2021 NHL Draft Thread

[canuckking1]

Looking more and more like we will be picking in the 8-10 range. Not terribly excited about that, because we really need one of those top D prospects. Virtually no chance now that we get a crack at Clarke, Hughes or Power. I also don't trust Benning to deftly handle trading down in this draft, so I hope we just take Ceulemens wherever we end up. A good skating right side D with size is something we direly need. Woo is literally all we've got in the pipeline. If there was some crazy way we could add another first and land McTavish too that would definitely have me excited.

I think as long as the Canucks pick 7th they'll get a shot at one of the good Dmen prospects.

 

[4Twenty]

Craig’s List: Defencemen dominate top of NHL draft prospect rankings - TSN.ca

 

[CanuckleBerry]

I think as long as the Canucks pick 7th they'll get a shot at one of the good Dmen prospects.

Hard to say I think. There's always one or two teams that go off the board in the top 10, and this year's makeup means that is pretty much assured. Hopefully yes, even if we pick 7 or 8 there is a chance an Edvinsson drops. I think there's no chance NJ doesn't take Hughes. Clarke and Power seem to be too highly regarded to drop below top 5. If we end up selecting around #10 I'm leaning more and more towards Ceulemens.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Sportsnet's May Rankings came out:

Sportsnet’s 2021 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings: May Edition

Players of interest to me:

3. Brandt Clarke - for obvious reasons as a need and arguably best player available
8. Luke Hughes - Hughes connection, dman and in the range of where the Nucks may be drafting
13. Fedor Svechkov - centre who showed well at the U18s. Could be a nice pick if another mid 1st was acquired
18. Carson Lambos - dman who likley would have been ranked higher without medical issues
26. Corson Ceulemans - RHD who showed well at U18s. Don't think he goes this low however
29. Logan Stankoven - purely for the name. Would love to hear the commentator after he scores a goal saying how he "put some stank on it"

 

[Catamarca Livin]

I am hoping for a skilled forward this year. I have seen a lot of questions with all the dmen. I really do not know anything about the players, but watching their reports i seems that Luke has intensity issues defensively. We cannot have another hole in our own zone. Not sure how other d fit. Maybe Edvidson would fit. I really liked Eklund's highlights and Guenther is highly thought of on both sides of the puck. I would lean that way if in the 5 to 7 range.

 

[bossram]

Edvinsson is a big no from me. No hockey sense. Reminds me of Broberg, but not in a good way.

Maybe if we're lucky, Clarke or Hughes is still around. Otherwise, I think it's likely we could snag one of Eklund or Guenther. I'd also prefer MacTavish or Lucius to Lambos/Ceulemans if we're not trading down.

 

[sting101]

Edvinsson is a big no from me. No hockey sense. Reminds me of Broberg, but not in a good way.

Maybe if we're lucky, Clarke or Hughes is still around. Otherwise, I think it's likely we could snag one of Eklund or Guenther. I'd also prefer MacTavish or Lucius to Lambos/Ceulemans if we're not trading down.

Gudbranson like passing. Better skater and more individual skill. Not a fan at all in the top10

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Edvinsson is a big no from me. No hockey sense. Reminds me of Broberg, but not in a good way.

Maybe if we're lucky, Clarke or Hughes is still around. Otherwise, I think it's likely we could snag one of Eklund or Guenther. I'd also prefer MacTavish or Lucius to Lambos/Ceulemans if we're not trading down.

Agreed on Edvinsson.

Also on Power:

1. Owen Power, D, U of Michigan (NCAA): Constantly amazed how agile and light on his feet he is. Has a great frame to work with and there’s plenty of room for growth.

That would scare the shit out of me if I was a team drafting him in the Top 5. Top 10, sure. But the fact that the potential #1 overall can only be described as a kid with a great frame, is light and agile with room to grow and no mention of his actual hockey skills is not appealing at all.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

Agreed on Edvinsson.

Also on Power:

1. Owen Power, D, U of Michigan (NCAA): Constantly amazed how agile and light on his feet he is. Has a great frame to work with and there’s plenty of room for growth.

That would scare the shit out of me if I was a team drafting him in the Top 5. Top 10, sure. But the fact that the potential #1 overall can only be described as a kid with a great frame, is light and agile with room to grow and no mention of his actual hockey skills is not appealing at all.

100%. Some of these quotes about Power are truly head scratching:
"I just wonder about the decision-making."
"However, he cannot handle pressure at all. He makes poor judgments when the opposition closes him down."

How is this a guy that's in contention for a potential 1st overall pick?

I'm basically cool with anyone in the top 10 of the NHL except for these two guys.

 

[Catamarca Livin]

I worry about L. Hughes. I think even if he hits his projections he does not really help the Canucks that much. The Canucks need good young dmen but were does he fit with Quinn, Rathbone and OJ. He is younger than everyone in draft but they mention he is not aggressive at all and poor vs zone entries. He will likely not see a pp and does not seem great for pk. Clark at least plays the right side. But are there examples of multiple smaller softer d cores that have done well? I do not see a fit. I am fine with skill above all at forward but you need a d core that is at least hard on pucks. You need 4 of them that penalty kill. I think Rathbone can but do not see a time where Quinn can. Whoever they pick needs to be an all around defenseman.

 

[bobbyb2009]

For me, I am hoping for Brant Clark as a RD stud, which this team needs so badly. Yes we need everything and a part of that is a match up RD, but this player just looks like he might be able to move the puck and develop into a guy who can munch minutes.

If not, my second choice is Matt Beniers. I want a guy who can come in on an ELC and play real minutes on a 3rd line until we have to make a decision on Bo. He could drive a 3rd line very soon and be defensively responsible. And he has the makeup of a championship beast over time. Could grow into a number one all around guy.

I hope one of them is around when we pick.

 

[y2kcanucks]

Am I the only one that thinks we HAVE to pick a Dman ? There are 4 maybe 5 guys that will all be higher end D.

End of the day any of Clarke, Powers, Hughes, Edvinsson is huge coup for the Canucks. All four should become top 4 Dmen in the NHL.

I also agree with @y2kcanucks on his Ceulemans suggestion. I actually thought he may have played more consistently than Clarke at the u18’s.

Carson Lambos is also another kid that will be a very good NHL defenseman. His lack of a season and mystery illness/injury will drop him well outside our scope though.

I still take BPA all day, everyday. It's just there is a better chance in this drat that BPA ends up being a defenseman than most recent drafts. I wouldn't at all discount Guenther, Johnson, Eklund or Beniers. If we end up with a top 10 pick we should end up with a very good prospect.

 

[bossram]

Agreed on Edvinsson.

Also on Power:

1. Owen Power, D, U of Michigan (NCAA): Constantly amazed how agile and light on his feet he is. Has a great frame to work with and there’s plenty of room for growth.

That would scare the shit out of me if I was a team drafting him in the Top 5. Top 10, sure. But the fact that the potential #1 overall can only be described as a kid with a great frame, is light and agile with room to grow and no mention of his actual hockey skills is not appealing at all.

I wouldn't put much stock in that. Sportsnet's draft ranking/scouting pieces are always vapid and don't really say anything...about anyone. They could've been written by an AI trained on hockey prospects, lol. I don't doubt Sam Cosentino follows junior hockey, but I'm not sure he has any clue how to evaluate players.

I've seen reports from other scouts (that I would trust more) essentially all ranking Power 1st overall. Mitch Brown from EP, quite astoundingly, tracks microstats from all the top prospects. As the season wore on, Power basically became a transition demon for Michigan (by far the strongest in zone exits, entries, and preventing possession entries among Michigan defenseman) and his offensive shot contributions also improved.

Side note, Mitch Brown's data paints Beniers as an elite college-level player, and paints Kent Johnson as much more of a passenger.

 

[Get North]

Sportsnet and Craig Button have Power, Clarke, Edvinsson, and Beniers in the top 5. The one difference is Hughes #4 for Craig, and #8 for SN.

Hughes vs Clarke is an interesting one for me. Sure, Clarke has higher upside and he has amazing hands and playmaking for a defenceman, but that skating isn't better than Hughes. Clarke's skating is worse than Bouchard but it's fixable according to some.

 

[F A N]

I worry about L. Hughes. I think even if he hits his projections he does not really help the Canucks that much. The Canucks need good young dmen but were does he fit with Quinn, Rathbone and OJ. He is younger than everyone in draft but they mention he is not aggressive at all and poor vs zone entries. He will likely not see a pp and does not seem great for pk. Clark at least plays the right side. But are there examples of multiple smaller softer d cores that have done well? I do not see a fit. I am fine with skill above all at forward but you need a d core that is at least hard on pucks. You need 4 of them that penalty kill. I think Rathbone can but do not see a time where Quinn can. Whoever they pick needs to be an all around defenseman.

Remember when the Staal brothers appeared to be the next hockey royalty? They were great at first but kind of underachieved for most of their latter careers. The Tkachuk brothers look good. How will the Hughes brothers play out? Perhaps Quinn is the best of the three (okay I say this cause Quinn is a Canuck).

 

[canuckking1]

Luke has game-breaking skating. Probably the best at the top end of the draft. With skating like that he can recover fairly easily and being 6'2 I wouldn't be too worried about him learning how to clear the crease and break up the cycle.

 

[Catamarca Livin]

Remember when the Staal brothers appeared to be the next hockey royalty? They were great at first but kind of underachieved for most of their latter careers. The Tkachuk brothers look good. How will the Hughes brothers play out? Perhaps Quinn is the best of the three (okay I say this cause Quinn is a Canuck).

Quinn has defn been better than Jack thus far. Jack is more of a playmaker but still needs more goals than 11 as Hoglander has scored more with less opportunities.
Again BPA arguement only makes sense when you think you know who it is. First goal is to draft BPA but if there are a few comparables you need to consider where they fit in your future. It is draft BPA for your team. Pp d specialists do not have a path for success with Quinn here. A dman pick really needs to project as well rounded player to be full value to Canucks. If Berniers, Eklund, or Guenther reach their potential they help this team a lot. I do not expect these young d man to help this team much in the next few years.

 

[Fatass]

Sportsnet and Craig Button have Power, Clarke, Edvinsson, and Beniers in the top 5. The one difference is Hughes #4 for Craig, and #8 for SN.

Hughes vs Clarke is an interesting one for me. Sure, Clarke has higher upside and he has amazing hands and playmaking for a defenceman, but that skating isn't better than Hughes. Clarke's skating is worse than Bouchard but it's fixable according to some.

If Clarke’s skating isn’t something he improves is he even an NHL player? Yes, he could be the best player in the draft, but he could also bustaroo. I’d still take him though if he’s on the board when we pick.

 

[VanillaCoke]

BPA

We cannot afford another blown top 6 pick, at all.

 

[Orca Smash]

BPA

We cannot afford another blown top 6 pick, at all.

Yup, to much honing in purely on defenseman again, if eklund or berniers is somehow available when we pick, i dont know how you pass on them.

 

[sting101]

For me, I am hoping for Brant Clark as a RD stud, which this team needs so badly. Yes we need everything and a part of that is a match up RD, but this player just looks like he might be able to move the puck and develop into a guy who can munch minutes.

If not, my second choice is Matt Beniers. I want a guy who can come in on an ELC and play real minutes on a 3rd line until we have to make a decision on Bo. He could drive a 3rd line very soon and be defensively responsible. And he has the makeup of a championship beast over time. Could grow into a number one all around guy.

I hope one of them is around when we pick.

likely have to win a lottery spot to get either of those 2. I agree like them both. top3 picks for me.

 

[sting101]

Would like some feedback from you guys on Carson Lambos.

He's moved way up for me after watching a bunch of footage.

Has top pairing potential IMO. Smooth powerful explosive skater and skilled. Competes hard and has a highly projectable frame for a big minute all situations guy. Feel like his injury status has him flying under the radar a bit.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Would like some feedback from you guys on Lambos.

He's moved way up for me after watching a bunch of footage.

Has top pairing potential IMO. Smooth powerful explosive skater and skilled. Competes hard and has a highly projectable frame for a big minute all situations guy.

I immediately thought you were buying a new car?

 

[Ita]

Yup, to much honing in purely on defenseman again, if eklund or berniers is somehow available when we pick, i dont know how you pass on them.

The BPA in this draft may very well be a defenseman though. Clarke, Powers or Hughes would be a huge addition to this team.

 

[Orca Smash]

The BPA in this draft may very well be a defenseman though. Clarke, Powers or Hughes would be a huge addition to this team.

Could be but I have berniers at 1 and eklund at 2 (what he did in shl in his draft year is insane and has been underrated by the media), I personally think the d-men are somewhat overrated in this draft. Nobody has really blown me away, hughes and clark seem to be the most interesting dmen with upside, I havent been that impressed by powers from the footage i seen.