Prospect Info: The 2016 Draft Thread [Draft Lottery April 30th]

[BB88]

I don't wanna bring this whole discussion up again, especially not here. This is the HFOil draft thread, not the Puljujärvi prospects thread. I don't appreciate you finnish guys coming in here and starting this up all over again. If I wanted to continue that discussion I would post in the thread in the prospects forum. And no I've never said that I think he is going to bust, there seems to be a misunderstanding there. All I've said is that I'm concerned about some parts of his game and that I don't think he is the slam-dunk superstar some make him out to be. It's my opinion, end of story.

I was coming to here to check comments on other top players of the draft and get to know them better, Serg being one interesting, these are great threads to find info, but I just really, really don't get some of these Pulju comments that are said here, and they don't give the real picture of his game and I think it's usefull to say something when he may end up in Edmonton.

 

[McDNicks17]

Thompson is good, and has some upside, but I will caution you on the numbers a bit. I believe he has only scored one goal 5v5 this year. More of a PP specialist.

Good call.

That's pretty wild. 13 goals. 12 on the PP haha.

 

[FinPanda]

I don't wanna bring this whole discussion up again, especially not here. This is the HFOil draft thread, not the Puljujärvi prospects thread. I don't appreciate you finnish guys coming in here and starting this up all over again. If I wanted to continue that discussion I would post in the thread in the prospects forum. And no I've never said that I think he is going to bust, there seems to be a misunderstanding there. All I've said is that I'm concerned about some parts of his game and that I don't think he is the slam-dunk superstar some make him out to be. It's my opinion, end of story.

Yea I didn't want to start anything. I just said I want Pulju to shut your mouth and prove to be a good NHL player in the future. Didn't expect a response from you or anyone else.

And now I won't post again here. Thanks and sorry. You get the 1st overall pick anyway so.

 

[FiveFourteenSixOne]

Yea I didn't want to start anything. I just said I want Pulju to shut your mouth and prove to be a good NHL player in the future. Didn't expect a response from you or anyone else.

And now I won't post again here. Thanks and sorry. You get the 1st overall pick anyway so.

I can't speak for anyone else, but the more discussion on these guys the better. There's a good chance one of them is an Oiler, so those of us who can't watch them play appreciate ANY information and opinions that people can provide on them. Good prospect talk is good prospect talk. If it happens to focus on one or two guys for 5 pages, than so be it. Better to get good in depth discussion on a few players, than just skim the surface on a dozen!

 

[Staghorn]

IN reading the last few pages, I'm surprised at the lack of mentions for Tkatchuk... For me, Laine is #1 and I hope the Oil can get him at 2 overall... After that I would trade Matthews for immediate help, or draft Tkatchuk and move Eberle. Tkatchuk is already a more complete and competititve player who has tons of grit and intangibles. Not done growing either. I'm not sold on drafting a DMan from this draft - there's no Ekblad that can jump in and dominate.

I think Laine is going to be the best player in this draft in 5 years....

 

[HeavyHitter99]

IN reading the last few pages, I'm surprised at the lack of mentions for Tkatchuk... For me, Laine is #1 and I hope the Oil can get him at 2 overall... After that I would trade Matthews for immediate help, or draft Tkatchuk and move Eberle. Tkatchuk is already a more complete and competititve player who has tons of grit and intangibles. Not done growing either. I'm not sold on drafting a DMan from this draft - there's no Ekblad that can jump in and dominate.

I think Laine is going to be the best player in this draft in 5 years....

Tkachuk is the last player we need that's why. He plays with grit at times but is usually caught trying to make too many fancy moves and he gets himself in trouble and his lack of great skating can't get him out of it. He's also a pass first guy, another thing we don't need. If you watch a lot of London games too he often looks like a complimentary player to Dvorak and Marner. Saying he isn't done growing applies to all these players.

Also Chychrun isn't far behind Ekblad. He had a slow start but has been down right dominant the last 25 or so games and is living up to his hype. In Ekblad's draft year many people started saying he wasn't as good as everyone thought and look how that turned out. Even if he doesn't become as good as Ekblad, he still has top pair potential.

 

[Staghorn]

Tkachuk is the last player we need that's why. He plays with grit at times but is usually caught trying to make too many fancy moves and he gets himself in trouble and his lack of great skating can't get him out of it. He's also a pass first guy, another thing we don't need. If you watch a lot of London games too he often looks like a complimentary player to Dvorak and Marner. Saying he isn't done growing applies to all these players.

Also Chychrun isn't far behind Ekblad. He had a slow start but has been down right dominant the last 25 or so games and is living up to his hype. In Ekblad's draft year many people started saying he wasn't as good as everyone thought and look how that turned out. Even if he doesn't become as good as Ekblad, he still has top pair potential.

You make a good point - i remember Ekblad falling out of favor in his draft year in some peoples books... Now whether they actually mattered or not is something else. If the Oil had an Ekblad, wow. A 27 minute guy that could control the back end for half a game... If only.

As for Tkatchuk, I also note that plenty of his numbers are influenced by Marner... I just like the guy - he seems gritty and just have this feeling that he knows what it takes to pan out and be a success. In him I see a 15 year NHLer..

 

[HeavyHitter99]

You make a good point - i remember Ekblad falling out of favor in his draft year in some peoples books... Now whether they actually mattered or not is something else. If the Oil had an Ekblad, wow. A 27 minute guy that could control the back end for half a game... If only.

As for Tkatchuk, I also note that plenty of his numbers are influenced by Marner... I just like the guy - he seems gritty and just have this feeling that he knows what it takes to pan out and be a success. In him I see a 15 year NHLer..

So I've got a question for you. Why would you take Tkachuk over Dubois?

 

[doubledown99]

The Dman is the most important position in hockey in the current game. If you don't have good Dmen you have nothing. If we have top 3 trade it for a legit top 2 guy on the back end or trade down and select one of the prospects In this draft.

Listened to Button a few weeks ago and he stills like the finish kid. But also said Jake Bean could end up being best D in 5 years (emphasized was projecting) as Bean has lots of filling out to do. Says Chyc he sees as #4 but if develops could be more. Says Joul and Bean cold be #1s or safe #2 or 3.

I'll also add that I like Chyc but Buttons argument was that he was more physically advanced and that helps him at at his current level but his question was how good would he be when his physical advantage wasn't there at the NHL level etc

 

[Macblender]

Can someone explain Sergachev vs. Chychrun or their opinion on it. I see a lot of love for Sergachev and with Chychrun showing his offensive game lately something like PPG for the last 21 games I am wondering if he is playing himself back up to that Ekblad status.

I think Chychrun may just be so picked apart since he has been on the scene for so long that people are shying away even though he seems like a guy who could be a horse for a team and 1D.

If we do end up picking a forward I really am starting to like the idea of Dubois if we aren't a position to pick Laine.

Basically seems if we are in a position to select Chychrun, Laine, or Dubois I think we keep the pick otherwise move it. I would trade Matthews for the best D available if we got that pick just do to the C position having plenty of quality there already and we could likely land a phenomenal D with him.

 

[McDNicks17]

I think Chychrun is the clear top defenseman.

A little bit of overexposure, having his coach ask him to play a safer game and being on a low scoring team(pre-Konecny) was messing with his ranking, IMO.

22 points in his last 23 games now. Still a physical freak and probably the smartest D out there too.

 

[Macblender]

I think Chychrun is the clear top defenseman.

A little bit of overexposure, having his coach ask him to play a safer game and being on a low scoring team(pre-Konecny) was messing with his ranking, IMO.

22 points in his last 23 games now. Still a physical freak and probably the smartest D out there too.

I have read about the safer game portion and Brock Otten who does the scouts polling most of the down comments on Chychrun were about him not having the best offensive season so NHL scouts were a little worried if he wasn't progressing. They rave about everything else about his game it seems.

I personally and take this with a grain of salt as I don't watch the games and literally just go off of what people say about prospects so it is all second hand info see Chychrun's highlight reel (aka only have seen his best) but he seems to have a certain confidence or swagger to his game where he just believes he can do things. That is a really good trait to have in a D as they need it IMO to exert control over a game.

 

[Joey Moss]

So I've got a question for you. Why would you take Tkachuk over Dubois?

Not for me..

1. Matthews
2. Laine
3. Puljujarvi
4. Dubois
5. Chychrun/Tkachuk

 

[PKSpecialist]

I think Chychrun is the clear top defenseman.

A little bit of overexposure, having his coach ask him to play a safer game and being on a low scoring team(pre-Konecny) was messing with his ranking, IMO.

22 points in his last 23 games now. Still a physical freak and probably the smartest D out there too.

Couldn't agree more. I think the only question is which forwards you would take ahead of him. I have really targeted my top 15 rankings in the last 2 weeks and have really shuffled things around. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Chychrun is the best D in this draft. Button is right that he has a physical advantage as far as his strength goes, but it is his IQ that makes me think that he will be able to be a good NHLer. He is the total package from a defenseman. He may not be a 40 point guy, but I think a 30 point 25 minute defenseman is realistic with his toolset.

He is number 3 on my board only behind Matthews and Laine right now.

1. C - Auston Matthews - ZSC Lions
2. LW - Patrik Laine - Tappara
3. D - Jakob Chychrun - Sarnia Sting
4. RW - Alexander Nylander - Mississauga Steelheads
5. LW - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
6. RW - Jesse Puljujarvi - Karpat
7. LW - Matthew Tkachuk - London Knights
8. C - Michael McLeod - Mississauga Steelheads
9. D - Mikhail Sergachyov - Windsor Spitfires
10. RW - Julien Gauthier - Val d'Or Foreurs
11. C - German Rubtsov - Russia U18
12. LW - Max Jones - London Knights
13. LW - Kieffer Bellows - US NTDP
14. D - Olli Juolevi - London Knights
15. C - Clayton Keller - US NTDP

I think that is the clear cut top 15 for me. The order has been changing quite a bit, but I think it has leveled off for me and won't change until we see the playoff runs that each team makes. The next level of prospects which includes guys like Tyson Jost, Logan Brown, Jake Bean, Libor Hajek, Alex DeBrincat, etc. starts to have some warts in their game. Not that they are bad players, but the risk level starts to go up exponentially in my opinion.

 

[Zaddy]

Couldn't agree more. I think the only question is which forwards you would take ahead of him. I have really targeted my top 15 rankings in the last 2 weeks and have really shuffled things around. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Chychrun is the best D in this draft. Button is right that he has a physical advantage as far as his strength goes, but it is his IQ that makes me think that he will be able to be a good NHLer. He is the total package from a defenseman. He may not be a 40 point guy, but I think a 30 point 25 minute defenseman is realistic with his toolset.

He is number 3 on my board only behind Matthews and Laine right now.

1. C - Auston Matthews - ZSC Lions
2. LW - Patrik Laine - Tappara
3. D - Jakob Chychrun - Sarnia Sting
4. RW - Alexander Nylander - Mississauga Steelheads
5. LW - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
6. RW - Jesse Puljujarvi - Karpat
7. LW - Matthew Tkachuk - London Knights
8. C - Michael McLeod - Mississauga Steelheads
9. D - Mikhail Sergachyov - Windsor Spitfires
10. RW - Julien Gauthier - Val d'Or Foreurs
11. C - German Rubtsov - Russia U18
12. LW - Max Jones - London Knights
13. LW - Kieffer Bellows - US NTDP
14. D - Olli Juolevi - London Knights
15. C - Clayton Keller - US NTDP

I think that is the clear cut top 15 for me. The order has been changing quite a bit, but I think it has leveled off for me and won't change until we see the playoff runs that each team makes. The next level of prospects which includes guys like Tyson Jost, Logan Brown, Jake Bean, Libor Hajek, Alex DeBrincat, etc. starts to have some warts in their game. Not that they are bad players, but the risk level starts to go up exponentially in my opinion.

Interesting rankings. I can understand why guys have Sergachyov a little lower than me but what I don't get is McLeod over him or why McLeod is over Juolevi and Keller. He has size and speed yes and that is attractive but for his skillset his numbers really aren't that amazing. I think he is benefitting a lot from playing with Nylander and even so he is far behind Nylander in production. He didn't really make a case for himself when Nylander was away at the WJC's either.

 

[McDNicks17]

I think some people see some Larkin potential in McLeod.

Big, crazy skating, responsible two-way player. He isn't overly polished offensively, but the potential is there.

 

[PKSpecialist]

Interesting rankings. I can understand why guys have Sergachyov a little lower than me but what I don't get is McLeod over him. He has size and speed yes and that is attractive but for his skillset his numbers really aren't that amazing. I think he is benefitting a lot from playing with Nylander and even so he is far behind Nylander in production. He didn't really make a case for himself when Nylander was away at the WJC's either.

McLeod reminds me a lot of a young Ryan Kesler. He may not be the most dominant offensive player out there, especially from a playmaking standpoint, but he creates offense with his speed and determination. I believe that McLeod has a higher upside than Kesler had, and I would take the risk on him that he achieves that. The not making a case for himself when Nylander was away is tough to gauge. Mississauga is a one trick pony team in terms of the Nylander/Bastian/McLeod line. There is no other line to key in on. When you are missing one of those players on that line it is easier to key in on not just the one line, but the one player on the line. I do feel like Bastian is an underrated player, and will likely be a first rounder in the mid-20's.

Nylander has really left a mark on me since the WJC's. He is the Patrick Kane of this draft in terms of the excitement he brings when the puck is on his stick. Speed, skill, vision and creativity.

I like Sergachyov, but I think he makes a lot of questionable decisions in his own end. Seems to lose contain and gets caught puck watching. It's certainly fixable, but leaves me with some doubts.

 

[Soundwave]

I still like Chychrun. 22 points in his last 23 games as mentioned above and his plus minus is way up. Good all around player.

Maybe it's kind of a blessing in disguise that he might fall a bit for the Oilers to be able to snag him.

And physically he's already fairly developed and a strong kid which means he'll likely be able to play here sooner than later.

 

[Staghorn]

So I've got a question for you. Why would you take Tkachuk over Dubois?

For me that is a no brainer. Tkatchuk is an OHL player who plays with an arrogance and edge. He was clearly a leader on the WJC team, plays rough and has a nose for the net. Great pedigree. Will get bigger and angrier. I think he will be a great long term NHL leader.

As for Dubois, he is a QMJ player.. No thanks, not for me up in the stratosphere where the Oilers will be drafting - top 5. Nowhere is he ranked that high. If you are going to reach a bit, say from 5-7, I'd go for Gauthier or Max Jones.

 

[PKSpecialist]

I still like Chychrun. 22 points in his last 23 games as mentioned above and his plus minus is way up. Good all around player.

Maybe it's kind of a blessing in disguise that he might fall a bit for the Oilers to be able to snag him.

And physically he's already fairly developed and a strong kid which means he'll likely be able to play here sooner than later.

As far as the Oilers go, I think this is almost a negative.

We need defenders, but with Davidson, Nurse and Klefbom all penciled into the starting lineup next year, and a good chance Reinhart gets a shot, I don't think you want to draft any of the defensemen with thoughts of penciling them in as well. I suppose drafting Chychrun may give the team an opportunity to trade one of the other guys for an experienced guy(some have mentioned Nurse for Hamonic...not sure I'm on board, but if we had Chychrun I think I could get over it).

 

[Fourier]

I think some people see some Larkin potential in McLeod.

Big, crazy skating, responsible two-way player. He isn't overly polished offensively, but the potential is there.

I really like McLeod!

 

[Canovin]

I'd be extremely with either Chychrun/Sergachev. The reason I'd lean towards Sergachev is he's everything Chychrun is but with an elite shot. That will come in handy for us

 

[Zaddy]

McLeod reminds me a lot of a young Ryan Kesler. He may not be the most dominant offensive player out there, especially from a playmaking standpoint, but he creates offense with his speed and determination. I believe that McLeod has a higher upside than Kesler had, and I would take the risk on him that he achieves that. The not making a case for himself when Nylander was away is tough to gauge. Mississauga is a one trick pony team in terms of the Nylander/Bastian/McLeod line. There is no other line to key in on. When you are missing one of those players on that line it is easier to key in on not just the one line, but the one player on the line. I do feel like Bastian is an underrated player, and will likely be a first rounder in the mid-20's.

Nylander has really left a mark on me since the WJC's. He is the Patrick Kane of this draft in terms of the excitement he brings when the puck is on his stick. Speed, skill, vision and creativity.

I like Sergachyov, but I think he makes a lot of questionable decisions in his own end. Seems to lose contain and gets caught puck watching. It's certainly fixable, but leaves me with some doubts.

Fair response. I'm personally not a big fan of Bastian either. I think Nylander is everything on that line and those two are getting somewhat dragged along by him. Would've been interesting to see how well they would've produced without him on their line over the course of a season. McLeod has some great tools no doubt but outside of his speed he just hasn't wowed me in the way many of the other top10 guys have.

For me the top10 is pretty much locked in and McLeod is not in it. I really like all the guys that's in my top10. Compared to your rankings instead of McLeod and Gauthier I have Juolevi and Keller in my top10. Juolevi just seems like a safe bet to be a puck-moving top4 d-man at the very least and Kellers upside is crazy high. Not a huge fan of Gauthier either, just very inconsistent and I know some scouts have started questioning his IQ and subsequently started to drop him into the late teens or even twenties.

 

[VainGretzky]

Unless its 1 or 2 trade it for Hamonic

 

[HeavyHitter99]

For me that is a no brainer. Tkatchuk is an OHL player who plays with an arrogance and edge. He was clearly a leader on the WJC team, plays rough and has a nose for the net. Great pedigree. Will get bigger and angrier. I think he will be a great long term NHL leader.

As for Dubois, he is a QMJ player.. No thanks, not for me up in the stratosphere where the Oilers will be drafting - top 5. Nowhere is he ranked that high. If you are going to reach a bit, say from 5-7, I'd go for Gauthier or Max Jones.

You haven't watched Dubois have you? And how much have you watched Tkachuk outside the WJC?

Dubois is 6'4", plays mean too (without Tkachuk's attitude issues), can play physical, is a much better skater, is stronger, he can play all positions and he plays a 2-way game. Dubois has climbed up the rankings and is as high as 4 by some people (including me). I suggest you try watching him, he's easily more dynamic and a better fit for us.