Prospect Info: Panthers 2018 Entry Draft Talk

[jvr32]

Can someone explain the hype around Denisenko? His MHL numbers look very average (good to great prospects are usually PPG or above in that league) and he didn't make the U18 team (unless he was injured?).

Or is this draft class really that bad?

He was really good in the Hlinka Tournament last summer and in the U18 Five Nations Tournament which was held a couple of months ago in Plymouth. The scouts from North America were there in big force since they don't have many chances to see players who are playing in European leagues. When a player who is highly touted in Europe and does well in those international games, the hype goes up. He played in the same line with other two top prospects Andrei Svechnikov and Alexander Khovanov. I have no idea why he was not in the U18 team but there must be a good reason because the Russians clearly think highly of him. I think he (Denisenko) might drop real hard in the draft but it doesn't mean he's a bad player. I think teams just don't have enough reports and complete picture on him to pick him that high and they will not unless their Russian based scouts are pushing hard. He is definitely one of the guys Panthers should be looking at (with Kravtsov). I hope our Russian scout knows what he's doing.

 

[SoupyFIN]

He was really good in the Hlinka Tournament last summer and in the U18 Five Nations Tournament which was held a couple of months ago in Plymouth. The scouts from North America were there in big force since they don't have many chances to see players who are playing in European leagues. When a player who is highly touted in Europe and does well in those international games, the hype goes up. He played in the same line with other two top prospects Andrei Svechnikov and Alexander Khovanov. I have no idea why he was not in the U18 team but there must be a good reason because the Russians clearly think highly of him. I think he (Denisenko) might drop real hard in the draft but it doesn't mean he's a bad player. I think teams just don't have enough reports and complete picture on him to pick him that high and they will not unless their Russian based scouts are pushing hard. He is definitely one of the guys Panthers should be looking at (with Kravtsov). I hope our Russian scout knows what he's doing.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think he's a bad player at all, but I kinda question if he's worth a top20 pick. I see him more as an early 2nd rounder.

 

[Jakeybonz]

It's a conundrum for Boo as he has hinted he would like to move Yandle off the shutdown role which can only mean he is slotted on the 3rd pairing and is a PP specialist. This presents lots of additional problems on who to pair Ek with that is LH and can carry the puck. It will be interesting to see what they come up with in a trade/UFA or they may just decide to leave the first pair alone.

I'd leave it alone if yandle and ek can play like they did the last 20 games. yandle had the best year of his career 200 ft. wise. he was seriously awesome all over the ice. I hope it wasn't just an outlier. maybe they taught him how to play D. if he really did learn, then he's a real #2 D to me. the thought of yandle and ek earning their contracts just seems insane to me though. if just one does, I'm happy.

 

[Brokin]

Craig Button has us calling Joe Veleno's name, a C with LHS. He has speed for days and does play in the corners, 6'1, 195lb but more of a playmaker than scorer. Can be used in all situations and could be a backup plan if we can't re-sign Trocheck down the road.

Bob Mackenzie saying one of Grigori Denisenko or Vitali Kravtsov are in around 15th. Vitali is a RW with LHS, seems like he may be more NHL ready with his 6'2, 185lb frame playing 35 KHL games and brings some grit and skill. Didn't have impressive regular season numbers (4 g, 11pts in 35 games) but had a solid playoff showing with 6 goals, 11pts in 16 games. Has good speed, soft hands and is pretty decent defensively

Grigori's is a LW with RHS, 5'10, 170 lb build who only played in the MHL this year, although GD is only 17 years old is a playmaker with top end speed, good vision and a decent shot. Apparently the knock on him is his temper and bad discipline which leads to penalties, also needs to learn to play a 200ft game.

Sam Consentino from Sportsnet has us picking hulking 6'5, 205lb Serron Noel, a RW with RHS. A net front presence who has some wheels and a pretty heavy shot. Won the 30M dash in CHL prospects combine so speed is not an issue, the knock on him is he does not play to his size enough which takes off some interest for me.

Funny that Button has Veleno ranked at 27th and he sees us picking him 15th? These guys that have physically matured at 17 have always made me shy away unless they are just completely dominant.

I wasn't aware of Kravtsov and I don't think too many other talking heads are either. He posted some nice numbers in the MHL but I will look to our scouts/analytics to decide if he's better than Denisenko. Russia obviously thinks quite a bit of Denisenko to have him on the same line as Svechnikov for the 5 Nations a few months ago. His physical stature has grown in one of the latest scouting reports at 5'11"/175. I saw an interview with him and he has a thick neck and muscular shoulders but the camera angle did not show a complete picture. In any event he looks to be all of 175 and maybe bigger. I see him very easily at 190 in a few years. Incidentally, his MHL numbers were reported to be low because he was slotted on a not so talented 3rd line according to a Russian blogger. I get feelings about certain players and this is one guy that screams future star. The fact that we have a small core of Russian speaking players now certainly makes me feel better about getting him over here after a year in the KHL.

Serron Noel is obviously a physical specimen that has a very high ceiling. I've read a few reports on him and apparently he took some power skating last off season and really improved in that area. However they said he was still knocked off his stride quite easily during the season. Most of his goals are him physically dominating in front of the goalie according to one report. Too much risk for me at 15 as I can see a Crouse scenario if things don't improve next season. Now watch him dominate and end up the steal of the draft.

 

[Brokin]

I'd leave it alone if yandle and ek can play like they did the last 20 games. yandle had the best year of his career 200 ft. wise. he was seriously awesome all over the ice. I hope it wasn't just an outlier. maybe they taught him how to play D. if he really did learn, then he's a real #2 D to me. the thought of yandle and ek earning their contracts just seems insane to me though. if just one does, I'm happy.

Unless they make some blockbuster trade with Ek, I see them back at their respective slots. I thought Ek was really the weak link as far as shutdown goes. Yandle stepped up and used his stick and positioning to have a nice year defensively. Hopefully it won't end up as an outlier.

Ek hopefully has gotten the message that he needed to get stronger and play the body in lieu of that octopus push and shove he does. Ekman-Larsson used that octopus style until Tocchet demanded he play the body this past season and he did great. Yandle is what he is and it should be a fine pairing if Ek can take it to the next level defensively. It still wouldn't make him worth $7.5M per but it would be closer than his present value at $5. to $5.5M.

 

[Jakeybonz]

Funny that Button has Veleno ranked at 27th and he sees us picking him 15th? These guys that have physically matured at 17 have always made me shy away unless they are just completely dominant.

I wasn't aware of Kravtsov and I don't think too many other talking heads are either. He posted some nice numbers in the MHL but I will look to our scouts/analytics to decide if he's better than Denisenko. Russia obviously thinks quite a bit of Denisenko to have him on the same line as Svechnikov for the 5 Nations a few months ago. His physical stature has grown in one of the latest scouting reports at 5'11"/175. I saw an interview with him and he has a thick neck and muscular shoulders but the camera angle did not show a complete picture. In any event he looks to be all of 175 and maybe bigger. I see him very easily at 190 in a few years. Incidentally, his MHL numbers were reported to be low because he was slotted on a not so talented 3rd line according to a Russian blogger. I get feelings about certain players and this is one guy that screams future star. The fact that we have a small core of Russian speaking players now certainly makes me feel better about getting him over here after a year in the KHL.

Serron Noel is obviously a physical specimen that has a very high ceiling. I've read a few reports on him and apparently he took some power skating last off season and really improved in that area. However they said he was still knocked off his stride quite easily during the season. Most of his goals are him physically dominating in front of the goalie according to one report. Too much risk for me at 15 as I can see a Crouse scenario if things don't improve next season. Now watch him dominate and end up the steal of the draft.

its seriously crazy how similarly we see hockey. I also see stars when I look at denisenko. I don't know why but I feel like he's gonna be a first round steal like tarasenko was. maybe its just the name that's throwing us at him Noel is the one I'm most afraid of tallon idiotically taking cause he has a thing for lumbering men. make of that what u will. I don't think noel will make us eat our words so rest easy

 

[Brokin]

its seriously crazy how similarly we see hockey. I also see stars when I look at denisenko. I don't know why but I feel like he's gonna be a first round steal like tarasenko was. maybe its just the name that's throwing us at him Noel is the one I'm most afraid of tallon idiotically taking cause he has a thing for lumbering men. make of that what u will. I don't think noel will make us eat our words so rest easy

Denisenko certainly has the tools to be something special. Although not a C, his quickness and puckhandling abilities remind me of Barzal plus he has that Bure top end speed. If you look at his highlights (which the first part is boring) from the last half of the tape you'll see what I mean. The last few minutes are his goals and assists from the Five Nations Tournament.

Tarasenko and Denisenko are both of Ukraine descent who happened to be born in Russia. Denisenko is from southern Siberia and Russia's 3rd largest city. He looks to have some bloodlines from one of the Stans ala Kazakhstan mixed in. Here's an interview from a year ago. He seems to be flirting with the female reporter asking the questions and if he makes it in the NHL, that Hollywood smile will get him plenty of endorsements.

If we draft Noel, then you can bet Dale is calling the shots. My guess is he has been told to defer to the committee.

 

[Steve Kournianos]

New mock draft is posted. Kaut, Berggren, Ylonen just miss the first round. Same with Bernard-Docker, Dellandrea, McGlaughlin -- all are first-round quality:

NHL Mock Draft 2018: Sabres hit jackpot with Rasmus Dahlin; lottery prizes aplenty after No. 1

 

[letsgrowcactus]

New mock draft is posted. Kaut, Berggren, Ylonen just miss the first round. Same with Bernard-Docker, Dellandrea, McGlaughlin -- all are first-round quality:

NHL Mock Draft 2018: Sabres hit jackpot with Rasmus Dahlin; lottery prizes aplenty after No. 1

I know it's said "don't draft for need", but - just how much is Hayton better than Wilde? Because we desperately need to add some defencemen into our prospect pool and we have drafted from NTDP last year...

 

[iam76]

Bode Wilde is a solid choice in this spot.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi is def up there for me.. think he fills a real need on the team. Could go either way with this pic and then flip the opposite in round 2.

Only other thing i would try would be to move up and grab
Oliver Wahlstrom

but that would be a dream scenario.. the kid might go anywhere from 3-10 in my opinion

 

[Jakeybonz]

Bode Wilde is a solid choice in this spot.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi is def up there for me.. think he fills a real need on the team. Could go either way with this pic and then flip the opposite in round 2.

Only other thing i would try would be to move up and grab
Oliver Wahlstrom

but that would be a dream scenario.. the kid might go anywhere from 3-10 in my opinion

yea but trading up makes little sense for a team trying to win now. we should be trading down or trading the pick if anything.

 

[Jakeybonz]

Denisenko certainly has the tools to be something special. Although not a C, his quickness and puckhandling abilities remind me of Barzal plus he has that Bure top end speed. If you look at his highlights (which the first part is boring) from the last half of the tape you'll see what I mean. The last few minutes are his goals and assists from the Five Nations Tournament.

Tarasenko and Denisenko are both of Ukraine descent who happened to be born in Russia. Denisenko is from southern Siberia and Russia's 3rd largest city. He looks to have some bloodlines from one of the Stans ala Kazakhstan mixed in. Here's an interview from a year ago. He seems to be flirting with the female reporter asking the questions and if he makes it in the NHL, that Hollywood smile will get him plenty of endorsements.

If we draft Noel, then you can bet Dale is calling the shots. My guess is he has been told to defer to the committee.

if anything it seems like the girl was flirting with him lol. but yea I like small to average sized skilled fwds. size doesn't mean what it once did and if u can get a better player just cause he's 5'10 and not 6'2 I'd say do it any day. I don't know about bure speed though. I like the kid but lets not go crazy

 

[Brokin]

if anything it seems like the girl was flirting with him lol. but yea I like small to average sized skilled fwds. size doesn't mean what it once did and if u can get a better player just cause he's 5'10 and not 6'2 I'd say do it any day. I don't know about bure speed though. I like the kid but lets not go crazy

Okay, Bure when he came to the Cats on one leg. He's still much faster than that supposed speedster Tippett.

 

[Brokin]

Bode Wilde is a solid choice in this spot.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi is def up there for me.. think he fills a real need on the team. Could go either way with this pic and then flip the opposite in round 2.

Only other thing i would try would be to move up and grab
Oliver Wahlstrom

but that would be a dream scenario.. the kid might go anywhere from 3-10 in my opinion

Why would we draft another pure Center that is projected as a top 6? Kotkaniemi from what I've read is not the swiftest guy on two skates. He sounds more like Tavares lite without the goal scoring ability. Nothing wrong with that but he would just serve as a depth player until Borgstrom or McCann prove they can't handle the 3C.

 

[iam76]

Why would we draft another pure Center that is projected as a top 6? Kotkaniemi from what I've read is not the swiftest guy on two skates. He sounds more like Tavares lite without the goal scoring ability. Nothing wrong with that but he would just serve as a depth player until Borgstrom or McCann prove they can't handle the 3C.

confused last time I checked they both are projected as wingers.

 

[Brokin]

confused last time I checked they both are projected as wingers.

Well McCann played most of the season at 3C and the four games Borg got were at 3C. Borgs coach at Denver said he is much better at C defensively than at wing and to minimize errors I think Mr. Boo started him there. The problem with both of these guys is the FO circle. One of them has to improve or it's quite possible they may keep Bjesus there if he is not traded.

Most of the scouts on Kotkaniemi figure he ends up in a top six C role. I would think he will not be happy being drafted by us with Tro/Barkov ahead of him. In the latest scouting report (attached), pretty much confirms he is slotted at C as it best suites his game. A few have said he has the ability to play wing with his quick release but I question his slightly better than average speed as being a negative in today's NHL. He has a complete 200' game and it's something I think a team like Montreal will look at since the defensive responsibility is greatest at Center. Montreal is so desperate for help at Center that he could end up being picked at 3, but Bergevin values his life too much if he doesn't take Zadina. Barkov was never considered fast (although he got faster this year) when he was drafted. His skill, size and distribution skills were his calling card.

2018 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Jesperi Kotkaniemi

 

[iam76]

Well McCann played most of the season at 3C and the four games Borg got were at 3C. Borgs coach at Denver said he is much better at C defensively than at wing and to minimize errors I think Mr. Boo started him there. The problem with both of these guys is the FO circle. One of them has to improve or it's quite possible they may keep Bjesus there if he is not traded.

Most of the scouts on Kotkaniemi figure he ends up in a top six C role. I would think he will not be happy being drafted by us with Tro/Barkov ahead of him. In the latest scouting report (attached), pretty much confirms he is slotted at C as it best suites his game. A few have said he has the ability to play wing with his quick release but I question his slightly better than average speed as being a negative in today's NHL. He has a complete 200' game and it's something I think a team like Montreal will look at since the defensive responsibility is greatest at Center. Montreal is so desperate for help at Center that he could end up being picked at 3. Barkov was never considered fast (although he got faster this year) when he was drafted. His skill, size and distribution skills were his calling card. I could definitely see Montreal picking him.

2018 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Jesperi Kotkaniemi

the fact alot compare him to rantanen should make alot of us drool... I think we have to consider this kid if hes there.

 

[Brokin]

the fact alot compare him to rantanen should make alot of us drool... I think we have to consider this kid if hes there.

He's just not the type of player we need. I respect your opinion and will jump out of my first story window if he makes it to us and we take him.

 

[iam76]

He's just not the type of player we need. I respect your opinion and will jump out of my first story window if he makes it us and we take him.

hahah i'll hold you to that

 

[BB88]

He's just not the type of player we need. I respect your opinion and will jump out of my first story window if he makes it to us and we take him.

Don't worry, he's not going to last to 15. Best C-prospect in this draft who finished the season with u18 gold.

But if somehow he was there I wouldn't ignore him because he's a C.

 

[FinlandPanther]

Don't worry, he's not going to last to 15. Best C-prospect in this draft who finished the season with u18 gold.

But if somehow he was there I wouldn't ignore him because he's a C.

All depends on the draft boards.

 

[PanthersHockey1]

Don't we have a high pick in the 2nd round from the Coyotes? Why can't we package #15 and that 2nd round pick to move up in the first round?

 

[iam76]

Don't we have a high pick in the 2nd round from the Coyotes? Why can't we package #15 and that 2nd round pick to move up in the first round?

Throw in mascherin and make it happen.. most likely getting two players at this point is seen as more valuable maybe?

 

[Brokin]

Don't we have a high pick in the 2nd round from the Coyotes? Why can't we package #15 and that 2nd round pick to move up in the first round?

IMO and quite a few talking heads, this is a very talented draft for players 1-10. I don't see anyone moving out of the top 10 for numbers 15 and 34.

 

[GermanPanther]

Short Question what value has the Pick 15 in the first Round.
We say we need this and that and we can spend to max. But could we get a Top6 Winger or Top4 Dman in return?