Yeah, maybe make a pick or two here and there looking for your "depth" players, and be very careful with your firsts, but especially in the late rounds I would rather see them go for skill every time. Depth is way less of a problem for this franchise, let's try to get a Bratt, Klingberg, or Palat out of these next two years.
Here's one to watch out for, for you...
Semyon Der-Arguchintsev at eliteprospects.com
23. Semyon Der-Arguchintsev - Forward - Peterborough Petes
SDA is definitely one of the more intriguing players available from the OHL this year. Not the biggest (5'10, 170lbs), but in terms of playmaking ability and skill with the puck, Der-Arguchintsev is right near the top. This guy creates so much time and space for himself by keeping the puck on a string, spinning off checks along the wall and prolonging zone time. Strength is definitely an issue, but he's also the youngest player eligible this year (Sept. 15 birthday) and it's scary to think about how good he could be offensively once his conditioning improves. Those 39 assists on a poor Peterborough team really stand out as a positive. Another thing holding him back is a lack of game breaking speed. He's not slow, but without question, SDA relies on his hands and skill to create elusiveness rather than his feet. It explains why he's not more of a factor creating off the rush. If that speed improves, it would really add that dynamic ability to his game. And would help him become a little more effective cutting through the middle of the ice. Der-Arguchintsev also needs to get better in the defensive end, especially if he wants to stay down the middle. The effort isn't always there on the backcheck and he lacks the strength to consistently win battles along the wall. But I reiterate, this is one of the youngest players available and he has a very high ceiling if everything gets put together. It's the type of pick you make in the 3rd or 4th round and perhaps look like a genius.
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OHL Prospects
I like the sound of that Hayton guy but I think the AVS should be able to get a solid NHL player in their range.
My favorites that may be available are Hayton, Kupari, Kotkaniemi, and McLeod.
I know McLeod isn't the most skilled of the bunch but that NHL size.
Hayton is pretty much a more talented version of Connor Bleackley. That might scare you, but it's more of a comparison than actual red flags since Hayton is by far a superior talented player. I do think he needs to lose some weight (Hayton), but are similar in playing style.
What’s Merkleys issue? Ego or?
Merkley reminds me a lot of Tony DeAngelo, however Merkley is a legitimate top 5 prospect in regards to pure talent whereas DeAngelo was always considered just a 1st rounder. That's why Merkley is such a polarizing figure compared to Anthony and why I am still a pretty big fan of him even with the concerns.
He has Jesse Ylonen, who I've never heard of, in his top 15. He also loves the Russians in this draft.
Ehhhh...I am quite outspoken on Pronman, but I had Ylonen at #11th in my spring rankings and know that Bender also has him very high. He's a Sebastian Aho clone for me, probably not as good of course, but are still quite close.
Some think Smith's size will hold him back. To me, his IQ and skating combo is too much like Girard's for me to dare underestimate him. Not sure I like drafting him when we already have a Girard, but that's a personal philosophy and not a judgement of quality.
And yeah, that height/weight has to be a mistake. Somebody said he'd grown a couple inches, which would make him Makar sized and probably make teams believe in him more. But no, 6'2 is very wrong.
Smith's U18 performance has been beyond dreadful, easily the worst player besides Akil Thomas for me (I still have faith in Akil though). Ty is still a very smart player, but has brain-farts and a complete lack of dynamic talent. What you're going to get from Smith is a very safe player similar to Mark Pysysk with a very unsexy ceiling. In all honesty, I can label Smith as a defender who has good gap control and is a great passer...............eh.............umm..................*silence*...................that's all. Sure those two qualities are definitely 1st round level talent, but I can't say anything else which makes me hype him up.
I totally get when you say that you don't want to underestimate him as what we've all seen from Girard. But let me stress a couple of thing, he doesn't have the cocky/confidence attitude that Samuel has to make plays out of nothing. In addition, he absolutely does NOT see the field of vision to make a play that Girard has. Smith is all about "off the boards and off the glass" which Don Cherry is going to fall in love with. Don't get me wrong, the safe play is always the smart play, but I argue that you need a fine-line between both for a top 15 prospect and I've only seen one.
On the other hand though I am loving Kevin Bahl, getting him at Nashville's pick would be freckin' awesome! Picture a better and more mobile version of Logan Stanley.
Probably an unpopular opinion... but Merkley >>>>>>>>> Smith. Smith is just so meh when put against the best. He just doesn't stand out in a good way and I don't see a skill that can make him stand out at the NHL level. Now I think he will be a NHL player, but more of a 4-6 puck mover sorts... a quality depth player. I'd just much rather take the chance on Merkley getting his head straight. If that happens, you could have a game changing sort of puck mover. A guy who makes a significant difference on the ice.
Absolutely this times a thousand. Smith is on the verge of joining Lundestrom and McIsaac as absolute no-go players for me. As I mentioned above, Merkley is a top 5 legitimate prospect if we're arguing on talent alone and should always be considered the selection.
I'm no expert but everything I've seen/read about Ty Smith so far is that he's a high IQ minute muncher with top pairing potential. Best dman coming from the WHL, mostly ranked between #8 and #12 OA.
Also he's a LHD unlike Wilde and Merkley.
This is a really down year for the WHL, so just because Smith is the best to come out of the dub doesn't really say a lot: Bowen Byram is easily the better defender already and he's not even eligible until 2019, while Wilde is so much better than Smith as well. Wilde is a Trouba clone with Erik Johnson's swag and puck-moving ability like a tank. He's so hard to control when he's on his game, but he does have occasional brainfarts, consistency issues, and holding on the puck for too long, but those will come with experience. Trust me, when we do our redrafts in 2022, Wilde will be in the top 10.
