LD Jakob Chychrun - Sarnia Sting, OHL (2016 Draft)

[yourbestfriend]

You don't develop IQ. You either have it or you don't. This kid seems like Phaneuf without the physical edge.

I would definitely disagree with the "you don't develop IQ" part.
Yes kids will have varying levels of hockey IQ when they are drafted, but to say that they won't or can't develop it further, is plain stupid.
You want the player to be better in all aspects in X amount of years than they are now. That's the whole point of "developing" a prospect. How many times have we heard coaches/GM say that certain players need to play in the minors to "learn" the pro game?

As for Jakob, I think he'll be fine. His skating ability alone will help him get an NHL career. Another year in Sarnia followed by a season split between AHL/NHL and he should be fine.

 

[Gaunce4gm]

Would it be similar to a Jake Virtanen type of situation? Excellent physical tools but people just doubt his ability to put it all together? Over analyzing tournament play etc? Wouldn't doubt it if he did what Virtanen did and step straight into the NHL and steadily improve over the course of an NHL season. Wouldn't doubt it if Chychrun falls to 6th and there's still a Nylander on the board this year too!

 

[93LEAFS]

I would definitely disagree with the "you don't develop IQ" part.
Yes kids will have varying levels of hockey IQ when they are drafted, but to say that they won't or can't develop it further, is plain stupid.
You want the player to be better in all aspects in X amount of years than they are now. That's the whole point of "developing" a prospect. How many times have we heard coaches/GM say that certain players need to play in the minors to "learn" the pro game?

As for Jakob, I think he'll be fine. His skating ability alone will help him get an NHL career. Another year in Sarnia followed by a season split between AHL/NHL and he should be fine.

Not an option, can't play in the AHL for 2 years.

 

[William H Bonney]

Limited viewings for me, but every time I've seen him play I'm basically reminded of Jack Johnson: fantastic athlete, gym rat, tantalizing tools, limited hockey IQ.

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him follow a similar career path to Johnson. A top 4 d-man that leaves you wanting more because he shows flashes of that #1 d-man potential, but doesn't have the hockey IQ (or consistency) to realize that role.

 

[yourbestfriend]

Not an option, can't play in the AHL for 2 years.

You're right.
As I look back to the past few drafts, most of the 1st round defenseman coming out of the OHL actually spend another 2 seasons in junior before they make the jump to the NHL full time.
It'll be interesting to see how he develops because he definitely has all the physical tools to be a force.

 

[TimeZone]

Would it be similar to a Jake Virtanen type of situation? Excellent physical tools but people just doubt his ability to put it all together? Over analyzing tournament play etc? Wouldn't doubt it if he did what Virtanen did and step straight into the NHL and steadily improve over the course of an NHL season. Wouldn't doubt it if Chychrun falls to 6th and there's still a Nylander on the board this year too!

No. Chychrun's Hockey IQ is nowhere near that bad, not that that's saying much.

 

[Fazkovsky]

To me he is still the best d in the draft with. Sergachev potentially having a higher ceiling

Juolevi a notch below

 

[HeavyHitter99]

I personally hope that the team that drafts him handles him in a similar way that the Blues handled Pietrangelo.

 

[93LEAFS]

I personally hope that the team that drafts him handles him in a similar way that the Blues handled Pietrangelo.

Said that a couple pages ago, doing what Atlanta did with Bogosian would be the worst approach. I think people are overly down on him right now, he's nowhere near as dumb as people are making him out to be. He'd still be my pick at 4, barring alot going wrong I think you can be comfortable projecting him as a reliable number 2, but he absolutely has #1 D upside. I think even if the offence doesn't come around you'll have a prospect similar to Nurse into years, but I'd expect him to be better offensively.

 

[toomuchsauce]

Limited viewings for me, but every time I've seen him play I'm basically reminded of Jack Johnson: fantastic athlete, gym rat, tantalizing tools, limited hockey IQ.

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him follow a similar career path to Johnson. A top 4 d-man that leaves you wanting more because he shows flashes of that #1 d-man potential, but doesn't have the hockey IQ (or consistency) to realize that role.

I really like this comparison, but I'd temper it a bit, because JMFJ is a very bad NHL defenseman. I'd phrase it more like "His ceiling is Zack Bogosian (or Dion Phaneuf or something along those lines), his floor is Jack Johnson." Either way, you will be disappointed because of where he was drafted. It is only a question of degree of disappointment.

"Hockey IQ" is a big deal. You can't fake it and you can't compensate for not having it. I'm talking about drawing a line in the sand. Dude, across this line you DO NOT....

 

[RoadWarrior]

I personally hope that the team that drafts him handles him in a similar way that the Blues handled Pietrangelo.

Comparing Chychrun to Pietrangelo is kind of insulting to Pietrangelo.

 

[iFan]

Would it be similar to a Jake Virtanen type of situation? Excellent physical tools but people just doubt his ability to put it all together? Over analyzing tournament play etc? Wouldn't doubt it if he did what Virtanen did and step straight into the NHL and steadily improve over the course of an NHL season. Wouldn't doubt it if Chychrun falls to 6th and there's still a Nylander on the board this year too!

Nope... Virtanen uses his physical tools. Virtanen was never hyped up, Chychrun has been talked about as being a #1D man, at one point compared to Ekblad. Virtanen was always looked at as Booth before his concussion. Chychrun was just over hyped.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Chychrun's story is going to be fascinating on draft day. Ranked 9th on Bobby Mac's list and his stock seems completely volatile:

http://www.tsn.ca/laine-closes-gap-on-matthews-atop-tsn-draft-rankings-1.478128

Chychrun was the only defenceman to be ranked in anyone's top four prospects. One scout had him at No. 4 overall. But only four of the 10 scouts surveyed had him in their Top 10; six had him ranked 11th or lower. Worth noting, though, is that of the four scouts who ranked Chychrun in the Top 10, all four viewed him as the best defenceman in the draft.

 

[AvsCOL]

No question, at least from what I see, that he's the best defenseman in this draft. When there's a kid like Chychrun, who was talked about as a #1D this time last year, people have the whole year to try to find flaws in his game. He doesn't have the luxury that Sergachev and Juolevi had of surpassing expectations. In fact, I'd take him at #4 and not think twice about it.

I still see a #1D with elite physical tools. Guy JUST turned 18, not every D prospect is NHL ready like Ekblad.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[Flair Hay]

I'm so confused. Three months ago there was a poll where people were split between whether this guy was more Ekblad or more Trouba. I was thinking if the guy had a floor of a 2/3 he'd be an awesome pick for whoever got him.

Now he's being talked about as falling out of the top ten despite some good showings in the playoffs and at U-18. Confused.

 

[Bravid Nonahan]

I'm so confused. Three months ago there was a poll where people were split between whether this guy was more Ekblad or more Trouba. I was thinking if the guy had a floor of a 2/3 he'd be an awesome pick for whoever got him.

Now he's being talked about as falling out of the top ten despite some good showings in the playoffs and at U-18. Confused.

Nylander fell to 8 because of "attitude issues"

I wouldn't be surprised by anything

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

I'm so confused. Three months ago there was a poll where people were split between whether this guy was more Ekblad or more Trouba. I was thinking if the guy had a floor of a 2/3 he'd be an awesome pick for whoever got him.

Now he's being talked about as falling out of the top ten despite some good showings in the playoffs and at U-18. Confused.

I think people were projecting him a bit too optimistically (he never was going to be an 18 year old top 4 defenceman like Ekblad) and now they are being a bit too critical because they saw him make some ugly mistakes on the big stage. But he still showed plenty of upside in the U-18.

To me it's clear, he will need time. 2 more years in Sarnia. Full year in the AHL. Worst thing that could happen is going to a team that really needs him and he's playing in the NHL as a teenager.

 

[Ace]

That's good advice to give him...though he'd probably just turn it over immediately.

 

[HeavyHitter99]

Comparing Chychrun to Pietrangelo is kind of insulting to Pietrangelo.

Not really but you obviously don't understand my post or how Pietrangelo was developed.

 

[Revelate]

I feel like this low IQ narrative has just gotten out of control. As someone who watches a lot of Bogosian, i feel like Chychrun already has a better feel for the game in his own zone.

 

[Ace]

Bogosian doesn't even know which end is his at this point (and watching him try to get a puck out of his own is hilarious). That said...when he was draft eligible he went 3rd so they saw something. Most likely that he could play against other kids because his size and strength covered him. That sounds familiar.. Then his lack of hockey IQ killed any chance of attaining it. This may end up familiar as well.

 

[Canucks LB]

This guy has ekblad-esk tools, All these reports on him dropping is gonna bite so many teams in the ass.

He was asked to play a defensive roll in the U18, with fabbro playing the offensive roll.

This guy is going to be a superstar in this league

 

[AppsSyl]

I feel like this low IQ narrative has just gotten out of control. As someone who watches a lot of Bogosian, i feel like Chychrun already has a better feel for the game in his own zone.

People who keep saying Chychrun has a low hockey IQ have zero idea what they are talking about, and clearly have not seen much of him. He has been dissected more than any other prospect in this year's draft, because he has been on the radar for a longer period than most, and came into the season as one of the top ranked guys. The Dion Phaneuf comparisons make me laugh the hardest. Maybe size wise he is like Dion, but that is about it. Dion in no way could skate with the puck and make things happen on the rush like Chychrun can.

Heck, people were spewing on Puljujarvi saying he was possibly falling out of the top 3 and had a poor 2nd half, when he actually has played awesome at and since the WJC. It took him coming over and dominating for Finland in the games he played at the U18s to remind people to give their head a shake that he is that good.

 

[AppsSyl]

This guy has ekblad-esk tools, All these reports on him dropping is gonna bite so many teams in the ass.

He was asked to play a defensive roll in the U18, with fabbro playing the offensive roll.

This guy is going to be a superstar in this league

I completely agree!