2022 NHL Entry Draft

[hammertime]

Just now, winthecup said:

where are you hearing he has skating issues? All the scouting reports I have read say his skating is good to average and has good mechanics. 

From watching him. He has very little pop in his first 3 steps. 

[McBackup]

1 minute ago, stawns said:

Or don't make a big deal of it at all, including the hire.  They soaked up a lot of positive press at the hire, then leave the women at the table.  Again, just a tad hypocritical

 

You have no idea why they were “left at the table”. They could have been working, they might not have wanted to go up. There are an infinite amount of reasons they may not have gone up but you’ve decided it’s this because you want to be indignant.

[stawns]

Just now, McBackup said:

You have no idea why they were “left at the table”. They could have been working, they might not have wanted to go up. There are an infinite amount of reasons they may not have gone up but you’ve decided it’s this because you want to be indignant.

Lots of triggered fellas here tonight.

 

And I said I agreed it's possible it was their choice 

[4petesake]

5 minutes ago, Alflives said:

Alf declares @Sharpshooter the winner for tonight’s best ass kicking.  

Apparently you missed the paddlin’ that Bill Armstrong and his groomsmen handed out to Holland in the Kassian trade.

[Jester13]

2 minutes ago, 24K PureCool said:

Think that is the media making a big deal of it. Management didn't go parading it around from my recollection. 

They should have then! And they should have now!!! 

[hammertime]

1 minute ago, DefCon1 said:

I don't know, looks like a Jake Virtanen 2.0 lol. Uses his size to get to the net. Not really anything to lose sleep over. I was more worried of Oilers getting Lambert

Did you watch the playoffs? 

[Sharpshooter]

1 minute ago, DeNiro said:

He flops hard.

 

Guy is all ego. Won’t put in the work or take his development seriously.

If you want to project that kind of swagger, then you ought to back it up.

 

Based on his projections and hubris, he may end up being an empty white suit. 

[TNucks1]

1 hour ago, Chickenspear said:

Would it help if he put 4Ö instead?

you need to go back to 36

[Chickenspear]

Just now, TNucks1 said:

you need to go back to 36

Yep

[Sharpshooter]

1 minute ago, 4petesake said:

Apparently you missed the paddlin’ that Bill Armstrong and his groomsmen handed out to Holland in the Kassian trade.

Don't you dare rain on my unwaranted ass kicking parade. 

[winthecup]

4 minutes ago, hammertime said:

From watching him. He has very little pop in his first 3 steps. 

and you dont think that could be improved upon as he matures into a man and gets more strength? 

[McBackup]

1 minute ago, stawns said:

Lots of triggered fellas here tonight.

 

And I said I agreed it's possible it was their choice 

“Triggered”.

 

Textbook projection. You’re the one screeching about something completely inconsequential and then crying when people tell you to calm down.

 

 

[Isam]

Happy. Even though i didnt get my guy in mcgroarty, but you need to take a chance on this type of pick.

[R3aL]

7 minutes ago, DeNiro said:

He flops hard.

 

Guy is all ego. Won’t put in the work or take his development seriously.

That’s why he fell. He’s more colorful than what the hockey standard is.

 

we will see! He’s got the skill for sure though so if the work ethic is there he should make it.

 

wherher teams like him management / coaches / players like him is another question 

[DefCon1]

6 minutes ago, Seannnp said:

Jonathan Lekkerimakki is a dynamic Swedish winger who took me longer than I would have liked to fully grasp him. Normally, I’m not a big fan of this type of player so I played it safe with him, even when he started producing in the SHL. In all transparency, I started to make up my mind on his case from my 15th viewing.

His best asset is without a shadow of a doubt the quality of his shooting and his scoring skills. Lekkerimakki has one of the best shots in the entire draft, if not just the best. What makes him so dangerous is the power and precision of his wrist shot, managing to beat goalkeepers from distance when there isn’t even a screen in front of them, every of his shots are dangerous. Nowadays, not only are goalkeepers extremely imposing in front of their net, they are also experts in dissecting the position of the different body segments of the shooters (position of the hands, shoulders, rotation of the trunk and hips, etc.) in order to anticipate where they will shoot the puck. Even near-perfect shots aren’t enough to beat them, to do that you have to mislead them or limit the amount of information they can take. Lekkerimakki encapsulates this last point wonderfully. The release on his shot is subliminal. It requires no momentum and he does not continue the motion of his shot after the puck leaves his stick. In fact, when the puck goes, Lekkerimakki’s stick blade position is still inside his skate base, giving goalies no time to react. He uses his stick flex a lot on his shots as well. Another aspect that makes the Swede so dangerous is the placement of his shots. Every shot he takes make goalies work. He will always opt for shots that will be difficult for them even if his primary intention is not to score. Being a right-hander, when he comes on the right flank, he will prioritize low shots, against the direction, aiming for the opposite leg of the goalkeeper to cause rebounds in the slot. The final noteworthy aspect of Lekkerimakki’s shot is his shot selection. Too often young players who have such a weapon tend to rely on it too much and when they rise through a higher caliber, they are no longer able to do as they please. For excellent shooters, this can be seen in attempts to shoot without a screen or from too far on the ice. Lekkerimakki is no victim of this, as he never rushes his shots, showing patience instead. He does not take low success percentage shots even if there is a chance in front of him. To top it all off, Lekkerimakki also has great scoring instincts, knowing how to get forgotten in front of the net net.

The second thing that jumps out when looking at the winger is his excellent skating and high speed. He has the speed to create separation from his pursuer and he is also very skilled as he can mystify his coverers with small changes of direction and shoulder movements. Lekkerimakki is also very agile and possesses remarkable escapability in small spaces, being able to turn on himself skillfully. To complement this skill, he also has excellent balance on his skates, maintaining a good posture even when pushed by an opponent when in motion and/or pivoting. In the use of his speed, Lekkerimakki demonstrates the same intelligence and the same maturity as with his shooting as he recognizes well the situations to let his talent speak, as well as the situations where it would be better to opt for a play with higher success rate. He is not a player who plays at one speed and always tries to beat opposing defensemen, he knows how to slow down the game to his advantage and how to involve his teammates in his attacks. The last thing to mention, and this might be the most important of all regarding his speed, is that Lekkerimakki plays at a high pace when it comes to his decision making. His brain seems to operate at the same speed as his feet and hands, and that’s a very desirable trait that translates wonderfully well to the NHL.

Which brings me to what I consider to be the most important aspect to me that ultimately sold me in Lekkerimakki’s case, which is: His intelligence. This is what differentiates Lekkerimakki from other players advocating the same style of play that I mentioned in the introduction not being a fan (Fabian Lysell, Joakim Kemell, Samu Tuomaala, etc.) These players are all guilty of the same faults on the rink ; they hold onto the puck far too long, makes a ton of turnovers, misuse their teammates (especially in the neutral zone), and have questionable shot selections. Lekkerimakki does not commit such sins on the rink. When carrying the puck, he is good at evaluating the information in front of him while keeping his head held high. He is not a player prone to turnovers.

Another aspect that makes mention of Lekkerimakki’s intelligence is his skills as a playmaker. Although he is not considered a ‘Playmaker’, he wants to be effective in this facet without fanfares. His passes are always precise and well timed. His passes always while playing at a good speed, which translates well to the NHL. He is also capable of passes on his backhand on occasion. On the power plays, he is not a predictable player by the threat of his shot, he incorporates his teammates very well in the collective attack and he is able to use his teammate inside the defensive box. He shows some signs of creativity where he uses his main assets (shooting and skating) to push back the opposing defenders and after giving a glimpse of a wrist shot, he hands the puck behind him to his teammate who comes in 2nd wave.

To top it all off, Lekkerimakki plays with an appreciable level of intensity, finishing some of his checks and not hesitating to get his nose dirty in the high-danger areas. Defensively, he is doing well, showing a good ability to cut passing lanes by extending his stick completely on the ice, which is easy for him given that he has a relatively low center of gravity.

It will be curious to see where Lekkerimakki will play next year since his club in Sweden, Djurgardens, have been relegated to the 2nd division in the Allsvenskan. Maybe the NHL team that selects him will be tempted to bring him to the AHL right away, which would be a good option, in my opinion.

So would you say he can be as good as Pettersson?? He has been projected as a top 10 pick in many scouting reports and that is pretty impressive considering players like Jiricic, Nemec, Wright, Slaf, Minty etc. There is no home run consensus number 1 pick in this year's draft but I will say the top 10 are pretty close to each other. i don't see any big separation from the 1st overall to the 10th overall like I saw in previous draft years.

[ronthecivil]

30 minutes ago, stawns said:

he's the GM, of course he made the pick.  Other teams had almost 10 people on stage.........just saying it's a tad hypocritical to hire women, soak up the positive press from it and then, despite being at the table, don't get to go up

I mean, doesn't she live across the street from the arena? Doesn't hubby work for TSN instead of sportsnet? I didn't see him on the broadcast.

 

Maybe she wasn't up to the commute!

[DefCon1]

1 minute ago, Isam said:

Happy. Even though i didnt get my guy in mcgroarty, but you need to take a chance on this type of pick.

Rutgar was taken too high imo when there were better players available.

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

12 minutes ago, -Vintage Canuck- said:

And that concludes day 1 of the draft.

 

It took four hours to make 32 picks.

What took the longest, day 1 of the draft or Mr Bean walking down the stairs?

 

 

Edited July 8, 2022 by AlwaysACanuckFan

[stawns]

4 minutes ago, McBackup said:

“Triggered”.

 

Textbook projection. You’re the one screeching about something completely inconsequential and then crying when people tell you to calm down.

 

 

Screeching how, exactly?  I made an observation and at least 4 people went off the rails.......if it looks like triggered and smells like triggered, well ...........

[Mustard Tiger]

Well that was fun. As expected we are never apart or anything big but it is what it is. If we can move Myers for a 2nd rounder + that's pretty good too

 

Chicago can go screw themselves for helping the Leafs and not making them pay much. Holland pulls a Holland so it's not all a loss