Prospect Info: The 2015 NHL Draft Thread Part VIII

[theoptimist]

Anyone else see Eric Staal in Dylan Strome?

 

[MichaelJ]

from http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1902241

Interview w Zacha

There is a big chance you will be drafted in top 10 this year. Did you see a list of your potential further teams? Do you have some favorite amongst them?

I checked teams that will pick players between 5th and 12th place. There are teams I would like to play for. It doesn't matter at which place they will pick me of. There are some super teams like for example New Jersey, Philadelphia, Colorado or San Jose. Great cities, great organizations. It is hard to choose something concrete. I would be happy, if some of these teams picked me.

HE LIKES US.

He also understands where he's projected to go.

 

[Brooklyndevil]

I love our first 3 picks in the HFBoard mock draft.

 

[Brodeur]

For those with ESPN Insider, Corey Pronman posted a first round mock: http://insider.espn.go.com/nhl/insi...-makes-picks-gm-every-nhl-team-2015-nhl-draft

His top 6 is the same as mine for the moment: McDavid-Eichel-Marner-Strome-Hanifin-Barzal. He then has Konecny to Philadelphia which seems a bit high. I'd have Crouse there. He has Provorov all the way down to #13 which seems a little unlikely. He also has Mitchell Stephens at #22 and I didn't have him going until the 3rd round.

 

[Tretyak 20]

Barzal is (and has always been) a playmaking center. So, you shouldn't be reading anything in to his goal totals.

He's a potential top-6 forward, he's going to be evaluated partly by his goal totals. You simply cannot expect a kid who scored so few goals in juniors to score significant amounts of goals in the NHL. I also don't buy the notion that Barzal is such an amazing playmaker that he'll make anybody on his line a big scorer. Crosby has done that, who else? Steve Bernier is not going to suddenly score 30 goals because Barzal is there, and our current forward prospects won't magically become blue chips just because we draft Barzal, either. Nobody builds an offense around a pure playmaker.

For those with ESPN Insider, Corey Pronman posted a first round mock: http://insider.espn.go.com/nhl/insi...-makes-picks-gm-every-nhl-team-2015-nhl-draft

His top 6 is the same as mine for the moment: McDavid-Eichel-Marner-Strome-Hanifin-Barzal. He then has Konecny to Philadelphia which seems a bit high. I'd have Crouse there. He has Provorov all the way down to #13 which seems a little unlikely. He also has Mitchell Stephens at #22 and I didn't have him going until the 3rd round.

Pronman has a reputation for consistently rating smallish skill players too high. He's done it for years.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Scott Gomez is what you should think.

 

[Moe Syzlak]

He's a potential top-6 forward, he's going to be evaluated partly by his goal totals. You simply cannot expect a kid who scored so few goals in juniors to score significant amounts of goals in the NHL. I also don't buy the notion that Barzal is such an amazing playmaker that he'll make anybody on his line a big scorer. Crosby has done that, who else? Steve Bernier is not going to suddenly score 30 goals because Barzal is there, and our current forward prospects won't magically become blue chips just because we draft Barzal, either. Nobody builds an offense around a pure playmaker.

Your critique of Barzal was based solely on his goal totals. And he shouldn't be expected to score a significant amount of goals in the NHL because ... he's a playmaking center. He'll be there to generate offense and scoring chances. That's his skillset. If he chips in 20 goals or more a year at the NHL level, then that's great. And he's not there to turn the Cam Janssen's of the world in to scorers with his creativity and playmaking ability. But you put him on a line with somebody like Henrique or Cammalleri and their scoring chances will improve and most likely their goal totals. Doesn't really make a difference if Barzal and Cammaleri both scored 30goals or Barzal scores 15 and Cammaleri gets 45.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Pronman has a reputation for consistently rating smallish skill players too high. He's done it for years.

He's also generally made a pretty convincing case in his writing that those players tend to be undervalued historically.

It's important to note about this particular mock, as well.

The following is something we at ESPN Insider refer to as a "Grade A Mock Draft," which is unlike other mock drafts in which I use all the information at my disposal to try to predict a team's selections. In this case, I merely state which player I would take if I were in each team's position at a given slot, with the board having played out as it has. I take into account my personal draft board, organizational needs and structure.

 

[ghoti]

He's a potential top-6 forward, he's going to be evaluated partly by his goal totals. You simply cannot expect a kid who scored so few goals in juniors to score significant amounts of goals in the NHL. I also don't buy the notion that Barzal is such an amazing playmaker that he'll make anybody on his line a big scorer. Crosby has done that, who else? Steve Bernier is not going to suddenly score 30 goals because Barzal is there, and our current forward prospects won't magically become blue chips just because we draft Barzal, either. Nobody builds an offense around a pure playmaker.

Nobody except maybe his new head coach, Adam Oates - one of the greatest pure playmakers in NHL history!

 

[Baemon Severson*]

Don't expect Bracco since we almost always shy away from local players.

They got Santini a couple of years ago, so it does happen

 

[R8Devs]

Alright realistic targets for the Devils picks.

6th-
Marner(OHL)- 63gp 44g 82a 126p
Barzal(WHL)- 44gp 12g 45a 57p
Zacha (OHL)- 37gp 16g 18a 34p
Defenseman-Provorov(WHL)- 60gp 15g 46a 61p
Rantanen(FEL)- 56gp 9g 19a 28p

36th-
Guryanov(MHL)- 23gp 15g 10a 25p
Chlapik(QMJHL)- 64gp 33g 42a 75p
Roslovic(USNDP18)- 65gp 27gp 52a 79p
Defenseman-Juulsen(WHL)- 68gp 9g 43a 52p

41st-
Any of the guys above if they drop
Spacek(Czech)- 40gp 5g 7a 12p
Kovacs(Swedish 2nd league)- 17g 11a 28p
Beauvillier(QMJHL)- 67gp 42g 52a 94p

And then third round and later- Hintz(FEL), Korostelev(OHL), Garland(QMJHL), Timashov(QMJHL), Malgin(NLA).

I know I probably missed some guys that I liked the reports on but a combination of this would give us some good potential in the prospect pool.

 

[BurntToast]

I would be happy with any pick at 5.....So long as its not another play on defense. I have a bad feeling of Noah falling and NJ Devils running down to snatch him up. Larson is starting to get going and it dose take them a while but is defense the only talent we can evaluate?

 

[Tretyak 20]

Your critique of Barzal was based solely on his goal totals. And he shouldn't be expected to score a significant amount of goals in the NHL because ... he's a playmaking center. He'll be there to generate offense and scoring chances. That's his skillset. If he chips in 20 goals or more a year at the NHL level, then that's great. And he's not there to turn the Cam Janssen's of the world in to scorers with his creativity and playmaking ability. But you put him on a line with somebody like Henrique or Cammalleri and their scoring chances will improve and most likely their goal totals. Doesn't really make a difference if Barzal and Cammaleri both scored 30goals or Barzal scores 15 and Cammaleri gets 45.

Even if we could figure out how to make Cammalleri magically stop aging, the idea that he scores 45 goals with Barzal is pure fantasy.

If we do draft this kid, the unfortunate thing is he'll have a totally unrealistic set of expectations to live up to.

He's also generally made a pretty convincing case in his writing that those players tend to be undervalued historically.

It's important to note about this particular mock, as well.

He's also had some really bone-headed rankings because of his small player prejudice. Take anything he says about small players with a pound of salt - he's just trying to prove his thesis.

I'm not saying Pronman is useless, just understand he's coming from a prejudice.

 

[Tretyak 20]

Nobody except maybe his new head coach, Adam Oates - one of the greatest pure playmakers in NHL history!

Angels and Ministers of Grace, defend us!

 

[MichaelJ]

Zacha, Roslovic, and Guryanov would be a great haul as far as upside potential.

 

[ghdi]

I would be happy with any pick at 5.....So long as its not another play on defense. I have a bad feeling of Noah falling and NJ Devils running down to snatch him up. Larson is starting to get going and it dose take them a while but is defense the only talent we can evaluate?

If Hanifin is there at #6 the Devils almost have to take him. It'd not be a bad pick. Another option would be to trade down a few spots and get another pick or two with a team who really wants him. I'd be shocked if he was there at #6 and we didn't take him. In all likelihood, he's off the board by then.

 

[MasterofGrond]

He's also had some really bone-headed rankings because of his small player prejudice. Take anything he says about small players with a pound of salt - he's just trying to prove his thesis.

I'm not saying Pronman is useless, just understand he's coming from a prejudice.

I mean, I don't think it's a prejudice when the guy has done a significant amount of work on the subject, most of it quantitatively supported in one form or the other. Not saying the guy is the be all end all or that he's even a better analyst than other scouts, just that writing it off as prejudice seems pretty hand-wavey to me.

When a 6'2 guy fails it's because "he can't skate", "he has stone hands", "no hockey sense" but when a small guy fails it's "he's too small for the nhl."

Besides, everybody's rankings look boneheaded in retrospect, talent evaluation is hard.

 

[HobokenIrish]

4 weeks to go!!!!

 

[NJDevs26]

I would be happy with any pick at 5.....So long as its not another play on defense. I have a bad feeling of Noah falling and NJ Devils running down to snatch him up. Larson is starting to get going and it dose take them a while but is defense the only talent we can evaluate?

It would still be Lou's fault somehow lol

Shero drafted a lot of high d-men too despite needing wingers to play with the big two so I'm worried about this scenario happening. But if Hanifin's as good as advertised I don't see why he wouldn't go in the top five, since according to the mockers there's clearly a top two tier of forwards, than a second tier of two. If that's the case someone else would have to pick a third-tier forward over Hanifin.

If they're going to draft a defenseman fine but they'll have to have to have to trade one at SOME point in the near future. You can't have room in the lineup for twelve first and second-round defenseman, you can't keep these guys forever the way you maybe could in 1995 when UFA age was 31. If Hanifin's going to be valued at the draft I don't understand why trading back a couple spots is so bad if you get a good return for it. Eventually the trade value of these guys is going to depreciate if some of them are blocked off for a long period from the lineup. And if you want Hanifin so bad fine but prepare to say bye to one of these guys sooner or later...it's just not feasible to keep all of them.

Plus at some point you need cheap top six forwards too, all your solutions there aren't going to come via FA, and they aren't going to come in trade if you just keep hoarding d-men.

 

[Burner Account]

Yesterday marked the first time I've really done any kind of research on the top prospects this year. There is some serious size on the board.

 

[Burner Account]

For Crouse to be 6'4" and 215 at age 17 is Lindros-like.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

And Thomas Wilson like. And Colton Gillies like. And 100 other prospects that busted.

Size is nice and everything, but it's less of an advantage in the pros than juniors. If you don't have the hockey smarts, size doesn't matter.

 

[Burner Account]

Gillies was 189 going into the draft. Wilson 203.

But I get what you're saying.

My point is that it's unusual for a player to be that filled out at 17.

 

[The Beaver]

For Crouse to be 6'4" and 215 at age 17 is Lindros-like.

I'm all about getting Zacha or Barzal barring no Marner or Strome... But I'm starting to warm to the idea of Crouse at 6. I know it's not popular but I really don't see him as a bad pick at 6

 

[thethinglonger]

There's a good quote by a scout in the introduction to the Future Considerations 2015 Draft Preview

It's easier to draft for skill than it is to draft for size and trade for skill