Feels like every day a new exciting talent pops up.
Pronman released his mock earlier today, excuse me if it's been posted already. He's one of the more intriguing evaluators work to consume because he's typically keyed in on late risers and he isn't just rehashing that same Tankathon template.
The top 10 was pretty expected but there were some interesting picks in the range of our second 1st.
New Jersey took Beckett Sennecke at 10. He's the shot clock buzzer beater riser this season, no real shocker that teams have fallen in love with his blend around size, skill, compete and speed package.
Buffalo took Berkly Catton at 11. I was really pounding the table for Catton earlier in the year. His production and raw skill is otherworldly. Naturally though with his frame and lack of physicality he'll be overlooked for the more 'diverse' packages. I'm falling victim to tilting my scale closer towards need rather than BPA. With Celebrini/Smith/Eklund in the pipeline, Catton is a luxury pick. I still think you give him consideration if he falls to 14 though.
Minnesota steals Tij Iginla at 13. I fell in love with his game down the stretch of the season. He was unreal in the playoffs for Kelowna as a 17 year old and carried that momentum in a gold medal at the U18 worlds. He's just hockey smarts personified. He's the type of winger that you partner up with your franchise C and they showcase instant synergy. Iginla processes the game at an extremely high level. He's strong on the puck. High level passer and finisher. Constantly finding the quiet spots on the ice. He'd rack up a lot of points flanking our centers. I'd be slightly devastated if we missed out on him by a single draft slot.
We took Adam Jiříček at 14 (boring).
Detroit heists Michael Brandsegg-Nygård at 15. I value him in a similar bracket to Tij Iginla. Elite complimentary winger, he goes about his business in a very different way though. He gets his plaudits for his hard work, physical game, puck retrievals and forechecking ability but don't let that shadow over how skilled he is. He just scored four goals in a game the other day and he set a record for points by a draft-eligible in the Allsvenskan playoffs. His underlying metrics for a DY player in the same league blow Dalibor Dvorsky (10th overall 2023) out of the water. I'm very receptive to him at #14.
And maybe most interestingly, Stian Solberg was mocked 16 to the Blues. Big, fast, physical, minute munching Norwegian defenseman. People were tuning in to watch MBN and he's been there behind the scenes stealing the show. I prefer him to Jiříček personally. His upside is the moon. Very physical, great skater, his hands are amazing, he likes to jump up into play. He's this years Willander and I expect him to be someone that outperforms his draft slot.
Super lazy claim that this draft is weak, it isn't 2023 level but we're rather fortunate to be selecting at 14 in that clear second tier of talents.
Other interesting notes. EJ Emery went 30th. My comp for him is Nik Hjalmarsson. Don't expect too much offense, but elite shutdown defenseman that you task against the opposing teams superstars.
Charlie Elick went 24th. I'm interested in seeing how he transitions to the next level. He looks clunky and awkward to me. I'm a Harrison Brunicke truther over Elick.
Anyways, you guys can check it out for yourselves. I can't wait until the draft. It's fun to read all of the optimism and rejuvenation in the fanbase following the draft lotto. We've been gifted a second shot at life.
Cheers.