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

[azcanuck]

A lot of people thought the same about Keller and look at him. Let it play out and let him develop.

I did not remotely see this in Keller compared to this kid. Keller was a top tier stud with incredible offensive gifts.
Hayton was playing second fiddle on a junior A team and was not considered a top ten prospect.
Hayton was picked where he was because centers are difficult to come by and necessary to win. Much like QB's in the NFL draft?

 

[rt]

A lot of people thought the same about Keller and look at him. Let it play out and let him develop.

Keller was rated 8th in the McKenzie poll. Hayton was rated 11th. It’s not quite the same, in my opinion.

Anyway, it sounds as if Hayton was their third ranked player. It also sounds as if there was quite a bit of interest in him among teams picking in the top ten. It makes sense they didn’t trade back, based on what we’ve learned since the pick. I didn’t have him in my top ten. Several teams did. Some had him in their top five. At least one in their top three.

 

[azcanuck]

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.

As much as Hab fans HATED Galchenyuk for Domi most of them were really happy with Kotkaniemi at 3.
Go figure eh.

 

[Sleestak Nation]

Keller was rated 8th in the McKenzie poll. Hayton was rated 11th. It’s not quite the same, in my opinion.

Anyway, it sounds as if Hayton was their third ranked player. It also sounds as if there was quite a bit of interest in him among teams picking in the top ten. It makes sense they didn’t trade back, based on what we’ve learned since the pick. I didn’t have him in my top ten. Several teams did. Some had him in their top five. At least one in their top three.

This. There are multiple solid reports that he was not getting past Chicago at 8.

Of course that's hindsight but the fact is Hayton was elevated due to his position.

 

[Name Nameless]

As much as Hab fans HATED Galchenyuk for Domi most of them were really happy with Kotkaniemi at 3.
Go figure eh.

Not my impression, but they have accepted it. And as I said, when Yotes picked a center too, they accepted they couldn't have traded down.

Let's hope Habs picked the wrong center. Not to mean with them (no need for that anymore, is it;-))? but - well. You see my point.

 

[Fyreman]

I've read through most of these posts and feel only slightly better about this kid. My questions are:

1) What does this say about are current centers on the roster?
2) Can his impact for the 'Yotes be less than two years away?
3) Does this move now label Strome a bust?
4) If we are ALWAYS goal deficient, why not take Zadina, and at least try to address that problem as soon as possible?

 

[rt]

Is Eichel a bust because Buffalo drafted Mittelstadt? You can have more than one young center in your system. Most highly recommend it.

 

[Neighborhood Coyote]

I've read through most of these posts and feel only slightly better about this kid. My questions are:

1) What does this say about are current centers on the roster?
2) Can his impact for the 'Yotes be less than two years away?
3) Does this move now label Strome a bust?
4) If we are ALWAYS goal deficient, why not take Zadina, and at least try to address that problem as soon as possible?

I'll take a stab at some answers. Hopefully good answers!

1) I think it says that we don't expect Stepan to be a number 1 or 2 center in 3 years, or something of the sort. IF Strome pans out along with Hayton, then those are your top 2 with Stepan at 3 (same for Dvo.). I'd expect this tells the Centers they don't get a spot just for being a center and they have to produce. Also, just more options and depth down the middle at worst.
2) I wouldn't personally know much. But I'll say that I doubt that. 2 years would be the soonest, and that would be a lower line most likely. Unless Hayton really takes off... which would be fantastic.
3) I don't think so. Having another center on the team who is better than you doesn't make you a bust. Malkin/Crosby come to mind. Now... I don't think either of these players are on that level, to be clear. Just the point that they can coexist without being busts (we should hope).
4) Looks to me that they are taking a long term approach to that issue. They believe you win down the middle, so they are trying to build that as well as possible. If all the C's pan out, then they can use any extras to either shift to wing or trade for more. I can't say specifically why they didn't go with Zadina. A couple of teams decided to go with a different player than him so maybe they have their reasons. Either way, they want to build for long term instead of short it seems. Maybe they plan to address goals in another way or hope for growth.

 

[PuckLife]

Soo fan here. One of the best kept secrets in June was how many teams fell in love with Hayton during OHL playoffs and the Combine. The kid had dinner with 5 teams in the top 10. Rumour has it that he was wanted by Vancouver (7) Chicago (8) and Edmonton (10).
The Yotes nailed this one. just wait and see.

 

[RABBIT]

Soo fan here. One of the best kept secrets in June was how many teams fell in love with Hayton during OHL playoffs and the Combine. The kid had dinner with 5 teams in the top 10. Rumour has it that he was wanted by Vancouver (7) Chicago (8) and Edmonton (10).
The Yotes nailed this one. just wait and see.

thanks for this, hope you are right my friend!!

 

[BUX7PHX]

I've read through most of these posts and feel only slightly better about this kid. My questions are:

1) What does this say about are current centers on the roster?
2) Can his impact for the 'Yotes be less than two years away?
3) Does this move now label Strome a bust?
4) If we are ALWAYS goal deficient, why not take Zadina, and at least try to address that problem as soon as possible?

1. Not much - if Hayton were to be on the NHL roster, then that would say a lot more about the current centers on the team. I think that he has that #1/#2 upside that Strome has, just always need to have something in the pipeline as well.
2. Yes (this is my opinion, but something is there and while I am not a scout nor claim to know better than anyone else, something just kept popping in the video with regard to just always being in the proper place).
3. Not necessarily. We knew Strome would take a little longer. If Strome becomes a 60-70 point 2nd line C, are we terribly upset?
4. We are goal deficient, but in that sense, wouldn't we just have been justified in taking Wahlstrom, the purest shooter in the draft? Maybe the idea is that the wings are valued differently as better pieces to pick up via trade or free agency, as opposed to drafting. Not saying that Zadina or Wahlstrom are inherently better or worse than the free agent crop or any other prospects. It comes down to more than just scoring goals here, although that is arguably also our team's biggest weakness.

My bigger question would be if the Domi-Galchenyuk trade did not happen, would we be looking C still or more looking at a goal scorer? We would still need a C, but Galchenyuk really filled the goal scoring need.

 

[azcanuck]

It's an interesting question. If STrome was the player they projected him to be would they have drafted Hayton this high considering it was indeed a reach based on his draft ranking.
My guess is no. I really feel the coyotes know Strome is not panning out in this league. Guys like him simply don't fill 4th line positions.
One thing is clear. Chayka is finding his groove in this league. It took a lot of balls to take Hayton that high knowing it puts him up for criticism.

 

[Fyreman]

I'll take a stab at some answers. Hopefully good answers!

1) I think it says that we don't expect Stepan to be a number 1 or 2 center in 3 years, or something of the sort. IF Strome pans out along with Hayton, then those are your top 2 with Stepan at 3 (same for Dvo.). I'd expect this tells the Centers they don't get a spot just for being a center and they have to produce. Also, just more options and depth down the middle at worst.
2) I wouldn't personally know much. But I'll say that I doubt that. 2 years would be the soonest, and that would be a lower line most likely. Unless Hayton really takes off... which would be fantastic.
3) I don't think so. Having another center on the team who is better than you doesn't make you a bust. Malkin/Crosby come to mind. Now... I don't think either of these players are on that level, to be clear. Just the point that they can coexist without being busts (we should hope).
4) Looks to me that they are taking a long term approach to that issue. They believe you win down the middle, so they are trying to build that as well as possible. If all the C's pan out, then they can use any extras to either shift to wing or trade for more. I can't say specifically why they didn't go with Zadina. A couple of teams decided to go with a different player than him so maybe they have their reasons. Either way, they want to build for long term instead of short it seems. Maybe they plan to address goals in another way or hope for growth.

Excellent detail and insight- thanx!

 

[hbk]

From Scott Rintoul's twitter

"Jim Benning just told @Sportsnet650 Canucks had the same 7 players that went 1-7 on their board, just in a different order..."

It's looking more and more like this wasn't a reach. Just bad amateur scouting. Myself included.

 

[soo hound girl]

Hayton’s play will force them to play Frost at wing.

See. I’m trying.

Ain’t happening with Frost and Hayton it is the best 1 -2 punch in the entire CHL the only time they will play on same line will be on the power play but their is rumours the hounds might trade Frost before the trade deadline to get some picks back either way Hayton is the real deal

 

[Tom Polakis]

I didn't really focus on forwards this year at all...I focused on defensemen...but sometimes you just can't help but notice a player, sometimes they just jump off the page...and Hayton does that for me. Not from a flash standpoint. There's more talented players out there. No question. There's a higher-end, higher ceiling guys. But he was playing second fiddle to the best playmaking center in the OHL in Morgan Frost and if somehow Frost makes the Flyers (not likely at all), well, I'd get Barrett Hayton on your OHL fantasy team because he might pop a hundo. He's smart, he's tenacious, he's a goal-line to goal-line player, he works his bag off...and he has really gotten noticeably better as the season has gone on...

I think he might be a little more refined in terms of 1-on-1 ability and hands in tight than Bo Horvat at the same age, so I'm inclined to believe he has a little more to give in terms of production down the road than him too. I really don't believe this is a "safe" pick in the sense where it's like "all right, he's gonna play in the show...but it's just gonna be, ya know, another Juha Ylonen..." - like I said, I haven't been focused on him, but he seems like a player to me. The Coyotes weren't alone in having him on the top 10 of their board...

The last few pages of this thread have been at least little bit of a relief. Thanks for this post. Never thought I'd see the name Yuha Ylonen again!

 

[rt]

The last few pages of this thread have been at least little bit of a relief. Thanks for this post. Never thought I'd see the name Yuha Ylonen again!

His boy just went to Montreal at 35th overall?

 

[Heldig]

His boy just went to Montreal at 35th overall?

I was hoping the Coyotes could grab him in the second round.

 

[rt]

In his interviews and the comments about character he reminds me a little of the young Shane Doan. Too high of praise. I immediately regret it as it took Doan time to become the god he is. That said, can we just ask ourselves, “What if...?” What if he is the next Toews or Bergeron? What if our management and scouting staff that had our undying support just five days ago isn’t WRONG? Maybe there is something to the Premium Person meme. If it was all about dangles, the Knights would’ve been in the position to break our hearts by taking Zadina.

 

[XX]

In his interviews and the comments about character he reminds me a little of the young Shane Doan. Too high of praise. I immediately regret it as it took Doan time to become the god he is. That said, can we just ask ourselves, “What if...?” What if he is the next Toews or Bergeron? What if our management and scouting staff that had our undying support just five days ago isn’t WRONG? Maybe there is something to the Premium Person meme. If it was all about dangles, the Knights would’ve been in the position to break our hearts by taking Zadina.

Dream away. Just remember the odds are very much against him becoming the next Toews or Bergeron. We're talking about centers that are harder to project and there's only a handful of them we keep going back to over the past 15 years or so. There's a reason for that. When we think about drafts, we tend to remember the successful players, and not the failures that vastly outnumber the successes. The problem is we're talking about a top 5 pick, something that should be a rare occurrence for an organization. For Hayton to be worth it, he has to be more than another Vermette.

This is the biggest "guess" so far of Chayka's tenure. Players with much better stats in their draft year and even tools have failed. It's a ballsy pick. All we can do is wait and see. But we won't have to wait long.

 

[rt]

Vermette was a fantastic draft pick.

I’m thinking more about Brendan Gaunce. Or even Chipchura who I think was central scoutings #2 ranked NA skater. Or what about Ryan O’Marra? Or Mark McNeill?

 

[XX]

Vermette was a fantastic draft pick.

I’m thinking more about Brendan Gaunce. Or even Chipchura who I think was central scoutings #2 ranked NA skater. Or what about Ryan O’Marra? Or Mark McNeill?

Vermette was a 2nd round pick. We're talking about top 5 picks.

Go back since 2003 and look at the CHL centers taken in the top 10. The majority of them had better draft years better than Hayton.

Imagine you're Toronto in 2015. You don't have Mark Hunter. Trevor Letowski gives a ringing endorsement of Pavel Zacha. Premium size. Premium hitter. Premium energy. So projectable. You think he can play center and be the 'engine' of a team. Sure, Marner has twice as many points but how much of that will translate? Kid barely fills out a child's tee. How stupid would you look for passing on the better winger? That's before we even get to Werenski, Provorov, and Rantanen.

If we're going to rave about Vancouver and Montreal liking Hayton (historically speaking two teams you don't want to throw in with), it should be mentioned that Detroit happily snapped up Zadina and then was adamant he was 2nd on their board. So Chayka can claim whatever inside info he wants. It's still a 'risky' pick.

I don't see the 1C potential or even the super elite 2C. I'd love to be wrong.

 

[PuckLife]

The doubters all seem to be trusting the media and message boards over the professionals. that many teams in the top 10 targeting him tells you something. Here’s more confirmation that he was a hot commodity:
Hayton convinced Coyotes ‘there was really no reason not to take him’ - Arizona Sports

 

[rt]

Vermette was a 2nd round pick. We're talking about top 5 picks.

Go back since 2003 and look at the CHL centers taken in the top 10. The majority of them had better draft years better than Hayton.

Imagine you're Toronto in 2015. You don't have Mark Hunter. Trevor Letowski gives a ringing endorsement of Pavel Zacha. Premium size. Premium hitter. Premium energy. So projectable. You think he can play center and be the 'engine' of a team. Sure, Marner has twice as many points but how much of that will translate? Kid barely fills out a child's tee. How stupid would you look for passing on the better winger? That's before we even get to Werenski, Provorov, and Rantanen.

If we're going to rave about Vancouver and Montreal liking Hayton (historically speaking two teams you don't want to throw in with), it should be mentioned that Detroit happily snapped up Zadina and then was adamant he was 2nd on their board. So Chayka can claim whatever inside info he wants. It's still a 'risky' pick.

I don't see the 1C potential or even the super elite 2C. I'd love to be wrong.

Vancouver has had very impressive drafts the last couple of years.

 

[MIGs Dog]

I've read through most of these posts and feel only slightly better about this kid. My questions are:

1) What does this say about are current centers on the roster?
- Hayton is the future, not the present. Only one Coyote center is under contract through 2020-21 season. (Strome RFA, so probably him too)

2) Can his impact for the 'Yotes be less than two years away?
- Possibly. This organization has shown age doesn't matter if you can get the job done.

3) Does this move now label Strome a bust?
- No. I think from everything talked about that Hayton was viewed by the Coyotes as BPA.

4) If we are ALWAYS goal deficient, why not take Zadina, and at least try to address that problem as soon as possible?
- See #3. Plus, isn't the consensus that it's easier to acquire a scoring winger than a top 6 center? Of course, you might have to spend above the floor (see Phil Kessel)