Carmel Corn Posted June 22, 2023 Report Posted June 22, 2023 12 minutes ago, Curt said: This would be ok, but I get nervous about taking defense 1st D so high. I just feel like you can find those guys later in the draft. Don't get me wrong, either of those guys could develop more offensive ability, but that’s the the question with them. Simishev more so than Wallinder. I feel like there will probably be better, higher upside forwards available at 13. IDK, #13 is not "high" in my view of drafting order. Also, top 4 D do not come easily outside of the draft....you either have to pay big in a trade or overpay via FA for an older guy who wants term that will take him to his mid 30's....although there is one I'd risk (Graves). Overall, I'd like to see us strengthen our D pipeline with someone who can become a shutdown kind of guy (besides Mule), as I feel we need it. 1 Quote
Curt Posted June 22, 2023 Report Posted June 22, 2023 17 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said: IDK, #13 is not "high" in my view of drafting order. Also, top 4 D do not come easily outside of the draft....you either have to pay big in a trade or overpay via FA for an older guy who wants term that will take him to his mid 30's....although there is one I'd risk (Graves). Overall, I'd like to see us strengthen our D pipeline with someone who can become a shutdown kind of guy (besides Mule), as I feel we need it. By high I just meant early-mid 1st round. Nothing comes easily really. You want shutdown, defense 1st D. I think you can more easily find those guys in the 2nd round than you can find a top-6 forward. I think you can go after guys like Price, Dvorak, Bonk, Strbak, Allen, McCarthy, Sotheran, Gibson in the 2nd/3rd and find a guy who can be that complimentary top-4 defenseman to Dahlin/Power. There is no right or wrong answer exactly. I’m just explaining my point of view. 1 Quote
Taro T Posted June 22, 2023 Report Posted June 22, 2023 2 hours ago, Zamboni said: I am on team: Simishev or Willander Full stop. unless someone better than either one slips to 13. Personally would like to see some reality where Reinbacher slips to 13 (or the Sabres give up a small adder to get high enough to grab him). Poor man's Jiricek, but Jiricek is still exactly what they needed last year. Grab him, and sign Graves and another guy in FA and both the D and the D pipeline should be pretty well set. 1 Quote
LGR4GM Posted June 22, 2023 Report Posted June 22, 2023 28 Nick Lardis RW 5'11" 168lbs He sits above the next 3 names on this list for 1 reason, his shot. Lardis has an excellent shot that can beat you and can be fired from a bunch of different platforms and with many different techniques. 25g in 33 games after he was traded really showed the true potential his shot possesses. There is a catch, you need someone to get him the puck as he seems to be better at the off the puck movements than as a transporter. That isn't a knock on his skating which is good, more that he isn't much of a playmaker. Lardis can manipulate a defender to get a lane and release or slide into soft spots or even fake passes but he just doesn't really facilitate other people scoring. Still he is a smart player that attacks and backchecks well so with that elite shot, you might be snagging a 30g scorer if everything goes well. 29 Felix Nilsson C 6'1" 187lbs - Do you like 200ft middle 6 forwards? Great, here is one for you. Nilsson is solid, shot, passing, skating, physicality is all solid or good. There isn't a standout trait but there also isn't anything I would call below average. I wish he was slightly faster but when I watch him skate it looks good mechanically so added muscle will probably solve that problem. He isn't sexy but he is effective. The good news here is you are getting a player that can play on your 2nd line if everything breaks right or if not, you are getting a 3rd line Asplund type so either way he projects to the NHL. His passing would be the closest thing to an elite skill he has as watching highlights or a shift by shift you see him connect with teammates often and make some difficult passes. He does them regularly and executes them quickly indicating, I think, a good IQ. Overall just a nice projectable type of player. His late June bday means that there might be more to give as well as he develops and matures. 30 Ethan Gauthier RW 6' 183lbs - I forgot if you like middle 6 forwards... but here is another. He has more outright physicality than Nilsson but other than that they are similar in a lot of ways. I think Nilsson is a more polished product and the added size is nice but Gauthier brings that same projectable middle 6 profile. He doesn't have a lot of manipulation or deception but he has it enough to get the job done. He uses his smarts and his handles to open lanes and feed solid passes to the middle. He can cut in and attack the net if needed and his shot is slightly above average. Again, he is basically another version of Nilsson, I just feel Nilsson has a touch more skill. 31 Otto Stenberg C 5'11" 185lbs - What? You want to know if there are any middle 6 forwards? Well sit down and let me show you one more. Otto is getting a lot of hype because of his u18 play where he put up 16pts in 7 games. That is really impressive and when you watch him you see the dangles and deception he tosses out. He has more manipulation than our other 2 middle 6rs. That said I think his skating is the weakest of the 3 even though it is still average and not a negative trait. I also think sometimes he can get lost in the defensive zone. Overall I like him but I think his projection is more questionable even if he has the same upside. I wish he was a bit more physical and I wonder if the skill he has will be high end enough for the NA game where time and space condense. 32 Gavin Brindley RW 5'8" 168lbs - Let's get it out of the way, Brindley is short. That height and weight above is from the combine measuring. His skating is good, but not elite. His other skills are good but none are elite. The only elite trait he has is that his motor is revved up to 5,000 rpms every shift. He will hold the fort down defensively and you can watch him shut down plays and start the transition. He is very positionally sound, like a poor man's Reinhart. He can play whatever you want and will be pretty decent at it. He played with Fantilli at times and was good managing to post 38pts in 41ncaa games as an 18yr old. The issue is what happens when instead of battling 20yr old NCAA players he is battle 25 and 26yr old NHL players who will all be bigger and strong and faster than what he sees now? Sure the motor revs high but 5'8" is short and that leads to limitations that he cannot just overcome. Gerbe made it work for a time but if Brindley doesn't make your top 6, how good do you feel putting him out in your bottom 6? There's skill there but a lot of risk. 33 Beau Akey RHD 6' 175lbs - He is probably the 2nd best skating defender in the class simply because Molendyk is stupid good. That said Akey is also a very good skater who has both power and agility. He can shut down rush chances and is big enough to handle a lot in his own end. I think his defensive game is really well rounded and of a high caliber. I see a lot of scouts comment on his stick work and maybe I should go look again but I didn't notice that specifically. He will take the body when appropriate and has enough skill to be a breakout and transition player. In the offensive zone, he tries a lot of stuff and gets quite a few shots through. I think there is more to give there and hope he can refine his offensive game. I really like the rest of what he does though and for me he grades out as a solid #4 who could work fine on your #2 PP or your #1 PK. I really enjoy his game and think he might be around at 39 with a consolidated ranking of 47. 34 Coulson Pitre C 6'1" 170lbs - He sits higher on my board than most ppl have him (consolidated is 72) but I want to post one thing from EP's draft guide that caught my attention "Here’s a list of OHL first-time draft eligibles who scored more even-strength points per minute than Coulson Pitre: Quentin Musty, Colby Barlow – that’s it." He is physical and has a good motor, a step below Brindley's. He has good ideas and watching him you can see that there is talent there. The issue is that he doesn't have a standout trait as everything is pretty average to good and his skating is just okay-ish. If he improves the skating though this is a great high reward middle 6 type. I think his overall game is good and he just needs that extra bit of improvement with his IQ and skating to really unlock his game. 35 Tanner Molendyk LHD 5'11" 181lbs - Is he the best skating defender in the draft, probably. Does he have warts still, yes. Let's start with the skating, personally I think only Moore has better skating. We are talking an elite and dynamic trait here. Explosive out of cuts, quick feet, maybe the best edges in the draft, and man does he just stop rush chances. Go watch a shift by shift or find a game somewhere and he just seems to always manage to shut down rush chances. So why isn't he ranked higher? I think his hockey IQ is meh. Actually he might suffer from a similar problem to Moore in where he has this excellent skating but his brain is still trying to catchup and analyze while his feet drag him into trouble. There just seems to be a lack of understanding of what to do with pucks. You see some really nice breakups and than passes that don't connect or are dump ins. Idk, I have mentioned before when guys have lower H-IQ I get nervous because I think by the time you hit 17/18 you really either understand the game or you won't really. Processing speed at these ages should be pretty fast and I think Molendyk lacks that a bit. Also, 5'11" defenders who aren't great distributors but are good skaters, that isn't a long list of comparables. Still the elite skating and decent hands will take him far and maybe in a structured NHL system he can be able to do a bit more. 36 Juraj Pekarcik LW 6'2" 183lbs - I want. Let's all take moment to recognize that Pekarcik won't be 18 until Sept 12th. As noted before Nate Danielson is 350 days older. At the U18 he played with Dvorsky because well, Juraj is good. He has stickhandles and dangles, his passing is a + trait, and while his skating probably needs a little work, it really looks more like a product of being 6'2" at 17 than his mechanics are bad. Strength and some maturity should make it into a + trait as well, he is certainly fast and has decent edges already. I loved this kid in the U18s, he was always moving, always hunting the puck carrier, never backing down. There is a pursuit quality to his back and forechecking that is only going to get better with time. You can't teach that mentality easily and Pekarcik already has this mature way of engaging and staying engaged all over the ice. The nice thing is his puck handling allows him to manipulate space and then deftly pass it off to then cut inside or support the play. He is 6'2", with hands, can skate, high motor, and he is YOUNG. Sept 12 bday makes it likely that the runway here is long. Not to mention he is already 6'2" 183lbs so we might be looking at a 6'3" or 6'4" 210lb power forward. This kid is going to be one of those "oh man we should have drafted him earlier" guys by next season. He played 30games in the Slovak Men's League this year and in the j20 version he had 20pts in 16 games. I can't say enough about Pekarcik and I hope the Sabres are smart enough to factor in how good he is compared to how young he is. His consolidated ranking is 89 and I would take him at 45 without hesitation and probably at 39 without more than I quick glance at the board. 17yr old kids don't hold down 7ish minutes a night in men's leagues. He may have only put up 3 points but they kept him up there because he wasn't a liability either. Pekarcik is my diamond in the rough this draft and I wish Buffalo had a pick at like 65 because I think he goes there. Hopefully our love of Czech's extends to Slovakia. 37 Andrew Cristall LW 5'10" 175lbs - Remember how I gushed about Pekarcik and his motor and all that stuff? This is Andrew Cristall, he scores a lot and is maddingly inconsistent. He has elite puck skills and can link those in with a good shot and excellent passing. He is exceedingly creative, like Bedard and Michkov could talk to Cristall and they would all understand the game. His deception and layering is truly awesome. He put up 95pts in 54games which is a 1.76ppg pace, that's really good. He also was outscored at the u18s by the guy above Pekarcik, 6pts to 10. At this moment you are probably like... so why is he in the 2nd round when his consolidated is 19? Well his skating is mediocre, decent edges but lacks power and speed. He never seems to extend his legs full and sometimes when you watch him cut it works but then the acceleration out of that cut is fairly weak. Now let's talk about his defensive game, there isn't one. Moving on, for those of you who want more grit, run. No seriously run the f away from Cristall. Where Pekarcik engages and uses his body, driving through a players hands to take possession, Cristall I have literally watch put on the breaks to avoid making contact on a check. I just, don't get him as a player. If you only see highlights, he looks like a top 10 pick. If you read or watch more than that, everyone across the board questions how he translates to the NHL. Right now he can get away with using those hands and the edges to make guys miss and get shots or passes off but in the NHL, when Power or Muel or Dahlin are bearing down on you, sure your hands might buy you some time but it won't be enough as you get ragdolled off the puck and then float back into the defensive zone to stick check a guy maybe. I just have way to many concerns here. The hope is that he gets a little bigger and tougher but IMPO at 18, you either mentally understand and are willing to engage in the physical play or at this point that isn't who you are. 38 Danny Nelson C/LW 6'3" 212lbs - I have a lot of time for Nelson. His opening half of USDP play was meh but once he figured it out you could see that there is more to unearth with him. He has an Aug 3 bday meaning he is quite young for the draft. He motors like Pekarcik and uses his body effectively to shutdown plays and take the puck back. Go watch the u18s, his wall play is excellent and he basically is never caught out of position. I think he skates well for his age and size but needs to work on that agility, constant edgework drill because if he bumps the skating up I think that will really unlock more options for me. I think he understands the game overall very well and when you couple that to his back and forechecking nature you get a really effective player. I am very curious to see what Nelson does at ND next season as I think at the USDP he was buried a bit under the exceedingly deep roster of talent. This is another long runway type of guy who is big and plays with pace and aggression. Can he be a 2nd line guy... maybe. At worst though he is going to be a 3rd line 40pt player which I can live with in the 2nd or 3rd round. His consolidated is 52. 39 David Edstrom C 6'3" 185lbs - Another guy I really like is Edstrom although I think he has less of a runway than Nelson partly because he is 6months older. Edstrom is another of these really smart solid players that I have discussed a lot in this tier. He does everything well and doesn't necessarily have a stand out trait. His u18s was quite good and you could watch it to see how he processes the play, makes good inside moves, has okay hands but what impressed me was his ability to find his teammates often. Defensively he is really like a clone of Nelson, just in the right spot, active stick, will check you when needed. At worst you get a 30-40pt 3rd liner and there might just be a solid 2nd line guy in there but I am less convinced than I am with Nelson. 40 Kalan Lind C/LW 6'1" 158lbs - a teammate of Buffalo's Mats Lindgren, Lind is essentially a poor man's Ryan Leonard. There is skill there and if you watch the tape you see it in flashes where he will handle or cut or do some other trick to open lanes or get a shot away. The skating is a level below Leonard and I think the shot is as well. Still I see the makings of a power forward in his profile if he can refine is game more. He is intelligent with the puck and knows how to find or make space to help his team offensively. Defensively he is positionally sound with very active checking. That brings us to the reason you would consider him at 45, he hates the opposition. If you have the puck he hates you and he wants you to know that he hates you. He will forecheck or backcheck with an intelligent recklessness that reminds me a bit of a Tkachuk. He loves to initiate contact in any part of the ice but I don't feel from what I have seen that he is going out of his way, instead it is done methodically. He is smart, physical player, with decent hands and good attention to detail. If you are lucky and his skating and shot improve, you get a 6'1" 190lb ball of hate that is pretty solid on a 2nd line but at worst you get a 3/4 line guy who again has a really physical element to his game. My real concern here is durability, he really needs about 25lbs or he will continue to get injured due to how he plays. Still, I like the cut of his jib. ^ Tier 6 ^ after this guys really start to blend in more and more On 6/21/2023 at 9:35 AM, LGR4GM said: 21 Daniil But LW 6'5" 203lbs - Let's talk about the 200lb gorilla in the room, But. Last name jokes aside he is big and every once in a while if you watch some highlights, he looks a little like Tage. His got dangles and dekes, his shot is pretty good, and his motor is high-ish. The issue is that his skating, particularly his first 3 steps and some of his agility are what you would expect from a 6'5" 17yr old. He also isn't really a power forward like Tuch and is bit more in the mold of Tage Thompson where he can use his size but doesn't always, preferring to use his hands. I have seen a little of him, hard to find stuff, and I think you have a guy that with good development could be an absolute nightmare to defend in 3-5 years. His consolidted is 28 but there is a small (10%) chance he slides to 39 because the russian factor and the skating. Most likely though he goes somewhere in the early 20's. 22 Tom Willander RHD 6'1" 179lbs - There is a good chance Willander ends up better than ASP but I think his ceiling is a little lower hence why he slid a tier. Honestly though, you could convince me to flip them. Willander discussions need to start with his skating, it is great. His skating is what you want Simashev's to get to (and I think it will) where he has quick edges, powerful starts and stops, and just agility for days. He rarely gets beat and his recovery is pretty solid. He played in the J20 most of the year and put up good numbers, his WJC18 numbers are only 3pts less than ASP so there is offense there. I think his lacks some of the creativity of a guy like Dragicevic but he also plays defense as well as Reinbacher or Simashev, perhaps better. To be blunt, he is probably the perfect draft eligible player to pair with Power in 2-3 years which is why his consolidated is 23 and I think he will go in the top 15. He will be at Bostin Univ in the fall which is an unusual path for a Swedish prospect but again, you are getting a solid at worst #4 defender who has enough size and more than enough skating to shut down plays and start breakouts at the next level. 23 Matthew Wood LW 6'4" 197lbs - A lot of Sabres fans have wood for Wood. I don't. I do however like him and at 13, I think you are overdrafting him but I wouldn't react the way I did to the Leinonen pick. So why do I rank him so low when his consolidated is #13. The issue I have comes down to skating and how he puckhandles because of that skating. His skating is meh, his feet look heavy, his agility is mediocre, he isn't explosive, and overall it just doesn't look NHL quality for a top 6 player. That in and of itself though isn't always an issue, a lot of big guys have some things to work on but my issue is that because he skates poorly he tends to glide when he makes his puckhandling moves. I don't see a lot of ability to make moves while skating and because he already isn't fast that means at the NHL level ppl will catch him and strip him of the puck. I also think his offensive creativity it lacking, he really comes off more like a straight ahead, obvious play type and that is fine but I want a little more dynamism in my first rounders. Basically I worry you get a nice big 3rd line guy instead of a really solid 2nd line guy when this is all done, or even worse you get a 4th liner. Others like Wood more but for me, right now, I just wish he had shown a little more variety this year. With all that said, Wood has good puckhandling, a nice shot, he sees the ice well even if he doesn't always come up with creative ways to solve problems and he works hard all over the ice. 24 Brayden Yager C/RW 5'11" 170lbs - You're a shooter who scored fewer goals this season compared to last in the same league... hmm. I really was excited for Yager going into the season and thought he might be a top 10 pick. Now I feel like I am unsure if he will have enough to be an NHL guy. Unlike Wood who still will always have the size and checking skills to fall back on, Yager really has his shot and his skating. So he has this great shot and pretty good skating but yet he only scores 28goals and his team has 2 40g scorers on it. His assists went up but I have watched the highlights of those and some of that is the fact Firkus has a major shot. He is one of these guys where you see the skill but how it all comes together seems a little unrefined. That said he has a lot of potential with the right linemates and if he can refine his game even a little, he could be a good top 6 player. He does fine defensively and is attentive in that end of the rink so there are good things but the overall package just concerns me. 25 Riley Heidt C 5'11" 179lbs - There are a lot of pp points there adding to his totals but boy does he have a lot of points (97) for the WHL. He gets point by handling and manipulating defenses with excellent feints and cuts. He could use more explosiveness in his stride but that's fairly normal. He has an edge to him as well, watch him in the offensive zone retrieve pucks or check in general. He is somewhat of a little *****-stirrer out there. His shot is solid but his passing, due to the manipulation, is really great. He finds players all the over and when he has space that is lethal. He can create his own space but as we say often needs to get stronger. He is a little undersized for the physical game he plays but I've always believed the in size of the fight in the dog so to speak. Why isn't he ranked higher? He doesn't play defense. I mean he does but not in an effective way. It is Olofsson-esque IMPO. I also think sometimes his hands are way ahead of his brain, he will make a great handle and then not really do much with it. Where Yager is solid defensively with some questionable passing, Heidt is not solid defensively and has questionable passing. Really all depends on which you feel more confident about. He's a boom or bust guy, ceiling is top 6, floor is pp specialist that you don't want out against other teams top 6. 26 Oscar Fisker Mølgaard C 6' 166lbs - His consolidated is #43 so there is a fair chance he will be there at 39. The reason he is ranked behind the last 2 guys is because he doesn't have a standout offensive trait like a shot or handling. Instead you are getting a guy who is just solid. His skating is probably his best skill followed by his brain, if you watch his WC tape from a little bit ago, he just uses his excellent skating to stay in position, extend plays, shut opponents down, or otherwise be a net positive on the ice. I am actually really curious to see him play with more skilled linemates. For example if I put him between Savoie and Kulich what would he look like? Now his shot could use work but other than that he's a middle 6 center all day. He reminds me a bit of a ROR type where you know he can shutdown opponents but also he should get 50pts a year because he is smart and the skating will allow him to counterattack. He will be back in the SHL next season (played half of this season there and recorded 7 points) so he also might be a guy only 1 year away, depends on if he has an NHL out as he is signed for SHL until 2025. 27 Eduard Šalé RW 6'2" 175lbs - Fine, I will rank him. I have said it before I dislike Sale. His consolidated is 14th btw so I am way lower on him than most. Why? Well, everyone everywhere talks about his high end tools, which I agree he has. The issue for me is that he uses them when and if he feels like it. You gotta watch a shift by shift of this guy. One shift he will engage, separate someone from the puck and attack up ice. The next shift he will passively wave his stick in the passing lane and glide back on a backcheck. Make up your mind dude. His skating, puck skills, and shot are all good. Better or equal to everyone else in this tier for sure but his motor is an inconsistent mess and it just really sours me on him. That said, he is still in the "wouldn't be mad if we took him" tier. He was linemates with Kulich and they worked well together, Sale can make excellent passes and setup teammates really well. If he fixes his motor, he's better than just about everyone in the previous 2 tiers. Again, for me that motor really bothers me and that is probably because of years of watching guys try when they felt like it. I like the high motor, constantly churning, players. Final thought here is that if Kulich vouches for him and Adams feels good after talking to him at the combine, I am not going to Leinonen after this pick. ^ Tier 5 ^ here ends the last of the "I wouldn't freak if we picked this player at 13" guys. I hope we take someone from my 4th tier but tier 5 has some high end guys with just a couple more risk factors and some slightly lower end guys with solid floors. Next up is tier 6, guys that I would expect to have a chance at at 39. Here is the previous tier 1 1 Quote
Brawndo Posted June 22, 2023 Report Posted June 22, 2023 Looking at the list Morin looks more like at target at 39 or 45 Simishev and Wallinder are 19th and 20th respectively 1 Quote
French Collection Posted June 22, 2023 Report Posted June 22, 2023 11 minutes ago, Brawndo said: McKenzies List This is my favourite list because it’s compiled by taking the information from 10 actual NHL scouts. Some of them are head scouts. Bob has been around long enough to have access to good ones. Quote
LGR4GM Posted June 22, 2023 Report Posted June 22, 2023 Huh, Carter Sotheran not making the list is a choice. This gives me the final piece I have been wondering about though, will Oliver Moore slide to 13 and I think there is a possibility of it happening. 1 Quote
Curt Posted June 22, 2023 Report Posted June 22, 2023 (edited) 17 minutes ago, LGR4GM said: Huh, Carter Sotheran not making the list is a choice. This gives me the final piece I have been wondering about though, will Oliver Moore slide to 13 and I think there is a possibility of it happening. I want Moore too. And I really like Ritchie and Barlow. Edited June 22, 2023 by Curt Quote
dudacek Posted June 22, 2023 Report Posted June 22, 2023 38 minutes ago, LGR4GM said: Huh, Carter Sotheran not making the list is a choice. This gives me the final piece I have been wondering about though, will Oliver Moore slide to 13 and I think there is a possibility of it happening. Hmm, I always thought there was a good chance Moore was there at 13. Didn’t see him with more than an outside chance to be top 10. We must be reading different things. I was kinda looking at it like Bob has it, with Reinbacher and Leonard at the top of a group of 8-10 guys that could come off the board in a variety of ways and another half-dozen or so who might force their way into that group. Thats after the top 4 and the Michkov wild card. Think there will be a lot of variation in who teams have ranked 5-20, with my #9 being your #19 and vice versa. Quote
GASabresIUFAN Posted June 22, 2023 Report Posted June 22, 2023 One of things that has stood out while making the consensus list this year is all the good goalies. There are 7 with 2nd or 3rd round grades on McKenzie’s list. I had 6 on my consensus list. Makes you wonder why we reached last year for a goalie in a weak goalie draft given the depth in this one. McCarthy is 86th on this list and guess where the Sabres draft? Unless Reinbacher falls Moore, Wood, Willander seem like good possibilities at 13. Quote
GASabresIUFAN Posted June 22, 2023 Report Posted June 22, 2023 Food for thought One of these players is a current Sabres and one is a draft eligible player who should be available to Buffalo at 13. These are their draft year stats and both played im the WHL. 1) 6’3 190 1.24 pts/gp, .5 g/gp 2) 6’4 186 1.3 pts/gp, .54 g/gp Player 1 - Dylan Cozens Player 2 - Samuel Honzek - who is 17th on McKenzie’s list. Quote
Taro T Posted June 22, 2023 Report Posted June 22, 2023 42 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said: One of things that has stood out while making the consensus list this year is all the good goalies. There are 7 with 2nd or 3rd round grades on McKenzie’s list. I had 6 on my consensus list. Makes you wonder why we reached last year for a goalie in a weak goalie draft given the depth in this one. McCarthy is 86th on this list and guess where the Sabres draft? Unless Reinbacher falls Moore, Wood, Willander seem like good possibilities at 13. Purely spitballin' here, but expect it had something to do with there being absolutely nothing in the cupboard beyond UPL & Levi and it wasn't an absolute given that Levi wouldn't walk regardless of how unlikely his walking might have been. If Levi were on his way back to NU right now, there would literally be no young prospects other than UPL. Don't see what the Sabres saw in Leinonin (sp?), but they felt he was the best of a poor lot and if they didn't see a D-man worthy of taking with that pick, well, there apparently are only so many under 21 smallish fast skilled F's that a team can find a home for in their system. There is nothing stopping them from grabbing another goalie with their 2nd 2nd or a later pick this year other than the possiblilty of them seeing somebody still on the board that they really like that isn't a goalie. Quote
Curt Posted June 23, 2023 Report Posted June 23, 2023 (edited) This might not be too interesting to anyone other than me but I’m just throwing it out there. As I’ve looked at draft prospects the past couple weeks, I’ve tried to focus on a couple things in particular. 1) Guys who have characteristics that I think would show out well in a playoff series, and 2) guys who are young for their draft class. So I present to you a list of guys who are both pretty young for the draft class and have some combination of strength, attitude, style, and motor that would allow them to do well in the playoffs. There are not that many, but I hope that the Sabres draft a couple of these guys. Centers: Dalibor Dvorsky - likely top 10 pick Anton Wahlberg - early 2nd round Rasmus Kumpulainen - late 2nd/early 3rd round Wingers: Quinton Musty - late 1st round Kasper Halttunen - early 2nd round Danny Nelson - early 2nd round Easton Cowan - mid 2nd round Jesse Kiiskinen - mid 2nd round Juraj Pekarcik - early 3rd round Felix Unger Sörum - mid/late 3rd round Alexander Rykov - 3rd to 4th round Matthew Soto - 5th to 7th round Denis Malov - 6th or 7th round Alexander Assadourian - 6th or 7th round LH Defensemen: Jakub Dvorak - early 2nd round Caden Price - early 3rd round Kristian Kostadinski - 4th to 6th round James Petrovski - 4th to 6th round RH Defensemen: Gavin McCarthy - mid/late 3rd round Carter Sotheran - 4th to 5th round Edited June 23, 2023 by Curt 3 Quote
French Collection Posted June 23, 2023 Report Posted June 23, 2023 (edited) Danny Nelson as caught my attention. He has been mentioned more and more lately as a potential first rounder. Big kid, 6’3” 203 who was a Dman but now plays forward. I think he was moved this past season. He played at the USNTDP and did well at the U18s. If he is around at 39 I might take him. Edited June 23, 2023 by French Collection Quote
dudacek Posted June 23, 2023 Report Posted June 23, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, French Collection said: Danny Nelson as caught my attention. He has been mentioned more and more lately as a potential first rounder. Big kid, 6’3” 203 who was a Dman but now plays forward. I think he was moved this past season. He played at the USNTDP and did well at the U18s. If he is around at 39 I might take him. Nelson was one of 6 players featured by Marty, Duffer and Kris Baker as guys to watch in the 2nd round. The others were: Forwards Oskar Fisker-Molgard and Anton Wahlberg, defencemen Martin Strbak, Oliver Bonk and Aram Minnetian. Edited June 23, 2023 by dudacek 1 Quote
dudacek Posted June 23, 2023 Report Posted June 23, 2023 (edited) The guys they highlighted in the first were Wood, Moore, Yager, Sandin-Pellikka and Willander Edited June 23, 2023 by dudacek Quote
LGR4GM Posted June 23, 2023 Report Posted June 23, 2023 On 6/15/2023 at 11:19 AM, LGR4GM said: Ranking Name Position Height/Weight 1 Connor Bedard C 5'10" 185lbs - He's really good. Lots of info already out there. 2 Adam Fantilli C 6'2" 187lbs - He's really good. Lots of info already out there. 3 Matvei Michkov RW 5'10" 148lbs - He's really good. Offensively he might be the best player in this draft in terms of his manipulation and shot but I still think Bedard edges him out. You gotta wait 3 years for him and at his size, I actually do worry that in the NHL on smaller ice, he will just get pushed to the outside. Lots of risk but high upside. His offensive creativity is probably a level above Bedard in terms of how he plays the game and that is truly elite. 4 Leo Carlsson LW 6'3" 194lbs - I like Carlsson the more I have watched him but I think there is a lack of one just truly standout trait that he could leverage at higher levels. That said, every skill he does have is above average. Skating might be only a bit above but he makes up for it with really good hockey sense, the ability to puckhandle and thread passes like the best of them, and a good work ethic. His size is something that he uses well and I invite everyone to watch the WJC20 to see more of him. Just a really solid player. ^Tier 1 has ended ^ I could put Bedard on a tier all alone but we aren't drafting up there so meh. 5 Will Smith C 6' 180lbs - I think Smith is good but I am not convinced he can be great. Think high end 2nd line center as opposed to guaranteed first line center. In some ways, watching him reminds me of Jack Hughes but then the skating is a step below that. Smith has an excellent shot to go along with his extraordinary puck handling skills. His ability to get defenders to bite and then to either wire a perfect pass or to crank out a quick shot are really good. I wish he had more battle in his game, that's my main criticism, I think at times he can shy a bit from physical play. His ability to think and execute high end plays though is fantastic and why I put him here. My one concern is that Leonard and Perrault really covered up for some of his warts but maybe not. We won't find out soon because all 3 are going to college together. 6 Zach Benson LW 5'10" 170lbs - I was slow to come around on Benson. He at first glance seems like Matt Savoie but I think he is a step above our 1st rounder from last year. A lot has been said that Benson doesn't have great skating but I have watched a bunch of him now and I don't agree. The issue is he doesn't have elite speed and that might cause him problems. His brain though has elite speed. If I were ranking creativity it would be Mitchkov, Bedard, Benson all on a tier above everyone else. There is just layers on layers of manipulation to what Benson does and he does that alllllll over the ice. If Benson was 6'2", he would be challenging Fantilli for 2nd overall IMPO. He has a nonstop motor and sublime passing skills. I almost ranked him above Will Smith but just couldn't quite get there. "Benson’s expected primary assists and slot pass success percentage check in at the 100th percentile, in a sample that includes 700 forwards from this season. In a multi-year data set of over 3000 forwards, his underlying playmaking data is second to only Connor McDavid. You might have heard of him." 7 Ryan Leonard RW 6' 190lbs - "Hey we need a guy like Matthew Tkachuk, got anyone?" well well well let's talk about Ryan Leonard. He has one objective on the ice, win. Win the puck battle, win the board battle, win the 1v1 battle, beat the goalie, stop the forward, win. I have not seen a report anywhere that doesn't mention Leonard's grit but he isn't Tyler Boucher, a gritty guy with only okay skills. No, Leonard is good. He can shoot and he can skate. His is intelligent and helped facilitate a lot of the plays of Perrault and Smith. Versatile and hard nosed guys like Leonard are the types of players you draft in July so you can win in June. Is he going to score the most points out of his linemates in the NHL? No, but he might end up the most impactful due to his good skills, excellent IQ, and overall gritty attacking style. Sadly, he will be long gone by 13. ^ Tier 2 has ended^ it was small, that's what she said 8 David Reinbacher RHD 6'2" 194lbs - What is 6'2", shoots, right, and has the closest thing to a guaranteed floor of #5 defender in the NHL... Reinbacher. Is he elite offensively, no. Is he elite defensively, I am inclined to say yes. He doesn't get beat often 1v1 and even when he does he has the agility and speed to get back. He tends to play physical (check out Austria at the WJC20) and not in a reckless way. He separates you from the puck and he moves up ice. He played in a men's league all year (Swiss National League) and was his teams go to top defender, as an 18yr old. On a team with our old friend Arrtu Ruotsalainen, he was 1 of 3 players with a positive goal +/-... his team wasn't that great. There is offense in his game and realistically he looks to be the perfect #2 pp and #3 or maybe #2 defender for a team. He is just all around solid. There is a good chance he comes to NA next year and plays in the AHL. He's not flashy but he is solid. High floor guy. 9 Oliver Moore C 5'11" 195lbs - More almost edged out Reinbacher but the high floor got me. So Moore might be the very best skater in this class, bar none. He's that good, edges, speed, you name it and on skates Moore will do it. He has a good shot and good manipulation to get it off. The issue comes with the fact I think his overall IQ is average or slightly above, too many plays where he skates into pressure and then doesn't know where to go. Sometimes he doesn't make decisions fast enough. Now he doesn't do that all the time, you can watch lots of highlights where he uses his skating to create advantages for teammates but he needs to line up his skating with his brain a bit. My other concern is that his overall handling, to me is average. Sure he can deke here and there but compared to everyone above him and a bunch of ppl below him, he just doesn't have that "puck sticks to you" way of handling. He is just a cut below some of the other guys and that's really the issue. Still, if he can improve the hands, speed up the brain, he will be a very dangerous forward in the NHL. 10 Dalibor Dvorský C 6'1" 201lbs - His wjc18 really kept him from sliding for me. Sometimes when these guys play in pro leagues (Dvorsky plays in the Allsvenskan) they get a little lost in the shuffle and you don't see there high end plays as much. That said he does have skills and a good shot. His shot might be his best attribute as it is powerful, accurate and fast. He is somewhat like the Reinbacher of forwards where there is a high floor but maybe a lower ceiling. Think really good 2nd line center. He is physical enough and smart enough to play a mature 2way game and his other skills are developed enough to give him some fancy moves here and there. Is he the flashiest guy? Nope, but again, you will get solid efforts with some wow plays here and there. Well worth a top 10 pick. He reminds me a bit of Cozens in his draft year (big center with good everything that was a north south type of player) now granted Cozens has improved a lot since then. Still Dvosrky has a small chance of sliding to 13 and he would be worth the pickup IMPO. 2 way centers with skills like his don't grow on trees. 11 Gabe Perreault LW 5'11" 165lbs - Screw you consolidated rankings (20) and the horse you road in on. First thing is first, his skating has been wildly underrated because his breakaway speed isn't Oliver Moore. That said his short area speed is fine and his overall edges look fine. He needs some refinement and strength for sure but I think the size coupled with the lack of blazing speed has colored a few reports IMPO. Perrault is brilliant in the offensive zone when it comes to manipulations, fakes, stick moves, and otherwise creating time and mismatches. You add in his elite passing abilities and he was the perfect linemate for Leonard and Smith. He finds open ice, his shot is quick and accurate (needs more power), and when in trouble he will think his way out of it. Of course he rarely seems to be in trouble. The ability to understand the game at speed and react accordingly with great hands, slick passing, and a solid shot are the main draw here. Oh yea, and he scored the most points ever in the USDP, EVER. So it all comes down to one thing, do you think as a team you can take his skating from exceedingly average to a + trait. I think with some skating coaches and some strength the answer is yes. I find that smart players are able to do things like that. I love Perreault because he has a good motor and just is constant joy to watch as he manipulates defenders whenever and wherever. 12 Dmitri Simashev LHD 6'4" 201lbs - Finally found video... not a lot but some. If he shot right, I think I would be on the draft him no matter what wagon to Stanley-ville. His scoring picked up towards the end of the year and he was really good in the MHL playoffs with 6pts in 10games. Now we should discuss his skating, his edges are better than Power and his has really good acceleration (on par with Owen). He can keep up with attacking forwards and has the agility that allows him to turn and push attackers to the outside. He has a physical element and will rub guys out or use his frame to separate them from the puck. Gap control is as good as Reinbacher but where I think he is a bit behind Reinbacher is in overall creativity. He just isn't has refined in terms of the offensive side of things and that hurts his stock a bit. Here is the truth though, he is probably better than Samuelsson overall while also being the same size. So basically Muel is a poor man's Simashev. I wish Simashev didn't have 2 more years in Russia as I think a NA coach would be able to push his game further faster but when he shows up at the start of 2025, you will have a player that just spent 2 years in the KHL... exactly like Novikov so we shall see what we get. 13 Quentin Musty LW 6'2" 200lbs - I cannot understand why Musty is ranked so low other places. I mean, I can but I don't agree. His consolidated is #24 and no, like no. I think this is a case of a guy that was ranked lowish to start and scouts saw improvement but he mostly met expectations from there. Basically I think he was anchored, low to start, met the expectations ppl had so he had a small increase to his rankings. So the good is that he is a slick passer who can manipulate defenders, play off contact and has a quietly good shot. The bad is that his skating is only slightly above average and sometimes he plays a bit too much of a perimeter passing game for my taste. That said, I think when you watch tape of him from November and then compare it to March you really see improvements. He needs to improve more in the defensive zone, where he at times seems disinterested but at other times is really good at separating player from puck. Me? I am betting that once his matures a little, all of the good will become more common and the bad will be sanded out of how he plays. He just improved too much IMPO. His stickhandling and ability to go through defenders was great and he never really put himself in bad spots offensively. He has a July bday so I really feel it comes down to allowing the player to mature and just working with him. He has all the tools needed to be a really good top 6 forward and if he can up the skating a bit, he can honestly be in your top 3. The issue is though, you might also get a 3rd line passer with a decent shot who is only okay defensively. High ceiling, low floor. ^ Tier 3 has ended^ it is a bit bigger but makes sense to me More to come later but there is my top 13. This has more to do with where I set the end of my 3rd tier as opposed to Buffalo picking at 13. That is a coincidence not a design here. Calum Ritchie and Colby Barlow kick off my 4th tier. Both I mention because they very nearly were put in the 3rd tier but I felt their overall skill was a bit below what I have here. On 6/20/2023 at 11:00 AM, LGR4GM said: Ranking Name Position Height/Weight 14 Colby Barlow 6'1" 195lbs - A bunch of ppl say that his peak is basically where he sits now, that of a hardnosed middle forward with a good shot who is sound defensively. There supposedly isn't much room for growth because for the most part you are getting a physical mature player but I tend to disagree. I think Barlow can add more things to his toolbox and not having to worry about his physical maturity as much might help him do that. His shot is good, his IQ is really good, he works hard, and he is physical. Basically he is a poor man's Cozens. The catch here is that Barlow might not have as high of ceiling, certainly it is lower than my next player but his floor is exceedingly high and if he can work on a bit more deception and some softer hands, I think you could get a really good mini-tuch/cozens type of player. His drive to the net and his quick and heavy release make you hope the rest will come. 15 Lukas Dragicevic RHD 6'1" 194lbs - He has some skating issues and that almost meant he was in the late 20's but I can't ignore the rest of the package and I think a lot of players manage to fix their skating. You want offense? Oh man does he have offense, the converted forward is a all about attacking you with the puck. He has handling moves and solid passing. Really that the jr level he is a blast to watch in transition and the offensive zone. Now the defense is... a work in progress but it isn't that he doesn't try more that he is just not as developed as others. You want a solid defender draft Willander. I think Lukas can get there but this is a higher risk higher reward type of player. The skating needs upgraded and the defensive zone work needs to be ironed out. If you manage that, you might have a #2 or at least a #3 defender who can run a pp. I think the rewards outweigh the risks which is why I rank him higher than most. 16 Calum Ritchie C/RW 6'2" 187lbs - Quick name a player that played their entire draft year injured. Seriously at the Hlinka he injured his shoulder and then just played the entire year anyway... because idk badassery? For me I think this limited him a bit this year but when I watch him I see a decent handler, with good ideas, effective passing, and a very well rounded 2 way game. I think he has really good offensive and defensive zone awareness and he uses that to his advantage, finding open ice or teammates with passes. He really does a good job of creating space for himself and others which will be a big help in the NHL. I think his skating is averagish but I do see where others have critiqued his posture and his pop. I think some refinement will really allow him to access even more things that he is already good at. My final comment is watch him battle for a puck, he might be one of the best at it. I didn't pay that much attention to it when I was watching him (because I am an amateur blogger looking at this stuff for fun) but a scouting report talked about it so I went back and looked. Ritchie really is great at separating opponents from the puck and he has multiple tools for the job, stick lifts, checks, body positioning. In a few ways I was reminded of Lidstrom and how he would just always emerge with the puck. No I am not saying he will be as good as one of the very best defenders ever, mainly because he plays forward, but it just made me think of that. 17 Axel Sandin Pellikka RHD 5'11" 181lbs - I went back and worth with Peillikka. At first I didn't care for him because he reminded me a little of Pilut and that was bad. But he is actually really good at the small stuff and I think has enough skill to be effective even if he isn't over 6' tall (this will shock you all but I actually want defenders to be 6'1" or taller if possible). He has good skating and nice hands, his reads are fairly solid. There just isn't that many issues with his game other than his size. That said he engages defensively and has pro level habits down low. You do see his lack of physical stature at times but I think with more maturity and refinement to his game he can handle it. My issue really is that I don't have some high end trait to point to as a game breaker and that is the concern for me. He's good at everything with very good skating but I think you are probably getting a 2nd pairing defender who can run your pp. At this point in the draft players will have limits that you have to think about and decide what you are comfortable with. I think he will get drafted after Willander. 18 Samuel Honzek C 6'3" 195lbs - I like Honzek quite a bit. In a lot of ways he has similarities to Ritchie. Both use their bodies well and win a lot of battle. Where the difference is, comes from Honzek being less of a distributor and more of a shooter. He played on a bad WHL team so maybe that had to do with him shooting more. I really enjoy his shot and would compare it to Barlow's but maybe just a touch below him. His skating his good and if you watch him you will see pretty good finesse from the 6'3" forward as he makes some nice cuts and has good speed. His defensive game needs some work because he doesn't always get in the correct position and get pucks up ice fast enough. I wonder if some of that was a weak team but I think his hockey IQ isn't as good as a guy like Ritchie so that is why he is a bit below him. Still, this is a solid NHL player and will be a middle 6 guy in all likelihood. Could become a 50-60pt player because he has the size and skills to be pretty good. He is another in that Tuch/Cozens mold. 19 Nate Danielson C/RW 6'2" 186lbs - First thing first, he's old. In fact he is 350 days older than Juraj Pekarcik but they are in the same draft. Okay with that out of the way he is another in the Barlow, Ritchie, Honzek mold of bigger guy with certain skills but a few limitations (if you haven't see the pattern yet, there it is). So why is he ranked here? I think he has the lowest hockey IQ of the 4 guys just mentioned and that worries me more than someone skating. He has skills, his shooting and passing are solid. He physically engages and his skating is good but there is just always a "but why not do that instead" feel to watching him. I just want to see him really flow better with his linemates and I think sometimes if you watch him, he has simple solutions to complex problems that that don't always work. Still at worst you get a 3rd line center with some scoring and a sound defensive game. At best, you might have a 2nd line center. His age and his IQ though put him a bit lower IMPO. 20 Gracyn Sawchyn RW 5'11" 155lbs - Dude needs to eat some burgers. He isn't small but he is light (kinda the same thing) and that is the issue. He can be pushed off of pucks at times and sometimes will lose battles to bigger players. So... why do I have a guy who's consensus ranking is 35 and his lowest is 80 or 90 at 20? Go watch him play. Holy crapballz does he do everything you want. His puckhandling is great, not good, great. He has handles, dangles, dekes, fakes, humdingers, and hornwanglers... wait this is turning into Dr. Seuss. His manipulation tactics and ability to execute them at speed are top 10 in this class. If he were built like Barlow, I would tell the Sabres to kick the shins of all the other gms as they ran to the stage to take him. Now you look at this point totals and probably think, ummm that isn't that impressive with 58pts in 58games but he played on a team with Lambert, Korchinski, Schaefer, and Guenther so ice time was little hard to come by. Also I think he needs to improve his shot which is fine but nothing special. He has a high motor and the skills needed to turn that into effective game play. His playmaking is the highlight and he can make just about any pass you need. Also, take the puck the from him, I hope you outskate him or pass quick because if not that little ball of hate will becoming for your ass. I love Sawchyn but his skating isn't elite and his size will hold him back a bit. I think if he adds muscle the skating with ramp up to be more explosive and also his ability to facilitate plays will really shine when you put him with shooters. This simply isn't a smaller player with good skating and high energy. He is a manipulative stickhandler with high end skills who is pretty good at attacking and defending. This is a high risk high reward guy who can be a 2nd line player in the NHL if all the breaks go right... the concern is I am not sure if he makes a good 3rd or 4th liner if he can't quite make the top 6, his motor might allow him too though. ^ Tier 4 ^ it is a bigger tier and I almost went another 2 players but really after Sawchyn I think there is less certainty so I cut it off. On 6/21/2023 at 9:35 AM, LGR4GM said: 21 Daniil But LW 6'5" 203lbs - Let's talk about the 200lb gorilla in the room, But. Last name jokes aside he is big and every once in a while if you watch some highlights, he looks a little like Tage. His got dangles and dekes, his shot is pretty good, and his motor is high-ish. The issue is that his skating, particularly his first 3 steps and some of his agility are what you would expect from a 6'5" 17yr old. He also isn't really a power forward like Tuch and is bit more in the mold of Tage Thompson where he can use his size but doesn't always, preferring to use his hands. I have seen a little of him, hard to find stuff, and I think you have a guy that with good development could be an absolute nightmare to defend in 3-5 years. His consolidted is 28 but there is a small (10%) chance he slides to 39 because the russian factor and the skating. Most likely though he goes somewhere in the early 20's. 22 Tom Willander RHD 6'1" 179lbs - There is a good chance Willander ends up better than ASP but I think his ceiling is a little lower hence why he slid a tier. Honestly though, you could convince me to flip them. Willander discussions need to start with his skating, it is great. His skating is what you want Simashev's to get to (and I think it will) where he has quick edges, powerful starts and stops, and just agility for days. He rarely gets beat and his recovery is pretty solid. He played in the J20 most of the year and put up good numbers, his WJC18 numbers are only 3pts less than ASP so there is offense there. I think his lacks some of the creativity of a guy like Dragicevic but he also plays defense as well as Reinbacher or Simashev, perhaps better. To be blunt, he is probably the perfect draft eligible player to pair with Power in 2-3 years which is why his consolidated is 23 and I think he will go in the top 15. He will be at Bostin Univ in the fall which is an unusual path for a Swedish prospect but again, you are getting a solid at worst #4 defender who has enough size and more than enough skating to shut down plays and start breakouts at the next level. 23 Matthew Wood LW 6'4" 197lbs - A lot of Sabres fans have wood for Wood. I don't. I do however like him and at 13, I think you are overdrafting him but I wouldn't react the way I did to the Leinonen pick. So why do I rank him so low when his consolidated is #13. The issue I have comes down to skating and how he puckhandles because of that skating. His skating is meh, his feet look heavy, his agility is mediocre, he isn't explosive, and overall it just doesn't look NHL quality for a top 6 player. That in and of itself though isn't always an issue, a lot of big guys have some things to work on but my issue is that because he skates poorly he tends to glide when he makes his puckhandling moves. I don't see a lot of ability to make moves while skating and because he already isn't fast that means at the NHL level ppl will catch him and strip him of the puck. I also think his offensive creativity it lacking, he really comes off more like a straight ahead, obvious play type and that is fine but I want a little more dynamism in my first rounders. Basically I worry you get a nice big 3rd line guy instead of a really solid 2nd line guy when this is all done, or even worse you get a 4th liner. Others like Wood more but for me, right now, I just wish he had shown a little more variety this year. With all that said, Wood has good puckhandling, a nice shot, he sees the ice well even if he doesn't always come up with creative ways to solve problems and he works hard all over the ice. 24 Brayden Yager C/RW 5'11" 170lbs - You're a shooter who scored fewer goals this season compared to last in the same league... hmm. I really was excited for Yager going into the season and thought he might be a top 10 pick. Now I feel like I am unsure if he will have enough to be an NHL guy. Unlike Wood who still will always have the size and checking skills to fall back on, Yager really has his shot and his skating. So he has this great shot and pretty good skating but yet he only scores 28goals and his team has 2 40g scorers on it. His assists went up but I have watched the highlights of those and some of that is the fact Firkus has a major shot. He is one of these guys where you see the skill but how it all comes together seems a little unrefined. That said he has a lot of potential with the right linemates and if he can refine his game even a little, he could be a good top 6 player. He does fine defensively and is attentive in that end of the rink so there are good things but the overall package just concerns me. 25 Riley Heidt C 5'11" 179lbs - There are a lot of pp points there adding to his totals but boy does he have a lot of points (97) for the WHL. He gets point by handling and manipulating defenses with excellent feints and cuts. He could use more explosiveness in his stride but that's fairly normal. He has an edge to him as well, watch him in the offensive zone retrieve pucks or check in general. He is somewhat of a little *****-stirrer out there. His shot is solid but his passing, due to the manipulation, is really great. He finds players all the over and when he has space that is lethal. He can create his own space but as we say often needs to get stronger. He is a little undersized for the physical game he plays but I've always believed the in size of the fight in the dog so to speak. Why isn't he ranked higher? He doesn't play defense. I mean he does but not in an effective way. It is Olofsson-esque IMPO. I also think sometimes his hands are way ahead of his brain, he will make a great handle and then not really do much with it. Where Yager is solid defensively with some questionable passing, Heidt is not solid defensively and has questionable passing. Really all depends on which you feel more confident about. He's a boom or bust guy, ceiling is top 6, floor is pp specialist that you don't want out against other teams top 6. 26 Oscar Fisker Mølgaard C 6' 166lbs - His consolidated is #43 so there is a fair chance he will be there at 39. The reason he is ranked behind the last 2 guys is because he doesn't have a standout offensive trait like a shot or handling. Instead you are getting a guy who is just solid. His skating is probably his best skill followed by his brain, if you watch his WC tape from a little bit ago, he just uses his excellent skating to stay in position, extend plays, shut opponents down, or otherwise be a net positive on the ice. I am actually really curious to see him play with more skilled linemates. For example if I put him between Savoie and Kulich what would he look like? Now his shot could use work but other than that he's a middle 6 center all day. He reminds me a bit of a ROR type where you know he can shutdown opponents but also he should get 50pts a year because he is smart and the skating will allow him to counterattack. He will be back in the SHL next season (played half of this season there and recorded 7 points) so he also might be a guy only 1 year away, depends on if he has an NHL out as he is signed for SHL until 2025. 27 Eduard Šalé RW 6'2" 175lbs - Fine, I will rank him. I have said it before I dislike Sale. His consolidated is 14th btw so I am way lower on him than most. Why? Well, everyone everywhere talks about his high end tools, which I agree he has. The issue for me is that he uses them when and if he feels like it. You gotta watch a shift by shift of this guy. One shift he will engage, separate someone from the puck and attack up ice. The next shift he will passively wave his stick in the passing lane and glide back on a backcheck. Make up your mind dude. His skating, puck skills, and shot are all good. Better or equal to everyone else in this tier for sure but his motor is an inconsistent mess and it just really sours me on him. That said, he is still in the "wouldn't be mad if we took him" tier. He was linemates with Kulich and they worked well together, Sale can make excellent passes and setup teammates really well. If he fixes his motor, he's better than just about everyone in the previous 2 tiers. Again, for me that motor really bothers me and that is probably because of years of watching guys try when they felt like it. I like the high motor, constantly churning, players. Final thought here is that if Kulich vouches for him and Adams feels good after talking to him at the combine, I am not going to Leinonen after this pick. ^ Tier 5 ^ here ends the last of the "I wouldn't freak if we picked this player at 13" guys. I hope we take someone from my 4th tier but tier 5 has some high end guys with just a couple more risk factors and some slightly lower end guys with solid floors. Next up is tier 6, guys that I would expect to have a chance at at 39. 21 hours ago, LGR4GM said: 28 Nick Lardis RW 5'11" 168lbs He sits above the next 3 names on this list for 1 reason, his shot. Lardis has an excellent shot that can beat you and can be fired from a bunch of different platforms and with many different techniques. 25g in 33 games after he was traded really showed the true potential his shot possesses. There is a catch, you need someone to get him the puck as he seems to be better at the off the puck movements than as a transporter. That isn't a knock on his skating which is good, more that he isn't much of a playmaker. Lardis can manipulate a defender to get a lane and release or slide into soft spots or even fake passes but he just doesn't really facilitate other people scoring. Still he is a smart player that attacks and backchecks well so with that elite shot, you might be snagging a 30g scorer if everything goes well. 29 Felix Nilsson C 6'1" 187lbs - Do you like 200ft middle 6 forwards? Great, here is one for you. Nilsson is solid, shot, passing, skating, physicality is all solid or good. There isn't a standout trait but there also isn't anything I would call below average. I wish he was slightly faster but when I watch him skate it looks good mechanically so added muscle will probably solve that problem. He isn't sexy but he is effective. The good news here is you are getting a player that can play on your 2nd line if everything breaks right or if not, you are getting a 3rd line Asplund type so either way he projects to the NHL. His passing would be the closest thing to an elite skill he has as watching highlights or a shift by shift you see him connect with teammates often and make some difficult passes. He does them regularly and executes them quickly indicating, I think, a good IQ. Overall just a nice projectable type of player. His late June bday means that there might be more to give as well as he develops and matures. 30 Ethan Gauthier RW 6' 183lbs - I forgot if you like middle 6 forwards... but here is another. He has more outright physicality than Nilsson but other than that they are similar in a lot of ways. I think Nilsson is a more polished product and the added size is nice but Gauthier brings that same projectable middle 6 profile. He doesn't have a lot of manipulation or deception but he has it enough to get the job done. He uses his smarts and his handles to open lanes and feed solid passes to the middle. He can cut in and attack the net if needed and his shot is slightly above average. Again, he is basically another version of Nilsson, I just feel Nilsson has a touch more skill. 31 Otto Stenberg C 5'11" 185lbs - What? You want to know if there are any middle 6 forwards? Well sit down and let me show you one more. Otto is getting a lot of hype because of his u18 play where he put up 16pts in 7 games. That is really impressive and when you watch him you see the dangles and deception he tosses out. He has more manipulation than our other 2 middle 6rs. That said I think his skating is the weakest of the 3 even though it is still average and not a negative trait. I also think sometimes he can get lost in the defensive zone. Overall I like him but I think his projection is more questionable even if he has the same upside. I wish he was a bit more physical and I wonder if the skill he has will be high end enough for the NA game where time and space condense. 32 Gavin Brindley RW 5'8" 168lbs - Let's get it out of the way, Brindley is short. That height and weight above is from the combine measuring. His skating is good, but not elite. His other skills are good but none are elite. The only elite trait he has is that his motor is revved up to 5,000 rpms every shift. He will hold the fort down defensively and you can watch him shut down plays and start the transition. He is very positionally sound, like a poor man's Reinhart. He can play whatever you want and will be pretty decent at it. He played with Fantilli at times and was good managing to post 38pts in 41ncaa games as an 18yr old. The issue is what happens when instead of battling 20yr old NCAA players he is battle 25 and 26yr old NHL players who will all be bigger and strong and faster than what he sees now? Sure the motor revs high but 5'8" is short and that leads to limitations that he cannot just overcome. Gerbe made it work for a time but if Brindley doesn't make your top 6, how good do you feel putting him out in your bottom 6? There's skill there but a lot of risk. 33 Beau Akey RHD 6' 175lbs - He is probably the 2nd best skating defender in the class simply because Molendyk is stupid good. That said Akey is also a very good skater who has both power and agility. He can shut down rush chances and is big enough to handle a lot in his own end. I think his defensive game is really well rounded and of a high caliber. I see a lot of scouts comment on his stick work and maybe I should go look again but I didn't notice that specifically. He will take the body when appropriate and has enough skill to be a breakout and transition player. In the offensive zone, he tries a lot of stuff and gets quite a few shots through. I think there is more to give there and hope he can refine his offensive game. I really like the rest of what he does though and for me he grades out as a solid #4 who could work fine on your #2 PP or your #1 PK. I really enjoy his game and think he might be around at 39 with a consolidated ranking of 47. 34 Coulson Pitre C 6'1" 170lbs - He sits higher on my board than most ppl have him (consolidated is 72) but I want to post one thing from EP's draft guide that caught my attention "Here’s a list of OHL first-time draft eligibles who scored more even-strength points per minute than Coulson Pitre: Quentin Musty, Colby Barlow – that’s it." He is physical and has a good motor, a step below Brindley's. He has good ideas and watching him you can see that there is talent there. The issue is that he doesn't have a standout trait as everything is pretty average to good and his skating is just okay-ish. If he improves the skating though this is a great high reward middle 6 type. I think his overall game is good and he just needs that extra bit of improvement with his IQ and skating to really unlock his game. 35 Tanner Molendyk LHD 5'11" 181lbs - Is he the best skating defender in the draft, probably. Does he have warts still, yes. Let's start with the skating, personally I think only Moore has better skating. We are talking an elite and dynamic trait here. Explosive out of cuts, quick feet, maybe the best edges in the draft, and man does he just stop rush chances. Go watch a shift by shift or find a game somewhere and he just seems to always manage to shut down rush chances. So why isn't he ranked higher? I think his hockey IQ is meh. Actually he might suffer from a similar problem to Moore in where he has this excellent skating but his brain is still trying to catchup and analyze while his feet drag him into trouble. There just seems to be a lack of understanding of what to do with pucks. You see some really nice breakups and than passes that don't connect or are dump ins. Idk, I have mentioned before when guys have lower H-IQ I get nervous because I think by the time you hit 17/18 you really either understand the game or you won't really. Processing speed at these ages should be pretty fast and I think Molendyk lacks that a bit. Also, 5'11" defenders who aren't great distributors but are good skaters, that isn't a long list of comparables. Still the elite skating and decent hands will take him far and maybe in a structured NHL system he can be able to do a bit more. 36 Juraj Pekarcik LW 6'2" 183lbs - I want. Let's all take moment to recognize that Pekarcik won't be 18 until Sept 12th. As noted before Nate Danielson is 350 days older. At the U18 he played with Dvorsky because well, Juraj is good. He has stickhandles and dangles, his passing is a + trait, and while his skating probably needs a little work, it really looks more like a product of being 6'2" at 17 than his mechanics are bad. Strength and some maturity should make it into a + trait as well, he is certainly fast and has decent edges already. I loved this kid in the U18s, he was always moving, always hunting the puck carrier, never backing down. There is a pursuit quality to his back and forechecking that is only going to get better with time. You can't teach that mentality easily and Pekarcik already has this mature way of engaging and staying engaged all over the ice. The nice thing is his puck handling allows him to manipulate space and then deftly pass it off to then cut inside or support the play. He is 6'2", with hands, can skate, high motor, and he is YOUNG. Sept 12 bday makes it likely that the runway here is long. Not to mention he is already 6'2" 183lbs so we might be looking at a 6'3" or 6'4" 210lb power forward. This kid is going to be one of those "oh man we should have drafted him earlier" guys by next season. He played 30games in the Slovak Men's League this year and in the j20 version he had 20pts in 16 games. I can't say enough about Pekarcik and I hope the Sabres are smart enough to factor in how good he is compared to how young he is. His consolidated ranking is 89 and I would take him at 45 without hesitation and probably at 39 without more than I quick glance at the board. 17yr old kids don't hold down 7ish minutes a night in men's leagues. He may have only put up 3 points but they kept him up there because he wasn't a liability either. Pekarcik is my diamond in the rough this draft and I wish Buffalo had a pick at like 65 because I think he goes there. Hopefully our love of Czech's extends to Slovakia. 37 Andrew Cristall LW 5'10" 175lbs - Remember how I gushed about Pekarcik and his motor and all that stuff? This is Andrew Cristall, he scores a lot and is maddingly inconsistent. He has elite puck skills and can link those in with a good shot and excellent passing. He is exceedingly creative, like Bedard and Michkov could talk to Cristall and they would all understand the game. His deception and layering is truly awesome. He put up 95pts in 54games which is a 1.76ppg pace, that's really good. He also was outscored at the u18s by the guy above Pekarcik, 6pts to 10. At this moment you are probably like... so why is he in the 2nd round when his consolidated is 19? Well his skating is mediocre, decent edges but lacks power and speed. He never seems to extend his legs full and sometimes when you watch him cut it works but then the acceleration out of that cut is fairly weak. Now let's talk about his defensive game, there isn't one. Moving on, for those of you who want more grit, run. No seriously run the f away from Cristall. Where Pekarcik engages and uses his body, driving through a players hands to take possession, Cristall I have literally watch put on the breaks to avoid making contact on a check. I just, don't get him as a player. If you only see highlights, he looks like a top 10 pick. If you read or watch more than that, everyone across the board questions how he translates to the NHL. Right now he can get away with using those hands and the edges to make guys miss and get shots or passes off but in the NHL, when Power or Muel or Dahlin are bearing down on you, sure your hands might buy you some time but it won't be enough as you get ragdolled off the puck and then float back into the defensive zone to stick check a guy maybe. I just have way to many concerns here. The hope is that he gets a little bigger and tougher but IMPO at 18, you either mentally understand and are willing to engage in the physical play or at this point that isn't who you are. 38 Danny Nelson C/LW 6'3" 212lbs - I have a lot of time for Nelson. His opening half of USDP play was meh but once he figured it out you could see that there is more to unearth with him. He has an Aug 3 bday meaning he is quite young for the draft. He motors like Pekarcik and uses his body effectively to shutdown plays and take the puck back. Go watch the u18s, his wall play is excellent and he basically is never caught out of position. I think he skates well for his age and size but needs to work on that agility, constant edgework drill because if he bumps the skating up I think that will really unlock more options for me. I think he understands the game overall very well and when you couple that to his back and forechecking nature you get a really effective player. I am very curious to see what Nelson does at ND next season as I think at the USDP he was buried a bit under the exceedingly deep roster of talent. This is another long runway type of guy who is big and plays with pace and aggression. Can he be a 2nd line guy... maybe. At worst though he is going to be a 3rd line 40pt player which I can live with in the 2nd or 3rd round. His consolidated is 52. 39 David Edstrom C 6'3" 185lbs - Another guy I really like is Edstrom although I think he has less of a runway than Nelson partly because he is 6months older. Edstrom is another of these really smart solid players that I have discussed a lot in this tier. He does everything well and doesn't necessarily have a stand out trait. His u18s was quite good and you could watch it to see how he processes the play, makes good inside moves, has okay hands but what impressed me was his ability to find his teammates often. Defensively he is really like a clone of Nelson, just in the right spot, active stick, will check you when needed. At worst you get a 30-40pt 3rd liner and there might just be a solid 2nd line guy in there but I am less convinced than I am with Nelson. 40 Kalan Lind C/LW 6'1" 158lbs - a teammate of Buffalo's Mats Lindgren, Lind is essentially a poor man's Ryan Leonard. There is skill there and if you watch the tape you see it in flashes where he will handle or cut or do some other trick to open lanes or get a shot away. The skating is a level below Leonard and I think the shot is as well. Still I see the makings of a power forward in his profile if he can refine is game more. He is intelligent with the puck and knows how to find or make space to help his team offensively. Defensively he is positionally sound with very active checking. That brings us to the reason you would consider him at 45, he hates the opposition. If you have the puck he hates you and he wants you to know that he hates you. He will forecheck or backcheck with an intelligent recklessness that reminds me a bit of a Tkachuk. He loves to initiate contact in any part of the ice but I don't feel from what I have seen that he is going out of his way, instead it is done methodically. He is smart, physical player, with decent hands and good attention to detail. If you are lucky and his skating and shot improve, you get a 6'1" 190lb ball of hate that is pretty solid on a 2nd line but at worst you get a 3/4 line guy who again has a really physical element to his game. My real concern here is durability, he really needs about 25lbs or he will continue to get injured due to how he plays. Still, I like the cut of his jib. ^ Tier 6 ^ after this guys really start to blend in more and more Here is the previous tier Here's all the stuff written up and here is the Liger's list: Ranking-Name-Position 1 Connor Bedard C 2 Adam Fantilli C 3 Matvei Michkov RW 4 Leo Carlsson LW 5 Will Smith C 6 Zach Benson LW 7 Ryan Leonard RW 8 David Reinbacher RHD 9 Oliver Moore C 10 Dalibor Dvorský C 11 Gabe Perreault LW 12 Dmitri Simashev LHD 13 Quentin Musty LW 14 Colby Barlow RW 15 Lukas Dragicevic RHD 16 Calum Ritchie C/RW 17 Axel Sandin Pellikka RHD 18 Samuel Honzek C 19 Nate Danielson C/RW 20 Gracyn Sawchyn RW 21 Daniil But LW 22 Tom Willander RHD 23 Matthew Wood LW 24 Brayden Yager C/RW 25 Riley Heidt C 26 Oscar Fisker Mølgaard C 27 Eduard Šalé RW 28 Nick Lardis RW 29 Felix Nilsson C 30 Ethan Gauthier RW 31 Otto Stenberg C 32 Gavin Brindley RW 33 Beau Akey RHD 34 Coulson Pitre C 35 Tanner Molendyk LHD 36 Juraj Pekarcik LW 37 Andrew Cristall LW 38 Danny Nelson C 39 David Edstrom C 40 Kalan Lind C/LW 41 Caden Price LHD 42 Matthew Mania RHD 43 Étienne Morin LHD 44 Mikhail Gulyayev LHD 45 Bradly Nadeau C 46 Anton Wahlberg C/LW 47 Quinton Burns LHD 48 Oliver Bonk RHD 49 Charlie Stramel C 50 Carter Sotheran RHD 51 Hunter Brzustewicz RHD 52 Noah Dower Nilsson LW 53 Aram Minnetian RHD 54 Jayden Perron RW 55 Maxim Štrbák RHD 56 Carson Rehkopf LW 57 Alex Čiernik LW 58 Lenni Hämeenaho RW 59 Andrew Gibson RHD 60 Connor Levis RW 61 Jakub Dvořák RHD 62 Cam Allen RHD 63 Beckett Hendrickson LW 64 Theo Lindstein LHD 65 Felix Unger Sörum RW 66 Jesse Kiiskinen RW 67 Gavin McCarthy RHD 68 Koehn Ziemmer RW 69 Matthew Soto RW 70 Luca Cagnoni LHD This list probably looks different than others and I definitely missed a guy or two I am sure of it. This draft might end up deeper than most but I really do see a lot of the same types of guys in that 40-70 range that we see every year. Still I feel okay with this. I use draft guides, video (when I can find it), and highlights to try and place these players. I also use their age and their production given the league and role they played. Age matters a lot even though NHL teams don't often seem to worry much about it. Final note, I am not a professional scout. I have seen video on most of these guys but I am not watching hours of game tape on all of them. Enjoy. 1 1 2 Quote
LGR4GM Posted June 23, 2023 Report Posted June 23, 2023 15 minutes ago, dudacek said: Nelson was one of 6 players featured by Marty, Duffer and Kris Baker as guys to watch in the 2nd round. The others were: Forwards Oskar Fisker-Molgard and Anton Wahlberg, defencemen Martin Strbak, Oliver Bonk and Adam Minnetian. I always come away from Wahlberg wondering if all the end to end rushes will translate. I could probably add him to my list but I always just kept putting in players who styles my eye liked more. Either way, I think there is a big tier from about 55-80ish of guys. Quote
French Collection Posted June 23, 2023 Report Posted June 23, 2023 A guy I’m starting to consider a possibility at 13 is Colby Barlow. He isn’t my first choice but I would be OK with this pick. Someone (Baker?) said he reminds him of Cam Neely. If he gets close to that level he would be a steal at 13. Many worry that he has peaked because of his size, but there is a lot of improvement needed strength wise to get faster and stronger. He’s got leadership ability, wearing the C as a draft eligible player. He may have scored 50 goals if he wouldn’t have missed a few games. He did not impress me at the U18s, where Matthew Wood did. That tournament is a small sample size of their season so it’s tough to base a lot on it. Quote
Marvin Posted June 23, 2023 Report Posted June 23, 2023 2 hours ago, Curt said: This might not be too interesting to anyone other than me but I’m just throwing it out there. As I’ve looked at draft prospects the past couple weeks, I’ve tried to focus on a couple things in particular. 1) Guys who have characteristics that I think would show out well in a playoff series, and 2) guys who are young for their draft class. So I present to you a list of guys who are both pretty young for the draft class and have some combination of strength, attitude, style, and motor that would allow them to do well in the playoffs. There are not that many, but I hope that the Sabres draft a couple of these guys. Centers: Dalibor Dvorsky - likely top 10 pick Anton Wahlberg - early 2nd round Rasmus Kumpulainen - late 2nd/early 3rd round Wingers: Quinton Musty - late 1st round Kasper Halttunen - early 2nd round Danny Nelson - early 2nd round Easton Cowan - mid 2nd round Jesse Kiiskinen - mid 2nd round Juraj Pekarcik - early 3rd round Felix Unger Sörum - mid/late 3rd round Alexander Rykov - 3rd to 4th round Matthew Soto - 5th to 7th round Denis Malov - 6th or 7th round Alexander Assadourian - 6th or 7th round LH Defensemen: Jakub Dvorak - early 2nd round Caden Price - early 3rd round Kristian Kostadinski - 4th to 6th round James Petrovski - 4th to 6th round RH Defensemen: Gavin McCarthy - mid/late 3rd round Carter Sotheran - 4th to 5th round I am glad someone else looks at these criteria as well. In draft guides, I almost never see these mentioned -- particularly the age thing. Quote
dudacek Posted June 23, 2023 Report Posted June 23, 2023 TSN’s Craig Button dropped his mock this morning. Buffalo ended up with Benson after he slipped down to them. Still available were: Yeager, Perreault, Danielson and Moore Surprise was Wood at 6. Sandin-Pelikka and Willander went before the Sabres pick. Quote
LGR4GM Posted June 23, 2023 Report Posted June 23, 2023 1 hour ago, dudacek said: TSN’s Craig Button dropped his mock this morning. Buffalo ended up with Benson after he slipped down to them. Still available were: Yeager, Perreault, Danielson and Moore Surprise was Wood at 6. Sandin-Pelikka and Willander went before the Sabres pick. Teams are about to overdraft size after what they think they learned from Vegas. ASP and Willander I truly believe go before Buffalo picks. Quote
Curt Posted June 23, 2023 Report Posted June 23, 2023 56 minutes ago, LGR4GM said: Teams are about to overdraft size after what they think they learned from Vegas. ASP and Willander I truly believe go before Buffalo picks. This definitely happens. I feel like it is useful to look for players with traits that suit the playoff game, but size can definitely be over prioritized. 1 Quote
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