2021 NHL Entry Draft Part 1

[SOLR]

If we still own our first.. maybe this year in the defense deep draft, we'll grab ourselves a forward.. after grabbing a D man in an offense deep draft.

Contrarians!

 

[montreal]

If we still own our first.. maybe this year in the defense deep draft, we'll grab ourselves a forward.. after grabbing a D man in an offense deep draft.

if we get another D I'm going to lose it. We already are likely going to have to trade more then 1 at some point unless one or both of Harris/Struble refuse to sign and go the UFA route.

 

[WeThreeKings]

if we get another D I'm going to lose it. We already are likely going to have to trade more then 1 at some point unless one or both of Harris/Struble refuse to sign and go the UFA route.

I agree.. really surprised they went D this time around but also didn't expect only 2 D to go in the top 15.

 

[Habs76]

I mean, I'm really not gonna complain if we come out of this draft with like Lambos, Clarke Power, or someone along those lines. At the very worst some of our spare dmen can be trade capital.

 

[NeptunesTrident]

Kudos to our draft guys. They were one of, if not the first, to discuss Mitch Miller's history and why he should be a ND. That is what makes the Habs draft thread the best on these boards. Thanks guys! Great job!

 

[montreal]

Dovar Tinling, he's a Freshman at Vermont, from Pointe-Claire, is he someone to keep an eye on for the draft since I suspect I will get to see him play vs Harris/Struble and Tuch.

 

[Habs Halifax]

if we get another D I'm going to lose it. We already are likely going to have to trade more then 1 at some point unless one or both of Harris/Struble refuse to sign and go the UFA route.

We need wingers yes but wouldn't it be easier to trade a guy like Guhle for a winger if we need to down the road? Same applies to the next draft. If a D is still on the board and stands out, you take him right? It would have to be obvious where we can't pass up though

Top 4D > Top 6F

 

[Plekatorz]

I’m a member of the TSLH podcast (in french sorry ) and we will be receiving a scout of the Washington Capitals on our next episode (brag). We would like to give the chance to everyone to ask him questions about his job, scouting, etc. You can shoot them to me here or by private message (as you want). I hope that we will receive a lot of them (the episode will be registered monday and broadcast on wednesday, facebook, youtube, applepodcast and on a lot of other plateform
S of podcast).

I’ll try to translate them here afterward.

 

[Habs76]

I’m a member of the TSLH podcast (in french sorry ) and we will be receiving a scout of the Washington Capitals (QJMHL) on our next episode (brag). We would like to give the chance to everyone to ask him questions about his job, scouting, etc. You can shoot them to me here or by private message (as you want). I hope that we will receive a lot of them (the episode will be registered monday and broadcast on wednesday, facebook, youtube, applepodcast and on a lot of other plateform
S of podcast).

I’ll try to translate them here afterward.

If you wanted to ask something like “how has a professional team’s approach to scouting changed since COVID?” type Q that would be cool

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

If there's a #right handed D available where we pick that's clear BPA and big offensive upside, I definitely won't be ticked.

All we have for Right handed D are Brook, Fleury and Juulsen. That's not bad but it's a bit iffy.

Don't get me wrong I want skilled wingers more than anything but there are circumstances that I will be more than happy with a D pick.

 

[montreal]

If there's a #right handed D available where we pick that's clear BPA and big offensive upside, I definitely won't be ticked.

All we have for Right handed D are Brook, Fleury and Juulsen. That's not bad but it's a bit iffy.

Don't get me wrong I want skilled wingers more than anything but there are circumstances that I will be more than happy with a D pick.

as it's been said almost all of our LD's play RD when we have only 1 legit forward prospect for the top 6 before the '20 draft.

 

[Frozenice]

as it's been said almost all of our LD's play RD when we have only 1 legit forward prospect for the top 6 before the '20 draft.

I'd also be on board for a offensive type RD. What we need at the forward position is an elite winger, imo, someone that is either 1st or 2nd OA. If we're drafting in the teens I don't know if I'm really going to care that much who we draft.

 

[Habs76]

I'd also be on board for a offensive type RD. What we need at the forward position is an elite winger, imo, someone that is either 1st or 2nd OA. If we're drafting in the teens I don't know if I'm really going to care that much who we draft.

I'll always care who we're drafting but guys- it's about quality. A lot of these guys are 3+ years away. Three years ago we had Pacioretty, Plekanec and Galchenyuk on the roster. The future isn't easily predictable and it's certianly adaptable.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

The USDP is really good this year, we might see 10 Americans in the first round again

 

[Riggins]

Still pissed we should have been on the clock at 9th overall with Perfetti on the board. Thanks NHL and a completely unmotivated Pens team!

I don't see myself getting into the 2021 class all that much... it's hard to with the hockey world turned upside down and most of these kids not even playing yet. It should be an even bigger crapshoot so having all the extra picks might be a bigger benefit than normal - if they actually use them that is.

 

[Frozenice]

I'll always care who we're drafting but guys- it's about quality. A lot of these guys are 3+ years away. Three years ago we had Pacioretty, Plekanec and Galchenyuk on the roster. The future isn't easily predictable and it's certianly adaptable.

We are going to be replacing Weber and Petry at some point in the not too distant future. Both of them are important pieces and we’ll miss them more then a lot of people realize.

I think drafting one really good RD shoukd be a priority. It’s not the only need but it still is a need.

 

[montreal]

We are going to be replacing Weber and Petry at some point in the not too distant future. Both of them are important pieces and we’ll miss them more then a lot of people realize.

I think drafting one really good RD shoukd be a priority. It’s not the only need but it still is a need.

you shouldn't go into the draft looking to replace Weber or Petry, you should be looking at your farm system. Having 1 legit top 6 forward prospect pre '20 draft is horrible and must be addressed, when the '21 draft happens we'll see where our farm system stands since it's so fluid from year to year but it's highly likely that we will have a massive need for a top 6 forward prospect and too many D prospects.

 

[Frozenice]

you shouldn't go into the draft looking to replace Weber or Petry, you should be looking at your farm system. Having 1 legit top 6 forward prospect pre '20 draft is horrible and must be addressed, when the '21 draft happens we'll see where our farm system stands since it's so fluid from year to year but it's highly likely that we will have a massive need for a top 6 forward prospect and too many D prospects.

In a lot of ways I don’t care about forwards, other then having 3 good centres and a few decent wingers. Every year a couple of wingers are available as UFA’s or for cheap in trade.

Once we have our future D more or less settled on and in place we can start focusing on wingers and our farm system. It’s what I expect MB to do.

 

[Big Empty]

Thoughts on Brandt Clarke?

 

[montreal]

In a lot of ways I don’t care about forwards, other then having 3 good centres and a few decent wingers. Every year a couple of wingers are available as UFA’s or for cheap in trade.

Once we have our future D more or less settled on and in place we can start focusing on wingers and our farm system. It’s what I expect MB to do.

that doesn't make any sense at all, how can you not care about forwards? How many top 6 wingers have we landed via UFA in the last 15-20 years and you think that's a good plan?

 

[covfefe]

Thoughts on Brandt Clarke?

Brock just posted this on him today:

About as complete a 16 year old defender that I've seen come through the OHL. Defensively, he was the most composed, mature, and effective rookie blueliner since Aaron Ekblad. I mean, that should come as no surprise considering Clarke came from a Don Mills MM team that played with more structure than some OHL teams. However, it's still impressive. If you recall, I posted some advanced stats in my (relatively) recent Top 25 prospects release (here). Clarke's defensive metrics, such as his 9.17 takeaways per game, were right up near the top of the class already. Offensively, his confidence really soared in the second half after the coaching change to Todd Miller. In the 22 games under Miller, Clarke had 21 points. We saw him get more powerplay responsibility. We saw his confidence blossom in leading the attack, taking more chances to create. This is a 6'1 (and possibly still growing), right shot defender who tracks as a possible number one, all situations, franchise defender. He has mobility. He can play physical. I mean, there aren't many, if any faults to his game. Needless to say, it looks like he'll get drafted higher than his brother Graeme (of the 67's and New Jersey Devils). Brandt has a very real chance of pushing for first overall and I would be shocked if he's not a top five pick in 2021.

 

[Frozenice]

that doesn't make any sense at all, how can you not care about forwards? How many top 6 wingers have we landed via UFA in the last 15-20 years and you think that's a good plan?

I believe in building through phases. Get the defense sorted out first along with a top centre or two and once that's done, focus on offense.

However, don't be like Nashville and keep drafting d men year after year. Get your D sorted out and then move on to other things.

I've noticed teams that tank and don't have their defense sorted out, even if they get a couple of elite forwards, their team is a mess, like Edmonton.

 

[Habs76]

I believe in building through phases. Get the defense sorted out first along with a top centre or two and once that's done, focus on offense.

However, don't be like Nashville and keep drafting d men year after year. Get your D sorted out and then move on to other things.

I've noticed teams that tank and don't have their defense sorted out, even if they get a couple of elite forwards, their team is a mess, like Edmonton.

I concur that the scope is broad.

The only thing separating prospects from players on your roster is that... prospects aren't on your roster. Suzuki and Kotkaniemi are graduated and so judging by our prospect pool we'll be desperate for centers down the line. The reality couldn't be further from the case.

 

[montreal]

I believe in building through phases. Get the defense sorted out first along with a top centre or two and once that's done, focus on offense.

However, don't be like Nashville and keep drafting d men year after year. Get your D sorted out and then move on to other things.

I've noticed teams that tank and don't have their defense sorted out, even if they get a couple of elite forwards, their team is a mess, like Edmonton.

they are loaded with D prospects to the point that there could be an issue with playing time at some point so it's likely that some will need to be traded but that's risky since you don't want to trade someone and have them breakout on another team. Meanwhile the forward group is so bleak unless the '20 class shows a good bit by the next draft.

You said don't be like Nashville, before the '20 draft we picked 15 out of 34 picks were blueliners. Add in 2 goalies and half our picks have been on the backend over the past 4 drafts. Now we added 6 forward picks but we'll need to see how that looks in a year come draft time.

 

[Frozenice]

they are loaded with D prospects to the point that there could be an issue with playing time at some point so it's likely that some will need to be traded but that's risky since you don't want to trade someone and have them breakout on another team. Meanwhile the forward group is so bleak unless the '20 class shows a good bit by the next draft.

You said don't be like Nashville, before the '20 draft we picked 15 out of 34 picks were blueliners. Add in 2 goalies and half our picks have been on the backend over the past 4 drafts. Now we added 6 forward picks but we'll need to see how that looks in a year come draft time.

Nashville has lost or traded Weber, Suter, PK, Seth Jones and others and yet they still have an excellent defensive hockey team. That is unreal.

I was only talking about getting a RD, I agree with you about LD and I suspect we’ll have a LD playing on the right side in the years to come.