Response to Mock Draft Feedback

welcome back all right so every year I I like to do the little mock draft and this year I got it out of the way sooner than I normally do um I felt like it was a good time after the second game there and since there’s so many days in between Stanley Cup playoff games right now it’s like yeah sure I’ll do the mock draft get it done and over with uh because now I’m doing all the other history stuff too and I always get kind of like a a kick out of the comment section when that mock draft goes live cuz I know what people are going to say and while I’m doing the draft I know while I’m doing my research on where I think guys are going to go I know exactly what people are going to say and internet never disappoints there um the player comparisons I want to answer this first the player comparisons and I’ve seen guy this guy’s not going be like him what’s this guy talking about what’s he yeah the hockey news come up with those and I even said at the start of the video like you know I don’t don’t necessarily agree with these and I I was I I can even look through look through old uh Draft preview issues and talk about where they got certain guys right or wrong over the years cuz I have Draft preview issues going back to it’s got to be the mid 2000s but it it’s something they do to kind of give you an idea for here’s how we foresee this player is going to be at the NHL level uh it’s it’s a fun comparison so I included that because I thought you know I don’t want it to just be me putting the the players names up and going there you go I had to give something else so I tried to make sure I added the height and the weight and all that um I thought the player comparisons from the hockey news were just interesting something to look at um uh but I I didn’t put him up there as like this is how this guy’s going to be I even said you know they’re not necessarily 100% accurate I did put a lot of time into it and I I do um dating back to 2018 really I learned my lesson in 2017 where I didn’t I you know I mean I enjoyed the draft and I had some some surface level knowledge of some of the prospects I knew that I wanted Gabe valard in Vancouver they drafted Patterson I wasn’t happy about it because I wanted valard uh which was a joke on the internet for years until valard reached the NHL and it’s turned out vard’s pretty good player after he got past his health issues uh but really you know since then I’ve been like all right I I want to have some idea on these draft picks and so looking through the prospects and looking through all the draft lists and the rankings and the scouting reports that’s what went into where I put everybody yesterday was what I was reading for scouting reports and everything and I even mentioned too in the the prospect videos I did prior to the the the mock draft I did yesterday that some of them may be a little bit out of date comparatively speaking with where they’re going to end up at the end of the year uh but you know we’ll see how it all turns out because it is very unpredictable one thing that I keep in mind is you can’t have too many defensemen every year a team will make a pick and people will say what are you doing you don’t need that player at that position but I think what fans forget is first off not every Prospect you draft is going to develop so if a team has a bunch of centers that they’ve drafted or or some defenseman they’ve drafted it doesn’t mean that that team won’t necessarily take a defenseman or a center the next time around at the draft table if they feel like that is a top-notch blue chip Prospect and maybe he’s better than some of the prospects they have in their in their their their uh pipeline so maybe you draft somebody at the draft table at say five who’s a blue liner uh Montreal being being at five and then maybe one of the other blue liners that’s in in the prospect pool maybe they take a bit of a drop down and maybe you look to move one of them right so I’m just saying that if if you can get a better Prospect I think you do and I think it’s in in the best interests of the of the the GM to take the best player available and I’m I’m a big fan of Best Player available I don’t care about positions because it can change from one year to the next you can see a team that one year their defense looks great and then two years down the road it’s terrible and so maybe two years ago when they’re drafting you’re like well they don’t need a defenseman look at this they’re great goal endings one to where maybe you don’t need a goal tender and then a year later maybe there’s an injury to one of your two goalies and all of a sudden you desperately need a net minder so I keep that in mind also that centers usually go earlier than expected they’re there have been many times over and over and again a recentish example would be Barrett Hayden when he was taken by the coyotes uh that was seen as a bit of a surprise comparatively speaking with where he was going to be taken I remember when PL DuBois was taken that was seen as maybe being a pick or two earlier than expected because he was a center Columbus was looking for a center so that’s the thing is that centers will very often move up and defenseman I don’t think you can have too many because again you do not guarantee that all your prospects make it I know um at one point Ottawa fans were like okay we’re going to be great look at all these prospects and some of those prospects especially on the blue line haven’t like Bernard Docker and Thompson come to mind two that just haven’t quite panned out and so yeah I I don’t think there’s any harm in getting too many blue liners because there’s always teams looking for defense same as centers right there’s always teams looking for help down the middle uh I I also had to keep in mind picks are going to get traded picks are going to get traded um and so I I felt like it was more important that I put them in an order like okay I think this is how this this probably goes at least in my mind uh rather than necessarily just the logo there so maybe a team trades down uh or a team trades up a team’s like we really want Sev he’s still there we’re going to call the team that’s currently on the clock and try to get that pick from them because we really want CA uh maybe leov drops a little bit and the team calls and goes hey leonov’s dropped a little bit we’d like to pick him up so I I had to take that into consideration because we know there are picks that are in play so the odds of the teams that I had on that that draft board yesterday actually being the ones that that draft on draft day uh I’ll go 5050 on some of them and maybe less than 5050 on a couple as well I think New Jersey is going to trade theirs um that’s just one example and so when I’m when I’m doing the mock draft I think it’s more important to go well these are probably best players available more so than the team necessarily uh but again that’s just how I approach it um and again I I always figure if if it’s a really good defenseman take him where you where you think he should get taken uh drafts never unfold the way that we think there are a lot of people right now that have a really good idea for exactly how this draft’s going to go and then when it doesn’t go exactly the way they think it should um and and it’s not just fans either people in the media will do this where they’ll have this definite okay this is exactly where these these picks should go and then when somebody slides that they think should be higher up or somebody that they think should slide doesn’t they’re like this team made a mistake today this is these are mist mes I do not do winners and losers on draft day same as I don’t do on trade deadline day because no um I I I think it’s silly to take a look at a bunch of 18-year-olds that just got drafted and say well this group of 18year olds clearly that’s a terrible pick that’s that’s those are terrible moves made by that GM it’s just to me it’s silly guy was drafted a couple hours ago and you’re going to declare that clearly he wasn’t as good as the other options on the board it just it comes off as being silly I will point out where I think there might be steals in the draft but I I I do my best not to just pile on all right what is this GM thinking because we don’t know the situation uh that the team is in we don’t know what the GM might be thinking they may not tell us in that moment uh they may give us platitudes with that player sitting next to them on draft day but in reality the storyline might be completely different maybe there’s somebody on the team who wants out that we don’t know about uh maybe there’s an injury to somebody we don’t know about and they’re they’re thinking we have to be ready in case that player’s going on ltir that kind of thing right um so the draft never goes the way that we expected to that’s why I don’t sweat too much on the who goes where I just do my best uh again when I was coming up with that mock draft I spent like two hours trying to get them all in a certain order and I was like okay that’s that’s good enough that’s that’s going to have to do for now um and no matter how many scouting reports I use the complaints I know are going to be there and I use scouting reports from all over I’ve got a paid subscription to Elite prospects to hockey prospect.com as well um I have the draft book for elite prospects as well that I’ve been going through and looking at picks and again you look at even amongst their own staff and where everybody gets drafted there are definitely differences of opinion there are differences of opinion as soon as you get past number one in the draft celebrini going one is where everybody agrees demidov being the second best player in the draft I think most people agree with that as well and so I think Chicago would be crazy not to necessarily draft him because he looks like he’s going to be a fantastic Talent he’s a Winger and just the idea of him being on the line with Bard that that’s something there’s already some good prospects uh with the Chicago Blackhawks there’s some good prospects on their way to the Chicago Blackhawks in terms of forwards uh they’ve already got some good blue Liners in there too um so yeah I think I think adding demidov would make some sense but again it’s just for fun it’s just for fun uh but thank you guys so much for those for those that understand that you know mock drafts are just for fun and yeah don’t take it so seriously great uh for others I just I wanted to answer a few things here and and make a quick little video on it so there you go uh but yeah mock draft’s done uh we’ll of course get into the 2025 draft in about 10 or 11 months time and then we’ll get into another discussion of of of who goes where and how stupid everybody is and then on draft day it’s not going to go the way we think that it will so let me know your thoughts in the comment section below as always don’t forget to hit like And subscribe if you’ve not done so already thank you guys so much for all your support I will talk to you again soon

Hey all and I wanted to answer mock draft feedback here. The reality is it’s a fun video to make and it does pretty well on the channel, so it is going to remain an annual event for me.

Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_AFyA9FqrZ57bb9QRH77wg/join

Join us on our discord to chat hockey, talk with others during the game, share pet pictures, and more.
https://discord.gg/thehockeyguy

Order jerseys from Ben H Sports while saving 10% off the listed eBay prices by sending him an email regarding jerseys you spot in his listings. ben.hoogenband@yahoo.ca Just tell him Shannon sent you.

Support The Hockey Guy via Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thehockeyguy

https://www.facebook.com/youtubehockeyguy/
Instagram: thgshannon and thg_cats
Spoutible: https://spoutible.com/TheHockeyGuy

TheHockeyGuy.yt@gmail.com

Contact me via snail mail at:
The Hockey Guy
PO Box 13063 RPO Highstreet
Abbotsford, BC
V2S 0C4
CANADA

In the USA: some times it takes us a few weeks to get down there.
Shannon Skanes
1125 Fir Avenue
Suite 119
Blaine, WA 98230

38 comments

  1. I think you did a great job Shannon.. My comment was that the habs often base their decision on the pressure from the media. Not that you were off in anyway. Honestly I like your list.

  5. Joining my voice, such as it is, to those requesting a video of past comparisons to the stars of today. Who did they compare Ovechkin, Crosby, McDavid, Matthews, et.al. to when they were drafted would be cool.

  6. I didn't comment on the previous video but I enjoyed it! While I disagreed with some of the player comparisons, based on other sources and watching tape myself, it's always fun to hear other peoples' opinions on the draft; presents an opportunity to challenge my own biases.

    Would love to get a video about under the radar prospects that you're intrigued by/that you could see becoming favourites if all things pan out ^^

  7. I didn't want to sound critic at your mock.Sorry if you felt that way.Montreal need Star power up front,anyway,to me.
    Lots of rumour right now about Mike Matheson in Montreal,if they trade for Necas,it would make sense to draft another D.

  8. If you are drafting position from desperation you are a losing franchise. Winning organizations with history and culture draft BPA. Then they use free agency and farm system to cover “needs.”

  9. My only feedback is that I doubt Iginla lasts long enough to get grabbed by Calgary unless the Flames find a way to move up. If nothing else, Ron Francis/Kraken picks one before them and he's a long-time connoisseur of young up-and-coming centers, but I doubt he's still there when either team picks.

  11. Hopefully this redirects some criticism for you:

    1.) SJS – Macklin Celebrini
    2.) CHI – Artyom Levshunov
    3.) ANA – Zeev Buium
    4.) CBJ – Cole Eiserman
    5.) MTL – Ivan Demidov
    6.) UTA – Zayne Parekh
    7.) OTT – Sam Dickinson
    8.) SEA – Berkly Catton
    9.) CGY – Tij Iginla
    10.) NJD – Cayden Lindstrom
    11.) BUF – Anton Silayev
    12.) PHI – Carter Yakemchuck
    13.) MIN – Konsta Helenius
    14.) SJS – Liam Greentree
    15.) DET – Mich. Brandsegg-Nygård
    16.) STL – Stian Solberg

  13. ..pre covid viewer supporting T.H.G. and stand on gambling..kudos..but…tedium sets in..but ..thats on me..spelling, pronunciation and other minor glitches……let it go…

  14. hot take: the Hawks will trade down from #2. no idea with who, no idea what the return will be… this is just my personal gut feeling, & it's not exactly something i'm rooting for to happen
    reminder that the probability of this actually happening is incredibly slim, but… yeah, just have a nagging feeling

  15. Calgary Flames are a great example of needs changing, two years ago they had a top five d core and now after Hanafin, Tanev and Zadorov are gone you hear how badly they need d prospects.

  16. I hate to make opinionated videos because people seem to believe your opinion of a player or team is fact, and its annoying to deal with

  17. I was SOOOOOOOOOOO very upset that you didn't have the Wild trading up to number 1 to get a center with all that extra collateral that they have sitting around. I expected them top trade Wallerstedt, Gus, Rossi, Faber, and #13 pick for the #1 pick. The trade the #1 pick in for another teams 2,3, and 4 round picks for the next two years. Or some other equally terrible trade move.

  19. Literally nobody knows whats going to happen except GMs on draft day. People "complaining" about a mock draft are yelling at clouds.

  20. I enjoyed your draft but you could have made it just a little better by having Yzerman select Eiserman. You were close but… 😉

  21. How dare you go through reports from multiple sources and make your educated opinion about the draft. I have done zero research and I know that your mock draft is complete junk. I can't wait to watch the draft and laugh at how terrible your choice for the Avs at 24 is. My mock draft won't be published because I can't take the criticism yet I can give it to you. I hope the satire of my words comes through the text. THG is great hockey content entertainment. People need to chill.

  22. Shannon, your forgetting they are called MOCK drafts, people are dumb and think it means an invitation to come here and mock you. Not that ever need an invitation, they come anyway like a cockroach.

  24. Whenever I see someone draft by position rather then best player available it makes me think of the Canucks taking Olli Juolevi when they could have had Matt Tkachuk.

  27. This draft in particular seems like the hardest one to predict with everything after Celebrini seemingly like a crapshoot. A lot seems to hinge on what direction Chicago goes with their pick as that can set off a chain reaction of picks and it seems to boil down to 2 guys they're choosing between, Demidov or Levshunov, so any mock draft is gonna go in wildly different directions based on what happens with Chicago and you had to pick one. I think they'd lean D this time because next year's draft is thin on D but rich on forwards but also they're probably not too keen to have the core of their offense coming from 2 sub 6 feet tall but I can see why you'd argue they take Demidov.

  28. As a Sharks fan, I'm just blown away you would ASSUME they pick Celebrini at 1st. Wildly baseless claim. (Please give me Celebrini we want this so bad)

  29. I think there's an important distinction in the way Hockey News mag phrases comparables nowadays. They no longer call it comparables, they now call them "best case"s. I have to wonder if Hockey News also took some crap from their own fans for trying to tether a player's upside to the success of a current, established NHLer and the term just might not have sit right.

  30. Lmbo!
    Yep you will never win cause couch GM’s (like me) think
    They know more than scouts or experts! Yes there are things you say I disagree with but I would never miss judge your dental and work and research.

  31. Mentioned in the video but the 2018 draft talking about Centers going higher than expected was a really good point. Barrett Hayton is fine, but prob not looking like a top 5 pick at this point. And so far he has panned out as the best center at that draft position until you reach down to like Velano at the end of the 1st or Drury in the 2nd. Just doesn't seem like a very good year for Centers. But if those guys just took best player available, there was a string of amazing defenseman in that top 10 range (Quinn Hughes, Dobson, and Bouchard.) Maybe Montreal in that same draft picked Kotkenami over Brady Tkachuk for the same reason.

  32. If people complain with who their team drafts even if they are a highly regarded prospect, there is no way to win with them for mock drafts that don't mean anything. I wish people could just enjoy the speculation!

  34. I have no complaints about anyone's mock draft… they aren't the actual draft, no need to get upset.

    No one has ever had their mock draft survive about the first ten picks… after thirty plus years of drafts… no one knows.

    Also, I fully agree, best player available is the best way to draft. You can always trade, and yes, injuries happen.

  35. If Bob McKenzie doesn't get the draft order right. Then there's what actually happens. Does Shannon get the draft order right? As he says. Don't take it seriously. What I think is a good player, others will think different. It's also insanely hard to predict where an 18 year old is going to be 7 years from now.

  36. With centers, there is the thing that you basically have to draft your 1C and 2C.
    With D-men, the thing is that you can still draft good ones later in the draft.
    With goalies, it feels like you really should draft one in the top 100 every year.

Leave a Reply