Prospect Info: Way Too Early Devils-Centric Mock Draft For February

[glenwo2]

I’ve most likely seen the kid play more than anyone on here. And have seen it first hand. Seen the same with Ho sang as well. All the potential. No effort.

If that's the case, that's disappointing.

But maybe if he is drafted into the NHL, he will get a coaching staff that will make sure he plays with Effort then?

'Cause if that is the only issue, it's fixable.

 

[Puckclektr]

If that's the case, that's disappointing.

But maybe if he is drafted into the NHL, he will get a coaching staff that will make sure he plays with Effort then?

I agree and I have stated that. But some kids never do.

 

[glenwo2]

I agree and I have stated that. But some kids never do.

Well then I'm hoping for his sake, it turns out the opposite 'cause he's got too much talent to let it go to waste.

 

[Puckclektr]

Well then I'm hoping for his sake, it turns out the opposite 'cause he's got too much talent to let it go to waste.

I agree. And like the comparison to Sean Day. It would be a shame. I’ve seen so many kids come out of the Toronto area that have so much talent yet lack that drive. Ryan merkley is a perfect example of that.

 

[Guttersniped]

Mentioning Sean Day may have muddied the discussion unless you think Drysdale shouldn’t go in the first two rounds and could be in the ECHL at age 22.

It’s perfectly reasonable to argue that Drysdale shouldn’t be in the top ten, isn’t the best defenseman in the draft or won’t become a top pair stud in the NHL. Even if those opinions prove to be wrong they’re still reasonable. Projecting the future of defensive prospects seems to be even trickier than forwards and people disagreeing with the general consensus makes pre-draft debates more interesting.

I personally enjoy all the reminiscing about minor midget hockey even if it’s not particularly useful to others for pre-draft rankings. Way back in 2001 the Devils drafted Adrian Foster 28th overall mostly for his minor midget hockey successes since injuries pretty much derailed his entire career in juniors. It didn’t work out for NJ but it happened.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Ive told you before and I will tell you again, you severely underrate your angelic voice.

Actually, I sang in a punk rock band in 1992-93. We shamelessly ripped off Mudhoney and called ourselves Oozal. Our best song was called Everyone Loves An Abomination, and the largest gig we played was a basement in I think Elmwood Park in front of twenty-something people. Three songs in, I finished the bottle of Wild Turkey which was intended to last me the entire dozen-song set. Now, it's a quarter-century later and you people actually listen to me when I talk about hockey.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I caught your act in Vegas and it was good but why did you marry that much older guy?

Gold-digging. You'd be surprised how little they pay you for ranking prospects on the HF Boards.

 

[StevenToddIves]

And I wasn’t looking for a debate. I’m giving an opinion. As someone who talks prospects and has even said to me after one of my comments that “you look forward to posts from me” you seem to get pretty upset and aggressive because I disagree with you. I said that he had inconsistent games where he didn’t show up similar to Sean Day. Sean day didn’t play well becuse of frustration in my opinion and it took him off of his game. And I think a lot of that was the coaching in mississauga . I compared Drysdale to Makar although not as good. And I have probably seen Drysdale quite a bit more than you have. He can be a star but if he continues to play without heart he isn’t going anywhere.

Comparing "Drysdale to Makar but not as good" is an excellent place to start dialogue. Apologies if I sounded aggressive, totally not my intent. Comparing myself to Celine Dion probably amounted to no more than subliminal wishful thinking. Wow, that Quebecois elf princess can over-emote with the best of them.

Seriously though, my point was that your singular comment that a player could score 5 points in a game and still be invisible was something I did not understand, and the Sean Day reference was something else I did not understand because those two players have nothing in common -- so I was simply asking for a clarification. If your intent was not false equivalency between Drysdale and Day, then my apologies for misinterpreting it as such. The people who follow me on these threads are generally aware that I often fight false equivalencies because they tend to be unfair to the players; such as when I was pumping K'Andre Miller to the Devils and skeptics compared him to Eric Gelinas or when I was promoting Cole Caufield last year and had someone compare him to (yes, this is true) Reid Boucher.

So, sorry again if there was a mistake on the interpretation of my tone. I can be passionate about hockey prospects and have my own little moral code to abide by when discussing them. But my moral code includes never personally insulting anyone I debate with, and I regret if you saw my words as such. I will make fun of people however, but no one so much as myself. Okay, maybe I will make fun of Mike Milbury more than myself but how can anyone who loves hockey resist doing that?

 

[StevenToddIves]

If that's the case, that's disappointing.

But maybe if he is drafted into the NHL, he will get a coaching staff that will make sure he plays with Effort then?

'Cause if that is the only issue, it's fixable.

I've seen a bunch of Erie games this year and watched and re-watched every shift Drysdale took in the WJC. I would say the only thing effortless about him is his skating. While he does not have the almost rabid compete level of a Byram, I would grade his compete level as above average. Part of his game is that he is very cerebral and skates so well that he is gliding -- he does not "chase the puck" so much. Defensively, his physicality I would also grade as slightly above average for a player his size. He's far from a banger, but I see no red flags on Drysdale except that he needs to improve his core strength in order to not be dominated in board battles and in the crease at the NHL level.

The best comparable for Drysdale is Cale Makar. I'd say Makar is a little more dynamic with skating and shooting, but they play a similar style with similar skill-sets. Right now I have Drysdale as the #5 guy in the 2020 draft behind only Lafreniere, Byfield, Stutzle and Rossi -- although as I keep saying it's very close between the "Big 8", especially at #3-#7.

 

[Puckclektr]

Comparing "Drysdale to Makar but not as good" is an excellent place to start dialogue. Apologies if I sounded aggressive, totally not my intent. Comparing myself to Celine Dion probably amounted to no more than subliminal wishful thinking. Wow, that Quebecois elf princess can over-emote with the best of them.

Seriously though, my point was that your singular comment that a player could score 5 points in a game and still be invisible was something I did not understand, and the Sean Day reference was something else I did not understand because those two players have nothing in common -- so I was simply asking for a clarification. If your intent was not false equivalency between Drysdale and Day, then my apologies for misinterpreting it as such. The people who follow me on these threads are generally aware that I often fight false equivalencies because they tend to be unfair to the players; such as when I was pumping K'Andre Miller to the Devils and skeptics compared him to Eric Gelinas or when I was promoting Cole Caufield last year and had someone compare him to (yes, this is true) Reid Boucher.

So, sorry again if there was a mistake on the interpretation of my tone. I can be passionate about hockey prospects and have my own little moral code to abide by when discussing them. But my moral code includes never personally insulting anyone I debate with, and I regret if you saw my words as such. I will make fun of people however, but no one so much as myself. Okay, maybe I will make fun of Mike Milbury more than myself but how can anyone who loves hockey resist doing that?

Very well said. I will admit the one game I was talking about with Tavares was at the old Oshawa arena and he did absolutely nothing to show he was an elite prospect but still has five points. And that was when I was talking to some people around the arena that said that it was like that on most nights. He just knew where to go and make simple plays that weren’t to flashy.
I do tend to follow prospects more in their major bantam and minor midget years.
I’ve lived In he Newmarket are until just recently(moves just south of Barrie)and feel as though it is an excellent hot spot for prospects. Watching the YSE program in a regular basis. Seeing McDavid, Byfield Vierling Bennet etc just in the last handful of years come out of that region is quite lucky. Not to mention about 30-40 minutes away from Toronto GTHL minor midget AAA.
I tend to watch the top teams or players more often and like to keep track of the players and follow them as often as I can in the OHL. This year I have been dealing with things and haven’t made it to many minor hockey games and tend to just watch some local “AA”.
Last year I watch Don mills on a regular basis. First time I saw Shane Wright I thought he shouldn’t be playing up. The second time I saw him and virtually every other game I saw him as the top player in minor midget by a fair margin in the mold of a Crosby and was underage.
The year before it was the Marlies and the local YSE team and they were comparable talent level. That was were I watched Drysdale and Moore on a regular basis. Drysdale was the better player that had a game that translated better to the NHL and I could see top pairing potential. Moore I thought was like a Ryan Ellis and maybe top four potential but I saw the probability of Moore reaching top four better than Drysdale as a top 2. Like I said I could be wrong. I also watched the series between the Marlies and vaughan with Perfetti and thought Perfetti wasn’t on a top level. I was wrong.
As for the OHL. I am fortunate enough to be close to Barrie. Saw Sudbury the other night. I am also 30-40 minutes from Mississauga and got to see McLeod in a regular basis and still have hope in him. Mississauga will have top players like Shane Wright show up at Christmas holiday and the place is only 20% full. My in-laws are in Oshawa and I attend games there regularly.

I do tend to not watch the kids as much as they get older as it isn’t free to watch OHL games but I do have connections and can get tickets for free.
Anyways. No harm. Even the best scouts are wrong. But we all have opinions about players and can get passionate about them. Im passionate and maybe biased with Byfield but more so Vierling.
I’ve played high end hockey and know the game quite well. But when Yakapov goes first overall and you would be shot if he wasn’t taken 1 or 2 and the fact that Vegas makes the cup finals as an expansion team and Tampa got swept last year, you never no when you are wrong. I’m probably wrong on Drysdale. But you never know. And I laughed at the Celine reference.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Here's a quick top 12 mini-mock for 3/7 before I go to work:

1 DET Lafreniere
2 LA Byfield
3 OTT Stutzle
4 OTT Holtz
5 ANH Drysdale
6 NJ Rossi
7 BUF Raymond
8 CHI Perfetti
9 MTL Sanderson
10 NJ Quinn
11 NSH Lundell
12 FLA Amirov

All the 67's.

 

[glenwo2]

Here's a quick top 12 mini-mock for 3/7 before I go to work:

1 DET Lafreniere
2 LA Byfield
3 OTT Stutzle
4 OTT Holtz
5 ANH Drysdale
6 NJ Rossi
7 BUF Raymond
8 CHI Perfetti
9 MTL Sanderson
10 NJ Quinn
11 NSH Lundell
12 FLA Amirov

All the 67's.

Now watch us end up with Lafreniere and Quinn instead. lol

 

[Spoiled Bratt]

Here's a quick top 12 mini-mock for 3/7 before I go to work:

1 DET Lafreniere
2 LA Byfield
3 OTT Stutzle
4 OTT Holtz
5 ANH Drysdale
6 NJ Rossi
7 BUF Raymond
8 CHI Perfetti
9 MTL Sanderson
10 NJ Quinn
11 NSH Lundell
12 FLA Amirov

All the 67's.

Give me anyone in that top #6 and I’ll be happy. I’m still on the fence about Raymond and there’s something about Perfetti’s game that makes me a little nervous if he’s our guy with our pick.

 

[ninetyeight]

Lucas Raymond, just a reminder how this kid plays:

 

[glenwo2]

Lucas Raymond, just a reminder how this kid plays:

Breaking News : Devils are going to get one HELL OF A TALENTED PLAYER in the first round.

I'm so giddy, man.

 

[Forge]

I feel like we are going to end up at like 8 and 11

 

[Emperoreddy]

I feel like we are going to end up at like 8 and 11

make it 7 and 11. I want Rossi and Quinn!!!

 

[Brooklyndevil]

With the way we’re playing it’s time to update my 3 draft selections: 1. Cole Perfetti-Forward 2. Connor Zary-Center 3. Lukas Cormier-LHD. I’d be happy with this group.

 

[Blackjack]

The funny thing about being in the basement is that it does not take a lot of winning to get out of it. I can't really root against the team, but at the same time I'm extremely anxious watching us drift up the standings knowing that we have not shot at making the playoffs.

I'll tell you what though, we have 68 points and will probably draft 7-9. I'd much rather be in that position than have 37 points like Detroit and a very good chance of getting kicked down to 4th.

 

[Emperoreddy]

The funny thing about being in the basement is that it does not take a lot of winning to get out of it. I can't really root against the team, but at the same time I'm extremely anxious watching us drift up the standings knowing that we have not shot at making the playoffs.

I'll tell you what though, we have 68 points and will probably draft 7-9. I'd much rather be in that position than have 37 points like Detroit and a very good chance of getting kicked down to 4th.

I am still holding out hope we thread the needle of mediocrity along with Arizona so we can get both 67s players.

 

[Spoiled Bratt]

If only Hughes and Hischier would be the main components to our recent success. The good thing is that we know both those kids will eventually lead us to the playoffs but in the meantime Blackwood, Gusev and Bratt have all been lights out.

Finishing 6th is my best case scenario and 9th would be disastrous, even if someone will probably drop or a team will reach for a kid who’s out of the top #8.

 

[Blackjack]

If only Hughes and Hischier would be the main components to our recent success. The good thing is that we know both those kids will eventually lead us to the playoffs but in the meantime Blackwood, Gusev and Bratt have all been lights out.

Finishing 6th is my best case scenario and 9th would be disastrous, even if someone will probably drop or a team will reach for a kid who’s out of the top #8.

I will say this though, the near-consensus "top eight" is who... Laf, Byfield, Stutzle, Raymond, Holtz, Rossi, Drysdale, Perfetti? I'd still be thrilled to come away with Lundell and Quinn.

 

[theoptimist]

make it 7 and 11. I want Rossi and Quinn!!!

do you think Rossi will be on the board at #7? I hope we grab him too

 

[glenwo2]

make it 7 and 11. I want Rossi and Quinn!!!

So it will be known as the Slurpee draft then!

 

[longislanddevil]

No professional team is going to embrace tanking. Fundamentally, it’s hard to root for your favorite team to lose. With that said, I’d be lying if I stated I wasn’t concerned about our draft position and the impact these last otherwise 14 meaningless games could have. While there is an “elite 8” group of players, I personally want one of Stutzle/Rossi/Drysdale (in no particular order) and then Holtz slightly less. If the Devils secure a top 6 pick it ensures they can land one of these players.

While Anaheim and San Jose aren’t playing too terribly at the moment, Anaheim in particular, the Devils are something like 6-2-2 in their last 10 and have opened up a 4-5 point lead on both those teams. We are now also 2 points ahead of Buffalo who is totally reeling with 6 losses in a row. My brother is a big Sabres fan and he believes Buffalo may (and should) shut Eichel down. Apparently he is dealing with a sports hernia type of injury.

Looking at the remaining schedules, at first glance it appeared to me that both San Jose and Buffalo don’t have many winnable games on the surface. Anaheim arguably has a much easier schedule than those teams or the Devils.

Teams that are almost guaranteed to finish below the Devils:

1) Detroit
2) L.A.
3) Ottawa

Currently worse than the Devils:
4) San Jose
5) Anaheim
6) Buffalo

Now just a few points ahead of the Devils:
7) Chicago
8) Montreal

If there is a silver lining here, it’s that the prospects from 3-8 (3-6 especially IMHO) are all rated so closely. It feels a bit different than previous years.

Here’s hoping Arizona keeps losing and we have two top 10 picks. Some combo of the aforementioned players or one of them with Raymond or Perfetti would be an absolute coup!!