Prospect Info: The Adolescent 2019 Draft Thread

[dustrock]

Lets say we're picking in the teens, and we're looking to draft a forward - for the sake of the hypothetical.

Which one of these players excite you? Who would you reach for?

• Matthew Boldy
• Bobby Brink
• Ryan Suzuki
• Raphael Lavoie
• Connor McMichael
• Philip Tomasino
• Alex Newhook
• Cole Caufield
• Jakob Pelletier
• Pavel Dorofeyev

Left off Kaliyev because he's already been discussed so much already, curious how the board views these other options.

Boldy, Lavoie, maybe Newhook.

 

[780il]

Lets say we're picking in the teens, and we're looking to draft a forward - for the sake of the hypothetical.

Which one of these players excite you? Who would you reach for?

• Matthew Boldy
• Bobby Brink
• Ryan Suzuki
• Raphael Lavoie
• Connor McMichael
• Philip Tomasino
• Alex Newhook
• Cole Caufield
• Jakob Pelletier
• Pavel Dorofeyev

Left off Kaliyev because he's already been discussed so much already, curious how the board views these other options.

Boldy is a step ahead everyone on the list imo. Lavoie comes next, probably Newhook after that.

 

[Zaddy]

Lets say we're picking in the teens, and we're looking to draft a forward - for the sake of the hypothetical.

Which one of these players excite you? Who would you reach for?

• Matthew Boldy
• Bobby Brink
• Ryan Suzuki
• Raphael Lavoie
• Connor McMichael
• Philip Tomasino
• Alex Newhook
• Cole Caufield
• Jakob Pelletier
• Pavel Dorofeyev

Left off Kaliyev because he's already been discussed so much already, curious how the board views these other options.

1. Boldy
2. Newhook
3. McMichael

 

[ImmuneEH]

Boldy, Lavoie, maybe Newhook.

Boldy and Lavoie seem like the safer picks, but I'm curious to see what kind of careers Tomasino and McMichael will have in comparison. I like those prospects as well, but if you're drafting one of them around 12 overall (give or take 2 spots) it might be a bit of a reach.

Pelletier would be an interesting pick. He's having a better season in his 2nd year of junior compared to Lavoie's 3rd year of junior. Risky though, as Pelletier is on the small side at 5'9" 160lbs.

 

[McDNicks17]

I think defense may end up being the best value if the pick falls around 12th overall.

Assuming they make it there, York and Soderstrom seem to make more sense than the remaining forwards.

 

[Joey Moss]

So what is the reason for Kaliyev not being rated as high as some of the former 100 point draft eligible's out of the OHL?

I feel like he looked really good at the Hlinka and top prospects game, but he's still in the 10-15 range despite his numbers.

 

[lakai17]

I think defense may end up being the best value if the pick falls around 12th overall.

Assuming they make it there, York and Soderstrom seem to make more sense than the remaining forwards.

You may be right although a great scout will have an easier time finding a gem of a forward at that selection due to the offense in this draft.

Although hence great scout.

 

[HeavyHitter99]

I don't doubt there's scouts who think that. I've heard it too, but it's definitely not the opinion of the majority of the scouts I've talked to.

Those concerns(skating and effort) aren't keeping him from being a top 3 pick. I'm not sure where you got that from. It's his playmaking, puck-carrying and questionable potential to drive a line at the NHL level doing that. That's not to say they're weaknesses, but they aren't top 3 caliber.

I have to question anyone who doesn't have him in at least the 10-20 range. You need to be looking for skill and smarts in the 1st round and there aren't 20+ players better than Kaliyev. I'd guess some teams won't have him in that range, but teams that use stuff like defense, motor and grit as anything other than a tiebreaker between similarly skilled players are bound to draft as poorly as the Oilers have.

I agree with you that his playmaking, puck carrying and potential to drive a line are also issues that scouts see in his game. I mentioned it earlier that he doesn’t drive a line as much as you would expect from a player with his numbers.

You’d be surprised how many scouts wouldn’t take him in the top 20 (not saying I wouldn’t).

 

[HeavyHitter99]

So what is the reason for Kaliyev not being rated as high as some of the former 100 point draft eligible's out of the OHL?

I feel like he looked really good at the Hlinka and top prospects game, but he's still in the 10-15 range despite his numbers.

Literally read the previous page

 

[Aerrol]

Lets say we're picking in the teens, and we're looking to draft a forward - for the sake of the hypothetical.

Which one of these players excite you? Who would you reach for?

• Matthew Boldy
• Bobby Brink
• Ryan Suzuki
• Raphael Lavoie
• Connor McMichael
• Philip Tomasino
• Alex Newhook
• Cole Caufield
• Jakob Pelletier
• Pavel Dorofeyev

Left off Kaliyev because he's already been discussed so much already, curious how the board views these other options.

I'd be interested in Boldy, Tomasino, and Suzuki, probably in that order.

 

[780il]

If we could walk out of the draft with Cozens falling to 8/9 and trade up from our 2nd and take Kaliyev around 25 I'd be ecstatic.

That is probably the best scenario for me (other than winning the lottery of course). We'll probably end up around pick 9 or 10 again and I think Kaliyev would be a monster with Mcdaddy.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

March 2019 Draft Rankings

1. Kakko
2. Hughes
3. Turcotte
4. Dach
5. Byram
6. Krebs
7. Zegras
8. Cozens
9. Podkolzin
10. Boldy
11. York
12. McMichael
13. Lavoie
14. Dorofeyev
15. Kaliyev
16. Newhook
17. Pelletier
18. Soderstrom
19. Pelletier
20.Heinola
21. Broberg
22. Suzuki
23. Caufield
24. Hoglander
25. Sieder
26. N. Robertson
27. M. Robertson
28. Leason
29. Harley
30. Brink
31. Foote

Thoughts?

 

[PKSpecialist]

I did up a mock draft based solely on my draft rankings - no team need nor team bias was considered. These are the Oilers picks, and I am adding the next 3 picks after each one for reference. Hoping this generates some discussion on some of the lower round players.

1. 9 - LW - Peyton Krebs - Kootenay Ice, WHL
LW - Matthew Boldy - US NTDP
D - Cam York, US NTDP
G - Spencer Knight - US NTDP)

2. 40 - D - Lassi Thomson - Kelowna Rockets, WHL
D - Mikko Kokkonen - Jukurit - Liiga
LW - Samuel Poulin - Sherbrooke Phoenix - QMJHL
D - Artemi Knyazev - Chicoutimi Sagueneens, QMJHL)

3. 87 - D - Martin Hugo Has - Tappara - Liiga
G - Nolan Maier - Saskatoon Blades - WHL
RW - Ethan Phillips - Sioux Falls Stampede - USHL
RW - Tuukka Tieksola - Karpat U20, Jr. A SM-liiga

4. 102 - LW - Aleks Haatanen - Pelicans U20 - Jr. A SM-liiga
LW - Harrison Blaisdell - Chilliwack Chiefs - BCHL
D - Alex Vlasic - US NTDP - USHL
D - Nikita Okhotyuk - Ottawa 67's - OHL

6. 164 - D - Kim Nousiainen - KalPa U20 - Jr. A SM-liiga
LW - Nikita Rtischev - Krasnaya Armiya Moskva - MHL
C - Elmer Soderblom - Frolunda HC J20 - SuperElit
LW - Konsta Hirvonen - HIFK U20 - Jr. A SM-liiga

7. 195 - C - Travis Treloar - Chicago Steel - USHL
C - Tag Bertuzzi - Guelph Storm - OHL
C - Danny Weight - US NTDP - USHL
LW - Dmitri Sheshin - Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk - MHL

In the first round, the Oilers draft a skilled winger who generates offense in Peyton Krebs. He is the lone bright light of the Rockets offense this year, and he has produced. He is a dynamic weapon with fantastic offensive instincts and a high level of compete.

Round two brings an offensive blueliner into the mix. The right-shot Lassi Thomson is a mobile defender who likes to rush the puck.

The Islanders third rounder is used on Liiga defender Martin Hugo Has. Has is likely to become a shutdown defender at the next level. He plays a solid two-way game today, but other than a solid point shot, his game doesn't really show the dynamic offensive ability for the pros, but he is poised and steady defensively.

The fourth round pick is Aleks Haatanen. He is a small, smart, shifty and creative offensive winger from the Junior Finnish League.

The sixth round pick is undersized defender Kim Nousiainen, also from the Finnish Junior League. He is a dynamic offensively and shows good positioning on the defensive side, but at his size there will be a large uphill climb. I probably have Nousiainen lower than I should, but he's been inconsistent in my viewings.

The final pick is center Travis Treloar from the USHL's Chicago Steel. The versatile forward has shown the ability and versatility to play up and down the lineup, and when given offensive opportunities, he has delivered. He will hone his trade at Western Michigan University.

 

[LTIR]

Podkolzin @ 9

Do we take a stab at him or should we go for safer a pick

 

[McJadeddog]

Podkolzin @ 9

Do we take a stab at him or should we go for safer a pick

Is he going to fall to our likely spot (7-11 range)? Wasn't he ranked #3 by Bob in his most recent rankings?

 

[ImmuneEH]

Is he going to fall to our likely spot (7-11 range)? Wasn't he ranked #3 by Bob in his most recent rankings?

Zadina fell, so it's possible.

I'd be curious to see who people would take - Podkolzin or Kaliyev if it came down to it.

I'd go with Podkolzin... his compete and all around skill is better but Kaliyev is the better finisher.

 

[PKSpecialist]

Zadina fell, so it's possible.

I'd be curious to see who people would take - Podkolzin or Kaliyev if it came down to it.

I'd go with Podkolzin... his compete and all around skill is better but Kaliyev is the better finisher.

Podkolzin all day every day, and it really isn't close. Kaliyev is a good player, but a complimentary player. Podkolzin is a driver. The offense runs through him. Podkolzin is being criminally underrated on this board. Go back to the Hlinka and watch his games. Kid is an absolute beast on the puck. I take him at 3 without hesitation, at 9, I'm running to the podium laughing.

 

[McJadeddog]

Podkolzin all day every day, and it really isn't close. Kaliyev is a good player, but a complimentary player. Podkolzin is a driver. The offense runs through him. Podkolzin is being criminally underrated on this board. Go back to the Hlinka and watch his games. Kid is an absolute beast on the puck. I take him at 3 without hesitation, at 9, I'm running to the podium laughing.

Was he injured the past 3 years or does Russia not play very many games in his age group? He has only played between 20-30 league games in the past 3 years.

 

[ImmuneEH]

Podkolzin all day every day, and it really isn't close. Kaliyev is a good player, but a complimentary player. Podkolzin is a driver. The offense runs through him. Podkolzin is being criminally underrated on this board. Go back to the Hlinka and watch his games. Kid is an absolute beast on the puck. I take him at 3 without hesitation, at 9, I'm running to the podium laughing.

'Go back to the Hlinka and watch his games' - I remember JP having a good tournament and not quite meeting expectations. Also, Podkolzin's production in Russia isn't that great... Dorofeyev has better stats it looks like.

That being said, I'd still go for Podkolzin because there's definitely a player there. He and Kaliyev are both projects but have high ceilings.

 

[McDNicks17]

'Go back to the Hlinka and watch his games' - I remember JP having a good tournament and not quite meeting expectations. Also, Podkolzin's production in Russia isn't that great... Dorofeyev has better stats it looks like.

That being said, I'd still go for Podkolzin because there's definitely a player there. He and Kaliyev are both projects but have high ceilings.

I'd go Pod at 9 too(even though I doubt he's there), but that's the scary thing with him.

You're essentially projecting his NHL future off of ~10 international tournament games because he's barely played(or played well) in Russia.

 

[PKSpecialist]

'Go back to the Hlinka and watch his games' - I remember JP having a good tournament and not quite meeting expectations. Also, Podkolzin's production in Russia isn't that great... Dorofeyev has better stats it looks like.

That being said, I'd still go for Podkolzin because there's definitely a player there. He and Kaliyev are both projects but have high ceilings.

JP wasn't developed properly. Some players can overcome that, some can't. At the end of the day, you draft the best player and then hope your team supports that player however they need. At least now our management is saying the right things about letting players develop in the minors, and that the road to Edmonton is through Bakersfield, but it's only lipservice until it isn't.

I think it is unlikely that Podkolzin comes to NA in the next 2 years. That's not a bad thing. 2 more years in Russia, and then make him earn his spot on the NHL team, or he starts in the AHL. I am completely fine with a prospect bypassing the AHL if they prove they are ready, but the NHL team needs to be in a position to support that player. They can't be penned into the top 6/top 4 with no backup plan or support. They need to be put in a position to succeed. This is what the Oilers have failed at in my opinion. I don't believe they have drafted any worse than the average NHL team, but they just can't figure out how to develop and support their draft picks.

 

[McDNicks17]

By the sounds of it, Pod wants to stay in Russia until he's ready for the NHL, so I can't see the AHL being an option.

 

[McDNicks17]

New thread up.