2021 NHL Entry Draft

[Locke Lamora]

12 minutes ago, Devron44 said:

Imagine a 20 yr old rookie defencemen putting up 69 points in 85 games including playoffs. Coolest thing we’ve seen in this franchise in a long time. But let’s trade him lol

Yep. I’ve seen lots of ridiculousness on this forum over the years, but trading Quinn Hughes away pretty much takes the cake.

 

I don’t think he will ever struggle on the defensive end like he did this past season. He’ll shore things up.

[Devron]

1 minute ago, Locke Lamora said:

Yep. I’ve seen lots of ridiculousness on this forum over the years, but trading Quinn Hughes away pretty much takes the cake.

 

I don’t think he will ever struggle on the defensive end like he did this past season. He’ll shore things up.

Yes we are lucky to have some of these players. I think fans are still getting use to the fact we have these young stars. I remember years of hoping for some young talent. 
 

Quinn Hughes is far from a finished product. 
 

Look at Boeser, he is just starting to round out his game. Becoming a pretty reliable player. Wasn’t long ago he was viewed the way Hughes is now.

[Nucker 67]

The closer we get to this Draft, the less I want Benning to trade the #9. Canucks have a chance to pick up a really skilled player who will provide years of exciting play with Pettersson, Boeser, etc., who won't cost much for the first few years. VAN missed the 1st round last year and that sucked. 

 

 

[ilduce39]

3 minutes ago, NUCKER67 said:

The closer we get to this Draft, the less I want Benning to trade the #9. Canucks have a chance to pick up a really skilled player who will provide years of exciting play with Pettersson, Boeser, etc., who won't cost much for the first few years. VAN missed the 1st round last year and that sucked. 

 

 

I agree. With the salary cap a top 10 pick is pure gold.  Even if they just pan out to be a cost controlled, home grown middle 6 type… there’s a ton of value and flexibility there beyond the player themselves.

[J.I.A.H.N]

32 minutes ago, Devron44 said:

Gotta be some juicy pick in the 3-5th rounds this year with less scouting and playing time 

Fingers crossed!

 

[Putgolzin]

15 minutes ago, Devron44 said:

Yes we are lucky to have some of these players. I think fans are still getting use to the fact we have these young stars. I remember years of hoping for some young talent. 
 

Quinn Hughes is far from a finished product. 
 

Look at Boeser, he is just starting to round out his game. Becoming a pretty reliable player. Wasn’t long ago he was viewed the way Hughes is now.

It wasn’t very many years ago we were looking past the Sedins for one Top 6 forward in our system not named Horvat.

 

[JM_]

3 hours ago, Alflives said:

Partly, but Benn has some serious skill that MacT likely doesn’t have.  

had? 

Edited July 15, 2021 by Jimmy McGill

[HighOnHockey]

Alright well we've talked about the top ten to death. Some of my absolute favorite players for a little later in the draft (little bit higher risk picks):

 

Alexander Kisakov - Was 17 and 140 lbs last year and put up half a point per game. Still under 150 lbs this year, but broke out to finish second in MHL scoring. He's a pure goal-scorer who seems to find great joy in maneuvering with the puck in traffic. First time I watched him I was frustrated with how badly he shies away from puck battles, but then it occurred to me that at his current size he doesn't have a chance to win most battles and he knows it well, and he seems to put himself in good position to support the puck coming out of the battles. He's also really good at sneaking up on guys to steal pucks on the backcheck. Good chance he falls to the third, but the upside might be worth a long look in the second.

 

Aleksi Heimosalmi - Looks like a superstar at times with the way he is able to be deceptive and make forecheckers/defenders miss. There's some highlights out there of him mercilessly breaking ankles. Biggest problem is his first couple step skating power. Great that he can make guys miss, but they need to respect the possibility that he can beat them with his speed too, or else they don't need to bite so hard on the pull-away. Too many times now I've seen him coming out from behind his own net trying to escape a forechecker and he just has trouble getting any separation. Even if he can't quite get the skating figured out, he could still be a valuable asset on the powerplay.I'm being mostly critical because for a minute there after U18s I thought maybe he was a top 15 or 20 prospect. After closer viewing, I'd say late first round at best, and most likely somewhere in the second round. 

 

Ville Koivunen - Tuomaala has been getting some hype since U18s (Button had him early 20s), but I actually like Koivunen quite a bit better. Tuomaala's skills are intriguing for sure, particularly his skating and shooting, but Koivunen's hockey IQ is off the charts. I've talked about my biggest frustration with Eklund is how he's so good at being deceptive with the puck, but just can't seem to figure it out how to be deceptive defensively. In last year's draft Lundell and Raymond were the masters of this, constantly forcing opponents into boxes and making them make mistakes. This year there is nobody better at it than Koivunen. Of course there's a reason he's not ranked top ten though, or probably not even first round. Quite the opposite of Tuomaala, his skating and shooting are his two biggest weaknesses. Skating in particular looks pretty weak. I still think it would be worth taking a chance on him by early second round.

 

Matt Samoskevich - Would have to be considered the safest pick on this list, but also extraordinary upside. That combination makes him the most likely of these four to actually sneak into the first round. I'd put him in the top 5 or 10% of most purely skilled players in the class, but he doesn't like to show it off as much as guys like Lysell or his oft-linemate Coronato. Very high-end skating and stickhandling. Plays a pretty safe, responsible, pro-style game, looking to use his teammates and let plays develop rather than trying to force offense.

[Sp3nny]

1 hour ago, HighOnHockey said:

Alright well we've talked about the top ten to death. Some of my absolute favorite players for a little later in the draft (little bit higher risk picks):

 

Alexander Kisakov - Was 17 and 140 lbs last year and put up half a point per game. Still under 150 lbs this year, but broke out to finish second in MHL scoring. He's a pure goal-scorer who seems to find great joy in maneuvering with the puck in traffic. First time I watched him I was frustrated with how badly he shies away from puck battles, but then it occurred to me that at his current size he doesn't have a chance to win most battles and he knows it well, and he seems to put himself in good position to support the puck coming out of the battles. He's also really good at sneaking up on guys to steal pucks on the backcheck. Good chance he falls to the third, but the upside might be worth a long look in the second.

 

Aleksi Heimosalmi - Looks like a superstar at times with the way he is able to be deceptive and make forecheckers/defenders miss. There's some highlights out there of him mercilessly breaking ankles. Biggest problem is his first couple step skating power. Great that he can make guys miss, but they need to respect the possibility that he can beat them with his speed too, or else they don't need to bite so hard on the pull-away. Too many times now I've seen him coming out from behind his own net trying to escape a forechecker and he just has trouble getting any separation. Even if he can't quite get the skating figured out, he could still be a valuable asset on the powerplay.I'm being mostly critical because for a minute there after U18s I thought maybe he was a top 15 or 20 prospect. After closer viewing, I'd say late first round at best, and most likely somewhere in the second round. 

 

Ville Koivunen - Tuomaala has been getting some hype since U18s (Button had him early 20s), but I actually like Koivunen quite a bit better. Tuomaala's skills are intriguing for sure, particularly his skating and shooting, but Koivunen's hockey IQ is off the charts. I've talked about my biggest frustration with Eklund is how he's so good at being deceptive with the puck, but just can't seem to figure it out how to be deceptive defensively. In last year's draft Lundell and Raymond were the masters of this, constantly forcing opponents into boxes and making them make mistakes. This year there is nobody better at it than Koivunen. Of course there's a reason he's not ranked top ten though, or probably not even first round. Quite the opposite of Tuomaala, his skating and shooting are his two biggest weaknesses. Skating in particular looks pretty weak. I still think it would be worth taking a chance on him by early second round.

 

Matt Samoskevich - Would have to be considered the safest pick on this list, but also extraordinary upside. That combination makes him the most likely of these four to actually sneak into the first round. I'd put him in the top 5 or 10% of most purely skilled players in the class, but he doesn't like to show it off as much as guys like Lysell or his oft-linemate Coronato. Very high-end skating and stickhandling. Plays a pretty safe, responsible, pro-style game, looking to use his teammates and let plays develop rather than trying to force offense.

Won't lie, I have a huge crush on Samoskevich. I haven't actually made a list for myself, but I'm pretty certain he would make my top 15. I just love watching him. He is so shifty on his skates but so smooth at the same time, and he strings together multiple plays so seamlessly. Such a treat to watch. Read some quotes from teammates and coaches, apparently his work ethic and love for the game is second to none. Kid lives and breaths hockey. If we somehow get him at 40, I would be over the moon, similar to when we got Hoglander.

[R3aL]

MATTHEW KNIES

 

i don’t understand how he’s too 15 on this ranking above notably Svechkov, Wallstedt, Lucius.

 

https://hockeyprospect.com/2021-nhl-draft-rankings/
 

his production is flat from his amazing year prior when given a bigger role and being a year older. At this age his numbers should have improved big time like the rest of his peers and first round picks traditionally do. 
 

anyone know why he could be ranked so high here? Is it an USHL bias? Is it his size and rookie year?

 

anyone who knows anything about this kid please weigh in.

 

@HighOnHockey

 

have a pulse on Knies ?

[HighOnHockey]

8 minutes ago, R3aL said:

MATTHEW KNIES

 

i don’t understand how he’s too 15 on this ranking above notably Svechkov, Wallstedt, Lucius.

 

https://hockeyprospect.com/2021-nhl-draft-rankings/
 

his production is flat from his amazing year prior when given a bigger role and being a year older. At this age his numbers should have improved big time like the rest of his peers and first round picks traditionally do. 
 

anyone know why he could be ranked so high here? Is it an USHL bias? Is it his size and rookie year?

 

anyone who knows anything about this kid please weigh in.

 

@HighOnHockey

 

have a pulse on Knies ?

Nah not someone I'm familiar with. I remember Craig Button talking about him very highly around the start of the season. From what I read his combination of size, skating and skills is just hard to pass up. The stagnation in production is a little worrisome for sure. He lost his all-star goal-scoring linemate in Colby Ambrosio from last year, and his assist totals dropped but he scored a couple more himself. Tri-City went from being a bit of a one-line team to deeper and more well-rounded. I dunno if USHL bias is the right way of looking at it; the USHL has been closing the gap on the CHL leagues for years, and I think it is about time to start looking at them as pretty close to equal, certainly at least to the Q.

[HighOnHockey]

I did up a series of junior league rankings a while back, for those not quite sure how to translate stats. I'll put them just in tiers.

 

MHL

OHL/WHL

QMJHL/USHL

Swedish J20

SM Sarja

BCHL - NAHL

OJHL/AJHL

CCHL/SJHL/MJHL

GOJHL/QJAAAHL/NOJHL

[R3aL]

13 hours ago, HighOnHockey said:

Nah not someone I'm familiar with. I remember Craig Button talking about him very highly around the start of the season. From what I read his combination of size, skating and skills is just hard to pass up. The stagnation in production is a little worrisome for sure. He lost his all-star goal-scoring linemate in Colby Ambrosio from last year, and his assist totals dropped but he scored a couple more himself. Tri-City went from being a bit of a one-line team to deeper and more well-rounded. I dunno if USHL bias is the right way of looking at it; the USHL has been closing the gap on the CHL leagues for years, and I think it is about time to start looking at them as pretty close to equal, certainly at least to the Q.

I meant hockey prospect if they were ushl biased. I’m sure certain scouts and sites have different exposure levels to different leagues / countries especially last year.

 

 

thanks for weighing in and sharing all of that I appreciate it!

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[Nucker 67]

Recently read an "expert" saying the Canucks should target Mailloux with the 2nd, so I guess that settles that.

 

Super excited to have Podkolzin join the team next season, which makes me kind of now want Svechkov. He sounds like a  really solid player who has the D game down - something most prospects struggle with. The guy has a big brain I'm guessing, and he's a C that can play wing - versatile. Let's get him.  I imagine Svech would be excited to be joining Podkolzin, and vice versa.

 

 

[Patrik Laine]

37 minutes ago, -Vintage Canuck- said:

 

Sweet! That guarantees we can get him in the second round maybe third! Go for it Jim. And let's be honest 99 percent of guys have done this my wife even shows pics of my tiny thing to her girl friends for a laugh. Not a big deal 

[BPA]

13 minutes ago, Patrik Laine said:

Sweet! That guarantees we can get him in the second round maybe third! Go for it Jim. And let's be honest 99 percent of guys have done this my wife even shows pics of my tiny thing to her girl friends for a laugh. Not a big deal 

It's a big deal since it involves minors.  Unless the girl in the pic is an adult.

[Bertuzzipunch]

How dissapointing was hoping we would draft this guy

[Wolfgang Durst]

55 minutes ago, NUCKER67 said:

Recently read an "expert" saying the Canucks should target Mailloux with the 2nd, so I guess that settles that.

 

Super excited to have Podkolzin join the team next season, which makes me kind of now want Svechkov. He sounds like a  really solid player who has the D game down - something most prospects struggle with. The guy has a big brain I'm guessing, and he's a C that can play wing - versatile. Let's get him.  I imagine Svech would be excited to be joining Podkolzin, and vice versa.

 

 

Logan Mailloux would fit in nicely .... would be complement Jake perfectly...

[Alflives]

2 minutes ago, BPA said:

https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/nhl-draft-prospect-logan-mailloux-faces-uncertain-future-after-criminal-charge-in-sweden/

 

The girl in question was 18yr old at the time.  

 

According to a 48-page investigation report from Sweden’s North Region Polisen, which was obtained by Daily Faceoff, Mailloux secretly photographed the victim without her consent or knowledge while engaging in oral sex.

 

The next day, Mailloux shared the photo in the SK Lejon team group chat on SnapChat during a bus ride to a road game.

 

Not sure if any teams wants scandal related players.

 

 

 

 

Any team drafting this guy better be prepared for the storm coming.