Felix Sandstrom – McKeen's Hockey

FANTASY: The Week Ahead – October 30th – November 6th

Ryan Dadoun — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 19:58:30 +0000

NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 13: Arizona Coyotes defenseman Sean Durzi (50) skates with the puck during a game between the Arizona Coyotes and New Jersey Devils on October 13, 2023 at Prudential Center in the Newark, New Jersey.(Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

By NHL standards, the San Jose Sharks are very bad at playing hockey. That’s among the least controversial takes I could possibly have, and had I made the same statement back in September, I wouldn’t have gotten much pushback. They were 22-44-16 last year even with Norris Trophy-winner Erik Karlsson, so unsurprisingly, they’re even worse after trading him.

So, of course, they’re bad, but is it possible this is the worst NHL team ever? The fact that they’re 0-8-1 is dreadful, but that alone isn’t unprecedented. The 1993-94 Sharks also had just one point through nine contests before salvaging the campaign with a so-so 33-35-16 record.

Still, it’s not just that they’re winless, it’s that their offense is non-existent with nine goals in nine games. At least in 1993-94, the Sharks had some ability to find the back of the net even during their opening struggles, managing 13 goals.

Let’s give some context for how bad San Jose’s woes are: The all-time worst offense was the 1928-29 Chicago Blackhawks, which finished with an average of 0.75 goals per game. The second worst is the 2023-24 Sharks -- at least so far, and that is the silver lining because there is reason to believe the Sharks might improve.

Logan Couture (lower body) hasn’t played yet this season, but he has been skating, and once he returns, he should play a big role in guiding the offense. The Sharks also got Mikael Granlund (lower body) back Sunday after a seven-game absence, so that helps too.

Plus, San Jose has arguably been suffering from bad puck luck. Going into Sunday’s contest, its Expected Goals For stood at 17.43, per Moneypuck, which isn’t good (it was 31st in the league), but it’s far better than the eight markers the Sharks had to that point. In fact, their Goals For Above Expected of -9.43 was the worst in the league, so an argument could be made that they are due for a break and might see improvement even if they just continue playing as they have been.

The Sharks have also finished their grueling five-game road trip, so now they can rest and practice until Thursday’s contest versus Vancouver.

Anaheim Ducks

Many teams have light schedules this week, which made it a bit hard to find squads to highlight. Because of that, Anaheim made the cut despite playing in Pittsburgh on Monday and hosting the Golden Knights on Sunday. At least the Ducks get a home game versus Arizona on Wednesday. Additionally, the Penguins are off to a 3-5-0 start, so Karlsson’s new team isn’t faring especially well either.

The Ducks are also on a roll, having won three straight games to improve to 4-4-0. Frank Vatrano had a hat trick Saturday, giving him an incredible eight goals and nine points in eight contests. The 29-year-old has never recorded over 24 goals in a single season, and his 27.6 shooting percentage in 2023-24 seems unsustainable, especially when measured against his career average of 10.6. Still, there might be more left in this hot streak.

If you want someone with staying power though, Mason McTavish is the real deal. While he might not maintain his current point-per-game pace (three goals and eight points in eight appearances), the 20-year-old does have tremendous offensive upside and is logging big minutes, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him finish with 60-plus points.

Speaking of Anaheim’s young core, I wouldn’t worry too much about Trevor Zegras, who has just two points through eight contests. He’s averaging 3.00 shots per game, which is above his career average of 2.35, and it’s just a matter of time before he starts to heat up. He did score a goal Saturday, so perhaps that’s the start of his turnaround.

Arizona Coyotes

Wednesday’s game against Anaheim is the Coyotes’ only road contest of the week. Outside of that, Arizona will host Chicago, Montreal and Winnipeg on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, respectively. None of those teams entered the campaign with high expectations, though it is worth noting that the Canadiens have started hot with a 5-2-1 record.

Defenseman Sean Durzi will be one to watch this week. He has three goals and two assists through seven contests, including four points over his last four outings. This could be a big campaign for him. He had nine goals and 38 points in 72 outings with Los Angeles while averaging 19:47 of ice time last season. Now with Arizona, he’s averaging 23:23, including 4:41 with the man advantage.

Matias Maccelli is another young player looking to take a step up this year. He had 11 goals and 49 points in 64 appearances in 2022-23, which was good for fourth place in Calder Trophy voting. After a quiet start to the campaign, he’s entering Monday’s contest on a four-game point streak, during which he’s contributed a goal and four assists.

If you want a higher-risk play, there’s a good chance you could scoop up Alex Kerfoot for this week, especially after he went scoreless over the first seven games of the campaign. The reason why Kerfoot is worthy of consideration is because since Jason Zucker sustained a lower-body injury, Kerfoot has gained a spot on Arizona’s second power-play unit. It hasn’t led to production yet, but the 29-year-old forward did have 51 points in 82 contests with Toronto in 2021-22, and he’s surpassed the 40-point mark on three separate occasions, so he can contribute offensively.

Dallas Stars

The Stars have a full schedule this week. They’ll host Columbus on Monday, before starting a road trip that will take them to Calgary on Wednesday, Edmonton on Thursday and Vancouver on Saturday. The Oilers (2-5-1) and Flames (2-6-1) have gotten off to dreadful starts this season, so perhaps Dallas will be able to take advantage. In terms of goals allowed per game, Calgary ranks 28th (3.67) and Edmonton’s 31st (4.00), so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Stars’ forwards shine during those outings.

Keep an eye on Matt Duchene this week. The 32-year-old was held off the scoresheet over his first two contests with the Predators, but he’s starting to heat up, having registered an assist in each of his last two contests. Duchene should be plenty motivated while playing on a one-year, $3 million contract after being bought out by Nashville, and the Stars are putting him in a position to succeed by giving him an average of 17:52 of ice per game.

I’m less optimistic about Evgenii Dadonov -- at least in the short term. He did find the back of the net Tuesday, ending his season-opening four-game point drought, but it wasn’t enough to impress coach Peter DeBoer, who deployed him for just 13:37 versus Toronto on Thursday. Dadonov also hasn’t seen any power-play ice time over the last two contests, and until that changes, I don’t recommend using him.

Instead, Mason Marchment might surprise this week. He inherited Dadonov’s spot on the second power-play unit, and Marchment scored his first goal of the season while firing seven shots Thursday.

Nashville Predators

The Predators are on the road this week with games against Vancouver on Tuesday, Seattle on Thursday and Edmonton on Saturday. While a set of road contests is never ideal, there is an opportunity here for Nashville given struggles plaguing the Oilers and Kraken.

Luke Evangelista in particular might take advantage of Nashville’s cold competition. The 21-year-old forward has a goal and five points over his last four contests. He’s averaged just 14:57 of ice time this season, but that’s ballooned to 17:47 over his last three outings.

Evangelista’s linemate, Thomas Novak, is also clicking, with three goals and five points over his last five games. Novak recorded 17 goals and 43 points in 51 outings last year and might be able to flirt with the 60-point mark in 2023-24 if he stays healthy.

In net, it wouldn’t be surprising if Kevin Lankinen gets into a game. Sure, the schedule is spread out enough that it isn’t strictly necessary, but Juuse Saros has already started in eight straight contests, so it might be time to give him a breather. Lankinen has made one relief appearance, stopping just 17 of 19 shots, but he was solid when called upon last year with a 9-8-1 record, 2.75 GAA and .916 save percentage in 19 outings.

New Jersey Devils

Like Nashville, New Jersey is on the road this week with games in Minnesota on Thursday, St. Louis on Friday and Chicago on Sunday. None of those adversaries have won a majority of their games, though the Blues at least have an even points percentage at 3-3-1.

Jack Hughes saw his season-opening seven-game point streak come to an end Sunday, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he bounces right back. He’s been dominant thus far with five goals and 18 points through eight appearances. Meanwhile, his teammate and brother Luke Hughes is starting to get comfortable in the NHL, collecting five assists over his last three outings to bring him up to six points overall. Luke’s role on the power play is a huge part of his value -- four of his points have come with the man advantage.

Tyler Toffoli had an amazing week, scoring a hat trick versus Montreal and totaling six goals and seven points over his last four contests. The Flames dealt him to New Jersey over the summer because he was entering the final year of his contract, but given their offensive woes this year, you’d have to think there is a wish there that things could have ended differently.

One Devils forward who isn’t hot, but worth keeping an eye on is Dawson Mercer. He has no points and just six shots through eight outings, but the 22-year-old forward should bounce back. With Nico Hischier (upper body) day-to-day, Mercer is getting a big role, logging a season-high 21:03 of ice time Sunday.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have a busy week, hosting Carolina and Buffalo on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, before visiting the Sabres on Friday and promptly returning home to host the Kings on Saturday. None of those figure to be easy games, though the Flyers have defied expectations with their 4-3-1 record.

Bobby Brink is part of the reason why Philadelphia has done alright. He has two goals and four points over his last two contests, bringing him up to six points through seven outings. That offensive outburst has propelled him into a tie with Luke Hughes for second place on the rookie scoring list (Ottawa’s Ridly Greig leads the chart with seven points in eight games). Like a lot of young players, it wouldn’t be surprising if Brink is streaky this season, but he’s worth grabbing while he’s hot.

Another youngster, Owen Tippett, is also worth taking if available. After setting career highs in 2022-23 with 27 goals and 49 points in 77 outings, Tippett was held off the scoresheet for his first three contests this season before scoring a goal and five points over his last five outings. The 24-year-old has a top-six role and is seeing time on the power play.

Philadelphia’s busy schedule likely means Carter Hart will need a breather at some point this week, but it might not be Samuel Ersson who gets the start. Ersson’s been dreadful, stopping just 38 of 50 shots (.760 save percentage) over his first two appearances. Instead, it might be time to let Felix Sandstrom make his season debut. Sandstrom didn’t exactly wow in 2022-23 with a 3.72 GAA and an .880 save percentage in 20 outings, but at this point, he deserves a chance.

The Flyers also have Cal Petersen waiting in the AHL. However, the former Kings goaltender, who fell from grace last year with a 3.75 GAA and an .868 save percentage in 10 NHL appearances, hasn’t done well with AHL Lehigh Valley, recording a 3.76 GAA and an .884 save percentage in four contests, so he hasn’t put himself in a position to take advantage of Ersson’s struggles.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning will host the struggling Kraken on Monday before going on the road to face Columbus on Thursday and Ottawa on Saturday. All of those are winnable games for Tampa Bay.

The Lightning did struggle early on, in no small part because Jonas Johansson struggled early as Andrei Vasilevskiy’s (back) temporary replacement. Recently though, a switch has been flipped. Johansson has posted back-to-back shutouts while saving 55 shots over that stretch. It won’t last, but Seattle has averaged just 2.22 goals per game this year, so Johansson’s hot streak might extend at least one more game.

Nick Paul might be enjoying more than just a hot streak after contributing five goals and seven points through eight games. The 28-year-old’s career highs are 17 goals and 32 points, so some caution is needed when evaluating Paul, but this campaign does have the potential to be different. He’s carved out a spot on the top power-play unit, which has accounted for three of his goals as well as an assist thus far. Before this season, Paul had never averaged more than 1:12 per game with the man advantage, so keeping his current special team role would be a huge boost for him.

Vegas Golden Knights

At 8-0-1, Vegas still hasn’t lost in regulation. The Golden Knights will seek to keep the good times rolling as they host Montreal, Winnipeg and Colorado on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Vegas will conclude the week with a road contest versus Anaheim on Sunday.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Adin Hill and Logan Thompson each take two of those starts. They’ve combined for a 2.18 GAA and a .923 save percentage through nine contests, so coach Bruce Cassidy has no reason to disrupt the goalie rotation. It’s worth noting that Vegas ranks 31st in 5v5 expected goals against with 20.43, ahead of only the horrific Sharks, so if not for some stunning play from the netminders, the Golden Knights wouldn’t look nearly as good.

Then again, they’d still have William Karlsson, who is on a six-game point streak, providing three goals and five assists in that span. They’d also have Jack Eichel, who is having another strong campaign with three goals and nine points through nine outings.

One lower-profile player who is quietly doing his part is Michael Amadio. The 27-year-old has never recorded more than 27 points in a single season and is serving in a bottom-six capacity, so he’s not expected to have a big offensive season. That said, he might be worth a short-term pickup after scoring a goal and four points over his last four outings.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Injuries provide opportunities – Blues resurrecting careers in Blais, Vrana and Kapanen

Scott Cullen — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 16:02:32 +0000

Each week I dive into the numbers and offer some insights that should help when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, the 2022-2023 NHL season is winding down and there are opportunities available for a rookie defenseman like Jake Sanderson to step up and the St. Louis Blues have been working quite successfully on resurrecting the careers of some forwards, including Sammy Blais, Jakub Vrana, and Kasperi Kapanen.

OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 22: Ottawa Senators Defenceman Jake Sanderson (85) before a face-off during third period National Hockey League action between the Arizona Coyotes and Ottawa Senators on October 22, 2022, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

#1 Ottawa Senators rookie blueliner Jake Sanderson has had an excellent first season in the NHL and looks like he should see a big role in the final few weeks of the season. Thomas Chabot and Jakob Chychrun are both out, which opens the door for Sanderson to see first unit power play time and extra ice time has resulted in more production for the freshman defenseman. Sanderson played a career high 27:49 against Philadelphia on Thursday and has played more than 23 minutes in 22 games this season, recording 11 assists in those games, including seven helpers with the man advantage.

ST. LOUIS, MO - FEBRUARY 28: St. Louis Blues left wing Sammy Blais (79) looks for a shooting lane during a game between the Seattle Kraken and the St. Louis Blues on February 28 2023, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis MO (Photo by Rick Ulreich/Icon Sportswire)

#2 Seeing what he has been able to accomplish since returning to St. Louis, it feels like the New York Rangers might have missed out on the best of Sammy Blais, who was primarily a spare part in his time with the Blueshirts. In his past 12 games, Blais has 15 points (6 G, 9 A) and 53 hits, making him a hugely valuable fantasy contributor and one that is widely available.

#3 Cast aside by the Detroit Red Wings, Jakub Vrana is quickly re-establishing his credentials as a top goal scorer. He scored a goal in Thursday’s 5-3 win at Chicago, making it nine goals and 43 shots on goal in 13 games since he was acquired by the Blues. He now has 23 goals in 44 games since the start of last season.

#4 While we’re hanging out praise in St. Louis, might as well include right winger Kasperi Kapanen, getting another chance to play up in the lineup after his progress stalled in Toronto and Pittsburgh. The 26-year-old speedster has nine points (5 G, 4 A), with 20 shots on goal while playing more than 17 minutes per game, in his past eight contests. With Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich injured, Kapanen has even moved to the middle, playing center between Blais and Jordan Kyrou.

#5 Although he is not as dangerous as he was during his prime years in New Jersey, the Islanders’ Kyle Palmieri is providing much-needed offense for a team making a push to the playoffs. Since the trade deadline, Palmieri has 13 points (6 G, 7 A) and 30 shots on goal in 12 games. He is up to 15 goals in 49 games and the last time he had more in a season was when he scored 25 in 2019-2020, his last full season with the Devils.

#6 The Nashville Predators remain in the playoff hunt, but they are missing star defenseman Roman Josi, who has an upper-body injury. Fortunately for the Preds, newly acquired Tyson Barrie is helping to fill the role of puck-moving blueliner, contributing seven points (2 G, 5 A) while averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time per game in his past eight games. Barrie’s ice time had dipped the past couple of seasons in Edmonton, but he has spent most of his career logging 21+ minutes of ice time per game, so he can handle this responsibility.

#7 In what has mostly been a lost season, the Philadelphia Flyers can take some solace in the development of young players. One of those players that is rising to the forefront is 23-year-old center Morgan Frost, who has nine points (4 G, 5 A) and 16 shots on goal in his pats eight games. He has landed in the middle of a line with Joel Farabee and Owen Tippett, players that should be part of the Flyers’ future, so it would make sense to feed them big minutes the rest of the way.

#8 Production tends to run hot and cold for Edmonton Oilers right winger Kailer Yamamoto, but he seems to have found his groove right now, skating on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane, which is admittedly a pretty good spot for point production. In his past seven games, Yamamoto has seven points (2 G, 5 A) and 12 shots on goal. While he has just 24 points in 52 games this season, he did have a career-high 41 points in 81 games last season, so there is some untapped offensive upside in the diminutive 24-year-old winger.

#9 Finding productive fourth line scoring is a rarity in the National Hockey League, but it appears that the Seattle Kraken have a reliable source in Daniel Sprong. In his past 11 games, the 26-year-old winger has 10 points (5 G, 5 A) and 25 shots on goal, while averaging just 10:38 of ice time per game. Among players that have played more than 500 five-on-five minutes, Kraken teammate Jared McCann and Montreal’s Cole Caufield are the only ones that have scored at a higher rate than Sprong’s 1.57 goals per 60 minutes.

#10 One of my favorite players to recommend late in the season has been Arizona Coyotes center Barrett Hayton, who is thriving on a line with Clayton Keller. In his past 12 games, Hayton has 16 points (7 G, 9 A) and 33 shots on goal while averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game. It has taken some time since he was drafted fifth overall in the 2018 Draft, but Hayton’s emergence in the second half of this season should give the Coyotes confidence that he the 22-year-old pivot can be a part of the long-term solution for the franchise.

#11 Injuries have taken their toll on Montreal Canadiens right winger Brendan Gallagher, not only keeping him out of the lineup for extended periods, but also diminishing what he can contribute when he is available to play. Since returning from his latest turn on the injured list, though, Gallagher is looking healthy and has produced four points (3 G, 1 A) and 16 shots on goal in six games. The Habs are cobbling together a functional lineup at this point, with so many players hurt, but Gallagher is getting first unit power play time in addition to skating on a line with Jake Evans and Sean Farrell, the 2020 fourth-round pick who was just signed out of Harvard.

#12 For a defenseman who has never had 25 points in a season, Florida Panthers blueliner Radko Gudas still has a measure of fantasy value because he is a man with a particular set of skills. He hits and hits a lot. In his past 17 games, Gudas has a modest total of four assists, but he also has 90 hits, which works out to 5.3 hits per game. With 280 hits, he ranks third, just behind Luke Schenn (283) and Tanner Jeannot (281).

#13 The season has been undeniably rough for the Anaheim Ducks, but it is not going to get any better with Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry out of the lineup. Zegras is injured and Terry is staying in Anaheim due to the premature birth of his child. Isaac Lundestrom is getting first line duty at center but has gone 14 games without a point. If there is fantasy value to be found in the Ducks lineup, look to Jakob Silfverberg, who has four assists in his past five games, or Derek Grant, who has six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past 10 games. Okay, those are really only options for the deepest of leagues.

#14 With Buffalo Sabres star center Tage Thompson dealing with an upper-body injury, Casey Mittelstadt is getting a shot on the top line between Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch. Mittelstadt could stand to shoot the puck more often but does have four assists in his past six games, giving him a career high 44 points (10 G, 34 A) for the season.

#15 Since Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart is dealing with a lower-body injury, that should mean more action for Felix Sandstrom and potentially Samuel Ersson, too. Sandstrom has not shown much in a backup role this season but does have a .900 save percentage in five starts since the trade deadline. Ersson has not played for the Flyers since allowing seven goals on 36 shots at New Jersey on February 25, but he had a few standout performances, too, including a 28-save shutout against Buffalo. Speaking of Buffalo, a better option for goaltending late in the season could be Devon Levi, who is set to make his debut for the Sabres on Friday. Levi was a seventh-round pick in 2020 but just wrapped up a college career in which he had a .942 save percentage in 66 games for Northeastern.

#16 Injuries have caught up to the San Jose Sharks, with Alexander Barbanov, Andreas Johnsson, and Evgeny Svechnikov all out of action. That has opened the door for Jacob Peterson, Martin Kaut, and Thomas Bordeleau to land top-six roles in the San Jose lineup. Peterson has three assists in four games since he was acquired from the Dallas Stars. Kaut, claimed off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche earlier in the season, has four points (2 G, 2 A) with 11 shots on goal in his past five games. Bordeleau recorded an assist in his first game of the season for the Sharks after tallying 41 points (22 G, 19 A) in 64 AHL games. None of these players look like stars, but they are getting a great opportunity at the end of this season to show that they belong in the league.

#17 The top two rookie scorers since the trade deadline play for the Arizona Coyotes. Matias Maccelli has 13 points (6 G, 7 A) and is followed by Jack McBain, who has 10 points (3 G, 7 A). They have most recently been skating with Lawson Crouse on the second line in addition to sharing second unit power play time. Maccelli now ranks second among all rookie scorers this season, with 43 points (10 G, 33 A) in 57 games.

#18 Another rookie forward contributing late in the season is Buffalo’s J.J. Peterka, who has nine points (2 G, 7 A) and 18 shots on goal in his past nine games. He has been skating on a line with Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn, with the 22-year-old Cozens counting as the old vet on the line.

#19 Minnesota Wild winger Matt Boldy leads the NHL with 12 goals in 13 games since the trade deadline. His 0.92 goals per game ranks first, ahead of Clayton Keller and Leon Draisaitl (0.79), Matthew Tkachuk (0.77), Auston Matthews and Alex Ovechkin (0.75). When it comes to points per game, Draisaitl leads with 1.93 points per game (11 G, 16 A in 14 GP), followed by Connor McDavid (1.86), Tkachuk (1.69), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (1.64), Cale Makar and J.T. Miller (1.62).

#20 Matthews has talked about how a hand injury had negatively impacted his production earlier in the season, but he sure seems to be firing on all cylinders now. Matthews has 67 shots on goal in 12 games since the deadline, an average of 5.58 per game, which leads the league. Before that, he was averaging 4.15 shots on goal per game, so that is a dramatic improvement, though it is admittedly skewed by his launching 15 shots on goal against Carolina on February 25. That is remarkable because the Hurricanes are, easily, the best team in the league when it comes to shot suppression, allowing an average of 25.7 shots against per 60 minutes. The rest of the shots per game leaders since the trade deadline: David Pastrnak (5.29), Viktor Arvidsson (4.75), Brady Tkachuk (4.71), Nathan MacKinnon (4.47), Jack Hughes (4.40), Matthew Tkachuk (4.38), Carter Verhaeghe (4.30), Sidney Crosby (4.21), and Jake Guentzel (4.14). Many of those names are to be expected, though Arvidsson and Verhaeghe are hanging in elite company. Crosby has clearly become more aggressive with his approach as the Penguins desperately cling to a playoff spot.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

Philadelphia – System Overview

Ryan Wagman — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 07:32:34 +0000

To paraphrase an old axiom from the days of legitimate voter fraud, the Philadelphia Flyers draft early and draft often. With 28 selections over the last three draft classes, including two top ten selections, the Flyers have rebuilt a system that had been lackluster at best and now ranks as one of the deepest and most impressive in the game.

Even with two of the better players of those three drafts already bonafide NHLers, this system has players for every position and every role. There are seven forwards who can all lay some claim to having top six upside. That is not to say that they will force out the dynamic NHL duo of Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek, but they will add significant breadth to the Flyers’ attack once they are ready to produce. The backhalf of the top ten – and looking deeper than them as well – has many more forwards who have games well suited for bottom six roles.

Looking at the blueline, and considering that the Flyers already have an awesome pair of young ones who have already graduated in Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov, there is much more on the way. Near the top of this list there are two – Philippe Myers and Travis Sanheim – who both have second pairing upside and look relatively near to being ready. Further down the list, we rank two other defenders who have NHL upside, but players like Robert Hagg or David Bernhardt, who would likely have fit into many other organizational top 20s, also could play in the NHL in some role.

Even with the above, it almost feels silly to suggest that the blueline might be the weakest positional area in the system. The players are good, some very good, but it is true that the Flyers are not deep in blueliners who have not yet graduated to NHL roles.

Finally, that leaves us with the goaltending. The Flyers, always known for being a goalie graveyard, have stockpiled goalie after goalie, trusting the eye of their GM, himself a longtime NHL netminder, to pick ones with high-end potential. Even though the team does not have an incumbent of great standing for the top level, it is rather difficult to say with any certainty which of their prospects is the heir-apparent, or even which is most ready to break through. We ranked Carter Hart ahead of Felix Sandstrom in the rankings, but there was very little space between the two.

Anthony Stolarz has looked sharp in limited NHL action, but if push came to shove, we would not bet too much cash that if the Flyers had a long term need at the position this year, they would not call up Alex Lyon instead. Beyond that, it would not be totally surprising if any of their other three netminders – Matej Tomek, Kirill Ustimenko, or Ivan Fedotov – eventually emerges as the best NHL player, although it is reasonable to note for now that they are all further away.

Patrick Nolan of the Brandon Wheat Kings, photo by

1 Nolan Patrick – Favored to be the 2017 first overall pick since before the 2016 draft, Patrick lost nearly half of his draft season to groin and shoulder injuries and still had many expecting him to go first overall. The Flyers did not mind one bit when he dropped to second. A strong, big-game player, he had the highest hockey IQ of anyone in the draft. Skating, shooting, and puck skills are also all high end. Assuming health, he should be able to step right into a middle six role with the Flyers, and has first line upside.

2 Travis Sanheim – The former first round pick had a solid, if unspectacular first full season with Lehigh Valley of the AHL. A good two-way defenseman who is just as comfortable quarterbacking a power play as he is guarding the slot on the penalty kill, he has fantastic puck skills for a blueliner. Could stand to be more aggressive in his own zone, but has enough of a well-rounded skill set coupled with above average hockey IQ that his path to the NHL should not be long.

3 Philippe Myers – One of the best underdog stories of recent prospect lore. Myers was undrafted in his first year of eligibility, despite great size, due to poor production (8 points in 60 games). He impressed in rookie camp and earned an ELC from Philadelphia, going back to the Q to reward the Flyers for their faith, he finished his junior career as a point-per-game defender. Between his size, hockey sense, awareness, and poise on the puck, he looks like a future second pairing option.

4 German Rubtsov – After suffering a facial injury playing for Russia at the WJC, Rubtsov elected to stay in North America and spent the rest of his first post-draft season with Chicoutimi in the QMJHL. He acclimated very quickly to the CHL game, especially considering the injury situation. He has great offensive instincts and is very creative. Plays with some sandpaper that allows him to play bigger than his size. Has magic in his hands.

5 Isaac Ratcliffe – A raw, physical specimen, Ratcliffe combines ideal power forward size with burgeoning puck skills with the willingness and ability to be effective in front of the net. While his draft year numbers do not leap off the page, it is important to remember that he was playing on a horrible Guelph team. He is a solid skater, but can be inconsistent in his pace. Shows strong anticipation and soft hands. His ceiling is very high.

6 Oskar Lindblom – The former fifth round pick continued to take big strides in his development in his third full season in the SHL, leading Brynas in scoring. He is excellent with the puck along the boards and around the crease and does a great job of finding soft spots in coverage for himself or his teammates. Paired with a skilled center, he has enough complementary skills to be a strong option on a second line in the NHL. May get that chance this year.

7 Wade Allison – After emerging as if out of nowhere in his draft year at Tri City of the USHL, Allison continued to play his game without a hitch as a freshman at Western Michigan. Playing a power forward game, he stays heavily involved in all three zones. He has enough speed in his hands and feet to draw penalties and can contribute to the offense as a shooter or creating for others on the cycle. Could stand to cut down on the penalties caused by his aggressive style.

8 Morgan Frost – Somewhat of a surprise as a first round pick this year, Frost has three main selling points in his skating speed, his puck skills, and his hockey intelligence. A heads-up player who earns his keep on both sides of the puck, he is already a reliable penalty killer. When he is on the ice, the puck is generally glued to his stick until he is ready to move it along. He will need to increase in strength and round out his game more, but he has the building blocks for a good middle six forward.

9 Carter Hart – If you like Hart, he is one of the better goaltending prospects in the game. If you have doubts, you point to the extreme defensive system employed by Everett as an aid to his stellar WHL numbers. Only moderately sized for a modern netminder, he makes up for it with great athleticism, reassuring calmness in net and excellent ability to read the play and track the puck. He has one more year of WHL eligibility before he will turn pro.

10 Felix Sandstrom – If not for Hart, Sandstrom would get a lot more attention in the Flyers’ system, especially after improving his numbers across the board in the second season with Brynas of the SHL as well as a strong showing in his second WJC. Above average across the board, he is not a goalie who can carry a team on his back, but he will also not let his mates down if they play solidly in front of him. He will continue his development next year in Sweden.

11 Jordan Weal – Undersized and quicker than he is fast, Weal was finally given a chance to take his game to the NHL last year after proving that he could score at a point-per-game pace in the AHL. 8 goals in 23 NHL games suggest that he is more than a dreaded 4A player and he is in line for a full season with the Flyers, likely on the second line. He has very impressive puck skills and a keen understanding of the flow of the game.

12 Pascal Laberge – Laberge maintains a spot in the solid middle of the Flyers deep prospect list as he still flashed high end offensive potential in a season fraught by concussions and off-ice issues outside his control. He has very soft hands, and is a shifty skater who can change directions in a flash to deke out defenders and netminders. He sees the ice very well in the offensive zone and is as strong shooting as he is setting up others. Look for a big bounce-back campaign.

13 Anthony Stolarz – As difficult as it would seem to trap a 6-6” netminder, Stolarz is trapped. From below, the Flyers have drafted, among others, Carter Hart and Felix Sandstrom since using a second round pick on Stolarz in 2012. That duo is earmarked for the future. From above, Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth are both signed to multi-year NHL deals. Stolarz, who has an impressive combination of compete and play reading ability is effectively trapped.

14 Samuel Morin – The first thing that stands out when watching Samuel Morin is..well, Samuel Morin. He is huge. 6-6”, and broad as well. The former first round pick is strong on his feet, which is especially impressive at his size, but has been slow to develop. His offensive game is very limited and he does not play as aggressive a game as you want to see from a player of his stature. At his best, he is safe and intelligent. At his worst, he is 6-6”.

15 Mike Vecchione – One of the prize NCAA free agents of the year, Vecchione was both a key contributor to Union’s surprise NCAA championship team in his freshman season and the team captain for the past two years. A fast skater who was dynamic offensively was a faceoff ace as well. Although not tall, he is stocky and incredibly strong. He may not have the impact of former teammate Shayne Gostisbehere, but he will be an asset in Philadelphia.

16 Tanner Laczynski – A somewhat surprising inclusion in Team USA’s gold medal winning WJC squad, Taczynski had a very strong freshman season with Ohio State. Showing more willingness to shoot the puck, he is still stronger and more effective when stickhandling and looking to set-up a teammate. Not the best skater, he has nevertheless improved since his time in the USHL. Only one year on, he is already looking like a sixth round steal for the Flyers.

17 Taylor Leier – A relative anomaly in a system chock-full of players with as-yet-untapped potential, Leier is what he is. A strong secondary scorer with Lehigh Valley, he succeeds through his unrelenting aggression in all three zones. He has done well enough in callups to the NHL on both of the last two seasons and should see more NHL time this year. Strong enough defensively to play on the PK.

18 Mikhail Vorobyov – One of the biggest surprises for Team Russia at the last WJC, Vorobyov was everywhere, seemingly picking up an assist on every second goal his nation scored. A strong puck mover, his most notable traits are his hockey IQ/vision and his physical game. He has above-average size and uses it effectively to ensure he can play wherever he wants to. The Flyers signed him to an ELC after his first full KHL season ended and he will spend this season with Lehigh Valley.

19 Nicolas Aube-Kubel – After a stellar junior career with Val-d’Or, Aube-Kubel struggled mightily in his first full AHL campaign. He is still a very good skater and was very consistently reliable away from the puck, demonstrating good hockey sense, but the best that could be said of his ability to impact the game offensively was that there were flashes. We will be looking to see more out of him in his follow-up season.

20 Mark Friedman – An offensively inclined blueliner, Friedman is a strong skater who looks strong when beginning to rush the puck out of his zone thanks to his plus acceleration. He plays a physical game despite being undersized and has improved that aspect of his game by dint of taking fewer minor infractions. Does not have the shot to profile as a serious power play QB, but moves the puck around well enough to play there for the second unit.

Despite avoiding blueliners in the draft for the past two years, the Philadelphia Flyers still have strength at all positions in their system. Further adding to their case for the top tier of systems in the league is that their talent will arrive in multiple waves, with some ready now, some needing another year of development in the AHL and some who are further down the road, but no less bright for the distance.

Scouting Reports: Sweden – Timothy Liljegren, Elias Pettersson, Oskar Lindblom, Lias Andersson, Felix Sandstrom

Jimmy Hamrin — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 13:08:03 +0000

McKeen's Hockey welcomes Jimmy Hamrin. Jimmy lives in Sundsvall, Sweden, where he also was born. His hockey background is mostly as a writer/blogger and analyzer (both in text and broadcasting) in Sweden. Jimmy has had sporadic scouting assignments at the pro elite level in Sweden and also as a U16 scout for a Sweden-based agency. He started to write about Sweden-based prospects for hockeyprospectus last season. Twitter: @jimmyhamrin

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

Timothy Liljegren	2017 Draft Eligible
Position: D, Shoots R	H/W: 6-0", 190 lbs
Stats to date (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS)	Rogle BK, SHL (16-1-4-83-4)
	Rogle BK J20, SuperElit (9-5-1-6)
	TImra IK, Allsvenskan (5-0-1-1)

GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA - APRIL 16: Sweden's Timothy Liljegren #19 lets a shot go during preliminary round action against the U.S. at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Skating: Liljegren is a strong skater. He has great balance on his skates and good lower body strength. He doesn’t seem to need much energy to skate fast. He accelerates with ease and great control. His top speed is excellent and already at an NHL level. The agility is good and he can move smoothly across the offensive blueline or make quick turns along the boards with the puck. If there is something he could develop extra it is his ability to move quickly from forward skating to backward skating, which is hard at elite senior level but sometimes he gets beaten or caught out of position that way. Grade: 65

Shot: Liljegren has a quick wrist shot with a quick release. Sometimes his shots tend to get blocked often but he is also pretty good of getting the shots through the traffic. He can one time his slap shots with great power and has scored goals that way, even at senior level. At junior level his shot is really dangerous suggesting that when he becomes more comfortable at senior level he can become a great threat from point. Grade: 60

Skills: Liljegren has quick hands and good control of the puck at high speed. He can deke his way through and surprise his opponents. Across the blueline he is really comfortable and can fake and deke to get open space for a shot. He uses his body well with quick turns and faking to fool his opponents. He can make both great breakout passes as well when decides to pass the puck. Grade: 65

Smarts: If there is any question mark on Liljegren’s potential is that he yet has not shown to have elite potential in his decision making on the ice and he does not seem to commit to the team strategy in individual games and situations. Often, he seems to want to do too much on his own and he does not always make smart decisions, either offensively or defensively. Most of it can probably be related to a lack experience as a 17-year-old defenseman at elite senior level but I still want to put a question mark on this. With all that said, Liljegren is still a smart player, especially in the offensive part of the game where he really can see the ice well and create nice plays. Grade: 55

Physicality: Liljegren is strong for his age. He is strong on the puck, he has great balance and lower body strength. He can get knocked of the puck but mostly he can skate away from physical contact holding off his opponent with one arm and using his lower body strength and good skating ability. He is not a typical physical defenseman but has nice timing in his hits on open ice. In his own zone and along the boards he could show more aggression and determination. Grade: 55

Summary: Liljegren is a raw talent with really high potential in his game. He can become a top pair defenseman in the NHL in the future, but it is not a sure thing. He needs to show a better understanding of the whole game and he needs to figure out how to use his talents best to reach his full potential. Before this season, he was a consensus choice as a top 2 player in the upcoming draft but he has had a tough season. It started with him missing the first half with mononucleosis and then he has been playing for the worst team in the SHL with big pressure of not losing games rather than trying to win them leaving Liljegren with few opportunities to use his full potential. He has been benched for trying to play his game in situations where the team needed him to play a safe game. That led him to play some games in Allsvenskan where he was the best player on the ice some games and made too many mistakes in other games. For my part, I like the potential and I like that he is trying to use his potential to win games for his team since that is probably the best way to learn and develop, even if it means making mistakes from time to time. Defenseman usually needs more time than forwards to figure out how to use their potential in the smartest way. If you want an exciting offensive defenseman in your pipeline, Liljegren is a good top 10 pick in the upcoming draft, maybe even top 5. That said, he does not currently look to be NHL-ready on day one.

Elias Pettersson	2017 Draft Eligible
Position: C, Shoots L	H/W: 6-1", 160 lbs
Stats to date (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS)	Timra IK, Allsvenskan (31-13-19-32-8)
	Sweden U20, WJC (6-0-1-1)

GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA - APRIL 15: Sweden's Elias Pettersson #21 skates with the puck while Latvia's Vlads Vulkanovs #13 defends during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Skating: At first glance, Pettersson does not look like a fast player. He moves almost in slow motion in his body movements but when he gets tested with his skating he rarely gets beaten to the puck or caught on a breakaway. He has long strides and his strides gets him far nor does he need explosive movements to reach high speed. On breakaways he can, without moving explosively, create bigger room between him and chasing defenders. The best asset in his skating abilities is his agility. He can make quick turns that fool his opponents. The balance on his skates is good even if his agile moves can fool even himself and sometimes causing him to trip. Grade: 55

Shot: Pettersson’s wrist shot is really good. His accuracy is tremendous and he has developed his ability to shoot the puck quicker this season. He can score from many angles and uses his shot in a smart way. He rarely uses his slap shot but when he does he usually hits his target. He is more of a passer than a shooter but he has the potential of being a good goal scorer even though he will probably be a great playmaker first. Grade: 60

Skills: Pettersson is a really creative and effective player. He has great puck skills in both deking and passing the puck. He is very dangerous controlling the right slot on a power play and making precise passes and setting up teammates for great scoring chances. He has great control over the puck and can fool any opponent when he is given the space to do so. He can also control the puck at top speed and on a breakaway. He has many moves and is effective on penalty shots. Grade: 65

Smarts: In his best games, I would want to put an even higher grade here. Pettersson sees the ice almost always better than any other player on the ice. He has fast decision making and it is almost like he has a sixth sense knowing everything that is going on. The reason his grade here is not even higher is that he goes through slumps in his game where he seems to not make decisions as good as he usually does. He can be overly creative rather than making more simple plays when those are needed or would be more effective. Defensively he is smart as well. He backchecks well and reads the defensive side of the game well. He detects danger and can respond accordingly. He can be used effectively as both center and a winger. Grade: 65

Physicality Pettersson is still a skinny teenager that has grown about six inches the last three years. Obviously, he has to muscle up to play in the NHL. He did have a tough time being as effective on the smaller rinks at WJC as he is in the bigger rinks in Sweden. He has good balance on his skates but can too easily get pushed around by bigger opponents. He is at least cognizant of his lack of strength. He does not try to push back when he is caught and instead he saves energy and just stands against the board with his good balance and keeps the puck on his skates and when the opponent loosens up his grip, Pettersson beats him with a quick surprising move in the next move. He rarely hits opponents and if he does they are usually proactive hits to protect the puck on his stick, where he can be effective. Grade: 40

Summary: Pettersson is a mesmerizing player with a great skill set and an even greater hockey IQ. He is a playmaker that can score and he can play both center and winger, although I like him more as a center. His WJC showed that he has yet to figure out the physically tighter and faster North American game. His playing at that tournament was better than his stats though as he was a bit snakebitten. He has the potential to become a first line player in the NHL but he will need a couple of years to grow into his body and get stronger and more consistent. This season in Allsvenskan he has been really consistent in his production. He has been a big riser on many rankings. I can see him becoming one of the best players in the draft if he reaches his full potential but the question might be if he is too far from being NHL ready for top picking GMs to take a chance on him as high as top 5-10.

Oskar Lindblom	2014 Draft (138th - Philadelphia Flyers)
Position: LW/RW, Shoots L	H/W: 6-1", 190 lbs
Stats to date (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS)	Brynas IF, SHL (38-13-21-34-14)

Skating: Lindblom is a good skater and has good balance and agility but lacks an extra edge in his top speed. He is pretty quick and moves fast in short distances and often beats his opponents to loose pucks. He is strong on his skates and rarely gets knocked off the puck when he carries it. He has the speed to transport the puck from his own end to the offensive end in games. Grade: 55

Shot: Lindblom is a good goal scorer with a good wrist shot and a quick snap shot. He scores most of his goals from close range but can score from outside the slot as well. On a power play he is best used in the slot or close around the net. He is good at finding deflections and is strong in getting shots on goal in high traffic. Grade: 55

Skills: Lindblom is really good with the puck along the boards and around the crease. He has good control in tight areas and has nice deking skills. His passing of the puck is good and often precise. He has the ability to create good scoring chances out of almost nothing. Grade: 60

Smarts: Lindblom is a really smart offensive player that has a nice sense of finding scoring chances with a great ability to be at the right spot at the right time. He also sees his teammates well when he has the puck and continually makes smart plays with it. Even though he is the best point producer on his team he is not the player that drives the line in all zones. He is more a player that finds the smart plays without the puck and then creates quickly when he gets the puck. He is an offensive player first but he takes care of his defensive duties as well. He is a smart forechecker that reads his opponents well and creates steals that way. Grade: 60

Physicality Lindblom has good size and great balance. He is good at covering the puck and making offensive hits “Forsberg style”. He is strong along the boards and thanks to that ability he is a dangerous player from behind the net. He is not a physical player but he is strong enough to be able to use his strength to win puck battles at a high level. Grade: 55

Summary: Lindblom is not quite an elite offensive talent that has taken nice steps in his development every year since he was drafted by Philadelphia. I could really see him playing regularly in the NHL next season. He needs to play in a top six role to be effective but I believe that he is good enough to do so. He is a good complementary player in an offensive line that can be effective with an elite centremen that drives the play. Lindblom is the player you want to have around the crease in the modern NHL. He has the speed, the technical skills, the smarts and the balance to be an effective slot player in the NHL.

Lias Andersson	2017 Draft Eligible
Position: C, Shoots L	H/W: 5-11", 200 lbs
Stats to date (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS)	HV71, SHL (29-5-4-9-16)
	HV71 J20, SuperElit (3-2-0-2-2)
	Sweden U20, WJC (7-3-0-3-6)

GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA - APRIL 16: Sweden's Lias Andersson #26 plays the puck while USA's Zachary Walker #15 looks on during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Skating: Andersson is a fast and powerful skater that can use his skating to drive the play. He has great lower body strength and rarely get knocked off the puck and has shown great ability to translate his game to the SHL level already. He is agile and quick in tight situations as well. Grade: 60

Shot: The HV71 teenager has a very good shot. He often scores from distance and he shoots the puck fast with a quick release. He is also very good at shooting the puck undetected and you often don’t see his shot coming. He most often uses his snap shot and is effective with it. Grade: 60

Skills: Andersson has good puck control and is strong on the puck. He is a solid passer as well. For an elite talent, he lacks some creativity and high talent puck skills though. He is more an effective simple play center than a puck wizard. With that said I would not grade his puck skills as average or below average. He has good hand-eye coordination and he does not need the passes to be right on his blade. He is good at retrieving and quick getting control of bad passes and puck bounces. The way he can quickly shoot from those pucks is also impressive. Grade: 55

Smarts: Andersson is a good two way center that takes care of his team’s needs and he can be used in various roles. He can play both PK and power play and do it well. On a power play he is best served as a shooter in the slot. He works hard and can adept fast to a team’s system. He both forechecks and backchecks well. For that he deserves a good grade but the lack of elite creativity puts the grade lower than elite. He is solid and very mature for his age but not a standout player. Grade: 55

Physicality: This is a strong player. He is not especially tall but has a nice stature and already weighs approximately 200 pounds. He has great balance and is strong in puck battles. He does not shy away from those battles and often wins them. He is driven and intense in his game and tough to play against in that way. Grade: 55

Summary: Lias Andersson is a good bet to make the NHL on a regular basis. Depending on his future development I can see him becoming anything from a second line center to a bottom six center for an NHL team and being effective in any of those roles. He has the offensive drive, the shot and good enough skills to suggest him reaching the level of being a second line center at the highest level. He lacks the high end offensive talent necessary to be a first line center. For the upcoming draft I would be surprised if he is not a first round pick and would look about righ anywhere in the top 20. He is a safer bet than Liljegren or Pettersson as he is not as raw and is a bit further ahead in his development as of today but he does not have the same level of top skills and high end potential as those two.

Felix Sandstrom	2015 Draft (70th - Anaheim Ducks)
Position: G, Catches L	H/W: 6-2", 190 lbs
Stats to date (GP-GAA-SV%)	Brynas IF, SHL (14-2.22-.907)
	Sweden U20, WJC (6-2.17-.915)

Athleticism/Quickness/Speed: Sandstrom moves quickly in the crease. He is fast at getting himself into the right position as well as in moving sideways and has decent reaction speed. The athleticism could be a bit better, though. He is not particularly strong on edge plays, meaning that he is not strong in making saves when he is out of position. All in all, he moves well and is a quick enough goalie to reach the NHL. Grade: 55

Temperament/Compete: Sandstrom has great focus. He rarely loses his game and had consistently good performances as a starter for Sweden at the WJC. Still, he has not shown that he is a goalie that can come up and totally steal a big game. He can display anger at referees at times but stays calm in game situations and can shake off an ugly goal or rough play in his crease. Grade: 55

Vision/Play Reading: Sandstrom is good at keeping his eye on the puck and moves adroitly with the puck. His quickness sideways is helped tremendously by his ability to read cross ice passes. His calmness is also derived from his ability to read plays and he rarely is surprised by the approach taken by his opponents. Grade: 55

Style/Technique: The Brynas netminder is a butterfly goalie with consistent technique. He holds his glove low in his basic position leaving the high net open for shooters. As with most goalies playing that way it can be deceiving because they tend to cheat in getting the glove high and thus opens up a gap between his arm and legs. The same goes for when he gets down on his knees. Positionally, he moves the same way in the same situations. He has a plan for every common situation and is schooled well that way. He rarely chases the puck and rarely moves outside the crease. On shots from long range he stands at the top of the crease and he backs in closer towards the goal line depending on how the close the shot is ultimately fired. Sometimes, he misjudges those situations and does not get as far out as he needs to and leaves too much net open. He is strong with his paddle down when forwards crash the net or when the puck is near him in high traffic. He needs to work on more details in his game, such as getting his smaller movements to be both tighter and more flexible when he needs to be. Grade: 55

Rebound Control: In stressed situations, he tends be more of a puck stopper than a puck grabber. His glove hand is pretty quick though and he is good at holding on to the puck. All in all, his rebound control is good. Opponents usually need to get high pressure on Sandstrom for him to lose control of where the puck is going. Grade: 55

Puck Handling: He rarely leaves his crease. He has good control with his stick but he keeps it to short simple passes. Grade: 45

Summary: Sandstrom is one of the best goalie prospects in Sweden right now. As a junior he shares the work load evenly with a veteran goalie in the SHL and was Sweden’s number one goalie in the WJC. I see Sandstrom eventually making the NHL but probably not as a regular starter. He lacks the edge plays and the ability to completely shut down an opponent. Goalie prospects are harder to project than skaters, partially as they have more room for improvement and their prime usually arrives later in their careers. Sandstrom’s strength are in his consistent movements and in his ability to keep his focus and to track where the puck is heading. He is not ready for NHL now and if he takes the step over to North America next season he would probably need to see a season or two in the minors before stepping in at the big league level. Philadelphia has a pretty deep goalie pool of prospects as well, which should allow Sandstrom as much time as he needs to hone his development.

NHL Prospect Watch: Philadelphia Flyers

Ryan Wagman — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 20:40:37 +0000

Author’s note – through the remainder of this series the focus will remain on players acquired prior to the recent NHL Entry Draft. As the idea behind the series has been about the players and their development during the season, bringing in newly minted NHL prospects would be unfair to those who have already taken steps under the auspices of their respective rights-holding organizations.

For all that the Flyers system has lacked in forward prospects of significance (Travis Konecny notwithstanding), they have more than made up for it with depth and talent between the pipes and along the blueline. It is not outlandish to suggest that Russian first rounder Ivan Provorov is the best prospect in the system and fellow WHLer and former first rounder Travis Sanheim as the number two. As this series has tried to avoid too much dwelling on CHL prospects, we will instead jump to the third best blueliner in the system now that the extremely exciting Shayne Gostisbehere has graduated, in Samuel Morin – yet another former first rounder. Unlike Provorov and Sanheim, Morin has already graduated from the CHL ranks and now has a full year of AHL experience under his ample belt. Listed on the AHL team website at 6-7”, 227, Morin fits the prototype for big, stay-at-home defender. A bruiser in the Quebec league as an amateur, Morin kept up that style of play with Lehigh Valley as a rookie professional, racking up a team high 118 penalty minutes. Only a handful of true prospects in the AHL spent more time cooling their heels in the penalty box.

Beyond the toughness that is only partially attributable to his size, Morin is a plus skater who shows a good head for the game, as demonstrated by strong positioning and a pretty safe overall game. He can move the puck intelligently, but will never be a point producer. The 19 points he put up as an AHL rookie in 76 is around what the Flyers should be expecting from Morin at his peak. He owns a strong slap shot, but not the instincts for when to use it to his advantage. Guys his size will always get more chances than they deserve on skills and smarts alone, but thankfully, Morin has those. As a plus skater with good hockey IQ, he will earn penalty killing time in the NHL before too long as well as a bottom pairing role. While he could eventually elevate to the second pairing, his lack of puck skills (beyond that first pass) and offensive bent will prevent him from owning a top pairing job or much time on the power play. He could also use another season of professional growth in the AHL with Philadelphia likely to turn to Provorov and Sanheim for NHL time before making way for the big man. On the other hand, with the NHL contracts of Mark Striet, Michael Del Zotto and Nick Schultz all expiring after the 2016-17 season, Morin’s chance to earn an NHL gig will not be too far off into the future.

March 13, 2015: Phantoms Robert Hagg (4) unloads a slapshot in front of Bruins defense men Chris Casto (6)

Robert Hagg, D, Lehigh Valley (AHL) (41^st overall, 2013)

Another defenseman of some renown in the Philadelphia is Hagg, a Swedish second rounder who made three appearances in his country’s sweater for the WJC, twice walking away a Silver Medalist. Less physically imposing than Morin, Hagg nonetheless has a limited NHL upside owning primarily to an underwhelming offensive game. Also like Morin, Hagg puck skills extend to making a strong first pass but not much more than that. That said, his first pass is outstanding, one of the best in the AHL according to Hockey Prospectus writer Jason Lewis. While Hagg typically plays a smart, quiet game, he can be prone to the odd high profile gaffe, or other mental hiccup. Furthermore, although he does not lack for size at 6-2”, 201, he plays smaller and can be physically imposed upon by more physical opponents. Hagg should expect a third full AHL season in the offing and likely slots behind Morin in the organizational depth chart. If he can eliminate the inconsistencies that have plagued him, he could be a solid number five at his best.

Mark Alt, D, Lehigh Valley (AHL) (53^rd overall, 2010 – acquired in trade with Carolina)

Mark Alt, like Morin and Hagg profiled above, is a relatively safe blueline prospect without much in the way of upside. According to Jason Lewis, he is basically a solid all around defender who does everything well enough but nothing that will excite. He has great size at 6-4” and over 200 lbs and his father was a long-time offensive lineman in the NFL, but his physical game can underwhelm. More worrisome for Alt is his lack of traction over three AHL seasons. After putting up 26 points in 75 games in his first full AHL season, he has combined for only 29 points in 116 games over the past two seasons. There may yet be some untapped potential in Alt, and the Flyers did tender him a qualifying offer as a RFA a few weeks ago, giving him one more year under their care, but this may be his final chance to prove himself worthy of carrying for the Flyers. If he fails to recapture at least some of his rookie production, he may be looking for a new employer by this time next summer.

February 5, 2016: Cornell Big Red defenseman Reece Willcox (3) and Quinnipiac Bobcats forward Tanner MacMaster (19) skate towards the puck (Photo by John Crouch/Icon Sportswire.)

Reece Willcox, D, Cornell (ECAC) (141^st overall, 2012)

If there is a deeper sleeper who could overtake Hagg and Alt on the Flyers blueline depth chart it is recent signee Reece Willcox, a Cornell graduate. Physically resembling Alt at 6-4” and a smidgen over 200 lbs, Willcox was not a big point producer with the Big Red, although some of that is due to Cornell not having much in the way of offensive talent on their roster. Willcox will engage in the offensive end and is a smart, surehanded puck carrier who demonstrates good presence of mind and a high panic threshold. He is not much of a shooter and his puck skills are more appropriate for own zone and neutral zone work, but his plus mobility and hockey smarts give him a legitimate chance. He is a strong skater who can keep a solid gap against very speedy rushers and knows how to use a sweeping stick to break up rushes that would otherwise pose danger to his team. He is not a punishing physical player, but is capable of using his plus size to establish his own position at the expense of his opponent’s. Although Willcox put up three points in a late season six game cameo with Lehigh Valley, I would not expect that level of point production going forward. Between his polish and his skills, I expect Willcox to sneak up on a few observers this year.

Mark Friedman, D, Bowling Green State (WCHA) (86^th overall, 2014)

Much further away from the NHL than any of the others profiled above, Friedman is rightfully an afterthought among Flyers’ prospect watchers, although he deserves some mention as his game is much different from those already mentioned here. Simply put, the 20 year old Friedman is a point producer. He first attracted attention as an offensive defenseman with Waterloo of the USHL and has kept up his production in northwestern Ohio. Friedman is confident with the puck and has a strong first few steps that allow him to lead his team on quick breaks. Undersized, Friedman tends to avoid board battles, but has a physical edge to his game, one that emerges most often with the player in motion, using his speed to add force to his motion. He does need significant work in his own zone and with his decision making, however, and the former third rounder should be afforded two more full seasons at Bowling Green to work on those aspects of his game. His panic threshold can be too short, leading him to defer to less skilled teammates even though he has ample room to skate the puck out of potential harm. I would also like to see less caution when trying to create offensively. The puck skills are present, but he needs to commit to action when taking it. His game is not yet ready for the professional ranks, both in terms of the mental game and the physical game, but there are enough flashes of talent that he should be watched closely.

Anthony Stolarz, G, Lehigh Valley (AHL) (45^th overall, 2012)

Before analyzing Stolarz, a few thoughts on the recent goalie fetish overtaking the Flyers’ scouting department. Most teams have three or four interesting netminders under team control, including one or two in the AHL and a few others scattered about the planet. Since drafting Stolarz in the middle of the second round in 2012, the Flyers have drafted and/or signed six goalies who still qualify as prospects, including taking the first netminder to be selected this season and three drafted last year. Although I cannot state that this predilection is unprecedented, it is extremely odd and at least two of those six will find themselves unsigned before all is said and done, as the team only has so much ice time it can provide to netminders. While teams roll four forward lines (12 players) and three defensive pairings (six players), they only carry two netminders and only one plays at a time.

Stolarz got the lion’s share of netminding work for Lehigh Valley last year, his second full season as a pro. He showed tremendous improvement in his return engagement with the Phantoms, chopping more than half a goal per game off his GAA and increasing his save percentage from a feeble .906 to a respectable .915, a figure topped only by Juuse Saros (Milwaukee), Matt Murray (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) and Anton Forsberg (Lake Erie) among prospects who with regular roles in the circuit last year. Stolarz is also a massive young man, standing a fleshed out 6-6”. He fills up the net rather well and shows plus anticipation, allowing him to get positioned to make the save before it becomes one of desperation. His lateral movement is strong enough for his size, although he can get caught on occasion as he seems to be assuming that his size is filling every hole, but a slight slump of his shoulder, or another body twist can leave open a gap that will be exploited by good shooters. He makes up for it with plus rebound control, as pucks that he cannot catch cleanly are more often than not either kept close by so as to be corralled quickly, or pushed to the corners and out of danger. The New Jersey native also adds value to his game through strong puck handling, as he is very comfortable pushing the puck up to his teammates to begin the transition.

The Flyers current goaltending pair of Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth both have one more year under contract and there is a good chance that a spot will open up for one of the Flyers goalie prospects in 2016-17. Stolarz, by virtue of his greater experience and improving game, should be aiming to make himself favored to fill one of those roles after another season honing his game in Allentown.

Felix Sandstrom, G, Brynas IF (SHL) (70^th overall, 2015)

Sandstrom, the first of three netminders drafted by the Flyers in 2015 had a shoddy showing at the WJC for Sweden and put up numbers that may seem underwhelming for Brynas in the SHL, but is more than worthy of a spotlight for actually seeing regular crease time in one of the top leagues in Europe. IN fact, he appeared in 25 of the 32 games played by under-20 goalies in the SHL and his numbers were more or less on par with Brynas’ other goalie, veteran Austrian Bernard Starkbaum. According to Hockey Prospectus Swedish correspondent Jimmy Hamrin, Sandstrom is still inconsistent, but has looked very good thus far in his top flight career, exhibiting intermittent NHL potential. He will have one more chance to shine for the Tre Kronor at the next WJC and is favored to be the uncontested starter this time around as Linus Soderstrom will have aged out. He may have more competition in the Brynas net though, as Starkbaum has been replaced on the roster by David Rautio, whose SHL save percentages since the 2011-12 season have gone .929, .931, .922, .921, .916. Trending down to be sure, but after having started from fantastic heights.

Merrick Madsen, G, Harvard (ECAC) (162^nd overall, 2013)

After being limited to a single appearance as a freshman at Harvard in 2014-15, Madsen claimed the starter’s job for himself last year as a sophomore, putting up stellar numbers for the Crimson. His .931 save percentage ranked eighth in the nation (although the number two man, Alex Lyon, has since signed as an undrafted free agent with Philadelphia). Madsen has a number of strong aspects to his game, including great size (close, but not quite to Stolarz’ level), the composure to withstand periods of heavy pressure, instincts and anticipation, and rebound control. He could use additional improvement in his lateral movement and puck handling, although his play last season suggests that he was a late round steal who will push for a good spot on the organizational depth chart within a few seasons.

Philly patience pays off at the draft table

Grant McCagg — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 14:38:09 +0000

Sometimes it's the move you don't make that pays off in the long run, and that may well be the case with Ivan Provorov going to Philadelphia 7th overall at the NHL draft.

The talented Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman was the focus of much discussion when Philadelphia Flyers' management and scouting staff sat down to ponder what might transpire at the top of the draft.

"We each put six guys up on the board who we thought would be taken in the first six," said Flyers' QMJHL crossover scout Todd Hearty. "We ran down a couple of mock drafts, and the more you looked at it...I could see Provorov dropping to us because you heard Arizona was not wanting to take the defenceman."

The Coyotes made it known they may move down a few spots, but the asking price was high as there were no guarantees the player(s) they coveted would not be taken.

"Why would you trade down if you like a guy..and you don't get him later?" asked Hearty. "And why would you trade up if you think you might get your guy? So we sat and waited, and it just fell into place."

Arizona kept the third pick and selected the big center it coveted in Dylan Strome, Toronto chose London Knights forward Mitch Marner, Carolina grabbed American defenceman Noah Hanifin and New Jersey took 6-3 Czech center Pavel Zacha, leaving the talented two-way Russian-born defenceman for the Flyers.

Provorov made the adjustment to the CHL look easy, leading all WHL rookies in scoring, and quickly becoming Brandon's most dependable defenceman at both ends of the ice.

"I don't like to make bold statements," said Hearty, "but I think he could come in and just be one of the better defenceman on the team in training camp. they are going to see this guy and go 'whoa'."

The Flyers also think they hit paydirt with the selection of Ottawa 67's forward Travis Konecny 24th overall, a player ranked 14th on McKeen's final draft rankings.

"We had him like 11th, so we were really excited when Hexy (Flyers' GM Ron Hextall) said we could move up," said Hearty. "Toronto wanted to move down, and we made the deal."

The Flyers once again thought about staying put, but this time they weren't as certain the player they coveted would be there. "We were at 29," said Hearty. "We debated waiting to see if Konecny or Nick Merkley were there, but I think we felt as a group that Konecny had the better upside even though we loved Merkley. Konecny has more upside; he's a quicker skater, they're both character guys."

Hearty has since learned that Konecny would not have made it past pick 25...or 26 for that matter as Montreal would have taken him.

Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images

"Winnipeg was taking him next (at 25). I'm surprised that Toronto didn't take him, the connection is there, he's from London, as is Mark Hunter. I'm sure they debated that. For whatever reason they didn't take him...He's just such a great asset though. He's got the most upside of any of those smaller guys. Who knows what he is...I hear Pat Verbeek (from some), maybe he's (Zach) Parise....maybe he's one of those (type of) guys."

The Flyers addressed a lack of goaltending depth by choosing two goalies in the third round and one in the seventh, including highly-touted Swedish goalie Felix Sandstrom with the 70th overall pick.

"We had him ranked as our number two goalie," said Hearty. "He and (Mackenzie) Blackwood were close on our list. We're picking in the third round and this guy was still there...we were pretty excited."

Slovakian goalie Matej Tomek posted a 1.83 GAA and .928 SP for Topeka in the NAHL, catching the attention of Philadelphia's goalie scout Neil Little, who has since been let go by the team.

"That's the nature of the business," said Hearty, who added that Little's goalie rankings were always "pretty much where they ended up getting drafted.

For Hearty the real prize in the middle rounds was Russian center Pavel Vorobyov, considered a solid second-round prospect by the team.

"We had Vorobyov really high," said Hearty. "We had quite a distance with no picks from 24 to 70...we had to take a goalie in the third (two actually) ...and Vorobyov just kept falling for whatever reason. We got to the 90's, and we got a deal where we could move back to 98 and get another pick, so we took (Samuel) Dove-McFalls, just because we thought the Russian factor might still come into effect, and (Vorobyov) was still there when we picked (at 104)."

A 6-2 center from Ufa, Vorobyov was effective in U-18 competitions for Russia this season, earning accolades for his heady defensive play.

"He needs half a step, which is just strength," said Hearty. "He's a two-way center with size. He's big and he's skilled. I look at him, and I don't see a huge, huge difference between him and (Joel Eriksson) Ek.

The selection of three Russians was a major departure in draft strategy for the Flyers..who took less Russians (two) in the previous eight drafts than they did in this draft.

"We were waving the hammer and sickle there for the first time in a long time," said Hearty in jest.

The Flyers hoped to add some centers with size later in the draft, and were pleased to come away with two 6-2 pivots in Vorobyov and Dove-McFalls.

"We wanted to get some size, and I think Dove-McFalls is a bottom 6 guy," said Hearty. "He's responsible defensively, has good character, a good shot blocker, good on faceoffs. Hopefully he's given more of an offensive role in Saint John this year with the coaching change.

During the season Hearty raved about the play of Kase at international tournaments, calling him "#$%^ing awesome" after his performance in the World Junior Championship.

"Someone's going to take him in the second," claimed Hearty in January, so he was pleased to be able to add the 5-10, 167-pound Czech center in the fifth round. "He needs to put on some size and strength. He's a smart player, competes, very skilled..a puck possession guy who sees the ice well."

The Flyers' sixth-round pick Cooper Marody is a 6-0 American center who didn't get to play a lot of competitive hockey before joining the USHL last season.

"He's got some upside, he's talented," said Hearty. "He's got speed, and skill. We like how far he has come in his development...he has a background where he got cut from his high school team. He finally ended up in Sioux Falls where a coach believed in him and he flourished."

All in all a very successful draft for the Flyers, who received a McKeen's draft grade of 'A', landing seven top 120 picks, and replenishing depth at center, wing and in goal.

"We all had so many guys left on our list at the end," said Hearty. "You needed nine or ten rounds this year, there were so many guys."

2015 NHL Draft – McKeen’s Top 120 Rankings

McKeen's Hockey — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 18:17:44 +0000

Ilya Samsonov made the most of his opportunity in front of NHL scouts last month in the Czech Republic.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound native of Magnitogorsk helped lead Russia to victory at the Five Nations Tournament.

Samsonov showcased a full package of skill and smarts while upsetting Team USA in a 5-4 overtime win - being outshot 51-to-16 - and then shutting down Sweden 5-1 in the final game.

He played this season in the MHL with Stalnye Lisy, Magnitogorsk's junior team, and will get another chance to bolster his draft stock at the U18 World Championships next month in Switzerland.

A number of Samsonov's U18 teammates could draw some draft interest with strong showings in Zug and Lucerne, the two host cities for the U18 Worlds.

Big, strong-shooting winger Denis Gurianov of Lada Togliatti is rated in the second round - 40th overall - on the McKeen's Top 120 rankings for the 2015 NHL Draft.

Mikhail Vorobyev (Salavat Ufa) is rated 78th overall and is a smart, well-structured pivot in the classic old Russian style, while diminutive winger Kirill Kaprizov (Novokuznetsk) is listed as a late third-rounder - 89th overall. Just 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, Kaprizov was a creative force throughout the Five Nations and demonstrated that he has the courage and work ethic to help overcome the size factor.

Samsonov is the top-rated goaltender in the McKeen's rankings for the 2015 NHL Draft - debuting in the first round in the 29th spot.

Drafting goalies in the opening round has becoming increasingly less common. In fact, only six goaltenders have been selected in the first round over the past eight drafts (2007 to 2014). That compares to the five-year period from 2002 to 2006 in which a total of 14 goalies were first-round picks.

Samsonov is one of 11 goaltenders to earn spots in the McKeen's Top 120 rankings.

Mackenzie Blackwood of the Barrie Colts is next on the goalie list - ranked as an early second-rounder at 33rd overall - while a pair of QMJHL goalies hold down the next two spots - Callum Booth of Halifax at 61st and Samuel Montembeault of Blainville-Boisbriand in the No. 68 spot.

RANK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB
1	Connor McDavid	C	Erie (OHL)	6-1/195	13-Jan-97
2	Jack Eichel	C	Boston University (HE)	6-2/195	28-Oct-96
3	Noah Hanifin	D	Boston College (HE)	6-3/205	25-Jan-97
4	Mitchell Marner	C	London (OHL)	5-11/160	5-May-97
5	Ivan Provorov	D	Brandon (WHL)	6-0/195	13-Jan-97
6	Lawson Crouse	LW	Kingston (OHL)	6-4/210	23-Jun-97
7	Zach Werenski	D	Michigan (B1G)	6-2/205	19-Jul-97
8	Dylan Strome	C	Erie (OHL)	6-3/190	7-May-97
9	Pavel Zacha	C	Sarnia (OHL)	6-3/210	6-Apr-97
10	Mathew Barzal	C	Seattle (WHL)	5-11/175	26-May-97
11	Travis Konecny	C	Ottawa (OHL)	5-10/175	11-Mar-97
12	Mikko Rantanen	RW	TPS Turku (Fin)	6-3/210	29-Oct-96
13	Timo Meier	RW	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-1/210	8-Oct-96
14	Kyle Connor	C	Youngstown (USHL)	6-1/185	9-Dec-96
15	Thomas Chabot	D	Saint John (QMJHL)	6-1/180	30-Jan-97
16	Jakub Zboril	D	Saint John (QMJHL)	6-1/185	21-Feb-97
17	Nick Merkley	RW	Kelowna (WHL)	5-11/190	23-May-97
18	Joel Ek Eriksson	C	Farjestads (Swe)	6-2/180	29-Jan-97
19	Colin White	C	NTDP (USA)	6-0/185	30-Jan-97
20	Paul Bittner	LW	Portland (WHL)	6-4/210	4-Nov-96
21	Brandon Carlo	D	Tri-City (WHL)	6-5/200	26-Nov-96
22	Jeremy Roy	D	Sherbrooke (QMJHL)	6-0/190	14-May-97
23	Evgeni Svechnikov	LW	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	6-2/200	31-Oct-96
24	Jake DeBrusk	LW	Swift Current (WHL)	5-11/170	17-Oct-96
25	Jacob Larsson	D	Frolunda (Swe)	6-2/190	29-Apr-97
26	Jonas Siegenthaler	D	ZSC Zurich (Sui)	6-2/220	6-May-97
27	Oliver Kylington	D	Farjestads (Swe)	6-0/185	19-May-97
28	Brock Boeser	RW	Waterloo (USHL)	6-0/195	25-Feb-97
29	Ilya Samsonov	G	Magnitogorsk (Rus)	6-3/200	22-Feb-97
30	Jack Roslovic	C	NTDP (USA)	6-0/185	29-Jan-97

31	Erik Cernak	D	Kosice (Svk)	6-3/200	28-May-97
32	Guillaume Brisebois	D	Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)	6-2/170	21-Jul-97
33	Mackenzie Blackwood	G	Barrie (OHL)	6-4/215	9-Dec-96
34	Tom Novak	C	Waterloo (USHL)	6-0/180	28-Apr-97
35	Jansen Harkins	C	Prince George (WHL)	6-1/180	23-May-97
36	Filip Chlapik	C	Charlottetown (QMJHL)	6-1/195	3-Jun-97
37	Blake Speers	C	Sault Ste Marie (OHL)	5-11/180	2-Jan-97
38	Daniel Sprong	RW	Charlottetown (QMJHL)	6-0/190	17-Mar-97
39	Matthew Spencer	D	Peterborough (OHL)	6-1/200	24-Mar-97
40	Denis Gurianov	RW	Lada Togliatti (Rus)	6-2/185	7-Jun-97
41	Noah Juulsen	D	Everett (WHL)	6-1/175	2-Apr-97
42	Jordan Greenway	LW	NTDP (USA)	6-5/225	16-Feb-97
43	Alexander Dergachyov	RW	SKA St. Petersburg (Rus)	6-4/200	27-Sep-96
44	Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson	C	Omaha (USHL)	6-1/195	31-Oct-96
45	Jeremy Bracco	RW	NTDP (USA)	5-9/175	17-Mar-97
46	Zachary Senyshyn	RW	Sault Ste Marie (OHL)	6-1/195	30-Mar-97
47	Anthony Beauvillier	LW	Shawinigan (QMJHL)	5-10/175	8-Jun-97
48	Ryan Gropp	LW	Seattle (WHL)	6-2/185	16-Sep-96
49	Dennis Yan	LW	Shawinigan (QMJHL)	6-1/180	14-Apr-97
50	Jens Looke	RW	Brynas (Swe)	6-0/180	11-Apr-97
51	Robin Kovacs	RW	AIK (Swe)	6-0/170	16-Nov-96
52	Glenn Gawdin	C	Swift Current (WHL)	6-1/190	25-Mar-97
53	Nikita Korostelev	RW	Sarnia (OHL)	6-1/195	8-Feb-97
54	Travis Dermott	D	Erie (OHL)	5-11/195	22-Dec-96
55	Gabriel Carlsson	D	Linkopings (Swe)	6-4/185	2-Jan-97
56	Adam Musil	RW	Red Deer (WHL)	6-2/200	26-Mar-97
57	Mitchell Vande Sompel	D	Oshawa (OHL)	5-10/180	11-Feb-97
58	Christian Fischer	RW	NTDP (USA)	6-1/215	15-Apr-97
59	Brendan Guhle	D	Prince Albert (WHL)	6-1/185	29-Jul-97
60	Dennis Gilbert	D	Chicago (USHL)	6-2/200	30-Oct-96

61	Callum Booth	G	Quebec (QMJHL)	6-3/200	21-May-97
62	Sebastian Aho	RW	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	5-11/175	26-Jul-97
63	Ryan Pilon	D	Brandon (WHL)	6-2/210	10-Oct-96
64	Nicolas Roy	C	Chicoutimi (QMJHL)	6-4/200	5-Feb-97
65	Austin Wagner	LW	Regina (WHL)	6-1/180	23-Jun-97
66	Graham Knott	LW	Niagara (OHL)	6-3/195	13-Jan-97
67	Michael Spacek	C	Pardubice (Cze)	5-11/190	9-Apr-97
68	Samuel Montembeault	G	Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)	6-2/165	30-Oct-96
69	Yakov Trenin	LW	Gatineau (QMJHL)	6-2/195	13-Jan-97
70	Daniel Vladar	G	Kladno (Cze)	6-5/185	20-Aug-97
71	Kyle Capobianco	D	Sudbury (OHL)	6-1/180	13-Aug-97
72	David Kase	C	Chomutov (Cze)	5-11/170	28-Jan-97
73	Bailey Webster	D	Saint John (QMJHL)	6-3/210	8-Sep-97
74	Felix Sandstrom	G	Brynas (Swe)	6-2/190	12-Jan-97
75	Jesper Lindgren	D	MoDo (Swe)	6-0/160	19-May-97
76	Keegan Kolesar	RW	Seattle (WHL)	6-1/215	8-Apr-97
77	Kevin Davis	D	Everett (WHL)	6-0/185	14-Mar-97
78	Mikhail Vorobyev	C	Salavat Ufa (Rus)	6-2/195	5-Jan-97
79	Vince Dunn	D	Niagara (OHL)	6-0/185	29-Oct-96
80	Nathan Noel	C	Saint John (QMJHL)	5-11/175	21-Jun-97
81	Gustav Bouramman	D	Sault Ste Marie (OHL)	5-11/185	24-Jan-97
82	Matej Tomek	G	Topeka (NAHL)	6-2/180	24-May-97
83	Lukas Jasek	RW	Trinec (Cze)	5-11/165	28-Aug-97
84	Nicolas Meloche	D	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)	6-2/200	18-Jul-97
85	Roope Hintz	LW	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	6-2/185	17-Nov-96
86	Mitchell Stephens	C	Saginaw (OHL)	5-11/185	5-Feb-97
87	Jean-Christophe Beaudin	RW	Rouyn Noranda (QMJHL)	6-1/185	27-Mar-97
88	Filip Ahl	LW	HV 71 (Swe)	6-3/210	12-Jun-97
89	Kirill Kaprizov	LW	Novokuznetsk (Rus)	5-9/185	26-Apr-97
90	John Marino	D	South Shore (USPHL)	6-0/175	21-May-97

91	Chaz Reddekopp	D	Victoria (WHL)	6-3/220	1-Jan-97
92	Adam Marsh	LW	Saint John (QMJHL)	6-0/165	22-Aug-97
93	Parker Wotherspoon	D	Tri-City (WHL)	6-0/170	24-Aug-97
94	Loik Leveille	D	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	5-11/220	25-Sep-96
95	Adam Gaudette	C	Cedar Rapids (USHL)	6-1/175	3-Oct-96
96	Justin Lemcke	D	Belleville (OHL)	6-2/200	13-Feb-97
97	Gabriel Gagne	RW	Victoriaville (QMJHL)	6-5/190	11-Nov-96
98	Thomas Schemitsch	D	Owen Sound (OHL)	6-3/205	26-Oct-96
99	Jesse Gabrielle	LW	Regina (WHL)	5-11/205	17-Jun-97
100	Jonne Tammela	LW	KalPa (Fin)	5-10/180	5-Aug-97
101	Christian Jaros	D	Lulea (Swe)	6-3/200	2-Apr-96
102	Ales Stezka	G	Liberec (Cze)	6-3/180	6-Jan-97
103	Ethan Bear	D	Seattle (WHL)	5-11/200	26-Jun-97
104	Mathieu Joseph	RW	Saint John (QMJHL)	6-0/165	9-Feb-97
105	Jeremiah Addison	LW	Ottawa (OHL)	6-0/185	21-Oct-96
106	Devante Stephens	D	Kelowna (WHL)	6-1/175	2-Jan-97
107	Michael McNiven	G	Owen Sound (OHL)	6-0/205	9-Jul-97
108	Jeremy Lauzon	D	Rouyn Noranda (QMJHL)	6-2/195	28-Apr-97
109	Luke Opilka	G	NTDP (USA)	6-1/195	27-Feb-97
110	Philippe Myers	D	Rouyn Noranda (QMJHL)	6-5/195	25-Jan-97
111	Adam Werner	G	Farjestads (Swe)	6-5/185	2-May-97
112	Brendan Warren	LW	NTDP (USA)	6-0/190	7-May-97
113	Julius Nattinen	C	JyP Jyvaskyla (Fin)	6-2/190	14-Jan-97
114	Colton White	D	Sault Ste Marie (OHL)	6-1/185	3-May-97
115	Samuel Dove-McFalls	LW	Saint John (QMJHL)	6-2/205	10-Apr-97
116	Veeti Vainio	D	Blues (Fin)	6-2/170	16-Jun-97
117	Matt Bradley	C	Medicine Hat (WHL)	5-11/185	22-Jan-97
118	Tyler Soy	C	Victoria (WHL)	5-11/170	10-Feb-97
119	Dmytro Timashov	LW	Quebec (QMJHL)	5-9/190	1-Oct-96
120	A.J. Greer	LW	Boston University (HE)	6-2/205	14-Dec-96

McKeen’s 2015 NHL Top 75 Draft Rankings (Jan-2015)

McKeen's Hockey — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 20:24:53 +0000

A quick demographic breakdown of the McKeen's Top 75 rankings suggests the 2015 NHL Draft is shaping up to have not only good depth but also balance.

The five primary regions are represented fairly equally with the QMJHL leading the way with 17 prospects ranked - followed closely by the OHL (16), Europe/International (16), the WHL (15), and the U.S. (11).

RANK	PREV	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB
1	1	Connor McDavid	C	Erie (OHL)	6-1/195	13-Jan-97
2	2	Jack Eichel	C	Boston University (HE)	6-2/195	28-Oct-96
3	3	Noah Hanifin	D	Boston College (HE)	6-3/205	25-Jan-97
4	6	Mitchell Marner	C	London (OHL)	5-11/160	5-May-97
5	5	Lawson Crouse	LW	Kingston (OHL)	6-4/210	23-Jun-97
6	7	Dylan Strome	C	Erie (OHL)	6-3/190	7-May-97
7	11	Zach Werenski	D	Michigan (B1G)	6-2/205	19-Jul-97
8	22	Ivan Provorov	D	Brandon (WHL)	6-0/195	13-Jan-97
9	4	Pavel Zacha	C	Sarnia (OHL)	6-3/210	6-Apr-97
10	9	Nick Merkley	RW	Kelowna (WHL)	5-11/190	23-May-97
11	18	Mikko Rantanen	RW	TPS Turku (Fin)	6-3/210	29-Oct-96
12	10	Mathew Barzal	C	Seattle (WHL)	5-11/175	26-May-97
13	17	Jeremy Roy	D	Sherbrooke (QMJHL)	6-0/190	14-May-97
14	8	Kyle Connor	C	Youngstown (USHL)	6-1/185	9-Dec-96
15	26	Evgeni Svechnikov	LW	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	6-2/200	31-Oct-96
16	13	Travis Konecny	C	Ottawa (OHL)	5-10/175	11-Mar-97
17	14	Oliver Kylington	D	Farjestads (Swe)	6-0/185	19-May-97
18	12	Colin White	C	NTDP (USA)	6-0/185	30-Jan-97
19	16	Paul Bittner	LW	Portland (WHL)	6-4/210	4-Nov-96
20	NR	Thomas Chabot	D	Saint John (QMJHL)	6-1/180	30-Jan-97
21	15	Jakub Zboril	D	Saint John (QMJHL)	6-1/185	21-Feb-97
22	20	Matthew Spencer	D	Peterborough (OHL)	6-1/200	24-Mar-97
23	30	Jake DeBrusk	LW	Swift Current (WHL)	5-11/170	17-Oct-96
24	NR	Timo Meier	RW	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-1/210	8-Oct-96
25	19	Brandon Carlo	D	Tri-City (WHL)	6-5/200	26-Nov-96
26	28	Daniel Sprong	RW	Charlottetown (QMJHL)	6-0/190	17-Mar-97
27	24	Jansen Harkins	C	Prince George (WHL)	6-1/180	23-May-97
28	NR	Guillaume Brisebois	D	Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)	6-2/170	21-Jul-97
29	NR	Brock Boeser	RW	Waterloo (USHL)	6-0/195	25-Feb-97
30	NR	Jens Looke	RW	Brynas (Swe)	6-0/180	11-Apr-97
31	NR	Mackenzie Blackwood	G	Barrie (OHL)	6-4/215	9-Dec-96
32	21	Jacob Larsson	D	Frolunda (Swe)	6-2/190	29-Apr-97
33	25	Dennis Yan	LW	Shawinigan (QMJHL)	6-1/180	14-Apr-97
34	NR	Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson	C	Omaha (USHL)	6-1/195	31-Oct-96
35	NR	Callum Booth	G	Quebec (QMJHL)	6-3/200	21-May-97
36	NR	Jonas Siegenthaler	D	ZSC Zurich (Sui)	6-2/220	6-May-97
37	29	Tom Novak	C	Waterloo (USHL)	6-0/180	28-Apr-97
38	NR	Blake Speers	C	Sault Ste Marie (OHL)	5-11/180	2-Jan-97
39	NR	Alexander Dergachyov	RW	SKA St. Petersburg (Rus)	6-4/200	27-Sep-96
40	NR	Nikita Korostelev	RW	Sarnia (OHL)	6-1/195	8-Feb-97
41	NR	Sebastian Aho	RW	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	5-11/175	26-Jul-97
42	23	Nicolas Roy	C	Chicoutimi (QMJHL)	6-4/200	5-Feb-97
43	NR	David Kase	C	Chomutov (Cze)	5-11/170	28-Jan-97
44	NR	Yakov Trenin	LW	Gatineau (QMJHL)	6-2/195	13-Jan-97
45	NR	Gabriel Carlsson	D	Linkopings (Swe)	6-4/185	2-Jan-97
46	NR	Filip Ahl	LW	HV 71 (Swe)	6-3/210	12-Jun-97
47	NR	Glenn Gawdin	C	Swift Current (WHL)	6-1/190	25-Mar-97
48	NR	Adam Musil	RW	Red Deer (WHL)	6-2/200	26-Mar-97
49	NR	Jeremy Bracco	RW	NTDP (USA)	5-9/175	17-Mar-97
50	NR	Ryan Pilon	D	Brandon (WHL)	6-2/210	10-Oct-96
51	NR	Filip Chlapik	C	Charlottetown (QMJHL)	6-1/195	3-Jun-97
52	NR	Nathan Noel	C	Saint John (QMJHL)	5-11/175	21-Jun-97
53	NR	Graham Knott	LW	Niagara (OHL)	6-3/195	13-Jan-97
54	NR	Daniel Vladar	G	Kladno (Cze)	6-5/185	20-Aug-97
55	27	Jordan Greenway	LW	NTDP (USA)	6-5/225	16-Feb-97
56	NR	Michael Spacek	C	Pardubice (Cze)	5-11/190	9-Apr-97
57	NR	Anthony Beauvillier	LW	Shawinigan (QMJHL)	5-10/175	8-Jun-97
58	NR	Ryan Gropp	LW	Seattle (WHL)	6-2/185	16-Sep-96
59	NR	Felix Sandstrom	G	Brynas (Swe)	6-2/190	12-Jan-97
60	NR	Parker Wotherspoon	D	Tri-City (WHL)	6-0/170	24-Aug-97
61	NR	Nicolas Meloche	D	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)	6-2/200	18-Jul-97
62	NR	Roope Hintz	LW	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	6-2/185	17-Nov-96
63	NR	Noah Juulsen	D	Everett (WHL)	6-1/175	2-Apr-97
64	NR	Zachary Senyshyn	RW	Sault Ste Marie (OHL)	6-1/195	30-Mar-97
65	NR	Erik Cernak	D	Kosice (Svk)	6-3/200	28-May-97
66	NR	Brendan Guhle	D	Prince Albert (WHL)	6-2/180	29-Jul-97
67	NR	Mitchell Stephens	C	Saginaw (OHL)	5-11/185	5-Feb-97
68	NR	Mitchell Vande Sompel	D	Oshawa (OHL)	5-10/180	11-Feb-97
69	NR	Adam Marsh	LW	Saint John (QMJHL)	6-0/165	22-Aug-97
70	NR	Jesse Gabrielle	LW	Regina (WHL)	5-11/205	17-Jun-97
71	NR	Denis Gurianov	RW	Lada Togliatti (Rus)	6-2/185	7-Jun-97
72	NR	Rasmus Andersson	D	Barrie (OHL)	6-0/215	27-Oct-96
73	NR	Dmytro Timashov	LW	Quebec (QMJHL)	5-9/190	1-Oct-96
74	NR	Justin Lemcke	D	Belleville (OHL)	6-2/200	13-Feb-97
75	NR	Matej Tomek	G	Topeka (NAHL)	6-2/180	24-May-97

2015 NHL Draft: Sweden Top 10

Marcus Fingal — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 11:37:20 +0000

Among the draft-eligible prospects playing in Sweden this season, Farjestad blueliner Oliver Kylington heads the rankings. The Stockholm native is one of four defencemen in the top six - with forwards filling the last four spots in the top ten. Kylington is ranked No. 14 on the McKeen's preliminary Top 30 list while Frolunda's Jacob Larsson sits 21st - with a pair of Brynas prospects - savvy forward Jens Looke and goaltender Felix Sandstrom - expected to make strong bids to join them in the first round next June. Here is a brief overview of each player.

1. Oliver Kylington (2015), D, Farjestad/AIK... A terrific puckmoving defenceman with elite skating ability - which gives him that extra time and he always tries to find that open space of the ice. His sense for the game is average - and he is not overly physical or aggressive in spite of having decent size and strength. His puck control is good although he sometimes struggles to keep it up in traffic.

2. Jacob Larsson (2015), D, Frolunda... At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Larsson has the size NHL teams desire in a rearguard. He is a smart player who impresses with his timing and ability to read and react to the play. More of an all-around type - gritty and competitive - in spite of not being a physical defender. Handles the puck well in traffic and has good mobility thanks to a smooth stride and excellent balance.

3. Jens Looke (2015), RW/L, Brynas... An intelligent and versatile forward who possesses a high hockey IQ. Looke plays a simple game backed by an excellent work ethic. A competent puckhandler with good tempo and control in traffic. Must keep working on his skating however, notably to improve both his power and acceleration.

4. Felix Sandstrom (2015), G, Brynas... An intriguing goaltender blessed with a good-sized 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame. Also quite mobile given his size. Offers up different looks to shooters and varying dimensions in terms of being able to play both a 'blocking' style as well as more impulsive approaches.

5. Gabriel Carlsson (2015), D, Linkopings... Carlsson's huge 6-foot-4 frame is only 185 pounds with loads of space to bulk up and fill in. Prefers to play a simple game that features few mistakes. A competent all-around defender who impresses with his solid body positioning. Not overly skilled with the puck, but has the potential to become a beast if he continuing to develop his strength and finesse play.

6. Jesper Lindgren (2015), D, MoDo... Lindgren is a smart and skilled puckmoving defenseman who understands the game very well. Solid passer with good balance in his skating, excels on the power play. However he is undersized by NHL standards at 6-foot-0 and just 160 pounds. It will be mandatory to add more strength to his game as he still is very weak relatively speaking.

7. Filip Ahl (2015), LW, HV71... A large-bodied forward with a lot of potential. Combines physicality and powerful skating. Propelled by a long smooth stride, and is very hard to take down when he comes with speed. Ahl handles the puck well, however he can still add more tools to his stickhandling. His hockey sense is average - and he sometimes finds it hard to play within a team concept.

8. Joel Eriksson Ek (2015), C, Farjestad... A solid two-way centre with a high hockey IQ and good size at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. Plays a well-structured and technical game. Always operates within the team concept which makes him very useful in game plans. Sound positional player and box-out defender. Only an average stickhandler -and must also continue to improve his skating.

9. Robin Kovacs (2015), RW, AIK... A talented forward and very good skater. Possesses a quick release on his shots and is also a smooth puckhandler. However, he is not particularly large at just under 6-feet-0 in height and 170 pounds. Will need to become stronger overall. Kovacs is an interesting prospect if he can add the requite muscles.

10. John Dahlstrom (2015), C/LW, Frolunda... A character player powered by an excellent work ethic and solid decision making. Plays a gritty game and utilizes his very good physical strength. Excels working the front of the goal and has a knack for picking up loose pucks.. Also boasts a good, very quick release on his shot, which he needs to use more often. Only an average skater, although he has shown improvements lately.