2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Yes it would be.

I think Iginla is going to be a star. I am also down on Lindstrom.

The size and skating is great, the injuries are not especially back injuries for big guys who can protect the puck who will constantly get cross checked.

I like the other defenceman like Dickinson, because we have more information about their game.

Whoever they take likely has a range of 3rd line forward to 1st line forward, or 3rd pairing dman to 1st pairing dman.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Whoever they take likely has a range of 3rd line forward to 1st line forward, or 3rd pairing dman to 1st pairing dman.

Isn't that what the fun is all about with the draft. The teams talk about it all the time, the scouts have guys they absolutely love and will fight for them.

You like the Silayev.

I like Iginla.

Chances are good we get neither.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Right but how many guys that size have been effective NHL players from the backend?

Chara? Pronger?

Kind of rare no?

That's what makes this guy a unicorn - the combo of size and skating. Could be special

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Right but how many guys that size have been effective NHL players from the backend?

Chara? Pronger?

Kind of rare no?

There is a small sample size of guys that are that size though.

Owen Power went 1st overall and I really like Alex Vlasic in Chicago. Chicago wrapped him up for 6 years after his 1st full season. He was only a 2nd rounder too and probably projected much lower than Silayev does.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Macho0978

There is a small sample size of guys that are that size though.

Owen Power went 1st overall and I really like Alex Vlasic in Chicago. Chicago wrapped him up for 6 years after his 1st full season. He was only a 2nd rounder too and probably projected much lower than Silayev does.

Power was the consensus #1 overall pick, and had a offensive game in college.

A bit different.

Would I be disappointed in the pick? Yup but right after I would cheer and hope he is a impactful player for us.

I am just really hoping for Tij.

[Royle9]

I think you nailed it.
After Celebrini goes the draft really starts and it could be crazy.

Less than 2 weeks!

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Isn't that what the fun is all about with the draft. The teams talk about it all the time, the scouts have guys they absolutely love and will fight for them.

You like the Silayev.

I like Iginla.

Chances are good we get neither.

Maybe it's just me but the way you framed the response it felt like you thought the third pairing risk (floor) was greater with the big Russian than others in that area.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Maybe it's just me but the way you framed the response it felt like you thought the third pairing risk (floor) was greater with the big Russian than others in that area.

I can't find any offence from him throughout his career so far, so that part is scary.

Of course all the others could have their offence dry up in the NHL or just not make it either.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

I can't find any offence from him throughout his career so far, so that part is scary.

Of course all the others could have their offence dry up in the NHL or just not make it either.

Stats are hard to find on Silayev... so if you mean you haven't seen any offense in the ~4 years of tracked stats existing on EP and 1 on DB, where he was generally playing up at least one age level if not more, then yeah I'd say you're right on in that assessment.

But if you consider that a real look at his offensive potential, I think that's pretty silly.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Stats are hard to find on Silayev... so if you mean you haven't seen any offense in the ~4 years of tracked stats existing on EP and 1 on DB, where he was generally playing up at least one age level if not more, then yeah I'd say you're right on in that assessment.

But if you consider that a real look at his offensive potential, I think that's pretty silly.

Stats are really the only thing to look at right now, hasn't it been said he was a difficult player to scout because of being in Russia?

[Arsenal14]

Originally Posted by devo22

this draft is just crazy once Celebrini is off the board. There's players who are in the top 3 on one list, then you'll see them 10th or 11th on the next one ... absolutely wild.

Just to illustrate this I went through the rankings I've tracked and found the highest and lowest for each player that anybody has in the top 10:

Celebrini	1	1
Demidov		2	8
Levshunov	2	10
Lindstrom	3	11
Catton		3	14
Dickinson	3	14
Silayev		3	20
Helenius	3	24
Yakemchuk	3	39
Buium		4	9
Iginla		4	13
Parekh		4	18
Freij		5	58
Brandegg-Nygard	6	18
Jiricek		6	28
Greentree	6	31
Eiserman	7	16
Sennecke	7	31
Connolly	9	35
Artamonov	10	46

Just a wild range for most players. This is 20 players that are potential top 10 picks with many of them as second rounders according to other rankings.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Macho0978

There is a small sample size of guys that are that size though.

Owen Power went 1st overall and I really like Alex Vlasic in Chicago. Chicago wrapped him up for 6 years after his 1st full season. He was only a 2nd rounder too and probably projected much lower than Silayev does.

Edvinsson went #6 OA to Detroit, and Silayev is rated as good a skater while more physical. Different draft, and there’s the Russian factor, but it’s hard to imagine Silayev going later than that.

[FlamesAddiction]

Silayev has a chance to be a real unicorn kind of player, especially if he can put some offense together at the NHL level. It's unheard of for a player that size to skate the way he does and that extra height gives him such a huge reach and physical advantage. He also seems to be a really tenacious player with hockey sense.

[cral12]

Go ahead, mock the mock.

Admittedly only the 1st round.

How would you feel with these Flames picks?

(We'll likely be doing a Mock Draft 2.0 as this one was a little wild starting at pick #2)

https://twitter.com/user/status/1802484831047004287

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Silayev has a chance to be a real unicorn kind of player, especially if he can put some offense together at the NHL level. It's unheard of for a player that size to skate the way he does and that extra height gives him such a huge reach and physical advantage. He also seems to be a really tenacious player with hockey sense.

He is a kid currently playing against men. Would have no problem with him at nine. Thst league isn’t exactly a offensive defensemen type of a league

[1qqaaz]

But the NHL seems to be increasing the importance of offensive defensemen, specifically powerplay quarterbacks. Powerplays are really starting to dictate games.

Some offensive defensemen may be pretty one dimensional. But it's a pretty darn important dimension.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by cral12

Go ahead, mock the mock.

Admittedly only the 1st round.

How would you feel with these Flames picks?

(We'll likely be doing a Mock Draft 2.0 as this one was a little wild starting at pick #2)

https://twitter.com/user/status/1802484831047004287

That draft simulator is wild.

9 - Demidov
28 - Hage
41 - Freij
62 - Parascak
74 - Vanacker
84 - Koivu
106 - Letourneau
107 - Graf
170 - Jokinen

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

But the NHL seems to be increasing the importance of offensive defensemen, specifically powerplay quarterbacks. Powerplays are really starting to dictate games.

Some offensive defensemen may be pretty one dimensional. But it's a pretty darn important dimension.

You can teach defence. Offence is really an ability you are born with.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

But the NHL seems to be increasing the importance of offensive defensemen, specifically powerplay quarterbacks. Powerplays are really starting to dictate games.

Some offensive defensemen may be pretty one dimensional. But it's a pretty darn important dimension.

Yeah, ideally if a defenseman is on the ice for 20+ minutes a game, you want them to be able to contribute at both ends. A lot of people say he has the tools there though. It's just hard to have faith when you don't see the numbers, but I understand that many of the European leagues are different when it comes to how young players are developed.

Silayev is the kind of defenseman that with his speed and reach, he'll nullify a lot of dump ins by the opposing team with his speed and reach. I realize that it's not exciting like scoring goals, but teams that can do that regularly tend to win more. He also strikes me somewhat as a Weegar kind of defenseman who breaks up a lot of zone entries with his stick. I think these things will produce offensive transitions even if it doesn't show up on paper.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Violent Knight Edition):

If LHC William Nicholl were playing for a different team than the OHL Champion London Knights, we would probably be talking about him more, but I'm sure that if you were to ask him, he wouldn't trade being a Knight for anything. Nicholl was selected in the third round of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection, but this season was technically his rookie year, as he only played 5 games with London in 2022-23, spending most of the season in the GOJHL with the St.Thomas Stars, in Junior B. This year, he put up 6 goals and 20 points in 65 games (with 58 PIM), while stuck playing a background role on the fourth line with hardly any ice-time, on a team loaded with older star players, but in rare times when he was moved up the lineup with more minutes, he played like a guy worthy of being selected in the top half of the draft. Such was the case in the OHL Playoffs, as there were games that Nicholl was one of London's best forwards, and although his 8 points in 18 games weren't exactly eye-popping numbers, he made a bit of a name for himself. Coach Dale Hunter largely rolled three lines in their 4 Memorial Cup games, so Nicholl barely got to play, and put up zeroes across the board.

With this season being his rookie year, and playing low minutes in a lesser role, I would think it would be fair to say that Nicholl is a bit more raw than most prospects. Despite this, he possesses underrated skill, smarts, and IQ, and Coach Hunter praises his elite puck-possession skills. He's definitely not a finesse player though, as he makes his presence felt persistently by initiating contact and engaging opponents physically with his 6'0",170lb frame, and by winning body position along the boards and in front of the net. He's hard-nosed, combative, and even a little mean, and agitates his adversaries by making himself a constant nuisance. The majority of his offensive game is predicated on his fearlesness in attacking the middle, as well as crashing the crease for chances, and he hounds puck-carriers on the forecheck, applying supreme pressure. Nicholl has an exceptional motor that few other players possess, and wins battles on pure effort- he moves through checks, plays with unrelenting pace, and stays in perpetual motion. There aren't many opportunites for Nicholl to show it, but he flashes high-end creativity at times, especially off the rush, and funnels pucks to the slot. He also displays some manipulation skills to get around in traffic and create space, with a bevy of fakes and changes in speed and direction- he can draw defenders towards him in order to open lanes to pass into. He knows how to manufacture openings for himself, and he gets chances because of it. Nicholl's skating is average, with a need for more power and explosiveness, but his high-end workrate helps to mask his deficiencies.

Nicholl goes to the front of the net, and establishes body positioning to collect garbage and cash-in on second-chance opportunities, using his soft hands and keen hand-eye coordination. He gets inside, but his shot isn't anything special, and it could use work on power and accuracy. Off the puck, he shows his intelligence by supporting the play in all three zones- he can carry through transition, but skates good routes with or without possession to be in position to hook up on give-and goes to make clean entries. He's aggressive in the D-zone, forcing attackers wide and supporting his defensemen down low, where he can apply his physicality. As one would expect of a London Knight, he's always on the right side of the puck with an acute attention to detail. He's always in the way, and in his opponents' faces- closing out attackers, intercepting bodies and passes, and racking up shot-blocks and steals. I've seen the Knights play a few times this year, and I always notice Nicholl- I have to confess that I like the kid, and I would bet that he earns a top-6 spot on the team next year, and turns into a star player. He performs extremely well with limited minutes, and in rare times when he's given an expanded role- he's usually one of London's best forwards. In my opinion, he has the profile of someone who could earn a middle-six NHL role someday, but has the floor of a bottom-6 center with defensive duty, who provides energy. Look for him in later rounds, if he's picked at all.