Just FYI -- here are the Devils picks: 2, 37, 69, 101, 109, 125, 140, 165, 197
The Devils actually have 3 picks in the 4th round, and one each in every other round.
You can actually find a pretty decent draft simulator here:
Prospect Info: 2022 Draft Final STI Rankings -- Top 120
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The Devils actually have 3 picks in the 4th round, and one each in every other round.
You can actually find a pretty decent draft simulator here:
Reid Schaefer is certainly on my 2nd round wish-list, and if he was still there in the 3rd (very doubtful, but hypothetically) he'd be a no-brainer. He's maybe the toughest forward in the draft, he's huge, he's a top-5 defensive winger in the draft, and he possesses an elite-level shot. I have no idea on earth how people have ranked him outside the 2nd round, much less outside the 3rd.
That #37 pick is absolutely HUGE for the Devils, especially after we pretty much blew picks last year at #29 and #68 with Stillman (who would have been a good pick at #68) and Salminen (who made no sense positionally or stylistically and was not a top 20 available talent when we took him). The Devils still have various needs all over the place entering the draft, which I'll rank in importance:
1) Top 6 interior wing
2) RD
3) Depth C
4) Depth interior wingers
5) Goalie
I think it's a good bet that we can cross #1 off the list early with a Slafkovsky pick. Schaefer at #37 would go a good way to crossing #4 off the list, but #2 and #3 are more important and there should be players available there who fill those needs. So, while I'd be thrilled with Schaefer at #37, if it were me drafting I'm not certain I would take him over a RD like Rinzel or a C like Gaucher.
But again, I fully see the appeal. Taking Slafkovsky and Schaefer both would make the Devils a far more physically imposing team in the future while also adding a good deal of scoring prowess on the top line with Slaf and in the middle six with Schaefer.
For the people who doubt that big, tough power forwards like Reid Schaefer can also be skilled:
Here's a draft I just did on the simulator I showed you the link for:
To be honest, I shouldn't have posted this, because it's just unrealistic as hell. Slafkovsky at #2 is a good bet, and although Gaucher is possible at #37 and exactly what the Devils would need in the future at 3C, I wouldn't call it "likely" he'll be there in Round 2.
The Warren and Barabosha picks are realistic, and would really plug up the organizational hole at RD. However, Schaefer and Morrison lasting 100+ picks into the draft is looking increasingly like a complete fantasy.
But if it were true, I've now solved the Devils three big problems of:
1) Interior/power Fs (Slaf for top 6, Schaefer for middle 6)
2) RD: Barabosha and Warren are big, mobile, physical and great defensively -- perfect pairings for Luke
3) Depth C: Gaucher and Morrison are both 2C talents who could take the 3C slot and run
Now, I can have some fun, so I went Upside City with diminutive but f**king awesome Swedish winger Joel Jonsson who would be a possible late first rounder if he were 6'0 instead of 5'9. In Round 6 I went "take a goalie" with an athletic Belarussan in Zhigalov. In Round 7 I took one of the best sleepers in the draft, with super-fast and incredibly competitive Marcus Nguyen, a kid who can also score and has a lot of Blake Coleman in his game.
The Wumpus
bottomless pit supervisor
Pick #140, finally cashing in on that Kinkaid trade from 3 years ago. It's like opening a time capsule.
Well, the beauty is that a talented kid with top 6 upside like Joel Jonsson might be available there. He's a real "Gritsyuk-type" pick at that spot -- elite vision and hockey IQ, huge compete level and just incredible hands. If he can build his core strength and up his skating a notch, he could be a top-6 scorer at the NHL level. Even if he never reaches such heights, I think this is a kid with the hustle and headiness to carve out a bottom 6 role. I'm a huge fan.
A day or two after Bob Mckenzie releases his list that draft simulator usually adds it so it should get even more decent.Just FYI -- here are the Devils picks: 2, 37, 69, 101, 109, 125, 140, 165, 197
The Devils actually have 3 picks in the 4th round, and one each in every other round.
You can actually find a pretty decent draft simulator here:
Eggtimer
Registered User
Pick #37 still has potential to be a very good prospect . I thimk there coild be a few players with 1st round talent and skill ,due to the Russian factor plus no real clear tiers of players in the middle to bottom of the first round where there are clear cut picks to be taken from about pick #20/25 on .
Just my 2 cents ?
Just my 2 cents ?
is Morrison really going to drop to 125? Isn't he likely a second round pick? He looks like a good pick for a second year eligible. How do you rate him against Beck?
I have Beck at #22 and Morrison #33, mostly because Beck is a year and a half younger and is a brilliant skater.
Beck is a very likely first round pick who will absolutely not get past #40 overall.
Morrison is a big wild card. Literally one and a half months ago, the only prospect writer on the continent who was talking about him was me. After a huge OHL playoffs which saw him win the MVP, Morrison is all of a sudden getting a fraction of the hype I've been screaming from the rooftops he's deserved all year long.
Conversely, Morrison is a double over-ager who missed an entire season of development, which will likely keep him out of the first round. Personally, I can care less. His IQ is right up there with Wright at the top of the 2022 class, and his passing ability is electrifying. I don't think there is a higher combination of IQ/vision in the draft among centers this year which can compete with Morrison aside from Wright -- I'd even rank Morrison's combo slightly over Nazar, Cooley and Ostlund.
Morrison's skating is very good and his two-way play is very good. His shot has improved a ton along with his core strength -- in his initial draft year of 2020 Morrison was listed at 5'9 or 5'10 in the 160 pound range, and now eliteprospects has him at 6'0-179.
Also, I don't think it's a stretch to say that, after the obvious kids like Wright and Nemec, Morrison is in the conversation for "closest to NHL-ready" for this draft.
Essentially, what I'm saying is that my #33 ranking of Morrison might be conservative, and he'd be a great pick for the Devils as early as #37 overall. He has far more offensive potential than Boqvist in my opinion, and it might only be shortly over a season before Morrison can displace Boqvist as 3C, pushing him down to 4C and McLeod to the trade block. I can't rave about this kid enough, he's terrific.
MasterofGrond
No, I'm not serious.
I think if one of our 2020 prospects just had the D+2 season and playoffs Morrison, we'd be REAL excited and so would basically anybody else.
Yeah he's a double overager, but he missed a whole year and you're picking him outside the first round. it's just a straight up value play.
Yeah he's a double overager, but he missed a whole year and you're picking him outside the first round. it's just a straight up value play.
Well, no one in the entire draft-writing world has been as high on Logan Morrison as I have, so clearly I agree with you here.
I've spoken at length about #37 overall, and this can be a hugely important pick if the Devils use it wisely.
The Devils sorely need RD, and there could be a very good all-around option in Luneau, a high-upside guy in Rinzel or Mastrodomenico, or a physical, D-first guy like Warren or Barabosha.
The Devils need depth C and there could be a high-end pick available like Beck or Gaucher, or a big-time sleeper like Ostlund or Morrison.
The Devils need interior/power Fs and there should be a host of players available, from Schaefer to Lutz to Nyman to Sykora.
And all of this could go out the window if a high-end Russian like Perevalov or Trikozov fall... or even a high-upside non-Russian like Firkus, Howard or Lorenz.
There's a lot of options here. It's a hugely important pick. I'm still holding out hope that Fitzgerald figures out a way to acquire a second 2nd round pick.
Eggtimer
Registered User
Sykora is a power forward ? I must have my wires crossed as I thought he was a little speedster
Sykora is what I call an "interior forward". He's like 5'11 but fast as hell and forechecks like a demon. He does most of his best offensive work down low, and he's always battling along the boards and crashing creases. I think if he were 6'2-200, Sykora would be routinely described as a power forward and in the top 25 conversation.
I'd say Sykora has more in common with Blake Coleman than what we would traditionally describe as a "power forward", but it's still an element the Devils could really use in their middle six.
Great article on some polarizing players in EP Rinkside for subscribers.
eprinkside.com
I align at least partially with the skepticism on: Lambert, Hutson, Geekie and Nelson.
I disagree with the skepticism on Nazar and Mateychuk.
For the Devils fans, none of these players will be on the radar except for possibly Nelson with the #37 pick. I think it would be a disaster if the Devils drafted him, but I don't see it happening because Fitzgerald has oft-stated a desire to get heavier on the blueline.
The most divisive prospects in the 2022 NHL Draft
Cam Robinson looks at some of the most polarizing names in the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft, and takes a look at why so many scouts can watch the same player but have different evaluations.
eprinkside.com
I align at least partially with the skepticism on: Lambert, Hutson, Geekie and Nelson.
I disagree with the skepticism on Nazar and Mateychuk.
For the Devils fans, none of these players will be on the radar except for possibly Nelson with the #37 pick. I think it would be a disaster if the Devils drafted him, but I don't see it happening because Fitzgerald has oft-stated a desire to get heavier on the blueline.
Beck, Morrison, Rinzel, or Barabosha at 37. Drops mic.Great article on some polarizing players in EP Rinkside for subscribers.
The most divisive prospects in the 2022 NHL Draft
Cam Robinson looks at some of the most polarizing names in the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft, and takes a look at why so many scouts can watch the same player but have different evaluations.
I align at least partially with the skepticism on: Lambert, Hutson, Geekie and Nelson.
I disagree with the skepticism on Nazar and Mateychuk.
For the Devils fans, none of these players will be on the radar except for possibly Nelson with the #37 pick. I think it would be a disaster if the Devils drafted him, but I don't see it happening because Fitzgerald has oft-stated a desire to get heavier on the blueline.
Barabosha is a guy I would like in Round 3, because the Russians are likely to drop, especially the MHL kids. Cam Robinson has been tweeting about that today.
Morrison is a guy who is difficult to pinpoint. The draft writers haven't caught on, and the stat-based analysts don't know how to draw equivalencies between 18 year olds and over-agers because their models are all so flawed. But the NHL scouts have certainly noticed -- the OHL is the most heavily scouted league, and Morrison dominated in the season and somehow found an even higher gear in the playoffs. I'd certainly be thrilled with him at #37.
Beck is a below-50% likelihood at #37. His speed, IQ and two-way acumen certainly will have him in the #20-#25 range for several NHL teams, and he's a center.
Rinzel is another wild card. The draft writers I communicate with think some teams will have him with a 1st round rating and others as low as the 3rd.
Any of these kids would be great picks.
Not that I am remotely close to the amount of viewing you do, but the little bit I've looked at Morrison, coupled with that playoff run, tells me he's outclassed the OHL. I am a big believer that while the body of work for a prospect is important, you are best served looking at how a prospect finishes if it's a reasonable sample size. A good example is Mercer. In his last junior year, he was a bit over PPG until the world juniors. Then he returned and kicked it up to about 2 ppg, which continued into the playoffs. That PPG player doesn't matter because he arrived in NJ building off the 2 PPG player. I see some of that in Morrison. Another way to look at it is he was a tier below Wyatt Johnston during the regular season but has arguably closed that gap in the playoffs. He doesn't seem to be quite the player Johnston is but he's also being discussed as a second round pick, not a first round pick. That said, if Perevalov is there how can NJ not take him?
If Fitz can trade Zacha for a 2nd round pick, I’m making that deal all week and twice on Sundays.
I’d like to see the Devils come away with Rinzel, Warren or both. RD would be my first priority if we are staying put at 2OA. Adding an extra second round pick gives the Devils a chance to land Sykora or one of the talented Russian kids. Sign me up.
Fitzgerald has done well in the trade market as Devils GM. I don't see why he couldn't get a 2nd round pick for Zacha and a 4th round pick for Johnsson.
That second pick in the 2nd round would be huge, because NJ could use the first one on a high-upside type like Perevalov, Trikozov or Firkus and then use the second one focusing on a position of need like RD and get a Rinzel or Warren or on C and get a Morrison or Ostlund.
PizzaAndPucks
New Jersey Angels diehard
- Nov 29, 2018
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I'm going to start looking into potential goalie picks. I like our system as of now when it comes to goalies but adding 1 every draft seems to be a good philosophy IMO. Having 3 4th round picks to use this year could be good ammo to get a second 3rd round pick if there is a goalie there worth jumping up for. Did a quick search tough and it seems it's not the best dragy for goalies this year. You never know what you get with a player so I'm hoping we take one in the 4th round still.
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Thanks for doing this. Among the people I listen to, it would seem the top available pair is Leinonen and Brennan, and the top sleepers are Zhigalov and Kokko.
Devils731
Registered User
- Jun 23, 2008
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By the way, no one ever needs to add a disclaimer about my watching the prospects more -- we all have equal right to our opinions. My opinion is no better than anyone else's.
That being said, I'd say right now Johnston is a superior prospect to Morrison and he's younger, but I agree with you that the separation between the two is not all that extreme. This is notable when we take into account that a 2021 re-draft likely sees Johnston as a top 7-10 pick overall.
We can go so far as to say the three top OHL centers this year where Johnston as a clear #1, then Morrison at #2 and Shane Wright at #3. Though we could make an argument over several OHL forwards being in the argument for second best forward after Johnston, Morrison would certainly have to be in that conversation.
But in the OHL playoffs? Morrison was the best player in the entire OHL, and the only player who was really close was Johnston. We're not talking a tiny sample, either -- Morrison had a 17-22-39 line in 19 games. That's pretty much equivalent to 1/3 of the OHL season. If we combine Morrison's statistical output over an NHL-schedule-like 79 games of regular season and playoffs, he finished with 51 goals and 88 assists for 139 points. That's simply phenomenal.
By comparison for those who are wondering, Johnston played 93 games across the OHL season and playoffs, totaling 60 goals and 105 assists for 165 points. For Johnston, that's 1.77 points per game, while for Morrison it's 1.76. Again, Morrison is almost a full year older -- while Johnston's birthdate is 5/14/03, Morrison's is 7/9/02.
Both players have very good skill sets and are very good two-way centers. Both skate well and feature high intangibles. Ultimately, I give Johnston the edge, but it's not by as much as people might think.
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