Prospect Info: 2015 Draft Thread

[kingsfan]

I still have the Kings sending 13+43 to move up to 10 for Zacha in my mock. Personally could see Colorado moving down if Werenski is off the board. Patrick Roy was openly criticizing some of their recent draft picks last summer and they subsequently fired their head scout in October. So I could see them trying to collect an extra pick to reshape their pool.

Friendly bet it'll cost more than that. I bet it'd take another top 20 1st to be able to trade into the top 10 this year. The top of this draft is crazy hyped right now.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

If Patrick Roy is hands on, I see him having some QMJHL bias, which could see him moving down to select either Timo Meier, Thomas Chabot, Jakub Zboril or Jeremy Roy.

 

[LAKings88]

I think the Kings will get a good player at 13. Lucky it's a relatively deep draft.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I think the Kings will get a good player at 13. Lucky it's a relatively deep draft.

For sure. Even if we don't move we're ok. It will just likely take a move up to get 'their guy' provided they have one. Seems like the top 1-3 are set, 4-7 are set, but after that, just about anything goes depending on the rankings youre looking at!

 

[kingsfan]

I assume you mean 1-3 are McDavid, Eichel and Hanifin?

 

[LAKings88]

For sure. Even if we don't move we're ok. It will just likely take a move up to get 'their guy' provided they have one. Seems like the top 1-3 are set, 4-7 are set, but after that, just about anything goes depending on the rankings youre looking at!

Agreed. Most fan bases are not willing to drop past 10. (Not sure if GMs will be as picky) Should be interesting tho. I expect some movement at the draft.

It will most likely come down to Connor/Meier/Konecny/maybe throw in Merkley/Svechnikov for LA if they are looking for a forward.

 

[KINGS17]

I don't know what the Kings scouting and development staff are thinking, but if Zacha looks like a perfect fit for the Kings to all of us, you can bet that quite a number of NHL GMs are aware of it. I wonder if that will impact Dean's ability to move up if he has to in order to get his man.

 

[LAKings88]

I don't know what the Kings scouting and development staff are thinking, but if Zacha looks like a perfect fit for the Kings to all of us, you can bet that quite a number of NHL GMs are aware of it. I wonder if that will impact Dean's ability to move up if he has to in order to get his man.

San Jose/Colorado/Dallas will have him sitting there. I think Hanifin/Provorov/Werenski will be off the board when the Sharks pick too.

Then it becomes Rantanen/Crouse/Zacha for those teams if they are targeting a forward.

Connor seems like a late riser. If he jumps up LA gets one of the big three probably.

Zacha is the guy I want because he seems more like a game breaker. Meier wouldn't be a bad consolation.

Best shot is probably Colorado for trading up.

 

[damacles1156]

You never know really, different organizations value different things. Every team has a scouting and player development philosophy.

Look at how many teams passed on Kopitar, some even calling him overrated, and not skilled enough to play in the NHL.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I assume you mean 1-3 are McDavid, Eichel and Hanifin?

Maybe, just trying to arrange them into sort of value tiers. I'm more pointing out that after the top 7-10, give or take, the next 10 picks are fairly interchangeable and harder to rank.

 

[LAKings88]

You never know really, different organizations value different things. Every team has a scouting and player development philosophy.

Look at how many teams passed on Kopitar, some even calling him overrated, and not skilled enough to play in the NHL.

True lots can happen. But Garth Snow doesn't have a top ten so probably wont see a guy come out of nowhere.

 

[Primakov!]

Evgeni Svechnikov (6'2" - 200) of Cape Breton in the QMJHL is an interesting candidate as well. He started the season as a winger, but he's apparently made a pretty smooth transition to center at the mid-point of this year.

NHL Central Scouting's Troy Dumville said Svechnikov improved his all-around game during the second half of the season.

"He proved to be a very skilled skater, strong on the puck and a player capable of doing a lot of things well," Dumville said. "He plays a physical game, doesn't back away, is aggressive on the forecheck and finishes checks. He's a pretty complete player for a first-year player in the league. He was playing the off

wing the first half of the year and then moved to center.

"By the end of the season he was playing a complete 200-foot game.​

Link

You couple that with his strong offensive game and that's a nice prospect too.​

 

[kingsfan]

Maybe, just trying to arrange them into sort of value tiers. I'm more pointing out that after the top 7-10, give or take, the next 10 picks are fairly interchangeable and harder to rank.

I'm hoping hanifin falls out of the top six and if so, LA trades up somehow to get him. While I'd rather we didn't get a D-man, he'd be the exception for me. He looks a lot like Doughty, just not as physical and not as natural defensively. I think he's going to be a stud on D though, so hopefully some GM's are drinking Craig Button's kool-aid on him.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

That would be magic.

 

[Primakov!]

I'm hoping hanifin falls out of the top six and if so, LA trades up somehow to get him. While I'd rather we didn't get a D-man, he'd be the exception for me. He looks a lot like Doughty, just not as physical and not as natural defensively. I think he's going to be a stud on D though, so hopefully some GM's are drinking Craig Button's kool-aid on him.

While it would be nice, I find it unlikely that Noah Hanifin experiences a Cam Fowler free fall down the draft board. More likely you see Ivan Provorov move up and it's a guy like Zach Werenski that takes a tumble.

 

[kingsfan]

While it would be nice, I find it unlikely that Noah Hanifin experiences a Cam Fowler free fall down the draft board. More likely you see Ivan Provorov move up and it's a guy like Zach Werenski that takes a tumble.

Agreed, and if Werenski falls I hope we go for a forward instead. I wouldn't trade up for Provorov either.

 

[Brodeur]

Well considering how right you have been in the past, I hope you are right yet again

If you toss enough spaghetti against a wall, some of it's bound to stick!

Friendly bet it'll cost more than that. I bet it'd take another top 20 1st to be able to trade into the top 10 this year. The top of this draft is crazy hyped right now.

The tough part of the equation is finding a team willing to trade down. In 2007, St. Louis tried like mad to move up for Voracek. There was video of them offering #9 and #24 to Edmonton for #6, but the Oilers declined.

Colorado could very well be content with sticking at #10 and taking somebody like Rantanen. But if they were high on Timo Meier, they could probably move down to #13, get Meier, and add another pick. Meier plays for Halifax which is where they got MacKinnon from and Roy might have more familiarity with prospects from the Q.

Closest recent example I could find was from 2007 when St. Louis moved down from #9 (after missing out on Voracek). They ended up getting #13, #44, and #87 from San Jose who nabbed Couture.

 

[kingsfan]

In 2013 it cost San Jose a 2nd (pick #58) to go from 20th up to 18th to get Mirco Mueller. The price I suspect is dictated more by the desire for the higher team to drop down. The way the top 10-15 in this draft is being hyped, I doubt many will drop down without getting a very high premium.

 

[Captain Mittens*]

In 2013 it cost San Jose a 2nd (pick #58) to go from 20th up to 18th to get Mirco Mueller. The price I suspect is dictated more by the desire for the higher team to drop down. The way the top 10-15 in this draft is being hyped, I doubt many will drop down without getting a very high premium.

DL should bring a **** ton of In-N-Out. It would be worth more than cigarettes in prison.

 

[kingsfan]

I always hate the name of that place. Sounds like the title of a bad porn film.

 

[Captain Mittens*]

I always hate the name of that place. Sounds like the title of a bad porn film.

On High school we used to get their bumper stickers that read

In-N-Out
Burger

And cut off the B and the r so it said
In-N-Out
urge


Yeah...we were badasses

 

[King'sPawn]

I always hate the name of that place. Sounds like the title of a bad porn film.

If you try hard enough, you can make almost any place sound like a porn film.

Like Jack In the Box.

 

[Brodeur]

In 2013 it cost San Jose a 2nd (pick #58) to go from 20th up to 18th to get Mirco Mueller. The price I suspect is dictated more by the desire for the higher team to drop down. The way the top 10-15 in this draft is being hyped, I doubt many will drop down without getting a very high premium.

That one was bizarre. It's almost like Doug Wilson has the insatiable need to trade up in the first round. Since taking over in 2003, he's done it in 2003/2004/2005/2006/2007 and 2013. They didn't have firsts in 2008/09/11. I was shocked last year when they actually moved down.

Similarly, Detroit tends to trade down for multiple picks. Detroit moving #18 for #20 and #58 seemed to make sense given the teams involved.

 

[Brodeur]

Stumbled on this thread, maybe Colorado just takes Zacha for themselves: http://eurolanche.com/article.php?id=6374

Q: There is a big chance you will be drafted in top 10 this year. Did you see a list of your potential further teams? Do you have some favorite amongst them?

A: I checked teams that will pick players between 5th and 12th place. There are teams I would like to play for. It doesn't matter at which place they will pick me of. There are some super teams like for example New Jersey, Philadelphia, Colorado or San Jose. Great cities, great organizations. It is hard to choose something concrete. I would be happy, if some of these teams picked me.

Q: Are you ready to play in the NHL in your first year?

A: I was working hard for this for 18 years. It is of course very hard. We will see at the camp if I can make it. I can't say it right now, because I have never been at the NHL camp before. Of course I want to show them I can do that. Hopefully I will be able to be there this first year.

Q: Have you talked with somebody of the Colorado Avalanche organization yet?

A: Not directly. They talked about me with my agent and he told me they had big interest in me. They haven't come to meet me yet, because we will see each other at NHL combine. I should have some dinner there with them. My agent told me they were talking a lot about me.

 

[kingsfan]

That one was bizarre. It's almost like Doug Wilson has the insatiable need to trade up in the first round. Since taking over in 2003, he's done it in 2003/2004/2005/2006/2007 and 2013. They didn't have firsts in 2008/09/11. I was shocked last year when they actually moved down.

Similarly, Detroit tends to trade down for multiple picks. Detroit moving #18 for #20 and #58 seemed to make sense given the teams involved.

I think Holland is pretty smart. He has great faith in his scouting staff (for good reason) and as such he believes a good player can be found no matter where he drafts so he's willing to drop a few spots and pick up more assets as a result. Beyond pick 15 in most drafts it gets to be a crapshoot, more and more so the lower you go and Detroit is always picking low, so it's better to have quantity than quality in terms of draft selections after the top 15 for the most part.