Clarke is a higher risk-reward type player but Luke Hughes is someone I feel very safe saying will play in the NHL some day. 2020 WJC: Day 1 Recap (NHL Draft Prospects) 2020 World Juniors: Team Previews, Rosters and Schedules; Recap: WJAC Days 3 & 4; 2019 WJAC: Day 2 Recap; 2019 WJAC: Day 1 Recap; Recap: Team OHL vs. Russia U20; Recap: U.S. vs Czech Republic (Five Nations, November) Tournament Preview: U18 Ivan Hlinka; Recap: U20 Four Nations Tournament (August, 2019) Twitter Feed. Fabian Lysell is one of the most skilled wingers eligible for this 2021 NHL Entry draft. Analytics, stats making way into draft process by Adam Kimelman This season the NHL took a deep dive into the world of advanced analytics, taking the … Andre Roberson, a surprising first-round pick in 2013, was a statistical darling. His skills are on display when he recognizes what to do with a play and executes that play with a very strong shot or uses vision to pass and generate a scoring chance for a teammate. REPORT: 2021 NHL Draft set for July . ( Log Out / Run advanced searches with our Draft Finder. Johnson is an extremely agile skater who is very good on his edges. He is able to use his long reach to pinch up and disrupt plays however this can lead to opposing rushes when unsuccessful. Edvinsson possesses all the tools but like Owen Power, he needs to find that consistency. There are obvious exceptions to this rule; John Gibson being an obvious one. Kent Johnson is yet another University of Michigan player playing a substantial role for his NCAA team. Analytics, not statistics, driving NHL evolution by Arik Parnass In the fall of 1917, the Montreal Wanderers and Toronto Arenas played the first NHL game; with the sport in … His skill alone is probably top 5 in this draft class so if he is able to put it all together I won’t be shocked to see a team swing on him this early in the draft but I also would not be totally shocked if he falls a little bit. FYI, for those who read my last post – as promised – this article is a succinct summary of my draft analysis ‘report’ shared earlier.. Luke Hughes, the third Hughes brother (Quinn and Jack) is yet another smooth skating highend NHL prospect. March 3, 2021 AHL Prospect Update (March) March 15, 2021. All shot attempts in the map below are at 5-on-5 and include shots on goal as well as shot attempts that missed the net or were blocked. Prospect Spotlight is a feature highlighting NHL Draft eligibles and giving a peek into what makes them an intriguing prospect ahead of the 2021 NHL Draft. I would like to see more consistency to his game going forward and if he wants to rise through the rankings he needs to work on his decision making with the puck. Menu. Berniers is a very strong skater and has very good straight line speed. Going into this season he was widely favoured to be the first overall pick for this draft class. Birthdays ... NHL Draft. I have to say I believe this will be one of the weakest, if not the weakest draft since the 2012 entry draft. Who else saw a high draft … His poise with the puck and adamance to get into the best possible spot for a shot is something that will help him as he ultimately transitions to the NHL over the next few years. -- … © 2021 Future Considerations Hockey Inc. All Rights Reserved. While the controlled zone entries are great, Eklund did show a need to improve his decision-making immediately upon entry. A theme that has followed Raty is that he has the physical tools but needs to put it all together and really become a more consistent player. ( Log Out / REPORT: 2021 NHL Draft set for July. However, as this season has been playing out, he has dropped out of that spot almost universally. The focus in this article is on puck possession and the shot attempts associated with them to better understand how impactful a player is on shot attempts for and against. Edvinsson has played games in the SHL and Allsvenskan, both men’s leagues in Sweden, which is very impressive for a teenaged defencemen. It is nice to see a player having the confidence to always want to make a play, though Eklund needs to improve his ability to identify opportunities to move the puck before itâs too late. Are you a Stathead, too? The success rates on these zone entry numbers were extremely impressive, having never failed on a zone entry tracked and only failing to control a zone exit on three of 11 attempts. The local rink was basically a second home for Curtis in his youth, both playing and working there as a teenager where he also operated the Zamboni. Scott Powers is joined by Hockey Graph's Chris Watkins to discuss race in hockey, analytics, how the NHL Draft lottery can affect the Chicago Blackhawks and more. The first time I watched him play I thought if a goalie coach was teaching a clinic on how to play the position, video of Wallstedt would likely be shown. De'Anthony Melton, G, USC (Analytics Rank: 13, Scout: 24) Rated 24th by Givony, Melton is the seventh-most likely All-Star in this year's draft, according to our model. Power possesses all the physical attributes you’d typically want for a defencemen. Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 13, 4:11AM Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Heâs a well-rounded forward that can skate well and has the ability to control the play over competition that is much older and stronger than him. Of the most interest when tracking a playerâs shot attempt numbers is their isolated impact to the overall team metrics. Size, Skating, Skill. Matthew Berniers has had a very good season to date. "Our NHL Draft Career Conference provides an invaluable opportunity for attendees to learn about careers in the NHL while networking with some of the biggest names in the industry," says Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, president of Sports Management Worldwide. Lysell is someone I would really like to see more of because there’s so much potential there. Eklund continues to keep his feet moving and gets as close to the net as possible before shooting. After a stellar 2015 draft, 2016 is less exciting but still features some marquee players at the top. He can also read when there is a bit of a defensive break down, jump into the open space and use his blazing speed to generate a good scoring chance or goal. Although the decisions I didn’t feel were as odd as some of Owen Powers I do worry when a prospect has hockey sense as one of his question marks. Eklund is being discussed as a potential 1st overall pick in the 2021 draft for a good reason. This confidence with the puck Eklund has is an excellent trait, especially at this age and playing at his current level of competition. Eklund was impressive carrying the puck and does an excellent job keeping his feet moving while controlling it. It’s difficult to gauge, with no consensus among rankings. Here is the 2016 re-draft… What can obviously be ascertained is that the … Fabian’s best assets are his hockey sense and skating ability. In this paper, we develop a methodology to combine scouting report information with performance metrics to improve the evaluation of players eligible for the NHL Entry Draft. As the first piece of work I am releasing to the NHL analytics world, the most basic reason that I have focused on draft analysis is because I personally am very curious about it. He’s a good skater for his size but there are more question marks than I have answers for Power. In the wake of the 2017 NHL Entry draft, we have collected some longitudinal data in relation to draft picks entering the NHL. He can read a play, steal the puck and make a nice pass to a teammate using his vision. The NHL Draft, meanwhile, had been postponed to the fall, giving the Sabres the luxury of time when it came to planning and ordering their list. So it’s folly to think Team A was going to draft the same player chosen by Team B after acquirung the pick from Team A on Deadline Day. Of the defencemen in this top 10, Clarke is the one I think has the best chance to be a number 1 defenceman and that’s why I ranked him so high. As he physically matures, his on-ice impacts are only going to improve and heâs certainly a prospect that I believe deserves the consideration for first overall. The 2021 NHL entry draft may end up being the most bizarre of all time. I have played goalie for fun but I won’t pretend to be an expert on the position. He has good puck skills, and can use his vision and skating to generate offence for his teammates or himself. NHL Draft Boards are like Grandmothers and snowflakes — no two are alike. Many leagues either had their season delayed or cancelled as COVID-19 restrictions have prevented certain activities, limiting player development and scouting opportunities for NHL clubs. However there are still some question marks to his game. The first of these is Wallstedt’s calling card. I rarely rank goalies so high because there is higher uncertainty on whether a goalie will translate their skills to the NHL level. March 16, 2021. The NHL draft was all virtual and took place over two days on Oct. 6-7. He made a handful of questionable decisions with the puck in some of my viewings. As well-versed as Presti is in analytics concepts, his draft picks have run the gamut statistically. He was surprisingly left off Finland’s world junior roster this year after playing on the team as a double underager in 2019-20. The class is very talented, with an especially strong group at the top of the board. The 2021 NHL entry draft may end up being the most bizarre of all time. The second marker I look for is positional awareness and puck tracking ability. "Agents, GM's, directors of player personnel, and marketing executives all will be present, meeting, and speaking with attendees. Applying "Wall Street" thinking to hockey through analysis in player valuation, salary cap efficiency, contract negotiation, draft pick value, Wins/Goals Above Replacement, and more. Below is a glossary of terms used for this tracking effort which should look familiar to those with some experience in analytics. This year has seen that changed. 2021 NHL Draft prospect videos, stats, and written profiles updated throughout the year. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. He is also very skilled in general, and while it may not show up in every play, one game I watched he had one of the flashiest shootout goals I’ve seen in a long time. As evidenced in this play below, Eklund keeps his feet moving whether heâs applying pressure in the offensive zone or backchecking. He is someone that has the potential to skyrocket in my final rankings. The first would be a history of success at many levels, progression through the levels and success at a men’s level before the NHL. NHL Entry Draft history from 1979 to present, and NHL Amateur Draft history from 1963 to 1978. More Stories. Other skills or abilities, such as hockey sense (when to slow the game down or keep play alive), rebound control, etc. I have him ranked slightly higher than his teammates at Michigan, Owner Power and Kent Johnson because I feel safer in projectioning him to the NHL level. Home; About Me; Salary Cap & Player Valuation; WAR ‘Explainer’ Draft Analysis; Twitter; NHL Draft Analysis. Needless to say I have concerns about his hockey sense and decision making. Posts about NHL Draft written by Mike Z. With these abilities I believe he has one of, if not the highest, ceilings of this draft class. As seen in the table above, Eklund had an impact on nearly half of his teamâs shot attempts, with an even amount of shot attempts himself, and primary shot attempt assists. 2018 NHL Draft tracker: Complete results from every round, first-round pick-by-pick analysis We've got every single pick right here, plus insight on each of Friday night's first-round selections He is able to pivot in tight to create some separation and able to make a play. However most of the goalies or top tier goalies in the NHL showed strong progression through their development at different levels of hockey. ( Log Out / He is a contributor for a Sabres blog called. I have seen his use his size and skating to keep the opposing forwards to the outside therefore lowering the danger of a scoring chance. It’s difficult to gauge, with no consensus among rankings. https://nhlentrydraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Forecheck-and-backcheck.mp4, https://nhlentrydraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Eklund-Zone-Exit-and-Entry.mp4, https://nhlentrydraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Neutral-zone-and-entry.mp4, https://nhlentrydraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Entry-and-Walk-into-Slot.mp4, https://nhlentrydraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Eklund-Goal.mp4, CF% – Percentage of Shot Attempts For (Team and Opponent), SCF% – Percentage of Scoring Chances For (Team and Opponent), Primary Shot Assist – Pass that leads to a Shot Attempt. With all the league shutdowns and delayed starts, it’s going to be very difficult to compare players that have played full seasons in some leagues with others who played in certain North American and European leagues that never started, or did start but have an extremely small sample size. He still needs to get stronger and is likely a few years away from being NHL ready but Luke Hughes is one of the best prospects in this draft in my opinion. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account. He is able to use his skill and speed combination to create space for himself or teammates. He has the shot, skating ability and all the physical tools to be a top 6 player in the NHL level but I don’t know if I would bank on him developing into that elite first line centre. Eklundâs team had great success in regards to shot attempts with him on the ice in these 3 games. Referees Stand in Way of Devils, Who Lose 3-2 in Shootout With Two Goals Waved Off allaboutthejersey.com - Chris Fieldhouse . The rankings are based on the development of a logistic regression model that assigns a probability of NHL success (playing a minimum number of games) to each prospect based on their performance in years leading up to their draft eligibility. With a couple more seasons in the OHL I think that his game will likely be able to round out enough to play a top 4 role in the NHL some day. For example: NHLEs assume the player will make the jump to the NHL, but that is not often the case. 2020 WJC: Day 1 Recap (NHL Draft Prospects) 2020 World Juniors: Team Previews, Rosters and Schedules; Recap: WJAC Days 3 & 4; 2019 WJAC: Day 2 Recap; 2019 WJAC: Day 1 Recap; Recap: Team OHL vs. Russia U20; Recap: U.S. vs Czech Republic (Five Nations, November) Tournament Preview: U18 Ivan Hlinka; Recap: U20 Four Nations Tournament (August, 2019) Twitter Feed. July 11, 2017 by HockeyNews, posted in hockey, Uncategorized. After falling into the ‘rabbit hole’ of hockey analytics, Katerina Wu lands as a Penguins data scientist. He possesses the skill set to be a high end defencemen if he is developed properly. There were several controlled exits and entries that occurred on the same play where Eklund carried the puck entirely through the neutral zone. March 16, 2021. NHL.com analysis: Stuetzle, who is versatile enough to play center or on the wing, has a skill set that some scouts compare to Patrick Kane. His skating was very smooth and can use it to showcase some of his other positive attributes. The Draft Analyst … 2021 NHL Mock Draft and NHL Draft History. His smarts are apparent in his ability to read a play and know exactly what to do to generate offence. In breaking down his hockey sense I believe his ability to read a situation or play then react quickly and make a smart play is something that highlights his high hockey IQ. The local rink was basically a second home for Curtis in his youth, both playing and working there as a teenager where he also operated the Zamboni. He has good vision and passing ability. I had a very hard time deciding between Brandt Clarke and Luke Hughes for the next ranked player. His play in his own zone needs significant refinement and this is especially evident when playing against men who are typically bigger and stronger. Owen Power is someone I believe may be one of the more divisive prospects in this upcoming draft. This volume of shot attempts in high-danger areas are also an indicator of Eklundâs excellent positioning in the offensive zone to find open areas of ice where he can get off shots. He can get the puck to the front of the net where it may get tipped or cause a scoring chance with traffic in front. Beniers, Johnson, Power honoured in B1G awards. On his goal below, Eklund makes a controlled zone entry and is immediately pressured by multiple defenders. He was extremely inconsistent even shift to shift in games I watched him. Aatu Raty is an interesting case. I’ve seen him receive passes in stride on his back hand but I also saw him hold the blue line using his back hand, transitioning it to his forehand and making a nice play to get out of trouble. He is a smaller player but his impressive production at the professional level eases my concern about his size being any issue at the NHL level. Notebook: Bolduc, Lucius, Morrow & More. Listed at 6’4” 200lbs, Simon Edvinsson is yet another player with all that you would want in a top pairing defenceman. As of now I am not clear whether he will return to the OHL if the league starts back up this season but for now he is playing in a professional league. NHL Draft – Day 1 undefined VANCOUVER — The first round of the 2019 NHL Draft is complete, officially signalling the start of the league's offseason. This is a very unique and specific skill I haven’t noticed in many defenders. We are also getting to the stage now where many of these players haven't played a lot of NHL games, or have had limited minutes. may come with experience. Multiple times he skated it in and forced himself into a position where he couldnât make a play. Change ). Charging Buffalo where he puts out a weekly column called The Prospect Notebook and provides in-depth content for their NHL Draft Guide. He has been rising on many lists including my own as the season progresses. I was really impressed by his take away ability and his ability to use his speed to force a turnover or scoring chance. In order to play at the NHL level the timing of his pinching is something that will need to be worked on. NHL Advanced Stats / Analytics. NHL Draft Analytics Released. I really like Clarke’s skating ability. He also has games played at the J20 level and while his numbers are not mind boggling I think he is a player worth drafting based more on his skill set than his actual production this year. Nevertheless, we must soldier on! This is an alpha edition of the model and only covers skaters. Using Analytics for the NHL Draft by NHLDraftAnalytics in hockey. The Draft Analyst … In my viewings I was surprised with how tall and lanky he looked. Luke is a smooth skating left shot defenceman. He has very nice hands and maintains possession of the puck even with his wild skating style. Itâs clear that Eklund has a preference to take his shots in high danger areas in the high-to-low slot, with a minority of his shot attempts coming from low-danger areas on the outside.