BLKHKhockey
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- Aug 28, 2009
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Skating is the hardest skill to improve, IMO. What specifically about his skating is lacking?
2025 NHL DRAFT Thread
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Darkstar
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Taze em
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- Apr 20, 2012
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Skating is not that hard to improve if the player is an athlete and not a hockey player. There are guys that are just hockey spazzs that are good only because they played forever. Think Patrick Kane as the king hockey spaz. They are not going to improve their skating that much. An athlete with good baseline quick twitch and flexibility can figure it out.
CallMeShaft
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- Apr 14, 2014
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Interesting discussion between Pat Boyle, Charlie Roumeliotis, and Corey Pronman regarding the potential guys at the top of this draft class.
TeeEyeFiddyTree
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Martone is not a warrior, but Brady Martin is an uber warrior. Again, if he played on a better team with better support, he would have obviously put up more than 72 points in approximately the same number of games as Martone or Desnoyers.
But it's not just about points. With Desnoyers, you get a potential future Selke winner. He has such good defensive habits, reads, and instincts. He uses his positioning to best intercept pucks or close off rush attacks and is in the correct position like few others I’ve seen at this age. He's already ahead of the game defensively and much more effective both ways than Martone. Less points per game, but a better net differential advantage.
With Martin, you get a more difficult offensive comparison because he had no help in the Soo. He was by far their best player and had little talent to help him. Put him on better teams, and his production would likely be 15-25 points higher. But what you get from him is the relentless compete and work ethic.
So, it's really a question of style. More cerebral and instinctual two-way play with Desnoyers, or the more physical, straight-line, determined, and focused forechecking, taking it to the net, creating chaos, and hustling to hit and knock off the puck with Martin.
Either of Desnoyers or Martin could be better fits for the Hawks than the candidates currently listed at #3, unless you allow for Jake O'Brien's longer runway to improve. Given his relative youth (June 2007 birthdate), he isn't yet at the level in some aspects, but he will become one once he fills out, gets stronger, adds more speed to his game, and improves his defensive reads. Still, because he is the best passer in the draft, he put up 98 points despite playing only 2C. Yes, nearly half of his points came on the power play, but if he had centered Lardis and Conlin at 5v5, he would have had more even-strength points.
So, you've got to understand the players' roles, how much help they have around them, and what else they bring to the table beyond point production.
I just worry about Martin not bringing enough focus consistently. He can slack off on certain shifts. He has a lot of high skill, but you also want consistent work ethic. And he doesn't fit the KD speed/pace tests.
Frondell definitely looks too slow and not a good puck transporter through the neutral zone. I don't see KD breaking his skating priority to take him.
So, if we cannot get Misa, we either trade down, trade up to get Misa, or stand pat and choose one of: Desnoyers, Martin, or O'Brien. With the first two, you know what you’re getting, albeit with differing styles of play, but consistency is there. Both are 200-foot players. You can trust them for why you drafted them. With O'Brien, there’s more to unlock. He has some aspects down already (passing/playmaking), but he needs to take his shooting to a higher level (he has a good shot, just needs to shoot more). On the power play, he easily compiles assists, but in a potential 1C role next season in Brantford, he will need to show less deference to setting up plays on the PP and score more goals, both on the PP and at 5v5. When he does that, you should see his highest production level and project him to reach a true 1C star level as a pro.
But maybe KD won’t gamble on that potential and will settle for someone he can rely on, albeit at a lower-than-top-star potential, but good enough for a solid 2-way, consistent 2nd-line NHL potential as you know Desnoyers or Martin can give you.
Allsvenskan is a good league. I would say the best teams there could easily challenge in Finnish top league. Last season Brynas played Allsvenskan and this year they were in SHL finals. Sure their roster was better this year but don´t be fooled by the 2nd division title. There are former NHL players in the league too.
Kevin Musto
Hard for Bedard
- Feb 16, 2018
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Well it´s better than CHL or NCAA. And it´s not ass. There are probably four teams too much so bottom teams aren´t that good but there are pretty good ones too. For example Tappara won the Champions Hockey League´s title which is same as European Champion in 2023.
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ColbyChaos
Bring back bullying on HFboards
In terms of competition sure a Finnish league will beat a NCAA team in a game most likely but for player development NCAA is better
TLEH
Pronounced T-Lay
Like it or not, I think we're going to start seeing Desnoyers in a lot of mock drafts and he might be who they take at 3.
bwana63
carter blanche
if Misa's gone (likely), Desnoyers is gonna get serious consideration. wouldn't surprise me at all if he's our pick
TheFridge
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I'm not sure what this means. Is Patrick Kane not a good athlete? Because it seems like he is.
Some guys are just more genetically gifted for certain sports. The fastest players in the world (McDavid and MacKinnon) have been the fastest skaters amongst their peers since they were 15/16-years-old.
There are things that can be improved upon, like some of your mechanics to make you a more efficient skater but if you've been doing something for 15/16/17/18 years, you're not likely to see significant improvement in year 20.
featherhawk
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Taze em
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If we had a combine for NHL players, Patrick Kane would be near the bottom. The guy is the opposite of what you’d suggest to a parent for an athletic path. He played 200-300 games of hockey only growing up.
dj Mahoney
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- Apr 11, 2021
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Brady Martin (b.2007) Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com
Statistics of Brady Martin, a hockey player from Elmira, ONT born Mar 16 2007 who was active from 2023 to 2025.
www.hockeydb.com
Now being mentioned as a possible top 5 pick
FL vs TOR game tonight is big. who ever wins game 5 in a tied series usually win I think its something like 80%. with CAR, Dallas ED moving on probably moving on with FL (hopefully) we would draft 26 if my math is correct. TOR moves on and we draft 30 at lowest.
unbridledid
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I need to stop changing my mind so much and being "in the moment". I went from Hagens to Frondell and now to Desnoyers.. I should just stick to my gut all year up until February and say Hagens is the most talented player of the 3 (I'll include Martone since some here talk about him with Frondell and Desnoyers). Fit be damned, size be damned, pick the talented dude.
TheFridge
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Going into the year, had someone told me that the Hawks would end up with Hagens at the top of the draft, I'd have been ecstatic. Literally the only blemish on his resume is that he didn't live up to the hype for his college season and that there was an adjustment against some of the bigger NCAA teams. Is it overblown at this point? Are you drafting Hagens to step into the lineup next year and dominate or are you drafting him because you think he's got a chance to be special once he adjusts to the NHL?
I think, even to Pronman's point, I don't know that Misa/Hagens is a no-brainer decision if you had to choose between the two. The entire body of work that Hagens has put in the past two years is extremely impressive, but Misa had the better draft year. What do you put more stock in?
BHawks77
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- Mar 22, 2023
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Hagens and Desnoyers could be good picks too. Hagen definitely has the talent so cant say he is not worthy of a 3OA.
You cant never have too many centers so Desnoyer is definitely a center and good size too. Might not have the top end skilled but makes up for with compete and great two way play.
Kevin Musto
Hard for Bedard
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Draft year.
D-1 is nearly irrelevant.
At a young age, these guys change so much. You want the most recent data possible.
Imagine taking Nolan Patrick 1st overall because of his great D-1 year, and completely ignoring his disappointing draft year.
Toews2Bickell
It's Showtime
- Nov 24, 2013
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Was Hagens draft year bad or were people just expecting a Celebrini/Fantilli type season as a draft eligible and have soured on him because he was not quite that good
ChicagoHockeyFan
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