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'14 Draft

Averick*

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Boulder Avalanche said:
Yes a Swedish defenseman, time to turn on the tank.
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Sorry this comment makes no sense. How does talking about what's available at 15, imply the need to tank, especially for a team that finished second to last? Again, your comment isn't making sense.
 
Pierce Hawthorne

Pierce Hawthorne

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GamingGiant said:
Please god no more tanking...
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With Roy running the show next year we don't have to worry about tanking that's for sure.


As someone else has already mentioned our biggest issue last year was the inexperience and inconsistency of the team. We showed that we had the ability to beat good solid teams by beating the Hawks and ending there streak and doing it pretty easily.


I think we've already fixed that issue by replacing the Head Coach. For whatever reason Sacco couldn't get the guys motivated to play every night, Roy will have no trouble doing that.


And by picking up Tangs and Sarich we added to very good Vets who have been through it all now and will really add a lot to the team in the dressing room. Plus in that trade we got rid of a poor locker room guy in Obrien, and the most inconsistent player of all in Jones.


I expect next year we'll be in the playoff hunt all year and depending on how we play down the final stretch we'll either sneak into the playoffs, or just miss like we did 2 years ago.

I feel confident our 1st rounder next year wont be anywhere near the bottom 5, and probably not even the bottom 10. So if the right deal comes along where we get a young, Top 2/4 Dman who still has solid upside, I would move the pick.


For example, Gardiner, Josi, McDonagh, Kulikov, Myers are all guys I would entertain the idea of moving our 2014 1st for.
 
R S

R S

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Sep 18, 2006
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Put the finishing touches on this ranking over the weekend and just posted it online and in the prospect board area.

Now that the 2013 NHL Draft has come and gone the focus shifts to the 2014 edition, which is scheduled for next June in Philadelphia.

Early signs show that the WHL has another good crop of players on the way, with a wide variety of sizes and skillsets to offer. The big argument right off the bat is who should be first on the list. Many people out there are automatically placing Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice first overall, and for good reason. He played poised minutes as a 15 year old in the WHL playoffs to start his career, he's been a well above average WHL player for both his 16 and 17 year old seasons and has also performed admirably on a National stage with Team Canada.

As it stands, I think Prince Albert Raiders forward Leon Draisaitl puts up the greatest challenge for Reinhart in the race for the top spot. He's extremely skilled and driven, with eyes in the back of his head and a very projectable frame. I was actually extremely close to ranking the German forward first overall, but for now that honor stays with Reinhart.

A big theme of the draft this year from a WHL perspective is the skill, but lack of size amongst the forward group. There's a long list of players I would rank inside the overall top 60 or 80 players for this draft that are 5'10 and under from the WHL. Names like De Leo, Point, Hawryluk, Baillie, Chartier and Sandhu all fit into that type of category. This summer is going to be a key one for those guys, to see who can come back bigger and stronger, but also faster than last season.

When comparing it to the 2013 NHL Draft, I think the WHL will have a more offensive class. The depth isn't there from a defensive standpoint like the last couple of years, but the players up front should make up for that. I think the 2014 draft is getting a bit of a bad rap overall at this point, so we'll see how that tracks throughout the season.

Over the course of the summer I will plan on digging into this topic further, providing breakdowns of some of these players as we prepare for next season. For now, take a look at my ranking below. It includes the top 20 names currently ranked on my list.

As it stands now, there are a number of players that likely deserve to be on the list but I just haven't seen them enough to gauge them properly. A guy like defenceman Jordan Thomson of Kamloops is a prime example of this. I've only seen him live once, don't have a great read on him and therefore will not have him ranked below. Once I see more of his game he could easily jump into my list, just like many others surely will throughout the season.
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July2013.png


http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2013/07/early-whl-player-rankings-2014-nhl-draft.html
 
henchman21

henchman21

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The 2014 draft will be a lot like 2007 IMO. Few great players, some good players, a lot of bad players. If there is ever a chance to trade a first and not regret it, 2014 is it.
 

Granlund2Pulkkinen*

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In regards to the "tanking" there is no player to tank for. This year's draft is just full of project offense players... I am 100% behind trading the Avalanche #1 pick next year without pick protection.
 
Mr Serious

Mr Serious

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Jul 23, 2011
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Granlund2Pulkkinen said:
In regards to the "tanking" there is no player to tank for. This year's draft is just full of project offense players... I am 100% behind trading the Avalanche #1 pick next year without pick protection.
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I'm with you 110%. Unless you are picking from the top-3 the talent level doesn't appear to be worth tanking. I would like to see us package our 1st round pick to acquire defensive help for our core.
 

Averick*

Guest
I'm wondering why people think the pick will have so much value if they think it will be low and it's a garbage draft.

I hope mgt let's things play out somewhat, and don't go looking to give assets away. Let other teams approach the Avs.
 
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