Austin Wong – McKeen's Hockey

USHL: 2020-21 Playoff Preview – Expect Entertaining Hockey with Chicago a Clear Favourite

Ryan Wagman — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 15:27:15 +0000

If there is an exception to the across-the-board negative impact of COVID-19 on the world of hockey, it may rest in the USHL. As north of the border, the three leagues of the CHL were in disarray – at best – the USHL, played a fairly “normal” year.

Sure, the league proceeded without the participation of the Madison Capitals (regional COVID restrictions) or the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders (a Derecho huffed and puffed and blew the arena down), but the rest of the league played (an approximately) 54 game schedule with rather few disruptions.

Not only that, but in terms of quality, the league was better than ever, as a number of players who had expected to suit up for Canadian teams – both CHL and Jr. A – were given an opportunity to play for various USHL teams as their regular leagues were delayed indefinitely, or outright cancelled. Those bonus players included some that were drafted already, including Cross Hanas, Bear Hughes, and Danil Gushchin*. Other drafted players came in from the Ivy League schools, who did not play a hockey schedule this year. In addition to the likes of Henry Thrun, Jack Malone, and Austin Wong coming to the USHL after some time in college, others like Sean Farrell and Alex Laferriere, who had intended to start collegiate life this year, were forced to stay back for one more year in the Midwest.

*Gushchin, who had played the previous two seasons with Muskegon, was expected to play in Ontario with Niagara for the 2020-21 season, but with the OHL in permanent statis, he was loaned back to the Lumberjacks, where he put up his best season yet.

And then there were the draft-eligible ringers who unexpectedly joined the league and played so well that they have legitimate first round consideration at the end of it. I am thinking, of course, of Cole Sillinger, who joined Sioux Falls, before it was known when, or if, the WHL would get going, and Ayrton Martino and Jack Bar, who had played in Ontario last year and had been planning on playing in the BCHL this year before Canadian restrictions pushed them to the USHL, with Omaha and Chicago, respectively.

Of course, there were many other unexpected players in the league this year, with those mentioned only scratching the surface of the most famous names.

So, before we preview the postseason, which begins this Friday (Apr. 30), let’s pour one out for the six teams that didn’t make, and give a word to the top 1-3 draft eligible players from those squads.

Team USA

One point behind Dubuque for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference – although far further back via points percentage (.510-.481), the USNTDP team that would have played in the USHL playoffs had they made it would have been the U17 team. The best of that group – Rutger McGroarty, Isaac Howard, Ryan Chesley, Lane Hutson, Charlie Stramel and others – are playing with the U18 team in Texas at the WU18 tournament. No draft eligibles but remember those names for next season.

Youngstown Phantoms

By points percentage, easily the weakest team in the league. The aforementioned Jack Malone, a Vancouver draft pick, was far and away the top performer on the team, which is to be expected from a player with a year at Cornell under his belt. Among first year draft eligibles, Japanese import Yusako Ando was the most notable, although his second year in the league was worse than his first. He can create for others, but he doesn’t skate well enough to make up for his slight 5-7” frame. The only other draft eligible who ever made a positive impression on me from this roster was blueliner Austen May. The Providence commit is on the small side, but he is really fleet of foot and shows decent attention to detail off the puck.

Des Moines Buccaneers

Despite the presence of three drafted players – Alex Laferriere (LA), Noah Ellis (Vgk), and Lucas Mercuri (Car), the Buccaneers struggled this year, particularly in terms of putting the puck in the net. The drafted guys were all solid, but too few of the rest of the roster could match their output. Perhaps things would have been different if Paul Davey hadn’t of left mid-season for a stint back home in Connecticut. Davey and Scout Truman were the two most notable first time draft eligible on the roster, but neither really put their stamp on the season. If there are to be any Buccaneers drafted this year, they will be among the redraft candidates. To that end, file away the names of Matt Choupani and Remington Koepple. Choupani is a forward who lacks much in the way of physical tools but can play the puck well. Koepple is a goalie who had decent numbers in his first year in the league, although he has only average size and athleticism and he chocked in the BioSteel game, hurting his standing for some.

Lincoln Stars

The Stars went heavy on the ringers partway through the season. Cross Hanas was already mentioned, but he was just one of four players brought in from the WHL Portland Winterhawks, joining Clay Hanas (no relation), Jack O’Brien, and James Stefan, as well as Charles-Alexis Legault from West Kelowna in the BCHL and Michael Mastrodomenico from AAA hockey in Quebec. Simply put, the shuffled team never gelled, and the newcomers couldn’t get into the swing of the USHL.

O’Brien was the biggest disappointment. There was some expectation that he could be a high round pick this year, but one goal and six assists in 23 games ended that sentiment. Blueliner Legault didn’t hurt his stock too much, as he still has great size and skates well and shoots from his right side. Stefan, son of former first overall pick Patrik Stefan, had enough moments to maybe convince some team to call his name in the late rounds. A kind word also to big bruising winger Gleb Veremeyev. Veremeyev isn’t an offensive threat, but one of the top PIM players in the league is a threat, nonetheless. The USHL is not a very physical league, and when a player has that size and plays with that snarl, he sometimes gets drafted, such as we saw with Nick Capone last year and Martin Pospisil in 2018.

Waterloo Black Hawks

Generally contenders, the Black Hawks find themselves out of the playoffs for the first time since 2014-15, and only the second time in 14 seasons for which there were playoffs. Fielding one of the smaller and least experienced lineups in the league, this just wasn’t their year. Their one drafted player, Toronto’s Wyatt Schingoethe, regressed heavily from his strong draft year. The team cycled through goalies, with three seeing significant minutes. Remember the name of Emmett Croteau, the best performing of their netminders, as he won’t be draft eligible until 2022.

Among players eligible this year, the most impressive were second time eligible defenseman Cooper Wylie, a USHL rookie, who can play the puck and skate well enough to make his ornery game effective, if not spectacular. He could be drafted. On the other hand, David Gucciardi, acquired in an early season trade from Youngstown, will be drafted. His game is raw, and his mistakes are often critical, but he has tools, and his instincts are good enough to think he can be a good one if he relies on his instincts all the time.

Sioux Falls Stampede

The Western Conference bottom feeders are a mystery. In the last USHL playoffs, the Stampede took home the title. In addition to their usual solid team, this year they brought in the highest profile ringer in Cole Sillinger, who didn’t disappoint, with a team leading 46 points despite only playing in 31 games. He is a sniper with an NHL style game who will be back in the WHL next year. The USHL rarely sees a player of his caliber, whether talking about skill or about reading the game, yet he couldn’t drag the Stampede upwards on his own. I would be surprised if he isn’t the first player from this year’s USH: crop to play in the NHL.

Defender Brent Johnson was one of the better draft eligible defenders in the league as well. A power play specialist with good wheels and an ornery side, his season ended right before the BioSteel All American Game due to a shoulder injury, but could hear his name called in the 50-80 range of the draft if his medicals hold up.

Although not as high profile, I also have time for second time eligible, defenseman Nate Schweitzer, who can do a lot well, but nothing spectacularly, and winger Mike Citara, who can skate and shoot. I don’t expect either to be drafted, but I wouldn’t be surprised if either was.

The Playoffs

The format this year is simple. The top four teams from each conference made it in. All series are best-of-threes. Top seed plays the fourth seed, and second seed plays the third seed. All games are hosted by the higher seed. One series per weekend until one team lifts the Clark Cup. Let’s go!

Western Conference

Jack Peart. Photo Dan Hickling, Hickling Images

#1 Tri-City Storm vs #4 Fargo Force

The Western Conference was incredibly tight at the top with the playoff picture not being settled until the final weekend of the regular season. The points percentage difference between Tri-City and Fargo (32 percentage points) was less than between Fargo and fifth place Des Moines (34 percentage points).

Fargo was the third best defensive team in the league, although Tri-City was the best at keeping the puck out of its net. Neither team is known for filling their opponents’ nets either, but both had generally done enough to walk away with points more often than not. In fact, they are quite evenly matched. The difference in these three games (outside of home ice advantage) is likely to rest in special teams. Fargo was mediocre on both the power play and the penalty kill, while the Storm were strong with the man advantage and almost impregnable on the penalty kill, leading the league with a breathtaking 88.3% kill rate. To Fargo’s credit, they have played far more of their season at 5-on-5 than Tri-City. And they will have to do that again this weekend to keep their season alive.

Beyond the expected close games, another reason to watch this series is the head-to-head matchup between two very interesting and talented draft eligibles. On Fargo, that would be Tristan Broz, a two-way center with a good motor and the vision to be a power play weapon. The Minnesota commit ran away with the scoring lead on his team. His numbers would be even more impressive if he had more talented teammates to play with. On Tri-City, the man of the hour is Matthew Knies. Knies started his season painfully slow, but ended it on fire, with 20 points in his final 11 games. Knies has heavier feet, but a very mature build and at his best, can take over the game. He will join Broz with the Golden Gophers next year.

Knies and Broz are not the only intriguing draft eligible players in this series. In fact, Fargo blueliner Jack Peart has a very good chance to be the highest drafted player in this series. The St. Cloud State commit split his season between Fargo and Grand Rapids High School (Mn). He is a good skater with a very strong first few steps, who plays with preternatural poise. He controls the puck like a much older player and plays a strong 200-foot game. Had Peart spent the entire season in Fargo, the final standings may have looked very different. For Fargo, also keep an eye on Aaron Huglen, a Buffalo draft pick who returned from over a full year on the sidelines after around a third of this season was done and has played a skilled game ever since.

On Tri-City, Knies is joined by a pair of intriguing draft eligible players in Hunter Strand and Carter Mazur, the latter of whom is a second time eligible player. Strand is a USNTDP alum, whose late birthday prevented him from being drafted last year. The Alaska native is a great skater and plays a patient game with the puck. Mazur has more of an East-West style game, helped along by plus edges. He can play the pest role as well and retains utility off the puck. Strand and Mazur both outscored Knies this year, but Knies already had a big reputation through his big pre-draft year and his run to end the year keeps him top of mind.

Prediction: Fargo in three. A mild upset to be sure. The return of Peart helps Fargo just as much as the loss of top blueliner Guillaume Richard hurts Tri-City. Richard is currently representing Team Canada at the WU18s in Texas. Neither team has stellar goaltending, but Fargo’s Brennan Boynton should be able to roughly match Tri-City’s Todd Scott.

#2 Omaha Lancers vs #3 Sioux City Musketeers

Both Omaha and Sioux City put up 63 points in 53 games, but their paths to getting there could scarcely have been more different. Consider that Omaha’s goal differential was a mediocre +13, while Sioux City outscored their opponents on aggregate by 35 goals, with the league’s best – by far – defense.

The two teams are both led by high end goaltending, each starting one of the three drafted netminders in the league. For Sioux City, that man is the Swiss Akira Schmid, a New Jersey prospect, while Montreal draftee Jakob Dobes, from Czechia, mans the pipes for Omaha. Dobes was a true workhorse for the Lancers, playing in 47 of the team’s 53 games, while Schmid played roughly two-third of the time for Sioux City, as his back up was more reliable.

Schmid will need to be at his best in this series, however, as Omaha has one of the biggest offensive weapons in the league at their disposal in Ayrton Martino. Martino joined the club shortly after the calendar flipped into 2021 and took the league by storm, with the fifth best points-per-game ratio in the USHL (1.47). A great skater with a fantastic shot, Martino did not let his slight frame prevent him from dominating, and his playmaking game is just as strong as his finishing ability. If Sioux City can shut Martino down, the Lancers don’t have too many other weapons at their disposal as their secondary scoring is largely in the hands of USHL veterans like Ryan Lautenbach, Nolan Renwick and Zach Dubinsky. The Omaha roster is one of the oldest in the league.

Sioux City, on the other hand, has a few more weapons at its disposal. Detroit draft pick Chase Bradley and New Jersey pick Ethan Edwards were both in the team’s top four in scoring, while Buffalo pick Matteo Costantini showed well after joining the league mid-season. Although the Musketeers don’t have a draft eligible player the likes of Martino, don’t sleep on defenseman Shai Buium. A USHL rookie out of the Shattuck-St. Mary’s program, he combines quick hands with smooth, if not quick, feet. He plays a strong two-way game and if he were a better skater (he isn’t bad, but he isn’t great), we would be hearing more people call for him as a first round type of talent. As is, he has enough raw skill to dream on a big, late-blooming future. I am also keeping an eye on redraft candidates defenseman Daniel Laatsch and center Justin Hryckowian. Laatsch is a USNTDP alum who has great size and some burgeoning skill, but is still raw, while Hryckowian has a fun skill game, but an injury-filled history and a sub-optimal build.

Prediction: Sioux City’s depth overcomes Martino’s solo skill in three games.

Western Conference Final Prediction: Sioux City over Fargo in three games. Sioux City is just too difficult to score against and has enough offensive weapons to get the job done.

Eastern Conference

Matthew Coronato. Photo by Dan Hickling, Hickling Images

#1 Chicago Steel vs #4 Dubuque Fighting Saints

By all accounts, this should be a washout. Chicago is, by great lengths, the top team in the USHL. They enter the postseason on an eight-game undefeated streak, and won 38 of 54 games this year, often by wide margins. Their goaltending has been shoddy at times, but far more often than not, they were able to outscore their troubles and their total of 265 goals scored was 24 more than the runners-up. Dubuque, on the other hand, won only 24 of 51 games, securing the final playoff spot in the east thanks to a win in their final game coupled with a loss from the U17 USNTDP squad.

If Dubuque is to have a hope in this series, look to their defensive players. Goalie Lukas Parik, a Los Angeles draft pick, struggled since joining the team, in late-January from the Czech second division, but shut out Green Bay in his final game, reminding us of what he is capable. On the blueline, fellow LA pick Braden Doyle teams up with Anaheim draft pick Henry Thrun to give the Fighting Saints a pair of weapons. Up front, Dubuque has a balanced attack, but the man to watch is Robert Cronin. While too old to be drafted this year Cronin is a late bloomer with speed and skill who will be a good follow next year once he joins the University of New Hampshire. The boy to watch, on the other hand, is Matthew Savoie. The 17-year-old is a 2022 draft eligible, who should have been playing in the WHL, but the uncertainty in that league led him to Dubuque, where he immediately played a central, and at time dominating, role. He’s going to be really fun to watch next year.

Looking at draft eligibles for this summer, keep your eyes on Connor Kurth and Andrei Buyalsky. Buylasky is actually the same age (born three days later) as Cronin, but as he is considered a foreign player (this is his first season in North America), the Kazakhstani forward is draft eligible while the American Cronin is not. Buyalsky is an impressive skater with impressive finishing ability. Kurth, on the other hand, has no particular big attributes to his game, but he finds a way to put up good numbers. He has a very stocky build but moves well enough regardless.

Moving on to Chicago, almost every skater on the roster is worthy of mention. Start with Montreal draft pick Sean Farrell, a USNTDP alum who would have been with Harvard this season had the Crimson actually played. Instead, he put up a breathtaking 101-point season for the Steel. His playmaking ability is simply unfair to most opponents on most nights. Then there is Matthew Coronato, a likely first round pick, who scored 48 goals in 51 games. Sure, it helps to have Farrell playing on your team, but the two actually rarely played together at even strength. Coronato is an offensive dynamo, who is content to cycle on his own for multiple full loops of the offensive end before he sees a seam to exploit.

Then there is Jack Bar, a late add to the roster from the BCHL. After a brief period acclimating to the league, he began to dominate. The defenseman likes to get deep into the offensive zone but is also a physical and committed defender. He has some first round upside. Of course, I also have to mention Mackie Samoskevich, who at one time was seen as a better draft prospect than Coronato. Samoskevich struggled somewhat after a midseason injury but is another gifted playmaker and a fantastic skater to boot.

I don’t want to get into the weeds too much, but I also expect Josh Doan (son of Shane), Ryan Ufko, and Jackson Blake to be drafted this summer, and Jack Harvey being drafted wouldn’t surprise me either. Anaheim draft pick Ian Moore has been impressive in his first season in the USHL, and 2023(!!) eligible forward Adam Fantilli is a burgeoning superstar. As good as everyone else already mentioned on this roster is, Fantilli’s upside is the highest. I am talking top three in the draft upside.

Prediction: Chicago in two, barring a complete breakdown in net. Chicago in three if the goalies stumble.

#2 Muskegon Lumberjacks vs #3 Green Bay Gamblers

A testament to how tight the West is, the Muskegon-Green Bay series is the second most lopsided duel after Chicago-Dubuque, with .040 percentage points separating the Lumberjacks and the Gamblers. Muskegon plays an up-tempo, high-event game with red lights going off at both ends. Green Bay is best when they keep goals to a minimum, and actually ended the season with the fewest goals allowed in the conference.

Green Bay’s chances are led by a pair of Boston Bruins’ draft picks in defender Mason Lohrei and center Jake Schmaltz. The latter is a two-way forward, who after three seasons in the USHL, has figured out how to be a factor offensively. He does a lot of little things well but lacks any dynamic elements. Lohrei was a surprise second rounder last season but has grown his game even more this year. He is big, skates very well, has a big point shot and plays a tough game at all ends. The Gamblers will go as far as he can take them. Vancouver draft pick Jackson Kunz and Vegas pick Jackson Hallum are also on the roster, and while both have shown the ability to provide secondary offense, neither can make things happen on their own. 2022 eligible Ryan Greene is an interesting player, but if there is a wild card in Green Bay, it is Camden Thiesing. The Tennessee native combines skill with grit, finishing third in the league in PIMs. He will work to make things happen on his own, and when he stays out of the penalty box, he is dangerous.

Led by San Jose draft pick Danil Gushchin, Muskegon is incredibly entertaining. Gushchin is a dynamo, who is not the most consistent player, but when he is involved and engaged, is one of the top handful of forwards in the league. He is joined by a deep roster of talented players, a few of whom should be drafted this summer, many of those in their second year of eligibility. The best of that secondary bunch is center Cameron Berg. Berg finished last year hot after a slow start and didn’t miss a beat coming into this year. He has a high-end wrist shot and knows how to create space for himself to rip one off. Winger Quinn Hutson is another second-year eligible forward who made waves this year. The type of player to get to the right spot at the right time, he knows how to finish what his linemates create. On the blueline, there are a trio to watch. The offensive blueline is Jacob Guevin, a power play specialist, whose production overshadows his average tools. Alex Gagne and Hank Kempf are bigger, more physical blueliners who make life difficult for attacking forwards. I could see all three drafted this summer.

Prediction: Muskegon in three games.

Eastern Conference Final prediction: Chicago in three games over Muskegon. This would be an immensely entertaining series.

Clark Cup Final Prediction: Chicago over Sioux City in three games. It’s really hard to bet against the Steel this year.

US COLLEGE: Ivy Leaguers Finding New Ice to Keep Fresh

Jashvina Shah — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 15:54:31 +0000

Last March, the Ivy League was the first to cancel in college hockey.

“No one really knew the scope of this whole thing,” Harvard goaltender and Capitals draft pick Mitchell Gibson said. “I didn't even take all my equipment home I still have equipment up in the locker room right now because I thought we'd be back in a few weeks, no big deal.”

For the 2020-21 season, the Ivy League were the only ones to announce as a block, in mid-November, that there would be no winter sports. The day the announcement was made Gibson, a superstitious goaltender, knew it would be bad news. After all, it was raining.

BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 03: Harvard University Crimson goaltender Mitchell Gibson (44) eyes a face off during a Beanpot semi-final between the Harvard Crimson and the Northeastern Huskies on February 3, 2020, at TD garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

“I was watching some of my best friends play. Last night, Michigan, Ohio State the night before. And, you know, I'm here in my house, you know, doing schoolwork and just having no plan,” Gibson said. “I just was disappointed in the, in the amount of effort I think that some of the Ivy Leagues put forth, like they didn't really make any effort to try to put us in hotel rooms or even if they told us to try to get our own place to stay and that we'd go to a rink somewhere else and play other teams. I would have been fine with that, but it just seemed like they just cancelled it because it was the easier decision. Granted, the cases are spiking. I know it's not great so you have to respect their decision to not take any of the liability from the players getting it. But I mean I would have liked to have some sort of option available.”

Gibson was one of 12 drafted Ivy League players who had their season canceled. While safety is at the forefront, players don’t have much of an option to sit out the season - in a sport where everyone is fighting to get the “edge,” that becomes a setback for anyone who plans on playing after college. And while transferring is an option of sorts, it isn’t one some players want to take.

“The biggest thing is being a goalie right like I need more time to develop,” Gibson said. “I'm not anywhere in a position right now to go ahead and sign pro and be successful. So I'm looking at it like I’m going to have to be fully developed before I leave. I want to stay with Harvard for as long as I can, especially get the degree. That's one of the reasons why I came here. I saw the whole, the whole thing shift and a lot of kids leaving to sign pro, but I don't think any goalies did that, to be honest. I think a lot of them knew that they need to spend more time in college and develop.”

And if, like Gibson, you live in a state like Pennsylvania that has rinks and other venues shutting down, training at home provides few options.

“Throughout the summer it's just been super inconsistent in the Philadelphia area, at least with rinks closing,” Gibson said. “There might be an outbreak here or there. My gym has been fairly consistent, but it's still gone through points where you know you see cases spiking and then you want to try to stay home as much as you can just to protect my family. There were times where I drove over two hours, I would hear of a rink in, like, North Jersey that had an ice session or two. So I would go all throughout Central PA, North and South Jersey and Delaware even a few times just to find wherever there was ice to hop on with some guys. It was kind of nice (in the) beginning when there were a couple of NHLers around so I was on the ice with Tony DeAngelo quite a bit, Johnny Gaudreau once or twice. With all the college guys, the AHL and NHL guys that were still in the Philadelphia area, I would say, right around September, once training camp started to open up and a lot of college guys started to go back to campus, myself as the Ivy League player, we really got stuck to my own devices here with a limited amount of guys so I really don't know any other Ivy League players in my area, to be honest. There was no one else to really, you know, be in the same boat with. So I want to say once you know September came it really, really dried up with options.”

The ramifications for Ivy schools might be long lasting - the league itself already contends with some unique rules like starting late and playing fewer games. But his shut down could cause long term ramifications for recruiting.

The players had to wait until an official decision on the season was made. Then, they ran through their options. One of them included getting a house off campus in Boston, but the school shut down its facilities. Another option was to go to Plymouth, Mich., and play at the USA Hockey rink while living in Plymouth.

“It was logistically the hardest to go through the NCAA with training with the NTDP and that whole thing. I think it was also the most expensive option,” Gibson said.

The second one was in Fort Meyers, Florida, using Hertz Arena - the home of the ECHL Florida Everglades. But that package was a little too expensive.

Enter Brett Strott.

The former associate head coach of the U.S. women’s national team and the current owner of the USPHL’s Tampa Bay Juniors called Harvard captain Jack Donato with a proposition. He said they would be willing to accommodate their schedules and work with them for ice time, at the best price out of any of the other packages. Tampa Bay is the USPHL’s hub city, and is also hosting the PWHPA All-Stars. The Harvard players will also stay at the Saddlebrook Resort. The players will have their own separate section of the resort and their own entrance to the rink. They will undergo testing.

“We're not going to go out and do whatever, go to colleges and do the stupid things like that,” Gibson said. “We’re going to be mature and we all want to make this last for as long as we can. No one really wants to quarantine in the room for a week or so and miss some of the fun of being in Florida. So, I think it's really going to be, you know, sticking to our guys and try to limit our exposure as best we can. No, I mean it’s definitely nerve-wracking going down there when it starts to spike again, but I think if our guys just use caution and we stick to our little mini Harvard bubble, we should be okay.”

In order to keep this experience NCAA compliant, no Harvard coaches were involved and the players will pay for everything on their own, provide their own equipment, and play with and against other collegiate players.

“The difference here is that we're paying for it and it’s our own decision,” Gibson said.

Throughout this process, Gibson kept in touch with the Capitals goaltending coaches Scott Murray and Alex Westlund. They went over video and kept tabs on him and news of the season. Gibson called them as soon as the season was officially canceled.

“It's tricky because they can't offer me ice,” Gibson said. “I can't go down there to D.C. and stay with them or live with them, right, like I'm still an amateur so it's just been a lot of phone calls saying if I need something you know they'll be there for me."

They helped him with goalie-specific work, kept him mentally involved and sent him at-home workouts after the initial lockdown

“I understand I can't go down to DC and be on the ice with Ovie [Alex Ovechkin] or any of those guys,” Gibson said. “It's got to be within boundaries. It’s tricky, it is. But like I said, they’ve been helpful.”

Gibson also knew he was a long-term project who would stay in college longer to develop, and he hopes Florida will give him time to get better.

“This will be a little bit of a, of a mock season for us trying to get scrimmages in, trying to keep the pace, the intensity high before going into the next season. Trying to do a little bit every day, stay in shape. I don't think many colleges besides like the NCHC, which has 30 games schedule and I mean the ECAC is only going to play 20 games, so it sounds like we’re not missing that much. As much as I would like to be playing games, I think if we get down to Florida and are able to get a good sort of setup there and take it seriously, we'll be able to replicate some [games] a little bit to get some development in.”

One of Gibson's Harvard teammates he played with in Pennsylvania during the offseason, John Farinacci, left the Crimson and returned to the USHL. He wasn't the only drafted Ivy League player to depart. Among others, two more Harvard players (Henry Thrun and Austin Wong) left for the USHL as well. Both Reilly Walsh and Jack Rathbone left school early (a rarity among Ivy Leaguers) signed professional contracts in the offseason, Jack Badini graduated early to sign an ELC with Anaheim while Jack Drury turned pro in the Swedish Hockey League. Yale's Jack St. Ivany and Cornell's Matt Cairns transferred to Boston College and Minnesota-Duluth, respectively. Cornell's Jack Malone and Matthew Stienburg went back to junior hockey, the former returning to the USHL and the latter agreeing to play in the BCHL (although he hasn’t suited up yet).

The plans of Nick Abruzzese, Curtis Hall, Liam Gorman, and Andong (Misha) Song are not known as of this time. Abruzzese reportedly underwent a minor surgical procedure a few months ago, which may have been moved up because of the COVID-based postponements. Hall was in discussion to return to the USHL, to team up with Jack Malone on Youngstown, but that has seemingly feel through.

NCAA East Region 2019-20 Season Preview: Hockey East and ECAC

Jashvina Shah — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 13:58:42 +0000

NCAA East Region Preview

While Hockey East and the ECAC are different leagues with different tendencies, both conferences see a gap between the top-tier teams and the bottom ones. The factors that separates the elite from the not-so elite are either excellent coaching or top-end talent. Primarily, teams need excellent coaching. Because you need a lot of top-end talent if you’re going to win on talent. As Herb Brooks said, “you don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone!”

There shouldn’t be too many surprises in the east this year, and teams that succeeded last year will mostly repeat this year.

MANCHESTER, NH - MARCH 29: Clarkson University Golden Knights forward Haralds Egle (18) breaks in on Notre Dame Fighting Irish goaltender Cale Morris (32) during a Northeast Regional semi-final between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Clarkson Golden Knights on March 29, 2019, at SNHU Arena in Manchester, NH. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

ECAC

Brown: The Bears have hovered in the ECAC basement of a while now. They finished eighth in the regular season but got hot in the playoffs, beating Princeton and then knocking off top-seeded Quinnipiac in the quarterfinals. Brown fell to Cornell in the ECAC semifinals 6-0, but that was a case of them being bested by the better team. A trip to the ECAC tournament marked it a wildly successful season for Brown. The roster is more or less the same, ensuring a similar regular-season finish.

Clarkson: The Golden Knights were one of the strongest teams in the ECAC thanks to balanced offense and defense. It helped Clarkson take the short trip to Lake Placid, where it won the ECAC championship in overtime. The Golden Knights lost two key pieces in Nico Sturm, who potted 45 points, and Jake Kielly, who posted a .929 save percentage. Clarkson should be able to replace Sturm’s scoring output, especially with 40-point scorer Haralds Egle returning. While goaltending will be a question mark, the Golden Knights will still be one of the strongest teams in the league.

Drafted players: Nick Campoli (VGK), Dustyn McFaul (BOS), Kris Oldham (TBL), Anthony Romano (ARI)

Colgate: The Raiders slipped last season, their win total decreasing from 17 to 10. They finished 10th in the league and were swept by Union in the first round of the playoffs. The good news is, Colgate returns nearly the entire roster, and the experience should benefit them. The bad news is, the Raiders don’t have much to build on.

Cornell: The Big Red dropped the ECAC championship game in overtime after the referees failed to blow the whistle when the net dropped on goaltender Matthew Galajda. He was injured, so Austin McGrath took over for the rest of the game and throughout the postseason. McGrath helped Cornell to a regional win over Northeastern. Aside from losing a couple seniors, the Big Red will return their leading scorer, Morgan Barron, along with Galadja, making them one of the league favorites.

Drafted players: Matt Cairns (EDM), Matthew Stienburg (COL), Alex Green (TBL), Morgan Barron (NYR), Jack Malone (VAN), Misha Song (NYI)

Dartmouth: After finishing T-5th last year, the Big Green knocked off 12th-place St. Lawrence in the first round of the playoffs. With much of their roster returning, the Big Green should finish in roughly the same place, especially if Adrian Clark can build off his .910 save percentage from at last season.

Harvard: Adam Fox’s departure is unfortunate for the Crimson, since he not only led the team with 48 points but was also one of the best defensemen in the country. Harvard still has its offensive leaders, including Reilly Walsh and Casey Dornbach. Goaltender Michael Lackey also graduated, but he missed some of last season with an injury, opening up the net for Cameron Gornet. Gornet filled in well, and can put the Crimson in a prime spot for another top-four ECAC finish.

Drafted players: Jack Drury (CAR), Jack Badini (ANA), John Farinacci (ARI), Reilly Walsh (NJD), Nick Abruzzese (TOR), Mitchell Gibson (WSH), Jack Rathbone (VAN), Henry Thrun (ANA), Austin Wong (WPG)

Princeton: Just one season after winning the ECAC tournament, the Tigers struggled to repeat their success. Princeton’s top line of Ryan Kuffner, Max Veronneau and Alex Riche -- which combined for 107 points last season -- couldn’t bring the team past its lackluster goaltending hurdle. The trio, along with top defenseman Josh Teves, graduated, making the Tigers much weaker on both ends of the ice. Princeton’s success, or lack thereof, lies solely on goaltending. But most likely the Tigers will finish in the bottom half of the league.

Drafted players: Liam Gorman (PIT)

Quinnipiac: The Bobcats usually finish in the top half of the league and usually make the ECAC tournament. They finished first last year but were upset in the playoffs by Brown. Chase Priskie, another one of the top defensemen in the league, is gone. So is Andrew Shortridge and his .940 save percentage. The Bobcats are well-coached, though, and Odeen Tufto, who put up 42 points, will be back.

Drafted players: Keith Petruzzelli (DET), Karlis Cukste (SJS), Skylar Brind’Amour (EDM), Peter DiLiberatore (VGK)

RPI: The Engineers finished in 11th, just ahead of St. Lawrence and two points behind Princeton. RPI has struggled over the last few seasons, and most likely will this year as well. The team’s top five scorers are returning, although they didn’t score much to begin with. The goaltenders who played the most, Owen Savory and Linden Marshall, are also returning.

Drafted players: Todd Burgess (OTT), Simon Kjellberg (NYR), Will Reilly (PIT)

St. Lawrence: The Saints have struggled since Greg Carvel left for UMass. After earning just six overall wins and three conference wins, the school parted ways with Mark Morris and hired Brent Brekke. With a new coach, lack of elite talent and just a program-wide mess (the rink renovations are not finished, so the Saints are shifting their first few home games to a different rink.) Unless Brekke has magic powers, it seems likely the Saints will stay in the basement for the third-straight year.

Union: Union’s top two scorers graduated and the third, Liam Morgan, left after his sophomore season. Just one of the team’s top seven scorers is returning. On the other hand, Darion Hanson did have a .919 save percentage last season and, if he can replicate that, should keep Union in the middle third of the league.

Drafted players: Parker Foo (CHI), Jack Adams (DET)

Yale: Yale’s biggest loss was Joe Snively, who had 36 points last season, double that of the team’s second-place scorer. Corbin Kaczperski is the team’s sole returning goaltender. Like Quinnipiac, the Bulldogs are well coached and don’t often finish in the bottom third.

Drafted players: Curtis Hall (BOS), Jack St. Ivany (PHI), Luke Stevens (CAR), Phil Kemp (EDM)

Five Undrafted Free Agents to Watch from the ECAC

Haralds Egle, Clarkson
Odeen Tufto, Quinnipiac
Matthew Galajda, Cornell
Casey Dornbach, Harvard
Devin Brosseau, Clarkson

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 22: Massachusetts Minutemen forward Mitchell Chaffee (21) tries to put the puck past Boston College Eagles goaltender Joseph Woll (31). During the University of Massachusetts Minutemen game against the Boston College Eagles on March 22, 2019 at TD Garden in Boston, MA. (Photo by Michael Tureski/Icon Sportswire)

Hockey East:

Boston College: Despite winning just 10 conference games and finishing seventh in Hockey East, the Eagles surged late last season for a trip to the Hockey East tournament. Now the Eagles have that momentum plus an excellent incoming class that includes Spencer Knight, who’s expected to become a top goaltender. Alex Newhook and Matt Boldy will also be joining the team. It’s hard to predict how any freshman goaltender will fare, but Knight has the potential to boost BC back to the top.

Drafted players: Matt Boldy (MIN), Spencer Knight (FLA), Alex Newhook (COL), Drew Helleson (COL), Logan Hutsko (FLA), Jack McBain (MIN), Michael Karow (ARI), Graham McPhee (EDM), David Cotton (CAR), Aapeli Rasanen (EDM), Marshall Warren (MIN), Ben Finkelstein (FLA)

Boston University: Despite struggling last year the Terriers still managed to finish 5th in the league, but they will probably drop from that place. BU has struggled since David Quinn left for the NHL, and now they’ll be facing several additional critical departures including goaltender Jake Oettinger and the team’s leading scorers, Joel Farabee and Dante Fabbro. BU’s success, or lack thereof, will depend mostly on coaching, and then on contributions from the incoming freshman class and someone shining in net.

Drafted players: Trevor Zegras (ANA), Robert Mastrosimone (DET), Alex Vlasic (CHI), Cam Crotty (ARI), David Farrance (NSH), Domenick Fensore (CAR), Kasper Kotkansalo (DET), Jake Wise (CHI), Case McCarthy (NJD), Ethan Phillips (DET), Patrick Harper (NSH), Logan Cockerill (NYI)

Connecticut: Since joining Hockey East, the Huskies have fluctuated in the standings, taking advantage of years when the league has been weak. Though they finished ninth last year, they will benefit from having two of their top three scorers returning. Goaltender Tomas Vomacka, who took over the net with a .922 save percentage, will also be back.

Drafted players: Vladislav Firstov (MIN), Ruslan Iskhakov (NYI), Carter Berger (FLA), Jachym Kondelik (NSH), Kale Howarth (CLB), Tomas Vomacka (NSH)

Maine: Maine, far from its former glory, was able to finish sixth in the league. It is returning Mitchell Fossier, the leading scorer from last year with 36 points. But the Black Bears had a slew of early departures - including sophomore defensemen Alexis Binner and Brady Keeper. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who posted a respectable .919 save percentage, will be back, though.

Drafted players: JD Greenway (TOR), Jeremy Swayman (BOS), Patrick Shea (FLA), Matthew Thiessen (VAN)

UMass-Lowell: The River Hawks have been one of Hockey East’s most consistent teams in the last decade or so, and they finished fourth last year. UMass-Lowell’s offense lost its top two scorers, but the back end has usually been the team’s strength. Goaltender Tyler Wall, who is returning, carries a .921 save percentage into the season.

Drafted players: Seth Barton (DET), Logan Neaton (WPG), Tyler Wall (NYR), Andre Lee (LAK)

Massachusetts: After its most successful season in program history and a national championship appearance, the Minutemen were extremely lucky to only lose Cale Makar and Mario Ferraro early. Those are big names, but usually teams with surprising successful runs lose more players in the offseason. Yet UMass retained Mitchell Chaffee and John Leonard, who combined for 82 points. They also still have Marc Del Gaizo, who was the leading freshman defenseman in scoring with 29 points. That said, goaltender Filip Lindberg is the player to watch. His play was key in edging out Denver in the national semifinal and he limited Minnesota-Duluth to three goals, which is an accomplishment. If he repeats his .934 save percentage performance, the Minutemen should take a top spot in Hockey East.

Drafted players: Zac Jones (NYR), Marc Del Gaizo (NSH), John Leonard (SJS), Filip Lindberg (MIN)

Merrimack: With 16 freshman, Merrimack will have the largest rookie class in the country. The Warriors won just seven games last year, but it was Scott Borek’s first season in charge and it typically takes coaches around three-four years to settle in, start their own systems and recruit their own players.. The incoming class signals a roster changeover, so this will be one of those “rebuilding” years.

Drafted players: Patrick Holway (DET)

New Hampshire: It’s Mike Souza’s second year as head coach of the Wildcats, who are still transitioning to life without Dick Umile. They didn’t lose much and have two of their leading scorers as well as goaltender Mike Robinson, who posted a .913 save percentage, returning. While it isn’t fair to say the Wildcats are rebuilding, they’re stuck in stasis.

Drafted players: Max Gildon (FLA), Mike Robinson (SJS), Angus Crookshank (OTT), Benton Mass (WSH), Ty Tailor (TBL)

Northeastern: The Huskies have surged at times over the past five seasons. Last year they took advantage of BU and BC’s struggles, finishing second in the conference with 15 wins. But part of Northeastern’s success came from good defense and goaltending, which will suffer with the early departures by Jeremy Davies and goaltender Cayden Primeau. Since Primeau was a big part of Northeastern’s rise, it’s tough to see the Huskies repeating last year’s success.

Drafted players: Jayden Struble (MTL), Matt Filipe (CAR), Jordan Harris (MTL), Tyler Madden (VAN), Ryan Shea (CHI), Mike Kesselring (EDM), Riley Hughes (NYR), Aidan McDonough (VAN)

Providence: Following its second Frozen Four appearance in four years, the Friars also got hit with key offseason departures. Kasper Bjorkqvist, Jacob Bryson, Brandon Duhaime and Josh Wilkins all left early. Additionally, Hayden Hawkey, who posted a .920 save percentage, graduated. But Providence is always a well-coached, tough defensive team to play against, and the Friars will finish at the top of the league again.

Drafted players: Ben Mirageas (NYI), Max Crozier (TBL), Tyce Thompson (NJD), Michael Callahan (ARI), Jack Dugan (VGK), Patrick Moynihan (NJD), Jake Kucharski (CAR)

Vermont: The Catamounts finished 10th last year and probably won’t rise, unless goaltender Stefanos Lekkas can put up more than his .930 save percentage from last season, but that’s a lot to ask of a goaltender. Vermont saw a couple departures with Jake Massie and Liam Coughlin, but most of its players are returning.

Drafted players: Bryce Misley (MIN)

Five Undrafted Free Agents to Watch from Hockey East

Mitchell Chaffee, Massachusetts
Stephanos Lekkas, Vermont
Spenser Young, Providence
Mitchell Fossier, Maine
Patrick Curry, Boston University

World Junior A Challenge (December 2018) review

Ryan Wagman — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 15:57:18 +0000

Now roughly six weeks in the rear-view mirror, it is time to discuss everyone’s favorite red-headed stepchild of a hockey tournament, the World Junior A Challenge.

I say this not to further diminish this event, but to acknowledge that it plays so little a role in the collective hockey consciousness. The tournament is meant to showcase players who are playing away from the bright lights of the CHL (with some exceptions among the European clubs involved), or NCAA or the top pro leagues in Europe. The participating teams sometimes vary, with Switzerland not showing up this year, but four nations showed up making five teams in the event, with Canada, as per usual, fielding dual squads, one each for the Eastern and Western halves of the country.

The US squad, made up of USHL talent – without USNTDP representation – walked away with the title, beating a Russian team featuring top 2019 draft prospect Vasili Podkolzin.

Mike Sanderson was able to represent McKeens at the event last year, but we were not able to send a regular contributor into the field this year in Bonneyville, Alberta. So, we had the next best thing.

A friend of McKeens, who had a close personal connection to a player who competed at the tournament, offered up his personal takes of the players who stuck out. To avoid any bias, this contributor and his/her connection will remain anonymous. The player he/she is connected to has been seen a few times by other McKeens contributors and that player’s notes are reflective of the McKeens contributor. To establish the veracity of the opinions of the friend of McKeens, I will only note that he/she has played at a high level in the past, and coaches to this day.

The worst team at this year’s tournament came from Canada East, who failed to win a game, finishing with the following line:

4 GP, 0 W, 4 L, 9 GS, 22 GA

Perhaps uncoincidentally, our observer had little of note to report on this squad. The team had only one line of note, which featured Jamie Engelbert and Riley McCutcheon, both of whom play together with Coboug of the OJHL. The former provided the line with edge and the latter player with some skill. Despite a lack of size, the best pro prospect on the team was 5-9”, 175 blueliner Simon Mack (Brockville, CCHL), who played a mature game in all situations and generally looked better than the one drafted player on the team, Dustyn McFaul (Boston, 6^th round, 2018).

With one win in regulation and one in overtime, the Czech Republic team finished in fourth after losing in the bronze medal game. While Canada East was dubbed a one-line team, the Czechs were twice as good, with two lines that showed up to play. The most notable of the forwards was Matej Blumel, currently making a strong case to be drafted in his second year of eligibility on the back of a strong USHL campaign with Waterloo. He played with high work ethic, skill, and more bang for the buck than would be expected from his 5-11”, 190 lbs frame. Fellow USHLer Jan Kern, who went immediately from the WJAC to the WJC, and Jan Bambula, who plays for AZ Havirov in the Czech second division, completed the first line. As a unit, they were most noteworthy for their smart puck movement. Bambula, in particular, would hesitate to shoot, seemingly preferring to play the puck to one of his linemates.

The drafted eligible Michal Teply, currently playing in the top Czech men’s league for Bili Tygri Liberec, played an advanced game for a 17-year-old, although his sluggish pace may set him back. He has great size and needs to grow into his frame. Vojtech Strondala, another first time eligible, similarly playing in the top men’s league, for HC Kometa Brno, was the opposite in terms of his style of play. The tiny 5-7”, 154 lbs center played a big style game. The final player called out by our observer was Jaroslav Dvorak, spending most of his season in the second tier of Czech men’s hockey for HC Stadion Litomerice. Not a big time scorer, Dvorak perhaps lacks the hands for the highest levels of the game, but he plays with a bit of an edge and was generally the fastest player on the ice.

Back to Canada now for the so-called hosts in Canada West. During the round-robin phase, they had one each of a regulation win, regulation loss, overtime win and overtime loss. Not much different than the Czechs, except for the fact that when they squared off in the bronze medal game, the Canadians won.

The main attraction from the Canada West team was always going to be Alex Newhook (Victoria, BCHL), who we have ranked 15^th in the midterm draft class. With four assists in six games, Newhook had flashes of his potential, but was mostly notable for his inconsistency. He is a fantastic skater and slick passer with killer crossovers. While it was apparent that his inherent skill was on a different level than that of his teammates and much of the opposition, he had a tendency to float in games. He has the vision and the skill to excel, but it will not be enough for him to play to the level of his competition.

The team’s leading scorer was Harrison Blaisdell (Chilliwack, BCHL), who impressed with his powerful shot. Massimo Rizzo (Penticton, BCHL) had a strong tournament, as did Ethan Leyh (Langley, BCHL) who played with an edge throughout. The one drafted player on the squad, Austin Wong (Winnipeg, 7^th round, 2018 – playing with Okotoks of the AJHL) was always in the middle of the play, and despite his reputation for excessive penalty minutes – 18 of which he piled up in six games here – he did not strike the observer as being particularly undisciplined. Netminder Matthew Davis (Spruce Grove, AJHL) is small by modern goaltending standards, standing under 6-0” tall, but was fantastic under pressure and could be worth a late round gamble.

Even with likely first rounder Newhook on the team, though, the most impressive player for Canada West was likely 2020 draft candidate Dylan Holloway (Okotoks, AJHL), a 200-foot player who tied for the team lead with five points in six matches. He misses 2019 draft eligibility by just over one week and will play his draft season in the NCAA with Wisconsin. He has the total package to be a high pick next year.

The Russian contingent happened to go undefeated in the round-robin stage, but fell at the most important hurdle, losing in the gold medal game. That said, their unblemished round robin record owed a large debt of gratitude to team USA for pulling their netminder late in a tie game as the Americans attempted to win in regulation to help in tie-breaker scenarios. Our observer was rather impressed with the Russian team, which had a built-in advantage of rostering five CHL players, all of whom are somewhat prominent names for the upcoming draft (the Czechs had two OHLers and one collegian). Further, the top overall prospect at this tournament suited up for Russia in the form of team captain Vasili Podkolzin (SKA-1946 St. Petersburg), who we have ranked third for the midterm draft list.

In the words of our observer, Russia had “the most talented team at the tourney.” They played with a 2-3 trap, even when down a goal and were extremely hard to get through, allowing only eight goals in the four games of the round robin. All of this despite fielding a roster entirely made up of players who are first year draft eligible – or younger (younger than any other roster at the event by more than half a year of age, on average). The aforementioned Podkolzin played “the right way”, but with a very high skill set. He made plays in all three zones. While he plays with an edge, it is not without respect for his opponents. He has a very high hockey IQ. When the comparison to Jack Hughes, the presumptive number one pick in June, came up, the observer pointed out that while Podkolzin is stronger than Hughes, the latter is more skilled.

Ilya Nikolayev (Loko Yaroslavl) was another who impressed with a combination of skill and emotion. He trailed only Podkolzin in scoring for the Russians. Blueliner Artemi Knyazev (Chicoutimi), one of the team’s CHL ringers impressed with his smarts, structural positioning, and sharp first passes. Helping him in the back was Semyon Chistakov (Tolpar Ufa), who was much harder to play against than his diminutive size would suggest. He was aggressive, tough in the corners, and consistently made good decisions. He also was given the ‘C’ to wear when regular captain Podkolzin was suspended. A kind word is also due to big defender Ilya Mironov (Loko Yaroslavl). He made up for his relative lack of speed with a tough, physical game. Forward Rodion Amirov (Tolpar Ufa), who gained some attention at the Ivan Hlinka over the summer, impressed despite playing with two tangibly less talented linemates. His slick hands were especially notable. The last skater of note for Russia was forward Dmitri Sheshin (Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk). Although tiny (easily the smallest on his team), he was incredibly fast, and had a knack for forcing turnovers, many through his kamikaze hard forechecks.

The tournament was also a chance for 16-year-old netminder Yaroslav Askarov (SKA-Varyagi im. Morozova) to again show why he may be the top netminder for the 2020 draft. He was easily the best goaltender in the tournament. He was verbal in directing his blueliners. He played a calm, steady and quiet game positionally, not moving if he didn’t need to. His size is already adequate and promises to improve before his draft date. He was good at the Hlinka but was near unbeatable in Bonneyville.

The champion American side, as mentioned above, was chalk-full of players from the non-USNTDP version of the USHL. One team member (Ryan O’Reilly, 4^th round, 2018 – Detroit) was drafted last year, and a good number more will hear their names called this summer in Vancouver. Per our observer, their championship at the WJAC was a team effort, with all players playing in all situations. That was also reflected on the stats page, as 13 of the 20 skaters scored goals, and only four skaters – all blueliners – failed to register a point in the six games.

Both American netminders were great throughout, but Isaiah Saville (Tri-City) was particularly fantastic with a .944 save percentage. He is athletic, quick, and had a knack for seizing the moment when it mattered most.

On the blueline, 19-year-old Ronnie Attard (Tri-City) has taken big steps in his third draft eligible season. He was a team leader and skates beautifully, especially when considering his size. He has enough skill but showed a propensity for questionable puck decisions, such as numerous passed up shooting opportunities. On the other hand, he is advanced at exiting the defensive zone with a pass, a chip, or by skating it out. Ryan Johnson (Sioux Falls) began the tournament as the team’s seventh defenseman but kept proving his coaches wrong and was on the top pairing by the end of the event. While he needs to gain muscle before turning pro, he is a great skater, with a high hockey IQ. Despite being one of the few without a point, he moves the puck well. Another standout on the blueline was Zac Jones (Tri-City), whose skill set is somewhat deceptive. He prefers trying to make the dynamic play but will not totally eschew the safe play when called for.

Leading scorer Bobby Brink (Sioux City) actually gained some toughness credibility in Bonneyville, when he broke his ankle blocking a shot and kept playing, although he missed around six weeks of action – including the USHL Top Prospect Game - after the tournament. He is a great scorer, a good north-south skater, although he could use some brushing up with his agility. The fact that he blocked the shot while killing a penalty only enhances his reputation. He finally returned to game action last week. Trevor Janicke (Central Illinois), who finished second in team scoring, is a solid all-around player. The former USNTDP member, who moved from the program to the Flying Aces this year as he has a late birthdate, plays a low flash game. He works hard, forechecks hard, is good on the draw and has strong wheels. Matthew Brown (Des Moines), one of the few 19-year olds on the team, is a high-energy guy. He scored more than his fair share this year for the Buccaneers in league play, but he actually is more natural as a playmaker, as he would often pass up on a chance to shoot, preferring to distribute instead. He has a solid chance to be drafted in his third year of eligibility. Robert Mastrosimone (Chicago) is another 200 foot player, in some ways, though, the inverse of Brown. He is a skilled passer but is shot is actually his best weapon. He lacks somewhat in size but plays with an edge. He had a solid tournament but was actually more impactful at the Ivan Hlinka.

Jack Malone (Youngstown) and Shane Pinto (Tri-City now, Lincoln then) have both developed slowly but have come on strong in their draft years. Malone is a good skater with size, who could stand to improve his edges. Pinto was a non-entity on the prospect scene until fairly late in the process but has a lot to recommend him as a mid-round pick. Josh Nodler (Fargo) is another two-way forward. He is a very intelligent, cerebral player. He plays with strength and is a great, understated passer whose vision is his best trait. Grant Silianoff (Cedar Rapids) played a much different role than his normal net front slot with the RoughRiders. The former first overall pick in the 2017 USHL entry draft will need to up his production across the last third of the season to ensure that he is drafted, although he always shows hints of his potential. Griffin Ness (Waterloo) is more of a longshot to hear his name called on draft day, but also had a nice tournament, with a pair of goals, including one overtime winner. A hard-nosed, hard-working forward, with nice hands, but little flash to his game, he was tough to play against, like much of his team. Finally, a word on the aforementioned O’Reilly (Fargo). He is a big forward with gargantuan feet, which can get in his way. He has skill in his hands and a high end shot, but his footwork needs a lot of improvement before getting to the next level.

2018 NHL Draft Review: Central Division

Ryan Wagman — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 14:37:30 +0000

The draft is over and 217 young players are newly affiliated with 31 different NHL organizations. Outside of three to six of those players, who could jump right into NHL lineups in the fall, we will not know whether the vast majority of those players are draft successes for two, three, four, or five years.

The lack of clear foresight aside, we should still be able to judge draft classes at least in terms of expected value. In some cases, we can look at strategy as well, although the way the board shakes out based on the picks that came before, we can rarely truly discern what a club was trying to do, but only what they were able to do.

I had hoped that we would be able to provide an average Overall Future Projection of the various draft classes, but there are a few picks from the high school ranks, the NAHL and a few European junior leagues for whom we lack enough information to give a full grade, so we will focus on where we had players ranked as we assess the draft haul of each team, as we run division-by-division through the NHL.

Here is the Central Division

Chicago Blackhawks
1 (8) Adam Boqvist, D, Brynas J20 (SuperElit) - ranked 9th
1 (27) Nicolas Beaudin, D, Drummondville (QMJHL) - ranked 55th
3 (69) Jake Wise, C, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 62nd
3 (74) Niklas Nordgren, RW, HIFK U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga) - ranked 49th
4 (120) Philipp Kurashev, LW/C, Quebec (QMJHL) - ranked 80th
5 (139) Mikael Hakkarainen, C, Muskegon (USHL) - unranked
6 (162) Alexis Gravel, G, Halifax (QMJHL) - ranked 67th
7 (193) Josiah Slavin, LW, Lincoln (USHL) - unranked

With one difference of opinion, I have a lot of time for the Chicago Blackhawks draft class this year. That they selected six players in our top 100 (top 80, actually), reflects a lot of convergence in our respective scouting opinions. Doing it without a second rounder to play makes the feat even more impressive. With a rare top ten pick, the Hawks selected young Swedish dynamo Adam Boqvist eighth overall. While the pick raised the eyebrows a smidge, considering the availability of Evan Bouchard and Noah Dobson, two better-rounded, potential top pairing blueliners, the gap between the three of them was minute and more down to preference than actual expected value. Boqvist is a little rawer than the other two, but his upside is truly immense.

Where the eyebrows truly shot up was when the Blackhawks selected Drummondville blueliner Nicolas Beaudin with the second first rounder. First, because between Boqvist and their first two picks in the 2017 draft (Henri Jokiharju and Ian Mitchell), they seemed to now have a pretty good core of young blueliners to plan around. Secondly, and more important, how could Beaudin be the first Voltigeur off the board with Joe Veleno still available? Beaudin has high end vision, and moves the puck fairly well, but his skating is a sore point, particularly his first few steps and his reverse. He can get up to a decent top speed, but as he so often falls behind, it is an absolute necessity. Third, as Beaudin is a marauding sort, who likes to engage deep in the offensive end, there must be the worry that his game is too similar in style to Boqvist’s.

As much as I did not like the second first rounder, I loved the Hawks’ two third rounders. Jake Wise is a very good skater who can perform some nice tricks with the puck yet can be trusted in all situations. Were it not for an early season injury that had him miss a good long stretch, he would have gone at least 30 picks higher. Five picks later, Chicago took another offensively gifted forward in Finnish winger Niklas Nordgren, who scored eight times in seven games at the WU18, but has historically been a stronger playmaker than finisher. He needs to add muscle mass and improve his explosiveness, but he can produce. Chicago took another offensively talented forward in the fifth, reminding us all that successful teams do not just grab bottom six types in the later rounds, but continue to draft for talent. Swiss import Philipp Kurashev has shown improvement year over year in his two seasons with Quebec in the Q. He reads the play well in both zones and has very soft hands. Although he lacks bulk, he is not a peripheral player.

They continued to hunt for point producers as the draft petered out, as seen with sixth rounder Mikael Hakkarainen who had 46 points in 36 games with Muskegon this year. Even after accounting for the fact that the Finnish USHL import was in his third year of draft eligibility, he has scored at every level in which he has played. He missed a chunk of the year to injury, but when he played, he was creating chances left and right. A few solid seasons with Providence, and he could be a real late round gem. Chicago was wise to snatch up a promising, if very raw, netminder in the sixth round in Alexis Gravel, both as his tools rate very highly, even if his results were sub-par in his draft year with Halifax, but also as the net is a weak spot organizationally for the Hawks and will have a chance to make an impact in time. If he can play more like he has in the postseason for the Mooseheads than he did in the regular season, more than a few teams will be kicking themselves for passing up on him for five full rounds. As for the seventh rounder, Josiah Slavin, the younger brother of Hurricanes’ blueliner Jaccob Slavin, the Blackhawks did finally take a low ceiling player who maxes out as a fourth liner, if he even gets there. He has good size and is a decent skater, but has never been a scorer all the way bac to Bantam hockey. Even though I don’t agree with every pick, the Blackhawks’ strategy of largely selecting players with aa history of offensive production and continuing to draft talent even in the middle and (most of the) later rounds, is a winning strategy.

OFP – 53.25

Colorado Avalanche
1 (16) Martin Kaut, RW, Dynamo Pardubice (Czech) - ranked 20th
3 (64) Justus Annunen, G, Karpat U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga) - ranked 98th
3 (78) Sampo Ranta, LW, Sioux City (USHL) - ranked 54th
4 (109) Tyler Weiss, LW/C, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 59th
5 (140) Brandon Saigeon, C, Hamilton (OHL) - ranked Honorable Mention
5 (146) Danila Zhuravlyov, D, Irbis Kazan (MHL) - ranked 131st
6 (171) Nikolai Kovalenko, RW, Loko Yaroslavl (MHL) - ranked 159th
7 (202) Shamil Shamakov, G, Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk (MHL) - unranked

The Colorado Avalanche have never been the type of team to heavily scout the CHL, but to have only one pick from their seven come from the hotbed of Canadian junior hockey is a surprise even for them. Even when accounting for the fact that two additional picks were playing in the USHL, one of those was actually a Finnish import. In short, the Avalanche went the full anti-Don Cherry in their 2018 draft class, with five of seven picks coming from Europe. There was some speculation of whether their first round pick, Martin Kaut, would drop down draft boards after a disputed heart issue was discovered during medical testing at the draft combine. Thankfully, he rushed back to the Czech Republic and had the matter taken care of immediately, and received a clean bill of health before draft day. Kaut does everything at an above average level, and if the early successes of Martin Necas and Filip Chytil last year are any indication, the Czech Republic is back to being a hockey hotbed. Kaut is expected to move to the AHL next season.

In the three of the previous four drafts, the Avalanche selected a netminder from Europe, and they continued that trend with the second pick of the third round, taking Finnish WU18 hero Justus Annunen. Far from a flash in the pan, he was named the top goalie in the Finnish junior league and has the size every team covets in net, as well as above average athleticism. Half a round later, the Avs selected an early season sensation in the USHL, in Finnish import winger Sampo Ranta, who naturally elicited comparisons to former Sioux City sniper Eeli Tolvanen. Ranta is no Tolvanen, and is prone to a few bone-head reads, but he has a fine collection of offensive tools, projecting to top six potential across the board, and is going to a good program at Wisconsin starting next season.

Staying in the USHL, the first North American product Colorado drafted was North Carolina native Tyler Weiss from the USNTDP. The program often relegates talented players to a bottom six role because they are both not as good as the first line players, and they play high energy games. Both are true of Weiss. He plays with great energy and he is not as good as the top line trio of Jack Hughes, Oliver Wahlstrom, or Joel Farabee. Of course, that latter point is a very high bar for comparison. Weiss is very talented, and like a few previous USNTDP grads, I expect his offensive game to flourish in a more fluid role at Nebraska-Omaha. He is a great skater with shifty hands and great puck control. With his inherent grit, I think he is looked upon as a steal in short order.

Fifth rounder Brandon Saigeon was long written off as a disappointment in the OHL, as the former fourth overall OHL Draft pick took four seasons to really break out. Finally, in his third and final year of NHL draft eligibility, he took off with a strong Bulldogs team, at least reaching the point per game mark in the regular season, OHL playoffs, and Memorial Cup. He is eligible to go back to Hamilton for one more year, or join Kaut next year in the AHL. His future success hinges on his shot continuing to sneak past netminders.

After drafting their one and only CHL player, the Avalanche finished their draft with three picks from the Russian junior league. Defender Danila Zhuravlyov is a promising two way player with a good set of tools who needs to refine his game away from the puck. Winger Nikolai Kovalenko, is actually an Avalanche legacy pick, as his father Andrei played with the Nordiques and the Avalanche between 1992-96. Ironically enough, like Tyler Weiss, Kovalenko was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, although Kovalenko moved back to Russia as a youth. He has very high hockey intelligence and grades out very well for both skating and puck skills. If he gets more attention on the international stage, he will be looked at as a late round steal in short order. Finally, for their last selection, Colorado drafted the player with the best name in the draft, in Shamil Shmakov. In his second year of draft eligibility, the towering (6-6”) Russian netminder was a workhorse for his MHL team. He is athletic for his size and reads the play well. Between the Russians and the college bound players, the Avalanche’s 2018 draft class may take four or more years before it can be adequately judged. That said, with the talent selected, they should be optimistic.

OFP – 53.75

Dallas Stars
1 (13) Ty Dellandrea, C, Flint (OHL) - ranked 32nd
2 (44) Albin Eriksson, RW/LW, Skelleftea J20 (SuperElit) - ranked 121st
3 (75) Oskar Back, C/RW, Frolunda J20 (SuperElit) - ranked 75th
4 (100) Adam Mascherin, LW, Kitchener (OHL) - ranked 64th
4 (106) Curtis Douglas, C, Windsor (OHL) - ranked 95th
5 (137) Riley Damiani, C, Kitchener (OHL) - ranked 107th
6 (168) Dawson Barteaux, D, Red Deer (WHL) - ranked 206th
7 (199) Jermaine Loewen, RW/LW, Kamloops (WHL) - unranked

Like some teams, the Stars have geographical hot spots that they tend to return to again and again when to comes to drafting. They love the OHL, the WHL, Sweden and Finland. They have sometimes strayed from those areas, most notably for some first rounders from Russia (Valeri Nichushkin, and Denis Guryanov) and Minnesota prep (Riley Tufte) and the NCAA (Jake Oettinger), but the majority of their picks over the years come from the four areas listed above. And low and behold, they stayed true to form this year, drafting entirely from the OHL, WHL and Sweden. Hosting the draft, no matter who they selected would be bound to receive hearty applause and the fans did not disappoint in that regard.

Even though they went off the board with their first rounder, Ty Dellandrea, the Flint center has a few factors that suggest an upside just as high as those who had been ranked in that range of the draft class. He is very young for this draft class, he put up decent numbers despite playing for a tire fire of an OHL organization. He stepped up his game in the high profile events of the CHL Top Prospects Game and the WU18 tournament. He is a great skater with a very high hockey IQ, gets top marks for intangibles and has nice hands. I cannot truly fault Dallas for making this pick. I am less bullish on their second rounder, large Swedish winger Albin Eriksson. He has soft hands for his size and has certainly scored plenty in the SuperElit, but there are questions about his skating and his overall ability to process the game. He was held off the Swedish WU18 team as the national braintrust did not see a fit for him as a top six player, and did not think his game would translate to a bottom six role. I see a lot of risk-reward in this pick.

The Stars went right back to the SuperElit with their third rounder, for versatile forward Oskar Back. Back is not as big as Eriksson, but has more than enough size-wise. He is also a better skater, plays a more effective physical brand of hockey and showed the ability to play a variety of roles at the WU18. Dallas returned to the OHL for their two fourth round picks and their fifth rounder, bookending two picks from the Kitchener Rangers program (Adam Mascherin and Riley Damiani) with the gigantic Windsor center Curtis Douglas. Mascherin was this year’s only redraft player, as the former Florida second rounder never came to terms with the Panthers and took his chances with the league this year. He is a shorter, stockier player, lacking much explosion in his legs, but has been a prime sniper in the OHL for years (at least 35 goals in each of the last three seasons) and is ready for the AHL. His OHL teammate Damiani was selected by Dallas 37 picks later. Rather small, and not overly toolsy, he makes his hay thanks to high end hockey IQ. He has enough in the wheels department to be useful on the penalty kill as well, although he is not likely to ever be a big scorer.

In between those two picks, the Stars drafted the most physical specimen of the entire draft class in 6-8”, 247 pound behemoth center Curtis Douglas. Douglas is very strong, with unbeatable reach, but is not aggressive so much as he is imposing. He is a decent skater for his size and has reasonably fluid hands. Sixth rounder Dawson Barteaux was once a first round pick in the WHL Bantam Draft, but could not eke out a regular role in the WHL until this year, where he emerged as a reliable puck mover for Red Deer. His upside is not tremendous, but he can skate and get the puck out of his own end and could provide reasonable future value for this stage of the draft.

The Stars ended their draft with the first Jamaican born player ever selected in Kamloops’ hulking power winger Jermaine Loewen. In his third year of eligibility, Loewen went from being a bottom line bruiser to someone who could contribute in a top six role at the WHL level. His NHL prospects’ depend on being able to combine the attribute of both areas. Like Mascherin, he could jump right into the AHL next year. Generally speaking, I do not applaud drafting for size, which the Stars were clearly targeting, taking four players who are at least 6-3”, 205, but with one exception, I have no fault in where those big guys were drafted. They took enough in terms of skill and IQ that the organization should see good results from their 2018 haul, even if they are bunched among forwards.

OFP – 52.5

Minnesota Wild
1 (24) Filip Johansson, D, Leksand J20 (SuperElit) - ranked 46th
3 (63) Jack McBain, C, Toronto Jr. Canadiens (OJHL) - ranked 51st
3 (86) Alexander Khovanov, C, Moncton (QMJHL) - ranked 61st
3 (92) Connor Dewar, LW, Everett (WHL) - ranked 153rd
5 (148) Simon Johansson, D, Djurgardens J20 (SuperElit) - unranked
5 (155) Damien Giroux, C, Saginaw (OHL) - ranked Honorable Mention
6 (179) Shawn Boudrias, RW, Gatineau (QMJHL) - unranked
7 (210) Sam Hentges, C, Tri-City (USHL) - unranked

For many years, new Minnesota GM Paul Fenton was lauded as a key driving force behind Nashville’s consistent success at the draft table, where he served as assistant GM since 2006-07 and was involved in other roles with the club since 1998-99 (i.e. Day One). In his first crack at being the final voice on all personnel decisions, the eight players added to the Minnesota organization are very underwhelming. And with four of the eight picks being in their second year of draft eligibility, potential untapped upside is also lacking. In fairness to Fenton, he only took over the franchise with about one month before draft day. With a lack of clarity over how much he could have brought to the scouting meetings, I will reserve judgement on Fenton until the 2019 draft.

They had one pick on day one and used it on a low upside, high IQ defender in Swede Filip Johansson. The right shooting blueliner plays a poised game, keeping his crease clear and featuring heavily in PK rotations. While right handed defenders are always a desired commodity, without the ability to score from the point, that value is diminished. I have a hard time seeing Johansson ever playing much of a role on the power play in the NHL. He projects more as a #4/5 defender at his peak.

The best value picks made by Minnesota this year both came in the third round. With the first pick of the round, they nabbed Jack McBain, a big center who moves well for his size and has been crushing the OJHL since he arrived there two years ago. He was a first round OHL pick too, but preferred the college route. He has very good hands and a hard shot and will be tested by a big step up in competition when he joins Boston College next season. Another high upside pick was made later in the round when the Wild selected Moncton center Alexander Khovanov, who many thought could be a top half of the first round player when the Wildcats selected him very early in last year’s CHL Import Draft. Unfortunately, much of his draft year was wiped out due to a bout with Hepatitis A. When he returned after mid-season, he still showed flashes of puck magic, but his strength and stamina had yet to fully recover by year’s end. A full offseason to return to his previous form could see him take off in a big way and there is a good chance that he ends up as the Wild’s top return from this draft class.

Their third third rounder, Connor Dewar, is more of a late bloomer than the other two, as he really took a few steps forward this year, in his second year of draft eligibility. He has a big motor and can finish. Dewar lacks the upside of McBain, or Khovanov, but it is easy to see a bottom six winger at the highest level in his future. Minnesota went right back to low upside after that point, such as with the pick of Simon Johansson (no relation to Filip, although he is a cousin of Columbus center Alexander Wennberg). Simon Johnasson put up very good numbers from the blueline in his second year of eligibility in the SuperElit, mostly thanks to a strong point shot and good distribution skills. Unfortunately, his skating is rather rough, and he is not nearly as strong away from the puck.

The second fifth rounder taken by Minnesota may have some “diamond in the rough” qualities, as Damien Giroux was one of the top players on a moribund Saginaw team in the OHL. He is very undersized, but he has a good set of offensive tools and could be a solid player in the coming years. There is decent upside in Minnesota’s sixth rounder as well. Although Shawn Boudrias was in his second year of eligibility, had he been born two days later, he would have been in his first year of eligibility. He led Gatineau in scoring by 20 points, and has great size, although he lacks any true standout tools. Minnesota ended their draft with another second year eligible player in Sam Hentges, of Tri-City in the USHL. Hentges put up decent numbers when he was healthy enough to play, although injuries kept him off the ice for much of the second half. The native Minnesotan is going to St. Cloud State next season. With a very low ceiling, medium floor draft haul. Minnesota did very little to move the needle for the organization.

OFP – 51.25

Nashville Predators
4 (111) Jachym Kondelik, C, Muskegon (USHL) - ranked 110th
5 (131) Spencer Stastney, D, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 151st
5 (151) Vladislav Yeryomenko, D, Calgary (WHL) - ranked 196th
7 (213) Milan Kloucek, G, Dynamo Pardubicec (Czech) - unranked

With only four picks to be made, there is not much point in searching for trends in Nashville’s2018 draft class. With their first pick, they went with a tree in USHL center Jachym Kondelik. The 6-6” Czech pivot battled injuries this year with Muskegon, but has decent hands, enough mobility for his size, and shows the ability to play in a defensive role. If he could add more intensity to his game, he could be a real force down the line. He will take his next steps at the University of Connecticut.

With their next pick, the Predators took USNTDP blueliner Spencer Stastney, another player who had some injury trouble early in the year. Stastney is a smart, undersized puck mover, who has shown that he can play in a variety of roles and situations. He has a lot of tools and a generally high hockey IQ, but is overly prone to bonehead plays. If Notre Dame’s coaching staff can iron those out, he has pretty good upside. Later in the fifth round, the Predators drafted Belorussian blueliner Vladislav Yeryomenko, a second year eligible who has been playing in the WHL with Calgary for two seasons, putting up good numbers from the blueline all the while. He turned more heads with a strong WJC for Belarus, showing the ability to withstand a massive workload on a generally overmatched team. He has good hands and in another high IQ player for Nashville’s system.

The Predators completed their draft class with Czech netminder Milan Kloucek, drafted in his third year of eligibility. He performed well in a 10 game run in the men’s league with Dynamo Pardubice, but between never having played in a major international tournament, and moving around a lot between the top two Czech leagues and the junior ranks, he was not really on our radar. Despite not having a big presence in the draft this year, the Predators came away with three skaters who have enough upside to project as potential middle of the roster NHL contributors.

OFP – 50.75

St. Louis Blues
1 (25) Dominik Bokk, RW, Vaxjo J20 (SuperElit)
2 (45) Scott Perunovich, D, Minnesota-Duluth (NCHC)
4 (107) Joel Hofer, G, Swift Current (WHL)
5 (138) Hugh McGing, C, Western Michigan (NCHC)
6 (169) Mathias Laferriere, C, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
7 (200) Tyler Tucker, D, Barrie (OHL)

Four guys with youth and physical upside, and two guys who are older and smaller, but with more proof of success at higher levels. Positional balancing. The Blues’ own first round pick was traded to Philadelphia in the Brayden Schenn trade, but they got a first rounder back from Winnipeg in the Paul Stastny trade. The Blues, sensing an opportunity to get their guy, traded away a third rounder to move up a few spots and select German talent Dominik Bokk at 25^th overall. After tearing up the German U19 league as a 16 year old, Bokk moved to Sweden last year and laid the SuperElit to waste as well. He was less successful in limited time in the SHL, but he did enough last year to prove that he is far more than just a big fish in a small pond. He is a fine skater with high end offensive tools. He should get a much longer leash in the SHL next year in order to be ready to move to North America in 2019-20.

With their second rounder, the Blues went for American WJC hero, the third time eligible blueliner Scott Perunovich. He was too small and wild to be drafted in his first year of eligibility out of Hibbing/Chisholm high school in Minnesota. In his second year of eligibility, he performed alright with Cedar Rapids of the USHL, but still struggled in his own end. This year, he went to Minnesota-Duluth and was the leading scorer on the eventual NCAA champions. In the middle, he took time off to play for his country at the WJC and was electrifying with his puck rushes. He will never be a force in his own zone, but he is a very good skater and capable of brilliance with the puck.

The Blues did not get any big upside plays after that, but each of their final four picks had something to recommend themselves to scouts. Fourth rounder Joel Hofer was a backup netminder with WHL champs Swift Current. He put up the best numbers of any draft eligible netminder in the WHL and has the ideal frame for modern netminders. With Stuart Skinner graduating, he is the likely starter for the Broncos next year. In the fifth round, the Blues selected Hugh McGing, another third time eligible player, who had come off a strong sophomore campaign at Western Michigan and almost joined Perunovich on Team USA at the WJC. The undersized McGing is a playmaker and skates just well enough to evade being a target.

Of all of St. Louis picks, sixth rounder Mathias Laferriere has the least upside. He is young and has decent size, but has not lived up to his advance billing as the seventh overall pic in the QMJHL Entry draft in 2016. None of his attributes project to above average. The Blues’ final 2018 selection came in the form of Barrie blueliner Tyler Tucker. Like Laferriere, Tucker was a high pick going into junior who has been little more than OK in his time in the CHL thus far. He has an adequate game with the puck and plays with a mean streak, but needs to improve his skating in order to make it. While I would have liked to see St. Louis go for more upside in the back half of their draft class, the dynamism of their first two picks could be very impactful to the NHL roster in the near future.

OFP - 51

Winnipeg Jets
2 (60) David Gustafsson, C, HV71 (SHL) - ranked 50th
3 (91) Nathan Smith, C, Cedar Rapids (USHL) - unranked
5 (150) Declan Chisholm, D, Peterborough (OHL) - ranked 141st
5 (153) Giovanni Vallati, D, Kitchener (OHL) - ranked 79th
6 (184) Jared Moe, G, Waterloo (USHL) - ranked 192nd
7 (215) Austin Wong, C, Okotoks (AJHL) - unranked

I often consider the Winnipeg Jets among the more astute drafting teams in the league. That is why it is now hard for me to express how much I dislike their 2018 draft class. I believe that when a team trades away their first round pick, it is all the more of an imperative that they aim for upside with their next few picks, as with expectations already lowered, they can only gain. There is very little upside in this class, and relatively little value in the picks they made. This does not mean that I hate the picks or cannot see a path to the NHL for any of the players whose names they called out, but as a group, I don’t see it. If anything, they targeted physicality over skill, a tactic I have a hard time getting behind.

Second rounder David Gustafsson is a decent pick at that spot. He is not the best skater, but he is strong on the puck, demonstrates a high hockey IQ and is big and effectively powerful. He spent the bulk of his draft year in the SHL and plays a mature game. He projects to third line upside. Their next pick, Nathan Smith of Cedar Rapids, was a real head scratcher, though. A second year eligible with a late birthday, Smith is a decent playmaker who plays a somewhat gritty game, but is a mediocre skater whose reads need a lot of work. To be fair, it was only the first year the Tampa native spent outside of Florida, so he may have more upside than his performance suggests, but I have never seen it.

After sitting out the fourth round, the Jets picked up two decent blueline prospects in the fifth round in Declan Chisholm and Giovanni Vallati, both OHL products. Chisholm, from Peterborough, is a good skater and has some puck moving acumen, but was held back by injury and a poor Petes team this year. Kitchener’s Vallati is an even better skater, who flashes high end IQ and a more physical game. For my money, the Vallati pick was the best value the Jets got in Dallas. I might have been more forgiving of their draft class had they selected Vallati with their third rounder and Nathan Smith with the late fifth rounder. Both Chisholm and Vallati have decent third pairing projections. In the sixth round, Winnipeg selected second time eligible Jared Moe, a big netminder who split the crease in Waterloo with Philadelphia prospect Matej Tomek, who he outperformed. Like Nathan Smith, this was Moe’s first season out of the high school ranks. Moe should have the crease in Waterloo to himself next year before going to Minnesota.

The Jets saved their toughest pick for the end, drafting Okotoks pugilist Austin Wong. Wong had decent, but not eye-catching offensive numbers for the AJHL, but one look at the PIM column lets you know wat kind of player the Jets are adding. He is one of, if not the most, physical player in the entire draft class. Of course, there are drawbacks to that style, often leaving his team shorthanded. If he can tone it down just a bit and work on his skating, he could be OK, but he seems more like a 1980s throwback as is. After drafting high end skill for a number of years, the Jets might have taken a step in the wrong direction with these picks, even if some of them hit their best-case projections.

OFP – 50.5

AJHL: Austin Wong (2018 Draft Eligible)

Vince Gibbons — Sun, 25 Feb 2018 12:17:16 +0000

Vince Gibbons provides a detailed scouting report on Austin Wong of the Okotoks Oilers of the AJHL. He sits fifth in team scoring with 24 goals and 50 points, to go along with 221 penalty minutes. Gibbons notes "His best skill is his NHL level truculence" but there is more to his game as he explains below.

Austin Wong	2018 Draft Eligible
Position: C, Shoots R	H/W: 5-11", 190 lbs
Stats to date (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS)	Okotoks Oilers, AJHL (50-24-26-50-221)

Austin Wong 2018 Draft Eligible

Position: C, Shoots R H/W: 5-11", 190 lbs

Stats to date (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS) Okotoks Oilers, AJHL (50-24-26-50-221)

Skating: Wong has a choppy skating style, despite this he is able to get around the ice fine. Where his speed is noticeable is in his cuts to the net and his drives to the dirty areas of the ice. He goes in with reckless abandon which is hard to defend. Grade: 45

Shot: The shot is a work in progress as it does not offer much in terms of accuracy. That is if he is able to get it off at all. He has a slow release making it easier for defenders to poke the puck away, or close down the lane pretty effectively against him. In tight he struggles to adjust his shot angle to get good shots off. He seems to need to handle every pass before releasing it which enables the defenders and goalie to recover. There is plenty of room for improvement here. Grade: 45

Skills: Wong has pretty good vision and passing skills and he is able to create chaos in and around the opposing net. This is an effective combination of skills to generate offense. He is a ‘dish the puck from the wall and drive to the net’ sort of player. He does well at reading rebounds and board bounces to put himself in sound positions to come up with the puck. He needs to work on his puck control and can be caught over-handling the puck when a quick shot would be the best course of action. His best skill is his NHL level truculence that he carries with him through all three zones and on every shift. Grade: 50

Smarts: Offensively he understands what he needs to do to be an effective player. His net drives create space for his teammates in the zone to be creative and his constant net front presence is very effective in terms of creating second chance scoring attempts. His competitiveness keeps him from giving up on plays which enables him to be effective defensively. The discipline is lacking a bit as there are lots of double minors and misconducts in his game that take him out of the play and put his team at risk. Grade: 45

Physicality: Wong’s success at progressing to have a pro career will revolve around his effectiveness with his physical play. While not a huge guy he plays a heavy effective game. He finishes his checks consistently; he drives to the dirty areas of the ice with and without the puck. He will take a good lick to make a play and will keep going back for more. He is able to be a scorer at the AJHL level because of his willingness to fight in close around the net for every inch of ice. He is a bit careless with his stick and has racked up additional penalties in addition to the ones he gets for his physical play. He defends his teammates and is willing to drop the gloves. He does need to show a bit more self-control going forward or his discipline could start to affect wins and losses. Grade: 60

Summary: Austin Wong may not get drafted this year but if a college coach is able to rough out some of his edges he could eventually find his way onto a pro roster. He reminds me a lot of Ryan Lomberg who has willed his way into the NHL for a cup of coffee with the Calgary Flames this year, by being a physical, relentless, and dogged fore-checker that competes every minute he is on the ice.

Overall Future Projection (OFP): 47.75