Hockeyprospect.com draft rankings. (Viggo Bjorck #1 edition)

[mike14]

It seems they overcompensated the other way. Usually they rate international skaters lower.

I remember them having Leo Carlsson (who went 2nd overall) ranked #6 in the 2023 draft which was a hot take at the time as well - and looks to be the wrong rankings so far.

you may be misremembering (or saw a an early ranking)
2023 NHL Draft Rankings - HockeyProspect.com

EDIT - too late, sorry

 

[93LEAFS]

Oh, never mind that was some eliteprospect ranking.

How’s the track record of these guys? It seems every ranking has Stenberg below McKenna. When McKenna drops, Stenberg drops even lower.

Pretty solid. I'd say it's been the best draft guide in the industry for ages.

Some notable takes that standout are they were insanely bullish on Kyle Connor (I believe 5th ahead of Strome), bullish on Marner (had him as the clear #3 in that draft), were probably the first people to even rank Cale Makar in the first round (although by draft time he had risen on most boards), etc. Had Stutzle over Byfield in 2020 and were very high on Jarvis. Like everyone, they'll also have their misses.

 

[Divine]

Pretty solid. I'd say it's been the best draft guide in the industry for ages.

Some notable takes that standout are they were insanely bullish on Kyle Connor (I believe 5th ahead of Strome), bullish on Marner (had him as the clear #3 in that draft), were probably the first people to even rank Cale Makar in the first round (although by draft time he had risen on most boards), etc. Had Stutzle over Byfield in 2020 and were very high on Jarvis. Like everyone, they'll also have their misses.

I guess we'll see - it seems they normally follow consensus. This year they went completely off the board by having Bjorck #1 and Malhotra #2 - it seems highly unlikely that either of those players will go that high.

Pronman had the top 3 being D. These guys have the top 4 being forwards.

Time will tell I guess with all these deviations happening lately.

 

[Prospect Shifts]

I guess we'll see - it seems they normally follow consensus. This year they went completely off the board by having Bjorck #1 and Malhotra #2 - it seems highly unlikely that either of those players will go that high.

Pronman had the top 3 being D. These guys have the top 4 being forwards.

Time will tell I guess with all these deviations happening lately.

Yeah, but you have to remember rankings are not a mock draft. It doesn't mean "we think Bjorck will go 1st overall" it means "we think Bjorck is the best player in this draft".

 

[Divine]

Yeah, but you have to remember rankings are not a mock draft. It doesn't mean "we think Bjorck will go 1st overall" it means "we think Bjorck is the best player in this draft".

Most rankings are not mock drafts. Wheeler for example said he interviewed 10 NHL scouts for 10 different NHL teams and 9 had McKenna as the best player on their list (not Mock).

 

[RoadWarrior]

This screams of clickbait. Sad to see from a formerly reputable scouting service.

Bjork is a good player but he’s nowhere near the best player in this draft class. In fact he might not even be the best centre.

Pushing Smits down to 12 is as absurd as Bjork at #1.

Good thing I’m not a subscriber or I’d be hitting the cancel button.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

guess we'll see - it seems they normally follow consensus. This year they went completely off the board by having Bjorck #1 and Malhotra #2 - it seems highly unlikely that either of those players will go that high.

I wouldn’t say that all. If anything the opposite.

I buy the black book every year. They have their fair share of misses on guys they stake their flag on above everyone else like Lindstrom or Barlow or Lutz or Robins and I don’t always agree with them —for instance this year I do not like Suvanto— but if you compare their list to Bob’s poll (impossible this year), they are consistently very aggressive on guys they like similar to how an NHL team would be. Bjorck being 1OA doesn’t feel that out of character if you have been reading their work for awhile.

 

[majormajor]

I guess we'll see - it seems they normally follow consensus. This year they went completely off the board by having Bjorck #1 and Malhotra #2 - it seems highly unlikely that either of those players will go that high.

Pronman had the top 3 being D. These guys have the top 4 being forwards.

Time will tell I guess with all these deviations happening lately.

Malhotra at #2 is not off the board.

Are you just watching Craig Button on TSN? I don't know how you could miss it hanging out on HF, but Malhotra is often ranked around #2 now.

Most rankings are not mock drafts. Wheeler for example said he interviewed 10 NHL scouts for 10 different NHL teams and 9 had McKenna as the best player on their list (not Mock).

Are you thinking of Cam's consensus (Cam Robinson's poll of scouts)? I don't think Wheeler had a poll like that.

Anyways, guess who was #2 on Cam's consensus? You should know this.

 

[pvr]

then I'd be curious to know what the grades mean

can't even think of a draft class that had 19 "A" level prospects

maybe Mark will chime in

Actually, with 7 rounds and 224 players selected (and not even including the hundreds of reasonable eligibles not selected), the 19 represents about 8.5% of players drafted. That’s a pretty strict curve on the A to F grading scale. Completely realistic.

 

[wetcoast]

Malhotra's offensive upside is dramatically higher than Command and Lawrence. Much more skilled player.

I think Lawrence might compete with Caleb for offense but agree on Command.

I also don't know if the struggles that Lawrence had this year was because of injuries and then timing/confidence was off but last year he looked like a top 5 candidate for this draft, that skill set is still there maybe.

Similar thing with Preston who I hope the Canucks can draft at 24 or with their second rounder.

 

[Divine]

Malhotra at #2 is not off the board.

Are you just watching Craig Button on TSN? I don't know how you could miss it hanging out on HF, but Malhotra is often ranked around #2 now.



Are you thinking of Cam's consensus (Cam Robinson's poll of scouts)? I don't think Wheeler had a poll like that.

Anyways, guess who was #2 on Cam's consensus? You should know this.

Yeah, Cam's poll of scouts had McKenna #1 and Malhotra #2.

It's off the board in the sense that since the lottery everyone was talking about it being between Stenberg vs McKenna because Stenberg was putting up historical SHL numbers (for a draft eligible) and now without anyone playing another game - Stenberg drops and Malhotra is McKenna's challenger (and Bjorck).

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Yeah, Cam's poll of scouts had McKenna #1 and Malhotra #2.

It's off the board in the sense that since the lottery everyone was talking about it being between Stenberg vs McKenna because Stenberg was putting up historical SHL numbers (for a draft eligible) and now without anyone playing another game - Stenberg drops and Malhotra is McKenna's challenger (and Bjorck).

Who is "everyone"? You mean the echo chamber on here?

Keep in mind in the McKenna thread I had some of your Leaf fans calling me "trolling" when I dared mention I don't think it's riot-worthy if the Leafs took Malhotra over McKenna. Not because *I* personally thought he should go there, but because even at that time there was some discussion of Malhotra going top 3 and potentially 1st if a team covets center over wing.

This draft has been all over the place all year precisely because there's a bunch of players (whether it be due to improvement in play or simply because of the position they play) who are seen in a pack that could challenge for any of the 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 spot in the draft.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

2023 NHL Draft Rankings - HockeyProspect.com

HockeyProspect.com has produced NHL Draft Rankings for eligible draft prospects for the NHL draft since 2004.

hockeyprospect.com

No, they didn't. That's there final board from that year.

Man they were really low on that NTDP crew, aside from Perreault. That's not aging great.

I'll never understand the hype Barlow got. Dude had lead feet and was already built like a 28 year old.

 

[majormajor]

Yeah, Cam's poll of scouts had McKenna #1 and Malhotra #2.

It's off the board in the sense that since the lottery everyone was talking about it being between Stenberg vs McKenna because Stenberg was putting up historical SHL numbers (for a draft eligible) and now without anyone playing another game - Stenberg drops and Malhotra is McKenna's challenger (and Bjorck).

I've heard this "without anyone playing another game" objection before and it's misguided.

The big scouting meetings happen after the season. During the year most of the viewings are by regional scouts (who don't have as much influence on combined lists) and it is really after the year where scouts catch up on video and the group makes the big decisions. There's always a significant lag going on. We had the same discussion two years ago where people couldn't understand how Sennecke was climbing lists after the season, when it really just took a month or so after the playoffs for word to percolate out. Malhotra is climbing the same way.

And FWIW we don't know that team lists didn't have Malhotra top two going back further into the season.

 

[Divine]

I've heard this "without anyone playing another game" objection before and it's misguided.

The big scouting meetings happen after the season. During the year most of the viewings are by regional scouts (who don't have as much influence on combined lists) and it is really after the year where scouts catch up on video and the group makes the big decisions. There's always a significant lag going on. We had the same discussion two years ago where people couldn't understand how Sennecke was climbing lists after the season, when it really just took a month or so after the playoffs for word to percolate out. Malhotra is climbing the same way.

And FWIW we don't know that team lists didn't have Malhotra top two going back further into the season.

True, but then McKenna came in and was the best top prospect at the combine. I think it's a debate at #2. The Leafs are taking McKenna. In 5 years we'll find out if it was a Matthews vs Laine situation.

I do understand how all the centres are rising because the NHL hates taking wingers high. Kyle Turris was ranked above Patrick Kane for the same reason.

I think people (like Pronman) do love the sensationalism. Pronman says that when he ranks, he prioritizes defenceman over forwards when they're close to drop the forwards to #4 in this years draft on his list. Meanwhile, his 2027 draft ranking has Dupont at #3 behind 2 forwards (with a winger). Some love the clicks (and money) more than they like consistency and integrity.

 

[majormajor]

Man they were really low on that NTDP crew, aside from Perreault. That's not aging great.

I'll never understand the hype Barlow got. Dude had lead feet and was already built like a 28 year old.

Barlow over Leonard was baffling to me.

I sympathize with the Will Smith placement (around 8th) because that's where I had him too. Smith has gotten stronger faster than I anticipated but I think he's still a low pace passenger type of player. I am not sure if he should have been the target for a lot of clubs in the top 7, especially if they didn't have the supporting cast for him.

 

[Castle8130]

Bjorck is currently the best player in the draft. He is better than Stenberg and Mckenna right now. Will he continue to be better? The real argument against Bjorck is the lack of tools or high end qualities

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

This screams of clickbait. Sad to see from a formerly reputable scouting service.

Bjork is a good player but he’s nowhere near the best player in this draft class. In fact he might not even be the best centre.

Pushing Smits down to 12 is as absurd as Bjork at #1.

Good thing I’m not a subscriber or I’d be hitting the cancel button.

So you'd rather pay money to see the same rankings everyone else regurgitates?

Would be nice to see some actual discourse about their thoughts/rankings rather than whining about them straying from the consensus.

 

[nogatco rd]

It’s so cool to be different. Whoever paid for that full list needs help.

I wonder if you’d feel that way if the Leafs stayed at 5

 

[Twinsmagic]

Would love to see the Leafs pass on Mackenna, would make this draft a lot more intriguing

 

[93LEAFS]

I've heard this "without anyone playing another game" objection before and it's misguided.

The big scouting meetings happen after the season. During the year most of the viewings are by regional scouts (who don't have as much influence on combined lists) and it is really after the year where scouts catch up on video and the group makes the big decisions. There's always a significant lag going on. We had the same discussion two years ago where people couldn't understand how Sennecke was climbing lists after the season, when it really just took a month or so after the playoffs for word to percolate out. Malhotra is climbing the same way.

And FWIW we don't know that team lists didn't have Malhotra top two going back further into the season.

I believe teams with budgets actually have regional guys narrow down the list around December or so, then they get cross-checked by more senior regional guys and head scouts fly in on the the guys who they have deemed still worthy of scouting and time investment. I don't believe it's primarily video related. It's just a phased process as teams remove the guys they have less interest in (and therefore don't allocate scouting resources on them), and then finally start putting the final list together at the combine.

It's just the process of how teams get there doesn't match how the public consumes the information. Each scout may have a loose list in their head and have the guys tiered, but they don't really have a definitive list until they need to. Also, as teams dwindle in the CHL and the NCAA over, it's easier to have scouts focus on a guy who goes far like Sennecke and Maholtra. There's no real point in having your scouts waste time and energy debating each other on creating an exact list in December that will be outdated in a month. The goal is to have the best possible list in June. Earlier in the year it's just about properly scouting each region, identifying who you need to watch more of, and where to invest scouting resources. I'm sure each individual scout atleast has a mental list of their region, and a rough idea on where players would rank on an overall draft board.

 

[PantherEnjoyer88]

It's alright to have different opinions, but Stenberg has been better than Bjorck at every level through their lives. There is zero justification to put him ahead.

I guess these guys happen to see more potential in Bjorck. Their performance in u20 Swedish junior league has been somewhat similar (2 PPG) and Stenberg is 6 months older.

Also Stenberg is probably physically more developed.
But yeah, scouts spend a lot of time watching players and they form strong opinions.

 

[Ducati Boy]

This screams of clickbait. Sad to see from a formerly reputable scouting service.

Bjork is a good player but he’s nowhere near the best player in this draft class. In fact he might not even be the best centre.

Pushing Smits down to 12 is as absurd as Bjork at #1.

Good thing I’m not a subscriber or I’d be hitting the cancel button.

Don’t want to be ‘that’ guy but how can you say it’s clickbait if it makes someone want to cancel?

I can’t imagine anyone thinking ‘Wow, that’s sure a bizarre ranking! I’m in! Where’s my credit card?’

 

[ZEBROA]

This will be one of the most interesting drafts to do a redraft on in the future.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

I guess these guys happen to see more potential in Bjorck. Their performance in u20 Swedish junior league has been somewhat similar (2 PPG) and Stenberg is 6 months older.

Also Stenberg is probably physically more developed.
But yeah, scouts spend a lot of time watching players and they form strong opinions.

Coach had him out as #1 center. Quite a vote of confidence and he played up to it. It’s bold but not out of the question. Always look forward to their opinions. Loyal customer and the black book was always a must for me.