HF Habs: 2023 NHL Draft part 2

[Doublechin]

Leonard is not Brady Tkachuk. Tkachuk was a 6'3 orc even at the time of the draft, its not the same at all. Leonard is fantastic, hes not Smith, Benson, Reinbacher or Wood.

What makes Tkachuk work isn't the 2 inches he's got on Leonard but his heart and physical game. Someone thing Leonard has minus the 2 inches but from a skill POV at the same age, Leonard>Brady

 

[NekkiChiconey]

Close the thread down, it's over:

 

[Mrb1p]

What makes Tkachuk work isn't the 2 inches he's got on Leonard but his heart and physical game. Someone thing Leonard has minus the 2 inches but from a skill POV at the same age, Leonard>Brady

Its 4 inches hes got on Leonard.

Im not Bradys biggest fan and still thinks hes very overrated but no, even from a skill POV Leonard isnt better than Brady, look at their d-1 and subsequent numbers, Brady has been ahead at every point.

Close the thread down, it's over:
View attachment 711789

I agree with this.

 

[NekkiChiconey]

Michkov, Smith, Benson, Wood, Reinbacher, Cristall... Those are shots at best forwards/defender on the team, top 5 at their position kind of dudes. Love Leonard for what he is, again, but there is just no shot at him being better than Suzuki or Cole or even Guhle. That's not what the habs need.

That's the argument for me, although I'll restrict it to Michkov, Benson and Reinbacher only.

Will the Habs be perennial serious contenders with Suzuki and Caufield as their best forwards? Not sure. The follow-up is: which player picked at 5 has the potential to be their best player? That should be the only focus.

 

[Balthazar]

Do people think the Habs could genuinely pick Benson at #5 or they just wish they'd pick him?

 

[WeThreeKings]

Do people think the Habs could genuinely pick Benson at #5 or they just wish they'd pick him?

I think if you're considering Leonard or Dvorsky, you have to consider Benson.

 

[JoelWarlord]

He did things like this all tournament and this was against canada. He kept up with Anderson and snatched the puck from him.

Very off-topic but these kinds of clips are why I'm not particularly worried about this year. The further we get from this season the more I'm convinced there was a conditioning issue as we just didn't see this kind of speed and assertive movement from him and I refuse to believe he got a lobotomy over the summer or something.

 

[le_sean]

Near-generational, really? He was a very good prospect but, like you said, he hasn't reached that. I'm looking at what Svechnikov is today and I think Leonard becomes a stylistically similar forward, with potentially a similar impact as well. I think he'll beat defenders and score goals in similar fashion, while having a sneaky underrated playmaking game.

Sounds like Pacioretty to me before he got crushed by Chara. He was far more physical back then. I think Leonard has that potential. 35 goals and a menace to try and handle.

 

[NekkiChiconey]

Do people think the Habs could genuinely pick Benson at #5 or they just wish they'd pick him?

In terms of skill, Benson is up there with pretty much everyone not named Bedard. So, yes. He's small, but he has literally everything that the Habs *should* be looking for. If Kent was telling the thruth when he said he wouldn't mind picking a small player, then he's a prime candidate.

 

[Doublechin]

Leonard is not Brady Tkachuk. Tkachuk was a 6'3 orc even at the time of the draft, its not the same at all. Leonard is fantastic, hes not Smith, Benson, Reinbacher or Wood.

The numbers aren't in favor for Brady in their D-1 and the 6'2 vs 6'0, I was thinking Matthew's size for some reason.

The D-1 year saw Brady score 8 in 40 and people panicked saying, f***, he's a third liner etc

 

[NekkiChiconey]

Sounds like Pacioretty to me before he got crushed by Chara. He was far more physical back then. I think Leonard has that potential. 35 goals and a menace to try and handle.

In the right situation, I see his production varying from 25-25 to 35-35, while being a strong forechecker and solid defensive presence. Great prospect to have. Worth the 5th overall pick in a genreational draft? Not sure.

 

[le_sean]

Oof


People often overlook the fact that the best defense is having the puck in the other team's zone which elite offensive players can do consistently.

That’s not how hockey works unfortunately. There’s no forward that has a 95% CF. It’s not like you put Smith on the ice and your team will have offensive zone control the entire time. His lackadaisical style will hurt his team. To me he’s JT Miller. That’s a good hockey player, but not someone you want as your 1C.

 

[Balthazar]

In terms of skill, Benson is up there with pretty much everyone not named Bedard. So, yes. He's small, but he has literally everything that the Habs *should* be looking for. If Kent was telling the thruth when he said he wouldn't mind picking a small player, then he's a prime candidate.

He knows he can't have 2 undersized winger with average skating in the top 6.

 

[le_sean]

In the right situation, I see his production varying from 25-25 to 35-35, while being a strong forechecker and solid defensive presence. Great prospect to have. Worth the 5th overall pick in a genreational draft? Not sure.

We need to calm down with the generational draft talk. Sure, if you’re picking 1. But Fantilli, Carlsson aren’t generational players. Slafkovsky would likely be going 4-5 in this one.

 

[Mrb1p]

The numbers aren't in favor for Brady in their D-1 and the 6'2 vs 6'0, I was thinking Matthew's size for some reason.

The D-1 year saw Brady score 8 in 40 and people panicked saying, f***, he's a third liner etc

In the NCAA.

 

[Mrb1p]

He knows he can't have 2 undersized winger with average skating in the top 6.

Neither have average skating.

If thats whats going through Hughes's mind, he should be fired yesterday.

 

[Doublechin]

In the NCAA.

Ok and Leonard hasn't been in the NCAA yet but still, one showed show end production where many were concerned, Tkachuk in his D-1 didn't produce on par with the expectations.

 

[NekkiChiconey]

We need to calm down with the generational draft talk. Sure, if you’re picking 1. But Fantilli, Carlsson aren’t generational players. Slafkovsky would likely be going 4-5 in this one.

I mean, it projects pretty similar to the 2015 draft. You have more than 5 players who put up elite (like top-3 or top-5 all time) draft year numbers in 5 different leagues, and also great depth through the 1st round. The fact that there are 3-4 players who would be selected above last year's 1OV pick is very impressive.

 

[Mrb1p]

Ok and Leonard hasn't been in the NCAA yet but still, one showed show end production where many were concerned, Tkachuk in his D-1 didn't produce on par with the expectations.

Under ppg for a prospect in the NCAA is perfectly normal, its over that is an anomaly.

Leonards production is good and hes a good player, but his, and his linemates production isnt representative of the quality of prospect they are. At least, not entirely.

I mean, it projects pretty similar to the 2015 draft. You have more than 5 players who put up elite (like top-3 or top-5 all time) draft year numbers in 5 different leagues, and also great depth through the 1st round. The fact that there are 3-4 players who would be selected above last year's 1OV pick is very impressive.

More like 9 in my book but I had Slaf 6th so.

 

[NotProkofievian]

In terms of skill, Benson is up there with pretty much everyone not named Bedard. So, yes. He's small, but he has literally everything that the Habs *should* be looking for. If Kent was telling the thruth when he said he wouldn't mind picking a small player, then he's a prime candidate.

He's one of the most skilled players in the draft of course, but I think he's closer to the 10th most skilled player than the 2nd most skilled player. I don't agree with @Mrb1p 's characterization of Benson's hands as either Kovalev or Datsyuk. I don't even know which one he's supposed to be lol.

 

[Mrb1p]

He's one of the most skilled players in the draft of course, but I think he's closer to the 10th most skilled player than the 2nd most skilled player. I don't agree with @Mrb1p 's characterization of Benson's hands as either Kovalev or Datsyuk. I don't even know which one he's supposed to be lol.

Datsyuk. He has the fastest hands in tight of all the draft. Kovalev was Smith, whos more creative and uses it as a weapon, Benson uses his hands as a tool. Cristall is the middle ground between the two, i think but I also think he, at times, struggle with his decision making compared to the other two, more along the lines of Drouin.

What made Datsyuk so good was his proprioception along with his hand-eye and superior processing, Benson is the same way. Kane is another good example of this. Smith, and Kovalev, were pure "What if I do this?" Players. Drouin was/is also like this.

Its an approach to the game that some players have, Crosby, Mcdavid are like this too. Lemieux blended both and that is why he is the most impressive player ever. Zegras is like Smith too, just knows what he can do, and like a turn based game, tries to select the appropriate move to try for the situation hes facing. It also requires a high level of processing, but this processing is a lot more planned than reactive, but not in a proactive way. The good thing is, like Zegras, Smith has limit tested the shit out of these moves and the neural pathways have to be hella strong.

As for labelling Benson as a near ten skill level rank, that has to be without factoring his vision? Because when I compare him to Smith, Carlsson I have a hard time finding arguments for the former aside from "bigger". Of course that is useless because a player is nothing but his overall package and in this case, the 6'4" body is a big part of the package, but so is the vision and tenacity.

 

[NotProkofievian]

Datsyuk. He has the fastest hands in tight of all the draft. Kovalev was Smith, whos more creative and uses it as a weapon, Benson uses his hands as a tool. Cristall is the middle ground between the two, i think but I also think he, at times, struggle with his decision making compared to the other two, more along the lines of Drouin.

What made Datsyuk so good was his proprioception along with his hand-eye and superior processing, Benson is the same way. Kane is another good example of this. Smith, and Kovalev, were pure "What if I do this?" Players. Drouin was/is also like this.

Its an approach to the game that some players have, Crosby, Mcdavid are like this too. Lemieux blended both and that is why he is the most impressive player ever. Zegras is like Smith too, just knows what he can do, and like a turn based game, tries to select the appropriate move to try for the situation hes facing. It also requires a high level of processing, but this processing is a lot more planned than reactive, but not in a proactive way. The good thing is, like Zegras, Smith has limit tested the shit out of these moves and the neural pathways have to be hella strong.

I don't see the comparison. Not even a little bit.





If you watch Smith highlights you can see some Kovalev, and Cristall too. But where is Benson literally making guys fall over while he's standing still?

 

[NekkiChiconey]

I don't see the comparison. Not even a little bit.





If you watch Smith highlights you can see some Kovalev, and Cristall too. But where is Benson literally making guys fall over while he's standing still?

My personal comparison for Benson in terms of playstyle and skill is Crosby. Extremely quick hands without being the flashiest. The way he navigates and creates in the offensive zone by opening his hips and reaching under defenders is also reminiscent of 87. Obviously he will never be as great, but a good deal of added strength will do wonders.

 

[NotProkofievian]

My personal comparison for Benson in terms of playstyle and skill is Crosby. Extremely quick hands without being the flashiest. The way he navigates and creates in the offensive zone by opening his hips and reaching under defenders is also reminiscent of 87. Obviously he will never be as great, but a good deal of added strength will do wonders.

To me he looks like Berggren+. He looks so similar to me on the ice, but he has better skating and hands, even if those things aren't elite for him. Berggren is very close to being a very good player, so it leads me to believe that Benson will be one.

 

[NekkiChiconey]

To me he looks like Berggren+. He looks so similar to me on the ice, but he has better skating and hands, even if those things aren't elite for him. Berggren is very close to being a very good player, so it leads me to believe that Benson will be one.

I see that, actually. Skating and hands look similar at first glance, but considering Berggren is 5 years older it'S encouraging. I'll give the shooting to Berggren, but Benson's playmaking and vision is on another level. Also, as crazy as it sounds, I don't think Benson is far from 2020-2022 Berggren right now, with still a lot of runway to improve. He's a special player for sure.