Post-Game Talk: 2020 NHL Draft in Review

[Kevin Musto]

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[Kevin Musto]

Chicago really did their own thing. Didn't target high ceiling players.

We'll see how it works for them.

 

[CallMeShaft]

Grades and opinions about each selection (grades based on where they were selected)

Lukas Reichel: B+
I think he has a high floor and could develop into a top line guy. I think other guys who were available had higher chances of hitting their upside (Mercer in particular), but I do acknowledge that I like a lot of aspects of LR's game and I feel he would've showed a lot more offensively in a league not filled with grown men.

Drew Commesso: B
Needed a goalie and got the 2nd best of the draft. I tend to prefer a calm goalie who always is square to shooters over the butterfly types, so I definitely preferred Drew over some of the other options in goal. His stats have also been very good the last couple of years. Crossing my fingers he pulls a Hart.

Landon Saggerty: D
Off the board pick, seems like a 4th line guy if he makes it. Felt we could've done better drafting the consensus BPA.

Wyatt Kaiser: C+
Not BPA, but if everything goes right, he could develop similarly as a guy like Mitchell. Unlikely, but possible and that's all you can ask in the 3rd round.

Michael Krutil: D+
Apparently very solid defensively, but playing in a very lacking league makes this an unexciting pick IMO. Might turn out amazing, but seems very meh right now.

Isaak Phillips: B
Big and fast and seems very mature from the interviews I've watched of him. No complaints with this selection.

Chad Yetman: C-
Fantastic last name, but not high on D+2 overagers. Maybe he'll pull a Shaw, though?

Louis Crevier: B+
Probably won't ever make it in the NHL, but he's a giant RHD and a 7th round pick; not terrible considering.


Biggest disappointment is a lack of trades, but oh well I guess.

 

[Hawkaholic]

I'm not sure why you think Slaggert is a 4th line guy. He seems like a 3rd line energy scorer to me. I mean, if he doesnt hit that, he could play 4th, but that's his upside (3rd liner)

Like a Dave Bolland.

 

[jls24]

My initial reaction is overall it was a fine draft, not too exciting. I think my risk tolerance is higher than the Hawks staff but my job also isn't on the line so I get it.

 

[Mrfenn92]

4 future Norris winners
1 future vezina
1 future selke
1 future hart winner
1 future Chad Yetman

 

[Kevin Musto]

Grades and opinions about each selection (grades based on where they were selected)

Lukas Reichel: B+
I think he has a high floor and could develop into a top line guy. I think other guys who were available had higher chances of hitting their upside (Mercer in particular), but I do acknowledge that I like a lot of aspects of LR's game and I feel he would've showed a lot more offensively in a league not filled with grown men.

Drew Commesso: B
Needed a goalie and got the 2nd best of the draft. I tend to prefer a calm goalie who always is square to shooters over the butterfly types, so I definitely preferred Drew over some of the other options in goal. His stats have also been very good the last couple of years. Crossing my fingers he pulls a Hart.

Landon Saggerty: D
Off the board pick, seems like a 4th line guy if he makes it. Felt we could've done better drafting the consensus BPA.

Wyatt Kaiser: C+
Not BPA, but if everything goes right, he could develop similarly as a guy like Mitchell. Unlikely, but possible and that's all you can ask in the 3rd round.

Michael Krutil: D+
Apparently very solid defensively, but playing in a very lacking league makes this an unexciting pick IMO. Might turn out amazing, but seems very meh right now.

Isaak Phillips: B
Big and fast and seems very mature from the interviews I've watched of him. No complaints with this selection.

Chad Yetman: C-
Fantastic last name, but not high on D+2 overagers. Maybe he'll pull a Shaw, though?

Louis Crevier: B+
Probably won't ever make it in the NHL, but he's a giant RHD and a 7th round pick; not terrible considering.


Biggest disappointment is a lack of trades, but oh well I guess.

I'd love to give grades, but Reichel and Commesso are the only ones I've seen enough of to comment on. I consider myself a draft nerd, and I have not watched most of our picks.

 

[Panzerspitze]

I'm not sure why you think Slaggert is a 4th line guy. He seems like a 3rd line energy scorer to me. I mean, if he doesnt hit that, he could play 4th, but that's his upside (3rd liner)

Like a Dave Bolland.

Bolland was talked about as future second-line center for years, prior to 2013.

 

[Backyard Hockey]

My grade is incomplete.

I have no idea who any of these teenagers are and no idea if they will ever play a single
game for the Hawks.

 

[CallMeShaft]

I'd love to give grades, but Reichel and Commesso are the only ones I've seen enough of to comment on. I consider myself a draft nerd, and I have not watched most of our picks.

Grades are based more off my acceptance of the picks given where a player was expected to go, team need, and what little I know of them from quick Google searches/HF.

 

[hawksfan50]

I wonder if Crevier saves tgecdraft for Stan(at least for now)?


Issues:

1 I am ok with the Reichel pick at #17 over Mercer ...I think Reichel has higher upside ...I wanted Amirov but Leafs got him ahead of us so once off the board I am fine with tge Reichel pick .
Too early to grade each pick but can give a grade in respect to a given ourcdraftcslit was the pick better than exoected (A) ; about equal to anything better we coukd have done (C) or far worse than we coukd have done (F)

For our 17th in round #1 on this 3 grade scale I give it a B.

2.At #46 in roubd 2 we were forced to grab the2nd highest goalievon our list (Askarov of course was #1 hoalie on that list).
This cost us in z deep draft of pisitional pkayers...especially forwards we coukd have otherwise taken..but because we took the best goalie renainibg on our list thatvis as good as expected if we wanted a goalie ...so on that scale the round grades C....it woukd have been anA if Stanhad been able to trade for more 2nd rounderborcat least 1 more Nd we got another goid forward from the good pool available..but alas Stan failed to get us tgat other 2nd rlunder ...this a C round goes to F...ok take the giLie that hogh but get us another firwatd from this deep forward talent pool..he failed to to that.

3. He had 2 picks in round 3cand in mu opinion botched both ...either hecshoukd have traded noth to get back uo in round 2 for a better forward prospect ...or he shoukd have selected better from what was still available from the talentbin round 2...In my opinion.

True both our picks might not be there for us in tound 4 ..but I do not like gambling on high school players as lTe as roubd 3...they must be too 40 cobsensus guys for me to ever take a high school guy ...never do it that late...chances not great of ever making NGL...especially Blackhawks h.s. giys tgat late.Stan committed a sin...nothing againsy the kid we took..just do not like the risk profile of any h.s. kid tgat katecin tge draft.

As for the youn staggers...he projectsvonlh ax a 4yh linervto me and skothis pick was way too high for that ..

So in my draft theory Stan botched roubd 3 and deserves an F for his strategy even if both were ranked close to where they were then.

4.Krutil in round 4...no issues...like the pick ...as good as expected so an C (again this is not a player grade but a drafting grade given choices close to our pick) C = value expected .

5.Phillips in round 6...he adds big mobile LD...no with hipefully some latent offensive upside and more physicality to come...again a C draftibng to acceptabke exoected value)..


6.Yetman . A D+2 oldie...Not exoected value...to me below exoected value =F..

To me IF we wanted to risk on any 20 year old (or about to turn 20( we should have gone to Russia made a swing for the fences i with Dinitri Rashevsky ...not on a likelly career AHLer or marginal nhl 4th liner guy..

I saw both Shaw (a 5th rounder) and Yetman play both in tge season prior to tge year drafted and in the season of the year drafted .. Yetman is not Shaw .. Shaw was a 5th who I thought was a 3rd round value they year he got taken... and Yetman I do not understand why we took him... Seems more like Stan running out of ideas early. HERE is where I woukd have risked on Rashevski whose videos scream hidden gem ...butno nhl team drafted him despitextgecralentbonvideo display....so this was a wasted pick in my opinion.

Stan gets an F for roubd 6.

But he surprises with tgat trade with Montreal forctgexearlycround 7 pick and we gamble on huge Crevier...

To me Stan gets plus pints for making g tge deal both to try for an extra oick this year.. then pulls of the HU GE selection .. somevthought Crevier would go i roubd 6 so getting hom in roundc7 is better than expected and akso gettibgcan extra pick we did not have to begin this drFt is better than expected..so Stan gets anA for roubd 7 .(again not a pkayer grade ).

Overall though ...because he botchrx rounds 3 and 6 ...and because he failed to trade back ul I round 2 in such a deep prospe t talent poil of esprcialky forwards ...to me Stan tgevoverall draft...which coukd have/shoukd have been so much better.


To sim up...happy with our 1st pick...happy with the 3 big dmen...OK witb the goalie risk I round 2...Not happy with the 2 forwards after
Reichel...not happy with the high school pmd we took at#81)..

Stan either shoukd have used pbevofvourc3rs plus a future 3rd to move up into thec2nd again forca better prospect than we got in roubd 3 ...or he simply needed to trade Murphy or Sadd for more 2nds ...

If even 1 of the 3 Bog dmen hits for us down the line that helps move ul the grade for the draft overall and /or of DC becomes a starting goie for us a few years out,tgat too changes this draft ...OR if every pick after Reichel we made busts but Reichel turnsvibto Hossa ir even 3/4 Hossa then thatvtoo savesctge draft for Stan.

We will not know tge answers to this for a few years...but in my opinion Stan coukd have done a lot better.

Other GMS more actively tradi gvassetsxandbpicks moving up or back as they strategies for tragetsxtgey realkyvwantedcto get..Syan stood Oat till ro d 7 when he pulled off hisc1 draft trade.This is a demo draft through 3 rounds.. we had 2 3rd roundersxNd did not maximizextgevoppetunityvto move up...and what we took in round 3 was wrong in my opinion.

Akso ..tge sibsvof past drafts(not selecting enough or enough good goalies earky enough whikecso many picks we tookninstead busted Cost us thus draft by forcing us to take a goalieci a year when itcwss not cobsidered a great gialie crop after Askarov...


So to me Stan gets avpoir Grade because of past sins in poor strategy and because we could have dne lot better...onot getting enough high quality forwardscoutbod a deep and quality forwards draft.

To me Stan botched the strategy for this type of draft... But as I said if even 1 of the 3 BIG dmen difference makes us better defensive and more balanced team down the line, or if DC becomes a top 3rd of the league starter for us or if Reichel turns into Hossa...60-65 points plus defensive details to make us win games ,then Stan getscthevbotch removed.

We should have had different draft strategy..butbitbisxwhatvit is...


Next draft with a veryvdeep and strong Dman crop,Stan probably goes the other way and loads up on forwards.orcworse of hecdoes take dmen ,he foes surf pmd s again...in excess.

We all thought this draft was going to bring (aftwrcroubd 1) more bigger stronger forward rypes...that did not hapoen..

That us why so many fans probably feel Stan shoukd have made a better fit to the opportunities at forward in the early rounds.

So when tge Bog teams shove is around. STAN HAS NO PNE BIT HOMSELF TO BLAME for not addressing that long term need for the system.

Other team shot thise Big forwards for their team balance or teamstyle requirements.. we just have not addressed that area of need well ..

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

 

[HockeySauce]

They got a good young forward and a good young goaltender. Mission accomplished.

 

[Hawkaholic]

Bolland was talked about as future second-line center for years, prior to 2013.

Right, but I am talking about what he mostly was throughout his career.

 

[Teemu]

Lukas Reichel: B+
Once Amirov went there wasn't much of a difference among my next few guys. Reichel is a smart player who knows how to get to the net and has proven that he can hang there among men. Good speed, definitely some potential here for an impact player.

Drew Commesso: B
Perfectly fine if uninspiring pick. Our just-acquire-an-older-goalie strategy has been showing some pretty big cracks recently and I think it makes sense to actually try to develop someone--we are still using our former 2nd rounder in net after all. I've never been a big goalie expert (few are), but he always looked solid to me with a defensively-deficient USA team.

Landon Slaggerty: C-
Pretty meh on him. I mean, he's a good defensive player but I'm not sure if I saw enough in his offensive toolkit or in his skating to inspire enough confidence for a pick this high. That said, he'll have a good long time to figure it out in South Bend. I think he'll be our usual senior-who-may-or-may-not-sign.

Wyatt Kaiser: B/TBD
I don't have a lot on him, though he was generally considered the best HS defenseman by most folks I trust on the matter. I know he can skate like the wind and he's going to one of the best college programs.

Michael Krutil: B
I've seen a little more of him thanks to international play but was looking forward to filling out my profile of him at the cancelled U18s. Ah well. He seemed pretty solid in what I saw on the top pair for the Czechs at 5 Nations, particularly with his positioning and anticipation on defense.

Isaak Phillips: B+
I dig it. He's big, he can skate, and that's about all you really need to know to justify a 5th round pick.

Chad Yetman: D+
Don't really get it. D+2 that didn't have any tool that stuck out to me. Just a guy.

Louis Crevier: D+
lol. Hey at least we didn't take the lousy, giant defenseman in the 2nd round this time.

Overall: C+
We really neither improved nor impaired our future relative to the rest of the league. It's a draft I might like more of if the rest of the division hasn't done so well.

 

[Giovi]

They got a good young forward and a good young goaltender. Mission accomplished.

Pretty much. The rest are lottery tickets.

 

[Kevin Musto]

I think Yetman was definitely the worst pick. That's a guy who was going to go undrafted and we could have signed as a free agent.

Should have invested that pick in Christoffer Sedoff or Alexander Pashin.

 

[giza]

Not an exciting draft----I think the Hawks brass were hoping for a better unfolding.....the Czech D man has battled some injuries, but he could be a nice pick-----Reichel seems to have a lot of +'s to rationalize that spot...time will tell. Don't like panic picks for goaltenders, but hearing he was the 2nd best in the draft which makes me feel better......the lack of size and power forward types in a top heavy forward draft leaves me feeling a bit incomplete.....time will tell.

 

[Hawkey]

I know nothing about the players we drafted but one thing that is apparent is that they seem to now be focusing on players with more grit and determination, as well as more size.

Maybe they’re getting just as tired as I am of watching hawk teams with no heart?

 

[Kevin Musto]

Updated prospect rankings:

1. Ian Mitchell
2. Lukas Reichel
3. Pius Suter
4. Nicolas Beaudin
5. Philipp Kurashev
6. Wyatt Kalynuk
7. Evan Barrett
8. Drew Commesso
9. Artur Kayumov
10. Andrei Altybarmakyan
11. Lucas Carlsson

Does this look about right to everyone?

As much as I'd like to have Nordgren and Wise in there, those injuries have been brutal for them.

 

[CallMeShaft]

Updated prospect rankings:

1. Ian Mitchell
2. Lukas Reichel
3. Pius Suter
4. Nicolas Beaudin
5. Philipp Kurashev
6. Wyatt Kalynuk
7. Evan Barrett
8. Drew Commesso
9. Artur Kayumov
10. Andrei Altybarmakyan
11. Lucas Carlsson

Does this look about right to everyone?

As much as I'd like to have Nordgren and Wise in there, those injuries have been brutal for them.

I'm sure we'll have our prospect polls in the near future (and get a better feel HF Hawks wise), but for me it'd probably be something closer to this:

1. Reichel
2. Mitchell
3. Kurashev
4. Commesso
5. Suter
6. Barratt
7. Beaudin
8. Kayumov
9. Carlsson
10. Teply (your BFF)

H.M. to Vlasic

 

[Kevin Musto]

I'm sure we'll have our prospect polls in the near future (and get a better feel HF Hawks wise), but for me it'd probably be something closer to this:

1. Reichel
2. Mitchell
3. Kurashev
4. Commesso
5. Suter
6. Barratt
7. Beaudin
8. Kayumov
9. Carlsson
10. Teply (your BFF)

H.M. to Vlasic

Alright then we're more or less in agreeance on the players that belong in the top 10.

It seems the Hawks are really pushing for Kalynuk to make the team out of camp so I think the organization definitely views him in the top 10. Over Carlsson and Teply for sure.

 

[Kevin Musto]

Chicago hasn't drafted a player under 5'11" since 2018.

 

[Muffinalt]

I actually liked it quite a lot. Don't know much about the later guys either, but by all accounts we drafted high character kids, who play hard and with compete. Lead by Reichel, it's nice to not have concerns of softness with our top forward prospect.

Exactly what we lacked. Plus a goalie and we managed to get the second highest ranked, who plays a style we love and know.

Bunch of intriguing defenseman too imo, all who either skate really well or defend really well. Already a fan of most of them because of the great interviews.

Our prospect pool became so much more well rounded. And who knows which guy ultimately hits, but if you have the compete and the character, you always have a chance.

 

[HawksDub89]

Updated prospect rankings:

1. Ian Mitchell
2. Lukas Reichel
3. Pius Suter
4. Nicolas Beaudin
5. Philipp Kurashev
6. Wyatt Kalynuk
7. Evan Barrett
8. Drew Commesso
9. Artur Kayumov
10. Andrei Altybarmakyan
11. Lucas Carlsson

Does this look about right to everyone?

As much as I'd like to have Nordgren and Wise in there, those injuries have been brutal for them.

For the most part I agree with this. You’re much higher on Beaudin than I am. Also Teply would definitely be in my top 10