2016 NHL Draft

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by jaikorven

What have people seen for negatives with Keller, if any, other than size? Thanks ahead of time.

Haven't seen any other negatives. But on average he's probably 30 lbs lighter than the other highly ranked guys. Kid is tiny.

I don't think he's in consideration at #6. He'd be a great pick in the 8-12 range though.

[jaikorven]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Haven't seen any other negatives. But on average he's probably 30 lbs lighter than the other highly ranked guys. Kid is tiny.

I don't think he's in consideration at #6. He'd be a great pick in the 8-12 range though.

I ran out of thanks...so thanks.

[CaptainYooh]

I can't find what time does the first round TV coverage start?

Also, would it be possible to watch it live on a live stream?

[getbak]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

I can't find what time does the first round TV coverage start?

Also, would it be possible to watch it live on a live stream?

Sportsnet will start their coverage at 4:30, but the actual Draft starts at 5:00, and realistically, Toronto won't take the stage until about 5:15.

If you have Sportsnet Now, you'll be able to stream it.

[Matty81]

Anyone with any idea if the draft is on NHL gamecentre?

[StrykerSteve]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Haven't heard that. Strange that we see posters focusing on the one negative thing they may have heard and let that sway them over all the good they've heard.

Yeah, it's the downside to scouting via YouTube. I'm in no position to say who is the best player for Calgary to choose. I'm going by cherry picked stats and highlights, so any insight I read from someone whose actually watched these guys play, tends to stick in my mind.

Like I said, it doesn't mean much. I'm confident the Flames scouting staff will make the right call when the time comes.

[Hank Hill]

Originally Posted by getbak

Sportsnet will start their coverage at 4:30, but the actual Draft starts at 5:00, and realistically, Toronto won't take the stage until about 5:15.



If you have Sportsnet Now, you'll be able to stream it.

What about Day 2?
NHL Network used to have it but the channel is no longer available in Canada. Anyone know where to stream it?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[RandyMarsh]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/schedule/

Day 2 of draft
SN W, E, O, P. 8am.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Reading between the lines, going by Button's tone and the way he talked about the picks, my guess is the Flames have Brown ranked higher than Nylander and Sergachev higher than Juolevi. I also wonder if maybe Dubois will drop, given the fact he isn't really comfortable playing centre.

I highly disagree. I think we have a very good scouting staff and am very confident that they can see that Nylander>Brown and Juolevi>Sergachev. I highly doubt Button is going to give anything away to the media.

[bucksmasher]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I highly disagree. I think we have a very good scouting staff and am very confident that they can see that Nylander>Brown and Juolevi>Sergachev. I highly doubt Button is going to give anything away to the media.

I agree with you on the forwards but not the D. IMO the flames would have the total package, physical Sergachev ahead.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by bucksmasher

I agree with you on the forwards but not the D. IMO the flames would have the total package, physical Sergachev ahead.

Maybe but to me as far as top end potential who would you rather have?
Sergachev (Brent Burns) or Juolevi (Nik Lidstrom) .

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Maybe but to me as far as top end potential who would you rather have?
Sergachev (Brent Burns) or Juolevi (Nik Lidstrom) .

That's a bit of an unfair comparison
You are basically ask to compare one guy with another guy who you say is like one of the top 5 dmen of all time.
So if you frame a question like that, who is going to pick Sergachev.
By all reports Juolevi has the higher floor but Sergachev has the higher ceiling.
I don't pretend to know either well enough to say which is better.

Who would you rather have Brent Burns or Olli Maata?

[Redlan]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

Why has Dubois dropped so much for you? I'd way rather have him than Tkachuk to be honest

I just found that although he excelled in league play this last season he never appeared to be the one to carry previous teams, whether it was in tournaments or at lower levels. That just may be his progression, but I would feel more comfortable with a larger body of work.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Maybe but to me as far as top end potential who would you rather have?
Sergachev (Brent Burns) or Juolevi (Nik Lidstrom) .

I would rather have Sergachyev (Brent Burns) over Juolevi (Alex Edler)

The idea that Juolevi is a Lidstrom-esque talent is ridiculous. He is completely unspectacular in the defensive zone, and offensively he's not even a top 5 defenseman in this year's draft.

[Calgary4LIfe]

My final draft rankings - with a Flames' bias:

1) Mathews. I had to think long and hard about this, as I had Laine ranked 1st for a long time for the Flames. However, Mathews will do more for the team in the long run. Monahan would slot as the 2nd line center - overkill in the long-run, and Bennett would probably transition into a 1st or 2nd line LWer. A tandem of Bennett-Mathews and Gaudreau - Monahan would be so difficult to match up against, while having the strength through center (including Backlund) all playing very well defensively would turn this team into a puck-possession monster of a team.

2) Laine. Mario Lemieux-esque is what many scouts have said about him (obviously, not Mario Lemieux level, or he would have been an easy 1st overall). I agree that the kid will score 50 goals a season, and not just for a season. That has value right there. He also is mean at times with his hitting. 6'5" (or close to it IIRC) super talented, super-shooting and occasionally physically dominating player is hard to pass up at 1 - no chance at passing it up at 2.

3) Puljujarvi - My biggest hope is that the Flames manage to work their way up and draft this kid. My second biggest hope is that people realize his name is actually pretty easy to spell and pronounce. You basically have to try harder to try and spell "pullyourrv", and poolboy.. just sounds stupid. It isn't difficult. Pul ju jarvi. Phonetically, pool - you - yar - vee. More or less anyways. Ignoring the grammar... kid is a beast. 6'4" - skates fast, and everyone knows that speed is a killer in the NHL. Fast guys with sublime skill and IQ? That is what you hope you get at #3. I can see why some people feel Puljujarvi should go 2nd (I am not one of those though), but I feel he will end up going 3rd. I see him as a line-driver. I see him being an even better zone-entering player than Gaudreau, as Puljujarvi will be better able to go right through defencemen, or better at going around them while protecting the puck with his long reach and big body. He can pass, and his shot I think would instantly make the Calgary PP a difficult one to contain.

4) This is where people will hate me. I pick Brown. Why? I think he will provide the most complete game and the most versatility for the Flames. Size - no secret the Flames need and want to get bigger. Speed - think a 6'6" guy can't skate? He isn't just good for his size, he is a great skater period. His footspeed is better than Tkachuk (one reason I rank Brown ahead). Speed is hugely important. Another reason is that with his IQ, his skating and his skill-level, I see him controlling huge areas of the ice when he is out there. Kid can make some pretty damn nice passes, but his shot is so underrated as well. I have said it before, but I think next to Mathews, he is the best top 10 pick at getting the puck into the net from in-tight. He seems to just snag the puck with his long reach, and in an instant, he gets a good shot off. He is also learning to become physical. That last Button interview sold me and raised him 2 spots in my ranking - in the 2nd half, he learned to prepare more, train more and do a lot of video work to understand how to get better. Was there anyone better in the CHL than Brown was in the 2nd half? Also, everyone thinks he isn't as skilled as some other players - but there is he is up with them in points. I can see why Columbus wants to move down. I can see why Vancouver is so interested. On the Flames, I see him becoming a really elite-level winger in the top 6, or as the 2nd line center with Bennett going to the wing. Again, Gaudreau - Monahan and Bennett - Brown make for a difficult top 2 pairing to defend against. Brown is also very good defensively. He will never be truculent I don't think, but check out any of his videos, and you do see him laying the occasional huge hit. He will help neutralize the big centers in the Pacific, and make line-matching fun for the Flames.

5) Tkachuk - only reason I have him lower than Brown - and it is just a smidge mind you - is his skating. I would call it slower than Monahan, but will probably become 'Monahan-ish'. Not bad at all, but not fast. If I am the Flames, I am hoping the guy I draft pairs up with Bennett, not the top line. Bennett needs dynamic players on his line, and you suddenly have two clicking lines. Tkachuk is a much slower player than Bennett. I like Brown more - and Brown further compliments Bennett's penchant for being more of a shoot-first type of player. I love Tkachuk because he will be a royal pain in the butt on all PPs in front of the net, and will help the Flames as much as Brown will along the boards. I just don't think he will be fast enough or creative enough like I think Brown will be.

6) Dubois - Great all around player. Physical, great IQ, and will dominate along the boards and in front of the net. I do think he will become a force of a winger, but not elite. He just doesn't have the hands that I see in Brown or Tkachuk to make me want to take him ahead of them. He is the best of the 'total package' left, however. Everyone below Dubois has warts now.

7) Keller - I really didn't see myself liking this kid as much. I have been guilty of liking Ryan Murphy and Rocco Grimaldi in the past. Both are fringe NHL'ers now, in my opinion, at best. Keller won't be. Why? The kid is a tenacious and has a really, really beautiful set of hands and pair of feet. He coordinates the two really nicely, like Gaudreau and Kane. I do think he will probably be a step down from Gaudreau or Kane (I mean, easy bet to make, as few players get to that level), but he is a gamebreaker. If I am the Flames' GM, I am thinking: "If I can't get one of the 'complete package' types available in the top 6, I want a gamebreaker'. I have zero worries about this kid becoming a good NHL'er. He is driven, he has loads of anticipation that makes his defensive game really impressive, he is elusive and is both a great playmaker and scorer. He has top 5 skill in the draft, but with the tenacity to compensate for his lack of size. I take him any day on my team.

8) Jost - yeah, maybe a bit high, but I take a player who has a non-top motor, is great in all areas of the ice, and is noted for being a great leader, really mature, Mr. Intangibles and has a really high skill level. He can really pass the puck well, and shoot the puck really well. I can see him being just AWESOME with Bennett - I think in the entire draft, there perhaps isn't a single player outside of Puljujarvi that I think would be more complimentary to Bennett. He is the next closest thing to being the total package - I just think Keller has more game-breaking skill, and though Keller doesn't have Jost's motor, he is really tenacious. Another very close ranking between the two for me.

9) Sergachev - I like him better than Chychrun (too many question marks lately with him, but also tough to pass on Chychruns tools, which I think is better than Sergachev's and Juolevi's). He was a winger until 14? Yeah, let's see what another 2 or 3 years of playing defence will do for his game. I think he has the highest upside out of all the D available (with Bean being a close 2nd). It is incredibly difficult to find high-scoring defencemen with some size and physical ability. Erik Karlsson sure puts up big numbers, but I would much rather have Weber patrolling my blueline when I see Kopitar, Getzlaf, etc., out there. Sergachev can get the puck in the net, and I believe he will become a pretty good defensive defencemen as well - and win battles in the corners. Juolevi dropped completely out of my top 10 not because I don't think he won't put on size - of course he will get bigger and stronger - but that he loses puck battles along the boards to smaller guys. That isn't a size issue to me - that is a lack of compete and battle in a prospect, and I really believe that is the most difficult thing to overcome. I am not sure what is worse - a low IQ player with tonnes of 'battle' in him, or a high IQ player with little. Sergachev for me has the least amount of questions to him, and has the highest ceiling. Best floor and ceiling defencemen (close with Bean on the ceiling portion) - sign me up.

10) Nylander. Yep, people are going to hate me putting Nylander at 10. Sure the kid is skilled - but is he really more skilled than Keller? Not in my opinion. I argue he isn't really much more skilled - if any - than Brown. They basically got the same amount of points. Nylander has the better shot - Brown has the better overall game and versatility. I am big on versatility. I don't like Brown because he is big - I like Brown because he is a big, skilled player with enormous IQ, vision and skating ability. Nylander has exceptional puck-skills, but I don't think he has the vision. He has a great shot. He does have a high ceiling. I think Brown will out-produce him at the NHL level, while also giving the team a better look defensively, along the boards, and as well as adding a great puck-possession dimension. Nylander will provide the team with a much better PP presence (I think he will be a much better player on the PP than Brown will, while Brown will be a better 5vs5 player), and will be a much better player at scoring off the rush. I think Nylander will compliment Gaudreau more than Bennett - his footspeed is really nice, and his shot is really dangerous. So why not Bennett? Because he doesn't have that compete in him. He doesn't shy away from the tough areas - which is REALLY positive - but he floats way too much. He reminds me of Baertschi for a really good comparison on his style. I think he - unlike Baertschi - will actually turn into a very good piece long-term, but it is still going to be a complimentary piece. If he had more compete in his game, I would rank him probably 4th or 5th. When scouts are saying that McLeod was the non-stop motor and line-driver on that team, I thought: "Well, maybe when Nylander matures more and catches up physically, he will be more of a line-driver", then I see the results at the combine, and think: "He had the physical ability to out-compete most guys in the CHL, including his teammate McLeod, but rarely did it. That explains the relatively lower number of points relative to his supposed skill-set." Once again, I don't think you can teach compete and battle into prospects. Nylander drops like a bomb for me. If the Flames draft him, I will look forward to him being a really good scoring complimentary player, and hope that somehow his compete level goes up - kid is a talent and a half, and I don't want to sell him short in that department. I just want players that are hard to play against on the Flames - that doesn't mean physically knocking the other team on their butts, but just working hard all over the ice consistently. That is not Nylander, and his combine testing tells me it SHOULD have been Nylander all season.

Just my own top 10 rankings. I know most will not be happy with Brown so high, and Nylander so low, but did my best to explain why I thought so. I really believe puck-protection and puck-possession ability is a legitimate skill, and so is ability along the boards. Plus, Brown I think has what I think close to elite vision - he is not just big, he is an exceptionally talented player, and you can see why some teams are willing to trade up or down for him, or pick him ahead of where some ranking outlets have him going in the draft

Happy Draft Day!

[FCAV]

Final few coming through in our #ScoutSeries!

A heavy, smooth skating blueliner, Sergachev moves the puck well and can quarterback the power play like a pro. He can hit like a Mack truck, score with a bomb of a shot, but the most impressive aspect to his game is his ability to always play calm and composed. Nothing seems to shake the defenseman and he poised for a solid future.

http://futureconsiderations.ca/serga...out-deschenes/

No one expected Boucher to have that kind of season with the Quebec Remparts. He put impressive numbers, especially for a guy who only got 16 points in 63 games with the Drummondville Voltigeurs in 2014-15. He has a great vision, he can find easily his teammates on the ice but he can also get the job done. He’s a hard worker he is not afraid to go into dirty areas, but the main issue is his size.

http://futureconsiderations.ca/girar...-scout-duquet/

But over time, Brown gained much needed confidence in himself and his strong shot as the season wore on and became a real formidable beast on skates for defenders to handle. He started using his strength, more effectively protecting the puck and driving to the net instead of just relying on his reach. He shot the puck which in turn leads to his game becoming much more rounded offensively.

http://futureconsiderations.ca/brown...ector-stewart/

Happy drafting, all!

[cral12]

Hockey's Version of Christmas has arrived!

The Next Ones Final Mock Draft - Four Rounds

How'd the Flames do?
(2nd tab of the spreadsheet groups team picks for easy reference)

LINK
http://thehockeywriters.com/the-next...hl-mock-draft/

[sureLoss]

less than 6 hours

[GoJetsGo]

Steinberg and Wills think the Flames will take Brown at #6 (if they pick at that spot). Steinberg said he got that feeling listening to Button yesterday.

Lubo feels like it will be Nylander.

Not that any of that is worth much. But they're trying to fill air in the calm before the storm.

[Drak]

I'm down with the Brown but I'd rather have Nylander at that slot.