Jakub Fibigr – McKeen's Hockey

2025 WORLD JUNIORS: How Does Canada Win Without Schaefer?

Kyle Watson — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 17:39:09 +0000

_{Credit: Andre Ringuette / Freestyle Photography}

OTTAWA - Team Canada will have to endure the rest of the World Juniors without its most talented defenceman, Matthew Schaefer.

The Erie Otters star — ranked at No. 1 in our latest 2025 NHL Draft rankings — has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament after colliding with the net in Canada's 3-2 shootout loss to Latvia. The 17-year-old sustained a left shoulder injury and could be sidelined for up to three months.

The IIHF permitted teams to register 25 players for the first time in event history this year, instead of the usual 23. F Carson Rehkopf and D Sawyer Mynio, who have been healthy scratches thus far, have been registered and are expected to play against Germany today.

It's worth noting Canada had the choice to bring in a player not currently with the team and elected not to.

How will Team Canada fare without Matthew Schaefer?

It was not in the cards this time last year, but before the injury, the Otters defenceman was expected to play a major role for this Canadian group. He has been that good this season.

Schaefer has seven goals and 22 points in 17 games with the Otters since a bout of mononucleosis delayed his season debut until October 25th. He was easily the best player in the CHL Top Prospects-USNTDP showcase games in November. Helping lead Canada to gold at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup in the summer did wonders for his confidence and his offensive flair has been on full display in his draft-eligible campaign:

MATTHEW SCHAEFER WITH THE HIGHLIGHT REEL ASSIST

Top ranked #NHLDraft prospect Matthew Schaefer makes an unreal move to get by the defender before passing it off to fellow draft prospect Malcolm Spence who taps it in to give the @ErieOtters a 4-1 lead!#OHL | @CHLHockey pic.twitter.com/WixcFTNjMU

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) December 8, 2024

The Hamilton, Ont. native was one of the team's better players in Canada's opener over Finland, setting up Gavin McKenna's opener and adding an empty-net goal to seal the 4-0 win. Only fellow d-men Andrew Gibson and Oliver Bonk were utilized more than the 17-year-old, who saw 20:26 of ice time.

"Even as the youngest defender on the team, he clearly did not lack the confidence required to take chances with the puck in the name of creating offence," said McKeen's Director of Scouting, Brock Otten.

"I'm legitimately worried about how Canada's defence looks without him," added Otten. "The team opted to leave some of the more dynamic defenders in the age group at home and with Schaefer out versus Latvia, the team struggled to create significant scoring chances from the blueline out."

It was a talking point in Brock and I's examination of Canada's lineup on the McKeen's Hockey Show before the tournament: even if you were banking on Schaefer bearing the burden of offence on the blueline, why not bring one of Zayne Parekh or Carter Yakemchuk? Why not take full advantage of the talent available by giving yourself a variety of options?

Instead of bringing in Parekh — who is the second defenceman in OHL history to score 30 goals in his draft year — or Yakemchuk, — who holds the Calgary Hitmen franchise record for goals scored by a defenceman — Hockey Canada has elected to stick with the group they brought.

With Canada cancelling practice yesterday, head coach Dave Cameron and his staff will have a fresh approach for tonight's match.

There are two main areas in need of addressing on the backend: their ability to create offence in transition and the lack of a true powerplay quarterback.

Bonk took over for Schaefer against Latvia on Canada's top unit, despite the fact he has operated almost exclusively in the bumper role for London in the OHL. His teammate, Sam Dickinson, runs the PP1 for the Knights: the 2024 first-round pick leads CHL defenders with 36 points in 26 games.

"Dickinson has the potential to step into that role for Canada, but he seems to have reverted into a shell in this tournament, afraid of making a mistake," explained Otten.

"Outside of Tanner Molendyk, the rest of the defenders have had trouble making clean and controlled exits," he added.

"I worry about how the heavy forecheck of the United States, for example, will be handled. Lastly, Schaefer was one of the few bright spots on a struggling Canadian power play. Now its reconfiguration will need to be completed without him. Will that be successful?"

Hagens leading the way for USA

Seeing Schaefer and Porter Martone face off against James Hagens on New Year's Eve would have been a spectacle for NHL scouts to behold. It's an unfortunate outcome in a tournament where you always want best-on-best action.

After a slow start in the NCAA (relative to his standards), Hagens has looked excellent back amongst junior players. The 18-year-old centreman was just too much to handle for Latvia yesterday in the USA's 5-1 undoing of the underdogs.

Watching him move the puck around with Gabe Perrault and Ryan Leonard is utterly mesmerizing: both of his assists came from him drawing opponents in before picking a seam to the back door:

Ryan Leonard strikes on the power-play to make it 2-0 USA!#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/A9h9Y2klJb

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 28, 2024

Zeev Buium finishes off the James Hagens pass to make it 3-0 USA!#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/LfsiIclCJB

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 28, 2024

Hagens would have had a goal of his own were it not for the efforts of Linards Feldbergs, hot off the performance of a lifetime against Canada less than 24 hours earlier:

WHAT A SAVE

Linards Feldbergs makes an incredible stop on James Hagens.#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/2mt2mK68WB

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 28, 2024

He was complimentary of Team Latvia's effort post-game:

"We were ready right from the drop of the puck," said the Hauppauge, New York native. "They're a great hockey team. Anyone can win on any given day. We came in here ready to give it our all. We saw the game against Canada. They never stopped coming. But we all stuck together."

The Boston College centerman sits second in the tournament scoring with two goals and six points (five of which are primary). He fills up the net every time he dons the stars and stripes.

Secondary scoring shines for the Americans, D needs work

In our discussion before the tournament, it was suggested by Asst. Director of Scouting, Derek Neumeier, that the Americans had two question marks heading into the tournament: whether or not the team would be too reliant on its top unit and if the defence corps was up to snuff.

Danny Nelson was excellent behind Hagens yesterday, the big two-way pivot scored twice and was named player of the game. Centring the second line with Trevor Connelly and Cole Eiserman on his wings, the New York Islanders prospect is blossoming in a more prominent role for the Americans — he was mostly deployed on the penalty kill last tournament.

Thus far, the second line has combined for five of USA's 15 goals, in contrast to the first line's six.

The question marks still lie around the defence, though. Expect head coach David Carle to tinker with the bottom pairings against Finland.

Parting Notes

Three Czech players (Vojtech Hradec, Jakub Stancl, and Matej Mastalirsky) scored a hat trick as the defending bronze medalists defeated Kazakhstan 14-2
Scoring 14 goals on 36 shots, the Czechs had a 39% shooting percentage in the victory.
It was the most goals Czechia has ever scored against Kazakhstan, eclipsing a 10-2 showing at the 2009 edition of the tournament in Ottawa.
Seattle Kraken pick Jakub Fibigr recorded four assists
Fellow Kraken prospect Eduard Sale picked up two assists, taking him past David Pastrnak and Jiri Hudler on the all-time WJC scoring list for Czechia with 16 points in 16 career games.
Hagens is currently on pace for 21 points should he play all seven potential games of the tournament. The record for American draft-eligible players is 13 points in six contests: a record that's stood for almost 50 years.
Feldbergs (Sherbrooke, QMJHL) has made 91 saves in his first two games: the Latvian netminder caught the attention of former Montreal Canadiens star Carey Price with his impressive display against Canada.

2024 IIHF U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: GROUP B – Team Previews – Players to Watch

Chapin Landvogt — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 14:40:39 +0000

Alfons Frej.
Photo: Jesper Zerman / BILDBYRÅN /

On April 25th, the IIHF Under 18 World Championships will commence with Team USA looking to defend last spring’s gold medal victory over Sweden, which itself had an extremely impressive tournament in gaining silver. For Group B action at this spring’s event, spectators and tournament followers alike can expect some fierce competition and any number of combinations in the standings, as each of Canada, Czechia, and Sweden enter tourney action with their sights rightfully set on first place. Should they finish 1st through 3rd, chances are that they’ll avoid facing off against the returning world champions in the quarterfinals, a goal each will take seriously. At the other end of the spectrum, Team Switzerland will be absolutely focused on what should be their decisive preliminary round match against newbie Kazakhstan on the 26th, 24 hours after facing off against the Czechs. For the Kazakhs, that game will mark their first appearance in the elite pool since 2003. Rest assured that both clubs are well aware that relegation is once again part of the fun again.

Sweden

The reigning silver medalists are heading to Finland with a line-up worthy of a medal favorite status, even if not heavy on 1st round draft options. Amazingly, not a single player was part of last spring’s valiant silver medal effort yet features six players who got into SHL action this winter, one center who is currently taking a regular shift in the Hockey Allsvenskan finals, and in general, an entire squad that spent the vast bulk of the season playing in the nation’s top U20 circuit, many of whom were dominant offensive contributors. Throw in a couple of goalies who saw plenty of playing time this winter and you’ve got a fairly well-oiled squad that will get a load of attention from the scouting community. The group is for sure a toughie, but it’s hard to imagine the Swedes finishing anything less than 3rd in group play and if that means Finland in the quarterfinals, the Tre Kronor will be more than keen on having the opportunity to knock off their archrival in their home venue.

Top Players to Watch

Victor Eklund (F)

As impressive as the emergence of teammate and 2024 draft-eligible Linus Eriksson has been this season, Eklund is authoring a story that may end up being all that much better when all is said and done. A statistical playmaker by trade, the 6’1” lanky winger has been making sweet offensive music over the past weeks of playoffs for Djurgarden’s men's team, putting up 6 points and a +3 rating in 14 games. Incredibly strong on the puck and capable of turning on a dime, Eklund looks a bit like a taller, skinnier version of his brother William, a recent 1st rounder who just concluded a 45-point rookie season in the NHL. Although this will be Eklund’s final go-around at the U18 Worlds, he’s first eligible for the 2025 draft and all signs are that he too will jostle for a position among next summer’s top 10 draftees like his brother before him. First, he’ll want to put a nice exclamation mark on this season’s achievements with some solid production for what has to be seen as a medal contender. He could very well end up in the team’s top 6.

Linus Eriksson (F)

After chipping in 21 points and a +15 in 25 U20 league games for the ambitious Djurgarden organization, Eriksson was called up to the pro team and hasn’t looked back. Currently mired in the Hockey Allsvenskan championship series against Brynäs, Eriksson has shown no sign of being a junior player, handling all the rough stuff while continuing to score goals and make plays. In total, he’s collected 7 goals and 15 points in 40 pro games this season, often lining up with Djurgarden star Linus Klassen. As could be expected, his star has risen in draft rankings as well and this tournament should serve as one in which he solidifies whether he’s a 1st or 2nd round talent in the upcoming draft. Eriksson likes to drive the puck to the goal and has no qualms shooting rather than passing, which should be an admirable trait for the Swedes.

Alfons Freij (D)

Very smooth on his feet and possessing some often silky mitts, Freij has been a delight to watch all season as he brings all sorts of thrills to the table and can often be seen conducting his signature stick twirl in one hand when he scores. At 6’1”, 198 pounds, he has wonderful size, but is still very mobile and makes good use of his long stick. The author of 16 goals over 45 total U20 league games, Freij was already a PPG player at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer and will be counted on to be a top 2 defenseman at this tournament, hopefully keeping up the offensive production while at it. We won’t hold back in saying that he does have his detractors in the scouting community, so what he does at this tournament will likely decide if he’s a first round pick in June - or not.

Herman Liv (G)

Liv was a minute-muncher all season long for Örebro’s U20 outfit, ultimately standing in goal for well over 2000 minutes in that league’s regular season alone. All in all, he went 20-16 with a 2.82 GAA and then topped that off with a 6-2 record and 2.09 GAA in the playoffs. Already the nation’s starter last summer at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he went 3-0 with a miniscule 1.60 GAA, he should be the man in net for the team this spring, which will make this team an emotional one for fans across the country as Liv’s father Stefan was a legendary Swedish goaltender who tragically passed away in the 2011 plane crash carrying nearly the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL team. Only 6-foot tall and weighing just 170 pounds, his presence in goal is reminiscent of Sweden’s most recent gold medal-winning goaltender Hugo Hävelid in more ways than one. Liv could easily end up being one of the top three goalies at this tournament.

Lucas Pettersson (F)

A regular offensive contributor at both the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer (4 points in as many games) and the WJAC-19 (8 points in 6 games), we currently see Pettersson as a likely high second round draft pick in this summer’s draft. One of a half dozen players on the team to get into SHL action this year (5 games), his 57 points and +27 in 44 U20 league games had him firmly implanted as one of the circuit’s most dominating offensive players, having played fewer games than the majority of his company in the upper echelon of the league. Here in Finland, we’ll be looking for him to be one of the offensive motors in the top six and although it would be unfair to expect him to produce like Otto Stenberg did last season, it is a role this Swedish team is going to need Pettersson to try to fill for this spring’s edition.

Leo Sahlin Wallenius (D)

Thought to be a bit of a stiff player by some, Wallenius is ultimately a very mobile defenseman who only measures in at 6-foot, 180-pounds. However, he plays like a defenseman who is four inches taller and there’s a lot of stretch to his stick and willingness to lean into opposition players. Moreover, there’s some sly offensive ability here as he enjoys walking the blueline every bit as much as he happily jumps up into the play to replace a forward or serve as the 4th man on the rush. After putting up five points in four Hlinka Gretzky Cup games and 19 through 19 games played with the U18 squad throughout the season, he also had 45 points and a +21 through 48 U20 league games, tying him for the league scoring lead among defensemen. Coming from the same Växjö program, he and Freij already build an experienced pairing with chemistry. This tournament could be decisive in pointing which of the two is actually the more impactful player.

Canada

Same procedure as every year for a Team Canada that is heading to this tournament chock full of players the scouts have been watching all winter long with other options having just come available as teams get knocked off in the CHL playoffs. With little time to gel being afforded to what is a bit of an all-star team among players not still active with their junior clubs, coach Gardiner MacDougall will have some interesting weapons to go with, several of the underage variety, including returnee Porter Martone. For the Canadians, the big battles against the Czechs and Swedes, which will come right in games 1 and 2, will be key for jockeying for the top spot in the group as well as getting the team ready for playoff competition. Having defeated Finland 5-1 in an initial test game, it’s hard to imagine this team won’t make the semifinals and thus, play for a medal. The team’s impressive overall construction and 3 lines of scorers places the gold medal very much in reach as long as the blueline group and goaltending can hold up their end of the bargain.

Top Players to Watch

Liam Greentree (F)

You don’t often see 90-point CHL scorers at this tournament, but thanks to Greentree and Gavin McKenna, Canada will be throwing two of them on the ice. Perhaps even together. For the burly, well-built winger who is widely considered a strong top 20 candidate for the upcoming NHL draft, this tournament will be about showing the scouting community that he’s ready to lead a team towards the promised land in a tournament where a player of his quality simply has to step up to the plate. He won’t be alone in this endeavor by any means, but he should be a part of the top six and an installation on the powerplay. We’re also thinking he’s going to need to drive the nets hard and be in on his share of the garbage goals around the goalmouth. On the personal front, his performance at this tourney may just mean the difference between being selected in the first rather than the second half of the first round.

Tij Iginla (F)

Expected to be a late addition to the team, Canada should be adding a player in Iginla who has all the makings of being the tournament’s top goal getter, if not its top scorer. Coming off a 47-goal season in the WHL, one in which he added another 9 goals and 15 points in 11 playoff games, Iginla may be the hottest player coming into the event. Son of NHL legend Jarome, Iginla has steadily made his way up the draft rankings all winter long, having raised eyebrows right off the bat with 13 goals in his first 12 games and 15 in the first 20. Possessing a heavy shot, plenty of moves, meticulous passing skills, and the ability to use his edges in a manner that perhaps his own father couldn’t even do, he’s going to be the type of player you can’t stop, but only hope to contain. A dominating performance in Finland would surely fortify him as a top 10 pick in the upcoming draft.

Porter Martone (F)

A 6’3” winger first eligible for the 2025 NHL draft, Martone is entering this tournament as a returnee who just spent this winter putting up 33 goals, 71 points, and a +25 in the OHL, chipping in another 6 points in 5 playoff games. We already saw at last spring’s U18 Worlds that Marone is a big fan of the bigger ice surface, where he can go on a deking tear while gaining speed or swerving through the masses. There’s a ton of skill here, but also a lot of the ideal prerequisites for a power forward and Martone always brings that “joker” quality to the table, as he can slice open a game at any given time. Doing so on an even more consistent basis could be just what Canada will need if the gold medal is to be obtained.

Maxime Masse (F)

At the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer, Masse informed the hockey world that he was in for a big winter by knocking in 5 goals in his first 4 games. With just one goal in his first 9 games with Chicoutimi of the QMJHL, it looked like he might not be able to live up to the expectations he had set, but his 35 goals over the next 58 games told an entirely different story. By the time the regular season concluded, he had amassed 75 points in 67 games and went on to add another 6 in 8 playoff games, the last of which being a goal just 8 days before tourney begin. Expect to see Masse placed next to a couple of like-minded offensive players and then we should see some fireworks. Like Iginla, Masse has the potential to be the tournament’s top goal scorer.

Gavin McKenna (F)

It’s already quite the claim to fame to say you’re Connor Bedard’s cousin (admittedly, by marriage), but McKenna may be the most marquee name of this tournament whatsoever coming off a 97-point regular season for the Medicine Hat Tigers, having done so entirely as a 16-year-old. That age bears taking to heart because McKenna is on track to the be the #1 overall pick in the 2026 draft, which is still a long ways away. A sniper and deker with off-the-charts offensive instincts, McKenna is already 6-foot tall and handles the puck as if there’s a magnet on his stick. Just seeing him here will be a treat for hockey fans across the world and there’s really no reason he can’t end up being the most impactful player at the tournament.

Henry Mews (D)

His seven points in five Hlinka Gretzky Cup games last summer told us that the righty shot defender was in for a big draft year season. He did not disappoint! When the dust settled on his OHL season with the Ottawa 67’s, Mews had put up 15 goals, 61 points, and a +16 with a healthy dose of penalty minutes sprinkled in over 65 games. Another 5 points were chipped in over 10 playoff games, which - truth be told - was a bit quiet for the defender with the heavy and accurate blueline shot, especially when one sees that those points were spread out over only 2 of ten games. He, if not Spencer Gill, will now have a chance to be the ne plus ultra on the powerplay for Canada and can be realistically viewed as one of the top 5 defensemen heading in the tournament.

Marek Vanacker (F)

Of decent, but below average height and weight, the 6-foot forward managed to pull off one of the biggest OHL point jumps you’re ever going to see, going from 16 points in his rookie season to 82 in his draft year. Despite playing for a team that missed the playoffs, he also managed to collect a +7. Not shabby! Knowing how to get feisty at times, Vanacker has thrown a bit of a wrench into the plans of prospect rankers leaving some to think he may be worthy of a late 1st round pick. All the more important for this top 6 forward to put an exclamation point on his fantastic regular season with a big U18 Worlds showing. But will he get the kind of situational ice time to do so? The competition within the team will be fierce, especially from the likes of Jett Luchanko, Cole Beaudoin, and underager Malcolm Spence, all of whom could just as easily been mentioned here.

Czechia

Outside of Canada, not a team at this tournament can feature this many players currently playing for a CHL junior club. There are another half dozen players on the team who spent their winters in Sweden or Finland. Those who do play domestically have put up dominating junior numbers and spent this season gaining pro experience as well, save for a few exceptions. That means that the combination of experience and talent is one that should have the Czechs right in the thick of things with regards to medaling. The team has a few big boys, but plenty of undersized players as well. The program is hoping that the CHL experience might pay off best against Team Canada, a rivalry that has grown considerably at no less than the U20 level in recent years. One way or another, the Czechs will be gunning for a top 2 spot in the group and it’s hard to imagine anything less than a 3rd place finish. We can guarantee that no-one is looking forward to facing the Czechs in the quarterfinals after their final’s appearance at last summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Top Players to Watch

Adam Benak (F)

He’s as small as it gets but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more dynamic player and generator of offense in this tournament. Slick, crafty, and creative, Benak enters opposition zones looking to slice them apart and then use a variety of pathways to the goal. Primarily a playmaker, Benak understandably dominated U18 play in the Czech Republic while scoring at a PPG pace in the nation’s U20 circuit. He also got into 18 games in the country’s top league, ending the season having suited up for 60 games over several layers of the Plzen organization. This came off the tails of a 10-point outing in 5 Hlinka Gretzky Cup games last summer, which topped the tournament. Look for Benak to be no less than an absolute fixture on the top power play unit at this tournament as he continues to lay the tracks for “the little engine that could” rubric of the ever evolving 2025 draft rankings picture.

Max Curran (C)

One of the younger players available for the upcoming draft, Curran is an enticing 6’3”, 190-pound playmaking center hailing from the Slavia Praha program in Prague. A top import selection of the Tri-City Americans of the WHL, it’s safe to say that his initial season in North America wasn’t exactly what the doctor ordered for the American-based WHL participant, but in light of the team’s overall dearth of offensive production, his 32 points in 40 games had him on pace to finish among the top 4 team scorers, several of which are already drafted. Moreover, he’ll need to be a key contributor for this Czech team, bringing valuable international experience to the table in a group featuring a highly anticipated Team Canada. With his draft stock having dropped a wee bit, we’re betting on Curran delivering a notable performance over the next 12 days.

Jakub Fibigr (D)

Part of a huge wave of Czech players drafted by CHL clubs in last summer’s import draft, Fibigr may be the one player of that group who actually exceeded expectations. Ultimately, he put up 43 points in 61 OHL contests and little of what he had done before had indicated that he’d have such production in him. As such, his stock continued to rise all winter long. A first round playoff loss for his Mississauga team still saw him chip in 4 assists in 5 games. He’ll now man the left side of one of Czechia’s top two defensive pairings and will be bringing a whole lot of experience to the ho-down in Finland as the Czechs should feature one of the better defensive units.

Tomas Galvas (D)

Measuring in at solely 5’10” and 150 pounds, it may seem astounding that Galvas has gained top 3-round consideration for the upcoming draft, but the slick skating defenseman with dominating edgework has presented himself to be a cerebral player whose size doesn’t curtail his effectiveness. He’s already spent most the year playing pro hockey in the Czech Republic’s top pro league, where he unfortunately gained perhaps the most notoriety by getting decked with an open-ice check to the head. Still, despite missing time and only seeing roughly 10 minutes of ice time per game throughout the season, Galvas played with the poise of a veteran in gaining 7 points and a +8 while collecting 19 points in 23 U20-league games. His WJC performance was every bit as impressive, gaining an average of roughly 15 minutes of ice time per game for a very successful Czech club. There’s really no reason Galvas can’t be a difference-maker at this tournament as the heavy play of the favorites shouldn’t phase him in light of his experience.

Adam Jecho (F)

A veteran of three Hlinka Gretzky Cups, the 6’5” Jecho has had a strong winter putting up 47 points in 54 games for a disappointing Edmonton Oil Kings team in what was his first season in North America. He’ll be heading to Finland as one of the tournament’s heaviest players and can serve as a coast-to-coast winger for the team, hopefully adding a strong goalmouth presence when he’s not manning the power play from the faceoff circles. He’s got a lot to work with on this team and is quite familiar with a number of his teammates, so there may be more space and better feeds than what he was experiencing in the WHL this winter. A top tourney could lead to a first round selection this June.

Oskar Lisler (F)

At 6’1”, 196 pounds, Lisler is one of the more solidly built players on a team filled with smaller participants. In addition, he’s one of only two of the team’s players to spend the bulk of the season playing in the Swedish U20 league. Much like more ballyhooed teammates in North America such as Adam Titlbach and Jiri Klima, he hasn’t separated himself from the competition in a scoring capacity (10 goals, 17 points in 35 games), but he’s been on fire for the national team since the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and is clearly a go-to player in all situations for this coaching staff. We’re viewing Lisler as being one of the players who wouldn’t be drafted if the draft were today but will worm his way into a late round pick with an inspired performance in Finland.

Radim Mrtka (D)

We’ve often looked at the size of Czech and Slovak defenders developed in the course of time and wondered what the heck is in the water in Central Europe. Now enters Mrtka who, at age 16, already measures in at 6’4”, 183 pounds. It’s just not normal! And that any possible awkwardness in his skating may have as much to do with his age and the effects of puberty as anything else, Mrtka spent this winter showing himself to be an absolute shutdown machine who can contribute in the offensive zone (30 total points and +22 over 47 total games) at both the U20 and U17 levels in the Czech Republic. His Trinec program even entrusted him to suit up three times with the pro team. Start taking notes on him now because he’s in line to be a top prospect for the 2025 draft.

Petr Sikora (F)

One of the more prized Czech forwards for the upcoming draft, Sikora has been part of the Czech program for several years now and was already a chief contributor at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer. He’s coming off an outstanding season in the Czech Republic where the average-sized playmaker had 47 points and a +34 in 34 games. He also got into 22 games in the nation’s top pro league, where he’s expected to take on a bigger role next season. He’ll be expected to start all that “bigger role” stuff right here at the U18 Worlds as a top 6 forward with powerplay time.

Switzerland

A 3rd place finish and quarterfinal loss last spring was understood as getting the expected result for a Swiss team that should be heading into this tournament thinking almost solely about maintaining the class more. Unfortunately for Switzerland, it best compares with participants Latvia, Norway, and Slovakia, all of which are nations that will be conducting their preliminary round against each other in Group A. Instead, Switzerland will have to hope for a victory against a very unknown Team Kazakhstan in their most vital preliminary round task. That would likely see them avoid the relegation round and wrap up a playoff spot right off the bat. Even in the case of a victory, it’s hard to imagine the boys around captain Leon Muggli will be able to muster much should they face the US or Finland in the quarterfinals, having lost to the latter in a recent test game 7-0. Nonetheless, the Swiss will approach every game knowing the score is 0-0 to kick things off.

Top Players to Watch

Robin Nico Antenen (F)

At 6’2”, 187 pounds, Antenen provides ideal size while displaying a penchant for the fancy play here or there. Despite garnering international interest, Antenen stuck to his guns at home this winter and promptly became one of the top 17-year-olds in the country’s U20 league, chipping in 47 points in 55 total games. His play was so impressive that he got into 6 games of NL action in the course of the season. In Finland, you can expect the winger to ride shotgun with playmaker Jamiro Reber while creating space on the ice with his big frame and slick skating.

Christian Kirsch (G)

The future UMASS goaltender was already quite an interesting case at last year’s tournament thanks to his future plans and his 6’4” netfront presence as a 16-year-old. He ended up getting heavily hit in two outings but parlayed that experience into dominating play at Switzerland’s U20 level this season, going 22-5-1 in the regular season and then in winning the league championship with a 7-3-1 playoff record. His 2.32 GAA in the regular season was followed by a 2.17 GAA in the postseason. Large, rangy, and yet still quite athletic, we’d say the #1 job is his to run with if the program weren’t so high on the similarly sized Phileas Lachat. The NCAA crowd will nonetheless be excited to see what he can do here before he likely ventures over to the USHL in preparation for his 25-26 debut in college hockey.

Leon Muggli (D)

The heart-n-soul of this Swiss entry, Muggli will be the man with the “C” on his chest and is in line to rack up gobs of ice time. Whenever a situation is deemed to be critical, which should be often in this tough Group B play, you can expect to see Muggli on the ice. He’d probably just play all 60 minutes if you could fit an oxygen tank under his equipment. A tough-as-nails warrior who may be as valuable to the Swiss effort without the puck as he is with it, Muggli already has a U18 Worlds, Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and WJC under his belt. He’s also coming off a full season of NL play that even saw him suit up for 11 playoff games (2 points and a +4). He’s rightly the highest ranked Swissman for this summer’s draft and the reasons why should become quite apparent to all in attendance at this tournament.

Yannik Ponzetto (F)

Ponzetto is a gritty and active-in-the-corners type of player who was all over the ice at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer, often finding himself in the middle of top opportunities and collecting 3 points along the way. Not long thereafter, he found himself in the QMJHL and although his 14 points in 68 games for three different teams don’t scream “resounding success”, he’ll be bringing crucial international experience to the table and will serve as one of the key players for this Swiss team, especially when the going gets rough. There’s more to the package here and we suspect he’ll be very involved in anything promising the Swiss manage to put together.

Jamiro Reber (F)

We saw Reber flashing his goods at last summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Not the biggest player, he’s definitely got some jazz and above-average offensive instincts paired with some slick edges in tight corners. Despite only being one of the youngest players eligible for this summer’s draft, Reber put up a very impressive 41 points in 48 U20 league games for HV71 before leading the U18 team with 9 points in 5 playoff games. There’s some real jam in his game and he already represented Switzerland at the WJC this winter, so he’s coming in with some great tournament experience and chemistry with players such as Muggle, Antenen, and Daniil Ustinkov. Expect him to be a cog on the power play and a go-to first line player throughout the tournament.

Daniil Ustinkov (D)

After a full season of pro play (10 assists and a +13) and a WJC performance with a fairly regular shift, Ustinkov is clearly a key component of this Swiss outfit, what with his prior experience at this tournament and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer also factoring in. A shifty skater who can create a head of steam, Ustinkov should be in line for a whole lot of ice time, especially in key moments of the game. Adept at playing a physical game, his value should increase in bouts with group opponents Canada and Sweden. In the past, Ustinkov was a fixture on the powerplay and that shouldn’t change here. Being his draft year, this will be the last opportunity for Ustinkov to accentuate how NHL teams should view him as June approaches.

Kazakhstan

It’s been a long time coming for a hockey nation that has spent many years mired in the D1A and D1B echelons of the IIHF, 21 to be exact. We’ve seen the men’s team at the top level on a number of occasions and even the U20 squad has snuck into the WJC a couple of times, but the U18 level is one that has struggled to get ahead of its peers. As such, the promotion last spring was a monumental success and was achieved despite the fact that the Kazakhs lost to heavy favorite Denmark by a score of 8-3 along the way. Ouch! But the producer of former NHLer Nikolai Antropov enters tourney play knowing it's the heavy underdog but that an upstart win over Switzerland could mean all the difference in the world to retaining the class. Other than that, the program will be finding out just what it’s actually capable of, considering the team is sending 12 players from its own U20 league into the running, with the majority of the rest playing in Russian junior circuits, including 4 in the MHL.

Top Players to Watch

Semyon Cherkasov (F)

After three years as part of the Spartak Moscow program, Cherkasov returned home to suit up for MHK Astana to play in the Jastar, the nation’s own 12-team U20 league. There he was the league’s dominant scorer with 36-33-69 in 52 total games. Strong to the net despite his 5’9”, 154-pound body, Cherkasov has the makings of a playmaker but showed a keen sense of goalscoring from all sorts of angles. If he doesn’t produce in Finland, the D1A will once again be beckoning next spring.

Artur Glukhikh (F)

Still just 16, the 6’1”, 176-pound Glukhikh will be the player scouts will be most interested in seeing from Kazakhstan. He too played in the Jastar, being the driving force for Kamenogorsk with 30 goals and 52 points in 52 games and is expected to be one of the few players on the team who can provide offensive flair, especially in the department of goal-scoring. Like with most everyone on the team, this will be his first international appearance for his nation.

Asanali Sarkenov (F)

On a team full of smaller skaters, the 6’4”, 200-pound Sarkenov will not be hard to miss. A player not foreign to the penalty box, Sarkenov clipped at about a PPG pace in the Jastar but spent the great majority of the season playing in Russia’s MHL, where he had 8 points and 53 penalty minutes over 42 games. We’re anticipating that he’s going to let the beast out at this tournament, hoping to gain notice of the many scouts in attendance.

Mstislav Shipilin (D)

Still eligible for this tournament by a single day, Shipilin is the one player on the team who was also a member of Kazakhstan’s D1A U20 team and just concluded an entire season of MHL play as a 17-year-old. Just average in size, he does have a decent all-round package and will be expected to do a lot of the heavy lifting in Finland. Like his teammates, he’s lacking international experience, even if that D1A U20 Worlds gave him more than most.

Abylaikhan Toleubai (G)

Although 6’1”, Toleubai is a lightweight goaltender who will be experiencing his first international tournament for Kazakhstan. He’s coming off a season in the domestic Jastar league where he went 21-6 with a 2.10 GAA. Those numbers faltered a bit in the playoffs, where he lost the starting job on the way to the league championship. Together with tiny tot Danil Lytkin, he’ll have to be a magic man anytime he may stand in goal if his country is to stave off elimination. That he’s an open book heading in may be just the advantage he needs.

2024 NHL DRAFT: MCKEEN’S MID-SEASON TOP 100 – Celebrini sits comfortably on top – Demidov and Parekh among risers in ranking – Strong defense group defines this draft class

Brock Otten — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 15:58:41 +0000

It’s time to update and expand our 2024 NHL Draft rankings. Since our preliminary ranking in December, we’ve passed some major events on the scouting calendar, like the World Juniors, CHL Top Prospect’s Game, World Junior A Challenge, and the USA Hockey All American Game.

Macklin Celebrini still sits comfortably at the top of our rankings. Not only has he continued to be a difference maker for Boston University, but he was also a solid contributor at the World Juniors for an underwhelming Canadian team, an impressive feat for a double underager. In our opinion, he is unquestionably the top prospect available this year and is the one player we view as a near surefire high impact player at the NHL level.

One player moving up our ranking inside the top ten is Ivan Demidov. While ice time issues have limited his impact at the KHL level, he has been an absolute monster at the MHL level and in a draft that we feel lacks high end upside, he stands out as a potential difference maker. One player falling inside of our top ten is Cole Eiserman. While the goal scoring ability is unquestionably impressive, we’ve been left wanting more from the rest of his game and feel that his development is showing signs of plateauing.

Saginaw defenseman Zayne Parekh is another big-time mover and shaker for us as he pushes his way inside the top ten. At this point, his production and offensive upside is too vast to ignore. Yes, there are questions regarding his defensive game. Yes, there are questions about how he fits into an NHL system given Saginaw’s unique modern approach. However, the skill and sense are so high end that we believe the reward outweighs the risk.

Other movers and shakers include Jett Luchanko (40th to 18th), Alfons Freij (32nd to 21st), Harrison Brunicke (HM to 25th), and Dom Badinka (58th to 28th). Luchanko is a speedy, playmaking pivot who brings consistent effort in all three zones. As he bulks up, he should be able to become a more consistent point producer. Freij has been terrific internationally this year for the Swedish U18 team and is starting to remind us of Tom Willander in regard to his steady presence on the ice at both ends. Brunicke is a very mobile, right-handed shot defender with size who remains a work in progress. He flashes high end skill and upside in the defensive end, and we believe that he is just scratching the surface of what he is capable of. Dom Badinka has a similar profile to Freij in the sense that he has a very projectable frame and skill set. He has been steadily improving in the SHL this year with Malmo and the Czech blueliner projects as an all situations top four, right shot blueliner.

Overall, 2024 is still holding strong as a quality draft for defenders. In fact, 14 of our first round graded players are defenseman. On the other hand, the strength of this goaltending crop remains to be seen. OHL netminders Carter George and Ryerson Leenders remain our top ranked goalies and the only ones inside of our Top 70. There are others pushing up the list (like NTDP netminder Nick Kempf and WHL re-entry Lukas Matecha), but it’s not looking like the ideal year to use a high pick on a stopper.

In the coming weeks, expect to see a podcast on our new YT channel (here), where Director of Scouting, Brock Otten, Associate Director of Scouting, Derek Neumeier, and Director of Video Scouting, Josh Bell, debate the midseason list and provide some insight into why certain players are ranked where they are.

RK	Name	POS	TEAM	GP	G/GAA	A/SV%	TP	PIM	HT/WT	DOB
1	Macklin Celebrini	C	Boston University (HE)	25	22	19	41	10	6-0/190	13-Jun-06
2	Sam Dickinson	D	London (OHL)	52	14	39	53	24	6-3/195	7-Jun-06
3	Ivan Demidov	RW	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	23	20	25	45	16	5-11/170	10-Dec-05
4	Anton Silayev	D	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)	57	3	8	11	8	6-7/210	11-Apr-06
5	Cayden Lindstrom	C	Medicine Hat (WHL)	32	27	19	46	66	6-4/215	3-Feb-06
6	Berkly Catton	C	Spokane (WHL)	49	38	44	82	37	5-11/170	14-Jan-06
7	Artyom Levshunov	D	Michigan State (B1G)	30	8	20	28	40	6-2/200	28-Oct-05
8	Konsta Helenius	C	Jukurit (Fin-Liiga)	40	12	19	31	6	5-11/180	11-May-06
9	Cole Eiserman	LW	USN U18 (USDP)	37	38	22	60	28	6-0/195	29-Aug-06
10	Zayne Parekh	D	Saginaw (OHL)	49	25	49	74	40	6-0/180	15-Feb-06
11	Carter Yakemchuk	D	Calgary (WHL)	48	24	29	53	95	6-3/190	29-Sep-05
12	Tij Iginla	C	Kelowna (WHL)	48	35	28	63	25	6-0/185	1-Aug-06
13	Liam Greentree	RW	Windsor (OHL)	46	28	41	69	25	6-2/200	1-Jan-06
14	Trevor Connelly	LW	Tri-City (USHL)	34	17	31	48	40	6-1/160	28-Feb-06
15	Zeev Buium	D	Denver (NCHC)	26	7	27	34	16	6-0/185	7-Dec-05
16	Michael Brandsegg Nygard	RW	Mora (Allsvenskan)	32	6	7	13	14	6-1/195	5-Oct-05
17	Adam Jiříček	D	HC Plzen (Czechia)	19	0	1	1	2	6-2/175	28-Jun-06
18	Jett Luchanko	C	Guelph (OHL)	50	17	37	54	32	5-11/185	21-Aug-06
19	Matvei Shuravin	D	CSKA Moskva (KHL)	22	0	7	7	26	6-2/170	22-Mar-06
20	Michael Hage	C	Chicago (USHL)	37	21	23	44	35	6-1/190	14-Apr-06
21	Alfons Freij	D	Vaxjo Lakers (Swe J20)	33	11	15	26	12	6-1/190	12-Feb-06
22	Emil Hemming	RW	TPS (Fin-Liiga)	35	7	4	11	0	6-1/200	27-Jun-06
23	Ryder Ritchie	RW	Prince Albert (WHL)	34	13	18	31	16	6-0/175	3-Aug-06
24	Sacha Boisvert	C	Muskegon (USHL)	41	27	18	45	42	6-2/180	17-Mar-06
25	Harrison Brunicke	D	Kamloops (WHL)	46	10	11	21	45	6-3/185	8-May-06
26	Andrew Basha	LW	Medicine Hat (WHL)	47	23	44	67	32	6-0/185	8-Nov-05
27	Henry Mews	D	Ottawa (OHL)	46	8	34	42	46	6-0/185	9-Mar-06
28	Dom Badinka	D	Malmo (Swe J20)	15	2	10	12	39	6-3/185	27-Nov-05
29	Beckett Sennecke	RW	Oshawa (OHL)	46	19	26	45	53	6-2/180	28-Jan-06
30	Igor Chernyshov	LW	MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL)	18	10	14	24	8	6-2/190	30-Nov-05
31	E.J. Emery	D	USN U18 (USDP)	41	0	10	10	51	6-3/185	30-Mar-06
32	Leo Sahlin Wallenius	D	Vaxjo Lakers (Swe J20)	34	7	23	30	30	6-0/180	10-Apr-06
33	Dean Letourneau	C	St. Andrew's (CHS-O)	14	14	11	25	6	6-7/210	21-Feb-06
34	Yegor Surin	C	Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)	37	19	27	46	104	6-1/190	1-Aug-06
35	Adam Jecho	C	Edmonton (WHL)	38	15	17	32	18	6-5/200	24-Mar-06
36	Maxim Massé	RW	Chicoutimi (QMJHL)	51	26	26	52	16	6-2/190	7-Apr-06
37	Lucas Pettersson	C	MoDo Hockey (Swe J20)	36	20	23	43	38	5-11/170	17-Apr-06
38	Charlie Elick	D	Brandon (WHL)	51	4	19	23	47	6-3/200	17-Jan-06
39	Raoul Boilard	C	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)	52	21	31	52	32	6-2/190	7-Jan-06
40	Matvei Gridin	RW	Muskegon (USHL)	41	20	30	50	28	6-1/185	1-Mar-06
41	Nikita Artamonov	LW	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)	48	7	15	22	12	5-11/185	17-Nov-05
42	Jesse Pulkkinen	D	JYP (Fin-U20)	18	11	17	28	47	6-6/215	27-Dec-04
43	Leon Muggli	D	Zug (Sui-NL)	4	0	2	2	4	6-0/165	9-Jul-06
44	Teddy Stiga	LW	USN U18 (USDP)	41	24	25	49	26	5-10/155	5-Apr-06
45	Aron Kiviharju	D	HIFK (Fin-Liiga)	7	1	1	2	0	5-10/165	25-Jan-06
46	Miguel Marques	RW	Lethbridge (WHL)	50	22	37	59	47	5-11/170	8-Mar-06
47	John Mustard	C	Waterloo (USHL)	39	22	18	40	22	6-0/185	16-Aug-06
48	Lukas Fischer	D	Sarnia (OHL)	52	4	22	26	50	6-4/180	6-Sep-06
49	Simon Zether	C	Rogle (Swe J20)	17	11	16	27	25	6-3/185	18-Oct-05
50	Luke Misa	C	Mississauga (OHL)	51	21	46	67	8	5-10/175	25-Nov-05
51	Sebastian Soini	D	Ilves (Fin-U20)	8	0	0	0	8	6-2/195	10-Jun-06
52	Carson Wetsch	RW	Calgary (WHL)	49	19	20	39	53	6-2/185	4-May-06
53	Terik Parascak	RW	Prince George (WHL)	52	31	42	73	37	5-11/180	28-May-06
54	Christian Humphreys	C	USN U18 (USDP)	35	15	25	40	14	5-11/170	4-Feb-06
55	Cole Hutson	D	USN U18 (USDP)	41	11	26	37	44	5-10/160	28-Jun-06
56	Cole Beaudoin	C	Barrie (OHL)	48	23	25	48	23	6-2/200	24-Apr-06
57	Marek Vanacker	LW	Brantford (OHL)	51	27	34	61	41	6-0/165	12-Apr-06
58	Stian Solberg	D	Vålerenga (Nor)	34	3	9	12	12	6-2/200	29-Dec-06
59	Herman Traff	RW	HV71 (Swe J20)	22	11	7	18	69	6-3/195	31-Dec-05
60	Kamil Bednarik	C	USN U18 (USDP)	41	18	25	43	40	6-0/185	26-May-06
61	Tomáš Galvas	D	Bili Tygri Liberec (Czechia)	26	2	4	6	6	5-10/150	11-Feb-06
62	Carter George	G	Owen Sound (OHL)	41	3.09	0.914	-	-	6-0/160	20-May-06
63	Ryerson Leenders	G	Mississauga (OHL)	38	3.19	0.909	-	-	6-1/175	1-Jun-06
64	Tanner Howe	LW	Regina (WHL)	52	24	38	62	48	5-11/180	28-Nov-05
65	Colton Roberts	D	Vancouver (WHL)	50	7	17	24	45	6-4/195	8-Jun-06
66	Ben Danford	D	Oshawa (OHL)	51	1	30	31	21	6-0/175	6-Feb-06
67	Eriks Mateiko	LW	Saint John (QMJHL)	40	19	19	38	18	6-4/210	18-Nov-05
68	Daniil Ustinkov	D	ZSC (Sui-NL)	18	0	1	1	0	6-0/200	26-Aug-06
69	Veeti Vaisanen	D	KooKoo (Fin-Liiga)	40	2	7	9	12	6-0/175	15-Feb-06
70	Clarke Caswell	C	Swift Current (WHL)	51	16	37	53	14	5-11/170	2-Feb-06
71	Jakub Fibigr	D	Mississauga (OHL)	44	6	20	26	33	6-0/170	22-Jul-06
72	Ondrej Kos	LW	KOOVEE (Fin-Liiga)	14	3	2	5	8	6-1/150	7-Mar-06
73	Sam O'Reilly	RW	London (OHL)	52	15	30	45	24	6-1/175	30-Mar-06
74	Jack Berglund	C	Färjestad BK (Swe J20)	37	14	18	32	18	6-3/210	10-Apr-06
75	Linus Eriksson	C	Djurgardens IF (Swe J20)	24	5	16	21	8	6-0/185	23-Mar-06
76	Tarin Smith	D	Everett (WHL)	54	7	30	37	45	6-1/175	24-Mar-06
77	Nick Kempf	G	USN U18 (USDP)	22	3.02	0.901			6-2/190	1-Mar-06
78	Melvin Fernstrom	RW	Örebro HK (Swe J20)	38	26	28	54	26	6-1/185	28-Feb-06
79	Alexander Zetterberg	C	Örebro HK J20	35	19	27	46	10	5-9/160	27-Apr-06
80	Spencer Gill	D	Rimouski (QMJHL)	50	9	23	32	50	6-3/180	17-Aug-06
81	Kevin He	LW	Niagara (OHL)	51	26	18	44	47	5-11/185	30-Apr-06
82	Aatos Koivu	C	TPS (Fin-U20)	23	15	14	29	28	6-0/165	22-Jun-06
83	Will Skahan	D	USN U18 (USDP)	40	2	7	9	63	6-4/210	14-May-06
84	Justin Poirier	RW	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)	52	40	20	60	58	5-8/185	4-Sep-06
85	Maxmilian Curran	C	Tri-City (WHL)	40	5	27	32	25	6-3/190	27-Aug-06
86	Tory Pitner	D	Youngstown (USHL)	33	7	14	21	34	6-1/185	6-Mar-06
87	Lukas Matecha	G	Tri-City (WHL)	29	3.14	0.910			6-3/195	21-Mar-05
88	Brodie Ziemer	RW	USN U18 (USDP)	41	20	22	42	14	5-10/190	22-Feb-06
89	Niilopekka Muhonen	D	KalPa (Fin U20)	25	4	6	10		6-4/185	28-Feb-06
90	Anthony Romani	D	North Bay (OHL)	51	44	40	84	16	6-0/180	12-Jul-05
91	Julius Miettinen	RW	Everett (WHL)	53	22	24	46	30	6-3/205	20-Jan-06
92	Luca Marrelli	D	Oshawa (OHL)	50	2	38	40	14	6-1/185	4-Oct-05
93	Filip Sitar	C	Malmo (Swe J20)	33	12	31	43	10	5-11/175	29-Jun-05
94	Noel Fransen	D	Färjestad BK (Swe J20)	36	17	21	38	16	6-0/185	7-Dec-05
95	William Zellers	LW	Shattuck St. Marys (USHS-Prep)	43	41	43	84	20	5-10/165	4-Apr-06
96	Gabriel Eliasson	D	HV71 J20	27	0	3	3	81	6-6/205	9-Sep-06
97	Kim Saarinen	G	HPK (Fin-U20)	22	2.34	0.918			6-4/180	22-Jul-06
98	Max Vilen	D	Malmo (Swe J20)	39	1	12	13	8	6-2/200	29-Jun-06
99	Gabriel Frasca	C	Kingston (OHL)	26	9	9	18	10	6-0/170	18-Feb-06
100	Harrison Meneghin	G	Lethbridge (WHL)	41	2.46	0.922			6-3/165	13-Sep-06
HM	Tanner Adams	RW	Providence (NCAA)	27	5	12	17	2	5-11/185	2-Sep
HM	Alexandre Blais	C	Rimouski (QMJHL)	53	18	48	66	30	5-10/155	14-Nov-05
HM	Viggo Gustavsson	D	HV71 (Swe J20)	33	1	10	11	38	6-2/195	11-Sep-06
HM	Andrei Krutov	LW	Chaika Nizhny Novgorod (MHL)	35	15	24	39	10	5-11/175	25-Apr-06
HM	Darels Uljanskis	D	AIK (Swe J20)	35	7	16	23	14	6-1/185	25-Aug-06
HM	Pavel Moysevich	G	SKA St. Petersburg (VHL)	19	2.31	0.927			6-5/175	29-Sep-04
HM	Ondrej Becher	C	Prince George (WHL)	42	19	40	59	32	6-1/175	22-Feb-04
HM	Veit Oswald	RW	EHC Munchen (DEL)	32	8	4	12	0	6-1/165	31-Aug-04
HM	Nathan Villeneuve	C	Sudbury (OHL)	47	18	21	39	52	6-0/185	13-Apr-06
HM	Petr Sikora	C	HC Ocelari Trinec (Cze U20)	27	12	21	33	26	5-11/170	2-Jan-06
HM	Oskar Vuollet	C	Skelleftea AIK (Swe J20)	32	17	24	41	6	5-10/170	3-Dec-05
HM	Kenta Isogai	F	Wenatchee (WHL)	49	25	48	73	22	5-11/155	28-Aug-04
HM	Marcus Kearsey	D	Charlottetown (QMJHL)	51	5	32	37	14	5-11/170	17-03-06
HM	Nate Misskey	D	Victoria (WHL	40	6	26	32	52	6-3/210	1-Dec-05
HM	Thomas Desruisseaux	C	Chicoutimi (QMJHL)	52	10	34	44	16	5-11/160	10-Mar-06
HM	Jonathan Morello	C	St. Michaels (OJHL)	44	23	27	50	20	6-1/175	31-Jul-06
HM	Kieron Walton	LW	Sudbury (OHL)	47	15	19	34	12	6-5/205	22-Apr-06
HM	Adam Kleber	D	Lincoln (USHL)	33	5	13	18	20	6-5/205	24-Mar-06
HM	Riley Patterson	C	Barrie (OHL)	49	18	27	45	4	6-0/175	22-Mar-06
HM	Eemil Vinni	G	JoKP (Fin-Liiga)	27	2.5	0.9	-	-	6-2/285	18-Dec-06

MCKEEN’S HOCKEY 2024 NHL DRAFT RANKINGS – December 2023 – Top 32 – Macklin Celebrini leads the pack early by a wide margin

Brock Otten — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 21:40:04 +0000

NORTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 1: NCAA men's hockey at Lawler Rink on December 1, 2023 in North Andover, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rich Gagnon)

It’s time for a ranking update at McKeen’s Hockey as we approach the end of the calendar year. Hopefully you’ve all been following along with our early regional favourites series, where our regional scouts have been providing detailed breakdowns of some of their favourites for the 2024 Draft.

This article shows our top 32 and is available to everyone. For subscribers, we are providing our Top 64 with a few honorable mentions. Then in the new year, we will expand to a Top 100.

The top player on our list is Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini. One of the highest scoring players in the NCAA this year as a freshman, Celebrini has met the ultra-high expectations placed on him heading into the year. He is, in our opinion, a slam dunk to be the first player selected this year. Recently named to the Canadian World Junior camp roster, hopefully Celebrini can earn a roster spot and have a strong performance for Canada as a focal point of the team’s offensive attack.

Sam Dickinson of the London Knights. Photo by Natalie Shaver/OHL Images

After Celebrini is where things get…murky. We see a group of seven players in competition for that second spot; Sam Dickinson, Cayden Lindstrom, Konsta Helenius, Cole Eiserman, Anton Silayev, Ivan Demidov, and Artyom Levshunov. How those seven players are ranked was heavily debated amongst our scouts. There truly wasn’t much of a consensus among our staff and we know that NHL scouts are having a similar debate at this current time. An argument could be made for any of these seven to be ranked second. Conversely an argument could be made for any of these seven to be ranked eighth. Hopefully a few of these players can truly separate themselves from the pack in the second half. In particular, we’re looking to see if the three defenders, Dickinson, Silayev, and Levshunov, can clean up some of their poor decisions with the puck.

Rounding out the top ten are forwards Berkly Catton (Spokane Chiefs) and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (Mora). Catton is a dynamic play creator who has a chance to jump into that second tier grouping if he can find a way to become a more consistent off puck player. While Brandsegg-Nygard is a winger who plays a game that should translate easily to the pro level in North America. He competes hard. He skates well. It’s just a matter of whether you feel that he has the offensive upside and skill to be a top six player. At this point, considering our high ranking of him, we do believe he possesses that upside.

Of the remaining 22 players currently in our first round, 11 are defenders. While we aren’t enamored with this draft crop (overall), we do really like the upside of this blueline crop. The question is, can the likes of Adam Jiricek and Aron Kiviharju hang on to a spot in our first round because there is no question that they have underperformed compared to their expectations thus far.

But what about the goalies? This is everyone’s favourite question. At this point, we don’t see any netminders worthy of first round consideration. But we did rank OHL goalies Carter George and Ryerson Leenders at the back of our Top 64. George has been the more consistent performer thanks to his excellent play reading ability and mature approach. This was on display at last summer’s Hlinka/Gretzky too, when he stole the starter’s job from Gabriel D’Aigle. Meanwhile, Leenders is unquestionably the better athlete and a netminder with a penchant for making the highlight reel save thanks to his quickness. He just doesn’t have as refined of a technical approach.

The List:

RANK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB	GP-G-A-PTS
1	Macklin Celebrini	C	Boston University (HE)	6-0/190	13-Jun-06	15-10-15-25
2	Sam Dickinson	D	London (OHL)	6-3/205	7-Jun-06	27-6-14-20
3	Cayden Lindstrom	C	Medicine Hat (WHL)	6-3/210	3-Feb-06	27-22-16-38
4	Konsta Helenius	C	Jukurit (Fin-Liiga)	5-11/180	11-May-06	26-8-11-19
5	Cole Eiserman	LW	USN U18 (USDP)	6-0/195	29-Aug-06	21-25-16-41
6	Anton Silayev	D	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)	6-7/210	11-Apr-06	38-3-7-10
7	Ivan Demidov	RW	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	5-11/180	10-Dec-05	7-2-5-7
8	Artyom Levshunov	D	Michigan State (B1G)	6-2/205	28-Oct-05	16-4-11-15
9	Berkly Catton	C	Spokane (WHL)	5-11/170	14-Jan-06	25-16-20-36
10	Michael Brandsegg-Nygard	RW	Mora (Allsvenskan)	6-1/195	5-Oct-05	21-2-4-6
11	Ryder Ritchie	RW	Prince Albert (WHL)	6-0/175	3-Aug-06	30-12-16-28
12	Carter Yakemchuk	D	Calgary (WHL)	6-3/190	29-Sep-05	26-12-16-28
13	Liam Greentree	RW	Windsor (OHL)	6-2/210	1-Jan-06	23-17-18-35
14	Trevor Connelly	LW	Tri-City (USHL)	6-1/160	28-Feb-06	20-8-18-26
15	Tij Iginla	C	Kelowna (WHL)	6-0/185	1-Aug-06	27-20-11-31
16	Zeev Buium	D	Denver (NCHC)	6-0/185	7-Dec-05	16-5-16-21
17	Zayne Parekh	D	Saginaw (OHL)	6-0/175	15-Feb-06	25-10-26-36
18	Matvei Shuravin	D	CSKA Moskva (KHL)	6-3/195	22-Mar-06	8-0-2-2
19	Adam Jiricek	D	HC Plzen (Czechia)	6-2/175	28-Jun-06	19-0-1-1
20	Aron Kiviharju	D	HIFK (Fin-Liiga)	5-9/170	25-Jan-06	7-1-1-2
21	Emil Hemming	RW	TPS (Fin-Liiga)	6-1/200	27-Jun-06	24-5-2-7
22	Igor Chernyshov	LW	MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL)	6-2/190	30-Nov-05	15-6-6-12
23	Leo Sahlin Wallenius	D	Vaxjo Lakers (Swe J20)	5-11/175	10-Apr-06	27-5-20-25
24	Beckett Sennecke	RW	Oshawa (OHL)	6-2/180	28-Jan-06	21-7-13-20
25	Michael Hage	C	Chicago (USHL)	6-0/190	14-Apr-06	20-7-13-20
26	Henry Mews	D	Ottawa (OHL)	6-0/185	9-Mar-06	22-3-19-22
27	Cole Hutson	D	USN U18 (USDP)	5-10/160	28-Jun-06	22-6-15-21
28	Maxim Masse	RW	Chicoutimi (QMJHL)	6-2/190	7-Apr-06	30-13-16-29
29	Adam Jecho	C	Edmonton (WHL)	6-5/200	24-Mar-06	19-8-10-18
30	Sacha Boisvert	C	Muskegon (USHL)	6-2/180	17-Mar-06	22-13-8-21
31	Veeti Vaisanen	D	KooKoo (Fin-Liiga)	6-0/175	15-Feb-06	23-1-4-5
32	Alfons Freij	D	Vaxjo Lakers (Swe J20)	6-0/185	12-Feb-06	27-8-12-20

MCKEEN’S HOCKEY 2024 NHL DRAFT RANKINGS – December 2023 – Top 64 plus Honourable Mentions – Macklin Celebrini leads the pack early by a wide margin

Brock Otten — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 21:30:02 +0000

NORTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 1: NCAA men's hockey at Lawler Rink on December 1, 2023 in North Andover, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rich Gagnon)

For this update, we are providing our Top 64 with a few honorable mentions. Then in the new year, we will expand to a Top 100.

Sam Dickinson of the London Knights. Photo by Natalie Shaver/OHL Images

The List:

RANK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB	GP-G-A-PTS
1	Macklin Celebrini	C	Boston University (HE)	6-0/190	13-Jun-06	15-10-15-25
2	Sam Dickinson	D	London (OHL)	6-3/205	7-Jun-06	27-6-14-20
3	Cayden Lindstrom	C	Medicine Hat (WHL)	6-3/210	3-Feb-06	27-22-16-38
4	Konsta Helenius	C	Jukurit (Fin-Liiga)	5-11/180	11-May-06	26-8-11-19
5	Cole Eiserman	LW	USN U18 (USDP)	6-0/195	29-Aug-06	21-25-16-41
6	Anton Silayev	D	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)	6-7/210	11-Apr-06	38-3-7-10
7	Ivan Demidov	RW	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	5-11/180	10-Dec-05	7-2-5-7
8	Artyom Levshunov	D	Michigan State (B1G)	6-2/205	28-Oct-05	16-4-11-15
9	Berkly Catton	C	Spokane (WHL)	5-11/170	14-Jan-06	25-16-20-36
10	Michael Brandsegg-Nygard	RW	Mora (Allsvenskan)	6-1/195	5-Oct-05	21-2-4-6
11	Ryder Ritchie	RW	Prince Albert (WHL)	6-0/175	3-Aug-06	30-12-16-28
12	Carter Yakemchuk	D	Calgary (WHL)	6-3/190	29-Sep-05	26-12-16-28
13	Liam Greentree	RW	Windsor (OHL)	6-2/210	1-Jan-06	23-17-18-35
14	Trevor Connelly	LW	Tri-City (USHL)	6-1/160	28-Feb-06	20-8-18-26
15	Tij Iginla	C	Kelowna (WHL)	6-0/185	1-Aug-06	27-20-11-31
16	Zeev Buium	D	Denver (NCHC)	6-0/185	7-Dec-05	16-5-16-21
17	Zayne Parekh	D	Saginaw (OHL)	6-0/175	15-Feb-06	25-10-26-36
18	Matvei Shuravin	D	CSKA Moskva (KHL)	6-3/195	22-Mar-06	8-0-2-2
19	Adam Jiricek	D	HC Plzen (Czechia)	6-2/175	28-Jun-06	19-0-1-1
20	Aron Kiviharju	D	HIFK (Fin-Liiga)	5-9/170	25-Jan-06	7-1-1-2
21	Emil Hemming	RW	TPS (Fin-Liiga)	6-1/200	27-Jun-06	24-5-2-7
22	Igor Chernyshov	LW	MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL)	6-2/190	30-Nov-05	15-6-6-12
23	Leo Sahlin Wallenius	D	Vaxjo Lakers (Swe J20)	5-11/175	10-Apr-06	27-5-20-25
24	Beckett Sennecke	RW	Oshawa (OHL)	6-2/180	28-Jan-06	21-7-13-20
25	Michael Hage	C	Chicago (USHL)	6-0/190	14-Apr-06	20-7-13-20
26	Henry Mews	D	Ottawa (OHL)	6-0/185	9-Mar-06	22-3-19-22
27	Cole Hutson	D	USN U18 (USDP)	5-10/160	28-Jun-06	22-6-15-21
28	Maxim Masse	RW	Chicoutimi (QMJHL)	6-2/190	7-Apr-06	30-13-16-29
29	Adam Jecho	C	Edmonton (WHL)	6-5/200	24-Mar-06	19-8-10-18
30	Sacha Boisvert	C	Muskegon (USHL)	6-2/180	17-Mar-06	22-13-8-21
31	Veeti Vaisanen	D	KooKoo (Fin-Liiga)	6-0/175	15-Feb-06	23-1-4-5
32	Alfons Freij	D	Vaxjo Lakers (Swe J20)	6-0/185	12-Feb-06	27-8-12-20
33	EJ Emery	D	USN U18 (USDP)	6-3/185	30-Mar-06	22-0-5-5
34	Tanner Howe	LW	Regina (WHL)	5-10/180	28-Nov-05	28-16-17-33
35	Nikita Artamonov	LW	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)	5-11/185	17-Nov-05	29-4-10-14
36	Lukas Fischer	D	Sarnia (OHL)	6-2/180	6-Sep-06	27-2-9-11
37	Luke Misa	C	Mississauga (OHL)	5-10/175	25-Nov-05	25-11-26-37
38	Matvei Gridin	RW	Muskegon (USHL)	6-1/185	1-Mar-06	22-13-12-25
39	Will Skahan	D	USN U18 (USDP)	6-4/210	14-May-06	22-1-4-5
40	Jett Luchanko	C	Guelph (OHL)	5-11/185	21-Aug-06	27-10-16-26
41	Simon Zether	C	Rogle (Swe J20)	6-3/185	18-Oct-05	17-11-16-27
42	Dean Letourneau	C	St. Andrew's (CHS-O)	6-6/210	21-Feb-06	28-32-31-63
43	Andrew Basha	LW	Medicine Hat (WHL)	5-11/185	8-Nov-05	27-13-22-35
44	Christian Humphreys	C	USN U18 (USDP)	5-11/170	4-Feb-06	22-10-20-30
45	Daniil Ustinkov	D	ZSC (Sui-NL)	6-0/195	26-Aug-06	15-0-1-1
46	Yegor Surin	C	Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)	5-10/175	1-Aug-06	21-11-14-25
47	Leon Muggli	D	Zug (Sui-NL)	6-0/165	9-Jul-06	24-2-4-6
48	Sebastian Soini	D	KOOVEE (Fin-Mestis)	6-2/180	10-Jun-06	15-0-4-4
49	Lucas Pettersson	C	MoDo Hockey(Swe J20)	5-11/170	17-Apr-06	26-13-13-26
50	Cole Beaudoin	C	Barrie (OHL)	6-2/200	24-Apr-06	24-10-8-18
51	Jakub Fibigr	D	Mississauga (OHL)	6-0/170	22-Jul-06	25-4-12-16
52	Justin Poirier	RW	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)	5-7/185	4-Sep-06	30-23-10-33
53	Kamil Bednarik	C	USN U18 (USDP)	6-0/185	26-May-06	22-13-14-27
54	Niilopekka Muhonen	D	KalPa (Fin-U20)	6-4/195	28-Feb-06	19-1-5-6
55	Hagen Burrows	RW	Minnetonka (USHS-MN)	6-1/175	13-Oct-05	4-3-8-11
56	Teddy Stiga	LW	USN U18 (USDP)	5-9/155	5-Apr-06	22-16-12-28
57	Melvin Fernstrom	RW	Orebro (Swe J20)	6-0/185	28-Feb-06	29-18-16-34
58	Dominik Badinka	D	Malmo (Swe J20)	6-3/185	27-Nov-05	15-2-10-12
59	Charlie Elick	D	Brandon (WHL)	6-3/200	17-Jan-06	29-3-10-13
60	Terik Parascak	RW	Prince George (WHL)	5-11/175	28-May-06	28-22-21-43
61	Tuomas Suoniemi	C	Kiekko-Espoo (Fin-U20)	5-10/160	16-Apr-06	20-3-11-14
62	Raoul Boilard	C	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)	6-1/185	7-Jan-06	30-12-17-29
63	Carter George	G	Owen Sound (OHL)	6-1/190	20-May-06	9-8-2, 3.03, .902
64	Ryerson Leenders	G	Mississauga (OHL)	6-1/175	1-Jun-06	11-7-0, 3.03, .913
HM	Anthony Cristoforo	D	Windsor (OHL)	5-11/190	23-Feb-06	25-1-13-14
HM	Colton Roberts	D	Vancouver (WHL)	6-4/195	8-Jun-06	28-5-11-16
HM	Carson Wetsch	RW	Calgary (WHL)	6-0/185	4-May-06	26-9-9-18
HM	William Zellers	LW	Shattuck-St. Mary's (USHS-MN)	5-10/165	4-Apr-06	25-24-24-48
HM	Aidan Park	C	Shattuck-St. Mary's (USHS-MN)	6-1/185	6-Jan-06	25-15-27-42
HM	Noel Fransen	D	Farjestads (Swe J20)	6-0/180	7-Dec-05	30-15-15-30
HM	Oskar Vuollet	C	Skelleftea (Swe J20)	5-10/170	3-Dec-05	22-12-16-28
HM	Max Plante	LW	USN U18 (USDP)	5-10/170	20-Feb-06	12-4-13-17
HM	Tomas Galvas	D	Bili Tygri Liberec (Czechia)	5-10/150	11-Feb-06	17-1-2-3

2024 NHL DRAFT: EARLY SEASON FAVOURITES – Ontario – Jakub Fibigr, Lukas Fischer, Ben Danford, Liam Greentree

Brock Otten — Sun, 22 Oct 2023 16:38:50 +0000

Time for another series at McKeen’s from our scouting staff. The 2024 NHL Draft season is well under way and our scouts have been busy soaking in the action around the globe. Analyzing early season play can be difficult; perhaps even a bit of a ruse. Hot starts aren’t always sustainable and cold starts are not always indicative. However, players can still catch our attention in positive ways and that’s what this series intends to highlight.

Brock Otten - Director of Scouting & Regional Ontario Scout

Jakub Fibigr - Defense - Mississauga Steelheads

6’0, 171lbs - 2006-07-22

I was really happy to see Fibigr commit to the Steelheads after being selected by them in the CHL Import Draft. He was a standout for me at the Hlinka/Gretzky as part of a solid Czech group and I felt confident that he could bring a puck moving element to a Mississauga defense that badly needed it heading into the year.

Fibigr has done just that early on. He has become an immediate top pairing defender for Mississauga, playing in all situations while partnering with team captain Chas Sharpe. Often it can take some time for Import defenders to adjust to the CHL, so his quick adaptation has been extremely impressive.

One of Fibigr’s key attributes is his four-way mobility. An effortless skater in all directions, he uses this to be aggressive in all facets on the ice. His linear quickness allows him to lead the breakout or jump up into the play. It also allows him to be quick to loose pucks or to close off would-be attackers. He is aggressive in the offensive zone and in the neutral zone, both to keep pucks in or to be a disruptive force for other team’s breakout attempts. Additionally, his terrific agility allows him to defend well in transition; his gap control always stands out in a positive way.

Another standout quality of Fibigr’s is his compete level. He’s far from a physical specimen; he very much fits the stereotype of being “average sized.” However, he is aggressive in taking the battle to opposing forwards, consistently making his presence felt. He steps up early on attackers near the blueline to disrupt entry. He engages along the wall and consistently competes in 50/50 battles. He jousts near the crease and makes forwards earn space in the middle of the ice. He isn’t always on the winning end of these battles and that points to a need to get stronger given his lack of reach, but the effort is consistent.

Has Fibigr’s game been flawless thus far? Absolutely not. He seems to get burned at least once per game because of his aggressive approach. He will need to learn to pick his spots better, both in terms of when to jump up to keep pucks in and when to step up in the neutral zone without leaving his team vulnerable behind him. Adjusting to the pace of the OHL, from a decision-making perspective, has been an issue at times. Yet, given the many positives of other components of his game, I am willing to bet that these types of errors become less frequent as the season goes on. Regardless, it is something to monitor.

Where Fibigr fits into an incredibly strong Ontario defense group remains to be seen. The rest of the scouting year will be used to truly determine his upside as a pro.

Bring on the Videos!

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1-jakub_fibigr_-_1st_period_7_32_-_7_54.mp4

Really strong defensive shift here by Fibigr. This is a pretty good example to show how he usually plays from the offensive blueline out. He takes an aggressive route to close off a clean entry with his feet and body, then he engages physically to try to help his defensive partner win that 50/50 battle.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2-jakub_fibigr_-_1st_period_40_19_-_40_32.mp4

More great defensive work from Fibigr. This time, we see his footwork on display. Look at how he recovers to quickly close off Malcolm Spence’s lane to the net, separates him from the puck, and then draws a penalty against Spence out of frustration. It should be noted that Spence is one of the most difficult players to stop in the OHL with open ice due to his combination of size and quickness.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/3-jakub_fibigr_-_3rd_period_12_24_-_12_40.mp4

Fibigr goes for a skate and gains the offensive blueline with ease, nearly setting up a goal in the slot after circling the net.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4-jakub_fibigr_-_1st_period_3_50_-_4_3.mp4

Far from a dynamic clip, but I chose it for a few reasons. One, we again see Fibigr’s impress footwork and speed. Look at how quickly he builds speed to help him gain the red line. Later, we see his aggressive approach again as he pinches in to play the body and disrupt a clean breakout.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/5-jakub_fibigr_-_1st_period_35_9_-_35_22.mp4

Another good look at Fibigr’s strong rushing ability thanks to his high end skating ability. He gets easy separation from a forechecker by building speed quickly then fights through contact to track down his own chip into the one to create a good scoring chance.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/6-jakub_fibigr_-_1st_period_0_30_-_0_47.mp4

One of those poorly timed pinches that I mentioned. But, to Fibigr’s credit, he hustled hard to get back and ended up executing a perfectly timed stick lift on Rasmus Kumpulainen to prevent a great scoring chance.

Lukas Fischer - Defense - Sarnia Sting

6’3, 170lbs - 2006-09-09

The son of former Detroit Red Wings defenseman and current Red Wings Director of Player Personnel Jiri Fischer, Lukas is playing in his first full OHL season. He signed with Sarnia roughly half way through last year, after starting the year playing in the USHL and with the Detroit Compuware program. Fischer played sparingly last season on a strong, veteran laden Sting team, but he is now leading the Sting in ice time to start this year and quarterbacking their top powerplay unit.

Upside is the key word here. The runway for physical development is through the roof. Fischer is already 6’3 as one of the youngest players eligible this year. Lukas’ older brother Braiden (who plays for St. Thomas University in the NCAA) is listed at 6’7, while father Jiri played in the NHL at 6’5 and around 225lbs. It seems completely conceivable that Lukas could at least get to his father’s size by the time he is ready to turn pro.

It’s not all about size though, it’s Lukas’ physical tools and athleticism that make him such an intriguing prospect. His skating ability is terrific, especially for someone with his length. Long, powerful strides allow him to chew up ice quickly and efficiently. He can have a profound impact as a puck mover because of it. As he gains further confidence in his rushing ability, look for this part of his game to grow further. Defensively, his combination of length and quickness allows him to be incredibly disruptive. He defends pace well and he is difficult to pin inside his own zone with how he handles retrievals and wins battles below the goal line.

Really, the aspect of Fischer’s game that has impressed me the most is how composed and mature his game has become so quickly. While he can impress with his puck rushing skill, he’s been most effective making quick decisions to start the breakout in the defensive zone, even under intense pressure. He kills plays with his length and strength and then can either use his feet or a quick pass to get Sarnia out of trouble. He is limiting turnovers, even playing against the opposition’s best and is one of the key reasons the Sting have been way better than everyone anticipated they would be.

Eyes will be on Fischer to see how his game comes together over the course of the season, but given his bloodlines, intriguing physical tools, and positive development, he has made a huge leap in my personal rankings. It is early, but he could easily end up being a first round NHL draft pick when all is said and done.

Bring on the Videos!

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1-lukas_fischer_-_3rd_period_3_14_-_3_54.mp4

Strong shift from Fischer that results in a goal. We see his strong footwork as he keeps Cole Davis to the perimeter. Then he stays high in the defensive zone to make a great play on the puck and it’s off to the races.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2-lukas_fischer_-_2nd_period_13_26_-_13_38.mp4

Not a great turnover by Fischer, but look at his work on the backcheck to break up this play. With his length and quickness, he can be such a disruptive force.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/3-lukas_fischer_-_2nd_period_29_19_-_29_31.mp4

No hesitation at all from Fischer on this retrieval. He shoulder checks then takes a route to the puck that allows him to build speed quickly to avoid the forecheck. This leads to an eventual clean entry for the Sting.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4-lukas_fischer_-_2nd_period_10_43_-_10_55.mp4

I absolutely love this play from Fischer. Great defensive support to his partner to break up Kaden Pitre’s net drive, then he gets inside leverage on Pitre, executes a perfectly timed stick lift, and effectively starts the breakout.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/5-lukas_fischer_-_3rd_period_29_31_-_29_46.mp4

Really good work by Fischer at the offensive blueline. Holds the line to keep the puck in and eventually makes a great cross ice pass to help set up a premium scoring chance. That pass was impressively precise as he thread the needle between two Flint sticks.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/6-lukas_fischer_-_2nd_period_7_6_-_7_19.mp4

I’d love to see just a little more of this from Fischer given his size advantage. But, he absolutely crushes a Saginaw player as they try to hunt down a loose puck behind the net. If the physical component of his game becomes more consistent…look out.

Ben Danford - Defense - Oshawa Generals

6’2, 195lbs - 2006-02-06

Danford has been one of the biggest surprises for me to start the OHL season. I liked his play as an OHL rookie last year, where he was one of the most effective ‘06 defenders in the defensive zone. However, I had questions about his offensive upside and puck play. These questions were heightened following the Hlinka/Gretzky Cup, where I thought Danford struggled at times against elevated competition.

However, to start the year, Danford has shown impressive growth with the puck on his stick. He has been way more involved offensively than I anticipated he would be. When you pair that with his strong defensive play, you suddenly have a defender with a higher ceiling as a pro and that ultimately makes him a more attractive NHL draft prospect.

Danford’s bread and butter as an NHL draft prospect will be his strong defensive play. He is a tireless worker in the D-zone who already has to be considered one of the top shot blockers in the OHL. His positioning and anticipation are terrific. He consistently wins battles for the puck and his skating is good enough that he’s able to stay ahead of the action and keep attackers to the outside. He defends the crease with authority and has a sneaky physical side that gives him a leg up positionally.

There is bound to be some concern that Danford is not a dynamic mover. He is certainly an adequate skater, but he is not as quick or fluid as some of the other top end blueliners available from the OHL this year. However, given his strong defensive instincts and good length, I don’t see his skating being an issue preventing him from being a pro level player. If he could add more explosiveness and improve his overall agility and quickness in all four directions, it would probably help his offensive game and the consistency of his contributions.

That brings us to his offensive game. He’s been quite aggressive in both leading the attack and jumping up in the play to start the year. Danford stood out in a positive way for how he held the offensive blueline last year as a rookie, but we did not see the kind of creativity and assertiveness that we have seen this year. As mentioned, this is definitely a good sign as it pertains to his upside and scouts will be using the rest of the year to try to ascertain what kind of role he could play at the pro level if everything goes according to plan regarding his development.

Bring on the Videos!

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First the poor plays from the Hlinka/Gretzky. Danford gets muscled off the puck and the Finnish player takes it in and scores.

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Another poor Hlinka/Gretzky play. This time, Danford makes a weak backhand clearing attempt that fails to clear the zone and results in Switzerland gaining possession. Thankfully, we’re seeing less of this to start this OHL season as Danford is surveying his options and making confident plays with the puck to help the transition game.

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A tremendous defensive play by Danford. He steps up to block Fibigr’s point shot then competes to chip the puck ahead before securing possession and sliding a puck into the slot for a scoring chance.

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Really skilled play at the point by Danford that sees him spin off a check and get the puck to the net to help Oshawa tie the game. Last year, we would have seen Danford hold the line by dumping that puck back into the corner. This year, we’re seeing that confidence with the puck blossom.

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OK, let’s ignore the missed tripping call on Danford that starts this play. Instead, let’s focus on the confidence to lead the rush and the execution on a perfect backhand saucer that leads to an Oshawa goal.

Liam Greentree - Wing - Windsor Spitfires

6’2, 198lbs - 2006-01-01

It is the year of the defenseman in the OHL, but there are bound to be a few forward prospects to emerge as first round talents and Greentree is undoubtedly one of them. It has been an ugly, ugly start to the year for the last place Windsor Spitfires, but the 6’2 winger has been one of the lone bright spots. After playing more of a depth role for Canada at the summer’s Hlinka/Gretzky Cup, Greentree has returned to the OHL and become an impact play driver in his sophomore season.

While it might be a bit of a stretch to call Greentree a power winger, due to the fact that he’s not overtly physical, he does use his size well to protect the puck, win 50/50 battles, and drive the net. However, what makes Greentree so dangerous is that he’s more than just a traditional North/South player. He loves to attack East/West and get himself into the middle of the ice. He’s able to do this consistently thanks to his strong agility and his ability to blend skill and quickness. He is very good on his edges and will utilize c-cuts, quick pivots, and mohawking to help him escape pressure and get the puck to the middle of the ice. He also has great linear acceleration for a player of his size and once he builds to top speed, he can be very difficult to knock off stride.

As an offensive player, other than his ability to create in small spaces, Greentree’s shot has to be considered his main weapon. While the majority of his goals this year have come from good work near the crease, it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing him pot goals from a distance. He has a lightning quick release on his wrist/snap shot and he is adept at using drag moves to build deception and create better shooting lanes. He’s hit a bunch of posts so far this year with his cannon and it should be viewed as an above average skill.

At this point, the only thing missing from Greentree’s game is that consistent physicality. Given Windsor’s poor start, I’d love to see him become a more persistent threat without the puck. He can be active on the forecheck and he will engage in pursuit, but his work in his own end has been inconsistent. Last year and in limited action at the Hlinka/Gretzky Cup, we saw flashes of a true power forward who could push through people in addition to using his skill to create. Thus far this season, we have seen less of that. The fact that no player on Windsor can create in the offensive zone besides Greentree may have something to do with that, but it’s still something NHL scouts will be looking for and it would help elevate him into the upper echelon of forwards available this year.

Bring on the Videos!

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Greentree has earned a ton of breakaways this year. Watching video of his season thus far, it seems like he’s averaging about one per game. Here we see his separation ability, in addition to his finishing ability.

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This is a good look at Greentree’s strong edgework. He easily slips into the middle to get himself a prime scoring chance from the slot but sails the shot wide.

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Not only is Greentree skilled, but he’s also a highly intelligent and creative player. This is a terrific example of that. He fakes the drop pass and curls up ice to create a potential odd man rush.

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It seems like Greentree makes a play like this once per period. His skill level with the puck and creativity are not being talked about enough.

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More than just a bullish goal scorer, Greentree also has great vision with the puck. Exhibit A here as he tracks down a loose puck and finds a streaking Rodwin Dionicio for the goal.

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The aforementioned drag move that Greentree loves to use to help him create space.

NHL DRAFT PROSPECTS: 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup Preview – Players to Watch

Brock Otten — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 16:19:17 +0000

The first scouting event of the new draft season is right around the corner, and everyone is rightfully excited. On July 31st, action gets under way at the 2023 Hlinka/Gretzky Cup in Breclav and Trencin, with Canada looking to repeat as Champions. Last year, Canada captured gold on the back of strong play by Cal Ritchie, Brayden Yager, and Cam Allen, and they enter this year’s tournament as the favourites again. Once again, Russia will not be participating due to the ongoing war with Ukraine, and Germany will be taking their usual spot.

Let’s go over some of the players to watch for each team.

Group A

Czechia

Adam Jecho - Forward

Amazingly, this will be Jecho’s third Hlinka/Gretzky Cup. He’s still looking for his first goal at the event but should definitely earn it this year as one of the top forwards in the tournament. A potential lottery pick, he has recently signed on with Edmonton of the WHL for this year. The big winger is dynamite in transition with his size and speed.

Adam Jiricek - Defense

The younger brother of top Columbus prospect David Jiricek, Adam plays a similar kind of game. He can have a real positive impact on the game offensively but is still finding his footing as an elite two-way player. He is another potential lottery selection on this roster.

David Svozil - Defense

Another brother of a solid NHL defense prospect, David is the sibling of Stanislav. He too is a smooth skating puck mover, but he has a larger frame than his brother giving him a bit better defensive upside.

Tomas Galvas - Defense

Intelligent, two-way defender with high end skating ability. Galvas has already seen action in the Czech Extraliga. There will be questions about his high-end upside, but this is going to be a big tournament for him to prove that he belongs in the first round conversation like his teammates.

Jakub Fibigr - Defense

If you hadn’t guessed, the defense should be the strong suit of this Czech team with four potential high selections coming into the season. Fibigr is also a smooth skating defender, but one with the potential to quarterback the powerplay and put up points.

Adam Benak (2025) - Forward

One of the few 2007 born players at the event this year, Benak is an incredibly talented center who dazzled at the U17’s last year as an underager, even pulling off “The Michigan.” His role on this Czech squad could be more support oriented, but he’s a potential top prospect for 2025.

Germany

Manuel Schams - Defense

The likely captain of this Germany squad, Schams has been relied upon to be the top defender in the ‘05 age group thus far. A two-way defender and possibly Germany’s best hope to have a 2024 draft selection, look for him to eat heavy minutes.

Rio Kaiser (2025) - Defense

Kaiser is a raw defender with great upside thanks to his massive 6’7 frame. He is a late born 2006, so he’s not NHL draft eligible until 2025. Recently selected by Peterborough in the Import Draft, he will stay in Germany this year.

David Lewandowski (2025) - Forward

The 2007 age group is a much better one for Germany with several players showing the potential to be potential NHL draft selections. Lewandowski is a rangy pivot with strong puck protection skill, and he could be the team’s first line center despite being an underager.

Gustavs Griva (2025) - Forward

Another 2007 born player on the roster who will likely play a large role. Latvian born, but German raised winger who also has a twin on the team (Richards). While both are great players, Gustavs is the likely higher touted for now.

Carlos Handel (2025) - Defense

Yes, another high end 2007. Handel could be one of the top defenders on this German team as an underager. He’s going to be playing this year in Sweden with the Malmo program. There is high hope that he can turn into a Seider/Reinbacher type of prospect in the future.

Sweden

Alexander Zetterberg - Forward

No, he is not the son of former Red Wings star Henrik Zetterberg, but there is apparently some distant relation between the two. What is certain is that Zetterberg enters the year as the top 2006 born Swedish player eligible for the draft (there are other strong late 2005’s). As such, the diminutive, but skilled and feisty center will be counted upon to be an offensive leader for this Swedish team.

Alfons Freij - Defense

An aggressive offensive defender with quick feet, Freij has the potential to be the first Swedish defender selected in 2024. He is ultra confident with the puck on his stick, and he was good for Sweden in a depth role at last year’s World Junior A Challenge, an event containing some pretty solid older prospects.

Anton Olsson - Defense

Not to be confused with the Nashville stay at home defender of the same name. This Anton Olsson is much more offensively oriented and fleet of foot. He should help anchor the blueline with Freij, as he did at last year’s U17’s.

Lucas Pettersson - Forward

Pettersson is an intelligent two-way center who has great playmaking chops. He was the second leading U17 scorer in the Swedish J20 league last year behind Zetterberg and he should form a great 1/2 punch down the middle for Sweden.

Karl Sterner - Forward

Lately there seems to be a big Swedish forward with intriguing athletic potential available every year at the draft. This year, that player appears to be Sterner. He shows an ability to put defenders on his back and control the wall. The skill, size, and skating combination will be very interesting to watch this year.

Linus Eriksson - Forward

Don’t let the limited production at last year’s U17’s fool you, Eriksson was one of Sweden’s top players at the event. He uses his strong skating ability to impact the game in all three zones and has the creativity to be a topflight playmaker. Eriksson’s upside is very high, and he will be one to watch at this tournament and throughout this season.

Victor Eklund (2025) - Forward

A large contingent of the top end forwards on this Swedish team are late birthdays. Victor is the younger brother of top San Jose Sharks prospect William Eklund. He plays the game in a similar way, as a slippery and creative playmaker. However, he did struggle at the J20 level last year and at the U17’s.

Viggo Nordlund (2025) - Forward

Kind of a similar player to Zetterberg…and yes, he is also a late born 2006 player. Nordlund was very noticeable at last year’s U17’s due to his combination of vision, passing ability, and strong agility. He can really keep the puck on a string, and he should play a top six role at this event.

Love Harenstam (2025) - Goaltender

In contention to be the best 2007 born goaltender on the planet, there is no guarantee that Harenstam sees considerable action given that he is an underager. However, he is a player to watch based on his immense upside as the next great Swedish netminder…and of course his amazing name.

United States

Trevor Connelly - Forward

One of the key figures on this U.S. team, Connelly was already an impact player in the USHL last year as a 16-year-old for Tri-City. He brings size, speed, and skill and is a lethal scorer from inside the dots. He also competes hard away from the puck and could ultimately be a first round pick next June.

Mac Swanson - Forward

Not the biggest forward, but Swanson is incredibly skilled. He was a near point per game player in the USHL as a 16-year-old for Fargo and was one of the best players in last year’s Clark Cup playoffs. His playmaking ability and vision are near elite. This tournament will be a big test for him. Players at his size (5’7) need to produce to be drafted.

AJ Spellacy - Forward

A big power forward playing for the Windsor Spitfires who was having a terrific rookie year prior to a season ending knee injury. He was a surprise addition to camp given his injury timeline but ended up making the team. He brings a ton of physicality and energy to the ice and can be a difference maker in transition.

Aidan Park - Forward

One of a few California kids on this roster, Park is a Shattuck St. Mary’s standout who is committed to the University of Michigan in the future. He’s an intelligent two-way forward with good skill and speed who didn’t look out of place in limited USHL action last year.

William Zellers - Forward

Another Shattucks St. Mary’s player on the roster, Zellers is a high IQ support winger who should play on the first two lines of this U.S. team. The Boston University commit is also a member of the Green Bay Gamblers.

Owen Keefe - Defense

Expect Keefe to be a defensive anchor for the U.S. at this event. He’s got a very polished and mature defensive game already thanks to strong mobility, reach, and a high IQ. The Muskegon (USHL) defender is a Boston University commit.

Will Felicio - Defense

Felicio is an undersized, but talented offensive defender who can run the powerplay and move the puck. He was a member of the USHL All Rookie team last year after a great season with Madison. Look for Felicio to run a potentially dangerous powerplay at this event.

Thatcher Bernstein - Goaltender

One of the top goalies in the prep school scene last year as a 16-year-old, Bernstein appears to have the inside edge to be the starting netminder for this U.S. team. He has the size that NHL teams are looking for and he’ll be playing for Dubuque this year in the USHL.

Ryker Lee (2025) - Forward

Lee is yet another Shattuck St. Mary’s player and is perhaps the only one guaranteed to return to the program this year as a late born 2006. He is a highly creative and skilled offensive player who could play a top six role on this team despite some size/strength deficits.

Group B

Canada

Sam Dickinson - Defense

Dickinson, a London Knights defender, is a potential top ten selection this year as a dominant two-way player. He controls the play with his combination of length and mobility, and he can have a profound impact on the transition game. Look for him to be one of the better defensemen at the event.

Henry Mews - Defense

Another potential top ten selection on the blueline out of the OHL, Mews is a different player than Dickinson, but he is equally effective and intriguing as a prospect. He oozes offensive potential thanks to his high-end vision and touch. He will also be an integral part of this Canadian Hlinka team.

Zayne Parekh - Defense

Look for Parekh to quarterback to the top Canadian powerplay after a record-breaking season in the OHL. His 21 goals set a new record for scoring by a U17 defender in the OHL. He’s a hybrid style defender with a high skill level and the skating ability to play aggressively with the puck.

Berkly Catton - Forward

The former first overall pick in the WHL by Spokane, Catton will be one of the main forwards to keep an eye on at this event. He is a potential top five selection thanks to the pivot’s complete game and skill level. He can do it all on the ice.

Cayden Lindstrom - Forward

Lindstrom is a huge, but lanky forward who is still learning how to unlock his physical potential. He can be an absolute force on net drives already and flashes high end skill in transition. Imagine how good he’ll be once he fills out his frame? Expect him to be a draft riser over the course of the year and it could start with a strong performance here.

Maxim Masse - Forward

One of the few players from the QMJHL on the roster this year, Masse was the CHL Rookie of the Year last season. Masse is a skilled scoring winger who also has good size and plays hard away from the puck. The Hlinka/Gretzky offers him an opportunity to show scouts that he has worked hard to improve his skating.

Michael Misa (2025) - Forward

The lone 2007 born player on this Canadian roster, Misa was granted exceptional status by Hockey Canada to enter the OHL early. He did not disappoint in his rookie year, albeit in the face of some injuries. He is a dynamic force when attacking with pace because of his ability to blend speed and skill. His shot is insanely good too. Look for him to be among the team’s offensive leaders despite his age.

Porter Martone (2025) - Forward

Expectations for Martone at this event will be quite high after he was great for Canada in a depth role at the U18’s as an underager. The late born 2006 winger plays a power game and has the size and skill to dominate down low.

Malcolm Spence (2025) - Forward

Another late 2006 born forward on this roster who could play a large role, Spence is an athletic beast. His rookie year with Erie had its ups and downs, but he did enough to flash his high-end offensive upside thanks to his combination of size and skill. Of all the players on this Canadian roster, Spence is the one that I’m most intrigued to see improvement from.

Gabriel D’Aigle (2025) - Goaltender

The last time we saw D’Aigle, he was thrust into action in the medal round for Canada at the U18’s despite being only 16. While he wasn’t fantastic, he held his own under the circumstances and should be one of the best goalies at this event. He’s not NHL draft eligible until 2025 with a late November birthday.

Finland

*of note, top Finnish ‘06’s Aron Kiviharju and Konsta Helenius will compete with Finland in the upcoming U20 showcase in Plymouth instead of the Hlinka/Gretzky Cup.

Veeti Vaisanen - Defense

There is some thought out there that Vaisanen has a chance to push ahead of Kiviharju as the top Finnish defender available this year. With Kiviharju out of the event, he will get his chance to shine. He’s a highly mobile two-way defender who will need to show that his offensive capabilities are high end.

Niilopekka Muhonen - Defense

Muhonen is a big defender who has already been playing at the U18 level for a year now, suiting up at last year’s Hlinka/Gretzky and this year’s U18’s. He’s already very polished in the defensive end and has great upside as a shutdown type. Does he have the upside to match? He could easily be a first-round pick next June if he shows that.

Joona Saarelainen - Forward

Likely to be the first line center and primary play driver for this Finnish entry, Saarelainen is a skilled, but undersized pivot. He played at this tournament last year as an underager and will try to use that experience to help Finland overcome the loss of their two best players.

Roope Vesterinen - Forward

Another undersized, but skilled forward, Vesterinen was lethal at last year’s U17’s, helping Finland take bronze. He thinks the game at a high level and has the high-end skating ability to beat defenders one on one.

Emil Hemming - Forward

A nice contrast to the undersized, high skill forwards in the age group for Finland, Hemming is a skilled power winger who excels driving the middle. The question for Finland is, do they load up a first line with their three top forwards or try to balance out the roster?

Petteri Rimpinen - Goaltender

Rimpinen was on Finland’s Hlinka/Gretzky Cup squad last year as an underager and returns this year as the starter. He may not have the elite size scouts are looking for (currently listed at 6’0), but he does have the athleticism. He was terrific in the Finnish junior leagues last year and has a chance to be the tournament’s best goaltender.

Switzerland

Daniil Ustinkov - Defense

Ustinkov is a player that many scouts will have their eyes on at this tournament, to see how he can lead a strong ‘06 group for Switzerland. He’s a dynamic offensive defender who looks to consistently push pace and who looks poised running the point of the powerplay. He already has a ton of experience at this U18 level internationally too.

Jamiro Reber - Forward

Heading into the tournament, Reber is the other top talent for Switzerland. He is slick and skilled, making him difficult to contain as he pushes into the offensive zone with speed. He’s leaving Switzerland to play in Sweden this year as part of the HV71 program.

Leon Muggli - Defense

Muggli has long been the captain of this strong ‘06 group and he will help anchor the defense along with Ustinkov and Gian Meier. He doesn’t have the flash of Ustinkov, but he is a hyper intelligent blueliner who excels in the defensive end.

Gian Meier - Defense

A big right shot defender, Meier is going to get a ton of ice time at this tournament as part of a strong defensive group for the Swiss. A raw player still trying to find his game, it will be interesting to track his development this year.

Yannik Ponzetto - Forward

Already signed on to play with the Halifax Mooseheads this season, Ponzetto is another integral piece of the forward group along with Reber. The big winger plays a power game, which should blend well with Reber’s skill on the top unit.

Christian Kirsch - Goaltender

Likely to be the starting netminder for the Swiss, Kirsch is a hyper athletic netminder with size. We saw him struggle at the U18’s this year as an underager, but he’s fared much better against his own age group. He has a commitment to UMass and is a draft pick of the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL).

Slovakia

Ondrej Maruna - Forward

Drafted by Charlottetown in the Import draft this year, there is belief that he will end up in the QMJHL this year. He’s a versatile two-way forward with size who may just be the top NHL draft prospect of this 2024 Slovak group. He played at the Hlinka/Gretzky Cup as an underager last year too.

Theo Kiss - Forward

A UMass commit who has been playing with Mount St. Charles Academy the last few seasons, Kiss will likely play with Des Moines of the USHL this year. He is a very creative and skilled offensive player and it will be interesting to see what he can do on a larger stage.

Tomas Pobezal (2025) - Forward

The only true star of this 2006 Slovak group, Pobezal has already been on the international stage for a few years now. He played at both last year’s Hlinka/Gretzky Cup and this year’s U18’s. Thanks to a late birthday, he’s not draft eligible until 2025. This will be a big event to prove that he belongs in the conversation with some of the other top Slovaks who have dominated the tournament recently.

Luka Radivojevič (2025) - Defense

The son of former OHL’er and NHL’er Branko Radivojevič, Luka is quite different from his father. He’s a smooth skating, puck moving defender without the elite size his father had. He has been playing in Sweden the last two years and is part of a much stronger 2007 group for the Slovaks.

Tobias Tomik (2026) - Forward

Likely the youngest player at this entire event, Tomik is a December born 2007. He’s already been playing a level up Internationally for the Slovaks and now faces his next challenge as part of the U18 group. He is a pure shooter with high end goal scoring potential.