Okay... so a few ground rules:
1) No tank talk, even implied or attempts at humor.
2) No need to rehash the lottery.
3) No slagging the team. The thread is to discuss upcoming candidates for the 2020 NHL draft, which early press and observation seems to indicate is both very talented and fairly deep.
So with that in mind there are a few early rankings already up.
Alexis Lafreniere: LW; Rimouski, QMJHL; Just won the Q league MVP despite being in his D-1 season. Was tied for top point getter at last year's Hlinka Gretzky Cup with 2019 draftee Podkolzin, captaining the gold medal winning Canadian squad that was dripping with high-end 2019 draftees (Dach, Byram, Cozens, Pelletier, Poulin). He's been long considered the front runner for this draft and with good reason. He had an 42-goal, 80-point season as a 16-year old in the Q, then followed that with a 105 point season as a 17-year old.
There are a bunch of other players to discuss along with Lafreniere. Quinton Byfield is a giant, fleet skating center for Sudbury of the OHL. The Swedes have a their usual inclusion for top pick consideration with Lucas Raymond on Frölunda's J20 team. Anton Lundell is the obligatory Finn prospect, playing for HIFK in the Liiga and drawing some parallels to fellow countryman Alexander Barkov.
There is also more international flare in the early reviews.
Want some other Swedes? Alexander Holtz, Zion Nybeck, and Noel Gunler.
Want some Czech? Jan Mysak
How about a German? Tim Stuetzle (C)
Swiss? Theo Rochette (C, playing in the Q)
How about Russian drama? Vasily Ponomaryov, micro-sized Marat Khusnutdinov, and perhaps the best goalie in the running Yaroslav Askarov.
Canadians? How about defensemen Jamie Drysdale (go watch him skate... kid's a dream) or Justin Barron. Or centers like Byfield Marco Rossi or Cole Perfetti?
You want 'Merican? Dylan Petersen (C), Ty Smilanic (C), and Tyler Kelven (D)
The Hlinka is coming up which is very much a showcase for this year's draftees, as are the U20 selection camps which sometimes see interesting performances from draft eligible players.
1) No tank talk, even implied or attempts at humor.
2) No need to rehash the lottery.
3) No slagging the team. The thread is to discuss upcoming candidates for the 2020 NHL draft, which early press and observation seems to indicate is both very talented and fairly deep.
So with that in mind there are a few early rankings already up.
Alexis Lafreniere: LW; Rimouski, QMJHL; Just won the Q league MVP despite being in his D-1 season. Was tied for top point getter at last year's Hlinka Gretzky Cup with 2019 draftee Podkolzin, captaining the gold medal winning Canadian squad that was dripping with high-end 2019 draftees (Dach, Byram, Cozens, Pelletier, Poulin). He's been long considered the front runner for this draft and with good reason. He had an 42-goal, 80-point season as a 16-year old in the Q, then followed that with a 105 point season as a 17-year old.
There are a bunch of other players to discuss along with Lafreniere. Quinton Byfield is a giant, fleet skating center for Sudbury of the OHL. The Swedes have a their usual inclusion for top pick consideration with Lucas Raymond on Frölunda's J20 team. Anton Lundell is the obligatory Finn prospect, playing for HIFK in the Liiga and drawing some parallels to fellow countryman Alexander Barkov.
There is also more international flare in the early reviews.
Want some other Swedes? Alexander Holtz, Zion Nybeck, and Noel Gunler.
Want some Czech? Jan Mysak
How about a German? Tim Stuetzle (C)
Swiss? Theo Rochette (C, playing in the Q)
How about Russian drama? Vasily Ponomaryov, micro-sized Marat Khusnutdinov, and perhaps the best goalie in the running Yaroslav Askarov.
Canadians? How about defensemen Jamie Drysdale (go watch him skate... kid's a dream) or Justin Barron. Or centers like Byfield Marco Rossi or Cole Perfetti?
You want 'Merican? Dylan Petersen (C), Ty Smilanic (C), and Tyler Kelven (D)
The Hlinka is coming up which is very much a showcase for this year's draftees, as are the U20 selection camps which sometimes see interesting performances from draft eligible players.