Prospect Info: Leafs 2018 5th Rd Draft Pick (#149 OA) - FILIP KRAL (6'1" 171 lbs, D, SPOKANE, WHL)

[Michael HOMERUNing]

Really like this pick by the Leafs. He's tracking well. Has top 4 potential and good on both sides of the ice

 

[Antropovsky]

It’s mark hunter thinking, which makes me so happy he isn’t in charge anymore. Does that mean I love all the dubas picks no but hunter had an old school size bias that saw us pick some truly horrific giant dmen

Hunter...was terrible. Came in as an apparent draft guru. Then missed out on various top end talents in Aho, Konecny, DeBrincat. Wanted a big defender, but passed on 6'5" Carlo.

 

[Stephen]

Hunter...was terrible. Came in as an apparent draft guru. Then missed out on various top end talents in Aho, Konecny, DeBrincat. Wanted a big defender, but passed on 6'5".

The big song and dance that led to the Dermott pick seemed to indicate the Leafs knew something, but that hasn't really panned out exceptionally well with Aho and Carlo on the board, as well as Konecny going to the Flyers. However, they were interested in Marner and Rantanen and Werenski, so they seemed to have a keen eye ignoring the noise like Zacha, Hanifin, etc.

 

[Morgs]

I thought this thread was bumped because of this twitter post:

 

[stickty111]

I thought this thread was bumped because of this twitter post:

It was posted on the Marlies old thread and then the new thread?
It says Kral isn't an overager. Is that correct?

 

[Morgs]

It was posted on the Marlies old thread and then the new thread?
It says Kral isn't an overager. Is that correct?

True didn't see it. I saw it on twitter.

It doesnt have anything to do with being an OA. Its a chart that compares a prospects NHLe (and only NHLe) each season from their D-1 to their D+3. Kral right now is in his D+2.

 

[The Magic Man]

So what makes this guy exceptional? Not being sarcastic at all I just know nothing about him.

 

[Randy Randerson]

So what makes this guy exceptional? Not being sarcastic at all I just know nothing about him.

he's not exceptional at all, I think the tweet is more to say "this guy appears to have a high likelihood of a meaningful NHL career and he shouldn't have been available in the 5th round". Everything I've seen on him (including some highlights but no full game views) make him look like a decent bet for a safe bottom 4 defenseman. He doesn't have any standout skills but does a lot of things well - skates well, has some offensive talent but nothing that will wow you, is in position a lot, makes good passes

 

[Walshy7]

he's not exceptional at all, I think the tweet is more to say "this guy appears to have a high likelihood of a meaningful NHL career and he shouldn't have been available in the 5th round". Everything I've seen on him (including some highlights but no full game views) make him look like a decent bet for a safe bottom 4 defenseman. He doesn't have any standout skills but does a lot of things well - skates well, has some offensive talent but nothing that will wow you, is in position a lot, makes good passes

wasnt he projected to go 2nd round or something like that? i think i remember when we picked him legit talk of "i cant believe he fell" (as opposed to the sarcastic "i cant believe he was there at our pick jokes)

edit: no it seems like im mistaken, future considerations had him at 84 but the rest line up pretty close to pick 149

 

[The Magic Man]

he's not exceptional at all, I think the tweet is more to say "this guy appears to have a high likelihood of a meaningful NHL career and he shouldn't have been available in the 5th round". Everything I've seen on him (including some highlights but no full game views) make him look like a decent bet for a safe bottom 4 defenseman. He doesn't have any standout skills but does a lot of things well - skates well, has some offensive talent but nothing that will wow you, is in position a lot, makes good passes

Thanks. I guess exceptional wasn't the right word to use. If he can make it to the NHL out of the 5th that's great. We'll see how he does next year of gets to the Marlies. Engvall sort of snuck up on me the same way.

 

[Randy Randerson]

wasnt he projected to go 2nd round or something like that? i think i remember when we picked him legit talk of "i cant believe he fell" (as opposed to the sarcastic "i cant believe he was there at our pick jokes)

ya there was some draft analysts that had him as a back end 2nd rounder. That seems to be a common theme with our draftees in the post-Hunter era, there were also analysts who had Robertson & Kokkonen as mid 1st rounders. It's usually the analytics guys who think we got steals in the immediate evaluations

 

[Randy Randerson]

Thanks. I guess exceptional wasn't the right word to use. If he can make it to the NHL out of the 5th that's great. We'll see how he does next year of gets to the Marlies. Engvall sort of snuck up on me the same way.

absolutely, it's looking like this management regime is finding NHL talent all over the place and will keep the cupboard stocked. That's a huge luxury for a team with as much cap committed to a small number of players as we have. Not all of them will make it, but if we keep finding a couple of Engvall/Mikheyev/Holl/Moore/Johnsson/Hyman's each year then we don't have to roster true tweeners and the complimentary contingent of our roster will never be AHL/NHL tweeners like would happen with teams like Chicago & Pittsburgh when their stars got paid.

What I also think is exciting is that we have burned some 2nd-4th round picks in the last few years, and it seems like those were the Hunter picks, so maybe we get more of these kinds of prospects in the system when Dubas is making the decisions. Apparently Dermott was a Dubas pick, but I believe that the Rasanens & Korshkovs were Hunter.