The big difference with Buium and some others is that since they have 1 year of college under their belt, they would need to play a fifth college year to go UFA. I think the odds of that happening with top picks is basically 0.
I’m not concerned with Buium signing his ELC, I’m concerned that he tries to force his way out of town in 3-5 years or bails after his second contract.
Which I suppose could happen with anyone, but these NCAA kids are mercenaries to their core, and I don’t trust them.
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Really feels like a good draft to evaluate flames’ scouting staff (in a couple years). Lots of picks in the top four rounds, willingness to take risks on upside because of all of those picks, staff fully engaged because of a high first rounder and a bunch of regular picks in the first four rounds.
Time to shine, Button and team!
I hope that they do shine. I certainly haven’t loved the direction in recent years of picking big underwhelming toolsy wingers the few times they do pick.
The Barrie Colts' defense corps were very much in flux this year, with a season-ending injury to Oilers prospect Beau Akey, and a sell-off of assets on the backend before the trade deadline, including D Connor Punnett. With the exodus of top-4 defensemen, along with various injuries along the way, LD Jack Brauti was pressed into top- 4 duty, and even top-pairing duty- and responded quite well. In the first quarter of the 2023-24 campaign, JB was used primarily as depth, and even started the year with only 1 point in his first 10 games, but his ice-time and responsibility increased as the season wore on. After the OHL Trade deadline on Jan.10th, Brauti put up 13 points in 20 games, including 9 points in 11 games in February, and finished the year with 9 goals and 21 points in 62 games, to go with 60 PIM. Those totals seem insignificant, but most of his offense came in the second half with Barrie finishing 16th out of 20 teams, and 15th in goals-for- barely sneaking into the playoffs with a losing record, then being promptly dispatched in 6 games by the Oshawa Generals. This is the 6'0",165lb rearguard's rookie season in the OHL, having spent the previous winter in Shattuck St.Mary's 16U AAA program, and in the OJHL- which is Junior A. Brauti showed the Colts, and the scouting community, that he can play in all situations and do a little bit of everything. He was selected in the 6th-round (104th overall) of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection by the Colts, and came in handy this season.
First off, Brauti is an excellent skater in all directions with smooth edges for shiftiness and escapability, and he transitions seamlessly- if he gets beat, he has the quickness to chase that player down, and he can recover quickly if caught pinching into the offensive zone. Though he's not the biggest, he plays a hard-nosed physical game with some edge, and even had three fighting majors over the course of the year. He wins battles in hard areas with sheer will and compete. He will activate into the play from the blueline and joins the rush frequently, but he creates a lot of havok with his booming shot from the point that he consistently gets on-net, and also uses as an effective playmaking tool for tips and rebound opportunities- he's proficient at the shot-pass, too. JB has good vision, and can make difficult passes through traffic to high-danger, but he's not yet a dynamic creator- he sees the play coming, and reacts. He's a reliable puck-mover with an excellent first-pass who can spot lanes to stretch the ice on breakouts, and carries a high-value transitional game with poise and patience when distributing. Unfortunately, he needs work on his retrievals as he can be pressured into throwing pucks away on occasion. Defensively, he protects his net well by effectively boxing attackers out, and is especially aggressive against the rush, with a high number of entry preventions. His smooth transitions and quick backwards skating give him tight gap control to close on opponents quickly, and can surf across the neutral zone laterally to cut off plays.
Brauti hasn't shown high-end offense yet, and isn't dynamic in any way- he's not a play-driver, or a shutdown presence, and his game is still fairly raw. He's not a shoe-in to be drafted this year, as scouts say he lacks a true NHL-dimension to his game, but I believe he's got a huge breakout coming, as early as next year. He still needs work on some aspects of his decision-making, and he can be caught up ice on occasion. Scouts have to do their homework on this kid, but if he's picked- he will have to wait until later rounds.
Last edited by Sandman; 06-26-2024 at 08:01 PM.
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Flames TV released Tij Vegas media scrum and Demidovs Vegas media scrum. I'm sure there's more coming.
I like Demidov. "Was there a player you wanted to be growing up?" "No. I want to be Ivan Demidov and the best Ivan Demidov I can be, I love the way I play".
__________________ "Everybody's so desperate to look smart that nobody is having fun anymore" -Jackie Redmond
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Flames TV released Tij Vegas media scrum and Demidovs Vegas media scrum. I'm sure there's more coming.
I like Demidov. "Was there a player you wanted to be growing up?" "No. I want to be Ivan Demidov and the best Ivan Demidov I can be, I love the way I play".
Great interviews from both players. Another trait I like about Tij… every scout praises what a great person and character he is. Sounds familiar and is a great quality to have in a cornerstone of a team.
I’m not concerned with Buium signing his ELC, I’m concerned that he tries to force his way out of town in 3-5 years or bails after his second contract.
Which I suppose could happen with anyone, but these NCAA kids are mercenaries to their core, and I don’t trust them.
Dumb take. Every kid is different. Zeev would be ecstatic to be a Flame. Great kid.
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It’s extra frustrating because I think Montreal is the biggest threat to take Tij. And Montreal media will be all so happy to have an Iginla… conveniently forgetting that it was Montreal sports media bias that cost his dad the Hart trophy.
I doubt Tij is there at 9. Every single team 2-8 could use him in their prospect pool.
With the occasional writer putting him 4th, and with some writers putting him conveniently 9th by the Flames, in a weak draft year, I'm thinking a team takes him top 6 because of his game and also because of his name. At first I was skeptical, but there are enough people now putting him higher that I think the stars align and he's taken top 6. It's really hard to say what he'll be. I think he'll be a Jere Lehtinen type with more aggression, which I suppose isn't too bad.
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I think he gets selected 5-7. Doubt he falls to us with Montreal heavily in on him and Utah/Ottawa potentially selecting him. Although, those two teams also need a good d man.
The Barrie Colts have some quality draft-eligibles in their lineup, including Riley Patterson, Cole Beaudoin, Jack Brauti, and 6'1",168lb LW Bode Stewart, who posted 13 goals and 26 points in 57 games, to go with 23 PIM. He was selected in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection, 24th-overall by the Saginaw Spirit, but was traded to Barrie last summer for two picks. Stewart only managed 2 points in 6 playoff games for Barrie, who squeaked into the playoffs with a losing record, and were eliminated in six games by the Oshawa Generals. Barrie was 16th in the standings this season out of 20 teams, and 15th in goals-for.
Stewart is a hard-nosed, two-way power-forward who can grind, and plays with an edge. He has a nose for the net, and will battle for position in front, and cut to the slot without fear- he's inside-driven with good hands in-close, and can make plays around the net. He forechecks hard, competes in the greasy areas, and relentlessly pursues puck-carriers in all 3 zones. Stewart is an excellent skater, with smooth edges that give him shiftiness, escapability, and superior lateral mobility- but he could use a bit more quickness on the top-end. Other than his mobility, most of his individual skills are hovering around the average mark, but he flashes high-end abilities from time-to-time, along with glimpses of play-driving capabilities. He can make plays, but most of the time he keeps things relatively safe and simple. He does have an ability at times to open space for himself and teammates, which not all players possess, but he can't yet take proper advantage because of his decision-making- he has difficulty in choosing the best play, and doesn't wait for it to develop. The same can be said about his vision and spatial awareness- he has the ability to sniff out open lanes to attack, but runs into a wall.
Those glimpses point to exciting potential in the future, but Stewart's specialty right now is also a strange anomaly in his game- his potent transitional play, strangely enough. Despite not possessing great handling, he's an exciting puck-carrier with poise and confidence, who uses exceptional deception with shifts of weight, changes of pace, quick lateral movements, and fakes. He's a potent attacker through the neutral zone with some nice-looking metrics in this area, including a high number of controlled exits and entries. He's not afraid to use the middle of the ice, and pushes pace with his speed, manipulation, puck-protection, and ability to find and create holes in coverage. There's glimpses of a smart delay game in transition as well, and he will even cut back to try again if he runs into insurmountable traffic- if only he could apply these skills to his offense! Stewie is a hard competitor, who plays with intensity, high-motor, and brings energy to his team- he's also a steady, reliable checker with a hard-hitting, intelligent defensive game. He sees the ice well enough to position himself proactively to make stops, and applies pressure to puck-carriers- even making steals at the top of the zone for breakaways. Going forward, Stewie needs plenty of work on his decision-making and consistency, but already has the potential to make a fine bottom-6 checker and energy player, with the hope of more to come. I think he'll be a big breakout story next season. Look for him in later rounds.
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