Deep Thoughts Twitter - June 24th 2019 - NHL Draft Grades

Deep Thoughts
With
Mark Seidel
Deep Thoughts: Welcome to another Deep Thoughts which represent my PERSONAL views & don’t reflect ANY Organization that I work with! This edition is LONG with Draft Grades & thoughts so unfollow if you don’t want them.
DT: I’ll give a Draft Grade for every team along with listing 1 guy that they took that I like & why. People who don’t like Draft Grades can kiss my ass. If we do rankings, we should step up & grade teams based on OUR evaluations & not be afraid to publish them.
DT: Those grades are then part of your history & can be reviewed in the years to come by everyone so that people can determine who should have credibility & who shouldn’t. If you don’t like ‘em, don’t read ‘em. If you’re scared, buy a dog.
DT: Anaheim – Grade A - 5 of 7 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Jackson Lacombe; Shattuck – Good sized defenseman that was under-valued but has a really high ceiling.
DT: Arizona – Grade B Minus - 5 of 9 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Valentin Nussbaumer; Biel – To get Nussbaumer (in the 7th round) who is a very slick Centreman that has a lot of offensive ability so late is a steal.
DT: Boston - Grade B - 3 of 5 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: John Beecher; US-NTDP – Beecher was overshadowed all year & he has more offense than most think. He is a big body that can play 200 feet & heavy.

DT: Buffalo - Grade C - 2 of 6 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Dylan Cozens; Lethbridge – Buffalo was fortunate that the Cozens fell to them because I liked him more than Dach & they’ve got a long term solution at Centre.

DT: Calgary - Grade A - 4 of 5 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Ilya Nikolaev; Yaroslavl – Kid has all of the tools you want including skill, hockey IQ, vision & compete. His feet will get better as he goes forward.

DT: Carolina - Grade A+ - 10 of 12 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Jamieson Rees; Sarnia – This kid plays fast with character & grit & has plenty of skill to play in the NHL. Nothing not to like about this player.

DT: Chicago - Grade B - 5 of 6 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Alex Vlasic; US-NTDP – Vlasic has a huge frame & he showed throughout the year that he could play a key role on the dominant US-NTDP team.

DT: Colorado - Grade A - 6 of 8 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Bowen Byram; Vancouver – They got ANOTHER stud defenseman to match up with current prospects & it came from the Matt Duschene deal.

DT: Columbus - Grade D - 0 of 3 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick:Eric Hjorth; Linkoping – When you only have 3 picks & the first isn’t until #104, its tough be happy but Hjorth is a big, mobile Defenseman that has some offense.

DT: Dallas - Grade B-  - 3 of 4 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Ben Brinkman; Edina High - The skilled defender wrapped up his career at Edina High & is headed to the University of Minnesota where he will have 4 years to mature his game with the Gophers

DT: Detroit - Grade A - 6 of 11 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Albin Grewe; Djurgarden - We had Seider at #5 overall so its hard to pass on that but Albin Grewe in the 3rd round might was the best pick of Saturday. He will be loved by teammates & despised by everyone else.

DT: Edmonton - Grade A-   - 2 of 6 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Phillip Broberg; AIK – There was a lot of angst with this pick & I have no idea why. Broberg is a big kid that can fly & handles the puck pretty well. Don’t overthink it.

DT: Florida - Grade B-  - 4 of 9 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Vladislav Kolyachonok; Flint – Entered the year as a probable 1st rounder & although it took a while to adjust to North America, the kid might have played a solid 26 minutes a night in Flint.

DT: Los Angeles - Grade A - 5 of 9 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Arthur Kaliyev; Hamilton – Anytime you can get a mid 1st round talent in the 2nd round, you run to the stage. Work ethic, away from the puck, skating, blah, blah, blah…The kid can & will score.

DT: Minnesota - Grade C+ - 6 of 8 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Marshall Warren; US-NTDP – We told anyone that would listen that Warren would fall but to get a kid with that skillset in the 6th round is good work. Needs a lot of work but he’ll have 4 years at BC to improve.

DT: Montreal - Grade C+ - 2 of 10 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Cole Caufield; US-NTDP – The dimunitive scorer became the underdog that everyone can cheer for but the kidis a pure goal scorer. Can really fire it & a character kid. #PocketDynamite

DT: Nashville - Grade B - 4 of 8 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Phil Tomasino; Niagara – When you get our top ranked OHL’er late in the 1st, you have done well. Speed, skill & character made this an easy pick& teams will kick themselves for passing.

DT: New Jersey - Grade  - 7 of 11 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Nikita Okhotyuk; Ottawa – Its hard not to name Hughes but the rugged rearguard from Russia reminds me of Vladislav Konstantinov. Everyone keeps their head up when he is on the ice & great work ethic.

DT: New York Islanders - Grade D - 2 of 5 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Samuel Bolduc; Blainville Boisbriand – The big LS Defenseman will never wow anyone with his skills but he has size & plays a very clean game.

DT: New York Rangers - Grade  - 5 of 8 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Leevi Aaltonen; KalPa – For the Rangers to get a player like Aaltonen in the 5th round who can absolutely fly. Will never produce big NHL points but can play on their 3rd/4th line.

DT: Ottawa - Grade B+ - 4 of 6 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Mads Sogaard; Medicine Hat – When you can find a 6’8 goalie with athleticism, you should always jump at the chance. Has a chance to be an NHL starter

DT: Philadelphia - Grade B+ - 3 of 7 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Bobby Brink; Sioux City – The knock on this kid is his skating but I think his stride will get better. What they do get is a kid that dominated the USHL & jumped right into the US18 team & made a difference.

DT: Pittsburgh - Grade C+ - 3 of 5 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Nathan Legare; Baie Comeau – Legare was a stud for Baie Comeau all year by scoring & playing hard & then he went to the Under 18’s & played hard & scored. #Pattern

DT: San Jose - Grade C - 3 of 5 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Yegor Spirodonov; Magnitigorsk – I don’t think Spirodonov will be an offensive catalyst but he is a workhorse Centreman that plays heavy & hard. Will fit right into the Sharks.

DT: St. Louis - Grade B - 3 of 5 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Keean Washkurak; Mississauga – The best value pick in the draft & it isn’t close. This kid will find a way & will make every team better. Tough, character, sneaky IQ. I love him.

DT: Tampa Bay - Grade C - 4 of 7 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Maxim Cajkovic; Saint John – Came into the year as a potential 1st rounder who never seemed to get comfortable but I can’t forget the skill & upside this kid showed last year.

DT: Toronto - Grade A-  - 3 of 5 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Nick Robertson; Peterborough – His brother led the OHL in scoring & he has those same offensive instincts. Did I mention he skates WAY better too. Perfect fit for the small, skilled Leafs.

DT: Vancouver - Grade B - 3 of 9 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Vasili Podkolzin; St. Petersburg – It is a risky pick but if this kid gets his consistency fixed he can have a big impact on the coast. Skill but a worker & high IQ make him attractive #BoomOrBust

DT: Vegas - Grade A-  - 8 of 8 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Donovan Ryder; Duluth – We’ve learned to be wary of Minnesota high school kids but this kid has all the tools as a 2 wat Centreman. Headed to Wisconsin for 4 years or less.

DT: Washington - Grade B+ - 4 of 4 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Alexei Protas; Prince Albert – The massive Centreman was overshadowed all year by Brett Leason but he just kept getting better every month. Was effective at the Memorial Cup.

DT: Winnipeg - Grade B-  - 4 of 5 were on our Top 170  Favorite Pick: Henri Nikkanen; Jukurit – Nikkanen had a really tough year because of injuries but when he played, he was good. Solid size & good feet will give him a chance.

DT: Some of the guys that didn’t get drafted that I was shocked were Daniel Gutik, Billy Constantineau, Vojtech Strondala, Oleg Zaitsev, Keegan Stevenson, Taylor Gauthier & Brayden Guy. Teams made mistakes on these kids but it’s a long road.

DT: You have to give it to Kyle Dubas. He has a plan & a philosophy on the way the game should be played & how to win & he isn’t varying from it. His scouts keep getting him the players he wants so now we’ll see if it works.
DT: PK Subban is one of the most charitable, generous, community building guys in the NHL & the cities he has played in are better for having him but he drives teammates crazy & he is on his 3rd team because of it. He ain’t changing so New Jersey should get ready. Good & bad.
DT: I was one of the dumb guys who had Jesse Pulujarvi at #3 in his draft year & I truly think that Edmonton has to move on. They’re going to get 40 cents on the dollar but the relationship isn’t salvageable. Cut your losses & move on & it won't break Connor's heart.
DT: IT drives me nuts every time a YOUNG player gets signed to a long term deal for good money & people lose their minds. History tells us that there will be a few bad deals but primarily, those deals look way better in 3 years.
DT: If ANYONE thinks that Mitch Marner is signing for less than a 29 year old Erik Karlsson who has had injury issues, they need their head examined. The kid has done everything right thus far & he is only 22 so the number will blow people away.
DT: I know Marner would love to stay in Toronto & play in his hometown & that will be his dilemma but if people think Ferris/Marner are going to give a big hometown discount, it won’t happen. They think they should write their own ticket but Dubas will push back. #NoEasySolution
DT: I agree that it was a historic year with the US-U18 squad this year & they had 17 players drafted but can we pump the brakes on the US starting to dominate hockey. They picked the best 20 players in 1 birth year in a country of 327 million & played together for 2 years con't
DT: In, what most agree is an average year in Canada, there would have been (12) 1st Round Picks, (3) 2nd round picks, (3) 3rd round picks, a 4th round pick & a 7th round pick.