Spencer_12
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Posts posted by Spencer_12
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That last bold seems like a pretty good sign there shouldn’t be any worries about him pulling a Michkov
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Good Silayev article in the Athletic today. I’ll bold parts I found interesting:
NHL fans who are dialed into the draft have heard the name Anton Silayev a lot this season. He’s expected to be a top-five pick in this year’s draft after having one of the best 17-year-old seasons in KHL history.
Silayev’s eventual landing spot will be one of the most interesting parts of the 2024 NHL Draft in part because he has been a bit of an international man of mystery to those in North America.
Matvei Michkov was on national television in North America numerous times. He was MVP of the 2021 U18 World Championships, and during the cancelled 2022 world juniors he was one of the top offensive players before the event was shuttered. People in Canada and the U.S. became familiar with the name and player.
That’s not the case with Silayev. He has come of age in the era of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent ban from IIHF competitions. The only national teams he has competed against for the Russian Federation have been in makeshift tournaments against Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Out of sight, out of mind, out of the limelight, Silayev posted a modest eight points in 41 junior games in Russia in 2022-23, although he did play top four minutes on a team that won their junior championship. Scouts liked the 6-foot-7 defenseman a lot. Early indicators in the summer suggested he could be a first-round pick in 2024. But then the KHL season started in August and the buzz picked up almost immediately. He was in Torpedo’s top four and running their second power-play unit. He was playing a regular shift, getting points and helping his team win games.
“He could be Victor Hedman,” said one scouting director to The Athletic in September.
Silayev is no longer a secret. The debate is now whether he’s a top-five pick or the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft. Some even think higher of the player.
“I go back and forth on him and Macklin Celebrini a lot,” said one scouting director, expressing a minority opinion but not one that is isolated in the scouting community. “I wake up every morning with a new answer.”
Several evaluators I’ve talked to during the season felt that if he were in North America like Artyom Levshunov, Silayev would have been in the No. 1 overall conversation.
When you compare him to, say, Dmitri Simashev, who was the No. 6 pick in 2023 but played limited KHL minutes and mostly in junior, there is a notable difference in their performance and toolkit. Simashev is 6-foot-4, competitive and mobile and can move pucks. Silayev can do all of those things and he’s 6-foot-7.
He recorded 20 more hits this season than the next-best Torpedo defenseman despite ranking fifth in ice time per game among their regular defensemen.
“He is a killer,” said one NHL executive. “He regularly pushed around grown men as a 17-year-old.”
Silayev is very athletic, especially for his size. His skating ability stands out and is rare to see for someone with his frame.
“He is a better skater than Victor Hedman,” said Torpedo’s head coach, Hockey Hall of Famer Igor Larionov.
His pure production is not the main selling point of his case to be a top pick. Even though he scored very well in the KHL, toward the end of the season he went to play junior games and didn’t display high-end offense. I don’t think high-end offense is going to be his game. Most NHL teams are not projecting this player to run a first power-play unit like several of the other top defense prospects in this year’s draft. If he were not to become a top defenseman in the NHL and became the next Nikita Zadorov instead, it would probably be for that reason.
But that may not scare away clubs from taking him at the top of the draft. He is an impactful player because of his all-around play.
“He kept earning ice time because of how well he skates, hits and passes,” said Larionov. “He was our best defenseman in the KHL playoffs.”
“Even if he’s a 30-40 point guy in his best years, huge guys like him who can move, run over people and move pucks are who you win with,” said one NHL scout.
Said another executive: “Hedman, Zdeno Chara, Chris Pronger, those are the type of defensemen you build Stanley Cup teams around. You don’t want to place unrealistic expectations on this kid but that’s the dream if you take him in the top five.”
A Silayev selection comes in the background of the current situation in Russia. While the occasional North American scout has tried to make their way to see Silayev live when there is a road game outside of Russia, most teams are relying on video views for him. And then there is always a concern with Russian prospects about when they will come. Michkov signed a long initial contract in the KHL, for example. In this context, it is important for NHL teams to see that the player’s priority is the NHL. Simashev helped his stock by expressing to NHL teams that the NHL was his priority and even spoke fluent English.
In Michkov’s draft season, there was a bit of a cloud of mystery around him. Some NHL teams had difficulties getting interviews with him until late in the process. SKA St. Petersburg representatives wouldn’t comment on the rumors swirling around him. Michkov’s representative never replied to any correspondence from The Athletic.
Silayev has been the opposite. He’s had plenty of interviews with NHL teams already. Within an hour of making first contact with his agent, I was on a phone interview with Silayev. Silayev has secured his visa for June and discussed his plans to come to development camp for whichever NHL team drafts him. He has a Hall of Fame and three-time Stanley Cup champion coach in Larionov. Larionov is regularly in contact with NHL personnel and says he’s had conversations with NHL GMs about Silayev. There’s no guarantees with KHL players, but there are positive signs that Silayev will come over when he’s ready to play in the NHL, likely in two years when his current deal with Torpedo expires.
He’s a taller version of Simashev and a meaner version of Simon Edvinsson; both of them were sixth overall selections. Odds are that type of player is going to go very high in the draft.
“In my years doing this I’ve never seen a player like him,” said one NHL scout who started working shortly after the Hedman draft.
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5 hours ago, Sexlaf15 said:
thought this was interesting. This guy is pretty high on Yakemchuk and low on Levshunov. He’s got a video on Levshunov as well. Interesting perspective
Here’s the Levshunov one:
The video covers a lot of what I saw when I watched him live 3-4 times. A little lackadaisical at times in his own end, and I expected more skill/offensive impact given his point totals and what’s been said about him.
As you said, every top defenseman has blemishes in their game. I just hope the Ducks pick the right one assuming that’s where they go.
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4 minutes ago, perry_mvp said:
That doesn't mean can't have opinions on prospects. We can debate back and forth because we're fans. We aren't picking anyone. I would be surprised if the Ducks took Parekh or Yakemchuk if Silayev, Levshunov or Demidov are on the board. All I know is Celebrini is going to San Jose.
That’s not what I meant. Fans lose perspective at times. If the Ducks at #3 choose someone ranked on most lists at say #8-10 they are immediately going to get mad and question what Verbeek/Madden are doing. That’s a loss of perspective because in reality Verbeek/Madden have a much better idea of what they are doing than fans do. So I kind of find it a little silly when fans get upset like that. Being surprised is one thing, but getting upset and questioning as if they know better is another.
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4 minutes ago, Sexlaf15 said:
I have my concerns about Yakemchuk but man watching him play it’s hard not to be having fun. I don’t know if he’s my guy, but I think the main point in getting is that I don’t think any of the top D in this draft are without blemishes. Yakemchuk reminds me a bit of a more offensively dynamic Manson, foot to the gas at all times to a fault.
That comparison to Manson was my thought as well. I didn’t see Manson play at that age, but I’d be curious to compare their skating ability at the same age.
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13 minutes ago, perry_mvp said:
Warren wasn't pegged to go in the first round, maybe top 10 like Yakemchuk. I would have serious concerns with Anaheim's scouting and Verbeek's judgement if Yakemchuk was picked 3rd.
Let’s be honest, no one here has the qualifications to second guess the Ducks scouting/judgement over who they pick at #3. I mean, I’d be really surprised if the Ducks took Parekh because of the concerns I have of him and the overall fit with the team, but the Ducks know better than me. If they didn’t I’d be scouting for an NHL team. Same with everyone else.
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2 hours ago, Sexlaf15 said:
thought this was interesting. This guy is pretty high on Yakemchuk and low on Levshunov. He’s got a video on Levshunov as well. Interesting perspective
Here’s an Athletic article about him. There’s a lot to like about him if he continues to improve his skating and defense.
On any given day around 2 p.m. in Doug Crashley’s gym at Crash Conditioning in Calgary — or on the ice with skills coach Dave Liffiton — you might find Carter Yakemchuk in a wrestling match with Andrew Basha.
They’re not wrestling because it’s that day’s training activity. They’re wrestling because competitiveness has turned into chirping, and chirping into a battle, and a battle into a fight.
Yakemchuk and Basha are both top prospects for the 2024 NHL Draft.
Yakemchuk is a 6-foot-3, 201-pound right-shot defenseman who racked up 120 penalty minutes with the Calgary Hitmen this year and is projected to be taken in the top 10-15 picks in June in Las Vegas. Basha is a 5-foot-11, 174-pound forward with a chance to join him in the first round.
Here, none of that matters, and buddies very quickly turn into combatants.
Basha has always fought above his weight class. But Yakemchuk is now “just learning how strong he’s going to be.”
For a time, they had to pull this side out of him.
From what Crashley knew of Yakemchuk’s dad, Robin, who played in the AJHL, “He was a really long guy who had zero fear and was not afraid to fight.” Early on in Yakemchuk’s WHL career, Crashley and his staff would give it to him — encouraging him to be more fearless.
Eventually, it clicked, and instead of just being talented — the hard-shooting, confident-handling defenseman scored 30 goals in his draft year, a rare benchmark — he also became mean.
“We’d try to goad him a little bit and he’d get so mad, and he’s a strong guy, but we’d stir the pot with him a little bit, and when he finally fought in the western league, it was like he’d dropped all of this weight off of his shoulders,” Crashley said on a recent phone call. “From that point on from about a year ago, his progression just skyrocketed.”
Now, “it’s every day” according to Crashley.
Yakemchuk still has another level to get to, too.
“He’s going to be quietly very, very strong and a little nasty. And that’s going to be very good for his pro career,” Crashley said. “And even physically, he’s not even close. His brothers (Keeling and Connor, both older) grew late, he might grow a bit more. So that’s a part of his process now. I think he’s working his way up the curve and not near the peak whatsoever.”
Among the first things NHL teams mention when they call Crashley or Hitmen general manager Garry Davidson to talk about Yakemchuk is how little they’re able to pull out of him when they’ve met with him.
“Whoa, he’s not very outspoken,” scouts will say.
“Well, that’s who he is. He’s quiet, he’s an introvert,” Crashley will answer. “He lets his play do the talking.”
Davidson was hired by the Hitmen in November, and Yakemchuk was “extremely quiet” with him at the beginning. Though he loosened up over time and their conversations became more two-way, he’s still coming out of his shell that way, as well.
“That’s all part of his growing up and maturing and learning to deal with that part of life with the communication piece,” Davidson said. “He’s very much so a quiet kid, but I also know that he has come out of that and his personality has grown this year.”
The second thing they’ll ask about is his skating.
Crashley will answer quickly.
“Man, I’m not even sure he fully has his feet under him,” he’ll insist.
In his first year in the WHL, Crashley said, Yakemchuk “couldn’t stay on his feet and was falling over at random times all the time.” Today, even at 6-3 and over 200 pounds, Crashley says “he still has a young body.”
He says that’s actually part of the reason why so many NHL teams are high on Yakemchuk.
There’s the obvious talent. The 30 goals, tops among all WHL defensemen. The 71 points in 66 games, tops amongst draft-eligible WHL defensemen. Last year’s 19 goals, third-most amongst all WHL defensemen a full year out from the draft. Last year’s Central Division Second All-Star (he was the only 2024 draft-eligible named to one of the WHL’s All-Star team) and this year’s Central Division nomination for the league’s Defenseman of the Year award.
“He’s got some outstanding offensive abilities,” Davidson said. “His puck handling and his shooting and that half of his game is at a very, very high level. And he’s one of those guys that loves to play offense. It’s kind of like how sometimes you talk about a player as a pass-first mentality or a shoot-first mentality. Carter’s all about offence first, and there’s many nights where he wows people with what he does out there offensively.”
But despite his size and his age (Yakemchuk’s September 2005 birthday makes him one of the older players in the draft), he’s still got huge growth potential, Crashley and Davidson say — both on and off the ice, and even in becoming more outgoing.
“I think he’s only just getting comfortable with how good he’s becoming. It’s not easy. He’s getting a lot of attention, it’s a heavy spotlight, and he has always been a good player but now he’s working towards a goal of being a great player,” Crashley said. “It’s a world-changer when it starts to happen and you get NHL guys calling.”
His defensive game, which Davidson said there was “a lot of concern about” heading into his draft year, has already improved dramatically.
“The one thing is he competes hard on defense. He’s very physical and he isn’t near close to maturity physically,” Davidson said. “When it comes to his defensive game, Carter just has to change his mentality a little bit and just say, ‘Hey, when they have the puck, I’ve got to defend, and when we have the puck, I’ve got to be on offense.’ As soon as he straightens that part out in his own mind, I think he’ll just become a much more complete player.”
The same goes for his discipline after that meanness really started to boil over.
“I’ve had a conversation with him where we need him on the ice more than we need him in the penalty box,” Davidson said. “There’s nobody second-guessing him in that regard because he has shown up and demonstrated that he’ll get involved. And part of it is his competitive nature. He gets frustrated and upset out there and he goes over the line and ends up taking penalties that are undisciplined. But he’ll figure that out, and I think it’s more of a positive than a negative. He’s just got to control his emotions and channel his energy and emotions in a positive way.”
And even with continued room to grow, Davidson says Yakemchuk already “checks a lot of boxes.”
“He certainly is demonstrating that he should be able to do some things offensively and certainly be a power-play guy (in the NHL). And if he addresses the other parts in his game, there’s no reason he can’t be an all-around two-way defenseman,” Davidson said. “But his offensive part is the part that we all see and get excited about.”
Most scouts agree, too. NHL Central Scouting ranked him No. 6 among North American skaters eligible for the draft on their most recent list, tops among all CHL defensemen.
“Carter is a big, mobile and active defenseman who often leads his team in time on ice,” reads the report. “A strong skater that likes to have the puck on his stick, he is a confident puck carrier that will look to transport the puck up ice. He has the ability to beat defenders 1-on-1 with speed and dangles. He is deployed on special team units and is a huge asset on the powerplay from the offensive zone blue line. Carter can drive his teams’ offense as he distributes the puck well and creates scoring chances for teammates with his accurate and creative reads. In the defensive zone he can handle speed off the rush and win battles along boards and at the net front. Carter has an NHL tool set.”
On April 2, just a week after his season with the Hitmen ended, Yakemchuk was back in Crashley’s gym getting to work.
Their focus this summer, beyond the weights and continuing to get stronger, will be on his skating and mobility.
Sprint work. Changes of directions. Opening up his hips and flexibility. Different shin angles. Absorbing and reloading. Skips, hops and jumps so that he can better learn ground contact and link his movements together.
“That’ll be massive for him,” Crashley said. “And it has come quite a ways and still has quite a ways left. That’s the neat thing about him is it’s getting better but he’s not crushing it in the gym naturally yet. He’s still not getting enough of his legs with his snap in his skating. But it’s going in the right direction and it’s not instantaneous. He’s still growing into his body and hasn’t had a long period of time without going through a growth spurt.”
Yakemchuk, who describes himself as hardworking, intense, skilled, fast and deceptive, says the former comes from his parents, Robin and Tammy, who own two Burger Kings in Fort McMurray and have spent his entire life making the seven-hour drive north from Calgary to run the two businesses.
He’s aware of the concerns some have with his defensive game, which he admits is the biggest area he needs to improve.
“I think my positioning and then being able to close on guys quicker in corners are probably the two biggest things,” he said.
But he also knows that it’s his shot and his offensive ability, which he calls his two best attributes, that will carry him.
Davidson thinks those attributes will carry him to a long career in the NHL, too.
“He’s going to go very early in the first round,” Davidson said. “I’ll be surprised if he isn’t gone fairly soon in the draft.”
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10 minutes ago, BombaysTripleDeke said:
Yeah, but LaCombe just played his first NHL season so giving up on him now seems premature unless he’s part of a big trade for a position of need. I think zellweger would be the most affected and LaCombe is more likely to worry about hinds imo.
I think the earliest any LHD from this draft plays regularly in Anaheim is 2 years. The most likely candidate for that timetable is Silayev because he’s already playing in a decent pro league, and his contract is up 2 years from now. He’s also probably not coming here just to start in San Diego. The next closest would probably be Buium because any team probably wants him signed after one more year in college. For him though, the AHL will be a more realistic option and I could see him there for at least a year, especially if he’s not dominating. Everyone else from the CHL likely plays 2 more years there, and then part of/all of the 3rd year in the AHL.
That’s all to say, Zellweger and LaCombe have two whole years to prove themselves, so the Ducks won’t be giving up on them too soon. Best case scenario is both of them become among the best defensemen in the league, and now the Ducks have an insanely valuable trade chip to use to fill another hole on the roster if Verbeek doesn’t want anyone playing their off side.
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37 minutes ago, perry_mvp said:
If Levshunov is off the board I could easily see Verbeek picking Silayev. Fowler is gone in two years and I don't think LaCombe or Vaakanainen would be adequate replacements for him. Silayev could cook in the KHL for one or two years then make the transition. I don't think Chicago takes Levshunov. Their thinking a high skilled forward like Demidov or big defenseman like Silayev.
I think there’s too much being made about the potential ramifications of drafting a LHD. LaCombe hasn’t done enough yet to show he’s a top 6 defenseman in the league, especially on a good team. There’s no one else highly rated in the system. If the Ducks think there’s another Mintyukov (or better) in this draft then they should absolutely take him. If LaCombe or someone else takes a huge leap and a decision needs to be made 2-3 years from now then it’s a good problem to have.
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12 minutes ago, BombaysTripleDeke said:
Pretty much every mock draft post lottery has us taking Leshunov or Silayev with most picking Leshunov
Most mock’s I’ve seen seem to think Chicago is going Demidov. I’m not so sure. The public seems to always rate highly skilled, smaller players higher than NHL teams do, and Demidov has skating concerns which adds an extra layer. Lately I’ve been thinking about what will happen if Chicago takes Levshunov. I think that’s a very real possibility. If they do, that makes things really interesting for us. The fit is so clear with us and Levshunov, and if he’s gone then I think the possibilities really open up.
I think we’re going defense even if Levshunov is gone, but I could see arguments for everyone but Parekh (this would shock me). I guess the only wildcard is if the Ducks are sky high on Lindstrom he could be the pick, but defense seems more likely to me. All that said, I’m going to laugh if Levshunov is available and the Ducks take a different defenseman. It wouldn’t shock me (unless it’s Parekh).
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I think at this point I’d be more surprised if Eiserman went in the top 10. 3 forwards are almost assuredly getting picked before him (Celebrini, Demidov and Lindstrom), and there’s going to be 5 defensemen selected in the top 10, possibly even 6. Yakemchuk and Parekh are the only questions in my mind, but I’m pretty certain one of those 2 will go in the top 10, and I’m leaning towards both of them being picked top 10 at the moment.
If 5 D get picked the earliest he’ll go is 9, but I think Catton and Iginla are probably higher on most draft boards. Probably Helenius too.
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Amazing to see Edmonton blow game 1. Here’s to 3 more.
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21 minutes ago, perry_mvp said:
Chicago is building a big defense. They'll take Silayev. They don't care about LHD-RHD, they just want Big D. So I'm 99.9% certain Levshunov will be available #3. Chicago is probably begging Bettman to let them lose next years lottery to they can get Bedard's cousin in 2026.
Silayev is interesting. Unless one of the other defensemen in the draft take big leaps in their overall game then he’s probably the only one who has the possibility of being a true #1 defenseman. That’ll depend on how much offense he can bring to the NHL. If it happens that’s a home run pick for Chicago. If it doesn’t, then he’s probably the next Erik Gudbranson and the pick could look bad if Levshunov or another forward picked after him hits.
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2 minutes ago, tommer-1 said:
4 of those 7 have him at #3, and I would bet there is no other single player (Levshunov?) close to being ranked #2 in 5 of those other 7.
Silayev is ranked #1 in NHL Central Scouting for international skaters (Demidov at #2), and look where he is ranked by those same "experts":
Anton Silayev - Stats, Contract, Salary & More (eliteprospects.com)
The point is that there’s no consensus #2 overall player. If half are saying yes and half are saying no then by definition there can’t be a consensus. If a strong majority have him in the top 3 (which they do), then he is a consensus top 3 pick. I think “close to” is a bit silly anyway when it comes to the draft - especially this draft - since unless you have 2 players a level above everyone else there’s no telling what the team picking #2 overall will do.
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3 minutes ago, tommer-1 said:
He's pretty close to that.
https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/619202/ivan-demidov
10 places at #2 and 7 places where he isn’t #2. That’s not including The Athletic where both of their prospect guys have someone else at #2. That’s not close to a consensus.
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Nice to not drop in the draft. I suppose it all depends on what Chicago does. It seems most fans are speculating Demidov/Levshunov with more people on the Demidov side. I don’t know. Demidov isn’t the consensus #2 right now, and I personally wonder what I might think of him if I was able to watch full games of his. He has that unknown super skilled Russian quality about him without potentially having the shine somewhat removed from actually watching him play.
I’m basically with everyone else that if Levshunov is at #3 the Ducks will take him. If Chicago takes him then good luck predicting who we take.
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46 minutes ago, BombaysTripleDeke said:
I’m not saying that helenius is in the tier of Leo or fantilli. Fantilli did not have a particularly good world junior tournament in his draft year. He was playing in a bottom-6 role but then had a much better showing at the world championships. That’s what will be interesting to see with Helenius. He wouldn’t be my pick but I definitely see him as a forward verbeek would be looking at in the 4/5 spot. Iginla also to an extent. I just don’t know if he values a forward over a RHD or silayev
Iginla is interesting. I saw Canada in the semifinal and finals, and was watching him in particular. He was pretty good in the semifinal against Sweden. I had watched the US game beforehand so I was comparing him and Eiserman, and Iginla was a more complete version of him. He was better 5 on 5, stronger on the forecheck, and better at carrying the puck into the offensive zone. He showed off a hell of a shot on his goal too. In the final against the US he didn’t do much until he got on the 5 min PP in the 3rd, but at least he was forechecking and getting to the net. He played a small part in 2 goals for Canada doing that.
Between Helenius, Iginla and Eiserman I was most impressed with Iginla in the tournament. I can see Iginla being a competent NHL winger with potential to score a decent amount of goals, especially if he’s got a good playmaker on his line. I think he’s got a lot more to show if I’m going to believe in him becoming a 30+ goal scorer with some play driving ability though.
And that’s kind of how this draft is going for me. Outside of Celebrini I see potential in players, but also their downsides have stood out. I’ve seen full games from Levshunov, Helenius, Iginla, Parekh and Eiserman, and none of them have really wowed me at the level of a top 5 pick. I think I saw Levshunov play 3 times, and he’s the closest to that level, but even in the games I saw I wanted more from him, especially for a #2 overall pick. It seems like it’s just that kind of draft even at the top. I’m just holding out hope that whoever the Ducks pick at wherever they pick they end up taking the right guy.
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1 hour ago, BombaysTripleDeke said:
Tournaments are always interesting because they are a limited sample size. Carlsson and Fantilli didn’t dominate their respective international junior tournaments. Hell, Cronin even said he was a little anxious about Carlsson because he didn’t dominate the rookie faceoff tournament by any means. Finland seems like it hasn’t matched the development of young players as well as the USA, Canada and Sweden in recent years.
Given prior draft history, I full expect to be drafting 4th, Leshunov will be off the board and I’ll just be one giant shrug emoji about guessing who Verbeek will take
I don’t think Carlsson and Fantilli are good comparisons. Production isn’t the only thing I’m looking for, and while Carlsson and Fantilli weren’t lighting up the scoresheet at the U20’s you absolutely could see how their game would translate to the NHL. There were instances where they would have a shift that made you see how they were going to have a good chance to be impact players at that level. This was especially true at the Worlds with Carlsson. I went into that tournament full on the Fantilli train, and after watching every Sweden and Canada game I was 50/50 on them. That’s how impressive Carlsson was even without dominating the tournament.
That’s what I didn’t see out of Helenius. I saw some good things, some instances where I saw him do things that NHL players do in the same situation. I also saw him completely disappear at times, and never have a shift that made me think, “wow, this guy could be a star.” It was just 2 games though, so maybe he shows more at the Worlds, but one thing is it’s not like scouts are saying he’s got high-impact ability. They are saying the opposite, and so those two games stand out even more because they affirm what the scouts have been saying.
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33 minutes ago, Sexlaf15 said:
These tournaments are huge for draft stock though. So I wouldn’t be shocked if taking a really bad penalties that loses your team the gold medal game sticks in the minds of scouts
I think the impact is greater if the scouts in question already view him a certain way and then that play just reaffirms their beliefs. In the same way, if another scout really liked the player they would put less stock in that play and instead focus on the whole. At this stage of the game scouts have already seen these players a bunch of times so they aren’t going into the tournament without preconceived ideas.
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19 minutes ago, perry_mvp said:
Yeah. After giving Canada a 5 minute PP in Gold Medal game, I'm sure his stock probably plummeted. That was just plain dumb.
I wouldn’t consider that blunder a character concern, but watching it live my initial thought was that it would be nice if it scares off some teams so he falls to Edmonton’s pick. That’s not realistic though; no team is making decisions based off one play in one game. What could be realistic is teams ahead of Edmonton’s pick already have concerns about him and have guys they like just as much so that causes him to fall. Either way, I watched 5 US games in the tournament and he was one of the best players for them so I’d put more weight onto that than a bad finish for him.
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I share similar concerns about Helenius as Sexlaf after watching him play a couple games at the U18’s. He was pretty invisible 5 on 5 in the quarterfinal against Sweden, and while I was more impressed at times in the game against the US he still wasn’t as dominant as I would expect from someone already playing pro hockey against men. That’s the biggest knock on him that I’ve read and Sexlaf mentioned, that he’s not dynamic and probably doesn’t have the high ceiling you’d want out of a pick that high. I don’t know if the level of the Finnish elite league is at a low point right now, but considering his production in that league this season he should have looked a lot better at the U18’s. If he is destined to be our pick I certainly hope he looks better at the World’s.
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This was a rare case where every single series in both conferences went the way I was hoping it did. This can’t possibly continue so sorry to one or more of the Avs, Panthers, and Canucks (I don’t really have a preference between Canes/Rags).
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9 hours ago, BombaysTripleDeke said:
Pretty crazy. McKenna is on track to be the next player that teams are gearing to tank for in 2026. Oh, and his cousin is some bender named Connor BedardI’m interested to see what James Hagens looks like around this time next year. He’s already #1 for 2025, but I wonder what his hype level will end up being. He just set the record for most points at the tournament beating Kucherov’s record.
2024 Playoffs
in NHL Talk
Posted
Brutal game from Andersen. He’s a big reason the Canes are going home.
Awesome game from the Canucks after starting slow. Hopefully they can get it done in game 6. I’d probably lean Oilers in game 7 even on the road. Hopefully I’ll be wrong in that case.