Inject this into my veins STI, I NEED it. The second round seems to be loaded with two types of forwards, power wingers and small relentless speedsters, I would hate to miss out on either type because we need to address the defensive pipeline. Being able to get both would be awesome, hitting on both would actually just make the rebuild finished.
Prospect Info: 2019 Devils-Centric Final Mock Draft, 70 Picks
- Thread starter StevenToddIves
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TYPICAL DRAFT ANALYST... SO GREEDY FOR DRAFT PICKS
Honestly, I'd rather pick up Callahan's contract and their 27th. He only has 1 year left. We start getting into cap crunch after the upcoming year with Hall, Hischier, and possibly Vatanen re-signings, and I'd want to save our space for a game changing LD or RW upgrade.
TYPICAL DRAFT ANALYST... SO GREEDY FOR DRAFT PICKS
Honestly, I'd rather pick up Callahan's contract and their 27th. He only has 1 year left. We start getting into cap crunch after the upcoming year with Hall, Hischier, and possibly Vatanen re-signings, and I'd want to save our space for a game changing LD or RW upgrade.
Or... the Devils could circumvent my "draft pick greed" (ha) and flip the #27 or #30 pick along with Vatanen and a prospect for PK Subban.
I've been spending a lot of time lately watching film on three undersized LWs with big-time upside and comparable skill-sets in Nils Hoglander, Nick Robertson and Jakob Pelletier. They all fall into the pocket of what Ray Shero and Paul Castron seem to covet, and at least two of the three should still be available with the #34 pick. It's going to be an interesting draft...
Do you go there with pick 34 with Bratt and Boquist already in the organization? Heck even Talvite to some extent fills a bit of that role. Do you see those three as clear BPA in that slot? Isn’t it just as likely a legit dman with upside falls to that spot?
Yes, but I believe in a draft as deep as 2019 you simply must take the best available player at #34. If Matthew Robertson or Thomson or Bjornfot or Kolyachonok or Korczak are available, the Devils' scouting team might believe the BOP is also a defenseman. But what if the scouting staff thinks the BOP at #34 is Jamieson Rees or Nick Robertson or Bobby Brink? I would not be opposed to grabbing a high-upside F at #34, so long as Mr. Shero addressed the needs on the blueline with multiple picks at #55, #60, #70, #80, #96. There are several players I have been keying on who could be available in those positions, such as McCarthy, Lee, Moberg, Helleson, Ahac, Bolduc, etc.
Yes I have that feeling too, that one of, if not a couple, of those wingers will fall to us at 34. Just judging by how Ray and Castron have drafted in the past it seems they would jump on one of those guys, even though small, skilled left wings are probably the last thing we need.
I share your belief that we really need big, long defensemen in our pipeline. It seem like there are quite a few of these types available this year though, and probably in the late second through 4th rounds, that I think could be quality Nhl'ers. This way if a super skilled Kid Like Nick Robertson is sitting there and all the higher tier defensemen are gone, we can take him, and pick up couple or even a few defensive D later with our glut of picks. Alot of these guys are undervalued due to their lack of offensive upside, which I believe works in our favor. For instance I think your first born son, Case Mccarthy, might just be available all the way into the 3rd.
Heres how Im hoping it can work out for us with defensemen, my opinions of course:
#34 - one of Bjornfot or M.Robertson are still available, thats an easy choice for me. If not, take one of the skilled forwards.
#55,61 range - If Vlasic is still around Id consider him here, And I think Korczack would still be available here, Mcarthy ,Thrun, Kolyachonok, would be nice here. Allthough again redundant re our pipeline, If a Ryan Johnson type was still here I think you have to snatch him up.
#70,80 range - I think you still might be able to get McCarthy this late. as well as one of my personal favorites in Henry Thrun. I also really Like Mike Vukojevic here, as I think hes similar to Korczack but may have more Offensive upside. Tuomisto and Helleson might still be here as well
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I also think the Russian d man Misyul would be a great pick up late 2nd or early 3rd round.
Good point, I havent watched any film on Misyul yet, but reading up on him, a 6'3 Dman with above average skating and a nasty edge to his game whilst having a decent amount of offensve ability sounds like exactly the ticket in that range. Intriguing. Ill see if I can find more on him
That's really funny.
I think you're half-right, which is to say McCarthy & I are not related, to my knowledge. But I have been a bartender for a very long time, so sometimes you learn about these things after the fact.
Seriously though, this was a great post. Certainly an excellent analysis and draft strategy for the blueline.
I think we all have our illegitimate hockey sons out there lol. usually value picks who we get attached to for some reason or other. My two this year are Henry Thrun and Graeme Clarke.
But thanks for the compliments! Ive been trying to do my research for the middle rounds this year since, well, our first is an absolute lock. Prospect shifts.com is awesome for anyone interested in draft elegibles, and totally worth the meager $5. Ive also been a McKeens subscriber for a couple years now too. The best thing I did was record most of the U-18's on my DVR. thats been fun to rewatch from a scouting perspective.
Watched some of Misyul last night. Liked what I saw . Tall lanky Dman with some good puck rushing ability and pretty good skating/skills. Pretty aggressive player and he even dropped the gloves with a much older KHL player to defend his crease. He reminded me a bit of Thomas Harley, just without the near elite skating and top speed. but played with that similar aggressive attitude. Has a bit to learn in his own end, but who dosent at 17. I think hed be a very worthy pick in rounds 2-3
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Maybe if I just keep on posting in this thread, I can draw some attention away from the debacle going on in the team thread regarding trouba and whatnot. Can we can get back on the track of the draft? I was looking at Bobs list, and noticed a kid I havent heard much about in the second round. Shattuck defenseman Jackson Lacombe. looks to have projectable size at almost 6'2 190. comes off as the offensive type. @StevenToddIves , you have any info?
Agreed with avoiding all the doomsday talk -- the Devils are about to get Jack Hughes and have 6 more picks in the top 100 of a deep draft. This is a time for celebration if you're a Devils fan, in my book.
Jackson LaCombe is an extremely intriguing prospect. He's about the size you mentioned (6'2-190) and a plus skater. He's extremely adept at carrying the puck and reliable in his own zone. I think LaCombe has the athleticism to improve his shot, which is barely above average, and he could stand to play with a little more snarl considering his strength -- he is certainly a raw prospect. But he's going to have several seasons at the University of Minnesota to grow into his game, and his athleticism and projectable size and ability certainly make him an intriguing prospect.
I would not take a chance on LaCombe in the first three rounds, but he is certainly worth considering once you get closer to the #100 pick. I'd say his upside is as a 40+ point, reliable, two-way mid-pairing defenseman. But it is also worth noting again that his size and athleticism are uncommon, especially when combined with his outstanding skating ability -- there may be more upside here that can develop at the NCAA level which was indiscernible at the USHS level.
Jackson LaCombe is certainly one of the top 3 USHS (not to be confused with USHL) defensemen available in the 2019 draft. Mike Koster and Jayden Struble would also have to be in that mix, and are also prospects worth monitoring from the 4th round on.
Mueller is a defender with plus size and skating. That said he is roundly criticized for parts of his game. What holds a guy like Mueller back and does a guy like LaCombe have some of the missing ingredients that Mueller lacks? I had expected Mueller to be a solid mid pairing guy this season. At least defensively. I thought he’d be a stabilizing partner for Sevs and grow as a player. Based on his usage the team isn’t seeing that and I’m curious why guys like Mueller and Santini haven’t worked out yet when it is time to draft the next version of a similarly projected defender. Thanks, I’ll hang up and listen.
Mueller's breakout/first pass is what holds him back in my eyes. If he could be a bit calmer with the puck and make more nice outlet passes, he'd be a pretty good shutdown guy. Maybe that comes with more experience, or maybe he'll never figure it out. I dunno. I just know I'm higher on him than most.
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Although it's like saying this one creampuff has a rougher texture than the others, Mueller at least shows a little snarl here and there, which is something we seriously lack in our own end. Size too in front of the net obviously, but yeah, we need some of both in the next couple years.
I will say that at times I question Mueller's compete level and hockey IQ. This is to say that what makes Mueller top out as a third-pairing D despite incredible tools of size/strength/skating is that his mental game is well below his physical game.
To me, the best thing that can happen to Mueller is Ty Smith. As of now, the Devils top 6 D going into next year would have to be:
Butcher-Vatanen
Greene-Severson
Smith-Santini
For those who hate Santini, it must be mentioned that his defense-first, physical game makes him a solid pairing with Smith, moreso than Mueller or Carrick. Also, Santini's improved last 20 games of the 2018-19 season were superior to anything Mueller or Carrick have shown over such a large sample size.
Perhaps riding the pine for the opening 10 games of the season will light a fire under Mueller. It is also possible that Mueller is packaged in a trade to acquire a superior LD, though if the Devils were to get a true top-4 LD via trade like Darnell Nurse or Torrey Krug the ask would likely start with Will Butcher.
It's also possible that the Devils sign a low-cost, high-value UFA LD like Carl Gunnarsson or Ben Chiarot, either of whom would be an upgrade for the NJ blueline and render Mueller expendable in a trade.
Agreed on both counts re Meuller. Imo, he lacks confidece and concise decision making once the puck gets on his stick. But I like the way he plays without the puck most of the time. With his physical abilities I think he should skate the puck out of trouble much more often than he does. I also think we should not forget the coaching staff did not do a good job defensively last year. That hybrid man-man scheme was really abused all season long. I think that may have made everyone look a bit worse than they actually are. They need to step it up and get guys on the same page much better this year, regardless of who laces them up.
Back to the draft, I found one game of Lacombe and As usual you are right on in your assesment STI. I too would reserve a pick on him until later rounds despite the really nice package of skating, skills and potential. My gripe with what I saw was defensively. Not that he was straight bad, he made few nice breakups with his stick, but it was an intensity/attitude thing that kind of turned me off. He really seemed to just want to play on the offensive side of the red line and didn't seem to want to engage physically or do the dirty work to get the puck back when it was in his zone.It was reflected in the fact that he was on for multiple goals against. Could be just because because hes a high school kid , and im looking to far into it, but it kind of raised some concern for me.
The lastest big physical defenseman Im interested in for our pipeline is Ronnie Attard. I cant find a game on him yet but I saw him in some other shift by shifts and liked what I saw. According to Mckeens - Big body, above average skater, with a big shot. Likes to play hard and mush guys out on the wall and can be real tough on forwards. Yes please! perhaps rounds 3-4?
Back to the draft, I found one game of Lacombe and As usual you are right on in your assesment STI. I too would reserve a pick on him until later rounds despite the really nice package of skating, skills and potential. My gripe with what I saw was defensively. Not that he was straight bad, he made few nice breakups with his stick, but it was an intensity/attitude thing that kind of turned me off. He really seemed to just want to play on the offensive side of the red line and didn't seem to want to engage physically or do the dirty work to get the puck back when it was in his zone.It was reflected in the fact that he was on for multiple goals against. Could be just because because hes a high school kid , and im looking to far into it, but it kind of raised some concern for me.
The lastest big physical defenseman Im interested in for our pipeline is Ronnie Attard. I cant find a game on him yet but I saw him in some other shift by shifts and liked what I saw. According to Mckeens - Big body, above average skater, with a big shot. Likes to play hard and mush guys out on the wall and can be real tough on forwards. Yes please! perhaps rounds 3-4?
Here's the link to my write-up on Attard: Prospect Info: - STI Top 62 Draft Rankings: May 2019
I like Attard a lot, but I would not take him in the first two rounds, simply because I'm naturally wary of an overage player who dominated smaller and younger competition. In the third round I would consider Attard, but I would certainly target him at #96 overall (4th round) or later, where he would represent a value pick. You'd need to sign Attard right away and get him some minutes in the AHL. This is a big jump from the USHL, and I think next year we will really get a better read on what kind of player Ronnie Attard is capable of becoming.
Nice write up! so a double overager, thats why I didnt see a game on prospect shifts lol. I certainly love that tool set though and I think Attard is the kind of picks were going to have to make in order to get those big physical dfensmen were looking for here.
As much as I would LOVE M.Robertson and Bjornfot at #34 its looking more and more like they may go in the 20's.
After those two, I feel like there is a drop off in the defensemen (depending on how you feel about Ryan Johnson and Kolyachonok) so My guess is the BPA at #34 is likely a forward like Hoglander or N. Robertson, Rees etc. etc. Like discussed the other day.
So my strategy would be to wait until #55,61 and see if theres a Korczak or Vlasic still there or whomever (Thrun, Helleson?). Plus there are lots of similar types that should be there even later Like Attard, Vjukoevic, Mccarthy, Tuomisto, Bolduc
Love this time of year, time to start looking at some forwards not named hughes...
As much as I would LOVE M.Robertson and Bjornfot at #34 its looking more and more like they may go in the 20's.
After those two, I feel like there is a drop off in the defensemen (depending on how you feel about Ryan Johnson and Kolyachonok) so My guess is the BPA at #34 is likely a forward like Hoglander or N. Robertson, Rees etc. etc. Like discussed the other day.
So my strategy would be to wait until #55,61 and see if theres a Korczak or Vlasic still there or whomever (Thrun, Helleson?). Plus there are lots of similar types that should be there even later Like Attard, Vjukoevic, Mccarthy, Tuomisto, Bolduc
Love this time of year, time to start looking at some forwards not named hughes...
Nice write up! so a double overager, thats why I didnt see a game on prospect shifts lol. I certainly love that tool set though and I think Attard is the kind of picks were going to have to make in order to get those big physical dfensmen were looking for here.
As much as I would LOVE M.Robertson and Bjornfot at #34 its looking more and more like they may go in the 20's.
After those two, I feel like there is a drop off in the defensemen (depending on how you feel about Ryan Johnson and Kolyachonok) so My guess is the BPA at #34 is likely a forward like Hoglander or N. Robertson, Rees etc. etc. Like discussed the other day.
So my strategy would be to wait until #55,61 and see if theres a Korczak or Vlasic still there or whomever (Thrun, Helleson?). Plus there are lots of similar types that should be there even later Like Attard, Vjukoevic, Mccarthy, Tuomisto, Bolduc
Love this time of year, time to start looking at some forwards not named hughes...
Here's some draft capsules on the players you highlighted:
Ryan Johnson: I would wait on him. He has big-time upside and jets in his skates, but the Devils are not exactly starving for all-offense LD. I think he can go anywhere in the #30-#60 range, since he's a bit of a project.
Vyacheslav Kolyachonok: He really raised his stock at the U18 tourney for Belarus. He often got caught trying to do too much for a woeful Flint Firebirds squad during the season, but playing with a stronger supporting cast he showed terrific defensive maturity and his high-end skating/size (6'1-185) combo really shone through. His puck skills and shot may not be as high-end as a future top-pairing D would warrant, but he's a solid bet to be a minute munching mid-pair kind of player who can be relied on in all situations.
Alex Vlasic: I'm not as high on him as most. He's a big kid who skates well and occasionally shows flashes of offensive upside, but he also gets beaten one-on-one and in his own zone with far greater frequency than you would hope for a 6'6 defensive-minded rearguard. I'd go so far as to say he was the 7th best D on the US-NTDP this past season behind my top 6 of (in order) York, Helleson, McCarthy, Warren, Thrun & Fensore. His size will likely see him taken in the first 35 picks, and I would not risk it there in the finger-crossing hope that he will turn out to be Tyler Myers with more physicality. That being said, his size and athleticism gives him the hope of proving me wrong -- there is certainly upside here.
Kaeden Korczak: Love this kid, and there's no way he's still on the draft board at #55. If the Devils want him, they'll have to nab him at #34 --big, physical, mobile RD with shut-down capability and underrated offensive skill do not grow on trees and are extremely coveted by several NHL organizations. He'd be an absolutely perfect pairing with Ty Smith for the foreseeable future.
Henry Thrun: Smart and quietly effective two-way LD, but so quiet he will likely be available well into the third-round. Not a #34 pick, but a smart and safe pick thereafter.
Drew Helleson: combines size (6'3-200), strength and high-level smarts with and without the puck. More physical and better shooter than Thrun, though slightly less quick on his skates. Has the upside of a future, mid-pairing shut down RD, and in that sense would also make a great future pairing with Ty Smith. Very difficult to beat one-on-one. Helleson might be a bit of a reach at #34 due to lack of offensive upside -- he plays a simple, smart game and plays it extremely well. I'd say he's likely to go in the 45-75 range, and the Devils have three picks there which would all be well-used on him.
In sum, the Devils should not use #34 on Thrun or Helleson, simply because they are more likely to be found later in the draft. Vlasic and Johnson I would say are to be avoided there too -- Johnson has great upside but the Devils organization does not lack for his type of player, while Vlasic has some red flags which obscure a vague at best talent ceiling. Korczak and Kolyachonok, in my mind, would both be very good picks at #34 and, as such, both are extremely unlikely to be available when the Devils pick again at #55.
For some reason, I love Thruns game. Hes so smart and hes a fanastic breakout passer. He stood out to me a ton at the U-18s, not with anything flashy, just his passing. I think I could count on 1 hand how many passes he didnt connect on. Hes got good size, not overly physical but takes the body, is sturdy in front of the net, defends the blueline well and plain and simple the puck just dosent stay in his end very long when hes out there. I just think hes a real solid bet to be a steady middle pairing defenseman who can play good minutes, kill penalties and quickly transition the puck up to our talented forwards. Id totally grab him with #70 or 80.
Thrun is also a Harvard commit, so he will play with Reilly Walsh, which I would imagine would make our scouts happy if we did select him
Thrun is certainly a strong possibility to the Devils from the #55-#80 range. So are US-NTDP D Drew Helleson and Marshall Warren.
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