Speculation: 2019 NHL Draft thread

[Cush]

TSN has the Caps selecting Brink

In his chat, Pronman said Brink could fall due to his size and skating issues people saw at the U18s. Also mentioned that Kaliyev could slide as well

When asked about the Caps, he said they need players with skill & that can score

edit: there was also this interesting tidbit

Q: Are the worries about Afanasyev’s skating/pace overrated or a real concern? His profile seems to remind me of Evgeny Svechnikov’s when he was drafted and that hasn’t reaped much of a reward yet for Detroit.

A: I know some teams who have zero time for him. Others have as a late 1st.

 

[Langway]

A really good look at LA's thinking at 5/22:

Absolutely, all three of [Broberg, Heinola & Seider] could easily be gone by the time the Kings select at No. 22. Then what? Let’s start with some players we feel comfortable scratching off of the consideration list. We don’t see LA using the pick to select Ryan Suzuki, Raphael Lavoie, Bobby Brink, Lassi Thompson, Brayden Tracy, Egor Afanasyev… or even Matthew Robertson.

Blake and Yannetti could possibly trade back a few spots here and still get the guy they want. It all depends on what happens in front of them. For now, we’re zeroing in on the following: [Soderstrom, Tomasino, York, Kaliev, Newhook and Krebs].

I'd guess that mainly puts them in play for Heinola or Kaliyev at 22 should they not trade down (or up to get their guy). Good tidbit there on ROR's draft year, too, and their apparent unwillingness to part with the pick they planned to use on Clifford to get him.

 

[Langway]

Mock draft: Hughes No. 1 to Devils, Kakko second pick to Rangers

25. Washington Capitals
Kimelman -- Nicholas Robertson, LW, Peterborough (OHL): The Capitals have done well adding young defensemen the past few seasons and now can turn their focus to forward. Robertson's size (5-9, 162) wasn't an issue for him in the OHL, where was second on Peterborough in goals (27) and points (55). He also was born Sept. 11, 2001, making him one of the youngest draft-eligible players. Scouts like his vision, hockey IQ, and passing ability, and he's also got a big shot for a player his size.
Morreale -- Afanasyev: Afanasyev can play a power-forward game and protect the puck well and has small-area skills that make him effective in the offensive zone.
Lepage -- Samuel Poulin, RW, Sherbrooke (QMJHL): The Capitals love big (6-1, 212), fast, offensive-minded forwards, and Poulin fits that profile perfectly. He had 76 points (29 goals, 47 assists) in 67 games, and was lauded for his professionalism and leadership off the ice. He's the son of former NHL forward Patrick Poulin.

Back to LA at 22, if they go Byram at 5 then presumably they'd go with forwards at 22/33. I wonder if Kaliyev and the rest listed are gone if they'd go Poulin given their usual preferences. Or maybe even Rees, though a trade back might be more favorable for him. McMichael could be another option.

NHL mock draft: Expect a heavy U.S. presence at the start of the first round

25. Washington Capitals: Left wing Egor Afanasyev (Russia), 6-4/201. He had 27 goals and 62 points in 58 games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

I’d love another high-skill Euro at FWD!

 

[Langway]

I’d love another high-skill Euro at FWD!

Doesn't seem like the year for it at 25. McKenzie's list isn't gospel but the closest is Hoglander at 35 and there's some question about his ultimate upside. Afanasyev is next two spots down but he has questions regarding his pace.

I think the toughest call is between Brink & Poulin if both are available and no one of note slides. Do they go with upside but in a player that's at least two seasons away, maybe a top six or nothing guy and one that may never be overly physical? Or the more mature player physically in Poulin that likely has a shorter ETA, plays a heavy game and one that doesn't lack IQ, playmaking or defense? Skating is his biggest issue but that's an area Brink will have to improve upon as well.

The sleeper center for me remains Rees. Since O'Reilly's draft year the only other Canadian U18 center I recall with a similar work ethic was Laughton. He's taken some time to establish himself but may be putting together a pretty decent bottom six career. Rees is similar but with more offensive upside IMO. If the order goes against them I'd be fine with that. He brings all of the tenacity they seem to be targeting on the pro side.

 

[BiPolar Caps]

I’d love another high-skill Euro at FWD!

Gawd NO!
I know the mantra is BPA, but I like some variety to the menu. BMAC please change it up a bit and roll with a NA player for a change.

Last 10 first rounders for the Caps:
'09 MAJO
'10 Kuzy
'11 Didn't pick until the 4th round
'12 Forsberg/Wilson
'13 Burakovsky
'14 Vrana
'15 Samsonov
'16 Lucas Johansen
'17 Didn't pick until the 4th round
'18 Alexeyev

 

[Langway]

2019 NHL Mock Draft: Predicting a turbulent first round - Sportsnet.ca

And finally, there’s a couple of wildcards other than Podkolzin. Where does Hamilton’s Arthur Kaliyev end up? How about Halifax’s Raphael Lavoie? USNTDP’s Spencer Knight throws a goaltender into the mix, so how will his presence impact the top half of the first round?
One final note on this draft. In all my conversations, I haven’t seen such a wide variety of players eligible to go between 22 and 60. Usually, it’s safe to say that between picks 25 and 40 you have a certain degree of variance. That variance is exponentially different for the 2019 draft class. Because of this anomaly, we may see trade-back scenarios present themselves towards the end of the first round...

25. WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Brett Leason, RW, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL): Despite being 20 years old, Leason still has a high ceiling because of a lack of hockey-specific training. There’s more to his game than just point producing. He uses awareness and a good stick to disrupt the breakout, strip pucks in neutral ice and will block shots in the d-zone.

Lack of hockey-specific training eh? What has he been doing?

 

[Cush]

2019 NHL Mock Draft: Predicting a turbulent first round - Sportsnet.ca

Lack of hockey-specific training eh? What has he been doing?

No thanks. That said, odds are it will be someone from the Dub (guessing it will be Tracey).

 

[kicksavedave]

2019 NHL Mock Draft: Predicting a turbulent first round - Sportsnet.ca

Lack of hockey-specific training eh? What has he been doing?

He's been crushing the Pickup Hockey circuits lately.

 

[Sam Spade]

Pronman re-did his mock draft after some of the moves and has the Caps taking Lavoie:

Washington: Raphael Lavoie, RW, Halifax-QMJHL
Lavoie could go earlier than this, but if he gets this far, Washington would likely be happy. Lavoie has appeal as a late 2000 birth date with one year left of junior who could be two years away to help extend the contending window of a team like Washington – or Pittsburgh earlier.

I like Lavoie but I am sort of in love with Hoglander after everything I have read, who he has going to the Canes at 28.

 

[peterthegreat12]

I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Caps go after a guy like Leason. He is close to NHL ready and he may be able to slide into that bottom 6.

 

[Langway]

Lavoie is more NHL-ready than Leason but neither would be contributors next season. If Leason were truly NHL-ready there would be talk of him sneaking into the very late teens to around 20 but there isn't. He's a fringe first rounder and more likely early second rounder I think. It would be neat to see Lavoie get a game or two at the start of the season if he showed well, though (cap space concerns aside). Poulin & Rees are arguably more NHL-ready than Leason...or Suzuki due to his skating...or Kolyachonok because of his IQ. Leason is two years older but he also had massive ground to cover to get to where he's now sort of close to where this draft class is in their first time through. Give them two years and where will they be compared to where Leason is now?

I think Thomson or Tracey make way more sense out of the WHL.

 

[peterthegreat12]

Lavoie is more NHL-ready than Leason but neither would be contributors next season. If Leason were truly NHL-ready there would be talk of him sneaking into the very late teens to around 20 but there isn't. He's a fringe first rounder and more likely early second rounder I think. It would be neat to see Lavoie get a game or two at the start of the season if he showed well, though (cap space concerns aside). Poulin & Rees are arguably more NHL-ready than Leason...or Suzuki due to his skating...or Kolyachonok because of his IQ. Leason is two years older but he also had massive ground to cover to get to where he's now sort of close to where this draft class is in their first time through. Give them two years and where will they be compared to where Leason is now?

I think Thomson or Tracey make way more sense out of the WHL.

We shall see.

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

Heard a lot of good things about Arthur Kaliyev, if he falls to us it's apparently a steal.

 

[third man in]

If they take a LHD I think I may blow a gasket. Just take the best forward on your board and be done with it.

 

[Langway]

Bump Tomasino into the unlikely range, assume Lavoie/Kaliyev don't slide all of the way to them, throw in Heinola & Suzuki since they're the most commonly mentioned to go beforehand. That would leave at least one of Brink or Poulin available if we also assume the top 18 also goes according to plan. Not a bad possibility, though it's no lock Heinola & Suzuki go. It's just more favorable IMO if they do. Thomson or Rees as an actual worst-case fallback wouldn't be terrible but that might become prime trade down territory if they aren't in position to land one of those five forwards (Lavoie, Kaliyev, Tomasino, Brink or Poulin).

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

Anyone find The Hockey News' Draft Preview in NoVa? I get it every year and am late to the game this year. Previously had success at the Barnes and Noble in Potomac Yard, but haven't checked there yet.

 

[blindsideheadshot]

Was posted in the other thread, but BMac was quoted in several tweets as saying that if it comes down to a close decision in the draft, they'll err towards a forward. Thank god for a GM with a good head on his shoulders.

 

[Hivemind]

Was posted in the other thread, but BMac was quoted in several tweets as saying that if it comes down to a close decision in the draft, they'll err towards a forward. Thank god for a GM with a good head on his shoulders.

He's also the same GM who hasn't spend a first round pick on a forward since 2014, so I'm not sure if the "draft by need" crowd should really be giving him credit for that statement.

 

[Langway]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...nch-trade-speculation/?utm_term=.8e5e3ff462da

“I think it’ll factor into our decisions unless we see a defenseman that’s clearly above a forward that we like," MacLellan said. "If the decision is close, I think we’re going to go with the forward. ... Overall I think it’s a pretty deep draft. A lot of guys are going to play, and there’s quite a few defensemen in the middle to late first round that guys like. There’s also a group of forwards that our guys like a lot, and we’re going to balance that decision between the two.”

I mainly I take it to mean they wouldn't pass on Broberg, Seider, Soderstrom, Harley or York if they're available and no forward drops but that seems unlikely. It's possible they could have Thomson ranked pretty high and favor him over Poulin or something but it's hard to say anyone beyond that mid-first D group would be clearly above the best forward left.

 

[Langway]

An interesting take on Kaliyev from HockeyProspect's Mark Edwards from Monday:

Not many scouts I spoke to were overly big fans. Bob seemed to talk to some of them.

A scout I spoke to within the past few days has been doing his digging around and thinks he might slip out of the 1st round. I think he'll hang on, but plenty of talk out there.

I actually heard a lot of good stuff from scouts doing their digging, if some of he stuff i heard happens they will surprise a lot of people.

Kaliyev also seems like somewhat of an awkward interview so we'll see. He's not in their final top 31. Dorofeyev is interestingly enough. Lavoie is at 25 after Johnson, Kolyachonok and Hoglander.

 

[Cush]

Tryamkin's Final 2019 Draft Rankings Guide

 

[Vilica]

Mac with a 1 on 1 with Vogel prior to draft. Not much new info beyond the stuff from the conference call today, but he says they like 4-5 guys, think 1-2 get to them, might move up if a guy falls to a point, but most likely staying put.

 

[Langway]

Hey, maybe we've got the same board (from post #141)...

 

[kicksavedave]

They are drafting a goalie, I just know it!