Silayev, Lindstrom, Catton, Iginla, Parekh, Eiserman

[Miller Time]

Catton's play is all about nuance.

He is a master to slowing the game. He has so many pace.

His zone entrance variations are off chart.

His ability to find his teamates in open space is awesome.

His sauce passes are great from his forehand or on his backhand.

Comp: Kucherov..

Hey he will not make 130 points a year but look at him carefully and you will see a bit of Kuch.... like Kucherov, Catton is so relax with his zone entrance and on the power play too.

If this guy was 1 inch taller and 15 pounds heavier at 190 pounds...not a single person on earth would put Lindstrom or Iginla before him.

Look at his zone entrance and vision right here...:

Pure talent..no one is close except Celebrini and Demidov obviously

The more I take the time to read up a variety of reports on this draft class, the more I find myself leaning to Catton.

The mix of high end skating, vision & pick handling and the demonstrated variability to how he uses them to create positive outcomes at a high rate of efficiency speaks to both great intelligence/hockey "IQ" & to high competitiveness... He doesn't seem satisfied to rely on beating guys/creating on any one of his tools...

Outside of Celebrini, his overall game seems most aligned with what KH/MSL want to create here.

I'm getting closer and closer to team Catton

 

[Runner77]

Just looking for the BPA on that early pick and hoping for the addition of potential top 6 forwards to shore up the NHL roster and the pipeline by summer’s end, any which way they opt to get there.

I’m fairly confident that this management contingent will get it right, just as they did with Slaf (who had his lot of detractors). I can’t say what Reinbacher may or may not do as it’s too early to tell but for me, the choice of Slaf alone commands huge respect.

Of course, it’s not an exact science but they’ve shown enough to have the benefit of the doubt. Any of these several options could be the ultimate choice which is a crazy number of candidates with such an early pick.

 

[Be a Hab]

Birthdays/age is something scouts look out for when drafting a player.

Demidov Dec 10 2005 18 years old
Catton Jan 14 2006 18 years old
Lindstrom Feb 3 2006 18 years old
Iginla Aug 4 2006 17 years old

Iginla is 8 months younger than Demidov and at that age, it makes a difference. Iginla's numbers are pretty good considering his age difference.

I’m not saying Iginla is better than any of the above players but age is just something to consider when drafting.

 

[Runner77]

Birthdays/age is something scouts look out for when drafting a player.

Demidov Dec 10 2005 18 years old
Catton Jan 14 2005 18 years old
Lindstrom Feb 3 2006 18 years old
Iginla Aug 4 2006 17 years old

Iginla is 8 months younger than Demidov and at that age, it makes a difference. Iginla's numbers are pretty good considering his age difference.

I’m not saying Iginla is better than any of the above players but age is just something to consider when drafting.

I’m glad you pointed out the age factor as raw number comparisons were being made in this thread without regard to late birthdays.

By the way, I believe Catton was born in 2006.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Birthdays/age is something scouts look out for when drafting a player.

Demidov Dec 10 2005 18 years old
Catton Jan 14 2006 18 years old
Lindstrom Feb 3 2006 18 years old
Iginla Aug 4 2006 17 years old

Iginla is 8 months younger than Demidov and at that age, it makes a difference. Iginla's numbers are pretty good considering his age difference.

I’m not saying Iginla is better than any of the above players but age is just something to consider when drafting.

I think Iginla was 1.5 months away from being in the 2025 draft.

 

[CristianoRonaldo]

I’m ready for Columbus to break our heart and draft Iginla.

I really want 1 if Demidov/Iginla, but Demidov might be a pipe dream.

They are free to do it, if Demidov is available.

 

[Habs Halifax]

They are free to do it, if Demidov is available.

I wonder what our fan base would say if Demidov, Lindstrom, Iggy are all on the board and we take Iggy. Low probability of all 3 being there but it's possible. All it takes is 3 D to go 2, 3, 4.

 

[ReHabs]

I've refrained from commenting on this draft after getting the last two catastrophically "wrong" (vis a vis what the Habs ended up doing). For the purposes of posterity I'll put my vote behind Catton. He seems extremely interesting.

Catton, Demidov, Iginla, Lindstrom in that order. One of them should be available. And if Levshunov is available, he goes after Demidov.

 

[CristianoRonaldo]

I wonder what our fan base would say if Demidov, Lindstrom, Iggy are all on the board and we take Iggy. Low probability of all 3 being there but it's possible. All it takes is 3 D to go 2, 3, 4.

I would riot...

 

[Habs Halifax]

I've refrained from commenting on this draft after getting the last two catastrophically "wrong" (vis a vis what the Habs ended up doing). For the purposes of posterity I'll put my vote behind Catton. He seems extremely interesting.

Catton, Demidov, Iginla, Lindstrom in that order. One of them should be available. And if Levshunov is available, he goes after Demidov.

If I had confidence Catton would reach 195-200 lbs, I have him rated higher than 8-13 range. However, what is he today? 163 lbs? I don't think he is turning the needle at the NHL level as a complete forward. More like a skilled perimeter player to me. I think he will be a top 6F but not a top line asset. Not the type that helps you win in the playoffs IMO.

I think the Habs are going to go after skill/size/skating and hot trending. Look no further than Slaf and Reinbacher.

I’m ready for Columbus to break our heart and draft Iginla.

I really want 1 if Demidov/Iginla, but Demidov might be a pipe dream.

Demidov and Iggy are my two targets was well. Lindstrom close behind.

I think the Blue Jackets go after a D or a C. I think they are looking at Lindstrom.

However, I do see a chance someone from 2-4 is looking at Iggy. I'd put low odds to it but it's not 0%. Maybe 25% chance.

 

[Be a Hab]

if Chicago pass on Demidov, I think there's a chance both him and Iginla are available.

San jose: Cellebrini
Chicago: any D not named Levshinov
Anaheim: Levshinov
Columbus: Lindstrom
Montreal: Demidov/Iginla

 

[Habs Halifax]

if Chicago pass on Demidov, I think there's a chance both him and Iginla are available.

San jose: Cellebrini
Chicago: any D not named Levshinov
Anaheim: Levshinov
Columbus: Lindstrom
Montreal: Demidov/Iginla

Yup, I see that possibility too. And call me crazy but I'd take Iggy over Demidov. Very close call to make but that's what I would do today. Over the long term, I think Iggy has a more stable NHL career and I don't like Demidov's play along the boards at times.

Imagine, we pass on both Michkov and Demidov. Russians will notice this and start to not like Montreal! lol. It could back fire yes.

 

[ReHabs]

If I had confidence Catton would reach 195-200 lbs, I have him rated higher than 8-13 range. However, what is he today? 163 lbs? I don't think he is turning the needle at the NHL level as a complete forward. More like a skilled perimeter player to me. I think he will be a top 6F but not a top line asset. Not the type that helps you win in the playoffs IMO.

I think the Habs are going to go after skill/size/skating and hot trending. Look no further than Slaf and Reinbacher.

The organization would know best if Catton has room to grow or not but I see Keller, I see skill, I see sparks of talent. Catton's ceiling is wild.

With nutrition and exercise science being where they're at, weight doesn't seem like much of a concern to me. Look at Kirby Dach -- great frame and size but a shocking number of severe freak injuries. Even Slafkovsky missed a quarter of his NHL career thus far with a single freak injury.

 

[Habs Halifax]

The organization would know best if Catton has room to grow or not but I see Keller, I see skill, I see sparks of talent. Catton's ceiling is wild.

With nutrition and exercise science being where they're at, weight doesn't seem like much of a concern to me. Look at Kirby Dach -- great frame and size but a shocking number of severe freak injuries. Even Slafkovsky missed a quarter of his NHL career thus far with a single freak injury.

I prefer to draft a playoff warrior type. Someone with skill/skating/size and along the lines of our last two picks.... Slaf and Reinbacher.

 

[ReHabs]

I prefer to draft a playoff warrior type. Someone with skill/skating/size and along the lines of our last two picks.... Slaf and Reinbacher.

Reinbacher is a lot of things but it's hard to call him a 'playoff warrior type' and especially when the Habs left Ryan Leonard on the board. I don't see much similarity between Slafkovsky and Reinbacher other than their robust frames.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

I’m glad you pointed out the age factor as raw number comparisons were being made in this thread without regard to late birthdays.

By the way, I believe Catton was born in 2006.

And for my part I beleive Catton was born.
- born in .... ?
Just born.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Reinbacher is a lot of things but it's hard to call him a 'playoff warrior type' and especially when the Habs left Ryan Leonard on the board. I don't see much similarity between Slafkovsky and Reinbacher other than their robust frames.

Reinbacher will be that top 4D type that logs a lot of min's and forces things to the outside. Maybe not going to be physical like Chiarot or Eddy but man... he's got that size and skating to neutralize guys in our own end.

Slaf doesn't really hit that much. But his stick is very active and he causes a lot of disruptions with his forecheck and long reach. He's very good at this area.

I think our targets are one of Demidov, Iggy, Lindstrom.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

Reinbacher is a lot of things but it's hard to call him a 'playoff warrior type' and especially when the Habs left Ryan Leonard on the board. I don't see much similarity between Slafkovsky and Reinbacher other than their robust frames.

They don't have to share many things. They have in common the size and robust frame. It's an endless hobby to compare and give equivalent names of existing players to prospects players. rein will be who he will be. I saw a tall guy with a good balanced body, excellent in skating, in pinning a player on the boards (with big euro rinks btw), he seems to make good quick decisions, some work to be done but I'm very confident he will fix his few flaws and game decision. The guy seems very intelligent, he will adapt to NA hockey style, no worry. And yes, for those who noticed, he seems the type of warrior in PO time.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

Reinbacher will be that top 4D type that logs a lot of min's and forces things to the outside. Maybe not going to be physical like Chiarot or Eddy but man... he's got that size and skating to neutralize guys in our own end.

Slaf doesn't really hit that much. But his stick is very active and he causes a lot of disruptions with his forecheck and long reach. He's very good at this area.

I think our targets are one of Demidov, Iggy, Lindstrom.

And no Catton? He seems the flavor of the week on this thread or maybe he comes behind cuz the other ones looks so interresting. I haven't seen a draft so full of equivalent prospects in a decade. Time will tell who and who. Remember Zadina, KK or Sabas Collberg 10 years ago, lol. Or maybe they will all shine like stars in their own teams.

 

[Habs Halifax]

And no Catton? He seems the flavor of the week on this thread or maybe he comes behind cuz the other ones looks so interresting. I haven't seen a draft so full of equivalent prospects in a decade. Time will tell who and who. Remember Zadina, KK or Sabas Collberg 10 years ago, lol. Or maybe they will all shine like stars in their own teams.

I'm guessing but our targets are one of Demidov, Iggy, Lindstrom.

Guys like Catton, Sennecke, Eiserman are 8-13 range in terms of the waive of talent IMO.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

I'm guessing but our targets are one of Demidov, Iggy, Lindstrom.

Guys like Catton, Sennecke, Eiserman are 8-13 range in terms of the waive of talent IMO.

Yeah, I think your target players are very probable and the 3 other names comes in second waive of draft, mixed with some D who belongs there.

 

[salbutera]

I'm really scared to draft Lindstrom. If my mind serves me well, we've seen this story unfold before with Nolan Patrick, Alex Turcotte, and others. It almost never ends well.

If Lindstrom gets healthy, then yes, he would be absolutely amazing for any team to have (and I hope we'd get him). But the risk outweighs the reward in this case. This might be the last time the Habs draft this high in a long time. We cannot miss our shot here.

Gorton said exactly that at end of season presser and how this is a very important summer for the org / rebuild. So they know & understand the importance of getting it right … whether they execute properly is another matter

 

[Habs Halifax]

Yeah, I think your target players are very probable and the 3 other names comes in second waive of draft, mixed with some D who belongs there.

The way I see it between the F and D is there are lots of top 6F and lots of top 4D. Then there is a chance 2 or 3 of them become top line or top pairing assets. The general trend I am seeing is fans looking at most of that D group and thinking they are top pairing studs. I don't see it that way. I see very good top 4D. Same as the forward group, I see very good top 6F's. Who becomes top pairing and who becomes top line is guess work.

Demidov, Iggy, Lindstrom, Catton, Sennecke, Eiserman, Helenius
vs
Silayev, Levshunov, Dickinson, Parekh, Buium

 

[salbutera]

Birthdays/age is something scouts look out for when drafting a player.

Demidov Dec 10 2005 18 years old
Catton Jan 14 2006 18 years old
Lindstrom Feb 3 2006 18 years old
Iginla Aug 4 2006 17 years old

Iginla is 8 months younger than Demidov and at that age, it makes a difference. Iginla's numbers are pretty good considering his age difference.

I’m not saying Iginla is better than any of the above players but age is just something to consider when drafting.

The other way to look at age based on Hughes’ stating they want a player that isn’t far off, would be org might view Demidov as likely NHL ready for 25-26 season - combined w fact he has 1-year remaining on his MHL deal

 

[Habs Halifax]

The other way to look at age based on Hughes’ stating they want a player that isn’t far off, would be org might view Demidov as likely NHL ready for 25-26 season - combined w fact he has 1-year remaining on his MHL deal

They obviously prefer to do another Dach trade addition but I think they are smart enough to realize that if it's not available, they will continue with adding to our pool.

Forcing a trade just because someone like Necas is available is not a good plan. I personally don't think Newhook is a sure shot top 6F and we added a very good middle 6F. I do like having him in our mix though because I value the winger who can play center in case of injuries.

There is much more important things for us as we head into next season. Further evaluations need to be done with the following players: Some are on great development tracks and others are very early. It's a mixed bag and it's almost half or more of our roster.

* Slaf
* Dach
* Newhook
* Roy
* Mesar, Heineman, Farrell, RHP

* Guhle
* Reinbacher
* Hutson
* Xhekaj
* Mailloux
* Struble
* Barron
* Engstrom
* Harris, Trudeau