Prospect Info: The Second Overall Pick Thread: Part IV (Kakko/Hughes Talk)

[RangerBoy]

The Americans
(Breakdown by John Wroblewski)
Jack Hughes
NHL player comparable: Connor McDavid
The breakdown: “Both great skaters. Connor is more of a north-south guy, and Jack will beat you east-west. His edges are so good. The similarity for me is how brave both are to bring pucks into the hard areas of the ice. For being burners they’re also both manipulative on the power play. … They can slow things down too.”

The Rest of the Field

(Breakdown by an NHL amateur scout)
Kaapo Kakko
NHL player comparable: Peter Forsberg
The breakdown: “When you watch him play at whatever level, he uses his body and his power. The way he comes out of corners, the way he attacks the net – there’s a lot of similarities with the way he plays and the way Peter Forsberg plays.”

 

[True Blue]

I have read the Forsberg comparisons to Kakko before, but am hesitant. While he certainly uses his body, I do not get the sense that he plays with a level of meanness that Foppa played with. Forsberg definitely arrived at the puck with ill humor. Does Kakko truly bring such physicality with his game?

 

[Levitate]

I have read the Forsberg comparisons to Kakko before, but am hesitant. While he certainly uses his body, I do not get the sense that he plays with a level of meanness that Foppa played with. Forsberg definitely arrived at the puck with ill humor. Does Kakko truly bring such physicality with his game?

Probably not but Forsberg also played in a time where you could get away with a little more and the comparison is I think more about his play with the puck

 

[True Blue]

Probably not but Forsberg also played in a time where you could get away with a little more and the comparison is I think more about his play with the puck

That I can understand. But when I think of comparisons, I think of likening a player to another. Not just aspects. Eh, whatever. Not going to nit pick this. Was just curious about the viewpoint from those that have watched him a lot more than I have.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

Whoever is doing the comparables for Custance in that article has not seen 75% of those kids play.

 

[Levitate]

That I can understand. But when I think of comparisons, I think of likening a player to another. Not just aspects. Eh, whatever. Not going to nit pick this. Was just curious about the viewpoint from those that have watched him a lot more than I have.

I mean I haven't watched him a ton but what I've seen, he's not nasty going after the puck, more tenacious.
Player comparisons are always kind of silly though because rarely do two players play exactly the same so there's always going to be a "but..." argument

Kakko's puck control in tight spaces and along the boards reminds people of Forsberg, but it's just a resemblance

 

[Leetch3]

I mean I haven't watched him a ton but what I've seen, he's not nasty going after the puck, more tenacious.
Player comparisons are always kind of silly though because rarely do two players play exactly the same so there's always going to be a "but..." argument

Kakko's puck control in tight spaces and along the boards reminds people of Forsberg, but it's just a resemblance

nhl comparisons for draft prospects that you haven't seen is always an odd one for me...on one hand I find them fun cause in a shortened scouting reports so many players sound the same, but on the other hand it 100% unfairly skews your view of a player good or bad based on your thoughts of that nhl player

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

Those are horrific.

I've only done a smidge of research compared to some of the other posters here, but even that was enough to know how bad this is. Caufield's best comp is... Ovi?!?!?!

You couldn't go back through history and find a single undersized scorer with a big shot as a comp, and so instead you went with a dude who is a 6'3, 235lbs. bull and whose game is in large part predicated on those attributes?

 

[TheBloodyNine]

Those are horrific.

I've only done a smidge of research compared to some of the other posters here, but even that was enough to know how bad this is. Caufield's best comp is... Ovi?!?!?!

You couldn't go back through history and find a single undersized scorer with a big shot as a comp, and so instead you went with a dude who is a 6'3, 235lbs. bull and whose game is in large part predicated on those attributes?

Hughes as McDavid was wild as well. It's quite clear he's most comparable to Patrick Kane.

Cozens as Bergeron was another head scratcher. Don't see a similar game there at all.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

Hughes as McDavid was wild as well. It's quite clear he's most comparable to Patrick Kane.

Cozens as Bergeron was another head scratcher. Don't see a similar game there at all.

Ha! That Cozens comp was the other one I considered mentioning.

 

[Mac n Gs]

Wrobleweski is their head coach. He’s obviously pumping his own kids tires a bit here, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

Wrobleweski is their head coach. He’s obviously pumping his own kids tires a bit here, so take it with a grain of salt.

Still. He couldn't go back to, say, Theo Fleury for Caufield? He used Barrasso for Knight, for crying out loud.

 

[RangerBoy]

Caufield is a pure goal scorer/sniper. Ovechkin is the best goal scorer in the NHL.

Knight and Barrasso. Both of them are/were really good puck handling goaltenders. Barrasso is one of the best puck handling goaltenders in NHL history.

 

[RangerBoy]

Pronman has ranked the best draft prospects in the last 5 years.

McDavid
Laine
Matthews
Hughes
Eichel
Dahlin

7-Kaapo Kakko, 2019 draft: Kakko had a fantastic season in Finland between Liiga and the World Championship. Some scouts think his season was more impressive than Aleksander Barkov’s at the same age. Kakko’s right on track to step into the league next season and be a cornerstone player for an NHL club’s (New York Rangers) rebuild.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Pronman with some bad takes, now that’s something new

 

[Kocur Dill]

Who did the Athletic have for Turcotte? I keep coming back to Keith Premieau in my own head lately.

 

[Mac n Gs]

Still. He couldn't go back to, say, Theo Fleury for Caufield? He used Barrasso for Knight, for crying out loud.

I’m not disagreeing, I’m just adding the context for why they seem way too unrealistic. A guy like Turcotte is like a physical Dylan Larkin. Cozens is like Zibanejad, etc.

I think there’s still some valuable information there if you can read between the lines a bit.

 

[GAGLine]

Who did the Athletic have for Turcotte? I keep coming back to Keith Premieau in my own head lately.

Sidney Crosby with a hint of Brad Marchand.

 

[McRanger]

Sidney Crosby with a hint of Brad Marchand.

Which is a hilariously awful comparison.

 

[mas0764]

Pronman has ranked the best draft prospects in the last 5 years.

McDavid
Laine
Matthews
Hughes
Eichel
Dahlin

Feels like Laine should be lower on that list. Does he mean as they were as prospects coming out, or as they've since become?

 

[Mac n Gs]

Feels like Laine should be lower on that list. Does he mean as they were as prospects coming out, or as they've since become?

Edit: the former

 

[romba]

Sidney Crosby with a hint of Brad Marchand.

I’ll take 20 please

 

[Polar Bear]

Kakko was a superior prospect to Laine entering the draft. The other five I might agree with but I personally put Eichel/Kakko/Hughes in a similar tier.

 

[GAGLine]

Feels like Laine should be lower on that list. Does he mean as they were as prospects coming out, or as they've since become?

The list is based on draft day evaluations. Puljujarvi is 8th on the list and wouldn't be anywhere near this list if it were based on actual post-draft performance.

 

[True Blue]

Who did the Athletic have for Turcotte? I keep coming back to Keith Premieau in my own head lately.

Is this in jest or are you serious?

Other than playing a 200 foot game, they are nothing alike.