Prospect Info: The 2024-2025 Prospects Thread

[LemonSauceD]

That's the risk whenever you let teams start picking players that young. It's also why MLB drafts are like 400 rounds long which would need to be the case here to.

IMO, the draft should be more like the NBA and it’s “one and done” system. Draft eligibility being 19-23 depending on the amount of experience with the exceptional players taken at 19 after at least 1 NBA (NHL in this instance) season having been elapsed after graduation.

With the new CHL-NCAA agreement in place now, you could make it so that players can go play a season of college hockey after high school graduation and then enter the draft if they’d like (or play a full 4 years) before committing to the draft. The better prospects commit earlier and the long shots stay in college. This can also be applied to overseas players or players preferring to play overseas. Prospects come seasoned and you have a better idea and understanding of the type of player you’re getting and theoretically should make projecting players a far more predictable.

 

[Tables of Stats]

IMO, the draft should be more like the NBA and it’s “one and done” system. Draft eligibility being 19-23 depending on the amount of experience with the exceptional players taken at 19 after at least 1 NBA (NHL in this instance) season having been elapsed after graduation.

With the new CHL-NCAA agreement in place now, you could make it so that players can go play a season of college hockey after high school graduation and then enter the draft if they’d like (or play a full 4 years) before committing to the draft. The better prospects commit earlier and the long shots stay in college. This can also be applied to overseas players or players preferring to play overseas. Prospects come seasoned and you have a better idea and understanding of the type of player you’re getting and theoretically should make projecting players a far more predictable.

I don't mind that, but my goal is to get NHL budgets invested in maximizing the talent entering the league. I don't know that it happens at scale without direct team involvement with younger players.

 

[credulous]

IMO, the draft should be more like the NBA and it’s “one and done” system. Draft eligibility being 19-23 depending on the amount of experience with the exceptional players taken at 19 after at least 1 NBA (NHL in this instance) season having been elapsed after graduation.

With the new CHL-NCAA agreement in place now, you could make it so that players can go play a season of college hockey after high school graduation and then enter the draft if they’d like (or play a full 4 years) before committing to the draft. The better prospects commit earlier and the long shots stay in college. This can also be applied to overseas players or players preferring to play overseas. Prospects come seasoned and you have a better idea and understanding of the type of player you’re getting and theoretically should make projecting players a far more predictable.

i'd love to see the nhl do 'draft reform' with an eye towards better competitive balance. make players declare for the draft (i'd make them do it at least twice if they're under 21 before they can become a free agent if unpicked) but make teams sign players to a guaranteed pro contract immediately on draft. give teams as many picks as they want but lower max contract slots so teams can't just draft and stash a bunch of players with no hope of seeing the ice (in the ahl and nhl). give players a shorter window to ufa to compensate and i think you'd stop seeing teams stuck in rebuilding for five plus years. there'd be more movement of marginal players but teams would still have a reasonable amount of control over the stars

 

[LemonSauceD]

I don't mind that, but my goal is to get NHL budgets invested in maximizing the talent entering the league. I don't know that it happens at scale without direct team involvement with younger players.

I think you can still do that. Say you draft a 20 year old who’s completed two seasons of college or equivalent amount of overseas play. You have a more seasoned prospect that you can further develop and they can come into the AHL at a more advanced level. Say you draft a 22/23 year old commit with your later round pick… kind of a longshot anyway but still has some sort of potential to become something which is why you drafted them in the first place.

The draft weeds out these hopeless later round draft choices and your left with older committed players that actually have some sort of promise. my theory is that teams actually have more of an incentive to develop those players that are actually worth working with and not a complete waste of time.

But I do get your point in wanting more of a longer development approach but I don’t think teams have the patience nor the time. I also think you’ll see rebuilds take twice as longer.

i'd love to see the nhl do 'draft reform' with an eye towards better competitive balance. make players declare for the draft (i'd make them do it at least twice if they're under 21 before they can become a free agent if unpicked) but make teams sign players to a guaranteed pro contract immediately on draft. give teams as many picks as they want but lower max contract slots so teams can't just draft and stash a bunch of players with no hope of seeing the ice (in the ahl and nhl). give players a shorter window to ufa to compensate and i think you'd stop seeing teams stuck in rebuilding for five plus years. there'd be more movement of marginal players but teams would still have a reasonable amount of control over the stars

This is my logic as well. I’d also make the draft shorter. 5 rounds.

 

[Tables of Stats]

I think you can still do that. Say you draft a 20 year old who’s completed two seasons of college or equivalent amount of overseas play. You have a more seasoned prospect that you can further develop and they can come into the AHL at a more advanced level. Say you draft a 22/23 year old commit with your later round pick… kind of a longshot anyway but still has some sort of potential to become something which is why you drafted them in the first place.

The draft weeds out these hopeless later round draft choices and your left with older committed players that actually have some sort of promise. my theory is that teams actually have more of an incentive to develop those players that are actually worth working with and not a complete waste of time.

But I do get your point in wanting more of a longer development approach but I don’t think teams have the patience nor the time. I also think you’ll see rebuilds take twice as longer.

I think a longer development curve for prospects could actually help even out team performance. Imagine going all in for a 3 season window while still have 6 years and 15 rounds worth of 20 and under prospects in the system. You'll get more busts, but you'll also save kids from busting and you can still draft older kids that were overlooked until they hit UDFA status at 19 anyway.

 

[LemonSauceD]

I actually think a longer development curve for prospects could actually help even out team performance. Imagine going all in for a 3 season window while still have 6 years and 15 rounds worth of 20 and under prospects in the system. You'll get more busts, but you'll also save kids from busting and you can still draft older kids that were overlooked until they hit UDFA status at 19 anyway.

Meh.

Let’s take Klimovich for example.

Drafted in the 2nd round, comes to the AHL at 18, is about to finish his 4th season and is still pretty trash. You can develop someone for 4, 5, 6, 7 years, but if they don’t actually have the talent, it’s just a waste of time imo.

 

[Tables of Stats]

Meh.

Let’s take Klimovich for example.

Drafted in the 2nd round, comes to the AHL at 18, is about to finish his 4th season and is still pretty trash. You can develop someone for 4, 5, 6, 7 years, but if they don’t actually have the talent, it’s just a waste of time imo.

It's hardly a waste. Teams would want to have stock for their U18, junior, and AHL-level partner clubs anyway. Plus, you'd expand the draft to twice as many rounds, where kids from 14 to 18 can be drafted, so it's not like you wouldn't have the chance to catch anybody with even the slightest shred of talent anyway. You'd have more busts and washouts, just like the MLB has, but the chance to help these kids grow their games would be worth it.

Klimovich is a poor example, as many of us speculate that his fundamental issues come from poor coaching in exactly the age range I'm talking about. Getting kids used to NHL-level systems with proper skating, fitness, skill, and nutrition coaches from their mid-teens will only help "low hockey IQ" players have every chance to get to an acceptable level as they physically mature. It also gives you a chance to work on behavioural issues with team mental health resources, meaning you're less likely to get Jake Virtanen or Evander Kane types.

 

[krutovsdonut]

I like the opposite. Get kids drafted at 14 or 15 with strict rules about how much time they can spend on hockey until their 18. This allows teams much more time with young players, gets the players better coaching, nutritionists, etc. I Think we see more talent wasted now that we would with team control at a younger age.

I would also have two different buckets for contracts with players under 18 and inelligable for NHL play and 18+ where a regular ELC kicks in. Team team has an option to cancel the contract with 3 months until the players 18th birthday while the player can opt out on the 6th month windows before that. Junior ELCs, for lack of a better term, would be 1/5th of a normal ELC and have no impact on a teams salary cap.

disagree strongly. let them be kids longer.

 

[MS]

The NHL draft and development process is by far the most interesting of any of the 4 major sports and there is no reason to change it in any way.

 

[Tables of Stats]

disagree strongly. let them be kids longer.

Are the kids who go on to make the NHL really putting in much less effort than what a professional team would be asking of them?

 

[Tables of Stats]

The NHL draft and development process is by far the most interesting of any of the 4 major sports and there is no reason to change it in any way.

I like the NFL because you get to see a good chunk of 3rd round and up draft picks make an impact the next season. MLB is good in that if you're a prospects guy, you get to follow players for ages with super detailed stats and scouting reports. The NBA is the least interesting to me, so few players hit, and a high round bust or a player demanding a trade as they hit UFA just kills any chance for most teams to win. Soccer with no draft at all is also cool.

The NHL is my top pick because I love the sport, but I'm also the type who wants to see what can be done to bring more players up to a Crosby, Ovie, or even McDavid level.

 

[Nuckles]

It appears that Anthony Romani will be headed to Michigan State next season. The Barrie Colts forward had an outstanding playoffs, registering 12 goals and 12 assists in 16 games. Multiple sources came forward with this info, so it seems to not be much of a secret anymore.

 

[Tables of Stats]

It appears that Anthony Romani will be headed to Michigan State next season. The Barrie Colts forward had an outstanding playoffs, registering 12 goals and 12 assists in 16 games. Multiple sources came forward with this info, so it seems to not be much of a secret anymore.

Probably the best route for him to take. He's likely not AHL ready or we'd have kicked the tires on getting him there. Going back to the CHL does nothing, so college it is. Nice that it's finally an option.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Probably the best route for him to take. He's likely not AHL ready or we'd have kicked the tires on getting him there. Going back to the CHL does nothing, so college it is. Nice that it's finally an option.

It’ll make prospect development quite interesting in the coming years, too. Definitely nice to see it as a stream for players to choose after junior.

 

[Attack Vector]

Great move by Romani, he’s played the CHL grind of 60+ games, now in college, he will play less games but will be against older men, and has more time to focus on strength and conditioning. I’m more bullish on him than ever and he could turn out to be a legitimate prospect if he has a good rookie season.

 

[Hughes Clues]

Probably the best route for him to take. He's likely not AHL ready or we'd have kicked the tires on getting him there. Going back to the CHL does nothing, so college it is. Nice that it's finally an option.

Was this not an option until recently?

 

[Nuckles]

Was this not an option until recently?

Yeah it's a recent change announced last November.

CHL players were ineligible to play college hockey in the past due to their monthly stipend (for living expenses) being considered professional pay/salary.

 

[Hughes Clues]

Yeah it's a recent change announced last November.

CHL players were ineligible to play college hockey in the past due to their monthly stipend (for living expenses) being considered professional pay/salary.

What a joke. The NCAA was ass backwards for years.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

Romani has top six upside. The question is if he can be consistent enough at the NHL level. A PPG+ season in college would do wonders for his chances.

 

[LemonSauceD]

That is great to see.

I’m assuming we retain his rights for another 4 years now?

 

[VanJack]

That is great to see.

I’m assuming we retain his rights for another 4 years now?

This is an interesting question, that I'm somebody out there will have an answer to.

Since Romani was drafted by the Canucks out of the OHL, normally he'd have to be signed by the end of his draft-plus two season--or go back into the draft.

In NCAA hockey on the other other hand, a player doesn't become a complete UFA until August of his senior year. So theoretically the Canucks would have four seasons to make a decision on him.

I suppose the NHL brain-trust has a solution to this......but I have no idea what it is.

 

[credulous]

i believe nothing changes with regards to romani's rights. either the canucks sign him by june 1 (2026) or he becomes a free agent

if he'd been drafted at 18 he'd reenter the draft instead of becoming a free agent

 

[Blue and Green]

Romani has top six upside. The question is if he can be consistent enough at the NHL level. A PPG+ season in college would do wonders for his chances.

If he had top-six upside the Canucks would sign him to an ELC and get him started in the AHL. Heading to the NCAA for his age 20 season is basically a sign that he's probably a marginal guy.

 

[VanJack]

i believe nothing changes with regards to romani's rights. either the canucks sign him by june 1 (2026) or he becomes a free agent

if he'd been drafted at 18 he'd reenter the draft instead of becoming a free agent

Hmm....if this is true, it's a big problem for teams like the Canucks. Obviously Romani is going the college route at Michigan to at least play two or three years and get close to a university degree. But if he signs with the Canucks by the June 1, 2026, he'd lose his NCAA scholarship.

At this point you'd have to say that it's likely that after finishing his freshman year at Michigan in June of next year,, he'd just stay in college--and the Canucks would lose his rights for nothing. Hardly an ideal outcome.

 

[Hughes Clues]

Hmm....if this is true, it's a big problem for teams like the Canucks. Obviously Romani is going the college route at Michigan to at least play two or three years and get close to a university degree. But if he signs with the Canucks by the June 1, 2026, he'd lose his NCAA scholarship.

At this point you'd have to say that it's likely that after finishing his freshman year at Michigan in June of next year,, he'd just stay in college--and the Canucks would lose his rights for nothing. Hardly an ideal outcome.

Let's not get into hypotheticals with another player.