2021 NHL Draft

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

Thanks for all this, Sandman.

This sure doesn’t sound like a “weak draft” like a lot are saying, I think people are only calling it weak because of the limited info we all have.

Thanks, Triple F! I believe what Jiri said is very true, plus-I’m only posting about players I LIKE, lol. There’s quite a few I don’t, lol. All just my opinions based on what I’ve seen or read, definitely not gospel. I just love the draft!

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Thanks, Triple F! I believe what Jiri said is very true, plus-I’m only posting about players I LIKE, lol. There’s quite a few I don’t, lol. All just my opinions based on what I’ve seen or read, definitely not gospel. I just love the draft!

I hope we throw some darts at some OHLers that had a good D-1 year. There are some sleepers in this draft, so the scouts that do the best outside the first round are the ones that will likely find the best players in this draft.

I too like the draft. It’s always fun to see the progress the young teenagers make, and trying to play the probability game on who will pan out to be franchise/elite/top6/top pairing/middle 6/middle pairing/bottom 6/bottom pairing/tweeners.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

I hope we throw some darts at some OHLers that had a good D-1 year. There are some sleepers in this draft, so the scouts that do the best outside the first round are the ones that will likely find the best players in this draft.

I too like the draft. It’s always fun to see the progress the young teenagers make, and trying to play the probability game on who will pan out to be franchise/elite/top6/top pairing/middle 6/middle pairing/bottom 6/bottom pairing/tweeners.

I feel like this draft might have a few trade-downs. We can still get a good player at 11 or 12, but I wouldn’t be sad if we traded down to grab more of those sleepers in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

[Spinach]

Yeah, this year add quantity to the prospect pool, with hopefully a couple of diamonds in the rough. Next year, if things go south again, add quality. 2022 looks like a very strong first round.

[Sandman]

D Daniil Chayka, 6'3", 185lbs. The more I read about this kid, the more I like him. He's got size, snarl, and really good 4-directional speed. His footwork and edging, along with his quick stick make him efficient in breaking up plays defensively. He can then either skate it out of the zone, or make perfect outlet passes. Displays good vision in the offensive zone as well, and has the speed to recover when he decides to pinch. Last year, in his D minus 1 year in the OHL for Guelph, he put up 34 pts (11 goals) in 56 games. Just for comparison, Jamie Drysdale had 40 pts in 63 games, Valimaki had 32 pts in 56 games in their D minus 1 years. He's mostly listed near the end of the first round, but I've seen him in the second, and I theorize it's because of 3 things: he's Russian, he's got a 2002 Birthday, and he had a poor WJC (0 points in 6 games) playing under Larionov. If he played this year in Guelph, I bet he would be somewhere near a PPG.

He played this year in the KHL, the VHL (Russia's AHL), and the MHL (junior). His point totals were not impressive in the two upper leagues, but he had 4 pts in 5 games in the MHL. I would be shocked if he's not taken in the late half of the first round.

[Sandman]

LW Ayrton Martino (USHL) 5'10"170lbs: Diminutive winger is a high-octane offensive threat. High compete level, with a non-stop motor, he never takes a shift off. Skating is elite, with fantastic balance even under duress-makes him very effective on the rush when combined with his creativity. One scout said that it seems like he gets 2-3 breakaways per game. His IQ puts him several steps ahead of the the play, and he possesses a fine shot arsenal-good release, hard and accurate. The Hockey Writers picked him as the fifth-best playmaker in this draft.

He's also been called one of the best penalty-killers in the league. His team, Omaha, has the 2nd best PK rate in the USHL. Kyle Connor had 80pts in 56 games in that same league in his draft year-Martino had 56 pts in 38 games. If you pro-rate his 38 into Connor's 56, Martino gets 82pts (he missed the first 2 months of the season due to transfer issues from the BCHL.) His points per game rate is 3rd in the league.

His issues are that he sometimes overhandles the puck, as his stickhandling is not as fast as his skating-it's said to be not that big a deal, but it can cause turnovers. He pays attention to his defense, but his aggressive nature sees him turning the other direction to offense too soon, leaving his teammates momentarily outmanned. Needs a little polish in this area. He is also a 2002 birthday. Not overly physical, but gets involved in the battle areas, has a good stick to break up plays, and the work ethic to win 50/50 battles. I've seen him mostly in the first part of the second round.

[Sandman]

A player that has me intrigued for the later rounds is RW Jacob Melanson. I first noticed his name in a mock draft that had the Flames taking him in the 5th round. 19 points in 18 QMJHL games with Acadie-Bathurst, to go with 26 PIMs. He was a first round selection in the Q draft by Patrick Roy's Remparts, who gave up a huge package of picks to secure the selection used to take him. He initially turned heads in his first season, but suffered a broken collarbone that ate a huge chunk of the year, and he never got any traction upon his return. He finished with 10 points in 39 games, a disastrous season.

He was then traded to Acadie-Bathurst, but during training for the season, he broke that same collarbone in the same place. Doctors said it was a freak coincidence. He finished the season with 18gp/8g/11a/19pts, 26 PIMs.

I can't find a lot to describe him as a player, except that he does whatever it takes to win, has endless character, and is highly mean and physical. The few highlights I can find are of his massive open-ice hits, that look like Mike Peca. Growing up in a small town in NS, his parents had to drive 2 hours to take him to games and practices-right up until he was a teenager. He says he gave up his childhood for hockey, and all the adversity he's had makes him willing to make any sacrifice to make his hockey dreams happen.

I think Darryl would love this kid, and he might just be a good late round pick-I've seen him go between the 4th and 6th rounds.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Very few mentions of Mason McTavish in this thread, eh?

I think he might be my #1 target around the 10-12 range.

I wouldn't mind him but would prefer Chaz Lucius, Lucius without knee problems may have been a top 5 pick, in this crazy draft I would swing for the fences on pure skill.

[Sandman]

On the player profiles page of the IIHF U-18’s, McTavish was listed at 6’2” 207lbs, and he looked every bit as big as that. He’s listed as a 6-footer most other sites.

[Sandman]

D Cameron Whynot (Halifax,QMJHL) 6'2"183lbs: Scouts and writers really love his speed and agility. Last year, he was said to be primarily a stay-at-home defenseman who was trying to put together an offensive dimension in his game. This year, he put up an impressive 34gp/6g/17a/23pts, second on his team for defence scoring behind Justin Barron. His draft year points per game was in the ballpark, or greater than that of Barron, Guhle, or Schneider.

Whynot's speed helps him in all zones. He's good at getting to loose pucks, and his backwards skating gives him good gaps, and he can separate man from puck with a stick or body check. Plays with some physicality, and an edge. His discipline was said to be a weakness last year, but he's improved in that regard-he had 73 PIMs in 57 games last year, and 28 PIMs in 34 games this year. Will not sacrifice defence for scoring chances, but can create offence from the rush, and will pinch. Can quarterback the PP. Good IQ and vision, and is said to be a good passer, although he struggled with his confidence last year when it came to his outlet passes-he would often skate it up to the blueline before dishing it. In 2020, it was predicted that he would be the most complete D-man in this year's draft, and that he would be the best puck rusher in this draft-obviously he's been passed by a few guys, but still impressive nonetheless. Seems to be a lot like Barron in his draft year ironically, and should go at the end of the first round, or early second.

[Sandman]

RW/LW Ville Koivunen (Karpat U20) 6'0"165lbs: In 2019-20, he dominated in the Finnish U-18 League with 71 pts in 37 games. This year, he leads his team in the U20 League with 49 pts in 38 games. Potential first-rounder Samu Tuomaala is his teammate, and has only 31 pts in 30 games. Koivunen was also 2nd in scoring on Finland's U-18 team with 10 pts in 7 games. He has been talked about for a few years, and he's put up great numbers everywhere he's played-he has a lot of offensive skills at his disposal, like vision, IQ, good shot, stickhandling. He can singlehandedly carry a team's offense. Why is he projected to go in the 3rd/4th round? He's easily pushed off the puck, and his skating isn't so good. (This is why I didn't put him on my list of players that I liked in the U-18's).

I had a thought though: people said the same thing about Marc Savard, but he got his skating up to an acceptable level, and went on to be a star. The team that gets this guy with a later pick will be getting a gem if he can improve his speed-he has everything else.

[FCAV]

Originally Posted by Sandman

A player that has me intrigued for the later rounds is RW Jacob Melanson. I first noticed his name in a mock draft that had the Flames taking him in the 5th round. 19 points in 18 QMJHL games with Acadie-Bathurst, to go with 26 PIMs. He was a first round selection in the Q draft by Patrick Roy's Remparts, who gave up a huge package of picks to secure the selection used to take him. He initially turned heads in his first season, but suffered a broken collarbone that ate a huge chunk of the year, and he never got any traction upon his return. He finished with 10 points in 39 games, a disastrous season.

He was then traded to Acadie-Bathurst, but during training for the season, he broke that same collarbone in the same place. Doctors said it was a freak coincidence. He finished the season with 18gp/8g/11a/19pts, 26 PIMs.

I can't find a lot to describe him as a player, except that he does whatever it takes to win, has endless character, and is highly mean and physical. The few highlights I can find are of his massive open-ice hits, that look like Mike Peca. Growing up in a small town in NS, his parents had to drive 2 hours to take him to games and practices-right up until he was a teenager. He says he gave up his childhood for hockey, and all the adversity he's had makes him willing to make any sacrifice to make his hockey dreams happen.

I think Darryl would love this kid, and he might just be a good late round pick-I've seen him go between the 4th and 6th rounds.

Quick little section (70 words of the 370-word report) of our latest report on him:

Right now, Melanson is a bit of a dark horse in the upcoming draft who could be regarded as a valuable prospect for a late round pick. If he is selected, Melanson would likely project as a bottom-6 forward with scoring potential at the next level, who could find some minutes in the top-6 for a lineup looking to add a physical presence and a shoot-first mentality.

https://nhlentrydraft.com/reports/2856/

[FCAV]

Just as a heads-up/thank you, we've gone ahead and created our annual CP discount code to use on memberships to the FCHockey site.

Use promo code CalgaryPuck to receive 40% off the price of any subscription, for any term.

The big perk is unlocking literally thousands of reports (a ton on this year's class, plus access to our past database which will include some current and former Flames prospects).

The additional perk is it'll automatically unlock a discount on our 2021 NHL Draft Guide when it comes out, up to 40% if you opt with the Tier2 (monthly or yearly, doesn't matter)!.

Details of the different memberships here: https://nhlentrydraft.com/sign-up/. I'll be more than happy to answer any questions, whether in here or via DM.

[1qqaaz]

I'm guessing the Flames having a "grouping" of players that they want.
They'll wait to see if anyone like Eklund, Johnson, or maybe Lucius drop to the pick at 12 OA.

If none of them do (probable), I wouldn't be surprised if the Flames ended up trading down a few spots. For an example, it might be wise to trade down to 16 OA and pick up Matt Coronato.
It would be nice to have another 2nd or 3rd round pick.

If I had to pick 12th OA, I would probably go with Mason McTavish. He has played pretty well everywhere he's gone in the past 2 years.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

I'm guessing the Flames having a "grouping" of players that they want.
They'll wait to see if anyone like Eklund, Johnson, or maybe Lucius drop to the pick at 12 OA.

If none of them do (probable), I wouldn't be surprised if the Flames ended up trading down a few spots. For an example, it might be wise to trade down to 16 OA and pick up Matt Coronato.
It would be nice to have another 2nd or 3rd round pick.

If I had to pick 12th OA, I would probably go with Mason McTavish. He has played pretty well everywhere he's gone in the past 2 years.

It would be hard to argue against taking this kid. I didn't like him before the U-18's, but that tourney really changed my mind. IMO, players labelled as "goal scorers" in junior, with a bunch of goals and a much smaller number of assists, hardly ever make it-but he showed in the U-18's that he can be an excellent playmaker, and that he sees the ice well. Better skater than what I thought he would be, based on what I read.

He preformed admirably in the U-18's with 11 points in 7 games, and had 7 points in 4 playoff games for EHC Olten (the team he played for this season with no OHL)-making him the 5th highest scoring player, despite missing 6 games. Shows up when it when it matters.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

I would be very happy with a draft like this!

Quoting based off some of your more recent profiles Sandman. I got this mock earlier in the year on FC's tool after I had already done some looking into players and had they still had some top quality unranked lol. Looks like we like some of the same players! Shame it won't really be like this!

[dammage79]

I can't shake this feeling Aatu Raty is a Flame.

[Tkachukwagon]

Mason McTavish has fallen off a bit, however I think he'd be a great pick for the Flames in the range we are drafting. From The Hockey Writers profile on Mason McTavish:

NHL Potential
Seeing how far McTavish has fallen on some draft boards, he’s my pick for being the steal of the draft. That kind of player you ask yourself how he went that late when you look back at it in the next five to 10 years. He needs to grow into his frame and, as he develops, will become more physical. Pairing that size, speed, and skill together will make for a dangerous hockey play and there is no telling just how good he can get. McTavish should be able to at least become a serviceable NHL forward who can be leaned on offensively.

[Toonage]

If Treliving is still around this sort of feels like they will attempt what they did last fall. Trade down to collect more picks. The crap shoot nature of this draft beyond the top 8 seems to suggest you'd want more lottery tickets

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Toonage

If Treliving is still around this sort of feels like they will attempt what they did last fall. Trade down to collect more picks. The crap shoot nature of this draft beyond the top 8 seems to suggest you'd want more lottery tickets

I don't even buy the "top 8 dropoff" narrative, since I've seen a bunch of guys in the top 8 in some projections and not in others.