Now that we are in the 6th spot, I've reviewed highlights of Desnoyers, Hagens, Frondell, and O'Brien. I have not looked at any scouting videos. As I'm watching clips, I'm writing notes simultaneously.
Caleb Desnoyers:
- Will go to dirty areas; numerous goals are scored in those areas.
- I'm not seeing an issue with the skating; he seems to have all the burst he needs when he needs it. Numerous times, he goes from his edges to explosion with the puck and creates a ton of space and time—and when he wants to get away, he does.
- Really good passer. Head up; will change angles; consistently finds guys in good space and sets up the passing angle well ahead of time.
- His shot seems to be average, but with decent accuracy.
- Hands are better than I thought based on posts and limited live viewing (all at the tournaments).
- Will push the puck. Pace is not an issue with his game.
- Might be slightly perimeter-oriented with the puck, but goes to greasy areas without it consistently.
- Head is always up when he has the puck.
Overall: Great passer, especially cross-ice and into danger areas. Has a feel for that part of the game. Skating overall seems decent—maybe not a burner, but certainly fast enough, and his edges seem good. Good hands in close. I'm really not seeing the narrative that he's this "safer" pick with a limited ceiling. I see a very good complement to Michkov as well—he’ll tee him up for tons of goals. I would not be upset with this pick.
James Hagens:
- Another player with a great feel for passing and setting up teammates.
- High IQ.
- Seemed to take a back seat this year and really didn’t look for his shot—passed it up too many times, in my opinion. A bit of a red flag. He’s going to need to want to get his a bit more at the next level.
- He’s very calm with the puck; will change directions and hold onto it. Didn’t have the puck on his stick enough at BC (was that on him, his linemates, or a bit of both?).
- Definitely a 2-on-1 merchant—maybe a third of his college points came from those.
- Good in tight spaces.
- Not seeing much grit in his game in any zone.
- Decent shot; not great.
- More perimeter-oriented.
- Doesn’t seem to have a strong stick—he has great hands, but too often had poor puck control when accepting passes or trying to get his shot off. He’s too good for that to happen.
Overall: Not as impressive as I originally thought, though I do think a lot of his issues were linemate-driven. Still, there are certainly some question marks. Very perimeter-oriented. Not really taking guys on one-on-one. Most of his points came off 2-on-1 situations. My memory of the previous year was different than the player I saw this year, and I'm not sure how to reconcile the two.
Anton Frondell
- It’s always interesting to see video from the bigger ice surface—it certainly affects how I see players, both good and bad.
- I’m not in love with the skating, but it’s not bad. I haven’t seen enough video to make a full determination. In a couple of clips, his stride looks choppy; in others, it looks better.
- He can score goals—in a bunch of different ways (wrist shots, slap shots, one-timers, breakaways); in close, from outside the circle—and he does not panic when trying to get off his shot. There’s a nice, easy fluidity to his release, and he generates a ton of power.
- He also has no problem going to greasy areas to score and shows zero hesitation.
- I see the center/winger debate and have no answer, but he plays on the wing and looks like one.
- If you draft him, I’m not sure it’s to play with Michkov.
- Good pace; very north-south type player.
- Couldn't really get a feel for IQ. Would need to watch full games and not just highlights.
Overall: He’s a shoot-first player. I think he ends up a winger, though I’m sure any team that drafts him top 8 will try him at center first. Bottom line: his shot is his calling card—it could be elite. I’m not seeing anything else that pops as more than average to above average. I’m very confused about what his upside is after watching.
Jake O'Brien.
- Sweet mitts. His hands pop—he just seems to have quick hands and a very good handle.
- Not sure how good the shot is, but his release seems to be quick enough.
- He glides a lot with the puck. Doesn’t keep his feet moving—especially under pressure. It doesn’t seem to hurt him against this level of competition, but it’s definitely something to be concerned about.
- Great vision, especially on the power play. Finds seams consistently.
- Don’t love the skating; don’t hate it. Nothing pops, though—is that because half the time his feet aren’t moving?
- A lot of his points are on the PP. Would love to see him live to get a feel for chance creation at even strength.
Overall: His calling card seems to be his passing and his hands. He’s a very talented player. Skating and shot seem average—he’s definitely not going to skate by most NHL players. Needs to work on his explosion. He was not as perimeter-oriented as I thought (power play work on the wall notwithstanding).
This post is as much for me—to see in a few years how close to right (or wrong) I am—as anything else. Though I’m no scout and only pretend to be one on this board, I do think I know the game a bit. That said, so much of evaluating a player comes from watching game after game after game. That’s when you get a better feel for compete, defensive awareness, and IQ. I just don’t have the time to dig in that deep.
With that said, the player that surprised me the most in a good way was Desnoyers; in a bad way, Hagens. O’Brien is who I thought he was, based on reading this board and others. Frondell is an enigma—I’m not sure what I think about him.
It was a fun exercise, let's hope the Flyers pick the right guy (even if not one of these).
