Who are some of your least favourite players for the 2024 NHL Draft?

[MikeyS]

I see a lot of strong opinions on these boards, and was wondering who people think are overrated/you can’t understand the hype for?

I’ll start it out.

Zayne Parekh.
I think he is overrated, defence is the biggest concern becuase he is a.. defenceman. But, the spitting event that occurred around a week ago I think really brings to light some character concerns. He has always been a cocky player, but perhaps this isn’t the good kind of cocky where it is arrogance?

who do you guys not like as much as others?

Click to read more...

 

[LeProspector]

Cayden Lindstrom 100% doesn’t drive play, is a passenger more often than not and he has one move when carrying the puck. Speed to the outside and cut to the goalie. I see Josh Anderson here. Wouldn’t pick him top-10.

 

[MS]

I'm not sure how Tanner Howe is still a 1st rounder in consolidated rankings.

He's a 2005 in his 3rd full WHL season, average skater with pretty stubby legs, and his production has taken a drop this year without Bedard. To me he should be in the 45-75 range but you still see most rankings with him in the top 32 and as high as 20.

 

[57special]

Connelly, once i found out that he tweets Swaztika's, and has had on ice racist taunting incidents.

 

[austin63867]

I'm not as high on Silayev as others after watching a few of his games. Obviously he has some great natural abilities, but I'm not sold he has the skill level, at least right now, to go top 3.

Mews has kind of fallen for me. He's not too consistent as a player sometimes, I thought he was a lottery pick earlier in the season but I'm not sure he's a first rounder unless his game improves. Another guy I had as a possible lottery pick who's dropped is Sahlin Wallenius. I can see him rising back for me eventually but he had a difficult WJAC tournament and looked a bit off. In the J20, I think he's shown he's more of a later 1st but I'm a bit hesitant seeing him struggle.

He's also not someone I'm low on but Aatos Koivu is getting a lot of hype and I think a late 3rd-early 4th rounder at best right now.

 

[Zarzh]

Cayden Lindstrom
Obvious reasons, lack of hockey IQ, not amazing production, questionable if he can create his own shot but can create space for others, seems like too much of a project for a guy people love putting top 3 or even top 2. He'd be fine after 6.

Berkly Catton
Small high usage forward on a terrible team, doesn't have a standout trait or amazing production. You're betting too much on him having a steep development curve and one of his best possible outcomes in taking him early lottery. He'd be fine after 8 and would do better on a better team where he could be a complimentary player.

 

[Kingpin794]

Cayden Lindstrom
Obvious reasons, lack of hockey IQ, not amazing production, questionable if he can create his own shot but can create space for others, seems like too much of a project for a guy people love putting top 3 or even top 2. He'd be fine after 6.

Berkly Catton
Small high usage forward on a terrible team, doesn't have a standout trait or amazing production. You're betting too much on him having a steep development curve and one of his best possible outcomes in taking him early lottery. He'd be fine after 8 and would do better on a better team where he could be a complimentary player.

See I’m of the opposite feeling on Catton. Play driver on a bad team. Seems like a safe pick to be productive at the next level.

 

[Blueston]

Yakemchuk. Big RHD, putting up huge numbers on middling team, but his actual defense is not good. at all. and the more I watch him, I see a guy with no interest in defending. And I don't think his offense will translate enough to make it worth the defense. I wouldn't take him in top 20 at this point.

 

[Zarzh]

See I’m of the opposite feeling on Catton. Play driver on a bad team. Seems like a safe pick to be productive at the next level.

I don't necessarily see him as unproductive, but more not good enough to be impactful. There's a point you take him for scoring, but he's not a foundational piece in a team.

 

[Antiillafire]

For Dmen:
Buium, Letourneau

 

[dr1234]

I think Greentree is a decent prospect, but I don’t want my team to draft him as high as people are ranking him. Every time I’ve seen him live there are brilliant offensive moments parsed with a lot of standing around. I think he’d be great in the 25-35 range but I see people putting him like 12th overall and I don’t see it.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

See I’m of the opposite feeling on Catton. Play driver on a bad team. Seems like a safe pick to be productive at the next level.

He also does have amazing production. That guy has a thing against 5'10-5'11 forwards.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

How many do you need?

Americans:

Eiserman-Great goal scoring. Rest of his game is concerning.

Connelly-Great skating and puck handling. Hockey sense and true shooting/passing I have my questions.

Hutson-He's not Lane. People want him to be, and at one point I thought he could be, but he's not going to be.

Humphreys-Complete passenger with okay scoring skills. His point totals are deceiving.

Emery-People want to make him into this athletic monster. He's not. He's 6'3 and a good skater. Not 6'6 and a great skater (Simashev). He's an above-average athlete with a mediocre puck game and defensive reads.

Felicio-Small, can't skate, or play defense.

Whipple-I don't get his reputation. It must've been from like two or three years ago when no one knew about these players prior to junior. Total meh defensive defenseman. Might have a chance to be a 6 or 7 in the NHL. Nothing more.

Non-Americans:

Celebrini-Don't doubt he's going to be very good and already is. But he's not exciting. He'll be a 15-20 1C in the NHL. Don't expect a superstar. You aren't getting that. Doesn't have the true puck game for it.

Lindstrom- He's a product of the team he plays for. He'll be a second or third line complimentary NHL winger, and some sucker team will pick this guy second or third.

Helenius-5'10-5'11 center with average skating and offense skills. Yeah, hockey sense is great, but a sub 6'0 top 10 pick who lacks above-average scoring and skating sounds like a bad idea.

Parekh-He's going to get way over-drafted. He should be picked around 20. He's boom-bust. May not have the defense to make the NHL, and his scoring isn't like generational or anything crazy. There's an OFD like this in every draft. Nothing special.

Brandsegg Nygard-Low upside. People like the Norway story. Sorry, he might be a third liner.

Iginla-He's good, but I feel too many put him 5 spots higher than he should be because of his father's career.

Sennecke-Total meh player. Doesn't skate well. Average scoring when it's supposed to be his speciality. Yeah, he's grown a little taller. Shouldn't shoot him up the rankings in the face of the rest not being that good.

Pettersson-Has never impressed me when I've watched him play, and I've tried to understand what others like about him.

Gridin-Russian forward who goes the NA route. We all know how this ends. 99% chance he'll end up a bust or a bottom six forward. Won't even make my list.

Galvas-I don't mind him, but some of the Czech fans are way too high on him probably because Czechia doesn't produce a lot of amazing prospects (sorry, it's true). He's a dime-a-dozen 5'11 defenseman who skates well and has okay puck moving and not terrible defense. He'll be drafted 2nd-4th round and might have a small chance to make the NHL.

 

[coooldude]

So in the first few posts we have negatives for every skater in the top 15+, including Celebrini, except Levshunov and Dickinson, both of whom have a fair few detractors in their prospect threads. Wild year.

 

[Zarzh]

He also does have amazing production. That guy has a thing against 5'10-5'11 forwards.

I dislike players who add far less than their points. Small, speedy forwards (without obscene skill) are the highest bust and disappointment rate among top prospects, and the most difficult to build a team around to have any success.

The next closest are big players with low-hockey IQ.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

So in the first few posts we have negatives for every skater in the top 15+, including Celebrini, except Levshunov and Dickinson, both of whom have a fair few detractors in their prospect threads. Wild year.

Relatively middling draft year, pretty weak depth once you get into the middle of the 2nd round

How many do you need?

Americans:

Eiserman-Great goal scoring. Rest of his game is concerning.

Connelly-Great skating and puck handling. Hockey sense and true shooting/passing I have my questions.

Hutson-He's not Lane. People want him to be, and at one point I thought he could be, but he's not going to be.

Humphreys-Complete passenger with okay scoring skills. His point totals are deceiving.

Emery-People want to make him into this athletic monster. He's not. He's 6'3 and a good skater. Not 6'6 and a great skater (Simashev). He's an above-average athlete with a mediocre puck game and defensive reads.

Felicio-Small, can't skate, or play defense.

Whipple-I don't get his reputation. It must've been from like two or three years ago when no one knew about these players prior to junior. Total meh defensive defenseman. Might have a chance to be a 6 or 7 in the NHL. Nothing more.

Non-Americans:

Celebrini-Don't doubt he's going to be very good and already is. But he's not exciting. He'll be a 15-20 1C in the NHL. Don't expect a superstar. You aren't getting that. Doesn't have the true puck game for it.

Lindstrom- He's a product of the team he plays for. He'll be a second or third line complimentary NHL winger, and some sucker team will pick this guy second or third.

Helenius-5'10-5'11 center with average skating and offense skills. Yeah, hockey sense is great, but a sub 6'0 top 10 pick who lacks above-average scoring and skating sounds like a bad idea.

Parekh-He's going to get way over-drafted. He should be picked around 20. He's boom-bust. May not have the defense to make the NHL, and his scoring isn't like generational or anything crazy. There's an OFD like this in every draft. Nothing special.

Brandsegg Nygard-Low upside. People like the Norway story. Sorry, he might be a third liner.

Iginla-He's good, but I feel too many put him 5 spots higher than he should be because of his father's career.

Sennecke-Total meh player. Doesn't skate well. Average scoring when it's supposed to be his speciality. Yeah, he's grown a little taller. Shouldn't shoot him up the rankings in the face of the rest not being that good.

Pettersson-Has never impressed me when I've watched him play, and I've tried to understand what others like about him.

Gridin-Russian forward who goes the NA route. We all know how this ends. 99% chance he'll end up a bust or a bottom six forward. Won't even make my list.

Galvas-I don't mind him, but some of the Czech fans are way too high on him probably because Czechia doesn't produce a lot of amazing prospects (sorry, it's true). He's a dime-a-dozen 5'11 defenseman who skates well and has okay puck moving and not terrible defense. He'll be drafted 2nd-4th round and might have a small chance to make the NHL.

I'm really interested to see how Gridin does because he's going to Michigan. Naurato is a pretty good talent developer, but Gridin will have to earn everything because the talent on the roster will be very good every year he's there.

For me, it's Adam Jiricek. Should be a solid defensive defenseman but I just don't see much offensive upside right now. The last name bias has him higher than he should actually be.

 

[Kingpin794]

How many do you need?

Americans:

Eiserman-Great goal scoring. Rest of his game is concerning.

Connelly-Great skating and puck handling. Hockey sense and true shooting/passing I have my questions.

Hutson-He's not Lane. People want him to be, and at one point I thought he could be, but he's not going to be.

Humphreys-Complete passenger with okay scoring skills. His point totals are deceiving.

Emery-People want to make him into this athletic monster. He's not. He's 6'3 and a good skater. Not 6'6 and a great skater (Simashev). He's an above-average athlete with a mediocre puck game and defensive reads.

Felicio-Small, can't skate, or play defense.

Whipple-I don't get his reputation. It must've been from like two or three years ago when no one knew about these players prior to junior. Total meh defensive defenseman. Might have a chance to be a 6 or 7 in the NHL. Nothing more.

Non-Americans:

Celebrini-Don't doubt he's going to be very good and already is. But he's not exciting. He'll be a 15-20 1C in the NHL. Don't expect a superstar. You aren't getting that. Doesn't have the true puck game for it.

Lindstrom- He's a product of the team he plays for. He'll be a second or third line complimentary NHL winger, and some sucker team will pick this guy second or third.

Helenius-5'10-5'11 center with average skating and offense skills. Yeah, hockey sense is great, but a sub 6'0 top 10 pick who lacks above-average scoring and skating sounds like a bad idea.

Parekh-He's going to get way over-drafted. He should be picked around 20. He's boom-bust. May not have the defense to make the NHL, and his scoring isn't like generational or anything crazy. There's an OFD like this in every draft. Nothing special.

Brandsegg Nygard-Low upside. People like the Norway story. Sorry, he might be a third liner.

Iginla-He's good, but I feel too many put him 5 spots higher than he should be because of his father's career.

Sennecke-Total meh player. Doesn't skate well. Average scoring when it's supposed to be his speciality. Yeah, he's grown a little taller. Shouldn't shoot him up the rankings in the face of the rest not being that good.

Pettersson-Has never impressed me when I've watched him play, and I've tried to understand what others like about him.

Gridin-Russian forward who goes the NA route. We all know how this ends. 99% chance he'll end up a bust or a bottom six forward. Won't even make my list.

Galvas-I don't mind him, but some of the Czech fans are way too high on him probably because Czechia doesn't produce a lot of amazing prospects (sorry, it's true). He's a dime-a-dozen 5'11 defenseman who skates well and has okay puck moving and not terrible defense. He'll be drafted 2nd-4th round and might have a small chance to make the NHL.

Re Parekh: His defense is a legitimate concern and I can see why some feel he is too highly rated because of that. Fair thing to bring up. If a team is going to try and fit a square peg into a round hole, they are going to push him to the bust end of the spectrum. Heck even concerns about his attitude are fair to bring up.

However you can't argue that his production isn't generational. The last time ANY OHL defenseman had 100 pts was 2010-11. That was a 19 yr old Ryan Ellis. The last time a draft eligible d man had a 100 pt season in the OHL was 1982-83 when Bruce Cassidy did it in an era where goaltending was optional. So for the modern iteration of the game, it hasn't been done by a draft eligible d man in the OHL. There are PPG d men every year. There aren't guys like Parekh every year.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

However you can't argue that his production isn't generational. The last time ANY OHL defenseman had 100 pts was 2010-11. That was a 19 yr old Ryan Ellis. The last time a draft eligible d man had a 100 pt season in the OHL was 1982-83 when Bruce Cassidy did it in an era where goaltending was optional. So for the modern iteration of the game, it hasn't been done by a draft eligible d man in the OHL. There are PPG d men every year. There aren't guys like Parekh every year.

You are only talking about the OHL. There are a lot of other leagues. He’s having a very good scoring season. Can’t argue that. However, Buium is equaling or bettering Parekh offensively against the competition he faces, and he’s facing better competition. I don’t think that Buium is generational either. Parekh I think has the better offensive game.

Generational is not only offensive totals. It’s the skillset. Parekh has the Barrie, DeAngelo, Boqvist, Merkley, Murphy type of skillset. You hope it ends up on the high end of it. EK or Makar he is not.

 

[Kingpin794]

You are only talking about the OHL. There are a lot of other leagues. He’s having a very good scoring season. Can’t argue that. However, Buium is equaling or bettering Parekh offensively against the competition he faces, and he’s facing better competition. I don’t think that Buium is generational either. Parekh I think has the better offensive game.

Generational is not only offensive totals. It’s the skillset. Parekh has the Barrie, DeAngelo, Boqvist, Merkley, Murphy type of skillset. You hope it ends up on the high end of it. EK or Makar he is not.

"his scoring isn't like generational or anything crazy. There's an OFD like this in every draft. Nothing special."

You weren't talking about his overall game with this point. You we're talking about his offense specifically and that's what I was talking about specifically. If he's doing something offensively that only happens every 10/15 years, that would certainly be generational with regards to offense. Which is what you were talking about.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

"his scoring isn't like generational or anything crazy. There's an OFD like this in every draft. Nothing special."

You weren't talking about his overall game with this point. You we're talking about his offense specifically and that's what I was talking about specifically. If he's doing something offensively that only happens every 10/15 years, that would certainly be generational with regards to offense. Which is what you were talking about.

Yes, and you are talking about one league. I gave you an example of another player doing the same thing offensively this year.

 

[Kingpin794]

Yes, and you are talking about one league. I gave you an example of another player doing the same thing offensively this year.

There nothing saying that there can't be multiple guys with generational offensive skills in one draft. One doesn't negate the other.

 

[Frk It]

Gridin-Russian forward who goes the NA route. We all know how this ends. 99% chance he'll end up a bust or a bottom six forward. Won't even make my list.

The fact that people still think this, or the fact that people think these shouldn't be looked at as case by case situations, is wild to me.

 

[rt]

Connelly
Greentree
Kiviharju
Elick
Mews

 

[blindpass]

For Dmen:
Buium, Letourneau

Isn't Letourneau a center?

 

[rt]

Isn't Letourneau a center?

Yes.