Prospect Info: 2024 NHL Entry Draft (Ducks pick #3, They didn’t drop! OMG It’s a Miracle!)

[Hockey Duckie]

I personally don't buy into the "PV will only draft 6 foot and above" narrative. Whats the difference between 5'11 180 and 6'1 170 like Terrance and Pitre are (if anyone says "2 inches and 10 lbs" I will cut you).

It's not a narrative when it did occur for two drafts. Question now is if Verbeek is sticking to it? Verbeek did a lot of activity with 5'11 players by having signed FA Vatrano last year, swapped AHLers' from Perreault to Mysak, and traded for Myers.

5'11 Helenius isn't the player I'd be looking at, but rather the other 5'11 forward in Catton. Catton passed up Helenius from the mid-term mocks. And I was high on Helenius. I was tracking Helenius and Hemming from early to mid-season.

I'd still prefer Lindstrom over both b/c the upside is higher, but hoping for Lev and will be amazed if we win the lottery for Celebrini.

 

[AngelDuck]

I really dont want Parekh. I truly feel like a #2 all around defensemen is a better fit for the Ducks futures then an Eric Karlsson. Someone has to play defense and PK again the top lines.

So you would draft Ryan McDnough over Erik Karlsson. Yeesh

You don’t pick for need and we all know that

Dickinson (unless we get Celebrini) will be the main target obviously but if he’s gone it’s wide open

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

So you would draft Ryan McDnough over Erik Karlsson. Yeesh

You don’t pick for need and we all know that

Dickinson (unless we get Celebrini) will be the main target obviously but if he’s gone it’s wide open

I imagine the team will have Levshunov will be right up there with dickinson for us.

I also think in our situation, need is going to impact our pick if somethings available.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

So you would draft Ryan McDnough over Erik Karlsson. Yeesh

You don’t pick for need and we all know that

Dickinson (unless we get Celebrini) will be the main target obviously but if he’s gone it’s wide open

Having watched Madden operate all these years, would not be surprised at all if they do have Dickinson at #2.

 

[AngelDuck]

I imagine the team will have Levshunov will be right up there with dickinson for us.

I also think in our situation, need is going to impact our pick if somethings available.

I don’t know if the ducks will be high on Levshunovs decision making

His best attribute is his hands, but generally the ducks value size, smarts, and mobility on the the back end

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Not really interested at all in Yakemchuk, Silayev, Lindstrom, or Eiserman. I would be pretty disappointed if we came out of this draft (and this crappy season) with one of those guys. Celebrini, Demidov, Levshunov, Dickinson, these are the guys I want us to be targeting

I agree. Those 4 are the guys we need... if we drop to 5 and they arnt available... man i really start to wonder if trading down a bit is the play.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

I don’t know if the ducks will be high on Levshunovs decision making

His best attribute is his hands, but generally the ducks value size, smarts, and mobility on the the back end

6'2 200 and a gym rat, i think he covers size and mobility pretty nicely.

i dont think his iq is bad at all, i think hes still learning on NA ice, hes taken a bit of a weird route to where he is now... but has succeeded everywhere hes gone. If your looking at the highest potential complete dmen in the draft i think he is that guy.

That being said, id be plenty happy with either of Dickinson/Levshunov, i have them 2 and 3 on my top 5.

 

[ScarTroy]

Where is Buium on most of your guys lists? Would be cool to get a local kid but definitely don’t want to reach with a top pick just because he’s local.

 

[tomd]

His evaluation of Demidov at #2 is very interesting. Worth a listen.

Interesting that Yakemchuk wasn't in his top 15.

 

[Gliff]

So you would draft Ryan McDnough over Erik Karlsson. Yeesh

You don’t pick for need and we all know that

Dickinson (unless we get Celebrini) will be the main target obviously but if he’s gone it’s wide open

Ryan McDonagh has 2 cups. How many does Karlsson have?

And I think the comp would be move Charlie McAvoy rather then McDonagh. In which case it is a no brainer who I would choose.

But I agree with you, you don’t pick for need. Having said that if they have 2 defensemen at the same level the way they did Drysdale and Jake Sanderson you do with the guy who is a better fit.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Where is Buium on most of your guys lists? Would be cool to get a local kid but definitely don’t want to reach with a top pick just because he’s local.

Top 10 for me…. Prob in the 8-10 range

 

[AngelDuck]

Ryan McDonagh has 2 cups. How many does Karlsson have?

And I think the comp would be move Charlie McAvoy rather then McDonagh. In which case it is a no brainer who I would choose.

But I agree with you, you don’t pick for need. Having said that if they have 2 defensemen at the same level the way they did Drysdale and Jake Sanderson you do with the guy who is a better fit.

You’re joking right? Chris Kunitz had 5 cups, Ryan Getzlaf had how many? McDonough was the Lightning’s 5th best player at best for both of those runs. Karlsson has never not been his teams best player until this season in PIT with Crosby

If the ducks think Parekh is anywhere near Karlsson level (he’s not)potentially they take him regardless of need

 

[Mr Rogers]

It’s really tough to find an offensive dman like that. Why the hell wouldn’t you take him if he’s the best player? You can always move him or someone else down the line for a defensive guy. OFD’s are worth a ton even if they aren’t great defensively.

 

[MMC]

What do you guys think of Clarke Caswell and Michael Hage?

 

[Hockey Duckie]

6'2 200 and a gym rat, i think he covers size and mobility pretty nicely.

i dont think his iq is bad at all, i think hes still learning on NA ice, hes taken a bit of a weird route to where he is now... but has succeeded everywhere hes gone. If your looking at the highest potential complete dmen in the draft i think he is that guy.

That being said, id be plenty happy with either of Dickinson/Levshunov, i have them 2 and 3 on my top 5.

To add onto that...

NCAA age range is 17-26. CHL age is 16 - 20. Lev is playing his first year in the NCAA. Dickinson is playing his second season in the OHL (CHL). Dickinson should be improved in his second season.

Lev is leading his team in points and +/- as a freshman and youngest D-man on the team, could be the youngest player on the team. You gotta have some smarts to lead in both categories as a rookie in the NCAA, Lev didn't just fall into leading the team in points and +/-. He plays his offense similar to Mintyukov and we love Mintyukov, right?

In winning the big-10 Championship vs Michigan, Lev kept up and contained a speeding 5'9 Gavin Brindley, who is Michigan's 2nd leading scorer and great top speed. Usually, taller d-men get juked out by fast and little jitterbugs, but Lev neutralized him.

There's more upside to Lev!

If RD Lev isn't there, then LD Dickinson would be the 2nd best defenseman for the Ducks, looking for a more defensively inclined d-man.

 

[Gliff]

You’re joking right? Chris Kunitz had 5 cups, Ryan Getzlaf had how many? McDonough was the Lightning’s 5th best player at best for both of those runs. Karlsson has never not been his teams best player until this season in PIT with Crosby

If the ducks think Parekh is anywhere near Karlsson level (he’s not)potentially they take him regardless of need

Yes I am being facetious.

But your argument is flawed you’re using a #2/3 for your example. Obviously they aren’t going to take a lesser player for a better fit. But you use Pronger, McAvoy, or Scott Stevens instead of McDonagh I bet it isn’t so clear to you.

Obviously none of these guys will come close to any of them.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

To add onto that...

NCAA age range is 17-26. CHL age is 16 - 20. Lev is playing his first year in the NCAA. Dickinson is playing his second season in the OHL (CHL). Dickinson should be improved in his second season.

Lev is leading his team in points and +/- as a freshman and youngest D-man on the team, could be the youngest player on the team. You gotta have some smarts to lead in both categories as a rookie in the NCAA, Lev didn't just fall into leading the team in points and +/-. He plays his offense similar to Mintyukov and we love Mintyukov, right?

In winning the big-10 Championship vs Michigan, Lev kept up and contained a speeding 5'9 Gavin Brindley, who is Michigan's 2nd leading scorer and great top speed. Usually, taller d-men get juked out by fast and little jitterbugs, but Lev neutralized him.

There's more upside to Lev!

If RD Lev isn't there, then LD Dickinson would be the 2nd best defenseman for the Ducks, looking for a more defensively inclined d-man.

Agree with all of this.

I’ve said for a while Levshunov reminds me a lot of Mintyukov in his draft year, both also took similar(but different) routes to where they are.

Both guys are machines, who are built to both be effective on both sides of the ice.

If we don’t get celebrini…. Levshunov is my pick.

Wouldn’t be mad about Dickinson tho, I just think lev has the highest complete upside of any dmen in the draft and the best fit for us .

yakemchuk and biuim would be next on dmen list for me, but if lev and Dickinson are gone by our pick, kinda makes it awkward for us

 

[2faded]

Having only watch a handful of highlights it sure feels like Demidov is the BPA at #2. It's a weird situation, because of the Russian factor, plus the fact that we need a D man now after trading Drysdale.

The safest pick seems like it would be Levshunov (or Dickinson but RHD is needed more). But if they're strictly going BPA I think it's Demidov.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

I personally don't buy into the "PV will only draft 6 foot and above" narrative. Whats the difference between 5'11 180 and 6'1 170 like Terrance and Pitre are (if anyone says "2 inches and 10 lbs" I will cut you).

I just doubt his upside. His .71 PPG is good for 5th all time for draft eligible in Liiga. Looking at the last 20 years he is 4th and here is what the top 10 looks like:
Aleksander Barkov (C)
Mikael Granlund (C/RW)
Kaapo Kakko (RW)
Konsta Helenius (C/RW)
Patrik Laine (LW/RW)
Artturi Lehkonen (LW)
Joel Armia (RW)
Jesperi Kotkaniemi (C/LW)
Jesse Puljujärvi (RW)
Anton Lundell (C)

Not exactly murderer's row. 2 top line forwards and 1 top 6 forward. Lots of middle 6 forwards which is basically what I expect Helenius would end up as. If we were drafting closer to 10 I would feel way better. But in the top 5 you need to get someone with upside.


100%. What makes it even crazier is that year was due to the pandemic. This year is actually just lacking that typical 2-3 tier we see in most drafts.

I agree he'll probably go a tad lower than where we end up picking, but I also think he'll make a happy team out of whoever drafts him. Especially if they are one of those more competitive teams who happen to fall into a top 10-12 pick, as this kid will be one of the first from this draft class to debut and will likely provide value while still on his ELC. Probably the second most likely guy to debut at 18, just based on what he's already accomplishing as a center playing against men. But I don't entirely disagree that we are hoping for more ceiling with a top 5 pick.

His production is pretty close to Laine at the same age, who obviously was a lot more physically advanced/gifted and more of a pure offensive player. Helenius is playing center and has a much more well rounded approach. He may come by his production in more of a blue collar fashion but I still find it encouraging that his numbers are pretty close to Laine - who basically broke right in scoring.

Of course if Helenius goes on an extended playoff run where he's a top driver for his club, that's really going to resonate and help give his stock a late boost. A point per game playoff run in Liiga, would be really impressive for a 17 year old.

 

[GunnarStahl]

What do you guys think of Clarke Caswell and Michael Hage?

Having just watched highlights for Hage, he would be a target of mine for the late 1st. Goal scoring, size and a well rounded game lines up well with what the pool could use.

 

[anezthes]

As a professional scout, I'd be happy with Celebrini (duh), Helenius and Parekh.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

I agree he'll probably go a tad lower than where we end up picking, but I also think he'll make a happy team out of whoever drafts him. Especially if they are one of those more competitive teams who happen to fall into a top 10-12 pick, as this kid will be one of the first from this draft class to debut and will likely provide value while still on his ELC. Probably the second most likely guy to debut at 18, just based on what he's already accomplishing as a center playing against men. But I don't entirely disagree that we are hoping for more ceiling with a top 5 pick.

His production is pretty close to Laine at the same age, who obviously was a lot more physically advanced/gifted and more of a pure offensive player. Helenius is playing center and has a much more well rounded approach. He may come by his production in more of a blue collar fashion but I still find it encouraging that his numbers are pretty close to Laine - who basically broke right in scoring.

Of course if Helenius goes on an extended playoff run where he's a top driver for his club, that's really going to resonate and help give his stock a late boost. A point per game playoff run in Liiga, would be really impressive for a 17 year old.

He's also not overhyped like Laine and Kakko were. Isn't his hockey IQ high as well ?
If the Ducks drop to #5, I wouldn't mind him at all and he's a RH shot that the Ducks lack in forwards.
Cutter/Carlsson/Helenius top line could become really good.

 

[Deuce22]

Levshunov is such an obvious fit that I don't trust my own evaluation. I hope Verbeek and Madden don't overthink it.

 

[JAHV]

Is this a year where there's so much uncertainty that we can all be chill when the Ducks make their pick because no one knows anything?

...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

In seriousness, I have no preferences in this draft. I'm only a minor draft prospect follower, so I'm going to trust Verbeek and his team to make the best pick they can.

 

[tomd]

Levshunov is such an obvious fit that I don't trust my own evaluation. I hope Verbeek and Madden don't overthink it.

I think you are assuming that the Ducks will be picking 2nd or 3rd. Right now, there is only a 20% combined chance of that happening. 70% chance of picking 4th or 5th.