Best D-man in the 11 draft

[zharkenby]

Just wondering, who do you guys think will turn out the best. Larsson has great potential, however did not have a great first year. He has been brilliant in the playoffs however. Dougie Hamilton had a killer year in juniors. I think it has to be one of these two. I would probably say Larsson. Thoughts?

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[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

... Is it even a question that it's Larsson?

 

[King In The North]

Larsson is the best, then Hamilton and Brodin

 

[Bjorn Le]

Adam Larsson is the best now, Doug Hamilton and Ryan Murphy have the highest ceilings.

I don't think Brodin will even be a top 5 defensemen from this draft when all is said and done.

 

[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

Adam Larsson is the best now, Doug Hamilton and Ryan Murphy have the highest ceilings.

I don't think Brodin will even be a top 5 defensemen from this draft when all is said and done.

Hamilton and Murphy have the highest ceilings offensively but I don't think they could come near touching the depth of all-around skill that Larsson has.

 

[Bjorn Le]

Hamilton and Murphy have the highest ceilings offensively but I don't think they could come near touching the depth of all-around skill that Larsson has.

Larsson's not far beneath those two on overall upside (He has a substantial edge on defensive upside, Hamilton and especially Murphy have a substantial edge offensively), but I still think if everything turns out right, they'll be better players.

Nothing ever turns out exactly right however. Larsson probably is a better bet to be the best defensemen.

If I had to do perfect upside.

1a. Doug Hamilton
1b. Ryan Murphy
3. Adam Larsson
4. Jamie Oleksiak
5. Joe Morrow
6. Nathan Beaulieu
7. Jonas Brodin
8. Oscar Klefbom
9. Connor Murphy
10. Duncan Siemens

With realistic upside

1. Adam Larsson
2. Doug Hamilton
3. Ryan Murphy
4. Jonas Brodin
5. Jamie Oleksiak
6. Nathan Beaulieu
7. Duncan Siemens
8. Joe Morrow
9. Connor Murphy
10a. Stuart Purcy
10b. Oscar Klefbom

 

[Future]

Ryan Murphy
Adam Larsson
Dougie Hamilton

 

[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

Ryan Murphy
Adam Larsson
Dougie Hamilton

No surprise here.

 

[tyratoku]

Brodin getting praised and compared to Niklas Lidstrom by Niklas Kronwall, teammate and often-linemate with Lidstrom himself has to be worth some mention.

I'm not saying he's going to be the best, but he deserves a mention or ten in this thread.

Personally, though, I would rank Larsson ahead of him and probably Hamilton as well.

 

[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

Brodin getting praised and compared to Niklas Lidstrom by Niklas Kronwall, teammate and often-linemate with Lidstrom himself has to be worth some mention.

I'm not saying he's going to be the best, but he deserves a mention or ten in this thread.

Personally, though, I would rank Larsson ahead of him and probably Hamilton as well.

There's a lot of dimensions being compared to a player. There's he "plays like player x" stylistically and there's he's "as good as player x".

 

[Torts]

seriously good 1st round when it comes to dmen

 

[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

seriously good 1st round when it comes to dmen

Good point actually...:

Adam Larsson (#4)
Dougie Hamilton (#9)
Jonas Brodin (#10)
Duncan Siemens (#11)
Ryan Murphy (#12)
Jamie Oleksiak (#14)
Nathan Beaulieu (#17)
Oscar Klefbom (#19)
Connor Murphy (#20)
Joe Morrow (#23)
Stuart Percy (#25)
~
David Musil (#31)
Scott Mayfield (#34)
Adam Clendening (#36)
Joel Edmunsen (#46)

But this year could/will certainly blow it out of the water.

Ryan Murray (Top 5)
Mathew Dumba (Top 7)
Morgan Reilly (Top 10)
Jacob Trouba (Top 14)
Griffin Reinhardt (Top 14)
Cody Ceci (Top 14)
Derrick Pouliot (Top 20)
Slater Koekkoek (Top 20)
Olli Määttä (Top 20)
Matt Finn (Top 25)
Jordan Schmaltz (Top 30)
Ludvig Bystöm (Top 30)
Brady Skjei (Top 30)
Hampus Lindholm (Top 30)
Dalton Thrower (Top 35)
Nick Ebert (Top 40)
Damon Severson (Top 45)
Adam Pelech (Top 50)

14/30 could be Defenders.

 

[ponder]

Way too early to predict with any kind of certainty, but my guess is:

1) Larsson - playing so well already, looks like a 2-way stud, so steady and well rounded

2) Hamilton - high offensive upside, great size, decently physical and shows lots of defensive promise

3) Murphy - was worried after that nasty Kuhnhackl, thought it'd be a potential career changer, but he didn't end up missing much time and has looked good since coming back. His size will always be an issue defensively, but he makes up for it with skating and offensive skills, should be a high end NHL puck mover

4) Morrow - also a great skater with lots of offensive talent, not as dynamic as Murphy, but a touch bigger and a bit better defensively

5) Percy - OK, I'll freely admit this is a homer pick, but I like his game. Very mature/poised/intelligent, I can see him playing a high IQ 2-way game in the mold of someone like Dan Hamhuis. Before he got concussed on December 11th he was playing great, putting up 4 goals, 22 points, +14 over 24 games. Didn't fully find his groove after coming back, but he didn't play a tonne of games after his return, so it's understandable. I just think his game will translate really well to the NHL due to his high IQ, great first pass, and positionally sound play. I can see him being a really solid, reliable 2nd pairing dman.

 

[Nocashstyle]

Just wondering, who do you guys think will turn out the best. Larsson has great potential, however did not have a great first year. He has been brilliant in the playoffs however. Dougie Hamilton had a killer year in juniors. I think it has to be one of these two. I would probably say Larsson. Thoughts?

This is news to me? His injury set him back near the end of the season mentally, but he was as solid as anyone could have hoped an 18-19 year old rookie defenseman could be. Looking mighty fine in the playoffs as well

 

[blinkman360]

Good point actually...:

Adam Larsson (#4)
Dougie Hamilton (#9)
Jonas Brodin (#10)
Duncan Siemens (#11)
Ryan Murphy (#12)
Jamie Oleksiak (#14)
Nathan Beaulieu (#17)
Oscar Klefbom (#19)
Connor Murphy (#20)
Joe Morrow (#23)
Stuart Percy (#25)
~
David Musil (#31)
Scott Mayfield (#34)
Adam Clendening (#36)
Joel Edmunsen (#46)

But this year could/will certainly blow it out of the water.

Ryan Murray (Top 5)
Mathew Dumba (Top 7)
Morgan Reilly (Top 10)
Jacob Trouba (Top 14)
Griffin Reinhardt (Top 14)
Cody Ceci (Top 14)
Derrick Pouliot (Top 20)
Slater Koekkoek (Top 20)
Olli Määttä (Top 20)
Matt Finn (Top 25)
Jordan Schmaltz (Top 30)
Ludvig Bystöm (Top 30)
Brady Skjei (Top 30)
Hampus Lindholm (Top 30)
Dalton Thrower (Top 35)
Nick Ebert (Top 40)
Damon Severson (Top 45)
Adam Pelech (Top 50)

14/30 could be Defenders.

You see Ebert going that high? I figured we wouldn't see his name called until the 3rd.

 

[HanSolo]

Way too early but the front runners seem to be Larsson Hamilton and Brodin.

 

[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

You see Ebert going that high? I figured we wouldn't see his name called until the 3rd.

I could see a team like the Lightning who have a lot of Top 60 picks investing a pick on a chance player like this.

 

[tyratoku]

There's a lot of dimensions being compared to a player. There's he "plays like player x" stylistically and there's he's "as good as player x".

I completely understand. But read this and tell me what you think:

Article is in swedish, but google translate gives me the following:

You get goose bumps when you see Jonas. He is fantastic, it can only congratulate Minnesota that got him in the NHL draften. I can not think of anyone who has been so good and stable at 18 years old. He has no blemishes. Well, maybe he is a bit narrow, but what the hell. It does not matter.

t will go straight up, that I do not doubt one second on. Can he just put on some weight ... Or even as he is now, he is playing against other guys in the world and takes care of the simple point. Everything looks so easy out and there are not many people have that ability. You have "Lidas" (Nicklas Lidstrom) and Kenny (Jonsson) and the best runs of all time.

I like his look and skating. He reads situations naturally, going on instinct, and know what to do with the puck before he gets it. Grows he is only to the skating will be even better. How good he can be? Will he be healthy and get the right coach, there are no limits.

It was brought to the Wild board by a Swedish poster who's been following the WHC and keeping us up to date on what the news and announcers and players have been saying about Bacon. It's been nothing but praise.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

Murphy will be the best D, after Larsson of course.

 

[stempniaksen]

1. Larsson
2a. Brodin
2b. Klefbom
3. Hamilton
4. Murphy
5. Morrow

 

[17Kurri]

Imo...

Adam Larsson
Dougie Hamilton
Oscar Klefbom
Jonas Brodin
Ryan Murphy
Joe Morrow

 

[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

Siemens is incredibly underrated. He did have a bit of an off season and was injured but he is still top 5 or 6 drafted in 2011.

 

[Brewster]

1a Hamilton- Top OHL Defender
1b Larsson- Solid NHL dman already
1c Murphy- Best PMD in the draft
4 Brodin- Suceeding against men in SEL
5a Klefbom- Playing top minutes with Brodin in SEL
5b Morrow- Top 2 dman on high flying Winterhawks
7 Siemens- Still tough as nails despite injury
8 Oleksiak- Only saw him play at WJ, looked solid
9 Beaulieu- Very good PMD on one of the best Junior teams of the decade
10 Percy- Wildcard for me, never seen him play

 

[rynryn]

what current players are the "ceilings" for Hamilton and Larsson if Brodin's is Lidstrom? Not concerned at the moment with who is most likely to reach theirs but just curious. Don't get to watch Hamilton play but from his HF profile he sound an awful lot like Brent Burns right down to the "converted winger" part.

 

[Bjorn Le]

what current players are the "ceilings" for Hamilton and Larsson if Brodin's is Lidstrom? Not concerned at the moment with who is most likely to reach theirs but just curious. Don't get to watch Hamilton play but from his HF profile he sound an awful lot like Brent Burns right down to the "converted winger" part.

Brodin's ceiling isn't Lidstrom, not even close lol. I doubt Brodin ever puts up more than 30 points in the NHL more than a couple times. Brodin's closer to Ryan Suter.

Hamilton plays like Alex Pietrangelo, a little weaker offensively/defensively. Larrson maybe a Norris era Duncan Keith with less offense. He doesn't really have a good comparable.