Prospect Info: 2015 NHL Entry Draft Talk

[OttMorrow]

I know this way premature, but I'm bored. Check out 2015 draft- eligible, Evgeny Svechnikov :0

He looks like Nichushkin v.2. Actually put up better stats than Nichushkin in the MHL during his pre-draft season. SKILLZ, size, speed and a physical edge to his game. Seems Ovy-like. I haven't seen him on any of the top-10 lists yet, but I expect this guy could be a riser. It'll be interesting to see how he does in Cape Breton this season. Maybe we can get another Russian-factor faller out of this guy.

Highlights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSuPYotR8tQ

Stats:

http://www.eliteprospects.com/playe...=168679&team=&year=&status=&leagueid=&season=

Scouting Report:

(DraftBuzz Hockey) As Cape Breton's 2013 2nd round CHL Import Draft selection, Evgeny Svechnikov is expected to bring his electric play to the QMJHL for the 2014 season. With over a PPG and nearly overshadowing 2014 2nd rounder Vladislav Kamenev, the high flying Russian caught the attention of many at the recent U18 tournament. An all-world talent, he skates with jump and has 360 agility with or without the puck. He has this unbridled step in him normally seen in huge offensive stars. He can create out of thin air with puck coordination and explosiveness. A trait that Svechnikov shows that is very valuable in terms of leadership is he will do his own dirty work and uses his speed to backcheck and get to loose pucks. While his intentions likely aren't to be the best defensive forward on the ice, it's his will to regain the puck and make something happen that is remarkable in a guy as skilled as he is. He can handle himself physically and plays with fire and organization. If he does indeed cross the pond, this Russian superstar will make NA headlines in no time.

Click to read more...

 

[Starry Knight]

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mitch Marner

Highlights





Stats

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=223194

Scouting Reports

http://www.hockeyprospect.com/2015-nhl-draft-mitchell-marner-from-the-london-knights/

http://www.mckeenshockey.com/draft-blog/youngblood-mitch-marner-ready-spotlight/

And my own scouting report:

Mitch Marner is the most talented player to come through the Knights organization since Pat Kane. Said this in his thread early in the season and stand by it now. There are very few faults in his game which is impressive at the age of 16. What he could stand to improve upon is his goal scoring and strength. He passes on many scoring chances to set up his teammates and, to some extent, it was a problem. I fully expect this issue to work itself out over the course of the year because he won't have the same amount of talent to play with (it's not like he ever played with the top guys, but he was still a minor cog on an offensive juggernaut). He will be the guy for the Knights going forward.

As far as strength concerns go, that too will work itself out with time. The Knights lucked out on him to begin with because of size concerns. Going into the OHL draft he was 5'7. Now hovering at 5'11-6'0 and still growing he now has more of a frame to work with.

Now onto the positives; Marner, as a small guy and as a 16 year old, possesses an uncanny knack for the defensive side of the game. He has very good awareness, positioning and motor which allowed him to break up many opportunities. I felt comfortable when the oppositions top line was out against our 4th line because Marner would always do his part to defend.

All that being said, his strong suit is definitely in the other end of the ice. The above highlight packs do not do Marner justice. He reads the game and is capable of making passes that few others can make. Things happened for the Knights when the puck was on his stick. His zone entries we second to none on the Knights which allowed our offence to transition easier, even against trap teams. He uses his speed and edgework to shift gears and give himself space, allowing him to set up his teammates for scoring chances.

While he might not have the most lethal shot in the world, he can score goals because of his hands and hockey sense.

NHL Comparable: Ray Whitney

 

[SolidusAKA]

I would LOVE Mitch Marner. Dat London bias tho. Some think he might go top 10 though?

Benn - Seguin - Ritchie
Nichushkin - Marner - Dickinson
Pollock - Shore - Eakin
Roussel - Faksa - Stransky

They will ALL totally hit their ceilings haha

 

[OttMorrow]

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mitch Marner

And my own scouting report:

Mitch Marner is the most talented player to come through the Knights organization since Pat Kane. Said this in his thread early in the season and stand by it now. There are very few faults in his game which is impressive at the age of 16. What he could stand to improve upon is his goal scoring and strength. He passes on many scoring chances to set up his teammates and, to some extent, it was a problem. I fully expect this issue to work itself out over the course of the year because he won't have the same amount of talent to play with (it's not like he ever played with the top guys, but he was still a minor cog on an offensive juggernaut). He will be the guy for the Knights going forward.

As far as strength concerns go, that too will work itself out with time. The Knights lucked out on him to begin with because of size concerns. Going into the OHL draft he was 5'7. Now hovering at 5'11-6'0 and still growing he now has more of a frame to work with.

Now onto the positives; Marner, as a small guy and as a 16 year old, possesses an uncanny knack for the defensive side of the game. He has very good awareness, positioning and motor which allowed him to break up many opportunities. I felt comfortable when the oppositions top line was out against our 4th line because Marner would always do his part to defend.

All that being said, his strong suit is definitely in the other end of the ice. The above highlight packs do not do Marner justice. He reads the game and is capable of making passes that few others can make. Things happened for the Knights when the puck was on his stick. His zone entries we second to none on the Knights which allowed our offence to transition easier, even against trap teams. He uses his speed and edgework to shift gears and give himself space, allowing him to set up his teammates for scoring chances.

While he might not have the most lethal shot in the world, he can score goals because of his hands and hockey sense.

NHL Comparable: Ray Whitney

Looks good. I've seen him on pretty much all of the early lists.

 

[Dundalis]

I'm hoping for a team of giant fast forwards, so give me Svechnikov. On talent he looks like someone who could easily be top 10 caliber or better though, meaning no chance.

 

[Morry83]

KYLE CONNOR

Birthyear: 1996-12-09
Birthplace: Shelby Township, MI, USA
Age: 17
Nation: USA
Position: C
Shoots: L
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 170 lbs

2012-13 - Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) - 62GP - 17G - 24A - 41PTS - 16PIM - -17
2013-14 - Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) - 56GP - 31G - 43A - 74PTS - 12PIM - -15

Currently committed to the University of Michigan, Connor is an exciting all around player, with great skating, nice hands, slick playmaking skills, and a fantastic two-way game.

Hat Trick vs. Team USA


Goal vs. Muskegon Lumberjacks


Goal vs. Indiana Ice


Goal vs. Team Slovakia


Goal vs. Team Finland


Assist vs. Team Czech Republic

 

[OttMorrow]

Svechnikov off to a great start in the Q.

7GP 5G 9A 14P

Good for 5th in the league in scoring.

 

[BigG44]

First ISS post of the year.

I want to learn as much about this guy as possible: Zack Werenski

He stuck out to me as a potential Top 15 pick playing in college. He just turned 17 years old 3 months ago which means not only does Michigan, one of the top programs in the country, think he's physically ready to handle 21 and 22 year old men, he's smart enough to skip his senior year of high school and take college classes a year early. Most of the time I've seen college kids that were draft eligible in their first year, they were late births who turned 18 after September and before January.

You could all potentially watch a ton of this guy. Big 10 Network and all the stations that air NCAA games love Michigan. Many of their games are online for free too on the Big 10 Network website.

 

[Starry Knight]

He turned the Knights down :'(

 

[masinaLFC]

Rantanen and Konecny Rantanen is 6.4 playmaking winger.. saw him about 5 times and looked very good.. maybe fans from Finland could give more input.. and Konecny was great last season.. top skilled, hard-working.. played on terrible 67s team and won OHL rookie of the year.. size affecting his ranking I believe

 

[SolidusAKA]

I know its bad strategy going into a draft, but what do you guys think we need most?

We are stocked up on D now (maybe not a legit 1d):
Oleksiak, Honka, Klingberg, Nemeth, Bystrom, Sinitsyn, Lindell, Peters, Hansson, Prapavessis

Our center depth is pretty good:
Dickinson, Shore, Faksa, Pollock, Smith

Goalies are deep:
Campbell, Desrosiers, Moran

So...do we need a winger?

I guess BPA is the main goal though. Our needs arent specific, but we still lack blue chip guys in each spot except maybe Campbell.

 

[Klockis]

I know its bad strategy going into a draft, but what do you guys think we need most?

We are stocked up on D now (maybe not a legit 1d):
Oleksiak, Honka, Klingberg, Nemeth, Bystrom, Sinitsyn, Lindell, Peters, Hansson, Prapavessis

Our center depth is pretty good:
Dickinson, Shore, Faksa, Pollock, Smith

Goalies are deep:
Campbell, Desrosiers, Moran

So...do we need a winger?

I guess BPA is the main goal though. Our needs arent specific, but we still lack blue chip guys in each spot except maybe Campbell.

I'm personally all for going for going with the BPA (D favored if all things equal) with the first pick then spam draft defense until we get a really good one. But that is just me.

 

[Hull Fan]

There are some nice centers in this draft. Always use another center but a stud winger wouldn't make me upset. BPA, which should be a good player anywhere in the 1st round. Hope we can pick up a 2nd too.

As far as our prospect pool goes, yeah we need some wingers. I think one of the prospect D eventually gets moved for a winger. We shouldn't try to keep them all and obviously they can't all or won't all make it so use them to grab either picks or prospects where you can.

 

[BigG44]

Wingers are the least valuable position, and in many cases, centers can play wing. Unless we're talking about a potential stud or a later boom/bust type player, I don't really care too much about wingers.

As HF said, we can trade for wings. We would probably even be getting back pretty damn good value when you consider how valuable D and centers are. Unless we're talking about a special combination of size and speed .. hands ... something unique and separates the winger from the pack ... drafting wingers on need seems silly to me. I'd be supremely disappointed if we had a winger draft similar to the D draft we just saw.

 

[txomisc]

Wingers are the least valuable position, and in many cases, centers can play wing. Unless we're talking about a potential stud or a later boom/bust type player, I don't really care too much about wingers.

As HF said, we can trade for wings. We would probably even be getting back pretty damn good value when you consider how valuable D and centers are. Unless we're talking about a special combination of size and speed .. hands ... something unique and separates the winger from the pack ... drafting wingers on need seems silly to me. I'd be supremely disappointed if we had a winger draft similar to the D draft we just saw.

Beyond all else I like the idea of going with high IQ players at every position. I would like to see the team add a speedy sniper type winger to the prospect pool. The type of guy who doesnt necessarily need to carry the puck much but can use his speed and shot to put himself in position to rack up goals.

 

[BigG44]

Beyond all else I like the idea of going with high IQ players at every position. I would like to see the team add a speedy sniper type winger to the prospect pool. The type of guy who doesnt necessarily need to carry the puck much but can use his speed and shot to put himself in position to rack up goals.

I think that would definitely fall under special attribute, and I'd agree. I think that was one of the Top 3 things McDonnell said they consider to be most important. Size was one of them as well, and it is interesting he also said they'd lean defense. IDK if he was only referring to this past draft or just in general. I think more than likely it was in general though.

 

[BigG44]

Here are the quotes FWIW:

“I think overall our philosophy will be to take the best player available, but If you have two or three guys that are close and one of them is a defenseman, I would probably lean towards a defenseman,” McDonnell said.

“I look at a package of assets that the kid might have, whether it might be his hockey sense, his skating ability and his size,” McDonnell said. “Those are the biggest three things I would look at.”

That seems like a reasonable thing to consider for a Dallas pick. Honka has elite hockey sense and skating. Size is obviously not there. I assume you would find all of Dallas' picks this season had at least two of three ... at least close to all.

 

[SolidusAKA]

I think that would definitely fall under special attribute, and I'd agree. I think that was one of the Top 3 things McDonnell said they consider to be most important. Size was one of them as well, and it is interesting he also said they'd lean defense. IDK if he was only referring to this past draft or just in general. I think more than likely it was in general though.

Is Dickinson that potential high IQ C/W? Im really liking his game and he seems like one of those guys. The post-Spezza era might need him to move back into that C role later if we dont have another high end guy. Would we do the same with Faksa if he pans out as our high IQ 3C/W?

Spezza Era:
Benn - Seguin - Nichushkin
Dickinson - Spezza - Ritchie
Roussel - Eakin - Faksa
McKenzie - X - Sceviour

Post-Spezza Era:
Benn - Seguin - Nichushkin
Dickinson/Shore - Dickinson/Shore - Ritchie
Roussel - Eakin - Faksa
McKenzie - X - Sceviour/Stransky

That might be wishful thinking, but I am really impressed with a lot of our prospects. Im thinking worst case scenario, Spezza doesnt stick around and we need alternatives for the near future.

 

[BigG44]

Dickinson has said he's one of those guys who is more comfortable at center, and I think you should go with bigger centers ... especially in the West.

With Spezza if he re-signs, I don't see Eakin holding off both Dickinson and Faksa.

I don't think it happens soon, but Eakin should be my first option to move to wing if one of Faksa or Dickinson emerged soon as NHL ready. I really do think Eakin on Spezza's LW could be a very good combination, but Dallas doesn't have someone to replace him yet.

 

[BigG44]

I'm really hoping Faksa gets some NHL time this year to gauge where he's at against NHL Top 6 forwards. He's already played great against some of the best the AHL has to offer. I just wouldn't say with certainty at 20 he's ready for a true shutdown center role against a Getzlaf, Kane, Sedin, Backes, etc.

 

[OttMorrow]

I know its bad strategy going into a draft, but what do you guys think we need most?

We are stocked up on D now (maybe not a legit 1d):
Oleksiak, Honka, Klingberg, Nemeth, Bystrom, Sinitsyn, Lindell, Peters, Hansson, Prapavessis

Our center depth is pretty good:
Dickinson, Shore, Faksa, Pollock, Smith

Goalies are deep:
Campbell, Desrosiers, Moran

So...do we need a winger?

I guess BPA is the main goal though. Our needs arent specific, but we still lack blue chip guys in each spot except maybe Campbell.

BPA, but we still need a big, shutdown or 2-way D, with a mean streak...a hard shot from the point wouldn't hurt either. Honka is great, but he isn't your crease-clearer and he's gonna get knocked around. We still need that #1 D with size to play with Honka in several years. So BPA with a tie-breaker going to a skilled, biggie-sized D.

 

[Satan]

Kay Schweri has been so much fun to watch (QMJHL, Sherbrooke Phoenix). The kid is suuuuuper creative it's not even real.

 

[OttMorrow]

Kay Schweri has been so much fun to watch (QMJHL, Sherbrooke Phoenix). The kid is suuuuuper creative it's not even real.

I've been watching some of Sherbrooke's games on the promotional QMJHL stream. Jeremy Roy has looked VERY solid. Good skater, very good hockey IQ, protects the puck well with his body, good passer. I feel like he might not be the Shea Weber type guy we really need to eventually play with Honka on the top pairing, but he's a very intriguing defensive prospect nonetheless.

 

[Satan]

Definitely on the smaller end of Shea Weber but Roy does use his body effectively. Can't see him slipping out of the top 15.

The Q have quite a few defensive prospects worth watching this year. Roy, Brisebois, Carrier, Meloche, Zboril.

 

[Hull Fan]

Wouldn't be opposed to another defender but I think this is a great draft to get a star forward to eventually replace Spezza/Hemsky. There's a crazy deep pool of players who shouldn't be there at 10+ who will make NHL rosters someday.