HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Hins77]

Damn those are Nic Petan numbers. Watch out everyone.

Petan is 5 ft 9. Catton 5 ft 11. Probably petan was 5 ft 8 back at the draft. 3 inches are important even if they are considered as small players. If there is a difference between 6 ft 3 and 6 ft, there is one at 5 ft 11 vs 5 ft 8.
Honestly, I would be happy to draft one of iginla, catton, lindstrom to be fair. I know im BPA, but there is plenty of good forward to find something valuable. Our pipeline and even the roster lack of production big time.

 

[McGees]

I like Catton but it’s his thickness I’m more concerned about than his height.
He’ll likely end up a Newhook but he ain’t gonna be a thick Nick.

 

[Hins77]

I kinda agree I’m always worried when a player has so much more goal than he does have assists, kind of a red flag. But I don’t see how the skating or the injury / hand surgery (unless there is something else) is a issue.

I think the opposite. When a player has a higher number of goals vs assist, it’s telling me that guy is able to score, the most difficult thing to do in the NHL. Instead, sometime some players have a really high number of assist, but most of the time, those guys are playing on a Ridiculous powerfull team, then any assist are easier to get.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

I'd take Catton just to gain the zone on the powerplay more often

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I like Catton but it’s his thickness I’m more concerned about than his height.
He’ll likely end up a Newhook but he ain’t gonna be a thick Nick.

Newhook is also quite thick, especially lower body.

I think the opposite. When a player has a higher number of goals vs assist, it’s telling me that guy is able to score, the most difficult thing to do in the NHL. Instead, sometime some players have a really high number of assist, but most of the time, those guys are playing on a Ridiculous powerfull team, then any assist are easier to get.

We should be careful about making any proclamations that are solely based on stats.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Petan is 5 ft 9. Catton 5 ft 11. Probably petan was 5 ft 8 back at the draft. 3 inches are important even if they are considered as small players. If there is a difference between 6 ft 3 and 6 ft, there is one at 5 ft 11 vs 5 ft 8.
Honestly, I would be happy to draft one of iginla, catton, lindstrom to be fair. I know im BPA, but there is plenty of good forward to find something valuable. Our pipeline and even the roster lack of production big time.

We should wait for the combine before making too many projections based on their current listed height and weight.

 

[DiglettDangles]

My thoughts in exec summary formats for you bunch of elite scouts:

• Helenius production: I don't think there is any correlation between Liiga production and stardom since Barkov 10 years ago, so that argument is to be taken with a grain of salt. Heck, even talking floor... I keep thinking even if he has a high floor, he's the likeliest pick of the top 10 to be considered a bust/just-ok guy in 6 years.
• Lindstrom assist ratio: MTL can use him as a shooting winger and transition him to C if/when Dach breaks down. Anyone has seen him enough to know if he's good along the boards? Far more worried about his health at 17yo than the number of assists.
• Catton, Eiserman: Arguments here are getting annoyingly circular.
• Iginla: If we draft him expecting him to be an absolute beast on the 2nd line, the probability he meets those expectations is probably high enough. Is the 6th or 7th pick too high for such a role tho? I think I would but kinda by default (lack of love for the rest of the field). But then again, if Lindstrom and him were both 6'2", I think a good amount would pick Iginla without thinking twice, so that tells a lot. And it's not crazy to think Iginla may reach that since he's one of the youngest.
• Trading D prospects: It's not as easy as some people here seem to think. Even if they technically have more value at maturity, it takes longer to reach it and there are fewer spots to showcase them in a highly competitive environment. The lack of exposure could affect our prospects' value if it gets even more crowded. I'm not sure we get an exciting top 6 forward with whatever D prospects get bumped down the depth chart. And I'm neither in the business of repeating the McDonagh/Sergachev fiascos, nor fishing in the reclamation project pool at this point.

 

[Playmaker09]

Newhook is also quite thick, especially lower body.



We should be careful about making any proclamations that are solely based on stats.

Catton pound-for-pound has much better balance than Newhook. If he can add 20 lbs it's going to be a very effective 20 lbs.

Newhook was already 190lbs at the combine and is the same now.

 

[Kaiden Ghoul]

6 goals in 4 games for Tij

 

[SOLR]

Catton pound-for-pound has much better balance than Newhook. If he can add 20 lbs it's going to be a very effective 20 lbs.

Newhook was already 190lbs at the combine and is the same now.

Catton isn't gaining 20 lbs. 10 lbs would be a big achievement and will require significant protein feeding.

 

[Playmaker09]

Catton isn't gaining 20 lbs. 10 lbs would be a big achievement and will require significant protein feeding.

Many players routinely add 20-30 lbs in the 3-4 years post draft.

Why would Catton not be capable of 180-185 lbs with a 5'11 frame?

Keller, who's a pretty common comparable, was 5'10 163 at the combine and is now 179.
Point was 5’9.75 160 and is now 183.
Kucherov's 5'11 183 now, can't find the combine data for 2011 but different scouting reports had him in the 163-171 range.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I see we've reached the point of the draft cycle where opinions are so entrenched that there's no give in any of em.

Have fun boys.

 

[morhilane]

He has one more year left on his contract. He'll probably be playing with SKA in the KHL next season.

Since they are apparently playing him in the MHL because he's refusing to extend, if he plays in the KHL next season, it's going to be as an extra player/very low minutes.

 

[G0bias]

Since they are apparently playing him in the MHL because he's refusing to extend, if he plays in the KHL next season, it's going to be as an extra player/very low minutes.

There is the possibility of getting loaned to another team like Michkov. Albeit slim

 

[SOLR]

Many players routinely add 20-30 lbs in the 3-4 years post draft.

Why would Catton not be capable of 180-185 lbs with a 5'11 frame?

Keller, who's a pretty common comparable, was 5'10 163 at the combine and is now 179.
Point was 5’9.75 160 and is now 183.
Kucherov's 5'11 183 now, can't find the combine data for 2011 but different scouting reports had him in the 163-171 range.

Because not all humans have the same ability to gain weight given their skeleton type.
Catton is a small built. You can't just name names and compare them given their height, doesn't work.

Keller is pretty tick naturally in the lower part of his body, same with Point.
Kucherov had big bones for his size, Russians can nearly all add 20-30 pounds.

Catton is a small bones, Leblanc style.

Plus something to know here:
Combine weight tends to be playing weight, or a bit more.
When you say Keller is 179, that's his training camp weight (or summer weight), he's probably 172-174 at this point in the season (in March). Catton will show 15-20 pounds from summer weight as well. I think he'll gain 10 lbs of playing weight in the next 5-7 years. He might ultimately add a few more.

 

[The Last Red]

BTW, according to NHL Central Scouting, Catton is 5’10”. Not sure where this 5’11” stuff is coming from. So he’s short and thin. Sounds like a winning combo for an NHL player. Not really.

 

[morhilane]

BTW, according to NHL Central Scouting, Catton is 5’10”. Not sure where this 5’11” stuff is coming from. So he’s short and thin. Sounds like a winning combo for an NHL player. Not really.

We won't have the real numbers until the Combine, before that it's all mostly coming from the player's agent...and they like to lie about it.

 

[waitin425]

Draft is such a long way away....ughhhhh......Going to be a lot of arguing in here from now until then. We are going to win the lottery anyway....Start arguing about who to take with Jets pick.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

BTW, according to NHL Central Scouting, Catton is 5’10”. Not sure where this 5’11” stuff is coming from. So he’s short and thin. Sounds like a winning combo for an NHL player. Not really.

TBH, to my eye at least, seeing him stand next to the other players, even 5ft10 and 170 might be padding it a little bit He's definitely not a big kid. Size isn't what he brings to the table though, so this shouldn't be all that relevent to whether you want to draft him or not. Power is never going to be his thing.

 

[The Last Red]

TBH, to my eye at least, seeing him stand next to the other players, even 5ft10 and 170 might be padding it a little bit He's definitely not a big kid. Size isn't what he brings to the table though, so this shouldn't be all that relevent to whether you want to draft him or not. Power is never going to be his thing.

His size is relevant, like it is in most sports played by males.

 

[Adam Michaels]

For what it's worth, Pierre McGuire and Craig Button on the Sick Podcast both said if they were Habs, their pick should be Cole Eiserman if he is still on the board.

Button mentioned that his stock is dropping and he doesn't know why. But Eiserman is on pace to challenge Caufield's goal scoring record for the USNDTP.

Caufield had a total of 179 goals, Eiserman is on pace for 176. So Eiserman is the top goal scorer this draft. He's committed to go to BU next year. And if Celebrini does what Owen Power did, meaning fo back to the NCAA after being 1st overall, then Eiserman can have Celebrini feeding him at BU.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Confirmed that the Habs have already met and interviewed Tij Iginla, Berkly Catton and Zayne Parekh

By who ?

 

[DiglettDangles]

Button mentioned that his stock is dropping and he doesn't know why.

Hahaha classic Button!

 

[Adam Michaels]

By who ?

Steph Gonzalez had mentioned on BPM Sports radio the other day that he got the info that Habs met Iginla 4 times.



Anthony Matineau mentioned that Habs met both Parekh and Catton twice. Once in person and once over Zoom. He also reported that Habs haven't met Eiserman yet. They've only had him fill out a questionnaire for them.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I think the opposite. When a player has a higher number of goals vs assist, it’s telling me that guy is able to score, the most difficult thing to do in the NHL. Instead, sometime some players have a really high number of assist, but most of the time, those guys are playing on a Ridiculous powerfull team, then any assist are easier to get.

Completely agree. (In general) If it’s going to be an imbalance I’d definitely favour the goal side.