Prospect Info: 2021 NHL Draft Hype

DFC

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I think we're gonna get back into one of the first two rounds.
 

TheDaysOf 04

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Jun 23, 2007
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Bob's Final Top 100 Draft rankings



We're picking 95th overall so here are some guys from Bob's list in that range

89. Ben Roger - 6'4" righthanded dman for London in the OHL. Big and mobile dmen are a Lightning scout's delight. He didn't play a game this year, and only played 35 last year. Does that make him a sleeper pick or is there not enough to pick him that high? I also wonder what the lack of games at age 16-17 and 17-18 do to his development.

90. Ryan Ufko - 5'10" righty offensive dman. He had 10 goals and 39 points in 53 USHL games this past season. He was on the top pair for Team White at the BioSteel All American game back in April. He scored their only goal against the US U-18 team. He'll play for the defending NCAA champs at UMass in 2021-22. He also has an invite to USA Hockey's national junior team summer evaluation camp.

92. Matvei Petrov - 6'2" winger playing in the MHL. 42 points in 58 games. He's also played for Russia's U-17 and U-18 teams. He was the 1st overall pick in the 2020 CHL import draft for North Bay (OHL). Obviously he didn't come over this past year, but it is confirmed that he will play in the OHL this season.

96. Jack Matier - Like Roger, another big right handed mobile 6'4" dman from the OHL who didn't have a season in 2021. The difference between him and Roger though is Matier played 56 games last season and then joined Team Canada for the U-18's back in May that won gold. He was on the 3rd pair and didn't play as well as some of the other dmen for Canada while guys like Del Mastro and Zellwegger improved their draft stock.

97. Haakon Hanelt - 6'0" forward for Berlin in the DEL. I believe he's ranked as the top German prospect in the draft. Berlin won the league championship this season. Always kinda hard to judge teenagers who play low minutes in professional leagues. That'll change this season though as Gatineau took him 25th overall in the CHL import draft, and he'll cross the pond to play in the QMJHL.
 
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Point21

Registered User
Oct 23, 2018
8,809
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Bob's Final Top 100 Draft rankings



We're picking 95th overall so here are some guys from Bob's list in that range

89. Ben Roger - 6'4" righthanded dman for London in the OHL. Big and mobile dmen are a Lightning scout's delight. He didn't play a game this year, and only played 35 last year. Does that make him a sleeper pick or is there not enough to pick him that high? I also wonder what the lack of games at age 16-17 and 17-18 do to his development.

90. Ryan Ufko - 5'10" righty offensive dman. He had 10 goals and 39 points in 53 USHL games this past season. He was on the top pair for Team White at the BioSteel All American game back in April. He scored their only goal against the US U-18 team. He'll play for the defending NCAA champs at UMass in 2021-22. He also has an invite to USA Hockey's national junior team summer evaluation camp.

92. Matvei Petrov - 6'2" winger playing in the MHL. 42 points in 58 games. He's also played for Russia's U-17 and U-18 teams. He was the 1st overall pick in the 2020 CHL import draft for North Bay (OHL). Obviously he didn't come over this past year, but it is confirmed that he will play in the OHL this season.

96. Jack Matier - Like Roger, another big right handed mobile 6'4" dman from the OHL who didn't have a season in 2021. The difference between him and Roger though is Matier played 56 games last season and then joined Team Canada for the U-18's back in May that won gold. He was on the 3rd pair and didn't play as well as some of the other dmen for Canada while guys like Del Mastro and Zellwegger improved their draft stock.

97. Haakon Hanelt - 6'0" forward for Berlin in the DEL. I believe he's ranked as the top German prospect in the draft. Berlin won the league championship this season. Always kinda hard to judge teenagers who play low minutes in professional leagues. That'll change this season though as Gatineau took him 25th overall in the CHL import draft, and he'll cross the pond to play in the QMJHL.

Petrov and Matier would be the 2 i want from this list if available
 
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Rschmitz

Finding new ways to cheat
Feb 27, 2002
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I just have three thoughts.

1. We lack quality defensive prospects in our system and need them, so maybe we should draft some.

2. We suck at drafting defensive prospects, so maybe we shouldn't.

3. I can't get excited about any prospect outside the top half of the 1st round, just way too little film available to form an opinion. Prospect camp is an entirely different story altogether though, sometimes these kids surprised the hell out of you based on their draft position.
 

TheDaysOf 04

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Jun 23, 2007
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I compared Craig Button's list to Bob McKenzie's to see what the differences were. Interestingly enough the players Craig had on his top 75 that Bob left off his top 100 were not players in the 70-75 range, but players in the 55-65 range. Meaning players he had as late 2nd/early 3rd grades, Bob had as early 4th rounders at best. These are them:

56. James Malatesta - Speedy, high motor 5'9" center for Quebec in the QMJHL. He had 23 goals, 45 points in 59 games last season and 10 goals, 23 points in 32 games this year. Button calls him a hungry player and a deceptive goal scorer.

57. Robert Orr - 5'11" center for Halifax in the QMJHL. Like Malatesta, a little under sized, but has a high motor. Had 32 points in 41 games this season. Both he and Malatesta were teammates from the Lac St-Louis Lions program.

60. Hunter Strand - 5'11" center for Tri-City in the USHL. Was previously part of the US NTDP. 49 points in 51 games this season. Committed to Notre Dame for this upcoming season. There seem to be questions about his upside.

62. Jakub Brabenec - 6'1" center. He plays for HC Kometa Brno in the top pro league in the Czech Republic. Unlike Strand who turned 18 last November, Brabenec doesn't turn 18 until September. He played at the U-18s and had 4 points in 5 games, tied for the most posts on the Czech team. Coaches awarded him as one of the top 3 players on the squad. He was taken 35th overall in last years CHL import draft, but didn't come over. He just signed another contract, so he's probably staying where he is.

64. Dmitri Zugan - 5'10" center playing in the MHL. 40 points in 61 games. Got rewarded to play 1 game in the KHL with Moscow. Button calls him a smart, determined player who is invested in doing what it takes to win. Interesting enough, compared him to Goodrow and Cirelli.

67. Nikita Novikov - 6'4" lefty dman. Turns 18 later this month. Had 14 points in 52 games this season in the MHL. Played on Russia's U-18 team that won silver back in May where he had 5 points in 7 games.
 

Rschmitz

Finding new ways to cheat
Feb 27, 2002
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Tampa Bay
What would be our biggest needs in the system? Big wingers? RHD?

Biggest hole is defense. However the last defenseman we drafted and developed who wasn't overwhelmed with NHL minutes was Paul Ranger.

I love big and mobile RHD, but unless there is a can't miss guy available, I would just stick to what we do best and draft skilled forwards.

We could also use a big and skilled centerman, that's another hole we have as an organization that we tried to fix with Finley's pick last year. A #2 center who can win faceoffs and be a disruption on offense in the Kesler/Getzlaf/Johansen mold we haven't had since Lecavalier. Cirelli is adequate in the role I guess though
 

Major4Boarding

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Jan 30, 2009
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I have Perbix and Thomas pretty high on my "on-deck" list for the 5-7 slots. Perbix 2-3 years away though. Powell's way further out. There's more D depth needed for sure but I agree that we fall short on D prospects overall with this staff.
 

Rschmitz

Finding new ways to cheat
Feb 27, 2002
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8,070
Tampa Bay
I have Perbix and Thomas pretty high on my "on-deck" list for the 5-7 slots. Perbix 2-3 years away though. Powell's way further out. There's more D depth needed for sure but I agree that we fall short on D prospects overall with this staff.

Perbix and Walker are my darkhorses to surprise at camp and put pressure on the team to keep them. Perbix looked really good this year and at last years camp
 
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TheDaysOf 04

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The top 2 dmen in the draft Owen Power and Simon Edvinsson look up to Hedman, who is the model defenseman in today's NHL.

Edvinsson:
"I have a lot of role models. I try to learn from Victor Hedman, Miro Heiskanen and Cale Makar. I try to take things from a lot of players who are really good at what they do. That's my thinking."
What do you take from Hedman?

"He's a big guy, like me, and he uses his stick really good and makes smart decisions while always being aggressive and strong. So, just taking his game style of how he plays and skates. Everything that he does on the ice, I can do also."

Power:
"My favorite guy to watch is Victor Hedman for myself. I just think we have similar attributes with our size and skating. So I think just how good he is defensively in closing gaps and killing plays is something I really watch and try to put in my game. And obviously he's really good offensively and on the power play."

Another potential top pick Matthew Coronato's favorite player is Brayden Point:
Who is your NHL role model?

"Brayden Point. I love watching him play. He's a really good skater and really smart, really smart without the puck, so a great guy to learn from."

I'm sure you appreciate that he gets it done at 5-foot-10, which is also your height. Among the top 20 ranked North American skaters this year, you are the only guy who's listed under 6-foot. Why has size not been an issue for you?

"Point is a little undersized but being competitive and outworking opponents will overcome that. And, also, being smart. You got to be in the right spots. If you're competitive and smart, I think it’s something you can overcome."
 
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TheDaysOf 04

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Interview with Lightning amateur scout Grant Armstrong who scouts the WHL, and the Junior A teams in western Canada. He was hired in 2019 when the Lightning reorganized their staff in the wake of Yzerman and Verbeek leaving for Detroit.



"It was special (celebrating the 2021 cup victory at Amalie Arena). I mean just to get that opportunity to be there and witness and be a part of a first class organization that treats us so well, I just can't say enough about what leadership is and you see how this organization runs it's business and how they treat people."
"I just knew it was a fit (coming here). It's like-minds. We all think the same way. When it comes to profiling a player and developing players, it all goes hand in hand. This organization in my mind is the poster child for the way things should be done and it's proven. You can't say enough about how well they do things, how detailed we are in our approach. When it comes to finding players and finding people, there's a lot of detail work put into it."
"The one thing that we've all learned is how much we appreciate cold rinks. Not being able to do it changes things a little bit, but one of the things our organization does so well is we watch players for more than just their draft year. So we have paid attention to the young guys coming through the line and obviously we're in a position now to get ready for the draft and we're ready. Know this, the leadership above us will give us the guidance and the direction to pick the right players. "
"I would suggest video scouting is not my friend. I wouldn't be too enamored doing this on a full time basis. So glad that hopefully that's behind us and we can move forward. There's more to a hockey player than watching them on video. You gotta do your homework and do all the things necessary to find the right information to make great decisions."
 

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