Craig Button Top 50 NHL Prospects List (Kravtsov #1)

[NextYear67]

I completely disagree. I think 95% of the regular posters in this section would make a better list.

It is usually true for most of these types of lists, but I think that changes when it comes to Button.

HF isn't that smart

 

[TeddyBare]

So I see tons of suggestions on should be in the top 50, without many suggestions on who should be replaced.

 

[Leopain]

I completely disagree. I think 95% of the regular posters in this section would make a better list.

It is usually true for most of these types of lists, but I think that changes when it comes to Button.

HF posters would make lists that echo what criticism some players receive on the forum and the hype around other players.

I think most lists published here take what other scouting services published and adjust it with the popular opinions on these threads. It's a closed circuit.

That doesnt mean I don't like reading them, but your argument doesnt make sense.

 

[kelsier]

Kuokkanen over Kupari? Meh.

18 year old Kupari was much, much better player at the WJC than Kuokkanen at age of 19 (and neither of them were even really that good).

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

No Bouchard, or Boqvist? Denisenko at 2nd?

What an awful list.

 

[vanarchy]

Owen Tippet at 40? Jeez.

 

[DownGoesMcDavid]

No Bouchard, or Boqvist? Denisenko at 2nd?

What an awful list.

Bouchard has a huge bust factor and looked awful at WJC especially his play and effort without the puck, what did you expect.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Bouchard has a huge bust factor and looked awful at WJC especially his play and effort without the puck, what did you expect.

One bad sample and he moves from a prospect drafted in the top-10 having a great draft+1 year to a non top-50 prospect.

Dobson also had a bad WJC, was drafted later than Bouchard, and is having a worse D+1 season. Why is he ranked in the top-20 then?

 

[FinnishCoyote]

Call me homer, but i think Hayton is way too low. I think he should be somewhere between 15-20.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

To illustrate how Kravtsov has been producing so far in the KHL in his D+1 season:

* Kravtsov still has 13 games to go.

FYI, I probably put Kaprizov, Glass and Hughes ahead of Kravtsov on this list.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

People criticizing the list would probably make a worse one

The problem with these lists is that you never ever find common ground aside from maybe the top-3. It's the same with draft rankings. It's all subjective click-bait people take as gospel. It's ridiculous.

 

[lakai17]

Noel and Hayton seem rather high.

Some prospects rated at a decent number for sure.

 

[93LEAFS]

Noel and Hayton seem rather high.

Some prospects rated at a decent number for sure.

To be honest, knowing how Button viewed Hayton pre-draft, I'd say its a bit low considering what has happened since. Noel is not surprising due to him being Button 14th best guy. The things that shock me are more the crazy movement on players he liked 6 months ago, who may be haven't progressed quite as much as you would like, its crazy to drop them out of the top 50 due to how you viewed them entering the year (Wahlstrom, Bouchard, and Boqvist would be prime examples of that). It feels over-reactionary. I can somewhat get behind falling in love with Kravtsov and Denisenko due to them not being seen as much when he did his draft rankings. But, for two kids on prime development programs in Bouchard and Wahlstrom, I'm a bit surprised. I can get behind the arguments of Bouchard not being a top 50 NHL affiliated prospect, there are some valid reasons on why someone would think like that. What I can't get behind is having him 9th in the draft in June, where the flaws people you are knocking him for were still very obviously apparent, and having him right now as at a maximum of 15th in the draft (considering there are 14 players from 2018 on this list) and most likely 19th since it is most likely Dahlin, Svechnikov, Kotkaniemi and Tkachuk would be in his top 50. I had the same issues when he did similar stuff to Liljegren and Poehling last year. I just find the erraticness of his lists a bit puzzling.

 

[lakai17]

To be honest, knowing how Button viewed Hayton pre-draft, I'd say its a bit low considering what has happened since. Noel is not surprising due to him being Button 14th best guy. The things that shock me are more the crazy movement on players he liked 6 months ago, who may be haven't progressed quite as much as you would like, its crazy to drop them out of the top 50 due to how you viewed them entering the year (Wahlstrom, Bouchard, and Boqvist would be prime examples of that). It feels over-reactionary. I can somewhat get behind falling in love with Kravtsov and Denisenko due to them not being seen as much when he did his draft rankings. But, for two kids on prime development programs in Bouchard and Wahlstrom, I'm a bit surprised. I can get behind the arguments of Bouchard not being a top 50 NHL affiliated prospect, there are some valid reasons on why someone would think like that. What I can't get behind is having him 9th in the draft in June, where the flaws people you are knocking him for were still very obviously apparent, and having him right now as at a maximum of 15th in the draft (considering there are 14 players from 2018 on this list) and most likely 19th since it is most likely Dahlin, Svechnikov, Kotkaniemi and Tkachuk would be in his top 50. I had the same issues when he did similar stuff to Liljegren and Poehling last year. I just find the erraticness of his lists a bit puzzling.

He really values the world juniors/Hlinka which is a small sample size yet sometimes not the best sample size due to player chemistry and all that other stuff. It's not hard to expose a guy like Button, although he tries.

 

[93LEAFS]

He really values the world juniors/Hlinka which is a small sample size yet sometimes not the best sample size due to player chemistry and all that other stuff. It's not hard to expose a guy like Button, although he tries.

I mean, I get the reason it happens, it is just ridiculous to let that dramatically change an opinion of a player who has been in junior for 3 years with a marquee team. If its a guy like Romanov you haven't seen a lot of and you love what you see I get it. That should alter perception. But, a guy like Bouchard you should have had years of tape to evaluate for where you ranked him in the draft, one tournament shouldn't dramatically alter conclusions. I'm fine with him not ranking Bouchard, I just don't get how you rank him 9 when these liabilities were obvious in juniors, and then tank him after a sub-par World Junior Summer Showcase and World Juniors tournament.

 

[elitepete]

What an awful list. I’ve never trusted Button’s opinion.

 

[JAS 39 Gripen]

Denisenko that high is a question mark, as well as having Brännström that low. But thats just my opinion

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I mean, I get the reason it happens, it is just ridiculous to let that dramatically change an opinion of a player who has been in junior for 3 years with a marquee team. If its a guy like Romanov you haven't seen a lot of and you love what you see I get it. That should alter perception. But, a guy like Bouchard you should have had years of tape to evaluate for where you ranked him in the draft, one tournament shouldn't dramatically alter conclusions. I'm fine with him not ranking Bouchard, I just don't get how you rank him 9 when these liabilities were obvious in juniors, and then tank him after a sub-par World Junior Summer Showcase and World Juniors tournament.

You are thinking about that with the perspective of someone who likely has watched these players a lot more than Button has.

 

[BruinsBtn]

Owen Tippet at 40? Jeez.

Why does no one think Tippett is good? Guy looks like a total stud to me. All-world shot, strong, great hands. His defensive game has improved by leaps and bounds. What's not to like?

 

[Nerv]

Why does no one think Tippett is good? Guy looks like a total stud to me. All-world shot, strong, great hands. His defensive game has improved by leaps and bounds. What's not to like?

pronman had him at like #3 lol

 

[DJB]

Pronman is a hack . His lists are terrible and he never admits he was wrong on anything.

He's simply not a valid source.

 

[Number 57]

My list would probably look something like this:

1. Cale Makar
2. Quinn Hughes
3. Cody Glass
4. Vitali Kravtsov
5. Eeli Tolvanen
6. Carter Hart
7. Adam Boqvist
8. Erik Brannstrom
9. Martin Necas
10. Kirill Kaprizov
11. Evan Bouchard
12. Igor Shestyorkin
13. Filip Zadina
14. Owen Tippett
15. Ilya Sorokin
16. Jordan Kyrou
17. Barrett Hayton
18. Noah Dobson
19. Urho Vaakanainen
20. Gabriel Vilardi
21. Grigori Denisenko
22. Lias Andersson
23. Kailer Yamamoto
24. Henrik Borgstrom
25. Troy Terry
26. Ty Smith
27. Martin Kaut
28. Ryan Poehling
29. Maxime Comtois
30. Adam Fox
31. Kristian Vesalainen
32. Morgan Frost
33. Luke Kunin
34. Nick Suzuki
35. Ilya Samsonov
36. Drake Batherson
37. Jake Bean
38. Aleksi Heponiemi
39. Jason Robertson
40. Timothy Liljegren
41. Oliver Wahlstrom
42. Nicolas Beaudin
43. Rasmus Kupari
44. Thatcher Demko
45. Conor Timmins
46. Alexander Alexeyev
47. Dante Fabbro
48. Serron Noel
49. Denis Gurianov
50. Jaret Anderson-Dolan

 

[Leopain]

Pronman is a hack . His lists are terrible and he never admits he was wrong on anything.

He's simply not a valid source.

He admits he was wrong ALL THE TIME lol

In his ranking, about the previous notes he had given to the IQ of Mackinnon and the other player (don't remember which), he says textually that he rated them too low.

He writes articles about his biggest mistakes as a writer/scout, what more do you want?

Button, on the other hand, I don't remember admitting he was wrong.

 

[bert]

No Bouchard, No Boqvist - Button hates the Knights

Except Formenton is on there.

I was shocked to not see Boqvist. After the WJC not shocked at all to not see Bouchard. Not because he doesnt belong I do think he does (in the 40's) but because he was horrible at it and Button over reacts to absolutely everything. Knee jerk reactiont to absolutely everything from Craig Button this list is actually pretty bad. Way too many forwards not enough D men.

 

[DJB]

He admits he was wrong ALL THE TIME lol

In his ranking, about the previous notes he had given to the IQ of Mackinnon and the other player (don't remember which), he says textually that he rated them too low.

He writes articles about his biggest mistakes as a writer/scout, what more do you want?

Button, on the other hand, I don't remember admitting he was wrong.

Not any time I've had a discussion with him.

You might be right but i dont follow Pronman at all or care much about him or his rankings