Hello all! I’m trying something a little different that was inspired by a post over at Leafs Hub. I got in touch with Mark Seidel who is the Chief Scout for North American Central Scouting (an independent scouting service since 1993) and has a vast history of experience including:
- Former NHL Scout; Minnesota Wild (NHL)
- Former Assistant GM; Erie Otters (OHL)
- Former OHL Head Scout; Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
- Former Commissioner; NOJHL
- Former NHL Draft Insider; Hockey Night in Canada
- Former NHL Draft Specialist; The Hockey News
- Former NHL Draft Insider; ESPN
- Former National Radio Co-Host with Jeff Marek; HNIC Radio on Sirius & Leafs Lunch
- Chief Scout; North American Central Scouting (NACS)
- Various National Media appearances including Off the Record on TSN, Sun Newspapers, The National Post &The Globe & Mail
- Former Junior A General Manager; Espanola & Sudbury (NOJHL)
I sent Mark some questions about the pending draft for the Blue Jackets and here are his thoughts. Enjoy!
The CBJ seemingly need to restock their depth at defense. Of the top two dmen that they could choose at 8, (Provorov/Werenski) who would you choose if you were the GM?
I would take Werenski. I think he has a chance to be a franchise defender. He has a very complete game and showed this year that he can play against men in all 3 zones. A lot of guys in my business LOVE Provorov but I’m slightly concerned about his ability to defend and although he has elite skills, I’m not sure I’d take him in the Top 10 in this VERY good Draft.
Regardless of position, who do you think is the projected pick for the Jackets?
I think that if Rantanen is there, he will be the guy they select. He is a bit undervalued by North American media but Jarmo knows him very well and he can skate, score and has good size. A great fit for the Jackets.
The Jackets hold the 34th pick in the draft, if a player rated in the first round were to slip that far, who might it be?
If they take Rantanen in the 1st, I could see them looking at a guy like Vince Dunn or Noah Juulsen with their 2nd round pick. They want to play an up-tempo game and both guys can really skate.
Oliver Bjorkstrand was just named WHL Player of the Year. Could you see him making an impact next year or does he need some seasoning in the AHL? What areas of his game need the most development?
Bjorkstrand is a great talent but I fully expect that he will spend the year in the AHL. He just needs to keep getting stronger and continue to develop away from the puck. He has a very bright future with the BlueJackets, however.
Jack Roslovic, a hometown Ohio product has garnered some attention in draft conversations lately. Is that a smart pick for any team? At what round / pick might he make sense? If the Jackets were to use a second round pick on him would it be a mis-spent drafting?
Roslovic showed some of the biggest improvement from the start of this year until now and I think he would make sense at 34 with CBJ. He has really started to assert himself and he is trending in the right direction and his ceiling is still very high so he is a guy that a lot of Teams covet. If he is there in the 2nd, I’d expect him to be in the mix.
What is it about Travis Dermott that makes some people believe he’ll be the steal of the draft?
Dermott is another kid that is really rising. He has become a key cog on the Erie Otters and he has shown that along with his offensive prowess, he can defend enough to play in most situations. He has had some injury issues but his play in the Playoffs has some teams really excited about his potential.
If Mike Reilly was in this year’s draft where do you think he’d be selected and what kind of impact could he make on an NHL Blueline? (hopefully in Columbus)
If Reilly was in this year’s Draft, he would be a Top 15 pick but he obviously will become an Unrestricted Free Agent that has a chance to step right in next year onto an NHL Roster. He may get some seasoning in the AHL but he showed this year how dominant he can be and depending on where he signs, he might just step right in. I don’t expect it will be in Columbus though, unfortunately!
The Jackets early years were full of what amounted to “bad drafts”. To what do you attribute this characterization? Rushed prospects, poor scouting?
There were some poor choices and that combined with a poor Development model really set the franchise back. The Scouts always get blamed for poor Drafts and the CBJ Scouts deserve criticism but once the prospects are selected, the Organization has to put a coherent development plan into place and the Jackets were lacking in that department early on and as a result, the franchise took a while to get traction. Luckily for fans in Columbus, they now have both a good scouting group along with a VERY solid Development Model and you can see the results on the ice.
Based on your experience following Niagra, how would you assess Blake Seibenaler? How is he progressing in his development? How does he measure up as a defenseman both now and projecting into his future?
Siebenaler is a phenomenal skater that has the benefit of learning from one of the best Defensive Coaches outside of the NHL in David Bell. Siebenaler needs to continue to get stronger and learn that “Less is more” sometimes because he can get caught up in trying to do too much and he needs to take care of his own end but his game is continually maturing. He is still some time away from a regular shift in the NHL but his skating is elite and he has a GREAT teacher so I expect him to develop into a top flight Prospect going forward.
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