Prospect Info: The 2024 NHL Entry Draft Thread

[Foppa2118]

Man, that fall was so damn fun around here. There were several posters here that were attending training camp and giving writeups at the end of the day. Radar was earning more and more praise daily until he finally forced his way on to the team as the youngest Av.

One day, I'd like a peek at the Avs alternate universe wiki where they chose ROR and MacKinnon as their two centers.

That team might have been entirely different. The butterfly effect of one different decision would have been immense.

Probably no Makar, because they wouldn't have been bad enough to draft him. No Zadorov. Maybe no Saad without Zadorov. No Girard or Byram/Mitts, because they would have traded Duchene before that. Possibly no Toews, because they might have spent up against the cap to compete that year. Who knows what defenseman they would have brought in instead. Barrie might have been re-signed too.

Possibly no Bednar either, because the team would have been better earlier, especially defensively, so Roy might not have left.

Hard to tell if they'd have ended up with a Cup going that route.

 

[95snipes]

Sounds like the perfect pick to me. From what I’ve read he’s struggling to put on the weight you would hope, but if he can’t put on an extra 20lbs he might become a very imposing force. If he can provide a Blues version or Bouwmeester type of defense I would be ecstatic!

Do you have a player you think would be better in that spot?

Of the players whose games I know well and have a chance to be on the board, Connelly would be my first choice and Emery second. I'd be happy with Hage. I wouldn't hate Boisvert, but think he's got some issues in his game that could hold him back from playing in your top 6. Big centers like that with skill are hard to get your hands on though.

 

[BobRossColton]

Anyone watch badinka? Hemming? Elick? Mews?

 

[LTCPain75]

The Colorado Avalanche pick at #24 in the first round.

2024 NHL Draft order set through 1st 28 picks | NHL.com

Remaining 4 spots to be determined by conference finals, Stanley Cup Final

www.nhl.com

 

[Chiarelli]

Pick the highest potential player, either they come in a few years down the line to give the team a boost or they build value as trade bait.

kind of a catch 22. If they develop the Avs are unlikely to trade and if they don't they're useless (see OO-useless, Ritchie-not getting traded).

 

[Pokecheque]

Man, that fall was so damn fun around here. There were several posters here that were attending training camp and giving writeups at the end of the day. Radar was earning more and more praise daily until he finally forced his way on to the team as the youngest Av.

One day, I'd like a peek at the Avs alternate universe wiki where they chose ROR and MacKinnon as their two centers.

I’ve thought about that a lot. And while they may or may not have won a Cup with that center tandem, I’m fairly confident that they would not have ended up with Cale Makar.

 

[Vaslof]

Anyone watch badinka? Hemming? Elick? Mews?

Hemming's strength is scoring goals. Wasn't quite ready for men's league yet, but did still score 7 goals in 40 games in a lower line 10min a game role. Probably playing in the top six next season. I don't really remember anything else specific about his play, in good or bad.

 

[henchman21]

Anyone watch badinka? Hemming? Elick? Mews?

As I stated earlier... whoever ends up with Mews will end up being very happy. He's not perfect and needs a few years, but I think he's going to be a real solid 3 in the NHL.

 

[BobRossColton]

As I stated earlier... whoever ends up with Mews will end up being very happy. He's not perfect and needs a few years, but I think he's going to be a real solid 3 in the NHL.

So he'd be a near perfect addition when Makars new contract kicks in in 3 years

 

[henchman21]

So he'd be a near perfect addition when Makars new contract kicks in in 3 years

He'd be pretty high up my personal list. I think he's a NHLer and a good one. Not going to be an elite player, but has all the tools you want in a modern defensemen. If he played more physical or was a touch bigger, he's a top 15 sort of guy. Being roughly 6' and being Toews like with contact pushes him later in the draft than his talent level is.

The guy I'm really curious as to how far he drops is Jiricek. He's a top 10 talent in many drafts, but the medical risk is high and he's losing development. Avs have shown that medical red flags are not an issue for them, so I wouldn't be at all shocked that if he's there, the Avs select him. And I think it would be a phenomenal pick.

 

[BobRossColton]

Two "steals" in a row would be nice, Ritchie and Jiricek.

 

[BobRossColton]

Do we just go BPA or a bit picky with BPA forward or BPA D?

 

[LTCPain75]

He'd be pretty high up my personal list. I think he's a NHLer and a good one. Not going to be an elite player, but has all the tools you want in a modern defensemen. If he played more physical or was a touch bigger, he's a top 15 sort of guy. Being roughly 6' and being Toews like with contact pushes him later in the draft than his talent level is.

The guy I'm really curious as to how far he drops is Jiricek. He's a top 10 talent in many drafts, but the medical risk is high and he's losing development. Avs have shown that medical red flags are not an issue for them, so I wouldn't be at all shocked that if he's there, the Avs select him. And I think it would be a phenomenal pick.

I hope you're right. The link below has pundits ranking him in the #10-18 range.

Adam Jiricek - 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile - The Hockey Writers NHL Entry Draft Latest News, Analysis & More

Adam Jiricek is still a top prospect in the 2024 NHL Draft, despite an injury that has kept him out of most of the season.

thehockeywriters.com

 

[PAZ]

I have a hard time seeing Jiricek there. Too many teams need a potential top 4 RHD. With San Jose getting Celebrini, I imagine they'll grab Jiricek at 14 assuming the rest of the highly touted defensemen are taken by then.

 

[LTCPain75]

More draft discussion material:

NHL mock draft 2024: Pronman and Wheeler predict the first two rounds

The Athletic's prospects experts, Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler, take turns making the first 65 selections of the upcoming draft.

www.nytimes.com

24. Colorado Avalanche (Pick by Wheeler): Sacha Boisvert, C, Muskegon

Boisvert is really well-liked by scouts and folks from around the USHL, with top-15 chatter around him at points this season because of his mix of size, skill, competitiveness and a developing power game that still has more room to grow. He and Calum Ritchie suddenly give the Avs two well-rounded forward prospects to work with.

 

[Pokecheque]

I don't know if there are any decent ones available but I would really like for them to maybe not wait until the last possible moment to draft a goaltender.

 

[Alienblood]

I don't know if there are any decent ones available but I would really like for them to maybe not wait until the last possible moment to draft a goaltender.

well they have a 1st a 4th two 5ths and a 6th so ....

 

[PAZ]

I don't know if there are any decent ones available but I would really like for them to maybe not wait until the last possible moment to draft a goaltender.

There's a few Russian overagers that are worth taking a flyer on with a mid-late pick.

 

[The Merchant]

Wait...there's a 6'7" centre in the Avs' draft range? Say no more!

 

[Chiarelli]

I don't know if there are any decent ones available but I would really like for them to maybe not wait until the last possible moment to draft a goaltender.

zero point drafting a goalie. Longest cook time of any position we need help now.

 

[Pokecheque]

zero point drafting a goalie. Longest cook time of any position we need help now.

Doesn't matter, they gotta start somewhere.

And absolutely NO ONE drafted by the Avs this year will be able to "help now" or anytime in the near future.

 

[Chiarelli]

Doesn't matter, they gotta start somewhere.

And absolutely NO ONE drafted by the Avs this year will be able to "help now" or anytime in the near future.

the pick should be traded

 

[Pokecheque]

the pick should be traded

Depends. They should absolutely be doing everything possible to keep the window open but if there's no deal to be done out there then just use the pick.

And I'm not saying they absolutely NEED to use it on a goalie, they just need to quit half-assing it on goalie development. The only time they've even acted like they cared was with Annunen, and that was a pick they actually traded down to get.

 

[Hasbro]

the pick should be traded

Plenty wanted that done last draft and then they ended up with Ritchie and Gulyev.

 

[Chiarelli]

Plenty wanted that done last draft and then they ended up with Ritchie and Gulyev.

Last year's draft was thought to be a pretty deep first round and these guys have likely increased their value so I don't blame them. They can still trade either or both of them.