Prospect Info: 33rd overall: Vancouver selects RW Kole Lind (Kelowna Rockets)

[Jack Burton]

So difficult to predict as I have like 10 guys who could potentially be available but I'm definitely looking for a faller here.

I'm sprinting to the podium if Suzuki is available

Defenceman: Hague, Timmins, Joseph or Jokiharju

Centers: Poehling, Thomas, Bowers, JAD or Norris

LW: Ratcliffe or Comtois

Not interested in any RW @ 33

I'd also take a serious look at Oettinger if available.

This pick will also be influenced by what Benning does @ 5. If he goes C then I'd be looking for a D, LW or Goalie. If he goes D @ 5 then I'd be looking for a C only unless that entire list is gone then it's game on.

 

[biturbo19]

yes Thomas could end up like a Ryan O'Reilly type pick. He's got a really nice pro game

Kostin would have to interview well because frankly i'm sick of Russians walking out on this team and we need core players. If he was set on going CHL and willing to play through the minors like Goldobin then i could be persuaded..

I don't really see O'Reilly with Thomas. I see his upside as something more like Thomas Plekanec. Which either way, would still likely end up a pretty superb pick even in the mid-late 1st round this year, if he hits that sort of upside. If you're getting a solid all-around 2nd line C out of that sort of pick in this draft, you're doing alright. Though it's far from a slam dunk that he becomes that.

But it's also probably a moot point. As wide-open as this draft looks later into the 1st and into the 2nd...there are certain guys who do seem to pretty consistently slip inside almost every Top-30 and have a higher proportion of scouts/fans who like them better than most others. Thomas is among those guys it seems, and add to that, he's a clear fast riser who tend to continue to rise right through draft day. He's also playing in one of the most heavily scouted amateur markets in the world, so he's hardly a secret or anything.

Thomas @ 33 seems like a serious pipedream to me.


As to Kostin...totally agree on the "Russian factor", and Kostin is particularly hard to get a read on in that regard. Also tough to get a read on what i've seen on the ice. But if he's somehow there at 33, in theory i take that swing and hope for the best. Risk is easily more than worth the potential reward at that point talent-wise. Again though, probably a moot point. He's going in the Top-20/30 picks pretty easily for that upside...unless there's something really serious going on with that "Russian factor" on him. In which case, you're probably just swinging for the fences on a ball that's never even coming over the plate. No value in that.

 

[sting101]

I don't really see O'Reilly with Thomas. I see his upside as something more like Thomas Plekanec. Which either way, would still likely end up a pretty superb pick even in the mid-late 1st round this year, if he hits that sort of upside. If you're getting a solid all-around 2nd line C out of that sort of pick in this draft, you're doing alright. Though it's far from a slam dunk that he becomes that.

But it's also probably a moot point. As wide-open as this draft looks later into the 1st and into the 2nd...there are certain guys who do seem to pretty consistently slip inside almost every Top-30 and have a higher proportion of scouts/fans who like them better than most others. Thomas is among those guys it seems, and add to that, he's a clear fast riser who tend to continue to rise right through draft day. He's also playing in one of the most heavily scouted amateur markets in the world, so he's hardly a secret or anything.

Thomas @ 33 seems like a serious pipedream to me.


As to Kostin...totally agree on the "Russian factor", and Kostin is particularly hard to get a read on in that regard. Also tough to get a read on what i've seen on the ice. But if he's somehow there at 33, in theory i take that swing and hope for the best. Risk is easily more than worth the potential reward at that point talent-wise. Again though, probably a moot point. He's going in the Top-20/30 picks pretty easily for that upside...unless there's something really serious going on with that "Russian factor" on him. In which case, you're probably just swinging for the fences on a ball that's never even coming over the plate. No value in that.

Re: Thomas-O'Reilly.

Meant it as a comp as far as a guy that slips late or into the 2nd round and then becomes a solid NHL player quickly. Pro body, pro game, high IQ.

agree with everything you said

 

[biturbo19]

Re: Thomas-O'Reilly.

Meant it as a comp as far as a guy that slips late or into the 2nd round and then becomes a solid NHL player quickly. Pro body, pro game, high IQ.

agree with everything you said

Ah, fair enough. That makes total sense. Thomas does have the all-around game and IQ, plus the top quality coaching to make the jump earlier than others. He's also exactly the sort of prospect i think you could bring up from the bottom of the roster a la Horvat, without really "hurting" their development.

 

[PG Canuck]

Nikita Popugayev

Risk it for the Russian?

I'll be upset if the Canucks take that gamble at 33. Very upset.

 

[jnk96]

Thomas @ 33 seems like a serious pipedream to me.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if he was picked in the top 15, maybe even top 10. The kid's a coach's dream, and if he gets a bigger role in London next season, he'll have a solid shot at an offensive breakout year, similar to Cliff Pu who dropped in the draft last year and then exploded in a top-line role. (Pu is also the guy pushing Thomas into secondary/defensive responsibilities.)

I'll be upset if the Canucks take that gamble at 33. Very upset.

Me too. I haven't finalised my Canucks draft list, but Popugaev is in the 80-120 group and I'm not even sure if he'll be at the top of it.

As to what players I like, there are too many options to count. Joni Ikonen is the player I'd absolutely love there, he's currently #16 on my list. Other than that, the usual suspects (JAD, Jokiharju, Salo, ...). Would definitely love to get one of Ostap Safin and Adam Ruzicka as well, perhaps at 55. Both are definitely a risk worth taking, especially with a second-rounder Van basically got for free.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

Kailer Yamamoto if he falls that far?

 

[DFAC]

No chance Yamamoto or Suzuki fall that far to us. Both are top 15 talents, imo

 

[biturbo19]

Kailer Yamamoto if he falls that far?

I'm really curious to see what happens with Yamamoto. To me, he's a very comparable player to Vitali Abramov last year...but he doesn't have "The Russian Factor", and Kailer is also a bit more natural as a shooter/goal-scorer.


Abramov was a 3rd round pick that a lot of people, myself included, had as a late1st/early2nd sort of talent in a stronger draft than this one.


I feel a lot safer in the idea that if Yamamoto, as a tiny player does end up taking a bit more time to adjust to the Pro game, he's more likely to stick it out in NA vs a guy who will always have an easy out back to Russia to be a star there. But it's still a boom/bust sort of pick if you're grabbing him higher into the 1st round.


It seems like a perfect storm to get a player like that drafted in the 20s this year though. The whole ~15+ range on the board is a complete mess. He's a guy with the obvious talent to be an impact scorer, and without the worry that a Russian factor would bring to a potentially longer development curve. In a weaker draft.


If Abramov does end up sticking it out through the AHL system or however he winds his way to the NHL though, if he does get there as well...it will make for an interesting litmus test vs a very comparable North American kid like Kailer Yamamoto and where the "draft value" is in that.

 

[elitepete]

Last year we had a thread to discuss who might be available at 33. Then Jimbo traded it for Gudbranson.

Thomas or Kostin.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

I'm really curious to see what happens with Yamamoto. To me, he's a very comparable player to Vitali Abramov last year...but he doesn't have "The Russian Factor", and Kailer is also a bit more natural as a shooter/goal-scorer.


Abramov was a 3rd round pick that a lot of people, myself included, had as a late1st/early2nd sort of talent in a stronger draft than this one.


I feel a lot safer in the idea that if Yamamoto, as a tiny player does end up taking a bit more time to adjust to the Pro game, he's more likely to stick it out in NA vs a guy who will always have an easy out back to Russia to be a star there. But it's still a boom/bust sort of pick if you're grabbing him higher into the 1st round.


It seems like a perfect storm to get a player like that drafted in the 20s this year though. The whole ~15+ range on the board is a complete mess. He's a guy with the obvious talent to be an impact scorer, and without the worry that a Russian factor would bring to a potentially longer development curve. In a weaker draft.


If Abramov does end up sticking it out through the AHL system or however he winds his way to the NHL though, if he does get there as well...it will make for an interesting litmus test vs a very comparable North American kid like Kailer Yamamoto and where the "draft value" is in that.

Like the comparison and analysis.

He is a guy I could see falling because of his size, probably not all the way to 33.
Maybe trade up from 33 to try and snatch him around 20. (Heard this idea on Canucks Army podcast I think. Or somewhere else.)

 

[LeftCoast]

Connor Timmins please

This.

 

[Cupless44]

Jaret Anderson-Dolan

I am totally on board.

If not Chytil or Ratcliffe.

 

[nuckfan insk]

So difficult to predict as I have like 10 guys who could potentially be available but I'm definitely looking for a faller here.

I'm sprinting to the podium if Suzuki is available

Defenceman: Hague, Timmins, Joseph or Jokiharju

Centers: Poehling, Thomas, Bowers, JAD or Norris

LW: Ratcliffe or Comtois

Not interested in any RW @ 33

I'd also take a serious look at Oettinger if available.

This pick will also be influenced by what Benning does @ 5. If he goes C then I'd be looking for a D, LW or Goalie. If he goes D @ 5 then I'd be looking for a C only unless that entire list is gone then it's game on.

That's stupidity
Go with the BPA
Always
If we pick glass at 5 and middlestadt is there at 33 you pick him.... (I know he won't be, just a example)
Make a list stick to it.
Always go BPA

 

[y2kcanucks]

That's stupidity
Go with the BPA
Always
If we pick glass at 5 and middlestadt is there at 33 you pick him.... (I know he won't be, just a example)
Make a list stick to it.
Always go BPA

This is Jim Benning we're talking about here. He's too stupid to do this. Literally.

 

[Jack Burton]

That's stupidity
Go with the BPA
Always
If we pick glass at 5 and middlestadt is there at 33 you pick him.... (I know he won't be, just a example)
Make a list stick to it.
Always go BPA

No its not
Who's going to be the BPA @ 33?
Out of the list I gave who do you think is the BPA?

 

[canwincup]

I'll be upset if the Canucks take that gamble at 33. Very upset.

What about at #55?

 

[Fatass]

Use 33 and 55 to move up into middle round one?

 

[PG Canuck]

What about at #55?

I personally wouldn't pick him until late rounds. I like a lot more players before him and the Canucks aren't really in any position to be taking massive gambles like that.

 

[Boose Brudreau]

No chance Yamamoto or Suzuki fall that far to us. Both are top 15 talents, imo

No chance he falls eh? I guess we'll see about that, but he literally has the build of a very fit teenage girl (sorry if that offends anyone....) . There are going to be a lot of GMs unwilling to use a 1st round pick on a guy this small. Alex deBrincat is probably the closest comp we can point to here - he went 39th last year, outweighs Yamamoto by almost 20 lbs and put up significantly better numbers in the CHL. I get that the league has changed...is changing, but a first round pick on a guy who weighs less than 150lbs is really risky IMO.

** Jordan Schroeder weighed 29lbs more than Yamamoto when he was drafted

 

[Megaterio Llamas]

Jokiharju, Comtois or Mismash would all be good with me at 33.

 

[MissionCanucksFan]

Josh norris

YES!! Definately my favorite. He kicked @ss at the combine. Going to be a deadly linemate for Will Lockwood

Same size and build as Adam Gaudette right now but could develop into a 6'2 205lb player.

Grant Mismash would do just fine as well. He is a mucker and loves to score the "Johnny on the Spot" goals

 

[ginner classic]

No its not
Who's going to be the BPA @ 33?
Out of the list I gave who do you think is the BPA?

It is stupid to do anything other than select BPA. Thay's why 30 GMs out of 31 just keep repeating that over and over in every interview. Only Benning will state we 'need' a left handed playmaking center. Current needs are irrelevant. Needs based on prospect depth are irrelevant.

Of your list Thomas and Hague stand out.

 

[jnk96]

No its not
Who's going to be the BPA @ 33?
Out of the list I gave who do you think is the BPA?

That's what scouts literally spend all year on trying to find out.

 

[timw33]

Use 33 and 55 to move up into middle round one?

Need to look at precedent in these cases. Probably wouldn't get to the middle, but *maybe* the early or mid 20's