HF Habs: 2023 NHL Draft part 2

[le_sean]

Wood is a home run swing if I ever saw one...

Which is great if you’re playing baseball and can go around the bases at any pace. Unfortunately this is hockey and you can’t skate like Dave Semenko anymore.

 

[Mrb1p]

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?

Thats because Datsyuk and Kovalev are the best to ever do it and I didnt compare either to them in skill, but in stickhandling approach. Datsyuk wasnt making people fall on their ass every game, most games he just opened up space with his stickhandling and kept the puck for days to make plays, he did that by being incredibly strong on his stick and having the skating agility to go along with some of the quickest hands ever. Benson is the same.

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.

I always thought Crosby and Datsyuk had similar stickhandling skills and used it in similar ways, the way they couple edges and lightning quick hands is very similar to Benson, though of course I do not expect Benson to be a top 5 all-time forward.

 

[NekkiChiconey]

Thats because Datsyuk and Kovalev are the best to ever do it and I didnt compare either to them in skill, but in stickhandling approach. Datsyuk wasnt making people fall on their ass every game, most games he just opened up space with his stickhandling and kept the puck for days to make plays, he did that by being incredibly strong on his stick and having the skating agility to go along with some of the quickest hands ever. Benson is the same.



I always thought Crosby and Datsyuk had similar stickhandling skills and used it in similar ways, the way they couple edges and lightning quick hands is very similar to Benson, though of course I do not expect Benson to be a top 5 all-time forward.

Most importantly though, Benson attacks defenders. None of our current forwards do that, except maybe Dach. I love Suzuki but if you want a dynamic creator, Benson has a better shot at it.

 

[NotProkofievian]

Which is great if you’re playing baseball and can go around the bases at any pace. Unfortunately this is hockey and you can’t skate like Dave Semenko anymore.

Skating is for cheems, lumbering is for chads.

 

[Mrb1p]

Most importantly though, Benson attacks defenders. None of our current forwards do that, except maybe Dach. I love Suzuki but if you want a dynamic creator, Benson has a better shot at it.

Yeah Dach is one but Dachs always deffering to the f***ing boards, which drives me insane. Benson is an inside boy as much as he is an outside boy.

 

[Belial]

Yeah Dach is one but Dachs always deffering to the f***ing boards, which drives me insane. Benson is an inside boy as much as he is an outside boy.

Thinking Benson could do the same in the NHL is insanity!

He'll get smoked by the Trouba's of the world every second game.

 

[Mrb1p]

Thinking Benson could do the same in the NHL is insanity!

He'll get smoked by the Trouba's of the world every second game.

Someone better call Kucherov and Kaprizov and tell them to stop being so f***ing good, Trouba exists!

Also should Bedard be a no draft?

 

[Belial]

Someone better call Kucherov and Kaprizov and tell them to stop being so f***ing good, Trouva exists!

Kuch and Kaprizov are rarely attacking the center

 

[NekkiChiconey]

Thinking Benson could do the same in the NHL is insanity!

He'll get smoked by the Trouba's of the world every second game.

You see as many big and small players getting smoked (exhibit A: Slafkovsky, Juraj) It's not about size, it's about being smart.

 

[NotProkofievian]

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.

I think he's pretty close to Berggren right now. Berggren did a lot of work to get to where he is now, and the thing that most held him back was skating, where Benson has the advantage against him. I think most other things are quite similar though, shooting, hands, vision.

 

[Belial]

You see as many big and small players getting smoked (exhibit A: Slafkovsky, Juraj) It's not about size, it's about being smart.

Slafkovsky has to learn to protect himself and he'll be able to go there again as it's not that easy to go body to body against him while small guys are targets 24/7.

 

[Doublechin]

Thinking Benson could do the same in the NHL is insanity!

He'll get smoked by the Trouba's of the world every second game.

Yup and after 2 3 of these, his game changes by instinct and people will complain how he's avoids cutting into the middle

 

[Belial]

Yup and after 2 3 of these, his game changes by instinct and people will complain how he's avoids cutting into the middle

Yes, that's the main point. His junior style is not really projectable into the NHL.

 

[NekkiChiconey]

Slafkovsky has to learn to protect himself and he'll be able to go there again as it's not that easy to go body to body against him while small guys are targets 24/7.

And Benson will learn to protect himself too, as he has done in the WHL. Damn, if we can't afford to have two (2!) extremely skilled forwards just because they're small, I don't know what we're doing here. Surround them with Anderson or Slafkovsky or Dubois or whoever's above 6'2 and they'll be fine. And please don't mention RHP or Gallagher or Mesar or Farrell. I couldn't care less about plugs when I'm drafting top 5.

You know who's small and has been good in the playoffs? Seth Jarvis. You know who's small but much better than Jarvis? Zach Benson.

 

[ginomini]

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 kinda agree, but a generational draft is not filled my generational players.

2003 is the best draft of a generation (the 2000s) as is 2015 (the 2010s). 2023 has the potential to be that for the 2020s.

Now that doesn't mean much for a single team, but teams who had success 2003 (Anaheim, Nashville, Philadelphia, etc.) and 2015 (Toronto, Colorado, Carolina, Winniped, NYI,not Boston lol) were definitely set up for success. But, yeah thats true for any given draft.

 

[Belial]

And Benson will learn to protect himself too, as he has done in the WHL. Damn, if we can't afford to have two (2!) extremely skilled forwards just because they're small, I don't know what we're doing here. Surround them with Anderson or Slafkovsky or Dubois or whoever's above 6'2 and they'll be fine. And please don't mention RHP or Gallagher or Mesar or Farrell. I couldn't care less about plugs when I'm drafting top 5.

You know who's small and has been good in the playoffs? Seth Jarvis. You know who's small but much better than Jarvis? Zach Benson.

Carolina is down 0:3 in their series and once again the main concern is that they're too small and not enough physical!

Even if Jarvis had a good first game, he was nowhere to be seen since...

 

[NotProkofievian]

I want people to watch the video of Benson that I posted and tell me what they're talking about when they say he plays an inside game, with timestamps. Timestamp every instance you think is exemplary.

 

[NekkiChiconey]

I kinda agree, but a generational draft is not filled my generational players.

2003 is the best draft of a generation (the 2000s) as is 2015 (the 2010s). 2023 has the potential to be that for the 2020s.

Now that doesn't mean much for a single team, but teams who had success 2003 (Anaheim, Nashville, Philadelphia, etc.) and 2015 (Toronto, Colorado, Carolina, Winniped, NYI,not Boston lol) were definitely set up for success. But, yeah thats true for any given draft.

I will try to compensate for recency bias, but when looking back and including the last 5 drafts (2018-2023), my tiers look something like this, based on draft year performance only (no hindsight):

Bedard

Michkov
Fantilli
J Hughes
Dahlin
Lafreniere
Svechnikov

Carlsson
Power
Kakko
Byfield
Stutzle

Benson
Nemec
Byram
Wright
Smith
Cooley
Beniers
Reinbacher
Slafkovsky
Q Hughes
L Hughes

Tkachuk
Johnson
Leonard
Jiricek
Kotkaniemi
Dvorsky
Nazar
...

Rankings are not perfect but it's still impressive to see 7/23 in the top4 tiers being from this draft

Carolina is down 0:3 in their series and once again the main concern is that they're too small and not enough physical!

Even if Jarvis had a good first game, he was nowhere to be seen since...

What? Their main concern is finishing, always has been. Also, Bob's playing out of his mind. Intensity and physicality has rarely, if ever, been a concern for Carolina.

 

[Belial]

What? Their main concern is finishing, always has been. Also, Bob's playing out of his mind. Intensity and physicality has rarely, if ever, been a concern for Carolina.

They're tough on paper but not so tough when we're actually talking about toughness.

 

[Mrb1p]

Carolina is down 0:3 in their series and once again the main concern is that they're too small and not enough physical!

Even if Jarvis had a good first game, he was nowhere to be seen since...

Their main concern is that theyre missing their best winger and their 3rd best.

 

[Belial]

Their main concern is that theyre missing their best winger and their 3rd best.

They failed last year also with mainly the same roster and without players being injured.

They're the new Tampa, lacking jam when it counts.

They're now 0:11 in the conference finals that's brutal!

 

[JoelWarlord]

Fraud Grind'n'Bore doesn't have the answers, the concept of "pass the puck sideways" is just too difficult to implement.

 

[Belial]

Fraud Grind'n'Bore doesn't have the answers, the concept of "pass the puck sideways" is just too difficult to implement.

It's actually crazy that they can't win a damn game as soon as they reach the conference finals...

 

[Kent Nilsson]

They failed last year also with mainly the same roster and without players being injured.

They're the new Tampa, lacking jam when it counts.

They're now 0:11 in the conference finals that's brutal!

 

[NekkiChiconey]

They're tough on paper but not so tough when we're actually talking about toughness.

I mean I'm not sure we're watching the same team. They grind, press and create a ton of chances but can never find the back of the net, hence why Bob has like 2.5 GSAX per game. Their issues in the conference final should actually encourage us to draft players who can strike and finish, such as Caufield and Benson.