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2021 NHL Draft Rankings

Brawndo

By Brawndo
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LGR4GM

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Just now, pi2000 said:

He needs to work on his defensive game, as does any 18yo prospect.  

That said, the growth in his game throughout the season and at the World's is why I would take him #1.    

Additionally, his size and reach allow him to overcome positional deficiencies at his age.

First, Beniers doesn't have to work on his defensive game. It's shockingly good. 

Second, other than playing a lot of minutes what did he do different at the world's compared to Michigan?

Third, that's the catch. His size and reach allow him to overcome the issues in his game at lower levels. In the NHL teams will exploit the defensive issues. 

JohnC First Liner

JohnC

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14 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

My issue with Power has been and continues to be that his size is not used as a weapon but to mask his deficiencies.

He's 18 yrs old with a high level of work ethic. You don't think his assets will get better and his liabilities turned into non-issues as he gets older? In the recent tournament the former NHL coach started him off with limited ice team and then significantly increased his ice time as the tournament progressed. His trajectory is higher than you are assigning to him now. 

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LGR4GM

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5 minutes ago, JohnC said:

He's 18 yrs old with a high level of work ethic. You don't think his assets will get better and his liabilities turned into non-issues as he gets older? In the recent tournament the former NHL coach started him off with limited ice team and then significantly increased his ice time as the tournament progressed. His trajectory is higher than you are assigning to him now. 

I guess we'll find out. 

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pi2000 First Liner

pi2000

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31 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

My issue with Power has been and continues to be that his size is not used as a weapon but to mask his deficiencies.

I think there's still plenty of runway in Power's development, he's shown outstanding ability to adapt and adjust.  Beniers, I like his game, but I'm not sure as he has that elite hockey sense you'd expect in a top pick. Too bad he was injured at the World's.

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LGR4GM

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3 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

I think there's still plenty of runway in Power's development, he's shown outstanding ability to adapt and adjust.  Beniers, I like his game, but I'm not sure as he has that elite hockey sense you'd expect in a top pick. Too bad he was injured at the World's.

Elite hockey sense you say? Have I got a player for you. 

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Curt

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1 hour ago, pi2000 said:

He needs to work on his defensive game, as does any 18yo prospect.  

That said, the growth in his game throughout the season and at the World's is why I would take him #1.    

Additionally, his size and reach allow him to overcome positional deficiencies at his age.

 

1 hour ago, pi2000 said:

I think there's still plenty of runway in Power's development, he's shown outstanding ability to adapt and adjust.  Beniers, I like his game, but I'm not sure as he has that elite hockey sense you'd expect in a top pick. Too bad he was injured at the World's.

Throughout the season and in the world championships, what parts of Power’s game did you see the most growth in?  What are the outstanding adaptations and adjustments that he made?

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pi2000

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

William Eklund. 

I like Eklund, he's my highest rated forward... excellent hockey sense and skill.   Needs to work on his top end speed tho which he can imrpove.

1 hour ago, Curt said:

 

Throughout the season and in the world championships, what parts of Power’s game did you see the most growth in?  What are the outstanding adaptations and adjustments that he made?

Pace of play, confidence, decision making... just to name a few.

Edited by pi2000
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LGR4GM

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23 hours ago, Brawndo said:

The Athletic polled seven scouts about who they thought should go Number One in the Draft. 
 

Three said Power, Two said Beniers, one said Eklund, the other did not feel comfortable signing based on lack of live viewings making a determination.

 

http://NHL Scouts Poll 2021: Is Owen Power the clear-cut No. 1? Who is most underrated?

A couple quotes

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Sure, Owen Power is the top-ranked prospect for the draft on most lists, but talking to NHL scouts, there doesn’t seem to be the same kind of assuredness as there was for say, Alexis Lafrenière in 2020 or Jack Hughes in 2019 (Kaapo Kakko notwithstanding).

 

There is a bit of a drop-off after the first 15 players, but due to the pandemic, there will be players who could be real good down the road when they get back to a normal development situation.

 

I think a kid like Robert Orr (RW, Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL) from Halifax could be a surprise as he has only one year in the Q and put up some pretty good numbers.

 

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LGR4GM

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18 year old Ville Koivunen (2021 draft) will be playing for the Finnish U20 team today. He's a guy I would target in the 2nd round. 

 

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From Elite Prospects (EP) Draft Guide:

Lassi Alanen: April 9th, 2021 - Lukko vs. Kärpät - U20 SM-sarja Koivunen had a good game in the deciding third game between Kärpät and Lukko in the U20 league finals. There are so many great details in his game. Whether it was a smart one-touch chip into open space for a 2-on-1 or a great give-and-go along the boards, these things are not accidents with Koivunen given the consistency he pulls these off. He might have the highest hockey sense in this draft class among Finns. Good work on the forecheck throughout the game. He doesn’t disrupt plays with speed, but instead with good angling and stick usage. Koivunen managed to get a grade A scoring chance after a Datsyuk-esque stick lift in front of Lukko’s net, but he was already so gassed at that point that his finishing attempt wasn’t the best. Koivunen was used on the left-side half wall and while he tried to find cross-ice passing lanes and looked solid, I think I like him in the “behind/on the goal line” role better given how productive he was there earlier in the season. Skating is quite clearly the biggest weakness in his game, but as I’ve written before, I’m willing to bet on the potential improvement given the rest of his skill set.

Mitchell Brown: February 21st, 2021 - Sport vs. Kärpät - U20 SM-sarja Coming down from my Koivunen high and realizing he’s not a perfect player -- how disappointing! It’s fair to wonder how he’s going to play this style in the NHL, provided his skating doesn’t improve. He uses contact to create down low, but doesn’t have the usual separation tools. The lack of ankle flexion really hurts his leverage, too. He’s able to minimize puck battles by taking pucks in motion, scanning to identify early options, and lots of deception. He’s so driven to improve the location of the puck, cutting inside with every opportunity, too. The passes aren’t always perfect, but he doesn’t force plays. Lots of patience to reset and try again later. Gets the puck back with his off-puck movement, but it wasn’t as striking in this game as in my previous viewing. The manipulation’s strong, but his first touch and on-and-off plays are the highlight. Shot looked roughly average mechanically. He looks like a first rounder to me.

 

Edited by LGR4GM
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LGR4GM

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Owen Power's skating description here may be the most accurate thing I have heard. 

Quote

As many of you know, I'm not a fan of comparables. Stylistically can be one thing, but projecting a player to mimic a current or past player is hardly ever an accurate representation. Every player is so wildly unique that it does an injustice to both parties when done. However, I'm going to make a comparison for Power when it comes to his skating and I think it fits well.

Bowser from Mario Kart. 

Now that I've got your attention, allow me to delve deeper. You see, Bowser is a little slow off of the line. Yet, when he's up to full speed, he's damn hard to knock off of his course. The same can (kind of) be said for Power too.

I will mention, however, that making plays from a glide is the go-to choice for Power. Rarely does he handle, distribute, or fire while in-flight. It makes for a far less threatening rush approach. 

Cam Robinson: https://eprinkside.com/2021/05/18/film-room-owen-tower-of-power

 

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