Dickinson might not even be the best left blueliner in the draft….
Again, I get it it’s for Levshunov. But it’s not happening for a LD.
Scott Wheeler just did a scout/players poll too
Here's some excerpts relevant to the topic and our pick.
Wheeler - I settled on this: “Which of the big six D in the class (Artyom Levshunov, Zeev Buium, Zayne Parekh, Sam Dickinson, Anton Silayev and Carter Yakemchuk) do you like the best and least?”
Levshunov received the majority of votes as the best D in the class and Yakemchuk received the majority of votes as the sixth D in the group. But it wasn’t unanimous, with Parekh and Silayev also receiving votes at No. 1, and Dickinson also receiving votes at No. 6. Buium was the only D not to garner a vote in either of the two categories, a testament to the view that while he may not be seen as the top prospect in the group, scouts are high on him.
Scout 5: I only know Parekh and Dickinson best. I’ve seen video on Buium, Levshunov and Yakemchuk. Buium looks well-rounded. Levshunov like his physical play. Yakemchuk like his skill.
Parekh or Dickinson?
Parekh.
Why?
(Dickinson’s) not going to be as offensive at the next level but he has that shot that will be used on the PP. Solid defensively. High floor, don’t think his ceiling is as high. He’ll be a 3-4 while others will be 1-2. But it won’t surprise me if he goes ahead of Parekh. Among his peers, Dickinson is more highly thought of than Parekh.
Scout 7: It’s a spicy question as I’m really high on all six. But ironically I’d rank them in the exact order you laid out: Levshunov, Buium, Parekh, Dickinson, Silayev, Yakemchuk.
Scout 8: Best: Parekh. Least: Yakemchuk.
Scout 9: Top I’d have Silayev and bottom would be Dickinson.
Scout 10: Most: Parekh and Silayev. Least: Dickinson. I (also) like Solberg very much.
Scout 16: Best: Dickinson. Least: Yakemchuk.
Scout 17: Best: Levshunov. Least: Dickinson.
All are exceptional talents. Lev took big strides and was able to change his game from start to end of season. Feels like he’s still a long ways from his potential.
Dickinson not based on ability, just in his potential to be a star seems less likely than the others.
Though the scout’s survey changes with each class, I’ve been asking the players the same question in their survey for years: “Who is the most talented non-teammate you’ve played against in this class? Not necessarily the best player, but strictly the most talented.”
1. Macklin Celebrini (23)
2. Berkly Catton (12)
3. Beckett Sennecke (8)
4. Cole Eiserman (5)
T5. Michael Hage, Trevor Connelly (4)
T7. Tij Iginla, Zayne Parekh, Konsta Helenius, Carter Yakemchuk (3)
T11. Ivan Demidov, Cayden Lindstrom, Artyom Levshunov, Zeev Buium, Sam Dickinson, Jett Luchanko (2)
T17. Maxim Massé, Alexander Zetterberg, Emil Hemming, Mac Swanson, Lucas Pettersson, Dominik Badinka, Kevin He (1)
Sam Dickinson on former Toronto Marlboros teammate and current OHL opponent Beckett Sennecke: “The thing for Beckett is he’s just wickedly creative. When he’s got the puck on his stick, you never really know what he can do but he can basically pull off any move in the book. You’ve got to play him tight and play him hard because you know that if you give him that inch of space he’ll make you pay and he’s going to put it into the back of the net or make you look silly.”
Former Toronto Marlboros head coach Justin Donati on Sennecke: “He has always been an offensive player. He can be a high-end guy in the NHL. And he’s still growing into his body. He was 5-foot-9 in his OHL draft year, he was 6 feet last year, and he’s 6-3 now. So in two years, he’s put on six inches. But he’s got high-end skill.”
OHL coach on Sennecke: “Sigh. He definitely has the potential. There are some special, special qualities about him and it’s just can he break some of the habits that he continues to do? Just so much straight-up one-on-one play. And I’m not opposed to one-on-one but it can’t be straight up, you’ve got to be attacking on angles and not trying to beat a guy with straight stick skills.”
OHL GM on Dickinson: “Dickinson will fall off. His IQ is questionable and he gets the London bump. Protected with the quality of team.”
