2025 NHL Draft Thread

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by aaronkarlpatton

So zonnon and nesbit would be good first round targets?

Sent from my SM-G990W2 using Tapatalk

I think about four guys would be targets.

Nesbitt, cootes,zonnon, murtagh.
Other possibilities are reschny, ryabkin could fall that far, schmidt as well but not likely and moore cant be discounted.

Havent spent enough time to start to nitpick that group but for me any 2 of
Cootes,zonnon,moore,nesbitt would be good.

Just not sold on any of the defencemen.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Latvian Edition):

RW Bruno Osmanis (5'11",170lbs)
IF Bjorkloven (J20): 25gp/ 6g/ 17a/ 23pts, +3, 8 PIM

Native-Latvian Bruno Osmanis (# 72 for EU Skaters by Central Scouting) is the main offensive driver for a very weak Bjorkloven J20 squad in Sweden that struggles to produce goals, and he would most likely have sky-high numbers on a better team. For his troubles, he has been rewarded with 25 games on Bjorkloven's Allsvenskan club, where he is 6th in the league for players 18-and-under, with 1 goal and 7 points. Osmanis was raising eyebrows with his play-driving performance for an upstart Team Latvia at the 2025 World Juniors (a team that beat Canada 3-2 in a shootout on the second day of the event), before an injury cut his tournament short, after posting 4 points in 3 games- with 2 assists coming against the Canadians. He is an underrated playmaking winger with creativity and high-end vision, who drives play in all three zones for his junior team, but is still trying to prove himself against men in the Allsvenskan.

Osmanis makes sound decisions quickly on impressive reads, funneling pucks to the middle and finding teammates at the goal-front through traffic with his high-end vision and offensive awareness. He understands how to manufacture space for himself and his teammates, and how to exploit it, and he can patiently draw pressure to open passing seams. Though he plays for a weak team, his advanced stats are insane, and paint him to be elite in creating offense 5-on-5, with sharp passing skills that allow him to thread the needle through the smallest holes in traffic, off his forehand or backhand. He can perform any kind of pass, be it saucer, slip, or hook, and he can distribute through layers of traffic, over sticks, through triangles, and between feet, with the exact prescribed velocity and angle needed. In transition, these skills truly shine and give him huge value to his team; he stays connected with teammates through exit and entry using quick-touch feeds and give-and-go passing to pressure opposing defenses, and push supreme pace. Goal-scoring has never been his main forte', but he does have a decent shot, with the ability to find the open space required to unleash it, but he opts for the pass most of the time. Despite a lack of ideal size, he wins his fair share of puck-battles and gets inside position on larger opponents with his tenacity. He hustles hard on the forecheck to disrupt, cause breakdowns, and pick pockets; he then turns those puck-thefts into instant scoring chances.

Osmanis works very hard, exerts a high motor, and doesn't back down from battles- he will sometimes use contact to give himself a bit more space, as well. He's inside-driven, with-or-without the puck, showing fearlessness in cutting inside to the slot to rip pucks, and attacking the middle off the rush. He is surprisingly strong on the puck, with quick hands and smooth handling, and owns some slick 1-on-1 skill that, when combined with his deception ability, enables him to manipulate opponents to give himself room to move. In regards to his mobility, he displays above-average speed with a quick burst in small areas, and an explosive first-step- he needs to improve his top-speed, however. He can still win plenty of puck-races, beat defenders wide, and force defensemen back on occasion. His strong edges give him elusiveness, as well as the ability to make quick turns and pivots. Defensively, he takes away the middle effectively, protects his net well with an active, well-timed stick, and hounds puck-carriers to take away space and time. Though he doesn't cheat the game, his positioning and engagement are inconsistent in the defensive zone, and these issues are amplified when he is playing in the Allsvenskan, as he can look a bit lost at times. Going forward, he will need some improvement on his puck-protection, as well as his puck-control when handling or catching in flight. While he definitely needs work on his shot, there are questions as to how well his offense will translate to pro-hockey in North America- but I believe that he's being severely underrated. Look for him in the 3rd-round.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (German Edition, Vol. 1):

LHC Julius Sumpf (6'2",194lbs)
Moncton (QMJHL): 48gp/ 22g/ 31a/ 53pts, +50, 18 PIM

If if seems like German-born center Julius Sumpf (Ranked #108 for NA Skaters) has been around awhile, you're right- he is a 20 year-old in his D+2 year, and you may have seen him represent Germany in the 2022 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup (no points in 4 games), the 2023 U-18's (4 points in 6 games), the 2024 World Juniors (3 points in 5 games), or this past January's World Juniors (7 points in 5 games). He is currently plying his trade for the powerhouse Moncton Wildcats in his second Q season, leading the league in plus/minus, and playing a ton on a line with two offensive talents in Caleb Desnoyers, and Juraj Pekarcik. Sumpf isn't perfect, but he's a power-forward with a projectable game, a few translatable tools, and a polished defensive presence. There's no flash or dash here, and no real dynamic qualities- just a very straight-line, north-south player who does a lot of the dirty work for his line, while keeping things as simple as possible. He's about as meat-and-potatoes as you can get.

First of all, Sumpf's skating is about average, perhaps slightly above, but he has a quick-burst at his disposal in small-areas. His edges and agility are nothing special, but he doesn't need to skate circles around the opposition anyway. He's a physical player in all areas, dominant along the boards and down low, and uses his frame and reach to win battles at a high rate. To make himself room, he will lean into defenders, power his way around the ice, and will throw hits to separate man from puck. Sumpf plays with energy and intensity, and competes hard, but perhaps best of all- he plays within himself; he knows who he is as a player, and he does his job enthusiastically. One of his best traits is how aggressive and intimidating he is on the forecheck, getting under the skin of his opponents by being tenacious, disruptive, and physical. Another area of high-value is his detailed defensive game, propped up by his proactive mindset, and his mature habits. Sumpf always puts himself in the best positions to be able to stop his opponents' attack- not only in the defensive zone, but as early as the breakout, and also against the rush in the neutral zone. He's a stalwart defensive player, highly reliable in his own zone, and an excellent penalty-killer who is always on the right side of the puck. He supports his D down low, pressures the point up high, and wields a smart, well-timed stick with good range to be disruptive. He takes away the middle effectively, and protects his net by identifying threats and getting inside position proactively, while tying up their stick.

Sumpf has an accurate shot, but isn't a big goal-scoring threat as there's very little deception in his release. He can still beat goalies from distance on occasion, but most of his goals come from within 10-15 feet of the net, while attacking the crease. His playmaking is also simple and safe- he will win battles along the boards, and in the corners, and then get the puck to one of his more dynamic linemates. He funnels pucks to the net, and to the slot consistently- he's very smart, and has good hockey sense, but he's unspectacular. Sumpf manages the puck well, and doesn't commit many turnovers, but his stickhandling is nothing special, and he doesn't have much of a deception game, or a lot of 1-on-1 skill. I like this kid, but it's up to scouts to decide whether or not there's enough skill or ability to compensate for his lack of elite qualities. I see him as a bottom-6 defensive specialist in the NHL, should he make it. If he's picked this year, look for him in later rounds.

[bigrangy]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Draft Thoughts (Latvian Edition):

RW Bruno Osmanis (5'11",170lbs)
IF Bjorkloven (J20): 25gp/ 6g/ 17a/ 23pts, +3, 8 PIM

Native-Latvian Bruno Osmanis (# 72 for EU Skaters by Central Scouting) is the main offensive driver for a very weak Bjorkloven J20 squad in Sweden that struggles to produce goals, and he would most likely have sky-high numbers on a better team. For his troubles, he has been rewarded with 25 games on Bjorkloven's Allsvenskan club, where he is 6th in the league for players 18-and-under, with 1 goal and 7 points. Osmanis was raising eyebrows with his play-driving performance for an upstart Team Latvia at the 2025 World Juniors (a team that beat Canada 3-2 in a shootout on the second day of the event), before an injury cut his tournament short, after posting 4 points in 3 games- with 2 assists coming against the Canadians.

Did Osmanis fully recover from that injury, it looks like a rough one

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by bigrangy

Did Osmanis fully recover from that injury, it looks like a rough one

Yup, he’s been playing games since the injury.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Russian Edition, Vol. 1):

RW Alexander Zharovsky (6'1",163)
Tolpar UFA (MHL): 43gp/ 21g/ 26a/ 47pts,+18, 30 PIM

Left-handed RW Alexander Zharovsky has come out of nowhere (he hasn't even been given a rating by Central Scouting), partly because he didn't take the typical route to the MHL, and partly because he started the current season with 6 points in his first 15 games- but he has rocketed up the scoring list with 31 points in his last 20. This is his rookie season in the MHL (Russia's top Junior league), as he spent time in 2023-24 in the U-17 leagues, as well as the NMHL- which is a step down from the MHL. I've been seeing his name more lately, so I had to go see if the hype is warranted, and I'm happy to report- watch out for this kid, he's amazing! The common theme in every report you will read on Zharovsky is that he has some of the best hands in the draft when it comes to his dynamic puck-handling skill, and now that I've watched him play, I absolutely agree. His profile is that of a playmaking power-forward with speed, skill, and physicality, but he holds game-breaking ability in his hands to make the opposition look silly, with fakes, dekes, curls-and drags around sticks, dangles, pivots, and even cut-backs and delays to create space and to evade checks. He manipulates his way through, and around pressure with the puck on a string, cutting one way while his opponent is baited into going in the other direction. Another thing you'll see when you watch him play is that he employs amazing little stick-lifts all over the ice to steal pucks with regularity, barely losing a beat- I can't recall ever seeing anything like it.

Aside from his high-end manipulation skills, his reach and his frame give him the ability to protect the puck well by shielding it with his body, and handling outside the reach of his opponents. He can drop a shoulder and lean in to a defender to bull his way inside, with one hand on his stick, and the other hand fending off the check. He manages the puck well and catches smoothly, settling down wild passes seamlessly while in flight, and exhibits excellent hand-eye coordination. Zharovsky is not a burner by any means, but his speed is above-average, and with increased strength to his lower-body, and repairs to his mechanics, he might make his mobility a standout strength. On the forecheck, he brings intensity and physicality to push pace, and separate man from puck. He is inside-driven, and will explode off the boards to attack the slot with the puck, or beat opponents to the middle off the rush- he sniffs out space in coverage to fill, and is focused on getting pucks to high-danger via pass or carry. Playmaking might be his primary weapon, with flashes of high-end creation ability, but many of his best ideas sadly go unrequited by his linemates; he's a skilled passer who can connect with teammates through layers of traffic, over sticks, through triangles, or between feet. He can really rip a puck with a hard, heavy shot on a quick, deceptive release, but he seems to get most most of his goals by attacking the net to beat goalies in-tight, with superb hands around the net. Zharovsky plays with power, battles hard for pucks along the boards and in the corners, and finishes his checks.

In transition, he shows high value, and can skate some dynamic routes through the neutral zone with his high-end stickhandling, showing patience and poise while dismantling checking pressure. He stays connected to teammates with short-area passing, while drawing defenders to open space to pass through. He puts in a solid effort on the backcheck as well, using his physicality and anticipation to cause disruption, and employs stick-lift takeaways to start the breakout going the other way. Zharovsky is quite raw, but the skills are there- he's just too much of an individual right now, with a fairly wild, and uncontrolled game at times. He tries to do too much by himself, and often doesn't use his teammates as well as he should, doing his own thing out of sync with the rest of the team- he can get away with this in junior, but it won't serve him well going forward. He holds on to the puck for way too long while stickhandling himself into a corner, and commits plenty of errors and turnovers while trying to pull-off plays that are out of his reach. There are times when he lets off the gas a bit, to play on the perimeter as well. I think scouts will see his raw game, and judge him off of his high potential, and he might be taken as early as the second-round in this summer's draft.

[mile]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1896337047511773518

[Fan69]

Cootes and zonnon. Would he happy.

[dammage79]

The Flames season is wild. Right now they're 2 points away from a McQueen/Frondell/Ryabkin top 10 pick or making the playoffs and dredging the bottom of the 1st round for anything.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (German Edition, Vol. 2):

RD Carlos Handel (6'1",170lbs)
Halifax (QMJHL): 43gp/ 2g/ 19a/ 21pts, -18, 14 PIM

Don't judge Carlos Handel's prowess as an offensive-defenseman based on his mediocre stats; he is (rather shockingly) the leading-scorer among defensemen for the 15th-placed (out of 18 teams) Halifax Mooseheads, who are the lowest-scoring team in the entire CHL. It's safe to say that his numbers would be much better on a more offensively-inclined squad. Unfortunately for him, he also doesn't have much help when representing his home-country of Germany in international competition, putting up zeroes in the latest installment of the World Juniors, and only managing to compile 3 points in 8 games over the last two Hlinka-Gretzky tournaments. Handel (ranked #66 for NA Skaters by Central Scouting) was selected 40th-overall by Halifax in the first-round of the 2024 CHL Import Draft, and is a solid puck-moving, two-way defenseman with an offensive bent who can play in any situation, but has some holes in his game.

Handel is an excellent skater with above-average speed and is fluid on his edges, although he is limited somewhat by a stiff, upright posture. Even still, he exerts lateral quickness to surf across the ice, and completes fast turns, tight pivots, and smooth transitions. He carries the puck up-ice with confidence and poise, and will spearhead the rush while weaving through traffic; he is not afraid to attack the middle, and will activate in to the play, all the way to the net. He is a calm, smooth puck-mover and passer, but employs a relatively smart and simple approach to limit mistakes and turnovers. When his team is installed in the offensive zone (and it doesn't seem to happen often) he stays extremely active and aggressive- he reads the ice well and is blessed with plus-level spatial awareness to locate soft spots in coverage that he uses to pinch in from the blueline to attack, or to keep the play in the zone alive. He walks the line to open passing seams and distributes well from there, but he also gets a nice whip on his point shot that gets through to the net with regularity, mostly to create opportunities for his teammates as he's not a big goal-scoring threat- but that doesn't stop him from attacking the net often for scoring chances. He keeps pucks funneling to the goal-mouth, and shows good vision and creativity, but unfortunately- a lot of his ideas go unrequited. Handel's deception game is top-notch, with a wide array of dekes, feints, and look-offs to manipulate his opponents, and he will use delays and cut-backs to draw pressure and to wait for the play to develop. Handel is proficient against both the rush and the cycle, and is active and aggressive in defensive situations with a solid awareness of developing plays, and an active stick to frustrate and disrupt. He exhibits a high-level of anticipation, as well as stellar positioning, and employs a tight gap to angle attackers to the boards. He identifies threats early, and sticks to his man like glue, keeps enemy aggressors to the outside, and thwarts attempts to cut inside to the net.

Handel plays a physical game when needed, battles hard for pucks in the greasy areas, and will rub an opponent out along the wall, throw a hit to dislodge a puck, or bowl an attacker over in open-ice. Handel can play in any situation, as well as both special teams, and is a minute-muncher who can log big minutes. The big problem here is that he struggles on retrievals when pressured, and looks lost and overwhelmed each and every time an opponent is in his space in these scenarios. Thankfully, he gets away with this a lot of the time in junior, and he recovers well without many turnovers, but it will be a huge problem going forward. Otherwise, he looks poised and calm in moving the puck up-ice, and his breakouts are usually safe and on the tape when he has a modicum of time and space. There's a bit of an issue with his puck-control, and he needs work on his handling and catching when in-flight, as he needs time to settle down wild passes, and commits some bobbles and mishandles at times. His cool, calm demeanor sometimes gets mistaken for a lack of pace, but he does need to up the tempo, and too often waits for the play to come to him- he would do himself a favor by increasing his urgency and intensity. This issue affects him most in the defensive zone, where he appears to be coasting at times- and at other times, he gets caught puck-watching. His gap-control has vastly improved this season, but he sometimes gives his opponents too much space when defending. Handel has top-4 potential as a puck-mover, but there's plenty of improvements to be made. Look for him in the third-round.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (German Edition, Vol. 3):

LW David Lewandowski (6'2",176lbs)
Saskatoon (WHL): 42gp/ 10g/ 20a/ 30pts, +13, 17 PIM

Big winger David Lewandowski (ranked #52 for NA Skaters by Central Scouting) doesn't get much playing time on the top-line for the 11th-ranked (out of 22 teams) Saskatoon Blades, who are 13th in goals-for, but I think his best performances have come in international play. At the 2024 Hlinka, he was Germany's best player, despite finishing fourth on the team in scoring (2 points in 4 games), and was often likewise at the 2025 World Juniors (4th on Team Germany, with 2 goals in 5 games), as an underager. In 2023-24, he was second in scoring for U-17 players in Germany's U20 League, with 48 points in 33 games, and was subsequently drafted by the Blades in the second-round of the 2024 CHL Import Draft, 120th-overall- signing with the team on October 8th, after starting the season in the DEL, Germany's top men's league. Lewandowski is a physical, two-way power-winger who can play in any situation, but he isn't the greatest skater; his speed is average, although he does display a quick-burst at times, and plays with energy to compensate somewhat.

Lewandowski creates advantages for himself, despite a lack of speed, with high-end spatial awareness and a keen knowledge of how to use it; he can sniff out the best lanes to move through, and spots open spaces to fill. He protects the puck very well by blocking checks with his frame when handling, and holding off checkers with his upper-body, while skating through hands. He mostly relies on quick-touches though, and doesn't hold on to the puck for very long. Lewandowski is an aggressive physical player who absorbs hits to make plays undeterred, keeping his feet moving through contact, and breaking free from being pinned to the boards. He uses his size and strength to bump opponents off of the puck, finishes his checks, throws his weight around to dislodge pucks, and can dish out some open-ice punishment on occasion- but he doesn't go out of his way to chase a hit. He goes to work along the boards to win pucks, makes life miserable for defenders in front of the net, and is hard to handle down low. On the forecheck, he's difficult to play against, and frustrates opponents with physical pressure, and gives second-and third efforts in vying for possession; he displays a high level of compete in all areas, and battles hard in the greasy areas.

Lewandowski constantly works the puck to the slot, cutting inside for shooting opportunities, and drives the net off the rush. He goes to the hard areas off-puck, locating open space to make himself a playable option, and will position himself in front of the net for second-chance opportunities, as well as tips. One of his best tools offensively is his hard and heavy shot, with it's quick release that can fool goalies, and the accuracy to pick corners- he also expertly uses defenders as screens. There are flashes of high-end playmaking from time to time, but he's not much of a creator; he does have excellent intelligence and fairly good passing-skill though. Lewandowski's defensive play is well-developed; he's intelligent and aware, proactively getting inside position on potential threats, and tying up their sticks. He drives attackers to the outside and away from the middle, while applying physical pressure near the net-front, and supports his D down down low with contact. His off-puck intelligence is a highlight of his game; he skates smart routes to take advantage of open space, and to support the play in all areas by making himself a constant playable option for his teammates. He finds himself in high-danger areas, often at the exact right moment by timing his arrival. Some see him as a player who is devoid of high-end offensive talent, but his floor is that of a bottom-6 defensive player with a good physical presence, and a hard-working power game. Look for him in the third, or fourth round.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Interesting to note - Roger McQueen is back in action this week after a 4 and a half month absence. Apparently he had a fractured bone in his back, not a disk issue. They make it sound less serious, but it sure sounds serious still to me, but I am no doctor.


https://www.brandonsun.com/sports/20...om-back-injury


If the Flames do slide into the top 10 (not a stretch at all), he may be available. If his back is 100% and healthy, and is something that won't give him trouble in the future, then he may be a huge steal with the 8th, 9th or 10th pick. Centers always go fast, but with his injury, it has to be at least a yellow flag for some organizations. Lots of pressure on this kid now to perform after such a length absence. You have to feel for him. Hope he does well and stays healthy.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Russian Edition, Vol. 2):

LD Makar Fomin (5'11",165lbs)
Almaz Cherepovets (MHL): 32gp/ 6g/ 14a/ 20pts, +22, 14 PIM
Severstal Cherepovets (KHL): 12gp/ 0g/ 0a/ 0pts, -6, 2 PIM

Lefty Makar Fomin (ranked #30 for EU Skaters) is, at the time of this writing, the 8th all-time leading scorer in the MHL for defenseman 18-and-under, and 6th all-time in ppg for D in that age bracket. He's a touch older by draft standards, with a December 17th birthday, but he's a dynamic, play-driving rearguard who electrifies with the puck, and contributes all over the ice. He's a fantastic skater, though maybe a notch below elite in straight-ahead speed, with superb agility to sidestep checks- he's elusive and slippery, and very hard to pin down. He wins more than his fair share of puck-races, and shows enormous value in his ability to push the pace as a transitional driver; his passing talent is elite, and he's a high-end puck-mover. Fomin's hands might be even smoother and quicker than his feet, as his puck-control is one of his best assets. He's an impressive stickhandler and doesn't often give pucks away, with an extensive arsenal of deception, using feints and look-offs, as well as deft cut-backs and delays, to make himself room to move.

Fomin owns well-developed passing skill, with high-end vision and IQ. His passes are on the tape, and can find their way cross-ice through the smallest of holes, putting teammates in favorable positions. He exploits space with quick touches, finds seams to pass through on the fly, and will join the rush as an extra attacker, sometimes soaring all the way to the end boards. Fomin walks the line intelligently and effectively to manipulate defenders, funnelling pucks to the low-slot, and makes quick reads to time his activations advantageously. He pinches in to the play frequently and aggressively to support the cycle, keep the play alive, and to create high-danger opportunities. Defensively, he gets involved, but he needs plenty of work and must be used judiciously at this point- this is a much bigger problem against men in the KHL, than against junior competition. He seems to be working hard in his own zone, and stays active, but looks out of position and a bit lost most of the time in his call-ups to the pros. He does have a high number of takeaways at the MHL level, mostly because of his active stick and keen anticipation, but his gaps are too loose and he seems mistake-prone with the puck. On retrievals, he usually looks smooth and controlled, shaking off pressure with his deft stickhandling and evasive footwork to complete composed breakouts that usually connect with crispness and accuracy. He looks poised and calm, and contributes to controlled exits and entries. Off the puck, he is active and energetic, and makes himself a constant playable option for his teammates.

Fomin's shot lacks power, and he needs to develop more deception in his release, but he uses it more as a playmaking device right now to serve up second-chance opportunities for his teammates. In addition, he needs better shot-selection, as he gets blocked a lot and misses the net frequently. He doesn't shy away from contact, but he isn't a physical player, and struggles to win 50/50 puck battles because of his lack of size and strength. At times, he is too much of an individual, and needs to use his teammates better- he tries to do too much on his own, and often looks like he's doing his own thing outside of his team's structure. This, as well as deficiencies in his defensive game and his size, have led to questions as to whether or not his game is NHL-projectable. There's tons of potential here, but he may need more runway than most. I could see him being picked as early as the second-round, but I think it's more likely he gets taken in the 3rd, or 4th-round.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Russian Edition, Vol. 3):

LD Kurban Limatov (6'3",198lbs)
MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL): 38gp/ 7g/ 14a/ 21pts, +10, 32 PIM

Kurban Limatov (ranked #19 for EU Skaters, #69 by McKenzie) is 14th-overall in scoring by D in the MHL, but more impressively- he is 12th-best all-time for points in a season by a U-18 defenseman. The big Russian is a two-way blueliner with a physical game, but he's still quite raw. Limatov has impressive mobility for a big man, with a fluid stride in all directions, though he could use more explosiveness, and a better top-speed. He owns smooth edgework to make quick cuts and sharp turns, and can quickly surf across the ice laterally. He pushes pace with a high workrate and employs some deception in his footwork to be a bit elusive, in the form of feints and shifts of weight. He's a calm and smooth handler who manages the puck well, exhibits solid protection skills, and displays another layer of deception in his hands, with a deep cache of fakes, look-offs, dekes and dangles.

Limatov is blessed with high-end offensive awareness and plus-level playmaking vision. He walks the line effectively to locate open space to fill with activations into the play, or to pry open seams to pass through, and can spot teammates for high-danger passes around the net, or in the slot. He's highly active and covers a ton of ice on every shift, with deep activations off the rush, and frequent pinches into the play as an extra forward. He possesses a hard and heavy shot that he can use to beat goalies from a distance, but he could use more deception in his release, as he gets blocked a lot. Limatov is an excellent puck-mover and distributor, giving him high-value in transition; he can connect plays with short passes, or he can rush the puck through the neutral zone for clean exits and entries on occasion. He's confident and poised with the puck, and his outlet passes have a high success rate- but his retrievals are not as smooth, as he has difficulty with his decision-making when under pressure. In performance of his duties, he employs a physical game, exerts a long reach, and uses his size well- he will throw his weight around to dislodge pucks, and dole out some big hits in open-ice. Against the rush, he shows tight gap-control to seal off entry from oncoming attackers, wields an active stick to disrupt plays, and punctuates these efforts with physicality. He commands a long reach and enormous range to smother his opponents along the boards, and in front of the net.

In his own zone, Limatov's positioning needs some work, and both his instincts and awareness are a bit lacking. He gets caught wandering at times, and looks to be puck-watching too much at other times. He often over-commits to chasing his man, and needs more stability in defensive situations. His forays into the offensive zone can result in him being caught too deep, leaving his partner hanging, which is an indication that his decision-making needs a tune-up- this is also true in regards to situations where he is under pressure from attackers. Limatov has top-4 potential, but he's quite raw, and may need more runway than most. There's a chance he could sneak into the first-round, but it's more likely that he gets taken in the second-round.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Draft Thoughts (German Edition, Vol. 2):

I saw German Edition open for Rammstein back in '05. Great show.

[Roof-Daddy]

McQueen finally returned tonight, took a major and a game for boarding in the third, so it'll likely be a short return.

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by dammage79

The Flames season is wild. Right now they're 2 points away from a McQueen/Frondell/Ryabkin top 10 pick or making the playoffs and dredging the bottom of the 1st round for anything.

Funny thing is mqueen is the only one of those top five six consistently. Both Frondell and ryabkin i have seen anywhere from top ten to bottom of first round. Frondell a lot of scouts question his offensive ceiling and several places have him in the teens.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Fan69

Funny thing is mqueen is the only one of those top five six consistently. Both Frondell and ryabkin i have seen anywhere from top ten to bottom of first round. Frondell a lot of scouts question his offensive ceiling and several places have him in the teens.

Frondell will climb again, he looked bad when he came back from his injury for a while, and he didn't dominate at the WJAC, but he's heating up again with 11 points in his last 6 games in the Allsvenskan- Sweden's second-tier.

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Frondell will climb again, he looked bad when he came back from his injury for a while, and he didn't dominate at the WJAC, but he's heating up again with 11 points in his last 6 games in the Allsvenskan- Sweden's second-tier.

Shhhhhhhh.

Aint no one got to know that.

Secretly hoping he dropped near 20 lol.

[YyjFlames]

I'm curious what the Flames think about Cameron Schmidt. He got off to a super hot start to the season (23 goals in first 20 games), but hasn't kept it up (11 in next 31). He's also really small at 5'7.

Flames probably see quite a bit of him with Lipinski in Vancouver, so their book will be good. Because of his size and mediocre pace after the hot start, I could see him falling to the 3rd round or later even though most mid term rankings still have him in the first round, most near the end.

He's one of those highly talented prospects that a lot of teams will probably like but because of his size and scoring drop off, they'll go with another guy.

He's an intriguing guy, especially if he falls.