Prospect Info: Devils Win #2 Overall -- Slafkovsky vs. Jiricek vs. Nemec

[Jason MacIsaac]

Uhh...no. You just take Wright and whistle happily as you walk off the stage.

This is the group thought Philly fans were saying about Patrick. NJ needs to get this right if Montreal is smart and takes Slafkovsky.

 

[bossram]

This is the group thought Philly fans were saying about Patrick. NJ needs to get this right if Montreal is smart and takes Slafkovsky.

I wouldn't have taken Patrick 2nd. I don't think he was that great of a prospect at the time and the injury issues added additional risk.

Wright/Slafv is not the same situation. I take Wright 2nd and run because he's a fantastic prospect in his own right.

 

[glenwo2]

Lol yes agreed. That’s exactly why I said “almost”.
And while it is all speculation the reality is that every bit of evidence we’ve seen would suggests that Cooley would be one of the multiple players on his radar.
But yes, there’s nothing to suggest he’s got Slafkovsky or Cooley on his radar but it’s highly likely he does.

Agreed?

Agreed.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I don't see how anyone watching the Olympics or WC can possibly say that anyone can be better than Slafkovsky in this draft shy of Shane Wright. I mean, we can chalk it up to my personal bias, of course I realize that, but to me it's clearly become a two-horse race for the #1 overall pick -- and the separation has grown between Wright/Slafkovsky and the rest of the pack.

As you know -- you've agreed with me on this for some time now -- the criticisms levied against Slafkovsky have largely been silly and statistical. People questioning his skating have to be feeling foolish now. People questioning his skill level look downright ridiculous right now. As for the numbers -- Slafkovsky has clearly shown all he needs is a top-line role and the reins taken off to be absolutely dynamic -- often completely dominating shifts against much-older competition.

Nemec has been good in this tournament, and Jiricek has been solid with some impressive flashes. Cooley certainly impressed in the U-18 tournament, and deserves consideration for anyone's top 3-5 2022 list.

But there is clearly a tier demarcation at the top of the draft, with Wright and Slafkovsky being the only members of Tier One.

I personally agree with all this but there are scouts who had Cooley ahead of Wright and there still will be scouts who have him above Slafkovsky. I don’t think it’s very likely he’s the pick but if we are to believe that Fitz is looking at multiple players who play different positions than there is a very good chance Cooley is one of the players he’s looking at.

 

[glenwo2]

Wait, @Captain3rdLine , I forgot to ask :

Do you agree to agree? THAT is the more important question.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Wait, @Captain3rdLine , I forgot to ask :

Do you agree to agree? THAT is the more important question.

Lol yes

 

[Captain3rdLine]

This is what I like to see.
Give me Slafkovsky

 

[glenwo2]

This is what I like to see.
Give me Slafkovsky

Yep. Please have this burrowed into every Habs scouts' brain so that we're left with Slaf.

 

[Guttersniped]

Kakko's board play, puck protection and puck control was considered elite. He would hold on to the puck for ages and made quite a many good players look silly. I think his skating, endurance, lack of time and space and below average shooting accuracy have hold him back so far in the NHL, but he's figuring it all out.

Slaf and Kakko is a good comparison, you don't have to be so elitists about it, players don't have to be clones in their playstyle to be comparable. Both are bigger physical european guys that like to hold on to the puck and have great puck control, good dekes and handeye coordination. Both played in the same league and even in the same team. Both had big international success before their draft. Both ranked #2 pre-draft.

They may have different strengths and weaknesses, but there's alot of things common in the overall situation.

Kakko was 6’2” and 194 at the draft and Slafkovsky is listed at 6’4” and 225 on IIHF roster. Slaf is going to be genuinely stronger than a whole lot of dudes in the NHL, there’s not a lot of top prospects you can say that about.

And Kakko shouldn’t have played in the NHL as 18 year old. Jesse Puljujärvi shouldn’t have either. Just because they can survive because of their size doesn’t mean they should be there when they aren’t be fast enough for it.

And they weren’t because they needed to build up the strength and endurance to propel all that mass around to keep up. Kakko was simply behind every play as 18 year old and it wore on his confidence, it was a dumb development strategy because he’s a very conservative player now.

Slaf’s not as much as a slam dunk as Andrei Svechnikov simply because Svechnikov had bonkers great stats and underlying stats in the OHL, but Slaf isn’t terrible compared to the other Liiga prospects:

 

[Diehard Devil]

Yes, I think Kakko will be very good, as well. I think he'll be a 60-point guy who plays a nice, two-way interior game. I do not think he'll be as good as Juraj Slafkovsky, who is consistently and falsely being compared to him.

I swear it wasnt me!!

 

[glenwo2]

That highlight today of Slafkovsky on that end to end play wnd then the penalty shot for a goal.. woww

Not used to seeing that kind of stickwork from a big man

Im so absolutely torn between him and Nemec. And to think we may even have a shot at Wright!

I have no idea what to do but as long as we pick one Im so stoked

Nemec isn't all that impressive, tbh.

I would be most annoyed with Fitz if he didn't take Slaf at #2, should the Habs take Wright as predicted.

 

[TrufleShufle]

I'll start this by saying I want Slaf 100%, would be disappointed if Canadiens take him. BUT, no one can deny how eerily similar it is to the Hughes/Kakko draft. Except we are the Rangers. Again, I want Slaf, Wright is not Hughes and Slaf is not Kakko, got it.

But I mean, us, hoping the other team takes the 1OA projected center so we can get the 2OA winger because we know he is better. To the point of the Rangers cheering when we picked Hughes.

Again, please don't tell me how or why they are different situations, I know them all and agree, but please tell me I'm not the only one that finds it a bit creepy to be on this end of it and so sure about it.

 

[Diehard Devil]

Nemec isn't all that impressive, tbh.

I would be most annoyed with Fitz if he didn't take Slaf at #2, should the Habs take Wright as predicted.

Idk, Ive read that Nemec is pretty good at everything and has quite the wrist shot. Sounds kind of like what Id read about Makar back when.

I like a European defender whos shown they can defend. I feel like that gets lost a lot on the bigger ice, but what do I know

Im cool with either or

 

[Goptor]

I think the main reason people are down on Slafkovsky and Wright is because they have this preconception that a 1st overall means McDavid, Matthews, Crosby, Ovechkin, Mackinnon and Stamkos while 2nd overall means Malkin, Eichel, and Svechnikov. They compare the two and come to the conclusion that Slafkovsky and Wright are bad 1st overall and 2nd overall picks

The disconnect is that they don't realize that Wright and Slafkovsky can be both bad 1st and 2nd overall players but also good picks at the same time.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I wouldn't have taken Patrick 2nd. I don't think he was that great of a prospect at the time and the injury issues added additional risk.

uh-huh

 

[Eggtimer]

The more I think about it the more I am convinced the Habs take Wright for sure .
Yes it’s easy for us or fans to say “ I’d take Cooley or Slafkovsky #1.
However , those people are not the GM of one of the most heavily scrutinized teams in the history of the game .
As a newly hired GM , when your livelihood and entire career depends on making a good pick with the first overall … no way they just go “ Meh . Screw the consensus pick , screw the need for a centre , I’m going with the Slovak kid over the Canadian kid who was touted as a superstar when he was granted exceptional status to play in the CHL as an double underager” .
Mayyyyyybe wouod be very very slightly possible if the GM was in Montreal for decades and win them multiple cups so they give him the benefit of the doubt , but no way when it’s a new guy and they are entering a rebuild …. No way . Massive balls would be needed to pull that shit off . As in epically gigantic balls .

 

[Oneiro]

I don’t think Kakko ever had the hands or vision that Slaf does.

One of my dumber worries was if we got into the “Get Crosby a good winger!” cycle with Jack. But I think Slaf is capable of being that guy who can see the ice the same way and make it unfair.

 

[MakoSlade]

At least it seems like the Zacha comparisons stopped. Never understood that one.

With that open net miss by Kakko in game one I can see him being the one compared to Zacha now.

Zappo Zacho.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I don’t think Kakko ever had the hands or vision that Slaf does.

One of my dumber worries was if we got into the “Get Crosby a good winger!” cycle with Jack. But I think Slaf is capable of being that guy who can see the ice the same way and make it unfair.

Ya I think that’s where the separation is. I think Kakko had very good hands but what Slafkovsky is able to do is on another level. So smooth.
His hands and vision are elite and are the two things that separate him from Kakko IMO.
Kakko was a better finisher who just had a knack for being in the right areas and getting in the scoresheet. He hasn’t been able to find that in the NHL yet.

And definitely. Slaf should be able to keep up with Jack and those two could legitimately turn into the best duo in the league.

 

[Lou Bloom]

I don’t think Kakko ever had the hands or vision that Slaf does.

One of my dumber worries was if we got into the “Get Crosby a good winger!” cycle with Jack. But I think Slaf is capable of being that guy who can see the ice the same way and make it unfair.

I think you have to re-watch Kakko's Liga and WC tape if you don't think he had the hands or vision that Slaf has shown so far. I'm a big fan of Slafkovsky as a prospect but we shouldn't rewrite history to try and justify picking him, Kakko with his performance both in Liga and internationally, and his high end toolset would easily be the #1 pick in this class without the benefit of hindsight.

And people need to realize that just because Kakko was a better prospect than Slafkovsky doesn't mean Slafkovsky can't end up the better NHL player. Kakko was also a better prospect coming out than Mikko Rantanen and we see how little that has mattered at the NHL level. All of these players are being judged at 17/18 and nobody can 100% accurately tell how their games are going to look 5 years down the line and which players are going to stagnate and which will take large skill jumps and surprise.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I think you have to re-watch Kakko's Liga and WC tape if you don't think he had the hands or vision that Slaf has shown so far. I'm a big fan of Slafkovsky as a prospect but we shouldn't rewrite history to try and justify picking him, Kakko with his performance both in Liga and internationally, and his high end toolset would easily be the #1 pick in this class without the benefit of hindsight.

And people need to realize that just because Kakko was a better prospect than Slafkovsky doesn't mean Slafkovsky can't end up the better NHL player. Kakko was also a better prospect coming out than Mikko Rantanen and we see how little that has mattered at the NHL level. All of these players are being judged at 17/18 and nobody can 100% accurately tell how their games are going to look 5 years down the line and which players are going to stagnate and which will take large skill jumps and surprise.

I’ve watched the highlights and I watched the games back then. I agree that he would probably go number 1 in this draft thanks to his very strong production throughout the entire season and his good skillset.

But he really didn’t have the vision Slafkovsky has where he was continuously making nice passes and setting up teammates throughout the game. He was a skilled, good sized winger who was a good finisher and had a knack for scoring. But he wasn’t as good of a playmaker. He made some nice plays but not as much as Slafkovsky has been.
And while his hands very good
they were also different and I think Slafkovsky’s are better.

Slafkovsky mostly keeps his hands in tighter and around his body, and with that and how good his hands are it allows him to weave through players and control the puck really well in tight spaces and traffic and do things Kakko couldn’t do like what we saw today leading up to the penalty shot. I think this is something that will translate well to smaller ice. Slafkovsky doesn’t need very much space. Slafkovsky rarely brings the puck very far from his feet except for when he’s protecting the puck but even then he’s using smaller stickhandling and keeping the puck in a good spot relative to his feet. And with how short of a range he is stickhandling between he is able to make alterations very quickly.

Kakko had very good hands but also different stylistically. He would often put the puck wider and often further away from his body while stickhandling and still does. It was more of a bigger sweeping stickhandling. It worked well for him on the big ice with lots of space and it made him better at protecting the puck. He would really put the puck out there at times and with his long reach it made it hard for players to get a stick on it as he was going by. And then he could easily bring it back the other way.

I like Slafkovsky’s stickhandling more and his stickhandling is more in sync with his feet and under control in tight spaces. .
I feel like this could be a big part of why Kakko’s stickhandling hasn’t translated that well to the NHL. Smaller ice surface and less space as well as better players and defenders.


I think where Kakko really had Slafkovsky beat was with his finishing, and ability to put himself in scoring positions. That is the let that I’m really suprised hasn’t translated yet.

 

[Lou Bloom]

I’ve watched the highlights and I watched the games back then. I agree that he would probably go number 1 in this draft thanks to his very strong production throughout the entire season and his good skillset.

But he really didn’t have the vision Slafkovsky has where he was continuously making nice passes and setting up teammates throughout the game. He was a skilled, good sized winger who was a good finisher and had a knack for scoring. But he wasn’t as good of a playmaker. He made some nice plays but not as much as Slafkovsky has been.
And while his hands very good
they were also different and I think Slafkovsky’s are better.

Slafkovsky mostly keeps his hands in tighter and around his body, and with that and how good his hands are it allows him to weave through players and control the puck really well in tight spaces and traffic and do things Kakko couldn’t do like what we saw today leading up to the penalty shot. I think this is something that will translate well to smaller ice. Slafkovsky doesn’t need very much space. Slafkovsky rarely brings the puck very far from his feet except for when he’s protecting the puck but even then he’s using smaller stickhandling and keeping the puck in a good spot relative to his feet. And with how short of a range he is stickhandling between he is able to make alterations very quickly.

Kakko had very good hands but also different stylistically. He would often put the puck wider and often further away from his body while stickhandling and still does. It was more of a bigger sweeping stickhandling. It worked well for him on the big ice with lots of space and it made him better at protecting the puck. He would really put the puck out there at times and with his long reach it made it hard for players to get a stick on it as he was going by. And then he could easily bring it back the other way.

I like Slafkovsky’s stickhandling more and his stickhandling is more in sync with his feet and under control in tight spaces. .
I feel like this could be a big part of why Kakko’s stickhandling hasn’t translated that well to the NHL. Smaller ice surface and less space as well as better players and defenders.


I think where Kakko really had Slafkovsky beat was with his finishing, and ability to put himself in scoring positions. That is the let that I’m really suprised hasn’t translated yet.

I just have to disagree, Kakko was a much better puck handler and a more consistently dangerous offensive playmaker who had extremely good vision and offensive creativity. There was many people comparing Kakko to Peter Forsberg because of his stick handling, puck protection and offensive game, to say he was just a good finisher with a good shot is a huge understatement to what he was doing in Liga and at the World Championships. There's a reason why many outlets and scouts were considering Kakko a legitimate threat to Hughes (who was the all time points leader for USNTDP) for 1st overall and it wasn't solely because of his production, he had legitimate high end tools that made scouts drool over.

And again, just because Kakko has disappointed at the NHL level doesn't mean any player who's a lesser prospect will do the same. Kakko was a better prospect than Zegras and Seider in the same draft and both of those guys are trending towards being stars. Slafkovsky could realistically continue his upward development trajectory and end up being one of the better wingers in the league, doesn't change the fact that Kakko was a better prospect at the times of their draft class.

 

[bossram]

uh-huh

Reasons for concern for Patrick at the time:
- Injuries
- Oldest player in the draft
- No elite/standout skills

Wright doesn't have those issues.

 

[ninetyeight]

Kakko was 6’2” and 194 at the draft and Slafkovsky is listed at 6’4” and 225 on IIHF roster. Slaf is going to be genuinely stronger than a whole lot of dudes in the NHL, there’s not a lot of top prospects you can say that about.

Did I say they were the same size? Or that they would have similar success or identical playstyle. I only said there are definitely comparables and common traits, basis and social commentry between them. For instance the way some devils fans talk about Slaf and put down Wright is not that different from rangers fans and Kakko/Hughes. People compare players with different playstyles all the time. Players from same teams, countries, same draft numbers.

My post wasn't negative nor criticism so don't read it as such. I would urge everyone to keep an open mind and not go overly homer defensive on Slaf, when we could easily end up with someone else, like Jiricek (whose also been great at the wc).

People get all butthurt when you make any comparisons to Kakko since he's had a rougher start in the league, but they forget that he was an incredible prospect. Possibly the best finnish prospect of all time (better than Barkov, only Laine really can be argued to be better,). He put up his best performance in the wc predraft, and many even argued he could be taken 1OA over Jack (though I still didn't fwiw, despite being a finn)

Anyway what makes the Slaf and Kakko comparison interesting is 1) that we have a guy who put up incredible numbers in TPS and a guy who didn't, but looks to have even higher ceiling. 2) How will the team that drafts him handle him, will they put him in the lineup right away like Kakko or have him play another year in the Liiga/AHL. And 3) if he starts in the NHL, will he be able to force his physical puckhog play style better than Kakko, due to his strenght and hands.

 

[Guadana]

Because I’m Guadana I should make some Guadana‘s move.
if mtl taking Slaf I would trade the pick to CBJ/Buf and draft Nemec/Jiricek or Gauthier, if RD are not available. Gauthier/Chesley/Mcgroarty/Kasper by the second pick.