HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[bonneaug]

Catton is very Marner like. Definitely a nice pick, but I do agree we end up with Iginla and Kent tries to trade down from 5-6 to 8-9 if he can get a second out of it. I’m sure if they can’t secure the second forward in the draft (4th overall), their ideal is two picks in the 10s (trade down their fifth, trade up their jets pick)

 

[crosbyshow]

Yeah, but this is one of the worst seasons for goaltending & D that I've seen in WHL in a long time. If you're not getting at least 1.5 pts per game you probably suck. Pretty much all the top players are at 2 pts per game or higher. It's 80s hockey. That goes for all WHLers not just Catton.

Goaltending is absolute trash most nights even for junior hockey, and there's no stud Ds.

OHL is far & away the best junior league right now.

Ok then so with this logic..don't draft Lindstrom cause he is exactly at 1.5 points per game so he probably suck...

but hey..him it s not the same cause he is 6.3 right?

Btw..not a single player in the WHL has 2.0 points à game..not one...Catton is in the top 5 at 1.65 points per game and the other 4 players are all drafted.

Catton is a hell of a player..not a perfect one...but to look at very carefully

 

[le_sean]

They were closer to picking Cooley than Wright. Don't think the guys close to the Habs discussing Catton would be doing that if they thought there's 0 chance.

I also disagree there's 0 chance. He's competitive. He scores in big moments and he's one of the most talented prospects. They liked Will Smith.

That’s just speculation on your part about closer to picking Cooley, there’s no proof of that. And if that was the case, that would have been 100% due to Wright’s attitude than anything. Will Smith is just because Hughes has known him for forever and they likely wanted one of the top 4 forwards if one dropped.

There’s nothing about Catton that they value. Undersized, doesn’t contribute defensively. Bobrov has never taken such a player in the 1st round in his career. Unless you count Nils Lundkvist who was 28th overall.

 

[crosbyshow]

That’s just speculation on your part about closer to picking Cooley, there’s no proof of that. And if that was the case, that would have been 100% due to Wright’s attitude than anything. Will Smith is just because Hughes has known him for forever and they likely wanted one of the top 4 forwards if one dropped.

There’s nothing about Catton that they value. Undersized, doesn’t contribute defensively.

Undersized....he is 5.11 ....it's not Theoren Fleury...

Ah this famous inch...more psychologic than anything.

The dude. has maybe a better reach than a 6.1 player..and the reach is more important than height.

The 6.0 barr is purely psychologic with hockey fan...:

We never hear somebody saying that a team should draft a 6.5 player instead of a 6.3...

But we hear everybody saying that we should draft a 6.0 instead of a 5.10...so dumb...

Half of the best players in Nhl history are and were undersize..

 

[le_sean]

Undersized....he is 5.11 ....it's not Theoren Fleury...

Ah this famous inch...more psychologic than anything.

The dude. has maybe a better reach than a 6.1 player..and the reach is more important than height.

The 6.0 barr is purely psychologic with hockey fan...:

We never hear somebody saying that a team should draft a 6.5 player instead of a 6.3...

But we hear everybody saying that we should draft a 6.0 instead of a 5.10...so dumb...

Half of the best players in Nhl history are and were undersize..

It’s undersized for a Bobrov pick is what I’m saying. But yeah, he also weighs like 165lbs which is massively undersized. We aren’t talking stalky like Suzuki.

 

[crosbyshow]

It’s undersized for a Bobrov pick is what I’m saying. But yeah, he also weighs like 165lbs which is massively undersized. We aren’t talking stalky like Suzuki.

He is at 170 pounds and you know too well that he will end up between 180 and 190 pounds and it's perfectly fine.

Iq and vision is 100x more important than Size.

The best player in history was at 170 pounds but he was starter than anybody else....

 

[le_sean]

He is at 170 pounds and you know too well that he will end up between 180 and 190 pounds and it's perfectly fine.

Iq and vision is 100x more important than Size.

The best player in history was at 170 pounds but he was starter than anybody else....

I don’t know why you’re trying to convince me? I didn’t say I personally don’t want him, I’m saying the Habs will not take him. You don’t have to like it, but it’s not my fault. And Catton isn’t Gretzky.

 

[TheBuriedHab]

Maybe they take Catton if they really think he's the next Brayden Point but I still don't see it.

Also where is Catton going to play on this team? He's either going to be our 3c behind Suzuki and Dach or he's going to be the 3rd undersized winger in our top 6.
Doesn't seem like what Gorton wants this team to be.

 

[crosbyshow]

I don’t know why you’re trying to convince me? I didn’t say I personally don’t want him, I’m saying the Habs will not take him. You don’t have to like it, but it’s not my fault. And Catton isn’t Gretzky.

We will see. In my view ..it is not because they chose the 6.4 Slaf instead of the 5.10 Cooley that they will not draft a 5.11 player this Summer.

But this question could be ask in June cause that we should draft 5 to 8 and Catton will likely be draft right there

 

[le_sean]

We will see. In my view ..it is not because they chose the 6.4 Slaf instead of the 5.10 Cooley that they will not draft a 5.11 player this Summer.

But this question could be ask in June cause that we should draft 5 to 8 and Catton will likely be draft right there

You’re talking one pick. There’s also Reinbacher, Laf, Kakko, Chytil, Kravtsov, Andersson. All big guys. It’s not some weird coincidence.

 

[crosbyshow]

Maybe they take Catton if they really think he's the next Brayden Point but I still don't see it.

Also where is Catton going to play on this team? He's either going to be our 3c behind Suzuki and Dach or he's going to be the 3rd undersized winger in our top 6.
Doesn't seem like what Gorton wants this team to be.

They can trade Newhook in the futur....cause Catton will be a better than him..hands down.

Anthony..half.of the last 8 Stanley Cup winners had plenty of undersize players in their top 9..so personnaly I don't care...I want talent not size

 

[Hins77]

Don’t think it’s even worth discussing Catton in here. His profile doesn’t fit whatsoever with what Bobrov and Hughes want in a player, especially Top 10 pick. Habs are way more likely to take Iginla or MBN over him.

Unidimensionnal player is are not the kind of player I would target too. I mean, on a top 6. Maximum 2 players should be. Caufield is already the one. I like Caufield, but only his shoot is elite. Guys with size like Lindstrom will produce and bring physical presence on the same time. Way more useful

 

[crosbyshow]

You’re talking one pick. There’s also Reinbacher, Laf, Kakko, Chytil, Kravtsov, Andersson. All big guys. It’s not some weird coincidence.

...and he missed the target a lot.....poor choices


Martin St Louis said it best few years ago..and he should say it to Bobrov:

Scouts goes to see an undersize player like him until he plays a bad game and goes to see big tall dumb players until they play a good one....

 

[crosbyshow]

Unidimensionnal player is are not the kind of player I would target too. I mean, on a top 6. Maximum 2 players should be. Caufield is already the one. I like Caufield, but only his shoot is elite. Guys with size like Lindstrom will produce and bring physical presence on the same time. Way more useful

It is not because you are undersize that you are a one trick pony..look at MSL, Fleury, Naslund etc....and some big tall players are one trick pony either like Armia who was a first pick

 

[SwiftyHab]

I really like Dickinson......There, I said it.

first off. That takes courage to come right out and admit to that.

Secondly, not sure I can handle having
Tuch Mysak And Dickie playing on the same line

 

[Hins77]

It is not because you are undersize that you are a one trick pony..look at MSL, Fleury, Naslund etc....and some big tall players are one trick pony either like Armia who was a first pick

I would be be curious to know the % of success on bigger players vs smaller guys. In my opinion, the moment a player is undersized, he has a worse %. This is not a coincidence that all the top scorer in the AHL are sub 6 ft

 

[JeffreyLFC]

Unidimensionnal player is are not the kind of player I would target too. I mean, on a top 6. Maximum 2 players should be. Caufield is already the one. I like Caufield, but only his shoot is elite. Guys with size like Lindstrom will produce and bring physical presence on the same time. Way more useful

There is nothing that I hate more in hockey discussion than people talking about size over talent. This is such an insult to all the current star players who are considered 'small' thriving in the NHL who also happen to be the best offensive players in the NHL. Size is useless without talent and in the case of Catton he is not even small FFS. He is very normal sized for his age, even larger than top NHL players when they were drafted. I swear reading everybody praising size and add the like of Bobrov bust/failures who went for larger sized players over more talented but smaller sized players is even more mind boggling. It's not because Bobrov and other continue over drafting larger sized player with little talent that it is a way to continue that trend.

It's seem like people think Caufield is the ONLY exception... 1 per team, this is the recipe for disaster. If you can draft 10 x Caufield over the like of 10x McCarron you do it every single time. I know, bla, bla, bla, playoff/teambuilding. Your job is to get the best player if you have more talented players you will always succeed over drafting the large sized players. If you need to traded some of them you do it, just like we could probably find a taker for Lane Hutson or Cole Caufield right now.

Finally, I want to point out, go look at all current top NHL too player size/weight when they were drafted you would have them as no draft based on some stupidity I read here sometime.

 

[crosbyshow]

I would be be curious to know the % of success on bigger players vs smaller guys. In my opinion, the moment a player is undersized, he has a worse %. This is not a coincidence that all the top scorer in the AHL are sub 6 ft

Good question. About 10 years ago..I looked at the top 30 scorers at the end of the season and 14 of them were less that 6.0.

Look in history and a lot of the best in history were considered as undersize:

Rocket
Gretzky
Sakic
Yzerman
Crosby
Kane
Bedard
Dionne
Trotter
ETC..

 

[Mrb1p]

Yeah, but this is one of the worst seasons for goaltending & D that I've seen in WHL in a long time. If you're not getting at least 1.5 pts per game you probably suck. Pretty much all the top players are at 2 pts per game or higher. It's 80s hockey. That goes for all WHLers not just Catton.

Goaltending is absolute trash most nights even for junior hockey, and there's no stud Ds.

OHL is far & away the best junior league right now.

I think you underrate the Q. At least defensively and goaltending wise.

Offense may be better in the O.

But yes, the WHL is horrible defensively lol

 

[crosbyshow]

There is nothing that I hate more in hockey discussion than people talking about size over talent. This is such an insult to all the current star players who are considered 'small' thriving in the NHL who also happen to be the best offensive players in the NHL. Size is useless without talent and in the case of Catton he is not even small FFS. He is very normal sized for his age, even larger than top NHL players when they were drafted. I swear reading everybody praising size and add the like of Bobrov bust/failures who went for larger sized players over more talented but smaller sized players is even more mind boggling. It's not because Bobrov and other continue over drafting larger sized player with little talent that it is a way to continue that trend.

It's seem like people think Caufield is the ONLY exception... 1 per team, this is the recipe for disaster. If you can draft 10 x Caufield over the like of 10x McCarron you do it every single time. I know, bla, bla, bla, playoff/teambuilding. Your job is to get the best player if you have more talented players you will always succeed over drafting the large sized players. If you need to traded some of them you do it, just like we could probably find a taker for Lane Hutson or Cole Caufield right now.

Finally, I want to point out, go look at all current top NHL too player size/weight when they were drafted you would have them as no draft based on some stupidity I read here sometime.

I personnaly know a scout that you guys know.

I asked him one day...: give me a real hockey argument that why would you prefer a 6.0 player than a 5.10 one...then as the second part of.my question I told him : when there is a 6.3 and 6.5 players why you don't prefer one over the other?

He had no answer for.me.....

 

[JeffreyLFC]

I personnaly know a scout that you guys know.

I asked him one day...: give me a real hockey argument that why would you prefer a 6.0 player than a 5.10 one...then as the second part of.my question I told him : when there is a 6.3 and 6.5 players why you don't prefer one over the other?

He had no answer for.me.....

The only real position that I would consider size as a deciding factor is for goaltender. You don't see a lot of good 5'9 and under goaltender anymore. Still if the guy is 5'8 and the best goaltender ever, I don't care, bring him in.

 

[crosbyshow]

The only real position that I would consider size as a deciding factor is for goaltender. You don't see a lot of good 5'9 and under goaltender anymore. Still if the guy is 5'8 and the best goaltender ever, I don't care, bring him in.

Completely agree with you and you can proove it with real hockey argument that a small goaltender don't cover the net as good as a big tall one.

On the other hand...I am 48 years old..we are in 2024 and still not a single one person said a real hockey argument why a 6.0 forward should be draft before a 5.10 one.

It is only psychologic and everybody fall in that trap again...unbelievable

 

[Hins77]

Good question. About 10 years ago..I looked at the top 30 scorers at the end of the season and 14 of them were less that 6.0.

Look in history and a lot of the best in history were considered as undersize:

Rocket
Gretzky
Sakic
Yzerman
Crosby
Kane
Bedard
Dionne
Trotter
ETC..

I don’t care about your hall of famers. And by, the way, when Gretzky was playing people in general were smaller.
Then, I want montreal to pick a first liner. Lets see all those first line around our division from daily faceoff :

Toronto: knies 6ft 3, matthews 6 ft 3, marner 6 ft
Ottawa : giroux 5ft 11, stutzle 6ft, Batherson 6ft 3
Buffalo : greenway 6ft 6, thompson 6 ft 6, Tuch 6 ft 4
Boston : Marchand 5ft 9, Coyle 6 ft 3, pastrnak 6 ft
Tampa : Hagel 6ft2, point 5 ft 9, Kucherov 5 ft 11
Florida : verhage 6ft 2, Barkov 6ft 3, reinhart 6 ft 2

4 players on 18 are under 6 ft. Then, as poster you come to me and say : size has no importance! Thats just not true. you want first liner? Get size.

 

[BergevinBurner]

I don’t care about your hall of famers. And by, the way, when Gretzky was playing people in general were smaller.
Then, I want montreal to pick a first liner. Lets see all those first line around our division from daily faceoff :

Toronto: knies 6ft 3, matthews 6 ft 3, marner 6 ft
Ottawa : giroux 5ft 11, stutzle 6ft, Batherson 6ft 3
Buffalo : greenway 6ft 6, thompson 6 ft 6, Tuch 6 ft 4
Boston : Marchand 5ft 9, Coyle 6 ft 3, pastrnak 6 ft
Tampa : Hagel 6ft2, point 5 ft 9, Kucherov 5 ft 11
Florida : verhage 6ft 2, Barkov 6ft 3, reinhart 6 ft 2

4 players on 18 are under 6 ft. Then, as poster you come to me and say : size has no importance! Thats just not true. you want first liner? Get size.

The best player out of all of them is under 6 foot though

We need more 5'11 wingers ASAP!

 

[Hins77]

The best player out of all of them is under 6 foot though

We need more 5'11 wingers ASAP!

I don’t have any problem to select a Marchand, brayden point with a 3rd round pick or Kucherov with a 2nd round. To pick a 5ft10 boy on thop top 10.. I certainly disagree, unless he has Connor Bedard pedigree.