confidence issues (which extended past theNHL)

I mean....Zacha is the type of player who crumbles when rushed, but maybe he can also be an example of someone who can overcome it? Time will tell.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

The general consensus of scouts and analysts, Luke having the highest specifically-graded physical trait (skating [his brothers have shown their level of skating is game-changing]), as well as him being the youngest draft-eligible player in the top-50 as far as Ive seen it.

Im splitting hairs when saying this but since thats the job of scouts, to nitpick the tiniest things and decipher things down to a tee, I figured its best to take a side rather than play the fence.

I don’t think the general consensus of scouts and analysts has had Hughes ahead of Clarke. I don’t really feel like going through a bunch of rankings right now so maybe I’m wrong.

 

[Goomba]

I mean....Zacha is the type of player who crumbles when rushed, but maybe he can also be an example of someone who can overcome it? Time will tell.

When looking back he certainly is

however Ill always attest to the crumbling being outside factors and not strictly that hes in the NHL

In my personal opinion, and ive found this to be a bit controversial, I think the only way a player can be ruined by being in the NHL too early (and excluding outside factors like coaching, confidence, etc.) is by injuries and a lack of physical maturity.

Lets say a player comes up like Zacha and has confidence issues; it was on the team to notice this in interviews and training camps, and clearly the past regime wasnt doing a good job of that. Or on Pavel to maybe take a step back and say' Im not sure Im ready'. If the player is up in the big show and is losing confidence because of his poor play, that is again on the player to know and speak up or the staff to see the signs and pull back.

If Jack came into the league at 18 and got crushed by Chara, and missed an entire year and affected his future skating; thats how I see the NHL, the league itself, ruining young players.

Physical maturity cant be changed by anything other than time, working out, and nutrition. Confidence, coaching, etc... can all be changed at a moments notice as theyre more dependent on the individual, whereas physical makeup at a certain age cant be decided on Via a strong mindset and team/staff around you.

 

[Goomba]

I don’t think the general consensus of scouts and analysts has had Hughes ahead of Clarke. I don’t really feel like going through a bunch of rankings right now so maybe I’m wrong.

It could be a subconscious bias by me favorinG Luke and only remembering The good lists for him; however I was finding that, before his injury and lack of a chance to shine like Clarke has recently, I was reading mostly top-5 pick for Luke in most articles and rankings I saw. Whereas Clarke was between 4-7 in most lists I saw

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

When looking back he certainly is

however Ill always attest to the crumbling being outside factors and not strictly that hes in the NHL

In my personal opinion, and ive found this to be a bit controversial, I think the only way a player can be ruined by being in the NHL too early (and excluding outside factors like coaching, confidence, etc.) is by injuries and a lack of physical maturity.

Lets say a player comes up like Zacha and has confidence issues; it was on the team to notice this in interviews and training camps, and clearly the past regime wasnt doing a good job of that. Or on Pavel to maybe take a step back and say' Im not sure Im ready'. If the player is up in the big show and is losing confidence because of his poor play, that is again on the player to know and speak up or the staff to see the signs and pull back.

If Jack came into the league at 18 and got crushed by Chara, and missed an entire year and affected his future skating; thats how I see the NHL, the league itself, ruining young players.

What you say is correct but I think confidence issues is another factor. Not just in hockey, but in anything in life. If they move to something that's way too difficult, some people can't handle it and give up (or not meet expectations). I think that is associated with people who have confidence issues.

 

[Goomba]

What you say is correct but I think confidence issues is another factor. Not just in hockey, but in anything in life. If they move to something that's way too difficult, some people can't handle it and give up (or not meet expectations). I think that is associated with people who have confidence issues.

For sure, and I cite that in my post I think

I just separate confidence from physical maturity as with confidence, even unrealistically, you can have an epiphany and grow a ton of it. You cant just wake up one day and say 'im gonna add ten pounds of muscle' at 18-20 without dedicating serious time to it.

confidence is a wave in the ocean whereas physical maturity is a staircase. You can be washed ashore by confidence, you cant climb the stairs though without maturing.

Idk about you but damn I feel like that comparison I just made is f***ing wicked lmao

 

[Captain3rdLine]

No offense to Clarke, Hughes, Edvinsson or any of the other top prospects for this years draft but watching Power at the World championship I’m not sure any of them are really on his level.
He skates so well. He literally looks like a faster, much bigger and better defensively version of Ty Smith to me.

 

[longislanddevil]

No offense to Clarke, Hughes, Edvinsson or any of the other top prospects for this years draft but watching Power at the World championship I’m not sure any of them are really on his level.
He skates so well. He literally looks like a faster, much bigger and better defensively version of Ty Smith to me.

I would be surprised if Power was not a top 2 pick so it’ll take wining a lottery ball to have a shot at him (can’t see this player falling to 4). I have the big 3 D ranked Power/Clarke/Hughes. Although Power doesn’t represent a position of need the way RD is, it would be a mistake to not go BPA, imo. If all things are considered equal, go with Clarke but...if our scouts deem Power the better prospect, he should be the pick. It’s that simple for me.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I would be surprised if Power was not a top 2 pick so it’ll take wining a lottery ball to have a shot at him (can’t see this player falling to 4). I have the big 3 D ranked Power/Clarke/Hughes. Although Power doesn’t represent a position of need the way RD is, it would be a mistake to not go BPA, imo. If all things are considered equal, go with Clarke but...if our scouts deem Power the better prospect, he should be the pick. It’s that simple for me.

He was the favourite to go #1 coming in but watching him at the worlds I’d be surprised if he doesn’t go #1 in the draft. He looks really good and ready too jump into the league IMO but that’ll be up to the team that takes him.

I’ve had him ahead of the other D for a bit now but watching him I think he may be further ahead than previously thought

 

[TheDuke93]

For sure.

i wasnt arguing if Luke would be in an ideal situation to come up, but moreso the team will have a hole for him to learn and grown in.

I dont see the NHL as ever too early for a player. If they are up to it and arent afraid (because thatll Get you hurt) then by all means.

Zacha came up early yet thats not what ruined him prior to last year, it was coaching and confidence issues (which extended past theNHL)

We have no clue if coming up early hurt him. Coaching definitely did but being given a role he wasn't ready for seems like rushing him to me.

 

[Goomba]

We have no clue if coming up early hurt him. Coaching definitely did but being given a role he wasn't ready for seems like rushing him to me.

A player can certainly be rushed; I just dont think it hampers their ability to improve.

also a player being rushed usually has more to do with their specific playstyle and mindset more than if they simply cant stick or not. Pavel coming out as a 6th overall bigger body player who scores is, most likely, one rushed if playing in the league at 19. I just wouldnt make the argument it negatively affected him; I think the situation involving his father as well as Hynes' treatment of him was what delayed what we see now.

 

[TheDuke93]

A player can certainly be rushed; I just dont think it hampers their ability to improve.

also a player being rushed usually has more to do with their specific playstyle and mindset more than if they simply cant stick or not. Pavel coming out as a 6th overall bigger body player who scores is, most likely, one rushed if playing in the league at 19. I just wouldnt make the argument it negatively affected him; I think the situation involving his father as well as Hynes' treatment of him was what delayed what we see now.

I personally think it did, but I can see the argument for saying it didn't affect him.