Curtis Hall – McKeen's Hockey

2021-22 TOP 15 PROSPECTS: BOSTON BRUINS – RANK: #25 – TIER V

McKeen's Hockey — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 15:10:03 +0000

Boston Bruins

#25 Boston - Can't blame the class of 2015 for this. Blame the classes of 2018-21. Bruins simply haven't drafted enough high upside players.

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 16: Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman (1) stares down a shot during a game between the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders on April 16, 2021 at TD garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

Fabian Lysell - RW

There are many players out there with great feet and many others with great hands, but only a handful who combine speed in all limbs as well as Lysell. He is electric in transition, constantly forcing defenders back into their heels as he gains the zone with speed, His hands are soft and creative. He can change direction faster than many of his peers can skate in a straight line. Additionally, he will look to play the middle lane, not content to stick to the outside like many players of his ability and stature would. Without question, he has as much upside as any forward taken in 2021, and that is why the Bruins chose him at 21st overall.

There are certainly some perceived concerns over his selfishness on the ice and his overall awareness and ability to consistently get the best out of his skill set, one of the reasons he fell to Boston. However, he is a long-term commitment. Lysell has signed with Boston and intends to play in North America this year. Whether that is in the AHL or in the WHL with Vancouver, remains to be seen. However, if his development goes according to plan, Lysell could develop into a high-end top line forward for the Bruins. - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Jeremy Swayman - G

Tuukka Rask is an unsigned free agent and recuperating from hip surgery that will keep him from playing until January or February, at the earliest. Jaroslav Halak, the practically ideal backup netminder, moved on to Vancouver as a free agent. Boston brought in Linus Ullmark through free agency, but he is no more proven as a starter at the NHL level than Swayman. Long story short, we may be looking at the new Bruins’ starting netminder right here, or at the very least, an equal share tandem goalie.

In his first professional season, Swayman was stellar at both AHL and NHL levels, pitching three shutouts in 19 combined regular season games, making a seamless adjustment after winning the Mike Richter Trophy as the top collegiate goalie the year prior. He has ideal size, moves very well, and is impressively calm in the face of a heavy opposition attack. A full season in the NHL will challenge him more than he has ever been challenged before, but he has yet to show weakness on the ice, dating back to his time at the U14 level in Anchorage, Alaska. Florida’s Spencer Knight gets all the hype for the Calder this year, but we strongly advise you not to sleep on Swayman. He could be special. - RW

John Beecher - C

There were a lot of prospects who were happy to see the end of the 2020-21 season and Beecher may have been the leader of that group. The headline disappointment was surely his being forced to miss the WJC because of a late COVID exposure that also forced his roommate, San Jose prospect Thomas Bordeleau, to miss out. Digging even a little bit deeper, we see that maybe Beecher should not have gone to the WJC anyway, COVID, or no COVID. Where he once was reasonably looked at as a unicorn, with massive size and world class skating speed, and just enough latent skill to dream on a unique top six center, through two seasons with Michigan, his offensive game has stagnated, with him not even looking like he could crest the 0.5 PPG mark.

To make matters worse, he is not putting his great size to use like he could and should. Of course, Beecher is still heavily involved in his own zone, and a future shut-down center is both possible and likely, but he simply doesn’t put any of his strength into working the puck, as he seems to be able to win far more puck battles than he does, and that he should at least make more of an effort to get involved in those puck battles in the first place. Until he adds that grit to his game, he will have a hard time reaching his projected ceiling. - RW

Jack Studnicka - C

After a very strong first pro season in Providence in 2019/20, Studnicka really put himself on the map as a considerable prospect. He was an AHL All-Star and named to the All-Rookie team. The workhorse, two-way center continued that momentum to last season, as he split the year between Boston and Providence. With the Bruins, Studnicka showed promise in a bottom six role, even killing penalties for Boston.

The best part of Studnicka’s game is his awareness at both ends of the ice and his overall IQ with the puck. A safe player, Studnicka has worked hard to improve his ability to play with pace, which includes improving his explosiveness and ability to make plays at top speed. His calling card as an NHL player will likely be his ability to kill penalties, take key faceoffs, and work as a playmaker down low to open up space for his linemates. This upcoming season, Studnicka will look to secure a 3rd or 4th line center role for the Bruins and establish himself as a full time NHL player. As he continues to improve his skating, he has a chance to play higher in the lineup and should have a long NHL career. - BO

Mason Lohrei - D

Taking a big chance in his second year of draft eligibility, Boston saw enough of Lohrei to call out his name in the second round in 2020. He had great size, and skated well enough, but the consistency was not there, and it did leave some scratching their head after the pick. This past season, the Ohio State commit showed a ton as he took massive steps forward in nearly every developmental area. As the USHL’s defenseman of the year, he would take over shifts with his plus speed, mature composure, and impressive vision in the neutral and offensive zones.

Defensively, he was near dominant as well, with tight gaps, clever use of a very lengthy stick, and the trust of his coaches to play in the most difficult of situations. He is not a very physical player, despite his size, because he allows his stick to do the heavy lifting for him. If there are concerns remaining, it is that Lohrei’s great work last year came as a 20-year-old, while most of the more talented players he faced off against were 17 and 18 years old. Our assessment of his true ceiling will depend on how he acclimates to the Big Ten this year. - RW

Jakub Lauko - C

This past season, for Jakub Lauko, was all about getting healthy and regaining his confidence as an offensive player. The speedy Czech forward missed a good chunk of his first pro season in North America (2019/20) after suffering an MCL injury at the World Juniors. However, the injury appears to be in the rear-view mirror as Lauko re-established himself as one of Boston’s top young players in 2020/21. A successful start in the Czech league was followed by an even more successful conclusion with Providence that saw him finish second in scoring for Boston’s AHL club.

For Lauko, his game is built around his ability to generate chances with his aforementioned speed and ability to play with pace. The knee injury did not slow him down one bit, and he looks every ounce of the dangerous attacker that he did previous to it. Lauko is also a dedicated two-way player who can succeed when placed in a variety of different roles. This versatility makes him a very valuable player. It is possible that he sees some action with Boston as early as this coming season and his projection is that of a high-end middle six forward. - BO

Urho Vaakanainen - D

It seems like forever ago that the Bruins selected Vaakanainen with their first-round pick because he has already played three seasons in North America. The mobile stay at home blueliner has not been terrible, splitting time between Boston and Providence, but the lack of development in his offensive game does suggest that his potential impact at the NHL level may be limited.

The 22-year-old defender has already proven that he can handle defensive assignments at the NHL level and that he can excel on the penalty kill. He takes away space well with his feet, even if he doesn’t have elite reach or size. However, he remains tentative to play with the puck and still has not yet developed the confidence to use his plus mobility to skate himself out of trouble in the defensive end. Vaakanainen is still exempt from waivers for another year, however there is a chance that he secures a third pairing role this season for Boston. Even with the Bruins bringing in Derek Forbort this offseason, the number six spot is up for grabs, and it could have Vaakanainen’s name on it. - BO

Brett Harrison - C

A big, goal scoring center, Brett Harrison is the kind of player who has a really strong understanding of how he needs to play to be successful. This is not a young man who struggles with his on-ice identity; support puck carriers, keep plays alive, and get to the front of the net so that he can use his soft hands to score. However, he also projects as a two-way center because of his anticipation and awareness. At the U18’s, Harrison may not have done himself any favors, as his lack of power and grace in his skating stride prevented him from making a consistent offensive impact. This in turn caused him to be used sparingly at even strength. As he continues to improve his explosiveness, he could reasonably develop into a solid NHL player given that his style of play and skill set should translate well to the NHL level.

A third-round selection by Boston this year, Harrison will return to play in the OHL with the Oshawa Generals this coming season, after playing sparingly in his draft year due to the OHL hiatus (he went to Finland to get ice time). Look for him to be an offensive leader for the Generals. Simply put, Harrison is a real intelligent player who is currently somewhat limited by his skating deficiencies. With some work, Harrison has a chance to be a long-time pro. - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Jack Ahcan - D

Overlooked three times at the draft, once each as a high school phenom, a USHL point man, and a collegiate whiz kid with a pedigree that included a regular role for a Gold Medal winning Team USA at the WJC, Ahcan nonetheless continued to excel with St. Cloud State, finishing his time on campus third all time for points among all Huskies’ defenders. The Bruins signed him as an undrafted free agent immediately after his senior season, and he acclimated to the pro game rather well. Although Ahcan played a few games in the ECHL, he produced as an offensive defender with Providence, and played in three NHL games to boot, with over 20 minutes of ice time in two of those contests.

His lack of size will always be an issue, but the rest of his game – the things he has control over – has always held up well, without any glaring weaknesses that could hold him back. He is a solid puck mover and prone to making good decisions with the puck. He may not be an elite skater, but he has nothing to be ashamed of concerning his mobility. Ahcan will be in tough to earn a regular role on the Boston blueline this season, with a few young players higher on the Bruins’ pecking order, but if any falters, Ahcan will be one of the first guys up. - RW

Trevor Kuntar - C

Boston’s third round pick last year, Kuntar was a second-year wrecking ball across the USHL, often the only player worth watching on his moribund Youngstown side. The offense he generated with the Phantoms didn’t quite come so easily as a freshman with Boston College, although he still flashed just enough to suggest that the offense will increase over time. What stayed with Kuntar was his crash-and-bang approach, as he showed zero hesitation to get involved in the dirty areas against collegians.

The Bruins have tended towards lower upside players in the draft for many of their picks in the past few drafts, and Kuntar may be one of those, although his floor is higher than a number of others, in that there isn’t much else that we would want to see from him, outside of additional comfort at the collegiate level, before we would feel that he is ready to ascend to his rightful place in a bottom six role. He has enough skill to even double his scoring output in college, and the versatility to fill in any role asked of him. He will be loved by fans more than fantasy hockey players, but either way, he should provide positive value on an entry level deal for his team within a few years. - RW

Brady Lyle - D

Turned a strong AHL season with Providence into an ELC with Boston and is really making waves in the Bruins organization. Lyle can really shoot the puck and his instincts at both ends are sound. With another year at the AHL level, he could be pushing for a third pairing spot.

Zachary Senyshyn - RW

It seems like forever ago that the Bruins passed up on Barzal to select Senyshyn (among others). His development has not gone according to plan, but he is coming off of his best AHL season to date and earned an eight-game look with the Bruins. This is probably his final season in the organization to show that he can be an NHL player.

Oskar Steen - RW

Undersized, but strong skating center who loves to attack and push the pace. Entering his third pro season in the organization and looks like a potential bottom six forward for the Bruins within the next season or two.

Ryan Mast - D

A recent selection by the Bruins, Mast was rated highly by us in our 2021 Draft Guide, and we are sticking to our guns here. He has the potential to be a high-end defensive defender at the NHL level and will look to resume his development with Sarnia of the OHL this coming year.

Curtis Hall - C

Hall is a big (6’4, 216lbs) two-way center who just completed his first pro season with Providence after two good years at Yale. The upside may not be significant, but it is easy to see him as an NHL player in some capacity down the line.

2020-21 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook: Boston Bruins Top 20 Prospects

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 12:14:38 +0000

Boston Bruins

McKeen's Top 20 Boston Bruin 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.

John Beecher, C (30^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

In Beecher, the Bruins see a player with all of the components to his game, and the physical tools, to grow into a world class third line center. Starting with the physical gifts, he is a bear of a young man, standing a burly 6-3”, and he skates like the wind. He is remarkably graceful for his stature, and when he goes to the net (which he does regularly) he has been near impossible to stop at the collegiate or WJC levels. Despite his moderate numbers, there is still reason to expect more to come. He played a more central role as a freshman with Michigan, where he was the fourth most productive forward, than he did with the USNTDP. His hands are quick and capable of the occasional surprising deke. He uses his elite reach well on both sides of the puck and has demonstrated a knack for creatively setting up his linemates for scoring chances. Beecher also takes full advantage of his imposing size, and at his best, can dominate any given shift. He just needs to start doing it more often. - RW

Jack Studnicka, C (53^rd overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 2)

It comes as absolutely no surprise that Studnicka should be around the top of this list. After making his NHL playoff debut this past season with the Bruins, he seemed to hardly be phased by the level and speed of the game and instead rose up to the challenge. Studnicka is a highly adaptable, fast, and naturally gifted hockey player. His ceiling is very high, and he has not come close to peaking yet. His biggest asset is his speed, both with and without the puck, although he is still a little lightweight and weak on the puck. His goal for next season will be added strength to help him win physical battles more often. After leading AHL Providence in points, Studnicka is ready to take on fulltime duty with Boston. Of course he will need to adapt, but even at his worst he makes things happen on the ice and therefore it would be unwise for the Bruins to sleep on such a good offensive talent and overall playmaker and goal scorer. - SC

Jeremy Swayman, G (111^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 3)

Goalies are often difficult to project, but as a fourth-round pick, Swayman is looking like a solid investment. He performed well in his time in the USHL, but he didn’t really showcase his skills until he came to Maine, where he was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie team and won a bronze medal at the WJC, both in his freshman year. He had an okay sophomore year but really broke out during his junior year, ranking second nationally in save percentage, and winning a full trophy case full of awards. It is no surprise he signed with the Bruins after the season ended. Swayman is a calm goaltender who isn’t afraid of playing the puck. He doesn’t often make flashy saves — a good indication of solid technical skills — but occasionally makes flashy glove saves. He has quick reflexes and a quick stick. He moves well laterally and often stays in the crease. His speed is impressive, and his reflexes are sharp, but it also helps that he is 6-3” and fills the net nicely. His size will no doubt be an asset at the next level. - JS

Urho Vaakanainen, D (18^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 4)

With all of Vaakanainen’s high level experience in the past few years, including time in both the AHL and NHL for the last two years, it is hard to remember that he is still only 21 years of age. The AHL training has been good for Vaakanainen, who has been playing heavy minutes, including time on both the penalty kill and powerplay units. He is a good skater with a good overall skill set, but what stands out is his calmness under pressure, making good decisions quickly with the puck. His hockey IQ is high and he has matured so much as a player over the course of two seasons that he is mentally tough and composed, although his speed and overall play is lacking a certain element for now. More urgency and intensity need to be inserted into his game and he needs to move the puck up faster to keep up with the NHL pace. He still has a high ceiling, and he continues to develop at a good rate leading him to most likely be called up again next season as he works towards a permanent bottom four role. - SC

Jeremy Lauzon, D (52^nd overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 5)

Lauzon has found himself on the precipice of a full time role with the Bruins thanks to his tenacity and ability to rise up to the physical and mental challenges of the NHL. He is not known for his offensive contributions, but his style of play works for him and the Bruins. He plays a more defensive role and often lends his passing and skating abilities to breakouts and special teams situations. Lauzon is such a calm player that even in two-on-one defensive situations he takes the time to read the play and properly reacts. He is simply a smart player. He has a good head on his shoulders and Boston needs more stay-at-home defensemen to balance things, which is why Lauzon has lucked out with his calm play being an asset. It would really come as little surprise to see him finally hit his stride and secure a full time roster spot with Boston next season as part of a bottom four pairing, considering the way he played in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. - SC

Trent Frederic, C (29^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 6)

Frederic has changed a lot in the way he plays since his days in the USNTDP and University of Wisconsin, meaning that he has developed quite the mean streak, if only not out of the need to be more aggressive at the next level, but also due to frustration. Frederic is a well-rounded forward who can skate, shoot, move the puck, and stick handle all with ease, but in the Boston system as an average forward, he needs to make things happen in order to stand out and that is where he has been having trouble. He needs to dial in and focus on contributing to the stat sheet in a positive way, making his contributions hit the back of the net, rather than the penalty box especially when up with the Bruins as part of their bottom six. For a player as talented as he is at getting to the net, he needs to find ways to perform at the next level and become an offensive threat in a skilled way as Boston already has plenty of grit in their main roster. - SC

Jakub Zboril, D (13^th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 7)

It is not that Zboril has been overlooked or not given a proper chance in the NHL yet, it is simply that for such a complete player, the Bruins want to ensure that he is completely ready to make a permanent jump to the next level rather than earning brief stints here or there. Zboril is probably one of the more well-rounded prospects in the system. He can skate, shoot, and pass all with top level accuracy and performance. He is not necessarily anything spectacular in terms of being a flashy, standout type of guy but he contributes in getting the little things he does right, which spurs bigger things downstream. As he continues to get more comfortable and confident in the AHL, his chances of making the NHL are growing along with his maturity. Zboril simply needs to continue on his development path and at some point next season, he may see himself up with Boston. - SC

Jack Ahcan, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 27, 2020. Previous ranking: 8)

One of the prize collegiate free agents this season, Ahcan was a surprise member of the Team USA at the 2017 WJC, helping the Americans to a Gold Medal, and has since racked up four 20+ point seasons for the perennially competitive St. Cloud State Huskies, and making the All-NCHC second team during both of is last two seasons. The undersized blueliner is a classic power play specialist, although he was used in all situations in college. He is very mobile and likes to activate in the offensive zone. He reads the play well and generally makes the smart play to extend possession. As with any player of this size Ahcan will have to prove himself at every level before moving out, but in a best-case scenario, he makes it easier for the Bruins to walk away from Matt Grzelcyk when the latter becomes a UFA after the 2021-22 season. - RW

Jakub Lauko, C/LW (77^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 9)

In his rookie AHL season last year with Providence, Lauko stood out for his speed, which is his best asset, as well as for his tenacity when forechecking. Unfortunately, he sustained a severe leg injury at the WJC, which ended the rest of his season far too early. That said, with the pandemic that ended everyone’s season too early, he has had much time to heal and rehab which which will only aid in his recovery to full speed. Lauko will need to work on getting up to the AHL pace when moving the puck and knowing when to hold onto it, while his efforts in his own end are already commendable. He is yet another speedy, quick forward that Boston could use in their lineup at some point in the near-term future and he fits the mold for what the Bruins looks for in their forward prospects quite well. For now, he has been loaned back out to his home country to play in the Czech league for a little bit, hoping that when he comes back he will be ready for his first NHL test as part of Boston’s bottom six. - SC

Daniel Vladar, G (75^th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 10)

Vladar made his NHL debut as the unconventional backup for the Bruins in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a situation made possible by Tuukka Rask’s decision to leave the tournament. For a young goaltender with ECHL and AHL experience, Vladar did well despite being thrown in the midst of things unprepared, and he should be proud of his efforts. He stands 6-5” and has an eye for finding the puck in scrambles and fights well for positioning behind screens. He stays square to the puck and cuts down angles really well. Confidence when playing the puck will come with time, and so will playing against one on one situations better. If he works on remaining calm and not biting too early, his progression towards earning Boston’s number one spot will only get better. Overall, much of Vladar’s play should improve in the coming seasons and by the next time he finds himself in a Boston jersey he should be ready to start. - SC

Zachary Senyshyn, RW (15^th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 11)

Of course, nearly everyone reading this list is waiting for the day when Senyshyn makes it. So far, he has not been terribly good for the 2015 first round pick, and he has yet to pass the 30 point mark in a season in the AHL for Providence. His transitional game, as well as his puck movement need to be faster and this next year will most likely be the last year to prove himself and try to find another gear when it comes to his overall game. Senyshyn’s skills are all up to standard for the type of offensive player he is, but he will need to do better and be more dominant in the AHL first in order to earn a full time spot whether with the Bruins, or on a different team. It has now become a mental game and it is up to only him to determine whether he still wants to do what it takes for a chance at the NHL or not. - SC

Trevor Kuntar, C (89^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

In his second year of eligibility, Kuntar stepped up his game last year as an assertive, physical, scoring center. A volume shooter, he took more shots on net than all but one other player in the entire USHL. The Boston College commit reads the game well and plays in a style that leaves little room for subtlety, mostly playing in straight North-South lines. He is a strong skater who prefers to play at his top speed and his strong frame and balance makes him hard to knock him off his stride. Always the top player on his Youngstown team, he will have to adapt his game to a lesser role at the next level, but his no-nonsense style, coupled with capable offensive tools leaves open the possibility that he can assert himself in a middle six role at the highest level. At worst, he can find a fit as an agitating presence will find a depth spot to call his own over time. - RW

Roman Bychkov, D (154^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

Bychkov is a skilled puck moving defenseman who plays a mature, detailed game. He keeps his game quite simple in his own end and makes the correct reads and decisions. He has the ability to make plays in the offensive zone and can run the power play very well at the junior level in Russia. Has soft hands for giving and receiving passes. His shot is decent with a quick release but doesn’t pose much of a threat from the point. He plays with his head on a swivel and shows strong awareness of his surroundings. He is quick to collect loose pucks and take them out of danger in front of the net. Bychkov is a good skater with quick feet and agility. I think his explosiveness and speed will improve once he gains lower-body strength. Despite a current lack of physicality, he looks ready to make the jump to pro hockey. - MB

Curtis Hall, C (119^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 14)

Hall is extremely noticeable on the ice, partly because he is a rangy 6-3” forward. Drafted by Boston in the fourth round, he had played hockey in his native Ohio before spending two years in the USHL with Youngstown. He was named to the USHL All-Rookie Second Team in his first year with the Phantoms. This past year, Hall earned a spot on the U.S. World Junior Championship team. Hall led the Bulldogs, a historically low-scoring team, in points as well. Hall isn’t flashy but he is a fairly solid player and is an offensive asset who likes to score. His game is still raw but at 20 years of age, there is time and room left for him to improve. He is very physical. Hall ins’t incredibly fast but he is an aggressive backchecker, who makes his presence felt off the puck. He has also fared well in the face-off circle, winning over half of his draws. He may yet be a four year college player before turning pro. – JS

Oskar Steen, C (165^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 15)

As a smaller forward, Steen does well at getting to the net and is oftentimes fearless in getting to the puck first and staying persistent on the forecheck. This past season with AHL Providence, he was a rather dominant two-way player who was heavily relied upon in penalty kill situations especially due to his speed. Steen is a quick thinker and works best in tight situations down low where he can work the puck and find ways to get to the net. He simply has to keep up at the same high tempo pace as last season and land the same strong hits in order to earn his first NHL stint with Boston. He brings a good skill set and speed along with a strong degree of smarts, the struggle simply comes with his size and consistency, and those will be the main tests when it comes to the next level. Steen should be able to earn his first call up next season in a bottom six role, with a shot at the second penalty kill unit as well. – SC

Peter Cehlarik, LW (90^th overall, 2013. Previous ranking: 16)

One of a few players on this list in their last years of prospect eligibility (age-related), Cehlarik has a second concern in that he was still unsigned as of early November 2020. That said, he is still an organizational asset for the Bruins, and his early season production for Leksands in SHL (oner one point per game) is not hurting his cause either. Cehlarik has already received 40 games of experience in the NHL for Boston. While he showed some ability to generate offense at the NHL level, his AHL scoring rates were unsustainable at the highest level, and he is further held back by his occasionally plodding foot speed and his propensity to play a soft, perimeter game, even though he has impressive size and strength. At this stage of his career, it is unlikely that Cehlarik ever grows higher than his current status as system depth, but even with those low expectations, he has value as he can hold his own for stretches thanks to his strong shot and solid puck skills, without pulling his team down. - RW

Anton Blidh, LW (180^th overall, 2013. Previous ranking: 17)

Like Cehlarik above, Blidh is about to age out of consideration for this list. Unlike Cehlarik, Blidh is still under contract with the Bruins. Moreover, Blidh is a different type of player. Less of a true goal scorer, he has swift legs, and is not averse to grinding. He can play with added physicality, forcing opponents to work. Blidh has not been able to provide much offensive punch since his days in the Swedish junior ranks, and even his AHL numbers have been very underwhelming. He may have been primed to break through with the Bruins last season but was limited to 11 combined games in the NHL (7) and AHL (4) due to a severe shoulder injury that required surgery. Presuming a return to good health, he could be in line to start the 2020-21 season up with Boston, at least as long as Brad Marchand remains out with his own injury. His ceiling is low, but he is NHL playable. - RW

Joona Koppanen, LW (135^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: UR)

This run of AHL left wingers extends to (and ends with) Koppanen, although his career may lead him to more time as a center than on the wing. Tall and gangly, he remains intriguing even if he has struggled to put up notable numbers in his two seasons in the AHL, both times finding himself relegated down to the ECHL for a stretch. To his credit, Koppanen has spent the last month or so making the most of his time back home in Finland, playing on loan first in the Finnish second men’s league, as well as in the top flight Liiga, putting up impressive numbers. He has good hands and seems to read the game fairly well, but he is not the swiftest of skaters, and he does not generally put his giant frame to good use. Like Blidh, Koppanen has a very low ceiling, but Koppanen is also younger enough that we may yet see him continue to develop and force his way up the organizational depth chart. - RW

Victor Berglund, D (195^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: UR)

Although he only signed his Entry Level Contract this past June, the former seventh round pick has already had a cup of coffee in the AHL, ending his 2018-19 season with Providence after the end of his 2018-19 season in Sweden. A right-handed blueliner, he has a pretty good point shot, giving him power play capabilities, but his other tools trend more towards average. Even without being toolsy, we have seen Berglund steadily continue to develop since his draft year, to the point where he can now state that all of his tools are at least average. His performance has similarly improved over two seasons in Sweden’s second league and that has continued in the early part of this season, as the Bruins have loaned him to Lulea in the SHL and he has looked pretty good. There are others in the Boston system who could fit in this part of the rankings, but we selected Berglund as he has at least hinted more that there is additional growth coming in his game. We’ll be watching. - RW

Mason Lohrei, D (58^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Outside of Columbus’ first rounder, Lohrei at the end of the second round was one of the most shocking picks of the 2020 draft. In his second year of draft eligibility, and his first full season playing in the USHL, the tall blueliner mixed production from the back end with a solid game in his own end. The numbers are great, but his size is his only real plus tool. We have not seen the upside to justify a second round selection, but his success in jumping from the high school ranks to the USHL – a jump which has caused many other talented players to fail – has impressed. He is expected to play in the USHL for one more season before taking the step up to the collegiate level with Ohio State. The Louisiana native is still very much a dark horse in terms of future NHL potential, but the Bruins clearly were impressed with what they have seen so far. - RW

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – BOSTON BRUINS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 7

Ryan Wagman, Profiles: Jashvina Shah, Shaiyena Cote, Marco Bombino, Ryan Wagman — Sun, 27 Sep 2020 17:37:34 +0000

Boston Bruins

It is often said – I often say so myself – that prospect development is rarely, if ever, linear. Some guys are ready for stardom before they are even draft eligible. Some seem that way but hit the height of their development too early and fizzle out. Some shine dimly at first and stay dim. Others seem to be on the path to journeyman status and suddenly hit a switch and take on a whole new trajectory.

The Bruins NHL roster is evidence of the variable paths prospects can take. Think of their big three forwards. High scoring David Pastrnak was a skilled playmaker in the Swedish junior ranks in his U18 season. He was good enough to be selected on merit in the first round, but his trajectory took a new upward course after he turned 18. He went right from the SuperElit, averaging two points every three games against the best teenagers in Sweden, to scoring over a point per game in the AHL and then holding his own as an 18-year-old in the NHL. He has never looked back.

Two-way extraordinaire Patrice Bergeron likewise flipped the switch as an 18-year-old, making the rare leap from the second round straight to the NHL. He was good right away, in a secondary scoring capacity, but turned it up even more after spending the lockout season in the AHL, returning as a 20-year-old capable of putting 70 point seasons on the board, in addition to his all world play off the puck.

Finally, we have the Nose, Brad Marchand. An undersized third round pick out of the QMJHL, he did not go straight from the draft to the pros, but spent two more years in junior hockey, putting up good numbers without exactly reaching a new level. Through his first two pro seasons, (ages 20-21), he had started to look like a good pick, even if his first 20 NHL games ended with only a single assist to his credit. He made the NHL for good at age 22, a solid middle six winger. It was only in his sixth full NHL campaign, at age 27, that he became more than a skilled pest and a true top six player. The following year he eclipsed the point-per-game mark for the first time, and has not fallen from that level since.

I could give more examples on this team alone, but I really want to switch gears here to talk about goalies. For netminders, we can take everything I wrote above about forwards flipping the switch at different times and amplify that ten-fold.

It is often said that scouting goalies is hard. Some say “voodoo.” Part of that is the sheer difficulty of separating a goalie’s performance from that of the defense in front of him. Part of that is judging athleticism. Some displays of athleticism in a netminder are a result of poor positioning or tracking forcing the goalie to scramble. Other displays are a breakdown of the defense forcing the goalie to scramble to save his teammates. And of course, it often takes goalies that much longer to reach their potential, with too many snuffed out due to a bad game or two at the wrong time, losing the confidence of their coach. Think of Bruins’ legend Tim Thomas, who didn’t break through to the NHL full time until he was 31.

This difficulty has long led many scouts and analysts to preach against drafting goalies early. Why is this relevant here? In the pre-season, we had one goalie, Kyle Keyser, in the Bruins’ top 20. After a season largely on the sidelines, he has been overtaken on the Boston depth chart by both Jeremy Swayman, who flipped the switch as a junior at Maine, winning the Mike Richter Award as the top goalie in the NCAA, and Dan Vladar, who seems to improve slightly every season without ever making the big leap. Goalies are indeed hard, but still essential. That’s why I have long advised drafting/signing one every year and not putting all the expectations on one prospect, no matter how talented he may be.

MONTREAL, QC - NOVEMBER 26: Look on Boston Bruins center Jack Studnicka (68) during the Boston Bruins versus the Montreal Canadiens game on November 26, 2019, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

John Beecher, C (30^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

More than who find themselves atop a team’s prospect list, Beecher is here on potential more than a previously established level of performance and production. The last of eight members of the 2019 class of the USNTDP to be selected in the 2019 first round, Beecher was actually a bottom six player in his draft season. While that is not a major concern considering that three other centers from that squad were drafted in the top nine, it cannot be ignored that eight other members of that roster had more points.

Clearly the Bruins didn’t use their first-round pick on him with the expectation that he would turn into the next coming of Patrice Bergeron. Instead, more like their selection of Trent Frederic in the late first in 2016, they saw a player with all of the components to his game, and the physical tools to grow into a world class third line center. That projection hasn’t yet worked out for Frederic (more on him shortly), but there is still hope for Beecher. Starting with the physical gifts, he is a bear of a young man, standing a burly 6-3”, and he skates like the wind. He is remarkably graceful for his stature, and when he goes to the net (which he does regularly) he has been near impossible to stop at the collegiate or WJC levels. Despite his moderate numbers, there is still reason to expect more to come.

He played a more central role as a freshman with Michigan, where he was the fourth most productive forward, than he did with the USNTDP. His hands are quick and capable of the occasional surprising deke. He uses his elite reach well on both sides of the puck and has demonstrated a knack for creatively setting up his linemates for scoring chances. Beecher also takes full advantage of his imposing size, and at his best, can dominate any given shift. He just needs to start doing it more often. - RW

Jack Studnicka, C (53^rd overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 4)

Studnicka is a highly adaptable, fast, and naturally gifted hockey player who as a second-round pick was a real diamond in the rough when Boston drafted him. He has all the makings of a future first liner in the NHL and his ceiling is very high as a prospect who still has not come close to peaking yet. His biggest asset is his speed, both with and without the puck, although he is still a little lightweight and weak on the puck. His goal for next season will to be stronger too help him win his physical battles more often to better pair with his speed.

After leading AHL Providence in points and finishing third in rookie points and thirteenth overall in the entire AHL, Studnicka is certainly ready to take on fulltime duty with Boston although the strangeness of this period in history could see him start with a few games back in Providence and then be up with Boston by February. Of course, he will need to adapt, but even at his worst he makes things happen on the ice and therefore it would be unwise for the Bruins to sleep on such a good offensive talent and overall playmaker and goal scorer. - SC

Jeremy Swayman, G (111^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: UR)

Goalies are often difficult to project, but as a fourth-round pick, Swayman is looking like a solid investment. He put up a solid save percentage during his two seasons in the USHL but he didn’t really showcase his skills until he came to Maine, where he was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie team and won a bronze medal at the World Junior Championship, both in his freshman year. He played in just one game at the WJC but kept his net clean.

He had an okay sophomore year but really broke out during his junior year, ranking second nationally in save percentage. He was named the Hockey East Goaltender of the Year, the Hockey East Player of the Year, the Mike Richter Award winner for goaltending, the Walter Brown award for the top player in New England and a Hobey Baker finalist. It is no surprise he signed with the Bruins after the season ended.

Swayman is a calm goaltender who isn’t afraid of playing the puck. He doesn’t often make flashy saves — a good indication of solid technical skills — but occasionally makes flashy glove saves. He has quick reflexes and a quick stick. He moves well latterly and often stays in the crease. His speed is important, and his reflexes are important, but it also helps that Swayman is 6-3” and fills the net nicely. His size will no doubt be an asset at the next level. There is no question Swayman will be an NHL goaltender in relatively short order. - JS

Urho Vaakanainen, D (18^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 2)

With all the international and men’s professional play Vaakanainen has played in the past few years, including bouncing between the AHL and NHL for the last two years, it is hard to keep in mind that he is still only 21 years of age. He managed five games up with Boston this past season and fared pretty well with a +2 rating, looking like a better fit than his brief stint up with Boston the year before.

The AHL training has been good for Vaakanainen, who clocks in with top ice time marks usually and spends time on both the penalty kill and powerplay units. He is a good skater with a good overall skill set, but what makes him stand out the most is his ability to be calm under pressure and make quick and good decisions with the puck. His hockey IQ is high and he has matured so much as a player over the course of two seasons that mentally he is tough and composed enough to play with the ever competitive Bruins; although his speed and play on the ice is lacking a certain element for now.

Due to the fact that Vaakainen is normally very calm, more urgency and intensity need to be inserted into his game for next season and he needs to get to the puck and move it up faster to keep up with the NHL pace. He still has a high ceiling and he continues to develop at a good rate leading him to most likely be called up again next season and he will see many more games with Boston as a bottom four defenseman. - SC

Jeremy Lauzon, D (52^nd overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 7)

Lauzon has found himself, after coming from a small town in Northern Quebec, now on the precipice of a full time role on the Bruins, over a journey of a few years, thanks to his tenacity and ability to rise up to the physical and mental challenges of the NHL and playing for one of the most notoriously feared original six teams.

Over the course of his professional career, he has not been known for his offensive contributions, but slightly adjusted his style of play to one that works for him and the Bruins. He plays a more defensive role and often lends his passing and skating abilities to breakouts and special teams’ situations. Lauzon is such a calm player that even in two-on-one defensive situations he takes the time to read the play and properly react which is what makes him able to not only play at the NHL level but also to be an asset to such an offensive minded group as the Bruins currently are constructed. He is simply a smart player and that really showed in his plus/minus this past season.

He has a good head on his shoulders and Boston needs more stay-at-home defensemen to balance things which is why Lauzon has lucked out with his calm play being an asset. It would really come as little surprise to see him finally hit his stride and secure a full time roster spot with Boston next season as part of a bottom four pairing, considering the way he played in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. - SC

Trent Frederic, C (29^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 3)

Frederic is a well-rounded forward who can skate, shoot, move the puck, and stick handle all with ease, but in the Boston system as an average forward, he needs to make things happen in order to stand out and that is where he has been having trouble. He needs to dial in and focus on contributing to the stat sheet in a positive way, making his contributions hit the back of the net, rather than the penalty box especially when up with the Bruins as part of their bottom six.

For a player as talented as he is at getting to the net, he needs to find ways to perform at the next level and become an offensive threat in a skilled way as Boston already has plenty of grit in their main roster. - SC

Jakub Zboril, D (13^th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 14)

Zboril is probably one of the more well-rounded prospects in the system. He can skate, shoot, and pass all with top level accuracy and performance. He is not necessarily anything spectacular in terms of being a flashy, standout type of guy but he contributes in getting the little things he does right, which spurs bigger things downstream. A

s he continues to get more comfortable and confident in the AHL, his chances of making the NHL are growing along with his maturity. Zboril simply needs to continue on his development path and at some point next season, he may see himself up with Boston. - SC

Jack Ahcan, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 27, 2020. 2019 Rank: IE)

The undersized blueliner is a classic power play specialist, although he was used in all situations in college. He is very mobile and likes to activate in the offensive zone. He reads the play well and generally makes the smart play to extend possession. As with any player of this size Ahcan will have to prove himself at every level before moving out, but in a best-case scenario, he makes it easier for the Bruins to walk away from Matt Grzelcyk when the latter becomes a UFA after the 2021-22 season. - RW

Jakub Lauko, C/LW (77^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 12)

Lauko will need to work on getting up to the AHL pace when moving the puck and knowing when to hold onto it, while his efforts in his own end are already commendable. He is yet another speedy, quick forward that Boston could use in their lineup at some point in the near-term future and he fits the mold for what the Bruins looks for in their forward prospects quite well.

For now, he has been loaned back out to his home country to play in the Czech league for a little bit, hoping that when he comes back he will be ready for his first NHL test as part of Boston’s bottom six. - SC

Daniel Vladar, G (75^th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: UR)

He stands 6-5” and has an eye for finding the puck in scrambles and fights well for positioning behind screens. He stays square to the puck and cuts down angles really well. Confidence when playing the puck will come with time, and so will playing against one on one situations better. If he works on remaining calm and not biting too early, his progression towards earning Boston’s number one spot will only get better. Overall, much of Vladar’s play should improve in the coming seasons and by the next time he finds himself in a Boston jersey he should be ready to start. - SC

Zachary Senyshyn, RW (15^th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 16)

His transitional game, as well as his puck movement need to be faster and this next year will most likely be the last year to prove himself and try to find another gear when it comes to his overall game. Senyshyn’s skills are all up to standard for the type of offensive player he is, but he will need to do better and be more dominant in the AHL first in order to earn a full time spot whether with the Bruins, or on a different team. It has now become a mental game and it is up to only him to determine whether he still wants to do what it takes for a chance at the NHL or not. - SC

Ryan Fitzgerald, C (120^th overall, 2013. 2019 Rank: 20)

As it is Fitzgerald’s last year of prospect eligibility, now is the make or break time for him, as every year lowers the room for potential growth in his game. For the past three seasons, he has been a steady forward fixture on the AHL Providence Bruins, as a go-to point guy and versatile forward capable of playing in all situations.

He has skill but size is not in his corner. He makes up for that deficiency in his firmly rooted offensive mindset and natural scoring ability. That being said, Fitzgerald will need to make his defensive game better and be a better two way forward next season if he wants to finally get a call up to Boston. He has one more season to crack the big club’s bottom six and with as much maturity and leadership potential as a player like Fitzgerald has, a failure to take that step now could be the death knell of his NHL hopes. - SC

Roman Bychkov, D (154^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 15)

He owns soft hands for giving and receiving passes. His shot is decent with a quick release but doesn’t pose much of a threat from the point. He plays with his head on a swivel and shows strong awareness of his surroundings. He is quick to collect loose pucks and take them out of danger in front of the net.

Bychkov is a good skater with quick feet and agility. I think his explosiveness and speed will improve once he gains lower-body strength. Despite a current lack of physicality, he looks ready to make the jump to pro hockey. - MB

Curtis Hall, C (119^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: UR)

This past year, he earned a spot on the U.S. World Junior Championship team. Hall led the Bulldogs, a historically low-scoring team, in points as well. Hall isn’t flashy but he is a fairly solid player and is an offensive asset who likes to score.

His game is still raw but at 20 years of age, there is time and room left for him to improve. He is very physical. isn’t incredibly fast but he is an aggressive backchecker, who makes his presence felt off the puck. He has also fared well in the face-off circle, winning over half of his draws. He may yet be a four-year college player before turning pro. – JS

Oskar Steen, C (165^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 10)

Steen is a quick thinker and works best in tight situations down low where he can work the puck and find ways to get to the net. He simply has to keep up at the same high tempo pace as last season and land the same strong hits in order to earn his first NHL stint with Boston.

He brings a good skill set and speed along with a strong degree of smarts, the struggle simply comes with his size and consistency, and those will be the main tests when it comes to the next level. Steen should be able to earn his first call up next season in a bottom six role, with a shot at the second penalty kill unit as well. - SC

NCAA: ECAC Tournament Preview and Predictions

Jashvina Shah — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 14:59:30 +0000

BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 10: Harvard University Crimson forward Nick Abruzzese (16) carries the puck during the Beanpot consolation game between the Harvard Crimson and the Boston College Eagles on February 10, 2020, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

The NCAA tournament is selected through a mathematical formula called the Pairwise. The top 16 seeds make it, but six seeds are reserved for the tournament winners from each conference. Once those six tournament berths are awarded, the remaining 10 slots are awarded to the teams in order of their Pairwise ranking.

***

East Region Playoff Preview

In the ECAC, all programs make the tournament. The first four seeds receive a bye, the next four seeds receive home ice in the first round best-of-three series and then the last four teams are on the road for the first round. The playoffs then proceed to the second round, where the top four seeds host the remaining four seeds before the teams head to Lake Placid for the semifinals and final.

For the ECAC this seems to be the year of success from undrafted players, giving a range of options of players to follow as the season winds down and the playoffs approach. In the top 20 in league scoring, just six are drafted prospects. Now keep in mind the ECAC tends to be more defensive-minded with older players while Hockey East is usually more offensive minded with younger players.

Nick Abruzzese has been a powerhouse for Harvard, leading the entire conference — yes, as a freshman — in scoring with 35 points. That is even more impressive considering Harvard, as an Ivy League school, plays fewer games than the others.

Cornell and Clarkson were neck and neck until the end of the season, when the Big Red took the first seed. The biggest surprise of the season is RPI, which jumped from 11th in 2018-19 to securing a first-round bye with the No. 4 spot.

We may even be treated to another Clarkson-Cornell matchup in the ECAC tournament.

First-round byes:

Cornell (23-2-4, 18-2-2 ECAC): Yes, the Big Red lost only two games this year. But one of the was a surprising 5-0 loss to Quinnipiac. The couple of blemishes aside, the Big Red have been one of the strongest (and of course, most consistent) teams throughout the NCAA this season. Goaltending from Matthew Galajda has again been solid, while junior Morgan Barron led the way among the skaters in what was generally a very balanced attack, leading the team in scoring by six points. Whomever Cornell faces will have a tough task but remember -- anything can happen in a one-and-done format. Either way, Cornell is a lock for the NCAA tournament.

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

Clarkson (23-8-3, 16-5-1 ECAC): Clarkson has continued upon its success from last season and has a good chance of repeating as ECAC tournament champions. The Golden Knights suffered a few more losses than Cornell -- including two to the Big Red, but other than that they haven’t missed a beat despite losing some key players in the offseason. A big reason for that comes in the form of netminder Frank Marotte, who posted a .938 save percentage. So far, the transfer from Robert Morris has had no trouble adjusting from Atlantic Hockey — and that’s good, because goaltending is key and generally the difference between winning and losing in the playoffs. Haralds Egle has continued producing for Clarkson, posting a team-high 32 points. Right behind him are Devin Brosseau and Josh Dunne, both (like Egle) undrafted players with 29 and 27 points, respectfully. Clarkson is not quite a lock, but they have a 99.6 percent chance of making the NCAA tournament, regardless of how their ECAC tournament plays out.

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

Quinnipiac (21-11-2, 14-6-2 ECAC): Quinnipiac started the season struggling and even lost to St. Lawrence, the lowest-seeded team in the league. But the Bobcats have always been well coached, and this year was no exception. Quinnipiac has lost just four games since the end of November and are on a three-game winning streak. Junior Odeen Tufto has contributed again, leading the team with 38 points. The Bobcats have worked best as a cohesive unit, but they’ll need more strong goaltending from Keith Petruzzelli, who rebounded from a rough first two and a half collegiate seasons with strong performances down the stretch. Last year the Bobcats were upset by Brown, and come tournament time, anything can happen in a short series. The Bobcats are currently 14th in the Pairwise and have a roughly 50 percent chance of making the NCAA tournament. The Bobcats seem to be in control of their destiny -- picking up a few wins here could cement a tournament spot.

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

RPI (17-15-2, 13-8-1 ECAC): It has been a long time since the Engineers have had a good season and a longer time still since they earned a first-round bye. It was close, too - the Engineers just beat out Harvard with the tie breaker. RPI is the biggest surprise of the season, and that’s largely thanks to Owen Savory’s play in net as the offense lacks any truly dynamic players. He finished the season with a .932 save percentage (7^th nationally) as the Engineers finished the season on a four-game winning streak. With just a two percent chance of making the NCAA tournament, the Engineers would need to win outright for the automatic bid.

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

No. 5 Harvard (13-10-6, 11-6-5 ECAC) vs. No. 12 STLU (4-25-5, 2-18-2 ECAC)

Filled with the most drafted players from any Ivy League school, it’s shocking when Harvard isn’t in the top of the league. The Crimson were at the top, starting their season off with a 7-3 victory and a six-game winning streak. But they have been on a downswing heading into playoffs, having won only three games in the past month. Harvard also lost 7-2 to Boston College in the Beanpot third place game. Consolation game aside, that is not a great look. As the highest non-bye seed, Harvard is lucky that it will face St. Lawrence. The Saints have continued to struggle this season with just two ECAC wins. Unfortunately for the Crimson, one of those wins came against Harvard. Even so, St. Lawrence is a weak team and most likely won’t be able to take two games from Harvard this weekend. Cut the Saints some slack, though as they are still getting adjusted to a new coach and it will take time for the program to turn around. The Crimson’s Nick Abruzzese has been leading the pack with his 39 points. Jack Drury has been strong in support with 31 points, but don’t overlook the undrafted Casey Dombach, who has also produced with 32 points this season. Both teams need to win the ECAC tournament to make the NCAAs.

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

St. Lawrence drafted players: None

Prediction: Harvard over St. Lawrence

No. 6. Dartmouth (13-12-4, 10-10-2 ECAC) vs. No. 11 Princeton (4-20-5, 2-16-4 ECAC)

The Big Green also earned a favorable matchup by drawing Princeton. Following the departures of current pros Max Veronneau, Ryan Kuffner, and Josh Teves last offseason, there is not much exciting about Princeton. Not to mention the Tigers have historically struggled against Dartmouth, especially on the road. The Big Green have won just three of their last eight games, but, again, Dartmouth rarely loses to Princeton. The games will probably be close, and the series may go to three, but Dartmouth should advance to the second round. Dartmouth may not be flashy, but they are a solid team that could squeak out an upset or two in this tournament. The biggest weakness for Dartmouth is goaltending, but Princeton lacks the skill and speed to take advantage of it. Both Dartmouth and Princeton need an automatic bid to make the NCAA tournament.

Dartmouth drafted players: None

Princeton drafted players: Liam Gorman (PIT)

Prediction: Dartmouth over Princeton

Yale (13-14-2, 10-10-2 ECAC) vs. No. 10 Union (7-23-3, 5-15-2 ECAC)

Yale and Union are two teams that have fallen quite a bit since they won the NCAA championship in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Yale has missed Joe Snively, who signed with the Washington Capitals last summer, but several players -- including Curtis Hall, who leads the team with 25 points -- were able to fill some of the vacuum through scoring by committee. Goaltending for the Bulldogs has been very lackluster, as has Union’s. The Dutchmen have only won five games, so Yale should take the series. Both teams need to win the ECAC tournament to make NCAAs.

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

Union drafted players: Parker Foo (CHI), Jack Adams (DET)

Prediction: Yale over Union

Colgate (10-16-8, 8-9-5 ECAC) vs. No. 9 Brown (8-19-2, 8-12-2 ECAC) : Brown may have the edge in the series as they earned the season series sweep. Neither team has been remarkable this year, but Brown can still remember upsetting Quinnipiac last year to earn a trip to Lake Placid and the ECAC tournament. Both teams have been below average this year, but on paper Colgate has the slight edges in scoring and goaltending. Going off of last year’s playoff experience, Brown will probably take the series. Both teams need to win the ECAC tournament to make the NCAA tournament.

Colgate drafted players: None

Brown drafted players: None

Prediction: Brown over Colgate

Projecting the remainder of the ECAC Tournament

Quarterfinals:

Cornell over Brown

Harvard over RPI

Dartmouth over Quinnipiac

Clarkson over Yale

Semifinals:

Cornell over RPI

Clarkson over Yale

Final:

Cornell over Clarkson

2020 World Junior Championship Recap: Day Two

Derek O'Brien — Fri, 27 Dec 2019 22:37:02 +0000

OSTRAVA, CZECH REPUBLIC - DECEMBER 27: GermanyÕs Tim Stutzle #8 skates with the puck while USAÕs Nicholas Robertson #16 chases him down during preliminary round action at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship at Ostravar Arena on December 27, 2019 in Ostrava, Czech Republic. (Photo by Andrea Cardin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

For a while, it looked like the USA might in danger of falling to 0-2 in Group B of the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, trailing 3-2 in the second period to a talented German squad that everybody was curious to see in action.

Germany built its lead thanks to a goal and two assists from Dominik Bokk and two power-play goals from John Peterka (as he’s now apparently called). But the Americans came back with four straight goals to win 6-3. Anaheim Ducks prospect Trevor Zegras assisted on the first four American goals, the last being a nifty spinarama behind the net and a feed out front to Curtis Hall for the winning goal. Ottawa Senators prospect Shane Pinto had a goal and an assist, and now has six points in two games.

“I don’t think any of us think that was our best effort, but we definitely came on strong when we needed to and got the win. That was big,” said U.S. captain Mattias Samuelsson, whose team was playing the second of back-to-back games. “The Canada game was a physical one, for sure, but no excuses. We’ve got a day off now and looking to put forth our A game in the last two games coming up, because I don’t think we’ve played it yet.”

“This was a big game for us and I think there are a lot of good things we can take from this game,” acknowledged Bokk, a St. Louis Blues prospect who plays for BK Rogle in the Swedish Hockey League. “Our power play was working really well. We maybe have to tighten up a little better defensively, but I think this gives us some confidence heading into tomorrow’s game. We know that’s going to be a big one.”

Indeed, the Germany vs Czech Republic game was projected before the tournament to be one that might decide which team gets relegated from this group and, despite the Czechs’ opening-day win over Russia, that might still be the case.

In what was figured to be a big game to decide which team would avoid last place in Group A in Trinec, Slovakia had its hands full with Kazakhstan but eventually won 3-1. Sherbrooke Phoenix goalie Samuel Hlavaj made 22 saves and was chosen Slovakia’s player of the game. The 18-year-old is already playing in his second World Junior Championships. Goals were scored by Hlavaj’s former Sherbrooke teammate Oliver Okuliar, now with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Daniel Tkac and an empty-netter by Robert Dzugan.

“Michal Mrazik took the puck behind the net and found me backdoor – he’s a righty and he found my stick,” said Tkac, who scored the winning goal with just 2:56 remaining in regulation time. “All I had to do what tap it in. It was a really nice play by him.”

The lone Kazakh goal was scored by 18-year-old Maxim Musorov, who now shares the tournament’s goal-scoring lead with Pinto – each have three after two days. The Kazakhs have now put scares into both Switzerland and Slovakia but still have zero points, and with their remaining games against Sweden and Finland, it now looks very unlikely that they’ll be able to avoid the relegation round.

As the game wore on, Tkac said: “We just came in with the same mentality as if we were playing Sweden or anybody. We knew what we had to do. We just had to stay positive and keep going and we did it.”

Tkac, a dual Slovak and American citizen who was born in Pittsburgh, currently plays for the Merritt Centennials of the BCHL and, in his last year of junior eligibility, is hoping to use a successful World Junior Championship to help springboard him into U.S. collegiate hockey.

Day two of the World Juniors revealed some bad news for a couple of knee injuries to AHL players that occurred on day one. The Czech Republic’s Jakub Lauko and Finland’s Rasmus Kupari are both done for the tournament. Lauko was involved in a collision just six seconds into the game with Russia and should be out of action for a few weeks, while reports are that Kupari could be out months.

“I felt a stab immediately, and when I tried to put push myself up off the ice, I knew it wasn’t good,” Lauko told the media on Friday. On being forced to miss the rest of the tournament, he said, “The pain in my knee is no comparison to the pain inside.”

NCAA: World Junior Edition – Key players and underdogs to watch from US College hockey

Jashvina Shah — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 13:37:06 +0000

ORNSKOLDSVIK, SWEDEN - APRIL 19: USAs Spencer Knight #30 holds his mask during the national anthem following a 12-5 preliminary round win against Slovakia at the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship at Fjallraven Center on April 19, 2019 in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. (Photo by Steve Kingsman/HHOF-IIHF Images)

The most wonderful time of the year, when it’s cold outside and people are strapping on their skates to … represent their countries at the World Junior Championship

The annual tournament is a favorite amongst those who follow prospects, although none really know why. Perhaps it’s because of the never-ending USA-Canada rivalry. Or maybe it’s because players have one year, maximum two, to take home a gold medal. Perhaps it’s because, unlike the Olympics, this team is still a “team” and less a compilation of famous stars. Perhaps it’s because this a chance to catch the next generation of NHL players before they are NHL players. Or perhaps it’s because it’s a chance to see the best players of this generation, even though some of them won’t become NHL players.

For some, it’s because the World Junior Championship is a chance to watch some of the best college players in the country face off against the best of the best worldwide in their age group. And it is so much fun, albeit slightly alarming, how much people’s lives depend on the outcome of a game played by a bunch of 19-year-olds.

Each year a slew of elite college hockey players end up at the World Juniors. Most of them play for USA, but a few are scattered amongst other countries. This year, 27 college hockey players were selected to preliminary rosters.

Most, as mentioned above, ended up on the U.S. roster. The Czech Republic, Finland and Sweden also named one NCAA player each to their respective rosters. (The interesting note is that those players aren’t from programs you would normally associate with recruiting in those areas, since Finland’s Sampo Ranta plays for Minnesota and Sweden’s Erik Portillo is a Michigan recruit.) Canada named four players to its preliminary roster but later cut BC’s Alex Newhook, Quinnipiac’s Peter Diliberatore and Wisconsin’s Dylan Holloway.

The tournament runs from December 26, 2019 to January 5, 2020 in the Czech Republic. Countries still need to trim their rosters. Five must go from USA, which started its training camp on Dec. 15. The teams will practice before playing a controlled scrimmage against the National Team Development Program U18 (a.k.a. half of the future World Junior Championship roster).The team will then fly to the Czech Republic for pre-tournament games against Sweden and Germany.

There will be a preliminary round robin of group play followed by elimination games, which begin with quarterfinals on Jan. 2.

Group A consists of the United States, Russia, Canada, the Czech Republic and Germany. Group B features reigning champion Finland along with Switzerland, Sweden, Slovakia and Kazakhstan.

Here is a full list of NCAA prospects currently on preliminary rosters, along with their stat lines:

Canada:

Jacob Bernard-Docker | D | North Dakota | 17gp 3-11-14

Czech Republic:

Ondrej Pavel | F | Fargo, USHL (Minnesota State Recruit) |19 gp 6-4-10

Finland:

Sampo Ranta | F | Minnesota | 18gp 7-4-11

Sweden:

Erik Portillo | G | Dubuque, USHL (Michigan Recruit) | 15gp .912 sv%

USA

Goaltenders:

*Spencer Knight | Boston College | 15gs, .940 sv%

Isaiah Saville | Nebraska-Omaha | 3gs, .887 sv%

Defensemen:

Ty Emberson | Wisconsin | 18gp 0-3-3

Jordan Harris | Northeastern | 17gp 3-8-11

Ryan Johnson | Minnesota | 18gp 0-5-5

Zac Jones | UMass | 17gp 3-9-12

Christian Krygier | MSU | 17gp 0-3-3

*K’Andre Miller | Wisconsin | 18gp 6-5-11

Mattias Samuelsson | Western Michigan | 12gp 1-3-4

Spencer Stastney | Notre Dame | 17gp 2-6-8

Cam York | Michigan | 18gp 4-5-9

Forwards:

John Beecher | Michigan | 16gp 5-4-9

Bobby Brink | Denver } 18gp 7-6-13

Cole Caufield | Wisconsin | 18-12-8-20

*Jack Drury | Harvard | 10gp 4-6-10

Parker Ford | Providence | 17gp 6-8-14

Curtis Hall | Yale | 9gp 6-1-7

Trevor Janicke | Notre Dame 17gp 7-3-10

Robert Mastrosimone | Boston University | 17gp 4-6-10

Shane Pinto | North Dakota | 17gp 8-6-14

Jacob Pivonka | Notre Dame | 17gp 4-4-8

Alex Turcotte | Wisconsin | 18gp 6-9-15

Trevor Zegras | Boston University |17gp 5-12-17

*On last year’s WJC roster

The theme for selected NCAA players is scoring. It is unsurprising given that, in the past, USA Hockey has struggled in World Juniors because of lack of scoring. This team has five of the country’s 10 highest-scoring freshmen, with Caufield leading the way.

Majority of these players are from Midwestern teams, specifically from the Big Ten. Wisconsin has four players, Notre Dame has three, Michigan has two players as well as a recruit, Minnesota has two players and Michigan State has one. (Oddly enough, both Wisconsin and Notre Dame, who each have some of the top freshmen in the country, are struggling of late. But that’s a topic for a different day.) There are just two Eastern players on the defensive core, and five out of 12 in the forward core.

Here are some players to watch, by position:

Spencer Knight. Photo courtesy of the USNTDP.

Goaltending:

Players to watch:

The answer to this is, obviously, Spencer Knight. Knight, an NTDP alumnus, was actually on last year’s roster as the third stringer behind Cayden Primeau and Kyle Keyser. Primeau did pretty well, posting a .937 save percentage, leaving no need for Knight. Barring something unforeseen, Knight will be the starter this year.

Expected to be one of the top incoming freshman goaltenders in the country, Knight has played like it. He is sixth in the nation — and first amongst freshman goaltenders — with a .940 save percentage in 15 starts. That’s impressive because adapting to the faster speed can be a challenge for freshmen. Knight is the only rookie in the country with a save percentage that ranks in the top 14.

Underdogs:

Team USA generally has used Major Junior goaltenders over college hockey goaltenders because Major Junior goaltenders have more playing experience, although this trend may be shifting. It is interesting that this year the U.S. has two college hockey goaltenders. While Knight is the obvious front runner, don’t sleep on Isaiah Seville.

The starting netminder at Nebraska-Omaha, Saville has a .889 save percentage on a team that is last in the NCHC with two conference wins. But team stats aren’t really goaltending stats and Saville, the former USHL Goaltender of the Year, has a reputation of getting hot at the right time. And when he’s on, he’s on. He won gold with the U.S. at the World Junior A Challenge as well. Most likely Saville won’t see much action, but it would be surprising if he didn’t get any looks.

ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 24: Wisconsin Badgers defenseman K'Andre Miller (19) skates with the puck during a regular season Big 10 Conference hockey game between the Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan Wolverines on November 24, 2018 at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire)

Defense

Players to watch

The NCAA World Junior pool is loaded with high-end defensemen who can also contribute points from the blue line like K’Andre Miller, Cam York and Zac Jones. Jacob Bernard-Docker, Canada’s only remaining NCAA player, is a former CJHL Top Defenseman and a World A Junior Challenge gold medalist.

Last year Miller was one of the best freshmen defenders in the country, unfortunately missing some playing time with injuries. But Miller is one of the few WJC veterans on this team and played in six games during last year’s WJC with one point. He is tied for second most goals in the country amongst defensemen and leads this group with goals from the blue line.

Meanwhile Jones, despite his freshman status, is the highest-scoring defender in this group.

Underdogs:

Points are important but so are solid blue liners — a lesson we often re-learn in World Juniors. Michigan State has been burning through the Big Ten and just as they are underdogs, so is defenseman Christian Krygier. Yes, he was drafted, but as a seventh round. He has international experience, playing in the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup. Unlike Zac Jones, Krygier isn’t a scorer. He’s not flashy. But solid defensemen are important for championships, and Krygier – who has been impactful for Michigan State — could be impactful here, too.

Forwards

Players to watch

There are so many to choose from, but Cole Caufield is the correct answer. Yes, Caufield is short. That has led some to question his ability to make it in pro hockey. But the Montreal Canadiens disagreed, drafting him fifth overall. Yes, he may be small. Yes, the NHL and college hockey are physical. But you can’t hit what you can’t catch. Caufield has the mix of speed and skill that makes him the best player on this team, without question. Caufield broke both the single-season and career goal scoring records for the NTDP and finished with 180 points. At U18 Worlds, he tied Alexander Ovechkin’s scoring record with 14 goals. It is going to be a lot of fun to see him weave through the rest of this competition.

Underdogs

Parker Ford may be the biggest underdog of all the NCAA players selected for World Junior preliminary rosters. It is easy to lose his name amongst Providence’s other top scorers, like Jack Dugan, but Ford’s name is one to remember. The only undrafted player on the USA World Junior roster, Ford is already showing glimpses of how good he can be as he develops further. He also won gold with USA in the World Junior A Challenge.

Trevor Janicke’s name also may not jump out, but he has been phenomenal for the Fighting Irish thus far. He has given Notre Dame’s offense a boost as the team’s highest-scoring freshman. His offense may have tapered off of late, but earlier in the year he had a four-game goal streak. He skated with the NTDP and played in the U18 Worlds, where he won silver in 2017-18. He also won gold at the 2019 world Junior A Challenge.

Games to watch:

Dec. 26: Czech Republic vs. Russia

Sweden vs. Finland

Canada vs. USA

Dec. 27: Germany vs. USA

Dec. 28: Finland vs. Slovakia

Czech Republic vs. Germany

Switzerland vs. Sweden

Russia vs. Canada

Dec. 29: Kazakhstan vs. Finland

USA vs. Russia

Dec. 30: Kazakhstan vs. Sweden

Germany vs. Canada

USA vs. Czech Republic

Dec. 31: Sweden vs. Slovakia

Finland vs. Sweden

Canada vs. Czech Republic

Jan. 2: Quarterfinals

Jan. 4: Semifinals

Jan. 5: Quarterfinals

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

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

NCAA East Region Preview

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

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

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

ECAC

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Drafted players: Liam Gorman (PIT)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Five Undrafted Free Agents to Watch from the ECAC

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

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

Hockey East:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Drafted players: Patrick Holway (DET)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Drafted players: Bryce Misley (MIN)

Five Undrafted Free Agents to Watch from Hockey East

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

ECAC Playoff Preview: Defending Champions Princeton in tough against strong Union squad

Russ Cohen — Thu, 07 Mar 2019 15:40:20 +0000

The ECAC tournament is the second oldest active conference tournament in college hockey. It first started in 1961. The ECAC first-round matchups run from March 15-17, and all series are best of threes. There are some very good matchups but a few of them could be sweeps. Usually, these teams despise each other enough to make the games very entertaining.

12 St. Lawrence at. No 5 Dartmouth

LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 04: St. Lawrence Saints goaltender Daniel Mannella (30) catches a puck during the Ice Vegas Invitational Friday, Jan. 4, 2019, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Marc Sanchez/Icon Sportswire)

The Dartmouth Big Green men’s hockey team had a home record of 6-7-2 this season and they are 1-1 in their last two on home ice. On February 16th they tied St. Lawrence on the road. Goaltender Adrian Clark should be between the pipes for Dartmouth. He stopped 21 in his last game for the win. Junior Will Graber had a hat trick in that game. The 6-5” undrafted center was third on the team in goals. Freshman Drew O’Connor scored two goals in his last game and led the team with 13 goals and 22 points in 29 games.

The St. Lawrence Saints had a 1-16-0 road record. They spit a home-and-home with Clarkson to end the season. In one of those games, junior netminder Daniel Mannella stopped 48 shots for the win. He made another 37 in the 3-0 loss so he is capable of a keeping his team in the game even with a heavy workload. Center Carson Gicewicz led his team in scoring with 18 points and David Jankowski (brother of Calgary Flames center Mark Jankowski) led the team with eight goals.

Prediction: Expect Dartmouth to win this series.

11 RPI at 6 Yale

RPI head coach Dave Smith will have to lock horns with a mainstay in Keith Allain of Yale. The latter man has been there since 2006 and won a national title in 2013. The Yale Bulldogs limped into the playoffs losing their last four games of the season. Senior backstop Sam Tucker should draw the start. He has faced a lot of shots this season. Curtis Hall, drafted by the Bruins in 2018, brings a big two-way presence to the forward unit, while blueliners Phil Kemp, drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 2017, can add a bit from the back as well as Jack St. Ivany, a Flyers draft pick in 2018, who has done well for a freshman with 2019 U20 World Junior Championship experience. He has fired off as much as eight shots in a game this year. Joe Snively, a senior left winger, has a team-high 14 goals and needs to keep on rolling.

The Engineers had a 5-11-1 road record this season and lost three consecutive games to close out the season. Freshman goalie Owen Savory will likely draw the start. He had a .928 save percentage on the season. Todd Burgess, drafted by the Ottawa Senators in 2016, had seven goals, one an overtime winner, and 16 points this season. Top-line center, Jacob Hayhurst led the team with 23 points in 27 games. They have to hope this series will be a defensive battle as RPI lacks offensive depth.

Prediction: Yale will win this in what could be a tight series.

10 Colgate at 7 Union

The Union Dutchman had a superb 10-3-3 home record this season. They won their last two games, one of them against Harvard. Union has nine seniors, one of whom is a talented goalie in Jake Kupsky, a 2015 draft pick of the San Jose Sharks. Sophomore Parker Foo, a 2017 draft pick of the Blackhawks, is one to watch. His brother Spencer played at Union and was signed by the Flames as a a free agent. Same goes for Jack Adams, a 2017 draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings. The 6-5” right winger has nine goals and 19 points this season. Captain Cole Maier is a senior and he is the top scorer on the team with 28 points in 34 games.

Colgate was 4-10-2 on the road this season. They lost their last two games heading into the playoffs. Colgate should roll with freshman goalie Mitch Benson. He played in 31 games this season posting a .912 save percentage. Forward Bobby McCann will pace the offense. He had eight goals and 23 points in 31 games. After that, the offense gets a bit sparse.

Prediction: Union will win this without the need of a third game.

9 Princeton at 8 Brown

The Princeton Tigers are the defending champs. The struggled mightily for parts of this season but they finished out the season strong, including a 5-1 win over Brown. Freshman goalie Jeremie Forget was in for the last two and he may start over sophomore netminder Ryan Ferland. In four games this season Forget has a great 1.21 goals against average and a staggering .959 save percentage. Will coach Ron Fogarty ride the hot hand? Princeton’s top line of Ryan Kuffner, Alex Riche and Max Veronneau, the latter a Hobey Baker candidate, is the best in the ECAC. They have gotten hot late and they have combined for 98 points on the season. Add the offensively gifted Josh Teves on the blueline, and you have the key cogs on the top power play and the top four scorers on the team. Teves, a senior, even played on the wing this year but that won’t happen in this important series and possibly the last for the all-senior top line.

The Brown Bears might start Luke Kania, who had a .912 save percentage in 16 games this season. Junior goalie Gavin Nieto hopes that is not the case though. The latter has started 15 games with a .913 save percentage over the season. 6-3” left winger Tom Marchin, the team captain, is a threat offensively, having scored a team-high eight goals and 22 points in 29 games. Freshman forward Tristian Crozier had 17 points this season and the team will need some of that offense if they are going to advance.

Prediction: Princeton wins in three games.

Following the series this weekend, next up is the quarterfinal round which incorporates the winners here as well as the top four seeds from the ECAC in Quinnipiac (T-1^st), Cornell (T-1^st), Clarkson (T-3^rd) and Harvard (T-3^rd). Eventually the finals will be played in Lake Placid, New York. There are a number of possible paths to that pinnacle, but for what it’s worth, we project Union to win the ECAC conference championship for the first time since 2013-14, which they followed up with a national championship. Until then, some collegiate careers will end with hopes of having NHL teams signing them this summer while others will advance to the NCAA tournament, hoping to get an eventual berth into the Frozen Four.

2018 NHL Draft Review: Atlantic Division

Ryan Wagman — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 12:35:46 +0000

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

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

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

Here is the Atlantic Division

Boston Bruins
2 (57) Axel Andersson, D, Djurgarden J20 (SuperElit) - ranked 88th
3 (77) Jakub Lauko, C/LW, Pirati Chomutov (Czech) - ranked 83rd
4 (119) Curtis Hall, C Youngstown (USHL) - ranked 158th
6 (181) Dustin McFaul, D, Pickering (OJHL) - ranked Honorable Mention
7 (212) Pavel Shen, C, Mamonty Yugry (MHL) - ranked Honorable Mention

While the Boston Bruins 2018 draft class will not go down in infamy like their 2015 first round which saw them draft Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk, and Zach Senyshyn with consecutive picks, leaving players like Mathew Barzal and Kyle Connor on the board for others, that is only because the Bruins only had five picks all told this year, and none in the first round. In other words, if none of these five guys pan out, don’t expect to hear/read too much bad press about it. Now, I am not saying that none of these guys will pan out, but even if they do, none will have top half of roster roles. Second rounder Axel Andersson is mostly a stay-at-home type. He positions himself well and can kickstart the transition with smart and precise passes. A solid asset, but a #4 at best. The Bruins have already signed him to an ELC, but have seemingly loaned him back to Djurgarden for another year.

Third rounder Jakub Lauko turned some heads with an energetic performance for the Czechs at the WJC, and was productive for his country at the WU18, but was a bit player for most of the year among men in the Czech ExtraLiga. He is a fine skater and plays bigger than his measurables, at least when playing against peers. If he can continue to play a strong forechecking game and grow his offense just a touch, he could be a good fourth line fit. Fourth rounder Curtis Hall has a similar projection, but as a more natural center. Hall is big, can skate, and seems to understand the game, but his hands are very stiff. There are enough parts that he could find a niche role killing penalties and playing 7-9 minutes of 5-on-5 per game, but his offensive upside is pretty minimal. As he is heading to Yale, it is probably four years until the Bruins have to make a decision on him.

Sixth rounder Dustyn McFaul is more of a project, having performed admirably in his first year in the OJHL with Pickering. He has solid puck skills for a blueliner and no obvious glaring holes in his game. He might spend a season in the USHL before going to Clarkson. Finally, the Bruins picked up Russian forward Pavel Shen in his second year of draft eligibility with one of the last selections of the draft. He has been just shy of one point per game in the past two season in the MHL, Russia’s top junior level, although was ineffective in his first taste of the KHL last year. He has some playmaking skills, but needs to prove himself at higher levels first. With a system as stacked as the Bruins’ is, they can stomach a low upside draft haul such as this. Not too many of those, but one won’t hurt them too badly.

OFP - 52

Buffalo Sabres
1 (1) Rasmus Dahlin, D, Frolunda (SHL) - ranked 1st
2 (32) Mattias Samuelsson, D, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 39th
4 (94) Matej Pekar, C/RW, Muskegon (USHL) - ranked 106th
4 (117) Linus Lindstrand Kronholm, D, Malmo J20 (SuperElit) - unranked
5 (125) Miska Kukkonen, D, Ilves U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga) - unranked
7 (187) William Worge Kreu, D, Linkoping J20 (SuperElit) - unranked

The Buffalo Sabres won the draft well before the teams congregated in Dallas. They won it when the bouncing balls came up in their favor. By winning the lottery, they got to draft a defenseman in Rasmus Dahlin who is not only a future star in the mold of a Drew Doughty, who is not only ready to play a critical role right now, but who also happens to fit a need on this team that would not otherwise be filled. Dahlin will be among the favorites to win the Calder Trophy this year, and among the favorites to win many Norris Trophies down the line. Defensemen who can skate and stickhandle like Dahlin are few and far between. Those who also have high end hockey IQ are basically unicorns.

With the first pick of day two, the Sabres drafted another NHL defender in Mattias Samuelsson, son of Kjell and a monster on the ice. While he will never be fleet of foot, Samuelsson moves well enough for his size, and uses his size very effectively, whether to box out opponents, or to scare the hell out of them in the corners. He is not offensively gifted, but can add enough to the attack to not be a pure stay-at-home type. He is heading to Western Michigan, but I would expect his stay on campus to max out at two years. After sitting out the third round, the Sabres kicked off the fourth with Muskegon center Matej Pekar a Czech native who has been playing in the US since he was 15. Pekar is a versatile forward – which is good as he was the forward chosen by Buffalo in the draft this year – who skates well and creates nicely for others. He is heading to Miami (Ohio) this season.

With their last three picks, the Sabres went off the board to pick up three projectable young Scandinavian defenders who have mostly snuck under the radar due to injury and/or lack of international experience. Fourth rounder Linus Lindstrand Kronholm impresses with his hockey IQ, but does not for any physical attributes. He skates well enough and holds his own in the corners, but lack of skill with the puck gives him a low ceiling. Finnish defender Miska Kukkonen was limited to 12 games this year due to injury, but also has solid hockey sense and plays a simple, yet effective game with the puck. William Worge Kreu similarly lacks much in the way of hockey skills, but understands the game well enough and is a gigantic physical presence. He is taller, yet much, much slighter (6-6”, 172) than Mattias Samuelsson. Between Lindstrand Kronholm, Kukkonen, and Worge Kreu, the Sabres would be lucky to get one player who gets 200 games in the NHL in a third pairing role. Even if all three meet expectations though, none projects above that level, so there would be some redundancy. Then again, Rasmus Dahlin, so who cares what else happens, right?

OFP – 54

Detroit Red Wings
1 (6) Filip Zadina, LW, Halifax (QMJHL) - ranked 3rd
1 (30) Joe Veleno, C, Drummondville (QMJHL) - ranked 10th
2 (33) Jonatan Berggren, LW/RW, Skelleftea J20 (SuperElit) - ranked 28th
2 (36) Jared McIsaac, D, Halifax (QMJHL) - ranked 24th
3 (67) Alec Regula, D, London (OHL) - ranked 102nd
3 (81) Seth Barton, D, Trail (BCHL) - ranked 147th
3 (84) Jesper Eliasson, G, Troja-Ljungby J20 (J20 Elit)
4 (98) Ryan O'Reilly, C/RW, Madison (USHL) - ranked 84th
6 (160) Victor Brattstrom, G, Timra (Allsvenskan)
7 (191) Otto Kivenmaki, C, Assat U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga) - ranked 211th

For many years, the Red Wings were known for having a Midas touch with the draft, regularly picking gems in the late round that grew up to be pivotal players on Stanley Cup championship teams. Think Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom, and more. And then the Wings fell into a stretch where they seemingly believed that they were magical and anyone they drafted would turn up a winner. They were wrong. In the last 12 years, they have only drafted three players in the fifth round or later who have racked up 100 NHL games: Petr Mrazek, Nick Jensen and Alexei Marchenko. While it is too early to judge their last three draft classes, the other years in this time span seem very unlikely to add to that total. I can’t promise that either of the Wings’ last two picks here will break that trend, but I would be very surprised if this group as a whole does not have at least five players eclipsing 200 NHL games when all is said and done.

Common thought had the Red Wings focusing on Quinn Hughes with their first pick, a very talented blueliner who played under Detroit head coach Jeff Blashill at the World Championships prior to the draft. But when high scoring winger Filip Zadina was passed over by the Canadiens, Senators and Coyotes, the Red Wings did not hesitate to add a potential 35 goal winger. He grades out as high end for his skating, shooting (near elite there), puck skills, and hockey IQ. He is no shrinking violet, either, always up to battle for loose pucks and giving as good as he gets. Zadina is likely ready to play in the NHL this year, although he may get some brief interludes in the AHL first. He has clear star potential. It’s hard to get value in the top six, but the Wings did it. And then they did it again with their second first rounder, acquired from Vegas in the Tomas Tatar trade. Joe Veleno, the first and thus far the only player granted exceptional player status in the QMJHL was widely thought of as a mid-first round caliber player. Even more inexplicably then Zadina falling to #6, Veleno was still on the board at #30. The Red Wings were there to ensure that he would not fall to #31. A gifted skater with strong playmaking skills and high hockey IQ, he will be competing for a middle six within 12 months. Two first round picks, two speedy players with a knack for generating offense. Why not add a third? With the second pick of the second round, the Red Wings gobbled up Jonatan Berggren, a late riser up draft boards thanks to his electric wheels and goal scoring exploits in the SuperElit, but mostly due to a scintillating performance at the WU18s, as he put up five goals and 10 points in 7 games. He needs to bulk up and gain more experience playing against men, but his upside is clear top six.

Finally ready to draft a blueliner, the Red Wings once again struck gold, grabbing Zadina’s teammate with the Mooseheads, Jared McIsaac, once thought of as a sure-fire first rounder. Like the forwards taken, McIsaac is a very strong skater and all of his other attributes also project as above average. He can sometimes blend in, but he plays a strong 200 foot game and projects as high as a number three defender. Finally, the Red Wings were done taking top half of the lineup players, but they were not taken picking up talented players. With their first of three third rounders, they took another blueliner in Alec Regula, who helped the Chicago Steel win a USHL title in 2016-17, and moved to the OHL for his draft year, earning a regular role with the London Knights. He lacks a single stand-out trait, but does everything at a solid level, playing a quiet, poised game.

Finally, with the second of three third rounders, the Red Wings took a flier on a prospect, in the form of Seth Barton, a puck moving defender from Trail in the BCHL, in his second year of draft eligibility. He was easy to ignore in his first go-round, as he was still playing in Major Midget in BC. His instincts need to be honed, but there are some raw tools here in the UMass-Lowell commit. Detroit gambled again with their final third rounder, taking goaltender Jesper Eliasson, who was player in a second tier U18 league in Sweden. That league can be hard to scout due to the generally lower level of competition, but he has ideal size, and seems to read the play at an above average level.

The Red Wings found fantastic value again in the fourth round, with Ryan O’Reilly, a true Texan who showed high end goal scoring ability with Madison of the USHL. He is a strong skater with an NHL shot, but needs to smooth out the rougher spots in his game, such as eliminating the brain freezes that prevent him from fully earning the trust of his coaches. From a player in his first year out of Tier 1 hockey in Dallas, he was come a very long way and it looks like there is plenty more to come. The Wings added another goalie in the sixth, also the sixth netminder added to the organization in the last 24 months in fourth time eligible Swedish pro Victor Brattstrom. A towering figure in the crease, Brattstrom was near unbeatable in his first extended action in Swedish men’s hockey, helping Timra gain re-entry to the SHL. He lacks any true standout tools, but is gigantic and does most things (puck handling excluded) fairly well. With their tenth and final pick, the Red Wings selected Finnish forward Otto Kivenmaki. Raw like sushi and untested at the international level, Kivenmaki showed solid playmaking skills in the Finnish junior leagues and is a very good skater. In fact, taken as a whole, not only did the Red Wings obtain fantastic value up and down the draft class, but they also mostly drafted above average (or better) skaters, indicating that the franchise understands the direction the game is heading and is embracing the need for speed. Top to bottom, this is about as ideal a draft outcome as I could imagine in the 2018 draft class.

OFP - 55

Florida Panthers
1 (15) Grigori Denisenko, LW, Loko Yaroslavl (MHL) - ranked 27th
2 (34) Serron Noel, RW/LW, Oshawa (OHL) - ranked 22nd
3 (89) Logan Hutsko, C/RW, Boston College (Hockey East) - ranked 116th
6 (170) Justin Schutz, LW, Red Bull Hockey Akademie (Czech U18) - unranked
7 (201) Cole Krygier, D, Lincoln (USHL) - ranked 190th
7 (207) Santtu Kinnunen, D, Pelicans U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga) - unranked

Not only did the Florida Panthers not take anything other than forwards until the seventh round – where they used both of their final round picks on blueliners – but all four of their earlier picks were used on wingers. Organizationally, this may hurt, as the system is not deep in centers after Henrik Borgstrom. That said, I do not, as a rule, advocate for drafting for positional need, but for talent, and on that front, the Panthers did alright considering the picks they had. Grigori Denisenko’s draft stock fluctuated a fair bit over the course of the year, but between his high end speed, and his near elite puck skills, he seemed a pretty safe bet to be selected in the back half of the first round at worst. At 15^th overall, he made sense. Although he was not always chosen by the Russian brain trust to represent his country at high-profile international events, much of that is down to politics. He can play a bit out of control and spend too much time in the box as a result, but his offensive tools are electrifying. He is expected to spend more time this year at the KHL level, but may not be too far removed from a chance to play in the NHL, presuming he bulks up a bit.

Bulking up a bit will not be a problem for the Panthers’ second rounder, OHL winger Serron Noel, who already measures in at 6-5”, 205 lbs. He would be nearly a prototypical power forward, but he has very soft hands and is unselfish with the puck, preferring to set up a linemate than to take a speculative shot himself. Looking at recent early round power forwards in the draft, he fits closer to Alex Tuch’s mold at this stage of his development than any other. He could easily have been gone on day one. Florida’s third rounder, Logan Hutsko, is one of the feel-good stories of the draft. After missing the bulk of his first draft eligible year due to a broken neck, he played with Boston College as a true freshman and led the team in scoring. He is slight, but has a lot of talent, and a full year removed from rehab, there should be more in store. Of the four forwards drafted by the Panthers, Hutsko is the only one with significant experience in the middle.

Sixth rounder Justin Schutz was mostly under the radar, playing with Red Bull Hockey Akademie in Austria, although competing in the Czech U20 league. Schutz, a German native, was their second leading scorer and tied for tenth in the league. He was drafted by Sioux Falls in the USHL, but at present is expected to spend next season playing for Salzburg in the Alps Hockey League, which combines organizations from Austria, Italy and Slovenia. Although twin brother Christian was selected a few slots higher, it says here that Cole is the more talented Krygier brother. He combines above average projections for hockey IQ and physicality with moderate mobility, although like his brother, his expected offensive output is minimal. The Panthers completed their draft class with the selection of Santtu Kinnunen, a rail-thin defender from the Finnish junior ranks. He moves the puck very well for a blueliner and projects for above average smarts as well but there is a question about how well his averagish mobility will hold up once he puts on much-needed weight. While the back half of their draft class comes with its share of question marks, the Panthers drafted enough upside in the first three rounds to ensure that they come away with a few NHL contributors out of their trip to Dallas.

OFP – 52.75

Montreal Canadiens
1 (3) Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, Assat (Liiga) - ranked 13th
2 (35) Jesse Ylonen, RW, Espoo United (Mestis) - ranked 36th
2 (38) Alexander Romanov, D, Krasnaya Armiya Moskva (MHL) - unranked
3 (56) Jacob Olofsson, C, Timra (Allsvenskan) - ranked 33rd
3 (66) Cameron Hillis, C, Guelph (OHL) - ranked 73rd
3 (71) Jordan Harris, D, Kimball Union Academy (USHS - CT) - ranked 123rd
4 (97) Allan McShane, C, Oshawa (OHL) - ranked 43rd
4 (123) Jack Gorniak, LW, West Salem HS (USHS - WI) - ranked 144th
5 (128) Cole Fonstad, C/LW, Prince Albert (WHL) - ranked 89th
5 (133) Samuel Houde, C, Chicoutimi (QMJHL) - unranked
7 (190) Brett Stapley, C/RW, Vernon (BCHL) - unranked

One of the benefits of having 11 picks, as the Canadiens did this year, is that you have the luxury of blending your approach, going with your gut for some picks and selecting conservatively on others. The Canadiens did just that, and while I do not support every pick, on balance, this draft class has the potential to be a direction changer for the franchise. Let’s start with picks that combined both talent and draft value. Of their three second rounders, the first one, Jesse Ylonen put up very impressive numbers in the second men’s league in Finland. Equipped with high end skating and puck handling ability, and an above average shot, he projects as a top six scoring winger. Their third of three second rounder, Swedish center Jacob Olofsson, has a very advanced hockey IQ and is strong enough as skater, shooter or literally, in terms of effective hockey strength, that he could play anywhere in the middle six. His high motor will also make him a fan favorite in Montreal.

After taking European based players with each of their four picks in the first two rounds, Montreal’s first North American selection was Guelph center Cameron Hillis. Although undersized, Hillis is an excellent skater and a burgeoning playmaker. In terms of pure value, the best pick Montreal made at the draft was the fourth round pickup of Oshawa center Allan McShane. More a playmaker than a shooter, McShane is a 200 foot player and can be effective in all three zones. With even a half-grade improvement on his skating projections, he could be a real solid professional. After a solid performance for Team Canada at the WU18s (stronger than teammate Hillis managed), it is somewhat surprising he lasted until the fourth round. Finally, I like the thinking that went into taking Cole Fonstad, another CHL center, with an early fifth round pick. Fonstad fills a similar role as Hillis and McShane, as a slightly undersized center who excels at setting up linemates for scoring opportunities. His skating, puck skills and hockey IQ are all very good for his age peers, but he lacks any one standout skill. Still, he is great value in the fifth round.

With the value picks taken care of, let’s now look at picks where the Habs picked up good talent, but perhaps took them higher than their core talent suggested. With that, we start right at the top. With the third overall pick, Montreal ended the most suspenseful moment of the draft by selecting Jesperi Kotkaniemi, a big center who has near elite hockey IQ and excellent hands. He already has man strength and a strong shot to boot. Those who like him a lot (i.e. Montreal’s head scouts) see a first line center. Those who, like us, are more lukewarm, see a second line center. Where we see daylight between Kotkaniemi and a first line outcome is in his middling pace. He can get started well enough, but his top speed is only average at best. You can be a first line center with average speed, but for every Joe Thornton, there are countless AHLers. Kotkaniemi will probably be ready to play in the NHL by 2019-20, but I could say the same about more than a few players that Montreal passed over.

Jordan Harris is a talented, yet undersized, puck moving defender. He skated at a strong level and plays a much more physical game than his size suggests. He showed good reads at the prep school level, but his lack of high level experience adds some risk to his profile. He is expected to play at Northeastern next year, where he will be tested. Montreal took a second prepster one round later in Jack Gorniak from Wisconsin. The Wisconsin commit was one of the top scorers in the state, but like Harris, he has very limited experience (two games at the USHL level) at a higher level.

So far we have covered eight picks, a decent draft class in and of itself, but Montreal made three more picks, one in an early round, that we simply did not and do not think will provide any value to the organization, or at least as much value as they are hoping for. With the 38^th overall pick, Montreal selected Russian blueliner Alexander Romanov. He is small, but skates well and has a solid point shot. But there is nothing here better than solid, and many facets of his game fail to reach that moderate height. Montreal will give him chances to play, but he will be hard-pressed to be more than a third pairing defender at the highest level. The other two “contentious” picks were, at least, late rounders of less consequence. Fifth rounder Samuel Houde was a top pick as a bantam player, but never really met expectations with Chicoutimi, topping out at 32 points last year. He is an OK skater, and understands the game well enough, but lacks much in the way of tools. With their final selection, the Canadiens went to the BCHL for second year eligible forward Brett Stapley, who has been around or above one point per game for the past two seasons, increasing his output by close to 20% this year. He will be headed to Denver next season. Montreal does not everyone from this class to pan out to call the 2018 class a huge success, but they do need Kotkaniemi to be, at minimum, a very good second line center. They have baked in some redundancy among their picks, such as the similar styles played by Hillis, McShane and Fonstad, or even between Romanov and Harris. So even if they are successful, there will not be room for all of them down the line.

OFP – 52.75

Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators
1 (4) Brady Tkachuk, LW, Boston University (Hockey East) - ranked 4th
1 (26) Jacob Bernard-Docker, D, Okotoks (AJHL) - ranked 56th
2 (48) Jonny Tychonick, D, Penticton (BCHL) - ranked 44th
4 (95) Johnny Gruden, LW, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 53rd
5 (126) Angus Crookshank, LW, Langley (BCHL) - ranked Honorable Mention
6 (157) Kevin Mandolese, G, Cape Breton (QMJHL) - ranked 115th
7 (188) Jacob Novak, LW/C, Janesville (NAHL) - unranked
7 (194) Luke Loheit, RW, Minnetonka HS (USHS - MN) - unranked

You would be hard pressed to find a prospect analyst more sympathetic to the NCAA route than this author. For those young players who are later bloomers, especially in the physical sense, the collegiate path can be extremely beneficial. So I am understanding of the fact that of the Senators eight draft picks this year, only one came from the traditional CHL path. For their other seven picks, including both first rounders, they drafted players from the AJHL, BCHL, USHL, NAHL, Minnesota High School hockey and one prominent player who has already spent a season in the NCAA. The Senators draft class strayed so far from the beaten path, they must have been pandering only to the prospect hipsters.

With the fourth overall pick, the Senators could have surrendered to the Colorado Avalanche, to close off the Matt Duchene trade. Instead the Sens wisely chose to hold on to it, and surrender next year’s instead (it will probably be a high pick again, but odds are a few slots lower than 4^th). After Montreal selected Jesperi Kotkaniemi, the Senators could have taken the high end scorer in Filip Zadina, but I cannot fault them for taking Brady Tkachuk instead. Tkachuk is basically NHL ready and a touch more advanced now than his brother Matthew was in his draft year – and Matthew went right to the NHL as well. He is a strong skater for his size, and his offensive gifts and hockey IQ are all high end. His physical game is even better. Tkachuk should be able to take on a middle six role with the Senators right away and only continue to grow from there.

After this pick, things got funky for Ottawa. With a later first round pick, they selected Jacob Bernard-Docker, from Okotoks in the AJHL. After the success of Cale Makar and Ian Mitchell from the AJHL last year, that historically undervalued league has hit the spotlight. Bernard-Docker made himself the clear top dog in that league, particularly after a star turn in the WJAC for Canada West. He does everything well and profiles as a solid second pairing blueliner down the road. An overdraft, in our esteem, but a talented player nonetheless. So for an encore, the Senators drafted Bernard-Docker’s blueline partner from that WJAC tournament, Jonny Tychonick from Penticton in the BCHL. Tychonick is a better skater than Bernard-Docker, and maybe less of a threat from the point, but he is very skilled when his team has the puck. Tychonick also needs more beef on his bones than the more solidly built Bernard-Docker. Funny enough, both young blueliners will be heading to North Dakota in the fall, to get a head start on developing chemistry.

In the fourth round, Ottawa went to a more ell-worn path to the NCAA by drafting a player out of the hothouse USNTDP program in Johnny Gruden, whose father had recently coached the Hamilton Bulldogs to the OHL championship. Gruden has decent offensive tools, but plays a very smart, quick and energetic game and seems primed for a future middle six role after spending some time at Miami. When it came time for their fifth round pick, it seemed that Ottawa wanted to return to that fertile ground of the Canada West WJAC team, and drafted Angus Crookshank of Langley in the BCHL. A speedy winger with smooth hands and a quick release, Crookshank will play at the University of New Hampshire. The sole CHLer among Senators’ draft picks came next in the form of Cape Breton netminder Kevin Mandolese. He has great size and competes hard, but the results have not been there yet. If the performance can match the tools, he could be a keeper.

The NAHL is generally seen as a feeder league to the USHL and lower tier NCAA schools. Every year, one or two goalies of note are selected from that league and this year was no exception, but once in a while, an NAHL position player is also picked up. And that is just what the Senators did with their first of two seventh rounders, drafting NAHL leading scorer and MVP Jakov Novak from Janesville. Heading to the college coldbed of Bentley, he is a long shot, but he is big and gritty. Finally, the Sens ended their draft with a pick from the Minnesota high school ranks in Luke Loheit from Minnetonka. Although his name was bandied about in deep draft world, his numbers were not very impressive for a prepster and he was not a prioritized watch. He is expected to spend next season in Penticton in the BCHL before going to Minnesota-Duluth. A can applaud Ottawa for taking the slow road prospects over the more immediate gratification that usually comes from CHL picks, but a draft class so full of long(er) shots, after Tkachuk may end up hampering the organization’s future goals.

OFP – 52.75

Tampa Bay Lightning
2 (59) Gabriel Fortier, LW, Baie-Comeau (QMJHL) - ranked 81st
3 (90) Dmitri Semykin, D, Kapitan Stupino (MHL) - ranked 215th
4 (121) Alex Green, D, Cornell (ECAC) - ranked Honorable Mention
5 (152) Magnus Chrona, G, Nacka J18 (J18 Elit) - unranked
6 (183) Cole Koepke, LW, Sioux City (USHL) - unranked
7 (206) Radim Salda, D, Saint John (QMJHL) - unranked
7 (214) Ty Taylor, G, Vernon (BCHL) - unranked

Earlier, in discussing the Detroit Red Wings draft class, I mentioned a period where the team believed that they were magical and saw very little success outside of the top half of the draft for a prolonged stretch. The Tampa Bay Lightning, a team with deep ties to the Red Wings organization, may be following that path. For a few years, the Lightning added high end, talented players deep into the draft. Think Brayden Point or Anthony Cirelli in the third round, Ondrej Palat in the seventh, and a number of others whose profiles are not as high. Between the last draft and this one, the Lightning have made a number of odd picks. It doesn’t help that the Lightning did not have a first round pick, but the picks that they did have did not move the needle much.

At the back end of the second round, Tampa drafted Gabriel Fortier of Baie-Comeau. He is a very good skater with some finishing touch and good energy, but he is small and his best case scenario is as a third line winger. Next up was two way Russian (can play on the blueline or the wing) Dmitri Semykin. If you like him, you see a solid shot, a good hockey mind, and a very physical game. Basically, you see a poor man’s Russian Brent Burns. If you are not a fan, you see a player without the skills to play either position. In the fourth round, Tampa drafted third year eligible collegian defender Alex Green, from Cornell. After two nondescript USHL seasons, Green was an afterthought, but showed a mature game as a freshman in Ithaca and what he lacks in ceiling, he makes up for in floor.

I am not sure I can make that claim for any of Tampa’s final four picks. Magnus Chrona is a very big and very young Swedish netminder who was playing at a fairly low level. He has a sound technical game, but has never really been tested against top flight competition. Cole Koepke is another third time eligible pick, who led the mediocre Sioux City team in scoring this year. He is a decent finisher, but is very much a bottom six player at best. Seventh rounder Radim Salda has a lot of international experience for the Czech Republic, but has never stood out at that level. He offers a solid work rate and some positional attributes, but has little in the way of tools and suffers from untimely lapses in concentration. Finally, in Ty Taylor, they took a second goalie, one who led the BCHL in GAA in the regular season, and led in save percentage in the postseason, in his second year of draft eligibility. He has solid size and is committed to play at the University of New Hampshire. Organizational depth is important, especially after trading away a number of their best prospects for Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller, but I would hope to get more than good soldiers in the draft.

OFP - 50

Toronto Maple Leafs
1 (29) Rasmus Sandin, D, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) - ranked 23rd
2 (52) Sean Durzi, D, Owen Sound (OHL) - ranked 57th
3 (76) Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, C, Peterborough (OHL) - ranked 90th
3 (83) Riley Stotts, C, Calgary (WHL) - ranked 170th
4 (118 ) Mac Hollowell, D, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) - ranked 172nd
5 (149) Filip Kral, D, Spokane (WHL) - ranked 216th
6 (156) Pontus Holmberg, LW/C, VIK Vasteras (Swe. Div. 1) - ranked 154th
7 (209) Zachary Bouthillier, G, Chicoutimi (QMJHL) - ranked 175th
7 (211) Semyon Kizimov, RW, Lada Togliatti (MHL) - ranked Honorable Mention

The question going into the draft for Toronto was how much would be different with Lou Lamoriello gone and Kyle Dubas finally in charge. Based on the nine players taken, it looks like upside is the order of the day. They took some players who were very young and others in their second year of eligibility. Size was absolutely not a factor with no skaters listed above 6-1”. Also, as many expected, Dubas would not hesitate to trade down to get an additional pick. In fact, that was his first order of business, trading the 25^th pick for the 29^th pick and an extra third rounder. When they finally stepped to podium towards the end of day one, Dubas called out the name of Rasmus Sandin, the third Rasmus of the day and one he would have been very familiar with his roots in Sault Ste. Marie much discussed. Although not big, he is a bit stocky and excels in the role of puck mover. He plays a very mature game and can execute very tricky passes to set up teammates for scoring chances. As he was on loan with the Greyhounds, the Leafs can assign him to the AHL, or more likely, back to Sweden for a year.

In the second round, the Leafs drafted another puck moving blueliner from the OHL in Owen Sound’s Sean Durzi. The second year eligible defender battled injuries in two of his last three years with the Attack, but puts up a lot of points from the blueline. He sees the ice well and tends to make the right decision. Third rounder Semyon Der-Arguchintsev is the youngest player (tied with Jan Jenik) eligible for the draft, one day too old to be a 2019 draft pick. He is a very strong skater and a fantastic puck handler but needs to gain in mass and in consistency before he would be ready to turn pro. Seven picks later, the Leafs finally selected someone from outside of the OHL, going west for Calgary Hitman Riley Stotts. A former top ten bantam draft player, Stotts struggled to get out of a depth role with Moose Jaw, but took on a central offensive role after being traded to Calgary around midseason and produced close to a point per game the rest of the way. He skates well, and is a good playmaker with plus vision.

In the fourth round, Toronto went back to the Soo for another blueliner, taking Sandin’s teammate Mac Hollowell. Whereas Sandin was undersized, Hollowell is flat out small. But he is an excellent skater and has a fairly high hockey IQ. Like Sandin, his best role is as a puck mover. Toronto drafted a fourth defender in the fifth round in Filip Kral, from the Czech Republic, by way of Spokane in the WHL. Another plus skater, Kral has decent offensive tools, although or near the level of Sandin or Durzi. At present, he is better with the puck than without, although he is not a liability in his own zone at the junior level. With their seventh pick, the Leafs finally drafted a player from a non-North American league, taking Swedish winger Pontus Holmberg. A second year eligible skater who spent most of last year playing against me in Sweden’s third tier, he is another plus skater with above average puck skills. Moved to Vaxjo in the offseason, he will have the chance to play in the SHL next year.

Considering the long running success the Maple Leafs have had drafting out of Sweden, I would keep an eye on Holmberg. With two seventh rounder, the Leafs went back to the CHL, this time to Quebec, to add a goalie to the system. Zachary Bouthillier split the crease with Alexis Shank in Chicoutimi this year, but took over in the postseason and had a nice run before the Sagueneens were eliminated. He is a bit of a long shot, but he reads the ice well and moves decently. With their final selection, the Maple Leafs added a Russian prospect in winger Semyon Kizimov, yet another plus skater who also brings a fine shooting game to the ice. He is signed for two more years with the Togliatti franchise, so it will be a while before we can decide on his future in the North America game. If there are two things we can learn from the first year of the Dubas regime, it is that the Maple Leafs will scout the CHL heavily and slower players need not apply. There are a lot of pieces here with middle of the lineup upside and if even a few pan out, this draft will be a success.

OFP – 52.75

USHL Playoff Preview: New format, wild results

Ryan Wagman — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 20:21:45 +0000

Looking to add more drama to its postseason, this season is the first in which the USHL has extended the playoffs through the addition of a best-of-three wildcard round, adding two teams to the festivities from each conference. Whereas the league had previously included only the top four from each conference in the playoffs, this year, the fifth and sixth teams received an extra chance as well.

The new setup sees the top two teams from each conference receive a bye week while the third through sixth teams played up to three games in three nights, all at the home arena of the higher ranked squad.

Perhaps in opposition to expectations, the wild card round saw three upsets in its four series. In the Eastern conference, third seed Muskegon fell in three games to sixth seed and defending champions, Chicago, a series capped by a game three overtime winner. Meanwhile, the fifth seed, Dubuque, won the first two games in Green Bay, negating the need for a winner-take-all finale.

In the Western Conference, third seed Fargo eliminated sixth seed Tri-City in short order, winning their two games by a combined score of 8-1. Fourth seed Sioux Falls feel to fifth seed Lincoln in three games. Like with the Muskegon-Chicago series, the home team won the first game, before dropping the next two, with the finale going to overtime.

The Conference semifinals begin tonight (Friday, April 20, 2018) with Youngstown hosting Dubuque, with the other three series beginning tomorrow evening.

Eastern Conference

Team USA (1) vs Chicago Steel (6)

This matchup may not be the mismatch the seeds suggest that it is. During the regular season, Team USA’s league games are effectively split between the USNTDP U17 and U18 squads. This arrangement was great for development, but usually pretty bad for the standings. Since rejoining the USHL in 2009-10, the USNTDP split team has only reached the postseason twice, and not since the 2011—12 season. Of the players who led this team during the regular season. Most of the top contributors will be unavailable for the postseason, as the bulk of the U18 squad, and some of the better U17 players, are currently in Russia representing flag and country at the World Under 18 Championships.

The leftover players are still very talented on the whole, but lacking in high impact. The players most likely to push the USNTDP onward are 2019 draft prospects Ryder Rolston, Matthew Boldy, and Trevor Zegras up front, and Henry Thrun from the blueline. All three forwards were point per game players in the regular season and are potential high end prospects for next year.

Jack Dugan, photo by Hickling Images.

The Steel are led by one of the top drafted prospects in the league in Jack Dugan, a Vegas pick and one of the best non USNTDP draft prospects for this year in Blake McLaughlin. The two made up two-thirds of a great top line over the first half of the season, but were split up around mid-season after a coach firing reminiscent of what took place in Flint of the OHL last year. They also have a very promising 2019 prospect of their own in Robert Mastrosimone. Steel games have been high event games this year. Only the USNTDP has scored more and no other playoff team (including the ousted wild-card entrants) have surrendered more. That said, if they stick with Finnish import Oskar Autio in net, they have a very good chance of getting to the conference finals.

Blake McLaughlin.

Draft eligible players to watch: For Chicago, pay attention to Blake McLaughlin. After exploding in the first half of the season, his production slowed measurably in the second half, but he scored twice in the wild card round. He is a dark horse pick in the late first round or early second round. For the US squad, Erik Middendorf is one of a select few who were not taken to Russia for the WU18 tournament. He is a decent two-way player who can skate. The Colorado College commit could be taken in the seventh round if he shows some offensive punch here.

Prediction: As they played Autio throughout the wild card round, I expect the status quo to remain for the best of five here. Chicago in five.

Youngstown Phantoms (2) vs Dubuque Fighting Saints (5)

Representing Exhibit A in why the Western Conference was the stronger one this year, both combatants here surrendered more goals than they scored this year, not something you would expect from a playoff team, much less the second seed from the East. Both teams have veteran rosters, with Dubuque bringing more size, although Youngstown plays a rougher game. The Phantoms somewhat make up for the time they spend in the penalty box by having a fairly strong penalty kill. Dubuque has been much more mediocre when it comes to special teams this year.

Alex Steeves

The Fighting Saints could have been much stronger this year, as their rosters includes three players drafted by NHL teams in Casey Staum (Mtl), Cole Guttman (TB) and Santeri Virtanen (Wpg). Unfortunately, injuries have meant that Dubuque has spent the majority of the season without any of the three and are not expected to have those players now either. Their offensive attack will be spearheaded by forwards Quinn Preston and Alex Steeves, the latter of whom is draft eligible. Joshua Maniscalco, a former USNTDP member, has been very productive from the blueline as well. Their goaltending looks to be a weakspot, despite Cole Weaver’s great work in shutting down Green Bay in the Wild Card round.

The Phantoms have more offensive weapons at their disposal, including Matthew Berry, Chase Gresock, and Michael Regush. They lack much offensive punch from their defensive corps, although midseason acquisition Michael Callahan has provided solid puck movement. The teams’ biggest strength, however comes from their stoppers. They likely expected to have Chicago draft pick Wouter Peeters claim the starters job this year – and he has been pretty good - but Russian import Ivan Prosvetov has been even better. No matter which netminder they choose for the playoffs, they will have a clear edge over Dubuque in the crease.

Curtis Hall. Photo by Hickling Images/courtesy of the USHL.

Draft eligible players to watch: From Dubuque, it can only be Alexander Steeves. The Notre Dame commit has a big engine and real offensive juice. The team’s leading scorer (seventh league-wide) always wants the puck on his stick and knows what to do when he gets it. From Youngstown, the pre-season pick would have been Curtis Hall, but he has shown that his lack of puck skill severely limits his upside. My personal favorite here is the goalie Prosvetov, who can absolutely dominate at his best. But he may not get the nod as Peeters is also very good. So I will pick Michael Callahan. He is not an exciting prospect, but the Providence commit does a lot of things quietly well.

Prediction: Youngstown in four. Between the top notch goaltending and the more diverse offensive attack, they will be tough to beat, especially under the assumption that Dubuque continues to play shorthanded.

Western Conference

Waterloo Black Hawks (1) vs Lincoln Stars (5)

The Waterloo-Lincoln series should be closer than the two teams’ relative place in the USHL standings would suggest. They both scored a hair under 200 goals on the season, although Waterloo has a team-level GAA of around 0.25 better. A factor that should play a role here is special teams play. Both teams are strong on the penalty kill, with Lincoln’s 84.7% kill rate coming second in the USHL. Waterloo, at 83.8% was not far behind. On the power play, however, the Black Hawks more than make up for the shortcoming when down a man. They had the league’s second best man advantage, scoring 23.6% of the time. Lincoln could only convert on 15.6% of their power plays.

That Waterloo power play was a result of some strong offensive talent. Draft eligible Jack Drury is by far the league’s top power play producer with 12 goals and 22 assists coming on the man advantage. The team captain sees the ice well and knows how to take advantage of the extra space a power play brings. Speedy Ben Copeland, veteran Jackson Cates and midseason addition Benjamin Finkelstein (Fla) make them hard to stop.

The goalie battle is also strong here. Both teams feature drafted goalies, on the roster with Matej Tomek (Phi) playing for Waterloo and Tomas Vomacka (Nsh) for Lincoln, but there is no guarantee that either of the latter get the nod. In the wild-card round, the Stars went with normal backup Derek Schaedig, after a rough outing in game one by Vomacka. The Black Hawks also have Jared Moe, one of the better draft eligible goalies in the league pushing Tomek for playing time.

Paul Cotter

Draft Eligible Players to Watch: From Waterloo, pay attention to Drury. His offensive output has been fantastic and has the requisite hockey IQ expected from a legacy player (Son of Ted Drury) and Harvard commit. The question hanging over his prospect value is whether he can produce enough at even strength. From Lincoln, keep an eye on Paul Cotter, who scored the overtime winner in game 3 of the wild card round. He is a good skater with a nice shot and outstanding questions about his upside.

Prediction: Waterloo in four. Lincoln is the most penalized team in the league, with a gap of 129 minutes between them and the runners-up. That will really hurt them as the Black Hawks can take advantage, and will take advantage, over and over again, presuming Lincoln continues to play their brand of hockey.

Omaha Lancers (2) vs Fargo Force (3)

This series promises to be the exact inverse of the above-discussed matchup of Team USA and the Chicago Steel. While the other series should be full of end-to-end rushes, and blaring goal sirens, Omaha vs Fargo is a matchup of the two stingiest teams in the league. Fargo surrendered 133 goals on the season, while Omaha allowed only 143. Both teams enter hot, with Fargo having won five in a row and nine of ten, while Omaha is riding an eight game winning streak.

The goaltending on both sides is stellar. The expected starter for Omaha, Zach Driscoll, finished second in the league with a .934 save percentage. Fargo’s Strauss Mann came in third, at .932. Should, for any reason, either team need to turn to its backup, Fargo’s Ryan Bischel came in fifth in save percentage and Omaha’s Vincent Purpura finished eighth. Omaha’s offensive attack is led by undersized Czech veteran Filip Suchy, who came in second in league scoring with 69 points. Noah Cates (Phi) and Cole Gallant also both finished with over 50 points. Cates, in particular, is a talented player of the puck. Fargo only had one 50 point scoring in Grant Hebert, but Danish import Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup would have also reached that plateau were it not for time missed for the WJC and a subsequent injury. Fargo also has a number of defensemen who can contribute to the attack, including Ty Farmer, Spencer Meir, and Robbie Stucker (Clb).

Both teams are good on the PK, sharing identical 83.5% kill rate. On the power play, we see some separation. Omaha was very good this year, scoring on 19% of their man up opportunities. Fargo, on the other hand, put everyone to shame, with a USHL high 24.5% power play success rate. Neither team is overly penalty prone, though, so this element may be diminished in significance during this series.

Draft Eligible Players to Watch: Fargo has an older roster on the whole, without any first time eligible players of note. That said, 20 year old Danish winger Schmidt-Svejstrup turned a lot of heads with his goal scoring exploits at the beginning of the season. He lacks pace and likes to fly the zone early, but he knows how to get himself into scoring position. He finished the season with 26 goals in 40 games. On Omaha, Ryan Savage had the most pre-season hype, but has been largely disappointing. Defenseman Travis Mitchell plays a muscular, disruptive style on the blueline, and could be a late round pick, but the real player to watch is left winger Jack Randl. The Michigan commit has promising offensive touch and will be relied upon in the second wave of attack for the Lancers.

Prediction: This is the closest matchup of the round. Omaha wins in five, thanks to better offensive depth. Lots of close, one goal (or two, with the latter being an empty netter) decisions.

Should the first round proper prediction play out, the Conference finals will pit Waterloo against Omaha in the West and Youngstown against Chicago in the East. In that scenario, I see Omaha shutting down Waterloo and Youngstown outscoring Chicago to set up a Clark Cup matchup between Omaha and Youngstown. In this battle of second seeds, Omaha proves the old adage that “defense wins championships” and brings home their eighth Clark Cup championship, and their first since 2007-08.

Curtis Hall – McKeen's Hockey

2021-22 TOP 15 PROSPECTS: BOSTON BRUINS – RANK: #25 – TIER V

2020-21 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook: Boston Bruins Top 20 Prospects

Boston Bruins

John Beecher, C (30th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Jack Studnicka, C (53rd overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 2)

Jeremy Swayman, G (111th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 3)

Urho Vaakanainen, D (18th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 4)

Jeremy Lauzon, D (52nd overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 5)

Trent Frederic, C (29th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 6)

Jakub Zboril, D (13th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 7)

Jack Ahcan, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 27, 2020. Previous ranking: 8)

Jakub Lauko, C/LW (77th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 9)

Daniel Vladar, G (75th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 10)

Zachary Senyshyn, RW (15th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 11)

Trevor Kuntar, C (89th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Roman Bychkov, D (154th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

Curtis Hall, C (119th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 14)

Oskar Steen, C (165th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 15)

Peter Cehlarik, LW (90th overall, 2013. Previous ranking: 16)

Anton Blidh, LW (180th overall, 2013. Previous ranking: 17)

Joona Koppanen, LW (135th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: UR)

Victor Berglund, D (195th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: UR)

Mason Lohrei, D (58th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – BOSTON BRUINS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 7

Boston Bruins

John Beecher, C (30th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

Jack Studnicka, C (53rd overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 4)

Jeremy Swayman, G (111th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: UR)

Urho Vaakanainen, D (18th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 2)

Jeremy Lauzon, D (52nd overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 7)

Trent Frederic, C (29th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 3)

Jakub Zboril, D (13th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 14)

Jack Ahcan, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 27, 2020. 2019 Rank: IE)

Jakub Lauko, C/LW (77th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 12)

Daniel Vladar, G (75th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: UR)

Zachary Senyshyn, RW (15th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 16)

Ryan Fitzgerald, C (120th overall, 2013. 2019 Rank: 20)

Roman Bychkov, D (154th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 15)

Curtis Hall, C (119th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: UR)

Oskar Steen, C (165th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 10)

NCAA: ECAC Tournament Preview and Predictions

East Region Playoff Preview

2020 World Junior Championship Recap: Day Two

NCAA: World Junior Edition – Key players and underdogs to watch from US College hockey

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

NCAA East Region Preview

ECAC

Hockey East:

ECAC Playoff Preview: Defending Champions Princeton in tough against strong Union squad

2018 NHL Draft Review: Atlantic Division

USHL Playoff Preview: New format, wild results

John Beecher, C (30^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Jack Studnicka, C (53^rd overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 2)

Jeremy Swayman, G (111^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 3)

Urho Vaakanainen, D (18^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 4)

Jeremy Lauzon, D (52^nd overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 5)

Trent Frederic, C (29^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 6)

Jakub Zboril, D (13^th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 7)

Jakub Lauko, C/LW (77^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 9)

Daniel Vladar, G (75^th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 10)

Zachary Senyshyn, RW (15^th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 11)

Trevor Kuntar, C (89^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Roman Bychkov, D (154^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

Curtis Hall, C (119^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 14)

Oskar Steen, C (165^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 15)

Peter Cehlarik, LW (90^th overall, 2013. Previous ranking: 16)

Anton Blidh, LW (180^th overall, 2013. Previous ranking: 17)

Joona Koppanen, LW (135^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: UR)

Victor Berglund, D (195^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: UR)

Mason Lohrei, D (58^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

John Beecher, C (30^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

Jack Studnicka, C (53^rd overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 4)

Jeremy Swayman, G (111^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: UR)

Urho Vaakanainen, D (18^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 2)

Jeremy Lauzon, D (52^nd overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 7)

Trent Frederic, C (29^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 3)

Jakub Zboril, D (13^th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 14)

Jakub Lauko, C/LW (77^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 12)

Daniel Vladar, G (75^th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: UR)

Zachary Senyshyn, RW (15^th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 16)

Ryan Fitzgerald, C (120^th overall, 2013. 2019 Rank: 20)

Roman Bychkov, D (154^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 15)

Curtis Hall, C (119^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: UR)

Oskar Steen, C (165^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 10)