Wennberg, Hartman, Lazar or Horvat.
End up with any one of those 4 and I'm a happy man.
What are Lazar/Horvat like? Are they skilled and physical?
Yes, Lazar and Horvat are both skilled and physical players.
Horvat is one of the most, if not the most, versatile guys in this draft. He can literally play all the forward positions. From the top line to a shutdown role, he can do it all. Alot of people question his offensive upside but he has to be one of the safest picks in the draft. In my opinion, his floor is a highly skilled 3rd liner and his ceilling is a 2way 1st/2nd liner (think Patrice Bergeron/Ryan O'Reilly).
Lazar was considered a lottery-pick prospect entering the season but he struggled at the start of the year, which hurt his draft stock. He turned it on later in the season and finished with some pretty decent stats. I think he's a smoother and faster skater than Horvat and more physical. Doesn't shy away from dropping the gloves. Also think he's got a higher offensive upside than Horvat.
Hartman is a carbon copy of Ryan Callahan imo.
Thanks for the information, I'm excited to see who we add to our prospect pool. I think adding one of these guys with Noesen as hopeful future skill/gritty top 6 players will be very important to our playoff success. We could still use a sniper tho, maybe we just trade for one next year? Puempel stepping up and developing his game down in Bingo would also be another option if things go very well.
Definitely agree with you.
A sniper/goalscorer would be ideal but I don't think we'll have that many options at 17th so we may have to trade for one.
Anthony Mantha is an interesting prospect. Had 50+ goals in the Q and is 6'4 200lbs but hes pretty soft for his size and his work ethic is questionable.
Wennberg, Hartman, Lazar or Horvat.
End up with any one of those 4 and I'm a happy man.
Are we not drafting 18? Islanders, Sabres, Wings are in front of us are they not.
What about F. Gauthier?
After watching these playoffs its clear we need someone who can handle the puck and handle it in traffic. Spezza is only guy we have that can do it.
He is a tough one to get a read on, and in the end, is probably more of a safe pick, rather than a potential boom pick.
On the plus side, he has a huge frame, skates well and really shows good agility for a a guy his size (and age). He doesn't actually look that big playing, partially because he moves so well and fluid. He had a great U18 and what really stood out there, was his defensive play and on the PK. He was disrupting the other team in his own zone constantly and started a bunch of rushes the other way. Some have compared him to Jordan Staal, although he doesn't seem to have Staal's one-on-one moves as a goal scorer (which is significant, given it is really one of Staal's hallmarks).
On the downside, it's two fold. First, he isn't really dynamic offensively as a center and isn't an elite goal scorer or playmaker. He is a good offensively in using his frame to shield the puck and his big stride to power up ice and in the corners, but as a centerman, I have trouble envisioning putting him on a line with a goal scorer and making his linesmates significantly better. I'd see him centering Chris Neil and Eric Condra types, more than likely. The other downside is, despite his size and strength, he is really not mean or that tough. I'm not sure he's ever had a fight in junior. He will use his size, but never with malice. It's also one of the reasons he doesn't seem that big out there. His player comparison range is probably somewhere between Hugh Jessiman (downside, although unlikely given his defensive play), Colin Greening (probable) and Martin Hanzel (upside).
When looking at the safe bets in the 1st round, I'd be much more inclined to go with Hartman, who throws bigger hits, fights, has a nasty edge, and has been just as productive as Gauthier, even more so, especially given his play at a higher level at the WJC (versus Gauthier playing well at the u18's against guys two years younger). Hartman's comparison probably ranges between Matt Cooke (low end), Raffi Torries (probable) or Ryan Callahan (Boom).
He is a tough one to get a read on, and in the end, is probably more of a safe pick, rather than a potential boom pick.
On the plus side, he has a huge frame, skates well and really shows good agility for a a guy his size (and age). He doesn't actually look that big playing, partially because he moves so well and fluid. He had a great U18 and what really stood out there, was his defensive play and on the PK. He was disrupting the other team in his own zone constantly and started a bunch of rushes the other way. Some have compared him to Jordan Staal, although he doesn't seem to have Staal's one-on-one moves as a goal scorer (which is significant, given it is really one of Staal's hallmarks).
On the downside, it's two fold. First, he isn't really dynamic offensively as a center and isn't an elite goal scorer or playmaker. He is a good offensively in using his frame to shield the puck and his big stride to power up ice and in the corners, but as a centerman, I have trouble envisioning putting him on a line with a goal scorer and making his linesmates significantly better. I'd see him centering Chris Neil and Eric Condra types, more than likely. The other downside is, despite his size and strength, he is really not mean or that tough. I'm not sure he's ever had a fight in junior. He will use his size, but never with malice. It's also one of the reasons he doesn't seem that big out there. His player comparison range is probably somewhere between Hugh Jessiman (downside, although unlikely given his defensive play), Colin Greening (probable) and Martin Hanzel (upside).
When looking at the safe bets in the 1st round, I'd be much more inclined to go with Hartman, who throws bigger hits, fights, has a nasty edge, and has been just as productive as Gauthier, even more so, especially given his play at a higher level at the WJC (versus Gauthier playing well at the u18's against guys two years younger). Hartman's comparison probably ranges between Matt Cooke (low end), Raffi Torries (probable) or Ryan Callahan (Boom).