- Dec 20, 2018
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You had Miller 9th and Smith 12th in a top 50 in June.In 2018, I had the highest final draft ranking for K'Andre Miller in the business (#10 overall). Normally, I'm not a huge fan of the big/fast/raw defender, but I felt Miller added high compete and intelligence to the mix and displayed tremendous instincts for a kid who had only played defense for two years prior to his draft-eligible campaign.
I had Smith ranked just after Miller, I'm pretty sure it was #12 or #13 overall. I was very high on his future then, though I am very concerned now as Ty Smith seems to have lost some quickness in both his skating and how fast he processes the game. I'm wondering if something is physically wrong with him or if it is simply a confidence problem, but I cannot pretend to have the answer.
The consensus rankings had Smith as the highest ranked defender when the Devils picked at #17, while Miller was generally ranked as a late 1st/early 2nd rounder. So, I fully got it when the Devils took Smith -- whom I was also obviously quite high on. But again, and it's easy to say these things in retrospect, but Miller was probably the best pick for the Devils in 2018.
Consensus ranking gets hazy after the top group is gone and there tends to be less consensus with defensemen so 2018 got pretty loosey goosey after the top forwards were gone.
You can go to MyNHLDraft for a list of various ranking for some years but I usually turn to MacKenzie since he polls NHL scouts.
Mackenzie had this to say about Miller:
“U.S. U-18 teammate K’Andre Miller, ranked one spot higher than Wilde at No. 24, is also all over the map in terms of projections, as high as 10 on one list and as low as 39 on another.”
No one on the My NHL Draft lists were that enthused, the highest is McKeen with Miller at 14/Smith at 15 and Chris Peter with Smith at 16/Miller at 17. Wilde ranks higher on many of the lists.
The defenseman on Bob’s list:
1) Dahlin (#1 BUF)
6) Dobson (#12 NYI)
7) Bouchard (#10 EDM)
8) Hughes (#7 VAN)
9) Boqvist (#8 CHI)
13) Smith (#17 NJD)
24) Miller (#22 NYR)
25) Wilde (2nd Rd #42 NYI)
26) McIssac (2nd Rd #36 DET)
27) Sandin (#29 TOR)
30) Alexeyev (#31 WSH)
31) Samuelsson (2nd Rd #32 BUF)
32) Merkley (#21 SJS)
36) Lundkvist (#28 NYR)
39) Beaudin (#27 CHI)
41) Addison (2nd Rd #53 PIT)
42) Woo (2nd Rd #37 VAN)
43) Ginning (2nd Rd #50 PHI)
46) Bernard-Docker (#26 OTT)
47) Bahl (2nd Rd #55 ARI)
48) Durzi (2nd Rd #52 TOR)
50) Tychonick (2nd Rd #48 OTT)
54) Johansson (#24 MIN)
57) Fehérváry (2nd Rd #46 WSH)
66) Emberson (3rd Rd #73 ARI)
69) Demin (4th Rd #99 VGK)
76) Harris (3rd Rd #71 MON)
77) Gross (4th Rd #101 NYR)
78) Perunovich (2nd Rd #45 STL)
79) Regula (3rd Rd #67 DET)
83) Romanov (2nd Rd #38 MON)
88) Vallanti (5th Rd #153 WPG)
93) Andersson (2nd Rd #55 BOS)
2018 NHL Draft Rankings
Kotkaniemi surges into top five of TSN Draft Ranking - TSN.ca
Prospect Info: - Ives' Top 50 Draft Prospect Rankings, 2018