HF Habs: Draft 2018: What are your immediate draft class feelings?

[Habsfan18]

Early and reactionary I know, but what are your initial feelings?

Thrilled:

Kotkaniemi
Fonstad (great value)

Happy:

Ylonen
Olofsson (not much offensive upside but safe bet)
Hillis
McShane

Meh:

Gorniak
Harris

What?:

Romanov (too early)
Houde

Click to read more...

 

[NotProkofievian]

Thrilled. This is the best habs draft, IMO, from top to bottom since I've been following. A couple painful snipes (berggren and ragnarsson), but you can't always get what you want.

 

[The Great Weal]

Pretty happy. Romanov isn't bad, but way too high. Harris screams Staum. No clue about Gorniak. Houde is f***ing terrible and I hate that we had to get a Q guy. Pretty much love everyone else.
If I had to give a letter grade: A

 

[Habsfan18]

Houde is the big head scratcher. I know they wanted to get a Q player, but I swear sometimes they pick a random one for the sake of it.

What part of Houde’s game gives any sense of confidence he can play in the NHL?

 

[Treb]

Pretty happy. Romanov isn't bad, but way too high. Harris screams Staum. No clue about Gorniak. Houde is ****ing terrible and I hate that we had to get a Q guy. Pretty much love everyone else.
If I had to give a letter grade: A

At least Harris will play in the NCAA

 

[Fazkovsky]

Harris Romanov houde not happy

Others ok

 

[G0bias]

First impression: we didn't go big, dumb and safe. We swung for the fences on talent.

Thrilled: Kotkaniemi, Ylonen

Happy: Olofsson, Romanov, McShane, Hillis, Fonstad

U wot m8: Houde, Gorniak, Harris

 

[DAChampion]

I hope that they fontd rush these players like they did Galchenyuk, De La Rose. etc.

 

[HockeyAddict]

This is how I've come to feel about draft choices/development under this management team...

I want to believe but I've just now realized how cynical I've become about this team.

 

[cujo1117]

we whent with skilled and huge upside players...happy with the outcome, didnt whant those safe and blend playeers. Now only time will tell

 

[Koivu11]

I would've preferred Zadina over Kotkaniemi at #3... we'll see in a few years how that turns out.

 

[Habs]

A half assed GM would have destroyed this draft, instead wonder boy gets a C+ at best. Passing over Zadina and or Dobson is a mistake, especially since it doesn't fill an immediate need. Should have went all in with a trade, adding Max, Weber..whoever it took to secure another top first round pick.

 

[davey999]

Totally underwhelming.

 

[Miller Time]

Bergevin continues to show he's unfit for the role & doesn't really understand what "build via draft" means.

Being unable to trade into the first round this offseason, with as many 2nds as we had & two quality assets to leverage (Galch/patches) is inexcusable.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

looks like a really good one. Romanov might've been reach but at least he has legit upside.

Lot of boom or bust. Possibly one of the best I've seen since watching. But we'll see.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

I'm actually pretty happy all around. Romanov was the one giant reach but it's for a player I really like so I don't mind it all that much, he's got genuine upside. Harris and Gorniak are lesser known guys but they're both skilled and going to the NCAA next year so they're not the junior A super long shots we've been guilty of drafting on the past. The rest all have good raw tools.

 

[vokiel]

Too many swings = swinging on WTF picks. Anyone working with scouts like this should plan to reduce the amount of picks to avoid abuse.

 

[Tyson]

My first thoughts is that we may have squandered our 2nd round picks.

 

[Tyson]

My first thoughts is that we may have squandered our 2nd round picks.

 

[scrubadam]

Who can know?

2012 was supposed to be the amazing draft and look where we are now.

At least from the sounds of it they went with skill and avoided big meat heads. We will have to wait to see if they made the right choices.

I think this draft was very interesting and will either mark a change in the NHL or will be a huge bust. So many smaller D skilled D taken. Burke talked a lot about it yesterday.

Would of been nice to get another 1st, but teams didn't seem to want to bite. Would of loved to try to get Veleno or Sandin but why would DET/TOR move out of the first round for 2nd round picks when those steals are on the board.

 

[montreal]

How do posters compare Staum to Harris? They clearly aren't in the same ball park, Staum was slated to go to the USHL for a year and then UNO but then the coach retired and he got injured. Harris is going to a bigger/better program at Northeastern and as an 18 year old which means they think highly of him.

 

[montreal]

How do posters compare Staum to Harris? They clearly aren't in the same ball park, Staum was slated to go to the USHL for a year and then UNO but then the coach retired and he got injured. Harris is going to a bigger/better program at Northeastern and as an 18 year old which means they think highly of him.

 

[NobleSix]

I'm happy with our draft class this year. Finally drafting for upsides instead floors.

We picked tons of skill and potential, and stocked the organizational center ice depth. Hard not to like it IMO.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Satisfied.Finally took care of the centers.

 

[Habs76]

Happy: Kotkaniemi, Ylonen, Fonstad, Hillis,
Solid picks: McShane, Olofsson
Ew, why?: Houde, Stapley

Not sure on: Romanov, Gorniak, Harris