Prospect Info: Timothy Liljegren Leafs top pick in 2017 - Part II (Continued)

[Budsfan]

Click to read more...

 

[Morgs]

Now I have 0 interest in him playing in the CHL.

 

[Mess]

Yup, now it opens up options for the Leafs.

I expected this to happen and generally teams don't use picks unless they have a need and opening (only 2 imports allowed) and since he was drafted early

Round #1 pick 13 it seems they might have a feeling him playing for them is a possibility.

 

[WilliamNylander]

Well at least we know he isn't playing junior now

 

[WilliamNylander]

Just saw that Niagara picked Liljegren so London didn't get him and the "knights are furious" lol

Not sure how true it is... but funny if it is true

 

[7even]

Given that Liljegren is already a better skater than Rielly and Gardiner I can't see how he won't be playing in the NHL.

I dunno if I agree with that. If he's better it's not by much. Gardiner and Rielly are two of the best skaters in the world.

He might take a few years to fully mature but his floor is a 3rd pairing PP specialist. His ceiling is a top pairing right shooting Duncan Keith.

His floor is David Rundblad -- good pro player but not an NHLer.

 

[Mess]

Lots of similarities here between Liljegen and Flames Swedish dman Oliver Kylington as comparables.

Oliver Kylington - Scouting Report

A smart two-way defenseman, who has tremendous feeling for the game and reads the plays well. Oliver Kylington is only average sized 6-0/183, but lets you forget the missing inches with his hockey sense, his strong vision and remarkable skating abilities. Owns a good shot from the blue-line and combined with this very good puck- and passing-skills, he can guide a power-play and the team’s offensive game to success

Similar style and elite skating and also higher ranked pre-draft then fell during their season and the draft selection below their rankings.

 

[Walshy7]

Lots of similarities here between Liljegen and Flames Swedish dman Oliver Kylington as comparables.

Similar style and elite skating and also higher ranked pre-draft then fell during their season and the draft selection below their rankings.

yep and Kyllingotn came straight over and played AHL in his draft+1, not to mention Kylington played Allvenskan at 17 first pro year while Liljegen played in the SHL at 16 his first pro year. all the talk of OHL is nonsense

 

[7even]

Lots of similarities here between Liljegen and Flames Swedish dman Oliver Kylington as comparables.

Oliver Kylington - Scouting Report


Similar style and elite skating and also higher ranked pre-draft then fell during their season and the draft selection below their rankings.

Kylington also fell into like the 3rd round. Timmy went 17th. They're skill sets are similar but I don't think their situations are very similar.

 

[leafsfuture]

Not a fan of the CHL option at this point. He has played in the SHL for each of the last two years. Let him go back for a third and get a good full season in.

Then bring him over at age 19. At that point the AHL is a legitimate option.

 

[thewave]

luckily lou led the crew up on stage otherwise they would of been tripping over each other to race up on stage.

I feel like the only guy that thinks this guy is a show in elite D for us.

 

[Joey Hoser]

Still makes me laugh...

"Torono proudtanounce, from Sweden, Timth Lilagrin"

I think he said "Linnigren"

 

[Mess]

Kylington also fell into like the 3rd round. Timmy went 17th. They're skill sets are similar but I don't think their situations are very similar.

Both entered their draft years as potential top 10 picks and fell do to question marks about the decision making at times. Both are about the same size, same country of origin and similar styles with elite skating and good shot.

2015 NHL Draft: Oliver Kylington Has “Stealâ€Â Written All Over Him.

All of this then naturally begs the question: who could be that “fallerâ€Â in the 2015 draft that ends up being a major steal for one lucky team? Look no further than defenseman Oliver Kylington.

Kylington is a slick, smooth-skating offensive defender coming out of the pro leagues in Sweden. It only takes a few minutes of watching Kylington to see exactly what he brings to the table. He̢۪s an effortless skater, one of the most mobile players in the entire draft, and possesses an immense amount of skill when it comes to both carrying the puck as well as distributing it to teammates. He thinks the game at a level well beyond his age, and has the creativity to make something happen any time he engages offensively.

Heading into this season there was a lot of excitement around Kylington, and for good reason. He was a regular in the Swedish Elite League in 2013-2014 at only 16 and 17 years of age, an incredibly rare feat, and his strong play that season led many to believe that he could be a Top 10 selection this year. He was ranked the #1 International Skater by NHL Central Scouting as recently as this past January. Unfortunately for Kylington, however, his stock has plummeted since then. Current pre-draft rankings have him universally lower than where he was not all that long ago.

Why such a dramatic drop? There have been a few reasons listed among most critiques, but the main theme seems to be defensive ability. While no one will question Kylington̢۪s proficiency at joining the attack and producing points, more than one scout has written about him being a little too offense-oriented, causing him to regularly neglect his defensive duties. As much as teams want a player than can kickstart the offense from the back end, many are understandably hesitant about a player that could be a major defensive liability, especially when such a player lacks the big size that teams always covet.

Another, and slightly more intriguing reason, is because of injury. While many top prospects were out showcasing their talents over the course of the season, Kylington suffered an injury while playing for Sweden in an exhibition game prior to the 2015 World Juniors. While many prospects, boosted their draft stocks while playing in the prestigious event, Kylington was stuck watching from the sidelines. It could also be reasonably assumed that Kylington̢۪s level of play over in Sweden took a hit in the time immediately after as he recovered from the injury, which might have made him look less impressive in the eyes of scouts.

http://thehockeywriters.com/2015-nhl-draft-oliver-kylington-has-steal-written-all-over-him/

You could essentially almost replace "Kylington with Liljegren" in this scouting report and think you were talking about the same player and use the same scouting report for both. IMO

 

[RoadWarrior]

Both entered their draft years as potential top 10 picks and fell do to question marks about the decision making at times. Both are about the same size, same country of origin and similar styles with elite skating and good shot.

You could essentially almost replace "Kylington with Liljegren" in this scouting report and think you were talking about the same player and use the same scouting report for both. IMO

Not exactly. Kylington was always seen as a defensive liability and injury and illness were non-factors in his case. He had some horrible tournaments which dropped his stock but as his recent play in the AHL has shown that was a premature assessment based on a small sample size. What Liljegren and Kylington do have in common is that both will likely play in the NHL and the team that drafted them got a steal.

 

[Walshy7]

according to a Swedish poster Liljegren has already said he wont be going to the OHL.

 

[TMLife*]

according to a Swedish poster Liljegren has already said he wont be going to the OHL.

Pretty sure he said it’s not an option for him in his draft interview, no?

 

[Walshy7]

Pretty sure he said it’s not an option for him in his draft interview, no?

yeah I though he said it again today, turns out its not the case. I really don't want him to go to the OHL

 

[Mess]

Not exactly. Kylington was always seen as a defensive liability and injury and illness were non-factors in his case. He had some horrible tournaments which dropped his stock but as his recent play in the AHL has shown that was a premature assessment based on a small sample size. What Liljegren and Kylington do have in common is that both will likely play in the NHL and the team that drafted them got a steal.

From the same article ..

Another, and slightly more intriguing reason, is because of injury. While many top prospects were out showcasing their talents over the course of the season, Kylington suffered an injury while playing for Sweden in an exhibition game prior to the 2015 World Juniors. While many prospects, boosted their draft stocks while playing in the prestigious event, Kylington was stuck watching from the sidelines. It could also be reasonably assumed that Kylington’s level of play over in Sweden took a hit in the time immediately after as he recovered from the injury, which might have made him look less impressive in the eyes of scouts.

Taking all of this into consideration, it seems like not too far of a stretch to start wondering about just how much better Kylington might be than his current draft rankings indicate. The old adage is that you can’t teach skill, and in terms of raw hockey skills, Kylington is near the top of the draft, arguably on par with other top eligible defensemen such as Ivan Provorov and Zach Werenski.

As many holes as Kylington’s defensive game may have right now, those are able to be fixed and smoothed out over time with proper coaching and development. While his injury allowed other prospects to continue rising and pass him on draft boards, that doesn’t come close to negating the elite skating, puck control and vision that he possesses, traits that will be incredibly valuable if (when?) he reaches the NHL.

 

[Mess]

yeah I though he said it again today, turns out its not the case. I really don't want him to go to the OHL

If Leafs sign him to an ELC, then where he plays next year becomes the right of Leafs management to decide and where they believe is best for his development.

 

[biotk]

according to a Swedish poster Liljegren has already said he wont be going to the OHL.

I don't think that he will be going to the OHL, but I don't consider his comments to be something I would take the bank. His reply to the journalist on going to the OHL started out with the qualifier: "As it looks now"

He is still under contract with Rogel, and he is not under contract yet with the Leafs. What else is he supposed to say in an interview? This will be a decision that he will make with the Leafs organization. Until then his only responses to interview questions will be that he plans to play for Rogel in the SHL, and that when he does leave for North America to play hockey he plans for that to be in the NHL. This is exactly what Lindholm also said back in 2012, and is the only logical response for someone in his position (it would be crazy for him to say otherwise), especially as it is likely that he will play in Sweden next year, and even if not will want to play for them internationally, as it matches the desires of Swedish hockey governing body when it comes to player development.

 

[gabeliscious]

If Leafs sign him to an ELC, then where he plays next year becomes the right of Leafs management to decide and where they believe is best for his development.

realistically though if he is already playing against men, why move him to a lesser league. i see no advantage of ohl over ahl for him. Especially since the marlies are down the street and management would be able to keep tabs on him.

 

[Orfieus]

If you want to hear Liljegren name pronounced properly EliteProspects has a function beside each players name that that does this,

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=224910

 

[7even]

Both entered their draft years as potential top 10 picks and fell do to question marks about the decision making at times. Both are about the same size, same country of origin and similar styles with elite skating and good shot.

You could essentially almost replace "Kylington with Liljegrin" in this scouting report and think you were talking about the same player and use the same scouting report for both. IMO

Kylington was taken with the last pick of the 2nd round while Liljegren went halfway though the 1st. They may have fallen for the same reasons but Kylington fell way harder.

 

[Shanty]

From the same article ..

From Wikipedia, on Morgan Rielly.

Rielly joined the Warriors for the 2010–11 WHL season, playing in 65 games and recording 28 points. Heading into the 2011–12 WHL season, Rielly was a highly ranked prospect for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He suffered a serious knee injury, a torn anterior cruciate ligament, causing him to miss most of the season. He returned for the tail end of the Warriors playoff run against the Edmonton Oil Kings. Despite the injury, Rielly still finished the season ranked fifth among North American skaters by the Central Scouting Bureau.

An injury alone does not cause a player to fall from the rankings. Scouts aren't complete idiots.

What other reasons caused Lili's fall, I won't bother to speculate on, but everyone needs to take a step back and think.

 

[kk87]

Liljegren is certainly a better prospect than Kylington was at the time of his draft, but I was really hoping we would be able to pick Kylington with the last pick of the second round. I'd take him over Bracco in a heartbeat