LW/C Jonathan Dahlen (2016, 42nd, OTT; traded to VAN; traded to SJS)
- Thread starter Appleyard
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ZINFINITY16
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Looks a lot like Jeff Skinner during his rookie season with a slightly lesser shot. Great edge work and scoring as his main strength over playmaking.
Morgs
#16 #34 #44 #88 #91
Explosive speed, really good playmaker, and better goalscorer.
Someone's getting a steal with him if he drops past 20. He probably could be a top 10 pick and I wouldn't flinch.
Appleyard
Registered User
I would say that is a pretty good comparable.
Dahlén is a bit more naturally gritty though I think.
Our Lady Peace
Registered User
Ridiculously skilled and smart player and it's flat out puzzling that scouts don't have this guy in their top 20. Steal if he somehow makes it past that. Has fantastic edge work on his skates too.
jnk96
Registered User
Surprised you guys list skating as a strength here. Awkward skater, not very strong. Also wouldn't say his skill is absolutely elite and makes him a top 20 pick, especially not 10. He's really smart and is a good, skilled scorer, but I expect him to be picked in the early or mid-second round.
VictorLustig
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- Feb 8, 2012
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I really don't see any problems with any pats of his skating. The speed, agility and first steps are all above average and the way he can navigate laterally when skating at top speed is very impressive. Dahlén is no McDavid but he's definitely not a bad skater.
LastWordArmy
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LastWordArmy
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I like his edgework and his ability to change directions, his agility, etc...
but i don't see where we get the "explosive" or "fast skater" comments. He doesn't seem to have a good top speed to me... pretty average due to that choppy stride.
Seen him live a couple of times this season. He has pretty good speed for the League he is playing in (the League below elite in Sweden). I dont think he is a first round pick, but a solid second. His playmaking abilities and ability to be in the right place at the right time is his strenghts. But its on European open ice with no elite level. Hard to say if he manage to maintain the playmaking style of play when forced into smaller ice.
You find way more similiar players in the first round that have the advantage of being familiar with the NA style of play. His skating is not good enough to make him a first rounder alone.
You find way more similiar players in the first round that have the advantage of being familiar with the NA style of play. His skating is not good enough to make him a first rounder alone.
Zaddy
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- Feb 8, 2013
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Our Lady Peace
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Yeah and what I noticed this year whether it be bias or not, the consensus first round consists largely of prospects playing in NA. I'm saying at least 25 of the 30.
This year we see Sebastian Aho of Finland skyrocket his worth while taking over FIN Liiga after being drafted 35th last year. At this point he'd probably to go top 10 if not top 15 in a re-draft, albeit only a year later. Hindsight yes and maybe on draft day it was different, but he's looking like such a special player. One that you wouldn't leave until as late as he went.
5 years down the road in hindsight we'll certainly see a usual handful or more of the Euro prospects taken late that were overlooked. Maybe the best group of players really are currently situated in NA, but it just struck me as a little interesting.
Disagree. The old days where you could scout hidden gems from Europé is far gone. The reason most Europé players is not drafted in the first round is that you dont know how the player will progress on the smaller ice. This will always be a question about non NA players, and the first round is only 30 spots.
A player might look like a good playmaker or scorer, but if you strip him of these extra seconds to make a decision that he have on the bigger european ice, he may not have the same potential.
It goes bothways. Alots of failed NHL players have problems when arriving to European ice. The patient, pass dependent playstyle that we use here i Europé demands good passing skills, o good eye for openings and to take time and look for the right play at right time.
If you play the european style in NHL you would have a forechecker in you face the whole game, some europeans is never able to adabt to that kind of playstyle.
Igor Shestyorkin
#26, the sickest of 'em all.
Any update on Dahlen? Like where he stands in the draft rankings at this point? 1st rounder? 2nd? 3rd? Range? 25-50???
Just wondering.
Just wondering.
gretskidoo
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- Nov 26, 2011
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DANOZ28
Registered User
i watched ulf play for the northstars and he was really strong on his skates , he could go into the corner and protect the puck as good as anyone i've ever watched. too bad the wild dont have a 2nd to maybe take a chance on jon.
Yeah, who was the last late round gem out of Europe? Panarin was unsigned but wasn't picked up til it was clear teams missed on him. Whereas there have been guys like Benn and Gaudreau recently out of NA. How the wings benefited by scouting Europe so heavily (and taking chances on the wall falling or players defecting) made other teams wake up. You see good players from Europe taken late, but I can't think of a star (excluding goalies) taken late outside of Datsyuk and Zetterberg. A lot of the top European talent is drafted around where they should be (Hedman, and OEL), and while guys like Karlsson and Josi went later than they should it was nothing extreme.
Morgs
#16 #34 #44 #88 #91
Marc the Habs Fan
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Appleyard
Registered User
As mentioned, I view CHL Euro's as different, everyone is able to scout them. Kucherov may be the closest, but he was viewed as fringe 1st guy who ended up going in the 2nd due to the "Russian Factor"
Good shout. Quality player establishing himself as a legitimate #1 on a contender. Still not quite on the level of the first/second wave of those late round gems from Europe. It just seems your just as likely to get a late round gem out of NA leagues now as a Euro league. Benn, Gaudreau and Klingberg being the latest to drastically exceed where they were drafted, and all 3 from different development paths.
