Defence wins championships?
- manvanfan

Overrated in todays game, defense, possession and offense with a hot goaltender wins you Championships!!

They didnt win with smurfs.
- manvanfan

eh thought letang was smaller but i think you're out on a limb man

I really hope Jim drafts BPA and not for position with this 37 th

I have a feeling him Boeser and EP will do a great job on the PP.

His speed will get that puck up ice . I love the pick because he is a specialist not a Jack of all trades. He played pro hockey already this year at the worlds . He looked fine
- VANTEL

A win now pick.

He knows I send him emails daily on how stupid he looks
- VANTEL

his wife must not really like him.

A win now pick.
- manvanfan

You do get seven picks every year and last I heard there is another draft next year

A win now pick.
- manvanfan

I really hope Jim drafts BPA and not for position with this 37 th
- VANTEL

I really hope for Bode Wilde or Woo now.

his wife must not really like him.
- LeftCoaster

Her and the kids moved back home with her mother . It is just him and the dog now

I really hope for Bode Wilde or Woo now.
- manvanfan

I bet when things don't go your way you stop the game and pick up your ball and go home.

I really hope for Bode Wilde or Woo now.
- manvanfan

Serron Noel

A goalie, a couple of d, some forwards, the cupboard looking pretty good

A goalie, a couple of d, some forwards, the cupboard looking pretty good
- 69Mach1

JB said they are not taking a goalie this year

Cam Robinson/
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@CrazyJoeDavola3
2h2 hours ago
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Heading into Day 2, here are the BPA on my board:

Berggren (14)
Wise (19)
Thomas (26)
Noel (28)
Tychonick (29)
Wilde (30)
Addison (33)
Gustafsson (35)
Marchenko (36)
Olofsson (37)



I respect this guys opinion for Vancouver
- VANTEL

Scouting reports

Berggren:

He’s only led the SuperElit league(among teenagers) in points and lead a rather offensively toothless Sweden team at the u18s in points, consistently being their everything. Every time he was on/off ice, you felt his presence or lack thereof for Sweden. He’s the type of skilled player who can carry a line or even team.

Berggren is one of the younger players in the draft. He’s sub 6 ft but stocky, with strong compete and fearlessness — not just physically going into the dirty areas on and off puck or willingness to take contact (though he’s hard to lay a hand on), but the fearlessness to try plays others might not or cannot.

He’s not afraid to play creative and be adventurous with pucks, but he has the ability to pull off dynamic plays at exceedingly high rates of success. It’s not a case of making the highlight reel play and looking good 1/5 times. What he does on the highlight reel is shift-in and shift-out; nary a shift goes by where he doesn’t create something, even out of nothing. His hockey sense and visual awareness keep him a step or two ahead making a play and seeing something others aren't.

Even defensively, while not to be confused with a great 200 foot player, there is a level of spatial awareness off-puck to stay in lanes with a work ethic to get pucks out.

As a skater he's shifty with his hands and feet and head to effortlessly skate around untouched. If it looks like he's caught, he has a knack for weaving or finding another gear. And with his stocky frame and low center of gravity he can withstand contact to maintain puck control. I’ve seen him lay the odd reverse hit and knock a defender down. And even if he gets knocked off a puck, he battles hard — diving, swatting, legs churning — to get back on it.

He’ll try too much at times individually forcing plays or soloing, but he can whip pucks and play a fast cycle game when he wants or when competition level rises, unlike many flashy junior types. Maturing his game is all he needs. He didn’t exactly play with other players of his talent level either — this Sweden u18 team in particular was a rather mediocre skilled forward group — so he had to do the heavy lifting. He’s versatile as a shooter or passer, along with having great potential as a power play half-wall QB – he’s a natural at it like few others.

He has that rare quality of not only being able to see passing lanes other can’t, but also the ability to have soft touch on his passes. His vision and puck poise and all-around skill oozes potential as an NHL scorer. It’s a lofty style comparison, but he has a few Giroux or Gaudreau stylistic qualities. His upside is tremendous, and his floor isn’t that risky either, like a few other highly talented forwards. He has every projectable attribute you’d like to see out of a smaller, dynamic player.

Wise:

Wise was the victim of too much hype in his pre-draft years, then broke his collarbone and missed the first few months of his draft year. He played on a deep USA team as their 2C and slot-man on the PP. Sometimes it felt like he was a round peg in a square usage role given his talents as a playmaker, but he equipped himself the best he could. When he joined the team partway through the season, the transition was smooth. He’s no Jack Hughes, but Wise returning played a big part in helping lock down USA’s center depth, with Jonny Gruden previously serving as 1C.

Wise is a very stocky 5’10 with strong all-around skating: quickness, top end speed, edge work. He gets a lot of power out of his lower base. His puck handles are very soft (arguably the best of the draft eligibles on his team), and he’s an aware playmaker who controls tempo well with the puck, though he doesn’t lack for a shot either. Wise is intelligent and competitive as a center, though he could play wing too long-term. There’s a prevailing thought in the scouting community that he is an underrated player in the shadow of a few others on his team. Whatever his past hype was, he’s still a very good player with projectable pro qualities. Won’t ever totally blew people away with any one viewing, but his consistent effectiveness, on top of the skill, was a big draw.

Rick Dhaliwal
‏

@DhaliwalSports
11h11 hours ago
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Benning: He mentioned to us he might want to go pro. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves.... He's still a kid, I don't want to put him in a situation he can't handle or loses confidence. We want to put him in a spot to get successful.

Serron Noel
- thundachunk

Noel:

I think deficiencies can be too often ignored or lazily called “rawness” with big project forwards, such as Noel. But I do see the upside and rawness of him where he’s worth the risk long-term — at a certain point. Noel is one of the youngest in the draft too with his August birthday, if you’re banking on that rawness. Individual development years for him could be massive.

They don't get more toolsy than him at 6'5, 200+lbs and athletic as hell. Few big men are smoother and faster in stride. He’s a thoroughbred. What sticks out most is how soft Noel’s hands are with the puck. A lot of big forwards struggle with puck feel. His ability to stickhandle himself out of trouble in tight or through the neutral zone, like a smaller forward, combined with his feet, is a scary skill-set. He’s quite fond of toe drags and jumping past defenders with speed. But he's a player who can't bring it together consistently. I've seen shifts from him that were jaw dropping and too many others where he borders on invisible. He can go whole periods where it feels like he doesn’t play with the puck.

Noel’s reads on/off puck have been fine in my viewings for Oshawa. He’ll hold onto pucks through traffic, but he generally is trying to make plays and work space and is relatively successful at it, and he's actually a half-decent passer in tight spaces (he’s more pass first). He’s good with the give and go's, not cheating on breakouts and supporting in the d-zone, making switches, reading off his linemates on the cycle, understanding spacing. He may be invisible offensively at times, but he's not mentally checked out or a floater. He can just be too passive or reluctant. It shows up in the numbers. The more he plays with the puck, and the more instinctual, the better he looks.

Noel is often a perimeter player who doesn't use his size enough and often tries to finesse his way through. There's a lack of aggression or bite or even decisiveness on/off puck. He plays like someone who doesn't understand himself on the ice and how good he could be or what his game is. Noel does not shoot enough. He shot 26% on 22 goals at 5v5; 27% all-situations with 28 goals. He shoots at a lower rate than virtually every major draft eligible forward in the OHL (1.7 shots/game). Is that an indication of his shooting talent? He has a good shot shot, but I like volume, especially out of a player like him, though he's not a bad passer. It's a bit of a red flag. Noel plays net-front on the PP, bouncing between PP1/2, because he's big, but I don't think his net front game is particularly advanced either, even if his highlight reel might give that impression. His feel for when to bounce in and out isn’t always there, along with the will to battle and screen.

Noel is not a "size" pick; I am fascinated by what he could be in 5 years. I don't like the term “boom/bust” because I find it facile and often minimizing of fatal flaws, but Noel does fit the bill. His lack of urgency or even purpose out on the ice is a sticking point, and it has to improve. He did have a solid u18 tournament, but it’s hard to know if that was just a great skater with a perimeter game excelling with that extra space. Yet, he did seem more physical off puck too, taking runs at skaters. I find it hard to be skeptical of anyone for passing on him or taking him because my projections for him are all over the place.

Scouting reports

Berggren:




Wise:
- Nucker101

Truthfully I am hoping for a Dman so that next year I don't have to listen to 6 months of (frank)en whining that the cupboards are bare , we need D to fill the holes

Vancouver Canucks
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Verified account

@Canucks
13h13 hours ago
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“I’m thrilled right now. I didn’t think I’d slip past Vancouver. If there was a spot I wanted to pick, it was Vancouver.” - Hughes

I bet when things don't go your way you stop the game and pick up your ball and go home.
- VANTEL

I wouldnt bet if i were you.

1100 posts in 20 hours . Passionate fans .

Thank you Carol

I am not sure Hughes is high risk. Every prospect guy had him at second best Dman. Team USA trusted him to play a regular shift at the worlds.

We need a guy that can move the puck and control the PP

I even heard one guy when asked who does he remind you of answered Bobby Orr.

I am excited to see him play and the fact that he also can play both sides is a dream come true.

I am (frank)en thrilled with the pick.
- VANTEL

Hughes is not high risk. anyone who hates the pick is just being negative for the sake of it imo.

We need an offensive dman. unless people think we can win without one... size wise we can pair this guy with a bigger dman acquired via free agency or trade. much harder to find solid offensive dmen who can skate like the wind. this guy was 6th highest ranked skater from what i recall on the broadcast... btw...

Truthfully I am hoping for a Dman so that next year I don't have to listen to 6 months of (frank)en whining that the cupboards are bare , we need D to fill the holes

- VANTEL

Because it would drown out your whining about everything else?

Truthfully I am hoping for a Dman so that next year I don't have to listen to 6 months of (frank)en whining that the cupboards are bare , we need D to fill the holes

- VANTEL

I knew you’d like Samuelsson’s scouting report
He’s one of the few pure shutdown dmen that I’m a fan of in the 37 range.


Woo:

Having watched a lot of Moose Jaw in Woo’s draft-1 year, he’s long been on my radar. I even liked his 0-point Hlinka tournament, in which he played better than that indicates in a top pair role, even offensively. His draft season was partly defined by injury or being buried on a deep Moose Jaw blue line, which afforded him little scoring usage.
Woo is a 6’ 200+lbs bull who can use his leverage and center of gravity to lay a wallop on opposing skaters, even stepping up through the neutral zone. He’s as good defending through the neutral zone as any defenseman in the class, always keeping good gaps. Also, he is a smart pincher to keep cycles alive. Woo’s defense 1-on-1 or in coverage is tight, and he has strong feel for the play. When he gets the puck, he usually gets it out with possession, either by calmly eluding a forechecker himself, or making a hard pass on the tape. His efficiency is a defining trait, playing a style of game that matches well with puck possession.

Yet, I don't love Woo’s offensive upside. I saw him a good deal last spring, and I see the same player now as then. He plays a respectable game, so it’s not a negative in that sense, but it does make me skeptical of much upside, even as a summer birthday. His body seems quite mature as well. He's rather basic o-zone in, without particularly good scoring instincts. I don't think he's a projectable PP QB when I've seen him there (and after the WHL trade deadline his PP usage was sparing). I believe his future is as an ES/PK defender. I think his offensive zone work can be too simplistic and his strengths are more defensively and puck moving and play driving. He is a solid skater in stride and can elude forecheckers, though not the most agile and a little top heavy. Too often he stands flat-footed in the offensive zone at the point.

Ginning:

Ginning is a big-bodied defender who isn’t afraid to play physical. He does show an aptitude to join in offensively at times, or to put himself in a position down low to shoot, but I don’t believe he has much projectable skill beyond the odd foray. Sometimes his puck feel can fail him when carrying.

But as a simplified defender, there’s perhaps an athletic enough, decent skater who can play a shutdown game to be a depth NHL defender. I thought his puck moving was better than I remembered at the u18s, with some dandy stretch passes thrown in, but playing on big ice doesn’t force you to make quick decisions either. If I wasn’t entirely convinced on him, I am less mixed than before — enough to rank him based on his physical makeup and defensive game. But I’m not sure he has much upside.

Wilde:

The long and short of it: Wilde doesn’t make decisions or play at the speed I want out of a potential NHL defenseman. I don’t know what he is thinking half the time. Routinely over handles pucks, making unnecessary turnovers, gaffes off puck, issues with timing/spacing, and struggling to make quick reads in all zones.

He has some redeeming puck skill he’ll flash in between turnovers, along with a good shot, good size, and physicality; so there’s that. His skating stride is short, his footwork rather ugly, so forecheckers get on him and he can’t skate by them or elude them, even though he’s not afraid to try and try........and try. He has a clear lack of burst or quickness, leading to turnovers when he too frequently misjudges his ability as a skater or puck handler. More importantly, he doesn’t have the mental acuity to make up for it. If he gets half the rink to generate momentum, like he did on the big ice at the u18s, he can get some good build-up speed through the NZ, even if it doesn’t look pretty and takes far too many steps.

Wilde wouldn’t be on my list to draft as the 1st round pick he’s oft touted as; he likely wouldn’t be on my list period. His mental issues are bothersome enough to me, I’d prefer to let some other team take him.

I’ve watched him as much as any prospect this draft, and I deeply question his NHL potential. And if he can simplify his game and use his size and do less with the puck to become an NHL depth defenseman, I’d be skeptical of what you’re using a high pick on. And all year I’ve witnessed a player who too often plays outside his means, with little adjustment.

I found his u18 tournament performance marginally better than his USHL performance, despite a lack of points oddly, but I’d chalk that up more to the big ice, which allowed him to get more of that build up speed and not be forced to think as fast with pucks. And it still was far from an exceptional tournament.

[quote=Nucker101]
I’m all about risk this draft. Hughes was a risky pick, he had balls for that pick. If he picks Noel he might has well whip his cock out and do the windmill.

I really hope Jim drafts BPA and not for position with this 37 th
- VANTEL

Agree.

Also, no goalchies required. we have demko and dipietro in the pipeline already... bpA... unless its a goalchie