Coaching is about getting the best out of your players to work as one unit. Talent wins more games than less.

Why did DeBoer get fired? He fricking benched Oettinger in an elimination game. He's got a great record but boy you talk about poopting the bed in a huge moment.

I believe in today's NHL to be a good coach you need to know hockey but you have to have an honest respectful relationship with your players, you can't show them up in public either that's the kiss of death for the old school coaches.
- BetweenTheDots

Ironic that DeBoer's firing was the way he handled his goalie during a timeout in Dallas. We just had to endure 2.5 years of a coach who would not call a timeout in the third period in Dallas as his team blew a 4 goal lead. DeBoer will coach in the league again soon.

for now.

That would be the purpose of them playing in Rockford, i would also add what better way to learn when you have another defender who's willing to do the samething, it probably would grow a better sense of awareness in each defender. Don't you think or are they both to never grow, learn and be better and more aware defensively?
- BetweenTheDots

Someone has to play defense. They can't both play between the blues. KK is an offensive d-man and it's the only reason he was drafted. Arty is the same but also can hit and check. They're not going to force their #2 overall and top prospect to become a stay at home guy lol.

Someone has to play defense. They can't both play between the blues. KK is an offensive d-man and it's the only reason he was drafted. Arty is the same but also can hit and check. They're not going to force their #2 overall and top prospect to become a stay at home guy lol.
- Assman22

I'm sure they drafted Lev to be Hedman some day.

Someone has to play defense. They can't both play between the blues. KK is an offensive d-man and it's the only reason he was drafted. Arty is the same but also can hit and check. They're not going to force their #2 overall and top prospect to become a stay at home guy lol.
- Assman22

This statement makes zero sense. Who said either one of them is a stay at home defenseman? No matter how you slice it both of them have to learn to play defense otherwise they are both busts. They have to be aware of the players on the ice, possession in the ozone, when to pinch and when not to. The best way to do that is to have 2 guys who have a tendency to activate in the ozone play as the same pairing.

Oh by the way did you know that both KK and Arty play on the penalty kill in Rockford

Ironic that DeBoer's firing was the way he handled his goalie during a timeout in Dallas. We just had to endure 2.5 years of a coach who would not call a timeout in the third period in Dallas as his team blew a 4 goal lead. DeBoer will coach in the league again soon.
- stevefrmglencoe

I sure hope he's not part of the Blackhawks future in 2 to 3 years.

This statement makes zero sense. Who said either one of them is a stay at home defenseman? No matter how you slice it both of them have to learn to play defense otherwise they are both busts. They have to be aware of the players on the ice, possession in the ozone, when to pinch and when not to. The best way to do that is to have 2 guys who have a tendency to activate in the ozone play as the same pairing.

Oh by the way did you know that both KK and Arty play on the penalty kill in Rockford
- BetweenTheDots

Yeah.

KK is good at breaking up plays with his stick, definitely has some ability to defend. Artyom Levshunov went 2nd overall because he is a 2-way force with a few things to work on. We saw some of his high end defensive play in his NHL stint, he was stealing pucks in the defensive end and cutting off plays.

Did i read that headline right?

Kaprisov and Panarin both head to Chicago next year???

Russian line with Kantserov?

Ah never mind, its Ek............

An interview with Nick Lardis. He doesn’t really say much new but some may find it interesting. One of the comments may be spot on is he another Steve Larmer or Dylan Sikura.

https://youtu.be/hOH3OfIXiI4?si=le6lFvCua0i-35KD

Did i read that headline right?

Kaprisov and Panarin both head to Chicago next year???

Russian line with Kantserov?

Ah never mind, its Ek............
- vabeachbear

They’re Russians so there’s zero chance they’ll be allowed to come to the NHL.

Did i read that headline right?

Kaprisov and Panarin both head to Chicago next year???

Russian line with Kantserov?

Ah never mind, its Ek............
- vabeachbear

You have to wonder how attractive the Blackhawks look to a McDavid or Kaprizov, one more year of a top 10 pick, stable of young defenseman, stable of young forwards, Knight as the goalie, this team is a development year or 2 away from making some noise.

I subscribed to McKeen's Hockey last year. Before the subscription runs out I'll show their reports on some of the Hawks picks. Starting with Frondell...

McKeen's 2025 NHL Draft Guide - Our top Swedish prospect heading into the 2025 draft season remains our top Swedish prospect at the end of it. You wouldn’t know it, but Frondell overcame a lot of adversity to hold the regional throne. A pair of lower body injuries he suffered in February put an end to his DY-1 season and completely disrupted his offseason conditioning, not to mention the start of his 2025 campaign.

When he did come back, he was not himself. Frondell could barely keep up with the pace of play at the HockeyAllsvenskan and was sent to the J20 for conditioning. Heading into the new year, many were questioning if Frondell was a talent worthy of the first round, let alone the lottery. And then, in late January, he flipped a switch.

He looked brilliant at the u18 5-nations in Ängelholm. He scored 19 of his 24 points in 11 games to close out the HockeyAllsvenskan regular season. He was an integral part of Djurgården’s playoff run, helping them get promoted to the SHL for the 25-26 season. Despite a quiet u18 WJC (mostly because he was gassed), Frondell has completely silenced doubters and made his talent impossible to discredit or deny.

The only question is: how talented will he be? For starters, Frondell is “big as a mountain”, as described by teammate Victor Eklund. Despite his average height, Frondell is a heavy kid and he plays a heavy game. He finishes his checks with some serious oomph, which was a big reason he stayed in Djurgården’s playoff lineup when his production slowed down.

Equally as heavy is his shot. Frondell has an absolute laser of a wrister that he can locate with pinpoint accuracy. He doesn’t need a lot of space to get it off, either. He’s an expert at finding little pockets of real estate in high danger areas to work in, and times his arrival perfectly. If the shot isn’t there, he’ll go to plan B and find a teammate in an equally dangerous area. He will even use his good hands in tight to dance around sticks and feet to open up more space for himself and extend possession. Frondell typically has a strong awareness of his options offensively, rarely running into defensive pressure he doesn’t have an answer for.

Ditto on the other side of the puck. Frondell reads the game at an exceptionally high level. He can detect potential odd-man rushes against and prevent them before they happen. With his average-at-best straight-line speed, he has to stay ahead of the play in a prepared fashion since he can’t always act on his reads quickly enough. His ankles are rather stiff so he can’t get that dorsiflexion that the speedsters of the NHL can. That’s not to say his skating mechanics are poor. In fact, Frondell has solid pivots and closes gaps well. Considering his aforementioned injuries, there’s a chance he puts to rest any concerns about his quickness and acceleration after a full off-season of training.

Frondell has the tools to be a center at the NHL level in some capacity, there’s no denying that. However, the speed-skill combo isn’t as high-end as you’d typically want from a top six center prospect. There isn’t that dynamic stick handling ability that lets him pick apart defences or that explosive three step quickness to blow past defenders through the neutral zone. His ability to drive play is limited. That being said, Frondell could still find himself in the top six of an NHL lineup on the wing as a complementary star to an elite center. Someone who can be a hammer and a clinical play-finisher. However, If NHL teams (and Frondell himself) really view him as a center, there’s a chance he could get to be a pretty solid 2C with improvement to his quickness and acceleration.

Nestrasil...

McKeen's 2025 NHL Draft Guide -Vaclav Nestrasil’s second season in North America was much more fruitful than his transitional season last year, where he went pointless in 11 regular season games. This year, he got to display his toolkit much better, scoring 19 goals and tallying 23 assists before scoring at nearly a point per game pace during Muskegon's playoff journey.

Nestrasil offers a combination of skill, compete, size, and an above-average shot to boot. For being a larger guy at 6-foot-5, he looks exceptionally fluid and can dance around defenders by being light on his feet and using his hands. Vaclav loves hitting and won’t pass up an opportunity to lay the body on defenders after they make a breakout pass; although, the hits aren’t the hardest yet. He also has a bit of a devious streak, giving casual shots to opponents as he skates by. Once Vaclav reaches his NHL weight, he could be a menace of a checking forward given his will to be involved.

Nestrasil gets quick elevation on his shot, helping his effectiveness in tight and on rebounds. His wrist shot has a snappy release, allowing him to freeze opposing goaltenders. He also has natural goal-scoring instincts when going to the net, finding lanes that leave him open for rebounds and tap-in goals.

Nestrasil’s playmaking game is ultimately what will limit his ceiling. He seems panicky with the puck and forces far too many tight windows. He also lacks consistent pass execution, making his playmaking game even more untranslatable. A lot of the time, he seems to just not put enough mustard on his passes, which doesn’t bode well for quick-paced games.

At the next level, Nestrasil projects as a middle six energy forward that can contribute some goals and provide grit. He won’t be relied on as much to make creative plays and will likely be more of a passenger on his line.

West...

McKeen's 2025 NHL Draft Guide - The natural and most obvious comparison here is Anders Lee. Like Lee, West is both a high-end football and hockey recruit who needs to make a decision on his playing future. However, there are reports that West has chosen hockey and will make a decision soon as to an NCAA commitment (perhaps even committing after this was written and published).

As you might gather, West is a phenomenal athlete and that shines through on the ice. He’s a behemoth at 6-foot-6 and over 200 pounds, but he moves well. He builds speed well and is agile on his skates, making him a tough cover for even USHL defenders, where he closed out the year. West also flashes high end skill, especially in transition. He can drive the net and can beat defenders one on one, both to the outside and to the inside. In his late season USHL stint, his playmaking ability really shined through. He was a dominant player along the half wall and deep in the offensive zone, working to extend plays and showing excellent vision with the puck exiting the cycle. His shot isn’t yet a major weapon, but given his size, one has to wonder if it could be one day.

Perhaps the scariest thing in regards to West is that he’s actually one of the youngest players available this year with an August birthday. The physical components of his game are still inconsistent. He could still stand to get to the net more consistently and he’s not a big hitter or heavy player in puck pursuit. But after he fills out? Or after he gains more confidence and experience playing at higher levels? Look out, because the upside is immense as a power forward type. If an NHL franchise is willing to wait out his longer development path and is confident in his physical tools, he could easily come off the board on day one.

Behm...

McKeen's 2025 NHL Draft Guide - It's not often that a 6-foot-2 forward who crossed the 30-goal plateau and scored at a full point-per-game pace would be this low on the list, but Behm is a peculiar prospect who is difficult to get a confident read on.

On paper, there's undeniably a lot to like. The son of a figure skating coach, he's smooth and fluid when he moves around the ice. He handles, passes and shoots the puck with impressive precision. His vision is deceptively good, allowing him to lull opposing defenders a bit before setting up a dangerous scoring chance that they didn't see coming. Despite all these good attributes, though, there are frustrating concerns about Behm that all stem from how he approaches the game. His physical play is almost non-existent, which is extra disappointing because he has a big enough frame that it would give him an advantage over others. The main concern, however, is his overall lackadaisical attitude and approach. He's usually much more of a passenger than a true driver of play. His game is very perimeter-focused, and it's far too easy for defenders to beat him in battles around the net or along the boards. He's managed to find ways to score in the WHL in spite of these shortcomings, but that won't be the case at the professional levels, where space and puck possession often have to be earned through hard-fought puck battles. Perhaps you could cut him a bit of slack because the Blazers didn’t have much to play for this season, but the source of the issues seems more deep-rooted than that.

If a team is desperate for future scoring help and is willing to take a shot on a boom-or-bust forward in the middle rounds, then Behm should be right up their alley.

Sumpf...

McKeen's 2025 NHL Draft Guide - Out of all the prospects who didn't get picked in last year's draft, Sumpf was one of the most surprising. He's just such a toolsy, useful player, and he proved that once again this year with Moncton, playing a top-line role and doing a lot of heavy lifting to help the Wildcats win the QMJHL championship.

The German forward can do anything that his coaches ask of him, which is why he gets so much ice time. He can play both a skilled style of hockey and a harder style, he’s comfortable at center and on the wing, and he does good work on both sides of special teams. He also keeps taking steps forward in his individual development year over year, which is a great sign for him long-term and needs to be part of the equation.

Sumpf has a good chance to become one of the earliest players from this draft to make his NHL debut, given his age and how well his style of hockey can fit at the bottom of a roster.

McKeen's 2024 NHL Draft Guide - A German import now plying his trade in the Maritimes, Sumpf is the sum of his parts. Nothing about his game stands out very much, but his skillset is pretty balanced, and he can do a little bit of everything for a team, which includes playing center and taking a lot of draws. He just seems like a player who will keep improving over time, though it's hard to say how much, and in which areas. But if a team is going to use a late pick on a mystery box, then there are certainly worse ones that they could choose. - Neumeier

McKeen's 2023 NHL Draft Guide - Often displaying silky smooth mitts, the average-sized Sumpf displays the strongest offensive abilities of any German-born player in this year’s draft. Strong pro outing and production in the AlpsHL as primarily a 17-year-old. Can shoot, pass, and dangle, but aside from two very strong games for Germany at the U18 Worlds, was unexplainably quiet internationally this season.

Just prior to the recent draft, McKeen's rated the Hawks 4th in prospect rankings.
They rated the top 10 prospects (before the 2025 draft) as Levshunov, Rinzel, Lardis, Boisvert, Dach, Moore, Kantserov, Commesso, Vanacker, and Del Mastro.

Their synopsis....

A player of Connor Bedard’s ilk can only carry so much weight on his own for an NHL organization. We learned that over the 2024-25 season, where the Chicago Blackhawks finished 31st in the league and missed the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season and seventh in eight years.

That said, a promising core is being built in the Windy City. One major catalyst for that come-up is Frank Nazar, who burst onto the scene for 53 games after a rock-solid (24 points, 21 games) run in the American League. He’s likely punched his ticket on the main squad for 2025-26.

Levshunov split his draft-plus-one season between the NHL and AHL, logging 18 games with Chicago, Rinzel, who came in hot from a potent two years at Minnesota (NCAA),notched five assists in nine NHL games in his debut. Having two young right-handed blueliners emerge simultaneously is a unique scenario that gives Kyle Davidson enviable depth on the backend for years to come.

Rockford standouts Ethan Del Mastro, Colton Dach, and goaltender Drew Commesso in the AHL are on the cusp of turning pro.

Further down the pipeline, the Blackhawks boast a couple of point-getting wizards, both of whom should transition to the AHL level after another scorching season in the OHL. Nick Lardis exploded for 117 points, more than double his previous high, to finish fourth in the league. Meanwhile, despite an injury-shortened season, Marek Vanacker posted a near point-per-game clip with 42 points in 45 games.

Davidson’s draft strategy fuels this pipeline, with four first-round picks (two in 2025) and five second-rounders over the next three drafts. This stockpile ensures more talent will join Bedard, Nazar, and Levshunov. With a new coach incoming, the Blackhawks are poised to blend their prospect depth with a young core, inching toward contention. The rebuild is tough for fans, but it’s gaining steam, and Chicago’s stars are aligning for a breakout.

I subscribed to McKeen's Hockey last year. Before the subscription runs out I'll show their reports on some of the Hawks picks. Starting with Frondell...

McKeen's 2025 NHL Draft Guide - Our top Swedish prospect heading into the 2025 draft season remains our top Swedish prospect at the end of it. You wouldn’t know it, but Frondell overcame a lot of adversity to hold the regional throne. A pair of lower body injuries he suffered in February put an end to his DY-1 season and completely disrupted his offseason conditioning, not to mention the start of his 2025 campaign.

When he did come back, he was not himself. Frondell could barely keep up with the pace of play at the HockeyAllsvenskan and was sent to the J20 for conditioning. Heading into the new year, many were questioning if Frondell was a talent worthy of the first round, let alone the lottery. And then, in late January, he flipped a switch.

He looked brilliant at the u18 5-nations in Ängelholm. He scored 19 of his 24 points in 11 games to close out the HockeyAllsvenskan regular season. He was an integral part of Djurgården’s playoff run, helping them get promoted to the SHL for the 25-26 season. Despite a quiet u18 WJC (mostly because he was gassed), Frondell has completely silenced doubters and made his talent impossible to discredit or deny.

The only question is: how talented will he be? For starters, Frondell is “big as a mountain”, as described by teammate Victor Eklund. Despite his average height, Frondell is a heavy kid and he plays a heavy game. He finishes his checks with some serious oomph, which was a big reason he stayed in Djurgården’s playoff lineup when his production slowed down.

Equally as heavy is his shot. Frondell has an absolute laser of a wrister that he can locate with pinpoint accuracy. He doesn’t need a lot of space to get it off, either. He’s an expert at finding little pockets of real estate in high danger areas to work in, and times his arrival perfectly. If the shot isn’t there, he’ll go to plan B and find a teammate in an equally dangerous area. He will even use his good hands in tight to dance around sticks and feet to open up more space for himself and extend possession. Frondell typically has a strong awareness of his options offensively, rarely running into defensive pressure he doesn’t have an answer for.

Ditto on the other side of the puck. Frondell reads the game at an exceptionally high level. He can detect potential odd-man rushes against and prevent them before they happen. With his average-at-best straight-line speed, he has to stay ahead of the play in a prepared fashion since he can’t always act on his reads quickly enough. His ankles are rather stiff so he can’t get that dorsiflexion that the speedsters of the NHL can. That’s not to say his skating mechanics are poor. In fact, Frondell has solid pivots and closes gaps well. Considering his aforementioned injuries, there’s a chance he puts to rest any concerns about his quickness and acceleration after a full off-season of training.

Frondell has the tools to be a center at the NHL level in some capacity, there’s no denying that. However, the speed-skill combo isn’t as high-end as you’d typically want from a top six center prospect. There isn’t that dynamic stick handling ability that lets him pick apart defences or that explosive three step quickness to blow past defenders through the neutral zone. His ability to drive play is limited. That being said, Frondell could still find himself in the top six of an NHL lineup on the wing as a complementary star to an elite center. Someone who can be a hammer and a clinical play-finisher. However, If NHL teams (and Frondell himself) really view him as a center, there’s a chance he could get to be a pretty solid 2C with improvement to his quickness and acceleration.
- boilermaker100

I'll settle for Nicklas Backstrom.

Behm...

McKeen's 2025 NHL Draft Guide - It's not often that a 6-foot-2 forward who crossed the 30-goal plateau and scored at a full point-per-game pace would be this low on the list, but Behm is a peculiar prospect who is difficult to get a confident read on.

On paper, there's undeniably a lot to like. The son of a figure skating coach, he's smooth and fluid when he moves around the ice. He handles, passes and shoots the puck with impressive precision. His vision is deceptively good, allowing him to lull opposing defenders a bit before setting up a dangerous scoring chance that they didn't see coming. Despite all these good attributes, though, there are frustrating concerns about Behm that all stem from how he approaches the game. His physical play is almost non-existent, which is extra disappointing because he has a big enough frame that it would give him an advantage over others. The main concern, however, is his overall lackadaisical attitude and approach. He's usually much more of a passenger than a true driver of play. His game is very perimeter-focused, and it's far too easy for defenders to beat him in battles around the net or along the boards. He's managed to find ways to score in the WHL in spite of these shortcomings, but that won't be the case at the professional levels, where space and puck possession often have to be earned through hard-fought puck battles. Perhaps you could cut him a bit of slack because the Blazers didn’t have much to play for this season, but the source of the issues seems more deep-rooted than that.

If a team is desperate for future scoring help and is willing to take a shot on a boom-or-bust forward in the middle rounds, then Behm should be right up their alley.
- boilermaker100

This guy sounds very similar to Lardis. A great skating goal scorer who has some holes in his game without the puck.

Nestrasil...

McKeen's 2025 NHL Draft Guide -Vaclav Nestrasil’s second season in North America was much more fruitful than his transitional season last year, where he went pointless in 11 regular season games. This year, he got to display his toolkit much better, scoring 19 goals and tallying 23 assists before scoring at nearly a point per game pace during Muskegon's playoff journey.

Nestrasil offers a combination of skill, compete, size, and an above-average shot to boot. For being a larger guy at 6-foot-5, he looks exceptionally fluid and can dance around defenders by being light on his feet and using his hands. Vaclav loves hitting and won’t pass up an opportunity to lay the body on defenders after they make a breakout pass; although, the hits aren’t the hardest yet. He also has a bit of a devious streak, giving casual shots to opponents as he skates by. Once Vaclav reaches his NHL weight, he could be a menace of a checking forward given his will to be involved.

Nestrasil gets quick elevation on his shot, helping his effectiveness in tight and on rebounds. His wrist shot has a snappy release, allowing him to freeze opposing goaltenders. He also has natural goal-scoring instincts when going to the net, finding lanes that leave him open for rebounds and tap-in goals.

Nestrasil’s playmaking game is ultimately what will limit his ceiling. He seems panicky with the puck and forces far too many tight windows. He also lacks consistent pass execution, making his playmaking game even more untranslatable. A lot of the time, he seems to just not put enough mustard on his passes, which doesn’t bode well for quick-paced games.

At the next level, Nestrasil projects as a middle six energy forward that can contribute some goals and provide grit. He won’t be relied on as much to make creative plays and will likely be more of a passenger on his line.
- boilermaker100

Take him to Rush Street and he'll turn into Dustin Bufglyien.

West...

McKeen's 2025 NHL Draft Guide - The natural and most obvious comparison here is Anders Lee. Like Lee, West is both a high-end football and hockey recruit who needs to make a decision on his playing future. However, there are reports that West has chosen hockey and will make a decision soon as to an NCAA commitment (perhaps even committing after this was written and published).

As you might gather, West is a phenomenal athlete and that shines through on the ice. He’s a behemoth at 6-foot-6 and over 200 pounds, but he moves well. He builds speed well and is agile on his skates, making him a tough cover for even USHL defenders, where he closed out the year. West also flashes high end skill, especially in transition. He can drive the net and can beat defenders one on one, both to the outside and to the inside. In his late season USHL stint, his playmaking ability really shined through. He was a dominant player along the half wall and deep in the offensive zone, working to extend plays and showing excellent vision with the puck exiting the cycle. His shot isn’t yet a major weapon, but given his size, one has to wonder if it could be one day.

Perhaps the scariest thing in regards to West is that he’s actually one of the youngest players available this year with an August birthday. The physical components of his game are still inconsistent. He could still stand to get to the net more consistently and he’s not a big hitter or heavy player in puck pursuit. But after he fills out? Or after he gains more confidence and experience playing at higher levels? Look out, because the upside is immense as a power forward type. If an NHL franchise is willing to wait out his longer development path and is confident in his physical tools, he could easily come off the board on day one.
- boilermaker100

Obviously Eric Lindros comparable.

Behm...

McKeen's 2025 NHL Draft Guide - It's not often that a 6-foot-2 forward who crossed the 30-goal plateau and scored at a full point-per-game pace would be this low on the list, but Behm is a peculiar prospect who is difficult to get a confident read on.

On paper, there's undeniably a lot to like. The son of a figure skating coach, he's smooth and fluid when he moves around the ice. He handles, passes and shoots the puck with impressive precision. His vision is deceptively good, allowing him to lull opposing defenders a bit before setting up a dangerous scoring chance that they didn't see coming. Despite all these good attributes, though, there are frustrating concerns about Behm that all stem from how he approaches the game. His physical play is almost non-existent, which is extra disappointing because he has a big enough frame that it would give him an advantage over others. The main concern, however, is his overall lackadaisical attitude and approach. He's usually much more of a passenger than a true driver of play. His game is very perimeter-focused, and it's far too easy for defenders to beat him in battles around the net or along the boards. He's managed to find ways to score in the WHL in spite of these shortcomings, but that won't be the case at the professional levels, where space and puck possession often have to be earned through hard-fought puck battles. Perhaps you could cut him a bit of slack because the Blazers didn’t have much to play for this season, but the source of the issues seems more deep-rooted than that.

If a team is desperate for future scoring help and is willing to take a shot on a boom-or-bust forward in the middle rounds, then Behm should be right up their alley.
- boilermaker100

What do you expect from the son of a figure skating coach?
Comparable is Reichel.

Sumpf...

McKeen's 2025 NHL Draft Guide - Out of all the prospects who didn't get picked in last year's draft, Sumpf was one of the most surprising. He's just such a toolsy, useful player, and he proved that once again this year with Moncton, playing a top-line role and doing a lot of heavy lifting to help the Wildcats win the QMJHL championship.

The German forward can do anything that his coaches ask of him, which is why he gets so much ice time. He can play both a skilled style of hockey and a harder style, he’s comfortable at center and on the wing, and he does good work on both sides of special teams. He also keeps taking steps forward in his individual development year over year, which is a great sign for him long-term and needs to be part of the equation.

Sumpf has a good chance to become one of the earliest players from this draft to make his NHL debut, given his age and how well his style of hockey can fit at the bottom of a roster.

McKeen's 2024 NHL Draft Guide - A German import now plying his trade in the Maritimes, Sumpf is the sum of his parts. Nothing about his game stands out very much, but his skillset is pretty balanced, and he can do a little bit of everything for a team, which includes playing center and taking a lot of draws. He just seems like a player who will keep improving over time, though it's hard to say how much, and in which areas. But if a team is going to use a late pick on a mystery box, then there are certainly worse ones that they could choose. - Neumeier

McKeen's 2023 NHL Draft Guide - Often displaying silky smooth mitts, the average-sized Sumpf displays the strongest offensive abilities of any German-born player in this year’s draft. Strong pro outing and production in the AlpsHL as primarily a 17-year-old. Can shoot, pass, and dangle, but aside from two very strong games for Germany at the U18 Worlds, was unexplainably quiet internationally this season.
- boilermaker100

We have our Krueger.