Prospect Info: 2020 NHL Draft

[StevenToddIves]

For those of you who are wondering, I plan to have my initial full first-round Devils-centric mock draft up by March and my first prospect ranking up some time in March. I know it's later than the other experts, but I don't exactly get paid for this. I'll drop y'all another top 15 mini-mock to hold you off right here:

1 DET LW Lafreniere
2 LA C Byfield
3 NJ C Stutzle
4 OTT LW Raymond
5 ANH RW Holtz
6 OTT D Drysdale
7 BUF C Rossi
8 MIN LW Perfetti
9 NYR C Lundell
10 MTL D Sanderson
11 WPG C Zary
12 NSH LW Holloway
13 CHI G Askarov
14 CGY D Schneider
15 NJ RW Quinn

 

[Blackjack]

Hehe, I agree with everything else you said except this one. If Drysdale is available you take him...D-men of his caliber don't usually get traded or signed in FA, you have to draft them. We desperately need a top D. Besides, I honestly do not see a situation where Stuzle AND Drysdale is available lol. Still time to go but I do believe we will see one of them take the #2 spot (more likely it will be Stutzle). Ofc, this is just a gut feeling that may die out later, we'll see.

People say this because it sounds right and Sakic said it, but it's not really true. Karlsson was traded, Burns was traded, Weber was traded, Subban was traded, Hamilton was traded. They move around just as much as top forwards do.

 

[Guttersniped]

For those of you who are wondering, I plan to have my initial full first-round Devils-centric mock draft up by March and my first prospect ranking up some time in March. I know it's later than the other experts, but I don't exactly get paid for this. I'll drop y'all another top 15 mini-mock to hold you off right here:

1 DET LW Lafreniere
2 LA C Byfield
3 NJ C Stutzle
4 OTT LW Raymond
5 ANH RW Holtz
6 OTT D Drysdale
7 BUF C Rossi
8 MIN LW Perfetti
9 NYR C Lundell
10 MTL D Sanderson
11 WPG C Zary
12 NSH LW Holloway
13 CHI G Askarov
14 CGY D Schneider
15 NJ RW Quinn

I’m sort of shocked that you think Drysdale will last that long. I do think Ottawa having two high picks makes this a tough year to do a mock before the lottery.

Ottawa obviously has to best chance to end up with Drysdale. I think there’s a chance they go all forward if they don’t get 1 or 2 and that’s where they think the top elite talent is. They need an offensive star and have plenty of picks in the 2nd round to grab defensemen.

 

[Nubmer6]

For those of you who are wondering, I plan to have my initial full first-round Devils-centric mock draft up by March and my first prospect ranking up some time in March. I know it's later than the other experts, but I don't exactly get paid for this. I'll drop y'all another top 15 mini-mock to hold you off right here:

1 DET LW Lafreniere
2 LA C Byfield
3 NJ C Stutzle
4 OTT LW Raymond
5 ANH RW Holtz
6 OTT D Drysdale
7 BUF C Rossi
8 MIN LW Perfetti
9 NYR C Lundell
10 MTL D Sanderson
11 WPG C Zary
12 NSH LW Holloway
13 CHI G Askarov
14 CGY D Schneider
15 NJ RW Quinn

Heh... my dream scenario is that the Yotes pick drops into the top 10, we pull #2 in the lottery, and we trade 2 + 10 for Ottawa's 4 + 6 to pick up Drysdale and Holtz.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I’m sort of shocked that you think Drysdale will last that long. I do think Ottawa having two high picks makes this a tough year to do a mock before the lottery.

Ottawa obviously has to best chance to end up with Drysdale. I think there’s a chance they go all forward if they don’t get 1 or 2 and that’s where they think the top elite talent is. They need an offensive star and have plenty of picks in the 2nd round to grab defensemen.

Anaheim has only drafted one player under 6'0 since Murray took over as GM -- they value size in that front office. So, I have the Ducks passing on Drysdale. And, as I'm sure you've noticed, I have the Devils going with Stutzle. The more I watch Stutzle, the more I think he may be closer to Byfield at #2 than he is to the rest of the elite draft class (Drysdale, Raymond, Holtz, Rossi, Perfetti). The kid has no flaw in his game, and he may be closer to the NHL than any player in this draft not named Lafreniere.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Heh... my dream scenario is that the Yotes pick drops into the top 10, we pull #2 in the lottery, and we trade 2 + 10 for Ottawa's 4 + 6 to pick up Drysdale and Holtz.

Haha, keep dreaming. But I will say that in this mini-mock draft, the Devils getting both Stutzle and Quinn would be an absolute coup for the future.

 

[devilsblood]

Anaheim has only drafted one player under 6'0 since Murray took over as GM -- they value size in that front office. So, I have the Ducks passing on Drysdale. And, as I'm sure you've noticed, I have the Devils going with Stutzle. The more I watch Stutzle, the more I think he may be closer to Byfield at #2 than he is to the rest of the elite draft class (Drysdale, Raymond, Holtz, Rossi, Perfetti). The kid has no flaw in his game, and he may be closer to the NHL than any player in this draft not named Lafreniere.

I know Byfield is young for the class, but given his size and dominance in juniors I figured he was a lock to be in the NHL next year.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I know Byfield is young for the class, but given his size and dominance in juniors I figured he was a lock to be in the NHL next year.

It's a long season, but I would give him another year in the OHL. With some more experience and another 10 pounds of muscle on his athletic 6'4 frame, he could jump into the top-6 F role he needs in 2021-22. Next season I feel he will be on a mid-6 level at best... though I'd certainly love to see Mr. Byfield come out and prove me wrong.

 

[beekay414]

I

If we had gone Barzal or Rantanen there no one would be upset that we took a fwd.

Who is the BPA of Barzal, Rantanen, Provorov and Werenski? It wasn't clear then and it's still not clear now. Heck Chabot might have an edge on the 2 d-men at this point.

I wasn't talking about forward vs defensemen. I just want BPA period.

 

[devilsblood]

I

I wasn't talking about forward vs defensemen. I just want BPA period.

Like I said, it wasn't clear at that point, and it rarely is.

 

[Guttersniped]

Heh... my dream scenario is that the Yotes pick drops into the top 10, we pull #2 in the lottery, and we trade 2 + 10 for Ottawa's 4 + 6 to pick up Drysdale and Holtz.

I’ve fantasized enough about similar scenarios that I’m starting to worry about where I’m at mental health wise.

 

[My3Sons]

I’ve fantasized enough about similar scenarios that I’m starting to worry about where I’m at mental health wise.

To be fair the rest of us have been worried about the same thing for you long before you starting fantasizing about this year’s draft.

 

[beekay414]

Like I said, it wasn't clear at that point, and it rarely is.

Much like it isn't clear now. Thats all I'm getting at. I don't want to end up with another Zacha in a loaded class because we failed to identify talent. Is what it is.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Much like it isn't clear now. Thats all I'm getting at. I don't want to end up with another Zacha in a loaded class because we failed to identify talent. Is what it is.

As Devils fans, we need to stop beating up on Zacha. It's not his fault he was drafted too high, and he's a pretty good hockey player. Is he Mat Barzal? No, but Barzal lasted 10 more picks before the Islanders took him. I had Barzal third overall, I wanted him too -- but that's not Zacha's fault. Zacha is a very good third liner and penalty killer, he is what he is. Let's stop fighting the past and accept that.

 

[longislanddevil]

As Devils fans, we need to stop beating up on Zacha. It's not his fault he was drafted too high, and he's a pretty good hockey player. Is he Mat Barzal? No, but Barzal lasted 10 more picks before the Islanders took him. I had Barzal third overall, I wanted him too -- but that's not Zacha's fault. Zacha is a very good third liner and penalty killer, he is what he is. Let's stop fighting the past and accept that.

I say this somewhat in jest but not really...haha...instead of beating up on Zacha, let’s beat up on Conte. He is the one who over-drafted the player. Conte’s atrocious drafting over a lengthy span is a chief contributor to setting our favorite team back so far. This man was very, very bad at his job.

 

[Ol Dirty Bstrd]

I say this somewhat in jest but not really...haha...instead of beating up on Zacha, let’s beat up on Conte. He is the one who over-drafted the player. Conte’s atrocious drafting over a lengthy span is a chief contributor to setting our favorite team back so far. This man was very, very bad at his job.

Bad at his job?! Slow to adapt, sure. Atrocious at the end, yea. It’s like some fans have no appreciation for what Lou and Conte pulled off and how incredibly difficult it is to be that good for that long. Odds are we won’t experience it again in our lifetimes.

These same people praise the ground that Shero and Castron and whoever we hire next walk on. To each their own I guess

And yes, I’m fully aware how bad Lou and Conte f***ed us at the end of that amazing run. But that conclusion was inevitable at some point

 

[My3Sons]

As Devils fans, we need to stop beating up on Zacha. It's not his fault he was drafted too high, and he's a pretty good hockey player. Is he Mat Barzal? No, but Barzal lasted 10 more picks before the Islanders took him. I had Barzal third overall, I wanted him too -- but that's not Zacha's fault. Zacha is a very good third liner and penalty killer, he is what he is. Let's stop fighting the past and accept that.

Ugh. Fine. Alright. Will someone put the greaves and the cat o' nine tails back on the shelf. We can't use them on Zacha anymore. STI said so.

 

[MartyOwns]

Bad at his job?! Slow to adapt, sure. Atrocious at the end, yea. It’s like some fans have no appreciation for what Lou and Conte pulled off and how incredibly difficult it is to be that good for that long. Odds are we won’t experience it again in our lifetimes.

These same people praise the ground that Shero and Castron and whoever we hire next walk on. To each their own I guess

And yes, I’m fully aware how bad Lou and Conte ****ed us at the end of that amazing run. But that conclusion was inevitable at some point

being slow to adapt and being and at his job are not mutually exclusive...quite the opposite actually. his 10-15 year stretch of drafting towards the end was some of the worst i've seen in hockey ever. absolute garbage.

 

[Triumph]

Bad at his job?! Slow to adapt, sure. Atrocious at the end, yea. It’s like some fans have no appreciation for what Lou and Conte pulled off and how incredibly difficult it is to be that good for that long. Odds are we won’t experience it again in our lifetimes.

These same people praise the ground that Shero and Castron and whoever we hire next walk on. To each their own I guess

And yes, I’m fully aware how bad Lou and Conte ****ed us at the end of that amazing run. But that conclusion was inevitable at some point

I don't want to make this a Lou/Conte thread like half the others on the board, but what's baffling about Conte is that he hit so many home runs with smaller players and then moved away from that philosophy by the end of his career. He hit so many home runs outside of junior hockey and by the end he was taking so many junior hockey guys. He didn't move off his old philosophy entirely - there's Tedenby and Kerfoot and Boucher and several smaller forward picks in his later years - but so many of his draft 'wins' were just taking the 5' 11" or smaller guy when other teams were passing on that player. That's what makes it infuriating - obviously the success was never going to last, but not realizing what it is that made you successful, is doubly frustrating.

 

[Guttersniped]

The team had real money issues near the end of Conte’s run, I feel like the scouting staff was probably very thin until Ray rebuilt it under the current owners.

 

[Guttersniped]

Near the end of Conte’s run we usually had late 1st or none plus very few extra picks. You can blame Lou for using the 29th pick in 2012 but Matteau isn’t a shocking failure. There are like 4 NHL players selected before we grabbed Severson at 60 and Tanner Pearson is the only one who’s clearly not a worse player than Damon. Severson is actually a great pick when you compare him to the other players taken around him. You can’t draft great players if there’s not much out there.

 

[longislanddevil]

Bad at his job?! Slow to adapt, sure. Atrocious at the end, yea. It’s like some fans have no appreciation for what Lou and Conte pulled off and how incredibly difficult it is to be that good for that long. Odds are we won’t experience it again in our lifetimes.

These same people praise the ground that Shero and Castron and whoever we hire next walk on. To each their own I guess

And yes, I’m fully aware how bad Lou and Conte ****ed us at the end of that amazing run. But that conclusion was inevitable at some point

I have a deep appreciation for Lou and his contributions to this franchise. Conte? Absolutely not. How could Conte’s overall body of work be described as anything other than “atrocious?” I believe with strong conviction he was awful at his job. With the exception of Parise, I would challenge you to name 5 great prospects (that became great pros) from around 2000 that he unearthed in the span of 15 years. Forget about 5...how about 3? Not even looking for all-stars here...but damn good NHL pros that he drafted...OK...forget about “damn good,” let’s say “solid NHL players.” I think you get the point.

Every scouting team is going to miss from time to time. It’s the nature of the business and law of averages. However, when one completely strikes out year after year...what other conclusion can be drawn other than saying the person is simply a poor talent evaluator?

I do believe Shero did some good things and by and large, I liked the job he was doing...but I certainly wouldn’t say I “praised the ground he worked on.” Castron, on the other hand, has done a fine job. He has hit on many picks (Bratt in the 6th round, Nico over Nolan, Joey Anderson looks like a keeper and he was selected in the 3rd, Walsh in the 3rd looks like it’s going to end up being a steal and so on) and the only significant miss may be McLeod (jury is still out as he could become a useful middle line player but I’ll concede that one...you probably expect more out of the 12th overall pick). There is no comparison whatsoever between Castron and Conte..none.

 

[njdevils309]

I have a deep appreciation for Lou and his contributions to this franchise. With that said, how could Conte’s tenure be described as anything other than “atrocious?” I believe with strong conviction he was awful at his job. With the exception of Parise, I would challenge you to name 5 great prospects (that became great pros) he unearthed in the span of 15 years. Forget about 5...how about 3? Not even looking for all-stars here...but damn good NHL pros that he drafted. Every scouting team is going to miss from time to time. It’s the nature of the business and law of averages. However, when one completely strikes out year after year...what other conclusion can be drawn other than saying the person is simply a poor talent evaluator?

I do believe Shero did some good things and by and large, I liked the job he was doing...but I certainly wouldn’t say I “praised the ground be worked on.” Castron, on the other hand, has done a fine job. He has hit on many picks (Bratt in the 6th round, Nico over Nolan, Joey Anderson looks like a keeper and he was selected in the 3rd, Walsh in the 3rd looks like it’s going to end up being a steal and so on) and the only significant miss may be McLeod (jury is still out as he could still become a useful middle line player but I’ll concede that one...you probably expect more out of the 12th overall pick). There is no comparison whatsoever between Castron and Conte..none.

I'm not a big Conte fan either, but I think you are kinda off on what you think his tenure in Jersey was. I just did a quick search, and he was with the Devils from 1984, became Director of Scouting in '85. He did draft a lot of the core of the Stanley Cup teams. I do agree his last like 10 years were pretty bad, but to say he was atrocious at his job is a bit much, prolly just got too old and lost his touch.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Ugh. Fine. Alright. Will someone put the greaves and the cat o' nine tails back on the shelf. We can't use them on Zacha anymore. STI said so.

Lord, I was so drunk last night I don't even remember writing that about Zacha.

 

[My3Sons]

Lord, I was so drunk last night I don't even remember writing that about Zacha.

It was good to see you stretch your legs beyond the prospects evaluation stuff. Zacha is very polarizing as you are well aware so it was funny to read your comment. As an aside, I'm firmly on the fence with him and would hope he develops enough offense and face-off prowess to take the place of Zajac as a top notch third line center. He has good defensive chops and the PK results speak for themselves. I'm skeptical he has it in him to be consistent enough to be a legit second liner, but I certainly would not want to trade him just to be rid of him as some advocate. Hope the hangover is mild. Lots of water and vitamins and an ibuprofen was about the best I could do back in the day.