Looking at the depth rounds of our scouts' prospect draft in this Sunday Ramblings…

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For the last few weeks I've been sharing the results of the prospect draft with rosters run by the scouts here at DobberProspects. You can read about Rounds 1-3 here, and Rounds 4-7 here. This week,  I'll be sharing with you our true depth rounds: 8-11. If you're looking to see who our expert scouts think are worthy of late-round picks that could prove to be useful prospects down the road – look no further. These may not be future superstars but our scouts know how to find value as the pickings get slim, and the competitiveness of our team really showed in the form of trades and forum board curses as coveted players got selected. Let us know who you think are the winners and losers so far in the comments section, as debating and justifying picks is half the fun of drafts like this!

Round 8

As seen by the long run of traded picks in Round 8, owners started reaching for what they thought were forgotten gems in this late round. Many owners still  sought high-upside players still years away (such as Guentzel – who would've been my next pick) who may prove to be key selections in a few years. In terms of an immediate impact, McIlrath and Shinkaruk could take a roster spot this year depending on their usage, but the vast majority of this round composed of gambles with offensive upside. 

Round 9

Round 9 started looking like you may have expected when I described this article as our "depth rounds". Many names taken here are likely unknown to fans outside their respective organizations, but make no mistake – there is still lots of room here for picks to turn into solid owns down the road. Barber will get a shot in the bottom-six of a strong Washingston lineup within the next two years – and an injury in that lineup could give him the chance to unleash his offensive talents shown in the AHL. D-men Doughertey and Meloche have the potential to turn into all-around contributors if their development continues in the positive directions they have been thisyear. Gudlevskis could turn into the backup on one of the best teams in the league if the Ben Bishop trade rumors come to fruition over the next season. These picks aren't just grasping at straws – these are calculated gambles as we fill out our reserve spots with the most depth we can find.

Round 10

Many picks in Round 11 were ones that could have been comfortably made in earlier rounds. Poirier's offensive upside is undoubtedly worth the risk of him being too diminuitive for the NHL. Joe Hicketts' strong play in an organization with room for defencemen to earn spots above their pedigree makes him another worthy pick. Despite some trash talk from my fellow owners, I was quite comfotable with my pick of Zach Hyman – who may not have the highest upside but has already proven to be capable of NHL play, making him a lower risk than most players remaining at this stage of the draft.

Round 11

Picks got even more interesting and risky in round 11 – my favorite being that of Khokhlachev. Sure there's a very good chance he stays overseas for a long part of his career, but there's also a very good chance that most players taken at this stage never make it to the NHL at all. So swinging for the fences in the form of a talented defecter who already has the talents for an NHL role should he choose to pursue one was a good move in my opinion.

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What picks do you think will turn out to be steals or busts? Leave a comment, and our team writers will be happy to defend their picks with all the competitiveness that is making this draft so exciting for everyone involved. We love to hear what other fantasy nuts think, in fact its half the purpose of this website!

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As always, thank you for reading and best of luck in your upcoming drafts! 

Hayden Soboleski

@soboleskih