Draft Dynasty top 10

[John Mandalorian]

Definitely like watching his videos.

I wish there were more guys out there like this to compare thoughts

Try scouching. It’s similar although it’s a little quantitative, whereas draft dynasty doesn’t ignore the quantitative but includes qualitative observations.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Dylan Cozens has limited hockey IQ and is best known for skating into the boards. Dach has wonderful hockey IQ and vision. Which is why Dach will be a top 6 centerman for a long time in the NHL and Cozens will be relegated to the wing.

I guess we'll see. I think many of you are way too harsh on Cozens, and overrate his weaknesses.

 

[Green Snow Storm]

Why is he clearly ahead? Is it because his team put him in the NHL and Cozens team didn't?

Well we can't fault Dach because Cozens wasn't given an opportunity. Dach made the most of his opportunity and looked good in the NHL, especially in the playoffs considering his age. You're pretty much asking us to assume Cozens would have done well in the NHL as well. Perhaps you're right, but that's why it's all about projection, and it's pretty hard to put Cozens ahead of Dach by any metric at the moment.

There's a reason one went 3rd and the other went 7th in a draft held a little over a year ago. I wouldn't be floored if Cozens ended up a better player, but you kind of can't bust out a crystal ball and assume Cozens would have looked as good or stuck this season if given a shot in the NHL. It's funny because my original post was mostly complementary of Cozens.

 

[57special]

Maybe start your own thread about Cozens and Dach? This is the thread for 2020 draft talk, and specifically, the list put out by Draft Dynasty

 

[The Sweetness]

This guy is the gold standard for scouting videos IMO. His analysis is fantastic and it's so interesting because 1) he clearly forms his own opinions, 2) he clearly backs up his opinions with video and 3) he can clearly articulate what he likes and doesn't like about prospects in a useful way.

He's far ahead of the other professional writers IMO even including Wheeler, Pronman, etc. His ability to highlight important attributes and briefly summarize what he likes/doesn't like and to talk projection is wonderful.

So many other evaluators basically regurgitate what others have said or get caught up in group think and it's so refreshing to see someone with their own opinion independent of others or not just rephrasing what others have said. When Draft Dynasty has a hot take he doesn't do it to get clicks and it's just his own neutral analysis.

I wish other evaluators could take some lessons from this guy. I just wish he'd have a website and briefly summarize some of these things in writing. It'd make it easier for him to get more of a following and ideally get paid to do this from a site like The Athletic even though he can of course do this himself online as well.

I should also state, I wish our board would learn some lessons from this guy. We have some posters who likely watch 1% of the amount of hockey of Draft Dynasty who regularly post what they feel are definitive projections of players and who try to come off as experts when they are likely just regurgitating something else they've read online and rephrasing it.

 

[Kalv]

This guy is the gold standard for scouting videos IMO. His analysis is fantastic and it's so interesting because 1) he clearly forms his own opinions, 2) he clearly backs up his opinions with video and 3) he can clearly articulate what he likes and doesn't like about prospects in a useful way.

He's far ahead of the other professional writers IMO even including Wheeler, Pronger, etc. His ability to highlight important attributes and briefly summarize what he likes/doesn't like and to talk projection is wonderful.

So many other evaluators basically regurgitate what others have said or get caught up in group think and it's so refreshing to see someone with their own opinion independent of others or not just rephrasing what others have said. When Drafy Dynaty has a hot take he doesn't do it to get clicks and it's just his own neutral analysis.

I wish other evaluators could take some lessons from this guy. I just wish he'd have a website and briefly summarize some of these things in writing. It'd make it easier for him to get more of a following and ideally get paid to do this from a site like The Athletic even though he can of course do this himself online as well.

I should also state, I wish our board would learn some lessons from this guy. We have some posters who likely watch 1% of the amount of hockey of Draft Dynasty who regularly post what they feel are definitive projections of players and who try to come off as experts when they are likely just regurgitating something else they've read online and rephrasing it.

I think you meant Pronman not Pronger

But yeah, DD is amazing. Whether you agree with him or not, he is providing explanation and videos to back it up. Not to mention so much content he is rolling out - I would never be able to see so much film on so many prospects if not for him. There is also a Scoutching Report that does kind of a similar job and shout out to them as well, but the DD guys is the best one imo. Scoutching feels like provides slightly less insights but there are still things they(he) does great!
If any of them reading this - thank you, you are amazing!

 

[JAS 39 Gripen]

What was his knock on Raymond? Curious.

From what I've seen, hes a bit weak battleing SHL-players, but vs his own age-group hes been spectacular, especially in international play (Hattrick in the U18-finals win etc).
His weekness in the SHL should be fixed, though, and looking at the pre season, he looks to have taken a step. He plays on a deep team though, so dunno if he'll get the ice-time he needs.

 

[jc17]

Try scouching. It’s similar although it’s a little quantitative, whereas draft dynasty doesn’t ignore the quantitative but includes qualitative observations.

I like scouching too but has he presented anything showing the usefulness of what he tracks?

Like of course controlled entries are good, opponent entries are bad, but is there any indication these on-ice numbers, across leagues, across teams translate to the nhl?

I appreciate the time it must take him to track all of that but I feel like we'll have to wait a few years to see how meaningful any of it is, when the guys he tracked are playing in the nhl.

What was his knock on Raymond? Curious.

From what I've seen, hes a bit weak battleing SHL-players, but vs his own age-group hes been spectacular, especially in international play (Hattrick in the U18-finals win etc).
His weekness in the SHL should be fixed, though, and looking at the pre season, he looks to have taken a step. He plays on a deep team though, so dunno if he'll get the ice-time he needs.

A little bit of weakness and inconsistent effort.

Some of it might be relative to expectations but I agree with him a bit here. The way some people talk about raymond I expected him to be this spark plug kind of high energy 2-way player going non stop. When I've watched him I definitely wouldn't call him lazy but I was expecting more in terms of him hounding the puck defensively.

And then I think sometimes when expectations have been built so high, when they're not met a player can be a little underrated because they're disappointing compared with the mental image you've created. I think the same thing happens with byfield too and even perfetti.

 

[The Sweetness]

I think you meant Pronman not Pronger

But yeah, DD is amazing. Whether you agree with him or not, he is providing explanation and videos to back it up. Not to mention so much content he is rolling out - I would never be able to see so much film on so many prospects if not for him. There is also a Scoutching Report that does kind of a similar job and shout out to them as well, but the DD guys is the best one imo. Scoutching feels like provides slightly less insights but there are still things they(he) does great!
If any of them reading this - thank you, you are amazing!

Haha, thanks! Not sure if that was an autocorrect error or typo from my side.

Yeah, I have NO idea how he watches so much film. He said he watched every video of Stutzle I think and he's also seen a ton of most other players. He clearly loves watching game film, so that's a huge asset. His knowledge base is incredible.

I know this might be a reach but I also feel his background as a former poker player has a lot of benefit to scouting as well in terms of trying to assess potential upside and risk.

I've actually subscribed to Scoutching last week but haven't yet checked out a video. Will try to do so sometime soon.

 

[The Sweetness]

What was his knock on Raymond? Curious.

From what I've seen, hes a bit weak battleing SHL-players, but vs his own age-group hes been spectacular, especially in international play (Hattrick in the U18-finals win etc).
His weekness in the SHL should be fixed, though, and looking at the pre season, he looks to have taken a step. He plays on a deep team though, so dunno if he'll get the ice-time he needs.

What was said above and also that he gave up on his team during multiple games throughout the year.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Well we can't fault Dach because Cozens wasn't given an opportunity. Dach made the most of his opportunity and looked good in the NHL, especially in the playoffs considering his age. You're pretty much asking us to assume Cozens would have done well in the NHL as well. Perhaps you're right, but that's why it's all about projection, and it's pretty hard to put Cozens ahead of Dach by any metric at the moment.

There's a reason one went 3rd and the other went 7th in a draft held a little over a year ago. I wouldn't be floored if Cozens ended up a better player, but you kind of can't bust out a crystal ball and assume Cozens would have looked as good or stuck this season if given a shot in the NHL. It's funny because my original post was mostly complementary of Cozens.

I don't agree about your description. I think Cozens could've done almost exactly what Dach did during the regular season. I don't know about the playoffs, but I don't credit players for a such small samples in the playoffs like some do. Anyway, my larger point is that a lot of people seem to love picking on Cozens. I'd argue of all the 2019 top 10 draftees that he was the only one that raised his draft stock last season, so I don't know if it makes much sense to be picking on him now.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Its interesting that Scouch and St-Pierre using different scouting approaches arrived at Rossi at 3.

 

[Kalv]

Its interesting that Scouch and St-Pierre using different scouting approaches arrived at Rossi at 3.

You made me look and I found his website where he has listed the tiers It's The Scouching Blog You mean here he is picking Rossi at #3?

Either way, both of the guys absolutely love him, yeah.

 

[JAS 39 Gripen]

What was said above and also that he gave up on his team during multiple games throughout the year.

Interesting, thanks. “Give up on his team” sounds weird, especially since I’ve seen him carry teams on his back?

 

[FlameChampion]

I personally really like his videos. I find the information better than some of the scouching vids, and other types of draft videos.

Some arent going to agree with his opinions on some guys like Jarvis, Raymond, Byfield in particular. But I think Draft Dynasty comes off as genuine. I dont think hes doing it for clicks. He likes certain players much like a proffessional scout does.

Some will think he is wrong but if you look at some of the recent drafts, Petterson should of been higher than 5, Makar/Heiskanen should of been higher than 3/4 etc. Theres lots of uncertainty with the draft and calling someone stupid because they have a different opinion, doesnt work in NHL scouting.

 

[57special]

he sais the same thing about another player...i think it was Bourque? Said that he worried more about his stats (at times) than how his team was doing, and gave up on them, again, sometimes.

Effort is a big deal. I think he referenced it in relation to Jarvis.

Anyway, it's a big world filled with people with all kinds of opinions. I certainly have room for DD in mine.

 

[bert]

Why is he clearly ahead? Is it because his team put him in the NHL and Cozens team didn't?

Dach is clearly much more skilled. His raw skill abilities, hands, stick handling taking a pass, saucer passes etc and his ability to use his reach is at a different level.

He musn't watch games. Rossi at 3, Quinn at 10.

I'd be very happy with Stutzle and Rossi going to the Sens

Id also like to add and I know you watched his videos, he scouted Quinn and Rossi in the first half of the season where Rossi was clearly the superior player. While as the season went along Quinn came on stronger.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

I'd argue of all the 2019 top 10 draftees that he was the only one that raised his draft stock last season, so I don't know if it makes much sense to be picking on him now.

Maybe its because he's the only one (besides Byram) to remain in junior? Of course as an already drafted top 10 prospect, you would expect him to shit on junior kids. The top 3 all played in the NHL, the others in tougher leagues like the AHL, SHL, or the NCAA.

 

[ZEBROA]

I hope he is wrong about Raymond.

 

[majormajor]

I find it difficult to critique DD's rankings because I've found him the most persuasive online scout all along. I do follow other sources but I've been more convinced by DD's take on Jarvis and Sanderson, for example, than I have been by Scouch and the Dobber team who have been slower to embrace those players. I think Jarvis and Sanderson should go that high.

I don't have enough knowledge on the Swedes to say whether Raymond should be higher, all I can say is his video is not particularly exciting, even the J20 stuff.

Byfield though I do think should be a little higher. He's a limited player at the moment but a lot of what he needs to improve can be improved with some good coaching, it's not all intangible stuff. PL Dubois added most of his power forward repertoire after being drafted and by working with skills coaches. Remember he was drafted as a hulking 17 year old. He wasn't that much like Byfield but he was also very different than the player we see today. I think Byfield can add those power forward elements too, and likely a lot of defense as well. The upside is too high to have him at 6, I'd have him ahead of Sanderson at minimum.

 

[MatthewFlames]

Some of it might be relative to expectations but I agree with him a bit here. The way some people talk about raymond I expected him to be this spark plug kind of high energy 2-way player going non stop. When I've watched him I definitely wouldn't call him lazy but I was expecting more in terms of him hounding the puck defensively.

And then I think sometimes when expectations have been built so high, when they're not met a player can be a little underrated because they're disappointing compared with the mental image you've created. I think the same thing happens with byfield too and even perfetti.

I agree - and I think that part of the reason why WHL'ers like Jarvis, Greig, Weisblatt (or why Rossi is at 3) are higher on DD's list is that these guys have such high compete, every single shift. To me, this competitiveness makes them way more likely to translate their skills to the NHL level - even if their skill levels are not quite on par w/ a Perfetti or Raymond.

 

[SwedeChristoffer]

I agree - and I think that part of the reason why WHL'ers like Jarvis, Greig, Weisblatt (or why Rossi is at 3) are higher on DD's list is that these guys have such high compete, every single shift. To me, this competitiveness makes them way more likely to translate their skills to the NHL level - even if their skill levels are not quite on par w/ a Perfetti or Raymond.

I'm not going to argue DD's rankings, because drafting is a guessing game, and we won't know for another 10 years who turns out best.

But since when doesn't Raymond compete? I think you, some others and perhaps DD as well are neglecting the difference between playing pro-hockey in a very structured system compared to playing junior hockey. Look at some of the International games and compare them to how he played with Frölunda and you may see what is the player, and what is the system.

A large part of Raymond's struggles last season was going from junior hockey (where he can roam around and have more freedom) to pro-hockey in a structured system where he needs to pressure in the exact right moment, cover his man, etc.

DDs critique regarding Raymonds compete was mainly directed towards when he went down to Frölundas U20 team. Now I haven't seen those games, so I can't specifically comment on it. However I think it's very easy to build a negative narrative and say he didn't compete. Instead of realizing how difficult it must be to go from playing 6-9 minutes / game, focusing on defense, system and not making a mistake and then go to juniors when you instead should be creative, not play as structured and so on.

 

[57special]

Competitiveness is great, and definitely part of the recipe that makes for a top player. But so is speed, size, and strength, as well as a bunch of other factors.

 

[John Mandalorian]

This is Craig Button’s assessment:

Helge Grans - Defence - TSN.ca


Craig Button's Analysis

"Steady, two-way defenceman who can play in all situations. Reads plays well, both defensively and offensively and plays with an efficiency that is not flashy but highly effective."
Projection: No. 3/No. 4 Steady Defenceman
Comparable: Chris Tanev

Then you have DD, which is completely different but backs it up with video examples:



How can they both be right? One guy watches hours of games and provides great content from his garage. The other makes tv money. That seems fair, right?

 

[Rorschach]

So this guy is like a force of video-watching nature. Naturally his rankings reflect this and only this.
I wish the NHL would allow a few guys like this to go to the combine and let those results factor in.

I take DDs top three. Laf, Stutz and Rossi. To me, these are the three best looking players on ice. However if you factor in the combine, Laf is still 1. Stutz, while reasonably tall enough, was very skinny and had room to grow (I heard he put on over a dozen pounds of muscle so far since the end of the season). Rossi however was already a fully grown, peak condition, little man beating up on boys in his league...in other words he has little physical upside for growth. That makes me slide him down out of the top six, below guys who are up swinging like Byfield and Sanderson.