Speculation: KOTR's Fan Base Mock (Your pick has been made)

[Lunatik]

Dessension in the ranks?

5 picked White because it was easier to spell.

 

[Johnny GODreau]

I don't like the pick. Fire Treliving.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

I would be mildly disappointed if the Flames take Merkley IRL. Sure he's a local boy and (gasp!) a right shot, but when skating and decision making are listed as significant flaws (significant enough to be mentioned by several different scouts) I'd be hesitant to take him this high. From eliteprospects.com:

There is something left to be desired having observed his individual skills, such as puckhandling, footspeed, and decision-making, for a prolonged period of time; there is definitely room for improvement in the small areas of his game.

Someone joked about Rico Fata earlier - other than skating, those were the same knocks against him in his draft year.

 

[Taranis]

It does seem like because Merkley was apart of the memorial cup run most are really high on him around here. Having said that hes ranked 16th on my list so I'd be more then happy with him, although ultimately I think it would be a mistake not to take one of the bpa defenders at 15th.

 

[Johnny GODreau]

5'10, bad skater and not a good decision maker? I'm really not feelin' it.

 

[CraigsList]

I would be mildly disappointed if the Flames take Merkley IRL. Sure he's a local boy and (gasp!) a right shot, but when skating and decision making are listed as significant flaws (significant enough to be mentioned by several different scouts) I'd be hesitant to take him this high. From eliteprospects.com:


Someone joked about Rico Fata earlier - other than skating, those were the same knocks against him in his draft year.

I can counter with what a scout said about Merkley. Per Future Considerations:

“I think his ability to find teammates has to be tops in this class; one powerplay he found every single Kelowna Rockets player for a solid scoring opportunity. He makes passes no one else sees. Obviously his size is something people are always going to question, but every time I’ve seen him play he doesn’t back down from anything and actually uses his small stature to get real low; players can’t check him when he’s that small and strong on his stick. I really like this player and believe he’s a lock to make the NHL one day."

I think having Gaudreau on one line and Merkley on the second would make our top 6 lethal. Sounds like a skilled Gaudreau + a physical Byron mixed together.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

I don't doubt or knock his offensive ability, it's the other 70% of his game that concerns me. Also from future considerations:

“Merkley is a playmaking forward with excellent hockey sense and good puck skills,” Herasymiuk said. “He is an above average skater with good agility and strength on his edges. He isn’t the most physical forward and his speed isn’t top notch but Merkley is good in his position, although he doesn’t make much of an impact in the defenseive zone.”

 

[Unkki]

I don't doubt or knock his offensive ability, it's the other 70% of his game that concerns me. Also from future considerations:

And to be honest, that doesn't sound like Calgary's style when it's about the first round pick. Usually the first pick has been someone, who's strong 2-way player, maybe even too often (Jankowski).

But from the available options, I'd pick him. Had to decide between him and Eriksson Ek.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Yeah not very high on Merkley. He is skilled, but not so skilled to be a top 15 pick in a deep draft. At his size. A) he isn't what our team needs to beat LA or Anaheim. B) he's not that great. If you are a small player you have to be extremely dynamic to be effective at the NHL. To me Merkley is good not great. C) there are players like Nick Merkley availiable every draft. Usually well into the 20s. So many good skating two way d-men, big scoring forwards still availiable which are much harder to find and much bigger needs. D) If we do go with a small skilled fwd i would much rather go after a guys like Bracco or Garland in the second round.

 

[Anglesmith]

I would be mildly disappointed if the Flames take Merkley IRL. Sure he's a local boy and (gasp!) a right shot, but when skating and decision making are listed as significant flaws (significant enough to be mentioned by several different scouts) I'd be hesitant to take him this high. From eliteprospects.com:


Someone joked about Rico Fata earlier - other than skating, those were the same knocks against him in his draft year.

You have to put these things in perspective. Even when you see all these knocks, all these critics, you still have these scouts ranking him up there as a mid-first round pick. So there's things there that make him a very solid bet to be an impact player at the NHL level, perhaps in spite of these things.

I mean, when we picked Gilmour from Boston College, we got to see lots of scouting reports which lauded several aspects of his game, and of course Janko always has great things to say about him... but at the end of the day you have to put that into perspective, because he's a seventh rounder. You know that there's bound to be huge flaws in his game that he would have to overcome.

 

[Lunatik]

And to be honest, that doesn't sound like Calgary's style when it's about the first round pick. Usually the first pick has been someone, who's strong 2-way player, maybe even too often (Jankowski).

But from the available options, I'd pick him. Had to decide between him and Eriksson Ek.

No one knew Jankowski would be a great defensive player at the time. He was taken as a project with off the charts hockey IQ, soft hands, character, work ethic and size

 

[Skobel24]

I know it's just a mock draft, but I really don't like the idea of drafting a forward at 15th this year.

 

[Lunatik]

You have to put these things in perspective. Even when you see all these knocks, all these critics, you still have these scouts ranking him up there as a mid-first round pick. So there's things there that make him a very solid bet to be an impact player at the NHL level, perhaps in spite of these things.

I mean, when we picked Gilmour from Boston College, we got to see lots of scouting reports which lauded several aspects of his game, and of course Janko always has great things to say about him... but at the end of the day you have to put that into perspective, because he's a seventh rounder. You know that there's bound to be huge flaws in his game that he would have to overcome.

"impact player at the NHL level" is a bit overblown, forwards that are mid-first round picks more often than not end up as middle six guys and rarely impact players

 

[Anglesmith]

"impact player at the NHL level" is a bit overblown, forwards that are mid-first round picks more often than not end up as middle six guys and rarely impact players

Well, I would define regular middle-six guys as impact players, so...

I basically just mean a guy who will make up part of your team, as opposed to being a fringer who is interchangeable. The Lance Boumas of the world, as opposed to Markus Granlund.

 

[Calculon]

Merkley seems like a questionable pick at 15 given what else is available.

 

[SmellOfVictory]

No one knew Jankowski would be a great defensive player at the time. He was taken as a project with off the charts hockey IQ, soft hands, character, work ethic and size

Yeah, he wasn't really anything at that point; just a bag of intriguing raw tools that beat up on 2nd tier highschool kids.

 

[SmellOfVictory]

I know it's just a mock draft, but I really don't like the idea of drafting a forward at 15th this year.

I'd prefer a D, all things being equal, but if the Flames think they've got a potential first line forward versus a bunch of second pairing defensemen, they can take the forward and figure out a trade for D later.

 

[Yung Rotini]

5'10, bad skater and not a good decision maker? I'm really not feelin' it.

Merkley a bad skater and bad at making decisions?

ROFL okay. Sure, skating isn't his strong point. That totally can't be worked on or anything.

I also don't get where get the impression that he makes a lot of bad decisions.. every player makes mistakes, and his blunders are rare.

 

[Yung Rotini]

But sure, base your opinion on some website without actually watching him play more than once or twice. Cool.

 

[Anglesmith]

But sure, base your opinion on some website without actually watching him play more than once or twice. Cool.

...

Are you Nick Merkley?

 

[Yung Rotini]

...

Are you Nick Merkley?

Yeah, sorry guys I'm actually Nick Merkley

We were both born in Calgary and we're both 5'10. We are like, the same person

 

[Anglesmith]

Alrighty then. No need to have two different threads to discuss the upcoming draft, so I'll close this one.