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2023 NHL Entry Draft

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I can understand not drafting Michkov in the top-5 due to the Russian factor, although I disagree with it.

What I can't understand is a flat refusal to draft any Russians regardless of circumstance. If Gulyayev is there at our 2nd roud pick you have to take him. Or if Rykov falls to the 3rd round I would be pissed.
 
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Kobe Armstrong said:
I can understand not drafting Michkov in the top-5 due to the Russian factor, although I disagree with it.

What I can't understand is a flat refusal to draft any Russians regardless of circumstance. If Gulyayev is there at our 2nd roud pick you have to take him. Or if Rykov falls to the 3rd round I would be pissed.
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I agree, it's a way to get value and a good org would do it. I'm totally fine if they don't wanna take Michkov until 7 but to say you wouldn't even take him if he was there at 15 just cause no Russians? That's bad practice
 
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Maybe we win the 2nd overall pick and go Fantilli + Brindley with our 1sts

I like Brindley but around 20-25, definitely not top-15.

One guy I have been trying to see more is Eduard Sale. Great speed, hands, and shooting. If he starts putting up points like this he's going top-10

 
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MarkovsKnee said:
Brindley didn't come out of nowhere. He played USHL last year & a bit with the USDP. He was also at the u18s last year, along with Leonard, Smith & Stramel.

Brindley has seen upwards trajectory improvements in his game every year too. He almost doubled his point titles from his USHL rookie season to his 2nd season then made the early jump to NCAA this year. He got off to a bit off a slow start, but has picked it up post-WJC's with 14 points in his last 10 games.

Brindley is definitely going to be an NHLer, although I do think Benson has the higher offensive upside. They're not as far apart as people seem to think.
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He wasn’t that special in the USHL though. Maybe it’s because his team was so stacked that he had less opportunity. But the vibe we got last year from Benson was that he was the straw that stirred the drink for Winnipeg. He’s confirming it this year.

Brindley is really good, I just find Benson is a tier higher than him.
 
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Kobe Armstrong said:
I can understand not drafting Michkov in the top-5 due to the Russian factor, although I disagree with it.

What I can't understand is a flat refusal to draft any Russians regardless of circumstance. If Gulyayev is there at our 2nd roud pick you have to take him. Or if Rykov falls to the 3rd round I would be pissed.
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The organization has made no such comment in regards to not drafting Russians as far as I am aware. Wasn't it Engels or some other media buffoon who made this unsubstantiated claim.
 
MarkovsKnee said:
None of it will matter if Benson doesn't improve his skating & strength. I've actually defended Benson’s skating on here, as he has improved it from last year.

But, people were arguing last year that Wright's skating was fine after he beat a defenseman wide at Prospects Game. Me @Goldenhands were, no its not fine. Then Wright played in the NHL. His skating is mediocre to average.

Benson is in same spot. His skating looks OK skating versus Juniors, but it is below NHL average. He won't be able to create or take advantage of open ice at NHL level without better skating. I don't care how high his IQ is.

Imo, yes, Benson has the higher offensive upside - towards someone like Keller - who is a much, much better skater, but Benson also has higher bust potential due to his size & skating.

Brindley I see more of a bigger Mats Zuccarello. A player who puts 60 points up in an average NYR offense, but is a ppg on a much better Minnesota offense. He's a buzzsaw at both ends & on both specialty teams. I don't think there's much bust potential in him at all.
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Marco Rossi dominated junior hockey level with an undersized frame and a lack of separation speed, kid is having a hard time to crack the Wild.

When I watch the Ice, Benson is hands down the best hockey player on the ice, his IQ, compete, skills and vision are top notch, but one area where Savoie clearly has the edge is skating, thats more explosive and NHL projectable.

If Benson had the separation speed of Savoie, he would be no question a future NHL star, but there is a possibility that the size skating prevent him from being an offensive force.

As for Brindley, I like the Zuccarello comparison, the skills level are pretty underrated and the way he generates offense will easily translate to the next level.
 
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Estimated_Prophet said:
The organization has made no such comment in regards to not drafting Russians as far as I am aware. Wasn't it Engels or some other media buffoon who made this unsubstantiated claim.
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It was a report out of Russia. Engels asked Hughes about it and Hughes answer was not a No. It was such a dodge that it validated the veracity of the report. Only to further be solidified by no Russians being drafted in like 10 Habs selections.
 
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WeThreeKings said:
Brindley is a support player and Benson is a play driver. They are both smart but Benson is smart in how do I break this team down and create offense at a high clip. Brindleys smarts are how do I support the play to keep it moving forward.

Benson processing speed is way higher. That processing allows him to make threatening passes sooner and put players in advantageous spots before the lane is closed. Benson creates lanes and plays that aren't immediately there. Brindley just takes the space that is there and that's not always going to lead to high danger even if the play doesnt end.

Benson in tight is more lethal and I think he has a tier better of a shot. His handles and the way he deceives with his hands and edges is far more advanced than Brindley.

They're just an entirely different class of player. Brindley is a second rounder and Benson is a top ten pick. Processing speed, skill, smarts, mentality.. it's all advantage Benson.
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Brindley processing speed is high end, not sure you watched him much actually. His playmaking and passing skills are top notch and his shot pretty underrated. I think the caliber Benson is facing vs the caliber Brindley is facing has people trending to overrate one vs the other. Saying that Brindley is a 2nd rounder just confirm that.
 
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WeThreeKings said:
It was a report out of Russia. Engels asked Hughes about it and Hughes answer was not a No. It was such a dodge that it validated the veracity of the report. Only to further be solidified by no Russians being drafted in like 10 Habs selections.
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I don't think I would consider that a validation of the report at all. Hughes wisely dodged it because he would be criticized for either decision and wanted to avoid dragging the organization into a geopolitical discussion. It is no surprise at all that Russians playing in Russia were not a league wide priority due to severely limited viewings. It wasn't as if there were great Russian prospects available when Mesar, Beck and Hutson were taken. Perhaps if Yurov slipped even further to the Mesar pick then some eyebrows might be raised but there was no draft scenario involving the Habs where an obvious Russian choice was snubbed. As for the later picks, there were clearly non Russian prospects playing outside of Russia that scouts were able to attend plenty of their games and this was certainly a huge factor combined with the increased likelihood of lesser prospects being forced into military service.

I think Michkov is a whole other ballgame and have no doubt that the Habs have not labelled him with a no-draft tag. Like any other team, the Russia/Ukraine situation might drop him a little in their rankings but no team would be foolish enough to let him slip too far.

I think it is fine to speculate that HuGo may be hesitant to take Russians but to take such an innocuous interaction and turn it into an absolute is just not factual and would be best to avoid perpetuating such a highly subjective opinion as common fact.
 
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Mrb1p said:
Holy logical fallacy my man. Jesus. Michkov has been on the radar since he was 12 years old, scouts know what hes capable of. Zadina played in NA in his draft year.




5 YEARS ??? His contract ends in exactly three years ? Also never mind the fact that .he said multiple time he wanted to come play in the NHL.

"Firstly, I am here with my family, for me this is an important factor. Secondly, I don't know English, now I'm learning it. There is still time before America, I signed such a contract with SKA to prepare for the game in North America. So far, everything suits me in Russia, and SKA gives me everything I need for development."

Can you stop with the outright propaganda/lies ? It sucks.
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No, he's not for me. Heard this stuff before and never worked out. Too risky

Vachon23 said:
I would be piss if we draft Brindley in the top 15
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I have 6th sense Hughes trades Florida pick at draft for Lafreniere. Then drafts Brindley if he can acquire a late first. He could have Brindley rated high
 
Scorey Perry said:
No, he's not for me. Heard this stuff before and never worked out. Too risky


I have 6th sense Hughes trades Florida pick at draft for Lafreniere. Then drafts Brindley if he can acquire a late first. He could have Brindley rated high
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after the Drouin's fiasco, I'm quite reluctant in trading for an underwhelming former high draft pick quebecer. I still think Laf can become pretty good but Montreal is not the place to develop this kind of player, unfortunately. Let's keep the pick.
 
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Vachon23 said:
What about the risk of loosing a futur franchise player ?
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The only franchise player in this draft is Bedard. Michkov has all-stars potential while both Carlsson and Fantilli projects as strong top line players. I think the highest upside player after that is Reinbacher, then I think its wishful thinking to get a solid top line player, most likely very good top 6 players with different strengths and weaknesses. Of course, there is a possibility 1 or 2 of them overcome their flaws and amount to top line players, but its not coming without risk and there is no certainty at this point IMO.
 
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Right now I'm of the opinion it's important to pass San Jose/Vancouver and get to the 5th spot. That gives you a ~86% chance of picking top 6 and only a ~14% chance of dropping two spots to 7th. In the 6th slot I take whoever is left of Smith, Benson or a falling Michkov. If all of those guys are gone I'm stumped who to take.

Side note - is it just me or are a lot of Yager's points this year second assists? It's purely anecdotal but it seems to happen a lot when I'm checking WHL boxscores. He needs to start scoring more goals and fast. Several draft eligible kids not named Bedard are lighting it up.
 
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Riggins said:
Right now I'm of the opinion it's important to pass San Jose/Vancouver and get to the 5th spot. That gives you a ~86% chance of picking top 6 and only a ~14% chance of dropping two spots to 7th. In the 6th slot I take whoever is left of Smith, Benson or a falling Michkov. If all of those guys are gone I'm stumped who to take.

Side note - is it just me or are a lot of Yager's points this year second assists? It's purely anecdotal but it seems to happen a lot when I'm checking WHL boxscores. He needs to start scoring more goals and fast. Several draft eligible kids not named Bedard are lighting it up.
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His stats is very balanced, 20G 18 primary assists and 19 secondary assists
 
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Riggins said:
Right now I'm of the opinion it's important to pass San Jose/Vancouver and get to the 5th spot. That gives you a ~86% chance of picking top 6 and only a ~14% chance of dropping two spots to 7th. In the 6th slot I take whoever is left of Smith, Benson or a falling Michkov. If all of those guys are gone I'm stumped who to take.

Side note - is it just me or are a lot of Yager's points this year second assists? It's purely anecdotal but it seems to happen a lot when I'm checking WHL boxscores. He needs to start scoring more goals and fast. Several draft eligible kids not named Bedard are lighting it up.
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Cristall.
 
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