2014 Draft Selections

[CarltonTheBear]

The Leafs made 6 selections in the 2014 entry draft. Most people are familiar with Nylander, but the others are mostly unknowns. Here are some draft profiles courtesy of TheLeafsNation.com. Feel free to post some from other sites.

http://theleafsnation.com/2014/6/27/leafs-select-william-nylander-with-8th-overall-pick
http://theleafsnation.com/2014/6/28/leafs-take-defender-rinat-valiev-in-the-3rd-round
http://theleafsnation.com/2014/6/28/j-j-piccinich-selected-by-leafs-with-103rd-pick
http://theleafsnation.com/2014/6/28/dakota-joshua-selected-by-leafs-in-5th-round
http://theleafsnation.com/2014/6/28/leafs-stocking-up-on-american-forwards-take-nolan-vesey-in-6th-round
http://theleafsnation.com/2014/6/28/leafs-select-pierre-engvall-in-7th-round

[L K]

Interesting pick with Pierre Engvall.  He's 6'4" and at the midterm rankings he was the 36th ranked European skater.  He dropped to 91st and I'm having a hard time seeing what he did to drop so far.  I guess his lack of progression to SEL-2 over the course of the year might be an indication but his offensive stats look pretty solid in the Jr-18 and Jr-20.

Hopefully he becomes another Andreas Johnson

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Thommie Bergman on Nylander...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AroUNXLKL1k[/youtube]

[Bender]

What was the knock on Ritchie and why did we want Nylander instead? Higher upside with Nylander?

[Coco-puffs]

What was the knock on Ritchie and why did we want Nylander instead? Higher upside with Nylander?

The biggest knock on Ritchie is his foot speed.  Everything else is "NHL ready power forward".  Nylander is going to take a bit more time to be ready to play in the NHL, but he definitely has the higher ceiling- probably the most purely skilled player in the draft.

[Potvin29]

What was the knock on Ritchie and why did we want Nylander instead? Higher upside with Nylander?

One thing often stated about Ritchie was consistency game to game, but people also discussed how he's huge so he has this advantage in junior that he may lose in the pros.  I think they're both great picks, but Nylander has been considered by many to be potentially the most skilled in the entire draft.

[bustaheims]

What was the knock on Ritchie and why did we want Nylander instead? Higher upside with Nylander?

A lot of scouts have Nylander with the best skill set in the draft, so, yes, higher upside with Nylander.

[Highlander]

sorry but hate to judge a book by the cover, but Nylander looks like a highly intelligent young man whereas Ritchie has a bit of a Neanderthal look to him. I like smarts over brawn any day of the week.

[Potvin29]

Nylander was just drafted 13th overall in the CHL import draft by Mississauga.

[CarltonTheBear]

Nylander was just drafted 13th overall in the CHL import draft by Mississauga.

Very unlikely he'll actually play there though considering the AHL is an option if he doesn't make the Leafs.

[bustaheims]

Very unlikely he'll actually play there though considering the AHL is an option if he doesn't make the Leafs.

Yeah. Junior is probably 4th on the list in terms of potential destinations for Nylander next season.

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Nylander was just drafted 13th overall in the CHL import draft by Mississauga.

Very unlikely he'll actually play there though considering the AHL is an option if he doesn't make the Leafs.

Yeah, it sounds like his skill is already at the pro level. It can't be bad having a close option available though, Biggs and D'Amigo ended in the O', when they couldn't stay in the A'.

[Coco-puffs]

Keep in mind, if he plays in the AHL, we burn the first year of his rookie deal.  However, if he plays in the AHL, he can be called up to the NHL at any point- so, if the brass think he's only half a season away, the AHL is the right spot.  If he's a full season away, he should play it in Sweden so we don't burn a year of his rookie deal. 

So yes, OHL is probably last on the list.

[bustaheims]

Keep in mind, if he plays in the AHL, we burn the first year of his rookie deal.  However, if he plays in the AHL, he can be called up to the NHL at any point- so, if the brass think he's only half a season away, the AHL is the right spot.  If he's a full season away, he should play it in Sweden so we don't burn a year of his rookie deal. 

So yes, OHL is probably last on the list.

Actually, there's an exception for guys under 20 playing in the AHL. As long as he doesn't play 10 games for the Leafs, he won't burn a year off his ELC.

[Corn Flake]

What was the knock on Ritchie and why did we want Nylander instead? Higher upside with Nylander?

A lot of scouts have Nylander with the best skill set in the draft, so, yes, higher upside with Nylander.

a quote from McKeen's: "he does possess Patrick Kane like skill in his ability to control and dangle with the puck needing minimal space to unleash a quick and accurate wrist shot"