S N Y P E R S 7

Think a Seguin-like skater with excellent hands. I mean, take a close look at Seguin's stride and how quickly, effortlessly, and smoothly he gets around. It's one of the main reasons why he was drafted - and then his hands. Elite. These are qualities you see identical in Krebs. Krebs is a determined workhorse that always looks comfortable with his options and creates his own chances. He's a monster, and he's still growing as a player. He gets me as excited as I used to get with Ehlers back in Halifax. A lot of players do, I mean quality of players is getting really good nowadays. But Krebs is really special. I also think Boldy and Zegras would be tremendous alternatives. Hopefully one of these guys, Krebs, Boldy, or Zegras, will be there for the Canucks at 10.

In this situation? I'm taking Krebs with my eyes closed. He backchecks hard, transitions quickly, and plays a dynamic game. He's impactful in every situation. He also has that Patrick Kane and Tyler Seguin-like commanding strength in his stride that lets him get up to top speed in three pushes. I'd slot him in next year.

I'm gonna jump on a call with Ryan Siedem for an interview. Gonna use some of that info for an article and my next EP prospect profile. What kinds of questions would you guys be interested in answers for?

100,000% agree

For lower rounds, Nick Robertson, Ryan Siedem, Cole Moberg, Case McCarthy, and Michael Gildon could pan out. These are guys that have the smarts and the drive but haven't exactly produced yet. Individual skills can be taught, like the small things. Judging off what I've seen from them, Siedem in-particular, they could be late bloomers.

On second thought, Montreal might forgo Newhook and Lavoie in favor of Ryan Suzuki. They have his brother Nick already.

A moment of silence for Turcotte.

My Mock Draft (10 April 2019) 1. J. Hughes [NJD] 2. K. Kakko [NYR] 3. V. Podkolzin [CHI] 4. D. Cozens [COL] 5. B. Byram [LAK] 6. T. Zegras [DET] 7. K. Dach [BUF] 8. A. Turcotte [EDM] 9. M. Boldy [ANA] 10. P. Krebs [VAN] <OR V. Soderstrom → trade down> 11. C. Caufield [PHI] <OR P. Krebs> 12. V. Soderstrom [MIN] <OR P. Krebs, C. Caufield> 13. P. Broberg [FLA] 14. A. Kaliyev [ARI] 15. A. Newhook [MTL]

Aye Sodastream is still good

Yes - easier said than done because there are so many teams in on him. If he does choose the Canucks, though, and that's if they've expressed interest, there would be less pressure to draft a defenceman.

I'm still hoping the Canucks are in on Oliwer Kaski. That kid's gonna be a stud.

Zegras can play both finesse and power, but he's been pushed to be a bit more aggressive. Ever since, he's been a little rat. His game along the wall used to be non-existent, now he thrives there and can make stupendous plays along the wall. I think what allows him to play such different styles of games is that he's always gone to the dirty areas and he's always skated fast and hard. It just blends well. He's a super well-rounded player, super competitive.

Switch: SSBU, Moonlighter, Zelda BOTW, Celeste, Minit, Night in the Woods PC: Catherine Classic (Mature puzzle game concept with a frustratingly high skill cap)

The guys I'd be looking at for 9th, 10th would be (a) Karlsson Jr., (b) Tkachuk-lite, (c) decision-meh Dahlin, or (d) Bold decision. These are my nicknames for Soderstrom, Zegras, Broberg, and Boldy. Can't go wrong with any of these guys, I love them all. HOWEVER... ideally, the Canucks win a top 3 spot and get their guy in Hughes, Kakko, or Byram. Ideally. Will it happen?

Ah shoot yeah. Turcotte reminds me more and more of Patrice Bergeron. I had him at 11, but perhaps I'll slide him into that nine slot and move Krebs and Cozens up, bumping Boldy down. As I said, the top 10 are pretty interchangeable, even to 11 or 12 considering Soderstrom. I love Zegras at that 3/4 spot, he's lightning in a bottle. Thing is Broberg has looked really impressive. His promising blend of size, skill, and skating makes him one of the most tantalizing defensive prospects. But his decision making is definitely a question mark, he tends to make lower percentage plays when he wants to be more flashy. This can get him burned. I don't think it's the hockey IQ, he thinks the game at a high level and plays with compete, but he needs to communicate better. He has a ton of upside. We'll see where he goes.

If the Canucks are picking in the 5-10 range, I'm looking at Zegras, Boldy, and Broberg as the go-to picks if Dach, Byram, and Podkolzin aren't available. I love those three guys, I think they're going to be game-changers very soon. If none of these guys are available, pull the trigger on Soderstrom. Can't go wrong with him. Right now my ranks have shifted a bit. It's more like: Hughes, Kakko, Zegras/Podkolzin, Podkolzin/Zegras, Byram, Dach, Boldy, Cozens, Krebs, Broberg

I think York is definitely one of the most reliable two-way defenders in the draft. Great skater, albeit not elite or anything; enough that he can close the gap on any player. Not going to burn anyone with it, though. Not at this stage. What makes him special is his vision, he's a tremendous playmaker and passer. Super consistent and pretty much a shoo-in as power play qb. Only thing is I think Swedish D Victor Soderstrom does everything York does in a different way, is a little bit faster and stays on the same page as his teammates while York tends to rush things a bit at times. In this way, Soderstrom can seem a bit more dynamic, which is why he's ranked higher. If Soderstrom's an 8.5 out of 10, York is an 8. That's just at this stage, too, things usually change in players' draft+1, draft+2 years. We'll see where they go.

Out of 68 games played this season, Kootenay won 13.

I don't see any deficiencies in Boldy's game, like he's an incredibly talented winger... but boy, do I wish he had that head-turning skating. His skating is good, but not great. He's not going to be exploding down the ice leaving guys in the dust... then again I wished Ehlers was a bit bigger in his draft year. If he showed consistent speed and explosiveness, I think Boldy could go top 5. The question is that kind of skating teachable? Especially if he hasn't been doing it his whole life, it becomes kind of a mental re-framing if he is able to gain that speed... Ah, I hate my mind sometimes.

Yeah, Boldy's one of those guys who you can just project being a big-time point producer at the next level. He's a beast. I'm super high on Soderstrom because of his skating and pace control. His two-way game is elite. Krebs has the skill, the speed, and the attitude that projects well. He could very well captain whatever team drafts him. He and Podkolzin have that Ehlers kind of "when he's on the ice my head kind of tuuuuuurns that way away from my clipboard/keyboard" draw. Turcotte is one of the players who took a dip after the whole injury thing for me, but I still love him as a player. I love his vision and how he makes the players around him better. It's just that Soderstrom, Broberg, and Newhook have really caught my eye lately. Turcotte has tremendous potential. He reminds me a bit of Kevin Fiala at the same stage. Caufield is so sick, but I think I like the package Krebs brings to the table a bit more. My top 15 are pretty interchangeable, but I see them going in that top half of the draft. Oh to answer someone else's question, Cozens vs. Dach. Dach has that... I don't know. "Kesler"esque win-win-win maul guys over if they're in my way vibe. He's one of those guys you effing hate to play against because he can be so dominant. He's la Jamie Benn type player. He's super competitive, team-first, and play-driving. He's a core cog in Saskatoon's mix. I like Cozens overall but when I watch him play sometimes his reads are just off, sometimes he drifts the wrong way. Perhaps it's unlucky and I've been watching his bad games, but when he's on, he's on. He's going to be a top 6 player for sure.

Here's how I have the draftees ranked, heading into April! Let me know your thoughts. Jack Hughes Kaapo Kakko Vasili Podkolzin Bowen Byram Peyton Krebs Kirby Dach Dylan Cozens Trevor Zegras Matthew Boldy Victor Soderstrom Alex Newhook Philip Broberg Alex Turcotte Cole Caufield Cam York