Kraken 2024 draft

[RainyCityHockey]

Recently Yakemchuk seems to have fallen off a cliff in terms of pre-draft rankings as more commentators point out the holes in his defensive game and the fact that his hockey IQ in general is not exactly stellar. Silayev seems to be dropping as well, though that one I find harder to fathom. At worst, he is going to be a mobile 6'7'' shutdown defenseman who doesn't shy away from contact. Freij seems to be moving upward, but one guy offered a cautionary note that as the competition he plays against improves, his defensive shortcomings appear more glaring. It now looks, at the moment anyway, that Buium will be the first defenseman chosen in the draft.

I don't think Buium will be taken before Levshunov.
Though I expect Buium to be selected before the 8th OVR pick.

 

[majormajor]

Here's another late riser:



Incredible hands.

We might see a lot of churn in the lists leading up to the draft. Some of the top forwards didn't have good playoffs (Catton, Lindstrom) or were inconsistent (Iginla). This Sennecke kid is torching the OHL playoffs. He has a lot of room to fill out on his 6'2 frame.

I wasn't kidding around with Sennecke. Late [ongoing?] growth spurt, big increase in scoring in the second half and playoffs.

Beckett Sennecke Climbing the Rankings

recrutes.ca

Habs fans are debating whether he is a target at #5-#7. So I think he's legit for us to talk about at #8-#10.

 

[kihei]

Sennecke got another three points tonight (2 goals, 1 assist) in a losing cause. That gives him 12 goals and 13 assists in 15 OHL playoff games. A lot of people seem to think that is no lucky hot streak but a culmination of the potential that he has shown all along.

Meanwhile in the U18s worlds, Eiserman is tearing it up with six goals and 3 assists in four games. His stock has badly fallen recently but if he keeps going at this pace, he could well reverse that trend. Decisions, decisions.

 

[majormajor]

Am I crazy for thinking this guy should go top 10?

 

[kihei]

You may or may not be crazy but you are definitely in the minority on this one. Most of the prospect sources rate Pulkkinen as a mid-to-late first rounder or early second rounder. People seem to like his potential a lot but think he is raw, a major work in progress. Inconsistencies in his defensive game gets mentioned frequently and the fact that he has much to work on for a second year eligible player. Could be a late first round steal, but he doesn't seem like a top ten player to me. The Top Ten is already pretty crowded, anyway.

 

[kihei]

Top three? This kid is moving up the charts faster than the Beatles used to do:



Sennecke discussion starts at the 37:40 minute mark. The whole podcast is interesting stuff, though. No way this guy is going to be around at #8, but that just frees another good player for us to consider.