HighOnHockey Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 (edited) 43 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said: thats a really interesting point. This is certainly where interviews come into play, also coach-ability, work ethic, family history, and how coaches view them in a teams leadership group would be really important. And then just good old gut feel/eye test of experienced hockey people. And then just plain old luck. I think there are certain important points you can look for in the way they play too. One is the ability to make plays in limited time and space. Things happen faster and faster at the AHL and then NHL level and there is very limited space to operate. Byfield is a great example of the negative side of this in my opinion. So much size and skill but big question marks around his ability to read and react with a high-end NHL pace. And this has often been an issue for Swedes especially, who would excel on the big ice but have trouble adapting to small ice in North America. McTavish this year and Rodion Amirov last year are the other end of the spectrum, guys with maybe not the highest skill levels, but they get a big bump from me for the ability to make plays in tight down low. The other biggest factor I look for as far as projecting is players who can play a responsible defensive and possession game first but also create offense out of that. Guys like Lysell, Perfetti, Johnson are immensely skilled players, but take a lot of risks to create offense. They will need/ have needed to make significant adjustments once they turn pro, and especially in the NHL, or they're going to have trouble earning ice time. Samu Tuomaala and Jean-Luc Foudy I worry about the other way: very highly skilled, but they spend too much time just cycling on the perimeter, and I'm not sure how well they know how to create offense toward the net. Chris Tierney is a great example of this in the NHL, or the Islander's fourth line is the prototype, although for them it is by design, with Cizikas, Martin , Cutterbuck happy to just grind it out down low but rarely create scoring chances. Lucas Raymond, Marco Rossi, William Eklund, Fyodor Svechov are in that sweet spot, where they take care of the puck first, but still manage to create offense. Raymond compared to Holtz at World Juniors was a perfect example. When Sweden was down in close games, Holtz was throwing it away trying to force offense, but Raymond just stuck the script, played the right way, and managed to find opportunities to create offense. Edited July 5, 2021 by HighOnHockey 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.I.A.H.N Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 @HighOnHockey What is your thoughts in comparing these 3 players 1. McTavish 2. Svechkov 3. Raty I like 200 ft players, and I get the sense that all 3 of these guys are. But what is the distance between them? Certainly they will fall in and around the same area of the draft, or do they? Certainly McTavish is talked about as having a higher end. But with this draft and its rankings being so loose, I just don't know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BPA Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 Looking at a few mock drafts. One had us getting Hughes. Honestly after the top 3, it's a crap shoot for the rest. My useless predictions... 1. BUF - Eklund 2. SEA - Bernier 3. ANA - Powers 4. NJ - Hughes 5. CBJ - McTavish 6. DET - Guenther 7. SJ - Wallstedt 8. LA - Clarke 9. VAN - Johnson 10. OTT - Edvinsson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.I.A.H.N Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 (edited) Another thought or rather question for all to ponder.......... When JB is saying he has 9 players he likes..............is he talking about A ) the top 9 players in the draft or B ) the 4 or 5 players directly above and below the #9 pick? Edited July 5, 2021 by janisahockeynut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighOnHockey Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 2 minutes ago, janisahockeynut said: Another thought or rather question for all to ponder.......... When JB is saying he has 9 players he likes..............is he talking about A ) the top 9 players in the draft or B ) the 4 or 5 players directly above and below the #9 pick? i think folks are taking this too seriously. I think it was nothing more than rhetoric. We have the 9th pick and there are at least 9 players we like, so we're definitely going to get a player we like. 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.I.A.H.N Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 @HighOnHockey Here is another one for you, I have not been able to wrap my head around I get that if a Russian player is ranked 1/2, he generally stays there, or very close to there But I am seeing a trend of the lower players being down graded a bit I wonder how Swedes, Finns, Canadian's, Americans, and even German's are getting continuously ranked in mass higher than Russians.......I get the Russian factor Which leads me to ask myself, if Pods drops to #10 in his draft Would Svechkov be ranked higher if not Russian? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertuzzipunch Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 1 hour ago, HighOnHockey said: Nope. He was already 196 at U17s. I had the same criticism at that time. He was a bull there, able to physically impose his will all over the ice. He's added a legit high-end playmaking element to his game. I still think there is definitely something to the point you're making, but lets just make sure we're straight about the facts. Also imposed his will as a kid 16 yr old rookie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighOnHockey Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 8 minutes ago, janisahockeynut said: @HighOnHockey What is your thoughts in comparing these 3 players 1. McTavish 2. Svechkov 3. Raty I like 200 ft players, and I get the sense that all 3 of these guys are. But what is the distance between them? Certainly they will fall in and around the same area of the draft, or do they? Certainly McTavish is talked about as having a higher end. But with this draft and its rankings being so loose, I just don't know? I don't know much about Raty to be honest. From what little I've seen I have major concerns about his IQ, and particularly his ability to make those plays in the high-danger scoring areas. McTavish and Svechkov are very close for me. More comes down to the style of player you're looking for, and the "Russian factor". Both are pretty safe bets to be top six forwards. Neither has superstar offensive upside, but I think both project to be big-time playoff performers - with Svechkov we've already seen it repeatedly in big games at international tournaments, with McTavish it's just the way he plays and is built; I see a lot of Claude Lemieux in him, but without the same bite. Absolute ceilings I'd say McTavish is something around Jeff Carter, and Svechkov is in the ballpark of Logan Couture or Igor Larionov (at least what I remember Larionov as, when he was in the NHL and past his prime, perhaps he was more of a superstar when he was on the KLM line). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herberts Vasiljevs Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 @HighOnHockey who do you think Anaheim takes at 3? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighOnHockey Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 (edited) 19 minutes ago, janisahockeynut said: @HighOnHockey Here is another one for you, I have not been able to wrap my head around I get that if a Russian player is ranked 1/2, he generally stays there, or very close to there But I am seeing a trend of the lower players being down graded a bit I wonder how Swedes, Finns, Canadian's, Americans, and even German's are getting continuously ranked in mass higher than Russians.......I get the Russian factor Which leads me to ask myself, if Pods drops to #10 in his draft Would Svechkov be ranked higher if not Russian? Yeah it was pretty baffling to me to see how low Amirov and Mukhamadullin were ranked in particular last year. I mean, Russia win so many of the international youth tournaments, yet they don't have any of the best players in their age group? Seems suspicious. But with that said I totally get it from an NHL team's perspective. If they're not a clear cut all-star, it is all too easy to just go back to Russia if you're not getting the opportunity you think you deserve. Burmistrov and Grigorenko are perfect examples of Russians who went high and weren't home runs but would have at least been solid NHL players but keep going back to Russia. Even players who are all-stars like Radulov and Kaprizov proved to be major headaches for the teams that drafted them. No doubt in my mind Svechkov will fall at the draft from where he should go based on his talent, but I think he's good enough that some team will still take the chance on him by around 15. Edited July 5, 2021 by HighOnHockey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nucker 67 Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 31 minutes ago, janisahockeynut said: Another thought or rather question for all to ponder.......... When JB is saying he has 9 players he likes..............is he talking about A ) the top 9 players in the draft or B ) the 4 or 5 players directly above and below the #9 pick? I think Benning actually said they have 9 players they like and will get a good player at #9 ?? That could also mean by way of trade I hope one of the 9 players is Landeskog lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeanSeanBean Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 42 minutes ago, BPA said: Looking at a few mock drafts. One had us getting Hughes. Honestly after the top 3, it's a crap shoot for the rest. My useless predictions... 1. BUF - Eklund 2. SEA - Bernier 3. ANA - Powers 4. NJ - Hughes 5. CBJ - McTavish 6. DET - Guenther 7. SJ - Wallstedt 8. LA - Clarke 9. VAN - Johnson 10. OTT - Edvinsson Why would you say something so controversial, yet so brave? I agree with you that Eklund will be the best player from the draft. I don't have him going 1st overall, but I think when things are said and done he should. I have him at 3 myself with Buffalo take Beniers and Powers going 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighOnHockey Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 1 hour ago, Herberts Vasiljevs said: @HighOnHockey who do you think Anaheim takes at 3? Lol, just let me look at my magic 8 ball. Throughout Murray's tenure they've gone mostly from CHL or SHL with high picks. After adding Bruce Franklin as director of player evaluation they went a new direction and took Zegras out of NTDP. Lundestrom and Larsson aren't looking like quite the home run picks Hampus Lindholm was, and with how good Zegras is looking, my guess would be they're going to start leaning more on Franklin and the U.S. group. But also their last two high picks have emphasized two things: elite offensive hockey sense and skating agility. So Clarke and Eklund would seem like great fits, and also maybe Luke Hughes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YearoftheNuck Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 3 hours ago, Gawdzukes said: Yeah, I don't like the extra asset route. Like a trade always try to get the best player. Trading down for a 20% chance at a mediocre player isn't worth possibly missing out on a genuine player in the first place. And like you said. If he likes 9 players we are in the perfect spot to guarantee a player we want. I completely agree with this. It’s different in the NFL where you can trade down and have a very good idea what you’re getting in the later rounds because those prospects are 20/21 years old. The later rounds in NHL are way more difficult to assess with the 17/18 year old NHL prospects. Rounds 1 and 2 are where there is much more certainty, so trading down even a few spots to pick up say a 3rd and 5th is not a good idea in my opinion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nucker 67 Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 Johnson - Pettersson - Hoglander Hughes - Rathbone Too much smallish skill? or would they be like the Harlem Globetrotters on ice 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locke Lamora Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 Just hope the goalie is picked ahead of us so that makes one extra skater available to us. Bit concerned that Johnson might also be the hard gainer string bean body like EP. Don’t want too many of those in my opinion. Mctavish (or Clarke) is really what I want most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BPA Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 2 hours ago, shayster007 said: Why would you say something so controversial, yet so brave? I agree with you that Eklund will be the best player from the draft. I don't have him going 1st overall, but I think when things are said and done he should. I have him at 3 myself with Buffalo take Beniers and Powers going 2. Meh. Just cuz recent reports of BUF interviewing Eklund multiple times already. Only reason why I chose Eklund. Also if Eichel stays, then they don't need a #1C. If they trade Eichel, they'll get a #1C young prospect in return. Don't think they want Powers since they got Dahlin already. So why not choose a top notch scorer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM_ Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 3 hours ago, HighOnHockey said: I think there are certain important points you can look for in the way they play too. One is the ability to make plays in limited time and space. Things happen faster and faster at the AHL and then NHL level and there is very limited space to operate. Byfield is a great example of the negative side of this in my opinion. So much size and skill but big question marks around his ability to read and react with a high-end NHL pace. And this has often been an issue for Swedes especially, who would excel on the big ice but have trouble adapting to small ice in North America. McTavish this year and Rodion Amirov last year are the other end of the spectrum, guys with maybe not the highest skill levels, but they get a big bump from me for the ability to make plays in tight down low. The other biggest factor I look for as far as projecting is players who can play a responsible defensive and possession game first but also create offense out of that. Guys like Lysell, Perfetti, Johnson are immensely skilled players, but take a lot of risks to create offense. They will need/ have needed to make significant adjustments once they turn pro, and especially in the NHL, or they're going to have trouble earning ice time. Samu Tuomaala and Jean-Luc Foudy I worry about the other way: very highly skilled, but they spend too much time just cycling on the perimeter, and I'm not sure how well they know how to create offense toward the net. Chris Tierney is a great example of this in the NHL, or the Islander's fourth line is the prototype, although for them it is by design, with Cizikas, Martin , Cutterbuck happy to just grind it out down low but rarely create scoring chances. Lucas Raymond, Marco Rossi, William Eklund, Fyodor Svechov are in that sweet spot, where they take care of the puck first, but still manage to create offense. Raymond compared to Holtz at World Juniors was a perfect example. When Sweden was down in close games, Holtz was throwing it away trying to force offense, but Raymond just stuck the script, played the right way, and managed to find opportunities to create offense. so in terms of being good with limited time and space, who's our best F choice in the 1st round in your view? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 @Jimmy McGill Eklund is the guy we want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM_ Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 Just now, Alflives said: @Jimmy McGill Eklund is the guy we want. what about after him tho, I suspect he doesn't fall to 9. In my limited experience/view I see McTavish as the guy we need that might be there at 9. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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