Pre-Game Talk: 2024 Draft Thread

[bleedblue1223]

The Pronman/Wheeler draft turned out pretty well for us. Jiricek with the 1st pick, Pulkkinen with the 2nd, and they did Marrelli with our 2nd, 2nd, Freij was still on the board too. It's not my ideal group of 3, and maybe if you know you are getting 2 dmen in the 2nd, you'd rather have a forward with that 1st, but if you want to try an ensure your defense will be restocked and ready to go in a few years, this isn't a bad way to do it.

NHL mock draft 2024: Pronman and Wheeler predict the first two rounds

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

The Pronman/Wheeler draft turned out pretty well for us. Jiricek with the 1st pick, Pulkkinen with the 2nd, and they did Marrelli with our 2nd, 2nd, Freij was still on the board too. It's not my ideal group of 3, and maybe if you know you are getting 2 dmen in the 2nd, you'd rather have a forward with that 1st, but if you want to try an ensure your defense will be restocked and ready to go in a few years, this isn't a bad way to do it.

NHL mock draft 2024: Pronman and Wheeler predict the first two rounds

I would be good with it. It would give you 3 solid top 4 prospects for sure

 

[STL fan in MN]

The Pronman/Wheeler draft turned out pretty well for us. Jiricek with the 1st pick, Pulkkinen with the 2nd, and they did Marrelli with our 2nd, 2nd, Freij was still on the board too. It's not my ideal group of 3, and maybe if you know you are getting 2 dmen in the 2nd, you'd rather have a forward with that 1st, but if you want to try an ensure your defense will be restocked and ready to go in a few years, this isn't a bad way to do it.

NHL mock draft 2024: Pronman and Wheeler predict the first two rounds

If the other picks hold true, I would’ve ended up with:

16: MBN
48: Freij
56: Mustard (or Pulkkinen if nobody between 49-55 took him)

 

[Blueswin]

A new mock draft & I would be good with all 3 !2024 NHL Mock Draft roundup: San Jose Sharks get Macklin Celebrini at No. 1, then what?

 

[Damian Frerker]

would love Solberg and move up for Surin. they bring what we really need in our prospect pool

 

[kimzey59]

The Pronman/Wheeler draft turned out pretty well for us. Jiricek with the 1st pick, Pulkkinen with the 2nd, and they did Marrelli with our 2nd, 2nd, Freij was still on the board too. It's not my ideal group of 3, and maybe if you know you are getting 2 dmen in the 2nd, you'd rather have a forward with that 1st, but if you want to try an ensure your defense will be restocked and ready to go in a few years, this isn't a bad way to do it.

NHL mock draft 2024: Pronman and Wheeler predict the first two rounds

1- I'm generally not in favor of drafting over-agers. The development curve gets really skewed by the extra year of development. IMO Pulkkinen falls into this category. He's older, bigger and more mature than his current peers. That does not mean he's more talented. Once his peers catch up to his development, I think they're going to pass him. And that's not even getting into his actual abilities as a player, which I'm not particularly wild about(WAY too many penalties).
Personally, I wouldn't touch him before the 4th round.
Certainly not with Freij, Hutson, Roberts, Muggli, Luca Marelli(I don't mind him at 56, IMO he's a better prospect than Pulkkinen), Shuravin, Gill, Fischer, Skahan, Lavoie, Kol and the other Fin's(Vaisanen and Nieminen) still on the board.

2- 12 D men projected in the 1st round in this mock. That seems a bit excessive to me. That's only happened 3 times in the last 20 years(2018, 2012 and 2009). I know the D men have become the focus of this draft, but I don't see 12 of them going in the 1st round. The forward crop isn't that weak.

would love Solberg and move up for Surin. they bring what we really need in our prospect pool

I really like Solberg, I just don't know that I like him at 16. My gut tells me one of the big dogs is going to slide to us.
Given the "success" of Norwegian's in the NHL, I'm willing to gamble that he's still there in the 2nd.

If not for the Russian factor, Surin would probably be in the same conversation as MBN and Sennecke. The only thing that might make him slip is the Russian factor, and that didn't seem to have any affect on last years draft. I don't know that we have the ammo to move up far enough to get him.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

1- I'm generally not in favor of drafting over-agers. The development curve gets really skewed by the extra year of development. IMO Pulkkinen falls into this category. He's older, bigger and more mature than his current peers. That does not mean he's more talented. Once his peers catch up to his development, I think they're going to pass him. And that's not even getting into his actual abilities as a player, which I'm not particularly wild about(WAY too many penalties).
Personally, I wouldn't touch him before the 4th round.
Certainly not with Freij, Hutson, Roberts, Muggli, Luca Marelli(I don't mind him at 56, IMO he's a better prospect than Pulkkinen), Shuravin, Gill, Fischer, Skahan, Lavoie, Kol and the other Fin's(Vaisanen and Nieminen) still on the board.

2- 12 D men projected in the 1st round in this mock. That seems a bit excessive to me. That's only happened 3 times in the last 20 years(2018, 2012 and 2009). I know the D men have become the focus of this draft, but I don't see 12 of them going in the 1st round. The forward crop isn't that weak.



I really like Solberg, I just don't know that I like him at 16. My gut tells me one of the big dogs is going to slide to us.
Given the "success" of Norwegian's in the NHL, I'm willing to gamble that he's still there in the 2nd.

If not for the Russian factor, Surin would probably be in the same conversation as MBN and Sennecke. The only thing that might make him slip is the Russian factor, and that didn't seem to have any affect on last years draft. I don't know that we have the ammo to move up far enough to get him.

I thought Pulkkainen played very well at the U20s which put him in end of the first round consideration for me and some of the publications. I wouldn’t hesitate in the 2nd round depending who is still on the board.

Solberg is a late 2nd 3rd guy for me. He’s played well but I think the hype is a little rich.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I'll probably like whoever we believe is the best defensemen in that next tier at #16. Plenty of options, just hopefully one genuinely rises and it doesn't end up being a reach.

 

[sfvega]

I'm pulling hard for the late risers to push some talent down, but I'm not sure it happened.

 

[Blueswin]

I thought the Hawks may try to trade up with the 2nd 1st round pick & though the Blues could be a partner. The Hawks traded with NYI.

New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks swap first-round picks ahead of NHL Draft | TSN

The Chicago Blackhawks have acquired the No. 18 and No. 50 overall selections from the New York Islanders in exchange for the No. 20, No. 54, and No. 61 picks in this year's NHL Draft.

www.tsn.ca

 

[kimzey59]

It really opens up here in a few picks IMO. And MacKenzie’s poll showed that - a very clear top-15 (but the order not being clear) and then opinions are all over the place.

Based on who is left, I have it in order of Helenius, Yak, Sennecke and then Parekh. There’s 5 more picks between us so we’d need two surprises for any of those 4 to be on the board.

As you can probably tell by now, I wouldn’t consider Eiserman the obvious pick if he was the only one left of that group. I have it as:

15 Luchanko
16 Eiserman
17 Hage
18 Solberg
19 Freij
20 Badinka
21 Surin
22 Eriksson
23 Jiricek
24 Pettersson
25 Artamonov
26 Chernyshov
27 Beaudoin
28 Greentree

This is the next tier for me.

I’ll speak to Luchanko as he’s probably the main one I have higher than most. I just see so much potential in him. He “only” had 74 pts in 68 games but that still led a low scoring Guelph team in scoring as a 17 year old. So not eye popping numbers but only 3 teams scored fewer goals than Guelph so when taken into account, his numbers are more impressive to me.

He reminds me a lot of Nick Suzuki and Robert Thomas. Players that might not absolutely jump off the screen with skill but have high, high hockey sense and are simply fantastic all-around hockey players.

He’s listed at 5’11” 183 lbs so not huge but plays C and plays the position well. Good shot and puck skills but not at the top of this class. He shines everywhere else though. He’s one of the best skaters in this draft IMO. Fast but his edge work is also very good. He also works his butt off. Don’t ever see him taking a shift off and he does all the little things right. Which brings me to his best attribute - his hockey sense. He’s simply a super smart player. Very good at finding open teammates, has very good positioning and is a distribution machine. I think he’s going to really pop next season.

Well, it's not exactly falling our way.
Buffalo took Helenius, Philly took Parekh and Minnesota took Yakemchuk(polls over but the thread hasn't been updated yet).

Two more picks to go(SJ and Detroit); Eiserman, Sennecke and Connelly still on the board.
We might need to look into the rules regarding write in voting as none of the guys we tend to like are currently on the poll options(Luchanko, Emery, Badinka, Surin, Solberg).

Edit: If we do intend on going nuclear with a write in campaign, we should probably decide who we're doing it for before hand.
I can be convinced to jump on the Luchanko train. Dvorsky does need a set-up guy(not sure who would be the center on that line, but I think they'd play extremely well off each other).

 

[STL fan in MN]

Well, it's not exactly falling our way.
Buffalo took Helenius, Philly took Parekh and Minnesota took Yakemchuk(polls over but the thread hasn't been updated yet).

Two more picks to go(SJ and Detroit); Eiserman, Sennecke and Connelly still on the board.
We might need to look into the rules regarding write in voting as none of the guys we tend to like are currently on the poll options(Luchanko, Emery, Badinka, Surin, Solberg).

Edit: If we do intend on going nuclear with a write in campaign, we should probably decide who we're doing it for before hand.
I can be convinced to jump on the Luchanko train. Dvorsky does need a set-up guy(not sure who would be the center on that line, but I think they'd play extremely well off each other).

Not sure we’d need a nuclear write-in plan. Just ask the guy doing the polls to add a few more options to the polls. Shouldn’t be a big ask and would make sense given how much the draft opens up around pick 14-16.

 

[kimzey59]

Not sure we’d need a nuclear write-in plan. Just ask the guy doing the polls to add a few more options to the polls. Shouldn’t be a big ask and would make sense given how much the draft opens up around pick 14-16.

I prefer the nuke.
Far more fun that way.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

adam jiricek - Suchen Videos

www.bing.com

I just can't get on board with Jiricek. I'd rather have Elick or Emery.

 

[Drubilly]

adam jiricek - Suchen Videos

www.bing.com

I just can't get on board with Jiricek. I'd rather have Elick or Emery.

I’d be happy with any of those three really. Injury concerns with Jiricek? I still prefer Freij though.

 

[TK 421]

Can't wait to go geij for Freij when it's our turn.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

I’d be happy with any of those three really. Injury concerns with Jiricek? I still prefer Freij though.

I just look at all the rankings and try to see what separates him from the others that makes him the better player. I see him as non-offensive as Elick, Badinka, and Emery at this point at a lower competition level. It's like rolling through this video. Why pick a kid that hardly played that isn't doing any more or less than a couple of guys playing against better competition? I see drafts where he is pick 13.

Freij for example is an exceptional skater that can create on offense and plays a reasonably good defense. From the tapes I watched, He plays as well as Jiricek who tends to take himself out of the play along with another player a 3 on 2 becomes a 2 on 1....is that really....good? I agree. I still think Freij is the best choice between them (it is close). I see a 35- 50 point guy playing lots of minutes in your top 4 and your PP, but I don't know if you win in the playoffs with a guy like that. That is what separates Elick, Badinka and Emery who all have that ability to play a more physical game and succeed at it.

 

[Drubilly]

I just look at all the rankings and try to see what separates him from the others that makes him the better player. I see him as non-offensive as Elick, Badinka, and Emery at this point at a lower competition level. It's like rolling through this video. Why pick a kid that hardly played that isn't doing any more or less than a couple of guys playing against better competition? I see drafts where he is pick 13.

Freij for example is an exceptional skater that can create on offense and plays a reasonably good defense. From the tapes I watched, He plays as well as Jiricek who tends to take himself out of the play along with another player a 3 on 2 becomes a 2 on 1....is that really....good? I agree. I still think Freij is the best choice between them (it is close). I see a 35- 50 point guy playing lots of minutes in your top 4 and your PP, but I don't know if you win in the playoffs with a guy like that. That is what separates Elick, Badinka and Emery who all have that ability to play a more physical game and succeed at it.

Thanks for your reply. I see Freij as Lindstein’s future partner. Some team will take a gamble on Jiricek. I’d take him with one our seconds if he’s there and our preferred defensemen are off the board.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Well, it's not exactly falling our way.
Buffalo took Helenius, Philly took Parekh and Minnesota took Yakemchuk(polls over but the thread hasn't been updated yet).

Two more picks to go(SJ and Detroit); Eiserman, Sennecke and Connelly still on the board.
We might need to look into the rules regarding write in voting as none of the guys we tend to like are currently on the poll options(Luchanko, Emery, Badinka, Surin, Solberg).

Edit: If we do intend on going nuclear with a write in campaign, we should probably decide who we're doing it for before hand.
I can be convinced to jump on the Luchanko train. Dvorsky does need a set-up guy(not sure who would be the center on that line, but I think they'd play extremely well off each other).

Can you trade back instead of writing in?

 

[LGB]

I see him as non-offensive as Elick, Badinka, and Emery at this point at a lower competition level.

He had a tough season playing against men as one of the youngest draft eliglible players. His offensive skills he showed against his peers haven't suddenly dissapeared. There is risk with him because of the lost development time this year, but I think if you put him in the CHL and he gets back on track he has the upside to be a really good top 4 defenseman. His combination of puck handling ability, playmaking, size, and physical skills is unique among the group you listed.

 

[sfvega]

I just look at all the rankings and try to see what separates him from the others that makes him the better player. I see him as non-offensive as Elick, Badinka, and Emery at this point at a lower competition level. It's like rolling through this video. Why pick a kid that hardly played that isn't doing any more or less than a couple of guys playing against better competition? I see drafts where he is pick 13.

Freij for example is an exceptional skater that can create on offense and plays a reasonably good defense. From the tapes I watched, He plays as well as Jiricek who tends to take himself out of the play along with another player a 3 on 2 becomes a 2 on 1....is that really....good? I agree. I still think Freij is the best choice between them (it is close). I see a 35- 50 point guy playing lots of minutes in your top 4 and your PP, but I don't know if you win in the playoffs with a guy like that. That is what separates Elick, Badinka and Emery who all have that ability to play a more physical game and succeed at it.

How would you rank the next 7 or 8 RD after Yak?

 

[kimzey59]

Thanks for your reply. I see Freij as Lindstein’s future partner. Some team will take a gamble on Jiricek. I’d take him with one our seconds if he’s there and our preferred defensemen are off the board.

How is that going to work?
They play the same position(LHD).
Either Freij or Lindstein would need to play on his off-side(which is a dubious proposition; not everyone can effectively make that transition).
Plus you'd have 2 undersized D on the same pairing again(how's that working out with Faulk/Krug?).

No thanks on that plan. If you get Freij, the plan needs to be for him to be the "other" LHD in your top 4. And I'm not even close to convinced that Freij is good enough to be on a top pairing.
If the plan is to find Lindstein's future partner, you look at the 4 RHD; Badinka, Jiricek, Emery, Elick(in that order IMO).

 

[tfriede2]

How is that going to work?
They play the same position(LHD).
Either Freij or Lindstein would need to play on his off-side(which is a dubious proposition; not everyone can effectively make that transition).
Plus you'd have 2 undersized D on the same pairing again(how's that working out with Faulk/Krug?).

No thanks on that plan. If you get Freij, the plan needs to be for him to be the "other" LHD in your top 4. And I'm not even close to convinced that Freij is good enough to be on a top pairing.
If the plan is to find Lindstein's future partner, you look at the 4 RHD; Badinka, Jiricek, Emery, Elick(in that order IMO).

I thought Freij has been playing mostly right-side in Sweden, but maybe I’m thinking of someone else

 

[Blueston]

I thought Freij has been playing mostly right-side in Sweden, but maybe I’m thinking of someone else

He has played a lot of right side in Sweden, but I don’t know that is where he best fits down the road. Regardless, I don’t see him and Lindstein as match. I see emery or brunicke as much better fits for either of them.

 

[kimzey59]

I thought Freij has been playing mostly right-side in Sweden, but maybe I’m thinking of someone else

He played the right side at the U18's.
Because Sweden only brought 2 RHD to the Tournament(Annborn and Wernquist).
He's normally on the left side for Vaxjo(they have Wallenius, Isrealsson and Burwall on the right side)..