Hello everyone! Recorded on March 27th, Episode 29 of the AIH 20416 Podcast kicked off our "Road to the 2016 NHL Entry Draft" proper. It was also a long podcasting day, though not long enough where we forgot to lament heartbreaking wins over the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings.
In commencing our trip down the 2016 prospect rabbit hole, it only seemed appropriate to touch upon the "top-ranked", names with whom we're familiar but could still learn more about (including gosh darn pronunciations; thanks a lot "Auston Matthews"). As such, the conversation with our guests was largely dominated by players Winnipeg might select with the two 1st round draft picks at their disposal.
And on that note, we were first joined by Kathryn Jean, OHL Scout for @DraftBuzzHockey and your source for all things Ottawa 67’s and CHL with @67sReport.
As you may have ascertained from that CV, we zoomed in on some of the top OHL prospects. Whether it was ranking Matthew Tkachuk's hockey IQ, discussing the three-way battle between defencemen Jakob Chychrun, Olli Juolevi and Mikhail Sergachyov, or projecting NHL readiness, there were plenty of notes to take down for those so inclined!
Additional players and topics included:
- Alexander Nylander, Michael McLeod, Alex DeBrincat, Sean Day, Cam Dineen & Logan Brown
- The merits and failings of putting stock in matches such as the BMO Top Prospects Game
- Whether or not an OHL player **coughTkachukcough** might break into the top-three selections
- The Flint fiasco and how it might affect William Bitten
- And a taste of Ottawa 67's playoff talk to wrap things up
Our next guest was Zach DeVine, writer and prospect junkie for @Hockey_Prophets, as well as contributor with @lastwordonsport.
We were introduced to the methodology and approach Hockey Prophets brings to the table, before a cross-examination over their ranking of Tkachuk third, ahead of Jesse Puljujarvi. The Auston Matthews versus Jack Eichel debate, why Pierre-Luc Dubois is more than a really good top prospects game, your now-mandatory Clayton Keller lovefest and more! If you know us, you know we kept the questions coming!
Our overflowing conversation also included:
- Nylander, Juolevi, Sergachev, Chychrun, Day, DeBrincat, Sam Steel and Logan Brown (again of our guest's volition rather than our own, which is noteworthy)
- Concerns over Tkachuk's secondary assist totals and knowing exactly who his daddy is
- Breaking down the top-end into tiers, and not being in bad shape even seven to nine picks in
- Which goalie to take in the first round (if you're into that sort of thing)
- And buttering us up before comparing the Winnipeg Jets prospect pool to those of Buffalo, Arizona and Toronto
If looking for scouting reports on some of the most exciting draft-eligible players in hockey, this was an episode for you. Come and give this treasure trove of prospect insight a listen!
1. Take a gander online here.
2. Visit our page on CyberEars.
3. Download the .mp3 file directly (right-click link, Save As…, etc etc).
4. Listen, subscribe and rate us on iTunes.
Tune in, let us know how we did in the Comments section below, and be sure to send your questions, concerns, thoughts and haterade our way by tweeting @AIH20416 or e-mailing aih20416@gmail.com. Remember to follow Alan at @sliiiiip and myself at @PhilipAIver.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for listening!
