LD Jamie Oleksiak (2011, 14th, DAL)

[Ten Thousand Hours]

Why would it make sense for the team that already has Chara to try to draft the next Chara? Shouldn't a team that doesn't have Chara want a 6'7'' defenseman more. I also wouldn't want to wait around for Oleksiak to develop.

 

[McDNicks17]

He's more of a Hal Gill than a Chara or Myers.

 

[Eddie Munson]

He's more of a Hal Gill than a Chara or Myers.

Much better skated than Gill but lacks that offensive flair Chara or Myers have.

Oleksiak going anywhere before 20th is a reach.

I have liked him the handful of times I saw him this year and was hoping when the Bruins still had their 1st that maybe they'd take a look at him late in the 1st.

 

[txomisc]

Much better skated than Gill but lacks that offensive flair Chara or Myers have.

Oleksiak going anywhere before 20th is a reach.

I have liked him the handful of times I saw him this year and was hoping when the Bruins still had their 1st that maybe they'd take a look at him late in the 1st.

Chara didn't really look like he had much in the way of offense until a few years into his nhl career.

 

[YNWABoston]

The top ten is essentially unpredictable, and I think especially this year with so many players interchangable. 1 team may have a player rated in the top 4, while another team may have that player outside the top ten. The point being I think it is way to early to start saying who they have no shot at getting, besides the obvious ones. Who would have thought fowler would have made it out of the top 5. Someone always slips and the draft NEVER goes the way we predict it to.

 

[AmericanDream]

Just like Boris Valabik, Taylor Doherty, and every other player who is freakishly tall.

why even make this comparison?

Valabik simply could not skate, he was drafted on mere size. Same goes for Joe Finley. Some of you posters on here have no idea who Jamie Oleksiak is and what type of player he is. All you see is his height, followed by his stats.

Well let me inject some attributes for you:

First off, Oleksiak for his size is one of the better skaters I have seen at this age. That simply means most kids his size are very awkward because they are learning how to move in their big frames. Jamie looked this last year in the USHL. I saw a physical dman that was a monster, but simply was awkward in his body. I felt if this kid gets it (skating and balance) he is going to be a force.

Now barely a year later, Oleksiak has simply gotten it, and is a much better overall player then the names mentioned above at this age. Oleksiak is not a liability on the ice in any situation. He actually makes very solid outlet passes and on the rush, the kid has turned his game around so much from last year that I feel this is bizzaro world.

For those that want to assume it is a "stretch" to take him top 10, well that is fine because you are merely going by stats and scouting services instead of seeing his skillset and potential. If Dylan McIlrath went in the top 10 last year, so can Oleksiak.

As for the Bruins taking him, cant really comment on that, but I would imagine they probably would if most of the top 5-6 are gone. The emergence of Steven Kampfer might make a Ryan Murphy selection not needed as originally thought, and maybe they do go for that other opposing dman in Oleksiak.

Bottom line is Oleksiak is getting massively underrated on here, and is getting wrongfully thrown in with big goof balls from the past. I am not saying Oleksiak will be the next Chara, I am sure he will be the next Jamie Oleksiak, but underrating this kid is going to make many look foolish on here. Top 10 is not a reach for Oleksiak in June, I see him in the 14-18 range, but in the right circumstance he certainly can go top 10, and we just saw it happen last year.

 

[misterjaggers]

I think the Bruins will take a Dman, unless a top forward slips. But i think Larsson, Murphy and Hamilton will be gone...

Picking at ninth, I think there's a good chance one of those three will still be available.

 

[YNWA14]

If I were Boston I go after Hamilton. The kid will be a stud.

 

[Beesfan]

If I were Boston I go after Hamilton. The kid will be a stud.

That would definitely require trading up. Hamilton - from what I read - seems like a happy medium between Murphy and Siemens. I bet he goes 7th.

It's tough to get a team to part with a player they like on draft day. I doubt BOS 1st plus Minn. 2nd would do it. In the end, it would probably require overpayment, like Sauve/Arniel + Minn 2nd + BOS 1st.

 

[TheGroceryStick]

One of those 2 should still be on the board when Boston picks, and I will be honest, I haven't seen either play, but just from reading I would prefer if they went with one of those.

I know what you're saying, but for me I draft BPA, not some guy because you're in love with his size.... If we are going to make a risky pick, I rather it be for a pure offensive shifty sort of guy, rather than a giant defender.

Plus Boston has a history of sticking to drafting in North America in the first round (not saying its only choses they make, but generally seems to be the way they lean), European or elsewhere we haven't had the best of luck.

The kid is born in Toronto Ontario.

 

[PlayMakers]

B's grabbed Valabik in the Wheeler/Stuart/Peverley deal, and he's expected to be that monster-to-learn-from-Chara guy.

So I don't think they grab Oleksiak unless they believe he's the bpa at that slot.

 

[NUhockey]

I mean, they probably won't, but if they do grab him I'd be ecstatic. He can skate well, pass, and he plays a solid defensive game that will translate well into the big leagues. As a Northeastern student I get to see him play night in and night out and will tell you he is a special player. In the grand scheme of the draft, I do think he will go late first round realistically speaking. As for Valabik, do the Bruins think he can pick up his game to be a factor?

 

[ocarina]

B's grabbed Valabik in the Wheeler/Stuart/Peverley deal, and he's expected to be that monster-to-learn-from-Chara guy.

So I don't think they grab Oleksiak unless they believe he's the bpa at that slot.

Really? Wasn't that guy waived a couple of times by Atlanta before he got traded? Seems to be too slow to play in the NHL.

 

[zeus3007*]

why even make this comparison?

Valabik simply could not skate, he was drafted on mere size. Same goes for Joe Finley. Some of you posters on here have no idea who Jamie Oleksiak is and what type of player he is. All you see is his height, followed by his stats.

Well let me inject some attributes for you:

First off, Oleksiak for his size is one of the better skaters I have seen at this age. That simply means most kids his size are very awkward because they are learning how to move in their big frames. Jamie looked this last year in the USHL. I saw a physical dman that was a monster, but simply was awkward in his body. I felt if this kid gets it (skating and balance) he is going to be a force.

Now barely a year later, Oleksiak has simply gotten it, and is a much better overall player then the names mentioned above at this age. Oleksiak is not a liability on the ice in any situation. He actually makes very solid outlet passes and on the rush, the kid has turned his game around so much from last year that I feel this is bizzaro world.

For those that want to assume it is a "stretch" to take him top 10, well that is fine because you are merely going by stats and scouting services instead of seeing his skillset and potential. If Dylan McIlrath went in the top 10 last year, so can Oleksiak.

As for the Bruins taking him, cant really comment on that, but I would imagine they probably would if most of the top 5-6 are gone. The emergence of Steven Kampfer might make a Ryan Murphy selection not needed as originally thought, and maybe they do go for that other opposing dman in Oleksiak.

Bottom line is Oleksiak is getting massively underrated on here, and is getting wrongfully thrown in with big goof balls from the past. I am not saying Oleksiak will be the next Chara, I am sure he will be the next Jamie Oleksiak, but underrating this kid is going to make many look foolish on here. Top 10 is not a reach for Oleksiak in June, I see him in the 14-18 range, but in the right circumstance he certainly can go top 10, and we just saw it happen last year.

Wow, you mad? I have a couple of issues with the bolded. I don't think Oleksiak is beig underrated, I think most here probably haven't seen him play. Myself included, and I'm skeptical about big d-men in the first round, probably unfairly to Oleksiak. If you see him going 14-18, and scouts seem to have him ranked 15-20, then taking him top ten IS a reach. That's exactly what a reach is. Last year? Are you referring to the Rangers picking McIlrath, because guess what, that was a reach too. Nobody is going to look foolish, because nobody is saying that he is bad, people are just bringing up issues that could be there.

 

[RStar*]

Jamieson Oleksiak

Can anyone fill me in on this guy? 6'7 240? Sounds like a guy worth taking a shot on. Seems like a 10-20 range guy in any of the mocks I've seen. Wanting to know more about him so I can cross my fingers that the Oilers move up to pick him.

With a guy that big I'm going to go ahead and assume he'd be a huge project for whatever team takes him, but at 6'7 its worth it.

 

[NUhockey]

Great skating ability, stalwart defense, and good offensive instincts give him the chance to be a top 4 defenseman. Those three attributes, fairly well developed for someone his size/age mean that his bust potential may be smaller than most people think. Plus considering there's not too much high-end talent in this draft, he isn't a huge risk, even though he is as you mentioned, a bit of a project. The kid is still improving too. His passing has gotten better, but despite having a hard slap shot, his lack of accuracy leaves something to be desired. I wish he'd use it more for many reasons.

Overall, even if his offense doesn't develop well (still a bit of a project) he very well be a solid bottom-pairing shutdown defenseman. He's a rare talent either way.

 

[RStar*]

Thanks. Going to be exciting watching him develop.

 

[JawandaPuck]

What, since when was 2009 an "incredible" draft year? It was, if anything, pretty average. The respective classes cannot remotely account for the difference between top 15 and where Doherty went, even if this is not a strong year.



I would argue that NHL scouts demonstrably consistently overrate huge defensemen.



Again however, there is precious little to suggest that good skating appreciably reduces the risk with huge project defensemen. Skating is what generally gets a big guy drafted in the first round. But they still pan out at about the same rate as second round selections.

Defensemen 6'5 or larger drafted in the 1st round 1995-2005:

Maxim Kuznetsov
Dan Focht
Nikos Tselios
Bryan Allen
Mathieu Biron
Jiri Fischer
Kristian Kudroc
Anton Babchuk
Braydon Coburn
Brent Burns
Boris Valabik
Jeff Schultz
Andy Rogers
Sasha Pokulok
Vladimir Mihalik
Joe Finley

16 players, of whom five have become more than marginal players in the NHL: Burns, Schultz, Coburn, Allen and Fischer. Of those, one wasn't drafted as a defenseman (Burns) and three were actually credited with pretty developed overall games prior to being drafted (Coburn, Allen, Fischer). That leaves us with Jeff Schultz as the only and biggest success story among 1st round big project defensemen over a period of ten years.

By comparison, more than half of all 1RPs generally become at least average players in the NHL.

Excellent analysis. Considering his skating ability relative to his size though, I could see Oleksiak find his way into that subgroup of five and be a top six d-man someday.

 

[WeissFC]

Jamie Oleksiak Nationality?

Quick question here, hopefully you guys have an answer for me. I see that Jamie Oleksiak is listed as a Canadian on CSS' Rankings, but he played for the US in the Ivan Hlinka tournament and also tried out for the US in this year's WJC. All indications from that information would lead me to believe that he has chosen to represent the US in international play until I read an article on him on ESPNBoston's site that stated,

[Myers and Oleksiak] grew up with the North American game and both played for the US at the Ivan Hlinka summer tournament. (Myers ended up playing U20 for Canada and Oleksiak would seem to be eligible to do the same with Toronto as his listed birthplace.)

Does the site have this correct that he's not locked in to playing for the US or is this ESPN's "great knowledge" of hockey showing again?

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

Looks like duel citizenship so I think he could play for either.

Team Canada is usally more difficult to make though.

 

[WeissFC]

Looks like duel citizenship so I think he could play for either.

Team Canada is usally more difficult to make though.

Right, I read that he was duel, but once you represent a country in international play you are locked into playing for them. I figured he was locked in to representing the US, but the ESPNBoston and CSS make it seem possibly otherwise.

 

[Seachd]

The Ivan Hlinka tournament isn't an IIHF event. He'll become "locked in" once he plays in one.

 

[cagney]

Right, I read that he was duel, but once you represent a country in international play you are locked into playing for them. I figured he was locked in to representing the US, but the ESPNBoston and CSS make it seem possibly otherwise.

Only IIHF tournaments are binding. The Ivan Hlinka tournament is not an IIHF tournament. That's why Tyler Myers played for the US at the Hlinka and then played for Canada at the IIHF U18s less than a year later.

So, Oleksiak could play for either team at this point in IIHF play.

 

[BluechipBulletin]

Looks like duel citizenship so I think he could play for either.

Team Canada is usally more difficult to make though.

Team Canada's 2011 WJC team had three American-born players on its roster (Sean Couturier, Dylan Olsen and Marcus Foligno), and Couturier was the only one of the bunch that might have had a shot at making the US roster.

Oleksiak was born in Toronto and played for the Young Nats (on the same team with Skinner and Seguin), but his dad is American. Oleksiak holds dual-citizenship and played in the Little Caesar's and Chicago Steel organizations.

You have to assume that since he played for the US at the Hlinka tournament that he'll prefer to play for the US internationally. But he could end up being another guy Canada poaches for their national team. Maybe it will depend on who shows him more love.

 

[gifted88]

If your a duel citizen you can play for either or. Depends how you treat both I guess. Brett Hull felt snubbed when he was left off a U18 tourny IIRC so never wanted to play for Canada (It was very rare for team Canada to take college kids back then). He was a jerk about it though.