Bure_Pavel Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 3 hours ago, Warhippy said: Edit** Posted in another thread, think it is viable here as well Everything I've seen of Patrick shows him to be a shoot first player. His passes are not playmaking material it is getting the puck off of his stick. he is a large body and drives the net down the gut or ala Raymond from the wings. We had Kesler for a decade. If you didn't watch the way he plays that isn't my fault. There are very strong similiarities there. He is currently where he is due to the lack of what is perceived high end talent in this draft. Being a center doesn't hurt either. Liljegren is not #1 for the same reasons Patrick is. D is not sexy, forwards are. Forwards are almost universally taken before D. See the last decade of drafting anyone not named Ekblad (who was taken by Tallon because Tallon knows what a need is not a want like Edmonton) the very fact Patrick hasn't slid is very very questionable given his injury now and over the last 4 years. Every season he has long term injuries and while he may be young that raises serious questions about his viability or the potential for future complications as he ages. Drafting the future sami salo at center 1st overall is not a sexy idea knowing he's going to miss 25-40 games a season LIljegren is out with mono I believe and would never be taken first and could very well Seth Jones his way out of the top 3 due to his position and illness. Hischier is climbing and could very easily supplant Patrick (rightfully should) based on his amazing play and his ability to go from draft to AHL. Strong WJC showings by Vilardi, Middlestadt, Hischier should be mroe than enough to bump Patrick out of 1st overall. But then there's bias. The fact so many people ignore the failings of Patrick who doesn't have dynamic speed, skating or passing ability and still want to jump on him at #1 isn't cause for concern. Unless their name is Benning and they are holding the 1st overall pick. But even then I would expect Benning to take Liljegren/Hischier or trade down and enjoy a massive return. Not exactly Sami Salo, he played all 72 games last year and another 21 playoffs on his way to playoff MVP for the WHL. It is a tough honor to win especially in your -1 draft year. Some other previous winners of WHL playoff MVP include Shea Weber, Tyler Johnson, Tyler Myers, and Leon Draisaitl. The last player we drafted that won Playoff MVP in their junior league was Bo Horvat and that was in his draft year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhippy Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 2 minutes ago, Bure_Pavel said: Not exactly Sami Salo, he played all 72 games last year and another 21 playoffs on his way to playoff MVP for the WHL. It is a tough honor to win especially in your -1 draft year. Some other previous winners of WHL playoff MVP include Shea Weber, Tyler Johnson, Tyler Myers, and Leon Draisaitl. The last player we drafted that won Playoff MVP in their junior league was Bo Horvat and that was in his draft year. (struggling to recall his name) weather wise I believe (?) posted a pretty long article regarding his injury history recently that is worth a long look Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhippy Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Someone with more insight, can you shine some light on Cale Makar? RHD out of Alberta right now that is really starting to generate some attention http://www.tsn.ca/creating-nhl-draft-buzz-at-the-world-jr-a-challenge-1.630129 In an NHL draft year that has been decidedly absent of buzz, Cale Makar, we thank you. The 18-year-old right-shot defenceman who plays for the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League made a statement of sorts on Sunday night, when he scored two goals and five points to lead Canada West to a 6-2 win over Switzerland in the World Junior A Challenge in Bonnyville, Alta. The stands were filled with NHL scouts, who came away mightily impressed with the offensive defenceman, even though it was clear the Swiss did not provide a stern test. No sooner had Makar put his WJAC tournament record five points in the ban ...than I received a couple of text messages from NHL scouts in Bonnyville. "Makar should be in Blainville, not Bonnyville," was the message. Blainville, Que., is the site of Canada's national junior team selection camp for the 2017 World Junior Championship. At least a couple of NHL scouts believed Makar's effort signified worthiness to be amongst the top 10 Under-20 defenceman in Canada trying out for seven spots on Team Canada. "He should be there," another scout said. "He would be the Canadians' best defenceman for the World Junior Championship." It's not as if Makar has come out of nowhere. The graduate of Calgary midget hockey took the Junior A level by storm last season. Makar was named AJHL Rookie of the Year and AJHL (South Division) all-star. He helped lead the Bandits not only to the AJHL championship but to the RBC Cup national Junior A championship, where he was named the tourney's top defenceman and top scorer. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound blueliner is committed to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst for next season. Born on Oct. 30 -- he's already turned 18 -- Makar missed being eligible for last year's draft by a month-and-a-half. This season, based on his strong play in the AJHL and last night's scintillating performance, he's been rocketing up the NHL draft charts. For some NHL teams, he's emerged as the top Canadian defenceman eligible for this year's draft, ahead of Kelowna Rocket Cal Foote (son of ex-NHLer Adam was born in the U.S but will eventually get Canadian status from IIHF) and Mississauga Steelhead Nic Hague. Both are projected as potential first-round picks in this year's draft. "(Makar) has skill that could make him best defenceman in North America for the draft," another NHL scout said. Another scout, while acknowledging the weakness of competition last night, said Makar's performance was the best he'd seen from any player at any level this year. As for Team Canada and its ongoing tryouts in Blainville, Hockey Canada brass were cognizant on Monday of the buzz generated by Makar and the increasingly popular theory he should be in Blainville, not Bonnyville. By no means is Hockey Canada unaware of Makar and did give some consideration to him this season. He's almost certain to be invited to the Under-20 national junior team summer camp this August, but not one draft-eligible defenceman is amongst the 10 in Blainville, trying out for Team Canada. Foote likely would have been invited had the IIHF approved his status as a Canadian. Many scouts I talked to on Monday said they don't disagree with the Hockey Canada assessment as far as the WJC is concerned, but it's by no means unanimous. "He's a great prospect," a scout said. "That doesn't automatically make him a great player for U-20." "Outside of playing in last year's World Junior A Challenge and this year's event, he's only played Jr. A in Alberta," another scout said. "He's a gifted offensive defenceman but he hasn't shown any ability to play without the puck against high-end competition. That would be an incredible step up for him." That sterner test for Makar will come tonight. Canada West faces Russia at 9:30 p.m. ET in Bonnyville. Russia's lineup includes potential top 2018 NHL draft prospect Andrei Svechnikov. "Let's see how he fares against the Russians before we get too excited," another NHL scout said. If Makar shines against Russia, there's no telling how many text messages will be sent from Bonnyville to Blainville on Tuesday. In any case, Makar has established himself amongst the top defencemen for this year's draft and created a whole lot of buzz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blömqvist Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 On 12/12/2016 at 11:00 AM, TheHockeyNerds said: Hockey prospects Dec rankings https://www.hockeyprospect.com/2017-nhl-draft-rankings/ Those rankings though. 1. Patrick 2. Hischier 3. Pettersson 4. Mittelstadt 5. Villardi 6. Necas 7. Liljegren 8. Tolvanen 9. Kostin 10. Foote The first 6 picks being all centres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blömqvist Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Nico Hischier's rankings #1 on McKeen's #2 on HockeyProspect #3 on Jeff Marek's Sportsnet list #3 on LastWordOnSports #5 on Craig Button's list #8 on ISS 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rush17 Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 23 minutes ago, Blömqvist said: Nico Hischier's rankings #1 on McKeen's #2 on HockeyProspect #3 on Jeff Marek's Sportsnet list #3 on LastWordOnSports #5 on Craig Button's list #8 on ISS interesting. do u know where tolvanen roughly on those lists? I'm really big on tolvi. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blömqvist Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Yo this is dam good advertising. I want Hischier now 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blömqvist Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Rush17 said: interesting. do u know where tolvanen roughly on those lists? I'm really big on tolvi. No I saw that ranking compilation on HFBoards. I will update this post for Tolvanen though! Eeli Tolvanen #8 on McKeen's #8 on HockeyProspect #4 on Jeff Marek's Sportsnet List #8 on LastWordOnSports #3 on Craig Button's List #9 on ISS In order for Tolvanen, #3 on Craig Button's List #4 on Jeff Marek's Sportsnet List #8 on LastWordOnSports #8 on McKeen's #8 on HockeyProspect #9 on ISS The earliest list was McKeen's which was released Nov 18. All other lists are more recent. SOURCE: http://www.mynhldraft.com/2017-draft/2017-nhl-draft-rankings Edited December 14, 2016 by Blömqvist 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rush17 Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 6 minutes ago, Blömqvist said: No I saw that ranking compilation on HFBoards. I will update this post for Tolvanen though! Eeli Tolvanen x on McKeen's x on HockeyProspect x on Jeff Marek's Sportsnet List x on LastWordOnSports x on Craig Button's List x on ISS thanks so much. I really appreciate the research :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rush17 Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 9 minutes ago, Blömqvist said: Yo this is dam good advertising. I want Hischier now oh isn't this the kid who was a huge drouin or ehlers fan? joined the same program? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blömqvist Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 31 minutes ago, Rush17 said: interesting. do u know where tolvanen roughly on those lists? I'm really big on tolvi. No worries! I'm really interested in how Tolvanen will do at this year's WJC. Finland had a good team last year with Laine, Puljujarvi, Aho as well as Rantanen and Kapanen up front I think. This year a lot of them have graduated into the pro leagues and I'm not sure how they'll do. Hopefully Juolevi will be a calming presence and move the puck effectively up ice. And we'll see if Juolevi and Tolvanen will connect lots on the powerplay to utilize Tolvanen's shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rush17 Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 1 hour ago, Blömqvist said: No worries! I'm really interested in how Tolvanen will do at this year's WJC. Finland had a good team last year with Laine, Puljujarvi, Aho as well as Rantanen and Kapanen up front I think. This year a lot of them have graduated into the pro leagues and I'm not sure how they'll do. Hopefully Juolevi will be a calming presence and move the puck effectively up ice. And we'll see if Juolevi and Tolvanen will connect lots on the powerplay to utilize Tolvanen's shot. Yeah I am excited for both Canada and Finland. I really want to see Juolevi and Tolvi in action. Boeser I know is gonna be a stud so I'm less interested. but im sure he will excel! Hope Juolevi keeps up the pace to remove any doubt from peoples mind. so pumped!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phat Fingers Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 16 hours ago, Bure_Pavel said: Not exactly Sami Salo, he played all 72 games last year and another 21 playoffs on his way to playoff MVP for the WHL. It is a tough honor to win especially in your -1 draft year. Some other previous winners of WHL playoff MVP include Shea Weber, Tyler Johnson, Tyler Myers, and Leon Draisaitl. The last player we drafted that won Playoff MVP in their junior league was Bo Horvat and that was in his draft year. Having Sami Salo back in Vancouver would be awesome!!! That was the beginning of the end when he left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberz21 Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 (edited) Problem with Liljegren playing in the SweHL is, it's really hard to compare with his peers. He could turn out to be a Erik Karlsson or Oliver Kylington/Gustav Forsling. Even for Matthews and Laine playing in the Swiss & Finnish League it was hard comparing them to CHL and NCAA players. The difference is they were both dominating men's league and the World Juniors, which warranted picking them #1&2. Of course this year's draft doesn't have the same high end talent. I haven't seen Liljegren played but looking at his stats in the SweHL, it is pretty average. I wouldn't expect domination like Laine and Matthews because he is a defenseman, but I was expecting better stats when I saw people looking at him for #1 overall. He would need a monster WJHC and a better 2nd half in the SweHL to be considered in the top 3 IMO. This is going to be the most wide open top 10 ever I believe. Usually, we can predict the top 5-10 pretty accurately with maybe 1 surprise, but this year I doubt anyone can predict more than 3 players in the right order. Edited December 14, 2016 by timberz21 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronic.Canuck Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 7 hours ago, timberz21 said: This is going to be the most wide open top 10 ever I believe. Usually, we can predict the top 5-10 pretty accurately with maybe 1 surprise, but this year I doubt anyone can predict more than 3 players in the right order. I definitely think you're right about that. With players like Hischier ragdolling their way up the rankings and injuries/illnesses to the pre-season consensus top two in Patrick and Liljegren, not to mention the organizational needs of some of the teams likely picking top ten, we could see some real good players still available beyond #5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bure_Pavel Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 (edited) Im really hoping we end up with a top 4 pick and snag one of Patrick, Hischier, Vilardi, or Liljegren! I think there is a good chance they all become top line players or top pairing defencemen. Edited December 14, 2016 by Bure_Pavel 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathew Barzal Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 Hate to be that guy but reading the discussion on HFboards apparently the 2018 draft is ridiculously stacked. I hope we sell for picks in that draft!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KKnight Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 2 hours ago, Mathew Barzal said: Hate to be that guy but reading the discussion on HFboards apparently the 2018 draft is ridiculously stacked. I hope we sell for picks in that draft!! Velano Dahlen Svechnikov Merkley McLeod Bokvist MacDonald Definitely some real high end talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd. Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 Hopefully we can get a mid 1st round pick and select Comtois. Was supposed to be a top 5 pick coming into this year but has struggled. Still though, he's very talented. Could be a huge steal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canucklehead80 Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 Forgive me if this has been discussed, but if we stay in the top 4, I'd have to think that we probably draft a centre. Patrick was the #1 pick going into this season. Injury has hurt is stock. Hischier has rocketed up the ranks. Vilardi has had a productive start as well. Has anyone watched these guys and how do these 3 guys compare to each other and who would be the best fit as a Canuck? Patrick was my guy going in. Didn't know much about him, except what I could find on him and his great numbers in the WHL at a youngster. He's already got great size, and going to get bigger. Would Mittelstadt possibly jump into the top 3 centres? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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