Team Board Mock Draft

[Hasbro]

A series of 1 day polls for the forthcoming draft. Picks will be decided by vote.*


*not polling for #1 since we know who it will be and Sharks fans get to vote on their other 1st

Please Only Vote if you are a Devils fan.

Links to the individual threads on the player names.

Mother Thread on Prospect Board

1. Macklin Celebrini, c, Boston University (NCAA)


2. Ivan Demidov, RW/C, SKA (KHL)


3. Artyom Levshunov, D, Michigan State (NCAA)


4. Cayden Lindstrom, C, Medicine Hat (WHL)


5. Tij Iginla, F, Kelowna (WHL)
6.

Zeev Buium, D, Denver (NCAA)

7. Anton Silayev, D, Torpedo Nizhny Novogorod (KHL)



8. Sam Dickinson, D, London (OHL)



9. Berkly Catton, F, Spokane (WHL)


10. ???????

Click to read more...

 

[Xirik]

 

[Guadana]

View attachment 873025

Its perfect.

I hope we will draft Nygard. Nothing special. But I would be happy with some other players. Helenius and Chernyshov are great to pick. Sennecke is acceptable.

I hope we will not draft Eiserman. It would be mistake where we will not add nothing to to the team and he will not make anything better and if he will be top 6 player, he will add scoring(if he will, I hope he will, I wish him only best) but some other problems will be more problematic.

I want better for our centers, I want better for our team. And hope Fitz will draft Better Player Available, not WPA with better shot.

 

[spfan]

They don't need more RHD. They could have Helenius as a 3C or just move him to wing, but I'd go high upside, definite winger for Hughes or Hischier. Eiserman is flawed, but his upside is high. I feel like he's getting too much hate lately. Some might say he's too alike Holtz, but I think that's kinda silly.

 

[Brodeur]

I picked Eiserman but didn't feel great about it.

In this scenario, I wonder if a trade down would be an option. Somebody like Minnesota trading up a couple spots for Helenius if he's the last center of that tier available. Or San Jose moving up to secure one of Parekh/Yakemchuk if they think there's a gap.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Oh, StevenToddIves' and Guadana's propaganda has done its job.

I picked Yakemchuk. We need our own mini chaos giraffe to the Devils.

 

[Guadana]

Oh, StevenToddIves' and Guadana's propaganda has done its job.

I picked Yakemchuk. We need our own mini chaos giraffe to the Devils.

Agree. We are too structured.

Jokes aside Yakemchuk's pick would be dumb but very fun. I know @Guttersniped would hate it. I'm not a fan too. But if he will learn positional game he will make a damage. Jack will hate this guy.

@Zubrus Coffee Maker is trying to outplay Columbus.

 

[bossram]

Helenius is automatic for me here.

I am surprised Nygard has such a big lead.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Agree. We are too structured.

Jokes aside Yakemchuk's pick would be dumb but very fun. I know @Guttersniped would hate it. I'm not a fan too. But if he will learn positional game he will make a damage. Jack will hate this guy.

@Zubrus Coffee Maker is trying to outplay Columbus.

I think our defense needs size and toughness, and if - and that's a big if - Yakemchuk learns positional game, he would be a really good pick for the Devils. I really like his offensive skills, so the problem with him is his defense.

He probably is ready to play in the NHL in two or three years, and we don't know what's the situation on the right side. I mean, in 2027 Hamilton starts his last season with the Devils if they don't trade him before that, and we don't know yet what we have in Casey. However, I think they'd pick Helenius, MBN or even Sennecke, if the draft goes this way.

 

[Guadana]

I think our defense needs size and toughness, and if - and that's a big if - Yakemchuk learns positional game, he would be a really good pick for the Devils. I really like his offensive skills, so the problem with him is his defense.

He probably is ready to play in the NHL in two or three years, and we don't know what's the situation on the right side. I mean, in 2027 Hamilton starts his last season with the Devils if they don't trade him before that, and we don't know yet what we have in Casey. However, I think they'd pick Helenius, MBN or even Sennecke, if the draft goes this way.

Like @evnted said, mostly players are continuing to play way the did. The neutral way of processing the game doesn't change more often. Mostly players are going better and better in what they are really good and trying to develop their issues to the minimum acceptable level. Only few players develop their weak side dramatically.
So even if I would want to see some changes in game of some prospects, I don't know who will make this huge step. With Yakemchuk its a huge risk. Of course if he will make it he is perfect top pair defenseman, if he did not - he should be quite good second pair offensive defenseman and pp specialist, but we far away from that need.

I agree that RD should not be forgotten in the drafts. Defensemen are taking longer to develop, Dougie is already played 3 years, we don't know how many years he has in the tank.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Like @evnted said, mostly players are continuing to play way the did. The neutral way of processing the game doesn't change more often. Mostly players are going better and better in what they are really good and trying to develop their issues to the minimum acceptable level. Only few players develop their weak side dramatically.
So even if I would want to see some changes in game of some prospects, I don't know who will make this huge step. With Yakemchuk its a huge risk. Of course if he will make it he is perfect top pair defenseman, if he did not - he should be quite good second pair offensive defenseman and pp specialist, but we far away from that need.

I agree that RD should not be forgotten in the drafts. Defensemen are taking longer to develop, Dougie is already played 3 years, we don't know how many years he has in the tank.

Yeah, maybe it's mostly wishful thinking on my part that one day Yakemchuk is a defensively sound two way dman.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

i think i’m finally all aboard the Brandsegg-Nygard train. I dunno if his ceiling is as high as Helenius or some of the other players available here, but i think the Devils are in a unique position where they dont need another star player as much as they need someone who’ll come in and outwork everyone else on the ice and make life miserable for the other team.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Helenius is automatic for me here.

I am surprised Nygard has such a big lead.

Same. Nygard has reached mythical status among the fanbase. I don’t think people realize how good Helenius is.

 

[My3Sons]

Same. Nygard has reached mythical status among the fanbase. I don’t think people realize how good Helenius is.

How many folks here watch the prospects themselves? A handful at most. I am honest that I just rely on those folks to tell me what they see. One of the prospect watchers called Helenius “Hischier Lite”. Some will see that as damning him with faint praise.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

Helenius, the center prospect pool is nonexistent. Best player available too but even if you think Nygaard is better he’s not way ahead of Helenius, and Helenius is a positional need (in the pool).

 

[Nubmer6]

One of the prospect watchers called Helenius “Hischier Lite”. Some will see that as damning him with faint praise.

So... 4th line center?

 

[Doublechin]

Helenius, the center prospect pool is nonexistent. Best player available too but even if you think Nygaard is better he’s not way ahead of Helenius, and Helenius is a positional need (in the pool).

Sennecke is BPA by far at 10 here and the only player that has legit star potential

 

[My3Sons]

Sennecke is BPA by far at 10 here and the only player that has legit star potential

It seems there are valid differences of opinion at 10. What pushes him to the top in your view?

 

[Doublechin]

It seems there are valid differences of opinion at 10. What pushes him to the top in your view?

It all starts from going from 5'10 to 6'2 in a year and still being able to perform and skate as good. That level of growth usually comes with some struggles but as the year went on Sennecke only got better.

His hands are elite combine that with size and overall game and you quickly have a very appealing asset, if he's there at 10 he's BPA. I think by year's end you might see him closer to 5 than 10 on Mackenzie's final list. 7-8 is where I think he slots in this year

 

[My3Sons]

It all starts from going from 5'10 to 6'2 in a year and still being able to perform and skate as good. That level of growth usually comes with some struggles but as the year went on Sennecke only got better.

His hands are elite combine that with size and overall game and you quickly have a very appealing asset, if he's there at 10 he's BPA. I think by year's end you might see him closer to 5 than 10 on Mackenzie's final list. 7-8 is where I think he slots in this year

That’s fair. How do you see his skating?

 

[evnted]

thank god more of the helenius voters turned out, he and eiserman were uncomfortably close the last time i looked at this lol

konsta for me here. mbn fit is amazing and im def not disappointed in taking him in this scenario but i think helenius is prob a half tier up on him, certainly in terms of puck play and vision and if theres one point i disagree w the mbn crowd on its on-puck smarts. hes fine, i dont mean to imply its a weakness, i just think theres enough brute forced plays and occasional lapses with backchecker awareness that im reluctant to call it high end. rounding out the argument would be the half a year age difference and positional benefit of taking a center

still, quite happy if these are the two players our staff is debating in this scenario (no offense to the other kids lol). clearly the best mix of upside/value and roster/timeline benefit

 

[forceten]

I picked Helenius. I know he’s not the most talented of the options but I want someone who can challenge for a spot next year

 

[Xirik]

In the end I think most everyone who voted Nygard would be happy with Helenius and vice versa. If I could vote twice I would vote for both of them but I can't so I had to pick one.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Oh, StevenToddIves' and Guadana's propaganda has done its job.

I picked Yakemchuk. We need our own mini chaos giraffe to the Devils.

Very close for me, but I went Nygard over Helenius. Chernyshov also was a guy I considered.

All three are high-IQ, high-compete, two-way players who skate very well, but I went with the best skater and defensive forward in Nygard, a guy who excelled at both RW and C in Allvenskan and could win a Selke Trophy in the NHL one day.

 

[Forge]

I picked helenius as I think he is one of the most likely options here for the devils, regardless of how I feel (ie, I'm trying to think about how fitz and the devils are thinking). Especially if they think he can stick as a C