2018 NHL Entry Draft Thread (Less then 24 Hours Edition)
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Habs76
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That defense is more a result of Myers reach than anything IMO, but you're right nonetheless.
All the people getting excited with the fact that the Hurricanes haven' selected a Russian player in forever need to tone it down.
New owner and Don Wadell which never shied from drafting Russians. His most successul player ever was a Russian.
New owner and Don Wadell which never shied from drafting Russians. His most successul player ever was a Russian.
With my post-U18s rankings, I said I'd leave the door open to some movement in the top end should some players shine in big game situations.
Going back from their semifinals against Victo through this week, Dobson really stepped up. Putting up 4+12, 40 SOG in 13 games and is just a one-man breakout machine out there. The combination of elite fundamentals and potential growth is scary.
Dobson>Hughes. And giving Boqvist some competition for the #2 D spot.
Going back from their semifinals against Victo through this week, Dobson really stepped up. Putting up 4+12, 40 SOG in 13 games and is just a one-man breakout machine out there. The combination of elite fundamentals and potential growth is scary.
Dobson>Hughes. And giving Boqvist some competition for the #2 D spot.
le_sean
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- Oct 21, 2006
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The new owner seems to have his hands on everything though. He said only Aho is untouchable and wants to get tougher. So they can really go off the board and it won’t be a surprise to me.
I might be wrong about this, but I can't find a first year eligible defenceman who produced more points in the NCAA than Quinn Hughes.
Yea but its not like hes #1 by a huge margin. Players like McAvoy and Werenski were pretty close to his point total (~4'ish fewer points and Werenski had fewer games played) and both are very solid defensively as well.
Hughes really didn't look good at the U20's imo and i didn't get to see much of him at the WC, couldn't say how good he is defensively from the amount of games i saw from him but like i said he wasn't very good at the U20's. That said his skating and vision are amazing.
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Hughes scored more than even some top guys did in their D+1 years. But looking back, there weren't that many dmen who went NCAA in their D-year, most making the jump in their D+1.
He produced slightly more than Werenski, who had 25 in 35 with Michigan but he was 9 months younger than Hughes at the time.
He produced slightly more than Werenski, who had 25 in 35 with Michigan but he was 9 months younger than Hughes at the time.
Fortunately the IIHF uploaded the games to youtube. I only caught the Bronze and Semifinal game against Sweden. Hughes was being used as a 7 with some PP time.
and of course @thefeebster 's shift by shift vids, if you haven't seen them already.
McAvoy and Werenski provide some information for us, at least about Hughes' offensive abilities. The number isn't just noise. Werenski was even on the same team, although I'm unsure about the strength of the conference at that time.
But yes, the big question with Hughes is will he be able to be relied on defensively for 22 minutes per night like McAvoy and Werenski are? I'm pretty sure Dobson will be able to, and Dobson is as much of a free breakout as Hughes is.
Most NHL prospects are born between January and September though. Late birthdays are relatively few and far between. And as I pointed out earlier, even late birthdays have to accelerate their schooling. If, say, Justin Faulk and Charlie McAvoy were in highschool together, they'd likely be in the same class, but a different draft. It's just that Faulk would be drafted out of the NTDP and then play in the NCAA, whereas McAvoy graduated from the NTDP and then went to Boston University and then was drafted. So I think they're fairly comparable on an even basis, IMO.
edit: I have the schooling thing wrong. They'd be in different classes, hence the need to accelerate.
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
5'-10", 174 lbs. What is the NHL comparison on his ceiling or is he a new breed where undersized defenseman will be compared to him down the road? I really like Hughes but I like Dobson more. Hughes will get pushed around in his own end at the NHL level. He will escape pressure a lot with his skating but down low with less time and space, he will not be as effective as Dobson IMO.
As it stands right now... How much better is Hughes from Mete? Both skate very well and don't have a great shot. What I am interested to see is how much better Hughes can get from where he is today.
Current defenseman who are under 6'-0" and top 4D... Who am I forgetting? Will Hughes be better than all of these guys?
- Gostisbehere (5'-11", 181 lbs)
- Krug (5'-9", 185 lbs)
- Barrie (5'-10", 190 lbs)
- Ellis (5'-10", 181 lbs)
- Orlov (5'-11", 212 lbs)
- Jared Spurgeon (5'-9", 168 lbs)
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Andrei79
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- Jan 25, 2013
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Habs76
Registered User
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
Karlsson (6'-0", 192 lbs). He is not under 6'-0" but he is not a big defenseman either. Does he get pushed around in his own end? Not much but he can be. The question is this... There are not many elite level defenseman who are under 6'-0" from what I can gather. So once again, is Hughes a new breed?
Not trying to troll Hughes value as I like him but I think he slips a bit vs Dobson and Boqvist. Lack of size and he needs a better shot. Skill and Skating is top notch though
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
Another one yes. So where to you see Hughes from these guys under 6'-0"? The best of them all?
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
Those who know Hughes well... How does he compare to Mete today? I know there is a bit of a age difference but they look similar don't they? Elite skating and skill but lack of shot and size.
My problem with Hughes is finding a NHL comparison for his ceiling and trying to figure out if he is a new breed type defenseman where others will be compared to him down the road. Or is he similar to a guy like Mete but a bit more skill?
My problem with Hughes is finding a NHL comparison for his ceiling and trying to figure out if he is a new breed type defenseman where others will be compared to him down the road. Or is he similar to a guy like Mete but a bit more skill?
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
I agree there is more skill but it's hard to compare how much more skill cause we need to see Hughes at the Pro level with less time and space. Both are elite level skaters and undersized. Is there anybody else we can compare him to?
I'm a Hughes fan, but got to admit Dobson is really creating an internal struggle for me. I like him a lot, but still have some doubts about offensive production at the NHL level. I think part of my issue is this was such a bad year for us, picking Dobson would seem somewhat anti-climatic. Great player, but doesn't have that elite offensive trait that will stun teams or fans when he is on the ice. There is nothing wrong with that as he is strong in all three zones, but for me anyways, I kind of want more. I do think he has legit 1st pairing potential though, and if we do pick him, I'd be on board with it.
As for Quinn, not saying we can expect Karlsson numbers to be a guaranteed lock or anything from Hughes, but I can see a guy like Hughes having that same level of impact to his team.
As for the comparisons to Mete, not close IMO. Mete is a great skater, but he's not better than Hughes. Even if we were to agree it's close enough to be a wash, Hughes' vision and hockey IQ are far superior. Hard skills, shot, skating and passing, can be coached and developed to an extent, but high-end IQ and vision? You either have it or you don't.
Also, Hughes doesn't have a Weber shot or anything close, but he has a pretty good one. A lot better than Mete anyways.
The size debate is still a legit one, despite the new NHL being about speed. However, while ignoring both are LHD for a moment, I personally wouldn't pair Hughes and Mete together for example. Pair Hughes with Weber, Petry or Juulsen (a few years from now), and I think the size issue is not a factor. Plus, maybe Hughes will grow another inch or two and put on 10-15lbs more by 20-21 years old.
Anyhow, got to throw this in there, but I still like Boqvist the most. However, he's not getting picked by the Habs.
WeThreeKings
Demidov is a HAB
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
This is how I see it.
- Dobson is the better all around guy at both ends of the ice. Josi type? I think he is a safe pick.
- Hughes is by far the better skater and has lots of skill but lacks size and a NHL shot
- Boqvist is a dark horse. He could be elite level like Karlsson IMO. He won't be a force on the back end (defensibly) but he can be a game breaker offensively.
If I had to choose between Dobson and Boqvist. I would pick by position of need. With the Habs, we have lots of RD so flip a coin. Personally, I value the all around defenseman who is hard to play against in his own end. Dobson but dam Boqvist is also intriguing with his offensive ability and shot.
Edit: Changed my mind between Dobson and Boqvist on the Habs. We already have Juulsen, Brook, Fleury. I would take Boqvist as we lack offensive game breaking talent on the back end. By the time Boqvist is NHL ready (Age 20/21 ish), Weber is 35/36 and I don't see him playing past 37 with those $1M contract years.
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Just to put some stats and history specifically between Mete and Hughes.
Mete: 4th round pick. He appears to be a steal now, but 30 teams passed on him 3 times and there's a reason for it. Great skater, but size and projected upside are probably the main reasons why he was picked much later. In his draft year, he averaged 0.56 PPG playing as a 17 year old. In his D+1 year, as an 18 year old, he was at a 0.88 pace.
Hughes: Projected top-10 pick. Elite offensive skills across the board. Based on Eliteprospects, he's an inch taller than Mete but 10lbs less. In his draft year, as an 18 year old, he was at a 0.78 PPG pace.
So, at the same age roughly, Mete had a 0.10 better PPG pace. However, he was playing in the CHL whereas Hughes was playing in the NCAA against older competition, players who would be generally bigger and physically mature than who Mete faced as an 18 year old.
I mentioned Karlsson earlier in my other post, and by no means am I saying Hughes will be like Karlsson, but put it this way, Hughes is closer to Karlsson than he is to Mete.
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
Understood. But Hughes don't have a shot like Mete. That's why I started with Mete. However the gap between Karlsson and Mete is massive. So I am stuck trying to find a NHL comparison that seems to fit better.
Once again... Not many elite level defenseman below the height of 6'-0" from what I can tell. So the question is this.... Is Hughes a new breed? I've been up and down on him all year.
Bargainbin
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- Jun 17, 2017
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A lot more skill and creativity. Completely different kind of player for the last 50 feet of the ice. Hughes makes some crazy plays in the offensive zone that I've just never seen Mete even attempt.
Small defensemen all sort of have to play their zone the same way. They have to get loose pucks, evade forecheckers and move the puck quickly. To cause turnovers, a smaller defenceman has to rely on a good stick more than a guy like Weber, who can physically dominate most opponents. I have no doubt that Hughes is able to do this against NHL opponents.
Where he gets in trouble sometimes is spurious breakout/blueline/offensive zone plays that cause odd-man situations. I saw it a few times in the shift by shift videos, and a few more times at the world championship. Whether he becomes a PP specialist or a top pairing defenceman will depend on how much of the good he can keep while eliminating the bad.
To offer a comparison with Boqvist, I think I've seen him make a boneheaded play once: I think it was against Frölunda. Attempted breakout pass through 2 Frölunda players, in front of his net.
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