Welcome to Fantasy Hockey Life, presented by Fan Tracks, your source of information
and analysis to help you win your fantasy hockey league. Fuck up, I
just stept on Stay loftus. Here's your hosts, Jesse Sevier and Victor Nuno
Fantasy Hockey Life. This is Jesse Severe for Fan Tracks, joining you,
and across from me is absolutely nobody. Who where do you go? Victor?
Where are you? Victor is not here today, and that is because
this is going to be an episode like none other in Fantasy Hockey Life history.
Victor Nuno and Peter Harling of Dabber Prospects Radio went to the NHL Draft
in Nashville last week and they brought home a whole big bag of goodies that
I have edited it up and you're going to be hearing it on your Fantasy
Hockey Life feed today and then next week the second half of it on the
Dauber Prospect Radio feed. So if you're coming over here for the first time
from Dauber Prospect Radio, welcome, and I hope you enjoy what you're going
to hear. A couple of general housekeeping things that I want to mention before
I kind of give you a little more intel on what exactly you're going to
hear today that Victor and I usually talk about at the outset. Listener questions
can be provided to us. The best place to do that is on our
discord, Fantasy Hockey Life Discord. All you have to do to be a
part of that, because it's free, is to let Victor and I know
you want to be a part of it. You can email us Fantasy Hockey
Life at gmail dot com. You can hit us up on Twitter at fan
Hockey Life is me at Victor Nuno twelve is Victor. We have hundreds of
fantasy hockey crazies and believe me, there was a lot of activity this week
as the NHL Draft went under way, and there's more activity as NHL Free
agency takes place. So it's a place you can join for free. Nice
community of people little hopefully a little cooler than going on Twitter and being yelled
at by randoms until Elon takes all of your ability to read lots of tweets
at the same time away. And I don't mean Elon the great co host
of Keeping Carlson. He's the best Elon as far as I'm concerning Elandon Brovsky,
I want to tell you all about a Dabber giveaway that we're doing as
well. If you're into prospects, if you're into reading about all the prospects
from the draft to all the other basically, look, if you're here,
you're into prospects. I already know that we are giving away copies of the
Dabber Prospects Guide, and that is not only draft coverage, it's all prospect
coverage and it's a wonderful document that comes out once a year from Dabber.
We have free copies to give to you. Some of them are going to
go to our patrons. I'll talk about Patreon in a minute, but you
can also get one without having to do anything like that. You can do
things that you can do for free. And here's what you have to do.
You follow Victor and myself on Twitter Fan Hockey Life, Victor twelve Ecpsy
right. Neither one of us are going to spame you. Just click follow,
Follow, Then you go onto a podcast aggregator and you do the thing
that we always ask you to do. At the end of the show.
Leave us a nice five star review, five star rating and a review if
you can, that would be really great. And then you retweet one of
the episodes. We post the episodes on Sundays. I put out a little
tweet. You just retweet that where people who are into you can see that
tweet. That's a three step process, four if you count two follows,
but four step process. And then what you need to do after that is
you need to make sure that Victor and I know you did it, because
you would think, oh, but you're the Internet. You know everything turns
out we don't. You need to send us a DM and say, hey,
I did all these things for you. Here is the verification of it.
Because you know, people have like ten different user names in different places
in the world, and we'll enter you in the giveaway and we'll draw and
we'll give some away. So now's the time for you to do it.
So what do we have today for you to listen to? Fitcher and Peter
brought back a whole bunch of wonderful audio from the draft, and we have
interviews with general managers, we have interviews with players, and we have conversations
with hockey talkers. Are some of our best buddies. And I'll indicate to
you here in a minute, I'll name them off for you. Let me
tell you something about the GM and player stuff. These were scrums. These
are not individual interviews. Sitting down would have been great to do that,
but that's how the draft works. You get into scrums, everybody sticks their
microphone out, and you're sort of at the mercy of the people who ask
questions. You get to hear the players very well, and you really sometimes
can't even hear the questions. And it's in a big, noisy room,
so we're doing our best. You've seen all this stuff on TV before.
And let me tell you some of the people ask the players pretty weird questions.
They love to ask players about, Oh, how did it feel hearing
your name called on stage? And who if you your family was there?
And how you know who do you want to thank from your Okay, that's
that's great stuff. And I understand exactly why those questions are being asked because
people are writing for their publications a story about how so and so is coming
to the city now and playing for the local NHL team and this is a
dream come through. And here's a pull quote of you know, I just
couldn't believe hearing my name and crossing the stage and grabbing the jersey for the
first time. That's just great. I tried to cut as much of that
stuff out as I could, because what you guys are going to want to
hear, I know, is not that over and over and over or just
really dull talking points from players. But what we can glean of these interviews
that is about their game or little nuggets you might be able to get to
bout the players, like them talking about the teammates they played with in the
past, or their relationships they have on their incoming teams, or connections that
they might have with their teams, and other little personal information should uget.
Some of them are fun. Some of them were fun. Some of them
are the Montreal media asking over and over and over whether whether somebody's coming to
Montreal or not. Especially the interviews. Some of these interviews were taking place
before some after the actual draft, so we have slightly different takes there.
The things that you're kind of the bulk of our episode here, folks,
is the Hockey Talkers, and for this episode alone, we have they split
into two episodes. Like I said, so, on this episode alone,
Victor has a conversation with Tony Ferrari of the Hockey News. Then we have
Peter Barrocchini of the Hockey Writers, Cam Robinson of EP Ringside, We've got
brock Otten from mckeens, J D. Burke of EQ Ringside, and chaplain
Landvoked of McKean's six interviews. And here's what I tried to do. Sometimes
some of these players come up in the interviews, and what I've done is
I've interjected the audio from the player after the interviews, and I'm going to
be coming to you throughout the episode to sort of set up what you're going
here. So everybody has to excuse us the audio. It's difficult, but
I did try to cut out the chap. I basically left all the gms
on the cutting room floor because none of them said anything interesting. We've got
one GM interview and I've got a lot of audio, but I can't use
it. I want just the useful stuff to go out to you folks.
So that's enough set up for this. Let's take a break, come back
with our first interview. First of on our agenda. As I said,
Tony Ferrari of The Hockey Years, Victor interviews him about several players, Cody
Barlow, Callum Ritchie, Andrew Gibson, Kim Allen and Nick Lartis. Let's
listen to that interview right now here with the Tony Ferrari from the Hockey News,
and we're gonna rock out some OHL prospects. Are you not too bad?
Are you doing buddy? Here you join the draft. Yeah, it's
been a good time. I have a lot of prospects, a lot of
pigs. There's a lot of conversations with the kids, which is always fine.
Yeah, here your first draft in person? Right, first draft in
person. COVID has not treated me well, missing the two first two when
I got credentialed with COVID shutdowns and then I got COVID for the first time
before last year's draft, and just the luck of the draw. It's been
wonderful. It's good. It's good that you're here in Person's good to media.
Let's talk about some of these OHL guys because there were some interesting ones.
One of the ones that I want to talk about. First, Winnipeg
Jets getting Coldly Barlow, best facial hair in the draft. What do you
think any good fantasy up side? What do you think we can expect he's
gonna be a multi caat guy. I think he's gonna be a physical player.
I think he's I don't know where the offensive upside lands. I think
you could be like a twenty twenty guy, maybe a twenty twenty five,
twenty five guy. I do have some concerns about his offensive production, but
he's gonna be a guy that gets your hits to sketch a box like a
lot of those little things. He's an interesting prospect because he's going to play.
I think you're safe if you draft him in your fantasy draft. But
how high do you want to take the safe pick when you're going to pass
up some upside probaway. So that's gonna be the big question with Parlament for
sure. Yeah, what about the Colorado Avalans taking Callum Ritchie at twenty seven?
I think that could be the sneakiest pick in the first round. Maybe
He dealt with shoulder injury's literally all season long. Separated early in the year
and then separated twice more throughout the year. Chose to play through it,
which is always a tough decision. You don't want to have a bad time
in your draft year where you're not playing. Got the surgery after the season.
I talked to him after his surgery, they said that everything went really
well. Damage wasn't as bad as they thought, and he still was able
to take on the role of being the guy in Oshwa. I think that
Oshwa team doesn't have a ton of talent. They're gonna get some more as
these younger players developed, but he's gonna be able to take on a role
as the guy there. And I think that next year we're gonna see the
true callum Richie. And this year, like he even mentioned it when I
talked to him, the shot Sometimes to take the shots, it hurts to
stick handle certain movements. It just he wasn't able to be at full force.
Seeing him at full force next year, we could be going, man,
he should have been the first to each other taken. That's exciting.
So he may get a sneaky value there with yeah, especially because like a
lot of people in your Francy drafts are gonna go off the draft rankings or
off the draft board and they're gonna go OUs draft to twenty nine. Maybe
I don't want him. Do you sneak in there at twenty or something like
that, especially ahead of some of these more defensive minded players and go for
the forwards with the high offensive potential, calm Richer could be a good pick.
Yeah, like it. One of the ones that caught my eye is
Detroit Red Wings forty two taking Andrew Gibson. Honestly didn't really know much about
him, but whenever Detroit takes someone, I always perked my ears up a
little bit. They seemed to draft, well, did they get a gem
there? He's an interesting player. He's defensive first, I think he was.
He did have a couple injuries this year that impeded him a little bit,
but he's a defensive guy. He's gonna get your block shots. He'll
get you some pits. He's a big boy. He's willing to throw the
body around. There is some unlocked off offense or untapped offensive potential, though,
I think there is. It gonna be huge, no, but if
you can get your twenty five ish points a year, plus add in the
hiss, plus add in the block shots, he can be a pretty valuable
depth piece Forayer. Okay, pretty likely to play in the show? Yeah,
I think there's a pretty high likelihood he plays in the show, or
at least has a good chance to do it. I think that's the big
thing. Is especially in the second round. Saying anyone's for sure NHL or
is a tough time. But he's a guy that certainly has a better chance
in a lot of the second third rounders. What about Florian Jack. We
know how to say his name because of his brother, and he was wondering
if they would pass on him again. But he waited a little bit early,
and I love that Montreal took him so he can be with his brother.
There is he someone that we should be interested in. He is a
guy that he still has a lot to round out right. I think he's
got some potential, but there is areas of his game that just aren't quite
up the stuff. The skating still needs to work. I think decision making
is still needing to work. And he's going to get your points if he
makes to the NHL level because he has gonna have a very defined role and
get those secondary stats and those multicat stats. Offensive potential is not really all
that high, though, So he's the guy that I look at and I
go, maybe wait a couple of years, see where he develops, and
take him in a redraft, or take him in a pack him up off
waivers or something like that. Cam Allen as someone who coming into the year
people were pretty excited about. He calls all the way to the fifth round
one thirty six to Washington. Is that does that great value or is he
should go there? He should go there? This year, after the year
he put up, it was really disappointing. Unfortunately, he was really good
in his D minus one. There's a ton of offensive potential, and then
it just didn't work this year, and he took on a bigger role.
He's playing against the top lines. He did lean towards the defensive end of
the ice a little bit more, and he was asked to do a lot
more. I talked to him today and he said that weighed on him a
lot. He had to be the guy, he had to take on a
leadership role. He had to be a big factor in generating offense for a
team that quite frankly didn't have much offense around him. So it's going to
be interesting to see if he can rekindle that form, because if he did,
then that's a great pick and he probably should have gone two rounds higher.
If not, then it's a flyer that they took. And I like
where he went because it is a good value pick good like late round Flyer,
especially where he went. You go, who's the guy that maybe makes
it? Who's a guy that maybe has an impact and he's shown that he
can do it, it just was a year ago. Any other guys that
do you think went like after the second round that are really interesting and maybe
we should pay attention to in fantasy drants. I think Nicko Lards is a
guy to watch. He's absolutely destroyed in the second half the year with the
handles and Bulldogs is going to be playing brand for this year when they as
they move. But this is a kid that was the second highest scoring OHL
player in the second half the year after the trade for Peterboro to Anilson,
and the shot is undenial. He plays with a son of speed. In
my opinion, he was the best goal scorer coming out of the OHL,
which is saying a lot because Musty had a lot of goals, got a
great shot. Barlow had almost fifty goals this year. In my opinion,
Nick Lards is the best shooter in that group, so I think he's going
to be a guy to keep an eye on. He needs to round out
of his game defensively and needs to work on being able a little bit more
a facilitator, but he's got so many offensive tools that you're like, if
you saw what he did in the second half with on a new team and
a new environment in the middle of a season being traded, what's he gonna
do next year when he has a full offseason, a full training camp,
knows the guys he's playing with, and he's able to facilitate and use his
skill over more. I love it, Thanks so much, Tony. Yeah,
anytime you heard about the guys talking about Nick Lardis as a reminder,
went to Chicago at pick number sixty seven overall in the draft. He's a
right winger. Victor had him ranked forty two in his pre draft rankings.
So here is Nick talking at the media day the last word of Radia.
No, I don't I don't think at that level obviously, but yeah,
I don't think. Now, how do you keep the confidence going after moving
from Peterborough to Hamilton and going into next season? Yeah, I think obviously
had a really good you know, second half of Hampton obviously moving to Bradford
next year. I want to continue that, not just in one half of
kind of both halfs of the season to continue on into the playoffs next year
and for a couple of years in the HL move So, do you have
any goals or benchmarks going forward for next season in Branford? I think just
um, I don't really have one points wise. I think it's just important
to focus day by day on making sure I'm getting one percent Petter every single
day and continuing my you know, to improve my strengths and weaknesses and grow
as a player. And hopefully if I can just focus on that, then
you know, it'll happen the long run for yourself, having your chance.
How Bobble Mogard you know the man video? Yeah, yeah, I saw
that. That was pretty funny. Yeah, it's a big an I question
about what kind of person? Yeah, I think just even talking with them
and in the combine we had good laughs and you know, they're great people
obviously all the organization I talked without the combine and throughout the year. So
watching that video it's pretty funny too. Maker missing off the hop. Just
what's it like being a Neverble Chicago Black Hop. Yeah, I mean it's
a dream come true obviously, Like I said before, it's my fairy team
growing up, you know, watching Patty Kane and Jonathan Tay's and all those
guys and seeing them in multiple cops, you know, kind of motivating me
to to be in their position one day. And obviously now you can taking
that big next step to getting drafted, not just to the NHL but to
my favorite team, to you know, where they were in their shoes about
ten fifteen years ago. So it's a really special that aspects. Sorry you
being rapper, Yeah, do you think you're life? I think Jessper Brown
in New Jersey, Timpson's on Ottawa. Those two guys I've uh, you
know, really watched a lot the past couple of years to study their game
on you know, how they generate scoring chances and in the way they use
their strengths, which is you know, their speed and skating abilities and their
IQ and all three zones of the ice. Just kind of you know,
picking little things from what they do on the ice and implement into my game.
So i'd say those two guys that you know, I love watch them
all right, Thank you. That was Nick Lardis. Now we're going to
move to our next expert interview, Peter Barracchini of the Hockey Writers. This
is Victor talking with him once again. Riley Hiking, Zimmer, Jaden Parrant,
Easton Cohen. Everybody loves to talk about Euston Cohen. Let's listen to
Peter and Victor right now. All right, we're here with Peter Barricchini of
the Hockey Writers. He Peter, doing great. How are you doing?
Yeah? Doing great? My first draft. I'm really enjoying it in person
anyway, party about you? Yeah, enjoying the atmosphere in national has been
really great so far. Yeah, So we definitely want to talk about some
guys who maybe went a little bit later that to have some really good fantasy
upside. And one of the guys who want to start with is Riley Height,
who went to quite a bit later than we all expected. What's your
take on him? Very later than expected? I think the consessus was he
was supposed to be a top fifteen, top twenty type of player, maybe
even just outside or just inside the first round twenty seven, twenty eight,
twenty nine, even towards the late first round. The fact that he dropped
that low towards the third is kind of surprising because he was dominant during the
WHL. He's a very slick quick and agile playmaker. He's got great hands,
He's got the speed and edges to maneuver his way around opponents. Be
very elusive, and I understand that he needs to have a little bit more
of a shot at it. He plays with the facey side too, so
I think that kind of would have appealed to some of the teams there that
you know what, Hey, he is a smaller player, he has a
competitive edge, he has a skill set already. How he drops Solow is
really beyond me at this point. Yeah, I was pretty surprised when that
went to sixty four all the way to Minnesota. Of course, Minnesota has
been drafting really well lately, so I really have for them. I think
that's a potential steel right then and there. Yeah, what's the other ones?
You know? Your eye on seeing Cohen zebra drop, I thought he
could have been at Lease a second. I believe he went third if I
recall, and yeah, this is a guy that scored in bunches at the
WHL. He's got a powerful shot, powerful release. Again, there's a
lot of question marks around and get skating, but with a lot of prospects,
skating is a really it's an aspect that could be fixed over time.
And if he's able to get a little bit more power, get a little
bit more stability into those legs, I think he could be a really solid,
an impactful player for Drink Los Angeles. Los Angeles seventy Signs took him.
Yeah, yeah, I think that would be a really good upside pick.
But then again, LA Kings in the past they have gone players with
high upside that maybe the translation is very much in doubt, and I think
this could be one of those picks with Ziemer. Yeah, I love it.
Yeah, Ala has been doing really well with their picks. I love
that you got another one. Not at the top of my head at the
moment. Let me ask you about one then, yeah, go ahead,
Jaden Prawn to Carolina. Oh yeah, high upside guy. Yes, he's
small, but got a great motor, really a past, defensively a decent
two ways made. In the size, I think I think it is a
size. I think he's a five age five nine. Just I think he's
still hovering around one fifty one sixty. He needs to bulk up and put
on a bit of weighing, a little bit of muscle. I think,
like early on in the year. I believe he knew that was going to
be the case. But considering the upside and the same thing with Hype with
the hands and the skill that he has, and even playing alongside Macklin Cellabriti
with the Chicago Seal, but they were like a dynamic pairer for that team.
And seeing him with what he could do with the pug drives hit the
middle of the ice very consistently and still maintain the control at a quick pace.
It's a very impressive of what he could do. So typical Carolina Hurricanes
pick where they always seem to pluck somebody out that should have been higher.
It falls right to them and they take advantage of that. It's good onto
Hurricanes because that was a really good pickup. Yeah, I love it too.
Why don't we look at the other way, Who are some guys who
maybe went pretty high that maybe it don't have the biggest fantasy upside, Maybe
someone who might get a little drafted too high in their fantasy leagues and that
maybe it doesn't have the highest up side. Biased with the Maple Leaves and
Easton Cowam because yeah, he had a really average season production wise, but
then it started to take off in the playoffs, and you don't know if
that's easily going to be translatable to the next level. If he could do
that and pop off at his D one deep draft yer plus one season,
then maybe you might have something. But at the same time, it's a
lot of uncertainty because you don't know exactly what you're getting at the moment.
He is still very he fits the bill, what the maple Lease want,
high scale creativity, the work ethic. He's very great on pucketrievals and especially
in transition. He's a big factor in that. But in terms of production,
not quite sold on what he could become just yet, but it could
be one of those diamonds in the rough picks should he develop properly. It
was definitely a bit of a gasp shock when that pick happened. I think
we could say, oh, yeah, we were all a little surprised exactly.
Yeah, a lot of shock. But at the same time, they
don't need immediate help from the prospects right now, So waiting the three four
years to see him develop and see what he can do. I think that
would probably be ideal because even if he isn't if they're basically trying to turn
him into a top six player. He could still be a decent middle six,
bottom six option that's great energy and could be a complementary piece to other
players with high upside in the system. Yeah. That definitely thought to some
scouts to say that he would have gone in the next five to ten picks.
So if the play believes hadn't got him, so it seems like not
too wild, but maybe a little older than he would have otherwise gone good.
Like you said, developed properly, could be really good. Thanks so
much for doing this, no problem, Thank you so much. Yeah.
One of the players you heard mentioned in that interviewed Jade Puran. He was
picked number ninety four, big slipper in the draft. Victor had him ranked
number twenty three in the pre draft rankings. Forward for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Carolina always seems to get guys who are valued highly by draft Twitter if nothing
else. But we know why. We like his game. He's got some
bash. Let's hear from Jaden himself at the draft. I mean, he's
taught me so much and he's an amazing person even better coach. So yeah,
I'm super excited to be to be with Carolina. Some of the players,
you know what he's like. Yeah, I'll be playing with Jackson Blake
next year, so that'll obvious super exciting and such. Jarvists from from my
hometown, so kind of a few connections there, which which is very exciting.
I've met him a few times, but not not really too too well.
I think just how they play you it's such a such a fun team
to watch, and I think PNL played for them would be would be an
honor. This draft process, like beforean UM, it was. It was
exciting, definitely. There's there's nerves and in a bit of stress that goes
with it, but there's there's nothing I'd rather be doing, so it was
a lot of fun. Did you meet with You're lying a much? You're
out that process a few times a couple, I mean not the other combine
as well and just here and there throughout the season. Do you have a
good feeling at all when I'm not taking him more than um, Yes and
no. I think I was kind of just excited once I once I heard
my name that it was all it was all real dynamic friends. What do
you think that's going to do when you get high players? Yeah, I
think if they could definitely help me out, and I think we could make
each other better. I think that's definitely My goal is to be able to
play with the top players, and I think that's where I can make the
most impact. It's some bigger guys that are poking small as you that you're
going to continue doing as you get up bigger, bigger levels. Yeah,
I think definitely trying to round out my game is a big thing, and
you can't just be a one, one dimensional player in the NHL, So
I think that'll be a definitely something I'm trying to add. What's the next
step for you? Developmentally going to und next year, which I think will
be huge for me, and I think, like I said, rounding on
my game. I think they'll do a great job lot and on try I'll
learn a bunch of different things from from them. Makes a Jackson specifically earlier
and that's the easy time and Caroline would be but get definitely with them,
what's going to be I'm super excited for that. I think that I think
he's such a smart and skilled player that I think we could do very well
together. Awesome, thank you next up, very good friend of the show.
You know, because We've had him on a number of times, and
I think we're scheduled to have him on again. Cam Robinson a BP ringside.
This is an interview from both Peter and Victor. It was conducted relatively
late in the draft, and you're gonna hear really about some of the big
hitters, some of the top picks, as well as Zach Benson, Oliver
Moore, Incabe Pirot. And let's hear from Cam right now. All right,
Camp's this is like our fifth draft. Good times as always ain't always
a good time? All right? So Cam Robinson, formerly of Prospects,
now with Elite Prospects. Let's get some of fantasy thoughts from round one if
you don't mind, Yeah, okay, for sure. Let's start at the
top. I think after Connor Bdard, everyone knows he's gonna be awesome in
the first pick. But then most people's probably went Fantilly Carlson and then that
was flipped last night. Does that have any impact for you with their fantasy
values with them going where they went. I think it might improve Vantilly's early
stock. I would say, is that he was going to be going into
if he went to Anaheim. It's a young team. It's an up and
coming team. They have a lot of pivots there. Obviously it was Zegers,
they got me Tavish, they got Ryan Strong, kind of angering that
third, you'd have to expect that someone will be moving over now going to
CBJ. I think that opens up some small opportunities for him to play with
some really talented players on the way. Was obviously join the good rope out
to line. It's gonna take a minute. He's not going to step into
that top line roll right away, but he should be a plug and play
asset. I haven't heard if he's fully committed to coming out yet, but
my expectation is that he should be. So yeah, I like it a
little boost short term and we'll see what the Blue Jackets do long term here
because I really liked him long term with that Duck's young core coming out,
So for Leo Carlson, I like it better for him. I think that's
a step up for him too, because he's going to be a center for
He's a smarter player than Van Tilly. I think he's gonna mesh well with
some of those really highly skilled players there. In Anahud, Yeah, Michigan's
got a pretty good recent track record of having guys come back for two years
instead of one and done, so they might try and persuade him to stay,
but there is an opportunity for him now in compas. That's a good
point, right, Yeah, And you know what's he got left to prove
there? Yeah, totally. So Ruinbacker went fifth to Montreal and Montreal fans
are all up in arms about it. What's his fantasy upside? Cam's?
Is this an example of a really good NHL draft pick and a not great
fantasy pick? I don't even know if I'd say it's a really good NHL
draft pick at five considering who was on the board. Still, yeah,
yeah, not a fantasy player for my money, unless you're in a banger
match league and you're looking for a guy who's gonna block shots and have some
yeah, and have some shots and have some hits, some penalty minutes,
that kind of thing. I don't see a lot of offensive upside there past
the mid thirties. Maybe a forty point season if you're lucky. But it's
Lane Hudson's world, right, He's going to be the one getting all those
fun minutes, and maybe him and Ryan backer become a bear and he can
leave some stuff in five on five off them. That could be a lot
of fun to watch. But you know I would not be suggesting him highly
rated for fantasy. Yeah, sorry, Minchell fans, you were really high
on Sima Chevs. What's his fantasy upside? Is he a better fantasy or
sorry? I better NHL guy than fantasy guy? Now? Yes, another
very raw. Yeah, he's very raw. I've been lining to Kendre Miller
all year long. Just this big, exceptionally mobile player coming up the blue
line there. He's got great elusiveness, he can make a good first pass,
he jumps into the rush. Doesn't produce a ton of offense, but
neither John Dave when he was a draft out Scholl. So it's like when
maybe the offense comes and you've got yourself a forty forty five point guy on
your second power play. Maybe it doesn't, but you still have an all
world stopper. But again, not a player that I would be recommending too
highly in fantasy DRAMs. Okay, we know that a lot of people in
fantasy drafts use the NHL draft list as their draft list for fantasy hockey,
and Matt Van mitchkov goes seventh to the Flyers. If you're doing a fantasy
draft that includes just the NHL entradraftffe number two on skill alone, yes,
but if yeah, you know what, yes, he would be my number
two. And I'll be doing the draft guide here for a lead Prospects coming
up later this month then and yes, he will likely be my number two
because in this world they're swinging on upside. There's no sense and leaving something
in the chamber off in your own for fantasy. So yeah, i'd probably
have Mischcoff at two. Right on. What's maybe one or two other guys
that you have some thoughts on that where they were drafted moves the needle either
up or down on their fantasy rankings based on the team that they're with.
Down, Zach Benson going thirteen to the Buffalo is just ridiculous secret value and
he's Punky gets his stick with his buddy Matt Savoy. But they just graduated
Veturka and Jack Quinn and Owen Power and they're still going to have the top
prospect pool in the league. Now. It's just tough not to crack and
no Austlin. But I think that Zach Benson is probably gonna just replace Jeff
Skinner when that contract expires on the top power play in it and just feast
away. So I love that pick for them. I love it for Benson's
value too on the fantasy landscape. So that one jumps out to me.
Oliver more to the Blackhawks with that speed, if he could find a way
to link up with Badard long term, yeah, signed me up for that.
I'm not I'm not the biggest fan of his brain, but he's gotten
such incredible wheels, and he's got good hands, and if the IQ can
catch up with the hands and the feet, and he combined himself on a
wing with Badard, then that's going to obviously accelerate his upside in a big
way. Can I ask you about Cairo going twenty three to New York?
Obviously that's a bit of a fall for a guy that had this season he
did, and we know it was partially due to the other two guys,
but also New York has a bit of a four track record of development dating
that hurts him long term and what's his short term like fantasy upside? I
hope you have a couple of years there at school, for sure, and
he's sicking with that whole top line I played at the poor around this year.
I love his brain. I love his brain. But he's a smaller
winger with not great feet, and so I ranked him higher than I knew
he would go, And so falling to that spot is about where I projected
him to go. I think it's great for New York because you're taking a
swing on upside of that squat. That's what you want to and that's what
people in fancy are gonna want to do too. But this is a this
is gonna be more of a weight. So I would say, yeah,
two years at school anyway, and then he'll start to work his way out.
So you're looking at four or five years before you're really pulling anything tangible
out of him. And fantasy, he's still a top ten fantasy in Victo,
Right, I don't know. I don't know. I'd have to really
consider that. I wouldn't say locked in. No, All right, draft
is pretty much wrapping up here. Let's go get a drinking sense. He's
sign me up, buddy. That was one of the big hitters at We're
going to talk about Adam Fantilly now Columbus Bluejackets pick number three overall in the
draft. He is a Centerman. Victor ranked him number two in his pre
draft rankings. Peter Harling also has rankings. You can probably find them in
that diver guide that we're given away for free and hate to spoil it,
but we want to get his information out there too. He has him ranked
number three overall among all prospects, not just the draftees. So let's hear
from Adam Vantilly. A note this interview was taken pre draft, and so
a lot of the talk is, uh, you know, some some whimsical,
but also some talk about Michigan. It we don't yet know whether he's
going to Columbus Arenaheim at this point. So here's Adam Pantilly. When't in
Michigan, there's floated roster guys who've got drafted and they're going to play at
the NHL. How does that we've prepared you for your next step in your
career. Yeah. All the guys in Michigan are are amazing with with advice
and I've I've played a lot of guys that were drafted in the first round
and guys that were were drafted at all. So you're able to see both
hides in the spectrum and get good advice from both sides. Agether you guys
that have moved on and alumni are are always amazing with coming back and being
able to talk to them to get their much back. So I think being
able to talk to all those guys that's not prepared to really well. And
then you won three You won Big Ten Championship, a World Junior Championship,
and then the World Championship. What do you take away from those three things,
and what if there's anything from the three that sticks out to you over
the year. Dude, the amazing guys I got to play when it was
awesome. I've played with so many different so many different guys and so many
different talent levels, and I'm being able to learn from every different type of
guy there was. This was awestome. Getting everybody's respective was really really cool.
But I'm also learning the corners of of everybody's job and everybody's depth and
how important today to have everybody doing their side and popula is something that I
really learned deeper in those tournaments about playoffs over the last the first time,
Yeah, what's your impressions? It's amazing and live music everywhere, and you
can't step outside without having a music in your ear on a phone call or
something like that. It's it's amazing. I love the energy here. Say
you say you'll you'll remember it always as the place you got drowned. Absolutely,
it's this place has been so cool. I love it. Over the
last year, there's been so much written and said about you and contover dar
to ever become over baring, not at all. No, I mean I'm
really close to Connor and I'm really good friends and we wish the best for
each other. And being able to watch what he did this this season was
amazing, so um, he gets everything that who deserves. And then I'm
more I think that, uh, he's gonna be able to have an amazing
season next year wherever he may play, And um, I wish the best
for I'm truly you didn't play within the years the last two it was really
really cool. I mean I get to skate with them a little bit in
the off season, and I work out with Maddie quite a bit, and
um, obviously I'm really happy for those guys. And they paved, especially
Owen, paved the way for a lot of young guys in Toronto to be
able to go out to college and have another route towards making it to their
dream spot. So, um, I have a lot of respect for those
guys and I'm super happy that there are both nominees for that. For that
see me amount of time playing because it's funny roles in me, I'm not
surprised, to be honest with you. That's that's always when the type of
player he is, and and he's so skilled, so smart, such a
good skater that um, in my opinion, he can he would be able
to step in and eat those minutes right away. And that's exactly what he
did. Medio draft. The fact that once the numbers are called names you
go to your team. It's the queer that you have that matters the closet.
M Yeah, exactly. I mean this is this is a starting point.
I mean, this is the first step. I mean, we're about
to start climbing the mountain. So hopefully you can find out what city you'll
be able to do that in. Can you talk about your time in the
US and how I contributed to your development. My time in the USHL it
was amazing. I mean, going into Chicago, I didn't really know what
to expect, but I know they had a lot of great guys coming through
there, with Sean Farrell, Coronado, Sama, Scavenge Power, like and
like the list goes on with with guys that were to come out of there,
And I was really confident going in there. And they're just a hockey
factory at that spot, and everybody there is a hockey nerd. And it's
just love being around the game and playing in that league, especially it's it's
a little bit more of a defensive side, defensive minded league is whole.
Being able to create and learn to put up points in different situations in different
ways was really helpful for me. Take two more for Adam the best Yre
the draft. Thanks got the best year. Um No, definitely not Man
Wilson math has got some good hair. He's got a great little call over
thing going on. And I don't know if fifth Avin Bridley still has it
or not, but yeah, he had this like Afrolmullet Patrick Mahomes thing going
on last time I saw him, so hopefully he still has it. Tom.
Yeah, I like that interview. Easier to hear the questions than it
was for some another guy we heard about in that last interview, Oliver Moore
one of the guys who's going to come up most often, frankly on these
two episodes, or at LEAs gonna come up several times. Victor ranked him
number seventeen coming into this draft. He was He ended up being drafted by
the Chicago Blackhawks. Lucky Centerman and Peter's rankings overall for all years, that
is, everybody who's currently a prospect in the NHL, he hasn't ranked number
seventeen. Of course, the top of those rankings are sort of dominated by
twenty twenty three draftees. But let's hear from Oliver Moore. This is a
pre draft interview once again. Another one of these things that I like to
hear is people talking about what type of development that they're going to try to
do, what they see as the strengths of their own game, and of
course, as always has to do the new hotness. I used to say
that compying yourself or compying anybody to Brad marshaw hunt should be banned, and
now I think comparing being compared to a Kachuck in an interview should be banned.
But nonetheless, here's Oliver Moore. For you at the next level.
I mean, how do you see what areas do you think you need to
work on, you know, whether it be a play along the wall or
there any sort of areas that you're really targeting as you take the next step.
I think it's just the one percent in every area. Yeah, I
think obviously, I think I can score more goals in and on the net,
work on my inside game a little bit more, and also just yeah,
just finishing and hockeya kyoto something so working about how long have you visualize
what is going to be like, Yeah, I mean during the season,
it wasn't really something I really thought about that much. Honestly. It was
just kind of in the back of your mind at all times. But after
the season ended and we got a week after winning the eighteen Worlds to think
about what's coming next, and obviously that's the draft and have your sense that
I've just been really excited for it. I think meeting with teams at the
combine, it's all kind of becoming real now. So even before of this
past year, I'm assuming as a kid, like your dreams playing pro hockey,
you think about one day that's when you're watching the draft as a kid
one day that's going to be me up there. I can't say I thought
about that, but like now that you look back and think about it,
it's like I put the work in for this moment and for it all to
be coming true and all to be happening now, and with my family and
with everyone that's coming down here in Nashville. It's it's unbelievable playing for the
US Pro around in the line of Will Smith right later and get to get
a bit Bay Will get a lot of at thatch, you have laing up,
you're a little bit of the schedule of that big big dropped up three
duns. No, I never felt that way, honestly. I think all
the attention, all the praise that they kind of got from the media,
on outside sources and within our team, it was so well deserved. Like
what they did for our team every every night, and obviously at UATA and
Worlds you saw it they were able to do. It was unbelievable and we
were so happy for those guys and what they were able to accomplish. This
soon when you see some of the specific guys like what what about their game?
Wow? As you maybe yeah, I think obviously just being around like
Smitty, Leno and Gabe is like just their hockey IQ being around that in
practice every day and the way they able to use each other. But like
watching like guy like matthew Wood, he used his body so well, Um
Contraverdard Obviously his shots ridiculous, We've all seen that. But uh yeah,
and even like Zach Benson, like hockey IQ just a lot of really good
trance from other players. Yeah, get bear and right and letter to get
your brother. You've been laylaying the same team. What can your letter as
a lot of pep player, Yeah, I think Lenny's just so competitive,
so he has that edge to his game too. I think that a lot
of guys don't necessarily have. Is that he can and hit a guy you
can enforce and use his body. I think um also just a skill levels
hockey i Q is skating. He's an our own player. Outside of your
speed, what's your greatest assets? I think my compete is my my greatest
asset outside of my speed. Without without that, I don't think I could
use my speed as much, just defensively and also offensively. Thank you,
Oliver. I've been asking all the guys for it's so hard. You've been
spending a lot of time together to play the combine, and now I gotta
know who's bess is. Also, I can tell you something's in you.
That's what probably me from what happening around. But did Lenny say that,
Lenny, you're man of the bus there, Yeah, saying we'll soak that
one when he's not the cleanest guy at all. We're real, we've been
roommates all years, so um, it's definitely not as best as I am.
I'm working on him, all right. Tell me this, when you
join the National Hockey League, who is the player you're looking forward to playing
against the most? I think I'm looking forward to playing like David obviously.
I think I'll watched him all the time growing up and being on the ice
with him hopefully one day and playing against him or with him. You'd never
know, but um, just slot I would be excited gradually. Thank you,
Oliver. You've probably heard all the comparisons to Dylan Larkin and he played
in the program. Do you have any thoughts on the similarities in your game
and what differences might be. Yeah, I see a lot of a lot
of similarity with him in my game. I think just see uses a speed
all over the ice and drives the little of the ice really well. I
think obviously he can produce offensively, and it's really good defensively as well.
So, um, yeah, here's a guy looked to for for film and
to watch. Thank you. Yeah you heard that. Our boy Victor got
that last question in And yeah, let's come on, stop with the good
Chuck comps bringing something interesting like in a Dylan Larkin comp. All right,
let's take a break. We'll come right back and get on with the draft
coverage. And they're only getting better. Well that was the first part.
We've got much more to come here in the second half of this first of
two episodes on Dannie Sheldraft and with Victor and Peter Harling brought home from it.
This is an interview that really didn't fit in because he doesn't come up
a whole lot in the the expert interviews that are going to becoming Quentin Burns
Seattle Blues defenseman pick number seventy four overall sounds like he could be a bash
master, and he didn't make rankings either for Peter or Victor. But nonetheless
I think he's worthless, meaning to Quentin Burns of the Saint Louis Blues.
Yeah, the drink comes true. Something I've worked for is my whole life.
And to hear my name call that, that's so special and just have
all my family and friends here to celebrate with them, that's it's an unbelievably
like unbelievable feeling. And uh, yeah, I can't put it into words
right now. Yeah, Yeah, I did talk to them on the top
one really well. I mean they have great staff and yeah, it was
a super super good talk and yeah, like you never know, like you
said, but I can hear my name called by Desk organization, It's a
dream come true and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Yeah. I
think. I think I'm a two way defenseman that that's very hard and physical
and play against and take care of the defense has owned really well. That's
something I take a lot of pride in. Um, that's something I may
keep doing. I play with an edge and that's not gonna stop, and
that's something I always have with me. But with my skating and I do
have a little about offense to my game and I hope I can contribute it
that way as well. Yeah, I felt some unjuries and uh, I
think this is a big year for me. Um A lot of um just
getting started now, A lot of the um I mean, I know,
I know something like the names like Jake Neighbors, like some of the young
guys like I know Hirrew I played in Noyshell. So yeah, there's some
some pretty big names there. It's a great organization. Was the last couple
of years when we all meant to you to get to this, it's been
unbelievable to wyhel is a world class h world class league. To be able
to mewaite from home. They make it so easy playing in Kingston, one
of the best cities in the wychell I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
So grateful to be drafted and play there in the last two years. And
yeah, the young group of peaks, that's maybe give you a chance to
really developing exactly. Yeah. They they gave me all the opportunity this year.
Uh, something I felt I've earned. But they've been nothing but great
to me, helping me develop, giving me like lots of opportunity, like
you said, with the young team we have, and super grateful to be
playing there, like knowing today was publicly that's been a little bit nerves but
but really exciting. Just just trying to enjoy the moment. Everyone says how
quick it goes by, and and you just want to try to soak it
all in. So just enjoying the moment and living in the presence a lot
of the guys. Bats morning. Yeah, I didn't have too much.
I won't lie to you. It was a little Mary braking that this morning.
But yeah, I pod either watching the good watching I mean, growing
up in Ottawa, Eric Carlson was, I mean he was an Autowa and
had spectacular time there, so watching him nice to watch him and down to
day and uh, there's so many great defense but I say that that's the
guy I love watching. He's so fun. To launch the next interview,
Victor found brock Otton of McKean's. We're going to talk a little Eastern Cohen,
Carson, Rakeoff, Carrie Terrence, Luca Pinelli, and Kolby Barlow.
So here is brock Otton of all right, so we're here with Brockden of
mckeans. How are you doing, brock good good? How are you doing
doing great? Did you enjoy the draft so far? Yeah, I mean
it's always a fun time, right. It's the unpredictable nature of the draft
is what makes it so exciting to cover. Yeah, So let's talk about
some of these guys that'd been based in the OHL. And one of the
first guys I want to ask you about Easton Cohen, who was definitely probably
the surprise pick of the first round Toronto Maple Leaves twenty eighth. Overall,
I know some people were really frustrated to pick surprised, and I know that
you have a little bit of a different take on this and when you tell
us what the maple Leafs got in this guy. Yeah, Heading into the
draft, I was told that there was a good chance that he might even
sneak into the back half of the first or at least at the top forty,
and that ended up coming to fruition. And he's somebody that improved a
ton over the course of the OHL season. He went from being more of
like a complimentary, high energy guy early on to really gaining confidence and being
a play driver late in the year with London, was one of their better
players in the playoffs. And I think he's somebody that has more upside than
people are giving him credit. For right now, and you have to trust
the London development model and they do a really good job of developing players like
Cowen. I love it. Yeah, definitely made me a little bit more
interest there than if you would have originally thought or not you but other people
tell me about Seattle's pick. I don't really know much about carson Y.
Yeah, he's a forward and fiftieth overall is he's someone that has some fantasy
upside. Yeah, I really like him. He's definitely got one of the
better shots of this OHL draft class. Big boy who consistency is the issue.
I think he's still trying to figure out how to use his size to
be an effective player on off the puck. But when he's on, he's
really good, and most of his production came on the man advantage this year.
I think that improving his play five out five and improving that compete level
to be more consistently dialed in to get to the middle of the ice,
I think that's key for him. But there's definitely a lot of upside.
The athletic tools are very intriguing, very versatile guy. If everything comes together,
I love it. The Ducks have been drafting really well lately. And
they took forward carry Terrence. I don't know much about him, but they
I love their drafts recently. Is he's someone that we should be interested in.
Yeah, he's one of the better skating forwards available from the OHL this
year. Really quick played an Erie this year. They obviously weren't that great,
but Terrence was definitely the go to player for them offensively, really good
shot, really good two way awareness, can play the wing, can play
center. When he suited up for the US under eighteen team at the World
Under Eighteens this year, he was a lone addition to that team that actually
played. Obviously they did at Hampton Slakinski the goalie, but other than that,
he was the only addition to that group, and he played a more
of like a supporting role to Oliver More on that US second line. And
I think it really showed that he's a kind of guy that has versatility.
I think that as Erie improves, he's going to really prove as well and
be a primary play driver for that team. And I think that there's definite
middle six upside there And I really like that pick. Tell me about Luca
Pella. His brother, older brother went to LA A couple of years ago.
I think it was a second rounder Luca. Maybe I don't know if
he has more upside or not, but he went in the fourth round on
fourteenth overall the Columbus. How do you like that pick in his upside?
Yeah, that's a great pick for Columbus getting Luca and that range should I
definitely thought he would go a little bit higher. Oh maybe it wasn't quite
as high on him as some of the other draft pundits around, but you're
not going to find a harder worker. He's somebody who consistently finds his way
into being involved in all facets of play. Like he is just somebody that
is always around the puck. Really highly intelligent player, already strong in all
three zones. The big thing is just he's not the biggest and he's not
the best skater, So then you ultimately you're asking yourself what does he profile
as at the NHL. He doesn't have his brother Francesco's shot. He's definitely
more of a lunch Baale type. So ultimately that's why he went as late
as he did, because teams are going to be questioning what the upside is.
But at that range, I think it's a great pick. He's going
to be a really good OHL player, just a matter of whether he's more
than that. I love it well. More quick question, you mentioned this
shot Kropanelli. Who do you think has the best shot in the OHL like
currently or we current draftees. It's Kobe Barlow for sure. He can absolutely
right for the puck. He's very deceptive as well. He can shoot from
a standstill. He can shoot movement, score many different ways. He crashes
the NAT he can get the greasy ones, but he can also just hammer
pucks from that sort of half wall spot on the power of play. He
is somebody who has really high end goal scoring potential. I would think that's
no question. It's Barlow. Love it, Thanks so much, and I
hope you get home all right. I know there's a storm brewing right now.
Oh yeah, it's it's random like crazy here and Nashville for those aren't
here, we bring you everything, including retroactive Nashville weather forecasts. Also we
bring you Luca Pinelli Columbus Bluejackets. Centerman Victor ranked him number forty seven in
his pre draft prospect rankings is twenty twenty threes. He actually slipped all the
way to one fourteen in the draft. It's kind of crazy. And let's
hear from Luca himself, who I also is a guy who comes up.
I believe a couple of times across these two episodes, Luca Panelli, Um,
I would say a little bit of Mitch Marner and Bramer Shan kind of
the ways where Marners is skilled forward, has high high Hokyaq can find his
teammates and Brymer Shann in the way where he doesn't back down from anyone no
matter his size and and his compete level. Pretty good outlook for the automist
sixty seventheen coming year fourteen. Who guys, those reasons we're excited minds?
Um? I mean, we've had a great young group of guys. Um.
We had a really good season this year with kind of a young hine
up still and a lot of returning players. Um. So I think,
you know, we have a really really good group of guys, and I'm
excited to see what happens now. Look at you're a competitive kid. I've
seen you chirp of guys after scoring goals and stuff like that. What do
you think that's gonna do when you get to the NHL level be able to
kind of continue that Brad Marshawn kind of trajectory that you're on. Um.
Yeah, I mean I think I think I can carry that with me.
Um, no matter who I'm playing. Um, I don't really back down
from anyone. So UM, I feel yeah I can. I can definitely
bring that with you. Now, You're obviously in a really good draft class.
But Antilly Brindley, yourself, the comas Bouja Cat seem to make have
been making some good picks. What's it like being part of a draft class
like that? Yeah, I think I think it's great. I mean,
um, you know, to see what they've done. I think they have
really really good group guys, and I'm excited to kind of be a part
of that and see what happens from here. All Right, Luca, we're
gonna let that slide with the Marshaw and com That's fine. You can do
it, just I can't. Also, I didn't know we had a brother
who already played in an Hill Press Rings. Next we have JD. Burke
of EPU Ring Side. They talk the Nate Daniel sanine that happened in the
first ground Daniel Boot Briton Yeager, Gabriel Parout, Zach Benson, Gavin Brindley.
Here's j D Burke. All right, we're here with j D Burke,
editor in chief of EP Ringside. How are you doing, j D?
Happy to join the show. It's been a hell of fun two days
in Nashville with the NHL Draft, and I'm exhausted, but I really enjoyed
the process and it's cool getting to hang out with everyone, self included and
happy to talk to you a little bit about what just went down. Yeah,
man, it's been a blast. This is my first draft. How
many have you been at now? This would be so I went in twenty
seventeen and it's been going since then, so this would be probably my should
know math, I do analytics stuff in my work. This doesn't count.
This would be my sixth I think about that. Yeah, let's go to
six. That was right and just gets more fun each time. Awesome.
We love your product. We talk about it all the time. We talk
about all the players on at least prospects, and we love your guys's content.
What I wanted to talk about today is maybe some guys for fantasy that
went a little bit too high or a little bit too low. We know
that guys fantasy gms tend to go by either the NHL draft or maybe they
look at certain guide, So let's start with maybe some guys who went a
little bit too high. I know you mentioned just before we started recording Nate
Danielson ninth that Detroit was one of those guys. Yeah, why do you
think maybe that's a little bit too high. He's just lacking an ambition,
do you know what I mean? And has projectable size, he has speed,
He's shown some playmaking chops, and I think that he's been perhaps I
don't know, his numbers have been understated because of the lack of support and
Brandon right that wasn't the most prolific offensive team. But I don't know if
he has the sense to even stick at center in the NHL level, much
less to be a productive one. Like I see him as someone as bottom
six working kind of guy on the wing. Maybe he can penally kill second
unit of power play that sort of thing, but not someone that I would
reject to the top of an NHL lineup. And I don't know for me,
that was just maybe ten spots too soon. Certainly not someone who's going
to command power play time based on what you were saying, and that's that's
a ding for fantasy, right, Yeah. Absolutely. One criticism we had
is that he has the one move right, full down the rush, try
to hit the trailer, and he showed some vision in those sequences, but
not consistently right. He needs to develop a more sustainable game offensively, and
I think that will elevate his profile and perhaps Detroit comes out looking pretty smart
for this one. And I'm the one who takes the l but as as
currently constructed, based on what I know at this moment, I'm not subsused
about that pick. So it's just a bit too high for me for sure.
What about Arizona? They went Russian Russian? I really, I think
we talked earlier. We like Simashev, But tell me what you think about
boot. That was probably a little earlier than we expected him. Not me,
not me. I spoke to some people in the industry and the esteem
in which they held them it wasn't a surprise. I thought he could have
gone right around ten. He went at twelve, and yes, size his
hands. I think everyone looks at him and they want to project him as
a power forward. I don't know that's his game necessarily based on what I've
seen at present. He's got soft skill is how I would describe him.
And you can build around that. Perhaps you can develop the hard skill tournamentto
that power forward who can rush down the wing and create offense that way,
go to the net front, that sort of thing. But I don't see
that as currently constructed. But the skill you cannot deny. And if you
want to bet on upside, that's someone to do it with. And I
think Arizona they seem to covet that and that pick exemplifies that ethos if you
ask me, Yeah, definitely allowed to work with there. What are some
other guys who you think maybe went a little too soon, that maybe might
be taken too early in their fantasy drafts? Yeah, just looking at the
board right now. And Brandon Yagger is someone that I don't hold in that
esteem, not at fourteens overall. I know he had a lot of hype
coming into the season, but I don't know that he matched up to it
with his play. I don't know that he has the feel for the game
necessary to be the top six center, much less, even though productive top
six twin but hard skill. He has a lot of that, right,
he can fully opponents, he can rip the pock. We know this about
him. So perhaps he can put up a lot of points at the NHL
level, But I don't know that he'll produce strong territorial results. So perhaps
for fantasy he might be perfect, right, but based on what I've seen,
I don't know that he's a play I would have made him that spot.
Yeah, definitely some intertim picks there, what do you think about?
One one that interest me was Minnesota, who I've loved their drafts recently,
really like their second pick. Their first pick, though, is maybe a
little controversial with Stramol who coming into the year there was a lot of excitement
about, but he'd seemed like he underperformed a little bit. Yeah, yeah,
I mean if you held this draft with this time last year, he
goes top ten, right, I think indisputably, he looked at his work
at the program. He played at the UA teams as a D minus one.
That's a good pedigree, I think, and you saw flashes of intelligence
at Wisconsin. But he was in a tough situation. If someone doesn't want
to hold this season against him, I almost get that because the system didn't
put them in a position to succeed. That's why they moved on from the
coach. He didn't have a ton of support. A lot was asked too.
They threw him right into the deep end, and I think he held
up defensively. I liked a lot of what I saw from him in that
respect, But I don't know if he has separating offensive tools, do you
know what I mean? So for fantasy, I don't know that you take
him around twenty twenty one. It's too rich for one. Yeah, I
agree. What about some guys that today maybe went a little later than expect
I didn't have some really good value we of course, the most interesting storyline
coming in was Mitch Coof. He goes to set Philly at seven and like
that franchise defining moment, and they didn't have to do anything. They just
had to sit still buy time, and he came to them and he can
be game breaking. Perhaps he plays on the wing, but I think he
can play center. I really do. And but even if he stuck on
the wing, you have Cell Breini perhaps coming in in the next season.
Based on how this roster is described, I think they took a long term
vision and that was reflected in that pick. And from what I was told
going into this process, they had no issue with taking him in that spot.
And he can at the puck. He's intelligent, he can move well,
and he outproduced so well, almost outproduced of Atchkin, but on a
per game rate, beat him with his draft season production. Someone I like
a lot, and I think, you look back on this draft, he
could be the second best player easily him definitely, definitely think that's a high
likelihood. We look back on this and wonder how he fell to seven.
What do I want some guys outside the top ten that maybe he fell outside
the top ten that really could could be like maybe a top ten in fantasy.
And I look at Gabe Pero. I'm not huge on his game,
but I think with his hockey sense, real boom bus profile, do you
know what I mean? And the feet had him drop all the way to
twenty three, and I get that. I saw that coming. And if
you look at the way the draft went down, smallest players who didn't have
a lead skating, they felt Zach Benson went to thirteen. We had him
at five at Elite Prospects. It was a trend that was consistent throughout the
whole draft. But his intelligence ability to create plays, he sees really special
in that respect, and if he can get to about average above average with
his feet, he'll produce at the NHL level. It just made. It
may take some time, but that could pay off in a huge way.
Do you worry about him going in New York who hasn't had the best track
record with development with any prospect I think that's being nice. Yeah, I
think we joked once, so we can't can't keep letting them get blue chip
prospects and just history tells us they don't know how to handle it. I
have a few notable exceptions, so I'm curious to see how that plays out.
But so, yeah, that is a good point. Actually, Galants
not around at this point, so maybe that helps out. But the developmental
problems stem way beyond just Galant, right, so yeah, that could be
an issue. Good point. What about one second rounder that maybe Gavin Brindley,
Yeah, your guy, Avin Brindley. Yeah, I sold he didn't
do all of the combines speaking with teams and that he would drop because of
it. That was a lot of the talk coming coming out of Buffalo,
but his sense to his speed, the skill level improved as the season went
on. I know we didn't have a goal until they had the one goal
until about Christmas, but he took off. You look at his production,
it's commensurate with people like Mattie Mattie Vanier. Spat's the company he keeps in
terms of his offense, and perhaps some of that is inflated by the environment
around him. I got to play with Vantilly on his wing on those second
half, but he took advantage of that and he grew when he became more
creative. He tried to expand the limits of his game as the season went
on, and I really like that from a developmental perspective, someone who wants
to push the bounds up the game and find new limits. And he did
that, and his floor is really high. I think he could play at
bottom six just based on what I've seen to this point, and if he
keeps growing, perhaps he exceeds that and moves all the way up to top
six. I could see it. I really could. I just like his
game a lot, and I'm not surprised he fell the profile Buffalo stuff I
just mentioned in terms of the interviews that he gave. I saw it coming
a bit, but I think Columbus will be pretty happy with that pick.
I love it. Yeah, I hope he grows a couple of inches and
he could really get to the top of the lineup. That'd be fun to
say. That would be cool. That'd be cool. I'd feel vindicated.
He would have been fifteen Fighter ranking about fifteen for me. I love it.
Thank you so much, Jadi, thanks for having me. I really
appreciate it. This gives us an excuse to include one of the coolest prospects
one of Victor's bay. I think we can say out of the twenty twenty
three draft, Zach Benson, Centerman Buffalo. Peter ranks him number fourteen,
but that's overall. In all of his prospects, Victor Rankton number five in
this draft. He actually went number thirteen. A little behind the scenes,
I did cut down this interview because it was kind of getting out of control
because part of it, you're gonna part of it you hear about is that
he went to Buffalo for the Combine and this was before he was drafted.
But he talks about how Savoy and Crabs took him out to dinner and all
his restaurant stuff that much. I mean, okay, I mean that I
wasn't going to leave all that in, but it is kind of hilarious or
maybe kind of telling that the boys up there in Buffalo we're paying such close
attention to him former teammate or guy he had connection to in Savoy anyway,
and obviously somebody was also writing a feature story that probably it will probably be
in like The Athletic or something about how he grew up in the Carnival.
But I left some of that in. I didn't leave it all in,
but I left some of it into because I love the idea of a guy
like Benson, who we love and also was at one point in his life
a Carnival family worker. Here is Zach Benson Senterman at the Buffalo Sabers.
Yeah, you know, everyone wants to go as high as possible, but
you know, I think it's kind of where you fall and how that you
know, how their needs kind of fit fit your style of playing. For
me, I'm I'm worried about kind of after the draft and you know the
work I'm gonna do after that, you know, make sure that that pick
was was the best pick that could have made. So what makes Dora again
so so less special? Yeah? I think white hockey I Q uh,
you know, I think I'm smart with you know, obviously they wouldn't be
here if they weren't a smart hockey player. So but I would definitely go
with my hockey IQ and my ability to play in every situation. It begins
to so many points. Yeah, I mean, uh, you know,
like I said, my hockey IQ finding the right areas and uh, you
know, my skill sets, uh, you know, pretty elite. So
uh with saying that, playing with Matthew Savoy and and Connor mcclennan all year,
it's pretty two elite players. So uh you know, I had a
plast doing that. And uh, I can't thank those guys enough. True
leaders about the graft process. Yeah, I talked to you know, Savoy
and Geeks quite a bit. You know, even when I got a couple
of meetings with with certain teams, I would I would text Geeks or Savoy
and kind of ask them what it's all about this year, just about the
way he's able to overcome size and become a comedy player. Yeah, I
mean, he's an elite player. We've seen it the last uh three years
with him being in the Western League. He's a special talent, super explosive
and uh you know, just you know, keep watch him because he's gonna
have a heck of an NHL career. In your scouting report, he says
you like to play you in the Dons, play in the corners a little
bits. That's something you had to learn. Was or a coach pushing you
towards end or was that natural? Yeah? I think a smaller guy growing
up, I think you kind of had to learn how to get to those
dirty areas and find the rights of us to be in. So I contribute
a lot of that to just kind of growing up always kind of be on
the smaller side. What year game do you really want to work on the
group? Yeah, I think my strength is kind of my main area focus
this summer. Getting more explosive. I think that's two keys for me to
kind of make that jump to the next level. Heard that you grew up
with your grandfather in the summers working on the carnival trail. Yeah, me
too. Oh really, yeah, exact same thing. How was that for
you? Yeah, it's super cool. Beat up a little bit, kind
of rough you up, Honestly, I didn't. I don't know too many
people that have done that. But yeah, I guess you learn a lot
about hard work and what he had to go through to kind of start it
all up. Things. Uh yeah, the shops in Chilliwack, but from
BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and then they started working their way back and
then Holster drew actually grow too much year and birth to Yeah, I believe
I was born in Langley, but from all I remember, raised in Chilliwac
and then rock and slide over it for the slopes and the teams, and
yeah, like I guess winter hockey I played in Chilliwac, and then spring
hockey I started, I guess as the years went on, kind of moving
farther and farther out, making out to the Vancouver area. I grew up
an Oilers fan, Oilers pretty up Roslyn. No, I my mom was
a Croups fan growing and growing up, But I guess I followed my dad's
uh my dad's uh, I guess team and started rooting for the Oilers.
Took you out? That was at the combine. Do you remember where I
choking or what any of the pointers we gave you? Um? I don't
remember the restaurant name. Uh, but you know, just honestly listening to
his conversation, um, and kind of what he was telling me, and
uh, you know, the players he's met and the people he's met along
his his journey, it's obviously pretty cool. And um, you know,
I definitely soaked in most of the conversation. I feel like they showed a
lot of interests. And yeah, I mean they showed an interest so obviously
taking me out to dinner. But was saying that there's so many teams that
kind of show the you know, same interest or um, so it's it's
so hard to tell, but uh, it's you know, any team that's
obviously pretty special. All right, thank you guys. Awesome. One last
interview in this episode, cheapen Land volked of McKean's little sin control European Love.
We're going to get some of the guys, I mean, David Ryanbacher
gets brought up, he's a little bit higher up. We get a couple
of guys who were a little bit further down the draft board, but especially
a couple of goalies who were coming from Central Europe, and a couple of
guys like Kevin Bicker, who sort of dropped down the draft rankings. But
keep these guys in the back of your mind. Sometimes they're the ones who
pop out. Wants to get to North America. So Victor talkin to chapin
Land voked all right, So we are here with chippin Landfucht, who is
McKean's central European scout based out of Germany. How are you doing? Oh,
I'm doing real well. Not the scout. The draft is over.
Time to review everything. It took place as a bit of a whirlwind second
day, wasn't it. Yeah it was. It went very quickly in many
respects. Look pretty much as expected as used to. Yeah. One of
the main guys that everyone will know about that I definitely want to ask you
about is David Reinbacher, and he went probably not a huge surprise that he
was the first defenseman taken. But what can you tell us a little bit
about his game and maybe what kind of upside does he have in terms of
a potential fantasy impact. Yeah, if he does what Montreal obviously hopes he
may one day do, he'll be able to exhibit some top flight skating forwards
backwards, all four directions to be quite honest, He's very good at the
corralling the puck and moving up ice with it. A decent passer, he
dances on the blue line quite a bit, has a very quick release with
his shot. He also can read guys who are coming in and take away
space from them as well. He's not a finished product on the defensive side,
but who really is at this age? Very exciting in many respects.
So obviously everyone's talking about some of the biggest things that he had a season
for the ages as far as young defenseman are concerned, in Switzerland's top league,
and we didn't see these types of stats coming from a March Strike or
a Roman Yosi back when they were this age. And he's been in Switzerland
for a few years. But he is Austrian and that's a little bit more
exotic, a little more off the path. Even if we've seen players like
Casper who came through Sweden or Rossi who went through the Yohl in recent years,
Baffa is a kid to be very excited about. Will he be the
top defenseman out of this draft? I don't personally think that will be the
case when all is said and done. I was a little surprised to see
Montreal be the team to take him. They do have a lot of prospects.
They've had a lot of picks in recent years, even if their GM
is currently trading a few here and there. I don't know what the plan
is ultimately, but there are lots of things that if they to turn out
all, you can make quite an impact. Do you think that he has
untapped potential offensively like some of these guys that you're a cider that you mentioned
some of the previous guys like Yosi and Stride who clearly had offensive upside and
seemed maybe they developed it later they maybe weren't able to show it as early.
Do you think Ryan Backer has that in him? There is danger that
he's shown so much at this point you got to ask how much more will
he be able to show in the years to come? Has he not hit
a peek at this age but to figure things out at an early stage and
doesn't have a whole lot more to figure out in that sense, And then
it'll be a question of who's he ultimately going to be playing with and is
he gonna find the opportunity to get to plenty power play time at the NHL
level once he's at that stage, once they deem him to be NHL ready.
Sure, from a fantasy's outlook, you got to think of him as
an offensive defenseman, as someone who is going to produce points, maybe the
type of d man he was putting up ten twelve goals a year, maybe
thirty five to forty five assists. Let's say those are going to be the
types of numbers that the fans are gonna want to see out of him in
the future. And the possibilities are endless. I mean, I mean,
he could do it. He could one day do it. I'm not gonna
say I'm gonna put my money on him doing that, but it's definitely the
forecast. Love it. Thank you much for insight on him. I'm gonna
ask you about another couple of other Germans that you know really well. You
mentioned that you're a bit surprised that the Detroit Red Wings took Kevin Bicker at
one forty seven. He's a forward. What can you tell us about He's
a speedy guy. He can be creative, he likes to be a bit
flashy. He loves to move down the wing and exert himself in an offensive
capacity. We saw him last summer at the Linkaretsky Tournament to Germany. Didn't
score a whole lot. I think they only had five goals the whole tournament,
but he was part of four of them. And you could just see
that this is a big kid who wanted to use his size and could move.
And yeah, he had a very fine junior season, but he only
played one game in the top of league in Germany this year, had an
injury in between. Then the UA teens came and yep, he should have
been the guy who was making the music on that team. He should have
been one of the offensive players who was making sure that Germany stayed up at
the top level at the UA teens, especially in a day and age where
there's no Russia bela Rus either. It's not part of the plan for Germany
to get relegated. And even though he had four points at the tournament,
there were just too many times there where he wasn't able to make an impact
and was perhaps looking like the type of player who didn't have the best decision
making capabilities. And I was a bit surprised to seem draft. I thought
teams would wait a year see what he does. He has a DL contract
with the Pocket. Now it's possible he'll show up there. They have a
we'll say, a cooperation with the d E L two team that's kind of
like the farm team in that respect. So he should be getting pro play
next season. Yeah, we'll see how he develops. Gosh, the size
definitely isn't an issue. He's a kind of good hight. But yeah,
maybe a little bit early. Interesting on that one. The next guy is
a goalie and he's His name is Arnold Tiffensen, say one hundred and fifty
seven to Dallas, And he's interesting primarily because, if I'm reading this correctly,
he's a triple overager six foot four, two hundred twelve pound goalie,
German goalie who was playing in Germany there. So what can you tell us
about him? This is a guy who playing junior hockey. People knew of
him. He was a bit of a top prospect when he was sixteen seventeen.
Some of his will say development with curtailed a bit by the whole COVID
situation. He was actually at the WJC where Tim Schutzla and JJ Paturka made
a lot of music and Stephens did not do very well in nettefense. He
didn't really have much of a starting gig the last couple of years. He
played a little minor league hockey and not a whole lot of it. And
then this year the starter in Mannheim and Mannheim got injured and he got his
shot and he ran with it. He'd looked fantastic at times, very well
schooled, the very cool, very collective. It didn't seem rattled by goals
against a lot of time. Some teams had a hard time scoring on him,
and maybe he'd even let in one early and then he just shut the
door after that. He showed a lot of mental fortitude. He's a very
large kid, a big kid, which seems to be all the rage when
it comes to goaltenders nowadays. Just looked like a kid who was much older
than he actually as he turned to twenty one not too long ago, and
I had a little doubt that he'd be drafted because he would even kid the
number one role going into the playoffs, just about the entire playoffs as the
number one goalie for a team that continually plays for a championship. Very excited
about his possibilities moving forward because he looks like a type of player who's You
want to see what he can do in the next couple of years. Yeah,
I know that Mannheim system has been doing really well lately. True,
drys Idol, that was where he came from, not originally, but he
took spend some time there, and then obviously Tim schutzte and obviously most sider
I think Kevin Bicker played there this year as well. So there you go,
all right. So the last guy, seventh round guy, two hundred
and fifth overall Buffalo Savers Norwin Panoka defenseman. He's a left handed d six
five pounds. That's the extent of my knowledge. Tell us about him.
Yeah, he's a guy who really arrived on the team this year. In
the course of the winter, he just kept getting better and better. And
when you see him play with his peers in Germany, he's at a different
level. He just understands the game and much more mature manner, plays like
someone who has a lot more experience than he does. I'm very good with
the stick, both on the puck and off the puck, very good at
edging out players, keeping a distance to his opponents, knowing when to go
in for the kill, so to speak. Great skater, backwards, right,
left, even forwards as well. I think skating is actually a strong
suit and a swivel type head. He's looking around, he's sussing things out,
and he usually finds the people he wants to find and can set them
up. I thought at the UA teen he looked a little overmotivated in the
sense that he understood that his team had limitations and he was trying to do
too much. But he still had a number of great scenes. And I
think the NHL scouts clearly aware of what type of pressure a team like Germany
has at a tournament like that, and are able to see what types of
skills he's got. And I know that his program back in Germany, I
spam been in very excited about him, and that's if he stays there,
he'll probably be getting some shifts at the top level next years from these guys.
Is there anyone who you thought, maybe that he saw that maybe went
a lot later than you expected. It has some pretty good episode, maybe
the second or third round or anyone any names pop in the seventh round we
saw I think it was Pittsburgh pick up yar Vinty from Finland. I think
a lot of publications out there had him within their top hundred and twenty players,
so that seeing him slide all the way down to the seventh round surprised
me just off the top of my head. I know if I would look
at the lists and go through it, there would be some guys that Wou'd
say, yeah, wow, that really surprises me that he didn't go a
little bit earlier. But I don't think this was the type of year where
you had a huge dropper, like let's say twenty twenty, Martin Kromiac was
expected to be about a top forty forty five pick, maybe even a first
rounder, and he dropped all the way to about the fourth round. I
don't think we saw someone like that. If we did, it was a
rolling of the Chicago steel who I believe is head into college next season.
He'd be the one dropper when I was a bit surprised about seeing him go
so late. As far as guys being picked in the first round, who
I didn't think i'd see there, maybe like many others, Easton Callen is
my biggest surprise in the first round. I'm not actually that surprised about the
young man and went after him too. Lynstein from Sweden He looked excellent at
the UA teens as a sixteen year old, didn't look that bad this year's
either, and defended into the money was on the line in runess this year
which got relegated, a team that got relegated, and Lynstein I was getting
more and more ice time, so it was It's pretty clear that the NHL
people knew what his possibilities are. So I wasn't surprised as he even go
in the first round, but I think a lot of people might have been.
Thanks so much for your time. I was awesome and thanks for having
me. Thank you very much to you as well. All Right, I'll
be right back close out the show. Fan Tracks he fan tracks Fantasy hockey
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