2017 NHL Draft - Chicago, Illinois June 23-24 2017

[Canucks Curse]

Canucks need to purge big time:

 

miller for a 3rd

hansen for a 1st

burrows for 2nd (salary retained)

Edler for a good young player like Barzal, Carlo, Skeij etc

[manroth19]

Can't we just be greedy and get lucky once?! Win the lotto take Patrick and trade tanev to Toronto for whatever package including their 1st and take foote. 

 

Patrick, boeser, horvat, virtanen up front with oj and foote on the back end is a solid group to lead the next wave. 

 

The depth is getting there with jb's solid drafting but that one stud to lead the fellas would be so huge

[guntrix]

1 hour ago, Warhippy said:

 

 

As has been pointed out and continues to be repeated and parroted in the JUolevi/Virtanen threads.

We can draft or find players in their rookie to +1/+2 years to drive forward offense

 

But having those pure blue chip defensemen takes longer to develop and are almost impossible to trade for.  Picking up 40-65 point forwards isn't as hard as a 19+ minute 35+ point defenseman

History dictates that picking a top pairing defenseman is incredibly hard and a really risky gamble if you're drafting in the top 10, usually in the first round in general. You'd have to pick a prodigy like Doughty, Hedman, Suter, Pietrangelo, Ekblad, Werenski or OEL to end up with a defender that maintains their high draft pedigree. Don't take my word for it, look at our team:

 

Gudbranson, a former third overall, is probably a bottom pairing defenseman given current ability. Sbisa, a former 19 overall, is also a bottom pairing guy on a decent team. Everyone else is no where close.

 

Edler: third round

Tryamkin: third round after being undrafted

Stetcher: undrafted

Tanev: undrafted

Hutton: fifth round

Larsen: fifth round

 

Is this trend coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. Let's look at the top defenders in the NHL:

 

Byfuglien: Round 8

Letang: Round 3

Subban: Round 2

Weber: Round 2

Keith: Round 2

Gostisbehere: Round 3

Campbell: Round 6

Josi: Round 2

Krug: Undrafted

Yandle: Round 4

Klingberg: Round 5

Parayko: Round 3

Giordano: Undrafted

Vlasic: Round 2

 

 

The ones drafted in the first round that were not drafted in the top 10:

 

Burns: 20 OA

Karlsson: 15 OA

Shattenkirk: 14 OA

Seabrook: 14 OA

Green: 29 OA

 

Then there's guys drafted in the top 10 like Nurse, Reinhart, Dumba and Jones who have not been able to reach their projected ceiling. 

 

If we end up drafting in the top 10-15 as expected, I'd just stay away from defenders. Statistically, we have a lower chance of picking someone who fills out their hype as it's probably the hardest position to gauge, possibly more than goalie. There's literally a higher chance we pick a better defenseman in the second round and up. 

Edited February 15, 2017 by guntrix

[manroth19]

Can't have enough stud dmen. They just dominate the game. We've never had that top flight 30 minute a night defencemen. 

 

I hope we snag liljegren if we are picking 3 or later. I know we're hurting for offence but a true top pairing minute munchers hides so many flaws in your team. 

[wellnon]

Ivan Provorov 8OA 

Seth Jones 4OA  

Rasmus Ristolainen 8OA 

Morgan Rielly 5OA 

Hampus Lindholm 6OA

Jacob Trouba 9OA 

Dougie Hamilton 9OA 

All solid dman drafted in the top 10 since 2011 minus some already mentioned above.  Don't think it matters where you pick them as long as you pick the right ones.  

[Sean Monahan]

6 minutes ago, wellnon said:

Ivan Provorov 8OA 

Seth Jones 4OA  

Rasmus Ristolainen 8OA 

Morgan Rielly 5OA 

Hampus Lindholm 6OA

Jacob Trouba 9OA 

Dougie Hamilton 9OA 

All solid dman drafted in the top 10 since 2011 minus some already mentioned above.  Don't think it matters where you pick them as long as you pick the right ones.  

Werenski? Hanifin?

[Warhippy]

1 minute ago, Sean Monahan said:

Werenski? Hanifin?

Sal

I

Vate

 

Cannot ever have enough D prospects 

 

The dream is trading for another pick.  Drafting Liljegren AND Foote then Dahlin next year and stepping back wondering how the **** any team in the league is going to break that defense in front of Demko 

 

A worst case future scenario sees us trading surplus D the same way Seth Jones was.  For top line forwards.

[Odd.]

17 minutes ago, Warhippy said:

Sal

I

Vate

 

Cannot ever have enough D prospects 

 

The dream is trading for another pick.  Drafting Liljegren AND Foote then Dahlin next year and stepping back wondering how the **** any team in the league is going to break that defense in front of Demko 

 

A worst case future scenario sees us trading surplus D the same way Seth Jones was.  For top line forwards.

That would be an expensive d-core in the future.

Edited February 15, 2017 by Odd.

[Outsiders]

We all know there are NHL players to be had in the later round and we also know Benning has the scouting talents to find that hidden gem. However we need to get more picks so Benning can do his job

[Warhippy]

41 minutes ago, Odd. said:

That would be an expensive d-core in the future.

We'd have the best trade chips and deepest blue line in the league.

 

No need to let it get expensive if smart 

[Beary Sweet]

10 hours ago, Warhippy said:

Except Philly couldn't find a goalie to save their life.  We owned the Moniker of "goalie graveyard" for decades but nobody ever piped up about a Flyers team that hasn't had a netminder since Hextall.  Imagine how good that team would be if they had a Miller this season or anyone really.

 

The phrase is offense wins you games, defense wins you championships.  I'd have 0 problems with Liljegren or Foote this year and even Dahlin next year if the opportunity presented itself.

Though Philly may not have goalie that is the same caliber as Hextall, think they may have one in Carter Hart. Yes, he's a Philly pick if I recall. He has the potential to be the heir to Hextall if not better. He lead Canada to the WJC Gold Medal game. He was solid for the most part. Not trying to prove anything but Philly know what they're doing when addressing their goaltending for the future. We on the other hand have very little offensive prospects other than Boeser, Lockwood, Jasek, Gaudette,etc. Who else do we have after that? The rest are question marks. That's why we dearly need Patrick or Hischier. We have enough D depth with Brisebois, Neill, Tram, Olsen, etc. But picking a defenceman isn't a bad idea either. Liljegren would look nice on our collection

Edited February 15, 2017 by Beary Sweet

[Canuck Surfer]

5 hours ago, guntrix said:

History dictates that picking a top pairing defenseman is incredibly hard and a really risky gamble if you're drafting in the top 10, usually in the first round in general. You'd have to pick a prodigy like Doughty, Hedman, Suter, Pietrangelo, Ekblad, Werenski or OEL to end up with a defender that maintains their high draft pedigree. Don't take my word for it, look at our team:

 

Gudbranson, a former third overall, is probably a bottom pairing defenseman given current ability. Sbisa, a former 19 overall, is also a bottom pairing guy on a decent team. Everyone else is no where close.

 

Edler: third round

Tryamkin: third round after being undrafted

Stetcher: undrafted

Tanev: undrafted

Hutton: fifth round

Larsen: fifth round

 

Is this trend coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. Let's look at the top defenders in the NHL:

 

Byfuglien: Round 8

Letang: Round 3

Subban: Round 2

Weber: Round 2

Keith: Round 2

Gostisbehere: Round 3

Campbell: Round 6

Josi: Round 2

Krug: Undrafted

Yandle: Round 4

Klingberg: Round 5

Parayko: Round 3

Giordano: Undrafted

Vlasic: Round 2

 

 

The ones drafted in the first round that were not drafted in the top 10:

 

Burns: 20 OA

Karlsson: 15 OA

Shattenkirk: 14 OA

Seabrook: 14 OA

Green: 29 OA

 

Then there's guys drafted in the top 10 like Nurse, Reinhart, Dumba and Jones who have not been able to reach their projected ceiling. 

 

If we end up drafting in the top 10-15 as expected, I'd just stay away from defenders. Statistically, we have a lower chance of picking someone who fills out their hype as it's probably the hardest position to gauge, possibly more than goalie. There's literally a higher chance we pick a better defenseman in the second round and up. 

At the end of the day the real secret is simply to make a consistent habit of drafting D.  Partly because there is risk.  Nobody knows 100% how a guy will react to NHL speed and pressure?  But you can mitigate risk with good scouting.  Here are the three biggest pillars, just my opinion (and everybody please, chime in), when drafting D;

 

> Poise with the puck!

> Speed

> Athletic ability

 

Yes the electric agility and puck handling of Eric Karlsson is desirable. But more commonly its a priority in a forward.  Take it when you can get it.  I could have put in size?  But strength is (can be anyway) a component of athletic ability.  I'll take size if you have the above three. But guys can go to the gym. See Brisbois who went 3rd round because he was 167 lbs his draft year. And looking a great pick. Or a massive shot? Ultimately the team will also need 2 or 4 guys who contribute these other features... Guys picked early in the first round probably have the fundamentals above, plus difference making skills. That's what should differentiate an early pick. But the first three are non negotiable. 

 

Draft guys with something exciting, hell several things, but no poise, and you end up with Cody Franson. Or Mathieu Schneider. (I might be being too harsh here to make a point.)  And the mistakes are made when guys like Luke Schenn don't actually have big time NHL speed.

 

A guy with close out speed, who can cut down angles and track down pucks is paramount.  If they have the ice in their nerves? Will make a play under pressure, when they reach the puck while a huge hit is coming, it also routinely exits our zone. And we head up ice to play offense. That poise is the hardest to teach.  

 

But yes, a guy who gets the puck out of his zone 50% more often should get noticed by scouts. As does a guy who does not bail under a heavy fore check. Competes to win pucks.

[guntrix]

3 hours ago, wellnon said:

Ivan Provorov 8OA 

Seth Jones 4OA  

Rasmus Ristolainen 8OA 

Morgan Rielly 5OA 

Hampus Lindholm 6OA

Jacob Trouba 9OA 

Dougie Hamilton 9OA 

All solid dman drafted in the top 10 since 2011 minus some already mentioned above.  Don't think it matters where you pick them as long as you pick the right ones.  

Not sure if it's good or bad that we can count them on two hands... Some of the ones mentioned in my prior post were drafted before 2011.

 

I think it's pertinent to point out that the better defenders in a draft class usually come out of nowhere, unlike forwards whose talent can be targeted straight out of their amateur careers.

[Canuck Surfer]

10 hours ago, Warhippy said:

Except Philly couldn't find a goalie to save their life.  We owned the Moniker of "goalie graveyard" for decades but nobody ever piped up about a Flyers team that hasn't had a netminder since Hextall.  Imagine how good that team would be if they had a Miller this season or anyone really.

 

The phrase is offense wins you games, defense wins you championships.  I'd have 0 problems with Liljegren or Foote this year and even Dahlin next year if the opportunity presented itself.

Arggh, 2 minutes late.  Beary had a good response above.  Stolarz will likely be in Philly next year & Lyons is a decent college UFA pick up.  They have goalies coming.

 

But Philly is just now working its way into being defensively solid. And its starting with Provorov. At one point I think they had 6 hot shot, most acquired via expensive trade or UFA, left handed D.  Plus Luke Schenn.  LOL. hot Swiss Cheese.

 

Some of their goaltending woes, actually a lot, related to guys like Mark Streit, Del Zotto or Streit, despite some offensive skill, simply coughing up the puck too much in their end. 

 

But Morin, Sanheim, Hague and Myers all will most likely make their way to the NHL and join Provorov.  Philly decided to start drafting D, and are also doing their hard yards developing them.

[Derp...]

Not getting the love, but should be ERIK BRÄNNSTRÖM

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=255167

http://thehockeywriters.com/erik-brannstrom-let-him-entertain-you/

Erik Brannstrom: Let Him Entertain YouPROSPECTS
FEBRUARY 8TH, 2017  David Carlsson DAVID CARLSSON

We all love to debate draft prospects and player rankings prior to the NHL Entry Draft. But, there are always a number of promising young players who fall out of the discussion.

From Sweden, Timothy Liljegren, Lias Andersson and Elias Pettersson are anticipated to get picked within the first half of the first round this year. Rightfully so; they are all extremely talented and will be huge assets to their respective NHL teams in the future. In the shadow of their spotlight, however, is Erik Brannstrom who isn’t receiving as much attention as he should. My intention is to change that.

Brannstrom, a defenseman born in 1999, has been one of the most impactful young players in the Swedish Hockey League this season. Growing in confidence for team HV71, he has logged an average ice-time of almost 14 minutes per game over twelve SHL games in 2017. In total, he’s played 28 games this season, adding one goal and four assists to his point total.

Think Kimmo Timonen
When you’re watching Brannstrom play, the first name that comes to mind is Kimmo Timonen, the Finnish defenseman who retired in 2015 after 16 seasons in the NHL. In his career, he totalled 1108 games and 571 points, representing Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, and Chicago Blackhawks.

 

You know, that Kimmo Timonen.
I would say that Brannstrom’s and Timonen’s most similar features, well, apart from their small frames – Brannstrom is 5’11” and Timonen 5’10” – is their ability to control the tempo of a game.

Much like Timonen, Brannstrom is categorized as an offensive defenseman in terms of point production and, more significantly, setting up his teammates, and remaining constantly active and available for passes. Also, he’s gifted with a sense of finding creative and smart solutions. Isn’t that what you want from a D-man these days?

 

 

Possible Bargain
Competing for attention with Timothy Liljegren, known as “the next Drew Doughty” of Sweden, Brannstrom is quite low in the draft prospect rankings thus far. Judging from the consensus ranking along with The Hockey Writers’ very own Ryan Pike’s alternate ranking, he is likely to get picked in the late first round or early second.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Brannstrom as a second round pick would be a bargain. Almost a steal! Remember this when you see him play in the World Junior Championships next year. He will be a key player for Sweden by then.

 

Yes, that’s all him. Number 17.

It will be exciting to see which NHL team lands Brannstrom’s rights at the draft. What team would want a player like him?

The answer is all of them.

ALSO:

Edited February 15, 2017 by Derp...

[Sean Monahan]

If he's available when we pick in the 2nd round I'd jump all over it.

[Derp...]

25 minutes ago, Sean Monahan said:

If he's available when we pick in the 2nd round I'd jump all over it.

Benning was just watching the 5 Nations tourny in Europe, Brannstrom had 3 goals and 1 assist in 4 games played. Good for third in the tourny for D men. His team only scored 14 goals compared to USA with 21. The 2 dmen ahead of him both played on the USA team.
 

Hughes, Quinn (2018 draft, October Bday)
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=201671

Knoepke, Nate (2017 draft, 6'3 April Bday)
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=300088
 

Keep an eye out for these guys, and Josh Norris who led the tourney in scoring and has put up good numbers in the USDP. Will be joinging Will Lockwood at Michigan next year too. 
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=273954
 

 

[Nucker 67]

As of today, the Canucks are sitting in the 8th spot (draft position), and Eeli is slotted at 8th overall. I'm not sure of his ability yet, so I'll need to watch some video at least. He's got decent numbers, but it's also how they describe him as a player. Canucks will need a LW down the road, and one who can score. Maybe he's the guy?

 

Tolvanen - Horvat - Boeser

 

Eeli Tolvanen's Player Profile

ISS Hockey - Oct. 11th: "BU commit who can score at every level. Potential top scorer in draft class. Pro shot."

Jeff Marek of Sportsnet - October 4th: "Such an exciting player. Tolvanen has the ability to bring fans out of their seats. Was drafted by the OHL’s Oshawa Generals but is heading to Boston College."

Bob McKenzie of TSN - Sept. 22nd: "The Finnish winger is a pure sniper -- with an NHL shot and NHL release -- who has the tools to be the best pure scorer in this draft. Tolvanen is starting his second season with Sioux City of the USHL and has committed to Boston College for next season. At a shade under six feet, he isn't big but he is strong enough to get to where he needs to in order to score goals."

Craig Button of TSN - Sept. 22nd: "He has high-end offensive ability. He can score in multiple ways - off the one-timer, off the deke, off the rush and in the heavy areas around the net. He projects as an elite scoring winger."

Kelly Friesen of Buzzing The Net - July 28th: "Tolvanen, who is committed to Boston College for the 2017-18 season, left Finland to join the USHL as a 16 year old this past season. He managed to muster 17 goals and 38 points in 49 games as a rookie."

Central Scouting's Troy Dumville on NHL.com - June 25th: "Tolvanen is a solid skater in all directions, is creative and has good puck skills."

[funkyfresh]

Don't mind taking a dman in first round but I would pick at least Heiskanen, Jokiharju, and Makar before Foote.

 

He already has trouble handling the puck against teenagers and is an awkward skater. Watching Johansen last year, I could see the NHL potential, but Foote has a few question marks. He gets into battles in front of net but just kind of wrestles with players instead of trying to actually move them. He has trouble controlling gaps. There are moments where he is just a quarter of a second behind the play. Also, most importantly, could use some urgency and competitiveness in his play with the puck. Personally, I see Alex Edler, without as good of a defensive game, as his ceiling. A #3 dman, if all goes well. 

[Smashian Kassian]

Elias Pettersson is intriguing. 6'2, PPG in the SHL. Seems to be a very smart player.