2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (MoDo Melky Edition):

Before the start of the season, LHD Melker Sigurd had a bit of a buzz from fans of Tre Kronor, but things haven't quite gone his way statistically this season for MoDo of the J20 league. In the J18 league, Sigurd is one of the better offensive defensemen, and was tied for 10th in ppg (.80) in 2022-23 with 8 assists in 10 games. This season, he put up 5 points in 7 games in that league, but spent the majority of the year with MoDo's J20 team, posting 12 assists in 42 games, with 18 penalty-minutes. Those stats, combined with the fact that he recieved no call-ups to higher leagues in 2023-24, is concerning- and may indicate that he's not worthy of being drafted into the NHL.

Sigurd is billed as being a capable performer in all 3 zones, but at the very least, he is a smart puck-mover with a rather mature game who pays attention to his own zone first. He has the mentality of an offensive D though, as he will join the rush on occasion, pinch in to keep pucks alive, and cut to the slot to shoot. He shows some vision and playmaking skill, but only in flashes- his offensive potential looks to be limited. In transition, he proves his worth with the ability to carry the puck through the neutral zone, making clean exits and entries with his fast hands and smooth stickhandling. He owns top-notch puck-skills, with a fine touch on his passes- he connects with teammates using the right amount of velocity, and right to their wheelhouse. He's highly aware of his surroundings, skating with his head up to map out his options with the goal of maximizing the length of his passes, while minimizing mistakes, and usually moves the puck with simple, low-risk passes. He makes sound decisions, and processes quickly. Mobility-wise, he's a smooth skater with separation speed and good agility for elusiveness in spinning away from checks.

Off the puck, Sigurd supports the play well, giving teammates a constant pass option to relieve pressure and to keep the play moving in the right direction as quickly as possible. Without being a very physical player, he manages to be very reliable defensively, relying on his brain, awareness, and expert positioning to defend, along with his smart stick work. He exerts tight gap control, being able to match footwork effectively with opponents. If Sigurd makes it to the show, and he's a long-shot, he projects as a mobile, defensive shut-down D with bottom-pairing minutes. Look for him in later rounds, if scouts feel he has shown enough to be picked.

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

I'll give 20-1 odds Tij doesn't last to 14

Worth noting Demidov is the only winger in the top 10.

[ForeverFlameFan]

@sandman did you already do one on Solberg? Every new draft list that comes out he seems to be the guy that goes higher up in the rankings.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

@sandman did you already do one on Solberg? Every new draft list that comes out he seems to be the guy that goes higher up in the rankings.

Draft Thought:

Why is Norwegian LHD Stian Solberg getting first-round consideration? This season is Solberg's third in the Elitsiterien, Norway's top men's league, and his 11 points in 33 games to date are 3rd in that circuit for players under-20. Solberg played an average of 25 minutes a night for Norway at the WJC, in all situations, and came away with 2 points in 5 games- and a legion of scouts that left impressed. The 6'2",196 defenseman plays even bigger and stronger than his ample frame, with a hard and heavy throwback style, and a well-rounded, grinding physical game. As a top defensive-minded player, he plays tough minutes against the best players, eats minutes like Smarties, and is an intimidating hitter.
Much of Solberg's game is facilitated by his impressive 4-directional speed, acceleration, and change of direction. He's incredibly strong on his skates, has almost impregnable puck-protection, and has good balance, making him nearly impossible to move, or knock off the puck. He stays on his feet, even when delivering a big hit. His backwards skating is also excellent, giving him tight gap control. Solberg is proficient at defending the rush, stopping players in their tracks with hits, a well-timed stick, or by angling attackers to the boards. In the defensive zone, he shuts down lanes, targets opponents in high-danger, and bulldozes attackers in the crease. He has a non-stop motor, sky-high compete, and defends his zone with dogged determination. He will sacrifice his body to deliver an open-ice hit, or to block a shot. Though he acts as a wrecking ball, his hits are clean, and he only has 12 PIMs to date. He's excellent in retrievals, looking over his shoulder to scan for his next move, and seems to love driving the offense through transition- another area where he excels. Solberg is already a stalwart in the defensive end, but he has the high-end IQ, as well as the tools and positional awareness to be more. He keeps his offensive game simple, walking the line with his head up to scan for open lanes, and distributes well, while keeping the play alive. He also has an excellent snap shot that can fool goaltenders through traffic. He can create off the rush, and he knows when to pinch from the point. Simply put, Solberg has underrated offensive tools and upside.
Solberg was drafted in the 2nd round of the CHL Import Draft, 96th overall, by Regina of the WHL. I always have trouble projecting players from places like Norway, as it's not as much of a hockey country, and the competition is inferior, but scouts seem to love this kid. If there are weaknesses in his game, one is the fact that he tries to do too much on occasion, and another is that he can be too overzealous when he wins the puck in the defensive zone, causing turnovers. He needs to keep developing his offense, but he's being considered for the first or second round, with some saying bottom-4, two-way upside.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Yugry AF Edition):

C/LW Artur Faizov played the second-most games with the third-most points in 2023-24 for a U-18 player in the VHL, Russia's second-highest tier men's league for Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk, putting up a goal and an assist in 13 games. There were only 7 players from his age group that recieved the honor of playing in that league this season. He played 14 games in the MHL, Russia's highest junior league, where he scored 9 points in 14 games, to go with a plus-7 and 6 penalty-minutes, and added 3 points in 7 playoff games.

Faizov is one of those,"jack of all trades, but a master of none" types- he can do a bit of everything, but doesn't do anything at an elite level. He's primarily a playmaker, and a physical power-forward, but his trademark is his ability to drive play with his contagious energy, and his dogged strength of will. He plays well down low and around the net, making plays to the slot or to teammates in high-danger areas. Faizov is a skilled playmaker with sublime manipulation abilities to decieve attackers into opening lanes, and quick-touch passing. He processes well, and usually makes quick, accurate decisions. Though his game is noticeably more muted at the VHL level playing against men, he's a pitbull on the forecheck in the MHL, hunting down pucks and throwing bodychecks to separate his prey from the puck. He plays rough in the hard areas, and bullies his opponents into giving up possession. To augment his playmaking capabilities, he owns excellent puck skills and can dance around bodies, or through them, with his array of slick 1-on-1 moves that serve him well as a conduit in transition. He can play a hard game, but has a soft-touch on his passes, and can push the pace with his prodigious straight-ahead speed that opponents find hard to match.

Off the puck, Faizov supports the play well, and positions himself intelligently at all times to be a playable option for his teammates- and this includes the breakout. He has shown that he can be an effective defensive contributor, but his game in this area is very inconsistent. Quite often, he is out of position in order to cheat for offense, and he can sometimes be spotted coasting back to the zone and puck-watching. His effort level in his own zone has too many ebbs and flows, and his engagement is often lacking. He creates offense for his team, but his abilities aren't high-end enough to project him as anything more than a bottom-6 energy player in the NHL, who can move up the lineup in a pinch and provide some secondary offense, and physicality. Look for him in later rounds.

[Toonage]

nm - moved to Trade thread

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by YyjFlames

Piece on Ottawa’s draft preparation. The quotes sound a lot like Todd Button. Lots of good defenders. Doesn’t mean we’re taking a defender. Good forwards too. Doesn’t mean we’re taking a forward. Ooooo Russians are scary. Doesn’t mean we’re not taking a Russian. Due diligence, due diligence, blah blah blah blah.

https://ottawacitizen.com/ottawa-sen...rs-draft-class

Something that I found interesting from this article:

Generally speak, at some point or another over the past several years, the Senators have taken a goalie with one of their picks. That’s an option they’ll look at and discuss with goalie coach Justin Peters.

For all the consternation that some people feel about Sigalet, he is not just the senior goaltending coach. I believe the Flames send him scouting all over the place looking for goalies at all levels. Sounds like Ottawa doesn't have a similar position.


Ottawa and their new owner certainly spoke a big game about becoming a first-class organization and seemingly spending the money to make it happen behind the scenes. However, they only have 15 scouts (compared to the Flames 20), don't have a Director of Goaltending (I think that's what Sigalet became, though he is listed as a Senior Goaltending Coach), and the hiring of Green was a bit of a head-scratcher for me as I felt that the team could have probably used a more seasoned and experienced coach (not named Martin) to take them to the next level. They don't list their analytics staff, though I am sure they have one. They also seem to employ only 2 European scouts (more or less what the Flames employ, though they don't differentiate on their list).


What point am I trying to make here? Well, really not much, as who knows how updated these org charts are, even when they have added Green. If they are updated, then it seems that Calgary has a larger operations department than Ottawa does, even though Ottawa has been touting itself as building a first-class organization, but many posters here seem to crap on the Flames for being cheap. Maybe they haven't had the time to add to their operations, but it certainly seems like Calgary's is a much deeper organization.


If this interests you at all and want to compare, just click on the links below.



Ottawa


Calgary



/rabbit-hole tangent

[ForeverFlameFan]

^ I just realized Green is their HC and Markstrom and Green are familiar with each other. Just make it Korpisalo and 7th OA for Markstrom swap already.

[cral12]

Zeev Buium in the 9th range makes me happy...

https://twitter.com/user/status/1796962987326001281

(I'll get a burst of Sandman updates at Upside at some point - might be delayed 'til next week)

[dammage79]

Hage ranked higher than Helenius is egregious. I like Hage. But Helenius is getting unnecessarily dumped on in the last couple of rankings from some bad hockey publications.

[Sofa GM]

Originally Posted by cral12

Zeev Buium in the 9th range makes me happy...

https://twitter.com/user/status/1796962987326001281

(I'll get a burst of Sandman updates at Upside at some point - might be delayed 'til next week)

I know we need skilled forwards but if the Flames walked away with Buium and Jiricek (with a trade up) it would be an amazing first round. Absolutely set for the future on defense. Draft the elite forward next year when the Flames pick in top 5.

[traptor]

I'd be really happy with Buium, but I've gotten on the Tij hype train, so I'll be a little dissapointed if we don't get Tij.

It's just such a exciting story after a very dissapointing couple of years.

[Sandman]

Freij and Emery 19th and 20th…

Badinka at 27.

This year’s pre-draft rankings are buckwild.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Aliaksei's Brother):

LW/C Ilya Protas has adjusted well to hockey in North America after coming across the pond from Belarus, but his journey through his first season in the USHL had it's challenges- namely the fact that his team, the Des Moines Bucaneers, were one of the worst teams in the circuit, and 4th-worst out of 16 teams in scoring goals. Ilya is the younger brother of Washington Capitals' center Aliaksei Protas, who the Caps took in the third round, 91st overall, in the 2019 Draft, and is rather young with a July 18th birthday. For the Bucs this season, he managed to post 14 goals and 37 assists for 51 points in 61 games, good for 2nd in scoring on the team by 8 points, and he posted the best +/- with a +6. The 6'3" (some say 6'4"), 183lb forward, who can play center or wing, was named to the USHL All-Rookie First Team, and is drawing a lot of interest lately because he's simply one of the most improved players in the league with 21 of his points coming in the last 20 games of the season. He plays a style quite similar to his older brother's, so the uptick in his offense has scouts looking to duplicate the success that the Capitals' had in drafting Aliaksei, and he's getting some love in recent mock drafts. Central Scouting has taken notice too, naming Ilya the 49th-best North American Skater in their latest rankings, after leaving him off the list entirely in the preliminary, and mid-term lists.

Just to get it out of the way, Protas is not a good skater and doesn't have good edgework, agility, or acceleration. His lack of speed is evident in everything he does, and although he's helped a bit by having long legs and keeping them working hard, his mobility is deficient. He's big and skilled though, with pretty good vision and IQ in making plays, and his 37 assists are tied for 18th in the USHL. He employs a safe and simple style based on possession and limiting mistakes and giveaways, and plays well in small spaces. He's competitive with a good motor, works hard, and stays steadfast under pressure. Though his game is heavily slanted towards playmaking, he possesses a hard, deceptive shot that can fool goalies, and he would make himself more unpredictable if he would use it more. Protas uses his size to protect the puck well, and will wield his body as leverage to win pucks in the hard areas of the ice, but he isn't very physical. He will bump opponents off the puck when he has to, and will lean into defenders when cutting to the slot, or corral attackers along the wall, but he could be a force if he played a bit more of a power game.

Protas' advanced stats paint a picture of a player that tilts the ice in his team's favour towards the offensive zone, and shuts down opponents defensively. The Bucaneers coaching staff trusts him with PK duty, and he gets a fairly high amount of defensive zone starts. He shows razor-sharp awareness in his own zone, and employs a lively stick with a long reach. Along with his mobility, his puck-skills are lacking, and his handling is a bit clunky- he fans on a lot of shots and passes, and can bobble puck receptions. Like his older brother, he most likely projects as a bottom-6 defensive center, and there's nothing wrong with that. Look for him anywhere from the 5th to the 7th round.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Hage ranked higher than Helenius is egregious. I like Hage. But Helenius is getting unnecessarily dumped on in the last couple of rankings from some bad hockey publications.

I would prefer Hage to Huselius as well. Hage is going to be the steal of the draft imo.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (What's In A Name? Edition):

If the NHL Draft was based on how cool a potential draftees' name was, then RW/C Zaki Crookes would surely be drafted 2nd-overall, behind John Mustard. Crookes was tied for 8th in scoring by U-18 players in Sweden's J20 league, with 14 goals and 39 points in 45 games for Leksands IF, a rather middling team that lost in the quarterfinals of the playoffs to Skelleftea AIK. Crookes, who stands 6'1", and weighs in at a lanky 161lbs, could only muster 1 assist in 5 playoff games.

Crookes' stride is short, choppy, and lacking in power with average speed at best- but his 1-on-1 skills, deception and smooth stickhandling help him to move through traffic like a ghost at times, and he still manages to get behind defenses for breakaways. His edges and agility are finely-tuned, making him highly elusive and shifty, and he can go end-to-end on occasion despite his mobility issues. He is helped along by his long reach and impenetrable puck-protection- he angles his feet and body away from sticks, and slips through checks, making it very hard to strip him of the puck. Crookes is blessed with high-end puck skills, featuring fast hands and slick moves, such as using toe-drags to move around checkers and their sticks- the puck seems to be glued to his blade. His shot is deceptive, with pinpoint accuracy, but he needs to work on it's power. Most of his goals seem to come from in-close, with nifty moves to deke goalies out of their jockstraps, or from finding openings to get to dangerous scoring positions. He shows a knack for sneaking in behind the defense to attack the net. Crookes is a strong playmaker with high IQ, vision, and awareness and can pull off passes of a more complex variety to teammates in high-danger that few others could see- often, his teammates aren't ready for them either, or expecting them. He is able to make sound decisons quickly, finding soft spots to move through and using open space to wait for the right play- he earns the time and space for teammates to get set up, rather than forcing a pass, or throwing the puck away.

In transition, Crookes' skating often hurts his effectiveness, so he will avoid carrying for long, instead deferring to his teammates or working give-and-go's when moving north. Off the puck, he skates smart routes and stays in the proper lanes to stay playable and support the play. As with his offensive zone play, he makes intelligent reads defensively and exerts solid proactive positioning to counter his opponents movements. He supports his D down low, and pressures the point using a smart, well-timed stick. Unfortunately, his lack of speed and strength pervades his entire game, and hurts his quickness and overall pace on both the forecheck and backcheck. He lacks physicality, and stays out of battles, and although he will throw the odd hit once in a while, he's a bit passive. He has a long way to go physically to add strength and mass, and to get his mobility up to par. Crookes reminds me a bit of Alex Tanguay when he was in junior, with the skating issues combined with high-quality playmaking, but Crookes doesn't have nearly as much impact on scoresheets as one would expect- certainly not enough to call him an elite offensive talent just yet, but he does have talent to work with, and a fairly well-rounded game. If he's drafted, he will have to wait until the later rounds.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Hage ranked higher than Helenius is egregious. I like Hage. But Helenius is getting unnecessarily dumped on in the last couple of rankings from some bad hockey publications.

If teams are looking for a high boom/high bust risk they won’t pick Helenius. If I were to guess, the Hawks are crossing their fingers Helenius drops since he’s a safe pick and would easily slot in their lineup no later than 2025/2026.

[cral12]

Admittedly a wee bit silly but might be interesting for some, if you happen to still be on the tweeter:
(a thread)

https://twitter.com/user/status/1797103281614868656

[cral12]

Dickinson just tied up Mem Cup Final

https://twitter.com/user/status/1797449937640173908

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Draft Thoughts (What's In A Name? Edition):

If the NHL Draft was based on how cool a potential draftees' name was, then RW/C Zaki Crookes would surely be drafted 2nd-overall, behind John Mustard. Crookes was tied for 8th in scoring by U-18 players in Sweden's J20 league, with 14 goals and 39 points in 45 games for Leksands IF, a rather middling team that lost in the quarterfinals of the playoffs to Skelleftea AIK. Crookes, who stands 6'1", and weighs in at a lanky 161lbs, could only muster 1 assist in 5 playoff games.

Crookes' stride is short, choppy, and lacking in power with average speed at best- but his 1-on-1 skills, deception and smooth stickhandling help him to move through traffic like a ghost at times, and he still manages to get behind defenses for breakaways. His edges and agility are finely-tuned, making him highly elusive and shifty, and he can go end-to-end on occasion despite his mobility issues. He is helped along by his long reach and impenetrable puck-protection- he angles his feet and body away from sticks, and slips through checks, making it very hard to strip him of the puck. Crookes is blessed with high-end puck skills, featuring fast hands and slick moves, such as using toe-drags to move around checkers and their sticks- the puck seems to be glued to his blade. His shot is deceptive, with pinpoint accuracy, but he needs to work on it's power. Most of his goals seem to come from in-close, with nifty moves to deke goalies out of their jockstraps, or from finding openings to get to dangerous scoring positions. He shows a knack for sneaking in behind the defense to attack the net. Crookes is a strong playmaker with high IQ, vision, and awareness and can pull off passes of a more complex variety to teammates in high-danger that few others could see- often, his teammates aren't ready for them either, or expecting them. He is able to make sound decisons quickly, finding soft spots to move through and using open space to wait for the right play- he earns the time and space for teammates to get set up, rather than forcing a pass, or throwing the puck away.

In transition, Crookes' skating often hurts his effectiveness, so he will avoid carrying for long, instead deferring to his teammates or working give-and-go's when moving north. Off the puck, he skates smart routes and stays in the proper lanes to stay playable and support the play. As with his offensive zone play, he makes intelligent reads defensively and exerts solid proactive positioning to counter his opponents movements. He supports his D down low, and pressures the point using a smart, well-timed stick. Unfortunately, his lack of speed and strength pervades his entire game, and hurts his quickness and overall pace on both the forecheck and backcheck. He lacks physicality, and stays out of battles, and although he will throw the odd hit once in a while, he's a bit passive. He has a long way to go physically to add strength and mass, and to get his mobility up to par. Crookes reminds me a bit of Alex Tanguay when he was in junior, with the skating issues combined with high-quality playmaking, but Crookes doesn't have nearly as much impact on scoresheets as one would expect- certainly not enough to call him an elite offensive talent just yet, but he does have talent to work with, and a fairly well-rounded game. If he's drafted, he will have to wait until the later rounds.

I want another second to get Ustinkov. It must be so.