Prospect Info: 2017 NHL Draft Discussion

[LemmyUlanov55]

I'd like to see us go for Thomas Reichel, plays for my hometown club and comes from a well known hockey family. Big body and knows how to score, a late 6th or 7th round pick would probably be enough to secure him.

 

[belair]

Watched the Knights pick apart the Battalion last night and came away impressed with Evan Bouchard's game only to find out he's not draft eligible til 2018. He's playing some big minutes for a younger defenseman and plays a gritty game. I expect he'll be a high pick in that draft.

 

[Zaddy]

Watched the Knights pick apart the Battalion last night and came away impressed with Evan Bouchard's game only to find out he's not draft eligible til 2018. He's playing some big minutes for a younger defenseman and plays a gritty game. I expect he'll be a high pick in that draft.

What's your opinion on Adam Tilander? I haven't seen him play but he's an RHD with 11 points in 17 games, something for the Oilers to consider in the mid rounds perhaps?

 

[Zaddy]

Nick Suzuki and Mackenzie Entwhistle are a couple of right-handed centers out of the OHL that I like.

Suzuki is average sized(5'11'' 185lbs), but a great skater. Poised playmaker. Solid two-way player and great on the forecheck too. August birthday. Will put up points this year as Owen Sound's #1C.

Entwhistle has size(6'3''), skill, skating and physicality. Should be a solid potential power forward in the first round.

I'm a big fan of both those guys, Suzuki in particular. I like Entwistle a lot too but IMO he's not a guy you take early in the draft. Probably projects more as a bottom-six guy or complementary guy in the top6.

Man, I really wonder where the Oilers will end up drafting this year. Impossible to predict at this point, which is a welcome change compared to previous years where you already knew at this point it would be a top5 pick

Anyway, one guy who is starting to grow on me is finnish defenseman Miro Heiskanen. Elite skater, smart, good passer, good gap control, strong positionally. Already playing big minutes for HIFK in Liiga against men. Honestly surprised he hasn't climbed higher in the draft rankings yet, could be a top10 pick.

Heiskanen has all the potential to be an excellent puck-moving defenseman at the pro level. He’s noticeably calm and confident with the puck in all situations, whether it be in the defensive zone under pressure or playing the point on power play. He has very good puck skills, keeps his head up and makes the right decisions on when to pass and when to carry the puck. Long range passes are consistently tape-to-tape. Heiskanen has both a good wrist and slap shot, especially when it comes to accuracy. He will take his chances and makes well-placed, smart shots.

He is also an elite skater who uses his edges extremely well. His transition skating from forward to backwards is very smooth. Certain times he will skate end-to-end with the puck thanks to his strong acceleration, top-end speed and ability to handle the puck at high speed. He has showed more of this in the U18 league thus far, however. His lateral movement on the blueline in the offensive zone is very good. This, along with his calm passing game, makes him a very solid player on power play. Skating has always been one of Heiskanen’s biggest assets along with his skill and smarts.

Scouting report from an expert on finnish prospects from this february and he has just kept growing both as a player and size-wise since then.

 

[belair]

What's your opinion on Adam Tilander? I haven't seen him play but he's an RHD with 11 points in 17 games, something for the Oilers to consider in the mid rounds perhaps?

He's going to be a guy I'm going to have to see a lot more of. He's getting key minutes and putting up a decent clip but he still hasn't adjusted to the smaller ice. He turns the puck over a lot and has looked foolish in the D zone at times.

I think he'll improve but I'd like to see some confidence.

 

[McDNicks17]

Owen Tippett is on a tear.

Started off slow, but has 15 goals in his last 11 games.

 

[Jepprey]

Owen Tippett is on a tear.

Started off slow, but has 15 goals in his last 11 games.

Tippett going Top 5 for sure. Kid got big over the summer and his shot is pretty damn good.

 

[hallhopkinseberle]

prob the 1st time in years that this thread has had only 4 pages in it.

 

[6 God]

It's too early to really tell but doesn't look like it's a strong year in terms of top end talent, but the depth looks very good IMO.

Perfect year for the Canucks and Flames to tank then.

 

[VainGretzky]

Will be a great feeling to know we traded our 1st round pick at trade deadline to shore up for our playoff run

 

[snipes]

Will be a great feeling to know we traded our 1st round pick at trade deadline to shore up for our playoff run

This 100%.

Weaker draft year, if we can flip our 1st for a rental that helps us for a playoff push/run that's a dream scenario.

 

[McFlyingV]

I'd prefer we just play ourselves into the playoffs without needing to sell off our 1st for a rental. Hopefully they can do that because in a depth draft we could definitely use one more solid prospect for the coming years. We're not winning the cup this year, but getting into the playoffs to give the kids a taste would be a huge win for me.

 

[Zaddy]

Tippett going Top 5 for sure. Kid got big over the summer and his shot is pretty damn good.

I don't know about that. I'm not sold on Tippett. I haven't watched him recently in the OHL but in the Hlinka he looked like a very one-dimensional player. Granted that dimension is very good and I'd say there is a great likelihood that it takes him to the NHL but I'm not sure how much success he'll have there if he doesn't round out his game. Although they're not copies of each other by any means I think he's in a similar position as Jake Virtanen where the physical tools are there with the shot and the skating but the rest of the game is highly lacking.

 

[Zaddy]

I'd prefer we just play ourselves into the playoffs without needing to sell off our 1st for a rental. Hopefully they can do that because in a depth draft we could definitely use one more solid prospect for the coming years. We're not winning the cup this year, but getting into the playoffs to give the kids a taste would be a huge win for me.

Agreed, although I wouldn't be outraged if we moved the pick but I think it's pretty foolish to think we have a legit shot at contending this year. You can still get a pretty good prospect in the 10-20 range this year so keeping the pick wouldn't be the worst idea. Chia has started to fill up the cupboards but we're going to need more top quality guys being ready to play once Drai, Nurse, McDavid etc get out from their ELC's and we start to contend. The player we pick this summer could be a guy who comes in on an ELC 3 years from now and has an impact in a deep playoff run. That's really valuable.

 

[suddeninterest]

Yeah I don't think we are ready to trade our 1st yet and would be very upset if we traded it prior to the draft for anything other than in a package for a 40+ point proven dman who who will probably resign. The only teams who trade their 1st rounders are regular playoff teams/contenders. Last year was CHI, PIT, LAK, NYR, and SJS. We are not at that level of consistency yet to trade that pick.

 

[suddeninterest]

If I had to guess who we would draft, I'd say the best available RHD at our position. Once we get into that 12-18 range where I think we end up, you can definitely draft more for need. I think we try and get someone we can put with Nurse on the 2nd pair long term and try to fill a ppqb slot at the same time.

 

[snipes]

Yeah I don't think we are ready to trade our 1st yet and would be very upset if we traded it prior to the draft for anything other than in a package for a 40+ point proven dman who who will probably resign. The only teams who trade their 1st rounders are regular playoff teams/contenders. Last year was CHI, PIT, LAK, NYR, and SJS. We are not at that level of consistency yet to trade that pick.

Yeah I think that's more what's being referred to when talking about trading a 1st to help a run. It's not flipping it for the sake of flipping it, that's not smart.

Example, let's say NSH completely ****s the bed and are way out of the playoff race. Flipping the 1st for a guy like Ryan Ellis (in the event he's available) would be a solid play to consider. That type of deal would be a dream scenario.

Flipping the 1st at the deadline isn't something you do "just to do it", but if a Ellis or a forward equivalent type rare scenario came up definitely worth considering.

 

[Homesick]

http://www.mynhldraft.com/NHL-Mock-Draft/

A real early 2017 mock. This is obviously going to be super inaccurate but it's still fun to look at. According to their mock we'd end up with another 6'6, 200lbs defenseman in Nic Hague. Him and Niemeläinen would be a pair of twin towers on the backend, lol.

We'll own all the LHD so we can control the market

 

[Jepprey]

I don't know about that. I'm not sold on Tippett. I haven't watched him recently in the OHL but in the Hlinka he looked like a very one-dimensional player. Granted that dimension is very good and I'd say there is a great likelihood that it takes him to the NHL but I'm not sure how much success he'll have there if he doesn't round out his game. Although they're not copies of each other by any means I think he's in a similar position as Jake Virtanen where the physical tools are there with the shot and the skating but the rest of the game is highly lacking.

That's just it though, with the lack of top end talent this year, A big scorer that can skate like Tippett is going to suck a team in primarily because of his ability to find the net. He definitely is a one-dimensional player no doubt.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Last season Markus Niemelainen was the biggest draft eligible Finnish defenseman.
But upcoming 2017 draft has another big Finnish dman available.

6'6 ( 199cm) and 205 lbs ( 93kg) Eemeli Räsänen ( no relation to Aapeli Räsänen) plays his draft season in Kingston Frontenacs.
Räsänen is RHD 2 way defenseman and he possess heavy and booming shot.

He's B rated prospect by NHL central scouting and he's probably going somewhere 2nd or 3rd round.
As we know Oilers need RHD defenseman so whether this player solid fit to Oilers prospect pool.

Here's few videos of Eemeli Räsänen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7E09_h3bg8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Rsfw_Kc4b8

And then there's also Henri Jokiharju he plays in Portland Winterhawks WHL team and he's also RHD.
Here's Jokiharju's U18 WJC highlight video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QZXX42irRc

If you was Chiarelli and you should choose between Jokiharju and Räsänen which would you choose.
Jokiharju has chance to get drafted in 1st round somewhere TOP20 - TOP30. So he might be available for Oilers if they could acquire TOP20 pick.

 

[McDNicks17]

I'm hot and cold on Rasanen.

Big guy with a good stick, but not the best skater and I'm not sure where is offensive upside is yet.

I could see him going somewhere around where Niemelainen went.


I don't know much about Jokiharju, but he sounds like the better prospect and more of what the Oilers need.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

I'm hot and cold on Rasanen.

Big guy with a good stick, but not the best skater and I'm not sure where is offensive upside is yet.

I could see him going somewhere around where Niemelainen went.


I don't know much about Jokiharju, but he sounds like the better prospect and more of what the Oilers need.

Yeah skating isn't Eemeli Räsänen strongest asset but as i mentioned his shot is heavy and booming but not accurate one.
Main indicator to Räsänen's draft position is U18 WJC's next April in Slovakia. ( I don't believe Eemeli Räsänen is Finland's world junior roster)

If we look top ranked Finnish defensemans Eemeli Räsänen isn't high on that list right now.
At the moment the most intriguing dmans ( not particular order) are Heiskanen,Valimaki,Salo, Vaakanainen and Jokiharju.
Maybe one of those guys could be available for Oilers.

Of course all these conversations about upcoming draft are only speculation and rankings will change often before draft day.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

I'm a big fan of both those guys, Suzuki in particular. I like Entwistle a lot too but IMO he's not a guy you take early in the draft. Probably projects more as a bottom-six guy or complementary guy in the top6.

Man, I really wonder where the Oilers will end up drafting this year. Impossible to predict at this point, which is a welcome change compared to previous years where you already knew at this point it would be a top5 pick

Anyway, one guy who is starting to grow on me is finnish defenseman Miro Heiskanen. Elite skater, smart, good passer, good gap control, strong positionally. Already playing big minutes for HIFK in Liiga against men. Honestly surprised he hasn't climbed higher in the draft rankings yet, could be a top10 pick.

Scouting report from an expert on finnish prospects from this february and he has just kept growing both as a player and size-wise since then.

Yeah some weird reason Heiskanen has been really underrated in first draft rankings.
He's been best defenseman in HIFK's liiga team and he's been really good against pro-players.

In HIFK Heiskanen has paired HIFK's 2nd defense pair with former NHL and AHL defenseman Joe Finley ( Washington's 1st round pick in 2005 draft).
16 FEL regular games Heiskanen has logged ice-time 19:46 minutes per game and scored 4 points ( 2 goals and 2assists).
His plus-minus reading is +7 also Heiskanen has best corsi in HIFK's liiga team.

Heiskanen needs gain more muscle-mass and also he must improve his defensive awareness.
Those are only areas what he needs develop before coming to NHL.

Here's all stats for Miro Heiskanen at the moment.
http://liiga.fi/tilastot/2016-2017/...ayer_stats=enhanced&sort=COR%-C#stats-wrapper
http://liiga.fi/pelaajat/28843210/heiskanen-miro/ottelu-ottelulta

 

[Zaddy]

Yeah some weird reason Heiskanen has been really underrated in first draft rankings.
He's been best defenseman in HIFK's liiga team and he's been really good against pro-players.

In HIFK Heiskanen has paired HIFK's 2nd defense pair with former NHL and AHL defenseman Joe Finley ( Washington's 1st round pick in 2005 draft).
16 FEL regular games Heiskanen has logged ice-time 19:46 minutes per game and scored 4 points ( 2 goals and 2assists).
His plus-minus reading is +7 also Heiskanen has best corsi in HIFK's liiga team.

Heiskanen needs gain more muscle-mass and also he must improve his defensive awareness.
Those are only areas what he needs develop before coming to NHL.

Here's all stats for Miro Heiskanen at the moment.
http://liiga.fi/tilastot/2016-2017/...ayer_stats=enhanced&sort=COR%-C#stats-wrapper
http://liiga.fi/pelaajat/28843210/heiskanen-miro/ottelu-ottelulta

Yeah. I think we'll see his stock really rise after the World Juniors if he puts up a good tournament there. Europeans tend to be undervalued/underscouted and only really climb rankings after playing in big international tournaments.

I have Heiskanen > Vaakanainen > Salo as far as finnish defensemen goes (haven't seen Välimäki this year). Heiskanen as a potential top10 guy, Vaakanainen as a 15-20 guy, Salo as a late 1st or early 2nd rounder.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Yeah. I think we'll see his stock really rise after the World Juniors if he puts up a good tournament there. Europeans tend to be undervalued/underscouted and only really climb rankings after playing in big international tournaments.

I have Heiskanen > Vaakanainen > Salo as far as finnish defensemen goes (haven't seen Välimäki this year). Heiskanen as a potential top10 guy, Vaakanainen as a 15-20 guy, Salo as a late 1st or early 2nd rounder.

Don't forget Henri Jokiharju.
He's also potential 1st rounder.

What comes to world juniors right now no-one can't say how many players Finland gets in North America.
Only what's already sure is Finland's defense in world juniors will be much better than it was in Helsinki but still quite young but there's will be much potential.

Also offence should be balanced even without Puljujärvi,Laine and Aho.