Quote:
Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher
Crazy list. Big emphasis on purely skilled forwards regardless of their size. NHL teams aren't going to see it the same way IMO. Is this your prediction of how the draft will go or just where you'd take them?
|
The order in which I would select the players in question having no thought for team need or other tangential issues. I don't believe for a second that the actual draft order will look anything like that list.
Quote:
|
You are underrating size, strength, defensive play and character it seems.
|
This is correct, except I'm not underrating them, I'm simply not prioritizing them. In fact I am not prioritizing any particular tools, because I feel that assessing players on the basis of individual particular skills they may possess simply clouds the issue. The point is to select the best hockey player. Whether a guy has strength and "character" (whatever that means) or not, if it doesn't result in him playing the game better, I do not care about it. That being said, I am also not prioritizing specific offensive tools - otherwise Virtanen, with his speed and shot, would be well inside the top 10 and Nylander, who is probably the most skilled player in the draft, would be #1.
As for size, this has always been overrated. These are 17 year old kids playing against other teenagers. If a guy has a "man's body", and is successful in junior, it's a pretty good assumption that a large part of his success in junior is owing to the fact that he's playing against opponents who do not have that particular attribute. The instant he steps into the pro leagues he immediately loses this advantage, and will never regain it.
Quote:
|
DeAngelo looks likely to drop due to character concerns. Bet he's on the flames do not draft list.
|
Having a "do not draft" list is pretty stupid, in my view, but it's especially stupid if consensus top 40 picks are on the list. If a guy who's the 12th best hockey player in the draft is get-able with the 25th pick, you take him. I don't care what the rumours are about him.