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Sandman · 05-03-2023, 03:30 AM

Draft thoughts, U-18:

-Left-shooting RW Nick Lardis was a 6th overall pick in the OHL Draft, by Peterborough in 2021. This season, after putting up only 19 points in 36 games, he was traded to Hamilton, where he amassed 25 goals and 46 points in only 33 games (an incredible 1.39 ppg, pro-rated to 90+ points over 65 games), followed by 5 goals and 10 points in 6 playoff games- 4 more points than any other member of the Bulldogs. I think he was hopelessly buried on a deep Petes team, behind players like Tucker Robertson, Connor Lockhart, Owen Beck, and others. In the U-18's, he had 4 goals in 7 games; however, 3 of those came in one game against the Germans, and 1 came against the Czechs. Lardis is a pretty exciting offensive player- he has plenty of speed in his 5'11" frame, and a packed offensive toolkit. He's far more of a shooter than he is a playmaker, but he has the vision to make difficult passes as well. His shot is blistering, with a fine release to decieve goalies, and he has the moves in tight to deke them out as well. Nice stickhandling, and some slick 1-on-1 moves to get around, or through traffic, and can produce off the rush. Has the skills to skate it through transition. It is said that the problem with Lardis is that he doesn't play good defense, and his physical game is fairly non-existent. He has a slight build, and needs to build strength in order to play with men at the next level, and he has to build a defensive game-but the talent is there. 3rd/4th round.

-Another one of my favorite draft-eligibles is 6'1" LW Colby Barlow, but like most of Team Canada, he disappointed in the U-18's, with 3 goals, and 4 points in 6 games. His time as Captain of the OHL's Owen Sound Attack is a different story, with 46 goals, and 79 points in only 59 games- 16th in ppg, and 5th in goals as a 17-year-old. His 46 tallies represent almost 20% of Owen Sound's goals. Barlow reminds me a lot of Mason McTavish, in that they both look much bigger than they actually are, both are uncommonly strong, and both get a surprising amount of power out of their seemingly lumbering stride. Both lean more towards being pure goal-scorers, than playmakers, and both could grow caveman beards at a very young age. Barlow has one of the best shots in the draft- it's blisteringly hard, heavy, and accurate, and he has good hands in tight for outmanouvering goalies, cleaning up garbage, and tipping pucks. His hands are gifted, and he's adept at finding space in the offensive zone to unleash his shot, recieve passes, or find teammates in high danger. He plays in the trenches, wins pucks in battle, works in the danger areas, takes punishment in front of the net, and initiates contact, but he could stand to use his physicality more. One of Barlow's best traits is his commitment to defense- he's a true leader, and wants to set the example with his all-around play. He takes more pride in his defense than he does in his scoring. He will even put his body on the line to block shots, and he drags his teammates into the fight. Power-forward with top-6 potential, he will probably go top-12.

-American D Aram Minnetian seems to be a favorite among scouts, and was once considered a surefire first-rounder, but his offensive production in the USDP has been disappointing, with only 6 points in 22 games with the USNTDP Junior Team. In the U-18's, he was USA's 3rd-highest scoring D-man, with 4 points in 7 games, but was tied with Ryan Leonard for 1st in the tourney, with a whopping plus/minus of +16. There's no denying his fantastic skating ability; he's blazing fast, with silky smooth mechanics, and there's few he can't separate from. To add to this, is his effortless stickhandling. He walks the blueline with confidence, and has a hard shot. He is both capable play-maker, passer, and skilled puck-mover. Perhaps best of all is his defensive commitment, and his transitional ability. He snuffs rushes at the line, and in the neutral zone, and eliminates time and space with his speed, and an active stick. Many scouts say the reason for his lack of production is a weak USDP Draft Class, but in my opinion, he has a hitch in his hockey sense, and poor shot selection. The fact that he was a forward only 2 years ago both helps him, and hinders him, as it might have helped his skating/ stickhandling, but it can't be easy to learn to run the offense from the blueline in that time. Just my opinion. He just seems to not know when to activate, when to pass, and when to shoot- a lot of his shots were blocked, he missed the net plenty, and it seemed like his passes in the offensive zone were getting picked off with regularity. Scouts consider him a good two-way, transitional defender who could make a fine second-pairing D, if he could develop his offense- most other aspects of his game are well above average. He needs to also get stronger, as he's only 6'0". Look for him in the second round.

05-03-2023, 03:30 AM	#474
Sandman Franchise Player Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Calgary Exp:	Draft thoughts, U-18: -Left-shooting RW Nick Lardis was a 6th overall pick in the OHL Draft, by Peterborough in 2021. This season, after putting up only 19 points in 36 games, he was traded to Hamilton, where he amassed 25 goals and 46 points in only 33 games (an incredible 1.39 ppg, pro-rated to 90+ points over 65 games), followed by 5 goals and 10 points in 6 playoff games- 4 more points than any other member of the Bulldogs. I think he was hopelessly buried on a deep Petes team, behind players like Tucker Robertson, Connor Lockhart, Owen Beck, and others. In the U-18's, he had 4 goals in 7 games; however, 3 of those came in one game against the Germans, and 1 came against the Czechs. Lardis is a pretty exciting offensive player- he has plenty of speed in his 5'11" frame, and a packed offensive toolkit. He's far more of a shooter than he is a playmaker, but he has the vision to make difficult passes as well. His shot is blistering, with a fine release to decieve goalies, and he has the moves in tight to deke them out as well. Nice stickhandling, and some slick 1-on-1 moves to get around, or through traffic, and can produce off the rush. Has the skills to skate it through transition. It is said that the problem with Lardis is that he doesn't play good defense, and his physical game is fairly non-existent. He has a slight build, and needs to build strength in order to play with men at the next level, and he has to build a defensive game-but the talent is there. 3rd/4th round. -Another one of my favorite draft-eligibles is 6'1" LW Colby Barlow, but like most of Team Canada, he disappointed in the U-18's, with 3 goals, and 4 points in 6 games. His time as Captain of the OHL's Owen Sound Attack is a different story, with 46 goals, and 79 points in only 59 games- 16th in ppg, and 5th in goals as a 17-year-old. His 46 tallies represent almost 20% of Owen Sound's goals. Barlow reminds me a lot of Mason McTavish, in that they both look much bigger than they actually are, both are uncommonly strong, and both get a surprising amount of power out of their seemingly lumbering stride. Both lean more towards being pure goal-scorers, than playmakers, and both could grow caveman beards at a very young age. Barlow has one of the best shots in the draft- it's blisteringly hard, heavy, and accurate, and he has good hands in tight for outmanouvering goalies, cleaning up garbage, and tipping pucks. His hands are gifted, and he's adept at finding space in the offensive zone to unleash his shot, recieve passes, or find teammates in high danger. He plays in the trenches, wins pucks in battle, works in the danger areas, takes punishment in front of the net, and initiates contact, but he could stand to use his physicality more. One of Barlow's best traits is his commitment to defense- he's a true leader, and wants to set the example with his all-around play. He takes more pride in his defense than he does in his scoring. He will even put his body on the line to block shots, and he drags his teammates into the fight. Power-forward with top-6 potential, he will probably go top-12. -American D Aram Minnetian seems to be a favorite among scouts, and was once considered a surefire first-rounder, but his offensive production in the USDP has been disappointing, with only 6 points in 22 games with the USNTDP Junior Team. In the U-18's, he was USA's 3rd-highest scoring D-man, with 4 points in 7 games, but was tied with Ryan Leonard for 1st in the tourney, with a whopping plus/minus of +16. There's no denying his fantastic skating ability; he's blazing fast, with silky smooth mechanics, and there's few he can't separate from. To add to this, is his effortless stickhandling. He walks the blueline with confidence, and has a hard shot. He is both capable play-maker, passer, and skilled puck-mover. Perhaps best of all is his defensive commitment, and his transitional ability. He snuffs rushes at the line, and in the neutral zone, and eliminates time and space with his speed, and an active stick. Many scouts say the reason for his lack of production is a weak USDP Draft Class, but in my opinion, he has a hitch in his hockey sense, and poor shot selection. The fact that he was a forward only 2 years ago both helps him, and hinders him, as it might have helped his skating/ stickhandling, but it can't be easy to learn to run the offense from the blueline in that time. Just my opinion. He just seems to not know when to activate, when to pass, and when to shoot- a lot of his shots were blocked, he missed the net plenty, and it seemed like his passes in the offensive zone were getting picked off with regularity. Scouts consider him a good two-way, transitional defender who could make a fine second-pairing D, if he could develop his offense- most other aspects of his game are well above average. He needs to also get stronger, as he's only 6'0". Look for him in the second round.