Prospect Info: Ives 2021 Draft Final Rankings, Top 96 (3 Rounds)

[beekay414]

I think I'd be a little more than content gambling on Scott Morrow with the Islanders 1st. In that range, it's a worthy gamble. That is dependent on the board, obviously.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

I don’t know if I want to gamble with a 1st pick two years in a row. Muk was a good gamble with 3 picks last year but this year it be nice to hit on both.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

I agree with your assessment of Petrov ultra confident kid too.....

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Malough Iorio and Morrow any of three be good for our prospects pool too.

 

[beekay414]

I don’t know if I want to gamble with a 1st pick two years in a row. Muk was a good gamble with 3 picks last year but this year it be nice to hit on both.

What would you consider a "hit" with the Isles pick? Genuinely curious.

 

[imMagnum]

I think I'd be a little more than content gambling on Scott Morrow with the Islanders 1st. In that range, it's a worthy gamble. That is dependent on the board, obviously.

I’m team Morrow as well. Our D pool would have massive upside if we can leave the 1st with a combination of Clarke/Morrow or Hughes/Morrow. Let them marinate along Muk. If two of the three can hit their potential, our blue line will be extremely skilled for years to come.

The great thing about Morrow is that his weaknesses are things that can be taught. You can’t teach the pure talent and skill set that he has. If he can work on his effort and defensive game at UMass, I think he could turn into a special player.

 

[beekay414]

I’m team Morrow as well. Our D pool would have massive upside if we can leave the 1st with a combination of Clarke/Morrow or Hughes/Morrow. Let them marinate along Muk. If two of the three can hit their potential, our blue line will be extremely skilled for years to come.

The great thing about Morrow is that his weaknesses are things that can be taught. You can’t teach the pure talent and skill set that he has. If he can work on his effort and defensive game at UMass, I think he could turn into a special player.

Yeah, I'm usually pro-defensive based prospects with offensive issues to work on but, I think, with Morrow being a prep guy, the issues may not be as prevalent as implied due to the competition and whether or not he had to deploy a more defensive style game or not. I think, at UMass, he's going to be on a really good development path on that end. He's not William Wallinder, Lukas Cormier or Jeremie Poirier IMO. I think he's got a better base defensively than those three from last year that possessed similar offensive upside of Morrow.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

What would you consider a "hit" with the Isles pick? Genuinely curious.

At 28? At least make it to show and be a significant contributor at mid 6 or mid D pairing. Anything above that is steak sauce.

 

[beekay414]

At 28? At least make it to show and be a significant contributor at mid 6 or mid D pairing. Anything above that is steak sauce.

Okay, we definitely differ on how to approach that pick. I get wanting to go safe but I'm all about using that pick on a massive upside type. Morrow fits the bill for me, obviously. LIS tho, it depends on the board as there is potential for a kid in that 15-20 range to fall unexpectedly (think Gunler in 2020).

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

Okay, we definitely differ on how to approach that pick. I get wanting to go safe but I'm all about using that pick on a massive upside type. Morrow fits the bill for me, obviously. LIS tho, it depends on the board as there is potential for a kid in that 15-20 range to fall unexpectedly (think Gunler in 2020).

All good. I don’t disagree with that line of thinking.

I’m just jaded from that stretch where they kept blowing picks so it be nice to have a 5-6 stretch or so where all the #1s become players or lead to more assets. No more busts.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Okay, we definitely differ on how to approach that pick. I get wanting to go safe but I'm all about using that pick on a massive upside type. Morrow fits the bill for me, obviously. LIS tho, it depends on the board as there is potential for a kid in that 15-20 range to fall unexpectedly (think Gunler in 2020).

I think we should also be discussing Logan Mailloux as a high-upside RD who could be available with the #61 pick. He's very toolsy -- 6'3-215 with very good skating, a terrific shot and some intriguing passing creativity and vision. I would categorize him as an "offensive defenseman" because that's his style, but his tool kit and physical strength give him very interesting defensive upside. He's already very good at creating turnovers and utilizing shoulder checks to separate always-weaker forwards from the puck.

Of course, this is a kid who needs a lot of work. He's a bit mistake prone with his outlet passing, and will often forget to move his feet which often leads to penalties because, with his strength, when he's reaching with his arms and stick the opposing forward often hits the turf. He needs work on his pass reception, which is very sloppy.

But ultimately, we're dealing with a big kid who can really move and is very dangerous in terms of creating offense.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I agree with your assessment of Petrov ultra confident kid too.....

I'm a huge Petrov fan. I'm shocked why he's been so underrated, this is a good-sized kid who can really skate and absolutely blast the puck. RW is far from a Devils area of need, but if he falls to the 3rd round he would be an absolute steal -- this is a kid with 30+ goal upside who is being criminally ignored.

 

[Guttersniped]

Done! Besides the kick ass name, we need that behind Nico and Disgraceful Jack (also his pirate name). If and when Merc hits, he can be the Swiss..err…Canadian Army Knife.

Savage and Pytlik can battle it out for future 3C.

And go get a Othmann/L’Pew/Boucher/Stillman type too! Mercer-Rowdy Roddy Winger-Savage would be a killer line to throw when your need to get some energy or get some business time going.

Start drafting those Cup run pieces now, the less to trade for later.

If they come out this draft with a potential #1D, a potential rugged winger, maybe a potential scoring LW, a couple of RDs and another goalie. That pipeline will look like cream cheese.

Not getting a RHD of our dreams in the 1st round is not the end of the world because the 2022 draft is chock-full of high-end RHD.

There are at least six (Simon Nemec, Elias Salomonsson, David Jiricek, Ryan Chesley, Seamus Casey, Tristan Luneau) who are strong candidates to go in first round (and several could go in the top 10). And Simon Forsmark, Ty Nelson, Markus Vidicek and Mattias Havelid are some of the guys also potentially hanging out in or near the top 32.

And they are all specifically RHD, not just defensemen, the righties are dominating in 2022, there’s not much going on with LHD in 2022. So while getting RHD is something we should do in this draft we don’t have to force it with the second 1st if the players are just not there.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

Not getting a RHD of our dreams in the 1st round is not the end of the world because the 2022 draft is chock-full of high-end RHD.

There are at least six (Simon Nemec, Elias Salomonsson, David Jiricek, Ryan Chesley, Seamus Casey, Tristan Luneau) who are strong candidates to go in first round (and several could go in the top 10). And Simon Forsmark, Ty Nelson, Markus Vidicek and Mattias Havelid are some of the guys also potentially hanging out in or near the top 32.

And they are all specifically RHD, not just defensemen, the righties are dominating in 2022, there’s not much going on with LHD in 2022. So while getting RHD is something we should do in this draft we don’t have to force it with the second 1st if the players are just not there.

Thank you. Your in-depth reporting is like the other side of the pillow at 3am, cool yet comforting.

 

[thethinglonger]

Really nice job with this list, Steve. Really appreciate all that you've contributed here. If you don't mind, I've got a few thoughts:

- Love seeing Heimosalmi in your top-32. Everything in his game - from mobility to puck retrievals to transition play to the almost comical lack of mistakes in his game suggests he has the makings of a very talented defenseman.

- I also really like the gamble of putting Samoskevich in your top-32. Samoskevich is a tough player to figure out, but when he's on, he has the ability to slow down and dissect the game in a way that reminds me of a Marner or Panarin style winger. Samoskevich is a smaller player and doesn't have a high-end level of elusiveness to his game, which just means there's risk of a lower "floor" with him than others. However, the offensive reads and talent are there at a high level. He needs to improve on his decision-making consistency and add just get a little bit more physically mature. Samoskevich is pretty much the archetype for the "modern day player". (Side note: of course he's committed to U. Michigan...that program has such a ridiculous amount of talent coming through their ranks over the next few years)

- Regarding Jack Bar. While I'm a bit biased at the moment regarding anything mentioning the word "Bar", I'm not sure if I would put Jack Bar as high. On some nights he strikes me as a kid just beginning to crack the surface of his potential, which looks to be quite impressive given his physical tools. He's got really fluid skating and generally reads the play well. But other nights he strikes me as a player who keeps his head down too much and oversimplifies his game to the point of it actively hampering his potential. From the games I've seen, he does not seem to handle pressure all that well. I do have some concerns with his decision-making while he has possession of the puck and how that will affect his offensive potential. You know I'm happy to be wrong about these kinds of things but at this point I wouldn't feel comfortable using a top-40 pick to draft him.

- Ethan Del Mastro: Strikes me as the type of player the Devils have spent a ton of mid-round picks on over the past few years: big, physical, and mobile with some potential untapped offensive potential. Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to see Fitz & Co draft him.

- I like your ranking of Olausson. He's the "all tools and questionable toolbox" type player that teams will overlook because of his high-end skating and shot. That's not to say he won't be a very good player because he's got the potential, but there are some big question marks with his game.

- I fully expect the Devils to draft Jack Matier.

- Big fan of Sasha Teleguine and agree that his skill is quite prominent. I have to wonder if he's had any other NCAA offers besides U. Conn. Not like U. Conn is a bad school or program, but if I were the team drafting him, I'd want him to seriously consider exploring the CHL route because I'm not all that confident in U. Conn's record of high-end talent development in recent years. Quebec owns his CHL rights, and they're not a bad program. That being said, he's a relatively local kid for U. Conn...just some musings.

-Regarding Simon Edvinsson: I'll probably make a longer post in the draft thread, but I'm quite the fan of Edvinsson and think he has one of the highest potential upsides for defensemen in the entire draft class. We know he has the toolkit, especially skating. The question is how assertive is he going to be with that skillset, and what kind of lee-way I'd be willing to give him when it comes to figuring out the right way in asserting his skillset in a productive way. To me, these decisions strike me more as a player learning the limitations and possibilities of using the entirety of his skillset...similar to the guys at HockeyProspect, this process of "figuring it out" that began the transformation of a defensively solid d-man who skated well and played well in transition to a player using his tools to be a driving factor was not all that different from Jake Sanderson's draft-eligible season transformation (different players, but the transformation was definitely noticeable)

 

[StevenToddIves]

Really nice job with this list, Steve. Really appreciate all that you've contributed here. If you don't mind, I've got a few thoughts:

- Love seeing Heimosalmi in your top-32. Everything in his game - from mobility to puck retrievals to transition play to the almost comical lack of mistakes in his game suggests he has the makings of a very talented defenseman.

- I also really like the gamble of putting Samoskevich in your top-32. Samoskevich is a tough player to figure out, but when he's on, he has the ability to slow down and dissect the game in a way that reminds me of a Marner or Panarin style winger. Samoskevich is a smaller player and doesn't have a high-end level of elusiveness to his game, which just means there's risk of a lower "floor" with him than others. However, the offensive reads and talent are there at a high level. He needs to improve on his decision-making consistency and add just get a little bit more physically mature. Samoskevich is pretty much the archetype for the "modern day player". (Side note: of course he's committed to U. Michigan...that program has such a ridiculous amount of talent coming through their ranks over the next few years)

- Regarding Jack Bar. While I'm a bit biased at the moment regarding anything mentioning the word "Bar", I'm not sure if I would put Jack Bar as high. On some nights he strikes me as a kid just beginning to crack the surface of his potential, which looks to be quite impressive given his physical tools. He's got really fluid skating and generally reads the play well. But other nights he strikes me as a player who keeps his head down too much and oversimplifies his game to the point of it actively hampering his potential. From the games I've seen, he does not seem to handle pressure all that well. I do have some concerns with his decision-making while he has possession of the puck and how that will affect his offensive potential. You know I'm happy to be wrong about these kinds of things but at this point I wouldn't feel comfortable using a top-40 pick to draft him.

- Ethan Del Mastro: Strikes me as the type of player the Devils have spent a ton of mid-round picks on over the past few years: big, physical, and mobile with some potential untapped offensive potential. Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to see Fitz & Co draft him.

- I like your ranking of Olausson. He's the "all tools and questionable toolbox" type player that teams will overlook because of his high-end skating and shot. That's not to say he won't be a very good player because he's got the potential, but there are some big question marks with his game.

- I fully expect the Devils to draft Jack Matier.

- Big fan of Sasha Teleguine and agree that his skill is quite prominent. I have to wonder if he's had any other NCAA offers besides U. Conn. Not like U. Conn is a bad school or program, but if I were the team drafting him, I'd want him to seriously consider exploring the CHL route because I'm not all that confident in U. Conn's record of high-end talent development in recent years. Quebec owns his CHL rights, and they're not a bad program. That being said, he's a relatively local kid for U. Conn...just some musings.

-Regarding Simon Edvinsson: I'll probably make a longer post in the draft thread, but I'm quite the fan of Edvinsson and think he has one of the highest potential upsides for defensemen in the entire draft class. We know he has the toolkit, especially skating. The question is how assertive is he going to be with that skillset, and what kind of lee-way I'd be willing to give him when it comes to figuring out the right way in asserting his skillset in a productive way. To me, these decisions strike me more as a player learning the limitations and possibilities of using the entirety of his skillset...similar to the guys at HockeyProspect, this process of "figuring it out" that began the transformation of a defensively solid d-man who skated well and played well in transition to a player using his tools to be a driving factor was not all that different from Jake Sanderson's draft-eligible season transformation (different players, but the transformation was definitely noticeable)

Thanks for the input, Ian!

Haha, I had a feeling you'd agree with me on Matier. I'm betting on him as the Devils pick in the 4th round right now.

Teleguine is a kid I realize I'm taking a chance on, but I'm comfortable with it. I think he has really nice skating and offensive upside, I can't wait to watch him develop at UConn. I think he could be available in the 6th/7th rounds, and I'd love to see the Devils take a flyer on him in that range.

As you know, I've loved Heimosalmi since being turned on to him about midway through the season. Samoskevich I was one of the first guys to trumpet -- I watched more USHL than usual this year due to the pandemic cancelling other leagues, and just fell in love with his potential. His hands and vision are just magical when he's on, he's so fun to watch.

I disagree on Bar -- I feel he's sort of a "Brock Faber light" where he does not produce simply because he's really cautious to take care of his defensive responsibility before worrying about creating offense. I feel he's a very smart kid, and as he grows more confident in his own (very significant) physical abilities, the offense will come. I don't see him ever being a big numbers guy, but I can project him as a rock-solid defensive guy who excels in transition and can put up some 30-40 point seasons. To me, that's worth a late first round pick.

 

[My3Sons]

Thanks for the input, Ian!

Haha, I had a feeling you'd agree with me on Matier. I'm betting on him as the Devils pick in the 4th round right now.

Teleguine is a kid I realize I'm taking a chance on, but I'm comfortable with it. I think he has really nice skating and offensive upside, I can't wait to watch him develop at UConn. I think he could be available in the 6th/7th rounds, and I'd love to see the Devils take a flyer on him in that range.

As you know, I've loved Heimosalmi since being turned on to him about midway through the season. Samoskevich I was one of the first guys to trumpet -- I watched more USHL than usual this year due to the pandemic cancelling other leagues, and just fell in love with his potential. His hands and vision are just magical when he's on, he's so fun to watch.

I disagree on Bar -- I feel he's sort of a "Brock Faber light" where he does not produce simply because he's really cautious to take care of his defensive responsibility before worrying about creating offense. I feel he's a very smart kid, and as he grows more confident in his own (very significant) physical abilities, the offense will come. I don't see him ever being a big numbers guy, but I can project him as a rock-solid defensive guy who excels in transition and can put up some 30-40 point seasons. To me, that's worth a late first round pick.

Does Bar have “compete” in his gane? That seems to be a requirement for NJ based on that recent video.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Does Bar have “compete” in his gane? That seems to be a requirement for NJ based on that recent video.

Yes, certainly. Bar plays a controlled, cerebral style where you can tell he's always thinking out there instead of just reacting, but he gives maximum effort shift in and shift out and is willing to use his strong, 6'3-190 physique to check opposing players off the puck.

Bar's strength is not excelling in any one facet of the game, but giving his team a plus player in virtually every tool across the board. Simply, he's a big kid who skates well, passes well, stickhandles well, shoots well, works hard and thinks the game well. He makes good decisions and defends well.

Jack Bar is overlooked, in my opinion, because he's got a very small wow factor. He just goes out there and plays good hockey on all 200 feet of the ice, shift in and shift out.

 

[Lou is God]

Yes, certainly. Bar plays a controlled, cerebral style where you can tell he's always thinking out there instead of just reacting, but he gives maximum effort shift in and shift out and is willing to use his strong, 6'3-190 physique to check opposing players off the puck.

Bar's strength is not excelling in any one facet of the game, but giving his team a plus player in virtually every tool across the board. Simply, he's a big kid who skates well, passes well, stickhandles well, shoots well, works hard and thinks the game well. He makes good decisions and defends well.

Jack Bar is overlooked, in my opinion, because he's got a very small wow factor. He just goes out there and plays good hockey on all 200 feet of the ice, shift in and shift out.

He sounds like a bigger Case McCarthy. I would be tickled pink (or any color!) if we left the first round with Hughes(or Clarke)/Bar.

 

[Nico Hughes]

He sounds like a bigger Case McCarthy. I would be tickled pink (or any color!) if we left the first round with Hughes(or Clarke)/Bar.

Im not sure a 'bigger Case McCarthy' is what im aiming for in my 28th pick. Sounds more like a third round talent.

 

[Lou is God]

Im not sure a 'bigger Case McCarthy' is what im aiming for in my 28th pick. Sounds more like a third round talent.

I'd be ok with that, McCarthy is one of our most underrated prospects on defense. And just because a player is comparable to another does it mean they're value is the same.

 

[Nico Hughes]

I'd be ok with that, McCarthy is one of our most underrated prospects on defense. And just because a player is comparable to another does it mean they're value is the same.

Basically, Id like to shoot for the stars if we pick at 28. Not pick a possibly underrated and overall sound player.

I want to, at 28, pick that talent thats all ceiling no floor. I want to hear 'if he pans our, hes a star; if he doesnt, he isnt even an AHL player' lol.

Hendrix Lappiere is an example of this type of prospect from last season

 

[Lou is God]

Basically, Id like to shoot for the stars if we pick at 28. Not pick a possibly underrated and overall sound player.

I want to, at 28, pick that talent thats all ceiling no floor. I want to hear 'if he pans our, hes a star; if he doesnt, he isnt even an AHL player' lol.

Hendrix Lappiere is an example of this type of prospect from last season

I get that, it's a late first round pick and you want to find that gem no one has gotten to yet.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Basically, Id like to shoot for the stars if we pick at 28. Not pick a possibly underrated and overall sound player.

I want to, at 28, pick that talent thats all ceiling no floor. I want to hear 'if he pans our, hes a star; if he doesnt, he isnt even an AHL player' lol.

Hendrix Lappiere is an example of this type of prospect from last season

There are likely to be a few "reach for the stars" type of guys available at #29.

The big fish here is Isak Rosen, whose offensive ability and dynamic skating are in the same ballpark as Fabian Lysell and is a better 200-foot player, but may fall because of a slight frame and child-like appearance.

Francesco Pinelli is a player with top 6 center potential who has fallen because no one saw him play this year outside of the U-18 tournament. A full OHL season could have given Pinelli the opportunity to dominate and work his way into the top 15 conversation for the 2021 draft.

Scott Morrow has been discussed here on defense -- his physical talent is in the ballpark of Ceulemans, but his compete level and hockey IQ have been questioned to the point where he could fall into the middle of the 2nd round. Logan Mailloux is another offensive RD with an unbelievable combination of size/skating/offensive ability who could fall even later.

Sasha Pastujov might be the best passer in the draft, and his dynamic offensive abilities are probably a shade above likely top 5 picks Matt Beniers and William Eklund. However, his skating and two-way play have dropped him to likely a pick in the late 20s.

Logan Stankoven might be the best all-around RW in the entire draft after only Guenther, but his 5'8 height drops him entirely out of the first round conversation for a lot of the weaker scouts around the league.

Zachary L'Heureux plays a power/scoring game like a lost Tkachuk brother, but his baffling inconsistency of compete level and penchant for taking awful penalties and even suspensions scares many teams away.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

Hey @StevenToddIves, if they miss out on Othmann and miss/skip L’Pew, what later rough in tumble wingers do you recommend? Boucher and Stillman? Anyone else? Besides #1D/RD, a pesky, tough wing who can score is on my wish list.