@dyldude, what are his strengths, weaknesses, and what round do you think he could be picked? Also, is he a center?
Graf is an above-average handler, good defensive forward, and has the potential for being an above-average skater, as well. He's at his best in transitions, he's a strong breakout player with his passing habits - he loves drawing in pressure and then chipping a last second pass over the forechecker's stick. He has his moments in the offensive zone, but he's a bit of a wildcard. Some games he'll look like he's trying to mimic Ivan Demidov's game (10-and-2 skating to circle the zone before trying to cut in and weave towards the net) and he doesn't have the same toolset as Demidov to support that kind of play and he turns into a player who often looks like he's doing things, but in reality is more detrimental than helpful with supporting his team offensively. Other games, he'll play more passively and be a bit more of a volume passer, not really crafting plays and forcing them instead. There's a middle ground that he's been able to find in a handful of viewings, he'll just need to start weeding out the mistakes and less projectable plays in favor of smarter, more creative ones.
His main weaknesses come through his sense, finishing, and how junior-coded his overall game is. I could see him going undrafted entirely as the timeline for when he'll be ready for professional hockey is pretty hazy. The skating will probably have to improve, along with adding strength, and finding an offensive game that would suit a style outside of the environment he's in right now. Just comparing him to his teammate Matvei Korotky, Korotky is less flashy, but uses more situational handles, connects plays, and has a killer shot. The upside with Korotky is lower, but there's the base for a player who could work into a professional team in a few seasons, even just as an off-puck shot. Graf will require more work, more patience, and will have to really adapt his game to play against men, but there's a really fun player here if he hits the ground running.
So, basically, he's probably not going any earlier than 6th-7th round, if he gets picked at all. He'll likely stick at center, which will help him get chances with youth national teams due to positional need, but I could see him switching to a winger spot as he moves up into pro hockey just to take some of the weight off.
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