Welcome to the Thursday prospect ramblings. It is time to continue my current series of Drafted too high, developed improperly or injury-related for prospects from the past NHL drafts. Here are the past ramblings I have written so far:

2014: https://dobberprospects.com/prospect-ramblings-drafted-too-high-developed-improperly-or-injury-related-2014/

2015: https://dobberprospects.com/prospect-ramblings-drafted-too-high-developed-improperly-or-injury-related-2015/

2016: https://dobberprospects.com/prospect-ramblings-drafted-too-high-developed-improperly-or-injury-related-2016/

These ramblings will have a different take as a few players have yet to been given a chance to really establish themselves as a regular NHL player, you can argue the same for 2016 as well but I felt there was enough there to justify that article, so my writing will reflect that. As in, if I do not see anything wrong with the players draft position I doubt I will highlight them. There are a few notes that can be placed on players and a few identified I may end up being completely wrong on as well.

First, here is my #GoodTweet of the week:

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2017

Nolan Patrick – 2^nd overall to Philadelphia

• Injuries were a questionable issue when he was drafted, but then he played seasons of 73 and 72 games before being forced to sit this season out (so far) with a migraine condition. He needs playing time and hopefully he gets over this issue
• Verdict: Injury-related

Lias Andersson – 7^th overall to New York Rangers

• There is a strong case for this to be Drafted improperly, but the two sides have made up and are working together towards a resolution
• In my opinion though he was: drafted too high

Casey Mittelstadt – 8^th overall to Buffalo

• Something has happened and he has just fallen off of a cliff right now, and it just looks like his confidence to score has gone away too. I believe he was rushed in to the NHL though and instead of putting him in the NHL in 2018-19 the Sabres should have given him a full year of AHL time. Thankfully he has turned it around recently but he may now not hit those highs we expected
• Verdict: Developed improperly

Michael Rasmussen – 9^th overall to Detroit

• I have never been a big Rasmussen fan so I may be a little bias here, but I think he was: Drafted too high
• There were much more skilled players picked later, and he was likely coveted because #Size

Gabriel Vilardi – 11^th overall by Los Angeles

• It is good to see him finally get back in to action, hopefully his back is fine and he can create an NHL career, he still falls under the category of: Injury-related, as we may have seen him sooner in the NHL if he had not missed so much time

Pierre-Olivier Joseph – 23^rd overall by Arizona

• I have been slightly underwhelmed by him since he was drafted, and obviously Arizona was as well when they traded him
• He could still turn in to a very solid defenseman though. I would still classify him right now as: Drafted too high

Shane Bowers – 28^th overall by Ottawa

• Bowers screams checking line player to me still, and although that is great to have and a third line centre that can get you 35-50 points is awesome you can still draft them later on
• Verdict: Draft too high

Klim Kostin – 31^st overall by St. Louis

• He would certainly be in the NHL right now if Pittsburgh drafted him…….
• Louis has had a crazy AHL development rollercoaster over the past couple of seasons, with the team moving and Vegas getting the teams prospects put on the St. Louis affiliate, and it has affected Kostin, to which he has talked about
• The verdict here is: Developed improperly
• Hopefully St. Louis trades him as they are far too stacked of a team right now and he may just return to Russia if not given an NHL shot, and looking at the Blues’ roster it is tough to see who they would move out

2018

Jesperi Kotkaniemi – 3^rd overall by Montreal

• I know it is early but the early returns are not as favourable as they could be. In a toss-up between drafted too high and developed improperly I have to go with:
• Developed improperly, because (let us face it) he may have been drafted slightly too high but it still seems like he gets put in unfavourable sports for his development. He looked good in the AHL when he was sent down, he just needs out of the press box

Barrett Hayton – 5^th overall by Arizona

• It really looks like I am picking on Arizona first round selections…
• He looked great at the World Juniors but I just get this sense that he fills that “middle-six” role more than the “top-six” role quite a few players drafted after him could fill
• That would come out too: Drafted too high

Noah Dobson – 12^th overall by New York Islanders

• You know what Dobson needs, consistent playing time. You cannot do that being scratched or playing very limited NHL minutes. Trotz is notable for not trusting rookies. I wish they just sent him overseas, or that the silly CHL-NHL did not stop him from playing in the AHL because he was too good for the CHL
• Since he needs the minutes Trotz will not give him I will right now say: Developed improperly
• This is mainly a cry to give him playing time

Jay O’Brien – 19^th overall by Philadelphia

• Simply put there were better players to select at 19, so he is classified right now as: Drafted too high

Rasmus Kupari – 20^th overall by Los Angeles

• This is directly related to his current knee injury (torn ACL) and I hope it does not affect him long term. I have to put this as: Injury-related

Filip Johansson – 24^th overall by Minnesota

• Sorry Wild fans to bring this back up, Johansson was: Drafted too high

2019

These are pretty much going to be guesses and thankfully I do not have to write about any big injuries here, and it is really only two players under circumstances that are not their fault

Simon Holmstrom – 23^rd overall to New York Islanders

• I believe he should have played an additional year in the SHL, especially with his injury history
• Also consider that the Bridgeport Sound Tigers have been a poor prospect development system these past few years (AKA lost of losses and pushing older players)
• Right now, it is a combo of drafted too high and developed improperly, but I will go with the consensus decision when he was drafted: Drafted too high

John Beecher – 30^th overall to Boston

• I do not think NHL teams should waste first round selections on players they feel will fit the bottom six role in the NHL. Now Beecher could turn it around and be awesome in the future, yet I would count this as: Drafted too high, because Boston could have selected players with a higher ceiling

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Thank you for following this series, let us hope my next ramblings idea will also be exciting to write about.

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