Prospect Info: 2025 DRAFT Discussion

[Ryder71]

We're usually butt there, and that's when we're good. I'm not gonna be miserable until the result is in regardless.

A loss in REG is the only acceptable outcome.

 

[Malkinstheman]

The Rags have the 4th hardest remaining now so it's looking pretty likely they'll finish between 11-13

 

[Turin]

Bottom of the East is anyone’s game

 

[Ogelthorpe]

I wouldn’t mind seeing William Moore fall to the Pens in the second round. Very unlikely, but it’s possible.

 

[Jesse]

Lakovic mixtape is done.

 

[Empoleon8771]

For someone who is 6'4" Lakovic seems to skate really well. And I don't mean that as in "he skates well for his size", he looks like a legitimately good skater from those clips.

It kinda reminds me of Puljujarvi in that he's a big player but plays a very skilled game rather than a physical game. Would hope that he can evolve his game more than Puljujarvi did. His pro comparable is Tage Thompson, which I can also see from these clips.

Maybe this is just about getting more informed, but it really seems like the entire top-15 in this draft is looking pretty good. Lakovic is projected to go #14 overall in the mock draft website I use, so he should be in a prime position to be taken with that Rangers 1st.

If the Penguins decide to go this route, they could get 2 very skilled players with big frames and good skating with O'Brien and Lakovic with their 2 1sts this year.

 

[Jesse]

For someone who is 6'4" Lakovic seems to skate really well. And I don't mean that as in "he skates well for his size", he looks like a legitimately good skater from those clips.

It kinda reminds me of Puljujarvi in that he's a big player but plays a very skilled game rather than a physical game. Would hope that he can evolve his game more than Puljujarvi did. His pro comparable is Tage Thompson, which I can also see from these clips.

Maybe this is just about getting more informed, but it really seems like the entire top-15 in this draft is looking pretty good. Lakovic is projected to go #14 overall in the mock draft website I use, so he should be in a prime position to be taken with that Rangers 1st.

If the Penguins decide to go this route, they could get 2 very skilled players with big frames and good skating with O'Brien and Lakovic with their 2 1sts this year.

I hate to keep harping on McQueen, but this was the tape study that really made my head explode. Frame-wise, these players are really similar, but you don't see half of the dynamic hands from McQueen that you do from Lakovic. Then there's the skating. It's like... an egregious difference. In these clips you can see Lakovic take D for a walk a few times, McQueen tries that and they just catch up to him.

That being said, McQueen is significantly more physical and better defensively. Not that Lakovic is bad in his own end, he just isn't as active as McQueen.

I should have the McQueen tape up by the end of the week, followed by Jackson Smith and (finally) James Hagens. (I hate how hard it is to get good NCAA tape.)

 

[Ugene Magic]

I hate to keep harping on McQueen, but this was the tape study that really made my head explode. Frame-wise, these players are really similar, but you don't see half of the dynamic hands from McQueen that you do from Lakovic. Then there's the skating. It's like... an egregious difference. In these clips you can see Lakovic take D for a walk a few times, McQueen tries that and they just catch up to him.

That being said, McQueen is significantly more physical and better defensively. Not that Lakovic is bad in his own end, he just isn't as active as McQueen.

I should have the McQueen tape up by the end of the week, followed by Jackson Smith and (finally) James Hagens. (I hate how hard it is to get good NCAA tape.)

Jesse, I would cut down on the plays that lead to nothing unless it's really exciting or a "wow" play. If it cuts your videos down to 5 minutes over 8 minutes, it cuts to the chase and saves you a bit of time/work.

Major props on doing these.

I'm not super impressed with McQueen, and a lot of mock drafts have us taking him. Blah!

Lakovic is a possibility if the obvious ones are not there with the NYR's pick. I would still pass on McQueen with that pick as well.

Keep up the good work. I know it's time consuming.

All of us here at Pens-HFBOARDS.

 

[Jared Grayden]

Jesse, I would cut down on the plays that lead to nothing unless it's really exciting or a "wow" play. If it cuts your videos down to 5 minutes over 8 minutes, it cuts to the chase and saves you a bit of time/work.

Major props on doing these.

I'm not super impressed with McQueen, and a lot of mock drafts have us taking him. Blah!

Lakovic is a possibility if the obvious ones are not there with the NYR's pick. I would still pass on McQueen with that pick as well.

Keep up the good work. I know it's time consuming.

All of us here at Pens-HFBOARDS.

A lot of mock drafts view PIT as aiming for high risk/high reward prospects like McQueen. Which is probably accurate for McQueen and maybe even the org. in that regard. What many ignore is Clark's input and McQueen not likely being a player Clark would particularly care for even without the injury issue.

 

[Jesse]

Jesse, I would cut down on the plays that lead to nothing unless it's really exciting or a "wow" play. If it cuts your videos down to 5 minutes over 8 minutes, it cuts to the chase and saves you a bit of time/work.

I appreciate this feedback. In my mind, I try to pick examples that showcase skating and mechanics, even if they don't lead to a fruitful scoring chance. So the Lakovic one has a bunch of him breaking out from deep in his own end but just making an anti-climatic pass at the end. The clip is less about the pass and more about the focus on his skating. I am trying to strike the right balance between showing everything I think is important about a player vs. having hour long videos haha.

 

[Ugene Magic]

A lot of mock drafts view PIT as aiming for high risk/high reward prospects like McQueen. Which is probably accurate for McQueen and maybe even the org. in that regard. What many ignore is Clark's input and McQueen not likely being a player Clark would particularly care for even without the injury issue.

Yeah, going to scout Frondell and Eklund has me believing they are not interested in McQueen, but if they become at the tail end of the top 10 at #10, I cringe at the thought, maybe they take him.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I'm not worried about them taking McQueen, he really doesn't seem to fit the kind of picks that the Dubas/Clark duo have made. In their time together in Toronto, they had a pretty notable Ontario/OHL bias that had them picking more OHLers (Sandin, Durzi and Robertson as the notable ones) than basically anything else. They also really liked drafting smaller more skilled Euro players like Amirov, Niemela and Hiroven pretty high in drafts. McQueen doesn't really fit his draft record that well, the closest was Knies who was a late 2nd rounder.

Combing both his Penguins and Leafs drafting record, the guys that stand out as "Dubas picks" are Eklund, O'Brien and Martin. If the Rangers 1st ends up high enough, I wouldn't be even the least bit surprised if their 2 1sts were 2 of those 3 players.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Jesse, I would cut down on the plays that lead to nothing unless it's really exciting or a "wow" play. If it cuts your videos down to 5 minutes over 8 minutes, it cuts to the chase and saves you a bit of time/work.

I actually really disagree here. Way better way to see what a player is than highlights

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

I appreciate this feedback. In my mind, I try to pick examples that showcase skating and mechanics, even if they don't lead to a fruitful scoring chance. So the Lakovic one has a bunch of him breaking out from deep in his own end but just making an anti-climatic pass at the end. The clip is less about the pass and more about the focus on his skating. I am trying to strike the right balance between showing everything I think is important about a player vs. having hour long videos haha.

Yeah I disagree with UM, I'm not looking for a highlight video, those aren't helpful for prospect evaluation. We're trying to get an outline of everything a player has to offer, and that includes how they approach "basic" hockey plays. So keep doing what you're doing, says I.

 

[Jared Grayden]

Yeah, going to scout Frondell and Eklund has me believing they are not interested in McQueen, but if they become at the tail end of the top 10 at #10, I cringe at the thought, maybe they take him.

I think most the opinions on here are pretty accurate. Infinitely more informed than most fan sites which is refreshing. Eklund or O'Brien in the #6-10 spots is probably what they are expecting. Both are sound puck managers which Clark seems to be adamant about. I doubt they get the NYR 1st this year. I wouldn't be surprised if Eklund drops to ~10. He seems somewhat like Forsberg back in 2012 where everyone likes him as a player, but no one loves him. I also suspect Sullivan's preference has more input than many here would want to admit. Makes me question if they would even entertain any interest in a perceived questionable compete prospect like Lakovic.

 

[Ugene Magic]

I actually really disagree here. Way better way to see what a player is than highlights

Yeah I disagree with UM, I'm not looking for a highlight video, those aren't helpful for prospect evaluation. We're trying to get an outline of everything a player has to offer, and that includes how they approach "basic" hockey plays. So keep doing what you're doing, says I.

To each their own.

Time is a valued commodity.

 

[Jesse]

To each their own.

Time is a valued commodity.

True but my kid is four now and on a really solid schedule so I finally have some free time to get back to this. The process by where I cap video is such that I'm gonna come across these clips anyway so including them isn't a huge burden.

 

[eXile3]

PDOcast had the Dallas skating coach on. Some really good discussion, especially when it comes to big guys and evasive skating.

 

[Ugene Magic]

They have the Pens taking O'Brien at #7 OA at the 20:19 mark in this mock draft. But there were some dynamic takes with Desnoyers going 4th OA and Martone going 6th OA. The NYR's take Carbonneau at #11 OA.

 

[Ryder71]

Lakovic mixtape is done.

Great job! How's his 1st step compared to Martin? I'm hoping one or both are available if we get the Rangers pick 14-16.

 

[Ryder71]

They have the Pens taking O'Brien at #7 OA at the 20:19 mark in tis mock draft. But there were some dynamic takes with Desnoyers going 4th OA and Martone going 6th OA. The NYR's take Carbonneau at #11 OA.

At 7th OA I'd opt for Eklund if he's available. TBH I'm dubious we'll even pick that high. at a bare minimum we need to land O'Brien.

 

[lokomotiv15]

Lakovic mixtape is done.

Thanks for making these.

I touched on Lakovic in here a month or so ago; What you can really see from this video that you really can't on just O-zone highlight videos is how he is just such a head-up skater. Awesome to see in a kid that was drafted to the W at almost this height that he learned to skate head up years before it became an absolute necessity.

His stride and chaining look like a guy whos 5'-11", 6' tall. Great shot, too. Could be a steal for someone in the teens.

 

[SEALBound]

They have the Pens taking O'Brien at #7 OA at the 20:19 mark in this mock draft. But there were some dynamic takes with Desnoyers going 4th OA and Martone going 6th OA. The NYR's take Carbonneau at #11 OA.

Martone "dropping" is wild to me. This was a kid a couple weeks ago people were talking about at 3.

I look at 2015 draft with Tkachuk going 6th OV and I cringe with who went ahead of him. Now it was understandable at the time based on rankings but it's getting pretty rare to find that size, skill, and play style.

 

[Gurglesons]

I'm not worried about them taking McQueen, he really doesn't seem to fit the kind of picks that the Dubas/Clark duo have made. In their time together in Toronto, they had a pretty notable Ontario/OHL bias that had them picking more OHLers (Sandin, Durzi and Robertson as the notable ones) than basically anything else. They also really liked drafting smaller more skilled Euro players like Amirov, Niemela and Hiroven pretty high in drafts. McQueen doesn't really fit his draft record that well, the closest was Knies who was a late 2nd rounder.

Combing both his Penguins and Leafs drafting record, the guys that stand out as "Dubas picks" are Eklund, O'Brien and Martin. If the Rangers 1st ends up high enough, I wouldn't be even the least bit surprised if their 2 1sts were 2 of those 3 players.

Agreed here.

 

[Ryder71]

Martone "dropping" is wild to me. This was a kid a couple weeks ago people were talking about at 3.

I look at 2015 draft with Tkachuk going 6th OV and I cringe with who went ahead of him. Now it was understandable at the time based on rankings but it's getting pretty rare to find that size, skill, and play style.

If we STOP winning meaningless games and end up with either Eklund or O'Brien with our 1st pick, then it was a successful year. If we keep winning and go 10-11th OA and miss out on them then THIS year was largely a waste in regards to potentially getting a CORE piece for the future. THAT IMO is paramount. We don't have any such player in the pipeline with the possible exception of Murashov, but that isn't certain. A win can swing this quite a bit. We need to go 2-4-1 at best to hold a top 7 pick, every point beyond that and we drop a spot.