Prospect Info: Team Board Mock Draft

[McTonyBrar]

Okay I go with Zegras, Podkolzin, Boldy

 

[nafrelio]

With Tyler Benson coming into his own, I could see us swing for the fences with Caufield. I think Benson may be able to drive a line, or at least not be a passenger. Assuming we can resign Nuge, Caufield could be a great compliment to McDavid/Draisaitl, or Benson/RNH. I voted Zegras because he looks so amazing (his creativity and IQ is off the charts), but we need more shooters to compliment our core. I'd be pumped if we landed either player.

So excited about this draft! A few weeks ago, I was pretty bummed to be drafting 8th. Now I see there will be significantly excellent options there.

 

[McSuper]

Podkolzin all day. He drives offense. He dominates board play. He takes the puck to scoring areas. He outworks his opponents. He plays both ends of the ice. He is exactly what this team needs.

And he staying in the KHL for 2 more years . He will also probably get told by his fellow Russian country men not to come to Edmonton . You think any of the previous players are going to give us a glowing review ? Pass hard . Take a NA guy

 

[PKSpecialist]

And he staying in the KHL for 2 more years . He will also probably get told by his fellow Russian country men not to come to Edmonton . You think any of the previous players are going to give us a glowing review ? Pass hard . Take a NA guy

Yes, this team should absolutely pass on better talent for lesser talent, cuz that’s not how we got ourselves into this situation in the first place. /sarcasm

 

[gordonhught]

Podkolzin all day. He drives offense. He dominates board play. He takes the puck to scoring areas. He outworks his opponents. He plays both ends of the ice. He is exactly what this team needs.

It would be so Oiler to watch every team in the top 7 pass on this player and then take him at 8.

Remember that Paajarvi fell to the Oilers at 10 and the Oilers thought they had a steal ...

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Yes, this team should absolutely pass on better talent for lesser talent, cuz that’s not how we got ourselves into this situation in the first place. /sarcasm

Better talent in your opinion.

 

[Mez]

Yes, this team should absolutely pass on better talent for lesser talent, cuz that’s not how we got ourselves into this situation in the first place. /sarcasm

Need more good Canadian boiz /sarcasm.

 

[PKSpecialist]

Better talent in your opinion.

And that of every major scouting service I believe.

 

[gordonhught]

And that of every major scouting service I believe.

Glad you are not the Oilers GM. Podkolzin is dropping faster than greased weasel crap on a door knob.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

And that of every major scouting service I believe.

You are allowed to form your own opinion by watching players play than reading a scouting service.

This is why teams employ scouts.

 

[MettleMcOiler]

Puljujarvi was consensus top 3 and dropped. We didn't pass on him for "lesser talent" like Tkachuk, Keller or Sergachev.

I think some people need to step back that Podkolzin is some sure-fire player because he is not even remotely showing anything comparable to Puljujarvi in the U18.
Puljujarvi was talked about as a sure fire Nhl star. We are still waiting for it to happen.

Don't get me wrong, I still believe in Puljujarvi but the clock is ticking, I'm just stating that Podkolzin is far from being such a superior player from all the other players ranked at our pick.

 

[gordonhught]

Puljujarvi was consensus top 3 and dropped. We didn't pass on him for "lesser talent" like Tkachuk, Keller or Sergachev.

I think some people need to step back that Podkolzin is some sure-fire player because he is not even remotely showing anything comparable to Puljujarvi in the U18.
Puljujarvi was talked about as a sure fire Nhl star. We are still waiting for it to happen.

Don't get me wrong, I still believe in Puljujarvi but the clock is ticking, I'm just stating that Podkolzin is far from being such a superior player from all the other players ranked at our pick.

Man, how much better would the Oilers be with Tkachuk or Sergachev?

 

[Zaddy]

And that of every major scouting service I believe.

To be fair scouts are wrong all the time. Pulju obviously being a shining example of that. You look at a guy like Lawson Crouse who was highly ranked his entire draft year. I remember scouts were absolutely raving about him and I never understood it. ISS had him #4, HockeyProspect had him #8 and even McKenzie's list had him #7 on their final rankings. It was completely asinine to me at the time, but looking back now at that 2015 draft it looks beyond insanity.

The consensus among scouts was also that Zboril was a better prospect than Chabot, despite both guys playing on the same team so it should've been really easy to tell which guy was the better prospect but these scouts couldn't even do that. Zboril was #14 on McKenzie's list and Chabot #25...

And then obviously the whole Bennett vs Draisaitl in 2014, Michael Dal Colle being picked #5, Virtanen #6 and Fleury #7 while Pastrnak was taken #25. Just a disaster in hindsight.

So yeah, scouts are wrong all the time. So the fact that Podkolzin is seen as a consensus #3 guy doesn't mean anything to me personally. Even less so considering none of these scouts have likely seen him live in Russia and are basing their judgement off of him from a handful of international tournaments.

 

[gordonhught]

Yakupov was consensus #1. Stupid Katz overruling the scouts.

 

[Aerrol]

I'm kind of shocked to see people thinking Podolzkin isn't a raw/development project kind of pick.

As I've said repeatedly, I could see him being a star but absolutely not if the Oilers draft him. He needs an org that can coach him and develop his skills while he also learns the language and culture, adapts to different ice, and adapts to the higher physicality of the NHL. No way I draft him.

I went with Caufield because the goal scoring ability is just stupid, and we really could use a goal scoring to help out our centres. I'd be fine with any of Zegras, York, or Boldy of those on the poll as well.

 

[ImmuneEH]

Yakupov was consensus #1. Stupid Katz overruling the scouts.

Wasn't Yakupov a great pick though? I wasn't around in those days, but his draft +1 looks solid. From what I can glean off reading posts over the years, his development was handled very poorly.

It's like with JP. I still think he was a great pick, but his development has been handled poorly.

 

[belair]

To be fair scouts are wrong all the time. Pulju obviously being a shining example of that. You look at a guy like Lawson Crouse who was highly ranked his entire draft year. I remember scouts were absolutely raving about him and I never understood it. ISS had him #4, HockeyProspect had him #8 and even McKenzie's list had him #7 on their final rankings. It was completely asinine to me at the time, but looking back now at that 2015 draft it looks beyond insanity.

The consensus among scouts was also that Zboril was a better prospect than Chabot, despite both guys playing on the same team so it should've been really easy to tell which guy was the better prospect but these scouts couldn't even do that. Zboril was #14 on McKenzie's list and Chabot #25...

And then obviously the whole Bennett vs Draisaitl in 2014, Michael Dal Colle being picked #5, Virtanen #6 and Fleury #7 while Pastrnak was taken #25. Just a disaster in hindsight.

So yeah, scouts are wrong all the time. So the fact that Podkolzin is seen as a consensus #3 guy doesn't mean anything to me personally. Even less so considering none of these scouts have likely seen him live in Russia and are basing their judgement off of him from a handful of international tournaments.

Valid argument, but scouting services are tasked with providing detailed reports on these players based on a large sample size. Are you trying to say that all of the scouting services are providing these rankings based on limited info?

And of course scouts get it wrong. You're taking a gamble on a teenager at 17. Their development can go any which way. There's a reason why guys like Jamie Benn completely fall under the radar.

Smart teams look beyond what they see today, because that 5'8 140lb winger won't always be that small. That rough skating defenseman won't always be a lousy skater. And that highly skilled forward seeing limited opportunity will eventually get a chance to play.

This board is heavily influenced by the results of the U18s right now.

 

[The Safe Play]

Would have gone Krebs. Zegras is a bit safer than Caulfield IMO.

 

[LTIR]

Voted for Z

Hopefully Oilers trade the pick if this is how things fall 1-7

 

[PKSpecialist]

You are allowed to form your own opinion by watching players play than reading a scouting service.

This is why teams employ scouts.

Lol, that’s why I put the I believe on it, the only reason I have any clue as to where guys are ranked by scouting services is based on these threads. I scout these players myself. The last two years I have pretty much quit paying attention to any scouting services. I put my list out their to be debated on these boards, and I stand behind my scouting. I put in countless hours video scouting and get to as many rinks as I can. If you read my origins post in this thread you’d know why I would take Podkolzin at 3, let alone 8. A bunch of the posters here are talking about Podkolzin falling etc... I don’t see it. The dude is an absolute beast on the puck, and when he doesn’t have it, he’s the hardest worker on the ice trying to get it back. I have a huge soft spot for heavy players with skill and a burning desire to possess the puck and when they have the puck on their stick they completely dominate the game. Kakko is the best in this draft at it, but Podkolzin is a close second. That is this amateur scout’s professional opinion.

@Zaddy, yes, scouts have been wrong before, they’ve also been right. If that’s the argument you are using, you have to remember that I could use it to. Maybe they are wrong about Zegras, maybe it’s Dach or Krebs, or even Hughes...etc. Just because scouts have been wrong before, doesn’t make them wrong about Podkolzin.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Lol, that’s why I put the I believe on it, the only reason I have any clue as to where guys are ranked by scouting services is based on these threads. I scout these players myself. The last two years I have pretty much quit paying attention to any scouting services. I put my list out their to be debated on these boards, and I stand behind my scouting. I put in countless hours video scouting and get to as many rinks as I can. If you read my origins post in this thread you’d know why I would take Podkolzin at 3, let alone 8. A bunch of the posters here are talking about Podkolzin fallimy, etc... I don’t see it. The dude is an absolute beast on the puck, and when he doesn’t have it, he’s the hardest worker on the ice trying to get it back. I have a huge soft spot for heavy players with skill and a burning desire to possess the puck and when they have the puck on their stick they completely dominate the game. Kakko is the best in this draft at it, but Podkolzin is a close second. That is this amateur scout’s professional opinion.

@Zaddy, yes, scouts have been wrong before, they’ve also been right. If that’s the argument you are using, you have to remember that I could use it to. Maybe they are wrong about Zegras, maybe it’s Dach or Krebs, or even Hughes...etc. Just because scouts have been wrong before, doesn’t make them wrong about Podkolzin.

Fair enough, I have no problem with them selecting whoever they believe is the best player.

 

[McSuper]

Yes, this team should absolutely pass on better talent for lesser talent, cuz that’s not how we got ourselves into this situation in the first place. /sarcasm

Ok I get the Hall and Eberle trades were bad . But Drafting Yakupov and Puljujarvi was just as bad or worst . I guess 3 times a charm

 

[PKSpecialist]

Ok I get the Hall and Eberle trades were bad . But Drafting Yakupov and Puljujarvi was just as bad or worst . I guess 3 times a charm

I actually don`t have a problem with either of those draft picks. At the time of the draft, they were the best players available in our draft slot. Good picks. We haven`t done a good job developing these players. I think the same for Nuge. I think he's become a fine hockey player, but I think another season of junior hockey and we'd be talking about a better player today than he has become. There are players who are ready, and there are players who are not. In almost every case, I wouldn't put a Euro into the NHL lineup for at least half a season. It's a different game here. The lifestyle is different. Why not give them time to acclimate before throwing them in the fire. (Enough of this though - not the point of the thread)

 

[Zaddy]

Valid argument, but scouting services are tasked with providing detailed reports on these players based on a large sample size. Are you trying to say that all of the scouting services are providing these rankings based on limited info?

Depends who you define as "all". HockeyProspect doesn't have a russian scout. Future Considerations have two guys listed on their site with russian names and I actually know one of them (Anton Vasyatin) and he's not a scout, he's a photographer for EliteProspects. FC are actually pretty notorious to keep guys listed on their site that doesn't even work for them anymore. ISS doesn't have a russian scout either and I can't find a list of who actually scouts for McKeen's but I doubt they have anyone in Russia. I have friends who work for and/or run all of these scouting services so I do think I have a pretty good idea of how they operate.

And of course scouts get it wrong. You're taking a gamble on a teenager at 17. Their development can go any which way. There's a reason why guys like Jamie Benn completely fall under the radar.

Smart teams look beyond what they see today, because that 5'8 140lb winger won't always be that small. That rough skating defenseman won't always be a lousy skater. And that highly skilled forward seeing limited opportunity will eventually get a chance to play.

My point was more that they get even the "easy" ones wrong. Like ranking Crouse that high was insanity from day 1. In what universe would a player like him be a better NHLer than Barzal or Connor for instance?

This board is heavily influenced by the results of the U18s right now.

True, but for me if we're talking Podkolzin I've harped on him all season long and it's just that it isn't until now that others have been able to see what I've been seeing. And for the USNTDP guys I think most of us have a hard time getting footage on those guys throughout the season, so to see exactly how darn good they are is pretty eye-opening.

 

[Zaddy]

@Zaddy, yes, scouts have been wrong before, they’ve also been right. If that’s the argument you are using, you have to remember that I could use it to. Maybe they are wrong about Zegras, maybe it’s Dach or Krebs, or even Hughes...etc. Just because scouts have been wrong before, doesn’t make them wrong about Podkolzin.

It's not that they've been wrong before, it's that they've had some really bad misses high in the draft. Like it's one thing if people would think that Krebs will be better than Zegras and then Zegras turns out to be a star while Krebs "only" becomes a 2nd/3rd liner, or whatever. That stuff you can't really predict accurately. But say if I would put Alex Vlasic in my top10 because he's 6'6 and can skate and have him ranked ahead of guys like York and Byram. If he then busts and the other two have solid NHL careers, would that just be chalked up to me just "being wrong", or is it a completely egregious error on my part to begin with? That's essentially my point.