Post-draft Report Cards (Franchises D to H)
Oct 9, 2016 13:26:32 GMT -5
bjernagris (PHI) and Ville (SJS) like this
Post by brentdog on Oct 9, 2016 13:26:32 GMT -5
DALLAS STARS
Let me just preface this rant by saying that the issue isn’t so much who the Stars drafted but more the how. Can someone please explain to me why on earth they flew over a dozen people 1500 miles to sit at a table for a combined seven hours, probably spending more time on “remember when” stories than anything else? Their draft day situation reminded me of those people with a hundred dollars in their savings account who go looking in luxury car showrooms for ‘fun’. Seriously, why bother? You’re not telling me that GM Zentner, the trading kingpin, couldn’t swing a deal to add at least a pick or two and make his time in Philly worthwhile?
As for their sole pick Dawson Barteaux (29th), he’s a good, physical defenceman with some offensive upside, as shown by his points haul in the WHL last season – think Oscar Klefbom but with a better shot from the point.
Summary: You’d have to think the Stars would have got better value (and I’m not just talking in terms of saving on hotel room and bar tab costs) in trading this pick – C-
DETROIT RED WINGS
For an organisation famed for their drafting and development of players the Red Wings have been pretty average on this front over the last couple of years, as evidenced by their mediocre prospect pool, which is long on bodies but short on quality. It was therefore important that new GM Wayne Thompson got off to a Flyer in Philly (pardon the pun here) and in our opinion he did just that.
Grabbing two-way skill center Blade Jenkins (18th) and smart puck distributor Adam Boqvist (48th) in the first two rounds set strong foundations from the get go. Swede Lucas Jägbring (64th) adds a legitimate goalie prospect to a franchise that looks a little thin in net once you get beyond Petr Mrazek. Johnny Gruden (78th) has the speed, smarts and grit to be a real performer in the NCAA next season, whilst two-way D Anthony DeMeo (108th) is an active checking presence from the blueline. And how Ty Dellandrea (112th) lasted until the 4th round is beyond me – he’s come on leaps and bounds in the OHL this season and is another player with speed to burn who loves to get involved on the forecheck.
Russian goalscorer Artemi Mutovin (138th) and OHL blueliner Sean Comrie (168th) were the final two Red Wings picks. Mutovin needs to work on his overall game but his on-ice agility is impressive – he always seems to have a quick turn or pivot to wriggle free of opposing defensemen. Comrie meanwhile was a reliable presence for the Wheat Kings last season, but simply has to improve his skating and passing if he’s to progress beyond junior hockey.
Summary: A good first draft for Thompson that considerably improves the existing Wings' prospect pool - B+
EDMONTON OILERS
Oilers GM Paul Pearson occasionally likes to pass himself off as something of a useful idiot, often claiming to not know what he’s doing in a self-depreciating, folksy kind of way. To us this has always been something of an act – under Pearson the Oilers have generally scouted, drafted and traded well – with the irony being, of course, that last draft the infamous Seth Jones trade did leave Pearson with significant egg on his face, losing not one but two franchise defencemen in a single ill-starred transaction.
It was therefore important that the Oilers bounce back with a strong draft and it’s fair to say they did that in Philly. Two-way defenceman Dennis Busby (11th) is a fierce competitor with a booming shot from the point and the defensive ability to shut down any opposition forward. Israeli-born winger David Levin (17th) comes across as a pure finesse-type at first glance, but he plays involved and has a developing two-way game.
The versatile Gavin Hain (49th) was a great get later on in the second round. Hain has the varied skillset to play as a two-way type or creative pivot, so it’ll be interesting to see how Edmonton try to develop him. Slovakian winger Milos Roman (65th) was one of the top players in the Extraliga last season and projects as a future second line scorer if he continues his current rate of progress.
Giovanni Vallati (102nd) is probably a tad underdeveloped for his age but the potential is there for him to be a solid two-way contributor on the blueline. Chase Wouters (111th) brings a strong 200ft game, something which Pearson is known to prize in his bottom 6 forwards. Final pick Carson Miller (155th) is a sniping speedster who potted 25+ goals in the WHL last season and can draw big wins on the faceoff circle.
Summary: A strong bouceback draft for the Oilers following the disappointments of 2017 - B+
HARTFORD WHALERS
Having skilfully dug himself out from under a self-imposed cap hole, Whalers GM Steve Donaldson could justifiably go into this draft in confident mood. With an excellent young core already in place in Hartford he had the luxury of being able to go for a clear ‘BPA’ strategy with his picks and, one slight misstep aside, did so in his usual quiet-yet-effective style.
The first three Whalers selections were all beauties, starting with Jared McIsaac (12th), an all-action type who can occasionally look a little haphazard when charging around on the ice, but if the Whalers can smooth off his rough edges he should develop into a real star to compliment existing franchise defenceman Aaron Ekblad. Not many North American prospects go to try their luck in the SHL, but two-way scoring threat Jacob Pivonka (42nd) has done exactly that – watch for him to improve markedly next season playing against seasoned professionals in Sweden. QMJHL goalie Kevin Mandolese (53rd) has a sixth-sense when it comes to net positioning and a quick blocker and glove combo that makes him hard to beat.
The Whalers then had a clutch of picks in the later rounds, starting with Joey Musa (105th), a Florida-born pepperpot who is a determined, relentless forechecker. Brock McLeod (122nd) - the ‘other McLeod’ in the draft and no relation to Ryan – is an overager from the Canadian Interuniversity Sports League and someone we have no great expectations of. BCHL defenseman Matteo Pietroniro (129th) is a no-nonesense type who could be an iNHL shutdown-D one day, and much the same can be said for the hulking Ben Schultheis (132nd), an NCAA commit for St. Cloud State and a real shark on the blueline who loves to deliver big hits. Power-forward Kevin Wall (162nd) and slippery Russian winger Sergei Popov (192nd) will both likely need to percolate a while longer in the OHL, but they represent decent enough value in the latter rounds.
Summary: A good draft from a well-run franchise – B+
Let me just preface this rant by saying that the issue isn’t so much who the Stars drafted but more the how. Can someone please explain to me why on earth they flew over a dozen people 1500 miles to sit at a table for a combined seven hours, probably spending more time on “remember when” stories than anything else? Their draft day situation reminded me of those people with a hundred dollars in their savings account who go looking in luxury car showrooms for ‘fun’. Seriously, why bother? You’re not telling me that GM Zentner, the trading kingpin, couldn’t swing a deal to add at least a pick or two and make his time in Philly worthwhile?
As for their sole pick Dawson Barteaux (29th), he’s a good, physical defenceman with some offensive upside, as shown by his points haul in the WHL last season – think Oscar Klefbom but with a better shot from the point.
Summary: You’d have to think the Stars would have got better value (and I’m not just talking in terms of saving on hotel room and bar tab costs) in trading this pick – C-
DETROIT RED WINGS
For an organisation famed for their drafting and development of players the Red Wings have been pretty average on this front over the last couple of years, as evidenced by their mediocre prospect pool, which is long on bodies but short on quality. It was therefore important that new GM Wayne Thompson got off to a Flyer in Philly (pardon the pun here) and in our opinion he did just that.
Grabbing two-way skill center Blade Jenkins (18th) and smart puck distributor Adam Boqvist (48th) in the first two rounds set strong foundations from the get go. Swede Lucas Jägbring (64th) adds a legitimate goalie prospect to a franchise that looks a little thin in net once you get beyond Petr Mrazek. Johnny Gruden (78th) has the speed, smarts and grit to be a real performer in the NCAA next season, whilst two-way D Anthony DeMeo (108th) is an active checking presence from the blueline. And how Ty Dellandrea (112th) lasted until the 4th round is beyond me – he’s come on leaps and bounds in the OHL this season and is another player with speed to burn who loves to get involved on the forecheck.
Russian goalscorer Artemi Mutovin (138th) and OHL blueliner Sean Comrie (168th) were the final two Red Wings picks. Mutovin needs to work on his overall game but his on-ice agility is impressive – he always seems to have a quick turn or pivot to wriggle free of opposing defensemen. Comrie meanwhile was a reliable presence for the Wheat Kings last season, but simply has to improve his skating and passing if he’s to progress beyond junior hockey.
Summary: A good first draft for Thompson that considerably improves the existing Wings' prospect pool - B+
EDMONTON OILERS
Oilers GM Paul Pearson occasionally likes to pass himself off as something of a useful idiot, often claiming to not know what he’s doing in a self-depreciating, folksy kind of way. To us this has always been something of an act – under Pearson the Oilers have generally scouted, drafted and traded well – with the irony being, of course, that last draft the infamous Seth Jones trade did leave Pearson with significant egg on his face, losing not one but two franchise defencemen in a single ill-starred transaction.
It was therefore important that the Oilers bounce back with a strong draft and it’s fair to say they did that in Philly. Two-way defenceman Dennis Busby (11th) is a fierce competitor with a booming shot from the point and the defensive ability to shut down any opposition forward. Israeli-born winger David Levin (17th) comes across as a pure finesse-type at first glance, but he plays involved and has a developing two-way game.
The versatile Gavin Hain (49th) was a great get later on in the second round. Hain has the varied skillset to play as a two-way type or creative pivot, so it’ll be interesting to see how Edmonton try to develop him. Slovakian winger Milos Roman (65th) was one of the top players in the Extraliga last season and projects as a future second line scorer if he continues his current rate of progress.
Giovanni Vallati (102nd) is probably a tad underdeveloped for his age but the potential is there for him to be a solid two-way contributor on the blueline. Chase Wouters (111th) brings a strong 200ft game, something which Pearson is known to prize in his bottom 6 forwards. Final pick Carson Miller (155th) is a sniping speedster who potted 25+ goals in the WHL last season and can draw big wins on the faceoff circle.
Summary: A strong bouceback draft for the Oilers following the disappointments of 2017 - B+
HARTFORD WHALERS
Having skilfully dug himself out from under a self-imposed cap hole, Whalers GM Steve Donaldson could justifiably go into this draft in confident mood. With an excellent young core already in place in Hartford he had the luxury of being able to go for a clear ‘BPA’ strategy with his picks and, one slight misstep aside, did so in his usual quiet-yet-effective style.
The first three Whalers selections were all beauties, starting with Jared McIsaac (12th), an all-action type who can occasionally look a little haphazard when charging around on the ice, but if the Whalers can smooth off his rough edges he should develop into a real star to compliment existing franchise defenceman Aaron Ekblad. Not many North American prospects go to try their luck in the SHL, but two-way scoring threat Jacob Pivonka (42nd) has done exactly that – watch for him to improve markedly next season playing against seasoned professionals in Sweden. QMJHL goalie Kevin Mandolese (53rd) has a sixth-sense when it comes to net positioning and a quick blocker and glove combo that makes him hard to beat.
The Whalers then had a clutch of picks in the later rounds, starting with Joey Musa (105th), a Florida-born pepperpot who is a determined, relentless forechecker. Brock McLeod (122nd) - the ‘other McLeod’ in the draft and no relation to Ryan – is an overager from the Canadian Interuniversity Sports League and someone we have no great expectations of. BCHL defenseman Matteo Pietroniro (129th) is a no-nonesense type who could be an iNHL shutdown-D one day, and much the same can be said for the hulking Ben Schultheis (132nd), an NCAA commit for St. Cloud State and a real shark on the blueline who loves to deliver big hits. Power-forward Kevin Wall (162nd) and slippery Russian winger Sergei Popov (192nd) will both likely need to percolate a while longer in the OHL, but they represent decent enough value in the latter rounds.
Summary: A good draft from a well-run franchise – B+