Henri Jokiharju – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: DADOUN – FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Washington powers on with Ovechkin, Chicago looks for change – Teams and players to target this week

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 16:07:18 +0000

NEWARK, NJ - NOVEMBER 30: Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun (6) scores a goal during a NHL game between the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on November 30, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

Washington had an incredible 13-4-1 record through Nov. 18 thanks in large part to its league-leading 4.33 goals per game. However, that offensive success was built around Alex Ovechkin, who had 15 goals and 25 points through 18 appearances, so when he suffered a fractured left fibula, it was reasonable to wonder how much his absence would impact the Capitals. Going into Friday’s action, Washington seemed to largely be managing the injury well, posting a 4-2-1 record in its first seven games without Ovechkin.

The Capitals offense has certainly taken a hit, but they’ve still managed an impressive 3.43 goals per game since Ovechkin was sidelined. Tom Wilson (three goals, six points), Dylan Strome (two goals, six points) and Connor McMichael (two goals, five points) have been of particular importance over that seven-game stretch.

However, none of those forwards are actually the Capitals’ scoring leader over the stretch without Ovechkin. That honor belongs to Jakob Chychrun, who has three goals and seven points across his past seven outings. Chychrun, who was acquired from Ottawa over the summer, has been a fantastic addition, collecting eight goals and 15 points through 20 appearances. Keep in mind, though, that his 19.0 shooting percentage is far ahead of his career average of 7.2, so we’ll probably eventually see a drop off.

Still, this stretch has shown that Washington is a team with some decent depth and might prove to be a serious contender come playoff time.

One team that almost certainly won’t be playing come the postseason is Chicago. There’s still plenty of hockey left, of course, but with an 8-16-2 record, the Blackhawks seem set to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

Connor Bedard has been fine with five goals and 19 points in 26 outings, but for a player who has as much promise as him, even more is hoped for. Still, it would help if he had more support. Ryan Donato is the only other Chicago player with at least 15 points (10 goals, five assists). To put that into context, 160 players at reached the 15-point mark through Thursday’s action, so an average team should have five players who have reached that milestone.

Goaltender Petr Mrazek has been alright, but he’s not getting much support on offense or defense, which has left him with a 7-11-1 record, 2.86 GAA and .905 save percentage across 19 outings. Chicago fired head coach Luke Richardson after Chicago suffered its fourth straight loss Wednesday and appointed Anders Sorensen as the interim bench boss. Richardson finished his Blackhawks tenure with a 57-118-15 record, so by that measure his departure isn’t surprising, but given that Chicago has been in the midst of a rebuild, it’s hard to be too critical of him.

Still, perhaps Sorensen, who spent the previous seven campaigns coaching for AHL Rockford, including three years as the head coach going into 2024-25, can help accelerate the rebuild somewhat by guiding the team’s young players. He already has familiarity with many of the club’s prospects thanks to his previous role. A fresh perspective might also be good for Bedard, who is naturally critical to Chicago’s long-term goals.

It will be a while before we know if the change to Sorensen was the right move, and success, at least in the short term, won’t necessarily be measured in wins and losses, but the Blackhawks will be an interesting team to monitor.

Buffalo Sabres (Mon vs DET, Wed vs NYR, Sat @ WAS, Sun @ TOR)

The Sabres have hit a rough patch, dropping their last five games to fall to 11-12-3 on the campaign. To be fair, most of those games were against tough opponents (Minnesota, Vancouver, Colorado and Winnipeg handed out four of the five defeats), but Buffalo has more difficult matchups on the horizon. The Sabres will host the Red Wings and the Rangers on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, before taking to the road to face Washington on Saturday and Toronto on Sunday.

Rasmus Dahlin left Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to Colorado because of back spasms and missed Thursday’s 3-2 overtime defeat to the Jets because of the issue. Coach Lindy Ruff described the situation like this via Buffalo’s Twitter account, “It should be short-term, but you never know.” In other words, Dahlin might be fine to play in all four of next week’s games.

He’s a vital part of the Sabres’ blue line, so no one defenseman can fill in for him when he’s not available. That said, Henri Jokiharju should see an increase in even-strength ice time -- Jokiharju logged 20:23 of ice time Thursday, his most since Oct. 16 -- and Owen Power should serve on the first power play unit for however long Dahlin’s out.

Jokiharju doesn’t have much fantasy value regardless, but Power has three goals and 15 points in 26 appearances in 2024-25 despite recording no points with the man advantage, so if he’s given an opportunity to play on the top power-play unit for any extended stretch, that’d be rather interesting.

Regardless of which defensemen dress, Buffalo needs them to help make life easier on the goaltenders. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen could certainly have done more recently -- he posted a record of 0-2-2 with a 3.20 GAA and an .895 save percentage across his past four starts -- but he also faced at least 30 shots in three of those four games, including 41 shots in Tuesday’s tilt.

James Reimer has been used sparingly, posting a 1-1-0 record, 2.05 GAA and .923 save percentage in two starts since being claimed by Buffalo off waivers Nov. 13, but the Sabres’ busy schedule means that he should play in at least one game next week.

Carolina Hurricanes ( Tue vs SJS, Fri vs OTT, Sun vs CBJ)

The Hurricanes are playing in just three games next week, but I still wanted to feature them because those matchups are favorable. All three of the matches will be in Carolina. The Hurricanes will host San Jose on Tuesday, Ottawa on Friday and Columbus on Sunday.

None of those opponents are good defensively -- Ottawa ranks 25th in goals allowed per game (3.20), which is the best of the three -- so this should be a good stretch for the Blue Jackets’ scorers. Perhaps Martin Necas can build some breathing room in the Art Ross Trophy fight. At the time of writing, he’s in first place with 41 points (14 goals), narrowly edging out Nathan MacKinnon (40 points), Kirill Kaprizov (39), Jack Eichel (38) and Sam Reinhart (37).

Necas was held off the scoresheet in back-to-back games from Nov. 29-30 for the first time this season, but he’s responded by scoring two goals and four points across his past two outings.

One lower profile Hurricanes who’s hot is Eric Robinson. The 29-year-old has never recorded more than 27 points in a single season, but he’s well on his way to shattering that record after recording eight goals and 17 points across 26 appearances. Exercise some caution here: His shooting percentage is an unreasonably high 25.0, and he’s still averaging just 12:15 of ice time with no power-play role, so it’s hard to imagine him keeping up this pace. Still, he’s hot at the moment with three goals and four points across his past five appearances, and when coupled with the Blue Jackets’ upcoming scheduled, there’s reason to hope that the good times aren’t over yet.

We should also see continued production out of defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. He’s fitting in nicely with Carolina, scoring five goals and 21 points in 26 outings, including a goal and seven points over his past six games. Gostisbehere’s success is largely tethered to the power play, which accounts for 15 of his points.

His presence has corresponded with Brent Burns shifting to the second power-play unit this year, which has led to Burns recording no points with the man advantage so far in 2024-25. Burns has a goal and seven points in 26 outings overall, which puts him on track to finish below the 40-point mark for just the second time in 12 seasons (the last time was the shortened 2020-21 campaign).

Columbus Blue Jackets (Tue vs PHI, Thu vs WAS, Sat vs ANA, Sun @ CAR)

The Blue Jackets are 11-11-3, which isn’t great, but they have done better than many projected going into the campaign. Columbus will see if it can maintain that level next week when it hosts Philadelphia, Washington and Anaheim on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, respectively. The Blue Jackets will then travel to Carolina for a game Sunday.

Kirill Marchenko has played a big role in Columbus’ better than expected results. The 24-year-old has 10 goals and 24 points in 25 games this season, putting him well on his way to shattering his mark of 42 points in 2023-24. You’ll usually see him sharing the ice with Sean Monahan, who has fit in nicely with Columbus, providing eight goals and 22 points through 25 appearances.

For the last few weeks, Dmitri Voronkov has typically been the third member of that line. He missed the start of the campaign with an upper-body injury and registered just one point (a goal) across his first six games of 2024-25, but the 24-year-old sophomore has hit his stride, supplying five goals and 10 points over his past 10 outings. He’s still on just 17 percent of Yahoo rosters, so he might be a nice pickup if he’s still available in your league.

On the blue line, Zach Werenski has been a standout performer for the Blue Jackets with eight goals and 27 points through 25 appearances. He’s one of the hottest defensemen in the entire league, recording five goals and 17 points across his past 10 outings.

Minnesota Wild (Tue vs UTA, Thu vs EDM, Sat vs PHI, Sun vs VGK)

The Wild have won their past four games to improve to 17-4-4. Minnesota will try to keep the good times rolling next week, which will begin with a road game against Utah on Tuesday. After that match, Minnesota will spend the rest of the week at home, playing against Edmonton, Philadelphia and Vegas on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Joel Eriksson Ek sustained an injury Tuesday and is week-to-week, and there’s no indication that Mats Zuccarello is close to returning from the lower-body issue that’s kept him out of the lineup since Nov. 14.

If Zuccarello were healthy, he’d almost certainly be playing alongside Kirill Kaprizov and Marco Rossi. His absence led to the lines being shaken up, and Eriksson Ek did skate on the top line with Kaprizov on Tuesday before he got hurt. With Zuccarello and Eriksson Ek both out, Matt Boldy will likely play regularly alongside Kaprizov and Rossi. Boldy has 11 goals and 24 points in 25 appearances, so that’s a strong trio. The forward corps after that, though, looks thin due to the injuries.

Marcus Johansson, Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno currently comprise the second line, but none of them have even reached double digits in points. The third unit is Devin Shore, Frederick Gaudreau and Yakov Trenin, which has a combined 15 points this season -- 14 of them from Gaudreau.

Fortunately for the Wild, Filip Gustavsson hasn’t needed much offensive help this year. He’s 12-4-3 with a 2.04 GAA and a .929 save percentage in 19 appearances.

New York Islanders (Tue vs LAK, Thu vs CHI, Sun @ CHI)

The Islanders have three games on the schedule, but two of them are against the lowly Blackhawks -- New York will host them Thursday and play in Chicago on Sunday -- so the Islanders are in a good position there. New York will also host the Kings on Tuesday.

We just discussed how Minnesota’s offense looks thin due to injuries, and the Islanders are in a similar boat without Anthony Duclair (lower body) and Mathew Barzal (upper body), who have logged just five and 10 games, respective. Due to their absences, the Islanders have just two players with at least 20 points, and even then, just barely -- Anders Lee has 21 while Kyle Palmieri has 20. The result is no Islanders player is within the top 50 of the Art Ross Trophy race.

Andrew Gross of Newsday reported Friday that Duclair and Barzal are skating on their own, which is better than not skating at all, but there are several steps between that and playing, so I wouldn’t count on them returning during the upcoming week.

Lee has been one of the few recent bright spots, providing four goals and eight points across his past six games. He’s on a four-game scoring streak through Thursday’s action. Simon Holmstrom appears to have cooled, though. He had back-to-back multi-goal games from Nov. 29-30, but he hasn’t found the back of the net since. Holmstrom has done fine with seven goals and 15 points in 27 outings, but he’s not worth employing in most fantasy leagues except when he’s hot.

New York Rangers (Mon vs CHI, Wed @ BUF, Sat vs LAK, Sun @ STL)

New York is set to host Chicago on Monday, play in Buffalo on Wednesday, have a home game against the Kings on Saturday and conclude the week by playing in St. Louis on Sunday. Let’s not dwell on the schedule, though, the Rangers had an eventful Friday, and I want to dive right into it.

New York traded Jacob Trouba to Anaheim in exchange for a fourth-round pick and Urho Vaakanainen. Importantly, the Rangers didn’t retain any salary, so Trouba’s $8 million cap hit through 2025-26 is now off their books. New York then signed Igor Shesterkin to an eight-year, $92 million contract that will begin in 2025-26 after his current four-year, $22.67 million deal expires.

Let’s start with the defensive changes. Trouba had a fantastic eight goals and 50 points in 82 games with Winnipeg in 2018-19 and was then dealt to the Rangers in the summer of 2019 in exchange for a 2019 first-round selection (Ville Heinola) and Neal Pionk. The Rangers promptly signed Trouba to his current eight-year, $56 million contract.

Unfortunately for New York, the Rangers inked Trouba at the height of his offensive contributions. Over his five campaigns with the Rangers going into 2024-25, Trouba reached the 30-point mark twice, but never hit 40. To be fair, Trouba is a big body, plays a physical game and blocks a ton of shots, so he brings things to the table outside of offense. He also served as the team captain from 2022 until he was traded, highlighting his importance in the locker room. Still, his cap hit was too high for what he brought.

It's telling that the Rangers got very little in return for him, and even with that, some questioned if they won this trade simply by virtue of clearing that cap space. But what did they receive outside of that draft pick? Vaakanainen was taken with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, but he never developed as hoped. Instead, he should be regarded as a depth defenseman who will likely bounce between the third pairing and the press box. He is also on the injured reserve list due to an upper-body injury, so it might be a bit before he makes his Rangers debut.

Rather than Vaakanainen playing regularly, we might see the Rangers utilize Victor Mancini more with Trouba out. The 22-year-old Mancini has a goal, four points, seven hits and 12 blocks in 10 appearances with New York in 2024-25, and he’s also provided two goals and five points in six AHL outings. Don’t get too excited over Mancini’s offensive numbers, though. He wasn’t much of a producer in the NCAA, recording just four goals and 10 points across 40 outings with the University of Nebraska-Omaha as a Junior in 2023-24.

As for locking up Shesterkin, the cap hit is substantial, but not surprising. He’s proven himself to be a top-tier goaltender, and we’re in a period where the cap seems to be steadily climbing, so there’s logic behind the number. Shesterkin has struggled recently with a 2-7-0 record, 3.93 GAA and .882 save percentage across nine appearances, but he should rebound.

St. Louis Blues (Tue @ VAN, Thu vs SJS, Sat @ DAL, Sun vs NYR)

St. Louis has won four of its past five games, improving to 13-12-2 this season. That still puts the Blues outside of a playoff spot, but at least they’re trending in the right direction. The Blues will play in Vancouver on Tuesday, host the Sharks on Thursday, visit Dallas on Saturday and play at home Sunday versus the Rangers.

Dylan Holloway has been a major part of the Blues’ recent success, contributing four goals and eight points across his past five outings. That brings him up to eight goals and 16 points in 27 appearances this year, but he’s been inconsistent, so enjoy the good times while they last, but be prepared for the other shoe to eventually drop if you grab the 23-year-old during his hot streak.

Jordan Binnington is another extremely inconsistent play, but he has been more hit than miss lately, providing a 4-2-1 record, 2.10 GAA and .925 save percentage across his past seven appearances. He’s 8-9-2 with a 2.87 GAA and .900 save percentage in 20 outings overall and will probably average out as a low-to-mid tier starter this season.

Robert Thomas might still have a great campaign, though. He did miss 12 games from Oct. 24-Nov. 17 because of a fractured ankle, but with that injury now well behind him, Thomas seems to be heating up, providing three goals and six points across his past four games. This might just be the beginning of a longer hot streak for Thomas, who set a career high in 2023-24 with 86 points.

Toronto Maple Leafs (Tue @ NJD, Thu vs ANA, Sat @ DET, Sun vs BUF)

Toronto is having a fantastic campaign with a 16-7-2 record, and the Maple Leafs have won seven of their past eight games. They’ll look to maintain that momentum next week, starting with a road contest against New Jersey. The Maple Leafs will then host Anaheim on Thursday, play in Detroit on Saturday and return home to play against the Sabres on Sunday.

Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies returned from injury Nov. 30, adding to Toronto’s success. Matthews has been especially good since returning, supplying three goals and five points across three appearances, bringing him up to eight goals and 16 points through 16 outings. Matthews tends to score goals in bunches, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him continue to tickle the twine over the upcoming week.

Max Domi (lower body) and Max Pacioretty (lower body) have also been skating with the Maple Leafs recently, so they might be nearing a return too. Once they do, we might see Nicholas Robertson fall out of the lineup. Robertson has been the main disappointment in what has otherwise been a great campaign for Toronto. He has just two points (both goals) in 22 outings in 2024-25. Robertson did find the back of the net Nov. 30, but he was held off the scoresheet in two games since, so that marker didn’t seem to help spark him.

In net, Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz will probably each start in two games next week. Stolarz is 8-4-2 with a 2.23 GAA and .924 save percentage in 14 outings, while Woll is 7-2-0 with a 2.11 GAA and a .922 save percentage in nine appearances, so the Maple Leafs can happily treat them as a 1A-1B tandem.

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – BUFFALO SABRES – Team Preview

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 16:00:02 +0000

_{MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 21: Look on Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) during the Buffalo Sabres versus the Montreal Canadiens game on February 21, 2024, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)}

Although all eyes were on young goaltender Devon Levi, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen proved to be the star of the 2023-24 Sabres, posting a 27-22-4 record, 2.57 GAA and .910 save percentage across 54 contests. However, his strong netminding was undermined by forwards Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, and Casey Mittelstadt all seeing meaningful declines in offensive production when compared to a season prior. The end result was that Buffalo finished 39-37-6 and missed the playoffs for a 13th consecutive year.

WHAT’S CHANGED? Since the Sabres replaced Lindy Ruff as the head coach, they have cycled through six bench bosses and none of them could lead Buffalo to the postseason, so Buffalo went back to the last thing that worked by rehiring the now 64-year-old Ruff. Outside of the coaching change, Buffalo bought out Skinner and let Victor Olofsson walk as an unrestricted free agent. Meanwhile, they brought in Ryan McLeod in a trade with Edmonton, who might play on the third line alongside Jason Zucker, who was inked to a one-year contract.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? The Sabres have endured the longest stretch between playoff berths in NHL history, but that might come to an end this season. Luukkonen was great last year, and at the age of 25, seems well positioned to be a high-end starter for years to come. Combine that with Levi’s high-end potential, and Buffalo’s goaltending is looking good. What Buffalo needs is for its forward corps to recapture some of the magic it had in 2022-23. If that happens, then the Sabres will be a great, well-rounded squad.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Of course, Luukkonen has just 100 career NHL games under his belt, and he wasn’t that effective in 2022-23, so there’s no guarantee he won’t regress, and for all Levi’s potential, he’s completely unproven. Buffalo did try to hedge its bet by inking free agent James Reimer, but he’s 35 now and probably won’t be able to save the Sabres if their young goaltenders struggle. On top of that, playing in the Atlantic Division will do Buffalo no favors. Sure, the Sabres have promise, but Ottawa and Detroit improved over the summer while Montreal’s rebuild is making progress. Throw Florida, Boston, Toronto, and Tampa Bay into that mix, and even a Buffalo team that plays capably might still miss the playoffs.

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: After buying out Skinner, there’s a path for Zach Benson to play a bigger role this campaign, and the 19-year-old might take advantage. He had a serviceable 2023-24 campaign with 11 goals and 30 points across 71 contests while averaging 14:31 of ice time and has the potential to do so much better. Also keep an eye on Jack Quinn, who was limited to 27 games last year, but looked good when he was healthy with nine goals and 19 points. Now with 104 NHL contests under his belt, it’ll be interesting to see what he could do if he stays healthy this year.

FORWARD

Tage Thompson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	39	45	84	1.05

Thompson’s 2023-2024 season, like that of the whole of the Buffalo Sabres, was a frustrating one. Although he finished the season leading the team with 29 goals, he missed 11 games and dealt with an injury to his wrist that affected his shooting. His power play production dropped from 20 goals in 2022-2023 to nine as Buffalo’s power play fell apart. Showcasing how well Thompson performed despite the injury helped highlight the opportunities that have slipped through the Sabres hands the past two seasons. That he wanted to hurry back into the lineup after the injury to help his team that struggled with consistency makes sense. He’s become a leader in the room and is deeply motivated to help end their playoff drought. But playing through an issue that clearly hindered his greatest weapon, his shot, only proved to add to the frustration the team sorted through. Thompson showed late in the season that when he is healthy, he’s as dangerous a scorer as there can be in the NHL. His creativeness with the puck, his size, his hands and his shot make him extremely difficult to defend. Giving him space lets him get clear to fire away but pressing him can lead to being put on his highlight reel when he toe-drags or nutmegs the defender. Good health and a more direct power play scheme along with Lindy Ruff’s style of play could lead Thompson to a monster season.

Dylan Cozens

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	22	32	54	0.66

Two seasons ago, Dylan Cozens appeared to have arrived in a big way as an offensive star in Buffalo. His 31 goals in 2022-2023 firmly put him in place behind Tage Thompson as Buffalo’s No. 2 center and set the stage for the Sabres to have a dangerous one-two punch on their top two lines. But 2023-2024 proved to mimic Cozens’s 2021-2022 season a bit too closely. He posted 18 goals with 29 assists last season, a mark that put him fifth on the team in scoring. He struggled with his consistency on offence and battled with his own confidence in his shot as his task load increased throughout the year. Following the trade of Casey Mittelstadt, Cozens become the de facto faceoff man and ultimately one of their most important players on the penalty kill. But Cozens struggled to win draws (45.5 percent on the year) although Buffalo’s penalty killing greatly improved going from 77 percent in 2022-2023 to 82.7 percent last season, tied for 12th best in the NHL. Although the strong defensive work is certainly encouraging, it’s offence Cozens wants to help with even more and the Sabres will need it following the buyout of Jeff Skinner. Should he use his solid performance at World Championships (nine goals, two assists in 10 games) to spark him like it did in 2022-2023, it’ll be a big bounce back season for him.

Alex Tuch

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	27	44	71	0.91

On paper, Alex Tuch had a strong season in 2023-2024. He tied with Rasmus Dahlin for the team lead in scoring with 59 points and his 22 goals were fourth most on the team. Being a team leader is a good thing, normally, except when things go poorly, which they did for Buffalo. Tuch battled all season riding the waves of inconsistency with the rest of his teammates, but when on top of his game, he showed why he’s a premier power forward. His ability around the net to score on rebounds is excellent and he again showed that he’s got a dynamite shot from the slot or on the rush off the wing. A player with his size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) can be a game-changer and, like many of his Sabres teammates, there were quite a few ups and downs throughout the year. Tuch’s body of work through his career shows how dynamic he can be and since coming to Buffalo from Vegas, we’ve been able to see why he’s such a valued player. Last season marked the third time he scored 20-or-more goals, but the drop from 36 to 22 was substantial. As much as Buffalo wanted to recreate that success, something was off in how Tuch, Thompson and Skinner (and later JJ Peterka) were able to play together. This season, Tuch’s childhood dream of playing for Lindy Ruff will come true and he’ll be a vital player in the Sabres’ success.

JJ Peterka

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	32	26	58	0.71

The big question last offseason was who among JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn would have a big breakout season in 2023-2024. When Quinn sustained an Achilles tendon injury in the summer, all eyes were on Peterka to see if he would take the next step into becoming one of the top scorers on the Sabres and he lived up to the expectations. Peterka set career highs in goals (28) and points (50) and became a first line player alongside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, supplanting Jeff Skinner in the process. Peterka used his speed, shot, and creativity with the puck to generate scoring opportunities and did the bulk of his damage at even strength with 25 of his 28 goals coming then. At 22-years old, Peterka taking a step forward like this came at the best time for the Sabres and you could postulate that his rise (as well as the arrival of Zach Benson) helped general manager Kevyn Adams decide to buy out Skinner this summer. Peterka’s skill set was made to flourish with such offensively capable teammates and although Buffalo didn’t play with quite the same speed and attack mentality last season, he was still able to take off. With a new coach in place, opportunity is there for the taking to have Peterka make another big step forward and his ability to play better two-way hockey will give him the ability to shine even brighter.

Jack Quinn

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
76	25	24	49	0.64

Hopes last season for Jack Quinn were dashed months before the season even began when he ruptured an Achilles tendon during offseason workouts. That injury put him out of action until a week before Christmas and when he returned, the Sabres were already sagging back in the standings and offensively. While Quinn did his best upon his return to jumpstart the team, bad luck took over for him again in late-January when he sustained a lower-body injury in an awkward board collision that kept him out another two months. When he wasn’t on the shelf, Quinn had nine goals and 10 assists in 27 games, a scoring rate of 0.7 points per game. That kind of production being absent from the Sabres lineup was a harsh blow to take for the team and highlighted how there really wasn’t anyone who stepped up to replace him. A fully healthy offseason for Quinn should allow him to be ready to explode on the scene this season as he’s penciled in to play on a line with Dylan Cozens once again. His ability to score from odd shooting angles with peculiar timing makes him a perplexing player to defend and goaltend against and allows him to be dangerous from anywhere in the zone, particularly in the slot. If he has a fully healthy season, the breakout that was anticipated a year ago may come to fruition.

Zach Benson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	15	23	38	0.49

Zach Benson’s first NHL season was loaded with surprises. When the Sabres selected him 13th overall at the 2023 draft, it was stunning that one of the WHL’s top scorers managed to slip that far down the board and into the hands of a team that already had a cadre of high-end prospects in the first place. It was just as surprising when Benson showed during training camp in September that not only was it a mistake for other teams to pass on him but that at 18-years old, he was good enough to be in the NHL right away. Benson earned a spot on the Sabres and took full advantage of his hard skating and hard-working style of play to become arguably the best forechecker on the team. His aggressive skating and ability to annoy opponents worked to his advantage as he was able to force turnovers further up the ice and become an instantly excellent penalty killer. Although he was a big-time scorer in juniors, his 11 goals and 19 assists couldn’t generate a lot of attention for the Calder Trophy. All that aside, with his defensive smarts and instincts already in place and excellent at the NHL level, it’ll only be a matter of time before he finds his stride offensively as he’s extremely creative with the puck and with his shot. It bears watching how much more he will score this season. A major breakout is on the horizon, it’s only a question of when.

Peyton Krebs

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	11	16	27	0.33

The 2023-2024 season proved to be a deeply frustrating one for Peyton Krebs. At 23-years old, he put up four goals and 13 assists and had the lowest offensive output of his career. Krebs played mostly in a fourth-line role between Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo which didn’t exactly help with generating offence, but that was the role he was asked to play and he handled it as best as he could. Krebs was the 17th pick in the 2019 draft, the same year as Dylan Cozens, and the expectations for him as an offensive player have always been high. When he had the opportunity to play up in the Sabres lineup, he struggled and couldn’t click well offensively with wingers like Zach Benson or JJ Peterka. While he possesses an adept ability to make passes and has solid offensive instincts, it hasn’t quite come together for him yet in Buffalo. As he heads into a new season, where he fits into the Buffalo lineup is a bit murky. Ideally, they’d like Krebs to play up in the lineup somewhere, be it at center or the wing, but he’s performed poorly any time he’s been on the wing. With the additions of Ryan McLeod and Sam Lafferty, it would seem the center spot on the third and fourth lines is spoken for unless Krebs forces the issue in camp or winds up playing elsewhere.

Jason Zucker

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	15	14	29	0.38

When the Sabres bought out Jeff Skinner in the offseason, the biggest question GM Kevyn Adams faced was how he was going to replace the point production he provided. When July 1st rolled around, the Sabres made the call for veteran Jason Zucker to address that need. Zucker is a five-time 20-plus goal scorer in the league and is two seasons removed from putting up 27 goals with the Pittsburgh Penguins. At 32-years old, he’s a knowledgeable veteran who knows his role and has always used his speed to his advantage both in the offensive game and as a forechecker. The Sabres will lean on Zucker to play in a role like what they had with Skinner late in the season. He’ll be able to play on any of the top three lines and likely battle with JJ Peterka and Zach Benson for those spots on the left wing. But most importantly, they’ll look for Zucker to find his scoring touch once again. He struggled last season with Arizona and Nashville and put up 14 goals with 18 assists. They would love to see him return to the prowess he had in Pittsburgh or previously with the Minnesota Wild, but should Peterka and Benson outperform him, at the very least the depth Zucker will provide will be greatly appreciated.

Ryan McLeod

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	8	15	23	0.29

One of the newest faces in Buffalo will also be one of, if not, the fastest on the team in Ryan McLeod. The Sabres acquired McLeod from the Edmonton Oilers in a swap that sent 2023 ninth overall pick Matthew Savoie back home to Alberta. The trade was panned by many given Savoie’s lofty draft status, but the specific role McLeod plays was greatly needed in Buffalo. As he showed during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final, McLeod’s speed forces the issue on opponents trying to get out of their own zone. His forechecking and ability to recover and regroup rapidly helped provide a defensive presence on a team that desperately needed one up front. His role in Buffalo is expected to be the same and with Lindy Ruff’s system in place, the pressure McLeod puts on opposing puck carriers will be vital. Although he’ll be in a third- or fourth-line role, McLeod isn’t a physical player, but with the presence of others like Jordan Greenway, Sam Lafferty and Beck Malenstyn in Buffalo, he won’t have to be. His five-on-five possession numbers shined in Edmonton (career 54.7 percent shot attempts for at five-on-five) and he did that away from all their elite scoring forwards. If he can carry that over to Buffalo, it’ll provide a huge lift to their overall performance.

DEFENCE

Rasmus Dahlin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	18	50	68	0.83

Being the No.1 defenceman on the Buffalo Sabres can be a difficult job, but Rasmus Dahlin has handled all the slings and arrows that were thrown at him to become one of the top blue liners in the NHL. Dahlin tied with Alex Tuch for the team scoring lead with 59 points and he had his first 20-goal season in 2023-2024. Whether it was on the power play or at even-strength, Dahlin’s ability to move the puck from end to end is outstanding. He’s capable of making passes akin to what a first-line center would make and can rip slap shots with the kind of power very few possess. He’s a dynamic offensive presence on the blue line and while his point totals dipped last season compared to the previous season, the uptick in goals showed the evolution his game is making. Dahlin has also developed a physical edge and doesn’t shy away from stirring things up either. He’s become an excellent on-puck defender and his ability to deny passes is impressive. It’s not something that shows up in highlights or box scores, but watching it happen in the flow of play is outstanding. He’s a leader on the ice and in the locker room, but he must improve on the number of penalties taken. The 29 infractions drawn last season were most on the Sabres and given he drew 27, the difference wasn’t too bad. But for the Sabres to have success, he must stay on the ice.

Owen Power

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	7	33	40	0.50

It may not always be reflected in his boxcar statistics, but Owen Power is an outstanding defenceman already at age 21. Last season, he had six goals and 27 assists in 76 games and his 33 points were second in defensive scoring behind Rasmus Dahlin. Considering he was second on the Sabres in average time on ice (22:55) behind Dahlin, that makes a lot of sense. After being the No. 1 in the 2021 draft, the lofty expectations that go with it mean he’s supposed to have juicier overall stats. But Power’s effectiveness stands out in both his advanced stats and via the eye test. Watching how well he’s able to exit the defensive zone and control the play from the backend through the neutral zone shows why he was the top pick three years ago and why the Sabres rely on him as much as they do. That said, he’s going to be the No. 2 guy on the blue line behind Dahlin for years to come since both signed long-term contracts a year ago to stay in Buffalo. The key for Power is to play with the kind of swagger and confidence Dahlin plays with now. At 6-foot-5, Power’s stature on the ice is impressive and a player as big as him being as smooth and heady on his feet makes him a unicorn of sorts, for him to take the next step in his career, he’s got to assert himself more in a similar way his teammate did a few years ago.

Bowen Byram

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	12	20	32	0.42

When the Sabres added Bo Byram from the Colorado Avalanche in the trade that sent center Casey Mittelstadt to Denver, it was a classic eye-popping hockey deal and one that helped Buffalo build one of the more impressive collections of young defencemen in the league. Things appeared to stagnate a bit for Byram in Denver last season and the Avalanche’s need for forward help and the Sabres’ fear of what Mittelstadt’s next contract would look like helped make the deal happen. Upon his arrival in Buffalo, it was a bit tricky to sort out his performance. His initial impression showed a lot of what was expected: strong puck-moving capability, fast pace of play and natural offensive instincts. But as the season ground to the finish, he struggled without an established role on the blue line and finished with nine points (three goals, six assists) in 18 games with the Sabres. The hope this season will be that Lindy Ruff’s new system and desire to up the pressure all over the ice will open things up for defencemen to carry and attack when called for and give Byram and his teammates the chance to fly. There’s no doubt he would like the fresh chance to show what he can do because he’s slated to play somewhere within Buffalo’s top four on defence, be it next to Rasmus Dahlin or Owen Power. His tools are too good to not work with the talent the Sabres have.

Henri Jokiharju

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
76	4	14	18	0.24

Henri Jokiharju’s stronger dedication to defensive play on the blue line was more than apparent last season. The Sabres have plenty of other more offensive options on the blue line in Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Bo Byram, so it’s the defensive side of the game Jokiharju needed to zero in on. He was a solid complementary player whether he was teamed up with Dahlin or Power on the right side and his plus-14 rating was best on the Sabres. He had 17 points in 74 games with three goals to his credit. One thing that helped him straighten up on defence was how he stuck to his role and what he was asked to do. Often in previous seasons, there would be disconnects between those he was paired with and was more meant to carry the puck up the ice and pinch in the offensive zone to add to the attack. That kind of miscommunication caused defensive breakdowns and golden scoring chances for opponents. Seeing that limited last season while he minded the defensive zone was encouraging. But Jokiharju can be effective with the puck. His shot from the blue line is decent and he’s able to get it through screens if he does let it fly. As he enters his final season before potentially becoming an unrestricted free agent next July, it’ll be worth paying attention to how he fits into what Lindy Ruff wants to do.

GOAL

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
52	25	22	6	4	0.908	2.63

Devon Levi

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
25	12	11	2	1	0.903	3.01

Compared to teams with Vezina-caliber goaltending, the 2023-24 Buffalo Sabres in-net offerings didn't necessarily put up any performances of note. But the team's ability to finish their season with a positive goal differential - something the Sabres hadn't done since 2011 - felt like both a remarkable breath of fresh air and a sign that things might finally be going right for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The 24-year-old Luukkonen, who had already temporarily lost his NHL gig twice with reassignments to the minors and benchings behind 41-year-old Craig Anderson, finally took the step forward that the team had been dying for. He finished the 2023 campaign with quality starts in nearly two-thirds of his games played, recording his first NHL shutout (and then adding four more, for good measure) and finally hitting his stride behind a team that seems poised to take a long-overdue step forward.

The real question now will be aimed at prospect Devon Levi. The expectation last year was that Levi, who had been putting up stellar performances at every level, would be able to step in and help guide the team as they took a step forward. Instead, Luukkonen finally put all the pieces together with his own game, improving his movement fluidity and tracking the puck in a way he hadn't with any regularity in years past. And Levi, typically a goaltender who looked best when beckoning pucks to him and holding his positioning, started to become more erratic and harder to stay confident in. The Sabres provided some relief for Levi (and Luukkonen) with a veteran James Reimer coming on board as this season's locker room leader, so Levi is free to work on his conditioning at the AHL level for a bit without feeling the pressure to perform immediately. But Reimer's own numbers have been middling at best for the last few seasons, and his workloads have been limited in volume. So sooner rather than later, expect the Luukkonen-Levi tandem to make another appearance.

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – BUFFALO SABRES – NHL Player Profiles

Joe Yerdon – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 21:41:19 +0000

FORWARDS

ST. LOUIS, MO - FEBRUARY 25: Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) during a NHL game between the Buffalo Sabres and the St. Louis Blues on February 25, 2022, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire),

Tage Thompson

As breakout seasons go, perhaps none were more out-of-the-blue and stunning as Tage Thompson’s 38-goal, 68-point year in 2020-2021 all while playing a position he hadn’t played in the NHL. Coach Don Granato moved Thompson to center and watched the six-foot-seven score more than twice as many goals in one season as he did in his first four with Buffalo and St. Louis. Thompson going from a player you wondered if he would ever pop off in the NHL to suddenly being the Sabres No. 1 center without a doubt is an incredible glow-up. Thompson’s rise to the top of the line-chart saw him team up with Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch to provide the Sabres’ first dangerous top line since Skinner skated next to Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. Of his 38 goals, 26 came at even strength and 10 on the power play. Adding a couple of shorthanded tallies was a chef’s kiss on top of an incredible season. On top of that, Thompson trailed only Skinner in shots taken and he was fourth among six players on the roster to have a greater than 50 percent CorsiFor at 5-on-5 last season. The Sabres believe he can do it again and signed him to a seven-year, $50 million contract prior to training camp.

Jeff Skinner

Jeff Skinner’s Sabres career has been an incredible journey and he just finished his fourth season in Buffalo. After he scored 40 in his first season and landed an eight-year, $72 million contract his following two seasons had him buried in the lineup by then coach Ralph Krueger and his offense disappeared posting the worst seasons of his career in back-to-back years. With Krueger out and Don Granato in, Skinner found himself back on the top line and thrived. Skinner finished second on the Sabres behind Tage Thompson in goals (33) and points (63). As he’s done throughout his career, he thrived at even strength scoring 28 goals and his time on the power play increased greatly and led to five goals. Having a player with the offensive ability of Skinner made it seem like a no-brainer to put him with other players who can drive play and teaming up with Thompson and Alex Tuch helped make everyone better. Skinner’s ice time even recovered to a normal level as his average per game jumped by 2:35. What Skinner will look to avoid is the roller coaster effect he’s had year to year going from a big goal season to a more average one. After breaking free of the restrictions of the past, Skinner will aim to keep the good times rolling.

Alex Tuch

It’s not often when a player is traded for a superstar that he turns into the breath of fresh air needed to give a team life. This was the story for Alex Tuch after arriving in Buffalo from Vegas in the Jack Eichel trade. Tuch embraced being a Sabre as he was a fan of them growing up outside of Syracuse, NY and impressed fans in Western New York with his big frame he uses to drive the net and create opportunities close to the net. Tuch returned from offseason shoulder surgery to play 50 games for Buffalo and posted 12 goals and 38 points tying him for fifth with Dylan Cozens on the team. Tuch teaming up with Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson on the top line for most of the season allowed him to be the power forward while Thompson and Skinner thrived with the room he provided. Tuch’s scoring rate of 0.76 points per-game was also a career high and his best since 2018-2019 with the Golden Knights. He was second on the Sabres behind Rasmus Asplund with a 51.6 percent CorsiFor at 5-on-5 and when you’ve got the puck more than the opponent does, you’re doing it right. Tuch also showed characteristics of being a possible future captain of the team, if not this season, then certainly down the road. With a complete offseason of training and a full season, it should mean the best is yet to come for Tuch.

Victor Olofsson

Victor Olofsson has one of the best shots in the NHL and he found ways to grow his game when his shot wasn’t there. For a span of time that’s somewhat unclear, Olofsson dealt with a wrist injury that appeared to take the speed and accuracy away from his laser beam of a shot and held him to 20 goals. Although he missed only 10 games, having his best weapon unavailable for any amount of time would be frustrating. Consider that he scored on 12.2% of his shots last season, a normal season would’ve meant scoring closer to 25 or 30 goals. The last time the Sabres had more than two 30-goal scorers in a season was 2006-2007 when they had four. Watching Olofsson evolve into a player who can do more than just score laser beam goals on the power play to one who can set up others and score for himself is a very welcome change. This isn’t to say Olofsson’s play ever disappointed the front office, but when you add more to a player’s game that can make them a better threat and keep opposing defenses on their toes, it makes a difference. This evolution in his game shows that sometimes out of the most difficult situations, solutions arise. With a new two-year contract signed and set, Olofsson will be eager to show off all his weapons.

Casey Mittelstadt

Last season was supposed to be Mittelstadt’s opportunity to show what he can really bring to the lineup. He had a great training camp and appeared ready to have his best season at the most important time of his career. Instead, an upper-body injury in the first game of the season kept him sidelined until December where he re-aggravated it and didn’t return until late January. He missed two more weeks with a separate injury in February. In all, injuries cost him 42 games and kept him to six goals and 19 points in 40 games. Mittelstadt’s career has had plenty of ups and downs to this point, but provided injuries stay away, he’ll be in the same position to show what he can bring to a rejuvenated lineup. His hands and shot are excellent as we’ve seen in the past and whether he stays at center or slides to wing, he can be a productive forward. He’ll have a bit more competition this year with Peyton Krebs, Jack Quinn, and J-J Peterka set to challenge for bigger roles and spots on the roster. He found success last season playing with Victor Olofsson and Rasmus Asplund as those three were able to have strong possession and shot generation. With good health and ice time to match it, the best of his career may be yet to come, but competition for spots among forwards will be stiff.

Dylan Cozens

The 21-year-old native of Yukon enters his third NHL season and while he’s been fine during those seasons, he’s in the best position to have a breakout season in Buffalo now. For roughly the first half of last season, Cozens was one of the Sabres most impressive young players. He showed great aptitude for carrying the puck into the zone and he helped drive play on his line. For a time, he was on a 20-goal pace, but things cooled off a little and he finished with 13 goals and 38 points. The rates on his offensive metrics all improved quite a bit and he further developed the edge to his game that won’t allow larger players to take advantage of him. He’s also not afraid to drop the gloves if the situation calls for it. Cozens saw more of his shift starts come in the offensive zone going roughly 60-40 offensive to defensive zone. This may seem a bit sheltered, but he played most of the season with Vinnie Hinostroza and Kyle Okposo and giving lines that may or may not be a bit lower in the lineup a bit more juice to get some scoring chances never hurts. With Cozens’ ability to possess the puck up the ice and able to gain the zone with the puck under control, he may be able to help get the team out of danger more often. With an expected influx of young scoring talent, it may open things up for Cozens to boost his own offensive output.

Rasmus Asplund

It’s true that many forwards who excel defensively fly under the radar unless they’re also outstanding scorers. After all, doing the grunt work doesn’t usually get on the highlight reels. But when you did through the numbers and search out players whose possession and shot suppression numbers look, perhaps no one went as unnoticed as Rasmus Asplund. At 5-on-5, Asplund was the Sabres best at CorsiFor percentage (53.3), he trailed only Alex Tuch in Shots For percentage and expected goals for percentage. Even more impressive is that he had most of his zone starts in the offensive end. Asplund is not an offensive dynamo. He had eight goals and 27 points and 22 of those were at even strength. He went 46 games between goals, when he scored Nov. 21 and not again until March 27, but his defensive work earned him a few votes for the Selke Trophy for best defensive forward. Given his defensive abilities, he’ll likely be deployed on an energy line or will line up with other players whose main skills are not centered around shutting down opponents. That Asplund has emerged like this gives Buffalo someone they can rely on to forecheck and pressure the puck relentlessly all over the ice and to play smart on the penalty kill. If Asplund were better at finishing he’d have a few more goals as he can generate chances, but for now it’s not his main mission.

Peyton Krebs

As the other key acquisition in the Jack Eichel trade, Krebs joined the Sabres as a potential future top-six centerman. Although he was drafted by Vegas, he’s done most of his pro hockey development with Buffalo last season. He joined the Sabres organization having played seven AHL games with Henderson and 13 with the Golden Knights. Over 48 games in Buffalo he posted seven goals and 22 points and showed an adept ability to thread passes to teammates and create scoring chances or set up goals. Like Cozens, Krebs was a first-round pick in 2019 but his road to the NHL was a bit more methodical, not to mention slowed by injuries, but his time to start shining is approaching. Something that will help Krebs get to the NHL and be a top-six or top-nine forward is the improvement in his defensive game. While his vision on the ice as well as his passing ability are outstanding, he struggled in his own end. When he was sent to the AHL at the conclusion of the NHL season, his play in there showed he’s not far off in general, but he put a lot of work in his play away from the puck and it helped him immensely. Building off that will help him in the competition for minutes in the lineup. With his offensive gifts already showing a lot of promise, he’ll have a huge opportunity to capitalize in competition with teammates.

DEFENSE

Rasmus Dahlin

It would feel wrong to say that Dahlin has been a bit beleaguered in his four NHL seasons, but there’s a lot of truth to it. He’s played for three head coaches, each with different systems and ideas for how Dahlin should play, and it’s hurt him, particularly early on in seasons. Last season started similarly as the player who went No. 1 in the 2018 NHL Draft seemed like he would never show up. But that changed in the second half of the year. Dahlin became a puck-rushing force, particularly in the offensive zone. Dahlin’s moments to pinch in were well-timed, his reads on plays were spot on, and his ability to finish chances improved as the season wound down. He had 13 goals and 40 assists when it was all said and done, and it seemed like the new energy surrounding the team manifested itself within his game. Ten of his goals came at even strength, as did 21 assists. On the power play which he was the quarterback on the top unit, he scored three goals with 18 assists and even had a shorthanded assist as well. He played the most minutes per game in his career (over 24:01) and was hands-down their No. 1 defenseman. These are key reasons to be excited about what’s to come this season, all he must do is not stumble out of the gate and play like that for a full season. It’s a big ask, but it’s the ask that’s always been made of him from the beginning.

Mattias Samuelsson

The one thing that kept the 6-foot-4, 226-pound rookie from being a Sabre all season was an injury sustained during a prospects challenge game before the start of training camp. That blocked shot kept him out of action for some time and meant he started the season in the AHL when he was cleared to play. It wasn’t long after that he was off to Buffalo where he instantly became a top pairing defender with Rasmus Dahlin and made Buffalo’s blue line that much better. Over 42 games, Samuelsson had 10 assists and averaged an even 20 minutes per game. While he played most his minutes with Casey Fitzgerald to start, his time with Dahlin is what has everyone in Buffalo excited about what’s to come. In 140 minutes of time at 5-on-5 with Dahlin, he posted a 54.6 percent CorsiFor and a 51.3 percent expected goals for. Even with all that, there was some bad luck as their PDO together was .967 (average is 1.000). Samuelsson also provides a physical element to the roster that’s severely lacking. He was third on the team with 100 hits. Dahlin was first with 121 but he played in 38 more games. The best is yet to come for Samuelsson, and he’ll be counted on to play top pairing minutes, likely with Dahlin. His throwback style with a modern twist is the exact kind of thing Buffalo has needed for a long time.

Henri Jokiharju

A lot had been asked of Jokiharju in his first couple seasons with Buffalo. He was originally Rasmus Dahlin’s partner and stayed there for a few seasons. The importance of that pairing playing most minutes and being tasked the toughest matchups began to show that perhaps that wasn’t the ideal role for the now 23-year-old Finn. Now that Mattias Samuelsson has assumed that role on the top pairing, Jokiharju has slid back to the second pair where, while the minutes are fewer, it’s allowed Jokiharju to settle in and take better advantage of the lesser matchups. What that really means is it’s a long-winded way of saying Jokiharju was fine but unspectacular. His numbers, both standard and advanced, don’t jump off the screen. He had three goals and 19 points in 60 games and his possession numbers were middle of the road both in terms of the Sabres and in general. He had some power play time and a bit more on the penalty kill, although it stands to reason with Owen Power’s full-time arrival, power play time will be scarce for Jokiharju from here on out. What will make or break him is how steady and consistent he can play. There were stretches last season where his play was a bit off and left fans frustrated. Saving him from top pairing minutes should do well to eliminate that from occurring and allow Buffalo to get the best from him.

Ilya Lyubushkin

True defensive-defensemen are a bit scarcer in the modern NHL, but when there’s a need for one on a team it’s always apparent. Therefore, one of the Sabres few free agent signings addressed that need for the blue line and it was former Coyote and Maple Leaf defender Ilya Lyubushkin that fit the bill. While Mattias Samuelsson provides a lot of that bite on the top pair, Lyubushkin will provide another option on a lower pairing. One thing that makes Lyubushkin stand out is his consistency. The player he was when he came up with Arizona is the same guy he is now. His shot suppression numbers were decent with Arizona considering how poorly they’ve played the past few seasons. In his short time with the Maple Leafs, those numbers naturally improved but his game held strong. He’s not a big time shot blocker nor is he overwhelmingly physical, but at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds he can fill the space and close the gaps with attention to detail. If there’s someone Lyubushkin seems ideal to line up next to it’s Owen Power. His defensive-minded play counters Power’s strong puck carrying ability and offensive play. That’s a spot he may have to compete with Jokiharju to lock down. Make no mistake though, Lyubushkin is a Sabre because he can handle himself very well in his own end of the ice, anything else he can add is gravy.

Craig Anderson

It seems like Craig Anderson just doesn’t want to quit – at 41-years old, he’ll be one of the oldest players in the league, much less in net. With the announcement that Mike Smith will likely miss the 2022-23 campaign, that leaves Anderson as the league’s only over-40 goaltender – and the next closest in age, Marc-Andre Fleury, will only be 38. It’s hard not to root for him to keep having fun, especially given the mentor status he’ll assume during the upcoming year.

Buffalo found itself scrambling when former up-and-comer Linus Ullmark left in free agency last summer, and they still haven’t quite recovered. That leaves them in a position where they need Anderson for as long as he’s happy to skate out and dress the part, even if his numbers during the 2021-22 season were far from exemplary. He remains one of the league’s most old-school holdouts from a technical standpoint, which becomes more and more apparent with each passing year; as the game speeds up and requires faster and smoother lateral work, he struggles to keep up. But despite the fact that his game clearly doesn’t seem suited for going the distance on a postseason run anymore, he continues to have one of the most consistent game styles out there. That’s an incredible asset for a Buffalo franchise that’s not necessarily trying to win a cup this year but is trying to ingrain good habits in the up-and-coming players they have on roster. Add in the guidance that Anderson can provide for the newly-acquired Eric Comrie and the stable reliability he offers for the team’s coaching staff as a backup, and there’s a lot to like about his continued presence in the Niagara region – even if he signifies yet another year of a seemingly-endless rebuild.

Projected starts: 35-40

Eric Comrie

It seems like Eric Comrie has been just a step away from regular league action for years now, but he’ll finally get his chance this season. With Malcolm Subban on the injured reserve list, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen coming off a lackluster year spent nearly entirely in the AHL, and Erik Portillo still developing at the University of Michigan, the door is wide open for Comrie to finally establish himself as a consistent NHL presence.

Comrie had a stellar coming-out year for Winnipeg this past season, posting his first career NHL shutout and boasting a .920 save percentage in all situations through 19 games. It seemed as if he finally took the technical precision he was so well known for during his prospect years and added a bit more confident from a decision-making standpoint. During some of his brief earlier showings at the NHL level, he struggled with keeping his movements fluid and minimal after allowing a tough goal. This past year, though, he managed to keep his game consistent through entire 60-minute showings, relying on smart technique and a lack of over-aggressive challenging to give himself an edge in a season where so many goaltenders were still re-establishing their own game baselines post-covid shutdowns. Now, though, he’ll have to replicate that success with what’s likely to be a much higher workload, behind a team that’s dealt with far less success than Winnipeg has seen in the last few years. Buffalo has struggled with not just structure to their games, but with consistency – particularly in how they manage their blue line. That means that although Comrie is going to be given more responsibility, he’ll be given less direction in how to handle it. Hopefully, he’ll be fine with Craig Anderson as a reliable mentor, but he wouldn’t be the first goaltender to see his confidence rattled by a scattered system offered up by the Sabres.

Projected starts: 50-55

AHL West Report: Life without Brannstrom, Kahkonen living the Wild life, plus much more

Tom Dorsa — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 12:55:35 +0000

With the National Hockey League's annual trade deadline falling in late February, the teams in the American Hockey League are prone to change from the fall out. Prospects being shipped from one place to another with a flurry of deals can change the face of that star youngster's career, as well as the fate of their respective teams.

Youthful players have to prove their worth with new teams, while pre-established players in the same dressing room have to fight for an increase in ice time. All of this battling occurring while the team prepares itself to ink fresh NCAA and junior hockey graduates to late-season ATOs can make for a hectic scene for fans and scouts alike.

So, in this piece, we'll check in on the best and brightest prospects in the AHL's Central Division, one of two divisions in the Western Conference.

Chicago Wolves (Vegas Golden Knights)

CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 26: Chicago Wolves defenceman Nic Hague (2) plays the puck during the second period of the American Hockey League game between the Chicago Wolves and Cleveland Monsters on January 26, 2019, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

Life without Erik Brannstrom -- who was sent to Ottawa as part of the Mark Stone trade -- might be hard to adjust to for the Chicago Wolves, but luckily, the Golden Knights have stockpiled a bounty of top prospects playing in the AHL.

Especially Nic Hague (fourth in our preseason rankings of Vegas prospects), who has done yeoman's work in keeping the Wolves atop the Central Division standings, taking on heavy, all-situation minutes in the wake of the Brannstrom trade. His skating is still a big issue, and players can drive past the lefty blueliner pretty easily, but his raw, 6-6" size makes Hague (10-14-24) nearly unbeatable low in the zone, where he shuts down the cycle well and forces opposing forwards into turnovers.

Goaltender Oskar Dansk (14th) doesn't quite have the stats to show it, but the technical aspects of his game have improved in the AHL this season. He is moving well laterally and staying on his feet to challenge shots, as well as becoming a better puck-handler. At 25 years old, Dansk (17-9-1, 2.86 GAA, .896 Sv%) has little development left to do, and instead should settle into an NHL backup role eventually, when his health will cooperate.

Other defensemen of interest are Jake Bischoff (5th) and Zach Whitecloud (12th), who are now both playing up in the lineup thanks to the absence of Brannstrom. Bischoff (2-9-11) is a solid two-way guy with potential to man an NHL second-unit power-play, based on his plus foot speed and creativity, but his willingness to take hits and his improved gaps and reads have led to more defensive zone deployment this season. He has been called up by the Golden Knights a few times already but has yet to see NHL ice time.

Whitecloud (6-17-23) has a lower ceiling than Bischoff, but arguably a far higher floor. The 6-2" defenseman is seeing power play time for the Wolves as he has worked on his assertiveness offensively, and is already a very well-rounded d-man he works hard in the defensive zone and has a very active stick. The first NCAA free agent signing in Knights history is due for a recall.

Iowa Wild (Minnesota Wild)

Though the Iowa Wild have been a steady force near the summit of the Central Division standings this season, their team is led mostly by pro hockey veterans, and few top prospects are really shining for this club. Iowa's three leading scorers are Cal O'Reilly (32 years old), Gerald Mayhew (26), and Kyle Rau (26), while top-tier prospects Luke Kunin (2nd) and Jordan Greenway (3rd) have essentially graduated to the NHL.

However, goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (7th) has been perhaps the class of AHL netminding this season, and after an All-Star Classic appearance, has continued his torrid 2018-19 season. The 22-year-old has been dynamic behind a relatively thin defensive core, using his enhanced play-reading abilities and athleticism to carry the load for the club.

Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings)

Not much has gone right for the Detroit Red Wings this season, but if anything has, it is the development of their top-tier prospects. Unlike most rebuilding teams, who will have their prospects marinate in the junior leagues for years, Detroit has shown a willingness to give guys like Filip Zadina (1st), Michael Rasmussen (3rd), and Filip Hronek (7th) a chance to prove themselves in the pro ranks at a young age.

It is an admirable development strategy, one counter to their traditional practice of slow-walking prospect development, and the results have been promising to this point, with Zadina's curious 2018-19 season leading the charge. After a very slow start, the 2018 draft's sixth-overall selection started funneling shots on goal and using his plus-plus foot speed to impact games. He has been a solid power-play option and a middle-sixer whose Griffins run specific sets so as to utilize his speed and deft hands.

A guy on the opposite spectrum is fellow forward Givani Smith (18th), whose lack of top-end skill has really shown this season. A former second-round pick taken, seemingly, for his fiery physical game, which has paid off on the Grand Rapids penalty kill, Smith (4-3-7) has struggled in any role besides that shorthanded deployment. He is an alright skater, but his usage on Grand Rapids' fourth-line (when he isn't being healthy scratched), is pretty indicative of his shortcomings.

Texas Stars (Dallas Stars)

After being a black ace for the Texas Stars' run to the Calder Cup Finals last season, goaltender Philippe Desrosiers has had a memorable stretch as of late. He spent considerable time in the ECHL to start the season, as he did last season, but has enjoyed a resurgence as a split-starter with fellow netminder Landon Bow in the Texas crease.

Desrosiers (not ranked) has appeared in nine out of Texas' last 12 games, and in that stretch, has posted a 2.43 GAA and .913 Sv%. He has been noticeably better at reading plays, and comes out to the lip of the crease to challenge opposing shooters more often.

Undrafted, free-agent signing Joel L'Esperance (not ranked) has lit up the AHL this season, to the tune of 29 goals. The big-bodied, versatile centerman has earned a recall to Dallas and has appeared in six NHL contests, just a year removed from signing an ATO out of Michigan Tech. Though L'Esperance (29-15-44) likely will never be a pure scorer at the NHL level, his offensive skills are underrated, and he can fill out a second power-play unit for a long time.

Another surefire NHLer, Roope Hintz (9th) is essentially finished with AHL hockey and has graduated to Dallas. It's a well-deserved promotion for perhaps the best pure skater in the organization, as his foot speed, stride length, and top speed are all well above league-average. The former second-round draft pick (9-13-22 in the AHL) has a wicked wrist shot and also quite a bit of chemistry with Denis Gurianov, which could help accelerate the development of the Russian.

Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks)

After being squeezed out of ice time due to a resurgent Blackhawks team making a late-season playoff push, youthful defenseman Henri Jokiharju was assigned to Rockford and immediately became an impact player in an AHL team in a tight postseason race of their own. The former WHLer (2nd) has posted 12 points (1-11-12) in 13 games since being sent down.

Though he could stand to better take a hit, his skating, shot, defensive intelligence, and transitional game are at an NHL level at just 19 years old. He is probably better suited to get increased ice time with the IceHogs than to play on the third pair in Chicago, as the Blackhawks brass want the Finn to develop into an all-around defenseman, similar to (though with not as high a ceiling as) Duncan Keith.

Though his 15-game ride in the NHL was underwhelming, centerman Luke Johnson (19th) has taken major strides in his development this season. Mostly a two-way defensive forward with some creativity, Johnson (13-13-26) has become more assertive on offense and has earned himself some time on the Rockford second power play unit. His NHL game will be more of honing in on his best qualities, the Marcus Kruger-esque fourth-line checking role.

Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators)

Though the Admirals lost one of their leading scorers, Emil Pettersson, in a trade with the Coyotes, they acquired forward Adam Helewka in the same deal, and Helewka (17th in Arizona's preseason prospect rankings) has been money for the thin Milwaukee forward core. Though he can be inconsistent and now joins a more stacked organization, the Canadian forward remains very intriguing.

With 11 points (4-7-11) in 10 games since joining the club, Helewka has been driving play at 5-on-5 with his creativity and hustle, though his skating is a major issue. He has a goal-scoring package to him, and he kills penalties for the Admirals, making him a very useful AHL player, even if he has a limited NHL-caliber ceiling.

Defenseman Alexandre Carrier (8th) continues to be an assist machine, and a forward's best friend at even strength and on the power play. As an undersized defenseman with middle-pair potential, his game will have to be one of that style, and his puck-moving skills and foot quickness fall in line with that. Luckily, that's just what Nashville asks of its defensemen in the Peter Laviolette system, and his playing style can help the NHL team in that regard.

Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets)

With a team that has lost some top prospects over the course of the season, such as Kristian Vesalainen (1st), Jack Roslovic (2nd), Mason Appleton (3rd), and Sami Niku (4th), Michael Spacek (9th) has been leading the way. The 2015 fourth-rounder has zeroed in on becoming a more well-rounded player this season, and has focused less on shooting and more on playmaking.

For a guy whose shot is a weapon on the power play, his commitment to improving as a passer has shown so far in 2018-19, as he is on pace for a career high in points (8-26-34) by virtue of those 26 helpers. His hockey sense plays up his average skillset, and he probably is best suited for a depth shooting role. Though he has an undersized frame, he has been solid as a checking-line forward at times.

Though the speed and energy of JC Lipon (20th) can be infectious at times, he has been stagnant as a prospect and it is hard to make anything of him. After experiencing a nine-game NHL trial three seasons ago, he has not been back to the top league since, and at 25, he really can't do any more improving.

He lacks high-end skills to compliment his speed, and has embraced the role of a fighter on his team, which can often be a death sentence for a young player's future. Once a depth forward for the Canadian World Junior Championships team, Lipon (10-14-24) looks more like a career AHLer than anything at this stage in his development.

San Antonio Rampage (St. Louis Blues)

The top-rated European prospect from the 2017 draft, Klim Kostin has taken a pretty considerable step backwards in a 2018-19 season that has been anything but good to San Antonio. Kostin (2nd) has been a quiet player offensively, has taken a ton of penalties, and is not being nearly as assertive from a physical standpoint.

There is still a lot of promise in Kostin, who is seen by the Blues as an untouchable prospect, especially considering he is only 19 years old and this is already his second full AHL season. However, Kostin (7-11-18) will need to ramp us his intensity in the offensive zone and his willingness to shoot the puck to live up to the initial hype. He will never be an elite skater, but he can be a go-to power forward.

Jordan Kyrou (3rd) has been a bright spot on an otherwise bleak Rampage team this season, leading the club with 41 points (16-25-41) in as many games, carrying with him his offseason prowess from his junior days. However, Ville Husso (7th) has been worrisome and horrid this season.

Husso is supposed to be one of the best goaltending prospects in the sport, but was surpassed on the Rampage depth chart and outperformed by Jordan Binnington and Jared Coreau. Husso (6-14-0, 3.45, .881) has the raw tools, but has lost a step in terms of play-reading and competitiveness.

2019 IIHF World Junior Tournament: Finland

Marco Bombino — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 16:32:53 +0000

At the 2019 World Juniors, Finland took its third gold medal in the last six years, beating USA in the finals. Kaapo Kakko was the hero with the game winning goal late in the third period. Even though the path to the championship was not the smoothest one, the team proved to be strong in the critical moments of games and showed significant improvement as the tournament progressed.

In the preliminary round, Finland took much expected wins over Slovakia and Kazakhstan. However, the team fell to Sweden in a game where the opposing team played with more pace and urgency. Finland also suffered a loss to the USA in its final round robin game. Many of the key players did not perform at their best level. Moreover, both the power play and penalty kill were issues.

Finland would next face Canada in the quarterfinals and the team put together a terrific performance. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had an excellent game in net and defenseman Toni Utunen scored the overtime winner after Aleksi Heponiemi scored an equalizer in the final minute of regulation time to lift Finland to the semi-finals. The team got off to a great start against Switzerland, scoring four goals in the first eight minutes, and eventually rolled to a convincing 6-1 win.

Finland played more of a puck possession based game compared to the previous World Juniors tournament and that change was one of the keys to their success. Moreover, head coach Jussi Ahokas made some changes in the lineup during the tournament and they proved to be good decisions.

New Jersey Devils sixth rounder Aarne Talvitie was excellent throughout the tournament and got promoted to the first line after the preliminary round. The captain led by example and made an offensive impact, scoring important goals and playing well in key situations. He looked confident with the puck and he showed great hockey sense, making smart decisions both with and without the puck. Talvitie may not be the most skilled or flashy player but he is versatile, competitive and smart. To put it simply, he is the type of player that every team needs in order to win. Unfortunately, he was injured in the finals and he will be sidelined for the next 6-9 months.

Jesse Ylönen got on the scoresheet with six points. The winger already had previous experience playing with Talvitie in Blues juniors and it showed through their good chemistry. An agile and fast skater who generates speed through smooth crossovers, Ylönen's skating is nearly flawless in terms of technique. Even though he showed flashes of high-level skill at 5-on-5, he left me wanting more on the power play. I don't think his vision and playmaking skills were utilized properly on the man advantage. Overall, the Montreal Canadiens second rounder was definitely one of the top forwards on the team.

Kaapo Kakko and Anton Lundell played together on the second line and they were among the team's most consistent performers at the age of 17. Kakko was a constant offensive threat as the winger used his excellent stickhandling skills to make plays in tight quarters. His puck skills are undeniably high end, yet in my opinion his hockey sense is just as impressive. He has terrific offensive vision and his anticipation without the puck is top notch. Kakko, who is ranked 3rd in McKeen’s initial 2019 NHL Draft rankings, has no significant weaknesses in his game.

Lundell was one of the best Finnish forwards, playing an exceptionally strong two-way game for his age. The HIFK center constantly put himself in a good position to make plays by reading the play. He has great puck skills and he used his teammates with smart and effective passes. He protected the puck effectively and he was tough to knock off of it. Lundell's high work rate and commitment to the defensive game also stood out. The area that requires most improvement is his skating. All things considered, Lundell looks like the early front runner for the top Finnish prospect in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Aleksi Heponiemi had a quiet start but took his game to another level in the playoff round. The skilled and instinctive playmaker finished the tournament with nine points, including a four-point performance against Switzerland. Much like in the Liiga this season, Heponiemi lacked consistency and physicality and these issues were exposed at times in the smaller rink at the World Juniors. However, most importantly, the Florida Panthers prospect stepped up his game when it mattered most.

On defense, Henri Jokiharju (Chicago) and Urho Vaakanainen (Boston) both averaged over 20 minutes of ice-time per game. Jokiharju was the number one defenseman for the Finns, and came as advertised - his ability to move the puck up the ice had a big impact on the team's play. Vaakanainen played a mature, stable game at both ends of the ice. An effortless skater with little wasted motion, he was able to play big minutes night in and night out. He showed great poise with the puck and his positioning was excellent. In addition, draft eligible Ville Heinola showed promise until his tournament was cut short due to injury in the quartertinals.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the cornerstone in net and was named to the tournament All-Star team. The 6-5" netminder was very active in his approach to the play, and he showed great quickness and athletic ability. He did not rely on his size to make saves. He did show a tendency to overcommit which was an occasional issue. On a positive note, the Buffalo Sabres second rounder started to look more and more comfortable as the tournament went on.

There are six players who are eligible to return next year: Kaapo Kakko, Anton Lundell, Rasmus Kupari, Ville Heinola, Toni Utunen and Anttoni Honka. Considering that there are promising players coming up from younger age groups, Finland should be competitive for many years to come.

Blackhawk Down – Chicago Blackhawks 2018-19 Season Preview

Robert Howard — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 20:21:33 +0000

REVIEW/STATE OF PLAY - Chicago finished out of the playoffs for the first time ten seasons and only three seasons removed from the Stanley Cup in 2014-15, one of three in that decade. One season ago they registered 109 points, falling 33 point to 76 points this year. Prior to the collapse they had been knocked out in the first round of the playoffs in the prior two seasons. One would assume last season had unusual circumstances for a perennial cup contender to fall so precipitously. There were some factors, including an injury in net, but there seems a consensus their championship window has closed. Taking a closer look at the season and core group, it is true age is not on their side, but they may be underrated going into the season.

Jonathan Toews

FAILED EXPERIMENT -This is a team built around Jonathan Toews (30-years-old) and Patrick Kane (29-years-old), both signed for five years at an identical $10.5 million AAV a season. Likewise, on defense they are tied to 33-year-old Brent Seabrook ($6.875 million AAV – six years) and 35-year-old Duncan Keith ($5.53 million AAV – five years). All four have a no movement clause. They are joined by 33-year-old goaltender Corey Crawford ($6.0 million AAV – two years).

They are committed to this group and in a win-now mode for the foreseeable future. The Panarin/Saad trade at the start of last season was a product of that thinking. It was an attempt to reunite one of the strongest possession duos in the NHL with Toews from 2012-13 to 2014-15 and two cups in those four years. It was a disappointment as Saad struggled scoring only 35 points. Patrick Kane saw his production drop to less than a point a game for the first time in seven seasons missing the magical chemistry he owned with Artemi Panarin - who outscored him in Columbus.

While a disappointing experiment both Saad and Toews were still strong in possession numbers ranking 17^th (Toews 56.1% CF) and 22^nd (Saad 55.8 CF%) and were snake bitten by their scoring percentages. Saad posted a 7.6% rate down from his career rate of 10.9%. He had averaged 12 percent over the previous four seasons. He will only turn 26-years-old this season and should be counted on for a turn around. Toews shot at 9.5 percent down almost 50 percent from his career average of 14.1%.

TINKERING AROUND THE EDGES – Bowman’s off-season work has been to add depth at each of the positions. At forward he traded prospects for a veteran, Marcus Kruger, from their cup wins. He had a season to forget in 2017-18, apparently playing through a sports hernia. He and the also acquired 38-year-old veteran Chris Kunitz who will join Kruger in stabilizing the fourth line.

On defense he added 28-year-old Brandon Manning through free agency to the ninth worst defense group in the NHL, with the ninth worse save percentage. He fills in the top four which include steady Connor Murphy who struggled early in his first season with the Hawks but found his game by seasons end. Depth beyond the top four is suspect and without bounce back seasons from the aging Keith and Seabrook it will have its challenges. Keith is probably the best candidate as another Hawk who was snake bit with shooting percentage (1.1% versus career 4.4%) after having scored at a 0.66 points per game pace in the previous four seasons – a 54-point 82-game pace.

CRAWFORD LOSS DEVASTATING - Goaltending was the difference last season, Crawford was lost to an injury after appearing in 28 games with a 0.929 SV%, 2.27 GAA and a playoff worthy 16-9-2 record. He was replaced by 25-year-old Anton Forsberg who was overwhelmed in his first NHL season with a 10-16-4 record with a 0.908 SV% and 2.97 goals against average. Bowman added another veteran in Cam Ward for one season at $3.0 million. Crawford is not expected to be at 100% by training camp. Ward can play a decent amount of games having appeared in 43 last year and over 50 each of the previous three seasons in Carolina, but has posted consecutive save percentages of 0.906, 0.905 and 0.909 and represents a short-term solution.

The season was not all bleak news with encouraging performances from rookie Alex DeBrincat and sophomore Nick Schmaltz. They finished second and third in scoring respectively. DeBrincat led the team with 28 goals (third in rookie goal scoring). Schmaltz centered Patrick Kane on the second line much of the season giving the team two balanced lines up top. The provide much needed oxygen to a team with tight cap restriction with both on entry level contracts. There is much hope that Dylan Sikura can take on a similar role in the top six as a rookie after lighting it up in the NCAA. It is a lot to ask of a rookie, but barring trades the Hawks will need to draw on a prospect pool that suffered from the many years of winning.

Outlook - As many players that had poor season last year, they are all due to make a bounce back. If they can get a return to form and continued input from the youngsters, they can challenge for a playoff spot and will likely be under the radar this season.

Chicago Blackhawks Prospect System Overview

Ryan Wagman — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 20:20:04 +0000

After years of Stanley Cup contention, including what NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman termed a “dynasty” for the capturing of three Stanley Cups across a six-year period, the Blackhawks’ system had been somewhat fallow. As we all know, part of winning is picking low in the early rounds of the draft, and often it means that high picks are traded away for more immediate help.

That said, the Hawks did not follow the route of most winners of sitting out large chunks of the draft. After their first cup win in 2010, the organization made 10 selections in the draft. They made eight picks after winning in 2013, and then selected seven new players after their third Cup win in 2015. In fact, of those three drafts, 2015 was the only one in which Chicago had traded away their first-round pick.

In essence then, the Hawks systematic weaknesses were due to picking late, and some flubs, more than they were due to an absence of draft picks. Looking at the system today, the team has done an admirable job of replenishing itself with the approach of quantity. Over the last three drafts, the Hawks have made 26 picks, five more than the regularly allotted 21. Half of those players are listed in the system’s top 20 prospects. They will not all pan out, but their approach is putting the team in a position to return to contention, if not quite another championship run.

Another negative consequence of winning is often the abundance of veteran players on heavy contracts, making the team’s cap situation perilous. How many teams combat that problem is by loading the roster with as many players on minimal salary contracts as possible. Last year, top prospect Alex DeBrincat made the roster as a rookie, and scored a team-high 28 goals, without missing a game.

While the system may currently have a player or two in place who could have a similar impact down the road, the ones most likely to help right away have somewhat lower ceilings, and do not project to be as close to them now as DeBrincat was 12 months ago. Furthermore, the system has enough depth in it now that we could feasibly have talked about the top 30 prospects, as the differences between the players ranked from 15-20 and those in the next five to ten are minimal.

Before diving into the top 20, one more item of note has been the team’s strategy of drafting college bound players. There were 14 players scattered throughout the NCAA last year who had been drafted by Chicago. Between those and three others drafted this year who are planning to follow that path, seven in the top 20 have collegiate roots. One advantage of pursuing collegians heavily is that late bloomers will arrive in the NHL readier to take on big roles than late round CHL-ers often are. The Blackhawks’ current number three prospect will attempt to prove that point in the coming months.

Adam Boqvist

1 Adam Boqvist, D (8^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) With their highest draft pick since selecting Patrick Kane first overall in 2007, the Blackhawks added Boqvist, an electrifying skater and puck mover, to their future blue line. While the young Swedish rearguard still needs to grow physically and increase his involvement in the play off the puck, his offensive attributes add a dimension rarely seen. His skating, shot, and puck skills, all grade out as near elite, and his hockey IQ, particularly in terms of creating offense, is also high end. After spending the majority of last season in the Swedish junior ranks, Boqvist is coming to North America, likely to play with the London Knights of the OHL.

2 Henri Jokiharju, D (29^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 2^nd) With a big step forward in production in his second year in North America with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, Chicago’s 2017 first rounder is beginning to justify his selection. Not only did his production increase, but he raised his ceiling with improved skating, a stronger shot, and improved understanding of the game. Although still filling out his body, Jokiharju has an untapped physical element to his game and will likely have the chance to play for the Blackhawks this season. The right shooting point man has clear top four upside but could be eased into NHL life with a bottom pairing role for now.

3 Dylan Sikura, C (178^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 11^th) Sikura is the reason why more and more teams are turning to players on the collegiate path after the first few rounds of the draft. One of the better playmakers in the OJHL when the Blackhawks used a late sixth round pick on him in 2014, Sikura went to Northeastern and took his time ramping up his game. By his sophomore year, he grew into an offensive role mostly thanks to his skating ability and decent hands. But over the last two seasons, his 111 points in 73 games for the Huskies were the most in the nation. He will never be big, but his talent is undeniable, and he has never shirked his duties in the defensive end. Sikura will compete for a top six role in the NHL this year.

4 Ian Mitchell, D (57^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 8^th) Another modern, undersized blueliner, Ian Mitchell transitioned seamlessly last year from the AJHL to high level NCAA hockey with Denver. A tremendous skater with an advanced understanding of the game and his role in it, he plays with poise, skill, and confidence. Although his shot is somewhat lacking to project for a role on the power play, Mitchell moves the puck very well. Away from the puck, he makes up for his lack of size with doggedness and great stick placement. He needs another two years with the Pioneers before the Blackhawks should start thinking about a contract, but he still projects as a probable second pairing blueliner at the highest level.

Niklas Nordgren

5 Niklas Nordgren, RW (74^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) He is small, and his skating stride is choppy and inefficient, but Niklas Nordgren knows how to put the puck in the net at a very high level. And when he is not able to find a shooting lane for himself, Nordgren knows very well how to pick out a teammate to do it instead. He is unflappable and has preternatural vision on the ice. He plays with 360-degree awareness and understands the flow of the game both on and off the puck. The Blackhawks will not be worried about his size (or lack thereof), but they will look to see him improve his footspeed before coming to North America. A generous evaluator can project average skating in his future, while Chicago will want to see that caveat removed.

6 Nicolas Beaudin, D (27^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) Even though he was selected 47 spots higher than the player ranked directly ahead here, we rank Beaudin below Nordgren as he has some of the same shortcomings as Nordgren (weak startup speed), while also lacking the size to be effective in the physical components of the game. Furthermore, while Nordgren was on the younger half of draft eligible, Beaudin had a late birthday (Oct. 99) giving him seven months fewer room for growth. All of that said, he is a very advanced puck mover, capable of pinpoint passes, and owning high end vision. He loves to move around and get in deep in the offensive end and the Blackhawks will again be betting that his skating improves to the point where it will not be a liability in coverage.

7 Victor Ejdsell, LW (Trade: Feb. 26, 2018 – Nashville. Last Year: 15^th – Nashville) Acquired along with a late 2018 first round pick (see the player above) at the 2018 trade deadline in exchange for former first rounder Ryan Hartman, Ejdsell has come a long way fast. Signed as an undrafted free agent just over one year ago shortly before his 22^nd birthday, he went one to score 20 goals in 50 games in his first taste of the SHL and then came to North America t finish the season with an extended and successful run in the AHL playoffs with Rockford. While not the best skater, he is solid for his size and has very good hands. He knows how to get himself into position to score and can capitalize once there. His upside may be no more than third line, but he is ready for it now.

8 Lucas Carlsson, D (110^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 4^th) Although overlooked in is first year of draft eligibility, Carlsson caught the eyes of NHL scouts with a strong partial-season in the SHL at age 19, prompting the Blackhawks to use a fourth rounder on him. The undersized blueliner (sense a trend yet?) has continued to trend upward with his play in the two ensuing years, including a stint with Sweden’s WJC squad in 2017. Carlsson receives plus grades more or less across the board and projects as a solid two-way defender who can play in the modern style. The Hawks signed him to an ELC in May and he is expected to spend next season in Rockford.

9 Jake Wise, C (69^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) Although he missed the early portion of his draft year to injury, once Wise was back to full health, he was one of the strongest offensive threats in the latest rendition of the USNTDP. A strong skater with plus puck skills and a high IQ, the Florida native is an undersized (there’s that word again) playmaker, who plays an effective two-way game. He can be – and has been – used on both special teams, and is active, if not physically aggressive, away from the puck. Headed to Boston University next season, where he will suit up with a player a little further down this list, where he will have several skilled players available to receive his passes.

10 Dennis Gilbert, D (91^st overall, 2015. Last Year: 5^th) A strong skater with a big, wide body, Gilbert is unlike the other defensemen higher up this list. While he has shown some puck moving flair in the past, that part of his game is somewhat inconsistent, and his point totals over the last three seasons at Notre Dame were 10-22-10. That said, even when he is not putting points on the board, he has a way of helping his team. He is strong in both zones, playing a heavy style and is hard to strip of the puck. His stick work is heavy, and he gets it, and his body, in the way of opponents. Gilbert signed his ELC in the offseason and is expected to make his professional debut with Rockford this year.

Chad Krys

11 Chad Krys, D (45^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 12^th) After struggling through a lackluster freshman season at BU, Chad Krys turned things around in a big way as a sophomore, finishing third in points among all blueliners in Hockey East. A fantastic skater, the former second rounder is also skilled with the puck. Some struggles off the puck may be to blame for his somewhat surprising exclusion from the American WJC squad in each of the last two years, after suiting up at the high-profile event as an 18-year-old. Expected to wear an A on his chest at BU this year, Krys will need to demonstrate more leadership qualities and the Hawks will also want to see an improvement in his two-way game.

12 Evan Barratt, C (90^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 7^th) The third of three USNTDP grads in the Chicago top 20, Barratt had an up and down freshman year for Penn State. He showed enough hockey IQ – a common trait among USNTDP grads – to earn significant time on the PSU PK and his shot was strong enough to earn the respect of Big10 netminders. This will be a big season for Barratt, as Penn State lost several higher profile upper classmen, opening up a spot for the former third rounder in a top six role. He will need to work on his puck skills, though, as he seemed more tentative with the disc last year than he did in the USHL.

13 Alexis Gravel, G (162^nd overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) Although only a sixth rounder in this year’s draft, we feel that Gravel has nearly as much upside as player taken two or three rounds higher. Like many young QMJHL goalies, Gravel’s numbers do not stand out, but many of his attributes as a player portend to bigger things in his future. As the son of a long-time pro netminder, Gravel has a number of technical components to his game that are very mature for his age and experience. He particularly excels at limiting second chances. He went through down stretches in the regular season for Halifax and had a dreadful showing at the CHL Top Prospects Game but finished strong in the QMJHL postseason and has the best upside among all netminders in the Chicago system.

14 Matthew Highmore, C (UFA: Mar. 2, 2017. Last Year: unranked) Although never drafted, Matthew Highmore parlayed a strong two-way game with a powerhouse Saint John squad in the QMJHL into an NHL entry level deal with Chicago. He kicked his game up another level after putting pen to paper, playing a lead role in the Sea Dogs’ QMJHL championship and kept it going with a strong first pro season in Rockford. Highmore is an energetic player, who doesn’t mind getting dirty to make a play. He lacks the pure skills to play a top six role in the NHL but has the smarts and style to fit nicely in a bottom six capacity.

Carl Dahlstrom

15 Carl Dahlstrom, D (51^st overall, 2013. Last Year: 20^th) A big rangy defender, Dahlstrom took a huge step forward this year, his second in the AHL, earning an 11-game stint in the NHL in the process. He is not the most fleet of foot but moves well enough for his size. He sees the ice very well and is at his best when he is free to be assertive instead of deferring to his defensive partner. Dahlstrom’s puck skills are strong for the AHL, but perfunctory by NHL standards. He reads the ice very well and brings a strong physical component to his shifts. With the Blackhawks retooling, Dahlstrom is worth a long look for the third pairing this year.

16 Philipp Kurashev, LW/C (120^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) An effortless skater with soft hands and promising ability to read the ice, the Swiss-Russian Kurashev already had two seasons of successful hockey in the QMJHL with Quebec under his belt before the Blackhawks used a fourth rounder on him this June. Although lacking in size and stature, he plays with a measure of fearlessness and willingness to go to the net and get dirty. A center at the junior level, he has shown the most improvement in his faceoff ability in his draft year going from weak to playable. A third strong season with the Remparts and a more central role with Team Switzerland at the upcoming WJC would allow Kurashev to raise his prospect stock.

17 Maxim Shalunov, RW (109^th overall, 2011. Last Year: unranked) Consider this placement a final reminder about what Shalunov is and that the Blackhawks have not forgotten the one time fourth round pick. Shalunov followed up seasons of 30 and 37 points with Sibir Novosibirsk by tying for the team lead with CSKA Moscow with 40 points. Shalunov is a skilled puck handler with high hockey IQ and a tremendous shot. Although he had a miserable time in his first (and thus far only) season in North America, spending most of 2013-14 with Toledo in the ECHL, the big winger has taken enough steps to be worth another look once his contract expires.

18 Tim Soderlund, C/LW (112^th overall, 2017. Last Year: unranked) A small sparkplug of a winger, Soderlund flashes all of the skills that could give him a long career in the NHL. Only 20 years old he has already logged two mostly full seasons in the SHL with Skelleftea, showing significantly more impact potential in his second season, which was bisected by a star turn with team Sweden in the WJC. The Hawks do not seem to be in a rush to bring him Stateside, but his intense game should translate well to the smaller ice surface when he does come over. In the meantime, he will move on to Frolunda next season.

19 Luke Johnson, C (134^th overall, 2013. Last Year: unranked) At this point in the rankings, upside is in short supply. Where Johnson stands out from the rest with his pace, high hockey intelligence, two-way play and more than a touch of physicality. The fact that he improved his offensive output with Rockford from 17 points to 30 in his second season as a pro is mostly a bonus. The upside is a fourth line center who hustles and can kill penalties. Those are pretty important. His offensive contributions will mostly come from going hard to the crease and his ability to find open space in the offensive zone.

20 Andrei Altybarmakyan, RW (70^th overall, 2017. Last Year: unranked) And under the radar Russian junior level player when drafted n his second year of eligibility, Altybarmakyan gained more notoriety last season, playing mostly in the Russian second men’s league, and playing a key role for the Russian WJC squad. Although a bit undersized, he plays an aggressive game, and showed enough in both the WJC and the preceding Junior Super Series against the three CHL leagues that he might be able to translate his game from Russia to North America. He is still a ways away from crossing the pond for good, but has shown enough to remain a prospect of note in this organization.

WHL Playoff Preview: An Eastern Conference arms race and a wide open West.

Vince Gibbons — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 15:40:00 +0000

The WHL season has been highly competitive with some excellent individual stories wrapped in with some incredible team play. There was Jayden Halbgewachs’ (SJS) chase of 70 goals which he accomplished on the last weekend of the season, Nick Schneider’s (CGY) leading the league in minutes played by a goaltender, or any of a number of the impressive rookie seasons that have kept fans engaged all season. The duel between Swift Current and Moose Jaw has been captivating all season and heated up even more at the trade deadline. The arms race to get out of the Eastern Division has to be the top story across the league.

With Regina hosting the 100^th Memorial Cup in a few months, all eyes have been on the Prairie Province to see how competitive they would be this season while hosting junior hockey’s premier event. Entering into the first round of the playoffs Saskatchewan will be sending four teams into the fray, which is great news, however based on seeding they have all ended up head to head. Regina looks to be in tough to get to the Memorial Cup in the honest way as a first round trip down Highway 1 to Swift Current looms. This year’s host team could have a month without competitive hockey before the start of the Memorial Cup.

*Note Team stats (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS), Player Stats (GP-G-A-PTS-PIM)

Eastern Conference:

1E Vs WC 2 Moose Jaw (72-52-15-2-3-109) vs Prince Albert (72-32-27-9-4)

Prediction: Moose Jaw in five

Moose Jaw has been a dominant team wire to wire this year. They have been ranked in the top 10 for 23 weeks of the season and are the only team in the WHL to eclipse 50 wins. They are an offensive juggernaut averaging an impressive 4.5 goal per game, they have the league’s top scoring forward in the aforementioned Halbgewachs (SJS) (72-70-57-125-12) surpassing expectations with the first 70 goal season in the league since 1998-99 (Pavel Brendl). The team boasts several offensively dangerous forwards in Brayden Burke (ARZ) (61-31-82-113-45), Justin Almeida (72-43-55-98-10), and Brett Howden (NYR) (49-24-51-75-42) who can balance the attack and keep the pressure on all the way down the lineup. Defensively they added the most productive blueliner in Kale Clague (LAK) (54-11-60-71-43) to help anchor them for a long playoff run. Moose Jaw has been the class of the league for most of the season but down the stretch have lost games to Regina, Red Deer and Prince Albert making them more vulnerable for upset than at any point in the season.

Prince Albert will be riding high into the playoffs after a 9-0-1 stretch enabled them to nip a playoff spot from Saskatoon. During that stretch they took three points of a possible four from Moose Jaw as well as solid divisional wins over Swift Current and Brandon. Prince Albert has been playing playoff-like hockey for over a month just to get to in, so the pressure will be off with nothing to lose against a powerhouse team like Moose Jaw.

Cole Fonstad. Photo courtesy of Prince Albert Raiders

Cole Fonstad (72-21-52-73-6) has had a great second half of the season and will end the season as one of the most productive draft eligible forwards in the WHL this year. Jordy Stallard (WPG) (72-44-47-91-26) has been an exceptional player this year, and Winnipeg may have found another late round gem. A couple of mid-season additions in Regan Nagy (57-25-20-45-53) and Kody McDonald (68-34-32-66-139) have chipped in some nice secondary scoring but they will have to be at their best to give the Raiders a chance of getting through this tough first round match up.

2E Vs 3E Swift Current (72-48-17-5-2-103) vs Regina (72-40-25-6-1-87)

Prediction: Swift Current in five Games

Tyler Steenbergen. Photo courtesy of Swift Current Broncos

Swift Current poses matchup problems for any team they play against. Like Moose Jaw they have elite scoring with the likes of Glen Gawdin (CGY), (67-56-69-125-101), Aleksi Heponiemi (Fla), (57-28-90-118-28)), and WJC game winning goal scorer Tyler Steenbergen (ARZ) (56-47-55-102-44) leading the way. There is a great supporting cast and what may be a difference maker in net in the form of Stuart Skinner (EDM). In 23 games since joining Swift Current has put has put up a stellar .917 Sv% and a 2.60 GAA. The team’s defensive corps is led by Colby Sissons (NJD) (72-13-58-71-69) and Artyom Minulin (64-13-30-43-26) who both play a physical and abrasive style of game that can get under the skin of opponents. This team is built to compete against any style of team in the league and has the best shot of taking down Moose Jaw in the East.

Regina has been on fire down the stretch which is great for momentum but tough for the match up. Holding down the top wild card would have seen them ship out of such a tough division and play Medicine Hat who has struggled down the stretch and looks ripe for an upset. It was not to be however and Regina’s strong play down the stretch has earned them a tough match up with Swift Current. Regina has a highly competitive team and in other seasons would have had a chance to get to the Memorial Cup the hard way but with the strength against them they will be in tough to escape the first round. What would it look like for Regina to upset Swift Current?

Sam Steel

Sam Steel (ANA) (54-33-50-83-18) would have to play lights out controlling the tempo and dictating the play like his line did at the World Juniors. Perhaps even more important would be the play of Josh Mahura (ANA) (60-22-47-69-42) and Cale Fleury (MTL) (68-12-39-51-58) who, when together on the blueline, give the Pats one of the top pairings in the league. Even when split up 5 on 5 to help defend against a deep team like they face in the first round they will need to maintain their balanced play for the team to have any success. Rookie Max Paddock will also need to get on a roll in between the pipes as his strong play down the stretch has made him the probable starter in this first round series. Finally 20 year old Cameron Hebig (EDM) (66-41-49-90-44) will have to deliver a complete game every night.

1C Vs WC2 Medicine Hat (72-36-28-8-0-80) vs Brandon (72-40-27-3-2-85)

Prediction: Brandon In six

Medicine Hat has had the benefit of playing in one of the weakest divisions across the CHL this season. Despite leading their division they trail both Wild Card teams in terms of point production. Even with having home ice advantage the Tigers are in tough against Brandon but they do have enough weapons to make this series a coin flip. Mark Rassell (70-50-30-80-23) is having a great overage season scoring 50 goals for the first time in his career. That coupled with the impressive offensive production of undersized defender David Quenneville (NYI) (70-26-54-80-58) who leads all WHL defenseman in goals and points will have to take their games to another level to push Medicine Hat through this first round match up. Draft eligible Ryan Chyzowski (72-21-31-52-28) has also had a strong season while playing on the second line.

Luka Burzan. Photo by Brandi Pollock/Brandon Wheat Kings.

Despite trading Kyle Clague (LAK) to Moose Jaw at the deadline there is still plenty of production in this line up to be dangerous. Undrafted Ty Lewis (COL as a UFA) (70-44-56-100-60) and Stelio Mattheos (CAR) (68-43-47-90-81) have had great seasons and can do some real damage in the postseason. With two draft eligible forwards adding some secondary scoring in Luka Burzan (72-15-25-40-20) and Cole Reinhardt (68-19-15-34-40) they should be deep enough to compete with Medicine Hat. Defensively there was a big hole with Clague out but a couple of rookies have stepped in and had a positive impact. Chase Hartje (58-3-22-25-18) has seen an increased role since coming over from Moose Jaw while 2001 born Braden Schneider (66-1-21-22-16) has been quietly impressive helping Brandon to a 7-3 record over their last 10 games as they head into the playoffs.

2C Vs 3C Lethbridge (72-33-33-6-0-72) Vs Red Deer (72-27-32-10-3-67)

Prediction: Red Deer in six

Calen Addison. Photo by Robert Murray.

Lethbridge boasts some highly talented youngsters who continue to develop nicely while gaining valuable experience. Calen Addison (68-11-54-65-53) is dynamic young skater who is on the cusp of being a first round pick this year. Dylan Cozens (57-22-31-53-20) has been a solid player at both ends of the ice especially considering the fact that as a 2001 born rookie he is lining up against guys two and three years his senior. But the real straw that stirs the drink for Lethbridge is Jordy Bellerive (PIT) (71-46-46-92-82). He plays a physical, hard-working style of game that creates plenty of offensive zone time where he is a clinical finisher. To have success this time of year they need one or two depth players contribute at a higher level, perhaps Jake Elmer (70-18-19-37-46) could be that guy for Lethbridge this year.

Kristian Reichel. Photo by Dave Brunner/Red Deer Rebels.

Red Deer has united the three best forwards they have giving them a formidable top line that can compete with most teams. Centered by Kristian Reichel (63-34-23-57-32), with wingers Mason McCarty (69-38-36-74-82) and Brandon Hagel (BUF) (56-18-41-59-45), the top line has been stellar since Christmas. Defensively two players stand out and both are eligible for this year’s draft. Alexander Alexeyev (45-7-30-37-29) is a big, strong defender who skates well and has nice vision and puck handling skills that makes him a first round candidate. Dawson Barteaux (64-3-29-32-22) is a good skater who passes the puck well and looks to go in the back half of the draft. Early into the New Year Red Deer trailed Edmonton, Calgary, and Kootenay, and was well out of any playoff conversation but winning 10 of 15 down the stretch, including a four game sweep through BC, has ensured that they will be there and in good form upon arrival.

Predictions Second round and beyond:

If things unfold as expected Moose Jaw and Swift Current will play one another in the second round which could very well be the best series in all the CHL playoffs let alone the WHL. I expect Swift Current to beat Moose Jaw based on their incredible depth, overall defensive game and higher end goaltending. In the Central division it seems likely that Brandon makes short work of both of their Central opponents, but they will be overmatched in the conference final, a Swift Current victory.

Western Conference:

1US Vs WC 2 Everett (72-47-20-2-3-99) Vs Seattle (71-34-27-8-2-78)

Prediction: Everett in five

Riley Sutter (Photo by Christopher Mast/Icon Sportswire)

Everett boasts the largest X-factor player in the entire league, in netminder Carter Hart (PHI). He leads the league in most statistical categories including save percentage (.947), Goals against average (1.60), and shutouts (7). Even on the rare occasion that his team does not play well in front of him he can still steal a game. Hart is not the only reason for team success though as Patrick Bajkov (FLA) (72-33-67-100-56) recently signed an entry level contract after an impressive season. Also contributing offensively is Riley Sutter (68-25-28-53-70) who is draft eligible this year, Garrett Pilon (WSH) (69-34-46-80-48), and Matt Fonteyne (72-35-53-88-22) who could well find himself with a pro deal by the end of the summer. With a team that plays a sound defensive game and has so many steady offensive contributors expect them to go far.

Seattle has played Everett tough this year despite only getting two wins in seven attempts. In only one game did they lose by more than a goal, and only once did Everett get four goals in seven games head to head. That sort of effort will be required to hang tight game to game. In a series of one goal games a little puck luck could help beat the top team in the Western Conference. Veteran players like Nolan Volcan (70-32-44-76), Neuls Donovan (71-22-54-76-48), and Zack Andrusiak (71-35-38-73-20) will have to find a way to score while Austin Strand (LAK) (68-25-38-63-75) will be relied on heavily on the back end as his 25 goals was second in the league by defenseman. Seattle’s magic number is three. If they can get three goals past Hart they are 2-0 this season.

1BC Vs WC1 Kelowna (72-43-22-5-2-93) Vs Tri-City (71-37-25-8-1-83)

Prediction: Kelowna is six

Kyle Topping. Photo by Marissa Baecker/Kelowna Rockets.

Kelowna has an impressive roster from top to bottom with some of their talent that is not even draft eligible until 2019. Kole Lind (VAN) (58-39-56-95-65), Dillon Dube (CGY) (53-38-46-84-52), and Cal Foote (TBL) (60-19-51-70-46) start off an impressive cast of players each more than capable of creating offense while keeping pucks out at the same time. Kyle Topping (66-22-43-65-56), draft eligible in 2018, is another forward who stands out with his near 1.0 point per game production. Cal’s younger brother Nolan Foote (50-13-27-40-31) is yet another offensive weapon and he will not be eligible until the 2019 draft but he has shown some high end offensive tools.

Juuso Valimaki of the Tri-City Americans.

Tri-City has had some struggles with injuries to top players this year. Michael Rasmussen (DET) (47-31-28-59-40) missed nearly 1/3 of the season while Juuso Valimaki (CGY) (42-14-29-43-32) has managed to get into just 42 games. Regardless, both look healthy as they enter the playoffs. Tri-City has a dynamic blueline with three of their top eight scorers coming from their back end. Jake Bean (CAR) (56-11-35-46-22), who was added at the deadline, Dylan Coghlan (VGK) (69-17-46-63-65), and the aforementioned Valimaki are all big time contributors to the Americans success. If the likes of Morgan Geekie (CAR) (67-30-53-83-32), and overage player Jordan Topping (71-38-41-79-56) are able to keep up their scoring rates from regular season they will have more than a puncher’s chance against Kelowna.

2BC Vs 3BC Victoria (72-39-27-4-2-84) Vs Vancouver (72-36-27-6-3-81)

Prediction: Victoria in six

Tyler Benson. Photo by Chris Relke/Vancouver Giants.

A short ferry ride is all that separates these two team geographically and even less separates them on the ice. Both have diminutive but dynamic goal scorers. Victoria boasts Matthew Phillips (CGY) (71-48-64-112-36) while Vancouver sports Ty Ronning (NYR) (70-61-23-84-47). Both teams have solid offensive depth although the Victoria looks to run a little bit deeper there. Between the pipes each team has a veteran goalie with a save percentage above 0.910 and a goal’s against right around 3.00. Tyler Benson (EDM) (58-27-42-69-39) has been excellent when healthy for Vancouver but the deciding factor in the match up could be the play of 20 year olds. If Tyler Soy (ANA) (66-36-56-92-42) and Chaz Reddekopp (LAK) (46-7-24-31-42) are able to out produce Ronning and Brennan Riddle (67-1-11-12-48) then Victoria looks to make it out of this closely contested first round match up.

2US Vs 3US Portland (71-44-22-1-4-93) Vs Spokane (71-40-25-3-3-86)

Prediction: Portland in seven

Henri Jokiharju of the Portland Winterhawks. Photo credit: Chad Baker/Portland Winterhawks

Portland’s offence is not quite as deep as the top teams from the East but having six players averaging right around a point per game or better is a tough match up for anyone. Cody Glass (VGK) (63-37-64-101-24) has paced the offense all year bringing his consistent effort and excellent playmaking skills to a team with plenty of finishers. Skyler McKenzie (WPG) (71-46-40-86-54), Kieffer Bellows (NYI) (55-40-33-73-63) and Joachim Blichfeld (SJS) (55-24-32-56-51) have all produced at a high level this season on his wings at different times of the year. Their back end boasts two elite level puck movers in Henri Jokiharju (CHI) (62-12-59-71-14) and Dennis Cholowski (DET) (68-14-52-66-32). These two help them transition the puck quickly and make their offense even more explosive.

Ty Smith of the Spokane Chiefs. Photo by Larry Brunt/Spokane Chiefs

Spokane looks like the banana peel that everyone treads lightly around in the first round. Elite skating and dynamic playmaking defender Ty Smith (69-14-59-73-30) has led this team offensively all season and is a lock to be the top player taken from the WHL in this year’s draft. Since the WJC Kailer Yamamoto (EDM) (40-21-43-64-18) has elevated his game and the entire team has benefited. Both Jaret Anderson-Dolan (LAK) (69-40-51-91-25) and Hudson Elynuik (CAR) (71-31-55-86-78) have been the most rewarded as they sit one and two in team goals. In addition to that, they have four other players with 20 or more goals across the team giving them balance and depth for a long series. If there was a team in the US division that could score with Portland over a seven game series it would be Spokane. While they lost the first five regular season match ups against Portland they have won the last two, both in convincing fashion, 6-3 and a 9-3 performances.

Predictions Second round and beyond:

The Western Conference is more wide open than the East where Swift Current and Moose Jaw stand out well above the rest. Everett’s total team commitment to defense has them as my favorite to come out of the West as their stingy goaltending has the potential to shut down any high scoring offense they may face. I see Kelowna handling either of Victoria or Vancouver but as long as Carter Hart is healthy they would be hard pressed to beat Everett in the Western Final.

A WHL final with Everett and Swift Current has a number of interesting storylines as both clubs have not been traditional WHL powerhouses but have recruited and drafted well over the past few years. Two of the top goalies in the WHL going head to head, a chance to test the old adage that defense wins championships, and the story book ending as Tyler Steenbergen scores the winning goal in another big Championship game would really round out what has been an excellent 2017-2018 WHL season.

State of the CHL: The Western Hockey League

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

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

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

The Eastern Conference:

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

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

Jayden Halbgewachs. Photo by Marc Smith

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Western Conference:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Juuso Valimaki of the Tri-City Americans.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cal Foote of Kelowna Rockets

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

2018 WJC in Review: Finland

Marco Bombino — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 19:56:06 +0000

For the second World Juniors tournament in a row, the result was a big disappointment for the Finnish team after being eliminated in the quarterfinals against Czech Republic in shootout. The team did get better as the tournament progressed and they largely controlled the play against the Czechs.

The opening game against Canada was a very sloppy one from Finland and Canada took a 4-2 win. However, Finland was clearly the better team in the following wins against Denmark and Slovakia. They lost the last round robin game against USA after giving up a goal late in the third period. To their credit, though, Finland made it a tight game despite playing really badly in the first period.

One of the main concerns for the Finnish team was their inability to score goals, as their power play was generally ineffective. They did generate enough scoring chances on a consistent basis but the decisiveness was missing on too many occasions.

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 28: Rasmus Kupari. Finland vs Denmark preliminary round 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen played all the five games in net. He allowed a few soft goals and had a particularly shaky first game against Canada. However, he consistently improved and looked much more poised towards the end of the tournament. He was more effective when moving less in the crease. Luukkonen has solid skills to build on, but the team would have needed a stronger tournament from him in order to be able to advance further.

Among defensemen, Olli Juolevi (Vancouver), Juuso Välimäki (Calgary) and Henri Jokiharju (Chicago) all averaged over 20 minutes of ice-time per game. Juolevi impressed with his terrific mobility and puck moving abilities, while Välimäki played a strong all-around game on the first defensive pairing. Jokiharju started the tournament on a high note but the intelligent and efficient blueliner cooled off a bit after the first three games.

Miro Heiskanen (Dallas) averaged almost 24 minutes per game but he was far from his usual self and overall had a very quiet tournament. Afterwards it was announced in the Finnish media that he had been playing with an upper body injury from which he had been suffering for some time.

At forward, Kristian Vesalainen had an extremely strong tournament and constantly stood out. He has an excellent blend of size, speed and skill. He was strong on the puck. The Winnipeg Jets’ first rounder showed plenty of improvement from the previous World Juniors, playing an efficient and productive power forward game while also taking responsibility on the ice.

Eeli Tolvanen put his shot on display averaging six shots on goal per game. However, much like the entire team, he struggled to find the back of the net and only scored his first goal of the tournament in the final round robin game against USA. I would have liked to see a little bit more patience, especially on the power play.

After having a nice opening game of the tournament against Canada, Islanders prospect Otto Koivula was unable to perform at a high level. His skating is still very heavy, lacking in both acceleration and mobility. His lack of speed frequently left him a step or two behind the play. He was not able to adapt to the game pace. He has offensive ability but the current skating concerns limit his upside.

Janne Kuokkanen was another forward who was not able to live up to the expectations that were placed on his shoulders prior to the start of the tournament. He finished the WJC with only two assists and really seemed to lack in confidence, not being able to drive the play on his line. He was dropped off the first line after a few very mediocre performances.

2018 draft eligible Rasmus Kupari did not receive a whole lot of ice-time after playing on the third line in the first game. When he did get the odd shift, the 6-1” forward showed some promise. He demonstrated great quickness in his first three strides. He played an energetic game and carried the puck well at full speed.

Edmonton prospect Aapeli Räsänen led the team in goals with four. While he is not a flashy player and his skating will need to improve quite a bit in the coming years, the center does have the ability to finish off his chances. He also demonstrated good hockey sense and attention to detail. Räsänen led all players in face-off percentage at the tournament (64.42%).

The fourth line of Joona Koppanen, Markus Nurmi and Juha Jääskä had a really strong and consistent tournament. Each one of them played regularly on the penalty kill as well.

Koppanen exceeded the expectations with his responsible two-way game. He had a high work rate, strong awareness without the puck and excellent finishing ability, scoring three goals and adding one assist in the tournament. The Boston Bruins prospect has many qualities that you want to see from a bottom six NHL center.

Nurmi forechecked effectively and played a solid two-way game. His positional play and ability to play within the team’s system stood out. He does not possess the most exciting offensive skill set or blazing quickness, but the Ottawa Senators prospect is highly competitive and thinks the game very well. His development is definitely heading in the right direction. He is tall and with additional muscle, he could become even more difficult for defensemen to handle.

Undrafted Jääskä is another hard-working player. He showcased deft passing skills and good vision from time to time. He possesses good top-end speed and he plays with high intensity. Jääskä could hear his name called in this year’s NHL Draft as an overage prospect. He has developed into a versatile, reliable winger who can play up and down the line-up as needed.

Next year, Finland could have ten returning players, including the team’s top scorers in Tolvanen and Vesalainen as well as the number one goalie Luukkonen. The 1999 born age-group features both high-end talent and depth, so the roster should be competitive once again. In next year’s roster shows the same level of improvement year over year as this year’s crew compared to last year’s, Finland could be competing for a medal once again.

Henri Jokiharju – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: DADOUN – FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Washington powers on with Ovechkin, Chicago looks for change – Teams and players to target this week

Buffalo Sabres (Mon vs DET, Wed vs NYR, Sat @ WAS, Sun @ TOR)

Carolina Hurricanes ( Tue vs SJS, Fri vs OTT, Sun vs CBJ)

Columbus Blue Jackets (Tue vs PHI, Thu vs WAS, Sat vs ANA, Sun @ CAR)

Minnesota Wild (Tue vs UTA, Thu vs EDM, Sat vs PHI, Sun vs VGK)

New York Islanders (Tue vs LAK, Thu vs CHI, Sun @ CHI)

New York Rangers (Mon vs CHI, Wed @ BUF, Sat vs LAK, Sun @ STL)

St. Louis Blues (Tue @ VAN, Thu vs SJS, Sat @ DAL, Sun vs NYR)

Toronto Maple Leafs (Tue @ NJD, Thu vs ANA, Sat @ DET, Sun vs BUF)

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – BUFFALO SABRES – Team Preview

FORWARD

DEFENCE

GOAL

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – BUFFALO SABRES – NHL Player Profiles

AHL West Report: Life without Brannstrom, Kahkonen living the Wild life, plus much more

2019 IIHF World Junior Tournament: Finland

Blackhawk Down – Chicago Blackhawks 2018-19 Season Preview

Chicago Blackhawks Prospect System Overview

WHL Playoff Preview: An Eastern Conference arms race and a wide open West.

State of the CHL: The Western Hockey League

The Eastern Conference:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Western Conference:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2018 WJC in Review: Finland