Prospect Info: 2014 Draft

[Lord Stan 2020]

Just for fun. My crystal ball is still a bit foggy, but this is what it showed me today as a February mock draft.

1. BUF - C Sam Reinhart
2. EDM - RD Aaron Ekblad
3. FLA - LW/C Michael Dal Colle
4. CGY - C Sam Bennett
5. NYI - C Leon Draisaitl
6. NSH - LW/C William Nylander
7. CAR - LD Haydn Fleury
8. WPG - LW Brendan Perlini
9. VAN - LW/C Adrian Kempe
10. WSH - RD Roland McKeown
11. AHM - LW Nikolaj Ehlers
12. CBJ - RW Jake Virtanen
13. DET - LW Nick Ritchie
14. PHX - C Sonny Milano
15. DAL - LW Nikita Scherbak
16. PHI - RD Julius Honka
17. NYR - RW/C Josh Ho-Sang
18. LA - C Jared McCann
19. MIN - RW Kasperi Kapanen
20. TOR - RW David Pastrnak
21. MTL - RW Alex Tuch
22. TBL - C/LW Ivan Barbashev - Hard worker with quickness, good anticipation, and smarts.
23. BOS - RW Anton Karlsson
24. COL - RD Jack Dougherty
25. SJ - RW Jakub Vrana
26. PIT - RW Nikolay Goldobin
27. STL - C Nick Schmaltz
28. CHI - C Dylan Larkin
29. AHM - RW/C Conner Bleackley

First love BARBASHEV hes the type of gritty player we should be after. I will throw this out there he will NOT BE AVAILABLE to us

I do not see us moving up unless is to get Ehlers. I don't see Stevie wanting someone as much as he would want that kid meaning wanting someone enough to do anything about it in this draft.

If cant get a type of player like Barbashev physical gritty team player some offensive upside goes to net etc. panik type but this kid looks better to me than drop back and add picks and picks and get some d and Rw's with high scoring skills see who can pan out.

 

[Yzlamic Preacher*]

Yeah don't think Barbashev will be available at us. Would love him on the team. Also my name is Ivan also.

 

[MattM92]

It would not be fair to let Anaheim have Ehlers. It would be completely just to let us have him on Johnson/Namestnikov's wing though.

I would be absolutely giddy if the Rangers missed the playoffs (lol Marty) and we grab Ehlers and then we grab Honka with our pick.

Edit: Oops, forgot we only get the first this year if the Rangers make the ECF. There goes my dream

 

[Steve Yzerman]

I'm a big believer in going BPA, but Yzerman, Murray & Co. need to focus on getting some quality defensive picks this draft. Behind Koekkoek and Sustr, there is Nesterov who will be interesting (I think he will make it to the NHL). Behind them, there is Sergeev, Witkowski, Milan, and Landry who are all long shots especially the last two in my opinion.

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

I want Ehlers

 

[DFC]

I want Ehlers

He's played himself out of our hands and up the draft board.

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

He's played himself out of our hands and up the draft board.

Yep. I can't see him falling outside of the top 6.

 

[Jacko95]

I just looked up all the Russian prospect possible/likely to get drafted this season, cause realistically the chance one of them is within the organization in a few months is very high.
So here are the guys that look interesting:

Vladimir Tkachyov: Classic SFY 7th rounder, 20 years old, undersized, playing in the KHL, basically a little better Gusev during the ear we drafted him.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=77117

Dmitri Yudin: 6'2 shutdown defender already playing in the KHL, classic mid rounder IMO, however he really interests me.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=186589

Vladislav Kamenev: Very advanced defensive abilitys for a 18 year old forward (even more so for a Russian!!), likes to be physical engaged, screems Komarov/Kulemin kind of guy to me and I would love to get such a guy into the org, again classic middle round prospect. Has some trouble keeping his emotions within and takes stupid penaltys some times, but he shsould sort that out going forward.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=216659

Scherbak, Barbashev and Goldobin don't really interest me cause they are most likely gone when we pick in the 2nd round and I really hope we go for a defender in the first this season. If we got our defender in the first and one his still on the board I wouldn't mint either though.

If some have interest in more such lists for the other countrys as well, I could do them cause I have plenty of time right now (being home to recover from a surgery). So just write if you have interst (not sure many of you guys are following non drafted prospects close outside of 2014cupwinners and me)

 

[MattM92]

I just looked up all the Russian prospect possible/likely to get drafted this season, cause realistically the chance one of them is within the organization in a few months is very high.
So here are the guys that look interesting:

Vladimir Tkachyov: Classic SFY 7th rounder, 20 years old, undersized, playing in the KHL, basically a little better Gusev during the ear we drafted him.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=77117

Dmitri Yudin: 6'2 shutdown defender already playing in the KHL, classic mid rounder IMO, however he really interests me.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=186589

Vladislav Kamenev: Very advanced defensive abilitys for a 18 year old forward (even more so for a Russian!!), likes to be physical engaged, screems Komarov/Kulemin kind of guy to me and I would love to get such a guy into the org, again classic middle round prospect. Has some trouble keeping his emotions within and takes stupid penaltys some times, but he shsould sort that out going forward.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=216659

Scherbak, Barbashev and Goldobin don't really interest me cause they are most likely gone when we pick in the 2nd round and I really hope we go for a defender in the first this season. If we got our defender in the first and one his still on the board I wouldn't mint either though.

If some have interest in more such lists for the other countrys as well, I could do them cause I have plenty of time right now (being home to recover from a surgery). So just write if you have interst (not sure many of you guys are following non drafted prospects close outside of 2014cupwinners and me)

I would love to see a list of a dozen or so guys you want us to draft. I have been meaning to look into which players would be great value at our draft positions and also fit with the organization, I just haven't gotten around to it. If you're looking for stuff to do, I'd be really interested in seeing your list

Also, hope you're alright. Get better soon, my friend.

 

[Jacko95]

I would love to see a list of a dozen or so guys you want us to draft. I have been meaning to look into which players would be great value at our draft positions and also fit with the organization, I just haven't gotten around to it. If you're looking for stuff to do, I'd be really interested in seeing your list

Also, hope you're alright. Get better soon, my friend.

My problem is I will never see anything of any prospect live, but I try to find as many read ups on the guys that interest me and go from their...

Had nothing major, but it's so boring when you can not sit for weeks (and don't do any sports other than muscle up your arms a little) as an 18 year old who is used to make sport 5-6 days a week However I will survive and live is still great
OH and I can watch the Bolts every night during that time that's a real positive.

 

[Jacko95]

Okay so I decided to go deep into all the draft staff this season and will make lists out of the different leagues/countrys as to which players might interest us. I will leave goalies out completly as of now, as I think we should not draft one this season and focus on D instead. Maybe I make it later on. The players will be listed by their league and not their country (for example, Julius Honka will be in the WHL post in in the Finland post)
At the end of this "series" I will make the draft list MattM92 is asking for.

Dont expect to see many undersized offensive dynamos on my lists, there are so many out there and it's impossible to find out differences in their games without seeing them live.

Anyway here we go:
Canadian Junior A:
Not much that interests me here, however one guy really caught my eye.
Michael Prapavessis: First off I love his name, must be the best in the whole draft. But there is more to like, he is a 6'0 or 6'1 defender with a very high hockey IQ, vision and overall passing ability, however he has still a long way to go and going to college (RPI) next fall will help his development. Big problem is that he seems to struggle defensivly against bigger forwards, but his stat sheet looks great.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=195224

 

[Jacko95]

Finland is next:

Eetu Sopanen: Big defender (6'5, 225 lbs), has a nice shot and good hands, uses his stick/reach effectivly, but is not very physical yet. Problem is his footwork, neither agility nor speed is very good. Long term project, but if he can sort his footwork out, he is a diamond in the making. Expected to go somewhere in the mid rounds, will heavily depend if teams think the can fix his skating. Already has an injury history (out for most of the year).
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=92180

Julius Vähätalo: Big skilled forward (6'5, 192lbs), but as far as I can find out, he is playing pretty small for his height. Is already a second year eligble, but has really taken huge steps forward stats wise. Might be a good 7th round project pick, but most likely not more than that.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=73323

Juho Lammikko: 6'2 right wing, with good vision, hockey IQ, a goal scorer in juniors, but he is more likely to become a playmaker in pros, but plays a good two-way game. Has a good compete level and goes to the dirty areas, but his skating could be better. Could be a guy to watch in the mid-to-late rounds.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=73323

 

[Jacko95]

Forgot two very interesting russian overage defenders!

Andrei Mironov: THird year eligible 6'2 left handed defender, that plays with an physical edge and has a good two way game. His 10p (3g) in 46 KHL games are quit good for a 19 year old two-way defender. Not sure he will get drafted due to questions about his willingness to come to NA, but the talent is sure there.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=159421

Nikita Tramkin: All I read on him screams Sustr (he is 6'7, 229lbs) with a more physical game, but worser defensive zone work. A little awkward, but quit fast skating, decent offensive instincts, most likely passed over twice so far for the same reasons as Sustr and the Russian factor on top of that.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=123119

I will try to do NCAA + HS this afternoon, maybe even Suisse/Germany/Austria as well, lets see how far I get.

 

[2020 Cup Champions]

I'm a big believer in going BPA, but Yzerman, Murray & Co. need to focus on getting some quality defensive picks this draft. Behind Koekkoek and Sustr, there is Nesterov who will be interesting (I think he will make it to the NHL). Behind them, there is Sergeev, Witkowski, Milan, and Landry who are all long shots especially the last two in my opinion.

Don't you mean "I need to focus...?"

 

[MattM92]

Finland is next:

Eetu Sopanen: Big defender (6'5, 225 lbs), has a nice shot and good hands, uses his stick/reach effectivly, but is not very physical yet. Problem is his footwork, neither agility nor speed is very good. Long term project, but if he can sort his footwork out, he is a diamond in the making. Expected to go somewhere in the mid rounds, will heavily depend if teams think the can fix his skating. Already has an injury history (out for most of the year).
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=92180

Man, I was getting so excited about this guy until the last sentence. How extensive is his injury history? Just this year?

 

[Jacko95]

Man, I was getting so excited about this guy until the last sentence. How extensive is his injury history? Just this year?

Thats my concern as well, he has played 15 out of 48 Jr A games this season and 15 out of 48 last season, but he also played 8 out of 30 in Jr B last season.

However thats more than half a season injured each, thats really concering, but I can't find anything about the specifics of the injurys. But the Finland boards seem to be quit high on him (when he is actually playing), so if he is still available in the 5th round or later I would say go for him, maybe he can get his body injury free for longer. Wouldn't be the first guy to have injury problems while a teen and no problems later on.

 

[Jacko95]

Here we go with High School and NCAA prospects:
Quit surprised to find "so many" (3) interesting guys out of those two leagues considering they generally combine for around a dozen picks and this season doesn't seem to be anything special in that case.

Warren Foegele: Mark Jankowskis part deux, he has a little better stats than Jankowski and a comparable body. McKenzie describes him as fast-skating, hard-working, two-way left wing. Has not the same hype as Jankowski had, but he is rising fast all year and quit some scouts could see him go as early as ~40. If he is still there in the third go for him, but not in the 2nd round, to much uncertainity IMO.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=210317

Nick Wolff: Big (6'4) punishing warrior of a defender that is willing to drop the gloves, however he doesn't has overly high PIM, slow. More in the mold of low risk low return kind of guy to me, however not a bad prospect to have in the pool. Interesting late rounder IMO. His scouting reports do screem a lot Luke Witkowski to me, not sure wether that is good or bad...
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=248306

Gavin Bayreuther: 19 year old NCAA rookie defender, one hell of a season, decently build, howitzer of a shot, played high school hockey, lacrosse and soccer at the same time till he was 18, maybe lots of untapped potential due to him training less on ice as others did, most likely the same reason why his skating needs improvement. Mid rounder (if available there) with unknown ceiling (due to such big improvements in such short time). I would definitly pull the trigger on him, especially cause we have no young PP QB in the system except for Koekkoek.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=178941

 

[Jacko95]

And here comes the last for today: Swiss/Austria/Germany

Noah Rod: Wanna see Callahans scouting report? "Rod is a physical, hard working winger who likes to get his nose dirty and get under the skin of his opponent. He drives the net and stands up for his teammates. Willing to do whatever is needed to get the win, he is a tireless fore checker and defensively responsible. Does not possess high end offensive upside."
Sounds so much like Callahan IMO. If the scouting report is accurate, I would say go for this guy as early as the third round, you can never have enough of those, especially since RW is our worst forward position.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=97120

 

[Jacko95]

The only Czech guy:

Filip Pyrochta: LD comparable to Nesterov: can do everything, is not special in anything, has quit a physical presence for his height (6'0), but he has big consistency issues and seems to bevmissing the eight tollbox for his tools (he sure has many).
Bad start to the year made him slip (was considered a top100 prospect prior to the seaon), so he could be great value in the last two rounds.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=130785

I never knew how many interesting guys are still left in the last to rounds of the draft and was alwys suprised the a few out of every years 6th and 7th round still make it. There is still so much talent left, you "just" have to find the guys which major flaws is the like and easy to fix, or who had a bad season ro just flew under the radar (Palat/ Ikonen)

 

[Necropolis]

Julius Vähätalo: Big skilled forward (6'5, 192lbs), but as far as I can find out, he is playing pretty small for his height. Is already a second year eligble, but has really taken huge steps forward stats wise. Might be a good 7th round project pick, but most likely not more than that.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=73323

Juho Lammikko: 6'2 right wing, with good vision, hockey IQ, a goal scorer in juniors, but he is more likely to become a playmaker in pros, but plays a good two-way game. Has a good compete level and goes to the dirty areas, but his skating could be better. Could be a guy to watch in the mid-to-late rounds.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=73323

I like Lammikko a lot, I don't see him being anything spectacular offensively but I do think he'll be an good third-liner/solid second-liner. His fairly skilled but his work-ethic and defensive game make him a good prospect. Could be a third-liner who can PK and put up some secondary scoring.

For Vähätalo, I think the physical game will come. It's not 'natural' for all players to play a physical game, when he'll get used to his body he'll learn to play a grittier and more physical game. Probably won't be too intimidating physical player but a player that can play well along the boards, be in front of the net and throw some hits. Also a guy that seems to have a good work ethic. Still though, probably a sixth-seventh rounder.

 

[Jacko95]

I like Lammikko a lot, I don't see him being anything spectacular offensively but I do think he'll be an good third-liner/solid second-liner. His fairly skilled but his work-ethic and defensive game make him a good prospect. Could be a third-liner who can PK and put up some secondary scoring.

For Vähätalo, I think the physical game will come. It's not 'natural' for all players to play a physical game, when he'll get used to his body he'll learn to play a grittier and more physical game. Probably won't be too intimidating physical player but a player that can play well along the boards, be in front of the net and throw some hits. Also a guy that seems to have a good work ethic. Still though, probably a sixth-seventh rounder.

I would definitly don't mind us picking up either, I mean we don't always need high skilled players, sometimes such a valueable potential third liner is as important in the system as some more skilled guys, who have a higher bust chance.
Such pivks obviously not in the top2 rounds, but later on I wouldn't mind on or another of those guys, just like the Paquette pick.

As you are a Finn, do you know something more specific about Sopanens injury history or have you seen him play live? He really interests me.

 

[Jacko95]

Honestly I had quit some trouble with the Swedish guys. Not a single forward that really impressed me, I mean I know they are quit good, but they all seem kind of the same, neither super skilled, nor top shutdown guys, nor overly gritty.
They are just in between. This is pretty good for the teams, because they love complete players, but for a guy like me who never sees them and can just look on stats and scouting reports thats really nothing to get excited about. And I can't see the difference within them. Two guys are within 5 spots on the CSS list, who have almost the sam scouting reports, but one has almost double the points this season than the other in the same league..

Anyway I found two very interesting defenders.

Adam Ollas-Mattsson: 6'4 209 lbs LD defender. Classic stay-at-home guy, extremly effective, gets the job done becuase he can do everything a defensive D needs to do: hit, block shots, close laines effectivly and most importantly get the puck away from the forward.
He could skate a little better, but thats almost expected to be an issue for an 18 year old 6'4 guy. The other thing is his offensive ability, some believe he might learn to play a little offensive too, others question that, and with those question marks some question his ultimate ceiling, however looking around the league there are quit a few shutdown guys who play top pair very effectivly (Seidenberg, pysyk most likely soon,...)
For me one of the best options that are likely to be available with our two 2nd round picks.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=114812

William Lagesson: 6'2 196 lbs LD, he sees himself more as a defensive defender, however considering that he has almost double the points than Ollas-Mattsson he must have some offense in him. Can't find anything about him, but he should e an interesting guy around the 4th round (+/-)
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=86158

 

[Necropolis]

I would definitly don't mind us picking up either, I mean we don't always need high skilled players, sometimes such a valueable potential third liner is as important in the system as some more skilled guys, who have a higher bust chance.
Such pivks obviously not in the top2 rounds, but later on I wouldn't mind on or another of those guys, just like the Paquette pick.

As you are a Finn, do you know something more specific about Sopanens injury history or have you seen him play live? He really interests me.

Sopanen had a bad neck injury in last years U17's, he was out for 9-10 months I think. Outside of that injury, however, he hasn't had any major injuries so I'm not really concerned about him being injury-prone or anything. His skating is all right, really quite slow but he knows how to skate. He's probably a long-term project just because of his lack of foot-speed. I could see him being a good defenseman in the NHL, specifically on PP/PK. I wouldn't mind us taking him in the 3rd-5th rounds. I hope I get to see more of him next season, I'm really basing this all on one game sample-size (and what I have heard from friends who watch more junior hockey).

The guy I hope us taking in the first round is Julius Honka. I can see him dropping around the 20th pick because of the lack of size but I really think he is one of the best defenseman of this draft. Think Kimmo Timonen here, there isn't a better comparison for this guy than Kimmo: a smart two-defenseman with good positional game, booming shot and knows how to move puck up the ice and can be aa PPQB. Right-handed as well, so should be a good fit for us as there's lack of RHD in our prospect pool. He's that kind of guy who's game will translate to NHL well as he is a very good skater and a smart player. Roland McKeown is another one I'd like us to target in the first round but he'll likely go before the ~20th pick.

 

[Jacko95]

It's time to get a look at the early rounds and the big leagues.

I will start with the USHL.

That said if we don't go for a defender in the first round or have two first round picks this summer, I bet we get a guy out of the USHL or one of the Russians playing in the CHL. I will make scouting reports for all of course

Nick Schmaltz: Maybe the most Boltesque player out there in the draft. Super fast, super skilled center blessed with one of the best hockey IQs in the draft. Some see him as one of the most skilled players in the whole draft, he needs to work on defense, but he is commited to learn it according to interviews. His coach said in interviews that he is one of those players that steps up under pressure.
Might not be the best fit for the team, but SY and Murray love to draft players like him (Kucherov,...) and Schmaltz is most likely the guy with the highest upside around our draft position.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=156966

Alex Tuch: The best fit for us within the forwards available. 6'3 216 pound right wing that is already excelling at being the "meat and potatoe" guy on skilled lines, playing with fellow potential first rounders Sonny Milano and Dylan Larkin most of the time. Good forchecker, but he has skill as well. As always with big guys, he is not the fastest. Right handed shooter, which is a rarity among our forwards.
We are basically looking at a potential prime Ryan Malone to play next to Drouin, Stamkos or Kucherov. However he is IMO the guy most likely to go earlier than expected due to his size (looking at teams like Philly or Toronto), but if he is there when we are on the stage he is the most interesting forward from a need point of view for the Lightning.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=178526

Jake Glover: Big RD who is rising all year long. Incredible smart two-way defender with decent skating for his height, who stays calm (even under pressure). Simple, very effective game in the defensive zone and his offensive game is getting better every year. Many scouts think he has a very high ceiling if he keeps improving the way he has the last 2 seasons, cause of his intelligent way to play the game.
He is right up their with Honka (who is falling more and more on many rankings, have him seen going in the 2nd round on quit some mock drafts lately) as my favorite guy for our first pick in the draft.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=168703

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=712649&navid=nhl:topheads

NHL.com mock drafts. They have us at pick #21 for these

Kimelman's pick

Julius Honka, D, Swift Current (WHL)

Gifted offensive playmaker from the back end ranks among draft's strongest skaters; had 16 goals and 56 points in 62 games and also had strong showing for Finland at 2014 WJC.

Morreale's pick

Nikita Scherbak, LW, Saskatoon (WHL)

Good at driving to the net and creating scoring chances. He has a quick release and can finish; very unselfish and uses linemates well. Led the Blades as a rookie with 78 points (28 goals, 50 assists).

Hoffner's pick

Jake Virtanen, RW, Calgary (WHL)

Has a great physical make-up and will aid in a Tampa team looking to build around Steven Stamkos.