HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Lockin17]

Lot's of decent D this year.
If Habs go with the best potentiel we might end up with a other D.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

He is a puck possession center. Demidov is a winger and Catton could pretty well end up on the wing as well.

The hype on Catton is quite something, I saw comparisons to Hughes and Stutzle and the kid just doesnt have that level of skating and wheels. He will need to beef up quite a bit too and Im not sure he has that type of frame where he can add alot of meat.

Actutally Catton is more in the mold of a Benson than the game breaking type of talent people want to believe, if he was, he would be in the discussions for 1st OV. personally I have him around 8-10 OV.

Totally agree. The comparisons for Catton are out of this world on this board. If he was as good as people on here seem to think he is, he'd be battling it out with Celebrini for #1 OA. Instead, he's dropping on majority of lists, and I won't be surprised if he's not a top 10 pick.

I also think Catton will be a winger in NHL, if he makes it.

I feel like this is the Wright situation all over again. Lol

 

[WeThreeKings]

Totally agree. The comparisons for Catton are out of this world on this board. If he was as good as people on here seem to think he is, he'd be battling it out with Celebrini for #1 OA. Instead, he's dropping on majority of lists, and I won't be surprised if he's not a top 10 pick.

I also think Catton will be a winger in NHL, if he makes it.

I feel like this is the Wright situation all over again. Lol

There's a massive difference between comparing style and saying they'll produce like those players. Can't believe that has to be said in 2024

 

[Gravity]

He is a puck possession center. Demidov is a winger and Catton could pretty well end up on the wing as well.

The hype on Catton is quite something, I saw comparisons to Hughes and Stutzle and the kid just doesnt have that level of skating and wheels. He will need to beef up quite a bit too and Im not sure he has that type of frame where he can add alot of meat.

Actutally Catton is more in the mold of a Benson than the game breaking type of talent people want to believe, if he was, he would be in the discussions for 1st OV. personally I have him around 8-10 OV.

Fair enough. I'm not too knowledgeable on these prospects so I appreciate the insight. The pure skill of Demidov does look tantalizing though.

 

[NekkiChiconey]

Totally agree. The comparisons for Catton are out of this world on this board. If he was as good as people on here seem to think he is, he'd be battling it out with Celebrini for #1 OA. Instead, he's dropping on majority of lists, and I won't be surprised if he's not a top 10 pick.

I also think Catton will be a winger in NHL, if he makes it.

I feel like this is the Wright situation all over again. Lol

Nah, it's going to be the Benson situation all over again. Catton was never ranked in the top5 by consensus.

I don't know how anyone can watch him and NOT come away with the conclusion that he is a top3 forward in this draft *based on skill*. Not saying he'll be a 1C (he could very well be a winger) but if you want to bet on skill AND strong 2-way play, he's your guy.

 

[Cubebrick]

Totally agree. The comparisons for Catton are out of this world on this board. If he was as good as people on here seem to think he is, he'd be battling it out with Celebrini for #1 OA. Instead, he's dropping on majority of lists, and I won't be surprised if he's not a top 10 pick.

I also think Catton will be a winger in NHL, if he makes it.

I feel like this is the Wright situation all over again. Lol

He's working his ass off over 200 ft on a garbage team, participating in almost 50% of his team's goals and displaying a clutch factor in key moments. The reason he is not rated as high is because of his small-ish frame and his average skating, which are valid concerns but also are not massive red flags.

He's not in my top 5 but I just don't get people who watch the kid and don't understand why some would be big fans of his game. There are legitimate reasons to be excited about Catton whether you like him or not and comments like these just appear as weird to me.

 

[Goldenhands]

He's working his ass off over 200 ft on a garbage team, participating in almost 50% of his team's goals and displaying a clutch factor in key moments. The reason he is not rated as high is because of his small-ish frame and his average skating, which are valid concerns but also are not massive red flags.

He's not in my top 5 but I just don't get people who watch the kid and don't understand why some would be big fans of his game. There are legitimate reasons to be excited about Catton whether you like him or not and comments like these just appear as weird to me.

Like there were reasons to like Benson alot, he still dropped 13th OV because of the size/skating.

Its alright to like the kid, but the expectations are just insane IMO.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

There's a massive difference between comparing style and saying they'll produce like those players. Can't believe that has to be said in 2024

Dude, read the board, a lot of people seem to think he's going to be a #1 play driving center. It's not just style comparison. Plus, his style is nothing like Hughes. Hughes was absolutely dynamic as a 17 year old. Catton isn't even close to that projection.

I'm not even sure he makes it as a center. He probably ends up a winger.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Nah, it's going to be the Benson situation all over again. Catton was never ranked in the top5 by consensus.

I don't know how anyone can watch him and NOT come away with the conclusion that he is a top3 forward in this draft *based on skill*. Not saying he'll be a 1C (he could very well be a winger) but if you want to bet on skill AND strong 2-way play, he's your guy.

He's working his ass off over 200 ft on a garbage team, participating in almost 50% of his team's goals and displaying a clutch factor in key moments. The reason he is not rated as high is because of his small-ish frame and his average skating, which are valid concerns but also are not massive red flags.

He's not in my top 5 but I just don't get people who watch the kid and don't understand why some would be big fans of his game. There are legitimate reasons to be excited about Catton whether you like him or not and comments like these just appear as weird to me.

Feeling is mutual, because I don't see this great two-way player everyone is talking about. Catton is not above floating. Turn over in neutral zone instead of doing a stop/start and hustling back to help out, skates a wide arc and glides back. He often cheats to offense in defensive zone, and frequently doesn't cover his man in defensive zone & gets caught puck watching. Kid isn't infallible.

I would take Benson 100 out of 100 times over Catton. Better defensively, better along the boards, stronger lower body, talented hands, and highly competitive.

In any case, I'm not overly concerned about it because Catton isn't top 6, and at this point I can't imagine Montreal not drafting in top 6. We would have to get another top 15 pick, which isn't going to happen, so he's no longer on our radar.

 

[Mrb1p]

I would take Benson ahead of Catton too, but it's not a slight to Catton it's mostly that everyone underrates Benson.

 

[Cubebrick]

Like there were reasons to like Benson alot, he still dropped 13th OV because of the size/skating..

And who's to say teams made the right decision to pass on him? No one knows yet. Upon looking back at rankings, everyone looks like both an idiot and a genius when it comes to prospect evals.

Feeling is mutual, because I don't see this great two-way player everyone is talking about. Catton is not above floating. Turn over in neutral zone instead of doing a stop/start and hustling back to help out, skates a wide arc and glides back. He often cheats to offense in defensive zone, and frequently doesn't cover his man in defensive zone & gets caught puck watching. Kid isn't infallible.

I would take Benson 100 out of 100 times over Catton. Better defensively, better along the boards, stronger lower body, talented hands, and highly competitive.

In any case, I'm not overly concerned about it because Catton isn't top 6, and at this point I can't imagine Montreal not drafting in top 6. We would have to get another top 15 pick, which isn't going to happen, so he's no longer on our radar.

That's fair, it's fine to have different views when it comes to a prospect. Heck, I don't share the same hype as others have when it comes to him. Catton certainly isn't perfect but he does a lot of great things out there. I agree that he cheats, and I see this a lot with prospects with lesser overall support who tend to force plays. Yakemchuk does the same on defense in Calgary. I personally don't believe that cheating automatically counts as a negative toward a player even though I'm not a fan on the surface. Heck, the current leading NHL pointer is perhaps one of the biggest neutral/o-zone cheaters in the game.

See, for me this is what I meant when I wrote that your comment read as weird. Here, you made your point in this reply which is perfectly cool with me even though I don't agree with everything. In your original comment, it sounded like your were gatekeeping hard especially with the Wright comparison only because it's about some over the top hype for a prospect (according to you in this case, but we're all guilty of) which has been happening forever on these boards. Perhaps I read it wrong and if so then I apologize but that's the feeling I got out of it.

 

[Mrb1p]

And who's to say teams made the right decision to pass on him? No one knows yet. Upon looking back at rankings, everyone looks like both an idiot and a genius when it comes to prospect evals.


That's fair, it's fine to have different views when it comes to a prospect. Heck, I don't share the same hype as others have when it comes to him. Catton certainly isn't perfect but he does a lot of great things out there. I agree that he cheats, and I see this a lot with prospects with lesser overall support who tend to force plays. Yakemchuk does the same on defense in Calgary. I personally don't believe that cheating automatically counts as a negative toward a player even though I'm not a fan on the surface. Heck, the current leading NHL pointer is perhaps one of the biggest neutral/o-zone cheaters in the game.

See, for me this is what I meant when I wrote that your comment read as weird. Here, you made your point in this reply which is perfectly cool with me even though I don't agree with everything. In your original comment, it sounded like your were gatekeeping hard especially with the Wright comparison only because it's about some over the top hype for a prospect (according to you in this case, but we're all guilty of) which has been happening forever on these boards. Perhaps I read it wrong and if so then I apologize but that's the feeling I got out of it.

Everyone cheats in the CHL. It's crazy how much cheating there is, the WHL used to be warded off from that a little bit 10+ years ago, now theyre the worst at it, lol.

 

[Goldenhands]

And who's to say teams made the right decision to pass on him? No one knows yet. Upon looking back at rankings, everyone looks like both an idiot and a genius when it comes to prospect evals.

And Im not saying Benson is a bad player either, he fits well on that Buffalo team loaded of big talented players, Buffalo could afford to go small with guys like Thompson, Tuch, Cozens, Mittlestadt, Quinn ect. I dont think Benson was a fit for Montreal, neither is Catton.

 

[skidcells]

I currently have 2 forwards ranked as elite: celibrini abd demidov. I think after that the best players available would be in no particular order all defensmen: Buium, parekh, levshunov, Silayev, Dickinson.

so if I was calling the shots, as of right now, if celibrini and demidov are off the board I am taking one of the Ds listed above (I still need to figure out the order)

 

[le_sean]

Don’t care for his skating, but I wonder if Liam Greentree is the type of homerun swing pick the Habs would consider in that 8-12 spot they will likely be picking.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

Why I like Catton, how fast he proceeds the play. That is the key to make a proper transition to the pro. His hands, shot, passing are fast, crisp and without hesitation. His only negative is his frame which is a non sense because he is only 17 years old. You do not draft a 17 years old frame, you draft what he is projected to become. I think he will surprise a lot when we look back 5 or 6 years from now about the players drafted and question how the large sized forward/defenseman were again over drafted compared to the smaller sized offensive dynamo.

Take a look at the 2013 draft. Nylander 169 pounds, Pastrnak 167 pounds, Brayden Point 160 pounds. Now take a look of the large forward like Nic Ritchie and Jake Virtanen who were praised for their size (and over drafted). This is a recurrent theme and I find it hilarious that people always repeat the same mistake year after year.
It's normal for 17 years old to be under 170 what is more important is how they develop the years after.

NHL Combine 2014: Full Results, Measurements, Highlights and Top Prospects

While many NHL fans have their eyes tuned to the Stanley Cup playoffs, the next batch of stars is preparing for the upcoming NHL draft...

bleacherreport.com

Same apply for Benson btw, which I expect to become a key player in the future.

 

[Cubebrick]

And Im not saying Benson is a bad player either, he fits well on that Buffalo team loaded of big talented players, Buffalo could afford to go small with guys like Thompson, Tuch, Cozens, Mittlestadt, Quinn ect. I dont think Benson was a fit for Montreal, neither is Catton.

I understand your point. I believe the BPA avenue should always be the way in the first round at least regardless of the prospect's profile and then you deal with asset management later on but I get why teams are swayed towards need.

It's still too early to judge Benson's selection. I'm a big fan of his (much more than Catton anyway) and it's great to see him in the big show this early but obviously it's pointless to arrive to any conclusion before at the very least their D+5 season.

 

[montreal]

Celebrini Goal - 9:33

plus he had an empty netter. What a season from him.

 

[phillytennis]

Scouts will see a superstar Russian forward and then make up a conspiracy theory and throw them on the do not draft list

Spoken by a true fellow Russian.

 

[Goldenhands]

I understand your point. I believe the BPA avenue should always be the way in the first round at least regardless of the prospect's profile and then you deal with asset management later on but I get why teams are swayed towards need.

It's still too early to judge Benson's selection. I'm a big fan of his (much more than Catton anyway) and it's great to see him in the big show this early but obviously it's pointless to arrive to any conclusion before at the very least their D+5 season.

There were other good fowards in the draft too, Dvorsky, Leonard, Stenberg to name few, I was higher on them personally. I was more of a Brindley fan too since he had the skating, wheels Im looking for when it comes to smaller players, his shot is also better.

 

[Kaiden Ghoul]

Im a big fan of physical team and i have Silayev in my rear view... im salivating at the idea of him and Guhle together, obviously this team needs more scoring but would you guys be mad if we get him if Catton Lindstrom etc are gone and theres lets say Eiserman and Hilenius available ?

 

[SlafySZN]

Im a big fan of physical team and i have Silayev in my rear view... im salivating at the idea of him and Guhle together, obviously this team needs more scoring but would you guys be mad if we get him if Catton Lindstrom etc are gone and theres lets say Eiserman and Hilenius available ?

You take Eiseman and run before a team realize they made a mistake

 

[Kaiden Ghoul]

You take Eiseman and run before a team realize they made a mistake

That could work but we need Roy to reach a top 6 status and have 4 good two way player with Caufield and Eiserman on two line

 

[_vivelequebec_]

Im a big fan of physical team and i have Silayev in my rear view... im salivating at the idea of him and Guhle together, obviously this team needs more scoring but would you guys be mad if we get him if Catton Lindstrom etc are gone and theres lets say Eiserman and Hilenius available ?

Silayev shoots left, so does Guhle. Only D I would be ok with if we pick 5-8 is Levshunov. Otherwise we need one of Celebrini Eiserman Demidov Helenius Lindstrom Connelly

 

[TheBuriedHab]

Silayev shoots left, so does Guhle. Only D I would be ok with if we pick 5-8 is Levshunov. Otherwise we need one of Celebrini Eiserman Demidov Helenius Lindstrom Connelly

I wouldn't count out Parekh. He's on pace for over 33 goals, RHD, yeah he isn't a great defender yet, but man oh man, you could be talking about a 70 point defenseman that's a righty.