HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[SlafySZN]

I love this kid's swagger.

He looked great tonight. Wanted to make a difference. I bet the habs likes him but he’s not quite in the range of where they draft, both picks.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

He looked great tonight. Wanted to make a difference

That entire line was beasting in the 3rd period.

Sennecke-Ritchie-Roobroek were absolutely dominant every time they were on the ice.

 

[Shutdown]

Point being that it's somewhat odd to be so morally preachy while carrying the name of someone who has accomplished far more morally dubious acts than this kid has come close to. And what you're telling me is that your moral indignation does not extend back in time as long as officers of the law weren't particularly keen on stopping something at the time? I can think of a few things in the 70s that weren't a big deal that kinda are today.



I never said I wanted them to draft him. I'm making fun of you for pretending to be offended because it's clear that it's an act. Or do you think Larry David is a jew hater who enjoys making children draw swastikas?




All I'm saying is it's a weird look for a bunch of grown men to be wringing their hands over the reports of some kid being a bit of a teenage edge lord. If the habs interview him and he goes full yakupov or worse, and it's clear he's got some issues, avoid him. Fine. No problemo. It's that there's so much certainty in people who know nothing that's so funny to me.

Maybe he becomes an axe murderer though, IDK.

they're drafting a hockey player, not staffing a writer's room for a sitcom - what a ridiculous comparison man

 

[Goldenhands]

@Goldenhands So far at this point in the season, what’s your top 5 players for the Habs?

I keep watching Helenius and just feel he is exactly what the organization and management love in a player.

Only defenseman I would personally considere is Silayev.

As for the fowards, I have:

Celebrini
Demidov
Helenius
Lindstrom
Iginla

Im a bit worried about Lindstrom injuries, the reason Ive swapped him for Helenius, but I would be very happy with both. Iginla is a good pick as well.

 

[overlords]

they're drafting a hockey player, not staffing a writer's room for a sitcom - what a ridiculous comparison man

What a ridiculous post.

The idea isn't that we're hiring a staff writer. We're also not drafting a 13, 14, 15, or 16 year old, for the record. The idea is that a joke about a swastika or a nazi doesn't make you a bad person, racist, or anything close. It's so intellectually lazy that it's a bore to even argue against.

 

[overlords]

Boisvert would pick him with the Habs pick, he has him top 5 I believe.

He is likely a no draft for the Habs, it would go against the culture they are trying to build. The bullying kid that Boston GM acquired from Arizona didnt last long in their organisation, the vets in the looker room didnt want anything to do with a such humain being.

Well that's too rich for my blood. I haven't even advocated using the winnipeg pick on him.

I assume the habs will steer clear. Though I'd feel better if they at least put in the effort to interview him and give him a chance to answer for himself. Doesn't seem like much harm could come from it.

 

[Goldenhands]

Is it me or CHL live crashed?

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

No way he falls that far.

That kid has 1st pair 25 mins/game D written all over him.

Overanalyzing players in their draft year is the only reason Dickinson would fall out of the top 5, let alone top 10.

He is a stud.

If teams in the top 10 are dumb enough to let him slide, team at #11 will get MANY calls.

McKenzie had him at #7 after many proclaimed him easy top-5 all season.

Dickinson will fall IMO

There's 5 D and probably 5-7 F that could go over him.

Levshunov, Buium, Parekh, Silayev, Yakemchuk (especially if Calgary picks 8-10)

These guys all have a standout trait either offensively or physical attributes.

Celebrini, Demidov, Eiserman, Lindstrom, Iginla, Catton, or Helenius could all go higher as well.

All together it's a really solid top-13, and that's without adding in some of the late risers

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Is it me or CHL live crashed?

It's crashed.

 

[Locks]

Helenius is the type of player you don't notice because he does everything well and has elite IQ, Aho was like that in his draft year and Suzuki's playstyle is similar. Of course they're all different players but the foundation is similar.

That said a lot of these type of players also fall flat on their face in the NHL (and become bottom 6ers) if their tools aren't high enough, IQ can only carry you so much. It provides safety when you're drafting but it could also be a big trap (by drafting a player who ends up becoming a vanilla midd/bottom 6er too high), you really gotta be sure on the tools with these type of players (assuming you're using a high pick on them).

So we could talk about Suzuki/Aho as comparables from their draft year IQ-wise but those guys also have a bunch of elite tools that allow them to exploit their IQ. In this draft a safe range for Helenius is around 10-15 but a team could easily fall in love with him and pick him much higher. Personally i really like Helenius but there's a bunch of other really really good players in our draft range.. it would be much simpler if we had another top 15 pick

I agree with your points even though I am probably less of a fan of Konsta than you are. After watching him quite a bit at the WJC, I would take one of the dmen if no other good F options are there. I also think that he should be ranked outside of the top 10. In fact, I liked what Buium and MBN showed at the WJC much more than Helenius.
Yes, he looks like a sure-fire NHL player but his lack of elite tools can significantly limit his upside. I will be very surprised, even shocked if he is the pick considering the options.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Gallagher is an asshole, so was Chelios and so was Roy. But as far as I know, they weren’t sending out pictures of themselves with Nazi flags thinking it was funny. They didn’t get booted from one team to another for being toxic.

Again, nobody expects a saint. You’re right all of those players (and all of us) have things we’re not proud of in their teenage years. But this was a chronic problem whereby he has always run into some form of controversy or another.

Why the hell would we want to introduce this drama into our dressing room.

All of what we’re writing here is based on the Athletic article being accurate. We will have to rely on our scouts to do their homework. If they determine this is all overblown, then it’s a different story.

For the purposes of this discussion now though, I’m assuming what we’ve read is accurate.

Imagine introducing this kid into your club with guys like Suzuki and Struble. What would be going on in their heads as you draft a guy who’s posing with a Nazi flag and multiple allegations of racism? Why introduce this shit into a young team that seems to get along so well?

Let him go somewhere else.

What about when Caufield took a pic with his boys and he was holding scrabble letters in his hand that spelled out a homophobic slur?

bos & pvd

i’ve known this for months…

www.tumblr.com

I'm not drafting Connelly unless he nails his interview and you talk to his teammates, still don't see the headache being worth it, but I doubt the team that drafts him will be given the Mitch Miller treatment

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I agree with your points even though I am probably less of a fan of Konsta than you are. After watching him quite a bit at the WJC, I would take one of the dmen if no other good F options are there. I also think that he should be ranked outside of the top 10. In fact, I liked what Buium and MBN showed at the WJC much more than Helenius.
Yes, he looks like a sure-fire NHL player but his lack of elite tools can significantly limit his upside. I will be very surprised, even shocked if he is the pick considering the options.

Helenius profiles almost exactly the same as Nick Suzuki did in his draft year. His skills are being greatly underrated due to him playing a strong pro game and not hot dogging against kids like all of the other top scoring prospects. I am not saying that he will definitely be another Suzuki but the narrative of him not having anything special about him is ridiculous as IQ is the single most important trait and I don't know that any player in this draft rates higher in that regard. His physical skills/traits are all at least above average other than size but he is a warrior and loves to hit and go to the dirty areas. It is important to note that we can definitely put a floor on his skill level as at least above average but his ceiling may be significantly higher than some people are claiming as he just isn't in a situation where he should be trying high light reel plays.

I think he is very intriguing and I believe that he is better than what these public lists are reflecting.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Well that's too rich for my blood. I haven't even advocated using the winnipeg pick on him.

I assume the habs will steer clear. Though I'd feel better if they at least put in the effort to interview him and give him a chance to answer for himself. Doesn't seem like much harm could come from it.

His problems go far beyond the Nazi issue which I agree with you is garnering more attention than it is probably worth as most North American hockey kids are entirely clueless about the world, politics, history culture etc. The swastika was possibly nothing more than a naughty video game symbol in his empty little brain. Something he knew was bad but just had no ability to grasp the enormity, brutality and inhumanity of the holocaust. He may or may not be racist but I am not sure how much this partiucular incident provides any substantial insight into the mind of a kid who is mostly obsessed with just being a d*ck and getting a reaction.

That issue may very well be enough for the Habs who are held to a higher standard but there is a thick file on his past behaviour as a teammate and I am positive that Hughes knows a lot about these circumstances and I would be surprised if he wasn't a strict ND for Hughes. Connelly sounds like a world class idiot and that is not a crime and he may already be making better decisions and growing up but Hughes has demonstrated the importance that he puts on character and and even in an inteview there is too much damage to be overturned in such a short window.This kid just has too many flags imo for the Montreal Canadiens to not just want him on the team but to even remotely consider using a premium asset on acquiring him.

 

[Locks]

Helenius profiles almost exactly the same as Nick Suzuki did in his draft year. His skills are being greatly underrated due to him playing a strong pro game and not hot dogging against kids like all of the other top scoring prospects. I am not saying that he will definitely be another Suzuki but the narrative of him not having anything special about him is ridiculous as IQ is the single most important trait and I don't know that any player in this draft rates higher in that regard. His physical skills/traits are all at least above average other than size but he is a warrior and loves to hit and go to the dirty areas. It is important to note that we can definitely put a floor on his skill level as at least above average but his ceiling may be significantly higher than some people are claiming as he just isn't in a situation where he should be trying high light reel plays.

I think he is very intriguing and I believe that he is better than what these public lists are reflecting.

I did not see him playing against the pros in Liga but saw him against junior players at the WJC albeit a year or two his senior. But I would've loved him to flash some tools you expect from such a potential high pick but he did not while Buium and MBN did.

I can't compare him to Suzuki at this age as I only saw Nick for the first time when he came to the Habs camp post-trade. I don't doubt that he is a warrior who goes to dirty areas but, again, I want to see the high-end tools because other guys do show them. Yes, his ceiling maybe be higher but I'd rather take a guy whose high ceiling is more of a certainty due to their demonstrated tools.

 

[Goldenhands]

I did not see him playing against the pros in Liga but saw him against junior players at the WJC albeit a year or two his senior. But I would've loved him to flash some tools you expect from such a potential high pick but he did not while Buium and MBN did.

I can't compare him to Suzuki at this age as I only saw Nick for the first time when he came to the Habs camp post-trade. I don't doubt that he is a warrior who goes to dirty areas but, again, I want to see the high-end tools because other guys do show them. Yes, his ceiling maybe be higher but I'd rather take a guy whose high ceiling is more of a certainty due to their demonstrated tools.

His WJC was underwhelming, but he got better as the tournament went on, he really reached another level after the tournament where he shone in league play. Note that WJC isnt a 17 old tournament, none of Lindstrom, Catton, Eiserman were there and Helenius was one of the youngest players out there. Kid is making his way to the WC, which is on another level.

 

[SOLR]

Beckett the hockey card guide should pay him royalties

My mock draft pick <3

 

[Mrb1p]

Your namesake was a habitual drunk driver.

Evolution of what is and should he accepted is normal. Not sure why you're so bent over defending a kid that messed up several times (read more than 3.)

 

[Locks]

His WJC was underwhelming, but he got better as the tournament went on, he really reached another level after the tournament where he shone in league play. Note that WJC isnt a 17 old tournament, none of Lindstrom, Catton, Eiserman were there and Helenius was one of the youngest players out there. Kid is making his way to the WC, which is on another level.

Yes, I am well aware of WJC being a 19yo tournament, I did not expect him to be dominant there but what I saw is what posters on this board described him as a very good all-round player who lacked any elite-level tools. I will try to catch his game at WC if he plays, prospects can progress in a significant way throughout the season.

 

[Mrb1p]

Yep, Thats my comparison, I would say Helenius is a better skater than Suzuki was in juniors, he is also more advanced in his development at 17 than Suzu was.

He has nowhere near the shot or the hands Suzuki has. Yes stylistically they play a lot like each other but Suzuki had that 40g shot in his rookie season in the O. He's a special shooter, I don't even think helenius has a top ten shot in this draft.

I do like Helenius though, hes just not Suzuki.

 

[Miller Time]

Forget about winning the lottery now...

Utah will end up picking first, book it

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I did not see him playing against the pros in Liga but saw him against junior players at the WJC albeit a year or two his senior. But I would've loved him to flash some tools you expect from such a potential high pick but he did not while Buium and MBN did.

I can't compare him to Suzuki at this age as I only saw Nick for the first time when he came to the Habs camp post-trade. I don't doubt that he is a warrior who goes to dirty areas but, again, I want to see the high-end tools because other guys do show them. Yes, his ceiling maybe be higher but I'd rather take a guy whose high ceiling is more of a certainty due to their demonstrated tools.

None of these kid's ceilings are remotely a certainty and ceiling is not solely about points as most fans commonly state. Ceiling from an NHL team's perspective is about being a difference maker. Guys like O'Reilly, Kopitar, Bergeron and Stone have reached higher ceilings than many other flashier players who are defensive nightmares and playoff duds.

Who is to say that if Helenius played on a CHL team that pushed him to play more offensively that we wouldn't see an entirely different narrative around him. I suspect that he has already eliminated the pond hockey tactics that the other kids are flashing but will also eventually have to lose.

The WJC is a near meaningless tournament due to it being way too short and kids from different teams have huge advantages and disadvantages depending on who they are playing with and against. I love watching it but have learned my lesson from trying to draw any meaningful conclusions other than from truly dominant performances that do not appear to be dependant in any way on outliers and luck.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Forget about winning the lottery now...

Utah will end up picking first, book it

Why would they rig the lottery for Utah when they had a chance to rig it for Arizona to get Matthew's and didn't?

 

[Miller Time]

Why would they rig the lottery for Utah when they had a chance to rig it for Arizona to get Matthew's and didn't?

Should've added the sarcasm emoji, my bad

 

[le_sean]

I love this kid's swagger.

I’d have swagger too if I was a teenager that grew a foot taller in a year

 

[Goldenhands]

He has nowhere near the shot or the hands Suzuki has. Yes stylistically they play a lot like each other but Suzuki had that 40g shot in his rookie season in the O. He's a special shooter, I don't even think helenius has a top ten shot in this draft.

I do like Helenius though, hes just not Suzuki.

Take a look at Suzuki's wrister at the begin of the video



Take a look at Helenius' wrister at the 0:35 sec mark. Same motion, same distance.