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HF.net NHL Mock Draft 2017


pilldoc

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 It's around the middle part of round 1 where everything can go off the rails in this draft. There is a whole lotta prospects that can go from 13ish to 30ish. At this point of the draft, I don't see how the Bolts can resist taking Callan Foote. Comes from a great hockey family, one of the best skating d-men in the draft, has his Dad's mean streak but also brings a whole lot of offensive upside. Solid leadership skills, a cornerstone piece of championship team sitting there in the middle of round 1. Yeah, the Lightning take Foote with #14. Real nice size and real nice upside.

 

 

This kid has a rocket from the point. He could go top 10, but 14 or 15 is the lowest he will fall IMHO. One of the risers. Sneaky athleticism for such a huge kid.  Likes to join the rush and is deadly at being the trailer in an offensive zone rush.

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The New York Islanders need young defensemen. While they appear to be set at the blue line presently, they only have one defenseman under the age of 33 signed past 2019--that being Nick Leddy. With that being said, reinforcements will be needed sooner rather than later. Unforunately for me, the player I had my sights set on, Callan Foote, was selected with the previous pick... if the Islanders indeed find themselves in this situation, my gut instinct tells me they would try to trade down for a lower pick. Rules are rules though, so the arm-chair GM inside is telling me to draft the best player available.

 

The New York Islanders are pleased to select...from the Sioux City Musketeers(USHL), Eeli Tolvanen(RW), 

GP:52 G:30 A:23 P:53 PIM:24

 

 

The Islanders are pleased to select Tolvanen, who is ranked 11th by THN and NHL.com respectively. I was extremely tempted to reach for a defenseman like Valimaki or Joseph, but The Islanders should be able to snag a decent defenseman in the 2nd round, and Tolvanen is too tantalizing to pass up. There is no doubt he delivers the entire offensive package. Unbelievable speed. Brilliant shot. It's said once he arrives in the NHL, his shot will already be among the tier 1 ranks. He has great hockey IQ and awesome vision on the power play. He is elusive with the puck and a pretty decent fore-checker without it.  A future line of Tolvanen, Mathew Barzal and Joshua Ho-Sang is enough to make opponents cry, but Islanders fans will have to wait at least one year as Tolvanen is a Boston College commit.

 

Strengths:

-Shooting, evidently, scoring

-Quick stick

-Blazing speed

-Ability to find open ice

 

Weaknesses:

-Defensive liability

-Needs to get stronger

 

NHL Comparison: Marion Gaborik 

 

(barring any switches) @FD19372 and the Calgary Flames are on the clock!

 

P.S Sorry about being so late, just got back from a work trip

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The Calgary Flames are happy to select Lias Andersson, Center, HV71 (Sweden).

 

Organizationally, the Flames have some skill at the goalie position, and very respectable talent, skill and speed at LW. However, they lack top line scoring, offensive defensemen and Center and RW depth. 

 

Liam Andersson is a talented 2-way center, and is very versatile in that he can be utilized effectively on the PP, at even strength and on the PK. He is a solid forechecker, who has good speed and can get in on the forecheck quickly. He possesses good speed as well as quality hands. He is advanced enough to this point where he could very well be ready to turn pro after his first season in Calgary's organizational system.  Many scouts believe he has a high hockey I.Q. and maturity level, particularly for him being 20 year old.

 

Strengths - Poise, very good work ethic, high hockey IQ, solid defensive awareness, good speed and hands.

 

Weaknesses - Does not possess a ton of offensive talent, and isn't a pure, consistent scorer.

 

There are scouts who liken his all-around game to have some characteristics akin to Henrik Zetterberg.

 

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41 minutes ago, FD19372 said:

The Calgary Flames are happy to select Lias Andersson, Center, HV71 (Sweden).

 

Organizationally, the Flames have some skill at the goalie position, and very respectable talent, skill and speed at LW. However, they lack top line scoring, offensive defensemen and Center and RW depth. 

 

Liam Andersson is a talented 2-way center, and is very versatile in that he can be utilized effectively on the PP, at even strength and on the PK. He is a solid forechecker, who has good speed and can get in on the forecheck quickly. He possesses good speed as well as quality hands. He is advanced enough to this point where he could very well be ready to turn pro after his first season in Calgary's organizational system.  Many scouts believe he has a high hockey I.Q. and maturity level, particularly for him being 20 year old.

 

Strengths - Poise, very good work ethic, high hockey IQ, solid defensive awareness, good speed and hands.

 

Weaknesses - Does not possess a ton of offensive talent, and isn't a pure, consistent scorer.

 

There are scouts who liken his all-around game to have some characteristics akin to Henrik Zetterberg.

 

 

Nice pick. Underrated guy. He does a lot of little things well and makes lots of nifty plays in traffic. A leader too, one who knows the pro game - his dad and uncles played pro. Because of his late birthday he's been playing against men for two years already.

 

He's ranked in the 20s by many, but I think he's a riser, and your picking him at 16 reflects that. 

 

Of course, I overvalue smart players. 

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Toronto needs defense, that's a given, but there's other sources outside of the draft and altho this draft may have fine options for a future defense I think the highest upside of the players left isn't a d-man. I think the Leafs will draft the BPA and that's definitely what I hope they will do.

 

Klim Kostin is 6'3" and he plays that way, The Hockey News states his physicality is elite, his skating is just plain good for anyone whether small or big, big shot, and plays in the tough areas. This is the type of forward all teams want and should have and eventually, hopefully, he'll be TO's equivalent to Wayne Simmonds without the fisticuffs.

 

There's always the Russian factor risk making this pick but players like Kuznetsov, Kucherov and Tarasenko were chosen lower than they should've been because of that Russian factor and how important are they to their teams, very. His scoring stats weren't good this year because he was a 17 year old in the KHL but his results in some tournies against his peers tell us a different story.

 

I thought he was going to go higher so I think he's a steal. 

 

hf101 picking for Boston is now on the clock.

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@hobie nice pick! I think the Leafs can afford to take the risk on Kostin, considering how many elite forward prospects they have. I also believe Toronto will sign one of the big fish defensemen in UFA, so this pick will make sense! 

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33 minutes ago, habsguy26 said:

BTW @pilldoc... was looking at the draft order, you put Adam Foote instead of Callan Foote :hehe: you definitely aren't the first nor will you be the last my friend!

 

Actually that was my mistake as I was rushing to post it before I ran out the door for work this morning.  :blushing:

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10 hours ago, Podein25 said:

 

By anyone, do you mean me?

 

Just in-case I wasn't the only one as I was looking up Callan Foote for the Lightning myself and then thought - Hey it's not my turn.  :IDunnoSmiley:  I'm a bit behind keeping up as my day job keeps me much too busy these days.

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Just now, jammer2 said:

HF up next with Boston at #18 and then I'm up with my last pick, the Sharks at #19.....

 

I'm working on it.  Going to have to go with one of my favorite players in the draft going to one of my non-favorite teams.  :dizzysmiley-1:

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1 hour ago, habsguy26 said:

BTW @pilldoc... was looking at the draft order, you put Adam Foote instead of Callan Foote :hehe: you definitely aren't the first nor will you be the last my friend!

LOL... oops ?

 

Edit: ... note to self ... read prior posts before responding on an iPhone.?

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The Boston Bruins proudly select Ryan Poehling, the youngest NCAA player last year as he had fast-tracked through high school so he could play with his brothers at St Cloud State as an underage freshman.  While he didn't put up the most points in his freshman year as others on the Huskies team or this draft pool, he stood out for Team USA in international competition scoring some very timely goals.  Poehling generates offense in clutch situations and is close to being the complete package as he has size, speed, decent acceleration, lower body strength and balance.  Ryan Poehling plays a smart, gritty game, battling in the corners and in front of the net; as well as being effective on the forecheck. He also has a very good wrist shot and release and plays a strong cycle game. He protects the puck well and extends plays, giving time for his linemates to get open.

 

Poehling is projected to be a top 6 forward as he reads plays well, creating turnovers.   His positioning is solid and he uses that in combination with an active stick to cut down passing lanes. Poehling is willing to put his body on the line and block shots.  

 

With a couple of more years at St Cloud State Ryan Poehling will soon be a replacement for the aging Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci to lead the Bruins for years to come.

 

 

 

 

@jammer2 is on the clock for the Sharks.

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5 minutes ago, hf101 said:

The Boston Bruins proudly select Ryan Poehling, the youngest NCAA player last year as he had fast-tracked through high school so he could play with his brothers at St Cloud State as an underage freshman.  While he didn't put up the most points in his freshman year as others on the Huskies team or this draft pool, he stood out for Team USA in international competition scoring some very timely goals.  Poehling generates offense in clutch situations and is close to being the complete package as he has size, speed, decent acceleration, lower body strength and balance.  Ryan Poehling plays a smart, gritty game, battling in the corners and in front of the net; as well as being effective on the forecheck. He also has a very good wrist shot and release and plays a strong cycle game. He protects the puck well and extends plays, giving time for his linemates to get open.

 

Poehling is projected to be a top 6 forward as he reads plays well, creating turnovers.   His positioning is solid and he uses that in combination with an active stick to cut down passing lanes. Poehling is willing to put his body on the line and block shots.  

 

With a couple of more years at St Cloud State Ryan Poehling will soon be a replacement for the aging Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci to lead the Bruins for years to come.

 

 

 

 

@jammer2 is on the clock for the Sharks.

 Dang it! I hate this pick from a Habs perspective lol. Good pick for the Bruins!!!

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Just now, habsguy26 said:

 Dang it! I hate this pick from a Habs perspective lol. Good pick for the Bruins!!!

 

The Blues, who pick at #20, also had him on the radar.  Back to the drawing board.

 

nice pick @hf101

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2 minutes ago, habsguy26 said:

 Dang it! I hate this pick from a Habs perspective lol. Good pick for the Bruins!!!

and @pilldoc

 

Yeah, I figure if the Bruins don't take him the Blues or the Rangers surely will.   Maybe Minny will make a trade and snag him.  lol.

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Just now, hf101 said:

and @pilldoc

 

Yeah, I figure if the Bruins don't take him the Blues or the Rangers surely will.   Maybe Minny will make a trade and snag him.  lol.

 

I still have 1 or 2 players as my back-up Plan B. ;)

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 Take one look at the Sharks aging core at forward and it does not take an expert to figure out which way the Sharks go with the #19 overall pick. Whatever happens with Joe Thornton who will be over 40 next year, you still have Marleau turning 38 and Pavelski turning 33 soon. Even with Hertl showing promise (although his stock has dropped with an iffy season last year IMHO) and Timo Mirer up and coming, some depth for the top 6 is badly needed. 

 

 For me, this comes down to 2 players, both from the OHL. Either Jason Robertson or Issac Ratcliffe. I'm not sold on Robertson being able to contribute in the top 6 in the NHL, he will be an NHL player, but not sure where he will fall depth wise. Ratliffe is the pick, he's a healthy 6'6 and has room to put on weight, has very nice hands and plays a wonderfully powerful down low game where cycling the puck and getting to the tough areas are his specialty. He went from 5 goals in his 16 year old season to 28 goals as a 17 year old. I expect 45-50 next year for Guelph, he's that good.

 

 Here is a goal I saw him score at a Spits game in January, a nifty from his knees roof job. This kid is not a blazer, but the skating will not hold him back either, and he looks to be getting faster.

 

 

 Here is a neat goal he scored for Team Cherry at the top prospects game in Jan....notice the nifty and perfect bank pass back to the Dman at the point, knew right where to be for a scoring chance and finished really nicely, no chance for the goalie. 

 

 

For myself, this kid is *the* up and coming prospect in this draft. He's an absolute beast to get the puck off and is only 205, when he adds another 20 lbs or so, this kid WILL be one of the top guys in front of the net on the top pp in the entire NHL. He's a project, probably 2 years away from going pro....but well worth the wait.  If his skating takes off the way I think it will (really like his long powerful stride) he should have been a top 10 pick in this draft. I say he becomes a 40 goal go to guy in the NHL.

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