hockeydraftcentral
Registered User
- Nov 7, 2016
- 82
- 90
I love draft guides. I always have. If it weren't for the inspiration I draw from draft guides, HockeyDraftCentral.com wouldn't even exist. I have read all 33 Hockey News NHL Draft Previews cover-to-cover in advance of all 33 draft days.
However, as I have learned over the years, when draft day comes, it's not worth it to put your faith in draft guides or be disappointed to see your favorite team pass on a highly-ranked player (unless your team's pick is a complete off-the-board reach). Because the fact is that there are players ranked in your favorite guide's top 31 who will never see the NHL, and the top 31 players from this draft 10 years from now will likely feature a lot of names that aren't very high in the guides you reference on draft day.
To explore this issue, I went back to the 2007 draft and compared three major guides' first-round rankings to what actually happened in the years following the draft. Many of the names that were looking so great in those draft guides are nowhere to be found 11 years later. If you're interested in the article, you can find it here:
Hockey Draft Central -- Reality vs. Draft-Guide Projections
Based on my theory that up to three players ranked in most draft guides' top 31 will never play in the NHL or see a minimal number of NHL games, feel free to reply with your thoughts on who those 2018 prospects might be so that you can look like a genius in 2028.
However, as I have learned over the years, when draft day comes, it's not worth it to put your faith in draft guides or be disappointed to see your favorite team pass on a highly-ranked player (unless your team's pick is a complete off-the-board reach). Because the fact is that there are players ranked in your favorite guide's top 31 who will never see the NHL, and the top 31 players from this draft 10 years from now will likely feature a lot of names that aren't very high in the guides you reference on draft day.
To explore this issue, I went back to the 2007 draft and compared three major guides' first-round rankings to what actually happened in the years following the draft. Many of the names that were looking so great in those draft guides are nowhere to be found 11 years later. If you're interested in the article, you can find it here:
Hockey Draft Central -- Reality vs. Draft-Guide Projections
Based on my theory that up to three players ranked in most draft guides' top 31 will never play in the NHL or see a minimal number of NHL games, feel free to reply with your thoughts on who those 2018 prospects might be so that you can look like a genius in 2028.
