Prospect Info: 2025 DRAFT Discussion

Yeah seems like we're destined for Eklund, Desnoyers or O'Brien
It would be nice to have the choice.

All things equal, this team needs high-end centers.

I'm also adverse to taking QMJHL'ers which rules out Desnoyers and Carbonneau, though I'm fine with it with the NYR's pick.

But let's hope they win one of the two lotteries and get one of Misa, Frondell , or Hagens in that order.

Then hope O'Brien falls to the NYR's pick.

Edit: Oh, and Misa's team is getting spanked by the Erie Otters 8-5/9-5 in the first two games. Misa has like 2/3 points so far. Spence has 4 points for the Otters.
 
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Take the health out of it - I see McQueen as a goal scoring winger, not a playmaking center. He’s still raw so that could change but I’m not enamored with him as the ultra rare 6’3 and up RHC. (Also debating if Frondell is a C but I digress)

6’5 goal scorer with great hands who is willing to engage physically is still valuable. But once you add the health back in I just am uncomfortable with him if a guy like Eklund or Hagens is on the board.
 
Take the health out of it - I see McQueen as a goal scoring winger, not a playmaking center. He’s still raw so that could change but I’m not enamored with him as the ultra rare 6’3 and up RHC. (Also debating if Frondell is a C but I digress)

6’5 goal scorer with great hands who is willing to engage physically is still valuable. But once you add the health back in I just am uncomfortable with him if a guy like Eklund or Hagens is on the board.

Yeah I don't dislike McQueen to say but his injury issues really scare me off from him. I would take him with the Rangers 1st but not the Penguins 1st.
 
I have a feeling that Desnoyers is probably gone by their pick. Eklund and O'Brien are the 2 guys that really stick out as the most likely options for the Penguins, especially with Dubas going over to Sweden to watch Eklund and Frondell himself. Would be really happy with either of those guys.

The interesting thing to watch is how the Wheat Kings and McQueen do in the playoffs. They're currently down 2-0 in the playoffs to Yager's team right now with McQueen only having 1 point in 2 games so far, and I think McQueen needs to have a strong playoff run to solidify himself in the top-8. If they lose quickly in the playoffs and McQueen has a poor playoff run, I think there's a real chance he slides in the draft and Eklund or O'Brien go earlier than anticipated.

I'm not overly worried about it though, I think they're guaranteed to get one of O'Brien or Eklund as long as they're picking #8 or higher and it seems very unlikely their pick will be lower than #8. If both of those two are gone, it means one of Desnoyers, Martone or Frondell is available at #8.

I'm personally happy with any of Schaefer, Misa, Hagens, Martone, Frondell, Desnoyers, Eklund and O'Brien with their 1st and it seems like their pick will guarantee them one of those guys.
We were all hoping for a higher pick, obviously, but ya never know. Maybe we pick O'Brien and he ends up being a Kopitar-esque steal in the 10 range.
 
Yeah I don't dislike McQueen to say but his injury issues really scare me off from him. I would take him with the Rangers 1st but not the Penguins 1st.

It was a bone spur, so that should eliminate any concerns for future injuries concerning his back other than normal stuff taller guys suffer from.

I still frown on him though. I think he should be ranked much lower and not in the top 10. He's not exactly special at any given trait and missing time this year kept him from proving he could expand on his game.
 
McQueen's injury from a Brandon Sun article:
McQueen said it was a pars fracture — less colloquially known as spondylolysis — which is a stress fracture of the spine common in young athletes. It’s usually caused by repetitive stress rather than an acute injury.
 
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Take the health out of it - I see McQueen as a goal scoring winger, not a playmaking center. He’s still raw so that could change but I’m not enamored with him as the ultra rare 6’3 and up RHC. (Also debating if Frondell is a C but I digress)

6’5 goal scorer with great hands who is willing to engage physically is still valuable. But once you add the health back in I just am uncomfortable with him if a guy like Eklund or Hagens is on the board.
It’s very unfair but I can’t help but read that description and not immediately think of Kevin Vellieux.
 
I worry about his skating. I think it’s only going to be more important as the league evolves. We also have a lot of slow prospects in the system already.
Yeah, zero interest in him…we need to take great skating players with high offensive IQ…that’s it lol…best available of that
 
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It looks like we won't finish any higher than 8th barring a serious run of wins and the Bruins and Sabres could easily pass us as well. So 8th at worst and 5th at best, before the lottery.

Does still seem like 7th or 8th is the most likely, though.

Having been an avid fan attending Pens games back in 82-85, I'm impressed the new Lottery doesn't really incentvise tanking. The percentages are simply too light. The NHL has really wised up.
 
It was a bone spur, so that should eliminate any concerns for future injuries concerning his back other than normal stuff taller guys suffer from.

I still frown on him though. I think he should be ranked much lower and not in the top 10. He's not exactly special at any given trait and missing time this year kept him from proving he could expand on his game.
McQueen doesn't seem like a player Wes Clark would want in the first place. But Brad Allen from Elite Prospects spoke to a doctor about Bear and McQueen and the doctor explicitly said McQueen's injury is more concerning long term (in video below @19:30). As recently as last Monday Ellis said on DFO that he knows NHL scouts that have McQueen as DND until he passes his physical.

 
We were all hoping for a higher pick, obviously, but ya never know. Maybe we pick O'Brien and he ends up being a Kopitar-esque steal in the 10 range.

Yeah O'Brien looks like a really interesting guy as well, I wouldn't be upset with him at all. His production is only a bit lower than Martone's while he's a center with great size.

Like I said I like all of them, but Eklund is really my #1 and O'Brien and Frondell are the 2 I prefer after him (assuming they don't win the lottery). I think the only guys in that top-8 I could argue I'm not overly a fan of is Desnoyers.
 
McQueen doesn't seem like a player Wes Clark would want in the first place. But Brad Allen from Elite Prospects spoke to a doctor about Bear and McQueen and the doctor explicitly said McQueen's injury is more concerning long term (in video below @19:30). As recently as last Monday Ellis said on DFO that he knows NHL scouts that have McQueen as DND until he passes his physical.


My prediction, Philly adds a 2nd to one of their acquired first to move up and get him, or MTL takes him since their 2 1sts are both gonna be mid round.
 
If we don't at a minimum) get a guy the caliber of O'Brien with our 1st pick, then this season was a complete waste!
 
The impression I've got is that this draft has shaped out to be better than most were expecting at first and the general top-15 is fairly decent. You have the 9 guys already mentioned plus the Mrtka, Smith, Martin, Carbonneau and Bear group that all seem like decent picks this year.

My impression is with this draft is that the sizable drop-offs in talent are from #2 to #3 and sometime in the #15-#20 range. There are smaller drops in the 1st as well, I think there's a small one around Hagens/Martone to Frondell/Desnoyers and another small one from O'Brien/Eklund to Mrtka/Smith, but the notable drops seem to be right at the top of the draft and towards the middle/end of the 1st.

That's actually why I'm really hoping the Penguins get the Rangers 1st this year. I still like the talent around #13-#15 overall and would be really happy to get one of Carbonneau or Bear at that spot. If the Rangers 1st would be #23-#25 overall, I'd actually be kinda underwhelmed with what would be available.
 
We could get to 5th but requires us to stay behind Boston and Anaheim and for either Seattle, Buffalo or Flyers to leap ahead of us…most important is for us to just keep losing, something we seem loathe to do anyway lol…so we’ll probably pick #9

He turns into an animal in the spring.
 
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If the Rangers 1st would be #23-#25 overall, I'd actually be kinda underwhelmed with what would be available.
I'm too lazy to do the math, but I doubt it is even possible at this point for the NYR 2025 1st to be in that range. Guessing possibilities for their pick will be top 20 or 28-32. They can't win the division and are 12th currently.
 
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I'm too lazy to do the math, but I doubt it is even possible at this point for the NYR 2025 1st to be in that range. Guessing possibilities for their pick will be top 20 or 28-32. They can't win the division and are 12th currently.

Yeah I was just saying that I don't like the picks after the top-15 and I'd like the Rangers pick substantially less if it was later.
 
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