LD Jakob Chychrun - Sarnia Sting, OHL (2016 Draft)

[VictoriaJetsFan]

As a jets fan with a huge need for left d, I would welcome Chychrun...You kinda want to root for him more because there seems to be an emerging group of irrational haters...as the kids would say....toward him..

 

[Canucks LB]

His lack of Hockey IQ is just complete ******** also. This guy is more of a defensive d-man, then a offensive one.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Odd that you say that, I thought he was at his best when he took initiatives offensively and was jumping up into the play at the U-18.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

People who keep saying Chychrun has a low hockey IQ have zero idea what they are talking about, and clearly have not seen much of him. He has been dissected more than any other prospect in this year's draft, because he has been on the radar for a longer period than most, and came into the season as one of the top ranked guys. The Dion Phaneuf comparisons make me laugh the hardest. Maybe size wise he is like Dion, but that is about it. Dion in no way could skate with the puck and make things happen on the rush like Chychrun can.

Heck, people were spewing on Puljujarvi saying he was possibly falling out of the top 3 and had a poor 2nd half, when he actually has played awesome at and since the WJC. It took him coming over and dominating for Finland in the games he played at the U18s to remind people to give their head a shake that he is that good.

In fairness to my Phaneuf comparison. I said Chychrun reminded me of a better skating Dion Phaneuf. Both have good shots when they hit the net, and size wise they are similar also. But it is how they process the game that is most similar. Both have a penchant for making mental mistakes on the ice. The hockey IQ part of the game. Now I did note, Dion was a good 2nd pairing D man, and this is where I have Chychrun projected since in my experience. You are either born with hockey IQ or you are not. It cannot be teached. I feel Chychrun would benefit from playing a systems orientated game where he doesn't have to think what to do naturally. Based on his drop to #9 on Mac's list from being in a conversation with Matthews for #1 before the season. It supports the consensus that there are differing opinions on him by scouts. Obviously some are not sure about him. There is no doubt he has all the tools, but does he have the manual? We shall see in the future. But IMO he will be a 2nd pairing D man more than a franchise #1 D man.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I think projecting him as a #1D is wishful thinking. I think he will be a #2/#3 but could be wrong. I see him as a steady NHL defenseman with some offence.

 

[RoadWarrior]

This guy has ekblad-esk tools, All these reports on him dropping is gonna bite so many teams in the ass.

He was asked to play a defensive roll in the U18, with fabbro playing the offensive roll.

This guy is going to be a superstar in this league

If you're expecting a superstar be prepared to be disappointed....very disappointed. The majority of NHL scouts now rank him in the 10-15 range. Not the draft position of a superstar.

The sad fact is that Chychrun was overrated because of his mature physique but when it comes to actual on ice performance he's just wildly inconsistent and prone to giveaways.

 

[AppsSyl]

If you're expecting a superstar be prepared to be disappointed....very disappointed.

The fact is that the majority of NHL scouts now rank him in the 10-15 range. Not the draft position of a superstar.

Lol, Just curious what were P.K. Subban's, Duncan Keith's and Erik Karlsson's draft positions? Were they the draft positions of superstars?

How many NHL scouts have you spoken to? I am not sure how you are in a position to definitively say where the majority of NHL scouts rank him. I would wager a pretty hefty amount that he doesn't fall below 10th.

 

[RoadWarrior]

Lol, Just curious what were P.K. Subban's, Duncan Keith's and Erik Karlsson's draft positions? Were they the draft positions of superstars?

How many NHL scouts have you spoken to? I am not sure how you are in a position to definitively say where the majority of NHL scouts rank him. I would wager a pretty hefty amount that he doesn't fall below 10th.

My source is Bob McKenzie who is generally reliable.

 

[AppsSyl]

My source is Bob McKenzie who is generally reliable.

McKenzie polled 10 scouts. There are 30 teams and team's have multiple amateur scouts. That is very far from the majority. Besides that 4 out of the ten he polled had him as the top D in the draft, so that leaves 6 scouts McKenzie talked to for his rankings that could have had him in the 10-15 range and likely not all of those 6 did.

 

[HeavyHitter99]

My source is Bob McKenzie who is generally reliable.

So where did McKenzie have those 3 dmen (Keith, Subban, Karlsson) ranked? Yah that's what I thought. I wonder where McKenzie had Jamie Benn ranked. Point is is that superstars can be drafted anywhere and he is still a top 3 dman for the draft.

 

[RoadWarrior]

So where did McKenzie have those 3 dmen (Keith, Subban, Karlsson) ranked? Yah that's what I thought. I wonder where McKenzie had Jamie Benn ranked.

Chychrun is still a top 10 prospect on BM's list.

De Nile is a long river my friend.

It's abundantly clear that Chychruns stock is falling faster than anyone else in the first round right now.

If I remember correctly Subban, Benn, Keith etc were never rated as top 5 picks. They're late bloomers unlike Chychrun.

 

[HeavyHitter99]

De Nile is a long river my friend.

It's abundantly clear that Chychruns stock is falling faster than anyone else in the first round right now.

If I remember correctly Subban, Benn, Keith etc were never rated as top 5 picks. They're late bloomers unlike Chychrun.

Subban and Karlsson weren't late bloomers and they had excellent draft seasons but they were underrated because of flaws in their games (much like Chychrun) and have made people look stupid. Regardless, you said superstars don't get drafted in the 10-15 range and that simply isn't true.

Also, people suddenly think Chychrun has no IQ because he messed up in his first 2 U18 games but people fail to mention that he began to dominate the last couple games.

How much did you watch him this season?

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I think a lot of the concerns about Chychrun are overblown. He's probably not going to be an NHL All-Star at 18 years old like Ekblad, but I think he's the best defenseman in this draft, and even if you don't believe he'll put it all together, I still think he's a very high pick. The only defenseman who I could understand picking above Chychrun is Sergachyov, and thats because Sergachyov has such dynamic offensive ability and has shown some defensive ability. I understand an argument that Sergachyov could be better.

I really think a team is making a mistake if they pick any other defenseman over Chychrun, besides Sergachyov. I'm high on Chychrun so I have him #3 overall in this draft, but I really don't understand him being lower than 5 or 6, even if you aren't high on him.

What do people think is the worst case scenario? Some earlier in the thread compared him to Jack Johnson, and I think thats around what he could be if he doesn't reach his potential. If we are talking about a player with Pietrangelo level talent if he reaches his potential and Jack Johnson level play if he doesn't, that is a player who should be top 3 in his draft.

 

[RoadWarrior]

I think a lot of the concerns about Chychrun are overblown. He's probably not going to be an NHL All-Star at 18 years old like Ekblad, but I think he's the best defenseman in this draft, and even if you don't believe he'll put it all together, I still think he's a very high pick. The only defenseman who I could understand picking above Chychrun is Sergachyov, and thats because Sergachyov has such dynamic offensive ability and has shown some defensive ability. I understand an argument that Sergachyov could be better.

I really think a team is making a mistake if they pick any other defenseman over Chychrun, besides Sergachyov. I'm high on Chychrun so I have him #3 overall in this draft, but I really don't understand him being lower than 5 or 6, even if you aren't high on him.

What do people think is the worst case scenario? Some earlier in the thread compared him to Jack Johnson, and I think thats around what he could be if he doesn't reach his potential. If we are talking about a player with Pietrangelo level talent if he reaches his potential and Jack Johnson level play if he doesn't, that is a player who should be top 3 in his draft.

Not in a draft with franchise forwards like Mathews, Laine and Puljujarvi. If you think Chychrun is on that level then give your head a shake.

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

I actually thought he made some really smart high IQ plays in the U18, I know his stock has fallen but as some have said perhaps the low IQ thing is getting over blown.

Perhaps he's just inconsistent, playing on not the greatest team in the OHL and trying to find his identity as a player.

Idk if he will ever be a point piling OFD but I think he has the ability to chip in with some offense while being a minute munching rock on the blueline, best case perhaps he is another Victor Hedman type of guy, worse case perhaps an Erik Johnson, but even then EJ is a good player.

 

[RoadWarrior]

I actually thought he made some really smart high IQ plays in the U18, I know his stock has fallen but as some have said perhaps the low IQ thing is getting over blown.

Perhaps he's just inconsistent, playing on not the greatest team in the OHL and trying to find his identity as a player.

Idk if he will ever be a point piling OFD but I think he has the ability to chip in with some offense while being a minute munching rock on the blueline, best case perhaps he is another Victor Hedman type of guy, worse case perhaps an Erik Johnson, but even then EJ is a good player.

Excuses.

He probably could play 30 minutes a game............. and wind up a minus player.

I'm not saying he can't improve on his deficiencies but he's miles away from being a "minute munching rock" or "superstar" and has shown no signs of improvement from his rookie junior season.

Stop reading 2 year old outdated scouting reports.

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

Excuses.

He probably could play 30 minutes a game............. and wind up a minus player.

I'm not saying he can't improve on his deficiencies but he's miles away from being a "minute munching rock" or "superstar" and has shown no signs of improvement from his rookie junior season.

Stop reading 2 year old outdated scouting reports.

Lmao I just watched him play at the U18, I even cited that as the source of my opinion in the post, did that not just happen? I didn't realize that happened 2 years ago now, I thought it just ended 3 days ago... Lol where does the time go?

I also never called him a superstar or said that he was either of those things, I said perhaps he was struggling with his identity as a player and that his identity at the next level should be those things, not that he was or is going to be a slam dunk superstar...

C'mon I didn't think the point was that hard to understand.

 

[RoadWarrior]

Lmao I just watched him play at the U18, I even cited that as the source of my opinion in the post, did that not just happen? I didn't realize that happened 2 years ago now, I thought it just ended 3 days ago... Lol where does the time go?

I also never called him a superstar or said that he was either of those things, I said perhaps he was struggling with his identity as a player and that his identity at the next level should be those things, not that he was or is going to be a slam dunk superstar...

C'mon I didn't think the point was that hard to understand.

Well I also watched the U18's and was not impressed by his inconsistency. Great athlete but his head just wasn't in most of the games.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Not in a draft with franchise forwards like Mathews, Laine and Puljujarvi. If you think Chychrun is on that level then give your head a shake.

Not in the same class as the first two is how I see it. I'll take a project #1D over a project #1 winger.

 

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Not in the same class as the first two is how I see it. I'll take a project #1D over a project #1 winger.

Puljujarvi isn't much of a project. He has NHL size, speed, vision, playmaking and shooting.

IMO Chychrun looks far less likely to be a #1 d-man than Puljujarvi to be a #1 RW.

 

[RoadWarrior]

Not in the same class as the first two is how I see it. I'll take a project #1D over a project #1 winger.

Puljujarvi was vastly superior to Chychrun at the U18's. Simply put without Puljujarvi the Finns don't win the gold.

Contrast that with Keller and Logan Brown dominating Chychrun in the bronze medal game making him look like a pylon.

Chychrun's skating isn't the problem but his compete and consistency certainly are issues.

 

[M2Beezy]

Lol, Just curious what were P.K. Subban's, Duncan Keith's and Erik Karlsson's draft positions? Were they the draft positions of superstars?

How many NHL scouts have you spoken to? I am not sure how you are in a position to definitively say where the majority of NHL scouts rank him. I would wager a pretty hefty amount that he doesn't fall below 10th.

Those guys never dropped in the rankings tho Chych dropped from maybe 1 overall to 5th to 10-15 and now some say 2nd round perhaps

 

[Blitzago*]

Those guys never dropped in the rankings tho Chych dropped from maybe 1 overall to 5th to 10-15 and now some say 2nd round perhaps

When was he ever listed from "maybe" 1 overall?

 

[M2Beezy]

When was he ever listed from "maybe" 1 overall?

Last year was all the tank for Chych joke going around

 

[AppsSyl]

Those guys never dropped in the rankings tho Chych dropped from maybe 1 overall to 5th to 10-15 and now some say 2nd round perhaps

This is laughable. Like honestly, who in their right mind thinks that Jakob Chychrun is going to fall to the 2nd round. And who in their right mind believes that nonsense. There is less than zero chance he falls to the 2nd rd barring some sort of career ending or threatening injury that is irrecoverable. Sometimes HF just makes me laugh.