Corey Pronman place Nico Hischier au 1er rang du repêchage

09/02/2017

S'il admet que la cuvée 2017 n'offrira pas de Matthews ou Laine, il place tout de même Nico Hischier et Nolan Patrick parmi le Top 5 des deux derniers repêchages. Voici son classment des 10 meilleurs de cette année avec son appréciation du Valaisan :

1) Nico Hischier, C, Halifax (QMJHL) (Previous rank: 5) 2016-17 stats: 43 GP | 37 G | 39 A

Everything has been pointing in the right direction for Hischier this season. He was fantastic from the word go between juniors and international play, and he has put himself into a reasonable discussion to go first overall. He's the complete package offensively. He's a very good skater, with the ability to be dangerous due to his first step and top gear but particularly in how elusive he is. Hischier is a creative puck handler who can dictate possession with his skill. As with Patrick, his best trait is his hockey sense. He anticipates pressure well, moves the puck into the right places and outsmarts defenders. He's not a bulky guy, but he gets to the net with frequency and is a solid defensive center.

Why I went with Hischier at No. 1:

I'm going to anticipate the argument. "Corey likes being controversial. He put Patrik Laine ahead of Auston Matthews last summer, and now this!" You think I liked having Leafs fans hurl insults at me all last spring and summer? I'd much rather be watching baseball than having to deal with outrage. I have a duty in my view to my readers to give my best, reasoned decision no matter the public perception.
On the merits of the decision, I had Patrick slotted at No. 1 most of the season, but I became uneasy about it the past few weeks. Frankly, I've been more impressed by Hischier this season on a tools level. There is a pretty significant age calculation I'm trying to make in my mind when balancing these two players. Patrick is four months older than Hischier (and has a full extra season of experience), with mildly superior performance, but that's in a small sample for Patrick, given that he missed most of the season due to injury. Last season in the WHL -- when Patrick arguably performed as well as Hischier this season, when adjusting for league -- he would have been eight months younger than the current version of Hischier. It's a tough balancing act, and I wouldn't fault anyone for picking either of them first overall. Given what's a close statistical call in my mind, the fact Hischier has looked better to my eye evaluation tilts the scale. Ultimately, I see slightly more dynamic elements in his game, to the point where I think he could potentially be an elite player in the NHL.

2) Nolan Patrick, C, Brandon (WHL) (Previous rank: 1) 2016-17 stats: 14 GP | 9 G | 14 A
3) Owen Tippett, RW, Mississauga (OHL) (Previous rank: 11) 2016-17 stats: 47 GP | 38 G | 27 A
4) Eeli Tolvanen, RW, Sioux City (USHL) (Previous rank: 2) 2016-17 stats: 32 GP | 17 G | 16 A
5) Klim Kostin, LW, Moscow (KHL) (Previous rank: 3) 2016-17 stats: 8 GP | 0 G | 0 A
6) Gabriel Vilardi, C, Windsor (OHL) (Previous rank: 7) 2016-17 stats: 33 GP | 19 G | 21 A
7) Timothy Liljegren, D, Rogle (SHL) (Previous rank: 4) 2016-17 stats: 19 GP | 1 G | 4 A
8) Martin Necas, C, Brno (Czech Extraliga) (Previous rank: 10) 2016-17 stats: 35 GP | 6 G | 7 A
9) Cody Glass, C, Portland (WHL) (Previous rank: Not ranked) 2016-17 stats: 51 GP | 24 G | 47 A
10) Kailer Yamamoto, RW, Spokane (WHL) (Previous rank: 15) 2016-17 stats: 45 GP | 30 G | 34 A