Speculation: Draft and UDFA Thread 2018-19: Part IX (No Kakko/Hughes Talk)

[I Eat Crow]

I see more Brendan Lemieux in Grewe than I see Marchand, if that makes sense.

Still, Lemieux-Andersson-Grewe would make opposing teams and coaches pull their hair out.

 

[Ola]

I see more Brendan Lemieux in Grewe than I see Marchand, if that makes sense.

Still, Lemieux-Andersson-Grewe would make opposing teams and coaches pull their hair out.

I like the concept of Grewe a lot, but I can only call it like I see it, and if we drafted him at 20 I would be a bit concerned about his overall ability. I definitely like Rees better.

 

[True Blue]

I like the concept of Grewe a lot, but I can only call it like I see it, and if we drafted him at 20 I would be a bit concerned about his overall ability. I definitely like Rees better.

I think that Grewe makes for a good 2nd round pick. But definitely not at 20.

 

[Joey Bones]

Little late to the party here, but I finally caught up on that incredible Clark Cup run that Sioux Falls made. The run Stauber had was incredible as a goalie, similar to what Tukka is doing now. He’s older and a Mankato commit, but it’ll be interesting to keep an eye on him moving forward. Wasn’t a fan of his regular season performance.

I watched them to keep tabs on Ryan Johnson in the playoffs, and the kid was an absolute horse. The skating, the reads, and the ability to control the tempo are gonna lead to him being a really good dman at the next level. Someone is gonna get a steal at the end of round 1 or beginning of round 2 in a few weeks.

Besides Johnson, Max Crozier was another kid that was a beast for the entire run. The mobility is a little clunky, but he has really good size at RHD and can make really clean, smart passes with the puck. I think there’s a good package there for a solid minute eating 4/5 dman that should be available in the mid rounds. Going to Providence and learning under Leaman’s structure too should really help him improve his ability to defend in motion. I want us to nab Pat Moynihan too for a similar reason. I think they’ll both be really good draft and stash kids while they play in college.

Funny you mention Moynihan. Jack Hughes said in a combine interview that Moynihan was the most underrated player the USNTDP had. Played in all situation up and down the lineup. I wouldn't mind him later on in the draft!!

 

[Mikos87]

Dom Fensore is another late birthday longer term prospect. He seems to be dismissed purely based on his size but he’s just so mobile, very good offensive numbers with the usdp. 4 years at BU will be good for him and you could have a Sam Girard, or Matt Grzelyc type player.

I don't know anything about him, but smaller players are going to do well in todays game. A small ball of energy is very effective in today's game.

 

[TheGortonConspiracy]

I don't know anything about him, but smaller players are going to do well in todays game. A small ball of energy is very effective in today's game.

Maybe in the regular season. Playoffs is a different story. Blues have 3 players under 6 feet and Bruins are heavy as well. Tampa and Calgary out in the first round

 

[Joey Bones]

 

[Mikos87]

Speaking of small balls of energy, based on what I'm hearing, I think a couple of diminutive players are going to go a lot higher than anyone on these boards are projecting.

I've been harping about Pelletier, who I think will make a very good pro. Another is Nils Hoglander. If the Rangers are interested in either of these guys, they will need to spend the 20 on them. I don't think either goes past the 1st round. Hoglander at the very least will be an effective 4th liner.

I think both make the NHL as top 9 wingers who score 20, kill penalties, and are effective forecheckers.

Also the monster memmer by Lavoie has really raised his stock. The right team and coach can turn this guy into a 30 goal scorer. I worry less about the consistency and effort after seeing the run in the playoffs. Was simply dominant. Some teams will have him on their DND list.

I also think Seider won't be there at 20. Gut instinct.

Heinola can fly. He's another one that is going to go higher than most have him pegged imo.

Ryan Johnson is going to climb, was eating heavy minutes on a winning team. Heard he had an excellent playoff run. I've been a fan for a while. Has had a lot of great coaching, knows how to play winning hockey.

If all goes well, there will be a couple of sliders at 20 that have high upside. Didn't put much thought or time as to who, but it's a numbers game. Somebody with high upside will be there at 20.

 

[Mikos87]

Maybe in the regular season. Playoffs is a different story. Blues have 3 players under 6 feet and Bruins are heavy as well. Tampa and Calgary out in the first round

True, I'm personally a fan of big boy hockey. Love how the Blue Jackets were built, but as they say, there are guys who get you in, and there are guys you lead you to win.

 

[Matz03]

Maybe in the regular season. Playoffs is a different story. Blues have 3 players under 6 feet and Bruins are heavy as well. Tampa and Calgary out in the first round

It’s not about size but playing a certain way, two of the Bruin D happen to be 5’9. Fensore is a comparable player and not just based on his size.

 

[I Eat Crow]

I like the concept of Grewe a lot, but I can only call it like I see it, and if we drafted him at 20 I would be a bit concerned about his overall ability. I definitely like Rees better.

Frankly I agree. Wouldn't mind Grewe with Tampa's 2nd, but no earlier than that really. There will probably be other players on the board at Dallas' 2nd that I will like more.

 

[Ken Lund]

I come away impressed by a few kids like Kallionkieli, Struble, Webber and Hoglander. Besides Hog, these other guys were not easy to follow throughout the year.

Struble, who gained 10lbs of solid muscle this season, should be on our radar since he played with Riley Hughes at St. Sebastian. He's also following in his footsteps by going to Victoria of the bchl next season, and then Northeastern in the Fall of '20.

I think Cade Webber upped his stock alot, impressive frame and agility.

Hoglander has really grown on me, didn't know he was so strong and his agility looks great.

Still really impressed with Harrison Blaisdell.

Dorofeyev is up 13 lbs since his last weigh in!? Nice.

I'm up 13 lbs since my last weigh in and believe me it's not nice.

 

[Anzi]

I've always felt that the grittier type of players tend to do better in the playoffs. Don't know if that's actually backed by data but just seems that way to me. Bigger players tend to fit that more but there's always exceptions.

 

[UnSandvich]

I've always felt that the grittier type of players tend to do better in the playoffs. Don't know if that's actually backed by data but just seems that way to me. Bigger players tend to fit that more but there's always exceptions.

I think it's more that penalties tend to be called less, so grittier/bigger players have less ground to lose than smaller skilled forwards

 

[Anzi]

I think it's more that penalties tend to be called less, so grittier/bigger players have less ground to lose than smaller skilled forwards

That makes sense. It's really a different game being played in the playoffs vs the regular season. You're at a huge disadvantage if you play a honest clean game and need to push the limits of what goes uncalled to have the best chance at winning.

 

[Leetch3]

you need a balance and to be able to play different ways...being all speedy or all brawn rarely works

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

you need a balance and to be able to play different ways...being all speedy or all brawn rarely works

Exactly. People point to the Blues and Bruins being ‘big’ teams, but Schwartz and Krug have been (arguably) their best skaters

 

[TheGortonConspiracy]

It’s not about size but playing a certain way, two of the Bruin D happen to be 5’9. Fensore is a comparable player and not just based on his size.

And playing that way is a lot more effective when you have size up and down the lineup

 

[tradenashnow]

Rangers are going with either a big, physical winger at 20 or a big, righty defenseman. If Hughes is there it's a blessing because Kravtsov, Chytil and Andersson can play wing. If not, one of those guys has to take the center spot.

 

[TheGortonConspiracy]

Rangers are going with either a big, physical winger at 20 or a big, righty defenseman. If Hughes is there it's a blessing because Kravtsov, Chytil and Andersson can play wing. If not, one of those guys has to take the center spot.

I'm still BPA (Best Player Available). I just think size is perhaps undervalued by some here. Gorton knows whats up though. He's going large at #20.

 

[millencolin487]

Does anyone know what Pavel Dorofeyev's current contract looks like with his KHL team? How quickly could he come over if we drafted him?

 

[n8]

N8- Grewe's biggest hold-back is speed and overall engine (plus anticipation). How much can he improve? Its definitely not weak in any way, but I think he needs to get it a notch higher still to play in the NHL. You would like to see him dominate more with his hard work. Be a bigger factor

I'm no scout by any means but I'd say he has bottom 6 potential. His shooting looks abysmal so not sure how he's significantly improving that part of his game enough to make enough of a difference. He could certainly up his garbage collecting skills and plug in 10 goals a season. That said, I think his bread and butter will have to be hitting and PK so maybe upside is like Derek Dorsett or Chris Neil but smaller. Just not someone I'm that excited about drafting in the 2nd. I also agree, his skating is not that great so he has to outwork the opposition every night, every shift. But I guess it isn't unheard of for players to suddenly have developmental spurts and find their game. Again, I'm basing this off of what I'm seeing in his Gretzky-Hnlinka play. Maybe his SuperElit play would show me he merits the hype.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Does anyone know what Pavel Dorofeyev's current contract looks like with his KHL team? How quickly could he come over if we drafted him?

He's RFA at the moment but I don't expect him to come over immediately. Russian prospects shouldn't waste time in the AHL early on if they can play in the KHL and Dorofeyev is definitely on the KHL roster this coming season for MMG.

 

[Ola]

I've always felt that the grittier type of players tend to do better in the playoffs. Don't know if that's actually backed by data but just seems that way to me. Bigger players tend to fit that more but there's always exceptions.

At least players that don't thrive when getting time and space. There have for a quite long time been possible for guys like Michael Ryder or Andy McDonald (center for Anaheim) or David Perron and the likes to do well in the POs. Its not like it maybe was in the past were guys could be intimidated in the POs.

For players that are more skill oriented, it just requires more from them in some areas. And especially scoring wingers can really disappear since teams are very solid defensively.

 

[RangerBoy]

The big German defenseman got a lot of love over the course of the season. There are even a few teams that now have him as their No. 2 defenseman after Bowen Byram. Seider noted at the scouting combine that there were 84 scouts at his last regular-season game with Adler Mannheim of the DEL. His team went on to win the league title, and Seider became the youngest player to represent Germany at the World Championship, in which he played a top-four role.

Seider has been viewed as a first-round talent for almost the entire season, but now he's very much in the conversation to be a top-15 pick. He's big, smooth and a right shot, which makes him a real rarity. The only risk at this point is that there aren't a ton of historical comparables for him. The team that drafts him might consider bringing him to North America right away and giving him a shot in the AHL. Seider noted that he will play wherever he thinks will be best for his development, noting that it will be important for him to get more minutes and special-teams play than he got this season.

Seider would be a nice fit in the Rangers prospects pool.

After bouncing between the various levels of Finnish hockey, Puistola finished the season on a high note as one of Finland's most important players at the World U18 Championship. He scored five goals and was an offensive driver for a team that lacked much skill. Although Puistola did not produce in Finland's top pro league over 16 games, he made the most of being sent down. When he was loaned out to second-division LeKi, Puistola had the best rate of production by a U18 player in that league's history, with 26 points in 22 games (1.18 points per game).

He remains a little lower on rankings -- Central Scouting had him at 28th among European skaters, and he was No. 26 overall on my early May ranking set -- but I've heard more chatter about him being a potential first-rounder or at least an early second-round pick. He's remarkably skilled.

Too bad the Rangers didn't get a late 1st from TB or Dallas.

A third-year-eligible goalie, Kochetkov wasn't even ranked by Central Scouting in his original draft campaigns in 2017 and 2018. Now, he could be the second goaltender off the board at the draft. Ranked No. 1 among international goalies by Central in their final rankings for 2019, Kochetkov has all of the tools NHL teams look for, including size, quickness and calmness under pressure. And does he ever compete.
He really popped onto the scene this season with Russia's U20 program. Kochetkov dominated first at the Canada-Russia series, then at the World Junior Championship, at which he was named goalie of the tournament and a media all-star as he backstopped Russia to bronze. Kochetkov made two starts in the KHL this year but did most of his damage in the VHL, Russia's second division. He posted a .930 save percentage in 18 appearances. One thing to watch, however, is that Kochetkov was transferred to SKA St. Petersburg, where he is likely to replace New York Rangers prospect Igor Shesterkin on the KHL roster. Teams might exercise some additional caution as a result, but there's no question that he is a talent worth drafting.

Maybe the Rangers take this Russian goaltender and leave him in the KHL for the 4 years.

The buzz surrounding LaCombe at the NHL combine was noticeable. He had a monster season on the back end for the vaunted Shattuck St. Mary's prep school, but those numbers are often taken with a grain of salt due to the level of competition. LaCombe has an early 2001 birth date and was a nonfactor at last summer's Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, but teams kept watching him. He made USA Hockey's U18 national championship an especially hot scouting destination this year.

"Every player has their own path," LaCombe said when asked what he gained by staying in prep school as opposed to trying junior hockey. "Going back to Shattuck helped me. I was able to play a key role. I'm a bit of a late grower too."

It became apparent that scouts were paying closer attention and starting to think of him as a top prospect when LaCombe played a few games with the Chicago Steel in the USHL. He met with 26 NHL teams at the combine.

LaCombe is a project. He has been playing defense for only the past two seasons, and he needs to tack on more strength. But he is a tremendous skater and clearly has some athleticism and tools. He isn't the kind of guy you take a swing on in the first round, but I'd imagine we see him in the second, especially if there are teams with multiple picks in that round. I'm still a little lukewarm on his long-term projection, but he has made a decent case for himself.

Jackson LaCombe. Great name.