Craig Button releases his final Craig's List for the 2024 draft

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Craig’s List: Tij Iginla, Cole Eiserman rise in final ranking | TSN

The rise of Kelowna Rockets star Tij Iginla this season has been remarkable in the eyes of TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button.

www.tsn.ca

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[Castle8130]

Thats the Craig we all know and disagree with

 

[Jee]

That's certainly one of the lists

 

[Czechboy]

8 Czechs happy... usually not so high on Button's list.

Galvas and Badinka 2 spots apart as no one seems to agree on these 2 at all.

4 D in top 100 by my count... that would be amazing for us! Badinka, Fibigr, Galvas and Jiricek (rd 1)

 

[Our Lady Peace]

Any WHL watcher who has Parascak over Catton is likely not watching.

With that being said, not the worst ranking I've seen but this draft in particular allows him to get away with egregious ranks like Eiserman at 5...

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

This boards obsession with consensus rankings is hilarious.

Craig always provides one of the more authentic lists you'll see. Some posters here would have an aneurysm if they saw every single scouts individual lists like Craigs.

 

[tomd]

His final mock draft will bear no relationship to this. This particular list is fantasy.

 

[BondraTime]

His final mock draft will bear no relationship to this. This particular list is fantasy.

That’s because a mock is what he’s expecting to happen and this is his personal rankings

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

His final mock draft will bear no relationship to this. This particular list is fantasy.

Clearly you don't understand what a mock draft is.

 

[Stewie Griffin]

I know alot of people here like them...but I think Buium and Iginla are both so overrated compared to what they will become in the NHL. Just my opinion.

 

[josra33]

That's certainly one of the lists

Some would say the one of the lists of all time.

His final mock draft will bear no relationship to this. This particular list is fantasy.

Congrats on learning what a mock draft vs rankings are. Refreshments are in the back and you can stay as long as you’d like.

 

[themelkman]

That's certainly one of the lists

Maybe even one of the lists of all time

 

[Kraken Jokes]

I won't get into the weeds about where he has the the top guys ranked, but I wonder what he knows about Stiga that puts him at 64 in the ranking.

 

[ORRFForever]

...this draft in particular allows him to get away with egregious ranks like Eiserman at 5...

It will be interesting to see where he goes. He was anywhere from 1b (a year or so ago) to 20 (today). Players like that are fun to watch on Draft Day.

I know alot of people here like them...but I think Buium and Iginla are both so overrated compared to what they will become in the NHL. Just my opinion.

Both have risen so quickly in the last year - especially Buium.

 

[2014nyr]

if i didn't know better i might think he could be slightly partial to the whl

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

This boards obsession with consensus rankings is hilarious.

Craig always provides one of the more authentic lists you'll see. Some posters here would have an aneurysm if they saw every single scouts individual lists like Craigs.

Majority of people on this site always prefer all lists pretty much the same even though they havent seen any of them play... when lists come out that are a little different, it always leads to outrage from many many many posters!!

 

[SI90]

Not saying this influenced him in any way but Button was the Director of Scouting for Dallas and was closely involved with Drafting Iginla in 1995

 

[Hockeyville USA]

I love that he has Parascak at 13, as I also have him at 13.

 

[57special]

I love that he has Parascak at 13, as I also have him at 13.

hmmm...I like him more than most, but have got beaten down by everyone who criticize just about everything he does. First it was his size, then he was measured at 5'11 3/4" 180 lb. at the combine, which is fine. It's pretty easy to see that he will end up being 6', 190 lbs in a couple of years, which is firmly in the average sized category, not small. Then the skating... I have watched pull away and/or maintain gaps on rushes from defenders multiple times, and his ability to maneuver in small spaces looks to be vg. I mean, he has to be scoring his goals somehow.

Meanwhile, they seem to downplay his offensive IQ which allows him to score consistently and often. Maybe not the best defender, but you can say that about numerous CHL point scorers, and it's not like he is awful. Also has a vg shot, and is excellent at receiving passes, which is an underrated skill.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Interesting that Levshunov is so much lower on his list than on some of the other ones I've seen.

Always interesting to see what people think.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

hmmm...I like him more than most, but have got beaten down by everyone who criticize just about everything he does. First it was his size, then he was measured at 5'11 3/4" 180 lb. at the combine, which is fine. It's pretty easy to see that he will end up being 6', 190 lbs in a couple of years, which is firmly in the average sized category, not small. Then the skating... I have watched pull away and/or maintain gaps on rushes from defenders multiple times, and his ability to maneuver in small spaces looks to be vg. I mean, he has to be scoring his goals somehow.

Meanwhile, they seem to downplay his offensive IQ which allows him to score consistently and often. Maybe not the best defender, but you can say that about numerous CHL point scorers, and it's not like he is awful. Also has a vg shot, and is excellent at receiving passes, which is an underrated skill.

The hockey IQ is quite good, maneuverability, ability to find the soft spots on the ice, bang in goals in tight/net front presence on the PP, underrated release, plus the production jump from minor hockey to major junior hockey in the Dub is insanely impressive. Sure, he isn't a regular season "flash" player, but he scores playoff style goals on a consistent basis. I'm betting on him for all the reasons I mentioned.

 

[nbwingsfan]

Craig’s List: Tij Iginla, Cole Eiserman rise in final ranking | TSN

The rise of Kelowna Rockets star Tij Iginla this season has been remarkable in the eyes of TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button.

www.tsn.ca

Has there ever been so much movement in the top 32 from the pre season rankings to final rankings before?

Outside of Celebrini, it seems everyone has been all over the place all season long.

Hoping for a wild and unpredictable draft (and Catton to drop to the Wings)

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Any WHL watcher who has Parascak over Catton is likely not watching.

With that being said, not the worst ranking I've seen but this draft in particular allows him to get away with egregious ranks like Eiserman at 5...

I have Catton at 6 and Parascak at 13 on my board

 

[Jared Dunn]

I won't get into the weeds about where he has the the top guys ranked, but I wonder what he knows about Stiga that puts him at 64 in the ranking.

I have a hard time believing one guy, who also fairly routinely works NHL games, is able to get any kind of grasp on more than 40 or so players in the draft class. I just feel like he's throwing darts basically 2nd round onward

 

[Hockeyville USA]

I have a hard time believing one guy, who also fairly routinely works NHL games, is able to get any kind of grasp on more than 40 or so players in the draft class. I just feel like he's throwing darts basically 2nd round onward

Craig seems to have historically been a guy who tries to make bold projections about how guys will adapt to the pro/NHL game. He's had guys significantly higher or lower based on his personal projections. Like everyone else, he gets a ton wrong, but you can go look at some of his rankings, and he got some of his bolder rankings right. He had Adrian Kempe at 10 and Brayden Point at 17 in 2014 for example.