Avs_19
Registered User
- Jun 28, 2007
- 84,676
- 32,449
Breton and Boucher are both overagers.
Kotkov was ranked 39th by Future Considerations, 82nd by ISS, 129th by Hockey Prospect, and 148th by McKeen's.
Vladislav Kotkov at eliteprospects.com
GDT: 2018 NHL Entry Draft l June 22nd & 23rd l "Don't screw this up, Avs!" Edition
- Thread starter RockLobster
- Start date
- Status
Breton and Boucher are both overagers.
Kotkov was ranked 39th by Future Considerations, 82nd by ISS, 129th by Hockey Prospect, and 148th by McKeen's.
Vladislav Kotkov at eliteprospects.com
UncleRisto
Not Great, Bob!
Congo Jack
is a big fat mess.
So who were the best undrafted players? Eggenberger, Topping, Burzan and Dunkley are the most notable that come to mind.
lonelybadger
Registered User
lonelybadger
Registered User
They did a good job with the start of their rebuild. It helped though that Vegas made that Tatar trade .
- Oct 24, 2008
- 22,429
- 29,404
If this was NHL 18, they knocked it out of the park.
Ceremony
blahem
- Jun 8, 2012
- 113,193
- 15,392
He's the sort of uninspiring clogger who'd fit in well with the green filth's organisational insistence on impressive mediocrity. He works hard! And never achieves anything. Bless.
- Apr 25, 2006
- 49,059
- 51,497
This isn't NHL 18 and they still knocked it out of the park. 2nd best draft after the Islanders.
- Oct 24, 2008
- 22,429
- 29,404
I didn’t mean it that way. I’m serious, lol. Those three guys are monsters in the 2018 draft of NHL 18.
Freaky Styley
Registered User
I know we are a year away but I really hope we can snag Nolan Foote next year in the first round. Obviously a bit for the feels, but I got to see a bit of him in his first WHL season and I thought he would have been a good later round snag in LAST years draft until I realized his age. Didn't pay attention to his growth at all this season and seems like he's dropped from what could have been a top 5 selection, but reminds me a lot of a Jamie Benn type. He fits a need, could be around when we have our selection and has the genes to boot.
UncleRisto
Not Great, Bob!
Yeah, it's good that he's fell a bit since now he might be there for the Avs to take on their own pick. Because obviously I just want the legacy pick fan service 3000 over everything.
Congo Jack
is a big fat mess.
McMetal
Writer of Wrongs
- Sep 29, 2015
- 14,132
- 12,095
I know Hepple said that all the Europeans picked was an accident, but does it feel to anybody else like they're just straight up avoiding the CHL lately? Since 2015, when they took Beaudin, Meloche, and Boikov from the Q, the last three drafts have seen just five CHL players taken: Travis Barron, Josh Anderson, Brandon Saigeon, Nick Henry, and Conor Timmins. A second, a third, a fourth, a fifth, and a seventh. Of those, the only pick we love is Timmins, and the consensus is generally that Barron, Anderson, and Saigeon were throwaway picks with the jury out on Henry.
That seems like a really low count for a team over three drafts.. Euro leagues, Junior A, and USHL picks seem to be the big theme with Hepple since 2015, his first year as head scout (and Roy's last draft where he had major influence). The few CHL picks have been mostly crap and feel like bones thrown to scouts more than a comprehensive strategy.
You have to wonder if Hepple and Sakic feel like the CHL is an overscouted league. Either that, or they don't trust their CHL scouts, but if that were the case why wouldn't they get new ones? They certainly are aggressively going after leagues that a lot of teams don't tend to dip into much, with a heavy focus on NCAA bound players (two first rounders in a row). It certainly seems like the strategy is paying off so far, it's just strange to me that they're paying so little attention to the world's largest development system, and even then it's mostly just lip service.
Here's the breakdown of picks laid out over the last 3 drafts.
USHL/Junior A/USHS - 8
SHL/Liiga/Czech/KHL/MHL - 8
WHL/OHL/QMJHL - 5
That seems like a really low count for a team over three drafts.. Euro leagues, Junior A, and USHL picks seem to be the big theme with Hepple since 2015, his first year as head scout (and Roy's last draft where he had major influence). The few CHL picks have been mostly crap and feel like bones thrown to scouts more than a comprehensive strategy.
You have to wonder if Hepple and Sakic feel like the CHL is an overscouted league. Either that, or they don't trust their CHL scouts, but if that were the case why wouldn't they get new ones? They certainly are aggressively going after leagues that a lot of teams don't tend to dip into much, with a heavy focus on NCAA bound players (two first rounders in a row). It certainly seems like the strategy is paying off so far, it's just strange to me that they're paying so little attention to the world's largest development system, and even then it's mostly just lip service.
Here's the breakdown of picks laid out over the last 3 drafts.
USHL/Junior A/USHS - 8
SHL/Liiga/Czech/KHL/MHL - 8
WHL/OHL/QMJHL - 5
How often does a low round CHL player break into the NHL as a real steal versus Euros? (Including Russians?) I'm seriously curious.. These days it seems like it's near impossible to find mid to late round steals out of North America.
McMetal
Writer of Wrongs
- Sep 29, 2015
- 14,132
- 12,095
It happens. Jake Dotchin, Colin Miller, Andrew Shaw, Andreas Athanasiou, and Victor Mete all came from the CHL. But a quick look at the draft history (not counting the last few years because it's hard to judge yet), I see Djoos, Palat, Kase, Bratt, Forsling, Arvidsson, Nesterov, and Fast coming out of Europe. Out of college, Manson, Kerfoot, Gaudreau, Butcher, Dzingel, and Copp. It does seem like the odds are more on your side even though the dice rolls are still slim.
cgf
FireBednarsSuccessor
This post from the prospect board russian prospects thread absolutely killed me:
McMetal
Writer of Wrongs
- Sep 29, 2015
- 14,132
- 12,095
Haha yeah, I saw that too. They're also screaming about Dronov not getting picked in that thread, and putting aside that particular player they kind of have a point that NHL teams don't seem to have time for defensive D from Russia these days. It was pretty much all offense this draft, 11 forwards and just 4 defensemen from Russia picked this year (3 D if you don't count Alexeyev from the WHL), and Zhuravlyov and Semykin are supposed to be offensive types.
cgf
FireBednarsSuccessor
I think the russian factor can be more of an issue for defensive dmen because they usually take longer to develop and really have to grind their way through the AHL to get a shot...see Dunk the Lunk. I mean, even Boikov has gotten tempting offers to go back home, and he's far from senior league ready; plus we saw first hand how Mironov was unwilling to grind it out in the AHL. Guys who put up #s have an easier time making a name for themselves & breaking through in NA. So maybe teams are less worried about them getting sick of NA & going home?
Plus it could be similar to why we see so few russsian bottom 6 forwards (grinders) in NA, the KHL is happy to pay those types of players a lot more than NHL clubs, so most of them stay in Russia. Could be a similar dynamic with salaries for russian defensive dmen.
btdubs, I thought Semykin was a giant defensive D like Tryamkin? Or am I mixing him up with someone else?
McMetal
Writer of Wrongs
- Sep 29, 2015
- 14,132
- 12,095
cgf
FireBednarsSuccessor
well you did more than me cause what little youth hockey I watched was exclusively dedicated to forwards lol
That would be great, especially cause it’s basically just “Giraffe” all Russified & with a “lyov” at the end to make it into a last-name
- Feb 24, 2012
- 62,433
- 46,083
My overall thoughts on the draft:
Kaut - Outside of the heart issue (which likely shouldn't be an issue), this is a safe play here. Should be a good middle 6 winger for a long time. I don't think there is true 1st line upside, but he can be a real productive player for a long time.
Annunen - I think this pick was made a bit high, but very happy they got a 1 year eligible goalie that has higher upside. He has the right size and technical parts to his game to be effective... needs to develop his legs a lot more to be more explosive.
Ranta - In what I felt was a weaker year in the USHL, he was my 2nd rated non-NDTP player. He is a very north and south sort of player and has massive bouts of tunnel vision... but he can shoot the puck and really skate. For a guy his size, his skating is some of the very best in this draft. He will be on a 3/4 year sort of development curve, but I think he has a real solid chance of becoming a 3rd liner that pops in 15+ goals and is a shorthanded threat.
Weiss - My favorite pick in the draft. There is quite a bit of projection here, but I had him in the middle of the second. To me, there is legit top 6 upside here. There is a great skill set to work with here, but he really needs to bulk up. I'd be surprised if he is over 155 right now, and for most of the season he was in the upper 140 range. He just couldn't keep on the weight. If he can bulk up and start putting on weight I think he can be a high impact player. A Skinner-lite sort of player.
Saigeon - Probably my least favorite pick in this draft. Not that I think he is a bad player, I just see very little real upside here. I doubt he ever makes the NHL, but if he doesn't it won't be past a 4th line sort of role. Hard worker, good shot, and good defensive player. Likely steps right into a bottom 6 AHL role and does well. Seems like a pick to shore up the Eagles as much as anything.
Zhuravlyov - Another solid pick to me. The kid has a smooth skating stride (not super fast) and good offensive skills. Superb puck mover at his level. Now he doesn't play the game in a NA style and is a bit of a puck watcher in both zones with significant drift to his game. I'd like to see the kid come over to the AHL in a season or two to start working on adapting his skills to the NA game. To me that will be key to his development.
Kovalenko - Solid risk to take here. There are major doubts on getting him over from Russia for a number of reasons, but Nikolai is very skilled and smart as a player. He wasn't blessed with his father's thick frame, but most people I've talked to think he is still growing. The big risk I see from him is simply getting him over and becoming Gusev 2.0.
Shmakov - There were rumblings that teams had interest in him, but I didn't think anybody would actually pull the trigger. Very athletic... very not technically sound. As a 7th rounder it is decent risk/reward sort of take. I'm not great at goalie scouting in general, so from a technical standpoint, I'm not a great resource... but even I can see that he is all over the place and frequently out of position. His size combined with his athleticism allows him to make to highlight reel saves, but these moments will be exploited as he progresses up the levels. A good mentor will be key for him to settle down. On the positive note, I absolutely love how he just took over the starting spot over an older, more established goalie and didn't look back. He took the crease and it was his unquestionably.
Personally, I think this draft was a step back from last year in what I think was a stronger draft year. Still I think there are some real good prospects in this group and some solid building blocks.
Kaut - Outside of the heart issue (which likely shouldn't be an issue), this is a safe play here. Should be a good middle 6 winger for a long time. I don't think there is true 1st line upside, but he can be a real productive player for a long time.
Annunen - I think this pick was made a bit high, but very happy they got a 1 year eligible goalie that has higher upside. He has the right size and technical parts to his game to be effective... needs to develop his legs a lot more to be more explosive.
Ranta - In what I felt was a weaker year in the USHL, he was my 2nd rated non-NDTP player. He is a very north and south sort of player and has massive bouts of tunnel vision... but he can shoot the puck and really skate. For a guy his size, his skating is some of the very best in this draft. He will be on a 3/4 year sort of development curve, but I think he has a real solid chance of becoming a 3rd liner that pops in 15+ goals and is a shorthanded threat.
Weiss - My favorite pick in the draft. There is quite a bit of projection here, but I had him in the middle of the second. To me, there is legit top 6 upside here. There is a great skill set to work with here, but he really needs to bulk up. I'd be surprised if he is over 155 right now, and for most of the season he was in the upper 140 range. He just couldn't keep on the weight. If he can bulk up and start putting on weight I think he can be a high impact player. A Skinner-lite sort of player.
Saigeon - Probably my least favorite pick in this draft. Not that I think he is a bad player, I just see very little real upside here. I doubt he ever makes the NHL, but if he doesn't it won't be past a 4th line sort of role. Hard worker, good shot, and good defensive player. Likely steps right into a bottom 6 AHL role and does well. Seems like a pick to shore up the Eagles as much as anything.
Zhuravlyov - Another solid pick to me. The kid has a smooth skating stride (not super fast) and good offensive skills. Superb puck mover at his level. Now he doesn't play the game in a NA style and is a bit of a puck watcher in both zones with significant drift to his game. I'd like to see the kid come over to the AHL in a season or two to start working on adapting his skills to the NA game. To me that will be key to his development.
Kovalenko - Solid risk to take here. There are major doubts on getting him over from Russia for a number of reasons, but Nikolai is very skilled and smart as a player. He wasn't blessed with his father's thick frame, but most people I've talked to think he is still growing. The big risk I see from him is simply getting him over and becoming Gusev 2.0.
Shmakov - There were rumblings that teams had interest in him, but I didn't think anybody would actually pull the trigger. Very athletic... very not technically sound. As a 7th rounder it is decent risk/reward sort of take. I'm not great at goalie scouting in general, so from a technical standpoint, I'm not a great resource... but even I can see that he is all over the place and frequently out of position. His size combined with his athleticism allows him to make to highlight reel saves, but these moments will be exploited as he progresses up the levels. A good mentor will be key for him to settle down. On the positive note, I absolutely love how he just took over the starting spot over an older, more established goalie and didn't look back. He took the crease and it was his unquestionably.
Personally, I think this draft was a step back from last year in what I think was a stronger draft year. Still I think there are some real good prospects in this group and some solid building blocks.
UncleRisto
Not Great, Bob!
Will be calling him Giraffelyov or the Giraffe from now on.well you did more than me cause what little youth hockey I watched was exclusively dedicated to forwards lol
That would be great, especially cause it’s basically just “Giraffe” all Russified & with a “lyov” at the end to make it into a last-name
cgf
FireBednarsSuccessor
EastonBlues22
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