Buffalo Barbarian Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 No doubt Eichel is very very good and worth all the worry we have gone through this season to ensure #1 or #2. My boosting of McDavid sometimes make it look like I'm discounting Eichel, that isnt my intent. Eichel would be #1 overall most recent years, probably like 9 times in the past 16 years (Stamkos, Tavares, Nash, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, Crosby, Kane). I have been following CHL/Junior hockey, going to and watching games for almost 25 years and I have never seen anything like McDavid. With that said, I wasnt able to watch much QMJHL back in the day and didnt watch Crosby in Junior. McDavid's potential has me geeked out thinking that he could potentially be on the Sabres. People are talking on a level with Howe, Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux. If not for the stupid lottery we would have McDavid but more than likely we get Eichel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 No doubt Eichel is very very good and worth all the worry we have gone through this season to ensure #1 or #2. My boosting of McDavid sometimes make it look like I'm discounting Eichel, that isnt my intent. Eichel would be #1 overall most recent years, probably like 9 times in the past 16 years (Stamkos, Tavares, Nash, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, Crosby, Kane). I have been following CHL/Junior hockey, going to and watching games for almost 25 years and I have never seen anything like McDavid. With that said, I wasnt able to watch much QMJHL back in the day and didnt watch Crosby in Junior. McDavid's potential has me geeked out thinking that he could potentially be on the Sabres. People are talking on a level with Howe, Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux. Are you using those 7 guys more for how they have produced? The only one I really know much about is Kane, and it seemed to be questionable whether he would be the top pick going right into the draft, although by that time, he did lead the list. Unlike say McDavid and Crosby - where you knew a year or two ahead they were #1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 No doubt Eichel is very very good and worth all the worry we have gone through this season to ensure #1 or #2. My boosting of McDavid sometimes make it look like I'm discounting Eichel, that isnt my intent. Eichel would be #1 overall most recent years, probably like 9 times in the past 16 years (Stamkos, Tavares, Nash, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, Crosby, Kane). I have been following CHL/Junior hockey, going to and watching games for almost 25 years and I have never seen anything like McDavid. With that said, I wasnt able to watch much QMJHL back in the day and didnt watch Crosby in Junior. McDavid's potential has me geeked out thinking that he could potentially be on the Sabres. People are talking on a level with Howe, Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux. I've got two pieces of paper on my wall that say BU on them, but I'm still not crazy enough to want Eichel over McDavid. I've just been taking the realistic look at this all season. That's so much easier when the consolation prize is this big. We get something damn good, but have that slight chance of something even better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 (edited) Are you using those 7 guys more for how they have produced? The only one I really know much about is Kane, and it seemed to be questionable whether he would be the top pick going right into the draft, although by that time, he did lead the list. Unlike say McDavid and Crosby - where you knew a year or two ahead they were #1. Im talking about pre-draft hype. Ovechkin and Kovalchuk were both extremely hyped as phenoms coming into the draft, almost as much as Crosby. Kane, and Tavares were just behind that level. Kane was consensus #1 for most of that year I believe. wasnt a great 1st round, Van Riemsdyk (sp) went #2. Philly got screwed out of Kane via lottery. Thinking about it again, maybe Id leave Nash off that list. Maybe bump Stamkos to the Tavares/Kane level. Edited April 6, 2015 by May Day 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Im talking about pre-draft hype. Ovechkin and Kovalchuk were both extremely hyped as phenoms coming into the draft, almost as much as Crosby. Kane, and Tavares were just behind that level. Kane was consensus #1 for most of that year I believe. wasnt a great 1st round, Van Riemsdyk (sp) went #2. Philly got screwed out of Kane via lottery. Thinking about it again, maybe Id leave Nash off that list. Maybe bump Stamkos to the Tavares/Kane level. Buffalo press probably picked up on it late (that was the President's Trophy year and Sabres were all everybody was talking about), but Kane didn't sound like he was the top prospect until at least the World Juniors - and even then it wasn't in the press until closer to the draft, where it said that he was a star there. I knew he was a top prospect, but I had never heard that he was going to possibly be the top pick until closer to the draft. Definitely not like McDavid or Eichel, where you were hearing it a year or two ahead of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Im talking about pre-draft hype. Ovechkin and Kovalchuk were both extremely hyped as phenoms coming into the draft, almost as much as Crosby. Kane, and Tavares were just behind that level. Kane was consensus #1 for most of that year I believe. wasnt a great 1st round, Van Riemsdyk (sp) went #2. Philly got screwed out of Kane via lottery. Thinking about it again, maybe Id leave Nash off that list. Maybe bump Stamkos to the Tavares/Kane level. The main difference between all of those players you mentioned though is that Crosby was hyped for a few years ahead of his draft. Tavares was close, but the others you didn't really hear much about until the year of their draft. With the Russians that makes sense since people wouldn't have seen them too much. Kane was definitely not hyped anywhere near the level of these other guys going into his draft. He wasn't even expected to go first overall up until the very end. Kyle Turris was up there most of the year. McDavid is the only one who belongs in the same sentence with Crosby. They're the ones where the hype started the second they came out of the womb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I do remember hearing a lot about Kovalchuk, Ovechkin, and even Malkin well ahead of their draft year. I remember going to a Niagara Ice Dogs game about 2 1/2 years ago. It was opening night against the lowly Erie Otters. There were like 2 bus-loads of Erie boosters wearing these homebrew t-shirts with "McDavid" on the back. We were like WTH? McDavid himself was very small, looked like a baby. Did pretty well. Didnt get a point, but he seemed fearless for a small guy, and was able to go right through traffic at a few points without getting touched. It was in St Catharines so I couldnt use my google machine until we hit the border. There I learned about how the guy was 15 years old, was granted exceptional status, 1st overall, etc... That Niagara team was pretty stacked still as well with NHL guys waiting out the lockout with Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Strome, Brett Ritchie, etc. and he seemed to hold his own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 The main difference between all of those players you mentioned though is that Crosby was hyped for a few years ahead of his draft. Tavares was close, but the others you didn't really hear much about until the year of their draft. With the Russians that makes sense since people wouldn't have seen them too much. Kane was definitely not hyped anywhere near the level of these other guys going into his draft. He wasn't even expected to go first overall up until the very end. Kyle Turris was up there most of the year. This is my memory of it. I know that family so that was the one time, other than this year, that I was paying attention to the draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 This is my memory of it. I know that family so that was the one time, other than this year, that I was paying attention to the draft. It got a lot of talk in the college hockey circles. Their was a serious shot at two college kids going 1-2 with Turris and JVR. Instead we got Americans going 1 and 2 (Turris went to Wisconsin but is Canadian). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Oh yeah, now I remember the Americans going 1 and 2 being a thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Rex was asked on radio which guy he would take and he said McDavid because he "hates all things from Boston." Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 (edited) If not for the stupid lottery we would have McDavid but more than likely we get Eichel. Sorry to rain on your parade. My 3.5% is gonna come in for the upset win! McDavid will be a Shark. Welcome to the west coast Conner! Sabre fans you will be ok with Eichel. Edited April 9, 2015 by Dante Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real Buffalo Joe Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 I asked this in the other thread, but was wondering, what are the chances we lose out, don't win the lottery, and Eichel (or someone else) ends up going number 1 and McDavid drops to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 I asked this in the other thread, but was wondering, what are the chances we lose out, don't win the lottery, and Eichel (or someone else) ends up going number 1 and McDavid drops to us.zero point zero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 I'll take McDavid for no other reason than the premier junior leagues produce more NHL talent. EDIT: Looked through the top 60 point leaders in the NHL and found a number of NCAA players: Pavelski, Pacioretty, Toews, Jaden Schwartz, Gaudreau, Parise, Blake Wheeler, Turris, Kessel, Backes, Oshie, Van Riemsdyk, probably missed a few others. Decent representation considering many players on the list are European and Russian and stayed home rather than choose either college or junior hockey in North America. I think my original opinion is outdated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 I'll take McDavid for no other reason than the premier junior leagues produce more NHL talent. EDIT: Looked through the top 60 point leaders in the NHL and found a number of NCAA players: Pavelski, Pacioretty, Toews, Jaden Schwartz, Gaudreau, Parise, Blake Wheeler, Turris, Kessel, Backes, Oshie, Van Riemsdyk, probably missed a few others. Decent representation considering many players on the list are European and Russian and stayed home rather than choose either college or junior hockey in North America. I think my original opinion is outdated. The whole thing is skewed by the fact that kids can play in major junior much earlier than they can in college. The elite like McDavid are allowed to start at 15 while the rest can start at 16. Once they play a single game there, they're ineligible for the NCAA. I'd love to see that rule dropped some day. You get these 20 year old kids who have burned up their junior illegibility and aren't good enough for the next step. The NCAA games would get even more competitive if some of these kids were instead allowed to go that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real Buffalo Joe Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 The whole thing is skewed by the fact that kids can play in major junior much earlier than they can in college. The elite like McDavid are allowed to start at 15 while the rest can start at 16. Once they play a single game there, they're ineligible for the NCAA. I'd love to see that rule dropped some day. You get these 20 year old kids who have burned up their junior illegibility and aren't good enough for the next step. The NCAA games would get even more competitive if some of these kids were instead allowed to go that way. Do junior players get paid at all? I thought it was an amatur league? Or do benefits like the housing they get or something count as pay by NCAA standards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Do junior players get paid at all? I thought it was an amatur league? Or do benefits like the housing they get or something count as pay by NCAA standards? They do get some money and it can be shady at times. The NCAA views them as professional players though, so one single game their and they're ineligible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Rex was asked on radio which guy he would take and he said McDavid because he "hates all things from Boston." Lol I'd like Rex, except I hate all things from NYC almost as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Rex was asked on radio which guy he would take and he said McDavid because he "hates all things from Boston." Lol This is great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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