Prospect Info: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

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StevenToddIves

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In retrospect, maybe I shouldn’t have posted because this dude is way out there. It’s hard to take him seriously! Haha
Keep in mind Steve Kournianos is generally far more accurate than most draft writers because he is not swayed by the consensus and willing to state fearless opinions.

I recall corresponding with him back in 2016 when we both had Adam Fox worth a 1st round pick and no one else had him in their top 50. I was saying something about how it worried me and he was just like, don't worry that just means everybody else is wrong.
 

StevenToddIves

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Draft Profile:

LD Jesse Pulkkinen, JYP FIN

Certain to be the first over-aged player to be drafted this year, Pukklinen is truly intriguing even from the first look. He's 6'6-215 and a terrific skater who plays a hell-bent-for-leather offensive style which belies his huge frame, and he's actually a big time puck handler who can really dangle with the puck. While his overall defensive game needs refinement, he excels at defense against the rush and one-on-one battles, while the rare size/speed combo will certainly have some scouts believing he can one day blossom into a shut-down type rearguard.

There are certainly caveats. Pulkkinen seems mistake prone in his reads and when deciding when to take offensive chances, although he has shown some improvements this past year. In his first draft-eligible campaign of 2022-23 he really struggled in Finnish junior, though in his defense he showed great improvements across the board this year, lending hope that he's simply a late bloomer growing into his own massive frame.

Pulkkinen started this year in juniors and pretty much dominated, especially offensively. About mid-way through the year he was called up to Liiga and, though it was a bit rockier there, he showed flashes of brilliance on both sides of the puck.

Pulkkinen loves to rush the puck and activate offensively. He absolutely needs to choose his spots with more caution and fluidity. He's capable of a beautiful dangle around one opponent, but on occasion it will lead him to believe he can also dangle around a second and third opponent and that's where he gets into trouble. He's similar defensively, where he will make a great play off the rush, closing a gap and pinning an opposing forward and using his incredible strength to strip the puck... and then on the next shift make an ill-advised read and be caught out of position.

However, Pulkkinen's massive strides from last season to this one mirror the massive strides he uses to glide around the ice -- it's rare to see a player combining such size with such speed and skating grace. I've read that teams are loving the high development arc and his rare size/skating combo enough to justify a possible selection as early as 20-25 overall. Though I would not take such a chance that early in the draft, I think he's a very intriguing possibility on the off-chance he falls into the mid-2nd to 3rd round.
 

Blackjack

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You don’t think 14 is too high for Jiricek? I remember liking him a lot as a potential top-15 player coming into this season because of he was really good at the U18, but from everything I’ve read he was not having a good season in the Czech men’s league and then was seriously injured at the WJC. And, probably unfairly, I’ve been a little offput by his brother’s situation in Columbus.

If he’s the player I thought he was coming into the season then I have no problem with him at 14. I just don’t think this season was good enough to justify a selection in the teens.

I wrote Jiricek up last week. He's a prospect I really like. I'd say his most-likely scenario is two-way, second-pairing NHL RD but because of his relative youth (a couple months from 2025 draft) and the injuries, he may have more untapped upside on either side of the puck than we may be aware of. Anyway, here it is:

2024 Draft Profile:

RD Adam Jiricek, HC Plzen CZE

In a draft filled with highly regarded defensemen on both sides, an injury-plagued draft eligible season has left Adam Jiricek a bit overlooked for the 2024 draft. The younger brother of Columbus' 2022 #6 overall selection David, Adam's consensus rankings are generally in the teens with a couple outlying (and poorly conceived) rankings listing him as low as #30 overall.

In my opinion, Adam Jiricek has a lot going for him, and the few things working against him are all rather inane. First is that he's Czech -- as we've seen in recent years Czech and Slovak draft prospects are often under-ranked by the general consensus. Second are the injuries, which really robbed him of a year of development -- even more crucially important because third, he's a June birthday and one of the younger players in the 2024 draft class.

What's going for him is why we should all be big fans of Adam Jiricek. This is a 6'2-170 kid who skates very very well, and is one of the rare defensemen his age who excels both with and without the puck. He's an extremely smart and hard-working player whose head is always on a swivel, able to quickly assess virtually any situation he might have to overcome in a hockey game. He plays with consistently remarkable effort and physicality and is versatile enough to be a guy to log time on both the power play and penalty kill. He's just a good all-around player in every sense of the words, and because of his relative youth and lost development time, he might only be scratching the surface.

Jiricek does not have the booming cannon of shot of his older brother David, but he's more capable of high-end passing vision. He is extremely advanced at manipulating defenders in the offensive zone to open up passing lanes, so -- while he is not exactly Cale Makar -- he is one of the rare defensemen who can create offense rather than simply provide offense. He is a good stickhandler, expert at using his body to shield the puck. He rarely makes mistakes, and most of his errors are due to trying to do too much himself.

Defensively, Jiricek is advanced positionally and in his gaps. He excels at reading the play and his teammates' positioning and quick at reacting and anticipating. He uses effective physicality and, for a slim guy, is capable of a bone-jarring hit should the opportunity arrive. Though there is not one single area where Jiricek is elite, he excels at virtually every aspect of hockey.

I expect Adam Jiricek to go somewhere in the middle of the first round, which he is certainly deserving of. Though he lacks the high-octane offense of a Parekh, Mews or Yakemchuk, there is a very real chance he winds up being a more complete NHL RD than any of them. And again, it's important to note that his lost draft-eligible season and relative youth might have masked a possibility that his upside is even higher than the evidence thus far has led us to believe.

I'll just say that analyzing defensemen is a particular strength of Steve's, he was right about K'andre Miller, Moritz Seider, Brock Faber, Mukhamadullin, and a number of others. He was an early skeptic of Broberg. He's certainly not right every time because some elements of development are not possible to project, but he tends to peg defenders where they're likely to be picked with better accuracy than most draft writers because GM's are also looking beneath the surface.

Consensus rankings of defensemen is typically based on point production and easily identified defensive traits (size and physicality). Steve's analysis goes deeper into their ability to play the position and impact the play over 200 feet. When Steve is higher than consensus on a defenseman, it's really worth considering.
 

longislanddevil

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In that case, I stand corrected and glad I posted. Maybe we should be interested in G Carter George based on these rankings? lol….I know it’s a weakish class for goalies and you’re high on Nabokov, as well.
 

Guadana

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In that case, I stand corrected and glad I posted. Maybe we should be interested in G Carter George based on these rankings? lol….I know it’s a weakish class for goalies and you’re high on Nabokov, as well.
If we will trade back with SJ in case of no Helenius/no Catton/no Buium/no Dickinson on the table and the next guy on our list is Hage, it is very reasonable to trade back and draft one goalie who is still available. But for now we are far away from this situation. Hard to tell.
 

StevenToddIves

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@Blackjack To your point, he has Solberg being selected at 23OA and the kid is getting a lot of love here from some of us. Could be a steal of Solberg is available in round 2 or 3.
Kournianos does his homework and watches more leagues than many of these draft analysts. He is the best at MHL scouting in the business, although we have another of the best right here in @Guadana.

I'm glad you brought up Solberg, because he's the perfect example. Anyone who has actually taken the time to watch that kid play would never dream of ranking him outside the top 35 -- much less outside the top 75, where I've seen him ranked.

Solberg possesses every tool necessary to be a legit fast, physical, shut-down defenseman in the NHL who also produces offense with consistency. His IQ and compete level combination is absolutely high-end. There is no disputing anything about Solberg's game... that is, if you've actually watched him play. It's easy to see that Solberg is incredibly toolsy and overflowing with intangibles and has absolutely no red flags or glaring weaknesses... that is, if you've actually watched him play.

The fact is, even draft writers are too lazy or too busy or too whatever to watch Norwegian league hockey specifically for one mostly unheralded player, and as such, such players get penalized in the over-reliance on numerical rankings.

You can bet your bottom dollar that Mr. Kournianos has watched a ton of Solberg, and that's why he has pretty much as high of a ranking for Solberg as you'll see anywhere. Because with Solberg, the question is not whether or not Solberg is good, it's a question rather of: have you seen how good he is?

I've been playing with my own rankings, which I'm far from ready to write up, but at the moment I have Stian Solberg in my top 20 and I'm perfectly comfortable with that. I don't see it as a hot take at all, I just see it as a simple realization that this kid is really, really good at hockey and he has a ton of room to grow.

I'll just say that analyzing defensemen is a particular strength of Steve's, he was right about K'andre Miller, Moritz Seider, Brock Faber, Mukhamadullin, and a number of others. He was an early skeptic of Broberg. He's certainly not right every time because some elements of development are not possible to project, but he tends to peg defenders where they're likely to be picked with better accuracy than most draft writers because GM's are also looking beneath the surface.

Consensus rankings of defensemen is typically based on point production and easily identified defensive traits (size and physicality). Steve's analysis goes deeper into their ability to play the position and impact the play over 200 feet. When Steve is higher than consensus on a defenseman, it's really worth considering.
Haha... NO ONE is right EVERY time.

Either way, thanks for this and I'm hiring you to write my eulogy someday.
 

Guttersniped

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Helenius got injured in the Finland/Norway game. He was on the bench, just not playing, so maybe it’s nothing serious.

Edit: Welp, he was reportedly benched, not hurt.
 
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Guadana

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Artamonov, Pettersson, Stiga would be some of the first names that come to mind. all of them feel likely to go between our first two picks
I like this comparison. I think Petterson and Artamonov will be higher in redrafted. Still didn’t build opinion of Stiga because small sample size.

As a Russian, I saw Artamonov more. And Jarvis was exactly the player I thought in the good games. Aggressive, defensive, fast with his puck decision, finding open ice, work really well in board battles for his size, experience and the level of competition.

Kournianos does his homework and watches more leagues than many of these draft analysts. He is the best at MHL scouting in the business, although we have another of the best right here in @Guadana.
You are good too, Steve. People are really happy to have and read you here. For me it’s a pure joy, especially when I have something to argue about.
This draft I see we looking more in the same way. In many many cases. Not that fun.
 

StevenToddIves

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Jarvis was much better positionally, more faster, he has better vision of the ice, controlled his partners better. But I see potential.
I also had Jarvis rated higher in his draft year than I have Iginla rated now, but I certainly like Iginla too.

Jarvis is one of my all-time draft favorites. I couldn't stop gushing about the kid. I think I cried a tear or two when Carolina took him.

I like this comparison. I think Petterson and Artamonov will be higher in redrafted. Still didn’t build opinion of Stiga because small sample size.

As a Russian, I saw Artamonov more. And Jarvis was exactly the player I thought in the good games. Aggressive, defensive, fast with his puck decision, finding open ice, work really well in board battles for his size, experience and the level of competition.


You are good too, Steve. People are really happy to have and read you here. For me it’s a pure joy, especially when I have something to argue about.
This draft I see we looking more in the same way. In many many cases. Not that fun.
We can always just find new things to make fun of each other about. Most of my friends just give me s**t about the fact that I live in 2024 and my hair is still in the 1990s.
 

Guttersniped

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Helenius got injured in the Finland/Norway game. He was on the bench, just not playing, so maybe it’s nothing serious.

Edit: Welp, he was reportedly benched, not hurt.

Corrected this earlier post, reportedly Helenius got some tough love and not an injury.

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beekay414

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Jarvis is one of my all-time draft favorites. I couldn't stop gushing about the kid. I think I cried a tear or two when Carolina took him.
Same. My draft blurb on him was a little over the top but I loved him.

"7. Seth Jarvis | RW | Portland (WHL)
This kid's skating makes defenders shake in their skates. He forces action in dirty areas despite his size because he knows he has the defenders (and goalie's) heads spinning. He's also a two way, 200 foot player. He'll fall further than this due to the perceived size issue but don't let that be the reason you lose out on a dynamic player that's a potential all-star, top line play driver."
 

evnted

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Corrected this earlier post, reportedly Helenius got some tough love and not an injury.

View attachment 870163View attachment 870164
i thought benching him was harsh, his performance wasnt that bad, but as a fan of his i still cant say it was particularly great either. a surprising lack of consistency with his passing today, a couple misfires, some critically so. really seemed to struggle to generate chances both from that and an inability to effectively drive the net. his puck carrying in transition was as great as always, but even that showed some uncharacteristic trouble with entries today. on the plus side, the effort level was still high, he was still quite competitive along the boards, and even through some mishandlings i didnt find him rushing plays or trying to avoid playing through contact to compensate. besides, all of this was a ploy to ensure he makes it to 10 anyway :sarcasm:

just as a quick hit, i liked mbn's game today, he was extra fast off the rush. very high pace and very willing to crash the net and open himself up for scoring opportunities. highly competitive in puck battles, as always. maybe not as involved defensively as im used to, and certainly had a couple mishaps with the puck, but nothing super egregious. solberg was quieter compared to his last game, but still quite solid filling in that top role for norway. excellent physical edge, not even just to punish guys but also more proactively fending off forecheckers and buying space. very confident puck carrying per usual as well
 
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