Draft and UDFA Thread 2017-18

[Mac n Gs]

@Edge what made you link Farabee higher than most? I’ve seen him normally from the 10-15 range

 

[Edge]

Looks like 1 through 5 in that order are pretty much the consensus by everyone. From #6 on, everyone starts to have varying takes on who should be ranked where.

I would say 3-7 has a lot of the same guys in different orders. I could even break the top 31 into tiers, because there are clusters of players emerging.

 

[Edge]

@Edge what made you link Farabee higher than most? I’ve seen him normally from the 10-15 range

Very high skill level. Very creative. Smooth with the puck. Sees the ice extremely well.

The size isn't as much of an issue to me as it might be to some others - I think he finishes in the 6'0-6'1 range, around 190.

But in terms of pure offensive ability from a forward, I'd say only Svechnikov and Zadina have more natural talent at this point.

 

[Mac n Gs]

Very high skill level. Very creative. Smooth with the puck. Sees the ice extremely well.

The size isn't as much of an issue to me as it might be to some others - I think he finishes in the 6'0-6'1 range, around 190.

But in terms of pure offensive ability from a forward, I'd say only Svechnikov and Zadina have more natural talent at this point.

Definitely agree with the skill assessment, it’s super high quality. I’d like to see him be scoring more since he has good linemates, but that’s just me being nitpicky. I’m gonna stick to my guns and say we go USHL with a kid like Farabee or Miller or Swede in the first round. Then we probably go defense heavy

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

My Top 31 for Dec. 2017


1. Dahlin
2. Svechnikov
3. Zadina
4. Boqvist
5. Hughes
6. Wahlstrom
7. Tkachuk
8. Farabee
9. Kupari
10.Woo
11. Smith
12. Wilde
13. Veleno
14. Dobsen
15. Lunderstrom
16. McIsaac
17. Merkley
18. McLeod
19. Bouchard
20. Bokk
21. Thomas
22. Hayton
23. Grloux
24. Noel
25. Kotkaniemi
26. Olofsson
27. McBain
28. Denisenko
29. Miller
30. Addison
31. Alexeyev

Lundestrom too high, Kotkaniemi and Olofsson too low. I like where you put Tkachuk, I think he's overrated, and I also like where you put Farabee, I think he's underrated.

 

[Ola]

Will Boqvist really fly that high all the way to the draft? Anyone want to be the first to predict a big drop put him around 10-15. Any scouting organization that puts a kid outside the WJC and SHL in the top 10 in a draft like this is gutsy. It has nothing to do with him as a player, but he had three great PMDs ahead of him on the WJC team and Brynas is struggling.

 

[LaffyTaffy]

Denisenko that low would be a blessing.

 

[Edge]

Lundestrom too high, Kotkaniemi and Olofsson too low. I like where you put Tkachuk, I think he's overrated, and I also like where you put Farabee, I think he's underrated.

Lundestrom's skill level to me is vastly underrated. He's getting that "safe" pick label, which people seem to love to assign to Swedes these days, but he's got a lot more under the hood then people give him credit for.

As for guy's like Kotkaniemo and Olofsson, there are some guys I like better, but they're in a cluster with several other guys.

The challenge with any list is that the gap between the players isn't always consistent. The difference between 15 and 26 isn't necessarily the same difference between 15 and 5.

 

[Lion Hound]

Lundestrom's skill level to me is vastly underrated. He's getting that "safe" pick label, which people seem to love to assign to Swedes these days, but he's got a lot more under the hood then people give him credit for.

As for guy's like Kotkaniemo and Olofsson, there are some guys I like better, but they're in a cluster with several other guys.

The challenge with any list is that the gap between the players isn't always consistent. The difference between 15 and 26 isn't necessarily the same difference between 15 and 5.

I think he get goes 15-20. I like the kid. Seems like he does everything right but just isn't as flashy or maybe polished as some of the other players in the top 31.

 

[Edge]

I think he get goes 15-20. I like the kid. Seems like he does everything right but just isn't as flashy or maybe polished as some of the other players in the top 31.

Once you get outside of the top few picks, I'm always trying to find a balance between flash and simply getting things done.

Some guys look a little flashier, yet it doesn't seem to result in much - especially as the competition gets increasingly difficult.

Some guys get labeled "safe" and the word is almost used in a negative connotation because they don't produce highlight reel clips on YouTube.

I say this because it's a buzz word in the sport that I see more and more fans using. It seems to correlate with the rise in people using social media and 15 second video clips to decide which players they like.

I get it though. The fantasy surrounding prospects in their draft year almost always outweighs the reality. People want to dream. Everyone wants to feel like they were in on the ground floor of the "next big thing." But it's important to remember that flashy does not always equate to a high skill level. Likewise, keeping things straight forward does not equate to a lower skill level.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Lundestrom's skill level to me is vastly underrated. He's getting that "safe" pick label, which people seem to love to assign to Swedes these days, but he's got a lot more under the hood then people give him credit for.

As for guy's like Kotkaniemo and Olofsson, there are some guys I like better, but they're in a cluster with several other guys.

The challenge with any list is that the gap between the players isn't always consistent. The difference between 15 and 26 isn't necessarily the same difference between 15 and 5.

I think Lundestrom's getting that because it applies.

No one labeled Petterson as a safe and reliable Swede, Olofsson and Hallander don't get that label. Lundestrom is not the same player as Andersson, but he's close enough. Its not that he's a bad player or he shouldn't be a first rounder, but I don't see how this player can be underrated as a mid-first rounder unless the whole draft is awful, and a middle six guy ends up as a top 5-10 player in the draft.

Lundestrom does not provide a ton of offensive skill. He's a better skater than Andersson and a better passer with less of a shot, but taking over shifts isn't something he does, he doesn't have the skill level to do that, at least not in my opinion. I don't see how it makes any sense for us to take essentially the same role player two years in a row.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Will Boqvist really fly that high all the way to the draft? Anyone want to be the first to predict a big drop put him around 10-15. Any scouting organization that puts a kid outside the WJC and SHL in the top 10 in a draft like this is gutsy. It has nothing to do with him as a player, but he had three great PMDs ahead of him on the WJC team and Brynas is struggling.

Some have him #2 over Svechnikov. Its not his fault that Monten or the Brynas coach are idiots.

He shows what he needs to show when he plays. He can't demand a spot on either team.

 

[Ola]

Some have him #2 over Svechnikov. Its not his fault that Monten or the Brynas coach are idiots.

He shows what he needs to show when he plays. He can't demand a spot on either team.

Not saying that it’s logical or right, but my experience is that getting the spot light does have a significant impact on especially where someone is ranked but also where the kids also is picked eventually.

There will be so much spot light and attention on these kids when the WJC, some will thrive and some will do worse. When someone isn’t even there, it tends to impact on how that kid is perceived right or wrong.

 

[RangerBoy]

I read somewhere this week that the Rangers were heavily scouting a kid that is off the radar who they said has the skillset of Pavel Bure. Some siberian kid name Piotr Pestrolikov or something like that. Anyone can confirm this? I read it somewhere and now I cant find it.

Corey Pronman attended a junior tournament in Nova Scotia. World Jr. A Challenge. Denisenko is from Siberia.

Grigori Denisenko, LW: He was dynamic in the one game I saw him in. He has speed, skill, creativity, vision and can finish plays. On talent, he’s a top half of the first round type of player.
Ruslan Iskhakov, RW: Normally, 5-foot-8 wingers in Russia don’t get much love, but Iskhakov was a standout offensively. His skill is fantastic, he creates so many chances due to his offensive IQ and, while not explosive, he skates fine. He’s a real NHL prospect despite his size.

 

[Mac n Gs]

Corey Pronman attended a junior tournament in Nova Scotia. World Jr. A Challenge. Denisenko is from Siberia.

Grigori Denisenko, LW: He was dynamic in the one game I saw him in. He has speed, skill, creativity, vision and can finish plays. On talent, he’s a top half of the first round type of player.
Ruslan Iskhakov, RW: Normally, 5-foot-8 wingers in Russia don’t get much love, but Iskhakov was a standout offensively. His skill is fantastic, he creates so many chances due to his offensive IQ and, while not explosive, he skates fine. He’s a real NHL prospect despite his size.

You fell for the stupid joke. Denisenko is a kid I’ve been wondering about after reading a few scouting reports. I think @Steve Kournianos was watching the WJAC too after seeing some of his tweets. Sign me up for another dynamic Russian winger

 

[Edge]

I think Lundestrom's getting that because it applies.

No one labeled Petterson as a safe and reliable Swede, Olofsson and Hallander don't get that label. Lundestrom is not the same player as Andersson, but he's close enough. Its not that he's a bad player or he shouldn't be a first rounder, but I don't see how this player can be underrated as a mid-first rounder unless the whole draft is awful, and a middle six guy ends up as a top 5-10 player in the draft.

Lundestrom does not provide a ton of offensive skill. He's a better skater than Andersson and a better passer with less of a shot, but taking over shifts isn't something he does, he doesn't have the skill level to do that, at least not in my opinion. I don't see how it makes any sense for us to take essentially the same role player two years in a row.

Within reason, I agree.

But I also think that "safe" has become the default setting for every Swedish player who doesn't inherently project as a first line player.

When it's a North American forward, people talk about how they're a solid "compliment" player, assuming the player doesn't get at least a little benefit of the doubt on offensive projections.

When it's College defenseman, people tend to use the word "steady" or "depth" in their descriptions

But when it comes to Swedish forwards, there's often an almost dismissive attitude about a guy being "safe" or having "limited" offensive ability. Nevermind that the player could project as the same second line player that a North American kid projects to be.

Truthfully, I'm not sure people even realize they do it.

 

[Mac n Gs]

Whatever happened with Milos Roman? Wasn’t he being touted as a top pick for this draft?

 

[Lion Hound]

Acadia-Bathurst playing Moncton on NHL Network now. Anyone wants to get a look at draft eligible Noah Dobson he is playing.

 

[leetch99]

Acadia-Bathurst playing Moncton on NHL Network now. Anyone wants to get a look at draft eligible Noah Dobson he is playing.

Well..his parents only live about 45 minutes from me and I had never heard of him until yesterday . I don't follow a lot of the local hockey as a rule but I asked a couple of people that have watched him play and he has really taken off as of late according to them . I watched about a minute of that game yesterday and he was a force on the PP doing his PK type moves around the perimeter with the puck....kid has wheels and is big and a RH shot . Not too much to not like about him . I will try and get to his next game here in Charlottetown when his team is in . Here is a story from our local paper on him and his new draft ranking by Sportsnet . Dobson’s scaling NHL’s draft ladder | The Journal Pioneer

 

[Mac n Gs]

I watched a chunk of it yesterday too. Dobson is shifty for a big kid and has really nice skating skills. Clean edgework, good acceleration, just overall a really solid package of tools. I thought the Titan handidly outplayed Moncton too

 

[ManUtdTobbe]

Whatever happened with Milos Roman? Wasn’t he being touted as a top pick for this draft?

He's playing well on a line with our own Ty Ronning, not lighting the world on fire though but he's a very good playmaking two-way C.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Buchnevich was on his way to making the Russian WJC in his draft year. He won MVP of a U20 tournament in the spring before the tournament, but then Bragin left the team and a new coach came in who didn't have him in the plans, so he didn't make the team. What if Pasha had scored like 5 points in that tournament? Do we think he drops to the third round? He already was graded as a first round talent that draft by a number of people. But often times, Russia is not properly scouted. Especially for Russians, playing at the WJC could help their draft status.

So that brings us to the case of Vitaly Kravtsov. He is older than Pasha was at the time of his draft season world juniors by like five months, he's a late birthday so he only has one more world juniors after this one, but he's a draft eligible and Russia rarely picks draft eligibles for their team. Kravtsov already has an excellent draft resume. Size, speed, skill, taking regular shifts against men, rather productive for his age. Is he going to be available at let's say pick 20 if he scores 5 points at the World Juniors?

I don't feel it's right to root for his failure to make Russia's team, so I won't do that, but if he doesn't make it, he might continue to fly under the radar. If he does make it, I'm not sure he'll be on the board when we pick.

 

[Mac n Gs]

I mean I’ve seen mocks with him going in the late first round, so I’m sure teams are already aware of him.

The other question I have is if we’ll see the trend continue with kids being drafted out of the BCHL and AJHL again this year. Some dmen of interest that have decent rankings are Sean Comrie and Jacob Bernard-Docker. Both are college commits at UDenver and NoDak, respectively

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Adam Boqvist loaned to Almtuna in the Allsvenskan.

Danila Galenyuk debuts for SKA.

 

[Mac n Gs]

Adam Boqvist loaned to Almtuna in the Allsvenskan.

Danila Galenyuk debuts for SKA.

How's Zub been for SKA this season? He hasn't been scoring at all for a team that's an offensive juggernaut.