2014 NHL Entry Draft Discussion Thread - DAY 2

[MXHockey]

What is this? Saturday of the long weekend or something?




1% as busy as the thread last night

LOL, that and rounds 2-7 just don't carry the same drama. RIP TSN coverage......

[ericdaoust]

What is this? Saturday of the long weekend or something?




1% as busy as the thread last night

I wasn't able to watch on TV hence I was left with occasionally refreshing the TSN tracker while doing some things around the house... It's not the same when you're not seeing everything happen live.

[Axeman33]

Out at the cottage all day enjoying the sun so I missed the draft foolishness today.

[MXHockey]

Out at the cottage all day enjoying the sun so I missed the draft foolishness today.

That's just weak for an excuse

[27Blue]

Great two days for the Blues. 3 AMAZING value picks and a great trade where they got the best player and had a pick thrown in while the Leafs retained salary. I was getting worried about Armstrong lately, but this is redeeming. Hopefully Army doesn't do anything stupid for Spezza.

[27Blue]

[sasquatch]

Nathan Walker is the first ever Australian to be drafted!! Congrats to him! hopefully he can improve on his AHL numbers from last year and eventually be the first ever aussie in the NHL!! I great day for Australian Ice Hockey! however, I guarantee I don't here a thing about it in the news over here....

I don't see Australia on that list so somethings wrong.

[Ed.]

Work...Followed on Twitter and by refreshing hockeydb when I could, but no time to chat. Can't wait to hear "acquired with Carl Gunnarsson for Roman Polak" again and again as Husso becomes a quality starter. The Leafs hurt me sometimes.

[Ed.]

St. Louis and Phoenix did great work today. Phoenix in particular, at least based on where guys were ranked vs where they were drafted.

[Fast Tony DeNiro]

Nathan Walker is the first ever Australian to be drafted!! Congrats to him! hopefully he can improve on his AHL numbers from last year and eventually be the first ever aussie in the NHL!! I great day for Australian Ice Hockey! however, I guarantee I don't here a thing about it in the news over here....

I don't see Australia on that list so somethings wrong.

Walker was born in the UK. He is Australian, he was just born there.

[sasquatch]

Walker was born in the UK. He is Australian, he was just born there.

True I had forgotten that, he used his British passport to ply his trade in the Czech Republic....

[DMaz16]

Four teams really stood out for me with strong overall drafts.

Nashville (Fiala, Kamenev, Dougherty, Kirkland, Arvidsson, Lyytinen, and Irving)
Their first four picks in particular all hold solid fantasy potential. Fiala is one of the better pure offence guys in the draft, Kamenev is a steal if he's committed to playing in North America and Dougherty is a solid two way defender. Kirkland is a long ways away but he has solid potential. I also think Irving is a strong value pick in the sixth round but he's unlikely to be a fantasy option.

St Louis (Fabbri, Barbashev, Letunov, Walman, Husso, Poganski, Descheneau, Yakimowicz, Blais, Tschantz)
I'm a big fan of Fabbri and Barbashev might be the most underrated offensive talent in the draft. The talk about his work ethic and physical edge seemed to paint a picture that he's destined for the bottom six which I disagree with. I'm a believer that it enhances his game and I think he could be a poor man's Jamie Benn. In later rounds Walman, Husso, and Poganski all have decent fantasy potential. I'm not a true believer that Descheneau is an NHL player but he's shown an ability to put up big point in the WHL.

Arizona (Perlini, MacInnis, Dvorak, Karlsson, Bunting, Mayo, Westlund, Fiegl, Kulda)
Depth wise this may be my favourite. I'm not overly bullish on Perlini and don't see him as a big time point producer but after him the Coyotes unearthed some gems. MacInnis is very raw but he has tons of potential. Ditto Dvorak who missed a big chunk of the season this year. Karlsson, Bunting, and Fiegl were all great value picks who probably should have gone earlier. That brings me to two of my very favourite draft eligibles in Mayo and Kulda. I think Mayo is the biggest sleeper in this draft. He is an absolute genius on the ice and as his confidence rose over the course of this season he started to explode offensively. He's still quite raw but I truly believe he has the tools to be an elite two way defencemen, especially if he grows another inch or two. As for Kulda, Dobber himself may be the only guy who likes him more than me. He'll be a fan favourite, with his energizer bunny play, in no time and he has underrated offensive tools including plus vision and passing ability.

Vancouver (Virtanen, McCann, Demko, Tryamkin, Forsling, Petit, Stewart)
The first three picks are essentially all first rounders. Virtanen hasn't put it all together yet but he has the physical skills to dominate. I also think McCann's offensive potential is underrated even though he didn't exactly tear up the OHL. He might be one of those guys who's offensive game translates to the pro game better than in juniors. Demko for my money is also the best goalie in this class and brings both size and poise. Forsling is another name to watch, right off the bat he might be the most offensively gifted defenceman in the Canucks system.

[Big Ev]

5'9 Spencer Watson was taken in the 7th round, he could be a star. Comparable production to the top-10 of the draft.

The chances are 0.01 now.

[Big Ev]

Can't see kulda making the nhl now. Being Undrafted then going in the,last round after being the MVP of the memorial cup. Doesn't scream nhl future.