Prospect Info: Senators Prospects Watch 2017/2018

Which 2017 prospect will break out this season?


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aligator

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Jan 3, 2008
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I can attempt to answer this question.

He is a bit clumsy and scrambily with the puck. He doesn't have those smooth hand where he controls pucks easily
He is not the cleanest exit passer out of the defensive zone. In my viewings, there were several misses and blind looks that strayed from the target.
He can get beat when players drive wide on him.
There is a kind of stiffness to his game.

Steady 25-30 point d-man is his floor.
I prefer Bouchard to Dobson. I think he is NHL ready now.
 
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HSF

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Sep 3, 2008
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wouldn't dobson be the so called 'safe pick' that many don't want?
 

Burrowsaurus

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Mar 20, 2013
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I can attempt to answer this question.

He is a bit clumsy and scrambily with the puck. He doesn't have those smooth hands where he controls the puck easily
He is not the cleanest exit passer out of the defensive zone. In my viewings, there were several misses and blind looks that strayed from the target.
He can get beat when players drive wide on him.
There is a kind of stiffness to his game.

Steady 25-30 point d-man is his floor.
stiff shoulders and hips never a good sign for me with d men.
 

TkachukNorris79

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Jan 27, 2018
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wouldn't dobson be the so called 'safe pick' that many don't want?

Not really. I think he's a solid pick as his floor is fairly high as is his ceiling. As opposed to Tkachuk who has a very high floor but a lower ceiling. And Boqvist who could easily be a bust but could also end up close to EK level offensively.

If Dobson reaches his ceiling, he'll be similar to Pietrangelo. If he gets close but not all the way to the ceiling, he'll be similar to Parayko. If he hits his floor, he'll probably be a slightly better version of Ceci right now (not as bad as everyone thinks).
 

Sens in Process

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Oct 1, 2012
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wouldn't dobson be the so called 'safe pick' that many don't want?

Exactly, he is the high floor -low ceiling type of player so many criticize.

I didn't see a defensive stalwart and didn't see high end upside.

I actually think Tkachuk has a greater chance of being a 70 point player than Dobson reaching 50. Tkachuk actually, despite common misconceptions, has high end hands and vision.

Just my humble opinion..

Tom Wilson has had a real and discernible impact on the playoffs, with his physicality and offense. Tkachuk is much more talented player with a similar relentless motor. The kid could be special.
 
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Korpse

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Feb 5, 2010
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I can attempt to answer this question.

He is a bit clumsy and scrambily with the puck. He doesn't have those smooth hands where he controls the puck easily
He is not the cleanest exit passer out of the defensive zone. In my viewings, there were several misses and blind looks that strayed from the target.
He can get beat when players drive wide on him.
There is a kind of stiffness to his game.

Steady 25-30 point d-man is his floor.

Haven’t seen much of Dobson but this description reminds me a lot of a current senators defensmen.
 
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FolignoQuantumLeap

Don't Hold The Door
Mar 16, 2009
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Exactly, he is the high floor -low ceiling type of player so many criticize.

I didn't see a defensive stalwart and didn't see high end upside.

I actually think Tkachuk has a greater chance of being a 70 point player than Dobson reaching 50. Tkachuk actually, despite common misconceptions, has high end hands and vision.

Just my humble opinion..

Tom Wilson has had a real and discernible impact on the playoffs, with his physicality and offense. Tkachuk is much more talented player with a similar relentless motor. The kid could be special.
I'd like to hear a coherent argument for Dobson having a low ceiling.
 

Sens in Process

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Oct 1, 2012
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Tough and dismissive crowd, yikes.
There are plenty of reasons to believe Dobson' s upside isn't a high end offensive d-man. But since some thought my layman's scouting report wasnt on point, I will defer to more qualified voices to speak on my behalf.

The one knock on Dobson's offensive game is that he sometimes rushes his next play or fumbles the puck under pressure

2018 NHL Draft prospect profile: Defenceman Noah Dobson has size, speed, and skill

He may not have quite as high an offensive ceiling as some of the other defenders do, but his bust factor appears quite low. He has all the tools to become an impact defender in all situations.

NHL Draft: Q&A with Dobber Hockey's Cam Robinson

Most of the questions surrounding Dobson are his offensive upside. Having the tools for offense is not the same as being offensive. Obviously, Dobson nets a lot of points, and that’s great. But he doesn’t have quick hand speed, and in the footage I’ve drawn from, I don’t think he’s uniquely adept at finding passing lanes in multiple directions.

2018 NHL Entry Draft Prospect Profile: Noah Dobson - Defending Big D

Yes I could easily find scouting reports to substantiate my opinion. Dobson looks like a potentially low ceiling type. I say type, because I don't want to speak with categorical certainty. He does have impressive attributes that have been well documented. And with proper development, his skills could translate into a high-end player. I'm not so sure though

But from what I have seen, at this moment in time, his hands and passing are not high end .

I like Dobson. I would have no problems taking him at 4, but there are questions around his offensive game.
 
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aragorn

Do The Right Thing
Aug 8, 2004
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Most experts seem to agree that Dahlin & Svechnikov will go 0ne & two in the 2018 draft. Pick the guy you want Ottawa to draft & why. I'm guessing there could be 5 or six guys who most think Ottawa should pick at #4 overall. Who would you choose right now?

My Pick:
Tkachuk - he's big, he's tough, he plays a pain in the ass style game that is disruptive at both ends of the ice. He's highly skilled, he's a good skater, can score in different ways & can also be a playmaker but his strength seems to be to dig pucks out of the corners & along the boards & be a disruptive agitator. Imagine how disruptive he would be in front of the opponents net & how many tip ins & garbage goals he could pick up.

Tkachuk is very close to being NHL ready & he will be able to play in all situations, on the PP or the PK but more importantly he would be a very good future compliment & contrast player for Brown who is somewhat soft given his size. A future line of Tkachuk, Brown & Batherson would be formidable I would think. Who do you like & why?
 

R2010

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May 23, 2011
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Most experts seem to agree that Dahlin & Svechnikov will go 0ne & two in the 2018 draft. Pick the guy you want Ottawa to draft & why. I'm guessing there could be 5 or six guys who most think Ottawa should pick at #4 overall. Who would you choose right now?

My Pick:
Tkachuk - he's big, he's tough, he plays a pain in the ass style game that is disruptive at both ends of the ice. He's highly skilled, he's a good skater, can score in different ways & can also be a playmaker but his strength seems to be to dig pucks out of the corners & along the boards & be a disruptive agitator. Imagine how disruptive he would be in front of the opponents net & how many tip ins & garbage goals he could pick up.

Tkachuk is very close to being NHL ready & he will be able to play in all situations, on the PP or the PK but more importantly he would be a very good future compliment & contrast player for Brown who is somewhat soft given his size. A future line of Tkachuk, Brown & Batherson would be formidable I would think. Who do you like & why?

Tough one at this point. My thoughts keep evolving. Right now it is Dobson. but only because I value D above wingers if they're in the same tier because of the steeper acquisition cost on the trade market. Stylistically he reminds me of Fowler/Carlson.

Also depends on if Zadina is on the board. At 4, I would like one of Zadina, Wahlstrom, Dobson. If we move back (say to 6/7) then add Hughes/Tkachuk to that list.

Kotkaniemi, Boqvist and Bouchard all have a good chance to be high upside players but have a little more risk and the first two may take a while to adjust to the NA pro game.

In a perfect world, we're picking at 6 after acquiring an asset to move back.
 

harrisb

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Oct 6, 2009
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If Zadina is on the board I want him strictly for raw skill. I wouldn't be terribly upset with Tkachuk as I believe his size motor and skills will open up a lot of space for other players. It does concern me that he is older for his draft year however. If we are going D I like Hughes
 

SPF6ty9

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Feb 22, 2016
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Tough and dismissive crowd, yikes.
There are plenty of reasons to believe Dobson' s upside isn't a high end offensive d-man. But since some thought my layman's scouting report wasnt on point, I will defer to more qualified voices to speak on my behalf.



2018 NHL Draft prospect profile: Defenceman Noah Dobson has size, speed, and skill



NHL Draft: Q&A with Dobber Hockey's Cam Robinson



2018 NHL Entry Draft Prospect Profile: Noah Dobson - Defending Big D

Yes I could easily find scouting reports to substantiate my opinion. Dobson looks like a potentially low ceiling type. I say type, because I don't want to speak with categorical certainty. He does have impressive attributes that have been well documented. And with proper development, his skills could translate into a high-end player. I'm not so sure though

But from what I have seen, at this moment in time, his hands and passing are not high end .

I like Dobson. I would have no problems taking him at 4, but there are questions around his offensive game.

I originally really liked Dobson. But I've started to wonder and worry a bit about his skill with the puck as noted above. Even watching highlights from the memorial cup the other day he makes a great cross crease pass to set up a goal, but he's bobbling the puck up the ice before he does that. At this point, I think I'd feel a little more comfortable about Hughes. Although Dobson certainly has the potential to be a game changer moving forward, I just feel like his weaknesses are in areas that are hard to / you don't typically see much improvement especially moving up a few levels. Of course, I haven't watched him nearly enough to form a concrete opinion.
 

Sens in Process

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Oct 1, 2012
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I originally really liked Dobson. But I've started to wonder and worry a bit about his skill with the puck as noted above. Even watching highlights from the memorial cup the other day he makes a great cross crease pass to set up a goal, but he's bobbling the puck up the ice before he does that. At this point, I think I'd feel a little more comfortable about Hughes. Although Dobson certainly has the potential to be a game changer moving forward, I just feel like his weaknesses are in areas that are hard to / you don't typically see much improvement especially moving up a few levels. Of course, I haven't watched him nearly enough to form a concrete opinion.

I was actually going to use that very example in my original post. I watched that game. He was gifted an open lane and took full advantage of it with his excellent speed, but that puck would not settle down for him.

Is it a fatal flaw? I am really unsure.
 

R2010

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May 23, 2011
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I was actually going to use that very example in my original post. I watched that game. He was gifted an open lane and took full advantage of it with his excellent speed, but that puck would not settle down for him.

Is it a fatal flaw? I am really unsure.

Dobson is an extremely raw prospect with loads of development to do physically and skill wise. His hockey IQ and skating is already NHL caliber.

Personally, I believe how Dobson produces is translatable to the NHL level. How Boqvist (for example) produces will require more development to effectively translate.

Dobson's game is not to dangle through opponents. He generates tremendous shot production in a more standard D-man way and by jumping up with speed at the right times. His passing is crisp and accurate and he makes very effective short passes which is a very important skill that translates at the NHL level for D-men.

He could absolutely improve his hands in terms of puck control. I agree with this - right now for a D-man it is average. But it is always important to keep in mind that very few offensive D-men translate to the NHL as danglers because it requires tremendous hockey IQ and skating to execute.

Given the commitment he has put on getting better throughout his career (moving to Austria?), I would not be shocked to see major improvements in his hands by the time he reaches the NHL.

I believe it to be easier to improve Dobson's areas of weakness (puck control, strength) compared to many of the other players at the top end of the draft who scouts have concerns with in areas like hockey IQ, speed, size etc... This is why I view Dobson as being a high ceiling, high floor prospect in a similar tier to Wahlstrom.
 

harrisb

Registered User
Oct 6, 2009
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I was actually going to use that very example in my original post. I watched that game. He was gifted an open lane and took full advantage of it with his excellent speed, but that puck would not settle down for him.

Is it a fatal flaw? I am really unsure.
Skating can be taught, it's REALLY hard to teach someone soft hands, ask Ceci, Lazar, Cowen, etc Hands are a natural skill and not as much of a learned skill and subpar skills at a lower level are for sure a red flag.
 
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BondraTime

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Nov 20, 2005
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Skating can be taught, it's REALLY hard to teach someone soft hands, ask Ceci
It's Ceci's brain, not his hands, that hold him back. He thinks the game a second too slow.

In the 40+ games I've seen of Dobson the past 2 years, hands have never been an issue, nor has it been brought up by the dozen or so of scouts I've chatted with this year alone.

I mean he doesn't have hands like Boqvist or Hughes, that's definitely true. There is nothin better concerning about them whatsoever though, no matter how many times the puck has bounced and bobbled these 3 nationally televised Mem Cup games.

The Sens won't be drafting Dobson regardless, so the point is moot.
 
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Sens in Process

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Oct 1, 2012
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Another write up from today
Blueshirt Banter 2018 NHL Draft Rankings - #12 Noah Dobson
In particular, it’s one that Dobson can exploit simply by being so much faster than everyone else. Dobson is a decent passer, and has pretty good puck poise. His shot is nondescript. There’s no notable stickhandling ability or vision. I don’t think there’s enough in his toolbox to produce significantly at the NHL level, where players will be better matched for his speed and, more importantly, fine-tuned neutral zone setups will limit his ability to skate into space with the puck. Is he going to be quarterbacking the top power play unit in the NHL? I don’t think so, but he is for Acadie-Bathurst.

His skating masks a lot of his defiencies. At the next level, it may not be so pretty.

Does this qualify as low ceiling?
 

BondraTime

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Nov 20, 2005
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Why are we using SBNation basement blogger lists as anything?

"Is he going to be QBing the best PP in the NHL? Probably not".

Great insight :laugh:
 

Blarginator

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Mar 24, 2010
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It's Ceci's brain, not his hands, that hold him back. He thinks the game a second too slow.

In the 40+ games I've seen of Dobson the past 2 years, hands have never been an issue, nor has it been brought up by the dozen or so of scouts I've chatted with this year alone.

I mean he doesn't have hands like Boqvist or Hughes, that's definitely true. There is nothin better concerning about them whatsoever though, no matter how many times the puck has bounced and bobbled these 3 nationally televised Mem Cup games.

The Sens won't be drafting Dobson regardless, so the point is moot.

Any reason why that is or just your gut feeling? He's the guy I was hoping for so if it's the case I'm a bit disappointed.
 
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