C Dylan Cozens - Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL (2019, 7th, BUF)

[Zaddy]

Go watch the Hlinka again and tell me he’s not a beast. One turnover in his end isn’t the end of the world.

The Hlinka is where my concerns about Cozens started.

Watching him vs Dach at Hlinka it's like night and day.

One guy thrives on his speed and long reach, while the other thrives due to his hockey IQ and vision.

 

[Frk It]

The Hlinka is where my concerns about Cozens started.

If you watched that tournament and thought he was anything other than great, I’m speechless.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

The Hlinka is where my concerns about Cozens started.

Watching him vs Dach at Hlinka it's like night and day.

One guy thrives on his speed and long reach, while the other thrives due to his hockey IQ and vision.

What are you I don't even how

 

[Zaddy]

If you watched that tournament and thought he was anything other than great, I’m speechless.

Fair enough I guess. When I watch prospects I tend to try and go beneath the surface and really analyze players and not just be amazed by a player because he is big and makes some moves in full speed. Not implying that you're doing that but that's a common thing on these boards I think.

Similarly I was pretty much the only guy on these boards who criticized Puljujärvi, and I did so right after he put up 17 points and won gold at the WJC and everyone was insanely hyped on him. I bring up Pulju partially because Cozens in some ways reminds me of him, and the hype surrounding him too.

I'll copypaste a comment I wrote on the Oilers board a while ago regarding Cozens @ Hlinka:

Like just looking at this video from the Hlinka:



I don't like his hands, I don't like how telegraphed and slow his shot and release is. I don't see him making many high IQ plays there or examples of high-end vision/playmaking. Most of it is him utilizing his size, speed and long reach to navigate around and past opponents. Eerily similar to how Pulju did and looked at the junior level. And all of that will be more or less negated at the NHL level. Cozens also skates into trouble a lot in those clips and overcomplicates things. So there's a bunch of red flags for me.

I was prepared to be proven wrong on him since the Hlinka was a long time ago and maybe he was better than I gave him credit for. But then I watched this shift-by-shift video on him today and everything I had an issue with at the Hlinka is present in this video too. In fact it's even more obvious here I think:

 

[Frk It]

Fair enough I guess. When I watch prospects I tend to try and go beneath the surface and really analyze players and not just be amazed by a player because he is big and makes some moves in full speed. Not implying that you're doing that but that's a common thing on these boards I think.

Similarly I was pretty much the only guy on these boards who criticized Puljujärvi, and I did so right after he put up 17 points and won gold at the WJC and everyone was insanely hyped on him. I bring up Pulju partially because Cozens in some ways reminds me of him, and the hype surrounding him too.

I'll copypaste a comment I wrote on the Oilers board a while ago regarding Cozens @ Hlinka:



I was prepared to be proven wrong on him since the Hlinka was a long time ago and maybe he was better than I gave him credit for. But then I watched this shift-by-shift video on him today and everything I had an issue with at the Hlinka is present in this video too. In fact it's even more obvious here I think:

I actually think he has better hands than what he gets credit for. I might agree his playmaking could be improved on, it’s certainly not close to someone like Dach for example. But he is pretty damn thin and I feel like it may get better as he puts on weight and gets tougher on the puck.

His skating is great, he tested really well at the top prospect game. His shot is also great (in my opinion). I don’t think he is a pure skilled guy, but I think he is efficient and smart, and will get more multi-faceted as he puts on weight.

I don’t really see any holes in his game, and I see plenty of room for improvement on areas he currently doesn’t excel in as much as some of his peers do. I’ve said it a bunch, but he is one of those guys where I like his floor and his ceiling.

I guess I would need to know in more detail why you think he lacks hockey sense or hockey IQ to really understand the issues here.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Similarly I was pretty much the only guy on these boards who criticized Puljujärvi, and I did so right after he put up 17 points and won gold at the WJC and everyone was insanely hyped on him. I bring up Pulju partially because Cozens in some ways reminds me of him, and the hype surrounding him too.

I really don't see this. I remember Poolparty having massive hype about his skill level. The thought was that he was just as good as Laine, or close. When his skill disappeared, I remember people were pretty baffled. He was supposed to be a bigtime playmaker, and it all just fell away. Hopefully he can find it again.

I don't think scouts think about Cozens that way. Nobody in their right mind is thinking he's going to run your PP or carry your top line. Nobody reasonable is under the impression he's going to be a high IQ playmaker. But he can be a two-way center with speed, size, and a wicked shot. Which, again... doesn't sound like draft-eligible Poolparty to me at all.

 

[Zaddy]

I really don't see this. I remember Poolparty having massive hype about his skill level. The thought was that he was just as good as Laine, or close. When his skill disappeared, I remember people were pretty baffled. He was supposed to be a bigtime playmaker, and it all just fell away. Hopefully he can find it again.

But that's just it. His skill didn't "disappear" or whatever. He had underlying issues that was never rectified. The issues I saw with him in his draft year are the same he still has today. Some things you can't teach.

I don't think scouts think about Cozens that way. Nobody in their right mind is thinking he's going to run your PP or carry your top line. Nobody reasonable is under the impression he's going to be a high IQ playmaker. But he can be a two-way center with speed, size, and a wicked shot. Which, again... doesn't sound like draft-eligible Poolparty to me at all.

I'm not saying they're carbon copies or even that similar as players, but they share some commonalities in terms of how they're perceived and red flags in their game.

I also don't know where this notion of two-way comes from when it comes to Cozens. He always looks to be a step behind the play and not a guy who processes the game at a high level. So if he'd turn out to be a really solid defensive player in the NHL would really surprise me.

 

[cgf]

Pulju was just Finnish-Nuke; a big body that could really skate but that with no brains or skill attached, like Ritchie. Cozens hands look much more impressive than any those guys' did & his game just seems more efficient in every way...which is a low bar, admittedly, but one he still clears comfortably. Now I don't think he has Rantanen hands or anything and he's not patiently pulling the strings like more cerebral big fellas like Barkov, but the Scheifele comparisons make a lot of sense to me if a team can be patient with him

 

[MMC]

What's his NHL comparable?

 

[alcolol]

What's his NHL comparable?

I've struggled with this question for the entire season. The best comparable I can think of is Monahan. Both centers skate well given their size, have a shoot-first mentality, and are (or in Cozens' case, may likely be) underrated as 1Cs.

 

[Bixby Snyder]

Nolan Patrick but not as good.

 

[cg98]

Nolan Patrick but not as good.

He plays nothing like Nolan Patrick.

 

[Dominance]

Monahan? Patrick? Who the hell are you guys watching?

 

[Peasy]

A lot of people compare him to Eric Staal.

 

[newdimension]

For me, he's kind of a Mika Zibanejad type. High motor; excellent skating that goes north-to-south, with good speed; a goal scorer that can plenty of shots on net; good size and good at all ends of the ice. Also, not a high hockey IQ, but probably passable enough that he can be play on various special teams. A reliable, top line player, but not a "top guy" in the league type.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

These are a lot of the same comments I read of Michael McLeod before he made his tumble outside the top 10.

 

[Mrb1p]

These are a lot of the same comments I read of Michael McLeod before he made his tumble outside the top 10.

Except Dylan has an nigh-elite shot and hes a good playmaker.

 

[Zaddy]

Pulju was just Finnish-Nuke; a big body that could really skate but that with no brains or skill attached, like Ritchie. Cozens hands look much more impressive than any those guys' did & his game just seems more efficient in every way...which is a low bar, admittedly, but one he still clears comfortably. Now I don't think he has Rantanen hands or anything and he's not patiently pulling the strings like more cerebral big fellas like Barkov, but the Scheifele comparisons make a lot of sense to me if a team can be patient with him

Thing is, absolutely no one would have said that pre-draft and if they did they'd be lynched pretty much.

So it's easy to say those things in hindsight and then look at a guy like Cozens and think nothing like that would be true for him.

I mean, I compared Puljujärvi to Pääjärvi in his draft thread after the WJC and everyone hated me for it because they had the hindsight with Pääjärvi of how poorly he had turned out and never in a million years thought Pulju's career would be comparable in any way to him. 3½ years later and well...

People are always so high on the most recent batch of prospects. They're never really more hyped than they are in their draft year because obviously that's before they start to struggle making the transition to the pros and their flaws that weren't as noticeable against junior-aged players become a lot more evident.

Also I disagree with the notion that Cozens has better hands than Pulju did at the same age. They were/are pretty similar.

 

[KingTux]

Drafted him in the second round with EHM

wooohooo

 

[Chiarelli]

Got a chance to see him play in person. Didn't seem like he was trying all that hard throughout the game but still had moments.

Easily outmuscled guys off the puck

Had a moment where he went into another gear and blew past a d man. The skating comes as advertised.

Good one timer already.

He kinda reminds me of a better skating, worse passing Dylan strome. Maybe an odd comparable.

 

[S E P H]

Nolan Patrick but not as good.

Lol, what?

What's his NHL comparable?

A better skating Gabriel Landeskog, but in terms of position easily Mark Scheifele.

 

[sting101]

I've seen him live recently and my comp would be a young Jeff Carter.

Agree with the 1b/2C rank and IceQ concerns. I dont see a guy who will be QBing a PP but could be a really good player in the bumper position at the NHL level and you have to love his frame hands and speed.

Gonna be a real solid pick if he has the work ethic to take his game to the next level.

 

[Leafs87]

He’s like a weird love child between Kesler and Getzlaf

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

Bobby Ryan in his prime? ish? Tough guy to find a comparable for.

In the games I've seen he hasn't really stood out like I'd hoped. Blended into the play. Definitely agree he won't carry a top line but could score alot of goals with his shot/size/speed & willingness to use those attributes.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Bobby Ryan in his prime? ish? Tough guy to find a comparable for.

In the games I've seen he hasn't really stood out like I'd hoped. Blended into the play. Definitely agree he won't carry a top line but could score alot of goals with his shot/size/speed & willingness to use those attributes.

Ryan's skating makes that a really hard comparison in my opinion.

I really do like the Jeff Carter comparison above. Fast big bodied right handed center/wing with a terrific shot. When he is on he is a really tough checking assignment. I do think though he has trigger-man ability on the PP. I would love to see him and Zadina on different flanks in Detroit.