ISS/CS Draft Rankings - 2014 NHL Entry Draft

[Smashian Kassian]

Kinda interesting how it seems to be Swedish players dominating the European side. Usually there's a few offensive dynamos from Russia every draft.

Goldobin is probably the best Russian Talent, but he's in NA.

[Honky Cat]

All it takes is one reach from the top 5 teams for a player like Bennett, Leon or MDC to drop. Calgary loves Ritchie (who wouldn't, he's got size and skill) and NYI doesn't need a centre at all with Tavares, Strome and Nelson (perfect 3rd line centre). I could defintely see them taking Ehlers as well.

A lot of wild cards in play with both Burke and Snow. Bennett, MDC or Draisaitl could all fall to 6. How amazing would that be? I love Ehlers and Ritchie but I take those 3 10/10.

What makes you think Calgary loves Ritchie..?....Burke (the guy who drafted the Sedins and Kadri)...?...From checking out the Flames message boards,their fans are after one of the top 5....Just like we are!

[Absent Canuck]

What makes you think Calgary loves Ritchie..?....Burke (the guy who drafted the Sedins and Kadri)...?...From checking out the Flames message boards,their fans are after one of the top 5....Just like we are!

Burkie is not drafting Ritchie just to add a couple of inches to their short bar. That logic is amusing.

He is going to take the BPA , which at #5 is going to be whomever is left from Dal Colle and Draisaitl.

[Spectacular]

What makes you think Calgary loves Ritchie..?....Burke (the guy who drafted the Sedins and Kadri)...?...From checking out the Flames message boards,their fans are after one of the top 5....Just like we are!

I'll have to dig up the report but he's gone on record saying he really likes Ritchie. I think he also said he wasn't as high on Leon.

And even with that, Ehlers' rise has been absolutely meteoric, much like Ryan Stromes. Wouldn't be surprised to see Islanders pick up Ehlers.

The best thing about Ehlers is that he's kept pace with Drouin but he doesn't even play on the same line as him. He had a small adjustment period but his ppg on a monthly basis just kept rising and rising.

[aGENT]

I'm not letting myself think that Draisaitl might drop. That would be fantastic

I will be positively giddy if we get him (or D.C. for that matter).

[canadiangunner]

Give me a Canadian kid that can go to the tough areas and put the ???? puck in the net. That's what this team is sorely missing. The last thing we need is another player that plays the perimeter in a cycling fashion(our PP speaks for itself on that topic)

Yeah cause no European does that....see chara, foresberg, datsyuk, hossa, etc...

You take the best player available period. Up to GM to surround him with players that complement style and make up for weaknesses.

[komodo1970]

Give me a Canadian kid that can go to the tough areas and put the ???? puck in the net. That's what this team is sorely missing. The last thing we need is another player that plays the perimeter in a cycling fashion(our PP speaks for itself on that topic)

The Canadian part of your wish aside, I really like Alex Tuch. He s big, tough and "brings the rain" along the boards. He s fast and has a hard shot. The only knock I have on him is his age. He is a project and will take a few years to develop. The big upside is that he may not be finished growing and may size up even more.

Another upside is that dropping a spot or two may get us something in a deal.

[hsedin33]

Heard them talking about Alex Tuch yesterday on 1040, this guy sounds badass.

[Goal:thecup]

Burkie is not drafting Ritchie just to add a couple of inches to their short bar. That logic is amusing.

He is going to take the BPA , which at #5 is going to be whomever is left from Dal Colle and Draisaitl.

Well, if Burkie takes Ritchie, Dal Colle or Draisaitl are each great picks for us.

And if the top 5 go to the top 5 teams, we get Ritchie!

As Provost was saying, a player like Ritchie is big and tough enough, and a good enough skater, shooter, et cetera, that we could bring him onto the big club this year.

For example, Ritchie with the Sedins part time would be ok, a lot like Jensen this year.

Other times he could spend learning on the fourth line (such as Sestito, Matthias, and Ritchie) which will get more ice time than last year once Torts is gone.

Linden said that they were going to keep and use the pick to get a big, strong, scoring winger and that lets out all the Nylander, Ehlers, types that are too small to fit that description.

He said that no matter what happens in the picks before us, we were going to get this type of player.

I like Draisaitl a lot but really want a Nealy, Lucic, type player who can bowl you over, score, and then come back and punch your lights out!

So if Burke takes Ritchie, fine; but if he doesn't, I sure hope we do.

Remember when Nealy started scoring 50 goals a year and he was "too good to fight and spend time in the box"?

Too bad it wasn't for us at that point.

[Absent Canuck]

Linden said that they were going to keep and use the pick to get a big, strong, scoring winger and that lets out all the Nylander, Ehlers, types that are too small to fit that description.

He said that no matter what happens in the picks before us, we were going to get this type of player.

Can you show me the quote where Linden says this. I find it hard to believe that he would pinpoint his draft selection months before the draft without even knowing who the best player avail would be.

Consider this:

How many true scoring power forwards are there in the NHL ? i can name maybe 5. We are hoping Kassian can become the 6th.

Yet according to many on here, in this weak draft, there are apparently 5 or so alone in the top 10 . Any winger over 6ft and 200 pounds who bullies his way around the ice against boys who will never play pro hockey are automatic Lucic clones with sure NHL glory to follow.

its just not happening. I dont see a true power forward in that whole draft. None. I see Dal Colle and Daisaitl becoming second or even first line scoring wingers if they pan out.

A guy like Kassian who is 6ft 3 and can skate like the wind against NHL defenses, has a mean streak and can see the ice like a first line playmaking center are extremely rare.

Drafting guys like Vit and Ritchie are 'safe' picks you want to take 15th to 30th. A guy who is big and fast enough to make the NHL and play 400 games. That is a reasonable expectation.

Ehlers and Nylund are guy who can worst case turn into mega flakes like Sampsonov or Havlat. Even Hemsky . Best case they turn into your top line scoring forwards. I go with that any day. Big wingers are way more common than elite level speed and skill.

[DefCon1]

Virtannen - his favorite player is trevor linden

It doesn't really mean much. I doubt Linden would care a whole lot about it when it comes to drafting BPA.

[DefCon1]

Well, if Burkie takes Ritchie, Dal Colle or Draisaitl are each great picks for us.

And if the top 5 go to the top 5 teams, we get Ritchie!

As Provost was saying, a player like Ritchie is big and tough enough, and a good enough skater, shooter, et cetera, that we could bring him onto the big club this year.

For example, Ritchie with the Sedins part time would be ok, a lot like Jensen this year.

Other times he could spend learning on the fourth line (such as Sestito, Matthias, and Ritchie) which will get more ice time than last year once Torts is gone.

Linden said that they were going to keep and use the pick to get a big, strong, scoring winger and that lets out all the Nylander, Ehlers, types that are too small to fit that description.

He said that no matter what happens in the picks before us, we were going to get this type of player.

I like Draisaitl a lot but really want a Nealy, Lucic, type player who can bowl you over, score, and then come back and punch your lights out!

So if Burke takes Ritchie, fine; but if he doesn't, I sure hope we do.

Remember when Nealy started scoring 50 goals a year and he was "too good to fight and spend time in the box"?

Too bad it wasn't for us at that point.

We don't need to have all our players with the same qualities and characteristics. That would be redundant since we already have Kassian. We need different elements on our team to be successful. We need a mix of skill, size, finesse, toughness, speed etc. Draisaitl provides an element to our team that has been lacking which is great playmaking ability and vision.

[DefCon1]

Heard them talking about Alex Tuch yesterday on 1040, this guy sounds badass.

I would also love to get Alex Tuch if we did trade Edler for a top 10-15 draft pick. Alex Tuch is 6'4 and has a huge frame. He could be a great player in the NHL.

[JamesB]

Bob McKenzie's rankings aren't what he thinks. He polls a number of scouts and then ranks the prospects based on what the scouts said. I think he polled 16 different scouts this year from different teams.

EDIT: Just looked it up. It's 12 NHL team scouts.

I was going to make the same point. It is not clear how CS and ISS aggregate their player rankings. While every player is seen by some scouts, as the OP notes, every player is not seen by every scout. A lot of the votes that get included might not be well-informed. McKenzie's poll of NHL scouts should be pretty good for guys playing in North America. I give it a lot of credibility, although it is probably not reliable for guys playing in Europe. Therefore, where Nylander and Kapinen fit is a big question mark.

Also, McKenzie's scouts will probably be a good predicter of the actual draft order. The 5 "blue chip" guys will probably go as expected. Therefore, the Canucks will have a tough call -- a smaller high risk high skill guy like Nylander or Ehlers or Kapinen, or a bigger but less complete player like Vertanen, Richie or Perlini. None of us can pretend to know which of these guys will do best, but there is something to be said for signing a local guy. If nothing else, he will probably be easier to sign for a reasonable contract down the road as an RFA and as a UFA.

Therefore, I am going with Vertanen at this stage, although I would be delighted if one of the top 5 (like Dal Colle or Draisaitl slips down).

[Jägermeister]

Ritchie without a doubt. I know I don't want kapinen or Nylander, they seem way to over-rated. Ritchie reminds me of Bertuzzi and I see Drasaitl as having a great successful season but wonder if he's a one hit wonder. If there's a way to grab Bennett, Reinhart, Dal Colle I say we have to seize it(as long as it doesn't cost Horvat or Shink)

You're nuts if you'd take Ritchie over Draisaitl. Kind of hard to peg him as a one hit wonder when he has outscored Ritchie in both his seasons in NA, no?

And I want us to draft Ritchie with our pick assuming Bennett, Ekblad, Reinhart, Draisaitl and Dal Colle are off the table. But there is no way I pick him if any of those 5 are still available.

[Big Red Monster]

For me, it's either Draisaitl or Virtanen.

[Honky Cat]

I'll have to dig up the report but he's gone on record saying he really likes Ritchie. I think he also said he wasn't as high on Leon.

And even with that, Ehlers' rise has been absolutely meteoric, much like Ryan Stromes. Wouldn't be surprised to see Islanders pick up Ehlers.

The best thing about Ehlers is that he's kept pace with Drouin but he doesn't even play on the same line as him. He had a small adjustment period but his ppg on a monthly basis just kept rising and rising.

I would believe that Burke would say he likes Ritchie,but does that mean he's going to select him with their pick ....I seriously doubt it....

[Goal:thecup]

Can you show me the quote where Linden says this. I find it hard to believe that he would pinpoint his draft selection months before the draft without even knowing who the best player avail would be.

Sorry Absent, I don't have the time to look it up right now but am pretty sure it was in a video that was up on Canucks.com.

Best I can do for now.

[Odjickwillkillyou]

I want Nichushkin. Oh wait, that ship has sailed

[Langdon Algur]

We don't have a guy who can be our 2nd line centre right now if Kesler gets moved. Horvat should probably be on the 3rd line to start his career.

Draisaitl probably fits the bill the best, Nylander is a little smaller and doesn't help us match up against the California teams as well.

Sedin-Sedin-_____

_____-Draisaitl-Kassian

Higgins-Matthias-Horvat

Richardson-Lain-Santorelli

Sestito

That is a very different looking forward roster and the return for the veteran pieces going out (or the ones that don't move) can fill in the blanks as well as beef up the defence and give us more prospects/picks.

Youth injection with a solid bunch of veterans to teach them how to play.... probably a lower end playoff team but on the upswing rather than downswing.

Where's Burrows?