2017 Draft Watch

[CarltonTheBear]

Scouting outfits (and I) like him and his profile a lot. His size is listed a little bit all over the place. I think NHL scouts and GMs might still balk at him in the top 5 or even top 10.

Who was the last sub-6' defenseman taken in the top 10?
I've been sifting manually through the last handful of drafts, but I don't think hockeydb kept the at-draft size/weights.

His official combine measurement was 5-foot-11.25, 187.44 pounds. And that fact that it's been a little all over the place probably indicates that he's been growing a fair bit in the past year and there's still some room to go there. Guys like Juolevi and Provorov were a little bigger at the draft but not really by that much.

 

[herman]

Scouting outfits (and I) like him and his profile a lot. His size is listed a little bit all over the place. I think NHL scouts and GMs might still balk at him in the top 5 or even top 10.

Who was the last sub-6' defenseman taken in the top 10?
I've been sifting manually through the last handful of drafts, but I don't think hockeydb kept the at-draft size/weights.

His official combine measurement was 5-foot-11.25, 187.44 pounds. And that fact that it's been a little all over the place probably indicates that he's been growing a fair bit in the past year and there's still some room to go there. Guys like Juolevi and Provorov were a little bigger at the draft but not really by that much.

That growth curve does indeed look ramped up. Where can I find the combine measurements? My usual amount of lazy googling is proving insufficient.

Edit: Found it! http://thehockeywriters.com/2017-nhl-combine-heights-weights/

(I still think some GMs sort their spreadsheets to look for that 6; I really don't mind if other GMs are dumb like this.)

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I think NHL scouts and GMs might still balk at him in the top 5 or even top 10.

Also, from McKenzie's article:

Seven of the 10 scouts surveyed had Makar as a top 5 pick, including the one who had him first overall. Makar was no lower than No. 7 on any scout?s list.

 

[herman]

I think NHL scouts and GMs might still balk at him in the top 5 or even top 10.

Also, from McKenzie's article:

Seven of the 10 scouts surveyed had Makar as a top 5 pick, including the one who had him first overall. Makar was no lower than No. 7 on any scout?s list.

I did see that. I remain skeptical of the way most teams work the draft and scout. That Makar is even in these conversations is a testament to his ability.

Is his playing in a league he is clearly too good for a factor in that assessment?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I did see that. I remain skeptical of the way most teams work the draft and scout. That Makar is even in these conversations is a testament to his ability.

Is his playing in a league he is clearly too good for a factor in that assessment?

Admittedly I too am surprised that he's ranked that high by those scouts, but here we are. Playing in the AJHL really makes him one of the toughest prospects to scout I'm sure. He actually probably makes for the best test to judge a scout's pure talents on. If I was a GM I'd make sure all my guys made a full report on him and I'd check back in on that in 3 years to see how they did.

 

[herman]

Admittedly I too am surprised that he's ranked that high by those scouts, but here we are. Playing in the AJHL really makes him one of the toughest prospects to scout I'm sure. He actually probably makes for the best test to judge a scout's pure talents on. If I was a GM I'd make sure all my guys made a full report on him and I'd check back in on that in 3 years to see how they did.

Agreed. I'm very curious to see where he ends up and how he does in higher tiers.

Erik Brannstrom and Kailer Yamamoto are other guys I think who'll get the size bias treatment even though they have the production of a top 5 pick.

 

[herman]

Mock Drafts!
Marek's: http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/jeff-mareks-2017-nhl-mock-draft/
#17: Lias Andersson

The Leafs want guys who play a smart, puck possession game. This intelligent and talented centre fits that bill.

Draft Site's: https://www.draftsite.com/nhl/mock-draft/2017/
#17: Eeli Tolvanen

My NHL Draft: http://www.mynhldraft.com/NHL-Mock-Draft/
#17: Timothy Liljegren

SB Nation: https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/nhl-draft/2017/6/17/15811742/eeli-tolvanen-toronto-maple-leafs-nhl-mock-draft-2017
#17: Eeli Tolvanen

 

[herman]

No one's mock drafts have 6 Vegas picks, so these don't seem realistic.