NHL Entry Draft 2020 NHL Draft Discussion - Part VIII

[BondraTime]

Makes sense. Did your top-10 always look like that or did you update recently? Mine is mixed - for example I did swap positions for Drysdale and Rossi based not only on more viewings and draft list noise - but I might have subconsciously accounted for Sens' need in case they have the 5th overall and Rossi is available. Drysdale question marks and positioning as the de facto number 1 defenceman available (although he is in my rankings) may also have played a part.

I am curious if something like that hasn't happened with Sanderson's recent rise. I found it a bit sudden and the outcome feels like a domino effect.

How I rank them changes as the season goes on, never had Stutzle top 5 until October, Raymond and Holts have both fallen since September, Sanderson wasn’t in my top 10 range until Bio-Steel.

Sanderson was a mid first guy to me, then I caught him at The Bio-steel game, where he was far and away the best player, and looked like a star.

Then decided to follow him as best I could from there, as he caught my eye, where he continued to be the best player pretty much game in, game out.

He started the year with 15 points in his first 34 games, which pretty much coincided with his 15ish rank.

Starting at the Bio-Steel game in late January, where his stock began to rise, until his last game in the 2nd week of March, he put up 14 points in 13 games. Thomas Borderleau, who led the team in scoring, had 15 points in the same time frame, and was the only player to our score him in that frame.

Sanderson is a riser, because he was rising all of 2020.

If he’s taken in the top 3, it’s a wasted pick imo, at 4-5 it gets dicey, then at 6 I think is where it would be a fine pick. Even taking him higher could work out, but I feel that the other players outweigh the benefit of reaching for him in the top 4-5.

 

[Hale The Villain]

He has elite quickness and agility, his top end speed is average. I don’t think it hurts him as he will be a PP points monster. I don’t foresee Rossi doing his damage off the rush, I think he will play like a mini Joe Thornton, put him between Tkachuk and a guy like Lucas Raymond and he will put up numbers.

Rossi does not have elite quickness or agility. Not even above average quickness or agility. His edge work is very good but other than his turns and edgework he's not a good skater, particularly for his size.

Given that he's already a gym rat (issues not stemming from conditioning/work ethic) and in his 19YR old season, while most other draft eligibles are in their 18YR old season, I have to question how much better of a skater he's going to get.

I don't think it'll prevent him from being a good NHLer, but his bad skating+size combination may prevent him from developing into a #1 C.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Looking at the players in the projected range of our top 2 picks, the only player I would be disappointed with is Sanderson.

Sanderson has the highest upside after the top 4 (Laf, By, Stutz, Drys) with an elite shutdown game.

I wanted us to trade for another top 15 pick badly months back and thought it a dream come true with NYI trade but the world has started to notice him more now and he's looking like a top 10 pick *****.

 

[Sweatred]

Drysdale is a better prospect. If the sens pick Sanderson over him I will be completely floored and shocked. Thats not to say Sanderson isnt a good prospect he really is and likely worth of a selection at the end of the top 10 but he isnt at the same level as Drysdale. Drysdale is the best OHL d prospect since Doughty. I personally have him tied with Stutzle as the 3rd best prospect in this draft, he controls the pace of the game at 17 you just dont see that.

I dont think its likley Sanderson would be there 13 through 15 but he could be. This is my top 10, the bottom 3 are very much interchangable they are all about the same level of prospect in my mind. I think there is a very good chance Lundell or Askarov are taken in the top 10 too. I believe there is a top 12 in high end prospects this year.

Lafreniere

Byfield

Stutzle

Drysdale

Raymond

Holtz

Sanderson

Quinn

Perfetti

Rossi

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Perfetti has dominated levels of hockey that neither Quinn or Sanderson have ever been selected for .....

 

[armani]

How I rank them changes as the season goes on, never had Stutzle top 5 until October, Raymond and Holts have both fallen since September, Sanderson wasn’t in my top 10 range until Bio-Steel.

Sanderson was a mid first guy to me, then I caught him at The Bio-steel game, where he was far and away the best player, and looked like a star.

Then decided to follow him as best I could from there, as he caught my eye, where he continued to be the best player pretty much game in, game out.

He started the year with 15 points in his first 34 games, which pretty much coincided with his 15ish rank.

Starting at the Bio-Steel game in late January, where his stock began to rise, until his last game in the 2nd week of March, he put up 14 points in 13 games. Thomas Borderleau, who led the team in scoring, had 15 points in the same time frame, and was the only player to our score him in that frame.

Sanderson is a riser, because he was rising all of 2020.

Thanks for your explanation. If Ottawa gets Laf at 1, then I would ideally like one of the best centres available (BCA) with the next pick. If they don't land at 1, pick a combo of Byfield, Stutzle, Raymond, or Rossi with the remaining picks. Would be disappointed with a defenceman with the first two picks, as I see Drysdale as the 6th best prospect after Rossi. 5&6 will be about the only time when I can see us dealing with that conundrum (selecting a defenceman).

Guess I have to focus a bit on Sanderson's game since Biosteel. Drysdale has been consistently ranked before him, I much rather spend picks on the Barrons/Schneider/Guhles of the world if they make sense and are available with NYI 1st.

 

[playasRus]

It's kinda flattering that news articles related to the Senators all have pictures of Lafreniere up as the stock photo. It's going to be a heartbreak if we miss out lol

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I think some of you are sleeping a little on Rossi.. but I guess we shall see. I think his skating is good .. its not great .. good enough but even Lafreniere could skate better.. Perfetti as well.. there are going to be things but I do not think its a concern he is really smart.. and that more than compensates. He has moved up my rankings ... the more I've seen the more I like him. He has not maxed out his ability to improve in any area.. putting that out there is way too clairevoyant for the purpose of demoting a player for me. His length is the only issue for me, but he has been competing above his size all his life.. If someone has that figured out its him. So many things he does at an elite level.

 

[armani]

The Sanderson momentum is very real. Pronman said in the comments for his draft board that he feels there is a 40 per cent chance that Sanderson goes ahead of Drysdale as the top D for 2020 (60-40, that is awfully close). It sounds like that second-half surge has really elevated Sanderson in the eyes of the NHL scouting community — more so than the online scouting community. His NHL bloodlines certainly boost that upward momentum.

I'm happy with where Sanderson ended up for me as the first name in that 9-20 tier. I wasn't willing to go any higher, but I do think he's earned that spot with how strong he finished his draft year. Personally, Drysdale is still a couple tiers ahead of Sanderson for me — Drysdale in 2-5, then there is 6-8, before Sanderson comes in at 9, so it's not as close as it might seem from 5 to 9 in my final rankings. I still have Drysdale as the clear No. 1 D.

Larry Fisher's response to my questioning the sudden rise of Sanderson. I agree with the bolded as you can see from my arguments so far.

 

[GCK]

Rossi does not have elite quickness or agility. Not even above average quickness or agility. His edge work is very good but other than his turns and edgework he's not a good skater, particularly for his size.

Given that he's already a gym rat (issues not stemming from conditioning/work ethic) and in his 19YR old season, while most other draft eligibles are in their 18YR old season, I have to question how much better of a skater he's going to get.

I don't think it'll prevent him from being a good NHLer, but his bad skating+size combination may prevent him from developing into a #1 C.

You saying he doesn’t have elite agility or quickness doesn’t make it true. I have watched him a ton the last 2 years and seeing him turn and slide out of the corner or side boards which a quick move and 2 steps later he is in perfect scoring position.

Enough with the lazy bad skating narrative, Rossi is a better skater than Perfetti and both are good enough skaters to be NHL stars.

 

[Sensinitis]

I think some of you are sleeping a little on Rossi.. but I guess we shall see. I think his skating is good .. its not great .. good enough but even Lafreniere could skate better.. Perfetti as well.. there are going to be things but I do not think its a concern he is really smart.. and that more than compensates. He has moved up my rankings ... the more I've seen the more I like him. He has not maxed out his ability to improve in any area.. putting that out there is way too clairevoyant for the purpose of demoting a player for me. His length is the only issue for me, but he has been competing above his size all his life.. If someone has that figured out its him. So many things he does at an elite level.

Lafreniere-Rossi would be pretty damn franchise-changing as a duo

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Playing this again

@aragorn check this draft out lol

 

[Hale The Villain]

You saying he doesn’t have elite agility or quickness doesn’t make it true. I have watched him a ton the last 2 years and seeing him turn and slide out of the corner or side boards which a quick move and 2 steps later he is in perfect scoring position.

Enough with the lazy bad skating narrative, Rossi is a better skater than Perfetti and both are good enough skaters to be NHL stars.

And you saying he does have elite agility/quickness doesn't make it true either.

Rossi's skating is fine at the OHL level. It's not bad when you compare him to other junior players, but when he jumps up two tiers from junior to the NHL it's not going to be an asset, and along with his size is going to be something he'll have to overcome to be a star.

 

[LeProspector]

There are two reasons I like Rossi so much, #1, his hockey IQ, it’s elite, he thinks two steps ahead of the game

#2 His Work Ethic. I can confirm that he is not only the best player on the 67’s, but the hardest working. He wants to be the best, he lives and breathes hockey.

In my opinion, the two skills that translate more often than not to NHL success is having a high hockey IQ, and being a hard worker. And Rossi has both.
You’re kidding yourself if you think Rossi can’t improve on his “average skating”.
Rossi has the tools and the toolbox to succeed in the NHL, and those of you that don’t see that are quite frankly blind.

 

[FormentonTheFuture]

There are two reasons I like Rossi so much, #1, his hockey IQ, it’s elite, he thinks two steps ahead of the game

#2 His Work Ethic. I can confirm that he is not only the best player on the 67’s, but the hardest working. He wants to be the best, he lives and breathes hockey.

In my opinion, the two skills that translate more often than not to NHL success is having a high hockey IQ, and being a hard worker. And Rossi has both.
You’re kidding yourself if you think Rossi can’t improve on his “average skating”.
Rossi has the tools and the toolbox to succeed in the NHL, and those of you that don’t see that are quite frankly blind.

There’s a difference between ranking him at the bottom of the top 10 than saying he doesn’t have the skills for the NHL. Being a top 10 pick in this draft is insanely good. The question is, is he going to be better than guys like Perfetti, Holtz, etc. I have him around 8-9.

 

[Agent Zub]

And you saying he does have elite agility/quickness doesn't make it true either.

Rossi's skating is fine at the OHL level. It's not bad when you compare him to other junior players, but when he jumps up two tiers from junior to the NHL it's not going to be an asset, and along with his size is going to be something he'll have to overcome to be a star.

Rossi's skating isnt much off guys like Kucherov and Marchand. He might not have elite top end speed but his starting acceleration is pretty good, and a big reason why he wins puck battles and in general is the best possession player in the CHL.

 

[Agent Zub]

There are two reasons I like Rossi so much, #1, his hockey IQ, it’s elite, he thinks two steps ahead of the game

#2 His Work Ethic. I can confirm that he is not only the best player on the 67’s, but the hardest working. He wants to be the best, he lives and breathes hockey.

In my opinion, the two skills that translate more often than not to NHL success is having a high hockey IQ, and being a hard worker. And Rossi has both.
You’re kidding yourself if you think Rossi can’t improve on his “average skating”.
Rossi has the tools and the toolbox to succeed in the NHL, and those of you that don’t see that are quite frankly blind.

yup the way i see it Rossi isn't a guarantee to become an elite forward at the NHL level but his hockey sense at least gives him a chance.

Someone like Quinn has almost no chance to become an elite forward because while he has nice tools, he simply doesn't think the game at an elite level like Rossi and all elite NHL forwards do.

 

[GCK]

yup the way i see it Rossi isn't a guarantee to make become an elite forward at the NHL level but his hockey sense at least gives him a chance.

Someone like Quinn has almost no chance to become an elite forward because while he has nice tools, he simply doesn't think the game at an elite level like Rossi and all elite NHL forwards do.

I think Quinn has a chance to be a consistent goal scorer in the NHL. He might not have a Rossi, Perfetti hockey brain but his hockey sense is at worst average Quinn’s biggest asset is compete level. I could see Dorion trying hard to move up from the NYI pick to get either Quinn or Zary. Both those players scream DJ style to me. I’d be thrilled if he pulled it off.

My dream scenario without getting 2 top 4 picks

Laf - Rossi - Quinn
or
Laf - Zary - Raymond

Either way skill and compete like crazy.

Mix in Brady and some of Norris, C. Brown, Forms, White, Drake, Duke, L. Brown, we could have a nice skilled and hard top 9.

 

[armani]

Just finished drafting using Draft Prospects Hockey’s NHL Draft Sim.

Ottawa Senators

(2) Quinton Byfield, C
(3) Tim Stutzle, C
(21) Rodion Amirov, LW
(33) Emil Andrae, LD
(49) Shakir Mukhamadullin, LD
(52) Carter Savoie, LW
(55) Ty Smilanic, C
(64) Roby Jarventie, LW
(74) Luke Tuch, LW
(95) Jack Finley, C
(152) Blake Biondi, C
(158) Grant Slukynsky, C
(185) Daniel Ljungman, C

 

[Agent Zub]

I think Quinn has a chance to be a consistent goal scorer in the NHL. He might not have a Rossi, Perfetti hockey brain but his hockey sense is at worst average Quinn’s biggest asset is compete level. I could see Dorion trying hard to move up from the NYI pick to get either Quinn or Zary. Both those players scream DJ style to me. I’d be thrilled if he pulled it off.

My dream scenario without getting 2 top 4 picks

Laf - Rossi - Quinn
or
Laf - Zary - Raymond

Either way skill and compete like crazy.

Mix in Brady and some of Norris, C. Brown, Forms, White, Drake, Duke, L. Brown, we could have a nice skilled and hard top 9.

Yea don't get me wrong. I think Quinn has a very good chance to be a good NHL player. Definite 30 goal threat potential.

 

[GCK]

I gave the draft sim a shot. I would be thrilled.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Lafreniere-Rossi would be pretty damn franchise-changing as a duo

IMO Best Player from the Q and best player from the O ... If we can draft like that it won't take long to turn it around.

 

[FormentonTheFuture]

IMO Best Player from the Q and best player from the O ... If we can draft like that it won't take long to turn it around.

Please don’t tell me you have Rossi over Byfield

 

[Tuna99]

5 on 5 okay should be the leading factor in drafting a player, but Sens could really use elite one shot finish on the PP. that’s why I’m leaning Holtz as a 4-6 option.

 

[bert]

yup the way i see it Rossi isn't a guarantee to become an elite forward at the NHL level but his hockey sense at least gives him a chance.

Someone like Quinn has almost no chance to become an elite forward because while he has nice tools, he simply doesn't think the game at an elite level like Rossi and all elite NHL forwards do.

Thats a ridiculously innacurate take.

Quinn thinks the game very well on both sides of the puck. He adapts to the role on his line, finds the soft spots to score and is incredibly elusive on the rush. Despite his age he is early on in his development. Literally still growing and getting stronger with debatably the best shot in the draft.