Prospect Info: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[StevenToddIves]

Not very interested in Sennecke at 10. Isn’t all that skilled and doesn’t belong near the top 10 just because he had a great finish to his season.

I kind of don't want to spend too much time on this, because I don't want to create the idea that I am ripping on Sennecke, who is a guy I would like if I were picking in the #15-#20 range.

I hate focusing on negatives.

But Sennecke is a very raw product. He has a ton to work on in his 200-foot game and play off the puck. He's still growing into his frame and probably needs to build core strength more than any other player who has been mentioned by anyone as a possible top 12 pick. I would say he's further from the NHL than any player mentioned by anyone as a possible top 12 pick.

In terms of risk, Sennecke is not at the top of the list for anyone who has been mentioned as a top 12 pick, that would be Eiserman. But Sennecke's upside is not even in Eiserman's stratosphere. Sennecke comes with a lot more risk than Lindstrom, Helenius, Nygard, Chernyshov, etc. If his upside was far higher than those mentioned players, maybe you take the chance. But we're talking about a skilled winger, not some preternaturally talented Demidov-type. The only advantage Sennecke has tool-wise over Berkly Catton is 6'2 vs. 5'10, that's it.

Before the final 30 games of the season, it would be hard to win a debate where you said Sennecke was better than Andrew Basha. But, where Basha (a similar style CHL winger) lost his main linemate in Cayden Lindstrom for the season, Sennecke just had things go better and better for him as the season progressed. Whereas that is not something Sennecke should be penalized for, it's also not a reason to invent unrealistic expectations and rank him higher than Demidov, whom he is not even on the same plane of talent with much less the same tier.

It's not that I don't see Sennecke as a *good* pick at #10, it's that I don't even regard him as a *realistic* one. You'd be passing on talent ceiling, you'd be passing on talent floor/NHL certainty, you'd be passing on closeness to the NHL, you'd be passing on scoring and you'd be passing on 200-foot play. With New Jersey, you'd be passing on positions of need (C, LD) and styles of need (team speed, power forward). There's just no argument "for" drafting Sennecke at #10 overall that does not begin with "IF" and end with mental gymnastics.

 

[StevenToddIves]

As an addendum -- I don't want anyone to think I *don't like* Beckett Sennecke. I do. But we can also talk about a couple of my favorite forwards from this entire draft -- guys like Cole Beaudoin and Yegor Surin and Andrew Basha and John Mustard. I absolutely love all of those prospects, but if you tried to argue with me that any of those guys were worth drafting ahead of Ivan Demidov or Cayden Lindstrom, I would literally think you needed medication.

But this is what is happening with Sennecke. I've seen him ranked over Demidov (Pronman) and Lindstrom (multiple times). And I just needed to throw some water on this absurdity.

I mean, if we were to take a simpler argument of Sennecke vs. Demidov (because they're both wingers who play a relatively comparable style while Lindstrom is a power center and totally different)? Well, I would be very uncomfortable doing it because it's just unfair. Sennecke's foremost strengths are puckhandling and passing and offensive IQ, and he's not even in Demidov's stratosphere in any of those categories. Demidov also plays with more edge, is better defensively, has a higher compete level. Sennecke's edge is that he's bigger and maybe a touch faster in straight-line speed, though Demidov is Sennecke's equal in any other skating measure. That's it. It's not close.

How do I then reconcile the fact Pronman has ranked Sennecke over Demidov? I can't. But I think Pronman's take there is more unfair to Sennecke than my saying he shouldn't be a consideration at #10 overall. Because Sennecke can prove me wrong and become a point-per-game top 6 winger at the NHL level, he has that ability. But if he reaches 100% of his talent ceiling and Demidov and Lindstrom only hit 2/3 of their ceiling? Sennecke will still be the 3rd best NHLer of the three. He just does not have the same kind of ability.

There is no doubt Sennecke's performance in the final 1/3 of his OHL season was impressive, as was his playoff. And some of this could be attributed to growing into his body after a late growth spurt. But what about Michael Hage? Hage has similar size and offensive skill as Sennecke, but he's a better skater and plays center. Hage's PPG ratios over the last 1/3 of his season were equally impressive as Sennecke's, and his early season adversity was greater -- coming off major surgery and the death of his father. Why is Hage's consensus draft position in the 20 range while Sennecke has shot up to the top 10? If I'm choosing a center or a wing with a very similar skill set, I'm going center -- and throw in Hage's clearly superior skating, and it's a no-brainer for me. But again, if someone asked me whether I would take Hage or Demidov, that would also be a no-brainer in Demidov's favor because that's the difference between a high-end prospect like Hage and a potential franchise-caliber player like Demidov.

Again, this is the last time I'm going to be writing about this, because I am confident Sennecke is an excellent prospect who will have a fine NHL career. But so will Cole Beaudoin and so will Andrew Basha, and they are not the best choices as top 10 picks in the 2024 class, either.

If Fitzgerald and co. don't love the forwards available to them at #10, I'd be perfectly fine going LD because at least one of Dickinson/Buium/Silayev/Solberg are certain to be available and they're all high-end prospects at a position the Devils could use some help in, and none of them are too far from NHL readiness.

 

[longislanddevil]

Buium, Dickinson, MBN, Helenius, Iginla….hard to go wrong with these picks. If you’re looking for the highest ceiling player though, you’d most likely scratch off Dickinson and Helenius. That isn’t a knock on either because I think both will be good, if not great, at the NHL level. The more I hear and read about Buium, it doesn’t seem likely he will fall to 10OA. However, if he somehow is still on the board, Fitz should rush up to that podium and make the pick.

As great as Buium is, I actually think Dickinson may be the best *fit* of any blue liners in this draft. He has size, physicality and is a great skater for a kid that is 6’3”. Most of all, he profiles as a minutes eater who at worst would become a 2nd pair D man. With Luke, Nemec and Casey, the Devils are already loaded with high end offensive talent. I’d like to see some sandpaper and a shutdown guy.

From a pure needs perspective though, MBN or Helenius fit the bill the most. As for Iginla, I’m salivating at the thought of him flanking Hughes. At worst, he will likely be a 20 goal 3rd liner but his ceiling is much higher than that.

So what am I saying here? It’s going to be very difficult for Fitz to mess this up. Quite frankly, if we had the 7OA or 8OA, it’d be really hard to single out one prospect over the others. The Devils can sit comfortably at 10OA and let the draft come to them.

I’m not in love with a trade back. Sure, if there are a few kids Fitz likes equally and he can be pretty assured they’ll be available….ok. It’d be nice to have a 2nd round pick but certainly not at the risk of missing out on your guy. Fitz’ draft history also suggests trading back will be highly unlikely (see Muk, Stillman). I’m typically more of a trade up proponent. In this instance, I don’t think it’s a time to get cute. Make the pick and be happy.

 

[Shakir ONeal]

I’m gonna be so pissed when we take Sennecke

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

There's just no argument "for" drafting Sennecke at #10 overall that does not begin with "IF" and end with mental gymnastics.

Is that not the entire thing though? If you trust your scouts and your process, that’s just how it goes. Everything but cold hard stats is an ‘IF’ at this stage.

For all we know he’s top 5 on the Devils’ board.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Buium, Dickinson, MBN, Helenius, Iginla….hard to go wrong with these picks..

Probably don’t need to say this but I find these kinds of statements a bit annoying. It is not at all hard to go wrong with any of these picks.

There’s a very high likelihood at least a couple of these guys won’t turn out very well. But it is hard to predict.

 

[My3Sons]

As an addendum -- I don't want anyone to think I *don't like* Beckett Sennecke. I do. But we can also talk about a couple of my favorite forwards from this entire draft -- guys like Cole Beaudoin and Yegor Surin and Andrew Basha and John Mustard. I absolutely love all of those prospects, but if you tried to argue with me that any of those guys were worth drafting ahead of Ivan Demidov or Cayden Lindstrom, I would literally think you needed medication.

But this is what is happening with Sennecke. I've seen him ranked over Demidov (Pronman) and Lindstrom (multiple times). And I just needed to throw some water on this absurdity.

I mean, if we were to take a simpler argument of Sennecke vs. Demidov (because they're both wingers who play a relatively comparable style while Lindstrom is a power center and totally different)? Well, I would be very uncomfortable doing it because it's just unfair. Sennecke's foremost strengths are puckhandling and passing and offensive IQ, and he's not even in Demidov's stratosphere in any of those categories. Demidov also plays with more edge, is better defensively, has a higher compete level. Sennecke's edge is that he's bigger and maybe a touch faster in straight-line speed, though Demidov is Sennecke's equal in any other skating measure. That's it. It's not close.

How do I then reconcile the fact Pronman has ranked Sennecke over Demidov? I can't. But I think Pronman's take there is more unfair to Sennecke than my saying he shouldn't be a consideration at #10 overall. Because Sennecke can prove me wrong and become a point-per-game top 6 winger at the NHL level, he has that ability. But if he reaches 100% of his talent ceiling and Demidov and Lindstrom only hit 2/3 of their ceiling? Sennecke will still be the 3rd best NHLer of the three. He just does not have the same kind of ability.

There is no doubt Sennecke's performance in the final 1/3 of his OHL season was impressive, as was his playoff. And some of this could be attributed to growing into his body after a late growth spurt. But what about Michael Hage? Hage has similar size and offensive skill as Sennecke, but he's a better skater and plays center. Hage's PPG ratios over the last 1/3 of his season were equally impressive as Sennecke's, and his early season adversity was greater -- coming off major surgery and the death of his father. Why is Hage's consensus draft position in the 20 range while Sennecke has shot up to the top 10? If I'm choosing a center or a wing with a very similar skill set, I'm going center -- and throw in Hage's clearly superior skating, and it's a no-brainer for me. But again, if someone asked me whether I would take Hage or Demidov, that would also be a no-brainer in Demidov's favor because that's the difference between a high-end prospect like Hage and a potential franchise-caliber player like Demidov.

Again, this is the last time I'm going to be writing about this, because I am confident Sennecke is an excellent prospect who will have a fine NHL career. But so will Cole Beaudoin and so will Andrew Basha, and they are not the best choices as top 10 picks in the 2024 class, either.

If Fitzgerald and co. don't love the forwards available to them at #10, I'd be perfectly fine going LD because at least one of Dickinson/Buium/Silayev/Solberg are certain to be available and they're all high-end prospects at a position the Devils could use some help in, and none of them are too far from NHL readiness.

Mean Mr. Such a mean old man.

 

[Guadana]

For all we know he’s top 5 on the Devils’ board.

Are you having a link?

Probably don’t need to say this but I find these kinds of statements a bit annoying. It is not at all hard to go wrong with any of these picks.

There’s a very high likelihood at least a couple of these guys won’t turn out very well. But it is hard to predict.

All of them are hard workers. Most of them are good skaters. All of them are skilled or/and smart players. Chance still exist but I think this group have lesser bust potential. May be Iginla with his lack of positional game and average skating, but he is very hard working player so I believe he will work it out well.
Buium and Dickinson have enough to be top-4 defensemen at least, MBN, Helenius and Iginla should be third line players who will be hard to play against and create some offense in the same time at least.
Of course we can be upset about this outcome, but with draft - you cant have guarantries. Lafrenier isnt first line driving winger - he is great complimetary winger, but he isnt driving force now. Patric isnt NHLer because of his health, Kakko isnt top-6 player etc.

In the same time Kings are thinking about buyout of Dubois. Hockey players are humans.

 

[Lou Bloom]

There's just no argument "for" drafting Sennecke at #10 overall that does not begin with "IF" and end with mental gymnastics.

There's plenty of arguments for Sennecke at #10. You're talking about a 6'3 forward with some of the higher end tools in the draft that has great vision and playmaking abilities. And it's not like Sennecke was some toolsy underperformer, any time I watched him he was dangerous any time the puck touched his stick, it's not hard to imagine him putting all his tools together, improving his skating and strength as he grows into his body and becoming one of the best players in this class. I have him right in the same tier as Catton, Nygard and Iginla as prospects and I can see a strong argument for any of those forwards at 10th overall, even Helenius who I'm not as high on as others.

 

[Guadana]

any time the puck touched his stick

Yeah. Only this time.

that has great vision and playmaking abilities.

Passing. Vision and playmaking is a different thing.

imagine him putting all his tools together, improving his skating and strength as he grows into his body and becoming one of the best players in this class.

Yeah, Imagine is the right word. We need to image a lot of different things.

Imagine Nygard will develop his playmaking. Imagine Helenius will develop his starting speed and skating(he need less than Sennecke). Imagine Catton will develop his leg strength and will start to fight for the puck and work on the forecheck. Imagine Iginla will develop his speed.
All of them need less to be the same perfect version of what Sennecke could be.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Are you having a link?


All of them are hard workers. Most of them are good skaters. All of them are skilled or/and smart players. Chance still exist but I think this group have lesser bust potential. May be Iginla with his lack of positional game and average skating, but he is very hard working player so I believe he will work it out well.
Buium and Dickinson have enough to be top-4 defensemen at least, MBN, Helenius and Iginla should be third line players who will be hard to play against and create some offense in the same time at least.
Of course we can be upset about this outcome, but with draft - you cant have guarantries. Lafrenier isnt first line driving winger - he is great complimetary winger, but he isnt driving force now. Patric isnt NHLer because of his health, Kakko isnt top-6 player etc.

In the same time Kings are thinking about buyout of Dubois. Hockey players are humans.

As I said even if you like all these players it’s very likely at least a couple of them turn out.
And yes if our 10th overall pick is a third liner we’re gone wrong with the pick. It happens and isn’t the end of the world but the right pick here gets us a valuable part of our core, at least top 6 or top 4D player who’s here for a decade plus. So as I said, you can definitely go wrong with one of those guys.

Scouts job is to figure out who the best pick is which is way easier said than done.

Also all the players you talked about were top 5 picks.

 

[Guadana]

As I said even if you like all these players it’s very likely at least a couple of them turn out.
And yes if our 10th overall pick is a third liner we’re gone wrong with the pick. It happens and isn’t the end of the world but the right pick here gets us a valuable part of our core, at least top 6 or top 4D player who’s here for a decade plus. So as I said, you can definitely go wrong with one of those guys.

Scouts job is to figure out who the best pick is which is way easier said than done.

Also all the players you talked about were top 5 picks.

This is why we are spending so much time for scouting, watching and preparating.


This is why we are talking about them and debating about them so much. About their potential and how realistically they will peak it. How they will look if they will be so wthing the same but just better without really big turnings of the corners.

Reason why this group looks like it looks. Because this players have much lesser chance to bust. And still have tools, skills and smarts to be impactful.

I said about them because you don't have guarantee with top 5 picks or young nhl players. You never have it. You just can't wait "no mistskes". Sometimes there are no mistakes, bit something just doesn't work.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Are you having a link?

This publication has him at #6: 2024 NHL Draft Rankings - HockeyProspect.com

Betting markets see him as at least a top 12 pick

 

[Captain3rdLine]

This is why we are spending so much time for scouting, watching and preparating.


This is why we are talking about them and debating about them so much. About their potential and how realistically they will peak it. How they will look if they will be so wthing the same but just better without really big turnings of the corners.

Reason why this group looks like it looks. Because this players have much lesser chance to bust. And still have tools, skills and smarts to be impactful.

I said about them because you don't have guarantee with top 5 picks or young nhl players. You never have it. You just can't wait "no mistskes". Sometimes there are no mistakes, bit something just doesn't work.

Most of what you said goes to my point. We are spending so much debating between them because you absolutely can make a wrong pick.

As I said, extremely likely at least a couple of those guys bust. There will be at least a couple wrong picks among the 5 guys mentioned.

 

[longislanddevil]

Probably don’t need to say this but I find these kinds of statements a bit annoying. It is not at all hard to go wrong with any of these picks.

There’s a very high likelihood at least a couple of these guys won’t turn out very well. But it is hard to predict.

I don’t see any of these kids completely busting and I expect all to have decent to great NHL careers. Guess we will agree to disagree.

 

[Lou Bloom]

Yeah. Only this time.


Passing. Vision and playmaking is a different thing.



Yeah, Imagine is the right word. We need to image a lot of different things.

Imagine Nygard will develop his playmaking. Imagine Helenius will develop his starting speed and skating(he need less than Sennecke). Imagine Catton will develop his leg strength and will start to fight for the puck and work on the forecheck. Imagine Iginla will develop his speed.
All of them need less to be the same perfect version of what Sennecke could be.

All of these players involve projecting, the difference with Sennecke is that you see a lot of flashes of talent to where you can easily project improvement in those areas vs assuming a player will improve in an area they haven't shown much affinity for. It's not like I'm assuming Sennecke will develop into an elite defensive forward or anything like that, we're talking about a player that shows a variety of high end offensive tools that has also shown adept IQ in terms of vision and deceptiveness to be able to put all or most of those tools together.

And saying all of those players need less to be the same as a perfect version of what Sennecke could be is down right insane. They're all talented players and any one of them could be the best pick at #10, there's a reason why Sennecke is being lauded by both public draft analysts and from organizational scouts and executives.

 

[Forge]

So what I'm taking from this sennecke discourse is that we would basically be doing the pavel zacha thing again? Going after the projectable tools

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I don’t see any of these kids completely busting and I expect all to have decent to great NHL careers. Guess we will agree to disagree.

I mean if you really think so but it’s very likely that at least a couple of them don’t work out.

We might have different ideas of what not working out would constitute but if we aren’t getting at least a top 6F or 4D we’ve made the wrong pick. And again it’s extremely unlikely they all reach that level.

Picks in and around the top 10 can be extremely impactful. I know your not a scout but if I was a gm and one of my scouts told me we can’t go wrong with 5 guys ranked just below or above where our pick is, I’d be ready to fire him knowing that’s almost certainly completely untrue and a lazy assessment given how important the pick is. You’re looking for the best player you can possibly get.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

So what I'm taking from this sennecke discourse is that we would basically be doing the pavel zacha thing again? Going after the projectable tools

I would say they’re quite different. Zacha was a very raw and athletic talent. Big fast guy with a heavy shot. Sennecke isn’t nearly as athletic and his game revolves around being a pretty deceptive and smart offensive player with decent skills. I really don’t think he possesses any elite physical tools but some people are enamored by his stick handling (is overrated IMO). Put up a strong finish production wise and makes some nice moves and basically jumped up rankings. Kind of guy who shouldn’t be touching the top half of the first round I don’t think but I’ve already been saying that today and don’t need to get into it again.

 

[longislanddevil]

I mean if you really think so but it’s very likely that at least a couple of them don’t work out.

We might have different ideas of what not working out would constitute but if we aren’t getting at least a top 6F or 4D we’ve made the wrong pick. And again it’s extremely unlikely they all reach that level.

Picks in and around the top 10 can be extremely impactful. I know your not a scout but if I was a gm and one of my scouts told me we can’t go wrong with 5 guys ranked just below or above where our pick is, I’d be ready to fire him knowing that’s almost certainly completely untrue and a lazy assessment given how important the pick is. You’re looking for the best player you can possibly get.

We have different opinions on “not working out.” I’m OK with a double at 10OA. Of course I’d want to hit a triple or homerun with a top 6 player or top four defenseman. However, I wouldn’t classify a 20 goal third line player, for example, as “not working out.” I don’t disagree with your overall point as plenty of players bomb but for the group of players I mentioned, I just don’t see a likely bust in the bunch. There are certainly some other players I’ve identified with considerable more risk that have much higher bust probability.

You’re right. I’m not a scout where I’m paid to go out on a limb and project the player that will be the best pro, organizational fit, etc. Since I’m just a poster on a message board, I can have a group of prospects I like roughly the same and don’t have to make the decision.

 

[Guadana]

All of these players involve projecting, the difference with Sennecke is that you see a lot of flashes of talent to where you can easily project improvement in those areas vs assuming a player will improve in an area they haven't shown much affinity for. It's not like I'm assuming Sennecke will develop into an elite defensive forward or anything like that, we're talking about a player that shows a variety of high end offensive tools that has also shown adept IQ in terms of vision and deceptiveness to be able to put all or most of those tools together.

And saying all of those players need less to be the same as a perfect version of what Sennecke could be is down right insane. They're all talented players and any one of them could be the best pick at #10, there's a reason why Sennecke is being lauded by both public draft analysts and from organizational scouts and executives.

Mmm... no.
He is big and very good puck handler with the puck.

He is in years away in compete level.
He is the worst defensive forward.
He is losing his position. As in D zone, as in O zone.
He isn't fast. His skating is okay.
He has some kind of tunnel vision. Its great he can control the puck, but its a perimeter playmaking and nhl players know how to play against it. He isn't as close in skating to use it against nhlers. In fact he is doing great with the puck in controlling, but he is slow in that moment. In his defense in this aspect - he protects the puck well.

Thats all. He doesn't show great vision where player can find open spaces without the puck and pick it in the right moment. He isn't playmaker he is passer.
He is working with the puck and waiting for his moment, its okay its good, he has very good hands for that, its projectable. But guys like Iginla and Catton are doing the same or even better. Nygard is thinking the game much faster, him and Helenius doing the game for more steps.
And skating part of course. As defensive part.

I'm not buying the hype, sorry, I don't care what writers saying. They are doing their mistakes years after year. I'm doing mine. I like my mistakes more, because first of all they are mine, and I made less.
Overall year after year writers and scouts love puckhandling, production in CHL and "ceiling" - concept they are ruining and understanding in the wrong way.

Sennecke didn't show more flashes than other guys. Iginla made huge, no, HUGE step in development. Helenius is very smart in all situations, he is a rare player who can make a play and deactivate the play of opponent. He needs to add starting speed only - he us much faster with the puck on the move, he needs to develop his game naturally, he first need to turn the corner like Sennecke, who doesn't exist like an active positional player against the cycling. I made the breakdown of Nygard game with video - he is the most active forward in all zones, he is the fastest, he is more accurate. His stick handling isn't very good, but he is controlling the puck and can compensate by very accurate passes. And he has starting speed to make a pass and pick the free open space to shoot on nhl level, oh and he has one of the best shots on the draft. And his play off production was great with teenagers on his line in adult league, not like Sennecke who played with one of the best forwards in junior league.

Sennecke didn't show best flashes. He didn't show best attributes, he didn't show best something. Catton is better puckhandler, faster puckhandler and better smarter playmaker, Chernyshov is better puckhandler, much faster skater and can do his things on the move, much better physical or defensive forward. Sennecke isn't in the big group of players. Steve is right to name him as a player from 15-20 group. Because "insane" isn't the argument. Facts about tools and iq are arguments. And if we need we can break down his game too. But later. It takes a lot of time. Of course for me. Some writers are doing it really fast from what I read.

 

[Guadana]

This publication has him at #6: 2024 NHL Draft Rankings - HockeyProspect.com

Betting markets see him as at least a top 12 pick

Ah, its okay. I thought there were info about Devils who have him in top 5.

Different ratings different players. I hope Fitz will learn something and will make right decision. Evnted, Steve and me made enough explanations. Different scouts can have different opinions about tools, size, leagues. Some scouts are good, some not. That's why some scouts can win a lottery ticket with tonns of wrong decisions, some scouts can make mistake with tonns of good picks.

 

[StevenToddIves]

All of these players involve projecting, the difference with Sennecke is that you see a lot of flashes of talent to where you can easily project improvement in those areas vs assuming a player will improve in an area they haven't shown much affinity for. It's not like I'm assuming Sennecke will develop into an elite defensive forward or anything like that, we're talking about a player that shows a variety of high end offensive tools that has also shown adept IQ in terms of vision and deceptiveness to be able to put all or most of those tools together.

And saying all of those players need less to be the same as a perfect version of what Sennecke could be is down right insane. They're all talented players and any one of them could be the best pick at #10, there's a reason why Sennecke is being lauded by both public draft analysts and from organizational scouts and executives.

I mean, it's certainly interesting. No one has to believe myself or @Guadana or @evnted when we assess draft prospects, but I think we should all be at least listened to because we're pretty thorough in explaining our reasoning and processes and none of the three of us are knee-jerk "he's a bust!" reactionaries.

Of course, when I read a scout liking a player I don't or vise versa, I pay attention. I try to keep an eye on what the other draft writers are saying. Sometimes it makes me go back and watch the prospect more, because maybe I missed something and prefer to be thorough. With Sennecke, I actually did this and strangely, dropped him a bit more in my rankings instead of the other way around. My reasoning was simple, if subjective -- out of all the forwards I have rated in my top 10 (Celebrini, Demidov, Lindstrom, Nygard, Helenius, Iginla, Hage, Chernyshov, Catton, Beaudoin) Sennecke would rank last in the combined three categories I weigh the highest for forwards -- (in order) skating, hockey IQ and compete level. While his skating is above Helenius, Iginla and Beaudoin, I'd rank him last of the group in both IQ and compete. This is not to say Sennecke is *weak* in those intangible categories -- he's very smart with the puck, though he loses his focus without it. He's above-average to good in terms of compete. But those other guys are all elite in one of those categories and often (Celebrini, Demidov, Nygard, Helenius, Chernyshov, Beaudoin) in both.

So yes, I could certainly see a draft analyst who weighs puck skill and pure offense above my more personally prioritized facets ranking Sennecke ahead of a Nygard or Chernyshov. But here I get wary of "hype" is when I see high-profile guys like Pronman ranking Sennecke over Demidov. I mean, that's just unfair to both prospects and the reader alike, because there's just no argument which can support it.

Sennecke would not be a *terrible* pick in the 10-12 range, nor would he be an entirely unrealistic one. But according to my criteria (and the same goes for @Guadana and @evntd), there's no way he could be the best pick, or one of the best few picks. But again, if pure puck skill and raw offense are your top priorities for a forward, you're likely to disagree. As for me, I can certainly see him as being a very good, top 6 scoring forward in the NHL, but I also see that for Andrew Basha. As far as gamebreaking, superstar forwards, that's far more likely to be a Demidov or Lindstrom.

 

[Nico Hischier]

A thread on the main boards said New Jersey is rumored to be high on Leo Sahlin Wallenius

 

[StevenToddIves]

A thread on the main boards said New Jersey is rumored to be high on Leo Sahlin Wallenius

I have Sahlin-Wallenius ranked in the mid-3rd round. It's notable that my ranking is a relatively low one for Sahlin-Wallenius, who could go as early as the late 1st and will likely go somewhere in the 2nd. As the Devils have no picks between #10 overall and #76 overall, the team would have to make a trade in order to draft him.

I don't know if this even bears mentioning, but no competent scouting staff would agree to the idea of Sahlin-Wallenius as a top 10 pick, it's just not realistic.