2016 NHL Entry Draft Discussion

[Atoyot]

If we don't have a top 3 I'd be fine with any of the big 3 LHD. Chychrun Juolevi or Sergachev.

 

[Daximus]

Agreed. It's only one game obviously, but I really liked Dubois. I'm wondering if I would take him over Tkachuk honestly.

To be honest, and I'll probably get an ear full on this one. I think Tkachuk might be slipping for me. He's good but he's not really separating himself from the other guys IMO. Dubois, Nylander and McLeod all look to be on the same level to me right now. But that's with limited viewings. I've only seen 3 Knights games, WJC and top prospects game so take my opinion with a grain of salt. Armchair scouting only goes so far.

 

[Jetabre]

I see Tkachuk as a really good complimentary winger to other good players, where someone like Dubois I can see driving the line he's put on and is versatile enough to play wing or centre as needed. I had heard nothing but good things about Dubois and his stat line checks out yet kept only seeing him flirting with the top 10. But viewing him that game reinforced my thoughts that he's more battling for top 5 rather than just squeaking in the top 10.

I am also wondering if I'd take him over Tkachuk, especially since I'd like a guy who can play centre over a winger if all else is equal. We'll see how the rest of the season plays out for the prospects.


Another thing going his way is he's a late June birthday, so he's pretty young in this draft too.

 

[Daximus]

I see Tkachuk as a really good complimentary winger to other good players, where someone like Dubois I can see driving the line he's put on and is versatile enough to play wing or centre as needed. I had heard nothing but good things about Dubois and his stat line checks out yet kept only seeing him flirting with the top 10. But viewing him that game reinforced my thoughts that he's more battling for top 5 rather than just squeaking in the top 10.

I am also wondering if I'd take him over Tkachuk, especially since I'd like a guy who can play centre over a winger if all else is equal. We'll see how the rest of the season plays out for the prospects.

Dubois could have 1C potential I think. Outside of Matthews I think he may be the next best guy to reach that potential. Tkachuk is definitely a complimentary player, I see that in McLeod too. Though McLeod is a faster and better skater than Tkachuk.

My top 10 list is looking more like.

Matthews
Chych
Pulju
Laine
Dubois
Tkachuk
Nylander
Sergachev
Juolevi
McLeod

 

[Grind]

Consider me the engineer of the PLD hype train at this juncture.

I've been saying to myself a lot lately that if Day can have some decent offensive production and go into his draft flirting with .5ppg it puts him in good company and would make him a very good second round pick.

 

[surixon]

Consider me the engineer of the PLD hype train at this juncture.

I've been saying to myself a lot lately that if Day can have some decent offensive production and go into his draft flirting with .5ppg it puts him in good company and would make him a very good second round pick.

How would you rank this year's defense at the top?

 

[Flair Hay]

Consider me the engineer of the PLD hype train at this juncture.

I've been saying to myself a lot lately that if Day can have some decent offensive production and go into his draft flirting with .5ppg it puts him in good company and would make him a very good second round pick.

PLD guy really seems like the total package. Looking deeper than the production, it looks like he should be the 4th guy off the board. A monster playoffs and maybe a team takes him over a Finn?

Many slow to catch on (I'm always behind the curve) but it looks like a lack of World Junior exposure was hiding a big guy that has plenty of talent, and most of all, is a winner.

 

[mazmin]

If we pick outside of top 10 I vote for Max Jones. That size, grit and scoring ability would compliment the Ehlers, Connor, Petan types quite well. He could have a role like Lucic and potentially score even more.

His dad was also drafted by the Jets. Lineage!

 

[Dhors]

I'm with a lot of people here in that I think PLD looks better than Tkachuck. Not that I would be disappointed with drafting Tkachuck at all but looking at him now he doesn't seem to be generating plays by himself like PLD is. Draft+1 year could change things of course, but he is also slipping down my list despite the hype. Current list:

1. Mathews
2. Puljujarvi
3. Chychrun
4. Laine
5. Dubois
6. Tkachuck
7. Nylander
8. McLeod
9. Juolevi
10. Gauthier
11. Sergachev
12. Keller

Had to include Sergachev and Keller because I like them too

 

[Daximus]

I'm with a lot of people here in that I think PLD looks better than Tkachuck. Not that I would be disappointed with drafting Tkachuck at all but looking at him now he doesn't seem to be generating plays by himself like PLD is. Draft+1 year could change things of course, but he is also slipping down my list despite the hype. Current list:

1. Mathews
2. Puljujarvi
3. Chychrun
4. Laine
5. Dubois
6. Tkachuck
7. Nylander
8. McLeod
9. Juolevi
10. Gauthier
11. Sergachev
12. Keller

Had to include Sergachev and Keller because I like them too

Nice list. I'd be pretty much in agreement with everything on here except I might put Sergachev higher.
I've watched 3 Windsor vs. London games and in all of those games Sergachev stood above Juolevi. I was really high on Juolevi after the WJC but realized that it was a single tournament where he played on a very stacked team and Sergachev wasn't able to participate because Russia never takes under 19 defencemen.
To me Sergachev looks better now though I think Juolevi is still good. They both have different skill sets though.

 

[VictoriaJetsFan]

Nice list. I'd be pretty much in agreement with everything on here except I might put Sergachev higher.
I've watched 3 Windsor vs. London games and in all of those games Sergachev stood above Juolevi. I was really high on Juolevi after the WJC but realized that it was a single tournament where he played on a very stacked team and Sergachev wasn't able to participate because Russia never takes under 19 defencemen.
To me Sergachev looks better now though I think Juolevi is still good. They both have different skill sets though.

I was wondering if you have seen Chychrun much...I saw the prospects game and Sergachev did stand out the most...

 

[Grind]

How would you rank this year's defense at the top?

Haven't looked too in depth at them yet.

D can be really tricky to Project especially if their playing I. Euro leagues.

We have a way of running cohorts but we don't have the amount of data PCS did so our samples tens to be pretty small

 

[Daximus]

I was wondering if you have seen Chychrun much...I saw the prospects game and Sergachev did stand out the most...

I've seen Chych twice live on TV and have watched 2 other recorded games and the prospects game.
He has all the tools to be a great defencemen. It almost looks like he's suffering from a lack of interest sometimes though.

 

[Daximus]

If I had to rank just defencemen in this class right now...

Chychrun
Sergachev/Juolevi
Fabbro
Bean
McAvoy
Stanley
Day
Girard
Hajek/Niemelainen/Clague/Krys
Green

 

[Daximus]

Putting together a constantly changing top 30 for the draft with Strengths, Weaknesses, Projected Ceiling and players I think may be comparable in terms of play style and ability. Here is my current top 5.

1. Auston Matthews - C - 6'2 - 198# – NLA
Strengths: Elite skating, creative center with a very solid frame. Owns an elite shot and has the hands to beat players one on one. Plays a very responsible two-way game that is accented by his sky high offensive ability. Can play in all situations and is mature for his age.
Weaknesses: No glaring weaknesses present themselves yet.
Projection: 70+ point Franchise Two-Way Playmaker
Comparables: Anze Kopitar

2. Jesse Puljujarvi - RW - 6'3 - 201# - Liiga
Strengths: Elite skater with speed to burn. Has great hands and on ice vision. Plays physical when needed and battles well in the corners. Works hard every shift. Is a good backchecker.
Weaknesses: Needs to work on his shot to beat goalies off the rush. Could work on his defensive positioning a bit more to really utilize his speed on the backcheck.
Projection: 60+ point Top 6 Playmaker
Comparables: Shorter Blake Wheeler

3. Patrick Laine - W - 6'4 - 209# - Liiga
Strengths: Big bodied winger that has really improved his skating ability. Owns a heavy shot with a very quick release as well as silky smooth hands for a big guy.
Weaknesses: Could really stand to use his size more and be more physical and needs to work on his defensive play.
Projection: 30+ goal, 60+ point Top 6 Scorer
Comparables: Rick Nash to a T

4. Pierre-Luc Dubois – C/W - 6'3 - 201# - QMJHL
Strengths: Incredibly versatile and a very shifty skater. Good on the face-off dot as well. Has good hands and a solid shot. Has the ability to elevate his game. His real strength is in his two-way abilities and how he drives the play towards the offensive zone. Will likely be an advanced stats darling at the NHL level.
Weaknesses: His only real weaknesses could be to further improve his skating to really become a threat on the ice and to use his size more win battles.
Projection: 50+ point Top 6 Two-Way Playmaker
Comparables: Jeff Carter

5. Jakob Chychrun - LHD - 6'2 - 194# - OHL
Strengths: Built like a tank and has incredible athleticism. A 3 zone defencemen that can slow down the game and take the play zone by zone. Also has a blast of a shot and can play a very physical game. Can log huge minutes and play in all situations.
Weaknesses: Tends to disappear at times, especially in big games. Needs to take control of the game more often looks disinterested sometimes.
Projection: 30+point Franchise Two-Way Top Pairing Dman
Comparables: Drew Doughty

 

[Aavco Cup]

ISS has released its top 30 ranking for February

http://www.isshockey.com/iss-hockey-releases-iss-top-30-for-february/

1 Matthews, Auston RW Zurich ZSC SuiA
2 Puljujarvi, Jesse RW Karpat FinE
3 Tkachuk, Matthew LW London OHL
4 Laine, Patrik RW Tappara FinE
5 Chychrun, Jakob LD Sarnia OHL
6 McLeod, Michael C Mississauga OHL
7 Nylander, Alexander RW Mississauga OHL
8 Jones, Max LW London OHL
9 Sergachev, Mikhail RD Windsor OHL
10 Juolevi, Olli LD London OHL

 

[Daximus]

ISS has released its top 30 ranking for February

http://www.isshockey.com/iss-hockey-releases-iss-top-30-for-february/

1 Matthews, Auston RW Zurich ZSC SuiA
2 Puljujarvi, Jesse RW Karpat FinE
3 Tkachuk, Matthew LW London OHL
4 Laine, Patrik RW Tappara FinE
5 Chychrun, Jakob LD Sarnia OHL
6 McLeod, Michael C Mississauga OHL
7 Nylander, Alexander RW Mississauga OHL
8 Jones, Max LW London OHL
9 Sergachev, Mikhail RD Windsor OHL
10 Juolevi, Olli LD London OHL

That's a scary list Tkachuk over Laine? Dubois not even in the top 10? And Max Jones at 8? Yikes ISS..
Sometimes I wonder if they even scout the players or if the just pick whichever name they think sounds cooler.

 

[Aavco Cup]

McKenzie will be releasing his list soon. I always value that one the most since it comes from actualt NHL scouts.

 

[Dhors]

ISS has released its top 30 ranking for February

http://www.isshockey.com/iss-hockey-releases-iss-top-30-for-february/

1 Matthews, Auston RW Zurich ZSC SuiA
2 Puljujarvi, Jesse RW Karpat FinE
3 Tkachuk, Matthew LW London OHL
4 Laine, Patrik RW Tappara FinE
5 Chychrun, Jakob LD Sarnia OHL
6 McLeod, Michael C Mississauga OHL
7 Nylander, Alexander RW Mississauga OHL
8 Jones, Max LW London OHL
9 Sergachev, Mikhail RD Windsor OHL
10 Juolevi, Olli LD London OHL

Wow not sure about that list, always trusted Mackenzie's and Button's lists more. Tkachuck, Jones, Brown all way too high for my liking. Dubois, Gauthier and Keller way too low too. I do like that Chychrun has dropped a bit since I think I would want Laine over him, and I like the hype that McLeod is getting too but damn. I guess none of this will matter when we get Puljujarvi

 

[Daximus]

At this point I'd take Nylander over Tkachuk. He's like an Ehlers clone. Fast, creative and drives his line. McLeod seems to be lost without Nylander.

 

[Grind]

Apparently pronmans list is out and he's got Laine as a contender for #1.


Looks like he's generating over 6 shots a game which is CRAZY in any league.

If Laine's really that good it will make having 2nd-5th pick a fair bit more bearable.

 

[CaptainChef]

Apparently pronmans list is out and he's got Laine as a contender for #1.


Looks like he's generating over 6 shots a game which is CRAZY in any league.

If Laine's really that good it will make having 2nd-5th pick a fair bit more bearable.

A couple lists now have Laine ahead. Some question regarding Matthew's performance in big games; that's the only negative I've heard regarding him.

 

[Grind]

A couple lists now have Laine ahead. Some question regarding Matthew's performance in big games; that's the only negative I've heard regarding him.

i still take mathews 10-10 times.

Too much pedigree, skill and (the main reason) a center.

That being said, if we end up with say the third pick and Laine's still available i will lose it.

 

[Huffer]

I'd love to have Laine. It's a short tourny, but I liked his game much more than Puljujarvi's (who would be nice too) in the World Juniors.

I really want to see McKenzie's list to see where he has Chychrun. And guys like Dubois, Sergachev and Juolevi, but Chychrun mostly.

If you're drafting at 4 or 5 and Chychrun is there, that could be huge too.

 

[CaptainChef]

I'd love to have Laine. It's a short tourny, but I liked his game much more than Puljujarvi's (who would be nice too) in the World Juniors.

I really want to see McKenzie's list to see where he has Chychrun. And guys like Dubois, Sergachev and Juolevi, but Chychrun mostly.

If you're drafting at 4 or 5 and Chychrun is there, that could be huge too.

Chychrun should be the first D taken & there are several teams in need of D, but I still have this feeling that he might easily slip on draft day & land out of the top 5.