Draft 2021 NHL Draft and Undrafted Free Agent Thread

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Scouting has got to be so difficult because, end of the day, 80% or a player’s “package” is in the head. And that’s not really visible. At lower levels, skill is boss. But at the higher levels the skill tends toward being a wash and play is decided mainly by getting to the right spots and reacting and acting in a winning way. So tough to scout these kids.

The path to success is more than just drafting and scouting. It's also about development and as you allude to, mental readiness. Some things are simply out of your circle of influence but as a team you can do more sometimes to create an environment to breed success.

Toronto hired Nik Antropov to guide their prospects, they have a psychologist as part of their staff who talks to their players. Andersen mentioned that in an interview once and how much she helped him get through tough moments and bad games.

You can draft the best players on draft day each year, but if you don't have the right environment for them to develop on and off the ice, they aren't going to be the best players 10 years down the road.

 

[Leetch3]

The path to success is more than just drafting and scouting. It's also about development and as you allude to, mental readiness. Some things are simply out of your circle of influence but as a team you can do more sometimes to create an environment to breed success.

Toronto hired Nik Antropov to guide their prospects, they have a psychologist as part of their staff who talks to their players. Andersen mentioned that in an interview once and how much she helped him get through tough moments and bad games.

You can draft the best players on draft day each year, but if you don't have the right environment for them to develop on and off the ice, they aren't going to be the best players 10 years down the road.

people so often forget the importance of development. outside of the top picks, it could be argued that it is more important than the scouting and drafting. If you look at the teams that are 'great at drafting' and 'always find gems later in the draft', there is a good chance that it has more to do with what they are doing after draft day and THAT is what you should copy than on draft day.

 

[Leetch3]

Scouting has got to be so difficult because, end of the day, 80% or a player’s “package” is in the head. And that’s not really visible. At lower levels, skill is boss. But at the higher levels the skill tends toward being a wash and play is decided mainly by getting to the right spots and reacting and acting in a winning way. So tough to scout these kids.

its also difficult because of the % of players that get picked and the much smaller % of the players that get picked that end up successful...scouts will be wrong way more than they are right just cause thats how things work.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

people so often forget the importance of development. outside of the top picks, it could be argued that it is more important than the scouting and drafting. If you look at the teams that are 'great at drafting' and 'always find gems later in the draft', there is a good chance that it has more to do with what they are doing after draft day and THAT is what you should copy than on draft day.

Yeah, when looking at that video the Rangers posted (and then deleted) I am not very happy with how there's a clear attempt to simply copy what worked in this year's playoffs. I know the NHL is a copy-cat league but damn, it was so obvious in that video. Braden Schneider was their target because of what happened in this year's playoffs. But how will Schneider develop compared to how players developed in Syracuse for the Lightning?

 

[Leetch3]

Yeah, when looking at that video the Rangers posted (and then deleted) I am not very happy with how there's a clear attempt to simply copy what worked in this year's playoffs. I know the NHL is a copy-cat league but damn, it was so obvious in that video. Braden Schneider was their target because of what happened in this year's playoffs. But how will Schneider develop compared to how players developed in Syracuse for the Lightning?

that isn't just this year's playoffs...that is every year in the playoffs. people talk about how the game has changed to be all about speed but that only applies in the regular season. come playoff time its the same as its always been. having different/complimentary players that can play different styles rarely goes out of style. where you run into a problem is when you have a bunch of similar players that can only play 1 way and then the game changes on you. it can't be just all skating and skill and it can't just be size and grit...you need a mix. time will tell how good he is but adding schneider to fox, lundkvist and deangelo helps add that balance/mix

and if you look at the teams JD built in St L & Columbus and the team that JG was part of building in Boston...having a big, heavy team is clearly their vision not just copying a recent trend.

 

[Edge]

One thing I will praise him with, though, is that he's really building a brand out of this...

That's actually what concerns me the most.

People building brands, while selling misinformation or data that was not properly analyzed. There's no shortage of that these days.

I'd like to get see more people who truly bring something to the table, not people figuring out how to monetize the system on the backs of an audience that sometimes doesn't know any better.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Yeah, when looking at that video the Rangers posted (and then deleted) I am not very happy with how there's a clear attempt to simply copy what worked in this year's playoffs. I know the NHL is a copy-cat league but damn, it was so obvious in that video. Braden Schneider was their target because of what happened in this year's playoffs. But how will Schneider develop compared to how players developed in Syracuse for the Lightning?

I think they would like Schneider regardless, the trend from the playoffs was a cherry on top

 

[Edge]

that isn't just this year's playoffs...that is every year in the playoffs. people talk about how the game has changed to be all about speed but that only applies in the regular season. come playoff time its the same as its always been. having different/complimentary players that can play different styles rarely goes out of style. where you run into a problem is when you have a bunch of similar players that can only play 1 way and then the game changes on you. it can't be just all skating and skill and it can't just be size and grit...you need a mix. time will tell how good he is but adding schneider to fox, lundkvist and deangelo helps add that balance/mix

and if you look at the teams JD built in St L & Columbus and the team that JG was part of building in Boston...having a big, heavy team is clearly their vision not just copying a recent trend.

This. ^^^^

One of the things you see in most playoff series is "heavy hockey."

Players who can grind down the opposition, and players who can push back against attempts to grind them down.

It's not just St. Louis. It's Washington. It's Boston. It's Chicago. It's Pittsburgh. Etc. All those teams had high-end skill. But they also have players who complement those higher skill players.

And we're not just talking about big guys who pound someone into the ice. We're talking about players who are tough to score against, who make it tough to create high-percentage plays, or who prevent teams from stringing together plays and creating momentum.

The objective is to find roster balance. When we look at the Rangers roster, you have some pretty sick high end offensive potential. But we're also going to need the guy who isn't afraid to work the corners with those players. The guy who isn't afraid to spend 25 minutes a night making Hughes' or Svechnikov's life miserable. The guy who can be on the ice with a two goal lead and makes sure it remains a two goal lead. More than anything, they're looking for guys who have roles on an NHL roster and potentially bring high value.

Sometimes that means acquiring the guy with multiple all-star game appearances.

Other times it means acquiring the guy who retires with multiple Stanley Cup rings, but never makes an all-star appearance.

 

[Edge]

I think they would like Schneider regardless, the trend from the playoffs was a cherry on top

This is also true.

Reports indicate that Schneider was 12 on their list. That didn't just happen because St. Louis won a cup in 2019. It came from pro-longed pattern, and frankly, from watching him go up against guys like Hughes and other top talents from around the world --- some of whom the Rangers will be seeing on a regular basis.

 

[Joey Bones]

Scouting has got to be so difficult because, end of the day, 80% or a player’s “package” is in the head. And that’s not really visible. At lower levels, skill is boss. But at the higher levels the skill tends toward being a wash and play is decided mainly by getting to the right spots and reacting and acting in a winning way. So tough to scout these kids.

Well, it's not just IQ... skill, speed and edge always come in to play in the pros. Also, other things outside of the rink help too (like sleeping well, nutrition, etc.). So in essence it will be tough in a covid era where scouts can't really see firsthand at what they are truly looking at (if you have a good scouting department, lolol).

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

We went from Brady Skjei to Braden Schneider. Their names are so similar, I can't help but think we got a discount Skjei in terms of the name haha. Braden Schneider would be Skjei's name in an unlicensed NHL video game

 

[Joey Bones]

Yeah, when looking at that video the Rangers posted (and then deleted) I am not very happy with how there's a clear attempt to simply copy what worked in this year's playoffs. I know the NHL is a copy-cat league but damn, it was so obvious in that video. Braden Schneider was their target because of what happened in this year's playoffs. But how will Schneider develop compared to how players developed in Syracuse for the Lightning?

The video showed their interest in Schneider because the tweet was about the process of selecting him. Editors swayed it that way for the story so the viewers could get excited about the prospect. I'm positive the war room throughout the night had others being discussed. For proof, the Rangers had their list of players in which, IIRC, Schneider was No. 12 on it. @Edge could attest to that.

Although I do think management leaned heavily on bigger "bang guys" in this class, you have to think with players like Kravtsov, Lafreniere, Kakko, etc. and other skillful potentials (Pajuniemi, Tarnstrom, Henriksson, Vierling, etc) there is a slight lack of the bottom-6 and forward depth in the system. I think this is where you'll see players like Cuylle, Barron and Edstrom getting notice where they could've selected another skilled guy. I do think they should've gone for the boom, but you need to be able to develop in-house and superior 3rd/4th liners at some point, too, in order to contend deeply. Dom Moore was like the perfect bottom-6 center for some time.

The Lightning, while being able to have developed skill guys like Kucherov, T. Johnson and Point, also had their fair share of superior "role" players run through their pipeline (Killorn, Palat, Gourde, Paquette) and now seem to be recycling that lineup with Stephens, Joseph and Volkov. All of them are looking at some time next year in Tampa. Even then, you find some nice surprises like Cirelli (who was brought up as depth and now looks to be a solid scorer on the 2nd line).

I think what NYR is leaning towards really isn't a bad thing in retrospect, especially when you have skillful guys who can come in and (potentially) make a big impact already. There is a need for developing depth, especially when it looks thin within the pool.

We'll see where this takes them...

 

[Joey Bones]

that isn't just this year's playoffs...that is every year in the playoffs. people talk about how the game has changed to be all about speed but that only applies in the regular season. come playoff time its the same as its always been. having different/complimentary players that can play different styles rarely goes out of style. where you run into a problem is when you have a bunch of similar players that can only play 1 way and then the game changes on you. it can't be just all skating and skill and it can't just be size and grit...you need a mix. time will tell how good he is but adding schneider to fox, lundkvist and deangelo helps add that balance/mix

and if you look at the teams JD built in St L & Columbus and the team that JG was part of building in Boston...having a big, heavy team is clearly their vision not just copying a recent trend.

To add to this, the coaching staff also needs to be able to change up the style of play to be able to compete. It's a full team game, the coaching staff should be recognized as well for the faults in that play-in round.

 

[Joey Bones]

That's actually what concerns me the most.

People building brands, while selling misinformation or data that was not properly analyzed. There's no shortage of that these days.

I'd like to get see more people who truly bring something to the table, not people figuring out how to monetize the system on the backs of an audience that sometimes doesn't know any better.

That was exactly my point. I didn't mean that in a good way...

 

[Joey Bones]

Look out for William Eklund early here...

Has 8 pts (5 goals) in 10 games for Djurgardens and is producing at a 2.93 PPG pace. Right now ranked in the early 20's. Likes to snipe!!

 

[Leetch3]

a nice start to the year for owen power

 

[Joey Bones]

a nice start to the year for owen power

They all had good games!! Beniers with 2 dingers and Johnson with an assist too!!

 

[Mikos87]

Appreciate the link on the Scouching video. I'll tell you one good thing that comes out of it is good conversation. I respect what Will's doing out there, really impressive young man. Do I agree with his take? No.

I'm more of a Yannick guy on both the eye and the analytics.

 

[eco's bones]

Appreciate the link on the Scouching video. I'll tell you one good thing that comes out of it is good conversation. I respect what Will's doing out there, really impressive young man. Do I agree with his take? No.

I'm more of a Yannick guy on both the eye and the analytics.

I think I like Yannick better too.

That said Will's analysis of the Islanders 2020 draft broke a barrier today. I don't remember him ever going to a 4 on either a prospect or team draft evaluation but he did today.....giving the Islanders a 4A--the worst of the 25 team draft evaluations so far. I'm kind of thinking Boston now is going there too.

 

[Leetch3]

 

[Joey Bones]

Brandt Clarke, potential No. 1 pick, is rumored to be playing overseas with Vasby of the Allsvenskan...

 

[bobbop]

I’ve seen a big increase on development emphasis since JD joined the organization. I don’t think Sather ever disliked the concept of investing in development but he didn’t make the dollar investment in multiple development coaches and there’s always been a question about the coaching in Hartford. Seems like the Hartford question was on the way to be solved last year and then when JD arrived, more assets were approved. They have a nice model in place now. It had better work.

 

[Joey Bones]

Confirmed now, via eliteprospects, Brandt Clarke will be playing with Vasby in Allsvenskan. Good move for now...

 

[Joey Bones]

Wow, Anton Lundell proving all the haters wrong...

 

[Leetch3]

how does Luke Hughes compare to his brothers specifically Quinn since they are both d men? Luke is 6'2 so he's bigger than his brothers and sounds like he's projected to go pretty high....