Prospect Info: Leafs 2018 1st Rd Pick (#29 OA via STL) - Rasmus Sandin (5'11 186lbs, D, Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds)

[weems]

Did someone say puck poise?

Poise with the puck.

Do you not understand what that is?

Sorry if I'm taking your post the wrong way.

 

[Paneerboy]

Poise with the puck.

Do you not understand what that is?

Sorry if I'm taking your post the wrong way.

You are, as I believe he is implying we need more defensemen with that skill

 

[Martin Skoula]

Poise with the puck.

Do you not understand what that is?

Sorry if I'm taking your post the wrong way.

There was a classic HF thread about Martin Skoula's "generational puck poise" a while before the website change over, part of the reason he's my favorite Leaf defenseman of all time.

 

[SprDaVE]

He signed his ELC.

 

[MattyNew91]

So he does it but he won't do it? What?

It's not consistent in his game to say he will be a guy that's going to throw the body around.

 

[darrylsittler27]

I'm starting to worry Toronto has fallen a little bit too much in love with small players. Half the wingers we have will never make the team anyway. We need a power forward somehow, someway and if it isn't by trade then it is by draft. I don't have a problem with Sandin at 29th, I didn't expect much anyway.

 

[Brobust]

I'm starting to worry Toronto has fallen a little bit too much in love with small players. Half the wingers we have will never make the team anyway. We need a power forward somehow, someway and if it isn't by trade then it is by draft. I don't have a problem with Sandin at 29th, I didn't expect much anyway.

Korshkov, Grundstrom are still around.

Marchment is also a bottom six power forward prospect.

On defence, Dermott actually plays with a lot of grit and Sandin isn't a pushover either.

Also, people are down on Nielsen but he's a very aggressive player.

 

[weems]

I'm starting to worry Toronto has fallen a little bit too much in love with small players. Half the wingers we have will never make the team anyway. We need a power forward somehow, someway and if it isn't by trade then it is by draft. I don't have a problem with Sandin at 29th, I didn't expect much anyway.

I think its more we've become obsessed with talent/speed/skill and that's a great thing when you consider the direction the league is going.

The last place I'd be looking to find "toughness" is in the draft.

 

[Rob Brown]

I'm starting to worry Toronto has fallen a little bit too much in love with small players. Half the wingers we have will never make the team anyway. We need a power forward somehow, someway and if it isn't by trade then it is by draft. I don't have a problem with Sandin at 29th, I didn't expect much anyway.

The last "power forward" we drafted in the first round never played a game in the NHL. We're better off drafting skill with our high picks and hoping someone pans out later on. And we do have guys like Grundstrom coming up.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Im not sure Biggs and Burke are a valid argument. What I am saying is one who can play top 9. Burke was just in love with size,grit etc.

 

[darrylsittler27]

I think its more we've become obsessed with talent/speed/skill and that's a great thing when you consider the direction the league is going.

The last place I'd be looking to find "toughness" is in the draft.

Winnipeg is the direction the league is going and Washington finally add some size and grit and won. Las Vegas had some as well. We are talking about a 7 game series where teams will take liberties.

 

[darrylsittler27]

The last "power forward" we drafted in the first round never played a game in the NHL. We're better off drafting skill with our high picks and hoping someone pans out later on. And we do have guys like Grundstrom coming up.

Grundstrom should help but I still think we need more. We have so many small skilled wingers and scoring is needed by other teams.

 

[weems]

Winnipeg is the direction the league is going and Washington finally add some size and grit and won. Las Vegas had some as well. We are talking about a 7 game series where teams will take liberties.

Winnipeg got worked by a faster team in Vegas.

I don't understand why this argument is being made in a "draft" thread.

The draft is the LAST place you should be foregoing skill for size/grit etc.

The league is going towards speed, skill and talent. Sure if you can integrate physicality into that its even better but that should be the last thing you're trying to find.

 

[The Best Leafs Ever]

Thanks for the kind words, guys and girls. Makes it worthwhile. Even (your boy?) Steve Dangle commented on my video...I guess that's "making it" in the world of YouTube, eh?

I did post a scouting report on Hollowell in the Hollowell thread I think...I'm hesitant to make a video on Hollowell because he's an offensive defenseman and I strongly do not want to make things that could be construed as a highlight video...but perhaps it's worth considering. Ya know, one nice thing about making videos on Toronto players is that there is no shortage of interest haha...with all the play this video has gotten, my phone just about burst into flames this morning with all the notifications I've gotten...so I will absolutely pander to the big time fanbases if it gets me clicks, I can be bought and sold just like that...

That said, this was a rather friendly video as I really like Sandin...this is my kind of player. Now, the Evan Bouchard video has been very polarizing...I made it before he was drafted, so I couldn't be accused of bias (not that I have any bias for or against the Oilers...they're completely irrelevant to me as a Penguins fan)...it really was just me trying to disprove the notion that he's an intelligent player. Commercial scouting services have a tendency to parrot one another and strive for consensus...I dislike that strongly. When I look at players, I go in without rankings, without reading up about them, I don't want to know anything about them that will potentially bias my opinion...so I did my OHL d-men rankings and realized that two guys that were passed over last year were my top 2, and my highest ranked first-time eligible was Sandin. That's what I saw, I can't do anything about that and we'll just see what happens...maybe Keane, Hollowell and Sandin play zero NHL games and Bouchard wins 15 straight Norris Trophies...

I know you might be busy and not have time but as you said you follow the OHL as well as other leagues, can you please consider making a video on Sean Durzi? I haven’t watched him and I don’t think a lot of us would have paid attention either as for an over ager.

It would be a great video to watch, at least for us leafs fans. Anyway that was a great piece of work, keep it up.

 

[Menzinger]

The last "power forward" we drafted in the first round never played a game in the NHL. We're better off drafting skill with our high picks and hoping someone pans out later on. And we do have guys like Grundstrom coming up.

“Power forwards” are Almost like a creature of myth. Folks obsess over them, yet few of them ever seem to exist, and most prospects expected to be them tend to bust. Anyone remember top 10 pick selection Lawson Crouse?

 

[Brobust]

“Power forwards” are Almost like a creature of myth. Folks obsess over them, yet few of them ever seem to exist, and most prospects expected to be them tend to bust. Anyone remember top 10 pick selection Lawson Crouse?

There are a lot of good power forwards out there and never get the label because they aren't idiots like Wilson or Lucic.

Marleau, Hyman, Tavares and Matthews are all power forwards in my opinion.

 

[IBeL34f]

There are a lot of good power forwards out there and never get the label because they aren't idiots like Wilson or Lucic.

Marleau, Hyman, Tavares and Matthews are all power forwards in my opinion.

While I understand where you're coming from, I think you're being a little liberal with your definition of a power forward.

Maybe I'm being too conservative with mine, but true power forwards seem to be a dying breed. Guys like Lindros, Roberts, Shanahan, Tocchet, Tkachuk... they just don't make 'em like that anymore.
Getzlaf, Perry, Malkin, and Marc Savard are the only players to score more than a point per game and log over 100 PIM in a single season in the cap era, and neither Malkin nor Savard served a single 5 of those minutes for Fighting.
Don't get me wrong, we've certainly had some - Wilson, Lucic, Simmonds, Kane, Backes and Hartnell are/were physical monsters - but none of them have ever quite shown the offensive abilities of that classic, prototypical power forward, who could fill in faces and nets at will.

 

[Brobust]

While I understand where you're coming from, I think you're being a little liberal with your definition of a power forward.

Maybe I'm being too conservative with mine, but true power forwards seem to be a dying breed. Guys like Lindros, Roberts, Shanahan, Tocchet, Tkachuk... they just don't make 'em like that anymore.
Getzlaf, Perry, Malkin, and Marc Savard are the only players to score more than a point per game and log over 100 PIM in a single season in the cap era, and neither Malkin nor Savard served a single 5 of those minutes for Fighting.
Don't get me wrong, we've certainly had some - Wilson, Lucic, Simmonds, Kane, Backes and Hartnell are/were physical monsters - but none of them have ever quite shown the offensive abilities of that classic, prototypical power forward, who could fill in faces and nets at will.

It's time to forget about PIMs. We don't want PIMs and we don't want fights. There's nothing positive that comes from leaving your team shorthanded or having one of your top six forwards in the box and off the ice for five minutes because of a fight.

When I'm talking about power forwards, I mean hard forecheckers, big puck protectors who can't be moved, and guys shoot from the slot.

 

[613Leafer]

“Power forwards” are Almost like a creature of myth. Folks obsess over them, yet few of them ever seem to exist, and most prospects expected to be them tend to bust. Anyone remember top 10 pick selection Lawson Crouse?

Don't forget Ritchie & Virtanen!

 

[weems]

Don't forget Ritchie & Virtanen!

You'd be surprised how many people on this site actually wanted Ritchie at our spot.

Things would have looked pretty ugly if we had selected Strome and Ritchie vs Marner and Nylander.

So glad we're finally prioritizing talent and skill over size and grit.

 

[IBeL34f]

It's time to forget about PIMs. We don't want PIMs and we don't want fights. There's nothing positive that comes from leaving your team shorthanded or having one of your top six forwards in the box and off the ice for five minutes because of a fight.

When I'm talking about power forwards, I mean hard forecheckers, big puck protectors who can't be moved, and guys shoot from the slot.

Yeah, those definitions are too liberal for my liking.

Power forwards don't just forecheck - they bully their way to the puck; It's not just that they can't be moved - they put you on your ass when you even try; They don't just shoot from the slot - They go to war for the slot, and challenge you to go to war with them; They put the fear of God in their opponents, and - most importantly - they back all of that shit up when called upon, and are always prepared to stand up for a teammate.

Power forwards are a special breed of hockey player, and that moniker still deserves some respect, no matter how the game evolves.

Call the other guys 'drivers' or something.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Winnipeg got worked by a faster team in Vegas.

I don't understand why this argument is being made in a "draft" thread.

The draft is the LAST place you should be foregoing skill for size/grit etc.

The league is going towards speed, skill and talent. Sure if you can integrate physicality into that its even better but that should be the last thing you're trying to find.

I fail to see how using the odd 3rd and 4th rounder is going to hurt us especially when we are overloaded with smallish, skilled guys. I doubt Bracco would even land a 2nd rounder in a trade right now, yet alone a big, gritty top 9 guy. The last thing? Hardly. They aren't easy to find.

 

[Stephen]

I think its more we've become obsessed with talent/speed/skill and that's a great thing when you consider the direction the league is going.

The last place I'd be looking to find "toughness" is in the draft.

You always need a balance and a blend of skillsets and attributes to be versatile in a series of seven game playoff series. I think skill, smarts and skating are the foundations, but a mix of other ingredients is vital too. Also, the strategy works well when you have a Panarin, Marner, Gaudreau or someone special, but I'm interested to see if guys like Bracco or SDA can come in and actually play a third line role.

 

[baton elevated]

Corey Perry would be considered a power forward and so would James Neil, Boone Jenner. They do exist just not with us.

 

[The_Chosen_One]

Winnipeg got worked by a faster team in Vegas.

I don't understand why this argument is being made in a "draft" thread.

The draft is the LAST place you should be foregoing skill for size/grit etc.

The league is going towards speed, skill and talent. Sure if you can integrate physicality into that its even better but that should be the last thing you're trying to find.

I don't think there's one approach to winning the cup, but not drafting BPA is foolish.

In our case, all three of our centers either play heavy (Matthews), grind ( Tavares) and gritty ( Kadri). While Rielly is not physical, he isn't shy and I'll argue that if Zaitsev returns to form, he'd really help in the physical presence department. Fortunately, we have Dermot, Johnsson among others to provide a skill and instabilities while the net presence guys actually include our top 2 ( if not 3) centers.