Draft and UDFA Thread 2017-18

[HatTrick Swayze]

Eighth is too high for Dobson IMO. And Bouchard's skating will drive this fan base crazy lol. They acquired a bunch of dmen similar to Dobson at the deadline (even though he's a righty). I think two wingers is the way to go (unless Hughes or Boqvist fall), and Tychonick offers a similar skill set to what Bouchard has (faster but smaller). But I wouldn't too upset if they go with Smith, who is my third dman behind Dahlin and Boqvist.

Curious - what do you not like about Dobson's game? He looks like he could have that rare potential to be elite at both ends of the rink to me. See Pietrangelo used as a comparable frequently.

Do you think Smith has an elite skillset inside the offensive zone? How much of his success is riding on JAD's coattails (or vice versa)?

 

[Steve Kournianos]

Curious - what do you not like about Dobson's game? He looks like he could have that rare potential to be elite at both ends of the rink to me. See Pietrangelo used as a comparable frequently.

Do you think Smith has an elite skillset inside the offensive zone? How much of his success is riding on JAD's coattails (or vice versa)?

I love his game. Shot is kinda weak but he's a stud. Big, quick and good at managing the puck. I see the Pietrangelo comparison but who would you rather have, him or Keith, which is kinda what Smith can become. But all are very, very close -- Boqvist, Hughes, Dobson, Bouchard, Wilde, maybe even Sandin.

The draft's history shows us elite defensemen can be picked in the 2nd round or late 1st. Not the same with forwards. Elite forwards generally go very high, elite defensemen rarely do.

And I used to think Smith was benefitting from Yamamoto, but he was dynamite without him and he's the real quarterback of that offense. Shots, passes, skating, breakouts...you name it, he's got it.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

I love his game. Shot is kinda weak but he's a stud. Big, quick and good at managing the puck. I see the Pietrangelo comparison but who would you rather have, him or Keith, which is kinda what Smith can become. But all are very, very close -- Boqvist, Hughes, Dobson, Bouchard, Wilde, maybe even Sandin.

The draft's history shows us elite defensemen can be picked in the 2nd round or late 1st. Not the same with forwards. Elite forwards generally go very high, elite defensemen rarely do.

And I used to think Smith was benefitting from Yamamoto, but he was dynamite without him and he's the real quarterback of that offense. Shots, passes, skating, breakouts...you name it, he's got it.

Appreciate the response, thank you.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

If we get the 3rd pick who do you guys prefer Zadina or Boqvist or someone else?

 

[Fitzy]

If we get the 3rd pick who do you guys prefer Zadina or Boqvist or someone else?

Zadina, personally. I know others disagree, but I think he has Patrick Kane/Laine franchise winger potential.

But I'd take either over Tkachuk, easily.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

WJC18 starts tomorrow. Players to watch from each team. Left out France and Belarus for obvious reasons. Listed ten on the better teams, five on the teams in the second tier, less for the other teams, depending on how good their prospects are. Non-2018 draft eligibles are listed with their draft year following their name.


Canada: Byram (2019), Merkley, Robertson (2019), Smith, Dach (2019), Krebs (2019), Dellandrea, Noel, Lafreniere (2020), Foudy
Czech Republic: Dostal, Jenik, Lauko, Plasek, Teply (2019)
Finland: Honka (2019), Kakko (2019), Kotkaniemi, Lundell (2020), Nordgren
Russia: Miftakhov, Galenyuk, Zhuravlyov, Okhotyuk (2019), Iskhakov, Marchenko, Morozov, Podkolzin (2019), Zavgorodniy, Zhabreyev
Slovakia: Cajkovic (2019)
Sweden: Wallstedt (2021), Bjornfot (2019), Boqvist, Ginning, Lundkvist, Berggren, Grewe (2019), Hoglander (2019), Olofsson, Pasic (2019)
Switzerland: Schmid, Gross, Nussbaumer (2019)
USA: Knight (2019), Miller, M. Samuelsson, Wilde, Caufield (2019), Farabee, Hughes (2019), Turcotte (2019), Wahlstrom, Wise

 

[Fitzy]

WJC18 starts tomorrow. Players to watch from each team. Listed ten on the better teams, five on the teams in the second tier, less for the other teams, depending on how good their prospects are.

Belarus: Not gonna even bother.
Canada: Byram (2019), Merkley, Robertson (2019), Smith, Dach (2019), Krebs (2019), Dellandrea, Noel, Lafreniere (2020), Foudy
Czech Republic: Dostal, Jenik, Lauko, Plasek, Teply (2019)
Finland: Honka (2019), Kakko (2019), Kotkaniemi, Lundell (2020), Nordgren
France: Not gonna even bother.
Russia: Miftakhov, Galenyuk, Zhuravlyov, Okhotyuk (2019), Iskhakov, Marchenko, Morozov, Podkolzin (2019), Zavgorodniy, Zhabreyev
Slovakia: Cajkovic (2019)
Sweden: Wallstedt (2021), Bjornfot (2019), Boqvist, Ginning, Lundkvist, Berggren, Grewe (2019), Hoglander (2019), Olofsson, Pasic (2019)
Switzerland: Schmid, Gross, Nussbaumer (2019)
USA: Knight (2019), Miller, M. Samuelsson, Wilde, Caufield (2019), Farabee, Hughes (2019), Turcotte (2019), Wahlstrom, Wise

Wallstedt is 15 and listed as 6'3" 205 on eliteprospects.

What a beast.

 

[FireGerardGallant]

WJC18 starts tomorrow. Players to watch from each team. Left out France and Belarus for obvious reasons. Listed ten on the better teams, five on the teams in the second tier, less for the other teams, depending on how good their prospects are. Non-2018 draft eligibles are listed with their draft year following their name.


Canada: Byram (2019), Merkley, Robertson (2019), Smith, Dach (2019), Krebs (2019), Dellandrea, Noel, Lafreniere (2020), Foudy
Czech Republic: Dostal, Jenik, Lauko, Plasek, Teply (2019)
Finland: Honka (2019), Kakko (2019), Kotkaniemi, Lundell (2020), Nordgren
Russia: Miftakhov, Galenyuk, Zhuravlyov, Okhotyuk (2019), Iskhakov, Marchenko, Morozov, Podkolzin (2019), Zavgorodniy, Zhabreyev
Slovakia: Cajkovic (2019)
Sweden: Wallstedt (2021), Bjornfot (2019), Boqvist, Ginning, Lundkvist, Berggren, Grewe (2019), Hoglander (2019), Olofsson, Pasic (2019)
Switzerland: Schmid, Gross, Nussbaumer (2019)
USA: Knight (2019), Miller, M. Samuelsson, Wilde, Caufield (2019), Farabee, Hughes (2019), Turcotte (2019), Wahlstrom, Wise

Someone from 2021 made team Sweeden? That's absolutely insane.

 

[Lion Hound]

If we get the 3rd pick who do you guys prefer Zadina or Boqvist or someone else?

Zadina for me as well.

 

[brians1128]

WJC18 starts tomorrow. Players to watch from each team. Left out France and Belarus for obvious reasons. Listed ten on the better teams, five on the teams in the second tier, less for the other teams, depending on how good their prospects are. Non-2018 draft eligibles are listed with their draft year following their name.


Canada: Byram (2019), Merkley, Robertson (2019), Smith, Dach (2019), Krebs (2019), Dellandrea, Noel, Lafreniere (2020), Foudy
Czech Republic: Dostal, Jenik, Lauko, Plasek, Teply (2019)
Finland: Honka (2019), Kakko (2019), Kotkaniemi, Lundell (2020), Nordgren
Russia: Miftakhov, Galenyuk, Zhuravlyov, Okhotyuk (2019), Iskhakov, Marchenko, Morozov, Podkolzin (2019), Zavgorodniy, Zhabreyev
Slovakia: Cajkovic (2019)
Sweden: Wallstedt (2021), Bjornfot (2019), Boqvist, Ginning, Lundkvist, Berggren, Grewe (2019), Hoglander (2019), Olofsson, Pasic (2019)
Switzerland: Schmid, Gross, Nussbaumer (2019)
USA: Knight (2019), Miller, M. Samuelsson, Wilde, Caufield (2019), Farabee, Hughes (2019), Turcotte (2019), Wahlstrom, Wise

2019 looking to be a very good draft too

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Canada made some last minute roster changes.

 

[Steve Kournianos]

If we get the 3rd pick who do you guys prefer Zadina or Boqvist or someone else?

Zadina 100000/100000

Wouldnt be shocked if they packaged all three first to get him. Hefty price but a special player.

 

[Joey Bones]

To be fair, I've watched him have bad games. I even tweeted about it early in the season. He looked lost and uncomfortable. But again, there's so much more than just shooting skills.

No mention of his speed for a power winger? Agility? His hands? His vision? Playmaking? His IQ? Reads? Routes? Positioning? Zone entries? Leadership?

He's ranked sixth on my next list, so I too don't see his upside as high as the likes of Svechnikov or Zadina. But the above skills and traits I mentioned when combined into an entire package is why he was ranked second by CSB and why he'll be a top-five pick.

Agreed on the upside and I, too, think he'll go top 5, but for other reasons....

I don't think most of the bolded are true, though. He rarely has any zone entries on his own and his reads and routes were anything but subpar. I agree that he is agile for a power grinder and has decent speed as a first year NCAA player. Passing and playmaking is his strong suit, but his IQ is wary more often that I'd like to think. But, out of the bolded, I disagree with the leadership aspect the most. The kid is mean and chippy and spends a majority of the time in the box. How is that helping his team in anyway and how is that showing of his on-ice character? Leadership, to me, means being gritty and hard-nosed, but smart enough to not gauge in any extra after whistle bs. He thrives on being a pest. It's in his blood, but t shouldn't be when it is detrimental to the game at stake.

I think, for NYR, they need that elite talent that'll help them win games, whether being a goal scoring forward or elite defender. Not a middle 6 power grinder.

 

[Joey Bones]

The more I read about Jay O’Brien, the more I want to give him a shot with a 2nd round pick. Was going through the CS euro list before and saw Ivan Mozorov too. Does anyone know anything about him?

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/c-w-ivan-morozov-mamonty-yugry-mhl-2018-draft.2467923/

He looks really interesting in these clips here.

I think Morozov is incredibly underrated. Think he can be a good power forward in this league, whether as a playmaker or scoring specialist. Makes plays happen. Seems to be decent defensively for a offensive threat. Surprised, honestly, why he isn't more hyped up in this class. Easy 2nd round option, IMO, and would consider using a late 1st on him (depending who is left).

As for Jay O'Brien, I don't know much on him other than he is committed to Providence next season out of high school. IMO, that's definitely intriguing to look at. By just stat watching, he seems to be a goal scoring and also isn't shy with passing the puck either. Thayer Academy does show all of their game reels on Youtube, but I haven't been able to sit through it all just yet. Might do so and report back later on him.

 

[Joey Bones]

Thomas -- Strong two-way center, can play wing. Not listed as a big kid but plays a power game. Very strong on his skates, very good stickhandler and can pick the corners. Numbers indicate he was more of a pass-first guy but he's not a pure playmaker. Skating speed is decent, not explosive but agile and can protect the puck when he's hounded. Maybe more of a second-line guy than a center you build around.

Denisenko - super skilled, a pure offense-first type winger. Very good controlling the puck and can finish in a variety of ways. Has had some injury issues and hasn't had a run of dominant games, but when he's on he reminds me of William Nylander. Sick hands, very good passer and doesn't need a lot of room to be creative. Has Pastrnak-like potential to be a first-line scorer and a 30-30 guy, but needs to be more consistent. Is a bit of a hot head and vanishes but he is the best player on the ice when he feels like it. Might go as high as the teens but I think the Rangers definitely should target him.

Bokk -- Another wild card but has that game-breaking ability. I'm ignoring his SHL stats. He was dominant in the J20 and for Germany at so many tournaments. Both he and Denisenko would be great compliments to hardcore puck battlers like LA and Chytil. He can pass the puck as well. You won't have him killing penalties or out trying to hold a late lead but his speed, stickhandling and shot are enough to consider him a first rounder with legit top-six upside.

Agreed on all of these, well done!!

 

[Joey Bones]

He was very good at the 5 Nations. Big two way center. Kind of similar to Anisimov, could be a 2nd-3rd rounder.

I, too, think he is comparable to Anisimov. Maybe, also, a taller, but slightly less skilled Panarin.

 

[FireGerardGallant]

Canada made some last minute roster changes.

A bit shocked they cut Krebs. I am happy for Aidan Dudas though. He's someone I want to see us take with one of our later picks (3rd or 4th)

 

[Joey Bones]

If we get the 3rd pick who do you guys prefer Zadina or Boqvist or someone else?

Zadina. Boqvist isn't bad by any means, but at this stage in the game, he's got more holes than Zadina, IMO.

 

[Joey Bones]

Canada made some last minute roster changes.

I really like the Veleno and McIssac adds!!

 

[Ola]

WJC18 starts tomorrow. Players to watch from each team. Left out France and Belarus for obvious reasons. Listed ten on the better teams, five on the teams in the second tier, less for the other teams, depending on how good their prospects are. Non-2018 draft eligibles are listed with their draft year following their name.

Canada: Byram (2019), Merkley, Robertson (2019), Smith, Dach (2019), Krebs (2019), Dellandrea, Noel, Lafreniere (2020), Foudy
Czech Republic: Dostal, Jenik, Lauko, Plasek, Teply (2019)
Finland: Honka (2019), Kakko (2019), Kotkaniemi, Lundell (2020), Nordgren
Russia: Miftakhov, Galenyuk, Zhuravlyov, Okhotyuk (2019), Iskhakov, Marchenko, Morozov, Podkolzin (2019), Zavgorodniy, Zhabreyev
Slovakia: Cajkovic (2019)
Sweden: Wallstedt (2021), Bjornfot (2019), Boqvist, Ginning, Lundkvist, Berggren, Grewe (2019), Hoglander (2019), Olofsson, Pasic (2019)
Switzerland: Schmid, Gross, Nussbaumer (2019)
USA: Knight (2019), Miller, M. Samuelsson, Wilde, Caufield (2019), Farabee, Hughes (2019), Turcotte (2019), Wahlstrom, Wise

Great work, thanks!

I would add Leevi Aaltonen to the 19’ watch list. Loves his speed and hustle.

 

[RangerBoy]

Andrei Svechnikov, RW (RUS) - This is his third Under-18 tourney. The Barrie Colts winger is the headliner for the host Russians with a blend of skill, sense, power and drive that reminds me of Marian Hossa's style. He's a factor in the game in all areas. Svechnikov will be an early pick in the NHL Draft and will most likely play in the NHL next season.
Craig's List Rank: 3
(Editor’s Note: As of Wednesday night, it appears Svechnikov is hurt and won’t play in this year’s tournament)

Adam Boqvist, D (SWE) - Adam is a dynamic defenceman who has a style reminiscent to Erik Karlsson. He has a daring element to his game with an ability to make plays on the move and be an ever-present threat when he has the puck. He possesses a very good shot and can score goals.
Craig's List Rank: 6

Oliver Wahlstrom, C (USA) - He has excellent hands and the ability to maneuver the puck in tight areas. Wahlstrom also has an exceptional shot with a quick release, can score from 40 feet out and flat out beat goalies with his accuracy and velocity. His release conjures up images of Hall of Famer Mike Bossy.
Craig's List Rank: 9

Bode Wilde, D (USA) - Wilde has a nice combination of skill and size and has an ease to his game where he can make things look easy. In that regard, he reminds me of Brent Seabrook at that same age – calm, cool and collected but able to push his level of play higher when the demands become greater.
Craig's List Rank: 11

 

[RangerBoy]

It would be nice if Gorton acquired another top 10-12 pick. Bode Wilde is very intriguing. One or two years at Michigan. NHL. Big,strong RHD. Brent Seabrook was the backbone of those Hawks Cup winning teams. It depends what happens with the Rangers pick.

 

[ecemleafs]

i had a nightmare last night. the rangers picked someone ive never heard of and the isles followed that up by drafting dobson and farabee lol.

 

[GregSirico]

NHL Mock Draft 2018: Unraveling the mystery beyond Rasmus Dahlin at No. 1


8. New York Rangers: Joel Farabee, LW, U.S. U18 (NTDP)
If there’s a draft prospect who works harder from whistle to whistle than this Syracuse native, then by all means, please make that information public. Otherwise, the Rangers and their fans should enjoy this assassin on skates who like Wahlstrom plays hard in all three zones but is a bit quicker and a better playmaker.

Others still on the board: Ty Smith, Noah Dobson, Evan Bouchard.

26. New York Rangers (from Boston): Grigori Denisenko, LW, Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)
There’s no way to sugarcoat it: Denisenko’s world-class skill did not produce the results (22 points in 31 games) you normally see from a notable kid in Russia’s top junior league. To be fair, Denisenko was hurt in August and turned it on in the second half. There’s a lot of William Nylander to his game, and the Rangers could use more skill on their flanks.

30. New York Rangers (from Tampa Bay): Jonathan Tychonick, D, Penticton (BCHL)
This North Dakota-bound speedster appears ready to make short work of the NCAA thanks to his range of puck skills and the quickness he displays when attacking openings. Even after acquiring some quality blueliners at the trade deadline, the Rangers’ system could use an excitable defenseman who dominates the puck and looks really good while doing so.

 

[Mac n Gs]

Jonatan Berggren starting of the WJC with a hatty is a good way to boost your draft stock.

Also, Anton Lundell is a 16 year old kid that dominated the Czechs today. 2020 draft