Prospect Info: Caps Top Prospects General Discussion Thread Vol. 1

[Langway]

There is no way this kid's name is going to fit on a the back of a hockey jersey, heh:

Shakir Mukhamadullin, D, Ufa (KHL)

Gonna need a Konowalchuk type smashed together spacing for sure.



Given his raw tools I'm putting him at the top of my likely list, particularly given near-term organizational need. I figure there are 20 players as it stands very likely to be off the board by 27 (or thereabouts depending on when it happens). They are: Lafreniere, Stutzle, Byfield, Perfetti, Drysdale, Sanderson, Raymond, Rossi, Holtz, Quinn, Lundell, Askarov, Zary, Guhle, Schneider, Holloway, Mercer, Wallinder, Jarvis & Lapierre. Possible Lapierre slides but esp. with the likes of OTT/NJD having three firsts you'd think opts for upside. I really like aspects of the wingers Amirov, Gunler, Bourque, Mysak, Foerster, Peterka and Brisson but I'm not sure any of them possess the same level of tools as Grans. He'll have to refine them, somewhat considerably defensively, but part of that will come with maturity (both experientially and physically).

Anyway, it seems like the momentum for a June draft has slowed a bit and, at least based on the NHL's initial guidance, it would seem to be a mid-June draft at the earliest.

 

[Langway]

The other top Swede option:

 

[Langway]

 

[Ja Sports]

Fresh new hype reel for Connor Zary - absolute workhorse of a player

Hope you guys enjoy working on videos for lesser known prospects too

 

[Marshall]

My copy of RLR came today. I cna't go into too many details, obviously, but can answer a general question or two about a prospect/s.

 

[Langway]

Anything colorful on any of Gunler, Amirov, Peterka or Grans? At 27 or thereabouts those four seem like best case type scenarios.

 

[Marshall]

RLR likes Gunler and Amirov a lot (ranked higher than 27), has Peterka ranked a smidge lower than 27, and not a fan of Grans (way lower than 27 - concern is with defensive play.)

 

[Langway]

RLR likes Gunler and Amirov a lot (ranked higher than 27), has Peterka ranked a smidge lower than 27, and not a fan of Grans (way lower than 27 - concern is with defensive play.)

Thanks. The Kennedy/THN ranking on Grans is definitely an outlier but positional need still makes him interesting, albeit more of a leftfield pick. In the right fit he could be a Sergachev type.

I like Gunler/Amirov a lot in terms of upside if they're around. Secondarily, Peterka seems like a fairly safe option to perhaps eventually develop to bring some of the elements Hagelin provides (and better offense). Anyone's profile stand out in that range?

I figure Lafreniere, Stutzle, Byfield, Perfetti, Drysdale, Sanderson, Raymond, Rossi, Holtz, Quinn, Lundell, Askarov, Zary, Guhle, Schneider, Holloway, Mercer, Wallinder, Jarvis, Lapierre & Bourque won't be options for the Caps. That's 21. From there the options narrow and the board may need to fall in their favor to get strong value. Picking 29-31 after a deep run may not offer tremendous value. I did hear a quick assessment from a Mahoney interview calling it forward heavy and that remains the most likely outcome.

 

[usiel]

My copy of RLR came today. I cna't go into too many details, obviously, but can answer a general question or two about a prospect/s.

Maybe a couple forwards or RHD that seem intriguing late 1st/early 2nd might be interesting to hear about.

 

[Marshall]

Defensewise, O'Rourke, Mukhamadullin, and Villeneuve get plenty of love. FWIW, RLR has Sanderson as the highest-ranked dman in the draft, which I thought a bit interesting.

Forward names in the Caps' range include Holloway, Ponomaryov, Perreault, Peterka, and Neighbours.

 

[Langway]

One of the better fallback types IMO. He's perhaps a little safer than Mysak/Foerster while still shooting for upside. Neighbours is pretty interesting if they really believe in his character driving further skill improvement and general upside. Greig could also be in that vein in some respects. Ponomaryov seems more like an early second rounder ala Barbashev.

 

[Rayquaza64]

I think Mysak has an extremely high upside, could definitely be a high impact forward. He has a solid game in both sides of the ice and is who im hoping for if he falls that way. Emil Heineman has also been a name I've started to look at recently, very overlooked by most people.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

My copy of RLR came today. I cna't go into too many details, obviously, but can answer a general question or two about a prospect/s.

What's their feeling on Ridly Greig?

 

[Marshall]

What's their feeling on Ridly Greig?

Ranked in the late teens - They like his competitiveness. He's a pest who doesn't get enough credit for his skills, more or less.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

Ranked in the late teens - They like his competitiveness. He's a pest who doesn't get enough credit for his skills, more or less.

He's been my guy for most of the year. Rankings are all over the place: anywhere from mid-first to third round.

 

[usiel]

Remind me is there a draft date yet?

 

[Langway]

Remind me is there a draft date yet?

Not yet. The draft lottery will be in two weeks on the 26th but the draft itself hasn't been scheduled. It seems likely to be in either late September or October, which opens up the potential for Europeans and perhaps some junior teams to have started new seasons. Scouts could at least in theory be tracking players right up to the last days before selecting. That extra bit of data could make for a pretty interesting dynamic.

There's also the CHL Import Draft coming up in a few weeks which, given the uncertainty about whether they'll resume on time, becomes even more complicated without NHL team input. There could be a lot of mid-season player moves and the NHL may also need to hammer out some sort of temporary transfer agreement with European leagues for next season given the staggered start.

 

[Langway]

OHL media top 10. Interesting takes on Mysak & Foerster, the later of which drew a comparison to being this year's McMichael. O'Rourke remains intriguing, in part due to intangibles, maturity and leadership at his age, and he also sports some upside. Maybe somewhat redundant organizationally as a lefty but they'll find room for all of them if they're good enough.

I like Wisdom & Evangelista in the third round, among others.

 

[Marshall]

draftsim

Fun little draft sim app.

 

[Ridley Simon]

That is fun

 

[Langway]

Gave that a spin three times. First impression is they could use more picks but the likes of Tuch & Wiesblatt as options for their second pick is not so bad.

 

[Langway]

Bob McKenzie's Final Ranking: Lafreniere the surest thing in most uncertain draft year - TSN.ca

It seems like after Jarvis at 18 it opens up considerably. Zary at 22 is surprisingly low. Greig at 24 shows his backers. Grans at 32 suggests further industry late first round consideration. Mysak at 34 seems a touch low and, along with Grans & Poirier, suggests some raw upside options to be had at the beginning of the second round. Justin Barron remaining in the first round makes him a fairly unspectacular but perhaps needed fit at RD. Not sure of the upside but perhaps safer compared to Grans. For now, though, my main targets will probably be Amirov, Zary, Peterka or Greig but options like Bourque, Wallinder, Gunler & Foerster have their appeal and suggest enough depth through the first round for decent fallbacks regardless of exact eventual position.

Nybeck & Chromiak would be solid gets with their second pick based on these rankings. Wisdom, Simontavai, Savoie, Commesso & Robins all seem appealing for that pick as well.

 

[Marshall]

If Gunler is still around and the Caps select him, I'll be a happy Marsh.

 

[Langway]

The +/- 5 range at pick 27 includes Zary, Peterka, Greig, Barron, Bourque, Wallinder, Gunler, Foerster, Brisson, Neighbours & Grans.

 

[Langway]

Firmly in that out of range category absent a move up it seems.