Need your expertise in draft selection assessment. I was looking at Valimaki stats, who was drafted as the 5th defensemen overall in the draft, and compared it with the other dmen that were selected high. The following are the top 6 dmen selected and their applicable stats.
1) #3 Overall; Stars
M. Heiskanen
HIFK Helsinki; 37 GP, 5 G, 5A 10 points, -1
6 foot, 170 lbs;
2) #4 Overall; Avs
C. Makar
Brooks Bandits; 54 GP, 10 A, 45 A, 55 points, +18
5 foot 11, 180 lbs.
3) #14 Overall; Tbay
C. Foote
Kelowna Rockets; 71 GP, 6 G, 51 A, 57 points, + 39
6 foot 4, 212
4) #15 Overall; Vegas
E. Brannstrom
HV71 Jonkoping; 35 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 6 points, + 10
5 foot 10, 173 lbs
5) #16 Overall; Flames
J. Valimaki
Tri-City Americans; 60 GP, 19 G, 42 A, 61 points; +2
6 foot 2, 204 lbs
6) #17 Overall; Leafs
T. Liljegren
Rogle BK; 24 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 6 pts, -5
6 foot, 191 lbs
I'm no expert, but based on stats, why would Heiskanen and Brnnstrom go so high, with so few points?
Why would Makar go so high, in a lesser league, in the AJHL?
Why was Liljegren ranked so high, with only 6 points?
I'm just trying to understand what the scouts are looking at, as I'm not sure what I'm missing. Based on the stats, I would think Valimaki should be the first defensemen selected. Why was he the 5th?
Any thoughts would help me in my rookie way of looking at things.
Thank you.
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