2018 NHL Entry Draft

[Standing_Tall#37]

12 minutes ago, IBatch said:

You bet...Boqvist could follow suit too.  The Hughes brothers should both be incredible players   but I think Karlsson good is a bit much to hope for.   The skating is comparable but the overall skill set not as much.   Hughes has good weight for his size at his age no doubt, if he can add two inches Benning will have done it again.

If Hughes ends up as good as Hutton, we’ll all be licking our chops with excitement around here.

[86Viking]

The draft is over and my 2 cents input is this:

 

Hughes is a heck of a skater and player but he lacks the ideal size for a high end pick and a good hard point shot. Not going to say it was a bad pick but someone like Bouchard or Dobson had the better 2 way game to be a potential future Norris canidate/winner. To me I would have gone that route myself.

 

Hughes if we are lucky will become like Krug, a good D, but I dont think he will carry a team or be a minute munching top pairing heavily relied on D for us. I hope I am wrong but we definitely chose the flashy skilled D.

 

Overall, draft choices were alright, I wish we took Wise but lets see what kind of game Madden has and how much mass he can add. I was perplexed by the tiny Russian selection, did we not have a similar player who weighed 40-50 lbs more in Subban? I would have rather gone after a C from the Kelowna Rockets who never even got drafted in Kyle Topping.

 

Let's see if we get a Gem out of a later pick in a few years. Hopefully Woo can be our new  version of Bieksa. If he can play similar to that then he could be a ncie partner for Hughes or Juolevi down the road.

 

All in all I just truly hope we ADD picks for next draft....1 we need to do that to have more chances at finding future NHLers.

 

Looking forward to being in the stands next June for the draft!!

 

GO Canucks GO!!!

[J.I.A.H.N]

2 hours ago, aGENT said:

 

This poster ^^^ was complaining he won't grow (which is ridiculous IMO) and that if he adds 20 lbs, he will be slower.

 

I noted ^^^^ that Karlsson was 9 lbs lighter and 1 inch taller when drafted and now plays 1 inch taller than drafted and roughly 30lbs heavier. And his (Karlsson) skating is still 'just fine' despite adding  that1 inch and roughly 30 lbs of muscle.

OOOOkay then...I guess I didn't!  But good points!

 

Yeah, a friend of mine's brother was a scrimp in school, then went away and grew about 5 inches, and came back and settled some scores...

One just never knows! lol...…….

[aGENT]

56 minutes ago, IBatch said:

You bet...Boqvist could follow suit too.  The Hughes brothers should both be incredible players   but I think Karlsson good is a bit much to hope for.   The skating is comparable but the overall skill set not as much.   Hughes has good weight for his size at his age no doubt, if he can add two inches Benning will have done it again.

I wasn't making a Karlsson ceiling comparison FWIW (not that I think Hughes will be slouch). Merely illustrating that draft weight and weight in a players prime can vary a LOT. And that 20 (or even 30) lbs of muscle won't actually slow him down. In fact it could actually make him faster. 

[Isam]

25 minutes ago, Canuckster86 said:

The draft is over and my 2 cents input is this:

 

Hughes is a heck of a skater and player but he lacks the ideal size for a high end pick and a good hard point shot. Not going to say it was a bad pick but someone like Bouchard or Dobson had the better 2 way game to be a potential future Norris canidate/winner. To me I would have gone that route myself.

 

Hughes if we are lucky will become like Krug, a good D, but I dont think he will carry a team or be a minute munching top pairing heavily relied on D for us. I hope I am wrong but we definitely chose the flashy skilled D.

 

Overall, draft choices were alright, I wish we took Wise but lets see what kind of game Madden has and how much mass he can add. I was perplexed by the tiny Russian selection, did we not have a similar player who weighed 40-50 lbs more in Subban? I would have rather gone after a C from the Kelowna Rockets who never even got drafted in Kyle Topping.

 

Let's see if we get a Gem out of a later pick in a few years. Hopefully Woo can be our new  version of Bieksa. If he can play similar to that then he could be a ncie partner for Hughes or Juolevi down the road.

 

All in all I just truly hope we ADD picks for next draft....1 we need to do that to have more chances at finding future NHLers.

 

Looking forward to being in the stands next June for the draft!!

 

GO Canucks GO!!!

I doubt that. Kid has better hockey iq then krug or even ghost plus better athleticism then both those players. Get ready for the ride man. It is gonna be bumpy, but fans from other teams are gonna be asking us in how the hell did we draft this kid.

[86Viking]

Just now, Isam said:

I doubt that. Kid has better hockey iq then krug or even ghost plus better athleticism then both those players. Get ready for the ride man. It is gonna be bumpy, but fans from other teams are gonna be asking us in how the hell did we draft this kid.

Hope your right!

[Isam]

1 minute ago, Canuckster86 said:

Hope your right!

Kid is good. People look at height too much and equal it to size. Kid has a crazy base in his legs and hips so he won't be knocked off the puck as much as people think

[86Viking]

14 minutes ago, Isam said:

Kid is good. People look at height too much and equal it to size. Kid has a crazy base in his legs and hips so he won't be knocked off the puck as much as people think

For sure, but how many elite 2 way D are on the "smaller size" they tend to usually have defensive issues because they "can't" handle the larger forwards. 

[Isam]

1 minute ago, Canuckster86 said:

For sure, but how many elite 2 way D are on the "smaller size" they tend to usually have defensive issues because they "can't" handle the larger forwards. 

This kid can handle the big kids. Horvat found that one out

[Gaudette Celly]

Ryan Ellis was drafted at 5'10 and 173lbs.

9 years later he's the same height at 180.

[Isam]

17 minutes ago, Canuckster86 said:

For sure, but how many elite 2 way D are on the "smaller size" they tend to usually have defensive issues because they "can't" handle the larger forwards. 

Spurgeon seems to be fine along with Ellis. You can add karlsson, butcher, and ghost as examples.  But biggggggggggg!!!!!!!! Is important. We have to have the biggest team.

[86Viking]

1 minute ago, Isam said:

Spurgeon seems to be fine along with Ellis. You can add karlsson, butcher, and ghost as examples.  But biggggggggggg!!!!!!!! Is important. We have to have the biggest team.

3 of those players were later round picks, Hughes is the highest drafted of that list. So if he can become bit better than Ellis and not as good as Karlsson that I will be happy with.

 

I will not compare Hughes to Spurgeon, Butcher or Ghost. Much different spot in which they were drafted. Having size is not everything but it is quite important. Especially if you draft a D as high as us and would like to make long playoff runs in the future. Come playoff time, teams will target the smaller F or D, that will never change in my opinion, especially if its 1 of the oppositions key dynamic offensive pieces.

 

I wish Hughes all the best, hope he will succeed with flying colours and we can find him a quality rhd D partner who can be solid in his own end and our team as a whole can protect our highly skilled players regardless of their size

[Isam]

2 minutes ago, Canuckster86 said:

3 of those players were later round picks, Hughes is the highest drafted of that list. So if he can become bit better than Ellis and not as good as Karlsson that I will be happy with.

 

I will not compare Hughes to Spurgeon, Butcher or Ghost. Much different spot in which they were drafted. Having size is not everything but it is quite important. Especially if you draft a D as high as us and would like to make long playoff runs in the future. Come playoff time, teams will target the smaller F or D, that will never change in my opinion, especially if its 1 of the oppositions key dynamic offensive pieces.

 

I wish Hughes all the best, hope he will succeed with flying colours and we can find him a quality rhd D partner who can be solid in his own end and our team as a whole can protect our highly skilled players regardless of their size

Again how many players 6 foot 2 or three fail. Bryan Fogarty is one example 

[Alflives]

10 minutes ago, Canuckster86 said:

3 of those players were later round picks, Hughes is the highest drafted of that list. So if he can become bit better than Ellis and not as good as Karlsson that I will be happy with.

 

I will not compare Hughes to Spurgeon, Butcher or Ghost. Much different spot in which they were drafted. Having size is not everything but it is quite important. Especially if you draft a D as high as us and would like to make long playoff runs in the future. Come playoff time, teams will target the smaller F or D, that will never change in my opinion, especially if its 1 of the oppositions key dynamic offensive pieces.

 

I wish Hughes all the best, hope he will succeed with flying colours and we can find him a quality rhd D partner who can be solid in his own end and our team as a whole can protect our highly skilled players regardless of their size

Hughes is already much better offensively than Ellis.  I suspect Hughes is quicker and turns better than Karlsson already too.  This kid is a unique player.  He skates, and processes the game at hyper speed.  If he plays on our team next season, we are instantly 20 points better.  

[86Viking]

5 minutes ago, Isam said:

Again how many players 6 foot 2 or three fail. Bryan Fogarty is one example 

For sure, but there are unknowns of drafting a D like Hughes this early. End of the day it is up to him to prove he can become a decent defender and maybe improve his shot. Time will tell.

 

Is Hughes committed to College for next year or is there a chance we can sign him and see if he can make the big club out of camp?

[86Viking]

1 minute ago, Alflives said:

Hughes is already much better offensively than Ellis.  I suspect Hughes is quicker and turns better than Karlsson already too.  This kid is a unique player.  He skates, and processes the game at hyper speed.  If he plays on our team next season, we are instantly 20 points better.  

Did Ellis not have one of the best offensive stats of any D drafted in recent memory when he was drafted. Only reason why he wasnt a higher pick was due to his size

[canucklehead44]

On 12/5/2017 at 3:03 PM, canucklehead44 said:

I hope we squeeze into the playoffs and draft WHL Dman Jett Woo. Sportsnet has him ranked 17th. 17 points in 18 games, +19 this year plus one of the best names ever. 

Man he really fell off after I posted this haha

[Alflives]

1 minute ago, Canuckster86 said:

For sure, but there are unknowns of drafting a D like Hughes this early. End of the day it is up to him to prove he can become a decent defender and maybe improve his shot. Time will tell.

 

Is Hughes committed to College for next year or is there a chance we can sign him and see if he can make the big club out of camp?

There is zero risk in Hughes.  He’s a star as soon as he steps on the ice for us.  The risk takers were those choosing Boqvist (concussion and compete concerns; a high ceiling, but a bust floor) Dobson and Bouchard who both have skating issues.  They will both play, having high floors, but they both have low ceilings too. 

[Alflives]

Just now, canucklehead44 said:

Man he really fell off after I posted this haha

Jet Woo had injuries after you posted that.  He’s a steal, where we got him.  He’s a friggin’ tank, who skates great, and has good puck skills.  He is the future rock D man that allows Hughes to play like a rover.  I can’t believe Woo was there for us at #37.  It’s like the hockey Gods were on our side this draft.  Hughes and Woo will be our top pair for a decade.  

[86Viking]

2 minutes ago, Alflives said:

There is zero risk in Hughes.  He’s a star as soon as he steps on the ice for us.  The risk takers were those choosing Boqvist (concussion and compete concerns; a high ceiling, but a bust floor) Dobson and Bouchard who both have skating issues.  They will both play, having high floors, but they both have low ceilings too. 

Okay, I thought Dobson had very good mobility? I know there were some concerns with Bouchard's though, but like Horvat and many others I think you can adjust someones skating. You can't add height or a powerful shot from the point to players.

 

We need almost all of these top picks Hughes, EP, Virtanen, Juolevi to reach their potential. If they can, we stand a chance at becoming a competitive exciting team to watch again. Might become a UFA destination down the road?