C/W William Nylander - Modo, SHL (2014, 8th overall, Toronto)

[StuckOutHere]

I had this guy as a top three guy.

Ekblad
Reinhart
Nylander
Draisaitl
Dal Colle
Ehlers
Bennett
Fleury
Virtanen
Ritchie

Very stoked to get him at 8.

 

[AlainVigneaultsGum]

I must admit, I really wanted Vancouver to take him at 6th. I think he's going to be a steal at 8.

I really wanted him, too. I'm a huge fan and will be watching the Leafs a lot more now. Can't say I'm too upset with Virtanen, though.

 

[McMatthews]

I really wanted him, too. I'm a huge fan and will be watching the Leafs a lot more now. Can't say I'm too upset with Virtanen, though.

That's funny because I wanted Jake Virtanen and we got Nylander.

Neither fan bases seem to be complaining.

 

[PZA*]

It's more unlikely that Nylander becomes a career AHLer. Actually nearly impossible.

I could easily see him being the next Nikita Filatov.

 

[McMatthews]

I could easily see him being the next Nikita Filatov.

Except he's better than Filatov in every aspect of the game.

 

[FrozenJagrt]

Except he's better than Filatov in every aspect of the game.

Filatov is every bit as talented. The issue is his mentality

 

[Rebuilt]

I am happy for the Leafs. They got a great player at #8 . Possibly the one of the 3 best draftees in this class.

I feel happier for Winnipeg. Ehlers could also turn out to be a superstar and they havent exactly had the highest picks in their recent history.

The fans of both the Jets and Leafs got steals.

 

[GTA]

Except he's better than Filatov in every aspect of the game.

Not that they are even remotely comparable, but in their draft year Filatov was better. There is a reason he went higher despite the Russia factor. After the draft is another ball game however.

 

[GenericFan2*]

Couldn't be happier with this pick.

For some reason I feel like he will either be a top 3 player from this draft or nothing in a few years.

 

[snizzbone*]

I could easily see him being the next Nikita Filatov.

Filatov didn't have a father who played 900+ games in the NHL. That's the key thing that sticks out to me as the 'not gonna be a massive bust'.

 

[Rebuilt]

The odds of ehlers and nylander being AHL fodder are virtually nil.

If this was pre - 2004 then there is a chance they wouldnt be strong enough to handle all the hooking and holding.

Now ,in this no -touch NHL. they both will thrive. Even if they dont improve to the point where they are stars, they will still be second line players.

 

[gretskidoo]

Filatov didn't have a father who played 900+ games in the NHL. That's the key thing that sticks out to me as the 'not gonna be a massive bust'.

And, unlike what North American scouts have convinced themselves, he isn't lazy or a diva.

 

[McMatthews]

Not that they are even remotely comparable, but in their draft year Filatov was better. There is a reason he went higher despite the Russia factor. After the draft is another ball game however.

Filatov played 23 games against teenagers in his draft year. 5 against men.

Nylander played 3 games against teenagers in his draft year. 57 against men.

Filatov had 9 points in 6 games at the U18 tournament.

Nylander had 16 points in 7 games at the U18 tournament.

I'm not sure how Filatov was better than Nylander in his draft year.

 

[GTA]

Filatov played 23 games against teenagers in his draft year. 5 against men.

Nylander played 3 games against teenagers in his draft year. 57 against men.

Filatov had 9 points in 6 games at the U18 tournament.

Nylander had 16 points in 7 games at the U18 tournament.

I'm not sure how Filatov was better than Nylander in his draft year.

Funny that you gloss over Filatov actually making his U20 team and put up 9 points in 7 games; though this was a really small piece of the overall picture. The first comment about one playing in a men's league and the other in a junior league is laughable.

Scouts do this thing where they project a players abilities over the long term, and are careful to take sample size into account. So unless you were a really dumb scout, you wouldn't look at, say, only 6 and 7 game samples and suggest that that is the biggest indication of prospect value.

You not being sure that he was a better prospect at the time is probably because he didn't watch Filatov, though I understand you now have an emotional connection to your player and will defend him even though you really don't seem to know what you are talking about.

 

[con310*]

Funny that you gloss over Filatov actually making his U20 team and put up 9 points in 7 games; though this was a really small piece of the overall picture. The first comment about one playing in a men's league and the other in a junior league is laughable.

Scouts do this thing where they project a players abilities over the long term, and are careful to take sample size into account. So unless you were a really dumb scout, you wouldn't look at, say, only 6 and 7 game samples and suggest that that is the biggest indication of prospect value.

You not being sure that he was a better prospect at the time is probably because he didn't watch Filatov, though I understand you now have an emotional connection to your player and will defend him even though you really don't seem to know what you are talking about.

Take your own advice, It's clear you haven't watched either of them play. Nylander was the better player at this age but I think we both know that.

 

[Kyle Doobas*]

Great flow, Nikita. F-

 

[La Bamba]

Filatov played 23 games against teenagers in his draft year. 5 against men.

Nylander played 3 games against teenagers in his draft year. 57 against men.

Filatov had 9 points in 6 games at the U18 tournament.

Nylander had 16 points in 7 games at the U18 tournament.

I'm not sure how Filatov was better than Nylander in his draft year.

His numbers weren't amazing but looking back on it, I remember him being hyped up as the most dynamic offensive player in the '08 draft because he had the complete offensive package along with some nice wheels. Very similar to what Nylander is now.



I'm not saying Nylander will bust, I'm just saying Filatov was no slouch as a prospect. He even scored a hat trick in his first NHL stint which gave most HF posters a hard on for him.

 

[GTA]

Filatov played 23 games against teenagers in his draft year. 5 against men.

Nylander played 3 games against teenagers in his draft year. 57 against men.

Filatov had 9 points in 6 games at the U18 tournament.

Nylander had 16 points in 7 games at the U18 tournament.

I'm not sure how Filatov was better than Nylander in his draft year.

Scout Rankings (CSS, Mckenzie, ISS, THN, Mckeens)

Nylander - 2 (EU), 9, 5, 6, 8

Filatov - 1 (EU), 5, 3, 4, 8

Just in case you didn't want to take my word for it. Rebuttal?

 

[GTA]

Take your own advice, It's clear you haven't watched either of them play. Nylander was the better player at this age but I think we both know that.

So every scouting body had wrongly ranked Filatov above Nylander (relative to their peers)?

 

[con310*]

Scout Rankings (CSS, Mckenzie, ISS, THN, Mckeens)

Nylander - 2 (EU), 9, 5, 6, 8

Filatov - 1 (EU), 5, 3, 4, 8

Just in case you didn't want to take my word for it. Rebuttal?

Rankings can be based on anything...potential or current play just because he was ranked slightly better doesn't mean he was better at the time.

 

[con310*]

So every scouting body had wrongly ranked Filatov above Nylander (relative to their peers)?

Every scouting body? Every scouting body were scouting two different drafts how could they rank one or the other above each other?

 

[Future]

Filatov had piss poor work ethic and had next to no compete in him. He had the tools to be a star though. I remember that whole "Filly don't do rebounds" story

Filatov was definitely more hyped than Nylander if I can remember.

 

[GTA]

Rankings can be based on anything...potential or current play just because he was ranked slightly higher doesn't mean he was better at the time.

I was trying to imply that he was a better prospect in their draft year. I think given the perception that this draft was relatively weak, and given that Filatov was facing 'Russian factor' headwinds and still ended up being drafted higher than Nylander while being ranked higher as a prospect from almost every major scouting service makes me think it's safe to say he was a better prospect at the time.

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

Who cares if the THN, ISS, etc, level of scouts put Filatov a few spots higher in the 2008 draft rankings than Nylander in the 2014 one. Button told us, a bit prior to the draft, that there were teams that had Nylander and Ehlers as valuable as the top 3 guys in the 2014 draft (Reinhart, Ekblad, etc). Doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

 

[GTA]

Filatov had piss poor work ethic and had next to no compete in him. He had the tools to be a star though. I remember that whole "Filly don't do rebounds" story

Filatov was definitely more hyped than Nylander if I can remember.

Hah it's bizarre though, the scouting reports at the time were that he had a great attitude. (the ones that I read) I remember being sure that he was going to be a dominant player after the U20's.

Either way, Nylander thankfully for you guys doesn't seem to have the same sort of issues.