2017 NHL Draft Part III (June 23-24)

[HisNoodliness]

Let's be clear. IF the Wings go defense I'm sticking with Liljegren....... No matter what others say & think (with all due respect!!!!)

He still projects as a top line defender. One who can lead both the PP & help on the PK.

If others are off the board and he's there. He'd be a excellent pick

I really like Liljegren and I will be pleased if he's our pick (in fact he's the first D I'd take besides Heiskanen and I like him more than most of the forwards...we'll see.), but you have to acknowledge that it's a risky pick.

The guy hasn't played very well in a year. That's a long time. Of course mono obviously had a huge effect on that and I'd be willing to write off most of the year, but no matter what, it's concerning. He might not progress like we were hoping last summer. I think if he hits it out of the park he'll be a Letang-esque player with maybe a little bit more flash but probably not as smart or as good overall (Letang is a very good player. It's hard to say anyone can reach that).

That being said Lily has a ton of potential (he could be the cornerstone of our defense), and I'm confident he'll at least be a 3rd + PP guy. I think a reasonable expection is an offensive 2nd line D who relies on his skating and shooting heavily, and isn't quite good enough for the top line but does well on the second line. I'll guess he gets somewhere around 15 goals and 35 points most seasons.

 

[Frk It]

I've been hearing a lot about Lipanov, would he still be around when the Wings pick in the 2nd?

Hoping so, but Button has him in the 20-30 range and Hockeyprospect.com does as well.

Final Button rankings are here: http://www.tsn.ca/craig-s-list-lots-of-talent-after-patrick-hischier-1.702428

He also moved Joseph and Chytil up a ton. Hopefully this is not how the actual draft goes.

 

[Tatar Shots]

I've mentioned it before, but I really want the team to prioritize going after skill in this draft instead of the Smith and Turgeons. Really with 4 3rd round picks I think it is the perfect time to go for the "boom" guys. Some players i'm interested in would be:

Filip Chytil
https://canucksarmy.com/2017/06/06/nation-network-2017-prospect-profiles-24-filip-chytil/

Could be available with our 2nd round pick but is shooting up the rankings. 6'2 center, good skater and a lot of tools to work with. Made the cut off for the draft by 10 days.

Alexei Lipanov
http://lastwordonsports.com/2017/05/01/alexei-lipanov-scouting-report-2017-nhl-draft-32/

Could be available with our 2nd round pick and possibly in the 3rd due to the Russian factor. Speedy Center with a high IQ in the offensive zone.

Alexei Toropchenko
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRb0pi9UQz8

Dynamic 6'3 power winger who could be available in the 3rd round

Fabian Zetterlund
https://canucksarmy.com/2017/05/24/nation-network-2017-prospect-profiles-58-fabian-zetterlund/

Swedish sniper who also just made the cut for this years draft.

Alexandre Texier
http://www.thedraftanalyst.com/2017-nhl-draft-headquarters/2017-draft-profiles/c-alexandre-texier/

French Center who put up .5PPG in a Men's league despite being 2 days from missing the cut off for the draft. Risky pick that could pay off well. With 4 3rd round picks how much do you have to lose?

Dmitri Samorukov
http://thehockeywriters.com/dmitri-samorukov-2017-nhl-draft-prospect-profile/

6'2 talented defenseman who had consistency problems this year but the talent is definitely there.

 

[DatsyukToZetterberg]

I've mentioned it before, but I really want the team to prioritize going after skill in this draft instead of the Smith and Turgeons. Really with 4 3rd round picks I think it is the perfect time to go for the "boom" guys. .

I think with our clear lack of high end talent in the pipeline we should emphasis upside over everything else. You normally aren't going to get a franchise changing player at #9 so why not swing for the fences and go with the highest upside player even if he make take 3-5 years to make it. I think now is the time to try and draft with a focus on hockey IQ and move away from the toolbox approach we've taking recently.

 

[Vatican Roulette]

I've mentioned it before, but I really want the team to prioritize going after skill in this draft instead of the Smith and Turgeons. Really with 4 3rd round picks I think it is the perfect time to go for the "boom" guys. Some players i'm interested in would be:

Filip Chytil
https://canucksarmy.com/2017/06/06/nation-network-2017-prospect-profiles-24-filip-chytil/

Could be available with our 2nd round pick but is shooting up the rankings. 6'2 center, good skater and a lot of tools to work with. Made the cut off for the draft by 1 month.

Alexei Lipanov
http://lastwordonsports.com/2017/05/01/alexei-lipanov-scouting-report-2017-nhl-draft-32/

Could be available with our 2nd round pick and possibly in the 3rd due to the Russian factor. Speedy Center with a high IQ in the offensive zone.

Alexei Toropchenko
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRb0pi9UQz8

Dynamic 6'3 power winger who could be available in the 3rd round

Fabian Zetterlund
https://canucksarmy.com/2017/05/24/nation-network-2017-prospect-profiles-58-fabian-zetterlund/

Swedish sniper who also just made the cut for this years draft.

Alexandre Texier


French Center who put up .5PPG in a Men's league despite being 2 days from missing the cut off for the draft. Risky pick that could pay off well. With 4 3rd round picks how much do you have to lose?

Dmitri Samorukov
http://thehockeywriters.com/dmitri-samorukov-2017-nhl-draft-prospect-profile/

6'2 talented defenseman who had consistency problems this year but the talent is definitely there.

Wouldn't hate any of those picks in those rounds.

I think now is the time to try and draft with a focus on hockey IQ and move away from the toolbox approach we've taking recently.

Agreed.

 

[theD86]

My top 2 are

Liljegren

Petterson

Petterson is a beast! The Wings are known for giving their prospects time to develope so his 161 lbs is a non factor. Look at the player he's damn good!

 

[jkutswings]

2017 Draft Mailbag: Devils preferences, best fit for Flyers
NHL.com's Adam Kimelman, Mike Morreale answer questions sent via Twitter

I definitely like what I'm hearing from that publication, although a draft never seems to follow the predictions or early indications. My board is probably:

Middlestadt or Glass, if they fall (unlikely)
Petterson
Necas
Liljgren
Valimaki
Suzuki (although I like when I'm hearing about him lately, so he might move up a spot or two by draft day)

Just PLEASE don't take either a "safe" winger or a defenseman with more size than IQ. With the type of player I'd target, Detroit ending up with Rasmussen, Hague, or Foote would drive me crazy.

 

[RedWingzz]

I've mentioned it before, but I really want the team to prioritize going after skill in this draft instead of the Smith and Turgeons. Really with 4 3rd round picks I think it is the perfect time to go for the "boom" guys. Some players i'm interested in would be:

Filip Chytil
https://canucksarmy.com/2017/06/06/nation-network-2017-prospect-profiles-24-filip-chytil/

Could be available with our 2nd round pick but is shooting up the rankings. 6'2 center, good skater and a lot of tools to work with. Made the cut off for the draft by 1 month.

Alexei Lipanov
http://lastwordonsports.com/2017/05/01/alexei-lipanov-scouting-report-2017-nhl-draft-32/

Could be available with our 2nd round pick and possibly in the 3rd due to the Russian factor. Speedy Center with a high IQ in the offensive zone.

Alexei Toropchenko
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRb0pi9UQz8

Dynamic 6'3 power winger who could be available in the 3rd round

Fabian Zetterlund
https://canucksarmy.com/2017/05/24/nation-network-2017-prospect-profiles-58-fabian-zetterlund/

Swedish sniper who also just made the cut for this years draft.

Alexandre Texier
http://www.thedraftanalyst.com/2017-nhl-draft-headquarters/2017-draft-profiles/c-alexandre-texier/

French Center who put up .5PPG in a Men's league despite being 2 days from missing the cut off for the draft. Risky pick that could pay off well. With 4 3rd round picks how much do you have to lose?

Dmitri Samorukov
http://thehockeywriters.com/dmitri-samorukov-2017-nhl-draft-prospect-profile/

6'2 talented defenseman who had consistency problems this year but the talent is definitely there.

Never heard of the guy, but Zetterlund seems destined to be a 7th round Red Wings pick.

 

[Tatar Shots]

Never heard of the guy, but Zetterlund seems destined to be a 7th round Red Wings pick.

Almost no chance Zetterlund is available in the 7th. The article I linked has him ranked as a late 2 rounder (though that is higher than anywhere else I've seen). I'm guessing he goes in the 3rd or 4th, or maybe falls to the 5th. Not really the type that falls to the 7th round while showing that type of talent. We got Holmstrom in the 7th, but he has serious skating deficiencies and is more of a nose for the net kind of guy as opposed to more of a pure skill guy like Zetterlund. Zetterlund put up 36 points in 40 games in the SuperElit while making the cut off for this draft by 20 days.

 

[Boomhower]

Liljgren and Middlestadt both measuring under 6' is a surprise.

I still want Petterson at 9 badly, but I suspect he'll be picked by Vegas to be honest.

I could definitely get behind a trade down scenario.
If we could trade down and still land a Foote, Necas, Suzuki or even Liljgren I'd view that as a good scenario. (Given Petterson and Middlestadt are gone at 9)

 

[ChadS]

Almost no chance Zetterlund is available in the 7th. The article I linked has him ranked as a late 2 rounder (though that is higher than anywhere else I've seen). I'm guessing he goes in the 3rd or 4th, or maybe falls to the 5th. Not really the type that falls to the 7th round while showing that type of talent. We got Holmstrom in the 7th, but he has serious skating deficiencies and is more of a nose for the net kind of guy as opposed to more of a pure skill guy like Zetterlund. Zetterlund put up 36 points in 40 games in the SuperElit while making the cut off for this draft by 20 days.

I also don't think he'll be there in the 7th round, but honestly it's quite difficult to say where guys like Zetterlund go in the draft. Every year there are skilled Euro's who fall or aren't picked at all. He's definitely got talent but is also quite one-dimensional. Kind of reminds me of a poor-man's Pulkkinen (4th round), slightly bigger but not as good at least right now.

Toropchenko is someone I've been keeping an eye on for a while and would definitely not mind the Wings picking him. Unfortunately he's started to get some hype in the past few months so might go earlier than expected.

 

[Frk It]

I also don't think he'll be there in the 7th round, but honestly it's quite difficult to say where guys like Zetterlund go in the draft. Every year there are skilled Euro's who fall or aren't picked at all. He's definitely got talent but is also quite one-dimensional. Kind of reminds me of a poor-man's Pulkkinen (4th round), slightly bigger but not as good at least right now.

Toropchenko is someone I've been keeping an eye on for a while and would definitely not mind the Wings picking him. Unfortunately he's started to get some hype in the past few months so might go earlier than expected.

Do you have any Swedish/Finnish defenseman on your radar for the later rounds?

I've seen Calle Sjalin and Sebastian Walfridsson thrown around on the prospect board, but I know nothing about them.

 

[Tatar Shots]

I also don't think he'll be there in the 7th round, but honestly it's quite difficult to say where guys like Zetterlund go in the draft. Every year there are skilled Euro's who fall or aren't picked at all. He's definitely got talent but is also quite one-dimensional. Kind of reminds me of a poor-man's Pulkkinen (4th round), slightly bigger but not as good at least right now.

Toropchenko is someone I've been keeping an eye on for a while and would definitely not mind the Wings picking him. Unfortunately he's started to get some hype in the past few months so might go earlier than expected.

I actually saw a bit of the Pulkkinen comparison myself. He looks like a smoother/more natural skater to me than Pulkkinen. He is already bigger than Pulkkinen both size and weight wise and he made the cutoff for this years draft by 20 days. He is definitely a boom/bust guy, but I think his size and skating ability will cause him to go more in the middle rounds. I'd be more than happy to snag him in the 6th or 7th though.

What are your opinions about Toropchenko? He is a guy who is really hard to find information on. Looks like he has an intriguing skill set. Steve Kournianos said he will be putting up a draft profile for him today over at http://www.thedraftanalyst.com/2017-nhl-draft-headquarters/2017-draft-profiles/

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Liljgren and Middlestadt both measuring under 6' is a surprise.

I still want Petterson at 9 badly, but I suspect he'll be picked by Vegas to be honest.

I could definitely get behind a trade down scenario.
If we could trade down and still land a Foote, Necas, Suzuki or even Liljgren I'd view that as a good scenario. (Given Petterson and Middlestadt are gone at 9)

Actually it sounds like Vancouver has strong interest in both Cody Glass and Elias Petterson Benning is supposedly flying them out to Vancouver for more meetings they were saying.

 

[theD86]

Liljgren and Middlestadt both measuring under 6' is a surprise.

I still want Petterson at 9 badly, but I suspect he'll be picked by Vegas to be honest.

I could definitely get behind a trade down scenario.
If we could trade down and still land a Foote, Necas, Suzuki or even Liljgren I'd view that as a good scenario. (Given Petterson and Middlestadt are gone at 9)

That simply is not true. Liljgren is 6"0" on the nose

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=224910

 

[Tatar Shots]

That simply is not true. Liljgren is 6"0" on the nose

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=224910

He measured in at the combine at 5'11.5 and 188 lbs

 

[Go Wings]

I definitely like what I'm hearing from that publication, although a draft never seems to follow the predictions or early indications. My board is probably:

Middlestadt or Glass, if they fall (unlikely)
Petterson
Necas
Liljgren
Valimaki
Suzuki (although I like when I'm hearing about him lately, so he might move up a spot or two by draft day)

Just PLEASE don't take either a "safe" winger or a defenseman with more size than IQ. With the type of player I'd target, Detroit ending up with Rasmussen, Hague, or Foote would drive me crazy.

I agree fully on that list.

 

[Frk It]

I definitely like what I'm hearing from that publication, although a draft never seems to follow the predictions or early indications. My board is probably:

Middlestadt or Glass, if they fall (unlikely)
Petterson
Necas
Liljgren
Valimaki
Suzuki (although I like when I'm hearing about him lately, so he might move up a spot or two by draft day)

Just PLEASE don't take either a "safe" winger or a defenseman with more size than IQ. With the type of player I'd target, Detroit ending up with Rasmussen, Hague, or Foote would drive me crazy.

Cal Foote does not lack IQ at all.

 

[Mister Ed]

I love this time of year. Speculation expansion draft and the regular draft, it's fun!

 

[ChadS]

Do you have any Swedish/Finnish defenseman on your radar for the later rounds?

I've seen Calle Sjalin and Sebastian Walfridsson thrown around on the prospect board, but I know nothing about them.

Själin is a one, he showed signs of a quality prospect prior to missing a year of development in 15-16. Then he jumped right into senior hockey (Div1) and did quite well. So I think there may be some untapped potential. He won't wow you in anyway, just a very solid two-way D. Gustav Lindström is another guy who I've already mentioned earlier. He could turn into a very good player if everything goes right. Lots of work to do but lots of "natural skill" as well.

There aren't really other guys who I'm so high on, but here are some guys who could be drafted:
- Jonathan Asplund & Simon Johansson - Two of Filip Larsson's teammates from Djurgården. Asplund is ranked by CSS and Johansson is not but I haven't seen a big difference between the two.
- Sebastian Walfridsson, Victor Berglund & Tobias Aronsson - Again teammates (MODO), who I think are all quite equal and have potential.
- Anton Björkman - 28 games in the SHL at 17 is a sign of something, however I've never really figured him out.
- August Berg - Offensive D but otherwise very raw and didn't have a great year.

What are your opinions about Toropchenko? He is a guy who is really hard to find information on. Looks like he has an intriguing skill set. Steve Kournianos said he will be putting up a draft profile for him today over at http://www.thedraftanalyst.com/2017-nhl-draft-headquarters/2017-draft-profiles/

I think he's got all the tools to be a very effective power forward, maybe not top line potential but who knows? His performance at the U18's was good and I'm sure lots of teams noticed that. Not the most skilled with the puck, but makes smart plays, skates well and uses his big body. Kind of like a bigger Abdelkader (when he's [was..?] on his game).

 

[Retire91]

I know there are a lot of nice centerman prospects but I really hope we go with Liljegren

I would love to see them grab Liljegren and then double down on another D next year. Its where we really need to start and if D start paining out they are so much more valuable in trade to find the other pieces. Its one of the reasons the Oiler's took so long, drafted all forwards.

 

[Go Wings]

Cal Foote does not lack IQ at all.

Big and slow is not the way to go on defense. It isn't 1990.

 

[ZDH]

I could definitely get behind a trade down scenario.
If we could trade down and still land a Foote, Necas, Suzuki or even Liljgren I'd view that as a good scenario. (Given Petterson and Middlestadt are gone at 9)

Will be pissed if Kenny moves down even a spot or two. IMO we are slated to get a really good player regardless of how the top 8 fall but there is a dropoff after 9 in terms of players likely left that im interested in drafting with a first round pick.

Trading down would be a mistake in this draft in our position.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Will be pissed if Kenny moves down even a spot or two. IMO we are slated to get a really good player regardless of how the top 8 fall but there is a dropoff after 9 in terms of players likely left that im interested in drafting with a first round pick.

Trading down would be a mistake in this draft in our position.

If everybody from that top group is gone except Liljegren, I think the Wings trade down. They probably see at least one of Valimaki/Brannstrom/Timmins/Foote on a similar level.

 

[Tatar]

Will be pissed if Kenny moves down even a spot or two. IMO we are slated to get a really good player regardless of how the top 8 fall but there is a dropoff after 9 in terms of players likely left that im interested in drafting with a first round pick.

Trading down would be a mistake in this draft in our position.

Dropoff is after 5.

6-15 are very similar.

Depending on who's still available, I'm all for trading down for an additional pick.