Prospect Info: 2023 Draft Thread (Yotes picking #6 & #12)

[rt]

Watched Sundays WPG MJW game. Benson is from antother planet. More gambling more mistakes even more jaw dropping plays. Really an elite prospect. Put on an absolute skating clinic at certain points.

Geekie had another encouraging showing. Good prospect. I think Yager may be a little notch below the Savoie/Geekie/Mateychuk level. He might end up in that max but he’s a little too quiet for me. Benson is way, way ahead of everyone else on either team.

MJW got pretty sick of him too. They couldn’t handle how hard he was working on a 4min PK with a 5-0 lead and they wanted to kill him. Two of the bigger MJW D basically ended up jumping him after the whistle. He didn’t back down an inch. Great to see.

 

[Jagged Ice]

^ Do you still have Yager ahead of Livanavage?

 

[lanky]

Interesting comments by Mark Edwards in the thread for hockeyprospect.com Jan ranking...

"I will say that after the big boys at the top, a lot of players feel too high, but as a scout, you can't rank a guy at 18th because it feels right....you obviously need 17 players to put ahead of him.

When you have scouted for a very long time you start to just get a feel for whereabouts a player seems to fit on a list. Several players feel about 10 spots higher than I'd like to see them this year, but that's just where they end up because there is nobody better. I know some NHL team scouts are feeling this way as well.

Nice draft at the top but then it weakens."

 

[Jakey53]

Benson with our pick and then Ritchie with Buffalo’s pick (acquired for Chychrun).

That’s the way!

Bedard with our pick and then Ritchie.

That's the way!

 

[rt]

^ Do you still have Yager ahead of Livanavage?

Haha. Yes. Livanavage is a good target for the 6th round.

 

[Jakey53]

Interesting comments by Mark Edwards in the thread for hockeyprospect.com Jan ranking...

"I will say that after the big boys at the top, a lot of players feel too high, but as a scout, you can't rank a guy at 18th because it feels right....you obviously need 17 players to put ahead of him.

When you have scouted for a very long time you start to just get a feel for whereabouts a player seems to fit on a list. Several players feel about 10 spots higher than I'd like to see them this year, but that's just where they end up because there is nobody better. I know some NHL team scouts are feeling this way as well.

Nice draft at the top but then it weakens."

Isn't that true for any draft?

 

[hbk]

Interesting comments by Mark Edwards in the thread for hockeyprospect.com Jan ranking...

"I will say that after the big boys at the top, a lot of players feel too high, but as a scout, you can't rank a guy at 18th because it feels right....you obviously need 17 players to put ahead of him.

When you have scouted for a very long time you start to just get a feel for whereabouts a player seems to fit on a list. Several players feel about 10 spots higher than I'd like to see them this year, but that's just where they end up because there is nobody better. I know some NHL team scouts are feeling this way as well.

Nice draft at the top but then it weakens."

Recrutes.ca has been saying similar things for awhile now.

That being said, I am just starting to put my list together and just the brainstorming phase and I can name 20-25 guys that I like right off the top of my head and I'm not a full time scout. You think you are done your list and then you go Oh yeah what about Heidt in Prince George? I think he's a top 15-20 guy. Then what about all those Russians that I'm not watching that other scouts are now making noise on also being in the top 20.

What I see is there are 4-5 guys that are for sure difference makers and then about 8-10 guys that could be as well but there's a size issue, skating issue, physicality preference, where you go "yeah... but how will their game translate at the NHL level? I love Yager's shot. A year ago I was thinking he's a top 5 guy for sure. Now? Is he a top 10? Not sure. I like him but something feels off in Moose Jaw and guys like Barlow just keep scoring and have a bit more size and projectability as a top 6 forward in the NHL.

I'm really looking forward to my future debates with rt about players.

 

[rt]

I think there’s a tremendous drop but it’s not from good to bad or great to below average. I think it’s from staggeringly elite to still pretty good.

It depends on where your cut-off is.

The McKenzie poll has Moore, Sale, Ritchie and Wood at 11-14. That’s above average for any class. There’s Reinbacher, Stramel, Heidt, and Perreault at 20-23. That’s great depth. Better than last year. Then Musty, Dragicevic, Stenberg, Halttunen, Bonk, and Ziemmer 26-31. That’s way, way above average. Find me Mustys, Dragicevics and Ziemmers that late in typical classes. You just can’t.

This is an elite class. And I’m not saying that in October like we do every other year. I’m saying that heading into February. It’s real. I don’t care what the salty old media scouts say. The geriatric media scouts are just as bad as the hipster stats dorks half the time.

 

[JasonDemersWasOkay]

The dream is one of bedard/fantilli/Carlsson and then Reinbacher with another mid-late 1st

 

[hbk]

I think there’s a tremendous drop but it’s not from good to bad or great to below average. I think it’s from staggeringly elite to still pretty good.

It depends on where your cut-off is.

The McKenzie poll has Moore, Sale, Ritchie and Wood at 11-14. That’s above average for any class. There’s Reinbacher, Stramel, Heidt, and Perreault at 20-23. That’s great depth. Better than last year. Then Musty, Dragicevic, Stenberg, Halttunen, Bonk, and Ziemmer 26-31. That’s way, way above average. Find me Mustys, Dragicevics and Ziemmers that late in typical classes. You just can’t.

This is an elite class. And I’m not saying that in October like we do every other year. I’m saying that heading into February. It’s real. I don’t care what the salty old media scouts say. The geriatric media scouts are just as bad as the hipster stats dorks half the time.

I just think there is a size bias and there is a number of small players we are talking about in that 5-20 range. If they were bigger I think there would be more buzz about the draft being deep.

 

[Freddy Sjostrom]

I think there’s a tremendous drop but it’s not from good to bad or great to below average. I think it’s from staggeringly elite to still pretty good.

It depends on where your cut-off is.

The McKenzie poll has Moore, Sale, Ritchie and Wood at 11-14. That’s above average for any class. There’s Reinbacher, Stramel, Heidt, and Perreault at 20-23. That’s great depth. Better than last year. Then Musty, Dragicevic, Stenberg, Halttunen, Bonk, and Ziemmer 26-31. That’s way, way above average. Find me Mustys, Dragicevics and Ziemmers that late in typical classes. You just can’t.

This is an elite class. And I’m not saying that in October like we do every other year. I’m saying that heading into February. It’s real. I don’t care what the salty old media scouts say. The geriatric media scouts are just as bad as the hipster stats dorks half the time.

Agree with your sentiments, from Bob’s list, there are too many to name in the 40’s, 50’s. We have not seen this in years. Even in the 60’s and 70’s there are kids that were in the TPG, Ciernik, Whitelaw, Molnar, Misiak, Sawchyn, and other players. I bet you could do a five round mock and still see names you know about in the 4th and 5th. Agree with hbk on the size bias.

 

[Freddy Sjostrom]

Good read on Dvo. High IQ at a premium position.

 

[rt]

He’s gonna be 2nd for me after Bedard. I can’t see that changing.

Right now I’m trying to talk myself out of moving Benson up to 4th or even 3rd. Trying to take deep breaths and keep him 5th.

 

[Vinny Boombatz]

Fantilli easy #2 for me

 

[Dead Coyote]

Here's a short clip of Carlsson that shows off some skating.



Also interesting to me that in Mckenzie's rankings apparently Carlsson and Michkov both got 3 votes for 2nd and Fantilli got 4. Seems pretty close among scouts.

He's been playing a bit meaner with more of an edge lately.

 

[rt]

CHLTPG was a fun watch. Only kid who really caught me off guard in a pleasant way was Tanner Molendyk. Smooth, skilled tough, smart. Will definitely catch some Saskatoon games to get a few more looks.

 

[Heldig]

CHLTPG was a fun watch. Only kid who really caught me off guard in a pleasant way was Tanner Molendyk. Smooth, skilled tough, smart. Will definitely catch some Saskatoon games to get a few more looks.

I really liked Heidt's game.

 

[rt]

I really liked Heidt's game.

Same. And Ritchie and Benson and Yager and several others I liked a lot. But Molendyk was really the only guy I wasn’t looking for who made me take notice.

 

[GhostofYotesFan47]

He’s gonna be 2nd for me after Bedard. I can’t see that changing.

Right now I’m trying to talk myself out of moving Benson up to 4th or even 3rd. Trying to take deep breaths and keep him 5th.

Benson is my Caufield but better. Player I've fallen in love with, he's my #3 if I don't take the opinion of smarter people. No shame, the kid seems poised to prove he's a top prospect.

 

[hbk]

Benson is my Caufield but better. Player I've fallen in love with, he's my #3 if I don't take the opinion of smarter people. No shame, the kid seems poised to prove he's a top prospect.

Benson is my Caufield but better. Player I've fallen in love with, he's my #3 if I don't take the opinion of smarter people. No shame, the kid seems poised to prove he's a top prospect.

Just to play devil’s advocate. How’s Caufields shoulder holding up? What happens when the small forward finally gets hit hard and often?

 

[rt]

Just to play devil’s advocate. How’s Caufields shoulder holding up? What happens when the small forward finally gets hit hard and often?

I’m not sure size and injuries are tightly correlated. Two players have had their careers cut short this season; Person and Pacioretty. Neither small. In AZ, our biggest injury concerns are Chychrun (big) and Schmaltz (not big). Our last few iron me have been Kessel, Keller and Yandle. Our biggest injury problems were Mueller and Kolanos here. Lindros is maybe the leagues worst injury problem (in terms of overal career).

 

[Jakey53]

I’m not sure size and injuries are tightly correlated. Two players have had their careers cut short this season; Person and Pacioretty. Neither small. In AZ, our biggest injury concerns are Chychrun (big) and Schmaltz (not big). Our last few iron me have been Kessel, Keller and Yandle. Our biggest injury problems were Mueller and Kolanos here. Lindros is maybe the leagues worst injury problem (in terms of overal career).

I agree. Injuries can happen to anyone at any time.

 

[BlazingBlueAnt]

What are people's thoughts on Will Smith? Pretty eye popping numbers, seems like having a Jack Hughes like season?

 

[hbk]

What are people's thoughts on Will Smith? Pretty eye popping numbers, seems like having a Jack Hughes like season?

Whatever you do. Keep his wife’s name out of your mouth.

Is he better than Cooley? I don’t think so. That’s my hangup. Cause if you already have a Cooley then maybe we need someone else

 

[lanky]

Whatever you do. Keep his wife’s name out of your mouth.

Is he better than Cooley? I don’t think so. That’s my hangup. Cause if you already have a Cooley then maybe we need someone else

Two Cooleys is better than one.

I'm undecided on Smith vs Benson at 5 OA. I'd be happy with picking up the leftovers at 6 OA.

I don't think Smith can catch Bedard, Michkov, Fantilli or Carlsson on my list. Even though he might be the only one of them at the U18s and will likely be dominant against some very tough competition there.