GDT: NHL 22 Entry Draft (July 7th - 8th | 7:00 PM ET)

[Langway]

Sounds like Chesley had to babysit the pure offense dman and play more responsible. Curious what the D depth for the college team is.

Their captain Brock Faber is coming back but you'd think Chesley will be right behind him on the right side. Those two, LaCombe & Johnson should be their top four.

I made the McDonagh comp. earlier, which Chesley also made when asked. But the intangibles remind me a lot of Niskanen. They sorely needed that type of two-way leader and this guy brings it. Definite star potential should he tap into his offensive game more as he goes.

 

[RandyHolt]

Nisky was huge in our cup run and its still telling to me that Orpik passed the cup to him; 4th in line. Definitely want more of his ilk. Their ilk.

 

[JohnCarlsaurus]

He gives me Nisky vibes as well. Not a big dude but smart, great skater and will lay the boom from time to time

 

[Langway]

It's amazing to me that Chesley went after Rinzel & Lamoureux. I get valuing size but the relative rawness in comparison isn't worth it. I didn't post about him a ton in the lead-up mostly due to where they were picking but he was a top 25-27 player at worst. He's got one of the highest floors in this class and it's not like there isn't a ceiling as well should he continue to work at his craft. Looking back in a few years Chesley could be this year's Dylan Larkin (in terms of post-NTDP breakouts). I'm not totally sold on his offensive vision or his playmaking. I'm not sure it was simply a product of hanging back and being paired with Hutson. But the physical play, the gaps and the shot even are real stand-out traits and it makes him a player capable of eating minutes and someone a coach will want handling match-up duty. To sleep on that sort of potential is nuts, even if he's not the biggest guy. He plays way bigger, largely thanks to his positioning and IQ. Mahoney loves to trade up but this one was genuinely worth being very aggressive to secure.

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

Hofer is a center.

 

[usiel]

Their captain Brock Faber is coming back but you'd think Chesley will be right behind him on the right side. Those two, LaCombe & Johnson should be their top four.

I made the McDonagh comp. earlier, which Chesley also made when asked. But the intangibles remind me a lot of Niskanen. They sorely needed that type of two-way leader and this guy brings it. Definite star potential should he tap into his offensive game more as he goes.

Hey thanks for that info glad he'll be in the top 4.

Had kind of forgotten how good Niskanen was for the caps that championship year. Was clearly obvious his declining play in subsequent seasons might have been one of many reasons for the lack of playoff success those couple seasons after.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Hey thanks for that info glad he'll be in the top 4.

Had kind of forgotten how good Niskanen was for the caps that championship year. Was clearly obvious his declining play in subsequent seasons might have been one of many reasons for the lack of playoff success those couple seasons after.

Niskanen gave everything to the Caps and then some that year. Don’t think he was ever the same after 2018. What a warrior he was though, dude was tough as nails and a perfect compliment in the top four on the right side to Carlson.

 

[HTFN]

Niskanen gave everything to the Caps and then some that year. Don’t think he was ever the same after 2018. What a warrior he was though, dude was tough as nails and a perfect compliment in the top four on the right side to Carlson.

Niskanen had really good “no, f*** you” energy. He’d play you in game 61 like it’s game 61 but keep pushing that button and make him pop and he’ll cauterize that whole team. Chippy Niskanen was a real blast, good sense for when to push back and how much, and for the “quiet” guy in the top 4 he didn’t take a ton of shit.

 

[trick9]

So... how did you like the draft?

Positives: Our picks. Really like them. Also happy that Vanecek was traded after how the picks turned out.

Negatives: Nemec, Jiricek and Mateychuk to the Metro.

 

[Langway]

In hindsight, given Mahoney's pre-draft comments you'd have to say they had this draft pretty much scripted out beforehand. I'm not sure that's ideal from a value/flexibility standpoint but certainly in their estimation the draft broke in their favor. I really like the Chesley pick, of course. I would bank on him being the first player in this draft to suit up for NHL games. Miro I'm a bit more mixed on. The raw goal-scoring attributes are there but he'll need to refine his overall game perhaps pretty considerably. How much of that is health/strength-related? That's part of it but the overall IQ and decision-making will need to be cleaned up. It's something of a similar story with the other two European LWs. Good raw skill level with IQ and application in some question. It's a task for their developmental system and at least some of that should happen with their club teams in the coming years. We'll see how well they manage to progress in those key areas. Long-term IMO that's what this draft hinges on: how much can the raw ability become more refined and effective overall as they progress up levels?

We'll see how Miro pops now that he's presumably healthy again but it may be something of an uphill battle for a while getting his game in order. A lot of TOI in the MHL may be better for him early on to get his legs, stamina and confidence. The upside to be a Tarasenko type power forward is there if he can put it together. It made all kinds of sense to take the plunge but it may be a bit of a process. I like the ambition overall in their selections. It's up to the players of course to take full ownership and be professionals but we'll see.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

So... how did you like the draft?

Positives: Our picks. Really like them. Also happy that Vanecek was traded after how the picks turned out.

Negatives: Nemec, Jiricek and Mateychuk to the Metro.

Positives: our picks, the Vanny trade, and not taking a goalie... though Yurov was still my preferred choice instead of Miro, but I'll be happy to be proven wrong on that (hopefully). Pittsburgh going Pickering instead of Yurov. The Flyers taking Gauthier instead of any number of players that would have been a better pick at 5OA and Philly doing more Philly things trading a ton of picks for DeAngelo and now paying $11M for Risto and DeAngelo. The Islanders trading 13OA for an offensively limited LHD who tops out as a 4/5D. Not draft related per se, but the signing of Clay Stevenson (UFA from Dartmouth) who was coveted by a bunch of teams is like having a free draft pick.

Negatives: not sure if it's a negative but I was hoping for Perevalov when they took Suzdalev, and Perevalov went one pick after Suzdalev to the Hurricanes, so we shall see how that turns out. Columbus got better. NJD got better. Pittsburgh signed Letang to a great extension which will help their cap situation.

Overall, one of the more enjoyable drafts and draft weekends in quite some time. It had a bit of everything including surprise picks at the top and big-name trades. After pretty disappointing drafts in 2016-2018 where it felt like they shifted their focus from taking players with a ton of upside to making safe picks to try and pad organizational depth it's nice to see them seemingly returning to their formula that gave them a lot of success.

 

[DWGie26]

Hofer is a center.

Reports say he can play all Three positions. Hard to not love the physical elements but he’ll still have a lot of work to do. He is a May 2002 birthday who is a 2x re-entry. I think he will play one more year in WHL (Everett) But then Hershey next year. Again, lots of work to do, but could see him sniffing 4th line NHL duty which would be awesome for a late pick like him.

It's amazing to me that Chesley went after Rinzel & Lamoureux. I get valuing size but the relative rawness in comparison isn't worth it. I didn't post about him a ton in the lead-up mostly due to where they were picking but he was a top 25-27 player at worst. He's got one of the highest floors in this class and it's not like there isn't a ceiling as well should he continue to work at his craft. Looking back in a few years Chesley could be this year's Dylan Larkin (in terms of post-NTDP breakouts). I'm not totally sold on his offensive vision or his playmaking. I'm not sure it was simply a product of hanging back and being paired with Hutson. But the physical play, the gaps and the shot even are real stand-out traits and it makes him a player capable of eating minutes and someone a coach will want handling match-up duty. To sleep on that sort of potential is nuts, even if he's not the biggest guy. He plays way bigger, largely thanks to his positioning and IQ. Mahoney loves to trade up but this one was genuinely worth being very aggressive to secure.

We have often prioritized size. Glad to see others to that this year allowing Chesley to slide to us. Could be an absolute steal.

 

[Brock]

My write up on Karabela:

My Final Top 50 OHL Players for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft - Part 3: 30-11

This is the third part of my final top 50 OHL players eligible for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Here you will find players ranked 30 through 1...

ohlprospects.blogspot.com

Info from McKeen's on Gucciardi (write ups from the last two years):

McKeen's 2022 NHL Draft Guide - Gucciardi was a surprising no draft last year after a strong year in the USHL. However, after playing for four different USHL teams over two seasons, perhaps scouts had more questions about him than answers. Our 111th ranked prospect for the 2021 draft just finished his freshman year at Michigan State and he was one of the most impactful freshman defenders in the NCAA this year. He was one of Michigan State’s main powerplay quarterbacks and finished inside the top 20 of U20 defenseman scoring, while playing 17+ minutes a night on most occasions. He showed that he can use his plus mobility and big shot to quarterback the powerplay and he continued to be a factor physically in the defensive end. There are still some things to shore up in the defensive end, we continue to like his potential as a two-way defender because of his combination of physicality, mobility, and offensive skill set. - BO
MCKEEN'S 2021 NHL DRAFT GUIDE - After playing on four different teams in two years in the USHL, Gucciardi could at least say that he saved his best performances for his last stop, with Waterloo, setting himself up for a hopefully smoother adjustment to the NCAA ranks next year with Michigan State. He plays much bigger than his listed measurements and enjoys physically engaging with opponents. Susceptible to the occasion bonehead play, he actually generally makes good decisions, and reads the play well, especially when he curtails his natural aggressiveness and plays more instinctively. Some stability will aid his development. - RW

 

[IafrateOvie34]

One of the better Cap's drafts in my mind, especially for GMBM. It seems every year the Caps end up getting the steals of the draft. Develop these guys over the past few years and don't rush them. Plenty of veterans and guys in Hershey for now, although secretly I'm pulling for Lappy to make a big push to make the team.