CDCFL San Jose Sharks

[matchesmalone]

Players listed as UFA are already going to be UFA come July 1st. Players listed as 2002 will have to go through the draft first, and if they go undrafted will become UFA on July 1st.

Nick Cicek (UFA)

Tanner Dickinson (2002)

Joel Nystrom (2002)

Trenton Bliss (UFA)

Kyle Jackson (2002)

Stephen Halliday (2002)

Jordan Frasca (UFA)

Lucas Edmonds (UFA)

Jet Greaves (UFA)

Arshdeep Bains (2002)

Benjamin King (2002)

Oskari Salminen (UFA)

Calle Sjalin (UFA)

Linus Oberg (UFA)

Filip Cederqvist (UFA)

Ryan Fanti (UFA)

Lukas Sillinger (UFA)

Carter Mazur (2002)

Viktor Lodin (UFA)

Mazur and Nystrom will certainly not make it through the draft, and could be targets for the 3rd round or so if we trade back. Some of the other 2002s might be worth taking with our 5th.

Add Albert Sjoberg (2002), Ryan Tverberg (2002), Jakub Kros (2003), Oliver Johansson (2003), Zach Ostapchuk (2003), Tucker Robertson (2003), Jacob Melanson (2003).

[matchesmalone]

Ostlund is too low... Not quite sure what to do with him though. So much goshdarn potential. And the only major concern is his weight. Even height-wise he's not that bad at 5'11. He should be up in the mid-teens somewhere.

Also, watching Hamara has reminded me that we shouldn't completely forget about some of the kids we keyed in on very early - I'm thinking of Jack Devine, Ludwig Persson, Elmeri Laakso, Danil Zhilkin. Am I missing some?

Looking at Laakso in particular right now. I remember being simply astonished watching him at YOGs. He's 6'1 now... played 20 minutes a few games in Liiga. But he's not on any public lists except 66th on Central for Europeans. What in the hell is going on here?

[matchesmalone]

I'm thinking maybe of offering Fanti and Salminen matching 3 year deals at 1.5 per. Both look super legit to me, and we likely don't have to worry about them playing games within 3 years... maybe though. I'll have to look into that a little more. Both 22 years old.

Nick Cicek is another one of my top targets, but he's gonna be playing games soon, so have to offer a more realistic contract, but still enough to make sure we get him. Thinking around 950k.

With Cederqvsit apparently returning to Sweden next year, I'd be tempted to offer a one year deal at a crazy amount. But I imagine the agent will see right through that. I really want him though. Maybe 2 years around 1.25, or 3 years around 950.

[Josh]

Quick forward rank list for CDC. I've taken your high praise of Lekkerimaki into consideration.

1 - Wright
2 - Cooley
3 - Slafkovsky
4 - Savoie
5 - Nazar
6 - Lekkerimaki
7 - Yurov
8 - Kemell
9 - Lambert
10 - Geekie
11 - Ohgren
12 - Gauthier
13 - Howard
14 - Kasper
15 - McGroarty
16 - Miroshnichenko
17 - Mesar
18 - Ostlund
19 - Trikozov
20 - Kulich

[Josh]

I'm starting to think it'd be best to steer completely clear of all Russians mind you. So I'll turn it into a top 15 instead and remove the three Russians from my list (also removing Kulich and Ostlund).

1 - Wright
2 - Cooley
3 - Slafkovsky
4 - Savoie
5 - Nazar
6 - Lekkerimaki
7 - Kemell
8 - Lambert
9 - Geekie
10 - Ohgren
11 - Gauthier
12 - Howard
13 - Kasper
14 - McGroarty
15 - Mesar

[Josh]

1. Shane Wright
2. Juraj Slafkovsky
3. Logan Cooley

----- The top three all have that unique blend of elite skill and NHL-translatability that puts them a cut above -----

4. Jonathan Lekkerimaki - Elite playmaker off the puck, highly skilled with the puck, but more likely to make the safe possession play than try to force offense. Might go a couple of shifts at a time where he only creates low-danger chances, but at least once every two or three shifts he'll find the opportunity to create something high-danger, usually taking very little risk to do so. Guys like this, who can give up the puck and get in positions to give their linemates the best chance to make a good play - to me that's what "making players around you better" is all about.
5. Danila Yurov - Constantly creating something out of nothing due to his uncanny ability to win any puck battle. Not quite as purely skilled as the top four, but the most NHL-translatable player in the entire draft. Should be number 4 but they're close enough that Yurov drops one spot due to Russian factor.
6. Simon Nemec - Certainly not as much offensive upside as the next few players, but we have to think NHL safety as well as players who are going to help their teams win and have high value to contenders in their primes. He'll rack up points just being on the ice 25+ mins a game, and his shot alone makes him a weapon on the powerplay.
7. Frank Nazar - Falls somewhere in between Lekkerimaki on one side and Savoie/Kemell on the other in terms of risk management. The latter two often take risks in which the potential payoff is not immediately clear. About once a shift Nazar will make a high-risk play that leads immediately to a high-danger scoring chance if successful - often passes directly into the slot where a linemate then has a fraction of a second to make a play. He's probably not going to be the guy who makes players around him better, but if playing with highly skilled players who can keep up with him, he'll help them play to their potential. If he ends up having trouble balancing risk with creating offense at the NHL-level, his tenacity and intelligence could still make him an effective top nine forward.
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8. Joakim Kemell - Immensely skilled player, but often seems to dangle one on one just for the fun or the challenge of it. Can play a bit of a perimeter game. Would love to see him use his puck skills to directly attack the middle of the ice more often. Reminds me a little bit of Gustav Nyquist. Also has a real nasty temper that could get him suspended from time to time, but could also rack up some PIMs for stick infractions.
9. David Jiricek - Pretty much the same as I said about Nemec. Probably not as much offensive upside, but will be highly sought-after by contenders in his prime, and might develop into the type of player who could add fantasy value through PIMs.
10. Ivan Miroshnichenko - In terms of raw ability (pure skill plus athleticism), he and Slafkovsky are the top of the class. He was already behind most of his peers in terms of game experience, and now is going to miss another full season. Many reports express concerns with his hockey IQ, but I believe that will come with playing games at higher levels. Aside from international play, he played less than 20 games at the U18 level, and then exactly 20 games at the U20 level before making the jump to VHL. I am far less concerned about IQ and much more concerned about his "heart". Does he have the will to be the raging bull he can be when he's at his best? Will the health scare make him more timid or will it be a wake-up call? A lot of question marks and he'll need some real development time, but could have the highest upside in the entire draft.
11. Liam Ohgren - Probably has the least offensive upside of the forwards listed so far, but he's a very safe bet to be a 40-50 point producer, and still has some pretty serious upside beyond that. Somewhere in the mould of a Goodrow, Hyman, Landeskog. Yes, that's quite a range, and that's the difficulty assessing Ohgren. He can look a little sluggish in puck battles. Not the quickest on his pivots. And some reports suggest he needs to add more east-west to his game. That said, he's a bull of a kid at 6'1 and already 190+, a powerful straight-line skater with an elite shot in terms of power and ability to release from any angle. Skates good routes, loves to drift high for a defenseman pinching and then slowly creep into the high slot. Nothing special with his puck skills, but fairly subtle hands in tight and has the lower arm strength to handle the puck and to shoot out away from his body. Not a particularly creative playmaker, but there's some thoughtfulness there.
12. Matthew Savoie - Tons of offensive upside but also an awful lot of risk. When prospects have concerns with size combined with concerns with pro-translatability, that gives me pause. His saving grace is his speed, quickness and explosiveness; always valuable traits in the NHL. Pretty good chance he develops into at least a 60 point player in the NHL, and maybe much more, but he'll need some development time.
13. Kevin Korchinksi - Immense offensive upside, but he's another one of the most frustrating players in the draft. Always seems to leave you wanting just a little bit more. A little bit more effort, a little bit safer decisions with the puck, a little bit better decisions defensively. He's a June birthday and only played 20-something games as a rookie though, so still pretty early in his development. Is not the go-to guy on Seattle's defense the way Mateychuk is in Moose Jaw. Partly because he's just not as polished a two-way defender, but partly because Seattle is a very good team and he's stuck playing behind Knazko and Hanzel, which is also putting a bit of a damper on his development. Probably for the best long-term though.
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14. Conor Geekie - Reminds me a little of Getzlaf in his draft year, who was ranked 5th in NA by Central, but fell on draft day due to some concerns around effort level. Geekie has similar concerns, as well as those around his skating. Also a little reminiscent of Byfield in his draft year, the way he just often looks a little sluggish. But his size, skill, and offensive hockey IQ mean big upside if he can figure it out. His lack of playoff production further fuels concerns about his ability to make plays in tight spaces, which would be a crucial aspect to him developing into the type of player he would need to be to take full advantage of his attributes.
15. Brad Lambert - The talent is undeniable, but he can be too much of a perimeter player and takes too much risk when he does decide to attack the inside. Does he have the hockey IQ to figure out how to create offense with minimal risk? Reminds me of Nick Schmaltz as a guy who will excel in transition and creating on the perimeter, but may struggle to create in the high-danger areas. Also comes with some off-ice red flags.
16. Marco Kasper - Going back to what I said about Nemec and Jiricek, and have implied about others, he's a guy who will be extremely sought-after by playoff contenders. I wish I had seen him more than I have, because I feel like there's a little bit of offensive upside there, but I just can't decide how much. Very safe bet to be a 30-40 point producer. 55-65 would seem to be the absolute best-case scenario, but might add value with PIMs.
17. Cutter Gauthier - Some of the better raw tools in the draft when you look at his frame, skating and shooting. Also some defensive ability and versatility to play wing or center. But I see very little to get excited about in terms of offensive upside. Lacks any real creativity, problem-solving or precision with his playmaking. Probably a much more valuable pick in real life than he will be in fantasy. Saw a comparison to Lawson Crouse that seemed to ring true for me.
18. Calle Odelius - Just never seems to make a mistake with the puck. Reminds me of Jonas Brodin, which maybe doesn't say too much to his fantasy value, but he'll be a very safe bet to make the NHL, probably sooner than most picks in this range, and I feel like there's a little bit of offensive upside hidden there as well.
19. Tristan Luneau - Maybe not the most offensive upside, but he's a puck-moving defenseman first and foremost. Will need a little development time, but pretty good chance he could end up somewhere along the lines of a Weegar, Toews or Severson, whose offensive output derives largely from being primary puck-movers on teams loaded with skilled forwards.
20. Isaac Howard - Really safe player, aside from the size. Some similarities to Lekkerimaki in that he plays a pretty safe offensive game, uses his teammates well. But lacks some of Lekkerimaki's dynamic offensive elements. Still, there's some legit upside there and could be an absolute steal if he's there late first.
21. Rutger McGroarty - His skating worries me. At younger levels he's able to use his strength and leverage to bull his way around the ice a bit, but against tougher opposition he consistently struggles to carry the puck to the inside, as well as to make it to areas and loose pucks on time. His hockey IQ is very good and you can see as he adjusts to higher levels he learns to use his positioning to compensate for his skating, but unless he can make drastic improvements to his skating, as he moves up levels you have to wonder if his ability to use his IQ to make up for his skating is going to hit a wall at some point.
22. Seamus Casey - Some of the highest offensive upside in the draft, but comes with a ton of risk, in terms of size, risk management, and lack of elite straight-line speed. Probably gonna be a very slow-burner developmentally.
23. Denton Mateychuk - Another guy that I unfortunately haven't seen as much of as I would like. Hockey IQ is very high and should be a safe bet to be a top four defenseman, but I'm just not sure how high is the offensive upside?
24. Owen Pickering - Unbelievably smooth skater for a defenseman his size. Really smart player too, and there seems to be some offensive upside there, but how much and how likely is he to fulfill it?
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25. Noah Ostlund - Offensive upside is through the roof. Pretty much right there with any of the skilled forwards in the top 10. But he can also be extremely risky, and has a ton of bulking up to do at not much over 160 lbs currently.
26. Jiri Kulich - Maybe I'm a little behind the curve here. Many seem to think he'll be one of the big draft-day risers. Maybe, but I haven't really seen it from what I've watched of him. smart two-way player, some pretty high-end skill, hell of a shot. But I'm just not sure I see anything all that special to get that excited about.
27. Gleb Trikozov - Another player with upside absolutely off the charts. But the Russian factor comes into major play here, as he's going to have difficulty adjusting to the NHL game, and might be quick to pack up and go back to Russia rather than go to the AHL or sit on the bench/in the press box. Or he might be like a Kaprizov and wait until he's 23 and pretty certain he can play before he comes over.
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28. Pavel Mintyukov - Highly skilled offensive defenseman, but my lack of viewing, concerns around his defensive game, plus the Russian factor, have him lower than he's likely to go.
29. Alex Perevalov - Smart, skilled, tenacious winger. Skating and Russian factor keep him down.
30. Tomas Hamara - Really wish I had watched more and paid more attention. Starting to feel like this kid should go really high.
31. Filip Mesar - Very dynamic offensive winger. Lack of improvement from his D-1 year is concerning.
32. Carter Mazur - Has speed to burn, and he's two years ahead in his development. We already know he is with Detroit IRL, who seem to be on the verge of emerging as a pretty legit team.

The way you write about Savoie here... we can be patient. He should be higher on our list!

[Josh]

I'm starting to think it'd be best to steer completely clear of all Russians mind you. So I'll turn it into a top 15 instead and remove the three Russians from my list (also removing Kulich and Ostlund).

1 - Wright
2 - Cooley
3 - Slafkovsky
4 - Savoie
5 - Nazar
6 - Lekkerimaki
7 - Kemell
8 - Lambert
9 - Geekie
10 - Ohgren
11 - Gauthier
12 - Howard
13 - Kasper
14 - McGroarty
15 - Mesar

Picked in CDC:

1 - Slafkovsky
2 - Wright
3 - Nemec
4 - Cooley
5 - Savoie
6 - Jiricek
7 - Kemell
8 - Geekie
9 - Lekkerimaki

New list:

1 - Nazar
2 - Lambert
3 - Ohgren
4 - Gauthier
5 - Howard
6 - Kasper
7 - McGroarty
8 - Mesar
9 - Ostlund
10 - Kulich

[matchesmalone]

OK so it turns out I was mixed up between two Czech-Russia games. It was a U18 friendly I saw where Hamara looked so dominant, not the 4NU20. But still, against his peers he was arguably the best player on the ice for either team. And he was still pretty good at the U20s as well.

But the other thing that came out of watching that U20 game again was, I liked Jakub Kos quite a bit. Thinking he'll be one of my top targets for the 5th rounder if he's still there and we still have it.

[matchesmalone]

I would prefer Odelius to Kulich or Mesar. Of prospects left on the board, the ones I would consider taking before Odelius would be Howard, Luneau, and maybe Ostlund.

[matchesmalone]

And Odelius ranks first in both fatigue index and peak power output on the Wingate, and second in V02Max duration. Telling you, kid is gonna be a 26 minute defenseman in the NHL. Luneau was up there in both tests as well.

[Josh]

Picked in CDC:

1 - Slafkovsky
2 - Wright
3 - Nemec
4 - Cooley
5 - Savoie
6 - Jiricek
7 - Kemell
8 - Geekie
9 - Lekkerimaki
10 - Nazar
11 - Lambert
12 - Yurov
13 - Ohgren
14 - Gauthier
15 - Korchinski
16 - Kasper
17 - Miroshnichenko
18 - Mintyukov
19 - Mateychuk
20 - Huttson
21 - Snuggerud
22 - Howard
23 - Kulich


New list:

1 - McGroarty
2 - Mesar
3 - Ostlund

[matchesmalone]

Watching Sweden for Ostlund. Matthias Havelid is another extremely intriguing prospect. Really wish we had a 2nd right now.

[matchesmalone]

https://youtu.be/_sOFRkukp6E?t=4919

Odelius to Ohgren.

[matchesmalone]

Jeez, Ostlund is such a weapon coming through the neutral zone. Not as sure about his offensive zone play. Needs to push the pace and find ways to get to the inside a lot more than he does.

Fucking Odelius man. I started to calm down on him for a while there... until I watched him play hockey again.

[matchesmalone]

While I'm at it, this play by Ohgren, damn. He clearly only has two options here right? Up the boards to the point or the reverse. Wrong.

https://youtu.be/_sOFRkukp6E?t=8397