Sensing sarcasm or big fan of Daniil Karpovich? That is an interesting grouping of Euro skaters from 196-203, a couple could go higher for sure. The Russians are all wild cards, obviously.I think your 197th ranked player is WAY too low.
I'm a big fan of Strbak, he had a very strong showing as an underager at the WJC that sold me on his upside. Game in and game out, he was impactful in all situations there — at times outshining Simon Nemec. I don't think Strbak will be overly offensive or see a lot of PP time in the NHL, but he could be another Ekholm type potentially.Why is Maxim Strbak so high? Im happy for him, but its still a mystery for me.
Hoping to see more of him at the U18 worlds, assuming he makes the cut for Sweden. Big kid and Rogle has done well with development in recent years, but I haven't seen enough from him to warrant ranking. He is on the watch list and among 500ish more names On My Radar.Curious to hear your thoughts on Axel Hurtig? I really don’t like him either but surprised he doesn’t even make your top 300 when central has him at 44 for Euros.
I actually think Mittelstadt and Shaugabay could both go in the Top 50. Mittlestadt has a legit chance of being the first overager off the board, potentially early in the second round if a rebuilding team wants a defender that is closer to NHL ready than a first-time eligible. Similar to Ryker Evans going 35th to Seattle in 2021. But this isn't a mock draft, it is a ranking of prime potential. I do think Mittelstadt will be a player and could be in the NHL sooner than later, kind of like Blankenburg in Columbus. So it wouldn't surprise me if a team "reached" for Mittelstadt among the first overagers off the board.Highest I’ve seen Shaugabay. Think he’s more likely to get picked a round or two later. Same with Mittlestadt, but I like his inclusion. He has come on really strong on a packed Gophers D( Faber, R.Johnson, Lacombe, Chesley, Koester) towards the end of the year, and has been, arguably, their best D some nights. Certainly worth picking in the 4th or 5th round, IMO, even if he is an overager.
It’s looks like you randomly threw in a bunch of Russians from pick 146-150. Not mad, but that’s what it looks like.
He will get drafted, likely in the middle rounds (3-6), similar to Miedema. I've debated between those two as to who I like more and who has the better chance to make it, so they wound up grouped together perhaps lower than the consensus. It wouldn't be shocking to see them selected in the 75-100 range, projecting where they could top out in 3-5 years, but certainly other OHL forwards overtook them in development/production during their draft year. Pharand could still become a force in the OHL and look like a steal by the time he turns pro, but I am a bit down on him and Miedema in the present as evidenced by their ranking as sliders for me.Curious your thoughts on #167 Alex Pharand. Seems to have a lot of tantalizing attributes, but fell off big time the 2nd half of this OHL season, though admittedly his shooting percentage to start the year was unsustainable.
Does seem to play more of a 2 way game than most, and has been on a shutdown line with Boudreau and Villeneuve in Sudbury mostly since McKenzie took over.
It'll be interesting, I think that 5-15 range is pretty wide open with many different opinions and the 32 NHL lists would certainly reflect that. Those Euros you mentioned could definitely land there, but there is a lot of North American talent worthy of that range too. Beauty will be in the eye of the pick holders on draft day, then time will tell!Based on what I have been hearing from pro scouts and doing my own scouting, from picks 5-10 there may only be 1 or 2 players from either Canada or USDPT. There is a lot of talent overseas that are rising including; Davorsky, Reinbacher, Pelikka, Daniil But, Sale, and Gulyayev
I'm intrigued by Sever too, he didn't miss by much. I did manage to get in his Slovenian compatriot Filip Sitar at 285. Both are skilled forwards. I'll try to take another look at Sever, I have some good connections in Switzerland too, so I'll circle back on him.Thanks for the ranking! Great overall ranking.
A couple guys I like more or less:
- I like Quentin Musty, Carey Terrance, Roman Kantserov and Nick Lardis more
- I like Calum Ritchie, and Luke Mittelstast less
A couple guys I think should have been included:
- Zachary Bowen - I think he's really shown some excellent growth this season, and should get a lot of opportunities as London's starter next year
- Mark Sever - a skilled, slick utility forward that has had a great year in Swiss JR
- Kocha Delic - While passed over in the last draft, he has a relentless motor and I can see him as a Blake Coleman esque player in the future.
And bang, just like that, Mittlestadt scores two very important goals in two minutes to propel MN into the National Championship. Teams like players who show up in big moments….. you might be right about him being picked first of all the overagers.I actually think Mittelstadt and Shaugabay could both go in the Top 50. Mittlestadt has a legit chance of being the first overager off the board, potentially early in the second round if a rebuilding team wants a defender that is closer to NHL ready than a first-time eligible. Similar to Ryker Evans going 35th to Seattle in 2021. But this isn't a mock draft, it is a ranking of prime potential. I do think Mittelstadt will be a player and could be in the NHL sooner than later, kind of like Blankenburg in Columbus. So it wouldn't surprise me if a team "reached" for Mittelstadt among the first overagers off the board.
Shaugabay is obviously more of a project, draft and develop type but you've got to love the tools and raw upside. Envision him in five years, with proper development, you could have a top-six scorer. I like him in the second round, I think enough teams will see that potential that somebody will take a swing sooner than later.
Look out for those Russians from 146-150 (the Belarusian too!). Even if those overagers don't get drafted, watch for them to become coveted free agents coming out of Russia. They absolutely have NHL potential. And young Klimovich, no relation to Danila, the Belarusian second-rounder for Vancouver (at least not to my knowledge), has a ton of upside too. Nobody knows how many Russians will get drafted in 2023 or where they will go, but as far as ranking potential, that group could honestly be higher rather than lower. But teams will likely pass on Russians more often than not in the Top 100. Do more than 20 Russians go in the 224 picks? That is probably a fair over/under at 20, some would take the under this year. I'm always pro-Russia for their on-ice talent and brand of hockey.