Lazar won't be Top 5, you guys are right. Guys like Shinkaruk, Monahan, Mackinnon, Pulock, Jones will all be Top 5. But I think Lazar will go Top 10 and be a steal, think of Jeff Skinner as a comparison as a guy who didn't get all the hype but just grinded it out and came out on top.
Lazar won't be Top 5, you guys are right. Guys like Shinkaruk, Monahan, Mackinnon, Pulock, Jones will all be Top 5. But I think Lazar will go Top 10 and be a steal, think of Jeff Skinner as a comparison as a guy who didn't get all the hype but just grinded it out and came out on top.
This
It really just goes to show how deep the draft is next year, he's a top 5 talent but will go in the bottom top 10 because the other talent is currently better or team needs and will be a steal.
Lazar won't be Top 5, you guys are right. Guys like Shinkaruk, Monahan, Mackinnon, Pulock, Jones will all be Top 5. But I think Lazar will go Top 10 and be a steal, think of Jeff Skinner as a comparison as a guy who didn't get all the hype but just grinded it out and came out on top.
Just like Ebert will be top 5 this year right? Somebody could easily drop and while that player could be Lazar, I don't see a well-rounded physical player such as him doing anything but climb the rankings.
Hopefully the Oil Kings knock off Portland so Lazar gets some national exposure. From watching the WHL final though, whichever team goes to the Mem Cup is gonna be fun to watch against St. John and London (no offense to anybody but it looks like those teams are moving on).
Also, the things that held Skinner back from being ranked higher don't apply to Lazar. I do agree though that like Skinner he's probably more likely to be taken higher than his ranking given his skillset, I just think that by next Spring he'll have passed a few guys in the rankings so if he were to be taken higher than expected he'd be going top 3 with Jones and Mackinnon.
Last edited by Delicious Pancakes: 05-10-2012 at 07:25 PM.
Reason: adding
Just like Ebert will be top 5 this year right? Somebody could easily drop and while that player could be Lazar, I don't see a well-rounded physical player such as him doing anything but climb the rankings.
Hopefully the Oil Kings knock off Portland so Lazar gets some national exposure. From watching the WHL final though, whichever team goes to the Mem Cup is gonna be fun to watch against St. John and London (no offense to anybody but it looks like those teams are moving on).
Also, the things that held Skinner back from being ranked higher don't apply to Lazar. I do agree though that like Skinner he's probably more likely to be taken higher than his ranking given his skillset, I just think that by next Spring he'll have passed a few guys in the rankings so if he were to be taken higher than expected he'd be going top 3 with Jones and Mackinnon.
Ebert was a different case though. He had Ellis making him that good.
I could see Lazar becoming an Owen Nolan type of player. Maybe not quite the sniper Nolan was in his prime....but it's still early to make any pro comparisons.
I could see Lazar becoming an Owen Nolan type of player. Maybe not quite the sniper Nolan was in his prime....but it's still early to make any pro comparisons.
I like the comparison, and I also like my Doan comparison. It's hard to come up with one for him because he's not as physical as either of those two players, especially Owen.
I could see Lazar becoming an Owen Nolan type of player. Maybe not quite the sniper Nolan was in his prime....but it's still early to make any pro comparisons.
Love the comparison. He has been absolutely everywhere in this finals series. Really love his game! Pretty sure he'd probably be the top ranked forward from the dub if eligible this year.
Lazar will be the best Dub forward in next year's draft. He has elite skills, speed and smarts with powerful, prjectable frame. He dominated the Canada Winter Games and stepped up his play in the Dub playoffs as a freshmen against older competition. Point production but also physical play. He's driven results on a top team which is one win away from a Mem Cup.
I like Shinkaruk and have seen him a lot but Lazar brings more to the game and has higher upside including a physical element.
I think Lazar is closer to Doan than Nolan. Nolan was a big body, think Power Forward. Where as Doan isn't very big, but drives the net. Doan doesn't throw big hits though.
After winning the WHL Championship and advancing to the Memorial Cup in his rookie year, you gotta think his stock has just rose a ton.
The exposure in such a high profile event certainly shouldn't hurt him any if he keeps playing as well as he has been. The points have somewhat dried up during the last series, but he played really well nonetheless, imo.
The exposure in such a high profile event certainly shouldn't hurt him any if he keeps playing as well as he has been. The points have somewhat dried up during the last series, but he played really well nonetheless, imo.
The points dried up but the chances didn't. He's been playing well. He was absolutely robbed in game 6. It looked like a guaranteed goal.
Lazar won't be Top 5, you guys are right. Guys like Shinkaruk, Monahan, Mackinnon, Pulock, Jones will all be Top 5. But I think Lazar will go Top 10 and be a steal, think of Jeff Skinner as a comparison as a guy who didn't get all the hype but just grinded it out and came out on top.
Lazar is going to be over-hyped if he isn't already. Not knocking the kid at all, but playing really good hockey in Edmonton will get you noticed.
He'll be just outside the top 5 in my opinion. People will know who he is though, he's not going to sneak his way into the draft.
Seriously, though, I'll be surprised if we have more than 1 underager, which will probably be MacKinnon. Monahan, Shinkaruk, and Lazar might challenge late into the selection process, too, but will probably be passed over for "experience".
Seriously, though, I'll be surprised if we have more than 1 underager, which will probably be MacKinnon. Monahan, Shinkaruk, and Lazar might challenge late into the selection process, too, but will probably be passed over for "experience".
I think Hockey Canada should definately consider taking Curtis to the WJC's next winter. Hockey Canada has stuck to their older, more experienced guys, but that doesn't seem to be working. Hopefully next year they bring in some more young guns, (Lazar, Mackinnon, Monahan, Ekblad, Shinkaruk)
I think Hockey Canada should definately consider taking Curtis to the WJC's next winter. Hockey Canada has stuck to their older, more experienced guys, but that doesn't seem to be working. Hopefully next year they bring in some more young guns, (Lazar, Mackinnon, Monahan, Ekblad, Shinkaruk)
I wouldn't be shocked to see 1-2 of those guys on the team, but 3-4+ will not happen. I still like the idea of sticking with experience.
Have a hard time coming up with a comparison for him, because lots of times I will look for a comparable player that plays the same position and shoots the same way. That's virtually impossible for Lazar because he's a RH centre, that is more of a sniper than passer.
Ignoring the position aspect of things, I would say a guy like Shane Doan is an ok comparison.
The more I have watched of Doan and Lazar in their teams playoffs the more I agree with this comparison
