2014 Draft - 3rd OV: Leon Draisaitl

[Gret99zky]

You guys can thank my avatar. I know I do.

 

[OVOXO*]

The thing with Bennett is he's not even that small for a 17 year old, he's 180lbs at 6'1". I could easily see him playing at 190-200lbs. If we didn't already have one stickman in the organization in RNH, Bennett would have been our pick today I'm sure. In saying that I'm not upset with Draisaitl as he'll help the team. To me he looks like Jason Allison with a bit better skating which is a player any team in the league would want.

Bennett doesn't have the stature to put on that weight. Hell, RNH has a better build to put on mass and we are still waiting on him to put on "15-20lb." You can't just randomly say a player is going to gain x lbs to benefit your argument. Eberle, too, is still only 180lb. How come he hasn't increased his weight to 200lb? Bennett doesn't have the work ethic to go to the gym like Draisatl.

 

[dustrock]

It's not Bennett, but ****, he has a wider/more projectable frame than Ekblad.

I think like RNH, everyone will say he needs to go back to the W, but once he starts playing with talented players I think he'll surprise people.

 

[Aceonfire*]

I know some Oil fans are upset about passing on Bennett, but Draisaitl is exactly what this team needed.

Possession was a major issue for the Oilers and the 2nd line was a huge factor in that. Hell, the 3rd and 4th lines could sustain more pressure at times than the 2nd line.

Draisaitl will give teams a headache because they will have 2 tough lines to match up against. As the Oil Kings players and Fleury have stated, he was the hardest player in the WHL to be matched up against.

 

[Jet Walters]

Can we please have Marincin and RNH live at the Katz mansion this summer and follow Katz Junior around eating everything junior does. I think that would be beneficial to our team.

 

[Aerchon]

I like Couturier because his hockey IQ is off the charts. He is always in the right place at the right time. A lot of people see that and think they can teach a player to do it but very rarely does it work out. Couturier could wind up being one of the best shut down centers in the league someday and during the RNH draft everyone was so close I felt Couturier was all but guaranteed to be an NHL'er and felt that he'd be able to produce and be the defensive conscious on a line with Hall and Eberle. I disliked and still am not as enamoured with RNH because I feel he isn't a driver on a line and because he was and still is to a degree under sized. I knew it would take him 5+ years before we seen his best from him. Felt that by taking Couturier we could be competitive much quicker.

As for Draisaitl I don't mind him, I just liked Bennett more based on what I've seen of the two. This was the first draft in a long time that I didn't really care who we chose. I just HATE the fact that Bob and his posse over pump these guys and give fans false expectations for them to try and meet. Also saying things like if Ekblad goes first look for Calgary to trade up to get Draisaitl when no one in the Calgary media was even talking about the guy in the last few months.

Burke was pretty high on him earlier in the year and their was "speculation" that Burke really likes size down the middle. Everyone and their mother's brother's dog thinks to succeed in the West/Pacific you need size down the middle.

There are lots of woulda coulda shouldas but the Bennet hype was obviously at least a bit overblown by Eastern Media (Toronto) cause if Bennet was as good as some people have been preaching he would not have fallen to #4. Doesn't even get his picture as a top draftie. Only the top 3 do.

Oh and I am a huge Couturier fan and agree that he could end up being one of the best shutdown guys. But why would you want a #2/3 shutdown center instead of a #1 highly touted two way center? That don't make sense to me. I dream of having both but that will not happen. I am sure Philly knows what they got in him and will keep him there unless he requests a trade or wants to test FA.

 

[Raab]

The problem is I'm not sure he could, and if he could, how long? I don't think the Oilers were interesting in waiting another 3 years for their 2 beanpole centres to develop size-wise while we got our **** pushed in by teams like Anaheim and San Jose every second day. If size wasn't an issue, the Oilers would've probably grabbed Bennett.

I agree completely. Not trying to rag on Draisaitl, just saying we passed on the better prospect. I wish this team would just pick an identity and go with it. Seems like every few years theyre changing the type of team they want to be. Now because LA and St. Louis are having success we have to be big, Pittsburgh won a cup through sucking and drafting high so we have to do that, Buffalo is looking good with small speedy forwards lets copy them. Why doesn't our management team build a team that has its own clear and distinct identity? Think of teams like Philly, Boston, LA, Chicago, Detroit, etc... and they all have a clear identity and direction they're headed in. I don't even know what Oilers hockey is anymore because it seems to change year to year.

 

[rockinghockey]

I don't care if Bennett turns out. If we would have RNH and Bennett as our two centre men it would not have been good. We need some size on this team in the top 6 and we finally got it. Bennett is younger yes but I guarantee you this time next year Bennett will not be 213lbs like LD is. It is very hard to put size on. LD is naturally thick and strong. People that say wait and see until Bennett gets older and stronger well LD will get older and stronger also.

 

[Oiltankjob Fail]

A few thoughts..

I think we've known for a while our pick was most likely going to come down to Bennett and Draisaitl. I started out a Bennett fan because I agree that his skating is better and he has more tenacity but after the WC's and the combine Draisaitl had me swaying towards him. The pullup thing has nothing to do with my opinion of Bennett.. it's his body shape. He has such a small upper body and tiny shoulders.. I would be surprised if he gets any bigger than 187 when he's done filling out. Hall was about 180-185 in his draft year but he also had absolutely monstrous shoulders and a big upper body. Draisaitl on the other hand has Jagr like hips and is going to continue to get stronger. I wouldn't be shocked if he gets to 6'3 220 when he's matured physically. He's going to be a monster when it comes to puck protection. I also think his skating is totally overblown. He didn't look out of place at the World's at all.

Our team has enough 5'11-6'1 180-190 (or 200 in Hall's case) guys. We needed that big power center to match up in our division and we have it. There was no way we could afford to have Nugent-Hopkins matching up against those guys in our division for years to come. The pick allows us to have a dynamic 1-2 punch that will be very difficult to match up against, especially with Hall, Perron, Yakupov and Eberle alongside them.

I'm very happy with Draisaitl and can't wait to see some size in the lineup. Love that he's spending the summer in Edmonton too.

Well said.

 

[Doc Scurlock]

It's not Bennett, but ****, he has a wider/more projectable frame than Ekblad.

Yeah, LD is a pretty big dude and really the only other guy that impressed me with his size was Nick Ritchie, like it was crazy notable how much bigger he was then everybody else.

 

[ohheyhemsky]

Yeah, LD is a pretty big dude and really the only other guy that impressed me with his size was Nick Ritchie, like it was crazy notable how much bigger he was then everybody else.

He looked to have quite a bit of body fat though.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Bennett is 8 months younger than Draisaitl and Reinhart... a lot of room to grow.

Well then let's see if in 8 months from now he'll be Draisaitl's size right now. Bust out the HGH.

Bennett is easily as skilled as RNH was in his draft year. Draisaitl has more offensive skill then Couturier for sure but I value defence more then most. How's that old saying go offense sells tickets; defence wins championships. Surprised Oiler fans haven't figured this out yet when the most defensive teams over the last few years have won the cup.

If he was he would've been the 2nd overall pick in this draft at the very least. I don't buy that for one minute. Yeah because Kopitar is a 40 point 2 way center right? Get back to me when Couturier is a ppg center.

I would still take RNH 10/10 times over Couturier and RNH was way better his 1st year, Also Draisaitl will leave Couturier in the dust when it comes to offence imo. Also he protects the puck better than anyone in this draft which will mean a lot less time opposition will have the puck. And who will be better between Bennett and Draisaitl are all assumptions. Every one of those top 4 picks could end up being the best player. Time will tell. I personally think Ehlers will end up being the best offensive player in this draft, and of course this is a assumption.

Exactly, we now have a great 1-2 punch down the middle and these 2 guys compliment each other perfectly.

What difference will that make when both players are in the prime of their careers? None.


If that's the case, Oilers should have drafted Bleackley or Larkin 3rd overall.

Exactly, just like some thought that Gagner might catch up to Kane, Pouliot to Parise, etc. Unless they are pretty much equal being younger holds only so much promise unless the age gap is considerable.

Bennett doesn't have the stature to put on that weight. Hell, RNH has a better build to put on mass and we are still waiting on him to put on "15-20lb." You can't just randomly say a player is going to gain x lbs to benefit your argument. Eberle, too, is still only 180lb. How come he hasn't increased his weight to 200lb? Bennett doesn't have the work ethic to go to the gym like Draisatl.

Yup, Bennett is not overly thick so unless he has tree trunks for legs I don't see him getting to 200lbs. anytime soon.

I agree completely. Not trying to rag on Draisaitl, just saying we passed on the better prospect. I wish this team would just pick an identity and go with it. Seems like every few years theyre changing the type of team they want to be. Now because LA and St. Louis are having success we have to be big, Pittsburgh won a cup through sucking and drafting high so we have to do that, Buffalo is looking good with small speedy forwards lets copy them. Why doesn't our management team build a team that has its own clear and distinct identity? Think of teams like Philly, Boston, LA, Chicago, Detroit, etc... and they all have a clear identity and direction they're headed in. I don't even know what Oilers hockey is anymore because it seems to change year to year.

How about we have a good mixture of players so that teams try and emulate us for a change?

 

[Raab]

I would still take RNH 10/10 times over Couturier and RNH was way better his 1st year, Also Draisaitl will leave Couturier in the dust when it comes to offence imo. Also he protects the puck better than anyone in this draft which will mean a lot less time opposition will have the puck. And who will be better between Bennett and Draisaitl are all assumptions. Every one of those top 4 picks could end up being the best player. Time will tell. I personally think Ehlers will end up being the best offensive player in this draft, and of course this is a assumption.

We'll see, he won't have the size advantage in the NHL so it could be interesting to see if his game translates right away or if it'll take him some time to get his man strength. Regarding Couturier vs Draisaitl, I would have taken Draisaitl over RNH in that draft so for me he would have been 1st overall in 2011.

 

[Juxta Position]

I don't think he's played that well in recent tournaments and special games.

He played excellent in the WJHC 2 years ago as a 16 yo player, he was actually a beast in that tourney, but people seem to forget that. Also, he played well in the WHC this year, but since he had a rough WJHC this year that's all people here seem to remember.

 

[Raab]

What difference will that make when both players are in the prime of their careers? None.


If that's the case, Oilers should have drafted Bleackley or Larkin 3rd overall.

The two guys who went 1, 2 are both known for being great at both sides of the ice, just saying....

 

[syz]

Arguments about Bennett's age could be about as relevant as arguments about Draisaitl having only been playing a NA game for 2 years.

Although leading up to the draft I found the former to be more convincing just because I put a lot of weight into the differences of international hockey. Can only watch so many Canadian players play half as well on big ice before you start to wonder what it's like to adapt.

 

[Aerchon]

I won't criticize Jones effort level because it was quite good all in all, but him getting goals at that level was mostly cause he was flying the zone early, he didn't have the speed to create the number of breakaways he got, he was cheating on defense for a lot of those goals. Getting those goals boosted his confidence and afforded him more offensive opportunities and he would get some greasy goals because of this, in a strict defensive system like lets on a Hitchcock or Sutter team he'd be more along the lines of an 8-10 goal scorer at his best.

I am fine with all that. Sound thinking. Was talking effort primarily in response to that other poster.

The shorty's he got tho was not from flying the zone early. Solid hard work and pressure combined with what speed he had to create separation.

Also when it comes to flying the zone early... Hall, Eberle, and Yak all do this in spades. Iginla pretty much perfected that during his career in Calgary and when thwarted could many times be seen circling back from the neutral zone.

Also many very defensive teams used to rely on having 1 star level player with speed do exactly that as often as possible. Gaborik back on Minny jumps to mind as doing it every chance he got.

I am not comparing Jones to any of those players. Just that they used the same tactic to score a good portion of their goals as well.

I am not an expert an skating and agree overall Jones was not a speedster but I would have to say Jones must have at least a solid first step/acceleration to create the kind of separation he did on a lot of those breakaways even cheating.

 

[BudBundy]

Just a few thoughts...

-the Oilers now have potentially the best 1-2 punch at center they've had since Jimmy Carson left town. That is sad, when you think about it, and long overdue as a problem to address.
-if the Oilers didn't pass on Parise to get the slightly bigger Pouliot those many years ago, is anybody seriously complaining about LD over Bennett?
-size up the middle counts. To deny that is to be willfully blind. Numerous scouts, agencies, and pundits had LD and Bennett in a virtual dead heat. All things being equal, with RNH as our number 1C, LD makes perfect sense.
-you don't put up 105 points in the dub, and leave your home and family in Europe to go play in Prince Albert without having a lot of talent, work ethic, and big brass ones.

Welcome to town Panzer.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Really like the pick. Draisaitl is exactly what the Oilers need.

The scary thing about Draisaitl is he might go supernova when surrounded with some talent on the wings. About all he had on the Raiders was Morrissey on the blueline. Leon quite literally put his team on his back and took them into the playoffs.

Additionally one of the guys working for me played with Draisaitl on Prince Albert and he couldn't stop raving about everything about him - skill, work ethic, fitness, competetiveness, everything.

 

[Raab]

Rnh was touted as the best player to come out of the WHL in a decade. Bennett surely never got any of this praise, you're making stuff up now. And I know he played in OHL but come on. Bennett is not even probably in the top 15 forwards in the OHL last 10 years.

Did you see the list of centers to come out of the WHL before RNH. I think the best guy on the list was from 2003 and thats Getzlaf, I doubt people were saying RNH was going to be better then Getz. My question is who do you think is better at this very moment RNH or Duchene? Because Bennett from everything I've seen of him is a Duchene clone with more tenacity.

 

[dem]

I liked hearing that Draisaitl isn't heading back to Germany this summer.

Straight to Edmonton for the summer to get ready. Kid has his head on straight.

 

[Raab]

Bennett doesn't have the stature to put on that weight. Hell, RNH has a better build to put on mass and we are still waiting on him to put on "15-20lb." You can't just randomly say a player is going to gain x lbs to benefit your argument. Eberle, too, is still only 180lb. How come he hasn't increased his weight to 200lb? Bennett doesn't have the work ethic to go to the gym like Draisatl.

Link?

 

[CanadianSuperPromise]

Really like the pick. Draisaitl is exactly what the Oilers need.

The scary thing about Draisaitl is he might go supernova when surrounded with some talent on the wings. About all he had on the Raiders was Morrissey on the blueline. Leon quite literally put his team on his back and took them into the playoffs.

Additionally one of the guys working for me played with Draisaitl on Prince Albert and he couldn't stop raving about everything about him - skill, work ethic, fitness, competetiveness, everything.

We gotta hear more about this.

 

[Joey Moss]

Really like the pick. Draisaitl is exactly what the Oilers need.

The scary thing about Draisaitl is he might go supernova when surrounded with some talent on the wings. About all he had on the Raiders was Morrissey on the blueline. Leon quite literally put his team on his back and took them into the playoffs.

Additionally one of the guys working for me played with Draisaitl on Prince Albert and he couldn't stop raving about everything about him - skill, work ethic, fitness, competetiveness, everything.

Was just about to post this too. He put up big numbers on a weak PA team that had no business making the playoffs. It was Morrissey and especially Draisaitl's play down the stretch that brought them there.

 

[Oiltankjob Fail]

Did you see the list of centers to come out of the WHL before RNH. I think the best guy on the list was from 2003 and thats Getzlaf, I doubt people were saying RNH was going to be better then Getz. My question is who do you think is better at this very moment RNH or Duchene? Because Bennett from everything I've seen of him is a Duchene clone with more tenacity.

Well lets compare RNH with Seguin before Duchene Ok

RNH 1st 3 season .73 ppg Shoulder surgery Calder finalist
Seguin 1st 4 seasons .72 ppg luxury of being a winger 1st 3 seasons and no hard matchups his 1st 3 years in a easier conference
Duchene first 5 years.78 ppg his 1st 3 seasons .68 ppg


Really looks to me RNH has highest upside to them all considering he is quite advanced on defensive side of game. And I really think you undervalue him. I will take Rnh over both them due to age and upside.