Deep Thoughts • 25/06/2018
Deep Thoughts Twitter - June 25th 2018 - NHL Draft Grades
Deep Thoughts
with
Mark Seidel
DT: It is Back to Back weeks for Deep Thoughts! This edition will grade every NHL Team & highlight some thoughts on each team’s draft picks. At the end, there will be some overall thoughts about the Draft & hockey.
DT: ANA - Grade B: The Isaac Lundestrom pick was a sneaky good pick. In this Draft where there weren’t a lot of superstars past 12, Lundestrom is a solid pick that will be a 3C at worst. Good value in Mclaughlin/Groulx & Dostal may prove to be one of the best goaltenders down the road & we will see if he comes to the CHL.
DT: ARI - Grade B-: The Coyotes stuck to their guns and loved Barret Hayton, so they took him at #5. I didn’t have him nearly that high, but I trust their staff, so we will see. Kevin Bahl is a personal favorite & he fell to them at #55 so GREAT value. Emberson & Busby were solid picks but I didn’t like the Callahan & Prosvetov picks coming out of Youngstown.
DT: BOS - Grade C-: The Bruins only had 5 picks and no first rounder so it was tough. Anderson & Lauko were taken too high but I liked the Hall pick & I applaud them for taking a shot with McFaul who played Junior A in Pickering.
DT: BUF – Grade A – When you start the weekend off by selecting the best defensive prospect since 2009 (Victor Hedman), you know it’s going to be a great Draft. They also got the big & reliable defender Mattias Samuelsson & the great USHL rookie Matej Pekar who both have a chance.
DT: CAL – Grade B-: You'll get a lower grade when you trade your picks & don’t select until the 4th but I loved their selection of Martin Pospisil. He's a big kid that has some skill but plays with HEAVY “truculence” as Burkie says. Roman & Zavgorodniy were value picks.
DT: CAR – Grade B+: Picking 2nd and getting Svechnikov means things are good but they had some sneaky picks later. Drury & Henman might have been early but both are quality players. It was the Killinen pick that I loved. It’s a homerun swing in the 6th & I like it.
DT: CHI – Grade A-: I would have taken Dobson or Bouchard ahead of Boqvist but he has huge potential. Furthermore, I thought Beaudin was a little early but then the Hawks began to roll. They got Wise, Nordgren, Kurashev & Gravel later on & they were among the best available each time they picked.
DT: COL – Grade B+: I thought the Martin Kaut selection was high but their Docs must feel comfortable with the heart issue. They then went on a run of 4 good picks with Annunen, Ranta, Weiss & Saigeon. The 1st 3 have a lot of upside & Saigeon has played like he was possessed
DT: CBJ – Grade B: Taking Liam Foudy shows that they believe his last 3 months is the tip of the iceberg & Marchenko has a huge skillset. I didn’t like the Karlsberg & Berni picks but they got Vehvilainen, whom we've been touting for 3 years now since his original draft year
DT: DAL – Grade A+: Ty Dellandrea is one of my favorite players & the Stars agreed & took him at #13. They then got Eriksson who has size/skill & followed up with 5 good prospects in Back, Mascherin, Douglas & Damiani & don’t sleep on the Loewen pick in the 7th.
DT: DET – Grade A+: To get Zadina, Veleno, Berggren & McIsaac with your first 4 picks was phenomenal. I expect all 4 to play in the NHL in a few years. They followed that up with Regula, Barton, O’Reilly & Brattstrom which may make this a phenomenal draft class for the Wings.
DT: EDM – Grade A-: The Oilers got 3 good ones & a long term project with the 4th. Bouchard is a lock to patrol that blueline for years while McLeod will push the pace when he gets there. Rodrique gave them the best goaltender in the draft & Kesselring might be worth waiting for.
DT: FLA – Grade C+: The Cats had 2 great picks early in Denisenko & Noel. I think Noel is a lock to play & Denisenko has that Top 6 quality that you want. Hutsko is a good player & is worth watching but the last 3 were unimpressive
DT: LAK – Grade A+: The Kings got the slick, quick Kupari at #20 & then got another 1st round talent who led the OHL in Draft eligible scoring & fell for no reason in Akil Thomas. Shafigullin & Dudas & were tremendous value & Ingham might have been the best pick in the 6th round.
DT: MIN – Grade C+ - I didn’t love the overall Wild draft but there were players that I got that I think were phenomenal. Jack McBain at #61 was smart & Khovanov was wise at #86 but their real prize was getting the underrated Damien Giroux at #155.
DT: MON – Grade B: The Habs wanted Centremen & they got 6 including the skilled Kotkaniemi (Who I don't like) & high IQ Cameron Hillis. They also got Ylonen & Romanov who are built for this new NHL & they mixed in solid selections like McShane, Olofsson & Fonstad.
DT: NSH – Grade D: The Preds only had 4 picks & none until #111 but they didn’t do much with them. Kondelik suffered by not playing in Sudbury & hasn’t gotten better while Yeremenko was their only solid piece that has NHL upside.
DT: NJ – Grade B-: The Devils had one pick in the top 110 & they got the smart skilled defender in Ty Smith. After that, Xavier Bernard was a good pick at #110 but Mitchell Hoelscher was the best player left at #172 & will be one of the surprises out of the 2018 Draft.
DT: NYI – Grade A+: The Islanders were the winners of the Draft by getting Wahlstrom & Dobson while following it up with Wilde, Ishakov, Skarek, Pivonka & Jenkins. The 1st 3 will play for sure & I’d bet 3 of those other 4 end up playing NHL games.
DT: NYR – Grade C: The Rangers used 2 of their 1st round picks on Kravstov & Miller which were very good but they didn’t maximize the 3rd by taking Lundkvist. They got some value in Keane & Kjellberg in the middle rounds but they could have done more.
DT: OTT – Grade A: The Sens got the ultimate games in Tkachuk & although I thought they reached for Bernard-Docker at #26, he does have serious potential. Tychonick, Gruden, Mandolese & Novak are all solid picks & thus the rebuild in Ottawa has begun.
DT: PHI – Grade D – After Farabee, the Flyers seemed to reach on every pick to take guys they could have gotten later. Farabee is a very good prospect but O’Brian, Ginning, St. Ivany & Wylie were all taken a round too high in my opinion.
DT: PIT – Grade D+: The Pens only had 4 picks all weekend but the only player that I really loved was Calen Addision. The fact they got him at #53 was remarkable & really like Almeida but I don’t see an NHL future for the other 2.
DT: SJ – Grade D+: The Merkley pick was just simply too high & unless they can do something nobody else has done, it will be a tough road. Karlsson is a good player but both Weatherby & Leonard are 98’s & Emond struggled at times this year.
DT: STL – Grade B: The Blues took advantage of Dominik Bokk falling & got the highly skilled German. They also got the slick NCAA defender Scott Perunivich & the hard-nosed Tyler Tucker late but the middle rounds were underwhelming.
DT: TBL – Grade C: The best drafting team threw me for a loop in taking Gabriel Fortier in the 2nd & getting Semykin in the 3rd. I had the two reversed but without a pick until late in the 2nd, they did OK. I actually liked their 7th’s better than their mid round selections.
DT: TOR – Grade B+: Dubas is driving the ship towards a skilled, quick & smart team & this weekend just accentuated that effort because Sandin & Durzi were great picks in that mold. I’m not sold on SDE but every other pick fit that design & Bouthillier was a steal in the 7th.
DT: VAN – Grade B: Vancouver also seems to be following that possession model & started the weekend with super-skilled Quinton Hughes. The Canucks opted for speed & skill over size with guys like Madden/Utunen/Manyukyan so we'll see but they got great value with Woo & Thiessen.
DT: VGK – Grade B: The Knights had 1 pick in the first 98 but they got the ultra-talented Morozov who has unlimited potential. I didn’t like a lot of their middle picks but despite having a poor year, I love the Xavier Bouchard pick in the 6th & Jordan Kooy was well worth a 7th
DT: WAS – Grade A-: The Caps started with the safe, steady D in Alexeyev which was smart. Fehervary was a little high but I love Kody Clark in the 2nd and Riley Sutter in the 3rd. Mitchell Gibson just toyed with teams in the NAHL & was a smart 4th round pick.
DT: WPG – Grade C: The Jets were in tough not picking until #60 but I thought they could've done more. Gustafsson & Smith weren't overly impressive but the Jets got better in 5th/6th with Chisholm, Vallati & Moe. They closed with my favorite human wrecking ball, Austin Wong.
DT: Independent Scouts refusing to grade teams is silly. Of course the Grades will be my perception of who we had rated & where they went. It’s why we do rankings. It gives fans insight into our opinions of their teams & they can look back a few years to determine credibility.
DT: The USHL (UNITED STATES Hockey League has claimed that they had the “Most players drafted out of any League this year with 45”. I hate to be the stickler for facts but the CHL (CANADIAN Hockey League) had 78. USHL was impressive but CHL says hold my beer! #FakeNews
DT: Speaking of the USHL, the path there isn’t always golden. 2 years ago, Christian Sbaraglia was one of North America’s best 2001 goaltenders but one year after sitting in the stands/on the bench in Omaha, he wasn’t even a consideration for the Hlinka/Gretzky Camp. #HaveToPlay
DT: The game is changing. Exhibit A: There were 21 Defensemen taken in the Draft that are 5’11 or shorter. Compare that to 2010 when there were 6. Teams want smart, puck moving defensemen that can get go get the puck & move it.
DT: The game is changing. Exhibit B: There were 9 Defensemen taken in the 1st round that are 5’11 or shorter. In 2011 there were only 7 short Defensemen drafted at all & only two in the first 2 rounds!
DT: Just to be clear, at NACS, we didn’t provide comments or scouting reports to anybody EXCEPT our Pro Hockey clients so we knew our comments weren’t in the public domain but seeing newspapers & websites use non-scouting entities for scouting reports on players was sad.
DT: @Sportsnet had their ticker filled with comments from Writers, Sites & Publications I’ve never heard of. No disrespect but why wouldn’t they primarily use ISS, Mckeens, Redline, Draft Analyst & FC is beyond me. They are my competitors but they have history & credibility.
DT: I’ve said it before in DT’s but I’ll say it again on the day they announce the HHOF. How in the hell is Don Cherry not in the HHOF. Is he controversial & absurb at times? Sure but very few in the history of the game have promoted the game better?
DT: Theoren Fleury should be too. He had issues but he was one of the best in the NHL for a period of time & his work lately on behalf of Survivors has been great. Lastly, Cassie Campbell Pascal captained 2 Olympic Gold Medal teams & helped grow the girls/women’s game immeasurably.
DT: I’m not here to be the defender of all things Kyle Dubas but would the incessant criticism from guys like Damian Cox stop. The kid has earned this chance & smart people have determined him qualified so sit back & see what he does AND THEN criticize him if its justified.
DT: I don’t know John Tavares but I’ve been around long enough to know that ELITE players at this stage in his career are worried about legacy. Where can play with great teammates where he win a Cup. The money will be similar so I think his decision will be based on winning.
with
Mark Seidel
DT: It is Back to Back weeks for Deep Thoughts! This edition will grade every NHL Team & highlight some thoughts on each team’s draft picks. At the end, there will be some overall thoughts about the Draft & hockey.
DT: ANA - Grade B: The Isaac Lundestrom pick was a sneaky good pick. In this Draft where there weren’t a lot of superstars past 12, Lundestrom is a solid pick that will be a 3C at worst. Good value in Mclaughlin/Groulx & Dostal may prove to be one of the best goaltenders down the road & we will see if he comes to the CHL.
DT: ARI - Grade B-: The Coyotes stuck to their guns and loved Barret Hayton, so they took him at #5. I didn’t have him nearly that high, but I trust their staff, so we will see. Kevin Bahl is a personal favorite & he fell to them at #55 so GREAT value. Emberson & Busby were solid picks but I didn’t like the Callahan & Prosvetov picks coming out of Youngstown.
DT: BOS - Grade C-: The Bruins only had 5 picks and no first rounder so it was tough. Anderson & Lauko were taken too high but I liked the Hall pick & I applaud them for taking a shot with McFaul who played Junior A in Pickering.
DT: BUF – Grade A – When you start the weekend off by selecting the best defensive prospect since 2009 (Victor Hedman), you know it’s going to be a great Draft. They also got the big & reliable defender Mattias Samuelsson & the great USHL rookie Matej Pekar who both have a chance.
DT: CAL – Grade B-: You'll get a lower grade when you trade your picks & don’t select until the 4th but I loved their selection of Martin Pospisil. He's a big kid that has some skill but plays with HEAVY “truculence” as Burkie says. Roman & Zavgorodniy were value picks.
DT: CAR – Grade B+: Picking 2nd and getting Svechnikov means things are good but they had some sneaky picks later. Drury & Henman might have been early but both are quality players. It was the Killinen pick that I loved. It’s a homerun swing in the 6th & I like it.
DT: CHI – Grade A-: I would have taken Dobson or Bouchard ahead of Boqvist but he has huge potential. Furthermore, I thought Beaudin was a little early but then the Hawks began to roll. They got Wise, Nordgren, Kurashev & Gravel later on & they were among the best available each time they picked.
DT: COL – Grade B+: I thought the Martin Kaut selection was high but their Docs must feel comfortable with the heart issue. They then went on a run of 4 good picks with Annunen, Ranta, Weiss & Saigeon. The 1st 3 have a lot of upside & Saigeon has played like he was possessed
DT: CBJ – Grade B: Taking Liam Foudy shows that they believe his last 3 months is the tip of the iceberg & Marchenko has a huge skillset. I didn’t like the Karlsberg & Berni picks but they got Vehvilainen, whom we've been touting for 3 years now since his original draft year
DT: DAL – Grade A+: Ty Dellandrea is one of my favorite players & the Stars agreed & took him at #13. They then got Eriksson who has size/skill & followed up with 5 good prospects in Back, Mascherin, Douglas & Damiani & don’t sleep on the Loewen pick in the 7th.
DT: DET – Grade A+: To get Zadina, Veleno, Berggren & McIsaac with your first 4 picks was phenomenal. I expect all 4 to play in the NHL in a few years. They followed that up with Regula, Barton, O’Reilly & Brattstrom which may make this a phenomenal draft class for the Wings.
DT: EDM – Grade A-: The Oilers got 3 good ones & a long term project with the 4th. Bouchard is a lock to patrol that blueline for years while McLeod will push the pace when he gets there. Rodrique gave them the best goaltender in the draft & Kesselring might be worth waiting for.
DT: FLA – Grade C+: The Cats had 2 great picks early in Denisenko & Noel. I think Noel is a lock to play & Denisenko has that Top 6 quality that you want. Hutsko is a good player & is worth watching but the last 3 were unimpressive
DT: LAK – Grade A+: The Kings got the slick, quick Kupari at #20 & then got another 1st round talent who led the OHL in Draft eligible scoring & fell for no reason in Akil Thomas. Shafigullin & Dudas & were tremendous value & Ingham might have been the best pick in the 6th round.
DT: MIN – Grade C+ - I didn’t love the overall Wild draft but there were players that I got that I think were phenomenal. Jack McBain at #61 was smart & Khovanov was wise at #86 but their real prize was getting the underrated Damien Giroux at #155.
DT: MON – Grade B: The Habs wanted Centremen & they got 6 including the skilled Kotkaniemi (Who I don't like) & high IQ Cameron Hillis. They also got Ylonen & Romanov who are built for this new NHL & they mixed in solid selections like McShane, Olofsson & Fonstad.
DT: NSH – Grade D: The Preds only had 4 picks & none until #111 but they didn’t do much with them. Kondelik suffered by not playing in Sudbury & hasn’t gotten better while Yeremenko was their only solid piece that has NHL upside.
DT: NJ – Grade B-: The Devils had one pick in the top 110 & they got the smart skilled defender in Ty Smith. After that, Xavier Bernard was a good pick at #110 but Mitchell Hoelscher was the best player left at #172 & will be one of the surprises out of the 2018 Draft.
DT: NYI – Grade A+: The Islanders were the winners of the Draft by getting Wahlstrom & Dobson while following it up with Wilde, Ishakov, Skarek, Pivonka & Jenkins. The 1st 3 will play for sure & I’d bet 3 of those other 4 end up playing NHL games.
DT: NYR – Grade C: The Rangers used 2 of their 1st round picks on Kravstov & Miller which were very good but they didn’t maximize the 3rd by taking Lundkvist. They got some value in Keane & Kjellberg in the middle rounds but they could have done more.
DT: OTT – Grade A: The Sens got the ultimate games in Tkachuk & although I thought they reached for Bernard-Docker at #26, he does have serious potential. Tychonick, Gruden, Mandolese & Novak are all solid picks & thus the rebuild in Ottawa has begun.
DT: PHI – Grade D – After Farabee, the Flyers seemed to reach on every pick to take guys they could have gotten later. Farabee is a very good prospect but O’Brian, Ginning, St. Ivany & Wylie were all taken a round too high in my opinion.
DT: PIT – Grade D+: The Pens only had 4 picks all weekend but the only player that I really loved was Calen Addision. The fact they got him at #53 was remarkable & really like Almeida but I don’t see an NHL future for the other 2.
DT: SJ – Grade D+: The Merkley pick was just simply too high & unless they can do something nobody else has done, it will be a tough road. Karlsson is a good player but both Weatherby & Leonard are 98’s & Emond struggled at times this year.
DT: STL – Grade B: The Blues took advantage of Dominik Bokk falling & got the highly skilled German. They also got the slick NCAA defender Scott Perunivich & the hard-nosed Tyler Tucker late but the middle rounds were underwhelming.
DT: TBL – Grade C: The best drafting team threw me for a loop in taking Gabriel Fortier in the 2nd & getting Semykin in the 3rd. I had the two reversed but without a pick until late in the 2nd, they did OK. I actually liked their 7th’s better than their mid round selections.
DT: TOR – Grade B+: Dubas is driving the ship towards a skilled, quick & smart team & this weekend just accentuated that effort because Sandin & Durzi were great picks in that mold. I’m not sold on SDE but every other pick fit that design & Bouthillier was a steal in the 7th.
DT: VAN – Grade B: Vancouver also seems to be following that possession model & started the weekend with super-skilled Quinton Hughes. The Canucks opted for speed & skill over size with guys like Madden/Utunen/Manyukyan so we'll see but they got great value with Woo & Thiessen.
DT: VGK – Grade B: The Knights had 1 pick in the first 98 but they got the ultra-talented Morozov who has unlimited potential. I didn’t like a lot of their middle picks but despite having a poor year, I love the Xavier Bouchard pick in the 6th & Jordan Kooy was well worth a 7th
DT: WAS – Grade A-: The Caps started with the safe, steady D in Alexeyev which was smart. Fehervary was a little high but I love Kody Clark in the 2nd and Riley Sutter in the 3rd. Mitchell Gibson just toyed with teams in the NAHL & was a smart 4th round pick.
DT: WPG – Grade C: The Jets were in tough not picking until #60 but I thought they could've done more. Gustafsson & Smith weren't overly impressive but the Jets got better in 5th/6th with Chisholm, Vallati & Moe. They closed with my favorite human wrecking ball, Austin Wong.
DT: Independent Scouts refusing to grade teams is silly. Of course the Grades will be my perception of who we had rated & where they went. It’s why we do rankings. It gives fans insight into our opinions of their teams & they can look back a few years to determine credibility.
DT: The USHL (UNITED STATES Hockey League has claimed that they had the “Most players drafted out of any League this year with 45”. I hate to be the stickler for facts but the CHL (CANADIAN Hockey League) had 78. USHL was impressive but CHL says hold my beer! #FakeNews
DT: Speaking of the USHL, the path there isn’t always golden. 2 years ago, Christian Sbaraglia was one of North America’s best 2001 goaltenders but one year after sitting in the stands/on the bench in Omaha, he wasn’t even a consideration for the Hlinka/Gretzky Camp. #HaveToPlay
DT: The game is changing. Exhibit A: There were 21 Defensemen taken in the Draft that are 5’11 or shorter. Compare that to 2010 when there were 6. Teams want smart, puck moving defensemen that can get go get the puck & move it.
DT: The game is changing. Exhibit B: There were 9 Defensemen taken in the 1st round that are 5’11 or shorter. In 2011 there were only 7 short Defensemen drafted at all & only two in the first 2 rounds!
DT: Just to be clear, at NACS, we didn’t provide comments or scouting reports to anybody EXCEPT our Pro Hockey clients so we knew our comments weren’t in the public domain but seeing newspapers & websites use non-scouting entities for scouting reports on players was sad.
DT: @Sportsnet had their ticker filled with comments from Writers, Sites & Publications I’ve never heard of. No disrespect but why wouldn’t they primarily use ISS, Mckeens, Redline, Draft Analyst & FC is beyond me. They are my competitors but they have history & credibility.
DT: I’ve said it before in DT’s but I’ll say it again on the day they announce the HHOF. How in the hell is Don Cherry not in the HHOF. Is he controversial & absurb at times? Sure but very few in the history of the game have promoted the game better?
DT: Theoren Fleury should be too. He had issues but he was one of the best in the NHL for a period of time & his work lately on behalf of Survivors has been great. Lastly, Cassie Campbell Pascal captained 2 Olympic Gold Medal teams & helped grow the girls/women’s game immeasurably.
DT: I’m not here to be the defender of all things Kyle Dubas but would the incessant criticism from guys like Damian Cox stop. The kid has earned this chance & smart people have determined him qualified so sit back & see what he does AND THEN criticize him if its justified.
DT: I don’t know John Tavares but I’ve been around long enough to know that ELITE players at this stage in his career are worried about legacy. Where can play with great teammates where he win a Cup. The money will be similar so I think his decision will be based on winning.
Sports. Stories. Honesty. Unbiased.
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