Post-Game Talk: 2020 NHL Draft in Review

[BK]

Doing a bit more research, the Reichel and Commesso picks are fine. They're not the forward and goalie I'd have taken(I'd have taken Mercer and Blomqvist) but whatever.
The rest of them are 3rd round picks and Foudy and Poirier were off the board by the time the Hawks picked anyway, and they were the last of the late first/2nd blob players remaining. Whining about 3rd round picks or later in any draft is pointless.
However.....when Commesso got drafted his comments seemed like someone who wasn't thrilled with who drafted him and might go the NCAA UFA route.

Why Blomqvist over Commesso?

 

[OldScool]

@bwana63
I thought you were talking about my complaining Thursday rather than that. I just got the vibe that Commesso wants to stay on the east coast.

I didn’t get that vibe at all. He just said he was thrilled and was planning on being at BU until Chicago thinks he is ready. Looking at how excited when he was picked and how he already had Blackhawk gear on right after draft I am sure he is thrilled chicago picked him. Personally I think he is the best goalie in this draft. Fantastic pick.

 

[Castle8130]

I thought this draft was much stronger than the previous year. This year, I think there was a big drop off after #25, while last years drop off was after #17. I think the reasons for it is because covid gave teams longer to evaluate prospects (since some prospects seasons already started) and it was just stronger in general.

Reichel was in that group of 25 before the drop off, so I am perfectly okay with what we got.

I remember last year I had Zegras ranked #3 and Dach at #8, but I was perfectly okay with the draft selection because I trust our scouting staff more than me. The players 3-9 were interchangeable in that draft year, just like how there were a range of prospects interchangeable this year. I'd say Lapierre, Mercer, Reichel, and Schneider were all choices in that range.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

Why Blomqvist over Commesso?

It's about personal preference. I prefer the athletic goalies out of the draft vs those that are technically sound. You can teach technical soundness/positioning, while you can't teach athleticism.

I'm big on the tools that are not teachable, I value those in scouting higher than those that are teachable. Commesso makes sense for a team that just had Crawford in goal for a decade. Crawford is a good ceiling comp for him, where as Blomqvist is probably more of a Quick/MAF type if he hits his ceiling.

 

[BK]

It's about personal preference. I prefer the athletic goalies out of the draft vs those that are technically sound. You can teach technical soundness/positioning, while you can't teach athleticism.

I'm big on the tools that are not teachable, I value those in scouting higher than those that are teachable. Commesso makes sense for a team that just had Crawford in goal for a decade. Crawford is a good ceiling comp for him, where as Blomqvist is probably more of a Quick/MAF type if he hits his ceiling.

Commesso is more athletic than you think. Being technically sound does not mean you are not athletic, it simply means you don’t have to use athleticism as often.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

Commesso is more athletic than you think. Being technically sound does not mean you are not athletic, it simply means you don’t have to use athleticism as often.

Fair enough.

Also Byfield vs Dach is going to be interesting over the next decade. Both guys have insane upside and I wonder who is going to actually be the better player. Right now I'd go Byfield but we'll see.

 

[clydesdale line]

Gotta love KBS pretending that he's some prospect expert now.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

Gotta love KBS pretending that he's some prospect expert now.

Trying to learn more....I take the opinions of the guys I have access to and read their stuff and form my own opinion based on theirs.

Nowhere do I claim to be a prospect guru like Musto. Musto watches kids and forms his own opinions while I don't and never will.

I don't claim to be a prospect expert or anything like that, but I do have a semi-informed opinion of the prospects. It's nowhere near as easy to watch amateur hockey in the US like it is to watch NCAA football or basketball.

I don't claim to watch baseball prospects either, but I do read up on them as I do with hockey prospects.

Everything is just my semi-informed opinion and I'm secure enough in that to know I'm going to be wrong a bunch. I really don't care. I don't really feel strongly about Reichel/Commesso but in my semi-informed opinion I wouldn't have chosen them with the players available.

Take everything I say about prospects with a grain of salt, and I'm ok being wrong.

 

[Brightwing]

Anyone watch the new On the Clock? Sure seemed like Stan considered trading up for Askarov but it didn't work out.

 

[giza]

He would have been a fool not to kick the tires for Askarov. I'm starting to like this draft more as I digest it.....Phillips could be a nice diamond given his skating and late bloomer size. The USND picks should be NHLers at the least....and the Minnesota D man, long projection here, but nice talent comes out of Minn.....I like that all the D prospects have some size to them.....looks like Stan only needed 15 years to figure that out.

 

[TheDachKnight]

Commesso is very technically sound but he also has plenty of athleticism. Is he Spencer Knight out there athletically? No, but does he still have enough athleticism to be an elite goaltender? Absolutely. Also calling Crawford his ceiling (I personally have heard Crawford, Tim Thomas, and Carter Hart as comps) is not an insult whatsoever. Crawford was an elite goaltender during his time here that constantly got underrated. I’d gladly take any of those 3 players if that’s what Commesso ends up as. Also, I think Commesso is a much safer prospect than Blomqvist. Blomqvist seems more raw to me despite being over 6 months older than Commesso. That’s why he was ranked in the 3rd round while Commesso was ranked mid-late 2nd. Give me the more polished goalie that’s more likely to hit his ceiling. Not super high on Blomqvist and don’t see him as a Quick type goalie either.

 

[Pez68]

Imagine "reviewing" a draft that just took place less, than a month ago. I refuse to participate in this nonsense. Revive this thread in 2-3 years, and I'll humor you.

The truth of the matter is that drafting hockey players is a crap shoot. There are only a handful of can't miss prospects in any draft year. This year is no exception. There's absolutely no way to criticize any of the picks the Hawks made. Much smarter hockey people than us, made those picks. People that have watched these prospects WAY, WAY more than we have. Pretending you know better than any of them how these kids will work out, makes you look like a delusional idiot.

Just stop please.

 

[Brightwing]

Imagine "reviewing" a draft that just took place less, than a month ago. I refuse to participate in this nonsense. Revive this thread in 2-3 years, and I'll humor you.

The truth of the matter is that drafting hockey players is a crap shoot. There are only a handful of can't miss prospects in any draft year. This year is no exception. There's absolutely no way to criticize any of the picks the Hawks made. Much smarter hockey people than us, made those picks. People that have watched these prospects WAY, WAY more than we have. Pretending you know better than any of them how these kids will work out, makes you look like a delusional idiot.

Just stop please.

This is as good a thread as any to talk about the draft class as a whole. We don't need separate threads for each of these prospects. Just consider review means 'looking back' instead of grading.

Otherwise, I can go ahead and start the Chad Yetman appeciation thread?

 

[Pez68]

This is as good a thread as any to talk about the draft class as a whole. We don't need separate threads for each of these prospects. Just consider review means 'looking back' instead of grading.

Otherwise, I can go ahead and start the Chad Yetman appeciation thread?

Haha. It was nothing personal man. I just find these conversations crazy. I consider myself to be a hockey guy. I live hockey most of the year. I'm on the ice(well, I was) almost every day of the week. I have played/coached for 35 years. Even with that....there's no way I can judge these kids with any degree of accuracy. The average fan is absolutely clueless about what the future holds for these draft picks. I mean, look at how often the guys who live and breathe hockey are wrong about them. I'm not talking about talking heads, either. I'm talking about the scouts NHL teams employ JUST to watch junior hockey games.

On the surface there is nothing wrong with any of these picks, and you would be hard pressed to convince ANY hockey person to say otherwise. Those that do, are talking out of their asses.

 

[Brightwing]

Haha. It was nothing personal man. I just find these conversations crazy. I consider myself to be a hockey guy. I live hockey most of the year. I'm on the ice(well, I was) almost every day of the week. I have played/coached for 35 years. Even with that....there's no way I can judge these kids with any degree of accuracy. The average fan is absolutely clueless about what the future holds for these draft picks. I mean, look at how often the guys who live and breathe hockey are wrong about them. I'm not talking about talking heads, either. I'm talking about the scouts NHL teams employ JUST to watch junior hockey games.

On the surface there is nothing wrong with any of these picks, and you would be hard pressed to convince ANY hockey person to say otherwise. Those that do, are talking out of their asses.

No worries, was just joking. Also, not a man.

If anything these threads are fun to look back on to see how perceptions of players have changed.

Interesting fact, we took Michael Krutil one spot before Arizona drafted Mitchell Miller. Let's see who makes the show first.

 

[Pez68]

No worries, was just joking. Also, not a man.

If anything these threads are fun to look back on to see how perceptions of players have changed.

Interesting fact, we took Michael Krutil one spot before Arizona drafted Mitchell Miller. Let's see who makes the show first.

Well, good to know. lol

I'm going to go out on a limb and say....neither Krutil or Miller make the show. The odds are not with them.

 

[giza]

This original post and thread is what it is.....nobody is playing Nostradamus here.....just making comments about extremely young players and how they potentially project....like every draft before, only time will tell----no S*** Sherlock

 

[Northernhawk]

How bad an organization is Arizona??? They get caught and punished for testing 2020 draft prospects ahead of NHL combines, so in theory have gained access to prospects ahead of everyone else, have gained knowledge ahead of everyone else, and as a result lose a 2020 2nd rounder and a 2021 1st rounder(only because they had already traded their 2020 1st) but still when they are finally able to pick at #111 they draft Mitchell Miller? All 30 other NHL teams passed in him(some numerous times)...our own Chicago Blackhawks I can proudly say passed on him four times, even at #110 when they draft ANOTHER DEFENCEMAN in Krutil. So their new GM defends the pick, says they'll work with him, well that last two days...and now the Coyotes renounce the pick...no 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th rounder from this draft, worst cap problems in the league and no 1st in 2021...what a mess!

 

[bwana63]

How bad an organization is Arizona??? They get caught and punished for testing 2020 draft prospects ahead of NHL combines, so in theory have gained access to prospects ahead of everyone else, have gained knowledge ahead of everyone else, and as a result lose a 2020 2nd rounder and a 2021 1st rounder(only because they had already traded their 2020 1st) but still when they are finally able to pick at #111 they draft Mitchell Miller? All 30 other NHL teams passed in him(some numerous times)...our own Chicago Blackhawks I can proudly say passed on him four times, even at #110 when they draft ANOTHER DEFENCEMAN in Krutil. So their new GM defends the pick, says they'll work with him, well that last two days...and now the Coyotes renounce the pick...no 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th rounder from this draft, worst cap problems in the league and no 1st in 2021...what a mess!

Mess is an understatement. Dumpster fire, tire fire, train wreck.

Feel sorry for Hammer.

 

[Brightwing]

Mess is an understatement. Dumpster fire, tire fire, train wreck.

Feel sorry for Hammer.

Hammer was asked to waive and he chose to stay. But he may have a custody arrangement that impacts that.

 

[Giovi]

Hammer was asked to waive and he chose to stay. But he may have a custody arrangement that impacts that.

Or he just like to golf a lot.