HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[1000eeer]

Ignila > Catton

 

[Jaynki]

Ignila > Catton

Well, there is a debate to be had.

 

[SlafySZN]

Well, there is a debate to be had.

Nah.

No debate, Catton is better.

 

[FLHabs]

Winning the lottery aside, I think the best probable scenario is that the Habs pick #5. I think Arizona and Ottawa can jump ahead. Chicago, San Jose, Anaheim, and Columbus have the top 4 locked imo. What are the chances Cayden Lindstrom is available at 5? Having Slaf, Dach, and Lindstrom in the top 6 would look real good in the playoffs hehe

 

[Jaynki]

Nah.

No debate, Catton is better.

Well, i don't disagree.

 

[Sagikev]

Hes not a bad skater dont listen to anyone that will tell you otherwise. That nerd shit about mechanics completely misses the mark and would have you believe the human body is made out of a template, its nerds that dont know anything about kinesiology that try to sound smart.

Made me lol but yeah I agree, mechanic and what not is overrated. Everyone's different and you never know how someone develops. Having man strength helps a ton in terms of skating (balance, edges, etc., not just pure speed and acceleration)

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Winning the lottery aside, I think the best probable scenario is that the Habs pick #5. I think Arizona and Ottawa can jump ahead. Chicago, San Jose, Anaheim, and Columbus have the top 4 locked imo. What are the chances Cayden Lindstrom is available at 5? Having Slaf, Dach, and Lindstrom in the top 6 would look real good in the playoffs hehe

It is possible that 3 d go after Celebrini and at 5 they would have their pick of forwards.

 

[Goldenhands]

I'm coming around on Konsta Helenius if we pick in the 8-12 range. Smart and gritty enough with good skills. Pro game already. You don't need much projection to insert him in your top 6 and be happy with him for 12 years.

There may be a perceived lower cap on his potential, but not by much imo.

Helenius over Catton for me any days, much stronger physically, highest compete away from the puck, stronger on 200 ft. and as skilled as Catton is, Helenius has some great tools as well.

Catton is all finess and its hard to project his game at higher levels unless he gains some serious strength and starts to engage physically, which he doesnt right now. Kid is pretty weak and avoids physical confrontations the way Shane Wright used to. With Shane it was a lack of grit issue since he had the frame to be more involved, with Catton Im guessing its mostly related to the weak frame, which is still worrysome to me since he is only facing junior level competition, what will it be when reach the pros, he is going to get crushed all around.

Iginla vs Catton is pretty much the same debate, yeah Catton is more purely skilled, but Iginla's game projects way easier at the next levels, thats a kid who is on a superb developmental curve with obvious translatable tools. Kid is a powerful player and fills alot of boxes Im looking for in a player.

 

[HuGo Burner Acc]

Winning the lottery aside, I think the best probable scenario is that the Habs pick #5. I think Arizona and Ottawa can jump ahead. Chicago, San Jose, Anaheim, and Columbus have the top 4 locked imo. What are the chances Cayden Lindstrom is available at 5? Having Slaf, Dach, and Lindstrom in the top 6 would look real good in the playoffs hehe

Imo, the worst case scenario for the Habs is Anaheim winning the first lottery. If Habs aren't winning it, you either want one of Chicago or San Jose to win it. Because they aren't interested in specific positions, they're so bare that they'll go for pure talent over everything. So let's say the rankings are Chicago, San Jose, Anaheim, Columbus, Montreal. I believe it'll go like this:


1.Celebrini
2. Wildcard
3. Levshunov/Silayev/Dickerson
4. Lindstrom
5. ?

To sum it up, the draft as it pertains to Montreal is dependent on how San Jose approaches the draft and picks. But Lindstrom will be taken by Columbus probably

 

[JustAHabFan]

Exactly, Helenius over Catton for me any days, much stronger physically, highest compete away from the puck, stronger on 200 ft. game and as skilled as Catton is, Helenius has some great tools as well.

Catton is all finess and its hard to project his game at higher levels unless he gains some serious strength and starts to engage physically, which he doesnt right now. Kid is pretty weak and avoids physical confrontations the way Shane Wright used to. With Shane it was a lack of grit issue since he had the frame to be more involved, with Catton Im guessing its mostly related to the weak frame, which is still worrysome to me since he is only facing junior level competition, what will it be when reach the pros, he is going to get crushed all around.

Iginla vs Catton is pretty much the same debate, yeah Catton is more purely skilled, but Iginla's game projects way easier at the next levels, thats a kid who is on a superb developmental curve with obvious translatable tools. Kid is a powerful player and fills alot of boxes Im looking for in a player.

I saw some Iginla highlights and I really liked the way he played. I think the Habs should using the Jets pick and try to move up to grab Iginla.

 

[Goldenhands]

Zeev Buium is my 1st defenseman in my list. I like him like that. He is the only D that I would be truly hype if Habs pick him, He is a star in the making, no doubt about that. He have the most potential in any D in this draft class.

I like him, but not as much as you do, I have Silayev in a tier of his own, Buium in the 2nd with the other top ranked Ds. There is alot to like about Buium, but I would say his D game is average as of now while his shot not really a treath for now, in those 5 games he barely used it and when he did it got blocked or went wide. Kid is also 6 ft. tall, not 6'2 as listed on his team website.

The offensive tools are great overall, but with Hutson and Engstrom in the system, I dont think it makes sense to draft Buium personally.

I saw some Iginla highlights and I really liked the way he played. I think the Habs should using the Jets pick and try to move up to grab Iginla.

Yes love his game as well, at worst will become a great complementary top 6 who makes you win.

 

[SwiftyHab]

Would Demidov be able to come to NA right away or is he on contract for another year?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

How worrysome is Eiserman freefall?

I wonder how worrisome it would be to not take him.

I will rely on the scouts. I don’t watch the minors and don’t have a strong opinion other than I want elite talent. No matter who we take I’ll be good with it. And I understand that Eiserman has been disappointing this year. Maybe he’s a slacker to be avoided.

But the upside seems to be there. The guy is a natural goal scorer. Brett Hull was a very one dimensional scorer but he’s an also a HOFer. It scares me that we could pass on élite goalscoring talent.

MSL is a really good developmental coach too. Maybe he takes this guy and molds
him into a better player.

Or… maybe this guy likes booze and video games. Maybe we should just pass on him. I don’t know. But he’s going to be a player I’m going to track when this draft is over.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Would Demidov be able to come to NA right away or is he on contract for another year?

He's on conract untill 2025.

 

[Hins77]

Helenius over Catton for me any days, much stronger physically, highest compete away from the puck, stronger on 200 ft. and as skilled as Catton is, Helenius has some great tools as well.

Catton is all finess and its hard to project his game at higher levels unless he gains some serious strength and starts to engage physically, which he doesnt right now. Kid is pretty weak and avoids physical confrontations the way Shane Wright used to. With Shane it was a lack of grit issue since he had the frame to be more involved, with Catton Im guessing its mostly related to the weak frame, which is still worrysome to me since he is only facing junior level competition, what will it be when reach the pros, he is going to get crushed all around.

Iginla vs Catton is pretty much the same debate, yeah Catton is more purely skilled, but Iginla's game projects way easier at the next levels, thats a kid who is on a superb developmental curve with obvious translatable tools. Kid is a powerful player and fills alot of boxes Im looking for in a player.

Personnally, I would get Iginla over Catton. iginla is a big frame guy. 37 goals, Catton 39. Catton has more assist, but he is also a tiny guy. Scoring goal is the most difficult thing to do in the NHL. Maybe Catton has a higher upside. But I see Iginla at least, a top 6 powerforward like many teams would like to have

 

[Goldenhands]

Personnally, I would get Iginla over Catton. iginla is a big frame guy. 37 goals, Catton 39. Catton has more assist, but he is also a tiny guy. Scoring goal is the most difficult thing to do in the NHL. Maybe Catton has a higher upside. But I see Iginla at least, a top 6 powerforward like many teams would like to have

Also worth to mention Iginla hasnt been part of the top PP unit in most of my viewings, was on a 2nd wave. his numbers could be even better.

 

[Garnet76]

Also worth to mention Iginla hasnt been part of the top PP unit in most of my viewings, was on a 2nd wave. his numbers could be even better.

I also think he's one of the youngest players in the draft. I would be happy if Iginla is Montreals pick depending on their draft position and how the draft board plays out.

 

[FrankMTL]

There's still a full month of junior hockey left in the regular season (15ish games) plus the playoffs (hopefully Spokane and or Kelowna can make it, but it will be tight), so there could still be some movement on these players.

The good news is that Medicine Hat will definitely make the playoffs, so more games to watch with Cayden Lindstrom.

 

[HuGort]

Personnally, I would get Iginla over Catton. iginla is a big frame guy. 37 goals, Catton 39. Catton has more assist, but he is also a tiny guy. Scoring goal is the most difficult thing to do in the NHL. Maybe Catton has a higher upside. But I see Iginla at least, a top 6 powerforward like many teams would like to have

The Dallas head scout at the time they drafted Jarome Iginla never thought he was going to be as good as he was. Why they traded him. Iginla was only a point a game player his draft year. He was hoping to get a first liner tops. He got guy who scored over 600 goals in NHL. He had Terry Ryan ahead of Iginla.

 

[1000eeer]

Helenius over Catton for me any days, much stronger physically, highest compete away from the puck, stronger on 200 ft. and as skilled as Catton is, Helenius has some great tools as well.

Catton is all finess and its hard to project his game at higher levels unless he gains some serious strength and starts to engage physically, which he doesnt right now. Kid is pretty weak and avoids physical confrontations the way Shane Wright used to. With Shane it was a lack of grit issue since he had the frame to be more involved, with Catton Im guessing its mostly related to the weak frame, which is still worrysome to me since he is only facing junior level competition, what will it be when reach the pros, he is going to get crushed all around.

Iginla vs Catton is pretty much the same debate, yeah Catton is more purely skilled, but Iginla's game projects way easier at the next levels, thats a kid who is on a superb developmental curve with obvious translatable tools. Kid is a powerful player and fills alot of boxes Im looking for in a player.

Damn right!

I'd take Ignila over Helenius though.

The risk/reward curve favors Ignila IMO.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

The Dallas head scout at the time they drafted Jarome Iginla never thought he was going to be as good as he was. Why they traded him. Iginla was only a point a game player his draft year. He was hoping to get a first liner tops. He got guy who scored over 600 goals in NHL. He had Terry Ryan ahead of Iginla.

Terry Ryan. Another Michel Therrien success story.

 

[Jack Skellington]

Is Catton better than Zach Benson was? His PPG is a little better and he's a bit bigger. Team not as stacked also.

 

[FrankMTL]

People knock Konsta Helenius, but he has 11 points in his last 10 games and is on pace for 39 points in 51 games in Liiga. If those numbers hold up (or get even better like he has lately) the only 17 year old player that has put up more points in the last 15 years is Aleksander Barkov (Kakko had 38 points in his draft year).

I think some Habs fans have a skewed opinion based on Kotkaniemi and Kakko recently.

 

[HuGort]

Terry Ryan. Another Michel Therrien success story.

Ti has 1.3 ppg in his draft year. Be way too cool if he has career like his dad. Ti late birthday also.

 

[SwiftyHab]

Ti has 1.3 ppg in his draft year. Be way too cool if he has career like his dad. Ti late birthday also.

Just the thought of iginla sr hanging around this crew adds more greatness for the players to aspire to. If we miss out on celebrity, Demidov, and Lindstrom, I’d be down to take him