Toggle sidebar

Bob McKenzie's Top 30 Draft Prospects

Status
Not open for further replies.
Atlas

Atlas

Registered User
Sep 7, 2004
3,355
1
Le Golie said:
McKenzie states in his column that the highest rating Brule got by any team is 4th. I guess that confirms how much his stock has fallen this season. The only ones in contention for 2nd are Johnson, Poulliot and Ryan.
Click to expand...


No one likes Bobby Mac more than I do but if you were a scout for an NHL team would you be telling him (or anyone) where you had Brule ranked? Why? That is exactly what your job is not to do. If I were a GM and one of my scouts went giving out lists that scout would get the boot.
 

timlap

Registered User
Jun 19, 2002
9,218
41
JohnGalt said:
No one likes Bobby Mac more than I do but if you were a scout for an NHL team would you be telling him (or anyone) where you had Brule ranked?. . .
Click to expand...
Yes, because . . .

1) it's Bob mcKenzie and he has good credibility.
2) every team will tell him, so the result will not show anything specific enough to be damaging to a team.
3) he only rates the top prospects, and everybody knows all about those guys anyway.

That said, teams may be keeping a few things hidden. And note that he (or THN) never feature "Possible Late round steals" as told to them by various scouts. That info is kept strictly secret, I'm sure.
 

Duff88

Registered User
May 7, 2002
5,107
123
Take Chicoutimi forward Marek Zagrapan, for instance. Two NHL clubs surveyed by TSN have him in the top 10. Two other clubs rate him as a borderline first rounder.
Click to expand...

I have already said it alot, but if Zagrapan falls lower than #20, alot of teams COULD regret it.

Now, I know that he's a risky pick, but his skillset alone make him worth the risk; I'd say he's a calculated risk and could make a lot of teams cry in a few years.

That said, this is a great list and it's really appreciated. Thanks mr. McKenzie, I can't wait to read what you have to say when you'll post about this here. :handclap:
 
Guy Flaming

Guy Flaming

Registered User
Jun 2, 2003
7,292
0
TSN 1260 & Oil Kings
www.thepipelineshow.com
timlap said:
And note that he (or THN) never feature "Possible Late round steals" as told to them by various scouts. That info is kept strictly secret, I'm sure.
Click to expand...

I can guarantee that that does happen and that it is kept secret.

One scout I spoke with for one of the HF projects practically begged me not to mention his personal sleeper because very few were apparently looking at the guy (he wasn't on many published lists during the year but did make the final ISS one) and didn't want to tip anyone off who might happen to read the HF list.
 

BobMckenzie

Registered User
Jul 23, 2003
343
3
goteam said:
No love for Brule or Setoguchi, Bob?
Click to expand...

For the record, none of this is based on MY personal opinion. It is a consensus ranking after talking to scouts representing 10 NHL teams. It is not the same as ISS or Red Line, which make their own subjective evaluations of the players and rate them accordingly. I have never suggested my rankings were anything beyond that.

Having said that, this exercise, which I started when I founded The Hockey News Draft Preview back in the mid-80s has proven to be a very good barometer of where players are usually taken. It's far from foolproof, of course, as it takes only one NHL team to like a prospect and skew the "consensus" but I would say without doing the math, the batting average of who's a top 10 pick, who's a 10-20 and who's a 20-30 is pretty good, if I do say so myself. :amazed:

It's funny, really, how quickly players fall into slots or numerical categories after talking to only a handful of scouts. At the end of the day, it's just more fodder for us draft junkies who really should have gone out and gotten a life at some point. :D

And as for the poster who can't believe NHL team scouts would actually tell me what they really think and where they have players rated, well, all I can say is they do (and it's a good thing, too) and it's probably because we have a strong bond of trust that dates back in many cases 15 to 25 years. To tell you the truth, my entire livelihood is based on people telling me things they ought not to. :dunno:
 
  • Like
Reactions: danielpalfredsson and atrud66
Anthony Mauro

Anthony Mauro

DraftBuzz Hockey
Oct 3, 2004
6,859
5
www.draftbuzzhockey.com
Duff88 said:
I have already said it alot, but if Zagrapan falls lower than #20, alot of teams COULD regret it.

Now, I know that he's a risky pick, but his skillset alone make him worth the risk; I'd say he's a calculated risk and could make a lot of teams cry in a few years.
Click to expand...

Same here, I wouldn't want to pass on him after pick 10. The same goes for Nicklas Bergfors although he's not the risk as MZ.
 

Le Golie

...
Jul 4, 2002
8,541
464
How awesome is it to have a reason to talk about the draft? I wonder if this is the first time Bob has posted in any other section besides the business one.

Great work Bob, it's so refreshing to read something like this right now. I can't wait for hockey to be back.
 

Greg

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
1,401
0
Surprised to see team scouts have Skille between 5 and 10. Red Line has him at 4 and ISS at 13. After his average U-18's (1+3 in 6 games), I thought his stock would drop a little. I guess he's the "true horse" Red Line says he is.
 
Cole Caulifield

Cole Caulifield

Registered User
Apr 22, 2004
27,967
2,465
BobMckenzie said:
For the record, none of this is based on MY personal opinion. It is a consensus ranking after talking to scouts representing 10 NHL teams. It is not the same as ISS or Red Line, which make their own subjective evaluations of the players and rate them accordingly. I have never suggested my rankings were anything beyond that.
Click to expand...

Why 10 ? Is that the number of scouts that trust you with the information or is it just more convenient that way ? One for each team would make for an even more representative list no ?

Also, are those scouts heads of scouting staff, lower ranked scouts, GMs ? Do their superior know that they've told you those things ? Would it cause problems if they did ?

Sorry if my questions are stupid or obvious, I'm just very curious. :innocent:
 

I am Jack's Fish

Guest
BobMckenzie said:
To tell you the truth, my entire livelihood is based on people telling me things they ought not to. :dunno:
Click to expand...

Bob, Me personally, I really dig Anne Murray's music. Just thought I would let you know. I dont know why.
 

timlap

Registered User
Jun 19, 2002
9,218
41
Mark Fischel said:
Bob, Me personally, I really dig Anne Murray's music. Just thought I would let you know. I dont know why.
Click to expand...
I don't think you should have told him that.
 
Lowetide

Lowetide

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
13,281
11
Enjoyable read. Not to compliment Bob too much (it's getting ridiculous, he must have some faults. I suggest we start a rumor that he watches The Gilmore Girls, that oughta play well in the locker room) but the HN draft issues aren't quite as good anymore. Not so much the rankings just the writing. The first Costello Draft Preview lacked balance (everyone seemed to be an idiot or lacked grit, even the top end guys) and although they are better now it seems to me they're not quite as good as the old ones. I remember the 89 edition in which they basically said Bure was the best player (along with Sundin and Holik) but because of the status of Russian players there was an outside chance he would be taken in the first three rounds (that was the rule then, first three rounds. Right?). Then Vancouver took him in the fourth round and got to keep him.

There is NO league like the NHL. :D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Latest posts

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

Top Bottom