RD Simon Nemec (2022, 2nd, NJD)

[beast mode]

Exactly. And furthermore, one year older Clarke went pointless in his first four games, so it's definitely not that easy to play in Tipos extraliga like some people think. On the other hand, Nemec already has been playing there for two seasons and simultaneously he was the clutch player of the Slovak NT at the WJC (don't forget, he is still only 16). Seems like a first-round pick to me and therefore debate about his position in the Top 10 is completely relevant. I don't know what else a 16-year-old has to do to be considered one of the greatest talents of the 2022 draft.

Have you seen Clarke play ? I hope you’re not judging a Dman because of points in first 4 games in 10 months. Wait and you’ll see. After he adapts to the style of play he’ll be the best player on the ice.

 

[kudla]

I agree with the part, that what a 16 yo has to do more to be considered a 1st round talent. But there is that that downfall development curve of slovak prospects, which will likely touch Nemec too. Maybe not downfall in his case, but remember, there is for example a loaded US program with tons of 1st round talent, which has yet not been "discovered" by a lot of people. Same goes for some canadian, swedish kids who are also in advantage because of their nationalities (don't try to argue this).

Nemec will certainly be selected in the first round.

Nonsense. As of today, we can only say that the likes of Savoie, Wright, Lambert and some more additional prospects (e.g from the US program) will be almost certainly first rounders.
Im very positive that Simon will be drafted. Just back up on the top10 talk

At some point, we thought that A. Ruzicka, M. Roman, S. Bucek or Chromiak would be 1st/2nd rounders and they all ended up barely, or not drafted at all. Cajkovic used to be a certain first rounder too. Tho Nemec is obviously better than any of those players at 16

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

I think you don't realize how excellent Simon Nemec's career is, 17 months into the 2022 draft. Be upgraded from 5 years old at the age of 13, play pro at 15, perform at 16 in a team submitted to WJC U20. Even though he was born in 2003 and eligible in 2021; Nemec would have the profile of a 1st round

 

[stastny12]

Have you seen Clarke play ? I hope you’re not judging a Dman because of points in first 4 games in 10 months. Wait and you’ll see. After he adapts to the style of play he’ll be the best player on the ice.

I saw two full games and two highlights. You can clearly see that he has a high hockey IQ and an excellent overview of the game. However, that was not something I wanted to point out in my previous post. Although Nemec is a year younger, he looks more mature and already plays men's hockey. On the other hand, the way Clarke plays is still more junior. And it's not just my opinion, but one well-known Slovak hockey journalist wrote that, as well. However, it is logical, as these are Clarke's first games among men, and I certainly do not want to diminish his qualities. Rather, the point is that Nemec can stand out in the men's category at such a young age, and therefore he must be taken seriously as a top prospect.

 

[pgfan66]

I would back up on the first round lock talk. Pronman said he doesn't see that as his draft range. He's only one scout writer, but he talks to NHL scouts about these prospects and usually has a better grasp on this stuff than any given fan on a website like this.

I think Nemec has a chance for first round, but like with nearly all 2022 prospects, he still has to show well and that he projects as a good NHL'er to be a first rounder.

Pretty sure this will play into it:

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I don’t see an issue on speculating that he’s a first rounder. He very well may be, butter draft is not about resumes. NHL teams don’t care what age he started playing in the top division in Slovakia. If they rank his potential as first round, there’s a good chance he’ll be a first rounder. If they rank it outside the first round, he won’t be a first rounder. That’s all there is to it.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

If his performances at 16 in the U20 tournament are not enough to be seen as a Round 1 player ... We've been talking about him as a Round 1 player for 3 years now ... why wouldn't he be after an excellent tournament ? It's not going to suck overnight. It's a 1st round for sure.
Other than a leg amputation, he will play in the NHL.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

If his performances at 16 in the U20 tournament are not enough to be seen as a Round 1 player ... We've been talking about him as a Round 1 player for 3 years now ... why wouldn't he be after an excellent tournament ? It's not going to suck overnight. It's a 1st round for sure.
Other than a leg amputation, he will play in the NHL.

It doesn’t work that way. It’s about how a player projects to the NHL. NHL teams don’t care that much about who played what role at what tournament at what age. He might be a first rounder, but beware that it’s not a unanimous opinion at this point.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

As already said, Nemec has been showing things for 3 years. He has already shown too much not to be selected in the 1st round.

Whatever happens, I do not see all the teams miss him at the end of the first round. It's impossible.


Currently, I am ranking him top 10 for the next draft. It would already take an accumulation of revelations and a poor performance from Nemec next year to slip at the end of the Round 1.

 

[hellwar9]

Simon is the greatest Slovak defense talent since the time of Lubomir Visnovsky and at the moment it looks like he is an even bigger prospect than Lubomir Visnovsky. I also can't believe he wouldn't make it to the first round. But I agree that a year and a half is still a long time and everything can happen. 2022 draft will be very good and the competition is huge.

 

[mirec04]

From what we know he is absolutely deservedly projected as 1st rounder for now. I am wondering if someone can name at least five better defensemen for 2022 draft. Probably not.

 

[hellwar9]

 

[beast mode]

I saw two full games and two highlights. You can clearly see that he has a high hockey IQ and an excellent overview of the game. However, that was not something I wanted to point out in my previous post. Although Nemec is a year younger, he looks more mature and already plays men's hockey. On the other hand, the way Clarke plays is still more junior. And it's not just my opinion, but one well-known Slovak hockey journalist wrote that, as well. However, it is logical, as these are Clarke's first games among men, and I certainly do not want to diminish his qualities. Rather, the point is that Nemec can stand out in the men's category at such a young age, and therefore he must be taken seriously as a top prospect.

You don't seem to understand that North American hockey has so much depth that it's impossible for a Junior level kid to play with adults. You seem to think its a plus to play with men at 16 but it's not. Just look at the World Juniors the two team who made the final have played either in the CCHL or the USHL in the last 3 years. The best competition for a 16 year old is CHL and there's no point arguing against it. 300 OHL hockey players are at a NHL camp today. 24% of all players in one of the 31 camps... And that's just Ontario.

As far as top right handed Dman who can potentially be first rounders I can name a few from North America:


Seamus Casey 5'10
Charlie Leddy 6'2
Tristan Luneau 6'1
Ty Nelson 5'8
Michael Matrodomenico 6'2
Noah Warren 6'6
Ryan Chesley 6'0
Maveric Lamoureux 6'6
Hunter Mayo 6'1


There's still plenty of time.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

You don't seem to understand that North American hockey has so much depth that it's impossible for a Junior level kid to play with adults. You seem to think its a plus to play with men at 16 but it's not. Just look at the World Juniors the two team who made the final have played either in the CCHL or the USHL in the last 3 years. The best competition for a 16 year old is CHL and there's no point arguing against it. 300 OHL hockey players are at a NHL camp today. 24% of all players in one of the 31 camps... And that's just Ontario.

As far as top right handed Dman who can potentially be first rounders I can name a few from North America:


Seamus Casey 5'10
Charlie Leddy 6'2
Tristan Luneau 6'1
Ty Nelson 5'8
Michael Matrodomenico 6'2
Noah Warren 6'6
Ryan Chesley 6'0
Maveric Lamoureux 6'6
Hunter Mayo 6'1


There's still plenty of time.

Mastrodomenico, Warren and Lamoureux are very far from being Round 1 players. Not even certain that they will be drafted in 2022. Mayo has a lot of points because he played with the best forwards in his league, but he's not the best defenseman in Western Canada. This is just a Round 2 WHL Draft. Leddy is closer to Round 1 but apparently more of Round 2. North American defenders drafted in the 1st round, there are rarely more than 6 per year. There is no better place than others to grow. It depends on the case. In my opinion Nemec would have no interest in playing in CHL. He is already strong enough to face Slovak league players. We can see that Brandt Clarke has difficulty standing out.

You can already consider that Salomonsson, Nemec, Hamara, Jiricek, Laakso and Forsmark already have a good chance of being selected in the 1st round.

The NHL Future will be mostly made up of Europeans. Over the past 4 years, European players have passed the 40% mark and are getting closer to the 50% mark each year. With the revival of Czechoslovak hockey from 2022, this mark may already be reached.

 

[beast mode]

I’m saying depending of their development in the next 18 weeks they could become first rounders and others Nemec included could fall to the third round. 48% of all current NHL players come from the CHL I guess its not too bad.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

I’m saying depending of their development in the next 18 weeks they could become first rounders and others Nemec included could fall to the third round. 48% of all current NHL players come from the CHL I guess its not too bad.

For those I mentioned, there is already too much level difference for them to reach Nemec's level.

At 17 months of the 2022 draft, players are already certain to be selected in the first round, except for a major injury or a major scandal.

Nemec is one of them because if he had been born 1 year earlier he would probably already be selected in the 1st round.

Is Nemec today already stronger than Clarke? The question may arise.Nemec has proven itself. It's up to Luneau and Nelson to show that they have their level rather than the other way around.

CHL players: 48% now, 80% in 2000, 30% in the 2020 draft.

 

[beast mode]

Its actually 57% now. My mistake...
Out of 713 players on rosters in 2019-2020

Canada 413
USA 253
Sweden 113
Russia 50
Finland 49
Czech 33
Switzerland 15
Germany 9
Danemark 9
Slovackia 12

And by the way I like Nemec chances to be a late first round I’m just saying to be careful and not celebrate too fast because Americans and Canadians are just starting to make a name for themselves its the way it works down here.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

I was surprised by 48% because 10 years ago, there were still 70% of selected players playing in CHL. But the number has collapsed over the past decade even though there has been a surge in 2020 because of the Covid.

The sum of the players is not good because the total among the nations you mention is 956. Canadian players now represent only 40%. 8 years ago they were still in the majority. And despite the favorable Covid situation, they were only 33.8% among the players selected for the 2020 draft. 32.3% in 2019; 33.6% in 2018.

Currently, Nemec can be estimated as a top 10 prospect. As already said, if he was born in 2003, he would already be selected in the 1st round, probably top 20. If he has a very bad season next year, he may fall to the lowest end of the 1st round.
I think you underestimate the player a lot.

Rank	Player	Position	Nation	Birth
1	S.Wright	C	Canada	2004
2	B.Lambert	C	Finland	2003
3	M.Savoie	C	Canada	2004
4	I.Howard	W	USA	2004
5	E.Salomonsson	D	Sweden	2004
6	R.Chesley	D	USA	2004
7	I.Miroshnichenko	W	Russia	2004
8	T.Luneau	D	Canada	2004
9	S.Nemec	D	Slovakia	2004
10	L.Persson	C	Sweden	2003
11	D.Yurov	C	Russia	2003
12	T.Nelson	D	Canada	2004
13	N.Ostlund	C	Sweden	2004
14	T.Hamara	D	Czechia	2004
15	D.Jiricek	D	Czechia	2003
16	R.McGroarty	C	USA	2004
17	A.Verreault	W	Canada	2004
18	F.Nazar	W	USA	2004
19	J.Kemell	W	Finland	2004
20	C.Geekie	W	Canada	2004
21	K.Dowhaniuk	D	Canada	2004
22	S.Casey	D	USA	2004
23	J.Slafkovsky	C	Slovakia	2004
24	P.Fimis	C	Canada	2004
25	E.Laakso	D	Finland	2004
26	J.Devine	C	USA	2003
27	K.Downey	G	Canada	2004
28	T.Ronni	C	Finland	2004
29	J.Lassila	C	Finland	2004
30	S.Forsmark	D	Sweden	2003
31	C.Gauthier	W	USA	2004
32	C.Guindon	C	Canada	2004

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Here's roughly my current top 32 for 2022 taking into account that players who haven't played this season live up to their reputation.

Nemec is 9th but he is the player with whom there is the most sample to evaluate with Jiricek.

As you can see, I really haven't undervalued the North American players compared to the drafts of the last few years.

 

[beast mode]

I don’t know how you get to 956 players in 2019-2020 its 23 players per team times 31 teams. Anyways we’ll see there’s plenty of time but I’ll keep your top 32 and compare at the draft.

 

[snipes]

Beautiful pass, this kid is the real deal. I was so impressed with at the WJC good to see him continue his strong play.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

It is you who brings the statistics, it is up to you to verify it. It probably takes into account all the players who have played 1 game. In this case, there are still 30 to 35 players per team so there are over 1,000 players who play in NHL each year. My board is very uncertain in many cases because there is not enough content but Nemec is one of the easiest to assess. The hardest part is to compare it.

I show you my 2020 Draft Board in January 2019

Rank	Player	Position	Nation	Birth
1	A.Lafrenière	W	Canada	2001
2	C.Perfetti	W	Canada	2002
3	Q.Byfield	C	Canada	2002
4	A.Lundell	C	Finland	2001
5	A.Holtz	W	Sweden	2002
6	H.Grans	D	Sweden	2002
7	K.Simontaival	W	Finland	2002
8	L.Raymond	W	Sweden	2002
9	R.O'Rourke	D	Canada	2002
10	V.Ponomarev	C	Russia	2002
11	Y.Askarov	G	Russia	2002
12	J.Perreault	C	Canada	2002
13	J.Drysdale	D	Canada	2002
14	R.Amirov	W	Russia	2001
15	D.Hunt	D	Canada	2002
16	Z.Nybeck	W	Sweden	2002
17	C.Zary	C	Canada	2001
18	L.Cormier	D	Canada	2002
19	M.Rossi	C	Austria	2001
20	H.Lapierre	C	Canada	2002
21	E.Andrae	D	Sweden	2002
22	E.Powell	D	USA	2002
23	D.Gushchin	W	Russia	2002
24	R.Rafkin	D	Finland	2002
25	J.Sourdif	C	Canada	2002
26	C.McClennon	W	Canada	2002
27	H.Styf	D	Sweden	2002
28	N.Gunler	W	Sweden	2001
29	K.Guhle	D	Canada	2002
30	T.Rochette	C	Switzerland	2002
31	T.Stutzle	C	Germany	2002

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

In Octobre 2019

Rank	Player	Position	Nation	Birth
1	A.Lafrenière	W	Canada	2001
2	Q.Byfield	C	Canada	2002
3	T.Stutzle	C	Germany	2002
4	A.Holtz	W	Sweden	2002
5	A.Lundell	C	Finland	2001
6	J.Drysdale	D	Canada	2002
7	C.Perfetti	W	Canada	2002
8	L.Raymond	W	Sweden	2002
9	Y.Askarov	G	Russia	2002
10	E.Andrae	D	Sweden	2002
11	T.Bordeleau	C	USA	2002
12	C.Zary	C	Canada	2001
13	J.Poirier	D	Canada	2002
14	M.Rossi	C	Austria	2001
15	N.Gunler	W	Sweden	2001
16	H.Grans	D	Sweden	2002
17	K.Simontaival	W	Finland	2002
18	T.Foerster	C	Canada	2002
19	J.Sourdif	C	Canada	2002
20	H.Lapierre	C	Canada	2002
21	T.Niemela	D	Finland	2002
22	S.Jarvis	W	Canada	2002
23	L.Cormier	D	Canada	2002
24	R.Amirov	W	Russia	2001
25	Z.Nybeck	W	Sweden	2002
26	P.Novak	W	Czechia	2002
27	W.Wallinder	D	Sweden	2002
28	J.Sanderson	D	USA	2002
29	R.Rafkin	D	Finland	2002
30	J.Mysak	W	Czechia	2002
31	S.Mukhamadullin	D	Russia	2002

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I was surprised by 48% because 10 years ago, there were still 70% of selected players playing in CHL. But the number has collapsed over the past decade even though there has been a surge in 2020 because of the Covid.

The sum of the players is not good because the total among the nations you mention is 956. Canadian players now represent only 40%. 8 years ago they were still in the majority. And despite the favorable Covid situation, they were only 33.8% among the players selected for the 2020 draft. 32.3% in 2019; 33.6% in 2018.

Currently, Nemec can be estimated as a top 10 prospect. As already said, if he was born in 2003, he would already be selected in the 1st round, probably top 20. If he has a very bad season next year, he may fall to the lowest end of the 1st round.
I think you underestimate the player a lot.

Rank	Player	Position	Nation	Birth
1	S.Wright	C	Canada	2004
2	B.Lambert	C	Finland	2003
3	M.Savoie	C	Canada	2004
4	I.Howard	W	USA	2004
5	E.Salomonsson	D	Sweden	2004
6	R.Chesley	D	USA	2004
7	I.Miroshnichenko	W	Russia	2004
8	T.Luneau	D	Canada	2004
9	S.Nemec	D	Slovakia	2004
10	L.Persson	C	Sweden	2003
11	D.Yurov	C	Russia	2003
12	T.Nelson	D	Canada	2004
13	N.Ostlund	C	Sweden	2004
14	T.Hamara	D	Czechia	2004
15	D.Jiricek	D	Czechia	2003
16	R.McGroarty	C	USA	2004
17	A.Verreault	W	Canada	2004
18	F.Nazar	W	USA	2004
19	J.Kemell	W	Finland	2004
20	C.Geekie	W	Canada	2004
21	K.Dowhaniuk	D	Canada	2004
22	S.Casey	D	USA	2004
23	J.Slafkovsky	C	Slovakia	2004
24	P.Fimis	C	Canada	2004
25	E.Laakso	D	Finland	2004
26	J.Devine	C	USA	2003
27	K.Downey	G	Canada	2004
28	T.Ronni	C	Finland	2004
29	J.Lassila	C	Finland	2004
30	S.Forsmark	D	Sweden	2003
31	C.Gauthier	W	USA	2004
32	C.Guindon	C	Canada	2004

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Here's roughly my current top 32 for 2022 taking into account that players who haven't played this season live up to their reputation.

Nemec is 9th but he is the player with whom there is the most sample to evaluate with Jiricek.

As you can see, I really haven't undervalued the North American players compared to the drafts of the last few years.

Jack Devine is not close to a first rounder. It's amazing how this guy is still hyped as a big talent. He's a very average, at best, player right now. I don't see what he does that generates first round discussion.

Maddox Fleming, Tyler Dunbar, and Jack Hughes are all first rounders among Americans. I can't comment on every player from every country. I applaud the effort, but I think some of this is way off. Isaac Howard is not close to a top five pick. I hope you aren't suggesting that because of his goal totals.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

Jack Devine is not close to a first rounder. It's amazing how this guy is still hyped as a big talent. He's a very average, at best, player right now. I don't see what he does that generates first round discussion.

Maddox Fleming, Tyler Dunbar, and Jack Hughes are all first rounders among Americans. I can't comment on every player from every country. I applaud the effort, but I think some of this is way off. Isaac Howard is not close to a top five pick. I hope you aren't suggesting that because of his goal totals.

It is a table that makes projections. For those players who haven't played enough, I built on the scant data and made a realistic list. Putting 7 USDP players, seems very realistic to me. There will hardly be more.

Howard is the striker who stands out the most. A great scorer like him can be selected 4th. We have already seen players like Zadina and Holtz being selected very high.

 

[hellwar9]

I was surprised by 48% because 10 years ago, there were still 70% of selected players playing in CHL. But the number has collapsed over the past decade even though there has been a surge in 2020 because of the Covid.

The sum of the players is not good because the total among the nations you mention is 956. Canadian players now represent only 40%. 8 years ago they were still in the majority. And despite the favorable Covid situation, they were only 33.8% among the players selected for the 2020 draft. 32.3% in 2019; 33.6% in 2018.

Currently, Nemec can be estimated as a top 10 prospect. As already said, if he was born in 2003, he would already be selected in the 1st round, probably top 20. If he has a very bad season next year, he may fall to the lowest end of the 1st round.
I think you underestimate the player a lot.

Rank	Player	Position	Nation	Birth
1	S.Wright	C	Canada	2004
2	B.Lambert	C	Finland	2003
3	M.Savoie	C	Canada	2004
4	I.Howard	W	USA	2004
5	E.Salomonsson	D	Sweden	2004
6	R.Chesley	D	USA	2004
7	I.Miroshnichenko	W	Russia	2004
8	T.Luneau	D	Canada	2004
9	S.Nemec	D	Slovakia	2004
10	L.Persson	C	Sweden	2003
11	D.Yurov	C	Russia	2003
12	T.Nelson	D	Canada	2004
13	N.Ostlund	C	Sweden	2004
14	T.Hamara	D	Czechia	2004
15	D.Jiricek	D	Czechia	2003
16	R.McGroarty	C	USA	2004
17	A.Verreault	W	Canada	2004
18	F.Nazar	W	USA	2004
19	J.Kemell	W	Finland	2004
20	C.Geekie	W	Canada	2004
21	K.Dowhaniuk	D	Canada	2004
22	S.Casey	D	USA	2004
23	J.Slafkovsky	C	Slovakia	2004
24	P.Fimis	C	Canada	2004
25	E.Laakso	D	Finland	2004
26	J.Devine	C	USA	2003
27	K.Downey	G	Canada	2004
28	T.Ronni	C	Finland	2004
29	J.Lassila	C	Finland	2004
30	S.Forsmark	D	Sweden	2003
31	C.Gauthier	W	USA	2004
32	C.Guindon	C	Canada	2004

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Here's roughly my current top 32 for 2022 taking into account that players who haven't played this season live up to their reputation.

Nemec is 9th but he is the player with whom there is the most sample to evaluate with Jiricek.

As you can see, I really haven't undervalued the North American players compared to the drafts of the last few years.

Slafkovsky has more potential and bigger upside than Simon Nemec. Recently, Craig Button said in the podcast that if Slafkovsky continues to developing next season, he will have a good chance of being in the top 10. Honestly, from what I've been watching for the last 2 seasons, I agree with him. If he improves skating and especially the first 3 steps, he can really be the beast and one of the best players in 2022 draft.

 

[stastny12]

One ppg goal and another two assists in today's game against DVTK, especially the first pass was exceptionally accurate. I've never seen any 16-year-old play so dominant in our league.