GDT: 2024 Rookie Tournament

[BondraTime]

Unless I am mistaken, I am pretty sure the purpose of the rookie tournament is a lot different than what some on here seem to think it is. From what I understand, the purpose of this tournament is to prepare prospects for main camp and evaluate a handful of invites as to whether they should be given consideration to attend main camp.

I would assume with that, that there is a much heavier emphasis on systems play. It has a lot more to do with subtle details than big flashy moments. The reasoning behind that would be that when main camp starts there will be a very strict adherence to systems play with players who cannot make the necessary adjustments being weeded out quickly.

I think it is an important detail to mention because there can be a big trade off between adherence to systems play and generating dynamic flashy individual offensive moments. Some of the decisions that could lead to bigger offensive moments might in fact demonstrate either a lack of comprehension of systems play and role assignments or a lack of willingness to either listen to the coaches or lack of recognition as to how they are actually being evaluated.

I just think some of that stuff might go under the radar on here. It is preparation for main camp.

If my evaluation is accurate than some of the things that might impress people on here might actually reflect poorly on the players by the people coaching and evaluating them.

Just like someone else mentioned on here, Tarun Fizer, had a strong offensive showing in the rookie tournament last year and there were a number of people on here convinced that he was going to get an ELC and that he had demonstrated significant NHL potential. He did get an invite to main camp but he only earned an AHL deal. Part of the reason behind that could have possibly been that he didn't demonstrate enough in systems play or role assignments.

Food for thought for anyone interested.

Fizur got an AHL deal because he was a 21 year old who was going to play pro somewhere. He already proved he was capable in the AHL and a star in the ECHL. He was an AHL/ECHL signing, and that’s where he spent time over the past 2 years.

We just have an extremely bad group of prospects. There are maybe 3/4 guys with an NHL future in camp with them, we literally have guys who were healthy scratches in the CHL as recent as 4 months ago.

They aren’t looking bad by choice to try and fit into a system, nor are they being evaluated positively because they are playing a system poorly.

We don’t always need to be looking for subtlety, not everything is a hidden away secret we need to unravel. They look poor because they are a poor group of prospects, not because they are trying to fit into a system.

 

[Cosmix]

Not very good this game. But no injury. Seriously that’s a win.

Your definition of a "win" is pretty low.

 

[Cosmix]

Yes, it is a very strange watch for sure. The caveman in me keeps reaching for the remote thinking I can somehow fix it. There was a minimal score panel (0-0, yay!) displayed in the 1st but that disappeared in the 2nd. No zooming in at all, just one very distant camera shot. With no play call it is kind of tough to figure out who is doing what to whom where.. All that said, it could be much worse… I could be forced to endure a Dean Brown everything but the damned game play call, his comedy routine. Gord I don’t mind even though he can be over the top homer wise. As for Dean, I’ve never heard a more arrogant sounding disinterested “I’m too good to be here” type game call. May be unfair but it rubs me that way. They might not be that bad if somebody upstairs would kick him in the ass, tell him to either get interested and profession or GTFO. Perhaps ownership makes changes there, not sure. And again I digress! Oh well… On to P3!

I agree that Dean Brown is not a good host for the Ottawa Senators games (bombastic) and would like to see someone else. Good Wilson is not a good color commentator; he seems to be a homer and has nothing of consequence to say. We could do much better than those two. Hopefully changes will come soon.

Fizur got an AHL deal because he was a 21 year old who was going to play pro somewhere. He already proved he was capable in the AHL and a star in the ECHL. He was an AHL/ECHL signing, and that’s where he spent time over the past 2 years.

We just have an extremely bad group of prospects. There are maybe 3/4 guys with an NHL future in camp with them, we literally have guys who were healthy scratches in the CHL as recent as 4 months ago.

They aren’t looking bad by choice to try and fit into a system, nor are they being evaluated positively because they are playing a system poorly.

We don’t always need to be looking for subtlety, not everything is a hidden away secret we need to unravel. They look poor because they are a poor group of prospects, not because they are trying to fit into a system.

Fizur seemed to create some offence when we saw him prior to signing him; the rest of the prospects back then were lacklustre. I agree it is because they are a poor group of prospects.

 

[Cosmix]

It was a much better game, overall. Halliday was the standout, and I thought Yakemchuk had some really promising moments.

Now that he's no longer a focus of as much attention, it's remarkable how Boucher just fades into the background of a game. Through two games I wouldn't say he's been good or bad. He's more just present, with brief flashes that remind you that he has the tools to do so much more. The question remains, why doesn't he?

I agree; he is just present and not getting anything done. Not asserting himself in any way. I don't know why he is wearing the C.

 

[BondraTime]

I agree; he is just present and not getting anything done. Not asserting himself in any way. I don't know why he is wearing the C.

He’s the only guy that has been in Belleville for a year, everyone else is still in junior, joined Belleville with 20 games remaining, or are camp invites.

 

[bert]

All the same for the last 20 years of drafting. All NHL teams at some point favoured size before skills and hockey IQ, they all failed miserably. I do not understand why we travel this rout every tear? Drafting only for needs and size.

Every single team failed? haha math doesnt add up big guy.

 

[bert]

Unless I am mistaken, I am pretty sure the purpose of the rookie tournament is a lot different than what some on here seem to think it is. From what I understand, the purpose of this tournament is to prepare prospects for main camp and evaluate a handful of invites as to whether they should be given consideration to attend main camp.

I would assume with that, that there is a much heavier emphasis on systems play. It has a lot more to do with subtle details than big flashy moments. The reasoning behind that would be that when main camp starts there will be a very strict adherence to systems play with players who cannot make the necessary adjustments being weeded out quickly.

I think it is an important detail to mention because there can be a big trade off between adherence to systems play and generating dynamic flashy individual offensive moments. Some of the decisions that could lead to bigger offensive moments might in fact demonstrate either a lack of comprehension of systems play and role assignments or a lack of willingness to either listen to the coaches or lack of recognition as to how they are actually being evaluated.

I just think some of that stuff might go under the radar on here. It is preparation for main camp.

If my evaluation is accurate than some of the things that might impress people on here might actually reflect poorly on the players by the people coaching and evaluating them.

Just like someone else mentioned on here, Tarun Fizer, had a strong offensive showing in the rookie tournament last year and there were a number of people on here convinced that he was going to get an ELC and that he had demonstrated significant NHL potential. He did get an invite to main camp but he only earned an AHL deal. Part of the reason behind that could have possibly been that he didn't demonstrate enough in systems play or role assignments.

Food for thought for anyone interested.

Yet again another smart and well thought out post. But I dont think the vocal complainers are going to bother reading the entire thing. The narrative of deciding if an 18 year old big defenseman will suck forever and wont continue to develop while ridiculing the management team and scouts who drafted them is far too enticing.

Most of Ottawas prospects are in NCAA, USHL or europe and they didnt bring many AHL players, Everyone knew they were going to be bad on top of it being a bad prospect pool because Dorion has been burning picks like a maniac the last 3 years.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

Fizur got an AHL deal because he was a 21 year old who was going to play pro somewhere. He already proved he was capable in the AHL and a star in the ECHL. He was an AHL/ECHL signing, and that’s where he spent time over the past 2 years.

We just have an extremely bad group of prospects. There are maybe 3/4 guys with an NHL future in camp with them, we literally have guys who were healthy scratches in the CHL as recent as 4 months ago.

They aren’t looking bad by choice to try and fit into a system, nor are they being evaluated positively because they are playing a system poorly.

We don’t always need to be looking for subtlety, not everything is a hidden away secret we need to unravel. They look poor because they are a poor group of prospects, not because they are trying to fit into a system.

Some of the things you have been saying in this thread at least come across as inconsistent with the publicly made comments by representatives that work for the Senators.

For example, you stated that the camp invites on amateur try-outs were just warm bodies. Yet the head of amateur scouting, Don Boyd, in his TSN1200 interview specifically stated that they only consider camp invites if scouts have a passion for that prospect. That once it gets to the later stages of the draft scouts start advocating for players to be camp invites if they don't get drafted and even begin the early stages of coordinating that with the representatives of those players. That in this draft in particular where they didn't have a 6th or 7th round pick that it plays a role for them. All that seems to imply that camp invites are being seriously evaluated and given serious consideration for contracts which contradicts what you stated.

Then here with this most recent comment, Dave Bell's post game press conference, seems more in line with what I was arguing than your counter argument.
Senators fall just short against Penguins at the Prospects Challenge | Ottawa Senators
He talks about the importance of systems play and how players were given a lot of information over the last 48 hours. That is the same kind of comment Troy Mann made when he was the coach of Belleville and when he was heading up the rookie tournament a few years ago. He talked about how the prospect were going to have a ton of information thrown at them and that it was their responsibility to absorb it all and that it was part of being a professional.

I am assuming that this "ton of information" has a lot to do with systems play, subtle details of the game and role assignments. That also seems very different than what some might assume a rookie tournament is. They might assume it is a prospect showcase where prospects are given free reign to do what they want on the ice and showcase whatever ability they have.

Troy Mann's comments in the past seemed to imply a very sink or swim approach. That the prospects needed to demonstrate that they were comprehending all that information thrown at them and capable of implementing it in a very short time frame. That he at least implied that those who couldn't would be quickly left behind.

Bell's comments seem similar to that. I think at least the commentary coming from the Sens suggests it is a much more complex process and those not privy to it might not understand what kind of expectations are on those prospects and in particular, what exactly it looks like to demonstrate that they have adequately comprehended and able to successfully implement what they've been taught over the last 48 hours.

 

[Yak]

These guys are making their rookie camp decisions very easy. Everybody's going back to school. Nobody is graduating to the next level. Maybe just maybe somebody will elevate their game for a cup of coffee in the AHL. Couple of those AHL guys might stick around a little later in camp, but even the brass knew that the cupboards were bare and the prospects were raw. Be lucky if there's a single player from the AHL on the NHL team this year.

 

[bert]

These guys are making their rookie camp decisions very easy. Everybody's going back to school. Nobody is graduating to the next level. Maybe just maybe somebody will elevate their game for a cup of coffee in the AHL. Couple of those AHL guys might stick around a little later in camp, but even the brass knew that the cupboards were bare and the prospects were raw. Be lucky if there's a single player from the AHL on the NHL team this year.

Kleven and Ostapchuk are likely locks be in the teams best 18 skaters when the season starts. Neither are at this rookie camp. Both played in the AHL last year.

 

[BondraTime]

Some of the things you have been saying in this thread at least come across as inconsistent with the publicly made comments by representatives that work for the Senators.

For example, you stated that the camp invites on amateur try-outs were just warm bodies. Yet the head of amateur scouting, Don Boyd, in his TSN1200 interview specifically stated that they only consider camp invites if scouts have a passion for that prospect. That once it gets to the later stages of the draft scouts start advocating for players to be camp invites if they don't get drafted and even begin the early stages of coordinating that with the representatives of those players. That in this draft in particular where they didn't have a 6th or 7th round pick that it plays a role for them. All that seems to imply that camp invites are being seriously evaluated and given serious consideration for contracts which contradicts what you stated.

Then here with this most recent comment, Dave Bell's post game press conference, seems more in line with what I was arguing than your counter argument.
Senators fall just short against Penguins at the Prospects Challenge | Ottawa Senators
He talks about the importance of systems play and how players were given a lot of information over the last 48 hours. That is the same kind of comment Troy Mann made when he was the coach of Belleville and when he was heading up the rookie tournament a few years ago. He talked about how the prospect were going to have a ton of information thrown at them and that it was their responsibility to absorb it all and that it was part of being a professional.

I am assuming that this "ton of information" has a lot to do with systems play, subtle details of the game and role assignments. That also seems very different than what some might assume a rookie tournament is. They might assume it is a prospect showcase where prospects are given free reign to do what they want on the ice and showcase whatever ability they have.

Troy Mann's comments in the past seemed to imply a very sink or swim approach. That the prospects needed to demonstrate that they were comprehending all that information thrown at them and capable of implementing it in a very short time frame. That he at least implied that those who couldn't would be quickly left behind.

Bell's comments seem similar to that. I think at least the commentary coming from the Sens suggests it is a much more complex process and those not privy to it might not understand what kind of expectations are on those prospects and in particular, what exactly it looks like to demonstrate that they have adequately comprehended and able to successfully implement what they've been taught over the last 48 hours.

I mean, they are absolutely warm bodies. They have 14 guys invited, they aren’t all guys the Sens are looking to sign or looking to get info on, regardless of what our head scout is saying. What else is he going to say? They are needed to fill out the roster requirements.

It’s always a process, not complex whatsoever, anyone who has been involved in a training camp as a player, coach or management knows that there are things that are being taught and looked for.

They also know that it’s the place where you need to stand out and show their game. Halliday is looking good, that’s going to help him moving forward.

The Sens, right now at this tournament, have about ~5/6 legitimate prospects for the NHL, and it shows. This is where you look to make a mark, no guy here is sacrificing what they can do on the ice, they are doing everything they can to stand out in a positive way. A system isn’t hard to see, and there hasn’t been any kind of a system, positive at least, happening in the 2 games. If we’re supposed to not count how they’re plying because we can’t “understand” the system because we “assume” we should be looking for something they’re not actually looking for, we can certainly comment that their system has looked terrible in these 2 games.

This isn’t just a “learn the system” process. This is a place where the coaches and managers are looking for someone to stand out.

All of the guys are playing the same way I expected them too. Playing the style they’re known for. They aren’t adjusting their games because they’re in the Rookie tournament, they’re doing what they always do.

 

[BondraTime]

These guys are making their rookie camp decisions very easy. Everybody's going back to school. Nobody is graduating to the next level. Maybe just maybe somebody will elevate their game for a cup of coffee in the AHL. Couple of those AHL guys might stick around a little later in camp, but even the brass knew that the cupboards were bare and the prospects were raw. Be lucky if there's a single player from the AHL on the NHL team this year.

Nobody there is going to school, and there are 10ish guys that are locked in Belleville.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

This doesn't resemble our prospect team, in the slightest.

Our D is close, but the F are way off.

Seeing Halliday play well is big, and letting our pure rookies taste prospect games is good. Winning or losing doesn't mean a thing.

Olwhonare our other prospects? Please don’t say stutzle and Sanderson

I didn't watch the game. So don't know how bad he was.

But if you have a 6 ft 7 guy who is too aggressive in dishing out pain at 17, it is a lot better than a 6 ft 7 guy who has to be encouraged to be more physical.

Like you really can't teach meanness.

Long term project that probably won't work out but whatever.

Hopefully we get an Andy Sutton, one of my fave low key Senators.

“Long term project that probably won’t work out” is not a good strategy

 

[Burrowsaurus]

He's been 18 for 5 days, of course he's an idiot. He's a teenager. Are you expecting a teenage defenseman to be even close to NHL ready? He'd have been a top 3 pick if he was.

Well no just expecting him to be ready to play his fellow peers lol

 

[LiseL]

Disappointing outcome.

Having Leevi Merilainen get injured prior to the first rookie tournament game probably had a more consequential impact than some might have thought. This is a very young prospect group and a lot of these players (whether drafted or camp invites) were taking part in their first rookie tournament and needed to get some of the jitters out of the way. Even some of the more experienced prospects here such as Boucher, Daoust and Toure are playing their first game since recovering from injuries and having a long lay off.

Michael Simpson tried his best but even he had jitters he needed to work through. He wasn't able to provide the more calming presence that Merilainen likely would have been able to, which would have allowed for the early game defensive breakdowns to not end up in the back of the net. It didn't take long before the team was down a couple of goals and then they were chasing the game. This only added to the jitters of the inexperienced players and of Simpson.

The team really struggled to generate any momentum and the breakdowns kept costing them with goals against. I thought the players started to relax a bit after David Egorov was brought in to replace Simpson but at that point they had already lost the game.

For a rough game I still saw some positives on an individual level.

Lucas Ellinas looked very effective on the penalty kill and made some strong defensive reads. He also pinned the puck along the boards in the offensive zone and was able to keep in there while 4 devils prospects tried to get it away from him. He looked pretty good overall from what I recall.

Tyler Boucher has improved his skating, seems to be better positionally and comes across as more poised.

Carter Yakemchuk had some impressive moments on the power play.

Gabriel Eliasson has good mobility and was consistently very aggressive. He has more of an agitating and intimidating presence.

Djibril Toure is very mobile and has some flashes of offense to his game.

Camp invite, Ryder Boulton, actually has some good speed and has some of the makings of a super pest.

Camp invite, Landen Ward, had smart positional play, was defensively minded and made some smart passes and chip in plays with the puck.

Hopefully in tomorrows game we see the team work together collectively instead of individually, and that they got their nerves out of the way. Disappointing result but now they got two more games to demonstrate that they can learn from the mistakes made here. Let's see what they can do.

Best post I've read so far, thx for your informative input.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

Well no just expecting him to be ready to play his fellow peers lol

Again, it doesn't matter how good he is now. What matters is how good he is in a few years from now. Prospects don't develop at the same rate, some guys take longer than others, and a teenage 6'7 defenseman who was drafted for their physical tools is exactly the type of prospect that is going to take a lot of time before he starts to look like he's a complete players.

In many respects there's a lot to like about how he's matched up against his peers. He's been physically dominant in several games and has been by far the biggest physical presence every time he's on the ice (to an extreme degree, which he'll have to work on). You're choosing to focus on the negatives however.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Again, it doesn't matter how good he is now. What matters is how good he is in a few years from now. Prospects don't develop at the same rate, some guys take longer than others, and a teenage 6'7 defenseman who was drafted for their physical tools is exactly the type of prospect that is going to take a lot of time before he starts to look like he's a complete players.

In many respects there's a lot to like about how he's matched up against his peers. He's been physically dominant in several games and has been by far the biggest physical presence every time he's on the ice (to an extreme degree, which he'll have to work on). You're choosing to focus on the negatives however.

He has not been physical dominant during play. Post whistle yes he’s dominant

 

[jake1]

He has not been physical dominant during play. Post whistle yes he’s dominant

On game day there's one hour between whistles and 23 other hours. I'll take the guy who's dominant for 23 hours over the guy who only dominates for one.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

He has not been physical dominant during play. Post whistle yes he’s dominant

Lol true, but I will say, that after the whistle stuff matters. The game is still going on after the whistle and those guys who are going to cause problems and bring energy after the whistle are actually pretty valuable. The trick is being smart at knowing when to mix it up after the whistle, and how to pick your spots. It's also much harder to pull off in a relatively empty rink, a rink with a crowd will react to that stuff and that will add to the energy.

With that being said, it's clear there isn't a lot of skill in our prospect pool, and for a non-playoff team, that's a pretty awful position to be in. Just goes to show how bad of a GM Dorion was, because the 7th and 12th overall picks probably would be making things look a lot better, but instead we got a year of DeBrincat and a year of Chychrun who not only don't even play here anymore, but made little to no impact on the team while they did.

Honestly, maybe Staios's best bet would be hoping Norris plays 82 games, puts up close to 40 goals again, and then trading him next offseason. Would clear up a lot of cap space and would allow us to replenish our prospect pool.

 

[bert]

Olwhonare our other prospects? Please don’t say stutzle and Sanderson

Been repeated several times.... All the NCAA, USHL and European players arent available....

Well no just expecting him to be ready to play his fellow peers lol

Some players are 5 or 6 years older than him and he is on a long development curve. Yikes.... Just be negative for the hell of it eh. Or just are unfamiliar with the circumstances of the tournament?

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Lol true, but I will say, that after the whistle stuff matters. The game is still going on after the whistle and those guys who are going to cause problems and bring energy after the whistle are actually pretty valuable. The trick is being smart at knowing when to mix it up after the whistle, and how to pick your spots. It's also much harder to pull off in a relatively empty rink, a rink with a crowd will react to that stuff and that will add to the energy.

With that being said, it's clear there isn't a lot of skill in our prospect pool, and for a non-playoff team, that's a pretty awful position to be in. Just goes to show how bad of a GM Dorion was, because the 7th and 12th overall picks probably would be making things look a lot better, but instead we got a year of DeBrincat and a year of Chychrun who not only don't even play here anymore, but made little to no impact on the team while they did.

Honestly, maybe Staios's best bet would be hoping Norris plays 82 games, puts up close to 40 goals again, and then trading him next offseason. Would clear up a lot of cap space and would allow us to replenish our prospect pool.

I’m not saying it doesn’t matter and I’m here ALL THE TIME asking for more nastiness post whistle. But also. You gotta win

Been repeated several times.... All the NCAA, USHL and European players arent available....


Some players are 5 or 6 years older than him and he is on a long development curve. Yikes.... Just be negative for the hell of it eh. Or just are unfamiliar with the circumstances of the tournament?

Would Javon Moore and Montgomery (both of which i do like) be tipping the scales?

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Eliasson needs a massive amount of development. Both physically and mentally.

But if he works out, he could be one hell of an addition to the third pairing down the road. But we're talking a good 5 years away.

The one problem here is the same with any kids on a long curve....that development can stall or fail at any point in the journey. And if it does, then you put in a lot of time and work on a kid who doesn't make it.

 

[Goptor]

Some of the things you have been saying in this thread at least come across as inconsistent with the publicly made comments by representatives that work for the Senators.

For example, you stated that the camp invites on amateur try-outs were just warm bodies. Yet the head of amateur scouting, Don Boyd, in his TSN1200 interview specifically stated that they only consider camp invites if scouts have a passion for that prospect. That once it gets to the later stages of the draft scouts start advocating for players to be camp invites if they don't get drafted and even begin the early stages of coordinating that with the representatives of those players. That in this draft in particular where they didn't have a 6th or 7th round pick that it plays a role for them. All that seems to imply that camp invites are being seriously evaluated and given serious consideration for contracts which contradicts what you stated.

Then here with this most recent comment, Dave Bell's post game press conference, seems more in line with what I was arguing than your counter argument.
Senators fall just short against Penguins at the Prospects Challenge | Ottawa Senators
He talks about the importance of systems play and how players were given a lot of information over the last 48 hours. That is the same kind of comment Troy Mann made when he was the coach of Belleville and when he was heading up the rookie tournament a few years ago. He talked about how the prospect were going to have a ton of information thrown at them and that it was their responsibility to absorb it all and that it was part of being a professional.

I am assuming that this "ton of information" has a lot to do with systems play, subtle details of the game and role assignments. That also seems very different than what some might assume a rookie tournament is. They might assume it is a prospect showcase where prospects are given free reign to do what they want on the ice and showcase whatever ability they have.

Troy Mann's comments in the past seemed to imply a very sink or swim approach. That the prospects needed to demonstrate that they were comprehending all that information thrown at them and capable of implementing it in a very short time frame. That he at least implied that those who couldn't would be quickly left behind.

Bell's comments seem similar to that. I think at least the commentary coming from the Sens suggests it is a much more complex process and those not privy to it might not understand what kind of expectations are on those prospects and in particular, what exactly it looks like to demonstrate that they have adequately comprehended and able to successfully implement what they've been taught over the last 48 hours.

It really depends on the specific coaching staff, but for the majority of teams, these games are viewed opposite of what you say. There have been coaches of other teams at previous prospect challenges where they are on record saying that they tell the kids to just go out and play. They get 2 days of camp before the games start and its mostly introductory stuff. No systems practice comes up yet.

These games are ALWAYS dominated by older AHL guys and can't miss top-5 draft picks. Its relevant for players fighting for a minor league contract but means very little compared to the players' work during the few weeks of training camp and the preseason games they get into.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Eliasson needs a massive amount of development. Both physically and mentally.

But if he works out, he could be one hell of an addition to the third pairing down the road. But we're talking a good 5 years away.

The one problem here is the same with any kids on a long curve....that development can stall or fail at any point in the journey. And if it does, then you put in a lot of time and work on a kid who doesn't make it.

Pretty much every kid in the draft has a chance with the perfect development. Heck even I drafted kids have a shot

 

[Xspyrit]

45 GP 5 P 56 PIM and a -11 on a championship London team. Let's just say that I didn't need to watch his highlight reel to know what kind of player he was.

Man the Sens really do like this type of player, don't they.

I actually have a different theory. Maybe during the low budget Sens under Melnyk, they had to lower the cost per email so after someone confused PPG and PMPG, they mistakenly continued to scout prospects by the highest PMPG

???

Tkahcuk
Batherson
Pinto
Sanderson
Chabot
Greig
Stutzle
Kleven
Ostpachuk

Like c’mon, that’s the resume of our scouts and that’s a damn good resume.

Chabot : drafted in 2015 when Bryan Murray was still alive and GM of this team

Stutzle : 3rd OVERALL pick in a great draft, you are supposed to get a really good player.
Sanderson : 5th OVERALL pick in a great draft, you are supposed to get a really good player.
Tkachuk : 4th OVERALL pick, you are supposed to get a really good player.

Batherson : really nice pick
Pinto : really nice pick
Greig : really nice pick

Kleven : seems like a good pick but most likely modest upside
Ostpachuk : seems like a good pick but most likely modest upside

So thank you Ottawa, after SEVEN (7) full years rebuilding, they have a 4th and 5th OA pick to show for it despite finishing between dead last and 12th last all these years. I guess we should be grateful for them to have NOT been screwing up on 2 of our high picks, maybe 3 with Yakemchuk. End result : hopefully 3/7 (lost 1 high pick on Boucher, one on DeBrincat, one on Chychrun, one on Duchene)

Batherson, Greig and Pinto were really nice picks where they were drafted though. But since you're going back to 2015, in 10 drafts, a team that has been rebuilding the last 7 years has a LOT of opportunities to have 3 great finds during a full decade and even more for Ottawa since they probably had the most valuable assets when starting a rebuild in NHL history

Note : Stutzle pick was obtained by trading a 27 y/o close to generational D-man who now has 3 Norris trophies (and should have 4). Greig and Kleven picks were obtained by trading Pageau.