Cam Hillis – McKeen's Hockey

2021-22 TOP 15 PROSPECTS: MONTREAL CANADIENS – RANK: #19 – TIER III

McKeen's Hockey — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 23:34:00 +0000

Montreal Canadiens

#19 Montreal - Cole Caufield is one of the top prospects in the sport, but with the possible exception of Kaiden Guhle, the rest of the system will be hard pressed to project to the top half of an NHL lineup.

MONTREAL, QC - JUNE 07: Look on Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (22) during the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs second round game 4 between the Winnipeg Jets versus the Montreal Canadiens on June 07, 2021, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

Cole Caufield

Caufield has been overlooked for most of his life due to his small stature. Many NHL clubs couldn’t fathom using a first round pick on a 5-7” winger who didn’t have elite speed to boot. But let’s be honest with ourselves. If he could score like he does, he would have been worth a higher pick than the 15^th overall choice Montreal used on him even if he was 4-7”. His performance in the two years since he was drafted plays into the narrative that he wanted to prove wrong all of those who passed on him among the first 14 choices.

He has demonstrated over and over that he can score in any manner of ways, with a shot that is near the best in the NHL for its power, accuracy, and the quickness of its release. What he started showing once he joined the Canadiens, after the end of his sophomore season with Wisconsin, was that we shouldn’t sleep on him as a playmaker, either. Additionally, he quieted some whispers that he couldn’t perform in the clutch, feelings born from two relatively quiet performances at the WJC, even though he had crushed the WU18s before his day at the draft and succeeded enough in the second WJC to win a Gold Medal. That last concern was put to bed by his ability to jump right into the lineup and play a central role in Montreal reaching the Stanley Cup finals. Caufield will be a top three finisher in this year’s Calder Race. Book it. - RW

Kaiden Guhle

Kaiden Guhle is a defender that oozes NHL top four potential. He may never develop the full offensive game, but he has every other quality that you want. He has an intensity to his game that forces opponents to take note when he is on the ice. He has size to deliver some big-time hits, stop cycles and control the board play in his own zone. He has excellent footwork and speed for a big man enabling him to help out in the transition game and be an effective puck carrier in the neutral zone. He uses his size so effectively to push players wider than they want to go, stepping up on those who expect him to back off, and using his long reach to change what attackers are trying to do. Often, he forces them out of dangerous areas by angling them off.

With the puck Guhle is a solid puck mover because he makes quick decisions and has some puck handling ability. His offensive potential has always been a bit of a mystery, but the skills are there for him to have more of an offensive game as he matures. There is a lot to like about his overall game even if his offensive numbers won’t pop in his first couple of seasons. Look for him to be one of the best defensemen in the WHL this year, in addition to a possible captain for Canada at the World Juniors. - VG

Mattias Norlinder

A real standout in his first SHL season, Norlinder looked better and better as the year went on; he finished the play-offs with five points (3+2) from seven games. The 20-year-old defensemen was Frölunda´s leading scorer in the postseason. There have been a lot of talks about him; how well the drafted-as-an-overager Swedish defenseman looked and whether he is already ready for the NHL. It is still unclear if the Canadiens want Norlinder to stay in Sweden for one more year, or if he is guaranteed a spot in the organization. The only sure thing is the fact he will attend the Habs´ rookie camp, which might indicate he will stay in Canada afterwards.

Norlinder´s stats do not exactly tell he's an offensive defenseman who has elite potential. In spite of the great play-offs, he managed to score 10 regular season points with Frölunda in 37 matches. Despite the limited production, the Swedish 20-year-old has a lot of skills that might help him to get to the NHL even in the next season. He is fast, has great vision, and is an elite passer and puck mover. He should benefit from playing with an experienced, older defenseman to improve even more. If he maintains the sky-rocket progress from the last season, Norlinder could look at a top-four, even top-two role in the NHL in the future. - MD

Cayden Primeau

Two seasons removed from leaving college as perhaps the most decorated goaltender at that level, holder of one Mike Richter Award and two nods as First Team All Star goalie in the powerhouse Hockey East Conference, expectations have been duly dampened. While his rookie pro campaign was very promising, including a stellar two game cameo in the NHL, he took a marginal step back in his follow-up season. Primeau’s AHL numbers stayed remarkably steady (.908 SV% in 2019-20, .909 SV% in 2020-21), but his NHL cameo numbers plunged into the abyss, as he put up a 4.16 GAA and an ugly .849 SV% in four games.

Perhaps Montreal already had an inkling that his ceiling was not as the heir apparent to Carey Price, and next in line for the Canadiens long, storied history of all-time great goalies. After all, even after his pro debut season, they went out and signed veteran Jake Allen to a pretty big money contract for what was ostensibly supposed to be a backup netminder. That said, Montreal should not be seen as giving up on Primeau. They did sign him to a one-year extension this offseason, expecting him to perform better in the likely case (Price is coming off offseason surgery) that he is called upon for third string duties. He has ideal size, above average athleticism, and is generally a steady hand between the pipes. We can give up on our lofty dreams of yesterday and still appreciate a great outcome from a 7^th round draft pick. - RW

Jesse Ylonen

Even though the production in Finland (in Liiga with Pelicans) was probably under where the Canadiens would have liked, Ylonen’s first partial season in North America probably surpassed expectations. The speedy forward was a consistent and reliable offensive weapon for Laval, posting his highest point per game average since the 2016/17 season in the U20 Sm-Liiga. Ylonen has always been more than the sum of his parts. He has performed incredibly well internationally for Finland, winning a silver at the U18’s and a gold at the U20’s, but as mentioned, the Liiga production fell a little flat.

Ylonen’s game is built around his ability to generate offensive chances with his quickness. An aggressive transitional attacker, he excels when playing with pace, but has the hands and processing ability to produce in the slot area too. Ylonen’s future projection is probably similar to that of his father’s, former Phoenix Coyotes forward Juha Ylonen. Jesse probably tops out as a high end third line forward for the Canadiens who can play a multitude of roles and find success doing so. He probably spends the majority of the year with Laval again to build offensive confidence before making the jump full time the year after. - BO

Jordan Harris

While his physical tools have never gained him too much attention, Harris has simply played a game that was greater than the sum of his parts from draft day to the present day. Relatively small by NHL defender standards, observers would be hard pressed to find severe flaws in his game, but on the other hand, they would also struggle to state what he does best. Perhaps we can just point out that he plays hockey well. As a third round pick whose highest level of hockey exposure before the draft was a five-game stint with Youngstown of the USHL, his selection was certainly a risk.

After he ascended directly from high school to Northeastern, his freshman season was OK, but did not allay any concerns too much. He was reliable defensively, but brought little to the offensive game, with a 0.33 points-per-game average. In the two subsequent seasons, his production rate has trended steadily upwards, to 0.64 points-per-game as a sophomore – a season which also saw Harris named to the American WJC squad – and then reach one point per game, on the nose, last year. His game is still more mature than toolsy, although his mobility is a point in his favor. Harris’ path to the NHL lies in maintaining that composure and sense of all-zones reliability. As of this writing, he was planning on returning to Northeastern for his senior season, wearing the ‘C’ on his chest. - RW

Jayden Struble

In several respects, Struble’s story looks a lot like Jordan Harris’, described in the preceding profile. He was a surprisingly high draft pick out of a New England prep school, with no real high-level experience to speak of at the time of his drafting. Struble then joined Harris at Northeastern, after the latter had already completed his freshman season at the institution. Once we get past their similar origin stories, we can look at Struble for what he is, instead of how he compares to another. Through two years with the Huskies, Struble hasn’t shown much growth in the offensive game, nor has he shown the same tendencies to take on workhorse minutes. He is a strong skater and plays with competence – at least – with the puck, but it would be irresponsible of us to expect more than incidental offensive production at his peak.

What Struble does at a much higher level than Harris – if not the majority of defensive prospects altogether – is play a physical game. Harris is ready to take a hit to make a play. Struble is too, but he much prefers making a hit to kill a play. He is a real pain to play against, and that trait will win him fans at any level. Struble’s ceiling isn’t too high, but he is the type who will be the beneficiary of multiple opportunities to stake a permanent position in the defensive rotation simply on the strength of his physical game. - RW

Jan Mysak

It was quite the whirlwind of a year for Mysak, as he split time between playing for the Czech Republic internationally (he captained the WJC team), HC Litvinov of the Czech extraligue, and Laval of the AHL. Like many others mentioned in this yearbook, Mysak was able to play in the AHL because the OHL season was canceled. While his offensive production this year did not meet expectations, it is way too early to write off this recent second round selection.

Mysak is at his best when driving the net and playing with pace. His quick hands and strong puck skill allow him to be a quality finisher in tight to the crease. While the offensive production with Laval was overall disappointing, Mysak did show well in flashes. The Canadiens organization has to hope that Mysak can take what he has learned this year and apply it to next season to be a more consistent contributor. Mysak will likely be given the chance to return to Laval if Montreal chooses (despite his age), however they could also elect to send him back to Hamilton of the OHL to get first line minutes. His projection remains that of a middle six goal scorer. - BO

Sean Farrell

USA Hockey’s Junior player of the year this past year (Dave Tyler Award), Farrell earned a ton of accolades thanks to his dominant play with the Chicago Steel. The USNTDP grad, expecting to attend Harvard last year as a freshman, had to delay those plans when all Ivy League schools cancelled sports due to the pandemic. So, Farrell returned for a second season in Chicago, and a fourth in the USHL, and went about setting new records. He led the league in assists and points, the latter figure the best the league had seen since Kevin Roy in 2011-12, and on a points-per-game ratio, the best the league had seen in a season of more than 30 games since 1994-95, when it was a very different league.

In fairness, Farrell was far too advanced for the league, and the team he was on, featuring two other drafted players, plus seven additional players who were drafted this year, was the class of the league. So, we should take Farrell’s raw production with a few grains of salt. But even with those extrinsic advantages, Farrell has a lot to offer. His puck skills are sublime, and his vision of the play to be made consistently kept him a few steps ahead of the competition. Farrell’s lack of size will force him to continue proving himself at every level, but he is more than ready for the next level now. Expect him to be an impact player at Harvard immediately. - RW

Logan Mailloux

Unquestionably one of the most controversial selections in the history of the NHL Draft, Mailloux likely needs no introduction. The Montreal Canadiens came under heavy scrutiny for his selection in the first round in 2021, and as they should have. This is a young man who has to show growth off the ice before he deserves the chance to don the Canadiens jersey, and that is why Montreal is not allowing him to attend training camp (or rookie camp) this offseason.

A 6’3, right shot defender, Mailloux is not without talent. He has a cannon of a shot and great scoring instincts from the back end. He has a penchant for the big hit and likes to assert himself physically. And he skates well in all four directions. However, Mailloux has yet to truly be tested at a high level, having only played a handful of OHL games thus far (and a season in the Swedish third tier on a really poor team). The London Knights appear to be supportive of Mailloux as he looks to mature as a person and hockey player. Whether the OHL (as a league entity) steps in (with a potential suspension) remains to be seen. However, in London, Mailloux has the talent to be a top four defender on a strong Knights team and has the potential to be a top four defender in the future, so long as he earns the opportunity through the right channels and through the right personal reflection and maturation. - BO

Oliver Kapanen

A late second round pick by Montreal in 2021, Oliver is cousin of NHL’er Kasperi Kapanen and the nephew of former NHL’er Sami Kapanen. Much like his relatives, Oliver’s skating ability is a strength. He will look to establish himself in Liiga full time this year KaIPa.

Riley Kidney

A highly intelligent pivot, Kidney was also a second-round selection by Montreal in 2021. He finished the previous QMJHL season on a high note and will look to be among the QMJHL’s leading scorers this season. Improving his physical tools (strength and speed specifically) will be the key to unlocking his potential.

Cam Hillis

Cam Hillis’ first professional season with Laval did not exactly go according to plan, with Hillis registering only a single point in 18 games. A competitive playmaker, Hillis is a responsible two-way pivot. Hopefully he can rebound well this season with more responsibility.

Josh Brook

After leading the WHL in defenseman scoring a few seasons ago, Brook’s development as a pro has been a little slower than anticipated. However, the right shot defender has shown growth each of the last two years, especially defensively. His upside may not be as high as previously thought.

Luke Tuch

The younger brother of Vegas forward Alex Tuch, Luke is coming off of a solid freshman season at Boston University. The former second round pick may not have elite upside, but his combination of size and skill could make him a valuable middle six forward, so long as he continues to improve his skating

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Top 300 Prospect Rankings

McKeen's Hockey — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:09:56 +0000

These are our final prospect ranking prior to the start of the season. As a subscriber you can download the list in an excel chart and can link to the player pages in the chart found here. As always, the rankings you see below are based on our 20-80 scouting system looking at five categories for skaters (Skating, Shot, Puck Skills, Hockey Smarts, Physicality) and six for netminders (Athleticism/Quickness/Speed, Compete/Temperament, Vision/Play Reading, Technique/Style, Rebound Control, Puck Handling). Our prospect team spent large portions of their last few months pre-COVID in the rinks, watching the players below and many others, and further work on video (Instat Hockey has been a terrific resource in recent days) before passing judgement on their future projections.

The 20-80 scouting system is meant to allow players from different leagues in different parts of the world to be compared to one another, such that grades on a player in the OHL can be directly compared to grades from an AHL player, and to grades of someone playing in the MHL.

PROSPECT CRITERIA

Players under 26 years of age as of the September 15th prior (Sep. 15, 1994) to the season in question who have appeared in less than 60 NHL games (30 for goalies) and less than 35 in any one season – or 25 last year (20 for goalies, 15 last season) are considered prospects

RANK	PLAYER	NHL	POS	AGE	HT/WT	ACQUIRED
1	Alexis Lafreniere	NYR	LW	19	6-1/195	`20(1st)
2	Tim Stutzle	Ott	C	18	6-1/185	`20(3rd)
3	Quinton Byfield	LA	C	18	6-4/215	`20(2nd)
4	Trevor Zegras	Ana	C	19	6-0/170	`19(9th)
5	Kirill Kaprizov	Min	LW	23	5-10/200	`15(135th)
6	Lucas Raymond	Det	LW	18	5-11/170	`20(4th)
7	Dylan Cozens	Buf	C	19	6-3/185	`19(7th)
8	Bowen Byram	Col	D	19	6-0/195	`19(4th)
9	Peyton Krebs	VGK	C	19	5-11/180	`19(17th)
10	Jake Sanderson	Ott	D	18	6-1/185	`20(5th)
11	Moritz Seider	Det	D	19	6-3/185	`19(6th)
12	Jamie Drysdale	Ana	D	18	5-11/175	`20(6th)
13	Igor Shesterkin	NYR	G	25	6-1/190	`14(118th)
14	Alexander Holtz	NJ	RW	18	6-0/190	`20(7th)
15	Cole Perfetti	Wpg	LW	19	5-10/180	`20(10th)
16	Marco Rossi	Min	C	19	5-9/185	`20(9th)
17	Vasili Podkolzin	Van	RW	19	6-1/190	`19(10th)
18	Victor Soderstrom	Ari	D	19	5-11/180	`19(11th)
19	Nick Robertson	Tor	LW	19	5-9/160	`19(53rd)
20	Cole Caufield	Mtl	RW	19	5-7/165	`19(15th)
21	Yaroslav Askarov	Nsh	G	18	6-3/175	`20(11th)
22	Spencer Knight	Fla	G	19	6-3/195	`19(13th)
23	Philip Broberg	Edm	D	19	6-3/200	`19(8th)
24	Jack Quinn	Buf	RW	19	6-0/180	`20(8th)
25	Matthew Boldy	Min	LW	19	6-1/190	`19(12th)
26	Nils Lundkvist	NYR	D	20	5-11/180	`18(28th)
27	Seth Jarvis	Car	RW	18	5-10/175	`20(13th)
28	Ty Smith	NJ	D	20	5-10/180	`18(17th)
29	Grigori Denisenko	Fla	LW	20	5-11/185	`18(15th)
30	Barrett Hayton	Ari	C	20	6-1/190	`18(5th)
31	Alex Newhook	Col	C	19	5-10/195	`19(16th)
32	Thomas Harley	Dal	D	19	6-3/190	`19(18th)
33	Alex Turcotte	LA	C	19	5-11/185	`19(5th)
34	Vitali Kravtsov	NYR	RW	21	6-3/185	`18(9th)
35	Philip Tomasino	Nsh	C	19	5-11/180	`19(24th)
36	Connor McMichael	Wsh	C	19	5-11/175	`19(25th)
37	Dawson Mercer	NJ	C	19	6-0/180	`20(18th)
38	Ilya Sorokin	NYI	G	25	6-2/180	`14(78th)
39	Gabriel Vilardi	LA	RW	21	6-3/200	`17(11th)
40	Ryan Merkley	SJ	D	20	5-11/170	`18(21st)
41	Alexander Romanov	Mtl	D	20	5-11/185	`18(38th)
42	Kaiden Guhle	Mtl	D	18	6-2/190	`20(16th)
43	Samuel Poulin	Pit	LW	19	6-1/205	`19(21st)
44	K'Andre Miller	NYR	D	20	6-3/205	`18(22nd)
45	Scott Perunovich	StL	D	22	5-10/175	`18(45th)
46	Evan Bouchard	Edm	D	21	6-2/195	`18(10th)
47	Braden Schneider	NYR	D	19	6-2/200	`20(19th)
48	Juuso Valimaki	Cgy	D	22	6-2/205	`17(16th)
49	Cam York	Phi	D	19	5-11/175	`19(14th)
50	Anton Lundell	Fla	C	19	6-1/185	`20(12th)
51	Morgan Frost	Phi	C	21	5-11/180	`17(27th)
52	Owen Tippett	Fla	RW	21	6-1/200	`17(10th)
53	Albert Johansson	Det	D	19	5-11/165	`19(60th)
54	Liam Foudy	CBJ	C	20	6-0/175	`18(18th)
55	Kieffer Bellows	NYI	LW	22	6-0/200	`16(19th)
56	Arthur Kaliyev	LA	RW	19	6-2/190	`19(33rd)
57	Oliver Wahlstrom	NYI	RW	20	6-1/205	`18(11th)
58	Nils Hoglander	Van	RW	20	5-9/185	`19(40th)
59	Matias Maccelli	Ari	LW	20	5-11/170	`19(98th)
60	Tobias Bjornfot	LA	D	19	6-0/200	`19(22nd)
61	Jacob Bernard-Docker	Ott	D	20	6-0/180	`18(26th)
62	Connor Zary	Cgy	C	19	6-0/180	`20(24th)
63	Dominik Bokk	Car	RW	20	6-1/180	T(StL-9/19)
64	Ryan Suzuki	Car	C	19	6-0/180	`19(28th)
65	Dylan Samberg	Wpg	D	21	6-3/190	`17(43rd)
66	Jake Bean	Car	D	22	6-1/175	`16(13th)
67	Josh Norris	Ott	C	21	6-1/195	T(SJ-9/18)
68	Rasmus Kupari	LA	C	20	6-1/185	`18(20th)
69	Jakob Pelletier	Cgy	LW	19	5-9/165	`19(26th)
70	Drake Batherson	Ott	RW	22	6-1/190	`17(121st)
71	Jan Jenik	Ari	RW	20	6-1/180	`18(65th)
72	John-Jason Peterka	Buf	LW	18	5-11/190	`20(34th)
73	Kirill Marchenko	CBJ	LW	20	6-3/190	`18(49th)
74	Bode Wilde	NYI	D	20	6-2/195	`18(41st)
75	John Beecher	Bos	C	19	6-3/210	`19(30th)
76	Tyler Madden	LA	C	21	5-10/155	T(Van-2/20)
77	Jack Studnicka	Bos	C	21	6-1/170	`17(53rd)
78	Jake Oettinger	Dal	G	22	6-4/210	`17(26th)
79	Alex Formenton	Ott	LW	21	6-2/165	`17(47th)
80	Matthew Robertson	NYR	D	19	6-3/200	`19(49th)
81	Calen Addison	Min	D	20	5-10/180	T(Pit-2/20)
82	Ty Dellandrea	Dal	C	20	6-0/185	`18(13th)
83	Akil Thomas	LA	C	20	5-11/170	`18(51st)
84	Mavrik Bourque	Dal	C	18	5-10/180	`20(30th)
85	Ian Mitchell	Chi	D	21	5-11/175	`17(57th)
86	Jason Robertson	Dal	LW	21	6-2/195	`17(39th)
87	Hendrix Lapierre	Wsh	C	18	5-11/180	`20(22nd)
88	Brendan Brisson	VGK	C	19	5-11/180	`20(29th)
89	Theodor Niederbach	Det	C	18	5-11/175	`20(51st)
90	Zac Jones	NYR	D	20	5-10/175	`19(68th)
91	Robert Mastrosimone	Det	LW	19	5-10/160	`19(54th)
92	Joe Veleno	Det	C	20	6-1/195	`18(30th)
93	Rodion Amirov	Tor	LW	19	6-0/170	`20(15th)
94	Jake Neighbours	StL	LW	18	5-11/195	`20(26th)
95	Julien Gauthier	NYR	RW	23	6-4/225	T(Car-2/20)
96	Justus Annunen	Col	G	20	6-4/215	`18(64th)
97	Egor Zamula	Phi	D	20	6-4/175	FA(9/18)
98	Shane Pinto	Ott	C	20	6-2/190	`19(32nd)
99	Noel Gunler	Car	RW	19	6-2/175	`20(41st)
100	Ridly Greig	Ott	C	18	5-11/165	`20(28th)
101	Jesse Ylonen	Mtl	RW	21	6-1/185	`18(35th)
102	Samuel Fagemo	LA	RW	20	6-0/195	`19(50th)
103	Mattias Norlinder	Mtl	D	20	5-11/180	`19(64th)
104	Olli Juolevi	Van	D	22	6-3/200	`16(5th)
105	Kristian Vesalainen	Wpg	LW	21	6-3/205	`17(24th)
106	Raphael Lavoie	Edm	RW	20	6-4/195	`19(38th)
107	Jan Mysak	Mtl	C	18	5-11/180	`20(49th)
108	Cayden Primeau	Mtl	G	21	6-3/180	`17(199th)
109	Pavel Dorofeyev	VGK	LW	20	6-1/170	`19(79th)
110	Morgan Barron	NYR	C	22	6-2/200	`17(174th)
111	Ville Heinola	Wpg	D	19	5-11/180	`19(20th)
112	Dylan Holloway	Edm	C	19	6-0/205	`20(14th)
113	Jack Dugan	VGK	RW	22	6-2/185	`17(142nd)
114	Alexander Khovanov	Min	C	20	5-11/195	`18(86th)
115	Jacob Perreault	Ana	RW	18	5-11/195	`20(27th)
116	Jake Evans	Mtl	C	24	6-0/185	`14(207th)
117	Adam Beckman	Min	LW	19	6-1/170	`19(75th)
118	Jett Woo	Van	D	20	6-0/205	`18(37th)
119	Nolan Foote	NJ	LW	20	6-3/190	T(TB-2/20)
120	Logan Brown	Ott	C	22	6-6/220	`16(11th)
121	Martin Kaut	Col	RW	21	6-1/175	`18(16th)
122	Jack Rathbone	Van	D	21	5-10/175	`17(95th)
123	Ozzy Wiesblatt	SJ	RW	18	5-10/185	`20(31st)
124	Ryan O'Rourke	Min	D	18	6-0/180	`20(39th)
125	Lukas Reichel	Chi	LW	18	6-0/170	`20(17th)
126	Jordan Harris	Mtl	D	20	5-11/180	`18(71st)
127	Lukas Dostal	Ana	G	20	6-1/170	`18(85th)
128	Egor Afanasyev	Nsh	RW	19	6-3/205	`19(45th)
129	Conor Timmins	Col	D	22	6-1/185	`17(32nd)
130	Lassi Thomson	Ott	D	20	6-0/190	`19(19th)
131	Eeli Tolvanen	Nsh	RW	21	5-10/175	`17(30th)
132	Kasper Simontaival	LA	RW	18	5-9/180	`20(66th)
133	Roni Hirvonen	Tor	C	18	5-9/165	`20(59th)
134	Thomas Bordeleau	SJ	C	18	5-9/180	`20(38th)
135	Benoit-Olivier Groulx	Ana	C	20	6-1/195	`18(54th)
136	Tyler Kleven	Ott	D	18	6-4/200	`20(44th)
137	Tyson Foerster	Phi	C	18	6-1/195	`20(23rd)
138	Helge Grans	LA	D	18	6-2/205	`20(35th)
139	Jonathan Dahlen	SJ	LW	23	5-11/185	T(Van-2/19)
140	Marat Khusnutdinov	Min	C	18	5-11/175	`20(37th)
141	Alexander Alexeyev	Wsh	D	21	6-3/200	`18(31st)
142	Pierre-Olivier Joseph	Pit	D	21	6-2/170	`17(23rd)
143	Topi Niemela	Tor	D	18	5-10/160	`20(64th)
144	Oskari Laaksonen	Buf	D	21	6-2/165	`17(89th)
145	Filip Hallander	Tor	LW	20	6-1/185	T(Pit-8/20)
146	Serron Noel	Fla	RW	20	6-5/205	`18(34th)
147	Martin Chromiak	LA	LW	18	6-0/185	`20(128th)
148	Shakir Mukhamadullin	NJ	D	18	6-3/180	`20(20th)
149	Mattias Samuelsson	Buf	D	20	6-3/215	`18(32nd)
150	Janne Kuokkanen	NJ	LW	22	6-1/190	T(Car-2/20)
151	Ryan Johnson	Buf	D	19	6-0/175	`19(31st)
152	Sean Farrell	Mtl	C	19	5-8/175	`20(124th)
153	Martin Fehervary	Wsh	D	21	6-1/190	`18(46th)
154	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen	Buf	G	21	6-4/195	`17(54th)
155	Will Lockwood	Van	RW	22	5-11/175	`16(64th)
156	Isac Lundestrom	Ana	C	21	6-0/185	`18(23rd)
157	Michael DiPietro	Van	G	21	6-0/195	`17(64th)
158	Jonatan Berggren	Det	RW	20	5-10/185	`18(33rd)
159	Kevin Bahl	NJ	D	20	6-6/230	T(Ari-12/19)
160	Aliaksei Protas	Wsh	C	19	6-5/205	`19(91st)
161	Reilly Walsh	NJ	D	21	5-11/180	`17(81st)
162	Nick Abruzzese	Tor	C	21	5-9/160	`19(124th)
163	Tyler Tucker	StL	D	20	6-1/205	`18(200th)
164	Arseni Gritsyuk	NJ	RW	19	5-10/170	`19(129th)
165	Klim Kostin	StL	C	21	6-3/195	`17(31st)
166	Brayden Tracey	Ana	LW	19	6-0/175	`19(29th)
167	Joel Hofer	StL	G	20	6-3/160	`18(107th)
168	Joey Anderson	Tor	RW	22	6-0/195	T(NJ-10/20)
169	Yegor Spiridonov	SJ	C	19	6-2/195	`19(108th)
170	Sam Colangelo	Ana	RW	19	6-1/205	`20(36th)
171	Joey Keane	Car	D	21	6-0/185	T(NYR-2/20)
172	Jared McIsaac	Det	D	20	6-1/195	`18(36th)
173	Jamieson Rees	Car	C	19	5-10/175	`19(44th)
174	Ivan Morozov	VGK	C	20	6-1/180	`18(61st)
175	Rem Pitlick	Nsh	C	23	5-11/200	`16(76th)
176	Tyce Thompson	NJ	RW	21	6-0/170	`19(96th)
177	Michael McLeod	NJ	C	22	6-2/195	`16(12th)
178	Jaret Anderson-Dolan	LA	C	21	5-11/190	`17(41st)
179	Dustin Wolf	Cgy	G	19	6-0/165	`19(214th)
180	Antti Tuomisto	Det	D	19	6-4/190	`19(35th)
181	Brett Berard	NYR	LW	18	5-9/155	`20(134th)
182	Luke Evangelista	Nsh	RW	18	5-11/170	`20(42nd)
183	Joel Blomqvist	Pit	G	18	6-1/180	`20(52nd)
184	Joni Ikonen	Mtl	C	21	5-10/170	`17(58th)
185	Olivier Rodrigue	Edm	G	20	6-1/165	`18(62nd)
186	Lucas Elvenes	VGK	RW	21	6-0/175	`17(127th)
187	Anthony Angello	Pit	RW	24	6-5/205	`14(145th)
188	Tuukka Tieksola	Car	RW	19	5-10/160	`19(121st)
189	Declan Chisholm	Wpg	D	20	6-1/190	`18(150th)
190	Cole Koepke	TB	LW	22	6-1/195	`18(183rd)
191	Valtteri Puustinen	Pit	RW	21	5-9/185	`19(203rd)
192	Ty Smilanic	Fla	C	18	6-1/175	`20(74th)
193	Patrik Puistola	Car	LW	19	6-0/175	`19(73rd)
194	Justin Barron	Col	D	19	6-2/190	`20(25th)
195	Andrew Peeke	CBJ	D	22	6-3/210	`16(34th)
196	Michael Vukojevic	NJ	D	19	6-3/210	`19(82nd)
197	Alec Regula	Chi	D	20	6-3/200	T(Det-10/19)
198	Connor Corcoran	VGK	D	20	6-1/185	`18(154th)
199	Jeremy Swayman	Bos	G	22	6-1/190	`17(111th)
200	Pyotr Kochetkov	Car	G	21	6-1/175	`19(36th)
201	Mikey Anderson	LA	D	21	6-0/195	`17(103rd)
202	Carter Savoie	Edm	LW	18	5-9/190	`20(100th)
203	Samuel Walker	TB	C	21	5-11/160	`17(200th)
204	William Wallinder	Det	D	18	6-4/190	`20(32nd)
205	Jack Drury	Car	C	20	5-11/180	`18(42nd)
206	Emil Andrae	Phi	D	18	5-9/185	`20(54th)
207	Cal Petersen	LA	G	26	6-3/190	FA(7/17)
208	Jeremie Poirier	Cgy	D	18	6-0/200	`20(72nd)
209	Tarmo Reunanen	NYR	D	22	6-0/180	`16(98th)
210	Simon Holmstrom	NYI	RW	19	6-1/185	`19(23rd)
211	Aleksi Saarela	Fla	RW	23	5-11/200	T(Chi-10/19)
212	Anton Johannesson	Wpg	D	18	5-9/155	`20(133rd)
213	Lauri Pajuniemi	NYR	RW	21	6-0/185	`18(132nd)
214	Morgan Geekie	Car	C	22	6-2/180	`17(67th)
215	Shane Bowers	Col	C	21	6-2/190	T(Ott-11/17)
216	Sasha Chmelevski	SJ	C	21	5-11/190	`17(185th)
217	Ruslan Iskhakov	NYI	C	20	5-8/155	`18(43rd)
218	Cole Schwindt	Fla	RW	19	6-2/185	`19(81st)
219	Hugo Alnefelt	TB	G	19	6-3/195	`19(71st)
220	Nikita Okhotyuk	NJ	D	20	6-1/195	`19(61st)
221	Sampo Ranta	Col	LW	20	6-2/205	`18(78th)
222	Alexander Volkov	TB	LW	23	6-1/190	`17(48th)
223	Alexander True	SJ	C	23	6-5/205	FA(7/18)
224	John Leonard	SJ	C	22	5-11/190	`18(182nd)
225	Carl Grundstrom	LA	LW	23	6-0/195	T(Tor-1/19)
226	Dmitri Semykin	TB	D	20	6-3/200	`18(90th)
227	Cal Foote	TB	D	22	6-4/215	`17(14th)
228	Jean-Luc Foudy	Col	C	18	5-11/175	`20(75th)
229	Alex Barre-Boulet	TB	C	23	5-10/165	FA(3/18)
230	Tristen Robins	SJ	RW	19	5-10/175	`20(56th)
231	Max Gildon	Fla	D	21	6-3/190	`17(66th)
232	Nikita Alexandrov	StL	C	20	6-0/180	`19(62nd)
233	Michael Benning	Fla	D	18	5-9/180	`20(95th)
234	Justin Sourdif	Fla	RW	18	5-11/175	`20(87th)
235	Tanner Laczynski	Phi	C	23	6-1/200	`16(169th)
236	Eamon Powell	TB	D	18	5-11/165	`20(116th)
237	Kaedan Korczak	VGK	D	19	6-3/190	`19(41st)
238	Drew Commesso	Chi	G	18	6-1/180	`20(47th)
239	Nikolai Kovalenko	Col	RW	21	5-10/175	`18(171st)
240	Pius Suter	Chi	C	24	5-11/170	FA(7/20)
241	Wade Allison	Phi	RW	23	6-2/205	`16(52nd)
242	Bobby Brink	Phi	RW	19	5-10/165	`19(34th)
243	Lukas Cormier	VGK	D	18	5-10/180	`20(68th)
244	David Farrance	Nsh	D	21	5-11/190	`17(92nd)
245	Roby Jarventie	Ott	RW	18	6-2/185	`20(33rd)
246	Dmitri Voronkov	CBJ	LW	20	6-4/190	`19(114th)
247	German Rubtsov	Phi	C	22	6-2/190	`16(22nd)
248	Vitaly Abramov	Ott	RW	22	5-9/175	T(CBJ-2/19)
249	Alex Laferriere	LA	RW	19	6-0/175	`20(83rd)
250	Trey Fix-Wolansky	CBJ	RW	21	5-8/185	`18(204th)
251	Isaac Ratcliffe	Phi	LW	21	6-5/200	`17(35th)
252	Kale Clague	LA	D	22	6-0/180	`16(51st)
253	Landon Slaggert	Chi	LW	18	5-11/180	`20(79th)
254	Wyatt Kalynuk	Chi	D	23	6-1/180	FA(7/20)
255	Mikko Kokkonen	Tor	D	19	5-11/200	`19(84th)
256	Kevin Mandolese	Ott	G	20	6-4/180	`18(157th)
257	Daniil Tarasov	CBJ	G	21	6-5/185	`17(86th)
258	Evan Barratt	Chi	C	21	6-0/190	`17(90th)
259	Tyler Benson	Edm	LW	22	6-0/200	`16(32nd)
260	Yegor Korshkov	Tor	RW	24	6-4/215	`16(31st)
261	Hunter Skinner	NYR	D	19	6-2/175	`19(112th)
262	Riley Damiani	Dal	C	20	5-9/165	`18(137th)
263	Ryan McLeod	Edm	C	21	6-2/205	`18(40th)
264	Ilya Konovalov	Edm	G	22	6-0/195	`19(85th)
265	Will Cuylle	NYR	LW	18	6-3/205	`20(60th)
266	Evan Vierling	NYR	C	18	6-0/165	`20(127th)
267	Emil Heineman	Fla	LW	19	6-0/180	`20(43rd)
268	Zayde Wisdom	Phi	RW	18	5-10/195	`20(94th)
269	Hunter Jones	Min	G	20	6-4/195	`19(59th)
270	Ty Tullio	Edm	RW	18	5-10/165	`20(126th)
271	Jordan Spence	LA	D	19	5-10/165	`19(95th)
272	Dmitri Zavgorodny	Cgy	LW	20	5-9/175	`18(198th)
273	Alex Beaucage	Col	RW	19	6-1/195	`19(78th)
274	Matiss Kivlenieks	CBJ	G	24	6-2/190	FA(5/17)
275	Artyom Zub	Ott	D	25	6-2/200	FA(5/20)
276	Urho Vaakanainen	Bos	D	22	6-0/185	`17(18th)
277	Dmitri Samorukov	Edm	D	21	6-2/180	`17(84th)
278	Michal Teply	Chi	LW	19	6-3/185	`19(105th)
279	Colby Ambrosio	Col	C	18	5-8/170	`20(118th)
280	Mads Sogaard	Ott	G	20	6-7/195	`19(37th)
281	Jeremy Lauzon	Bos	D	23	6-3/205	`15(52nd)
282	Dennis Gilbert	Col	D	24	6-2/200	T(Chi-10/20)
283	Trent Frederic	Bos	C	22	6-4/215	`16(29th)
284	Lucas Carlsson	Chi	D	23	6-0/190	`16(110th)
285	Zack Macewen	Van	RW	24	6-3/205	FA(3/17)
286	Brandon Hagel	Chi	LW	22	6-1/175	FA(10/18)
287	Vasily Ponomarev	Car	C	18	5-10/180	`20(53rd)
288	Jakub Zboril	Bos	D	23	6-1/200	`15(13th)
289	Garrett Pilon	Wsh	RW	22	5-11/190	`16(87th)
290	Jeremy Bracco	Car	RW	23	5-9/180	FA(10/20)
291	Dylan Sikura	VGK	RW	25	6-0/170	T(Chi-9/20)
292	Kyle Capobianco	Ari	D	23	6-1/180	`15(63rd)
293	Sami Niku	Wpg	D	24	6-0/175	`15(198th)
294	John Farinacci	Ari	C	19	5-11/185	`19(76th)
295	Jackson Lacombe	Ana	D	19	6-1/170	`19(39th)
296	David Cotton	Car	LW	23	6-3/205	`15(169th)
297	Erik Portillo	Buf	G	20	6-6/210	`19(67th)
298	Jacob Truscott	Van	D	18	6-1/170	`20(144th)
299	Mikhail Berdin	Wpg	G	22	6-2/165	`16(157th)
300	Cam Hillis	Mtl	C	20	5-10/170	`18(66th)

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Montreal Canadiens Top 20 Prospects

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 11:47:51 +0000

McKeen's Top 20 Montreal Canadiens prospects for the 2020-21 season. You can read an organizational assessment prior to the draft in Ryan Wagman's article found here. Following the draft we provided a review on each teams performance based on our rankings found here.

Cole Caufield, RW (15^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Despite standing only 5-7”, 163, Caufield is built stocky and is very strong for his size, pound-for-pound and inch-for-inch. Some would say that he has an additional black mark – besides his frame - to his prospect status now, despite leading the Big 10 in scoring as a freshman. He had a disappointingly flat performance for Team USA at last year’s WJC, with only two points as the US bowed out early. Caufield was pretty nondescript at the tournament, and his stats were not the result of poor luck. On the other hand, that tournament represented a two-week slice of a fantastic season that showed he was still the world class sniper that Montreal drafted. He times his release to perfection and can place the puck exactly where he wants. More than a one-trick pony, Caufield is a fine skater, with sharp cutting ability and he can play the puck at his top speed as well. He plays almost fearless, although he doesn’t go out of his way to take unnecessary risks. He will be spending next year back in Madison but will likely be ready to go straight to Montreal at the completion of his sophomore season. - RW

Alexander Romanov, D (38^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

Romanov is strong as an ox and plays a physical brand of hockey. He hits with authority and punishes opponents with every chance. He puts pressure on quickly and uses his stick well to break up plays. He battles hard in the corners and along the boards. He is alert, focused and very responsible in the defensive zone. He makes a very good first pass out of the zone and sends precise bank passes off the boards. He does not make many plays with the puck that would jump off the page, but he is highly reliable and highly consistent. He has a hard, accurate slap shot from the point and he keeps it low to create rebounds. Romanov is a powerful skater with good balance and footwork. He moves well in all directions and trusts his skating when defending opposing rushes. He will occasionally join the rush to create additional options for his team. He looks NHL ready physically and has a lot of upside as he is terrific in his own end and smart in possession. I think he has a chance to develop into a strong middle-pairing NHL defenseman who contributes in a variety of ways. – MB

Kaiden Guhle, D (16^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

At 6-3”, blessed with strong mobility, and a desire to assert himself physically, Guhle is projected to provide elite level play in the defensive end. In open ice he looks to close his gap and finish plays with a big open ice hit as opponents approach the blue line. He is assertive along the wall, initiating contact and pins effectively to separate players from the puck. He is also a strong mover, which allows him to be more aggressive as he is able to recover. Offensively, he uses his first step quickness to evade forecheckers, start the breakout and push the pace of play moving forward. He uses his size and reach to protect the puck through the neutral zone. Guhle is also effective running the point, with a powerful point shot. He is a good passer and overall facilitator, but not a great one. He has good hands, but he occasionally looks uncomfortable handling the puck under duress. While he is not likely to be a number one powerplay quarterback, his ability and offensive IQ, combined with his defensive prowess, make him a potential minute eater and should be able to help balance out a future top four. – BO

Jesse Ylonen, RW (35^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 3)

Ylonen is a highly talented winger whose skating and puck skills are near elite. He has quick hands, and his first touch is excellent: he can corral difficult passes smoothly and get the puck under control quickly. His wrist shot features an accurate and quick release. Scoring goals seems to come naturally to him, yet he is also a good set-up guy with playmaking skill. He moves and skates with his head up to scan the ice and shows awareness with the puck. His offensive numbers declined in the past Liiga season, however he made progress defensively. Ylonen's backchecking has greatly improved, as he uses his strong acceleration to catch opponents. He has shown signs of becoming a more complete player and he has adapted well to the pro game in the last two seasons. He has learned to use his offensive skill set and skating to his advantage, he uses his teammates for passing options and he does not make nearly as many careless decisions as he used to. Therefore, I am confident that he will adapt to the North American game as well and develop into a strong, productive NHL winger. - MB

Mattias Norlinder, D (64^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

Norlinder is both fast and elusive on his skates. He travels with ease and is very smooth. He also has strong puck skills and control of the puck. He passes the puck well and has some nice dekes where he goes to his backhand close to his feet and then travels around opponents. He is also a good goal scorer. While he doesn’t possess a dangerous bomb from blueline, he has a quick wrist shot and likes to join the attack and skate across the slot before shooting. Norlinder has been a late developer and is still growing physically. He signed a two-year deal with Frolunda but I he might be able to step over and compete for a spot in North America after the first year. As he can combine his skating with good puck handling, he does not need to play top pair minutes to be effective. His weaknesses are in the defensive zone and he won’t be a shutdown defenseman or a strong penalty killer but could still be an effective second or third pair defenseman as he is a strong possession player and his zone exits are as strong as his entries. – JH

Jan Mysak, C (48^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

While Mysak’s international performances last year left some to be desired, he was a standout in the Extraliga and in the OHL. He was an impact player from day one in Hamilton, playing a near 40-goal pace. He excels playing North-South; is extremely aggressive in taking the puck wide, looking to drive the net. His stride is choppy, but he generates enough separation to make him dangerous. He plays much bigger than his size, protecting the puck through traffic as he looks to drive the middle. When driving wide, consistently gets by defenders, putting them on his back as he cuts back in near the crease, possessing the hands and finishing ability to score on a large majority of these self-generated scoring chances. Mysak is versatile, able to play both center and wing, kill penalties and hold his own defensively, while taking on any power play role. He is a very well rounded player but is better at creating his own scoring chances than creating for his teammates and may profile better as a winger at the NHL level. Engaging more consistently and focusing on supporting linemates would help his development as a playmaker. – BO

Cayden Primeau, G (199^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 5)

At 6-3”, Primeau stands at a good height for modern goaltenders and his in-net composure is better than even some veteran netminders. He may be a little too calm in the crease, but he keeps making saves. Starting for the Laval Rocket the majority of last season, he has been able to better adapt to faster shots and puck movement coming from both AHL and NHL shooters. He will need continued work on rebound control and activation on certain plays off of long shots and net-front scrambles in order to compete better at the highest level. However, until then his focus remains unbreakable and his positioning is strong, he sees the puck and fights well to track the play. He still needs to improve his agility and in playing the puck, both of which he can brush up next season. For a young goaltender it is so important that he get stronger in his lower half which would allow him to push harder to get across the net quicker. With Carey Price still paving the way for the Canadiens, expect Primeau to get some time up as a backup goaltender first before he can challenge for a greater role. - SC

Jake Evans, C (207^th overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 6)

The Montreal Canadiens have acquired a lot of good forward prospects within the past few seasons and Jake Evans is one of them. He is a smooth skating and skilled forward capable of playing in all situations. The seventh rounder has overcome huge odds and as a player with little to lose, his development within the Montreal organization has been smooth sailing. After leading the Laval Rocket for points this past season, Evans earned a brief call up to the Canadiens and should see more time up in the NHL if he gets off to the same strong start he did last season. He sees the ice well and always keeps his feet moving. He is quick enough and dominant enough on the ice to be depended on to play powerplay and penalty kill. He needs to still work on playing a tough game if he wants to be able to win battles at the next level but the pace at which he plays and skates both with and without the puck will be enough for him to find his way onto Montreal’s roster sometime in the near future as part of a rotating top nine. - SC

Jordan Harris, D (71^st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 7)

Jordan Harris is one of two Northeastern defensemen in Montreal’s pipeline. He shined during his three years of prep hockey at Kimball Union Academy, impressing as one of the better defensemen in the league and was named to the USHS All-USA Hockey First Team in 2017-18. As a third-round draft pick, Harris is a promising prospect as an offensive defenseman. After joining Northeastern as a true freshman, he has since finished his second year with the Huskies and was named to USA’s World Junior team. A staple on the first power play unit, Harris has a very calm demeanor. He sees the ice well, enabling him to get the puck quickly out of dangerous areas. His quick hands allow for quick takeaways. One of Harris’ most impressive attributes is his skating - his strides are smooth and fluid. He’s still young, leaving even more room for improvement. – JS

Sean Farrell, LW (124^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

A depth player in the great USNTDP class of 2019, Farrell took advantage of the chance to play a central role in the league, and blossomed with 17 multi-point games on perhaps the most dominant line in junior hockey, proving that his skill set is of top six strength. The high point of his game is his wrist shot, which is very heavy and accurate and features a tricky release. He reads the game well, allowing him to find gaps in the goalie’s positioning. Farrell carries the puck with speed and skill. He can protect the biscuit in traffic and uses his edges and quick passes to escape pressure, often creating scoring chances. Farrell is quick and agile, playing at a good pace without being a truly dynamic skater. The main drawback he will always carry as a prospect is his size, although he is at least on the stocky side and has a low center of gravity, which aids in puck possession, but he will have to prove that he can hold his own against more physically mature players. – RW

Joni Ikonen, C/RW (58^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 8)

Ikonen's last two seasons have been hampered badly by injuries. In 2018-19, he played only 13 games with KalPa in the Liiga and he then missed the entire 2019-20 regular season due to an injury which occurred in a preseason game. That said, Ikonen has many attributes that could eventually help him succeed in North America. He is a good goal-scorer with a precise wrist shot, his offensive vision is high-end, and he is slick with the puck. Moreover, he is tenacious with a high compete level. He hunts down pucks and does many things that do not show on the scoresheet. He clearly wants to be a difference maker every time he steps on the ice, one way or another. He will move to Ilves for the upcoming season. Ilves is a rising team with many skilled, young players and thus should provide a great environment and opportunity for Ikonen to take his game to the next level. – MB

Cam Hillis, C (66^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 9)

Hillis had an excellent bounce back season for the Guelph Storm after an injury plagued campaign a year ago. It was expected that the Storm would rebuild after winning the OHL Championship in 2019, however thanks to the progression of players like Hillis, they were able to maintain a strong standing. Especially impressive was the fact that Hillis finished second in the OHL in primary even strength assists with 28 (ahead of Marco Rossi, Quinton Byfield, Akil Thomas, and many others). He excels as a playmaker because of how well he protects the puck down low, and because he never gives up on a play. Hillis’ skating took a step forward last year too, allowing him to be more active as a facilitator in transition. Currently unsigned, Hillis seems likely to be signed, but is not a slam dunk. If he can continue to improve his skating and bulk up to withstand injury, he projects as a middle six playmaking center who can provide versatility to a coaching staff. - BO

Gianni Fairbrother, D (77^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 10)

Fairbrother is a solid all-around defender. He is a strong, powerful player that controls the boards, as well as his net front, with aggression and skill. He plays the body well but also can use more subtle plays with his feet, or poke checking to create turnovers. He is a great blue line shooter as he can handle either side of the point and is not just a one-timer guy back there. His wrist shot has great accuracy and he is a guy that consistently gets his shot past the first defender. He isn’t an amazing puck handler, but he has pretty good vision and can make passes during the transition and in the offensive zone. There is an edge to his game, but it doesn’t really define his style. He is a capable, sound defensive player with good vision and a shot. If he can find another gear, he will have a real shot at contributing to an NHL team one day. - VG

Jayden Struble, D (46^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 11)

The second Northeastern defensive prospect in Montreal’s system, Struble is a young and promising candidate. The former second-round draft pick is a big, physical defenseman who can still skate well with smooth strides, both forwards and backwards. While playing prep hockey at St. Sebastian’s, he was named to the 18-19 USHA All-USA Hockey Second Team. He entered Northeastern as a true freshman last season and was impressive but unfortunately missed the last nine games due to an injury. Even so, he proved his ability as an offensive defenseman. He has a quick shot that often finds the net from the point. Struble sees the ice well and puts power behind his passes, which helps on the rush. He also possesses quick hands with good puck handling skills. Struble is still very young and he has time to mature his game. - JS

Lukas Vejdemo, C (87^th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 12)

When thinking about forward prospects for the Canadiens, Vejdemo is not usually the one that comes to mind first. He is a rather underrated player in the Montreal system as he plays a somewhat quiet game. Not overly physical or terribly aggressive, Vejdemo makes an impact in the way he reads the play and carries the puck. He is a good passer and very good at reading neutral zone plays and forechecking to anticipate interceptions, which makes him a valuable asset to have on the penalty kill. The downside to his play is the fact that he plays a physically small game, meaning that he looks like a smaller player than he is and often loses puck battles. He will most certainly have to get stronger in order to make a safe appearance in the NHL. His hands and skating are definitely assets in his play and make him the good player that he is but he needs to be more physical and aggressive in order to earn a call up as a bottom six forward. – SC

Luke Tuch, LW (47^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

A heavy player who plays a heavy game, Tuch’s style is very similar to that of his older brother Alex, who also came up through the USNTDP program. Luke doesn’t quite have his brother’s hands, but they are soft enough for him to be a viable weapon around the crease. To his credit, the younger Tuch manages to play a heavy game without spending much time in the penalty box as he is physical without being dirty. He knows how to maximize the leverage his strength provides, and is very tough to strip the puck from, or to beat in a puck battle along the boards. The Boston University commit can play with skill players, making space with his forechecking, and carrying his share of the load defensively, but is most likely a bottom six contributor at higher levels, as his feet are on the heavier side and he lacks dynamic offensive skills. – RW

Josh Brook, D (56^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 13)

Where Josh Brook was a strong and dominant defenseman in the WHL who led rushes and often skated the puck, his AHL career has been quite different. He now plays a more cautious passing game, he no longer has the time he had in major junior to set up plays and skate, which has been a minor setback in his career as he has changed his playing style a lot. In order to get his footing back and find more success next season, Brook will have to find a way to elevate his competition level and find the confidence to start rushing the puck again. As a player who was drafted due to his points and his eye for offensive plays, he will need to find a way to get to the net, be more present in rushes and in the offensive end in establishing plays if he wants a chance at a prolonged call up. Brook has the potential to scratch out a bottom four role with the Canadiens but it will not be until he can find a higher and more aggressive offensive gear to play the game that got him drafted in the first place. - SC

Noah Juulsen, D (26^th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 14)

It is no secret that many think that Noah Juulsen is classic first round bust, however going by points and stats to evaluate him is simply not enough. Juulsen is not a point-producing defenseman, as he plays a great defensive game, but his mindset and playing style is that of a cautious, occasionally offensive blueliner capable of rushing the puck but who prefers to pass it instead. Juulsen has had some bad games with the Montreal Canadiens and has made some bad errors, however his skill is that of an NHL quality defender. He is a smooth and powerful skater, a good passer and a physical force. The only important aspect of his game that remains unpolished is his decision making. Unfortunately, for Juulsen making repeated bad decisions and bad plays has placed him at the bottom of the list for call ups and he will have to be next to perfect with the AHL’s Laval in order to get another chance at cracking the bottom four with Montreal. - SC

Rafael Harvey-Pinard, LW (201^st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

Harvey-Pinard has seen his stock rise significantly thanks to his hard work and ability to put points on the board. He will be rewarded as an AHL regular next season, as the farm club in Laval inked him to a one-year deal. While he is undersized for the pro game, he is a smart player, and has shown a willingness to find the dirty areas to score. A strong playoff run in a Memorial Cup championship last season in Rouyn-Noranda and a second one in the making for his hometown Chicoutimi squad would have iced the cake for his amateur career. He was the captain of both teams, which shows his great leadership skills. While Harvey-Pinard might be a long-shot, he is willing to do anything to make it. Alex Belzile just made his NHL debut at 28 in a similar fashion, and Harvey-Pinard has the same desire and work ethic. – MS

Alexandre Alain, C/LW (UFA: Apr. 24, 2017. Previous ranking: 17)

Like Harvey-Pinard, Alain was a oft-overlooked offensive force in the QMJHL, who didn’t really hit his stride until his final, over-aged season in the league, which culminated in shooting out the lights in the postseason, finally earning an NHL contract. He has played more of a supporting role in his two seasons in the AHL since, but he has at least demonstrated some traits that would allow him to fit in the NHL, albeit in a depth role at best. He skates quite well and has shown the ability to read the game at a pro pace, giving him some projection to fit on the penalty kill. He has also flashed solid puck skills, although nothing truly dynamic. On the downside, Alain did not show much progress from his rookie season at Laval to last season and the Canadiens will want to see more in the final season of his ELC before bestowing an extension on him. Without additional assertiveness, his next step could be overseas. - RW

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – MONTREAL CANADIANS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 8

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 14:35:05 +0000

Montreal Canadiens

With our compiled grades for all systems now complete, Montreal finds itself comfortably within the top ten prospect systems. It is quite an accomplishment, given that the Habs were ranked 12^th in our 2019 Ranking prior to last season, and then some of their best prospects graduated, according to our standards.

Nick Suzuki (#2) played every game and was fifth in team scoring when the COVID-19 pandemic halted the season. Neither Ryan Poehling (#3) nor Cale Fleury (#15) were as impactful as rookies, but each also played enough in the NHL to lose prospect eligibility. Development stagnation dulled the glow of some other prospects who had once shined more brightly, such as 2015 first rounder Noah Juulsen (#8), who played only 13 games for AHL Laval, after injuries also limited him to 24 combined games in 2018-19. Former second rounder Jacob Olofsson (#17) was likewise limited to 24 games for Skelleftea in the SHL and failed to make the Swedish WJC roster as a 19-year-old after playing at the prestige tournament the prior year.

Even with those organizational depth hits, the system remains strong. I haven’t even mentioned that Montreal hasn’t even dipped their toes into the prospect free agency pool yet this season.

A lot of the regard in which I hold the Montreal system goes into the positive trajectories many of their prospects have found themselves this season. For every prospect who backslid (more could have been expected during the AHL rookie campaigns Cayden Primeau and Otto Leskinen), at least other Montreal hopefuls exceeded expectations and improved their projected future roles (see the three Europeans near the top of the list below in Romanov, Ylonen, and Norlinder, who all increased their respective projected OFPs between the start and the sudden end of the current season.

A few other players basically held serve, but on the whole the Montreal system saw a lot more success stories in the past season than not. Whereas with a team like the Minnesota Wild, who had the opposite experience, we could pinpoint the weak spot in their development chain to the way players developed once they hit the AHL affiliate, with Montreal the answer is more scattered.

Their AHL affiliate, in nearby Laval, Quebec, was not always seen as a strength, with more than a few AHL veterans badmouthing the coaching staff after walking away from the team. Either way, the recent work by the AHL coaching staff has been fine, with prospects assigned to the level doing more or less what has been expected from them.

The players who have taken notable positive steps this year have been everywhere. When a select group of young prospects from the corners of the hockey playing globe, from Russia, Sweden, Finland, the NCAA, the QMJHL and other stations, all improve in a short period and their only obvious connection is the team that drafted them, the most reasonable answer is that the Canadiens have been scouting and drafting very well, recognizing players with room for growth and a path to achieving it. I, for one, will be paying closer than usual attention to the players the Habs select in the 2020 draft. - RW

BROSSARD, QC - JUNE 26: Look on Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (36) during the Montreal Canadiens Development Camp on June 26, 2019, at Bell Sports Complex in Brossard, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

Cole Caufield, RW (15^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

Going into last year’s draft, Cole Caufield had one significant black mark next to his name, his size. That was overblown then and it is still overblown now. The Canadiens were fortunate to steal him with the 15^th pick in last year’s draft. He is no bigger now after a year with the Wisconsin Badgers than he was coming out of the USNTDP, but it should never have been a real concern. There was no similarly skilled player in last year’s draft – or really going a number of drafts back – who also had a traditionally solid NHL frame. Despite standing only 5-7”, 163, Caufield is built stocky and is very strong for his size, pound-for-pound and inch-for-inch.

Some would say that he has an additional black mark to his prospect status now, despite leading the Big 10 in scoring as a freshman. At mid-season Caufield was selected to represent Team USA at the Word Juniors and he had a disappointingly flat performance, with only a single goal and one helper as the US bowed out early. It’s a fair criticism. Caufield was pretty nondescript at the tournament. On the other hand, that tournament represented a two-week slice of a fantastic season that showed he was still the world class sniper that Montreal drafted.

He times his release to perfection and can place the puck exactly where he wants. More than a one-trick pony, though, Caufield is a fine skater, with sharp cutting ability and he can play the top at his top speed as well. He plays almost fearless, although he doesn’t go out of his way to take unnecessary risks. He will be spending next year back in Madison but will likely be ready to go straight to Montreal at the completion of his sophomore season. - RW

Alexander Romanov, D (38^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 6)

Romanov is strong as an ox and plays a physical brand of hockey. He hits with authority to defend and punishes opponents with every chance. He does not give forwards much room to operate as he puts pressure on quickly. He uses his stick well to poke pucks away and break up plays. He battles hard in the corners and along the boards and shows the willingness to win pucks.

He is alert, focused and very responsible in the defensive zone. He makes a very good first pass out of the zone and sends precise bank passes off the boards. He does not make many plays with the puck that would jump off the page, but he is highly reliable and highly consistent, both of which are important attributes for a defenseman.

He has a hard, accurate slap shot from the point and he keeps it low to create rebounds. Romanov is a powerful skater with good balance and footwork. He moves well in all directions and trusts his skating when defending opposing rushes. He will occasionally join the rush to create additional options for his team.

The 20-year-old blueliner has the makings of an excellent second round pick for the Canadiens. He looks NHL ready as far as his physicality is concerned. He has a lot of upside as he is terrific in his own end and smart in possession. I think he has a chance to develop into a strong middle-pairing NHL defenseman who contributes in a variety of ways. - MB

Jesse Ylonen, RW (35^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 4)

Ylonen is a highly talented winger whose skating and puck skills are near elite. He has quick hands and his first touch is excellent: he can corral difficult passes smoothly and get the puck under control quickly. His wrist shot features an accurate and quick release. Scoring goals seems to come naturally to him, yet he is also a good set-up guy with playmaking skill.

He moves and skates with his head up to scan the ice and shows awareness with the puck. His offensive numbers declined in the past Liiga season, however he did make progress defensively. Ylonen's backchecking has greatly improved, as he uses his strong acceleration to catch opponents. When discussing his point totals, it must be remembered that Pelicans was not a very strong team in 2019-20. They eventually missed the playoffs by a fair margin after selling many of their top players late in the season.

Ylonen has shown signs of becoming a more complete player and I think he has adapted well to the pro game in the last two seasons. He has come a long way from where he was in the U18 league at one point. He has learned to use his offensive skill set and skating to his advantage, he uses his teammates for passing options and he does not make nearly as many careless decisions as he used to. Therefore, I am confident that Ylonen will adapt to North American game as well and ultimately develop into a strong, productive NHL winger. - MB

Mattias Norlinder, D (64^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 10)

One of the best skaters in Swedish hockey. Norlinder is both fast and elusive on his skates. He travels with ease and is very smooth. He can use his skating to his advantage in all situations. He also has strong puck skills and control of the puck. He passes the puck well and has some nice deking moves where he goes to his backhand close to his feet and uses his mobility to travel around opponents.

Norlinder is also quite a good goal scorer. While he does not possess a dangerous bomb from blueline, he likes to join the attack where has a quick release wrist shot. Even in goal scoring the skating helps him as he likes to skate across the slot before shooting.

He played in Allsvenskan this season and had 18 points in 34 games. He had some injury issues and also had a short slump after the WJC, a tournament where he only played in a disappointingly limited role. Norlinder has been a late developer and is still growing physically. He signed a two-year deal with Frolunda but I think he could be able to step over and compete for a spot after the first year.

As he can combine his skating with good puck handling, he does not need to play top pair minutes to be effective. His weaknesses are in the defensive zone and he won’t be a shutdown defenseman or a strong penalty killer but could still be an effective second or third pair defenseman as he is a such a strong possession player and his zone exits are as strong as his entries. – JH

Cayden Primeau, G (199^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 5)

As it stands right now, Cayden Primeau is the future for goaltending in the Montreal Canadiens organization and that is a good thing. At 6-3”, Primeau stands at a good height where modern goaltenders are concerned, and his in-net composure is something that even some veteran netminders have not yet mastered. Some may say he is a little too calm in the crease but as long as he keeps making saves there are few complaints.

Starting for the Laval Rocket the majority of this season and even earning two starts with Montreal, Primeau has been able to better adapt to faster shots and puck movement coming from the AHL and NHL shooters. He will need to continue working on his rebound control and activation on certain plays off of long shots and net-front scrambles in order to compete better in the NHL. However, until then his focus remains unbreakable and his positioning is strong, he sees the puck and fights well for vision.

He has pretty large shoes to fill in Montreal when it comes to agility and playing the puck, both of which he can also brush up heading into next season. For a young goaltender it is so important that he get stronger when it comes to his legs and being able to push harder to get across the net quicker. With Carey Price still paving the way for the Canadiens, expect Primeau to get some time up as a backup goaltender first before stepping into the starter role eventually. - SC

Jake Evans, C (207^th overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: 11)

After leading the Laval Rocket for points this past season, Evans earned a brief call up to the Canadiens and should see more time up in the NHL if he gets off to the same strong start he did last season. He sees the ice well and always keeps his feet moving. He is quick enough and dominant enough on the ice to be depended on to play powerplay and penalty kill.

He needs to still work on playing a tough game if he wants to be able to win battles at the next level but the pace at which he plays and skates both with and without the puck will be enough for him to find his way onto Montreal’s roster sometime in the near future as part of a rotating top nine. - SC

Jordan Harris, D (71^st overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 16)

A staple on the first power play unit, Harris has a very calm demeanor. He sees the ice well, enabling him to get the puck quickly out of dangerous areas. His quick hands allow for quick takeaways. One of Harris’ most impressive attributes is his skating - his strides are smooth and fluid. He’s still young, leaving even more room for improvement. - JS

Joni Ikonen, C/RW (58^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 12)

He is a good goal-scorer with a precise wrist shot, his offensive vision is high-end, and he is slick with the puck. Moreover, he is tenacious with a high compete level. He hunts down pucks and does many things that do not show on the scoresheet. He clearly wants to be a difference maker every time he steps on the ice, one way or another.

He will move to Ilves for the upcoming season. Ilves is a rising team with many skilled, young players and thus should provide a great environment and opportunity for Ikonen to take his game to the next level. - MB

Cam Hillis, C (66^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 13)

Especially impressive was the fact that Hillis finished second in the OHL in primary even strength assists with 28 (ahead of Marco Rossi, Quinton Byfield, Akil Thomas, and many others). He excels as a playmaker because of how well he protects the puck down low, and because he never gives up on a play.

Hillis’ skating took a step forward this year too, allowing him to be more active as a facilitator in transition. Currently unsigned, Hillis seems likely to be signed, but is not a slam dunk. If he can continue to improve his skating and bulk up to withstand injury, he projects as a middle six playmaking center who can provide versatility to a coaching staff. - BO

Gianni Fairbrother, D (77^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 13)

He is a great blue line shooter as he can handle either side of the point and is not just a one-timer guy back there. His wrist shot has great accuracy and he is a guy that consistently gets his shot past the first defender. He isn’t an amazing puck handler, but he has pretty good vision and can make passes during the transition and in the offensive zone.

There is an edge to his game, but it doesn’t really define his style. He is a capable, sound defensive player with good vision and a shot. If he can find another gear, he will have a real shot at contributing to an NHL team one day. - VG

Jayden Struble, D (46^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 14)

While playing prep hockey at St. Sebastian’s, he was named to the 18-19 USHA All-USA Hockey Second Team. He entered Northeastern as a true freshman last season and was impressive but unfortunately missed the last nine games due to an injury. Even so, he proved his ability as an offensive defenseman. He has a quick shot that often finds the net from the point. Struble sees the ice well and puts power behind his passes, which helps on the rush. He also possesses quick hands with good puck handling skills. Struble is still very young and he has time to mature his game. - JS

Lukas Vejdemo, C (87^th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: UR)

He is a good passer and very good at reading neutral zone plays and forechecking to anticipate interceptions, which makes him a valuable asset to have on the penalty kill. The downside to his play is the fact that he plays a physically small game, meaning that he looks like a smaller player than he is and often loses puck battles. He will most certainly have to get stronger in order to make a safe appearance in the NHL.

His hands and skating are definitely assets in his play and make him the good player that he is but he needs to be more physical and aggressive in order to earn a call up as a bottom six forward. - SC

Josh Brook, D (56^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 7)

In order to get his footing back and find more success next season, Brook will have to find a way to elevate his competition level and find the confidence to start rushing the puck again. As a player who was drafted due to his points and his eye for offensive plays, he will need to find a way to get to the net, be more present in rushes and in the offensive end in establishing plays if he wants a chance at a prolonged call up.

Brook has the potential to scratch out a bottom four role with the Canadiens but it will not be until he can find a higher and more aggressive offensive gear to play the game that got him drafted in the first place. - SC

Noah Juulsen, D (26^th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 8)

He is a smooth and powerful skater, a good passer and a physical force. The only important aspect of his game that remains unpolished is his decision making. Unfortunately, for Juulsen making repeated bad decisions and bad plays has placed him at the bottom of the list for call ups and he will have to be next to perfect with the AHL’s Laval in order to get another chance at cracking the bottom four with Montreal. - SC

Rafael Harvey-Pinard, LW (201^st overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Harvey-Pinard has seen his stock rise significantly thanks to his hard work and ability to put points on the board. He will be rewarded as an AHL regular next season, as the farm club in Laval inked him to a one-year deal.

While he is undersized for the pro game, he is a smart player, and has shown a willingness to find the dirty areas to score. A strong playoff run in a Memorial Cup championship last season in Rouyn-Noranda and a second one in the making for his hometown Chicoutimi squad would have iced the cake for his amateur career. He was the captain of both teams, which shows his great leadership skills.

While Harvey-Pinard might be a long-shot, he is willing to do anything to make it. Alex Belzile just made his NHL debut at 28 in a similar fashion, and Harvey-Pinard has the same desire and work ethic. - MS

MCKEENS 2020 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT – TOP 250 PROSPECTS

McKeens Hockey; Article by Ryan Wagman — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 11:50:55 +0000

I write these words less than 24 hours after the Dallas Stars took game one of the Stanley Cup Finals against the heavily favored Tampa Bay Lightning. Unlike most seasons wherein the end of the Stanley Cup marks the beginning of off-season player movement, this year teams have taken an early start to the transactional Ferris wheel as many expect the upcoming offseason (from the awarding of the Cup, through to the draft in the first week of October to the start of the 2020-21 season perhaps as soon as early December, pending COVID trends in North America) to be especially turbulent.

We have seen a few trades of NHL pieces, one deal which impacted this guidebook, as Toronto sent Kasperi Kapanen to Pittsburgh and Swedish winger Filip Hallander was among those coming back to Toronto. Hallander was our selection for the second-best prospect in the Penguins system and now holds that title for the Maple Leafs. That trade knocked the Penguins down a few slots on our organizational rankings and allowed Toronto to go the other way accordingly.

Of course, with the draft roughly 17 days away, and with it a complete re-shuffling of the organizational rankings, this is just a snapshot in time of how every team’s system shakes up. We will re-run this list, incorporating the drafted players, in our pre-season fantasy guide, where we will expand the lists up to 20.

What you are about to dive into is a comprehensive list of all prospect eligible players on all 31 teams. To hold prospect eligibility, a player needs to 25 or younger, as of September 15, 2020. All skaters need to have played less than 60 career games, with no more than 35 of those games coming in a single season (or 25 for this past shortened season). For goalies, the age criteria remain the same, but the games played benchmark drops to 30 career games and 20 in a given season (or 15 last year). Any cutoff that does not hew exactly to the Calder Trophy award criteria is, by nature, arbitrary, but we aim to be inclusive for all players who have not yet cemented NHL jobs and/or have not had a prolonged chance to prove himself capable – or incapable.

We rank 15 per team, as depth is as important as the high end. Our goal is to identify players who could – if they have an advocate for them within the team’s braintrust – play a role in the NHL. These players were identified through our thorough vetting of each prospect across the globe, assigning scores, or grades, to five areas for skaters (skating, shot, puck skills, smarts, physicality) and six for netminders (athleticism/speed/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, positioning/technique, rebound control, and puck handling). Depending on the position, the grades are run through an algorithm to come up with an overall future projection (OFP).

The OFP, if the scout is being honest, measures the future role we anticipate the prospect being able to hold. A 50 score is the lower threshold to be a regular 4^th line forward, or bottom pairing defender. Grades over 56 are potential top line/pairing skaters. The grades in between, obviously project to the middle of the lineup.

As we are reminded every year, development is not linear. Some players take unexpected sudden leaps forward (see Marino, John), and others stagnate (see Ho-Sang, Josh), and many do exactly what we expect of them when they are given the chance. As much as I trust the analysts in our team, I can also tell you that this exercise is always humbling. There will be at least one player who we rate highly who bombs. There will be at least one player who did not feature on his team’s top 15 who becomes an NHL regular next year. We accept those errors in judgment and promise you, our faithful subscriber, that we will learn from them and refine our work for next year, as we learn just as NHL teams learn.

Until then, please enjoy this snapshot view of the future of the beautiful, frozen game. Putting this together has provided at least some sense of normalcy during this crazy summer.

NHL	RNK	PLAYER	POS	AGE	HT/WT	TM	Acquired
Ana	1	Trevor Zegras	C	19	6-0/170	Boston University (HE)	`19(9th)
Min	2	Kirill Kaprizov	LW	23	5-10/200	CSKA (KHL)	`15(135th)
Col	3	Bowen Byram	D	19	6-0/195	Vancouver (WHL)	`19(4th)
Buf	4	Dylan Cozens	C	19	6-3/185	Lethbridge (WHL)	`19(7th)
Fla	5	Spencer Knight	G	19	6-3/195	Boston College (HE)	`19(13th)
VGK	6	Peyton Krebs	C	19	5-11/180	Winnipeg (WHL)	`19(17th)
Ari	7	Victor Soderstrom	D	19	5-11/180	Brynas (Swe)	`19(11th)
Mtl	8	Cole Caufield	RW	19	5-7/165	Wisconsin (B1G)	`19(15th)
Van	9	Vasili Podkolzin	RW	19	6-1/190	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`19(10th)
Edm	10	Philip Broberg	D	19	6-3/200	Skelleftea AIK (Swe)	`19(8th)
Tor	11	Nick Robertson	LW	19	5-9/160	Peterborough (OHL)	`19(53rd)
Col	12	Alex Newhook	C	19	5-10/195	Boston College (HE)	`19(16th)
Det	13	Moritz Seider	D	19	6-3/185	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`19(6th)
Fla	14	Grigori Denisenko	LW	20	5-11/185	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`18(15th)
Min	15	Matthew Boldy	LW	19	6-1/190	Boston College (HE)	`19(12th)
NJ	16	Ty Smith	D	20	5-10/180	Spokane (WHL)	`18(17th)
LA	17	Alex Turcotte	C	19	5-11/185	Wisconsin (B1G)	`19(5th)
Nsh	18	Philip Tomasino	C	19	5-11/180	Nia-Osh (OHL)	`19(24th)
Pit	19	Samuel Poulin	LW	19	6-1/205	Sherbrooke (QMJHL)	`19(21st)
Wsh	20	Connor McMichael	C	19	5-11/175	London (OHL)	`19(25th)
LA	21	Gabriel Vilardi	RW	21	6-3/200	Ontario (AHL)	`17(11th)
NYR	22	Igor Shesterkin	G	24	6-1/190	Hartford (AHL)	`14(118th)
Dal	23	Thomas Harley	D	19	6-3/190	Mississauga (OHL)	`19(18th)
Ari	24	Barrett Hayton	C	20	6-1/190	Arizona (NHL)	`18(5th)
NYR	25	Nils Lundkvist	D	20	5-11/180	Lulea (Swe)	`18(28th)
LA	26	Arthur Kaliyev	RW	19	6-2/190	Hamilton (OHL)	`19(33rd)
Cgy	27	Juuso Valimaki	D	21	6-2/205	DNP - Injured	`17(16th)
Det	28	Jared McIsaac	D	20	6-1/195	Hal-Mon (QMJHL)	`18(36th)
NYR	29	Vitali Kravtsov	RW	20	6-3/185	Hartford (AHL)	`18(9th)
Edm	30	Evan Bouchard	D	20	6-2/195	Bakersfield (AHL)	`18(10th)
NYR	31	K'Andre Miller	D	20	6-3/205	Wisconsin (B1G)	`18(22nd)
Edm	32	Raphael Lavoie	RW	19	6-4/195	Hal-Chi (QMJHL)	`19(38th)
NYI	33	Ilya Sorokin	G	25	6-2/180	CSKA (KHL)	`14(78th)
Det	34	Albert Johansson	D	19	5-11/165	Farjestads (Swe)	`19(60th)
Ari	35	Matias Maccelli	LW	19	5-11/170	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`19(98th)
Van	36	Nils Hoglander	RW	19	5-9/185	Rogle (Swe)	`19(40th)
Ari	37	Jan Jenik	RW	20	6-1/180	Hamilton (OHL)	`18(65th)
Phi	38	Cam York	D	19	5-11/175	Michigan (B1G)	`19(14th)
Phi	39	Morgan Frost	C	21	5-11/180	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	`17(27th)
Ana	40	Lukas Dostal	G	20	6-1/170	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`18(85th)
LA	41	Tobias Bjornfot	D	19	6-0/200	Ontario (AHL)	`19(22nd)
SJ	42	Ryan Merkley	D	20	5-11/170	London (OHL)	`18(21st)
NYI	43	Kieffer Bellows	LW	22	6-0/200	Bridgeport (AHL)	`16(19th)
NYI	44	Oliver Wahlstrom	RW	20	6-1/205	Bridgeport (AHL)	`18(11th)
LA	45	Rasmus Kupari	C	20	6-1/185	Ontario (AHL)	`18(20th)
CBJ	46	Liam Foudy	C	20	6-0/175	London (OHL)	`18(18th)
LA	47	Tyler Madden	C	20	5-10/155	Northeastern (HE)	T(Van-2/20)
Mtl	48	Alexander Romanov	D	20	5-11/185	CSKA (KHL)	`18(38th)
NYI	49	Bode Wilde	D	20	6-2/195	Bridgeport (AHL)	`18(41st)
Ott	50	Jacob Bernard-Docker	D	20	6-0/180	North Dakota (NCHC)	`18(26th)
Cgy	51	Jakob Pelletier	LW	19	5-9/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`19(26th)
LA	52	Akil Thomas	C	20	5-11/170	Nia-Pbo (OHL)	`18(51st)
Wpg	53	Dylan Samberg	D	21	6-3/190	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`17(43rd)
Chi	54	Ian Mitchell	D	21	5-11/175	Denver (NCHC)	`17(57th)
Ott	55	Josh Norris	C	21	6-1/195	Belleville (AHL)	T(SJ-9/18)
NYR	56	Matthew Robertson	D	19	6-3/200	Edmonton (WHL)	`19(49th)
VGK	57	Pavel Dorofeyev	LW	19	6-1/170	Magnitogorsk (KHL)	`19(79th)
Dal	58	Jake Oettinger	G	21	6-4/210	Texas (AHL)	`17(26th)
Ott	59	Drake Batherson	RW	22	6-1/190	Belleville (AHL)	`17(121st)
LA	60	Samuel Fagemo	RW	20	6-0/195	Frolunda (Swe)	`19(50th)
Col	61	Justus Annunen	G	20	6-4/215	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	`18(64th)
Bos	62	John Beecher	C	19	6-3/210	Michigan (B1G)	`19(30th)
Phi	63	Egor Zamula	D	20	6-4/175	Calgary (WHL)	FA(9/18)
NYR	64	Zac Jones	D	19	5-10/175	Massachusetts (HE)	`19(68th)
CBJ	65	Kirill Marchenko	LW	20	6-3/190	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`18(49th)
VGK	66	Jack Dugan	RW	22	6-2/185	Providence (HE)	`17(142nd)
StL	67	Scott Perunovich	D	22	5-10/175	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`18(45th)
Bos	68	Jack Studnicka	C	21	6-1/170	Providence (AHL)	`17(53rd)
Dal	69	Ty Dellandrea	C	20	6-0/185	Flint (OHL)	`18(13th)
Min	70	Calen Addison	D	20	5-10/180	Lethbridge (WHL)	T(Pit-2/20)
NYR	71	Julien Gauthier	RW	22	6-4/225	Charlotte (AHL)	T(Car-2/20)
Van	72	Olli Juolevi	D	22	6-3/200	Utica (AHL)	`16(5th)
NJ	73	Nolan Foote	LW	19	6-3/190	Kelowna (WHL)	T(TB-2/20)
NJ	74	Janne Kuokkanen	LW	22	6-1/190	Cha-Bng (AHL)	T(Car-2/20)
Ott	75	Alex Formenton	LW	21	6-2/165	Belleville (AHL)	`17(47th)
Det	76	Robert Mastrosimone	LW	19	5-10/160	Boston University (HE)	`19(54th)
NYR	77	Morgan Barron	C	21	6-2/200	Cornell (ECAC)	`17(174th)
Mtl	78	Jesse Ylonen	RW	20	6-1/185	Pelicans (Fin)	`18(35th)
Car	79	Dominik Bokk	RW	20	6-1/180	Rogle (Swe)	T(StL-9/19)
Nsh	80	Egor Afanasyev	RW	19	6-3/205	Windsor (OHL)	`19(45th)
Ana	81	Benoit-Olivier Groulx	C	20	6-1/195	Hal-Mon (QMJHL)	`18(54th)
Min	82	Alexander Khovanov	C	20	5-11/195	Moncton (QMJHL)	`18(86th)
Det	83	Joe Veleno	C	20	6-1/195	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`18(30th)
NJ	84	Kevin Bahl	D	20	6-6/230	Ottawa (OHL)	T(Ari-12/19)
Car	85	Ryan Suzuki	C	19	6-0/180	Bar-Sag (OHL)	`19(28th)
Van	86	Jett Woo	D	20	6-0/205	Calgary (WHL)	`18(37th)
Mtl	87	Mattias Norlinder	D	20	5-11/180	MODO (Swe 2)	`19(64th)
Min	88	Adam Beckman	LW	19	6-1/170	Spokane (WHL)	`19(75th)
Bos	89	Jeremy Swayman	G	21	6-1/190	Maine (HE)	`17(111th)
Wpg	90	Kristian Vesalainen	LW	21	6-3/205	Manitoba (AHL)	`17(24th)
Tor	91	Filip Hallander	LW	20	6-1/185	Lulea (Swe)	T(Pit-8/20)
Fla	92	Owen Tippett	RW	21	6-1/200	Springfield (AHL)	`17(10th)
Car	93	Jake Bean	D	22	6-1/175	Charlotte (AHL)	`16(13th)
Ott	94	Shane Pinto	C	19	6-2/190	North Dakota (NCHC)	`19(32nd)
Col	95	Martin Kaut	RW	20	6-1/175	Colorado (AHL)	`18(16th)
Van	96	Jack Rathbone	D	21	5-10/175	Harvard (ECAC)	`17(95th)
Tor	97	Nick Abruzzese	C	21	5-9/160	Harvard (ECAC)	`19(124th)
Bos	98	Urho Vaakanainen	D	21	6-0/185	Providence (AHL)	`17(18th)
Wsh	99	Alexander Alexeyev	D	20	6-3/200	Hershey (AHL)	`18(31st)
NYI	100	Simon Holmstrom	RW	19	6-1/185	Bridgeport (AHL)	`19(23rd)
LA	101	Jaret Anderson-Dolan	C	21	5-11/190	Ontario (AHL)	`17(41st)
Car	102	Joey Keane	D	21	6-0/185	Hfd-Cha (AHL)	T(NYR-2/20)
Wsh	103	Martin Fehervary	D	20	6-1/190	Hershey (AHL)	`18(46th)
StL	104	Tyler Tucker	D	20	6-1/205	Bar-Fnt (OHL)	`18(200th)
SJ	105	Yegor Spiridonov	C	19	6-2/195	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)	`19(108th)
NJ	106	Joey Anderson	RW	22	6-0/195	Binghamton (AHL)	`16(73rd)
Col	107	Conor Timmins	D	21	6-1/185	Colorado (AHL)	`17(32nd)
StL	108	Klim Kostin	C	21	6-3/195	San Antonio (AHL)	`17(31st)
Mtl	109	Cayden Primeau	G	21	6-3/180	Laval (AHL)	`17(199th)
SJ	110	Jonathan Dahlen	LW	22	5-11/185	Timra IK (Swe 2)	T(Van-2/19)
NJ	111	Reilly Walsh	D	21	5-11/180	Harvard (ECAC)	`17(81st)
Buf	112	Oskari Laaksonen	D	21	6-2/165	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`17(89th)
NJ	113	Arseni Gritsyuk	RW	19	5-10/170	Omskie Yastreby (MHL)	`19(129th)
Wsh	114	Aliaksei Protas	C	19	6-5/205	Prince Albert (WHL)	`19(91st)
Cgy	115	Dustin Wolf	G	19	6-0/165	Everett (WHL)	`19(214th)
StL	116	Joel Hofer	G	20	6-3/160	Portland (WHL)	`18(107th)
VGK	117	Ivan Morozov	C	20	6-1/180	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`18(61st)
Mtl	118	Jake Evans	C	24	6-0/185	Laval (AHL)	`14(207th)
Nsh	119	Eeli Tolvanen	RW	21	5-10/175	Milwaukee (AHL)	`17(30th)
Wpg	120	Ville Heinola	D	19	5-11/180	Lukko Rauma (Fin)	`19(20th)
VGK	121	Lucas Elvenes	RW	21	6-0/175	Chicago (AHL)	`17(127th)
TB	122	Cole Koepke	LW	22	6-1/195	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`18(183rd)
Ana	123	Isac Lundestrom	C	20	6-0/185	San Diego (AHL)	`18(23rd)
NYR	124	Tarmo Reunanen	D	22	6-0/180	Lukko Rauma (Fin)	`16(98th)
Mtl	125	Jordan Harris	D	20	5-11/180	Northeastern (HE)	`18(71st)
Ana	126	Brayden Tracey	LW	19	6-0/175	MJ-Vic (WHL)	`19(29th)
Phi	127	Tanner Laczynski	C	23	6-1/200	Ohio State (B1G)	`16(169th)
Chi	128	Alec Regula	D	20	6-3/200	London (OHL)	T(Det-10/19)
Buf	129	Mattias Samuelsson	D	20	6-3/215	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`18(32nd)
Car	130	Jamieson Rees	C	19	5-10/175	Sarnia (OHL)	`19(44th)
Edm	131	Olivier Rodrigue	G	20	6-1/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`18(62nd)
Fla	132	Serron Noel	RW	20	6-5/205	Osh-Kit (OHL)	`18(34th)
Det	133	Antti Tuomisto	D	19	6-4/190	Assat Pori (Fin Jr)	`19(35th)
Dal	134	Jason Robertson	LW	21	6-2/195	Texas (AHL)	`17(39th)
Mtl	135	Joni Ikonen	C	21	5-10/170	DNP - Injured	`17(58th)
Nsh	136	Rem Pitlick	C	23	5-11/200	Milwaukee (AHL)	`16(76th)
Ott	137	Logan Brown	C	22	6-6/220	Belleville (AHL)	`16(11th)
TB	138	Samuel Walker	C	21	5-11/160	Minnesota (B1G)	`17(200th)
Phi	139	Wade Allison	RW	22	6-2/205	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`16(52nd)
Wpg	140	Declan Chisholm	D	20	6-1/190	Peterborough (OHL)	`18(150th)
NJ	141	Tyce Thompson	RW	21	6-1/180	Providence (HE)	`19(96th)
VGK	142	Connor Corcoran	D	20	6-1/185	Windsor (OHL)	`18(154th)
Ana	143	Jackson Lacombe	D	19	6-1/170	Minnesota (B1G)	`19(39th)
NYR	144	Lauri Pajuniemi	RW	21	6-0/185	TPS Turku (Fin)	`18(132nd)
Car	145	Tuukka Tieksola	RW	19	5-10/160	Karpat Oulu (Fin Jr)	`19(121st)
CBJ	146	Andrew Peeke	D	22	6-3/210	Cleveland (AHL)	`16(34th)
Ana	147	Axel Andersson	D	20	6-0/180	Moncton (QMJHL)	T(Bos-2/20)
Car	148	Patrik Puistola	LW	19	6-0/175	Tap-Juk-Koo (Fin)	`19(73rd)
NJ	149	Michael McLeod	C	22	6-2/195	Binghamton (AHL)	`16(12th)
Car	150	Pyotr Kochetkov	G	21	6-1/175	SKA-VIT (KHL)	`19(36th)
NJ	151	Michael Vukojevic	D	19	6-3/210	Kitchener (OHL)	`19(82nd)
NYI	152	Ruslan Iskhakov	C	20	5-8/155	UConn (HE)	`18(43rd)
Wpg	153	Sami Niku	D	23	6-0/175	Manitoba (AHL)	`15(198th)
TB	154	Hugo Alnefelt	G	19	6-3/195	HV 71 (Swe)	`19(71st)
NJ	155	Nikita Okhotyuk	D	19	6-1/195	Ottawa (OHL)	`19(61st)
NYR	156	Hunter Skinner	D	19	6-2/175	London (OHL)	`19(112th)
LA	157	Mikey Anderson	D	21	6-0/195	Ontario (AHL)	`17(103rd)
Col	158	Shane Bowers	C	21	6-2/190	Colorado (AHL)	T(Ott-11/17)
NYI	159	Joshua Ho-Sang	RW	24	6-0/175	Bri-SA (AHL)	`14(28th)
LA	160	Cal Petersen	G	25	6-3/190	Ontario (AHL)	FA(7/17)
Col	161	Sampo Ranta	LW	20	6-2/205	Minnesota (B1G)	`18(78th)
Wpg	162	Mikhail Berdin	G	22	6-2/165	Manitoba (AHL)	`16(157th)
Bos	163	Jeremy Lauzon	D	23	6-3/205	Providence (AHL)	`15(52nd)
Nsh	164	David Farrance	D	21	5-11/190	Boston University (HE)	`17(92nd)
Van	165	Will Lockwood	RW	22	5-11/175	Michigan (B1G)	`16(64th)
NYI	166	Sebastian Aho	D	24	5-10/175	Bridgeport (AHL)	`17(139th)
Wpg	167	Logan Stanley	D	22	6-7/225	Manitoba (AHL)	`16(18th)
Buf	168	Ryan Johnson	D	19	6-0/175	Minnesota (B1G)	`19(31st)
Van	169	Michael DiPietro	G	21	6-0/195	Utica (AHL)	`17(64th)
VGK	170	Kaedan Korczak	D	19	6-3/190	Kelowna (WHL)	`19(41st)
Car	171	Jack Drury	C	20	5-11/180	Harvard (ECAC)	`18(42nd)
StL	172	Nikita Alexandrov	C	19	6-0/180	Charlottetown (QMJHL)	`19(62nd)
Col	173	Nikolai Kovalenko	RW	20	5-10/175	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`18(171st)
Nsh	174	Juuso Parssinen	C	19	6-2/205	TPS Turku (Fin)	`19(210th)
Chi	175	Pius Suter	C	24	5-11/170	ZSC Lions (NLA)	FA(7/20)
Fla	176	Aleksi Saarela	RW	23	5-11/200	Rfd-Spr (AHL)	T(Chi-10/19)
Bos	177	Trent Frederic	C	22	6-4/215	Providence (AHL)	`16(29th)
CBJ	178	Dmitri Voronkov	LW	20	6-4/190	Ak Bars Kazan (KHL)	`19(114th)
Ott	179	Lassi Thomson	D	19	6-0/190	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`19(19th)
Car	180	Morgan Geekie	C	22	6-2/180	Charlotte (AHL)	`17(67th)
CBJ	181	Trey Fix-Wolansky	RW	21	5-8/185	Cleveland (AHL)	`18(204th)
Ott	182	Vitaly Abramov	RW	22	5-9/175	Belleville (AHL)	T(CBJ-2/19)
TB	183	Alexander Volkov	LW	23	6-1/190	Syracuse (AHL)	`17(48th)
Tor	184	Mikko Kokkonen	D	19	5-11/200	Jukurit (Fin)	`19(84th)
Ott	185	Kevin Mandolese	G	20	6-4/180	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	`18(157th)
CBJ	186	Daniil Tarasov	G	21	6-5/185	Assat Pori (Fin)	`17(86th)
LA	187	Carl Grundstrom	LW	22	6-0/195	Ontario (AHL)	T(Tor-1/19)
LA	188	Kale Clague	D	22	6-0/180	Ontario (AHL)	`16(51st)
Ott	189	Artyom Zub	D	24	6-2/200	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	FA(5/20)
Edm	190	Tyler Benson	LW	22	6-0/200	Bakersfield (AHL)	`16(32nd)
Det	191	Jonatan Berggren	RW	20	5-10/185	Skelleftea AIK (Swe)	`18(33rd)
Tor	192	Yegor Korshkov	RW	24	6-4/215	Toronto (AHL)	`16(31st)
Dal	193	Riley Damiani	C	20	5-9/165	Kitchener (OHL)	`18(137th)
VGK	194	Zach Whitecloud	D	23	6-2/210	Chicago (AHL)	FA(3/18)
Buf	195	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen	G	21	6-4/195	Cincinnati (ECHL)	`17(54th)
Car	196	David Cotton	LW	23	6-3/205	Boston College (HE)	`15(169th)
Chi	197	Wyatt Kalynuk	D	23	6-1/180	Wisconsin (B1G)	FA(7/20)
Min	198	Hunter Jones	G	19	6-4/195	Peterborough (OHL)	`19(59th)
LA	199	Jordan Spence	D	19	5-10/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`19(95th)
Cgy	200	Dmitri Zavgorodny	LW	20	5-9/175	Rimouski (QMJHL)	`18(198th)
Col	201	Alex Beaucage	RW	19	6-1/195	Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)	`19(78th)
TB	202	Dmitri Semykin	D	20	6-3/200	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	`18(90th)
CBJ	203	Matiss Kivlenieks	G	24	6-2/190	Cleveland (AHL)	FA(5/17)
StL	204	Ville Husso	G	25	6-3/205	San Antonio (AHL)	`14(94th)
Phi	205	Bobby Brink	RW	19	5-10/165	Denver (NCHC)	`19(34th)
NYI	206	Otto Koivula	C	22	6-4/220	Bridgeport (AHL)	`16(120th)
Car	207	Eetu Makiniemi	G	21	6-2/180	KOOVEE (Fin 2)	`17(104th)
NYI	208	Anatoli Golyshev	RW	25	5-8/180	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (KHL)	`16(95th)
Chi	209	Evan Barratt	C	21	6-0/190	Penn State (B1G)	`17(90th)
Buf	210	Erik Portillo	G	20	6-6/210	Dubuque (USHL)	`19(67th)
Fla	211	Cole Schwindt	RW	19	6-2/185	Mississauga (OHL)	`19(81st)
Chi	212	Michal Teply	LW	19	6-3/185	Winnipeg (WHL)	`19(105th)
Ott	213	Mads Sogaard	G	19	6-7/195	Medicine Hat (WHL)	`19(37th)
Buf	214	Jonas Johansson	G	24	6-4/205	Rochester (AHL)	`14(61st)
TB	215	Cal Foote	D	21	6-4/215	Syracuse (AHL)	`17(14th)
StL	216	Niko Mikkola	D	24	6-5/200	San Antonio (AHL)	`15(127th)
NYI	217	Robin Salo	D	21	6-1/190	SaiPa (Fin)	`17(46th)
Bos	218	Jakub Zboril	D	23	6-1/200	Providence (AHL)	`15(13th)
Buf	219	Will Borgen	D	23	6-2/200	Rochester (AHL)	`15(92nd)
Pit	220	Pierre-Olivier Joseph	D	21	6-2/170	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	`17(23rd)
SJ	221	Sasha Chmelevski	C	21	5-11/190	San Jose (AHL)	`17(185th)
Ari	222	Kyle Capobianco	D	23	6-1/180	Tucson (AHL)	`15(63rd)
Det	223	Keith Petruzzelli	G	21	6-5/180	Quinnipiac (ECAC)	`17(88th)
Wsh	224	Garrett Pilon	RW	22	5-11/190	Hershey (AHL)	`16(87th)
NJ	225	Nikola Pasic	RW	19	5-10/185	Karlskoga (Swe 2)	`19(189th)
TB	226	Alex Barre-Boulet	C	23	5-10/165	Syracuse (AHL)	FA(3/18)
Edm	227	Ryan McLeod	C	20	6-2/205	Bakersfield (AHL)	`18(40th)
NYI	228	Samuel Bolduc	D	19	6-3/210	BLB-She (QMJHL)	`19(57th)
Ott	229	Joey Daccord	G	24	6-2/195	Belleville (AHL)	`15(199th)
StL	230	Hugh McGing	C	22	5-9/180	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`18(138th)
Edm	231	Cooper Marody	C	23	6-0/180	Bakersfield (AHL)	T(Phi-3/18)
Tor	232	Jeremy Bracco	RW	23	5-9/180	Toronto (AHL)	`15(61st)
Phi	233	German Rubtsov	C	22	6-2/190	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	`16(22nd)
Wsh	234	Brian Pinho	C	25	6-1/195	Hershey (AHL)	`13(174th)
Col	235	Logan O'Connor	RW	24	6-0/170	Colorado (AHL)	FA(7/18)
Buf	236	Casey Fitzgerald	D	23	5-11/190	Rochester (AHL)	`16(86th)
NJ	237	Daniil Misyul	D	19	6-3/180	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`19(70th)
Ari	238	John Farinacci	C	19	5-11/185	Harvard (ECAC)	`19(76th)
Edm	239	Aapeli Rasanen	C	22	6-0/195	Boston College (HE)	`16(153rd)
Pit	240	Anthony Angello	RW	24	6-5/205	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	`14(145th)
Mtl	241	Cam Hillis	C	20	5-10/170	Guelph (OHL)	`18(66th)
Cgy	242	Mathias Emilio Pettersen	RW	20	5-9/170	Denver (NCHC)	`18(167th)
SJ	243	Alexander True	C	23	6-5/205	San Jose (AHL)	FA(7/18)
NYI	244	Reece Newkirk	C	19	5-11/175	Portland (WHL)	`19(147th)
Dal	245	Dawson Barteaux	D	20	6-0/180	RD-Wpg (WHL)	`18(168th)
Bos	246	Jack Ahcan	D	23	5-8/185	St. Cloud State (NCHC)	FA(3/20)
Det	247	Seth Barton	D	21	6-2/175	Mass-Lowell (HE)	`18(81st)
Fla	248	Max Gildon	D	21	6-3/190	New Hampshire (HE)	`17(66th)
Ari	249	Aku Raty	RW	19	6-0/175	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	`19(151st)
Wpg	250	David Gustafsson	C	20	6-1/195	Winnipeg (NHL)	`18(60th)

Montreal Canadiens 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 12:04:55 +0000

In Marc Bergevin’s first year as the General Manager of the Canadiens, he was taking over an organization in disarray and in desperate need of a refresh. They were less than two months away from a draft that was expected to pivotal in the club’s future, what with having the third overall pick.

Given only six weeks or so to prepare, institutional knowledge would be pivotal and that first Bergevin draft class skewed conservative. That top pick was used on a mercurial talent by the name of Alexander Galchenyuk, who has since had a tumultuous career, but is still young and talented as he moves to his third NHL team this year in Pittsburgh. Of the other six picks made by the Habs, only fifth rounder Charles Hudon has played in the NHL. He has had his moments, but has yet to really establish himself in any significant way.

It was in his third draft that a Bergevin trait first emerged. That is, the Habs, perhaps more than any other team, are willing to draft players from far off the beaten path. By “the beaten path”, I refer to the CHL leagues, the USHL/USNTDP, the NCAA and leagues in Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Some would argue for the inclusion of Switzerland and the Czech Republic among beaten path sources of amateur talent, but Montreal hasn’t drafted a single player from those hockey federations since Bergevin took the helm, so I will stay on the fence about that.

Of course, Bergevin and the Canadiens do draft from the beaten path sources plenty. In fact, their first picks since 2014 have come from (sequentially): WHL, WHL, OHL, NCAA, Finland, and USNTDP. But he has also been sure to appease his notoriously hard working scouts who search far and wide for talent.

In 2014, out of six picks, Montreal selected a player from the AJHL in the fifth round, and the OJHL in the seventh round. The former looks like a ECHLer at best, but the latter, Jake Evans, just missed the top ten below. In 2015, with only five picks, Montreal stayed pretty traditional, with four players from the CHL leagues, and one from Sweden. The top two picks are both listed below and the latter three picks are no longer Montreal property.

Bergevin dipped back into the scouting wilds in 2016 , drafting Casey Staum from Hill-Murray high school in Minnesota. Staum spent the past three years in the USHL, failing to live up to his high school hype and the Habs’ rights to him expired. After an orthodox 2017 draft haul, Bergevin went off the deep in 2018. With 11 picks, Montreal used two middle rounders on high schoolers, including Jordan Harris (listed below) from New Hampshire, and Jack Gorniak from Wisconsin. They also drafted Brett Stapley from the BCHL with their last pick.

That was only a prelude to their most recent draft class, featuring four deep cuts. The high schoolers are already a bit old hat, but both prepsters are listed below anyway. It was the other two picks that really proved Montreal’s commitment to leave no stone unturned. In the fifth round, they selected goalie Frederik Dichow from the Danish second tier league. Players are rarely drafted out of Denmark, but it happens. The kicker came with Montreal’s last pick. Hulking defenseman Kieran Ruscheinski was drafted out of the Alberta Midget Hockey League, a AAA league that had never had a player drafted directly from its ranks before. I have no idea how Ruscheinski will develop (next stop, the BCHL), but I applaud the Canadiens for their efforts.

-Ryan Wagman

Montreal Canadiens center Ryan Poehling (25) (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

1 Cole Caufield, RW (15^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) The comparison to Alex DeBrincat is obvious, but also pretty apt. Like the aforementioned, Caufield is mite-sized and has put the puck in the net at every stage of his development, including an awe-inspiring 72 times in 64 games for the USNTDP last year. He may be small, but he is built solid, with his leg strength serving as a springboard for the rest of his game. He can score from anywhere in the offensive zone and on a wide variety of shot types. He skates well, too, getting to a nice top speed and enabling him to sneak up on defenses. He has exceptionally soft hands for receiving passes and making them work and he reads opponents like my father reads the obits: figuring out at a glance if he has somewhere to go. Not every short goalscorer will be the next DeBrincat. Caufield might be better. - RW

2 Nick Suzuki, C (13^th overall, 2017 [Vegas]. Last Year: 2 [Vegas]) Suzuki went out on top in his final year of junior eligibility, helping the Guelph Storm capture an OHL championship. He is a crafty playmaker who can really keep the puck on a string in the offensive end. He is not the biggest, but he can put defenders on his back as he cuts to the net and with his processing speed, he rarely forces plays or commits turnovers. His shot is another underrated component to his game, which helps to keep defenders honest and makes him a multi-faceted offensive weapon. He is likely to see some action with Montreal at some point this coming year but may still need a year of development in the AHL first. The big question is whether Suzuki sticks down the middle as a pro or shifts to the wing. That will likely depend on how much further he can improve his skating and whether his intensity level without the puck increases. He is a potential building block for Montreal in the very near future. - BO

3 Ryan Poehling, C (25^th overall, 2019. Last Year: 2) There are two sides to Poehling’s game. The first side is seen most frequently; he is a high IQ, two-way center. This Poehling makes all of the little plays that lead to possession dominance. He gets the puck out of danger without fuss. He wins faceoffs. He kills penalties. He wins puck battles. Once in a while, he flashes slick stickhandling to help generate a scoring chance, but more of his points come from plays that won’t make the evening sports recap. The other Poehling comes out when the spotlight shines brightest. Witness his eight-point performance at the WJC last year, which included a performance for the ages against Sweden. Or look at his NHL debut in the final game of the year against Toronto. He only scored a hat trick before pitting the shootout winner. Which Poehling will Montreal get. Probably the former, but that still makes for a great middle six center. - RW

4 Jesse Ylönen, RW (35^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 5) Ylönen is an agile and fast skater with terrific acceleration. He has great quickness in his first three strides and generates speed through quick crossovers. A finesse player, he has quick hands, impressive stick skills, and a wide range of dekes in his repertoire. He can be deceptive, creative, and unpredictable with the puck. Ylönen is a precision shooter with an accurate, quick wrist shot and a goal-scorers blade. He has added lower-body strength and improved his board play since his draft year. He still must become more committed and tenacious defensively, as well as improve his defensive zone coverage, but the ceiling is high here and he could end up being a high-scoring winger in the NHL. - MB

5 Cayden Primeau, G (199^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 9) Prior to reaching Northeastern, Primeau was a big, talented, but terribly inconsistent netminder in the USHL. In two years with the Huskies, his save percentage was above .930 and he won the Mike Richter Award of the top collegiate goalie as a sophomore last year. A smart netminder who anticipates at a high level, he is comfortable playing above the paint and has a mature sense of positioning in the crease, helping him to limit rebounds and second chances. His legs are very strong, giving him great post-to-post coverage, while also being able to close the five-hole in a snap. A workhorse at the lower level, Keith Primeau’s son is going to be groomed for an NHL role behind Carey Price. He has the tools to be an NHL starter, but that upside is as much about opportunity and timing as skill. - RW

6 Alexander Romanov, D (38^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 17) Born to a hockey family, Romanov is a rock-solid defenseman with exciting two-way abilities who was awarded Best Defenseman honors at the last WJC despite being an underaged participant. He spent the whole season with Gagarin Cup champions CSKA Moscow, and even scored his first KHL goal. He is an adept defensive player, but he needs to be less passive offensively and be less scared of erring with the puck. He doesn’t have the strongest shot, but he has good instincts and can pass the puck well. At this point, he is a blue-chip prospect for the Habs, but he needs to bulk up and be more involved in the offensive part of his game. Romanov has top-pairing potential, but as with many other Russian prospects, he will need a bit more seasoning before crossing the Atlantic to join his NHL organization. - ASR

7 Josh Brook, D (56^thoverall, 2017. Last Year: 11) Brook had one of the more productive seasons for a blueliner in recent memory. He more than doubled his point production with an impressive 16 goals and 59 assists in just 59 games while playing top pairing minutes against many of the top lines in the WHL. He has a very nice offensive tool kit with a good hard slap shot, excellent passing skill and vision, and a collection of feigns and dekes that enable him to open up defenses from his position. He can take the puck down low and drive the net, and skates well enough that he is dangerous when joining the rush. He is an intelligent player who manages the puck well, particularly under pressure at the offensive blue line, where he makes smart reads on pinching and play along the wall. There has been enough development in his offensive game to think he can be an effective power play quarterback while also playing effective top four minutes in the NHL. - VG

8 Noah Juulsen, D (26^th overall, 2015. Last Year: 7) For a smooth skating defenseman who can shoot from just about anywhere on the ice, Juulsen has not had the same amount of success in the pro ranks as he had during his major junior days with Everett in the WHL. He has struggled to adjust to making the right plays at the professional level and often tries to do too much when he is without the puck, which makes him easy prey as he sometimes bites too quickly. He is not the most mobile defender and his actions seem even more stiff and mechanical when he begins to think too much. He will have to work on trusting himself with and without the puck and working on his timing a bit more. Juulsen has the skill to be a bottom four defenseman in the NHL but right now his game will just need to mature a bit more before returning back to the Canadiens. - SC

9 Otto Leskinen, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 7, 2019. Last Year: IE) Leskinen put together an excellent season with KalPa in the Liiga and even got to represent the Finnish national team over the course of the season. A mobile defenseman, he skates well both backwards and laterally. He is light on his skates and there is little wasted motion in his stride. Leskinen has the abilities to be an impactful player offensively. He can make a crisp first pass or carry the puck up into the zone. He has a hard slap shot and a wrister with a very quick release. He is a purposeful shooter and can pick his spots well from the point. His main remaining issues are his overall defensive game and a lack of physical presence and toughness. However, he is a skilled, modern defenseman whose style of play suits today's NHL well. - MB

10 Mattias Norlinder, D (64^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Norlinder’s chances of becoming a regular NHL defenseman are good, in fact very good for a third-round pick. He isn’t elite with the puck but makes nice plays. He reads the game well and has shown himself able to adapt to higher levels rather easily. His biggest tool is exceptionally strong skating. He skates fast and with ease. He can carry the puck quickly out of danger and create offensive attacks for his team. He came up late in Allsvenskan and impressed highly. He chose to stay in Allsvenskan for the full season this year, which could be a smart move. He will receive big minutes on one the best teams in the league and has a good shot to make Sweden’s WJC team. Norlinder’s potential stretches to that of a third or second pair NHL defenseman. - JH

11 Jake Evans, C (207^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 4) Evans is an elite level passer who can make crisp on-the-tape passes in the most difficult of situations. He is a really solid player and has a good jump to his stride and energy to his game. In his professional debut after completing a full four years at Notre Dame, he managed a good season, tallying 45 points in 67 games. The way he sees the ice is unique and a player of his caliber will certainly go far and could be considered a contender for a top nine spot in Montreal’s organization in the future. Evans has the full package, and he just needs to muster up more grit and stay consistent with his play and he will be set to dawn a Canadiens jersey soon. Getting more shots off would also help him to better prove his usefulness in offensive situations instead of always resorting to passing. - SC

12 Joni Ikonen, C/RW (58^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 10) Ikonen is a skilled and tenacious forward who can play both center and the wing. He can be a dual threat in the final third but is more of a shooter than a playmaker. He will take puck to the net and can score flashy goals. He has fantastic puck handling skills, offensive instincts, and can take advantage of any extra space and room that is given to him. He plays an intense and energetic game, hunts pucks and competes in every shift. On the downside, he is on the smaller side and has occasional troubles against bigger and stronger opponents, especially along the boards. Considering everything, Ikonen is an intriguing prospect with the skills and the will to be a difference maker in North America. - MB

13 Gianni Fairbrother, D (77^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Last season was a comeback season for Fairbrother, as he battled his way back from a separated shoulder to have an impressive season with Everett. He is a solid two-way defender who logs a lot of minutes and plays in all situations. He skates really well, has a good shot, and moves the puck nicely. Aside from that, he has decent size, plays with an edge, and has a strong physical presence. He has been brought up in a strong, structured defensive system, and that is a real prominent element in his game. He plays a safe and steady game and seems to do all of the little things right. He projects to be a mid-range defender with the potential to move up. - KO

14 Jayden Struble, D (46^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) The first prepster drafted in 2019, Struble saw his stock rise drastically after a dominating performance at the Draft Combine. He brings a magnificent mix of two-way smarts and a booming shot from the blueline to the Montreal system. Taken out of St. Sebastian’s High School in Massachusetts, the left-hander displayed an exceptional all-around package in his senior year, noted by his insane vision and explosive playmaking skills. He is also as smart defensively as he is on offense, exhibiting tight gaps in zone entries and incredible timing and anticipation in one-on-one defense. He is a solid skater, and he could stand to use his muscular and stocky build more against the boards. As he transitions to NCAA hockey with Northeastern, he will begin to prune out his skilled but still very raw game. - TD

15 Cale Fleury, D (87^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 8) Fleury is solid defenseman whose offence takes much of the spotlight from his defensive play. He can shoot and pass with ease and has made a good transition to the positional play needed at the professional level, always seeming to be in good shooting position. Speed is lacking in his game as is his ability to adapt to changing pace, and often times he can be one of the last ones back due to his lack of awareness which can lead to odd man rushes. When pressured, he can make rushed passes to relieve himself of the puck- many of which he misses on. He will need to work on making better passes instead of throwing the puck away even if that means taking a hit to do so. Fleury has the offensive skill and shot to be a bottom four defenseman with Montreal, but he will have to cover his ice better and work on maintaining focus throughout the whole game. - SC

16 Jordan Harris, D (71^st overall, 2018. Last Year: Not ranked) Currently considered a top candidate to play for Team USA at the 2020 WJC, Harris is a fast skating, understated puck moving defenseman who spent the last season helping to keep the crease clear for Cayden Primeau. His defensive game is very advanced despite last year being his first playing high level hockey, having come to campus directly from a New Hampshire prep school. He shows flashes of offensive ability, but it has been rare enough to lead to questions about his upside. Those who like him think he will take over a bigger offensive role this year, after Jeremy Davies turned pro (Nashville). Those who are more bearish see a third pairing defender at best who might be hard pressed to establish himself in the NHL at his peak. This season will be telling. - RW

17 Jacob Olofsson, C (56^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 6) Olofsson took a step in his overall speed last season, but that was about all he improved. He played top six minutes in SHL but wasn’t able to impose himself on the game. He is a good puck transporter all the way up to the offensive blue line but he doesn’t seem to have the tools to create good things after the entry. He often loses control of the puck and doesn’t use his size to protect it. He is physically soft in a way that it hinders his overall game. At the WJC last year he was used as a winger and it became even more obvious that he had a hard time winning puck duels. Olofsson’s foundation as a player is good, but he will need to take big steps in many aspects to remain an interesting NHL prospect. He will play on a better SHL team this season and hopefully that will help him take the next step. - JH

18 Allan McShane, C (97^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 12) McShane is actually a very similar player to Suzuki. He excels as a playmaker down low because of how well he sees the ice and because his hands can create space for himself. He anticipates play in the offensive zone without the puck very well, again, pointing to his top-notch hockey sense. On the downside, the physical tools are rather limited at the moment. His skating will need to continue to improve and he still needs to be more aggressive playing through the middle of the ice and attacking traffic. He does not likely have the toolbox to be a bottom six player, so he will need to be a top six player in the NHL in order to carve out a career. - BO

19 Cam Hillis, C (66^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 13) Hillis is coming off of a tough season that saw him battle through injuries and miss Guelph’s lengthy playoff run. Even so, the Guelph Storm have already named him Captain for the 2019-20 season, which speaks volumes about his character. Like McShane, Hillis lacks top physical tools, such as high-end skating ability, size, and athleticism. Then again, he plays the game with his heart on his sleeve and excels as a playmaker because of his tenacity on and off the puck. As he gets stronger, his offensive production should jump greatly. With improvements to his skating, Hillis could develop into a quality third line center for Montreal, although not in the near future. - BO

20 Rhett Pitlick, LW (131^st overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) An undersized scoring winger, Pitlick is another example of the Canadiens opting to draft skilled long-shot players over their safer, lower-ceiling counterparts in recent seasons. He comes from a family rich in NHL talent and is primed to continue the tradition. An absolutely dominant skater, he is capable of blowing past defenders by merely gliding on his edges, while his acceleration does not lag at all, as his short legs generate a lot of quick power and stride speed. Though he can be outmuscled, he will never be outworked, as his determination is matched only by his scintillating puck skill and elusiveness. His only game-breaking flaw is his riskiness with the puck, but an imminent jump to the NCAA level with the University of Minnesota will help immensely and assist him in approaching his middle-six playmaking forward potential. - TD

Montreal Canadiens Prospect System Overview

Ryan Wagman — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 18:12:12 +0000

If you have been reading my work for any length of time, whether here at McKeen's, or previously with Hockey Prospectus, you will know that one of my common refrains when it comes to the draft, right after “don’t draft goalies in the first round”, is to not draft for positional need.

Between trades, free agency, and the non-linear development paths taken by the vast majority of prospects, it is impossible to say what your NHL team will need once the players drafted today are ready for the NHL.

As only three to six players in any given draft class are ready to move directly to the NHL, it is beyond folly to presume what your weaknesses will be once they are ready. Include in the facts that most prospects never make it at all and that even the good ones generally need two or three more years of development after being drafted to have a handle on how they are trending, and the concept of drafting for need looks more and more ridiculous.

So here come the Montreal Canadiens, sour at having missed the postseason for the second time in three years, a feat of ignominy the franchise has not seen since the 2001-2003 stretch. Beyond the injuries to Carey Price (yes, he was taken with a high first round pick, and on balance, he has worked out), which prevented them from stopping goals, the team and the local media had long been harping on their lack of centers, both high end and depth, and their lack of size.

Thanks to their favorable results in the NHL Draft Lottery, the team was slated to draft third overall this past June. Everyone who had ever laced up skates knew that Rasmus Dahlin would go first overall, while everyone who had held a hockey stick in anger had pegged big Russian winger Andrei Svechnikov to go second. Pundits and other know-it-alls figured that Czech winger Filip Zadina would be the third pick, with a reasonable chance that the newest Tkachuk, Brady, could slip into the bronze spot.

Then again, rumors leading into the draft had connected Montreal with big Finnish center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who had impressed playing as a 17 year old in Liiga and then dominated at the WU18s, a talented player without doubt, albeit one with flaws. Canadiens’ brass was known to be enamored with the player who provided a solution to both of the club’s clearest weaknesses.

On the other hand, they also seemed to acknowledge that Kotkaniemi was not the best player likely to be available at third overall, as other whispers had them trying to trade down, hoping to gauge how low they could go with their favorite draft eligible player still on the board. I guess they never got a satisfactory answer, as we all know by know that the Habs kept the pick and drafted Kotkaniemi, who was signed to an ELC less than two weeks later.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi meets a need on the current Montreal roster. He is also talented enough, and physically mature enough, to have a strong case to spend the entire 2018-19 season in the NHL, likely in a third line role at least to start. By the time he hits his peak, however, the Canadiens will have different needs, and they may see other centers emerge that would make Kotkaniemi, if not superfluous, at least lead to questions about what if they had taken Zadina, or Tkachuk, or whoever is behind door #3.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

1 Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C (3^rd overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) Between his excellent hands, fantastic ability to protect the puck and advanced hockey sense, the Canadiens see their presumptive fist line center for the foreseeable future. If they are right, he will quiet all doubts about their selection of the big Finn with the third overall pick. The other side of the coin is the unmitigated concern about his lack of foot speed. While his first few steps are powerful, his top speed is around average. As the game gets faster and faster, that deficiency could bite into his overall effectiveness. OK speed can be mitigated if all of a player’s other attributes are high end, and, to his credit, Kotkaniemi is close in that regard. He performed exceptionally against men in Liiga and was dominant for Finland at the WU18s. He is an accomplished penalty killer and has a plus physical frame and game. If the sating issue gets in his way, there is still no reason why he could not end up a very good second line center.

2 Ryan Poehling, C (25^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 1^st) As a freshman, Poehling’s lack of offensive impact for St. Cloud State could be brushed away by his youth, as he was one of the youngest players in NCAA at the time. That was no longer the case as a sophomore, but he didn’t need any excuses anyway, as he was one of the offensive drivers for one of the best programs in the country. He is a very strong skater, with hands that can keep up with his feet for quickness. His two-way game was already advanced when he was drafted and has continued to impress as he can play a shutdown game in his own zone. His offensive game is not dynamic, but strong enough to be a factor and earn some power play time going forward. He projects as a middle six center on a very good team.

3 Nikita Scherbak, RW (26^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 4^th) In his third AHL season, Nikita Scherbak, Montreal’s forgotten first rounder from 2014, took a few significant steps forward in his game, proving for once and for all, that he has nothing left to gain in the minor leagues. The question remains how much he can produce in the NHL and how soon he can do it. He has good size and skates well. He has a strong shot and his puck skills show high level top end in the AHL, although he has not been as assertive in the NHL. He also plays a smart, composed game, which suggests that he will step up if given consistent ice time at the top level. Scherbak won’t be gifted a roster spot, but he has the tools to stick if he shows enough in camp.

4 Jake Evans, C (207^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 8^th) In Notre Dame’s long history on ice, the have appeared in the Frozen Four four times. The last two of those have come in Evans’ junior and senior seasons. He ends his collegiate career ranked third in scoring since the turn of the century. He will never be a dynamic skater, but has improved his pace significantly during his collegiate career. Good edgework helps his skating play up. The strength of his game is as a playmaker. The puck has a way of finding his stick and he has a way of setting up linemates with prime scoring chances with pinpoint accuracy. He has great anticipation, indicative of his ability to read what opponents are trying to do in all three zones. Almost without fail, he then makes it more difficult for them to execute. Evans might have to spend some time in Laval first, especially depending on his recovery from an offseason hernia surgery, but he has top six upside.

Jesse Ylonen

5 Jesse Ylonen, RW (35^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) With a late 1999 birthdate, Ylonen’s chance to shine internationally was in the 2017 WU18 tournament. And he shone, with nine points in seven games on the way to a Silver Medal for Finland. Born in Arizona when father Juha was playing with the Coyotes, the young Jesse spent is first season playing against men last year, and was one of the only teenagers to accomplish anything at all in Mestis, Finland’s second league. A dynamic, smooth skater with magnificent puck skills, work well together to make him a constant threat when his team is on the offensive attack. One of his bigger development sin the last 12 months has been his willingness to play in a team structure and utilize his linemates more in the attack. He still has a ways to go physically, and will be moving on up to play in Liiga, with Pelicans, as his next stop.

6 Jacob Olofsson, C (56^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) All the steak, half the sizzle. Olofsson is a mature young center drafted as part of Montreal’s concerted effort to beef up the system down the middle. A solid skater who plays with an impressive motor, he lacks dynamic puck skills, but is able to protect it from the sticks of defenders as he drives the net. Like Ylonen in Finland, Olofsson produced at a fine level in Sweden’s second division, the Allsvenskan before showing well at the WU18s. He features a tricky release on his wrist shot that allows him to generate scoring chances from the rush. As with most 17 year-olds playing senior hockey, one of his most impressive traits is his hockey sense. He reads the game very well and sticks to the team structure, with generally proper positioning in the defensive zone. With his team being promoted to the SHL, he is ready for a new challenge against better competition.

7 Noah Juulsen, D (26^th overall, 2015. Last Year: 2^nd) If only due to the 23 games he played at the NHL level last year, Juulsen is the most likely player from this list to graduate from consideration in the 2018-19 season. In his first professional season, he did not show any dynamic traits of the type that made him a first rounder and reliable source of offense from the blueline in his time n the WHL, but he was a steady presence on otherwise poor rosters in both Laval and Montreal. Juulsen is a strong skater, who has improved markedly in his game away from the puck since his draft year to the point that he could comfortably be used in defensive situations in the NHL. He still needs to fill out his frame, but he leans on his checks effectively. At this point, expectations for an offensive weapon from the blueline are diminished, but he should still be serviceable as a fourth or fifth defender.

8 Cale Fleury, D (87^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 14^th) As many had anticipated in his draft year, Fleury’s skills were being muted by playing for a bottom-feeding Kootenay club. The Ice traded their captain to Regine around mis-season and, with skilled forwards to get the puck to, his assist rate soared. He can survey the ice very well from the point, and is able to execute on passes of surprising difficulty. Fleury also has a mature frame and plays with an impressive amount of bite. He has above average mobility and it is fair to say that his horrid +/- numbers with Kootenay were more on the team than him, as that number went heavily the other way after the trade. Of the four blueliners selected by Montreal in the middle rounds in 2017, Fleury has the greatest likelihood of growing into more than a third pairing contributor.

9 Cayden Primeau, G (199^th overall, 2017. Last Year: not ranked) A goaltending project when drafted towards the end of the 2017 draft, Primeau had struggled to keep the starting job with Lincoln of the USHL, but raised eyebrows with a stellar performance at the World Junior A’s. He won a lot of believers when he stole the starting job with Hockey East side Northeastern from incumbent Ryan Ruck and proceeded to post the fourth best save percentage in the nation among starters. He stands out for his athleticism and composure and flashes high end potential in his ability to stick with the shooter. He likes to play the puck. One element he needs to show improvement in is tracking when the play is behind his net, to avoid needlessly opening up holes.

Joni Ikonen

10 Joni Ikonen, C/RW (58^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 7^th) A Finnish player drafted out of the Swedish leagues, Ikonen returned to his native land last year and finished sixth in Liiga among all U19 players. He also played a strong role for Finland at the WJC. Unfortunately, it seems highly unlikely that he will return to the WJC this year, as a knee injury suffered in a team-related practice session after the conclusion of the season is expected to keep him out of commission until December. Ikonen’s game is predicated on slipperiness with the puck on his stick, and a commitment to stay with the play across all three zones. He is strong for his size and respected for his speed, which tracks to an above average level, presuming the trait returns with health.

11 Josh Brook, D (56^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 6^th) It can be difficult to judge players on powerhouse teams, and their own contributions can be subsumed by those of their teammates. That said, it certainly does look like Brook took a step forward in his development last season, playing a smart, two-way game with a physical yet disciplined edge. He also continued to make the case that he is a very good puck distributor. After all, who is to say that Moose Jaw would have scored that much if Brook was not so adept at getting the puck to his teammates. Between his offensive production and the facets of his game that stand out well, the reason he is not ranked higher is that his mobility is middling on a good day. There is still the sense that his foot speed can be exploited at higher levels unless he adds some quickness.

12 Allan McShane, C (97^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) One of several smaller centers selected by Montreal in the 2018 draft after taking their big center at the top, McShane lacks much I the way of physical tools, but more than makes up for it with high end playmaking and a gift for processing the game. He is a sluggish skater, lacking in his first few steps and not able to get to a promising top speed. That said, his is fairy agile and has a knack for sidestepping past defenders who don’t see it coming. While not a big shooter, he does like his wrap-around attempts, and generates a good number of rebounds that way. Thanks to his understanding of game play situations, he can be used in a variety of roles. He does need to gain another half step, but his vision and style lend themselves to maintain value further up the developmental ladder.

13 Cam Hillis, C (66^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) Somewhat of a late bloomer, the undersized Hillis waited until he was 17 to debut in the OHL and came in swinging, with nearly one point per game in his rookie year at the level. Between his production and his superb skating, making him a threat in one-on-one situations, he earned the attention of Team Canada, eventually suiting up for his homeland at the WU18. He is also committed to the team structure in his own zone and is an impressive playmaker. He can try to overextend himself with the puck, leading to too many turnovers. If he learns to play more within himself, including the recognition of the limitations of his stature, he could be a decent middle six forward, with the ability to contribute on special teams.

14 William Bitten, C (70^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 11^th) Although Bitten never produced the offensive numbers in the OHL that his skillset suggested he could, he has continued to improve year-over-year and he moves to the professional game as a promising two-way threat. The son of two badminton Olympians, flashes very high end abilities with the puck and skates at an above average level. Just as often as he impresses with the puck, his game away from the puck is consistently worthy of acclaim. There is an open question whether a player with his clear size deficit can establish himself in an energy role as a pro, but with a little more assertiveness on offense, Bitten can open up a selection of paths to the NHL.

Cole Fonstad

15 Cole Fonstad, C/LW (128^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) Skilled without being dynamic, Fonstad earned a spot on Canada’s WU18 roster thanks to a very good season with a middling Prince Albert team which he helped return to the playoffs. A fine skater with elusive puck skills and a promising two way game, his main drawback is his complete lack of size and strength. He forechecks strong and generally plays with admirable hustle, there is reasonable doubt that his style of play will be possible at higher levels. With much of the Prince Albert roster having turned over, Fonstad will be relied upon to fill a more leadership role with the Raiders this year. It will be interesting to note how, if at all, that impacts his game.

16 Scott Walford, D (68^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 15^th) Although injuries may have played a role – he missed both rounds of Victoria’s postseason run – it is fair to call Scott Walford’s first post-draft season a disappointment. He is a smooth skater who shows a keen understanding for the nuances of the game and is reliable away from the puck. He can make the basic passes and plays with the puck, but he is not a primary puck carrier or a genuine weapon from the blueline. He has decent size and while not a physical force, is not a pushover either. In sum, Walford is a quiet, competent blueliner who could probably play at the next level, but has yet to really show why he should play over other similarly skilled players.

17 Alexander Romanov, D (38^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) In a draft full of surprise picks, perhaps no pick was as out of left field as Montreal selecting Romanov early in the second round. An undersized defenseman from the Russian junior leagues, those who like him see a teenager who is fleet of foot, who keeps a tight gap when facing a zone entry against, and packs a nice slap shot from the point. They even see a player who punches above his weight class in terms of the physical game. The difference between those who like and those who don’t is not that substantial, but to prove a point about why his selection was surprising, all of those tools mentioned above, instead of being somewhat impressive, are somewhat meh. Like Kotkaniemi, his WU18 tournament helped his draft stock, but unlike Kotkaniemi, his pre-tournament performance was not really notable at all.

18 Charlie Lindgren, G (UDFA: Mar. 30, 2016. Last Year: 17^th) With superstar Carey Price on the roster, for now and evermore, the Canadiens have de-emphasized the drafting of netminders over the past few years. In fact, since the Price pick, they have only taken five goalies in 13 draft classes. To keep padded people between the pipes at the lower levels, the organization has taken to signing free talent at the position. Lindgren has been the best such free agent find. Signed out of St. Cloud State in 2016, he has worked his way into NHL appearances in each season since, including 14 games while Price was out last season. He is highly competitive and athletic with a strong puck handling game for a netminder. On the down side, he is a bit too prone to the juicy rebound to be more than a solid backup. If Antti Niemi’s bubble bursts again, he is primed to be the permanent backup in the NHL.

19 Matthew Peca, C (UFA: Jul. 1, 2018. Last Year: not ranked [Tampa Bay]) A clever playmaker who was too small even for Tampa, Peca, a former seventh round pick, was signed as a free agent with Montreal this offseason after appearing in 20 games total for the Lightning over the past two seasons. He is a skilled offense creator, playing with pace and getting his linemates into nice scoring chances. While those traits have not yet come to fruition in the NHL, the Habs have given him a two year contract and seem committed to giving Peca his chance in the sun. He has the speed and skillset that could make him a useful bottom six forward given limited and protected minutes, but the investment in him was not so great as to prevent the team from cutting bait if he can’t manage to produce points.

20 Lukas Vejdemo, C (87^th overall, 2015. Last Year: 18^th) A tremendous skater, Vejdemo rebounded from a down year in 2016-17 to post his best season yet in the SHL, convincing both the Canadiens and himself that it was time to come play in North America. Outside of his skating, the rest of his tools grade out around average, but the left handed center gets around fast enough to perhaps help those attributes play up. He has good size too, which would probably be of use to him in the AHL, especially considering the lack thereof of some of his probable future teammates. By this point, it is unlikely that he can grow into anything above a decent fourth liner, but considering the weakness of Laval last year, he should have plenty of chances to try to prove us wrong.

OHL: Cam Hillis (2018 Draft Eligible)

Scott Crawford — Wed, 02 May 2018 15:34:20 +0000

Cam Hillis is among the best skaters in the OHL who are entering the 2018 NHL Draft according to Scott Crawford. Crawford provides a detailed scouting report on all aspect so Hillis's game below.

A note on the 20-80 scale used below. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity

Cam Hillis of the Guelph Storm. Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images

Cam Hillis	2018 Draft Eligible
Position: C, Shoots: R	H/W: 5-10", 170 lbs.
Stats to date (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS)	Guelph Storm, OHL (60-20-39-59-48)

Skating: A superb skater, one of the better skaters in the NHL draft coming out of the OHL, Hillis has hidden value is his ability to out skate opponents one on one to take on a goaltender by himself. In the CHL Top Prospects Game, his speed was on display to a greater audience. His impressive leg works to out skate a defenseman one on one and turn that type of situation into a mini break away giving him ample opportunities to create scoring chances for himself. Grade: 60

Shot: His shot is a weakness when driving to the net at a quick pace. Most times he will shoot and miss the net all together. When he is at a stand still and has time to make his shot he will hit make his mark most times. His wrist shot is most effective inside the high slot area. He is good at close shots to the net but lacks anything else from a distance. Behind the net he has wicked wrap around, but nothing more. He needs to work on his slap shot to be more dangerous when he is on the powerplay as his wrist shot become more predictable. Grade: 45

Skills: He has the puck skill to be a mobile forward, but he lacks control when he is moving at a fast pace. One thing that he needs to improve on is becoming an all around offensive threat as he possesses both skill of fast skating and mobile puck movement, but he needs to combine the two to reach his full potential. For example, he makes several turnovers in the neutral zone when he is trying to carry the puck through the neutral zone, but his lack of puck control drives him to lose the puck because he is skating too fast. He is one of the better passers on the ice. With his quick vision to spot open teammates for a play he is a vital part of the Guelph Storm’s offensive attack. He is more of creator of offense. Grade: 55

Smarts: Overall Hillis is a smart player both with the puck and away. He may overcommit on the offense sometimes by skating into traffic and expecting that things will be all right. He knows how to play defense and commits to his defensive role in his coach’s system and does not play away from his defensive region. He needs to work on committing to the transition game because whenever his team turns the puck over and he skates down the back check he is slow at times to get all the way back to his own end. This is unacceptable because it leaves your defenseman vulnerable to an odd man rush and potential defensive breakdown. Grade: 50

Physicality: He is odd player because he is too small physically to do any damage, but instead of being afraid he takes the challenge of competing even against the bigger players. When he is skating up ice he will not let a 6-7” defenseman scare him, and he meets him head on. However, it does not always work, and Hillis ends up turning the puck over. He is not afraid to be hit and knows the correct position to pin himself against the boards when a player comes at him. Grade: 50

Overall Summary: Cameron Hillis has shown promise that he could be an NHL player one day, but it will be a while before that happens. He has a long way to go before he can compete with men. He is an elite skater with huge upside to be one of the faster skaters in the league but lacks control with the puck when he is skating at a fast pace. The other worry is his indecisiveness when playing defense. He will play defense in his own zone without problem but lacks the commitment to come back on the forecheck at 100% effort. His shot needs work especially when he is skating in on a break away as has a poor tendency to miss the net all together.

Overall Future Projection (OFP): 52.25

McKeen’s 2018 NHL Draft Ranking – April 2018 – Top 125

Ryan Wagman — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 14:25:48 +0000

With the CHL leagues now into the second round of their respective playoffs, the NCAA season completed (congrats to new champions Minnesota-Duluth!), European leagues beginning to wrap up and the USHL with only one more weekend remaining in their regular season, it is time for the penultimate McKeens Hockey Draft List. This list once again runs 125 players deep, with a few more names tacked on at the end to keep in mind.

Our final list will run deeper – and be more definitive – but know that the names you see below are the fruit of the combined labor of the full McKeens scouting team. Covering all of the leagues touched on in the first paragraph above, we have watched them all and players in most cases were also cross-checked by multiple team members.

While the size of our list has not changed from the previous iteration, much else is different. Yes, Rasmus Dahlin still heads the ranking (hint: barring a career-threatening tragedy in the next 10 weeks, he will lead our final list as well), but the next player who maintains the same position as last time is Joel Farabee, still sitting in 12^th. Alexander Alexeyev, at 29^th, is the only other player in the top 31 who is ranked the same today as he was in February.

Andrei Svechnikovof the Barrie Colts. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Looking at the top ten, the changes begin in the two/three slots, as we saw fit to bump Russian import Andrei Svechnikov past Czech import Filip Zadina. The latter has been strong all season long, but the two keys for us were a) he plateaued to an extent in the dying days of the regular season while Svechnikov has taken his production to a new level down the stretch. On a point per game measure, Svechnikov’s 1.64 points per game outshine Zadina’s 1.44, and the latter’s extra ten games played cannot explain away the discrepancy. The first round of the playoffs have seen this trend continue. Zadina has been very good. Svechnikov has been stellar. b) Svechnikov is four months younger than Zadina. In the grand scheme of things, that is not much. In a draft class, that is a full third of the way from one year of eligibility to the next. There is just that much greater likelihood that Svechnikov has more development potential. This factor is not destiny, but cannot be overlooked.

ANN ARBOR, MI - MARCH 03: Michigan Wolverines defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) passes the puck during the Michigan Wolverines game versus the Wisconsin Badgers in the BIG10 Hockey Tournament on March 3, 2018. (Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire)

Quinn Hughes and Adam Boqvist, both undersized (by traditional standards, if not by modern ones) and very mobile defenders have almost switched places. Hughes, whose game grew by leaps and bounds since playing a supporting role for the US Bronze winning WJC entry ended his season in the Frozen Four. He was the youngest player in the NCAA this year and tied for 16^th among all defensemen in scoring. Only one of the blueliners with more points is within even one year of his age. Through the second half of the year, he was consistently the best player on the ice whenever he stepped over the boards. He leaps from 9^th last time, to 4^th now. Boqvist, who dropped from 5^th to 8^th, is still an electrifying skater whose speed brings an extra dimension to his game. He is still highly coveted, but there is at least a hint of a red flag due to his dearth of production at the senior level in Sweden. He scored nearly one point per game in the SuperElit league, but has only one assist in 18 regular and post-season SHL games. The skill set is obvious, but his struggles against men highlight the greater gap between what he is and what he should become.

The one change to the previous top ten sees Spokane defender Ty Smith fall from 10 to 16. His offensive production in the WHL has been fantastic all the way through the Chiefs’ first round playoff exit. There have been some questions about his play off the puck, which were highlighted by a rough showing earlier in the year at the CHL Top Prospects Game. He should have another chance to boost his stock in the coming weeks as part of Canada’s entry to the World Under 18 Championships.

Joe Veleno (#90), player of Drummondville Voltigeurs, season 2017-18 of the QMJHL. Drummondville, Que., Dec. 30, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Ghyslain Bergeron

Taking Smith’s place in the top ten is former Exceptional Status player Joe Veleno. Huge things were expected of Veleno this year, not only due to his unique entry point into the QMJHL, but a three goal showing for Saint John at last year’s Memorial Cup certainly whetted the appetite for a huge draft season. Unfortunately, his previous team, the Saint John Sea Dogs were gutted by graduation and trades, and Veleno started off slowly, amid reports that he was taking the team’s struggles too much on his own shoulders. He scored only six goals in his 31 games in the Maritimes. A mid-season trade to Drummondville has allowed him to take off in a more competitive atmosphere, finishing the year with 48 points in 33 games for the Voltigeurs. He is also having another strong post-season, helping his team into the second round. In short, Smith has seen questions added about his projection, while Veleno has answered more of his, helping him jump up from 11^th to 9^th.

Without laboring over each change in the list, let us meditate briefly on the four subtractions (and four additions) to the top 31. Dropping into our second round are Jett Woo, B-O Groulx, Jack McBain, and Martin Kaut. Like Ty Smith above, none of these players necessarily did anything to harm their own standing, but were simply surpassed by some players who managed to end on a strong note. For each of the four, it can legitimately be said that there are open questions about their offensive upsides. Woo, Groulx, and Kaut may lack top half of the roster upside, while McBain did not score as much as his talent would suggest he should have in the OJHL. Like Smith, he is expected to play for Canada at the WU18 and his performance with CHLers should speak volumes about his draft standing.

Rasmus Sandin of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Replacing those four are a trio of small defensemen who have finished strong in Rasmus Sandin, Nils Lundkvist, and Calen Addison, and one ultra-talented German forward developing in Sweden in Dominik Bokk. These four players all carry a dynamic element to their games that the four players falling to the second round do not look to have.

The next six weeks, including the completion of the North American junior playoffs as well as the WU18 competition will see several more reputations made and others tarnished, as happens every year. We try to see the whole picture, and promise not to inordinately elevate the ranking of any player simply for getting hot at the right time. Our final list will reflect not just good or bad production at the right time, but the skill sets of the best draft-eligible talent in the hockey world, leavened by their ability and success rates of those skills in actualizing as performance.

We welcome your feedback on this list and look forward to seeing our draft list through to its completion in Dallas in late June.

To link to a player page, use the tags at the bottom of the page, or from our McKeen's Draft Ranking found here It is also downloadable to an excel file.

RANK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB	GP-G-A-PTS
1	Rasmus Dahlin	D	Frolunda (Swe)	6-2/185	13-Apr-00	41-7-13-20
2	Andrei Svechnikov	RW	Barrie (OHL)	6-2/185	26-Mar-00	44-40-32-72
3	Filip Zadina	RW	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-0/195	27-Nov-99	57-44-38-82
4	Quinn Hughes	D	Michigan (B1G)	5-10/175	14-Oct-99	37-5-24-29
5	Brady Tkachuk	LW	Boston University (HE)	6-3/195	16-Sep-99	40-8-23-31
6	Evan Bouchard	D	London (OHL)	6-2/195	20-Oct-99	67-25-62-87
7	Oliver Wahlstrom	RW	NTDP (USHL)	6-1/205	13-Jun-00	54-40-43-83
8	Adam Boqvist	D	Brynas (Swe Jr)	5-11/170	15-Aug-00	25-14-10-24
9	Joe Veleno	C	SNB-Dru (QMJHL)	6-1/195	13-Jan-00	64-22-57-79
10	Noah Dobson	D	Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)	6-3/180	7-Jan-00	67-17-52-69
11	Isac Lundestrom	C	Lulea (Swe)	6-0/185	6-Nov-99	42-6-9-15
12	Joel Farabee	LW	NTDP (USHL)	5-11/165	25-Feb-00	54-27-37-64
13	Barrett Hayton	C	Sault Ste Marie (OHL)	6-1/190	9-Jun-00	63-21-39-60
14	Jesperi Kotkaniemi	C	Assat Pori (Fin)	6-1/190	6-Jul-00	57-10-19-29
15	Bode Wilde	D	NTDP (USHL)	6-2/195	24-Jan-00	53-11-25-36
16	Ty Smith	D	Spokane (WHL)	5-10/180	24-Mar-00	69-14-59-73
17	K'Andre Miller	D	NTDP (USHL)	6-3/205	21-Jan-00	50-7-17-24
18	Akil Thomas	C	Niagara (OHL)	5-11/170	2-Jan-00	68-22-59-81
19	Jared McIsaac	D	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-1/195	27-Mar-00	65-9-38-47
20	Grigori Denisenko	LW	Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)	5-11/175	24-Jun-00	31-9-13-22
21	Serron Noel	RW	Oshawa (OHL)	6-5/200	8-Aug-00	62-28-25-53
22	Rasmus Kupari	C	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	6-1/185	15-Mar-00	39-6-8-14
23	Ryan McLeod	C	Mississauga (OHL)	6-2/200	21-Sep-99	68-26-44-70
24	Ryan Merkley	D	Guelph (OHL)	5-11/170	14-Aug-00	63-13-54-67
25	Mattias Samuelsson	D	NTDP (USHL)	6-3/215	14-Mar-00	50-9-19-28
26	Rasmus Sandin	D	Sault Ste Marie (OHL)	5-11/185	7-Mar-00	51-12-33-45
27	Nils Lundkvist	D	Lulea (Swe)	5-11/180	27-Jul-00	28-2-3-5
28	Alexander Alexeyev	D	Red Deer (WHL)	6-3/200	15-Nov-99	45-7-30-37
29	Calen Addison	D	Lethbridge (WHL)	5-10/180	11-Apr-00	68-11-54-65
30	Jacob Olofsson	C	Timra (Swe 2)	6-2/190	8-Feb-00	43-10-11-21
31	Dominik Bokk	LW	Vaxjo Lakers (Swe Jr)	6-1/180	3-Feb-00	35-14-27-41
32	Vitali Kravtsov	RW	Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL)	6-2/170	23-Dec-99	35-4-3-7
33	Martin Kaut	RW	Dynamo Pardubice (Cze)	6-1/175	2-Oct-99	38-9-7-16
34	Jett Woo	D	Moose Jaw (WHL)	6-0/205	27-Jul-00	44-9-16-25
35	Benoit-Olivier Groulx	C	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-1/195	6-Feb-00	68-28-27-55
36	Jesse Ylonen	RW	Espoo United (Fin 2)	6-0/165	3-Oct-99	48-14-13-27
37	Nicolas Beaudin	D	Drummondville (QMJHL)	5-11/175	7-Oct-99	68-12-57-69
38	Adam Ginning	D	Linkopings (Swe)	6-3/195	13-Jan-00	28-1-1-2
39	Jack McBain	C	Tor. Jr Canadiens (OJHL)	6-3/195	6-Jan-00	48-21-37-58
40	Jonny Tychonick	D	Penticton (BCHL)	6-0/175	3-Mar-00	48-9-38-47
41	Ty Emberson	D	NTDP (USHL)	6-0/195	24-May-00	53-4-18-22
42	Ty Dellandrea	C	Flint (OHL)	6-0/190	21-Jul-00	67-27-32-59
43	Allan McShane	C	Oshawa (OHL)	5-11/190	14-Feb-00	67-20-45-65
44	Blake McLaughlin	LW	Chicago (USHL)	6-0/165	14-Feb-00	52-23-28-51
45	Gabriel Fortier	C	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)	5-10/170	6-Feb-00	66-26-33-59
46	Kevin Bahl	D	Ottawa (OHL)	6-6/230	27-Jun-00	58-1-17-18
47	Sampo Ranta	LW	Sioux City (USHL)	6-1/195	31-May-00	53-23-14-37
48	Filip Hallander	C	Timra (Swe 2)	6-1/185	29-Jun-00	40-9-11-20
49	Jay O'Brien	C	Thayer Acad. (USHS-MA)	5-10/185	4-Nov-99	30-43-37-80
50	David Gustafsson	C	HV 71 (Swe)	6-2/195	11-Apr-00	45-6-6-12
51	Liam Foudy	C	London (OHL)	6-0/185	4-Feb-00	65-24-16-40
52	Filip Johansson	D	Leksands (Swe Jr)	6-1/175	23-Mar-00	29-4-5-9
53	Niklas Nordgren	RW	HIFK (Fin Jr)	5-9/170	4-May-00	18-8-18-26
54	Aidan Dudas	C	Owen Sound (OHL)	5-8/170	15-Jun-00	68-31-34-65
55	Jacob Bernard-Docker	D	Okotoks (AJHL)	6-0/180	30-Jun-00	49-20-21-41
56	Xavier Bernard	D	Drummondville (QMJHL)	6-2/210	6-Jan-00	66-11-24-35
57	Martin Fehervary	D	Oskarshamn (Swe 2)	6-1/190	6-Oct-99	42-1-6-7
58	Jonatan Berggren	RW	Skelleftea (Swe Jr)	5-10/185	6-Jul-00	38-18-39-57
59	Alexis Gravel	G	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-2/225	21-Mar-00	20-11(3.38).890
60	Cole Fonstad	C	Prince Albert (WHL)	5-10/160	24-Apr-00	72-21-52-73
61	Xavier Bouchard	D	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)	6-3/190	28-Feb-00	65-3-18-21
62	Cam Hillis	C	Guelph (OHL)	5-10/170	24-Jun-00	60-20-39-59
63	Marcus Westfalt	C	Brynas (Swe)	6-3/205	12-Mar-00	31-1-3-4
64	Pavel Gogolev	RW	Peterborough (OHL)	6-0/175	19-Feb-00	66-30-17-47
65	Alexander Khovanov	C	Moncton (QMJHL)	5-11/195	12-Apr-00	29-9-19-28
66	Scott Perunovich	D	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	5-10/170	18-Aug-98	42-11-25-36
67	Giovanni Vallati	D	Kitchener (OHL)	6-1/180	21-Feb-00	65-3-23-26
68	Olivier Rodrigue	G	Drummondville (QMJHL)	6-0/160	6-Jul-00	31-16(2.54).903
69	Oskar Back	C	Farjestads (Swe Jr)	6-2/195	12-Mar-00	38-10-22-32
70	Riley Sutter	RW	Everett (WHL)	6-3/205	25-Oct-99	68-25-28-53
71	Stanislav Demin	D	Wenatchee (BCHL)	6-1/190	4-Apr-00	57-9-36-45
72	Lenni Killinen	RW	Blues (Fin Jr)	6-2/180	15-Jun-00	38-13-28-41
73	Tyler Weiss	LW	NTDP (USHL)	5-10/160	3-Jan-00	50-10-17-27
74	Ruslan Iskhakov	C	Krasnaya Armiya (MHL)	5-8/155	22-Jul-00	33-6-24-30
75	Kody Clark	RW	Ottawa (OHL)	6-1/180	13-Oct-99	56-18-21-39
76	Patrick Giles	RW	NTDP (USHL)	6-4/205	3-Jan-00	54-10-9-19
77	Anderson MacDonald	LW	Moncton (QMJHL)	6-2/205	16-May-00	58-27-18-45
78	Jake Wise	C	NTDP (USHL)	5-10/190	28-Feb-00	30-9-27-36
79	Jakub Lauko	C	Pirati Chomutov (Cze)	6-0/175	28-Mar-00	42-3-6-9
80	Adam Samuelsson	D	NTDP (USHL)	6-6/240	21-Jun-00	54-4-20-24
81	Philipp Kurashev	C	Quebec (QMJHL)	6-0/190	12-Oct-99	59-19-41-60
82	Sean Durzi	D	Owen Sound (OHL)	6-0/195	21-Oct-98	40-15-34-49
83	Kirill Marchenko	RW	Mamonty Yugry (MHL)	6-3/190	21-Jul-00	31-8-8-16
84	Jakub Skarek	G	Dukla Jihlava (Cze)	6-3/200	10-Nov-99	21GP(2.41).913
85	Milos Roman	C	Vancouver (WHL)	6-0/190	6-Nov-99	39-10-22-32
86	Blade Jenkins	LW	Saginaw (OHL)	6-1/195	11-Aug-00	68-20-24-44
87	Danila Galenyuk	D	St. Petersburg (MHL)	6-1/200	10-Feb-00	20-1-5-6
88	Kyle Topping	C	Kelowna (WHL)	5-11/185	18-Nov-99	66-22-43-65
89	Tyler Madden	C	CIL-TC (USHL)	5-10/155	9-Nov-99	50-15-19-34
90	Jack Drury	C	Waterloo (USHL)	5-11/180	3-Feb-00	54-23-40-63
91	Alec Regula	D	London (OHL)	6-3/200	6-Aug-00	67-7-18-25
92	Ivan Morozov	C	Mamonty Yugry (MHL)	6-1/180	5-May-00	30-11-12-23
93	Jachym Kondelik	C	Muskegon (USHL)	6-6/225	21-Dec-99	43-16-16-32
94	Riley Damiani	C	Kitchener (OHL)	5-9/165	20-Mar-00	64-19-18-37
95	Samuel Fagemo	RW	Frolunda (Swe Jr)	5-11/195	14-Mar-00	37-19-11-30
96	Jack St. Ivany	D	Sioux Falls (USHL)	6-2/200	22-Jul-99	51-6-30-36
97	David Lilja	C	Karlskoga (Swe 2)	5-11/175	23-Jan-00	37-3-5-8
98	Curtis Douglas	C	Bar-Wsr (OHL)	6-8/235	6-Mar-00	66-22-24-46
99	Luka Burzan	C	MJ-Bdn (WHL)	6-0/185	7-Jan-00	72-15-25-40
100	Linus Karlsson	C	Karlskrona (Swe Jr)	6-1/180	16-Nov-99	42-27-25-52
101	Kristian Reichel	C	Red Deer (WHL)	6-1/170	11-Jun-98	63-34-23-57
102	Toni Utunen	D	LeKi (Fin 2)	5-11/175	27-Apr-00	28-2-10-12
103	Dmitri Zavgorodny	LW	Rimouski (QMJHL)	5-9/175	11-Aug-00	62-26-21-47
104	Samuel Bucek	LW	Chicago (USHL)	6-1/215	19-Dec-98	47-19-23-42
105	Nathan Dunkley	C	Kgn-Ldn (OHL)	5-11/195	3-May-00	60-21-36-57
106	Carter Robertson	D	Ottawa (OHL)	6-2/180	15-Jan-00	57-5-13-18
107	Albin Eriksson	RW	Skelleftea (Swe Jr)	6-4/205	20-Jul-00	38-22-18-40
108	Ryan O'Reilly	RW	Madison (USHL)	6-2/200	21-Mar-00	42-20-12-32
109	Nando Eggenberger	LW	Davos (Sui)	6-2/185	7-Oct-99	36-3-2-5
110	Tyler Tucker	D	Barrie (OHL)	6-1/205	1-Mar-00	59-3-20-23
111	Axel Andersson	D	Djurgardens (Swe Jr)	6-0/180	10-Feb-00	42-6-25-31
112	Alexey Polodyan	LW	St. Petersburg (MHL)	5-11/165	30-Jul-98	21-5-6-11
113	Jack Perbix	RW	Elk River (USHS-MN)	6-1/175	13-Sep-00	25-19-42-61
114	Nico Gross	D	Oshawa (OHL)	6-1/185	26-Jan-00	58-4-10-14
115	Declan Chisholm	D	Peterborough (OHL)	6-1/185	12-Jan-00	47-3-17-20
116	Ivan Prosvetov	G	Youngstown (USHL)	6-4/175	5-Mar-99	18-9(2.87).913
117	Kevin Mandolese	G	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	6-3/180	22-Aug-00	15-13(3.46).884
118	Vladislav Kotkov	RW	Chicoutimi (QMJHL)	6-4/205	8-Jan-00	61-21-28-49
119	Jonathan Gruden	C	NTDP (USHL)	5-11/175	4-May-00	53-25-26-51
120	Anthony Del Gaizo	C	Muskegon (USHL)	5-11/195	31-Jan-98	58-39-32-71
121	Justus Annunen	G	Karpat Oulu (Fin Jr)	6-4/215	11-Mar-00	26GP(2.31).907
122	Olof Lindbom	G	Djurgardens (Swe Jr)	6-2/185	23-Jul-00	20GP(3.10).897
123	Matthew Struthers	C	OS-NB (OHL)	6-2/210	26-Dec-99	62-23-22-45
124	Alex Steeves	C	Dubuque (USHL)	5-11/185	10-Dec-99	53-18-36-54
125	Ben Copeland	C	Waterloo (USHL)	5-10/180	27-Apr-99	58-17-42-59

OTHER DRAFT CANDIDATES
Jett Alexander	G	North York (OJHL)	6-4/190	8-Nov-99
Yaroslav Alexeyev	LW	Sherbrooke (QMJHL)	5-9/160	17-Jan-99
Justin Almeida	C	Moose Jaw (WHL)	5-9/160	6-Feb-99
Seth Barton	D	Trail (BCHL)	6-2/175	18-Aug-99
Justin Bergeron	D	Rouyn Noranda (QMJHL)	6-0/180	14-Sep-00
Erik Betzold	RW	Koln (Ger)	5-11/165	18-Jan-00
Brandon Biro	RW	Penn State (B1G)	5-11/165	11-Mar-98
Mikhail Bitsadze	C	Dynamo Moscow (Rus)	5-11/170	18-Nov-99
Shawn Boudrias	RW	Gatineau (QMJHL)	6-4/195	14-Sep-99
Jakob Brahaney	D	Kingston (OHL)	6-1/185	26-Mar-99
Justin Brazeau	RW	North Bay (OHL)	6-5/220	2-Feb-98
Dennis Busby	D	Flint (OHL)	5-10/190	6-Jan-00
Michael Callahan	D	Central Illinois (USHL)	6-2/195	23-Sep-99
Ryan Chyzowski	LW	Medicine Hat (WHL)	6-0/190	14-May-00
Powell Connor	D	Chilliwack (BCHL)	6-1/175	4-May-00
Connor Corcoran	D	Windsor (OHL)	6-1/185	7-Aug-00
Paul Cotter	C	Lincoln (USHL)	6-0/190	16-Nov-99
Angus Crookshank	LW	Langley (BCHL)	5-11/185	2-Oct-99
Max Crozier	D	Nanaimo (BCHL)	6-1/185	19-Apr-00
Ethan de Jong	RW	Prince George (BCHL)	5-10/170	12-Jul-99
Jack DeBoer	C	NTDP (USA)	6-2/190	17-Aug-00
Semyon Der-Arguchintsev	C	Peterborough (OHL)	5-10/160	15-Sep-00
Lukas Dostal	G	Kometa Brno (Cze)	6-1/165	22-Jun-00
Grigori Dronov	D	Magnitogorsk (Rus)	6-2/205	10-Jan-98
Justin Ducharme	LW	Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)	5-11/180	22-Feb-00
Daniel Dvorak	G	Hradec Kralove (Cze)	6-3/160	9-Jan-00
Jesper Eliasson	G	Troja/Ljungby (Swe)	6-3/200	21-Mar-00
Caleb Everett	D	Saginaw (OHL)	6-1/185	20-Jan-00
Christian Felton	D	Kimball Union (USHS-NH)	6-0/190	4-Feb-00
Trey Fix-Wolansky	RW	Edmonton (WHL)	5-8/185	26-May-99
Eric Florchuk	C	Saskatoon (WHL)	6-1/175	10-Jan-00
Carson Focht	C	Calgary (WHL)	6-0/180	4-Feb-00
Adam Gajarsky	RW	Kometa Brno (Cze)	5-10/175	4-Mar-00
Jeremi Gerber	RW	Bern (Sui)	6-1/185	1-Mar-00
Damien Giroux	C	Saginaw (OHL)	5-10/175	3-Mar-00
Jack Gorniak	LW	West Salem High (USHS-WI)	5-11/180	15-Sep-99
Matthew Grouchy	RW	Quebec (QMJHL)	6-1/190	19-Nov-99
Glenn Gustafsson	C	Orebro (Swe)	5-10/200	4-Sep-98
Curtis Hall	C	Youngstown (USHL)	6-2/195	26-Apr-00
Kevin Hancock	LW	Owen Sound (OHL)	5-11/185	2-Mar-98
Jordan Harris	D	Kimball Union (USHS-NH)	5-11/180	7-Jul-00
Reece Harsch	D	Seattle (WHL)	6-3/195	7-Jan-99
Brady Hinz	C	Peterborough (OHL)	5-9/150	3-May-00
Mitchell Hoelscher	C	Ottawa (OHL)	5-11/160	27-Jan-00
Mac Hollowell	D	Sault Ste Marie (OHL)	5-9/170	26-Sep-98
Krystof Hrabik	C	Bili Tygri Liberec (Cze)	6-4/210	24-Sep-99
David Hrenak	G	St. Cloud State (NCHC)	6-2/190	5-May-98
Riley Hughes	RW	St. Sebastian's (USHS-MA)	6-1/175	27-Jun-00
Jere Huhtamaa	G	Blues (Fin)	6-2/190	10-Apr-00
Logan Hutsko	RW	Boston College (HE)	5-10/175	11-Feb-99
Jacob Ingham	G	Mississauga (OHL)	6-3/185	10-Jun-00
Jere Innala	LW	HPK (Fin)	5-9/175	17-Mar-98
Michal Ivan	D	Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)	6-1/185	18-Nov-99
Georgi Ivanov	C	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (Rus)	6-0/190	25-Sep-98
Jan Jenik	RW	Benatky nad Jizerou (Cze)	6-1/165	15-Sep-00
Jack Jensen	C	Eden Prairie (USHS-MN)	6-0/195	31-Aug-00
Joey Keane	D	Barrie (OHL)	6-0/185	2-Jul-99
Brett Kemp	C	Edmonton (WHL)	6-0/165	23-Mar-00
Michael Kesselring	D	New Hampton School (USHS-NH)	6-4/185	13-Jan-00
Juuso Ketola	D	Assat Pori (Fin)	5-11/210	18-Mar-00
Patrick Khodorenko	C	Michigan State (B1G)	6-0/205	13-Oct-98
Liam Kirk	C	Sheffield (EIHL)	6-2/160	3-Jan-00
Semyon Kizimov	RW	Lada Togliatti (Rus)	6-0/175	19-Jan-00
Jordan Kooy	G	London (OHL)	6-2/185	30-Apr-00
Ivan Kosorenkov	RW	Victoriaville (QMJHL)	5-10/185	22-Jan-98
Demetrios Koumontzis	LW	Edina (USHS-MN)	5-10/185	24-Mar-00
Nikolai Kovalenko	RW	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (Rus)	5-10/175	17-Oct-99
Filip Kral	D	Spokane (WHL)	6-1/170	20-Oct-99
Renars Krastenbergs	LW	Oshawa (OHL)	5-11/185	16-Dec-98
Cole Krygier	D	Lincoln (USHL)	6-3/195	5-May-00
Daniel Kurovsky	LW	Vitkovice (Cze)	6-4/215	4-Mar-98
Michal Kvasnica	RW	Frydek-Mistek (Cze)	6-1/190	7-Apr-00
Owen Lalonde	D	Guelph (OHL)	6-0/180	1-Feb-00
Jackson Leppard	LW	Prince George (WHL)	6-1/200	18-Jan-00
David Levin	C	Sudbury (OHL)	5-10/180	16-Sep-99
Mitchell Lewandowski	RW	Michigan State (B1G)	5-9/175	17-Apr-98
Adam Liska	C	Kitchener (OHL)	5-11/185	14-Oct-99
John Ludvig	D	Portland (WHL)	6-0/185	2-Aug-00
Brady Lyle	D	Owen Sound (OHL)	6-1/205	6-Jun-99
Guillaume Maillard	C	Geneve-Servette (Sui)	6-0/200	11-Oct-98
James Malm	C	Vancouver (WHL)	5-9/180	25-Jun-99
Anton Malyshev	D	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (Rus)	6-0/180	27-Feb-00
Riley McCourt	D	Flint (OHL)	5-11/170	26-Jun-00
Aidan McDonough	LW	Thayer Academy (USHS-MA)	6-1/175	6-Nov-99
Nolan McElhaney	D	Cushing Academy (USHS-MA)	6-3/175	22-Apr-99
Jeremy McKenna	RW	Moncton (QMJHL)	5-10/175	20-Apr-99
Albert Michnac	LW	Mississauga (OHL)	6-0/180	18-Oct-98
Amir Miftakhov	G	Irbis Kazan (Rus)	6-0/160	26-Apr-00
Artyom Minulin	D	Swift Current (WHL)	6-2/200	1-Oct-98
Travis Mitchell	D	Muskegon (USHL)	6-2/195	25-Nov-99
Billy Moskal	C	London (OHL)	6-0/185	22-Mar-00
Nolan Moyle	RW	Green Bay (USHL)	6-1/185	13-Apr-99
Arttu Nevasaari	RW	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	5-11/180	23-Jan-00
Tristen Nielsen	C	Calgary (WHL)	5-9/180	23-Feb-00
Kirill Nizhnikov	RW	Sudbury (OHL)	6-2/190	29-Mar-00
Linus Nyman	RW	Kingston (OHL)	5-9/160	11-Jul-99
Andrei Pavlenko	RW	Edmonton (WHL)	6-1/175	4-Apr-00
Radovan Pavlik	RW	Hradec Kralove (Cze)	5-9/175	18-Feb-98
Ryan Peckford	LW	Moose Jaw (WHL)	6-0/190	4-Mar-99
Matej Pekar	C	Muskegon (USHL)	6-0/170	10-Feb-00
Ville Petman	C	Lukko Rauma (Fin)	5-10/180	18-Jan-00
Mathias Emilio Pettersen	C	Muskegon (USHL)	5-10/170	3-Apr-00
Jacob Pivonka	C	NTDP (USA)	5-11/200	28-Feb-00
Karel Plasek	RW	Kometa Brno (Cze)	5-10/155	28-Jul-00
Dylan Plouffe	D	Vancouver (WHL)	6-0/195	27-Apr-99
Martin Pospisil	C	Sioux City (USHL)	6-2/180	19-Nov-99
Josh Prokop	C	Vernon (BCHL)	5-10/175	30-Jan-00
Cole Purboo	RW	Windsor (OHL)	6-3/205	18-Jun-99
Vincent Purpura	G	Omaha (USHL)	6-3/195	29-Oct-98
Jacob Ragnarsson	D	Almtuna (Swe)	5-11/170	23-Sep-99
Jack Randl	LW	Omaha (USHL)	5-11/180	7-May-00
Connor Roberts	C	Flint (OHL)	6-4/210	22-Feb-00
Alexander Romanov	D	Krasnaya Armiya Moskva (Rus)	5-11/185	6-Jan-00
Nikita Rtishchev	RW	CSKA Moscow (Rus)	6-1/195	23-May-00
Merrick Rippon	D	Ottawa (OHL)	6-0/190	27-Apr-00
Radim Salda	D	Saint John (QMJHL)	6-0/185	18-Feb-99
Santeri Salmela	D	KOOKOO (Fin)	6-1/195	10-Jun-00
Akira Schmid	G	Langnau (Sui)	6-4/165	12-May-00
Phillip Schultz	C	Rodovre (Den)	6-0/195	24-Jul-00
Zdenek Sedlak	RW	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	6-2/205	23-Mar-00
Peetro Seppala	D	KOOKOO (Fin)	6-1/175	17-Aug-00
Bulat Shafigullin	LW	Reaktor Nizhnekamsk (Rus)	6-1/165	29-Dec-99
Yegor Sharangovich	C	Dinamo Minsk (Rus)	6-2/195	6-Jun-98
Alexander Shepelev	D	Chelyabinsk (Rus)	6-2/185	17-Mar-98
Marsel Sholokhov	RW	Chelyabinsk (Rus)	5-10/170	12-Jan-98
Graham Slaggert	C	NTDP (USA)	5-11/185	6-Apr-99
Egor Sokolov	LW	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	6-3/225	7-Jun-00
Zach Solow	RW	Northeastern (HE)	5-9/185	6-Nov-98
Riley Stotts	C	Calgary (WHL)	6-0/175	5-Jan-00
Vladislav Syomin	D	SKA-Neva St. Petersburg (Rus)	6-3/215	17-Feb-98
Matt Thiessen	G	Steinbach (MJHL)	6-2/190	9-Jun-00
Michael Vorlicky	D	Edina (USHS-MN)	6-1/165	17-Jul-00
Pavel Vorobey	D	Kunlun Red Star (Rus)	6-3/195	10-Sep-97
Lukas Wernblom	C	MoDo (Swe)	5-9/170	22-Jul-00
Chase Wouters	C	Saskatoon (WHL)	5-11/180	8-Feb-00
Wyatte Wylie	D	Everett (WHL)	6-0/190	2-Nov-99
Vladislav Yeryomenko	D	Calgary (WHL)	6-0/185	23-Apr-99
Libor Zabransky	D	Kelowna (WHL)	6-1/190	26-May-00
Egor Zamula	D	Calgary (WHL)	6-3/170	30-Mar-00
Danila Zhuravlyov	D	Irbis Kazan (Rus)	6-0/165	8-Apr-00

OHL Playoff Preview: Greyhounds pacing the pack

Brock Otten — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 20:51:07 +0000

The 2018 Ontario Hockey League playoffs kick off this week after the regular season wrapped up this past weekend. Heading into the playoffs, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are the clear favorites to come out of the OHL and represent the league at the Memorial Cup in Regina. They have spent the vast majority of the season as the top ranked team in the CHL, one of only two teams to chart the entire season (along with Blainville-Boisbriand of the QMJHL). But competition is always fierce and there are no sure bets in the OHL. Let us now take a look at each first round match-up.

Eastern Conference

#1 - Hamilton Bulldogs vs. #8 - Ottawa 67’s

Season Series: Hamilton leads 5-0

Will Bitten of the Hamilton Bulldogs. Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images

Analysis: The Conference Champion Bulldogs face off against the 67’s after the Steelheads won on the final Sunday, securing the number 7 seed. Hamilton has been the cream of the crop of the Eastern Conference for the vast majority of the season. They have been extremely active in trades this year to give them the best chance of coming out of the East. The Bulldogs added Robert Thomas (St. Louis), Riley Stillman (Florida), Nic Caamano (Dallas), Ryan Moore, and Nic Mattinen (Toronto) to an already stacked lineup, giving Ottawa an extremely daunting challenge in round one. This team rolls three powerhouse offensive lines with Matthew Strome (Philadelphia), Will Bitten (Montreal), Mackenzie Entwistle (Arizona), Marian Studenic (New Jersey), and Brandon Saigeon being other top options. Forward Arthur Kaliyev (2019) is another name to watch. He is the first 16 year old to score 30 goals in the OHL since Alex Galchenyuk and he is a potential lottery pick next year as a power winger. In net, the Bulldogs boast one of the OHL’s most improved players this year in Kaden Fulcher (Detroit).

Kevin Bahl of the Ottawa 67's. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Ottawa, on the other hand, is a very young team. In a few years’ time, they could be Memorial Cup contenders. They could have five players drafted in the first three rounds this year (Kody Clark, Mitchell Hoelscher, Merrick Rippon, Kevin Bahl, and Carter Robertson). Offensively, they are paced by Sasha Chmelevski (San Jose), Travis Barron (Colorado), Austen Keating (2018) and Tye Felhaber. Chmelevski was a much hyped prospect who fell hard at last year’s draft (all the way to the 6th), but he has returned much stronger this season. His play away from the puck has greatly improved and it has taken his game to another level. But for all their talent offensively, the 67’s have had a very difficult time keeping the puck out of their own net this year. Overager Olivier Tremblay has not provided the stability that the team had hoped for when they brought him in early this year.

This one has all the makings of a quick series. This Ottawa team, as talented as they are young, is not yet ready for this type of challenge. The Bulldogs are one of the deepest teams in the OHL and their offensive firepower is likely to overwhelm an inexperienced defense and inconsistent netminder. One particular thing worth watching is the 67’s struggling penalty kill going up against one of the league’s best powerplay units from Hamilton. This has to be troubling for Ottawa because they also happen to be one of the league’s most undisciplined teams. And while Ottawa does have some great young offensive talent, the Bulldogs have one of the oldest defensive units in the league and are likely to limit the offensive chances of the 67’s. I look for Robert Thomas to have a big series here (and a big playoff performance overall). His points per game has taken a big dip since joining the Bulldogs, but I think he explodes this postseason.

Prediction: This Hamilton team is just too experienced and too talented for the 67’s. They have the advantage in nearly every area and should dominate. If Ottawa was getting better goaltending, I would say that they might be able to steal a game or two, but I do not even see that happening. Hamilton in 4.

#2 - Barrie Colts vs. #7 - Mississauga Steelheads

Season Series: Mississauga leads 4-2

Michael McLeod of the Mississauga Steelheads. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Analysis: If I was a betting man, I would bet that this is the match-up that Barrie wanted to avoid in the opening round. In fact, it was probably the match-up every team wanted to avoid in the first round. Mississauga has underachieved all season long, but they have shown some signs of finally coming to life the last month or so. Offensive talent is not to be questioned. Their first two lines include names like Michael McLeod (New Jersey), Ryan McLeod (2018), Owen Tippett (Florida), Trent Fox, Albert Michnac (2018), and Mathieu Foget. This group of six matches up well against any top six in the Eastern Conference and it helps to explain why the Steelheads are the third highest scoring team in the Conference. And this excludes their leading scorer, defenseman Nic Hague (Vegas), who was the first OHL defender to score 30+ since Allan Rourke. But keeping the puck out has been a challenge at times. Swedish import and defensive stalwart Jacob Moverare (Los Angeles) has been injured and that has really challenged their younger defensive players to play more minutes than they are ready for. Furthermore, young netminder Jacob Ingham (2018) has had an awful sophomore season that has seen him essentially lose the starting job to Emanuel Vella.

Andrei Svechnikov of the Barrie Colts. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

This is potentially trouble because Barrie is the highest scoring team in the Conference and the 3rd highest scoring in the OHL. Their first line of Andrei Svechnikov (2018), Aaron Luchuk (Ottawa), and Dmitry Sokolov (Minnesota) has been absolutely shredding teams of late. The supporting offensive cast includes guys like Ryan Suzuki (2019), Jason Willms (2018), and Zach Magwood who work extremely hard in all three zones and bring energy that exhausts the opposition so that the first line can go to work. The Colts do not have any stars on the blueline, but they are a tight knit unit who work well with Barrie’s forwards to play a terrific team defense. In net, overager Leo Lazerev starts and while he does not necessarily win any games outright for the Colts, he is a mostly reliable presence. It should be noted that he has yet to win an OHL playoff series in his career and probably goes into this match-up with just as many question marks as Mississauga’s tenders.

There is no question that this is not your average #2 versus #7 seed match-up. This is especially true when you consider the fact that Mississauga largely dominated the season series, winning all three games in the new year by a combined score of 18-10. For whatever reason, the speed of Mississauga’s forwards gives the defense of Barrie a tough time and Lazerev has an .840 save percentage against the Fish this season. This is complicated even more by the fact that Andrei Svechnikov has been suspended for the first four games of the series for a head check. But I admit, I have a tough time picking Mississauga to win this series. I do not trust their defense to be able to handle Barrie’s depth up front. And if these games go to an offensive shootout like they did in the regular season, I think Barrie ends up coming out on top this time. Mississauga’s Mathieu Foget has also been suspended for the first four games of the series and his loss might actually be felt more because of Mississauga’s lack of depth. His acquisition really triggered the turnaround for the team. Barrie also needs to stay out of the box. In the regular season, they gave Mississauga almost double the amount of powerplays that they received and it cost them dearly with the Steelheads clicking at over 30% with the man advantage. If they can stay out of the box, and Lazerev can make a few saves, I still like Barrie to come out on top.

Prediction: The result of this series would not surprise me either way, even with the difference in seeding. But depth is critical in the playoffs and Barrie has the advantage there. I am excited to see how the Svechnikov/Luchuk/Sokolov unit handles the pressure of the playoffs. Svechnikov, in particular, can really cement himself as the #2 prospect available in the draft with a strong postseason performance once he returns from suspension (as long as Barrie does not get swept). Barrie in 7.

#3 - Kingston Frontenacs vs. #6 - North Bay Battalion

Season Series: Kingston leads 3-1

Gabriel Vilardi of the Kingston Frontenacs. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Analysis: This is an intriguing match-up because of how differently these two teams approached the OHL season. Kingston brought in Gabe Vilardi (Los Angeles), Max Jones (Anaheim), Cliff Pu (Buffalo), Sean Day (New York Rangers), and Mitchell Byrne at the deadline to bolster an already solid line-up and make them contenders to come out of the East. While they failed to secure a division banner, the results post deadline have been mostly extremely positive. A healthy and re-invigorated Vilardi has provided the biggest boost, as his 1.87 points per game in Kingston is second to only Jordan Kyrou (St. Louis) in the OHL. His strength, on and off the puck, makes him a dominant force in all three zones and the type of player who works to tire and grind out opposing defenses.

Justin Brazeau of the North Bay Battalion. Photo by Terry Wilson /OHL Images,

The North Bay Battalion were sellers at the deadline this year, shipping out veterans Cam Dineen (Arizona), and Brett McKenzie (Vancouver). Those moves only worked to light a fire under the Battalion roster and the team actually improved their record in the New Year thanks to the play of new acquisitions Matthew Struthers (2018), and Jake Henderson, as well as veterans Justin Brazeau (2018), and Adam Thilander (2018). Brazeau, in particular, is a player to watch. The 6-5” winger finished just inside the Top 20 of league scoring and was named as the East’s most underrated player in the recent coaches poll that was released.

If we are measuring up these two teams, we need to give the edge to Kingston in nearly every area. The Fronts lead the season series 3-1, winning the three most recent games (February on). The biggest advantage Kingston has is in net with Jeremy Helvig (Carolina) manning the crease. The overager and veteran netminder has 19 OHL playoff games under his belt and is unquestionably one of the league’s top netminders. Meanwhile, the Battalion will rely on either Christian Propp (2018) or Julian Sime, who have a combined zero OHL playoff appearances. Kingston also has a heavy advantage on special teams, with their powerplay and penalty killing units operating at a higher level. With Robertson and Vilardi operating down low on the powerplay, North Bay is going to need to stay out of the box to have any chance in this series. One wild card to keep an eye on is the health of Max Jones. Jones has been out since the end of January after undergoing surgery on a broken finger. It is likely he returns at some point in these playoffs and he can be a major x-factor.

Prediction: Ultimately, Kingston’s experience and leadership should carry them to a relatively easy victory in this match-up. Gabe Vilardi and Sean Day won a Memorial Cup together last year. Mitchell Byrne won an OHL Championship last year. And Cliff Pu and Max Jones won an OHL Title and Memorial Cup in 2016. Kingston in 5.

#4 - Niagara IceDogs vs. #5 - Oshawa Generals

Season Series: Tied at 1 game apiece

Akil Thomas of the Niagara IceDogs. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Analysis: Two teams that do not see a ton of each other match-up in round one. Niagara and Oshawa also happen to be two of the hotter teams in the OHL heading into the playoffs. The IceDogs are a team that rely on speed and energy to play an up tempo and offensively oriented style of game. They get after it on the forecheck and have a powerplay that has been much improved since the acquisition of overager Sam Miletic (Pittsburgh) from London. On top of Miletic, Niagara has a trio of offensive weapons that they rely on in Kirill Maksimov (Edmonton), Akil Thomas (2018), and Ben Jones (Vegas).

Jack Studnicka of the Oshawa Generals. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Oshawa, on the other hand, prefers to slow things down and grind it out in the offensive end. Their fearless leader is Jack Studnicka (Boston), an excellent two-way center who makes an impact in so many different ways. A pair of first time draft eligible forwards support Studnicka; Serron Noel (2018), and Allan McShane (2018). Defenseman Matt Brassard (Vancouver) is also critical to their offensive success. He was one of the highest scoring defenders in the league in the second half and finished the year 7th in defensive scoring.

If we are truly comparing these two teams, it is difficult to determine who has a clear advantage. In goal, the nod should be given to Oshawa and their starter Kyle Keyser (Boston). Keyser has been a stable presence in net this year, definitely more so than Stephen Dhillon who has struggled for Niagara this year, or the inexperienced Colton Incze. Up front, I give the slight edge to Niagara because of their explosiveness and depth. On defense, the two teams boast slightly inexperienced units who are mobile, but can be mistake prone. Ultimately, I see two things possibly tipping the favor in Niagara’s direction. The first is special teams play. As mentioned, Niagara’s powerplay has been performing at a high level lately and Oshawa has one of the league’s worst penalty killing units. The second is home ice advantage, which Niagara owns after finishing the regular season on a 7 game winning streak.

Prediction: With home ice advantage, better special teams play, and a slightly more explosive offense, I like Niagara to win this series. Their goaltending concerns me slightly, but between Dhillon or Incze, they should be able to make enough big saves to at least get the IceDogs into the second round. But this one will be close. Niagara in 7.

Western Conference

#1 - Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. #8 - Saginaw Spirit

Season Series: SSM leads 7-1

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. Photo by Terry Wilson

Analysis: The juggernaut Greyhounds kick off their Memorial Cup push against the Saginaw Spirit, whose five game losing streak to end the season forced them down the standings and into this first round match-up. Sault Ste. Marie has nine NHL draft picks on their roster and two more potential first rounders for 2018. Up front, Boris Katchouk (Tampa Bay), Taylor Raddysh (Tampa Bay), Jack Kopacka (Anaheim), Tim Gettinger (New York Rangers), Barrett Hayton (2018), and the underrated Hayden Verbeek pace the attack. But the real star is OHL 2nd leading scorer Morgan Frost (Philadelphia), one of the breakout stars of this season. On the backend, the Hounds are equally strong, led by Conor Timmins (Colorado), and Rasmus Sandin (2018). Neither seem to make a mistake with the puck and both are just as good in their own end as they are offensively. In net, Matthew Villalta (Los Angeles) has been a steady presence who makes the saves when he needs to.

Evan Cormier of the Saginaw Spirit. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Saginaw’s strength actually starts in net where overager Evan Cormier (New Jersey) keeps the Spirit in a lot of games that they do not deserve to be in. This is important because the Spirit struggle to score goals. They were only one of three teams in the OHL to not score 200 goals on the season and the other two finished dead last in their conferences (Flint and Sudbury). Furthermore, their powerplay was a league worst 14.7%. There is definitely some offensive talent on this team, but the team’s best days are ahead of them as guys like Blade Jenkins (2018), Nicholas Porco (2019), Ryan Stepien (2020), Aidan Prueter (2020), and Damien Giroux (2018) gain experience. In fact, the team’s only NHL drafted forward, Brady Gilmour (Detroit) finished 9th in team scoring.

In all honesty, this series should not be close and is not likely to be close. The Spirit have a talented young roster, but they are not currently an equal to the Greyhounds. Sault Ste. Marie has the advantage in nearly every area except maybe goaltending. Even then, Evan Cormier can only do so much. Heck, we might see the Greyhounds score more shorthanded goals than the Spirit score powerplay goals in the series.

Prediction: I want to say that Evan Cormier can do enough to steal a game for the Spirit in this series, but I cannot even see the Spirit winning a game. The Greyhounds are just too strong. SSM in 4.

#2 - Kitchener Rangers vs. #7 - Guelph Storm

Season Series: Kitchener leads 5-3

Logan Brown of the Kitchener Rangers. Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images

Analysis: This is an interesting first round match-up between two teams that did not end the regular season the way they wanted to. Kitchener, a strong team all season, struggled down the stretch, although managed to hang on to their Division crown. Meanwhile, the Guelph Storm were one of the league’s worst teams in the last few months that saw them lose their grip on the #6 spot in the West. Kitchener loaded up at the deadline by bringing in Logan Brown (Ottawa), Givani Smith (Detroit), Mario Culina, and Austin McEneny. I think it would be fair to say that Kitchener is still waiting to see the best out of three of those four, with Culina playing well so far as a starter. It has been the guys around all season like Adam Mascherin (Florida), Kole Sherwood (Columbus), Joseph Gareffa, Logan Stanley (Winnipeg), and Riley Damiani (2018) that have been driving the team’s success. Moving into the playoffs, it will be about whether the newer faces can finally find chemistry or not. The health of defensive stalwart Connor Hall (Pittsburgh) could also impact the series.

Ryan Merkley of the Guelph Storm. Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images

Guelph, as mentioned, has also struggled down the stretch, especially when it comes to preventing goals. Goaltender Anthony Popovich (2018) appeared to tire of late after seeing a huge jump in workload this season. The defensive group, led by Ryan Merkley (2018), and Dmitri Samorukov (Edmonton) also struggled, to the point where Merkley was a healthy scratch at times down the stretch. The Storm do have a hard working forward group who is capable of icing multiple scoring lines. The offensive leaders are unquestionably Isaac Ratcliffe (Philadelphia) and Cam Hillis (2018), who along with Alexei Toropchenko (St. Louis) form a quality first line.

Looking at this series a little more under the microscope, it is probably closer than people are making it out to be. The special teams match-up pretty well. Neither team has a dominant goaltender that one would qualify as a game-changer (no offense meant to Culina or Popovich). Both teams struggled down the stretch with team chemistry issues. The tipping point for me is experience. The Rangers have the clear advantage there, especially on the defensive end. Guys like Logan Stanley and Austin McEneny, who won a Memorial Cup together with Windsor last year, should really help to stabilize things, even without Connor Hall. I also look for longtime Rangers like Mascherin or Connor Bunnaman (Philadelphia) to really step up offensively to get this team over the first round hump.

Prediction: As mentioned, I feel like Kitchener’s experience advantage will help them come out on top in this series. I also feel that they have a much better team defense approach that likely plays out better for success in the playoffs. Guelph has talent, but they play a very high risk game that, without a ton of playoff experience, could be their undoing. It will be close, but Kitchener in 6.

#3 - Sarnia Sting vs. #6 - Windsor Spitfires

Season Series: Sarnia leads 5-1

Michael DiPietro of the Windsor Spitfires. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Analysis: No offense meant to the rest of the Windsor Spitfires, but this match-up is about two things. The Sarnia offense (2nd best in the OHL) versus the goaltending of Michael DiPietro (Vancouver). The dynamic DiPietro is one of the few goaltenders in the OHL who is capable of stealing a series victory for his team. The Spitfires rebuilt, dealing off the majority of their veterans held over from their Memorial Cup victory last year, but decided to hang on to their star netminder for this reason. They battle hard in the offensive end behind the likes of Curtis Douglas (2018), Cole Purboo (2018), Cody Morgan (2019), Luke Boka, and Matthew MacDougall (2018). And they play smart in their own end thanks to Connor Corcoran (2018), Nathan Staios (2019), Grayson Ladd (2019), and Zach Shankar. But this team has zero NHL drafted players outside of DiPietro and are incredibly inexperienced.

Jordan Kyrou of the Sarnia Sting. Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images

The Sting, conversely, were one of the biggest buyers throughout this OHL season, bringing in talented veterans like Cam Dineen (Arizona), Jonathan Ang (Florida), and Michael Pezzetta (Montreal). The lifeblood of the team is Jordan Kyrou (St. Louis), the league’s leader in points per game this year and possibly the best offensive player in the OHL. He is currently zero for three in first round appearances and is likely to do everything in his power to finally reach the second round (and beyond). You could likely argue that overager Justin Fazio is the team’s second most important player in the series, especially considering that he has to match-up against DiPietro. The margin for error is slim.

One of Sarnia’s biggest strengths is on the powerplay where Kyrou, Adam Ruzicka (Calgary), and Drake Rymsha (Los Angeles) have a combined 34 powerplay goals this year. Problem is, Windsor takes among the least amount of penalties in the OHL so as long as Windsor can continue to stay out of the box, Sarnia is going to need to beat DiPietro 5 on 5. The question I have is, how will Windsor manage to score goals, at least enough goals to win this 7 game series? It will not be with the man advantage either (likely) as the Sting have the league’s top penalty killing unit. I am slightly worried about Sarnia’s inexperienced defense though, but that concern is more directed towards round two or three (if the Sting advance that far). Sarnia will need big guys like Ruzicka, Pezzetta, Jordan Ernst, and Hugo Leufvenius (2018) to crowd DiPietro’s space as much as possible and really make him uncomfortable. Shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. Windsor fans can tell you, sometimes the best way to beat Michael DiPietro is through sheer luck and bad bounces.

Prediction: As much as I want to predict a Windsor victory, I do not see it in the cards. DiPietro will steal a few games and he will make Sarnia sweat. But the offensive firepower of Sarnia, combined with the inexperience of Windsor’s defense is likely to give the Sting too many scoring chances for the Spitfires’ star netminder to handle. Sarnia in 6.

#4 - Owen Sound Attack vs. #5 - London Knights

Season Series: London leads 4-2

Evan Bouchard of the London Knights. Photo by Terry Wilson/OHL Images.

Analysis: As is usually the case, the 4/5 matchup in the Western Conference looks to be the closest match-up of the first round, and subsequently the most difficult to prognosticate. London traded off the vast majority of their big guns to retool to fight another day. Instead, the team played inspired hockey down the stretch led by a host of younger players eager to make their mark. When talking about London, we have to start with defenseman Evan Bouchard (2018), the lifeblood of the Knights. His 87 points are the highest by a blueliner since Ryan Ellis hit the 100 point mark in 2011. The speedy Alex Formenton (Ottawa) is also playing the best hockey of his OHL career thus far with 12 goals in 14 games to close out the regular season. And you cannot talk about London without mentioning how good the “kid” line of Liam Foudy (2018), Billy Moskal (2018), and Nathan Dunkley (2018) has been since the trade deadline. This trio was challenged to step up their games with increased ice time and they all responded accordingly.

Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Owen Sound, on the other hand, was expected to be one of the top teams in the OHL this year but struggled to keep their star players healthy all year and subsequently struggled to perform consistently. That is, until the last few months when they have been, arguably, the OHL’s best. This team is scary good when healthy and they are now finally healthy. They roll three outstanding scoring lines, including a top unit of Jonah Gadjovich (Vancouver), Kevin Hancock (2018), and Nick Suzuki (Vegas) that has been one of the OHL’s best over the last two seasons. They also have one of the OHL’s top offensive blueliners in Sean Durzi (2018), who if he did not get injured, likely could have challenged Bouchard for the defenceman scoring title. It is in net where Owen Sound has struggled this season as Olivier Lafreniere and Mack Guzda (2019) have battled to find consistency. No question, Owen Sound has to have their offense rolling to win because they are not going to win many 2-1 games.

So who has the advantage going into this match-up? Experience wise, the nod has to be given to Owen Sound...and by a wide margin. The Attack are returning the vast majority of a roster that lost in the Conference finals last season. The Knights are an extremely well coached team, but they are relying on a lot of rookies and sophomores in key roles and that can often prove to be a recipe for disaster in the postseason. The deciding factor in this series probably comes down to the goaltending. So long as Owen Sound can get at least adequate goaltending from one of Lafreniere or Guzda, they should win this series. But if their goaltending struggles and team is forced to constantly play catch-up, the series tips in London’s favor, a team with nothing to lose.

Prediction: I have to give the nod to Owen Sound here because now that they are fully healthy, they look like a tough team to stop. This is especially true for a team as inexperienced as London; even if they are extremely talented. The Attack can get the saves they need to win this one, even if London pushes them and makes them sweat. Owen Sound in 6

OHL Finals Prediction

When the field is finally narrowed down to two teams who battle it out for OHL supremacy, I expect those two teams to be the Kingston Frontenacs and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

From the East I like Kingston for a couple reasons. The first is experience. As I already alluded to, they have a lot of players on that roster who have already won a Memorial Cup or OHL Championship (or both). That type of leadership goes a long way in the playoffs. The second is special teams play. The great Scotty Bowman always said combined special teams play was a great indicator of postseason success. Well the Fronts have the best powerplay in the league and the second best penalty kill. The third is goaltending. Jeremy Helvig is a veteran netminder who is about as consistent as they come. I have a ton of confidence in his ability to make saves when he needs to.

From the West, I like the Soo Greyhounds as they have looked about as dominant as anyone in the OHL has over the last few years. Their 116 points is the most since Barrie put up 116 in 2010. This team has it all. Special teams success. Good goaltending. Speed. Physicality. But most of all...depth. Drew Bannister’s players rarely seem to take a shift off and they rarely make mistakes with the puck. That composure at both ends of the ice makes them the favorite.

For the OHL Title, I am taking the Soo Greyhounds to win their first J. Ross Robertson Cup since they won back to back championships in the early 90ś.

Cam Hillis – McKeen's Hockey

2021-22 TOP 15 PROSPECTS: MONTREAL CANADIENS – RANK: #19 – TIER III

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Top 300 Prospect Rankings

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Montreal Canadiens Top 20 Prospects

Cole Caufield, RW (15th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Alexander Romanov, D (38th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

Kaiden Guhle, D (16th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Jesse Ylonen, RW (35th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 3)

Mattias Norlinder, D (64th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

Jan Mysak, C (48th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Cayden Primeau, G (199th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 5)

Jake Evans, C (207th overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 6)

Jordan Harris, D (71st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 7)

Sean Farrell, LW (124th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Joni Ikonen, C/RW (58th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 8)

Cam Hillis, C (66th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 9)

Gianni Fairbrother, D (77th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 10)

Jayden Struble, D (46th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 11)

Lukas Vejdemo, C (87th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 12)

Luke Tuch, LW (47th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Josh Brook, D (56th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 13)

Noah Juulsen, D (26th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 14)

Rafael Harvey-Pinard, LW (201st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

Alexandre Alain, C/LW (UFA: Apr. 24, 2017. Previous ranking: 17)

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – MONTREAL CANADIANS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 8

Montreal Canadiens

Cole Caufield, RW (15th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

Alexander Romanov, D (38th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 6)

Jesse Ylonen, RW (35th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 4)

Mattias Norlinder, D (64th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 10)

Cayden Primeau, G (199th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 5)

Jake Evans, C (207th overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: 11)

Jordan Harris, D (71st overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 16)

Joni Ikonen, C/RW (58th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 12)

Cam Hillis, C (66th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 13)

Gianni Fairbrother, D (77th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 13)

Jayden Struble, D (46th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 14)

Lukas Vejdemo, C (87th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: UR)

Josh Brook, D (56th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 7)

Noah Juulsen, D (26th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 8)

Rafael Harvey-Pinard, LW (201st overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Harvey-Pinard has seen his stock rise significantly thanks to his hard work and ability to put points on the board. He will be rewarded as an AHL regular next season, as the farm club in Laval inked him to a one-year deal.

MCKEENS 2020 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT – TOP 250 PROSPECTS

Montreal Canadiens 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

Montreal Canadiens Prospect System Overview

OHL: Cam Hillis (2018 Draft Eligible)

McKeen’s 2018 NHL Draft Ranking – April 2018 – Top 125

OHL Playoff Preview: Greyhounds pacing the pack

Cole Caufield, RW (15^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Alexander Romanov, D (38^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

Kaiden Guhle, D (16^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Jesse Ylonen, RW (35^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 3)

Mattias Norlinder, D (64^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

Jan Mysak, C (48^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Cayden Primeau, G (199^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 5)

Jake Evans, C (207^th overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 6)

Jordan Harris, D (71^st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 7)

Sean Farrell, LW (124^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Joni Ikonen, C/RW (58^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 8)

Cam Hillis, C (66^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 9)

Gianni Fairbrother, D (77^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 10)

Jayden Struble, D (46^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 11)

Lukas Vejdemo, C (87^th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 12)

Luke Tuch, LW (47^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Josh Brook, D (56^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 13)

Noah Juulsen, D (26^th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 14)

Rafael Harvey-Pinard, LW (201^st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

Cole Caufield, RW (15^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

Alexander Romanov, D (38^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 6)

Jesse Ylonen, RW (35^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 4)

Mattias Norlinder, D (64^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 10)

Cayden Primeau, G (199^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 5)

Jake Evans, C (207^th overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: 11)

Jordan Harris, D (71^st overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 16)

Joni Ikonen, C/RW (58^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 12)

Cam Hillis, C (66^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 13)

Gianni Fairbrother, D (77^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 13)

Jayden Struble, D (46^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 14)

Lukas Vejdemo, C (87^th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: UR)

Josh Brook, D (56^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 7)

Noah Juulsen, D (26^th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 8)

Rafael Harvey-Pinard, LW (201^st overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)