HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Michoulicious]

It's extremely rare for a 17 year old to put up the offensive production in Liiga that Helenius did this season. In addition, he has a well rounded defensive game with high compete level and very high IQ. He would have torched the CHL and not had the same question marks that many of the top forward prospects from the CHL have.

I will trash my TV if they draft a "defensively responsible C with a high compete" with meh skaiting from the Liiga in the top 10.

At least KK and Lundell were somewhat tall/big.

That would be a frickin disaster. Gimme a D before that.

We need high octane scoring.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

I like Helenius but he doesn't have anything even resembling Aho's skating. Maybe if he works with Barb he can get there but regardless I don't see the upside. 2C ceiling IMO which is great but I'd rather take a swing at a Demidov or a Catton personally.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

If we move up to the 2nd pick but have Demi off the board like Michkov, who are you taking 2nd overall?

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

If we move up to the 2nd pick but have Demi off the board like Michkov, who are you taking 2nd overall?

I almost don't even want to think about that, passing on him would break me lol.

If he really is off the board, I'd do what I wanted us to do last year: trade down. Dickinson would be my BPA at that point but I don't want to draft a dman, let alone a left shooting one. Trade down to ~5th-7th, take Catton.

 

[Deebs]

If we move up to the 2nd pick but have Demi off the board like Michkov, who are you taking 2nd overall?

I would say Lindstrom but I've been reading up on his back injury.....I'm getting a little nervous. Big guys with back issues give me the heebeegeebeez

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

I would think teams will do every due diligence possible with Lindstrom's injury issues. I'd want to make sure there's no long term stuff there or he becomes a DND real quick, especially that high .

 

[skidcells]

Not in mine.

I think Helenius will be included in their discussions. We’ll need to follow his WC as if he does well he might be the pick if we are not in a position to draft Celebrini, Demidov.

 

[sampollock]

Apologies if this was posted already.

Sportsnet's 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings: April Edition

Celebrini
Levshunov
Demidov
Silayev
Yakemchuk
Parekh
Buium
Dickenson
Catton
Iginla
Lindstrom
Eiserman
Helenius

at #5 no Dman unless he is Bobby Orr or Chris Pronger redo's

trade down if needed or win the lottery

 

[Deebs]

I would think teams will do every due diligence possible with Lindstrom's injury issues. I'd want to make sure there's no long term stuff there or he becomes a DND real quick, especially that high .

Oh for sure. I'm sure the kid and his agent will have everything ready to go for all the teams....MRI, x-rays, rehab programs, etc.... I'm a big Lindstrom fan because I was able to watch him a few times this year and always thought he stood out....I just cringe at back injuries

 

[Leto]

Oh for sure. I'm sure the kid and his agent will have everything ready to go for all the teams....MRI, x-rays, rehab programs, etc.... I'm a big Lindstrom fan because I was able to watch him a few times this year and always thought he stood out....I just cringe at back injuries

Vilardi is an example of a talented young player who has been plagued with back injuries dating back to his draft year... It's bad juju .

 

[Schooner Guy]

I will trash my TV if they draft a "defensively responsible C with a high compete" with meh skaiting from the Liiga in the top 10.

At least KK and Lundell were somewhat tall/big.

That would be a frickin disaster. Gimme a D before that.

We need high octane scoring.

A disaster?

His scoring is high octane by Liiga standards for a 17 year old. He even put up a PPG in playoffs which is amazing. He would have lit the CHL on fire. Now he's at Team Finland's camp for the Worlds men's championship. Not the WU18.

But sure...take KK or Lundell over him because he's 5ft11 at age 17 even though Helenius is a better player than they were in their draft years.

 

[Gustave]

He had a back injury and missed alot of action, came back in the playoffs and was clearly not 100%,, wont go to the U18 either, so there are worries to have here, but our scouting staff will collect all the infos needed to make the proper decision. Personally I would be very happy with any of Lindstrom, Demidov, Helenius, we just cant go wrong IMO.

Could make for an opportune slip in the draft… back issues are no joke but at that age it will come down to core workouts, unless there’s something really degenerated already or a scoliosis (which would be astounding considering he’s almost finished growing now)

 

[le_sean]

I would not be surprised at all to learn that Helenius is actually much higher on HuGos list than people might think. If we stay put at #5, he could be a dark horse favorite. He has a lot of the pro tools and intangibles the scouting staff seems to really value highly. If they buy the Sebastian Aho-lite upside, they might really want him.

He will likely be high on the list considering Bobrov has mostly been a European scout in his career, they’ve picked 3 Euros in the first round the last two years, and they seem to like players that are close to NHL-ready.

Now does that mean they take him as high as 5? That I don’t know. It would definitely be a bold move.

I still maintain that Lindstrom is likely their #2 forward. He just checks so many boxes.

 

[vokiel]

I don't mind Helenius, it shores up center depth quite nicely. That said I'm not sure we get much more than Plekanec in his younger years, which is good. We do need that 2nd line center who stays healthy the entire season, wins faceoff and can prep up secondary scoring.

I just think Iginla, Catton and Lindstrom will have more impact in the league.

 

[le_sean]

Oh for sure. I'm sure the kid and his agent will have everything ready to go for all the teams....MRI, x-rays, rehab programs, etc.... I'm a big Lindstrom fan because I was able to watch him a few times this year and always thought he stood out....I just cringe at back injuries

Again, the impression I get is that he wanted to avoid surgery so he could come back and help Medicine Hat. Then he suffered a hand injury on his recovery which made him stay out for longer. When he finally came back it was Game 1 of the playoffs which went into Double OT. Imagine not playing hockey for months and then you’re thrown into that. He clearly wasn’t 100% either.

I don’t think it’s necessarily indicative of a larger issue. Vilardi has had back issues, yes, but his most recent injuries were a concussion last year and a spleen injury this year. He just seems to have really bad luck.

 

[Deebs]

Again, the impression I get is that he wanted to avoid surgery so he could come back and help Medicine Hat. Then he suffered a hand injury on his recovery which made him stay out for longer. When he finally came back it was Game 1 of the playoffs which went into Double OT. Imagine not playing hockey for months and then you’re thrown into that. He clearly wasn’t 100% either.

The broken hand is a nothing thing for me.

Backs are tricky and so different for everybody. I'm sure he'll go through the entire process of all tests/procedures if necessary and he'll be just fine. If there is something that pops up, I trust our management 100% with their decision.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I will trash my TV if they draft a "defensively responsible C with a high compete" with meh skaiting from the Liiga in the top 10.

At least KK and Lundell were somewhat tall/big.

That would be a frickin disaster. Gimme a D before that.

We need high octane scoring.

That’s what I’m hoping for as well. My choice is Eiserman but I’d be really happy with Demidov or Lidstrom (who provides a different dimension.)

For once I’d like us to walk away with some sizzle.

 

[Guess]

If we win the first overall and pick Celebrini, would Dach end up playing wing? I wonder how our roster would look.

 

[le_sean]

If we win the first overall and pick Celebrini, would Dach end up playing wing? I wonder how our roster would look.

Celebrini would start on the wing since he’d be better insulated and has more of a shooting mentality.

Long-term you find a way to make him a centre because he’d easily be the most talented of the group down the middle.

 

[tooji]

Lindstrom, Dach, Slaf would be a nightmare matchup

 

[Doublechin]

I would not be surprised at all to learn that Helenius is actually much higher on HuGos list than people might think. If we stay put at #5, he could be a dark horse favorite. He has a lot of the pro tools and intangibles the scouting staff seems to really value highly. If they buy the Sebastian Aho-lite upside, they might really want him.

Leaning towards that honestly

I can see them having him above Catton, Iginla and Eiserman, Lindstrom is the huge debate for me, it's all about what their docs think

 

[le_sean]

Lindstrom, Dach, Slaf would be a nightmare matchup

Stylistically it works too. A playmaker, a north-south shooter, and a possession monster. Though they’d obviously prefer to stagger the three.

 

[Schooner Guy]

Oh for sure. I'm sure the kid and his agent will have everything ready to go for all the teams....MRI, x-rays, rehab programs, etc.... I'm a big Lindstrom fan because I was able to watch him a few times this year and always thought he stood out....I just cringe at back injuries

Again, the impression I get is that he wanted to avoid surgery so he could come back and help Medicine Hat. Then he suffered a hand injury on his recovery which made him stay out for longer. When he finally came back it was Game 1 of the playoffs which went into Double OT. Imagine not playing hockey for months and then you’re thrown into that. He clearly wasn’t 100% either.

I don’t think it’s necessarily indicative of a larger issue. Vilardi has had back issues, yes, but his most recent injuries were a concussion last year and a spleen injury this year. He just seems to have really bad luck.

The broken hand is a nothing thing for me.

Backs are tricky and so different for everybody. I'm sure he'll go through the entire process of all tests/procedures if necessary and he'll be just fine. If there is something that pops up, I trust our management 100% with their decision.

Does anyone know how long Lindstrom has been dealing with back issues? I assumed he injured his back when he returned after a long layoff and it was just an isolated one-off. Now I'm hearing that he was rebabbing a back ailment at the same time he was rehabbing from wrist injury.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Helenius is a great worst case scenario. He reminds me a lot of Suzuki in that his best trait is his smarts.

Do think Newhooks success at C eliminates the “need” for a C.

I do really like Catton though he could be a Marner type, honestly could be the highest point producer on our roster if everything works out. The guy is just going to put up points, I just don’t see how he doesn’t.

Not a big Lindstrom fan, big and fast but he’s going to have a tough adjustment to the NHL as he won’t be able to strictly dominate with those attributes.

Celebrini is the dream though. I’d personally love Demi too but think he’s off the board like Michkov was.

Haven’t really seen much of the D other than the odd game where I just happened to be watching. Definitely a strong D draft though am personally hoping for a forward.

 

[le_sean]

Does anyone know how long Lindstrom has been dealing with back issues? I assumed he injured his back when he returned after a long layoff and it was just an isolated one-off. Now I'm hearing that he was rebabbing a back ailment at the same time he was rehabbing from wrist injury.

I think I got it mixed up. The original injury was a hand injury (4-6 week timeframe). Then he hurt his back while recovering for that which made him stay out for longer. He came back for the playoffs, the hand was 100%, but not the back. Now he's decided to skip the U18 to completely recover.