As the draft creeps ever closer, so do comparisons of this year’s crop of young players to current & former NHL players. I find this type of analysis very useful, as it gives fans and insiders alike the opportunity to view prospects with an eye toward players who have already “been there, done that.” Having said that, attached are several articles dedicated to this type of comparative analysis. Please note that the last attachment is a link to my recent post regarding an interview with D-man Charley Trethewey, in which he compares himself to Boston’s Charlie McAvoy.
The third attachment sticks with Trethewey’s theme of prospects comparing themselves to current NHL players. Perhaps the most notable of these comparisons is Swedish center prospect Anton Frondell, who compares himself to Florida two-way center Sasha Barkov. This really stood out to me, as analysts repeatedly have drawn this same conclusion. Also in the third attachment, D-man prospect Matthew Schaefer (1st ranked NA skater per central scouting) compares himself to elite Dallas Stars D-man Miro Heiskanen (DAL 2017 1st round, 3rd overall). Highly respected for his player evaluations, the Athletic’s Scott Wheeler draws this same comparison in his analysis (4th attachment, first player comparison).
While acknowledging the common comparison of prospect Caleb Desnoyers (7th ranked NA skater per central scouting) to newly anointed Winnipeg Jet Jonathan Toews, Wheeler passes on holding him up to the future hall-of-famer (4th attachment, fifth player comparison). He instead opts to compare Desnoyers to several solid NHL pivots possessing sufficient offensive firepower. The second attachment does in fact compare Desnoyers to Toews, in addition to retired Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron.
On a personal note, my favorite analysis is the comparison of Saginaw center Michael Misa (2nd ranked NA skater per central scouting) to retired Slovak forward Marian Hossa (4th attachment, 2nd player comparison). The Hall-of-Famer amassed over 1100 points in 19 seasons, helping the five teams for which he played reach the playoffs 17 times, winning three Cups. Not just an offensive force, Hossa played every bit as hard defensively, finishing in the top 10 twice for the Selke Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward. Many experts assert he would have won the award multiple times if he played center and not wing.
https://www.nhl.com/news/top-nhl-draft-prospects-offer-player-comparisons