I’ll put it out there right now. I think that a Western Conference team is going to win the Alexis Lafreniere sweepstakes tonight and the reason for that is simple. Taylor Hall. Now, his team isn’t eligible to win the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery tonight because they actually won their play-in series vs. Nashville (as I predicted they would) but I’m thinking that just his presence in Edmonton could very well be enough to sway the odds to the West a bit…
The 28th place Oilers had an 11.5 per cent chance to win the Connor McDavid draft lottery in 2015.
Tonight is 12.5 per cent.
— Rob Tychkowski (@Rob_Tychkowski) August 10, 2020
All joking aside, I’m going to Laf if the Oilers win the right to pick first overall for the 5th time in ten years. I mean, you can’t get angry at them for winning it for the very reason that this is the NHL’s “well thought out” plan to begin with! I love the idea of Edmonton getting Alexis Lafreniere if nothing more than to create even more chaos and angst.
Another reason, aside from him being the perfect partner for Connor, I’d like to see it happen is that I envision the battle of Alberta being even more feisty with Lafreniere involved. This is a kid that doesn’t take any sh*t from anybody and you know that Matthew Tkachuk would have his sights on him from the get-go.
But I don’t want to talk about that today. If I’m being completely honest, I don’t think that the Oilers will win the lottery tonight, so I’d like to focus on a few prospects that the scouting pundits are projecting to go at 14th overall where Edmonton will be selecting.
Let’s start with the professional scouts:
- Bob McKenzie (TSN) – Kaiden Guhle
- Craig Button (TSN) – Dylan Holloway
- Corey Pronman (The Athletic) – Brendan Brisson
- Sam Cosentino (Sportsnet) – Dawson Mercer
- Scott Wheeler (The Athletic) – Jack Quinn
- Future Considerations – Rodion Amirov
- Hockey Prospect – Ridly Greig
- McKeen’s – Kaiden Guhle
- ISS – Kaiden Guhle
- The Hockey News – William Wallinder
- Elite Prospects – Brendan Brisson
- Central Scouting – William Wallinder (EUR)/Ridly Greig (NA)
I find it very interesting that Darnell Nurse 2.0, Kaiden Guhle, pops up three times here and this year’s Philip Broberg, William Wallinder, comes up twice. I can’t see the Oilers going for another defenseman here as according to my sources, Edmonton will be looking to spruce up the skill of their wing prospects and all of the forwards mentioned above bring something to the table that Ken Holland could use in 2-4 seasons from now.
The following quotes I’ll be gathering from the draft guides produced by McKeen’s, Hockey Prospect, The Hockey News, and The Draft Analyst.
“Among the top playmakers in the USHL, Brisson moves the puck around exceptionally well, and his ability to create movement between the dots is especially impressive.
Brisson also shows commendable commitment away from the puck. He backchecks hard and has been known to sneak in behind an opposing puck carrier to strip the puck from him and get the game going back the other way again”. – McKeen’s
“Brisson possesses an elite shot and it is one of the more respected weapons in his arsenal. He is very accurate with his slapper and isn’t afraid to use it.” – The Draft Analyst
“He anticipates the play extremely well, and knows how to identify his options rapidly as the result of his vision, in combination with his anticipation and processing ability. It’s on his stick and off his stick before he gets overwhelmed frequently. There’s a significant amount of deception and it’s rare for him to pass up on high-percentage options; both with his shooting and passing.” – Hockey Prospect
“Amirov is a skilled, two-way winger who plays a finesse style of game. What really jumps out is how shifty and slick he is. Rodion is very difficult to pin down or gain a read on.” – Hockey Prospect
“Shifty, aggressive and incredibly smart, Amirov impacts the game in all three zones with or without the puck. He can play either side of center, and his shot accuracy on his off wing is as accurate as it is on his strong side.
Two of the more noticeable aspects of Amirov’s game are his puck control and board play in all three zones. He is extremely elusive in tight spaces and will use multiple pivots or cut-backs with confidence to keep possession alive, specifically during the cycle.
mirov’s straight-line speed is very good, but it’s his anticipation coupled with the power of his stride that helps him create a sizable gap from back-pressure. He has an acute sense of identifying and evading oncoming opponents, and he’s not shy from stopping on a time and recalculating his next move.” – The Draft Analyst
“Quinn has the potential to drive his own line as a winger because he’s so good in the corners or along the boards, plus his escapability for an above-average skater is a tribute to his poise and the timing of his lateral cuts immediately after of zone entries.
Quinn is a tough competitor who is willing to fight for pucks and handle the disc in tight spaces. Defenders who try to contain or fix him into the corner run the risk of getting their ankles broken, but they also have to respect Quinn’s elite shot-release combination, to include his backhander.
You don’t score 52 goals in your first draft year without having some type of plus shot.
The intangibles are plentiful. Quinn will throw bodychecks, stick up for teammates after the whistle, battle hard for low-slot positioning against bigger defenders, and he is one of the league’s craftiest penalty killers in terms of looting pucks and creating scoring chances out of one-on-one scenarios” – The Draft Analyst
“He’s a highly skilled offensive guy who plays all 200 feet.” – The Hockey News
“Greig is a high-octane, two-way winger who can get under an opponent’s skin. He’s one of the younger players in the draft, and he plays with a ton of energy. The energy he consistently brings to the table is complimented by a fearlessness to attack in waves.
What’s even more impressive, is that there’s a maturity and a level of control featured in his game, that allows the grit and determination aspects of him to really thrive
He’s a gifted playmaker who can make high-end passes using a combination of creativity and deception.
One aspect of his shooting that makes him stand out, is that he’s gifted at shooting at top speeds and when using two-to-three step area quickness. He can also rapidly pull the puck and shift his shooting angle, yet also catch goalies off guard with how quick his release point can be.
Another impressive aspect of Greig is that he can attack in a multitude of ways using his aforementioned skills. If he’s moving east-west, he’s dangerous. If he’s moving north-south, he’s dangerous. If he’s stationary or in motion or if he’s attacking directly or making an indirect no look play, he’s dangerous.” – Hockey Prospect
Tell you what, I sure like the looks of Jack Quinn. He’s an older prospect if I’m not mistaken and he’s trending up sharply. He scores goals and he sounds like the kind of player coaches would love! Another guy out of this group of players I could see Edmonton grabbing is Ridly Greig. He’s be skyrocketing up the draft charts since the end of the season and seeing how the Oilers play-in series vs. Chicago just went, they might want to add some grit and determination to their pipeline.
And now the amateur scouts:
- Steve Kournianos (The Draft Analyst) – Dylan Holloway
- Larry Fisher (The Hockey Writers) – Jan Mysak
- Sean Patrick Ryan (The Oiler Knight) – Yaroslav Askarov
- Allan Mitchell (Lowetide) – Noel Gunler
- Mark Seidel (NACSIB) – Dawson Mercer
- Cam Robinson (Dobber’s Prospects) – Seth Jarvis
The players that this fantastic group of pundits is projecting are varied. We’ve even got a goalie in there! Let’s look at a few reports on these players.
“Mercer can play any kind of role on a team. He can play all three forward positions, and he is as good offensively as he is defensively. With his compete level, he’s the type of player you win hockey games with, as he plays like a winner and is very unselfish on the ice. Mercer projects as a top-6 forward at the NHL level. Even if his offense doesn’t translate, he could be a real good 3rd-line player down the road. He’s one of the safest players in this draft class.” – Hockey Prospect
“Mercer ticks off just about every box. He’s determined and hardworking, plays well at both ends of the ice and has complementary offensive skill. He can play up and down the lineup and adapt to almost any style of game.” – The Hockey News
“He could be the perfect complement to higher skilled play creators because of how intelligent he is and how hard he works.” – McKeen’s
“Dylan is a very good playmaker with excellent vision. He is an accurate passer who also can create chances off his backhand, and he plays with his head up at all times.
Skating definitely is a strong suit and his escapability near the boards while taking hard shoves makes his balance impressive.
Holloway is a hound off the puck who consistently applies pressure with physicality, especially on the penalty kill. He gets involved on the forecheck and creates turnovers thanks to smart reads, proper stick positioning and quick turns towards the direction of puck travel.
Blessed with ideal size and excellent balance, Holloway is a jack of all trades who can play either center or wing; serve as a playmaker or finish around the net; and most importantly, be matched up against opposing top players.” – The Draft Analyst
“Mysak is not an explosive skater, but once he gets his feet moving he’s capable of creating separation. He can beat defenders by going wide and has a danger- ous shot. Mysak is seen as more of a scorer than playmaker, but some scouts noted that his assist total would have been much higher if teammates had been able to capitalize on his passes.” – The Hockey News
“Mysak is a scoring winger with some line driving instincts, who uses a combination of skill and speed to generate points. He has a takeover approach that you can’t teach a player, and the speed necessary to take advantage of his mentality.” – Hockey Prospect
“The skills set starts off with unparalleled athleticism, above and beyond any other goalie in this year’s draft class, and even more impressive than Spencer Knight was last year. His post-to-post movement is explosive, and his skating ability also allows him to play aggressively, telescoping out of his crease to cut down angles from long range shots. His athleticism also shows itself when he is forced to scramble when the play gets too hairy near his crease.” – McKeen’s
“Askarov has superstar potential. Much like Knight last season, he has done more than enough to cement his standing as not only the top goaltending prospect in the draft, but one worthy of being a high first-round pick.” – The Draft Analyst
“Askarov’s movement for his age is the best we’ve ever seen for his size, and it’s due to how seamless he can transition between different technical-movements.” – Hockey Prospect
“Gunler is actually more natural as a finisher than as a creator. His wrist shot is his primary weapon. He can read goalies well, knowing when the best time is to fire and he doesn’t need to be in tight to pick his spot either, as he has the power to connect for long range.” – McKeen’s
“Gunler is a cerebral – sniper, who is one of the most gifted scorers featured in this draft. It is Noel’s offensive abilities that really makes him stand out as he is gifted with a superb offensive toolkit to create and score goals. Gunler’s wrist shot is elite, featuring fantastic mechanics.” – Hockey Prospect
I started out the year really loving Holloway’s game. What he did in the AJHL as a 16-year-old was mindblowing to me but then his year didn’t start that well despite playing on the same team as Alex Turcotte and Cole Caufield. So I turned my attention to Mysak. I thought he was outstanding at the World Junior’s and even better in the OHL. But now, I’m torn. Is this the time in Edmonton’s build to take the safe player or risk it on a potential generational goaltender? Mercer or Askarov? Yet, there’s a possible 30-goal-scorer in Noel Gunler sitting there too…
If it was my choice this is how I’d rank the players mentioned above,
- Jack Quinn
- Yaroslav Askarov
- Noel Gunler
- Ridly Greig
- Dawson Mercer
- Jan Mysak
- Dylan Holloway
- Rodion Amirov
- Brendan Brisson
I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that I think the Oilers should consider trading down with teams like the Devils, who have picks 18 and 21 (I think), Montreal (16th), or Ottawa (22nd) in an attempt to recoup some early-round draft picks that they lost at the deadline. A lot of the players I showed you today will most likely still be around by the 16th to 22nd selection. I feel like it just makes a lot of sense and Ken Holland has a history of trading down.
What do you think? Do you have your eyes on any specific players for this upcoming draft? Have your targets changed since the Oilers have moved up? Let us know in the comments below!
