At #19 my targets woud be Edstrom/Honzrk/Stenberg..
While Honzek is a left shot who is listed as C/LW ..but I think he projects best as a RW playing his off side..
Edstrom is a true Center ...
Stenberg can pkay Center or LW (he played LW at u18s where Edstrom was his center).
Not sure if all3 are still on the board at#19...Maybe Honzek or Stenberg goes off the board few spots before #19...I doubt all 3 are off the board by#19.. so barring some move up I think we can land 1 of these 3 at#19 and maybe 2 of them if we can move up to early 20s (using 2 of our 4 2nd rounders )..I have suggested maybe Minn woukd take #35 and#45 for #21 ...Thatcwoukd give them 4 seconds but our 2 seconds are much earlier thn the 2nds rounders they own...plus tgey do not own 3rd and 4th roubd picks..so they might go for such a deal?
Some of the other options listed above I woukd not pickand reason I would not is listed below:
Riley Heidt...lacks big size.for Center..like how he creates chances but for me too often fails to finish grade A chances..
Daniel But...has big size for the Wing..But (pardon the pun) he is a Russian and the Hawks are not a Russian shop..Also sjatibg is an issue he must improve on. So cannot see KD taking him...plusxasxA Russian there are always issues with how long will they stay in Russia before coming over. And still Putin's Ukraine war which could drag on beyond 3 years or whenever itvis expected But might cone over...Putin passed a new law that allows Russia to withhold passports of conscripts to tgeir Armed forces whije serving in this wR...If tgey conscripted a But or a Michkov then pass ports withheld till Ukraine War is over and Peacce Deal signed...who knows how long till that happens? Not saying But or Michkov or any Russian eligible for this NHL Draft will be conscripted ...but if Russian soldiers keep dying then it may be desperate Putin puts on mandatory conscription for young men to serve in this war .
So just too much risk and uncertainty now for me to pick any Russians this draft
Strammel=big but slow and not enough skill..Do not like him atcall
Perrault...after u18s more likely picked early teens than as late S #19...Very skilled with high hockey I.Q. ...but below average skatingvspee...which hurts him defensively to get back on the back'check
..so this is an issue unless a team is convinced his offensive skill can help outscore his defensive lack of speed concerns..
Benson goes top ten ...so no way he lasts till #19...love how he creates scoring chances...but no way he lasts to#19...Hawks would need to trade up ...If
However even if Haejs traded up to land Benson ...his size vs. NHL Pros is a concern..
He is a LW not a Center...Hawks need more size and net front guys...Hawks already will have Bedard and Nazar to create...
There isvonlyv1 puck and you cannot have a team of too many smaller fast andd skilled guys...none of which are with defensive impact and all who want to puck to flash and put up their own scoring.. I just think Hawks need some different types..
Calum Ritchie ...bug enough 2 way Center but to me is inconsistentvas to impacting games ..I still woukd take Edstrom as the best Big C 2 way.. 3zone solution...or Honzek for his potential =size +skill and some decent 2 way game but his flaw is that he does not shoot a lot from high danger areas nor pass to the crease much...whije he can beat dmen with rushes with speed and agility for a big guy and has a hard shot,tgere might beca concern that once recovering pucks in board battles he does not take it to the net but either psses back to the point ,or he carries it around tge o-zobe to get free and fire a longer range shot himself.. So notcsure he usxa classic power forward ...ratherxa Big forward with skill and agility...but maybe this is still worth drafting as to what he does well...
Edstrom on the other hand has high hockey I.Q.,great sense of always being in the right spot to both aide in offensive scoring and on position tonintercept passes or defend and close and check with his long reach..
He is not goibg to dazzle lugging the puck himself to create scoring...but he excels over short distances and in tight checking where he eitgerctakes pucks to the net or does give and goes through traffic ..His scoring is not from long or medium distance but mostly around the net in close.. He is Suoerb...absolutely the best in this draft at netfront presence and screening goalies..This is trouble for dmen to try to move hom or defend him in close and it occupies them making it much easier how his wingers to move around in greater space.
He is just solid in all 3 zone of the ice ...you can use hom on the pk or at the netfront on tge Pp.
He is nit fancy...but so good in the mature game and small details us his knack for beibg in the right positions for offensive or defensive supoort.His game already looks more pro than junior level.
To me he is a combination of Barkov (good in all 3 zones) ,Pavelski with scoring in close and defelection goals/goid hand-eye...and Thomas Holmstrom(Netfront goalie screener par excellence)..SO I think he adds so many elements Hawks need...we cannot have a team of all flashy smaller I want the puck to dazzle skill Forwards..
Hawks need a mix of styles and size for balancing out the lines and the team.
EDSTROM is not going to drive play himself ..but he may be tge best support forward in the draft...doing the heavy lifting helping thise on shift with him to shine the best they can be.To me there ids great value in this type of player added to our mix for the future contender team the Hawks will becone again in a few years down the line.
Finally...my 3rd target after Edstrom and Honzek is Otto Stenberg ...at his best (like at u18s for Sweden) he looks like a too ten talent.. Hard to ignore such an impact potential...but in his domestic leagues back in Sweden (J-20 and SHL stints) he wss not proficient scoring ..and so you wonder what happened with that? A sort of Jekyll and Hyde in impact performances..Which is the real Stenberg.
If you think the u18 version you saw play terrific hockey is his real ceiling in talent maybe you cannot pass that instead of taking the safer know what you get consistent performer with Edstrom?
It may come down to Stenberg has to be a featured star winger on yourctop line and scoring on the PP with Bedard as his Center and trying to wed their speed and skill on a line then trying to find a Big Winger to provide support and heavy lifting for them OR using Honzek instead as the bigger wing option for Bedard to play with...OR using edstrom as the Big 1C and ljaying Bedard at RW ....OR using Edstrom as 2C and Bedard at 1C but having both on the PP (Edstrom creating even more space for Bedard by screening the oppositionalie).
Not sure what KD is thinking on this...but I think as value at #19,I woukdvhave Edstrom,Honzek and Stenberg as my top 3 targets for picking at that spot.
At least 1 of them is there,probably 2vof them,maybe even all 3 ...
If all 3 are gone before#19,I would be surprised...but it would show that NHL GMs picking before#19 were thinking my very thoughts o the potential value proposition these 3 different prospects have that could help their team get better in a few years.