Prospect Info: STI 2021 Draft Rankings 2.0 for May -- Top 64

[StevenToddIves]

Here's a question I wanted to pose for you all. Let's just say the Devils get Clarke or Hughes with their first pick in the draft. The Islanders pick winds up where it stands right now according to Tankathon, at #21 overall. Who is your first choice for the 2nd pick in the first round?

The rules are -- no "unrealistic draft drops". Lysell or Lucius or Wallstedt or McTavish will not be there, let's just face it.

 

[Eggtimer]

Here's a question I wanted to pose for you all. Let's just say the Devils get Clarke or Hughes with their first pick in the draft. The Islanders pick winds up where it stands right now according to Tankathon, at #21 overall. Who is your first choice for the 2nd pick in the first round?

The rules are -- no "unrealistic draft drops". Lysell or Lucius or Wallstedt or McTavish will not be there, let's just face it.

Pinelli Lambos Raty Othmann Cossa. So pretty much all over the map with D forwards and a goalie in there lol.

 

[Oneiro]

If Svozil is there, solely based on what was said, I'm inclined to take him.

Given that it's hard for me to tell who's BPA and I'm skeptical of even most rankings at that spot in the draft, going with a smart defender is my preference at every tiebreaker situation in the first two rounds.

But I guess that's why teams make their list.

 

[Goptor]

If I'm Seattle and I'm drafting, my first choice would be Beniers. It's just fact that top D and top wingers are easier to find later in the draft than top centers, most of whom have been picked in the top 10.

This would be my short list of elite NHL centers with their draft positions:
Bergeron BOS (45)
Eichel BUF (2)
Aho CAR (35)
McKinnon COL (1)
Seguin DAL (2)
Draisaitl EDM (3)
McDavid EDM (1)
Barkov FLA (2)
Kopitar LA (11)
Barzal NYI (16)
Couturier PHI (8)
Malkin PIT (2)
Crosby PIT (1)
O'Reilly STL (33)
Matthews TOR (1)
Stamkos TB (1)
Point TB (79)
Pettersson VAN (6)
Backstrom WSH (4)
Scheifele WPG (7)

Out of 20 players, 11 -- over half -- were top 3 overall picks. I would say the most likely player to join this list in the next year or two is Jack Hughes, who is also a #1 overall pick. The next choice would be Byfield, a #2 overall pick. If we count players who were once elite centers and still playing, we would have to add Thornton, Toews and Spezza -- all top 5 picks as well.

There are only 4 out of 20 elite centers who were taken after the first round. There is only one elite center in the NHL who was taken after the mid-point in the 2nd round... Brayden Point.

Seattle would be wise to prioritize Matt Beniers, and I'm certain they are aware of the facts I'm writing in this post. Top wingers are often found after the first round in the draft -- in this year's top 20 scorers we would have to mention Stone, Marchand, Panarin, Guentzel, DeBrincat and Perron.

Looking at the last decade of Norris winners, you'd have to say elite D can also be found after the first round -- Josi, Giordano, Keith, Subban and Lidstrom make exactly half of the list.

Vezina Trophies? Even more late-rounders -- Hellebuyck, Rinne, Bobrovsky, Holtby, Lundqvist, Thomas.

I'd say this is good news for the Devils, because if they're picking 4th or 5th I think we can say with some confidence that there is little way Beniers gets past the Kraken.

Personally, I feel Beniers goes top 2. Several teams in the top 10 would have to strongly consider him if they won the lottery -- Buffalo, Anaheim, Detroit, Columbus, San Jose, Calgary. I could even imagine Ottawa in a trade up scenario -- this is a team with the #2 prospect pool in the NHL, but they are desperate for a guy like Beniers up the middle.

Essentially, if the Devils finish with the #4 overall pick, I feel they are guaranteed one of the Big 3 D. At 5 it gets dicier and at 6 it's nail-biting time. Any lower than that, I feel it's impossible unless one team is gutsy enough to take a goalie in Wallstedt and another team brain-locks and takes Edvinsson. This is of course possible -- LA, Ottawa or Detroit could take Wallstedt very high, while Anaheim's front office is often bafflingly obsessed with big + fast guys over superior hockey players.

Best case scenario is the Devils lose out, finish with the fourth overall slot, and then two of the top three teams win the lottery. It's a long shot, but it would likely guarantee the Devils one of Clarke or Hughes.

I would also like to add that the expansion draft is very generous with defensemen. Seattle should be able to walk out with 6 or 7 top4 upside youngish defense right from the start. I can't see them going defense in a draft this close at the top.

 

[Billdo]

just run Tankathon | 2021 NHL Draft Order & Lottery Simulator 10 times, take the average slot we get, and that's probably what we'll be at. i just did it and got an avg of 4.8...so i'm guessing we'll pick at 5. although those numbers will change (and hopefully get better, if possible) if we drop the finale.

I just did 10 and averaged out to 5.2

 

[longislanddevil]

Here's a question I wanted to pose for you all. Let's just say the Devils get Clarke or Hughes with their first pick in the draft. The Islanders pick winds up where it stands right now according to Tankathon, at #21 overall. Who is your first choice for the 2nd pick in the first round?

The rules are -- no "unrealistic draft drops". Lysell or Lucius or Wallstedt or McTavish will not be there, let's just face it.

Othmann!!

 

[FooteBahl]

Here's a question I wanted to pose for you all. Let's just say the Devils get Clarke or Hughes with their first pick in the draft. The Islanders pick winds up where it stands right now according to Tankathon, at #21 overall. Who is your first choice for the 2nd pick in the first round?

The rules are -- no "unrealistic draft drops". Lysell or Lucius or Wallstedt or McTavish will not be there, let's just face it.

If Ceulemans is there, let’s just load up on D...especially if we take Hughes. Why not?

Otherwise I like Othmann

 

[Xirik]

To me, I'm hoping the Devils pick at 2 or 4, but I'm fine at 5. I don't want the #1 slot, simply because the Devils had it twice in the past half-decade and at some point I just feel it unfair, and there's not really a clear-cut #1 this year anyway. Give another fan base a chance to be celebratory. I feel at 2 or 4 the Devils have a 100% chance at one of the big 3 D of Clarke/Hughes/Power, and at #5 it is still a solid 75%. At #6 or lower, it gets scary. My worst case scenario involves the Devils missing out on all Big 3 D by one pick and reaching at #6 for a big, fast project D Ceulemans or Edvinsson, neither of whom have played at a high enough level to establish themselves as clear-cut top 15 prospects in the draft.

yeah, getting 1st or 2nd gives me an icky feeling. Makes me wish we could get 3rd but....

 

[Xirik]

Here's a question I wanted to pose for you all. Let's just say the Devils get Clarke or Hughes with their first pick in the draft. The Islanders pick winds up where it stands right now according to Tankathon, at #21 overall. Who is your first choice for the 2nd pick in the first round?

The rules are -- no "unrealistic draft drops". Lysell or Lucius or Wallstedt or McTavish will not be there, let's just face it.

I look at Ceulemans and Lambos if he slightly drops for a bit but then think about our LD depth and how it would be in a few years.

I wave at Aatu Raty but believe having him at 3C is a bit overkill and would end with one of our C's eventually leaving somewhere else for big money.

I then look at Othmann and L'Heureux and debate between them back and forth and try to figure out if attitude and truculence are worth more then a more for sure goalscorer.

I pick Othmann and then have nightmares about Heureux turning into marchand.

 

[Eggtimer]

I look at Ceulemans and Lambos if he slightly drops for a bit but then think about our LD depth and how it would be in a few years.

I wave at Aatu Raty but believe having him at 3C is a bit overkill and would end with one of our C's eventually leaving somewhere else for big money.

I then look at Othmann and L'Heureux and debate between them back and forth and try to figure out if attitude and truculence are worth more then a more for sure goalscorer.

I pick Othmann and then have nightmares about Heureux turning into marchand.

Lol, it’s hard deciding isn’t it !? Imagine being Fitz. I change my mind about 40 times a day on who I’d like for the Devils to take. I guess I just have to have faith that Fitz and company know what they are doing. The only thing that scares me (like other posters have said) is if the big 3 D are gone and they go with Edvinsson or some other D with our pick while the forwards like Geunther Eklund Johnson etc are still there.... that would be a nightmare in my opinion.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

I then look at Othmann and L'Heureux and debate between them back and forth and try to figure out if attitude and truculence are worth more then a more for sure goalscorer.

I pick Othmann and then have nightmares about Heureux turning into marchand.

Same debate here, Othmann or L'Heureux. I like how Othmann fit in with high end players at U18 and would to have him in our top 6 one day. But I would hate for L’H to stay anywhere in the eastern conference and come back to bite us, literally!

I like the idea of Cossa but not sure to spend a 1st in him. The team has a lot of prospects right now but still no guarantee they all hit or even the guys who played well this year play well again and become consistent or better. Also like Chibrikov, especially if Mercer and Boqvist stay at center.

 

[Hisch13r]

I look at Ceulemans and Lambos if he slightly drops for a bit but then think about our LD depth and how it would be in a few years.

I wave at Aatu Raty but believe having him at 3C is a bit overkill and would end with one of our C's eventually leaving somewhere else for big money.

I then look at Othmann and L'Heureux and debate between them back and forth and try to figure out if attitude and truculence are worth more then a more for sure goalscorer.

I pick Othmann and then have nightmares about Heureux turning into marchand.

If we did have Raty then I can't see how it would cause either Nico or Jack to leave. He wouldn't be taking time away from them and if he did then he'd be great and we'd have an insane center core. I can't see how that's a bad thing. Raty would be the one who ends up leaving and if anything he'd be moved at say 24 rather than him walking as a FA

 

[StevenToddIves]

Same debate here, Othmann or L'Heureux. I like how Othmann fit in with high end players at U18 and would to have him in our top 6 one day. But I would hate for L’H to stay anywhere in the eastern conference and come back to bite us, literally!

I like the idea of Cossa but not sure to spend a 1st in him. The team has a lot of prospects right now but still no guarantee they all hit or even the guys who played well this year play well again and become consistent or better. Also like Chibrikov, especially if Mercer and Boqvist stay at center.

Chibrikov would be a phenomenal pick with the Islanders' selection in the first round. The kid has every intangible in spades and can really dish the puck, has a noice scoring touch around the net. I'm not certain he has the pure scoring upside of an Othmann, but if Othmann is gone by #21 or #22, Chibrikov would be high on my forward list alongside guys like Rosen and Pinelli. And interesting scenario to me would be if Svechkov fell this far -- I'm extremely high on the kid. He's just a phenomenal and relentless two-way center who can also play the LW.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

Chibrikov would be a phenomenal pick with the Islanders' selection in the first round. The kid has every intangible in spades and can really dish the puck, has a noice scoring touch around the net. I'm not certain he has the pure scoring upside of an Othmann, but if Othmann is gone by #21 or #22, Chibrikov would be high on my forward list alongside guys like Rosen and Pinelli. And interesting scenario to me would be if Svechkov fell this far -- I'm extremely high on the kid. He's just a phenomenal and relentless two-way center who can also play the LW.

Cool, thanks for the follow up. Rosen would’ve been my next guy on my list. In my humble amateur opinion, his skating and style almost looks like a rich man’s Jesper Boqvist.

Trust you on the Svechkov viewings. What I like about him is that every write up I’ve read on him always says “hockey IQ”. Generally, can’t go wrong drafting a bunch guys who have high hockey IQ and have worn letters I say.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Cool, thanks for the follow up. Rosen would’ve been my next guy on my list. In my humble amateur opinion, he’s skating and style almost looks like a rich man’s Jesper Boqvist.

Trust you on the Svechkov viewings. What I like about him is that every write up I’ve read on him always says “hockey IQ”. Generally, can’t go wrong drafting a bunch guys who have high hockey IQ and have worn letters I say.

Agreed on Svechkov, also on Rosen. I'm not sure if my ranking of him is the highest, but it's certainly up there. I see a lot of Ryan O'Reilly in Svechkov -- not a comparison stylistically, but in his extraordinary combination of elite defense, puck-hawking and passing. I feel Rosen might have been Team Sweden's best player for the whole of the U-18 tournament, I no longer see him as comparable to Swedish forwards he has been ranked behind like Olausson, Robertsson and Stromgren -- but I would put Rosen on the same lofty plane as Fabian Lysell.

 

[StevenToddIves]

 

[beekay414]

Here's a question I wanted to pose for you all. Let's just say the Devils get Clarke or Hughes with their first pick in the draft. The Islanders pick winds up where it stands right now according to Tankathon, at #21 overall. Who is your first choice for the 2nd pick in the first round?

The rules are -- no "unrealistic draft drops". Lysell or Lucius or Wallstedt or McTavish will not be there, let's just face it.

Even if we land Clarke, I'm still kinda on the Ceulemans train at 20/21. Not only would he be a great pick but it would give me a legit reason to head to Madison to watch some Badgers games next season.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Even if we land Clarke, I'm still kinda on the Ceulemans train at 20/21. Not only would he be a great pick but it would give me a legit reason to head to Madison to watch some Badgers games next season.

I'd be perfectly happy with Clarke at #5 and Ceulemans at #20, there's no argument here. If the Devils utilized the 2021 draft to solidify themselves at RD for the next decade-plus, I don't think there would be too many complaints.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

The Isles pick is far too much to give up to move up two spots. Maybe if Seattle were willing to move down a spot or two for a second round pick. Otherwise, as much as I'd love a D, I'd cross my fingers that Seattle went with a F in an uncertain draft year.

The other option is that Seattle -- starting with a clean slate prospects-wise -- might want to make the move for a Devils youngster or two. I would certainly give up, say, Boqvist and Misyul to move up a couple spots in the first round.

That's a lot to move up a couple of spots.....D Misyul is a very good lhd prospect who is a physical player and Boqvist has shown he can play at the nhl level at the very least with time that he can be a player for us as well......

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Here's a question I wanted to pose for you all. Let's just say the Devils get Clarke or Hughes with their first pick in the draft. The Islanders pick winds up where it stands right now according to Tankathon, at #21 overall. Who is your first choice for the 2nd pick in the first round?

The rules are -- no "unrealistic draft drops". Lysell or Lucius or Wallstedt or McTavish will not be there, let's just face it.

L'Heureux we need that player with a nasty streak....

 

[StevenToddIves]

If we did have Raty then I can't see how it would cause either Nico or Jack to leave. He wouldn't be taking time away from them and if he did then he'd be great and we'd have an insane center core. I can't see how that's a bad thing. Raty would be the one who ends up leaving and if anything he'd be moved at say 24 rather than him walking as a FA

If the Devils were to draft Raty -- which would not be a bad move if he were still around at #20 -- it would be as the 3C. Can you imagine a future third line of Raty centering Kuokkanen and Sharangovich? I sure could. Three big bodies with wheels and high skill who all play excellent two-way hockey -- it would be a nightmare for the opposition to match up with.

 

[StevenToddIves]

L'Heureux we need that player with a nasty streak....

L'Heureux certainly is mean and nasty, and he's great at crashing the net, and he's got high end offensive skills -- a phenomenal shot with very good passing ability. You have to temper the excitement over this when you watch him a lot, however -- he takes a lot of bad penalties and his compete level is like a switch which turns on and off depending on the situation.

L'Heureux is certainly on my short list for the Islanders pick. It's just important to know the potential risks and rewards of the player you're drafting. It goes without saying that the Devils need more bite and sandpaper in their top three lines, but Othmann, Chibrikov and Sillinger also have a fair degree of these elements without the flying-off-the-handle capacity of L'Heureux.

 

[Figgie]

If the Devils were to draft Raty -- which would not be a bad move if he were still around at #20 -- it would be as the 3C. Can you imagine a future third line of Raty centering Kuokkanen and Sharangovich? I sure could. Three big bodies with wheels and high skill who all play excellent two-way hockey -- it would be a nightmare for the opposition to match up with.

Räty would be great pick at 20. He have potential to be great two-way 2c so he would also work at 3c well. Then having Mercer also option as C so we would have lot of choices there in future. And you can never have too many good centers because you can put them on wing and they have good trade value also.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

L'Heureux certainly is mean and nasty, and he's great at crashing the net, and he's got high end offensive skills -- a phenomenal shot with very good passing ability. You have to temper the excitement over this when you watch him a lot, however -- he takes a lot of bad penalties and his compete level is like a switch which turns on and off depending on the situation.

L'Heureux is certainly on my short list for the Islanders pick. It's just important to know the potential risks and rewards of the player you're drafting. It goes without saying that the Devils need more bite and sandpaper in their top three lines, but Othmann, Chibrikov and Sillinger also have a fair degree of these elements without the flying-off-the-handle capacity of L'Heureux.

Agree Othmann is a good player too just could see him going in teens but would be happy with him at that pick too....

 

[TBF1972]

If I'm Seattle and I'm drafting, my first choice would be Beniers. It's just fact that top D and top wingers are easier to find later in the draft than top centers, most of whom have been picked in the top 10.

it's a fact, that in general d take longer to develop than f.

if seattle plans to build through the draft and doesn't expect to be an early contender like lvk surprisingly was, they would be smart to draft d first. a 1d is basically equally rare as a 1c and you better have both, if you want to win a sc. adding a d prospect, who need more time to contribute, also improves your chances to draft high in 2022 and 2023, when franchise level c and f will be available.