HF Habs: Habs All Access Draft Feature

[HABitual Fan]

Would you not say that development in the AHL is variable from one org. to another?

Is it not also a function of how much budget an org. is willing to allocate to development as well as who they hire, the quality and experience of its coaching staff and specialists and the development philosophy that permeates a particular org.?

There is also the ability of richer teams to provide better and more facilities and greater development spending given the old argument about how none of what is spent on AHL resources is cap-restricted.

As a former hockey dad, whose son played in us prep hockey, development is what is done in the offseason and usually on an individual basis. In season most coaching is tactical, either as a team, or individually explaining role and expectations. Skills, strength conditioning are worked on with private trainers, not team personnel and are in fact forbidden, that is where "captains practices" came from since actual team personnel cannot participate out of season.

 

[Kennerback]

Let’s take MaxPacs AHL success story

1. He first went because they had one spot to fill and Latendresse took it instead of him. No room.

2. When he did go up a couple of times, he wouldn’t produce enough and was down to 10-12 minutes a night. In your early 20s, you need to log minutes. He wasn’t he was sent down.

3. He started having some success. But he would get clobbered a lot and took hard open ice checks. His production dropped. He was depressed about his game. Story is he asked to be sent down to build his confidence back. Came back up when his head was at the right place again.

 

[HuGort]

Watching video I get impression they would have taken Wright if they couldn't have got Dach. Hughes said worked thoroughly for 48 hours on trade. Appeared very upbeat to get Dach. All that depth analysis and they said didn't make up minds until end. Must been close. Sounds like Slaf character swayed them over a center. Weighted in decision certainly

 

[SlafySZN]

Watching video I get impression they would have taken Wright if they couldn't have got Dach. Hughes said worked thoroughly for 48 hours on trade. Appeared very upbeat to get Dach. All that depth analysis and they said didn't make up minds until end. Must been close. Sounds like Slaf character swayed them over a center. Weighted in decision certainly

They called chicago about Dach a month before the draft though, so it was in the work way before 48 hours so pretty sure they had a preference for Slaf. I’m honestly not sure they would’ve taken Wright otherwise i don’t really know why Hughes was still talking about Cooley a week before the draft, they didn’t have to, they could’ve said it was Wright or Slaf since everyone and media was always naming those two

So that’s why i think it was between Slaf or Cooley

 

[Seb]

I think it was between Slaf and Cooley.

They seem to value compete level very highly and with the way Wright played in the playoffs I believe it made them drop him from the top.

I the clip they say drafting Slaf first enables them to pick smaller but more skilled players later. This is not an issue with Wright but definitely one with Cooley.

 

[Cookie007]

Not sure if Wright was on their list.. that comment by either Marty or Bobrov about how he wants to see compete and guys that keep developing and developing rather than a guy that seemed to "stagnate" (though no idea if Wright stagnated, too early to tell). I think it was the comment made when they showed the workouts in Buffalo.

 

[Sorinth]

I think it was between Slaf and Cooley.

They seem to value compete level very highly and with the way Wright played in the playoffs I believe it made them drop him from the top.

I the clip they say drafting Slaf first enables them to pick smaller but more skilled players later. This is not an issue with Wright but definitely one with Cooley.

The weird part about the size thing is that if the argument is that teams make mistakes picking for size, then arguing to make that "mistake" with 1OA so that you don't have the pressure to make that "mistake" in later rounds seems like a terrible idea.

That said I don't think size was really the defining reason they went with Slaf over the others.

 

[SlafySZN]

The weird part about the size thing is that if the argument is that teams make mistakes picking for size, then arguing to make that "mistake" with 1OA so that you don't have the pressure to make that "mistake" in later rounds seems like a terrible idea.

That said I don't think size was really the defining reason they went with Slaf over the others.

Slaf’s size is a bonus. He’s very skilled and has a great shot + his puck protection and he use his size.

Since we have smaller players like Caufield, soon Farrell even Suzuki in the top 6 taking Slaf free Hughes up to keep all of them, especially with Dach too.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

The weird part about the size thing is that if the argument is that teams make mistakes picking for size, then arguing to make that "mistake" with 1OA so that you don't have the pressure to make that "mistake" in later rounds seems like a terrible idea.

That said I don't think size was really the defining reason they went with Slaf over the others.

I think the logic was more in the sense of better to pick a guy who's floor at worst is likely middle six winger than a guy with so so skills a la McCarron who ends up busting.

 

[Sorinth]

I think the logic was more in the sense of better to pick a guy who's floor at worst is likely middle six winger than a guy with so so skills a la McCarron who ends up busting.

Like I said I don't believe they actually went with Slaf because he's big, they went with him because they believe he'll be the best player. Taking a middle six winger with the 1st overall so that you free to take a smaller guy like Mezar instead of a McCarron is just dumb. You should maximize the value of the 1st overall and then gamble on size with later picks since those later picks already have pretty low odds of being an impact player.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

I watched it about 3, or 4 times now while doing other things.

Gorton says "what's the point of character, if there isn't any skill", not exact, but close and that made me feel a bit more confident in their selections given that they actually look for players with skill.

 

[Ghetto Sangria]

If you just watch Slaf play in 2 or 3 of his tournament games... it's obvious the kid has skill. He's got a good shot, underrated vision and hands.

Physically, he's got great size and good speed for a man his size. He's not a traditional power forward, but uses his body well to protect the puck and win board battles.

The questions with Slaf are not (or should not) be based on his talent level but on whether he can put his whole skillset together to be a consistent producer expected of a 1st overall.

Some of his detractors go nuts because his skillset (listed above) makes most people think of a Jagr more than anyone else... but obviously, chances are he won't have as good of a career. Rantanen is probably the closest active player comparable... it's hard to find any players that have all the tools Slaf does.

But can Slaf put it all together to reach his potential? This is the question mark that gave me concerns about drafting him. There's a lot to put together... a lot of development still. So far at least he's showing he has the drive to pull it off, and the habs have clearly invested heavily in developing their young talent.

 

[Captain Mountain]

The weird part about the size thing is that if the argument is that teams make mistakes picking for size, then arguing to make that "mistake" with 1OA so that you don't have the pressure to make that "mistake" in later rounds seems like a terrible idea.

That said I don't think size was really the defining reason they went with Slaf over the others.

That's not really the point. The point is (and there is analysis to back this up), is that bigger prospects tend to get picked higher than they should based on how they perform in the NHL and smaller prospects tend to get picked lower than they should based on how they perform in the NHL.

But you still need guys with size who know how to use it to win in the NHL. So the argument is that if you're high on two or 3 guys in terms of upside, size is a reasonable to consider when making a choice.

 

[Kriss E]

The weird part about the size thing is that if the argument is that teams make mistakes picking for size, then arguing to make that "mistake" with 1OA so that you don't have the pressure to make that "mistake" in later rounds seems like a terrible idea.

That said I don't think size was really the defining reason they went with Slaf over the others.

I had the same reaction...that was a weird way to make his point. I don't want to risk picking big guys in late rounds just because they're big so let's just grab a big guy early instead...lol

As you said, they didn't pick Slaf just for size but the way he phrased his argument was really weird.

 

[Kriss E]

Watching video I get impression they would have taken Wright if they couldn't have got Dach. Hughes said worked thoroughly for 48 hours on trade. Appeared very upbeat to get Dach. All that depth analysis and they said didn't make up minds until end. Must been close. Sounds like Slaf character swayed them over a center. Weighted in decision certainly

I was mentioning that at the draft too. I don't know if they actually would have went with Wright but at the end of the day, they left the draft table with 3OV center (Dach), 1OV winger (Slaf)....instead of just 1OV center (Wright).
So I get their decision and it's going to be brilliant if it works out in their favor. If Dach and Slaf flop out...even if Wright doesn't do well, Habs will look very bad.

 

[Kriss E]

As a former hockey dad, whose son played in us prep hockey, development is what is done in the offseason and usually on an individual basis. In season most coaching is tactical, either as a team, or individually explaining role and expectations. Skills, strength conditioning are worked on with private trainers, not team personnel and are in fact forbidden, that is where "captains practices" came from since actual team personnel cannot participate out of season.

Development does not go on pause while you play/practice during the season. A huge chunk of development comes from experience, the more you practice, the more you develop. The more ice time your kid gets during the season, the more he practices, the more drills he's given time for, etc, all go into what is considered ''development''.
Development is not limited to off-season training. That's simply called..''off-season training''.

 

[Sorinth]

That's not really the point. The point is (and there is analysis to back this up), is that bigger prospects tend to get picked higher than they should based on how they perform in the NHL and smaller prospects tend to get picked lower than they should based on how they perform in the NHL.

But you still need guys with size who know how to use it to win in the NHL. So the argument is that if you're high on two or 3 guys in terms of upside, size is a reasonable to consider when making a choice.

If your picking a guy higher then you should because of size it makes far more sense to make that choice with a later round pick then it does with a 1st OA. Taking a guy with size in the 2nd round when performance wise they should be a 3rd round pick makes far more sense since the difference between a 2nd and 3rd round pick is much smaller then the difference between a 1st OA and any pick outside the top-3.

 

[Hins77]

I expect to see no mistake in futur draft a la staum, gorniak, smith etc. Which some scouts saw nice game from them and finnally select them. At the end of the year, scouting program need to identify the best player, even if a scout wasnt there for scouting the player in real action

 

[David Suzuki]

Watching video I get impression they would have taken Wright if they couldn't have got Dach

If true, this is an insanely dumb way to build a hockey team lol.

 

[SlafySZN]

If true, this is an insanely dumb way to build a hockey team lol.

One thing they said was that there’s no players with Slafkovsly’s profil in next year draft or even a few years since a player like him are rare but next year there’s centers who might even be better than wright and cooley at the top of the draft. Like Bobrov said, Slafkovsky is 1 piece of the puzzle.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

One thing they said was that there’s no players with Slafkovsly’s profil in next year draft or even a few years since a player like him are rare but next year there’s centers who might even be better than wright and cooley at the top of the draft. Like Bobrov said, Slafkovsky is 1 piece of the puzzle.

...not to mention that if Dach can progress and hit his potential, or even close to it, I see him as just as valuable, if not more, than Wright or Cooley...I was on the Wright Train for the Draft and was disappointed that we went with Slafkovsky...until we traded Romy, who I was a big fan of, for Dach, whom I have been a HUGE fan of since his Junior days...if we can also nab a Top-End C in this draft, then it's just gravy, imo...

 

[Tyson]

Something tells me we made the right pick with Juraj Slafkovsky.
The kid strikes me as the real deal.
Bring him along slowly and use him in Laval if needed.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Compete is useless without skill. Just saying, some players are wired differently. Im sure our management is aware of that though i'm not worried

 

[The Great Weal]

Something tells me we made the right pick with Juraj Slafkovsky.
The kid strikes me as the real deal.
Bring him along slowly and use him in Laval if needed.

I really hope he’s the real deal. Would be typical Habs luck for the 1st OA to bust.

 

[blarneylad]

I liked when Gorton said. Something likes. /: don’t fall in love in some players. Most of « NHL role player » were already good contributor on their junior years.

I liked that too. And role players are easier to get. There is a roster full of them playing in Europe and AHL right now waiting for their chance back.

Dime a dozen. Skill and drive. I like that is what they are striving towards. And telling Dach you ready to play some offense. Yes entertain me please. Enough of the garbage hockey era. It's been too long