Prospect Info: 2019 NHL Entry Draft Part IV

[Scooooooooooooot]

Someone please give me some reassurance that we're taking Hughes haha

I think it's just my anxiety, but I feel like we're gonna pick Kakko. He's gonna be a great player, but I'd much rather have Hughes.

Bob Mckenize said its 99.9% we take hughes

 

[New Jersey]

shero? coy? unpossible!

 

[StevenToddIves]

Bob Mckenize said its 99.9% we take hughes

I would put that at about 10% higher.

 

[Cheddabombs]

I would put that at about 10% higher.

 

[Merrills Marauders]

Someone please give me some reassurance that we're taking Hughes haha

I think it's just my anxiety, but I feel like we're gonna pick Kakko. He's gonna be a great player, but I'd much rather have Hughes.

Fanduel finally posted their lines for the draft. They settled on an absurd -3400, which implies a 97% chance.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Don't mind me as I inject these scouts' quotes on Hughes directly into my veins.

"Elite skating. Elite edges. Elite puck skills. Vision, creativity, and the spatial awareness to embarrass the opposition on a nightly basis. He’s at his very best with the puck on his stick and surrounded by intelligent mates"

"A brilliant playmaker with elite skating ability and hockey sense, Hughes makes everyone around him better."

"Everything about Hughes' game is designed for the modern NHL. He skates fast and thinks faster. He can make opponents look silly. If someone tells you he's too small or will get outmuscled by NHLers, remind them that the NTDP U18s play against college teams with some players as old as 24."

"Jack is an elite skater who plays the game at top speed both with and without the puck, he sees the ice tremendously well and finds open space to create scoring chances. He has a complete package of skills that suggest he will be a franchise NHL player and game-changer."

An elite all-around talent who uses skill, speed and vision, rather than size (5-foot-10, 170 pounds), to intimidate.
Morreale: The left-shot center is an elite skater who can think the game at top speed and has a knack for finding open areas on the ice.
Lepage: With his great season and the NTDP records he has broken along the way, no team would dare pass on the opportunity to select a player with so much potential."

 

[Brodeur]

Bob McKenzie's final ranking:
https://www.tsn.ca/americans-set-to-dominate-first-round-of-the-nhl-draft-1.1323878

Will be interesting to see where Knight goes. I probably spent too much time last week arguing on the Kings board about how Knight would be a perfectly acceptable choice (if he's even on the board) for their pick at #22.

Too many fans are freaked out about using a first round pick on a goalie, but the term "first round pick" tends to imply a higher upside than there is for the guys who go int he back half of the first round.

One argument was a guy who posted the top 20 scorers in the NHL this past season. 15 of them were first rounders, but I had to point out that the vast majority were top 5 picks and the only one of those 15 taken outside the top 10 was Claude Giroux.

The following logic always grinds my gears:

- 22nd overall pick is a first round pick.

- Patrick Kane, Alex Barkov, and Leon Draisaitl were first round picks.

- 22nd overall pick therefore has similar upside to Kane, Barkov, and Draisaitl.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Will be interesting to see where Knight goes. I probably spent too much time last week arguing on the Kings board about how Knight would be a perfectly acceptable choice (if he's even on the board) for their pick at #22.

Too many fans are freaked out about using a first round pick on a goalie, but the term "first round pick" tends to imply a higher upside than there is for the guys who go int he back half of the first round.

One argument was a guy who posted the top 20 scorers in the NHL this past season. 15 of them were first rounders, but I had to point out that the vast majority were top 5 picks and the only one of those 15 taken outside the top 10 was Claude Giroux.

The following logic always grinds my gears:

- 22nd overall pick is a first round pick.

- Patrick Kane, Alex Barkov, and Leon Draisaitl were first round picks.

- 22nd overall pick therefore has similar upside to Kane, Barkov, and Draisaitl.

Agreed.

Personally, I think Knight goes to Colorado at #16. But I can certainly see him going to the Kings at #22. Once you get past the top 12 picks, there is a solid argument that Knight will be the highest upside player available -- I'm not an expert on scouting goaltenders, but people who are seem to be in accordance that he's a potential franchise netminder. That's serious potential.

Granted there's a ton of risk with drafting goalies, but teams are also going to be taking Kaliyev and Broberg in that range. Is there any more risk with Knight?

 

[MartyOwns]

i’d bet money that if knight goes in the first round, he’ll go to a team with multiple first round picks

 

[Brodeur]

I could see Knight as high as Minnesota at #12; They don't have much in the pipeline. Colorado at #16, Vegas at #17 also seem plausible.

I get the idea that there's value to be had with taking goalies in later rounds, but once in awhile there's a standout goalie a la Vasilevskiy. On an unrelated note, I wish I could bet a beer that Detroit takes Pyotr Kochetkov with a mid-round pick.

 

[Welcome2Hell]

Someone please give me some reassurance that we're taking Hughes haha

I think it's just my anxiety, but I feel like we're gonna pick Kakko. He's gonna be a great player, but I'd much rather have Hughes.

Vegas has hughes as -1,000 to go first overall. Thats pretty much a slam dunk

 

[MadDevil]

While I agree Hughes is and should be the pick, the part of me that enjoys chaos would like to see the reaction if we took Kakko.

 

[OmNomNom]

Will be interesting to see where Knight goes. I probably spent too much time last week arguing on the Kings board about how Knight would be a perfectly acceptable choice (if he's even on the board) for their pick at #22.

Too many fans are freaked out about using a first round pick on a goalie, but the term "first round pick" tends to imply a higher upside than there is for the guys who go int he back half of the first round.

One argument was a guy who posted the top 20 scorers in the NHL this past season. 15 of them were first rounders, but I had to point out that the vast majority were top 5 picks and the only one of those 15 taken outside the top 10 was Claude Giroux.

The following logic always grinds my gears:

- 22nd overall pick is a first round pick.

- Patrick Kane, Alex Barkov, and Leon Draisaitl were first round picks.

- 22nd overall pick therefore has similar upside to Kane, Barkov, and Draisaitl.

yeah it is really stupid. the label of a 1st rounder means that if they're not top 6 talent, they're a bust. but in reality, draft class depth varies year to year. a 1st rounder in the shitty 1999 draft =/= a 1st in the 2003 draft class - not even close

 

[OmNomNom]

While I agree Hughes is and should be the pick, the part of me that enjoys chaos would like to see the reaction if we took Kakko.

lol i think both fanbases would flip the f*** out ahahahaha

i'm considering buying a team USA hughes jersey actually.

also, if you're doing custom jerseys at the den and want hughes, i think you could technically do it now, since he's not a current player on our team

 

[glenwo2]

While I agree Hughes is and should be the pick, the part of me that enjoys chaos would like to see the reaction if we took Kakko.

Well I can guarantee the total Rage combined from most of us here will shatter the internet into a billion pieces, let alone HFBoards.

 

[longislanddevil]

Bob McKenzie's final ranking:
https://www.tsn.ca/americans-set-to-dominate-first-round-of-the-nhl-draft-1.1323878

Thanks for sharing!!

I’m surprised to not see McCarthy on TSN’s Top 93 prospects list.

 

[thethinglonger]

Thanks for sharing!!

I’m surprised to not see McCarthy on TSN’s Top 93 prospects list.

Not to give too much of a cop-out answer, I am and I'm not surprised. As @StevenToddIves has written, there's a ton to like about McCarthy's game - he blends speed with physicality, has an excellent breakout pass, and looks to have promising tools to be a two-way defenseman. There's also a significant amount of improvement he'll need to make...most notably in his decision-making without the puck on his stick, his backwards skating, and top-end skating speed. The tools are all there but the decision-making can scare scouts a bit. If he gets picked in the 4th or later rounds, it'll be one heck of a value pick. HockeyProspect.com's Black Book had him Not Ranked and FutureConsiderations had him rated at 111, so he's probably just outside Bob's top-93.

 

[longislanddevil]

Not to give too much of a cop-out answer, I am and I'm not surprised. As @StevenToddIves has written, there's a ton to like about McCarthy's game - he blends speed with physicality, has an excellent breakout pass, and looks to have promising tools to be a two-way defenseman. There's also a significant amount of improvement he'll need to make...most notably in his decision-making without the puck on his stick, his backwards skating, and top-end skating speed. The tools are all there but the decision-making can scare scouts a bit. If he gets picked in the 4th or later rounds, it'll be one heck of a value pick. HockeyProspect.com's Black Book had him Not Ranked and FutureConsiderations had him rated at 111, so he's probably just outside Bob's top-93.

If we do not land Korczak, I would be happy if he was selected with one of our later 2nd round picks and downright thrilled if the Devils could snag him at 70 or later.

 

[Ripshot 43]

Don't mind me as I inject these scouts' quotes on Hughes directly into my veins.

I saw an interview with him earlier on nhl network and his answers were so mature. You can tell this kid has been groomed for the spotlight for years. Even more impressive was his ability to breakdown footage and the way he spoke to the game. He sounded like an NHL coach at just over 18 years old.

 

[My3Sons]

I saw an interview with him earlier on nhl network and his answers were so mature. You can tell this kid has been groomed for the spotlight for years. Even more impressive was his ability to breakdown footage and the way he spoke to the game. He sounded like an NHL coach at just over 18 years old.

Did he use a speak and spell as an auditory aid? Were the plays broken down on the sidewalk in bright pastel chalk next to the hopscotch board?

 

[MadDevil]

Well I can guarantee the total Rage combined from most of us here will shatter the internet into a billion pieces, let alone HFBoards.

Rangers and Devils fans would both have whiplash from the sudden narrative changes we'd go through.

"Well, it was obvious that Kaapo, just like Nico, was the right choice. Hughes will just be Gomez 2.0 for the Rags."

"LOL at Devils fans thinking Kakko is better. Jack will go down as one of the best American players ever. He was destined to wear red, white, and blue. I bet he secretly wore Rangers pajamas as a kid."

 

[NJDevs26]

Rome would burn if that happened. The Kakko fans would be screaming I told you so bloody murder while the Hughes fans would be screaming bloody murder over the bait-and-switch with the Rangers getting the next Captain America.

 

[MNDevilsfan]

I was all in on Kakko before the lottery and for quite awhile after we won the pick, but I've come around on Hughes. Still think both will be great, but Hughes/Hischier down the middle for the next 10 years is just too good to pass up. Don't overthink it, take the future franchise C and be done with it.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Not to give too much of a cop-out answer, I am and I'm not surprised. As @StevenToddIves has written, there's a ton to like about McCarthy's game - he blends speed with physicality, has an excellent breakout pass, and looks to have promising tools to be a two-way defenseman. There's also a significant amount of improvement he'll need to make...most notably in his decision-making without the puck on his stick, his backwards skating, and top-end skating speed. The tools are all there but the decision-making can scare scouts a bit. If he gets picked in the 4th or later rounds, it'll be one heck of a value pick. HockeyProspect.com's Black Book had him Not Ranked and FutureConsiderations had him rated at 111, so he's probably just outside Bob's top-93.

Agreed with everything, here.

I'm not going to be remotely upset if McCarthy gets picked at #52 and the Devils miss out on him. He's not a value pick at #34, and the Devils need get the utmost value out of their picks. But if he were available at #80 and the Devils passed on him for a soft, all-offense LD -- well, then I would be upset. If the 2018-19 Devils season (and 2019 St. Louis/Boston playoffs) have proved anything, it's that you're not going anywhere without a strong physical, shut-down element on your blueline.

The 2019 draft has several players who would fill a need here. Korczak and Robertson could be available at #34; McCarthy, Lee and Moberg should be available in the third round; Bolduc and Brewer could be available into the fifth round, Will Francis should last to the 6th/7th rounds. If the Devils could grab one or two of these guys, it would be a huge coup in my opinion.

 

[Brodeur]

I'll be bringing this to Vancouver courtesy of Dorholt.

(Minor jersey foul for the 2001-03 era Koho, but I only have a few blanks)