StevenToddIves
Registered User
I'm going to do a new series of threads where I rank the players in the draft by position. Though center is not the position of utmost organizational need for the Devils (that would be LD, followed by RD), I always believed a prospect pipeline can never have too many pivots. Most centers also have the ability to play the wing, which gives a coach more versatility -- see: Henrique, Zacha, Coleman, Gibbons. Moving a winger to center is far more problematic, unless you are a superstar like Patrik Elias or Blake Wheeler.
(NOTE: for those wondering where Akil Thomas and Isac Lundestrom are, I am ranking them as wingers, where I think they will wind up in the NHL. Also, Oliver Wahlstrom and Brady Tkachuk are, for some unknown reason, often listed as centers. They are not.)
1. Joe Veleno for all the talk about his lack of high-end scoring skill, he poured in the points after a mid-season trade to Drummondville. He has no weakness in his game; he's fast, skilled, hard-working, competitive, smart and plays two ways. The most surefire NHL 1C in the class of 2018. Chances of going to NJ: very slim. Veleno could go in the top 10, and it would be a shock to see him get past the Islanders twin picks at #11 & #12.
2. Barrett Hayton everything about this kid is very good, but the lack of a singular dynamic skill will keep him out of the top 10. What you're looking at is an un-sexy pick, but a very safe and possibly extremely rewarding one. His tenacity, competitive drive, excellent wheels and outstanding defensive acumen have led to a litany of comparisons to Patrice Bergeron. I don't think there's a hockey team on earth that would not want a guy like that. Chances of going to NJ: slim, but not impossible. He could drop because of a perceived lack of high-offensive upside, and would make a perfect #2 C behind Nico. But I would still be very surprised to see Hayton drop to #17.
3. Jesperi Kotkaniemi this talented Finn has been shooting up draft boards with an absolutely incredible showing at the IIHF. His puck skills and smarts are absolutely off the charts. The only reason I have him below Hayton is that I place a high emphasis on skating speed (as do Shero & Castron), and his singular weakness is an average set of wheels. Chances of going to NJ: slim to none -- he could be the first center off the board, there is even talk of Montreal considering him at #3 overall.
4. Rasmus Kupari in terms of pure skill, he tops out the class of 2018. His hands and skates are absolutely elite. There's a ton of upside here, and he has the potential to be the best of all these guys a decade down the road. Then, why is he just #4? Well, there's a bit of boom/bust in him -- Kupari tends to shy away from physicality and is problematic in the defensive zone. If these aspects do not improve, he's going to have trouble finding an NHL coach to give him regular shifts. Still, it's difficult to deny his Kuznetsov-like upside. Chances of going to NJ: high. Among the list of Devils needs are a #2C behind Nico, and Kupari's electrifying speed fits in with the Devils top organizational priority. His hands could be as good as anyone in this draft, and he could fall to 17 because of a need to improve his all-around play.
5. Ty Dellandrea I have this kid ranked as high as anyone, but I watch him play and he stands out every time. His stats were negatively affected by playing on an absolutely atrocious Flint team, but I think if Dellandrea were on the London Knights everyone would be talking about him as a top 20 pick. He's as smart as any C in the draft, skates extremely well, plays two ways, can dish the puck and bury it. When he finally got to play with similarly talented players at the U18 he absolutely shone. Chances of going to NJ: low, unless the Devils trade down for a late 1st/early 2nd. Someone is getting a huge bargain here.
6. Ryan McLeod the younger brother of Devils prospect Mikey McLeod, he's another player who is very good at every aspect of the game but does not blow your mind with any one skill. He is comparable to Mikey, but while he is a very good skater, he lacks the jersey-flapping speed of his older sibling. He is versatile in that he can play in a scoring or checking role, at either C or RW. Chances of going to NJ: unlikely -- it's difficult to envision the Devils drafting a player who is a similar version of a more-developed prospect at the same position.
7. Jake Wise another extremely underrated player. He was a bit lost as the 2nd line C on a US-NTDP team behind 2019 surefire 1st overall pick Jack Hughes, but he oozes upside. Wise is very fast, excellent two-ways, a dangerous penalty killer. His passing and vision are exceptional. The things he needs to work on are all very correctible -- core strength and a propensity to eschew scoring opportunities to over-pass. Chances of going to NJ: low, unless the Devils trade into the 2nd round.
8. Jacob Olofsson I see Olofsson as a slightly less-polished version of Hayton. He's a do-it-all two-way pivot who skates well and plays an extremely smart game. While he lacks Hayton's wolverine-like tenacity, he is also competitive. I think we're looking at a very high-floor, mid-six center with some scoring pop. Chances of going to NJ: low, unless the Devils trade down into the late first round.
9. Liam Foudy could be #1 on my "steal of the draft" list. Foudy's numbers won't blow anyone away, unless one looks at his splits once the London Knights decided to move him to a scoring line. What you notice most about this kid is his speed -- it is downright blinding. He might be up there with Quinton Hughes as the best skaters in this entire draft. And his puck skills, all-around play and competitiveness are all very good and showing a terrific development curve. Chances of going to NJ: significant -- he's exactly the type of player Shero has been trying to build around. He could fall into the late 2nd/early 3rd round, and I could see Shero jumping hurdles to try to get this kid in Jersey.
10. Benoit-Oliver Groulx smart, big and physical -- Groulx projects as a prototype bottom-6 center. He played behind Nico Hischier in Halifax last season, and this season inherited the top role. He really upped his game to the tune of nearly PPG scoring and 100 PIM. He's the toughest of all the Cs on this list, but he lacks top-end speed. Chances of going to NJ: slim to none -- he's not a logical pick where the Devils are selecting and does not fit into the organizational philosophy. But he has a very high-floor and I'd be shocked if we don't see him in the NHL.
Centers the Devils could target in the later rounds:
Tyler Madden
Cam Hillis
Ivan Morozov
Alexander Khovanov
Jay O'Brien
(NOTE: for those wondering where Akil Thomas and Isac Lundestrom are, I am ranking them as wingers, where I think they will wind up in the NHL. Also, Oliver Wahlstrom and Brady Tkachuk are, for some unknown reason, often listed as centers. They are not.)
1. Joe Veleno for all the talk about his lack of high-end scoring skill, he poured in the points after a mid-season trade to Drummondville. He has no weakness in his game; he's fast, skilled, hard-working, competitive, smart and plays two ways. The most surefire NHL 1C in the class of 2018. Chances of going to NJ: very slim. Veleno could go in the top 10, and it would be a shock to see him get past the Islanders twin picks at #11 & #12.
2. Barrett Hayton everything about this kid is very good, but the lack of a singular dynamic skill will keep him out of the top 10. What you're looking at is an un-sexy pick, but a very safe and possibly extremely rewarding one. His tenacity, competitive drive, excellent wheels and outstanding defensive acumen have led to a litany of comparisons to Patrice Bergeron. I don't think there's a hockey team on earth that would not want a guy like that. Chances of going to NJ: slim, but not impossible. He could drop because of a perceived lack of high-offensive upside, and would make a perfect #2 C behind Nico. But I would still be very surprised to see Hayton drop to #17.
3. Jesperi Kotkaniemi this talented Finn has been shooting up draft boards with an absolutely incredible showing at the IIHF. His puck skills and smarts are absolutely off the charts. The only reason I have him below Hayton is that I place a high emphasis on skating speed (as do Shero & Castron), and his singular weakness is an average set of wheels. Chances of going to NJ: slim to none -- he could be the first center off the board, there is even talk of Montreal considering him at #3 overall.
4. Rasmus Kupari in terms of pure skill, he tops out the class of 2018. His hands and skates are absolutely elite. There's a ton of upside here, and he has the potential to be the best of all these guys a decade down the road. Then, why is he just #4? Well, there's a bit of boom/bust in him -- Kupari tends to shy away from physicality and is problematic in the defensive zone. If these aspects do not improve, he's going to have trouble finding an NHL coach to give him regular shifts. Still, it's difficult to deny his Kuznetsov-like upside. Chances of going to NJ: high. Among the list of Devils needs are a #2C behind Nico, and Kupari's electrifying speed fits in with the Devils top organizational priority. His hands could be as good as anyone in this draft, and he could fall to 17 because of a need to improve his all-around play.
5. Ty Dellandrea I have this kid ranked as high as anyone, but I watch him play and he stands out every time. His stats were negatively affected by playing on an absolutely atrocious Flint team, but I think if Dellandrea were on the London Knights everyone would be talking about him as a top 20 pick. He's as smart as any C in the draft, skates extremely well, plays two ways, can dish the puck and bury it. When he finally got to play with similarly talented players at the U18 he absolutely shone. Chances of going to NJ: low, unless the Devils trade down for a late 1st/early 2nd. Someone is getting a huge bargain here.
6. Ryan McLeod the younger brother of Devils prospect Mikey McLeod, he's another player who is very good at every aspect of the game but does not blow your mind with any one skill. He is comparable to Mikey, but while he is a very good skater, he lacks the jersey-flapping speed of his older sibling. He is versatile in that he can play in a scoring or checking role, at either C or RW. Chances of going to NJ: unlikely -- it's difficult to envision the Devils drafting a player who is a similar version of a more-developed prospect at the same position.
7. Jake Wise another extremely underrated player. He was a bit lost as the 2nd line C on a US-NTDP team behind 2019 surefire 1st overall pick Jack Hughes, but he oozes upside. Wise is very fast, excellent two-ways, a dangerous penalty killer. His passing and vision are exceptional. The things he needs to work on are all very correctible -- core strength and a propensity to eschew scoring opportunities to over-pass. Chances of going to NJ: low, unless the Devils trade into the 2nd round.
8. Jacob Olofsson I see Olofsson as a slightly less-polished version of Hayton. He's a do-it-all two-way pivot who skates well and plays an extremely smart game. While he lacks Hayton's wolverine-like tenacity, he is also competitive. I think we're looking at a very high-floor, mid-six center with some scoring pop. Chances of going to NJ: low, unless the Devils trade down into the late first round.
9. Liam Foudy could be #1 on my "steal of the draft" list. Foudy's numbers won't blow anyone away, unless one looks at his splits once the London Knights decided to move him to a scoring line. What you notice most about this kid is his speed -- it is downright blinding. He might be up there with Quinton Hughes as the best skaters in this entire draft. And his puck skills, all-around play and competitiveness are all very good and showing a terrific development curve. Chances of going to NJ: significant -- he's exactly the type of player Shero has been trying to build around. He could fall into the late 2nd/early 3rd round, and I could see Shero jumping hurdles to try to get this kid in Jersey.
10. Benoit-Oliver Groulx smart, big and physical -- Groulx projects as a prototype bottom-6 center. He played behind Nico Hischier in Halifax last season, and this season inherited the top role. He really upped his game to the tune of nearly PPG scoring and 100 PIM. He's the toughest of all the Cs on this list, but he lacks top-end speed. Chances of going to NJ: slim to none -- he's not a logical pick where the Devils are selecting and does not fit into the organizational philosophy. But he has a very high-floor and I'd be shocked if we don't see him in the NHL.
Centers the Devils could target in the later rounds:
Tyler Madden
Cam Hillis
Ivan Morozov
Alexander Khovanov
Jay O'Brien
