2021 NHL Draft

[aaronkarlpatton]

Originally Posted by Sandman

LHD Carson Lambos.6'1"201lbs (Winnipeg,WHL) 2019-20: 57gp/8g/24a/32pts,32PIM, fantastic numbers for his D-1 year, top D-man for the Ice, and only 6 points down from Brandt Clarke. 2nd overall in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft. Went across the pond this year to play for JYP J20 in Finland, where he put up 11pts in 13 games, first for players under 18 in p/gp, and ahead of players like Suomi, Heimosalmi, Ervasti, and Juusola. Came back home, but only got 2 games before sustaining a season-ending leg injury, that the team called a "Medical Procedure". Lambos is a two-way, all-situations minute muncher, with superb skill and anticipation.

Lambos has excellent skating ability, a notch or two down from elite, but good enough to skate the puck out of the defensive zone, past forecheckers. Great first-step, and acceleration, making top-speed in just a few strides. Same skill applies to his backwards mobility, aiding in his superb gap control. Fantastic mobility in all directions, and nice agility and edgework in walking the line. Lambos has top-notch vision and IQ-his passes are accurate to teammates in high-danger areas, or across the ice to open space. In the offensive zone he moves laterally, scanning for open lanes to pass or shoot-his decision-making is a big asset. Pinches to create offense, get a wrister on net from the circle, or simply just keep the puck alive in the zone. He has excellent power in his slap-shot and his one-timer, a quick and accurate wrister, and he consistently gets it on net-and much of the time, low and hard for rebounds. Lambos makes a good first-pass, and passes well in exits and entries, but often defers to his teammates to carry the puck out in transition, joining the rush as a trailer, and attacking open lanes.

Carson has an exceptionally strong two-way game, and elite shut-down skills. His defensive game is well-developed, and made better by spending the least amount of time in his own zone as possible, and turning defense into offense quickly-he simply turns the play back up the ice as soon as he gets hold of it. Tough to beat in 1-on-1s, he forces opponents to the boards and away from high-danger. Superb positionally, stays between his man and the net, but can sometimes take himself out of the play momentarily with one of his thunderous hits. Clogs passing and shooting lanes with his body and stick-he's not afraid to sacrifice by blocking shots. He's very strong on the puck, and wins battles on the wall, corners, and net-front. Plays the typical, Western-Canadian physical game, and will eliminate puck-carriers in open ice, or along the boards. He also gets good grades for his stickhandling.

Lambos doesn't have many flaws in his game, but he will most likely need more time in junior, as he hasn't played a whole lot of games this past year, and is recovering from an injury. If there's an issue to nitpick, it may be his distribution in the offensive zone, as he sometimes prefers to shoot in order to create offense and havok around the net, as opposed to finding teammates sticks. Not a huge issue. This kid has been compared to Pietrangelo-good two-way workhorse, who can shut down offensive players. Top-pairing player in the making.

What round should we expect him to get picked in?

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[Fighting Banana Slug]

Originally Posted by aaronkarlpatton

What round should we expect him to get picked in?

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I was under the impression that he will be a first rounder, perhaps chosen in or around the Flames pick.

I wasn't too thrilled to see his name in the mix for the Flames, but thanks to the write-ups, I do see why he could be a really nice pick. I am a big fan of Brandt (from the U-18s), so if Lambos is anywhere close to the same league, he would be a really nice piece.

[aaronkarlpatton]

Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug

I was under the impression that he will be a first rounder, perhaps chosen in or around the Flames pick.



I wasn't too thrilled to see his name in the mix for the Flames, but thanks to the write-ups, I do see why he could be a really nice pick. I am a big fan of Brandt (from the U-18s), so if Lambos is anywhere close to the same league, he would be a really nice piece.

Ah my bad, you're right. I agree I'd only pick him if we acquired Chicago's pick as a second first round for example (not that I think we are doing that, just an an example)

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[1qqaaz]

According to Bingo's Combined Rankings, Lambos' average ranking is 16.47.
Comfortably in the mid-first round. None of the 20 lists had Lambos out of the first round. Since he's the only defenseman expected to go between 7 and 25, it's likely someone will want a defenseman in that range.

[Jiri Hrdina]

I think Corson Cuelemans will also go in that range.

[Sandman]

I’ve also seen Behrens, Chayka, Svozil, and Johnson up there as well, at different times. It’s definitely conceivable that one or two of those guys could go in that range.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Yeah exactly...

I hope Calgary drafts an all star that won't play for them in the third round every year!

Win win win

Yeah, I hope we draft a player that has no interest in playing for the Flames, but becomes an all star, so we can claim what a great scouting staff we have, because they picked an all star that had no interest in playing for the Flames! So much win!!! Derp derp derp, derpity derpity derp!!!

Pick players that will play in Calgary and make Calgary better. There is no win in picking a player that refuses to be in Calgary and never provides anything to Calgary other than the hollow victory of claiming we drafted an all star player. Are the Flames better because of this pick? Nope. That's all that matters. But derpity derptity derp??? ####ing derp.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

Yeah, I hope we draft a player that has no interest in playing for the Flames, but becomes an all star, so we can claim what a great scouting staff we have, because they picked an all star that had no interest in playing for the Flames! So much win!!! Derp derp derp, derpity derpity derp!!!

Pick players that will play in Calgary and make Calgary better. There is no win in picking a player that refuses to be in Calgary and never provides anything to Calgary other than the hollow victory of claiming we drafted an all star player. Are the Flames better because of this pick? Nope. That's all that matters. But derpity derptity derp??? ####ing derp.

Can you disagree without belittling someone? Give it a shot.

Third round picks on average don't have a lot of value when you look at history. If you are lucky enough to find a guy that projects to be an all star you've added value to your organization even if he doesn't want to play in your city.

Given third round hit rates you take the best player period.

You don't just over look them for the sake of finding a player that will play for you.

The Flames would be better for the pick because they'd have an asset that can be moved compared to the average bust of a third round pick.

Yikes that was a bad take.

[bdubbs]

I can't imagine ownership would approve of a drafting methodology that consisted of "draft BPA(but only if they like Calgary and promise they won't leave us if we pick them)".

We'd be the first team relegated to the AHL.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

Yeah, I hope we draft a player that has no interest in playing for the Flames, but becomes an all star, so we can claim what a great scouting staff we have, because they picked an all star that had no interest in playing for the Flames! So much win!!! Derp derp derp, derpity derpity derp!!!

Pick players that will play in Calgary and make Calgary better. There is no win in picking a player that refuses to be in Calgary and never provides anything to Calgary other than the hollow victory of claiming we drafted an all star player. Are the Flames better because of this pick? Nope. That's all that matters. But derpity derptity derp??? ####ing derp.

I mean how do you know when they interviewed Fox that he wasn't saying all the right things? You are painting it like they interviewed him and he told them to eff off and he only wanted to sign with the Rangers. Fox was picked somewhere close to where he was expected to go. I'd rather get an asset out of a third round pick than a bust. Do you also want to start drafting Hunter Smith's and Keegan Kanzig's over skilled players cause of their size?

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by Bonded

I mean how do you know when they interviewed Fox that he wasn't saying all the right things? You are painting it like they interviewed him and he told them to eff off and he only wanted to sign with the Rangers. Fox was picked somewhere close to where he was expected to go. I'd rather get an asset out of a third round pick than a bust. Do you also want to start drafting Hunter Smith's and Keegan Kanzig's over skilled players cause of their size?

This might have been the case for Tim Erixon. I doubt there was any reason not to draft him at the time of the draft.

It wasn't until two years later that he decided he didn't want to sign with the team due to the unlikelihood of making the team.

Either way, Erixon is probably the type of jerk that the Flames should try to avoid in the first round. But even with him, the Flames got pretty good return via trade. Two second round picks and Roman Horak wasn't bad at all.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Bonded

I mean how do you know when they interviewed Fox that he wasn't saying all the right things? You are painting it like they interviewed him and he told them to eff off and he only wanted to sign with the Rangers. Fox was picked somewhere close to where he was expected to go. I'd rather get an asset out of a third round pick than a bust. Do you also want to start drafting Hunter Smith's and Keegan Kanzig's over skilled players cause of their size?

He just knows these things. Bennett will be in the ECHL equivalent in England next year as well, at best.

[Bingo]

Added another ranking, Zator from Hockey Writers.

He's down on some of the guys in the Calgary cluster, though his ranking didn't move the players at all.

Added height and weight to the first few rounds as well.

https://www.calgarypuck.com/wp-conte...onsensus-4.pdf

[Jiri Hrdina]

Though, as mentioned I always like a list where it's the author's views and theirs alone. But Zator overall also had some weird rankings, including Lysell at 5

[Sandman]

RHD Corson Ceulemans,6'2"201lbs (Brooks, AJHL): 8gp/4g/7a/11pts,8PIM, leading d-man in the league forp/gp. I often pass over Junior A players, as leagues like the AJHL are more slow-paced and lack structure as compared to Major-Junior. However, his play at the U18s really opened my eyes to his potential, as he was one of my favorites to watch. He plays a fast-paced offensive style, relying on skating, stickhandling, and out-thinking opponents. Many compare his game to Makar's, but I think that's more situational, as Ceulemans doesn't have nearly as good of a two-way presence, and is much more raw-they aren't on the same level. Ceulemans is still a first-round talent, with superb offensive awareness. He's a play-driver, top-notch PP quarterback, and puck-rusher.

CC is a powerful skater-one of the best skating D-men in this class. He can reach an impressive top-speed almost instantly, his backwards skating is fast and smooth. He has fantastic balance and agility, and lateral mobility to walk the line. He can cleanly beat defenders to loose pucks and dump-ins, and turn the play in the opposite direction. His great 4 directional mobility gives him good gaps, and helps him to pinch into the play, and hustle back to help out defensively. High-volume shooter, with many shots coming hard and heavy, and many coming low for deflections and rebounds-he's an effective shooter with purpose, with a wide array of shots to choose from. He's adept at sneaking up from the blueline by making space, exploiting it, eluding defenders, and firing from lower in the zone-loves to attack the slot. Impressive vision, and crisp passer-he walks the line effectively and finds the difficult seams. Fantastic playmaker, he opens passing and shooting lanes by using deception in his stride, and little fakes in his head, and hands. One of the pillars of his game is the transition, where he shines with the puck on his stick-this particular skill was on full display at the U18s. He's a one-man breakout-he can initiate and carry himself, or he can consistently make accurate first-passes. joining the rush with speed. His ability to carry the puck up ice, and often through all three zones, stands out as his bread-and-butter. He pushes the pace for his team, and has well above-average puck-skill. Another good thing about him is his physical edge-he consistently separates man from puck with his body, and isn't afraid to battle hard in the trenches.

The problem with developing in the AJHL is that he hasn't faced a lot of top-level opposition, and that league is not a prime development league. His defensive game is not a strong suit, and if he was playing in the WHL, his deficiencies would be exposed a lot more regularly, as they sometimes were in the U-18s. I read a piece just after the tournament that talked about the advanced stats of the Canadian Defense, and CC had some of the worst on the team-only Clarke and Zellweger had positive numbers defensively on D. In other words, while he opened our eyes to his talent, he also opened our eyes to his shortcomings. The good news is that his game is still very raw and inconsistent, and he'll get time to work on it in the NCAA, with the Wisconsin Badgers-who have a good program. He has all the tools in the world, he just needs to get his game together. In addition to his poor defensive positioning, he's often criticized for being too aggressive and impatient in the offensive zone, and often over-commits, or forces plays that aren't there. His decision-making can be wonky, as can his play without the puck, but these are all things he can improve. His future is as a top-4 (hopefully top-pairing), with important minutes in all situations.

[Sandman]

LHD Ethan del Mastro,6'4"205lbs (Mississauga,OHL) 2019-20: 57gp/0g/7a/7pts,28PIM, a 12th overall pick of the Steelheads in 2019. Played in the U-18s, scoring 2 assists in 7 games, with 8PIM. I have to admit, I wasn't a fan of his, or of Matier in the tournament, as both looked slow to me, and both looked like they handled the puck like a grenade-there, I got it out of the way. Anyway, he's advertised as a steady, two-way presence who defends well below his blueline. He's a shutdown defenseman, with advanced defensive awareness, and poise in moving the puck. He dishes out punishment in front of the net, smothers rushes, and blocks shots. He gets up and down the ice quickly, and can lead the rush or activate into it-with long, powerful strides that can win him footraces to loose pucks. Often pinches to sustain pressure, or get pucks deep. He can outmuscle opponents, and uses his size to his advantage in battles and in front of the net-he plays a hard, heavy physical game with high-level compete and intensity. Throws his ample weight around to disrupt plays, but can also use his long reach to stickcheck. Wins battles in every area.
Ethan is effective with the puck-he advances it quickly and neatly. Finds lanes in transition and can hit teammates with crisp, accurate passes-even of the stretch variety. Shows deception and manipulation, in order to throw off opponents before he distributes. Can keep control of the puck, even with a defender on him, and can rush it up ice. Owns a hard, heavy point shot that he needs to use more often. He's a "C" level designation by Central Scouting, meaning 4th to 6th round, but I think he might go in the late second, or third round. He'll need some time to develop, as he's played hardly any hockey this year.

RHD Jack Matier,6'4"205lbs (Ottawa, OHL) 2019-20: 56gp/0g/9a/9pts,19PIM, to go with 1 assist in 7 games at the U-18s. Defensive defenseman who shines in his own end, and in the neutral zone. Exhibits good positioning, and makes quick, smart decisions under pressure. Steps up big at the blue line to thwart the rush, and has good gaps to push attackers to the outside. Simply just limits the other team's chances. He's physical in separating man from puck, and wins battles down low, in the corners, and in front of his net-clears the front by boxing opposing players out. Intercepts plays, and gets them going back the other way. Decent skater, with good acceleration, and can win races to pucks. JM is an accurate passer, and can hit teammates in stride with safe passes. Good hockey sense and IQ, can be a great playmaker when he gets the opportunity. Hard, accurate shot that he consistently gets on net. Like Matier, he gets a "C" designation from CS, and I do believe he'll go in the 4th-6th rounds.

[Sandman]

RW Jake Chiasson,6'1"165lbs (Brandon, WHL): 23gp/9g/11a/20pts,4PIM, 6th in scoring for the Wheaties. I haven't written about him yet, as I find him to be quite vanilla. Power-forward who battles in all the greasy areas, and plays with some physicality. He's got a ways to go in his development, so he's by no means a finished product, but it sounds to me like he looks to a background complimentary player, who right now is making a living riding the coat-tails of two talented line-mates in Ben McCartney and Ridly Greig. He doesn't seem to have any dynamic skills, or attributes, other than his hard shot, and ability to score in-tight. Decent straight-line skater, but all other aspects such as lateral quickness, agility, and acceleration, are lacking. Not high-skill in any area, and not particularly creative. I would say maybe take a flyer on him if he's still there in the 6th round, but otherwise-stay away. Just my opinion, of course.

[Sandman]

RHD Charles-Alexis Legault,6'4"201lbs (Lincoln,USHL): 23gp/3g/2a/5pts,10PIM. One of the youngest players in the draft with a September 5th Birthday, Legault came to Lincoln midway through the season with a few other transplants, which apparently messed up the team dynamic, and caused many players to struggle with the assimilation, including Legault. As a youngster and a newbie, he never saw over 10 minutes in any game he played, so he's still incredibly raw. He's a tantalizing mix of size and excellent skating ability, mixed with plenty of untapped potential.

Legault can really move-he has a long, powerful stride, and is an elusive skater. He has sharp edges, and can change direction quickly, and is very solid, agile, and balanced. He is able to use his size and speed to make effective entries, and likes to speed through the neutral zone to join the rush. Bursts into the rush to give his forwards another passing option. Good defensive awareness and hockey sense, and a long stick with a huge wingspan to break up plays, and take possession. Takes away time and space from forecheckers, and can snuff out rushes, although he sometimes doesn't make it hard enough for attackers. Good gap control, and is a physical presence in front of the net-keeps the goalie's line of sight clear. Has strong vision, and good passing skills, he can hit teammates in full flight-still, he can be rushed into forcing plays that aren't there. Great puck-control, and puck protection, but can be prone to turnovers when he gets too fancy with his dekes. He plays physical, but picks his spots when it comes to bodychecks, in order to stay in the play. It would be nice to see him turn up his physicality a couple of notches.

Legault has shown flashes this year, and in the past at lower levels, of good offensive skill-but he didn't get much ice-time this year to develop his overall game. He'll be a bit of a project, with the potential for a high reward. As it stands, he may have a high floor as a third-pairing D, given his size and speed, and defensive acumen. 6th/7th round.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Sandman

RHD Corson Ceulemans,6'2"201lbs (Brooks, AJHL): 8gp/4g/7a/11pts,8PIM, leading d-man in the league forp/gp.

Dumb question but was is forp/gp?

[Heavy Jack]

Made me scratch my head at first too but I think he just missed the space and it’s for p/gp which is points/games played I’m guessing!