The Hockey News-Top 100 21 and under issue.

[93LEAFS]

I just picked this up today, it is an absolute trainwreck.

Now, I get arguing player placement is extremely subjective, for example, I wouldn't trade Marner for about 5 of the people ahead of him right now (he's 13, no chance I trade him for Quinton Byfield for example long-term, others are more debatable). But, that's a small issue, and something that can't be debated. But, there are some very glaring issues throughout. One, how the hell is Matthew Boldy ahead of Nico Hischier and PLD. I love Boldy as a prospect, but I don't think its reasonable to expect him to be a line-driving force, and more likely is an excellent complimentary 1st line winger. Secondly, they didn't have Krebs drafted in the 1st round in their mock, only to have him 74 in their top 100 21 and under. They put Svechnikov behind guys like Quinn Hughes, Byfield, Mittelstadt, Kakko, Dach, Josh Lawrence and Borgstrom.

The other crazy thing is the hype they put on kids not even in junior hockey yet, they put a 13 year old kid ahead of someone like Kotkaniemi, Hanifin and Chabot.

I get opinion has lee-way, but some of these aren't even debatable and are absurd.

Click to read more...

 

[AmericanDream]

seems a pretty stupid idea, just should have made it 2 separate categories.

top 21 and under DRAFTED players

top 21 and under NON DRAFTED players

trying to combine the two and rank them is lunacy

 

[Brodeur]

I think one of their writers more or less admitted that the print issues don't sell like they used to outside of the Yearbook, Future Watch, and Draft Previews.

I always saw this issue as them trying to shoehorn in another 'special' issue, but it tends to be a mess. But the general public loves lists regardless of how dubious they might be.

 

[93LEAFS]

seems a pretty stupid idea, just should have made it 2 separate categories.

top 21 and under DRAFTED players

top 21 and under NON DRAFTED players

trying to combine the two and rank them is lunacy

In general, I think the rush to try to label kids 15 and under the next generational player is appalling. I’ve seen how bad the effects have been on youth basketball. I don’t think the benefit of being the first to write about a kid outweighs the negatives.

 

[Dominance]

It’s a hell of an undertaking. It’s one of my favourite issues because I don’t take the rankings very seriously, and just like to read about upcoming stars.

For those interested, the rankings are based on “projecting what the forwards will be like at age 23, what the defensemen at 24, and the goalies at 25.”

The rankings:

1. McDavid
2. Matthews
3. Laine
4. Dahlin
5. Barzal
6. J. Hughes
7. Lafreniere
8. Pettersson
9. Provorov
10. Byfield
11. Werenski
12. Heiskanen
13. Marner
14. Boeser
15. Kaako
16. Dach
17. Keller
18. McAvoy
19. Boldy
20. Hischier
21. Raymond
22. Hart
23. Lawrence
24. R. Thomas
25. Dubois
26. Mittelstadt
27. Q. Hughes
28. Borgstrom
29. Sergachev
30. A. Svechnikov
31. Zadina
32. M. Tkachuk
33. Frost
34. Dobson
35. B. Tkachuk
36. Debrincat
37. Holtz
38. Samsonov
39. Kaprizov
40. Knight
41. Makar
42. York
43. Aho
44. Necas
45. Bedard (13 year old LOL)
46. Glass
47. Savoie
48. Cozens
49. Patrick
50. Bellows
51. Power
52. Puljujarvi
53. Primeau
54. Kotkaniemi
55. Chabot
56. Vesalainen
57. Hanifin
58. Boqvist
59. Bouchard
60. Halliday
61. Hayton
62. Roslovic
63. Jost
64. Mete
65. R. Merkley
66. L. Andersson
67. Kravtsov
68. Yamamoto
69. Guhle
70. Valimaki
71. Wahlstrom
72. Kyrou
73. Krebs
74. Chytil
75. R. Suzuki
76. Oettinger
77. Smilanic
78. Liljegren
79. N. Suzuki
80. Brannstrom
81. D. Strome
82. Fabbro
83. Vilardi
84. Wright
85. L. Hughes
86. Greenway
87. Steel
88. Lucius
89. Tolvanen
90. Farabee
91. Rasmussen
92. Lavoie
93. Broberg
94. Clague
95. L. Foudy
96. Miller
97. Poehling
98. Thompson
99. Smith
100. Dube

As pointed out, their 2019 rankings...

Hughes
Kaako
Dach
Boldy
Knight
York
Cozens
Krebs
Suzuki
Lavoie
Broberg

...are an absolute shit show and don’t match their mock draft:

Hughes
Kaako
Dach
Cozens
Boldy
York
Suzuki
Broberg
Byram
Lavoie
-> Knight at 21 and Krebs outside top-31

They also seem to be purporting that the 2018 redraft should go:

Dahlin
Hughes
Svechnikov
Zadina
Dobson
Tkachuk
Kotkaniemi
Boqvist
Bouchard
Hayton
Merkley
Kravstov
Wahlstrom
Farabee
Foudy
Miller
Smith

The 2017 redraft should go:

Pettersson
Heiskanen
Hischier
Thomas
Mittelstadt
Frost
Makar
Necas
Glass
Patrick
Primeau
Vesalainen
Andersson
Yamamoto
Valimaki
Chytil
Oettinger
Liljegren
Suzuki
Brannstrom
Vilardi
Tolvanen
Rasmussen
Poehling

And the 2016 redraft should go:

Matthews
Laine
Keller
McAvoy
Hart
Dubois
Borgstrom
Sergachev
Tkachuk
Debrincat
Bellows
Puljujarvi
Jost
Mete
Kyrou
Fabbro
Steel
Clague
Thompson
Dube

Also, there’s obviously many inherent issues with the projections. My favourites:

- Boldy outrageously overrated
- No Samuel Girard
- No Cholowski

 

[blindpass]

Also, there’s obviously many inherent issues with the projections. My favourites:

- Boldy outrageously overrated
- No Samuel Girard
- No Cholowski

Great breakdown of the problems, but to be fair given the lead time of a print magazine (that's what this is, right?) Cholowski's nice start probably wasn't something they could have factored in. Prior to that you'd see people as high on Hronek as they were Cholowski.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Honestly pretty terrible

Tkachuk is over a PPG and at 32 behind a bunch of nobodies.

Aho 43

Chabot 55

Wut?

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Waste of time to even ponder

 

[Daximus]

To have Wright, Bedard and Savoie ranked is just nuts. They are great but I don't see any merit in putting them on publications like this. Do a feature on them for sure and let the world know the exist no issue with that, but to rank them ahead of guys who are already making the NHL is just click bait. I have a serious issue with putting pressure like that on kids. Call them the next one, call them generational that doesn't matter but don't rank them ahead of established NHL players just reeks of attention seeking.

 

[Fantomas]

Svechnikov 30th? What a joke.

 

[Dominance]

Svechnikov 30th? What a joke.

Apparently already surpassed by Q. Hughes.

 

[Deam78]

I like Mete, but at 64, woah calm down!

Needless to say this is in fact a minor problem with this list lol

 

[Ainec]

yikes

someone on HF can make a better list in under 1 hr

 

[Tube Skates]

I find it interesting. Don't know what else to say about it. The only name I don't recognize is Power at 51. If I had a first name I'd check it out

 

[kroypuck]

yikes

someone on HF can make a better list in under 1 hr

do it

 

[Ainec]

do it

too bad nobody is willing to pay for it

if I was a youtuber looking for content, maybe



and it's not even that hard, copy paste this list and slide Laine down from #3. Already better, and nobody actually reads the whole list anyways

 

[Dominance]

I find it interesting. Don't know what else to say about it. The only name I don't recognize is Power at 51. If I had a first name I'd check it out

Owen Power. Great defensive prospect and potential contender for first pick in 2021; playing in the USHL right now as a Canadian ailing at college, though, which might hurt his draft stock. This year, his first with Chicago, will be telling if he’s more than just a huge kid dominating smaller opposition: he was 6’5” and over 200 pounds at 14, I think.

 

[kabidjan18]

This is clearly for the U13-U21 league that is about to exist...

 

[93LEAFS]

Owen Power. Great defensive prospect and potential contender for first pick in 2021; playing in the USHL right now as a Canadian ailing at college, though, which might hurt his draft stock. This year, his first with Chicago, will be telling if he’s more than just a huge kid dominating smaller opposition: he was 6’5” and over 200 pounds at 14, I think.

He's way to high to honest. One, its way too early, plus, guys like Stranges, Vierling, and Cuylle for example were viewed as better at the OHL draft.

I think ranking Luke Hughes is insane from what I've been told. He's not on his brothers level according to people I know who are invested in scouting for the OHL draft. I hope they aren't setting him up for a Jared Staal type situation.

 

[tigervixxxen]

- Boldy outrageously overrated
- No Samuel Girard
- No Cholowski​

Just more evidence that Colorado is where hype goes to die. Girard was a darling before he was traded and actually made the NHL. He plays on the top pair and now nope.

 

[DaBadGuy316]

What in the blue hell.

 

[FanCos]

Which Sebastian Aho is the one at 43?

 

[blindpass]

Which Sebastian Aho is the one at 43?

You really have to ask? Presumably the one who is excelling in the NHL.

 

[FanCos]

You really have to ask? Presumably the one who is excelling in the NHL.

It was a rhetorical question as I think he's far too low.

 

[93LEAFS]

Just more evidence that Colorado is where hype goes to die. Girard was a darling before he was traded and actually made the NHL. He plays on the top pair and now nope.

This list was probably built off of twitter hype. The Hockey News has been slipping for a long time now.

I personally just think its a terrible list, not sure any particular team is getting punished by lack of hype, although, Hischeir 12 spots behind Pettersson might be the harshest. They still put Makar in the top 50 and Jost in the top 65, it just seems like they forgot about Girard, like they did with Krebs for their mock draft. Now, if you want to tell me whoever created this list doesn't watch the Avs, I could believe it.