[Proposal] Canucks NHL draft 2021 options

[therodigy]

Greetings all

 

With the NHL draft around the corner, I thought I would consolidate my drafting ideas into my own thread. This exercise is based on the notion that there are no picks being moved. With that said, I will include my opinions on what we could select in the missing rounds should the Canucks trade into those respective rounds.

 

Before I provide my drafting analysis, I wanted to quickly provide my opinion of the Canucks overall depth chart and prospect pool. Here are my determinations based on positions.

 

Centre: The team's centre depth is pretty lackluster after Pettersson, Horvat, and Dickinson. Beagle is likely the 4th line centre, pending an upgrade via trade or free agency, and Focht is the only signed centre prospect in the system. The newly acquired Wouters in Abbotsford is a start, but hardly moves the needle. Costmar may be a good 4th line centre, but has yet to be signed. The Canucks need help at Centre moving forward.

 

Left Wing: With the Acquisition of Dickinson, J.T. Miller can now be moved back up to LW1. After him, however, you have middle 6 depth (arguably) in Pearson and Motte, Roussel (who I think will either be traded or sent down to Abbostford for cap relief) and Highmore, depending on which side he plays. In the system, Gadjovich has one more year to prove he can bring his skating on to par, and the newly signed Plasek gets to show what he can do on North American Ice. McDonough is showing bottom 6 potential so reinforcements may be incoming, providing he signs after his college season. With that said, the left side is a bit barren, and some addition left wing depth will be required, hopefully in time to assist in replacing Miller and Pearson if they reach free agency.

 

Right Wing: Right side depth on the main roster is actually quite good, with Boeser, Höglander, Podkolzin, MacEwen, and Highmore (if he plays that side). Lockwood's decent first year makes losing Lind a little less painful, but losing Jasek to the European leagues hurt. There will be a need for right side depth in future years.

 

Defense: This is the weakest position on both the main roster and in the system. The only defensive prospect signed on for the Canucks next season is Jett Woo. Juolevi will likely be resigned, but may not make it through waivers for much needed development time. Rafferty and Chatfield are 99% likely to go to market. Persson has showed some promise, but will be at least another year before signing to play in Abbotsford. Jurmo had an underwhelming year, and may need at least another two years before signing. If Owen Power decides to return to Michigan, Truscott will have a hard time breaking into the top 6 with Luke Hughes starting up in September. The cupboards need stacking fast!

 

Goaltending: The strongest depth position in my opinion. Demko is the new bona-fide starter who just requires a cheap, experienced backup (provided Holtby is moved). DiPietro is the likely starter in Abbotsford, with backuo duties provided by Silovs. If Kielly is resigned, the Canucks will have 5 signed goaltenders. That said, drafting a goaltender with one of the late round picks may be warranted.

 

And now without further ado:

 

9th overall: Get the best player available. Due to the similar level of prospects between 2- 12, the Canucks are in the enviable position where all they have to do is wait. Based purely on where they are ranked, I would say draft one of either Kent Johnson or Mason McTavish. Johnson is a creative playmaker centre who dominated the BCHL in years past, and maintained a point per game pace in the NCAA playing on the wing. McTavish is a strong centre who had a strong U18 tournament and was one of the highest 1st round risers in the draft. I hesitate to consider Brandt Clarke due to the fact that we already have a strong offensive defenseman in Quinn Hughes. In the highly unlikely event one of Will Eklund or Matty Beniers falls to 9, however, they need to be selected.

 

In the end, I selected Kent Johnson. I envision Johnson being NHL ready by the 2022-2023 and can either centre the 4th line in an sheltered offensive role, provided desperately needed scoring, or on the wing with Horvat to provide him some playmaking help. Over time, I can see Johnson centering the 2nd line with Hoglander and Podkolzin, pushing Horvat to the 1st between Pettersson and Boeser.

 

40th overall: Best player available once again. Scott Morrow is a likely no Brainer selection, seeing how he is a RHD with offensive prowess. There are rumoured questions as to his character, however. Other options include undersized Jack Peart (LHD), playmaking two-way winger Artyon Martino (LW), Hard working scorer Chase Stillman, power forward Simon Robertsson (RW) and flashy grinder Red Savage (C). Obviously, any fallers from the first round, like Carson Ceulemans, Danill Chayka, and Oskar Olausson should be prioritized (in this order).

 

In the end, I secure the left side and select Artyom Martino as I believe he has the potential to displace Pearson within 3 years, providing middle 6 depth and penalty killing.

 

136th overall: Defense, Defense, Defense. There may be plenty available in the 5th round, including BC native Graham Sward, London Knight Bryce Montgomery (likely gone by the 4th), hard hitting Jake Martin, and physical defenseman Guillaume Richard. 

 

Due to the glaring need for right handed defenseman, I select Jake Martin. He's an ideal match-up style defenseman who specializes in closing in on rushing forwards. 

 

139th overall: See 136th overall.

 

I select left handed defenseman Graham Sward. He is a solid two-way player with a solid pass. He had an impressive 16 year old season with Spokane, followed by a somewhat lackluster season. It is very likely that he falls to the 5th round. Also, he's from Abbotsford. Feel free to form an opinion.

 

168th Overall: Time to make Ian Clarke happy and draft a Goalie. Admittedly, I know very little about goaltenders so this one is the least researched. 

 

Based purely on stats, ranking, and the fact that he's played relatively well in the KHL, I select Alexei Kolosov

 

177th Overall: Time to look at the right side. Standouts include grinding winger Carson Latimer, Overager Simon Knak, and Two Way Forward Jake Chiasson. If the undersized (5'8, 150 lbs) Jackson Blake is still available, he would be my selection based on potential alone.

 

Alas, I go with Carson Latimer due to his motor, physicality, and defensive sense. Yes, he is from Surrey. Chiasson is from Abbotsford. 

 

200th Overall: If Erik Gudbranson was selected in the 7th round, he'd be an absolute steal. My criteria for this pick is big and defensive.

 

Enter Benjamin Roger. London Knight right-handed defenseman who is 6'4, 200 lbs. Bob McKenzie had him ranked at around the 90 mark, but others have him listed anywhere from 130 - 250. He should feature as a top 4 option on a strong, London Knights team next year.

 

To summarize:

 

Kent Johnson (C)

Artyon Martino (LW)

Jake Martin (RD)

Graham Sward (LD)

Alexei Kolosov (G)

Carson Latimer (RW)

Benjamin Roger (RD)

 

If we had access to a 3rd, I would look into selecting either a point producing defenseman in either Brent Johnson, Ryan Ufko, or Ty Gallagher, or a two way centre in Cole Huckins or Samuel Helenius if he falls out of the 2nd.

 

With a 4th, I would aim for centre Hunter Strand, defenseman Roman Schmidt, or Jackson Blake.

 

If Benning somehow got access to an extra 7th, I gun hard for Vancouver native Trevor Wong, an undersized playmaking centre with strong leadership skills, overaged grinder Luke Toporowski (think Derek Dorsett light), or physical defender Joseph Pierce (a slightly smaller left handed Benjamin Roger).

 

Feel free to comment your thoughts below! I love the draft! 

Edited July 23, 2021 by therodigy

[Gurn]

Like the thoughts and work put in.

 

Will mention Hoglander is actually a left winger, used on the right side for last year;  so the immediate left wing depth is  a bit better than you indicated.

[Fanuck]

People keep saying BPA in all these draft threads but no one wants to acknowledge that there's a very good chance the BPA available at 9oa will be a goalie - then what?

[Gurn]

14 minutes ago, Fanuck said:

People keep saying BPA in all these draft threads but no one wants to acknowledge that there's a very good chance the BPA available at 9oa will be a goalie - then what?

See if someone else wants to pick the goalie, and do a deal.

Or else pick a  dman.

[therodigy]

20 minutes ago, gurn said:

Like the thoughts and work put in.

 

Will mention Hoglander is actually a left winger, used on the right side for last year;  so the immediate left wing depth is  a bit better than you indicated.

Fair enough. That's always the tricky thing about this team. So many utility forwards that play both wings, if not all forward positions: Höglander, Motte, Highmore, Eriksson (lol).

[therodigy]

22 minutes ago, Fanuck said:

People keep saying BPA in all these draft threads but no one wants to acknowledge that there's a very good chance the BPA available at 9oa will be a goalie - then what?

I would tend to agree that selecting a BPA goaltender this early would be counterproductive, especially considering we already have Demko and DiPietro.

 

With that said, the odds of Wallstedt being BPA at 9OA, however, is quite slim, considering he's ranked around 10-12. Every list is different though. My top 12 list is Power, Beniers, Eklund, Johnson, McTavish, Brandt, Hughes, Guenther, Lysell, Wallstedt, Lucius, and Edvinsson. Bob McKenzie final rankings have him at 12. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Detroit selects Walstedt at 6, adding further complexity to an already uncertain 1st round ranking. It's why I love the draft!

 

Now if Vancoucer was selecting between 12-15 and Wallstedt was still available, I select him in a heartbeat. DiPietro becomes part of a trade in the following years for a bigger piece.

 

Regardless of who Vancouver picks at 9OA, their system is so barren that any of the top 10 players will already be a tremendous asset to the team. Power drops to 9OA? We have Victor Hedman light within 2 years. Beniers, Johnson, McTavish, or Lucius? Our centre depth is potentially set for half a decade. Eklund or Guenther gives us a major offensive weapon playing behind Miller by 2022-2023. Hughes or Brandt? We'll have one of the highest scoring defensive groupings in the division. I'm not high on Edvinsson, but he would already surpass Jurmo on the depth chart, possibly Juolevi and Rathbone by next season. Am I unrealistically optimistic? Most definitely. But if you review our depth chart, it doesn't really matter who we pick; it's a win!

 

 

[Phil_314]

Besides the usual "BPA", I think the order of need by position would be:

RD (not sure how Woo will pan out; the regulars are good enough but could always use a long-term defensive partner for Quinn)
C (Dickinson helps with a current need at 3rd C so not getting McTavish wouldn't be so pressing an issue; the reason I have C behind RD is because RD is really pretty bare, whereas our center incumbents are still relatively young, so we can afford to stock up on depth without rushing them to fill roster spots as quickly)
LW (interchangeability of wing positions definitely helps, but we don't have too much certainty besides Hoglander, so could look into adding a prospect)

LD/ G (like OP mentioned, we're pretty stacked in goal and RW, but I think these spots are both pretty good since the incumbents are so young)
 

[mll]

1 hour ago, Fanuck said:

People keep saying BPA in all these draft threads but no one wants to acknowledge that there's a very good chance the BPA available at 9oa will be a goalie - then what?

Pronman among others says there is a consensus top-9 among the scouting industry.  The goalie is not in the top-9 in his mock drafts.  Benning did say there are 9 players they like.  Pronman and Wheeler seem to think that Vancouver has the same top-9 players (not necessarily in order) as most of the industry as they believe they will take whoever is still standing.

[JustABandwagoner]

56 minutes ago, mll said:

Pronman among others says there is a consensus top-9 among the scouting industry.  The goalie is not in the top-9 in his mock drafts.  Benning did say there are 9 players they like.  Pronman and Wheeler seem to think that Vancouver has the same top-9 players (not necessarily in order) as most of the industry as they believe they will take whoever is still standing.

Who is the consensus top 9? Power, Beniers, Eklund, Hughes, Clarke, Edvisson, Johnson, Guenther Mctavish. These 9? 

[IBatch]

3 minutes ago, DontMessMe said:

Who is the consensus top 9? Power, Beniers, Eklund, Hughes, Clarke, Edvisson, Johnson, Guenther Mctavish. These 9? 

Pretty sure exactly this. 

[Patel Bure]

2 hours ago, therodigy said:

Greetings all

 

With the NHL draft around the corner, I thought I would consolidate my drafting ideas into my own thread. This exercise is based on the notion that there are no picks being moved. With that said, I will include my opinions on what we could select in the missing rounds should the Canucks trade into those respective rounds.

 

Before I provide my drafting analysis, I wanted to quickly provide my opinion of the Canucks overall depth chart and prospect pool. Here are my determinations based on positions.

 

Centre: The team's centre depth is pretty lackluster after Pettersson, Horvat, and Dickinson. Beagle is likely the 4th line centre, pending an upgrade via trade or free agency, and Focht is the only signed centre prospect in the system. The newly acquired Wouters in Abbotsford is a start, but hardly moves the needle. Costmar may be a good 4th line centre, but has yet to be signed. The Canucks need help at Centre moving forward.

 

Left Wing: With the Acquisition of Dickinson, J.T. Miller can now be moved back up to LW1. After him, however, you have middle 6 depth (arguably) in Pearson and Motte, Roussel (who I think will either be traded or sent down to Abbostford for cap relief) and Highmore, depending on which side he plays. In the system, Gadjovich has one more year to prove he can bring his skating on to par, and the newly signed Plasek gets to show what he can do on North American Ice. McDonough is showing bottom 6 potential so reinforcements may be incoming, providing he signs after his college season. With that said, the left side is a bit barren, and some addition left wing depth will be required, hopefully in time to assist in replacing Miller and Pearson if they reach free agency.

 

Right Wing: Right side depth on the main roster is actually quite good, with Boeser, Höglander, Podkolzin, MacEwen, and Highmore (if he plays that side). Lockwood's decent first year makes losing Lind a little less painful, but losing Jasek to the European leagues hurt. There will be a need for right side depth in future years.

 

Defense: This is the weakest position on both the main roster and in the system. The only defensive prospect signed on for the Canucks next season is Jett Woo. Juolevi will likely be resigned, but may not make it through waivers for much needed development time. Rafferty and Chatfield are 99% likely to go to market. Persson has showed some promise, but will be at least another year before signing to play in Abbotsford. Jurmo had an underwhelming year, and may need at least another two years before signing. If Owen Power decides to return to Michigan, Truscott will have a hard time breaking into the top 6 with Luke Hughes starting up in September. The cupboards need stacking fast!

 

Goaltending: The strongest depth position in my opinion. Demko is the new bona-fide starter who just requires a cheap, experienced backup (provided Holtby is moved). DiPietro is the likely starter in Abbotsford, with backuo duties provided by Silovs. If Kielly is resigned, the Canucks will have 5 signed goaltenders. That said, drafting a goaltender with one of the late round picks may be warranted.

 

And now without further ado:

 

9th overall: Get the best player available. Due to the similar level of prospects between 2- 12, the Canucks are in the enviable position where all they have to do is wait. Based purely on where they are ranked, I would say draft one of either Kent Johnson or Mason McTavish. Johnson is a creative playmaker centre who dominated the BCHL in years past, and maintained a point per game pace in the NCAA playing on the wing. McTavish is a strong centre who had a strong U18 tournament and was one of the highest 1st round risers in the draft. I hesitate to consider Brandt Clarke due to the fact that we already have a strong offensive defenseman in Quinn Hughes. In the highly unlikely event one of Will Eklund or Matty Beniers falls to 9, however, they need to be selected.

 

In the end, I selected Kent Johnson. I envision Johnson being NHL ready by the 2022-2023 and can either centre the 4th line in an sheltered offensive role, provided desperately needed scoring, or on the wing with Horvat to provide him some playmaking help. Over time, I can see Johnson centering the 2nd line with Hoglander and Podkolzin, pushing Horvat to the 1st between Pettersson and Boeser.

 

40th overall: Best player available once again. Scott Morrow is a likely no Brainer selection, seeing how he is a RHD with offensive prowess. There are rumoured questions as to his character, however. Other options include undersized Jack Peart (LHD), playmaking two-way winger Artyon Martino (LW), Hard working scorer Chase Stillman, power forward Simon Robertsson (RW) and flashy grinder Red Savage (C). Obviously, any fallers from the first round, like Carson Ceulemans, Danill Chayka, and Oskar Olausson should be prioritized (in this order).

 

In the end, I secure the left side and select Artyom Martino as I believe he has the potential to displace Pearson within 3 years, providing middle 6 depth and penalty killing.

 

136th overall: Defense, Defense, Defense. There may be plenty available in the 5th round, including BC native Graham Sward, London Knight Bryce Montgomery (likely gone by the 4th), hard hitting Jake Martin, and physical defenseman Guillaume Richard. 

 

Due to the glaring need for right handed defenseman, I select Jake Martin. He's an ideal match-up style defenseman who specializes in closing in on rushing forwards. 

 

139th overall: See 136th overall.

 

I select left handed defenseman Graham Sward. He is a solid two-way player with a solid pass. He had an impressive 16 year old season with Spokane, followed by a somewhat lackluster season. It is very likely that he falls to the 5th round. Also, he's from Abbotsford. Feel free to form an opinion.

 

168th Overall: Time to make Ian Clarke happy and draft a Goalie. Admittedly, I know very little about goaltenders so this one is the least researched. 

 

Based purely on stats, ranking, and the fact that he's played relatively well in the KHL, I select Alexei Kolosov

 

177th Overall: Time to look at the right side. Standouts include grinding winger Carson Latimer, Overager Simon Knak, and Two Way Forward Jake Chiasson. If the undersized (5'8, 150 lbs) Jackson Blake is still available, he would be my selection based on potential alone.

 

Alas, I go with Carson Latimer due to his motor, physicality, and defensive sense. Yes, he is from Surrey. Chiasson is from Abbotsford. 

 

200th Overall: If Erik Gudbranson was selected in the 7th round, he'd be an absolute steal. My criteria for this pick is big and defensive.

 

Enter Benjamin Roger. London Knight right-handed defenseman who is 6'4, 200 lbs. Bob McKenzie had him ranked at around the 90 mark, but others have him listed anywhere from 130 - 250. He should feature as a top 4 option on a strong, London Knights team next year.

 

To summarize:

 

Kent Johnson (C)

Artyon Martino (LW)

Jake Martin (RD)

Graham Sward (LD)

Alexei Kolosov (G)

Carson Latimer (RW)

Benjamin Roger (RD)

 

If we had access to a 3rd, I would look into selecting either a point producing defenseman in either Brent Johnson, Ryan Ufko, or Ty Gallagher, or a two way centre in Cole Huckins or Samuel Helenius if he falls out of the 2nd.

 

With a 4th, I would aim for centre Hunter Strand, defenseman Roman Schmidt, or Jackson Blake.

 

If Benning somehow got access to an extra 7th, I gun hard for Vancouver native Trevor Wong, an undersized playmaking centre with strong leadership skills, overaged grinder Luke Toporowski (think Derek Dorsett light), or physical defender Joseph Pierce (a slightly smaller left handed Benjamin Roger).

 

Feel free to comment your thoughts below! I love the draft! 

Really appreciate the thought and effort you put into this.  Much respect sir.  
 

My preferences are Mason MacTavish and Dylan Guenther but I don’t think either guy will fall to us.  Carson Lambos is my sleeper and someone that I’m quite high on, and I also believe that Svechkov’s defensive game will be off the charts.

 

For me, Kent Johnson has extremely high potential, but I think he’ll be a work in progress in terms of his decision making ability in the opponents’ end.  His high character and work ethic however might be able to expedite what I think will be a learning curve.

 

McTavish, Guenther, and Lambos for me.  Johnson might move ahead of Svechkov for me because “the Russian factor” does scare me a bit.

[IBatch]

2 hours ago, therodigy said:

Fair enough. That's always the tricky thing about this team. So many utility forwards that play both wings, if not all forward positions: Höglander, Motte, Highmore, Eriksson (lol).

Motte, Dickinson and Miller being C/W helps too. 

[aliboy]

The Kent Johnson highlights on Global have looked very good.

[BCNate]

My gut is they take Fabian Lysell.  I'll be disappointed at first, but could see him being a very good player for us.