Prospect Info: 2021 Devils-Centric Mock Draft 2.0 for May

[Eggtimer]

That's where trading away our 2021 2nd (most likely 37th O.) to Vegas for Gusev stings a little.

Yes . We have no second rounder at all this year ?

 

[Goomba]

Yes . We have no second rounder at all this year ?

We have the Islanders'

 

[StevenToddIves]

Lol , ok so if we got Hughes with our pick . Would you go with Ceuleman with theIslanders pick if he’s still there as we still need a RHD prospects , or so you go with a forward like Othmann or Pinelli or Raty ? So many variables to consider . I’m glad I don’t have to make those choices .

Personally, taking Hughes with the first pick does not alter the fact that the Devils are really thin at RD in the foreseeable future. So Ceulemans -- or Heimosalmi -- would both be great picks. There's nothing wrong with taking two defensemen in the first round, especially in a draft which is pretty deep at defense.

If forced to choose, Othmann is the guy I want and I have said this at length. His combination of sniping, compete, physicality and intelligent 200-foot play is something the Devils lack anywhere in the organization at LW. But I'd be fine with a lot of players here -- it would be silly to be disappointed with a Pinelli or Raty -- they're both terrific prospects.

 

[StevenToddIves]

We have the Islanders'

This pick is actually pretty crucial. There will be a few players who could slip to this pick who could really fill Devils needs for organizational RD depth (Bar, Iorio, Mailloux), potential top 6 LWs (Poltapov, Martino, Salminen, Koivunen), power Fs who combine physicality with skill (Boucher, Stillman, Duke, Knies) and centers who could be long-term fits behind Hughes/Hischier (Savage, Johnston, Kapanen, Harrison). The Devils also lack LDs with high offensive upside -- most of the prospect depth chart features D-first LDs -- and there will be players with this capacity (Lukashevich, Zellweger, Kuzmin).

 

[StevenToddIves]

I wouldn't be surprised if those rankings are still pretty similar. As Steve Kournianos wrote:

"Still, the question remains — is this tournament really that important when trying to assess a player’s potential at the NHL level? Some call it a piece to a puzzle, while others have used it (or other short tournaments for that matter) as the basis for selecting a player much higher than expected (e.g. Jesperi Kotkaniemi in 2018).
I’d lean more towards insignificance than anything else... (...)

Hence, the slope becomes slippery, which is why it’s imperative to evaluate the prospects over far larger sample sizes of league play, even if that means going back a full season to 2019-20. Otherwise, you fall into the deep chasm of recency bias that props up short-tournament performances over larger, more indicative bodies of regular-season work. This report, as extensive as it may seem, is just to meet a demand for information and will have little to no impact on how I assess their potential for NHL stardom, but that’s my preference."

Recap: 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship (Top Draft Prospects) - The Draft Analyst

I think the tournament will certainly affect the rankings to some degree. How could it not? The pandemic had players playing out of their level or comfort zones all season long.

Scouts only were able to see players like Othmann and McTavish in a handful of games in the Swiss pro league. It was difficult to rank them, but then they dominated against players their own age in the U-18s. The same could be said for Pinelli, who played in -- of all places -- Slovenia.

How about a kid like Isak Rosen? He's averaged two or three shifts per game in the SHL due to being maybe 155 pounds and physically underdeveloped. He should've been playing -- and dominating -- in the Swedish juniors, but the pandemic cancelled the SJ20 season altogether. Then he goes out against players his own age and is one of the most dynamic and electrifying players in the entire tourney.

Or how about Dmitri Kuzmin and Danila Klimovich? Teams do not even scout Belarus at all -- but both of these kids enjoyed stellar tournaments and have certainly shot onto the draft radar of several clubs.

Then, there is the direct comparison factor. It has been well-publicized that the McKenzie rankings had Clarke ranked behind Edvinsson. But will some of the 10 scouts who contribute to those rankings be able to ignore that Clarke was clearly the better player in every respect of the game in their two head-to-head match-ups and all tournament long?

We can talk about some Finnish players -- Samu Tuomaala answered many doubts with a dominant tournament, while Aleksi Heimosalmi -- often left off top 100 lists altogether -- won the award for the best defenseman in the tournament and really impressed.

I suppose we can re-visit this when the McKenzie final rankings come out. But I disagree with Mr. Kournianos, because I believe there will be a lot of movement.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

If Power Clarke Hughes is gone , who do you guys want then?
I assume Beniers will be gone but for the sake of this discussion I put the forward I’d with this in order:
Beniers
Eklund
Geunther
Johnson

Johnson Guenther Wallstedt....Eklund will be good I just don't think he fits the Devils....imo....The "big three" have concerns about them as well I just don't see these guys as being sure fire top pair over all other defenseman in this draft....There are some good lesser known defenders that could surprise...

 

[TheDuke93]

I think when it comes to prospects 1/4 is based on prior seasons. 1/2 is their draft year season. The last 1/4 is tournament play.

Obviously there is some room for weighting. Like Fedor Svechkov undoubtedly shot up 5-10 spots based of his u18s.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

I think the tournament will certainly affect the rankings to some degree. How could it not? The pandemic had players playing out of their level or comfort zones all season long.

Scouts only were able to see players like Othmann and McTavish in a handful of games in the Swiss pro league. It was difficult to rank them, but then they dominated against players their own age in the U-18s. The same could be said for Pinelli, who played in -- of all places -- Slovenia.

How about a kid like Isak Rosen? He's averaged two or three shifts per game in the SHL due to being maybe 155 pounds and physically underdeveloped. He should've been playing -- and dominating -- in the Swedish juniors, but the pandemic cancelled the SJ20 season altogether. Then he goes out against players his own age and is one of the most dynamic and electrifying players in the entire tourney.

Or how about Dmitri Kuzmin and Danila Klimovich? Teams do not even scout Belarus at all -- but both of these kids enjoyed stellar tournaments and have certainly shot onto the draft radar of several clubs.

Then, there is the direct comparison factor. It has been well-publicized that the McKenzie rankings had Clarke ranked behind Edvinsson. But will some of the 10 scouts who contribute to those rankings be able to ignore that Clarke was clearly the better player in every respect of the game in their two head-to-head match-ups and all tournament long?

We can talk about some Finnish players -- Samu Tuomaala answered many doubts with a dominant tournament, while Aleksi Heimosalmi -- often left off top 100 lists altogether -- won the award for the best defenseman in the tournament and really impressed.

I suppose we can re-visit this when the McKenzie final rankings come out. But I disagree with Mr. Kournianos, because I believe there will be a lot of movement.

I agree with you just getting more visibility will affect these prospects either positively or negatively since there has been so little to evaluate them on this year....I would say if anything the Tournament will carry more weight this year then in prior years.

 

[Eggtimer]

As much as I love Cossa as a prospect it would be waaaay too hard to pick him when or if players like Ceuleman Lambos Othmann Pinelli etc are there .

 

[Figgie]

If forced to choose, Othmann is the guy I want and I have said this at length. His combination of sniping, compete, physicality and intelligent 200-foot play is something the Devils lack anywhere in the organization at LW. But I'd be fine with a lot of players here -- it would be silly to be disappointed with a Pinelli or Raty -- they're both terrific prospects.

Othmann played on SL which is the second highest league level after NL in Switzerland and he had only 16 points in 34 games. I have seen only copule u18 games from Othmann but this years points in SL is not very good.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Othmann played on SL which is the second highest league level after NL in Switzerland and he had only 16 points in 34 games. I have seen only copule u18 games from Othmann but this years points in SL is not very good.

Mason McTavish produced more on the same Swiss team, with 9 goals and 11 points in 13 games. But McTavish is looking more and more like a top 10 pick -- also having enjoyed a dominant U-18.

It's very difficult to judge this year, due to so many players playing out of league or not playing at all. The OHL kids had it very tough with the season cancellation. I imagine a 17 year old kid has a ton of challenges leaving home, flying to a nation where a different language is predominant, and learning to play on a different size rink. Most of the kids who did this did not even get to play in training camp with the teams they joined.

In addition to that, we had many kids who struggled playing out of league in their own nation. I have said this repeatedly about one of my very favorites for the 2021 draft Isak Rosen. Physically immature and very slim -- Rosen looks like he's 14 -- this player suffered from the cancellation of the Swedish junior league and was forced to ply his trade in the very difficult SHL. Not shockingly, Rosen was a non-factor, regularly bodied off the puck and limited to a few shifts per game. But Rosen is a dazzling talent who blew up for an exceptional U-18 tournament -- we could argue he was the best player on Team Sweden.

Francesco Pinelli had to play in Slovenia of all places. He had totals of 5g-6a-11p in 13 games despite coming up mid-season in a nation where English is not exactly commonly spoken. Again, this was a player who particularly excelled in the U-18 after mysteriously dropping down the draft rankings boards coast to coast because no one knows how to watch Slovenian hockey in North America. For many teams, the U-18 was their first time scouting Pinelli since early 2020. But this is an incredibly talented hockey player -- we're talking a top 10 talent who could conceivably fall to the mid-20s because of the pandemic.

As for Othmann, I barely watched him in the SL and the camera work was shoddy at best. Most of my notes were going back to 2019-20 with Flint of the OHL until I got to see him in the U-18. He was very, very good all tournament long -- high compete, physical, offensively adept, 200-foot game -- and really put it together in the gold medal game, where he was maybe the best player on the ice in Canada's deciding victory. Normally, I don't like to rely too much on tournament play to influence my rankings, but how do I not do this in this crazy, pandemic-marred draft year? Othmann was put on a first line with Canada's two best forwards (Shane Wright and Dylan Guenther) -- and was a key contributor to the line all tournament long. He showed he can compliment top-tier players in a multitude of ways -- giving them room with a big hit, digging pucks off the boards, setting them up with smooth sauces and finishing nice feeds with a nasty, nasty snipe. The very idea that with all the talent on the roster, Canada chose him to man the LW on their top line says something significant in my opinion.

 

[TBF1972]

Luke will serve NJ more than VAN since VAN already has Quinn to play defense. DET will likely be all in on Luke as well in my view since they will look to pair him with Seider. All three organizations stand to gain attention from drafting Luke which will not be lost on the owners.

You state this like a fact, but not everybody is convinced.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Canucks jump two more times, greatly lowering their odds at Luke, which would save us years of annoying main board trade proposals trying to get Jack there for pennies.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Canucks jump two more times, greatly lowering their odds at Luke, which would save us years of annoying main board trade proposals trying to get Jack there for pennies.

But... but they could offer us Virtanen and a 12th round pick!

 

[aboriginal]

But... but they could offer us Virtanen and a 12th round pick!

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Does Chaz Lucius have a chance to slip into the 20s? I am hoping the knee injury scares some teams off but that seems to be more of an NFL thing.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Does Chaz Lucius have a chance to slip into the 20s? I am hoping the knee injury scares some teams off but that seems to be more of an NFL thing.

No. He has a better chance of going in the top 10. Lucius is a very good all-around player who features perhaps the best shot in the 2021 draft class. He reminds me a bit of Mark Scheifele, in that he's a deadly scorer whose only flaw is that he's not a great skater.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

No. He has a better chance of going in the top 10. Lucius is a very good all-around player who features perhaps the best shot in the 2021 draft class. He reminds me a bit of Mark Scheifele, in that he's a deadly scorer whose only flaw is that he's not a great skater.

Hrm, maybe we should continue the theme of defensmen and hope one sticks as a franchise defensmen. I liked what I saw out of Coroson Ceulemans at the U18.

 

[Call Me Al]

i’d be perfectly happy with two first round D here

 

[SJinNewJersey]

An Anaheim Duck fan posted this, thought it was interesting.

Some interesting answers from Pronman's Mailbag

Brandt Clarke’s stock has been on the rise since the U18s started in Dallas. How do you view him in terms of NHL potential? Could he challenge for No. 1? If not where do you think he gets selected? — Matthew P
I’ve talked to scouts excited about him since the tournament and some who actually didn’t like him/thought he faded after his great first game. I think his stock is rather steady. He will go between six and 10 if I was doing a mock draft now. I project him as a No. 2 or 3 D who could be a PP1 type.

 

[Goptor]

I think the tournament will certainly affect the rankings to some degree. How could it not? The pandemic had players playing out of their level or comfort zones all season long.

Scouts only were able to see players like Othmann and McTavish in a handful of games in the Swiss pro league. It was difficult to rank them, but then they dominated against players their own age in the U-18s. The same could be said for Pinelli, who played in -- of all places -- Slovenia.

How about a kid like Isak Rosen? He's averaged two or three shifts per game in the SHL due to being maybe 155 pounds and physically underdeveloped. He should've been playing -- and dominating -- in the Swedish juniors, but the pandemic cancelled the SJ20 season altogether. Then he goes out against players his own age and is one of the most dynamic and electrifying players in the entire tourney.

Or how about Dmitri Kuzmin and Danila Klimovich? Teams do not even scout Belarus at all -- but both of these kids enjoyed stellar tournaments and have certainly shot onto the draft radar of several clubs.

Then, there is the direct comparison factor. It has been well-publicized that the McKenzie rankings had Clarke ranked behind Edvinsson. But will some of the 10 scouts who contribute to those rankings be able to ignore that Clarke was clearly the better player in every respect of the game in their two head-to-head match-ups and all tournament long?

We can talk about some Finnish players -- Samu Tuomaala answered many doubts with a dominant tournament, while Aleksi Heimosalmi -- often left off top 100 lists altogether -- won the award for the best defenseman in the tournament and really impressed.

I suppose we can re-visit this when the McKenzie final rankings come out. But I disagree with Mr. Kournianos, because I believe there will be a lot of movement.

Thats why the Islanders' pick is going to be a nightmare to actually draft.
There will be players available that should be top5 picks but fell because the season was a mess. There will also be players that should be 3rd rounders but got lucky in the few games they actually got into.

Luckily the Devils' pick wont be an issue. the guys in the top 5 have been scouted for years and are well known.

 

[Goomba]

An Anaheim Duck fan posted this, thought it was interesting.

Some interesting answers from Pronman's Mailbag

Brandt Clarke’s stock has been on the rise since the U18s started in Dallas. How do you view him in terms of NHL potential? Could he challenge for No. 1? If not where do you think he gets selected? — Matthew P
I’ve talked to scouts excited about him since the tournament and some who actually didn’t like him/thought he faded after his great first game. I think his stock is rather steady. He will go between six and 10 if I was doing a mock draft now. I project him as a No. 2 or 3 D who could be a PP1 type.

Yeah I think im missing something in Clarke's game as well because I dont see #1D potential unless he were to greatly improve his stride and footwork

 

[Goomba]

Canucks jump two more times, greatly lowering their odds at Luke, which would save us years of annoying main board trade proposals trying to get Jack there for pennies.

On a serious note, I hope Fitzgerald keeps the phones open and reminds the few GMs ahead of him that hes willing to deal ahead, if need be

If Vancouver started shopping up for Luke Hughes, id imagine Fitzgerald would jump on it as well. And not saying we only want Luke but hes the only player in the top-6 wed be trading an extra 2nd and 4th for to acquire

 

[My3Sons]

On a serious note, I hope Fitzgerald keeps the phones open and reminds the few GMs ahead of him that hes willing to deal ahead, if need be

If Vancouver started shopping up for Luke Hughes, id imagine Fitzgerald would jump on it as well. And not saying we only want Luke but hes the only player in the top-6 wed be trading an extra 2nd and 4th for to acquire

My thinking is that NJ at least puts feelers out about trading up depending upon how the lottery goes. I'm skeptical they pay the toll to upgrade from wherever they land to a pick in the top three but they can at least make a somewhat competitive offer to tell Jack they tried. I'm not sure that VAN will be that interested in Luke short of winning the draft lottery. Moving up from 9 or 10 or wherever they end up if they don't win the draft lottery would be very prohibitive most likely. In my view, it sounds like Luke may be sort of redundant with Quinn. Sure, he's taller, but they are both swift skating offensive defenders who likely never project to be first pair level guys when defending even if their offense and/or transition is first pair level. Frankly, I'm not sure VAN would be all that interested in Jack. He's sort of redundant with Elias "Toast" Petterson and VAN gets no bump from the fact that he is American the way a team in NJ can market him. I don't see any of the Hughes boys leaving a nickel on the table in any contract. If VAN ended up with all three and Elias "Toast" Petterson they'd make the TOR cap situation look balanced.

 

[Goomba]

My thinking is that NJ at least puts feelers out about trading up depending upon how the lottery goes. I'm skeptical they pay the toll to upgrade from wherever they land to a pick in the top three but they can at least make a somewhat competitive offer to tell Jack they tried. I'm not sure that VAN will be that interested in Luke short of winning the draft lottery. Moving up from 9 or 10 or wherever they end up if they don't win the draft lottery would be very prohibitive most likely. In my view, it sounds like Luke may be sort of redundant with Quinn. Sure, he's taller, but they are both swift skating offensive defenders who likely never project to be first pair level guys when defending even if their offense and/or transition is first pair level. Frankly, I'm not sure VAN would be all that interested in Jack. He's sort of redundant with Elias "Toast" Petterson and VAN gets no bump from the fact that he is American the way a team in NJ can market him. I don't see any of the Hughes boys leaving a nickel on the table in any contract. If VAN ended up with all three and Elias "Toast" Petterson they'd make the TOR cap situation look balanced.

Hey now, if money is the issue ill do my part in helping raise the cap to fit Luke and Jack

omw to buy my first NJD 3x Champ coin