Eric Florchuk – McKeen's Hockey

WHL 2019-2020 Season Preview – Eastern Conference

Vince Gibbons — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 22:00:28 +0000

One of the joys of junior hockey is that the age limitations force roster turnover of top teams in 3-4-year cycles creating a new league every couple of seasons. This ensures that no team stays at the top of the league for too long. The class of the league last season was the Prince Albert Raiders. Wire to wire the top team in the WHL with three lines of scoring, three defenders with over 40 points each, and an NHL-drafted goalie prospect in Ian Scott, they ticked all the boxes of a team that was able to dominate the league.

This year they will be without three graduated top overage forwards in Dante Hannoun, Noah Gregor, and Sean Montgomery, who combined for an impressive 101 goals. Top scorer from last year Brett Leason is still in pro camp and could play in the AHL this season if he continues to show well. If he does that is another 36 goals no longer with the roster. Does this leave the door open to another team in the WHL to dominate the 2019-2020 regular season? Does Prince Albert have the staying power to remain at the top? These articles will try to answer those questions months in advance. (Teams are listed in their projected divisional rankings). Today we look at the Eastern Conference. The Western Conference article will be published tomorrow.

Peyton Krebs. Photo by Robert Murray/WHL

East Division

Winnipeg ICE (1^st)

No team has had more season-over-season change than Winnipeg. Formerly based in Kootenay, the roster looks substantially different with a plethora of scoring options up front, something they have struggled mightily with the past few seasons. The import draft provided the ICE two gifted forwards in Michal Teply (Chicago, 4^th 2019) and Nino Kinder (undrafted). Both have been impact players in the early part of the season at well over one point per game. Peyton Krebs (Vegas, 1^st 2019) will be playing with some talent this year when he returns from his off season injury and will get a chance to showcase his playmaking skills on a team with finishers on both wings. Connor McClennon is their top prospect for this year’s draft; the smallish winger is like a waterbug out on the ice with some high end offensive skills. Perhaps the most interesting player on the roster though, is 2004 born Matthew Savoie who was not granted exceptional status for this season. Rumors of him sticking with the team all season anyway are out there so it will be fascinating to watch this all unfold, regardless. There is a ton of scoring talent in Winnipeg to potentially pace them to the top of the division.

Saskatoon Blades (2^nd)

The Blades roster lost Max Gerlach’s 42 goals but for the most part remains intact up front. Kirby Dach (Chicago, 1^st 2019) remains in camp and will likely get a few games in the NHL but should return to Saskatoon, where he will lead a very strong group. Eric Florchuk (Washington 7^th 2018) and Chase Wouters will have to provide more offense especially while Dach is still in the NHL. Kyle Crnkovic had a very solid draft minus one season and look for him to produce a lot of offense on the wing of one of the top two lines. Despite his size, he could force his way into a middle round pick in the upcoming draft. The final difference maker on this roster is between the pipes, where undrafted Nolan Maier has shown the pedigree to be a top goaltender in the WHL. Last season his .910 save percentage was in the top half of the league and with the relative stability of the defensive corps, he will look to build on that.

Prince Albert Raiders (3^rd)

Despite the loss of talent already mentioned this team still boasts a strong roster. Returning import player Aliaksei Protas (Washington, 3^th 2019) has hit the ground running with five points in his first three games this season. Playing with Cole Fonstad (Montreal, 5^th, 2019) expect for Protas to have productive minutes and improve on last season’s totals. Both players will be counted on to be primary producers this year rather than the secondary roles they had previously. Two draft eligible players of note on the roster are winger Ozzy Wiesblatt, who has good speed and vision, and Kaiden Guhle, a solid two way defender. This year they should be on both special teams units because of their high hockey IQ and solid passing skills. Recently acquired Boston Bilous was brought in to stabilize the net with Ian Scott having a shot at a pro hockey this year. These players make this roster dangerous and a tough out on any given night.

Brandon Wheat Kings (4^th)

Just missing the playoffs last season, Brandon has plenty of young talent looking to take a step forward. Led by Luka Burzan (Colorado, 6^th 2019) and his impressive 40 goals last season, this team is flush with ’02 born talented players. Ty Thorpe, Nolan Ritchie, Ridly Greig and Riley Ginnel plus late ’01 birthday Jonny Hooker have all shown flashes of being quality forwards. On the back end they have one of the WHL’s top draft eligible defenders in Braden Schneider who logs a lot of minutes. In goal, they have used an overage and an import spot for Jiri Patera (Vegas, 6^th 2017) to protect the blue paint which enables them to compete every night.

Moose Jaw Warriors (5^th)

The offseason trade of Jett Woo coupled with the graduations of Justin Almeida and Josh Brook has left Moose Jaw at the start of a rebuild. Brayden Tracey has looked the part in Ducks camp, exceeding expectations, but should be back in Moose Jaw soon enough. He is the last remaining part of a lethal power play unit from last season and will be expected to continue producing despite recent graduates. In terms of this year’s NHL draft, Daemon Hunt looks to be the top prospect on the Warriors. They also have an impact players for further down the road with Ryder Korczak a late ’02 and ’03 birth year Eric Alarie who have been torching the league in preseason and are both ready to contribute regularly.

Regina Pats (6^th)

The Regina Pats are going through what most host cities of the Memorial Cup go through. After trading away futures to ensure a strong showing, the cupboard looks a little barren with no Bantam first round picks on their roster, save overager Dawson Holt. Austin Pratt, who led the team in scoring last season, returns as a 20 year old and should be a point per game player this year. He is an intriguing player that never took off the way it was expected when he came up from Minnesota. He has a huge frame and good skating but has never been consistent enough to take over a game and garner much pro hype. With the roster in Regina he should get every opportunity to be successful.

Dylan Cozens. Photo by Erica Perreaux - Lethbridge Hurricanes

Central Division

Calgary Hitmen (1^st)

The Hitmen possess a roster with some serious depth at every position. The acquisition of Jett Woo in the offseason makes their defense corps one of the best in the WHL. Yegor Zamula (Philadelphia, UDFA 2018) Luke Prokop, Dakota Krebs, and Jackson van de Leest can all play a tough physical brand of hockey and play the game with a real edge. At forward they have a top list of options led by overage player Mark Kastelic (Ottawa 5^th, 2019). He has great size and plays a heavy game. Fellow overager James Malm has shown good offensive skills despite being a little undersized. With drafted centerman Riley Stotts (Toronto, 3^rd 2018) and Carson Focht (Vancouver, 5^th 2019) also capable of filling the net they have as well balanced a team as anyone. Riley Fiddler-Schultz and Adam Kydd have some offensive tools and both could hear their names called on draft day in 2020.

Edmonton Oil Kings (2^nd)

Despite being without the services of Trey Fix-Wolansky (Columbus, 7^th 2018), one of the more dynamic offensive weapons in the WHL the past few seasons, Edmonton looks the part of a playoff team. Matthew Robertson (NY Rangers, 2^nd 2019) leads a strong, experienced blue line. Up front they boast six bantam draft former first round picks in Dylan Guether, Liam Keeler, Quinn Benjafield, Jake Neighbours, Brendan Semchuk, and Josh Williams. With Neighbours being one of the top draft eligible players in the WHL this year, he will be a large part of the offense as Edmonton battles for tops in the division. Relying on experience in overage goalie Dylan Myskiw and 2000 born Todd Scott to hold down the crease, Edmonton looks capable of pushing for top spot in the East this season.

Medicine Hat Tigers (3^rd)

Medicine Hat will be led by a couple of Danish born players (checks notes again), yes two Danish players. Jonathan Brinkman and Mads Sogaard (Ottawa, 2^nd 2019) both hail from Aalborg, Denmark. Sogaard was a revelation last season starting in both the WJC and Top Prospects Game and having a huge role in Medicine Hat sticking with Edmonton in the first round of the playoffs. Brinkman is looking to make his mark in the WHL after going undrafted last season. The Tigers also possess a team with lots of experience with James Hamblin, Bryan Lockner, Brett Kemp, and Ryan Chyzowski all in as undrafted 19 and 20 year olds. Eric Van Impe leads the team defensively and plays a nice brand of physical hockey coupled with some pretty good offensive upside which should get plenty of looks from NHL scouts this year.

Lethbridge Hurricanes (4^th)

Any team with a player as dynamic as Dylan Cozens (Buffalo, 1^st 2019) has the ability to win on any given night. This year he will do it on his own back as there as Lethbridge’s depth took a serious hit in the offseason. Likely graduated players Jordan Bellerive (Pittsburgh, UDFA 2018), Jake Elmer (NY Rangers, UDFA 2019), Nick Henry (Colorado, 4^th 2017) and Jake Leschyshyn (Vegas, 2^nd 2017) will create opportunities for younger players like Logan Barlage and recently acquired Dino Kambeitz. Calen Addison (Pittsburgh, 2^nd 2018) is still there to quarterback the powerplay and has shown he can produce as well as any forward in the WHL. The crease is a platoon style early as both guys have started a couple of games and shown well. If the goaltending is good enough they will be a playoff team in the East, however they will be in tough competing with the depth of some other teams.

Red Deer Rebels (5^th)

Last season was disappointing in Red Deer despite the Rebels making the playoffs. This year with the youth the team is ‘blooding’ expectations are pretty low. There is no dynamic scorer in any of their overage players and Brett Davies (Dallas, 6^th 2017) has been underwhelming since coming over in trade last season. It will be scoring by committee if they have any success this year. The likes of Josh Tarzwell, Cameron Hausinger, and Chris Douglas will have to up their games as none have had a 20 goal season in a Rebels’ uniform. There is reason for optimism though, particularly along the blue line, as Red Deer sports a number of young up and coming defenders. Led by Dawson Barteaux (Dallas, 6^th 2018) and draft eligible Christoffer Sedoff on the top pairing, and youngsters Blake Gustafson, Mason Ward, and Joel Sexsmith will also garner scouts attention as the season goes on. With two solid WHL goalies on the roster, both Byron Fancy and Ethan Anders are capable of carrying a young team into the season with the stability they provide in the crease. The playoffs would be a stretch for them this year, especially with the strength of the Eastern Division likely competing for both Wild Card spots.

Swift Current Broncos (6^th)

Swift Current is just two seasons removed from a Memorial Cup and have a roster that lacks experience going into this season. The highlight of their roster is a pair of draft eligible Finnish players, winger Joona Kiviniemi who returned after leading the team in goals last season, and looks to improve on his 16 goals from a season ago, and Kasper Puutio who the was the first overall pick in the latest CHL Import Draft. Pro scouts will be following the progression of these two in the North American game and they should keep fans interested as the season moves along. Ben King has also shown flashes of potential as a power forward but has not been able to put it together night in and night out as of yet. Expect another long season out in Speedy Creek.

Washington Capitals 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 13:30:48 +0000

Many clubs in the Capitals’ position of always being in the hunt, always being buyers at the trade deadline, see their prospect stock stumble, mostly due to the combined effects of having fewer picks, picking later when they do make picks, and sometimes trading away still developing youth for the more reliable promise of tested veterans.

In many cases, teams supplement their prospect income with free agent signees, and Washington has been no exception, although to a lesser extent than many other teams, with only seven qualified having been brought into the organization – having been brought into professional hockey – as undrafted free agents. That said, the player’s inked by the Capitals off the free prospect market do not have the organizational impact that you see from free agents in other systems. While the two free agent collegians signed by Washington this year (Joe Snively from Yale and Bobby Nardella from Notre Dame) were considered for the top 20 list, none of the free agent signees ultimately featured in the list below.

Also incidentally not appearing anywhere in the top 20 below is a single product from the Capitals’ small draft class of 2017, when they did not select a single player prior to the fourth round.

The above factors would typically lead to a system that is among the bottom end of systems in the game, and while we have not yet scored out all systems as of this writing, and even without Chase Priskie, who would have likely been in the top six here were it not for his stated intentions to explore free agency after Washington’s right on him expire in mid-August as a college graduate, the Capitals have a decent system, buttressed by a top four who all profile to be top half of the NHL roster players.

The system, from the 30,000 foot view lacks for inspiration, but between minute munching, two-way defender Alexander Alexeyev, long-touted netminder Ilya Samsonov, who began to demonstrate the potential that had Capitals’ brass salivating for years in the second half of his season in North America, and their top two picks from the 2019 class, forward Connor McMichael and Brett Leason, there are four players here who could grow into future core pieces for a franchise that should reasonably expect to continue to contend for postseason glory.

What the system lacks, on the other hand, is the breadth and depth of the system that is also needed to ensure that a team can withstand the inevitable injuries that teams accrue over the course of a season. The AHL talent – at least those guys who will not be AHL rookies this year – has very few forwards who could be expected to play NHL roles yet, with the only young potential 2019-20 contributing players coming on the blueline. In fact, two of the following three players listed below after the aforementioned top three, and three of those in the 5-10 range are defensemen with at least one full season of AHL experience under their belts.

The moral here, if there is one, is that the Capitals have a better system than might be expected, but that the system may not be structured to help the NHL team as needed, depending on how those needs shake out. Expect their depth to be tested this year.

-Ryan Wagman

Washington Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Icon Sportswire)

1 Alexander Alexeyev, D (31^st overall, 2018. Last Year: 3) Alexeyev is a great story wrapped in a very good player who has all the tools to be a top four defender in the NHL. He has good size, skates very well, and has more snarl in his game then most give him credit for. Couple all that with a defender who is an excellent passer both in his own zone as well as when quarterbacking a powerplay, and he shows real promise. He has had some injury trouble the past couple of seasons and had a tragic loss as his mother passed away mid-season in his draft year. Despite so many ups and downs he has been one of the top defenders in the WHL since his arrival from Russia. He projects as playing both sides of special teams although maybe on second units and he could be an very solid second pairing defender. - VG

2 Ilya Samsonov, G (22^nd overall, 2015. Last Year: 1) Having had good numbers in the KHL, Samsonov was destined to be a top goaltender in North America, however despite his cool demeanor, depending on the outcome of a play he can get easily frustrated and distracted. His playoff performance with AHL Hershey was less than desirable and he seemed to lack the maturity to keep his focus into the postseason. Samsonov is a very intense, high pressure goaltender and he has all the traits to be a starter in the NHL. It will be a matter of time and perhaps a chance at a better playoff run to build his confidence up before we see him make the leap to starting more than a game or two with Washington. There is no doubt that with his tracking abilities and poise Samsonov will see another call up to the NHL again this season and hopefully for a longer time frame in order to further his NHL experience. - SC

3 Connor McMichael, C (25^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) McMichael was one of the most consistent performers for the London Knights this past season, despite being in his NHL draft year. His hockey IQ is his best asset as he is such an intelligent player in the offensive zone. He is also a great skater, which he uses in combination with his vision and anticipation to find those soft spots in the opposing defense. As a shoot first center, McMichael’s ability to create for his linemates will need to improve should he want to stick down the middle moving forward. A lot of that comes from a need to play with more intensity, especially with the puck on his stick. He needs to attack the middle of the ice with more ferocity. While scouts are unsure as to whether McMichael is a center or wing in the future, he profiles as a strong two-way middle six forward who can provide versatility and goal scoring to the Capitals in the future. - BO

4 Brett Leason, RW (56^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Leason’s skating has improved by leaps and bounds since his first time through the draft. He is now an average skater but it is now enough to enable his many other skills to shine through now that he can keep up with play. He is an underrated passer with good instincts in the offensive zone. He is a monster on the cycle game and below the dots where he can tire out opponents forcing them to chase the game. His shot is lethal and he is an excellent net front presence as he battles and keeps his skill free to tip pucks or reach loose pucks. If the scoring doesn’t translate he can still be an effective energy guy that can tilt the ice and generate offensive zone time. At his best he could be a power forward with 20-25 goal potential. -VG

5 Martin Fehervary, D (46^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 6) An aggressive import from Slovakia, Fehervary played full time in the SHL last season, in his last year qualifying for junior hockey. He finished the season ranked sixth on HV71 in ice time. All told, he had a good, but not great, season. He played in his customary aggressive style, with quick skating, physicality, and good reach. His game was well suited to the SHL level and he had mostly good underlying numbers. The one area where his stats were not as strong was in his on-ice save percentage. While that rate is usually luck-related, with only a single season of data, it is hard to tell for sure. He still has NHL potential, with the look of a third pairing blueliner. His skating, reach and aggressiveness will becoming a strong defensive defender. He should be playing n North America next season, most likely in the AHL, which will go a long way in pushing his development along. - JH

6 Jonas Siegenthaler, D (57^th overall, 2015. Last Year: 12) Siegenthaler really stepped up at the end of last season and managed a good enough performance as a call up to the Capitals to earn a spot as one of their starters for this coming season. He is a strong and smooth skating defenseman who has a very high hockey IQ which makes him an asset to any team. As a bottom pairing defender with the Capitals to start this season, it will be up to Siegenthaler to work his way up the ladder a little more. An added bonus is his playoff experience from last season, having already proved himself in the most high pressure of situations. It should be a relatively easy transition from training camp into NHL mode this season with fewer nerves to worry about. It is safe to say that Siegenthaler’s time in the AHL is done if he can clock his first full season with the Capitals in 2019-20. - SC

7 Lucas Johansen, D (28^th overall, 2016, Last Year: 2) It is debatable whether Johansen is a good skater. His crossovers and edgework are fine but he lacks consistency with his speed in-game. If he can continuously maintain an urgency to his game and avoid being caught standing still then he will be on the right track to earning his first call up to the Capitals next season. For now, he will remain at the AHL level with the Bears until he finds the maturity in his game to take him to the next level. As a first rounder in 2016, Johansen has the skill to play the NHL and the potential to be a second pairing defenseman but he is still only scratching the surface with his development. Johansen will most likely be relegated to another two seasons in the AHL before being in position to gain a full time roster spot with the Capitals. - SC

8 Aliaksei Protas, C (91^stoverall, 2017. Last Year: IE) Protas is a monster on the ice. His presence is as noticeable as his shadow. He needs to work on his feet as he is slow and cumbersome as he moves around the rink. That said, he has pretty good puck skills and is a very deft passer. He is able to create from the halfwall or from behind the net where he can hold on to the puck for longer than most. He uses his size very effectively although his overall game is not especially physical. He gained more scouting notoriety as he upped his offensive game drastically in the WHL playoffs, playing a key role in pushing the Raiders to a WHL championship. If he can improve his skating stride there is some potential there. - VG

9 Riley Sutter, RW (93^rd overall, 2018. Last Year: 9) Riley is the latest chapter in the Sutter family dynasty with the Capitals selecting him in the third round of the 2018 draft. He was on a good pace last year, with 41 points through 38 games, before suffering a severe lower body injury that cost him the remainder of the regular season (although he managed to return for the end of Everett’s postseason run, as well as a cameo with AHL Hershey in their playoffs). Sutter is a solid two way forward with good size and smarts. He is versatile and can play either center or on the wing, has a nose for the net, and an above average shot. He projects to be a bottom six forward at the highest level and will most likely be used in checking roles as he moves up. As he turns 20 in October, he could still return to Everett for another season, but the ods suggest he will spend next season in the AHL. - KO

10 Connor Hobbs, D (143^rd overall, 2015. Last Year: 4) Hobbs is a great team player and a solid passer compiling 15 assists over the course of the season. He is not the smoothest of defensemen and may seem somewhat scrambly but he gets the job done. Although he plays a more gritty and passionate game than other defensemen on this list, his maturity on the ice is what will carry him to the next level. His positioning is good and he is dynamic and capable of playing an offensive role which only adds to his value. Hobbs plays with vibrant energy and his progression with the Capitals organization has been good and will only get better should he stay focused. That being said, expect him to play another full year in the AHL before earning a call up. The unorthodox, late blooming defenseman has the potential to be a Tory Krug type of defender, but will need another full year in the AHL to come into his own. - SC

11 Kody Clark, RW (47^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 13) One would expect the son of former NHL’er Wendell Clark to be quite the physical aggressor and that expectation happens to be a correct one. Kody Clark is an intense competitor who is very active on the forecheck and in puck pursuit. He also has great lower body strength which makes him difficult to separate from the puck as he works the wall and prolongs possession for his more skilled linemates. There are some limitations to Clark’s offensive game and subsequently his offensive ceiling. His puck skill, creativity, goal scoring instincts, hands, and vision would all have to be classified as average. Likely the key to Clark’s development moving forward will be the development of his defensive game. This will determine whether he becomes more than just a fourth line agitator and energy player. -BO

12 Colby Williams, D (173^rd overall, 2015. Last Year: Not ranked) Among defensemen in the Washington system, Williams is on the smaller end but that does not stop him from making smart plays. He plays a physical game, is strong on the boards and does well at keeping the puck on his stick. His shot production and offensive play needs to improve a little more before he can be considered for a call up to the NHL. He is a mature enough player to earn the call and he plays with enough determination and control that he would be a solid addition to the Capitals’ roster. It is hard to estimate at this point whether or not Williams will play another full year with the Hershey Bears or be sent up for a few games. If he checks off every area of development, he could emerge on a third pairing in time. - SC

13 Shane Gersich, C (134^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 5) Gersich is a high energy and entertaining forward to watch and having already won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018 he has high pressure experience with the big club under his belt already. Unfortunately however, Gersich fell short this season with Hershey as he did not quite live up to expectations. Gersich is a very fast and skilled player with a great set of hands but these skills were lost as he adjusted to the pace of his first professional season while making the jump from NCAA. Gersich had a great development camp and it is without question that he will be better adjusted and prepared this coming season when he starts with Hershey. It is well known that the Capitals have a strong forward lineup but a spot on the Capitals’ roster is not too far away for Gersich as he is certainly dynamic, aggressive and skilled enough to be a bottom six forward once he gets the call. - SC

14 Vitek Vanecek, G (39^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 14) Vanecek is a tricky case with the Washington Capitals in terms of goaltenders in their system as they have a lot of goaltending talent and it is quite a competitive system in terms of skill. On the smaller end of the standard goaltender size spectrum, Vanecek moves well, has good vision and keeps rebounds low which are all things that make him a contender for a spot on the Capitals. Last season, Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov nearly split the starts evenly. Vanecek finished in the top 20 in the AHL for his goals against average which is a testament to his athleticism. His temperament may be stable enough for an NHL club however consistency is an issue and he needs to work on being more stable in net if he wants to earn a spot as a backup goaltender in the future. - SC

15 Eric Florchuk, C (217^th overall, 2018. Last Year: Not ranked) Florchuk has been a mixed bag this past season but he has some offensive skills and good hockey IQ. He is a pass first player who makes smart plays in all three zones. He needs to add some strength to continue to develop into his pro-sized frame. He is a responsible two-way player who back checks hard and gets in on his forecheck well. He projects as a bottom six forward that helps on the penalty kill and contributes to an overall team game. While not the most exciting or high skilled forward in the system, he looks like great value for literally the final pick of the 2018 draft.- VG

16 Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, LW (147^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 7) When he is at his best, Jonsson-Fjallby is a highly energetic and quick player to play with and tough to keep up when paired against. His speed makes him a force to be reckoned with and his hockey IQ has improved drastically in the last year. He has become a smart and reliable two way player, whereas once his defensive game was insubstantial. His backwards skating is weak and his consistency and ability to read the play needs to drastically improve. Jonsson-Fjallby still has the potential to be a bottom six forward but first he needs to complete a full season in North America - last season did not go as planned and he returned back home to play with Djurgardens in the Swedish Hockey League - and prove that he has made a proper adjustment to the ice size and style of North American professional hockey. - SC

17 Garrett Pilon, C (87^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 17) Pilon is a hard working forward capable of winning battles, allowing for good puck possession. He is dynamic and has a good head on his shoulders where playmaking is concerned. He creates offensive opportunities and passing is certainly a strength of his with his goal/assist ratio only proving that fact. He is a clean, but physical player who gets well into the tough spots and adds notable pressure to create turnovers. However, good two way players are a valuable commodity and Pilon needs to find an extra gear and find a way to keep up the tempo in all zones and not just the offensive end to move to the next level. His level of comfort moving from the Everett Silvertips of the WHL to the AHL has been shifted somewhat and it will be up to him to manage his transition better in order to be noticed as a potential bottom six center with Washington. - SC

18 Damien Riat, LW (117^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 11) Last season, Riat left his childhood team of Geneve-Servette for NLA competitor Biel-Bienne, and there was some hope that the fresh start would allow him to take that next step in his development as a prospect. And while he had a decent season with his new team, Riat did not take any such steps. His point production barely budged (from 24 to 25 points in an equal number of games) and according to first-hand accounts, the skilled winger didn’t look any better in producing the way either. He is still an agitating winger whose feet are as quick as his hands, but with his NLA contract expiring this summer, this will be a critical year for him to show that his greasy game would be worth an ELC from the Capitals. - RW

19 Beck Malenstyn, LW (145^th overall, 2016. Last Year: Not ranked) Last season was rough for Malenstyn and presumably not how he expected to start off his professional career. With only a meager 16 points throughout 74 games, the regular season was disappointing. He started to pick up steam as he hit the playoffs only for Hershey to be eliminated, killing his momentum. It is optimistic to say that he will need a confidence boost next season in order for him to be able to showcase his skills better. When on his game, Malenstyn is a natural goal scorer and great at gaining puck possession, but he will have to have a much better showing in order to prove to Washington that he still has NHL upside. With his shot and natural scoring ability, he will have to find the back of the net more than just 7 times next season to reach even ensure that he can remain in the AHL long term. - SC

20 Martin Hugo Has, D (153^rd overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) The Capitals selected the towering Czech defenseman in the fifth round of the 2019 draft. Has spent the past two seasons with Tappara U20 and unless he makes the Liiga team this year, it is reasonable to think that he will stay at the U20 level. His shooting ability stands out, with a wrist shot that is hard and accurate, while his slap shot features a lot of power and a good wind up. He also has a knack for getting shots through on the net. His other attributes project to be more around average and the jury is still out on whether he has enough upside to play a significant role in the NHL at his maturation. His acceleration and overall mobility need work and although he shows promise in his defensive and physical games, there is room for improvement in those areas as well. – MB

WHL Playoff Preview (Eastern Conference): Prince Albert dominates but Vancouver hot down the stretch

Kevin Olexson — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 18:12:54 +0000

After another exciting season in the Dub it took one final game to finalize this year’s playoffs. The Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers finish the season tied forcing a one-game playoff, the seventh in WHL history, to move on and play the Victoria Royals.

The Blazers made up a seven-point deficit in the last week and a half of the season, going 5-0-1 to tie Kelowna and earn a home tie-breaker game. They came in riding some momentum and sported a 6-3-1 record against the visiting Rockets this season. The Blazers were led by 16-year-old rookie goaltender Dylan Garand, who put aside 27 out of 28 shots, and forwards Connor Zary, Zane Franklin, Brody Stuart, and Captain Jermaine Loewen to earn their biggest win of the season. Next year’s Memorial Cup hosts have some work to do, as this is only the second time in the Rockets tenure that they have missed the playoffs.

The Prince Albert Raiders were far and away the top team in the Dub this year finishing with a 54-10-2-2 record for a league leading 112 points. The Vancouver Giants finished with the second-best record after going on a real tear in the last quarter of the season, as they surpassed the Everett Silvertips for the best record out of the BC and US divisions erasing a 16-point deficit. The Edmonton Oil Kings finished the season as the hottest team down the stretch winning their last 10 games to edge out the Lethbridge Hurricanes by two points for the division title.

As the quest to represent the WHL in this year’s MasterCard Memorial Cup begins, the Eastern Conference matchups look like this:

Eastern Conference

Brett Leason. Photo by Robert Murray/WHL.

The top seeded Prince Albert Raiders open their playoff series against the Red Deer Rebels boasting the best overall record, and head in to the postseason with a 7-2-1 record, where the Rebels stumbled in with a 4-5-1 record down the stretch finishing with 33 wins and 72 points. These teams played four times this season, with the Raiders taking three of the four games, losing only their first meeting of the season in Red Deer. All four games were decided by one goal, including a 2-1 shootout win by the Raiders in their most recent game played in Prince Albert.

The Raiders led the league in goals scored and finished the season with the second-best goals against. They are loaded up front with Brett Leason (36-53-89), San Jose prospect Noah Gregor (43-45-88), Montreal prospect Cole Fonstad (29-44-73), Ottawa prospect Kelly Parker (35-32-67), and Dante Hounen (29-38-67) who was acquired from the Victoria Royals and put up 31 points in 28 games with the Raiders.

The Rebels are led by Buffalo pick Brandon Hagel (41-61-102), Reece Johnson (27-26-53), and a couple of acquisitions in Cameron Hausinger (21-33-54) who put 37 points in 40 games, and Dallas pick Brett Davis (20-30-50) who produced 31 points in 41 games. On the back end, the Raiders are more than solid with Brayden Pachal (15-36-51) with 51 sporting an amazing +76, his partner Zach Hayes (3-24-27) with an equally impressive +71, Sergei Sapego (10-33-43) with a +42, and Max Martin (6-35-41) showing a +45. They have Washington Capitals 2018 first round selection Alexei Alexeyev with 43 points in 49 games, who is dealing with something but should be available, and Dawson Barteaux (7-27-34) to work their blue line.

In goal, Ian Scott has had a stellar season for the Raiders, going 38-8-1-2 with a 1.83 GAA, and a save percentage of 0.932 posting eight shutouts. The Rebels are back stopped by Ethan Anders 28-22-4-1 with a 3.09 GAA and a save percentage of 0.907 and two shutouts.

The Raiders seem to have the edge in most of the categories, but every game has been extremely close, and Red Deer was a top team last year, and anything can happen in the playoffs.

Pick - Raiders in 5

Kirby Dach

The Saskatoon Blades and Moose Jaw Warriors are set to meet as the second and third seeds in the East. The Blades have dominated the Warriors this year going 5-1 against them, including a 5-3 win near the end of the season. These are two good teams meeting, with lots of talent and players to watch.

At forward the Blades are led by top prospect Kirby Dach (25-48-73) who is slated to be a top five pick in this year’s draft, Max Gerlach (42-32-74), Washington prospect Eric Florchuk (21-29-50), and acquisitions Ryan Hughes (30-39-69) who had 29 points in 25 games, and Gary Haden (31-35-66) who scored 62 points in 55 games. The Warriors are led by line mates Tristan Langan (53-60-113) who topped 50 goals and sports a +43, and Justin Almeida (33-78-111), finishing second and third respectively in league scoring. Rookie Brayden Tracey scored 36 goals and put up 81 points in his first season with the Warriors.

On defense, both clubs have some nice features, as the Blades boast Dawson Davidson (13-62-75) and Nolan Kneen (6-39-45) with 25 points in 33 games since being acquired. One of the Warriors strengths is in their D-line, with Montreal prospect Josh Brook who scored 75 points in only 59 games, and Vancouver Canucks draftee Jet Woo (12-54-66).

In goal, Nolan Maier (36-10-6) backstops the Blades with a 2.64 GAA, a 0.910 save percentage, and four shutouts. The Warriors have used more of a committee approach as goalies Adam Evanoff (19-10-2-1) with a 2.62 GAA and a 0.916 save percentage, and Brodan Salmond (21-10-4-1) with a 2.73 GAA and 0.906 save percentage have shared the crease duties all season.

This should be a very good series to watch, and these teams are similar and should put forth an entertaining series. The Blades have dominated the regular season series, and have been the better club, and are headed in to the playoffs on an 8-2 run, but the Warriors enter on a three-game winning streak and will give them trouble, and make them earn it.

Pick - Blades in 6

Matthew Roberston, Edmonton Oil Kings

The central division winning Edmonton Oil Kings will host the Medicine Hat Tigers in the next matchup, and really seem to have the edge after going 5-0-1 against the Tigers this year, although all the games were relatively close except for one game which was a 5-0 final.

The Oil Kings Trey Fix-Wolansky (37-65-102), a Columbus Blue Jackets pick has led the charge all season and is definitely a player to watch. He is supported by Vince Loschiavo (37-25-62), Quinn Benjafield (15-39-54), and then 2019 draft prospects in Josh Williams, Vladimir Alistrov, and Jake Neighbours who will carry the load. The Tigers will rely on James Hamblin (33-44-77), Ryan Jevne (32-36-68), former Edmonton player Brett Kemp (33-27-60) who scored 21 points in 24 games for MH, and Ryan Chyzowski (27-28-55) to provide the scoring.

The Oil Kings defence is led by Conner McDonald (19-31-50), and Matthew Robertson (7-26-33) who is eligible for this year’s draft. The Tigers defence is led by Florida Panthers pick Linus Nassen (7-39-46) who will log a lot of minutes in this one. In goal, the Oil Kings have Dylan Miskew (28-11-2-3) between the pipes, who finished the season strong with his 2.53 GAA and 0.914 save percentage. He will battle the Tigers rookie Mads Sogard (19-8-2-2) with a 2.64 GAA and a 0.921 save percentage.

Even with the Oil Kings dominance throughout the regular season against the Tigers, it has been a close series and pretty equally matched. The Oil Kings ride an 11-game winning streak into the playoffs and look they have gotten hot at the right time. I like the forward depth for the Tigers and the defensive edge for the Oil Kings, and with two strong goaltenders this should be a close series. I feel it has upset potential, and despite the regular season series results, I think that Sogard can make a big difference and possibly steal this one.

Pick - Tigers in 7

Dylan Cozens

The last of the Eastern series is a central division matchup, with the Lethbridge Hurricanes playing the Calgary Hitmen. Once again, the Hurricanes dominated the season series by a 5-1 mark and scored handily as they averaged six goals a game in the series. Lethbridge has an abundance of offence, with five players who scored over 80 points, and will be a handful for the Hitmen.

The Hurricanes acquired forward Nick Henry (29-65-94) from Regina earlier this season, and the Colorado Avalanche prospect rolled on to lead the club in scoring as he put up 54 points in 44 games. Alongside of Henry, the Hurricanes also acquired Jake Leschyshyn of the Golden Knights (40-41-81) from the Pats, and he stepped in nicely as he had 49 points in 44 games. Top prospect Dylan Cozens (34-50-84), who is expected to go very early in this year’s draft, and Hurricanes Captain and Pittsburgh Penguins property Jordy Bellerive (33-50-83) filled the net regularly against the Hitmen, as Cozens had nine points in six games, and Bellerive had 13 in six. Joining them is Jake Elmer (39-42-81), who also had a very nice season and was able to knock 10 points in 6 games against the Hitmen.

As for Calgary, they have some offence as well, with line mates Mark Kastelic (47-30-77) and James Malm (34-43-77) leading the way. Malm, acquired from the Vancouver Giants put up a point a game against Lethbridge, while Kastelic scored nine points. They will be joined by Carson Focht (26-38-64), Kaden Elder (27-33-60) who was picked up from last year’s WHL champion Swift Current Broncos, Riley Stotts (19-38-57) , and Jake Kryski (19-27-46) to try keep pace with the Hurricanes.

On defense, the Hurricanes are led by Cale Addison (11-54-65), the Pittsburgh Penguins prospect will play a major role in this series and should have a good showing. He will be joined by hulking Ukranian defender Igor Merezheko (4-31-35) who will be responsible to shut down the Hitmen forwards. For Calgary, Russian defenseman Yegor Zamula (10-46-56), who was signed by the Philadelphia Flyers, and Belarussian Vladislav Yereomenko (7-26-33) will work with Dakota Krebs (4-21-25), as they have their work cut out to try and keep the Hurricanes forwards at bay, and hopefully keep the scoring to a minimum.

This will be an even more interesting series in the net, as both teams have rookie goaltenders that will duel against one another. Both goalies have been rather impressive thus far. Carl Tetachuk of Lethbridge put up a record of 24-9-1-1, with a GAA of 2.88 and a save percentage of 0.909 and two shutouts. His counterpart in Calgary, Jack McNaughton, went 25-14-3, with a GAA of 3.25 and a save percentage of 0.888, while posting two shutouts.

The Hurricanes finished the season going 9-1 down the stretch, while Calgary comes in with a 6-4 record to finish. The strong offence and forward depth of the Hurricanes should propel them to win the series, but the real story will be which 17-year-old goaltender will outplay the other, and even though McNaughton has played well down the stretch, his numbers against Lethbridge have not been good, going 1-2 against them, with a GAA of 5.16 and a save percentage of 0.838.

If the Hitmen can keep it close, and their special teams play, which was much better than the Hurricanes this year, seem to click, then they could make a good series out of this. The Hurricanes do have the experience after losing the Eastern Conference Championship two years in a row and should be extra motivated to get going for another chance.

Pick - Hurricanes in 6

LINK TO WESTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW HERE

WHL 2018-19 Season Preview

Kevin Olexson — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 13:22:04 +0000

Another exciting season is underway in the WHL, and 2018-19 should be a good one. The 2017-18 season ended with the WHL’s Regina Pats hosting the 2018 Memorial Cup, in which they were defeated 3-0 by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the final. This season, the Kelowna Rockets have been awarded the 2020 Memorial Cup, and as the host team, trying to retool and rebuild in transition, they have a bit of work to do before then.

The WHL had some great players move on, including prolific scorers, dynamic defenders, and some top goaltenders. Now the next draft class of players is developing into prominent roles with their respective clubs, and will see more of the spotlight and new opportunities as we head towards the 2019 draft in Vancouver.

Cody Glass of the Portland Winterhawks.

The WHL was dominated primarily by the US and Eastern Division, but there will be a change in the power and balance with all of the player turnover. The US division has established itself as the strongest division over the past few years and there is no reason to think that this season will be any different. It is likely that this division will boast five playoff teams as well. Along with the three seeded division teams, two other teams will battle for the conference wild card spots. The Portland Winterhawks and Spokane Chiefs should battle for the top spot in the division. The Hawks look poised to take the division, under the leadership of the Vegas Golden Knights first franchise pick Cody Glass, who will challenge for the WHL scoring title this season and be one of the best players to take the ice in the league. The Hawks lost two top defenders in Dennis Cholowski (Detroit) and Henri Jokiharju (Chicago), as well as forwards Skyler McKenzie (Winnipeg) and Kiefer Bellows (NYI). They have a solid supporting cast, and overage forward Joakim Blichfeld (SJ) and defender Brendan DeJong (Car) will flourish this season. They also boast two top draft prospects in defenders --Clay Hanus and John Ludvig who should produce on the back end.

Jaret Anderson-Dolan, photo by Larry Brunt/Spokane Chiefs

The Chiefs are set to push for the division title with plenty of offense even after losing Edmonton prospect and team leader Kailer Yamamoto, and graduate Hudson Elynuik (Toronto Marlies). They will be led by LA Kings prospect Jaret Anderson-Dolan (who will surely be one to watch after he returns from the NHL), Sharks prospect Jake McGrew, a nice complement of 19-year-old players, and New Jersey Devils first round selection Ty Smith who will step up his game. This season the Chiefs will also show off prospect Luke Toporowski, who will contribute with a larger role for the club.

The Seattle Thunderbirds, Tri-City Americans, and Everett Silvertips will follow up jockeying for position. The T-Birds are building and are looking to improve after a big changeover in players. The load will be shouldered by Nolan Volcan and Zach Andrusiak, who will play as 20-year- olds this season and lead the team offensively. Jared Tyszka (Montreal) will lead the blue line, and help draft eligible prospect Jake Lee. Secondary scoring will come from Noah Philp, Matthew Wedman and eligible prospect Dillon Hamaliuk. Tri-City will be anxious to get back prospects Michael Rasmussen (Detroit), and defensemen Juuso Valimaki (Calgary), but it may take some time, if they return at all. Aside from that they will have a solid set of forwards led by Kyle Olson (Anaheim), Nolan Yaremko, and top draft eligible prospect Sasha Mutala. The defence is young and could be shaky, meaning that the offence and goaltending will both have to be better. The Everett Silvertips have had the biggest turnover, losing scoring leaders Patrick Bajkov (Florida) and Matt Fonteyne, as well as elite goaltender Carter Hart (Philadelphia). They will get back forwards Riley Sutter (Washington) and Connor Dewar (Minnesota) to lead the attack. Goaltender Dustin Wolf is a top prospect and played admirably behind Hart last season. He will have his chance to be in the spotlight and shine this year. Wyatte Wylie (Philadelphia) will lead the blueliners the depth of which is a strength of this team.

Milos Roman. Photo by Chris Relke/Vancouver Giants

The B.C. division took a step back, as the powerhouse teams have slipped. Now the Vancouver Giants seemed poised to sit atop the division along with the Victoria Royals. The Giants lost forwards Tyler Benson (Edmonton) and Ty Ronning (NYR), but have a great follow up with James Malm, Brayden Watts, and prospect Milos Roman (Calgary) to lead their offence. The Giants also have a great stable of defensemen, including Alex Kannok-Leipert (Washington), Dylan Plouffe, and a definite 2019 first round selection in Bowen Byram. The goaltending is also sound with the tandem of Arizona Coyotes pick David Tendeck and highly touted prospect Trent Miner who has put up great numbers with his play between the pipes.

The Victoria Royals will also challenge for the division title, as they have a good nucleus of players, solid goaltending, and great coaching. They lost a lot of firepower in Tyler Soy (San Diego Gulls) and Matthew Phillips (Calgary), but will be led by Dante Hannoun, Dino Kambeitz, and Kaid Oliver. The back end is good with Scott Walford (Montreal), Lane Zablocki (Detroit), and Ralph Jarrett. The Royals will be backstopped by one of the top goaltenders in the league in Griffin Outhouse who will help them with their push for another division title.

Kyle Topping of the Kelowna Rockets. Photo by Marissa Baecker/Kelowna Rockets

The Kelowna Rockets, Kamloops Blazers, and Prince George Cougars round out the division, as they will jockey for the third spot and possibly a wild card. The Rockets, after winning the bid to host the 2020 Memorial Cup will have to step things up, as this season looks a bit rough for them. They lost a good portion of their team, and top players Cal Foote (TBL), Dillon Dube (Calgary), Kole Lind (Vancouver), Carsen Twarynski (Philadelphia), have graduated and the team is in transition. They do however show five top rated prospects this season including Kyle Topping, who surprisingly went unselected in last year’s draft and will lead the team offensively this season. Top prospect and projected first rounder Nolan Foote will bear a larger role and be relied on to provide some much needed offence along with Leif Mattson. The Rockets are known for turning out defensemen, and they have top rated prospects in Kaden Korczak and Lassi Thomson in the works. In goal they have Roman Basran, another top prospect who pitched a shutout in his first ever WHL game, and will share backstop duties with James Porter.

The Kamloops Blazers are looking to take a step up after going through many changes last season. The Blazers seem like they are in rebuild mode, but they will be led by Jermaine Loewen returning from the Dallas Stars. The Blazers have some young players on their roster, and the back end will be anchored by Nolan Kneen, who should be in store for a big year. The Blazers could very well surprise a lot of teams, especially if returning goaltender Dylan Ferguson (Vegas) can put up solid numbers as he should be busy. The Cougars are also in the midst of a rebuild, as they unloaded many of their assets to finish at the bottom of the division. They have a young team without any returning NHL draftees on it, but will be led by defenders Joel Lakusta, Ryan Schoettler, Rhett Rhinehart, and forwards Ethan Browne and import Vladislav Mikhalchuk. They have a top rated goalie prospect in Taylor Gauthier between the pipes, and he looks to face a lot of shots behind a weak defence.

The battle of the Central Division should come down to the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Medicine Hat Tigers, followed by the Red Deer Rebels and Edmonton Oil Kings, leaving the Kootenay Ice and Calgary Hitmen battling for the wildcard positions.

Calen Addison. Photo by Robert Murray.

The Hurricanes seemed primed and ready, as they welcome back their leaders from other camps and tryouts. The offence will certainly be dynamic with Jordy Bellerive (Pittsburgh) returning, and prospect Dylan Cozens - who will definitely be an early first round pick in next year’s draft - leading the charge as they both push for the WHL scoring title as well. The secondary scoring will be in the hands of eligible prospect Logan Barlage, Taylor Ross, and Kelti Jeri-Leon. On the back end, Calen Addison (Pittsburgh) returns to beef up this blue line and contribute from the point. The goaltending looks solid with Reece Klassen, who should have a good nucleus of defence in front of him to help him put up good numbers. Medicine Hat should also be able to keep up with Lethbridge on the offensive side of things, as they also have some firepower up front. Ryan Chyzowski and Josh Williams are one of the top tandems in the league, and Williams is a likely first round selection in the upcoming draft. Captain James Hamblin will also provide some scoring punch, as they also show a very balanced group of forwards.

The Tigers lost offensive defensemen David Queneville (NYI), meaning defenders Linus Nassen (Florida) and Dylan Macpherson will have to step into bigger roles to help fill that void. The goaltending will be fine with Jordan Hollett (Ottawa) stopping pucks on the back end, but the defence is young. The Rebels also have some nice players returning, and coach Brett Sutter will be happy with Brandon Hagel and Jeff DeWit coming back to lead the forward group. The Rebels also welcome back Alexander Alexeyev (Washington) and Dawson Barteaux (Dallas) to the group, as they should both have very productive seasons. The Rebels have two players of note for draft hounds with import center Oleg Zaytsev and goaltender Ethan Anders, who should both improve this season with expanded roles.

The Edmonton Oil Kings have also been in a rebuild mode, and are looking to take the next step of their transition. They have a young team who will be led by Trey Fix-Wolansky (Columbus), along with veterans Quinn Benjafield and Vince Loschiavo to play along side of draft eligible prospects David Kope, Vladimir Alistrov, and Brett Kemp. On defence, a top prospect and projected first round selection Matthew Robertson leads the blue line with fellow draft-eligibles Jacson Alexander and Conner McDonald. The Oil Kings also have some young goaltenders in their net, and could help this team move up the ranks with some solid play.

Riley Stotts. Photo by Candice Ward/Calgary Hitmen.

Calgary will have forwards Jake Kryski and Riley Stotts (Toronto) back, along with defenseman Vladislav Yeryomenko (Nashville) who will all take larger roles and provide leadership for their maturing team. The Hitmen have a hulking defender on the radar as Jackson Van De Leest is a top draft-eligible prospect. The Kootenay Ice have been developing and rebuilding for a few years now, and they are showing a lot of youth, and a top end talent in Peyton Krebs (yet another definite first round selection). He will be joined by Brett Davis (Dallas) to lead the charge for the young ICE team. They will rely on Jonathan Smart to anchor and lead their group of defensemen as this team looks to improve and make a surge for a playoff spot.

The Eastern Division standings will look different. This division has been hit the hardest as the top teams from last season have had major overhauls, and return depleted rosters. After being defeated in the Memorial Cup Final, the Pats have lost forwards Sam Steel (Anaheim), Cameron Hebig (Edmonton), and Matt Bradley from their impressive lineup of scorers. They will be led this year by Jake Leshyshyn (Vegas), Nick Henry (Colorado), Austin Pratt, and eligible prospect Koby Morrisseau to carry the load. On defence, losing Josh Mahura (Anaheim), Cale Fleury (Montreal), and Libor Hajek (TBL) opens the door for Aaron Hyman to take a leadership role, and allow eligible prospects Nikita Sedov and Jonas Harkins to play larger parts and flourish on an experienced team. In goal, they have Max Paddock, who should get some consideration, as he backstopped the Pats to the Memorial Cup final as a rookie netminder and looked good in the process.

Cole Fonstad

It looks like the Prince Albert Raiders are ready to take a major leap and push for the division crown. The Raiders are loaded up front with players to watch in Cole Fonstad (Montreal), Noah Gregor (SJ), undrafted Brett Leason, and returnee Kody McDonald leading the way. They have an experienced blue line with Sergei Sapego, Max Martin, and Brayden Pachal ready to deliver in larger roles. Goaltender Ian Scott (Toronto) is ready to be one of the top tenders in the DUB this season and lead this team. They will battle with the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Saskatoon Blades for the division crown in what should be an exciting division to follow. The Wheat Kings will also boast a stellar offence and solid goaltending. With last seasons leading scorer Ty Lewis (Colorado) eligible to return, which would add even more scoring punch to this already impressive lineup of forwards.

Ty Smith

Stelio Mattheos (Carolina), Connor Gutenberg, Cole Reinhart, and draft eligible Luka Burzan will lead the charge for the Wheat Kings. The defence will be led by Schael Higson and Chase Hartje, with youngsters Braden Schneider and Jonny Lambos getting increased minutes. Las Vegas prospect Jiri Patera will handle duties in net, and looks to be very solid for the Wheaties, which will also help push them to the top of the division. The Saskatoon Blades have also made enormous strides this year, and will take a step up as well. They have some great prospects on the roster that will make their way to the draft this spring. They also have a forward group that can fill the nets with Max Gerlach, Eric Florchuk, and Josh Paterson returning to support Kirby Dach. Dach will be a prolific scorer and early first round pick at the draft. He will be joined by import defensemen and fellow top prospect Emil Malysjev who will settle in to a prominent role by playing with the likes of Dawson Davidson and Jackson Caller. The Blades also feature a top goaltending tandem with top prospect Nolan Maier who will carry the load this season after a stellar rookie season, and Dorrin Luding, who has looked very impressive in his appearances.

Jett Woo

The Moose Jaw Warriors will find themselves in the mix as well with Justin Almeida (Pittsburgh) back in the fold, and leading the way as one of the top players in the Dub. Almeida will take the reigns of the offence after the loss of Jayden Halbgewachs (SJ), Brayden Burke (Arizona), and Brett Howden (NYR). He will be joined by Ryan Peckford, who looked promising last year despite being passed over in the draft. He will look to make amends for that with a good showing this year with an increased role on this club. He will be joined with fellow prospect Brayden Tracey and veteran forward Tristan Langan. The back end will miss top defender Kale Clague (LAK), but will be in good shape with a strong core as Josh Brook (Montreal) and Jett Woo (Vancouver) are back there. In net, the Warriors have Adam Evanoff who was great in a limited role in his rookie season, and will get to display his skills this year in a main role. He will share time with ex-Kelowna Rocket Broden Salmond who will add some experience.

Last but not least, last seasons WHL Champion Swift Current Broncos will be hit the hardest of all teams. They have lost most of their scoring, and are in a definite rebuilding mode. Gone are the likes of Glen Gawdin (Calgary), Aleksi Heponiemi (Florida), Giorgio Estephan (Buffalo), Matteo Gennaro, Beck Malenstyn (Washington), and their leader in Tyler Steenbergen (Arizona). The defence was also depleted by losing Colby Sissons (NJ), and surprisingly undrafted Artyom Minulin (who will miss lots of time with offseason surgery). This team will be led by Max Patterson, Alec Zawatsky, and defender Connor Horning. The Broncos are young, and will be in development mode for the next few seasons. Goaltender Joel Hofer (St. Louis) is the only player that has NHL labelling, and will be extremely busy throughout the year and will face a whole lot rubber. He will have to hone his skills and stop a lot of pucks, but is unlikely to steal many games for this team.

2018 NHL Draft Review: Metropolitan Division

Ryan Wagman — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 17:09:35 +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 Metropolitan Division

Carolina Hurricanes
1 (2) Andrei Svechnikov, RW, Barrie (OHL) - ranked 2nd
2 (42) Jack Drury, C, Waterloo (USHL) - ranked 66th
4 (96) Luke Henman, C, Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL) - ranked 156th
4 (104) Lenni Killinen, RW, Blues U20 (Jr. A SM-Liiga) - ranked 137th
6 (166) Jesper Sellgren, D, Modo (Allsvenskan) - ranked 207th
7 (197) Jacob Kucharski, G, Des Moines (USHL) - not ranked

For starters, a heartfelt congratulations are in order to the Carolina Hurricanes, their employees and their fans, as they did not overthink the #2 selection in the draft and walked away with the best forward money couldn’t buy in Andrei Svechnikov. In his first year in North America, he scored 1.2 points per game for Muskegon of the USHL in his age 16-17 season. After that, he moved up to the OHL and put up over 1.6 points per game for the Barrie Colts, despite missing time to the WJC and assorted injuries and suspensions. I am not saying we can expect two points per game as a rookie next season for the Hurricanes, but I am saying that he will be a rookie next season for the Hurricanes, and 20 goals is my minimal projection. He can play at both ends, but I expect him to be somewhat sheltered as a rookie. He is going to be very good for a long time. Moving on to the rest of the draft class.

After Svechnikov, the Hurricanes selected three more forwards, one blueliner and a goalie. Considering that the strength of the organization is on the blueline and most of their defenders are still rather young, that was a good strategy to take. Unfortunately, while I can say good things about the rest of the players that were drafted by Carolina, I cannot say that they selected the best player on the board at any other slot. Jack Drury is a good player with deep NHL bloodlines. He does a lot of things well. The points he put up for Waterloo were spectacular. On the other hand, way too many of those points were second assists and/or power play points. He is generally not the engine that makes the offense run. Just looking at the USHL, I would have taken either Blake McLaughlin or Sampo Ranta at that spot.

The Hurricanes did not have a third round pick, but selected twice in the fourth. The first pick there was used on Luke Henman, an athletic center from Blainville-Boisbriand in the QMJHL. He is an undersized playmaker, who performed well enough as a rookie in the Q this year and then upped his stock with a very good showing at multiple stations at the Draft Combine. Staying just with forwards from the Q, I would have preferred Dmitri Zavgorodny or Anderson MacDonald. But for those last two picks, it seems like the Hurricanes, with a management team that has not yet spent much time together, heavily weighted combine performance. With their second fourth rounder, the Canes finally took a non-combine player, grabbing Lenni Killinen from their usual stomping grounds in Finland. An explosive skater with promising offensive tools, Killinen put up respectable point totals in the Finnish junior ranks, but we would have preferred one of Ville Petman, Arttu Nevasaari, or Kristian Tanus, among young Finnish forwards.

Jesper Sellgren makes for a nice story as their sixth round pick. In his third year of eligibility, he was named to the Swedish team for the WJC. He is a very good skater and exhibits very good hockey sense, but his ceiling is limited. A reasonable pick in the sixth round, no doubt, but among Swedish netminders, fellow ’98 birthdate Henrik Malmstrom, would have been our pick there. Finally, in the seventh round, the Hurricanes added another netminder to their stable. Jake Kucharski has a lot of tools and can look very good at times, such as his performance in the USHL Top Prospects Game. But he could not keep the job in Des Moines, which brought in Roman Durny from Slovakia after the WJC. Kucharski scarcely played from there on out. This was a down year for netminder in the USHL, but I would have been inclined to gamble on one of Keegan Karki or Vincent Purpura instead. Your mileage may vary. In total, I cannot truly fault the Hurricanes for their draft picks. I don’t love it, but they did under circumstances (new management group) that do not often allow for exemplary draft planning.

OFP - 53

Columbus Blue Jackets
1 (18) Liam Foudy, C, London (OHL) - ranked 25th
2 (49) Kirill Marchenko, LW, Mamonty Yugry (MHL) - ranked 34th
3 (80) Marcus Kallberg, RW/LW, Leksands IF J20 (SuperElit) - unranked
6 (159) Tim Berni, D, GC Kusnacht Lions (NLB) - unranked
6 (173) Veini Vehvilainen, G, Karpat (Liiga) - unranked
7 (204) Trey Fix-Wolansky, RW, Edmonton (OHL) - ranked Honorable Mention

As a testament to the Blue Jackets history of going away from the so-called “consensus”, the example always brought up is when they selected Pierre-Luc Dubois third overall in 2016 instead of Jesse Puljujarvi, who was ranked third by literally everyone else. It is still early, but that pick looks pretty good so far for GM Jarmo Kekalainen. That, and the relative success of other recent unheralded prospect acquisitions by Columbus such as Markus Nutivaara (7^th round, 2015) or Markus Hannikainen (UDFA, 2015), suggest that we reserve judgement after the Jackets only selected two players we had ranked in our top 217, and only one more who made our top 300. The third round pick, Marcus Karlberg, was the biggest head scratcher of the lot. He put up great numbers in the SuperElit, but he is tiny, and outside of his hockey IQ, lacks tools that project to above average.

Their first sixth rounder, Tim Berni, is an accomplished young defender from Switzerland, who did not look completely overwhelmed at the last WJC, but similarly did not show much to suggest a surefire NHL upside is within. There is some promise there, but I would want to see him do something at the top flight in Switzerland. All of his success thus far has come in the junior ranks, or in the second tier. The other sixth rounder, a rare Finnish pick by Kekalainen, is someone I can get on board with. To be completely honest, we have had Vehvilainen ranked in previous drafts, but left him out this year, his fourth of draft eligibility. Mostly, we figured if his amazing run at the WJC in 2017 was not enough to get him noticed, what else could he do. He is borderline undersized by modern netminding standards, but he dominated in the top men’s league in Finland and then led Karpat to the Liiga championship while still mourning the death of his father. He was also named the top goaltender in Liiga. Not every goalie with that hardware makes it in the NHL, but some (Tim Thomas, Kari Lehtonen, Antti Raanta, Miikka Kiprusoff, etc.) do. Trey Fix-Wolansky, the Columbus draftee we listed as an honorable mention selection, does not look like a good player, as he is short and stocky, and he is not the greatest skater, but he is very strong on the puck and has finished first or second in scoring for the woeful Edmonton Oil Kings in each of the last two seasons. So those are the picks that are off our boards. Despite not having the full-throated backing of the McKeens scouting staff, we can see good reasons for liking each of them (OK, maybe not Karlberg).

Thankfully, we really like their first two picks. Liam Foudy was a classic late riser. He began the season in a bottom six role with the London Knights, but when the perennial powerhouse decided that this was not going to be their year, a few veterans were traded away and Foudy ascended way up the depth chart. And he excelled. Over the second half of the season, he was one of the more electric players in the OHL, and backed it up with strong performances in the CHL Top Prospects Game as well as at the WU18s. He also has a strong case to be proclaimed the best athlete in the draft class. Kirill Marchenko was someone who drew mixed reviews from our Russian-based scouts, but raised his play for international events. He has a great skill set and fantastic size and could project to nearly any role down the road. The Blue Jackets are certainly an enigmatic team when it comes to scouting, but they are correct more than their fair share of the time. I wouldn’t put it past them to surprise again.

OFP – 52.25

New Jersey Devils
1 (17) Ty Smith, D, Spokane (WHL) - ranked 15th
4 (110) Xavier Bernard, D, Drummondville (QMJHL) - ranked 71st
5 (136) Akira Schmid, G, Langnau U20 (Elite Jr. A) - ranked Honorable Mention
5 (151) Yegor Sharangovich, C, Dynamo Minsk (KHL) - ranked Honorable Mention
6 (172) Mitchell Hoelscher, C, Ottawa (OHL) - ranked 134th
7 (203) Eetu Pakkila, LW, Karpat U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga) - unranked

One year after injecting a boat load of talent into the organization thanks not only to owning the number one pick in the draft, but making 11 total selections, this year, the Devils exhibited a magnificent turnaround and ended up trading away both their second and third round picks, as part of packages for Michael Grabner, and Sami Vatanen. Considering that the team still has the young core drafted in 2017 as well as a surprise playoff berth in their recent past, it’s a pretty good trade off. And even picking 17^th this year, in a deep draft for defenders, the Devils were able to add another high end talent to their system, a player who many had projected to be taken in the top ten. Ty Smith, while small, is an excellent puck mover and plays an advanced positional game in his own end. In league play, he has been very effective at winning the puck back for his team, although he has had his bumps in the CHL Top Prospects Game as well as at the WU18s. Still, between his skating, puck skills, and high, high hockey IQ, there is potential for a future first pairing defender.

When they finally selected a second player, 93 picks later, the Devils were fortunate to get late Xavier Bernard, a player who looks much different than Smith, but has similar attributes. He is a smooth skater, can make the basic passes, and exhibits promising hockey IQ. On the other hand, Bernard is not a natural puck mover, but has much more impressive size and knows how to utilize it. New Jersey went to Europe with both of their fifth round picks, both times taking players from smaller hockey nations who have plenty of international experience. Akira Schmid started his draft off with a bang, thanks to a stellar showing at the Ivan Hlinka tournament. He was then one of the top goalies in the Swiss junior ranks, but struggled at the WU18s to end the year. He has enough size and athleticism to be a decent gamble. Yegor Sharangovich was in his third year of eligibility and has three WJCs (one in the second tier) under his belt for his native Belarus. He played a depth role for the Dynamo Minsk KHL team this year, but has flashed impressive goal scoring ability in the past.

Sixth rounder Mitchell Hoelscher is slight, but wiry strong. His production with the Ottawa 67s was not much in his first full season in the OHL, but he is a good skater, and plays an intelligent brand of hockey. He has energy line upside. With their final 2018 selection, the Devils popped Finnish winger Eetu Pakkila, a winger with great feet and a good shot. Despite decent numbers for Karpat’s U20 team, Pakkila slipped under the radar due to rarely being considered for international duty for any age group in Finland. While one could quibble about the upside about their late round selections, with the exception of Hoelscher, the Devils did a nice job of drafting players with a history of production in their local leagues. And without exception, each player has at least one attribute that suggest NHL upside.

OFP – 52.5

New York Islanders
1 (11) Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 5th
1 (12) Noah Dobson, D, Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL) - ranked 8th
2 (41) Bode Wilde, D, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 17th
2 (43) Ruslan Iskhakov, RW, Krasnaya Armiya Moskva (MHL) - ranked 68th
3 (72) Jakub Skarek, G, Dukla Jihlava (Czech) - ranked 93rd
4 (103) Jacob Pivonka, C, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 182nd
5 (134) Blade Jenkins, C, Saginaw (OHL) - ranked 69th
7 (196) Christian Krygier, D, Lincoln (USHL) - unranked

Two years ago, the Islanders drafted Kieffer Bellows from the USNTDP and seem to be pretty happy with their choice. Of course, Lou Lamoriello was not there when that draft went down. He was in Toronto. His Maple Leafs drafted Auston Matthews, another (indirect) USNTDP alum, and a couple of other program graduates in the middle rounds. Prior to his time in Toronto, Lamoriello spent many years in New Jersey and his draft record there is also dotted with players who had come from the program. That history aside, it is still at least somewhat surprising that the Islanders ended up with three players from this year’s stacked USNTDP graduating class. Two of those players, right winger Oliver Wahlstrom and defensemen Bode Wilde, were widely not expected to be available at picks 11 and 41 respectively. Wahlstrom is one of the best natural goal scorers in the draft class. He is a near elite sniper, a fantastic puck player and a very strong skater as well. He can float for some stretches, but his talent suggested he should have gone up to five picks earlier were the other teams not so focused on drafting centers at the top. Wilde elicited some rumors that his stock had fallen before the draft, partially due to a poor showing at the WU18s and partly due to de-committing from Michigan. He is not the most intense defender, but looks downright pretty carrying the puck up the ice. He is a high end skater and puck handler and mostly needs refinements to his game away from the puck to be an impact player.

The third USNTDP player drafted by the Islanders this year, Jacob Pivonka is more of a grinding role player with decent hands, but plays a 200 foot game, and has NHL bloodlines, as father Michal played over 800 games in the NHL. Outside of those three, the Islanders drafted two others with USNTDP ties, although they were not in the program in their draft year. Fifth rounder Blade Jenkins left the program for Saginaw of the OHL prior to this past season. He plays a gritty game and is a gifted skater, although the latter trait does not always show up at game time. He has very good sleeper potential. In the seventh round the Islanders selected Christian Krygier, the more physical of the Krygier twins who spent this season with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL. Krygier has very marginal puck skills, but he skates well and plays hard.

Not every pick made by the Islanders this year was American. In fact, immediately after drafting Wahlstrom, Lamoriello and company returned to their table for a couple of minutes to work the phones (reportedly to trade the pick for immediate NHL help) but then returned to the podium and selected Noah Dobson, another player thought by some to be a potential top five pick and leading the Titan to both QMJHL and Memorial Cup championships, eating up a ton of minutes on the journey. Dobson looks like nothing so much as a future first pairing blueliner, between the wheels, the smarts, and the ability to put that bulk to work. His shot and puck playing ability also grade out as above average. He might be only twelve months from playing in the NHL. Two picks after nabbing Wilde, the Isles made an upside play in drafting pint-sized Russian winger Ruslan Iskhakov, who while not as quick as other players of his stature, has amazing hands and has been hard to catch. He has performed well both in Russian junior league play as well as on the international stage.

Finally, nothing rounds out a diverse draft class like a promising goalie. Along with four forwards and three blueliners, the Islanders selected Jakub Skarek, a highly accomplished netminder from the Czech Republic, in the third round. Although he looked bad at the most recent WJC (his second go round in the high profile tournament), he is very athletic, has prototypical size and reads the play well. He will get to test himself against more advanced competition this year as he leaves his homeland to play for Pelicans in Finland’s top circuit, Liiga. While I would have preferred them drafting the other Krygier with their seventh round pick, this is almost the perfect draft class. Two players ranked in our top ten, another ranked as a first round talent, and three more in our top 100. There are players who will be ready for professional hockey within one or two seasons, and players who will need (and due to where they were drafted from) and will receive three or four years before forcing the Islanders’ hands. Along with Mathew Barzal, Wahlstrom and Dobson should make up a big part of the team’s core for years to come.

OFP – 55

New York Rangers
1 (9) Vitali Kravtsov, RW, Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL) - ranked 16th
1 (22) K'Andre Miller, D, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 14th
1 (28) Nils Lundkvist, D, Lulea (SHL) - ranked 37th
2 (39) Olof Lindbom, G, Djurgardens J20 (SuperElit) - ranked 91st
3 (70) Jakob Ragnarsson, D, Almtuna (Allesvenskan) - ranked 152nd
3 (88) Joey Keane, D, Barrie (OHL) - ranked 99th
4 (101) Nico Gross, D, Oshawa (OHL) - ranked 82nd
5 (132) Lauri Pajuniemi, RW, TPS (Liiga) - unranked
6 (163) Simon Kjellberg, D, Rogle J20 (SuperElit) - unranked
7 (216) Riley Hughes, RW, St. Sebastian's School (USHS - MA) - ranked 208th

With three first round picks, including the drafting of my personal favorite player from the 2018 draft class, I want to be able to say nice things about the Rangers’ large draft haul. Unfortunately, I am underwhelmed. Of course, with 10 players taken, they have definitely given their organizational depth, for years an afterthought, a serious injection of talent. Further, considering the imbalance of their draft class, with six blueliners taken among the 10 picks, I know that they did not go for balance, but drafted the top player on their board. Further, with the early success of their two 2017 first rounders (Lias Andersson, and Filip Chytil), both of whom were thought to be reaches at the time, I cannot assume to know more than they do. I can note the six player drafted out of Europe, and how four of those six were already playing in men’s leagues, meaning their lead time to being ready will be shorter than others. That’s definitely a positive. Again though, I wanted to see more upside.

Starting in the first round, they took two Europeans who have already experienced impressive performances in the top leagues in their respective countries. Ninth overall pick Vitali Kravtsov had one of, if not the, best performances ever by a teenager in the KHL playoffs. He earned plus-plus grades for his skating, puck skills and shot. He might be able to come to North America after one more season with Chelyabinsk. If there is a concern here, it is due to having so little international experience, we do not have a great feel for how he would do on the smaller North American ice surface. At pick 22, the Rangers selected my personal favorite in K’Andre Miller. He is a tremendous athlete, has prototype build for a defenseman, is a terrific skater and plays with brawn and skill. If there is a downside, it is how raw he is as a defender, having only converted from forward three seasons ago. He could be a legit number one defender, but will need at least three years in college before he is ready. With the 28^th pick of the first round, the Rangers selected late rising Swedish blueliner Nils Lundkvist. He is undersized, but incredibly skilled with the puck and demonstrates very impressive hockey intelligence. He was excellent in the Swedish junior ranks, but struggled some in roughly half a season in the SHL and underwhelmed at the WU18s. There is also the question of whether he is a good enough skater to mitigate his size issues. All three first rounders could work, but none is without questions.

Similar to their second rounder, Olof Lindbom, the first netminder selected in 2018. He is a good goalie prospect, as far as that class goes, was a world beater at the WU18s, and receives especially high grades for his ability to read the play and his technique, but he is a goalie after all. He is also slightly undersized by modern goaltending standards, listed at only 6-1”. Of their remaining six picks the Rangers selected four defensemen. Jakob Ragnarsson and Simon Kjellberg were both drafted out of Sweden, and Joey Keane and Nico Gross were both selected out of the OHL. Keane is interesting as a second year eligible prospect who took big steps in his second season with the Barrie Colts. He is a very good skater, with a decent all around game. Ragnarsson’s father Marcus played for the Sharks and the Flyers around the turn of the century. He is more of a defense-first defender, who makes a sharp first pass. He has never been tested outside of Sweden’s domestic leagues.

Simon Kjellberg is another bloodlines player, as his father Patric spent time with Montreal, Nashville, and Anaheim. The younger Kjellberg has good size, and plays a muscular game, but his skating is currently very rough. He will need to improve that aspect of his game significantly to have a chance at playing in the NHL. Of the four mid round defenders, I have the most time for Nico Gross, a Swiss national who has already played at two WJCs and three WU18s. He is a solid skater, who plays with poise and energy. While not often an offensive force, he has shown enough flashes there to project for more growth in that side of his game. Of the two late round forwards, Lauri Pajuniemi could surprise. He has high end puck handling ability and held his own in his first year in Liiga. As for seventh rounder Riley Hughes, he is not bad as far as prep products go, but there is a reason why more and more future collegians are electing to play in the USHL instead of staying home. He has never really been tested against high end competition. He is likely to spend next year in the USHL (Sioux Falls has his rights) before attending Northeastern in 2019. I have no doubt but that one or two of the players drafted by the Rangers this year will exceed my expectations, but I would have been happier if I did not have to make this kind of mitigating remark.

OFP – 53.25

Philadelphia Flyers
1 (14) Joel Farabee, LW, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 12th
1 (19) Jay O'Brien, C, Thayer Academy (USHS-MA) - ranked 48th
2 (50) Adam Ginning, D, Linkoping (SHL) - ranked 42nd
4 (112) Jack St. Ivany, D, Sioux Falls (USHL) - ranked 108th
5 (127) Wyatte Wylie, D, Everett (WHL) - ranked 139th
5 (143) Samuel Ersson, G, Bryan J20 (SuperElit) - ranked Honorable Mention
6 (174) Gavin Hain, C, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked Honorable Mention
7 (205) Marcus Westfalt, C/LW, Brynas IF (SHL) - ranked 162nd

As with the Rangers above, I expected to like the Flyers’ draft class more than I did. Again, this has nothing to do with the players taken. Fine talents, all of them. The Flyers have been strong with USHL prospects over the past few years and dug deep in the top NCAA-feeder league once again, with three selections, plus another who will head to college from the pre ranks. They have also scouted Sweden heavily in recent years and took three more Swedish prospects this year. And continuing the theme of visiting familiar territory, the final Flyers’ pick not yet accounted for came from the same Everett program in the WHL where they would have been comfortable in light of top prospect Carter Hart calling it home. I like the Flyers drafting from areas where they are comfortable that they can project out. I like that the Flyers selected players of different positions, with two centers, two wingers, three defensemen and a goaltender (it wouldn’t be a Flyers draft without at least one goalie). And, as stated above, I like the players. I just see this draft class and the draft slots that the Flyers owned, and do not see many high value picks. Some players drafted roughly where they should have been selected, some taken earlier than I would have advised, and one notably higher than we believed was reasonable.

They kicked things off in fine fashion, with winger Joel Farabee, one of two players they selected out of the USNTDP system. Farabee can play up or down the lineup. He has experience in the middle, but is more natural on the wing. He is a true 200 foot player with skill, grit and heavy on the intangibles. He will need to bulk up at Boston University, but his potential is top six, both special teams and a team leader. Five picks later, Ron Hextall and friends stepped to the podium again and dropped jaws across the hockey world. Jay O’Brien is a confident young man, brash even, and he shows some high end attributes, with a fine shot and slick puck handling skills. He plays tough and he has been well coached, but he has very rarely been tested against other high caliber prospects. He was the big man on campus at Thayer, scoring closing to three points per game than two. But in 12 games of experience in Tier I hockey over the last two years, he had only three points. All draft picks are risky, but high picks out of the high school ranks are riskier than most.

Philadelphia’s first three picks on day two were all blueliners, each with good size. Adam Ginning is the stay-at-home type of the trio. Although he contributed offense at a decent clip for Sweden at the WU18s, his game is about positioning and making the first pass to clear the zone. Low upside, but high floor. After sitting out the third round, the Flyers used their fourth rounder on second year eligible Jack St. Ivany of Sioux Falls in the USHL. He was very young in his first year of eligibility and only one year removed from playing U16 hockey in the Los Angeles area. He took a few big steps forward this year for the Stampede and shows some two-way ability. I’m a fan. The Flyers rounded out their blueline haul with Wyatte Wylie, an alliterative late 99 birthdate player who not only played with Carter Hart in Everett, but is actually from Everett. He is not bursting with skill but plays hard.

Later in the fifth round, Philadelphia drafted the obligatory goalie, picking up Swede Samuel Ersson, who has been overshadowed in his homeland by Olof Lindbom and others, but was an absolute workhorse for Brynas’ U20 team and some of the best numbers in the SuperElit. He is a technically proficient goalie with a good frame. Speaking of overlooked, sixth rounder Gavin Hain was often relegated to the bottom six with the USNTDP, below players like Farabee and others, but he is not without a modicum of hockey skill and is responsible in all three zones. I haven’t seen anything to suggest he has hidden talent, but he is not a bad way to use a sixth round pick. Finally, the Flyers used their seventh rounder on big Swedish winger Marcus Westfalt. His skill set is moderate, but he uses his big frame well to create havoc in front of the net. If Jay O’Brien works out, the Flyers will be laughing for ages. If not, Farabee is safe enough that the draft class will not be a write-off, but will be looked at as a relative disappointment.

OFP – 52.5

Pittsburgh Penguins
2 (53) Calen Addison, D, Lethbridge (WHL) - ranked 30th
2 (58) Filip Hallander, C, Timra (Allsvenskan) - ranked 47th
5 (129) Justin Almeida, C/LW, Moose Jaw (WHL) - ranked 173rd
6 (177) Liam Gorman, C, St. Sebastian's School (USHS - MA) - unranked

Only four picks, but the Penguins made them count. Well, most of them anyway. Actually, they would have had a fifth pick, but traded up into the late second round when they saw value on the board. Despite not picking until 53^rd overall, the Penguins walked away with two players who had reasonable arguments to go in the first round. Their first pick, Lethbridge defender Calen Addison is a modern style blueliner, making up in speed and daring what he lacks in size or the ability to play physically. He needs a lot of work off the puck, but he proved both in the Ivan Hlinka tournament and the WHL postseason that he can step up his production in the spotlight.

The player they gave up two later picks to nab towards the close of the second was Swedish center Filip Hallander, who had a very strong draft year in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s second highest men’s league. The fact that he was as productive as he was (20 points in 40 games) while dealing with a knee injury that kept him out of the WU18s. He is very physical while still playing clean, and grades out above average as a skater, shooter, and for his hockey intelligence. With Timra now in the top flight SHL, and Hallander presumably healthy, Hallander’s stock could leap forward next year. The Penguins went with production over physical maturity when they finally selected again late in the fifth round, selecting Moose Jaw’s second year eligible center, Justin Almeida. After scoring only 28 points between the Warriors and Prince George in his first year of draft eligibility, he was an afterthought entering the year, but with 43 goals and 98 points for the powerhouse Warriors, he could not be overlooked again. He is a strong skater and gifted with the puck on his stick. Finally, they took Massachusetts prepster Liam Gorman, with their final pick. Gorman was not really on our radar, and in fact was only the number three scorer with St. Sebastian’s, behind fellow draft pick Riley Hughes. He has plus size though, and is likely to spend next season in the USHL. The 2018 draft class will not alter the trajectory of the Penguins’ fortunes, but they should be pleased with the type of quality they came away with.

OFP – 52.25

Washington Capitals
1 (31) Alexander Alexeyev, D, Red Deer (WHL) - ranked 35th
2 (46) Martin Fehervary, D, Oskarshamn (Allsvenskan) - ranked 78th
2 (47) Kody Clark, RW, Ottawa (OHL) - ranked 138th
3 (93) Riley Sutter, RW, Everett (WHL) - ranked 87th
4 (124) Mitchell Gibson, G, Lone Star (NAHL) - unranked
6 (161) Alex Kannok-Leipert, D, Vancouver (WHL) - unranked
7 (217) Eric Florchuk, C, Saskatoon (WHL) - ranked 168th

If there is a team for which the draft is a serious afterthought, it would be the team that is still hungover from the release of winning their first Stanley Cup championship. That is not to imply that the Capitals did not draft some good prospects, but that they would not be focused from the top down on these players at the moment. True to the Washington drafting rulebook, they went heavy on the WHL (four players), avoided the QMJHL and Finland, and took a player from a lower level of hockey (NAHL goalie Mitchell Gibson). With three forwards, three defensemen and a goalie, they balanced themselves positionally.

Their first round pick, Alexander Alexeyev, could have been taken higher, but suffered through a trying draft year, most notably dealing with the unexpected passing of his mother in the days before the CHL Top Prospects game. He is a very big player who skates beautifully, handles the puck very well and processes the game wisely. Given a full, healthy season, he could take off. Washington buttressed the blueline with their first of two consecutive picks in the middle of the second round, taking Slovakian Martin Fehervary, who has been playing in Sweden for the last four seasons. A veteran of two WJCs and two WU18s, Fehervary is a great skater and a physical player, but has minimal offensive upside. While we think Fehervary was a slight reach at 46, the selection of Kody Clark (son of Wendel) at 47 was a massive overreach. Like Alexeyev (and his own father) Clark has been injury prone in his two OHL seasons, but has no real standout tool. His skating and shooting abilities are fine, but he looked like a better candidate for the middle rounds than the second round. Also, this is the first time the Capitals have selected a player out of the OHL since drafting Tom Wilson in the first round in 2012.

A more appropriate pick was their use of a fourth rounder on another bloodline player in Riley Sutter, the son of Ron from the famous clan. A big, beefy player, Sutter will never be mistaken for an elite skater, but he plays a responsible, heavy game and can finish. Goalie Mitchell Gibson was not very prominent on our radar, but the NAHL has a knack for producing one or two goalies of note every year, and Gibson was obviously the one for 2018. He was named the top netminder in the league and will likely spend next year in the USHL before moving on to Harvard. The Capitals will give him plenty of time.

The Capitals ended their draft with two more players from the WHL in Vancouver blueliner Alex Kannok-Leipert and Saskatoon center Eric Florchuk. Kannok-Leipert is undersized and does not have a standout attribute, although he is a decent skater and is surprisingly physical. Florchuk, on the other hand, 2018’s Mr. Irrelevant, is quote good value for the end of the draft. His trade at midseason from the competing Victoria Royals to the moribund Saskatoon Chiefs, might have pushed him off the radar for some scouts, but he scored a decent clip for both clubs. He is a fine skater and a gifted puck handler. Although the Capitals selected some interesting players here, the leap to draft safe early will hurt them within a few years when they need to integrate low salaried youth into an aging roster.

OFP – 51.5

2018 NHL Draft – McKeen’s Mid Season Rankings – Top 100 plus Honourable Mentions

Ryan Wagman — Tue, 13 Feb 2018 16:00:33 +0000

One of the first lessons I learned when I began scouting a number of years ago was that draft eligible prospects generally start to make their marks after Christmas of their draft year.

Around two months ago (Dec. 8), we released a snapshot of the 2018 draft class, walking through the 62 strongest prospects at the time. Since then, all of the 62 have had plenty of chances to make their marks. In addition to the weeks and weeks of regular season action they all had, some were also afforded the showcase of appearing in the World Junior Championships, while others fought to be included in the CHL and USHL Top Prospect Games or the World Junior A Challenge.

Some of the WJC combatants were already considered to be at or around the top of the draft class, including each of the top four of our Mid-Season ranking. Others found themselves in the spotlight by virtue of holding nationalities that do not have the depth of talent in their age 19 class as we found with the Gold Medal winners from Canada, from which the entire roster consisted of previously drafted players.

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JANUARY 4: Sweden's Axel Fjallby Jonsson #22 and Isac Lundestrom #20 have words during semifinal round action against the U.S. at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

While an appearance at the WJC will only go so far for most of the prospects of Denmark, Switzerland, or Belarus, for players like the Czech Republic’s Martin Kaut (#31) and Kristian Reichel (#83), Slovakia’s Milos Roman (#57), Sweden’s Isac Lundestrom (#14), and others, players who came into the tournament with some expectations and managed to exceed them, they were able to ensure that they will be front of mind for scouting staffs through the end of the season. In fact, three of those players have seen their respective places in our rankings rise between December and now. The fourth, Milos Roman, did not fall all that much, and that can be explained largely with an injury that has limited him to a single game played since the tournament ended.

Speaking of movement in the lists, we can report that each member of the previous version of this list, which went 62 deep, is still in the mid-season top 100. Only four of those 62, Nando Eggenberger (#76), Olivier Rodrigue (#78), Marcus Westfalt (#86), and Adam Samuelsson (#95) are now lower than 75. Even though Eggenberger had a poor WJC and Rodrigue failed to impress in the CHL’s Top Prospect game, the midseason marquee event of Canadian Junior hockey, the current rankings of those four is more a reflection of other players making bigger moves than they have. All still profile as draftable prospects of note. If anything, they still have more to prove before late June in Dallas.

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

One of the two biggest jumps in the past two months belong to the aforementioned Kaut, who was fantastic at the WJC, showing a wide range of skills, plus hockey IQ and even a bit of a physical game to boot. He jumped up from 55 in December to 31 now and some in our scouting team felt that we may still be underrating him. Climbing only 21 spots, but more impressive as he started off at a higher level in December than Kaut is now, is London blueliner Evan Bouchard (#7). At the time, there were some concerns about his foot speed. Not only has he put those concerns to rest with steady displays of solid top end velocity, showing his ability to defend against rushes from some of the players long considered to be among the quickest in the OHL, but between his plus shot, advanced hockey brain and quarterbacking style, it is no real surprise that he is currently seven points clear as the highest scoring blueliner in the OHL.

The highest ranked newcomer to the list is Swedish defenseman Nils Lundkvist (#40), who had a scouting report from our own Jimmy Hamrin posted just last week. Although undersized, Lundkvist is mobile, moves the puck ably and has exceptional hockey IQ. Others debuting in the top 50 include Jakub Lauko (#44) a teammate of Kaut’s from the Czech WJC squad, Stanislav Demin (#45) a blueliner from the BCHL who impressed in the WJAC, and Niklas Nordgren (#49) an undersized, yet silky skilled winger who has been tearing up the Finnish junior ranks.

When I mentioned above that draft eligible prospects begin to make their marks after Christmas, that does not mean to suggest that we feel this present snapshot will be an accurate representation of how things ultimately shake out in June. There are some players who start the year hot and then slowly peter out. We may think we are viewing a rough mid-season patch and for some, they will never recover. Eggenberger is one. Xavier Bouchard (#62), who looked like a strong second tier draft prospect from the QMJHL two months ago, has contributed only two points since the calendar flipped to 2018. He is not an offensive blueliner, but more is expected.

Liam Foudy of the London Knights. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Other players started off very slowly and have been hot of late, getting themselves some mid-season recognition. One such player we debated at length was Liam Foudy (#82). When we released our December rankings, he had played 27 games and had put up a mere five points. Since then, in 23 games, he has 19 points, a period highlit by a strong showing at the CHL Top Prospect Game. In his case, it seems that London’s decision to sell off a large number of their regular top six forward options has given Foudy the chance to play in an offensive role and he has thus far flourished, to the extent that he was just named the OHL Player of the Week on the morning of this writing. He is a great skater and if he can keep this level of offensive production up for a few more weeks, showing that his recent play has not just been a flash in the pan, he will likely rocket up the list.

As we continue to scout the junior aged prospects of the world, this draft list will change again and again. In addition to extending our list to 100 as we pass the mid-season point for all leagues, we have also included a group of 25 others who had some fans about the McKeens scouting squad. As the intensity of the season rises with many teams and players jockeying for a post-season berth, some of the 125 players listed here will see their respective stocks go up and others will go down. Players who we may have skipped over in November and January will force us to pay attention in March and April. From now until draft weekend, we will continue to post scouting reports of the players you need to know about for the 2018 draft. We welcome your questions and comments and hope you enjoy the ride with us.

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

RANK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB
1	Rasmus Dahlin	D	Frolunda (Swe)	6-2/185	13-Apr-00
2	Filip Zadina	RW	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-0/200	27-Nov-99
3	Andrei Svechnikov	RW	Barrie (OHL)	6-2/185	26-Mar-00
4	Brady Tkachuk	LW	Boston University (HE)	6-3/195	16-Sep-99
5	Adam Boqvist	D	Brynas (Swe Jr)	5-11/170	15-Aug-00
6	Oliver Wahlstrom	RW	NTDP (USA)	6-1/205	13-Jun-00
7	Evan Bouchard	D	London (OHL)	6-2/195	20-Oct-99
8	Noah Dobson	D	Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)	6-3/180	7-Jan-00
9	Quinn Hughes	D	Michigan (B1G)	5-10/175	14-Oct-99
10	Ty Smith	D	Spokane (WHL)	5-10/180	24-Mar-00
11	Joe Veleno	C	Drummondville (QMJHL)	6-1/195	13-Jan-00
12	Joel Farabee	LW	NTDP (USA)	5-11/165	25-Feb-00
13	Bode Wilde	D	NTDP (USA)	6-2/195	24-Jan-00
14	Isac Lundestrom	C	Lulea (Swe)	6-0/185	6-Nov-99
15	Grigori Denisenko	LW	Loko Yaroslavl (Rus Jr)	5-11/165	24-Jun-00
16	K'Andre Miller	D	NTDP (USA)	6-3/205	21-Jan-00
17	Barrett Hayton	C	Sault Ste Marie (OHL)	6-1/190	9-Jun-00
18	Jared McIsaac	D	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-1/195	27-Mar-00
19	Akil Thomas	RW	Niagara (OHL)	5-11/170	2-Jan-00
20	Ryan McLeod	C	Mississauga (OHL)	6-2/200	21-Sep-99
21	Jesperi Kotkaniemi	C	Assat Pori (Fin)	6-1/190	6-Jul-00
22	Serron Noel	RW	Oshawa (OHL)	6-5/200	8-Aug-00
23	Rasmus Kupari	C	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	6-1/185	15-Mar-00
24	Jacob Olofsson	C	Timra (Swe 2)	6-2/190	8-Feb-00
25	Ryan Merkley	D	Guelph (OHL)	5-11/170	14-Aug-00
26	Jett Woo	D	Moose Jaw (WHL)	6-0/205	27-Jul-00
27	Benoit-Olivier Groulx	C	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-1/195	6-Feb-00
28	Alexander Alexeyev	D	Red Deer (WHL)	6-3/200	15-Nov-99
29	Mattias Samuelsson	D	NTDP (USA)	6-3/215	14-Mar-00
30	Jack McBain	C	Toronto Jr Canadiens (OJHL)	6-3/195	6-Jan-00
31	Martin Kaut	RW	Pardubice (Cze)	6-1/175	2-Oct-99
32	Calen Addison	D	Lethbridge (WHL)	5-10/180	11-Apr-00
33	Jonny Tychonick	D	Penticton (BCHL)	5-11/175	3-Mar-00
34	Jesse Ylonen	RW	Espoo United (Fin 2)	6-0/165	3-Oct-99
35	Dominik Bokk	LW	Vaxjo Lakers (Swe Jr)	6-1/180	3-Feb-00
36	Blake McLaughlin	LW	Chicago (USHL)	6-0/165	14-Feb-00
37	Kevin Bahl	D	Ottawa (OHL)	6-6/230	27-Jun-00
38	Vitali Kravtsov	RW	Traktor Chelyabinsk (Rus)	6-2/170	23-Dec-99
39	Ty Dellandrea	C	Flint (OHL)	6-0/190	21-Jul-00
40	Nils Lundkvist	D	Lulea (Swe)	5-11/180	27-Jul-00
41	Rasmus Sandin	D	Sault Ste Marie (OHL)	5-11/190	7-Mar-00
42	Adam Ginning	D	Linkopings (Swe)	6-3/195	13-Jan-00
43	Allan McShane	C	Oshawa (OHL)	5-11/190	14-Feb-00
44	Jakub Lauko	C	Chomutov (Cze)	6-0/175	28-Mar-00
45	Stanislav Demin	D	Wenatchee (BCHL)	6-1/190	4-Apr-00
46	Filip Hallander	C	Timra (Swe 2)	6-1/185	29-Jun-00
47	Xavier Bernard	D	Drummondville (QMJHL)	6-2/210	6-Jan-00
48	Ty Emberson	D	NTDP (USA)	6-0/195	24-May-00
49	Niklas Nordgren	RW	HIFK Helsinki (Fin Jr)	5-9/170	4-May-00
50	Sampo Ranta	LW	Sioux City (USHL)	6-1/195	31-May-00
51	Jay O'Brien	C	Thayer Academy (USHS-MA)	5-10/185	4-Nov-99
52	Jonatan Berggren	C	Skelleftea (Swe Jr)	5-10/185	6-Jul-00
53	Kody Clark	RW	Ottawa (OHL)	6-1/180	13-Oct-99
54	David Gustafsson	C	HV 71 (Swe)	6-1/195	11-Apr-00
55	Nicolas Beaudin	D	Drummondville (QMJHL)	5-11/175	7-Oct-99
56	Cam Hillis	C	Guelph (OHL)	5-10/170	24-Jun-00
57	Milos Roman	C	Vancouver (WHL)	6-0/190	6-Nov-99
58	Gabriel Fortier	C	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)	5-10/190	6-Feb-00
59	Riley Sutter	C	Everett (WHL)	6-3/205	25-Oct-99
60	Martin Fehervary	D	Oskarshamn (Swe 2)	6-1/190	6-Oct-99
61	Philipp Kurashev	C	Quebec (QMJHL)	6-0/190	12-Oct-99
62	Xavier Bouchard	D	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)	6-3/190	28-Feb-00
63	Giovanni Vallati	D	Kitchener (OHL)	6-1/185	21-Feb-00
64	Alexander Khovanov	C	Moncton (QMJHL)	5-11/190	12-Apr-00
65	Blade Jenkins	LW	Saginaw (OHL)	6-1/195	11-Aug-00
66	Filip Johansson	D	Leksands (Swe 2)	6-1/185	23-Mar-00
67	Alec Regula	D	London (OHL)	6-3/200	6-Aug-00
68	Jakub Skarek	G	Dukla Jihlava (Cze)	6-3/200	10-Nov-99
69	Nico Gross	D	Oshawa (OHL)	6-1/185	26-Jan-00
70	Anderson MacDonald	LW	Moncton (QMJHL)	6-2/205	16-May-00
71	Kyle Topping	C	Kelowna (WHL)	5-11/185	18-Nov-99
72	Oskar Back	C	Farjestads (Swe Jr)	6-2/200	12-Mar-00
73	Nathan Dunkley	C	London (OHL)	5-11/195	3-May-00
74	Patrick Giles	RW	NTDP (USA)	6-4/205	3-Jan-00
75	Jake Wise	C	NTDP (USA)	5-10/190	28-Feb-00
76	Nando Eggenberger	LW	Davos (Sui)	6-2/185	7-Oct-99
77	Alexis Gravel	G	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-2/225	21-Mar-00
78	Olivier Rodrigue	G	Drummondville (QMJHL)	6-0/160	6-Jul-00
79	Tyler Madden	C	Central Illinois (USHL)	5-10/155	9-Nov-99
80	Lenni Killinen	LW	Blues (Fin Jr)	6-2/185	15-Jun-00
81	Filip Kral	D	Spokane (WHL)	6-0/170	20-Oct-99
82	Liam Foudy	C	London (OHL)	6-1/185	4-Feb-00
83	Kristian Reichel	C	Red Deer (WHL)	6-1/170	11-Jun-98
84	Danila Galenyuk	D	Mamonty Yurgy (Rus Jr)	6-1/200	10-Feb-00
85	Aidan Dudas	C	Owen Sound (OHL)	5-8/170	15-Jun-00
86	Marcus Westfalt	C	Brynas (Swe)	6-3/205	12-Mar-00
87	Jachym Kondelik	C	Muskegon (USHL)	6-6/225	21-Dec-99
88	Jacob Bernard-Docker	D	Okotoks (AJHL)	6-0/180	30-Jun-00
89	Carter Robertson	D	Ottawa (OHL)	6-2/180	15-Jan-00
90	Kevin Mandolese	G	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	6-3/180	22-Aug-00
91	Ryan O'Reilly (2000)	RW	Madison (USHL)	6-1/205	21-Mar-00
92	Merrick Rippon	D	Ottawa (OHL)	6-0/190	27-Apr-00
93	David Lilja	C	Karlskoga (Swe 2)	5-11/175	23-Jan-00
94	Alex Steeves	C	Dubuque (USHL)	6-0/185	10-Dec-99
95	Adam Samuelsson	D	NTDP (USA)	6-6/240	21-Jun-00
96	Linus Karlsson	C	Karlskrona (Swe Jr)	6-1/180	16-Nov-99
97	Jack Drury	C	Waterloo (USHL)	5-11/180	3-Feb-00
98	Albin Eriksson	LW	Skelleftea (Swe Jr)	6-4/205	20-Jul-00
99	Sean Durzi	D	Owen Sound (OHL)	6-0/195	21-Oct-98
100	Jacob Ingham	G	Mississauga (OHL)	6-3/185	10-Jun-00
HM	Curtis Hall	C	Youngstown (USHL)	6-2/195	26-Apr-00
HM	Toni Utunen	D	LeKi (Fin 2)	5-11/175	27-Apr-00
HM	Riley Damiani	C	Kitchener (OHL)	5-10/165	20-Mar-00
HM	Cole Fonstad	C	Prince Albert (WHL)	5-10/160	24-Apr-00
HM	Pavel Gogolev	RW	Peterborough (OHL)	6-0/175	19-Feb-00
HM	Jan Jenik	RW	Benatky nad Jizerou (Cze 2)	6-1/165	15-Sep-00
HM	Daniel Kurovsky	LW	Vitkovice (Cze)	6-4/200	4-Mar-98
HM	Luka Burzan	C	Brandon (WHL)	6-0/185	7-Jan-00
HM	Eric Florchuk	C	Saskatoon (WHL)	6-1/175	10-Jan-00
HM	David Levin	C	Sudbury (OHL)	5-10/180	16-Sep-99
HM	Chase Wouters	C	Saskatoon (WHL)	5-11/180	8-Feb-00
HM	Justus Annunen	G	Karpat Oulu (Fin Jr)	6-4/215	11-Mar-00
HM	Seth Barton	D	Trail (BCHL)	6-2/175	18-Aug-99
HM	Declan Chisholm	D	Peterborough (OHL)	6-1/185	12-Jan-00
HM	Paul Cotter	C	Lincoln (USHL)	6-0/190	16-Nov-99
HM	Caleb Everett	D	Saginaw (OHL)	6-2/185	20-Jan-00
HM	Johnny Gruden	C	NTDP (USA)	5-11/175	4-May-00
HM	Jordan Harris	D	Kimball Union (USHS-NH)	5-11/175	7-Jul-00
HM	Michael Kesselring	D	New Hampton School (USHS-NH)	6-4/185	13-Jan-00
HM	Juuso Ketola	D	Assat Pori (Fin Jr)	5-11/210	18-Mar-00
HM	Jackson Leppard	LW	Prince George (WHL)	6-1/200	18-Jan-00
HM	Scott Perunovich	D	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	5-10/170	18-Aug-98
HM	Ivan Prosvetov	G	Youngstown (USHL)	6-4/175	5-Mar-99
HM	Tyler Weiss	LW	NTDP (USA)	5-10/160	3-Jan-00
HM	Dmitri Zavgorodny	LW	Rimouski (QMJHL)	5-9/175	11-Aug-00

State of the CHL: The Western Hockey League

Vince Gibbons — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 16:45:59 +0000

The ebbs and flows of Junior hockey is part of what makes each season so interesting and entertaining. Powerhouse programs must reset every couple of years and out of those ashes new teams move to take over the league and dominate the game. This year in the WHL is no different with a couple of teams really taking steps forward with a good shot at becoming the WHL Champions and Memorial Cup Contenders. With the trade deadline recently passing (and what a wild ride that was this season), the rosters have stabilized and these will be the teams going forward.

Moose Jaw and Swift Current have taken the league by storm this year as they battle for home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Their division also boasts a Brandon Wheat Kings team that has been in and out of the CHL top 10 standing all year as well as the 100^th Memorial Cup hosts Regina Pats so game in and game out there has been highly competitive hockey, for critical points in the standings. Out in the West things are as competitive as ever with Everett, Portland, Kelowna and Victoria all within 4 points of each other at the top of the Western Conference. Everett continues to impress league-wide, with a sound defensive game and high end goaltending and solid team game. The other top teams of the East are sporting high end offensive talents like Cody Glass (Por), Skyler McKenzie (Por), Matthew Phillips (Vic), Kole Lind (Kel), and Dillion Dube (Kel) who are all having excellent seasons having been previously drafted into the NHL.

The Eastern Conference:

East Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Moose Jaw Warriors 48-38-7-1-2-79

Jayden Halbgewachs. Photo by Marc Smith

Moose Jaw has been an offensive dynamo all season and at the trade deadline were able to add pieces that will help stabilize the back end and the defensive game. The scoring is being led by two 20 year olds in Brayden Burke (Unsigned) and Jayden Halbgewach (signed SJS) who are sitting one and two in the WHL in scoring. These two might not even be the most offensive players on the team as Brett Howden missed 24 games and has only lately seemed to be hitting his stride. At the deadline Moose Jaw addressed their biggest needs by grabbing a big stay out home defenseman in Brandon Schuldhaus from Red Deer as well as top scoring defenseman and recent World Juniors Gold Medalist Kale Clague (LAK 2016) from Brandon. His dynamic puck moving skills should only enhance this team’s offensive prowess. The largest contribution from a draft eligible player has to have come from Jett Woo. He has been a consistent defender in all situations showing a strong competitive fire in his own zone. He isn’t a dynamic player but more of a jack of all trades defender who can chip in offensively while playing steady responsible minutes. This team has set themselves up to come out of the East as they have the top offensive numbers averaging nearly 0.75 of a goal per game more than anyone else in the league. That coupled with the roughly 3.00 overall goals against average is a strong indicator of future success for this win-now franchise.

Swift Current Bronco’s 49-33-12-3-1-70

Tyler Steembergen, Swift Current Broncos. Photo courtesy of Swift Current Broncos,

Swift Current possess the most dynamic duo in the league this year and it really hasn’t even been that close. Tyler Steenbergen (Ari) is averaging over one goal per game with 36 in 34 games while averaging an assist per game at 35 assists in 34 games. Even more impressive is Aleksi Heponiemi (Fla) who has 89 points in just 37 games (2.41ppg). Throw in an amazing overage year for Glenn Gawdin (Cgy) and they were a one line team who were impressing night after night. Over the course of the season a number of key additions have been made to balance out the scoring and ensure the team kept rolling with a few key members at the WJC. Matteo Gennaro, Beck Malenstyn, and Giorgio Estephan now lead a more than capable supporting cast of forwards who will help the offense. On the defensive side Colby Sissons (NJ) has taken a big step offensively while maintaining his strong defensive play. Finally the addition of Stuart Skinner (Edm) as a true #1 has been a great add as they push for a seemingly inevitable clash with Moose Jaw in the Eastern Final. Riley Stotts (2018) had been their best draft eligible prospect but was moved out to add Gennaro and Malenstyn so they look pretty thin for 2000’s on the roster.

Brandon Wheat Kings 48-28-15-3-2-61

Stelios Matheos, Photo by Tim Smith, courtesy of the WHL

You can assess what Brandon thought of their chances of coming out of the East this year by what they did at the deadline. After being in and out of the CHL top 10 most of the season Brandon traded away their MVP and perhaps the top defenseman in the league this year to a divisional rival in Moose Jaw. Brandon had been paced by Ty Lewis and Stelio Mattheos up front both on pace for 40 goals seasons but that didn’t look to be enough to get past one let alone both of Moose Jaw and Swift Current. Brandon has a lot of young talent to build around going forward with Chase Hartje (2018) and Luka Burzan (2018) coming over in the deal for Clague, as well as the home grown Cole Reinhardt (2018). The nicest future piece could be the speedy play in Jonny Hooker (2020) who has not looked out of place in a his 31 games.

Regina Pats 49-24-20-5-0-53

As the Host of this year’s Memorial Cup Regina has a spot already booked in the tournament but has been adding veteran players throughout the season to ensure a strong showing. The team has been built around an impressive top pairing for Josh Mahura and Cale Fleury. Both log big minutes in all situations creating offense while shutting the door on some of the top forwards in the WHL. Mahura has taken another step this year and his offensive production has been amongst the league leaders from the back end. Cameron Hebig has adjusted quickly to add some 20 year old offense after a slow offensive starts to the season for Nick Henry (Col) and Jake Leschyshyn (VGK). Sam Steel (Ana) is really the straw that stirs the drink for this team offensively as he averages over 1.3 ppg heading into the last 20 games of the season. This team is poised to be the top wild card which is a pretty favorable outcome heading out of the division and avoiding the top three teams in the conference. Despite trading away a lot of youth to keep the team strong for a host season the club have managed to keep Emil Oksanen (2018) on the roster through the deadline. He is a fast, offensive minded right shot winger who is averaging just under a point per game while looking to be drafted in his second year of eligibility.

Saskatoon Blades 48-23-22-2-1-49

Saskatoon will likely make the playoffs as the Central Division is really struggling to produce anything that resembles a challenge for the Wild card. Saskatoon has to be pleased with the development of Eric Florchuk (2018) and Chase Wouters (2018) who have both been solid contributors. While neither looks to be a high end offensive talent at the pro level both have shown themselves to be effective secondary producers in junior. Throw in the development of Kirby Dach (2019) and Saskatoon looks ready to take over the division as some of these teams start to age out of their current rosters.

Prince Albert Raiders 47-18-20-7-2-45

As the division basement dwellers standing suggests they are weaker than all the previously mentioned teams. That said they likely would make the playoffs as a 2 or 3 seed in the Central division. The team plays a structured game and while there aren’t big name drafted players Vojtech Budik (Buf) has acquitted himself well on the back end. The real jewel of Prince Albert’s roster is Cole Fonstand (2018) who leads all WHL draft eligible players in primary points with 34 in 47 games. Overall he averages .98 points per game and is able to drive offense despite being undersized on a team that doesn’t have a ton of high end support for him.

Central Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Medicine Hat Tigers 48-24-19-5-0-53

The Tigers lead the Central division by a pretty wide margin in what could be the worst division in the CHL this season. The team is led in all respects by David Quenneville (NYI) who drives play with his excellent transition game and is leading the WHL in defensive scoring this year with 53 points. Medicine Hat has a pretty young team that is gaining confidence with each victory this year. That youth is led by 2018 draft eligible Ryan Chyzowski, who has good size and can play in all three zones. He has earned power play time in the second half of the season which should help improve his production (15G, 17A) as we close out the season.

Lethbridge Hurricanes 47-22-21-4-0-48

Lethbridge has been a team in flux. Earlier in the season they seemed to be making a push acquiring Lane Zablocki (Det) from Red Deer but then at the deadline shipped him to Victoria to help them make a push. Once the decision to move out some veterans had been made they moved major assets in Stuart Skinner (Edm) and Giorgio Estephan to bring back some youth and draft picks. In a division where a win one lose one record pulls you ahead for a playoff spot the team is not a serious contender to oust any of the power house teams in the Eastern division. Through all this transition one thing has been a constant; undersized defender Calen Addison (2018) has been driving offensive chances and using his great vision and playmaking to produce points at a very high level (G-7-A-33-PTS-40).

Kooteney ICE 47-21-23-3-0-45

Kooteney has been in the basement of this division since the departure of Sam Reinhart (Buf) to the NHL. This current incarnation’s place in the standings is more the rest of the division getting worse than it is of team gaining legitimacy as a force in the Central. The most impressive piece on this roster is 16 year old Peyton Krebs (2019) who looks every bit the part of a first overall pick from the 2016 Bantam Draft. He is near a point per game playing in all situations and is second on the team scoring in his Draft -1 year, very impressive.

Calgary Hitmen 47-15-26-5-1-36

The Calgary Hitman had a fire sale this season and while most of the assets collected came back in draft picks a good number of draft eligible players remain part of the roster. With Jake Bean (Car) moved out Vladislav Yeryomenko (2018) has become the number one defender for this team. He is aggressive and skates very well with and without the puck and is starting to show better playmaking skills. In addition a rookie in Jackson Van De Leest (2019) has shown he is capable of helping shoulder more minutes on the back end. Those kids coupled with the a nice collection of 17 year olds in Riley Stotts (2018), Carson Focht (2018), Tristen Nielsen (2018), and Egor Zamula (2018) are all getting valuable minutes for the remainder of the season.

Red Deer Rebels 47-11-25-8-3-33

The Rebels have under achieved throughout the early part of the season forcing management’s hand to start rebuilding. Two key pieces in the rebuild look to be Kristian Reichel (2018) and Alex Alexeyev (2018). While playing in the Czech league Reichel was overlooked but this year in Red Deer coupled with a strong showing at the WJC have him moving up draft boards. His skating is very strong which has helped him establish himself as a 200 foot player capable of producing and defending. Alexeyev has been impressive this year and he has dynamic skating and excellent vision and passing skills. He needs to work on his game in his own zone and can have mental lapses in his own zone but he has a ton of potential. They have also been running a 2019 eligible goalie as a starter for most of this season. Ethan Anders‘ (2019) numbers have been respectable despite a number of breakdowns defensively in front of him.

Edmonton Oil Kings 46-13-27-4-2-32

Edmonton’s Memorial Cup victory seems a long time ago as the organization has had another tough season after building back to back Memorial Cup teams just a few years ago. The offense comes from the stick of Trey Fix-Wolansky (Unsigned) who is a very dangerous undersized player. Brett Kemp (2018) may be a late round pick this year despite the team’s struggles overall. The real developmental progression for the Oil Kings is in the 2001’s where Matthew Robertson and Liam Keeler both have shown some real promise.

The Western Conference:

U.S. Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Everett Silvertips 48-30-16-1-1-62

Everett seems to be built for playoff hockey. Carter Hart (Phi), after being afflicted with mono to start the season, has rebounded to put up some ridiculous numbers. His sparkling 1.51 GAA in 24 games is leaps and bounds better than anyone else in the league. By comparison only three other goalies have a GAA under 3.00 (at least 20 games played) and the best of them is at a 2.77. His save % of .953 is 40 points higher than the next goalie who has played at least 20 games. The scoring is well distributed on this team but the real punch comes from two overage players that have produced while still buying into the defense first system of head coach Dennis Williams. Both Matt Fonteyne and Patrick Bajkov have really shown something this year as they both average well over 1.00 ppg. 2018 draft eligible Riley Sutter has shown that he too can generate offense while playing a sound defensive game. He has good size and speed that sets him apart from other draft eligible forwards in this year’s draft.

Portland Winterhawks 47-28-15-1-3-60

Portland boasts some of the most offensively gifted players in the league. Undersized Skyler McKenzie (Wpg) has a shot at eclipsing 100pts this year and is still targeting a 50 goal season. He likely is the third best forward on his line as he skates with Cody Glass (VGK) and Kieffer Bellows (NYI) on a nightly basis. On the back end they are led by Henri Jokiharju (Chi) and the recently added Dennis Cholowski (Det). Both of these defenders can carry the puck and distribute it at a high level. John Ludvig is the most likely 2018 prospect for this team. He is a pretty effective defensive defenseman capable of making a good first pass while playing a strong physical game.

Seattle Thunderbirds 47-25-16-4-2-56

After losing Matt Barzal (NYI), Ryan Gropp (NYR), and Ethan Bear (Edm) a by-committee approach has led to solid season in the US Division for Seattle. The team sports five players in Nolan Volcan (Unsigned), Donovan Neuls (Unsigned), Zack Andrusiak (Unsigned), Austin Strand (LAK) and Sami Moilanen (Unsigned) who all average right around 1.00 ppg. Seattle has been looking for a stabilizing force in net as three goalies have played over ten games each already this season. The duo of Dorrin Luding (Unsigned) and Liam Hughes (Unsigned) will be asked to deliver solid performances down the stretch if they have any hopes of catching either Portland or Everett.

Tri-City Americans 46-23-16-7-0-53

Juuso Valimaki of the Tri-City Americans.

A highly competitive team that relies on the strength of their back end and strong overage goaltending to compete in a challenging division. The deadline acquisition of Jake Bean (Car) from the Calgary Hitmen really sets the expectations for the group heading into the last 20 games. Dylan Coghlan (Vgk) , Bean and Juuso Valimaki (Cgy) all put up excellent offensive numbers. Up front Morgan Geekie (Car) has been very consistent this year averaging the 1.25 ppg he did in his draft season. Isaac Johnson leads the charge for 2018 potential draft picks as he has a big frame and some decent offensive skills for an overage player. Highly touted Michael Rasmussen (Det) has continued to show his goal scoring prowess this season dispute struggling to stay in the lineup.

Spokane Chiefs 47-25-19-1-2-53

Jaret Anderson-Dolan, photo by Larry Brunt/Spokane Chiefs

The optics of being last in the division do not reflect the strength of this team and their potential to win a round as a wild card in the playoffs. Jaret Anderson-Dolan (LAK) has been a consistent and steady force for this team as it started without one of the most dynamic players in the league in Kailer Yamomoto (Edm). Now 20 games in Yamamoto has rounded back into form and is averaging 1.48 PPG. Add in the early season trade the brought in Zach Fischer (Cgy) the team has a nice balanced group of forwards. On the back end they boast Ty Smith (2018) who has a real shot at going in the top 10 of this year’s NHL entry draft. Despite his stature he projects to be a dynamic playmaker that can carry the puck with speed, while displaying excellent vision and playmaking ability.

B.C. Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Kelowna Rockets 46-29-14-2-1-61

Cal Foote of Kelowna Rockets

Kelowna’s roster is loaded to bear and despite a lot of injury trouble with key players have been able to battle to the top of the B.C. Division. Kelowna was able to provide the captain for team Canada in Dillon Dube (Cgy), while also providing minute munching defender Cal Foote (TBL). Foote brings the gritty toughness you love in a top pairing defenseman while still being a good playmaker and shooter. Kole Lind (Van) has been pacing the offense this year along with Carsen Twarynski (Phi) as both are on pace to hit 40 goals this season. While being loaded with current draft picks the team still has a number of pieces NHL teams will covet over the next few drafts, Kyle Topping (2018), Libor Zabransky (2018), and Nolan Foote (2019) have all been large contributors to the team’s success this year which bodes well over the next few seasons.

Victoria Royals 48-27-17-3-1-58

Matthew Phillips (Cgy) has been one of the top goal scorers in the entire WHL over the past three seasons and with him signing his ELC in December will very likely be gone after this year. With a goal scoring talent like that leaving town Victoria has a gone all in this year adding Tanner Kaspick (StL), Noah Gregor (SJS), Lane Zablocki (Det), Andrei Grishakov, and Jeff De Wit, showing a real commitment to making their way out of the Western Conference. Tyler Soy (Ana) who early in the season was recognized as the CHL player of the week has had points in 13 of his last 15 games while the new players have since established some chemistry with their new team. In net Griffen Outhouse leads the league in shots faced and saves giving him a very respectable .912 Sv% this season which puts him 3^rd in the league for goalies who have played in over 20 games. If he can stay hot into the playoffs Victoria has a real chance at making the Western Final.

Vancouver Giants 47-25-15-4-3-57

Ty Ronning (NYR) paces Vancouver’s offense with his impressive 42 goals in just 49 games this season. This is even more impressive given that Tyler Benson (Edm) has continued to be plagued by injury problems, missing 13 games already this year after having missed 39 in 2017 and 42 in 2016. Milos Roman (2018) has taken advantage of this and has been providing a playmaking presence on the team with his 21 assists with many projecting him to be a top 60 pick this year.

Kamloops Blazers 47-21-23-1-2-45

Kamloops shipped out a number of their top guys at the deadline with key personnel Garrett Pilon and Ondrej Vala both leaving for Everett. The strength of the U.S. division means that a team stuck in neutral in the B.C. division is a long shot to make the playoffs and Kamloops would have to play lights out down the stretch to even catch a Wild Card spot.

Prince George Cougars 48-18-23-4-3

With Dennis Cholowski (Det) joining the Cougars this summer rather than continue along the college route there was a heightened expectation that was never reached this year. He was impressive scoring 13 goals and 26 assists prior to the trade deadline but could not carry the team. A major hole in the team this season has been scoring with just one player (Josh Maser) with over 20 goals. Nikita Popugaev (NJD), a promising Russian import was expected to lead the line offensively however his commitment to a total team game was lacking, as was his commitment to play in North America as he jumped ship back to Russian after only 13 games. There are a couple of promising youngsters that could hear their names called at the 2018 NHL Entry draft this year including Ilijah Colina, and Jackson Leppard. Leppard is a power forward with a big body and frame that can really shoot the puck, while Colina is a small speedy winger who was in the bottom six in Portland until heading north of the border. Since joining Prince George he has scored 6pts in 9 games in an expanded role with his new team.

***

This season the WHL has two highly competitive divisions and five elite teams in Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Everett, Portland and Kelowna all with a real shot at making the Championship series. The wildcard format is very practical this year, as without it a quality team would be left out of the playoff picture in each Conference. While it is a much debated structure in hockey this season in particular shows the practicality of having potential divisional cross over teams as it ensures that the best 16 teams in the WHL get a shot to go for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, which would not have been the case in a pure divisional playoff structure.

Eric Florchuk – McKeen's Hockey

WHL 2019-2020 Season Preview – Eastern Conference

East Division

Winnipeg ICE (1st)

Saskatoon Blades (2nd)

Prince Albert Raiders (3rd)

Brandon Wheat Kings (4th)

Moose Jaw Warriors (5th)

Regina Pats (6th)

Central Division

Calgary Hitmen (1st)

Edmonton Oil Kings (2nd)

Medicine Hat Tigers (3rd)

Lethbridge Hurricanes (4th)

Red Deer Rebels (5th)

Swift Current Broncos (6th)

Washington Capitals 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

WHL Playoff Preview (Eastern Conference): Prince Albert dominates but Vancouver hot down the stretch

WHL 2018-19 Season Preview

2018 NHL Draft Review: Metropolitan Division

2018 NHL Draft – McKeen’s Mid Season Rankings – Top 100 plus Honourable Mentions

State of the CHL: The Western Hockey League

The Eastern Conference:

East Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Moose Jaw Warriors 48-38-7-1-2-79

Swift Current Bronco’s 49-33-12-3-1-70

Brandon Wheat Kings 48-28-15-3-2-61

Regina Pats 49-24-20-5-0-53

Saskatoon Blades 48-23-22-2-1-49

Prince Albert Raiders 47-18-20-7-2-45

Central Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Medicine Hat Tigers 48-24-19-5-0-53

Lethbridge Hurricanes 47-22-21-4-0-48

Kooteney ICE 47-21-23-3-0-45

Calgary Hitmen 47-15-26-5-1-36

Red Deer Rebels 47-11-25-8-3-33

Edmonton Oil Kings 46-13-27-4-2-32

The Western Conference:

U.S. Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Everett Silvertips 48-30-16-1-1-62

Portland Winterhawks 47-28-15-1-3-60

Seattle Thunderbirds 47-25-16-4-2-56

Tri-City Americans 46-23-16-7-0-53

Spokane Chiefs 47-25-19-1-2-53