LW Zack Ostapchuk - Vancouver Giants, WHL (2021, 39th, OTT)

[ConnorMcMullet]

I've been waiting to create a thread for him. Zack Ostapchuk is a late bloomer that burst onto the scene this year in the WHL. 6'3 winger, excellent skater, and a ton of offensive flair and creativity for someone his size. He improved as the season went on, and had there been an entire WHL season, I think he would have risen significantly and generated a lot more buzz. Scouts will love this guy. Could see him going as early as the 2nd or 3rd.

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[majormajor]

I've been waiting to create a thread for him. Zack Ostapchuk is a late bloomer that burst onto the scene this year in the WHL. 6'3 winger, excellent skater, and a ton of offensive flair and creativity for someone his size. He improved as the season went on, and had there been an entire WHL season, I think he would have risen significantly and generated a lot more buzz. Scouts will love this guy. Could see him going as early as the 2nd or 3rd.

It's hard to see why he would be a late round guy. He's very strong and has good speed, that's the sort of guy that finds a bottom six role if the offense doesn't come through.

 

[thethinglonger]

Very interesting prospect. Here's some footage from a game in May:

 

[Killerjas]

Big, decently skilled that uses his body a lot. Good playmaking vision and speed. Needs to work on his hands. Have him going somewhere late 2nd to the 3rd round,

 

[MMC]

Welcome to Ottawa

 

[Constable]

Interesting choice by Ottawa to burn their top picks like this.

 

[Kevin Musto]

Interesting choice by Ottawa to burn their top picks like this.

He's a good player. It's not "burning" a pick.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Interesting choice by Ottawa to burn their top picks like this.

Interesting that you write guys off before they’ve even played an nhl game.

 

[Sting]

Interesting choice by Ottawa to burn their top picks like this.

Your comments over the past day have been bizarre. Please show us your scouting credentials.

This is a great boom or bust pick. Ottawa is in a place to be able to go for homeruns now.

 

[LeProspector]

Your comments over the past day have been bizarre. Please show us your scouting credentials.

This is a great boom or bust pick. Ottawa is in a place to be able to go for homeruns now.

Pretty much this, for a 6'3" player hes an amazing skater, that alone tells me he has a good chance at being a bottom-6 PKer

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Not a bad pick at all. I had him as a 2nd rounder and had a feeling he'd go a lot higher than most had him pegged.

 

[Constable]

Interesting that you write guys off before they’ve even played an nhl game.

I am not writing off a guy, I am using the decades of NHL drafts before this one plus having seen him for years to gauge the value of him. This is a low upside, high risk pick

 

[MrInvidious]

I am not writing off a guy, I am using the decades of NHL drafts before this one plus having seen him for years to gauge the value of him. This is a low upside, high risk pick

It's interesting that these guys you watch so diligently, while thinking they suck, keep ending up going to Ottawa. Weird coincidence.

Your last posts are all about Ottawa prospects you don't like. You even went out of your way to try and defend your same knee-jerk opinions on Sokolov from last year.

Go take a walk or something.

 

[OUT HOUSE]

It's interesting that these guys you watch so diligently, while thinking they suck, keep ending up going to Ottawa. Weird coincidence.

Your last posts are all about Ottawa prospects you don't like. You even went out of your way to try and defend your same knee-jerk opinions on Sokolov from last year.

Go take a walk or something.

All his posts this month have been fixated on criticizing the Sens lol

 

[Senscore]

The good news is, even if this pick doesn't work out, the Sens will be fine.

Because of all the good draft picks before this one.

 

[Langdon Alger]

I am not writing off a guy, I am using the decades of NHL drafts before this one plus having seen him for years to gauge the value of him. This is a low upside, high risk pick

Well, you said Ottawa burned their first two picks. Sounds like you’re writing off those guys to me. Either way, time will tell. A lot of Sens fans hated the Karlsson, Tkachuk and Pinto picks when they happened. I just find that people are too quick to judge these picks. Maybe they work out, maybe not, but there’s no way of knowing on the day these guys are drafted.

 

[Pip]

As a Giants fan this is early for him but I do like the player. Like many he simply hasn’t played a ton of games to date with the shortened seasons. Next year will be big for him. Good tools.

 

[MrInvidious]

Like the Boucher pick, I think a lot of people on here forget that NHL front offices have the best idea of what the interest levels are like from other teams.

While the pick can be considered a reach in relation to consensus rankings - that does not mean that the player would be there if they traded down any lower.

At the end of the day, if you have a player you love at the pick you have, why lose any sleep over not getting an extra 4th or 5th round pick to move down a few spots - especially when you're the Ottawa Senators with enough prospects as it is.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

 

[wetcoast]

It's hard to see why he would be a late round guy. He's very strong and has good speed, that's the sort of guy that finds a bottom six role if the offense doesn't come through.

True enough but I really wonder if he has the offensive instincts for going 39th overall, especially when they were other IMO better options available.

Big fast guys who don't dominate in the juniors just raise red flags for me in general.

 

[majormajor]

True enough but I really wonder if he has the offensive instincts for going 39th overall, especially when they were other IMO better options available.

Big fast guys who don't dominate in the juniors just raise red flags for me in general.

It's funny. I just checked my draft rankings to see where I had him pre-draft. It was 39th! I still had steals available there this year though.

I don't necessarily see red flags there. I only saw two of his games so I couldn't give you a deep read on Ostapchuk, but his production looks really good to me, depending on how well you think he'll project. I see that kind of physique and I think it might translate really well at higher levels. For example, Josh Anderson scored 22 pts in 60 some games for London in his draft year. I can see what Ottawa is doing here, with Boucher and Ostapchuk. They are looking for guys that can make a physical impact in big playoff games.

 

[wetcoast]

It's funny. I just checked my draft rankings to see where I had him pre-draft. It was 39th! I still had steals available there this year though.

I don't necessarily see red flags there. I only saw two of his games so I couldn't give you a deep read on Ostapchuk, but his production looks really good to me, depending on how well you think he'll project. I see that kind of physique and I think it might translate really well at higher levels. For example, Josh Anderson scored 22 pts in 60 some games for London in his draft year. I can see what Ottawa is doing here, with Boucher and Ostapchuk. They are looking for guys that can make a physical impact in big playoff games.

I think that both guys were real reaches, especially Boucher at 10 but maybe the Sens were going for need instead of BPA but that's not a good strategy IMO.

 

[majormajor]

I think that both guys were real reaches, especially Boucher at 10 but maybe the Sens were going for need instead of BPA but that's not a good strategy IMO.

I wouldn't have taken Boucher at 10 (over Sillinger???) but for me the issue with it is mostly injury risk. He is a first round talent with a devastating physical game, if he wasn't already injured so much he would have been interesting for a lot of clubs around #10.

The Sens aren't especially short on toughness in their system, so I don't know if we can call it "need". This is just a player type that they have identified as undervalued in the draft. We'll see if they're right about it, their successes in recent drafts have me willing to give them the benefit of a doubt.

 

[wetcoast]

I wouldn't have taken Boucher at 10 (over Sillinger???) but for me the issue with it is mostly injury risk. He is a first round talent with a devastating physical game, if he wasn't already injured so much he would have been interesting for a lot of clubs around #10.

The Sens aren't especially short on toughness in their system, so I don't know if we can call it "need". This is just a player type that they have identified as undervalued in the draft. We'll see if they're right about it, their successes in recent drafts have me willing to give them the benefit of a doubt.

Fair enough but I don't really know if the Sens are more successful in their recent drafts than say other teams but the guys they drafted at #3,4 and 5 should be really big hits one should think but time will tell.

 

[Tkachuckycheese]

Been a standout during camp. Good to see he's being rewarded!