F Yegor Sokolov (2020, 61st, OTT; traded to UTA)

[LokiCalder]

Yet no one signed him...Except Ottawa after they drafted him...So who really gave him a shot??

Columbus.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Radulov regen

 

[topshelf15]

Columbus.

He is in the AHL for Ottawa after he signed his ELC

 

[BondraTime]

He is in the AHL for Ottawa after he signed his ELC

They invited him to their rookie camp, as teams do with undrafted players every year. Could have signed him for free, decided they didn’t want to.

 

[Caser]

 

[Caser]

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

This guy could be something special. Stone/Jagr vibes in his ability to slow game down and make brilliant area passes under pressure.

 

[Caser]

 

[cesareborgia]

"Sokol" means "falcon."

Guy's gonna fly.

 

[Caser]

 

[cmcneil02]

Hope he gets a chance to play next season with Ottawa, he's a friggin beast.

 

[Samsquanch]

Hope he gets a chance to play next season with Ottawa, he's a friggin beast.

He will almost surely start the season in Belleville, but he's most likely the #1 call-up so that he gets a good taste of the NHL as reward for a job well done. Then he can legitimately fight for a full-time spot on the roster the year after next.

Troy Mann (his AHL coach whos played a big hand in developing Batherson, Norris, Paul, Formenton ect) is completely over the moon with him, and very sure he will be a real NHLer in the near future. And there is no real immediate need for him to play in the NHL yet.

So with knowing how much Mann loves/believes in Sokolov as a player, and how valuable the big minutes and all the extra attention that hes going to get from the coaches and development staff there will be for him. Going back to Belleville next season is a must for him, and it will pay huge dividends in the long run for everyone.

 

[Samsquanch]

Definitely getting drafted. Probably 2nd round I would guess, maybe early 3rd.

You can't teach size. Also seems to be strong. Was unstoppable strength wise at the WJC. Was out battling big players like Bahl. Reminded me of Greenway in his WJC year.
He'll get drafted by someone. As much as the league has drifted towards speed/skill, there is always a place for a big man.

Some Russian posters were dismissive of him, but he sure looked effective to me.

Would love to see the Habs take him. He will surely go in the top 75 picks.

MN has to take him, so they can have dueling Sokolovs .

I have seen sokolov play 20 games this season
He has a fire in his belly and a hunger to score
He is a unmovable bull in a china shop. Deadly within 15 feet of the goalie. You cnat teach what he can do offensively. His defence is picking up as the cape breton eagles are a well rounded squad.
If my leafs selected him barb underhill would turn him into a 100 million dollar player ( over the span of his career )

Sokolov should be selected before Francis who hasnt been the same player since he got his teeth knocked out in december.

Element reminds me of hyman a energy player who can score and defend and throw a great body check

Sokolov francis and element should alll be selected in this yrs draft.

Sokolov 2nd rnd
Francis 5th rnd
Element 7th rnd

Sokolov is a player I want for Montreal. They don't have anyone like him on the roster, or in the system in anyway.

I believe he would need to be signed, if not he's eligible and would be a Russian player in the AHL for Romanov if he comes over.

They have 10 picks between the 2nd and 5th rounds. They can afford to take a high risk high reward type player.

On my wish list for the third round.

I wanted him last year in the late rounds as well. His speed has improved leaps and bounds after a hard working off-season. Still has a ways to go in that regard but you can't teach the type of goal scoring instincts this kid possesses.

The way he drives the net and protects the puck is a treat to watch.

A risk pick but a pick I would take for sure. I can see him coming into the league a little later in his career some long good years on his designated AHL team going from a bottom 6 to a top 6 then when his skating improves and stays the healthy beast he is maybe we could see the NHL in him at 24 then eventually in the future could maybe be a 15-25 goal scorer by 28-29. Could be a far fetch but a guy that size with that kind of shot and grit could have some great potential. He was definitely helpful in the World Juniors for sure too. Just hope he stays healthy and improves every season. One long-term injury can hurt his game completely. Fingers crossed! Where do I see him drafted? I personally see him going Round 5 unless a team is thirsty and desperate. Not saying he can't go Round 3 but we will see!

Id love for the sharks to nab him with the colarado second rounder, or maybe trade down to try to grab em. Closer to the show caan never hurt

NHL rankings have him 94th in north american skaters, im fine using the sens 3rd or perhaps one our later 2nd round picks on him. That said im kinda curious is he a pain in the ass to play against, i.e. a meanstreak sorta like Tkachuk?

Sens have enough prospects in that he won't need to be rushed in any way.

I hate double posting normally... But i have to say, I'm impressed with y'all and your scouting abilities. This was not an easy find for your typical HF stat watcher/person who values 1st/2nd round picks like a firstborn child.

Identifying a prospect as a potential 2nd rounder - a Russian kid in the QMJHL (a Charmin-soft league by reputation) that bullied his way up the stats leaderboard with an oversized 6'4 230lb 19yr old frame after already being passed over twice before in the NHL draft - is what the legit professionals get paid to do. This pick was immediately panned by 95% of Sens fans at the draft, fwiw......myself included if were being honest...

As long as you dont start talking about advanced stats and/or some algorithm that will predict actual success in the future, then you fine folks all have my utmost respect as judges of talent at the draft table.

 

[majormajor]

I hate double posting normally... But i have to say, I'm impressed with y'all and your scouting abilities.

Identifying a prospect as a potential 2nd rounder - a Russian kid in the QMJHL (a Charmin-soft league by reputation) thats bullied his way up the stats leaderboard with an oversized 6'4 230lb 19yr old frame that already went undrafted twice before in the NHL - is what the legit professionals get paid to do. This pick was immediately panned by 95% of Sens fans at the draft, fwiw......myself included if were being honest...

As long as you dont start talking about advanced stats and/or some algorithm that will predict actual success in the future, then you fine folks all have my utmost respect as judges of talent at the draft table.

To be fair everyone saw him dominate at the WJC, and he was pretty high up on the consensus draft lists after tearing up the Q.

I'd be inclined to give lots of credit to people who wanted him before his breakout. Like this:

He's an excellent shooting talent. Plays physical, skates well, not terrible defensively. He's a 2nd round pick, IMO.

Though in this case I don't know what you liked about his skating? Eerily spot on about the 2nd rounder!

I seem to remember some Jackets fans really hoping that the Jackets would sign him that summer, 2018 or 2019, I can't remember. Was he eligible to be signed as an undrafted FA? He was much slower back then so it wouldn't have been quite the slam dunk target.

 

[Samsquanch]

To be fair everyone saw him dominate at the WJC, and he was pretty high up on the consensus draft lists after tearing up the Q.

I'd be inclined to give lots of credit to people who wanted him before his breakout. Like this:



Though in this case I don't know what you liked about his skating? Eerily spot on about the 2nd rounder!

I seem to remember some Jackets fans really hoping that the Jackets would sign him that summer, 2018 or 2019, I can't remember. Was he eligible to be signed as an undrafted FA? He was much slower back then so it wouldn't have been quite the slam dunk target.

To be fair, post WJC rankings included, not one outlet that I'm aware of ever had him ranked any higher than the late 3rd or 4th at any point in time before.

So I'll give credit where it's due .

Especially by Hfboards/arm chair online GM standards, it's as bold a 2nd round pick as it gets. CBJ gets a little pat on the head for inviting him to their camp I guess. But the Senators get the full pat on the back for having the guts to actually draft him where they did.

 

[TimeZone]

To be fair everyone saw him dominate at the WJC, and he was pretty high up on the consensus draft lists after tearing up the Q.

I'd be inclined to give lots of credit to people who wanted him before his breakout. Like this:



Though in this case I don't know what you liked about his skating? Eerily spot on about the 2nd rounder!

I seem to remember some Jackets fans really hoping that the Jackets would sign him that summer, 2018 or 2019, I can't remember. Was he eligible to be signed as an undrafted FA? He was much slower back then so it wouldn't have been quite the slam dunk target.

I was high on Sokolov from his Draft year, long before his World Junior performance. It helps that I live in Cape Breton, but he was an individual I wanted in the late rounds in the year he went undrafted as well, my post history will back that up. I also liked Ryan Francis who I think could be a fantastic steal for the Flames.

 

[themelkman]

I honestly feel like teams underrate overagers. Yeah you probably shouldnt draft one 21st, but sometimes guys games evolve like crazy over a year or two. A guy with play like his is less risky than getting a guy with half his talent but a couple years younger.

 

[BondraTime]

I honestly feel like teams underrate overagers. Yeah you probably shouldnt draft one 21st, but sometimes guys games evolve like crazy over a year or two. A guy with play like his is less risky than getting a guy with half his talent but a couple years younger.

Overagers go in that range very often. Sokolov was one of 3 overagers to go between picks 58-62, they are all looking extremely good.

Teams don’t underrate overagers, fans and armchair GM’s do. Teams grab them year in, year out, at every point in the draft, very often to the displeasure of the fans on here.

 

[NHL Dude 120]

I hate double posting normally... But i have to say, I'm impressed with y'all and your scouting abilities. This was not an easy find for your typical HF stat watcher/person who values 1st/2nd round picks like a firstborn child.

Identifying a prospect as a potential 2nd rounder - a Russian kid in the QMJHL (a Charmin-soft league by reputation) that bullied his way up the stats leaderboard with an oversized 6'4 230lb 19yr old frame after already being passed over twice before in the NHL draft - is what the legit professionals get paid to do. This pick was immediately panned by 95% of Sens fans at the draft, fwiw......myself included if were being honest...

As long as you dont start talking about advanced stats and/or some algorithm that will predict actual success in the future, then you fine folks all have my utmost respect as judges of talent at the draft table.

To be fair I never called myself a scout.

 

[Constable]

To be fair everyone saw him dominate at the WJC, and he was pretty high up on the consensus draft lists after tearing up the Q.

I'd be inclined to give lots of credit to people who wanted him before his breakout. Like this:



Though in this case I don't know what you liked about his skating? Eerily spot on about the 2nd rounder!

I seem to remember some Jackets fans really hoping that the Jackets would sign him that summer, 2018 or 2019, I can't remember. Was he eligible to be signed as an undrafted FA? He was much slower back then so it wouldn't have been quite the slam dunk target.

Hopping back into this thread to elaborate on a few of my opinions lol

1- I like his skating not because he's the fastest player around but he has *rarer* mechanics than other players. His speed is his downside and I don't know if he'll ever be super agile, but his frame along with his strength on his skates, lack of a choppy motion, allows him to overcome those challenges. Many people confused speed with the puck as signs you're a great skater, and the lack of such automatically makes you worse. Not always the case. His ceiling is a great complimentary piece- think about what Mike Hoffman is and imagine a more extreme, physical version of him.

2- I think he was a second round talent but if I was the Senators I still wouldn't have taken him here. Not because he's bad- clearly I knew he was good, but as is every NHL draft, a lot of guys tend to slide down the chart. Kasper Simontaival, Lukas Cormier, Ty Smilanic, Samuel Knazko, Brandon Coe. Justin Sourdif, Zion Nybeck, Sean Farrell, Martin Chromiak, Brett Berard, Veeti Miettinen, Connor McClennon, and Amir Miftakhov are all highly talented players that yes, do not have the same accolades as Sokolov this season but are all respectively 2 years behind in their development cycle. A lot of these guys are showing they can hang in a mens league, reaching great benchmarks for their age and league. Sokolov however is 2 whole years ahead of them in the development curve. The Sens are getting an NHL'er, more than likely, but how much upside did they lose because of this pick? Who knows.


I think it's ultimately important to acknowledge 3 things about Sokolov.

- He's massively outperforming what most scouts put him as.
- He's likely an NHLer for the Sens
- He still represents lost value at his pick slot and the Senators shouldn't be removed from criticism because he's outperforming.

 

[Hale The Villain]

2- I think he was a second round talent but if I was the Senators I still wouldn't have taken him here. Not because he's bad- clearly I knew he was good, but as is every NHL draft, a lot of guys tend to slide down the chart. Kasper Simontaival, Lukas Cormier, Ty Smilanic, Samuel Knazko, Brandon Coe. Justin Sourdif, Zion Nybeck, Sean Farrell, Martin Chromiak, Brett Berard, Veeti Miettinen, Connor McClennon, and Amir Miftakhov are all highly talented players that yes, do not have the same accolades as Sokolov this season but are all respectively 2 years behind in their development cycle. A lot of these guys are showing they can hang in a mens league, reaching great benchmarks for their age and league. Sokolov however is 2 whole years ahead of them in the development curve. The Sens are getting an NHL'er, more than likely, but how much upside did they lose because of this pick? Who knows.

You talk as if it's assured that those players produce as well as Sokolov in their 19YR old development year. There's absolutely no guarantee of that. 46 goals and 92 points in 52 games is excellent production and not many prospects in their final season in junior hit those kind of numbers, even those drafted a lot higher.

Ignoring production, Sokolov has a lot of advantages that all of those players don't as a 6'3, 220lb kid with good hands and a great shot. His upside is a top 6 winger and he absolutely deserved to get drafted in the top 2 rounds of 2020.

 

[Boxscore]

Don't put it off, call Sokolov.

 

[Random Comment]

Hopping back into this thread to elaborate on a few of my opinions lol

1- I like his skating not because he's the fastest player around but he has *rarer* mechanics than other players. His speed is his downside and I don't know if he'll ever be super agile, but his frame along with his strength on his skates, lack of a choppy motion, allows him to overcome those challenges. Many people confused speed with the puck as signs you're a great skater, and the lack of such automatically makes you worse. Not always the case. His ceiling is a great complimentary piece- think about what Mike Hoffman is and imagine a more extreme, physical version of him.

2- I think he was a second round talent but if I was the Senators I still wouldn't have taken him here. Not because he's bad- clearly I knew he was good, but as is every NHL draft, a lot of guys tend to slide down the chart. Kasper Simontaival, Lukas Cormier, Ty Smilanic, Samuel Knazko, Brandon Coe. Justin Sourdif, Zion Nybeck, Sean Farrell, Martin Chromiak, Brett Berard, Veeti Miettinen, Connor McClennon, and Amir Miftakhov are all highly talented players that yes, do not have the same accolades as Sokolov this season but are all respectively 2 years behind in their development cycle. A lot of these guys are showing they can hang in a mens league, reaching great benchmarks for their age and league. Sokolov however is 2 whole years ahead of them in the development curve. The Sens are getting an NHL'er, more than likely, but how much upside did they lose because of this pick? Who knows.


I think it's ultimately important to acknowledge 3 things about Sokolov.

- He's massively outperforming what most scouts put him as.
- He's likely an NHLer for the Sens
- He still represents lost value at his pick slot and the Senators shouldn't be removed from criticism because he's outperforming.

I’m guessing if we polled all of the GMs, 90% would agree they should have taken Sokolov in the 2nd round if they had the chance. He’s likely to have a better NHL career than a quarter of the 1st rounders too. I think your perceived value and expectations of a 2nd round pick is out of whack.

 

[Samsquanch]

I’m guessing if we polled all of the GMs, 90% would agree they should have taken Sokolov in the 2nd round if they had the chance. He’s likely to have a better NHL career than a quarter of the 1st rounders too. I think your perceived value and expectations of a 2nd round pick is out of whack.

I mean you only get so many mulligans as GMs for missing out on a player... especially a kid that passed through two previous drafts entirely. Then got passed over another 59 times before he was taken with the second last pick of the 2nd round in the last draft. At some point you need to admit you missed the boat hard...

While there definitely some people predicting that he might end up going in that range, the tone in this thread doesnt paint the reality that on draft day this pick was almost universally panned by Sens fans, outside fans, and most draft analysts. And despite what they might be saying now, its fair to say that he and the Sens caught most of us (all of the GMs/scouts included) with our pants down on this one.

The Sens deserve full credit because making him a 2nd round pick is a big statement about their belief in him. Using a late round flyer and hitting the jackpot is a far less of a shrewd move than using a 2nd rounder to make sure they got hm.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

Hopping back into this thread to elaborate on a few of my opinions lol

1- I like his skating not because he's the fastest player around but he has *rarer* mechanics than other players. His speed is his downside and I don't know if he'll ever be super agile, but his frame along with his strength on his skates, lack of a choppy motion, allows him to overcome those challenges. Many people confused speed with the puck as signs you're a great skater, and the lack of such automatically makes you worse. Not always the case. His ceiling is a great complimentary piece- think about what Mike Hoffman is and imagine a more extreme, physical version of him.

2- I think he was a second round talent but if I was the Senators I still wouldn't have taken him here. Not because he's bad- clearly I knew he was good, but as is every NHL draft, a lot of guys tend to slide down the chart. Kasper Simontaival, Lukas Cormier, Ty Smilanic, Samuel Knazko, Brandon Coe. Justin Sourdif, Zion Nybeck, Sean Farrell, Martin Chromiak, Brett Berard, Veeti Miettinen, Connor McClennon, and Amir Miftakhov are all highly talented players that yes, do not have the same accolades as Sokolov this season but are all respectively 2 years behind in their development cycle. A lot of these guys are showing they can hang in a mens league, reaching great benchmarks for their age and league. Sokolov however is 2 whole years ahead of them in the development curve. The Sens are getting an NHL'er, more than likely, but how much upside did they lose because of this pick? Who knows.


I think it's ultimately important to acknowledge 3 things about Sokolov.

- He's massively outperforming what most scouts put him as.
- He's likely an NHLer for the Sens
- He still represents lost value at his pick slot and the Senators shouldn't be removed from criticism because he's outperforming.

i'm sorry but this is just a dumb post.

Sokolov is great value for a 2nd and i would be happy with him if even if he was a late 1st. He's got great size, natural skill, and willingness to work hard on and off the ice.