2025 NHL Draft Thread

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

What was wrong with how they developed Monahan?

Less developed more let him play with a broken body is my guess

[Dan403]

Watched a couple of mocks on Youtube today. Both had Reschny going before the Flames pick.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Dan403

Watched a couple of mocks on Youtube today. Both had Reschny going before the Flames pick.

Yeah guessing he, Martin and Desnoyers all move up as new rankings come out.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Added two more rankings including FC hockey that blows out the list to 300 names.

Top Ten

Player	Position	Average
M Schaefer	D	1.14
Michael Misa	C	2.00

James Hagens	C	3.29
Porter Martone	RW	4.29
Anton Frondell	C	5.86

Victor Eklund	LW	7.00
C Desnoyers	C	7.57

Radim Mrtka	D	9.43
Roger McQueen	C	9.86
Jake O'Brien	C	10.57

Gap into Flames Range

11	Jackson Smith	D	11.43

12	Carter Bear	C	14.00

13	Brady Martin	C	16.57
14	Lynden Lakovic	LW	16.71
15	Cullen Potter	C	17.67

16	Malcolm Spence	LW	19.17
17	J Carbonneau	RW	19.50
18	Logan Hensler	D	19.86
19	Braeden Cootes	C	20.00
20	K Aitcheson	D	20.14
21	Cameron Reid	D	20.17
22	Cole Reschny	C	21.20

23	Benjamin Kindel	RW	22.83
24	Cam Schmidt	RW	24.00

We need a D run to happen early and for the U-18 play to reflect strongly on the draft class rankings. Both are genuinely possible this year, IMO. Not many strong D on the table after Schaefer so that may cause teams to rush into them, and the lack of mid 1st standouts makes the U-18 play and recent memory shine more bright.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

We need a D run to happen early and for the U-18 play to reflect strongly on the draft class rankings. Both are genuinely possible this year, IMO. Not many strong D on the table after Schaefer so that may cause teams to rush into them, and the lack of mid 1st standouts makes the U-18 play and recent memory shine more bright.

I've seen Aitcheson moving up in a few rankings.

[Monahammer]

6 d: Schaeffer, Mrtka, Aitcheson, Smith, Hensler, Reid
11 F: Misa, Hagens, Martone, O'Brien, Frondell, Desnoyers, Eklund, Martin, Bear, Carbonneau, Lakovic

These are the players I could legit see going before McQueen at this point, bolded are the ones in the same range. Montreal will probably lean towards Carbonneau all things equal, hopefully. Bear has similar injury concerns but was producing at a higher clip. Lakovic I have very little insight on personally but lots of people rank him highly.

Cootes and Reschny are not listed here and could also rise into the group on recent play. That is good, because I feel Spence, Hensler, and Reid probably won't be selected before someone takes a chance on McQueen.

[Monahammer]

Well, since my dream of 6th + trade is officially dead, my new Dream until draft day spoils it will be McQueen falling to 18 and Ryabkin falling to 32 and the flames picking both.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Well, since my dream of 6th + trade is officially dead, my new Dream until draft day spoils it will be McQueen falling to 18 and Ryabkin falling to 32 and the flames picking both.

Methinks the Leafs have the Panthers # this year. So 22. And yeah, if they somehow have McQueen fall into their laps, Ryabkin or Gastrin will do just fine. I really like Gastrin.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (B's and C's Edition, Vol. 1):

LC Mateo Nobert (6'0",168lbs)
Blainville-Boisbriand: 57gp/ 28g/ 39a/ 67pts, +1, 24 PIM

Center Mateo Nobert (ranked # 56 NA Skaters, # 26 by Button) was drafted in the first-round of the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft, with the 3rd-overall pick, and his age works in his favor, with an August 12th, 2007 birthday- making him quite young by draft standards. The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada finished the regular-season in 8th-place, but were 5th in goals-scored- with two players in the top-10 on the league's scoring list, in Justin Carbonneau (2nd), and Vincent Desjardins (9th). Nobert was normally centering those two all season, and was a huge contributor to the Armada's powerplay, with 33 of his 67 points coming via the man-advantage. Though he missed the first game of the playoffs, Nobert still led the team in post-season scoring, with 5 points in 4 contests- en route to the Armada being eliminated in 5 games by the Sherbrooke Phoenix. A well-rounded, and underrated playmaker, Nobert drives play with elite skill and sublime offensive instincts, wielding sky-high IQ that is present in every facet of his game. With high-end puck-skill, he exudes poise, patience, and confidence under duress with the puck on his blade, and his feeds come off of his stick with the perfect weight and velocity to the recipient's tape, and usually provide an advantage to the receiver. He handles like a magician with the puck on an invisible string, making defenders miss with his arsenal of stickhandling tricks to deke and dangle his way up the ice.

A highly skilled passer with a soft-touch and sneaky deception, he exhibits flashes of high-end vision and creativity, and generates a lofty number of grade "A" chances for his linemates- showing the ability to make dynamic plays. He reads the ice well, and is an elite processor- always a few steps of ahead of the play with advanced awareness and anticipation, expertly finding space and time to operate, get pucks off the wall, and create distance from defenders to scan for available options. Nobert has well-developed passing skills to connect through traffic, get pucks to the slot, and distribute across the ice with crisp, accurate feeds. He understands how to deceive and manipulate, in order to open space and passing seams with delays to draw pressure, and he reads gaps in coverage to move through and occupy, with expert spacing to give himself a little elbow room. Obviously, he is used on the powerplay a ton, and he likes to run the play from the half-wall. Off the puck, he displays intelligence, and skates routes to open space, shift defenses, support the play, and remain constantly playable for his teammates. He is an excellent skater, with the speed to split defense-pairs, blow by opponents in open-ice, and win races to loose pucks- he's also light on his feet and decently agile to pivot off of hits, and make spin-o-rama plays. His stride isn't mechanically perfect though, as it's slightly short with a need for a bit more extension, and he has to build strength in his lower-body in order to become more explosive. Nobert will crash the crease without fear, and has a solid net-front presence to clean up garbage, with excellent hand-eye coordination for re-directs; he owns a hard wrister, with decent precision and a snappy release to freeze goaltenders, as well. He can shoot while in-motion, fire off the catch, and can unleash a dangerous laser off the rush. He combines his hands together with his speed, and his ability to outmaneuver his opponents, to fly through the neutral zone in transition- skating intelligent routes to locate open space, and using his vision and passing skill to create clean entries.

Nobert forces turnovers, mistakes, and uncontrolled play all over the ice with his ability to exert intense pressure on opponents, and he is known to be an impactful defensive performer, who is a constant disruptor- angling attackers to the outside, stripping pucks, and intercepting passes to the slot. He identifies threats early, removes their time and space, and works to get inside position- always staying on the right side of the puck. He supports his D down low, and will switch off with them when they need to leave their post. When he gets bigger and stronger, he will no doubt be a stalwart shut-down artist. Despite his size, he competes hard to win battles, and digs out more than his fair share of rubber. A physical player, he will throw his weight around to dislodge possession, ties opponents up against the wall and pins them there, leans into defenders in front of the net, and fights to win positioning. Wielding pace, physicality, and an active stick, he forechecks tenaciously to pressure opponents into giveaways, and uncontrolled play. Nobert tries to get too fancy at times- always going for the pretty play, or forcing something that just isn't there. Most of his problems seem to come from his lack of strength and mass, however; he seems bothered by heavy traffic and tight-areas, and appears to need ample space to make plays- relying too heavily on his skill and finesse. He often loses battles, and gets pushed around a bit- most of his issues will be solved as he gets bigger and stronger. He needs to get significantly better on the faceoff dot, as he hovered around 40% this season- perhaps another issue that is caused by his lack of strength. Nobert has some high-end skills and potential though- look for him in the second round this summer, but don't be surprised if he's taken in the first.

[Monahammer]

Is there going to be a CP Mock draft this year? I think it would be somewhat interesting.

Here are my thoughts today, to pick 21 as the rest are still in flux:

1. NYI: Schaefer- Could see this pick in play tbh. Soft rumors out there that NYI and Hagens are into each other. Could we see SJ bid hard to take Schaefer? Maybe Utah or Nashville? Utah would be interesting... they have some good pieces they could add here, and it could serve the franchise well to come in with a 1OA. If the pick isn't traded, I would expect NYI to go ahead and take Schaefer. They really need help everywhere, and landing the coveted 1D is not a bad way to start the process. They've also been rumored to be shopping Dobson.

2. SJ: Misa. IMO should go #1. The need for Misa on SJ is somewhat questionable, but this is an easy BPA choice. Chernyshov being part of the org makes it easy to see them anchoring a strong second line in the future, behind celebrini-smith.

3. Chicago: Martone. Big, strong, hard nose for the net. This is a great complimentary player for Bedard, and they will fit together like hand in glove. Martone + a splash in FA for a passer and they will be off to the races.

4. Utah: Desnoyers- Here's where it starts to get tricky. Does Utah go back to the well of slightly undersized US superstar? IMO they look at their roster and see Keller and Cooley, and decide to go another direction. I have them selecting Desnoyers here to anchor their 2nd line beside Tiggy in the future.

5. Nashville: Hagens- Nashville runs to the podium to select Hagens, the type of player their roster sorely needs. Hagens will get the keys to the offence on day 1 out in smashville.

6. Philly: Frondell- with dreams of Forsberg dancing in his mind, Briere selects Anton Frondell here to take on the 1C role in philly and hopefully find some chemistry with Matvei Michkov.

7. Bruins: O'Brien. I imagine they will be a bit miffed to have missed on Frondell and Hagens, but will happily select Jake O'Brien. O'Brien is a younger player in the class and known for his creative passing and vision. Boston needs talent up front much more than the back end.

8. Kraken: Eklund. The kraken have Stephenson, Beniers, Wright, and Catton as potential Centers to build around. Not the brightest crop, but they have bigger areas of weakness on their squad to focus around today. Bigger holes for them on the wing and D. I think Eklund's creativity and two way play on the wing tempt them.

9. Buffalo: Mrtka. RD is what they need, and a 6'4 mobile blueliner would fit the bill. Could also see them trading this pick if the pressure is on to improve sooner rather than later, but they will ask for a lot.

10. Ducks: Brady Martin. The ducks don't seem happy with McTavish leading a line on his own... doesn't really make sense to me but the rumors seem real. I have them going with a center to create that internal pressure and give them options. Realistically they have a great D pipeline so won't got there, could take a winger like Lakovic but I think they'll like Martin more. I would.

11. Pitt: McQueen. Questions abound for this franchise as they see the twilight of one of the best all time. Because they were still trying to compete for their vets, they are a mess. This one was hardest for me to choose, as I could see them go off board here... but ultimately I think the allure of someone like McQueen is tempting for them. They can afford to wait while he rehabilitates, and to train with someone like Crosby who had a long term injury issue is a good fit.

12. NYR: Nesbitt. Pissed about missing on McQueen's fall, NYR hurries to the podium to select the other big center on the list. They hope that Nesbitt has untapped offensive upside, but they are really looking for him to carry the mid lineup. Rempe-Nesbitt will be a challenging matchup for many teams.

13. Detroit: Kashawn Aitcheson- They need the snarl on the back end. Decent center pipeline, good win talent, and questions on the back. They could probably use another center but there's no one that will likely unseat Larkin, Danielson, or Kasper available at this spot.

14. CBJ: Lakovic- Big winger talent should fit well alongside Kent Johnson or Adam Fantili. CBJ still looks to have a good build going to me...

15. Vancouver: Carter Bear. They need forward talent and this is the most talented forward left on the board. Honestly could see them surprise and go with someone like Ravensbergen too, as Demko is not likely a stable long term choice now.

16. Montreal 1: Carbonneau: big frenchman will look great in red. Match made in heaven.

17. Montreal 2: Jackson Smith. After locking up another premium wing talent, Montreal moves to solidify their backend and adds the best remaining d man on the board.

18. Calgary: Reschny. We go a bit off board here and select Reschny due to hot play in the playoffs and at U-18s. Cootes could be a similar swing.

19. STL: Hensler. St. Louis could compete again next season without changing much. Almost have them going off board a bit to select Ravensbergen to fill in for Binnington eventually. However, RD Hensler could be a good fit there in a couple of years, especially if they aim to move on from Parayko as has been rumored.

20. CBJ: Ravensbergen. They take the first goalie off the board to bolster their future in net. Ravensbergen is a big frame with decent mobility, playing for a good goalie factory in the whl. Goal is still a future weakness for the club, and this could be a home run swing or a miss. Could also see Blake Fiddler here as CBJ loves their NHL bloodlines.

21. Ottawa: Malcolm Spence. Ottawa needs some jam and speed up front, and spence fits the bill. Would make a good linemate for either Stutzle or Cozens, or even on the third line with Grieg to be a real PITA to play against.

[YyjFlames]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Is there going to be a CP Mock draft this year? I think it would be somewhat interesting.

Here are my thoughts today, to pick 21 as the rest are still in flux:

1. NYI: Schaefer- Could see this pick in play tbh. Soft rumors out there that NYI and Hagens are into each other. Could we see SJ bid hard to take Schaefer? Maybe Utah or Nashville? Utah would be interesting... they have some good pieces they could add here, and it could serve the franchise well to come in with a 1OA. If the pick isn't traded, I would expect NYI to go ahead and take Schaefer. They really need help everywhere, and landing the coveted 1D is not a bad way to start the process. They've also been rumored to be shopping Dobson.

2. SJ: Misa. IMO should go #1. The need for Misa on SJ is somewhat questionable, but this is an easy BPA choice. Chernyshov being part of the org makes it easy to see them anchoring a strong second line in the future, behind celebrini-smith.

3. Chicago: Martone. Big, strong, hard nose for the net. This is a great complimentary player for Bedard, and they will fit together like hand in glove. Martone + a splash in FA for a passer and they will be off to the races.

4. Utah: Desnoyers- Here's where it starts to get tricky. Does Utah go back to the well of slightly undersized US superstar? IMO they look at their roster and see Keller and Cooley, and decide to go another direction. I have them selecting Desnoyers here to anchor their 2nd line beside Tiggy in the future.

5. Nashville: Hagens- Nashville runs to the podium to select Hagens, the type of player their roster sorely needs. Hagens will get the keys to the offence on day 1 out in smashville.

6. Philly: Frondell- with dreams of Forsberg dancing in his mind, Briere selects Anton Frondell here to take on the 1C role in philly and hopefully find some chemistry with Matvei Michkov.

7. Bruins: O'Brien. I imagine they will be a bit miffed to have missed on Frondell and Hagens, but will happily select Jake O'Brien. O'Brien is a younger player in the class and known for his creative passing and vision. Boston needs talent up front much more than the back end.

8. Kraken: Eklund. The kraken have Stephenson, Beniers, Wright, and Catton as potential Centers to build around. Not the brightest crop, but they have bigger areas of weakness on their squad to focus around today. Bigger holes for them on the wing and D. I think Eklund's creativity and two way play on the wing tempt them.

9. Buffalo: Mrtka. RD is what they need, and a 6'4 mobile blueliner would fit the bill. Could also see them trading this pick if the pressure is on to improve sooner rather than later, but they will ask for a lot.

10. Ducks: Brady Martin. The ducks don't seem happy with McTavish leading a line on his own... doesn't really make sense to me but the rumors seem real. I have them going with a center to create that internal pressure and give them options. Realistically they have a great D pipeline so won't got there, could take a winger like Lakovic but I think they'll like Martin more. I would.

11. Pitt: McQueen. Questions abound for this franchise as they see the twilight of one of the best all time. Because they were still trying to compete for their vets, they are a mess. This one was hardest for me to choose, as I could see them go off board here... but ultimately I think the allure of someone like McQueen is tempting for them. They can afford to wait while he rehabilitates, and to train with someone like Crosby who had a long term injury issue is a good fit.

12. NYR: Nesbitt. Pissed about missing on McQueen's fall, NYR hurries to the podium to select the other big center on the list. They hope that Nesbitt has untapped offensive upside, but they are really looking for him to carry the mid lineup. Rempe-Nesbitt will be a challenging matchup for many teams.

13. Detroit: Kashawn Aitcheson- They need the snarl on the back end. Decent center pipeline, good win talent, and questions on the back. They could probably use another center but there's no one that will likely unseat Larkin, Danielson, or Kasper available at this spot.

14. CBJ: Lakovic- Big winger talent should fit well alongside Kent Johnson or Adam Fantili. CBJ still looks to have a good build going to me...

15. Vancouver: Carter Bear. They need forward talent and this is the most talented forward left on the board. Honestly could see them surprise and go with someone like Ravensbergen too, as Demko is not likely a stable long term choice now.

16. Montreal 1: Carbonneau: big frenchman will look great in red. Match made in heaven.

17. Montreal 2: Jackson Smith. After locking up another premium wing talent, Montreal moves to solidify their backend and adds the best remaining d man on the board.

18. Calgary: Reschny. We go a bit off board here and select Reschny due to hot play in the playoffs and at U-18s. Cootes could be a similar swing.

19. STL: Hensler. St. Louis could compete again next season without changing much. Almost have them going off board a bit to select Ravensbergen to fill in for Binnington eventually. However, RD Hensler could be a good fit there in a couple of years, especially if they aim to move on from Parayko as has been rumored.

20. CBJ: Ravensbergen. They take the first goalie off the board to bolster their future in net. Ravensbergen is a big frame with decent mobility, playing for a good goalie factory in the whl. Goal is still a future weakness for the club, and this could be a home run swing or a miss. Could also see Blake Fiddler here as CBJ loves their NHL bloodlines.

21. Ottawa: Malcolm Spence. Ottawa needs some jam and speed up front, and spence fits the bill. Would make a good linemate for either Stutzle or Cozens, or even on the third line with Grieg to be a real PITA to play against.

Appreciate you mock drafting this. Like the thinking. Here's a couple pieces I'd change:

• I'd flip 2 and 3 as I think San Jose is going to really fall in love with Martone and his fit on the team at the combine;
• If Mrtka's on the board when Seattle drafts, they'll go that direction as they have no really great defense prospects, and getting the second best D in the draft will be a big deal for them, particularly after passing on the high end D last year to grab Catton.
• I can see Buffalo taking Martin as he sounds like the kind of sparkplug type guy that would help push a longer term culture shift.
• Ducks will take Eklund as they can use another top 6 winger with skill and he should compliment Carlsson or McTavish... (and personally the Eklund brothers on rebuilding teams in the same division will be fun)
• Nesbitt at 11 is possible, but that feels like a reach even though I agree with your thinking. I feel they'll BPA it and grab Aitcheson or Smith, whichever D they have higher.
• That last switch throws off the next few picks up to Calgary, but it's really wide open at that point anyways...

[dammage79]

Hmmm. Seems Filip Ekberg made some real noise at the U18s. There's a Flames target. Is 18 OA too high for a kid that broke Swedens individual tournament scoring record?

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by iloveicedhockey

Are you saying Treliving works for both us and the leafs?

Copy and paste fail

[stemit14]

What are the projections for the type of player Misa will be at this point? Do most scouts think he is likely to be a winger or center at the pro level? Any good comparables at the pro level as far as what he projects to be?

[Ba'alzamon]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Hmmm. Seems Filip Ekberg made some real noise at the U18s. There's a Flames target. Is 18 OA too high for a kid that broke Swedens individual tournament scoring record?

For a LW who scored under a point per game in the OHL? Yes, I would say 18th overall is too early.

[Yanda]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

What was wrong with how they developed Monahan?

I feel like they miss-managed his injury. If they sat him for half a season to actually heal I think were looking at a completely different scenario right now.

Too much pressure from upper-management to get that 1st round playoff home dates. At the very least we wouldnt have traded a 1st with him to move him. Who knows, maybe him and Huberdeau would have clicked perfectly.. hypothetical I guess.

[Yanda]

I like the idea of drafting McQueen assuming they let him fully heal and possibly even miss his D+1 season if thats what he needs. The raw skill is fun to try to develop ourselves, reminds me of when we drafted Kylington. Sure that didnt work out, and I think thats more on the player than the team developing him but its fun to develop raw skill. Always loved watching Kylington skate.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Yanda

I feel like they miss-managed his injury. If they sat him for half a season to actually heal I think were looking at a completely different scenario right now.

Too much pressure from upper-management to get that 1st round playoff home dates. At the very least we wouldnt have traded a 1st with him to move him. Who knows, maybe him and Huberdeau would have clicked perfectly.. hypothetical I guess.

That's not a development issue though. I don't see the relevance when it comes to how they work with young players to develop them.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (B's and C's Edition, Vol. 2)

LHC Tyler Hopkins (6'1",181lbs)
Kingston (OHL): 67gp/ 20g/ 31a/ 51pts, -1, 18 PIM

C Tyler Hopkins (ranked # 52 NA Skaters, # 54 by McKenzie) has been a heavily scouted, and highly regarded player for many years, and was selected 4th-overall in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection by his current team, the Kingston Frontenacs, and he filled their second-line center spot this season. Hopkins was 6th on the Fronts in regular-season scoring, but only managed to produce 5 points in 11 post-season contests, which placed him 9th in playoff scoring for his team. Hopkins is a Gold-Medal winner, both in last summer's Hlinka (1 assist in 5 games), and the most recent U-18 Tournament (1 assist in 6 games), where he was tasked with mostly checking duties. Built to be a center, he has blazing speed, skill, staunch two-way play, and the ability to contribute in all situations- although only 13 of his points came via the PP this season. Hopkins' best physical trait is his effortless skating on a long and powerful stride, coupled with top-flight agility; he accelerates to break-neck speed expeditiously, and easily wins races, sprints through transition, beats defensemen wide, sidesteps checks, and distances himself from pursuers in open-ice. His hands are quick enough to keep up with his feet, exhibiting high-end puck-skill in his smooth handling and tight control when in-flight. Carrying with poise and confidence, he exerts his well-honed protection skills, and can outmaneuver opponents with slick one-on-one stickhandling. Those same quick hands also give him a soft-touch on his passes, with sharp timing and good precision.

Hopkins has strong offensive awareness, spotless positioning, and plus-level hockey sense, and he creates scoring opportunities through his spatial awareness, and his ability to spot passing lanes; he can connect on some dynamic passes at times, from cross-ice feeds, to spotting teammates through the slot for high-danger looks. He is also a high-volume shooter with a nose for the net, and he will drive the crease for scoring chances, locate gaps in the slot to await the pass, plant himself in front of the goalie to pounce on loose pucks, or get his stick on a tip opportunity with his keen hand-eye coordination. He attacks up the middle off the rush, and owns soft hands in-tight to deke goalies out of their jocks. He also displays a powerful one-timer that's hard to stop, and wields a deceptive release on his incisive wrister that can freeze goalies, with the accuracy to pop water-bottles. On the forecheck, Hopkins projects a daunting presence with overwhelming speed and pace that allows him to close-in on puck-carriers in a hurry- giving them little, or no time to execute a calculated play. He pursues the puck with velocity and vigor, snuffing breakouts, forcing mistakes, and causing turnovers. Always in-motion, and seemingly always around the puck, he plays with energy, insurmountable pace, and high-motor; he's competitive, always engaged, and supports the play in all three zones- working to always be a viable, and playable option for his teammates.

Hopkins is a stud on the PK, one of the best short-handed players in the entire OHL, and he performs well in a shut-down role, with sharp sense and anticipation as a defensive center, and the ability to process the play quickly. Implementing strong positioning and smart stick-placement, he disrupts plays with pokechecks, intercepts passes, and angles attackers out of danger areas- effectively taking away the middle from the opposition. He is highly engaged, finely detailed, and proactively aware- he identifies risks early, sticks to them like glue, and is there to stick-lift when the puck arrives. Seemingly everywhere in the zone all at once, he pressures opponents with his speed and pace, sprinting at puck-carriers and charging into battles to remove all time and space. In retrievals, he has displayed the ability to make smart plays to either clear the zone, or make quick, short passes for clean exits to kickstart the rush. Hopkins is also entrusted by his coaches to take important faceoffs. In transition, he pushes a fervid pace through the neutral zone to push defenses back in order to open space for teammates, and often attacks up the middle to suck in pressure. Without the puck, he skates smart routes and controls his movements in order to stay open and playable for the give-and-go. The big knock against him is that he's not the most physical player, although he doesn't seem to shy away from the rough stuff, competes hard in battles, and will throw the odd hit. He would be more effective however, if he were to use his frame as leverage more often to engage physically, and to keep opposing defensemen off-balance. I have no doubt that Hopkins' game will translate to the NHL- it's just a question of where his ceiling is, and how much offense he'll be able to produce. Even if he doesn't develop his scoring, he's still a pretty safe pick with his shutdown game- he's looking like a future middle-six center in the pros, though. He reminds me a little of Matt Lombardi. 2nd-round all day.

[FranksandBean]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

I’ll throw it out there again. Let’s say Schaefer goes 1 and whoever is at 2 offers you the pick for parekh. Do you take it and draft Misa? I’m starting to lean towards no

Sorry but I am very late to this post and don’t want to get caught up before responding.

I will probably get killed on the responses here but I would say yes given our organizational depth. When you look at it we have two top 4 RHD in the NHL and two potential top 4 RHD prospects, we have zero top line C’s in the NHL or as prospects. Maybe it is just my opinion but I see both of them as having the same upside which makes me look at organizational depth as the deciding factor but if you see one as prime “Karlsson” and one as “Hertl” then it is different.

Just my opinion.