Im going to try to do a quick write up. Usually, I like to make them more or less detailed, but I'm booked for the next three days and I have to put my thoughts into writing while they're still fresh.
First off, there weren't as many people as last year in the stands. People wanted to watch Hutson and Reinbacher and there were more high profile players. It likely would have been packed if Demidov was there, but I'm not going to complain, I had great seats.
Now for some caveats about my comments:
I'm not a scout. I didn't write down anything. As I had to focus on multiple players and two teams there's a lot I didn't see. However, since I was live, there was a lot I could see as well.
The competition wasn't as strong this year. I'm not going to talk about the invites as I feel none were worth commenting on much. Maybe Charbonneau as he's a good athlete, but not to the point that his game should be dissected. Now, why do I mention competition ? Well, last year the forwards had to go through guys like Hutson, Mailloux, Reinbacher, Struble, Engstrom... It wasn't easy. The teams had more depth as well, so harder to gain the zone, find ice and make plays.
The other thing is it was 4 on 4. Again, more ice, more time, skilled players will look better.
You can't project to the NHL from a scrimmage in the middle of the summer. These guys aren't all at the same place in their training. Some of them are absolutely not in game shape and won't be for two months.
That said, I'm going to ignore the last point and make projections for the NHL. In my defense, they're players Ive already watched and was looking for different things than what I saw on video (their skating technique, physical shape, shot power).
On to our prospects. Some of them are shit and I won't comment too much or at all. Those that aren't shit will get comments.
Beck: he didn't play much as he left with an injury. Also, he was clearly using the game to try out his stick handling and his skills. It's not the kind of game that really helps highlight his smarts. That being said, this guy is clearly pro ready. His shot, his physique, his skating, everything is at another level than the other guys. His snap shot is really hard and accurate. He had some details that I thought were efficient, like in a pro way, outside of the useless dangles. Really looking forward to his training camp performance. Kind of which they picked him 26th and Poitras in the second round instead. That would have been an amazing haul.
Xhekaj: I love both the bros. Florian is like his brother in one way: he just seems to enjoy violence. He was giving unnecessary hits to player, notably Beck, who seemed pissed and I loved it. Players don't f*** with either Xhekaj. And they don't because they're both intimidating. However, Florian needs to gain a lot of weight so he'll be able to translate that part to the NHL. Once he matures into his body, he could be a monster. He's fast, he gains speed with his crossover, he handles the puck well, he finds seams and he has a great shot. Everything is there to be a good NHL player. We'll see how high the upside is, but he understands the game, which is often lacking from these big guys (think Anderson, who's a hockey doofus). Great pick who looks like a first rounder, not a mid round pick.
Hage: probably my favorite player there. He's still raw in many ways, he needs to get a lot stronger and bigger, but man both the IQ and the skills are there. I would describe his game this way: if KK had shown what Hage is showing, people would have been very happy with the pick at 3 in 2018. He has that hip stance and movement that looks like McDavid, with strong powerful strides and agility in all directions. Really good skater. And he does it while handling the puck and making defenders change the angle of their skates. He then creates space and can either rifle the puck or make plays with his vision. Team white tried to intimidate him and he responded by destroying them in the second game. He just took over and made great play after great play. The NCAA is the perfect place for him to get stronger physically. He needs the time, but he's not far away. He looks like an NHLer and along with Hutson, the most skilled player in this camp since Subban.
Now on to the guys who I can't project as much to the NHL.
Eriksson: he's a bit of a surprise honestly. In two ways. First off, he's bigger than I expected, though still small and relatively weak for a pro. He's good an efficient stride with surprising speed. He handles the puck well and I was impressed with his understanding of space in the offensive zone and how to distribute the puck to create good chances. So, he had a good first game. However, my worry is the same as many European players. The technical abilities are often there and they do well with space, which he and at 4 on 4. The issue is when they face AHL and NHL pros who don't give any space and, on top of that, play a very physical game. So, they fizzle out. They need multiple tools, they need to be strong, or have exceptional skating, or size or be relentless and great without the puck (think Lehkonen) or their skill has to be extremely high end. The adaption is difficult. All this to say is that he's intriguing but didn't do enough, even though I like many parts of his game.
Thorpe: he didn't stand out with his skill and he needs to have a quicker stride and use more crossovers. However, this is an intriguing pick. He's clearly a fan of physical play, which I loved. He loves going to the inside. I found he was smart, understood how the play was developing. His shot was in the upper tier, almost at Xhekaj/Beck level. His skating strides are powerful, but like I said, he'll be able to be faster as he works on his explosiveness. He's a project, but an interesting one, I like the tools.
Sam Harris: I don't know what to say really. He was a bit better than I expected, but he didn't do enough at anything to stand out more than being slightly better than the invites.
Sawyer: he's not ready at all. He looked physically underdeveloped and clearly needs work on his skating. You can see flashes of technical ability and vision, but this is a project that needs to be in the NCAA ASAP. The BCHL in him stood out, he needs to face better competition. I'm already writing off his first year in college as I think the adaption might be hard.
Zetterberg: didn't do anything. I wouldn't even offer him an invite to the rookie camp.
Not going to comment on the goalies. These are faceless men who don't deserve our attention.
I'm probably forgetting someone I wanted to comment, but maybe if anyone has a question it'll come back.
