Prospect Info: 2018 Devils Draft Preview: Top 10 Left Wings

StevenToddIves

Registered User
May 18, 2013
10,335
24,420
Brooklyn, NY
We should start by saying that, although the wisest course of action is to draft the best available player, LW is the deepest slot in the Devils' organization. Taylor Hall is the top LW for the foreseeable future, while MoJo is a very capable second line LW. The Devils are deep in the bottom 6 here with Wood and Coleman, while prospects Quenneville and Boqvist should be ready to challenge for the big club in camp. Pavel Zacha can also play either C or LW. It is this depth which enabled Ray Shero to trade Adam Henrique for the player who is now the Devils best defenseman, Sami Vatanen. It would not be a surprise to see the Devils trade from this depth again on draft day, and it is unlikely the Devils would draft at this position until the later rounds.

1. Brady Tkachuk a rare player and an extremely valuable one in today's NHL: a kid with the high-end skill to play with a top scoring line, but also a fierce power player who can crash creases and win in corners with reckless abandon. He's just an absolute stud, and I would say he has the highest floor in the draft. Chances he comes to NJ: less than zero -- he should be gone in the top 5 and no way he makes it out of the top 8.

2. Joel Farabee an absolute stud on the US-NTDP top line alongside 2019 surefire 1st overall pick Jack Hughes and 2018 top-10 lock Oliver Wahlstrom. Though a bit undersized, Farabee mixes terrific skating with even better acceleration and has elite vision and puck skills. He reminds me of Giroux in his draft year, but with more guts and a higher compete level. Chances he comes to NJ: very low -- Farabee is unlikely to make it to #17, and even if he does, dare Shero take him over several similarly talented players at positions of need?

3. Dominik Bokk elite skills across the board -- Bokk has high-end vision/passing skills and a lethal shot. His skating is very good but not particularly dynamic. However, he clearly has the tools to play on a top scoring line in the NHL and can play either RW or LW. Chances he comes to NJ: significant -- the fact that he has high-end scoring potential and can play either wing will certainly make him attractive to Hero and Castron. He may not be the speed demon the organization seems to be building around, but he can skate very well. He's a real wild card in this draft to me; he can go in the top dozen picks or fall to the bottom of the first round, depending on teams' priorities.

4. Grigori Denisenko an extremely skilled but slightly undersized player, Denisenko is most often compared to an NHL star in Artemi Panarin. He will put up points at any level. He has mostly skated at LW but he is a right-shot, so there is possibility an NHL team could move him over if need be. Chances he comes to NJ: vaguely possible -- his smarts/skill/speed seem to line up with organizational philosophy, but his skill-set is not dissimilar to Jesper Boqvist, whom the Devils spent a 2nd rounder on last June. He also plays the same position as Boqvist.

5. Blake McLaughlin a very raw prospect with a very high potential reward, McLaughlin features a NHL-sniper caliber shot and outstanding skates. He has top line potential, which is not common for kids likely to be available in the 2nd round. His biggest problem is core strength -- he's a reed at 6'1-160 -- and two-way play. However, these are the easiest problems for an organization to fix -- good coaching and the conditioning can propel him to be a 30+ goal-scorer in the NHL. Chances he comes to NJ: extremely slim -- if the Devils were to trade into the 2nd round, it would likely be to pick up a player at a position of need.

6. Isac Lundestrom often listed as a center, Lundestrom has higher upside as a LW. He checks off every box in the scouting book -- skating, stick handling, vision, size, shot, compete -- but he has no singular dynamic skill. He reminds me of Lias Andersson in that he's a slam-dunk to be a very good mid-6 LW/C, but likely lacks the high-end upside to skate with a top line. Chances he comes to NJ: not high but not impossible -- he should be around at #17, and some scouting services think that the occasional highlight-reel goal he scores hints at more offensive upside than some give him credit for. He certainly fits into the organizational cravings of fast/smart/competitive. I just can't see the Devils taking him over a higher-upside player at a position of need, and several of those should be available with their first-rounder.

7. Filip Hallander very similar to Lundestrom, Hallander is a strong-skating, smart and all-around solid LW/C hybrid who has a very high floor as a two-way middle-6 F at the NHL level. He plays with more physicality than Lundestrom but with less offensive creativity. Chances he comes to NJ: slim to none -- he's a lock for the second round and lacks the upside to squeak into the first.

8. Gabriel Fortier a burner on the skates, Fortier plays both LW & C and scored at almost a point-per-game clip for Baie-Comeau this past year. Though a bit undersized, Fortier is not shy in the dirty areas and makes up for a need to build strength with his outstanding skates and great hands in tight. Chances he comes to NJ: notable -- he's the type of player Shero loves, like a better version of Brandon Gignac in his draft year. If he slips to the third or the fourth round, I could see him getting strong draft consideration from the Devils brass.

9. Jakub Lauko another C/LW, I put him on the LW list just because he's so hard not to love. His compete level is off the charts -- he's like a ball of energy every time his skates hit the ice. He's also fast, very physical and plays a 200-foot game. The only question is whether he will develop more of an offensive game, although he's a lock to make it as a momentum-changing bottom-6 fan favorite. Chances he comes to NJ: not likely -- I see him as a third rounder (which the Devils lack), and NJ already has Miles Wood and Blake Coleman.

10. Dmitry Zavgorodny the prototype "sum is larger than the parts" player. Zavgorodny is tiny and not a burner, although he is quick. But his heart is huge -- this kid is like a buzz-saw every moment he's on the ice, and his hockey IQ is off the charts. His toughness belies his size and there is no quit in him. And his skill-set is significant enough that his unbridled desire could give him the upside of a 50+ point 2nd liner at the NHL level. Chances he comes to NJ: worth thinking about -- we're talking about a kid who could fall to the 5th or 6th round due to size concerns, but also a kid who could have a very good payoff. Why not take him if he's available that late?

Late Round LWs who could interest NJ:
Nando Eggenberger
Vladislav Kotkov
David Levin
Sampo Ranta
Tyler Weiss
 

StevenToddIves

Registered User
May 18, 2013
10,335
24,420
Brooklyn, NY
thoughts on phillip kurashev?

I'm glad you mentioned him -- I may have overlooked him. I considered him at C, but his talent likely also translates to the LW in the NHL. The Swiss import scored 60 points in 59 games for Quebec this year, and many think he has top-6 upside. He certainly has prototypical size and skates well. If I listed him at LW, he would surely challenge for this top 10 list, so a nice call on your part bringing him up on this thread.
 

StevenToddIves

Registered User
May 18, 2013
10,335
24,420
Brooklyn, NY
Bokk then Denisenko from that list

Those two players are certainly on the Devils radar. Strangely, I would say the name on my list most likely to wind up in New Jersey is Fortier -- Shero and Castron love this type of player, and have used several picks on similarly-styled forwards in the past two drafts.
 

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