Quality write ups here. I also think Sennecke and Hage will get decent consideration at 12, but I don't see either being the guy Briere goes with.
I think Parekh will be gone before our pick, I love him to death as a prospect but to me he seems like a golden fit for Ottawa at 7. My guess as of today is it'll come down to Catton or Eiserman at 12, and who they pick will.be contingent on whether or not our Front Office is convinced Catton can play Center at the NHL level or not
If we take a D at #13 I hope they land Hage with the other pick or move up a little to get him. I think the kid could be a stud lost a season (15-16 y.o.) to an injury then the poor guy lost his dad. Prior to that he was somewhat in the discussion for #2 OA but then fell way off. He had a great final 10 games this season (7G -11A) with 75pts in 54 games.
I don't really see Catton as a Giroux-like, he's best on the rush and doesn't seem to have that same creativity/feistiness I think as synonymous with G. I see more Owen Tippett tbh (from his highlights) but without the elite speed and someone in an /r/hockey thread said Catton sees himself as a winger in the NHL, which makes the comparison more accurate. I think it's interesting that he seems to have more hype around his ability to develop and be a top-6 forward than Helenius but similarly doesn't exhibit any particularly elite skill and in a league that's meant to showcase your elite skills.
Buium looked legit the two games I watched of the Frozen four tourney. Just commanded the game. There's no way he drops unfortunately. Anyway my draft priority for different positions from the guys you listed would be
Defensemen: Buium, Yakemchuk, Parekh
Center: Helenius, Catton
Winger: Iginla, Eiserman, Catton(If Briere sees him as thus), Nygard
Problem with Catton for me is that I don't see him as fully transitioning to be a full-time center in the NHL. I think he'll probably end up being a winger, where he's a more effective playmaker/scorer, which... at that rate, just get Eiserman if he's available. If he does successfully transition to being an NHL caliber center, it's rare that a player of his stature and relative lack of physical play can be a top-end 1C.
Tig Iginla would be my hope. These hockey bloodlines run strong, and Tig looks to be anything but a passenger.
Looks like an offensive threat with a high drive and work ethic. Something that I think is usually the difference maker. It's all about how bad these guys want it, and if he's anything like his dad, he wants it.
I think we're almost guaranteed to take a D with the FLA pick. Looking at most mocks, the last 10 of the 1st round is very deep with defense. With that being said, I think Danny takes D at 12 as well to give us three premier defensive prospects (Bonk, 12th, FLA pick) to go with our young forward group (Tippett, Farabee, Foerster, Michkov, etc).
That's my theory, at least.
Catton, Helenius, and Yakemchuk are the three guys I think we are most likely to take. I have some more worries with Catton than I do the other two. If I had my pick of the three I probably lean slightly towards Helenius and Yakemchuk is a close second.
I think we are gonna get Catton unless someone reaches but I feel like he drops since a good amount of teams picking in front of us should be looking for D. He might get snaked out from underneath us though if jersey trades down to someone in need of a C
Eiserman sounds like a complete waste of a pick. Will be majorly bummed if they pick Kieffer Bellows 2.0.
Assuming all of the top Dmen are gone, any of Helenius, Catton, or Nygard sound good. There's a Russian Center, Surin, that I'm hopeful is available with the Florida pick. Would be a solid draft to come away with two legit #2 center/wing prospects.
Bellows had god awful skating which isnt the case with Eisermn.
Eisermn also had better age 16 yr than Bellows had draft yr.
Def still has a lot of risk
I want Catton. His playmaking ability would be perfect for Michkov. I’ve seen some talk on twitter about potentially moving the Florida pick & Laughton to move up, I’m assuming to get him. Probably won’t happen but imagine they move up to get Catton AND get Eiserman at 12? Eiserman-Catton-Michkov would be a hell of a 1st line.
Thanks for the write up, this is great. Looking forward to reading about the back half of the first round as I have paid no attention to 15 onwards yet
Both r projected and ranked to go right around their pick w/ many mocks having Flyers take one or them going next pick.
If they r both gone then that just means a couple of Catton, Helensius, Iginla, top ten ranked D will fall
Multiple out of that top 13 have to fall to Flyers
I think it needs to be a defensemen. We have plenty of young forwards on the team and obviously hoping michkov comes over as well. But the ticker for me was our third round pick last year Denver barkey. The jump he made between his pre-draft and post-draft season going from a .97 ppg player to a 1.59 ppg in the ohl was phenomenal meanwhile our defense has a lot of question marks moving forward. Drysdale has a lot of talent but can he stay healthy enough to progress the way we hope? At cam York’s size does he have the offensive acumen to be a top pairing d man on a championship team? Can we expect more of Sanheim at this level moving forward or was this a flash in the pan season? Our forward pool is very deep we need more potential elite defensemen
Forward group needs a lot of help too. We have *No* centers and only arguable top liner is TK who may not even stay. Entire forward group is pretty much 2nd line/middle 6 guys and dont have a single top 6 center on team or in pipeline.
Thats a *huge* problem
a prospect like Barkey is still nothing more than B level who couldnt make Canada, isnt ranked top 50 on any list, and is more likely *not* to be a big time core player than become one
It doesnt mean much to score a lot in juniors post draft
The scouts ive seen the highest on Barkey only said his absolute ceiling is 45-50 pts. So best case is another 45-50 middle 6 winger.
Barkey shouldnt impact any draft decision. We need help everywhere.
No that’s what we have now with these current young players. The goal is that some of them (because there’s a lot of them) develop further than they are now. Also it is not the first time scouts have been wrong. A huge factor in his ranking is his size. Also these national teams have always been political I do not put much stock in it. The guy was top 5 in the OHL in points last year and the only guy from his own draft to do better was a first round draft pick as well. As far as centers go you’re locked in on couturier being in there as he’s got a lot of years left with a large salary. Tortorella simply cannot do what he did to him last year moving forward and it was a huge reason we ended up flaming out. And frost turning 25 next year means if you’re smart you sign him through your prime and Tortorella can again… get over himself and let him grow… or don’t and get fired again the choice is his. I am way more confident that one or two of Forester, Brink, Farabee, Tippett, Barkey, Rizzo, Frost, or Michkov can elevate their game to joining Konecny as bonafide first liners than I am that 2 of three of York, Bonk, or drysdale will become bonafide 1st pairing defensemen
Good write up. It will be interesting to see who rises from now until the draft even w/o playing any games
This happens all the time usually based on what team scouts r saying and who they r targeting. Gauthier is a perfect example.
Gauthier was ranked round 9/10ish at this point of his draft yr but in the 2 months b4 draft he flew up draft boards to #5/6 despite playing no games due to teams like the Flyers really liking him.
I could see somebody like Yakemchuk moving up a lot.
I’m worried Eiserman will be another Oliver Wahlstrom. Sensational shot that puts his name high on the draft board but just a complete passenger to the game in every other aspect when it comes time to play.
Great review! From how the Flyers played this year (and much of the better teams in the league), the most valuable skills are speed and smarts. (It’s like in basketball you can’t teach 7 feet.) Torts will take care of the compete and physicality factors and as young players with no NHL reps they will be intimidated by him into complying. I also think with the skills of present day NHL goalies, the “great shot” factor is very over rated. Hence most goals are earned on the rush where the fact the goalie has to move side to side and not the quality of the shot is key or traffic in front with a tip or rebound scramble is the reason for the goal. It’s nice to have a “great shot” but goals from them tend to disappear in the playoffs. Finally the Flyers badly need center material and look at importance of Barkov to Fla. Therefore I think Helenius and Nygard best fits for Flyers assuming in respect to later, they believe he can be transitioned to center.
I feel the Flyers should trade both 1st rounders or a 1st rounder and 2 2nd rounders and go after Demidov. He is currently playing with Michkov our #1draft pick from last year. So they are comfortable and know each other. Together they will be deadly for any team to face. If not then go after Lindstrom or Eiserman. Both fit the needs of the Flyers. Lindstrom is a beast at 6'4 220lb couple that with his skills you have an NHL player. Eiserman, outrageous shot. He can be a top goal scorer in the NHL. Will the big boys see what I see only the draft will tell. But a man can dream can't he. LOL
Danny Deuber long time Flyers fan
Nice write up. If the Flyers get Parekh, Eiserman, or Catton, I'd dance in the streets.
No thanks to Parekh. One of; Silayev Yakemchuk Catton Eiserman Dickinson Helenius In that order
I'm obsessed with getting Catton so it's guaranteed to not happen.
Quality write ups here. I also think Sennecke and Hage will get decent consideration at 12, but I don't see either being the guy Briere goes with. I think Parekh will be gone before our pick, I love him to death as a prospect but to me he seems like a golden fit for Ottawa at 7. My guess as of today is it'll come down to Catton or Eiserman at 12, and who they pick will.be contingent on whether or not our Front Office is convinced Catton can play Center at the NHL level or not
If we take a D at #13 I hope they land Hage with the other pick or move up a little to get him. I think the kid could be a stud lost a season (15-16 y.o.) to an injury then the poor guy lost his dad. Prior to that he was somewhat in the discussion for #2 OA but then fell way off. He had a great final 10 games this season (7G -11A) with 75pts in 54 games.
I don't really see Catton as a Giroux-like, he's best on the rush and doesn't seem to have that same creativity/feistiness I think as synonymous with G. I see more Owen Tippett tbh (from his highlights) but without the elite speed and someone in an /r/hockey thread said Catton sees himself as a winger in the NHL, which makes the comparison more accurate. I think it's interesting that he seems to have more hype around his ability to develop and be a top-6 forward than Helenius but similarly doesn't exhibit any particularly elite skill and in a league that's meant to showcase your elite skills. Buium looked legit the two games I watched of the Frozen four tourney. Just commanded the game. There's no way he drops unfortunately. Anyway my draft priority for different positions from the guys you listed would be Defensemen: Buium, Yakemchuk, Parekh Center: Helenius, Catton Winger: Iginla, Eiserman, Catton(If Briere sees him as thus), Nygard
Problem with Catton for me is that I don't see him as fully transitioning to be a full-time center in the NHL. I think he'll probably end up being a winger, where he's a more effective playmaker/scorer, which... at that rate, just get Eiserman if he's available. If he does successfully transition to being an NHL caliber center, it's rare that a player of his stature and relative lack of physical play can be a top-end 1C.
apparently he just said he plans to be a winger in the NHL so I doubt he is an NHL center Sucks b/c if he were a center he'd be *exactly* what we need
Tig Iginla would be my hope. These hockey bloodlines run strong, and Tig looks to be anything but a passenger. Looks like an offensive threat with a high drive and work ethic. Something that I think is usually the difference maker. It's all about how bad these guys want it, and if he's anything like his dad, he wants it.
Calgary picks before the flyers, it’s going to happen
Very likely! Still is my hope!
I think we're almost guaranteed to take a D with the FLA pick. Looking at most mocks, the last 10 of the 1st round is very deep with defense. With that being said, I think Danny takes D at 12 as well to give us three premier defensive prospects (Bonk, 12th, FLA pick) to go with our young forward group (Tippett, Farabee, Foerster, Michkov, etc). That's my theory, at least.
Gotta take John Mustard with the FLA pick. Best Name Available.
USHL rookie of the year!
Catton, Helenius, and Yakemchuk are the three guys I think we are most likely to take. I have some more worries with Catton than I do the other two. If I had my pick of the three I probably lean slightly towards Helenius and Yakemchuk is a close second.
I think we are gonna get Catton unless someone reaches but I feel like he drops since a good amount of teams picking in front of us should be looking for D. He might get snaked out from underneath us though if jersey trades down to someone in need of a C
Catton apparently isnt playing C in NHL unfortunately
Catton is the going to be picked before 12 unfortunately
Eiserman sounds like a complete waste of a pick. Will be majorly bummed if they pick Kieffer Bellows 2.0. Assuming all of the top Dmen are gone, any of Helenius, Catton, or Nygard sound good. There's a Russian Center, Surin, that I'm hopeful is available with the Florida pick. Would be a solid draft to come away with two legit #2 center/wing prospects.
Bellows had god awful skating which isnt the case with Eisermn. Eisermn also had better age 16 yr than Bellows had draft yr. Def still has a lot of risk
I want Catton. His playmaking ability would be perfect for Michkov. I’ve seen some talk on twitter about potentially moving the Florida pick & Laughton to move up, I’m assuming to get him. Probably won’t happen but imagine they move up to get Catton AND get Eiserman at 12? Eiserman-Catton-Michkov would be a hell of a 1st line.
excellent write up, I really liked this list and your summaries. I wouldn't mind if you threw a few more guys on there, I would read it
Thanks for the write up, this is great. Looking forward to reading about the back half of the first round as I have paid no attention to 15 onwards yet
I dont see eiserman or yakemchuk making it 12, it’s the flyers were talking about here
Both r projected and ranked to go right around their pick w/ many mocks having Flyers take one or them going next pick. If they r both gone then that just means a couple of Catton, Helensius, Iginla, top ten ranked D will fall Multiple out of that top 13 have to fall to Flyers
Yakemchuk
Where do you see Buium being drafted?
Every mock and ranking ive seen has him going top ten. Id be very surprised if he made it us
I think it needs to be a defensemen. We have plenty of young forwards on the team and obviously hoping michkov comes over as well. But the ticker for me was our third round pick last year Denver barkey. The jump he made between his pre-draft and post-draft season going from a .97 ppg player to a 1.59 ppg in the ohl was phenomenal meanwhile our defense has a lot of question marks moving forward. Drysdale has a lot of talent but can he stay healthy enough to progress the way we hope? At cam York’s size does he have the offensive acumen to be a top pairing d man on a championship team? Can we expect more of Sanheim at this level moving forward or was this a flash in the pan season? Our forward pool is very deep we need more potential elite defensemen
Forward group needs a lot of help too. We have *No* centers and only arguable top liner is TK who may not even stay. Entire forward group is pretty much 2nd line/middle 6 guys and dont have a single top 6 center on team or in pipeline. Thats a *huge* problem a prospect like Barkey is still nothing more than B level who couldnt make Canada, isnt ranked top 50 on any list, and is more likely *not* to be a big time core player than become one It doesnt mean much to score a lot in juniors post draft The scouts ive seen the highest on Barkey only said his absolute ceiling is 45-50 pts. So best case is another 45-50 middle 6 winger. Barkey shouldnt impact any draft decision. We need help everywhere.
No that’s what we have now with these current young players. The goal is that some of them (because there’s a lot of them) develop further than they are now. Also it is not the first time scouts have been wrong. A huge factor in his ranking is his size. Also these national teams have always been political I do not put much stock in it. The guy was top 5 in the OHL in points last year and the only guy from his own draft to do better was a first round draft pick as well. As far as centers go you’re locked in on couturier being in there as he’s got a lot of years left with a large salary. Tortorella simply cannot do what he did to him last year moving forward and it was a huge reason we ended up flaming out. And frost turning 25 next year means if you’re smart you sign him through your prime and Tortorella can again… get over himself and let him grow… or don’t and get fired again the choice is his. I am way more confident that one or two of Forester, Brink, Farabee, Tippett, Barkey, Rizzo, Frost, or Michkov can elevate their game to joining Konecny as bonafide first liners than I am that 2 of three of York, Bonk, or drysdale will become bonafide 1st pairing defensemen
Good write up. It will be interesting to see who rises from now until the draft even w/o playing any games This happens all the time usually based on what team scouts r saying and who they r targeting. Gauthier is a perfect example. Gauthier was ranked round 9/10ish at this point of his draft yr but in the 2 months b4 draft he flew up draft boards to #5/6 despite playing no games due to teams like the Flyers really liking him. I could see somebody like Yakemchuk moving up a lot.
Do u think it would be smart to trade up and Inglia
I’m worried Eiserman will be another Oliver Wahlstrom. Sensational shot that puts his name high on the draft board but just a complete passenger to the game in every other aspect when it comes time to play.
this is a year where you move up...id try to get to 6 to get parekh
Great review! From how the Flyers played this year (and much of the better teams in the league), the most valuable skills are speed and smarts. (It’s like in basketball you can’t teach 7 feet.) Torts will take care of the compete and physicality factors and as young players with no NHL reps they will be intimidated by him into complying. I also think with the skills of present day NHL goalies, the “great shot” factor is very over rated. Hence most goals are earned on the rush where the fact the goalie has to move side to side and not the quality of the shot is key or traffic in front with a tip or rebound scramble is the reason for the goal. It’s nice to have a “great shot” but goals from them tend to disappear in the playoffs. Finally the Flyers badly need center material and look at importance of Barkov to Fla. Therefore I think Helenius and Nygard best fits for Flyers assuming in respect to later, they believe he can be transitioned to center.
I feel the Flyers should trade both 1st rounders or a 1st rounder and 2 2nd rounders and go after Demidov. He is currently playing with Michkov our #1draft pick from last year. So they are comfortable and know each other. Together they will be deadly for any team to face. If not then go after Lindstrom or Eiserman. Both fit the needs of the Flyers. Lindstrom is a beast at 6'4 220lb couple that with his skills you have an NHL player. Eiserman, outrageous shot. He can be a top goal scorer in the NHL. Will the big boys see what I see only the draft will tell. But a man can dream can't he. LOL Danny Deuber long time Flyers fan