But you old muppet, you are just shy!
Just downloading those 5-6 games a day must take an hour of organization. I have heard of some nutty scouting people watching up towards 400 games per season, and I wouldn't put it past
@Steve Kournianos to watch more than 500 games (or more?), and he watches old games the entire summer. But you double that, and this during a period when you watch less hockey than usual, and that isn't even including what 100-200 NHL games per season?! Wow!
Do you have a secondary account or posts these extensive backgrounds anywhere else?
I searched to see what I have missed, but only found these comments on the kids ranked 11-20 by Button:
Philip Broberg
"
Broberg is a bit on the raw side, not unlike how I view Lavoie, but they're almost different kinds of raw.
Broberg is on the younger side, anywhere from 6 to almost 10 months younger than some of the other talents. So you expect some holes, but I also think the upside is there."
Nikolayev
You have never mentioned him (could be a spelling thing?).
Knight
You have mentioned him in lists but never commented on him.
Pelletier
You have mentioned him in lists but never commented on him.
Dach
You have mentioned him 135 times, but this is the comments on his game that I could find. "
I think Dach’s skating issues are overblown." and "
Dach is a player who left me wanting more. A lot of the ingredients are there, but I never came away with the sense that he was a kid who I could envision as a driver at the NHL level."
Harley
"
Personally, I like York more than Harley at this point. I think his game is a little more refined."
Then Krebs and Lavioe were mentioned -- and even described -- several times. Cam York was mentioned the odd time. Soderstrom:
"
Have him at 20 and definitely in play for a later first."
"
Things are still little up in the air with some of the defensive prospects, but there is some intrigue beyond Byram with guys like Honka and Soderstrom. "
"
I like Soderstrom a lot. Don’t have him ranked ahead of Byram, but I could easily see him in more than a few top 10s"
You must know these kids so well, spending 7.5 hours a day 200 days in a row watching them, surely more than anyone else in the world. It just sounds like something coming from someone having seen the odd game and then read some scouting reports. Just want to know what I am missing?
So here's some brief thoughts on the kids you asked about:
Broberg: Excellent in the offensive zone --- very good shot, gets the puck on the net, not afraid to take chances. On the defensive side of things, he's shown a physical side and a willingness to engage, do in large part in his ability to cover a lot of ground. I'd like to see him work on his transition game a bit more. For example, there are times it appears that he's unsure of whether he's supporting the play, or hanging back a bit. Additionally, he can be rushed in the neutral zone or sometimes goes for the homerun pass across the ice, when something simpler will do. But the tools and natural skills are there --- the shot, the skating, the vision, etc. It's a matter of figuring out when and how to best utilize them.
Dach: Underrated playmaker who does an excellent job of finding the open teammate and getting the puck to them. I'd like to see him shoot a bit more, as I think he has a good enough wrist shot to put up more goals. Don't see the skating being an issue, mainly because his agility and maneuverability are strong. Carries the puck well into the zone and is hard to separate from the puck, especially when he's got a head of stream under him. Smart at the transition play and finding him open man, but not as strong as I'd like if the opposition forces the offense to slow things down a bit.
Knight: Love his ability to square himself to shooters, give them an opening to entice them and then take it away. Great lateral movement, but doesn't waste a lot of energy. Very efficient and doesn't give up rebounds easily. Doesn't get rattled. His glove his very good, but not what I'd consider great. He makes up for that with his positioning. He does tend to play a little smaller in net, despite his size, and I'm curious as to how he'll adjust as better shooters attempt to go higher on him. It'll also be interesting to see if he learns to play a little more as the competition speeds up.
Pelletier: A very smart hockey player, who doesn't necessarily have a lot of individual skills that leap off the ice. Good speed, not necessarily great --- slippery. Very good vision and play making, but does struggle a bit when he has less room to operate. I'm not entirely sure his shot will translate at the higher levels, but he is willing to get himself into high percentage areas, so that could help. I don't know if I see I enough dynamic offensive pieces to project his ceiling as a top line prospect, but I definitely think he's skilled enough, and aware enough of his own strengths, that he could project as a second line center.
Harley: Very good playmaking ability and a strong ability to make smart decisions with the puck on his tap. Incredibly patient and not afraid to wait for his teammates to find an opening and get into position. Doesn't panic with the puck, but I do wonder if his shot is enough to be a weapon should he need to get the puck through traffic and to the net. Has spent some time working on his defense, and while it's not a strength, I honestly don't think it's as much of a concern as it was a year ago. Could stand to make his life in the defensive zone a little easier by being more aggressive and using his reach to force opponents to the outside. I don't know if he quite has that skill set where he can step up and completely change the course of a game like a Byram, or a Broberg, or that he has steadying presence of a Soderstrom.
Krebs: Probably one of the better two-way forwards available in this year's draft. Always in motion, does a lot of the little things to keep plays alive and turn seemingly innocent plays into chances. But at the same time, I'm not sure he's one those guys who looks like they might drive play. He rates as good to very good across the board, but I don't know if the higher end skill is there like some of the options at the top of the draft. He's got a good shot, but I didn't quite see it used as a weapon as often as you'd think. His points come from a hard work, but I don't necessarily know if I've seen too many instances where he made plays that he had no business making. His size is going to be a little bit of a challenge for his style of play at the NHL level. As a top 10 pick, I'm less keen on him because I think there are some guys with offensive skillsets --- better shooters, playmakers, or an ability to change the pace of a game. As a potential very good support player, I think he's an excellent option outside the top 10.
Soderstrom: I find him intriguing because unlike a Byram, or even a Broberg, he's not necessarily a guy who makes you sit on the edge of your seat if he has the puck on his stick. But he's incredibly smart and makes so many of the plays. He knows how to move the puck, get it to the open made, and then get himself in position to support the play. In some ways, his strengths are almost the opposite of Broberg's. He transitions the puck well, can easily go back and forth between supporting the offense and playing tight defense. Not the biggest guy in the world, and can be outmuscled, but his positioning is so good that I'll be damned if he doesn't end up coming away with the puck more often than not. The knock might be that there's not that "wow" dream factor at work. He simply a smart, well-balanced game that doesn't lend itself to either a lot of mistakes, or a ton of highlight reel clips.
Nikolayev: I'm kind of torn on him. On the one hand, there are games where you see some top notch stickhandling and the ability to make the game look fairly easy. I've seen plays where there are several guys around him, he's got nowhere to go, and he ends up scoring a goal, after spinning around in a circle and getting through traffic. Other times you watch him go top shelf and the goalie looks like he has no idea where the puck came from. Amazingly deceptive shot that he gets off quickly and accurately. But then there are other times where I'm wondering where he is. For as talented as he is, there are times he looks...disengaged, for lack of a better term. And when he's not dazzling you with high-skill offense, there's sometimes not a hell of a lot else to see. I'd like to see him making better use of his linemates, or looking for the opportunities that might not necessarily be apparent on first glance. I could see him going anywhere from the teens to the second round. Personally, I'd consider him later in the first.
