Prospect Info: #5 OA - Barrett Hayton - Center - Back to the OHL

[hbk]

Link to a hlinka tournament game against Finland.

 

[rt]

Not sure if it has been posted but, here's a snippet from one of Vancouver reporters dropping some info about Hayton and the teams interested. Canucks had Hayton over Hughes/Zadina, and Chicago wanted to trade up for him. This is coming from Botchford who is pretty reliable in the Vancouver market.

Okay I feel better now. Thank you!

 

[Jakey53]

I don't think you need fancy stats to determine that. Who gets traded for who pretty well shows that.
The question is whether Hayton's upside is actually that of a middle of the pack 1C. Virtually all the names he has been compared to are fringe 1Cs not middle of the pack ones.

Bergeron, Horvot, Datsyuk comparisons? If Hayton turns out to be any of these I will be a happy camper. Chayka compared him to Bergeron.

 

[Jakey53]

I can see that, but absolutely not skill wise. Stylistically, he plays this euro puck focused style. He never really considers hits and is 100% focused on the puck, even when he is trying to get by a guy. Any outstretched arms or sticks are just objects to duck over/under/around. He plays slightly over his skates in that strong, hunched over way like Datsyuk did.

We will know basically by January if this pick was a dumb reach and that's pretty exciting.

By January? What year? This kid is young and has a long ways to go in his development, so to say we will know in six months if this pick was dumb reach is dumb.

 

[Jakey53]

If Wahlstrom pots 40 ala Vanek in RT's 2003 comparison, it's a dumb pick, for example. There's a very, very good chance a better player was taken after Hayton. It's all on him to live up to his billing and be a strong player. If he's just a Vermette type then that's just straight up mismanagement.

They are being very clear about their feelings; they took him high, they didn't trade him down, they gushed about him when asked, and said he'll be here sooner than you think. Management is all-in.

Every team gushes over their draft picks. Hell, a player selected in the second round could end up being the best player in the draft.

 

[Prestigeworldwide]

I was like most when the yotes didn't take Zadina. Totally shocked. After spending some time reading up on Hayton I'm now liking the kid we got. Reminds me of picking up Keller. I was very blah after they picked him initially but im sold on Chayka and their scouting. Hayton seems like a gem that most of the scouting media missed on. Time will tell...

 

[Hogan20]

Sounds like a guy who just does all the little things right that makes all the scouts and coaches rave about him, but all the things that the media doesn’t necessarily see if they don’t watch the film as in depth.

 

[Matias Maccete]

It's looking like less and less of a reach.

 

[azcanuck]

Bergeron, Horvot, Datsyuk comparisons? If Hayton turns out to be any of these I will be a happy camper. Chayka compared him to Bergeron.

just looking at the kid and the game he plays I see some Toews in him. That's clearly the brighter outlook though.
Kid doesn't have bust written on him but the upside may not be too high. #2 centerman? Maybe.

 

[azcanuck]

By January? What year? This kid is young and has a long ways to go in his development, so to say we will know in six months if this pick was dumb reach is dumb.

Takes a while longer for a center to mature. He'll be here in two years and then take two more to develop here. So in about 4 years we'll know where were at fully.
Next year though in junior he'll be handed the reins. He should put up some pretty good numbers.

 

[rt]

If he drops triple digits in the O next year I’ll be happy. I like puck hounds. We need centers. If he shows he’s actually got first line offensive upside next year, who can complain?

 

[_Del_]

They are being very clear about their feelings; they took him high, they didn't trade him down, they gushed about him when asked, and said he'll be here sooner than you think. Management is all-in.

Every team gushes over their draft picks.

What is the point of this post? Do you believe management did not actually believe Hayton should be taken at #5? They're just talking him up for the feel goods, but secretly don't believe in their methodology? That they were disappointed he was the best they could do?
Or are you just being an argumentative git?

 

[Mosby]

Friedman says Habs strongly considered Hayton at 3.

 

[Name Nameless]

Friedman says Habs strongly considered Hayton at 3.

I take it that's Elliotte Friedman. Does he know this? Where did he say this?

If he is right, that's very good. If they had a hard time between Kotkianiemi and Hayton, that means it wasn't easy to say who was the best center of the draft. Just to state the obvious.

 

[Mosby]

Not sure if he said it on his podcast or in his article.

 

[RABBIT]

I take it that's Elliotte Friedman. Does he know this? Where did he say this?

If he is right, that's very good. If they had a hard time between Kotkianiemi and Hayton, that means it wasn't easy to say who was the best center of the draft. Just to state the obvious.

The Canadiens also liked Barrett Hayton, who went two spots later to Arizona. There was real debate over which centre to take. Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion said he was worried the Canadiens would take Brady Tkachuk. Edmonton almost traded up to get Evan Bouchard, but realized as things unfolded that they wouldn’t need to.

31 Thoughts: All eyes on John Tavares during UFA interview period - Sportsnet.ca

 

[The Feckless Puck]

I take it that's Elliotte Friedman. Does he know this? Where did he say this?

If he is right, that's very good. If they had a hard time between Kotkianiemi and Hayton, that means it wasn't easy to say who was the best center of the draft. Just to state the obvious.

I'd temper that sentiment by reminding everyone how harshly Bergevin has been raked over the coals over the past couple of weeks. While it is nice to know that another team or two had their eyes on Hayton, one of them - the Habs - has already gotten flack for picking Kotkaniemi 3OA, after being savaged for trading Galchenyuk for Domi.

We're not going to know if we got Bergeron 2.0 or Richardson 2.0 for at least another five years. So, like the pick or not, we're just going to have to be patient.

 

[Name Nameless]

I'd temper that sentiment by reminding everyone how harshly Bergevin has been raked over the coals over the past couple of weeks. While it is nice to know that another team or two had their eyes on Hayton, one of them - the Habs - has already gotten flack for picking Kotkaniemi 3OA, after being savaged for trading Galchenyuk for Domi.

We're not going to know if we got Bergeron 2.0 or Richardson 2.0 for at least another five years. So, like the pick or not, we're just going to have to be patient.

Of course, I also have noticed the Yotes may have saved MB by not picking Zadina. All the fans there are, now look, couldn't trade down, Arizona would have taken Kotkiniemi if Les Habs had traded down.

 

[Neighborhood Coyote]

Every Coyote fan's favorite game... The waiting game!

It does make me feel better about the pick value hearing that the Yotes probably could not have traded down at all and still got their guy in Hayton.

Interesting still how high he was on some teams radars but managed to be a surprise at 5.

 

[RABBIT]

I love the Sportsnet take on this selection, listen to these guys.

 

[Alberta Yote]

I’m going to quit whining about this pick and cheer like hell for him to take right off and for Chayka to look like a genius.

Go Hayton!

 

[The Feckless Puck]

I’m going to quit whining about this pick and cheer like hell for him to take right off and for Chayka to look like a genius.

Go Hayton!

In a perfect world, Deandre Ayton and Barrett Hayton would both turn out to be generational Arizona stars - the Ayton/Hayton Show!

 

[XX]

What is the point of this post? Do you believe management did not actually believe Hayton should be taken at #5? They're just talking him up for the feel goods, but secretly don't believe in their methodology? That they were disappointed he was the best they could do?
Or are you just being an argumentative git?

I am saying you should calm down. That we haven't seen this sort of commitment and exuberance over a pick in awhile.

 

[_Del_]

Not your post; Jake's empty rebuttal of... Something. Which was in response to your post. We don't nest quotes here for whatever reason, so I also quoted the content he was replying to.

 

[rt]

Morgan Frost: 67gp 112pts(1st) +70(1st) 23PPP 8SHP 52%FO
Barrett Hayton: 63gp 60pts(7th) +24(14th) 21PPP 2SHP 50%FO

That SN video lauding his FO ability made me go take a look. Seems average. Maybe he's clutch on FOs?

Then I noticed he had pretty similar PP production compared to Frost. I thought the whole reason Hayton's production was low was lack of opportunity. I don't have PPmins/GP stats available to me, so is it possible that Hayton got much less PP time and was much more productive in it?

Hayton is also supposed to be a tremendous defensive forward. Is the crazy difference in +/- just based on line production and tougher match-ups?

Also, based on the fact that Frost had 8 SHPs, I suspect he got a lot of PK time. Just because Hayton only had 2 SHPs doesn't mean he didn't get a lot of PK time. Just that Frost got more short-handed points in the time he got. Still, you don't get 8 SHPs without playing a ton of PK. How the hell do I square that?

These numbers are too simple to form a narrative on. I would need access to TOI/situation to even start to do that. On the surface, though, they're making me doubt a little bit the veracity of the "Hayton couldn't get any choice minutes because of Frost" narrative.

I was hoping to find that the Soo had a ton of scorers and nobody to be an elite shut-down guy, so Hayton got tabbed to do the dirty work because he's younger and those other skill guys wouldn't be as good at it as he is, even if he might be as good as them offensively. That could still be a true story, even if the numbers above don't indicate it. But they certainly don't indicate it. Haha.