McMullet's April 2020 Draft Rankings | Top-50 With Write-Ups

[ConnorMcMullet]

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1. Alexis Lafreniere - The easiest ranking in my list. His blend of smarts, skill, speed, shot, and work-ethic is very rare.
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2. Tim Stutzle - The gap between the players in this tier are razor-thin. That said, Stutzle's skating and vision along with the fact that he's proven himself against men is why he leads this tier.

3. Quinton Byfield - For the first time, I do not have Byfield ranked 2nd. He had an impressive season, but he doesn't have the consistent shift-to-shift impact that some of the others do. He is young, however, and has lots of untapped potential as he still hasn't figured out how to use his size.

4. Marco Rossi - Rossi is right up there with Lafreniere for most complete player in the draft. He is an incredible passer and playmaker and is also a workhorse that is great in his own end. Brayden Point is a comparable.

5. Jamie Drysdale - Smooth is the word to describe Drysdale. His skating and smarts are both elite, and his defensive ability is great for his age. If he manages to bulk up, he's a good bet to become a franchise defenseman.

6. Lukas Raymond - I really want to rank Raymond higher than 6th. He's got a similar skillset to Stutzle plus a better shot. Yes, he hasn't had much opportunity in the SHL, but he's had the least impressive season out of the players in this tier which is why I have him here. Again, there is very little separating him — and the rest of the players in this tier — from the number two spot.
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7. Cole Perfetti - This is where things get a bit riskier. All the players in the previous tier are ones that I see as safe bets to be 1st-line forwards or #1 defenseman. Perfetti has that similar offensive upside but his skating could limit him in the NHL. He also isn't as engaged defensively as I'd like and I'd bet he becomes a winger in the NHL.

8. Alexander Holtz - Similar to Perfetti, Holtz has top-line potential but also has some question marks. His best asset is his shot but he leaves something to be desired in other facets of the game.

9. Jack Quinn - I'm a huge fan of Quinn, as the ranking might suggest. His skill, shot, and offensive instincts are all incredible, he's a good 2-way player, and he's got no glaring weaknesses.
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10. Noel Gunler - One of the best pure goal-scorers in the draft. He's got to keep his feet moving at times but I do like his level of hustle and commitment. He's decent defensively, a good skater, and an underrated passer. Consistency is his biggest challenge.

11. Connor Zary - Nothing elite about his game but no clear weaknesses either. Motor, hands, shot, and passing are all very good. He also comes in clutch when it matters. He can also be a bit of a pest which I love.

12. Anton Lundell - Very efficient player with good defensive ability but I don't see the offensive upside to justify a top-10 pick. Numbers are impressive in the Liiga though.

13. Rodion Amirov - He's agile, deceptive, owns a good shot, and is one of the top players in the draft at driving possession. He could use to improve his speed, but he is a good overall skater.

14. Mavrik Bourque - Bourque plays the game at his own pace, which is a very slow one. That isn't a bad thing; players like Leon Draisaitl excel at driving the play by slowing it down. Bourque is a good skater with excellent passing, shooting, and smarts. His point totals are crazy good led by a 7-point night.

15. Dawson Mercer - It is quite rare to see players of his age play in the WJC, and Mercer managed to hold his own. No stand-out qualities but he is skilled and fun to watch. Probably one of the more NHL-ready players in the draft.

16. Jan Mysak - Mysak is a bit more of a north-south player than I'd like, but I really like his blend of skill, speed, and shot. One of the more complete players in the draft despite being one of youngest.

17. Jacob Perreault - Perrault is an interesting one. His shot is among the best in the draft class and I could see him becoming a dangerous forward, but I have doubts about his ability to be a center in the NHL. Perreault tested incredibly well at the Top-Prospects Game in terms of skating. He was faster than Foudy, who I consider to be the best skater in the draft. However, he appears to be an average skater during games. Is this a bad thing, or does it suggest that there's room to improve? I don't know.

18. Braden Schneider - I think Schneider might be able to step into the NHL in a 3rd pairing role next year. His defensive instincts are elite, and combine that with his reach, skating, and physicality, you get a great defensive player. I like his shot and while he isn't a flashy offensive player, he's a very smart and efficient passer.

19. Jake Sanderson - Like Schneider, Sanderson is a defenseman who excels in his own end. Right now he is probably worse than Schneider defensively and lacks the physical element but he is younger and might have more offensive upside. Real solid payer but I don't think he's a top-10 pick like others do.

20. Seth Jarvis - I don't think he's quite as good as his numbers suggest, but he's very skilled and his skating is great to watch. I like his hustle and two-way play as well. This tier is also a tough one where the players are separated by very little.

21. Dylan Holloway - Slightly disappointing season on a very disappointing Wisconsin team. His speed, hands, and work-ethic are his calling traits. While he may not possess top-line offensive upside, he could become a dependable two-way top-6 winger.

22. William Wallinder - Very, very raw, but his skating and puck-handling are insane for a guy his size. One of the younger players in the draft so there is lots of room to improve.

23. Yaroslav Askarov - I'm going mostly on hype and numbers here as I am not a great judge of goalie's talent. He was incredible when I saw him at the U18s though.

24. Hendrix Lapierre - His concussion issues are the only reason he's in this tier. I love the way he plays the game offensively and defensively but he has more 3x more concussions than goals this year and that's very concerning.

25. Marat Khusnutdinov - I'm higher on Khusnutdinov than most. He's very fun to watch and it's even more fun listening to others try to pronounce his last name. Skilled, dynamic center with great skating, passing, and hands while being a very dependable two-way player. Lack of size and "The Russian Factor" are working against him.
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26. Jeremie Poirier - Perhaps the most polarizing player in the draft class. His skating and hands are unreal, but his defensive play is a very real concern. His shot is great, his shot selection is not so great. Passing is nothing special. Huge upside, huge risk.

27. Tyson Foerster - One of the best goal-scorers in the draft. He's got a great release on his wrist shot and has a killer one-timer on the left half-wall. Skating is a weakness but he's got plenty of time to work on that. Foerster was a top-3 player at the Top-Prospects Game.

28. Kaiden Guhle - Great skater, good defensively, decent offensively. I like his physicality but don't see anything more than a #3/4D, which would still be a great outcome at 28th overall.

29. Lucas Reichel - He has a real knack for getting in high-danger scoring areas. It is remarkable how many shots he gets from the slot despite playing in a men's league. He's a very smart player and a good passer. Needs to get stronger.

30. John-Jason Peterka - The 3rd German in my 1st round has speed, a heavy shot, and good two-way ability. He had a very impressive showing at the World Juniors

31. Roni Hirvonen - Just 5'9, but he's got the passing, hands, and anticipation to make up for it. One of the higher-upside picks in this range.

32. Jake Neighbours
33. Justin Barron
34. Lucas Cormier
35. Zion Nybeck
36. Helge Grans
37. Martin Chromiak
38. Emil Andrae
39. Dimitri Ovchinnikov
40. Kasper Simontival
41. Alexander Pashin
42. Jean-Luc Foudy
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43. William Villeneuve
44. Ryan O'Rourke
45. Thomas Bordeleau
46. Robbie Jarventie
47. Brett Berard
48. Luke Evangelista
49. Daniil Gushchin
50. Evan Vierling

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Just missed the cut: Theodor Niederbach, Nico Daws, Topi Niemela, Zayde Wisdom, Joni Jurmo, Ridley Greg, Ozzy Wiesblatt, Drew Commesso, Vasili Ponomaryov

Thoughts?

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[HuGort]

Askarov at 22? Most have him higher. Schneider being third year junior does it bother you? I have him in early 20s. Villeneuve at 43 is a solid pick. He could be more rounded than Poirier. Poirier is better goal scorer, that usually gives them the edge turning pro, but his defense?

 

[Raskolnikow]

One of the best lists I have seen. I really like your Top 25. Maybe I would put Bourque and Amirov a little higher and Zary a little lower.

But I think you are too low on some American kids. Bordeleau and Colangelo should be in the Top 50 IMO. And I am a huge fan of Theodor Niederbach who doesn't make your list.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Askarov at 22? Most have him higher. Schneider being third year junior does it bother you? I have him in early 20s. Villeneuve at 43 is a solid pick. He could be more rounded than Poirier. Poirier is better goal scorer, that usually gives them the edge turning pro, but his defense?

I'm a really bad judge of talent when it comes to goalies, so I might have Askarov too low. It's a pretty deep draft though, and I'm not sure who he'd jump on my list.

No, Schneider being a 3rd year junior doesn't bother me. He might not have as much upside as some other guys and is probably one of the more polished players in the draft, but he could potentially step in to the NHL in a 3rd pairing role right now. His skating, physicality, and shot are all above average and his defensive instincts are incredible.

I do like Villeneuve, but his skating could limit him in the NHL. Poirier's upside is just so much higher which is why I have him ranked 17 spots higher.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

One of the best lists I have seen. I really like your Top 25. Maybe I would put Bourque and Amirov a little higher and Zary a little lower.

But I think you are too low on some American kids. Bordeleau and Colangelo should be in the Top 50 IMO. And I am a huge fan of Theodor Niederbach who doesn't make your list.

Thanks. Bourque could definitely go higher, the gap between the players ranked 15-25 are all very slim.

I like Bordeleau, he just missed the cut. Daniil Gushchin was the next guy I had ranked playing in the US.

 

[Sundin92]

Enjoyed the read have a like

 

[Dr Salt]

Love the love for Marat.

 

[57special]

I am a Schneider freak, so won't fight you on his high ranking.
Think Mercer needs to go higher. Not only has decent size and strength, but a two way game, and excellent skating. Certainly think he can hang with, if not surpass, players like Zary and Jarvis in the pros, and is more likely to be a C.
If Perfetti's lack of speed and strength limit him to being a LW in the NHL, should Quinn not be ranked higher than him? Quinn has the great shot, decent size, and the ability to pot goals, which is always in demand.
Lundell, who projects to be a solid, two way C should not go any lower.
Agree that Holloway will drop after a nondescript season. You can only blame his coach so much.
Again, only 1 Dman in the top 15? Not gonna happen, and never has happened.

 

[Mitch nylander]

Obviously I don't agree with certain things on your list, but you have done a lot of work to backup your arguments

Great work OP!

 

[OldScool]

Excellent list. Everyone has their own opinions but I really like your thought process. I like you went out of the box and slotted Askarov. I think Sanderson is a bit low but great list overall.

 

[Whileee]

Good list, IMO.

I think you might have Guhle, Mercer and Holloway a bit low.

 

[Kevin Musto]

You're sleeping on Mercer my man

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

I am a Schneider freak, so won't fight you on his high ranking.
Think Mercer needs to go higher. Not only has decent size and strength, but a two way game, and excellent skating. Certainly think he can hang with, if not surpass, players like Zary and Jarvis in the pros, and is more likely to be a C.
If Perfetti's lack of speed and strength limit him to being a LW in the NHL, should Quinn not be ranked higher than him? Quinn has the great shot, decent size, and the ability to pot goals, which is always in demand.
Lundell, who projects to be a solid, two way C should not go any lower.
Agree that Holloway will drop after a nondescript season. You can only blame his coach so much.
Again, only 1 Dman in the top 15? Not gonna happen, and never has happened.

This is a ranking, not a mock draft. I believe only one of the top-15 players in the draft is a defenseman, but I fully expect more defensemen will get picked in that range including Jake Sanderson.

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Love the love for Marat.

Yep, I'm a huge fan of his.

Good list, IMO.

I think you might have Guhle, Mercer and Holloway a bit low.

You're sleeping on Mercer my man

Mercer is ranked at the tail-end of the tier. There is very, very little separating the players I have ranked 15-25. Despite being ranked 23rd, Mercer is probably closer to the 15th spot than to the 26th spot. That's how close it is in that range.

I don't see enough stand-out quality for a guy his age, which is why I have him ranked where he is.

 

[pgfan66]

Great work, enjoyed the write up! Just one general “scouting note”:

6. Lukas Raymond - I really want to rank Raymond higher than 6th. He's got a similar skillset to Stutzle plus a better shot. Yes, he hasn't had much opportunity in the SHL, but he's had the least impressive season out of the players in this tier which is why I have him here. Again, there is very little separating him — and the rest of the players in this tier — from the number two spot.

Ranking players, or rather scouting, shouldn’t be about who’s had the most or least impressive season. If Raymond has a similar skill set to Stützle (which I totally agree with), might even have a better shot, and just didn’t get Stützle’s first-line and PP1 minutes in Sweden, don’t you think they could/should be closer? Do you factor this in at all?

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Great work, enjoyed the write up! Just one general “scouting note”:



Ranking players, or rather scouting, shouldn’t be about who’s had the most or least impressive season. If Raymond has a similar skill set to Stützle (which I totally agree with), might even have a better shot, and just didn’t get Stützle’s first-line and PP1 minutes in Sweden, don’t you think they could/should be closer? Do you factor this in at all?

Thanks!

The players I have ranked in the 2-6 range (Stutzle, Byfield, Rossi, Drysdale, and Raymond) are all very, very close. All have relatively similar upside in my view which is a bonafide top-line forward or top-pairing defenseman. The fact that Stutzle and the others had more impressive seasons than Raymond doesn't change what I think about their ceilings, but I feel Raymond is less proven since he hasn't performed as well against men and is thus a riskier pick.

Basically the players I ranked 2-6 all have a similar level of talent and upside, so I ranked them based on how likely they are to hit their ceiling.

 

[Eegs]

Thanks for the effort you put into this.

Like the Zary ranking. As you mentioned, he doesn't have any super loud tools, but I think the floor is quite high on him as he is very well-rounded.

 

[leafs4life94]

Glad to see Zayde Wisdom climbing up lists - though I think this is the highest I've seen him (50-60 range), most places I've seen have him closer to the 75-80, which is somewhere around where I think he'll go.

 

[ktownhockey]

Glad to see Zayde Wisdom climbing up lists - though I think this is the highest I've seen him (50-60 range), most places I've seen have him closer to the 75-80, which is somewhere around where I think he'll go.

The kid should be a riser 100 P

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Glad to see Zayde Wisdom climbing up lists - though I think this is the highest I've seen him (50-60 range), most places I've seen have him closer to the 75-80, which is somewhere around where I think he'll go.

The kid should be a riser 100 P

Yeah, I really like his game. Not a high upside guy but he's gritty, has a great shot, and excellent work-ethic. He's never going to put up a lot of points, but he's a good bet to be a bottom-6er in the NHL or even a complimentary scorer.

And he's got an awesome name.

 

[ktownhockey]

Yeah, I really like his game. Not a high upside guy but he's gritty, has a great shot, and excellent work-ethic. He's never going to put up a lot of points, but he's a good bet to be a bottom-6er in the NHL or even a complimentary scorer.

And he's got an awesome name.

I think you are bang on with the potential. It's funny I coached against his Toronto JRC 02 team in Minor Midget and he owned us with work ethic and would beat our guys for puck battles and then make nice plays. I am not shocked he is where he is. Our Quinte team was solid but they were on another level and he was a big part of that. Ive watched him in Kingston and he's been one of if not the biggest riser from the 18' OHL draft class. Love these guys....

 

[HuGort]

How much will a blood clot hurt Barron? Has a player came back from this before? I understand losing valuable development time can hurt their chance at NHL career.

 

[HuGort]

I'm a really bad judge of talent when it comes to goalies, so I might have Askarov too low. It's a pretty deep draft though, and I'm not sure who he'd jump on my list.

No, Schneider being a 3rd year junior doesn't bother me. He might not have as much upside as some other guys and is probably one of the more polished players in the draft, but he could potentially step in to the NHL in a 3rd pairing role right now. His skating, physicality, and shot are all above average and his defensive instincts are incredible.

I do like Villeneuve, but his skating could limit him in the NHL. Poirier's upside is just so much higher which is why I have him ranked 17 spots higher.

3rd year junior I made mistakes before. I was too high on Beaudin one year. Hawks like to have that pick back way Sandin been playing.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

I've watched some more of Mavrik Bourque the past couple days and decided to move him up a couple spots to the top of the tier, #15. His improvement over the past year — especially when it comes to passing and skating — is remarkable and bodes well for the future. Stylistically, he reminds me somewhat of a mini-Draisaitl.

 

[HuGort]

I've watched some more of Mavrik Bourque the past couple days and decided to move him up a couple spots to the top of the tier, #15. His improvement over the past year — especially when it comes to passing and skating — is remarkable and bodes well for the future. Stylistically, he reminds me somewhat of a mini-Draisaitl.

Bourque smart 2 way player, could be another Bergeron.

I never seen Roby Jarventi play. I see in the stats he played 5 games in SM-Liiga at 17. Something I look for. 36 goals is impressive at Mestis also. How is his skating? At 6'2 he could play over 200lbs. That size and goal scoring, if he has speed he should make it. Maybe explode?