Prospect Info: The 2015 NHL Draft Thread IV

[Devils Dominion]

Okay with Barzal but not with Zacha. There are questions about him hockey IQ and he's not exactly lighting the world on fire when it comes to point production.

I like barzal over zacha for sure right now. I think he's a top 7 lock if he was not injured earlier this season.

Zacha is 17 and his first year in north America.
Great size, shot, strength and speed.
Lot to work with in him and I could see him being a guy quite a few teams will regret passing on.

 

[Missionhockey]

I like barzal over zacha for sure right now. I think he's a top 7 lock if he was not injured earlier this season.

Zacha is 17 and his first year in north America.
Great size, shot, strength and speed.
Lot to work with in him and I could see him being a guy quite a few teams will regret passing on.

If we're going to take a guy with the tools but not the numbers I prefer it be Rantanen. He's playing on one of the worst teams in man's league and one of the only bright spots.

 

[mamfredo8]

Really not sure on Zacha's hockey IQ.

My Choice:
Draft at 6: Marner, Barzal, Rantanen, Connor (in this order and availability)
Draft at 36: Eriksson Ek, Roslovic, Sprong,
Draft at 42/3: see above; otherwise Dunn, Senyshyn
Draft at 66/7:a faller like Bracco, Korostelev
Draft in later rounds: Timoshev, Lazarev other skilled guys

 

[Tretyak 20]

When do central scoutings final rankings come out? Would like to know who are some second round targets.

Some guys I'm interested in would be:

2nd round - Beauvillier, Fischer, Dergachyov, Musil, Hintz, Roslovic.

3rd round - Ahl, Yan, Korostelev, Timoshev.

 

[CerebralGenesis]

I'd be happy with Zacha too, he's doing good work on McDavid

 

[Brodeur]

Some guys I'm interested in would be:

2nd round - Beauvillier, Fischer, Dergachyov, Musil, Hintz, Roslovic.

3rd round - Ahl, Yan, Korostelev, Timoshev.

Craig Button is high on a left winger named Erik Foley who's playing in the USHL and is headed for Providence College in the fall. Not sure if Lou has any close contacts there after all these years, but he could be in the mix at that range. Foley has 51 points in 52 games in the USHL.

For our 4th round pick, there's an "older" Czech right winger named Jiri Fronk who is a teammate of Foley's. Fronk is among the league leaders in goals with 29 (leader has 32). Fronk turned 21 in February and he's looking to turn pro immediately.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Pass on Zacha. Top 10 picks should produce like top 10 picks. I understand he's young, it's his first NA season, but it seems risky to me. Reminds me of Radek Faksa.

 

[Brodeur]

Pass on Zacha. Top 10 picks should produce like top 10 picks. I understand he's young, it's his first NA season, but it seems risky to me. Reminds me of Radek Faksa.

Zacha's a tough one to peg since he missed a good chunk of games with injuries and suspensions. Right now I'm taking Barzal/Rantanen before him.

But also wanted to point out that Ryan Johansen was a shade under a point per game during his draft year (69 points in 71 games) which was also his rookie season in the WHL. Bo Horvat didn't have eye popping numbers in his draft year either.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Zacha's a tough one to peg since he missed a good chunk of games with injuries and suspensions. Right now I'm taking Barzal/Rantanen before him.

But also wanted to point out that Ryan Johansen was a shade under a point per game during his draft year (69 points in 71 games) which was also his rookie season in the WHL. Bo Horvat didn't have eye popping numbers in his draft year either.

Fair enough. But the list of sub 1.0ppg top 15 picks who busted is far longer than those who succeeded.

 

[Devils Dominion]

I don't think Zacha will bust.

I think he will end of having a better scoring career than Rantanen when its all said and done.

But, I would take Barzal over both of them now.
He has the high end offensive skill set/sense that we desperately lack.

 

[Czech Trio]

I like Mangiapane in the 2nd/3rd. Ranked 147th in the midterm rankings. On the small side but has 104 points in 68 games with Barrie.

 

[Brodeur]

I like Mangiapane in the 2nd/3rd. Ranked 147th in the midterm rankings. On the small side but has 104 points in 68 games with Barrie.

Assuming our scouts had a few looks at Blandisi before we signed him, I hope they'd have an extensive scouting report on Mangiapane as well.

 

[Oneiro]

Man, if you want a healthy dose of reality, just do a search for past draft analyses on the forum. i.e. 2008 prospect roundup / mock drafts.

Amazing how wrong everybody is, even when talking about players picked in the top 10. Really anything can happen and no one knows anything for sure.

 

[JimEIV]

Craig Button is high on a left winger named Erik Foley who's playing in the USHL and is headed for Providence College in the fall. Not sure if Lou has any close contacts there after all these years, but he could be in the mix at that range. Foley has 51 points in 52 games in the USHL.

For our 4th round pick, there's an "older" Czech right winger named Jiri Fronk who is a teammate of Foley's. Fronk is among the league leaders in goals with 29 (leader has 32). Fronk turned 21 in February and he's looking to turn pro immediately.

Is he a reentry into the draft?
Is a 21 year old draft eligible? Wouldn't he just be a UFA?

 

[Unknown Caller]

Man, if you want a healthy dose of reality, just do a search for past draft analyses on the forum. i.e. 2008 prospect roundup / mock drafts.

Amazing how wrong everybody is, even when talking about players picked in the top 10. Really anything can happen and no one knows anything for sure.

Exactly. Which makes it hilarious to me when people claim someone will definitely be a star/bust. Nobody knows, and the majority of us have seen these players one or two times in a full game setting- and even that's a stretch.

 

[glenwo2]

Exactly. Which makes it hilarious to me when people claim someone will definitely be a star/bust. Nobody knows, and the majority of us have seen these players one or two times in a full game setting- and even that's a stretch.

So for those who said that Matteau will be, at best, a "3rd liner"....that really means nothing if we use that logic(which I agree with).

And if I recall, even when he was forced to go straight to the NHL instead of the minors for about 15+ games after being drafted, he still didn't look overwhelmed or out-of-place.


You really don't know what we have in a draft pick until he's up with the BIG TEAM(NHL).

Heck, the same can be said for the draft picks we have in the minors right now. We might have some very good NHL players coming up in the near future and we don't even know it.

 

[Devils Dominion]

So for those who said that Matteau will be, at best, a "3rd liner"....that really means nothing if we use that logic(which I agree with).

And if I recall, even when he was forced to go straight to the NHL instead of the minors for about 15+ games after being drafted, he still didn't look overwhelmed or out-of-place.


You really don't know what we have in a draft pick until he's up with the BIG TEAM(NHL).

Heck, the same can be said for the draft picks we have in the minors right now. We might have some very good NHL players coming up in the near future and we don't even know it.

Lou admitted that he rushed Stef and that it would have been better to have him had a few full seasons in Albany first.

That's why he's been down there the past 2 seasons.
I could see the payoff already.

The Devils never used to rush their prospects.
It was rare to have draft picks to bypass the AHL, Nieds and Gomer are the only two that I can think of before Stef.

 

[JimEIV]

Lou admitted that he rushed Stef and that it would have been better to have him had a few full seasons in Albany first.

That's why he's been down there the past 2 seasons.
I could see the payoff already.

The Devils never used to rush their prospects.
It was rare to have draft picks to bypass the AHL, Nieds and Gomer are the only two that I can think of before Stef.

Zajac, Larsson and Severson didn't play in the AHL. Fayne barely played in the AHL, he was up after only 19 games. Same for Tedenby, Merrill, and Josefson.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Zajac, Larsson and Severson didn't play in the AHL. Fayne barely played in the AHL, he was up after only 19 games. Same for Tedenby, Merrill, and Josefson.

I was talking about up until Stef, so scratch off Sevs this season.

However, the others you mentioned did play in the AHL, Nieds and Gomer never did.

 

[Lindys Lazy Eye]

Does anyone see a situation where Crouse goes top 5? If we get 6 and Crouse gets in that top 5 I'll do cartwheels.

However, if we end up taking Crouse (which...knowing our scouting staff seems very likely) I'll have to buy some new TV and furniture after breaking it all.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Does anyone see a situation where Crouse goes top 5? If we get 6 and Crouse gets in that top 5 I'll do cartwheels.

However, if we end up taking Crouse (which...knowing our scouting staff seems very likely) I'll have to buy some new TV and furniture after breaking it all.

You are looking to see if Crouse will go top 5 but believe it would be a disaster if we drafted him at 6 then you answered your own question. He won't go top 5.

 

[NJD1982]

You are looking to see if Crouse will go top 5 but believe it would be a disaster if we drafted him at 6 then you answered your own question. He won't go top 5.

That's an overly simple way of looking at it. Crouse plays the type of game a lot of teams in the top 5 are looking for. Just because we don't need a big power forward doesn't mean other teams don't. I could see him fitting in very well with Edmonton and possibly Phoenix. That doesn't mean they'll take him but its not totally out of the question.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Let someone else take Crouse, he's not what we need or want.

 

[Brodeur]

Is he a reentry into the draft?
Is a 21 year old draft eligible? Wouldn't he just be a UFA?

It's weird, there's two sets of rules for Europeans and non-Europeans. Europeans (technically, players playing in Europe) are subject to an extra year of draft eligibility. Off the top of my head, Mikko Koskinen was drafted as a 21 year old. Frederik Andersen was 22 the second time he was drafted.

Radko Gudas went undrafted a couple times, then turned some heads in the WHL as a 20 year old. Fronk was supposed to join the WHL a couple years ago, but his Czech team wouldn't let him out of his contract. Saw an article where he said he had no interest in the NCAA, so he was looking to fast track to the pros.

 

[Lindys Lazy Eye]

You are looking to see if Crouse will go top 5 but believe it would be a disaster if we drafted him at 6 then you answered your own question. He won't go top 5.

I want some other team to fall into that hype trap so we can get Strome or Marner. Crouse going top 5 would guarantee one of those two.