I think the red flags with Ryabkin are more severe. Could end up being another Kabanov.
But the Flames are uniquely situated having two picks in that ball park (potentially) such that they could take a high risk high upside swing.
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I think the red flags with Ryabkin are more severe. Could end up being another Kabanov.
But the Flames are uniquely situated having two picks in that ball park (potentially) such that they could take a high risk high upside swing.
He's spent enough time with Muskegon that the coaches would probably have a pretty good read on him. Someone else pointed it out, but Flames picked Gridin from that program so their scouts likely have a fair amount of familiarity with folks there. They should be able to get a sense of his attitude and coachability.
Personally, I'd still prefer to see the Flames wait until the Colorado pick in the second round to take a swing on him. He could fall that far -- although Philly has three first rounders and I could see them taking a swing on him with their third first rounder.
For myself reschny, then schmidt, potter, kindel, ryabkin is approaching dont draft territory wouldnt be surprised if he was on a lot of dont draft lists.
However guys like martin, cootes, zonnon, murtagh, gastrin, reid all are in that teens early 20’s range.
Kindel i have mixed feelings probably not a center and the last thing we need is an undersized winger. Potter other than speed im not sure he is translatable,
A lot of it comes down to how you rank prospects. Cootes probably has middle six potential, how do you compare that to a skilled but undersized winger who may be top six?
For myself, especially considering what we have in the system, the center is going to win unless its a blatant skill advantage.
I think I'd take a gamble on Potter.
He started in college as a 17 year old and has 13G, 22P in 35 games.
He also had 22P in 35 games in the USHL the year prior so he's taken a big step up and produced. He's the youngest player in college.
He's a C, will only get bigger/stronger and is likely the best skating prospect in the draft.
Not many guys that will be available in our range have as much potential it seems, to me anyways.
Last edited by SeanCharles; 04-15-2025 at 08:43 PM.
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Ryabkin was way, way better in junior and coming up before this season than kavanov ever was. Also, doesn't seem to have the huge goofy element kabanov had. Can't be goofy and a primadonna without enough talent.
Ryabkin finished with the highest GPG in the USHL after a broken season. Imo his talent is being slept on. He's never put up a season so stacked with goals over assists before, so perhaps he just didn't integrate well with his teammates. But, new country big year lots of stress...
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Yeah it's not like Ryabkin didn't produce. From a talent perspective I sincerely hope they take a flyer on him if he's there at their pick. If there's any shred of truth to the bad attitude stuff, he's 17 can grow out of it, could not, who knows, just needs the right environment to grow. Flames have a good room.
__________________ "Everybody's so desperate to look smart that nobody is having fun anymore" -Jackie Redmond
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It looks like the Flames likely pick 18 and 22. For realistic targets, I’m hoping for Cole Reschny and Ben Kindel. I used to include Brady Martin in my targets, but I’ve seen him listed higher and higher in the 1st round, and I no longer think he’s realistic.
Ivan Ryabkin had a disappointing year, finishing with a 25.3 NHLe compared to 36.7 for Cole Reschny and 37.7 for Ben Kindel. (All three are April birthdays.) But I do agree there may be extenuating circumstances, and at least Ryabkin is fairly young for his draft year. If the Flames believe in and select him in the 1st round, I’ll be hoping he’s more accurately represented by his draft-1 production.
Last edited by Nelson; 04-15-2025 at 09:03 PM.
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Righty Jabez Seymour (ranked # 145 NA Skaters), whose idol is Matthew Tkachuk, has a touch of pedigree- being drafted in the first-round of the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar with the 18th-overall pick, but he was traded in December to the Charlottetown Islanders, who finished in the 12th-spot in the standings out of 18 teams. Seymour was relegated to mostly 4th-line duty on the Drakkar, who were in 7th-place at season's end, and didn't get a whole lot more ice-time or responsibility in his time with the Islanders. A violent pivot, he wields a menacing physical game in all three zones, initiating contact whenever possible, and skating from hit to hit. He finishes every check without exception, even after his target has seemingly long dished the puck. Though his step has some mechanical issues, including an upright posture on a bit of a short and choppy stride, he gets a surprising amount of power and speed out of it, and is quite agile for a big kid. As he gains strength in his core and his lower body, his mobility will be a major asset, as he already moves around the ice very well- especially for a player with his size.
As one might guess, Seymour is highly effective on the forecheck, and is involved in every post-whistle scrum- driving opponents crazy, and getting them off their game by agitating and constantly stirring the pot. With the way he plays on the edge and bullies his opponents, he usually has a target on his back, which means that he sometimes has to drop the gloves- but he has shown that he's a willing pugilist. Offensively, his game is fairly meat-and-potatoes and lacks any sort of flash or dash, with few real dynamic skills to help him out- although I do think his puck-skills are underrated, and give him the ability to motor through traffic at times with poise and confidence. Like a true power-forward, he will crash the net like a bull in a china shop to cause chaos in front, mess with opposing goalies, and maybe snag a second-chance opportunity; he has rather soft hands in-tight, and good hand-eye coordination for redirects. He has a dangerous net-front presence, parking himself there to clean up garbage in the crease, and makes a good screen. With his proficient protection skills, he attacks the inside, and is dominant below the hash-marks and behind the net off-puck, winning battles and digging out pucks for his teammates. At times, he flashes higher-end ideas and sneaky hockey sense, with the confidence to try things, but his lack of true creativity, timing, and playmaking skill holds him back (although he doesn't exactly get to play with the most offensively-inclined linemates either). His one big calling card in the offensive-third is his NHL-caliber shot; he can fire off the catch and has a quick, sneaky release, but needs to work on his precision from a distance.
Seymour is responsible and active in the defensive zone, plying an active stick and physicality to intimidate and pressure opponents into coughing up pucks, and forcing uncontrolled play. He is aggressive in removing time and space from attackers, takes away the middle effectively, and supports his D down-low. He is also an active participant in his team's transition in supporting the play, and skating intelligent routes off-puck to stay a playable option through the neutral zone. With 10 points in 56 games last year with the Drakkar, he should have more than 12 points in 53 games this season. I believe that, while he may never be an offensive dynamo, he is a vastly better player than his stats, and will start to show more as early as next season. There is a good chance that he goes undrafted this summer, and may have to earn a pro-contract on a try-out in the future, or perhaps hope that he gets drafted in 2026 with better production in his D+1 year. If he gets picked this June, he will most likely have to wait until later rounds. Going forward, Seymour will have to clean up his skating stride in order to maximize his speed, add more muscle to his frame, and work on his faceoff proficiency (he was 43.9% this season), but he could possibly be a fan-favorite in an NHL team's bottom-six someday.
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Scouts covet right-shooting defensemen, and Sean Barnhill (#76 NA Skaters) fits the bill, with a massive frame and quick feet, to boot. Plying his trade with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, who are in 3rd-place in the USHL right now, Barnhill is a bit of a jack of all trades, master of none-type, with his main selling-point being his staunch shutdown game, propelled by his strong instincts and high-level awareness. He is impressively mobile in all 4 directions for a kid his size, with a smooth and fluid stride, and when combined with his enormous range, he is able to cover massive swaths of ice. He closes distance on puck-carriers quickly, gains ground on streaking attackers, and navigates long stretches very quickly.
Barnhill is a suffocating shutdown defender with a physical approach, but is smart about initiating contact so as not to take himself out of the play, and stays disciplined to avoid taking penalties. With an impressive wingspan that provides him with an expansive range, he wields an active stick for poke-checks that he times well to surprise opponents, and uses to clog lanes, sweep pucks off of sticks, and tip away passes. He wins battles along the wall, dominates down-low, and shuts down aggressors in front of the net, while making sure his goalie can see the puck at all times. Against the rush, he already shows fairly advanced proficiency, using his fluid mobility backwards and laterally to mirror his opponents footwork, apply tight gaps and sharp angling, and layer stick-checks on top stiff hits to close out the play and deny entries. He retrieves pucks with poise under pressure to evade attackers, and usually makes safe decisions to complete crisp, accurate breakout passes to ensure smooth transitions. He is very active in the zone, covering a ton of real estate to remove time and space from attackers, and although he isn't flawless, he is very hard to go up against. Though he will never be confused with Pavel Datsyuk, his puck-skills are underrated and surprisingly well-honed, giving him the ability to beat opponents one-on-one on occasion through the neutral zone, and dodge checks when recovering possession.
In the offensive zone, Barnhill keeps things safe and simple with very basic distribution from the line, dump-ins, and by getting pucks deep, while keeping the play alive. There are flashes of passing-skill that allow him to connect on more complex plays at times, but he lacks the creativity and high-end vision to be more than a facilitator. He does however, possess a hard and heavy shot with fairly good precision, and displays a penchant for getting pucks through to the net with good consistency. He seems to only activate off of the line to keep pucks in-play, or to step up to snuff the breakout in it's early stages. Players of Barnhill's ilk are popular on draft day, with an uncommon size/skating ratio, and a dependable shutdown game. There's also the added bonus of having a longer development runway in Barnhill's case, as he has committed to Northeastern University for the 2026-27 season. Look for him in the 3rd, or 4th-round.
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In the 1/200 scenario in which the Flames win the draft lottery, I assume Misa, Schaefer and probably Hagens are gone. The players I’d want most are Anton Frondell or Jake O’Brien. Both players are centres and quite young for their draft year. Frondell is beginning of May. European numbers are harder to understand, but I understand his production is impressive per Byron Bader. Jake O’Brien is even younger, mid-June, very young for his draft class. He has an NHLe of 39.3, which is the 2nd highest I’ve seen in this draft class, behind only Misa.
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The Owen Sound Attack finished the regular season in 16th-place out of 20 teams in the OHL (and 16th in goals-for), sneaking into the playoffs only to be swept by the mighty London Knights. Like many of his teammates on a young squad, center Jake Crawford (ranked # 98 NA Skaters) struggled offensively all season, and was even moved to the wing for a stretch in an effort to give him a boost, production-wise. Crawford, who wears an "A" for the Attack, is still quite raw physically, and had to be put on a high-calorie diet last summer in an effort to increase his weight from his rookie year in 2023-24, where he played at just 160 lbs. With the ability to contribute in any situation, Crawford is a bit of a Swiss-Army knife who can do a bit of everything, and sets an example with his never-quit attitude and high-end work-ethic. While it's true that he has struggled to put points on the board, doesn't possess any real dynamic qualities, and plays a fairly simple and direct game, he's a huge contributor to his team's transition, and a stalwart defensive specialist.
Crawford employs a highly-detailed defensive game, with top-notch awareness and flawless positioning, enhanced by his robust activity rate and unrelenting motor. He is a highly effective and trusted penalty-killer whose main calling-card is his ability to cause turnovers in the defensive zone, cleanly recover possession, and turn the play around into offense by transitioning the puck up-ice. He does this with clever outlets to teammates streaking through the neutral zone, or by rushing the puck through exits and entries with his quick feet and well-developed puck-handling skills. He owns advanced anticipation to be able to intercept passes, and knows where the puck is going to be in order to rack up stops, kill plays, and block shots. Though he is still a bit slight, he manages to win board battles, helps his D down low, and takes away the middle effectively by keeping attacks to the perimeter with an active stick. He will throw hits to separate man from puck, and will step up in the neutral zone to snuff entries, layering hits on top of poke-checks. He moves mostly in straight-lines, but exerts impressive mobility that gives him a big advantage in junior, enhanced by his energy and his will to push the pace of the game. He can leverage his size and speed to burst through traffic while skating through checks, and even though he could use a bit more explosiveness, he can separate from pursuers in open-ice. On the forecheck, he attacks with speed, tenacity, and physicality- depriving defenders of time and space while racking up steals, and forcing turnovers as well as uncontrolled play.
Always engaged, Crawford works hard to win battles in the greasy areas, and plays a power-game in the offensive zone, leveraging his frame to cut inside to the slot, and will drop a shoulder to propel his way through to the net. He gets off the wall a fair bit, finding gaps in coverage to fill, and will park himself in front of the net to clean up garbage in the crease; he displays good hands in-tight, and packs a rather hard and heavy shot. While he's a good passer, he seems to lack high-end vision and creativity, and his playmaking arsenal consists mainly of getting shots on-net. There are flashes of greater ideas from time-to-time, and he can create space by drawing defenders with cut-backs and delays to hit teammates in-stride. Crawford exhibits excellent puck-skills and smooth handling, with the ability to deke and dangle through traffic at times, curl-and-drag around sticks, and beat defenders one-on-one. He protects well too, angling his body away from poke-checks, and controlling outside of his opponents' range. Crawford projects as a depth player on an NHL roster right now, but there's potential for more- there a few other draft draft-eligibles who have struggled to produce in Owen Sound, namely C Harry Nansi, and D Braedyn Rogers. Crawford may not have shown enough numbers-wise to warrant a draft-pick this summer, but he has a lot going for him- even without much of an offensive game. Look for him in the late-rounds.
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Reschny vs Catton/Cristall, game 2.
Vic is up 3-1.
Reschny 1G 2A +1
Catton 0G 0A -1
Cristall 1G 0A +0
Reschny is 1st in +/-, and 2nd in points (19 in 8 games) behind McKenna.
I went to this game (skip to the end for the flames tidbit)… Royals were at home and were matching Reschny’s line with Catton/Cristall’s line, and for most of the game Reschny’s line was clearly better. Reschny also was much better in the face off dot than Catton.
His vision is excellent, hitting the trailing forward on one of the early goals and sending a puck across to his open winger for the game winner in the last half minute. He finds open ice and is always moving out there, and he’s both the main guy on the power play and a big part of the penalty kill. He also works hard on the back check, using his smaller size as a bit of a tool to pickpocket guys (similarly to how Johnny did).
Cristall had a pretty good game, working hard and grinding quite a bit, but other than a few creative plays, Reschny showed much better than Catton. It’s one game, but he’s been putting up better numbers than Catton since January and has found another gear in the playoffs. I feel after this series, he shoild go in the top 10… with how good he’s showing against a top 10 pick from last year.
I don’t think he’ll fall to them, but the Flames must be interested. A certain scouting director walked through the front lobby during the first intermission when I was having a beer. I didnt talk to him, but man that guys’ tall and noticeable. Might have been lost to be coming through the front lobby!
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