Élite Propsects January 2025 draft ranking

[majormajor]

100%. These goobers are probably still looking for box scores in their local newspaper.

That's kind of going in a different direction than I intended. I agree with @DavidStLouis ' comment above mine. They do a ton of work. By old school I mean traditional biases, how big is the frame, and let's give him a bonus for being a farmboy, etc...

And they're not always wrong with that - I think in 2017-2019 they swung too hard the other way, maybe after seeing EK dominate the NHL. There were a ton of small D drafted high that have turned into nothing (Brannstrom, Boqvist, Ty Smith, etc...).

What I'm really saying is that if you think there is some bias at work why a tiny player didn't get drafted higher, it's probably just size. Stick with the obvious.

 

[Juxtaposer]

@DavidStLouis Just listened to your take on Martone on the YouTube ranking vid that just dropped. As a Sharks fan, naturally I'm very locked in on the top-4 for this draft, obviously with Schaefer as the ideal fit but that would require a lottery win. Martone is my least favorite of the bunch for the same reasons EP didn't really consider him at #1 or #2, but I've seen him play quite a bit and I feel like he'd be perfect on a line with William Eklund and Macklin Celebrini. Those two are quick and tenacious puck-hounds and strong defensive players who love to go to work on the boards, so they'd cover a lot of Martone's deficiencies, while Martone would provide the in-tight finishing and high-end playmaking for them. Am I off in this assessment? And if so, what do you see as the ideal linemates for him in the NHL to maximize his impact?

 

[Sombastate]

How far has Ryabkin dropped?

 

[DavidStLouis]

whoever pushed for Alexander Zharovsky deserves a raise

Absolutely.

@DavidStLouis Just listened to your take on Martone on the YouTube ranking vid that just dropped. As a Sharks fan, naturally I'm very locked in on the top-4 for this draft, obviously with Schaefer as the ideal fit but that would require a lottery win. Martone is my least favorite of the bunch for the same reasons EP didn't really consider him at #1 or #2, but I've seen him play quite a bit and I feel like he'd be perfect on a line with William Eklund and Macklin Celebrini. Those two are quick and tenacious puck-hounds and strong defensive players who love to go to work on the boards, so they'd cover a lot of Martone's deficiencies, while Martone would provide the in-tight finishing and high-end playmaking for them. Am I off in this assessment? And if so, what do you see as the ideal linemates for him in the NHL to maximize his impact?

I think Martone would be a good fit. He's a kind of facilitator/accelerator. If he's placed with two creative players like Celebrini and Eklund, he will feed off of them. Martone has a talent for finding space, finishing, and for getting his teammates the puck in all situations. He's a special talent. If he can develop his physical side and his defence even more, yes, he would become the ideal linemate.

How far has Ryabkin dropped?

He's at 36. He has a chance to prove he's still an A-level prospect in the USHL, but so far, he looks like the same player. Late to plays, not a high-level creator, lack of pace... Top-six abilities, but the probability that he hits continues to fall.

 

[DavidStLouis]

Cullen Potter?

At 34 and a candidate to move into our top-32. We're really impressed with his defensive development this season in the NCAA. He plays the system well and more than hold his own at this level. He's also learning to use his speed to fuel his playmaking game. The issue is that he's a hard player to project to an NHL role. The playmaking is good, but not elite level and he won't become a shutdown center at his size. If he adds another level to his creativity, he could jump 15 spots.