Prospect Info: 2013 NHL Draft and Undrafted Free Agents Talk

[YoSoyLalo]

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 1m
Biggest/hardest hitter: London Knight defenceman Nikita Zadorov.

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 3m
Jonathan Drouin was runaway leader in 3 categories: best puckhandler, best playmaker, best hockey sense. And it wasn't close in any of them.

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 4m
Fastest skater: Nathan MacKinnon.

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 4m
Prospect with the best shot: Brandon dman Ryan Pulock. Seth Jones got a couple of votes too.

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 6m
Biggest draft day Wild Card prospect: Winger Valery Nichushkin, with 8 out of 10 votes.

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 7m
Prospect with the most complete game: Aleksander Barkov with the win over Nathan MacKinnon.

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 9m
Prospect most ready to step into NHL and play now: Nathan MacKinnon tops, Seth Jones runner up.

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 33s
Toughest prospect: Sam Morin with slight lead over J-I Diaby and Ryan Hartman.

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 1m
Best agitator: Plymouth's Ryan Hartman with clear win but guy he fought in Prospects Game Kerby Rychel got a couple of votes.

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 24s
Best pure goal-scorer: Anthony Mantha with the win over Drouin, MacKinnon, Shinkaruk. Mantha scored 50 this season.

 

[KreidertheGlider]

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 24s
Best pure goal-scorer: Anthony Mantha with the win over Drouin, MacKinnon, Shinkaruk. Mantha scored 50 this season.

I think thats who we should aim for. He's projected as a mid to late 1st rounder so he's within reach.

 

[Trxjw]

Michael Kantor can be that guy...

Dano is more skilled.

 

[Trxjw]

Right now, Mantha is James Neal without the occasional physical play. I was high on the kid, but he took a ton of shifts off this year. When he has the puck and can score, he's tremendous, but any other time he's on the ice he's just.. meh.

 

[Pizza]

I think thats who we should aim for. He's projected as a mid to late 1st rounder so he's within reach.

It would take a lot for us to move up that high at this point.

 

[Kokoschka]

Dano is more skilled.

Amen. If someone's thinking Avery here he's somehow close but still ****ing wrong, because Dano is pissing off pros in the KHL at age 17. He's just that much of a skilled $hit I don't know whom to compare him to.
Mark my words, the guy will be a Top 6er a la Brad Marchand in 2 or 3 years if everything pans out. I'll vomit if he's on the Devils by then.

 

[Bluenote13]

Dano is more skilled.

Agreed, ideally you want someone with more skill playing the chippy game, those plays lead to opportunities and as we saw first hand you need guys who will bury it, put it away without the hesitation or over thought.

Right now, Mantha is James Neal without the occasional physical play. I was high on the kid, but he took a ton of shifts off this year. When he has the puck and can score, he's tremendous, but any other time he's on the ice he's just.. meh.

Mantha is a guy who you hope gets the puck deep in the opponents zone and work infront of the net and off the boards. Overall, he'll need work with his game in all other zones. If a team tries to rush him it could get ugly. If it's a deep team, maybe he could be brought along and not felt forced to produce like a Vet right off the bat.

 

[Trxjw]

Amen. If someone's thinking Avery here he's somehow close but still ****ing wrong, because Dano is pissing off pros in the KHL at age 17. He's just that much of a skilled $hit I don't know whom to compare him to.
Mark my words, the guy will be a Top 6er a la Brad Marchand in 2 or 3 years if everything pans out. I'll vomit if he's on the Devils by then.

I see a bit of Andrew Shaw in his game. Marchand can really dangle with the puck. Dano has a bit of that "wrecking ball" element to his game but he can still shoot and pass, just like Shaw. I don't envision Dano undressing defenders like Marchand can.

Agreed, ideally you want someone with more skill playing the chippy game, those plays lead to opportunities and as we saw first hand you need guys who will bury it, put it away without the hesitation or over thought.

That's one of the things we tend to lack as we develop players, or even sign them as FA's. We need multifaceted guys, not just one trick ponies. I think Dano could be a very effective 3rd line player in the NHL.

Mantha is a guy who you hope gets the puck deep in the opponents zone and work infront of the net and off the boards. Overall, he'll need work with his game in all other zones. If a team tries to rush him it could get ugly. If it's a deep team, maybe he could be brought along and not felt forced to produce like a Vet right off the bat.

The upside is certainly there. I could see him going to Ottawa at 17. They seem to be willing to exercise some patience with their prospects.

 

[Bluenote13]

Mantha is a big kid. I could see him going as high as 12. Phoenix, Columbus, Winnipeg. The Jets drafted his dad Moe in the 2nd round of the 1980 draft.

Speaking of the Jets. They hold three 2nd rounders. Sharks have three 2nds as well. Montreal and Edmonton have two 2nds. Few of those teams looking for trading partners ?

 

[Roo Returns]

Wow, Anthony Mantha is Moe's son? LOL..I just realized that. Pretty funny.

I took from Clark's interview today on the Rangers website that they're looking for O DMen (J Subban?) and goaltending so maybe that Gracnar kid.


Also, if they don't feel Del Z is that man, he might be traded.

 

[Leetch3]

I think thats who we should aim for. He's projected as a mid to late 1st rounder so he's within reach.

in reach for when we have our first pick in the mid-3rd round?

 

[Championship*]

Anybody have any thoughts on Kerby Rychel? Seems interesting. I've read later round 1.

 

[Theon]

Wow Vasilevski was our guy last year but Tampa took him @ 19. Gordie ranked him as the #1 goalie in the draft.

It seems he's dead set on drafting an offensive defensemen in the 3rd. Followed by a goalie. Thinks that our C and RW departments are good enough.

 

[Punxrocknyc19*]

Wow Vasilevski was our guy last year but Tampa took him @ 19. Gordie ranked him as the #1 goalie in the draft.

It seems he's dead set on drafting an offensive defensemen in the 3rd. Followed by a goalie. Thinks that our C and RW departments are good enough.

LW NYR are not deep in the prospect pool at all.. i hope Rangers trade up for another LW... even if its a 2ed round pick...

 

[Roo Returns]

LW NYR are not deep in the prospect pool at all.. i hope Rangers trade up for another LW... even if its a 2ed round pick...

Tyler Hill!!!!!!!!!!

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

Haven't been able to watch the Clark interview yet.

But I gotta say if the org is dead set going into draft day on using 2 of the 3rds on prescribed positions I really disagree with that. The odds are against a 3rd rounder even playing an NHL game. Take the BPA.

 

[broadwayblue]

Wow Vasilevski was our guy last year but Tampa took him @ 19. Gordie ranked him as the #1 goalie in the draft.

It seems he's dead set on drafting an offensive defensemen in the 3rd. Followed by a goalie. Thinks that our C and RW departments are good enough.

Where did you read this? Really seems hard to believe we would have used a 1st rounder on a goalie.

 

[Draft Guru]

Where did you read this? Really seems hard to believe we would have used a 1st rounder on a goalie.

http://blueshirtsunited.com/videos/3635/gordie-clark-talks-draft-part-1#.Uc5bcvlJOJk

 

[broadwayblue]

http://blueshirtsunited.com/videos/3635/gordie-clark-talks-draft-part-1#.Uc5bcvlJOJk

Thanks. I guess if you can get the #1 goalie prospect at 28th overall it's a pretty good value.

 

[SupersonicMonkey*]

LW NYR are not deep in the prospect pool at all.. i hope Rangers trade up for another LW... even if its a 2ed round pick...

Kreider
Hagelin
Miller can play all three forward positions
Zuccarello can play both wings
Pyatt
Boyle


There are enough guys who can play the left wing.

We have zero legitimate offensive defensemen in the organization. Del Zotto lacks the footspeed and brains. Been saying it forever. Glad to see Clark agree.

Personally, i wouldnt try to get that player in the third round. Id try to get him in the late first or early second.

Move Del Zotto to free up some cap space for our RFAs, get a young forward and a pick in return. That could address your concerns about the wing depth.

Del Zotto + Thomas/St. Croix + #65
Paajarvi + Petry + #37

Move #37 + Boyle to move up to the #16-#22 range. Joshua Morrissey.

Maybe Calgary bites. #22.

See if Lindberg can take that #4 Center role.

Richards should have been bought out so we could have more cap flexability to increase our number of options.

 

[nsvoyageurs]

Wow Vasilevski was our guy last year but Tampa took him @ 19. Gordie ranked him as the #1 goalie in the draft.

It seems he's dead set on drafting an offensive defensemen in the 3rd. Followed by a goalie. Thinks that our C and RW departments are good enough.

I hope he's blowing smoke. To say their forwards are good enough and don't need help there is just... I don't know what team he's been watching.

 

[azrok22]

Wow Vasilevski was our guy last year but Tampa took him @ 19. Gordie ranked him as the #1 goalie in the draft.

It seems he's dead set on drafting an offensive defensemen in the 3rd. Followed by a goalie. Thinks that our C and RW departments are good enough.

Apparently they had Vasilevski really high. Mentioned that they were still surprised he was on the board at 15 and tried to move up before Tampa grabbed him at 19.

 

[Kokoschka]

Del Zotto + Thomas/St. Croix + #65
Paajarvi + Petry + #37

Move #37 + Boyle to move up to the #16-#22 range. Joshua Morrissey.

Maybe Calgary bites. #22.

Like the idea drafting Morrissey. Don't see EDM biting on the trade though. As for the CGY one, perhaps Feaster trades us one of his 1st rounders for a 3rd rounder .

 

[Matt4776]

Apparently they had Vasilevski really high. Mentioned that they were still surprised he was on the board at 15 and tried to move up before Tampa grabbed him at 19.

He was the guy I wanted last year. Would be nice to have a blue-chip goalie prospect in the org instead of Skjei, who is pretty redundant.

As far as this year goes, we need an OFD. I think we need one more than a forward. We have great RW organizational depth (Nash, Callahan, Fast, Zuccarello, Miller, Thomas, Dorsett in no particular order). We have fairly mediocre LW depth (Kreider, Hagelin, and Miller/Fast can play LW). We have good C depth (Stepan, Brassard, Lindberg, Boyle, Nieves, and the off-chance Richards rebounds).

We do have good LD depth (McDonagh, Staal, DZ, Moore, Skjei), and decent RD depth (Girardi, Stralman, McIlrath, Noreau), but the problem is our d-men are redundant. As Clarke said, no OFD in our system.

We need to go BPA, but if I had to rank needs, I'd go:

1. OFD (RD preferably)
2. LW
3. legitimate goalie prospect

 

[Kokoschka]

I see a bit of Andrew Shaw in his game. Marchand can really dangle with the puck. Dano has a bit of that "wrecking ball" element to his game but he can still shoot and pass, just like Shaw. I don't envision Dano undressing defenders like Marchand can.

Dano did a good bit of dangling with Dukla Trencin when he was younger IIRC (only caught 4 or 5 games they played in Bratislava and Trnava) but someone at Slovan probably told him to stop trying to be cute and focus on other things. Perhaps they felt it harmed his effectiveness, but I'm quite sure he has some good moves. Or he just can't dance around veteran defenders that easily. As for the kind of game he plays currently, you're spot on with the Shaw comparison.