Somewhat shocked to see that Cory Pronman gave an A rating to the selection of Yakemchuck. It is the only A he gave out on the top 10 players selected

Somewhat shocked to see that Cory Pronman gave an A rating to the selection of Yakemchuck. It is the only A he gave out on the top 10 players selected
- spatso

His list of comparable NHL players for the various D-men in the first draft was particularly interesting. I really didn't get Pietrangelo vibes from Yakemchuk... I'm actually thinking Chychrun might be a more realistic comparable, maybe with a bit more of a physical edge. Have to wonder how many people would have been been mock-drafting Pareykh if they'd known his comparable was Klingberg. That seems like a particularly unenthusiastic example of an offensive-minded D-man, especially given his most recent NHL season.

Staios' interview here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvMFINRSfxQ

Must admit that I like the statement about not strictly drafting based on position, but still taking advantage of a chance to build at RHD. BPA is fine in principle, but there are some positions like C/RD where you have to strongly consider the relative value of the position as part of your decision. I mentioned Teddy Stiga earlier, but it wouldn't be a shock if they picked another RHD in the 2nd round, especially if Charlie Elick is still on the board.

RD / RW are always pinch points for teams building their rosters due to the lower amount of right shots out there. Hell, I made teams over comparable / better players simply because I was (am) a right shot. The right side of the talent pool is significantly more shallow than the left side.

Hearing there's a chance the Rangers might buyout Jacob Trouba... which I just don't understand. Is there any chance Staios tries to move in on that? A buyout would have a $4M cap hit for the first 2 seasons, so in theory anything up to a $4M salary retention would be even-money. What kind of offer would you make NYR for Trouba at maybe $3M retention (i.e. $5M x 2 years).
- khawk

No Thank You!

No Thank You!
- granpa

Can interest you in a John Marino perhaps?

2nd or 3rd next year plus Joseph.

Somewhat shocked to see that Cory Pronman gave an A rating to the selection of Yakemchuck. It is the only A he gave out on the top 10 players selected
- spatso

Pronman had him ranked 3rd overall, hence the rating.

He's an older player, so the thinking goes one more year in junior and one more year in the AHL and he slots 4 to 6. Works with the Sens Timeline imo.

Damn. Ilya Nabokov the goalie goes to Colorado in the 2nd round, 1 slot ahead of Ottawa. Oh well. Hopefully Ullmark signs longer term with Ottawa and we won't need to think about goaltending for another 5-6 years.

Gabriel Eliasson 6'6" / 6'7" 205LBS LD at 17 years old.

https://thehockeywriters....l-draft-prospect-profile/

Gabriel Eliasson 6'6" / 6'7" 205LBS LD at 17 years old.
https://thehockeywriters....l-draft-prospect-profile/
- HoweHatrick

Definitely not the pick I would have made at #39, but it's another example of them looking to add size and physicality to the blue line. Feels like he might be able to develop into a player like Hal Gill or Vincent Desharnais... but it's important to note that those players were 7th/8th round picks. The Hockey Writers review was more scathing in terms of his limitations, but I found a couple of other summary statements of note.

Chris Peters - Flo Hockey - June 3rd: "Eliasson is an enormous 6-foot-6, mean and physical defenseman. He’s a good skater for his size, too. His decision-making is poor and the offensive game is below average. Defensively, he knows what he’s doing and players with his frame and mobility will always be given a chance."

Sebastian High - Dobber Prospects - Apr. 20th: "Eliasson has played a mistake-riddled game all season long, but his foundation of violent physicality, size, and mobility give him a foundation that an NHL team will surely like to swing on and mould into a potential shutdown defender."

EliteProspects 2024 NHL Draft Guide - A towering defenceman with decent skating ability and an endless lust for violence.

"Violent physicality, size, and mobility" is definitely an interesting foundation, and even if he's a longer-term prospect he's also one of the youngest players in the draft. Despite the negative statements about certain aspects of his game, he's managed to play on the SWE-U18 team and is set to attend the University of Michigan next year. Those things don't happen by accident, so it will be very interesting to monitor his development.

On the surface this feels like an unnecessary reach at #39... though I must admit you seldom see references to prospects having an "endless lust for violence".

As soon as I read that he was committed to the University of Michigan I somewhat tempered the negative scouting report.

Luke Ellinas taken with the first 4th round pick. Another 'reach' as he was the 88th ranked NA skater, but had a strong playoffs in his first year in the OHL, and was already Kitchener's most physical forwards. He's listed at 6'2-198, and plays on the same team as Matthew Andonovski - who's one of the Senators' top physical D-man prospects.

EliteProspects 2024 NHL Draft Guide - His shot and work rate are Ellinas’ standout elements. He adjusts to tricky passes to fire instantly and fires powerful quick-release wristers off the rush. Then, he collides with opponents and sprints back into the play to regain possession. He’s also a confident puckhandler, most visible when he’s pulling pucks off the wall to escape the cycle.

Luke Ellinas taken with the first 4th round pick. Another 'reach' as he was the 88th ranked NA skater, but had a strong playoffs in his first year in the OHL, and was already Kitchener's most physical forwards. Plays on the same team as Matthew Andonovski, who's one of their top physical D-man prospects.

EliteProspects 2024 NHL Draft Guide - His shot and work rate are Ellinas’ standout elements. He adjusts to tricky passes to fire instantly and fires powerful quick-release wristers off the rush. Then, he collides with opponents and sprints back into the play to regain possession. He’s also a confident puckhandler, most visible when he’s pulling pucks off the wall to escape the cycle.
- khawk

How is Ellinas a "reach" when the Sens drafted him at #104 and EP had him at #88??

Javon Moore seems like solid value pick at #112, as he was rated as high as the 60/70 range by some scouting groups. He played mostly just at Minnetonka HS, but he's already listed at 6'4-203 and will be going right to the University of Minnesota next season.

EliteProspects 2024 NHL Draft Guide - Transitionally, Moore’s game is full of large-area handling and separation as he stretches his stride out to create power. This is a crafty player who utilizes delay elements to open room and disrupt gaps, blending slip-passing and saucer feeds through layers. He hunts for give-and-goes across his line, allowing him to drive dangerous areas of the ice with his size and find soft areas of the ice to get into a position to shoot off the pass.

Was apparently also a Mr. Hockey finalist in Minnesota...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqBWMW7mXPA

I'm not typically one to agree with Youtuber legrocks99, but he had Javon Moore identified as one of his biggest sleeper picks of the draft...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-I3awK8LAE

Senators add another very big forward at #117 in Blake Montgomery, who's already listed at 6'4-180, and was one of the top scorers for his USHL team last year. Ranked anywhere from 61-133 depending on the source, he'll be attending the University of Wisconsin next year. If nothing else, they're certainly focusing their draft picks on excellent NCAA schools, as Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan are all excellent programs.

EliteProspects 2024 NHL Draft Guide - Blake Montgomery is a play-driving power winger with speed to burn, shooting skill, vision, and defensive ability. Montgomery’s powerful crossover burst, high pace, and creative handling enable him to get defenders moving in the wrong direction and instantly punish them. He cuts inside, powers behind them on his way to the net, and always goes out of his way to win body positioning.

Some highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loInd7boDZg

How is Ellinas a "reach" when the Sens drafted him at #104 and EP had him at #88??
- OttawaB

No, that was his central scouting ranking for NA skaters... which means you have to add all of the European skates, plus the NA/European goaltenders to get an actual ranking. EP had him at 118, another ranking had him at 204, and most of the others didn't even bother to rank him at all. It may have been a bit much to call it a reach, but given the comparative pedigree of their other 4th round picks, it seems like they had him disproportionately high on their list.

The Senators picked LHD Eerik Wallenius at #136 from Finland, which is relatively close to where McKeen's had him going. He's already listed at 6'4-212, so it seems there's no question we'll be seeing more size on the Senators' blue line in the next few years. Taking a flyer on a large, physical D-man at this point in the draft makes sense... but it feels like they're going to have an awful lot of LHD prospects trying to basically work towards a single NHL roster position.

EliteProspects 2024 NHL Draft Guide - At 6-foot-4, he has the coveted size for a defenceman, combined with a desire to move the puck with control and control the game from the backend while occasionally chipping in offensively, too.

Holtz traded for a 3rd wow staios man where were you on that one...

Gabriel Eliasson 6'6" / 6'7" 205LBS LD at 17 years old.

https://thehockeywriters....l-draft-prospect-profile/
- HoweHatrick

The Anti-Brannstrom.

Senators may not qualify Kelly
The Ottawa Senators are leaning towards not qualifying forward Parker Kelly, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

OTT going to need a whole new 3rd and 4th line.

The Anti-Brannstrom.
- SensFan25

The entire draft class is above 6 ft 2 inches.

It is like the Sens had doorway built that high, and they'd only draft you if you had to bend down to enter the room.

Senators may not qualify Kelly
The Ottawa Senators are leaning towards not qualifying forward Parker Kelly, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

OTT going to need a whole new 3rd and 4th line.
- Mithos

Well, quite frankly they need a whole new 3rd/4th line. I'm not sure Parker Kelly is really the problem, especially when he led the team in PK ice time last year, but there's certainly room for improvement.

Changing gears back to the draft, here's a video of all of Gabriel Eliasson's shifts at the Five Nations Cup semi-final vs. SUI.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsvyFeFixmU

He's definitely playing a stay-at-home role, but for the most part he seems to be in decent position and making reasonable defensive plays. You can also see the physical dimension to his game, and he even manages to chip in what turns out to be the GWG.

The entire draft class is above 6 ft 2 inches.

It is like the Sens had doorway built that high, and they'd only draft you if you had to bend down to enter the room.
- GrimmdaGoalie

Staios allergic to speed and skating.

Every player we got apparently has a knack for toughness but all suffer the same weakness’.

Can’t say I’m very optimistic so far

Staios allergic to speed and skating.

Every player we got apparently has a knack for toughness but all suffer the same weakness’.

Can’t say I’m very optimistic so far
- Trilla

I'm not sure that's quite true... even Eliasson is noted as having better skating than you'd expect from someone of that physical size. I would argue the most common weakness across the whole group is actually a lack of refined high-level puck skills, and defensive hockey IQ (i.e. decision-making).

Eliasson was the 39th overall pick by the Senators in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday. If you're looking for a mean, physical rearguard, this is your guy. Checking in at 6-foot-7 and north of 200 pounds, Eliasson is arguably the most punishing hitter in the entire draft.

Something to take into account is Elieasson is only 17 years old. He is a September birthday. If he had been born 6 days later he would have fallen into next year's draft. I love this pick.

I would have no issue with a blueline that has a few 6'7" forces of nature that like to play a physical game.