F Frank Nazar - Michigan Wolverines, NCAA (2022, 13th, CHI)

[57special]

I am genuinely not sure how much of a difference there in the top-5/6 of this draft.

Wright
Cooley
Nemec
Jiricek
Slaf
Nazar

I feel they are pretty close but will trust the Kraken scouts and management to make the right decision here. People argue that Nazar is a tier below those top-5 but I am not sure that is the case. And if it is, the difference may be very small.

i also feel that if they have 2 prospects valued equally they are likely to go the forward route than the D-man route.

It's a tough decision this year. I am sure that there will be some good NHL forwards coming out of this draft, but I have no idea who. Nemec, OTOH, is more of a sure thing for me. Jiricek, too?

 

[UrbanImpact]

Climbing the draft board,

top 5 pick imo.

Models his game after Bergeron i believe

 

[AmericanDream]

Not sure what else he has to do to get more buzz going. He has been a line driver all year long, motor never stops type of player- I think he is as close to Cooley as Zegras was to Hughes.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Not sure what else he has to do to get more buzz going. He has been a line driver all year long, motor never stops type of player- I think he is as close to Cooley as Zegras was to Hughes.

What do you think of Clayton Keller as a comparison?

 

[AmericanDream]

What do you think of Clayton Keller as a comparison?

I have seen the comp a few times, not opposed to it but I think that doesn't do enough justice to Nazar's play honestly.

Nazar IMO has the higher ceiling with scoring goals. I know Clayton seems to be finally putting it together this year, but the past 3 plus seasons he was a pass first/reluctant to shoot player..I don't see that at all with Nazar. Nazar's release is sick..

Also, though I think Keller has improved some away from the puck, Nazar is the better two-way threat. The kid can be utilized in all situations and his defense and hockey IQ is a bit underrated.

Keller absolutely destroyed the USHL for two years and is putting it together this season, I think we all would be fine if Nazar was a 60-70 point NHLer in a few years. But I think there is more to his game than a lot are seeing right now, another gear that he is only getting stronger at. I only used Zegras in comparison to Hughes and the fact that talent wise I had them pretty neck and neck..I see the same with Cooley and Nazar honestly..

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

I'd suggest Tomas Tatar as a player comparison.

Skilled, competitive, undersized winger/center hybrids who, in my opinion, are above average at most aspects of the game while lacking any one elite attribute.

I think Nazar can be a better player than Tatar (and he could certainly be worse). But that feisty, productive 2W role is where I feel most comfortable projecting him right now.

 

[QJL]

Several comparables to wingers above are off. Nazar is going to be a center. His ability to create offense from the middle of the ice is exceptional. I’ll project something like Anthony Cirelli with a little more magic.

 

[AmericanDream]

Several comparables to wingers above are off. Nazar is going to be a center. His ability to create offense from the middle of the ice is exceptional. I’ll project something like Anthony Cirelli with a little more magic.

I sure the hell hope not.

 

[QJL]

I sure the hell hope not.

Cirelli is a ~45 point, high motor, all situations player. He plays less than 90 seconds on the power play which doesn’t help his production. He has shown up in the playoffs for back to back Cups and he’s only 24. I think Nazar’s offensive potential is even better, but he plays a similar style. Why does that projection disappoint you?

 

[majormajor]

Cirelli is a ~45 point, high motor, all situations player. He plays less than 90 seconds on the power play which doesn’t help his production. He has shown up in the playoffs for back to back Cups and he’s only 24. I think Nazar’s offensive potential is even better, but he plays a similar style. Why does that projection disappoint you?

Cirelli doesn't play much on the PP because he doesn't have that kind of offensive skill. Nazar does.

 

[QJL]

Cirelli doesn't play much on the PP because he doesn't have that kind of offensive skill. Nazar does.

He doesn't play much on the PP because he's behind Kuch, Stammer, and Point on the depth chart. He's not a net front guy like Killorn so he's not going to take that spot either. He gets exactly as much power play time as he should and he would be getting top unit on half the teams in the league. He is Tampa's top power play producer beyond the first unit. Cirelli is a dynamic offensive player at times. Nazar can be even better. It's the "down the middle" style, their size, their energy, and and their two way focus that has me drawing comparison.

 

[sasha barkov]

Joe Pavelski lite

 

[BKarchitect]

Joe Pavelski lite

Plays with higher pace and maybe more of a natural playmaker but can see similarities in their scoring ability in tight, size, industry/energy and kind of hybrid center/right. wing possibility down the road. I think a Nazar that hits his potential can be the same level of player as Pavs is.

 

[Fjordy]

Stud

 

[flashsabre]

Nazar trying to give the game away with stupid penalty after stupid penalty.

 

[QJL]

The penalties weren’t great.

He had a solid tournament.

I was surprised by his underutilization on the power play overall in the championship.

 

[William H Bonney]

Not his best effort. Sometimes when you play as aggressively as he does, pressuring the play all over the ice, it backfires. His head wasn't in it after that 2nd penalty.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I hate to harp on one game, but today's game is my worry with Nazar. On his day, he's an excellent offensive player. But he's not ultra-consistent, and the other parts of the game are an issue. I think his consistency has gotten better this season of having more games where he makes an offensive difference, but he doesn't really do much when the puck isn't on his stick. The size/skating is also a question that could limit how effective he does that at the NHL level.

 

[haulinbass]

Several comparables to wingers above are off. Nazar is going to be a center. His ability to create offense from the middle of the ice is exceptional. I’ll project something like Anthony Cirelli with a little more magic.

I'm not sure about that. Yeah from an offensive and puck carrying/distributing standpoint, sure. There is unfortunately more to center than that. You need someone that is heavily involved in the corners, helping out defensemen, someone who can play hard against the other teams 1-2 center.

From what I have seen, Nazar wants the puck on his stick, which is great. But he relys on getting himself open (which he is good at) and makes himself a good candidate to receive the puck. Opposed to having tendencies to go after the puck and get it. If your gonna be a top line center in the NHL, you got to go after the puck and get dirty and battle. Obviously there have been centers to counter my arguement, but these tendanicies to me certainly decrease his odds of playing C in the NHL. Just means there are more things he needs to be great at in order to be effective at that position at that level.

Same concept as Patrick Kane, he would make an amazing center from a offensive standpoint. He has all those abilities you could dream of in a center, but there is a reason why a player of Kanes magnitude has played wing his entire career in the NHL.

There is also a reason Cooley plays center over Nazar. Nazar in my opinion has the better offensive abilities, but Cooley is better suited to take C and Nazar on the wing.

I'm not bashing the kid, I like him. But I'm trying to understand where he really fits in the NHL. These are my concerns so far.

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

Feel like it's worth describing the landscape of the Michigan team that Nazar will walk into this year, since not everyone keeps up with NCAA hockey.

All of Beniers, Bordeleau, Johnson, Brisson, and Beecher have signed professional contracts. Some upperclassmen forwards in depth roles graduated as well. The top two center positions are pretty wide open at this point. I expect Adam Fantilli will snap one up. The other center spot I think depends on who Mel Pearson prefers at center vs. right wing between Samoskevich and Nazar.

I'd expect to see something like

McGroarty - Fantilli - Samoskevich
Duke - Nazar - Cicollini/Granowicz (upperclassmen)

or maybe

Duke - Samoskevich - Cicollini/Granowicz
McGroarty - Fantilli - Nazar

Personally I see Nazar most likely as a RW long-term, but I think he'll have a good chance to get minutes at center for Michigan.

 

[scallionjj11]

I'm not sure about that. Yeah from an offensive and puck carrying/distributing standpoint, sure. There is unfortunately more to center than that. You need someone that is heavily involved in the corners, helping out defensemen, someone who can play hard against the other teams 1-2 center.

From what I have seen, Nazar wants the puck on his stick, which is great. But he relys on getting himself open (which he is good at) and makes himself a good candidate to receive the puck. Opposed to having tendencies to go after the puck and get it. If your gonna be a top line center in the NHL, you got to go after the puck and get dirty and battle. Obviously there have been centers to counter my arguement, but these tendanicies to me certainly decrease his odds of playing C in the NHL. Just means there are more things he needs to be great at in order to be effective at that position at that level.

Same concept as Patrick Kane, he would make an amazing center from a offensive standpoint. He has all those abilities you could dream of in a center, but there is a reason why a player of Kanes magnitude has played wing his entire career in the NHL.

There is also a reason Cooley plays center over Nazar. Nazar in my opinion has the better offensive abilities, but Cooley is better suited to take C and Nazar on the wing.

I'm not bashing the kid, I like him. But I'm trying to understand where he really fits in the NHL. These are my concerns so far.

You're*

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

I'd suggest Tomas Tatar as a player comparison.

Skilled, competitive, undersized winger/center hybrids who, in my opinion, are above average at most aspects of the game while lacking any one elite attribute.

I think Nazar can be a better player than Tatar (and he could certainly be worse). But that feisty, productive 2W role is where I feel most comfortable projecting him right now.

I like this comparison. Visibly, they look quite similar on the ice. Super crafty, with great hands, edges, and creativity. I think Nazar is a better skater, which may allow him to play as a center in the NHL. I think he could be a great play driving winger as well.

My biggest concern with him is sometimes he can get a bit of "tunnel vision" when trying to beat defenders 1-1. He is typically a great playmaker, but I find that once he's decided he's going to try to beat a guy, he's committed to that. I'd like to see him read and react to what defenders are giving him a bit more.

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

Joe Pavelski lite

Gotta be honest, I can't see this one. Pavelski is among the league's best poachers, scoring a lot of his goals from drifting towards the left half wall for one timers and reacting quickly to rebounds. He's probably the league's best redirect artist, scoring a pretty large chunk of his goals from tip ins. He's never been a great transition threat in my eyes, and when he does score in transition it's usually as a trailer in two on one situations.

In powerplay and controlled possession situations, Nazar operates more frequently in the slot than he does off the left half wall, and when he does drift outside it's more often to set up a play than it is to score off a one-timer. He's not a particularly good redirector of the puck like Pavelski is. In transition I think they operate really differently, as Nazar likes to use his speed to beat defenders to the outside then either get a quick shot off or deke goaltenders to score around the pads.

Joe Pavelski is a pretty unique player. A lot of what he does effectively relies on hand-eye coordination and remarkably quick reaction to play in the offensive zone. I think those skills are tricky to measure in draft eligbles, which is part of the reason why Pavelski was undervalued in his draft (2003 was also a long time ago, scouting has made strides in those 20 years, but that's starting to get off topic).

I wouldn't expect coaches at Michigan or at the NHL level to deploy Nazar the way that San Jose and Dallas have deployed Pavelski.

 

[bsu]

Pavelski and Nazar is a very odd comparison imo.... Pavelski is closer comparable to someone like McTavish.

 

[Frk It]

It gets overused, but Giroux would probably be the comp if I had to pick one.