Prospect Info: The 2020 Entry NHL Draft Thread

[BrickNHL]

Don't want to toot my own horn, but I did call him a top 10 prospect last year when he wasn't on anybody's radar.

Toot your own horn bro, be proud

 

[S E P H]

https://www.tsn.ca/craig-button-s-p...im-stutzle-delivering-on-early-hype-1.1385173

Tim Stutzle, F, Adler Mannheim (DEL)
2019-20 Stats: 12 GP, 3 G, 10 A, 13 PTS, 4 PIMS

The baby-faced Stutzle looks so young that it often feels like he arrived at the wrong game by accident. What’s no accident is how gifted and talented the versatile forward is. He plays with a confidence and swagger belying his age (17). He has a Patrick Kane-like presence on the ice and it’s not a stretch to think he may be the best European available for the 2020 draft.

 

[Hasbro]

Go for the homer pick in Ty Smilanic. From Denver, headed to DU.

 

[filip85]

https://www.tsn.ca/craig-button-s-p...im-stutzle-delivering-on-early-hype-1.1385173

Tim Stutzle, F, Adler Mannheim (DEL)
2019-20 Stats: 12 GP, 3 G, 10 A, 13 PTS, 4 PIMS

The baby-faced Stutzle looks so young that it often feels like he arrived at the wrong game by accident. What’s no accident is how gifted and talented the versatile forward is. He plays with a confidence and swagger belying his age (17). He has a Patrick Kane-like presence on the ice and it’s not a stretch to think he may be the best European available for the 2020 draft.

I am watching closely Mannheim this season (Rendulić is playing there) and I must say I am impressed with Stuzle. Can't remember when was last time that 17-yr old kid had such important role in DEL. My impression also is that his points are not product of playing with "older and better", but that he is driving force on his line.

I am affraid he is out of our reach unless some major collapse hits the Avs.

 

[S E P H]

I am watching closely Mannheim this season (Rendulić is playing there) and I must say I am impressed with Stuzle. Can't remember when was last time that 17-yr old kid had such important role in DEL. My impression also is that his points are not product of playing with "older and better", but that he is driving force on his line.

I am affraid he is out of our reach unless some major collapse hits the Avs.

He's easily in the top 10 now for me and you can make the case he's playing his way into the top 5-6.

 

[henchman21]

He's easily in the top 10 now for me and you can make the case he's playing his way into the top 5-6.

Stutzle may not be the best prospect in this draft, but I'd argue he's having the single most impressive season thus far. He'd be in my top 5 for sure and I'd get arguments for higher.

 

[Balthazar]

Lafreniere now with 43 points in 17 games. I feel like there's no real race to the top, it's just media hype.

Reminds me of the fake McDavid vs Eichel "race" in 2015.

 

[avsfan09]

Lafreniere now with 43 points in 17 games. I feel like there's no real race to the top, it's just media hype.

Reminds me of the fake McDavid vs Eichel "race" in 2015.

Quinton Byfield at eliteprospects.com

Lafreniere is amazing no doubt and reminds me of Crosby but he is a winger and if Byfield keeps up 2ppg it will make it a much harder decision. A 6’4 center with Byfields skating and ability could make it more complex imo.

 

[S E P H]

Lafreniere now with 43 points in 17 games. I feel like there's no real race to the top, it's just media hype.

Reminds me of the fake McDavid vs Eichel "race" in 2015.

I am not saying you're wrong, but these type of comments is why Nolan Patrick type of players keep getting drafted so high and why Ekblads' go before Draisaitls'.

 

[Balthazar]

I am not saying you're wrong, but these type of comments is why Nolan Patrick type of players keep getting drafted so high and why Ekblads' go before Draisaitls'.

Lafreniere has been talked about for 2+ years. Patrick was seen as maybe the best in a draft weak at the top, it was "the Patrick" draft but the hype was super low. Completely different situations.

 

[S E P H]

Lafreniere has been talked about for 2+ years. Patrick was seen as maybe the best in a draft weak at the top. Completely different situations.

Yet overrated CHLers keep getting picked high due to a special birthdate circumstances where they are able to play more in the league, so they're not in different situations at all.

The only difference between them is that Lafreniere is insanely talented and Patrick is not (with some injuries). Also Patrick was definitely hyped as a rookie on the west coast, maybe not as generational, but as a top 3-5 pick in the NHL draft.

 

[henchman21]

I remember that Patrick was supposed to be an elite #1C a year or more prior to his draft. He had very significant hype.

 

[Balthazar]

Yet overrated CHLers keep getting picked high due to a special birthdate circumstances where they are able to play more in the league, so they're not in different situations at all.

The only difference between them is that Lafreniere is insanely talented and Patrick is not (with some injuries). Also Patrick was definitely hyped as a rookie on the west coast, maybe not as generational, but as a top 3-5 pick in the NHL draft.

This isn't an "let's overhype our NA player at the expense of euros" situation, you completely missed the point. The point is Lafreniere is in Crosby/McDavid category and the hype around who's going to go first is fabricated just like they did with Eichel at the time. It's a fake race.

 

[Balthazar]

I remember that Patrick was supposed to be an elite #1C a year or more prior to his draft. He had very significant hype.

Perhaps earlier but he projected as a 2C on his draft year.

 

[henchman21]

Perhaps earlier but he projected as a 2C on his draft year.

Not by most... SEPH and I were leading a crusade here on him being overrated, but here's some media reports:

C Nolan Patrick – The Draft Analyst
'big bodied center with franchise upside'

2017 Draft Preview: The Cream of the Crop
'all star level center'

Nolan Patrick: 2017 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
'very good two way number-one center in the mold of Eric Staal' Craig Button

Pronman's is behind an ESPN paywall, but he had him ranked #2... he wouldn't rank a guy he had as just a #2C as the #2 pick in the draft.

Pure revisionist history that most had him as 'just' a #2C going into the draft. There were certainly a few that saw the red flags, but they were more of an exception than the rule.

 

[Balthazar]

Not by most... SEPH and I were leading a crusade here on him being overrated, but here's some media reports:

C Nolan Patrick – The Draft Analyst
'big bodied center with franchise upside'

2017 Draft Preview: The Cream of the Crop
'all star level center'

Nolan Patrick: 2017 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
'very good two way number-one center in the mold of Eric Staal' Craig Button

Pronman's is behind an ESPN paywall, but he had him ranked #2... he wouldn't rank a guy he had as just a #2C as the #2 pick in the draft.

Pure revisionist history that most had him as 'just' a #2C going into the draft. There were certainly a few that saw the red flags, but they were more of an exception than the rule.

You seem to forget that everyone agreed that it was a very poor draft at the top. Having Patrick near the top or at the top doesn't mean as much as in a normal draft.

In ‘terrible’ draft year, will more first-round picks be traded?

"Top prospects in 2017 include Nolan Patrick, Nico Hischier, and Gabriel Vilardi. Though all three have the potential to be very good NHLers, they’ve garnered nowhere near the buzz compared to last year’s trio of Matthews, Patrik Laine, and Jesse Puljujarvi."

 

[henchman21]

You seem to forget that everyone agreed that it was a very poor draft at the top. Having Patrick near the top or at the top doesn't mean as much as in a normal draft.

In ‘terrible’ draft year, will more first-round picks be traded?

"Top prospects in 2017 include Nolan Patrick, Nico Hischier, and Gabriel Vilardi. Though all three have the potential to be very good NHLers, they’ve garnered nowhere near the buzz compared to last year’s trio of Matthews, Patrik Laine, and Jesse Puljujarvi."

You seem to be ignoring a quote by Button there...

A Pronman quote on Patrick:

"Patrick didn’t have the best draft season, mostly because he missed a substantial portion due to injury. However, he remains a top prospect," Pronman wrote in the ESPN Insider piece. "Patrick’s best trait is his hockey sense. He’s a highly creative playmaker with high-end vision and puck skills. Patrick also shows an above-average shot and can generate it from tight spaces. His skating isn’t as dynamic as his playmaking, but he’ll be able to keep up in the NHL. He’s a player without a glaring flaw and is what you want in a top-level center: a two-way forward with skill, size and intelligence who can contribute in all areas of the game."

Six Flyers Prospects Make Corey Pronman's Top 100 Rankings

 

[Balthazar]

You seem to be ignoring a quote by Button there...

A Pronman quote on Patrick:

"Patrick didn’t have the best draft season, mostly because he missed a substantial portion due to injury. However, he remains a top prospect," Pronman wrote in the ESPN Insider piece. "Patrick’s best trait is his hockey sense. He’s a highly creative playmaker with high-end vision and puck skills. Patrick also shows an above-average shot and can generate it from tight spaces. His skating isn’t as dynamic as his playmaking, but he’ll be able to keep up in the NHL. He’s a player without a glaring flaw and is what you want in a top-level center: a two-way forward with skill, size and intelligence who can contribute in all areas of the game."

Six Flyers Prospects Make Corey Pronman's Top 100 Rankings

Everyone agreed that he wasn't a top 1st overall, even the same quote from Button that you are referring to (when you include the very relevant part that you cropped out):

Full Craig Button quote:
"While he’s not in the same class as previous first-overall picks Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, Patrick does project as a very good two-way number-one centre in the mould of Eric Staal."

The only revisionist history is implying that Patrick projected to be in the same universe as Lafreniere.

 

[S E P H]

This isn't an "let's overhype our NA player at the expense of euros" situation, you completely missed the point. The point is Lafreniere is in Crosby/McDavid category and the hype around who's going to go first is fabricated just like they did with Eichel at the time. It's a fake race.

I might be underrating Lafreniere, but he isn't better than Crosby or McDavid. He's probably going to be the worst 1st overall pick since Hischier and that isn't meant as a disrespect - he will be a better version of Taylor Hall. But he's already playing in his third year in a league he has already shown to dominate, he's playing as comfortable as a prospect as I've seen since I started following prospects.

However, his situation is no different than Patrick's as he sustained early hype due to his points as a rookie in the CHL. Again I am not saying your original premise is wrong at all, Lafreniere will probably go 1st overall and will probably be the best player in the 2020 draft. All I am saying is that each scenario is unique and needs to be treated as such. You hyping him up is like all the people in Brandon hyping of Nolan Patrick and look where that got us? Makar!, simply because Patrick is a good ole' Don Cherry Canadian boy who got to play an extra season of CHL before he was drafted and posted up respectable numbers. Even if Patrick becomes as good as a 2nd overall prospect can be in his situation, it was always the wrong pick by the Flyers where his reputation got him that high alone.

 

[henchman21]

Everyone agreed that he wasn't a top 1st overall, even the same quote from Button that you are referring to (when you include the very relevant part that you cropped out):

Full Craig Button quote:
"While he’s not in the same class as previous first-overall picks Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, Patrick does project as a very good two-way number-one centre in the mould of Eric Staal."

The only revisionist history is implying that Patrick projected to be in the same universe as Lafreniere.

I'm not arguing that Patrick was seen in the same light as McDavid and Matthews... I'm saying he was projected as an elite #1C a year or more prior to his draft. You responded with him being projected as a #2C... which I showed was clearly not true as the articles and quotes I posted are right up to and after the draft. Despite the projection going down, he was still regarded as a franchise level or at least #1C sort of guy.

As for Lafreniere, I haven't said a word about him in this conversation.

 

[Balthazar]

We're all debating something different and in the end we probably all agree.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Dawson Mercer
(Eyeball emoji which is somehow still not comparable on here)

 

[Bubba Thudd]

 

[henchman21]

 

[Bubba Thudd]

You win.