Alright so picking 9th I think it's all but guaranteed that these 5 players are gone before we pick.
Celebrini
Demidov
Levshunov
Lindstrom
Silayev
They might not go top 5 but I have a very tough time seeing any of them making it to 9. I know a lot of lists have Silayev ranked later but he's been top 3 on both of Bob Mckenzie's scout polls. He's 6'7 and a good skater a GM is probably selecting him top 6.
So for me I think this is my ranking of the guys who remain. It's still subject to change. I've seen a lot more of some of these guys than I've seen of others.
1. Berkley Catton
I think he's probably the 3rd most skilled player in the draft. Fantastic creator off the rush and on the powerplay. Very good edgework and his ability to pass through seams screams future impact player IMO. He has a very good shot and seems to know where he needs to be defensively even if sometimes he cheats his responsibilities. Maybe when he's no longer playing 30 mins a night on a meh team he'll improve all around.
2. Zayne Parekh
No denying that if there's one thing the Flames have enough of it's offensive D-men prospects. Poirier, Brustewicz and Morin are all offensive oriented D-men from the last 3 drafts. So for that reason I won't be upset if we don't pick Parekh but I think he's got the highest offensive potential of the D-men in this draft by quite a bit. I think the guys we currently have in our system are guys with offensive upside who could QB a powerplay one day but I don't know that any of them are the total package offensively that Parekh is. I think it's more likely that they turn into something closer to Sean Durzi or Erik Gustaffson rather than a real game changer offensively. Of the three, Poirier is closest IMO but I think Parekh is a good bit better at passing and puck movement. I don't really know what to compare him to, I think the Makar comparisons are too much, but I do think he has elite offensive potential. Maybe post-ACL Erik Karlsson? Still dynamic and a game changer offensively but weaker defensively and not one of the best skaters in the world.
I also don't think his defense is as bad as advertised. I've seen him make some very good reads and break ups it's more about consistency. He's also one of those guys who looks kind of nonchalant so when he does mess up it looks BAD. Hopefully no longer being injured and maybe a real system that doesn't rely so heavily on him for offense improves things.
3. Tij Iginla
I was very anti-Iginla to start the year because it's very obvious that many fans care less about the player and more about the name on the jersey but he's really begun to impress me. His puck protection and creativity are top notch, he's improving consistently and he just plays a really pro style game. His shot is great and he's got the IQ to make passes too. I remember when Matthew Tkachuk was a prospect he was referred to as "the ideal complimentary player". At the time people though Tkachuk was a sure fire 1st liner but unlikely to ever be a line driver. I see a lot of that in Iginla, he goes to the dirty areas, he wins pucks, he puts his linemates in good spots, he's great in transition and who knows with the rate he's improving at he could become a legit star like Tkachuk did. Especially since he's one of the youngest players in the draft.
4. Sam Dickinson
I definitely see the Noah Hanifin comparisons but I like Dickinson more. I think he's got more tools and I think he could be a shutdown #2 something more akin to Jake Sanderson. I don't think he's the smartest player around but I don't think his hockey IQ is detrimental either. On top of that he took a big leap offensively this season has a heavy shot. Similar to Tij, he's really young so he might have more runway then some of the older prospects.
5. Zeev Buium
This is one guy I must see more of. I think he could be the best D-man in the draft yet I'm really hesitant to rank him that high. I like his edgework, his IQ, his passing and his physicality. I think he's a smart player that gets how to open up passing lanes by diving from the point. I also think he got a lot of points off of kind of nothing plays this season and that his production may oversell his offensive capabilities. One thing I notice about his offense is it rarely seems to actually come from the point, he really seems to like using his skating to dive lower into the zone and look for "royal road lanes". It's similar to how Quinn Hughes attacks in the offensive zone, with the difference being Hughes is an all around elite skater whereas I think Buium is just a good skater with elite agility. I also think Hughes works better at the top of the powerplay (better from a standstill) and has grown to be a more willing shooter, which I think is part of the reason he turned into such an offensive force this season. You need a good balance, spamming shots from the point is settling for low quality offense but the high quality stuff isn't there every shift in the NHL. Buium had 75 shots this season according to the website I looked at. I think in the pros that has to go up quite a bit.
Buium could well be the best D-man in this draft but I think it's more likely he settles as a 2/3. Maybe like a bigger and stronger Sam Girard. A very good and useful player but not quite Quinn Hughes. But who knows I'm not a scout and even if I were I haven't seen enough of Buium to make a conclusion one way or the other yet.
6. Carter Yakemchuk
The most fun player in the draft IMO. He is right there with Parekh for best shot amongst this D class. He's physical and he likes to get under people's skin. Great breakout passer. On top of that he's also got elite hands, and likes to use them to beat defenders. While a lot of guys are great at faking and shimmying around players, Yakemchuk often just dances right through them. Great production too but hes one of the oldeest guys in the class. Some downsides are that his skating isn't quite there yet, he's not slow but he needs to improve his first few steps and his agility IMO. I also don't know how high his hockey IQ and vision is. I've seen him make some crazy passes that suggest he sees the game very well but I've also seen him make some really dumb forced plays at the point. It's really hard to judge though because the Hitmen are TERRIBLE. The other guys on their powerplay look like they've never played that role in their lives. No one is making his life easier, it looks like a group of kids playing hot potato.
Guys I didn't bother to rank
Helenius ( haven't seen any of him)
Eiserman (very much not a fan)
For the late 1st/early 2nd it seems that every time I find a target I like that's likely to be there they seem to start rising. For now though, I've got a couple names that look interesting.
Ryder Ritchie
- Son of Byron. I thought he was good at the U18s and looks like he might blow up next year but I'm not sure. There's a guy in his prospect thread that hates him with passion. He thinks he's lazy and soft, who knows maybe he's right. I haven't seen enough of Ritchie to refute it. I'd bet on him falling to the 2nd. Could be similar to Callum Ritchie or Riley Heidt last year.
Liam Greentree
- He's been pretty consistently ranked top 15 so It's unlikely that he'd make it to Van's 1st but he fell out of the top 15 in Bob's most recent list and he had a bad U18s while also being a pretty poor skater. His skillset and worsening rankings kind of remind me of Jason Robertson.