Prospect Info: Devils Centric 2019 Mock Draft 1.01g1

[Emperoreddy]

Makes me want Byram even more.

 

[Ripshot 43]

Byram would be amazing but seeing young lines like the Canucks have, just make me want to find another dynamic forward to pair with Nico or at least spread the wealth on the forward lines.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Byram would be amazing but seeing young lines like the Canucks have, just make me want to find another dynamic forward to pair with Nico or at least spread the wealth on the forward lines.

I mean yeah another forward would be great, but we really do have a very good first line and a decent second line.

It just hasn’t clicked yet. Whether due to chemistry or coaching.

D on the other hand needs help.

 

[Ripshot 43]

I mean yeah another forward would be great, but we really do have a very good first line and a decent second line.

It just hasn’t clicked yet. Whether due to chemistry or coaching.

D on the other hand needs help.

BPA as always and if it’s him it’s him.

Being able to line up Ty Smith to take 2LD would be nice.

 

[135ace]

I mean yeah another forward would be great, but we really do have a very good first line and a decent second line.

It just hasn’t clicked yet. Whether due to chemistry or coaching.

D on the other hand needs help.

I would say our 1st line is about league average when Hall is in, maybe a bit above average, but our 2nd line is one of the worst in the league. That being said it can be fixed by signing a guy like Duchene or Stone, but it can also be fixed by adding Hughes/Kakko
If we don't draft 1 or 2OA I'm definitely most interested in Byram though.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Can Hughes play the wing here ? Not sure I want two undersized centers.

What you would have with Hughes and Nico would be two elite centers. I'd be more interested with the number of points they put up than with the number of pounds they collectively weigh.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I seem to remember you comparing him to Drew Doughty. I believe Byram himself said he tries to pattern his game after him.

Yep, that would be another comparable. But Doughty is bigger so I went with PK.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I love these write ups every year.

I enjoy doing it and I like the idea of Devils fans knowing a bit more about the players available come draft day. Thanks for the kind words.

 

[Billdo]

I enjoy doing it and I like the idea of Devils fans knowing a bit more about the players available come draft day. Thanks for the kind words.

Not a problem. You seem to be one of the more knowledgeable posters, which is refreshing.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Byram would be amazing but seeing young lines like the Canucks have, just make me want to find another dynamic forward to pair with Nico or at least spread the wealth on the forward lines.

A very legitimate point, but keep in mind that if the Canucks had a competent blueline, they would probably be a playoff team.

An interesting thing I have heard whispered from my Vancouver contacts is that, come draft day, the Canucks will be willing to give a bunch to move up into the top 4 where they would have a shot at Byram.

 

[MichaelJ]

I enjoy doing it and I like the idea of Devils fans knowing a bit more about the players available come draft day. Thanks for the kind words.

Been looking forward to the Ives reports as soon as the season looked lost. I trust your opinion when it comes to these young kids. You were sky high on Miller last year and proven right.

If I’ve overlooked it at this point, I apologize, but do you have any favorites for the Devils’ 2nd that should be at or near the top of the round?

 

[StevenToddIves]

Been looking forward to the Ives reports as soon as the season looked lost. I trust your opinion when it comes to these young kids. You were sky high on Miller last year and proven right.

If I’ve overlooked it at this point, I apologize, but do you have any favorites for the Devils’ 2nd that should be at or near the top of the round?

I was also high on Ty Smith, ha.

My second round pipe dream would to get C John Beecher or D Thomas Harley if they somehow slipped. Beecher is the perfect #2C; though he might top out as a 25-30-55 guy, he does everything well, big and mobile, two-way, can be extremely physical, stands up for teammates. Harley is a 6'3 left-shot who skates extremely well and has NHL top-4 written all over him.

Another interesting possibility is if Spencer Knight drops to the second round due to NHL GM fear of taking a netminder in the first round. Knight is universally considered the best goaltending prospect in perhaps a decade -- as high as we all are on Blackwood's potential, this would be difficult to pass up in the 32-37 range.

There are a few intriguing Russian prospects who could go under the radar because, well... they're Russian. LW Pavel Dorofeyev and C Yegor Spirodonov both have top-line-type upside and phenomenal skill-sets.

I'll give a final mention to Staten Island native Arthur Kaliyev, who is very polarizing among scouts. He has the best snipe in this entire draft class, legit 40-goal NHL upside. But the fact that he can float and be inconsistent drops him down on many rankings. When he puts it all together, though? Just wow. He was dominant at the CHL prospects game. Perhaps with the good coaching in the Devils organization he could reach his extraordinary potential. But again, there are a few potential red flags which could drop him come draft day.

 

[Ripshot 43]

A very legitimate point, but keep in mind that if the Canucks had a competent blueline, they would probably be a playoff team.

An interesting thing I have heard whispered from my Vancouver contacts is that, come draft day, the Canucks will be willing to give a bunch to move up into the top 4 where they would have a shot at Byram.

Sounds a lot to me like in 2014 where the Lightning were trying to move up to take Ekblad. In the end they couldn’t strike a deal as Florida didn’t really want to make the trade in the first place.

 

[MichaelJ]

I was also high on Ty Smith, ha.

My second round pipe dream would to get C John Beecher or D Thomas Harley if they somehow slipped. Beecher is the perfect #2C; though he might top out as a 25-30-55 guy, he does everything well, big and mobile, two-way, can be extremely physical, stands up for teammates. Harley is a 6'3 left-shot who skates extremely well and has NHL top-4 written all over him.

Another interesting possibility is if Spencer Knight drops to the second round due to NHL GM fear of taking a netminder in the first round. Knight is universally considered the best goaltending prospect in perhaps a decade -- as high as we all are on Blackwood's potential, this would be difficult to pass up in the 32-37 range.

There are a few intriguing Russian prospects who could go under the radar because, well... they're Russian. LW Pavel Dorofeyev and C Yegor Spirodonov both have top-line-type upside and phenomenal skill-sets.

I'll give a final mention to Staten Island native Arthur Kaliyev, who is very polarizing among scouts. He has the best snipe in this entire draft class, legit 40-goal NHL upside. But the fact that he can float and be inconsistent drops him down on many rankings. When he puts it all together, though? Just wow. He was dominant at the CHL prospects game. Perhaps with the good coaching in the Devils organization he could reach his extraordinary potential. But again, there are a few potential red flags which could drop him come draft day.

Thanks!

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I highly doubt Vancouver will be able to move up. You know teams will ask for Pettersson or Hughes.

 

[Ripshot 43]

I highly doubt Vancouver will be able to move up. You know teams will ask for Pettersson or Hughes.

Peterson has more value than the #1 pick in this draft so that would be a silly ask.

 

[MichaelJ]

I highly doubt Vancouver will be able to move up. You know teams will ask for Pettersson or Hughes.

Boeser

 

[135ace]

Boeser

I don't think highly of Boeser, but he has more value to the Canucks than any other team. Doubt they'd trade him. He's pretty much in the perfect situation there. On other teams he'd be like a lite version of Laine. Very one dimensional, relies mostly on his shot and positioning/IQ. Playing with EP or Horvat (who is a bull along the boards) is ideal for a guy like Boeser who is fairly useless outside of getting open and shooting.

 

[Ripshot 43]

I was also high on Ty Smith, ha.

My second round pipe dream would to get C John Beecher or D Thomas Harley if they somehow slipped. Beecher is the perfect #2C; though he might top out as a 25-30-55 guy, he does everything well, big and mobile, two-way, can be extremely physical, stands up for teammates. Harley is a 6'3 left-shot who skates extremely well and has NHL top-4 written all over him.

Another interesting possibility is if Spencer Knight drops to the second round due to NHL GM fear of taking a netminder in the first round. Knight is universally considered the best goaltending prospect in perhaps a decade -- as high as we all are on Blackwood's potential, this would be difficult to pass up in the 32-37 range.

There are a few intriguing Russian prospects who could go under the radar because, well... they're Russian. LW Pavel Dorofeyev and C Yegor Spirodonov both have top-line-type upside and phenomenal skill-sets.

I'll give a final mention to Staten Island native Arthur Kaliyev, who is very polarizing among scouts. He has the best snipe in this entire draft class, legit 40-goal NHL upside. But the fact that he can float and be inconsistent drops him down on many rankings. When he puts it all together, though? Just wow. He was dominant at the CHL prospects game. Perhaps with the good coaching in the Devils organization he could reach his extraordinary potential. But again, there are a few potential red flags which could drop him come draft day.

If we can walk out of this draft with a 1C or 1D AND a top flight goaltending prospect then I would be thrilled. In the event that we end up getting a late 1st from a team for say MarJo, I wouldn’t be against taking Knight at the end of the 1st to ensure Ottawa or someone else doesn’t take him before us in the 2nd. I still get Vasy nightmares from when we missed out on him

 

[StevenToddIves]

I highly doubt Vancouver will be able to move up. You know teams will ask for Pettersson or Hughes.

The chances of Vancouver trading Hughes are zero and the chances of Vancouver trading Pettersson are less than zero.

If the Canucks wanted to move up from, say, #12 overall to #5 overall, the cost would probably be a second-rounder and a prospect like Michael DiPietro or Kole Lind. Which is still a hefty price.

 

[JrFischer54]

Hughes was, in fact, injured at the WJC and still played well, though not to the best of his ability. I would not call him a "jitterbug" unless I was also using that term to describe Patrick Kane and Johnny Gaudreau and Nikita Kucherov. Hughes' skating, vision and puck skills are absolutely dynamic. He's an outstanding scorer in his own right, but he's also the kind of guy who can turn your 25-goal wing into a 40 goal scorer. He projects to be a perennial 100+ point scorer in the NHL.

Yes, Hughes is really that good.

Was nico projected to be a 100pt player?

Who is better

 

[StevenToddIves]

Was nico projected to be a 100pt player?

Who is better

At this point in their development Hughes is significantly higher regarded by the scouting community than Nico was in 2017. I would say that, in this draft, Nico would go #3 after Hughes and Kakko.

This is not an affront to Nico. Rasmus Dahlin also would likely be the #2 pick after Hughes in this draft, although that would be a far different debate due to the differences in their positions.

 

[MichaelJ]

At this point in their development Hughes is significantly higher regarded by the scouting community than Nico was in 2017. I would say that, in this draft, Nico would go #3 after Hughes and Kakko.

This is not an affront to Nico. Rasmus Dahlin also would likely be the #2 pick after Hughes in this draft, although that would be a far different debate due to the differences in their positions.

How close is Byram to the NHL?

 

[StevenToddIves]

How close is Byram to the NHL?

Tough to say, since he's a late birthday. I'd say probably not 2019-20, a very solid shot at 2020-21, and extremely probable for 2021-22.

The only players I would say are NHL ready for next season are Hughes, Kakko and Podkolzin, and Podkolzin is likely to stay in Russia for another 1-3 seasons. Hughes will be an impact player immediately. I would not be shocked by a 70+ point rookie campaign.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

At this point in their development Hughes is significantly higher regarded by the scouting community than Nico was in 2017. I would say that, in this draft, Nico would go #3 after Hughes and Kakko.

This is not an affront to Nico. Rasmus Dahlin also would likely be the #2 pick after Hughes in this draft, although that would be a far different debate due to the differences in their positions.

Not sure I can agree with you on that one. I can agree with him being better than hischier though.