GDT: The World Junior Summer Showcase thread, featuring Liljegren, Rasanen, Woll, Greenway

[ULF_55]

Being a future NHL player with an impact requires among other things robustness. That's why teams steer away from choosing injured/sick/troubled/slumping talents high in the draft. Being sick could be an indicator that the young player may not be the most robust player. Many times this is going to be wrong but I can see the hesitation. A high draft pick is a big investment. Taking a player with some additional factor is a little more risky and it's perfectly understandable when organizations bereft of talent don't have the stomach to take that type of risk.

Perhaps, but not picking a player because he had Mononucleosis would indicate an inept scouting staff, making decisions based on medical decisions beyond their mental capacity.

 

[phillipmike]

Draft strategy #1 = small and skilled players
Draft strategy #2 = over-agers
Draft strategy #3 = injured / sick players

Draft strategy #4 = draft at the end of each round

 

[thewave]

Perhaps, but not picking a player because he had Mononucleosis would indicate an inept scouting staff, making decisions based on medical decisions beyond their mental capacity.

It's so true. Let's just not tell them because that's how consensus top ten players fall to our future selections. NSH and the Blues(trade) got a couple nice players at the end of the 1st round.

 

[ULF_55]

Draft strategy #1 = small and skilled players
Draft strategy #2 = over-agers
Draft strategy #3 = injured / sick players

Draft strategy #4 = draft at the end of each round

Zeroth Law of Drafting

Scouting staff may not overlook the best player available.


Apologies to Isaac.

 

[Sypher04]

The important thing is that people here actually show the patience to allow Liljegren to learn the defensive side.

I mean look how long it has taken Gardiner to figure it out. Those fruits of that patience are now finally starting to show. But there have been times, many times, over the years, where virtually this entire Leafs board was itching to get him outta here.

 

[thewave]

The important thing is that people here actually show the patience to allow Liljegren to learn the defensive side.

I mean look how long it has taken Gardiner to figure it out. Those fruits of that patience are now finally starting to show. But there have been times, many times, over the years, where virtually this entire Leafs board was itching to get him outta here.

Jake has been great for years now. He just doesn't get much respect because of his mistakes.

 

[Sypher04]

Jake has been great for years now. He just doesn't get much respect because of his mistakes.

Since Babcock arrived he's improved tremendously. His offensive talent has always been obvious, but his steadier defensive play is much more of a recent development.

With that said, I'd like to see him make a lot less of those hail mary stretch pass plays next year. They rarely ended up in anything but lost control, or an icing. Just pick the spots better for them.

 

[sda]

I know Dahlin was sick/ hurt and that might've effected his play but he didn't really impress me in the one game he played. Even at the WJCs last year, he was okay. A lot of his hype seems to be the WOW factor of a 16 year old playing in the SHL and WJCs more so than a 16 year old with exception skills.

He reminds me a lot of Ryan Murray. With the hype and the playing style. He doesn't dazzle you in any way. He's got great attributes but all of his tools are good to great. Nothing exceptional. Being a bigger d-man obviously helps him play up age levels but at some point, you lose that edge. Ryan Murray was a beast in juniors and dominated. He's a very respectable and solid Dman in the NHL but doesn't scream franchise D-man to me like a Karlsson, Doughty, Keith.

Am I alone in this? Stable D-men at the top of the draft don't really appeal a ton to me. But that may just be me. I can see why a team would go after the Murray/ Bouwmeester types though.

Playing as a 16 year old has given him a lot of hype. In the wjc he was not good but maybe he will live up to the hype. Last year Lilygrin had trouble living up to his preseason hype. Who knows what will happen with Dahlin.

 

[Nooodles]

Lilygrin

What? Who?

 

[Johny Drama]

Jake has been great for years now. He just doesn't get much respect because of his mistakes.

He hasnt been great for years...he's absolutely flourished under Babcock.

 

[Johny Drama]

Something I really don't understand, is how myopic the scouting world is, he was an elite talent before mono, he was an elite talent when he had mono, he's an elite talent now.

I've seen it time and time again, a player is hurt/sick for an extended period during his draft year and he for some odd reason falls off the table because scouts can't watch him in his draft year, just because he isn't playing or playing up to his previous levels does not mean he's a bad player. I think it was this year or last year a good player had a broken leg during his draft year, I think he was a WHL d-man and his value plummeted because he was out most of the year...

A broken leg or busted arm or mono does not suck all the skill out of a player they are still a great player. It's not like he was a fringe player before mono, he was considered to be a top 5 top 10 guy in the draft, so its not like he was not scouted frequently before mono.

It's like he is getting penalized for being human and catching a bug. I dunno, the scouting world is full of dummies.

You have to remember though, there maybe a lot of teams who actually did really like him and considered taking him but there was someone on the board they liked slightly more. A player falling down a bit doesnt necessarily mean that nobody liked him.