I don't have the time to search for them, but remember all those Kevin Hayes interviews during and after the Hawk evaluation camps?
- wiz1901

Mitchell will sign with the Hawks. I would be stunned if he didn't.

Bennett is a #3 pick who will never live up to that draft slot and my opinion is neither will Cozens. Every time I watched Cozens, not many btw, there is something missing to me.
- Elbows15

Yep, same for me. Same with Dach for me. Turcotte, on the other hand, is always impressing. But - I haven't seen any of them play enough to know for sure my assessment is correct.

Mitchell will sign with the Hawks. I would be stunned if he didn't.
- Elbows15

like I was when Hayes didn't eh?

Bennett is a #3 pick who will never live up to that draft slot and my opinion is neither will Cozens. Every time I watched Cozens, not many btw, there is something missing to me.
- Elbows15

I think Cozens has a way more going for him then Bennett ,Cozens life experiences alone separate him from Bennett . Cozens is my pick ,with Dach being a close 2nd .Byram looks good and could be the best pick or the biggest bust ,I think Stan likes that gamble so we could be looking at another D man pick . Turcotte scares me ,he playing on a all star team and I think gets some lighter matchups then the other centers playing top line minutes in the WHL .He also seems injury prone . Time to take a Canadian kid 1st IMO

The Athletic calling Byram what he is and the disadvantages of selecting a defender that early in a strong forward group...

I think Cozens has a way more going for him then Bennett ,Cozens life experiences alone separate him from Bennett . Cozens is my pick ,with Dach being a close 2nd .Byram looks good and could be the best pick or the biggest bust ,I think Stan likes that gamble so we could be looking at another D man pick . Turcotte scares me ,he playing on a all star team and I think gets some lighter matchups then the other centers playing top line minutes in the WHL .He also seems injury prone . Time to take a Canadian kid 1st IMO
- oldduffman

As far as I know Turcotte has had one injury and it occurred this past season and he came back as good as ever. The reason he missed additional time this season is because he was sick with mono - not injury related. I'm not sure why there is this "injury prone" stigma affixed to Turcotte - unless I'm missing some past injuries he's had - it's simply not true.

Turcotte took over 1st line center when Jack Hughes missed some time and actually averaged more points per game than Hughes was averaging so this notion that Turcotte was the beneficiary of lower competition because Hughes was getting the opposition's best defenders is highly overstated.

The Athletic calling Byram what he is and the disadvantages of selecting a defender that early in a strong forward group...
- wiz1901

I hope Stan has his fill of D man .Take Cozens and move on .If Knight is still there going into the 2nd RD, try and move up and grab him .. I very much doubt he gets out of the 1st ..

As far as I know Turcotte has had one injury and it occurred this past season and he came back as good as ever. The reason he missed additional time this season is because he was sick with mono - not injury related. I'm not sure why there is this "injury prone" stigma affixed to Turcotte - unless I'm missing some past injuries he's had - it's simply not true.

Turcotte took over 1st line center when Jack Hughes missed some time and actually averaged more points per game than Hughes was averaging so this notion that Turcotte was the beneficiary of lower competition because Hughes was getting the opposition's best defenders is highly overstated.
- EbonyRaptor

Ok small sample size on top line minutes ,but he is surrounded by stars player on that team .And that teams competition and schedule bother me also .There is no better hockey breeding ground then Jr. A hockey in Canada IMHO

Take with a grain of salt given that comparables could just be style of play yet still lack in actual replication of the NHLer's career output, but here are the comparables I've read so far for the top center draft prospects (not counting Hughes):

Turcotte = Toews, O'Reilly
Cozens = Kesler, Scheifele
Dach = Getzlaf, Wheeler
Krebs = Barzal, Lindholm
Zegras = Kuznetsov, Kane

The Kane comparison for Zegras seems excessive. I believe it's in relation to the passing skill and not necessarily the full elite package that Kane is. For fear of opening a can of worms with this term, but Kane is a generational talent while Zegras or any of the other center draft prospects are not (again, not counting Hughes).

Ok small sample size on top line minutes ,but he is surrounded by stars player on that team .And that teams competition and schedule bother me also .There is no better hockey breeding ground then Jr. A hockey in Canada IMHO
- oldduffman

I agree the CHL is better than NCAA or the competition the USNTDP plays. It helps to see tourney's like U18 to see head to head.

Bennett is a #3 pick who will never live up to that draft slot and my opinion is neither will Cozens. Every time I watched Cozens, not many btw, there is something missing to me.
- Elbows15

Agree on Bennett not living up to his draft slot. It's not too late for him to become a solid 3rd liner similar to other former 1st rounders Frolik and former Hawks top draft pick Dan Cleary.

Frolik and Cleary took some time but eventually evolved to be pretty good 3rd liners: reliable defensively and able to contribute 40-50 points, play special teams, and serve a checking role.

Bennett has really amped up his physical element in the NHL so he has that going for him at least.

Take with a grain of salt given that comparables could just be style of play yet still lack in actual replication of the NHLer's career output, but here are the comparables I've read so far for the top center draft prospects (not counting Hughes):

Turcotte = Toews, O'Reilly
Cozens = Kesler, Scheifele
Dach = Getzlaf, Wheeler
Krebs = Barzal, Lindholm
Zegras = Kuznetsov, Kane

The Kane comparison for Zegras seems excessive. I believe it's in relation to the passing skill and not necessarily the full elite package that Kane is. For fear of opening a can of worms with this term, but Kane is a generational talent while Zegras or any of the other center draft prospects are not (again, not counting Hughes).
- AEL_Fox

Can't put too much on comparables but I think Bergeron is a good comparable for a Turcotte ceiling.

As far as I know Turcotte has had one injury and it occurred this past season and he came back as good as ever. The reason he missed additional time this season is because he was sick with mono - not injury related. I'm not sure why there is this "injury prone" stigma affixed to Turcotte - unless I'm missing some past injuries he's had - it's simply not true.

Turcotte took over 1st line center when Jack Hughes missed some time and actually averaged more points per game than Hughes was averaging so this notion that Turcotte was the beneficiary of lower competition because Hughes was getting the opposition's best defenders is highly overstated.
- EbonyRaptor

That all sounds accurate to me as far as what I've read up about Turcotte, i.e. about the mono and taking on a larger role (and performing well) when Hughes went down. If anything, Hughes is more injury prone than Turcotte. Even then, it's still too early to tab either as injury prone.

I agree the CHL is better than NCAA or the competition the USNTDP plays. It helps to see tourney's like U18 to see head to head.
- EbonyRaptor

This question is for anyone but who exactly does the USNTDP play as their competition? Are they like Notre Dame, i.e. no conference and like to play the best of the best?

Ok small sample size on top line minutes ,but he is surrounded by stars player on that team .And that teams competition and schedule bother me also .There is no better hockey breeding ground then Jr. A hockey in Canada IMHO
- oldduffman

Sounds like you don't think too highly of those most of the college boys who play 30 games a year and waltz around the ice with their full face shields on and then don't like being sent to the AHL to learn how real pros play this game.

I think Cozens has a way more going for him then Bennett ,Cozens life experiences alone separate him from Bennett . Cozens is my pick ,with Dach being a close 2nd .Byram looks good and could be the best pick or the biggest bust ,I think Stan likes that gamble so we could be looking at another D man pick . Turcotte scares me ,he playing on a all star team and I think gets some lighter matchups then the other centers playing top line minutes in the WHL .He also seems injury prone . Time to take a Canadian kid 1st IMO
- oldduffman

Turcotte has fared much better against his peers than Cozens. Krebs will be a better pro than Cozens, IMO.

Sounds like you don't think too highly of those most of the college boys who play 30 games a year and waltz around the ice with their full face shields on and then don't like being sent to the AHL to learn how real pros play this game.
- RickJ

Like Makar?

Take with a grain of salt given that comparables could just be style of play yet still lack in actual replication of the NHLer's career output, but here are the comparables I've read so far for the top center draft prospects (not counting Hughes):

Turcotte = Toews, O'Reilly
Cozens = Kesler, Scheifele
Dach = Getzlaf, Wheeler
Krebs = Barzal, Lindholm
Zegras = Kuznetsov, Kane

The Kane comparison for Zegras seems excessive. I believe it's in relation to the passing skill and not necessarily the full elite package that Kane is. For fear of opening a can of worms with this term, but Kane is a generational talent while Zegras or any of the other center draft prospects are not (again, not counting Hughes).
- AEL_Fox

Those comparison are more of a style comparison than player evaluations. Zegras is because he has excellent vision, great hands and is a pass first kind of player.

This question is for anyone but who exactly does the USNTDP play as their competition? Are they like Notre Dame, i.e. no conference and like to play the best of the best?
- AEL_Fox

It varies. They play some NCAA teams. tournaments and a full USHL schedule.

The CHL is definitely better but the USHL is closing the gap over the last few years. One of the differences is most USHL players move on at a younger age. The large majority move on to play in the NCAA after a season or two in the USHL. The CHL tends to have more players playing their 19 and 20 yr old seasons.

This question is for anyone but who exactly does the USNTDP play as their competition? Are they like Notre Dame, i.e. no conference and like to play the best of the best?
- AEL_Fox

I think they play a mishmash of a schedule - against USHL and college teams mostly. But the point is CHL teams play a consistently tougher level of competition than the USNTDP plays.

Like Makar?
- Elbows15

I said most, not all.

Makar is a great player about to be a star. Add in Charlie McAvoy in too and some others.

Turcotte has fared much better against his peers than Cozens. Krebs will be a better pro than Cozens, IMO.
- Elbows15

Much better . Ok I don't see that ,just hope we get the best one .They should all be decent players in their own right . Still Leary of Turcotte but hey I was not sold on Toews so what do I know ..

C'mon man, he's only a sophomore this year.

You don't want all 4 breaking in at the same time anyway.
- vabeachbear

Ok, if YOU guarantee Mitchell signs with the Hawks, then I’ll rest easy with that assurance...

Since the Hayes experience, I’m leery of these NCAA prospects stringing out their signing/commitment. This is a loophole that needs to be closed with the next CBA.

I think they play a mishmash of a schedule - against USHL and college teams mostly. But the point is CHL teams play a consistently tougher level of competition than the USNTDP plays.
- EbonyRaptor

Thanks to you and Elbows for the insight.

I said most, not all.

Makar is a great player about to be a star. Add in Charlie McAvoy in too and some others.
- RickJ

I must be watching another Charlie McAvoy but I’m not seeing what everyone else apparently sees.

Makar on the other hand will be upsetting Hawks fans for years to come.