The Athletic Hockey Show - Prospect Series Live Room Q&A

Episode Date: January 13, 2023

Max and Corey answer listener questions about some of the world’s top hockey prospects.Please note: this episode was recorded live on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.Subscribe to The Athletic Hockey Show on YouTube: http://youtube.com/@theathletichockeyshowGet a 1-year subscription to The Athletic for $2 a month when you visit http://theathletic.com/hockeyshowPost your job for free at LinkedIn.com/NHLSHOWSign up today at StitchFix.com/HOCKEY to get $20 off your first purchase!Get 20% Off and Free Shipping with the code NHL23 at Manscaped.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the Athletic Hockey Show Prospect Series. Hey, everybody. Hope everyone's doing good. Hope everyone has had a nice holiday and off to a good start to their year. Corey's going to kind of restart his phone and jump back in here in a second. If anyone wants to throw questions in the chat for me in the interim, happy to talk about anything you guys want. Can do Red Wings, can do prospects, just for a few minutes until Corey jumps in.

We'll just take them from the chat to start here. Thoughts on Team Finland? Yeah, it was a tough tournament for them. I mean, I don't think that's the kind of finished team we're used to seeing at this event. And usually, you know, I think Finland is even able to outperform its talent at events like the World Juniors. And why was it not able to happen this year? I'm not sure, you know, maybe it's kind of a, you need kind of a really hot goalie to sustain that style. I don't know.

but I don't think it portends anything for hockey Finland in general. I wouldn't make any big sweeping conclusions. It wouldn't surprise me if they're able to come back in the next couple years and be really good. But they didn't obviously have that elite player this year that they didn't have a Lundel. They didn't have a not too rotu to carry them through. So that would kind of be my first thoughts on Finland. We were just talking about Team Finland, Corey, from Zach O,

do you have any kind of takeaways off of their tournament? We were just kind of talking about the uncharacteristic uncharacteristic showing from them at the world juniors this year. Yeah, I just think there wasn't a ton of high-in offensive talent on that team. Team Finland has been kind of interesting at that tournament over the last decade. We've had obviously some really, really good teams, several gold medals out of Finland, and then you had a couple of years where they are actually in the relegation round. And then I think this team in general is just really underwhelming.

Like, there are still good prospects on that team, and guys you think are going to play. in the NHL, but I, there was a lot of searching for even strength offense on, on that club. Not a whole lot of guys who were making plays on a consistent basis. And like, Yol Kimmel, I thought had a good tournament. And there were other players in that team who had decent showings. But when they really needed a goal, like I was talking to one of the international coaches while the tournament, during the tournament while they were playing in that quarterfinal against sweeted and he's like there's no way they're going to win this game they can't score goals when

they need to which you know who knows in a single elimination tournament they probably could have each act out a goal or two but uh i think there was definitely a lack of skill on that team and we wondered before the tournament right does brad lambert fit into that as kind of your your game breaker the guy who you can go to when you really really need a goal who you know maybe he's not the most structured sound player, but certainly he's got the skill set for it. It just didn't work out that way. Yeah, and it's kind of ironic that, like, Brad Lambert's best world junior tournament might have been the one when he was a draft minus one, to be quite honest. And then the canceled tournament in his draft year, his last two did not go in an ideal fashion. No, they didn't.

We got a lot of questions here about Motvin Mitchkov, and I think most of them are seconding this one from Tyler N, which is how far could Mitchcock? realistically fall. Corey, I've bugged you about this several times over the course of the start of the season here. As we've had some guys, you know, coming into the year, it was Baderd and Mitchkov, and I think Fantilli was obviously around the periphery there. I think we've now moved into Bidad Fantilly Carlson as kind of the top three, which kind of raises the question of how far could Michkov fall? Is he comfortable at this point after those guys he goes or could he slip a little. It's really hard to tell because I think it's really like I was having this discussion

with an executive yesterday about Mitch Cove and I think we both agree that it's really going to depend on what the ultimate draft order is. I think some teams are going to be more comfortable with it high in the draft than others. And there are definitely some NHL people I talk to who think he is the second or the third best player on pure talent. That is not a consensus opinion. by any means. But for a lot of scouts, he is very much in that mix still as a player. So it's going to really depend on which teams have those high picks and whether they're willing to tolerate that kind of risk high in the draft versus just taking Anandin

or Leo Carlson or Will Smith or Dalboe Dvorski or some of the other options. But if I was in that position, I would have a hard time taking him over Fantilli. and we can have debates about whether he, where he fits on talent versus some of the other guys like Carlson or Smith, but I'm not in that position where I have to make that decision with my job on the line. We talked on a podcast episode that will air next week, I think, about kind of how ownership maybe plays a bigger role in decisions than sometimes people give credit for.

I guess are we looking for an ownership group here to be the one that signs off? Are we looking for a GM that feels really secure? Is it all of the above? What's the profile of the team that he is willing to take Mitch Kov as high as three or four? From my discussions with people in the league, it's absolutely going to have a lot of ownership input into a Mitch Koff decision. And I think a GM is going to want to not have short-term issues on their job security. If you're using a premium asset on a guy you know,

is not going to be there for at minimum three more seasons. Yep. Absolutely. Here's one from Patrick M. Are you concerned about Lucas Raymond? We talked the other day about, you know, the Redding's two big guys, Cider and Raymond and what to make other kind of sophomore seasons. I think we spent more time on Cider.

Again, this will air next week. Let's talk a little bit about Raymond. What's your sense been on him this year? He's still very good. And obviously, he's a very young, player in that league and still playing a significant role on an NHL team at a very young age. And he's he's a competitive player. But when you are that size and you're not extremely fast, the bulk of your value has to come from your offense.

And when you watch him in, he looks like he's skilled and, you know, a very creative player. But when it's, how do I put this? When it's not jumping off the page at you out of a consistent basis, it's, it's, it doesn't get you excited about him. And I still am excited about this player. I think he's going to be a really, really good NHL player for a long time. But you would be hoping to see that offensive touch at a high end level a little bit more often. Yeah, I think that's fair.

I think when you look at him relative to most of his draft class, with the exception of Tim Stutzla, I don't think anyone's out producing him at this point. So it's not so much to me about the raw point totals. I think you're just looking for when is that, because that's his, his hallmark is his hands and his sense to me, the creativity and sense. And you just, I think you saw it a little more last year. And I think it's normal for young players to kind of go through adjustment phases, right? And it's not all at the beginning. You're going to do some things and the league's going to adjust to you and know what you like to do and you got to make another adjustment.

I guess that's my feeling on where he is. But I do think it's important for the Red Wings that, you know, Lucas Raymond be more than a good for. I think that they need him to be, you know, a 70 plus point guy, ultimately, to get where they want to go. And so it doesn't have to be this year. It just has to be in the next couple of years, right? Yeah. I want to get to a question from Scott S. Back to the draft where he asked, could Nate Danielson,

as a center with Brandon in the WHA, sneak into the top 10? And I think the answer is yes. I think obviously Badaad is the best player out West and the best player in the draft class. but in terms of the second best player in the West where that's arguably the where the league with the most talent in this year's draft class I think there are four players that are squarely in that discussion for the number two slot I think Danielson is in that mix I think Braden Yeager from Moose Jaw Zach Benson from Winnipeg and Samuel Hanzik from Vancouver could all easily be the second player from the WHL picked and I think

depending on which scout you asked you'll get a different opinion on those four but Danielson has looked really impressive. I watched him yesterday. Again, Seattle, I was really impressed by him. And he looks like a really nice all-around sentiment right now. Just to remind people, so for this one, we're going to stick to the chat. So if you're in the queue, I know Patrick, you're in there right now. We're going to try to stick to the chat log here for the questions.

It just runs a little smoother for us that way. So feel free to post your questions in there. Yeah. Okay, continuing here, we got one on Gavin Brindley and a question on, you know, could he potentially be a top 15 pick after showing a little more offense in the World Junior? My feeling on Brinley is he's kind of more of a late first prospect, but did he do anything to boost himself at the World Junior score?

I don't think he would go that high, no, just small. I think he could be a center in the NHL, maybe like a Blake Lazott type of center. But the scoring is not so significant. either in junior or in college, uh, to think that for that size, he'll go that high in the draft. Uh,

but again, excellent skater, excellent competitor. There is some offense there. He's a really good player. I just don't know if, if you look at him and I think it's, it's special,

uh, small player ability. Uh, I like the one question from Ben D. Thoughts on your eye, Slavkovsky so far. Would you still have the Montreal winger first overall? Um,

and obviously I don't think Slavkovsky has been lights out. as an 18-year-old in the NHL, but you still see a lot of things you like, a 6-4 guy who can skate and has pretty good hands, and you've seen flashes of the offensive ability there. But Max and I were talking about this yesterday is, you know, you look at that draft class. It's like, yeah, Slavkovsky hasn't been lights out good so far, but, I mean, you look around that draft class and who is?

Like, who is that guy who is definitely the best player from that draft? I think, like Logan Cooley's had a very nice. year at college, but it's not been like an exceptional, no doubt I'm the guy here. Eurecheck's been very good. But he's in the, I think he's moved from the periphery of that argument to squarely in the argument, but his skating isn't amazing. You know, Shane Wright hasn't really played much hockey, so the date on him hasn't really changed that much.

I think if you believe in Slovkovky is number one, six months ago, I'm not sure there's a whole lot of new information to change that. I'll say this. When we talk about kind of positional value and how it. factors into that conversation. A big right shot D who's proven they can score against men like that makes up pretty strong, just even on scarcity and how rare players like that are, you might be able to convince me that, and it's the short sample, but a few months after that draft, you might be able to convince me that Eurocheck looks like the most valuable asset right now. Yeah, I can believe

it. I've had a few people in the league asked me if he can be like an Aaron Ekblatt type of player. I'm not sure his skating is as good as Ekblad, but I see the stylistic similarities. And obviously, if he became that kind of player, that would be a very valuable asset. Yep, absolutely. Sean, I don't think there's really a question here. Maybe it got cut off, but he's asking about Minchikov and not getting to play at the World Juniors. You don't get to see him compete against his elite peers. But what have you thought of Pavel Mintikov's year?

He's another one of these defensemen from the last class who has taken offensively. He's one of the very top scores in the OHL, and we knew he had. offense. But what do you make of Minchukov's year? What do you think he would have shown if he had been at the world juniors? I mean, he's been awesome. I think he's been the best player in the Ontario Hockey League this season. I think he's a dynamic offensive defenseman with a ton of skill and he's got the goal scoring touch. He can make plays. He's a strong skater. He's defense optional some nights, but I don't blame the coach for playing him in that way, given how much talent he has. No, he's looked awesome. And I think you look at that draft now. I think we went

into that draft of the discussion like, hey, this is, it's going to be either David Eurechek or Simon Nemich is the best offense from this draft. But I think a few months later, you look at the years that Minchikov has had. You look at how good Kevin Korniski has looked in Seattle. I think there's four, you know, really, really strong defense prospects coming out of that draft class. At least that's what the early indicators are. Hannah C wants to know if you get any movement or new thoughts on Will Smith. He's kind of the other guy around that conversation. I think a tier back, but maybe kind of in a in between tiers there,

between kind of the Carlson-Mitchcock and then, you know, the next tier of the Shalas and so on. Is he a tweener there for you or is he in one or the other camp? I mean, yeah, he's a very high draft pick. I think he would go right around, you know, whatever, four to eight if the draft happened today. I think, I mean, he's dynamic. Whenever you watch the NTP a team play, like he stands out. He's so skilled and creative and he makes all these high difficult plays at a fast pace. That line in general, him in between Ryan Leonard and Gabriel Perrault,

just stand out every single time you watch them. And I think that speaks to their competitiveness as well as their talent. And he's the guy who drives that line. Not to say the other two aren't excellent players who do a lot, but he is definitely the driver. And I think he will be a very high draft pick. Okay, a couple of questions on Axel Sandine Pelica. Zach O wants to know if you think he's the best defenseman in this draft.

And Jordan H. wants just to talk about him kind of relative to, you know, Lundkvist, Brandstrom, Carlson, Bochrist, and the production that Sandean Pelican is putting up in Sweden. Let's kind of start on the Zach O questions. I know you're pretty fond of a couple of other guys as well. I am, but I think in terms of an offensive standpoint, he might be the best defenseman in the draft. I think Mikhail Gulliaya would be right there with him. Lucas Dragasevich would be up there. But I think you can argue he has the most offensive potential of any defenseman in the draft.

A ton of skill, a really high-end offensive hockey sense, scores a lot of goals. There is offense there. He is a good skater. I don't think for 5-11, it's an amazing skater. ability. So, you know, I can see maybe a comparable to Bokefist in that regard. I don't think his defending is as worrisome as Bokefist was at the same age or arguably is right now. I think, but I probably doesn't have that pure goal scoring threat that Adam had either. So I don't mind maybe an analogy there. I would have, even though Adam went in the top 10, I would have concerns

taking Axel in the top 10. I don't know if there's the all-around value there, but he is a very good player. Whether it's the first, second, third, fourth defenseman picked in this draft, he will go high. The other guys, you know, obviously Rehnbach, I think, was your top in the most recent ranking, and Demetri Seemishev from Russia is the guy I really,

like he'd probably be my number one defenseman, just off the tools. Yeah, I think there's, depending on who you ask, you can get different answers. Some would say Reimbacker, some would say Sivishef, some would say Sandin Pelica. I've even heard a little Oliver Bonk of late. I think, and not just because I think there is a lack of a clear guy, but I think those are all guys who are having very strong seasons and are in the mix. And even I've heard Drag a Stavich as a minority opinion. So Patrick M, who was a guy who was in the stage queue, got his question into the chat.

He wants to talk about Andrew Kristall and the hype from some outlets on him. obviously the production from Crystal is outstanding, but he says, what's the difference between him and Jordan Dume or Joshua? His toolkit plus size combo doesn't scream top 15 pick. Would you agree? My reaction, Patrick, would be yes. I agree with you.

I would have a hard time. Especially with the skating, you watch him, and it doesn't look. You question what the translatability of the skating is for me. But Corey, what do you think? That's my concern as well. it's a very wonky skating stride.

It's like it's a lot of Mohawking and 10-2 that you see in his stride. And it's just like it feels like his hips just work in that way where it kind of defaults. The same way, like San Antonio, Straunch has it in his draft year, but I think the difference is Stranger did this with power and could get around guys. And I don't see that as much with Kristol. Not to say that he isn't a very good hockey player. He has a, like you watch Colonna's games and he gets. gets a ton of scoring chances. He's around the puck a lot. He works hard. He gets to the net. He's an excellent hockey player. But there is a concern there on how it translates to higher levels.

We had a very, very similar discussion with Bobby Brink in his draft season. And I think he was a guy everybody thought was going in the first round and ultimately did not. I think this player is better than Brink, in part because I think the WHL is better than the USHL. So there's a little bit more evidence of it translating to a slightly better level, but it's still junior hockey. And I just don't see top 15. Doesn't mean he can't be a first round pick, but I think top 15 for me is not realistic at this stage. I think I would have a hard time taking him in the first round.

And one of the things that's interesting with players like this is you don't really get to find out until they make the NHL of how big of a concern it was. Bobby Brink was one of the very best players in college hockey, which to me usually is a really good indicator of what's going to translate. And I think something Bobby Brink can be a really good player too, so I don't want to get that lost here either. But to me, to be a first-round pick, I really want to have a high level of confidence knowing what I'm getting. And I just think with the size skating profile, it's hard to find that like real resolute confidence, for me at least. Yeah, and Brink wasn't that right away in college.

And we'll see how he doesn't pro. Just came back from a several month injuries. He's got a goal in his first American league game of the year. but he's, you know, we'll see how his career goes. Like I think of Nick Patton, too, went the second round. I think he'll be like Tolvon and went to the league first. That seems to be the profile for these type of players. Let's go back to the chat because there's a lot of them coming in.

Anything stand out to you here, Max? Yeah, Michael W. wants you to talk about Montreal's young D-Men, especially Caden Gully. What have you made to him? I know he's a player who I think Rose on your most. recent or your upcoming, I should say, U23 list. Yeah, he said something about how he's not liked by the analytics, and I don't know what specifically he's referring to. Maybe he can elaborate in the chat what the issue there is.

But, I mean, whenever I've watched Montreal this season, and admittedly not a lot of NHL games lately due to just my focus on the world juniors. But whenever I've watched him, I mean, I think he's looked really good. I think he's a big, highly physical defender who makes a lot of stops and the offense has never been like the puck movie's ever been amazing, but I think it's been solid. Like he looks like a reliable NHL player with the puck and who's as his usual self is very solid and hard to play against defensively. I mean, I think Gully is an excellent player. Andres F simply asked, what are we thinking on Matt Savoy, which there was another question on Savoy, a little. little bit earlier that was there too. So I think we could spend a little bit of time on him.

The ninth overall pick, obviously last year. And a player who I think even going into that draft, there was a lot of conversation about, is he a center or a wing? Is he going to translate? I think he's a really good skater for the size. So I still think he's a good NHL player someday, but for me, probably a wing. What's kind of your overall view on Matthew Savoy's draft plus one so far? It's been interesting because when I've watched the Winnipeg Ice, I think he's looked really impressive. The couple of games I was at live and as well as just watching a lot of their games from home, like I think he stands out.

He's really, really fast. He's skilled. He competes well. But for whatever reason, the offense has not translated this year. I mean, I don't know the exact numbers, but I think he's something like in the 30s or the 40s in WHL scoring, like terms of the rank in the league, which is not what you expect from him this year, given all of his talent. I still think this is a very good hockey player, a guy who.

who could be a top six forward, probably a top six winger in the NHL. But like I said, the lack of offense for a small guy is concerning. It's hard to get around that. And it looks like it might take more time than we thought. But frankly, with the Buffalo Sabres right now, it could take some time. I mean, this is, I think, as of now, the number one scoring team in the NHL. So I don't think they are dying for a 19-year-old to step into their lineup and score for them. I think they can, you know, work with Matthew and take the amount of top.

in the WHL in the American League as they need to bulk them up and get them ready to be an NHL player. Here's a good one from Ryan L. Outside of Connor Bedard, who are the best peer goal scores in the top half of the first round? I'm going to also take Mavey Michkoff off the board for you there because you can. We're not just going to talk about the top three or four guys in this draft. Who are some of the best pure goal scores in the draft? Okay, he said top half of the first round? Let's just say first round because we're getting pretty narrow at that point.

First round. Yeah, I mean, I think, like I'm going to say, maybe not even a first rounder, but he might be late first, probably one of a second. But I think Bradley Nato and Penticton is a very impressive goal scorer. He has a great shot. Kobe Barlow shots has always been impressive. Matthew Wood's shot is very impressive. And he's always been a goal scoring threat. Probably Yeager is the one that maybe most comes to mind.

Like his shot is really impressive. The offensive tolls for him have not been maybe as amazing this season as expected. I saw another question there about Yeager, so we're kind of answering two with one here. But I think Yeager is a very good hockey player, all-around player. The offense has been a little bit better of late. He's a goal score, but also a two-way player. But I think those would be the main ones from the goal-scoring front that comes to mind. What about Oliver Moore, who hasn't put up crazy totals?

but I think when you think about the speed and shot that he's shown, can he be that? Or is it still more of kind of a puck transporting speed than a goal scoring kind of speed? His numbers haven't been amazing this year, but it's an interesting NTP team this season in that regard is that we, as affirmation, they have the one loaded line with Smith, Perrault and Leonard, and they load up that top power play with those guys. and it almost reminds me a little bit of the Jack Eichol NTT team that had Jack Eichol centering Sunny Milano and Alex Tuck, and on that second line, you had Dylan Larkin. I'm not saying Oliver Moore is as good as Dylan Larkin is at the same age,

although in terms of where they're projected in the draft is the same range. But he was also like Moore is this really excellent skating guy. He defends well. The offense has been good. You see these flashes of the skill, but it's not like a ton of production. But I think there's a lot of pro potential, a lot of tools with this player. I think he's the best pure skater in the draft.

And I think there is a lot of, I wouldn't shock me if he goes to college next year and he just puts up real numbers right away. How would you compare it by like Casper in last year's draft who maybe didn't have crazy offensive numbers, but I think is a really, really good skater. More might be a little faster, but both really good skaters and have kind of that defensive of conscience too. How would you compare those two guys? And we can maybe bring Danielson, I guess, into that it was a two-way center. I think that that's not too far off. I think with Casper, just like he did it versus men gave you a little bit more confidence.

Like he was really good in the SHL, really good in the SHL playoffs and really good at the world championships is you got a little bit more data that I was going to translate to higher levels. We just don't have that data with more right now. I think we'll be interesting with more in the second half is I have to imagine after the February international tournaments that loaded 17 team on the NTP is going to get some guys called up, whether it's James Higgins or Cole Iserman or some of the other forwards or defensemen, they've got a lot of really good players in that team. I'll be interested to see how this U.S. under 18 team ultimately looks in April,

because I think some of those guys maybe put them with Oliver Moore, and maybe it changes how he looks on the ice. And I think he's got a little bit better shot than Casper just as I think about it. But it was just something that came to my mind. But that's a good point. I mean, he could be a riser for that reason just as the supporting cast around him improves. Anything stand out to you here in the chat? I'm just kind of scrolling right now.

I'm playing catch up. Did you have anything mentally queued up? Two questions that were being asked. Well, three, I see one about Snuggarood, Bistet, and Broberg. We kind of address Bistead and Snugglerud together in that. I think those are two guys who, in different ways, have had very nice first halves, excellent world juniors. Bistead as a kind of this big mobile sediment with good offense.

And I think he's outplayed similar to Swedish in his own draft, whether it be Liam Ogren, Jonathan Lickoramaki, Noah Oseland. Like he looked better than all of them at that tournament. And I think we look at the Pro Tool Kid. I think he looks really promising right now for San Jose. Snuggerud, obviously, just what a first half for that guy. Just one of the best players in college in the first half. excellent world junior.

There's a lot of tools there. I know Jeremy Rutherford just wrote about him today for us at the athletic. I still not in love with the feet, although I saw some quotes in there in that article that said the feet were, the feet issues are gone. I'm not sure I buy that completely, but I think the competitiveness is really good and the skill and the scoring ability are all really good. And I think that's a promising player. And then lastly, on Broberg, his case will be interesting.

So I feel like when he's been in the American, can leak over the last two years when I've watched him he's been quite good you haven't quite seated in the NHL yet but that that Euler's team's kind of weird right like the way they use their players is they just absolutely load up those top guys with the ice time and the opportunities and the periphery guys you know whether it's been you know the cloud or Pooley RV or other young guys it's tough to get opportunity on that team because they have those superstars and they're trying to win but I just think with Brober with that length and that skating and having enough skill.

Like, I think he's going to be a top four. I don't know when it's going to be, and I don't know how that roster shakes up ultimately within their attempts to contend, but I still, I do believe in Broberg. We got a lot of Red Wings fans in here asking the thoughts on Marco Casper and William Wallander question. I will tell you guys, I'm going to Rogla this weekend. So next week I'll be there and I'll have a much better up-close sense. for them then and obviously we'll have some stories coming off of that but i think we can talk about

yeah not men maybe not even so humble um but uh we could talk about him for a second here i think wallander's probably been one of their bigger risers in the system this year going from a guy who you know last summer heading into what was the what became the canceled world junior tournament he didn't make that team and it didn't look at the wrong decision based on the summer camp he was already starting to kind of rise when he was when he was at rogla but now corey i know you you think a lot more highly of him than maybe both of us did a year and a half ago yeah and to a curiosity is it walinder or like valinder i i'm not sure the pronunciation you should probably get that down for the medium i believe it is technically the v sound um but i sometimes don't still want to confuse people

but i believe it's technically valender all right just making sure just being a nerd about this but yeah No, I think I always suspected the size in the skating there. Like I questioned what the role was. Like I didn't see big time offense. I didn't see like this big hard to play against defender. But I think you are seeing the offense now this year. And now there's kind of a role that's emerging a little bit for Hylinder. Like you know, got this big mobile guy and he's making plays on the power play.

He's got like a big shot. And I'm not saying he's going to be a power play guy in the NHL. But you're saying, okay, he can move pucks in the NHL possibly now to go with, you know, that length and that skating. Maybe he's not like a go-to PK guy, but he's like the fourth or the fifth option for you in the lineup. And there's some, he looks much more attractive now from an NHL standpoint.

I think it's been a promising year from him. Yeah, and I think when I called to Roglo last year, as I was doing some of my reporting for the pipeline stories, that was one of the defense was actually one of the things that came up. And I think there was a willingness there, and they consented to work on that. And I think that's an important part of,

of all this too. Really quick on Casper. My read there is it's been pretty much exactly what you wanted to see in terms of the expected trajectory. He's not producing crazy, but he's producing well. And he's playing a really big role. I think he looks like a two-way center who's got a chance to be a top six center, probably more of a second line center.

But I think he's right on track. Is that fair, Corey? Yep, that would be my stance too. I don't think the offense. I think the offense is good. Like, he shows you skill. If there is offense there for sure, I don't think it's ever going to be his calling car.

I think he's a top power play guy in the NHL. I think he could be a really nice two-way set of him. Here's an interesting one from Zach O, with Norway coming in next year. Are there any, I assume he means to the world juniors, are there any intriguing Norwegian prospects we should be following? The name's going to escape me. There's this guy in Sweden that's playing well. Moldgard, I think it is.

But I don't remember him off top of my head. But I think he's going to be, I think he'll be drafted in the top, like, whatever, third, fourth, fifth round this year. Okay, there we go. Dylan H wants to know your thoughts on the top QMJHL prospects this year. Anything beyond Gochier worth keeping tabs on? I think Ateon Morin is a good player. I'm actually watching him right now.

Not really paying much attention, but I am watching Moncton play Quebec right now. I think he's a good player. A lot of offense there, you know, moves it well, good shot, good skill. skating is not like amazing but it's fine he's a good player Goethe's actually not had a huge season which is a little concerning but he's still a good player

Mateo Man is a good prospect limited offense but big mobile I think he's like 6 4, 6 5 and he can skate so there's some pro potential there I think it's not an amazing year though for the queue okay

another one from Pat and Jack corrected me Mulgarde is not Norwegian, he is Danish. My apologies, Jack. You've insulted Denmark. Would you rather have Tim Stutzler or Maddie Baneers? That's from Patrick M. It would be really close.

I think it's probably a coin flip to be quite honest, right? Like, we are going to put a new Under-23 list out next week. And I think I have those guys back-to-back. still got to figure that out though so sorry for not getting a better answer but i'm still working through that it's a very good debate um another one from patrick hem do the ducks have the best collection of defense prospects outside the nchal we talked about minchikov olen zellweger i guess is part of the reason he's asking this question i don't necessarily want to ask you about do the ducks have the best collection of defense prospects outside the hl i want to ask you who has

the best collection of defense prospects outside the NHL. Yeah, that's really tough. I mean, they would have to be up there, right? I mean, it gets it depends whether you still consider Driesdale a prospect or not, but just Minchikov and Zelweger by themselves are really good. I mean, Columbus would be really good. I probably, you know, Eurocheck, Matechuk, Motechuk, Spozil. I mean, it's probably, but my answer probably is New Jersey.

You know, Luke Hughes, Simon Nemich, and I think Shakir McCorm. Mademadoulin has looked really impressive this season when I've watched. Seamus Casey's had a nice year, too. Is Carson Coleman's, as we've, or Corson Coleman's? I forget which one he is. Is it Corson Coleman's, the one that was the Columbus? Yeah, yeah, that's Columbus, yes. Okay, yeah.

How's he been this year? Is he doing anything? Well, he didn't make Canada as World Junior Team, so it's like that was a little, that wasn't ideal for him. But I have, well, I've watched Wisconsin, sometimes he's been really good, and sometimes he's been just okay. All right. Here's another this or that.

Coolidge or Lisa? Probably would lean Coolidge at this point. I think Coolidge is trending up. I saw a question from Dylan H right now asking about the next draft ranking. So the next U23 ranking, that means players within NHO organization is next week. The next draft ranking will be a couple of weeks after that. I'm guessing towards the end of the month will be the next draft board. Okay.

Should we make a last call here for thoughts? then maybe we'll give a five more minutes or so and go on from there. Yeah, I think that's fair. You know, Andreas F was, Andreis, not Andreas, Andres F was asking whether Wyatt Johnson is for real. And I mean, it's hard to argue the answer is no right now. I mean, what was the guy got to do? He was awesome in the OHL last year. He's been, you know, for a teenager on a very good NHL team in Dallas, he's been quite

impressive, plays a significant role for them. The skating isn't amazing, but everything else there is pretty strong. I mean, the skill, the hockey sense, he works hard, makes a ton of plays. You know, definitely can give you some David Kreachie vibes in terms of his potential. Like, I mean, I think they look like they got a real player there. Sean, I think that is. I can't tell if it's that or Nell because the name is lowercase. But who in your opinion is Colorado's best prospect and who should they flip for help

at the deadline in a trade? I think like those, there's like three guys that are similar range, Oscar Ollison, John Lucudy and St. And Sean Barron's, but I'm not sure any of them are really like top end prospects that will have significant value. But, but they're all like solid prospects. I mean, Ollison as the centerpiece, is he get you the kind of, you know, you figure Colorado probably wants a second line senator to replace cadre. Like, what are you having to package with Ollison to pull a, whether it's Bo Horace? Orvat or whoever else. Jonathan Taves if he moves.

I'm guessing their first round pick is their best asset right now. Okay. More so than the prospects. That's fair. Thoughts on Cutter-Gote. That's from Eric B. A guy who, and we can follow up with that Willander won after that.

I skipped that earlier, Jordan. But thoughts on Cutter-Gotee coming out of the world juniors? I mean, I think Gochier has looked very good this year. it's a pretty similar discussion to where he was with the program is he's a very good hockey player there's a lot of things there you like the production isn't exceptional like he hasn't taken off but you still see a lot of potential there you still see a six three guy who can skate he is skill he makes some plays he has a very good shot uh there's a lot there uh to like but we're still waiting for him to take that next step and kind of become like a truly you know elite score quickly

with Jeffrey M. is Yaloslav Ascroft reestablishing his value this year? I would say yes, I've been very impressed by when I've watched him this year. The scouts I've talked to who've watched Milwaukee have said very positive things as well. Do you want to talk about Villander? I assume that's going to be the pronunciation there on Jordan H's question. Do you have a thought on him? And I know you and I talked about him just earlier this week. I think we talked about him today. That's right. Days are on. Yeah, I think Tom's a good player. Like he's 6-1, good skater.

I don't think it's a high-end puck-moving games. Like, you know, more transporting with his feet. Kind of a second or a third-round pick for me, I think. He's a good player, but like I would, in terms of the Swedish defenseman, like he's not close to like Sandine Palatka, for example. He's probably more similar to Theo Linstein in terms of pure value. Any more here before we sign off for the day? We got a few still coming in.

We can do another this or that. Mintikov or Zell Lager for offensive potential. I don't know if you can really separate it fully, but who you got? It probably is like a coin flip. And it makes me wonder, like, what is Zell Wager's future in that organization? I think he's a very good hockey player and obviously, obviously an amazing junior player. You look at what he just went for in a trade a couple of days ago. But in the same organization that's going to have Drysdale,

that has Michikov and has other, you know, whether it's camp, we don't know whether the camp foul is going to be either long term or not. But, like, Zell Weger's value is clearly on the power play. So I do wonder if those players long term can coexist, being such offensive driven defensemen, Mitchikov with much more size, or whether Zellweger could be a trade piece used down the line. Kind of like the way Niels Lundfus was just used by the Rangers.

I don't think Drysdale, needs the power play to be a 20-minute I tend to agree. I think Zellweger is more of a natural power play guy than Drysdale is. Yeah, okay. All right, we'll give you a one or two, and then we'll sign off. Anything grabbing you? Here.

Well, Donnie B. has been persistent by Ryan Ufco. I think he's a good player, competitive, smart, but not an amazing skater for that size. That's the question on the pro potential. RJ asks about Charlie Stramel. I'm a Charlie Stramwell fan. I think he's going to go top 20, top 15. I think that's kind of right where I have him ranked.

I think he could be a second line center in the NHL. A really good all-around centerman size, skating, physicality, good, not amazing offense. I think that is, that's kind of where I sit on him. Anything you're seeing, Max? I like the Scott S. one on the Seamus Casey thing because Seamus Casey played forward for a game at Michigan the other day. I think had like three points. He played center. I think we're pretty.

Yes, exactly. But I think we are sold on him sticking at D, right? Yes, I would imagine that is the long-term projection for him. Although I appreciate the creativity on Michigan's part when they were missing their entire lineup. And that was for an exhibition game. That was not for a big 10th. Yes, that was against the NTP. I will say you could have a similar conversation with Seamus Casey that we just had about

old Zellwiger and where does he get his power play from? on a team that has Luke Hughes, Simon Nemich, and Dougie Hamilton already there. I think you could have a very similar conversation about him. I think you can have a same conversation about Luke Hughes and Simon Nemich. Hello, we can have that. Well, I think ultimately what they're going to do is like what Colorado has done when they've been fully healthy is they got to like try the two or the three defensemen power play unit and just, you know, when your most skilled players are defensemen, that's going to end up being your power play. I don't know. They got a lot of skill in New Jersey already.

So it'll be really interesting to see what they do. I will say for as much as the four forward power play, and I know some people push for the five forward power play has become a thing. When you have really, really good offensive D, it's okay to still use 2D on a powerplay. You can still put Luke Hughes on a flank. You can still put Dougie Hamilton on a flank, and that's okay. It's not the end of the world.

Mintrachov is another guy. I think he could play the flank quite well if you needed him to. I think that's where he would be a natural fit, honestly, with his skill and his shots. Yeah, exactly. Sometimes the problem can be solved that way. You don't just have to have two D-U play on the power play. But I think that's going to do it for us here today, unless you got anything else, Corey. One last one, because Sean's been persistent.

Liam Fudy is still upside. Probably a guy just do you think is a dept guy skating, bottom six winger type of thing. That's kind of where I would stand on him right now. But otherwise, I think that's it for us, mex. All right, sounds good. Thank you, everybody, for stopping by today and talking with us. We really appreciate you guys keeping the questions consistent for us. And we'll do one of these again.

Don't really know exactly when, but before too long. So we appreciate you guys.