Draft 2020 Draft & Undrafted Free Agent Thread: Part VI

[Joey Bones]

It doesn't appear to be one of the best years for the USNTDP--Jake Sanderson is by far the best and probably a top 10 pick. After that Thomas Bordeleau might have a shot as a 1st rounder and Eamon Powell might have a shot as a 2nd rounder. Tyler Kleven or Ty Smilanic possible as 2nd rounders I guess but they would be reaches IMO. Kleven is a very physical stay at home LD who has to work a lot of the stupid out of his game and Smilanic a speedster who doesn't always work well with others. Smilanic also had some injury issues last year.

My guess--Sanderson top 10 pick, Bordeleau--anywhere from 30 to 40. Powell somewhere between 50 and 70. Kleven and Smilanic probably in the 3rd round somewhere. Brock Faber or Dylan Peterson or Luke Tuch could also sneak into the back half of the 3rd round but if not probably in the 4th round. Second half of the 4th round and on--someone will like Brett Berard, someone will like Landon Slaggert and someone will like Jacob Truscott. Someone will probably take a chance on Drew Commesso in the later rounds. Maybe Chase Yoder but that will be the last round or two.

There were rumors of some of those of those guys getting looked at in the 1st round, specifically Kleven. Would love for Powell to be in the 3rd round for NYR, but he might go in the 2nd. Players like that will be incredibly dynamic later on and the team that picks him will be looking like bandits.

 

[Mikos87]

You know as much as we talk about the 2nd first round pick, I think it's very plausible, and more than likely that they move it for a player. You are going to see some movement this off-season, and there are going to be some very recognizable names being moved, in trades.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

You know as much as we talk about the 2nd first round pick, I think it's very plausible, and more than likely that they move it for a player. You are going to see some movement this off-season, and there are going to be some very recognizable names being moved, in trades.

I definitely think thats what they want to do.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Trading the pick wouldn't shock me, but I feel like they'd need to be moving some money out with it

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Trading the pick wouldn't shock me, but I feel like they'd need to be moving some money out with it

ARRRR!

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

ARRRR!

One can dream, but I also won't hold my breath

 

[eco's bones]

There were rumors of some of those of those guys getting looked at in the 1st round, specifically Kleven. Would love for Powell to be in the 3rd round for NYR, but he might go in the 2nd. Players like that will be incredibly dynamic later on and the team that picks him will be looking like bandits.

Reading some of the stuff on Kleven it almost sounded like the reincarnation of Tomas Kloucek to me. Before Tomas managed to destroy his knee he had made quite an impression on Rangers fans. He hit like a tractor trailer. I still remember him running over Peter Worrell who was like 6'8 or something. Knocked him right out of the lineup for a while and Kloucek loved doing it. So anyway he's the kind of defenseman who is in that orbit with Brooks Orpik, Radko Gudas, Erik Cernak. He's a very good skater--the black book dings him a bit on hockey sense and is not over impressed with skills--but he has size, skating, good gap control and belligerence and a big shot which he's capable of one timing because he's good enough on his skates laterally to walk the line are among his strengths. The consensus of different scouting reports seems to be that he doesn't have much as far as puck poise to make creative offensive plays once the play crosses over the opposition's blue line...though his first pass bringing it up the ice is good. He's basically a big, stay at home guy with a physical, nasty streak. I don't mind that kind of player at all by the way.

Powell seems to have a lot in common with Zac Jones---a right handed version. Adam Fox was a 3rd rounder--picks like that can make a scouting staff look like geniuses.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Powell seems to have a lot in common with Zac Jones---a right handed version. Adam Fox was a 3rd rounder--picks like that can make a scouting staff look like geniuses.

My favorite NA prospect this draft. He's committed to BC so he will be in a good environment to develop

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

Reading some of the stuff on Kleven it almost sounded like the reincarnation of Tomas Kloucek to me. Before Tomas managed to destroy his knee he had made quite an impression on Rangers fans. He hit like a tractor trailer. I still remember him running over Peter Worrell who was like 6'8 or something. Knocked him right out of the lineup for a while and Kloucek loved doing it. So anyway he's the kind of defenseman who is in that orbit with Brooks Orpik, Radko Gudas, Erik Cernak. He's a very good skater--the black book dings him a bit on hockey sense and is not over impressed with skills--but he has size, skating, good gap control and belligerence and a big shot which he's capable of one timing because he's good enough on his skates laterally to walk the line are among his strengths. The consensus of different scouting reports seems to be that he doesn't have much as far as puck poise to make creative offensive plays once the play crosses over the opposition's blue line...though his first pass bringing it up the ice is good. He's basically a big, stay at home guy with a physical, nasty streak. I don't mind that kind of player at all by the way.

Powell seems to have a lot in common with Zac Jones---a right handed version. Adam Fox was a 3rd rounder--picks like that can make a scouting staff look like geniuses.

Man, I loved Kloucek. So much fun to watch.

What was especially impressive about him, apropos of the conversation regarding “grit” in the roster building thread, was how good his timing was on those hits. He absolutely destroyed guys, but more often than not, they were purposeful hits where he a) separated the player from the puck while b) managing to maintain his own balance so that he didn’t take himself out of the play. Routinely just crunched guys in the corner.

As for Powell, love the profile, but the name makes him even better. @Ola, you wanted an Irish player...?

 

[eco's bones]

Man, I loved Kloucek. So much fun to watch.

What was especially impressive about him, apropos of the conversation regarding “grit” in the roster building thread, was how good his timing was on those hits. He absolutely destroyed guys, but more often than not, they were purposeful hits where he a) separated the player from the puck while b) managing to maintain his own balance so that he didn’t take himself out of the play. Routinely just crunched guys in the corner.

As for Powell, love the profile, but the name makes him even better. @Ola, you wanted an Irish player...?

Kloucek would go running around for some of those hits though taking himself out of position that way but for the sucky team we were then it didn't matter much and it was one way of getting entertainment when your team was getting blitzed more often than not. He was rapidly becoming my favorite player at the time. If I remember right he tore his ACL and MCL and then he rushed his recovery and exacerbated the injury and that pretty much finished him in North America---though he played a bit longer with Nashville or Atlanta but he was never really the same.

The USNTDP defense isn't really bad at all--not so sure about the goalie Commesso but Sanderson should be a first pair NHL defender and he has sandpaper too. Powell could turn into another Adam Fox and then there's Kleven and IMO that kind of player---big, physical and skates real well is going to be a player for somebody (should be---that's a description of a safe pick). I like Brock Faber--maybe as a 4th and Jacob Truscott as a 5th/6th.

Being Irish on my dad's side--I like Irish players too but I like them best when they're good and not as much when they're not. I liked Ryan Callahan for instance but I always liked Brandon Dubinsky a little bit more. There was just a bit more edginess there. I liked Micheal Haley (the way he spelled Michael-Micheal) and he had a perfect temperament for the kind of game he played---he just wasn't a very good NHL player but I don't hold it against him. He will go through a wall for his teammates. Sean Avery was at least Irish on his mother's side--there was another beauty....and Brendan Shanahan would be another.

 

[True Blue]

There were rumors of some of those of those guys getting looked at in the 1st round, specifically Kleven. Would love for Powell to be in the 3rd round for NYR, but he might go in the 2nd. Players like that will be incredibly dynamic later on and the team that picks him will be looking like bandits.

Kleven could well be a candidate to use the Carolina pick and move back in the first round to get.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Pavel Novak is one of the most confusing players for me.

Whats the feel on the board about this guy? Sometimes I feel like I'm watching Teravainen, others I'm convinced that he's just a pretty good Jr. player. Seems like a decent guy to take a look at in the 3rd or 4th but some people have him rated a lot higher.

 

[Edge]

So, just because it's interesting to keep track of this stuff, Chris Peters with ESPN mocked the Rangers grabbing Lafreniere and Lapierre in the first.

 

[Algernop Kreider]

So, just because it's interesting to keep track of this stuff, Chris Peters with ESPN mocked the Rangers grabbing Lafreniere and Lapierre in the first.

I normally love when they get aggressive and go for the high risk, high reward guys, but I just want nothing to do with that concussion history. Even just having Zibanejad as a key member of the team makes me anxious enough; rhe last thing we need is more guys like that.

 

[Ghost of jas]

So, just because it's interesting to keep track of this stuff, Chris Peters with ESPN mocked the Rangers grabbing Lafreniere and Lapierre in the first.

I am totally on board with that. If he pans out, he’s a first liner. Get your role players after the first round.

 

[eco's bones]

So, just because it's interesting to keep track of this stuff, Chris Peters with ESPN mocked the Rangers grabbing Lafreniere and Lapierre in the first.

Too many injuries--I wouldn't go there. I'd rather use that Carolina pick on someone who's safe to play and if we're talking a forward---we're not really in any desperate need to top line talent. If Mercer or Jarvis is there--for sure--otherwise I'd be looking at guys like Holloway, Greig, Reichel, Peterka, Mysak or Torgersson. Getting someone who can play a heavy 3rd line game is not a bad idea--we don't have of those types right now.

 

[True Blue]

I am totally on board with that. If he pans out, he’s a first liner. Get your role players after the first round.

Can't lie. The injuries scare me off

 

[Trxjw]

So, just because it's interesting to keep track of this stuff, Chris Peters with ESPN mocked the Rangers grabbing Lafreniere and Lapierre in the first.

That's a hell of a swing with the Canes' pick but I just can't get past the concussion issues. A couple of them over the course of a young career is one thing but 3 in the span of less than a year? Yeesh. Especially for a kid who loves to rush the puck up the ice that's a pretty big red flag.

 

[Edge]

Too many injuries--I wouldn't go there. I'd rather use that Carolina pick on someone who's safe to play and if we're talking a forward---we're not really in any desperate need to top line talent. If Mercer or Jarvis is there--for sure--otherwise I'd be looking at guys like Holloway, Greig, Reichel, Peterka, Mysak or Torgersson. Getting someone who can play a heavy 3rd line game is not a bad idea--we don't have of those types right now.

So, he went with the Rangers picking at 24. Mercer, Jarvis, Holloway and Reichel were off the board. Peterka went 25th, Greig 28th, and Mysak and Torgersson were not taken in the first.

Assuming the Rangers pick 22nd, in Peters' mock draft, that would put Bourque and Foerster on the board as well.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Can't lie. The injuries scare me off

2 concussions and a neck injury before being drafted is a huge red flag for me. There are other prospects in that range that I would pick over him

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

2 concussions and a neck injury before being drafted is a huge red flag for me. There are other prospects in that range that I would pick over him

That's the thing. If the pick comes up and he's head and shoulders above the others available talent-wise, great, but with other good picks almost certain to be available at the same spot, it's hard to justify...

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

So, he went with the Rangers picking at 24. Mercer, Jarvis, Holloway and Reichel were off the board. Peterka went 25th, Greig 28th, and Mysak and Torgersson were not taken in the first.

Assuming the Rangers pick 22nd, in Peters' mock draft, that would put Bourque and Foerster on the board as well.

If that's the scenario that plays out, I think I'd probably take Mysak then Greig, but I guess I could see the logic behind taking Lapierre there

 

[eco's bones]

So, he went with the Rangers picking at 24. Mercer, Jarvis, Holloway and Reichel were off the board. Peterka went 25th, Greig 28th, and Mysak and Torgersson were not taken in the first.

Assuming the Rangers pick 22nd, in Peters' mock draft, that would put Bourque and Foerster on the board as well.

For me I would go with Peterka though would have be fine with any of Greig, Mysak and Torgersson and okay with Bourque. Foerster's known for his shot but his skating needs more work than any of the others. It became such an issue for Lias and I don't want to go down that road any time soon again.

Does make me wonder about that draft as in how many defensemen were taken before our second pick came around. Also were Gunler, Zary and Amirov taken also?

 

[Edge]

Re: Lapierre, I have mixed feelings.

From a talent perspective, there's no doubt the kid can play. While I do wonder about his ability to put up goals in the NHL, his playmaking, IQ, vision and other skill sets consistently range from very good to excellent. The speed/skill combination backs defenders up, and his ability to hang onto the puck put it wherever he wants on the ice is right up there with anyone in the draft not named Lafreniere.

All of the traits are there for a potential first line center, or at the very least, 1B playmaking center.

But now we come to the aspects of his profile that are unavoidable. There's some debate as to how many concussions he's had, vs. how many were actually the results of his neck injury.

But even if we play devil's advocate for a second, and say the last two injuries were the result of something other than a concussion, the fact remains he's still had one. And there's no getting around that the neck injuries were serious enough to take him out in a similar manner to a concussion. So brain injury or not, we can't just dismiss the severity.

He's a tough one because you're looking at a kid who would arguably be the most naturally talented center prospect we've drafted in 20 years. But holy shit are those injuries a major red flag for a player his age.

I have him 18th in my rankings because the talent is just too high to ignore. But I can't say he's a slam dunk pick at 22-24.

 

[1Knee1T]

Scott Wheeler of The Athletic did a piece on Lapierre in April. They believe it was one concussion and two aggravations to an existing spinal injury that caused symptoms again.

Though Lapierre had definitely suffered that first concussion a full year earlier, Dyrek was confident that the second and third injuries were the aggravation of an old spinal issue, rather than repeated concussions.

After draft year of injury and mystery, Hendrix Lapierre has something to prove