Prospect Info: Ives Final 2020 Draft Rankings -- Top 100

[beekay414]

My issue probably has less to do with the top 10 than it does what happens after. I know those areas are always a cluster but Wheeler is really all over the dartboard. Zary over Sanderson? Seriously? A middle 6 center with skating issues over a LHD with top pairing potential that can fly? C'mon. Nybeck over Khustnutdinov? You kidding?

 

[Forge]

Oh, I get it, no doubt. I just don't think there is any rhyme or reason to these rankings. If he was consistent on anything other than over ranking Swedes, I'd give him his due. Thing is...there isn't. That's literally the only thing that he's consistent with.

Yeah, but overranking those swedes helped him hit the nail on the head with that Bratt ranking compared to the others! lol

 

[beekay414]

Yeah, but overranking those swedes helped him hit the nail on the head with that Bratt ranking compared to the others! lol

Blind squirrel yadda yadda yadda lol

 

[Nubmer6]

My issue probably has less to do with the top 10 than it does what happens after. I know those areas are always a cluster but Wheeler is really all over the dartboard. Zary over Sanderson? Seriously? A middle 6 center with skating issues over a LHD with top pairing potential that can fly? C'mon. Nybeck over Khustnutdinov? You kidding?

Ya know... I wouldn't be surprised if some teams had lists similar to his. Every team has different attributes they value more or less. If you don't think Sanderson's going to score in the NHL and will just become a pure defensive defenseman, maybe you rank him that much lower.

We all see the different lists from different writers, and they vary quite a bit, and there's only a handful of major writers that do this, vs 31 teams with their internal rankings. There may be even more variance if we had that many writers.

 

[beekay414]

Ya know... I wouldn't be surprised if some teams had lists similar to his. Every team has different attributes they value more or less. If you don't think Sanderson's going to score in the NHL and will just become a pure defensive defenseman, maybe you rank him that much lower.

We all see the different lists from different writers, and they vary quite a bit, and there's only a handful of major writers that do this, vs 31 teams with their internal rankings. There may be even more variance if we had that many writers.

I just don't see how someone would think Sanderson won't score or that Zary's skating won't be a major hurdle. It's pretty evident that Wheeler didn't put any weight on skating in his rankings and that's a HUGE miss IMO.

 

[Nubmer6]

I just don't see how someone would think Sanderson won't score or that Zary's skating won't be a major hurdle. It's pretty evident that Wheeler didn't put any weight on skating in his rankings and that's a HUGE miss IMO.

Sanderson came on in the second half of the season. It's possible he thinks it's just a flash in the pan. I'm not saying I agree. I just understand when people's opinions differ. Remember, our ranking of Sanderson is significantly higher than most of the writers because of STI's arguments for him. He may well be right, but there's plenty of writers that have Sanderson at pick 10+.

 

[beekay414]

Sanderson came on in the second half of the season. It's possible he thinks it's just a flash in the pan. I'm not saying I agree. I just understand when people's opinions differ. Remember, our ranking of Sanderson is significantly higher than most of the writers because of STI's arguments for him. He may well be right, but there's plenty of writers that have Sanderson at pick 10+.

Sure but it has less to do with Sanderson and more to do with Zary for me. There's no excuse for having Sanderson behind Zary.

 

[Nubmer6]

Sure but it has less to do with Sanderson and more to do with Zary for me. There's no excuse for having Sanderson behind Zary.

It's funny cause Zary is probably the top 20 draftee that I've paid the least attention to. I really know nothing about him, probably because of my disinterest in a 2nd tier C which we don't need.

 

[beekay414]

It's funny cause Zary is probably the top 20 draftee that I've paid the least attention to. I really know nothing about him, probably because of my disinterest in a 2nd tier C which we don't need.

Yeah, I just don't see it with him. He's a middle 6 center with a skating issue.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

remember on Zary that Recchi is a part owner of his team...wonder if that gives them any extra insight

 

[beekay414]

remember on Zary that Recchi is a part owner of his team...wonder if that gives them any extra insight

Oh god don't do that to me.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I’m so torn when it comes to who to take at 7.
I need someone to break it down so my tiny brain can decide better. This done by using NHL comparisons .
I know that no two players are exactly alike and it’s unfair to minimalize it like this , but what are the best NHL comparisons for the players that might be there at 7?
Sanderson - Heiskanen
Drysdale - Makar
Raymond - ????
Rossi - ???
Perfetti - ???
Holtz - ???

I have read that the two D compare to Makar and Heiskanen , but is this just because of play style and lesser versions of those players , or can Drysdale and Sanderson actually be as talented and effective as their comparisons ?
If Sanderson could very well be as good as Heiskanen .... sign me up !!
I have no clue who the forward prospects are similar to in the NHL.
If Holtz for example could be as good as Laine ..... it would be hard not to want that player as well....

I just want the Devils to improve as much as possible and these picks are hugely important moving forward .
I would think a stud D is one of the hardest pieces to acquire , but it’s not as sexy as a goal scoring forward....
I’m leaning toward Sanderson and Drysdale just because of how hard it is to get a true top pairing D and how important it is to have a legit #1 in order to be successful

You bring up some terrific questions I'd love to try my hand at here.

Drysdale vs Makar: I would say that Makar is slightly more explosive than Drysdale -- he's a bit faster, has slightly quicker hands and a harder shot. But I'd say Drysdale is more controlled at the same age, and perhaps a little better positionally due to playing for better coaching at the same age (OHL vs AJHL). So, while I think Drysdale falls just shy of Makar's upside, I'd say -- strictly comparing them in their draft years -- Drysdale would be the slightly "safer" pick at the same age.

Sanderson vs. Heiskanen: this is an even closer comparison, to me. Both players were criticized in their draft-eligible season for supposed offensive limitations, but this was more due to these two studs being team-first players than due to actual physical limitation. Heiskanen just put up 10 points for his Liiga team (HIFK) in his draft eligible year, but he was the youngest player on the team and simply took care of his own end and refrained from taking many chances offensively. He put the team first, over his own draft standing. Sanderson captained the vaunted US-NTDP program despite being one of the few youngest players on the team, and was immediately paired with an all-offense undersized D in Eamon Powell. It was not until late December that his confidence grew enough that he started to lead rushes and offensive break-ins with any regularity. He scored 43 points in 66 games, I don't have the breakdown but his offensive output clearly grew as the season progressed. Physically, these two players are similarly sized and both equally elite skaters. Both of them are almost supernaturally advanced in their defensive game and calm with the puck. Both of them are sneaky good offensively without being flashy -- tremendous passers and puck-handlers. I would give Heiskanen an edge in shooting -- Sanderson has a decent shot, but Heiskanen's I really love. Sanderson has a clear edge in physicality and -- at the same age -- was better at zone entries offensively and gap control/positioning defensively. But I think it will be many years before we find a better draft-eligible comparison for Heiskanen than Sanderson.

Here are some other comparables you asked for, but I would like to stress that -- although we got lucky with Drysdale and Sanderson this year -- most comparables really suck, including my own.

Raymond -- Marner/Gaudreau hybrid.
Rossi -- Brayden Point and Doug Gilmour's offspring in an alien gene-splicing experiment
Perfetti -- Sebastian Aho meets Alex DeBrincat, it's pretty lousy but what can you do?
Holtz -- Patrick Laine-lite; he's not quite as talented as Laine, but similarly styled and will score lots of goals at any level

I'll add the final (unlikely, but possible) possibilities for the #7 pick:

Quinn -- Mark Stone with a bit less Selke-potential but even more pure scoring upside
Lundell -- Bo Horvat-lite; similar high-IQ, high-effort, two-way stud, but Horvat is clearly a better skater and plays with more edge
Jarvis -- he's a really tough one for me. I'm going to say "smaller William Nylander with a higher compete level"

 

[Triumph]

Wheeler's rationale for not liking Sanderson comes down to his puck control in tight spaces which I agree is hard to evaluate, but it's the difference between someone like Noah Hanifin and a top-pair defender.

 

[Blackjack]

Perfetti -- Sebastian Aho meets Alex DeBrincat, it's pretty lousy but what can you do?

No one can come up with a good comparison. On the prospects board they spent two pages arguing whether it was JVR.

 

[RememberTheName]

No one can come up with a good comparison. On the prospects board they spent two pages arguing whether it was JVR.

That was one of the most ridiculous two pages of a thread I have ever seen. JVR is not even close to a good comparison for Perfetti and it was comical watching people try to argue otherwise
Honestly, for Perfetti, maybe like smaller Elias with slightly better hands? He is a very unique player and hard to actually nail down who he is similar to.

 

[My3Sons]

You bring up some terrific questions I'd love to try my hand at here.

Drysdale vs Makar: I would say that Makar is slightly more explosive than Drysdale -- he's a bit faster, has slightly quicker hands and a harder shot. But I'd say Drysdale is more controlled at the same age, and perhaps a little better positionally due to playing for better coaching at the same age (OHL vs AJHL). So, while I think Drysdale falls just shy of Makar's upside, I'd say -- strictly comparing them in their draft years -- Drysdale would be the slightly "safer" pick at the same age.

Sanderson vs. Heiskanen: this is an even closer comparison, to me. Both players were criticized in their draft-eligible season for supposed offensive limitations, but this was more due to these two studs being team-first players than due to actual physical limitation. Heiskanen just put up 10 points for his Liiga team (HIFK) in his draft eligible year, but he was the youngest player on the team and simply took care of his own end and refrained from taking many chances offensively. He put the team first, over his own draft standing. Sanderson captained the vaunted US-NTDP program despite being one of the few youngest players on the team, and was immediately paired with an all-offense undersized D in Eamon Powell. It was not until late December that his confidence grew enough that he started to lead rushes and offensive break-ins with any regularity. He scored 43 points in 66 games, I don't have the breakdown but his offensive output clearly grew as the season progressed. Physically, these two players are similarly sized and both equally elite skaters. Both of them are almost supernaturally advanced in their defensive game and calm with the puck. Both of them are sneaky good offensively without being flashy -- tremendous passers and puck-handlers. I would give Heiskanen an edge in shooting -- Sanderson has a decent shot, but Heiskanen's I really love. Sanderson has a clear edge in physicality and -- at the same age -- was better at zone entries offensively and gap control/positioning defensively. But I think it will be many years before we find a better draft-eligible comparison for Heiskanen than Sanderson.

Here are some other comparables you asked for, but I would like to stress that -- although we got lucky with Drysdale and Sanderson this year -- most comparables really suck, including my own.

Raymond -- Marner/Gaudreau hybrid.
Rossi -- Brayden Point and Doug Gilmour's offspring in an alien gene-splicing experiment
Perfetti -- Sebastian Aho meets Alex DeBrincat, it's pretty lousy but what can you do?
Holtz -- Patrick Laine-lite; he's not quite as talented as Laine, but similarly styled and will score lots of goals at any level

I'll add the final (unlikely, but possible) possibilities for the #7 pick:

Quinn -- Mark Stone with a bit less Selke-potential but even more pure scoring upside
Lundell -- Bo Horvat-lite; similar high-IQ, high-effort, two-way stud, but Horvat is clearly a better skater and plays with more edge
Jarvis -- he's a really tough one for me. I'm going to say "smaller William Nylander with a higher compete level"

So who compares to Lovejoy?

 

[StevenToddIves]

I just want to say, @StevenToddIves, you should have the job at The Athletic over Scott Wheeler. His rankings are absolutely abysmal and have no rhyme or reason to it. Personally, I feel his rankings are different just for the sake of being different and to get clicks because there's really no other reasoning for them. They are brutally bad, in my humble opinion.

I also have many disagreements with Wheeler, but I respect him a ton. I will say he's not click-bait, he just has a philosophy which I do not believe leads to winning hockey at the NHL level. The idea that compete level can be "instilled" is simply not true. The idea that offensive-minded defensemen will inevitably improve defensively while defensive-minded defensemen can never improve offensively is simply not true. So you just cannot escape scrutiny if you're ranking Nybeck 30+ slots higher than Ridly Greig, or William Wallinder and Lucas Corimer over Braden Schneider and Kaiden Guhle.

But as I am an ex-athlete who is competitive in my own right, let's weigh Wheeler's 2019 rankings vs. my own.

# WHEELER IVES

1	Hughes	Hughes
2	Kakko	Kakko
3	Turcotte	Byram
4	Cozens	Turcotte
5	Byram	Zegras
6	Krebs	Krebs
7	Boldy	Cozens
8	Dach	Dach
9	York	Boldy
10	Caufield	Caufield
11	Newhook	Podkolzin
12	Zegras	Seider
13	Kaliyev	Newhook
14	Brink	Kaliyev
15	Dorofeyev	Tomasino
16	Suzuki	Lavoie
17	Podkolzin	M. Robertson
18	Hoglander	Brink
19	Broberg	Rees
20	Honka	York
21	Heinola	Soderstrom
22	Puistola	Beecher
23	Kokkonen	Harley
24	Lavoie	Poulin
25	Pelletier	Suzuki
26	Cajkovic	Dorofeyev
27	Legare	N. Robertson
28	Soderstrom	Hoglander
29	Harley	Kolyachonok
30	N. Robertson	Thomson
31	Poulin	Korczak

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Our top 10s are actually quite similar. Things really break down around #15. I ranked all defensive-minded D ahead of Wheeler -- Soderstrom 7 spots higher and Harley 6 slots higher, while I have high rankings for Seider, Matt Robertson, Kolyachonok, Thomson and Korczak who did not crack his first round. In retrospect, I over-ranked Robertson, though not so badly as Wheeler under-ranked Seider.

Strangely, the one "defensive defenseman" Wheeler graded as a first-round pick while I did not was Kokkonen, who I saw as a solid 3rd-round pick but a likely NHL third-pairing guy. The idea that Kokkonen will be a better defenseman than a guy like Soderstrom or Harley is simply baffling to me, but you can counter that I had Robertson over Soderstrom which makes me look pretty clueless now, too.

Wheeler ranked all offensive defensemen, regardless of questions about their defense, ahead of me -- York 11 slots higher, while Broberg and Honka were not considerations for my first round. The jury is still out on Broberg, but York is certainly not #9 in a re-draft and Honka is still not making the NHL until he learns to play passably in his own zone (he went #83 overall to Carolina).

With "high-compete forwards", I ranked as first-rounders Tomasino (#15), Rees (#19) and Beecher (#22), whom Wheeler left out of the first-round. With offensive forwards for whom this was a question, he had Cajkovic at #26 while I ranked Cajkovic #58. In reality, Tomasino and Beecher went in the first round, Rees went a dozen picks into the second round and Cajkovic went #89 overall.

In the "miscellaneous category", we both over-ranked Krebs, who is going to be a very good NHL-er, but not the 6th best player in the 2019 draft. Wheeler certainly has bragging rights on Hoglander, who we both ranked higher than the consensus but he had the young blue-chipper at #18 while I had him 10 slots lower. Though I routinely kill Wheeler rankings-wise with defensemen, he made a nice call with Heinola at #21 while I had him just out of the first round at #37. We both nailed it with abnormally high rankings of Bobby Brink and Nick Robertson. We both blew it leaving some 2019 re-draft first-round slam dunks out of our first rounds: Nolan Foote (Wheeler #49, Ives #58), Connor McMichael (Wheeler #46, Ives #36), Tobias Bjornfot (Wheeler #66, Ives #35) and Shane Pinto (Wheeler #50, Ives #61). For players we now regret including in our first round, Wheeler has Honka, Kokkonen and Cajkovic, I have Matthew Robertson and Slava Kolyachonok.

Overall, I'd give myself a B and Wheeler a C. So I don't think I beat him by that much, but I'd still give myself the edge. I'd love to hear some other opinions. Here are the links to our top 100s:

Wheeler: Wheeler: Final ranking for the 2019 NHL Draft's top 100 prospects

Ives: Prospect Info: - 2019 NHL Draft; STI Final Rankings

 

[StevenToddIves]

Oh, I get it, no doubt. I just don't think there is any rhyme or reason to these rankings. If he was consistent on anything other than over ranking Swedes, I'd give him his due. Thing is...there isn't. That's literally the only thing that he's consistent with.

Haha, everyone over-ranks Swedes. It's like they feel they're onto some secret, except it's a secret everyone knows about. You want to shock us? Tell us about a Belarussian or Norwegian or Austrian player we haven't seen. Everyone has seen the Swedes. I've seen Raymond ranked #2 overall -- I mean, I love him, but no. I've seen players with dangerously non-existent compete levels (Nybeck) and hockey IQs (Wallinder) ranked just outside the top 15. Folks, I don't care what country a player is from -- if they can play hockey, they can play hockey.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Ya know... I wouldn't be surprised if some teams had lists similar to his. Every team has different attributes they value more or less. If you don't think Sanderson's going to score in the NHL and will just become a pure defensive defenseman, maybe you rank him that much lower.

We all see the different lists from different writers, and they vary quite a bit, and there's only a handful of major writers that do this, vs 31 teams with their internal rankings. There may be even more variance if we had that many writers.

I think you're absolutely correct here. There are still teams who put all Russians on their "do not draft" lists. There are still teams who will not draft a defenseman under 6'0 or a forward under 5'10. Look at the past decade of draft history, and the trends and tendencies for each team become clearer. There are probably teams who have ranked Lucas Raymond or Cole Perfetti at #4 overall, and there are teams who have probably ranked them outside the top 10. An "old school" team like Anaheim or Ottawa likely has Jake Sanderson in their top 5 and Braden Schneider in their top 12, while an analytics-run team like Toronto probably has Sanderson around #15 and Schneider somewhere in the second round.

In New Jersey, we know Paul Castron likes fast forwards with high IQs and compete levels. Steve Yzerman-run teams love high-upside kids with high intelligence, as well. Arizona has a history of drafting players who are NHL legacies -- they've done it a dozen times over the past half-decade or so. The Bruins and Predators rarely draft anyone without some level of physicality in their game. Pick a team, and there's some pattern. And all of these teams have a great degree of variance with each other.

 

[StevenToddIves]

It's funny cause Zary is probably the top 20 draftee that I've paid the least attention to. I really know nothing about him, probably because of my disinterest in a 2nd tier C which we don't need.

Zary could be a LW or a center in the NHL, it's tough to tell right now. Quick recap: he's good at everything. Everything. You name it, Zary is good at it. He's elite at nothing. There is no doubt on the planet that he will be a very good NHL-er. Outside of the to 10 candidates, WHL-ers Zary and Schneider are the safest picks in the entire 2020 draft. He's a dual-threat, all-situations guy who any team would want to have and coaches and teammates will love. But he's not a threat to be a PPG player at the NHL level, in my mind. More of a 50-60 point, second line Swiss-army knife. Nothing not to like here, but I can't see passing on a potential future all-star like Mercer or Amirov or Perreault or Gunler if they're available with the same pick.

 

[Nubmer6]

So who compares to Lovejoy?

Lovejoy is incomparable.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Wheeler's rationale for not liking Sanderson comes down to his puck control in tight spaces which I agree is hard to evaluate, but it's the difference between someone like Noah Hanifin and a top-pair defender.

Wheeler does not use "rationale" for down-ranking Sanderson so much as "rationalization". He sorely under-ranked him with his first "Final Rankings" (which I think came out June 1) at #19, for the usual reasons of confusing "irresponsible offensive risk-taking" with "offensive ability" -- a mistake many draft-writers make. Up by two goals in the third period, Sanderson will not try to rush the puck end to end like a Poirier or Grans. Same as Heiskanen back in 2017, this negatively affects Sanderson's numbers. I think the difference with Hanifin, is that Hanifin was considered a top-tier offensive defenseman in his draft year (2015), due to putting up really terrific numbers in the NCAA as a teenager. Like Heiskanen, Sanderson is constantly questioned for his offensive ability -- when both Heiskanen and Sanderson have terrific offensive games.

Where I sympathize with Wheeler is that his rankings match his philosophy -- he does not consider an NHL defender to be a true #1 unless they can be impact players on the power play and on the scoresheet -- in so many words, Wheeler has pretty much stated this. Where I disagree with his philosophy is that he feels you can draft a D who is a defensive liability and just take it for granted that this is an aspect of the game which comes through prospect development. Defense is also a talent -- which is why players like Heiskanen and Slavin and Weber are so coveted and opposing teams are game-planning against them the same way they do against a Nate McKinnon or Nikita Kucherov. Though we would like all defensemen to be elite in every aspect of the game like a Victor Hedman, these players are rare and you can usually only find them in the top 10 of a draft.

 

[StevenToddIves]

So who compares to Lovejoy?

I'm going to go with simple and steady, hustle & heart Red Deer defenseman Christoffer Sedoff, who you can probably get in the 6th/7th rounds. Just missed my top 100 list, but I like him.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I want to reiterate with Connor Zary, that he's an excellent hockey player. I state this for two reasons: one because he deserves recognition for his domination of the WHL, and two because there is certainly a chance the Devils draft him.

The connection between new New Jersey hire Mark Recchi and Connor Zary (from Kamloops) should not be understated, because Zary is the type of player whom coaches and executives absolutely adore. You want to play him as a LW on the top power play? Fine, Zary will go out there and excel. You want to play him in a mid-6 checking role on a national tournament team? Fine, Zary will go out there and excel. You want him to play with goal-scorers in a playmaking role or slick passers in a scoring role? No problem, Connor Zary can do it all.

We should fully understand that just because a player does not feature a singular dynamic skill that is going to get us out of our seats or drop our jaws saying "wow", that does not mean this cannot be a terrific hockey player. Most prospects ranked in Zary's range (say, #15 to #25 overall) have at least a physical skill or two which top 60 on the traditional 20-to-80 scouting scale, but a couple of "flaws" which have dropped them out of the top dozen or so picks. This is not Connor Zary. Zary is pretty much a straight 55 across the board who only hits 60+ when it comes to the intangibles -- hockey sense and complete level and 200-foot play.

So, I think what you get with Zary is not an NHL line-driving, top-of-the-scoring-leaderboard mega-star. But you still get an outstanding player who you can really win with. If your NHL top-line center or LW get hurt and you need a guy to step up for a month? Zary can play and score with top talent. If you have two stud centers and you want a guy to skate in a third-line role, giving you great defense and chipping in on the scoreboard? Again, Zary is your guy. He's extremely smart and adaptable, he plays to the game situation and always shows tremendous anticipation and awareness out there.

In my final rankings (which I expect you to be familiar with, you're on the thread), I had Connor Zary at #21 overall. To me, you can group him into a quintet of "the sum is far greater than the parts" first-round forwards, alongside Lundell, Holloway, Reichel and Greig. Although he may lack the sheer power of a Holloway or smothering, shut-down presence of a Lundell, he is certainly on the same level as these players.

Ultimately, I'm not certain that the Devils should draft Zary over a player like Perreault or Gunler, despite the fact that Zary has no red flags and thus a far higher chance of making an impact in the NHL. He also lacks the 40+ goal upside those two have, and the Devils sorely need finishers to compliment an unbelievably talented playmaking center duo of Hughes and Hischier. But this is situational, and no knock on Zary who deserves consideration for any pick after the first dozen or so. Because ultimately, Connor Zary is a tremendous hockey player who is as certain to make an NHL impact as any player taken after the first dozen picks or so.

 

[Guadana]

I want to reiterate with Connor Zary, that he's an excellent hockey player. I state this for two reasons: one because he deserves recognition for his domination of the WHL, and two because there is certainly a chance the Devils draft him.

The connection between new New Jersey hire Mark Recchi and Connor Zary (from Kamloops) should not be understated, because Zary is the type of player whom coaches and executives absolutely adore. You want to play him as a LW on the top power play? Fine, Zary will go out there and excel. You want to play him in a mid-6 checking role on a national tournament team? Fine, Zary will go out there and excel. You want him to play with goal-scorers in a playmaking role or slick passers in a scoring role? No problem, Connor Zary can do it all.

We should fully understand that just because a player does not feature a singular dynamic skill that is going to get us out of our seats or drop our jaws saying "wow", that does not mean this cannot be a terrific hockey player. Most prospects ranked in Zary's range (say, #15 to #25 overall) have at least a physical skill or two which top 60 on the traditional 20-to-80 scouting scale, but a couple of "flaws" which have dropped them out of the top dozen or so picks. This is not Connor Zary. Zary is pretty much a straight 55 across the board who only hits 60+ when it comes to the intangibles -- hockey sense and complete level and 200-foot play.

So, I think what you get with Zary is not an NHL line-driving, top-of-the-scoring-leaderboard mega-star. But you still get an outstanding player who you can really win with. If your NHL top-line center or LW get hurt and you need a guy to step up for a month? Zary can play and score with top talent. If you have two stud centers and you want a guy to skate in a third-line role, giving you great defense and chipping in on the scoreboard? Again, Zary is your guy. He's extremely smart and adaptable, he plays to the game situation and always shows tremendous anticipation and awareness out there.

In my final rankings (which I expect you to be familiar with, you're on the thread), I had Connor Zary at #21 overall. To me, you can group him into a quintet of "the sum is far greater than the parts" first-round forwards, alongside Lundell, Holloway, Reichel and Greig. Although he may lack the sheer power of a Holloway or smothering, shut-down presence of a Lundell, he is certainly on the same level as these players.

Ultimately, I'm not certain that the Devils should draft Zary over a player like Perreault or Gunler, despite the fact that Zary has no red flags and thus a far higher chance of making an impact in the NHL. He also lacks the 40+ goal upside those two have, and the Devils sorely need finishers to compliment an unbelievably talented playmaking center duo of Hughes and Hischier. But this is situational, and no knock on Zary who deserves consideration for any pick after the first dozen or so. Because ultimately, Connor Zary is a tremendous hockey player who is as certain to make an NHL impact as any player taken after the first dozen picks or so.

I`m not so high on Zary here. I think he isn`t well skating player, but it`s not that bad. He has good speed. I'm more concerned about the fact that in their top line, he is not the main Creator of dangerous moments. He was playing with good partners and he is overager. Players who are almost a year younger than him may look better or at least not worse next season. Of course, he looks like a good middle-6 player, but I hope the Devils will be looking for a potential top-6 player, even with a higher risk like Perrault.

In any case, my disagreement with You is not look so significant like with Cory Masisak and Wheeler.