Quote:
Originally Posted by Ro
My younger brother in BC has played high level minor hockey his whole life, and this would be his draft year. My Dad has been involved with his hockey career as either a coach or team doctor for almost all that time. As a result, they know this WHL draft class really, really well. Here's a very basic summary of some big name WHL kids they like and don't like, relative to their rankings and NHL potential:
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I asked them again about some kids that my brother has either played with or against, and here's some less well-known names they threw out there (CSB ranking in brackets):
Not as high on/overrated:
Adam Musil (61) - Thinks he's better than he probably is, skilled guy but can play with blinders on at times. They said let somebody else draft him.
Jansen Harkins (15) - They mentioned him previously, but both reiterated that he seemed grossly overrated. Disappears for long stretches, doesn't do any one thing really well. Not much special about him.
High on/underrated relative to their ranking:
Chaz Reddekopp (82) - Big, physical, tough, smart. Not great offensively but has improved steadily with the puck since they've known him. Good kid.
Brad Morrison (124) - A bit of an enigma. Frustrates his coaches at times with the way he plays, in that he's not at his best in a regimented system/structure that doesn't allow for some creativity. Small and slight, but slippery and near impossible to check, similar to Gaudreau. The kind of centerman that linemates always need to be aware of, as he can put the puck on their stick at any time. Huge upside. In the right situation, can change a game by himself. They think he has the potential to put up 80-90 points next year with enough ice time.
Matt Bradley (126) - Hard to play against. Another smart, hard working kid that does all the little things right.
Ryan Gropp (71) - Played with Barzal so his stats might be padded slightly but has all the traits coaches love- hard worker, buzzsaw, never stops kinda player. 6-3 and growing. Was often the best player on the ice at a younger age when my brother played against him.
Others they liked:
Soy (77)
Sideroff (134)
Finlay (199)
Gawdin (59)
Wagner (35)
And just to clarify about Bittner from my previous post- they haven't seen him play other than against the Rockets in the WHL. But he stood out quite a bit they said.