Cole Bagley: NHL draft prospects that the Utah Mammoth could take with 4th overall pick | Oilers…
our NHL and Utah Mammoth insider Cole Bagley cole how are you good how are you good man you fired up you ready to go how you doing yeah no it’s uh it’s been an exciting month uh it’s been a lot of fun to kind of dive into these NHL draft prospects and uh I’ve chatted with a few of them over the last couple days uh we talked to Brady Martin um on our new Utah hockey podcast and then uh I chatted with Porter Martone i’ll be doing a story on him so yeah I’ve just uh kind of jumped jumped completely in and while I may act like I know what I’m talking about there’s probably a good chance that I don’t because it’s all it’s lying it’s lying season right well yeah there’s no doubt so are you buying the smoke on Brady Martin then uh I’m I’m a little hesitant on it um you know this is a guy that I believe is a top 10 selection um but I think he more so is going to go somewhere between six and eight six and nine um so yeah I think that Utah um likes Brady Martin um you know I think he is definitely a prospect that um kind of fits the mold of what Bill Armstrong is looking for but is he quite good enough to be selected forth overall um you know time will tell if if Utah wants to use that pick there so um I would say you know I think the interest is authentic but do they pick him i’m not sure we’ll see what uh you know we were talking to Jay Stevens a little bit about it yesterday uh and I know you’ve mentioned this as well um just a while ago he was considered maybe a late first early second pick and now he’s skyrocketing up even if he does go in the you know late single digits or early teens that’s still a monumental improvement from where his early projections were so how uh what what’s the cause for that rise for him yeah I think it’s just his his style of play um you know he’s a guy that uh gives you 110% uh on both ends of the ice he plays a very um attractive game um that you know is is uh helping teams win uh you know championships in the NHL right now i mean he’s there’s been some comparisons to Sam Bennett and you know uh Sam Bennett is is currently I believe leading the the Stanley Cup playoffs in goals and um just just that pest um style of hockey where uh you know he’s going to finish his checks not only finish them but they’re going to you know they’re going to they’re going to leave a bite mark uh you know they’re going to pack a punch and um he’s also a very good goal scorer and I think a reason that a lot of teams may have overlooked him is he was not playing for the best junior team and his linemates really weren’t that good uh a lot of their success came because of Brady Martin and then he also had uh some very good stints with team Canada uh at the World Juniors and whatnot so um you know just a very likable kid um hard you know hard worker he comes from uh a family farm you know before we talked to him doing his chores he he told us he was moving cattle up to his grandpa’s house and all that kind of stuff so I think it’s just a lot of things uh whether it’s his game his shot or his personality i think a lot of people have just been impressed with um you know what he’s been able to do over the last couple months are there any players that you look at at that number four that could have uh somewhat of an immediate impact on the team next year i don’t think so um as good as the number four pick uh is likely going to be um you know first and foremost it’s very rare that even you know the second or third overall pick are going to make an NHL roster it’s very dependent on where that team is so you know for teams like Chicago and and uh um San Jose you know they those prospects that whoever they take you know at two and three those guys are probably going to see some time in the NHL because those teams are not very good and they need to develop those prospects in that way whereas you know when you look at a team like Utah they’re just overflowing with prospects uh from TJ Kim Aimla to Cole Bodan to Maverick Lamru now they’ve signed Demetri Simichev and Denil Boot um you know it’s it’s just not a team where that needs this kid you know who that whoever this kid is to help contribute right away um which I think is um a positive you know that kid can go back to his junior team or his college team develop um and then by the time that maybe he’s ready maybe Utah is entered that championship window and they add even more youth to kind of bolster their their young roster or or uh you trade that four pick for a player that you is a veteran and can help you uh is that on the table at all for this team i think a trade is always on the table uh especially when it comes to Bill Armstrong you know he’s a guy that is willing to listen um to any conversations you know he’s willing to pick up the phone and and uh you know discuss the the potential of trading it now what I have been told is it would take a Sergeev type deal um to move off of that pick so you know a a situation where you know you’re moving a young guy that has potential but yeah like you said you’re going to get a player that can help you right away um does that player exist um in the trade market right now not sure you know a lot of people have a lot of the fans have said “We’ll go and get Tae Thompson from Buffalo.” That’s probably unlikely um you know as as bad of an of an organization as Buffalo is as as many boneheaded moves as they’ve made I really don’t think that the fourth overall pick is going to get you a guy like Ta Thompson and you know you also have to consider what other pieces can Utah um you know add to the fourth overall pick outside of maybe some of those younger prospects you know there’s not a lot of guys on this team that they’re a looking to trade or b have the ability you know to to really uh gain interest with you know I I know that they’re trying to trade Matias Machelli but that guy did not exactly have the best season to where teams are you know going to jump on the phone and are dying to get him so um yes the trade is definitely on the table you can never uh you know look you know uh shy away from that especially when you’re talking about Bill Armstrong but it would take a sergev type deal and um you know how often is this team going to select in the top five moving forward if if things go the way that they’re expecting so ultimately I expect the pick to be made but you know you can always expect the unexpected to happen on draft day um just going back to last year’s draft how did the year go i know there were injuries and other things involved but uh is te on the uh on the trajectory that they would like him at at this point yeah for sure i mean you know he had uh he had an injury and had to have hip surgery which you know at 18 years old that’s yeah that’s not great that’s really not ideal situation to be in uh but I know that they are expecting him to be healthy um here in the coming months and uh you know both him and Kobo Dwan who they selected last year you know they’re not going to put any sort of ceiling on these guys you know they’re not going to bring them into these development camps to these training camps and expect them to either make the team or not make the team and that’s that’s good for the player that means that the player can come in um you know and give it their best shot and maybe you know maybe a GIA or Bodwin uh surprises the coaching staff and they go you know what we got to have this guy on our team um now I I do not anticipate that happening i think that it would be good for a GILA to go back to the juniors have a full season um you know and really light it up from an offensive standpoint uh like he was on track to do before he got injured as for Bodwin uh I think he was kind of a surprise um not only the fact that Utah traded up to go and draft him last year but then I think he even surprised management as far as how well he compete competed in training camp how well he performed in the preseason um and so you know just guys to to to keep an eye on as we uh you know get closer to development camp and and the rookie camp and then eventually training camp can they make the roster you know don’t ever say no uh with guys like that do I expect it probably not but uh you know there’s always generally one guy that surprises you and we’ll see what these young guys can do cole Bagley NHL and Utah Mammoth Insider right here on 975 the KSL Sports Zone for KSL Sports.com all right so let’s get to the action last night uh it was 3 nothing after one and it really felt like and I tweeted out hey it looks like Edmonton’s lost the will to live boy a lot of people sunk their teeth into that when that thing went final um and so it looked like it was just done uh and the Panthers were on their way to going up 3-1 in route to what should be another Stanley Cup and then the Oilers rip off three of their own in the second uh it goes to OT and again it’s right there and just like that uh you know it you have those shots and you go off the top post and and uh then on the other end uh the Oilers are able to sink theirs and and they go up or they get the win and now we’re tied up at two apiece i mean I’m learning this sport Cole i know you’ve been around this thing your whole life but I can’t imagine a much better game than what we saw last night yeah i mean it is the two best teams in the world going head-to-head and I think you know what’s important to realize is um while there’s not a lot of space between them uh that’s because they play very different styles of hockey uh with Edmonton it’s very much a finesse game it’s it’s very offensive driven um you know and there’s really two guys steering the ship there with with Conor McDavid and Leon Dryidle whereas Florida it’s it’s definitely more of a team effort um they play bully style hockey in your face um you know they finish every single check they they they poke you with their stick they you know they nudge you in the crease you I mean there’s even times where guys are are going for a line change and Matthew Kachchuck will say something to to an Oiler next to him or he’ll even give him a little push so um it’s it’s two different styles uh and I think we’ve really just seen how those styles can work the first two games took overtime uh the second was uh you know Florida was able to to fully uh bully uh the Oilers into submission and and Edmonton fed into that then last night you saw just how quickly Edmonton can flip a game on its head you know they’re just so talented offensively uh no lead is safe especially not a three nothing lead as as uh we all you know saw last night um those guys just have an extra gear that they can um draw from and and utilize their skills and and put points on the board really quickly and and that’s what we saw so this is a phenomenal Stanley Cup final honestly I think it might be the best Stanley Cup final that we’ve seen in the last 10 or 20 years it’s so even but what’s so fun about it is these two teams just play so differently so what’s the equivalent you’re a football guy too what’s the equivalent of giving up a three nothing lead is that like a 21 nothing like what would you what would you call that in football yeah i mean two three touchdowns two three possessions right um that’s that’s probably what I would do that’s probably what I would compare it to but in hockey you know it’s different right like you you’re always going you’re always playing offense and defense where in football you got to get the ball back um so yeah maybe maybe uh two possessions uh would be more the equivalent there uh but you know nonetheless still impressive i mean it wasn’t just you that was you know tweeting out that hey this this game is over this you know it’s one-sided florida’s going back to back uh there were national insiders that were you know making those types of of claims and saying that kind of stuff but I think you just got to remember this is an Oilers team that came back from down three nothing in the Stanley Cup final a year ago now they didn’t complete the comeback fully but they were very very close and you can never ever count out Conor McDavid that’s just what we’re what we’re learning right now yeah there’s no doubt i guess the thing that had me sucked in on it a little bit is the fact that they mentally felt like they melted down in game three and then you add that onto the um you know the uh the first frame in which they’re down three nothing and it just felt like okay mentally they may just be broken that’s why I tweeted out I I just like I don’t know how I don’t know how you come back from game three and the start of game four but uh they did and did in a big way and and got that win but how how when that thing uh when Bennett’s shot just hits that top iron uh I mean at that point if you’re in Edmonton do you feel like you’re playing with house money when you don’t give up that goal yeah the hockey gods are definitely shining on you in in that moment and I think even Dry Sidle’s goal uh took a little bit of luck uh I mean it was just I believe he he just had one hand on his stick i think he was more just trying to get a puck on net and you know it took uh Bob by surprise there between the pipes and ended up in the back of the net and those are those are dirty greasy goals and you take those all day but uh yeah no it’s it’s a it’s very much a game of inches like everything else but uh in a little bit of a different way and you know a pipe is truly a goalender’s best friend and I’m sure that Edmonson’s goalender was was uh you know given a lot of love to his to his his crossbar after that one all right let’s switch back to the Utah Mammoth a little bit as they get set for the off season and trades acquisitions things along those lines i think for a moment we thought hey a guy like Sam Bennett might be available but I think the way he’s played and his commitment to that program it sounds like he’s probably going to stay put and Florida has got the means to keep him in play there and he wants to stay so uh what what’s the aggression level and what might be available for Utah in the offseason in terms of trades or free agent acquisitions yeah so what I do know is Utah does not want to be a team that’s uh overpaying for a player um they’ve got a very good core they’ve got a very uh you know they’ve got a lot of promising young players they have a loaded pipeline of talent and so I think the worst thing you could do is try to put you know try to rush things and try to put yourself over the top by by overspending and so you know they’re going to have to be um you know very strategic in how they approach these free agents you know guys like Mitch Martner or Sam Bennett Brock Bozer Nicola Ellers because you know they can be a part of any any pretty much any conversation in free agency with the amount of cap space that they do have but there’s a limit right and you know like I said Utah doesn’t want to be the team that overpays they don’t want to repeat what the Nashville Predators did last last offseason where hey on paper this looks really good in the summer and then they get to the winter and they’re playing games and it just does not work so you know they’re going to be careful but they can offer you know not only can they you know be close in conversations in terms of you know salaries but they also have a lot going for themselves you know Utah is is you know being watched by you know the entire hockey world after what they were able to pull off you know Ryan and Ashley Smith have established themselves as one of the best ownership groups in the National Hockey League you know they’re getting renovations to Delta Center they’re getting a world-class facility uh practice facility and that’s one that you know a lot maybe a lot of people are overlooking maybe casual fans like this is going to be a top five top three facility in the NHL and there’s a lot of teams that aren’t able to offer that um you know when they’re talking to these free agents because the players are spending more time at that facility than anywhere else um so that’s something to consider and then the potential of this team you know they’re not far away you know can they go to one of these players and say “Look we can offer you these things and then you can come in and be one of the top players for an up andcoming team that hopefully a championship window is going to open over the next couple of years.” So what you know I do think they’re going to try to go after some of these top names uh I think they would not be doing their jobs right if they weren’t trying to enter the conversation of Mitch Marty or Sam Bennett um you know the challenge with Mitch Mner is can they can they be you know enough a part of the conversation in terms of money you know there’s teams like Anaheim that are already talking about being willing to you know offer him a blank check whatever he wants to bring him in um in terms of Sam Bennett can you really talk a guy out of you know a team that has gone to three straight cups could go to I don’t know one two three more in the future and you know are you going to talk him out of you know living in in Southern Florida right you know those are the types of things that you got to be aware of so I I would maybe more so look at guys like Brock Bozer you know Nicola Ellers Aaron Ecklad um you know there’s been a little bit of talk that you know maybe Brad Marshand could be a name to watch not a lot of connections to Utah but it’s picking up a little bit of steam so we’ll see uh you know who they’re able to to draw some interest from but you know rest assured that you know Utah’s front office is looking to to make a splash but it has to make sense you know they don’t want to skip any steps well hey Cole we appreciate your time thanks for hanging out with us man enjoy the rest of this series and look forward to catching up with you again here soon yeah thanks and again you’re doing spotlights on these potential draft picks at kslports.com and on the podcast as well correct yeah we have a brand new podcast it’s called the Utah Hockey Podcast that we uh is now a part of the KSL Sports uh podcast family you can find that on on the podcast page you can also find it on KSL Sports YouTube channel we did just drop two episodes this week one with Brady Martin talking about his interactions with the mammoth and then today we dropped our very first uh segment with Liam O’Brien he’s going to be a reoccurring guest with us similar to kind of uh what the uh the radio did with um Joe Engles a couple years ago is what we’re trying to replicate on the podcast so great episodes to listen to what’ you call that the sin bin is that right that’s what that’s actually what Spicy Tuna named it you know we asked him what he wanted to call it and that’s what he came up with that’s awesome man hey congratulations on all the hard work you’re killing it man and look forward to catching up to you again yeah I appreciate it enjoy the rest of the Stanley Cup we’ll talk to you soon you got it cole Bagley NHL Utah Mammoth Insider for KSLports.com
• Utah Mammoth insider Cole Bagley
