Prospect Info: 2023 NHL Draft - Potential Selection Discussion

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mydnyte

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Size is the first thing you notice about a player whether you see him on the ice or a spreadsheet but it says nothing about a player's will to battle. A 6'5 Pierre Engvall will lose every battle to a 5'11 gamer. Still, I think size (height, we mean height. Few players drafted now will play at the same weight three years from now) can be very important depending on your position.

I think you would absolutely prefer to have tall defenders, both on defence and at centre because of their wingspan and stick length and how they can use them to limit an opposition's space. I was okay with them moving on from Sandin because of it. We already have Rielly and I wouldn't want too many of these types defencemen. From Colombus through Montreal through Tampa we've learned this lesson everytime we've been "goalied" while taking shots from the perimeter around their giants.

Still, I wouldn't care about how tall a winger is. The most important physical asset for a winger is speed. You want your wingers to be fast enough to get in on the forecheck, limit ice and lanes, and increase pressure. I'm hopeful Treliving thinks similarly and I was encouraged when I coupled his comments at his pressers with reviews of his drafts.
Engvall actually won more board battles than he lost, that was actually a strength of his ...replace Engvall with Holl, and you are dead accurate.

He's a shrimp!
bigger than i thought
 

weems

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Does this really matter? Would be interested to see how guys have tested in the past versus real NHL production.

More often then not it probably doesn't mean much but I'm sure sometimes especially certain tests can help project future growth or upside.
 

SeaOfBlue

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Engvall actually won more board battles than he lost, that was actually a strength of his ...replace Engvall with Holl, and you are dead accurate.

Actually, Holl is one of the best defensemen in the league in that area too. We have no issue winning puck battles. We sometimes have issues with what comes after, which more often than not has to do with questionable support.
 

mydnyte

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Actually, Holl is one of the best defensemen in the league in that area too. We have no issue winning puck battles. We sometimes have issues with what comes after, which more often than not has to do with questionable support.
rewatch some games ...Holl loses almost every puck battle against the wall. he can pin it for a long time, (and tended to do that any time he was pressured) but, eventually, the other team gets control of the puck.
 

Stephen

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The more I hear about Tom Willander, the more I like the idea of replacing one Swedish LHD with a Swedish RHD. Apparently his interviews have drawn comparisons to Gabe Landekog from a leadership and maturity POV, and has drawn some comparisons to OEL. Strong skating stride, mature play style. Seen names like Heiskanen and Doughty mixed in too.

 

Fogelhund

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Rugged looking. Does Nick Robertson look like that?

They weigh the same... if that's your question.

What you are seeing with Bedard, is a fairly muscular upper body... Robertson doesn't really need that, though it wouldn't hurt. Robertson more than anything else, needs to work on his lower body strength, and core strength... so that he can stay on his feet more, get a better first step.
 

Nineteen67

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They weigh the same... if that's your question.

What you are seeing with Bedard, is a fairly muscular upper body... Robertson doesn't really need that, though it wouldn't hurt. Robertson more than anything else, needs to work on his lower body strength, and core strength... so that he can stay on his feet more, get a better first step.
They all should have a strong upper body.
 

Leafed

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The more I hear about Tom Willander, the more I like the idea of replacing one Swedish LHD with a Swedish RHD. Apparently his interviews have drawn comparisons to Gabe Landekog from a leadership and maturity POV, and has drawn some comparisons to OEL. Strong skating stride, mature play style. Seen names like Heiskanen and Doughty mixed in too.

latest speculation is he's going top 15
 
Mar 12, 2009
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latest speculation is he's going top 15
every year this board gets obsessed with picking a guy who is a likely top 15 pick because they saw him later in a mock draft. Musty and Willander and Simashev are all names I've seen. Last year it was Mateychuck and McGroarty.
 

SeaOfBlue

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Interesting since I kept seeing Dubas was good at the draft and Treveling was terrible.


Depends on what you get. He is the combination of Dubas and Hunter. Hunter side of things, and going after size and grit, he has very little to show for it. Going after higher skill (and sometimes smaller) guys, he is doing quite well.

Almost his entire drafting success is getting pushed by high skill guys that are 6'0" and under. Especially when you do not include Tkachuk in that mix. Doesn't mean they are perimeter players either, just like most of Dubas' small picks are not exactly guys like that.
 

LaPlante94

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Depends on what you get. He is the combination of Dubas and Hunter. Hunter side of things, and going after size and grit, he has very little to show for it. Going after higher skill (and sometimes smaller) guys, he is doing quite well.

Almost his entire drafting success is getting pushed by high skill guys that are 6'0" and under. Especially when you do not include Tkachuk in that mix. Doesn't mean they are perimeter players either, just like most of Dubas' small picks are not exactly guys like that.
I think that's how you should be drafting. With more money into our scouting and developing than Calgary I'm sure he'll have more success making those bigger players work out.
 

Mitch nylander

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I've been kinda sold on Cowan or Rykov at our pick, if they're there.
Those two likely go in the mid-to-late second/early third so moving down to pick up more picks, makes a ton of sense.

I don't think there's much of a gap between the players in the late 20s to those in the 40s this year. So it makes sense.
 
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