Not sure where this should go but carrying over from herman's comment about Puljujarvi in the Babcock thread, how is the draft shaping up this year? I don't know much about this kid and wonder how many more I might know little about. Yeah, I could go look up some draft listings but I know there's some here that have other insight into it.
Auston Matthews to play in Switzerland next season
- Thread starter CarltonTheBear
- Start date
Nik the Trik said:
I'd add Patrik Laine's name in there. There's been a fair bit of debate lately about whether he's better than Puljujarvi.
This is a pretty good resource for draft rankings: http://platinumseatghosts.blogspot.ca/. He takes 8 difference sources and averages them out to give you a top-30. Updates frequently when knew rankings come up or old ones are changed.
I think 2 things strike me when I look at that. First, the players in this draft are pretty big. Particularly at the top. Matthews, Chychrun, Puljujarvi, Tkachuk, and Laine are all 6'1''-6'4'' and 194-214lbs. Even when you go down the list you'll notice a lot of guys are 200-ish lbs+.
The second thing is that there's a ton of discrepancy in the rankings, even moreso than usual I think. Patrik Laine is anywhere from 3 to 10. Nylander's brother is anywhere from 7-15. Max Jones anywhere from 3-30. Logan Brown 8-31. Sam Steel 9-38. Chad Krys 5-41. Dmitri Sokolov 8-61. Makes for a very tough draft to predict.
herman
Well-known member
Scott Wheeler's Top 60 prospects by league: http://www.mckeenshockey.com/uncategorized/wheelers-top-60-prospects-2016-nhl-draft-league-november/
His top 5 overall:
[tweet]661239178290733056[/tweet]
His overall impression of this draft class is that it is not quite as strong as 2015 (even when excluding McDavid). Matthews probably slots in behind McDavid, Eichel if he were in the same class, but still a ridiculous prospect.
Mitch Marner would be potentially #2 if he were drafted next year.
Jakob Chychrun (chick-rin) appears to have a higher ceiling than Hanafin (but not at Ekblad level).
Jesse Puljujarvi (pull-YOU-yar-vee) is a big, big kid (6'3.5") and faaaast, but is still learning to play stronger. He's a points machine, exclusively RW.
Matthew Tchachuk, Max Jones are playing alongside Marner, so L K would know way more.
Alex Nylander is William's little brother and has a similar build and offensive potential (not as high as William's). I read they haven't really played together much before, so it's not a Sedin situation (but I don't remember where I read that).
In any case, it's still too early for these rankings to solidify. We'll know way more post-WJHC.
His top 5 overall:
[tweet]661239178290733056[/tweet]
His overall impression of this draft class is that it is not quite as strong as 2015 (even when excluding McDavid). Matthews probably slots in behind McDavid, Eichel if he were in the same class, but still a ridiculous prospect.
Mitch Marner would be potentially #2 if he were drafted next year.
Jakob Chychrun (chick-rin) appears to have a higher ceiling than Hanafin (but not at Ekblad level).
Jesse Puljujarvi (pull-YOU-yar-vee) is a big, big kid (6'3.5") and faaaast, but is still learning to play stronger. He's a points machine, exclusively RW.
Matthew Tchachuk, Max Jones are playing alongside Marner, so L K would know way more.
Alex Nylander is William's little brother and has a similar build and offensive potential (not as high as William's). I read they haven't really played together much before, so it's not a Sedin situation (but I don't remember where I read that).
In any case, it's still too early for these rankings to solidify. We'll know way more post-WJHC.
Arn
Active member
Patrick said:
I don't think such a thing really exists. The style of hockey in the likes of Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany etc is much more based on speed and skill without a huge amount of outright physicality. There is still hitting along the boards etc, but in the DEL in Germany for example there hasn't been a single fight this season.
GhostofPotvin29
New member
Just to be that guy, that's a very generous use of "split the D".
Potvin29 said:
It's a very generous use of the term "D".
GhostofPotvin29
New member
CarltonTheBear said:
Literally like Swiss cheese?
LuncheonMeat
New member
Potvin29 said:
Wow, both defenders did the 'step and turn', but only to get a better view of the goal.
hockeyfan1
New member
Marc Crawford, Matthews' coach for the Zurich team for which he played for this season in the Swiss League, has nothing but praise for the young draft pick:
?There?s no question he would have played in the league this year,? if not for having a Sept. 17th birthday ? two days late for the 2015 draft. ?They would have been talking him like they do (Jack) Eichel. Connor (McDavid) is a bit ahead, with his speed and the dimensions he has. Auston is efficient, talented, and has all the great human characteristics.?
?We thought he would be a top-six forward, then work his way into being one of our top players by the end of the year. Well, he was good right away,? Crawford said. ?The things he can do as a stickhandler is amazing. I am totally amazed by young kids these days ? and he?s off the charts with his stickhandling abilities. Inside out, outside in? He?s almost like a basketball player (dribbling a ball).?
Who might Matthews compare to?
?Auston reminds me a lot ofAnze Kopitar, because of the way he is as a person, and he reminds me a little bit of Joe (Sakic) in that he?s a shooter who can shoot the puck with different, tricky releases. He?s got a big-time NHL shot,? Crawford said. ?He doesn?t need great players to play with. He makes players around him better. He was just a treat to coach.?
?I once asked (dear departed agent) Don Baizley what was the most important factor in a player being good. Because Donnie had Joe (Sakic), and Peter (Forsberg), (Paul) Kariya, and Teemu (Selanne). He thought about it for a while, and his answer always stayed with me: ?It?s a boy?s relationship with his father.?
?He has a great relationship with his dad, and his dad is a really good person. It?s just another thing that solidifies for me that -solidifies for me that he?s going to be a really good player."
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/west-coast-bias-good-auston-matthews/..
?There?s no question he would have played in the league this year,? if not for having a Sept. 17th birthday ? two days late for the 2015 draft. ?They would have been talking him like they do (Jack) Eichel. Connor (McDavid) is a bit ahead, with his speed and the dimensions he has. Auston is efficient, talented, and has all the great human characteristics.?
?We thought he would be a top-six forward, then work his way into being one of our top players by the end of the year. Well, he was good right away,? Crawford said. ?The things he can do as a stickhandler is amazing. I am totally amazed by young kids these days ? and he?s off the charts with his stickhandling abilities. Inside out, outside in? He?s almost like a basketball player (dribbling a ball).?
Who might Matthews compare to?
?Auston reminds me a lot ofAnze Kopitar, because of the way he is as a person, and he reminds me a little bit of Joe (Sakic) in that he?s a shooter who can shoot the puck with different, tricky releases. He?s got a big-time NHL shot,? Crawford said. ?He doesn?t need great players to play with. He makes players around him better. He was just a treat to coach.?
?I once asked (dear departed agent) Don Baizley what was the most important factor in a player being good. Because Donnie had Joe (Sakic), and Peter (Forsberg), (Paul) Kariya, and Teemu (Selanne). He thought about it for a while, and his answer always stayed with me: ?It?s a boy?s relationship with his father.?
?He has a great relationship with his dad, and his dad is a really good person. It?s just another thing that solidifies for me that -solidifies for me that he?s going to be a really good player."
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/west-coast-bias-good-auston-matthews/..