Draft and UDFA Thread 2018-19: Part II

[FireGerardGallant]

byram is not the BPA for this organization. in this draft, where we likely pick, no way.

i dont touch that guy until the top 5 forwards are off the board.

the love affair with this kid is off the charts.

you are telling me that if we step up we take byram over dylan cozens ? that would be very rongos but wrong-o.

we drafted 2 dmen last year tho have top 4 potential easy. we have 3 other d prospects who project to be solid top 4. we take another dman with our first pick with guys like cozens, podkolzin, turcotte, zegras and newhook avail.

no thanks

If hes the best player available (which he is after 2) you take him

 

[Edge]

First round comments only: In the first, they cannot pass up on Byram to take Turcotte. In the secone, no way would I take Krebs ahead of Turcotte.

It's the third one that I am scared of. Clarke going off board again and being cute. Broberg at 7? Ahead of Byram, Zegras, Turcotte? I may well be marching on MSG with a pitch fork.

I have Dach, Cozens and Byram in a cluster.

I have Turcotte in the next cluster.

I don't know if the Rangers pick will come from the WHL. But I do know they are paying particularly close attention to that league these days, especially ahead of the 2019 draft.

 

[FIRE DRURY]

I wonder if the word "Krebs" has a positive meaning in any of the 8 million languages that exists on planet earth?

According to Urban Dictionary, Krebs does mean Badass Mother****er in English.

Urban Dictionary: Krebs

 

[FireGerardGallant]

If you have a chance after 2 you take em we can worry about position later

 

[Edge]

Byram continues to roll, and he won't even be 18 until a week before the draft.

Kid has a legit shot to be a damn good number one defenseman at the NHL level. He's productive, and he's still putting a lot of the pieces together.

 

[Miamipuck]

If you have a chance after 2 you take em we can worry about position later

I am with you. If he's the BPA and he's a lefty, who gives a shit. If you think he's a top pairing guy take him. The notion of passing up a better player because you have a need is anathema to me. You pick the best guys you can regardless. Need based picking leads to mistakes and passing up of better players. If the player is the best guy at that position take him and worry about where he will fit several years down the road. We all know that a need today doesn't necessarily mean it will be a need down the road.

Yeah I know RHD are tough to find, so are legit #1D, #1C etc. It's difficult to find elite guys at any position, so you don't pass one up just because you may have one at said position in your system.

 

[Trxjw]

Byram and then Zegras or Turcotte would be an absolute monster of a first round. Let alone if we could add another late pick.

 

[Edge]

I am with you. If he's the BPA and he's a lefty, who gives a ****. If you think he's a top pairing guy take him. The notion of passing up a better player because you have a need is anathema to me. You pick the best guys you can regardless. Need based picking leads to mistakes and passing up of better players. If the player is the best guy at that position take him and worry about where he will fit several years down the road. We all know that a need today doesn't necessarily mean it will be a need down the road.

Yeah I know RHD are tough to find, so are legit #1D, #1C etc. It's difficult to find elite guys at any position, so you don't pass one up just because you may have one at said position in your system.

I hear the whole LHD thing from others, and to an extent, I get where it’s coming from.

But with all due respect to some of our LHD prospects, there’s a hell of a difference between a Byram or a Miller, and a Lindgren, a Rykov or even a Hajek.

And that’s not meant as a slight against the latter three.

If Byram and Miller pan out, or come reasonably close to their full potential, that would be huge, to say nothing about the potential trades it opens up featuring other assets.

I’m just as comfortable with Byram as I am with Dach and Cozens at this point. Different players, different timelines, but the potential is there to come away with an impact player.

 

[Mac n Gs]

I have Dach, Cozens and Byram in a cluster.

I have Turcotte in the next cluster.

I don't know if the Rangers pick will come from the WHL. But I do know they are paying particularly close attention to that league these days, especially ahead of the 2019 draft.

WHL has the best depth out of the CHL this year. USDP/USHL is next IMO.

 

[Edge]

WHL has the best depth out of the CHL this year. USDP/USHL is next IMO.

Agreed.

The top of the WHL prospect pool has some tempting high-end talent. It’s no wonder the Rangers wanted to beef up that area of their scouting department. At the very least, you want to know what you’re looking at.

 

[Joey Bones]

TURCOTTE AND HARLEY HNGGGGGGG

Turcotte is my 3rd C and Harley is my 2nd D in this draft.

Harley over York? Explain....

 

[Mac n Gs]

Agreed.

The top of the WHL prospect pool has some tempting high-end talent. It’s no wonder the Rangers wanted to beef up that area of their scouting department. At the very least, you want to know what you’re looking at.

Yup, and I’ve been an adamant Cozens guy this year, but there’s a ton of good defensive depth and some other really intriguing prospects.

Harley over York? Explain....

Size and decision making. Love York, but Harley is the most underrated player in the draft right now. He’s just under a ppg dman as an August ‘01 bday!

 

[AlternateSideParking]

Harley will drive you guys crazy. Very low compete level. Basically he's a younger Shattenkirk. Won't deny how smooth he is with the puck but every time I watch him it's the same thing -- too nonchalant away from the puck. Same with Kaliyev, but Kaliyev is a winger who can be carried when he's MIA.

I really don't care who they draft anymore. For real. They keep winning these meaningless games. As long as Lundqvist is here they will never draft a Hughes or Kakko or Lafreniere. Even if they fire sale at the deadline, so will a handful of other teams.

Just stock up on as many picks as you can in 2019 and 2020 and the law of averages should make them a real playoff contender by 2022 or 2023.

 

[ManUtdTobbe]

Here is an update on our guy Axel Bergkvist @ManUtdTobbe:

Axel Bergkvist (LD, June 2000) continues to tear up J20 SuperElit. Since Tobbe mentioned him in the thread he has scored 3+2 over the past four games with a +6 and 16(!) SOG. His team Leksand are currently in the "Top-10" series of J20 SuperElit, where the top-5 of the north and south divisions play for playoff seeding (all 10 have already qualified for the playoffs). In the 7 games he's played in this top-10 series he leads his team in goals with 5, is second on his team in points with 8, first in SOG with 27 and has been on the ice for 9 of the 19 EV goals they have scored. He's also performed well on the pro-level, scoring 9 points in 34 games with the main club in Allsvenskan before getting sent back down to juniors when Calle Själin returned from injury.

Definitely looks like a good high upside pick in a later round even though he technically is an overage pick.

My man! Shoulda been drafted last season and i'll be shocked if he's undrafted this year.

 

[RangerBoy]

• Jack Hughes, C, NTDP (USHL): If you can believe it, Hughes has gotten hotter as the season has gone on and he is currently putting up two points per game with the NTDP. An upper-body injury cost him games at the world juniors, but the fast and uber-talented center still looked good when he was playing.

• Kaapo Kakko, RW, TPS (Fin.): A hero at the world juniors for gold-medal Finland, Kakko played a meaty role and even elevated the play of older linemate Eeli Tolvanen. Kakko has the ability to play center, but he also showed in Vancouver that his combination of smarts, size and skill works pretty well on the wing anyway.

• Dylan Cozens, C, Lethbridge (WHL): Third and fourth place on this list are really tight, but my scouts lean towards Cozens and given his combination of size and speed, it’s no surprise. Playing for a decent Hurricanes squad, Cozens is putting up impressive numbers and could hit 40 goals by the end.

• Kirby Dach, C, Saskatoon (WHL): Central Scouting has Dach ahead of Cozens and that’s not outrageous by any measure. Dach has great hockey sense, skating ability and size – he’s got the whole package. Had a tough December, but he’s still a top-20 scorer in the ‘Dub.’

• Vasili Podkolzin, RW, SKA-1946 (Rus.): One of my favorite players at the world juniors, Podkolzin was a force on every shift. His work ethic, aggression and two-way play are all fantastic traits, but he can also kill you on the scoresheet thanks to his skills and puck protection ability.

• .Bowen Byram, D, Vancouver (WHL): Ranked third among all WHL defensemen in scoring, Byram is having himself some kind of season. His skating, size and puck skills really stand out, while his enthusiasm for jumping into the rush makes him the type of player that opponents need to game-plan for every night.

• Alex Turcotte, C, NTDP (USHL): The University of Wisconsin commit missed a bunch of games due to injury early, but since his return Turcotte has been lightning. An excellent skater with NHL pedigree (his dad is Alfie Turcotte) and a ton of skill, Turcotte has put up about a point-and-a-half per game.

• Trevor Zegras, C, NTDP (USHL): Right there with Turcotte, Zegras is a highly-skilled pivot with tremendous puck skills and vision. A Boston University commit, he’d probably be getting more publicity if Hughes wasn’t on the same squad, but make no mistake: NHL teams aren’t sleeping on him.

• Philip Broberg, D, AIK (Swe.): Broberg made the Swedish world junior team, but didn’t play much due to a combination of his youth and the fact he got that wicked flu that ravaged the team. But his excellent skating prowess, offensive upside and size make him a very tantalizing defensive prospect.

• Thomas Harley, D, Mississauga (OHL): A high riser in the rankings, Harley has taken on a lot of responsibility for a rebuilding Steelheads squad and is still putting up points. Size, skating and skill are all strengths, but Harley also takes care of his own end. There’s a real high ceiling here.

Boldy at #11

2019 Mid-season draft rankings: the top five solidifies - TheHockeyNews

 

[Mac n Gs]

Harley at 10

 

[aufheben]

Next thread: Draft and UDFA Thread 2018-19: Part III