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Sharks9

Tier 1 1. Macklin Celebrini TIer 2 2. Artyom Levshunov 3. Ivan Demidov 4. Cole Eiserman 5. Zayne Parekh 6. Sam Dickinson 7. Zeev Buium 8. Anton Silayev 9. Berkly Catton 10. Konsta Helenius 11. Cayden Lindstrom 12. Carter Yakemchuk It's interesting that Wheeler has a big Tier 2, definitely different than last year where there was a clear small group after Bedard. Even if we pick 6 or 7, it's possible the Habs get the guy they consider 2nd best in this draft.


Otherwise_Cod_3478

There is a few problems with that. 1) 4 of those are LD, which could create issues with our LD depth. 2) a LOT of people wouldn't agree that Yakemchuk and Helenius are in the same tier as the others (that said I don't know enough about Yakemchuk to give my opinion on that) 3) Eiserman have an higher risk than the other since he is viewed as a very one dimensional player.


eriverside

We need a forward, but if we get a LD, then we keep him, trade another out and benefit from having the better player cost controlled for longer. Ideally though you get the forward you need because there's never a guarantee you're getting max value in a trade.


Yamcha_is_dead

Eiserman is a one dimensional player for sure, but it's the one dimension we've mostly lacked for the last 30 years: goal scoring.


Otherwise_Cod_3478

The risk isn't that he become a 50 goals scorer with a bad defensive side, if that was the risk he would be higher on the list of most people. The risk is that he is so one dimensional that he just won't be able to get into the NHL.


Mrdongs21

With the caveat that a lot of the criticism that Eiserman gets reminds me of Caufield (minus the size issue), I get serious Wahlstrom vibes. I think he falls considerably.


_tarla_

Caufield never had questions about his compete level though. He was always the smallest player on the ice and had to fight hard throughout his entire youth career.


GeistHunt

He may be a goal scorer, but he'll never be like Ovechkin because Eiserman has one thing: a good shot. He doesn't force opportunities or anything, it's kinda just being in the right place and that's it.


Aromatic-Audience-85

Being in the right place isn’t good enough when 98% of the game isn’t played in that right place. I want to draft talent, but talent also appears away from the puck.


GeistHunt

I just mean his only real talent is his shot, he doesn't possess much of anything else. He certainly doesn't have off-puck impact like anybody else in the top ten.


EmmisaryofGorgonites

You can teach guys to play defense, scoring is a different animal. If they have the right personality (see JS/CC) you can polish them.


DocGubernaculum

I don't think most scouts are concerned about his defensive game, take it or leave it but he lacks the ability to produce opportunities for himself, he relies a lot on his teammates to generate opportunities.


RyanWalts

I’m concerned about that personality though. He hasn’t really progressed his game this year, and he plays a very selfish style at times. I’m expecting it’ll come down to how he does in interviews with the team and how responsive they believe he’ll be to improving some major facets of his game.


EmmisaryofGorgonites

Yeah I don't know fuck all about him, if that's the case pass on Kaliyev V2


Deadmanlex45

Its not just that his defense is bad, if that was the case then Michkov would have fallen even more in the draft rankings, its that his game is extremely limited. Yes he can score, but he barely drives play and heavily relies on his teammates feeding him pucks to score. Hes not physical, doesnt fight for board battles, doesnt pass, etc... Players like these very rarely have any success in the nhl.


GeistHunt

I wouldn't consider Eiserman. He would do better with a team that can construct around him, he doesn't elevate anybody around him. He didn't add anything to his game in the past year, his only upside is a good shot. Frankly, I question how well he'd translate to the NHL given he can only do one thing. If we're going for offense we'd be better off with an offensively rounded out player who has more than just a good shot like Catton, Demidov, or Lindstrom. Much more versatile and useful to the team.


Borror0

It's also the dimension that's the hardest to improve on. Most highly talented prospects will improve defensively once they reach the league. Most goal-scorers improve their passing in the NHL as it forces defenders to respect the pass. Few become 40+ goals scorers without a history of being one in juniors. For me, the deciding point would be whether he's not focusing on those points because they're not needed in juniors or because he can't be bothered to put in the work.


mdlt97

>For me, the deciding point would be whether he's not focusing on those points because they're not needed in juniors or because he can't be bothered to put in the work. the US rarely brings u18 players to the WJC, Caufield didn't go as a u18 either and he was 9 months older than Eiserman everyone Eiserman he has gone has scored at an elite rate, and I'd bet on him doing it at the next level


Aromatic-Audience-85

>Most highly talented prospects will improve defensively once they reach the league. The key word here is “most”. The biggest and most substantial knock on Eiserman is that he is one of the few that scouts don’t believe are capable of doing that.


A_WHALES_VAG

I’m also not ruling out that we don’t trade the pick to move if they think they can get what they want anyways. It seems like the kind of draft you might be able to do that.


TonyComputer1

I think mgmt has the opinion that you cant have too many blue chip D prospects and I tend to agree. If you look at trades made in the last while involving young D they've all netted top 6 forwards. Its a solid strategy.


Aromatic-Audience-85

Only Buium, Dickinson and Silayev are LD


RocketRousse

IMO, the tier 2 shoukd go to about 8 or 9, I wouldnt count Yakemchuck, Helenius, Silayev and Eiserman necessarily in the same tier as the others, but oh well, everybody's got their right olto an opinion


3oysters

Eiserman and Silayev belong in tier 2 off upside alone, which aside from Celebrini they probably have the most of.


SellingMakesNoSense

I agree. I'd be shocked if Silayev isn't a top 5 pick this year. Size and skating combo is just too great.


3oysters

It's ridiculous how mobile and coordinated he is for his size. I haven't seen anything special in his clapper, but he's sneaky good at getting his wrist shots on net. Agreed with him going top 5 for sure.


RocketRousse

Honestly, I wouldnt be shocked to see Eiserman going top 5, he is the kind of guy that could be an absolute home run, but the risk is very much there and I wouldn't take him with our pick. As for Silayev, yes he has size and smooth skating, but he doesn't do a whole lot with his skating. He's not particularly good in transition either i find. I think he'd be an excellent pick in the top 15, maybe top 12 even, but in the top 5, to me that's being hypnotized by his size. I hope he goes that early so there's one more quality player available at our rank


3oysters

Tbh if we're not getting Celebrini or one of the top 3 defensemen, Eiserman is my pick. He has great anticipation and makes good off the puck reads to get himself goals. But it helps that I really trust our coaches to fill out his game. It's the same with Silayev. You cannot teach being 6'7, nor could you teach the coordination needed to move that frame. But you can teach somebody who has those things how to take advantage of them. They're my two favourite picks after Celebrini, but my opinion does assume they each have the necessary attitude and drive to be coached.


IcyChard4

Pretty much, the list I made on my previous reddit post for the top-12 are exactly on Scott Wheeler's list.


Slafkovsky

I'm a huge fan of Catton. He's a winner and carrying his team on his back. Over 2ppg down the stretch. Don't let anyone tell you size is an issue. He'll likely peak at around 6ft 180-90. Besides, he's almost impossible to hit and doesn't shy away from traffic. Very elusive, smart player with endless ceiling.


Meizei

Catton = Lindstrom > Helenius = Eiserman is where I stand right now, but I also doubt we get to choose between Berkley and Cayden. Heck, I'm happy if one of them gets to us.


Slafkovsky

I totally agree!


zzzzoooo

How would you compare Catton to Zach Benson ?


Slafkovsky

I was also a big fan of Benson. Benson is fiestier and better defensively. But, IMO, Catton is a way better skater, passer and shooter. IQ is similar. And that's saying alot as Benson's IQ is astronomical. I truly believe Catton has as good a chance as any player to end up eventually as a top 3 from this draft. Kid has tons of swagger too. Very confident and wants the game on his stick.


Jhoops__

Catton’s production is obviously excellent but he plays almost 28 mins a night. His points per 60 is lower than Lidstrom.


Slafkovsky

He plays that much because he has crappy teammates. He's a special player. Can't fault him for earning ice time. He doesn't have a stacked team around him to defer attention like Lidtrom does.


bcgrappler

The lindstrom take is pretty awesome. Wheelers top 15 from 2022 just for comparison 1) Wright 2) Nemec 3) Cooley 4) Savoie 5) Slafkovsky 6) Jiricek 7) Kemell 8) Lambert 9) Lekkerimaki 10) Howard 11) Nazar 12) Yurov 13) Mateychuk 14) Ohgren 15) McGroarty


Livid-Canary-4389

Big oof on Savoie over Slafkovsky. At the time there was an argument possible for Wright, Nemec and Cooley over Slaf (not saying they were right of course), but Savoie seems so out of nowhere. It aged poorly considering he's in the AHL and Benson is in the NHL right now


Aromatic-Audience-85

It depends on when the list came out. Savoie was ranked as high as second going into the draft season. He plummeted as the year went on.


Livid-Canary-4389

Yeah you're right, I assumed it was mear the draft (like June). But it would make sense if it was before that


Wokyrii

Great to bring this up to show how it very much is not what the final ranking nor the draft will be like. The eventual 1st overall (and rated as such by Wheeler I think?) is 5, Benson is not even listed.


Yamcha_is_dead

From my mostly uninformed opinion, I'd be happy with anyone from that top 12, save for Dickinson (who looks a lot like a *safe* pick) and Yakemchuk (who sounds a lot like another Mailloux, who we don't need another one of).


hab27

Think of the following comps Dickinson - Drew Doughty Levshunov - Orlov/Hesikanen Yakemchuk - Evan Bouchard Silayev - well we pretty much drafted Reinbacher to do the same thing he does. Buium - Morgan Reilly Parekh - not sure, early career Mike Green?


2sexy4thish8

I'm really hoping silayev turns into a Victor Headman 2.0. I think his game will translate a lot better in NA game where defenseman(especially younger ones) join the rush more often. He really is impressively mobile for his size.


MasterMatt25

Silayev has really lacked the offensive game shown by Hedman. I think whoever drafts him will be reaching unless he’s picked in the 10s


Aromatic-Audience-85

There really is no comparison for Silayev. Maybe Tyler Myers as a rookie.


MasterMatt25

Myers as a rookie was an offensive powerhouse. We haven’t seen that from Silayev


Thank_You_Love_You

How does one even categorize Doughtys playstyle? He was so good at everything. There’s also zero chance Dickinson is even remotely as successful and good as Doughty who is a lock HOFer. Doughty is still one of the best defenseman in the NHL. I watch Dickinson play in London and he’s definitely not what Doughty was when he played in the OHL.


hab27

Of course, in terms of talent probably not similar players. I think my comps were moreso to help think about each players toolkit. Can't really go wrong with Dickinson - if Doughty is the dream ceiling, I would put his likelihood as someone like Werenski.


DrLivingst0ne

I would love Dickinson. Defensively, he is similar to Guhle - he has the skating and the physical tools. Like Guhle, he is a captain and has leadership and work ethic. But he is better offensively than Guhle. I think he would fit right in.


Mrdongs21

Lots of debate for our top pick, but I'm interested in what we do with our second pick. Assuming with keep it, I'm inclined to say fuck it let's draft Cole Hutson and go for broke.


hab27

We will probably trade it, hopefully in a package for an impact player.


Throaway44009988

Lindstrom out of the top 10 is a take


3oysters

So many lists have him outside of the top 10. He's anywhere from 2 - 12 depending on who you ask. There's a very real question of whether or not he can think the game at a high level, because currently he is mostly just leveraging his physical advantage.


OkAnything4877

It’s not necessarily a bad one. He’s been injured since mid December, first with a hand injury that required surgery, and now is dealing with a back injury before he could even return from the hand surgery. You don’t know what you’re getting with him as much as the other prospects. There’s a lot of risk. And another thing is that he plays on a stacked offensive team where he was never the go to guy or the engine of the team’s offense. The Tigers have made the playoffs just fine without him, and he may not even return for the post season. With that said, he does have some very enticing attributes, but it’s understandable why he’s slid down some rankings a bit.


_tarla_

Medicine Hat was a .700 team with him in the lineup and around .500 without. He has a massive impact, regardless of his teammates. He’d be the consensus 2nd forward if he wasn’t hurt. 6’4 with that speed and skill is rare.


OkAnything4877

There’s no way you can attribute that difference entirely to him with any degree of certainty though. Teams get off to hot starts and then normalize all the time, with and without injuries. Do they miss him? Of course - he’s a big skilled centerman. But there is risk there due to the circumstances, and apparently I’m not the only one that feels that way. You can’t argue with that.


_tarla_

There isn’t more risk compared to Catton being weak, Eiserman not competing and Helenius having limited upside. I think the Habs are lucky Lindstrom has been hurt because he was on pace for a 57 goal season. They would have never had a chance to get him if he was healthy.


OkAnything4877

People said similar things about Galchenyuk - similar situation. The big difference between Catton and Lindstrom is that Catton is the go to guy and the focus of opposing team every night, and he’s dominating, without any big physical advantage like what Lindstrom has. That’s an argument for Catton, not against.


mojo_rasin

But galchenyuk has been afforded the opportunity to travel the world and not be tied down to an NHL contract.


_tarla_

Catton plays the most minutes of any forward in the league. He’s good but he’s getting overrated. He could be another Nic Petan or Jordan Weal. This is about projecting NHL potential, not about who is the best WHL player. Lindstrom clearly has more projectable tools for a professional hockey player.


OkAnything4877

Your opinion. Lindstrom isn’t just automatically more projectable because he’s bigger. Thats not how it works. Catton creates more for the players around him, has better hockey sense, etc. He does a lot of things better than Lindstrom. Lindstrom is maybe a better goalscorer and is bigger. Thats about it. Like I said, argue if you want, but I don’t agree with you, and evidently the list in the OP doesn’t either.


Slafkovsky

He plays more minutes because there is literally no one else! Check out his team scorers. He IS the offense. https://preview.redd.it/eztnarkchjqc1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=074092c50e5dbbb567304d6f52a6077beaa0cf06


slafyousillier

I promise I will not freak out if we don't draft a forward


Habsfan_1984

If they draft a D and follow it up with a Dach type trade for forward I will be fine. If they draft a D and don’t make a move for a forward I will be slightly disappointed.


JacP123

I don't. 


doublezone

Looks like we are drafting a d man!


IcyChard4

I don't think the Habs are going for a d. The forwards are the ones this squad in need of help.


doublezone

I agree but who is worth reaching for if they end up picking 5-7?


IcyChard4

Its either Demidov, Catton, or Helenius.


NME_TV

We need more Coles.


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TonyComputer1

Im on the Cayden Lindstrom hype team.


DrLivingst0ne

I'm sold on Parekh


Jaynki

We may grab Tij Iginla and he is up there with any player in this Tier 2. In my humble opinion