6th Pick: 2014 NHL Entry Draft

[ForsbergTheGreat]

One thing that really sticks in my head. Is when st louis lost the series. Ray ferraro mentioned how most teams try to build one full of two way complete players.

The lack of a defensively unreliable pure goal scorer is what makes championship teams emrge.

With the way gaborik and kane have carried their teams i am becoming more and more open to ehlers.

Hows his compete slash attitude.

Ive pumped ritchie for so long but u can dispute that kane and gaborik are the difference makers. Mind you bickell does make a case for ritchie doesnt he

Blue did have Tarasenko. It’s so easy to point out one player and say we need that. But Gaborik (the scorer) has been invisible in past playoffs, as has Nash (the Power forward)

Who's bostons pure goal scorer? What about the Ducks? Maroon has been a huge asset on that first line. Crosby has one goal. Rene Bourque is even more surprising for the Habs. It’s playoffs and the players with heart and drive to win are the ones who carry their team. It’s not so much a physical trait, but the will to win. Some pure goal scores have it, some don’t and vice versa with power forwards.

[Smashian Kassian]

He's not much of a wildcard at 6th if he's ranked 6th.

McKenzie has him at #8.

I don't think any of Virtanen, Ehlers, Ritchie, or Nylander are wild cards at 6, they are very much in the same class & have shown to be interchangeable in many rankings.

I concur that Ehlers was noticable in that game. Largely because he was always cheating to the open areas of the ice. This is how he has to play to be effective. Does this style translate to the NHL? Doubtful, unless the team is so stacked that they can afford to have a guy float around all the time. In traffic you also noticed how easy he was to brush off the puck. This isn't subjective, this is what actually happened. He needs to build strength.

Watching the entire series you can easily tell that Ehlers is a notch below Drouin in terms of skill. I'm not sure how anyone can doubt this, but if you want to focus on a few shifts, of course you can come up with a case for Ehlers being somehow better. Probably better to watch more than a few shifts to make a judgement though.

I think Ehlers has some good potential due to his speed, but it should be interesting to see whether his speed-only game translates. We've seen plenty of quick but small prospects like Filatov and Brule being crushed on hits right away, so I think a team that drafts Ehlers should be far more patient with him than Columbus was with theirs. Ehlers' NHL future may depend entirely on the team who selects him. I think it should be a team out east. Perhaps Tallon is willing to roll the dice on the speed? He waived Grabner though.

Thing I noticed about Virtanen is that he's able to use his comparable speed in heavy traffic, at times bulling his way through defenders up the boards and scoring on tight wrap-arounds instead of swinging wide. He's a far more balanced skater than Ehlers. Something to consider if you're drooling over the speed aspect of available prospects.

Yeah no one is saying he's as good as Drouin, Drouin is one of the better offensive prospects to come along in some time, though Ehlers is bigger than Drouin I will say that.

We will have to agree to disagree on Ehlers I don't see many of the same things you see. I think the "cheating" thing is just partially because he just gets around so quickly, yeah he's an offensive player so there are times where he's going to push for the offense (and he is a winger) but he does have a two-way game thats not a concern of mine. And I don't have the doubts about his game translating because of how dynamic he is.

I don't think Virtanen's skating is as good as Ehlers. He's a great skater, really fast, its not a knock on Virtanen, I just think Ehlers is one of the best skaters to come along in awhile as far as speed.

Virtanen isn't the tallest guy but he's got a great build, and his speed is impressive for being as stocky as he is. I kinda of am opposite to you on the boards/wrap around thing, with his power I wish he wouldn't play the perimeter game so much. Whenever he enters the zone he's looking to shoot off the rush & if thats not there he goes outside & around the perimeter kind of like Raymond used to. (not comparing them as players, just thats a similarity in their game). If he was better at that, and better at making plays he would be my #1 choice probably. If those things can be corrected he could be a really great player. But you can't really teach hockey sense.

I think he will score goals in the NHL, like 20-30 goals seasons regularly, but I don't think he will have high point totals.

Blue did have Tarasenko. It’s so easy to point out one player and say we need that. But Gaborik (the scorer) has been invisible in past playoffs, as has Nash (the Power forward)

Who's bostons pure goal scorer? What about the Ducks? Maroon has been a huge asset on that first line. Crosby has one goal. Rene Bourque is even more surprising for the Habs. It’s playoffs and the players with heart and drive to win are the ones who carry their team. It’s not so much a physical trait, but the will to win. Some pure goal scores have it, some don’t and vice versa with power forwards.

Eh Tarasenko isn't the greatest comparable, he probably compares more to Virtanen than Ehlers, Or a cross between both.

I see what your saying, no one carries a team in playoffs aside from goalies, you get performences here or there where a guy steps up & goes on a stretch of play. But its a team effort to get the goals & the wins as we see with teams like Boston & Anaheim. Though those teams have a variety of players both the PWF's like Ritchie & the high offensive players like Ehlers, along with alot of other things of course.

[Merci]

Blue did have Tarasenko. It’s so easy to point out one player and say we need that. But Gaborik (the scorer) has been invisible in past playoffs, as has Nash (the Power forward)

Who's bostons pure goal scorer? What about the Ducks? Maroon has been a huge asset on that first line. Crosby has one goal. Rene Bourque is even more surprising for the Habs. It’s playoffs and the players with heart and drive to win are the ones who carry their team. It’s not so much a physical trait, but the will to win. Some pure goal scores have it, some don’t and vice versa with power forwards.

I agree, Ehlers has some real talent though and if it's bonafide 40 goal scorer talent I thjink the pick is easy. I have seen a lot of grit from him as a small player.

Let's see how much he really weighs and how tall he is at combine and see.

I think NYI may just take him over Dal Colle anyway

[sting]

lol you guys sound like an auction,

can I get an Ehlers, Ehlers, Ehler,

how about Virtanen, Vitrtanen anyone,

can I get 6 trade down to a 9, trade down to 9

Yeah, can i get a Nylander, Nylander,

9th, pick yeah Kapanen, Kapanen,

How about a 6th pick Ritchie, Ritchie,

Nylander, Ritchie, Virtanen, Ehlers

and sold.

thanks for the laugh man.

I was reading through this absolute craziness thinking that I dont know whos more nuts....me for wasting countless hours reading, the trading forums on hockeys future arguing make believe deals or the basement scouts arguing how they project 17 yr olds.

This is getting hilarious. Carry on scouts.

Btw.....I dont want a small soft euro on my team....lol

[Ihatetomatoes]

Just watched a Calgary Hitmen Vs Saskatoon Blades game and I gotta say I really hope that was just a terrible game from Virtanen.

With Scherbak playing on the other side of the ice it was easy to compare how much impact each player had for his respected team.

The biggest thing I noticed is that all offense flowed through Scherbak, he was always in the right place to get the puck or receive the pass and his teammates used him. When he was on the ice you would always hear his name at least twice a shift. Whereas Virtanen wouldn't be heard from for long periods of the game and even when he was open for a pass his teammates seemed reluctant to use him probably in fear the play would die on his stick. He really does not have great hockey sence playing without the puck.

Once Virtanen is in the open with the puck he does great things but if he can't dominate juniors and really be able to exploit the smaller less talented players and be the focal point for his teams offense like a guy like Scherbak who is supposed to go mid round to even mid 20s, then I'd be really concerned how Virtanen will be able to use his skills to his advantage at the next level. IMO he doesn't have the hockey sense to find the open ice and use his elite speed and shot to his advantage.

Maybe I watched a terrible game of his and will watch more to see but I'm very wary of a Virtanen selection. That being said if a Kesler trade is happening to a team in the later picks of the 1st round I hope its Scherbak we take, he looked incredibly impressive.

[theminister]

If I had to go on personal experience I'd guess Booze.

I was guessing Dunning-Kruger effect but you're probably right.

[TOMapleLaughs]

McKenzie has him at #8.

I don't think any of Virtanen, Ehlers, Ritchie, or Nylander are wild cards at 6, they are very much in the same class & have shown to be interchangeable in many rankings.

Yeah no one is saying he's as good as Drouin, Drouin is one of the better offensive prospects to come along in some time, though Ehlers is bigger than Drouin I will say that.

We will have to agree to disagree on Ehlers I don't see many of the same things you see. I think the "cheating" thing is just partially because he just gets around so quickly, yeah he's an offensive player so there are times where he's going to push for the offense (and he is a winger) but he does have a two-way game thats not a concern of mine. And I don't have the doubts about his game translating because of how dynamic he is.

I don't think Virtanen's skating is as good as Ehlers. He's a great skater, really fast, its not a knock on Virtanen, I just think Ehlers is one of the best skaters to come along in awhile as far as speed.

Virtanen isn't the tallest guy but he's got a great build, and his speed is impressive for being as stocky as he is. I kinda of am opposite to you on the boards/wrap around thing, with his power I wish he wouldn't play the perimeter game so much. Whenever he enters the zone he's looking to shoot off the rush & if thats not there he goes outside & around the perimeter kind of like Raymond used to. (not comparing them as players, just thats a similarity in their game). If he was better at that, and better at making plays he would be my #1 choice probably. If those things can be corrected he could be a really great player. But you can't really teach hockey sense.

I think he will score goals in the NHL, like 20-30 goals seasons regularly, but I don't think he will have high point totals.

Eh Tarasenko isn't the greatest comparable, he probably compares more to Virtanen than Ehlers, Or a cross between both.

I see what your saying, no one carries a team in playoffs aside from goalies, you get performences here or there where a guy steps up & goes on a stretch of play. But its a team effort to get the goals & the wins as we see with teams like Boston & Anaheim. Though those teams have a variety of players both the PWF's like Ritchie & the high offensive players like Ehlers, along with alot of other things of course.

Is Bob your only valid source for rankings or something? Not sure why. The other ones like CSS and ISS are no less worthy.

I'd agree that the top-5 seems to be set, and that's why we're bickering about the rest of the #6 potentials out of boredom. I think Ehlers and Nylander have potential to fall to a more reasonable ranking because of size concerns though.

A lot of those meaningless HF comments you posted mocked Drouin for some reason. But yeah, nobody should be saying that Ehlers is as talented. B ut Ehlers is bigger than Drouin? How? Drouin weighs up to 25lbs more at the moment. He also looks a lot more balanced on his skates. Not as easily knocked over.

If Ehlers has a two-way game I haven't seen it. What I have seen is that he is almost never involved in scrums on the boards, constantly waits for the puck to squirt free and floats around in open ice. Sometimes he pressures the puck carrier in open play, but that's about it. What exactly have you seen to discredit what I've seen?

I think he'll translate his one-dimensional game more effectively on a team that is already stacked with solid two-way players. Re: Gaborik in LA, Kane in Chicago. Both are more skilled and balanced though. Ehlers is not a guy who'll you'll want to depend on to carry a line, let lone team. There are risks in his development and things missing in his all-around game, so his 13th ranking is pretty fair I think.

Virtanen's skating is very good. It's his balance that sets him above Ehlers, rather than his top flight speed, which is still breakaway-level. Speed without balance isn't all that great.

You're confusing his play on the boards as being perimeter when he's actually battling for the puck. He can win those battles where Ehlers cannot. He's also initiating contact where Ehlers will not. Different type of player entirely, and imho more NHL transferable. This is the 'right way to play' that has become an overused phrase in hockey media. Not ducking away from physical play.

Yes, Virtanen is a shooter more than a playmaker, no doubt, but his playmaking isn't all that flawed. He knows what to do in traffic, he's able to do more in traffic and he's more able to create turnovers, which is more useful than button-hooking at the first sign of pressure, leading to a telegraphed turnover pass attempt. There's more to Ehlers' game that reminds me of Raymond than Virtanen's certainly. ie. Ehlers falls down a lot and is a physical no-factor.

If Virtanen is a potential regular 20-30 goal scorer and is a physical force who's willing to battle and play defensively without floating around, then you can see why he's ranked 6th overall in this draft. These players are generally more useful than non-physical, non-elite playmaking wingers in today's NHL.

[elvis15]

Until we get a new GM there's now way of predicting what he would like to do with this team and pick

Technically there hasn't been any way of predicting anything more than what we've already been doing - and there won't be unless we have some factual information to go on for what the Canucks would like to do with their 6th overall pick (or if they move up/down or add to it).

[EagleShield]

I really think Dal Colle will fall to us when another team goes for Ritchie's size or Ehlers' points.

Virtanen is my man if the top 5 go as predicted.

[wshdrvvn]

I was guessing Dunning-Kruger effect but you're probably right.

thank you for giving me something actually interesting to read about lol

[Standing_Tall#37]

I really think Dal Colle will fall to us when another team goes for Ritchie's size or Ehlers' points.Virtanen is my man if the top 5 go as predicted.

I also predict Thatcher Demko may go to Buffalo, Calgary or the NYI. Maybe giving us a selection of Bennett, Drasaitl or Dal Colle, depending on what the other 2-3 teams want(no way Reinhart or Ekblad fall out of the top 3)

[Gstank29]

no way demko is selected that high. maybe in the 10-20 range but diffently not in the top 5

[Standing_Tall#37]

no way demko is selected that high. maybe in the 10-20 range but diffently not in the top 5

that's what many said about Fluery & Price, they went 1st & 5th overall respectively.

[Smashian Kassian]

Is Bob your only valid source for rankings or something? Not sure why. The other ones like CSS and ISS are no less worthy.

I'd agree that the top-5 seems to be set, and that's why we're bickering about the rest of the #6 potentials out of boredom. I think Ehlers and Nylander have potential to fall to a more reasonable ranking because of size concerns though.

A lot of those meaningless HF comments you posted mocked Drouin for some reason. But yeah, nobody should be saying that Ehlers is as talented. B ut Ehlers is bigger than Drouin? How? Drouin weighs up to 25lbs more at the moment. He also looks a lot more balanced on his skates. Not as easily knocked over.

If Ehlers has a two-way game I haven't seen it. What I have seen is that he is almost never involved in scrums on the boards, constantly waits for the puck to squirt free and floats around in open ice. Sometimes he pressures the puck carrier in open play, but that's about it. What exactly have you seen to discredit what I've seen?

I think he'll translate his one-dimensional game more effectively on a team that is already stacked with solid two-way players. Re: Gaborik in LA, Kane in Chicago. Both are more skilled and balanced though. Ehlers is not a guy who'll you'll want to depend on to carry a line, let lone team. There are risks in his development and things missing in his all-around game, so his 13th ranking is pretty fair I think.

Virtanen's skating is very good. It's his balance that sets him above Ehlers, rather than his top flight speed, which is still breakaway-level. Speed without balance isn't all that great.

You're confusing his play on the boards as being perimeter when he's actually battling for the puck. He can win those battles where Ehlers cannot. He's also initiating contact where Ehlers will not. Different type of player entirely, and imho more NHL transferable. This is the 'right way to play' that has become an overused phrase in hockey media. Not ducking away from physical play.

Yes, Virtanen is a shooter more than a playmaker, no doubt, but his playmaking isn't all that flawed. He knows what to do in traffic, he's able to do more in traffic and he's more able to create turnovers, which is more useful than button-hooking at the first sign of pressure, leading to a telegraphed turnover pass attempt. There's more to Ehlers' game that reminds me of Raymond than Virtanen's certainly. ie. Ehlers falls down a lot and is a physical no-factor.

If Virtanen is a potential regular 20-30 goal scorer and is a physical force who's willing to battle and play defensively without floating around, then you can see why he's ranked 6th overall in this draft. These players are generally more useful than non-physical, non-elite playmaking wingers in today's NHL.

Ya most people don't see the same things you have seen with Ehlers. As you can tell as most people have disagreed entirely with most of your assessments of him. But anyways. Might aswell move on from Ehlers. I see where you stand, and I like alot of others don't agree but thats fine. I just don't see why you have to cut down Ehlers to build up Virtanen, but whatever its all good its your opinion.

I don't put stock into any singular rankings, they are all opinion, some have Ehlers at 3, some have him at 11, some have Virtanen at 6, some have him at 10, some have Fleury in the 6-8 range, some have him in between 10-15. Some have Nylander at 5, some 10+. Merely opinion. Don't matter much. Though I will say based on track record I do believe if you were going to put more stock into one ranking above the others I would go with McKenzie.

I'm not confusing anything with Virtanen, its not his board battles & puck retrieval I was talking about. Its his zone entries & what he does with the puck when he has it on his stick as he enters the zone. He will got for a shot high up near the top of the cirlces or skate around the perimeter, I'm not sure what skating or balance has to do with this, and I'm not saying he is lacking in those areas either.

A "perimeter player" is a style of play, not based on your size or skills. Virtanen has the skill to do more with the puck, he just gets tunnel vision when he has it. He can makes great passes when he wants too, but he doesn't look to do things with it enough for my liking, and he often looks off easier plays to do things himself. His combination of tools are outstanding, its just how he uses them that's worry some for me.

And I don't think any player, whether its Virtanen or Ehlers or Ritchie, will be able to carry a team at the next level, so I don't see why your saying that as if its only an issue for one/some of these prospects.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Ya most people don't see the same things you have seen with Ehlers. As you can tell as most people have disagreed entirely with most of your assessments of him. But anyways. Might aswell move on from Ehlers. I see where you stand, and I like alot of others don't agree but thats fine. I just don't see why you have to cut down Ehlers to build up Virtanen, but whatever its all good its your opinion.

I don't put stock into any singular rankings, they are all opinion, some have Ehlers at 3, some have him at 11, some have Virtanen at 6, some have him at 10, some have Fleury in the 6-8 range, some have him in between 10-15. Some have Nylander at 5, some 10+. Merely opinion. Don't matter much. Though I will say based on track record I do believe if you were going to put more stock into one ranking above the others I would go with McKenzie.

I'm not confusing anything with Virtanen, its not his board battles & puck retrieval I was talking about. Its his zone entries & what he does with the puck when he has it on his stick as he enters the zone. He will got for a shot high up near the top of the cirlces or skate around the perimeter, I'm not sure what skating or balance has to do with this, and I'm not saying he is lacking in those areas either.

A "perimeter player" is a style of play, not based on your size or skills. Virtanen has the skill to do more with the puck, he just gets tunnel vision when he has it. He can makes great passes when he wants too, but he doesn't look to do things with it enough for my liking, and he often looks off easier plays to do things himself. His combination of tools are outstanding, its just how he uses them that's worry some for me.

And I don't think any player, whether its Virtanen or Ehlers or Ritchie, will be able to carry a team at the next level, so I don't see why your saying that as if its only an issue for one/some of these prospects.

Actually most scouts concur that he needs to build strength and that will be his main hurdle going forward. My opinions aren't earth-shattering, as it involves just looking at and noting trends that concur with what I've read by many pro scouting reports and reviews that aren't... I dunno... Quite as skewed as what you've read or written, perhaps? You can definitely find some fluff out there that will ignore major concerns about him. You can definitely ignore all negative aspects about any prospect if you so chose. I tend to find the concerns about this one to be major, whereas the concerns about Virtanen are minor.

What is 'zone entry' in relation to player strength, skating balance or battle level? These aspects to his game are coachable, so while Ehlers is busy attempting to redefine his body so he doesn't get shellacked at the pro level, Virtanen will progress in the playmaking/decision making aspects of his game and he'll be a lot further ahead in his development. That being said, he doesn't really have tunnel vision. This is largely misreported. He's cycled well, passed well, hit well, backchecked well and scored well.

I think what can be said about him accurately is that he's inconsistent. If he was more consistent, then he'd be in the top-five for sure. To me there's just far less concern with the kid's NHL transferability. I think that's what the majority of scouts see as well, hence his higher CSS/ISS ranking, which you may or may not choose to ignore.

Anyway, thanks again for providing me with that link so I can at least confirm what I've read and learned already about Ehlers.

Does anyone have similar free links to view OHL and WHL games? How about SEL? For when i'm really bored.

[Hedman]

that's what many said about Fluery & Price, they went 1st & 5th overall respectively.

I really doubt that Demko is top5 material. I guess you could question Pittsburgh for selecting Fleury 1st overall. But Price had a stellar season in his draft year, and both Fleury and Price played way more games than Demko. I also think that there are a few quality goaltenders in this draft. You got Demko, but also guys like Nedeljkovic, Husso and even Jonas Johansson. Demko might be the best goalie of them all, but it would be stupid to "waste" a top5 pick on a goaltender, when you will find a good goalie in the 2nd/3rd round. And even though Demko has been good, he's definitely not top5 worthy, or top10.

[Absent Canuck]

Why have you been getting so rude because I disagree on some points?

You disagree with anything and everyone. You get into arguments with just about anyone. A quit look through your posts shows it

You consistently spin around without ever stating anything. Never standing for anythng .You argue both sides of the conversation and then deny that you ever stood for either position. You then deny and ignore any actions you take and even repackage them as something else.

With all due respect, after all the dust settles, you havent said anything at all. You are a waste of time.

Good luck to you.

[asian player]

I also predict Thatcher Demko may go to Buffalo, Calgary or the NYI. Maybe giving us a selection of Bennett, Drasaitl or Dal Colle, depending on what the other 2-3 teams want(no way Reinhart or Ekblad fall out of the top 3)

they're not taking Demko top 5. If they do want him that badly, they would move down and at least get something out of it

[Absent Canuck]

Ya most people don't see the same things you have seen with Ehlers. As you can tell as most people have disagreed entirely with most of your assessments of him. But anyways. Might aswell move on from Ehlers. I see where you stand, and I like alot of others don't agree but thats fine. I just don't see why you have to cut down Ehlers to build up Virtanen, but whatever its all good its your opinion.

A "perimeter player" is a style of play, not based on your size or skills. Virtanen has the skill to do more with the puck, he just gets tunnel vision when he has it. He can makes great passes when he wants too, but he doesn't look to do things with it enough for my liking, and he often looks off easier plays to do things himself. His combination of tools are outstanding, its just how he uses them that's worry some for me.

Right now I would argue Rick Nash is one of the softest guys in the league and he is 6ft 4 and 220 . Its has nothing to do with size. Brad Marchand is only 5ft 8 and he is one of the best forecheckers in the league.

[Angry Goose]

I'm really torn. I like the size & skill of Virtanen but agree with others that a pure skill can be an excellent pick up moving forward as well as anyone can add physical strength, but that can take a long time as you can't rush physical maturity or proper strength/conditioning.