Draft Rankings

[Willie Dog]

Cosentino has his March edition of draft ranking

www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sportsnets-2024-nhl-draft-prospect-rankings-march-edition/

Amazing how many good forwards there are between 7 and 15


7. Berkly Catton, C, Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 170 pounds

A little undersized for the position, but there’s no glaring weakness in his game. He’s a play driver and a dual threat offensive player as evidenced by his 50-goal, 100-point season to date.


10. Cayden Lindstrom, C, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 210 pounds

Timeline for his return is still uncertain, but getting into game action before the year closes will help solidify him into a top 10 position come June.

11. Tij Iginla, C, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 186 pounds

A 50-goal campaign is well within reach. While goal-scoring pops, he’s a wickedly creative offensive player who specializes in making space.

12. Konsta Helenius, C, Jukurit (Liiga)
Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 180 pounds

Plays a pro style game and is often on the right side of the puck when he doesn’t have it, but is also competitive and skilled enough to make things happen when he does have it.

13. Cole Eiserman, LW, USNTDP
Height: 6-feet Weight: 195 pounds

The hardest thing to do in hockey is score, and he’s doing that at an elite level.

14. Liam Greentree, LW, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Height: 6-foot-2 Weight: 211 pounds

Plays a pro-style game and understands what’s needed from him each and every shift. His elite shooting ability will always make him a threat to score.

15. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW, Mora (Allsvenskan)
Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 194 pounds

A player you can trust in all situations and someone who has produced well at the pro level despite getting only mid-tier minutes.

[folatre]

Thanks, Willie. I was catching up on the Habs game last night and had not even checked any sportsnet content.

Celebrini is the prize. And this year there should be high end kids throughout the first dozen, particularly on the blueline. Most of the scouts see good bets through the top twenty. After that, apparently it becomes harder to rank the following twenty to forty kids.

Montreal is probably finishing seventh from the bottom. No one is going to add anything to the club in 2024-25, but Hughes should be confident about drafting a very nice piece for the future.

For me I hope it is Demidov, Lindstrom, or Catton.

[seventeen]

Those are the obvious 3 (assuming one excludes the one dimensional Eiserman). All the other competitors for a position above them are d-men or Celebrini. I'm quite interested in Catton. He was as impressive as Celebrini in one tourney I saw (U18's or Hlinka) and might have outscored him. What I like, besides the 50-57-107 is that he's reasonably good defensively and on the face-off dot, and that he's basically Atlas on his team, carrying the entire squad. Spokane's 2nd leading scorer is 20 yrs old, has 9 points less than Catton and then it's a drop of 39 points from Catton to the 3rd leading scorer. Spokane has a .476 record this year. They're a bad team, but Catton plays hard and smart and I'd hate to think where that team would be without his scoring. He also kills penalties. this highlight was while killing at penalty and what struck me was the casualness with which he scored. I'd be checking out the family history to see how tall and heavy the genetics are.  The only thing missing from this kid is size, and it should also be remembered that Denis Savard wasn't a big guy and we went with the big guy in 1980. 

x.com/TheWHL/status/1767769232547451295?s=20

[Willie Dog]

The challenge with where we are in the draft order is Lindstrom is the elephant in the room... if he wasn't injured he'd easily be in the top 5... so it's pretty hard to choose anyone else if he's available, but I'd be cool with Catton... at least he's currently wearing Habs colours

[seventeen]

I'd agree. Catton is the bull elephant in the room and the Habs do like their size when they can get it.

[Willie Dog]

A video of the draft ranking by a scout for Dobber prospects

The top 5 are
Celebrini, demidov, parekh, Lindstrom, Catton...

I hope they don't fall that way

[Willie Dog]

McCagg is pushing this kid Surin in the MHL for the Habs... Tough kid in the youtube in the article below

recrutes.ca/surin-sure-in-good-company/

More on this kid

www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/egor_surin_could_be_a_high_reward_pickup_at_the_2024_nhl_draft/s1_16958_40115060


Maybe take him with a 2nd round pick

He's ranked anywhere from 20 to 64... big spread

[seventeen]

Hadi Kalakeche seems to have a definite preference for forwards, while others focus on Defensemen.

Let's say Anaheim gets first pick. That's a conundrum right there for them. They have McTavish, Carlsson and possibly Cutter Gauthier at centre. Do they really need Celebrini? OTOH, they have some good defense prospects coming but no one with the size of Silayev or Levshunov who other rankings, including Bob McKenzie's, have above the forwards (ex Celebrini). This ranking seems a bit off. Too many other lists have Catton in the 7-12 range for example. It's really odd that Kalakeche has Silayev ranked at #13, which is way off where many others have him at, which is usually top 5. I find that questionable and it starts to erode any confidence on the rest of the list.

Another comment he made that raised my eyebrows was when he declared that Sam Dickinson reminded him of Kaiden Guhle but that he had more snarl in his game than Guhle. There's so much to take in at the pro level that snarliness is one of the last things you add to your game. Guhle was plenty nasty in juniour, and while he's shown less of that in the NHL, having to nullify Matheson's many failed forays has kept Guhle honing his other defensive skills.

I usually like Hadi's takes, but he seems off on this. Lindstrom can learn the defensive side of things, but Catton is going to have a tougher time. (?). Yet Catton has an extremely high hockey IQ, even according to Hadi.

I'm biased because I like Catton, having seen him more than most of the other guys on this list and I have concerns that the other guys will be taken before our pick.

Another reason I question the top forwards going so quickly is simply because the most valuable asset in hockey is an elite defenseman. Habs took Reinbacher last year instead of Ryan Leonard. Leonard is an excellent prospect, but he's a winger, the least valuable asset in hockey. Before teams walk up to the podium, that fact will have been discussed ad nauseum and given the skill of the Dmen available, I really don't think 4 of the 5 forwards we like will all be gone by pick #5. Parekh, Buium, Silayev and Levshunov will probably be picked before any of the non Celebrini forwards.

[folatre]

Yeah, it is hard to know. I would be outright shocked if the big, mobile two-way right-shot d-man Belorussian kid at Michigan State does not go top five.

As for the giant Russian d-man, it is perhaps more complicated to say because he seems very raw and moreover is undoubtedly tied down with a contractual situation at home.

I would be at least mildly surprised if neither Catton nor Lindstrom is there at #7.

[seventeen]

I'm with you on Silayev, folatre, and the same thing applie to Demidov too. There's the mystery over the availability of any drafted Russian player. Will the shirtless horse back rider decide to prevent Russian players from leaving the country to ply their trade? One never knows with guys like him. That may dilute the desire for Silayev, Demidov etc., but there are still some mouth watering Dmen available. Levshunov will be highly rated. Parekh has zoomed up the charts. Add Dickinson, Yakemchuk, and Buium and you have 5 Dmen who are available in the standard sense of the word and 3 of them are RHD's.

Another factor is where we'll finish up and finally, the lottery. As of today, we'd pick 7th (PL, pre-lottery). Both Arizona and Ottawa are within spitting distance of us, tied or only 1 point behind. We're ahead of Arizona because of fewer games played, but if we lose the game in hand we hold, they will jump ahead of us because they have more regulation wins. Ottawa is only 1 point behind and also has more regulation wins. Columbus has a harder task to catch us, but let's assume Marty is AWOL for the rest of the season, which might well be true. That has to affect the team and hopefully we will continue to compete and lose. I'm projecting we pick 5th, PL. I'll also predict that all 4 teams below us, with the possible exception of Anaheim, will be very keen to pick a Dman as that is where they need the most help. Anaheim might well go for Demidov as a wing threat who will be ideal for them. That means, PL, we could easily have a shot at Lindstrom, Catton or Iginla. I would take Lindstrom or Catton in a heartbeat. Both have qualities we need. Now if the lottery is unkind to us, we might end up picking 7th but still be able to grab one of the three, though not our preference. If the lottery is kind to us, we get our pick of all 5, or at worst, 4 of the 5.

[Cranky]

If a center is not available at where we pick then I would trade our pick for one. Outside Lindstrome and Catton, I wouldn't pick the 11th.OA just because we have a need.

We did that with KK and look what that got us. One pick lower and Tkachuk was ours.

BPA...OR TRADE

[Tankdriver]

That's one of the things I love about the NFL draft. There is always movement to either move up in the draft or move back and accumulate picks. I don't know if it is a quarterback thing or not, or the amount of positions versus the NHL, but I wish the NHL would be more proactive at the draft. Too many teams are risk adverse and takes the entertainment factor out of it.

[Habs_fan_in_LA]

Mar 13, 2024 20:08:10 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

Cosentino has his March edition of draft ranking

www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sportsnets-2024-nhl-draft-prospect-rankings-march-edition/

Amazing how many good forwards there are between 7 and 15


7. Berkly Catton, C, Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 170 pounds

A little undersized for the position, but there’s no glaring weakness in his game. He’s a play driver and a dual threat offensive player as evidenced by his 50-goal, 100-point season to date.


10. Cayden Lindstrom, C, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 210 pounds

Timeline for his return is still uncertain, but getting into game action before the year closes will help solidify him into a top 10 position come June.

11. Tij Iginla, C, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 186 pounds

A 50-goal campaign is well within reach. While goal-scoring pops, he’s a wickedly creative offensive player who specializes in making space.

12. Konsta Helenius, C, Jukurit (Liiga)
Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 180 pounds

Plays a pro style game and is often on the right side of the puck when he doesn’t have it, but is also competitive and skilled enough to make things happen when he does have it.

13. Cole Eiserman, LW, USNTDP
Height: 6-feet Weight: 195 pounds

The hardest thing to do in hockey is score, and he’s doing that at an elite level.

14. Liam Greentree, LW, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Height: 6-foot-2 Weight: 211 pounds

Plays a pro-style game and understands what’s needed from him each and every shift. His elite shooting ability will always make him a threat to score.

15. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW, Mora (Allsvenskan)
Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 194 pounds

A player you can trust in all situations and someone who has produced well at the pro level despite getting only mid-tier minutes.

This is a draft where difficult decisions must be made with no clear choices after Celebrini. Mea Culpa Juraj was a better choice than Matvei so it appears now. In three years that may change but for now Hugo was right and I was wrong. The first 12 choices appear much more important than the following 300. Goal scoring is a rare skill and I favor a scorer with flaws over a well rounded journeyman. We seem to find lots of quantity but seldom scoring quality. Caufield can score and has holes in his game. We cal always get well rounded guys for our third or fourth line. Eiserman is a falling knife but unless this year is a giant aberration he is the guy if available.

[Willie Dog]

Mar 19, 2024 12:43:41 GMT -5 Habs_fan_in_LA said:

Mar 13, 2024 20:08:10 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

Cosentino has his March edition of draft ranking

www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sportsnets-2024-nhl-draft-prospect-rankings-march-edition/

Amazing how many good forwards there are between 7 and 15


7. Berkly Catton, C, Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 170 pounds

A little undersized for the position, but there’s no glaring weakness in his game. He’s a play driver and a dual threat offensive player as evidenced by his 50-goal, 100-point season to date.


10. Cayden Lindstrom, C, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 210 pounds

Timeline for his return is still uncertain, but getting into game action before the year closes will help solidify him into a top 10 position come June.

11. Tij Iginla, C, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 186 pounds

A 50-goal campaign is well within reach. While goal-scoring pops, he’s a wickedly creative offensive player who specializes in making space.

12. Konsta Helenius, C, Jukurit (Liiga)
Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 180 pounds

Plays a pro style game and is often on the right side of the puck when he doesn’t have it, but is also competitive and skilled enough to make things happen when he does have it.

13. Cole Eiserman, LW, USNTDP
Height: 6-feet Weight: 195 pounds

The hardest thing to do in hockey is score, and he’s doing that at an elite level.

14. Liam Greentree, LW, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Height: 6-foot-2 Weight: 211 pounds

Plays a pro-style game and understands what’s needed from him each and every shift. His elite shooting ability will always make him a threat to score.

15. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW, Mora (Allsvenskan)
Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 194 pounds

A player you can trust in all situations and someone who has produced well at the pro level despite getting only mid-tier minutes.

This is a draft where difficult decisions must be made with no clear choices after Celebrini. Mea Culpa Juraj was a better choice than Matvei so it appears now. In three years that may change but for now Hugo was right and I was wrong. The first 12 choices appear much more important than the following 300. Goal scoring is a rare skill and I favor a scorer with flaws over a well rounded journeyman. We seem to find lots of quantity but seldom scoring quality. Caufield can score and has holes in his game. We cal always get well rounded guys for our third or fourth line. Eiserman is a falling knife but unless this year is a giant aberration he is the guy if available.

You're right we do need scoring and a guy like Eisermann might be a good fit with Suze because of Suze strong defensive play. That pushes juraj down to the second line which is scary with 2 puck control guys like him and Dach...I would see of Roy would fit there and have newhook and Beck together on a killer 3rd line and the 4th would be florian and pezz... the buzz saw line

[Willie Dog]

New rankings from Bukala

www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/scouts-analysis-ranking-the-top-50-prospects-for-the-2024-nhl-draft/

The D lead the charge after Celebrini and Demidov... all the way up to 7 Where Catton is... then 2 more D then Lindstrom at 10, Iginla at 11 and Greentree at 12 pass Eiserman at 13 and Helenius is at 14... if things drop this way will be interesting to see who HuGo take...

[folatre]

Yeah, Bukala studies things closely.

ESPN+ (Rachel Doerrie) put out a ranking this week that was rather similar to Bukala's. Top three identical; then followed by Lindstrom, Parekh, Silayev, Catton, Eiserman, Dickinson, and Buium to round out the top 10. And 11-15 were Greentree, Helenius, Yakemchuk, Iginla, and Brandsegg-Nygard.

I am not sure if a consensus is emerging with regard to the first half of the first round because the same 15 kids are on these two lists. The kids that Bukala and Doerrie see differently (i.e. more than three slot variance) are Lindstrom, Parekh, Eiserman, and Yakemchuk.

She says this is the best draft for d-men in more than a decade, so GMs who see too little high end blue line talent in their organization may feel pressure to rectify that deficiency.

[seventeen]

We're getting Celebrini, so all this is moot.

Good to see all the different opinions, though, which indicates it will be very hard to predict who gets taken after #1. What I'll chuckle at is if a team that really needs a Dman and is set up front, gets the first OA pick. What do they do?

I like to consider the situation around certain players and how it affects their projection. Michkov, for example, who completely ignores his defensive responsibilities and cherry picks a lot, dropped in my estimation. If not for that, certainly he goes five or better last year. This year, Demidov, who I agree is a terrific talent is perhaps not as high in my book. The numbers are questionable. How good is the MHL? Definitely not up to CHL standards or the NCAA. Are Demidov's numbers inflated because he's playing in a weaker league. If he was recovered from his injury, and was smoking up the MHL, why was he not promoted to the KHL or VHL? Was St. Petersburg screwing with the west? There are a few question marks around Demidov, not related to availability, which is probably not that big a risk.

With Lindstrom, I saw a highlight from a game yesterday (he is indeed back from injury) where he forced his way around a dman and cut into the goalie from the right, got a shot and a teammate put in the rebound. My question marks around him are sort of along the Tage Thompson lines, "does he make his teammates better or is he just a scorer" (which is not the worst thing, but reminds me too much of Matthews). We saw with Caufield this year that Marty really emphasized the other parts of his game, and it has helped his linemates and made Cole a more dangerous player. Some might consider that a wasted season. Cole's ppg are very similar to last year's but goals and assists are flipped around. Can that be duplicated with Lindstrom, or is Catton the better bet, being more well rounded? Lindstrom also plays on a much better team. We have seen how those pundits who never watched Suzuki play very much, underrated his abilities, because he wasn't putting up a point per game in the NHL. In hindsight, Suzuki's pacing of himself because he was playing so many minutes was considered a lack of intensity in juniour. How much do we factor up a guy who is playing on a bad team? That same thinking might apply to Tij Iginla. The Kelowna Rockets are a .500 team. Countering that is Andrew Cristall, who is putting up huge numbers for Kelowna. Is Iginla benefiting from that or is he generating offense on his own (the latter IMO, from the highlights I've seen). Lots of questions, which have probably been answered in HuGo's mind.

[HABsurd]

Mar 30, 2024 12:51:57 GMT -5 seventeen said:

We're getting Celebrini, so all this is moot.

Good to see all the different opinions, though, which indicates it will be very hard to predict who gets taken after #1. What I'll chuckle at is if a team that really needs a Dman and is set up front, gets the first OA pick. What do they do?

I like to consider the situation around certain players and how it affects their projection. Michkov, for example, who completely ignores his defensive responsibilities and cherry picks a lot, dropped in my estimation. If not for that, certainly he goes five or better last year. This year, Demidov, who I agree is a terrific talent is perhaps not as high in my book. The numbers are questionable. How good is the MHL? Definitely not up to CHL standards or the NCAA. Are Demidov's numbers inflated because he's playing in a weaker league. If he was recovered from his injury, and was smoking up the MHL, why was he not promoted to the KHL or VHL? Was St. Petersburg screwing with the west? There are a few question marks around Demidov, not related to availability, which is probably not that big a risk.

Supposedly, Demidov has made it known that he is eager to leap into the NHL at the earliest opportunity. It seems team management is strategically holding him back in the MHL as a disciplinary measure.

[seventeen]

That would make tons of sense. It's unfortunate he wasn't able to move up and we could gauge his performance vs older players.

[folatre]

Rachel Doerrie (ESPN+) released a first round mock draft, which differs somewhat from her rankings released a couple of weeks ago, which is logical because in a mock one takes into account what is likely to happen based on fit, organizational priorities, off-ice factors, etc.

Anyway, she has the Habs picking Catton. For me the odd thing was that she only had two d-men coming off the board before Montreal's pick. Then I think she had three d-men go right after Catton.

[seventeen]

Thanks for the tip, folatre. For those interested, here is the link:

www.espn.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/39848091/nhl-mock-draft-2024-top-predictions-players-order-best

Her mock draft has some question marks for me. It starts at pick #3. I don't know if Anaheim needs a centre more than Dman. Two of their top prospects are already on the team, in Mintyukov and Zellweger. Doerrie has them picking Lindstrom, but they already have two guys with really high ceilings in Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson. Do they need a goal scoring centre, who likely won't supplant those two, leaving him on the 3rd line? He is more likely to end up at wing, but then you're asking yourself if you need a power forward at wing more than a defenseman like Silayev or Dickinson? Then she follows that up with Columbus taking Cole Eiserman. I just don't know. I'd be thrilled if they did, but that blue line needs shoring up. They have Werenski, who is fine, but will be 27 at the start of the season; Provorov, who isn't the greatest; Severson, who will be 30 in August and is declining; Gudbranson who is having the best year of his live with 22 points but is 32 and David Jiricek, who will be good. At centre, they have Fantilli and Sillinger but might want to shore up there as well. I see a defenseman or centre in Columbus' future, not a scoring winger. But if they do take Eiserman, I am again happy.

but...her guess is as good as mine. Maybe she knows how a team feels about its needs better than I do. All I know is if Demidov, Celebrini, Lindstrom, Catton and Iginla are gone by the time Montreal picks, we may be picking a defenseman. Then again, maybe we'll take Eiserman. We're going to get someone who can score. I like a centre myself because of the uncertainty over Dach, but taking a centre allows Dach to go to the wing in a couple of years, too, so that flexibility is attractive. Like having Newhook available for the third line Centre if Beck doesn't work out or needs a year in Laval.

Heck, why worry. We're winning the lottery and getting Celebrini. Mack and Hutson together again. Celebrini and Suzuki (wow).

[Tankdriver]

Apr 3, 2024 0:13:41 GMT -5 seventeen said:

Thanks for the tip, folatre. For those interested, here is the link:

www.espn.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/39848091/nhl-mock-draft-2024-top-predictions-players-order-best

Her mock draft has some question marks for me. It starts at pick #3. I don't know if Anaheim needs a centre more than Dman. Two of their top prospects are already on the team, in Mintyukov and Zellweger. Doerrie has them picking Lindstrom, but they already have two guys with really high ceilings in Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson. Do they need a goal scoring centre, who likely won't supplant those two, leaving him on the 3rd line? He is more likely to end up at wing, but then you're asking yourself if you need a power forward at wing more than a defenseman like Silayev or Dickinson? Then she follows that up with Columbus taking Cole Eiserman. I just don't know. I'd be thrilled if they did, but that blue line needs shoring up. They have Werenski, who is fine, but will be 27 at the start of the season; Provorov, who isn't the greatest; Severson, who will be 30 in August and is declining; Gudbranson who is having the best year of his live with 22 points but is 32 and David Jiricek, who will be good. At centre, they have Fantilli and Sillinger but might want to shore up there as well. I see a defenseman or centre in Columbus' future, not a scoring winger. But if they do take Eiserman, I am again happy.

but...her guess is as good as mine. Maybe she knows how a team feels about its needs better than I do. All I know is if Demidov, Celebrini, Lindstrom, Catton and Iginla are gone by the time Montreal picks, we may be picking a defenseman. Then again, maybe we'll take Eiserman. We're going to get someone who can score. I like a centre myself because of the uncertainty over Dach, but taking a centre allows Dach to go to the wing in a couple of years, too, so that flexibility is attractive. Like having Newhook available for the third line Centre if Beck doesn't work out or needs a year in Laval.

Heck, why worry. We're winning the lottery and getting Celebrini. Mack and Hutson together again. Celebrini and Suzuki (wow).

It would be nice if the hockey gods gifted us the best player. A three year span of Slaf, Popcorn and Celebrini could make a nice core with Suzuki, Caulfield, Dack and Newhook. My final wish is to somehow pry Zegras from Anaheim while only giving up our late first and a second rounder. That would make for a solid young core.

[Habs_fan_in_LA]

Mar 30, 2024 8:00:10 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

New rankings from Bukala

www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/scouts-analysis-ranking-the-top-50-prospects-for-the-2024-nhl-draft/

The D lead the charge after Celebrini and Demidov... all the way up to 7 Where Catton is... then 2 more D then Lindstrom at 10, Iginla at 11 and Greentree at 12 pass Eiserman at 13 and Helenius is at 14... if things drop this way will be interesting to see who HuGo take...

We all have our opinions but Hugo has the pick. He also has more information and advisors than I do (fortunately). We should get one from my list.
Celebrini Celebrate
Demidov Lottery Ticket
Eiserman don’t draft for need but everyone needs goals
Parekh rising and see above
Catton less risk less reward
Lindstrom bigger slower #17 who scores
Iginla second line scorer

[Willie Dog]

Apr 4, 2024 14:01:34 GMT -5 Habs_fan_in_LA said:

Mar 30, 2024 8:00:10 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

New rankings from Bukala

www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/scouts-analysis-ranking-the-top-50-prospects-for-the-2024-nhl-draft/

The D lead the charge after Celebrini and Demidov... all the way up to 7 Where Catton is... then 2 more D then Lindstrom at 10, Iginla at 11 and Greentree at 12 pass Eiserman at 13 and Helenius is at 14... if things drop this way will be interesting to see who HuGo take...

We all have our opinions but Hugo has the pick. He also has more information and advisors than I do (fortunately). We should get one from my list.
Celebrini Celebrate
Demidov Lottery Ticket
Eiserman don’t draft for need but everyone needs goals
Parekh rising and see above
Catton less risk less reward
Lindstrom bigger slower #17 who scores
Iginla second line scorer

Maybe they trade down and grab iginla

[PTH]

Apr 4, 2024 15:36:08 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

Apr 4, 2024 14:01:34 GMT -5 Habs_fan_in_LA said:

We all have our opinions but Hugo has the pick. He also has more information and advisors than I do (fortunately). We should get one from my list.
Celebrini Celebrate
Demidov Lottery Ticket
Eiserman don’t draft for need but everyone needs goals
Parekh rising and see above
Catton less risk less reward
Lindstrom bigger slower #17 who scores
Iginla second line scorer

Maybe they trade down and grab iginla

Or maybe they just grab Iginla a tad earlier than expected, in a draft with a 2nd layer of a dozen players, it's probably best to grab the one you like at your pick, and not try and overthink it and risk having to take someone less attractive just to get an extra 2nd rounder.

[seventeen]

Iginla is a real wild card and here's an interesting stat. Tij went from 6-12-18 in 48 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds, a stacked team that went to the Memorial Cup, where he didn't get a lot of playing time as a 16 year old, to 47-37-84 in 64 games on a middling Kelowna Rockets team that got better as the year went along but finished up with a .522 winning percentage. From .38 ppg to 1.31 ppg. Huge improvement for Iginla on an average team.

His dad, Jarome, played on a much more dominating Kamloops Blazers team which had numerous future NHL'rs on it. Darcy Tucker, Hnat Dominichelli, Tyson Nash, Nolan Baumgartner, Scott Ferguson, Shane Doan, our own Chris Murray and Jason Strudwick. Iginla as a 16 year old, put up 6-23-29 in 48 games, or .60 ppg. In his draft year, he had 33-38-71 in 72 games or .99 ppg on an equally good Blazers team. Both guys improved a lot, but Tij improved even more on a weaker team. Tij has six goals in 4 playoff games and Kelowna has a 3-1 lead. Berkley Catton has 4 assists in 4 games as his Spokane Chiefs were swept by the very strong Prince George Cougars who finished 36 points ahead of them.

If (when) Kelowna gets past Wenatchee, they will face either the Cougars or the Portland Winterhawks, who were neck and neck with PG for the Conference Title. If Iginla can keep up a hot scoring pace against those teams, he's definitely in the top tier. There was one highlight from yesterday where he broke through the Wenatchee defense, shot from in close and lost his balance, sliding feet first past the post. As he did so, the puck was finding it's way through the goalie and sliding toward the goal line. On his stomach and side, Iginla was still swiping at the puck to push it in after he was well past the net. He couldn't get his stick on it, but the puck crossed the line anyway. His concentration, following up on the play as he was sliding out of the play, was impressive.

Kinda makes you think a team shouldn't sleep on that Tij kid. He may have forced himself into the top echelon of forwards.

[Willie Dog]

Apr 4, 2024 16:58:14 GMT -5 seventeen said:

Iginla is a real wild card and here's an interesting stat. Tij went from 6-12-18 in 48 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds, a stacked team that went to the Memorial Cup, where he didn't get a lot of playing time as a 16 year old, to 47-37-84 in 64 games on a middling Kelowna Rockets team that got better as the year went along but finished up with a .522 winning percentage. From .38 ppg to 1.31 ppg. Huge improvement for Iginla on an average team.

His dad, Jarome, played on a much more dominating Kamloops Blazers team which had numerous future NHL'rs on it. Darcy Tucker, Hnat Dominichelli, Tyson Nash, Nolan Baumgartner, Scott Ferguson, Shane Doan, our own Chris Murray and Jason Strudwick. Iginla as a 16 year old, put up 6-23-29 in 48 games, or .60 ppg. In his draft year, he had 33-38-71 in 72 games or .99 ppg on an equally good Blazers team. Both guys improved a lot, but Tij improved even more on a weaker team. Tij has six goals in 4 playoff games and Kelowna has a 3-1 lead. Berkley Catton has 4 assists in 4 games as his Spokane Chiefs were swept by the very strong Prince George Cougars who finished 36 points ahead of them.

If (when) Kelowna gets past Wenatchee, they will face either the Cougars or the Portland Winterhawks, who were neck and neck with PG for the Conference Title. If Iginla can keep up a hot scoring pace against those teams, he's definitely in the top tier. There was one highlight from yesterday where he broke through the Wenatchee defense, shot from in close and lost his balance, sliding feet first past the post. As he did so, the puck was finding it's way through the goalie and sliding toward the goal line. On his stomach and side, Iginla was still swiping at the puck to push it in after he was well past the net. He couldn't get his stick on it, but the puck crossed the line anyway. His concentration, following up on the play as he was sliding out of the play, was impressive.

Kinda makes you think a team shouldn't sleep on that Tij kid. He may have forced himself into the top echelon of forwards.

Wow, sounds promising and he's got pedigree so you know he has the things HuGo value... might create alot of competition for top 6 positions

But I can also see HuGo getting an offer for that pick they can't pass up because the offer fits in our age window

[Willie Dog]

EP ringside has Tij at 6th now

eprinkside.com/2024/04/04/elite-prospects-pre-u18-top-96-prospects-2024-nhl-draft-ranking

[Willie Dog]

Would be nice if Boisvert was available with our 2nd 1st rounder this year... hopefully the Jets get bounced by the Avs in the 1st round

[NWTHabsFan]

His playoff performance is definitely upping his draft stock. I remember seeing him live on his rookie season. He has come so far.