2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Calgary4LIfe]

It doesn't have to be 'or'.

Chara OR Zadorov. Why can't it be somewhere between these two points? There is a gigantic gap here. Silayev might end up closer to Chara on the spectrum than Zadorov, or close to Zadorov. Where he ends up will be interesting.

I think some people have remembered some of the prior giants that the Flames have drafted that didn't pan out. Where where they ranked? Where were they drafted? 3 come to mind without looking in the recent past (and IIRC Helenius way back when as well) - Kanzig, Falkovsky and Bruce. All 6'7". Kanzig and Falkovsky had some other attribute to go along with the size (Bruce didn't really seem to have much other than his size IIRC). At any rate, none were raked anywhere close to the 1st round, much less in the consensus top 10 (7.44 accoridng to Bingo's last aggregate list).

This is a kid who as a 17 year old was playing against men in the 2nd best league in the world, and looking fantastic doing so. He has the agility of a much smaller player. He ranks higher than Zadorov did at their respective drafts, and Zadorov was playing against kids at the same age in the OHL, rather than the KHL.

I would also argue that perhaps Zadorov's development kind of sucked as he was drafted by Buffalo, and that was a terrible environment, then shipped out to Colorado which was at the time a terrible environment, and then Chicago that was a terrible environment. IIRC, Zadorov got benched early on in his time with Sutter, but he took a step forward here and credited Sutter with being the best coach he has had in his career so far and helping him become a better defencemen.

He isn't the 'sexy' pick, but when everything is said and done, he could be a top-pairing defencemen that tilts the ice when he is out there. He is not the pick that I would love for the Flames to make, but i have a very difficult time agreeing with the notion that this would be a bad pick in any way.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Brandsegg-Nygard
Michael Hage
Liam Greentree

Those are the three that would be "off the board" type picks that I could see the Flames having interest in.

Hage or Greentree would be reaches, but not terrible.

If we pick Brandsegg-Nygard I will lose my ####, personally.

[getbak]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1783921106929201400

Come on, lucky number 9!

[shutout]

Originally Posted by getbak

Come on, lucky number 9!

Bill Daly on May 7, 2024 - "The number 9 overall selection for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft belongs to the Calgary Flames"



Thanks a lot getbak!

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by shutout

Bill Daly on May 7, 2024 - "The number 9 overall selection for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft belongs to the Calgary Flames"



Thanks a lot getbak!

A team behind the Flames could still win the lottery and push us to 10th.

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

A team behind the Flames could still win the lottery and push us to 10th.

2 Teams behind could win and push the Flames to 11th.

[bdubbs]

Originally Posted by Samonadreau

2 Teams behind could win and push the Flames to 11th.

If this happens, I'd draft Iginla if he was still available.

[cral12]

Originally Posted by cral12

Ranking top 15
(Based on Bingo's compilation with link to Sandman's Upside profile)

1 M Celebrini C 1.00 https://bit.ly/macklincelebrini
2 Ivan Demidov RW 3.00 https://bit.ly/ivandemidov
3 A Levshunov D 4.25 https://bit.ly/artyomlevshunov
4 Sam Dickinson D 6.25 https://bit.ly/sam_dickinson
5 Berkly Catton C 6.81 https://bit.ly/berklycatton
6 C Lindstrom C 6.94 https://bit.ly/caydenlindstrom
7 Anton Silayev D 7.44 https://bit.ly/AntonSilayev
8 Zeev Buium D 8.06 https://bit.ly/zeevbuium
9 Zayne Parekh D 9.06 https://bit.ly/zayparekh
10 Cole Eiserman LW 9.94 https://bit.ly/ColeEiserman
11 Konsta Helenius C 11.13 https://bit.ly/konstahelenius
12 C Yakemchuk D 12.19 https://bit.ly/CarterYakemchuk
13 Tij Iginla F 12.63 https://bit.ly/tijiginla
14 Liam Greentree RW 13.31 https://bit.ly/LiamGreentree
15 BrandseggNygard RW 16.06 https://bit.ly/MichaelBrandseggNygard

Plus another 4 profiles added to stay afloat with Sandman ; )

Upside up to 156 profiles total!
(I just gotta add their link to the rankings spreadsheet shortly)

https://bit.ly/upside2024nhldraft

[Wastedyouth]

Kiviharju with our second pick would be a coup

[Paulie Walnuts]

You can’t forget Hunter Smith when talking about useless giants the Flames took because size.

People always say you can’t teach size. Well you can’t teach skill and speed either, and just being big doesn’t win you games.

[Royle9]

Originally Posted by Wastedyouth

Kiviharju with our second pick would be a coup

Kylington 2.0 for sure

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Samonadreau

2 Teams behind could win and push the Flames to 11th.

And right after that, you find out you were also adopted.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

You can’t forget Hunter Smith when talking about useless giants the Flames took because size.

People always say you can’t teach size. Well you can’t teach skill and speed either, and just being big doesn’t win you games.

No, just being big doesn't win you games.

But it is bizarre how many fans there are that seem to think size and skill are mutually exclusive

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Titanium Edition):

Left-handed winger Maxim Velikov had first-round buzz coming in to the 2023-24 season, but didn't play at a level deserving of an NHL team's top pick, unfortunately. There could be many reasons for this, one being that he plays on a fairly talent-laden forward group for Krasniya Armiya Moskva of the MHL, and has been seemingly relegated to the supporting cast for parts of the season. There hasn't been much progression in his numbers from last season to this one, as his 19 points in 32 games in 2022-23 converts to 0.59 ppg, and his 28 points in 43 games this season represents an incrementally higher 0.65 ppg. One would expect much more growth for a potential first-rounder, with his points total being 7th on the team. Velikov has size at 6'1",198lbs, plays both wings with equal proficiency, and still holds a ton of promise despite failing to live up to expectations this year.

Though he's a complimentary winger at this point, and probably will be going forward, Velikov is a highly-skilled, all-situations winger who is a dual threat on offense. His 28 points are split evenly between goals and assists, at 28 on each side. He possesses high-end hockey sense, and produces offense with his slick passing game, and goal-scorer's mentality. Velikov exhibits patience and poise in his playmaking, slowing down the play to scan for the best option, and finding his teammates in high-danger consistently. He can connect on difficult plays, and isn't afraid to try things as they usually work out for him- he's got smarts and vision. One can often find him sneaking around the net, hunting for rebounds in pockets of open space, and he will attack the middle at opportune times to shoot. He has a bullet of a wrister with a lightning-quick release to fool goalies and pick corners with, but he also changes the angle of his blade to disguise the release point of his shot for an extra layer of deception. He has sublime hands, with a wide array of moves to deke goalies out of their jockstraps, and many of his tallies are of the highlight-reel variety. Though his feet could use a bit more explosiveness, he exerts a long, powerful stride with a top-end speed that allows him to flat-out fly up the ice. He's strong on his skates, and hard to knock off stride, with solid edgework to turn quickly and pivot on a dime.

Velikov has quick hands to match his quick feet, and is a skilled handler with tight puck-protection and the 1-on-1 skills to move through traffic with the puck on a string. He can also power through checks, and lean into defenders to leverage his way around. He's poised and confident with the puck, even under duress, and has no problem rushing the puck through transition for clean entries. Admirably, Velikov plays a polished, mature defensive game with the high-end anticipation to proactively shut down the rush before it even gets to the blueline. In the zone, he positions himself well to be able to intercept passes, shut down lanes, and cause turnovers. He is able to smother his man and remove him as a passing option. The big detriment in his game is that when he slows down the play on the rush, he stops moving his feet and tends to glide in with the puck- he won't be able to play this way in the NHL, and he absolutely must learn to push the pace, and play at top speed. Too often, he plays on the perimeter and needs to upgrade his work-ethic and intensity. Velikov can be inconsistent in-game, but he can also go through long droughts without points for several games. There's top end talent here though, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him get taken in the third, or fourth round.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

No, just being big doesn't win you games.

But it is bizarre how many fans there are that seem to think size and skill are mutually exclusive

Those players are rare and go right at the top of the draft.

I’d rather spend picks on a Johnny Gaudreau and Adam Fox than junk like Keegan Kanzig and Hunter Smith because they are big.

It’s that type of thinking that holds teams back.