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Canada • 2013 Years Old • Male
ISS released their new draft rankings yesterday. There are some surprises and the reason for the changes can be seen. Forsberg moved to the number 2 spot for his finish as top forward in the Under 18 tournament. However with that said Matt Dumba moved up but was ranked behind U-18 Dman Jacob Trouba. Dumba Lead the tournament in points and was selected as the number one dman even though he Captained his team to a bronze medal.

Watching them play there is no doubt that Dumba is the better player and statistically he has amazing numbers. However he is plagued by the same problem that everyone is talking about on every draft forum... height.

At this age the kids are expected to be smaller. RNH didn't have a ton of body mass and most players build that in their first few years. That is to be expected, but height is something you can't change. Everyone says that large defensemen are needed to protect the front of the net and for hitting players on the back check. This rule also applies to forwards with less explanation.

The question is, what is considered too small. Nail Yakupov is listed as the number one pick by almost everyone in the world other than columbus fans who are hoping Edmonton doesn't pick him. The only problem any one has with him is that he is too small. Doesn't matter that he is a well known hitter and plays the body more than most players with his offensive numbers. Depending on which website you check, he is just shy of 6 ft tall and weighs anywhere from 190-195lbs. Is that too small for a forward. Would Forsberg at 1 inch taller and 15lbs lighter be a better choice? Or Murray again with an inch on him and 5lbs? How far down the list should Nail slide because of his being "too small." Despite the fact that he is considered by some to be the most talented 18 year old since Crosby.

He is the same height as Dustin Brown and Brown recorded the second most hits this year in the league. He is 2 inches Taller that Cal Clutterbuck who was third in hits this season. But he is also 2 inches shorter than Matt Martin who got the most hits. However Matt is out there just to hit where as Nail, like Brown and Clutterbuck, are not.

The least amount of hits from someone who played all 82 games was Phil Kessel who posted 12 hits last season bringing his career total to 36 and he is suppose to be a large power forward (according to Burke - quote can be provided).

Which brings me to the point. Everyone on here talking about Dumba or Nail being too small don't know what they are talking about. It is not the size of the player, it is how he plays that matters. Dumba is the best dman in this years draft and Nail the best player. Anyone that says differently has an agenda, is not really thinking about the issue or is rolling the dice like the scouts are.

This was the reason Edmonton got Eberle at pick 22 and whoever gets the sliding Dumba is a genius.

For those of you that say that Nail is too small to be an elite forward, they just want to see Edmonton fail. Good luck with that as Edmonton will take Yakupov and he will lead them back to the playoffs.
December 17, 2019 7:11 AM ET | Delete
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