2019 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver, BC

[cyoung]

1 minute ago, Canucks Curse said:

JB dropped the hint he had Makar ahead of petey

It was evident that Makar had the skill to possibly be the best player in the draft and still can be (EP wont let that happen though). Patrick played his way out of number 1 and hischier made it hard not to pick.

[Canucks Curse]

Just now, cyoung said:

It was evident that Makar had the skill to possibly be the best player in the draft and still can be (EP wont let that happen though). Patrick played his way out of number 1 and hischier made it hard not to pick.

in a redraft tho Petey goes no 1 for now, heisekinnen no 2, hirschier 3, Makar 4

[spook007]

2 hours ago, theo5789 said:

I can just imagine the reaction on CDC and then Harley becomes the best player of the draft. Not like something like this has happened before!

Spot on.

There is a reason, why Canucks spends huge sums on their scouting system.

It will surely be an interesting draft.

Funny that 3 weeks ago people were disappointed we were only picking 10th, and now there seemingly are so many quality prospects to choose from even at no. 10.

[Smashian Kassian]

2 hours ago, theo5789 said:

I can just imagine the reaction on CDC and then Harley becomes the best player of the draft. Not like something like this has happened before!

I've watched every game Canada's played so far at u18's. In the last game I watched vs the Czechs (still have today's game to watch) Button was pointing out mistakes Harley was making in on broadcast. And he's done it earlier in the tournament too. So its not that he's seeing something amazing that no one else is, he's pointed out the poor plays & the great plays. 

 

Now I think the sentiment with Harley is he's got alot of upside, maybe Thomas Chabot-like. But he's not a complete product yet, he'll be back in junior next year not dominating a men's league.

 

Maybe if he becomes Chabot-like he'll be top 10 or even top 5, but I don't see him ever being the best player from this draft.

 

With Pettersson you could see he had the upside to be among, if not the, best of his class. Same with Hughes (Dahlin aside). 

[Canucks Curse]

Peyton Krebs please

 

[Wolfgang Durst]

Editor’s note: this ranking was put together before the start of the U18 World Championships.

#1 – KAAPO KAKKO

At the top of our April Top 30 we obviously find Kaapo Kakko. Along the last two seasons the Finnish forward has kept further separating himself from the rest of the European-based pack. So much that he’s now deserving consideration to go #1 overall even if Jack Hughes has been living up to expectations.

We won’t have the chance to see them go one against the other at the U18 World Championships because the Finn is busy trying to make the men’s national team to play in the senior World Championships in May, like Patrik Laine did in 2016 when he was chasing Auston Matthews at the top of the rankings ahead of the Entry Draft.

That speaks for the tremendous season Kakko had in the top Finnish league. His ability to control the puck and make plays under pressure is something very few prospects has shown at his age in past years.

 

#2 – VASILI PODKOLZIN

Podkolzin’s numbers may not be alluring for a forward expected to go high in the draft, but all you need to do to appreciate him is watching him play and compete in all situations. It’s hard to find flaws in his game and he is extremely strong on the puck, usually finding a way to keep possession for his team even on tough plays.

Photo: Joel Marklund, Bildbyrån

#3 – MORITZ SEIDER

We think Moritz Seider is the safest bet to be a solid contributor in the NHL out of the pool of defensemen available in Europe this year, that’s why he has been the highest ranked defenseman on our list since last season. In fact, we have been scouting him for three years now and everything we have seen both in terms of capabilities and projection suggests to us he will be at least an NHL top-4 defenseman for a long time.

 

#4 – VILLE HEINOLA

Despite the knee injured suffered at the WJC that sidelined him for more than a month, Heinola kept his steady rise through our rankings going, looking good in our viewings since his comeback.
Heinola can move the puck efficiently and we feel like he has the upside for more in the future. He should be Finland’s number one defenseman at the U18 World Championships.

 

#5 – TOBIAS BJORNFOT

We have always been higher than most on Bjornfot and his recent play has convinced us to put him back in our top 5, where we already had him back in November. He is a defenseman that can already play a complete game and, while not flashy, we think he’s able to contribute in the offensive zone more than he is usually credited for.

Tobias Bjornfot. Photo: Jonas Forsberg, Bildbyrån

#6 – PHILIP BROBERG

Broberg has been a bit living off the explosive performance he had to start the season at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He has yet to display the ability to translate his offensive game when facing higher levels of competition, but with his tremendous skating ability and projectable frame he remains an appealing package.

 

#7 – MICHAL TEPLY

The big Czech winger has had a so-so season and could really use a good showing at the U18 World Championships to boost his chances to be a 1st rounder in June. If he won’t be able to bring in Umea his A game, which we have only occasionally seen so far, he’s more likely to go in the second day of the draft, even if we like his upside enough to still consider him a legitimate 1st -round candidate at this stage.

 

#8 – PAVEL DOROFEYEV

The skilled Russian is another European forward who could be worthy of 1st round consideration. Even if without putting up the numbers on the scoreboard, Dorofeyev has looked better than we expected in KHL games this season, and the ability to score he displayed at the junior level is certainly encouraging for his future.

 

#9 – PATRIK PUISTOLA

We find Puistola to be a very interesting player, even when we catch him in games where he makes several mistakes we keep liking his offensive instincts and long-term potential.

 

#10 – DANIIL MISYUL

One of the main risers since our last release is Russian defenseman Daniil Misyul. We did have him in our pre-season Top 30, but after a good start he didn’t impress enough to move up through our rankings in the fall. That changed with the new year, where he managed to play some games at the KHL level and unexpectedly was able to earn a spot on Lokomotiv KHL team during the playoffs. His performances against that kind of competition have been overall a pleasant surprise.

 

#11 – VICTOR SODERSTROM

This ranking is a mix between the best viewings, where Soderstrom did look worthy of a higher position, and the poor ones where his play wasn’t up to his reputation and skills. We are eager to watch him compete at the U18 World Championships and see what kind of impact he will be able to make on both sides of the puck.

 

#12 – ANTTI TUOMISTO

What last season looked at times like nothing more than a very raw project, this season has been shaping up into a very interesting prospect. Tuomisto is a big right-handed defenseman who is able to move the puck and to fire it from the offensive blueline.

 

#13 – HENRI NIKKANEN

Nikkanen really hasn’t played much this season and after missing months of action in the new year he didn’t manage to make Finland U18 team for the World Championships. While this will hurt his draft stock, we liked him enough in the previous seasons to keep him inside our top 15, while we wait to see how his peers will fare in their most important tournament of the season.

 

#14 – SIMON HOLMSTROM

Another player whose season has been heavily affected by injuries is Swedish winger Simon Holmstrom. When he’s been able to play he hasn’t looked as good as in his best moments last year, and his showing at the U18 World Championships will probably go a long way in determining at what point in the draft NHL teams will feel comfortable about taking a chance on his obvious talent.

 

#15 – NILS HOGLANDER

Hoglander is a small winger who may not possess the pure offensive talent to be a big points producer at the next level, but he managed to contribute for Rogle in the SHL this season and he can play with the intensity needed in competitive contests.

 

[theo5789]

46 minutes ago, Smashian Kassian said:

I've watched every game Canada's played so far at u18's. In the last game I watched vs the Czechs (still have today's game to watch) Button was pointing out mistakes Harley was making in on broadcast. And he's done it earlier in the tournament too. So its not that he's seeing something amazing that no one else is, he's pointed out the poor plays & the great plays. 

 

Now I think the sentiment with Harley is he's got alot of upside, maybe Thomas Chabot-like. But he's not a complete product yet, he'll be back in junior next year not dominating a men's league.

 

Maybe if he becomes Chabot-like he'll be top 10 or even top 5, but I don't see him ever being the best player from this draft.

 

With Pettersson you could see he had the upside to be among, if not the, best of his class. Same with Hughes (Dahlin aside). 

It was more of a funny quip rather than actually expecting him to be the best player in the draft. If we find a top 5 or top 10 player of the draft whole picking at 10, then Benning and crew have done their job. We don't need the best player in the draft (although it would be nice), but we need to get the actual BPA in our draft position.

 

With that said, Button wouldn't just have us picking him out of the blue. He must think there's something to his game that would make him a top 10 pick and have us taking him over some other highly touted guys (unless Button is trolling us). He's made a bit of a leap offensively this year, so if he can round out his game defensively and hopefully have a bit of an edge with his 6'3 frame, he could be a surprise. Button has made some bold predictions that swayed from the general consensus rankings and he's been spot on with a few of those predictions.

[Herberts Vasiljevs]

A Thomas Chabot comparable does sound very enticing I have to admit... Imagine if we had both Hughes and Chabot patrolling our blue line.  It's a pick that would require some patience, but the payoff could be huge.

 

Edited April 26, 2019 by Herberts Vasiljevs

[kenhodgejr]

1 hour ago, Wolfgang Durst said:

Editor’s note: this ranking was put together before the start of the U18 World Championships.

#1 – KAAPO KAKKO

At the top of our April Top 30 we obviously find Kaapo Kakko. Along the last two seasons the Finnish forward has kept further separating himself from the rest of the European-based pack. So much that he’s now deserving consideration to go #1 overall even if Jack Hughes has been living up to expectations.

We won’t have the chance to see them go one against the other at the U18 World Championships because the Finn is busy trying to make the men’s national team to play in the senior World Championships in May, like Patrik Laine did in 2016 when he was chasing Auston Matthews at the top of the rankings ahead of the Entry Draft.

That speaks for the tremendous season Kakko had in the top Finnish league. His ability to control the puck and make plays under pressure is something very few prospects has shown at his age in past years.

 

#2 – VASILI PODKOLZIN

Podkolzin’s numbers may not be alluring for a forward expected to go high in the draft, but all you need to do to appreciate him is watching him play and compete in all situations. It’s hard to find flaws in his game and he is extremely strong on the puck, usually finding a way to keep possession for his team even on tough plays.

Photo: Joel Marklund, Bildbyrån

#3 – MORITZ SEIDER

We think Moritz Seider is the safest bet to be a solid contributor in the NHL out of the pool of defensemen available in Europe this year, that’s why he has been the highest ranked defenseman on our list since last season. In fact, we have been scouting him for three years now and everything we have seen both in terms of capabilities and projection suggests to us he will be at least an NHL top-4 defenseman for a long time.

 

#4 – VILLE HEINOLA

Despite the knee injured suffered at the WJC that sidelined him for more than a month, Heinola kept his steady rise through our rankings going, looking good in our viewings since his comeback.
Heinola can move the puck efficiently and we feel like he has the upside for more in the future. He should be Finland’s number one defenseman at the U18 World Championships.

 

#5 – TOBIAS BJORNFOT

We have always been higher than most on Bjornfot and his recent play has convinced us to put him back in our top 5, where we already had him back in November. He is a defenseman that can already play a complete game and, while not flashy, we think he’s able to contribute in the offensive zone more than he is usually credited for.

Tobias Bjornfot. Photo: Jonas Forsberg, Bildbyrån

#6 – PHILIP BROBERG

Broberg has been a bit living off the explosive performance he had to start the season at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He has yet to display the ability to translate his offensive game when facing higher levels of competition, but with his tremendous skating ability and projectable frame he remains an appealing package.

 

#7 – MICHAL TEPLY

The big Czech winger has had a so-so season and could really use a good showing at the U18 World Championships to boost his chances to be a 1st rounder in June. If he won’t be able to bring in Umea his A game, which we have only occasionally seen so far, he’s more likely to go in the second day of the draft, even if we like his upside enough to still consider him a legitimate 1st -round candidate at this stage.

 

#8 – PAVEL DOROFEYEV

The skilled Russian is another European forward who could be worthy of 1st round consideration. Even if without putting up the numbers on the scoreboard, Dorofeyev has looked better than we expected in KHL games this season, and the ability to score he displayed at the junior level is certainly encouraging for his future.

 

#9 – PATRIK PUISTOLA

We find Puistola to be a very interesting player, even when we catch him in games where he makes several mistakes we keep liking his offensive instincts and long-term potential.

 

#10 – DANIIL MISYUL

One of the main risers since our last release is Russian defenseman Daniil Misyul. We did have him in our pre-season Top 30, but after a good start he didn’t impress enough to move up through our rankings in the fall. That changed with the new year, where he managed to play some games at the KHL level and unexpectedly was able to earn a spot on Lokomotiv KHL team during the playoffs. His performances against that kind of competition have been overall a pleasant surprise.

 

#11 – VICTOR SODERSTROM

This ranking is a mix between the best viewings, where Soderstrom did look worthy of a higher position, and the poor ones where his play wasn’t up to his reputation and skills. We are eager to watch him compete at the U18 World Championships and see what kind of impact he will be able to make on both sides of the puck.

 

#12 – ANTTI TUOMISTO

What last season looked at times like nothing more than a very raw project, this season has been shaping up into a very interesting prospect. Tuomisto is a big right-handed defenseman who is able to move the puck and to fire it from the offensive blueline.

 

#13 – HENRI NIKKANEN

Nikkanen really hasn’t played much this season and after missing months of action in the new year he didn’t manage to make Finland U18 team for the World Championships. While this will hurt his draft stock, we liked him enough in the previous seasons to keep him inside our top 15, while we wait to see how his peers will fare in their most important tournament of the season.

 

#14 – SIMON HOLMSTROM

Another player whose season has been heavily affected by injuries is Swedish winger Simon Holmstrom. When he’s been able to play he hasn’t looked as good as in his best moments last year, and his showing at the U18 World Championships will probably go a long way in determining at what point in the draft NHL teams will feel comfortable about taking a chance on his obvious talent.

 

#15 – NILS HOGLANDER

Hoglander is a small winger who may not possess the pure offensive talent to be a big points producer at the next level, but he managed to contribute for Rogle in the SHL this season and he can play with the intensity needed in competitive contests.

 

This is very very interesting how high Seider is ranked 

 

Bjornfot and Teply sound like good prospects also. 

 

Would be awesome to get them with the first second and third round picks

[Wolfgang Durst]

7 hours ago, kenhodgejr said:

This is very very interesting how high Seider is ranked 

 

Bjornfot and Teply sound like good prospects also. 

 

Would be awesome to get them with the first second and third round picks

Tobias Björnfot was named best defenceman of the swedish Junior League J20. He is playing very well in the Championship Under 18 right now. He should go somewhere in the range 20-30. A couple of pages ago there was a statement that Jim Benning was watching Söderström, Broberg and Björnfot at the World Championship Under 18.

[R3aL]

9 hours ago, theo5789 said:

It was more of a funny quip rather than actually expecting him to be the best player in the draft. If we find a top 5 or top 10 player of the draft whole picking at 10, then Benning and crew have done their job. We don't need the best player in the draft (although it would be nice), but we need to get the actual BPA in our draft position.

 

With that said, Button wouldn't just have us picking him out of the blue. He must think there's something to his game that would make him a top 10 pick and have us taking him over some other highly touted guys (unless Button is trolling us). He's made a bit of a leap offensively this year, so if he can round out his game defensively and hopefully have a bit of an edge with his 6'3 frame, he could be a surprise. Button has made some bold predictions that swayed from the general consensus rankings and he's been spot on with a few of those predictions.

These aren’t his rankings though.

 

his list is how he projects players to be in the future.

 

this is his mock draft who he believes teams will take at their draft spots.

 

example Virtanens year he had him like 40 something or something like that on his ranking list. And he had him going 6th overall to us in his mock draft.

 

to me this says 2 things.

 

1 - he doesn’t do rankings based on what he thinks a team should do

2 - I think he considers what scouts he sees and interest levels he hears from insiders and team reps throughout the year and factors them into his mock. So perhaps the Canucks have a high level of interest in harley?

 

i don’t know I personally want one of these what look to be can’t miss high ceiling forwards that will be available.

 

but if we took Harley I’ll be hoping big time for him to be the next chabot..

[Nucker 67]

16 hours ago, NeilColville said:

The Oilers will ruin anyone they decide to take at 9. Other than McDavid (who would be a 100 pt player no matter  where he went) and Draisaitl, they have continued to ruin good prospects thinking they can play past their development stage. I cringe whenever they pick an exciting player. 

Funny, when they drafted Puljujarvi in 2016, my first thought was "okay, that's it then, the Oilers are going to dominate for the foreseeable future and win a lot of Cups" lol (I wanted the Canucks to get Puljujarvi at the time) 

[R3aL]

3 minutes ago, NUCKER67 said:

Funny, when they drafted Puljujarvi in 2016, my first thought was "okay, that's it then, the Oilers are going to dominate for the foreseeable future and win a lot of Cups" lol (I wanted the Canucks to get Puljujarvi at the time) 

True - but trading eberle  for nothing and the hall trade just crushed them 

[I.Am.Ironman]

I like the sounds of Seider; we could use a Parayko like dman on our blueline. However I think he would be a reach at 10. I'd be open to trading down to get him if JB's forward targets are off the board at that point. IF Seider slides to 20 I'd also be interested in the possibility of a deal around Tanev for a low-mid 20s pick to scoop up Sieder.

[R3aL]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/sportsnets-2019-nhl-draft-prospect-rankings-march/

 

this is also had Harley going to Canucks.

 

taking Harley over Boldy I think would spark some heated discussion among fans. 

 

1 - Cause a lot of us are on the: Boldy Train, I’m on the Boldy/Krebs/Newhook wagon want any one of them

2 - taking a lhd dman that majority of scouts and services have ranked lower than 10 over a high skilled forward will make everyone think of juolevi/Tkachuk 

 

I wont be upset if we take him. at least if we do take Harley we know he’s has a very high ceiling.

 

hea got size, skating, offensive potential and improving in his own end. He compares to chabot and is one of the youngest in the draft class. His production didn’t waiver after the team traded away some top players through the year. I’d make peace with the selection and hope for the best.

 

but it would be really hard to pass on Boldy/Krebs/Newhook or another fallen forward.

[Nucker 67]

11 minutes ago, R3aL said:

True - but trading eberle  for nothing and the hall trade just crushed them 

Trading all of those top prospects/players, they could've rebuilt that team into a contender by now.  

[Nucker 67]

The Canucks need an extra 1st, plain and simple. There are too many good players to choose from, Canucks need a top 6 winger and high end D. My worry is that when October rolls around, we'll be seeing Sutter taking the faceoff with Granlund and Eriksson as his wingers, Tanev on D.  

[Smashian Kassian]

Jake Gardiner would be another Harley comparable for me. Chabot would be if everything goes perfectly. Although I think Chabot was a better prospect.

 

I think Harley has more work to do on the defensive side & limiting turnovers than Chabot. For Chabot it was more about strength. He was viewed as a smart defensive player.

 

When I saw Harley in the prospects game he was a train-wreck. As much as he's got a high ceiling, I don't think he'll be reliable enough to be a top pair D.

 

 

 

 

[Bure_Pavel]

14 minutes ago, NUCKER67 said:

The Canucks need an extra 1st, plain and simple. There are too many good players to choose from, Canucks need a top 6 winger and high end D. My worry is that when October rolls around, we'll be seeing Sutter taking the faceoff with Granlund and Eriksson as his wingers, Tanev on D.  

As long as Granlund and Schaller are gone. Trade Tanev + Sutter at trade deadline unless we sign a top 4 RD, then trade tanev earlier. I think we got Loui for one more year before we can comfortably move him. 

 

Baer - Petey - Boeser

Pearson - Bo - Leivo

Rousell - Gaudette - Virtanen

Eriksson - Beagle - Sutter

Motte

 

Trade Goldobin

 

There is definitly a log jam of mediocre aging third line players taking up roster spots though 

 

[Smashian Kassian]

I don't know what we're going to trade to get an extra first. We don't have many expendable assets. 

 

And if we are able to get one its probably a late 1st. At which point the players are projects, unless someone you really like is falling. 

 

Maybe if we take on a cap dump it could happen, but I doubt this regime has the appetite for that. 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2019 by Smashian Kassian