I will fully admit I wanted the 3 guys taken before him but I do like that Conroy decided to take a big swing on talent at #9. Looks like Zayne the Brain has been proving him right. Chernyshov is nuts definitely. I try to catch bits of all our CHL guys seasons but usually only a couple games a month.
What do you think of Battaglia and Misa? I've tried to watch Gridin but the french commentary grinds on me.
Misa:
I like Misa quite a bit, I don't really think the upside is super high but he brings some sorely needed speed to the system. Good playmaker, not a huge shooting threat, but he plays a smart, patient game and is willing to get to the front of the net. He's also responsible defensively and a very good puck carrier. I've seen him compared to Ryan McLeod and I kind of get it, they're both 2 way C's who are fast and excel in transition, but McLeod is bigger and faster and I think Misa is a much better playmaker. His production this year has been up and down but I put a lot of that on Brampton's coach. Every time I tune in they're doing something different with their lines, sometimes he's with Martone and Rehkopf, sometimes just Rehkopf, sometimes neither and in the most recent game I saw they had him playing PP2 for unclear reasons.
I think he'll be in the NCAA next year and that will do him a lot of good, I really don't like the AHL for those late birthday 19/20 year olds. Especially when they're drafted later, they just end up buried playing a grinder style game in the bottom 6 and often lose confidence in themselves. I think in the NCAA he'll get a chance to grow his game against guys who are bigger and stronger than he is while still getting puck touches and offensive chances to learn how to create against higher level competition.
Battaglia:
Battaglia is really interesting to me because the immediate scouting reports I read/saw following that draft billed him as a different player than he actually is. I saw a lot of bottom 6 projections on him and I have a bit of a hard time picturing it. He's not particularly fast or good defensively so I just don't really get the level of certainty that "he'll play" that I do out of someone like Sam Honzek, who, if his offense never materializes likely could still play in the league as a 4LW, who forechecks, plays responsibly and occasionally beats a goalie clean with his shot. However, I actually do think Battaglia has top 6 upside (likely 2nd line). His shot is hard, accurate and he gets it off quickly. His vision and passing is surprisingly good, not a lot of stuff through layers of traffic like you see from someone like Parekh but a lot of slips, area passes, give and go's and no look stuff that's creative and I think displays high hockey IQ. Like I said during the prospect camp, there's one pass he makes a game that just makes me go: "Huh? How did you even see that?" He's also a really smooth puck handler and he's hard to get off the puck when he's moving. He's not dancing guys often like Beckett Sennecke but he's actually a pretty dangerous rush threat even as a fairly middling skater because he can either stop up and survey for trailers or make a quick move outside, drop the shoulder and take it to the net.
One thing that I really like about Battaglia is his ability to play as a one touch player. He can be a puck dominant player circling and surveying the zone but I also think he makes a lot winning plays where the puck is only on his stick for half a second, quick touch passes, tips, chips to open areas, etc, he can be that connecter who doesn't really need the puck all the time to be effective. Same thing on the Powerplay, he's a good shooter and decent passer off of the half wall but he's also really effective playing the JVR spot, can hit the bumper or quickly beat the goalie. I like that kind of versatility in a prospect because it tells me there's some kind of fall back game there, or multiple paths to becoming an effective NHL player. You're not a one trick pony who needs certain linemates to play a certain way to be effective, you might be able to play different roles depending on where and who you're playing with in the lineup. Plus, guys who genuinely excel in a net front or bumper role are a lot more rare than half wall guys IMO. I don't know if Battaglia will actually make the NHL or not, nor what role he'll end up playing in but based on what I've seen I really like his potential. I'm hoping to see him playing for Canada at the WJC next season but the deck is really stacked against him.
Gridin/QMJHL:
For the QMJHL games I typically watch on mute because I don't speak French either or alternatively if you watch a game featuring one of the maritime teams (Halifax, Moncton, etc) those games usually have an english broadcast. I haven't watched Gridin in a month or two honestly, I'll definitely try and catch one or two of his games when he's back from injury. From what I saw in the games I watched I thought he was on the right track, he was being more tenacious and working harder for loose pucks. I think that he's a fairly talented player who's going to need to learn a more pro style game. I watched earlier in the year though, before the production really took off so I'm interested in seeing what he looks like now. I wish he'd been able to go to the NCAA, I like that he's "the guy" on his team but I'm not sure the USHL -> QMJHL pipeline is a very good route to prepare him for pro hockey.
TLDR:
- Misa is a good playmaker, I think he could be an offensive 3C.
- Battaglia has higher potential than I think he's given credit for and he's a unique player.
- Gridin is still a bit of a question mark for me but he's a talented player and I haven't seen him in a while.
- Thanks for reading!
So hoping for Corn Dog to play with Hot Dog next season! Defo not Roon Dawg- Christ 
Think last D guy who hit 100 in juniors was Ryan Ellis in 58 (in '10-11).
