Bob McKenzie Mid-Season Draft Ranking

[Rozz]

what's the list so far? if anyone has been watching?

 

[FlyguyOX]

Silayev is a unicorn. I'm not surprised.

 

[BondraTime]

I’ve seen plenty. Seems like you just disagree with me and automatically go with the “ you have never seen him play“ card. Typical around this website.

Has nothing to do with just using that card, it's legitimately one of the reasons scouts are so high on him, it's a universally agreed upon facet of his game. If you don't see that, it's a valid question

That combo of size, skill, physical play and strength is why he's seen as a top 5 guy, and considered a unicorn type prospect.

He has 66 minutes in Pims in 32 games this season, only 8 minutes of those are from Tripping, Hooking or Slashing, the other 38 (had 2 separate 10 minute misconducts for getting involved after the whistle) from being physical

Verbatim from the McKenzie article from an NHL scout:

Lindstrom was a third-round pick in the WHL bantam draft and put up some nice rookie numbers last season — 19 goals and 42 points in 61 games. But he has blossomed this year. It’s not just his 27 goals and 66 penalty minutes in 32 games; it’s his size, strength and ability to, at times, physically overwhelm opponents that scouts have noticed

“He’s something of a unicorn in this draft,” one scout said. “A big, strong physical centre with skills and vision who’s putting up great numbers and demonstrating he maybe has the potential to be a big No. 1 NHL centre. If he’s not prolific enough to be a No. 1 C, he’s going to be a helluva No. 2.”

 

[MikeyS]

Macklin Celebrini the unanimous No. 1 prospect in Bob McKenzie's mid-season draft ranking | TSN

Ten out of 10 NHL team scouts surveyed by TSN have the 17-year-old Boston University freshman centre at No. 1. Almost all of them can’t see anyone other than Celebrini going first overall on June 28.

www.tsn.ca

 

[Stewie Griffin]

If the draft was today based on this ranking, SJ getting Celebrini and Buium would be the first good thing to happen in a while for this team.

 

[Castle8130]

I think I remember last year that there weren't too many differences from the pre-season to mid-season rankings. There were just subtle trajectories on how prospects were trending. The big differences usually come at the end of the year. Ryder Ritchie and Charlie Elick being 1st rounders surprises me. Buium at #13 is a shock too

 

[Joka12]

MBN ranked 20 and Stian Solberg ranked number 45. Would be amazing if it ends up with something like that. The highest drafted Norwegian ever was drafted as number 42.

 

[Frk It]

Pretty surprised that neither Buium or Yakemchuk cracked the top 10. I honestly feel like those guys could be the #1 defenseman available in some other draft classes.

Also was surprised to see Connelly at #11, seems like some scouting services love him and some don't.

 

[Czechboy]

Was hoping fibigr got an HM. Happy with the list for czechs. Seemed fair and reasonable. Still hoping for more than 1 first rounder though.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Macklin Celebrini the unanimous No. 1 prospect in Bob McKenzie's mid-season draft ranking | TSN

Ten out of 10 NHL team scouts surveyed by TSN have the 17-year-old Boston University freshman centre at No. 1. Almost all of them can’t see anyone other than Celebrini going first overall on June 28.

www.tsn.ca

The journalistic standards of this article are so bad.

So that raises the question: What exactly are we looking at in terms of Celebrini, the North Vancouver product?

Potential star? Superstar? Franchise player? Generational talent?

Well, before attempting to answer that, one needs some context on these terms that get thrown around so liberally these days.


Generational, for instance. No one would argue that Connor McDavid, No. 1 overall in 2015, was at the time of his draft and now in terms of his current day stature is a generational talent. But one may well be inclined to say the same thing about 2023 first-overall pick Connor Bedard.

Can you have two generational players separated by only eight years, when the dictionary definition of “generation” is a 15- to 20-year span?

Apparently, you can.

Actually, going down the “generational” rabbit hole can be fraught with peril, an exercise in complexity.

No one would dispute Sidney Crosby’s status as a generational player – not in his 2005 draft year and not now either. But as promising as 2004 No. 1 overall Alexander Ovechkin was 20 years ago, I don’t recall anyone at that time suggesting Ovie was “generational.” But now that he has become the greatest goal scorer of his generation, and still has a chance to be the most prolific scorer ever in NHL history, he has transcended “generational.”

When Cale Makar was drafted fourth overall behind Nico Hischier, Nolan Patrick, and Miro Heiskanen in 2017, he wasn’t even considered the best player available that year, but now or in the future? Is Makar generational? Discuss amongst yourselves, but whatever he is, it’s something special.

What about Nate MacKinnon? Auston Matthews? Where does generational end and “franchise” player begin? Do you only ask the question during a player’s draft year? Or can it be applied after the fact? What about the delineation between a franchise player and a mere superstar? It’s all so subjective to begin with, you can really get into the weeds on it.

Nevertheless, we asked some scouts about where on the spectrum of generational-franchise-superstar they see Celebrini.

The consensus seems to be that Celebrini is not considered generational — certainly not McDavid and maybe not Bedard either — but there are equal amounts of support for him being a franchise player or being at the superstar level.

“He’s a franchise player,” one scout said definitely. “He will be a game changer for the franchise that gets him.”

“He’ll be very good, he’ll consistently put up great numbers, but I don’t know if he will carry a franchise,” said another scout.

“If Auston Matthews is a franchise player and Mitch Marner and William Nylander are superstars, I would project Celebrini closer to Marner and Nylander than Matthews,” said another scout.

Want scouting insights? Well here's pontification about "what is generational" instead.

 

[BondraTime]

I think I remember last year that there weren't too many differences from the pre-season to mid-season rankings. There were just subtle trajectories on how prospects were trending. The big differences usually come at the end of the year. Ryder Ritchie and Charlie Elick being 1st rounders surprises me. Buium at #13 is a shock too

Ritchie has been ranked as a first rounder pretty much everywhere all year

Ranked #19 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING
Ranked #9 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
Ranked #17 by DAILY FACEOFF
Ranked #20 by THE HOCKEY NEWS
Ranked #11 by MCKEEN'S HOCKEY
Ranked #25 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
Ranked #16 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
Ranked #17 by DOBBERPROSPECTS
Ranked #26 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
Ranked #23 by SMAHT SCOUTING

 

[TLEH]

Definitely wild variation this year.

 

[Osakahaus]

Can someone give me a difference between Levshunov and Silayev? Is one a better offensive defenseman than the other, and which one is faster?

 

[Castle8130]

Ritchie has been ranked as a first rounder pretty much everywhere all year

Ranked #19 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING
Ranked #9 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
Ranked #17 by DAILY FACEOFF
Ranked #20 by THE HOCKEY NEWS
Ranked #11 by MCKEEN'S HOCKEY
Ranked #25 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
Ranked #16 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
Ranked #17 by DOBBERPROSPECTS
Ranked #26 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
Ranked #23 by SMAHT SCOUTING

A lot of those rankings are very amateur. Outside of Mckenzie and Central scouting, the input on most of those lists aren't that great. I expected Ritchie to slide a bit more. We'll see if he slides further before June

 

[BondraTime]

A lot of those rankings are very amateur. Outside of Mckenzie and Central scouting, the input on most of those lists aren't that great. I expected Ritchie to slide a bit more. We'll see if he slides further before June

Even using only the ones you deem worthy, he's been a 1st all year

 

[Frk It]

Was not expecting Colton Roberts to come in as a HM when some other places have him ranked top 32 (Central Scouting, HP). That one was surprising for me.

Can someone tell me why Misa isn't ranked higher despite the season he is having??

 

[Kevin Musto]

The journalistic standards of this article are so bad.



Want scouting insights? Well here's pontification about "what is generational" instead.

I couldn't believe the volume of rambling in this article

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Can someone give me a difference between Levshunov and Silayev? Is one a better offensive defenseman than the other, and which one is faster?

Levshunov is the better offensive d-man.

I think Silayev would be viewed as the ''faster'' skater in a straight line if that's how you want to judge being fast.

 

[MikeyS]

Was not expecting Colton Roberts to come in as a HM when some other places have him ranked top 32 (Central Scouting, HP). That one was surprising for me.

Can someone tell me why Misa isn't ranked higher despite the season he is having??

Late birthday and only 5’10”. if you notice, not many small players in his ranking

 

[SI90]

Kind of surprised Buium isn’t getting more love in the top10

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I usually say I’m not surprise by Bob’s scout list because it’s predictable enough by this point of seeing what NHL teams prefer and don’t prefer, but this was a little off the wall and looks more like the list of one person.

Is it fair to ask if Bob is still a plugged in as he was in the past? I’m not at all saying that he’s not doing his work to ask scouts, but is he asking the senior scouts at NHL teams? Does he still have those connections and know those people? He’s not been full time for a few years now. He’s barely part time, and his job requires building connections. Seems like something that you need to be regularly working at to do.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I'm surprised Eiserman is top 30 with how they beat him up in the article.

 

[King In The North]

The journalistic standards of this article are so bad.



Want scouting insights? Well here's pontification about "what is generational" instead.

I was reading and was like, wtf did this article turn into.

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

I assume Tij Iginla is Jerome's kid?

EliteProspects doesn't work well on my work computer, sorry...

 

[barriers]

I assume Tij Iginla is Jerome's kid?

EliteProspects doesn't work well on my work computer, sorry...

He is Elvis Iginla's grandson