2024 NHL Draft Thread

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

So in other words a guy you pick in the 5th round or later. Too bad Wisebrod isn't working for the Canucks anymore.

Honestly if Jankowski had been a second- or third-rounder I think we would've been pretty impressed with him as a decent piece of scouting. Just went way too high.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Honestly if Jankowski had been a second- or third-rounder I think we would've been pretty impressed with him as a decent piece of scouting. Just went way too high.

I didn't mind the gamble though. Big, skilled centres who skate well are hard to find. If it had worked, it would have been a home run.

Their mistake was how they pumped the tires so much. They shouldn't have done that. But the rationale behind the pick itself was sound.

If you are going to take big swings on upside (which I believe in because they can alter a franchise) then you are going to miss on some of them.

[The Fonz]

I'm very uninformed so don't anybody expect me to back up my stance on this.

I will be irrationally angry if we pass on either of Catton or Lindstrom.

[Matty81]

I liked that Janko pick a lot too, he was such a fun player to watch develop with how far he came and the consistent improvement for about 7 years.

When he put up 32 pts and was a positive corsi player, positive +/- in 18/19, after a 17 goal season in 17/18 - I actually thought he was tracking towards 2nd line center territory, he had improved every single year before that and with another step or two saw him becoming a good two way 40-50 pt a year guy.

Then his game just collapsed in 19/20 and he's never really played at that same level again. You wonder what happened there - sometimes there are off ice issues or injuries we don't hear about but looking at his career trajectory there was a clear fork in the road that season. Whole team was bad that year and so maybe he was just sheltered in previous years and couldn't stand up to tougher matchups?

[Tbull8]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

I'm very uninformed so don't anybody expect me to back up my stance on this.

I will be irrationally angry if we pass on either of Catton or Lindstrom.

I think Lindstrom will be gone by pick 5 at the lowest, Catton mayyy make it to 10 but I agree. Both would be a huge injection of talent into the top 6

[Matty81]

Wild how tight the wildcard pack is... flames still seem like they could pick anywhere from 6-16 right now almost 50 games into the season. This seems like a good draft, don't want to cheer for the flames to lose but a top 10 pick feels like it would bring in a foundational piece.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Matty81

I liked that Janko pick a lot too, he was such a fun player to watch develop with how far he came and the consistent improvement for about 7 years.

When he put up 32 pts and was a positive corsi player, positive +/- in 18/19, after a 17 goal season in 17/18 - I actually thought he was tracking towards 2nd line center territory, he had improved every single year before that and with another step or two saw him becoming a good two way 40-50 pt a year guy.

Then his game just collapsed in 19/20 and he's never really played at that same level again. You wonder what happened there - sometimes there are off ice issues or injuries we don't hear about but looking at his career trajectory there was a clear fork in the road that season. Whole team was bad that year and so maybe he was just sheltered in previous years and couldn't stand up to tougher matchups?

And that isn't on the scouts - they picked a great horse, but he died down the stretch.

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I didn't mind the gamble though. Big, skilled centres who skate well are hard to find. If it had worked, it would have been a home run.

Their mistake was how they pumped the tires so much. They shouldn't have done that. But the rationale behind the pick itself was sound.

If you are going to take big swings on upside (which I believe in because they can alter a franchise) then you are going to miss on some of them.

This, exactly. Great pick, IMO, and if they felt he wouldn't be around in the 2nd round, and wanted him in the 1st, that's fine.

As you said, the mistake was pounding their chest and claiming to be the smartest guys in the room. Just make your pick, and say "we really like the player, and believe he can develop into a good one"

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

And that isn't on the scouts - they picked a great horse, but he died down the stretch.



This, exactly. Great pick, IMO, and if they felt he wouldn't be around in the 2nd round, and wanted him in the 1st, that's fine.

As you said, the mistake was pounding their chest and claiming to be the smartest guys in the room. Just make your pick, and say "we really like the player, and believe he can develop into a good one"

I think we know that at least one team (NJ I want to say) was going to take Jankowski with their first.

I think the other error you could identify is moving down. I don't see a lot of impactful players after Jankowski but if they had held on to their pick, there were some guys around there. Particularly since the 2nd pick was Patrick Sieloff who was a terrible pick that day and every day after.

[Ziggy Lidstrom]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I think we know that at least one team (NJ I want to say) was going to take Jankowski with their first.

I think the other error you could identify is moving down. I don't see a lot of impactful players after Jankowski but if they had held on to their pick, there were some guys around there. Particularly since the 2nd pick was Patrick Sieloff who was a terrible pick that day and every day after.

If I recall want it an illness and an injury that ended his career: seiloff?

He was touted as being a really good hitter and skater. The only way i don’t like a pick like him is due to his size. He just was a bit above average and his style took a toll on his body. Yeah sad draft considering vasilevski was picked at 15.

I liked the jankowski pick. He was 6’2 when we drafted him and he shot up to 6’5. I didn’t like providence as a development program for him though. They were super low scoring. Anyway jank looked ok on the PK here. He was a a decent player that just never stuck. He had some flashes with Nashville too. Ah well didn’t happen. But I agree with you Jiri taking a chance in big swift skating centermen see why I want Lindstrom.

Those PWFs from the OHL look intriguing too. Sandman was plugging them. Good draft to have multiple picks.

[Jiri Hrdina]

The problem with Sieloff is that guys with his production in junior simply don’t make the nhl unless they are big bruisers. And while he was tough he wasn’t big either
Not skilled and not big=no chance at making the show

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

The problem with Sieloff is that guys with his production in junior simply don’t make the nhl unless they are big bruisers. And while he was tough he wasn’t big either
Not skilled and not big=no chance at making the show

He ruined Baertchis career while on the same team.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

The problem with Sieloff is that guys with his production in junior simply don’t make the nhl unless they are big bruisers. And while he was tough he wasn’t big either
Not skilled and not big=no chance at making the show

Yup. Sieloff was listed at 6'1, but he was 6'0" when we drafted him. I remember saying, "hitting is his biggest asset, and he's six feet tall? He won't make it."

[Calgary4LIfe]

Jankowski started off great. He followed that up with another solid season. PK'er, no PP that I remember, but he produced. His first season was helluva impressive for me - not one single 'lucky' goal. Just snipe after snipe it seemed.



3rd season, he just faltered. You would have thought that it was merely a season late 'sophomore jinx' season, but 7 points in 52 games was a dreadful drop. I wonder what happened with him. It didn't appear to be injuries - if so, nothing was disclosed. He looked like he was able to skate around just as well. It just seemed like he just didn't enjoy playing any longer, or somehow lost that 'tenacity' - which, for him, didn't seem like a whole lot at first anyway, but it went right down to zero it seemed. Still an active player, though mostly in the AHL. Hard to believe he is 29 years old now!



Colborne gets lumped-into the same conversation, but IMO it is a little unfair. It seemed he got a concussion and suffered from that. He only played that one season in Colorado, tried to return the year after and had 13 games in the AHL, but had to retire. I hope he is at least symptom-free and able to enjoy life normally now.

[traptor]

Looks like a really balanced top end of the draft. All types of players in all types of positions.

How does everyone prioritize our biggest needs?
Say the flames pick betwen 6-10. Chances are some of these guys are available.

Big center in Lindstrom?
Small but high skill high motor center in Catton?
Small offensive D in Buium?
Big rangy D in Dickinson?
Local kid in Yamechuk?
Iginla?!

Or if Eiserman falls do you snag him?

One of the more interesting drafts with how things are playing out right now.

[browntrout]

In some ways I wonder if the flames prioritize defenceman in this draft, this rebuild is going to take 5 plus years, would it not make sense to draft defense first as they typically take 4 -5 years before they can make an impact at the NHL level.

I am a diehard flames fan, my 12 year old son is an oiler fan, but after going to the oiler game last night I can tell you rebuilding is worth it, it's fun watching the younger players play, and eventually it pays off, the organization just needs to put the sacrifice in, don't rush the rebuild, and watch it all pay off in the end.

Honestly at this point I know fans talk about, "well you still have to ice a hockey team" and while true to a certain extent, I just don't know if it's even worth signing hanifin or keeping markstrom, time to bottom out, reset, grab as many draft picks as you can.

[Ped]

Hey, Sieloff average a goal a game for multiple teams. There were a lot of disappointing 1st round picks that year, but they could stiff have had Wilson or Teravainen or Hertl or Vasilevsky. But realistically, Jankowski has played over 300 games and had moderate success. But the 2nd round was very weak that year too; 15 never played an NHL game, and 3 more played less than 10.


Unless Im counting wrong, Jankowski is 49th in games played from that year. It truly was the hype that made it a terrible pick.

[Ashes]

Ottawa, Montreal, Buffalo, and Minnesota SHOULD have the horses to overtake the Flames down the stretch, especially once we offload some guys by the TDL. I think Ottawa is more of a long shot but they have the games in hand.

I still think C or D should be the priority for the Flames based on team needs, but if one of the Wingers slips - they're both potential top line players so I wouldn't be upset if we picked one of them.

The way I would have the Flames list ranked for the top 10 as of today would be:

Celebrini (C)
Lindstrom (C)
Silayev (D)
Levshunov (D)
Eiserman (LW)
Demidov (RW)
Helenius (C)
Catton (C)
Buium (D)
Parekh/Dickinson - slight edge to Dickinson with his size (D)

[Royle9]

There's just so many reasons for the Flames to try and get 2-3 in the 1st round.
Would be ecstatic to walk away with like:

Lindstrom
One of the D
Iginla

[Wastedyouth]

If they dont draft Iginla, I will riot.

[dammage79]

1. Lindstrom
2. Levshunov
3. Silayev
4. Demidov
5. Helenius
6. Dickenson
7. Catton
8. Iginla

That's where I've got my order of preference today. Half way point of the NHL season.

Edit: should mention Celebrini is still #1 but the Flames have never and I will assume will never puck 1st OA. Also having said, I'd still take Lindstrom. I'm crazy.