HF Habs: Montreal's 2020 Draft Class (Immediate Thoughts?)

[Gyfu]

Now, that's funny

«Le Canadien est fier de sélecter»

Bergevin - moudit anglo!

Lol... People where i live now speak both french and english, more english though and a funny one i hear a lot is "délivraison" when ordering food, cracks me up everytime, sounds like a word ol'bergie would use hahaha

 

[Roadhouse]

Lol... People where i live now speak both french and english, more english though and a funny one i hear a lot is "délivraison" when ordering food, cracks me up everytime, sounds like a word ol'bergie would use hahaha

I get that too in my neck of the woods. Faut délivrer la pizza!!

Free the pizza. Give it back its freedom.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Reviewing the Canadiens’ 2020 Draft class

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Yeah, I personally don't like judging picks when I'm not familiar with the player, so I was probably tougher on the Guhle pick than I was on the Chinakhov pick, though I *understood* the Guhle pick a lot better.

It's beginning to make complete sense though. And anyways, with Jarmo you just learn to expect the unexpected.

yeah all I knew about Chinakhov was that he was ripping it up in the KHL.

I like that Jarmo's not afraid to pick a guy that's somewhat off the board. Even though I like our drafting a lot more of late, I wish we'd show a bit more moxy at times.

I was pretty meh on Guhle until I saw the skating. That's a pretty wild size/speed combo. I think it's a high floor pick but hell I thought McCarron was a high floor pick. I think there's offensive potential there but it needs work. I've seen him wire a few pretty crazy wristers and actually flash some solid hands. It's not like his stat line was woeful by any means either. There's real potential there. I see the warts which hopefully he can iron out.

 

[Hfbsux]

yeah all I knew about Chinakhov was that he was ripping it up in the KHL.

I like that Jarmo's not afraid to pick a guy that's somewhat off the board. Even though I like our drafting a lot more of late, I wish we'd show a bit more moxy at times.

I was pretty meh on Guhle until I saw the skating. That's a pretty wild size/speed combo. I think it's a high floor pick but hell I thought McCarron was a high floor pick. I think there's offensive potential there but it needs work. I've seen him wire a few pretty crazy wristers and actually flash some solid hands. It's not like his stat line was woeful by any means either. There's real potential there. I see the warts which hopefully he can iron out.

Yeah I like the pick too. He also went off the board for Texier who looks like a steal.

 

[Sterling Archer]

The more and more I look into this draft, the less and less I'm happy with it. We don't seem to have a player who I can really get excited about. Guhle seems like a surefire NHLer but not likely going to develop into a #1 or even a #2 unless he can get his decision making and offence going. Tuch is a big, physical player but likely not more than a 3rd line grinder type. Mysak has some talent but some serious deficiencies in his game. Farrell to me has the most potential to make the biggest impact in the NHL if he develops as well as he can to reach his potential. But that's the thing, just no one player I'm stoked for or expect anything more than being complimentary.

I hope I'm wrong, but we'll see in 5 years...

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

The more and more I look into this draft, the less and less I'm happy with it. We don't seem to have a player who I can really get excited about. Guhle seems like a surefire NHLer but not likely going to develop into a #1 or even a #2 unless he can get his decision making and offence going. Tuch is a big, physical player but likely not more than a 3rd line grinder type. Mysak has some talent but some serious deficiencies in his game. Farrell to me has the most potential to make the biggest impact in the NHL if he develops as well as he can to reach his potential. But that's the thing, just no one player I'm stoked for or expect anything more than being complimentary.

I hope I'm wrong, but we'll see in 5 years...

It's probably my least favourite Habs draft in the last few years.

Interesting to see others thinking the same way as I about Farrell. The writer in the eyes on the prize article too. Something about Mysak doesn't quite click for me. Though the last time I watched his highlights I was a bit more sold on him. Still you have to take him at that spot.

I do like Guhle though. It's not a crazy sexy pick but I think there's upside. He could be a Weber with plus skating and a wrister instead of a slapper. He won't be an amazing puck mover but hopefully he just learns to make the smart safe play more often than not.

I keep going back and forth with our draft. At least are long shot guys seem to have upside (Biondi, Smith, Gordin) but that's small solace I think. Farrell can really save it though. The fact that he can actually skate is promising. 5'9 isn't the worst. Looks more promising than Hillis does who I'm actually still holding out some hope for in being an impactful player.

 

[Sterling Archer]

It's probably my least favourite Habs draft in the last few years.

Interesting to see others thinking the same way as I about Farrell. The writer in the eyes on the prize article too. Something about Mysak doesn't quite click for me. Though the last time I watched his highlights I was a bit more sold on him. Still you have to take him at that spot.

I do like Guhle though. It's not a crazy sexy pick but I think there's upside. He could be a Weber with plus skating and a wrister instead of a slapper. He won't be an amazing puck mover but hopefully he just learns to make the smart safe play more often than not.

I keep going back and forth with our draft. At least are long shot guys seem to have upside (Biondi, Smith, Gordin) but that's small solace I think. Farrell can really save it though. The fact that he can actually skate is promising. 5'9 isn't the worst. Looks more promising than Hillis does who I'm actually still holding out some hope for in being an impactful player.

That's the one good thing they did that I was hoping for and that's to take more size and speed than they have in the past. At least if they're big and fast, they can always play bottom 6 roles and still be useful NHL players unlike a player who's 5'8" who can't crack the top 6. So even though I don't see any really sexy picks, I do see 1 or 2 players who should be NHLer's and some who will have to seriously outperform on their development to be a regular NHLer.

At least we got bigger and meaner which is what we needed in the prospect pool right now.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

That's the one good thing they did that I was hoping for and that's to take more size and speed than they have in the past. At least if they're big and fast, they can always play bottom 6 roles and still be useful NHL players unlike a player who's 5'8" who can't crack the top 6. So even though I don't see any really sexy picks, I do see 1 or 2 players who should be NHLer's and some who will have to seriously outperform on their development to be a regular NHLer.

At least we got bigger and meaner which is what we needed in the prospect pool right now.

Definitely need more skill. Mysak and Farrell help there a bit but are still long-ish shots.

Next draft I hope we go all out on skill up front and on the back end. We gotta take more home run swings. Our prospect pool can allow for it. It's pretty solid. We can afford the chances. I was hoping we'd do it a bit more with our higher picks this past draft.

Again I like our drafting a lot more of late but I want to see more higher upside picks going forward.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

I like Guhle, I'm intrigued by Tuch, and I like the 4th rounders. We'll see.

 

[Sterling Archer]

Definitely need more skill. Mysak and Farrell help there a bit but are still long-ish shots.

Next draft I hope we go all out on skill up front and on the back end. We gotta take more home run swings. Our prospect pool can allow for it. It's pretty solid. We can afford the chances. I was hoping we'd do it a bit more with our higher picks this past draft.

Again I like our drafting a lot more of late but I want to see more higher upside picks going forward.

Completely agree. It's really sad when we have almost no NHler's on the current roster with "safe" picks. if we're not going to have prospects develop, I'd rather have the same percentage of success but with highly skilled, top 6 prospects instead of bottom 6 ones!

 

[Habs76]

yeah all I knew about Chinakhov was that he was ripping it up in the KHL.

I like that Jarmo's not afraid to pick a guy that's somewhat off the board. Even though I like our drafting a lot more of late, I wish we'd show a bit more moxy at times.

I was pretty meh on Guhle until I saw the skating. That's a pretty wild size/speed combo. I think it's a high floor pick but hell I thought McCarron was a high floor pick. I think there's offensive potential there but it needs work. I've seen him wire a few pretty crazy wristers and actually flash some solid hands. It's not like his stat line was woeful by any means either. There's real potential there. I see the warts which hopefully he can iron out.

There's potential with Guhle yes, but the lack of thinking and the lack of puckhandling makes me wary. Guy is a turnover machine. There were *a lot* of players I preferred.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I believe you said you get to see some OHL games, what do you think of his skating.

When you have the time, check out some clips I put of Biondi in the thread below, i'd like to hear what you think of his skating, it looks more average to maybe above but it's a bit odd,

Prospect Info: - 2020 Hab Prospects Vids

I didn't get to as many games last season and did not see Mysak live. He does appear to have an awkward gait but seems to be able to generate some decent speed. Sometimes these kids can really improve their mechanics by just gaining strength as their gait can sometimes conform to maximize new found power.

Biondi reminds me a lot of Teasdale both in the way they skate and the way they approach the game. It is difficult to assess players through these clips. Live viewings are definitely preferable and/or hours of televised games. Most of these clips are in zone where deficiencies can be hidden. In Biondi's case he is on the ice with alot of poor skaters (to be expected in H.S. hockey) so it is difficult to assess exactly how poor his top end actually is. I like the fact that he is strong and initiates contact but the key for him is definitely lengthening his stride and pushing through a deeper bend. I think it will be very interesting to compare his skating to other NCAA skaters once UMD gets their season going.

I can see why we took Smith ahead of Biondi as Smith looks to be a much better skater. I might subscribe to Hockey TV so that I can see more of these two but have to weigh the negatives (gf is jealous of my love for hockey)

 

[Gyfu]

I get that too in my neck of the woods. Faut délivrer la pizza!!

Free the pizza. Give it back its freedom.

... That's the funny thing, i never noticed really until one of my "very french" work buds/friend (he didn't like me speaking english whenever we'd hang out) a bit of a gamer nerd (respectfully i rediscovered the joy of gaming myself hahaha)... He's the one that made me notice it saying "bugs me when i order food and they ask "c'est pour une délivraison?" He's like, nah man i don't want to free a princess from an evil master i want a goddamn poutine hahaha... Never gets old lol

 

[Legend123]

Not our prospect, but it's impressive what Yegor Chinakhov has been doing so far in the KHL.

Maybe Columbus actually knew what they were doing.

Thing is that they admitted to drafting him cuz he was closer to the nhl than other prospect they had ranked higher. But he signed an extension so that f***ed it up.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Solid draft. Way to early and right now, it's just feelings and thoughts. We got 2 WJC type talent, maybe 3 or more. Now it's on them kids to grow and improve from where they are today. Remember, development from 18-21+ years is unpredictable. A lot rides on the character of those prospects and how hard to work at becoming NHL players.

Guhle: Didn't know much about him pre draft but looking into him more, I like what I see. Not flashy or a puck mover but he's the type you want on your team vs playing against. Habs need more of this!

Tuch: Not a high end skill type but once again... tough player to play against and the kid can skate. Even if he is a middle 6F or bottom 6F, it's a solid pick-up

Mysak: North/South type forward with skill. High ceiling type pick or bust. I like his potential. Could be another Scherbak or a steal in the 2nd round.

Smith, Biondi, Farrell, Dobes, Gordin: Maybe one or two of them make the NHL, maybe none.

We probably got 2-5 NHL players from this group right?

 

[FrankMTL]

Looking forward to seeing Guhle in the WJC as I had not seen much of him before as I really didn't think they would take a defensemen. Getting Mysak in the second really helps as I had him pegged as a first round talent (20-30). Drafting Tuch was a need as we have nobody else like this in the system.

The rest of the draft has some high upside/risk picks which I like (Farrell, Smith, Biondi, Gordin)

 

[montreal]

I didn't get to as many games last season and did not see Mysak live. He does appear to have an awkward gait but seems to be able to generate some decent speed. Sometimes these kids can really improve their mechanics by just gaining strength as their gait can sometimes conform to maximize new found power.

Biondi reminds me a lot of Teasdale both in the way they skate and the way they approach the game. It is difficult to assess players through these clips. Live viewings are definitely preferable and/or hours of televised games. Most of these clips are in zone where deficiencies can be hidden. In Biondi's case he is on the ice with alot of poor skaters (to be expected in H.S. hockey) so it is difficult to assess exactly how poor his top end actually is. I like the fact that he is strong and initiates contact but the key for him is definitely lengthening his stride and pushing through a deeper bend. I think it will be very interesting to compare his skating to other NCAA skaters once UMD gets their season going.

I can see why we took Smith ahead of Biondi as Smith looks to be a much better skater. I might subscribe to Hockey TV so that I can see more of these two but have to weigh the negatives (gf is jealous of my love for hockey)

with Mysak I was thinking if he can add lower body strength perhaps that will be what he needs as the speed does seem good.

Biondi I love the lower body strength, i've watched a few full games of his and his skating is tough for me to get a read on as you say it's USHS so the level of competition is low but at times the skating looks good but others not so much. Smith looks like a great skater, very interested to see both. I have been thinking about getting a month or two of hockey.tv, have had it in the past but it's expensive just to watch USHL games as I could be looking at spending too much already between Laval and the NCAA.

 

[Mrb1p]

Scouching is the type of dude that has good opinions but tends to settle a bit too hard on advanced stats but he's good at interpreting them, IMO.

He pretty much 100% nails this recap for me. Low upside picks on Guhle and Tuch, great pick on Farrell and Mysack.

 

[montreal]

ouch he makes Guehle sound terrible. I haven't seen him yet so I can't say, just starting to watch Tuch, Farrell and Dobes after watching some of Smith and Biondi. Have seen Gordin a few times, not a fan other then his shot.

 

[Mrb1p]

ouch he makes Guehle sound terrible. I haven't seen him yet so I can't say, just starting to watch Tuch, Farrell and Dobes after watching some of Smith and Biondi. Have seen Gordin a few times, not a fan other then his shot.

Its what I saw form Guhle though. He's effective at denying zone entries but he's very Chiarot-esque in his zone exits, though he's good at keeping the zone when he's in the offense, from what Ive seen.

 

[The Great Weal]

Its what I saw form Guhle though. He's effective at denying zone entries but he's very Chiarot-esque in his zone exits, though he's good at keeping the zone when he's in the offense, from what Ive seen.

I think Guhle can be a serviceable top 4 dman. I dont see top pairing potential for him or any other dmen in the system. It infuriates me how we still prioritize character and athleticism when you got a team like Carolina trying to find the next superstar with every single pick for the past 2 drafts.

 

[Mrb1p]

I think Guhle can be a serviceable top 4 dman. I dont see top pairing potential for him or any other dmen in the system. It infuriates me how we still prioritize character and athleticism when you got a team like Carolina trying to find the next superstar with every single pick for the past 2 drafts.

Yeah he can... He could even potentially become a 1D if he magically "got" it.. Lol.

Id say Carolina has been trying for much longer than the past two drafts though.

 

[The Great Weal]

Looks like Columbus knew what they were doing with the Chinakhov pick

 

[Whitesnake]

How do talent like Carter Savoie fell so much....