[HFNHL] Predators 2017-2018 Updates

[Fan.At]

2017 HFNHL Entry Draft Review

Round 1, #22 D Urho Vaakanainen
NHL: Boston Bruins, Round 1, #18 overall

I traded down from 16 gaining the #53 pick which ended up Eemeli Rasanen and still was lucky enough to get the player i wanted. Vaakanainen is a smooth skating finish defenseman with untapped offensive upside. He has already two seasons of pro hockey in the top finish league under his belt and might be on the fast lane to the NHL.

Round 1, #29 G Jake Oettinger
NHL: Dallas Stars, Round 1, #26 overall

I knew i would pick Oettinger with my second first round pick if he was still available, but risked a pick swap with Arizona moving down from #26 to #29 - while at the same time moving up to #33 which got me Callan Foote.

Oettinger was the 2nd youngest player in D1 College Hockey last season and one of the best goalies. He has lots of qualities NHL goaltenders need to succeed and might be one of my future cornerstones.

Round 2, #33 D Callan Foote
NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning, Round 1, #14 overall

Ditched my list for this pick as I expected Foote to be gone much higher - but I had him ranked even lower due to skating issues and my personal Colten-Teubert-syndrome.

Foote is big, smart and uses his size well while having very good offensive upside. His only issue might be slow feet, but thats probably a matter of strength and training.

Round 2, #47 D Dylan Samberg
NHL: Winnipeg Jets, Round 2, #43 overall

Big and rangy high school defenseman who might even go to the USHL for a season before entering college - so he has a lot of time to develop. Does have a lot of upside, but has a lot to work on as well.

Round 2, #53 D Eemeli Rasanen
NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs, Round 2, #59 overall

Another project pick, but also with upside. 6'7 defenseman with very good offensive instincts, Rasanen will first have to grow into his body before his absolute potential can be gauged.

Round 3, #73 F Evan Barratt
NHL: Chicago Blackhawks, Round 3, #90 overall

I was not surprised when the Hawks picked Barrat, who is on the small side, but smart and skilled. And as the Hawks like it, he is going to college.

Round 4, #109 G Dylan Ferguson
NHL: Dallas Stars, Round 7, #194 overall

Backup to Connor Ingram last season, Ferguson had a great season himself. His true test will come this season when Ingram goes pro.

Round 5, #135 D Johnny Kovacevic
NHL: Winnipeg Jets, Round 3, #74 overall

Might have been one of the best kept secrets in the draft, as he is a late bloomer who had a breakout season for Merrimack College. Kovacevic is a 6'5 defenseman with a big shot, strong skating and a very good two-way game.

Round 6, #171 D John Nyberg
NHL: Dallas Stars, Round 6, #165 overall - 2014

Older defenseman who had a strong season in the SHL and is already under contract with the NHL's Dallas Stars. 6'3 with good skating and offensive upside.

Round 7, #212 F Micah Miller
NHL: undrafted

A bit suprised Miller was not drafted, but he too has a lot of time to develop. He falls in line with recently drafted smaller forwards as he is quick and speedy and despite his height is a strong kid who likes to use his body.

Click to read more...

 

[Fan.At]

Updated Prospect Ranking (Post Draft)

Strengths:
Goaltending (Those kids do not know yet that their careers are already as good as over... )
Defense (Was a major weakness, but I think I was able to iron that out in this draft with the acquisitions of Foote, Vaakanainen, Samberg, Rasanen and Kovacevic)
Depth (lots of potential NHL players there on all positions)

Weakness:
Top Forward prospects (there are some who might make it one day as top six forwards, like Mathieu Joseph or Troy Terry or even Francis Perron, but no blue chippers at all. also due to the fact that my top forward prospects Mikko Rantanen and Brayden Point have graduated)

1. Callan Foote (D) CAN 209 6'4 WHL Kelowna Rockets
2. Urho Vaakanainen (D) FIN 187 6'1 Liiga SaiPa
3. Jake Oettinger (G) USA 205 6'4 NCAA Boston Univ.
4. Filip Gustavsson (G) SWE 185 6'2 SHL Luleå HF
5. Felix Sandström (G) SWE 194 6'2 SHL Brynäs IF
6. Mathieu Joseph (RW) CAN 172 6'1 AHL Syracuse Crunch
7. Tyler Motte (F) USA 187 5'9 NHL Columbus Blue Jackets
8. Andrew Mangiapane (LW) CAN 183 5'10 AHL Stockton Heat
9. Troy Terry (F) USA 168 6'0 NCAA Univ. of Denver
10. Guillaume Brisebois (D) CAN 190 6'3 AHL Utica Comets
11. Dylan Samberg (D) USA 190 6'3 NCAA Univ. of Minnesota-Duluth
12. Adin Hill (G) CAN 198 6'4 AHL Tucson Roadrunners
13. Deven Sideroff (RW) CAN 183 6'0 AHL San Diego Gulls
14. Eemeli Räsänen (D) FIN 205 6'7 OHL Kingston Frontenacs
15. Scott Mayfield (D) USA 218 6'5 NHL New York Islanders
16. Chris Bigras (D) CAN 190 6'1 AHL San Antonio Rampage
17. Francis Perron (F) CAN 165 6'0 AHL Binghamton Senators
18. John Nyberg (D) SWE 203 6'3 SHL Frölunda HC
19. Sami Niku (D) FIN 176 6'0 AHL Manitoba Moose
20. Nicolas Aubé-Kubel (RW) CAN 187 5'11 AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms
21. Johnny Kovacevic (D) CAN 220 6'3 NCAA Merrimack College
22. Steve Michalek (G) USA 205 6'3 AHL Iowa Wild
23. Kyle Capobianco (D) CAN 179 6'1 AHL Tucson Roadrunners
24. Niklas Hansson (D) SWE 181 6'0 SHL HV71
25. Sean Kuraly (C) USA 205 6'2 AHL Providence Bruins
26. Brian Pinho (F) USA 196 6'1 NCAA Providence College
27. Garrett Pilon (C) CAN 187 5'11 WHL Kamloops Blazers
28. Cooper Marody (F) USA 172 6'0 NCAA Univ. of Michigan
29. Evan Barratt (C) USA 187 5'11 NCAA Penn State Univ.
30. Carter Verhaeghe (C) CAN 181 6'1 AHL Bridgeport Sound Tigers
31. Mario Lucia (LW) USA 205 6'3 AHL Iowa Wild
32. Jeremiah Addison (LW) CAN 183 6'0 AHL Laval Rocket
33. Teemu Kivihalme (D) USA 174 6'0 NCAA Colorado College
34. Dylan Ferguson (G) CAN 192 6'1 WHL Kamloops Blazers
35. Karch Bachman (F) USA 179 5'11 NCAA Miami Univ. (Ohio)
36. Jonathan Racine (D) CAN 194 6'2 AHL St. John's IceCaps
37. Tarmo Reunanen (D) FIN 163 5'11 Liiga TPS
38. Brinson Pasichnuk (D) CAN 185 6'0 NCAA Arizona State Univ.
39. Stephen Dhillon (G) USA 187 6'4 OHL Niagara IceDogs
40. Luke McInnis (D) USA 174 5'11 NCAA Boston College
41. Micah Miller (C) USA 181 5'9 NCAA St. Cloud State Univ.
42. Zachary Sawchenko (G) CAN 185 6'1 WHL Moose Jaw Warriors
43. Alexandre Goulet (F) CAN 190 5'11 QMJHL Victoriaville Tigres
44. Darren Dietz (D) CAN 201 6'1 AHL Hershey Bears

 

[MatthewFlames]

Excellent draft. As you know, we almost always target the same players and this year was no different. At 20, having just traded for some D prospects, I was leaning hard towards a forward, or I would have taken Foote over Vaakanainen, but only just. To get both, you did amazingly well, especially considering that you got Oettinger in the middle. I liked Rasanen too, in fact, I put Latvala on my list because I thought his scouting report sounded like Rasanen 'lite.' Samberg was top of my list for 51 (BOOO), he just sounds like a NHL defenseman in every scouting report. Watching his development will be very interesting.

Your top 20 gets a real boost from this draft, you have a nice mix of players, but the list of true goalie prospects is kind of amazing, right down to Ferguson, Dhillon and Sawchenko. If Drew is really looking for modern day competition for drafting goalies, this list is the place to start.

 

[Hossa]

Absolutely an excellent draft. The 23rd pick was going to be a toss-up between Thomas and Vaakanainen for me, so you made my decision easy. With Oettinger and Foote you have three first rounders.

Love your mid and late round picks as well. I loved Barratt at the U18s and he was a shortlist option for me at 56. It's a bit hard to tell how he'll project as an NHLer, but he does everything well and has been a very good player against the best in his age group, which counts for something.

Really well done.

 

[Ohio Jones]

Colour me jealous...

 

[Fan.At]

Offseason Update

The Predators have swung a number of trades to improve the roster.

From the Anaheim Ducks, the Predators acquired defenseman Alexander Edler for forward Marcus Krüger and goaltending prospect Nick Ellis.

At the time this move greatly improved the depth of the Predators' D-core, giving them a top five defenseman of Erik Johnson, Sami Vatanen, Daniel Girardi, Karl Alzner and Alexander Edler


Then the unexpected happened. The Predators traded their future for superstar defenseman Victor Hedman. Going to Philadelphia were forwards Mikko Rantanen and Brayden Point who were expected to be a big part of the Predators top nine forwards as well as top goaltending prospect Jake Oettinger and defenseman Niklas Hansson.

This move needs to be monitored closely. Hedman gives the Predators a legit go to guy on the blue line, something Erik Johnson never accomplished during his long tenure as a Nashville Predator, but the cost was steep. Rantanen, Point and Oettinger were considered future core pieces of the team and they need to be replaced with similar caliber prospects in future drafts.
The trade also made Erik Johnson expendable and it was necessary to ensure salary cap compliancy with another trade.


To restore the balance on the roster and ensure they were under the salary cap, the Predators then traded long-time defensman and first ever draft pick of GM Tony Kapfenberger along with forward Matt Beleskey to the Ottawa Senators for forwards Jay Beagle and Leo Komarov.

Beagle and Komarov give the Predators defense, penalty killing and toughness on a third line that will also thrive on speed. Komarov might also be able to fill in on the second line should injuries occur


Expected Lineup for the 2017/18 season:

Johnny Gaudreau - Alexander Wennberg - Nick Foligno
Conor Sheary - Mikko Koivu - Valtteri Filppula
Jordan Martinook - Jay Beagle - Leo Komarov
Tom Kühnhackl - Joseph Cramarossa - Tyler Motte/Frederick Gaudrau/Sean Kuraly

Karl Alzner - Victor Hedman
Sami Vatanen - Dan Girardi
Alexander Edler - Eric Gryba/Cody Goloubef

Devan Dubnyk
Peter Budaj


GM's Take: For the second year in a row, I gave up outstanding young players for stars. Last year I was lucky to make the playoffs after and awful first half of the season. This year the acquisition of Victor Hedman and Alex Edler should give me the Backend to give up less goals and my top 9 forwards have never been as strong. I fully expect to make the playoffs and make a good run - so expect to seem me rant in this very thread when things do not go as expected

The loss of Rantanen and Point certainly hurts a lot. I was looking forward to see those 2 perform in their first HFNHL season and I am proud that i drafted them. But giving them up for Hedman was a good move in terms of sim value, especially after I was able to replace them in the lineup with seasoned veterans Beagle and Komarov.

Now on to Erik Johnson. My first ever draft pick always left me wanting more, but he was a true workhorse for me and also was unlucky with injuries which are a big reason why he has not fulfilled his potential thus far. However, he is still not old at 29 years and with a hopefully improving NHL Avalanche roster, he might still up his performance and production and show what he is capable of. I certainly wish the man all the best be it in Colorado or the HFNHL's Ottawa.

 

[HFNHLOilers]

Certainly busy this offseason, right up there with me for moves shaking up the roster.