Craig Button's Top 50 NHL-Affiliated Prospects NOT in the NHL

[yougo]

Disagree, he's passionate and very knowledgable about prospects. People love to hate anybody. He's one hundred times better than Corey pronman and fake scouts

Just nope.

[finnys_fanatsy]

im gonna be biased here..

Is Dylan Strome getting knocked by some here because of his brother?

If his last name was Toews, or Kane, or Ovechkin, would the criticism be the same? Would you be OK with Dylan Ovechkin having 53pnts in 23 games (2.3 PPG)? i am pretty sure i would be.

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im gonna be biased here..

Is Dylan Strome getting knocked by some here because of his brother?

If his last name was Toews, or Kane, or Ovechkin, would the criticism be the same? Would you be OK with Dylan Ovechkin having 53pnts in 23 games (2.3 PPG)? i am pretty sure i would be.

[Jouko-Pouko]

Personally, I think the jury is still out on what he becomes. NYI has taken the long approach in the hopes the extra top pair minutes & situational exposure in the AHL translate to the NHL. I'd wager a bet 2nd pair is his floor.

He went 15th overall, so it's not like he was drafted back in Duncan Keith, Shea Weber, or Roman Josi territory. More in Karlsson draft territory. Basically, I'm just providing examples that illustrate being drafted outside of the top 10 isn't a death sentence of becoming a top pairing Dman. Obviously, there's a stronger correlation of becoming one, if you're drafted in the top 10, but you still find Luke Schenn's there.

I think being on the Isles is going to open up top pair minutes and opportunity. But as Shattenkirk has shown, being a 2nd pair Dman is not a hindrance to production.

regardless, he should be in button's top 50. I would have had him around 36-40, just behind Theodore & Honka.

You must have missed the part where I said "unless they're late bloomers which Pulock wasn't since he already had 3 very productive junior seasons under his belt when he was drafted". All the guys you listed had only so-so results before they were drafted which is the complete opposite of Pulock. I'm not saying top pair D-men cannot come outside the top-10, just that it's very unlikely in cases where the prospect was already very well known and had shown very good results in lower levels before being drafted. Shea Weber had 18 points in 70 games during his draft year. That's the complete opposite to Pulock who had 42 points in 63 games two years before he was even drafted. Weber surprised everyone with what he became but everyone knew Pulock in his draft year because he already had 147 points in 195 WHL games before he was drafted. Teams wouldn't be passing on that kind of production combined with his size if they thought he would become a top pair D-man. That's the reason teams let Chychrun slide this year as well; everyone knew he could jump in quickly and have a long and good career but they didn't think he had it in him to become a top pair D-man.

But yeah, your ranking seems pretty good to me. He should be up there in the same group as Theodore and Honka who both have similar projection in my opinion.

By the way, I'm definitely not saying draft position is everything. Schenn, Gudbranson, McIlrath... There are lots of bad examples for that. Although usually it's because teams are looking for size and grit and forget that players also need to skate and handle the puck... But anyways, I do think teams would draft players like Pulock and Chychrun higher if they thought they had top pair projection.

[Axeman33]

I remember Button had Hampus Lindholm in his top 10 while others had him as a late 1st.

I like Button. He has a scouting background and gets out to the rinks and watches these kids. Sometimes he surprises me with some of the names but I tend to trust Button more than a lot of armchair scouts/GMs.

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I remember Button had Hampus Lindholm in his top 10 while others had him as a late 1st.

I like Button. He has a scouting background and gets out to the rinks and watches these kids. Sometimes he surprises me with some of the names but I tend to trust Button more than a lot of armchair scouts/GMs.

[Jouko-Pouko]

im gonna be biased here..

Is Dylan Strome getting knocked by some here because of his brother?

If his last name was Toews, or Kane, or Ovechkin, would the criticism be the same? Would you be OK with Dylan Ovechkin having 53pnts in 23 games (2.3 PPG)? i am pretty sure i would be.

But that guy would be enigmatic and a selfish player. Dylan Crosby would be everyone's favorite prospect with that kind of production.

[rataylor22]

im gonna be biased here..

Is Dylan Strome getting knocked by some here because of his brother?

If his last name was Toews, or Kane, or Ovechkin, would the criticism be the same? Would you be OK with Dylan Ovechkin having 53pnts in 23 games (2.3 PPG)? i am pretty sure i would be.

Can't speak for everyone, but I don't really care about his name or his production in junior. His skating is the part that concerns me. He could barely keep up at the WJC.

[VintageVibe]

Button knows his prospects. This is a good list. Not many arguments across the board.

Keller is going to be g-o-o-d. Everyone in his top ~10-15 are very close to becoming impact players sooner rather than later.

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Button knows his prospects. This is a good list. Not many arguments across the board.

Keller is going to be g-o-o-d. Everyone in his top ~10-15 are very close to becoming impact players sooner rather than later.

[Rodgort]

#FakeScouts

[GinFizz]

Too many Goalies...

[BreadManPanarin]

How is Alex Nylander ahead of Puljujarvi when Nylander has 21 points in 46 AHL games this year, and Puljujarvi has 13 points in 17?

That seems a little odd to me.

[The Iron Sheik]

How is Alex Nylander ahead of Puljujarvi when Nylander has 21 points in 46 AHL games this year, and Puljujarvi has 13 points in 17?

That seems a little odd to me.

probably because there's more to hockey than points

[BreadManPanarin]

probably because there's more to hockey than points

[Godin]

How is Alex Nylander ahead of Puljujarvi when Nylander has 21 points in 46 AHL games this year, and Puljujarvi has 13 points in 17?

That seems a little odd to me.

Craig Button is a respectable hockey guy but I have to agree with you here. Puljujarvi is the best of the bunch IMO.

[agentzero]

Pulock should be on the list, no question. He is at almost over a pt/gm in the new year in Bridgeport, with a team that is not dominating the AHL by any means. He has looked vulnerable in the defensive zone at times in the A' but overall is still a + on the season. I don't doubt his ability to skate in the top 4 on an NHL team, much less the Islanders. Dylan Strome is way, way too high. His play has not impressed me, even for a junior player. Button obviously sees something long-term but so far, being beaten out by teammate Dvorak for a spot out of camp, for a guy drafted in the top 3... might be a longer wait than anticipated. There is obvious weight from one single tournament in the WJC, but he didn't dominate there either, by any stretch, against his peers, many of which were the same age or younger.

I also think Chabot is too high. I know he had a great WJC but I don't think he was dominant with his play. Barzal should be higher too. Oh well.

In general Button does pretty well I think. I find him excitable, but that's all for show on TV. He knows his stuff well enough.

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Pulock should be on the list, no question. He is at almost over a pt/gm in the new year in Bridgeport, with a team that is not dominating the AHL by any means. He has looked vulnerable in the defensive zone at times in the A' but overall is still a + on the season. I don't doubt his ability to skate in the top 4 on an NHL team, much less the Islanders. Dylan Strome is way, way too high. His play has not impressed me, even for a junior player. Button obviously sees something long-term but so far, being beaten out by teammate Dvorak for a spot out of camp, for a guy drafted in the top 3... might be a longer wait than anticipated. There is obvious weight from one single tournament in the WJC, but he didn't dominate there either, by any stretch, against his peers, many of which were the same age or younger.

I also think Chabot is too high. I know he had a great WJC but I don't think he was dominant with his play. Barzal should be higher too. Oh well.

In general Button does pretty well I think. I find him excitable, but that's all for show on TV. He knows his stuff well enough.

[The Iron Sheik]

Pulock should be on the list, no question. He is at almost over a pt/gm in the new year in Bridgeport, with a team that is not dominating the AHL by any means. He has looked vulnerable in the defensive zone at times in the A' but overall is still a + on the season. I don't doubt his ability to skate in the top 4 on an NHL team, much less the Islanders. Dylan Strome is way, way too high. His play has not impressed me, even for a junior player. Button obviously sees something long-term but so far, being beaten out by teammate Dvorak for a spot out of camp, for a guy drafted in the top 3... might be a longer wait than anticipated. There is obvious weight from one single tournament in the WJC, but he didn't dominate there either, by any stretch, against his peers, many of which were the same age or younger.

I also think Chabot is too high. I know he had a great WJC but I don't think he was dominant with his play. Barzal should be higher too. Oh well.

In general Button does pretty well I think. I find him excitable, but that's all for show on TV. He knows his stuff well enough.

you might be the only one to think that. He was elite, one of the best D performances in the last decade or more at the WJC. He is definitely the best D prospect in the league right now.