Prospect Info: NHL 2017 Entry Draft: Year of the Homegrown Talent

[Jetsetter]

I'm a Nicolas Hague fan for this years draft. 6' 6" 214 lbs. LHD. 48 points in 64 games and over a 100's in penalties. Sure he made a mistake earlier this year when he got suspended but everyone makes dumb mistakes.

Here's what other's have to say about him:

Nicolas Hague's Player Profile

ISS Hockey - Mar. 13th: "9 pts in last 8 games. Big, mobile dman, gearing up for OHL playoffs. Makes smart plays w/ puck."

Jeff Marek of Sportsnet - Mar. 8th: "Plays in all situations, can anchor a PP. Some scouts think skating still an issue, others not that concerned about his feet. Very poised, well controlled now."

Mike Morreale - Feb. 23rd: "He brings an offensive dimension to his game," Hockey Canada head scout Ryan Jankowski said. "He's also effective in a shutdown role with that range, reach and the size he has. He's growing into his body and growing into his ability. I feel he's more than your typical huge physical defenseman; he's a guy who moves the puck very well and brings an offensive component to his game."

ISS Hockey - Feb. 12th: "Moves the puck well & shows good offensive instincts. Uses long reach to take away time/space."

Mike Morreale NHL.com - Jan. 20th: "Hague (6-5, 206) is a fluid skater and can move the puck extremely well, enabling his team to create a lot of offense. He also has five power-play goals, second on Mississauga. The left-shot defenseman also is tough in the defensive end."

Future Considerations: "Hague has a great mix of size, skating and skill…shuts down the oppositions’ top lines and is a driver of the play…is physical and will give that extra shot to his opponent to leave a mark and an impression for the next time…doesn’t give his man room to breathe in front of the net…not shy with stepping in to lay the body, standing up his man with a solid check…controls the gap very well with strong position and good stick work…very balanced and surprisingly mobile for a big kid, he possesses a powerful lateral step"

That's why I'm in his corner in this draft. I predict we have 11 pick OA and he's our guy.

 

[Whileee]

I hear you, but without that there would be less anger imo.

I completely agree. I was intrigued when they traded up, and then gutted when I found out that they traded up for Stanley. Huge disappointment, for a lot of reasons.

 

[Davedrivesbus]

Morrissey Trouba
Niku Buff
Hague Stanley

Looks good.

 

[nobody important]

I'm a Nicolas Hague fan for this years draft. 6' 6" 214 lbs. LHD. 48 points in 64 games and over a 100's in penalties. Sure he made a mistake earlier this year when he got suspended but everyone makes dumb mistakes.

Here's what other's have to say about him:

Nicolas Hague's Player Profile

ISS Hockey - Mar. 13th: "9 pts in last 8 games. Big, mobile dman, gearing up for OHL playoffs. Makes smart plays w/ puck."

Jeff Marek of Sportsnet - Mar. 8th: "Plays in all situations, can anchor a PP. Some scouts think skating still an issue, others not that concerned about his feet. Very poised, well controlled now."

Mike Morreale - Feb. 23rd: "He brings an offensive dimension to his game," Hockey Canada head scout Ryan Jankowski said. "He's also effective in a shutdown role with that range, reach and the size he has. He's growing into his body and growing into his ability. I feel he's more than your typical huge physical defenseman; he's a guy who moves the puck very well and brings an offensive component to his game."

ISS Hockey - Feb. 12th: "Moves the puck well & shows good offensive instincts. Uses long reach to take away time/space."

Mike Morreale NHL.com - Jan. 20th: "Hague (6-5, 206) is a fluid skater and can move the puck extremely well, enabling his team to create a lot of offense. He also has five power-play goals, second on Mississauga. The left-shot defenseman also is tough in the defensive end."

Future Considerations: "Hague has a great mix of size, skating and skill…shuts down the oppositions’ top lines and is a driver of the play…is physical and will give that extra shot to his opponent to leave a mark and an impression for the next time…doesn’t give his man room to breathe in front of the net…not shy with stepping in to lay the body, standing up his man with a solid check…controls the gap very well with strong position and good stick work…very balanced and surprisingly mobile for a big kid, he possesses a powerful lateral step"

That's why I'm in his corner in this draft. I predict we have 11 pick OA and he's our guy.

And he was the OHL scholastic player of the year in 2016. Just like Connor McDavid the year before. That's going to further add to his appeal to Chevy.

Hey, you may be right, he may be crazy. But he just might be the d-man we've been looking for.

 

[Daximus]

We take valimaki at 10 or 11 and Daximus will be doing cartwheels. I hope that's who we snag there.

My wildest dreams!

 

[ps241]

My wildest dreams!

I believe I asked you this before but how many live viewings do you have of Valimaki? I think he will be their when we pick.

 

[DK59]

I completely agree. I was intrigued when they traded up, and then gutted when I found out that they traded up for Stanley. Huge disappointment, for a lot of reasons.

The only disappointment for me was that we traded up to get Stanley. In my opinion it was the time in the draft where there were probably a dozen or so players that merited consideration to be taken in that spot and an argument can be made that Stanley belonged in that group. Under the circumstances trading down probably would have been the best strategy if there was an opportunity to do it.

 

[Daximus]

I believe I asked you this before but how many live viewings do you have of Valimaki? I think he will be their when we pick.

Quite a few gotta be verging on 5 I think maybe 6 by now. As far as total viewings it's quite a bit. I watched the series against Seattle. They got beat bad but Valimaki still had some good games/moments. All in all Tri-City got whooped though.

 

[Daximus]

Of course, it wouldn't be very persuasive if it was just a single scout or analyst, but you ignore the fact that a separate panel of NHL scouts (polled by THN) also continue to rank Stanley as the 8th best D from the 2016 draft after the d+1 season.

It's part of a wider issue that has bubbled to the surface in that some have decided that Stanley is a terrible prospect because Chevy and Zinger and Hillier just selected him based on size, and nothing will sway their perspective. If anyone ever mentions any quantitative or qualitative assessments that might cast Stanley in a slightly more positive light, they are dismissed out of hand because it is counter to the favoured narrative. When scouts or posters here (see above) make comparative observations (vs. other D prospects), they are dismissed out of hand because they are based on some subjective "eye test", but we seem happy to accept the views of other unnamed "observers" who question Stanley's skill based on their own "eye test". Similarly, quantitative metrics that seem fairly standard for assessing a player's contribution (like NHLE, EV point production or shot volume) that now make Stanley look not so bad compared to other d+1 defensive prospects, some seem skeptical of their validity. In some respects, this is a classic case of "confirmation bias".

I've been on record with disliking the pick intensely, and questioning the Jets' drafting strategy on the basis of the pick. However, I think it's reasonable to not just hate the pick and trash the prospect and actually be open to what other scouts, personal viewings and the stats are indicating in a balanced fashion. It's fine to have the perspective that EV points/game or all-situation NHLE or shot volume are not useful metrics to assess production. But they shouldn't be selectively downplayed in the case of Stanley because he's already been condemned as a worthless draft selection and confirms that Chevy, Zinger and Hillier are incompetent.

A panel of scouts also told me Patrick will top out as a 2C. I take what any of these guys say with a grain of salt. Maybe I'm wrong maybe not. But either way I'll draw my own conclusions from watching these kids rather than taking anyone's word for it. There are people on this site whose opinions I hold in higher regard than any of the TSN talking heads.
Stanley's chances of making the NHL are still heavily weighted towards failure. There's probably a handful of guys with better advanced stats that won't get any mention from scouts or Button because they aren't tall enough to be considered good.

 

[MardyBum]

So, we won out, whats it looking like for our pick and who are we cheering for (if there is anyone) to win tonight/tomorrow?

 

[JetsFan815]

[mod]

This win will likely be the difference between 10th overall and 13th overall.

Atleast it was Connor who scored. I'd be going nuclear if it was someone like Thorburn who won us this.

So, we won out, whats it looking like for our pick and who are we cheering for (if there is anyone) to win tonight/tomorrow?

The best the Jets can do at this point is 11th overall including Vegas. For that to happen LA would need to win tomorrow in regulation/OT (I think we might be okay even if they win in a shootout as I am pretty sure they have the 2nd tiebreaker on us but I haven't checked) and Philly to get atleast a point.

If these 2 teams lose tomorrow, we are looking at 13th overall including Vegas.

 

[lanky]

Just win the lottery again. It's that easy.

 

[Aavco Cup]

21 days to the draft lottery

 

[Daximus]

I have a feeling we are drafting 12th overall.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I still like Stanley, thought he was progressing nicely this year. I still think he pans out, it's just trading that other first rounder is what leaves bitter taste in people's mouths.

His rate of improvement from D to D+1 was better than no improvement but it was marginal.

He may pan out but he will have to be a late bloomer to do it.

It was more than the trade up I didn't like. I wouldn't have liked him at 22 or 36 either. He would have been OK in the 3rd round but we didn't have a 3rd round pick.

Where I would have liked him best was at #20 - picked by Detroit.

If there really were no good D available at 22 I would rather have taken a winger - and I did not want a winger.

 

[Daximus]

Going by current standings...

1. Avs - Patrick (mixed among fans)
2. Nucks - Hischier (they'll take whoever is left of the top two)
3. Knights - Vilardi
4. Dogs - Mittelsadt (fan fav)
5. Devils - Petterson (between Petterson/Necas)
6. Wings - Liljegren (fan fav)
7. Buffaloni - Valimaki
8. Stars - Heiskanen (they'll take whoever is left of Valimaki/Heiskanen)
9. Cats - Tippet (fan fav)
10. Canes - Tolvanen (nothing new but his name was thrown around a lot about a month ago on their board)
11. Kings - Hague (fans seem pretty sure of it)
12. Jets - Glass


That is a lot of hoping that Glass makes it all the way down to us at 12, A LOT. Obviously teams GM's and scouts will have different idea on who to take. I seriously doubt we are going to get any of the LHD we want. Buffalo and the Stars are poised to both take defencemen by the sounds of their fans.

 

[kxx]

Going by current standings...

1. Avs - Patrick (mixed among fans)
2. Nucks - Hischier (they'll take whoever is left of the top two)
3. Knights - Vilardi
4. Dogs - Mittelsadt (fan fav)
5. Devils - Petterson (between Petterson/Necas)
6. Wings - Liljegren (fan fav)
7. Buffaloni - Valimaki
8. Stars - Heiskanen (they'll take whoever is left of Valimaki/Heiskanen)
9. Cats - Tippet (fan fav)
10. Canes - Tolvanen
11. Kings - Hague (fans seem pretty sure of it)
12. Jets - Glass


That is a lot of hoping that Glass makes it all the way down to us at 12, A LOT. Obviously teams GM's and scouts will have different idea on who to take. I seriously doubt we are going to get any of the LHD we want. Buffalo and the Stars are poised to both take defencemen by the sounds of their fans.

This doesn't look too good. And its also assuming we don't pick higher. Are we not taking Makar because of size / lower competition? Have seen him as high as 2 on some lists. (errr on one list)
The Brannstrom guy is looking pretty good too but would prefer to pick both of them if possible - but Brannstrom likely gone by our 2nd rounder.

I guess draft BPA and hope for trade for useful player.

 

[Daximus]

This doesn't look too good. And its also assuming we don't pick higher. Are we not taking Makar because of size / lower competition? Have seen him as high as 2 on some lists. (errr on one list)
The Brannstrom guy is looking pretty good too but would prefer to pick both of them if possible - but Brannstrom likely gone by our 2nd rounder.

I guess draft BPA and hope for trade for useful player.

I think fans are still cautious of him, and rightly so. I have a feeling he goes in the Fabbro range of 15+ likely to a playoff bound team I think. Some are very high on him but there is still a risk factor involved I think. Kid could be the best defencemen of the draft or he could hit a brick wall in College. It's to tough to tell when you make a jump like that. Some GM will either swing for the fences or he'll drop like a stone to the mid-late 1st.

I want the Jets to take a run at either a top goalie or if one of Yamamoto or Morand are available them.

 

[Whileee]

Jets will have a talented prospect available. Makar and Brannstrom are intriguing, if a bit risky.

 

[SM]

I think fans are still cautious of him, and rightly so. I have a feeling he goes in the Fabbro range of 15+ likely to a playoff bound team I think. Some are very high on him but there is still a risk factor involved I think. Kid could be the best defencemen of the draft or he could hit a brick wall in College. It's to tough to tell when you make a jump like that. Some GM will either swing for the fences or he'll drop like a stone to the mid-late 1st.

I want the Jets to take a run at either a top goalie or if one of Yamamoto or Morand are available them.

As much as I'd like to see Yamamoto, do we need another Petan who will be misdeployed for years to come?

 

[puck stoppa]

Cal foote could be an option here too.

 

[CorgisPer60]

I haven't been paying attention to the draft and prospects at all, so I have no idea who will be available and how good they are. I also had no idea in 2013 when the Jets drafted Morrissey. All I know is I hope that there's a good LHD there for Chevy to pick. Guess we'll wait and see.

 

[jetdiehard]

Is the feeling we will draft #12?
I thought more like #10, we must draft size plus it should be a defenceman or a Goalie.

 

[supersonic jet]

Cal foote could be an option here too.

yeh, my first choice was Miro but after the 7 game win streak, that's not happening. I
would be happy with Foote. would rather win the lottery and see who we pick.

 

[ps241]

Cal foote could be an option here too.

Yup and we could do worse. I think even at 13 we will get a good asset.