Mateo3xm Verified Member Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 11 hours ago, Imyourhuckleberry said: Is 6 feet tall at 17 years old a little guy? He's already 180 pounds, so likely would be over 190 pounds in a couple of years. One of his older brothers is 6'1, so possible some growth still ahead. How many defenders are scoring around .5 goals per game? There are bigger guys, but high skill in a guy that's not small may end up better than a tall guy that isn't overly skilled. Obviously, both is best, but Makar is 5'11 and under 190 pounds, and I don't think anyone would be upset by getting someone like him. Please note that I'm not suggesting this guy is the next Makar, I just saw him listed among the top 16 draft rankings and was impressed by his offensive stats, so used him as an example. Spurgeon is actually a little guy. Parekh is an average sized prospect to me. I don't see him as small. There are some 5'10" 1st round defenders and I was avoiding them. I expect the Wild to be drafting a bit outside the top 10. There are 10 teams worse than a healthy Wild team in my eyes, and they'll likely get most of their guys back with a major portion of the season remaining. There are 5 other defenders who could go in the top 10 that are 6'2" or larger. If the Wild are in the top 10, or if those guys slide a bit beyond the top 10, I wouldn't be surprised if the Wild do go for a larger defenseman. After seeing Addison not develop his defensive game, which could be a concern for Parekh, I'm certainly not opposed to a worthy D man with size. On the flip side, Parekh is a much better offensive defenseman than Addison, so if he does develop the defensive game, he could be a game changer. He's leading Hunter Haight's OHL team in points by a healthy margin, is just 1 goal short of the team lead in goals(1 ahead of Hunter Haight), and is top 3 in +/-, so it seems there is production outside of the PP. His team is fighting for 1st place in their division too, so he's not just putting up meaningless points on a bad team. If he had a strong defensive game already, he might be rated top 10. I get what both of you are saying but I would personally rather have 3-5 defensman over Parekh but I could honestly see him being kind of a hidden gem. i just think this team needs a big mean defender that can shut down and put up points. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnfaninnc Verified Member Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 11 hours ago, Mateo3xm said: I get what both of you are saying but I would personally rather have 3-5 defensman over Parekh but I could honestly see him being kind of a hidden gem. i just think this team needs a big mean defender that can shut down and put up points. Most of this conversation depends on where you think we'll end up. I'm thinking in the 6-8 area, while, Huck is thinking 11-16. I suspect that the 3-5 defenders you like better fall more in the 6-8 area? When looking at the rankings, though, I'm seeing these guys all over the place. There isn't much consensus right now except for Celebrini. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnfaninnc Verified Member Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 14 hours ago, Imyourhuckleberry said: East: Ottawa, Columbus, Buffalo, Montreal West: San Jose, Chicago, Anaheim, Calgary, St. Louis, Arizona. If healthy, I think the Wild can compete with several teams ahead of those 10, but since I have no idea how long players are out, I won't suggest the Wild will catch Nashville or Seattle. Thanks for the list. Mine don't include Buffalo and St. Louis. I'd say we are on par with Arizona and Calgary, but Calgary is expected to sell heavy at the TDL. Unfortunately, it seems like while we wait for our guys to come back, we are drifting further and further behind. We are now 4 points away from even catching the bottom of the middling pack in the West. And only ahead of 2 teams in the East. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imyourhuckleberry Verified Member Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said: Mine doesn't include Buffalo and St. Louis. I'd say we are on par with Arizona and Calgary, but Calgary is expected to sell heavy at the TDL. Even with all of the recent defensive woes, Buffalo is allowing more goals against per game than the Wild. They have had better goal scoring, but if Boldy and Kaprizov are healthy and on their games, along with Eriksson-Ek, and the Wild have their top 2 defenders and top goalie back, I'd favor the Wild slightly, but I understand the Wild haven't looked at all competitive recently against any quality teams. As far as Parekh, I just threw out a name to make a point that the Wild might need a defender ready around the summer of 2027, and would need to draft one this year in order to have that time line make sense. Yes, the idea of Parekh was based upon the possibility that the Wild may end up with a pick outside the top 10. As long as they can skate and handle the puck, any of the defenders over 6'1" sound intriguing. I would be fine with several other defenders, and also wouldn't be upset if the Wild took a high end forward in the top half of the 1st round. The idea of Parekh(who stood out for leading his team in points) as a Brent Burns type of scorer from the back end is somewhat intriguing, but a solid all-around defender is typically preferable to me as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imyourhuckleberry Verified Member Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Someone like Carter Yakemchuk, for instance, would be a nice defensive prospect for the Wild, and he sounds like he may have a more well rounded game along with excellent size and a big shot, but I thought he might go in the top 10. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.