Prospect Info: STI 2021 Preliminary Draft Rankings (4/21)

[StevenToddIves]

I wanted to talk a bit more about Stanislav Svozil, who was simply magnificent (yet again) in all aspects of the game in the Czechs 2-1 shootout loss to the USA last night.

Svozil is a very good skater with good size at 6'1-185. His maturity in puck decisions and overall cool in all situations is shockingly good for a player his age. His hockey IQ, especially in the defensive zone, is elite. He is one of the best outlet passers in the 2021 draft -- although he's not quite Brandt Clarke, he is superior in this respect to some very touted guys like Power, Edvinsson, Lambos and Ceulemans. He is physically strong and willing to battle. He can shoot quite well, and his puck-handling is calm and deceptive without being overly flashy.

The questions with Svozil all surround "how much offense can he produce?" Yet, in the game vs. Team USA he had several terrific pinches from the point which led to high-danger opportunities for the Czechs. He absolutely undressed a pair of USA players with a spine-tingling series of moves in OT, but unfortunately (well, fortunately for me -- I root really hard for my USA) hit the post on the shot. Had the puck rang the other way, it may have been one of the top two or three highlights of the tourney thus far. His passing is precise and always intelligent.

Though I doubt Svozil will ever be a 60+ point NHL defenseman, I certainly see the potential for a shut-down guy with consistent 40+ point totals offensively.

It's interesting to me because he will quite possibly be available with the Devils second 1st round pick acquired from the Islanders in the Palmieri/Zajac deal. Though LD is not an organizational need for NJ, I feel Svozil is sorely undervalued by the draft community -- as I've been saying pretty much all year long, even from prior to his terrific WJC tournament. Though I'm not saying the Devils should definitely draft him over another high-level player at a position of greater need, I'm just saying that this kid would be very difficult for me to pass on during the draft. Stanislav Svozil is just a magnificent hockey player.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

2021 Draft Profile:

LD Dmitri Kuzmin, Dinamo-Melodechmo, BELARUS
Okay, so people need to start paying more attention to Belarus. For Devils fans, this is already a reality -- with Yegor Sharangovich as one of the top 3 rookie forwards in the NHL. As the current U18 tournament has clearly shown, Sharangovich is far from alone being a huge hockey talent from his homeland.

Much of the attention Kuzmin has received has been the result of one spectacular goal. But boy, was it a spectacular goal:



Though the "lacrosse goal" has been attempted more and more in recent years, I'm not sure I've ever seen a defenseman pull it off. But Kuzmin does not seem to be just any defenseman. He's certainly a "new age" defender -- undersized at 5'11-175 and always, always looking to join the offense. His skills are undeniable -- this is a kid with elite hands -- maybe just below Clarke and Hughes in the 2021 D class and about equivalent to Edvinsson. He is also an explosive skater -- effortlessly accelerating or changing speeds on a hair, displaying outstanding agility and edge-work. The combination of his skating and puck-handling might only trail Luke Hughes among all LD in the entire 2021 draft.

But Kuzmin is not simply a "4th forward" on the blueline sacrificing team play for the benefit of his own statistics like a Poirier or Grans in 2020. Kuzmin is driven by an intensely high motor in all three zones, and he plays with as much aggression and high pace in the defensive zone as he does in the offensive one. He is not simply a "smaller transitional defenseman", but rather a three-zone threat who is as frenetic in closing gaps and shutting the daylight out of passing lanes as he is in joining the offensive rush to create odd-man advantages. He is a precise passer and displays consistent intelligence and awareness.

Now, despite my excitement over the emergence of this young talent, we should not get ahead of ourselves. Kuzmin is never going to be a physical force or a shut-down staple in the defensive zone. He needs to work on his strength. Though he shows a strong core in possession of the puck to shield off defenders, without the puck he is certainly in need of more power in his frame, as he can be bodied out of puck battles in the dirty areas. But what I like is that none of this is from a lack of effort or courage -- like Andy Behrens for Team USA, this is a kid who leaves it all on the ice, every shift. He's a creative and fun offensive player with some truly dynamic skills with the puck.

Dmitri Kuzmin has not been given attention by almost any scouting bureau or major draft writer, making him a strong bet for the steal of the 2021 NHL Draft. Will a team take a chance on him the second round? Will he be drafted at all? This is very difficult to predict. Dobberprospects has him listed as the #98 prospect overall. Nobody else has him ranked anywhere. Kuzmin will certainly be in my top 50 or so -- just because I feel his skating/puckhandling/passing/compete combo are special.

The Devils do not have a player like Dmitri Kuzmin in the prospect pool. Though the Devils are very strong and deep at LD, they lack an offensively dynamic player at the position. There are still a lot of questions as he has played his entire amateur career in the very low-profile Belarus system, but as the U18 tournament has shown, he has absolutely electrifying talent with the puck and is better than most of this type of player without the puck. Quite simply, Dmitri Kuzmin should be on the short-list for steal of the 2021 draft.

I didn’t have a clue who he was but he really stood out to me against Sweden. Was the best defensemen in the game.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I didn’t have a clue who he was but he really stood out to me against Sweden. Was the best defensemen in the game.

Yup, he was easily better than Edvinsson or Olsson, either of whom should be first round picks. This Dmitri Kuzmin is verrrrry intriguing.

 

[StevenToddIves]

2022 Draft Profile:

RW/C Danila Klimovich, Minskie Zubry, BELARUS JR.
The other star of the unlikely Belarus success story in this year's (still underway) U18 tourney is a pure goal-scorer who, due to his background, has gone sorely unnoticed by the draft community. Danila Klimovich has burst onto the scene with 6 goals in three games, including a hat trick vs. the Swiss, several of which were just beautiful scoring plays. But looking at his stat sheet, you see a kid who has scored a ton throughout his amateur career. This year he played 37 games in the Belarusian junior circuit and totaled an eye-popping 28 goals and 24 assists. But numbers are numbers, and the solidly built 6'1-185 forward has been very difficult to acquire film upon before he burst onto the scene in the high-profile tournament he is currently dominating on all fronts.



Watching Klimovich's hat trick, it does not really display his full tool kit. He's a catch-and-release sniper who can put the puck on the net with authority from a variety of angles and positions. His accuracy is marksman-like. If Klimovich leans into a shot, he is the rare shooter who can beat a set goaltender from outside the circles -- his combination of release, velocity and accuracy will translate to any level. What I really like is that Klimovich is a volume shooter, but he's more than just a volume shooter. His feet are always moving in the offensive zone, and he's always finding reception-passing lanes for his playmaking teammates and soft spots to unleash his blast. He's a smart kid who realizes he is his team's best scoring option at any given moment, so he has learned to excel at finding openings. I think this is a kid who will score at any level.

Klimovich's one times is absolutely deadly. Goalies look for it and are still helpless. Though even for high-level shooters, accuracy seems to dip a bit on the one-timer, for Klimovich it does not. Like I said, this is a kid who can bury the puck in the twine in the blink of an eye.

Though the surrounding abilities are not as elite as his shooting, Klimovich has several nice surrounding facets to his game. He is clearly a high IQ player who always works hard. Though his 200-foot game does not shine as it does in the offensive zone, it is not for lack of effort. He is a good puck-handler and passer -- again, neither trait is elite, but they should both play up to the next levels. I would call him a good straight-line skater, though I really like his balance and strength on his skates. Klimovich works on the forecheck and in the dirty areas, and his strength and balance often combine to win him puck battles.

Danila Klimovich is another draft-day wild card. He is not rated highly by absolutely anyone at the current point. I wonder if this will change after this tournament. If I'm drafting in the 4th or 5th rounds and I see his name still on the draft board, my eyes light up. His shooting and overall game compare fairly well to players like Xavier Bourgault and Simon Robertsson, who are universally considered first round picks by the consensus. There is some serious talent coming out of Belarus in recent years -- the Devils fans see this with the terrific young Yegor Sharangovich. Klimovich could be the next Belarusian forward to be scoring bushels of goals at the NHL levels and, like Sharangovich, all indications are that he can also be had with just a mid-round pick in the 4th or 5th round.

 

[NJ Fan 12]

I don’t think Boqvist will ever be good enough to be to be a 3C and don’t think he’s a good shutdown player at all. Hoping for Clarke to be a top 6 forward is a bit ambitious IMO but not something that’s impossible and I’m not completely convinced Foote will get there either. I see Mercer as a top 6 right wing and think we might still need a good LW as well as a 3C. If Mercer is the 3C I think we still need a good RW. At LW I see Foote, Zacha, and Sharangovich as potential top 6 players. Bratt’s already penciled in and if Zacha continues this seasons level of production as a winger I think it’s fair to call him a top 6 forward. Sharangovich has had good production as rookie but I don’t see it getting much better and he doesn’t really have a top 6 skillset IMO but we’ll see how he turns out.

Curious as to the logic where you see a 22-year-old Sharangovich, who has scored 14 goals in a shortened season as reaching a plateau yet have Jesper Bratt (the same age but now in his 4th season and essentially the same player he's been) as penciled in?

It would seem Jesper Boqvist's ability to play center makes him more valuable in the long-term and given a "normal" camp and preseason a line of Sharangovich-Boqvist-Kuokkanen the opportunity to be a productive unit.

The 1C, 2C, 3C stuff tends to get bantered about a lot but it seems a Devils team with Hischier, Hughes, Boqvist and McLeod at center is a good start and gives the team a lot of options.

People refer to the McLeod line as a "fourth" line but they often start the game to set a tone and see a lot of ice time in the final ten minutes.

 

[Mike27Devils]

My top 10 that has slight biases towards Devils need is
1. Power
2. Clarke
3. Eklund
4. Hughes
5. Guenther
6. Beniers
7. Johnson
8.Edvinsson
9. Chibrikov
10. Lucious

 

[TheDuke93]

I wanted to talk a bit more about Stanislav Svozil, who was simply magnificent (yet again) in all aspects of the game in the Czechs 2-1 shootout loss to the USA last night.

Svozil is a very good skater with good size at 6'1-185. His maturity in puck decisions and overall cool in all situations is shockingly good for a player his age. His hockey IQ, especially in the defensive zone, is elite. He is one of the best outlet passers in the 2021 draft -- although he's not quite Brandt Clarke, he is superior in this respect to some very touted guys like Power, Edvinsson, Lambos and Ceulemans. He is physically strong and willing to battle. He can shoot quite well, and his puck-handling is calm and deceptive without being overly flashy.

The questions with Svozil all surround "how much offense can he produce?" Yet, in the game vs. Team USA he had several terrific pinches from the point which led to high-danger opportunities for the Czechs. He absolutely undressed a pair of USA players with a spine-tingling series of moves in OT, but unfortunately (well, fortunately for me -- I root really hard for my USA) hit the post on the shot. Had the puck rang the other way, it may have been one of the top two or three highlights of the tourney thus far. His passing is precise and always intelligent.

Though I doubt Svozil will ever be a 60+ point NHL defenseman, I certainly see the potential for a shut-down guy with consistent 40+ point totals offensively.

It's interesting to me because he will quite possibly be available with the Devils second 1st round pick acquired from the Islanders in the Palmieri/Zajac deal. Though LD is not an organizational need for NJ, I feel Svozil is sorely undervalued by the draft community -- as I've been saying pretty much all year long, even from prior to his terrific WJC tournament. Though I'm not saying the Devils should definitely draft him over another high-level player at a position of greater need, I'm just saying that this kid would be very difficult for me to pass on during the draft. Stanislav Svozil is just a magnificent hockey player.

Reminds me of a miniature Parayko.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Curious as to the logic where you see a 22-year-old Sharangovich, who has scored 14 goals in a shortened season as reaching a plateau yet have Jesper Bratt (the same age but now in his 4th season and essentially the same player he's been) as penciled in?

It would seem Jesper Boqvist's ability to play center makes him more valuable in the long-term and given a "normal" camp and preseason a line of Sharangovich-Boqvist-Kuokkanen the opportunity to be a productive unit.

The 1C, 2C, 3C stuff tends to get bantered about a lot but it seems a Devils team with Hischier, Hughes, Boqvist and McLeod at center is a good start and gives the team a lot of options.

People refer to the McLeod line as a "fourth" line but they often start the game to set a tone and see a lot of ice time in the final ten minutes.

I’m partially going off skillset. Bratt is a much more skilled player and I see is skillset as being that of a top 6 forward. I don’t feel the same about Sharangovich. Also I see the fact that it’s Bratts 4th year putting up decent numbers as being a positive in this argument. He’s put up solid numbers and this is actually his best season points wise although it’s not a huge jump. He’s a proven NHL player who has a really good skillset and could still breakout.

Sharangovich on the other hand is the same age and while Bratts been putting up solid NHL numbers he’s been putting up worse numbers in the AHL than Bratt in the NHL. He wasn’t expected to be an NHL player and wasn’t even very good in the AHL production wise. All of the sudden he’s found a new game and broken out and become a better NHL player than he was an AHL player. I don’t think it’s a fluke and he looks good enough to maintain those numbers I just don’t see them getting a whole lot better. Players dipping down after their rookie seasons isn’t uncommon either and it wouldn’t completely surprise me if that happened to him. I think he can be a consistent 20+ goal 40 point player.

Bratts also on a 55 point pace compared to Sharangovich’s 44 point pace although he has a lot more goals. My eye test tells me that Bratt is a better player than him right now.
To summarize, Bratt is a solid young NHL player who’s gotten a bit better and I think still has potential to break out although I don’t expect him to become a point per game player or get significantly better. Sharangovich broke out from being a okay AHL player to a pretty good NHL player and I don’t expect him to get a whole lot better.

I don’t think Boqvist will be good enough to be a 3C, I think there’s some potential for that but I wouldn’t project him as that. I don’t think the 4 centers you mentioned will necessarily be good enough but it’s not a terrible start. Mcleods line is not the 4th line on our team but on a contender they would certainly be. Right now I’m not sure McLeod or Bastian would be in a contending teams lineup or possibly even on the roster.

 

[TheDuke93]

I’m partially going off skillset. Bratt is a much more skilled player and I see is skillset as being that of a top 6 forward. I don’t feel the same about Sharangovich. Also I see the fact that it’s Bratts 4th year putting up decent numbers as being a positive in this argument. He’s put up solid numbers and this is actually his best season points wise although it’s not a huge jump. He’s a proven NHL player who has a really good skillset and could still breakout.

Sharangovich on the other hand is the same age and while Bratts been putting up solid NHL numbers he’s been putting up worse numbers in the AHL than Bratt in the NHL. He wasn’t expected to be an NHL player and wasn’t even very good in the AHL production wise. All of the sudden he’s found a new game and broken out and become a better NHL player than he was an AHL player. I don’t think it’s a fluke and he looks good enough to maintain those numbers I just don’t see them getting a whole lot better. Players dipping down after their rookie seasons isn’t uncommon either and it wouldn’t completely surprise me if that happened to him. I think he can be a consistent 20+ goal 40 point player.

Bratts also on a 55 point pace compared to Sharangovich’s 44 point pace although he has a lot more goals. My eye test tells me that Bratt is a better player than him right now.
To summarize, Bratt is a solid young NHL player who’s gotten a bit better and I think still has potential to break out although I don’t expect him to become a point per game player or get significantly better. Sharangovich broke out from being a okay AHL player to a pretty good NHL player and I don’t expect him to get a whole lot better.

I don’t think Boqvist will be good enough to be a 3C, I think there’s some potential for that but I wouldn’t project him as that. I don’t think the 4 centers you mentioned will necessarily be good enough but it’s not a terrible start. Mcleods line is not the 4th line on our team but on a contender they would certainly be. Right now I’m not sure McLeod or Bastian would be in a contending teams lineup or possibly even on the roster.

I could certainly see Boqvist and McLeod as our bottom 3 centers but that would require a lot to go right for Bo to get there in particular. Potentially playing with Sharangovich and Kuokkanen when some of our top prospects might make that possible. I just wonder if they get here fast enough for that to happen.

 

[MartyOwns]

i see maltsev as our 3C of the future, with mcleod slotting into a 4th line role. maltsev can also move into our top 6 if there's an injury, he seems pretty versatile.

 

[RememberTheName]

I feel like I have seen a lot of people complaining about Guenther this tournament and a lot of people not noticing him. I've said this before and I'll say it again. Guenther is the type of player you just let play with a real good center, don't notice them a whole lot because they are not insanely flashy like a Kane or a Hughes, and then you look at the stat sheet at the end of the season and ask yourself how this guy has 80 points.


Guenther is so productive because, to put it simply, he is a genius on the ice. He is never in the wrong position, he is very patient with the puck and always waits for the perfect pass to be available, he somehow knows exactly where the puck will be three passes ahead and will set himself up perfectly to receive the fourth.


When a lot of people think of play drivers, you think of a guy like Hughes, who is insanely flashy, creative, and works magic with the puck on his stick and creates plays out of seemingly nothing. Guenther creates plays using his insane smarts and insane positioning and ability to know exactly what is and will happen on the ice at all times.


He reads defenses to put himself in the perfect position to get the puck to either rip a shot towards the net or dish it off to a teammate who he already knows will be open for a shot. He essentially creates plays on the fly in the offensive and neutral zone.


So, he is not a play driver in the conventional sense, but he is absolutely a play driver in his unique way.


And to further my point, Guenther has put up a quiet 4 points in 2 games to tie for 2nd on Canada in scoring. He doesn't need flash to be super effective, and his IQ will help him rack up points wherever he goes. And this isn't even mentioning his other skills, like his elite shot and passing ability.

 

[My3Sons]

I feel like I have seen a lot of people complaining about Guenther this tournament and a lot of people not noticing him. I've said this before and I'll say it again. Guenther is the type of player you just let play with a real good center, don't notice them a whole lot because they are not insanely flashy like a Kane or a Hughes, and then you look at the stat sheet at the end of the season and ask yourself how this guy has 80 points. Guenther is so productive because, to put it simply, he is a genius on the ice. He is never in the wrong position, he is very patient with the puck and always waits for the perfect pass to be available, he somehow knows exactly where the puck will be three passes ahead and will set himself up perfectly to receive the fourth. When a lot of people think of play drivers, you think of a guy like Hughes, who is insanely flashy, creative, and works magic with the puck on his stick and creates plays out of seemingly nothing. Guenther creates plays using his insane smarts and insane positioning and ability to know exactly what is and will happen on the ice at all times. He reads defenses to put himself in the perfect position to get the puck to either rip a shot towards the net or dish it off to a teammate who he already knows will be open for a shot. He essentially creates plays on the fly in the offensive and neutral zone. So, he is not a play driver in the conventional sense, but he is absolutely a play driver in his unique way.

And to further my point, Guenther has put up a quiet 4 points in 2 games to tie for 2nd on Canada in scoring. He doesn't need flash to be super effective, and his IQ will help him rack up points wherever he goes. And this isn't even mentioning his other skills, like his elite shot and passing ability.

Can he play right defense?

 

[TheDuke93]

I feel like I have seen a lot of people complaining about Guenther this tournament and a lot of people not noticing him. I've said this before and I'll say it again. Guenther is the type of player you just let play with a real good center, don't notice them a whole lot because they are not insanely flashy like a Kane or a Hughes, and then you look at the stat sheet at the end of the season and ask yourself how this guy has 80 points. Guenther is so productive because, to put it simply, he is a genius on the ice. He is never in the wrong position, he is very patient with the puck and always waits for the perfect pass to be available, he somehow knows exactly where the puck will be three passes ahead and will set himself up perfectly to receive the fourth. When a lot of people think of play drivers, you think of a guy like Hughes, who is insanely flashy, creative, and works magic with the puck on his stick and creates plays out of seemingly nothing. Guenther creates plays using his insane smarts and insane positioning and ability to know exactly what is and will happen on the ice at all times. He reads defenses to put himself in the perfect position to get the puck to either rip a shot towards the net or dish it off to a teammate who he already knows will be open for a shot. He essentially creates plays on the fly in the offensive and neutral zone. So, he is not a play driver in the conventional sense, but he is absolutely a play driver in his unique way.

And to further my point, Guenther has put up a quiet 4 points in 2 games to tie for 2nd on Canada in scoring. He doesn't need flash to be super effective, and his IQ will help him rack up points wherever he goes. And this isn't even mentioning his other skills, like his elite shot and passing ability.

I don't mean to complain but can you split this up into a few paragraphs. I generally like reading what you post but as someone that is extremely dyslexic and prone to headaches I simply can not read that as is.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

i see maltsev as our 3C of the future, with mcleod slotting into a 4th line role. maltsev can also move into our top 6 if there's an injury, he seems pretty versatile.

Maltsev is not good enough. McLeod is better than him and more likely to be a 3C although I don’t think he will be. Boqvist is our best option for 3C of the future but he’s far from a guarantee either.

Maltsev is not close to good enough to ever touch our top 6 if we’re a half decent team no matter who gets injured. You’re giving me the impression that you vastly overate him. Maltsev is a 4th liner or an out of the lineup fill in guy in the future at most IMO. There’s a chance he doesn’t even stick in the NHL if we have some new additions and/or prospects coming in next year. He’s 23 and can’t even stay in our lineup right now with how bad we are.

 

[RememberTheName]

I don't mean to complain but can you split this up into a few paragraphs. I generally like reading what you post but as someone that is extremely dyslexic and prone to headaches I simply can not read that as is.

That’s my bad bro. I’ll edit my post right now into separate paragraphs for you to read, and I will try to do a better job on that from now on. If you need further edits, please let me know. It’s really no problem at all.

 

[MartyOwns]

Maltsev is not good enough. McLeod is better than him and more likely to be a 3C although I don’t think he will be. Boqvist is our best option for 3C of the future but he’s far from a guarantee either.

Maltsev is not close to good enough to ever touch our top 6 if we’re a half decent team no matter who gets injured. You’re giving me the impression that you vastly overate him. Maltsev is a 4th liner or an out of the lineup fill in guy in the future at most IMO. There’s a chance he doesn’t even stick in the NHL if we have some new additions and/or prospects coming in next year. He’s 23 and can’t even stay in our lineup right now with how bad we are.

oof...i’ll just say agree to disagree with all of that

 

[TheDuke93]

That’s my bad bro. I’ll edit my post right now into separate paragraphs for you to read, and I will try to do a better job on that from now on. If you need further edits, please let me know. It’s really no problem at all.

Appreciate it! Your good man don't worry about it too much haha.

 

[Oneiro]

All the maneuvering and talk about bottom six guys is wallpaper. The guys who drive play on this team - Hischier, Hughes, Bratt, Zacha (I know Zacha doesn't really do it but for now he's in a top 6 role) - have to produce and you need 2/3 of Holtz, Foote and Mercer to hit and hit big.

The defense and questions surrounding Blackwood are the real issues, on top of scoring from our top players. This team is still such a black box right now.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

oof...i’ll just say agree to disagree with all of that

Okay but there’s no disagreeing with the fact that he’s 23 and has been a healthy scratch in 4 of our last 6 games. That would indicate to me that if we bring in a couple forwards and 1 or 2 young guys make it next year there’s a chance he’s not on our opening night roster.

What makes you think he is good enough to be our 3C of the future when he hasn’t even been able to hold down a spot in a bad lineup at 23? He’s got good size pretty good hands in tight but other than that I don’t see much to him. He’s definitely not a fast player, I thinks he’s actually quite slow and not a great skater overall. Hasn’t shown anything that suggests he’s a good playmaker or has good vision. Doesn’t have a particularly dangerous shot in my opinion although he has been able to beat goalies on a few occasions. He doesn’t even hit that much and he’s just under 45% on faceoffs. I’ll give you that he does actually seem to be good at takeaways.

What is it that makes him good or at his age what’s gonna improve in the next couple years to make him a good 3C?

 

[Eggtimer]

My top 10 that has slight biases towards Devils need is
1. Power
2. Clarke
3. Eklund
4. Hughes
5. Guenther
6. Beniers
7. Johnson
8.Edvinsson
9. Chibrikov
10. Lucious

Very interesting .
I’m not slamming or disagreeing Eklund ahead of Beniers is different but having him and Holtz .. drool.

 

[Eggtimer]

I’m watching Canada vs Swiss U18 right now. Geunther looks good. Same as Clarke and Johnsson lol. Connor Bedard is a stud. It’s scary that he is only 15 years old ...

 

[MartyOwns]

Okay but there’s no disagreeing with the fact that he’s 23 and has been a healthy scratch in 4 of our last 6 games. That would indicate to me that if we bring in a couple forwards and 1 or 2 young guys make it next year there’s a chance he’s not on our opening night roster.

What makes you think he is good enough to be our 3C of the future when he hasn’t even been able to hold down a spot in a bad lineup at 23? He’s got good size pretty good hands in tight but other than that I don’t see much to him. He’s definitely not a fast player, I thinks he’s actually quite slow and not a great skater overall. Hasn’t shown anything that suggests he’s a good playmaker or has good vision. Doesn’t have a particularly dangerous shot in my opinion although he has been able to beat goalies on a few occasions. He doesn’t even hit that much and he’s just under 45% on faceoffs. I’ll give you that he does actually seem to be good at takeaways.

What is it that makes him good or at his age what’s gonna improve in the next couple years to make him a good 3C?

scratches don’t mean much to me this year. he’s played 32 nhl games, with shuffled linemates, in a covid-shortened ridiculous season. and he’s made the most of it, he made some ridiculously high iq plays this year. i see potential.

you’re right that he has a lot of competition for a bottom 6 role and some of them (or maltsev) could be traded. or new guys could be added. who knows? but i’ve seen the skill from him, albeit not consistently but i think he’ll get better in that regard in a regular season. i’m definitely not giving up on him because of some healthy scratches

 

[Mike27Devils]

Very interesting .
I’m not slamming or disagreeing Eklund ahead of Beniers is different but having him and Holtz .. drool.

Beniers will be a great pick especially for a team that needs a center but speaking of pure offensive upside Eklund has him beat IMO. He as an absolute wizard out there, extremely high hockey IQ and elite skill, projects more as a playmaking winger but once he get his shot better with added muscle he will be unstoppable offensively. Feel like if the devils had to pick between the two they would absolutely take Eklund due to them being set at center. I don't care how small he is, he will succeed in the NHL, and has potential for great things, maybe will be one of the best swedish players if not the best of this decade. Holtz Eklund connection is just a bonus. If I'm the devils and Powers, Clarke, and Hughes are off the board, they gotta take Eklund.

 

[thethinglonger]

Just a personal thing but I'm really proud that with the recent Chase Stillman video uploaded, we've got a shift-by-shift for every player on Bob McKenzie's top-50 list and we're well on our way to getting everyone on his top-96 list.

 

[RememberTheName]

Just finished doing an involvement tracker for Canada for their game tonight against Switzerland. For the forwards, there were four in the top tier, and for the defenseman, there were 3 in the top tier of involvements.
Forwards:

1. Francisco Pinelli: 21
2. Connor Bedard: 19
3. Mason McTavish: 18
4. Dylan Guenther: 17

Defense:

1. Corson Ceulemans: 14
2. Brandt Clarke: 12
3. Ethan Del Mastro: 12

I think overall, this system is pretty accurate in terms of ranking player performance, as my eye test for the night generally matches these numbers. One of the things it doesn't account for, though, is TOI, and it definitely seems like some players have more and less than others. For example, tonight, it seemed as though Clarke didn't have as much ice time as he usually gets, especially 5v5, so his numbers are less than they should be.

One of the more interesting things. Francisco Pinelli was the last forward on Team Canada for me to write down an involvement for. It took him until about 15 minutes through the first period for me to mark him for his first involvement, which was for an absolutely monstrous hit he through, laying a guy flat on the ice. About 20 seconds later, he did the exact same thing. Two monstrous hits on one shift. I absolutely loved that. For the rest of the game, he was dominant. I didn't have amazing numbers for Pinelli for his first game vs Finland, but this game, he definitely stood out in a very positive way. Well earned 4 point performance for him.

Worst performance of the night somehow again goes to Richard. Don't know what it is, but I just don't like him. At all. Does not impress me in the slightest, except for his skating, which did seem pretty nice on one or two occasions throughout the game. Jack Matier didn't seem great either, I had him marked for just four involvements and 2 of them were bad.

Continue to be greatly impressed by Ethan Del Mastro. Dude is a big boy who throws his body around insanely well and plays some really solid defense to boot. His skating also impressed me for a defenseman his size and on multiple occasions he took the puck in transition and created a rush going into the offensive zone. Reminded me a little of Kulikov.

Another guy who impressed was Wyatt Johnston. I had him down at 14 involvements and 11 of them were defense/hustle/physicality. He is a hard worker on the defensive end of things who loves to cause chaos on the forecheck, throw his body around, read passes and turn things around in transition, and overall work hard to play a 200 foot game. I would like to see him play a little bit more offensive of a game because I only marked him 3 times for offensive involvements, but I absolutely loved how hard he worked tonight.'

And Jesus, how is Bedard only 15. And how is there a 15 year old out there who might be better than him?!? That is insane to me.

Everyone else on Canada looked pretty solid. McTavish is rising up my board quickly, as I love how impressive his 200-foot game is and how he works so well in both zones. Such a well rounded player.