Draft info dump while I wait for the BU game to start because I watched way too much junior hockey last night:
Zeev Buium was absolutely fabulous in his first NCAA playoff game last night. His puck management is so strong and I think there’s an argument that he has the best hockey IQ of all the top ranked defensemen in this draft. He doesn’t have outstanding physical tools like most of the others, but he’s just supremely effective and efficient. Good hands, good spacing, creative, and strong defensively as well. Denver is a total wagon so I do think his offensive point totals aren’t quite telling the story, as I’ve maintained all year, but there’s so much to like about this guy. I watched him a lot with the NTDP last season and didn’t quite see it then, but he’a come a long way. I am a little hung up on his 2005 birthdate and questioning the translatability of his offense, but he’s a real player.
Sam Dickinson was the same as always: calm, smooth, and not nearly as good defensively as the scouting reports say. You’d think from reading about him that he was a shutdown defenseman in juniors but every time I watch him there’s a few misplays in front of his net that stop me from being as high on him as some. His lack of pace, while not necessarily a deal-breaker for me, is one of the things I don’t care for with him. Plus he’s super passive for his size.
Parekh was solid, but I feel like I keep catching mediocre games whenever I watch him cause the guy from the highlight reels has never been there for me. His defense is really up and down—sometimes he makes one on one defensive plays that are actually quite good, and sometimes he makes the worst play imaginable. But his passing is so crisp and accurate that I actually don’t think his floor is as low as folks think.
Maybe this is a bold take, but Yakemchuk is the worst defensively among the six defensemen at the top of the draft, even worse than Parekh. He’s just so indifferent defensively and barely moves his feet when he doesn’t have the puck. In fact, he had back to back brutal defensive shifts and then came out and dropped this ridiculous move:
I can’t overstate how much this guy reminds me of Burns but a much worse skater and even more baffling and lazy defensive decision making. I think he’s the biggest boom-bust guy in this draft.
Celebrini, Levshunov, and BC in action today for NCAA playoffs, I’ll report back anything interesting.
