2019 Entry Draft Thread: Part IV

[NotProkofievian]

I like Legare more right now. He has less offensive tools than Beaucage but he has a great engine (hard worker), type of guy you can put on the 1st line to the dirty work down low and he also has the talent to play with high end players. If he's available in the 2nd you can bet your house that MB/TT are picking him, he's an MB type player. Legare will probably go in the 1st tho, his style of play is appealing to NHL teams.

Beaucage has good hockey sense, good hands and a very good shot but he needs to work on his explosiveness. I really like both guys tho, if Beaucage worked on his explosiveness he'd be a 1st rounder. Beaucage seems to be the late bloomer type tho, he just keeps getting better. I love seeing prospects constantly improving and adding to their game, it's the guys who plateau that you have to worry about (regardless of how good they look in juniors).

Having talent is 1 thing but i think a lot of people disregard good work ethic and character when picking prospects (but to be fair that's harder info for us to find, we don't get to interview these kids like NHL teams do). Regardless of how much talent you have in juniors these kids need to have the drive to work and refine their game in order to go the next level.

Explosiveness as in his skating or just general approach to the game?

I've only seen these two in highlights but these guys can really shoot the puck. From a quick glance, Légaré looked like a post draft Bellerive.

 

[philipsson]

McMichael is a big center, that skates well, has a head for the game and that can beat goalies from the outside, he wont be there.

Kaliyev may drop and at 20-25 thats awesome value, he does everything Robertson does but better, even float.
Robertson would be next in there and I'm hoping we snag him in the first if were picking in that range.
Suzuki will not be good value unless its in the second or 25+, at least, to me.

The only way Kaliyev doesnt at least translate to a PP specialist a la JVR/Galchenyuk is if he decides to pursue a career in badminton instead.

Edit: Don't know if you meant Matthew or Nich, answered for Nic, if its Matthew, bump him at #1B with McMike and he's not goign to be available in the 20s.

Yeah, meant Matthew, who would be a great pick imo. So it's McMichael/Robertson/Kaliyev and Suzuki out of the equation. Both McM and M.Robertson not expected to last.

 

[Mrb1p]

Yeah, meant Matthew, who would be a great pick imo. So it's McMichael/Robertson/Kaliyev and Suzuki out of the equation. Both McM and M.Robertson not expected to last.

I expect McMichael to go 6-12 range and Robertson 10-16 range.

 

[TT1]

Explosiveness as in his skating or just general approach to the game?

I've only seen these two in highlights but these guys can really shoot the puck. From a quick glance, Légaré looked like a post draft Bellerive.

skating, first few steps

 

[Runner77]

Mike Winther.

He came in first in the bench press ...

I was going to mention how Winther is coming but you guys beat me to it.

 

[Mrb1p]

I was going to mention how Winther is coming but you beat me to it.

Calm down there Ned

 

[Runner77]

Calm down there Ned

 

[Goldenhands]

McMichael is a big center

What? He is listed at 6"0 183 lbs and certainly doesnt play big from the game I saw... I thought he was particulary not strong enough on the puck and his game away from the puck seemed to needs work...

 

[Mrb1p]

What? He is listed at 6"0 183 lbs and certainly doesnt play big from the game I saw... I thought he was particulary not strong enough on the puck and his game away from the puck seemed to needs work...

You probably watched the wrong player.

I consider anything over 6 big, he seems to be stocky on the ice, too.

But yes hes going to need work away from the puck and to get stronger. Reminds me of Poehling with better shooting.

 

[G0bias]

McMichael's not the biggest kid but he doesn't mind getting his nose dirty. Like pretty much every 18 yr old though, he'll need to get stronger.

 

[Goldenhands]

You probably watched the wrong player.

I consider anything over 6 big, he seems to be stocky on the ice, too.

But yes hes going to need work away from the puck and to get stronger. Reminds me of Poehling with better shooting.

Are there 2 McMichael on the same London team? Of course no, I did watch the right kid and despite scoring 2 goals in the game, was mostly invisible, not involved enough and losing some puck battles too easily, that kid surely is not big and doesnt play big while speed is fine, slightly above average no more, light years away from Poehling as far as speed and strenght are concerned...

As for Robertson, dont have a clue why you are so high on this kid while so down on Miller, Miller can skate and defend as well as Robertson while being much more compact physically at the same age, Robertson's offensive tools are also pretty raw, the same way Miller was last year...

As of now, I have a gut feeling that the Habs are going to draft Brett Leason if available at our spot, dont care if he is an overager, he reminds me alot of Marc Stone, huge kid that skates decent enough while being highly touted and playing an heavy game all over the ice, he also has great shot and great scoring touch, good positionning, goes in traffic, gets his nose dirty, can make plays in tight, uses his size very well to protect the puck, high hockey IQ and the list goes on...
Skating being the only question mark with this kid, right now thats decent enough, remains to be seen how much his skating can improve in the Pros... All that being said, Im sold on that kid, he is almost producing at a 2 ppg pace while being + 47 at even strength, thats crazy stats...

Habs have some skilled fowards on the team and in the system, but no winger in the mold of Leason with his mix of size, power and skills... Huge Armia fan but doesnt have the toolbox of a kid like Leason...

 

[Mrb1p]

Are there 2 McMichael on the same London team? Of course no, I did watch the right kid and despite scoring 2 goals in the game, was mostly invisible, not involved enough and losing some puck battles too easily, that kid surely is not big and doesnt play big while speed is fine, slightly above average no more, light years away from Poehling as far as speed and strenght are concerned...

As for Robertson, dont have a clue why you are so high on this kid while so down on Miller, Miller can skate and defend as well as Robertson while being much more compact physically at the same age, Robertson's offensive tools are also pretty raw, the same way Miller was last year...

As of now, I have a gut feeling that the Habs are going to draft Brett Leason if available at our spot, dont care if he is an overager, he reminds me alot of Marc Stone, huge kid that skates decent enough while being highly touted and playing an heavy game all over the ice, he also has great shot and great scoring touch, good positionning, goes in traffic, gets his nose dirty, can make plays in tight, uses his size very well to protect the puck, high hockey IQ and the list goes on...
Skating being the only question mark with this kid, right now thats decent enough, remains to be seen how much his skating can improve in the Pros... All that being said, Im sold on that kid, he is almost producing at a 2 ppg pace while being + 47 at even strength, thats crazy stats...

Habs have some skilled fowards on the team and in the system, but no winger in the mold of Leason with his mix of size, power and skills... Huge Armia fan but doesnt have the toolbox of a kid like Leason...

Thats really weird, not how Id describe McMichael at all. Maybe he had a really bad game.

As for Robertson, hes a much higher IQ player, number one D of his team at 17 and all... Still waiting for Matthews to score 100 points btw

 

[Goldenhands]

Thats really weird, not how Id describe McMichael at all. Maybe he had a really bad game.

As for Robertson, hes a much higher IQ player, number one D of his team at 17 and all... Still waiting for Matthews to score 100 points btw

I watched Robertson last week end against Calgary and he was not even used on the first PP unit, was used on the second pairing and didnt play a whole alot, Im not sure he was the third most used defenseman... Dont believe me? watch that game...

Kandré has a very good hockey IQ, had one of the best avanced stats among all defensemen in his draft year to prove it...

As for Matthews, he isnt the same player since his last shoulder injury, his shot isnt as deadly as it was before, anyway, I said pretty clearly that injury aside, he would reach 100 pts easily and if he doesnt accomplish that this year, it will probably happen the next...

 

[Runner77]

Wondering what how highly some of you may rank Thomas Harley and whether he might be a Habs's target:

Watched him for the first time last night and was very impressed.

Big kid who can really skate, has great edgework, good passer and is extremely offensive minded.

Looked like someone prone to some mistakes due to his aggressiveness and trying to make things happen but his overall skillset is very exciting.

I would definitely have no problem with some team taking him mid first round.

I'm thinking LD Thomas Harley who has the potential to be a Chabot. He is ranked 20-30 in most rankings. I like Broberg too.

I wonder if we are going to end up being in the McMichael range. I would also seriously consider trading both our 2nd for Harley.

Harley has good numbers and size

Serious question: When is the last time we had multiple first round picks in the same draft??

It feels like years and years, or more precisely, decades and decades since we came away from the draft with 2 first rounders.

Poehling+Suzuki doesnt count.

If we can acquire another first, I would target Harley. He 's doing great this season

https://thehockeywriters.com/nhl-prospect-thomas-harley/

Sportsnet had him at no. 24 in its December rankings: Sportsnet’s 2019 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings: December - Sportsnet.ca

24. Thomas Harley, D, Mississauga Steelheads (OHL), 6-foot-3, 188 pounds: A riverboat gambler who must continue to work on play in his own end. There’s a Thomas Chabot waiting to come out.

Ranked 22nd in Bob McKenzie's recent list: https://www.tsn.ca/it-s-still-the-jack-hughes-draft-1.1246625

Ranked 16th by Craig Button on Jan. 7th: https://www.tsn.ca/craig-s-list-hughes-stays-ahead-of-kakko-after-wjc-1.1237496

 

[sandviper]

Wondering what how highly some of you may rank Thomas Harley and whether he might be a Habs's target:

https://thehockeywriters.com/nhl-prospect-thomas-harley/

Sportsnet had him at no. 24 in its December rankings: Sportsnet’s 2019 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings: December - Sportsnet.ca

24. Thomas Harley, D, Mississauga Steelheads (OHL), 6-foot-3, 188 pounds: A riverboat gambler who must continue to work on play in his own end. There’s a Thomas Chabot waiting to come out.

Ranked 22nd in Bob McKenzie's recent list: https://www.tsn.ca/it-s-still-the-jack-hughes-draft-1.1246625

Ranked 16th by Craig Button on Jan. 7th: https://www.tsn.ca/craig-s-list-hughes-stays-ahead-of-kakko-after-wjc-1.1237496

I have family in the area and with my cousin and his friends, we checked 2 games out this year. I didn’t notice him the first time, but looked for him the second and did think he looked good. Great skater and very good mobility. For a big (tall, but not a hulk) kid though, he needs to get stronger as he didn’t seem to dominate board battles (but he didn’t get owned either).

I know scouts mentioned his offensive upside and I’ll have to take their word for it because I didn’t see it. I suppose with that skating ability, it’ll come but he was pointless in the two games I watched.

FWIW, my cousin loves him and thinks he is going to be great. He’s a Leafs fan and was kinda bummed out when they gave up their first as he was hoping for Harley. His friends seemed high on him also. All three of them watched a lot more Steelhead games than I.

I haven’t paid much attention outside the top-20 but I guess I should since it looks like the Habs aren’t going to be a lottery team. Would he be a good pick for us? He’s a lefty which we need, big and can skate. I don’t have much of an opinion yet, but I can see him going in the early to mid-20s.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

I'd be on team Robertson if we end up going for a LD but McKenzie has him 16th now and he'll probably not make it to us. I'm actually higher on Heinola than I am on Harley right now but it's all about development curves, Harley has a better potential tool box if he can manage to reach his ultimate potential.

 

[Scintillating10]

Going by Bob Mckenzie's mid-season rankings. Who would be good fit here and still on the board around 20th? McKenzie has Caufield at 18? The diminitive sniper from USD. Habs need goal scoring. Harley at 22 be good fit here? We need D and he is offensively mobile. Newhook at 20? The scoring center from BCJH. Leason at 25? A late bloomer but size and offense. It often takes tall guys longer to mature and he is having tremendous season. He could be here the quickest.

Robertson he has at 16 now, doubt will be available when we draft. Turcotte also has moved up. He won't be there when we draft.

Vlasic I would avoid. Game is evolving away from this type of player. We need offense from our D, he's another Tinordi. Knight also avoid, can find good netminding late in draft, Primeau be an example.

 

[NotProkofievian]

Going by Bob Mckenzie's mid-season rankings. Who would be good fit here and still on the board around 20th? McKenzie has Caufield at 18? The diminitive sniper from USD. Habs need goal scoring. Harley at 22 be good fit here? We need D and he is offensively mobile. Newhook at 20? The scoring center from BCJH. Leason at 25? A late bloomer but size and offense. It often takes tall guys longer to mature and he is having tremendous season. He could be here the quickest.

Robertson he has at 16 now, doubt will be available when we draft. Turcotte also has moved up. He won't be there when we draft.

Vlasic I would avoid. Game is evolving away from this type of player. We need offense from our D, he's another Tinordi. Knight also avoid, can find good netminding late in draft, Primeau be an example.

I don't have any definite targets yet in that range. It was maybe one week before the draft last year that my list became solid into the late first and early 2nd round.

 

[Garp]

As of now, I have a gut feeling that the Habs are going to draft Brett Leason if available at our spot, dont care if he is an overager, he reminds me alot of Marc Stone, huge kid that skates decent enough while being highly touted and playing an heavy game all over the ice, he also has great shot and great scoring touch, good positionning, goes in traffic, gets his nose dirty, can make plays in tight, uses his size very well to protect the puck, high hockey IQ and the list goes on...
Skating being the only question mark with this kid, right now thats decent enough, remains to be seen how much his skating can improve in the Pros... All that being said, Im sold on that kid, he is almost producing at a 2 ppg pace while being + 47 at even strength, thats crazy stats...

Habs have some skilled fowards on the team and in the system, but no winger in the mold of Leason with his mix of size, power and skills... Huge Armia fan but doesnt have the toolbox of a kid like Leason...

I'm with you on Leason. I know he's not a popular pick because he's a double overager and a winger. Every time I see him play he reminds me of Blake Wheeler. He's big, fast enough (that's what improved the most and probably explain the production) and has a good IQ.

For the double overage argument, if you told me we drafted Leason 2 years ago in the last third of the first round, we would all be raving about that pick. I have other favorites for the first round (Krebs, M. Robertson, Newhook, Turcotte), but I think they'll be gone.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

The thing that's really intriguing with Harley is that he's very much a puppy with big paws right now, not quite in control of all his tools and all. You can see he's got a lot of room to grow and his ceiling could end up being pretty high. Slick skating, perfect dman size, likes to play with the puck,etc. Yeah, I can live with him having to learn to play his position better if he ends up being a Chabot type down the line.

 

[Habs76]

I've got to see more of Harley. Don't have an unlimited supply of Mississauga Steelheads streams, so I was only able to see him at the Top Prospects Game but I got some Beaulieu vibes. Great skater, somewhat lanky, and good vision in the offensive zone but a really awkward shot. Don't recall if he took any slapshots, but he used his wrister a few times and missed the net by quite a few feet each time. Not a whole lot of umph behind it either. Didn't see enough to get a read on his defensive game and positional play though, not sure if it's comparable to Beaulieu.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

I've got to see more of Harley. Don't have an unlimited supply of Mississauga Steelheads streams, so I was only able to see him at the Top Prospects Game but I got some Beaulieu vibes. Great skater, somewhat lanky, and good vision in the offensive zone but a really awkward shot. Don't recall if he took any slapshots, but he used his wrister a few times and missed the net by quite a few feet each time. Not a whole lot of umph behind it either. Didn't see enough to get a read on his defensive game and positional play though, not sure if it's comparable to Beaulieu.

He's really not much of a shooter, despite having 10 goals already this year. It's a part of his game he'll have to work on for sure. Big guys can generally develop a decent slapper with the proper technique so there's some hope I guess.

 

[NotProkofievian]

The thing that's really intriguing with Harley is that he's very much a puppy with big paws right now, not quite in control of all his tools and all. You can see he's got a lot of room to grow and his ceiling could end up being pretty high. Slick skating, perfect dman size, likes to play with the puck,etc. Yeah, I can live with him having to learn to play his position better if he ends up being a Chabot type down the line.

Yeah. You just need to come to a verdict as to whether that's going to happen or not before the draft. Like with K'Andre, you had to decide whether his occasional lol worthy games were actually a product of him recently switching to the position, or if he just didn't get it. If you guessed the former, you appear to have been correct.

So, how would we decide in Harley's case?

 

[Mrb1p]

Yeah. You just need to come to a verdict as to whether that's going to happen or not before the draft. Like with K'Andre, you had to decide whether his occasional lol worthy games were actually a product of him recently switching to the position, or if he just didn't get it. If you guessed the former, you appear to have been correct.

So, how would we decide in Harley's case?

With all the Ds that looked terrible with the US program that are now looking nice, Id say the coach theory was probably right.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

Yeah. You just need to come to a verdict as to whether that's going to happen or not before the draft. Like with K'Andre, you had to decide whether his occasional lol worthy games were actually a product of him recently switching to the position, or if he just didn't get it. If you guessed the former, you appear to have been correct.

So, how would we decide in Harley's case?

He took a big enough step from his rookie year to this year that I feel optimistic he'll continue to get better next year. As I said earlier, he's not necessarily my first choice right now but I'd be happy having him . He's no Sean Day for example, where you could tell he hit a development wall pretty quickly and never got past it. I like drafting players that have some upward momentum and room to grow, Harley does have that.