HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Jack Skellington]

Been trying to watch more full game footage of Sennecke, Catton, Lindstrom, Iginla. I actually think I prefer Sennecke to the rest. Some of his passing and handling habits remind me a bit of Smith last year in a much larger frame. (Not saying he does them at the same level). He has some very unique movements that I’m not sure I’ve even seen before. I know this is scary after the Kotkaniemi saga but if he can actually improve his balance and add some mass he could be very special. Also watched a full game of Dach in his draft year and I think they compare quite well. Dach was obviously a lot sturdier, not having such a growth spurt, but Sennecke has a bit more flash and stick skills. I was surprised at his work rate and defensive skill. A bit of nastiness too. I don’t think he’s Jason Spezza but I wouldn’t want to put a ceiling on him either.

I like all four players but I found Lindstrom a bit too pedestrian a lot of the time, waiting for others too much. Especially in the 2 games I saw after returning from injury, so won’t hold that against him. I do think his passing and puck management is a bit underrated on here though. He’s also very shifty and agile for his size. Good at getting open at the right time for scoring chances. I would definitely find it hard to pass on him if he was there at 5 just because his physical package is so rare. I feel a lot more confident in our current dev team to mold him than I would have in the Bergevin era. I also really really liked his interviews and attitude, I think Habs brass will as well. He seems like an awesome kid.

Iginla is a workhorse but his puck management and offensive decision making sometimes strike me as more 2nd liner or very good third wheel on a top line. The fact that he’s so young and obviously with the genetics and upbringing who knows how high his potential could be, he’s improving rapidly. His footwork and edges are elite and I really like his shot.

Cattons IQ is extremely high and the puck is constantly following him and leading to scoring chances even when he’s just making routine plays, similar to Kucherov. My eyes might be deceiving me but I find his skating underwhelming. I don’t think it’s bad or anything but I don’t think it’s like Cooley level, which at his size I would want in the top 5 picks. I think if he becomes a Brayden Point type of player there’s gonna be a lot of revisionist history about the teams that passed on him but I don’t see too many people clamouring for us to take him at 5. I think there’s a pretty good chance he’s more productive than the guy we take at 5 but we do have to worry about roster composition at this point.

Just my .02

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

We’re taking a forward. The whole story of this draft beyond Celebrini is there is no consensus. Teams are going to take the guys who check the boxes for them, it’ll be a very needs based draft picks 2-12. For us that’s going to be a forward with size. We will take the top one on our board.

 

[Jack Skellington]

I think I might get in on the passive aggressive and rudimentary sarcastic comments and start seething because someone else has a different online hockey opinion than me like this other guy. Seems like it could be pretty constructive . Oh wait, I forgot I’m an adult who can handle different opinions without acting like a middle schooler . Too bad.

There’s a lot of bickering back and forth, and making silly passive aggressive fanboy remarks whenever someone questions anything about the player people have selected as ‘their guy’. Not a whole lot of discussing actual hockey players playing hockey. I’m sure I’ve done it in the past plenty of times but it really makes these threads hostile and hard to read. It’s like people get attached to some of these players and feel they must protect them.

 

[Andrei79]

I'm sorry but I don't see it whatsoever. Heiskanen has dominated all 3 zones for pretty much his whole career and led his team to the Finals as a 20 year old. I think he's got Guhle beat on pretty much everything.

I see Guhle more as a Hampus Lindholm type player and there is nothing wrong with that.

Hah come on man, you truncated that post. I mention the paragraph before that I think he can be a top pair D, I'm not saying he's a top 5D in the league. I also there are parts of his game, obviously not all of it. A Lindholm type with Guhles speed is fantastic. It's a player that would have parts of his game at Heiskanens level .

 

[Mrb1p]

I'm sorry but I don't see it whatsoever. Heiskanen has dominated all 3 zones for pretty much his whole career and led his team to the Finals as a 20 year old. I think he's got Guhle beat on pretty much everything.

I see Guhle more as a Hampus Lindholm type player and there is nothing wrong with that.

Who's who ?

(A) Year one: 22 points
(B) Year one: 16 points
(A) Year two: 22 points
(B) Year two: 19 points

Well see if Guhle can take the next step, but he's pretty much held up to Heiskanen in production at 5v5.

Year three of Miro for bonus: 13 in 55.
Year four of Miro for bonus: 21 in 70.

The difference between Miro and Kaiden is powerplay time, so far in their development, unless you want to bicker about age, then sure.

The thing is though, we don't need Miro Heiskanen who's to me, the 3rd, 4th or 5th best D in the league. We need one that gets close to that, Guhle will.

 

[Jaynki]

All in for Sennecke at 5.

He feels more raw than the 3 other most popular option (Lindstrom, Tij, Demidov) but i would not be surprised if he ends up the best player of this bunch.

One cannot ignore his skill level, tools, and ultimate upside.

I would be comfortable with all 4 but i know Sennecke at 5 would make people death threat him and the organisation but he has the potential to be a sincere homerun pick.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Draft prospect hockey updated there mock draft simulator with McKenzie and Button list. Here is what I did

5: Tij Iginla
26: Michael Hage
46: Cole Beaudoin
66: Justin Poirier
78: Ben Danford
130: Alexandre Blais
166: Austin Burnevik
198: Justin Gendron
222: Jack Pridham

Beaudoin is very likely in that 22-32 range. He's a late 1st rounder or really early 2nd rounder.

This is a ridiculous draft. Lol

I like Blais and I'm looking for Montreal to take him with one of our 3rd round picks.

 

[Benstheman]

I think we end up with Demigod.

1-Celebrini
2-Silayev
3-Levshunov
4-Dickinson

 

[SlafySZN]

All in for Sennecke at 5.

He feels more raw than the 3 other most popular option (Lindstrom, Tij, Demidov) but i would not be surprised if he ends up the best player of this bunch.

One cannot ignore his skill level, tools, and ultimate upside.

I would be comfortable with all 4 but i know Sennecke at 5 would make people death threat him and the organisation but he has the potential to be a sincere homerun pick.

Demidov is probably their main target but if he goes 2-4 then Sennecke is really in play for the pick.

I think i’d go Lindstrom just because of the package of size, nastiness and skill. Would be very hard to pass on that. But Sennecke has something unique.

 

[Jabba11]

Dickinson is nice but this is a classic case of recency bias

No because Parekh's stock didn't rise because of his recent performance at the Mem Cup. Recency bias is more Exposure bias. People didn't watch a certain amounts of prospects, then when they are seen on a more mainstream platform, then you can see what they are and if they project to be good.

Zeev Buium, tremendous run in NCAA Championship. When it was the NCAA frozen four and Championship, his stock rose like crazy. It's not recency bias, but just exposure that people didn't get to see him. Same with Dickinson. It's an opportunity to showcase themselves.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Interesting tidbit on Basu/Godin

They were talking about the combine and Godin was saying, we don't know enough yet to say oh well they prefer Iginla to Sennecke for example.

Basu misheard Godin as if he said they prefer Iginla to Sennecke and Basu jumped on it and seemed to indicate that the sense he got was it was the other way around and that the small man skill in the big frame is something this front office and scouting staff is very high on.

They also mentioned how important Lindstroms health was to them.

Basu pushed back against the notion Demidov won't be there at 5, too.

Really feels like Demidov-Lindstrom-Sennecke is the order where we are sitting today.

 

[Mrb1p]

No because Parekh's stock didn't rise because of his recent performance at the Mem Cup. Recency bias is more Exposure bias. People didn't watch a certain amounts of prospects, then when they are seen on a more mainstream platform, then you can see what they are and if they project to be good.

Zeev Buium, tremendous run in NCAA Championship. When it was the NCAA frozen four and Championship, his stock rose like crazy. It's not recency bias, but just exposure that people didn't get to see him. Same with Dickinson. It's an opportunity to showcase themselves.

That's just because of the bias Dickinson benefits from.

 

[Hannibal]

Interesting tidbit on Basu/Godin

They were talking about the combine and Godin was saying, we don't know enough yet to say oh well they prefer Iginla to Sennecke for example.

Basu misheard Godin as if he said they prefer Iginla to Sennecke and Basu jumped on it and seemed to indicate that the sense he got was it was the other way around and that the small man skill in the big frame is something this front office and scouting staff is very high on.

They also mentioned how important Lindstroms health was to them.

Basu pushed back against the notion Demidov won't be there at 5, too.

Really feels like Demidov-Lindstrom-Sennecke is the order where we are sitting today.

Sennecke over Iginla… j’ai mon voyage

 

[TCIH]

I think Demidov is taken before 5, so

I want them to take Iginla at 5 and be happy about it.

 

[austin316]

Sennecke over Lindstrom? Yikes

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

Beaudoin is very likely in that 22-32 range. He's a late 1st rounder or really early 2nd rounder.

This is a ridiculous draft. Lol

I like Blais and I'm looking for Montreal to take him with one of our 3rd round picks.

Beaudoin is a beaut but I get Girgensons vibes from him.

Sennecke over Lindstrom? Yikes

Really not that ridiculous an idea. Sennecke is raw and still getting used to his frame, but if you have faith in our development team, he would be an absolute home run swing.

 

[NobleSix]

If Blackhawks take anyone other than Demidov I can see Hughes making a trade with the Ducks to get him if Ducks themselves aren't interested in him.

Unfortunately I think if he's there at 4 the Jackets take him.

 

[crosbyshow]

I just can't see the Hawks passing on Demidov...impossible...no matter how good Dickinson is..

Demidov is thr best passer of this draft just before Catton.. He is a lefty and Bedard is a deadly right hand scorer.

..and Bedard is alone up front right now

Those 2 could be the most dynamic duo in the NHL soon

 

[SlafySZN]

Sennecke over Lindstrom? Yikes

Not sure they said over Lindstrom. Just that the odds goes to Sennecke over a guy like Iginla.

It’s gonna be clearer at the combine i would guess. With Lindstrom doing the physical tests and the teams being sure his back is gonna be alright. Maybe Lindstrom gets drafted before the habs, we don’t know.

 

[The Great Weal]

Hah come on man, you truncated that post. I mention the paragraph before that I think he can be a top pair D, I'm not saying he's a top 5D in the league. I also there are parts of his game, obviously not all of it. A Lindholm type with Guhles speed is fantastic. It's a player that would have parts of his game at Heiskanens level .

I didn't mean to make it seem like you were saying he'll become a top 5 dman in the league. I just don't see a lot of things that Guhle does at Heiskanen's level or trending in that direction. In fact, I'm struggling to find one thing a single thing let alone a lot of things lol. Maybe speed but I still think Heiskanen is and will remain the better skater.

Who's who ?

(A) Year one: 22 points
(B) Year one: 16 points
(A) Year two: 22 points
(B) Year two: 19 points

Well see if Guhle can take the next step, but he's pretty much held up to Heiskanen in production at 5v5.

Year three of Miro for bonus: 13 in 55.
Year four of Miro for bonus: 21 in 70.

Let's do another one.

(A): 16 points in 19 games in the WHL playoffs as someone who turned 20 halfway through the season
(B): 26 points in 27 games in the NHL playoffs as someone who turned 20 before the season started

The difference between Miro and Kaiden is powerplay time, so far in their development, unless you want to bicker about age, then sure.

Well age is definitely a factor, but not as much of a factor as the fact that Heiskanen is significantly more creative offensively.

The thing is though, we don't need Miro Heiskanen who's to me, the 3rd, 4th or 5th best D in the league. We need one that gets close to that, Guhle will.

So you think Guhle will be close to leading this team to the finals with 26 points in 27 games like Heiskanen did at 20 years old? If Guhle even becomes a top 10 dman in the league I'll eat crow forever, but again, if he becomes a Lindholm type there is nothing wrong with that. I don't think he's someone that you really want on the PP either so your 5v5 stats don't really say much to me. Esa Lindell had 8 less EV points than Heiskanen this season. Doesn't mean that he's only marginally worse offensively.

 

[G0bias]

If Blackhawks take anyone other than Demidov I can see Hughes making a trade with the Ducks to get him if Ducks themselves aren't interested in him.

Unfortunately I think if he's there at 4 the Jackets take him.

Hopefully that's an option for them. But i'm not holding my breath.

Ducks would have to be sure of who Columbus would take after Demidov. Maybe they turn to whichever D they're targeting, so no dice.

 

[Runner77]

Is this guy orbiting space? Who ever had any doubt that Dickinson’s game is more complete than Parekh’s?

Who even had Parekh so closely ranked with Dickinson that there needed to be a judgment call made about which of these two players ranked ahead of the other?

https://x.com/i/web/status/1797719483043160335

 

[The Great Weal]

Hopefully that's an option for them. But i'm not holding my breath.

Ducks would have to be sure of who Columbus would take after Demidov. Maybe they turn to whichever D they're targeting, so no dice.

Obviously, I have no clue what their preference is, but they could use any of Dickinson/Levshunov/Silayev and at least one of them is guaranteed to be available to them. Of course they might just like one more than the others and don't want to risk anything. That being said, I doubt we'd even trade up as we would just draft whichever of Demidov/Lindstrom is available to us.

 

[Riggins]

If you click on individual players on Elite Prospects you can see a preview shot of their draft guide and I pieced together how their final rankings came out:

1. Celebrini
2. Demidov
3. Lindstrom
4. Levshunov
5. Parekh
6. Iginla
7. Buium
8. Catton
9. Sennecke
10. Dickinson

Helenius and Silayev just outside the top 10.

I enjoy the free video content they put out but treat any rankings with a massive grain of salt until Bob's final list.

 

[RationalExpectations]

Are you serious? You correct Sean because he says we have more than enough d-men. Your counter-argument is that they have little experience and then you mention a d-man who hasn't played a second of the pro game.

That s my point. You don t know what you have. In the list I sent you, maybe only Reinbacher and Guhle will be top 4 Dmen, Buium / Dickinson make it more likely that you have 3 of them.

Don t draft Buium because you have Harris. Same thing as don t draft Tkachuk because you need centers, who needs Sergachev if you can have a dynamic winger ? Remember 2021 : Habs are set for years at center with KK Suzuki Poehling Danault…