Prospect Info: 2020 Ives Preliminary Draft Rankings -- Top 75

[Guadana]

Sleeper Prospect Profile:

C Theo Rochette, Quebec QMJHL
I'm trying to get these all done so I can finish my Final 2020 Rankings in the next week or so, so I'm sorry if I'm pumping too many sleeper profiles out at once. So, I'm sitting here drinking coffee and blasting Sunny Day Real Estate (you need to listen to "Diary" if you like music) and trying to get as much done as possible. Thanks again to @thethinglonger for taking care of one of my favorites for me in Daniel Torgersson.

Rochette is my favorite Swiss prospect of 2020, so shout to @Guadana who seems to love it when I mention that type of stuff. His best quality is his hockey IQ, which -- as most of you know -- I hold in far higher regard than most draft writers. But he's an incredibly smart center who makes the most of a solid but not extraordinary tool kit. His smarts give huge boosts to his impressive passing game and decision making with and without the puck.

What I like most about Rochette is that his draft position will be lower than I receive his value. While I think this is a kid who needs a lot of time in the weight room, I see him as comparable in many ways to a likely 2nd round pick in Vasily Ponomarev who could be had in the 5th/6th round range. Why? Well, he had a really tough draft-eligible season.

At the outset of the season (Rochette was playing for Chicoutimi at that point), he contracted mono. After missing a great deal of laying time, Rochette seemed weak and lethargic for most of the year. I don't think he fully recovered until the tail end of the season. Entering February, Rochette was a major disappointment with only 6 goals all season. Leaving February, it seemed Rochette had finally recovered and he scored 8 goals that month. So, I think Rochette is a better player than many scouts have seen. Not a perfect prospect by any means, but certainly a layer whose reward out-reaches their risk as late as he is likely to be available.

If this Theo can play like my favorite non-devils Player Theo Fleury, i forgive him his weight, height and his slating.
Anyway everything here sound risky. I didn`t know anything about him until this post. I`, watching videos with him and first thing that i like how he`s playing under pressure. I will try to find shift by shift videos with him, and if this a character trait that makes him stand out - this a giant plus that can make help him to translate his game on professional level.

 

[StevenToddIves]

If this Theo can play like my favorite non-devils Player Theo Fleury, i forgive him his weight, height and his slating.
Anyway everything here sound risky. I didn`t know anything about him until this post. I`, watching videos with him and first thing that i like how he`s playing under pressure. I will try to find shift by shift videos with him, and if this a character trait that makes him stand out - this a giant plus that can make help him to translate his game on professional level.

Like I said, this is a kid I consider in the 5th/6th rounds because his hockey IQ and passing give him nice mid-6 upside. I agree that his skating and strength need to be improved, but I attribute a lot of that to his health struggles last season.

 

[thethinglonger]

THANK YOU!

Seriously, a thousand times, thank you. I've been waiting for you to help me out here forever, ha. Great write-up of Torgersson (whom I have ranked very highly) and better than anything I could've come up with, so you just saved me some work.

Your prospect write-ups are consistently outstanding and I'd love to see more.

I tend to be fashionably late to parties, but thank you Steve. Don't sell yourself short! Your contributions to this community are invaluable.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I tend to be fashionably late to parties, but thank you Steve. Don't sell yourself short! Your contributions to this community are invaluable.

Hey, if you want to help me out -- I know you're excellent with the Finnish prospects, and two names on my sleeper list are Simontaival and Viro, if you want to write them up. I remember you being high on Simontaival already, so that one should be easy for you.

 

[thethinglonger]

Sleeper Prospect

Eemil Viro - LD, TPS

Do you like high-end mobility from the blue line? Do you not mind a player's limited creativity with the puck? Do you like defensemen who, regardless of their size, make you fight for every inch of ice on the attack? If these questions resonate with you, then boy do I have the defenseman for you. Eemil Viro is a few years away from the NHL due to the need to fill out his frame, but he's already logged pretty significant time in the Liiga. His four-way mobility is his best asset, closely followed by his compete level. He prefers to skate the puck out of his own zone but also possesses a very crisp outlet pass. At this point, Viro is likely to be overlooked because he's never been a major point producer in his career and does not project as one. However, he's able to keep up and be a very solid one-on-one defender. Oddly enough, I believe there's still offensive talent that can be tapped. He shows flashes of near-high-end puck skills - enough to make him a threat at the NHL level. He'll need to figure out when and where to apply his aggressive play, but that's pretty conventional growing "pains" for young players in my opinion, especially young players already experiencing pro leagues. In this sense, he plays a bit of a high-risk/high-reward game with his aggressiveness.

Viro's mobility and compete level are enough to make you do a double-take, and then do it again. Whoever picks him will need to be a bit patient, but I think there are plenty of signs that point to potential NHL player here.

 

[My3Sons]

Sleeper Prospect Profile:

RD Jake Ratzlaff, Rosemount USHS
This is going to be a quick one, because I admittedly have barely seen Ratzlaff and he's not likely to play hockey, anyway. But what we have here is a ridiculously athletic, 6'2-205 guy who can skate, hit and bomb the shot from the point. His physical tool kit is actually extraordinary, but unfortunately he's considered one of the two or three best linebacker recruits in the nation and is apparently going to focus on his football career. I just felt the need to include him because in terms of sheer athleticism he's right up there with Drysdale and Grans at the top RD of the 2020 draft class.

He can’t possibly be one of the two best linebacker recruits. He doesn’t have have a bag of money with a note pinned to it that says “not courtesy of Nick Saban. P.S. I have nothing to do with that Dodge Charger left in your student parking spot”.

 

[RememberTheName]

Sleeper Prospect Profile:

W Dmitri Rashevsky, St. Petersburg MHL
"True sleeper" fans, this one is for you.

By this, I mean -- a name a lot of people who have not heard who you take in the 5th round and becomes an all-star first-liner. Rashevsky is no guarantee of this, of course, but he has that type of potential and he might be one of the most interesting case studies in the 2020 draft.

First off, I don't normally write about over-agers. Though I believe in "late bloomers" -- unless there is a specific flaw which has been alleviated, such as a late growth spurt or extreme skating improvements, normally a player who has been passed over 220 times in 2019 is not worth a top 50 pick in 2020, it's just that simple. I think Rashevsky is the second over-ager I've highlighted as a 2020 sleeper (after Oksentyuk), and his upside is even higher.

Rashevsky came almost literally out of nowhere. An October, 2000 birthday, he struggled with injury and inconsistency for most of 2018-19 and finished with a ridiculously poor 5 points in 24 MHL games. I don't know what genie he made a side-deal with before the 2019-20 campaign, but he came back a completely different hockey player.

I'm not going to rely too much on the stats, because 44 goals in 60 MHL games is impressive, but I temper that with the realization that Rashevsky was one to three years older than a lot of his competition. So, Rashevsky's statistics are not as absurdly good as they sound. But -- his skill level certainly is.

First, his shot is absolutely ridiculous. I would not put it in the same category as Perreault, Quinn or Holtz -- but it's certainly worth mentioning in the same breath as guys like Gunler, Bourque and Amirov. I don't know where this shot came from. Maybe Rashevsky went to the crossroads with his hockey stick and made a deal with the devil. But it's incredibly accurate, he gets it off quickly and with authority, and he's especially good at getting it off in motion so as to change the goaltender's angle. Rashevsky is able to do this because he also -- and I don't know where these came from either -- has exceptional hands. The combination of Rashevsky's hands and shot rank just below elite guys like Holtz and Perreault. The ability to make quick moves and, while doing this, be able to get off a shot with high velocity and pinpoint accuracy is rare, and almost always the hallmark of an NHL sniper. You can't teach it.

The rest of Rashevsky's game lacks the red flags you would expect for a player passed over completely in his draft-eligible season. He's actually a better passer than some of the wingers talked about as first round picks -- Gunler, Amirov, Peterka, etc. His vision is not elite, but it's not too far off. This is far from a one-dimensional shooter, he can really sauce the puck. He's very smart, especially offensively -- we're talking about an uncommon player who is almost virtuoso in his deception. Defensively and physically? Neither are his forte, but he is not weak in these qualities. If Rashevsky has one weakness, it's his skating -- which is not poor, but very average. I have hopes this could improve as he puts more leg-muscle on his lanky, 6'1-165 frame.

So, where will Rashevsky go in the 2020 draft? My answer is an emphatic "f**k if I know". Maybe some team takes a shot on him in the late first round. Maybe he falls to the 6th round. Let someone else figure it out. I'm going to go watch some more Dmitri Rashevsky highlights.

Just watched this video below on him. Usually like this guy for a quick 20 min video overview on a prospect I haven't hear much about if he has one.

All I can say is wow. I understand he's an overager, but this dude's offensive skilllset, at least shown through the video, is quite ridiculous. Obviously I'm gonna watch a little more on the kid other than 20 minutes of highlights (I believe all clips in the video are chosen only from a set of 10 games that the scout watched, which is honestly quite hard to believe given the sheer volume of ridiculously high skilled plays he was able to pull off), but man, talk about an absolute sleeper. Had I come into watching that video completely blind and not having read this post first, I honestly probably would've thought he was a late first rounder/early second rounder. One of my favorite things about a prospect is when they come out of relative obscurity to just dominate one year, something that in my opinion shows a serious dedication to the sport and growth as a hockey player in order to make that kind of leap, and helps ease some of my concerns about whether they will be able to improve on some of their weaker areas as well (which seemed to be his skating which honestly didn't look too bad to me). Seriously, though, if this guy is on the board with our Canes pick, I would have absolutely no problem taking this kid. This kid is like the perfect boom-bust prospect.

 

[GeNeXt]

Just watched this video below on him. Usually like this guy for a quick 20 min video overview on a prospect I haven't hear much about if he has one.

All I can say is wow. I understand he's an overager, but this dude's offensive skilllset, at least shown through the video, is quite ridiculous. Obviously I'm gonna watch a little more on the kid other than 20 minutes of highlights (I believe all clips in the video are chosen only from a set of 10 games that the scout watched, which is honestly quite hard to believe given the sheer volume of ridiculously high skilled plays he was able to pull off), but man, talk about an absolute sleeper. Had I come into watching that video completely blind and not having read this post first, I honestly probably would've thought he was a late first rounder/early second rounder. One of my favorite things about a prospect is when they come out of relative obscurity to just dominate one year, something that in my opinion shows a serious dedication to the sport and growth as a hockey player in order to make that kind of leap, and helps ease some of my concerns about whether they will be able to improve on some of their weaker areas as well (which seemed to be his skating which honestly didn't look too bad to me). Seriously, though, if this guy is on the board with our Canes pick, I would have absolutely no problem taking this kid. This kid is like the perfect boom-bust prospect.

Wow. Agreed. He kind of looks like a poor man’s Lafreniere with how good his stick handling is.

Hopefully the scouts who had pull in nabbing Gritsyuk would be adamant about selecting him there.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Sleeper Prospect Profile:

LW Carter Savoie, Sherwood Park AJHL
One should not sleep on "best player in the AJHL". Not long ago, the player fitting this title was Cale Makar. Now, Savoie does not quite have that type of upside, and there is also some risk here. But there are also some elite tools which lead one to think that this is the type of mid-round pick who has top-6, high-scoring NHL upside.

Before getting into the good stuff, I'd like to explain why he's off most draft-writers' radars despite being an extremely intriguing prospect. In my opinion, the #1 combination which gets a player crossed off of draft lists is "not big/not fast". Draft writers don't mind if you're 5'9 if you skate like Johnny Gaudreau. Draft writers don't mind if you're below average speed if you're 6'7 like Jamie Oleksiak.

While I would describe Savoie as an "above average skater", the top speed is average while the "above" part is his shiftiness and agility. So, any endorsement of Savoie's upside -- which I clearly love -- needs to begin with "if he improves his skating". Because, though he is not slow, the type of high-octane offensive game Savoie is capable of would translate much better into the NHL at higher speeds.

However, I would like to dispel the notion that Savoie is a "small winger". Much like Marco Rossi, Savoie is short at 5'9, but built like a fire hydrant -- he's listed at 192 pounds. This is a very strong kid with a low center of gravity which gives defenders fits. And I'm not going to sit here and get into the science of what makes a player "small" or "big", but if you stick "small" 5'9-192 pound Carter Savoie in a swimming pool and then stick a "huge" player like 6'4-190 pound Joni Jurmo in the same swimming pool -- well, guess who is going to displace more water? I'm just saying, the science backs me up here.

Now, the good stuff. This kid can shoot the lights out. I'm not going to focus on his AJHL numbers -- which are ridiculous -- but I do feel the need to mention that 53 goals in 54 games in any league on the planet is worth mentioning. Not only is it hard, accurate and quick to get off, but Savoie has a unique talent in his proclivity in getting quality shots off despite immediate adversity. What I mean by this is --

1) Savoie has a a large shot-radius, even on one-timers. This is to say, he can get off a great, quick shot whether you pass it into his skates or four feet away from him. For a 5'9 player without a lot of wing-span and limited skating ability, it's almost magical how he does this. His teammates realize this and just throw the puck in his direction because, don't worry, Savoie will find a way to put that puck top cheddar.

2) Savoie does not feel physical pressure when shooting. A defenseman draped on his back? He'll roof it far side. Two defensemen draped on his back and his skate laces tied together? He'll roof it near side.

Carter Savoie is just s sniper. But his offense is not limited to goal scoring -- he has a tremendous set of hands which, when combined with his balance and the fact that one always must beware the shot, gives him a good deal of working room in the offensive zone. Once Savoie gets that room, he knows what to do with it. This is a player with great intelligence and anticipation, who is also an excellent puck-distributor when -- as AJHL teams often did -- two players are shadowing you from the moment your skate-blade touches the offensive zone.

The only reason I'm not certain where exactly to rank Savoie is the fact that dominating the AJHL for a dominant team may have influenced some bad habits. This is not a player who really backchecks hard, and sometimes he can be more of a floater bee than a worker bee. Is this because he knows how good his team is and he figures they will win anyway in the end more often than not? Perhaps. Carter Savoie is among the players I am most looking forward to watching next season in their draft+1 season, which he is playing at the University of Denver. This is a player who would not surprise me by being the highest scoring freshman in the NCAA, but I also cannot say I would be completely shocked if he struggled next year. It's tough to predict with players of Savoie's talents who have played vs. competition below their own talents.

Though I will rank Savoie higher than anyone on the basis of his upside -- I'd say early second round -- this is a risk/reward pick who makes more sense in the middle rounds. With this player, I believe the reward is worth it. If Savoie can improve his skating and punch up his work ethic, his upside is a 35-goal top 6 NHL forward. You just can't deny his shooting and offensive skill set. Certainly a player to keep an eye on at the 2020 draft.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Sleeper Prospect Profile:

LD Donovan Sebrango, Kitchener OHL
A lot of you will recognize this name as a player I've talked about for several months. He's one of those kids for whom the substance is far greater than the shine. Donovan Sebrango is not the type of player to draw attention to himself, but he's a very good defenseman with NHL mid-pairing, two-way upside, and to me he's the kind of player you win with.

I'm going to start with his biggest strength, which to me is outlet passing. It's important to note that outlet passing is perhaps the most underrated skill of a defense prospect. Watching an NHL game -- to me what separates the good D from the mediocre D is their ability to make a clean and crisp outlet pass. The forechecking in the NHL comes at incredible speeds, and these are split-second decisions. Less skilled defensemen like Borowiecki and Gudbranson are often criticized for just chipping the puck up the boards and out of trouble, but more skilled defensemen like Gostisbehere and Gardiner are often benched for long stretches for forcing dumb passes up the middle which turn into opposing scoring chances at breakneck speeds.

Anyway, out of any draft eligible OHL defenseman, Sebrango was far and away the best outlet passer aside from Jamie Drysdale. The kid just does not feel the pressure, and he's calm and smooth with the puck. Combined with very good awareness and poise, and Sebrango just looks like an NHL-er when he's transitioning the puck.

Everything about his game is "solid" or "smooth" and translates to the pro game. Sebrango is a good but not great skater, a good but not great shooter. He has good but not great hands. In the defensive zone, he will play physical but it's not his calling card, he's very reliable but not a true shut-down guy. I'd say if there was another plus characteristic about Sebrango aside from his outlet passing game it's that the 6'0-185 D plays with extraordinary heart -- he's a hustler and a winner, he stands up for his teammates. Like I say, Donovan Sebrango is a guy you win with.

I would say Sebrango's odds to the Devils are not especially high, as I expect him to go between the mid-2nd and mid-3rd rounds, where the Devils lack a pick. Fortunately, the Devils do not lack for mid-pairing LD prospects. But no 2020 sleeper list is complete without Sebrango, so I had to write this kid up.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Sleeper Prospect Profile:

LD Christopher Sedoff, Red Deer WHL
When talking about the best Finnish LD in the class of 2020, the names you're most likely to hear are high-risk/high-reward burner Joni Jurmo (whom I wrote up) and sneaky, high-upside Eemil Viro (whom @thethinglonger just did a terrific write-up for). Flying just below the radar is a very intriguing prospect in Sedoff.

Don't get me wrong, we're not talking about a franchise changer. But Sedoff certainly has bottom-4 NHL tools, and it's easy to like his game. I would rank pretty much all of his traits as above-average to good -- size (6'0-180, I'd guess), skating, puck-handling, passing, decision making, defensive play, shooting, you name it. If Sedoff has one weakness it's the bugaboo of many a young defenseman -- put enough pressure on him and you can force him to cough up the puck. But I do think that this flaw is off-set by his finest attribute -- he's a hard worker with a very high compete level. I've said it a jillion times and I'll say it again -- players with high compete levels and high hockey IQs have the best chance of maximizing their physical skill-sets. And I really like this kid's character on the ice. He's feisty and competitive.

I'd guess Sedoff gets taken in the 6th/7th rounds. In my mind, he's an excellent, safer late round pick.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I've been pumping out these profiles and I want to get them done by the cup finals, so I'm seeking help. I'm putting a player out there who is extremely intriguing and there's a lot of film easily available in Everett Silvertips LD Ronan Seeley. If @thethinglonger or anyone else would like to write up a "sleeper prospect profile" for him, I'd love to see it.

Also, speaking of @thethinglonger , I was curious if you're still high on (now) over-ager Xavier Simoneau. You sold me on his ability last year, and I still like him, but it was weird to me how he went undrafted. I'm curious what your take is on Simoneau for the 2020 draft.

 

[beekay414]

Sleeper Prospect Profile:

RD Jake Ratzlaff, Rosemount USHS
This is going to be a quick one, because I admittedly have barely seen Ratzlaff and he's not likely to play hockey, anyway. But what we have here is a ridiculously athletic, 6'2-205 guy who can skate, hit and bomb the shot from the point. His physical tool kit is actually extraordinary, but unfortunately he's considered one of the two or three best linebacker recruits in the nation and is apparently going to focus on his football career. I just felt the need to include him because in terms of sheer athleticism he's right up there with Drysdale and Grans at the top RD of the 2020 draft class.

lol is this the same Jake Ratzlaff that's a 4* outside linebacker recruit that is a priority take for Wisconsin, should we get him out of Minnesota?! I had no idea he played hockey!!!!!

 

[beekay414]

He can’t possibly be one of the two best linebacker recruits. He doesn’t have have a bag of money with a note pinned to it that says “not courtesy of Nick Saban. P.S. I have nothing to do with that Dodge Charger left in your student parking spot”.

lol just hoping he chooses Wisconsin over Minnesota! He's a damn stud and we'll get him the notoriety he deserves...oh and some NFL bag down the line. We get our kids drafted.

 

[Eggtimer]

I keep flopping between Raymond Rossi Holtz . That’s not even taking into account if Drysdale or Sanderson is still on the board.
I just need someone to tell me “xxxxxxx” is the best player and most dynamic of the bunch so I can make up my mind lol.
I was leaning Rossi but have read Raymond is close to or maybe even has a higher ceiling than Lafrenier ....? Holtz is a sniping machine that would be deadly on Hughes wing ...Rossi has the drive and determination and skill set to be a dominant top 6 player.... every team needs a stud 1d and Drysdale appears to be that....

 

[StevenToddIves]

I keep flopping between Raymond Rossi Holtz . That’s not even taking into account if Drysdale or Sanderson is still on the board.
I just need someone to tell me “xxxxxxx” is the best player and most dynamic of the bunch so I can make up my mind lol.
I was leaning Rossi but have read Raymond is close to or maybe even has a higher ceiling than Lafrenier ....? Holtz is a sniping machine that would be deadly on Hughes wing ...Rossi has the drive and determination and skill set to be a dominant top 6 player.... every team needs a stud 1d and Drysdale appears to be that....

If anyone tells you Raymond has a higher upside than Lafreniere or Byfield, ask them where I can get what they're smoking.

Holtz is a huge goal-scoring RW, but I don't want him at #7 because there will be similarly talented players at the same position available at #18 in Perreault and/or Gunler. It's not a slight on Holtz, I think he's terrific.

Rossi is my guy at forward, because he possesses an undeniable combination of hockey IQ and compete level to go with a fierce two-way game and dynamic offensive ability. You just don't see this very often.

I think the best way to decide who you want is to give their closest comparables. None of these are perfect, but if you had a choice between these players, who would you want?

Brayden Point (Rossi)
Miro Heiskanen (Sanderson)
Cale Makar (Drysdale)
Mark Stone (Quinn)
Johnny Gaudreau (Raymond)
Stamkos-as-a-winger (Holtz)

 

[Xirik]

If anyone tells you Raymond has a higher upside than Lafreniere or Byfield, ask them where I can get what they're smoking.

Holtz is a huge goal-scoring RW, but I don't want him at #7 because there will be similarly talented players at the same position available at #18 in Perreault and/or Gunler. It's not a slight on Holtz, I think he's terrific.

Rossi is my guy at forward, because he possesses an undeniable combination of hockey IQ and compete level to go with a fierce two-way game and dynamic offensive ability. You just don't see this very often.

I think the best way to decide who you want is to give their closest comparables. None of these are perfect, but if you had a choice between these players, who would you want?

Brayden Point (Rossi)
Miro Heiskanen (Sanderson)
Cale Makar (Drysdale)
Mark Stone (Quinn)
Johnny Gaudreau (Raymond)
Stamkos-as-a-winger (Holtz)

Jeez, did you have to compare Raymond to Johnny no playoff hockey Gaudreau who gets bullied off the puck everytime he plays in the playoffs?
Now nobody on this forum will want him.

I Prefer other peoples comparisons for Raymond. like Marner(see this one a lot) Point, Panarin,

Also are we talking about Pre injury or post injury Stamkos?

 

[StevenToddIves]

Jeez, did you have to compare Raymond to Johnny no playoff hockey Gaudreau who gets bullied off the puck everytime he plays in the playoffs?
Now nobody on this forum will want him.

I Prefer other peoples comparisons for Raymond. like Marner(see this one a lot) Point, Panarin,

Also are we talking about Pre injury or post injury Stamkos?

Raymond is pretty much a Gaudreau/Marner hybrid. There's nothing Point-like about Raymond's game that I can think up. I was just trying to give a quick idea of what "types" of players we're choosing between. For instance, Holtz is going to score a lot of sick one-time goals like Stamkos has, especially on the PP, but I wouldn't really call them all that similar players.

 

[Guadana]

I keep flopping between Raymond Rossi Holtz . That’s not even taking into account if Drysdale or Sanderson is still on the board.
I just need someone to tell me “xxxxxxx” is the best player and most dynamic of the bunch so I can make up my mind lol.
I was leaning Rossi but have read Raymond is close to or maybe even has a higher ceiling than Lafrenier ....? Holtz is a sniping machine that would be deadly on Hughes wing ...Rossi has the drive and determination and skill set to be a dominant top 6 player.... every team needs a stud 1d and Drysdale appears to be that....

There are enough posters who is rossi`s protector. I already sent them the horse's head to their bed. I`m Raymond`s protector.
I'll add wood in your fire.
Raymond isn`t ready in phisical aspect. He has more to learn. But all of his weaks can fix by a good coaching. He was a kid in men league.
Rossi is a dominant player now. He is competent as hell. But he will never be as good as raymond in things raymond is good. And Rossi is overager little bit for this draft. He played with 20y.o. players in line. In junior`s league. Keating and Garreffa were 90 pts per season players before this season.
What do you want? Make a bet with higher risk higher reward? Or make a safe pick with really good player? Your move.

 

[Brodeur]

Podcast with Craig Button and EliteProspect.com's J.D. Burke: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yYTc5N2I1NC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==

Some sleepers discussed:
Carter Savoie (84th on McKenzie's list, 48th on Button's) - Button concedes that he's one dimensional, but thinks the goal scoring could translate
Evan Vierling (90th on McKenzie's list, 56th on Button's) - Former 2nd overall pick in OHL Draft behind Quinton Byfield and ahead of Jamie Drysdale. Had a poor year and a half with Flint, but performed well after being traded to Barrie (34 points in 28 games).
Devon Levi (not in top 100 for either McKenzie/Button) - Small goaltender along the lines of Dustin Wolf, headed to Northeastern so will probably be 3-4 years.

Button also relayed his opinion that the USHL is under scouted relative to the CHL. In particular, he told about some conversations he had with NHL scouts leading up to the 2015 Draft and how some of the scouting directors had only seen Kyle Connor twice (at USHL All-Star game, and US Top Prospect game) where he didn't stand out.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Just watched this video below on him. Usually like this guy for a quick 20 min video overview on a prospect I haven't hear much about if he has one.

All I can say is wow. I understand he's an overager, but this dude's offensive skilllset, at least shown through the video, is quite ridiculous. Obviously I'm gonna watch a little more on the kid other than 20 minutes of highlights (I believe all clips in the video are chosen only from a set of 10 games that the scout watched, which is honestly quite hard to believe given the sheer volume of ridiculously high skilled plays he was able to pull off), but man, talk about an absolute sleeper. Had I come into watching that video completely blind and not having read this post first, I honestly probably would've thought he was a late first rounder/early second rounder. One of my favorite things about a prospect is when they come out of relative obscurity to just dominate one year, something that in my opinion shows a serious dedication to the sport and growth as a hockey player in order to make that kind of leap, and helps ease some of my concerns about whether they will be able to improve on some of their weaker areas as well (which seemed to be his skating which honestly didn't look too bad to me). Seriously, though, if this guy is on the board with our Canes pick, I would have absolutely no problem taking this kid. This kid is like the perfect boom-bust prospect.

so it was like jack hughes situation least season...no finishers

 

[StevenToddIves]

Podcast with Craig Button and EliteProspect.com's J.D. Burke: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yYTc5N2I1NC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==

Some sleepers discussed:
Carter Savoie (84th on McKenzie's list, 48th on Button's) - Button concedes that he's one dimensional, but thinks the goal scoring could translate
Evan Vierling (90th on McKenzie's list, 56th on Button's) - Former 2nd overall pick in OHL Draft behind Quinton Byfield and ahead of Jamie Drysdale. Had a poor year and a half with Flint, but performed well after being traded to Barrie (34 points in 28 games).
Devon Levi (not in top 100 for either McKenzie/Button) - Small goaltender along the lines of Dustin Wolf, headed to Northeastern so will probably be 3-4 years.

Button also relayed his opinion that the USHL is under scouted relative to the CHL. In particular, he told about some conversations he had with NHL scouts leading up to the 2015 Draft and how some of the scouting directors had only seen Kyle Connor twice (at USHL All-Star game, and US Top Prospect game) where he didn't stand out.

Hey, you know who else has been crowing about Savoie and Vierling?

 

[billingtons ghost]

I think Stutzle is the classic case of "people still don't trust the DEL", where Stutzle was playing phenomenal hockey. Had Stutzle been playing for Modo in Sweden, I think he would have been universally ranked top 10 entering the 2020 draft year. Moritz Seider was a perfect example of this last year. Once these guys also outplayed SHL and CHL guys in the WJC, people were like "wow, they're for real" when all the evidence indicated such ideas all along.

Other risers just made tremendous developmental leaps in their draft year -- the perfect example for this was Jack Quinn. In 2018-19 he was an intriguing prospect for your 2nd round pick. In 2019-20 he was "holy s**t is this kid amazing or what?"

There are myriad reasons players rise or fall in their draft-eligible seasons, but the good-drafting teams seem to hit more often than not while the bad-drafting teams tend to miss more often than that. It's an imperfect science, but it's still a science.

Of course I agree with what you say above - but it is kinda like the hard drives of data got erased for the past 6 months - so who's 'leaps' are we missing? Aren't there just guys who went into their basements in March as 150lb string beans who are going to have 50lb thighs when they come back up and just make those giant leaps you are talking about with Jack Quinn? For all we know, Prospect X has been doing nothing but bong hits and oreos for 6 months while Prospect Y's Dad is throwing tractor tires at him or built him a frozen lake.

I just feel like I'm flying blind and am going back to the WJC tapes again and again.

PS. Hold on a minute, I've got to fill out the address on another one of these UPS packages with bud and oreos headed to Lafreniere's house.

 

[thethinglonger]

I've been pumping out these profiles and I want to get them done by the cup finals, so I'm seeking help. I'm putting a player out there who is extremely intriguing and there's a lot of film easily available in Everett Silvertips LD Ronan Seeley. If @thethinglonger or anyone else would like to write up a "sleeper prospect profile" for him, I'd love to see it.

Also, speaking of @thethinglonger , I was curious if you're still high on (now) over-ager Xavier Simoneau. You sold me on his ability last year, and I still like him, but it was weird to me how he went undrafted. I'm curious what your take is on Simoneau for the 2020 draft.

I'll work on one for Seeley soon...quite high on his as a possible mid-round pick for us.

As for Simoneau, I'm certainly torn. I think he's done enough this season to get himself into the late-round pick discussion. He plays much bigger than his frame and led his team in points by almost 30 points. (Granted, Dawson Mercer got traded mid-season from the team to Chicoutimi). My guess is that a team picks him no earlier than the 6th round. He is a tenacious leader on the ice and has some good skill, but he's definitely tough to project at the pro level because of the way he scores his goals...since his shot isn't all that strong he needs to get close to the net to score and given his frame there could be a limiting factor. That being said, if he makes it to the NHL, I think he'll be a fan-favorite because he will have scratched and clawed his way to the show.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Of course I agree with what you say above - but it is kinda like the hard drives of data got erased for the past 6 months - so who's 'leaps' are we missing? Aren't there just guys who went into their basements in March as 150lb string beans who are going to have 50lb thighs when they come back up and just make those giant leaps you are talking about with Jack Quinn? For all we know, Prospect X has been doing nothing but bong hits and oreos for 6 months while Prospect Y's Dad is throwing tractor tires at him or built him a frozen lake.

I just feel like I'm flying blind and am going back to the WJC tapes again and again.

PS. Hold on a minute, I've got to fill out the address on another one of these UPS packages with bud and oreos headed to Lafreniere's house.

Just tell me where the bong hits and Oreos are, I will meet you there.