Prospect Info: 2024-25 Devils Draft Thread

[evnted]

Last night I watched a few periods of Farjestad to check up on LD Stian Solberg, who was a favorite of pretty much everyone (@Guadana @evnted @Guttersniped and myself) who posts about the draft-eligible players.

I think he looks outstanding. He's probably already in the handful of most effectively physical defensemen in Sweden, he defends terrifically and his skating looks great. He's been a bit reluctant to open up the offensive side of his game, but he certainly is willing to join a rush. I feel the offense will come in time.

Ultimately, I feel due credit needs to be given to the aforementioned people who write about the draft on the Devils HFBoards. This was pretty much the first place where not one but multiple people were ranking Solberg as a top 20 (or even top 15) pick. While the lion's share of the draft consensus was talking about him as a 2nd round pick, we were highlighting him as a prospect to watch in the mid-1st. The kid is going to be very, very good when he hits the NHL in a couple years.

thats awesome to hear. havent had a chance to circle back to pre draft favorites yet, so appreciate the update. wouldnt have done it given how the board shook out, but man i wouldve loved him here lol

still cant for the life of me believe the leafs had him available and dealt out of the pick. what more could that team ask for on the back end?

 

[My3Sons]

Last night I watched a few periods of Farjestad to check up on LD Stian Solberg, who was a favorite of pretty much everyone (@Guadana @evnted @Guttersniped and myself) who posts about the draft-eligible players.

I think he looks outstanding. He's probably already in the handful of most effectively physical defensemen in Sweden, he defends terrifically and his skating looks great. He's been a bit reluctant to open up the offensive side of his game, but he certainly is willing to join a rush. I feel the offense will come in time.

Ultimately, I feel due credit needs to be given to the aforementioned people who write about the draft on the Devils HFBoards. This was pretty much the first place where not one but multiple people were ranking Solberg as a top 20 (or even top 15) pick. While the lion's share of the draft consensus was talking about him as a 2nd round pick, we were highlighting him as a prospect to watch in the mid-1st. The kid is going to be very, very good when he hits the NHL in a couple years.

You have consistently found the offense for guys who chose to play defense first like Sanderson and Faber and I don’t doubt this guy fits into that category on some level. I think part of the issue with young defenders in men’s leagues is that it is hard to push for offense as a teenager. Coaches will always stress fundamentals and smart play and of course the youngest players are restricted thr most.

 

[Guadana]

I assume you mean the 1st PP unit defender and not QB? The pp qb role has been taken over by forwards nowadays. Jack Hughes plays that role for us.

Its another role that has a large surplus of competent players so its less of a premium position. Shayne Ghostisbehere has been floating around a bunch of teams last few years. Tyson Barrie was a cheap, desperation pickup off a PTO. The Devils have Hamilton, Hughes, and Casey with enough skill to play the top unit and Nemec is good enough to play a 2nd unit.


This kinda proves my point. There are enough excellent LHD around the league that teams can get 3 first-pair talents on the same team.

It doesn't. Tampa won 2 CS and played 3 finals. Thats how important this players are. As generational players like Kucherov. RDs could be okay if you have good LDs, same works in other way. We have Hamilton, Nemec, Pesce, Casey. In one team. It doesn't mean that was easy to find them.

Damn. That was fun arguments.

When I'm talking about Buium I'm talking about player with higher potential than Gostisbehere. He can drive offense and still be solid to play defense. Its not about 1 pp unit, its about 1st QB, like Hamilton was in his 2nd year here or Q Hughes, or Fox etc. Some of them are LHD. No one care.


Of course its a ceiling but it is still there. Luchanko doesn't have this upside.

 

[Guadana]

o im not saying i agree w it by any means, but those were definitely reasons gm's had. wasnt by coincidence the 3 big RD all went before the 3 big LD (and i take those LD's all day every day). hell, briere came out and cited emil andrae (!!!) as a reason for not picking buium. if thats what these people are saying publicly, i can only imagine whats going on behind the scenes lol

Mtl Hughes and his minions said a lot of things.

Like we said - some gms can be wrong, some are not smart. In case of Andrae he could try to find "a reason" just to try to find a reason.

 

[Brodeur]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1844144530892984770

Motivation to attend dropped with the teams staying home, but LA would be a relatively short train ride for me. If tickets aren't expensive, I could make a weekend of it. The first draft I attended was LA in 2010 when the Devils didn't have a first round pick. I still had fun despite that.

Definitely a bummer that it's being decentralized but can understand why teams prefer to save the money instead of sending out 20+ people. It will be interesting if more of the Day 2 prospects choose to stay home.

Plus hosting the draft tends to be money losing proposition. I remember in 2018 that there was a delay in announcing the location because nobody was volunteering. I'd imagine most NHL arenas would make more money off a concert (or some other event) on a summer Friday/Saturday.

I think we had a small taste of what the draft might look like; Teams will send a notable alumnus, current player, or celebrity fan to announce the pick. Off the top of my head, various people that popped up this past draft to make the pick announcement included Joe Thornton, Connor Bedard, Celine Dion, Michael Buffer, and Anders Lee. Handful of other guys like Scott Niedermayer, Marty Brodeur, and Rick Nash also announced the pick but actually work on the hockey ops side.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Speaking of Devils HFBoards favorites, I'm really excited for the Skelleftea season to get going so I can watch Michael Brandsegg-Nygard. The kid is so smart and polished, I only expect to see him in the SHL for one season before he challenges for a role with Detroit.

 

[evnted]

pretty big development today: top prospect out of russia ivan ryabkin will be joining muskegon of the ushl in a few weeks. a surprising move, for sure. had mentioned earlier in the month that he was off to a slow start and its really only gotten worse since (now getting healthy scratched)

though not at the level of michkov or demidov, ryabkin is a tremendous talent and remarkable playmaker who, unlike those two, comes with a more pro ready physical/forechecking game (as a center, no less). ive had some complaints about his engagement and body language in games, and im a little concerned that, coupled with the scratches/jump to NA, it might seem to indicate hes not the easiest player to work with. could also just be built up frustration over a lack of khl opportunity, too. we'll have to see

in any case, hopefully his stint with muskegon goes well. without a doubt the most interesting/talented player in the league now

Lumberjacks Announce Roster Moves: Add Ivan Ryabkin and Trade Jake Merens - Muskegon Lumberjacks

MUSKEGON, MI – Wednesday morning the Muskegon Lumberjacks announced a pair of roster moves including the addition of Ivan Ryabkin, a 2007 birth year forward from

muskegonlumberjacks.com

 

[StevenToddIves]

pretty big development today: top prospect out of russia ivan ryabkin will be joining muskegon of the ushl in a few weeks. a surprising move, for sure. had mentioned earlier in the month that he was off to a slow start and its really only gotten worse since (now getting healthy scratched)

though not at the level of michkov or demidov, ryabkin is a tremendous talent and remarkable playmaker who, unlike those two, comes with a more pro ready physical/forechecking game (as a center, no less). ive had some complaints about his engagement and body language in games, and im a little concerned that, coupled with the scratches/jump to NA, it might seem to indicate hes not the easiest player to work with. could also just be built up frustration over a lack of khl opportunity, too. we'll have to see

in any case, hopefully his stint with muskegon goes well. without a doubt the most interesting/talented player in the league now

Lumberjacks Announce Roster Moves: Add Ivan Ryabkin and Trade Jake Merens - Muskegon Lumberjacks

MUSKEGON, MI – Wednesday morning the Muskegon Lumberjacks announced a pair of roster moves including the addition of Ivan Ryabkin, a 2007 birth year forward from

muskegonlumberjacks.com

Ryabkin strikes me as a player who could slip into an area of the later 1st round where he would represent a tremendous draft-day bargain. Despite the obviously elite abilities in both playmaking and puck handling, he possesses many of the negative tropes often applied unfairly to Russian players.

Conversely, if he can improve his consistency of engagement and statistically tear up the USHL (which he is certainly capable of), he can possibly move up into the top-3-overall conversation.

Thanks as always to @evnted for his excellent take on this intriguing development.

 

[Guadana]

pretty big development today: top prospect out of russia ivan ryabkin will be joining muskegon of the ushl in a few weeks. a surprising move, for sure. had mentioned earlier in the month that he was off to a slow start and its really only gotten worse since (now getting healthy scratched)

though not at the level of michkov or demidov, ryabkin is a tremendous talent and remarkable playmaker who, unlike those two, comes with a more pro ready physical/forechecking game (as a center, no less). ive had some complaints about his engagement and body language in games, and im a little concerned that, coupled with the scratches/jump to NA, it might seem to indicate hes not the easiest player to work with. could also just be built up frustration over a lack of khl opportunity, too. we'll have to see

in any case, hopefully his stint with muskegon goes well. without a doubt the most interesting/talented player in the league now

Lumberjacks Announce Roster Moves: Add Ivan Ryabkin and Trade Jake Merens - Muskegon Lumberjacks

MUSKEGON, MI – Wednesday morning the Muskegon Lumberjacks announced a pair of roster moves including the addition of Ivan Ryabkin, a 2007 birth year forward from

muskegonlumberjacks.com

He was not the first or even second young Dynamo player who as some beef with organisation. Chernyshov was the closest example. I know one man 1who is close to this organisation and he isn't very kind person I would prefer to not even know. And he translates negative position about both players and I think he is repeating some voices from this organisation.
So I think organisation has problem with building normal relationships with young and talented players(there are many rumors about Rotenberg and SKA, but in real life where we judge not by "public opinion " but by steps in circumstances, Rotenberg made trades for his young players who couldn't crack the roster or wasn't good enough, or loan them, overall he is always giving some chances, creating camp, hire coaches, mental specialists etc. He is very awkward person but he is making a lot, and the bets are high, its not like he can wait all the time in the world before some young player will finally develop and will travel to NA after that, KHL is about winning now, especially for club like SKA. But he really awkward).
Not a big fan of USHL as an environment for this kind of talent, would be better for him to play in VHL. But if Dynamo wanted to send him to mhl, at least he will learn language, will go through earlier adaptation. And he definitely will play center role, unlike in VHL or in KHL. So its better to develop him as a center. He is nice two way playmaking center, if he will become available after 10-15 pick, some team will win the draft. But I guess USHL experience will help to minimize all the nationality factors

 

[evnted]

He was not the first or even second young Dynamo player who as some beef with organisation. Chernyshov was the closest example. I know one man 1who is close to this organisation and he isn't very kind person I would prefer to not even know. And he translates negative position about both players and I think he is repeating some voices from this organisation.
So I think organisation has problem with building normal relationships with young and talented players(there are many rumors about Rotenberg and SKA, but in real life where we judge not by "public opinion " but by steps in circumstances, Rotenberg made trades for his young players who couldn't crack the roster or wasn't good enough, or loan them, overall he is always giving some chances, creating camp, hire coaches, mental specialists etc. He is very awkward person but he is making a lot, and the bets are high, its not like he can wait all the time in the world before some young player will finally develop and will travel to NA after that, KHL is about winning now, especially for club like SKA. But he really awkward).
Not a big fan of USHL as an environment for this kind of talent, would be better for him to play in VHL. But if Dynamo wanted to send him to mhl, at least he will learn language, will go through earlier adaptation. And he definitely will play center role, unlike in VHL or in KHL. So its better to develop him as a center. He is nice two way playmaking center, if he will become available after 10-15 pick, some team will win the draft. But I guess USHL experience will help to minimize all the nationality factors

very much appreciate the context!

also, i just saw mention of some russian sources denying the muskegon report. looks like we may have a bit of a controversy on our hands lol translated:

“Ivan Ryabkin is now in a hotel in St. Petersburg and is preparing to go on a trip with the VHL team. He just flew to St. Petersburg, where he met with the coaching staff of Dynamo (St. Petersburg). So far I can’t say anything regarding the legality of concluding a contract in America.


We are currently holding consultations with the KHL and have already discussed all possible options for the development of events. We also contacted Ryabkin’s agent, who said that Ivan has no plans to go overseas,” Sopin said in a conversation with Championship correspondent Sergei Emelyanov.

did muskegon jump the gun on announcing it? did the agent have ryabkin commit as leverage for a bigger role? is this damage control to avoid the club retaliating before he heads over? who knows

Сопин: Рябкин находится в отеле Санкт-Петербурга. У него нет планов по отъезду за океан

Сопин: Рябкин находится в отеле Санкт-Петербурга. У него нет планов по отъезду за океан

www.championat.com

 

[Guadana]

very much appreciate the context!

also, i just saw mention of some russian sources denying the muskegon report. looks like we may have a bit of a controversy on our hands lol translated:

did muskegon jump the gun on announcing it? did the agent have ryabkin commit as leverage for a bigger role? is this damage control to avoid the club retaliating before he heads over? who knows

Сопин: Рябкин находится в отеле Санкт-Петербурга. У него нет планов по отъезду за океан

Сопин: Рябкин находится в отеле Санкт-Петербурга. У него нет планов по отъезду за океан

www.championat.com

May be little bit if this, little bit of that, some overreaction from some side, may be someone was too excited about hearing something, yeah who knows. It would be great for him to play in VHL. We saw guys like Michkov or Silayev who played draft year in KHL but it is still very rare. Very very rare. And having experience in vhl in draft year is a thing for only good. Especially if he will play center role.

 

[My3Sons]

May be little bit if this, little bit of that, some overreaction from some side, may be someone was too excited about hearing something, yeah who knows. It would be great for him to play in VHL. We saw guys like Michkov or Silayev who played draft year in KHL but it is still very rare. Very very rare. And having experience in vhl in draft year is a thing for only good. Especially if he will play center role.

So this kid would be a good fit in the VHL or should he stick in the MHL? Functionally if he's an MHL player I'm not sure the USHL would be much different beyond exposing him to North America early and maybe getting him lined up for a US college spot once he turns 18.

 

[Guadana]

So this kid would be a good fit in the VHL or should he stick in the MHL? Functionally if he's an MHL player I'm not sure the USHL would be much different beyond exposing him to North America early and maybe getting him lined up for a US college spot once he turns 18.

MHL isn't a good place for him. I mean he is too good. USHL isn't better at all from pure level perspective, its even worser mostly, but still its a different hockey, different speed, new partners, new language, new social environment, new challenges. I guess city will be much worser (Dynamo base in Moscow and St P) but I think its a good challenge too to live and work in different circumstances.

Of course if he will play in VHL, so its much better level of opponents and it will be better for his development. So I would say USHL is better for him than MHL because he is already good in MHL(and even if MHL is more structured, USHL is still a new challenge with new nuances), VHL would be better for him than USHL and MHL(VHL is a Russian AHL analog with pro athletes there). May be even its better for him to play in VHL than in KHL where he will play less minutes with smaller role. And he has more chances to play center role in VHL than in KHL.
And yeah, USHL is giving opportunity to play in NCAA after, so its a good thing. But its hard to judge because I can't actually say what kind of plan he needs. If its a 1 year plan after draft than NCAA is a good place. But If he will play this year in VHL and next year in KHL? But does he have guarantee to play next year in KHL? If he needs 3-4 years, than its def-ly KHL than NCAA+AHL. He will have more money, will play against harder competition. But again - we don't know exactly why he isn't playing in Dynamo now - if everything is fine and everybody agree he needs seasoning in VHL than great. If he is in some kind of conflict than its better to trade him or change league. Like always we don't know exactly what is going on, what kind of game he is trying to play, his team is trying to play, his agent is trying to play.

Michkov and Yuroм looks great from their perspective where they played in KHL and develop their game. Demidov? Im not a fan of his using in limited role, would prefer to see him being traded. So I believe right decision should be on him. Even If we count my post about guy who is connected to the Dynamo system - he isn't Dynamo employee, he is just connected to them and if he is saying something bad it doesn't mean that he is clearly translating some official position, and on the opposite side it doesn't mean he can't translate some voices from this team. He is connecting with them, Im not a fan of asking a lot about how exactly looks his connections etc because mostly... I don't like people who are sh1tting on young players. Putting up some of his own expectations and requirements, and puts up negative assessments for non-compliance with these expectations and requirements, referring to some poorly verifiable details like character or arrogance. Especially when the person making the demands is not distinguished by a pleasant character and lack of arrogance. But maybe if such a person is connected with the club in one way or another, maybe he finds people there who are similar in mind? Or not? In general, without knowing the details, we can only guess.

 

[Cheddabombs]

About that time of the season, how's this draft shaping up?

 

[evnted]

About that time of the season, how's this draft shaping up?

glad the markstrom pick is top 10 protected

 

[Brodeur]

About that time of the season, how's this draft shaping up?

To summarize "Too early to tell, but average. Hagens good but not as good as Bedard/Celebrini. Weaker year for America, stronger for Canada. Not a great year for Finland, okay for Sweden. Good year for goalies."

---------------

https://x.com/i/web/status/1848781155782275102

Canadian roster announced for the first ever CHL vs. USNTDP exhibitions. I thought I saw a tweet yesterday about each CHL league thinking about doing an individual draft eligible showcase game since the CHL/USNTDP games are replacing the annual CHL showcase.

 

[Guadana]

@evnted @StevenToddIves Do you know something about Lewandowski? Is he playing center or did he before?

 

[evnted]

@evnted @StevenToddIves Do you know something about Lewandowski? Is he playing center or did he before?

lewandowski is an interesting player. first couple viewings havent been pop off the page great, but he brings good size/skill with a solid baseline game that im eager to see how it all comes together over the course of the season

one of the standout elements of his game is his proactive body play/physical instincts. its not so much that hes a bruiser (though he can hit hard), rather, hes excellent at creating space for himself and fending off pressure. he shows a great ability to generate chances from the boards thanks to his competitiveness, ability to dig pucks out under pressure, and vision/quick decision making to spot teammates

id describe lewandowski as a dual threat offensive option. i dont think hes a high end producer per se, but hes certainly capable as both a shooter, thanks to his hard shot, quick release, and strong positional ideas to set up for opportunities, as well as a passer, thanks to his surprisingly good playmaking vision, which he combines with some deceptive handling and really good timing to attack lanes. hes doesnt show off top end creativity or anything, but he can make small area plays, quick passes in transition, and as referenced earlier roll out from down low to find opportunities out front. sometimes he gets cute with trying to do too much on the puck, but for now i think its just experimentation

i wouldnt describe his skating as good, but i dont think its problematic either. pretty fluid all things considered, though not particularly fast or explosive. once he gets going, he does carry momentum well, and it helps that he typically has a good feel of where to be, too. i think the bigger gripe here is hes just not naturally a high pace player. he doesnt really coast, although you definitely can see it from time to time, but id like more consistency to his intensity

in that same breath, his defensive involvement can also fluctuate. at his best, hes using his frame and reach to trap forecheckers along the boards while keeping pucks moving. at his worst, hes passive, playing too high/not covering anything, and barely moving his feet

when hes on and everythings working together, he can look like a menace, its just not really there yet. something im hopeful we'll see come out more with the blades. to answer your question, i think his background involves playing down the middle, but from what ive seen thus far (hlinka, saskatoon), its mainly been wing

 

[Guadana]

lewandowski is an interesting player. first couple viewings havent been pop off the page great, but he brings good size/skill with a solid baseline game that im eager to see how it all comes together over the course of the season

one of the standout elements of his game is his proactive body play/physical instincts. its not so much that hes a bruiser (though he can hit hard), rather, hes excellent at creating space for himself and fending off pressure. he shows a great ability to generate chances from the boards thanks to his competitiveness, ability to dig pucks out under pressure, and vision/quick decision making to spot teammates

id describe lewandowski as a dual threat offensive option. i dont think hes a high end producer per se, but hes certainly capable as both a shooter, thanks to his hard shot, quick release, and strong positional ideas to set up for opportunities, as well as a passer, thanks to his surprisingly good playmaking vision, which he combines with some deceptive handling and really good timing to attack lanes. hes doesnt show off top end creativity or anything, but he can make small area plays, quick passes in transition, and as referenced earlier roll out from down low to find opportunities out front. sometimes he gets cute with trying to do too much on the puck, but for now i think its just experimentation

i wouldnt describe his skating as good, but i dont think its problematic either. pretty fluid all things considered, though not particularly fast or explosive. once he gets going, he does carry momentum well, and it helps that he typically has a good feel of where to be, too. i think the bigger gripe here is hes just not naturally a high pace player. he doesnt really coast, although you definitely can see it from time to time, but id like more consistency to his intensity

in that same breath, his defensive involvement can also fluctuate. at his best, hes using his frame and reach to trap forecheckers along the boards while keeping pucks moving. at his worst, hes passive, playing too high/not covering anything, and barely moving his feet

when hes on and everythings working together, he can look like a menace, its just not really there yet. something im hopeful we'll see come out more with the blades. to answer your question, i think his background involves playing down the middle, but from what ive seen thus far (hlinka, saskatoon), its mainly been wing

Thanks, Evan. Im trying to build my list for later rounders watch. He was one of my early candidate. As Eric Nilson and Reber.

 

[evnted]

Thanks, Evan. Im trying to build my list for later rounders watch. He was one of my early candidate. As Eric Nilson and Reber.

nice, good stuff. working through that process myself as i deep dive the top of the class. genborg and pobezal are two early names that have caught my eye as well

 

[Brodeur]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5894412/2024/11/13/nhl-draft-2025-ranking-hagens-martone/

Corey Pronman with a new ranking, caused some waves as he has Porter Martone as #1 over James Hagens at the moment.

Sportsnet's 2025 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings: November Edition

The NCAA's vote to allow CHL players access to college hockey will change the landscape south of the border next season, but could have an impact in Canada right away. Sam Cosentino writes about that, and gives his second ranking of the season for the 2025 NHL Draft.

www.sportsnet.ca

Sportsnet's updated top 32.

 

[Guadana]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5894412/2024/11/13/nhl-draft-2025-ranking-hagens-martone/

Corey Pronman with a new ranking, caused some waves as he has Porter Martone as #1 over James Hagens at the moment.

Sportsnet's 2025 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings: November Edition

The NCAA's vote to allow CHL players access to college hockey will change the landscape south of the border next season, but could have an impact in Canada right away. Sam Cosentino writes about that, and gives his second ranking of the season for the 2025 NHL Draft.

www.sportsnet.ca

Sportsnet's updated top 32.

Pronman doesn’t like Hagens.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Pronman doesn’t like Hagens.

I'm going to have to disagree with Pronman. Again.

 

[Guadana]

I'm going to have to disagree with Pronman. Again.

Pronman looked bias against him before. I think Martone is a big guy he likes. Its his way of thinking. I understand that modern nhl is tough and even higher scoring its still very physical game but still I would prefer to temper lower expectations with Hagens, I think he will produce more with time, his ppg in ncaa is still very good.

 

[evnted]

I'm going to have to disagree with Pronman. Again.

Pronman looked buas against him before. I think Martone is a big guy he likes. Its his way of thinking. I understand that modern nhl is tough and even higher scoring its still very physical game but still I would prefer to temper lower expectations with Hagens, I think he will produce more with time, his ppg in ncaa is still very good.

same thoughts here, its still the hagens draft to me. i do like martone, this isnt a levshunov scenario where i cant wrap my head around what ppl are seeing in him, but i think the tkachuk-ian elements to his game are greatly exaggerated, at least with what im seeing right now. not the same snarl, not the same consistency, too content to let plays come to him at times

if someone is gonna challenge hagens, i think its schaefer. kid just has it. feels like some sort of middle ground of luke and sanderson. otherworldly mobility, extremely high end thinker, tremendous instincts on when to challenge, virtually unshaken by pressure, incredible perseverance fighting through mono and the loss of his mother/billet mom. stan butler isnt the most offense-friendly coach, i dont think his offensive upside is questioned as much in a different system. and you already know i love the september 5th birthday lol