I listened to Steve Kournianos' review of the Leafs draft on the draft Analyst podcast today. Here is the link for those interested.
For those that don't want to sit through the 43 minutes, I'll give a quick summary.
1. He had Amirov in the 6-7 range and thought he was the BPA for us at 15. Says he is a high end player that has all the tools. Thinks he will be a great addition to an already stacked top 6 for us one day.
2. Says Hirvonen is not physical at all which I'm not sure I agree with as a lot of the reports I read says he isn't afraid to engage physically and battle for pucks. Says he is a very smart player with and without the puck and is a really good playmaker. Good pick at that spot.
3. Niemela- calls him more of an offensive guy which again I don't really agree with. I thought he's known more for his defensive acumen. Says he has great transition ability, clean zone exits and entries, poised under pressure and good offensive instincts. Great passer, great skater and shoots the puck a lot. Uses his stick to break up plays instead of using the body.
4. Akhtyamov- says he's an unorthodox goalie that doesn't look like your conventional butterfly goalie and doesn't see the tools to be an NHL goalie. I don't think he realizes that he is more of a hybrid goalie that has a bit of old school to his game. Says he is very quick and athletic. Great stats at every level. Project pick.
5. Villeneuve- good offensive and defensive instincts. Big point producer. Thinks a lot of GMs were pleased with how he had to make up for Poirer going on adventures all the time. Skating needs a lot of work and that's likely why he dropped but a good pick in the 4th.
6. Likes the Miettinen and Ovchinnikov picks. High end producers wherever they play and smart players. Had them ranked much higher than where we got them.
7. Rindell- plays like a 4th forward. Great offensive skills. Excellent skating ability and speed. Needs a lot of work on defense.
8. Says the Miller, Fusco, Schingoethe and Tverberg picks were among the better players in their respective leagues. He really likes Miller. Thinks he's an amazing playmaker.
Overall with having 12 picks total, he thinks the Leafs did well and swung for the fences on every pick with high end skill and smarts but most picks are undersized. Thinks that the odds of us turning out a few solid NHLers with who we drafted with as many picks we had as high.
