Deep Thoughts • 16/05/2019
Deep Thoughts Twitter - May 16th 2019 - 2019 NHL Draft thoughts & OHL Draft Opinions
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 will have thoughts from all around the hockey world among other things & it is LONG so unfollow if you don’t want them.
DT: Everyone else is weighing in on the Hughes-Kakko debate so why not join the fray. I've said all year the gap is significant but that has changed because of how good Kakko has been. Jack Hughes is still my #1 but Kakko's play has to make NJ think long & hard until late June.
DT: These 2 remind me of the battle between Matthews & Laine. USA born Matthews was the clear cut favorite all year but the Finn, Laine kept getting better & lit the World Championships up. Both are NHL superstars now & these 2 will be as well.
DT: Anyone that doesn’t think Bowen Byram isn’t the 3rd best Prospect heading into the Draft wasn’t paying attention to the WHL Playoffs. This kid did things that very few have ever done & teams want players that are always getting better & Byram is precisely that.
DT: If we stick with the theme of the '16 Draft, who's going to become the Jesse Puljujarvi of this class? There are candidates but I could see Podkolzin becoming that guy. All kinds of talent but indifferent at times & inability to keep getting better might catch up with him.
DT: Another kid blossoming at the end of the year is Cole Caufield & his goal scoring. My question is if Arthur Kaliyev was on that team & riding shotgun, how many goals would he get? Both are guys that have warts but are pure goal scorers & those are gold in the NHL.
DT: Caufield had 72 goals playing against USHL & International teams this year while Kaliyev had 51 playing in the OHL. Kaliyev is bigger but Caufield has more passion. Kaliyev had 51 assists while Caufield had 28. Kaliyev played on an average team & Caufield had a powerhouse.
DT: Neither Caufield or Kaliyev are great skaters & defensively they both lack some intensity so in my mind, it’s a coin toss. By their very nature, they have to be ranked close to each other but guys that have 20 spots between them are being fooled by the U18’s.
DT: With the huge success of the US-NTDP U18’s, some guys won’t get the credit they deserve. I happen to think that Cam York is one of those guys. He obviously had a great U18’s but he has been a catalyst all year for them on the back end & is perfect for the new NHL.
DT: On the flip side of that coin, we will all look back & be amazed at some players on the US-NTDP were over valued at the Draft. For me, that candidate is Marshall Warren. I LOVED him in Minor Midget & thought he’d be a GREAT junior but I’m not sure it translates to the NHL.
DT: Eric Ciccolini who I have had a love/not love relationship in my evaluation of him throughout the year has now signed his Letter of Commitment with Michigan. He dominated the OJHL at times this year & going to school will help him get stronger for a few years down the road.
DT: I have to admit that I didn’t see Guelph winning the OHL title. Down 3-0 to LDN 7 2-0 to OTT, I never foresaw this happening. I’ve been critical of George Burnett in the past but he deserves an A+ for the GM & Coaching job he’s done with this group. VERY happy for Jake Grimes too!
DT: I constantly see guys going from Major Junior or the NCAA to the NHL & sometimes they make sense but can someone explain to me how an NHL Team hasn’t jumped all over @HDBrownie2000 This guy built a powerhouse in Erie & is reloading it again for another run!
DT: Around the OHL, it would appear that Mason Mctavish is making plans to go play in Switzerland this upcoming season because he won’t go to Peterborough. I’m not sure it happens but it does give them leverage on where he will be traded to (Sarnia??) on September 1st.
DT: The other interesting OHL 1st rounder that has said he won’t report is Wyatt Johnston in Windsor. It was no secret that the Hamilton Bulldogs loved the player so that could be a destination in September with the possibility of Tag Bertuzzi coming back, closer to home.
DT: All of the hand wringing about the sale of Windsor Spitfires to Azim Parekh is becoming a little much. He drafted his ’03 Son in the 5th round & his older Son in the un-important U18 Draft. That puts him in the same category as dozens of other owners over the past 20 years!
DT: The real test will be if he demands that the kids play on the team and if so, how much? As far as I know, the youngest son Isa is set to play Major Midget in Toronto this winter so perhaps we can hold off on the condemnation & innuendo until we see how it plays out.
DT: I’m not going to grade the OHL Draft but I really did love the selections of @SpiritHockey I thought they mixed in 4 or 5 kids that will play with some potential home run Americans. Recruiting is a tough business but Dave Drinkill has done it before w/ Wilde, Jenkins, etc..
DT: The other team that I thought did a very good job was the @KingstonFronts Obviously Shane Wright will be a superstar but they added a bunch of pieces that will grow together as that team tries to rebuild from the misguided run in 2018 that emptied the cupboards.
DT: I know I’ve said this before but I’m absolutely AMAZED that an NHL Team hasn’t come knocking on Sheldon Keefe’s door & offered him the keys to the Kingdom. All this guy does is win & develop players. Those are 2 pretty important traits that I’d want in my coach!
DT: Players for the ’19 NHL Draft that are really moving up are Moritz Seider, Patrik Puistola, Keegan Stevenson, Ryder Donovan, Jamieson Rees, Albin Grewe, Bobby Brink, Keean Washkurak, Yegor Spirodonov, Graeme Clarke, Cole Moberg & Leevi Aaltonen.
DT: Lastly, it appears that Aaron Nagy has left Newport Sports as an Agent to work in a different field & I’d like to acknowledge him. He has always been a great kid that has worked hard, served his clients & done a great job & I wish him well in his new path.
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 will have thoughts from all around the hockey world among other things & it is LONG so unfollow if you don’t want them.
DT: Everyone else is weighing in on the Hughes-Kakko debate so why not join the fray. I've said all year the gap is significant but that has changed because of how good Kakko has been. Jack Hughes is still my #1 but Kakko's play has to make NJ think long & hard until late June.
DT: These 2 remind me of the battle between Matthews & Laine. USA born Matthews was the clear cut favorite all year but the Finn, Laine kept getting better & lit the World Championships up. Both are NHL superstars now & these 2 will be as well.
DT: Anyone that doesn’t think Bowen Byram isn’t the 3rd best Prospect heading into the Draft wasn’t paying attention to the WHL Playoffs. This kid did things that very few have ever done & teams want players that are always getting better & Byram is precisely that.
DT: If we stick with the theme of the '16 Draft, who's going to become the Jesse Puljujarvi of this class? There are candidates but I could see Podkolzin becoming that guy. All kinds of talent but indifferent at times & inability to keep getting better might catch up with him.
DT: Another kid blossoming at the end of the year is Cole Caufield & his goal scoring. My question is if Arthur Kaliyev was on that team & riding shotgun, how many goals would he get? Both are guys that have warts but are pure goal scorers & those are gold in the NHL.
DT: Caufield had 72 goals playing against USHL & International teams this year while Kaliyev had 51 playing in the OHL. Kaliyev is bigger but Caufield has more passion. Kaliyev had 51 assists while Caufield had 28. Kaliyev played on an average team & Caufield had a powerhouse.
DT: Neither Caufield or Kaliyev are great skaters & defensively they both lack some intensity so in my mind, it’s a coin toss. By their very nature, they have to be ranked close to each other but guys that have 20 spots between them are being fooled by the U18’s.
DT: With the huge success of the US-NTDP U18’s, some guys won’t get the credit they deserve. I happen to think that Cam York is one of those guys. He obviously had a great U18’s but he has been a catalyst all year for them on the back end & is perfect for the new NHL.
DT: On the flip side of that coin, we will all look back & be amazed at some players on the US-NTDP were over valued at the Draft. For me, that candidate is Marshall Warren. I LOVED him in Minor Midget & thought he’d be a GREAT junior but I’m not sure it translates to the NHL.
DT: Eric Ciccolini who I have had a love/not love relationship in my evaluation of him throughout the year has now signed his Letter of Commitment with Michigan. He dominated the OJHL at times this year & going to school will help him get stronger for a few years down the road.
DT: I have to admit that I didn’t see Guelph winning the OHL title. Down 3-0 to LDN 7 2-0 to OTT, I never foresaw this happening. I’ve been critical of George Burnett in the past but he deserves an A+ for the GM & Coaching job he’s done with this group. VERY happy for Jake Grimes too!
DT: I constantly see guys going from Major Junior or the NCAA to the NHL & sometimes they make sense but can someone explain to me how an NHL Team hasn’t jumped all over @HDBrownie2000 This guy built a powerhouse in Erie & is reloading it again for another run!
DT: Around the OHL, it would appear that Mason Mctavish is making plans to go play in Switzerland this upcoming season because he won’t go to Peterborough. I’m not sure it happens but it does give them leverage on where he will be traded to (Sarnia??) on September 1st.
DT: The other interesting OHL 1st rounder that has said he won’t report is Wyatt Johnston in Windsor. It was no secret that the Hamilton Bulldogs loved the player so that could be a destination in September with the possibility of Tag Bertuzzi coming back, closer to home.
DT: All of the hand wringing about the sale of Windsor Spitfires to Azim Parekh is becoming a little much. He drafted his ’03 Son in the 5th round & his older Son in the un-important U18 Draft. That puts him in the same category as dozens of other owners over the past 20 years!
DT: The real test will be if he demands that the kids play on the team and if so, how much? As far as I know, the youngest son Isa is set to play Major Midget in Toronto this winter so perhaps we can hold off on the condemnation & innuendo until we see how it plays out.
DT: I’m not going to grade the OHL Draft but I really did love the selections of @SpiritHockey I thought they mixed in 4 or 5 kids that will play with some potential home run Americans. Recruiting is a tough business but Dave Drinkill has done it before w/ Wilde, Jenkins, etc..
DT: The other team that I thought did a very good job was the @KingstonFronts Obviously Shane Wright will be a superstar but they added a bunch of pieces that will grow together as that team tries to rebuild from the misguided run in 2018 that emptied the cupboards.
DT: I know I’ve said this before but I’m absolutely AMAZED that an NHL Team hasn’t come knocking on Sheldon Keefe’s door & offered him the keys to the Kingdom. All this guy does is win & develop players. Those are 2 pretty important traits that I’d want in my coach!
DT: Players for the ’19 NHL Draft that are really moving up are Moritz Seider, Patrik Puistola, Keegan Stevenson, Ryder Donovan, Jamieson Rees, Albin Grewe, Bobby Brink, Keean Washkurak, Yegor Spirodonov, Graeme Clarke, Cole Moberg & Leevi Aaltonen.
DT: Lastly, it appears that Aaron Nagy has left Newport Sports as an Agent to work in a different field & I’d like to acknowledge him. He has always been a great kid that has worked hard, served his clients & done a great job & I wish him well in his new path.
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