6th Pick: 2014 NHL Entry Draft

[S N Y P E R S 7]

Nikolaj Ehlers.

I've said it all along.

Now that the Electric Ehl has started to light up the playoffs, ONLY NOW are people listening to me.

"Too Small"
"Wimp"
"Bust"
"Terrible Pick"
Now who's looking foolish!? >:D

[Warhippy]

Nikolaj Ehlers.

I've said it all along.

Now that the Electric Ehl has started to light up the playoffs, ONLY NOW are people listening to me.

"Too Small"

"Wimp"

"Bust"

"Terrible Pick"

Now who's looking foolish!? > :D

The guy who is basically regurgitating the same name endlessly?

[Warhippy]

Draft Lottery Standings

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?id=115803

Current Draft Order Rank Team % of Winning Points Games Remaining ROW

1

Buffalo Sabres

25.0

49

8

14

2

Edmonton Oilers

18.8

61

8

23

3

Florida Panthers

14.2

62

7

19

4

New York Islanders*

10.7

68

8

22

5

Calgary Flames

8.1

69

8

25

6

Carolina Hurricanes

6.2

74

8

31

7

Ottawa Senators**

4.7

74

9

26

9

Winnipeg Jets

3.6

75

7

27

8

Nashville Predators

2.7

75

7

31

10

New Jersey Devils***

2.1

77

8

31

11

Vancouver Canucks

1.5

79

6

29

12

Toronto Maple Leafs

1.1

80

6

27

13

Washington Capitals

0.8

80

8

25

14

Dallas Stars

0.5

83

8

33

% Of Winning - represents the chance the team had of winning the draft lottery.

* - The New York Islanders must surrender either their 2014 or 2015 first-round draft pick to the Buffalo Sabres as part of the trade that sent Thomas Vanek to New York.

** - The Senators' first-round pick is property of the Anaheim Ducks, who acquired it in a trade for Bobby Ryan to Ottawa.

*** - The New Jersey Devils will receive the 30th overall pick regardless of their final standing as penalty for cap circumvention in signing Ilya Kovalchuk.

[TheHitman]

if its for a center like Mcdavid it would make more sense to package Gaunce. Also we should trade shinkaruk before we trade Jensen. Out of all our prospects Shinkaruk is the biggest potential bust. not saying he will be a bust he just has the most potential to be one.

Trading Gaunce for McDavid would defeat the purpose. The whole point would be to reunite that hyper-productive chemistry from the OHL with Gaunce-McDavid-Fox. I would keep Shinkaruk over Jensen only because he's more aggressive and has a better shot.

[thad]

There will be absolutely no trading for the Mcdavid pick. The team that holds first overall next year will not give that up if you offered 6 Bo Horvats, let alone gaunce and a couple firsts.

[Merci]

Ritchie with 3 points and a +3 as the Petes force game 7.

[TheHitman]

There will be absolutely no trading for the Mcdavid pick. The team that holds first overall next year will not give that up if you offered 6 Bo Horvats, let alone gaunce and a couple firsts.

Everyone has a price.

[Niloc009]

Everyone has a price.

CMD has been hyped to Crosby-esque levels of excitement. And rightfully so. He seems like a franchise changing player, and I don't think many teams are going to give up a chance at that. Especially not the basement teams.

So while every player has a price, that price is so incredibly high that nobody will pay it. And even if someone does, the team holding the pick won't take it.

[Disaronno]

There will be absolutely no trading for the Mcdavid pick. The team that holds first overall next year will not give that up if you offered 6 Bo Horvats, let alone gaunce and a couple firsts.

Everyone has a price.

If Edmonton is in the bottom 10 again next year, which I think they will be, they have the necessary pieces to make an offer to draft McDavid.

It would be pretty hard to turn down an offer involving the following:

Jordan Eberle + Nail Yakupov + Darnell Nurse + 1st in 2015 [Top 10 Pick]

Edmonton would be set down the middle for the next decade and potentially have one of the most exciting players in since Crosby.

2015-2016 Oilers Top 6

Taylor Hall - Connor McDavid - [uFA Signing/Acquisition]

David Perron - Nugent-Hopkins - [uFA Signing/Acquisition]

[TheHitman]

Of course the Nucks could just tank and come in last.

[Derp...]

How have the first round of playoffs changed peoples perspectives on who to draft??

Dal Colle is rising in my books

Bennett falling

Reinhart pushing for number 1

Ekblad was steady

Drasaitl holding around that 5-6 spot

Virtanen falling hard.

Perlini falling

Ritchie holding

Ehlers rising.

McCann rising

Ho-Sang falling

Nylander holding top 10 spot.

Cornel rising

Lemieux rising

Honka disappearing

Barbashev rising a bit.

Kapanen Rising?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuxPO4fWoWA

[thad]

If Edmonton is in the bottom 10 again next year, which I think they will be, they have the necessary pieces to make an offer to draft McDavid.

It would be pretty hard to turn down an offer involving the following:

Jordan Eberle + Nail Yakupov + Darnell Nurse + 1st in 2015 [Top 10 Pick]

Edmonton would be set down the middle for the next decade and potentially have one of the most exciting players in since Crosby.

2015-2016 Oilers Top 6

Taylor Hall - Connor McDavid - [uFA Signing/Acquisition]

David Perron - Nugent-Hopkins - [uFA Signing/Acquisition]

That wouldn't be worth it for them. They're going to get a pretty damn good centre this year if they don't win the lottery. Mcdavid is great but he's not Gretzky. Highly doubt they trade most of their rebuild for 1 player.

[Merci]

McDavid isn't even that amazing, His team is stacked with Brown, Gaunce, and Fox.

all over agers.

I'd rather have Reinhart for the Vancouver connection and him and Bo Horvat as leaders from now on.

[thad]

Ritchie with 3 points and a +3 as the Petes force game 7.

I think he'd be a beauty pick. The toughness in our top six would be off the charts in a few years. Him and Kassian on the first and second lines would give guys like shinkaruk a major confidence boost to play bigger than they are.

Once we draft Mcdavid haha

Ritchie Mcdavid Kassian

Don't even look at him lol

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

So we have picks in rounds 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 currently (we traded the 4th rounder to Carolina).

Wondering if the Canucks should look at picking Oshawa's Hunter Smith with their 3rd rounder (if he's still available)?

He's been predicted to go around the 4th round (was ranked #140 in the NA midterms). But that was also before he scored 2G, 8A, 10 points in the first round of the 2014 OHL playoffs (and before he earned OHL Player of the Week honours for March 17-23).

I'd assume he's rising pretty fast right now.

He's also gotten a lot of looks from the scouts watching Dal Colle all season.

He has very good chemistry with Cole Cassels. The Dal Colle-Cassels-Smith line has been an effective combo for Oshawa for much of the 2013-14 OHL season.

He also placed 3rd this year on the OHL's "most improved player" coaches poll (Eastern Conference).

For those not familiar with Smith, he's an absolute beast physically. He's usually listed at 6'6" and 210 lbs (but I've heard that he's gotten even bigger this year and is now up to 6'8" and more than 220 lbs--plus he looks to be still growing!). He was draft eligible in 2013 but was passed over. So considered an "overager" but he also has a late birthday (September 11, 1995), although given his physical gifts (he was already 6'5" at age 15), it's not like he was lagging behind earlier born players in size/strength.

From what I've heard (and the limited game video I've seen myself), his skating isn't bad. Some have even said it's pretty good, especially given his size, and that he has no problems closing gaps and keeping up to the speed of play (at least at the OHL level).

Smith did close to nothing offensively until this season (and he had zeros across the board in the 2012 and 2013 playoffs). To be fair, Smith's 2012-13 season was one that was marred by injuries and when he did get to play, he didn't get the best icetime or opportunities (especially given the players ahead of him in the lineup--which was something that also effected Cassels' production that season).

Here are Smith's OHL stats:

2011-12: 15 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 point, -6, 19 PIM

2012-13: 30 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 point, -5, 22 PIM

2013-14: 64 GP, 16 G, 24 A, 40 points, +11, 100 PIM

He also wasn't really much of a physical presence (at least what you'd expect from his size) until this season. However, 2013-14 has seen Smith earn some real "heavyweight cred" in the OHL with his 7 fights, including a few spirited bouts against some pretty tough players (where he's held his own quite well).

Here's Hunter Smith versus Kurtis MacDermid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFDOepzIK44

He's also upped his hitting game significantly and has finished some crushing bodychecks this season. Unfortunately, most of the Youtube video focuses on an incident that earned Smith an unwarranted charging call (plus game misconduct) for this hit on Yazkov:

Even though he's always been one of the biggest players on the ice, Smith's really been something of a late bloomer, both in his offensive game and in his physical play.

I've heard some people suggest that Smith won't make it past the 2nd round. Others think he's still a 4th round or later pick, even with his strong playoff performance (to date).

What do people think? Is the connection to Cassels, plus the potential of a guy with Smith's physical gifts (who can also play the game), enough of a motivator to spend one of this year's earlier picks (ie: the Canucks' 3rd) on a guy who'll likely be a "project" (if he makes the NHL at all)?

Here's a quote from one of the better articles on Smith's improvement (including a pretty good scouting report from his coach):

"He's a team-first guy that works on his game every day," said head coach D.J. Smith. "I think personally he might be the most improved player in our league. Coming from last year where he didn't play to being a major part of one of our top lines, (playing on the) power play.

"As well, he's probably one of the toughest guys in the league. He's a guy I'm sure NHL teams are looking at."

And that statement probably best exemplifies how far Smith's game has come in the past two seasons. A second-round draft choice, 39th overall, by Windsor in 2011, Smith appeared in just 15 games as a rookie, scoring once. Acquired by the Generals just prior to the 2012 season in a trade that included former General Emerson Clark and some draft picks, Smith played 30 games last season, registering just one assist. In his defense, an injury after being cut by a skate kept him out of the lineup for significant time.

This season his play has stoked the interest of some NHL scouts, and he was ranked 140th at the midterm. The recognition has helped his confidence.

"I've taken massive strides in my game," he said. "That just came from hard work in the summer. It's kind of humbling just being on that list. I definitely appreciate just being on there."

* * * * *

"I have to own the front of the net every night," he said of playing his game. "I'm such a big body that a lot of D aren't going to be able to control me out there. I have to use my size to my advantage every opportunity I get.

"We work on that in practice everyday, burying pucks in there tight. It was nice to see it translate on to the ice."

http://www.durhamregion.com/sports-story/4326848-hunter-smith-has-come-a-long-way-with-oshawa-generals/

[Warhippy]

So we have picks in rounds 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 currently (we traded the 4th rounder to Carolina).

Wondering if the Canucks should look at picking Oshawa's Hunter Smith with their 3rd rounder (if he's still available)?

He's been predicted to go around the 4th round (was ranked #140 in the NA midterms). But that was also before he scored 2G, 8A, 10 points in the first round of the 2014 OHL playoffs (and before he earned OHL Player of the Week honours for March 17-23).

I'd assume he's rising pretty fast right now.

He's also gotten a lot of looks from the scouts watching Dal Colle all season.

He has very good chemistry with Cole Cassels. The Dal Colle-Cassels-Smith line has been an effective combo for Oshawa for much of the 2013-14 OHL season.

He also placed 3rd this year on the OHL's "most improved player" coaches poll (Eastern Conference).

For those not familiar with Smith, he's an absolute beast physically. He's usually listed at 6'6" and 210 lbs (but I've heard that he's gotten even bigger this year and is now up to 6'8" and more than 220 lbs--plus he looks to be still growing!). He was draft eligible in 2013 but was passed over. So considered an "overager" but he also has a late birthday (September 11, 1995), although given his physical gifts (he was already 6'5" at age 15), it's not like he was lagging behind earlier born players in size/strength.

From what I've heard (and the limited game video I've seen myself), his skating isn't bad. Some have even said it's pretty good, especially given his size, and that he has no problems closing gaps and keeping up to the speed of play (at least at the OHL level).

Smith did close to nothing offensively until this season (and he had zeros across the board in the 2012 and 2013 playoffs). To be fair, Smith's 2012-13 season was one that was marred by injuries and when he did get to play, he didn't get the best icetime or opportunities (especially given the players ahead of him in the lineup--which was something that also effected Cassels' production that season).

Here are Smith's OHL stats:

2011-12: 15 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 point, -6, 19 PIM

2012-13: 30 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 point, -5, 22 PIM

2013-14: 64 GP, 16 G, 24 A, 40 points, +11, 100 PIM

He also wasn't really much of a physical presence (at least what you'd expect from his size) until this season. However, 2013-14 has seen Smith earn some real "heavyweight cred" in the OHL with his 7 fights, including a few spirited bouts against some pretty tough players (where he's held his own quite well).

Here's Hunter Smith versus Kurtis MacDermid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFDOepzIK44

He's also upped his hitting game significantly and has finished some crushing bodychecks this season. Unfortunately, most of the Youtube video focuses on an incident that earned Smith an unwarranted charging call (plus game misconduct) for this hit on Yazkov:

Even though he's always been one of the biggest players on the ice, Smith's really been something of a late bloomer, both in his offensive game and in his physical play.

I've heard some people suggest that Smith won't make it past the 2nd round. Others think he's still a 4th round or later pick, even with his strong playoff performance (to date).

What do people think? Is the connection to Cassels, plus the potential of a guy with Smith's physical gifts (who can also play the game), enough of a motivator to spend one of this year's earlier picks (ie: the Canucks' 3rd) on a guy who'll likely be a "project" (if he makes the NHL at all)?

Here's a quote from one of the better articles on Smith's improvement (including a pretty good scouting report from his coach):

http://www.durhamregion.com/sports-story/4326848-hunter-smith-has-come-a-long-way-with-oshawa-generals/

That was a charging call and a game?

Jesus...he must already play for the canucks if that's what he got, might as well draft him

[canucklax]

Smith seems to be this year's Alex Mallet. Went undrafted last year, big guy who can put up points simply because he's bigger than the 16 and 17 year old kids he's playing against.

Mallet had several scrub seasons in the Q before "breaking out" and now he's barely a 4th line AHL'er. If he's taken in the 4th or later thats fine but he is not a top 90 prospect in this draft

[A Lack of Eddie]

McDavid isn't even that amazing, His team is stacked with Brown, Gaunce, and Fox.

all over agers.

I'd rather have Reinhart for the Vancouver connection and him and Bo Horvat as leaders from now on.

If we could put together a deal that would have whoever was drafting in a position to take Reinhart (top 4 I'd imagine) for something like our 2014 + 2015 1st round picks ++ and draft Reinhart or screw over Edmonton and move higher to take Ekblad?

I think any pick of Ekblad, Reinhart, Draisaitl, or Dal-colle + Horvat would be greater combo than a low chance of getting Mcdavid or do you think giving up the 2015 1st would be a bad idea?

[canucklax]

If we could put together a deal that would have whoever was drafting in a position to take Reinhart (top 4 I'd imagine) for something like our 2014 + 2015 1st round picks ++ and draft Reinhart or screw over Edmonton and move higher to take Ekblad?

I think any pick of Ekblad, Reinhart, Draisaitl, or Dal-colle + Horvat would be greater combo than a low chance of getting Mcdavid or do you think giving up the 2015 1st would be a bad idea?

2015 is stacked even if Mcdavid is excluded. Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin and Oliver Kylington could all be franchise defining players.Matt Barzal, Travis Koneceny,Ryan Pilon, Rasmus Andersson, Pavel Zacha and Jeremy Roy could all end up as first line forwards or defenders.

[73 Percent]

2015 is stacked even if Mcdavid is excluded. Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin and Oliver Kylington could all be franchise defining players.Matt Barzal, Travis Koneceny,Ryan Pilon, Rasmus Andersson, Pavel Zacha and Jeremy Roy could all end up as first line forwards or defenders.

well hopefully we suck next season too. or better yet acquire a 1st rounder in a kesler or edler trade.