Prospect Info: With the #24 pick, the Wild select (D) Filip Johansson (Allsvenskan, Leksands IF)

[Wabit]

Late 2000s Vanek was amazing. The Vanek we had was a completely different person.

The Vanek we had is the one I'm talking about. Not the Lindy Ruff Sabres Vanek.

 

[Quani275]

I don't want a sure thing. I don't want the safe pick. The Wild don't need the safe pick. The Wild need the potential someone like Bokk or Veleno have.

From what I’ve read, isn’t Veleno the prototypical Wild safe pick? Tweener two-way playmaking center with character but no significant offensive upside?

 

[AKL]

From what I’ve read, isn’t Veleno the prototypical Wild safe pick? Tweener two-way playmaking center with character but no significant offensive upside?

Veleno is a dynamic offensive player with 1C upside. He has great hockey sense and sees the game at a very high level. He's also got the skating ability to match. He's more of a playmaker than a scorer, but again, he's got the dynamic abilities that the Wild need.

He is a safe pick who also has the upside we should be looking for.

 

[Wabit]

Scouting report:

Another of the top four Swedish blue liners that wowed at the Under-18 Five Nations Tournament. Ranks right up there with the other three in terms of effectiveness up and down the sheet. Plays a simple game but has no qualms activating in a less spectacular fashion than the others. Displays a high IQ in the defensive zone. Has quick feet in transition up ice and back down to his end, backing up the attack. Makes good breakouts and anticipates where the plays are going. Has work to do on his gap control as he gives attackers too much time and space. Has a long reach which impedes attackers and helps reach errant passes and pucks.
--Bill Placzek--

 

[absolute garbage]

He had a very similar draft season as Lindholm in 2011-12:

Hampus Lindholm at eliteprospects.com

Filip Johansson at eliteprospects.com

Lindholm's progression was crazy, went from 20 point pace in the AHL in his d+1 season to 30 points in the NHL in his d+2 season. Wonder if Johansson comes over to Iowa next season similar to Lindholm?

 

[Puhis]

Also, just purely statwatching: Has had a solid postseason, and seemed to produce better in the juniors this year. Playing against men late in the season, in the tough SEL? Not a bad sign.

I still wouldn't have taken him at #24, as I hoped for someone more... Well, dynamic. Ylönen. But, I don't hate on the pick at all.

 

[HollaHaula]

I'm really skeptical of that Lindholm comparison...

 

[absolute garbage]

Also, just purely statwatching: Has had a solid postseason, and seemed to produce better in the juniors this year. Playing against men late in the season, in the tough SEL? Not a bad sign.

He was his team's 3rd leading scorer in postseason, no other defender came even close. Definitely a strong finish against quality players. Again similar to Lindholm.

I'm really skeptical of that Lindholm comparison...

Of course and you should be. Just saying there's similarities in their draft seasons.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

“Look at the rankings” as if teams don’t come up with their own.

 

[Dakota Sioux]

I'm really skeptical of that Lindholm comparison...

Me too

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Veleno is a dynamic offensive player with 1C upside. He has great hockey sense and sees the game at a very high level. He's also got the skating ability to match. He's more of a playmaker than a scorer, but again, he's got the dynamic abilities that the Wild need.

He is a safe pick who also has the upside we should be looking for.

Number of games you watched Veleno play... and... go!

 

[Dakota Sioux]

has fenton lost his mind already? pick a guy in the 1st we could have picked in the 3rd???? @!#%!

Another Fletcher it appears

 

[Lapa]

Well, he's a Swedish defenseman, so he must be good.

 

[dBoon]

Reminds me of 2003 when the Wild way off the conventional charts with the 20th pick and drafted a recently converted d’man named Brent Burns, and everybody screamed “who?”

Pro scouts might actually know more than the Hockey News or TSN.

 

[57special]

To put most of the blame on Fenton is unwarranted. It was stated over and over that they were going to use the plan that Flahr and Co designed once Fletcher left.

Nonsense. The buck stops at Fenton. He is the final decision on all player decisions. I'm extremely puzzled by this pick, and I love defensive Dmen. I would be over the moon if he was actually a RH Brodin...but he's not, I don't think. Not even close. We'll see...Brodin started playing in the NHL at 19, right?

We couldn't use Noel, Thomas, or Veleno?

Couldn't trade down to the second to get this guy?

This smacks of Fenton thinking he is smarter than everyone else. I wonder if ANY other team would have taken this guy in the first round.

 

[SupremeNachos]

I'd like to see a chart comparing low scoring SEL/Liga players vs high scoring USHL/Canadian and how their careers develop. It would probably be easier to limit players to rounds 1-3 to start no?

 

[Wild11MN]

Bobby Mac did say something like "0 of the 10 scouts I talked to had him in the 1st round".

Hard to defend it when trading down was an option.

 

[AKL]

Number of games you watched Veleno play... and... go!

0 full games. Like most people, when there's a prospect I take interest in, I read professionals opinions on his skillset and potential, and I watch YouTube clips of his highlights. I've been interested in Veleno since last year.

Alternatively, I hadn't heard of Bokk til a month or two ago, and have seen and read very little about him, and I still know he's a better pick than Johansson.

Please though, since you want to take the elitist route about my perceived lack of knowledge, tell me, of everyone drafted in the first round tonight, does it take more than 2 hands to count the number of games you've watched?

 

[Minnesnota]

He had a very similar draft season as Lindholm in 2011-12:

Hampus Lindholm at eliteprospects.com

Filip Johansson at eliteprospects.com

Lindholm's progression was crazy, went from 20 point pace in the AHL in his d+1 season to 30 points in the NHL in his d+2 season. Wonder if Johansson comes over to Iowa next season similar to Lindholm?

Hampus Lindholm was a consensus top 10 pick with quite a few projections of him being a top 5 pick. He went 6th overall.

Please don't compare a player from one of the deepest drafts in NHL history to a nobody who was a consensus late 2nd/early 3rd.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Bobby Mac did say something like "0 of the 10 scouts I talked to had him in the 1st round".

Hard to defend it when trading down was an option.

Zero of the 30 scouts had Kucherov in the 1st round.

 

[TheeNorthStar]

Well... It is what it is.
I hope he's great!

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

0 full games. Like most people, when there's a prospect I take interest in, I read professionals opinions on his skillset and potential, and I watch YouTube clips of his highlights. I've been interested in Veleno since last year.

Alternatively, I hadn't heard of Bokk til a month or two ago, and have seen and read very little about him, and I still know he's a better pick than Johansson.

Please though, since you want to take the elitist route about my perceived lack of knowledge, tell me, of everyone drafted in the first round tonight, does it take more than 2 hands to count the number of games you've watched?

Nope. Less. That’s why I’m not screaming about anything.

 

[TaLoN]

Another Fletcher it appears

Leddy, Granlund, Brodin, Phillips Dumba, Ek, Tuch.

No... Fletcher's first round... even as a rookie GM was lightyears ahead of what Fenton just showed.

Fletcher only had one real "safe" pick and that was Ek.

 

[TaLoN]

Well... It is what it is.
I hope he's great!

That's all we can do at this point... hope that there's something more in this player than anyone else has seen. His ceiling is Brodin. Brodin himself had a much higher ceiling than Brodin.

 

[Wild11MN]

Zero of the 30 scouts had Kucherov in the 1st round.

Fair enough. But that's why he was taken in the second.