2017 Draft - 3rd Pick: Dmitri Samorukov

[Aerchon]

My opinion is based on viewings. I saw him good the moment he was drafted. He's a very impressive player/package and his results in jr. despite your framing was very impressive. He was obscenely good in the OHL playoffs to end his jr. career. It's not just Oiler fans who were high on him as he dominated in the annual coaches poll for numerous categories and gained the praise of the TSN staff for his WJC and playoff performances. Young players can always bust but I see an outstanding package, I'll remain high on the player.

His ahl debut is more in line with my framing.

Samorukov has tools and is a solid b prospect. His hype because of his play after physically maturing to literally be a man among boys was over the top.

Typically shiny new toy syndrome. There were quite a few that had him our best prospect. I think he well could end up in the nhl eventually but there were posts stating he was our best chance at becoming a true elite #1... based off the smallest and lopsided assessment.

Good prospect. I hope great, but significantly overhyped.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

His ahl debut is more in line with my framing.

Samorukov has tools and is a solid b prospect. His hype because of his play after physically maturing to literally be a man among boys was over the top.

Typically shiny new toy syndrome. There were quite a few that had him our best prospect. I think he well could end up in the nhl eventually but there were posts stating he was our best chance at becoming a true elite #1... based off the smallest and lopsided assessment.

Good prospect. I hope great, but significantly overhyped.

I think one major issue a lot of people have (including professional scouts, and hfboard members), is we tend to view development as completely linear. If we see year over year progression, we assume they'll keep hitting that next level until they're 22, even though it's never the case. It's partly why the board fell in love with Benson, and Samo, and it's also why we fell out of favor with Yamamoto, and Bear.

When we see dips and valleys year over year, we tend to over and under project, even though players can have outlier seasons.

We saw Samo go PPG in the OHL playoffs, and thought he was projecting from that point on continuing his growth from that trajectory, when really the last few months of his junior career were really the outlier.

I have a lot of patience for Samo. It's doubtful any of our prospects become an elite #1D, but year over year, we get surprised out of nowhere with players like Bear and Yamo.

 

[Fourier]

I think one major issue a lot of people have (including professional scouts, and hfboard members), is we tend to view development as completely linear. If we see year over year progression, we assume they'll keep hitting that next level until they're 22, even though it's never the case. It's partly why the board fell in love with Benson, and Samo, and it's also why we fell out of favor with Yamamoto, and Bear.

When we see dips and valleys year over year, we tend to over and under project, even though players can have outlier seasons.

We saw Samo go PPG in the OHL playoffs, and thought he was projecting from that point on continuing his growth from that trajectory, when really the last few months of his junior career were really the outlier.

I have a lot of patience for Samo. It's doubtful any of our prospects become an elite #1D, but year over year, we get surprised out of nowhere with players like Bear and Yamo.

The last few months of his OHL career were an outlier offensively but he was a dominant defensive defenseman for quite some time. He always had more offensive potential. Guelph just needed him to focus on the defensive side of the game to balance Merkely. It's no coincidence that Samorukov's offensive game took off right after Merkely was traded. He is a really smart player with a big shot.

 

[McTonyBrar]

I think we will be very lucky if one of Samourukov, Jones, and Broberg end up a top 3 defender. I also wouldn't expect even that for another 3 to 5 years minimum. Not to mention Klefbom and Nurse are both just entering their prime. Those 3 are so far behind it would be criminal to trade one or both expecting a net positive to come from such a move.

For once, I agree with you lol. People who are ready to throw away one of our Top 4 Dmen and plug Jones in that spot are in for a rude awakening.

 

[bellagiobob]

 

[snipes]

This is probably my favorite of his during his OHL career.



That's some old school hockey right there.

Night night Ty.

 

[LTIR]

His ahl debut is more in line with my framing.

Samorukov has tools and is a solid b prospect. His hype because of his play after physically maturing to literally be a man among boys was over the top.

Typically shiny new toy syndrome. There were quite a few that had him our best prospect. I think he well could end up in the nhl eventually but there were posts stating he was our best chance at becoming a true elite #1... based off the smallest and lopsided assessment.

Good prospect. I hope great, but significantly overhyped.

Meh.. Every prospect is overhyped if he stuggles.
Samurai could have easily been a PPG dman at AHL level. You just never know what you are going to get.
Kakko overhyped... Quinn Hughes legit.. Bear would be overhyped if he struggles next season. Jones could be legit or bust ...
Just hope for the best!

 

[ImmuneEH]

Meh.. Every prospect is overhyped if he stuggles.
Samurai could have easily been a PPG dman at AHL level. You just never know what you are going to get.
Kakko overhyped... Quinn Hughes legit.. Bear would be overhyped if he struggles next season. Jones could be legit or bust ...
Just hope for the best!

Feels good to say that a prospect has some upside. I thought Bear was going to be a 3rd pairing PP specialist. Jones I felt (and still feel) that he can become a top 4 D. At the peak of Samorukov's hype people figured that he was going to be a top pairing D. It's a possibility, but if he becomes a top 4 LD that's still quite impressive.

Bouchard is the biggest enigma to me.

 

[dss97]

Night night Ty.

“Dangerous hit” lmao. More like awful suicide pass by his teammate.

 

[gordonhught]

Feels good to say that a prospect has some upside. I thought Bear was going to be a 3rd pairing PP specialist. Jones I felt (and still feel) that he can become a top 4 D. At the peak of Samorukov's hype people figured that he was going to be a top pairing D. It's a possibility, but if he becomes a top 4 LD that's still quite impressive.

Bouchard is the biggest enigma to me.

If Bouchard can provide defensive zone play equivalent to a #4 defenseman, I would be happy.

My concern is that his defensive play does not evolve beyond a 5/6/7 and his offense is underutilized because you can't trust him in his own end and he only ever gets sheltered minutes.

 

[Mr Positive]

If Bouchard can provide defensive zone play equivalent to a #4 defenseman, I would be happy.

My concern is that his defensive play does not evolve beyond a 5/6/7 and his offense is underutilized because you can't trust him in his own end and he only ever gets sheltered minutes.

I agree, but remember that was also the worry with Bear. I think there is a real comparison there btw. Bear as a prospect was basically Bouchard but worse. Now, of course Bear has surpassed him in value, probably due to hard work and focused development. If Bouchard thinks he can cruise into the NHL it won't go well. I don't see much risk of that considering how better he looked in camp this year compared to the previous year.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I agree, but remember that was also the worry with Bear. I think there is a real comparison there btw. Bear as a prospect was basically Bouchard but worse. Now, of course Bear has surpassed him in value, probably due to hard work and focused development. If Bouchard thinks he can cruise into the NHL it won't go well. I don't see much risk of that considering how better he looked in camp this year compared to the previous year.

I would agree except that IMO Bear was always better defensively while Bouch has always been better offensively.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

I would agree except that IMO Bear was always better defensively while Bouch has always been better offensively.

What people dont realize is that Bear came into the WHL being touted for his defensive ability.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

What people dont realize is that Bear came into the WHL being touted for his defensive ability.

Interesting. I know that his offensive skill set really stood out to me in his first rookie camp with the Oilers.

 

[Aerchon]

I would agree except that IMO Bear was always better defensively while Bouch has always been better offensively.

I'm big on both Bear and Bouchard and have been since day 1. Which is rare since I typically prefer 2 way or even stay at home defenders.

I don't remember either Bear or Bouchard being "great" defensively. As for Bouchard the reports of his defensive abilities seem to vary. A few saying he is very bad and others that he actually is good. I've heard his defense has taken great strides in the ahl. Plus I remember his play in the nhl was not bad either. As a quick comparison I thought Jones was way worse defensively than Bouchard was starting out in the nhl.

There is a lot of very different information about this player running around on this board/thread. Most the negative opinions don't "seem" to have a lot of weight. More personal opinion than anything else. Most good from actual team sources.

He has been fully groomed/developed. If he is bad defensively I'm sure he will be sent down but I hope to get a good long look at him next year in the nhl. I didn't watch any ahl last year and just want to see with my own eyes where he is at.

Imo, with limited recent viewing, Bouchard is our best defenseman prospect by a country mile. Our best chance at a Carlsson level defender down the road. He might take a good 5+ years to become a force in the nhl but with his stats and projections he is one of those I don't think of giving up on short of 30 barring a complete bust situation.

 

[ImmuneEH]

I'm big on both Bear and Bouchard and have been since day 1. Which is rare since I typically prefer 2 way or even stay at home defenders.

I don't remember either Bear or Bouchard being "great" defensively. As for Bouchard the reports of his defensive abilities seem to vary. A few saying he is very bad and others that he actually is good. I've heard his defense has taken great strides in the ahl. Plus I remember his play in the nhl was not bad either. As a quick comparison I thought Jones was way worse defensively than Bouchard was starting out in the nhl.

There is a lot of very different information about this player running around on this board/thread. Most the negative opinions don't "seem" to have a lot of weight. More personal opinion than anything else. Most good from actual team sources.

He has been fully groomed/developed. If he is bad defensively I'm sure he will be sent down but I hope to get a good long look at him next year in the nhl. I didn't watch any ahl last year and just want to see with my own eyes where he is at.

Imo, with limited recent viewing, Bouchard is our best defenseman prospect by a country mile. Our best chance at a Carlsson level defender down the road. He might take a good 5+ years to become a force in the nhl but with his stats and projections he is one of those I don't think of giving up on short of 30 barring a complete bust situation.

As another poster pointed out, Bear was pretty good defensively in his early WHL days but his offense blossomed post-draft.

In watching Bear in the NHL, he seems to be pretty good at breaking up plays down low, making crisp little passes to a forward who breaks out of the zone. When watching Bouchard in the AHL, I noticed that his defense is less about breaking up plays by outworking someone down-low, but he's more about using positioning to block lanes/deny chances. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

My personal projection of Bouchard entering the 2020/21 season is that maybe he starts in the AHL but he isn't there for long and then becomes a full-time NHLer. Fortunately for him, he gets some games in Europe before the NHL season starts.

Meanwhile, if Samorukov can maintain 18:00+ TOI in the KHL... what does that tell us? Seems like he'd be a legit candidate to compete with Jones/Russell. I see the org letting him play out the year in the KHL though.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

As another poster pointed out, Bear was pretty good defensively in his early WHL days but his offense blossomed post-draft.

In watching Bear in the NHL, he seems to be pretty good at breaking up plays down low, making crisp little passes to a forward who breaks out of the zone. When watching Bouchard in the AHL, I noticed that his defense is less about breaking up plays by outworking someone down-low, but he's more about using positioning to block lanes/deny chances. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

My personal projection of Bouchard entering the 2020/21 season is that maybe he starts in the AHL but he isn't there for long and then becomes a full-time NHLer. Fortunately for him, he gets some games in Europe before the NHL season starts.

Meanwhile, if Samorukov can maintain 18:00+ TOI in the KHL... what does that tell us? Seems like he'd be a legit candidate to compete with Jones/Russell. I see the org letting him play out the year in the KHL though.

I think the only players I bring back from their loans are bouchard and haas.

let everyone play over there all year

 

[alphahelix]

As another poster pointed out, Bear was pretty good defensively in his early WHL days but his offense blossomed post-draft.

In watching Bear in the NHL, he seems to be pretty good at breaking up plays down low, making crisp little passes to a forward who breaks out of the zone. When watching Bouchard in the AHL, I noticed that his defense is less about breaking up plays by outworking someone down-low, but he's more about using positioning to block lanes/deny chances. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

My personal projection of Bouchard entering the 2020/21 season is that maybe he starts in the AHL but he isn't there for long and then becomes a full-time NHLer. Fortunately for him, he gets some games in Europe before the NHL season starts.

Meanwhile, if Samorukov can maintain 18:00+ TOI in the KHL... what does that tell us? Seems like he'd be a legit candidate to compete with Jones/Russell. I see the org letting him play out the year in the KHL though.

Org doesn't have a choice, KHL team didn't give him an out clause and his signing was conditional on playing the full season. The KHL season will however be over well before the NHL season, so he could still play a solid piece of the NHL season if he proves worthy.

 

[alphahelix]

I think the only players I bring back from their loans are bouchard and haas.

let everyone play over there all year

It is curious to see Bouchard in the Alsvenskan. It must be related to an unwillingness to complete the season in Europe and the requirement of an out-clause for the NHL start.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

It is curious to see Bouchard in the Alsvenskan. It must be related to an unwillingness to complete the season in Europe and the requirement of an out-clause for the NHL start.

That’s exactly it, otherwise he would be in the SHL but those teams don’t want to risk bringing him in and him leaving when relegation is a thing.

 

[McDNicks17]

It is curious to see Bouchard in the Alsvenskan. It must be related to an unwillingness to complete the season in Europe and the requirement of an out-clause for the NHL start.

Someone posted in another thread that the SHL isn't allowing short-term loans.

 

[Llamamoto]

He was a +1 in a 2-1 shootout win today. 18.5 mins of ice-time.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

He was a +1 in a 2-1 shootout win today. 18.5 mins of ice-time.

Any pp time?

 

[Llamamoto]

Any pp time?

No idea tbh, I can't find that on the KHL website.

 

[GOilers88]

No idea tbh, I can't find that on the KHL website.

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