Will the Oilers surprise us with the 1st pick?

[oilsands]

"A couple of people high up in the Oilers' organization -- and I'm not naming names -- said Hopkins has the best vision on the ice since No. 99 (Wayne Gretzky)"

Central Scouting's Peter Sullivan on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who mainly scouts WHL prospects, told NHL.com.

"That's the highest compliment you can get, but also another thing is the way Ryan competes. He never takes a night off and he works as hard in his own end as he does in the offensive zone. It takes a special player with special skills to be able to do that."

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"Will he get big enough? Will he get strong enough to play in the NHL? I don't know if size is an issue in terms of height, but he will have to get stronger," MacGregor said. "He's six feet and half-an-inch, that's what Central Scouting has him at. The issue is, is he going to put on enough poundage to handle the rigors of the NHL?"

"I've never been one who likes to compare players, especially when you get to Gretzky. Like, come on," MacGregor said. "Yzerman was drafted at 155 pounds. Sakic wasn't very big either. I'm not comparing this guy to those guys because they're hall-of-famers, but remember these guys are 17 and 18 years old.

"The question is, can he put on the weight that gives him the strength and power? Those guys did, so obviously it's not impossible to do that. Now, is it possible for him to do that?"

He has an older brother who is the same height and his father is shorter. Both are "thicker," according to MacGregor.

I'll get into what MacGregor had to say about other aspects of Nugent-Hopkins game later in this series, but my read is he puts other attributes ahead of size when it comes to this player. "He's got great hockey sense and he's got great skill," MacGregor said.

Scouting Report: "He's got high-end skills, vision and hockey sense."
Projection: "A first-line centre."
Best Case Scenario: "Very good first-line centre."
Concerns: "I don't think it's size. It's physical strength."

Oilers Head Scout Stu Mcgregor

 

[NeedMoreJam]

Cue Oilers fans to poop on you. I think they take Larsson.

Don't blame oiler fans for getting excited and valuing rnh so highly. It's the scouts and people whose job it is to scout the guy that are causing fans to get excited.

 

[Winnipeg Jets]

Oilers are in need of a #1 centre and a stud D-man. I think they'll go with either RNH or Larsson, I'm leaning more toward RNH at this point in time though.

 

[YEGJuniorFan]

We NEED a first line center, Horcoff and Gagner dont cut it if we plan on winning a cup. Every cup winning team of the last 5 years has had a legit first line center (E Staal, Getzlaf, Datsyuk, Crosby, Toews).

1st Overall: Nugent-Hopkins
19th Overall: Klefbom/Brodin/Morrow/Oleksiak
31st Overall: Musil/Mayfield/Murphy/Clendening

2012- possibly in the top 10, top 15 very very likely

One of Reinhart/Maata/Koekkoek/Reilly/Dumba

Hall - Nugent-Hopkins - Eberle
Paajarvi - Gagner - Hemsky
Omark - Horcoff- Jones
Hartikainen - Lander - Hamilton

Petry - Whitney
Smid - Chorney
Marincin - *drafted dman

this is how i see the team in 2013-2014 in the new arena

 

[ManByng]

We NEED a first line center, Horcoff and Gagner dont cut it if we plan on winning a cup. Every cup winning team of the last 5 years has had a legit first line center (E Staal, Getzlaf, Datsyuk, Crosby, Toews).

1st Overall: Nugent-Hopkins
19th Overall: Klefbom/Brodin/Morrow/Oleksiak
31st Overall: Musil/Mayfield/Murphy/Clendening

2012- possibly in the top 10, top 15 very very likely

One of Reinhart/Maata/Koekkoek/Reilly/Dumba

Hall - Nugent-Hopkins - Eberle
Paajarvi - Gagner - Hemsky
Omark - Horcoff- Jones
Hartikainen - Lander - Hamilton

Petry - Whitney
Smid - Chorney
Marincin - *Alex Plante*

this is how i see the team in 2013-2014 in the new arena

there, fixed it for you

 

[Oscar Acosta]

RNH does remind me a little of Gretzky, which sounds absurd. Not saying he'll be anything near it but he has very similar attributes when you watch him.

No chance the Oilers pass on him.

 

[GretzkytoKurri9917]

It will be RNH no doubt about it.

 

[YEGJuniorFan]

there, fixed it for you

Kelfbom/Morrow/Brodin will hopefully be better than Alex Plante lol, also Teubert/Davidson/Blain will be in the mix as a 6-7th dman

 

[YEGJuniorFan]

RNH does remind me a little of Gretzky, which sounds absurd. Not saying he'll be anything near it but he has very similar attributes when you watch him.

No chance the Oilers pass on him.

this is true, it sounds weird to say but a poor mans gretzky is a close comparison. I prob will get ripped for that and HF will say wow RNH is getting so overhyped by oiler fans more so than hodgson,kadri blah blah blah. He has a similar stature and reads the game in a similar matter. As said he wont be anywhere near the player gretzky was and no one thinks that but style wise its a good comparison

 

[hawksfan50]

IF EDM passes on RNH taking LARSSON instead -then RNH "falls" to #4 IMO ..(THAT should tell EDN fans that eDM really SHOULD TAKE LARSSON who is clearly the top D-man in the draft)--but OTHER teams may dispute that RNH is so superior at forward
--he should be a good NHL player but he's no Gretzky..so other teams may want qualities he doesn't bring to the table..


1.LARSSON (EDM)
2. HUBERDEAU (COL)
3. LANDESKOG (FLA)
4. RNH (NJ)
________________

MAYBE even uncle LOU surprises and takes COUTURIER at #4..leaving RNH for NYI?

So it is all upto EDM --take RNH #1 and possibly risk getting shown up by the next 4 teams (IF RNH goes #1,COL will grab LARSSON at #2 then Huberdeau,Ladeskog Couturier goin order) ..


IF EDM take LARSSON -they get the conensusbest D-man..

I am not sure that on some team boards that HUBERDEAU and LANDESKOG are ahead of RNH ...



LANDESKOG is TALLON's kind of player--character,leadership size, speed grit and skill
and 2-way play -that's just too many qualities such that RNH can't match all of them.
he's better at some qualities but the ones he is not comparable in are his down fall with Tallon.

COL will equalize the skill and 2-way play of Huberdeau and RNH -but I think they will think HUBERDEAU more physical -and that will tip the scale.


NJ--well uncle LOU may just love to get a BIG STRONG power center
in Couturier over the WILL HE GET STRONGER FOR THE NHL level RNH ..


PLUS there still is a debate about whther RNH is better at centre or RW.

The questions on RNH may indicate enough risks that there is less certainty he is the best "projected" NHL forward and especially for some teams loking for certain qualities he doesn't bring.

So I don't know if EDM taking LARSSON would be surprising ..or even RNH then falling to 4th or 5th prospect taken.

 

[rmartin65]

I am not a big RNH fan, but I think the Oilers have to take him here. Isnt the 2012 class pretty deep on D? They will likely have another top 10 pick, and should be able to get an upper tier guy there.

 

[jebs]

PLUS there still is a debate about whther RNH is better at centre or RW.

Your whole post is extremely questionable, but that line takes the cake. There has never, ever been any debate that RNH isnt a center.

 

[oilerbear]

Central Scouting's Peter Sullivan on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who mainly scouts WHL prospects, told NHL.com.



---------------------------

"Will he get big enough? Will he get strong enough to play in the NHL? I don't know if size is an issue in terms of height, but he will have to get stronger," MacGregor said. "He's six feet and half-an-inch, that's what Central Scouting has him at. The issue is, is he going to put on enough poundage to handle the rigors of the NHL?"

"I've never been one who likes to compare players, especially when you get to Gretzky. Like, come on," MacGregor said. "Yzerman was drafted at 155 pounds. Sakic wasn't very big either. I'm not comparing this guy to those guys because they're hall-of-famers, but remember these guys are 17 and 18 years old.

"The question is, can he put on the weight that gives him the strength and power? Those guys did, so obviously it's not impossible to do that. Now, is it possible for him to do that?"

He has an older brother who is the same height and his father is shorter. Both are "thicker," according to MacGregor.

I'll get into what MacGregor had to say about other aspects of Nugent-Hopkins game later in this series, but my read is he puts other attributes ahead of size when it comes to this player. "He's got great hockey sense and he's got great skill," MacGregor said.

Scouting Report: "He's got high-end skills, vision and hockey sense."
Projection: "A first-line centre."
Best Case Scenario: "Very good first-line centre."
Concerns: "I don't think it's size. It's physical strength."

Oilers Head Scout Stu Mcgregor

You forgot to get into the fact he got 29% of his points from goals which puts him in a small and exclusive club with Daigle, Bonsignore, Kelly, Stefan, Ninimaki.

Gives a person chills the group is so special!

 

[Toydarian]

It there seems to be more evident that RNH will be picked 1st overall by the Oilers much more so than even with Hall in 2010.

 

[Lottery Oilers*]

You forgot to get into the fact he got 29% of his points from goals which puts him in a small and exclusive club with Daigle, Bonsignore, Kelly, Stefan, Ninimaki.

Gives a person chills the group is so special!

Just so everyone knows, this same guy also said Horcoff > Crosby according to his statistical breakdown.

And I'm not joking.

 

[jebs]

You forgot to get into the fact he got 29% of his points from goals which puts him in a small and exclusive club with Daigle, Bonsignore, Kelly, Stefan, Ninimaki.

Gives a person chills the group is so special!

Yup. If he wasn't such a good passer and got 20 less assists then he did, he would be a much better prospect!

 

[nullterm]

RNH is a sexy prospect for sure, but the Oilers' system has high end offense in spades.

We've got a healthy crop of wingers, but sorely lacking in depth down the middle. Nothing to fill the long vacant 1C position.

"The Edmonton Oilers are proud to select... from the Red Deer Rebels..."

 

[oilers_guy_eddie]

My spider-sense says that "the Nooge" has an awfully high bust-potential for a #1 pick.

People noting that the Oiler scouts have been comparing him to Gretzky should keep in mind that Oiler scouts also compared Jason Bonsignore to Lemieux.

We've got a healthy crop of wingers, but sorely lacking in depth down the middle. Nothing to fill the long vacant 1C position.

Hey, we've only had 10 years to replace our last #1 center. These things don't happen overnight.

 

[OF17]

There is a big difference between saying that RNH has the best vision since Gretzky and saying that his vision is on Gretzky's level. There have been a lot of great players to pass through since the beginning of 79/80, and the quoted scout is likely exaggerating the issue, but it should not be confused with a direct comparison to the Great One. It's a comparison to everyone but the Great One.

That being said, I don't see any way the Oilers pass on Nugent-Hopkins. Larsson and Couturier are distant bells at this point.

 

[GordieHoweHatTrick]

It wouldn't surprise me because the top-6 guys are all so close in terms of talent level. I think it will depend more on team needs and how quickly some of these guys could be expected to make the jump to the pros

 

[Beerfish]

there, fixed it for you

Plante = suspect not prospect. He'll be gonzo from the Org within a couple years in my opinion.

 

[oilers4life5]

RNH will go 1st overall and if Couturier falls at all oil will trade into top ten and grab him! book it!

 

[smokes lets go]

everyone in oiler country thinks the sexy pick is RNH but me and many others would not be bitter if they drafted Larsson.

 

[GretzkytoKurri9917]

everyone in oiler country thinks the sexy pick is RNH but me and many others would not be bitter if they drafted Larsson.

I would't be mad at all if we picked AL.I just don't think Stu Macgregor thinks so much of AL and is all about praising RNH.

 

[devil26]

My spider-sense says that "the Nooge" has an awfully high bust-potential for a #1 pick.

People noting that the Oiler scouts have been comparing him to Gretzky should keep in mind that Oiler scouts also compared Jason Bonsignore to Lemieux.

Hey, we've only had 10 years to replace our last #1 center. These things don't happen overnight.

What the hell does this have to do with anything? They chose him how long ago? And how many of the same scouts do they have now as they did back in '94?