Prospect Info: NHL Entry Draft Discussion Thread - Looking Ahead to 2020

[SeaOfBlue]

If we end up top 10. I’m hoping
For

1.) Byfield
2.) laf
3.) Drysdale
4.) Askarov

I personally think that's the clear top 4 this year, and Stutzle is easily my number 5. Then it gets tougher, but Raymond and Holtz should still be top 10 guys. Lundell I think could be as well, depending on how he does in the second half and the seriousness of his injury. Rossi should be entering top 10 conversations and could go as high as #6 IMO. Dawson Mercer, Noel Gunler, Conor Zary and Cole Perfetti will likely be filling out the last one or two spots in the top 10 at this point.

Personally, I am not jumping for joy outside of the top 4 or 5 in this draft.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

QMJHL Trade Window opens tomorrow. We will see some top QMJHL prospects moved almost certainly it seems.

The headliner is easily seeing Dawson Mercer go from Drummondville to Chicoutimi for William Dufour (who is a potential mid round pick in his own right) and multiple high selections.

Theo Rochette, former top 10-15 prospect who has fallen off and will likely be available to the Leafs at various points in this draft, is apparently going from Chicoutimi to Quebec in a separate deal. Should be able to get showcased there, because they don't have a ton of talent. That could help him regain some of his stock, because he definitely needs it.

Charles-Antoine Lavallee, one of the better goalies available out of the QMJHL, is apparently going to Shawinigan. He was behind Rodrigue in Moncton so he was not getting a ton of opportunities to play. However Shawinigan has a pretty good young goalie on their team already so I don't know if he is going to be able to split 50/50 with him, or he will continue not to play very much. Either way, he should garner a little bit of attention in 2020.

A few D+1 guys are moving around too, some of which could be selected in the 2020 draft, but none of them jump off of the page to me so I won't mention them.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I haven't really ranked anyone either, so instead I'll list some of the likely lesser known names I think are intriguing rather than rehashing what is probably out there quite a bit already.

3rd/4th round
Goalies: Samuel Hlavaj, Nico Daws, Joseph Tynan
Defensemen: Ilya Solovyov, Jeremie Biakabutuka, Joni Jurmo, Eemil Viro, Yan Kuznetsov, Alex Cotton
Forwards: Lukas Reichel, Parker Ford, Trevor Kuntar, Jack Smith, Luke Evangelista, Jack Finley, Jason-John Peterka, Evan Vierling, Ethan Bowen

5th-7th round
Goalies: Hugo Ollas, Jakub Dobes, Vsveolod Skotnikov, Roman Basran
Defense: Danila Galenyuk, Max Glotzl, Ivan Rogov, Thimo Nickl
Forwards: Emil Heineman, Yevgeni Oksentyuk, Daniil Gutik, Ben Baumgartner, Josh Lawrence, Brady Burns, Patrick Guay, Tanner Dickinson

Honestly, just a small subset of a list that over 200 names long and will only get longer.

I added this guy to my board a few weeks ago because I was looking at some of the NLA draft eligibles (there were no good ones for much of the year) but then I saw that this guy had almost a PPG as a 19 year old in the league. He is small (5'9", 165).

He now just helped Austria get to the Top Division for the first time in 10 years with a 2+ PPG performance without Marco Rossi or any other NHL quality talent on the team, besides maybe Thimo Nickl.

He may now garner some serious attention as a late round pick in this upcoming draft.

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

Just realised Engvall has a younger brother who's 5'9", 154lbs right now but I think he's born 3 days too late for this draft. Seems to be a good player too.

I think Pierre had a late growth spurt (6'2" when we drafted him to 6'5" now) so it will be interesting to see if the younger Engvall can make some noise and grow in the next few years.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Just realised Engvall has a younger brother who's 5'9", 154lbs right now but I think he's born 3 days too late for this draft. Seems to be a good player too.

I think Pierre had a late growth spurt (6'2" when we drafted him to 6'5" now) so it will be interesting to see if the younger Engvall can make some noise and grow in the next few years.

Pierre was like 6'4", 185 or something when he was drafted. He was always big, with major wheels and a bit of an edge.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

10 QMJHL Players Selected for 2020 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game – LHJMQ

*denotes ‘A’ rated first round candidates

Goaltenders:
Nico Daws (Guelph Storm)
Dylan Garand (Kamloops Blazers)
Brock Gould (Victoria Royals)
Samuel Hlavaj (Sherbrooke Phoenix)

Defencemen:
Justin Barron (Halifax Mooseheads)*
Lukas Cormier (Charlottetown Islanders)
Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters)*
Kaiden Guhle (Prince Albert Raiders)*
Daemon Hunt (Moose Jaw Warriors)*
Thimo Nickl (Drummondville Voltigeurs)
Ryan O’Rourke (Soo Greyhounds)
Jeremie Poirier (Saint John Sea Dogs)*
Braden Schneider (Brandon Wheat Kings)*
Donovan Sebrango (Kitchener Rangers)
Christoffer Sedoff (Red Deer Rebels)
Jack Thompson (Sudbury Wolves)

Forwards:
Mavrik Bourque (Shawinigan Cataractes)
Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves)*
Brandon Coe (North Bay Battalion)
Will Cuylle (Windsor Spitfires)*
Jack Finley (Spokane Chiefs)
Tyson Foerster (Barrie Colts)
Jean-Luc Foudy (Windsor Spitfires)*
Ridly Greig (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Seth Jarvis (Portland Winterhawks)
Alexis Lafreniere (Rimouski Oceanic)*
Hendrix Lapierre (Chicoutimi Sagueneens)*
Dawson Mercer (Drummondville Voltigeurs)*
Jake Neighbours (Edmonton Oil Kings)
Cole Perfetti (Saginaw Spirit)*
Jacob Perreault (Sarnia Sting)*
Vasiliy Ponomarev (Shawinigan Cataractes)
Jaromir Pytlik (Soo Greyhounds)
Jack Quinn (Ottawa 67’s)*
Marco Rossi (Ottawa 67’s)*
Justin Sourdif (Vancouver Giants)*
Antonio Stranges (London Knights)*
Oliver Suni (Oshawa Generals)
Ozzy Wiesblatt (Prince Albert Raiders)
Connor Zary (Kamloops Blazers)*

Ignore the bolding. I got this from the QMJHL website so they are just bolding the QMJHL guys.

I am now kind of happy that I didn't take Brock Gould or Christopher Sedoff off of my draft board. Was pretty close to taking them off with a few other first-year eligibles who were not doing particularly well, but decided just to take off a bunch of mediocre OA's.

Trying to keep my draft board around 200-250 names this time around. Had like 400+ last year.

 

[93LEAFS]

Just realised Engvall has a younger brother who's 5'9", 154lbs right now but I think he's born 3 days too late for this draft. Seems to be a good player too.

I think Pierre had a late growth spurt (6'2" when we drafted him to 6'5" now) so it will be interesting to see if the younger Engvall can make some noise and grow in the next few years.

Shouldn't draft 17 or 18-year-olds expecting more than .5 inch of growth at best. 90% of males don't grow more than half an inch past their 18th birthday. You would expect it to be less among elite athletes, who have likely gone through puberty. Draft based on tools you think will get better, not on unlikely outcomes.

I heard this with Marner (apparently his brother is 6'2), and I now hear it with Nick Robertson (his brother is 6'2). I know, everyone has that one cousin or friend who grew 4 inches their freshman year in university. But, you are expecting someone to be an extreme aberration. It's like looking at an undrafted free-agent and expecting them to be Martin St. Louis.

 

[93LEAFS]

10 QMJHL Players Selected for 2020 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game – LHJMQ



Ignore the bolding. I got this from the QMJHL website so they are just bolding the QMJHL guys.

I am now kind of happy that I didn't take Brock Gould or Christopher Sedoff off of my draft board. Was pretty close to taking them off with a few other first-year eligibles who were not doing particularly well, but decided just to take off a bunch of mediocre OA's.

Trying to keep my draft board around 200-250 names this time around. Had like 400+ last year.

Ranked? You have like 90 or so guys you would likely never ever draft there at most at 200. Most draft boards are somewhere between 75-110. Regardless of what some of the click-bait people like Draft Analyst or some crazy people on the mains. NHL teams keep pretty short lists and rarely exceed it. They may ask senior regional guys to have their own lists of 20 guys for their region incase the main list runs out of names, and then they debate who they want. Generally, they defer to a senior scout with track record (how the Wings got Datsyuk who wasn't on their main board).

Honestly, take your list from last year, and go through last years draft drafting at 32nd in each round, and see who is the last guy you would have drafted. It will give you a rough representation of how long a list should be. I'd be surprised if it is past 110 or so.

 

[Prodigy MayD]

I'd be surprised if it is past 110 or so.

I believe most NHL teams go into the draft with roughly 60 names.
Each individual scout at the table has their own lists of guys they have scouted, and therefore more.

But normally a team has only 60 names.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Ranked? You have like 90 or so guys you would likely never ever draft there at most at 200. Most draft boards are somewhere between 75-110. Regardless of what some of the click-bait people like Draft Analyst or some crazy people on the mains. NHL teams keep pretty short lists and rarely exceed it. They may ask senior regional guys to have their own lists of 20 guys for their region incase the main list runs out of names, and then they debate who they want. Generally, they defer to a senior scout with track record (how the Wings got Datsyuk who wasn't on their main board).

Honestly, take your list from last year, and go through last years draft drafting at 32nd in each round, and see who is the last guy you would have drafted. It will give you a rough representation of how long a list should be. I'd be surprised if it is past 110 or so.

Not ranked (yet). I wouldn't rank all of them unless it was with some kind of easily applicable statistic, and not all of them are going to be deemed "draftable" by the end of the year, so the list should get shorter at the very end (unless this draft is truly stacked).

Teams usually have a ranked list but they still have a long list of names. Maybe each scout has one individually, or maybe they pool them altogether, but they still know who they like in the later rounds. It's just a matter of them determining who they like most, because they probably don't list them like they do with the guys in the earlier rounds.

 

[93LEAFS]

I believe most NHL teams go into the draft with roughly 60 names.
Each individual scout at the table has their own lists of guys they have scouted, and therefore more.

But normally a team has only 60 names.

I've heard they don't have a set number, they just rank who they have deemed worthy of a draft pick and it usually falls between 75-110.

 

[Maplebeasts]

QMJHL Trade Window opens tomorrow. We will see some top QMJHL prospects moved almost certainly it seems.

The headliner is easily seeing Dawson Mercer go from Drummondville to Chicoutimi for William Dufour (who is a potential mid round pick in his own right) and multiple high selections.

Theo Rochette, former top 10-15 prospect who has fallen off and will likely be available to the Leafs at various points in this draft, is apparently going from Chicoutimi to Quebec in a separate deal. Should be able to get showcased there, because they don't have a ton of talent. That could help him regain some of his stock, because he definitely needs it.

Charles-Antoine Lavallee, one of the better goalies available out of the QMJHL, is apparently going to Shawinigan. He was behind Rodrigue in Moncton so he was not getting a ton of opportunities to play. However Shawinigan has a pretty good young goalie on their team already so I don't know if he is going to be able to split 50/50 with him, or he will continue not to play very much. Either way, he should garner a little bit of attention in 2020.

A few D+1 guys are moving around too, some of which could be selected in the 2020 draft, but none of them jump off of the page to me so I won't mention them.

Let's hope Abramov can go to a contender

 

[MyBudJT]

To the draft junkies out there: Based on the type of players we’ve been drafting lately (Sandin, Kokkonen, Loponen, Koster, Hollowell, Kral, Robertson, Abruzzese, Abramov, Stotts, SDA, Holmberg...)... are there any prospects in 2020 that have “the Leafs” written all over it?

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

To the draft junkies out there: Based on the type of players we’ve been drafting lately (Sandin, Kokkonen, Loponen, Koster, Hollowell, Kral, Robertson, Abruzzese, Abramov, Stotts, SDA, Holmberg...)... are there any prospects in 2020 that have “the Leafs” written all over it?

Since we have so many late round picks and I'm a big fan of Bergman, I've been looking a lot at Sweden lately.

Axel Kumlin is a 17 year old 6'0" RHD in the Frolunda program (Johnsson and Engvall came through that program) and has 12 points in 23 games for their U-20 team. Could be a guy we take a shot at as a long term project like Engvall.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

To the draft junkies out there: Based on the type of players we’ve been drafting lately (Sandin, Kokkonen, Loponen, Koster, Hollowell, Kral, Robertson, Abruzzese, Abramov, Stotts, SDA, Holmberg...)... are there any prospects in 2020 that have “the Leafs” written all over it?

The one thing that links all of them is IQ.

Definitely Luke Evangelista from London. Reid Valade from Kitchener as a later round pick as well. Parker Ford from Providence College and the USA U20 squad as well. Those are typical Dubas picks, and those are the types of guys he should be looking at.

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

The one thing that links all of them is IQ.

Definitely Luke Evangelista from London. Reid Valade from Kitchener as a later round pick as well. Parker Ford from Providence College and the USA U20 squad as well. Those are typical Dubas picks, and those are the types of guys he should be looking at.

I watch a lot of Rangers games and I like Valade, I just don't know if he'd ever put up enough offense to make it worth taking a shot at him.

Like you said he has a high hockey IQ but I just don't know if there is enough there to warrant using a draft pick on him.

Agree on Evangelista and Ford though.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I watch a lot of Rangers games and I like Valade, I just don't know if he'd ever put up enough offense to make it worth taking a shot at him.

Like you said he has a high hockey IQ but I just don't know if there is enough there to warrant using a draft pick on him.

Agree on Evangelista and Ford though.

Depends on whether they feel like he is going to explode once Hawel, Damiani, Meireles and Yantsis leave. He should be a featured player for them next year, which comes with more ice time and better offensive opportunities, but also a lot more pressure and less offensive support. Pinelli will still be there, but it's a steep drop off (i.e. future middle 6 type guys) after that.

Besides, barring higher ranked guys dropping or completely ignoring any kind of late round CHL talent, it doesn't get much better than Valade in a 6th or 7th round out of the CHL.

Also, another D+2 guy out of the U20 tournament (like Ford) would be Danila Galenyuk. If you like Vlad Gavrikov out of Columbus, Galenyuk is a very similar type of player. He looks a little bit better than Gavrikov due to playing on SKA, but is likely to be taken later than the 5th round (used to get Gavrikov). He is not a fancy player with high upside by any means, but he's big and willing to be physical, he's smart, and he knows his role and how to excel in it. That could definitely make him a bottom pairing PKer and compliment to all of the skilled puck movers the Leafs have coming up, possibly even in a top 4. For a late round pick, definitely someone Dubas should have on his radar.

 

[LeafChief]

Hoping for some more Thommie Bergman magic in this draft.

 

[DraftGuru]

I watch a lot of Rangers games and I like Valade, I just don't know if he'd ever put up enough offense to make it worth taking a shot at him.

Like you said he has a high hockey IQ but I just don't know if there is enough there to warrant using a draft pick on him.

Agree on Evangelista and Ford though.

Interestingly enough, Evangelista is also Brendan Shanahan's cousin. I've brought up his hockey IQ before so it's nice to see others also agree. If he's still there in the 3rd or 4th, I'd take him. I think there will be better players available in the 50s and who knows, hopefully lightning strikes again and we have a 1st round talent slip to our 2nd. As for another intellectual player with a good motor and some upside, Jake Neighbours in Edmonton..... William Villeneuve in St. John and Jack Quinn in Ottawa although he's a late 2001 and Dubas, IMO likes to play the birthday game which I tend to also look at as being quite important

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Interestingly enough, Evangelista is also Brendan Shanahan's cousin. I've brought up his hockey IQ before so it's nice to see others also agree. If he's still there in the 3rd or 4th, I'd take him. I think there will be better players available in the 50s and who knows, hopefully lightning strikes again and we have a 1st round talent slip to our 2nd. As for another intellectual player with a good motor and some upside, Jake Neighbours in Edmonton..... William Villeneuve in St. John and Jack Quinn in Ottawa although he's a late 2001 and Dubas, IMO likes to play the birthday game which I tend to also look at as being quite important

I would prefer Dubas not spend a 2nd round pick on another winger (although Neighbours is the only one I would say is a 2nd rounder at this point), and Villeneuve does not have the skill of a 2nd round pick.

 

[DraftGuru]

I would prefer Dubas not spend a 2nd round pick on another winger (although Neighbours is the only one I would say is a 2nd rounder at this point), and Villeneuve does not have the skill of a 2nd round pick.

There are definitely players I would take ahead of Villeneuve but if we could get him with our 3rd (Sens), that would be optimal but here's my take on Villeneuve.
This was more in response to his IQ but to say Villeneuve isn't skilled is foolish.
As somebody who likes to do a lot of research on players before I form an opinion, I respectfully think you're wrong. With Villeneuve, he is totally flying under the radar.....whether that's because of a more hype directed towards one of his teammates (Poirier) or too many good players in this draft and he's getting lost in the shuffle.
Let's look at what Villeneuve has going for him

Pedigree - 2nd overall pick in the 2018 QMJHL draft behind only Hendrix Lapierre.
Position - RHD......as we all know, a very coveted position.
Size.....He will probably top out around 6'2" so he will have a decent frame to pack on some much needed weight.
Just a few quotes from his head coach Felix Potvin, ISS and the Director of QMJHL Central Scouting in regards to Villeneuve.

ISS
Right hand shooting defender with low hard point shot. His skating is fluid and mobile, and possesses composure and maturity beyond his years. Impact two-way players at QMJHL level

“He has good offensive skills. He makes good decisions with the puck and knows how to find space. He’s got good size and uses his stick very well. In my eyes, he’s a sure thing,” admits Director of QMJHL Central Scouting, Carl Bouchard.

"We knew that William had a lot of potential. We had big expectations for him this past season, but we never imagined he would do all he did this past year. His meteoric rise and the role he took on for our team was huge,” explains his head coach and former NHL goalie Felix Potvin.
Potvin compares Villeneuve to Kristopher Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins, a defenceman “who doesn’t hurt you much defensively but who brings a lot of offence. In looking where he was drafted most likely will be where Villeneuve goes late 50s to early 60s as of right now but how many teams scouts and GM's are kicking themselves for allowing Letang to be taken so "late"?
While Potvin compare him to Kris Letang, others see Noah Dobson in his game. Either way, a player would probably welcome to be compared to either one.

Villeneuve is having a great season stat wise....As a 17 year old draft eligible player averaging close to a point a game for a mediocre at best St. John Seadogs team, I'd say that is pretty outstanding and he's only getting better.
Named the player of the month in the Q for November.
All of his seasons goals have come 5v5 except for 1 shorty.

In November and December he's had 18 points in 17 games and is a remarkable +17 for once again a mediocre at best Seadogs team

 

[Kiwi]

I'd imagine Daws stock has taken a bit of a hit after his WJC implosion

If he was available in the 3rd or 4th round would you take him?

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

I'd imagine Daws stock has taken a bit of a hit after his WJC implosion

If he was available in the 3rd or 4th round would you take him?

I wouldn't take a D+1 goalie that high. Maybe if he's around in the 6th or 7th. I'd rather take a shot on a guy like Jan Bednar (almost 2 years younger) if we take a goalie with one of our 4ths.

 

[Gabriel426]

Shouldn't draft 17 or 18-year-olds expecting more than .5 inch of growth at best. 90% of males don't grow more than half an inch past their 18th birthday. You would expect it to be less among elite athletes, who have likely gone through puberty. Draft based on tools you think will get better, not on unlikely outcomes.

I heard this with Marner (apparently his brother is 6'2), and I now hear it with Nick Robertson (his brother is 6'2). I know, everyone has that one cousin or friend who grew 4 inches their freshman year in university. But, you are expecting someone to be an extreme aberration. It's like looking at an undrafted free-agent and expecting them to be Martin St. Louis.

Most people grew 4 inches in their freshman year, but people always failed to mention it was their waist line that grew 4 inches instead of height.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I wouldn't take a D+1 goalie that high. Maybe if he's around in the 6th or 7th. I'd rather take a shot on a guy like Jan Bednar (almost 2 years younger) if we take a goalie with one of our 4ths.

No problem taking him high. I do believe that we should go with a guy we can stash for a little bit longer though. Daws is more for a team that needs a good prospect now. I'd rather spend the time on Woll and Scott for the next couple of years and then have a European or American come in after 3 or 4 years.

Personally, the best goalies in the range we should be looking at goalies are Europeans anyways.