2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Enoch Root]

The number should get to 14 or 15 this year, without much trouble. But next year is likely to be another opportunity to move guys as well - we'll have Mangiapane, Kuzmenko and Sharangovich as pending UFAs (at least one of the 3 likely to be re-signed, but no more than 2 IMO). Vladar as well, if he is still here.

If Markstrom isn't moved this year, there is a good chance he is in the mix again next year.

And the group of one-year-out-from-free-agency will include Backlund, Andersson, and of course, Markstrom.

That 14-15 number could end up more like 16-18, or even pushing 20, by the time it all plays out.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Finland Edition):

LW/C Julius Miettinen was given a "C" rating earlier this season by Central Scouting, meaning they expected him at the time to be picked in the 4th/5th round of the Draft, but I would bet he's risen significantly since then. He was selected 30th overall in the 2023 CHL Import Draft by Everett of the WHL, but his adjustment to the North American ice this season was difficult at first. In his first 27 games, Miettinen had only 15 points- but he's been playing like a first-rounder since then, with 29 points in his last 21 games, for a total of 44 points in 48 games to date. Everett is currently 2nd overall in the 'Dub, and 6th in goals-scored. The 6'3",205lb Miettinen was selected to play for team Finland last summer at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, but only managed 1 point in 5 games.
Miettinen is a dual threat offensively, but leans a bit towards shooter, and has a power-forward makeup, playing a hard and heavy game. He uses his size well, to bulldoze his way around, and wear down the opposition by finishing his checks. He moves very well for a big man, as he demonstrated at the CHL Top Prospects Game, with a smooth stride that could perhaps use a bit more explosiveness. He shows good positioning and a smart off-puck game in both ends of the ice, and knows where to be to get the job done. He's very strong on the puck, and on his skates, making it very hard to get a takeaway from him, or knock him off stride. Miettinen owns a high-level of vision and IQ- his head is always on a swivel, scanning for his next option, and makes good decisions with the puck- although he's not an elite playmaker. His shot is strong, with a fine release, but he gets a lot of his goals by playing hard in the slot, and by being a net-front menace- he's good in tight, and will stand in front of the goaltender to hack and whack, capitalize on rebounds, or score off of deflections. His hands are soft, and he can pick corners, or deke out goalies. You would think he was a Canadian, with his superior work-ethic and compete, and his high-motor. He plays with energy, and is purported to be an excellent teammate who wants to win. Miettinen can be a shutdown center, and there are precious few flaws in his defensive game, which will bode well for getting his foot in the door in the NHL. His awareness defensively is high-end, and he consistently shuts down lanes, kills plays, and drives attackers to the outside with his physicality, and an active, well-timed stick. He played D for the first 7 years of his hockey career, so he understands the defensive side of the game. His floor is most likely high because of this, but he has potential for much more.
Miettinen is a good candidate for middle-6 NHL duty in the future, but will at least be a quality defensive forward. He needs to keep growing his offense, his shot, and his skating, but he's looking like a solid 2nd-rounder, IMO.

6'3",194lb RW Kasper Pikkarainen is big, physical, and mean- much like his father, former NHLer Ilkka Pikkarainen. Kasper is very young, with an Aug 7th Birthday, and perhaps more raw than other prospects. He led Finland in scoring at the Five Nations Cup, with 4 points in 4 games, and he's spent the majority of his time with TPS' U20 Team, collecting 11 goals, and 27 points in 32 games to date, with a cup of coffee on the Liiga team.
Pikkarainen is fairly skilled, but lacks the high-end aptitude to be a top-line player in the NHL. He still manages to get his fair share of points, and shows flashes of offensive potential. He is a good skater, but not a burner, and he's agile and solid on his skates. Pikkarainen likes to dish out punishing open-ice hits with regularity to keep opponents off their game, and is quite nasty to play against. He finishes his checks, and is a load to handle along the boards, on the forecheck, and in front of the net. He doesn't create a whole lot, but he has a rather deep arsenal of shots to choose from, and has pretty good hands around the net. Pikkarainen is a quality defensive player, which may be his ticket to the NHL. He comes back hard on the backcheck,showing awareness and proactive positioning, along with the size, physicality, and high work-ethic to have a chance in the future of playing a bottom-6 role in the NHL- with the hope and potential for more. His offense is nothing to sneeze at, but he needs to build on those flashes of offensive skill, and keep working on his skating. I'm thinking rounds 3 or 4.

It feels like Veeti Vaisanen has already been around for years, with how much he's been talked about for this draft, and the amount of hockey he's played. The 6'0",163lb LHD played in last year's 5 Nations Cup (2 points in 4 games), U-18 Tournament (2 points in 5 games), and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (no points in 5 games). This season, he's plying his trade mostly with KooKoo's top men's team in the Liiga, which is impressive for a kid who is 17 years old- most kids his age who are mature enough to play there only get small stints. By all accounts, he doesn't look out of place playing against men, albeit in only 10 minutes average ice-time per night, and he's third in scoring for U-18 players (8 points in 36 games), and tied with Konsta Helenius for the most games this season so far. For defensemen under-20, he is currently first in games and points. In 2022-23, after starting the season at 16 years old, Vaisanen was 2nd in D scoring for U-18 players that season in the U20 league, behind Dominik Badinka.
Vaisanen is a cerebral, two-way, all-situations defenseman, who is a very responsible, modern puck-mover, and a calming presence to his team. Though he isn't playing much this year due to his inexperience in a men's league, he's a capable minute-muncher. Mobility is a big part of his game, and he indeed gets around very quickly and smoothly, with top-notch agility, edges, and balance. He will be a big part of his team's transition, as he can carry or pass through the neutral zone with speed enough to push pace, and drive play. He has excellent stickhandling and puck-control, with an arsenal of 1-on-1 moves and deception he can use to open space, and elude checks. He will activate into the offense from the point, or join the rush to create offensive chances. He walks the line to open seams, and distributes well from the point position, but he can also choose to use his hard shot, that he can get on net through traffic. His passes are hard and crisp, but he mostly keeps it simple- he's a highly efficient puck-moving rearguard, making sharp breakouts after completing his retrievals smoothly. Vaisanen exhibits proactive positioning in all areas of the ice, due to his IQ and anticipation, and keeps a tight gap on attackers. His speed gives him the ability to hunt down puck-carriers and apply pressure with his smart, well-timed stick. He regularly intercepts passes, kills rushes, and causes turnovers. I don't imagine he's seeing any special teams time this year, but he has demonstrated a proficiency for both in the past.
I believe Vaisanen's offense is underrated to a degree, but it's pretty certain that he lacks game-breaking skills, and perhaps first-pairing capability. I think he might be able to ride shotgun on an NHL team's second-pairing someday, much like Kylington. Look for him to be chosen in the second round.

[Sandman]

Draft Thought:

6'4",181lb LHD Lukas Fischer is the son of former NHLer Jiri Fischer, and with a September 9th birthday, is among the very youngest players in the Draft, missing the cutoff by 6 days. Fischer toils for the Sarnia Sting, who currently sit 17th in the OHL, with the 3rd-worst goals-for, and has managed to post 22 points in 46 games, to go with 46 PIM, to date. Don't sleep on this kid- he's awesome, and is one of the best-kept secrets of the Draft.
Fischer is a true unicorn, as he's a naturally athletic, physical specimen who is a exceptional skater with excellent 4-way mobility. His speed is the cornerstone of his game- he gets around very easily and quickly, pivots smoothly, and is agile and well-balanced. Fischer is a two-way D, who has oodles of potential, and is a stabilizing presence for his team- making few mistakes, and keeping calm under pressure. His size and speed make an impact all over the ice- he's a shutdown defenseman for Sarnia, and plays against the best in the league, but also often quarterbacks their powerplay. He's a good puck-mover, and is getting more comfortable rushing the puck, and there's top-notch vision and playmaking ability in his vast repertoire, but he doesn't get to use it as much he should playing in Sarnia. He also has a hard, accurate bomb from the point. Fischer isn't shy about using his size to his advantage, as he's physical and finishes his checks.
Fischer is a hard player to play against in the neutral, and defensive zones, with his enormous wingspan and his stick- which he uses as a tool to break up plays and clog lanes. He is quick to kill plays defensively, even in the neutral zone, by closing on players with his speed and stick to exert pressure, and remove time and space. He kickstarts the breakout through quick, clean retrievals, and makes smart decisions under pressure that lead to precision passes out of the zone. He employs strong gap control, angling opponents to the boards, closing lanes, and removing options.
I love this kid, and I believe he has huge upside. He could still grow a few more inches too, as his father is 6'5", and his brother is 6'7", and he's still just 17. Right now, he's looking like a bottom-4 defenseman in the NHL, with some puck-moving, and shutdown ability, but he still has time to develop his offense, and make no mistake- the sky is the limit with this one. Who knows what his numbers would look like if he were on a different team. He needs to bulk up and get significantly stronger for the next level, though. I think he gets picked in the early second round, but there's a chance he's taken in the later part of the first. I'm gonna be watching him in the future, for sure.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Power Edition):

LW Marek Vanacker (who is Canadian) might be slight in stature, at 6'0",165lbs, but I guess nobody told him that he couldn't be a power-forward. He fights, scratches, and claws for every inch of ice he can get, but he plays like he's 6'2" in the way that he leans into defenders to leverage his way to the middle, dishes out big hits, attacks the net-front, and competes along the walls and in the corners. He's very hard to play against, and plays with an edge. Vanacker has compiled 26 goals and 52 points in 45 games to date as the leading scorer for Brantford of the OHL, who currently sit 3rd overall, and 9th in goals-for.
Vanacker plays with a chip on his shoulder, and is highly agressive and competitive. Despite his size, he's a load to handle down low, and will not hesitate to bulldoze an opponent. He's an all-situations, all-around player who plays on the first units of both special teams for Brantford. Though he plays hard and heavy, his hands are butter soft- he's good around the net, and in tight. He owns a great shot with a neat and tidy release that can fool goaltenders. He protects well, and is strong on the puck. He reads the play quite well with his top-tier vision and IQ, and is said to be more playmaker than scorer, even though he currently has the same number of goals as assists. He can make plays off the rush, and pull off accurate passes at high speeds. Vanacker is a good skater, but there's room to improve, and it likely will as he gets stronger- but he could use a better first-step, more explosiveness, and a higher top speed. His energy and motor make up for some of this. Defensively, he backchecks as hard as he forechecks, and exerts the speed and tenacity to pressure attackers, and take away space. His stick has eyes to disrupt plays and clog passing lanes, and he's a pest- constantly buzzing in his opponents' faces.
There's not a ton of weaknesses in Vanacker's game, and some scouts think he has middle-six potential. He needs some time to get significantly stronger, as his style of play will be harder to apply to the NHL, and he has to clean up his skating. It would be nice if he could grow an inch or two as well. It's been said that he needs some work on his puck control, and skating with his head up (yikes). He's got an excellent two-way game, and some jam, so I could see him getting picked in the early half of the 2nd round.

RHC/RW Sam O'Reilly is a personal favorite as a power-forward who plays a well-rounded, heavy, pro-style game. He was selected 12th overall in the 2021 CHL Draft by the London Knights, who currently sit 1st in the OHL standings, and are the highest scoring team in the league. This season to date, he has put up 15 goals, and 44 points in 48 games, on a team with a lot of older, offensive players- so I could see where time in the top-6 would be hard to come by. Sam is 6'1", and 176 lbs.
O'Reilly is a responsible, two-way player with high IQ and awareness at both ends of the ice. He's a quality playmaker when keeping it simple, and has a remarkable small-area game. He can dish in full flight, as well as receive passes, and has poise with the puck on his stick- although he can sometimes try to force plays through traffic. He has a hard enough shot, with a sneaky release, and good hands around the net. He will go to the crease to cause havok, and hopefully pick off a rebound or tip. O'Reilly is not afraid of the greasy areas, and wins pucks with his strength, and sheer tenacity. He's competitive, and a force down low, and plays a physical brand of hockey- laying the body whenever the opportunity presents itself. Defensively, he seems committed in his effort and awareness- he works to be hard to play against. O'Reilly has great instincts and awareness in this area, to go with a good stick. He can be a pest, hounding puck-carriers and pressuring attackers by invading their space, blocking lanes, and intercepting passes. He exhibits proactive positioning, and will put his body on the line to block a shot. With all of the offensive talent in London, Sam just doesn't get a lot of time on the PP, and currently only has 8 points with the man-advantage. The flip side of this is that he is among the league leaders in even-strength goals for players in his age group. Because of his stalwart defensive play, one could say he has a high floor, with the talent and promise for more; however, he might be relegated to wing in the pros, if he doesn't get better in the faceoff circle, and they say he needs to get to the middle more often. Second round, with a chance to sneak into the first.

LHC Raoul Boilard (6'2",190lbs) really turned heads at the CHL Top Prospects Game, earning Player of the Game honors after scoring 2 goals (including the game-winner), and an assist. The gifted offensive center plays for the best team (and highest scoring) in the QMJHL, Baie-Comeau, and has amassed 18 goals and 45 points in 47 games to date, with an incredible +31.
Boilard is perhaps equal parts scorer and playmaker, and he's highly skilled with great vision and playmaking ability. He posesses quick processing ability, and uncanny IQ, with creativity and high-end puck skills. He's poised with the puck, and makes high-danger feeds in high-pressure situations. Boilard makes plays off the rush, and once set up in the zone, he will activate off the wall to the middle to create high-danger opportunities. He has superior protection skills, which may be an underrated part of his game, and he's hard on the puck, giving him the ability to maintain posession under duress. Boilard plays hard around the net, and will clean up garbage in the crease, but he can also rely on his shot, which is hard, heavy, and accurate with an outstanding release. Though he cannot be called a true power-forward, and isn't overly physical, he finishes his checks, and competes in the hard areas. His skating is solid, perhaps not spectacular, but he does have nice balance and agility. There is work to be done on his acceleration, and top speed. It should be mentioned that Boilard is quite strong on faceoffs.
Defensively, he's average. He shows the right kind of positioning and awareness in the defensive zone, but not the same zeal. He will still support his D down low, and will aid in transition going the other way. He has very good size, and it would be nice to see him use it more. I think he'll be picked in the early second round.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I just love looking at the draft board and seeing the Flames with 11 picks in the first three rounds in the next three drafts.

Where does that end up by March 9th?

14? 15?

The other thing here, is that with the addition of Brzustewicz, the Flames now have 4 picks in the top 80 of last year's draft.

Four last year, 4 this year, 3 next year, and 4 the year after.

So far.

Keep 'em coming, Craig!

[Enoch Root]

Also, God bless ya, Sandman! And Cral!

[Jiri Hrdina]

Listened to the Atheletic mock draft, and they had the Flames taking Buium. Wouldn't mind that at all.

[Tkachukwagon]

Bader’s model REALLY likes Buium -

https://twitter.com/user/status/1751071013268549800

https://twitter.com/user/status/1751076389510594765

https://twitter.com/user/status/1751092452763832555

[Heavy Jack]

Seeing Valimaki in the comparables is giving me ptsd lol

[Royle9]

Originally Posted by Heavy Jack

Seeing Valimaki in the comparables is giving me ptsd lol

Not to mention both Ty Smith and Ryan Murphy both absolute bombed out.
Not that I think he turns into any of those 3, but scary names to pop up on a comparable list.

[Hockey-and_stuff]

Originally Posted by Royle9

Not to mention both Ty Smith and Ryan Murphy both absolute bombed out.
Not that I think he turns into any of those 3, but scary names to pop up on a comparable list.

Comparables at the time of their drafts, isn't it?

[dammage79]

If the Flames took a D man over a player of say....Ivan Demidovs skillset I'd be slightly perturbed.

Hell, Even Berkely Catton. But I'd be less perturbed.

Still undecided on someone like Helenius though. But Helenius is super interesting. He's in our window right now.


But I'd flip tables if they took any d man over Cayden Lindstrom if he was on the board.

[cral12]

Originally Posted by cral12

Upside Hockey's prospect profile page for the 2024 draft which collates all of Sandman's great work now live:

15 profiles already!

Alphabetical for now with a table of contents at the top.

So far...

Cole Beaudoin C
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard RW
Berkly Catton C
Melvin Fernstrom RW
Noel Fransen D
Alfons Freij D
Liam Greentree RW
Emil Hemming RW
Henry Mews D
Lucas Pettersson C
Ryder Ritchie RW
Beckett Sennecke RW
Leo Sahlin Wallenius D
Carson Wetsch RW
Simon Zether C

https://bit.ly/2024nhldraftprofiles

We're now up to like 42 profiles. Reminder: it's early February. Sandman is a machine.

Dominik Badinka D
Andrew Basha LW
Cole Beaudoin C
Raoul Boilard C
Sacha Boisvert C
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard RW
Harrison Brunicke D
Berkly Catton C
Trevor Connelly LW
Ben Danford D
Charlie Elick D
EJ Emery D
Melvin Fernstrom RW
Lukas Fischer D
Noel Fransen D
Alfons Freij D
Spencer Gill D
Liam Greentree RW
Michael Hage C
Emil Hemming RW
Matvei Gridin RW
Ollie Josephson C/LW
Adam Kleber D
Tomas Lavoie D
Luca Marrelli D
Henry Mews D
Julius Miettinen C/LW
John Mustard LW
Sam O'Reilly C/RW
Lucas Pettersson C
Terik Parascak RW
Kasper Pikkarainen RW
Ryder Ritchie RW
Colton Roberts D
Beckett Sennecke RW
Sebastian Soini D
Marek Vanacker LW
Stian Solberg D
Veeti Vaisanen D
Leo Sahlin Wallenius D
Carson Wetsch RW
Simon Zether C

[cral12]

Upside back with more...

Upside Hockey's 2024 NHL Draft Midterm Rankings plus NHL Central Scouting's Rankings Combined

"This is our February update to our patented quintessential spreadsheet format, composed by the incomparable Chief of Scouting, E-Mac. Check out the many tabs/sheets (subjects along the bottom) of this spreadsheet. Watch for features to be added and expanded upon as the season unfolds.

For this edition, you will notice additional tab NHL-CS, which is our Chief Scout E-Mac's exclusive combining of NHL Central Scouting's segregated Midterm Rankings."


Nearly 378 prospects included!

https://bit.ly/upside2024nhldraft

[stemit14]

Hypothetical scenario:

Flames enter the draft with 4 first round draft picks and 2 second round picks (after trading Lindholm, Hanifin, Tanev, and Markstrom). Post-draft lottery, the flames are set to pick 6th, 22nd, 25th, 30th, 38th and 57th overall in the first two rounds. Let’s say the picks follow what the draft rankings from upside hockey say right now. And I’ll assume no changes in draft order outside of the flames dropping to pick 6th overall:

Chicago: Macklin Celebrini
San Jose: Ivan Demidov
Anaheim: Cole Eiserman
Columbus: Zeev Buium
Ottawa: Sam Dickinson
Calgary: Cayden Lindstrom
Minnesota: Aartyom Levshunov
Montreal: Berkeley Catton
Buffalo:

This is where my hypothetical question comes up… Tij Iginla is ranked to go right here in this scenario. What do you think the flames could/should give up amongst their picks or players to get this pick from Buffalo to draft Iginla? Or draft someone else instead of Iginla? What could Buffalo need that would tempt them to do it? Would it be a good idea at all? Would you rather the flames just keep the picks and players they have instead of giving up assets to make a second pick in the top ten of the draft?

I’ll throw in some trade proposals for fun (no idea if any of them are even close to reasonable as it’s rare for any team to pull off a trade to get a pick in the top ten):

A) Flames trade 22nd overall + 25th overall + Coleman (50% retained) for 9th overall + Connor Clifton
B) Flames trade 22nd overall + Andersson for 9th overall + Connor Clifton
C) Flames trade 22nd overall + 25th overall + 30th overall for 9th overall
D) (Three team trade) Flames trade 22nd overall + 25th overall to the Islanders for 15th overall; Flames trade 15th overall + 30th overall + Coleman (50% retained) to the Sabres for 9th overall + Connor Clifton

[Jiri Hrdina]

^I think you are optimistic that Lidstrom will be there at 6. I think he goes to SJ, wherever they are. Lindstrom-Smith then become an excellent 1-2 punch down the middle for them.

Buffalo is a bad target because they already have a high volume of prospects. Makes no sense for them to move down and add more quantity. And I think Iginla at that spot is still a reach.

If they could move into a higher pick (which I think is unlikely frankly, but for shiggles) I would far rather they draft a dman in that spot as I think at leaset 1-2 will be available still. Coming out of that draft with your future #1 centre ane future #1 dman would be a nice bit of business.

I think folks are getting tunnel vision on Tij.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

^I think you are optimistic that Lidstrom will be there at 6. I think he goes to SJ, wherever they are. Lindstrom-Smith then become an excellent 1-2 punch down the middle for them.

Buffalo is a bad target because they already have a high volume of prospects. Makes no sense for them to move down and add more quantity. And I think Iginla at that spot is still a reach.

If they could move into a higher pick (which I think is unlikely frankly, but for shiggles) I would far rather they draft a dman in that spot as I think at leaset 1-2 will be available still. Coming out of that draft with your future #1 centre ane future #1 dman would be a nice bit of business.

I think folks are getting tunnel vision on Tij.

For the purpose of the hypothetical, I just used the draft rankings and the positions of teams in the current standings outside of Calgary because my question is what would other fans on here be willing to trade to have another first round pick in the top 10… and the potential of Iginla being there.

I agree that, despite the rankings, I think Lindstrom will go top 3-4 in the draft. Right now, I’m just using these particular draft rankings for this exercise.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Don’t worry about Tij. Make the list. Create the tiers and go from there. It ain’t sexy, but there is decent chance the BPA will be a defenseman. Take him.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug

Don’t worry about Tij. Make the list. Create the tiers and go from there. It ain’t sexy, but there is decent chance the BPA will be a defenseman. Take him.

True. Should definitely stick to the list and draft the best player available with the pick. I think the cost to get a second pick in the top 10 of the draft would be so high that, from a public/fanbase perspective, paying the price to draft Iginla would go over well both organizationally (moving up in the draft and taking the best player available) and as something for the fans to get excited about. Obviously it’s not the main reason to pay the price but under this hypothetical scenario, it’s taking a player that is ranked 9th overall with the 9th overall pick. In this hypothetical scenario, the flames would not be reaching to take him with that pick.

However, I understand your point. I, like many others on here, am probably too focused on Tij since it is very unlikely he gets drafted by the flames - he’s having a great season and keeps moving up the rankings to a spot that the flames might not be picking at. Also, the flames could definitely use some defencemen in the draft if they truly are BPA.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Sudbury Wolves Edition):

One can't judge Sudbury Wolves' LHC Nathan Villeneuve on stats alone, but it appears as though Central Scouting has been watching him closely, as they have given him a "B" rating- pegging him as a 2nd or 3rd round pick. To date, he has collected 14 goals and 35 points (with 46 PIM) in 44 games on one of the best, and highest-scoring teams in the OHL. Villeneuve plays behind some very high-end, older players in Sudbury, such as David Goyette, Quentin Musty, Landon McCallum, Kocha Delic, and Dalibor Dvorsky- so he doesn't get top-line minutes, or much powerplay time (only 5 of his points have come via the PP). In fact, he's often relegated to third-line deployment, because of the logjam at the center-ice position, along with some tours of duty on the second line mixed in here and there. There's no doubt that if he were given more ice-time and responsibility, his numbers would look even impressive, and I think Central Scouting recognizes that. Villy was drafted 3rd overall by the Wolves in the 2021 OHL Draft.
Vileneuve is a gritty, details-oriented, two-way centerman who brings snarl and physicality every shift. He plays hard and heavy, with a strong and sturdy 6'0",185lb frame, and battles tooth-and-nail for every puck. Much like a poor-man's Brad Marchand, he's a superpest who agitates, makes life difficult for opponents, and has sky-high compete. Also like Marchand, he's tough enough to back it up, and will drop the gloves- and he's not a bad fighter. Villy plays many games with a target on his back, and doesn't seem to mind. He's a bit of a throwback, power-forward type, who's constantly in motion, works hard, and has high motor to play a 60-minute game. As one could guess, he's a relentless forechecker who throws hits aplenty, but is smart enough to not take himself out of the play.
Villeneuve isn't just a goon, though- he's highly intelligent, and has top-notch vision as a playmaker. He's got spatial awareness, and can open seams to get the puck to high-danger. He's got a hard, heavy shot, with a lightning-fast release, and the hands in-tight to fool goalies. He's an effortless skater, perhaps even explosive- he was an injury replacement for the CHL Top Prospects Game, and in the on-ice testing leading up to the event, he placed 5th overall in the 30m Forward Skate, and 2nd in the 30m Forward Skate With Puck. He's a responsible player in all 3 zones, and backchecks as hard as he forechecks, hounding puck carriers, and getting in their faces. This is a player who will get more and more dominant at the junior level in the next 2 years, as those older players depart for the pros, and will start putting up big numbers as early as next season. This is another player that's far better than his stats suggest. In his last 20 games, he has 22 points. He compares himself to Mason McTavish, and I can see that to some degree, although I think he plays a much more energetic, rambunctious style. If he's available in the third round, it's a good idea to take him.

Much like frequent linemate Nathan Villeneuve, 6'6", 210lb C/LW Kieron Walton is stuck in the supporting cast on a very deep and talented Sudbury Wolves team, behind the likes of Dalibor Dvorsky, Quentin Musty, David Goyette, Landon McCallum, and Kocha Delic. Sudbury is one of the best teams in the OHL, and one of the highest scoring, and Walton has more or less been relegated to the third line, and yet has amassed 15 goals, and 33 points in 44 games to date, which prorates to 49 points in 65 games. Like Villeneuve, Central Scouting seems to recognize his situation, giving him a "B" rating- pegging him as a possible 2nd or 3rd round pick. Walton was Sudbury's second-round pick, 28th overall, in the 2022 OHL Draft.
Walton has impressive wheels for a behemoth, and gets around the ice very well, but could use some work on his separation speed and agility. He's a well-rounded player, and a two-way power-forward, with silky soft hands around the net, and a quick release on a hard, heavy shot. Walton has solid skills, and above-average IQ and anticipation. He reads the ice well, positioning himself advantageously in both ends to be in the right position to either kill a play, or finish one. There's some playmaking ability, and he can beat defenders with 1-on-1 skill, making controlled entries off the rush. Despite his size, and percieved lack of agility, he is known to have a good small-area game, and can stickhandle in those small spaces with his almost impregnable puck-protection. Walton plays a physical brand of hockey, and uses his size and enormous wingspan to push his way around, leverage his way to the net, win pucks, and maintain posession. He orchestrates chances off the cycle, creates off the rush, and finds the holes in coverage to facilitate high-danger opportunities. He exhibits two-way proficiency, supports his D on the backcheck, and has good awareness and high work ethic in both ends. He also has high motor, and doesn't quit on plays.
Walton has huge potential, and would most likely have much better numbers if he was given more ice-time and responsibility. He's far from a finished product, and some say he has middle-6 potential in the NHL. Walton needs work on his consistency, and his offense, and has to keep building on his already impressive mobility. I would say third round, but he has the size and speed to make GM's drool enough to take him late 2nd.