Prospect Info: 2020 NHL draft.

[newfy]

Maybe in Canada...

Hes likely the best prospect since McDavid. I dont think hes head and shoulders above someone like Matthews or Eichel but in the same tier and to me appears to be slightly at the top of that tier. I'm not going to count Dahlin because hes a dman but as far as forwards go I think Lafreniere is the next best.

We see eye to eye on most thing TZE, but youve been blinded by a prospect being American before. 2 Art Rosses, 2 Lindsays and a hart trophy are making that look pretty bad right now. I think Hughes was being a bit overrated because hes the only one to be drafted from the program 1st overall, right now hes not looking great but hes got a lot of time before we can say much either way.

Tournament at Europe. Not a surprise if Canada is let without a medal after a timezone disaster.

Sweden will be damn good.

I think Swedens forwards look pretty weak to be honest. Berggren might be their best forward and hes a second round pick that missed all of last season. Their D is pretty stacked though, especially with Sandin being released so that could be enough to take them deep in the tournament. But with a guy like Berggren being their top forward or possibly a couple draft eligibles, that forward group might be the weakest of all the contenders.

This is probably Canada's best team in a few years, I would be surprised if they go medal-less 2 years in a row with the team theyre bringing. Anything can happen obviously but it would be very surprising. When was the last time Canada went without a medal 2 years in a row?

 

[Frk It]

Hes likely the best prospect since McDavid. I dont think hes head and shoulders above someone like Matthews or Eichel but in the same tier and to me appears to be slightly at the top of that tier. I'm not going to count Dahlin because hes a dman but as far as forwards go I think Lafreniere is the next best.

We see eye to eye on most thing TZE, but youve been blinded by a prospect being American before. 2 Art Rosses, 2 Lindsays and a hart trophy are making that look pretty bad right now. I think Hughes was being a bit overrated because hes the only one to be drafted from the program 1st overall, right now hes not looking great but hes got a lot of time before we can say much either way.

I think Matthews and Dahlin were better. People slept on Matthews a little bit because he was after McDavid, but he was special. Each had a very clear elite strength, whereas Lafreniere is more good at everything.

 

[newfy]

I think Matthews and Dahlin were better. People slept on Matthews a little bit because he was after McDavid, but he was special. Each had a very clear elite strength, whereas Lafreniere is more good at everything.

Matthews is a weird one to gauge. In hindsight I think he was extremely pro ready but his ceiling wasnt as high as people thought. He was a lot closer to a finished product and thats why he could be so dominant in the NLA in his draft year. I also think he caught the hype machine a bit because the Leafs were bottoming out that year. But like I said, same tier and if someone ranked Matthews ahead it wouldnt be the worst thing imo.

I just think Lafreniere does a lot out there that none of the other top prospects around him did. The biggest one being he has a crazy motor/drive that Matthews and Eichel never really showed. Is he the goal scorer that Matthews was? No, but hes still going to be one of the best when he gets to the NHL. Does he have the speed of Eichel? No, but he gets around really well. But what he does have is similar all around skill with the pitbull mentality that those guys dont have

 

[raymond23]

I had a dream that we drafted any field last night

 

[Zetterbeer]

I think he’d take byfield if we had the 2nd. But after the big center? Yeah I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he went askarov at 3

From what I've heard, Wings brass isn't as high on Byfield as the consensus seems to be. Laf is the clear cut #1 but I think it's Askarov, followed by the Swedish twins rounding out the top 4. Kaiden Guhle is a guy people should keep an eye on if he makes it to the 2nd round, real smart defender who has excellent and deceptive skating skills.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

From what I've heard, Wings brass isn't as high on Byfield as the consensus seems to be. Laf is the clear cut #1 but I think it's Askarov, followed by the Swedish twins rounding out the top 4

1. You can't just drop this on us with zero elaboration, and 2. Who's the second Swedish twin? Raymond and... who? Holtz? That's really high for him.

I literally cannot buy that anyone wouldn't be high on Byfield, though. That doesn't even make sense.

 

[Frk It]

I literally cannot buy that anyone wouldn't be high on Byfield, though. That doesn't even make sense.

In Bob's pre-season list he said 5 of the 10 NHL scouts he interviewed had Byfield in the 3-6 range. We will see what his mid-season rankings show after the WJC. Not sure Byfield is quite the slam dunk at #2 that people on here think he is. Maybe by the draft he will be.

 

[Christien]

Raymond got cleared for the WJC today so should be a good idea to pay attention to him during the tournament

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

In Bob's pre-season list he said 5 of the 10 NHL scouts he interviewed had Byfield in the 3-6 range. We will see what his mid-season rankings show after the WJC. Not sure Byfield is quite the slam dunk at #2 that people on here think he is. Maybe by the draft he will be.

I just don't understand what the knock on his game would be. It really seems like he can do it all.

Like Bob's writeup says :

Byfield can make plays and score goals, but scouts will be watching him to see if his finer offensive skills - vision, hands, creativity - are on the same level as the other top offensive prospects.

I think we can conclusively say MYTH BUSTED.

 

[newfy]

In Bob's pre-season list he said 5 of the 10 NHL scouts he interviewed had Byfield in the 3-6 range. We will see what his mid-season rankings show after the WJC. Not sure Byfield is quite the slam dunk at #2 that people on here think he is. Maybe by the draft he will be.

That was right after he had a pretty weak showing at the Hlinka probably. I would be very surprised if he isnt the clear cut number 2 at this point, might even actually be closer to number one than he is to three by now.

 

[Frk It]

I just don't understand what the knock on his game would be. It really seems like he can do it all.

Like Bob's writeup says :

I think we can conclusively say MYTH BUSTED.

I mean the scouts said what they said. It’s usually a good representation of how NHL teams feel. If the mid-season says everyone has them as the consensus 2, then I’m with you.

I have him as the #2 by a big gap, but that’s just me. My guess is there might be some worry that he is dominating just due to a big size/speed advantage over kids in Juniors.

I don’t feel that way, but could see someone questioning that.

 

[Zetterbeer]

I just don't understand what the knock on his game would be. It really seems like he can do it all.

Like Bob's writeup says :

I think we can conclusively say MYTH BUSTED.

The Wings were higher on Dach than most but are lower on Byfield. Dach played a less dominant game, but with elite hockey IQ and playmaking, where his knocks revolved around his skating and shot. The latter is a dominant power forward who can skate and score at will, but I think there is some concern about his general hockey IQ, decision making and "finer offensive skills" as Bob mentioned.

As Frk It said, the size/speed factor for a big man in juniors is something to be aware of, not that it's a major factor, but it's something to be aware of.

Go look back at the CHL scoring leaders over the last 10 years, plenty of guys who dominate junior can't put it together when they get to the NHL for one reason or another.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

The Wings were higher on Dach than most but are lower on Byfield.

How do you know this?

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Hes likely the best prospect since McDavid. I dont think hes head and shoulders above someone like Matthews or Eichel but in the same tier and to me appears to be slightly at the top of that tier. I'm not going to count Dahlin because hes a dman but as far as forwards go I think Lafreniere is the next best.

We see eye to eye on most thing TZE, but youve been blinded by a prospect being American before. 2 Art Rosses, 2 Lindsays and a hart trophy are making that look pretty bad right now. I think Hughes was being a bit overrated because hes the only one to be drafted from the program 1st overall, right now hes not looking great but hes got a lot of time before we can say much either way.



I think Swedens forwards look pretty weak to be honest. Berggren might be their best forward and hes a second round pick that missed all of last season. Their D is pretty stacked though, especially with Sandin being released so that could be enough to take them deep in the tournament. But with a guy like Berggren being their top forward or possibly a couple draft eligibles, that forward group might be the weakest of all the contenders.

This is probably Canada's best team in a few years, I would be surprised if they go medal-less 2 years in a row with the team theyre bringing. Anything can happen obviously but it would be very surprising. When was the last time Canada went without a medal 2 years in a row?

I don't think he is better than Eichel, Matthews or Dahlin. Somehow we have forgotten when polled by Bobby Mac if they moved him up a year with Hughes who is what four months older NHL scouts still had Hughes ranked over him too last year. He talked about it on several podcasts. I personally have him behind Svechnikov in terms of the recent wingers.

I champion American players for sure. But I also have argued Draisaitl, Pettersson and Svechnikov as top forwards in their draft year. Ultimately I like talent, I have three Canadians in my top 4 currently. I think Lafreniere is an upgraded Huberdeau. I would love to have him, I won't be disappointed but no I don't think he is Jack Eichel good.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Matthews is a weird one to gauge. In hindsight I think he was extremely pro ready but his ceiling wasnt as high as people thought. He was a lot closer to a finished product and thats why he could be so dominant in the NLA in his draft year. I also think he caught the hype machine a bit because the Leafs were bottoming out that year. But like I said, same tier and if someone ranked Matthews ahead it wouldnt be the worst thing imo.

I just think Lafreniere does a lot out there that none of the other top prospects around him did. The biggest one being he has a crazy motor/drive that Matthews and Eichel never really showed. Is he the goal scorer that Matthews was? No, but hes still going to be one of the best when he gets to the NHL. Does he have the speed of Eichel? No, but he gets around really well. But what he does have is similar all around skill with the pitbull mentality that those guys dont have

Take it you have unplugged from Eichel actually having an argument over the last month and change as the best player in hockey. Right there with Pasta, McDavid and Leon.

I think Matthews would be a lot better off outside of Toronto in all honesty.

 

[newfy]

I don't think he is better than Eichel, Matthews or Dahlin. Somehow we have forgotten when polled by Bobby Mac if they moved him up a year with Hughes who is what four months older NHL scouts still had Hughes ranked over him too last year. He talked about it on several podcasts. I personally have him behind Svechnikov in terms of the recent wingers.

I champion American players for sure. But I also have argued Draisaitl, Pettersson and Svechnikov as top forwards in their draft year. Ultimately I like talent, I have three Canadians in my top 4 currently. I think Lafreniere is an upgraded Huberdeau. I would love to have him, I won't be disappointed but no I don't think he is Jack Eichel good.

I know youre mostly about talent. I remember that being said as well about Hughes but I also think that its a bit unfair to compare a guy in his draft year to a guy in his draft-1. We'll see if its mentioned at all this year closer to the draft but I wouldnt be surprised if this years version of Lafreniere would go higher than Hughes in a redraft.

Take it you have unplugged from Eichel actually having an argument over the last month and change as the best player in hockey. Right there with Pasta, McDavid and Leon.

I think Matthews would be a lot better off outside of Toronto in all honesty.

Not unplugged from it. Eichel has finally put together about a months span where he is even somewhat comparable to McDavid but McDavid is still 11 points ahead this year less than half way through, and has a tonne of hardware to his name while Eichel isnt even a point per game for his career. Going to take a lot more than just this month to say theyre even close

 

[ArmChairGM89]

From what I've heard, Wings brass isn't as high on Byfield as the consensus seems to be. Laf is the clear cut #1 but I think it's Askarov, followed by the Swedish twins rounding out the top 4. Kaiden Guhle is a guy people should keep an eye on if he makes it to the 2nd round, real smart defender who has excellent and deceptive skating skills.

that’s cool. Who are you hearing that from? To be honest I like stutzle more than byfield but the consensus is so high on byfield I don’t like saying it in public lol not sure what “twins” you are referring to, but I really don’t want Raymond. RW is arguably our strongest organizational position and there is plenty of talent as good or better at more dire positions imo. I wouldn’t personally go the askarov route but I could see scenarios in which Yzerman would. If he did I’d still be excited. It’s just not what I would do.

It’s laffytaffy or stutzle for me.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I know youre mostly about talent. I remember that being said as well about Hughes but I also think that its a bit unfair to compare a guy in his draft year to a guy in his draft-1. We'll see if its mentioned at all this year closer to the draft but I wouldnt be surprised if this years version of Lafreniere would go higher than Hughes in a redraft.



Not unplugged from it. Eichel has finally put together about a months span where he is even somewhat comparable to McDavid but McDavid is still 11 points ahead this year less than half way through, and has a tonne of hardware to his name while Eichel isnt even a point per game for his career. Going to take a lot more than just this month to say theyre even close

Lafreniere is closer in age to Hughes than he is to Byfield. He is an older player that has been playing ahead for a long time now.

Not as worried about Hughes' transition. The Devils would be getting attention for the worst team in the league if we weren't doing what we are doing. I think his hands and speed will pan out as soon as he figures a few things out and let's the puck work for him more at the NHL level. He also will get a little stronger, but still very high on his offensive game.

On Eichel, yeah has he played with anybody even as good as RNH? I mean I don't consider Skinner better than him. He has been flying solo on a really bad team, we can talk about the depth in Edmonton, but at least McDavid has Draisaitl.

I don't think anybody will be close to McDavid, have changed on that. Didn't think he would be quite this special, I think I was a little snowed under by the constant Crosby PR machine. McDavid is the best player since Lindros to hit the league, heck I will go ahead and say I think he is better than him as well. He is a true Mt. Rushmore candidate player, I thought Eichel was going to be close in a similar contest as Sid vs Ovie, but McDavid really is a superlative talent, not one being crammed down our throats, one that is actually head and shoulders better than his peers in my opinion. He is the best player I have seen in 20 years.

I am not sure I see superstar level stuff out of Raymond.

I do think the top 3 have superstar stuff and I am leaning Drysdale hard at #4. I am not sure we would consider him, but he looks like a back-end star, just not sure I attach superstar.

I do think Lafreniere, Byfield and Askarov all have that superstar level ceiling. We will see if we are at 4 and they take Drysdale I think it makes things interesting on the right side, but I have always said BPA so I will have trouble killing the pick.

1.) Byfield
2.) Lafreniere
3.) Askarov
4.) Drysdale
5.) Raymond

That would be my current top 5.

 

[Zetterbeer]

that’s cool. Who are you hearing that from? To be honest I like stutzle more than byfield but the consensus is so high on byfield I don’t like saying it in public lol not sure what “twins” you are referring to, but I really don’t want Raymond. RW is arguably our strongest organizational position and there is plenty of talent as good or better at more dire positions imo. I wouldn’t personally go the askarov route but I could see scenarios in which Yzerman would. If he did I’d still be excited. It’s just not what I would do.

It’s laffytaffy or stutzle for me.

The Swedes I'm referring to are Holtz and Raymond. Both are actually listed as LW/RW and both shoot right, which would be a much welcomed addition.

I'm actually quite fond of the idea of drafting Askarov if we don't get Laf. Addressing the goalie issue sooner than later would bode well for the rebuild. I know a lot people would prefer an elite forward, but Askarov may very well be the BPA and fill our biggest need.

 

[ArmChairGM89]

The Swedes I'm referring to are Holtz and Raymond. Both are actually listed as LW/RW and both shoot right, which would be a much welcomed addition.

I'm actually quite fond of the idea of drafting Askarov if we don't get Laf. Addressing the goalie issue sooner than later would bode well for the rebuild. I know a lot people would prefer an elite forward, but Askarov may very well be the BPA and fill our biggest need.

I said in another post that if you plan on using a high pick on a goalie better sooner than later so I partially agree on askarov. I just don’t know that I personally would go that route.

 

[Zetterbeer]

I said in another post that if you plan on using a high pick on a goalie better sooner than later so I partially agree on askarov. I just don’t know that I personally would go that route.

Still lots of time until the draft, lists are always changing. Will be nice to see him get some playing time at the world junior showcase.

 

[deca guard]

cant way for gord n ray calling the worlds

 

[newfy]

I do think the top 3 have superstar stuff and I am leaning Drysdale hard at #4. I am not sure we would consider him, but he looks like a back-end star, just not sure I attach superstar.

I do think Lafreniere, Byfield and Askarov all have that superstar level ceiling. We will see if we are at 4 and they take Drysdale I think it makes things interesting on the right side, but I have always said BPA so I will have trouble killing the pick.

1.) Byfield
2.) Lafreniere
3.) Askarov
4.) Drysdale
5.) Raymond

That would be my current top 5.

Yeah even with handedness, if you think Drysdale is number 4 you take him at that point in the draft. If there was one position worth having an excess of goods at, it would be right handed dmen. If him, Hronek and Seider all hit their potential you can try moving one over or deal them for a kings ransom.

I agree on the top 3 having superstar potential and it drops after that. I just dont value a superstar goalie as much as I do a superstar forward and probably not over a star dman either (like you said about Drysdale). I would rather them go out and do something like Toronto did with Andersen because I really dont think the gap in a superstar goalie and a really good starter is even that different, especially year to year because goalies can be inconsistent. Even with Price, in his prime years you have 2 years of .905, .900 one year and just a .908 this season. I would consider those below average starter numbers and he has a lot of other years where he was just solid, not great.

I wouldnt absolutely hate an Askarov pick if the wings fell to 4 or 5 I guess but I wouldnt be excited until he was in the NHL actually making a difference.

I'm off for 3 weeks over Christmas, I'll post a top 5 or 10 after the world juniors are done so that I'm not just the guy on here criticising others lists without having one of my own

 

[DatsyukToZetterberg]

I said in another post that if you plan on using a high pick on a goalie better sooner than later so I partially agree on askarov. I just don’t know that I personally would go that route.

I'm not big on using high picks on goalies, even if they're as talented as Askarov in this years draft, Knight in last years, or Wallstedt in 2021. I won't go into a full rant about it, but I generally feel like taking a goalie in the 1st round, especially the top 10, is poor asset management. In this years draft I'd rather we target someone like Joel Blomqvist with our early 2nd or even our 3rd if he was still available.

I think this year's top 10 is going to end up being quite similar to 2017's where the top 2 picks will be pretty much set in stone and the rest of the top 10 will likely be completely different depending on the team that holds the pick. As of now I think my top 10 pre-WJC is shaping up to look this:

Tier 1
Alexis Lafreniere

Tier 2
Quinton Byfield

Tier 3
Marco Rossi
Tim Stutzle
Jamie Drysdale
Lucas Raymond

Tier 4
Anton Lundell
Cole Perfetti
Yarslav Askarov
Alexander Holtz

I'm not sure the WJC really changes anything for me as a large portion of my top 10 won't be playing. I do think this will be a decent way to see how Stutzle/Raymond/Holtz compare to one another as well as determine if anyone has a chance to unseat Lafreniere as the #1. I'm always hesitant to make any drastic changes to my opinions of players after the WJC as the sample is really quite small, but there are a couple of interesting story lines to watch for this tournament.

 

[ArmChairGM89]

I'm not big on using high picks on goalies, even if they're as talented as Askarov in this years draft, Knight in last years, or Wallstedt in 2021. I won't go into a full rant about it, but I generally feel like taking a goalie in the 1st round, especially the top 10, is poor asset management. In this years draft I'd rather we target someone like Joel Blomqvist with our early 2nd or even our 3rd if he was still available.

I think this year's top 10 is going to end up being quite similar to 2017's where the top 2 picks will be pretty much set in stone and the rest of the top 10 will likely be completely different depending on the team that holds the pick. As of now I think my top 10 pre-WJC is shaping up to look this:

Tier 1
Alexis Lafreniere

Tier 2
Quinton Byfield

Tier 3
Marco Rossi
Tim Stutzle
Jamie Drysdale
Lucas Raymond

Tier 4
Anton Lundell
Cole Perfetti
Yarslav Askarov
Alexander Holtz

I'm not sure the WJC really changes anything for me as a large portion of my top 10 won't be playing. I do think this will be a decent way to see how Stutzle/Raymond/Holtz compare to one another as well as determine if anyone has a chance to unseat Lafreniere as the #1. I'm always hesitant to make any drastic changes to my opinions of players after the WJC as the sample is really quite small, but there are a couple of interesting story lines to watch for this tournament.

I agree with most of this but byfield would be moved down and tier three would be renamed tier 2 with stutzle at the top of it.

in other words I don’t think byfield is in another class. I think you can mix him into your tier 3 guys. I’m not as high on him as the consensus