2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Ped]

Ya it's really hard to compare players from different eras, and far too many draft prognosticators (imo) try to peg a prospect comparatively to someone else - I get they do it to give the consumer an idea of the style, but too often (again, imo) it just creates unrealistic expectations.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

See, I’d trade Matt Coronato to make sure I got Bobby Orr…

Trouble is, you can never be sure you're getting Bobby Orr until you already have him. As TOfan says, if Parekh were expected to be the next Bobby Orr, he'd be the uncontested #1 overall pick. He's not.

[Erick Estrada]

Some NHL scouts consider him the best defenseman in the draft. It would be hard to pass him up even for Iginla.

[Cheese]

I think what everyone is saying is, if we drop Parehk into Orrs draft year of 1966 he would out Orr Bobby. Or not.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Rabid Squirrel Edition):

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders were one of the worst teams in the USHL this season, finishing 14th out out 16 teams, and were one of 4 teams to miss the playoffs. One player on the team that was worth the price of admission was 5'9",165lb RW Landan Resendes, who plays like an angry Wolverine, posting totals of 14 goals and 30 points (with 78 PIM) in 59 games- 1st in goals on the RoughRiders, and 4th in points. Resendes, who hails from Marlborough, MA, has played a bit of Center this season, but likely won't in the pros. He is ranked #168 for North American Skaters by Central Scouting.

Resendes is small in stature, but his motor and compete are among the biggest in this year's draft crop- he will take on all opponents, big or small, and doesn't quit on plays. He is always going 100 MPH, and supplies his team with constant energy, dragging them into battle. Resendes is a high-volume, shoot-first winger, and isn't at all afraid of attacking the middle or driving the crease to finish, and capitalize on rebounds. He finds and creates space better than most players his age, manipulating his adversaries by drawing them in his direction, and seeks out seams in the slot to operate in. He owns a bomb of a one-timer, and an accurate wrister, but needs to further strengthen it's power and velocity. Though he's a prolific shooter, he's no slouch in the playmaking department, with above-average IQ and vision, but he needs better deception to facilitate this part of his game. The good news is that he's always improving, and his distribution game is still coming along. A big part of his success is his skating- he has speed to burn, and can back up defenses with his relentless pace. He has a lightning quick short-area burst as well, but could use some work on his edges. In transition, he's a standout with his smooth stickhandling, speed, and 1-on-1 moves, weaving through traffic to make controlled entries. He goes all-out through the neutral zone, working give-and-goes at top speed.

Resendes plays with an edge, and despite his lack of size, he carries an iceberg-sized chip on his shoulder, and is more than willing to throw big hits. He overwhelms opponents in battles with his elite compete, winning body position frequently, and plays the role of agitator to a tee by driving his opponents nuts- and he draws plenty of penalties. Resendes will take part in extracurricular activities after whistles, and will dole out some extra shots when he can in the form of shoves, hacks and whacks, and maybe a crosscheck here and there. He's a forechecking demon, very disruptive and relentless, and when opponents try to hit him, they either miss or are met with stiff reverse-checks. Defensively, he shows excellent tracking data, which is quite impressive considering the caliber of team he plays for. He's a detailed performer, with top-notch awareness and solid positioning to pressure puck-carriers, and derail the rush. He cuts off lanes, and gets in front of shots. Going forward, Resendes must keep developing his playmaking, in order to add another dimension to his game, and make him less predictable. It sounds strange, but he needs to slow down a bit a times, instead of going all-out, all-the-time- he can sometimes overskate and miss the play. Another dimension of this would be learning a better delay game in order to scan better for the best option available. He needs to improve his shot, as well as his agility, but he would be destined to have a huge breakout in the USHL, if he wasn't committed to Boston University this fall. In my opinion, all projections of his translatability will have to wait until his college career is in full swing, and he might not be drafted because of that- his production in the USHL wasn't where it should be. If he's drafted, he'll have to wait until later rounds.

[dammage79]

Parekh is the Offensive D man in this draft.
Levshunov is the best all around.
Buium is the 2nd best all around.
Dickinson is the 3rd best all around.
Silayev is the most intriguing upside and unicorn stature of this draft.

I think it's been established thoroughly.
Here and everywhere.

The wild part is how no teams really know how the draft is going to break because these D men are all uniquely and deservedly top 10 draft picks. It's not because it's a weak top half of the draft. It's because there's a different flavour that can be tailored to every need on every team.

I think we can see the draft fall in a multitude of ways, and if the people who are actually making the picks don't know how it's gonna go after Celebrini, how can we be so certain it's going to go a certain way?

I have my own ideas just like y'all but I cannot proclaim it to be more right than any other.

It's going to be maybe the best and most fun draft to watch unfold live in years. That's about all I know. Because who know who comes out of nowhere to go in the top 10. Or who's gonna slide.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Some NHL scouts consider him the best defenseman in the draft.

Other NHL scouts don't.

[Sandman]

I look at the Parekh situation like this:

There are 6 potential game-changing D in this draft, and though I'm not a huge fan of Parekh, there might not be a chance to aquire players of this calibre for the backend in the foreseeable future if you pass one up, at least not where we're picking. Most drafts have one or two franchise D, this one has SIX. There's a chance you can pick up a forward in the same stratoshere as an Iginla in other ways, including later in this draft, but these defensemen are rare, and special.

How often do you see draft-eligible D at close to a ppg in college, never mind way over that mark like Buium? Parekh and Yakemchuk were over a ppg in the CHL, how often do you see that? Dickinson is Ekblad 2.0, and Silayev is a true unicorn...

There are F prospects that I'm in love with too, but I think the level of D in this draft gets lost on us a bit.

[dammage79]

As for not taking Conroys word for it when he says something.....

Even a blind squirrel can look at the Flames depth chart and know that their biggest need is Center. I don't need Conroys word for it, I can see it with my own eyes. And for him to acknowledge that fact openly isn't some ruse to keep the competition in the dark about their plans. That's silly.

If the Flames have centers ranked above available D men, that's their list and I read ppl are gonna be pissed of they took a guy over someone they think is better. That's wild.

Teams ahead of CGY aren't just gonna draft a center to keep them out of CGYs hands. They got their own situations to deal with.

[cral12]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1801422494911312010

https://twitter.com/user/status/1801422492252115418

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I look at the Parekh situation like this:

There are 6 potential game-changing D in this draft, and though I'm not a huge fan of Parekh, there might not be a chance to aquire players of this calibre for the backend in the foreseeable future if you pass one up, at least not where we're picking. Most drafts have one or two franchise D, this one has SIX. There's a chance you can pick up a forward in the same stratoshere as an Iginla in other ways, including later in this draft, but these defensemen are rare, and special.

How often do you see draft-eligible D at close to a ppg in college, never mind way over that mark like Buium? Parekh and Yakemchuk were over a ppg in the CHL, how often do you see that? Dickinson is Ekblad 2.0, and Silayev is a true unicorn...

There are F prospects that I'm in love with too, but I think the level of D in this draft gets lost on us a bit.

Even after the big 5 defensemen, there like 10 or 12 D men that'll go in rounds 1 and 2 that will give you just as good of value in terms of bang for your buck at 28th overall or lower. This is a very defense heavy draft.

Flames can take a D man at 9 or they can gamble a bit an use their next 3 picks on D men and feel pretty happy about themselves too.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Even after the big 5 defensemen, there like 10 or 12 D men that'll go in rounds 1 and 2 that will give you just as good of value in terms of bang for your buck at 28th overall or lower. This is a very defense heavy draft.

Flames can take a D man at 9 or they can gamble a bit an use their next 3 picks on D men and feel pretty happy about themselves too.

That's true, but my point was that you won't get a D-man of the caibre of the big 6.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Even after the big 5 defensemen, there like 10 or 12 D men that'll go in rounds 1 and 2 that will give you just as good of value in terms of bang for your buck at 28th overall or lower. This is a very defense heavy draft.

Flames can take a D man at 9 or they can gamble a bit an use their next 3 picks on D men and feel pretty happy about themselves too.

I think the top 6 D are all franchise potential. Would rather one of those if Catton or Demidov are not available at our pick.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I look at the Parekh situation like this:

There are 6 potential game-changing D in this draft, and though I'm not a huge fan of Parekh, there might not be a chance to aquire players of this calibre for the backend in the foreseeable future if you pass one up, at least not where we're picking. Most drafts have one or two franchise D, this one has SIX. There's a chance you can pick up a forward in the same stratoshere as an Iginla in other ways, including later in this draft, but these defensemen are rare, and special.

How often do you see draft-eligible D at close to a ppg in college, never mind way over that mark like Buium? Parekh and Yakemchuk were over a ppg in the CHL, how often do you see that? Dickinson is Ekblad 2.0, and Silayev is a true unicorn...

There are F prospects that I'm in love with too, but I think the level of D in this draft gets lost on us a bit.

Given the forward heavy nature of the next two drafts and the incredible dmen in this draft I will be more than a little disappointed if the Flames take a forward at 9 unless all the dmen are gone.

[butterfly]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I look at the Parekh situation like this:

There are 6 potential game-changing D in this draft, and though I'm not a huge fan of Parekh, there might not be a chance to aquire players of this calibre for the backend in the foreseeable future if you pass one up, at least not where we're picking. Most drafts have one or two franchise D, this one has SIX. There's a chance you can pick up a forward in the same stratoshere as an Iginla in other ways, including later in this draft, but these defensemen are rare, and special.

How often do you see draft-eligible D at close to a ppg in college, never mind way over that mark like Buium? Parekh and Yakemchuk were over a ppg in the CHL, how often do you see that? Dickinson is Ekblad 2.0, and Silayev is a true unicorn...

There are F prospects that I'm in love with too, but I think the level of D in this draft gets lost on us a bit.

Curious why you aren't a huge fan of Parekh if you see him as a potential franchise D. Is it variance?

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

Trouble is, you can never be sure you're getting Bobby Orr until you already have him. As TOfan says, if Parekh were expected to be the next Bobby Orr, he'd be the uncontested #1 overall pick. He's not.

No, that’s not the trouble at all.

If there’s a model that needs to go all the way back to Bobby Orr to find a proper productive comparable, that is a special player.

If you agree with that model’s assessment, it is worthwhile to sacrifice some prospect capital to secure that play.

For whatever reason, The Russians have stolen the thunder of everyone else as the presumptive top pics after Celebrini.

Remember all the guys picked between Matthews and Tkachuk who can’t hold Matt’s jock strap?

Laine, Dubois, Puljujarvi, and Juolevi?

Scouts get it wrong all the time.

Erik Karlsson himself was a 15th overall pick, and I’ll tell you a secret - the 2008 draft doesn’t have 14 players better than Erik Karlsson in it.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

I think the top 6 D are all franchise potential. Would rather one of those if Catton or Demidov are not available at our pick.

Who's the 6th? Yakemchuk? I like him but Franchise? That's strong.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

No, that’s not the trouble at all.

If there’s a model that needs to go all the way back to Bobby Orr to find a proper productive comparable, that is a special player.

If you agree with that model’s assessment, it is worthwhile to sacrifice some prospect capital to secure that play.

For whatever reason, The Russians have stolen the thunder of everyone else as the presumptive top pics after Celebrini.

Remember all the guys picked between Matthews and Tkachuk who can’t hold Matt’s jock strap?

Laine, Dubois, Puljujarvi, and Juolevi?

Scouts get it wrong all the time.

Erik Karlsson himself was a 15th overall pick, and I’ll tell you a secret - the 2008 draft doesn’t have 14 players better than Erik Karlsson in it.

Parekh is the guy that I want them to pick. The Flames have not had an elite offensive dman since Housley. I would like them to have one again and I think offence from the backend is key for success in the modern NHL.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by butterfly

Curious why you aren't a huge fan of Parekh if you see him as a potential franchise D. Is it variance?

If Parekh's projections become reality, you have a Quinn Hughes-type of player, maybe more- which ain't too shabby. There are people who post on CP who insist his defense isn't bad, so we'll put that to rest. In my past viewings of him, and even when I've watched him this season, he often looks like doing his own thing apart from the rest of the team, while hogging the puck and turning it over, etc. Let's not forget Ryan Murphy, who was drafted by Carolina 12th overall back in 2011- he was a 5'11" defenseman who put up 79 points in just 63 games, with 11 points in 7 playoff games, all in his draft year. Slightly different style, but he was the anointed one and ended up being a huge draft bust.

I will say this- Parekh was excellent in the Memorial Cup, and put personal accolades (such as goals and points) aside for the good of the team. He was impressive- now THAT Parekh would be just fine. I know that if the Flames draft him, it's because they've done their due diligence.

Keep in mind, I'm no pro scout....

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Sandman

If Parekh's projections become reality, you have a Quinn Hughes-type of player, maybe more- which ain't too shabby. There are people who post on CP who insist his defense isn't bad, so we'll put that to rest. In my past viewings of him, and even when I've watched him this season, he often looks like doing his own thing apart from the rest of the team, while hogging the puck and turning it over, etc. Let's not forget Ryan Murphy, who was drafted by Carolina 12th overall back in 2011- he was a 5'11" defenseman who put up 79 points in just 63 games, with 11 points in 7 playoff games, all in his draft year. Slightly different style, but he was the anointed one and ended up being a huge draft bust.

I will say this- Parekh was excellent in the Memorial Cup, and put personal accolades (such as goals and points) aside for the good of the team. He was impressive- now THAT Parekh would be just fine. I know that if the Flames draft him, it's because they've done their due diligence.

Keep in mind, I'm no pro scout....

Hopefully Parekh does not completely disappear and have a significant offensive drop off immediately after his draft year like Murphy.