Noel Nordh – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – UTAH MAMMOTH – Top 15 Prospect Profiles – Organizational Rank #5

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:41:49 +0000

BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 21: Utah Hockey Club defenseman Maveric Lamoureux (10) waits in warm up before a game between the Boston Bruins and the Utah Hockey Club on November 21, 2024, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

Prospect System Ranking – 5th (May 2025 - 8th)
GM: Bill Armstrong Hired: September 2020
COACH: André Tourigny Hired: July 2021

Fresh off their inaugural 2024-25 season, the freshly minted Utah Mammoth are already building a foundation for long term relevance.

A young NHL core—Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Guenther, Josh Doan, Mikhail Sergachev, and Sean Durzi—gives them a competitive starting point, while a strong wave of prospects is set to push them forward.

On defense, two towering blue liners headline the next group. Maveric Lamoureux (6-foot-7) split last season between the NHL and AHL and looks poised for full-time duty in 2025-26. Dmitri Simashev, fresh from Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL, brings shutdown ability and is expected to step right into Utah’s lineup. Up front, Daniil But also arrives from Lokomotiv after a breakout KHL season (28 points in 55 games) and could make an immediate impact.

In goal, Michael Hrabal continues to shine at the University of Massachusetts, posting a .924 save percentage in his sophomore season and cementing his status as Utah’s future franchise netminder.

The system also features high-upside forwards working their way toward the NHL. Tij Iginla, despite losing much of his draft-plus-one season to hip surgery, remains a key long term piece. Cole Beaudoin, the 24th-overall pick in 2024, offers a blend of skill and physicality suited for a future middle six role.

Utah’s prospect pool got another boost at the 2025 draft with the addition of fourth-overall pick Caleb Desnoyers. Though he’ll miss the start of 2025-26 following surgery, he projects as one of the franchise’s top players within a few years.

While they haven’t yet added extra selections for next year, the Mammoth still hold a staggering 26 picks over the next three drafts. With a competitive core in place and an injection of NHL-ready talent on the way, Utah’s climb toward playoff contention looks well underway.

Utah Mammoth Top-15 Prospects

1 - Caleb Desnoyers

Caleb Desnoyers was selected fourth overall in the 2025 NHL Draft by the Utah Mammoth. Not only did he produce an impressive 84 points in 56 games, Desnoyers can do about anything you want in a top six center. The defensive involvement and intelligence is already elite. The physical game was sneakily one of the best in the entire draft. Desnoyers is also an offensive maestro, being able to lead and create offensive chances with his elite level of playmaking. He makes his teammates much better by simplifying their lives. Desnoyers has the hands to execute what he has in mind and can play the penalty kill and the power play as well. With his stat line of 30 points in 19 playoff games, the former first overall in the QMJHL draft has shown to be reliable when it matters the most. He is also one of the most decorated prospects, with gold medals at the U17, U18, and Hlinka-Gretzky, along with a QMJHL championship and playoff MVP. Recently, he underwent wrist surgery and will miss the NHL training camp. On the bright side, he will now almost certainly represent team Canada at the World Juniors to potentially earn another gold medal.

2 - Dmitri Simashev

Dmitri Simashev has emerged as one of the KHL’s top shutdown defenders, showing promise for a long NHL career. In his second full KHL season, he has refined his strengths—using size, footwork, and stickwork to control play on both ends. His agility makes him tough to beat, while improved timing and positioning allow for tighter control in all zones. Simashev’s game looks polished enough for an NHL role right now. His main weakness is on offence, where his numbers dropped this year due to a lack of aggressiveness. Despite having good puck-handling skills and a heavy shot, he needs more confidence to utilize them effectively. Once he gains that, he could become a more dangerous scoring threat. Simashev could fit into Utah’s top four this upcoming season and might be one of the biggest steals from his draft class. He will get a good look after signing with the Mammoth at the beginning of the summer.

3 - Tij Iginla

The Rockets must be devastated that Iginla was limited to just 21 games this season before undergoing hip surgery, because they probably would have been a playoff team if he had been healthy and consistently contributing to their lineup. Just how essential was he to their 2024-25 plans? Not long after it was announced that he was done for the year the team dealt away longtime stars Andrew Cristall and Caden Price, essentially punting on this season. Luckily for Iginla, however, he should be back to normal sometime in 2025-26, and Kelowna will be hosting the Memorial Cup that spring with him as their forefront star player. Tij, the oldest of Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla's two sons, is a high-impact forward who can do everything and leaves his mark in a variety of different ways, all of which are fueled and enhanced by his excellent hockey IQ, competitiveness, and leadership abilities.

4 - Daniil But

Daniil But, Utah’s 2023 12th overall pick, made solid progress in his DY+2 season, scoring 28 points in 54 games while taking on a bigger role with Lokomotiv. After adding muscle to his lanky frame, his confidence and ability to compete in battles improved significantly. He now plays with more composure, staying in position and effectively shutting down chances. His biggest asset is net-front play, using his size to create space and capitalize on loose pucks. However, his decision making at the pro level needs more work as he often over handles the puck and forces plays. To secure a role in Utah, he must improve his battle game and become harder to play against. While he shows flashes of elite handling, some moves that work now may not succeed against NHL defenders. But projects as a middle six forward with good potential offensive upside if he continues to develop.

5 - Maveric Lamoureux

Since being a first-round selection by the Arizona/Utah franchise, Lamoureux has developed extremely well; truly a best-case scenario thus far. His offensive game gained confidence at the QMJHL and his overall decision making improved greatly. This helped to transform Lamoureux into a solid two-way defender leaving junior hockey. This past year, as a first-year pro, he was excellent, splitting time between the AHL and the NHL with Utah. His massive frame and solid mobility give him such immense upside as a defensive player. He’s shown absolutely no fear playing physically and taking on NHL forwards head on, a testament to his strength gains. While he may not have significant offensive upside as an NHL player, he should still end up being a quality top four defender and penalty killing anchor for Utah. This could happen as early as next year if the team decides to look for trades for some of their older defenders like Ian Cole.

6 - Michael Hrabal

Standing at 6-foot-6, Michael Hrabal is one of the tallest goalies there is period. Understandably so, he covers the net extremely well, giving him an advantage in a reverse vertical horizontal technique. Hrabal is an excellent goalie on his feet. He has tightened up his stance and gained more control over his body since being drafted. He anticipates passes well, tracks the puck quickly, has impressive athleticism for his size, and when he grabs ice well with his edges, can fly through the crease. The problem is that his edges aren’t always consistent, and he can sometimes just fail to get the needed power on a push. It’s an issue that is seen the most when transitioning to a butterfly slide, or any push made while down. While yes, he can look smooth, he can also look like he’s fighting the ice. He’s also shown a big weakness in his five hole, which has been a source of many goals against. His all-around good skill set gives him a high likelihood of being a solid starter in the NHL, but to be anything more, his edges will have to improve.

7 - Cole Beaudoin

Beaudoin hasn’t quite taken that next step forward offensively like you might expect from a recent first-round selection, but he remains a valuable prospect for the versatility he brings to the ice. One could probably argue that Utah drafted Beaudoin fully understanding that his offensive upside could be limited. Here is a player who plays both sides of the ice equally effectively. Who kills penalties and takes tough defensive assignments. Who works hard on the forecheck and who earns his touches. Who wins faceoffs but also has shown an ability to play the wing. Who blocks shots and competes to no end. Best of all, he’s competitive, but does not lack discipline. Bottom line, Beaudoin is a highly intelligent two-way player who should be able to develop into a high-end third line player for Utah in the near future. That said, Utah will want to see his skating and puck play take another step next season when he takes on a larger offensive role with Barrie (or another OHL club).

8 - Artyom Duda

What horrific adjective could we use to describe Duda’s development path? He basically missed an entire year of development after the NCAA refused to approve his scholarship with Maine due to his KHL time. When the case was finally settled, it left Duda without a place to finish the season, so he joined TMU of USports (Canadian University) for a dozen games. The good news? It doesn’t appear to have affected his development. Duda had a terrific rookie season in the AHL with Tucson that saw him lead the team in plus/minus, in addition to nearly hitting the 30-point mark. The strong skating, two-way rearguard looks like a potential top four option for Utah in the near future; the kind of player who can play in any situation and provide versatility to his coaches.

9 - Will Skahan

Will Skahan is in the process of adjusting to the college level, where the increased pace of play has impacted his consistency, particularly in puck play and making outlet passes. While his execution under pressure fluctuates, he has displayed strong defensive tools, utilizing an active stick and his length effectively to disrupt plays in his own zone. His ability to close gaps and break up plays has been a positive aspect of his game, showing his potential as a reliable defender. He has progressed well down the stretch of the college hockey season. As a two-way, defensive-minded player, Skahan was deployed in a depth role as a freshman. His ability to adapt to the speed and physicality of the college game will be crucial for his development. Continued improvement in his skating efficiency and decision making under pressure will determine his ability to take on greater responsibility. With time and experience, he has the potential to carve out a steady role as an NHL defenceman, particularly if he refines his transitions, passing, and overall poise with the puck.

10 - Max Psenicka

Psenicka is the type of prospect that scouts need to analyze more so on projection than actual results thus far. He didn't have a bad draft year by any means, playing games in the top pro league in Czechia before coming to North America and helping the Portland Winterhawks go on a deep playoff run as one of their go-to defencemen. But the reason why he was picked so high by Utah, even though he currently has some notable issues with his puck management and decision-making, is because he’s still far from a finished product, with a lot of development runway left for him to utilize. He’s a smooth skater with good mechanics, and some of his current balance issues should sort themselves out as he grows into his gangly body more. It’s a similar story with his strength too, as he shouldn’t be scrawny like this for much longer. With the foundation that Psenicka already has to work with the Mammoth could receive quite a return in the future if they’re smart and careful with their investment in him.

11 - Maks Szuber

Szuber is already two seasons into his North American pro career after making the jump from the DEL. Blessed with good size at his position, he can make the simple play with the puck and disrupt opposing chances with his stick. He will battle for NHL duty in camp this fall.

12 - Tomas Lavoie

A solid two-way defenceman with size, Lavoie saw a breakout season offensively in Cape Breton las year and will look to continue to build on that in his final season of major junior with the Eagles.

13 - Vadim Moroz

The aggressive, rangy forward had a breakout offensive season in the KHL last year and followed that up with a solid international showing for Belarus. Utah has not shied away from KHL players, and he could be another talent that could eventually prove them right. He’ll continue to ply his trade for Dinamo Minsk for the foreseeable future.

14 - Noel Nordh

Nordh racked up the frequent flier miles last season, competing for Sweden at the World Juniors, playing for Soo in the OHL, and then finishing off the season in the AHL. He had a strong offensive season in the OHL, finishing over a point per game. He’ll start next season in the AHL for Tucson.

15 - Julian Lutz

A forward with solid size and some playmaking, Lutz didn’t see the offensive numbers he would have liked in his AHL rookie season. However, his strong showing in the USHL the year prior suggests there’s more in the tank for his sophomore season.

2023 NHL DRAFT: A Review

Chase Rochon — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 14:10:53 +0000

Another long year of amazing hockey has come and passed as we oficially end the 2023 scouting season and shift from the star-studded offensive draft class to the defensive-heavy 2024 NHL draft. This year's class was super fun and had the potential to bring the big stars and deep depth that we saw in the 2015 draft. This makes it very difficult to rank the winners and losers as every team acquired some very talented athletes in their organization that should make an impact for many years to come. Some teams acquired some elite star players at draft positions they didn't think would be possible at lower picks and later rounds. Those picks make the difference between good and great drafting by ﬁnding those diamonds in the rough.

NHL hockey operations departments are made up of the best of the best in the industry and have been through more drafts and different case studies over more years than I have been alive, which creates some hesitation in handing out grades for teams that we felt drafted poorly or passed on talent or upside. It is important to remember that teams take into consideration so many intangibles and factors outside any eye test or analytics can tell us. They have considerable resources and information networks public scouting teams can only dream of.

Most importantly, people need to remember these young athletes are human beings that just had the best week of their lives and treating them disrespectfully and pre-judging a young man that has yet to fully develop mentally and physically is completely unfair. I think every fan base should be showing love and support for the future players that are going to put in blood sweat and tears for the team you cheer for and go to war against the opposition.

With all that in mind, here is how I think all 32 teams performed at the 2023 NHL Draft based on my own rankings as well as the wonderful team at McKeen’s that I have the pleasure working alongside.

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA - DECEMBER 29: Canada's Connor Bedard #16 backhands the puck while Austria's Tim Geifes #21 defends during Preliminary Round - Group A action at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scotiabank Centre on December 29, 2022 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/IIHF)

#1 Chicago Blackhawks (A+)

1 Connor Bedard (F)

19 Oliver Moore (F)

35 Adam Gajan (G)

44 Roman Kantserov (F)

55 Martin Misiak (F)

67 Nick Lardis (F)

93 Jiri Felcman (F)

99 Alex Pharand (F)

131 Marcel Marcel (F)

167 Milton Oscarson (F)

195 Janne Peltonen (D)

It feels very ﬁtting that the number one ranked team had the number one pick this year in the generational talent of Connor Bedard, who is expected to make an immediate impact. Kyle Davidson clearly agrees by bringing in some veteran support this summer in Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno and Corey Perry. This pick was obvious. What makes the Blackhawks stand out is what might be my favourite selection of the entire draft in Oliver Moore at 19th overall, where I, alongside Davidson, was in shock this player was still on the board—followed by selecting one of if not one of the best goaltenders in Adam Gajan. We absolutely loved Nick Lardis at McKeens, and we ﬁnd this to be amazing value in the early third round. Roman Kantserov, Martin Misiak, Alex Pharand and Marcel Marcel are other great pickups to round out the real depth of this draft class for the Blackhawks as they build the next generation in Chicago.

#2 Columbus Blue Jackets (A)

3 Adam Fantilli (F)

34 Gavin Brindley (F)

66 William Whitelaw (F)

98 Andrew Strathmann (D)

114 Luca Pinelli (F)

156 Melvin Strahl (G)

194 Oiva Keskinen (F)

224 Tyler Peddle (F)

The Blue Jackets' dreams came true when Adam Fantilli was still waiting for them at third overall, as the rookie Hobey Baker winner would have been selected ﬁrst overall in any other draft. Followed up by his Michigan teammate Gavin Brindley who we at McKeens had ranked #26. William Whitelaw ranked at #39 by McKeen’s, and Andrew Strathmann, ranked #39 by me, are amazing values. I really like Luca Pinelli at #114 and thought it was a great move to trade for the last pick in the draft and select Tyler Peddle, who was in attendance and should have been selected much higher. This will be the draft that could really put the Blue Jackets over the top to be a future contender in the Metro.

#3 Philadelphia Flyers (A)

7 Matvei Michkov (F)

22 Oliver Bonk (D)

51 Carson Bjarnason (G)

87 Yegor Zavragin (G)

95 Denver Barkey (F)

103 Cole Knuble (F)

120 Alex Ciernik (F)

135 Carter Sotheran (D)

172 Ryan MacPherson (F)

199 Matteo Mann (D)

The Flyers got a player with arguably the highest upside in the class in 7th overall in Matvei Michkov alone, which is enough to rank them this high. Aside from whether there is any truth to rumours that he somehow orchestrated his way to Philadelphia, he was genuinely excited to be drafted by the organization. The possibility that he will be coming to play in North America perhaps sooner rather than later could completely alter the landscape of the rebuild for GM Daniel Briere. They followed up by selecting Oliver Bonk, who our Ontario scouts adore at McKeens, including myself. Bonk will continue to develop in London. The Carson Bjarnson pick could age very well as a good young goaltender with a long road of development ahead. Denver Barkey and Alex Cienik are great value picks at 95th and 120th.

#4 Seattle Kraken (A-)

20 Eduard Sale (F)

50 Carson Rehkopf (F)

52 Oscar Fisker Mølgaard (F)

57 Lukas Dragicevic (D)

84 Caden Price (D)

116 Andrei Loshko (F)

148 Kaden Hammell (D)

168 Visa Vedenpää (G)

180 Zeb Forsfjäll (F)

212 Zaccharya Wisdom (F)

Seattle has been consistently one of the better drafting teams since they entered the league, and they continued that streak in Nashville. Eduard Sale is very much a gamble with questions about his compete lvel and lack of production against pros. However, he possesses elite ﬁnishing ability and was dominant against players his own age. He has a very high ceiling that I believe can be developed properly in the OHL, followed by the development team in Seattle. At the end of the day, with such a great prospect pool, you can take a swing for upside at #20 overall and can add a true top-line ﬁnisher for Shane Wright or Matty Beniers. The Kraken continues to favour the CHL and loaded up with more players in Carson Rehkopf, Lukas Dragicevic and Caden Price in the late second round. They had all been viewed as late ﬁrst/early second round talents. Oscar Fisker Mølgaard has the potential to bring some real energy to the bottom six and PK and become a really good role player for the team. I had him ranked at #30th betting on his high motor and relentless pressure with some ﬁnishing ability.

#5 Carolina Hurricanes (A-)

30 Bradly Nadeau (F)

62 Felix Unger Sörum (F)

94 Jayden Perron (F)

100 Alexander Rykov (F)

126 Stanislav Yarovoy (F)

139 Charles-Alexis Legault (D)

158 Ruslan Khazheyev (G)

163 Timur Mukhanov (F)

190 Michael Emerson (F)

222 Yegor Velmakin (G)

Bradley Nadeau was the highest player selected from the BCHL after having a monster year. He was ranked #27 by McKeens, which makes for a good pick late in the ﬁrst. Where Carolina impressed us was how well they drafted in the later rounds picking up some of the biggest steals of the draft in Jayden Perron who we ranked 34th and Timur Mukhanov ranked 98th. As they typically do, Carolina drafted great to add to the loaded prospect pool.

#6 Buffalo Sabres (A-)

13 Zach Benson (F)

39 Anton Wahlberg (F)

45 Maxim Strbak (D)

86 Gavin McCarthy (D)

109 Ethan Miedema (F)

141 Scott Ratzlaff (G)

173 Sean Keohane (D)

205 Norwin Panocha (D)

Draft after draft Buffalo ﬁnds themselves selecting some great players but I think Zach Benson could be the final elite piece they need to take them back to the playoffs and end the long drought. Benson is the smartest player in the draft after Connor Bedard. They followed up with good picks in Anton Wahlberg and Maxim Strbak. I really like the value of Ethan Miedema and Scott Ratzlaff in rounds 4 and 5.

#7 St. Louis Blues (B+)

10 Dalibor Dvorský (F)

25 Otto Stenberg (F)

29 Theo Lindstein (D)

74 Quinton Burns (D)

76 Juraj Pekarcik (F)

106 Jakub Stancl (F)

138 Paul Fischer (D)

170 Matthew Mayich (D)

202 Nikita Susuyev (F)

Dalibor Dvorský and Otto Stenberg could be an amazing one-two punch down the middle in the near future as the Blues shift towards the future and away from the team that won them the 2019 Stanley Cup. I think Dvorsky and Stenberg both have been underrated as they tend to be looked at as “safe picks” - a term that I sometimes hate because it shouldn’t discount the true skill these players have. Because they are viewed as having lower ceilings than some other top names in the class they fell at the draft, and St. Louis took full advantage and selected the best player available. The rest of the Blues draft was very average, not making any poor selections but also not taking any swings on some big names with upside.

#8 Washington Capitals (B+)

8 Ryan Leonard (F)

40 Andrew Cristall (F)

104 Patrick Thomas (F)

136 Cameron Allen (D)

200 Brett Hyland (F)

206 Antoine Keller (G)

The Capitals may not have had the luck they had hoped for in having Michkov fall to them, but they were very quick to the podium to select the NTDP gritty winger in Ryan Leonard. He brings a hard game and that’s no slight on the raw skill this kid has. After this year’s playoffs, NHL teams are looking to mold their roster after the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights and Leonard ﬁts that profile. Many, including myself, expected Andrew Cristall to fall on draft day but to 40th overall was quite surprising and Washington took full advantage, taking some risk on a junior perimeter player. Going into the draft year we expected Cameron Allen to be the ﬁrst OHL player off the board, but after a brutal season his stock plummeted. It’s hard to believe this talented young player entirely forgot how to play hockey and I think the Caps were willing to take this bet at 136.

#9 Colorado Avalanche (B)

27 Calum Ritchie (F)

31 Mikhail Gulyayev (D)

155 Nikita Ishimnikov (D)

187 Jeremy Hanzel (D)

219 Maros Jedlicka (F)

The Avalanche wouldn’t have expected to select Calum Ritchie and Mikhail Gulyayev with these very late ﬁrst rounders who we ranked 19th and 24th. This is great value at these picks. I ﬁnd it very interesting that they went with a very smart player who has a low ceiling and a high ﬂoor in Ritchie but then took a bit of a gamble on Gulyayev who is the polar opposite with a high ceiling and low ﬂoor. Not having many picks, and not many high ones, they can consider it a win if Colorado can get a couple NHLers from such minimal selections.

#10 Los Angeles Kings (B)

54 Jakub Dvorak (D)

78 Koehn Ziemmer (F)

118 Hampton Slukynsky (G)

150 Matthew Mania (D)

182 Ryan Conmy (F)

Jakub Dvorak has been such an underrated player all season long because he hasn’t been playing due to injury and is not flashy and doesn’t have much of a highlight reel but he might be the best defensive defenseman to come from this draft class. Big frame players like Dvorak are rare and hard to ﬁnd and are typically viewed as underrated even in the NHL because they are never noticeable with the puck. Dvorak shut down all the top players in the U.S. NTDP top line, Dvorsky, Michkov and even Connor Bedard at international competitions. He makes life so hard for attackers and will be a nightmare for goal scorers in the NHL and people will wonder how he was selected so late. The Kings followed this up with good picks in Koehn Ziemmer and Matthew Mania.

#11 Florida Panthers (B)

63 Gracyn Sawchyn (F)

127 Albert Wikman (D)

159 Olof Glifford (G)

191 Luke Coughlin (D)

198 Stepan Zvyagin (F)

Florida was another team that capitalized on an underrated player who slid on draft day in Gracyn Sawchyn. He played on a star-studded Seattle Thunderbirds team and didn’t get the opportunity to play top minutes but that didn’t stop him from putting up over a point per game. He will continue to grow under a great development program as he gains more ice time and expect him to put up monster numbers in the WHL for the next two seasons.

#12 Dallas Stars (C+)

61 Tristan Bertucci (D)

79 Brad Gardiner (F)

125 Aram Minnetian (D)

157 Arno Tiefensee (G)

189 Angus MacDonell (F)

221 Sebastian Bradshaw (F)

Dallas had very minimal draft capital and made the absolute most of it to no one's surprise as they usually do. Amazing value in Tristan Bertucci and Aram Minnetian.

#13 Vegas Golden Knights (B-)

32 David Edstrom (F)

77 Mathieu Cataford (F)

96 Arttu Kärki (D)

192 Tuomas Uronen (F)

Vegas selecting David Edstrom almost felt destined to happen as the last pick of the first round as we expected him to be selected in the ﬁrst round. Great pick for the Stanley Cup winners. Arttu Karki was also my favorite Finnish defense this year and I think 96 is excellent value for a player of his skill.

#14 San Jose Sharks (B-)

4 Will Smith (F)

26 Quentin Musty (F)

36 Kasper Halttunen (F)

71 Brandon Svoboda (F)

123 Luca Cagnoni (D)

130 Axel Landén (D)

132 Eric Pohlkamp (D)

196 David Klee (F)

203 Yegor Rimashevsky (F)

The Sharks drafted the highly skilled forward Will Smith very high, and I know he has gained some real hype over the past few months to get into the top 5 but personally having him just outside the top 10 makes it very hard to justify so much talent and other options at pick 4. This is a take that really could come back to bite me but I just don't love what Smith and Musty bring to the table outside of the high offensive skill that they clearly both have. In terms of value picks I think Halttunen is the Sharks best pick. If he played in London last season, he would have been called on day one of the draft and still has the opportunity to come over next season and be one of the best players in the league right away. The Sharks drafted very well but 13 other teams just did better.

#15 Calgary Flames (B-)

16 Samuel Honzek (F)

48 Étienne Morin (D)

80 Aydar Suniev (F)

112 Jaden Lipinski (F)

176 Yegor Yegorov (G)

208 Axel Hurtig (D)

The Flames had a solid draft and got a player we can expect the be a safe NHLer in Samuel Honzek that was expected in this range. I think Etienne Mornin could be the steal for them. This is a player that is extremely intelligent, and I personally have a lot of faith will continue to have success in his own development each season and could be viewed as a late ﬁrst rounder in the near future. Aydar Suniev at 80th overall is also great value.

#16 Montréal Canadiens (B-)

5 David Reinbacher (D)

69 Jacob Fowler (G)

101 Florian Xhekaj (F)

110 Bogdan Konyushkov (D)

128 Quentin Miller (G)

133 Sam Harris (F)

144 Yevgeni Volokhin (G)

165 Filip Eriksson (F)

197 Luke Mittelstadt (D)

Montréal might be the most talked about team post draft for all the wrong reasons so being dead in the middle at 16 may come as a surprise to most. The dislike for me comes from picks 101-197 where they took seven guys they could have gotten in rounds 6 or 7, and unfortunately some of those picks were in rounds 4 and 5. Jacob Fowler is a good goalie that could be huge for them, with the organization having such little depth in that department. Now Reinbacher who is the talk of Twitter and unfortunately for terrible reasons. The only argument I can understand against him is that Michkov should have been the pick, but there were many question marks surrounding the Russian and his intentions, leaving the Habs in a situation with lots of uncertainty at pick #5. So, they understandably took a player with a lot of certainty in elite defenseman David Reinbacher. He has been the only player under 18 shutting down grown professional athletes and ex-NHLers for two years. If that's not impressive enough he didn't just defend, he also produced higher than anyone in their DY-2 and DY-1 ever.

David has a good head on his shoulders and will develop all the necessary skills to round out his game to become a high-end defenseman who will eat lots of minutes and make a huge impact. He may not put up great offensive numbers or make highlight reel plays. That's ok, he plays defense for a reason. Leave that for the loads of talented players you already have and let Reinbacher make the other team's life a living hell and win hockey games, because that's what it's all about.

#17 Arizona Coyotes (B-)

6 Dmitri Simashev (D)

12 Daniil But (F)

38 Michael Hrabal (G)

70 Jonathan Castagna (F)

72 Noel Nordh (F)

81 Tanner Ludtke (F)

88 Vadim Moroz (F)

102 Terrell Goldsmith (D)

134 Melker Thelin (G)

160 Justin Kipkie (D)

162 Samu Bau (F)

166 Carsen Musser (G)

Arizona may have not drafted our best player available in their slots, but they took an interesting strategy to this year's draft that might have been the best option based on the current state of the team. Dmitri Simashev was our number one ranked defenseman in the class while Danill But has displayed shades of Evgeni Malkin at times. Both played on the same team this past season. This put Arizona in a safer situation to swing on upside and internally develop them together and could very well be a big payoff. Hrabal is the pick that gives some extra value as my personal favorite goaltender in the class. Drafting all players over 6'0" is another interesting strategy that is hard to disagree with. Middle of the pack supports my mixed feelings on the drafting of the Coyotes.

#18 Winnipeg Jets (C)

18 Colby Barlow (F)

82 Zachary Nehring (F)

146 Jacob Julien (F)

151 Thomas Milic (G)

210 Connor Levis (F)

Winnipeg is facing a lot of potential turnover on their roster this season. Colby Barlow makes an excellent pick for the Jets, bringing in a character Canadian guy, on and off the ice, as a key piece to build upon. You can expect Barlow to score lots of goals in the near future. The rest of the picks are very average, so they receive an average grade.

#19 New York Rangers (C)

23 Gabe Perreault (F)

90 Drew Fortescue (D)

152 Rasmus Larsson (D)

178 Dylan Roobroeck (F)

183 Ty Henricks (F)

Gabe Perreault was good value at 23rd as I thought his production this season would lead to him going much higher than he should have and I think this was a good range for him. A smart player who can be a great complement to some high-end skill just like he did with the NTDP. The rest of the picks were not very average.

#20 Detroit Red Wings (C)

9 Nate Danielson (F)

17 Axel Sandin Pellikka (D)

41 Trey Augustine (G)

42 Andrew Gibson (D)

47 Brady Cleveland (D)

73 Noah Dower Nilsson (F)

117 Larry Keenan (D)

137 Jack Phelan (D)

147 Kevin Bicker (F)

169 Rudy Guimond (G)

201 Emmitt Finnie (F)

Detroit's draft was very interesting to me because I find it hard to criticize Steve Yzerman’s picks which have been excellent in the past with some home runs to show for it. Nate Danielson and Axel-Sandin Pellika are great players who will be NHLers and good ones. They just didn't strike me as the types of players Detroit has recently drafted with some hard nose battlers that are going to be warriors. I think it might take a while for either to become impact playoff players relative to some of the skill still left on the board, such as Oliver Moore at pick #9 and still available at #17. They pass with a C as most other picks were good, but just that they were good and not great, where teams ahead of them made some great picks.

#21 Edmonton Oilers (C)

56 Beau Akey (D)

184 Nathaniel Day (G)

216 Matt Copponi (F)

Beau Akey is a good pick that has a good path in front of him to reﬁne his offensive talents and become a threat from the point for the Colts over the next couple of seasons and get a real chance to make the Oilers. Hard to judge a team with such little options at the draft.

Leo Carlsson of Sweden at a practice session during the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship on May 25, 2023 in Riga.
Photo: Joel Marklund / BILDBYRÅN /

#22 Anaheim Ducks (C-)

2 Leo Carlsson (F)

33 Nico Myatovic (F)

59 Carey Terrance (F)

60 Damian Clara (G)

65 Coulson Pitre (F)

85 Yegor Sidorov (F)

97 Konnor Smith (D)

129 Rodwin Dionicio (D)

161 Vojtech Port (D)

I think passing on Fantilli will be something that will haunt Anaheim for a long time and really hurts their grade even though they are getting a great talent in Leo Carlsson. Unfortunately, I have a hard time seeing Carlsson being the 2nd best player that comes from this class and when they are a top team in the league soon this selection might be the difference between a contender and a champion. Other than that, Myatovic, Terrance and Pitre are solid picks.

#23 Vancouver Canucks (D+)

11 Tom Willander (D)

75 Hunter Brzustewicz (C-)

89 Sawyer Mynio (D)

105 Ty Mueller (F)

107 Vilmer Alriksson (F)

119 Matthew Perkins (F)

171 Aiden Celebrini (D)

Willander was ranked 23rd by us at McKeens and is a great defenseman who happens to be in a star studded offensive heavy draft. I think the Canuks were guilty of drafting for need rather than best player available and that affected the grade. Other than that, there isn’t too much to like in the class other than Hunter Brzustewicz at 75 was a great selection.

#24 Nashville Predators (C-)

15 Matthew Wood (F)

24 Tanner Molendyk (D)

43 Felix Nilsson (F)

46 Kalan Lind (F)

68 Jesse Kiiskinen (F)

83 Dylan MacKinnon (D)

111 Joseph Willis (F)

121 Juha Jatkola (G)

143 Sutter Muzzatti (F)

175 Austin Roest

218 Aiden Fink

Nashville was the host of this year’s draft and advised by new GM Barry Trotz in an interview to take some swings on high upside to add some high-end skill to the prospect pool. Well, they just didn’t do any of that and delivered a mediocre draft outside of top prospect Matthew Wood. What makes their draft so disappointing is that after 10 consecutive picks, the next best value pick was David Poiles last pick in Aiden Fink in the 7th round. Expectations were high and far from reached.

#25 Tampa Bay Lightning (D)

37 Ethan Gauthier (F)

115 Jayson Shaugabay (F)

179 Warren Clark (D)

193 Jack Harvey (F)

211 Ethan Hay (F)

Tampa will ﬁnd a way to develop these players, especially Ethan Gauthier, because that’s what they do best within their system. I just believe they could have done it with the better options available and left talent on the table with every pick.

#26 New Jersey Devils (D+)

58 Lenni Hämeenaho (F)

122 Cam Squires (F)

154 Chase Cheslock (D)

164 Cole Brown (F)

186 Daniil Karpovich (D)

New Jersey was very inactive and didn’t take many swings this year and they are in a situation where they didn’t need to. Lenni Hameenaho was ranked 84 for us at McKeens and was a bit of a reach.

#27 Ottawa Senators (D)

108 Hoyt Stanley (D)

140 Matthew Andonovski (D)

204 Owen Beckner (F)

207 Vladimir Nikitin (G)

215 Nicholas VanTassell (F)

Ottawa did not have many picks and none very high. Hoyt Stanley is the only pick which has had some hype going into the draft and been noticeable this season. I wouldn’t expect anyone from the class to make the roster.

#28 Pittsburgh Penguins (D-)

14 Brayden Yager (F)

91 Emil Pieniniemi (D)

142 Mikhail Ye. Ilyin (F)

174 Cooper Foster (F)

217 Emil Järventie (F)

223 Kalle Kangas (D)

Another situation where good players were selected but when I look at this class, and Emil Jarventie is the best value pick in the 7th round, that is an issue for me. Yes, Brayden Yager is an excellent player with a deadly shot and a good head on his shoulders. It’s hard to give high grades when top 5-10 talents were still available where he was picked. This strikes me as more of a situation where the Penguins scouting staff were left to make the pick, more so than Dubas, and they went with the guy they targetted going into the draft rather than the best player available.

#29 Toronto Maple Leafs (D-)

28 Easton Cowan (F)

153 Hudson Malinoski (F)

185 Noah Chadwick (D)

The Easton Cowan pick is very difficult to grade because it really could go both ways. I understand the pick because you’re getting, debatably, the hardest working player in the class whose development is skyrocketing at a high pace under the teachings of the Hunters in London. You can expect this growth to continue over the next couple seasons. It woudl appear the Leafs aren’t selecting the 28th best player currently and are banking on Cowan being a ﬁrst round talent in 3-5 years, an approach I agree with. The issue I have with this pick is I really think you could have selected him later, and possibly much later. The 2nd round Is still a reach but at least you’re not leaving talent on the table in this deep draft and getting the maximum value out of each pick. I just think this was some poor asset management and the Leafs just focused on getting their guy. Time will be the true indicator.

#30 New York Islanders (D)

49 Danny Nelson (F)

113 Jesse Nurmi (F)

145 Justin Gill (F)

177 Zach Schulz (D)

209 Dennis Good Bogg (D)

Islanders drafted some good leadership in a pair of Captains in Danny Nelson and Zach Shulz. When that is the best thing to be said about the selections that is an issue.

#31 Boston Bruins (F+)

92 Christopher Pelosi (F)

124 Beckett Hendrickson (F)

188 Ryan Walsh (F)

214 Casper Nässén (F)

220 Kristian Kostadinski (D)

Beckett Hendrickson is the only reason they aren’t ranked 32nd.

#32 Minnesota Wild (F)

21 Charlie Stramel (F)

53 Rasmus Kumpulainen (F)

64 Riley Heidt (F)

149 Aaron Pionk (D)

181 Kalem Parker (D)

213 Jimmy Clark (F)

The Wild are the only team that gets an F grade. It’s not because I don't like the players in Charlie Stramel and Rasmus Kumpulainen because they are prospects I had on my personal board, but it’s very hard to justify these picks with the options still available on the board at the time of the picks. These are just too far off the board to not trade back and still get the player you want. We at McKeens ranked both these players as 3rd round talents.

2023 NHL Combine: Part One – Fitness Testing Overview & Results

Chase Rochon and Joely Stockl — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 22:07:17 +0000

Another NHL Combine has come and gone in Buffalo, NY this past week. For the 106 invited players, it was a week full of 1-on-1 interviews with NHL teams, interviews with the media, and a variety of fitness tests. The fitness testing results mean more to some NHL executives than they do to others, but nonetheless it is always fascinating to see who finished atop the leaderboards in the fitness testing categories. The Combine is also the final opportunity for players to submit their height and weight, which is always an intriguing progression to monitor. The NHL Combine is the perfect precursor to the NHL Draft. It is some of these player’s first times meeting their competitors on the draft board, and it allows for these players to meet their future management of the team that drafts them in Nashville in just a few weeks.

Standouts

Nick Lardis of the Hamilton Bulldogs placed 1st in four categories: Vertical Jump, Squat Jump, No Arm Jump, & Pull Ups (15). This standout performance puts more eyes on the late riser, who arrived in Hamilton and tore it up through the second half of the season putting up 46 points in 33 games. Lardis has skyrocketed on many draft boards, including McKeen’s, as he finished 32nd overall and snuck his way into the tail end of the first round. He is a player that has certainly benefited from being the “go-to” player on the Bulldogs, and his success will hopefully lead into next season as the team moves to Brantford.

Another player from the OHL, Brad Gardiner also performed exceptionally well in the fitness tests. The two-way centre from the Ottawa 67’s finished in the top 10 in five of the categories completed on the weekend of the Combine, as well as in the Grip Strength test completed earlier in the week. Gardiner likely drew some more attention with this performance, as he was one of the later ranked players out of the 106 at the Combine (McKeen’s has Brad Gardiner ranked at 163rd).

Leading the results in the consensus “most difficult” category, the VO2 MAX, was Seattle Thunderbirds forward Nico Myatovic. In their media availability, nearly every player stated that the VO2 MAX was the hardest fitness test of them all. The VO2 MAX is a gruelling test of oxygen utilized during maximum effort. By winning in this category, Myatovic has likely gained some respect points from teams and players.

The tallest player at the Combine measured up at 6 '6.75”, and that was Czech goaltender Michael Hrabal. Hrabal is one of the top ranked goaltenders heading into the NHL Draft, and he was one of seven goalies invited to the Combine. Hrabal’s size is definitely a draw for some teams, as we see NHL goaltenders getting taller and taller each year.

Fitness Testing Results (excluding Functional Movement Screen & Grip Strength)

Top 10 from each category;

VO2 Max

Nico Myatovic
Brad Gardiner
Bradly Nadeau
Beckett Hendrickson
Noel Nordh
Easton Cowan
Aram Minnetian
Paul Fischer
Axel Sandin Pellikka
Hunter Brzustewicz

Wingate Test

Noah Dower Nlsson
Danny Nelson
Tom Willander
Hunter Brzustewicz
Cameron Allen
David Edstrom
Brayden Yager
Tanner Molendyk
Samuel Honzek
Jonathan Castagna

Pull Ups

Nick Lardis- 15
Danny Nelson- 14
Bradly Nadeau- 14
Cameron Allen- 14
Connor Bedard- 14
Brad Gardiner- 13
Jaden Lipinski- 13
Nate Danielson- 13
Oliver Moore- 13
Denver Barkey- 12

Pro Agility (Right)

Easton Cowan
Jonathan Castagna
Brady Cleveland
Samuel Honzek
Scott Ratzlaff
Brandon Svoboda
Brad Gardiner
Beau Akey
Andrew Gibson
Hunter Brzustewicz

Pro Agility (Left)

Easton Cowan
Jonathan Castagna
Oliver Moore
Brandon Svoboda
Jayden Perron
Brad Gardiner
Ethan Gauthier
Beau Akey
Andrew Gibson
Bradly Nadeau

Bench Press (50% of Body Weight)

Axel Sandin Pellikka
Charlie Stramel
Mathieu Cataford
Lukas Dragicevic
Ryan Leonard
Cameron Allen
Jonathan Castagna
Bradly Nadeau
Brad Gardiner
Nate Danielson

Standing Long Jump

Charlie Stramel- 118”
Samuel Honzek- 117.5”
Cameron Allen- 117”
Tom Willander- 116.5”
Beau Akey- 116”
Nick Lardis- 114.5”
Maxim Strbak- 112.8”
David Reinbacher- 112”
Nate Danielson- 111.5”
Jayden Perron- 111”

Vertical Jump

Nick Lardis
Cameron Allen
Colby Barlow
Caden Price
Charlie Stramel
Nate Danielson
Jesse Nurmi
Beau Akey
Oliver Moore
Ethan Gauthier

No Arm Jump

Nick Lardis
Oliver Moore
Samuel Honzek
Jesse Nurmi
Colby Barlow
Cameron Allen
Jayden Perron
Jonathan Castagna
Nate Danielson
Charlie Stramel

Squat Jump

Nick Lardis
Jesse Nurmi
Colby Barlow
Nate Danielson
Jonathan Castagna
Cameron Allen
Tanner Molendyk
Noah Dower Nilsson
Oliver Moore
Tom Willander

Heights & Weights

Name Height /Weight

Beau Akey 6’0”/175

Cameron Allen 6’0”/192

Trey Augustine 6’1.25”/190

Denver Barkey 5’8.75”/155

Colby Barlow 6’0.5”/195

Connor Bedard 5’9.75”/185

Zach Benson 5’9.75”/170

Tristan Bertucci 6’1.75”/175

Carson Bjarnason 6’3.25”/190

Oliver Bonk 6’1.5”/180

Gavin Brindley 5’8”/168

Hunter Brzustewicz 5’11.75”/190

Luca Cagnoni 5’9”/182

Jonathan Castagna 6’2.25” /195

Mathieu Cataford 5’11”/190

Alex Ciernik 5’10.25”/174

Brady Cleveland 6’4.75”//210

Easton Cowan 5’10.5”/170

Andrew Cristall 5’9.5”/175

Nate Danielson 6’1.5”/186

Noah Dower Nilsson 5’11.75 “/185

Lukas Dragicevic 6’1”/194

Jakub Dvorak 6’5”/210

Dalibor Dvorsky 6’1”/200

David Edstrom 6’3”/185

Paul Fischer 6’1”/200

Drew Fortescue 6’1”/176

Adam Gajan 6’2.75”/180

Brad Gardiner 6’1”/184

Ethan Gauthier 5’11.5”/183

Andrew Gibson 6’2.75”/202

Terrell Goldsmith 6’4”/220

Kasper Halttunen 6’3.25”/215

Lenni Hameenaho 6’1”/185

Riley Heidt 5’10.5”/180

Beckett Hendrickson 6’1.5”/174

Samuel Honzek 6’3.25”/195

Michael Hrabel 6’6.75”/215

Larry Keenan 6’3.25”/186

Jesse Kiiskinen 6’0.25”/190

Rasmus Kumpulainen 6’2.75”/190

Nick Lardis 5’11”/168

Ryan Leonard 5’11.75 “/190

Kalan Lind 6’0.5”/158

Theo Lindstein 6’0”/185

Jaden Lipinski 6’3.75”/210

Dylan MacKinnon 6’2”/190

Matteo Mann 6’5.5”/230

Gavin McCarthy 6’1.5”/186

Ethan Miedema 6’4”/208

Aram Minnetian 5’11”/195

Martin Misiak 6’1.5”/200

Tanner Molendyk 5’11”/181

Oscar Fisker Molgaard 5’11.75“/166

Oliver Moore 5’11”/195

Etienne Morin 6’0”/180

Carsen Musser 6’4”/212

Quentin Musty 6’1.5”/200

Nico Myatovic 6’2.5”/180

Sawyer Mynio 6’0.5”/163

Bradly Nadeau 5’10.25”/160

Zach Nehring 6’2.75”/182

Danny Nelson 6’3”/212

Felix Nilsson 6’0.5”/187

Noel Nordh 6’1.5”/200

Jesse Nurmi 5’11”/168

Tyler Peddle 6’1”/204

Gabriel Perreault 5’10.75”/163

Jayden Perron 5’9”/166

Alex Pharand 6’2.5”/205

Emil Pieniniemi 6’2.25”/175

Luca Pinelli 5’8.75”/167

Aaron Pionk 6’0.75”/173

Coulson Pitre 6’0.75”/170

Caden Price 6’0.5”/190

Scott Ratzlaff 6’0.5”/175

Carson Rehkopf 6’2.5”/195

David Reinbacher 6’2.25”/194

Eduard Sale 6’1.75”/175

Axel Sandin-Pellikka 5’11”/180

Gracyn Sawchyn 5’10.75”/155

Zachary Schulz 6’1”/197

Jayson Shaugabay 5’9.25”/165

William Smith 5’11.75 “/180

Jakub Stancl 6’3”/202

Otto Stenberg 5’11”/185

Charlie Stramel 6’3”/222

Andrew Strathmann 5’10.75”/185

Maxim Strbak 6’1.25”/198

Aydar Suniev 6’1.5”/192

Brandon Svoboda 6’3.25”/209

Carey Terrance 6’0.25”/178

Jordan Tourigny 5’11.25”/165

Anton Wahlberg 6’3.25”/192

William Whitelaw 5’8.75”/175

Tom Willander 6’1”/180

Matthew Wood 6’4”/197

Brayden Yager 5’11”/170

Koehn Ziemmer 6’0.25”/210

MCKEEN’S 2023 NHL DRAFT – FINAL RANKINGS – TOP 224 Plus Honourable Mentions

McKeen's Scouting Team - Director of Scouting, Brock Otten — Sun, 28 May 2023 16:20:45 +0000

It’s that time! The McKeen’s scouting staff has finalized our final rankings for the 2023 NHL Draft ahead of the release of our draft guide in a few weeks. As per usual, our list runs 224 players deep to match the number of selections in the draft, but we have included over 300 players when you include our Honorable Mentions.

Much to the surprise of no one, Connor Bedard remains our top ranked player, as he has been all season long. In fact, our top three remains unchanged from our midseason rankings with Adam Fantilli and Leo Carlsson holding down the second and third spots, respectively. There has been one change in our top five with Will Smith leapfrogging Matvei Michkov into the fourth position following his dominant second half and U18’s.

Russian defender Dmitry Simashev remains our top ranked blueliner but has now moved into the top ten. His combination of size, mobility, physicality, and improving offensive skill set is going to be alluring to NHL teams and we feel that his upside is the highest in a weaker crop for defenders.

A trio of Swedish players are among our biggest risers from our midseason list, with Tom Willander, Anton Wahlberg, and David Edstrom all jumping up into the first round. All three were excellent in the second half of the season, which culminated with strong performances at the U18’s. Willander, in particular, has a huge fan in our Director of Scouting, Brock Otten. “If you were to ask me who my favourite defender in the draft class is, I’d probably say Willander. He rarely makes a poor play and I believe that we are underappreciating his potential as an NHL defender because of how efficient and safe his game can be. I would be shocked if he does not become a quality second pairing guy at the NHL level and I don’t think the other defenders ranked in the first have that same assurance,” said Otten.

Another massive jumper in our list is Hamilton Bulldogs winger Nick Lardis. 98th on our midseason list, Lardis now finds himself ranked just inside of our first round. His play with Hamilton, following a trade from Peterborough has vaulted him up draft boards, including ours. His combination of quickness and scoring ability gives him a solid projection at the NHL level.

Despite having two goaltenders inside of our first round at midseason (Carson Bjarnason and Michael Hrabal), we ended the year with none. Trey Augustine is now our top ranked netminder, ranked in the mid second round. However, Augustine, Bjarnason, Hrabal, and USHL Clark Cup MVP Jacob Fowler are all closely ranked in that range.

Look for the release of our 2023 Draft Guide in the next couple weeks. It will include all of our rankings and reports, a mock draft, a preview of the 2024 NHL Draft, and much more.

As a subscriber, link to our full ranking with links to the player pages here - McKeen's Draft Rankings - You can download the ranking as an excel file as well.

RANK	PLAYER	POS	HT/WT	DOB	NATION	TEAM	GP-G-A-PTS
1	Connor Bedard	C	5-10/185	17-Jul-05	Canada	Regina (WHL)	57-71-72-143
2	Adam Fantilli	C	6-2/195	12-Oct-04	Canada	Michigan (B1G)	36-30-35-65
3	Leo Carlsson	C	6-3/200	26-Dec-04	Sweden	Orebro (SHL)	44-10-15-25
4	Will Smith	C	6-0/175	17-Mar-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	59-51-75-126
5	Matvei Michkov	RW	5-10/170	9-Dec-04	Russia	SKA St. Petersburg-HK Sochi (KHL)	30-9-11-20
6	Zach Benson	LW	5-9/160	12-May-05	Canada	Winnipeg (WHL)	60-36-62-98
7	Dalibor Dvorsky	C	6-1/200	15-Jun-05	Slovakia	AIK (HockeyAllsvenskan)	38-6-8-14
8	Ryan Leonard	RW	5-11/190	21-Jan-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	56-50-43-93
9	Dmitri Simashev	D	6-4/200	4-Feb-05	Russia	Loko Yaroslavl-Loko-76 Yaroslavl (MHL)	33-1-11-12
10	Matthew Wood	RW	6-3/195	6-Feb-05	Canada	Connecticut (HE)	35-11-23-34
11	Oliver Moore	C	5-11/185	22-Jan-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	60-31-43-74
12	Colby Barlow	LW	6-0/195	14-Feb-05	Canada	Owen Sound (OHL)	59-46-33-79
13	Nate Danielson	C	6-1/185	27-Sep-04	Canada	Brandon (WHL)	68-33-45-78
14	Axel Sandin Pellikka	D	5-11/180	11-Mar-05	Sweden	Skelleftea (Swe J20)	31-16-20-36
15	Daniil But	LW	6-5/200	15-Feb-05	Russia	Loko Yaroslavl-Loko-76 Yaroslavl (MHL)	32-18-14-32
16	David Reinbacher	D	6-2/185	25-Oct-04	Austria	Kloten (Sui-NL)	46-3-19-22
17	Eduard Sale	LW	6-1/170	10-Mar-05	Czech	HC Kometa Brno (Czechia)	43-7-7-14
18	Samuel Honzek	LW	6-3/185	12-Nov-04	Slovakia	Vancouver (WHL)	43-23-33-56
19	Mikhail Gulyayev	D	5-11/170	26-Apr-05	Russia	Omskie Yastreby (MHL)	22-2-23-25
20	Lukas Dragicevic	D	6-1/190	25-Apr-05	Canada	Tri-City (WHL)	68-15-60-75
21	Gabe Perreault	RW	5-11/165	7-May-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	62-53-79-132
22	Otto Stenberg	C	5-11/180	29-May-05	Sweden	Frolunda (Swe J20)	29-11-15-26
23	Tom Willander	D	6-1/180	9-Feb-05	Sweden	Rogle (Swe J20)	39-4-21-25
24	Calum Ritchie	C	6-2/185	21-Jan-05	Canada	Oshawa (OHL)	59-24-35-59
25	Andrew Cristall	LW	5-9/165	4-Feb-05	Canada	Kelowna (WHL)	54-39-56-95
26	Gavin Brindley	C	5-8/165	5-Oct-04	USA	Michigan (B1G)	41-12-26-38
27	Bradly Nadeau	LW	5-10/165	5-May-05	Canada	Penticton (BCHL)	54-45-68-113
28	Anton Wahlberg	C	6-3/195	4-Jul-05	Sweden	Malmo (Swe J20)	32-14-13-27
29	Riley Heidt	C	5-10/180	25-Mar-05	Canada	Prince George (WHL)	68-25-72-97
30	Brayden Yager	C	5-11/165	3-Jan-05	Canada	Moose Jaw (WHL)	67-28-50-78
31	David Edstrom	C	6-3/185	18-Feb-05	Sweden	Frolunda (Swe J20)	28-15-13-28
32	Nick Lardis	LW	5-10/165	8-Jul-05	Canada	Pbo-Ham (OHL)	69-37-28-65
33	Kasper Halttunen	RW	6-3/205	7-Jun-05	Finland	HIFK (Fin-Liiga)	27-0-1-1
34	Jayden Perron	RW	5-9/165	11-Jan-05	Canada	Chicago (USHL)	61-24-48-72
35	Oliver Bonk	D	6-2/175	9-Jan-05	Canada	London (OHL)	67-10-30-40
36	Quentin Musty	LW	6-2/200	6-Jul-05	USA	Sudbury (OHL)	53-26-52-78
37	Trey Augustine	G	6-1/185	23-Feb-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	28-1, 2.14, 0.925
38	Tanner Molendyk	D	5-11/185	3-Feb-05	Canada	Saskatoon (WHL)	67-9-28-37
39	William Whitelaw	RW	5-9/170	5-Feb-05	USA	Youngstown (USHL)	62-36-25-61
40	Ethan Gauthier	RW	5-11/175	26-Jan-05	Canada	Sherbrooke (QMJHL)	66-30-39-69
41	Gracyn Sawchyn	C	5-11/160	19-Jan-05	USA	Seattle (WHL)	58-18-40-58
42	Carson Bjarnason	G	6-3/185	30-Jun-05	Canada	Brandon (WHL)	21-19, 3.08, 0.900
43	Aram Minnetian	D	5-11/190	19-Mar-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	61-7-24-31
44	Michael Hrabal	G	6-6/210	20-Jan-05	Czech	Omaha (USHL)	9-13, 2.86, 0.908
45	Jacob Fowler	G	6-1/215	24-Nov-04	USA	Youngstown (USHL)	27-9, 2.28, 0.921
46	Oscar Fisker Molgaard	C	6-0/165	18-Feb-05	Denmark	HV 71 (SHL)	41-4-3-7
47	Carson Rehkopf	LW	6-1/195	7-Jan-05	Canada	Kitchener (OHL)	68-30-29-59
48	Beau Akey	D	5-11/170	11-Feb-05	Canada	Barrie (OHL)	66-11-36-47
49	Danny Nelson	C	6-3/200	3-Aug-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	61-20-26-46
50	Etienne Morin	D	6-0/180	9-Mar-05	Canada	Moncton (QMJHL)	67-21-51-72
51	Felix Nilsson	C	6-0/175	22-Jun-05	Sweden	Rogle (Swe J20)	36-19-22-41
52	Maxim Strbak	D	6-1/205	13-Apr-05	Slovakia	Sioux Falls (USHL)	46-5-13-18
53	Jakub Dvorak	D	6-5/205	25-May-05	Czech	Bili Tygri Liberec (Czechia)	24-0-2-2
54	Carey Terrance	C	6-0/175	10-May-05	USA	Erie (OHL)	67-30-17-47
55	Jesse Kiiskinen	RW	5-11/180	23-Aug-05	Finland	Pelicans (Fin-U20)	31-20-23-43
56	Mathieu Cataford	C	5-11/185	1-Mar-05	Canada	Halifax (QMJHL)	68-31-44-75
57	Roman Kantserov	RW	5-9/175	20-Sep-04	Russia	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)	45-27-27-54
58	Tristan Bertucci	D	6-1/170	12-Jul-05	Canada	Flint (OHL)	63-11-39-50
59	Andrew Gibson	D	6-3/195	13-Feb-05	Canada	Soo Greyhounds (OHL)	45-7-14-21
60	Caden Price	D	6-0/185	24-Aug-05	Canada	Kelowna (WHL)	65-5-35-40
61	Charlie Stramel	C	6-3/215	15-Oct-04	USA	Wisconsin (B1G)	33-5-7-12
62	Coulson Pitre	RW	6-0/170	13-Dec-04	Canada	Flint (OHL)	59-25-35-60
63	Adam Gajan	G	6-2/165	6-May-04	Slovakia	Chippewa Steel (NAHL)	19-12, 2.57, 0.917
64	Hoyt Stanley	D	6-2/185	4-Feb-05	Canada	Victoria (BCHL)	53-4-34-38
65	Andrew Strathmann	D	5-10/190	27-Feb-05	USA	Youngstown (USHL)	56-3-35-38
66	Hunter Brzustewicz	D	5-11/185	29-Nov-04	USA	Kitchener (OHL)	68-6-51-57
67	Luca Pinelli	C	5-8/165	5-Apr-05	Canada	Ottawa (OHL)	67-29-34-63
68	Cam Allen	D	6-0/195	7-Jan-05	Canada	Guelph (OHL)	62-5-20-25
69	Tanner Ludtke	C	6-0/185	27-Nov-04	USA	Lincoln (USHL)	57-32-34-66
70	Theo Lindstein	D	6-0/180	5-Jan-05	Sweden	Brynas (SHL)	32-1-1-2
71	Koehn Ziemmer	RW	6-0/205	8-Dec-04	Canada	Prince George (WHL)	68-41-48-89
72	Carter Sotheran	D	6-3/195	26-Jun-05	Canada	Portland (WHL)	68-4-19-23
73	Arttu Karki	D	6-1/175	8-Dec-04	Finland	Tappara (Fin-U20)	36-13-26-39
74	Albert Wikman	D	6-0/190	10-Mar-05	Sweden	Farjestads (Swe J20)	43-2-10-12
75	Quinton Burns	D	6-1/180	14-Apr-05	Canada	Kingston (OHL)	54-2-27-29
76	Nico Myatovic	LW	6-2/180	1-Dec-04	Canada	Seattle (WHL)	68-30-30-60
77	Jeremy Hanzel	D	6-0/190	27-Feb-03	Canada	Seattle (WHL)	66-13-35-48
78	Easton Cowan	RW	5-10/170	20-May-05	Canada	London (OHL)	68-20-33-53
79	Juraj Pekarcik	LW	6-2/185	12-Sep-05	Slovakia	HK Nitra (Slovakia)	30-0-3-3
80	Denver Barkey	C	5-8/160	27-Apr-05	Canada	London (OHL)	61-22-37-59
81	Martin Misiak	RW	6-2/195	30-Sep-04	Slovakia	HC Nove Zamky (Slovakia)	29-1-9-10
82	Drew Fortescue	D	6-1/175	28-Apr-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	61-1-25-26
83	Felix Unger Sorum	RW	5-11/170	14-Sep-05	Sweden	Leksands (Swe J20)	42-10-36-46
84	Lenni Hameenaho	RW	6-0/175	7-Nov-04	Finland	Assat (Fin-Liiga)	51-9-12-21
85	Kalan Lind	LW	6-0/160	25-Jan-05	Canada	Red Deer (WHL)	43-16-28-44
86	Rasmus Kumpulainen	C	6-2/190	8-Aug-05	Finland	Pelicans (Fin-U20)	41-11-23-34
87	Alex Ciernik	LW	5-11/175	8-Oct-04	Slovakia	Sodertalje-Vasterviks (HockeyAllsvenskan)	25-3-9-12
88	Alexander Rykov	RW	6-0/175	14-Jul-05	Russia	Chelmet Chelyabinsk (VHL)	20-4-7-11
89	Scott Ratzlaff	G	6-0/175	9-Mar-05	Canada	Seattle (WHL)	25-8, 2.15, 0.918
90	Yegor Rimashevsky	RW	6-3/200	1-Feb-05	Belarus	MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL)	29-13-13-26
91	Jesse Nurmi	LW	5-10/165	7-Mar-05	Finland	KooKoo (Fin-U20)	41-21-29-50
92	Kaden Hammell	D	6-1/175	12-Mar-05	Canada	Kam-Evt (WHL)	67-8-18-26
93	Jayson Shaugabay	RW	5-9/155	4-May-05	USA	Warroad (USHS-MN)	31-33-63-96
94	Noel Nordh	RW	6-2/195	25-Jan-05	Sweden	Brynas (Swe J20)	38-13-14-27
95	Gavin McCarthy	D	6-1/180	2-Jun-05	USA	Muskegon (USHL)	42-8-19-27
96	Tyler Peddle	LW	6-0/195	28-Jan-05	Canada	Drummondville (QMJHL)	64-24-17-41
97	Francesco Dell'Elce	D	6-0/165	23-Jun-05	Canada	St. Andrew's (CHS-O)	51-20-42-62
98	Timur Mukhanov	LW	5-8/170	17-Jun-05	Russia	Omskie Krylia (VHL)	31-4-4-8
99	Larry Keenan	D	6-3/185	15-Mar-05	Russia	Culver Academy (USHS-IN)	49-11-26-37
100	Emil Jarventie	LW	5-9/165	4-Apr-05	Finland	Ilves (Fin-U20)	21-8-11-19
101	Matthew Mania	D	6-1/180	11-Jan-05	USA	Sudbury (OHL)	67-10-28-38
102	Juha Jatkola	G	6-1/175	12-Sep-02	Finland	KalPa (Fin-Liiga)	20-11, 2.16, 0.903
103	Zach Nehring	RW	6-3/180	7-Mar-05	USA	Shattuck-SM (USHS-MN)	48-34-40-74
104	Austin Roest	C	5-9/175	22-Jan-04	Canada	Everett (WHL)	60-32-46-78
105	Hedqvist, Isac	C	5-10/165	22-Mar-05	Sweden	Lulea (Swe J20)	41-14-20-34
106	Stephen Peck	G	6-2/170	18-Jan-05	USA	Avon Old Farms (USHS-CT)	28GP, 1.26, 0.948
107	Yegor Klimovich	RW	5-9/160	14-May-05	Russia	Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk (MHL)	36-19-30-49
108	Nikita Susuyev	RW	6-0/170	6-Feb-05	Russia	MHK Spartak Moskva (MHL)	38-11-17-28
109	Ethan Miedema	LW	6-4/205	22-Mar-05	Canada	Wsr-Kgn (OHL)	68-20-32-52
110	Luca Cagnoni	D	5-9/180	21-Dec-04	Canada	Portland (WHL)	67-17-47-64
111	Jakub Stancl	LW	6-3/200	10-Apr-05	Czech	Vaxjo Lakers (Swe J20)	35-11-6-17
112	Aydar Suniev	LW	6-1/200	16-Nov-04	Russia	Penticton (BCHL)	50-45-45-90
113	Ty Henricks	LW	6-4/205	28-Jun-05	USA	Fgo-Mus (USHL)	47-9-10-19
114	Yegor Vinogradov	C	6-2/180	17-Apr-03	Russia	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)	53-7-10-17
115	Yegor Sidorov	RW	5-11/180	18-Jun-04	Belarus	Saskatoon (WHL)	53-40-36-76
116	Will Vote	RW	5-8/155	22-Feb-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	60-16-29-45
117	Brandon Svoboda	C	6-3/210	4-Feb-05	USA	Youngstown (USHL)	59-16-10-26
118	Axel Landen	D	6-1/185	29-Mar-05	Sweden	HV 71 (Swe J20)	44-10-6-16
119	Alexander Hellnemo	G	6-2/180	5-Jan-04	Sweden	Skelleftea (Swe J20)	15-8, 2.32, 0.916
120	Nikita Nedopyokin	C	5-10/185	22-Mar-05	Russia	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	37-14-18-32
121	Brady Cleveland	D	6-5/210	1-Apr-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	54-0-6-6
122	Ondrej Molnar	LW	5-10/170	8-Feb-05	Slovakia	Erie (OHL)	34-4-15-19
123	Noah Dower Nilsson	LW	6-0/175	25-Apr-05	Sweden	Frolunda (Swe J20)	37-26-28-54
124	Jordan Tourigny	D	5-10/165	28-Feb-05	Canada	Shawinigan (QMJHL)	67-6-35-41
125	Cole Knuble	C	5-11/175	1-Jul-04	USA	Fargo (USHL)	57-30-36-66
126	Erik Pahlsson	C	6-0/170	9-Apr-04	Sweden	HV 71 (Swe J20)	46-26-37-63
127	Eric Pohlkamp	D	5-10/200	23-Mar-04	USA	Cedar Rapids (USHL)	59-16-35-51
128	Dylan MacKinnon	D	6-1/185	12-Jan-05	Canada	Halifax (QMJHL)	61-6-17-23
129	German Tochilkin	LW	6-2/180	24-Sep-03	Russia	Kunlun Red Star (KHL)	21-4-2-6
130	Jake Fisher	C	6-1/180	27-Mar-05	USA	Cretin-Durham Hall (USHS-MN)	29-34-29-63
131	Damian Clara	G	6-6/215	13-Jan-05	Italy	Farjestads (Swe J20)	17-17, 2.79, 0.903
132	Aiden Fink	RW	5-9/155	24-Nov-04	Canada	Brooks (AJHL)	54-41-56-97
133	Bogdan Konyushkov	D	5-11/175	20-Dec-02	Russia	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)	64-2-23-25
134	Yegor Zavragin	G	6-2/185	23-Aug-05	Russia	Mamonty Yugry (MHL)	11-6, 2.49, 0.920
135	Ty Halaburda	C	5-11/175	22-Apr-05	Canada	Vancouver (WHL)	66-21-16-37
136	Cole Burbidge	LW	6-1/160	26-Aug-05	Canada	Saint John (QMJHL)	68-19-31-50
137	Daniil Karpovich	D	6-3/210	6-Dec-04	Belarus	Avto Yekaterinburg (MHL)	47-10-25-35
138	Andrei Loshko	C	6-1/175	7-Oct-04	Belarus	Chicoutimi (QMJHL)	67-22-48-70
139	Beckett Hendrickson	C	6-1/175	24-Jun-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	51-13-21-34
140	Alex Pharand	C	6-3/205	1-May-05	Canada	Sudbury (OHL)	67-18-21-39
141	Zeb Forsfjall	C	5-9/170	16-Jan-05	Sweden	Skelleftea (Swe J20)	34-8-14-22
142	Joe Connor	C	5-9/170	31-Mar-05	USA	Avon Old Farms (USHS-CT)	28-21-23-44
143	Samuel Urban	G	6-1/195	1-May-05	Slovakia	Team Slovakia U18 (Svk2)	1-13, 4.51, 0.897
144	Mazden Leslie	D	6-0/195	15-Apr-05	Canada	Vancouver (WHL)	66-12-38-50
145	Maxim Fedotov	D	5-10/170	22-Jan-02	Russia	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)	64-9-17-26
146	Joey Willis	C	5-10/170	14-Mar-05	USA	Saginaw (OHL)	68-15-29-44
147	Artyom Kashtanov	C	6-6/190	9-Dec-04	Russia	Avto Yekaterinburg (MHL)	43-15-25-40
148	Angus MacDonell	C	5-9/180	11-May-05	Canada	Sar-Mis (OHL)	64-29-12-41
149	Konstantin Volochko	D	6-0/170	19-Jun-05	Belarus	Dinamo-Shinnik Bobruysk (MHL)	46-8-12-20
150	Hannes Hellberg	LW	6-0/175	19-Jun-05	Sweden	Leksands (Swe J20)	42-34-23-57
151	Carsen Musser	G	6-4/215	19-May-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	14-6, 3.07, 0.890
152	Yaroslav Tsulygin	D	6-0/160	19-May-05	Russia	Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)	44-0-2-2
153	Thomas Milic	G	6-0/180	14-Apr-03	Canada	Seattle (WHL)	27-3, 2.08, 0.928
154	Arno Tiefensee	G	6-4/190	1-May-02	Germany	Adler Mannheim (DEL)	13-10, 2.43, 0.910
155	Quinn Mantei	D	5-11/180	23-Apr-05	Canada	Brandon (WHL)	67-2-23-25
156	Matthew Soto	RW	5-10/180	31-Aug-05	Canada	Kingston (OHL)	54-15-27-42
157	Matt Copponi	C	5-10/165	3-Jun-03	USA	Merrimack (HE)	37-14-15-29
158	Vojtech Port	D	6-2/170	3-Aug-05	Czech	RD-Edm (WHL)	48-4-13-17
159	Michael DeAngelo	LW	5-11/180	19-Nov-04	USA	Green Bay (USHL)	52-11-24-35
160	Matteo Mann	D	6-5/225	31-Dec-04	Canada	Chicoutimi (QMJHL)	45-0-5-5
161	Paul Fischer	D	6-1/190	30-Jan-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	55-4-17-21
162	Hudson Malinoski	C	6-0/175	19-May-04	Canada	Brooks (AJHL)	44-16-53-69
163	Brad Gardiner	C	6-0/180	6-Mar-05	Canada	Ottawa (OHL)	68-19-20-39
164	Zaccharya Wisdom	RW	6-0/175	29-Apr-04	Canada	Cedar Rapids (USHL)	59-28-20-48
165	Jonathan Castagna	C	6-1/185	20-Apr-05	Canada	St. Andrew's (CHS-O)	50-29-43-72
166	Tanner Adams	RW	5-11/185	2-Sep-05	USA	Tri-City (USHL)	49-12-21-33
167	Grayden Siepmann	D	5-10/185	26-May-04	Canada	Calgary (WHL)	61-9-34-43
168	Axel Hurtig	D	6-3/200	10-Jun-05	Sweden	Rogle (Swe J20)	34-2-6-8
169	Ian Scherzer	C	6-0/180	3-Jul-05	Austria	Rogle (Swe J20)	30-3-4-7
170	Ryan Conmy	RW	5-9/190	23-Oct-04	USA	Sioux City (USHL)	60-33-29-62
171	Ethan Hay	C	6-1/190	15-Jan-05	Canada	Flint (OHL)	64-17-11-28
172	Rodwin Dionicio	D	6-2/205	30-Mar-04	Switzerland	Nia-Wsr (OHL)	50-15-35-50
173	Josh Van Mulligen	D	6-2/180	26-Jul-05	Canada	Medicine Hat (WHL)	68-1-8-9
174	Nikita Ishimnikov	D	6-3/195	21-Apr-05	Russia	Avto Yekaterinburg (MHL)	41-11-7-18
175	Justin Kipkie	D	6-4/190	28-Jul-05	Canada	Victoria (WHL)	67-8-25-33
176	Sawyer Mynio	D	6-1/175	30-Apr-05	Canada	Seattle (WHL)	68-5-26-31
177	Brady Stonehouse	RW	5-9/180	6-Aug-04	Canada	Ottawa (OHL)	68-37-20-57
178	Hunter Anderson	LW	5-9/175	28-Apr-05	USA	Shattuck-SM (USHS-MN)	48-52-47-99
179	Spencer Sova	D	6-0/185	10-Jan-04	Canada	Erie (OHL)	68-16-23-39
180	Oliver Tulk	C	5-7/170	19-Jan-05	Canada	Calgary (WHL)	68-24-36-60
181	Isac Born	C	5-11/165	7-Jul-04	Sweden	Frolunda (SHL)	36-2-3-5
182	Beau Jelsma	C	5-9/175	28-Apr-04	Canada	Barrie (OHL)	67-31-30-61
183	Carmelo Crandell	RW	5-11/170	2-Mar-05	Canada	Sherwood Park (AJHL)	49-17-37-54
184	Stanislav Yarovoy	LW	6-2/195	26-Aug-03	Russia	Vityaz Moscow Region (KHL)	45-9-7-16
185	Elliot Stahlberg	LW	6-0/185	29-Mar-05	Sweden	Farjestads (Swe J20)	35-9-12-21
186	Ivan Anoshko	C	5-11/170	7-Oct-04	Belarus	Dinamo-Shinnik Bobruysk (MHL)	53-21-32-53
187	Jake Livanavage	D	5-10/175	6-May-04	USA	Chicago (USHL)	48-6-30-36
188	Adrian Carnebo	D	6-2/185	1-May-04	Sweden	Djurgardens (Swe J20)	43-7-28-35
189	Jaden Lipinski	C	6-3/205	2-Dec-04	USA	Vancouver (WHL)	66-19-32-51
190	Ian Blomquist	G	6-2/185	29-Mar-03	Sweden	Vasteras (HockeyAllsvenskan)	4-11, 2.97, 0.904
191	Emil Pieniniemi	D	6-2/170	2-Mar-05	Finland	Karpat (Fin-U20)	31-1-12-13
192	Oskar Asplund	D	5-11/175	18-Nov-03	Sweden	Almtuna (HockeyAllsvenskan)	49-6-24-30
193	Daniil Davydov	C	5-11/165	6-Mar-04	Russia	MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg (MHL)	47-11-35-46
194	Victor Sjoholm	D	5-9/175	8-Jul-03	Sweden	HV 71 (Swe J20)	37-2-8-10
195	Aron Jessli	LW	5-11/185	29-Oct-04	Norway	Pickering (OJHL)	52-25-43-68
196	Adam Dybal	G	6-1/165	2-Sep-05	Czech	Karlovy Vary (Czechia U20)	29-15, 1.85, 0.942
197	Jonathan Fauchon	C	5-10/170	13-Jan-04	Canada	Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)	53-25-40-65
198	Luke Mittelstadt	D	5-11/175	22-Jan-03	USA	Minnesota (B1G)	38-5-16-21
199	Owen Beckner	C	6-1/175	27-Feb-05	Canada	Salmon Arm (BCHL)	53-17-33-50
200	Ilya Kanarsky	G	6-2/165	6-Dec-04	Russia	AKM-Junior Tula Region (MHL)	4-19, 3.59, 0.919
201	Braeden Bowman	RW	6-1/205	26-Jun-03	Canada	Guelph (OHL)	54-33-39-72
202	Luke Coughlin	D	5-9/170	11-Apr-05	Canada	Rimouski (QMJHL)	37-5-14-19
203	Norwin Panocha	D	6-1/185	24-Feb-05	Germany	Eisbaren Juniors Berlin (DNL U20)	34-6-16-22
204	Cole Brown	LW	6-2/180	27-Apr-05	Canada	Hamilton (OHL)	60-17-25-42
205	Tomas Suchanek	G	6-0/180	30-Apr-03	Czech	Tri-City (WHL)	27-14, 3.05, 0.912
206	Vadim Moroz	RW	6-2/185	20-Nov-03	Belarus	Dinamo Minsk (KHL)	39-5-9-14
207	Davis Burnside	RW	5-11/175	22-Sep-03	USA	Ohio State (B1G)	40-14-7-21
208	Maros Jedlicka	C	6-1/185	23-Oct-02	Slovakia	HKM Zvolen (Slovakia)	39-17-18-35
209	Gavyn Thoreson	RW	5-8/180	30-Oct-04	USA	Andover High (USHS-MN)	31-41-56-97
210	Austin Burnevik	RW	6-3/200	3-Jan-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	43-6-13-19
211	Elmeri Laakso	D	6-1/185	19-Jul-04	Finland	SaiPa (Fin-Liiga)	32-4-7-11
212	Frantisek Dej	C	6-4/200	28-Feb-05	Slovakia	HC Modre Kridla Slovan (Slovakia2)	24-8-13-21
213	Matvei Maximov	C	6-0/175	18-Jan-05	Russia	MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL)	48-18-19-37
214	Connor Levis	RW	6-1/190	5-Oct-04	Canada	Kamloops (WHL)	68-27-40-67
215	Teddy Townsend	C	5-10/160	2-Sep-05	USA	Eden Prairie (USHS-MN)	27-14-25-39
216	Petter Vesterheim	C	5-11/165	30-Sep-04	Norway	Mora (Swe J20)	41-12-27-39
217	Justin Gill	C	6-1/190	27-Jan-03	Canada	Sherbrooke (QMJHL)	68-44-49-93
218	Alex Weiermair	C	6-0/190	10-May-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	55-11-15-26
219	Jan Sprynar	RW	6-1/175	26-Feb-05	Czech	Rimouski (QMJHL)	60-23-17-40
220	Ty Higgins	D	6-0/185	26-Sep-04	Canada	Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)	68-13-28-41
221	Tom Leppa	C	6-0/175	31-Jul-05	Finland	Jokerit (Fin-U20)	45-19-12-31
222	Aaron Pionk	D	6-1/175	16-Jan-03	USA	Waterloo (USHL)	60-12-24-36
223	Hampton Slukynsky	G	6-1/180	2-Jul-05	USA	Warroad (USHS-MN)	28-1, 1.47, 0.941
224	Noah Erliden	G	5-10/170	9-Sep-05	Sweden	HV71 (Swe J20)	10-8, 2.93, 0.912
HM	Matthew Andonovski	D	6-1/200	14-Mar-05	Canada	Kitchener (OHL)	67-0-16-16
HM	Gleb Artsatbanov	G	6-2/170	2-Mar-04	Ukraine	Sparta Praha (Czechia U20)	13-10, 1.95, 0.938
HM	Cale Ashcroft	D	5-10/200	5-Aug-04	Canada	Tri-City (USHL)	62-8-29-37
HM	Alex Assadourian	LW	5-8/170	24-Jul-05	Canada	Sby-Nia (OHL)	66-12-29-41
HM	Arvid Bergstrom	D	5-11/160	12-Jun-05	Sweden	Djurgardens (Swe J20)	41-2-21-23
HM	Kevin Bicker	LW	6-0/175	29-Jan-05	Germany	Jungadler Mannheim (DNL U20)	20-10-11-21
HM	Philippe Blais-Savoie	D	6-0/185	10-Jun-05	USA	Tri-City (USHL)	61-2-9-11
HM	Linus Brandl	C	5-11/185	1-Apr-05	Germany	Jungadler Mannheim (DNL U20)	32-25-22-47
HM	Finn Brink	LW	5-9/180	6-Apr-05	USA	Maple Grove (USHS-MN)	31-31-38-69
HM	Yaroslav Busygin	D	6-3/185	14-Feb-03	Russia	Vityaz Moscow Region (KHL)	42-1-2-3
HM	Kalle Carlsson	C	6-0/175	2-Mar-05	Sweden	Orebro (Swe J20)	44-11-24-35
HM	Adam Cedzo	RW	5-10/165	23-Feb-05	Slovakia	HC Ocelari Trinec (Czechia U20)	39-23-23-46
HM	Aiden Celebrini	D	6-1/185	26-Oct-04	Canada	Brooks (AJHL)	47-5-16-21
HM	Andon Cerbone	C	5-8/150	13-Apr-04	USA	Oma-Yng (USHL)	64-24-39-63
HM	Chase Cheslock	D	6-3/210	25-Oct-04	USA	Rogers High (USHS-MN)	28-4-27-31
HM	Sam Court	D	5-10/180	7-Jan-04	Canada	Brooks (AJHL)	52-13-59-72
HM	Adam Csabi	LW	5-10/160	17-Feb-05	Czech	SaiPa (Fin-U18)	28-16-15-31
HM	Nathaniel Davis	D	6-1/185	15-Nov-04	Canada	Burlington (OJHL)	45-10-26-36
HM	Nathan Day	G	6-2/180	4-Feb-05	Canada	Flint (OHL)	17-10, 3.91, 0.874
HM	Kocha Delic	C	5-10/185	11-Mar-04	Canada	Sudbury (OHL)	46-22-30-52
HM	Tyler Duke	D	5-8/180	19-Jul-04	USA	Ohio State (B1G)	40-4-8-12
HM	Filip Eriksson	C	6-0/170	5-Nov-04	Sweden	Vaxjo Lakers (Swe J20)	11-5-5-10
HM	Jiri Felcman	C	6-4/190	17-Apr-05	Czech	Langnau U20 (Sui-U20-Elit)	40-10-21-31
HM	Samuel Fiala	C	6-1/170	9-Apr-05	Czech	Bili Tygri Liberec (Czechia U20)	44-19-9-28
HM	Mans Forsfjall	D	6-0/180	30-Jul-02	Sweden	Skelleftea (SHL)	52-2-12-14
HM	Cooper Foster	C	5-11/170	4-Jun-05	Canada	Ottawa (OHL)	63-19-17-36
HM	Salvatore Guzzo	RW	6-0/185	17-Apr-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	58-17-11-28
HM	Michael Hagens	D	5-11/170	18-Feb-05	USA	Chicago (USHL)	60-9-17-26
HM	Sam Harris	LW	5-11/190	14-Oct-03	USA	Sioux Falls (USHL)	56-30-26-56
HM	Jack Harvey	C	5-10/175	31-Mar-03	USA	Chicago (USHL)	62-40-34-74
HM	Bogdans Hodass	D	6-2/200	13-Apr-03	Latvia	Medicine Hat (WHL)	56-11-24-35
HM	Ryan Hopkins	D	6-1/180	15-Apr-04	Canada	Penticton (BCHL)	48-10-39-49
HM	Ewan Huet	G	6-0/170	8-Feb-05	Switzerland	Lausanne (Sui U20-Elit)	14-12, 2.73
HM	Gustaf Kangas	C	6-0/175	27-Jul-05	Sweden	Vasteras (Swe J20)	27-7-13-20
HM	Sean Keohane	D	6-3/180	4-Nov-04	USA	Dexter Southfield(USHS-MA)	32-4-12-16
HM	Oiva Keskinen	C	6-0/175	28-Feb-04	Finland	Tappara (Fin-U20)	38-20-21-41
HM	Ruslan Khazheyev	G	6-4/200	20-Nov-04	Russia	Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk (MHL)	8-8, 2.38, 0.923
HM	Matteo Koci	D	6-0/165	7-Jun-05	Czech	HC Energie Karlovy Vary (Czechia U20)	36-7-13-20
HM	Ryan Koering	D	6-3/185	11-Feb-05	USA	Eden Prairie (USHS-MN)	27-6-10-16
HM	Cameron Korpi	G	6-2/150	26-May-04	USA	Tri-City (USHL)	13-4, 2.52, 0.911
HM	Sergei Kosovets	D	6-5/250	17-Jul-02	Russia	HK Sochi (KHL)	26-2-2-4
HM	Artyom Kudashov	D	6-0/160	10-Jan-05	Russia	MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL)	42-2-7-9
HM	Roman Kukumberg	LW	6-0/185	21-Mar-05	Slovakia	HC Modre Kridla Slovan (Slovakia2)	33-5-6-11
HM	Emil Kuusla	LW	5-9/165	11-Jan-05	Finland	Jokerit (Fin-U20)	36-18-17-35
HM	Jani Lampinen	G	6-2/185	14-Feb-03	Finland	Kiekko-Espoo (Fin-Mestis)	15-6, 2.35, 0.902
HM	Charles-Alexis Legault	D	6-3/205	5-Sep-03	Canada	Quinnipiac (ECAC)	40-2-7-9
HM	Aiden Long	LW	6-3/190	13-Mar-05	Canada	Whitecourt (AJHL)	50-19-27-46
HM	Connor MacPherson	RW	6-0/170	2-Mar-05	Canada	Leamington (GOJHL)	43-28-35-63
HM	Matthew Mayich	D	6-2/185	21-Dec-04	Canada	Ottawa (OHL)	64-5-17-22
HM	Donovan McCoy	D	6-0/200	11-Oct-04	Canada	Peterborough (OHL)	65-2-11-13
HM	Cole Miller	C	6-4/175	4-Feb-05	Canada	Edmonton (WHL)	61-10-9-19
HM	Lucas Moore	D	5-9/180	7-Jun-05	Canada	Hamilton (OHL)	65-3-25-28
HM	Josh Nadeau	RW	5-7/145	22-Oct-03	Canada	Penticton (BCHL)	54-44-66-110
HM	Alexei Noskov	G	6-2/205	13-Nov-04	Russia	Taifun Primorsky Krai (MHL)	7-26, 3.86, 0.905
HM	Owen Outwater	LW	6-2/160	4-Jan-05	Canada	Kingston (OHL)	62-16-25-41
HM	Joe Palodichuk	D	6-0/165	26-Feb-03	USA	Fargo (USHL)	44-8-21-29
HM	Petr Pavelec	LW	6-0/200	10-Feb-05	Czech	HC Vitkovice (Czechia U20)	46-8-5-13
HM	Oliver Peer	RW	6-0/165	9-Mar-03	Canada	Windsor (OHL)	63-22-45-67
HM	Chris Pelosi	C	6-1/180	6-Mar-05	USA	Sioux Falls (USHL)	43-13-6-19
HM	Matthew Perkins	LW	5-11/175	21-Jan-04	Canada	Youngstown (USHL)	60-15-29-44
HM	Nico Pertuch	G	6-2/200	29-Jul-05	Germany	EV Landshut (DNL U20)	15GP, 3.57
HM	Dominik Petr	C	6-2/165	30-Apr-05	Czech	Lukko (Fin-U20)	18-1-0-1
HM	Chase Pietila	D	6-1/180	3-Mar-04	USA	Youngstown (USHL)	60-7-29-36
HM	Chase Pirtle	RW	6-2/185	8-Mar-05	USA	Mount St. Charles 18U AAA (USHS-RI)	47-20-24-44
HM	Benjamin Poitras	C	5-10/175	18-Jul-05	Canada	Sioux City (USHL)	61-14-24-38
HM	Connor Punnett	D	6-1/200	16-Jun-03	Canada	Barrie (OHL)	66-14-34-48
HM	Ivan Remezovsky	D	6-1/165	8-Feb-05	Russia	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	45-0-13-13
HM	Charlie Robertson	G	6-3/165	2-Apr-05	Canada	North Bay (OHL)	12-6, 3.17, 0.892
HM	Pier-Olivier Roy	D	5-9/175	5-Mar-04	Canada	Victoriaville (QMJHL)	68-6-62-68
HM	Rainers Rullers	C	6-4/195	11-Dec-04	Latvia	Zemgale (Fin-Mestis)	46-4-6-10
HM	Bennett Schimek	RW	5-11/180	15-Apr-03	USA	Providence (HE)	37-11-9-20
HM	Zach Schulz	D	6-1/195	14-Jun-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	51-1-9-10
HM	Magomed Sharakanov	D	6-1/200	11-Oct-04	Russia	MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL)	44-7-25-32
HM	Cam Squires	RW	5-11/165	11-Apr-05	Canada	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	67-30-34-64
HM	Julius Sumpf	C	6-1/175	11-Jan-05	Germany	RB Hockey Juniors (AlpsHL)	23-9-9-18
HM	Alexander Suvorov	RW	5-9/160	30-Nov-02	Belarus	Severstal Cherepovets (KHL)	47-13-11-24
HM	Gabriel Szturc	C	5-11/185	24-Sep-03	Czech	Kelowna (WHL)	56-24-55-79
HM	Nikita Telegin	C	6-1/155	21-Jun-05	Russia	Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk (MHL)	22-6-4-10
HM	Patrick Thomas	C	5-11/160	21-Aug-04	Canada	Hamilton (OHL)	66-17-39-56
HM	Hudson Thornton	D	5-11/180	4-Nov-03	Canada	Prince George (WHL)	68-23-51-74
HM	Jiri Tichacek	D	5-9/170	30-Jan-03	Czech	Rytiri Kladno (Czechia)	39-0-6-6
HM	Djibril Toure	D	6-6/200	5-Jun-03	Canada	Sudbury (OHL)	57-5-11-16
HM	Tuomas Uronen	RW	5-11/180	19-Mar-05	Finland	HIFK (Fin-U20)	39-20-23-43
HM	Noa Vali	G	6-0/160	19-Apr-05	Finland	TPS (Fin-U20)	17-8, 2.38, 0.912
HM	Nicholas Vantassell	RW	6-4/195	18-Apr-04	USA	Green Bay (USHL)	62-19-18-37
HM	Visa Vedenpaa	G	6-2/170	11-May-05	Finland	Karpat (Fin-U20)	31GP, 0.886
HM	Evgeny Volokhin	G	6-3/170	6-Apr-05	Russia	Mamonty Yugry (MHL)	20-6, 2.12, 0.927
HM	Declan Waddick	C	5-10/170	24-Jan-05	Canada	Niagara (OHL)	64-28-21-49
HM	Saige Weinstein	D	6-0/180	30-May-05	Canada	Spokane (WHL)	57-4-14-18
HM	Ethan Whitcomb	LW	6-4/190	13-May-04	Canada	Muskegon (USHL)	53-24-24-48
HM	Raul Yakupov	RW	6-1/180	21-Jun-04	Russia	Reaktor Nizhnekamsk (MHL)	49-32-29-61

2023 IIHF U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – McKeen’s Scouting Team Predictions

McKeens Scouting Team — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 22:57:05 +0000

PORRENTRUY, SWITZERLAND - APRIL 20: Canada's Macklin Celebrini #17 clears the puck while Sweden's Gustaf Felix Unger Sorum #18 defends during Preliminary Round - Group A action at the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship at Raiffeisen Arena on April 20, 2023 in Porrentruy, Switzerland. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/IIHF)

While the IIHF U18’s are already a day into the action, it’s not too late for a little prognostication. The McKeen’s team has come together to offer their predictions for the tournament.

Medal Predictions:

Gold:

Canada (5)

United States (5)

Silver:

United States (5)

Canada (4)

Sweden (1)

Bronze:

Sweden (8)

Canada (1)

Finland (1)

Who Will Win Tournament MVP:

Will Smith (2)

Ryan Leonard (1)

Colby Barlow (1)

Andrew Cristall (1)

Eduard Sale (1)

Gabe Perreault (1)

Kasper Halttunen (1)

Lukas Dragicevic (1)

Who Will Win Best Defenseman:

Axel Sandin Pellikka (6)

Lukas Dragicevic (2)

Aron Kiviharju (1)

Cole Hutson (1)

Who Will Win Best Goaltender:

Trey Augustine (7)

Michael Hrabal (2)

Carson Bjarnason (1)

What will be the surprise of the tournament?

“Slovakia: The Slovaks are back in the elite division after four long years. The current team is not as deep and talented as the squad that won silver at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, but it's still definitely an above-average Slovak team that is able to upset some of the favorites. As usual, the overall result will rely heavily on goaltending, but if Samuel Urban finds his 2022 HGC form, Slovakia shouldn't be worried about bad results. D Maxim Štrbák and F Dalibor Dvorský are the two key names on the team, however, they are not the only intriguing players. The offense looks strongl with interesting players such as Juraj Pekarčík, František Dej, Roman Kukumberg or the 2025 NHL Draft prospect Tomáš Pobežal. The Slovaks aim to be a fast and hard-playing team, which is always fun to watch.” (Matej Deraj)

“Team: While the Finnish team is lacking on top-end talent relative to the rest of the medal contenders, there tends to always be one team that just puts it all together and plays greater than the sum of its parts. They could knock someone like Canada or Sweden out if either team comes in overconfident. Player(s): Noel Nordh should be getting a lot of opportunities for Sweden and has the size and skill necessary to really step up against this age group. Caden Price has had an up and down season but always tends to put it on in best-on-best competitions, and I fully expect him to end up the #1 defender for Canada by tournament's end.” (Sam McGilligan)

“I think Trey Augustine might be a surprise here. So many people will pay attention to this tournament focused on the glut of star forwards on Team USA, while there is a very real chance that Augustine ends up stealing the show. Obviously, this is a somewhat volatile pick for surprise of the tournament, but I fully believe that if he puts forth the type of starring performance he is capable of, it will definitely be considered the surprise of the tournament given how focused so many are on other elements of Team USA.” (Ethan Hetu)

“Noah Dower Nilsson - Dower Nilsson is a player that has fallen off the radar, but his game has many attributes that translate well at the next level. He has a motor that is always running and is not afraid to challenge the dirty areas on the ice. If Dower Nilsson can follow up on his J20 Nationell at this WJC, it could bump his draft stock significantly.” (Mark Dube)

“I think that the underagers in this tournament will dominate. Celebrini, Eiserman, Kiviharju, Catton, etc. are all regarded as high picks for the 2024 NHL Draft and are potentially better than a lot of the 2023 class at this tournament. I think this will be the chance for that draft class to show that it is going to be a very high-quality group.” (Joely Stockl)

“Latvia - The quarterfinals is where the always pesky Latvians will exit the tournament, but don't be surprised when they come out on top in their preliminary round match-ups with Switzerland and Norway.” (Chapin Landvogt)

“Carson Bjarnason will be a rock for Canada between the pipes, and put him in wider conversation to be the first goalie taken in the 2023 draft.” (Derek Neumeier)

“Celebrini really impresses and becomes the clear-cut number one pick for next year.” (Jeremi Plourde)

“Martone moves his way up the Canadian lineup after great performances early.” (Chase Rochon)

“The way I see the tournament unfolding, I think we’ll end up with either Slovakia or Czechia playing against Finland in the quarterfinals. I think both of these teams can pull off the upset in that scenario, coming off of an unquestionably more difficult group. They will be battle tested and while I do believe Finland has a strong overall team, in a one game scenario, I see them especially ripe for an upset without elite offensive playmakers.” (Brock Otten)

Which draft prospect will raise his stock the most?

“Calum Ritchie. I think he will have a breakout offensively after ending the season on a high note with a strong performance against Ottawa in round one of the OHL playoffs. Playing with Barlow likely, they will be able to feed off of each other and Ritchie will have a gifted goal scorer on his wing, unlike his situation in Oshawa. I hope Ritchie feels compelled to take some risks offensively in this tournament and really hone in on his skills. I think this tournament has the potential to be a difference maker in Ritchie's draft stock, if he is stellar offensively, I think he firmly puts himself in that 15-25 pick range. This is Ritchie's time to shine, he was fantastic at the Hlinka and at the CHL Top Prospects game, pretty much every game that he didn't play in Oshawa, so I think this is his time.” (Joely Stockl)

“Dalibor Dvorský: Dvorský has been falling in the rankings the whole year and now he has a chance to redeem himself. He'll be the undisputed offensive leader and key forward on Team Slovakia. Dvorský is used to playing against older players, he has spent his last three seasons either in a men's or a U20 league. Competing against players of his age should improve Dvorský's production and release his true offensive potential.” (Matej Deraj)

“Sticking with U.S. prospects, I think Aram Minnetian has a strong opportunity here. The U.S. team is obviously stocked to the brim with star forwards, but in terms of this draft class, the crop of defensemen doesn't have nearly the same sort of standout. Minnetian seems in line to receive a significant opportunity on the U.S. back end, and if he can seize it he could really build some momentum to move up draft boards.” (Ethan Hetu)

“Kasper Halttunen - He was a fantastic underager at last year's tournament. He did some heavy lifting at the U20 level in Finland this winter, but was a non-factor in 27 Liiga games, offensively speaking. Thus, his stock has dropped. His body size, hands, and skating have not. His team will need someone to step up to the plate and he's about the most prime of candidates to do so.” (Chapin Landvogt)

“Andrew Cristall is going to score a ton of points here. There's a lot of faith in him in the public eye, but I think teams are skeptical and they aren't inherently wrong for doing so. This can really be an event where he can be THE guy producing for Canada and show what he can do when consistently playing alongside top end players.” (Sam McGilligan)

“Matthew Wood - Wood has quietly amassed some impressive numbers playing in his first year at the University of Connecticut (35-11-23-34), which was good enough to lead the team in scoring as a 17-year-old. Look for Wood to increase his draft stock at this tournament by using his deadly shot against unsuspecting goaltenders.” (Mark Dube)

“Emil Jarventie, I feel like he could really shoot up his draft stock a ton after somewhat of an underwhelming season. He should get a lot of ice time and exposure with the Finnish team.” (Jeremi Plourde)

“Matthew Wood. He will be a Top 6 force for Canada, be one of the leading scorers in the tournament, and will assuage a lot of the concerns that scouts have about his skating ability.” (Derek Neumeier)

“Calum Ritchie re-emerges as first rounder after producing at a lower level this season.” (Chase Rochon)

“I’m giving you two answers. The first is Carey Terrance. Standing out consistently in Erie was difficult this year. However, he’s got a great chance at the U18’s, playing alongside Oliver Moore. Those two are electric skaters and I think are going to be a difficult pairing to contain. The second is Tom Willander on Sweden. While Sandin-Pellikka and Lindstein have gotten a lot of the coverage this year (Lindstein early, Sandin-Pellikka lately), I believe it is Willander’s game that could translate the best to the NHL level, and I think his play at this tournament helps secure a spot in the first round in Nashville.” (Brock Otten)

Which draft prospect are you most intrigued to see perform at the tournament?

“Again, I have to give you two. The first is someone in my neighborhood, Cal Ritchie. For one, I’m unsure if he’s completely healthy. So, I’m curious to see how that unfolds. Secondly, he’s performed very well in events outside of the OHL this year (Hlinka/Gretzky, CHL Top Prospect’s Game), so let’s see if that trend continues. It’s a big event for him to prove to scouts that he should be a first-round selection. The second is Riley Heidt. I say this without him being named to team Canada at the current moment. But as of writing this, the Seattle Thunderbirds are on the verge of eliminating the Prince George Cougars…. Canada just happens to have an open roster spot still available. He could pay large dividends for the team.” (Brock Otten)

“For me, it would have to be Matthew Wood. He's been one of my favorite players throughout this whole process, but as I've grown to appreciate his game, his skating has (as one might expect) remained a major area of concern. Part of the reason I've been so enamored with him has been because he's played so well in the NCAA at such a relatively young age. Getting the chance to see him against his peers in a best-on-best setting is something I'm extremely interested to watch, because thus far most of my time watching him has been against players older than him. I'm genuinely very excited about the opportunity this tournament provides to evaluate him in a different environment.” (Ethan Hetu)

“Eduard Šalé - The Czech forward had a great tournament last year with nine points in six games as an underager. Šalé played well at the last World Juniors where the Czech ended up getting a silver medal, so he should thrive against his peers. Although his season in the Czech top tier league was a bit shaky, the U18 tournament should be a great opportunity to find his groove. I'm looking forward to seeing him play as the expected offensive leader of the Czech team.” (Matej Deraj)

“Macklin Celebrini - It's been an underage USHL season for the ages for Celebrini. Now he joins a Team Canada that is already pretty stacked up front with established CHL talent. He'll have plenty of skill to work with and little pressure to be any type of go-to guy. The situation is ripe for the possible 2024 first overall draft pick to give us all a glimpse of what exactly we can reckon with in the future.” (Chapin Landvogt)

“I am intrigued to see Otto Stenberg of team Sweden. I was a huge fan of him at the World Jr A Challenge and in the video that I have watched of him. I may be higher on him than most people, but I am excited to see him compete with the rest of this draft class. I think he has the potential to be the X factor for team Sweden.” (Joely Stockl)

“Lukas Dragicevic. He is immensely talented, but still has a ton of work left to do off the puck, and his effort level looks awful at times. It's hard to gauge how much of my concerns about him from this season were connected to his team and their situation, so I'm curious to see how he does in an entirely different environment.” (Derek Neumeier)

“Lukas Dragicevic - Dragicevic absolutely blew the lights off the WHL in scoring as a defenseman (68-15-60-75), finishing 4th among all defensemen, as a draft eligible player. The U18 WJC will give him a chance to display his defensive play and possibly assert himself a better draft ranking.” (Mark Dube)

“Tanner Howe, I have had some question marks regarding how good Bedard really makes him look, so playing without him will be intriguing to see.” (Jeremi Plourde)

“Colby Barlow has a last chance to prove to me that his game is at a level that can and will be successful at the next level.” (Chase Rochon)

“I still have so many questions about Matthew Wood, so I'm looking forward to seeing him in a new environment.” (Sam McGilligan)

2023 NHL DRAFT: MCKEEN’S MID-SEASON TOP 100 RANKING (SUBSCRIBERS)

Brock Otten — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 18:05:54 +0000

Connor Bedard. Photo by Candice Ward.

Many important scouting events have come and gone, such as the World Junior Championships, the World Junior A Challenge, the Biosteel All American game, and the CHL Top Prospect’s Game. That means it is time for McKeen’s Hockey to update our draft rankings for the 2023 NHL draft. Back in November, we released our preliminary top 50 (found here). This time around, we have expanded our ranking to a top 100 (plus 20 honorable mentions).

The first round of this list continues to be dominated by the Western Hockey League. Four of our top ten and nine of our top 32 (first round graded) are WHL players. The United States has a very strong presence in our first round ranking too, with eight players playing south of the Canadian border.

Positionally, forwards continue to dominate the vast majority of our first-round spots, with only six defenders and two goaltenders bucking that trend. Of particular interest, we do not have a defender ranked inside of our Top 13. Is it possible that no defender is drafted inside of the top 10 in Nashville this June? According to our scouts…yes. However, it is also important to note that this is exceptionally rare. The last time no defender was taken inside of the Top 10 was 1983 (Bobby Dollas at 14th overall to Winnipeg)!

Several players made huge leaps upward in our midseason rankings. Among them are Ryan Leonard, Oliver Moore, Dmitri Simashev, Oliver Bonk, David Reinbacher, and Quentin Musty. Leonard is a strong two-way goal scoring winger with an athletic skill set. Oliver Moore is one of the best skating forwards available this year and also plays a mature two-way game. Both have stood out positively of late for the U.S. NTDP. Dmitri Simashev is a massive defender who brings physicality and mobility, but who is also gaining confidence in his offensive abilities. Oliver Bonk has emerged as one of the top defensive defenders in the OHL; a fact that was on display at this year’s Top Prospect’s Game. David Reinbacher continues to perform well in Switzerland and was a standout for an overmatched Austrian squad at the WJC’s. All three defenders are surging up our rankings and could finish the year even higher with continued strong play. Meanwhile, Quentin Musty has played very well in Sudbury post coaching change and his upside remains extremely intriguing.

Without further ado, here is our Top 100 (with 20 honorable mentions):

RANK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB	GP-G-A-PTS
1	Connor Bedard	C	Regina (WHL)	5-10/185	17-Jul-05	34-42-43-85
2	Adam Fantilli	C	Michigan (B1G)	6-2/195	12-Oct-04	22-16-24-40
3	Leo Carlsson	C	Orebro (SHL)	6-3/200	26-Dec-04	31-5-13-18
4	Matvei Michkov	RW	HK Sochi (KHL)	5-10/170	9-Dec-04	14-4-2-6
5	Will Smith	C	USN U18 (USDP)	6-0/175	17-Mar-05	36-28-41-69
6	Andrew Cristall	LW	Kelowna (WHL)	5-9/165	4-Feb-05	36-26-36-62
7	Zach Benson	LW	Winnipeg (WHL)	5-9/160	12-May-05	41-25-41-66
8	Nate Danielson	C	Brandon (WHL)	6-1/185	27-Sep-04	45-23-33-56
9	Eduard Sale	LW	Kometa Brno (Cze)	6-2/175	10-Mar-05	34-3-5-8
10	Dalibor Dvorsky	C	AIK (Allsvenskan)	6-1/200	15-Jun-05	27-4-7-11
11	Ryan Leonard	RW	USN U18 (USDP)	5-11/190	21-Jan-05	34-25-27-52
12	Oliver Moore	C	USN U18 (USDP)	5-11/185	22-Jan-05	37-21-26-47
13	Brayden Yager	C	Moose Jaw (WHL)	5-11/165	3-Jan-05	48-20-35-55
14	Dmitri Simashev	D	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	6-4/200	4-Feb-05	15-0-0-0
15	Colby Barlow	LW	Owen Sound (OHL)	6-0/195	14-Feb-05	42-36-27-63
16	Lukas Dragicevic	D	Tri-City (WHL)	6-1/190	25-Apr-05	44-13-42-55
17	Axel Sandin Pellikka	D	Skelleftea (SHL)	5-11/180	11-Mar-05	19-2-3-5
18	Mikhail Gulyayev	D	Avangard Omsk (KHL)	5-11/170	26-Apr-05	12-0-1-1
19	Daniil But	LW	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	6-5/200	15-Feb-05	12-1-0-1
20	Carson Bjarnason	G	Brandon (WHL)	6-3/185	30-Jun-05	17-14-2, 2.90, .911
21	Calum Ritchie	C	Oshawa (OHL)	6-2/185	21-Jan-05	43-19-25-44
22	Gavin Brindley	C	Michigan (B1G)	5-8/165	5-Oct-04	26-3-14-17
23	Gabe Perreault	RW	USN U18 (USDP)	5-11/165	7-May-05	39-35-41-76
24	Matthew Wood	RW	UConn (HE)	6-3/195	6-Feb-05	27-9-16-25
25	Riley Heidt	C	Prince George (WHL)	5-10/180	25-Mar-05	44-19-41-60
26	David Reinbacher	D	Kloten (Sui-NL)	6-2/185	25-Oct-04	36-2-17-19
27	Caden Price	D	Kelowna (WHL)	6-0/185	24-Aug-05	44-5-19-24
28	Ethan Gauthier	RW	Sherbrooke (QMJHL)	5-11/175	26-Jan-05	45-17-32-49
29	Quentin Musty	LW	Sudbury (OHL)	6-2/200	6-Jul-05	32-12-36-48
30	Kasper Halttunen	LW	HIFK (Fin-Liiga)	6-3/205	7-Jun-05	24-0-1-1
31	Otto Stenberg	C	Frolunda (Swe J20)	5-11/180	29-May-05	23-8-12-20
32	Michael Hrabal	G	Omaha (USHL)	6-6/210	20-Jan-05	6-9-3, 3.18, .899
33	Samuel Honzek	LW	Vancouver (WHL)	6-3/185	12-Nov-04	31-17-26-43
34	Jayden Perron	RW	Chicago (USHL)	5-9/165	11-Jan-05	37-16-18-34
35	Carson Rehkopf	LW	Kitchener (OHL)	6-1/195	7-Jan-05	42-19-18-37
36	Roman Kantserov	RW	Stalnye Lisy (MHL)	5-9/175	20-Sep-04	38-21-22-43
37	Oliver Bonk	D	London (OHL)	6-2/175	9-Jan-05	43-9-19-28
38	Beau Akey	D	Barrie (OHL)	5-11/170	11-Feb-05	42-7-29-36
39	Timur Mukhanov	C	Omskie Krylia (VHL)	5-8/170	17-Jun-05	28-3-4-7
40	Koehn Ziemmer	RW	Prince George (WHL)	6-0/205	8-Dec-04	44-26-36-62
41	Bradly Nadeau	LW	Penticton (BCHL)	5-10/165	5-May-05	37-31-42-73
42	Tom Willander	D	Rogle (Swe J20)	6-1/180	9-Feb-05	30-4-15-19
43	Luca Pinelli	C	Ottawa (OHL)	5-8/165	5-Apr-05	44-20-27-47
44	William Whitelaw	RW	Youngstown (USHL)	5-9/170	5-Feb-05	35-20-15-35
45	Trey Augustine	G	USN U18 (USDP)	6-1/185	23-Feb-05	14-0-2, 2.29, .925
46	Theo Lindstein	D	Brynas (SHL)	6-0/180	5-Jan-05	19-1-1-2
47	Mathieu Cataford	C	Halifax (QMJHL)	5-11/185	1-Mar-05	45-22-31-53
48	Charlie Stramel	C	Wisconsin (B1G)	6-3/215	15-Oct-04	23-5-4-9
49	Kaden Hammell	D	Kam-Evt (WHL)	6-1/175	12-Mar-05	45-6-10-16
50	Alexander Rykov	RW	Chelmet Chelyabinsk (VHL)	5-11/170	14-Jul-05	20-4-7-11
51	Maxim Strbak	D	Sioux Falls (USHL)	6-1/205	13-Apr-05	29-5-10-15
52	Tanner Molendyk	D	Saskatoon (WHL)	5-11/185	3-Feb-05	43-6-19-25
53	Anton Wahlberg	C	Malmo (Swe J20)	6-3/195	4-Jul-05	32-14-13-27
54	Carey Terrance	C	Erie (OHL)	6-0/175	10-May-05	43-20-11-31
55	Cam Allen	D	Guelph (OHL)	6-0/195	7-Jan-05	39-4-15-19
56	Tyler Peddle	LW	Drummondville (QMJHL)	6-0/195	28-Jan-05	45-18-13-31
57	Gracyn Sawchyn	C	Seattle (WHL)	5-11/160	19-Jan-05	43-15-32-47
58	Jesse Nurmi	LW	KooKoo (Fin-U20)	5-10/165	7-Mar-05	35-19-27-46
59	Carter Sotheran	D	Portland (WHL)	6-3/195	26-Jun-05	45-3-16-19
60	Nikita Susuyev	RW	MHK Spartak Moskva (MHL)	6-0/170	6-Feb-05	34-9-16-25
61	Aram Minnetian	D	USN U18 (USDP)	5-11/190	19-Mar-05	38-5-18-23
62	Arttu Karki	D	Tappara (Fin-U20)	6-1/175	8-Dec-04	30-12-22-34
63	Noah Dower Nilsson	LW	Frolunda (Swe J20)	6-0/175	25-Apr-05	26-24-21-45
64	Scott Ratzlaff	G	Seattle (WHL)	6-0/175	9-Mar-05	17-5-0, 2.26, .917
65	Andrew Strathmann	D	Youngstown (USHL)	5-10/190	27-Feb-05	29-2-23-25
66	Kalan Lind	LW	Red Deer (WHL)	6-0/160	25-Jan-05	41-15-27-42
67	Jesse Kiiskinen	RW	Pelicans (Fin-U20)	5-11/180	23-Aug-05	27-17-21-38
68	Etienne Morin	D	Moncton (QMJHL)	6-0/180	9-Mar-05	43-15-31-46
69	Coulson Pitre	RW	Flint (OHL)	6-0/170	13-Dec-04	41-19-22-41
70	Felix Nilsson	C	Rogle (Swe J20)	6-0/176	22-Jun-05	26-16-17-33
71	Hunter Brzustewicz	D	Kitchener (OHL)	5-11/185	29-Nov-04	42-3-30-33
72	Jakub Dvorak	D	Bili Tygri Liberec (Cze)	6-5/205	25-May-05	24-0-2-2
73	Andrew Gibson	D	Soo Greyhounds (OHL)	6-3/195	13-Feb-05	38-7-11-18
74	Ondrej Molnar	LW	Erie (OHL)	5-10/170	8-Feb-05	16-2-7-9
75	Martin Misiak	RW	Nove Zamky (Svk)	6-2/195	30-Sep-04	29-1-9-10
76	Luca Cagnoni	D	Portland (WHL)	5-9/180	21-Dec-04	44-12-34-46
77	Lenni Hameenaho	RW	Assat (Fin-Liiga)	6-0/175	7-Nov-04	35-5-10-15
78	Alex Ciernik	LW	Sodertalje (Swe J20)	5-11/175	8-Oct-04	11-7-7-14
79	Denver Barkey	C	London (OHL)	5-8/160	27-Apr-05	43-12-28-40
80	Oliver Tulk	C	Calgary (WHL)	5-7/170	19-Jan-05	46-19-22-41
81	Oscar Fisker Molgaard	C	HV 71 (SHL)	6-0/165	18-Feb-05	28-4-1-5
82	Matthew Mania	D	Sudbury (OHL)	6-1/180	11-Jan-05	43-7-18-25
83	Gavin McCarthy	D	Muskegon (USHL)	6-1/180	2-Jun-05	20-4-14-18
84	Noel Nordh	RW	Brynas (SHL)	6-3/195	25-Jan-05	10-1-0-1
85	Jacob Fowler	G	Youngstown (USHL)	6-1/215	24-Nov-04	13-6-3, 2.63, .914
86	Aydar Suniev	LW	Penticton (BCHL)	6-1/200	16-Nov-04	33-26-31-57
87	Emil Jarventie	LW	Ilves (Fin-U20)	5-9/165	4-Apr-05	21-8-11-19
88	Danny Nelson	C	USN U18 (USDP)	6-3/200	3-Aug-05	38-12-16-28
89	Yegor Klimovich	RW	Sibirskie Snaipery (MHL)	5-9/160	14-May-05	28-9-21-30
90	Adam Gajan	G	Green Bay (USHL)	6-2/165	6-May-04	5-1-0, 2.48, .906
91	Quinton Burns	D	Kingston (OHL)	6-1/180	14-Apr-05	36-1-20-21
92	Grayden Siepmann	D	Calgary (WHL)	5-10/185	26-May-04	45-8-27-35
93	Yegor Zavragin	G	Mamonty Yugry (MHL)	6-2/185	23-Aug-05	9-6-1, 2.55, .919
94	Owen Beckner	C	Salmon Arm (BCHL)	6-1/175	27-Feb-05	36-12-21-33
95	Aiden Fink	RW	Brooks (AJHL)	5-9/155	24-Nov-04	43-30-50-80
96	Matthew Soto	RW	Kingston (OHL)	5-10/180	31-Aug-05	44-13-22-35
97	Eric Pohlkamp	D	Cedar Rapids (USHL)	5-10/200	23-Mar-04	31-12-20-32
98	Nick Lardis	LW	Pbo-Ham (OHL)	5-10/165	8-Jul-05	41-21-16-35
99	Jayson Shaugabay	RW	Warroad (USHS-MN)	5-9/155	4-May-05	18-22-39-61
100	Brad Gardiner	C	Ottawa (OHL)	6-0/180	6-Mar-05	45-17-11-28
HM	Ethan Miedema	LW	Wsr-Kgn (OHL)	6-4/205	22-Mar-05	45-12-22-35
HM	Brady Cleveland	D	USN U18 (USDP)	6-5/210	1-Apr-05	34-0-5-5
HM	Joey Willis	C	Saginaw (OHL)	5-10/170	14-Mar-05	44-9-17-26
HM	Juraj Pekarcik	LW	Nitra (Svk)	6-1/185	12-Sep-05	26-0-3-3
HM	Spencer Sova	D	Erie (OHL)	6-0/185	10-Jan-04	44-14-17-31
HM	Zeb Forsfjall	C	Skelleftea (SHL)	5-9/170	16-Jan-05	10-1-0-1
HM	Kalle Carlsson	C	Orebro (Swe J20)	6-0/175	2-Mar-05	34-6-21-27
HM	David Edstrom	C	Frolunda (Swe J20)	6-3/185	18-Feb-05	22-10-12-22
HM	Felix Unger Sorum	RW	Leksands (Swe J20)	5-11/170	14-Sep-05	32-9-30-39
HM	Alex Pharand	C	Sudbury (OHL)	6-3/205	1-May-05	44-16-14-30
HM	Tuomas Uronen	RW	HIFK (Fin-U20)	5-11/180	19-Mar-05	31-13-19-32
HM	Tanner Adams	RW	Tri-City (USHL)	5-11/185	2-Sep-05	27-8-10-18
HM	Mazden Leslie	D	Vancouver (WHL)	6-0/195	15-Apr-05	45-8-25-33
HM	Juha Jatkola	G	KalPa (Fin-Liiga)	6-1/175	12-Sep-02	16-10-6, 2.14, .909
HM	Connor Levis	RW	Kamloops (WHL)	6-1/190	5-Oct-04	43-11-25-36
HM	Owen Outwater	LW	Kingston (OHL)	6-2/160	4-Jan-05	39-10-18-28
HM	Easton Cowan	RW	London (OHL)	5-10/170	20-May-05	44-12-17-29
HM	Rasmus Kumpulainen	C	Pelicans (Fin-U20)	6-2/190	8-Aug-05	36-11-20-31
HM	Emil Pieniniemi	D	Karpat (Fin-U20)	6-2/170	2-Mar-05	26-0-10-10
HM	Austin Roest	C	Everett (WHL)	5-9/175	22-Jan-04	46-26-35-61

2022 World Junior A Challenge – Draft Eligible Standout/Disappointing Performances

Brock Otten — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 22:59:43 +0000

Recently we saw the return of a scouting favourite, the World Junior A Challenge. This year’s tournament in Cornwall, Ontario ended a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The 2022 version saw some differences compared to what we are used to when covering this long-standing event (dating back to 2006). Firstly, Russia was not invited. Secondly, due to their exit from the CJHL, BCHL players were not part of the available player pool that Canada West could select from. Thirdly, we saw Sweden and Latvia enter the tournament in place of Russia and Czechia (usual participants).

This year, the United States captured gold over Canada East, winning the event for the ninth time in 15 years. Cole Knuble (USA) was named tournament MVP and Aiden Fink (Canada West) led the tournament in scoring with 12 points, tying the previous mark set by Andrei Svechnikov, Brendan Brisson, and Nick Schmaltz.

The World Junior A Challenge does not always draw the most attention, but it has previously been a critical event on the scouting radar. A close examination of the tournament's fifteen-year history and it is obvious why. In 2019, the last year this event ran, we were introduced to Devon Levi, as he backstopped Canada East to a silver medal. Cale Makar played in this event twice with Canada West, capturing a gold medal in 2016 and earning a spot on the all-star team in 2017. The likes of Andrei Svechnikov, Kyle Turris, Nick Schmaltz, Nik Ehlers, Vladimir Tarasenko, Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevsky, Cam Talbot, and many more, are past participants. As a scout, or scouting team, it is important to view this event through a critical lens. Do not sleep on it.

This article will examine the top performances by NHL draft eligible players at the event, in addition to a few disappointments.

First Year Draft Eligibles

Aiden Fink - Wing - Canada West

Coming into the tournament, Fink was the player I was most intrigued by. A late born 2004 and Wisconsin commit, the 5’9 forward has torched the AJHL this year with Brooks. He carried that over seamlessly, tying the tournament record with 12 points, even if it was in a medalless effort. There is no question that Fink is going to need to add strength. Listed at 150lbs, his lack of strength is definitely noticeable at times on the ice as he gets outmuscled off the puck. However, that is why taking the NCAA route makes sense for him. He will have ample time to build strength and mature physically, allowing him to improve his consistency when playing against better competition.

What Fink does extremely well is use his combination of skill, smarts, and agility to carve up open space, and create scoring chances for he and his linemates. He keeps the puck on a string as he looks to attack, weaving in and out of traffic. He may not have the elite level separation speed that you like to see from a smaller winger, but his quickness in all four directions, lateral explosiveness, and overall agility are all high end making him difficult to contain. His anticipation in the offensive zone appears to be a significant strength too, as his off-puck movement is deliberate and effective; he consistently weasels his way behind defenders to get open looks. His energy level is also high, and he shows little fear of playing in the corners or near the net, an integral quality for any smaller, skilled forward.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1-aiden_fink_-_3rd_period_5_57_-_6_14.mp4

Love this play by Fink. Really shows us the entirety of his skill set. He comes away with the puck in the neutral zone and looks to push into the offensive zone one on four. He goes behind the back to prevent the defender from using a stick check, enabling him to get the puck in deep. Then he stays on the puck, helps to secure possession and makes a great read out front to a Canada West teammate for the goal.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2-aiden_fink_-_2nd_period_33_57_-_34_14.mp4

Check out the great read and pass on the powerplay by Fink. Holds the puck long enough to suck in both high defenders before dishing off. Then he heads to the net for the eventual tap in.

Felix Unger Sörum - Wing - Team Sweden

For this event, Sweden essentially sent their U18 team, minus Sandin-Pellikka as he prepared to suit up at the WJC’s. On a team full of highly rated forwards, Unger Sörum stood out the most despite not being the most hyped of the group. He tied for the team lead in scoring and really put himself on the map after being cut from the Hlinka/Gretzky team in the summer. It is obvious that he is one of the most improved players in the age group for Sweden. Additionally, he is going to be the youngest player eligible this year with a September 14th birth date, giving him tons of room to develop physically compared to his peers.

Unger Sörum is not the most dynamic or explosive skater in this group. He’s also not the most creative or skilled with the puck. However, there is something about his game that screams potential pro. He protects it well under pressure and/or escapes pressure in all three zones by making quick decisions. He drives the net and exerts pressure on the backcheck. He also shows a high end shot that gives him the potential to be a quality goal scorer. During this tournament, he was often Sweden’s most consistently dialed in forward and appears to be the type of a player who could carve out a long career as a complementary piece. Given his age, he also has intriguing physical potential.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1-felix_unger_sorum_-_2nd_period_27_23_-_27_35.mp4

Here we see Unger Sörum creating his own scoring chance by outworking the Canada West defender down low. He then books it straight for the net, quickly elevating a wrist shot that gets turned aside. The release on his shot is impressive. He scored a few nice goals with it in the tournament and has shown well at the Swedish J20 level too. He just needs to get a little quicker and a little stronger to help him earn more looks to utilize it.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2-felix_unger_sorum_-_3rd_period_13_46_-_14_8.mp4

This is just a really nice sequence by Unger Sörum. He supports the exit, sliding the puck from the corner, around the forechecker to Felix Nilsson. He then immediately takes off up ice to support the breakout. He eventually helps set up a goal making a nice feed back to Nilsson again in the slot. It is obvious that he sees the ice well and has a clear understanding of how to play without the puck.

Tom Willander - Defense - Team Sweden

2023 is a draft year without an established top defender thus far; it is still taking candidates. Sweden’s Tom Willander is a player who is starting to look like he belongs in the conversation. He had a strong Hlinka/Gretzky Cup in the summer, and with Sandin-Pellikka and Theo Lindstein absent, he stepped up to play nearly over 30 minutes per game for the Swedes in this tournament. He has decent size, good mobility, a right shot, and a well-rounded toolkit, all things that will make him attractive to NHL teams come June.

What stands out most about Willander is his poise under pressure and ability to move the puck. He rarely forces things and is not afraid to make the simple play to alleviate pressure. However, his strong mobility and quickness does give him the kind of separation necessary to help push pace as the primary attacker out of the defensive zone too. Not necessarily a physical player, he is an effective defensive zone presence nonetheless thanks to his mobility and strong stick. Having to take on such a large role at the WJAC, Willander was able to showcase his powerplay quarterbacking ability and that he, perhaps, has more offensive upside than was originally believed. It will be interesting to see how he finishes out the season, but there is certainly a case to be made that Sweden has the top three defenders eligible this year in Sandin-Pellikka, Theo Lindstein, and Willander.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1-tom_willander_-_2nd_period_5_14_-_5_41.mp4

Good work here by Willander on the powerplay. He shows off a strong push to secure the puck coming out of a faceoff scrum then dumps it back in. Eventually, the puck works its way back to him at the point and he fires one in for the goal. Notice the slight hesitation to help open up the shooting lane for him.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2-tom_willander_-_1st_period_12_3_-_12_20.mp4

Willander shows off a good stick in the defensive end, stripping the Canada West player of the puck. Then he shows excellent poise and footwork, helping him evade pressure from the forechecker, which leads to a successful breakout by Sweden.

Tanner Adams - Wing/Center - Team USA

Adams was a standout for the U.S. at last summer’s Hlinka/Gretzky and is having a strong draft year in the USHL with Tri-City, so naturally he was going to be a player of interest for scouts at this tournament. One of the very few 2005’s on the roster, Adams played a depth role for the U.S., and while he did not hit the score sheet all that often (three assists in six games), he was impressive for the same reasons that he was in the summer.

Adams is that classic high IQ, hardworking, lunch pail type of forward. He is very strong down low and along the wall, using his body to protect the puck while keeping his feet moving. He plays a 200ft game, applying pressure on the forecheck and the backcheck. He shows good vision and passing ability as a playmaker too, allowing him to create chances off of the turnovers he forces. He’s a more dynamic skater without the puck than with it (especially in terms of high-end speed), but he does find success in transition with his ability to work East/West while varying said speed. His first step quickness is only average, but once he gets going, his top speed can be impressive and give him separation. The Providence commit is quickly becoming a favourite of mine among this U.S. crop of draft prospects.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1-tanner_adams_-_2nd_period_8_50_-_9_20.mp4

Really nice shift from Adams in the offensive zone. He works to get possession behind the net and immediately looks for the wrap around with a quick burst. He fights through the contact to get a shot off, then gathers his own rebound and makes a great pass to his defender at the point. Notice the skirmish at the end too, as he works his way to the front of the net.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2-tanner_adams_-_2nd_period_17_49_-_18_29.mp4

Some great work on the penalty kill by Adams here, which was consistent throughout the entire tournament. He closes on the point quickly, suffocates the point man and helps get the puck out. Later we see his speed in play as he tracks down a dump in and nearly gets a good scoring chance shorthanded.

Andrew Strathmann - Defense - Team USA

Another Hlinka/Gretzky standout, Strathmann was the biggest recipient of increased playing time over the course of the tournament due to injuries (Gavin McCarthy and Garrett Brown). By the gold medal game, he was playing well over 20 minutes per game and was anchoring the penalty kill. The North Dakota commit is a competitive two-way defender who can lead the offensive attack with his strong puck skills and skating ability or shut down attacks by being an aggressive stopper.

In the USHL with Youngstown, Strathmann anchors the powerplay and takes the lead as an offensive play driver, so it was interesting to see him in a slightly different role on this U.S. team at the WJAC. Without question, Strathmann is at his best when he is aggressive both offensively and defensively. He exits the zone well using his feet and can really push pace with how well he escapes pressure. However, his first pass and decision making inside the defensive zone does need work, something that was noticeable at the event as he succumbed to pressure from the forecheck and tried to force passes in a panic. His ability to defend in the neutral zone is excellent and he will step up to play the body or puck to stop progression of the puck early. As play gets deeper in his zone, his board work is inconsistent and he can become a little complacent, leading to some lazy stick infractions. As he further learns to use his skating ability, his upside is significant.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1-andrew_strathmann_-_2nd_period_2_12_-_2_39.mp4

This clip shows Strathmann’s offensive prowess. He circles back to pick up a missed pass and quickly jumps on the counter attack, making a great pass to a U.S. teammate to help enter the zone. However, he makes the read that every Canada East defender has their back to the play, so he jumps up to split the defense and nearly gets himself a good look at the net front.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2-andrew_strathmann_-_2nd_period_29_42_-_29_58.mp4

As mentioned, Strathmann is often at his best when he is aggressive defensively. He closes quickly to break up an entry attempt by Sweden at the line with a good stick, then chips the puck up to a teammate who can now counter quickly for the partial breakaway. Strathmann’s quick thinking defensively catches Sweden on the change and is the sole reason why this chance occurs.

Zeb Forsfjall - Center - Team Sweden

Zeb Forsfjäll made noise earlier this season by becoming the first 2005 born forward to score in the SHL for Skellefteå. He had a solid Hlinka/Gretzky Cup in the summer and was tied for the team lead in scoring at the WJAC. Forsfjäll is not big, but he is tenacious and energetic. This translates to fairly consistent two-way success.

There is bound to be some concern that Forsfjäll is not the kind of dynamic skater that you want to see from a 5’9 center. There is certainly room for him to get quicker and more explosive. He is more calculated in his approach to carrying the puck as a result. However, his vision with the puck, small area skill, off puck anticipation and movement, and two-way commitment are all strengths. He earned a lot of good looks in the “home plate” area during this tournament by outworking defenders or by slipping behind coverage. He also looked terrific on the penalty kill, where his motor and IQ are put to good use. I’ve seen some discussion about him being a top 50 selection, and while I would not quite endorse that given the size/skating deficits, Forsfjäll is someone who deserves to be firmly on the draft radar.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1-zeb_forsfjall_-_1st_period_5_41_-_5_58.mp4

Great work by Forsfjäll on the penalty kill that leads to a shorthanded goal. He showcases a quick stick to disrupt two passes, with the final disruption leading directly to his goal.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2-zeb_forsfjall_-_3rd_period_0_13_-_0_26.mp4

More great work by Forsfjäll on the PK. Jake Livanavage tries to exit the zone and Forsfjäll prevents him from building up speed by angling him to the wall. Then he finishes his check, allowing the Swedes to take control and kill time.

Felix Nilsson - Center - Team Sweden

A high IQ, playmaking center, Nilsson had his best performance to date at the international level after slightly underwhelming at the Hlinka/Gretzky and the Five Nations. He, too, had four points at the WJAC and always seemed to find himself around the puck. His play in recent months has really been trending up in the J20, so it was no surprise to see him play so well at the World Junior A Challenge.

I wouldn’t call Nilsson an elite skater, but he is efficient. He understands how to use linear crossovers to build up speed coming out of pivots, and this makes him an unpredictable cover as he looks to gain the offensive blueline. He has excellent vision with the puck and is a precise passer, even under heavy defensive pressure. He is not the type of player to hang on to the puck too long or attempt to take down defenders one on one; he instead opts for quick one touch passes or passes out of stops, allowing him to survey the ice. Nilsson is also competitive away from the puck and this makes him a fairly strong defensive presence already. His NHL upside may not be considerably high, but there is a well-rounded skill set here that will make him an attractive option for NHL teams. His positive progression over the season already is encouraging.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1-felix_nilsson_-_1st_period_27_6_-_27_19.mp4

This is a great example of Nilsson’s passing prowess. Working the flank on the powerplay, Nilsson threads the needle through two Canada West defenders to find Felix Unger Sorum for the goal on the man advantage.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2-felix_nilsson_-_3rd_period_13_45_-_14_7.mp4

Earlier we looked at Unger Sorum’s role in this goal, but now let’s look at it from the lens of Nilsson. He leads the attack into the offensive zone, then makes a drop pass after cutting to the middle, effectively picking two Canada East defenders. This allows Under Sorum to take the outside lane. After getting turned around, Nilsson shows good footwork to open himself back up for the return pass, finishing off the play with a beautiful pass to a teammate for the tap in. Now, there’s a chance that Nilsson fanned on that shot attempt and it happened to go to his Swedish teammate net side, but we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt here.

Jacob Fowler - Goaltender - Team USA

The 2023 goaltending crop is really starting to look strong. After a strong rookie year with Youngstown of the USHL last year, the late 2004 born Fowler has been solid for a middling Phantoms team again this year. So it was no surprise to see Fowler backstop the U.S. to a gold medal at the WJAC. The (recent) Boston College commit combines good size (6’2), with solid athleticism and poise and his performance here likely did wonders for those considering him as a possible top three round selection.

Fowler’s most noticeable positive trait is his quick pads. He is very refined in his movement. This “quietness” helps to close holes as he moves laterally, making him very tough to beat without elevating the puck. He also shuts down second chance opportunities by limiting rebounds or by showing a quick stick to clear the net front. His poise and confidence in the crease is obvious and he looks the part of a future NHL netminder. His north/south movement could be a little cleaner, especially as he can get trapped deep in his net rather than challenge shooters. However, few young goaltenders are completely flawless. Based on my viewings last year and this year, I would put Fowler just a shade behind Hrabal and Bjarnason (both rated in our preliminary first round for 2023) among goalies available.

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Let’s look at three great sequences from Fowler in the gold medal game. This is the first one. Fowler makes a big save early on to keep the game scoreless. Notice the quietness and control of his lateral movement as he pushes to stop the shot from the slot during this partial two on one. He stays square to the shooter, taking away the middle, rather than overcommitting, which would expose the far side.

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This time Fowler has to cover more ground to make the save on the two on one, pushing hard to his right to make a huge save late in the game.

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Lastly, this sequence from Fowler shows off impressive play tracking ability and poise. He makes a great initial save by reading the pass coming out from behind the net. Then he battles hard to get out to challenge a shooter, remaining centered to make a second save. Later we see his quick pads kick a shot back into the corner, rather than to the slot, negating a second chance opportunity.

Players Entering their Second/Third Year of Draft Eligibility

Cole Knuble - Center - Team USA

It was actually pretty shocking to see Knuble go undrafted last year (we ranked him 90th for 2022) given his production and pedigree (as the son of former NHL’er Mike Knuble). However, he has returned to the USHL (delaying his commitment to Notre Dame) and has really upped his game this year. At the WJAC’s, Knuble was a consistent offensive threat and as a result, was named the tournament’s MVP (joining a list of many NHL players).

Knuble looks noticeably stronger on the puck compared to last year and his skating looks slightly more explosive. His edgework and agility have become an asset as he makes quick adjustments to make himself difficult to contain. His hands in tight remain really good (a skill, no doubt, acquired from his father) and he is still the type of player that brings energy away from the puck. Given his play at this tournament and his play overall this year, it would be shocking to see Knuble go through another draft unselected.

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Really like this sequence by Knuble. He supports his defender below the goal line to lead the breakout. He makes a couple quick moves to help him gain the blueline then opens himself up for a pass, before making a great one touch pass to set up a teammate for the goal.

Andrew Ness - Goaltender - Canada West

Is Ness a classic late blooming goaltender? All signs would point to yes. He has gone from playing in (more like starring in) the Manitoba U18 league last year to being one of the best goalies in the AJHL this year for Fort McMurray. This has earned him a scholarship to Bemidji State and his strong performance at the WJAC surely turned some heads in the NHL scouting community.

Ness is extremely athletic, which is impressive given his length (at 6’2). He covers post to post extremely well and is able to challenge shooters by being aggressive. He can fall into some scrambling tendencies, which opens up some holes and makes him susceptible to the odd “bad” goal, but he has significant potential because of his quickness and play tracking ability.

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Ness entered the game against Sweden in relief (so ignore the score). This sequence shows his athletic capabilities as he scrambles to make a few saves. Unfortunately, his strongest performance against the Swedes in the bronze medal game was not available to clip from.

Eric Pohlkamp - Defense - Team USA

One man’s loss is another man’s gain. Pohlkamp was only added to this tournament after Gavin McCarthy and Garrett Brown dropped out due to injury. He ended up being the tournament’s leading defenseman scorer and a member of the concluding all-star squad. Another Bemidji State commit (not too often we write about Beavers on this site and with Ness, we have back-to-back Bemidji State commits), Pohlkamp has had a really strong sophomore season in the USHL with Cedar Rapids. Prior to competing at the WJAC, Pohlkamp was the USHL’s leading defenseman scorer.

I couldn’t have been more impressed by Pohlkamp’s play at the WJAC. It seemed like he was noticeable everytime he was on the ice, for one reason or another. Stout and compact (listed as 5’11, 205lbs) he is an intense physical competitor who really makes an impact by playing the body, especially when he steps up early on attackers in the neutral zone. However, he’s also a high-end skater, which he uses to activate…constantly. He is like a fourth forward out there at times with how confident he is at playing deep in the offensive zone. Pohlkamp, as you may have guessed from his five goals in the event, also has an absolute howitzer from the point. Is his game slightly chaotic? Absolutely. He takes his chances and at times this takes him out of the play. He will need to pick his spots better to be aggressive (in every aspect) as he moves up the hockey ladder. However, even when he finds himself caught, he uses his skating ability and quickness to recover, and his high energy approach seems to be key to his success at both ends. Without question, Pohlkamp would be a player that I would be advocating for at this year’s NHL draft and you can expect him to feature in our draft rankings at some point this year.

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I thought that this clip perfectly demonstrated Pohlkamp’s abilities. He attacks the slot and looks to slide a pass through a seam. This does not work. As the puck slips out of the offensive zone, he closes quickly to eliminate a Canada East player to regain possession. Then he turns and fires a bullet of a pass to create an entry, which in turn leads to a couple great scoring chances for team USA.

Hudson Malinoski - Center/Wing - Canada West

This is a great story. Back in 2017, Malinoski ended up with a torn vertebral artery after falling off his roof. After a successful experimental surgery, Malinoski was kept out of hockey for a year and had to work his way back up the hockey ladder. Passed over in his WHL draft and a late bloomer physically, Malinoski (2004 born) is now playing in his first year in the AJHL with Brooks and he’s been one of the best players in the league as a rookie. The Providence College commit was great for Canada West at this tournament, finishing with seven points in six games.

A natural center, Malinoski played wing for Canada West at the WJAC. He has a very intriguing package of size (6’1), speed, and skill. Not only is he a strong and powerful linear skater who seems to love attacking the offensive zone with speed, but his edgework and agility also seem like real strengths, as he uses this to help him navigate traffic to get his shot off. He has a really good shot, part of why he was utilized on the point of the powerplay at this tournament (and for Brooks in the AJHL). It was shocking to me to see that he only had 11 goals in the AJHL this year because his release is deceptive, and he creates a ton of velocity on the shots in his arsenal. Without question, adding strength to his frame will be the next step at Providence, as he can be knocked off the puck or knocked off stride too easily at times. However, NHL scouts would have unquestionably taken notice of his performance at this tournament, especially when combined with his strong play in the AJHL this year.

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Malinoski opens the scoring against Latvia as he uses a toe drag to create a better shooting lane before snapping one top shelf. From watching some of his action with Brooks this year, this seems to be a go-to move for him.

Sam Court - Defense - Canada West

It’s been a long and winding road for Court. A former high pick in the WHL draft, he’s bounced around the last few years in order to keep his NCAA eligibility. A former University of New Hampshire commit (it sounds like he’s decommitted), Court played last year, his initial NHL draft year, with Avon Old Farms in the U.S. prep loop. Rather than play in the USHL (his rights held by Fargo), Court returned to Canada this year to play in the AJHL with the storied Brooks Bandits. It’s been a good move as Court currently leads the AJHL in scoring by a significant amount. At this tournament, playing for Canada West, Court opened up a lot of eyes by tying Eric Pohlkamp for the tournament scoring lead among blueliners.

In a lot of ways, Court reminds me of former Brooks’ defender Zach Bookman, who tore up the AJHL last year, but failed to get drafted (although is having a great freshman year at Merrimack this season). He’s not big. He’s not the world’s most dynamic skater, especially for an undersized/average sized defender. But he is skilled. He makes quick and sound decisions with the puck. His overall IQ as an offensive defender is very high. As a defender, he was hit and miss in this tournament. He’s far from a pushover physically. However, with his roving tendencies, he can take himself out of the play and does not possess the kind of high end mobility to recover playing against the kind of talent that this tournament featured. His upside as a future pro player will likely be tied to his ability to move the puck and quarterback the powerplay. It will be interesting to see which NCAA program Court settles on, if he has indeed de-committed from UNH.

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Granted the game was already out of reach against Latvia, this is an extremely skilled play by Court. He pulls the puck between his legs and then fires a backhand pass to the aforementioned Hudson Malinoski. Fortunately, the puck hits a defender and goes in the net and he gets credited with the goal.

Ethan Whitcomb - Center/Wing - Team USA

A dual citizen who grew up playing in the Niagara North Stars loop, Whitcomb has been playing in the USHL the last few seasons with Muskegon. The UNO commit has taken a big step forward in his sophomore season, causing NHL scouts to take notice of the 6’4 forward. He’s currently second in goal scoring on Muskegon to NHL draft pick (and WJAC teammate) Jake Richard.

In a nutshell, Whitcomb plays the game the way you probably expected him to, given my mention of his huge frame. He’s not the most dynamic skater. He’s got some work to do as a transporter and overall transitional attacker. However, he’s a heavy presence at both ends who asserts himself physically. He’s also got silky hands in tight to the net and has a quick release, which allows him to capitalize on the chances that his size affords him near the blue paint and in the slot. The fact that he can play center is also extremely intriguing. Already firmly on the scouting radar thanks to the improvements that he had made this year, his performance at this tournament on a line with Ryan St. Louis and Muskegon teammate Jake Richard likely drew him more fans.

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The bulk of the work here is done by Jake Richard down low. He makes a terrific pass out front to Whitcomb, who buries the goal with a blistering one timer. This was a huge insurance goal for the U.S. in the gold medal game.

Players Whose Performance Failed to Meet Expectations

Otto Stenberg - Wing/Center - Team Sweden

Coming into the tournament, Stenberg was the highest ranked player to feature at the WJAC (ranked 16th by us in our preliminary ranking for 2023). Obviously, that means expectations were bound to be pretty high. Instead, Stenberg finished the tournament with only three points in six games and was largely a non-factor at even strength (with two of his three points coming on the powerplay).

There were certainly flashes of why Stenberg is such a highly touted prospect. His combination of quickness, skill, and shooting ability does give him a high ceiling. But at what point do we become concerned with his lack of production? Among U18 players in the Swedish J20 league, he’s 18th in scoring, below the point per game mark. That’s not the kind of production you associate with being a first-round selection.

On one hand, Stenberg was unquestionably snakebitten at this event. He hit a few posts, was robbed by a couple nice saves. He could have easily had five plus goals. As mentioned, the flashes were there. On the other hand, I just wasn’t enamored with his shot selection and play without the puck. Too often did he settle for low percentage shots from poor angles or from the perimeter, rather than working the puck around to find better options. Additionally, his physical intensity seemed to waver. If the puck wasn’t on his stick, he seemed to float.

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First the good. As mentioned, Stenberg had a few plays like this over the course of the tournament, where his creativity/skill was on full display. Denied by the post, he could have easily had a few more goals in the WJAC.

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Now the bad. Too often did we see plays like this from Stenberg in the tournament. He protects the puck well to maintain prolonged possession, but rather than alter his pace to find a passing option, he settles for a low percentage shot from the perimeter. Anytime he was pressured in this tournament, it seemed like he would settle for lower percentage plays, rather than higher percentage ones.

Noel Nordh - Wing - Team Sweden

Nordh was a player that I was very excited to see in this tournament, given how much I’ve liked his play previously (at the U17’s a year ago and at the Hlinka/Gretzky this summer). He is that heavy, power winger that I’m magnetically drawn to.

At the WJAC, Nordh was, quite frankly, a complete non-factor. This was compounded by the fact that he missed the bronze medal game due to illness. Perhaps that was an illness he had been fighting all week? Regardless, his performance was quite disappointing. Nordh’s speed and length was put on display as a forechecker, this was consistent. But the physical component to his game that I’ve enjoyed previously was pretty much nonexistent. In fact, Nordh consistently lost battles along the wall when he did engage. The other times, he seemed content to just park himself near the crease, rather than help to win or maintain possession in the offensive end. Nordh also struggled as a puck carrier at the event, bobbling pucks in transition.

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This shift against the U.S. is a great example of Nordh’s (#26) ineffectiveness. He shows a lack of intensity in the offensive end to help secure possession. He is slow to the backcheck and is not able to successfully apply back pressure to prevent an entry. He commits a bad turnover in the defensive end by trying to come off the wall.

Giacomo Martino - Wing - Canada East

The younger brother of Dallas Stars third round pick Ayrton Martino, Giacomo was a player I was very interested in seeing at this event. Ayrton was excellent at this tournament in his draft (-1) year (as a late birthday), so I figured that maybe Giacomo could have similar success, especially given his strong play in the OJHL this season. Alas, that was not meant to be.

Honestly, the main issue was ice time. Martino was assigned a depth role for Canada East, playing sparingly, as the coaching staff elected to play older, more experienced players over him. The Northeastern commit was actually fairly impactful in his limited ice time, working well as a forechecker. He earned looks through hard work and did well to win possession along the wall to keep plays alive in the offensive end. He doesn’t appear to have the high-end skill or agility of his brother, but I wouldn’t completely write him off as a draft selection because he failed to be productive from a statistical perspective. If anything, his performance here has made me more curious to follow his play in the OJHL in the second half. Let’s not forget that Cale Makar was a bit player at this tournament when he was a double underager (similar to Martino).

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This was Martino’s only point of the tournament. Good work here to support his linemate, then a great find to the open point man who gets the shot through traffic. Martino’s energy in the offensive zone is a real asset.

Tanner Ludtke - Center - Team USA

Ludtke has had a very good first full season in the USHL with Lincoln, fittingly corresponding with his NHL draft season (as a late born 2004). The U.S. didn’t have many first time draft eligible players on their roster, so I was very curious to see Ludtke play.

I don’t think Ludtke played poorly. He was relatively solid. It’s clear that he understands his role as a physical, two-way, power center. He drives the net hard. He plays physical on the forecheck. He skates pretty well for the kind of game he plays (stereotypically). It’s easy to see him carving out a career as a checking line player in the NHL if his puck skill and finishing ability can continue to improve. At the very least, he should be a quality college player for UNO.

Maybe he’s unfairly listed in this section because, again, I thought he played fairly well in a depth role at the WJAC. It’s more that I’m not sure I see high end skill level, vision, or goal scoring potential. The NHL scouting landscape is filled with players like Ludtke. I’m not sure he truly did enough to stand out as a potential top three round selection.

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Ludtke ends up with a good chance in tight as he heads to the net after fighting for possession along the wall.

Gavin McCarthy - Defense - Team USA

Unfortunately, McCarthy only played one game at the tournament after picking up an injury following the team’s opening loss to Canada West. Given that McCarthy is potentially one of the first defenders drafted out of the USHL this season, this was very disappointing.

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A nice play by McCarthy to help keep the puck in the offensive zone. A staunch physical presence, it’s McCarthy’s physical presence that helps to force the turnover leading to team USA’s goal.

Noah Dower Nilsson - Wing/Center - Team Sweden

Considering the way he has played this year in the Swedish J20 league (leading all draft eligible players in scoring), it would have been great to see Dower Nilsson play at this event, where he would have had a chance to play big minutes. However, an injury kept him out of the vast majority of the tournament. Also, unfortunately, the two (partial) games that he did play in are not available online. Time to watch him at the five nations from November, I guess!

2023 NHL DRAFT: NOVEMBER RANKING – TOP 50 + 17 HONOURABLE MENTIONS

McKeen's Hockey — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 20:45:08 +0000

Connor Bedard. Photo by Keith Hershmiller.

It’s time for the first ranking release of the draft season from McKeen’s Hockey. Our preliminary ranking is a Top 50 with several honorable mentions. Around the holiday season, correlating with the World Juniors, we will release our second one, an expanded Top 100.

Regina’s Connor Bedard remains on top of our rankings, despite the incredible start to the year from Adam Fantilli. We remain steadfast that Bedard is an incredible talent who is a surefire star in the National Hockey League. That said, this draft is living up to its hype early on with so many strong performances from players inside of the lottery. As mentioned, Fantilli is on a record setting pace at Michigan as a freshman. Leo Carlsson is performing exceptionally well in the SHL. Matvei Michkov is lighting the VHL (Russian second league) on fire. It’s going to be a great year to be bad in the NHL.

Coming into the draft season, we knew it would be a strong one for Western Canada and this ranking reflects that. Ten Western players (WHL and BCHL) found themselves in our first round and 14 in the Top 50. It is looking very likely that we could see double digit WHL players selected in round one come June.

In terms of European nations, love is much more evenly spread. The breakdown (based on the league being played in and not by “nationality”) is as follows: Sweden (6), Russia (4), Finland (2), Czechia (2), and Slovakia (1).

Our 16 honorable mentions all received heavy consideration from our scouting team to be included in this Top 50. In particular, it was very difficult to leave Noel Nordh and David Reinbacher outside looking in. We will be watching these players closely in the next few months.

RANK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB	GP-G-A-PTS
1	Connor Bedard	C	Regina (WHL)	5-10/185	17-Jul-05	16-13-18-31
2	Adam Fantilli	C	Michigan (B1G)	6-2/195	12-Oct-04	10-9-11-20
3	Leo Carlsson	C	Orebro (SHL)	6-3/200	26-Dec-04	17-2-10-12
4	Matvei Michkov	RW	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (VHL)	5-10/170	9-Dec-04	8-8-4-12
5	Brayden Yager	C	Moose Jaw (WHL)	5-11/165	3-Jan-05	15-7-11-18
6	Eduard Sale	LW	Kometa Brno (Cze)	6-2/175	10-Mar-05	16-3-3-6
7	Calum Ritchie	C	Oshawa (OHL)	6-2/185	21-Jan-05	14-6-6-12
8	Dalibor Dvorsky	C	AIK (Allsvenskan)	6-1/200	15-Jun-05	11-4-2-6
9	Will Smith	C	USN U18 (USDP)	6-0/175	17-Mar-05	15-11-19-30
10	Zach Benson	LW	Winnipeg (WHL)	5-9/160	12-May-05	16-8-14-22
11	Colby Barlow	LW	Owen Sound (OHL)	6-0/195	14-Feb-05	11-7-7-14
12	Matthew Wood	RW	UConn (HE)	6-3/195	6-Feb-05	11-4-6-10
13	Nate Danielson	C	Brandon (WHL)	6-1/185	27-Sep-04	17-7-8-15
14	Andrew Cristall	LW	Kelowna (WHL)	5-9/165	4-Feb-05	13-11-11-22
15	Ethan Gauthier	RW	Sherbrooke (QMJHL)	5-11/175	26-Jan-05	16-9-13-22
16	Otto Stenberg	C	Frolunda (Swe J20)	5-11/180	29-May-05	14-4-5-9
17	Riley Heidt	C	Prince George (WHL)	5-10/180	25-Mar-05	16-7-13-20
18	Cam Allen	D	Guelph (OHL)	6-0/195	7-Jan-05	16-1-5-6
19	Michael Hrabal	G	Omaha (USHL)	6-6/210	20-Jan-05	3-2-2, 2.45, .926
20	Mikhail Gulyayev	D	Avangard Omsk (KHL)	5-11/170	26-Apr-05	11-0-1-1
21	Jayden Perron	C	Chicago (USHL)	5-9/165	11-Jan-05	13-6-12-18
22	Carson Bjarnason	G	Brandon (WHL)	6-3/185	30-Jun-05	6-5-2, 2.67, .925
23	Axel Sandin Pellikka	D	Skelleftea (SHL)	5-11/180	11-Mar-05	7-1-0-1
24	Caden Price	D	Kelowna (WHL)	6-0/185	24-Aug-05	13-1-8-9
25	Dmitri Simashev	D	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	6-4/200	4-Feb-05	14-0-0-0
26	William Whitelaw	RW	Youngstown (USHL)	5-9/170	5-Feb-05	10-5-3-8
27	Kasper Halttunen	LW	HIFK (Fin-Liiga)	6-3/205	7-Jun-05	8-0-1-1
28	Lukas Dragicevic	D	Tri-City (WHL)	6-1/190	25-Apr-05	16-5-16-21
29	Oliver Moore	C	USN U18 (USDP)	5-11/185	22-Jan-05	15-6-11-17
30	Charlie Stramel	C	Wisconsin (B1G)	6-3/215	15-Oct-04	10-1-1-2
31	Bradly Nadeau	LW	Penticton (BCHL)	5-10/165	5-May-05	16-17-18-35
32	Hunter Brzustewicz	D	Kitchener (OHL)	5-11/185	29-Nov-04	12-0-13-13
33	Theo Lindstein	D	Brynas (SHL)	6-0/180	5-Jan-05	4-0-0-0
34	Mathieu Cataford	C	Halifax (QMJHL)	5-11/185	1-Mar-05	15-10-11-21
35	Ryan Leonard	RW	USN U18 (USDP)	5-11/190	21-Jan-05	13-13-8-21
36	Daniil But	LW	Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)	6-5/200	15-Feb-05	14-11-5-16
37	Luca Cagnoni	D	Portland (WHL)	5-9/180	21-Dec-04	14-5-9-14
38	Gabe Perreault	RW	USN U18 (USDP)	5-11/165	7-May-05	15-11-16-27
39	Koehn Ziemmer	RW	Prince George (WHL)	6-0/205	8-Dec-04	16-13-13-26
40	Gavin Brindley	C	Michigan (B1G)	5-8/165	5-Oct-04	10-1-5-6
41	Beau Akey	D	Barrie (OHL)	6-0/170	11-Feb-05	12-3-8-11
42	Alex Ciernik	LW	Sodertalje (Swe J20)	5-11/175	8-Oct-04	8-5-5-10
43	Quentin Musty	LW	Sudbury (OHL)	6-2/200	6-Jul-05	14-4-9-13
44	Luca Pinelli	C	Ottawa (OHL)	5-8/165	5-Apr-05	13-7-11-18
45	Lenni Hameenaho	RW	Assat (Fin-Liiga)	6-0/175	7-Nov-04	21-3-6-9
46	Ondrej Molnar	LW	Nitra (Svk)	6-0/175	8-Feb-05	16-2-2-4
47	Jakub Dvorak	D	Bili Tygri Liberec (Cze)	6-5/205	25-May-05	17-0-2-2
48	Samuel Honzek	LW	Vancouver (WHL)	6-3/185	12-Nov-04	17-9-12-21
49	Carson Rehkopf	C	Kitchener (OHL)	6-1/195	7-Jan-05	12-5-5-10
50	Kalan Lind	LW	Red Deer (WHL)	6-0/160	25-Jan-05	15-2-13-15
HM	Noel Nordh	RW	Brynas (Swe J20)	6-3/195	25-Jan-05	15-5-6-11
HM	David Reinbacher	D	Kloten (Sui-NL)	6-2/185	25-Oct-04	18-2-8-10
HM	Timur Mukhanov	C	Omskie Yastreby (MHL)	5-8/170	17-Jun-05	12-8-7-15
HM	Arttu Karki	D	Tappara (Fin-U20)	6-1/175	8-Dec-04	17-7-15-22
HM	Roman Kantserov	RW	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)	5-9/175	20-Sep-04	18-10-13-23
HM	Martin Misiak	RW	Nove Zamky (Svk)	6-2/195	30-Sep-04	16-0-5-5
HM	Maxim Strbak	D	Sioux Falls (USHL)	6-1/205	13-Apr-05	12-1-7-8
HM	Jesse Nurmi	LW	KooKoo (Fin-U20)	5-10/165	7-Mar-05	20-14-17-31
HM	Jesse Kiiskinen	RW	Pelicans (Fin-U20)	5-11/180	23-Aug-05	16-11-16-27
HM	Tuomas Uronen	RW	HIFK (Fin-U20)	5-11/180	19-Mar-05	15-7-10-17
HM	Emil Jarventie	LW	Ilves (Fin-U20)	5-9/165	4-Apr-05	21-8-11-19
HM	Oliver Bonk	D	London (OHL)	6-2/175	9-Jan-05	13-3-5-8
HM	Scott Ratzlaff	G	Seattle (WHL)	6-0/175	9-Mar-05	4-1-0, 2.57, .901
HM	Ivan Remezovsky	D	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	6-1/165	8-Feb-05	17-0-4-4
HM	Magomed Sharakanov	D	MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL)	6-1/200	11-Oct-04	11-1-8-9
HM	Noah Dower Nilsson	LW	Frolunda (Swe J20)	6-0/175	25-Apr-05	18-19-15-34
HM	Yegor Klimovich	RW	Sibirskie Snaipery (MHL)	5-9/160	14-May-05	18-6-13-19

2023 NHL DRAFT: 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup Preview – Team Overview, Players to Watch, Predictions

Brock Otten — Sat, 30 Jul 2022 19:19:12 +0000

If you are an avid follower of the NHL draft, you would know how highly regarded the 2023 NHL Draft class is heading into the season. This has many excited for this year’s Hlinka/Gretzky Cup in (exclusively) Red Deer. It is important to note that the early “big three” of this draft, Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, and Matvei Michkov, will not be at the event. Bedard will be playing with Canada at the U20 event in Edmonton. Fantilli is not eligible as a late born 2004. Michkov and Russia were not invited to the event. Regardless, the talent on display should be extremely high.

With the tournament kicking off (officially) on Sunday, let’s look at each participating team, the players to watch, and make some predictions.

Canada

Not only is Canada participating in the Hlinka/Gretzky again, after skipping last year’s event (due to pandemic related concerns), but they’re also looking to get back to the top of the podium after losing to Russia in the Gold medal game of the 2019 tournament. On paper, this is the team to beat. This Canadian team could have double digit first round selections on it, led by an incredibly strong contingent of players from Western Canada.

Players to Watch:

Calum Ritchie

The Oshawa Generals center is an incredibly talented playmaker and attacker. He enters the tournament centering one of the team’s top lines and he will get all the ice time that he can handle.

Brayden Yager

Yager is the reigning CHL Rookie of the Year and is the other top six center heading into the tournament. The shoot first center plays an aggressive game and after a bit of a slow start to camp, he appears to be rounding into form after strong performances against the Canadian U20 teams.

Riley Heidt

Heidt is shifting to the wing for the event, playing with Yager, however his competitiveness and speed should make him someone that Canada relies on in nearly every situation at the event.

Matthew Wood

The BCHL top scorer had a bit of a rough performance at the U18’s in April, playing for Canada as an underager, however he should rebound nicely against his age-appropriate peers. The big and skilled winger looked quicker at development camp and has a serious chance to be Canada’s leading scorer at this event.

Zach Benson

Scouts and fans alike should quickly learn to love Benson. He is ultra-quick, ultra-competitive, and ultra-intelligent. This combination makes him such a fun player to watch as he dominates shifts in the offensive zone.

Cam Allen

The captain of this Canadian entry, Allen is a strong two-way defender who is a candidate to be the first defender drafted in 2023. He does pretty much everything at a high level and Canada will likely lean on him to play serious minutes.

Caden Price

The surprise of training camp for those who don’t cover the WHL (since every scout I know from Western Canada already loves Price), Price has emerged as one of the top defenders on this team. Watch for his ability to lead the rush with dynamic attacking ability.

Jordan Tourigny

The younger brother of Canadiens’ prospect and star QMJHL defender Miguel Tourigny, Jordan has a similar skill set with a larger frame. He should be a standout on the Canadian powerplay and like Allen and Price, one of Canada’s go to blueliners.

Scott Ratzlaff

Ratzlaff was incredible during training camp and in the scrimmage against the U20 team. It seems almost assured that he will be the team’s starter and he has a chance to be the top goaltender at the event.

Prediction: GOLD

Sweden

Would you believe that it has been 15 years since the Swedes took home gold at this event? Seems crazy, but it’s true. However, they’ve been close, with medals in three straight. Is this the year that they get over the hump? Like Canada, the Swedes have many talented players and projected first round picks. Unfortunately, these two powerhouses (on paper) are in the same division.

Players to Watch

Theo Lindstein

Like the aforementioned Cam Allen, Lindstein is a contender to be the top defender selected at this year’s draft. He will be the anchor of this Swedish entry and will likely see a ton of ice time in all situations.

Otto Stenberg

A highly skilled and dynamic offensive player, Stenberg will be counted on to be the go-to point producer for the Swedes. The creative pivot already helped Sweden take home gold at the U18’s last April, playing as an underager.

Kalle Carlsson

A skilled playmaking center, Carlsson will likely form a great one/two punch with Stenberg down the middle, unless they opt to move Stenberg to the wing (thanks to great center depth). Carlsson is another of the first-round candidates to watch.

Noah Dower Nilsson

Another natural center, Dower Nilsson is the younger brother of Red Wings’ prospect Liam. He is a highly intelligent and creative player, although not quite as physically involved as his older brother. Something to note, he is 2005 born and not 2006 born, as incorrectly stated on the Hlinka/Gretzky website.

Noel Nordh

A big winger, Nordh is an import selection of the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL. He plays as a net front presence and skilled forechecker beside the Swedes creative centers. This is a power forward type who should have a strong tournament.

Prediction: 4th

Slovakia

Slovakia rising! If you recall, in our draft guide our cover story focused on the resurgence of Slovak hockey. They had the top two selections in the 2022 NHL Draft (Slafkovsky and Nemec) and they finished second at last year’s Hlinka/Gretzky. This year? The Slovaks have a very strong group of eligible prospects again. The issue is that several of them are playing at the U20’s like Dalibor Dvorsky (a potential top five pick) and Maxim Strbak or are not eligible for the event due to late birthdays, like Alex Ciernik and Martin Misiak. This will be a great test of Slovakia’s depth as a result.

Players to Watch

Ondrej Molnar

This is Molnar’s second year at the Hlinka/Gretzky after helping Slovakia win silver last year. He was a big part of that team as an underager and he will be the go-to player this year. Molnar is a dynamic attacking winger with great scoring instincts and the creativity to beat defenders one on one.

Samuel Sisik

Sisik makes up for a lack of size with an inordinate amount of skill. Like the ‘Little Engine That Could’, he just keeps coming and look for him to be highly noticeable throughout the tournament.

Jakub Chromiak

The top defender on this Slovak team, Jakub is the younger brother of Kings’ prospect Martin Chromiak. Not eligible for the NHL Draft until 2024, Jakub is a skilled offensive defender who loves to lead the attack and who can quarterback the powerplay effectively.

Tomas Pobezal

The youngest player in the tournament, Pobezal is not eligible for the NHL draft until 2025 due to his late 2006 birthday. He serves as the next big hope for Slovakia, already competing at last year’s Division 2 U18’s, helping the Slovak’s climb back to the top level. The skilled center is not guaranteed to play a huge role here, but he is a name worth mentioning.

Prediction: 6th

Switzerland

The Swiss have never medalled at this event and have not made the semifinals since 2002. Unfortunately, that seems likely again this year. Not only is this Swiss roster on the weaker side, but Switzerland also draws the pool of death with Canada, Sweden, and Slovakia.

Players to Watch

Valdemar Hull

A returning player from last year’s Hlinka/Gretzky team, Hull will be a top line winger and a go-to offensive player for the Swiss this year. He is an import selection of the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL.

Prediction: 8th

Finland

Believe it or not, but Finland has actually really struggled at this event in recent years, even with their many successes at other U20 International tournaments. Would you believe that they haven’t medalled at the Hlinka in a decade? This includes two straight semifinal losses, the last two Hlinka/Gretzky’s. Will that change this year? It’s certainly possible, but this is also a very young Finnish team, especially on the back end with three 2006 born defenders. There is also concern that this age group doesn’t have the kind of playmakers necessary for success from the center position.

Players to Watch

Aron Kiviharju

One of the top 2006 born players on the planet at this current time, Kiviharju looked good at the U18’s in April as a double underager. Now he comes into this tournament (still a single underager), but with a boatload of confidence. He is electric offensively from the back end with quick feet and hands.

Kasper Halttunen

The big power forward was another Finnish player who excelled at the recent U18’s as an underager. He is deadly near the crease, and he plays with a ton of energy in the offensive end. A potential lottery selection this year, he should be Finland’s top forward.

Jesse Kiiskinen

While Kiiskinen didn’t play up a level internationally the way a few of his peers did, he did stand out in a big way as part of Finland’s U17 team. One of the top Finnish players in this 2005 age group, Kiiskinen is a talented goal scoring winger.

Emil Jarventie

Yet another talented winger on this Finnish team, Emil is the younger brother of Ottawa Senators prospect Roby. He started last year in the USHL as an Import, but returned to Finland in the second half.

Tuomas Uronen

Yup…you guessed it, another solid winger. Uronen was a standout as an underager on the Finnish U18 in April. He is not as naturally skilled or as creative as the others listed above him, but he is the perfect complementary piece due to his strong skating and tenacity.

Prediction: 5th

United States

One of the biggest complaints about this tournament is that the U.S. does not send “their best.” Rather than send the NTDP, they bring together a collection of non-NTDP players from various leagues like the USHL, CHL, USHS, Prep, etc. As a result, they have only won this tournament once in its history (2003). Consistency has certainly been an issue. All that said, this year’s roster for the United States may just be the best that they have sent for this event. The majority of this roster absolutely dominated the U17 Five Nations last year (including Czechia and Slovakia). There is a strong chance that they end the nation’s five-year medal drought.

Players to Watch

William Whitelaw

Whitelaw is insanely talented and creative. If you watched Shattuck St. Mary’s at all recently, he would have stood out to you. He absolutely torched the Five Nations last year and has a chance to be one of the leading scorers of this tournament too.

Quentin Musty

Perhaps the best pro prospect on this team, Musty is the former first overall pick of the Sudbury Wolves and is coming off a pretty solid rookie year in the OHL. The big winger is extremely skilled one on one and loves to attack the offensive zone with speed.

Gavin McCarthy

One of the strengths of this U.S. team will be their defense and McCarthy should be a big part of that. He was a standout in the defensive end as a 16-year-old with Muskegon (USHL) last year and plays a physical game.

Lucas St. Louis

Yes, Lucas is the son of Montreal Canadiens’ coach Marty. Lucas has apparently improved a lot in the last calendar year and is another quality member of this team’s blueline. He has a big shot and can lead the attack offensively.

Andrew Strathmann

We’ve mentioned a lot about the strength of this U.S. team being on the back-end and the top guy there is Strathmann. Much like Canada’s Cam Allen, Strathmann is a potentially dominant two-way defender and is coming off a terrific first year in the USHL.

Tanner Adams

Strong skating and competitive forward who plays both ends of the ice, but also has the skill to be a solid complementary winger on a scoring line. Adams was one of the highest scoring 2005 born players in the USHL last year.

Carey Terrance

While Terrance’s rookie OHL season with the Erie Otters may not have gone according to plan, he did show promising flashes in the second half. Speed is the name of the game for Terrance. He is lightning quick. Terrance was terrific at the Five Nations event last year, playing alongside Whitelaw. Could the U.S. put them back together again?

Prediction: Silver

Czechia

This is a very strong group for the Czechs, and they represent the country’s best chance to medal since 2017. This team has a good balance of talent at forward, on the back-end, and one of the top goaltenders at the Hlinka. Many of the team’s top players (like Sale and Petr) are also seasoned veterans internationally already.

Players to Watch

Eduard Sale

A top prospect for the 2023 draft, Sale obliterated the Czech U20 league last season and was terrific at the previous U18’s as an underager. Sale’s poise and vision with the puck is impressive and he has a chance to be one of the Hlinka/Gretzky’s top scorers.

Dominik Petr

Like Sale, Petr is someone who has already had a fair amount of success playing at the U18 level internationally for Czechia. He got hurt at the previous U18’s, but is healthy now and will form a dynamic one/two punch with Sale for the Czechs.

Michael Hrabal

Hrabal is a massive (6’6) goaltender who enters this event as one of the highest rated goaltenders. It is likely he spends this year in the USHL before attending UMass, not the most traditional route for a Czech player, but it shows how highly regarded Hrabal is.

Jakub Dvorak

Arguably the top defender on the Czech team, Dvorak is a 6’4 blueliner who will eat a ton of minutes in all situations. He was a standout for Czechia across U17 events last year and even played at the U18’s as an underager.

Jan Sprynar

The top secondary scoring option for this Czech team, Sprynar will be looking to prove that he belongs in the same conversation as Sale and Petr. He was a standout at the U17 level and has signed on to play with Rimouski (QMJHL) this season.

Adam Zidlicky

The son of former NHL defender Marek Zidlicky, Adam is a winger who plays with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL (as a non-import). Adam is a terrific complementary player with his speed and tenacity, and he likely starts the tournament playing alongside Sale and Petr on Czechia’s top line.

Prediction: Bronze

Germany

Much like Switzerland, Germany is going to be in tough at this event. The talent level of the other nations here is just a touch ahead of what Germany is bringing (on paper). It does, unfortunately, seem likely that they will be beat up on by Finland, the U.S., and the Czechs.

Players to Watch

Paul Mayer

The one potential high end NHL draft prospect on this German roster, Mayer is not eligible until 2024 due to his late birthday. The big defender will be the anchor of this German team and he should be able to make a name for himself as someone to watch.

Noel Nordh – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – UTAH MAMMOTH – Top 15 Prospect Profiles – Organizational Rank #5

Utah Mammoth Top-15 Prospects

1 - Caleb Desnoyers

2 - Dmitri Simashev

3 - Tij Iginla

4 - Daniil But

5 - Maveric Lamoureux

6 - Michael Hrabal

7 - Cole Beaudoin

8 - Artyom Duda

9 - Will Skahan

10 - Max Psenicka

11 - Maks Szuber

12 - Tomas Lavoie

13 - Vadim Moroz

14 - Noel Nordh

15 - Julian Lutz

2023 NHL DRAFT: A Review

#1 Chicago Blackhawks (A+)

#2 Columbus Blue Jackets (A)

#3 Philadelphia Flyers (A)

#4 Seattle Kraken (A-)

#5 Carolina Hurricanes (A-)

#6 Buffalo Sabres (A-)

#7 St. Louis Blues (B+)

#8 Washington Capitals (B+)

#9 Colorado Avalanche (B)

#10 Los Angeles Kings (B)

#11 Florida Panthers (B)

#12 Dallas Stars (C+)

#13 Vegas Golden Knights (B-)

#14 San Jose Sharks (B-)

#15 Calgary Flames (B-)

#16 Montréal Canadiens (B-)

#17 Arizona Coyotes (B-)

#18 Winnipeg Jets (C)

#19 New York Rangers (C)

#20 Detroit Red Wings (C)

#21 Edmonton Oilers (C)

#22 Anaheim Ducks (C-)

#23 Vancouver Canucks (D+)

#24 Nashville Predators (C-)

#25 Tampa Bay Lightning (D)

#26 New Jersey Devils (D+)

#27 Ottawa Senators (D)

#28 Pittsburgh Penguins (D-)

#29 Toronto Maple Leafs (D-)

#30 New York Islanders (D)

#31 Boston Bruins (F+)

#32 Minnesota Wild (F)

2023 NHL Combine: Part One – Fitness Testing Overview & Results

Standouts

Fitness Testing Results (excluding Functional Movement Screen & Grip Strength)

Top 10 from each category;

VO2 Max

Wingate Test

Pull Ups

Pro Agility (Right)

Pro Agility (Left)

Bench Press (50% of Body Weight)

Standing Long Jump

Vertical Jump

No Arm Jump

Squat Jump

Heights & Weights

Name Height /Weight

MCKEEN’S 2023 NHL DRAFT – FINAL RANKINGS – TOP 224 Plus Honourable Mentions

2023 IIHF U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – McKeen’s Scouting Team Predictions

Medal Predictions:

Who Will Win Tournament MVP:

Who Will Win Best Defenseman:

Who Will Win Best Goaltender:

What will be the surprise of the tournament?

Which draft prospect will raise his stock the most?

Which draft prospect are you most intrigued to see perform at the tournament?

2023 NHL DRAFT: MCKEEN’S MID-SEASON TOP 100 RANKING (SUBSCRIBERS)

2022 World Junior A Challenge – Draft Eligible Standout/Disappointing Performances

First Year Draft Eligibles

Aiden Fink - Wing - Canada West