2026 NHL Draft
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voyageur
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- Jul 10, 2011
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Youthpaste
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CanMerc
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If we don’t trade our pick, I’m all for Rudolph
Same - and at this point I feel like it may be more likely we're picking twice in the top 10 than trading away 8, would be nice to get Bjorck as well
Youthpaste
Registered User
What is it about Rudolph that you guys like so much?
Not trying to be cynical. I just don't see it
Not trying to be cynical. I just don't see it
I would say his offensive instincts and incredibly productive WHL playoff, plus his size and his skating. Lots to like.
Size plus production is better than everyone other than Carels. Better than Reid, Verhoeff, Smits.
Reid has more of the smooth skating, puck mover traits teams want. Verhoeff is more physical. Smits is more physical as well.
Carels has better traits and is going to be a top 5/6 pick for sure.
It's definitely a substance (production) over style (skating, physicality) viewpoint but I think it's valid.
Sometimes scouting is so in depth it gets more complicated than it needs to be...
They liken him to an Evan Bouchard type. High octane offence, not much defence. I disagree I think he's better than they are giving him credit for in his own zone. He's no Slavin but he makes better reads than Verhoeff in my opinion.
He's probably the most likely of the bunch of defencemen at the top of the draft to be a #1PP QB. Best first pass of any D, best offensive instincts of any D, best playmaking abilities off the rush, best pure shooting D. There are warts to his game like most of the D in this class but he's also the best purely offensive defencemen and while his skating isn't insane he's got a decent stride that can be worked on mechanically to get better. He isn't overly physical but can hold his own.
There's real upside and real room to improve to get even better.
Rudolph was also apparently a finalist for scholastic player of the year, which basically guarantees he's our pick. 
Rudolph's success on ice, in classroom could lead to big future in NHL | NHL.com
Rudolph's success on ice, in classroom could lead to big future in NHL | NHL.com
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The other thing I liked came from his short interview. He was keenly aware what he wants to work on this off season and in Denver which is his first 3 steps. He highlighted time in the gym that comes with a college program as a priority as well. I like how he talked about Makar’s development after he was drafted going to College for two years and how that two seasons Cale was pro ready. He is going to play for a top coach in a great program so I really like the “development path” he has chosen. I like how he described the coach too in that interview and talked about the coaches character. To me at least the interview gave me just a bit of a tell about one of the markers I would look for as far as any prospect improving which will be critical for him.
Frame, brain, offensive talent, and trajectory are the top reasons I like him as one of the guys at #8.
Mark Edwards mentioned this and it caught my eye. He highlighted both the broad range of opinions on him but mostly the changing opinions from the start of the season until now. He said he spoke to at least 12 scouts before the season who had very little time for Rudolph and now half of them have him as a top 3 D man in this draft. He said others he talked to always had him this high and some are still not sold. I think the areas he needs work on can be improved but you can’t teach his shot, offense, vision, and stretch passing. Remember at the same age Morrissey needed work on the defensive side of his game too.
The guys I have talked to that have lots of live viewings this season have less concern about his pace and compete. They like his defensive game more than some critics.
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It's nice when a player can recognize one of the bigger weaknesses in their game and has the self-awareness to improve on it. Time will tell if he can get there but that's a good start. Denver is a solid program too so he will have a good foundation before turning pro.
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I edited my post a bit after you quoted.
Yea he could have easily gone back to PA and piled up the points next season and although he would grow, how much more is he going to learn in the Dub. By choosing Denver next season he will get forced out of his comfort zone and will be competing against men in a very fast league. He will be forced to up his game defensively. He will also be spending more time in the gym building his strength and conditioning. Once he is drafted then it’s all about trajectory and development and I love Denver to help drive that.
Yeah I think this new development path is going to be really good for some kids. But many will struggle with the increased playing level. NCAA is basically a U25 league so it's sort of a halfway point between a junior and a men's league.
It will give Rudolph some much needed time to really focus in on his skating and learning to play a bit more responsibly in his own end. But I have no doubts that Denver wants to help him unleash even more offence if they can and if he can get his skating to a higher level then he can really start to explode I think.
- Mar 10, 2010
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Oh yea they are bringing him in for his offense for sure and they will be putting him in a place to use it. I do think he will need to up his game without the puck to earn his 5 v 5 time and that is the part that can really help. Good atheletes rise to the next level and that is what I am expecting through the higher quality of competition.
Yeah they'll have big Blake Fiddler as their shutdown D on the right side. With Rudolph and Lin as their more mobile right side D. He'll have a solid battle with Lin for ice time and PP time. Which will be a good challenge for him. MacBeath is also going there who is a solid mobile two-way D on the left. Denver is going to have a really good mix of mobile defencemen to help lead the rush. Going to be a very active team from the back end.
voyageur
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Hopefully there's some chess players on the Jets...Rudolph was also apparently a finalist for scholastic player of the year, which basically guarantees he's our pick.
Rudolph's success on ice, in classroom could lead to big future in NHL | NHL.com
In the interview I saw he cited more gym time as a reason for joining the NCAA. Also playing in a league where the average age is 21.5 instead of 18. Seems like the NCAA is closer to AHL level than CHL for those kids wanting to make the jump.
