Prospect Info: [Official]: 2017 Draft Thread

[Johnny Hoxville]

I hope we draft the next Jankowski.

 

[BigRangy]

They just did that last year with Mattson.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

They just did that last year with Mattson.

Mattson probably doesn't have near the upside or skill that Janko has.

 

[DFF]

Mattson probably doesn't have near the upside or skill that Janko has.

How do you know? He is a 4 yr project

 

[Lunatik]

They just did that last year with Mattson.

the guy that is struggling in the USHL in his draft+1 season?

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

the guy that is struggling in the USHL in his draft+1 season?

I think he has nice tools, but he hasn't done anything noteworthy.

 

[wasunder]

Doubt we draft him, but Nikita Popugaev is putting up some great numbers 21-26-47 in 34 GP with Moose Jaw. 6'6 202 RHS RW. Don't know much about him though

 

[FLAMESFAN]

Nik Pop has a lot of redflags though....I'm liking what I've read about Vesalainen. Looking forward to seeing him play for Finland at the WJC soon. Still would love Foote though with that first pick.

 

[Mr Snrub]

Nik Pop has a lot of redflags though....I'm liking what I've read about Vesalainen. Looking forward to seeing him play for Finland at the WJC soon. Still would love Foote though with that first pick.

Would love to see us draft Vesalainen although it seems like for first rounders we really have lately liked to lean towards North Americans with complete games. Too far out to really tell who in that demographic will be available come draft day but two guys who jump out at me are Nic Hague and Cody Glass.

 

[MonyontheMoney]

I'm not really a fan of Popugaev. He looks noticeably disinterested or unengaged for stretches in game. Foote would be nice, as long as we don't take him too high, simply because he plays a style our prospect pool really lacks, actually, our whole organization, but I'm a big believer in BPA. Realistically, if either of the Swedish forwards (Pettersson and Andersson) are there in the 10-15 range that would be alright with me. I look forward to seeing Necas at the WJC too. It's early so things can still change but there are a few options I like that could be there when we should realistically pick. Rasmussen and Popugaev are two guys I'd steer clear of in the high first.

I hope we can snag Jake Christiansen in the middle rounds though, guy has potential to be a stud.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

I'm pumped to see how much Tolvainen has progressed.

 

[Otzelor]

. I look forward to seeing Necas at the WJC too. It's early so things can still change but there are a few options I like that could be there when we should realistically pick. Rasmussen and Popugaev are two guys I'd steer clear of in the high first.

Necas is a beast, it´s insane what he is doing as a 17 year old in the first Czech league.

I have no clue how someone like Future Considerations can rank him #23.
#6 from Hockeyprospect might be a bit too high but this guy should be drafted in the Top 10, if he keeps up his play and can impress at the WJH event

 

[L13]

There's been very little hype for Mason Shaw, who's ripping up the WHL. I can't remember watching him, so I can't speak to whether his playing style seems translatable, but just looking at his stats tells me he's another small player who could slip through the cracks and provide excellent value for where he's drafted. Does anyone know anything more about him?

 

[Meatpuppet42]

I dont know if we need another D prospect. We already have some good d prospects and one is close to ready to play (Kulak). I think it would be best if we could get a RW with high ceiling if possible. I wouldnt mind Cal Foote, but at 10-15 really I honestly hope if a good RW is available we take him.

I have been saying take a RW that shoots right for a few years now.
Last year I wanted the flames to pick Raddysh in the second round to bad no one listens
Anyone know if Owen Tippett is any good?

That's all I have to say about that.
F. Gump

 

[Mr Snrub]

I have been saying take a RW that shoots right for a few years now.
Last year I wanted the flames to pick Raddysh in the second round to bad no one listens
Anyone know if Owen Tippett is any good?

That's all I have to say about that.
F. Gump

Tippett is exclusively a trigger man, has no depth to his game. Strikes me as a guy who'll spend years putting up numbers in the AHL but will never have the consistency to make the jump to a big club.

 

[FlamerForLife]

If the flames end up having a draft pick in the 13-18 area, what would you guys think about them taking Nikita Popugaev, a big winger RH shot, above PPG in the WHL, his draft rankings seem like he would be available in that range, the only downside I see with him is the Russian factor, but it's a good sign that he's come to North America before his draft year.

 

[Mr Snrub]

If the flames end up having a draft pick in the 13-18 area, what would you guys think about them taking Nikita Popugaev, a big winger RH shot, above PPG in the WHL, his draft rankings seem like he would be available in that range, the only downside I see with him is the Russian factor, but it's a good sign that he's come to North America before his draft year.

You should read the thread before asking questions others have asked

 

[L13]

If the flames end up having a draft pick in the 13-18 area, what would you guys think about them taking Nikita Popugaev, a big winger RH shot, above PPG in the WHL, his draft rankings seem like he would be available in that range, the only downside I see with him is the Russian factor, but it's a good sign that he's come to North America before his draft year.

Cale Makar because he's really good and a Flames fan/nice kid.

 

[TychoFan]

If the flames end up having a draft pick in the 13-18 area, what would you guys think about them taking Nikita Popugaev, a big winger RH shot, above PPG in the WHL, his draft rankings seem like he would be available in that range, the only downside I see with him is the Russian factor, but it's a good sign that he's come to North America before his draft year.

Doubt we draft him, but Nikita Popugaev is putting up some great numbers 21-26-47 in 34 GP with Moose Jaw. 6'6 202 RHS RW. Don't know much about him though

Nik Pop has a lot of redflags though....I'm liking what I've read about Vesalainen. Looking forward to seeing him play for Finland at the WJC soon. Still would love Foote though with that first pick.

Would love to see us draft Vesalainen although it seems like for first rounders we really have lately liked to lean towards North Americans with complete games. Too far out to really tell who in that demographic will be available come draft day but two guys who jump out at me are Nic Hague and Cody Glass.

I am also interested in the 2017 draft but I have not been able to follow it as much as the past years. It is really still up in the air where we will draft. We could end up with a top 5 pick and I wouldn't be too surprised. I hope we get someone interesting!

 

[Roughly6Owls]

Last year I wanted the flames to pick Raddysh in the second round to bad no one listens...

To be fair to the Flames scouting team, neither Dubé or Parsons look like bad picks so far -- Dubé doesn't have the flashy numbers that Raddysh does, but he also doesn't play with the same quality of players. Getting a regular shift with Dylan Strome probably helps Raddysh a bit, both in Erie and at the WJC. Parsons is pretty much the undisputed best American goaltender younger than Demko.

Anyway, at this point it's pretty clear we're unlikely to draft top five/ten. I expect we'll be around OTT/NJD type of territory from last year (though I hope we sneak into that 15th overall slot like we did in 2015). For forwards, realistically I'm hoping that Andersson, Necas, Pettersson, or Yamamoto is available around our pick -- I am curious about Mittelstadt though, who is playing in the Minnesota high school league right now. I wonder if that'll drop his draft stock at all, since he's been ranked in the top five very consistently. Not really sure what to think of Comtois or Kostin, who both appear to be taking Saad-esque dives down the rankings as the season progresses. I wonder if either falls into the second round like Saad did (or Benson, from last year) -- and if that happens, I think whoever takes them will be very happy with that pick.

For defensemen, it looks like Liljegren will be out of reach. I hesitantly think Makar's my #2: he's small, but apparently still growing, the offensive skill and excellent skating is there, and I love the idea of taking the guy who grew up liking the Flames. Presumably he's worth the consideration since he's rocketing up the draft boards -- admittedly, playing in the AJHL is an asterisk for me, and it's only slightly offset by success in the U18 tournaments he's attended in the last year.

Outside of Makar, I don't really like the idea of the top defensemen this year: Foote and Hague are both good skaters for their size, but not relative to the other players in the year -- and both seem like exactly the kind of defenseman that the game is moving away from. That was the same reason I didn't like Logan Stanley last year. The non-Liljegren Euro defensemen (Brannstrom, Heiskanen, Salo, Vaakanainen, Valimaki) all seem like they're late first rounders with more flaws than Makar, though admittedly they're all playing at higher levels.

All that being said, I think we're more likely to take a forward than a defenseman in round one this year, just because of who's available.

 

[Dack]

To be fair to the Flames scouting team, neither Dubé or Parsons look like bad picks so far -- Dubé doesn't have the flashy numbers that Raddysh does, but he also doesn't play with the same quality of players. Getting a regular shift with Dylan Strome probably helps Raddysh a bit, both in Erie and at the WJC. Parsons is pretty much the undisputed best American goaltender younger than Demko.

Anyway, at this point it's pretty clear we're unlikely to draft top five/ten. I expect we'll be around OTT/NJD type of territory from last year (though I hope we sneak into that 15th overall slot like we did in 2015). For forwards, realistically I'm hoping that Andersson, Necas, Pettersson, or Yamamoto is available around our pick -- I am curious about Mittelstadt though, who is playing in the Minnesota high school league right now. I wonder if that'll drop his draft stock at all, since he's been ranked in the top five very consistently. Not really sure what to think of Comtois or Kostin, who both appear to be taking Saad-esque dives down the rankings as the season progresses. I wonder if either falls into the second round like Saad did (or Benson, from last year) -- and if that happens, I think whoever takes them will be very happy with that pick.

For defensemen, it looks like Liljegren will be out of reach. I hesitantly think Makar's my #2: he's small, but apparently still growing, the offensive skill and excellent skating is there, and I love the idea of taking the guy who grew up liking the Flames. Presumably he's worth the consideration since he's rocketing up the draft boards -- admittedly, playing in the AJHL is an asterisk for me, and it's only slightly offset by success in the U18 tournaments he's attended in the last year.

Outside of Makar, I don't really like the idea of the top defensemen this year: Foote and Hague are both good skaters for their size, but not relative to the other players in the year -- and both seem like exactly the kind of defenseman that the game is moving away from. That was the same reason I didn't like Logan Stanley last year. The non-Liljegren Euro defensemen (Brannstrom, Heiskanen, Salo, Vaakanainen, Valimaki) all seem like they're late first rounders with more flaws than Makar, though admittedly they're all playing at higher levels.

All that being said, I think we're more likely to take a forward than a defenseman in round one this year, just because of who's available.

I really hope that teams don't view Mittlestadt in the same light as posters on HFboards, because to me if he falls out of the top 6 or so it could be a huge steal for whoever gets him (us please). I also like the 4 forwards you listed. For defence I do actually like what I've heard about Cal Foote but I'm not too interested in Hague.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

I think I want a forward, then 2-3 dmen with our next picks.

 

[MonyontheMoney]

I've always had a hard time picking who I'd want for targets before we know we're the pick is. I will say though, there are 4 guys I'm skeptical about who are rated highly that I do hope we steer clear of. Kostin, Popugayev, Tippett, and Rasmussen.

I do like the idea of getting one of Andersson, Pettersson, Heiskanen, or Vesalainen. Another name I'll throw into the mix who doesn't get a lot of love but I'm a fan of is Nick Suzuki, or if we end up getting a later pick somehow Kole Lind.

Past the 1st round I'd be thrilled if we could add Joni Ikonen, Kole Lind, and/or Jake Christiansen. All of which are some of my favourite 2017 eligbles period.

 

[FLAMESFAN]

I've always had a hard time picking who I'd want for targets before we know we're the pick is. I will say though, there are 4 guys I'm skeptical about who are rated highly that I do hope we steer clear of. Kostin, Popugayev, Tippett, and Rasmussen.

I do like the idea of getting one of Andersson, Pettersson, Heiskanen, or Vesalainen. Another name I'll throw into the mix who doesn't get a lot of love but I'm a fan of is Nick Suzuki, or if we end up getting a later pick somehow Kole Lind.

Past the 1st round I'd be thrilled if we could add Joni Ikonen, Kole Lind, and/or Jake Christiansen. All of which are some of my favourite 2017 eligbles period.

While I agree that there are red flags around these guys, you have to look at where we'd be picking (about 15th?). We'd be crazy to not take a chance on Tippett at that point. I agree on Lind too, he's rising on most lists, but I hope we can snag him with our 2nd.

 

[Calculon]

Given league wide parity, the Flames could stay in the race until almost the very end but still finish with a high pick.

They're in a wildcard spot right now (mainly because they've played more games) but they're also just 4 points out of a bottom five finish versus 9 points out of a Pacific division spot and 10 spots from the division lead itself.

And the absolutely brutal stretch at the every end means it's probably more likely they finish with a top ten pick than in a playoff spot, unless they start to play with a little (a lot) more consistency.