Left-Handed RW/C Felix Lacerte may be diminutive, at 5'10",168lbs, but he's carrying most of the load this season for Shawinigan, leading the team with 31 goals and 59 points in 52 games, to go along with 51 PIM. He's the main focal point for opposing checkers every night, and he's doing it without much help, as he's 13 points ahead of the next highest-scoring teammate- and Shawinigan is 15th in the 18-team QMJHL in goals-for. Lacerte led the Cataractes in scoring in 2022-23 as well, and was named to the All-Rookie Team, with 52 points in 67 games, to go with 5 goals in 5 playoff games. I think it's fair to say that Lacerte would have much more impressive numbers on a better team.
Lacerte leans a bit towards scoring goals as his preferred offensive contribution, but he sees the ice well in all 3 zones, and has finely tuned instincts. He's highly proficient at finding open lanes, which serves him well as a smaller player, and has the patience to wait for a play to develop, rather than throw the puck away, or force a rushed pass. His deception abilities are top-notch, and he can control and manipulate space for himself and teammates. He has a sniper's hands, with a lethal shot, and diguises the point of his lightning-quick release to fool goalies. He's a high-volume shooter, and scores a lot of his goals within ten feet of the net- he has soft hands in-tight, and can beat goalies 1-on-1. Lacerte is a slick puckhandler, cool and confident in possession, and can weave through traffic. Speed-wise, he's decent, with good acceleration, but needs to add another gear or two on top. His edges are strong, and he has the agility to elude checkers, along with a low center of gravity which makes it hard to knock him off the puck. Lacerte plays with a huge chip on his shoulder and a robust physical game. He can throw some heavy hits, and battles hard in the greasy areas against much larger opponents. He's a bit of an agitator, and gives defensemen fits with the way he causes havok in the crease, and his chippy play down low on the forecheck.
Lacerte has good awareness defensively, with the anticipation to intercept passes and close on forecheckers, but he lacks intensity in his own zone, and fails to put pressure on opposing attackers. In addition, his play with the puck in the zone, and his outlet passes are often sloppy. The main problem he has, and the reason some suggest he may slip to the late rounds in the draft, is his poor tempo, and the way he lacks pace in his game. Some players like to slow the game down, but Lacerte often shows a lack of urgency, and it's a big concern. Lacerte will need to build his strength and bulk considerably for the next level in order to be able to deal with larger pros, and he has to get a bit faster. His production can't be ignored, so I will guess 5th, or 6th round.
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It seems like LHC Topias Hynninen has been around forever, but I haven't heard his name that much this year, after being pretty highly touted the last few seasons. Perhaps it's his paltry-sounding 9 points in 43 games with Jukurit of the Liiga in Finland, the top league in that country, that's putting people off. In the Liiga, Hynninen ranks 13th in scoring for U-20 players, and 6th for players 18-and-under, with limited ice-time and responsibility as a young player. If he were playing full-time in the U20 league, I have no doubt he would be amongst the top -scoring draft eligible players coming out of Finland, and there might be a little more buzz surrounding him. In 2022-23, he put up 38 points in 39 games in the U20, and he had 19 points in 41 games the year before that, so he's already a veteran in that league. He's been around a bit this season, with stops in the second-tier Mestis (2 points in 3 games), the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (3 points in 5 games), and Jukurit's U20 team (9 points in 8 games). It was a big shock to many that he was left off the roster for the World Juniors, especially considering that he can play a wide variety of roles, on any line. Hynninen is a little older, with a Dec.19th birthday, and stands 5'10",170lbs.
As stated, Hynninen is a very well-rounded player, with a smart 200-ft game. Hynninen is an excellent skater, with good acceleration and top speed, and can win most races to loose pucks- he's very agile, with lateral quickness, and strong on his edges, which helps him to navigate through traffic. His shot could use more zip, but his release is quick and deceptive enough to fool goalies. He has quick hands to finish in tight, and can roof it, but he can also cash in on rebounds and tips. Hynninen is much more of a playmaker than scorer though, and he's known for his high-end IQ and anticipation, though he doesn't get too many oportunities to make big plays in the Liiga with less ice-time, and much tighter checking to contend with against men. He's adept at creating off the rush, and can pass from both sides of his blade in full stride. There's plenty of deception and manipulation in his passing game, as well as spatial awareness- he baits attackers into coming at him, then passes into open space. He has the presence of mind to hold on to the puck in order to wait for a higher-percentage play to develop, rather than make a less effective pass. Stickhandling is one of his better traits, and he can dangle to the inside for dangerous opportunities. On the forecheck, he pressures well, and creates plenty of turnovers and steals- his speed allows him to close space quickly, and he uses his stick effectively.
Hynninen is useful in transition, and can separate from opponents, or advance the play through passing. One of his main strengths is his versatility in being able to play anywhere in the lineup, and both sides of special teams. He's an excellent defensive player, and has played a bottom-6 role in some international tournaments. Despite not being the most physical player, he's got high motor and compete, and can energize his team- he gets under the skin of opponents with his relentless, in-your-face style, and never lets up in forcing mistakes. He battles hard in the greasy areas for loose pucks, and takes away time and space from forecheckers. While he's quite fast, he could get his skating to another level if he fixes his hunched-over stride, and he needs plenty of work on his strength. Everything you can say about Hynninen's game comes with an asterisk, as he's still adapting to pro hockey and developing, so his game in the Liiga is much more muted and less aggressive than it would be against his peers in the U20. I think he's much better offensively than a player like Tuomas Suoniemi, but can't show it right now. I will guess 4th round.
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(dang, now it's Ziemer but Zetterberg more catchy to my eye lol)
We have One Hundred and Eighteen GD profiles completed thus far. It's not quite April.
Sandman is at least partially cyber I'm thinking lol
*As always, Sandman's profiles are easily found at Upside Hockey
(along with our exclusive rankings in super-detailed mega spreadsheet format with which I'm sure an update is soon upon us from rankings guru E-Mac)
Alphabetical with a hyperlinked table of contents at the top...
I know this has been mentioned a few times but I have to agree that the guy in the top 10 who I can't make up my mind about is Silayev the big defensemen. He's ranked anywhere from 2-10 in most mocks, with Craig Button's latest mock draft listing him at 12th overall.
The obvious size [6'7, 211lb] and the fact he's playing huge minutes in the KHL is really intriguing, but he's never really put up points anywhere he's been. Is a huge shut-down defensemen going to be worth choosing with a top-ten pick if other guys like Yakemchuk/Dickinson/Parekh/Buium are still on the board? Silayev really feels like a Flames pick if he's still on the board, especially with our recent trade history and the fact our Russian scouting has been given a boost recently.
Risky top-10 pick? Or no brainer if he's there for the Flames?
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I agree that he won't be available after 10. I could see a team around the 7-10 mark grabbing him.
I was heavy on the Catton train for a while (still would love him) but the more I've watched Iginla play this season the more I think he will be a top line forward.
It's hard sometimes to come up with player comparables, but I come away seeing similarities of a Filip Forsberg.
I know this has been mentioned a few times but I have to agree that the guy in the top 10 who I can't make up my mind about is Silayev the big defensemen. He's ranked anywhere from 2-10 in most mocks, with Craig Button's latest mock draft listing him at 12th overall.
The obvious size [6'7, 211lb] and the fact he's playing huge minutes in the KHL is really intriguing, but he's never really put up points anywhere he's been. Is a huge shut-down defensemen going to be worth choosing with a top-ten pick if other guys like Yakemchuk/Dickinson/Parekh/Buium are still on the board? Silayev really feels like a Flames pick if he's still on the board, especially with our recent trade history and the fact our Russian scouting has been given a boost recently.
Risky top-10 pick? Or no brainer if he's there for the Flames?
Here is a scouting report, which includes reasons as to why he is such a wildcard in this draft (both good and bad):
I think he is one of those guys that is a high risk and high reward. He might end up as a bottom pairing defencemen if he really doesn't have a good IQ. Or maybe he ends up as the next Chara with his size and ability. For teams picking him in the top 10, it is probably because they see him closer to Chara than a bust. It will be interesting to see where he ends up. I personally would prefer that the Flames pass on him, unless they are 1000% sure he is closer to Chara than Logan Stanley.
Here is a scouting report, which includes reasons as to why he is such a wildcard in this draft (both good and bad):
I think he is one of those guys that is a high risk and high reward. He might end up as a bottom pairing defencemen if he really doesn't have a good IQ. Or maybe he ends up as the next Chara with his size and ability. For teams picking him in the top 10, it is probably because they see him closer to Chara than a bust. It will be interesting to see where he ends up. I personally would prefer that the Flames pass on him, unless they are 1000% sure he is closer to Chara than Logan Stanley.
Zadorov 2.0 imo
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Here is a scouting report, which includes reasons as to why he is such a wildcard in this draft (both good and bad):
I think he is one of those guys that is a high risk and high reward. He might end up as a bottom pairing defencemen if he really doesn't have a good IQ. Or maybe he ends up as the next Chara with his size and ability. For teams picking him in the top 10, it is probably because they see him closer to Chara than a bust. It will be interesting to see where he ends up. I personally would prefer that the Flames pass on him, unless they are 1000% sure he is closer to Chara than Logan Stanley.
This has been said about dozens of similar prospects for the past 20 years and none of them have developed this way (except maybe Hedman).
I've become extremely skeptical of these comparisons.
More often than not, these guys are solid, but nothing crazy. See Hague, Zadorov, Myers, Oleksiak.
Powers (now apparently 6'6) and Hedman are better, but also showed more offense in their draft year, hence their very high picks.
Silayev has 11 points in 63 KHL games, which is actually quite impressive. He’s sandwiched between two 2023 draftees, in Gulyayev and Simashev in points for U-20 players. Problem is, 6 of those points came in the first 6 games. That means he’s had 5 points in the last 57 games, which is not as impressive.
I think what we are learning here as we slowly inch towards the draft which is still 4 and a bit months away is that after Celebrini, it's the wild west in terms of trying slot the rest of the 1st round. 2-13, wide open. 10-32 wide open.
Until we see Bobby Mac's final draft rankings it's a complete gong show trying to pin down player slotting.
__________________ "Everybody's so desperate to look smart that nobody is having fun anymore" -Jackie Redmond
I mean. Look at last years draft. Reinbacher, Simashev and But kind of blew things out of wack. And they weren't the only reaches when basing things off complied draft rankings. And that was a stable deep draft.
__________________ "Everybody's so desperate to look smart that nobody is having fun anymore" -Jackie Redmond
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Silayev has 11 points in 63 KHL games, which is actually quite impressive. He’s sandwiched between two 2023 draftees, in Gulyayev and Simashev in points for U-20 players. Problem is, 6 of those points came in the first 6 games. That means he’s had 5 points in the last 57 games, which is not as impressive.
Giving off some Stepan Falkovsky vibes. Guy lit up the ECHL one season.
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I know this has been mentioned a few times but I have to agree that the guy in the top 10 who I can't make up my mind about is Silayev the big defensemen. He's ranked anywhere from 2-10 in most mocks, with Craig Button's latest mock draft listing him at 12th overall.
The obvious size [6'7, 211lb] and the fact he's playing huge minutes in the KHL is really intriguing, but he's never really put up points anywhere he's been. Is a huge shut-down defensemen going to be worth choosing with a top-ten pick if other guys like Yakemchuk/Dickinson/Parekh/Buium are still on the board? Silayev really feels like a Flames pick if he's still on the board, especially with our recent trade history and the fact our Russian scouting has been given a boost recently.
Risky top-10 pick? Or no brainer if he's there for the Flames?
Is he the next Chara, whose offence came later, or the next Tyler Myers?
Unless there is a franchise D that slips - flames need to go for 1st line game breaker forwards.
With the exception of the Tkachuk brothers and Pettersson those have not existed in the draft since 2016 in the top 10 picks where the Flames are drafting. If you ain’t picking first in those drafts you are more likely drafting a bust than a 1st line game breaker in the top 10. Dmen seem a bit more stable. It will be interesting to see what happens.
