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Flames Draft Watcher · 05-20-2016, 09:47 AM

Brock Otten who watches the OHL closely has released his top prospects for the draft. These are his thoughts on the 3 OHL d-men.

http://ohlprospects.blogspot.ca/2016...r-2016_20.html

3. Jakob Chychrun - Defence - Sarnia Sting
"The race between Chychrun, Sergachev, and Juolevi has been close all year and it remains that way to close out the season. I'm a fan of all three players and a sound argument can be made for either of the three being the best defender available. So here's why Chychrun is tops for me. It comes down to potential. While I do believe that Sergachev has the highest offensive ceiling Chychrun isn't too far behind (and is IMO ahead of Juolevi). Meanwhile, Chychrun is also the best defensively of the three, but also possesses the highest defensive ceiling of the three too. In essence, I see Chychrun as having the potential to develop into a dominant two-way defender who could challenge for multiple Norris trophies. Defensively, Chychrun has so many strong characteristics. Firstly, his positioning and ability to seal off forwards from chasing down loose pucks is among the best of any draft eligible defender that I've seen. If he was an NBA player, he'd be one hell of a rebounder. Part of that is because of his mobility. Part of that is because of his strength. Both are fantastic. Chychrun toys with playing physical and seems to be most willing to lower the boom when defending the rush. Adding a more consistent physical component to his game, especially when near the crease, would elevate his defensive ability even further. Offensively, his game runs off his skating. When he wants to, he can carry the puck deep into the offensive zone with ease. But that's the key. No question his offensive game regressed a bit this year. Could be a variety of reasons for that (Hatcher asking him to play more of a defensive role, feeling the pressure in his draft year, confidence, etc), but it did happen. He didn't seem as confident in jumping up in the play, or unleashing his slapshot (which is a good one). Chychrun also struggled at times with his decision making with the puck in his own end. Too many turnovers from trying to force plays up the ice. He needs to trust his skating ability to be able to create time and space for him to make better decisions. And, he needs to regain the confidence he showed in year one, that had him constantly looking to push the attack by skating the puck out of trouble. Quite frankly, I'm not concerned about any of the issues I've outlined. I think a lot are confidence and experience related and not competence. The physical skills are too good to pass up and he flashes so much brilliance that I refuse to believe that he has hockey sense issues, or limited offensive potential. That said, I wouldn't at all be surprised if he was the 3rd defender picked at the draft this year."

5. Mikhail Sergachev - Defence - Windsor Spitfires
"The following players have won the Max Kaminsky trophy (as the league's top defenseman) in their (original) draft year since 1990: Aaron Ekblad, Ryan Ellis, Drew Doughty, Bryan Berard, and Chris Pronger. Pretty damn good company. Bust rate = zero. Take that for what it's worth. Sergachev is an absolutely electric offensive player. Youtube and the OHL plays of the week are littered with Sergachev highlights. He's such an explosive skater and when you combine that with his puck control, creativity, and aggressiveness in jumping up in the play, you've got a defender who constantly pushes his way across the blueline to create scoring chances. I also love Sergachev's ability and poise when running the point on the powerplay. He possesses an absolute laser of a shot, specifically his one timer, which resulted in a league leading 17 goals from the blueline. Defensively, there are no doubt holes. His reads off the rush and in coverage are a work in progress. And he could stand to pick his spots a bit better when he chooses to jump up in the play. But here's the thing. The physical tools that he possesses suggest that his defensive game can and will improve. He's a willing physical combatant and can really lay the boom on forwards who try to go through him to the net. He's also a fantastic skater, which often covers up a lot of his errors at this level. If you're taking Sergachev early, you believe in his potential to be a perennial NHL all star, and I definitely see that. Bob McKenzie has stated several times that he could see Sergachev as the first defender drafted for that reason. And don't even bring up the U18's. Not a good gauge of the type of player he is, as he was asked to play a shutdown defender role on a team that had to play the majority of the time in their own end. Bottom line...I agree with Bobby Mac. Don't be surprised if this guy goes in the top 6 or 7."

6. Olli Juolevi - Defence - London Knights
"If I'm a team picking inside the lottery, I'm drafting the player who I believe has the highest upside. And that's why I've consistently had Juolevi ranked as the 3rd best d-prospect among the big 3 (with Sergachev and Chychrun) all season long. That's not to say that I see Juloevi as some scrub who'll end up on a 3rd pairing. It's more that I see Juolevi as that reliable 2nd pairing guy. Not incredibly flashy, but super efficient. Where as I see Chychrun/Sergachev possessing first pairing upside, and both possess better physical tools. If we're talking about Juolevi's best asset, it's most definitely his puck management. Rarely makes a bad pass or bad decision with the puck in his own end. His first pass and stretch pass might be the best of any defender in the OHL. Juolevi's skating stride is ultra smooth and his first few steps are excellent, which allows him to evade the forecheck and be calm under pressure. His shot is OK and I don't think he's naturally aggressive as a puck rusher. Thus, I don't see him being a massive point producer at the next level. But those qualities could obviously improve (and I could be wrong). Defensively, Juolevi's positioning and ability to stay with players off the rush is excellent. As is his general awareness without the puck. He's definitely not mean, and he'll likely forever be a stick/positional defender. But many guys are successful playing that way in the NHL. At the end of the day, while Juolevi isn't likely to be the type of defender who wins Norris trophies, he should be the type of guy who plays 10+ years in the NHL and plays 20 minutes a night. And that's why he's considered a near lock for the lottery."

05-20-2016, 09:47 AM	#71
Flames Draft Watcher In the Sin Bin Join Date: Oct 2001 Exp:	Brock Otten who watches the OHL closely has released his top prospects for the draft. These are his thoughts on the 3 OHL d-men. http://ohlprospects.blogspot.ca/2016...r-2016_20.html 3. Jakob Chychrun - Defence - Sarnia Sting "The race between Chychrun, Sergachev, and Juolevi has been close all year and it remains that way to close out the season. I'm a fan of all three players and a sound argument can be made for either of the three being the best defender available. So here's why Chychrun is tops for me. It comes down to potential. While I do believe that Sergachev has the highest offensive ceiling Chychrun isn't too far behind (and is IMO ahead of Juolevi). Meanwhile, Chychrun is also the best defensively of the three, but also possesses the highest defensive ceiling of the three too. In essence, I see Chychrun as having the potential to develop into a dominant two-way defender who could challenge for multiple Norris trophies. Defensively, Chychrun has so many strong characteristics. Firstly, his positioning and ability to seal off forwards from chasing down loose pucks is among the best of any draft eligible defender that I've seen. If he was an NBA player, he'd be one hell of a rebounder. Part of that is because of his mobility. Part of that is because of his strength. Both are fantastic. Chychrun toys with playing physical and seems to be most willing to lower the boom when defending the rush. Adding a more consistent physical component to his game, especially when near the crease, would elevate his defensive ability even further. Offensively, his game runs off his skating. When he wants to, he can carry the puck deep into the offensive zone with ease. But that's the key. No question his offensive game regressed a bit this year. Could be a variety of reasons for that (Hatcher asking him to play more of a defensive role, feeling the pressure in his draft year, confidence, etc), but it did happen. He didn't seem as confident in jumping up in the play, or unleashing his slapshot (which is a good one). Chychrun also struggled at times with his decision making with the puck in his own end. Too many turnovers from trying to force plays up the ice. He needs to trust his skating ability to be able to create time and space for him to make better decisions. And, he needs to regain the confidence he showed in year one, that had him constantly looking to push the attack by skating the puck out of trouble. Quite frankly, I'm not concerned about any of the issues I've outlined. I think a lot are confidence and experience related and not competence. The physical skills are too good to pass up and he flashes so much brilliance that I refuse to believe that he has hockey sense issues, or limited offensive potential. That said, I wouldn't at all be surprised if he was the 3rd defender picked at the draft this year." 5. Mikhail Sergachev - Defence - Windsor Spitfires "The following players have won the Max Kaminsky trophy (as the league's top defenseman) in their (original) draft year since 1990: Aaron Ekblad, Ryan Ellis, Drew Doughty, Bryan Berard, and Chris Pronger. Pretty damn good company. Bust rate = zero. Take that for what it's worth. Sergachev is an absolutely electric offensive player. Youtube and the OHL plays of the week are littered with Sergachev highlights. He's such an explosive skater and when you combine that with his puck control, creativity, and aggressiveness in jumping up in the play, you've got a defender who constantly pushes his way across the blueline to create scoring chances. I also love Sergachev's ability and poise when running the point on the powerplay. He possesses an absolute laser of a shot, specifically his one timer, which resulted in a league leading 17 goals from the blueline. Defensively, there are no doubt holes. His reads off the rush and in coverage are a work in progress. And he could stand to pick his spots a bit better when he chooses to jump up in the play. But here's the thing. The physical tools that he possesses suggest that his defensive game can and will improve. He's a willing physical combatant and can really lay the boom on forwards who try to go through him to the net. He's also a fantastic skater, which often covers up a lot of his errors at this level. If you're taking Sergachev early, you believe in his potential to be a perennial NHL all star, and I definitely see that. Bob McKenzie has stated several times that he could see Sergachev as the first defender drafted for that reason. And don't even bring up the U18's. Not a good gauge of the type of player he is, as he was asked to play a shutdown defender role on a team that had to play the majority of the time in their own end. Bottom line...I agree with Bobby Mac. Don't be surprised if this guy goes in the top 6 or 7." 6. Olli Juolevi - Defence - London Knights "If I'm a team picking inside the lottery, I'm drafting the player who I believe has the highest upside. And that's why I've consistently had Juolevi ranked as the 3rd best d-prospect among the big 3 (with Sergachev and Chychrun) all season long. That's not to say that I see Juloevi as some scrub who'll end up on a 3rd pairing. It's more that I see Juolevi as that reliable 2nd pairing guy. Not incredibly flashy, but super efficient. Where as I see Chychrun/Sergachev possessing first pairing upside, and both possess better physical tools. If we're talking about Juolevi's best asset, it's most definitely his puck management. Rarely makes a bad pass or bad decision with the puck in his own end. His first pass and stretch pass might be the best of any defender in the OHL. Juolevi's skating stride is ultra smooth and his first few steps are excellent, which allows him to evade the forecheck and be calm under pressure. His shot is OK and I don't think he's naturally aggressive as a puck rusher. Thus, I don't see him being a massive point producer at the next level. But those qualities could obviously improve (and I could be wrong). Defensively, Juolevi's positioning and ability to stay with players off the rush is excellent. As is his general awareness without the puck. He's definitely not mean, and he'll likely forever be a stick/positional defender. But many guys are successful playing that way in the NHL. At the end of the day, while Juolevi isn't likely to be the type of defender who wins Norris trophies, he should be the type of guy who plays 10+ years in the NHL and plays 20 minutes a night. And that's why he's considered a near lock for the lottery."