The 2013 draft: Because what else are we going to talk about?
It's a good draft, and I don't think we have a thread for it.
A guy I like if we end up later in the draft order is this guy:
His all around game is what first caught my eye, and as you can see from the video above, he has a bit of a mean streak. He needs to add some weight to his 6'4" frame, but I think this guy is going to be damn good.
Usually I don't want Ducks to draft Finnish players but this time it's different. If the manage to get a good pick (around 5th) I would like to see Alexander Barkov in a Ducks jersey. He broke into FEL at the age of 16 last year and he just turned 17, and he's been dominating the league. Currently he leads the league in goals and is second in points (6+5 in 7 games). Oh yeah, he's already as big as Peter Holland if not bigger already and he's still growing.
People tend to compare Barkov to M. Koivu with Datsyuk's stick handling or to Datsyuk himself. Barkov might not end up being the most explosive player who scores over 100 points, but a very smart and trustworthy center with the ability to score 80-90 points per season I would say. Would be fun to see Barkov centering Bobby Ryan and Emerson Etem one day.
Not that we need another OFD, but Ryan Pulock has been impressive to start the year. 9 points in 4 games.
Uhh, what? Outside of Fowler who else do we really have? It's still unclear if Sbisa ever puts it together offensively, and as promising as Vatanen and Lindholm look, they haven't proven anything yet.
As for Pulock, he didn't impress much in the U-18's last spring, but I've only heard good things about him so he is definitely intriguing option if we're in a position to grab him.
It's going to be really good draft for centers... MacKinnon, Monahan, Barkov etc. Only prospect I have extensively watched so far this season is Elias Lindholm from my favorite SEL team Brynas. I may be a bit biased, but he has impressed the hell out of me. People may not agree with me, but he kind of reminds of Forsberg. Great puck skills, plays a solid two-way game, and he has that edge in his game. Strong hockey sense too. That combined with his physical play might help him develop into a bottom-six player if his offence doesn't come through.
Oh and another centre I forgot to mention is Nathan MacKinnon's teammate Jonathan Drouin. I haven't seen him yet this season, but in last season's QMJHL playoffs he looked at times even better than MacKinnon. Really smart player who seems to have a very good offensive tool-kit. He might be a player to look into as well.
Cammarata with a beautiful pass to Fasching for the first goal. Been impressed with the kid so far. Looks like a potential first round talent.
Quentin Shore looks easy to push around so far but he plays a headstrong brand of hockey. Pushes hard to the net. He knows this is just a showcase game, but he's doing everything he can to win. Should impress scouts.
Jones looking very weak in his own end. Read a tweet that he flew in from Portland last night and got very little sleep FWIW.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doothpick
Uhh, what? Outside of Fowler who else do we really have? It's still unclear if Sbisa ever puts it together offensively, and as promising as Vatanen and Lindholm look, they haven't proven anything yet.
As for Pulock, he didn't impress much in the U-18's last spring, but I've only heard good things about him so he is definitely intriguing option if we're in a position to grab him.
It's going to be really good draft for centers... MacKinnon, Monahan, Barkov etc. Only prospect I have extensively watched so far this season is Elias Lindholm from my favorite SEL team Brynas. I may be a bit biased, but he has impressed the hell out of me. People may not agree with me, but he kind of reminds of Forsberg. Great puck skills, plays a solid two-way game, and he has that edge in his game. Strong hockey sense too. That combined with his physical play might help him develop into a bottom-six player if his offence doesn't come through.
Oh and another centre I forgot to mention is Nathan MacKinnon's teammate Jonathan Drouin. I haven't seen him yet this season, but in last season's QMJHL playoffs he looked at times even better than MacKinnon. Really smart player who seems to have a very good offensive tool-kit. He might be a player to look into as well.
Goal by Jones. Followed by an incredibly lazy drop pass on his next shift. He'd make Getzlaf proud.
Quentin Shore continues to impress me. Not necessarily with his skill but with his drive and intensity reminds me of Colton Sissons but with a little more talent.
Compher has been very impressive. Slick hands. Solid defensively, other than Malone he's been the one guy who I'm surprised hasn't scored. Has been ranked as high as 15 early on and so far I'd have to agree.
We've taken a center high in every draft except 2010: Holland, Rakell, Karlsson, and Kerdiles. There's also Wagner, Roy, and Cramarossa from the mid-rounds. We have a deeper pool of centers than we do defensemen. I'm not saying we should pass on Monahan if he falls to us, but at no point should we pass up someone like Ristolainen, Jones, or Nurse because we need a center prospect.
We've taken a center high in every draft except 2010: Holland, Rakell, Karlsson, and Kerdiles. There's also Wagner, Roy, and Cramarossa from the mid-rounds. We have a deeper pool of centers than we do defensemen. I'm not saying we should pass on Monahan if he falls to us, but at no point should we pass up someone like Ristolainen, Jones, or Nurse because we need a center prospect.
I'd take Monahan over Ristolainen and Nurse in a heartbeat. Ristolainen a little more grudgingly but Nurse isn't quite in their tier. Monahan has all the tools to be a Jonthan Toews type center.
So...is you're point that we don't have a positional need for a second line center?
Because to me Fowler/Vatanen/Lindholm/Sbisa is a stronger youth core than Karlsson/Holland/Bonino/Rakell (two of those guys being outside contenders for a second line role)
You should never draft for need in the first couple of rounds. Always go BPA. By the time most prospects are ready, the franchises needs will likely be completely different.
I suppose. But if we're talking Mackinnon, Barkov, Monahan, or Lindholm (at the moment and from what I've seen/heard). The only defenseman I'd consider taking is Jones. Then after all those guys are taken I consider Ristolainen, then Lazar, then Pulock.
Regardless of position, that's how I'd rank the talent.
Jury's still out on Shinkaruk. Apparently he's been less than spectacular without Etem.
You should never draft for need in the first couple of rounds. Always go BPA. By the time most prospects are ready, the franchises needs will likely be completely different.
That is correct, and that was the point I was making, though, for me at least, I see that as a guideline more than a rule. If Monahan or any other center prospect is the BPA when we pick, then we take him, but we shouldn't do so because we have a need for centers in our prospect pool.
That is correct, and that was the point I was making, though, for me at least, I see that as a guideline more than a rule. If Monahan or any other center prospect is the BPA when we pick, then we take him, but we shouldn't do so because we have a need for centers in our prospect pool.
I'm hoping to catch a few games of Shinkaruk. I was hoping his stock might dip a bit and put him in our range.
I could see it. If guys like Lindholm and Lazar could show a little more it's certainly possible. His size will be a factor in the end and it could be a reason why Barstool and co decide to pass on him. Though, the Roy pick showed that it might not be a problem.
Ducks haven't drafted a lot of smaller guys in the first two rounds since Murray took the reigns, but I think if the player is talented enough (ie. Palmieri in '09) they don't see the lack of size as a problem. Shinkaruk looked solid in the U-18's as a 17 year old, and the few games I saw him and Etem in the WHL playoffs last season, it became pretty obvious he doesn't need Etem to produce high numbers. Interesting prospect and one of the most offensively talented players in the draft, but I see him as a winger once he goes pro.
