C Auston Matthews - ZSC Lions, NLA (2016 Draft) III

[MastuhNinks]

So on a scale of Ryan Nugent Hopkins to Conor McDavid, Matthews would be considered what, a Steven Stamkos?

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Let me start off by saying sorry. I'm a die hard Leaf fan and with us getting the #1 pick I am very excited but I am doing my best to keep everything in prospective. Which brings me to my question, just how good is Matthews?

I started to to read the first page but there was a lot of bickering. If Matthews was eligible last year where do you feel he would have been drafted?

Again sorry because a lot of Leaf fans like myself are going to be flooding this thread in the coming months.

I believe Matthews would have been a solid #3 pick last year had he made the draft date which he just missed. He is also born in Arizona, and Arizona had the #3 pick. So I would say it would have been practically a lock.

Eichel has been talked about as a generational talent since he was 15 years old. It would have been hard pressed for anyone to overtake him with the exception of Mcdavid. He also had a big draft year at Boston U including winning the Hobey Baker.

 

[LeafChief]

Laine is SICK.

With that being said, the Leafs NEED the big centre.

 

[ottawah]

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports...-his-impact-in-the-nhl-is-going-to-be-special

“People don’t know how good he is because he wasn’t around to scrutinize all year,†said a scout for a Canadian team. “I think that’s a huge advantage for him. The team that gets him is going to be incredibly surprised just how good he is. I hear things like he would have gone third in last year’s draft. Are you kidding?

“No disrespect to Eichel, but he couldn’t carry Matthews’ skates to the rink. His impact in the NHL is going to be special.â€

Last year Johansson invited Matthews to play in an exhibition game at the 2015 world championship hours after he was named MVP at the under-18 worlds.

“To be brutally honest we needed a body for the game and he was right there,†he said. “And he scored a goal and our coaches said, ‘He’s staying right?’ I was like, ‘No, he’s only 17.’ But the poise nd skill he had in that one game was intriguing.â€

 

[93LEAFS]

I believe Matthews would have been a solid #3 pick last year had he made the draft date which he just missed. He is also born in Arizona, and Arizona had the #3 pick. So I would say it would have been practically a lock.

Eichel has been talked about as a generational talent since he was 15 years old. It would have been hard pressed for anyone to overtake him with the exception of Mcdavid. He also had a big draft year at Boston U including winning the Hobey Baker.

He didn't start getting hype til he was at the USNDP and never challenged for 1st overall in 2015. He was never viewed as generational unless you are using that term very loosely. Pronman last year was saying he'd challenge Eichel for 2 if he was in the draft, and McKenzie was saying yesterday prior to the lotto he would of challenged for 2.

 

[RoadWarrior]

I believe Matthews would have been a solid #3 pick last year had he made the draft date which he just missed. He is also born in Arizona, and Arizona had the #3 pick. So I would say it would have been practically a lock.

Eichel has been talked about as a generational talent since he was 15 years old. It would have been hard pressed for anyone to overtake him with the exception of Mcdavid. He also had a big draft year at Boston U including winning the Hobey Baker.

Mathews has outscored Eichel in the USDP by a significant margin.

He would've been drafted #2 overall last year behind only McDavid.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

He didn't start getting hype til he was at the USNDP and never challenged for 1st overall in 2015. He was never viewed as generational unless you are using that term very loosely. Pronman last year was saying he'd challenge Eichel for 2 if he was in the draft, and McKenzie was saying yesterday prior to the lotto he would of challenged for 2.

This is not an Eichel thread but I will respond. Eichel was being talked about a full 3 years before his draft year when he was on the US national Under 17 and 18 teams in 2012-2013. Most would remember this. And prior to the 2015 draft it was the Mcdavid or Eichel draft. It is the reason why some teams tanked. You were guaranteed one of Mc-Eichel. It was billed as the draft of 2 generational talents prior to the draft.

 

[Jerkini]

This is not an Eichel thread but I will respond. Eichel was being talked about a full 3 years before his draft year when he was on the US national Under 17 and 18 teams in 2012-2013. Most would remember this. And prior to the 2015 draft it was the Mcdavid or Eichel draft. It is the reason why some teams tanked. You were guaranteed one of Mc-Eichel. It was billed as the draft of 2 generational talents prior to the draft.

Is this true? I remember hearing Matthews' name long before Jack Eichel.

 

[93LEAFS]

This is not an Eichel thread but I will respond. Eichel was being talked about a full 3 years before his draft year when he was on the US national Under 17 and 18 teams in 2012-2013. Most would remember this. And prior to the 2015 draft it was the Mcdavid or Eichel draft. It is the reason why some teams tanked. You were guaranteed one of Mc-Eichel. It was billed as the draft of 2 generational talents prior to the draft.

A draft can't have two generational players. he wasn't that hyped for the Q draft and the first thread on him wasn't launched til halfway through his first U-17 season. Many people are on record as saying they are equal talents and in the same tier. And at no point did Eichel ever look to pass McDavid, it was always the McDavid draft, and you only get a generational guy once a decade or so, and that was McDavid. For a significant period of time til Eichel's performance at U-18's in 2013, Barzel was viewed as the number 2 guy. Here's the first Eichel thread launched on January 5th of 2013.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1316111&highlight=jack+eichel

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

Is this true? I remember hearing Matthews' name long before Jack Eichel.

Matthews was hyped up on a similar timeline as well, I mean, here's a Button article dating back to 2014 regarding Matthews and McEichel: http://www.tsn.ca/button-matthews-the-clear-favourite-to-go-no-1-in-2016-draft-1.107932

Were he available for next June's draft in Sunrise, Florida, he would – in my view - be considered in the same category as Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.

There were scouts last year who even came out and said Matthews is a bit ahead of Eichel.

I highly doubt posters in this thread have seen much of Matthews play outside of the WJCs, so we should take any of their assessments of Matthews with a grain of salt. Just something to note.

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports...-his-impact-in-the-nhl-is-going-to-be-special

“People don’t know how good he is because he wasn’t around to scrutinize all year,†said a scout for a Canadian team. “I think that’s a huge advantage for him. The team that gets him is going to be incredibly surprised just how good he is. I hear things like he would have gone third in last year’s draft. Are you kidding?

“No disrespect to Eichel, but he couldn’t carry Matthews’ skates to the rink. His impact in the NHL is going to be special.â€

Last year Johansson invited Matthews to play in an exhibition game at the 2015 world championship hours after he was named MVP at the under-18 worlds.

“To be brutally honest we needed a body for the game and he was right there,†he said. “And he scored a goal and our coaches said, ‘He’s staying right?’ I was like, ‘No, he’s only 17.’ But the poise and skill he had in that one game was intrigung.â€

Feels so good reading stuff like this.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

A draft can't have two generational players. he wasn't that hyped for the Q draft and the first thread on him wasn't launched til halfway through his first U-17 season. Many people are on record as saying they are equal talents and in the same tier. And at no point did Eichel ever look to pass McDavid, it was always the McDavid draft, and you only get a generational guy once a decade or so, and that was McDavid. For a significant period of time til Eichel's performance at U-18's in 2013, Barzel was viewed as the number 2 guy. Here's the first Eichel thread launched on January 5th of 2013.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1316111&highlight=jack+eichel

Bob McKenzie
@TSNBobMcKenzie
Follow
The race for No. 1 in the 2015 NHL draft - Mac (Connor McDavid) or Jack (Eichel)? - begins in earnest this week. And so does TSN's coverage.
6:50 AM - 22 Sep 2014

 

[93LEAFS]

Matthews was hyped up on a similar timeline as well, I mean, here's a Button article dating back to 2014 regarding Matthews and McEichel: http://www.tsn.ca/button-matthews-the-clear-favourite-to-go-no-1-in-2016-draft-1.107932

That one source went way over the top with the quote about Eichel not being able to carry Matthew's skates, on a similar not, this is what Pronman said in an espn chat post 2015 draft, regarding Matthews vs Eichel.

He's similar level of prospect to Eichel (which is a decent to good first overall pick), but not McDavid (once every 7-10 years type of player).

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/51872/nhl-insider-corey-pronman

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

Pulled up an old The Winter Soldier post:

I recall Bob Mckenzie saying on TSN Drive some scouts had Matthews at #2 over Eichel in 2015.

Mcdavid is a generational talent. Put him in any draft and that draft becomes special. Matthews and Eichel would likely be #1 in most other drafts. 2 big skilled Centers do not grow on trees and they are a desired commodity in the NHL.

Given Matthews is almost a year younger than Eichel. I don't think it is unreasonable to think he may have gone #2 last draft.

 

[93LEAFS]

Bob McKenzie
@TSNBobMcKenzie
Follow
The race for No. 1 in the 2015 NHL draft - Mac (Connor McDavid) or Jack (Eichel)? - begins in earnest this week. And so does TSN's coverage.
6:50 AM - 22 Sep 2014

By January McDavid had 10 out of 10 votes, its was 7-3 in September in McDavid's favour. Eichel never seriously challenged him at any point after the season started.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Pulled up an old The Winter Soldier post:

Yes according to Mckenzie some scouts had Matthews #2 last year had be made the draft which he was close in doing. He's a very good prospect. No one has said otherwise. But he was not likely going ahead of Eichel. As this tweet indicates. It was always the Mc-Eichel draft going back to the 2014 draft where they were talking about the 2015 draft a full year before that draft ended.

 

[Roo Mad Bro]

I believe Matthews would have been a solid #3 pick last year had he made the draft date which he just missed. He is also born in Arizona, and Arizona had the #3 pick. So I would say it would have been practically a lock.

Eichel has been talked about as a generational talent since he was 15 years old. It would have been hard pressed for anyone to overtake him with the exception of Mcdavid. He also had a big draft year at Boston U including winning the Hobey Baker.

The generational talk was mostly Sabres homers trying to rationalize missing out on McDavid.

I have stated before that I feel that Matthews is a better prospect than Eichel.

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

Yes according to Mckenzie some scouts had Matthews #2 last year had be made the draft which he was close in doing. But he was not likely going ahead of Eichel. As this tweet indicates. It was always the Mc-Eichel draft going back to the 2014 draft where they were talking about the 2015 draft a full year before that draft ended.

Of course it was, Matthews wasn't eligible for the draft after all. Not sure what the point is with pulling that tweet for the 3rd time.

 

[supermann_98]

Something about the idea of Matthews and Marner on the same line just puts a huge smile on my face. Both have skills that just compliment each other so well:
Vision
Hands
Patience
Hockey IQ
Creativity
They both play a 200 ft game

Once they get some time together I think this combo will click and be a joy to watch for many years.

 

[Aladyyn]

The generational talk was mostly Sabres homers trying to rationalize missing out on McDavid.

I have stated before that I feel that Matthews is a better prospect than Eichel.

lolno

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Of course it was, Matthews wasn't eligible for the draft after all. Not sure what the point is with pulling that tweet for the 3rd time.

Here is what Mckenzie said yesterday. You pulled my post and I responded and it is backed up here.



Can there be a case of Matthews being comparable to Eichel? I won't argue against this. He can put of 56 points next season. But he was not ranked higher than Eichel IMO and it seems Mckenzie's also.

 

[GellMann]

McKenzie recently called that "Can't carry Matthews' skates" quote outlandish and has said that it's near-consensus that the order would have been McDavid-Eichel-Matthews. I'd argue that the consensus Matthews would have went 3rd last year is stronger than the consensus that Matthews goes first this year. If Matthews was in last draft, I would have still taken Eichel, I wouldn't trade Eichel for pick 1 now. I hope Toronto enjoys Matthews, because he's a helluva player and will be a franchise center for them for a long time.

 

[KPower]

Matthews is going to be a top 10 center in the league in his prime.

Just what the leafs needed.

 

[Semantics]

Yes according to Mckenzie some scouts had Matthews #2 last year had be made the draft which he was close in doing. He's a very good prospect. No one has said otherwise. But he was not likely going ahead of Eichel. As this tweet indicates. It was always the Mc-Eichel draft going back to the 2014 draft where they were talking about the 2015 draft a full year before that draft ended.

No one was talking about him going ahead of Eichel because he wasn't in the same draft.

Also, a year ago it's certainly possible if not likely Eichel would have gone ahead of him. But that's b/c Eichel is almost a year older, there was more certainty at the time that he'd reach his potential.

That has no bearing on where things stand now that Matthews has made up the extra year. While he hasn't received as much hype due to being over in Switzerland, his stock among scouts has only gone up this season.

If you compare where Matthews is right now to where Eichel was one year ago, I think the majority of scouts would give Matthews a slight edge. I think he has a bit better hockey IQ, and he's produced better than Eichel at every level/tournament (though hard to compare the NLA and NCAA). I just don't see many places where I can give Eichel an edge, besides using an absurdly long stick/reach, do you?

I am not just saying this because the Leafs won the lottery. I've been saying on here that Matthews upside was a bit higher than Eichel's for more than a year now.

 

[93LEAFS]

Here is what Mckenzie said yesterday. You pulled my post and I responded and it is backed up here.



Can there be a case of Matthews being comparable to Eichel? I won't argue against this. He can put of 56 points next season. But he was not ranked higher than Eichel IMO and it seems Mckenzie's also.

You said there was no chance, in your post from earlier in the year you repeat Mckenzie saying there are some scouts that would of taken Matthews over Eichel. They are very comparable prospects, with most sources who compared them saying it was fairly equal and they were on the same tier. Now, people can easily prefer Eichel, but I don't think it was an over whelming consensus like McDavid over Eichel was. Its very similar to how Stamkos vs Tavares was, and I could see it playing out quite similarly.

 

[Liminality]

Something about the idea of Matthews and Marner on the same line just puts a huge smile on my face. Both have skills that just compliment each other so well:
Vision
Hands
Patience
Hockey IQ
Creativity
They both play a 200 ft game

Once they get some time together I think this combo will click and be a joy to watch for many years.

Agreed, think if JVR stays he'd be a good compliment on that line too.
JVR-Matthews-Marner under Babcock is making me smile.