2021 NHL Draft

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by Sandman

You are too kind. My little write-ups are just miniature compendiums of things other people have written, mixed with things I see in clips, and games I've watched-doesn't mean it's necessarily gospel,lol. I usually watch a ton of junior hockey (not much this year), and I catch what I can of tournaments,etc. Most of the number comparisons are mine. This is just what I do in my spare time every year, and people I know depend on me to know what I'm talking about, lol. I've helped do training camp evaluations at the Junior B level, as my opinion is trusted-nobody would ever come to me for life advice! Lol. Thanks to anyone who reads my stuff, it gives me an outlet for my little "hobby", and of course I welcome any debates, comments, and criticisms.

I usually just go player to player and find whatever I can digest on them, be it clips, mocks, and whatever else. I always buy the Hockey News Draft Preview, but I find myself questioning their judgement these days. The FC Hockey Draft Guide is the one to get-they have good judgement, and are very comprehensive-you can find write-ups about players that don't any attention from the media. Once again, Thank you so so much!

If you made a google doc of your write ups (in the future if you so desire to), I would happily pay you for your hard work and effort. You get many appreciation posts but it's my turn to make one. Thanks for all of these write ups, especially in a draft where we didn't have as much film/scouting on many players, especially the OHL ones.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

If you made a google doc of your write ups (in the future if you so desire to), I would happily pay you for your hard work and effort. You get many appreciation posts but it's my turn to make one. Thanks for all of these write ups, especially in a draft where we didn't have as much film/scouting on many players, especially the OHL ones.

Thank YOU!

[Sandman]

There was rumors of a draft prospects tournament to take place at the end of this month, but if it was going to happen, we probably would've heard by now....

[Sandman]

C Chaz Lucius,6'1"172lbs (USDP): 13gp/13g/7a/20pts, which gave him a p/gp of 1.54-2nd in the league behind Pastujov. Also had a stint of 12 games with the USNTDP Juniors in the USHL, where he had 13g/5a/18pts, 3rd in the USHL for p/gp. Nobody came close to scoring at a goal-per-game pace-not sure he would have kept up that pace either if he played a full season, but he surely would have run away with the goal-scoring crown. He had a lower body injury that cost him half of the season, which may have hurt his numbers a bit, but certainly hurt his draft status.

We all know Chaz to be possibly the best pure goal-scorer in this draft. He can fire it past, or through the goalie from anywhere, although approximately 80% come from the slot. His release is quicker than anyone in the draft, and he can change the angle of his shots to fool goalies-which makes his chief skill more transferable to the NHL. He has a vast array of shots in his toolkit, and all of them come with power and accuracy, even his backhand. He can fire in full flight, or he can roof it in the goal-mouth. His hand-eye co-ordination is elite, and he's just as comfortable scoring with a tipped shot, rebound, or scoring a highlight reel goal that embarrasses the goalie and defense. One of the most essential skills of a goal-scorer is their ability to seek out, and dart into open space to unleash their shot, and Lucius has that skill in spades. Chaz is a great stickhandler with fantastic control, and confidence with the puck on his stick. He isn't the least bit afraid to pull off high-end tricks and fakes in 1-on-1's, and when in the slot. This skill, with his great puck-protection, helps him dominate in the cycle, and hit teammates with passes. When Chaz is on the ice, almost 30% of the shot attempts come from him.

While known to be a goal-scorer, Chaz is also a playmaker with high-end vision and IQ .Displays patience, and can connect with difficult passes through traffic and tight areas. He's elusive in the O zone, and is known to be a problem-solver in all zones. He has pretty good strength, and battles hard in dirty areas-tenacious in puck battles. Instead of waiting for loose pucks, he goes and takes them. His board play is solid, and he forechecks hard. He is a play-driver, and generates slot-passes and high-danger opportunities with regularity. He can make passes for the breakout, but most often in transition, he defers to his wingers to carry it through the neutral zone, then he will enter, and hunt for space. He's also a face-off ace, winning close to 60%.

Lucius' skating is not elite, some say it's his weakness-he may never be a burner, but it doesn't hurt him too much either. Right now, he owns a choppy stride, with not much extension, so there's not enough power. His top speed looks ok, but still needs work. He could use more explosiveness in his first-step and acceleration, which would help him get to loose pucks faster, and in transition. His edgework and agility though, are quite good, as is his lateral agility. He's able to turn and change direction very quickly. He doesn't have a great amount of strength, so at least some of his mobility will be fixed by getting stronger. He also needs some polish in his defensive game-many times, he's the last forward back in the d-zone, and too often, he floats too much at the top of the zone. He's also not the most physical. When engaged, he stays in good position, has a smart stick, blocks shots and lanes, and helps out his D down low. He has the ability to turn defense into offense by disrupting the play, and turning the play up ice with a great pass. As said above, he is not comfortable being the one to carry the puck through the neutral zone, possibly due to his speed. His overall strength, most noticeably his core strength, needs to be upgraded. Most believe he will need a few years to refine his game before he breaks into the NHL. Sure-fire top-6 player, who has drawn a few comparisons to Elias Lindholm, mainly due to his shot and elusiveness in the offensive zone.

[Sandman]

C/W Zachary Bolduc,6'1"174lbs (Rimouski, QMJHL): Drafted 14th overall by the Oceanic. In 2019-20, he had a solid rookie year in Rimouski with 30g/22a/52pts, 36PIM in 55 games. Over the summer, they lost talents like Lafrenniere, Pare, and Zavgorodniy, and went from 4th place overall to one of the worst teams in the league. Many of the remaining players on the team were hurt numbers-wise by their departures, and Bolduc was no exception. This year, he put up 10g/19a/29pts in 27 games, which at least proved that he could play without Lafreniere. I read that many of his assets "have a pro feel", which means they are transferable skills.

ZB is a strong skater who can skate himself out of trouble, and around opponents. His lateral agility is good, as he can cut sharply into open lanes. First-step and acceleration are good, but he could stand to tune them up a little bit. He has a heavy shot with a quick release, and can shoot from anywhere. His hand-eye is terrific, making him capable of capitalizing on tips and rebounds.He will occasionally put his shoulder down and drive the net, and he uses his body to protect the puck, and to knock opponents off of it. Bolduc's vision and hockey sense are among the best in the Q-he moves the puck well, and can set teammates up with slick passes for high-danger chances. He's a solid playmaker, and makes difficult plays at full speed. Plays fast overall. He displays strong puck control, and can weave in and out of traffic-he can make defensemen and goalies look foolish with his stickhandling. Bolduc can play C or W, and he can penalty-kill or play PP. His offensive transition is very efficient, with stretch passes, controlled zone entry and exit, and crisp zone entry passes.

Bolduc's raw tools are fantastic, and most of his problems can be solved with coaching. Zach's biggest problem is inconsistency shift-to-shift, game-to-game- which he has already worked on and improved, but there's still a ways to go. His defensive game is lacking- often he is the last forward back in the D zone, and when there, his urgency is up-and-down. He can be the best player on the ice one shift, and invisible the next. The same can be said for his defensive transitional game, which he approaches with different levels of intensity each time out. He bounces a bit between C and W, playing mostly W, so he seems to get confused with his positioning defensively. His stickhandling has a hitch in that he carries to far in front of his body, making him prone to losing the puck, or turning it over. Many have said that he could be boom or bust, depending on how he's developed. Could be moved to wing as a pro, as he's already playing mostly wing in junior. The mocks seem to have him in the middle to late first round.

[Sandman]

C/LW Francesco Pinelli, 6'1"185lbs (Kitchener, OHL): Selected by kitchener 13th overall. In 2019-20 he recorded 59gp/18g/23a/41pts, which was third for under 17 players. This year he went over to play in Slovenia's AlpsHL for HDD Jesenice, and aquitted himself well with 11pts in 13 games(He was there alone, and didn't speak the language). Then he was tied with McTavish for third in scoring on team Canada at the U-18s, 5th overall with 11pts in 7 games. I really love this kid, he was one of my favorites in that tourney-he's responsible defensively, and a dynamite offensive player. I have no doubt that if he played a full OHL season, he would ranked top-10, at least. Called "fun and flashy".

Pinelli's skating is hovering around elite. He can get to top speed in a few steps, and has top-notch agility and edgework. He shines in puck-pursuit. FP can be a dominant force in all 3 zones, he's got skill and will. Generates plays all over the sheet, and can finish or create a play from nothing. Highly intelligent, he attacks open ice to unleash a shot, or dish. Scans the play at full speed for his next move, with or without the puck. Drives play, constantly puts the puck in high-danger, and can thread the needle through the tightest spaces. Slick puckhandler, and very deceptive when in control of the puck-can manipulate and fool attackers. Quick and accurate menu of shots, with a quick release-doesn't need a big wind-up. Incredible in transition, in all 3 zones-he's amazing at defensive transition when in the neutral zone. Watches from center ice, then swoops in and shuts down the rush, and traps attackers. Provides heavy and aggressive backpressure.

Pinelli has off the charts work ethic and high compete-he impacts the play every shift, and is always involved. A true leader. He can play PK and PP. Hard and aggressive forechecker, and fights like hell in the trenches, and in front of the net. Loves to get his nose dirty. Uses his body and hits big along the boards, and in open-ice- fights through checks, and goes to the net. Described as physical and gritty. Defensively, he knows where he should be and when to take a more defensive posture, or a more aggressive one. Employs an active stick to stop breakouts, explodes to loose pucks. Will drop back in both ends to cover for out of position defensemen. Uses gap control and that active stick to keep opponents out of danger, and without time or space.

FP plays a pretty well-rounded game with no too many holes. He could stand to maybe fine-tune his stickhandling and skating, but they aren't really negatives. Sometimes, he can be pressured into making a bad decision, and turning over the puck.He needs better problem-solving to mitigate this. The pace at which he plays has drawn some criticism, but I don't really see it- it sure wasn't evident at the U-18s, or any of the clips I've watched. Pinelli projects to be a reliable, two-way, top 6 player, and his style has been compared to Gaudreau, O'Rielly, and Pavelski. He is mostly seen in the last third of the first round, but I wouldn't mind at all if they took him at 12-I like him that much.

[Hanna Sniper]

Hopefully Flames do their homework on Pinelli


He’s going to fall, the question is how far till he’s worth the trouble. Hopefully on Flames no draft list

[albertGQ]

What is Wallsteadt’s hype going into the draft compared to Askarov and Knight?

I heard of Askarov and Knight lots previously. Rarely a peep about Wallsteadt except on CP

[IamNotKenKing]

Originally Posted by Hanna Sniper

Hopefully Flames do their homework on Pinelli


He’s going to fall, the question is how far till he’s worth the trouble. Hopefully on Flames no draft list

Why?

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by IamNotKenKing

Why?

yeah that's a weird take. Multiple sources indicate he's a character guy with high motivation who has great compete level.

So how is he trouble?

[SeanCharles]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

What is Wallsteadt’s hype going into the draft compared to Askarov and Knight?

I heard of Askarov and Knight lots previously. Rarely a peep about Wallsteadt except on CP

He is quite highly regarded because he has achieved more at a younger age than those two have.

His fundamentals are solid, he has size, quickness and an amazing glove hand.

I think he is very much in the same conversation as those two and could even be the best of the bunch when it’s all said and done.

“At 13 years old he made his debut at u-18 junior level in Sweden. By the time he was 14 years old he was one of the best goalies at the u-18 level. At 15 years old he made the jump to u-20 level, before dominating the same level at age 16-17. He has also starred on the international level at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the U-18 World Juniors. And now, at just 18 years old, he has nine SHL games under his belt and a preposterous .931 sv% in them. Not bad for a league where the average sv% is under .910”

He finished out the year with a 2.23 GAA and .908 SV% so even after his numbers stabilized he was still a legitimate starting goalie in Sweden’s top pro league at 18 years old.

The kid is legit.

https://smahtscouting.com/2020/12/04...per-wallstedt/

[Tkachukwagon]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1401966781145620483

I’m on the Coronato hype train.

[1qqaaz]

It seems like Lucius could really benefit from a proper workout regime.
He’s very light for his height so there should be a lot of room for growth there if he puts his mind to it.

You’d think the explosiveness with his skating would improve as a result.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

It seems like Lucius could really benefit from a proper workout regime.
He’s very light for his height so there should be a lot of room for growth there if he puts his mind to it.

You’d think the explosiveness with his skating would improve as a result.

I will say this is based entirely on highlight videos as I have not watched any Lucius games, but from what I have seen his skating looks the most choppy/ mechanically poor out of the sillinger/mctavish/lucius potential skating issues group. The other two look more like strength and conditioning relative to weight issues (i.e. more explosiveness neeeded)

[SuperMatt18]

Biggest concern with Coronato to me is that he's going to Harvard. There is too much history with NCAA players that go to Harvard forcing where they want to play.

Vesey, Kerfoot, and Fox all refused to sign.

Oilers didn't think they had much of a player in Marino but some rumors are he didn't want to sign in Edmonton either.

If he's there in the second then sure take that risk, but I'm not taking that risk at 12 if I'm the Flames.

[DomeFoam]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Biggest concern with Coronato to me is that he's going to Harvard. There is too much history with NCAA players that go to Harvard forcing where they want to play.

Vesey, Kerfoot, and Fox all refused to sign.

Oilers didn't think they had much of a player in Marino but some rumors are he didn't want to sign in Edmonton either.

If he's there in the second then sure take that risk, but I'm not taking that risk at 12 if I'm the Flames.

Agreed, too high of a pick to go NCAA for a western Canadian team.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Biggest concern with Coronato to me is that he's going to Harvard. There is too much history with NCAA players that go to Harvard forcing where they want to play.

Vesey, Kerfoot, and Fox all refused to sign.

Oilers didn't think they had much of a player in Marino but some rumors are he didn't want to sign in Edmonton either.

If he's there in the second then sure take that risk, but I'm not taking that risk at 12 if I'm the Flames.

It almost seems like it might be a good idea to close that loophole for college players so that the team drafting them doesn't feel like they are taking a an extra risk by picking them. That way teams can just go ahead and draft the player they feel is the best rather than having to worry about them running to the Rangers or the Blackhawks after getting a college degree.

[Royle9]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Biggest concern with Coronato to me is that he's going to Harvard. There is too much history with NCAA players that go to Harvard forcing where they want to play.

Vesey, Kerfoot, and Fox all refused to sign.

Oilers didn't think they had much of a player in Marino but some rumors are he didn't want to sign in Edmonton either.

If he's there in the second then sure take that risk, but I'm not taking that risk at 12 if I'm the Flames.

Agreed, I think there are fare better and safer choices at 12 so there's really no need to even risk the Coronato pick, not saying he'd follow suite to what others have done but I cant see him "dreaming/wanting/being okay" with playing in CGY.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Tkachukwagon

https://twitter.com/user/status/1401966781145620483

I’m on the Coronato hype train.

Funny cause Point was taken in the third round.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

It almost seems like it might be a good idea to close that loophole for college players so that the team drafting them doesn't feel like they are taking a an extra risk by picking them. That way teams can just go ahead and draft the player they feel is the best rather than having to worry about them running to the Rangers or the Blackhawks after getting a college degree.

I've maintained that draft picks should be treated as RFAs. If you offer the player a max rookie deal (think of this as a qualifying offer) then they retain their rights.

That way even if the player refuses to sign then you don't have impending UFA status hurting his trade value.

He can refuse to sign and ask for a trade but at least then the team trading him will get fair value back.

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Funny cause Point was taken in the third round.

That's the argument though. Point never should have fallen that far based on his junior production up to the draft. And really there are 29 teams wishing that they would have taken him in the first two rounds.