2015 NHL Draft Q & A Thread

[Fast Tony DeNiro]

Who are some good 2nd round or lower prospects to consider? Joel Eriksson, Roope Hintz, and Jesse Gabriel are three I've liked all year, but with my team picking late in the draft I'll need to be finding some more players to target.

[gainerama]

I got picks 3,4,6,8 and if I can't trade any of them, I'm thinking of taking: Strome, Marner, Barzal, and Zacha. Am I reaching here, what say you?

[mounD]

I got picks 3,4,6,8 and if I can't trade any of them, I'm thinking of taking: Strome, Marner, Barzal, and Zacha. Am I reaching here, what say you?

Not weird at all; I own picks 2, 3, 5, 6, and I am planning on drafting Eichel-Strome-Barzal-Zacha.

[zakkthebear]

Who would you compare Kyle Connor's game to? and compared to Sonny Milano?

Timo Meier seems the be a bit polarizing, some say low ceiling, others say a star. He seems like a very good multi-cat guy whose game translates, input on this?

Thank you very much for taking the time to do this!

[Jouko-Pouko]

My 1st round pick is 20th overall and I expect these players to be available; how would you rank them? Is one of them clearly above or below the others or is it close between them? League categories at the bottom but I'm mostly looking for the best combination of offensive upside and NHL certainty. Hits can be used as a tie-breaker if two players are otherwise similar.

Brock Boeser, RW
Anthony Beauvillier, LW
Jérémy Roy, D
Paul Bittner, LW
Daniel Sprong, RW
Denis Guryanov, RW

G, A, Points, +/-, Special Team Points, Hits, Blocks, TOI-SH

[BrianSTC]

I have first overall pick in this years draft however because you are not limited to taking the current year prospects...McDavid, Eichel and Hanifan were already picked in previous years. So that leaves Strome or Marner. However I am curious if it would be worthwhile to jump a year ahead to draft Auston Matthews? Or another 2016 prospect. Should I stick with Strome/Marner or roll the dice with Matthews?

[franklin]

Could you give your thought on Crouse vs Rantanen vs N.Ritchie in a points only league.

Thanks Rossy!

[mounD]

I have first overall pick in this years draft however because you are not limited to taking the current year prospects...McDavid, Eichel and Hanifan were already picked in previous years. So that leaves Strome or Marner. However I am curious if it would be worthwhile to jump a year ahead to draft Auston Matthews? Or another 2016 prospect. Should I stick with Strome/Marner or roll the dice with Matthews?

If you can select Auston Matthews, DO IT! By all accounts, he is on par / or better than Jack Eichel as the best American prospect since Modano. Kid is super special, and he's only two days from 2015 eligibility. 6'1" 194 Center with elite skill, speed, vision. You'd be foolish to take someone else instead of him.

[Buck Fush]

Kevin Fiala
Kevin Hayes
Teemu Pulkinnen

Where would you slot those guys in amongst the 2015 draft class? League in sig. Thanks!

[stick boy]

where would guys like Jimmy Vesey, Matt O'Connor, Madison Bowey, and Pavel Buchnevich rank in this draft? late or mid 1st round?

[Dean Youngblood]

I have 6 picks 1/2/4/11/14/16 in the first round. I am already penciled in for McDavid/Eichel and whoever 3rd doesnt take with Strome/Marner. We keep 15 and only have 5 round draft, so at the end of the draft and before the season starts you can only have max of 20. If i dont make any trades and keep 15 and draft 6, I will have to drop a player before season starts. I may try and trade 14/16 for a better pick- top 10(at the draft) if I see a player really I want. My question is if I draft at 14/16 and am looking at players like Provorov/Crouse/Meier/Connor/Zacha...... would they be a better keep in points only(team in sig) over guys like Pullkinen/Bjorkstrand/Kapanen/Duclair. Thanks.

I would say that Zacha and maybe Provorov/Crouse might be better keeps but ONLY if you're league considers "prospects" valuable. Are there bench spots to store them? If so, then I would roll the dice on Zacha and hope he finds his upside as a star.

In saying that, I really like the three prospects you mentioned. I'd lump Crouse in there with that trio as guys who are bound for solid NHL careers (at worst). I think Bjorkstrand is going to quickly open a lot of eyes and really soon. So, if you're looking for more immediate production then Pulkkinen or Bjorkstrand might be the better option.

Just remember, NEW is always sexier so the 2015 prospects should net you more in trades.

There's risk with all of these prospects so if you want the safe bets, I'd look towards Pulkkinen, Bjorkstrand, or Duclair. Kapanen is getting good reviews but I'm not 100% sold on him. I need to see more of him.

[Dean Youngblood]

Thoughts on Konecny would be appreciated!

Travis Konecny is the one player I might be most familiar with after watching him dating back to his minor hockey days. I am also fairly close with a lot of his (and Bo Horvat's) family so I know how special of a kid he is ...on the ice and off.

Bias aside...there is a lot to love about his game and style.
1) TK is as competitive and driven as any player in this draft. A few years back, he said he wanted to surpass McDavid for the 2015 NHL Draft. Of course that's a reach but the fact that it was a goal is pretty impressive. He's confident in his abilities and that's a plus. He grew up as a farm boy and it shows in his work ethic. Virtually unmatched in this draft.
2) TK's ability to score off the rush with his Phil Kessel-like release is rare. However, he's shown great improvements in his playmaking abilities and I'd consider it above average. He realized that he needed to be less predictable and started to operate as a passer more often. It's worked
3) He's strong but still very small. The one area that worries me with Konecny's game is he uses contact a lot to create space for himself and I really question whether it will become a durability issue long term. He's starting to show the effects of the physical toll already. He may need to adjust his attacks to rely less on the physical aspect.

He's a player that I am rooting for to be drafted high. Like Horvat, high character, a determined and competitive approach and the "WANT" to make a difference every shift should bump him up most draft lists.

I will be watching closely. I won't be surprised to see a team grab him around the 10 spot but also wouldn't be surprised to see him fall a bit. Long-term, I think he'll prove to people that he's worth a Top 15 selection.

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Barzal............. long-term point projection?? Is he going to be a 60 or 70 point guy??

Barzal is one of my favourites...he's got all of the intangibles and skill components to be a first line pivot. I'd peg his upside around 85ish points but think he'll land in the 65-75 range during his prime years.

[Dean Youngblood]

Not necessarily fantasy related but I'm curious to see if you think there are any teams that are more likely to trade up to select a certain player. Obviously this rarely happens but it's fun to think about and I've been wondering. Thanks Rossy!

Hmmm tough question to answer because it's pretty general but here's my general response

When it comes to the NHL draft, scouting teams compile their lists and understands the different tiers and value points. If a team has Player A rated as a tier 1 player and they've got a chance to move up and select him in the tier 2 range, then that's when teams really explore their trading options.

To add, I think it's a lot easier for teams with multiple picks or an excess number of picks/prospects (not sure the pick breakdown at this point) to swing deals to move up 5, 10, or 15 spots. I would look at those teams as candidates to trade up.

One team I think we see make some moves are the Toronto maple Leafs. New management will either trade down to acquire extra picks or target a specific player and get aggressive. Mark Hunter is a great talent identifier and he's shown that he can get his players later than most at the lower levels.

Take care.