C Mitchell Marner - London Knights, OHL (2015 Draft)

[Pi]

Leafs are cursed. Edmonton will draft him 3rd overall. I like Hanifin and Strome but at this point, I have a man crush on Marner.

 

[Shwaguy*]

Marner played wing all year except the last 3 games. (Obviously he's doing well at C right now but he's more of a winger prospect to me.)

Watching him play you could tell Dvorak was only a centre for that line in name only.

Marner's playstyle is exactly that of a centre and he has every tool/skill that a potential #1C needs.

London's Centre depth is greater than their wing depth. Dvorak wouldn't play well at Wing while Marner could play well anywhere.

 

[Pi]

Watching him play you could tell Dvorak was only a centre for that line in name only.

Marner's playstyle is exactly that of a centre and he has every tool/skill that a potential #1C needs.

London's Centre depth is greater than their wing depth. Dvorak wouldn't play well at Wing while Marner could play well anywhere.

Yeah, Bob McKenzie was on radio yesterday and he said that Marner is a C/W prospect and can be moulded anyway the team that drafts him.

If the Leafs draft him, with Mark Hunter on our management, Marner will definitely be playing C next year for the London Knights.

 

[thegutter]

I think he goes 3rd. Hanifin is good but i dont know if you can pass up the kind of talent marner has.

 

[Wintersun]

Watching him play you could tell Dvorak was only a centre for that line in name only.

Marner's playstyle is exactly that of a centre and he has every tool/skill that a potential #1C needs.

London's Centre depth is greater than their wing depth. Dvorak wouldn't play well at Wing while Marner could play well anywhere.

Well Marner played C before joining London if I remember well. So that wouldn't be surprising that he goes back to C. I'm just saying that he could very well be a winger at the next level, even though he could also be a center. In the case of Strome, he's a center and that's a sure thing.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

I wonder how we would view Marner a year from now if he had been born 4 and half months later and was thus eligible for the 2016 draft.

I think it would be close to what Eichel is viewed at right now. I really don't know if there's a big gap between the 2 at this stage.

 

[DrJenniferHanson]

Watching him play you could tell Dvorak was only a centre for that line in name only.

Marner's playstyle is exactly that of a centre and he has every tool/skill that a potential #1C needs.

London's Centre depth is greater than their wing depth. Dvorak wouldn't play well at Wing while Marner could play well anywhere.

A player universally considered a top defensive forward (hell, Phoenix drafted him for his defensive prowess despite missing majority of his draft year) and wins 60-65% of his faceoffs is "only a Centre in name only"?

And a player "doesn't play wing well" when the sample size of full games played at wing in his OHL career is two (one of which was his best game in his draft year)?

Factual errors of that magnitude are pretty revealing. Certainly frustrating to read.

Marner is a 1C prospect. But there's no need to fabricate an alternate reality that never took place.

 

[CupofOil]

Leafs are cursed. Edmonton will draft him 3rd overall. I like Hanifin and Strome but at this point, I have a man crush on Marner.

Awfully tempting but I think the Oilers go with the potential franchise Dman in Hanifin.

Either way, all teams in the top 5 are going to be extremely happy as long as they don't reach for Crouse. This is shaping up to be a pretty legendary top 5.

 

[Face Of Bear]

Gonna look great in a Leafs jersey

 

[Roo Mad Bro]

As the OP of this thread, I never would have thought he'd be playing like this about 1.5 years later.

Would be happier than a pig in **** if the Flyers could somehow trade up for him but I doubt it happens.

Whoever gets him will be getting a dynamic, impact forward who could be a franchise player.

 

[Jejune]

Marner played wing all year except the last 3 games. (Obviously he's doing well at C right now but he's more of a winger prospect to me.)

I wouldn't be so sure. Rumblings are that the oilers like Marner a lot. I don't think they're thinking about the guy that helps next year, they're looking for a top offensive player. Could definitely be Marner.

 

[crowfish]

12 pts in 3 playoff games what a beast!

 

[Malkin112*]

Pretty sick draft year

 

[RickyR]

The top 5 in this draft are absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Grimes]

A player universally considered a top defensive forward (hell, Phoenix drafted him for his defensive prowess despite missing majority of his draft year) and wins 60-65% of his faceoffs is "only a Centre in name only"?

I know it's a little off topic, but you are obviously knowledgable on the Knights. What do you think Dvorak's ceiling is? And to bring it back on topic, rank Domi, Dvorak and Marner in order of ceiling and floor.

 

[DrJenniferHanson]

I know it's a little off topic, but you are obviously knowledgable on the Knights. What do you think Dvorak's ceiling is? And to bring it back on topic, rank Domi, Dvorak and Marner in order of ceiling and floor.

Ceiling:
1 Marner
2 Domi
3 Dvorak

Floor:
1 Marner
2 Domi
3 Dvorak

Based on play purely off this season:
1 Marner
2 Dvorak
3 Domi

Barring injuries, Marner is a shoo-in for a top end first line forward. No real need to explain why as it's universally accepted and cited ad infinitum as to why. So I'll add whether he evolves into a top 5-10 NHL player or a top 20-25 player will depend on if he's playing with skilled, speedy linemates whose first instincts are to pass. Marner works best on lines where one player has the speed/cerebral puck movement and the other wins the battles on the boards and opens lanes in the slot, and both find the open areas and finish. The only thing that can slow Marner down is a linemate minimizing Marner's touches.

Domi -- if you went off natural talent and pure skills, he could be a top 5-10 left winger in the NHL. He has a lot of work to do defensively (especially backchecking), cutting down the turnovers, and moving the puck quicker and more frequently. He's certainly capable of it as witnessed with TC. He needs a top coach, like Dave Tippett, who will correct the dirt. So I'm sure he'll minimize his London problems when playing with the Coyotes, as Dale has left his disciplining days buried in the past. The big elephant in the room with him is a certain influence in his life, as many in London have heard/know by the things a certain someone has said and done, that he's likely influencing Max to play a certain way. The second Max severs that cord will be the rebirth of Max Domi and stardom. If that cord isn't thinned, there's a lot of risk and him not lasting long in the desert is entirely plausible. That said, I'm sure an NHL team would keep a good pulse on it and make sound judgments.

Dvorak -- Has outplayed Domi in every area sans powerplay production this season, though he's definitely less talented. A hell of a backchecker, and cerebral coverage in the defensive zone (best on the Knights), and decent at faceoffs. Needs to take the body more. Plays too tentative in the trap and on the forecheck (needs improvement in puck-hounding). Very good speed, rapid puck mover, and cerebral at finding open space. Great finisher with his hands in tight, but average shot from the outside. Barring injuries, he's a 2C as he can both shut down and produce. Doesn't have first line upside, but is too well-rounded to drop to a 3C.

 

[1972]

I wonder how we would view Marner a year from now if he had been born 4 and half months later and was thus eligible for the 2016 draft.

I think it would be close to what Eichel is viewed at right now. I really don't know if there's a big gap between the 2 at this stage.

I think he is along ways from Eichel, Eichel is a franchise player no question about that and there is no reason to think other wise. Marner may become that but he may also become a Jordan Eberle type of first line winger which is a very good player but a long, long ways from where Eichel projects.

No question his point totals are first rate, and that he is an offensive wizard. But what Eichel has done this year is just flat out incredible, he is playing all situations in Hockey East and has put his team on his back from day one. If you watch the teams he has been playing lately it's been tight checking hockey and he has still found a way to average over 2PPG in his last 12 as a 18 year old freshman, that's incredible.

No offense but there is a big difference between playing Yale, Lowell and Merrimack vs a team like the Kitchener Rangers who are a rather poor team.

Marner is extremely impressive, but he shouldn't be in the same sentence as Jack Eichel. He is far closer to a Jonathan Drouin or Huberdeau level prospect then that of the Eichel.

 

[KidLine93]

If the Oilers are picking 3rd, would it be wise to draft Marner and trade Leon/Yak in a package for an established D?

Or draft Hanifin and hope Yak/Leon pan out?....this Marner kid keeps improving and it's difficult to ignore, but he is exactly what the Oilers have a surplus of, should you pass on BPA at #3 for team needs?

 

[Snippit]

Sabres -> Eichel (franchise C)
Oilers -> Hanifin (top pairing D)
Toronto -> Strome (#1C)
Arizona -> Marner (high-end talent, London connection)

Unless one of these 4 teams win the lottery, this is where I see each player ending up. Feels like every single player is a perfect fit.

 

[oilerbear]

If the Oilers are picking 3rd, would it be wise to draft Marner and trade Leon/Yak in a package for an established D?

Or draft Hanifin and hope Yak/Leon pan out?....this Marner kid keeps improving and it's difficult to ignore, but he is exactly what the Oilers have a surplus of, should you pass on BPA at #3 for team needs?

Our current D:

Klefbom 21yr -Schultz 24yr
Marincin 22yr-Nikitin
Davidson 23yr -Aulie

stu Macgregor's D picks:
Tambo:
2008 rd4 #103 Motin
200: RD 3 #71 Hesketh
200: RD 4 #ninety nine Bigos
2010 RD2 #46 Marincin NHL
2010 RD4 #ninety-one Blain
2010 Rd6 #162 Davidson NHL
2011 RD1 #nineteen Klefbom NHL
2011 RD4 ninety-two Simpson
2011 RD5 #122 Gernat
2012 RD4 ninety-three Gustaffsson
2012 RD5 #123 Laleggia NCHC player of year
2013 RD1 #7 Nurse
2013 Rd6 #158 Betker 6'6" 220lb strong skating Def D
2014 RD4 #ninety-one Lagesson SE wJC @18

 

[Knies iT]

GP: 3 | G: 7 | A: 5 | P: 12

 

[1Gold Standard]

Now there's an impressive start to a playoff run. This kid deserves a bit of the spotlight as well. Perhaps we won't miss McDavid at next year's WJC as much as I thought we would. As long as some NHL GM doesn't get stupid and keep him in the NHL next year, Marner would be best served playing another year in junior. but man, he's got skills.

London v Erie in the next rd. That's 6 or 7 games of hockey excitement.

 

[Kingpin794]

Now there's an impressive start to a playoff run. This kid deserves a bit of the spotlight as well. Perhaps we won't miss McDavid at next year's WJC as much as I thought we would. As long as some NHL GM doesn't get stupid and keep him in the NHL next year, Marner would be best served playing another year in junior. but man, he's got skills.

London v Erie in the next rd. That's 6 or 7 games of hockey excitement.

I don't see what good it would do to have him sent back to toy with children in the OHL next year. I also don't see what harm it would do either. To me he falls in that range of guys that should probably be in the AHL next year (if you think size is an issue, and I don't). Too bad there isn't a clause in the CHL agreement allowing for first round picks, and only 1st round picks, to be AHL elligible right away.

 

[Zaddy]

I don't see what good it would do to have him sent back to toy with children in the OHL next year. I also don't see what harm it would do either. To me he falls in that range of guys that should probably be in the AHL next year (if you think size is an issue, and I don't). Too bad there isn't a clause in the CHL agreement allowing for first round picks, and only 1st round picks, to be AHL elligible right away.

I think he should be sent back. No harm in doing that at all. He still has tons to learn, such as defensive game and maybe coming back next year and playing C exclusively. Not to mention getting stronger physically etc. He's skilled enough to play at the NHL level but I'd rather they take it slow with him and let him mature physically a little bit while rounding out his game.

 

[HockeyGuruPitka]

Apparently Marner/Strome could have gone first overal in previous draft years.

This seems a lot like the 06 draft.
I had a dream last night that the leafs were selecting 4th and for some reason, the organization left it up to me to make the pick. I picked marner and got a solid fist bump from Shannahan ...

Strange that im dreaming about the draft, it just speaks to how badly i want this season to be over...