StevenToddIves
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2020 NHL Draft Rankings by position — LD
While being an extraordinary draft for forwards, the 2020 class is not even close to as deep on the blueline. That being said, the crop of prospects at LD is deeper than on the right side, and there are several intriguing upside prospects to go with several very safe future bottom-4 guys.
The Devils boast pretty good depth at the LD position, with one glaring question — is Ty Smith a LD or a RD? Despite being a left-shot, Smith prefers the right side. If the new Devils coaching staff agrees to keep Smith on RD, the Devils prospect depth chart is still strong with Bahl, Okhotyuk, Misyul and Vukojevic — but they no longer will have a high-end, top-pairing type prospect at the LD position. Jake Sanderson would immediately solve such a question, but will he somehow fall to New Jersey at #7?
While being an extraordinary draft for forwards, the 2020 class is not even close to as deep on the blueline. That being said, the crop of prospects at LD is deeper than on the right side, and there are several intriguing upside prospects to go with several very safe future bottom-4 guys.
The Devils boast pretty good depth at the LD position, with one glaring question — is Ty Smith a LD or a RD? Despite being a left-shot, Smith prefers the right side. If the new Devils coaching staff agrees to keep Smith on RD, the Devils prospect depth chart is still strong with Bahl, Okhotyuk, Misyul and Vukojevic — but they no longer will have a high-end, top-pairing type prospect at the LD position. Jake Sanderson would immediately solve such a question, but will he somehow fall to New Jersey at #7?
- Jake Sanderson, US-NTDP USHL it’s not even a competition who tops this list. Despite being one of the youngest draft-eligibles for 2020, Sanderson is far and away the best two-way defenseman in this draft. His hockey sense is through the roof; he plays with the positional awareness and gap control of an NHL veteran. He skates beautifully, he’s physical, he can lead the rush, he’s a one-man break-out and break-in machine. Just a guy you want on your team in every situation — very comparable with Ryan Suter with perhaps an even higher upside due to his phenomenal skating.
- Kaiden Guhle, Prince Albert WHL a friend of mine was asking which 2020 draftee could be the most likely top 10 surprise. I said Guhle. Quite simply, he’s 6’3-190, a great skater, features a bomb of a shot, he’s terrific defensively and plays an extremely physical game. He lacks the puck creativity to be your offensive play driver, but we’re talking potentially a 40-50 point, physical and mobile shut down beast. He’ll go early.
- Ryan O’Rourke, Sault Ste. Marie OHL when you watch prospect film, you initially notice prospects who “blow you away” with their tools. O’Rourke is the opposite — he just grows on you. Shift after shift he displays smarts, leadership, toughness. His decision making is impeccable. He is somehow calm and intense at the same time. All his skills check all of the boxes — skates, puck skills, shooting, passing. To me he’s a slam dunk as an NHL mid-pairing minute muncher, and will wear a letter on his NHL jersey someday. Nothing not to love here.
- Emil Andrae, HV71 SWE JR I can honestly say I’ve never seen a player quite like this kid. He’s small (5’9-180) and an average skater, which makes you very wary when watching him. Then he goes out and dominates virtually every shift he plays. What does Andrae give you? An incredibly high degree of intelligence, absolutely elite passing, and probably the most accurate point shot of any D in the draft. In the defensive zone he’s actually very, very good — his only defensive weakness results from trying to do too much offensively and sometimes leaving himself exposed as a result. Some team will take a flyer on this kid in the second round and be extremely thrilled they did a few years down the line.
- Shakir Mukhamadullin, Salavat Ufa KHL hands down, the toughest kid for me to grade out in this entire draft. He’s 6’4 with excellent skates, an absolute bomb of a shot and a physical edge. But he’s also inconsistent in ways which I even have difficulty describing. I’ve seen him dominate one shift and then look lost the next. I also admit that it’s more difficult for me to watch Russian prospects as North American ones — I simply have not seen him play as much as Guhle or O’Rourke. I still believe that if this kid can put it all together, he has first-pairing upside. This is a huge thing to say about a kid who could conceivably fall into the 4th round. I’m going to rank him here and then bite my fingernails a lot.
- Tyler Kleven, US-NTDP USHL the opposite of the guy ranked just ahead of him. Kleven’s chances of being a top-pairing D in the NHL are pretty much zero. His chances of being a bust are also pretty much zero. What you see is what you get — a 6’4-210 punisher with a huge point blast who shuts down top opposition offenses with ridiculous ease and leaves them applying ice packs between every period. Very smart but very simple, he plays a north-south game. He knows you can’t beat him, so he’s not going to beat himself trying to extend his limited offensive capabilities. A slam-dunk as a future NHL 5/6 D. With good coaching and a top puck-moving partner, maybe a 3/4 D.
- Donovan Sebrango, Kitchener OHL if you miss out on O’Rourke in the late first/early second rounds, here’s your consolation prize. Sebrango is another gamer with high intelligence, who gives you very good size, skating and awareness in all three zones. He skates extremely well and plays with a physical edge. Potentially a very good NHL two-way 3/4 D.
- Daemon Hunt, Moose Jaw WHL the first thing to know about this kid is he’s 6’1-200 with elite skating, very good offensive skills and a physical style of play. I think he’d be higher on everyone’s lists were it not for a nightmarish draft-eligible season. Thrust into a top-pairing role, he struggled early. Once Hunt started to really play well, a freak injury (terrifying skate cut) cost him three months. When he returned, he was just beginning to get his legs under him and really dominate when the season was cancelled due to Covid concerns. This kid could go anywhere from the early 2nd round to the 7th round. I’d consider him as early as the 3rd.
- Mitch Miller, Tri-City USHL this young talent can absolutely fly, he’s an elite skater. He combines this with outstanding puck skills — he’s a great stickhandler and passer. At 5’11-195 he’s not small and, though he won’t dominate physically, he’s not shy. He can make defensive mistakes, but you can say that about pretty much every offensive D at his level and the effort is there. A real sleeper with serious NHL upside.
- Jeremie Poirier, Saint John QMJHL first off, the only D in this draft with more offensive upside than Poirier is Jamie Drysdale. That’s it. This kid is that skilled. His highlight reel is downright jaw-dropping — what he can do with his puck skills and lateral movement compares to Fs being taken in the top ten this year, like Lucas Raymond and Tim Stutzle. Defensively, however? He’s like a different player. He’s truly a liability in every sense of the word. His positioning and penchant for turnovers make me want to pull my hair out. And let it be known that I have beautiful hair. The absolute definition of high risk/high reward.
- Alexander Nikishin, Spartak KHL hands down, the biggest hitter in the draft. As a 17 year old in the second best league on the planet, opposing (adult, veteran) Fs literally feared him. He also features a howitzer from the point and stickhandles beautifully. His skating is adequate, but not great. He certainly needs some work positionally and in his decision making, but I watch this kid and (when he’s on his game) I see shades of a young Dion Phaneuf.
- Lukas Cormier, Charlottetown QMJHL the embodiment of the “new school” NHL defenseman, Cormier is a slight 5’10 who skates and passes the lights out but (not for lack of effort) is often dominated physically by top opposition forwards and can make mistakes leading to opposing scoring chances. Though not a liability defensively like fellow QMJHL-er Poirier, Cormier lacks Poirier’s almost limitless offensive potential.
- Yan Kuznetsov, University of Connecticut NCAA nothing wrong with a 6’4-210 bruiser who admirably played a shut-down role in the NCAA as one of the youngest kids in the league. He’s really your consolation prize for missing out on Kleven — very similar, but while Kleven skates very well, Kuznetsov has below-average speed. Still, a very safe bet to play a regular role on an NHL third pairing.
- Joni Jurmo, Jokerit FIN Jr. A 6’4-190 Finn who skates like the wind, Jurmo could go as high as the early second round. You can’t help but notice him, and he also can boast very good puck skills and some creativity in the offensive end. He’s certainly a work in progress in the defensive zone and you want him to be a bit more assertive physically with his gross size/speed advantage. He has 3/4 upside, but also a few things to fix if he’s going to make the NHL.
- William Wallinder, MODO Allsvenskan I need to start this profile by saying that, after Sanderson and Guhle, he’s as likely as any LD to be taken in the first round. Why? Quite simply, he’s 6’4-195 and maybe one of the top 5 skaters in this entire draft. Why do I have him ranked so low? Well, one of the biggest debates I face when ranking prospects concerns my strong emphasis on hockey IQ and compete level. Just because your skating/size combo are a 70/80 on the scouting scale (usually a top 3 overall pick, for reference) does not mean you’re a lock to make the NHL. You also need to compete and use your head. The only time I’ve ever seen him play physical (at 6’4 in a junior league!) is while taking retaliatory penalties — he’s as easy to get under the skin of as any defenseman in the 2020 draft class. While he has good vision with the puck and is a weapon on the power play, when pressured it takes very little to force him into poor decisions. I hope this kid proves me wrong and puts it all together to reach his potential upside as an NHL 3/4 D, but as it stands? He’s pretty much the guy opposing forwards key on as the weakness that’s easiest to exploit.
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