LW/RW Jesper Bratt - London Knights, OHL (2016, 162nd, NJD)

[The Wumpus]

It was his defensive play and tenacity on the puck that caught our eye first during the rookie tournament. Then he started scoring.

 

[42]

He looks amazing. I agree that 40 points would be amazing for him. 60 is out of the question. He can't keep scoring short handed goals every game, can he?

 

[ulvvf]

Can anyone say why he was drafted so late?

Well, while he maybe should been drafted little earlier, he was good, and maybe another proof you shall never overthink it, which is a trap easily fall in to, if you just draft the best player avaible and not analyze their weakness and strengths to much and not think about will he fit good in NHL or not, then he would have gone little earlier. But he was a very small player (he has grown, and that is probably part of the success), and there was other small players that had shown more than him in that draft. If this keeps up no one could have seen this comming, not even in a re-draft after last season he would rise that much on peoples rankings, it seems like he has had one heck of a summer. He plays better in NHL now than he did in allsvenskan as late as a few months back, I wonder för how long that will keep up? Many young players starts good for then hit a wall, but just the fact that he plays in NHL already surpass the expection on him by a huge margin. This starts would surpassed the expection if he had done it in shl.

 

[Brooklyndevil]

The kid is the real deal.

 

[Zaddy]

Well, while he maybe should been drafted little earlier, he was good, and maybe another proof you shall never overthink it, which is a trap easily fall in to, if you just draft the best player avaible and not analyze their weakness and strengths to much and not think about will he fit good in NHL or not, then he would have gone little earlier. But he was a very small player (he has grown, and that is probably part of the success), and there was other small players that had shown more than him in that draft. If this keeps up no one could have seen this comming, not even in a re-draft after last season he would rise that much on peoples rankings, it seems like he has had one heck of a summer. He plays better in NHL now than he did in allsvenskan as late as a few months back, I wonder för how long that will keep up? Many young players starts good for then hit a wall, but just the fact that he plays in NHL already surpass the expection on him by a huge margin. This starts would surpassed the expection if he had done it in shl.

Yep, I think teams just overthink it sometimes. Truth is, in todays NHL if you have the three S's (speed, skill, smarts) there'll be a place for you in the league. The game has changed tremendously in the last few years. Size almost doesn't even seem to matter anymore as long as you have the skating, skill and IQ to play in the NHL. Bratt, evidently, has that.

 

[DFF]

He is good but I also remember Joe Colborne had a hat trick after the first game last year.....

 

[Hockeyisl1fe]

He is good but I also remember Joe Colborne had a hat trick after the first game last year.....

Well obviously he isn't going to sustain this scoring pace. But it's not only about points: he plays very well rounded game, kills penalties and overall just looks really good. If he ends up scoring "only" about 30p this season, he'd still be a hell of a steal as a 6th rounder from only a year ago (assuming his overall playing doesn't drop that much). I think he will score more than 30p though.

 

[Hockeyisl1fe]

Adding to my post above: the odds of 6th round players to make it to the NHL are roughly about 12%. Most of those become fringe NHLers at best. The fact that this kid is already making an impact for his team in his +2 draft season is incredible itself.

 

[thethinglonger]

Well obviously he isn't going to sustain this scoring pace. But it's not only about points: he plays very well rounded game, kills penalties and overall just looks really good. If he ends up scoring "only" about 30p this season, he'd still be a hell of a steal as a 6th rounder from only a year ago (assuming his overall playing doesn't drop that much). I think he will score more than 30p though.

His play is the embodiment of the "fast, attacking, supportive" mantra Ray Shero wanted to build around when he first became the GM, so it's nice to see that even those his point pace in all likelihood won't keep up, his defensive play, tenacity on the penalty kill, and absolute pain in the neck nature on the forecheck will all help keep in the NHL.

Adding to my post above: the odds of 6th round players to make it to the NHL are roughly about 12%. Most of those become fringe NHLers at best. The fact that this kid is already making an impact for his team in his +2 draft season is incredible itself.

The odds of making the NHL as a 6th round pick at 19 years old is even slimmer...he's in some extremely rare company. The two most notable players to make the NHL as a 19 year old and also drafted past the 5th round (and play more than 10 games) include Pavol Demitra and Gaetan Duschesne...but there really aren't too many.

 

[snipes]

Kid looked good today.

 

[Rhodes 81]

All likelihood is that this is a hot month for him and he will regress from this, but if he were to score 10 goals and 15 assists and play good defense, he would already be a huge improvement from the supporting cast the Devils have been paying the past few years.

 

[severian]

All likelihood is that this is a hot month for him and he will regress from this, but if he were to score 10 goals and 15 assists and play good defense, he would already be a huge improvement from the supporting cast the Devils have been paying the past few years.

True. He is probably going to get demoted to third line duties when Palmieri gets back in the lineup.

Still going to be a very useful player if he continues to dominate the PK.

 

[My3Sons]

True. He is probably going to get demoted to third line duties when Palmieri gets back in the lineup.

Still going to be a very useful player if he continues to dominate the PK.

He will probably continue to get some sort of top six minutes as long as he plays with his current level of energy. When Palmieri comes back maybe Bratt plays with Nico as RW2.

 

[Agent Zub]

I don't know why you guys are limiting him. I think he scores north of 45 points this year.

He is dangerous every time he steps on the ice.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

I don't know why you guys are limiting him. I think he scores north of 45 points this year.

He is dangerous every time he steps on the ice.

Agreed. Kid is a dynamic offensive player with tons of IQ, creativity, and skill, with speed to burn. Love how composed he is with the puck.

 

[Agent Zub]

Agreed. Kid is a dynamic offensive player with tons of IQ, creativity, and skill, with speed to burn. Love how composed he is with the puck.

Right? Some players you watch and you just know they have "it". Jesper Bratt has "it". He thinks and creates chances at the rate of an established first liner.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I'm just going to enjoy the ride with this kid.

 

[Devils090]

Not sure what his future holds but considering the black hole our bottom 6 has been over the last few seasons he's a revelation

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Wow. What a pick.

 

[King In The North]

What happens when Palmieri and Stafford come back? I can't imagine they'll just stick him on the 4th line given his performance thus far.

 

[Classic Devil]

What happens when Palmieri and Stafford come back? I can't imagine they'll just stick him on the 4th line given his performance thus far.

Stafford probably goes to the 3rd line, Hayes to the 4th.

 

[42]

I don't know why you guys are limiting him. I think he scores north of 45 points this year.

He is dangerous every time he steps on the ice.

45+ points for a 6th round rookie in his draft + 1 year in the NHL? Possible but I'd bet against it.

 

[koyvoo]

Beast

 

[King In The North]

Stafford probably goes to the 3rd line, Hayes to the 4th.

Do you think he'll remain on the first line until he goes cold? And Palmieri to the 2nd?

 

[42]

Beast

He has a good heart, though.