Team Board Mock Draft

[ps241]

I took it to mean we don't have a hot clue.

We are not being pier pressured by the masses. Time will tell if we are as smart as we think we are

 

[Daximus]

Different then HF, obviously but I think there are differences from general scouting opinions as well. There seems to be a sentiment here that he has a high offensive upside, but most scouting reports are critical of his offensive skills. He's generally considered to have below average puck skills and an average shot to go along with his skating issues.

I like the fact that he produces a lot of points in the CHL without relying on any obvious physical tools, I think that suggests a high hoceky IQ that will translate into a good defensive D-man at the NHL level, but he's more Dylan DeMelo than Josh Morrissey.

I think when you put it in the context of he's only been playing Defence for about 3 going on 4 years and he's already showing this kind of promise shows he has a high IQ. Before this he was a C/W,

I think anyone who says his shot is bad hasn't watched him play. Does he have a massive boomer of a slapper? No. But his wrist shot is deadly and he see's the ice really well. Gets shots through more often than not and is generally good at recognizing when to shoot to score or shoot for a rebound. And yeah while he's not an amazing puck handler he is a good one. He generally just makes the right plays rather than the flashy plays.

Not only did he lead his team in scoring as a draft eligible defencemen he also lead all draft eligible defencemen in scoring in the Dub.

 

[lomiller1]

I think when you put it in the context of he's only been playing Defence for about 3 going on 4 years and he's already showing this kind of promise shows he has a high IQ. Before this he was a C/W,

I think anyone who says his shot is bad hasn't watched him play. Does he have a massive boomer of a slapper? No. But his wrist shot is deadly and he see's the ice really well. Gets shots through more often than not and is generally good at recognizing when to shoot to score or shoot for a rebound. And yeah while he's not an amazing puck handler he is a good one. He generally just makes the right plays rather than the flashy plays.

Not only did he lead his team in scoring as a draft eligible defencemen he also lead all draft eligible defencemen in scoring in the Dub.

Connor Timmins was a big point producer in the CHL as well, but he's certainly never going to be one in the NHL.

CHL point production is an important indicator for D-men, but it's not a particularly good indicator for what type of D-Man that player will be. Dragicevic doesn't have the skill set to be a dynamic offensive D-man in the NHL. What he could be is a puck moving defensive D-man who can make smart but simple plays in the offensive zone. That would still be a really valuable asset, and I'm not even entirely opposed to taking him at 18 but he is not what most teams are looking for in the middle of the first round.

 

[Gabe Kupari]

You gotta take the likely still top 6 potential center or forward over the possible defensive 3rd pairing d man. We have like 5 picks currently and no 2nd rounder, I mean... pretty sure you need to go bpa forward here as currently you got 1 pick in the first 2 rounds here

 

[Daximus]

Connor Timmins was a big point producer in the CHL as well, but he's certainly never going to be one in the NHL.

CHL point production is an important indicator for D-men, but it's not a particularly good indicator for what type of D-Man that player will be. Dragicevic doesn't have the skill set to be a dynamic offensive D-man in the NHL. What he could be is a puck moving defensive D-man who can make smart but simple plays in the offensive zone. That would still be a really valuable asset, and I'm not even entirely opposed to taking him at 18 but he is not what most teams are looking for in the middle of the first round.

Timmins also suffered a major concussion and has had knee surgery early on in his career, So while I'm not going to say that his career has been entirely derailed so far, he's had an uphill battle which so far Dragicevic doesn't.

Will Dragicevic be competing for Norris trophies in his prime? Likely not. But I think he has a good chance of being a 3-6 type of defencemen who has decent size, isn't afraid of contact and has an offensive touch to his game. With the slight upside of refining his skating mechanics and adding a bit more bulk and leaning into learning more of the defensive side of the game to be a bigger minute muncher. His defensive positioning is good and he knows what to do with the puck when he gets it, just needs a bit more work on being more assertive in the dzone.

As a comparalbe I think an Evan Bouchard kind of defencemen is his ceiling. Bouchard skates well but certainly isn't elite, he has a boomer of a slapper but lacks a more refined touch on the puck and has solid passing ability. The main difference between the two is Bouchard is bigger but certainly doesn't use his size any better than Dragicevic does and while Dragicevic lacks the booming shot he has a much better wrist shot, especially in tight and see's the ice just as well as Bouchard does. Also makes a lot less risky plays with the puck, which has burned Bouchard a lot since making the NHL.

 

[Gabe Kupari]

Drafting for need seems silly since dude won't be ready for 3 years

 

[Daximus]

Drafting for need seems silly since dude won't be ready for 3 years

Whose drafting for need? I honestly think Dragicevic is the best player on board there. Some can disagree and that is fine. But I'm not one to go for need over what I think is BPA.

You gotta take the likely still top 6 potential center or forward over the possible defensive 3rd pairing d man. We have like 5 picks currently and no 2nd rounder, I mean... pretty sure you need to go bpa forward here as currently you got 1 pick in the first 2 rounds here

BPA forward is the definition of drafting for need you go with who you think is the BPA. Whether that is a forward a D or a goalie.

 

[Al Camino]

Drafting for need seems silly since dude won't be ready for 3 years

I recall the last time they drafted for need. It was for left shot defensemen and ended up with Logan Stanley.

 

[Whileee]

I think when you put it in the context of he's only been playing Defence for about 3 going on 4 years and he's already showing this kind of promise shows he has a high IQ. Before this he was a C/W,

I think anyone who says his shot is bad hasn't watched him play. Does he have a massive boomer of a slapper? No. But his wrist shot is deadly and he see's the ice really well. Gets shots through more often than not and is generally good at recognizing when to shoot to score or shoot for a rebound. And yeah while he's not an amazing puck handler he is a good one. He generally just makes the right plays rather than the flashy plays.

Not only did he lead his team in scoring as a draft eligible defencemen he also lead all draft eligible defencemen in scoring in the Dub.

The worry is you end up with a bit better version of Gawanke... Produces offense but without the tools or defensive capability to make a difference at the NHL level.

 

[Daximus]

The worry is you end up with a bit better version of Gawanke... Produces offense but without the tools or defensive capability to make a difference at the NHL level.

Yeah there is certainly some risk there. Although I'd put his offensive game significantly ahead of Gawanke's at the same age but yes the concerns are similar.

I think with the right amount of work he can be a solid offensive defencemen at the NHL level. If he's willing to listen and work on some of the faults in his game he certainly has the tools to take it to the next level. That level isn't like perennial Norris contender but I think he can be a solid 2/3 guy at the top of his projection if he can work on those things. And the thing that really strikes me about it is a lot of it is mechanics. The power is already there, he just needs to be taught how to use it effectively.