2024 Draft Thread - Friday June 28 - Sphere Las Vegas

[ErnieLeafs]

I've been rewatching Windsor games this week, and my goodness does Greentree have soft hands, and not just for a big man, for any sized forward. If he can add power in his stride he could be an impact top 6 forward in the league. My money is still on Luchanko out of the OHL guys though, he does everything at an average level or better. Whichever team gets him is getting a future 2C, IMO.

A Lot was asked of him as a young captain on a bad team last year. I think, given the responsibility, he showed really well. Really excited to see him grow, with what should be a better (but still not great) team, this coming season. He looks like a really skilled power forward, in a Rick Nash style, where he's more skill than physicality

 

[ryno23]

I would agree. I think he has potential to get much better overall. I would say if he's around where the Leafs pick there's a good chance the Leafs take him.

I Cole Beadoin personally. I coach his younger brother with his dad. Beaudoin is a beast in the gym and is focused on hockey 24/7. His skating is good just not as smooth looking due to his size but he gets around the ice quick enough and is a hound on the forecheck. Saw him play 4 times and will end up as a 2C that can play a 200 foot game also play PK and PP

 

[ErnieLeafs]

I Cole Beadoin personally. I coach his younger brother with his dad. Beaudoin is a beast in the gym and is focused on hockey 24/7. His skating is good just not as smooth looking due to his size but he gets around the ice quick enough and is a hound on the forecheck. Saw him play 4 times and will end up as a 2C that can play a 200 foot game also play PK and PP

He seems like a Ryan O'Rielly kind of player from my very limited viewings

 

[ryno23]

He seems like a Ryan O'Rielly kind of player from my very limited viewings

also Patrice Bergeron lite

 

[mydnyte]

also Patrice Bergeron lite

isnt that what Minten is also?

 

[ErnieLeafs]

isnt that what Minten is also?

From what I've seen, yeah, but more offensively challenged

 

[mydnyte]

From what I've seen, yeah, but more offensively challenged

I think Minten's game is better suited to the NHL than OHL.
I do believe he needs to work on his release though, and offense overall, but, he has elite vision and hockey-IQ, the problem is many/most OHL players dont, so, they dont go where he expected them to go, but, where an NHL player would have gone so, some passes looked bad, but, he was passing to the right spots.

 

[TheMadHatTrick]

Yegor Surin, C
6' 1" 191 Ibs

Surin is a talented and multi-dimensional offensive player who really took off in the second half of the MHL regular season and into the playoffs, becoming one of the most impactful forwards in the league as an August birthday who is one of the youngest players on this list. He’s a good skater who plays with plenty of pace and tempo to hunt and win pucks or push play down ice. He can play all three forward positions. He excels on the flank on the power play because of his plus-vision and a dangerously quick release from midrange. He’s very physical and plays with a real chip on his shoulder. He can frustrate with his lack of discipline though, whether by trying to be too cute at five-on-five attempting unnecessary one-on-one plays, or by constantly taking careless penalties (scrums after the whistle, interference trying to be sly, high hits, stick infractions, etc.). Some of it you can live with because he's competing for possession and battling for pucks or looking to play the body, but there are too many instances in a game where he's reckless in his decision-making on and off the puck. I expect there will be teams that really like him because of his skill and fire, and others that think he doesn't have the head for the game. NHL Central Scouting did update his listing from 5-foot-10 to 6-foot-1 this season, which upgrades his projection and the likelihood that his style will translate up levels. He's a second-rounder for me.

 

[RomanianLeafs]

Surin is my number one choice we badly need a prospect like him

 

[TheMadHatTrick]

Surin is my number one choice we badly need a prospect like him

Not my top choice but he's got very nice profile: skill, compete, and grit. He's being compared to Barbashev (who I really liked in his draft year) but I think he can be what I hoped/expected Barbashev to become rather than the player he ended up being.

 

[Gilmour1996]

Who is the biggest, toughest guy who can skate/hit/fight available in the draft?

 

[Frostitute]

Who is the biggest, toughest guy who can skate/hit/fight available in the draft?

We'd most likely have to trade up a few spots bud I'd say Stian Solberg.

 

[Peasy]

Who is the biggest, toughest guy who can skate/hit/fight available in the draft?

Solberg is that guy but probably not there at 23. Next best bet is probably Elick.

 

[horner]

Who is the biggest, toughest guy who can skate/hit/fight available in the draft?

Carson Wetsch in the 3rd rd
Can skate hit pk big can fight

 

[ULF_55]

Any leaks from the Combine?

 

[WTFMAN99]

Any leaks from the Combine?

Chicago likes Levshunov.

 

[DragoGrizzly]

Solberg is that guy but probably not there at 23. Next best bet is probably Elick.

You guys know more than me about prospects so I want to ask why you are saying that about Solberg? Very few mock drafts have him in the top 25. Lots don’t even have him in the first round. Has his play at the HC raised his stock that much. Even in articles after the HC I thought most were ranking him as a late first.

 

[Peasy]

You guys know more than me about prospects so I want to ask why you are saying that about Solberg? Very few mock drafts have him in the top 25. Lots don’t even have him in the first round. Has his play at the HC raised his stock that much. Even in articles after the HC I thought most were ranking him as a late first.

Hes just a very late riser, so most lists out there will probably have him lower because their final rankings havent come out yet. Also I think most public lists would tend to be a bit lower on this type of player.

Someone posted this earlier.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1797984147144864012

I'll call this the NHL playoff effect. Right now with the NHL playoffs going on and fresh in everyones mind, GMs would kill to have this kind of player come playoff time. Also hes from an untraditional hockey market, and he improved over the second half of the season, so there could be some untapped potential.

I think ultimately he'll go 1-5 picks ahead of the Leafs'.

 

[TheMadHatTrick]

Hes just a very late riser, so most lists out there will probably have him lower because their final rankings havent come out yet. Also I think most public lists would tend to be a bit lower on this type of player.

Someone posted this earlier.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1797984147144864012

I'll call this the NHL playoff effect. Right now with the NHL playoffs going on and fresh in everyones mind, GMs would kill to have this kind of player come playoff time. Also hes from an untraditional hockey market, and he improved over the second half of the season, so there could be some untapped potential.

I think ultimately he'll go 1-5 picks ahead of the Leafs'.

Damn, he's exactly what we need. He's one of the few guys outside of Dickenson or Yakemchuk that I would try to trade up for.

 

[DragoGrizzly]

Hes just a very late riser, so most lists out there will probably have him lower because their final rankings havent come out yet. Also I think most public lists would tend to be a bit lower on this type of player.

Someone posted this earlier.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1797984147144864012

I'll call this the NHL playoff effect. Right now with the NHL playoffs going on and fresh in everyones mind, GMs would kill to have this kind of player come playoff time. Also hes from an untraditional hockey market, and he improved over the second half of the season, so there could be some untapped potential.

I think ultimately he'll go 1-5 picks ahead of the Leafs'.

Great point with the “playoff effect”. I can totally see playoff watching nhl GMs salivating over a player that plays his style. Fingers crossed he’s there when we pick.

 

[LaPlante94]

Saw Colin Ralphs name on a draft sim one night and looked him up. Reading some reports on him he sounds like a very promising prospect and him being 6'4 216 already is gonna stand out to most GMs I believe. Saw that his only negative atm is that he's not playing tougher competition playing at Shattuck St Mary's prep, but he is committed to St Cloud State next season. He's ranked anywhere in the 3rd-4th round. Wish some video was out there of him but going off reports from other scouts he sounds like a good project pick.

 

[Mess]

Remember this name come draft time ... He really intrigues me.

Dean Letourneau.

Would the Leafs take him with their 1st round pick the 2024 NHL Draft's 'Tage Thompson 2.0'?

Letourneau has opted to play at Boston College next season , a potential late first-round pick, had a dominant showing at the Canadian high school level, recording 61 goals and 66 assists in just 56 games.

Oh did I mention the 18 year old Centre is 6-7 and 210lbs

Scouting Report:

Letourneau is gigantic, but contrary to other players his size, it doesn’t feel like he’s trapped in his own body. He moves quite freely, especially because he uses crossover techniques to avoid the long, slower strides, and there’s a good upper-body/lower-body separation and some agility. A lot of his offence consists of downhill attacks where he surveys pressure, drives the net with his range and size, or leverages the attention he receives to find open teammate. -EliteProspects 2024 NHL Draft Guide

When your NHL Central Scouting listing comes in at 6-foot-6 (SAC measured him at “a hair under 6-foot-7” in the fall and he might even be taller than that now) and 210 pounds, and you start to rack up two points per game against the top prep schools in North America, everyone pays attention. When NHL Central Scouting released its players to watch list in October, Letourneau was given a “B” rating, which “indicates a second/third-round candidate.” By their midseason list, he ranked 20th among all North American skaters.

“He’s a hell of a player and he’s really creating a lot of buzz,” De Langley said on a phone call midway through this season. “I call him like a Tage Thompson 2.0. His skating, his shot, and the way he can control a puck in tight for a guy that’s 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8, it’s crazy.” “Coming into this year, I knew that he was going to rock it. Just from his workouts, you could see the overall balance and coordination, especially as a big guy,” said Greco, who will be travelling to Vegas for the draft with Letourneau and fellow client Henry Mews. “His power and his strength has gone way, way up. We knew he could have a huge impact on the ice because a guy with his size and his speed, woof, it’s crazy. And now the results speak for themselves. This kid I think is going to be dynamite.”

 

[uncleben]

Remember this name come draft time ... He really intrigues me.

Dean Letourneau.

Would the Leafs take him with their 1st round pick the 2024 NHL Draft's 'Tage Thompson 2.0'?

View attachment 880487

Letourneau has opted to play at Boston College next season , a potential late first-round pick, had a dominant showing at the Canadian high school level, recording 61 goals and 66 assists in just 56 games.

Oh did I mention the 18 year old Centre is 6-7 and 210lbs

View attachment 880489

Scouting Report:

Letourneau is gigantic, but contrary to other players his size, it doesn’t feel like he’s trapped in his own body. He moves quite freely, especially because he uses crossover techniques to avoid the long, slower strides, and there’s a good upper-body/lower-body separation and some agility. A lot of his offence consists of downhill attacks where he surveys pressure, drives the net with his range and size, or leverages the attention he receives to find open teammate. -EliteProspects 2024 NHL Draft Guide

When your NHL Central Scouting listing comes in at 6-foot-6 (SAC measured him at “a hair under 6-foot-7” in the fall and he might even be taller than that now) and 210 pounds, and you start to rack up two points per game against the top prep schools in North America, everyone pays attention. When NHL Central Scouting released its players to watch list in October, Letourneau was given a “B” rating, which “indicates a second/third-round candidate.” By their midseason list, he ranked 20th among all North American skaters.

“He’s a hell of a player and he’s really creating a lot of buzz,” De Langley said on a phone call midway through this season. “I call him like a Tage Thompson 2.0. His skating, his shot, and the way he can control a puck in tight for a guy that’s 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8, it’s crazy.” “Coming into this year, I knew that he was going to rock it. Just from his workouts, you could see the overall balance and coordination, especially as a big guy,” said Greco, who will be travelling to Vegas for the draft with Letourneau and fellow client Henry Mews. “His power and his strength has gone way, way up. We knew he could have a huge impact on the ice because a guy with his size and his speed, woof, it’s crazy. And now the results speak for themselves. This kid I think is going to be dynamite.”

View attachment 880490
View attachment 880492

He's one of the names I'm keeping an eye on too

He's got a good ceiling, but it may be trickier to hit. But he should have a pretty high floor, either way

 

[Mess]

He's one of the names I'm keeping an eye on too

He's got a good ceiling, but it may be trickier to hit. But he should have a pretty high floor, either way

He better have a pretty high ceiling in his house or he is going to constantly be bumping his head on the roof at 6-7/6-8. Dad Joke.

This guy is being described as Tage Thompson version 2.0 .. Thompson went #26 overall in 2016 and Leafs hold the #23 overall pick..

I wouldn't mind our Leafs taking a home run swing here. Just picture this guy standing in the crease on the PP screening the goalie.

Here is a great report from the Atlantic. : The making of Dean Letourneau, the 2024 NHL Draft's towering one-of-one forward

Bobby Mac and his combined scouts list has him ranked #32.

https://www.eliteprospects.com/draft-center/tsn-bob-mckenzie

 

[uncleben]

He better have a pretty high ceiling in his house or he is going to constantly be bumping his head on the roof at 6-7/6-8. Dad Joke.

This guy is being described as Tage Thompson version 2.0 .. Thompson went #26 overall in 2016 and Leafs hold the #23 overall pick..

I wouldn't mind our Leafs taking a home run swing here. Just picture this guy standing in the crease on the PP screening the goalie.

Here is a great report from the Atlantic. : The making of Dean Letourneau, the 2024 NHL Draft's towering one-of-one forward

Bobby Mac and his combined scouts list has him ranked #32.

https://www.eliteprospects.com/draft-center/tsn-bob-mckenzie

Can you imagine if he still has an inch or two to go, too??



A Tage Thompson 2.0 would be perfect for our future
I'm weary of another Biggs bust or Freddy the Goat situation, but Letourneau seems to have a much better toolset. I'd be willing to give him a shot at our pick