Tom Novak – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – NASHVILLE PREDATORS – Team Preview

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 16:00:57 +0000

_{NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 26: Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) is shown during game three of the Western Conference first round playoff between the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks, held on April 26, 2024, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire)}

For much of 2023-24, the Predators were in the mix for a playoff spot, but far from a sure thing to advance. Following a 9-2 loss to Dallas on Feb. 15, Nashville was 27-25-2 and four points back in the wild-card race. Then Nashville’s core caught fire. Juuse Saros, who had a disappointing campaign to that point, went 15-3-3 with a 2.51 GAA and a .916 save percentage in 21 starts the rest of the way. Meanwhile, Filip Forsberg scored 23 goals and 41 points across Nashville’s final 28 outings, while Roman Josi and Gustav Nyquist recorded 36 and 34 points, respectively, over the same stretch. The result was Nashville reaching the postseason on the strength of a 47-30-5 record, but that was ultimately the high point for the Predators, who lost to Vancouver in the first round.

WHAT’S CHANGED? Backup goaltender Kevin Lankinen and offensive defenceman Tyson Barrie exited as unrestricted free agents, and Nashville dealt away 35-year-old blueliner Ryan McDonagh, but the Predators gained far more during the summer than they lost. High-end forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault signed from Tampa Bay and Vegas, respectively, bringing scoring depth and immense playoff experience to the franchise. Nashville also landed top four defenceman Brady Skjei to a seven-year deal. To replace Lankinen, Scott Wedgewood was inked to serve as Saros’ new understudy.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? Nashville’s offence was middle-of-the-road last year, but with Stamkos and Marchessault joining Forsberg, Ryan O’Reilly, Nyquist, and Thomas Novak, the Predators should have two excellent scoring lines this season -- maybe even three depending on how they spread things out, and if 22-year-old Luke Evangelista takes a step up in his second full NHL season. Meanwhile, Saros was a mixed bag last year, but when he’s good, there are few better. Coupled with the intangibles that come from bringing in players who have leadership and winning experience, this might be the best Predators team in a long time.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Age might get in the way. Josi and Stamkos are both already 34, while Marchessault will join them on Dec. 27. O'Reilly is starting to get up there, too, at 33. All of them were excellent last year, and there are certainly plenty of examples of stars who have staved off declines in their mid-30s, so regression is far from certain, but it is a potential concern. Saros’ inconsistent play is as well. So much is riding on him, especially after locking him up to an eight-year, $61.92 million deal over the summer, so if suffers prolonged cold streaks, that would be awfully concerning.

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Nashville is expected to rely heavily on veterans this season, but as noted above, Evangelista could be a meaningful part of the Predators’ offence in 2024-25. He had 16 goals and 39 points in 80 regular-season contests in 2023-24, which isn’t bad given that he was limited to an average of 13:57 of ice time. Keep in mind, though, that Nashville’s offseason additions might result in him serving primarily on the third line and second power-play unit, which would in turn limit his contributions.

FORWARD

Ryan O'Reilly

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	24	52	76	0.97

A major part of Nashville’s roster shake-up was buying out Matt Duchene and signing Ryan O’Reilly to a four-year deal. His $4.5 million cap hit looks like a hilarious underpay after how the first year of deal went. As a long-time Selke candidate, his excellent two-way play was expected but his real value came from giving the Preds something they haven’t had in years, an undisputed top line center. He was their go-to guy in every situation, and he shined on the power play. His playmaking and hockey sense provided a great complement to Filip Forsberg, helping him have a career season. He was one of the best in the league on the power play from the hashmarks down, both at working the slot and the net front. Not just as getting to the blue paint, but with timing rebounds, knowing where the loose pucks are and positioning himself so that he can capitalize on open nets. O’Reilly is like having a coach on the ice with how smart of a player he is, always directing traffic from the bumper position on the power play and shouldering the burden on breakouts. A perfect player to shepherd the Preds into their next stage, O’Reilly will give them a ton of value both on and off the scoresheet. The added offseason additions of Stamkos and Marchessault should ensure he maintains or exceeds last season production.

Steven Stamkos

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	37	34	71	0.95

Shockwaves were sent around the hockey world when news broke that Tampa Bay would be walking away from their longtime captain Steven Stamkos. It’s not often you have the chance to sign a future Hall of Famer, so it was a major jolt in the arm to Nashville when he chose them as the place to spend the final years of his career. While the days of him going back-and-forth with Ovechkin for the Richard race are over, the resurgence Stamkos has had after a myriad of injuries is something to behold. Suffering a bloodclot in the 2020 playoffs, he was slow to get back to speed and since then, he’s had two 40+ goal seasons in three years. How does he look like on Nashville as a 33-year-old though? He is still reliant on that deadly one-timer, and he’s had the luxury of Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point setting him up on the power play to get most of those goals. A lot of his value comes and goes with goal-scoring, as his play-driving strengths have gone downhill as he has gotten older. Tampa also had a tough time figuring out a permanent spot for him at even strength last year, yo-yoing between center and wing on scoring lines and checking lines depending on team needs. Nashville has a pretty good setup with a lethal top line and good scoring forwards emerging, so there are some intriguing options on where to slot their new toy. If anything, their power play should get a massive jolt. The adjustment will be real so expecting 35-40 goals and a point a game would be a good season in his new surroundings.

Filip Forsberg

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	54	48	102	1.24

Forsberg was always one of those players whose talent never matched up with his production, topping out as a 60-point guy due to injuries and low-scoring totals. That all changed two years ago when he reached the 40-goal mark and he did it again last season, coming two shy of hitting 50. He is one of the most gifted players in the league at puck-handling and creating his own shot. Strong on the puck with a dazzling set of hands, it’s incredibly difficult to get the puck away from Forsberg and he has that long stride where he can cover a lot of ground without possessing great speed. Combine that with his heavy, deceptive wrist shot, and you have someone who could garner some attention for a Hart Trophy when it all clicks. The problem for Forsberg is that it hasn’t “all clicked” for him except for a couple seasons in his career. The coaching change and his chemistry with Nyquist and O’Reilly helped a lot with this, as the two read off each other well and Nashville plays more of a free-wheeling style that allows Forsberg to get more puck touches and opportunities off the rush. He’s also become much better at forcing his way to the net if no shot is open. He is the engine that powers Nashville. Health allowing he could threaten 50 goals, though will defer to Stamkos at times on the power play in that regard,

Gus Nyquist

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	18	42	60	0.76

Even the biggest fans of Gus Nyquist were surprised with what he did in his 10^th NHL season, not only setting a career high in points but topping his career best by 21 points. He’s a jack of all trades winger who found a home on Nashville’s top line and enjoyed the many scoring opportunities that were set up on a platter for him by Forsberg and O’Reilly. It was also a two-way street because someone has to finish and get to the scoring areas for those chances to become goals and Nyquist did an excellent job of that. He started by scoring a lot by circumstance off rebounds and deflections, but it slowly began to look like a throwback to his Detroit days where the heavy wrist shot was his main weapon. His puck-protection skills, strong defensive stick and love of orbiting the offensive zone also helped him mesh as the third wheel on that Nashville top line. How the acquisition of Stamkos affects him will be interesting, as he plays the simplest game out of the three on the top line and the potential Stamkos brings on the off-wing might be too good to pass up. He’s also the most prone to regression on the scoresheet even if his worker-bee mindset shouldn’t be overlooked. Temper your expectations downward to 55 – 60 points, but meshed too well on the top line to overlook for possibly more.

Tommy Novak

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	19	36	55	0.71

Last season wasn’t so much a “prove it” year for Novak as it was finding out what an average year looks like for him. Not that his scoring surge was purely percentage-driven, because he was excellent at driving offence, but he had never played a full NHL season at that point and his goal-scoring ability came out of nowhere. Novak proved some skeptics wrong because he was one of Nashville’s best players at driving rush offence, creating zone entries and setting up scoring chances, the scoring, however, was a little more evened out. He was streaker and a mid-season injury put him behind the eight-ball a little bit. On the whole, he had a nice year alongside rookie Luke Evangilista and journeyman Mark Jankowski, scoring at a top six rate and allowing them to show some of their skill. Playmaking is Novak’s calling hard and has been for a while. He’s very strong along the wall despite his size and his vision is among the best on Nashville’s roster. The goal-scoring, however, was a major surprise. Not just that it happened, but because most of his goals were pure sniper shots you wouldn’t expect from someone who has never scored 20 goals at any level. He’s getting better every season despite being in his late-20’s and should slide into a nice spot with Nashville’s improved scoring depth. If the top line stays together, he is likely centering Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault on the second line. Equally he will lose power play time to his potential new line mates but should break through the 20-goal level and assists should be in good supply with the two prior 40-goal shooters on his wing.

Jonathan Marchessault

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	34	26	60	0.73

There isn’t a situation where Vegas walking away from Marchessault would be received well. He doesn’t have the pedigree of Stamkos, but he was there since the team’s inception, holds most of their records and won the Conn Smythe in their Cup year. This was Nashville’s gain as they pounced on another franchise’s icon to help reshape their forward corps. There are a few reasons why Vegas didn’t keep him despite him coming off a 42-goal season, aside from the fact that he turns 34 in December. Marchessault wasn’t just a goal-scorer in his prime, he was a pure driver of offence and possession. You could play him anywhere in the lineup and get great results. Last year, the goal-scoring didn’t taper off, but the playmaking and possession-driving weren’t up to his usual standards. He’s more of a shoot-first type of a player now rather than someone who will work the give-and-go game and help with carrying the puck into the zone. This could be a sign of him slowing down or just a one-off because every year before this was excellent and the bonus goals more than made up for it. Nashville is flush with pure shooters now between him, Stamkos and Forsberg in their top six with some intriguing setup guys in O’Reilly, Nyquist and Novak. It’s the deepest forward corps they’ve had in years.

Luke Evangelista

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	19	26	45	0.55

Leading their AHL team in scoring when he was called up in early 2023, Evangelista impressed Nashville enough to make him a permanent fixture in their lineup. The rewards weren’t immediate, as he scored in only two games in his first 20 of the season. The slump kept him from being a regular top six member, but he still finished the year strong with 16 goals and he was a very good playmaker all season. He was one of the more skilled forwards on the roster outside of their top line and Nashville allowed him to play through some of his growing pains. An effective puck-carrier with a low center of gravity, Evangelista can make quick-strike offence happen and has a lethal shot when he gets space. He just doesn’t use it much and will look to pass instead, which resulted in him setting up a lot of point shots to probe the defence instead of making a high-risk play. Part of the reason why his play-driving stats were inconsistent up until the end of the season was when he, Mark Jankowski and Tommy Novak formed a red hot third line for the Preds to close the season. He still hasn’t put it together, but Evangelista does a lot of things that should keep him a contributing player in the league for a long time. He will have more of a fight for prime offensive minutes this year, although he could also see a linemate boost if his play improves.

Colton Sissons

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	14	20	34	0.41

The less-celebrated Nashville forward who reached a career high in goals and points under Andrew Brunette, Sissons’ game is all about defence and penalty killing. We live in an age where almost every forward was a high-scorer in juniors or another level and can burn you if given the opportunity. Sissons wasn’t necessarily one of those guys, but he isn’t a slouch when it comes to finishing opportunities put on a tee for him. This was the case last year, scoring most of his goals off deflections, rebounds and surprising goalies with the occasional snipe. Sissons has been a fixture in Nashville for years, one of their more relied on penalty killers and their most aggressive to break shorthanded. Has a good first stride to get a step on defenders and takes a lot of the burden with defensive zone draws, setting the table for the next lines to play more in the offensive zone. The one lower-scoring forward who doesn’t need to worry about his ice-time because of his role in the defensive zone, but he will have to adjust to life without longtime linemate Yakov Trenin, who was the forechecking presence on this line.

Philip Tomasino

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
58	7	14	21	0.36

In what appears to be a “make-or-break” year for the former first round pick, Tomasino’s had a lot of NHL time for someone who can technically still be considered a prospect. Making the team out of camp, he didn’t get consistent playing time until the middle of the season and was sent back down to Milwaukee in February, where he spent the rest of the year. Tomasino’s drawback is that he hasn’t figured out how to score at the same rate he did at other levels, although he has never gotten prime offensive minutes and last year was an uphill battle for him in terms of linemates and situational deployment. He still ended up scoring at a 39-point pace, which is comparable to rookie Luke Evangelista and other young players who are slotted as productive top nine forwards. This might just be the burden of expectations and Nashville not having a deep enough roster to put him in a position to succeed, the latter of which could change this year. He is a dynamic skater who can weave through traffic and can create chances from inside the dots on his own. It will take an injury to break into the top six, but he could see some secondary power play time. There’s some major boom-or-bust potential with him, as he can be someone that lights it up on their third line or ends up back in roster purgatory. At 23, this is usually the year where it goes one way or another.

DEFENCE

Roman Josi

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	24	66	90	1.13

It’s easy to take excellence for granted. It’s doubtful anyone who follows Nashville does this with Roman Josi. He’s been the face of the team since the departure of PK Subban and has done nothing but casually break the mold for how a defenceman should play. There were times when you would be shocked to see a blueliner leading the rush or flying the zone, but it’s a regular occurrence for him in Nashville. A change in strategy to decrease his workload on puck retrievals and zone exits helped take his offensive production to another level in 2021-22 and we saw a repeat of that this year. With Ryan McDonagh or Dante Fabbro handling most of the forecheck pressure, Josi was free to roam up the ice and find all the open space in the neutral zone. He’s still the best skater and passer on the Preds, so good things usually happen when the puck is on his stick. His defensive game has also rounded out the past year, getting burned on rushes less frequently and giving forwards less of a gap when he does have to defend one-on-one. He still has that riverboat gambler mindset but is less of a pure one-way threat now than he was earlier in his career. Forsberg is the engine powering Nashville, but Josi is the one driving the bus. Do not underestimate and could take a step yet offensively.

Brady Skjei

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	13	39	52	0.64

Needing a minute-eater, Nashville found a good one in Brady Skjei in free agency, although it did cost them a pretty penny at over seven million AAV for seven years. Skjei is a great case of a player’s development not stagnating when they hit their early 20’s. He was a player with a lot of flaws in his game when Carolina got him at the 2020 trade deadline, with not much to his game except his size, skating and cardio. With some time under their coaching staff and playing regular minutes, he formed one of the league’s best shutdown pairs with Brett Pesce. Skjei’s main contributions were his shot blocking, his mobility and his ever-improving offensive instincts. He scored double-digit goals in each of his last two seasons, Carolina’s love of point shots fueling that, and should be in a position to contribute offensively in Nashville with how involved their defencemen usually are. The question is where he slots, as he can be Josi’s puck retrieval guy and another big shot to worry about from the point, or a guy who can carry their second pair. One would think it’s the latter, as he has no issues playing the tough matchups if he needs to. He was also used on the power play sparingly with the Hurricanes, although he will probably be limited to second unit duty at most with Josi in Nashville. He should be closer to 35 – 40 points and 10 goals or more in his new surroundings.

Alex Carrier

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	5	18	23	0.29

Seemingly on the trade block every year, Nashville went the other way and elected to re-sign the undersized defenceman to a three-year deal. Watching him play, it’s easy to see why most teams wanted him and why Nashville wanted to keep him. He can play the big minutes and is a mobile defenceman who can do all the little things. Carrier’s a great skater who can take a lot of hits despite his size, making him a great outlet in the defensive zone and he uses his low center gravity to time hits and break up plays at the blue line. His offence is also underrated, as he will jump into the play given the opportunity. Only has modest point totals to show for it, but he makes lives so much easier for the forwards in front of him with the work he does on the blue line. Great at walking the blue line and getting pucks through traffic as well. He’s a bit on the older side for someone who doesn’t have much NHL experience but can still hold the fort down on a second pair.

Dante Fabbro

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
66	2	12	14	0.21

Sometimes a player is “first pair” or “top line” in the lineup card only, that’s the case for Dante Fabbro. Usually paired with Roman Josi, Fabbro doesn’t always play every shift alongside him, usually subbed out late in the game for Ryan McDonagh or in long offensive zone shifts for someone with a little more pop. Fabbro gets the minutes with Josi because he can accept the role as the “retrieval guy” on the pair, taking a lot of hits and deferring most of the exits to someone else. He might not log major minutes, but they’re not easy to play and his role is one of the more underappreciated on the team. He hasn’t gotten to show some of the high-end offence he had in college because of his energy is burned in the defensive zone and you’re not going to get a lot of puck touches alongside Josi. Fabbro can still lean into a wrist shot from distance when he gets the room, but his relied upon to be a stabilizer more than a driver. Healthy scratch at times last year but has more of a clear roster spot now with Tyson Barrie leaving.

GOAL

Juuse Saros

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
61	36	19	6	4	0.910	2.61

If the Nashville Predators were especially lucky to transition seamlessly from perennially-elite starter Pekka Rinne to similarly-reliable Juuse Saros a handful of years ago, it seems their luck may have finally started to run out. The Central Division club, who were potentially poised to enter a new tandem era with Saros and top-tier prospect Yaroslav Askarov, found their hands forced by Askarov’s desire to start the year in the NHL instead of with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. His move to the San Jose Sharks at the end of August put Nashville’s goaltending situation into a very different perspective; things still aren’t as bleak as they could be, but this isn’t an obstacle they’ll be able to look back on and shrug off.

Saros has continued to be a commanding presence in the blue paint for Nashville. His ability to box opponents out of his crease and eliminate screens help him overcome any deficit he might incur as one of the league's shortest goaltenders. Even as Nashville has started to exit their contention window, Saros has looked like an almost seamless transition for the club from former star Pekka Rinne - and the hope was that Askarov would replicate the cycle all over again, coming in alongside Saros until he was ready to shoulder the larger bulk of the workload in the next few years. The Predators added veteran Scott Wedgewood on a multi-year deal to presumably serve as Saros' backup this year - which likely left Askarov convinced he’d spend the bulk of the year in the minors, prompting the discontent that led to his trade request. Now, Nashville will have to hope that Saros can continue to be their star without guaranteed help on the horizon; it's not an impossible feat, but it's far from the bright future Nashville fans have been eagerly awaiting since the 2020 NHL Draft.

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Rookies getting a long look at camp – Vasilevskiy goaltending shuffle? – Laine switching positions plus much more

Scott Cullen — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 17:19:27 +0000

NEWARK, NJ - SEPTEMBER 25: Philadelphia Flyers Forward Tyson Foerster (71) skates with the puck during a preseason game between the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils on September 25, 2023 at Prudential Center in the Newark, New Jersey.(Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dive into the numbers to help make decisions when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, Tyson Foerster, Matt Coronato, Matthew Poitras, and Zach Benson are among the rookies getting a long look at training camps. The Lightning are trying to survive Andrei Vasilevskiy’s injury, Patrik Laine’s shifting positions, and more.

#1 Drafted 23^rd by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2020 Draft, Tyson Foerster has been steadily progressing and he tallied 48 points (20 G, 28 A) in 66 AHL games last season and added seven points (3 G, 4 A) in eight NHL games. The 21-year-old is getting a real chance to make the team this year. His most common linemate in the preseason has been Joel Farabee, followed by Morgan Frost and Sean Couturier. That might indicate that Foerster is not only going to make the Flyers, but he could get a look in a scoring role, which might give him the opportunity to be fantasy relevant.

#2 The past couple of seasons have been the most productive of Evan Rodrigues’ career and it looks like he will have a chance to continue producing with his move to Florida, where he is getting a chance to skate alongside Aleksander Barkov, both at even strength and on Florida’s top power play unit. Rodrigues has scored 35 goals and 82 points in 151 games over the past two seasons, playing for Colorado and Pittsburgh. Rodrigues has been a top shot generator, averaging 9.67 shots per 60 minutes of five-on-five play in the past two seasons, which ranks 33^rd. He also has a shooting percentage in those two seasons of 8.2%, so he is just waiting for a bust-out season with improved percentages.

#3 There are few goaltenders in the league as indispensable as Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has handled a heavy workload throughout his career, allowing the Lightning to invest little in their backup goaltender. However, now that Vasilevskiy is going to miss at least a couple of months to start the season due to a back injury and that leaves the Lightning with Jonas Johansson, Hugo Alnefelt, and Matt Tomkins between the pipes. Johansson has been a quality AHL goaltender – he had a .920 save percentage in 26 AHL games last season – but he has a .887 save percentage in 35 career NHL games, which hardly screams ready to handle a starter’s role for a couple of months. Alnefelt is a 22-year-old who had a .904 save percentage in 33 AHL games last season. Tomkins is a 29-year-old who had a .909 save percentage in 65 games in the Swedish Hockey League over the past two years. On top of all of that, the Lightning have precious little cap space, especially until they get Vasilevskiy on LTIR.

#4 Tampa Bay is not the only team with goaltending concerns. It’s just that the Lightning have the biggest concern. However, for teams that might need goaltending, there are enough teams with quality number three goaltenders that the waiver wire or trades could be a path to stabilizing the situation between the pipes. Buffalo’s Eric Comrie, Calgary’s Daniel Vladar, Detroit’s Alex Lyon, Florida’s Anthony Stolarz, Los Angeles’ David Rittich, Toronto’s Martin Jones, and Seattle’s Chris Driedger or Joey Daccord are among the goaltenders with NHL experience that could be available as the season approaches.

#5 The Anaheim Ducks lost veteran left winger Alex Killorn for 4-6 weeks with a broken finger and his absence likely helps someone like Frank Vatrano, who is going to have a better shot at playing in the Ducks’ top six and skating on the wing with someone like Mason McTavish at centre is a good opportunity. Vatrano has some deep league fantasy appeal as a two-time 20-goal scorer who ranks 30^th in shots per 60 minutes over the past two seasons.

#6 An interesting development with the Blue Jackets is that they have shifted Patrik Laine to centre, between Johnny Gaudreau and Kirill Marchenko. While Laine’s skill set does not scream elite centre, if he can handle the role, he has the size to be a monstrous presence in the middle and with a playmaker like Gaudreau on the wing, Laine will still be able to fulfill his typical role as finisher. Laine has six points (3 G, 3 A) in four preseason contests. This development could be most interesting for Marchenko, who is getting a chance to skate with Columbus’ most dangerous offensive players, and it probably knocks down the value of Boone Jenner, who would potentially lose that spot on the top line.

#7 Some other players producing in the preseason, with a focus on players that might be exceeding expectations: Calgary rookie Matt Coronato has seven points (4 G, 3 A) in five games, Columbus’ Emil Bemstrom has six points (3 G, 3 A) in four games, Florida’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson has five assists in two games, Detroit’s J.T. Compher has five points (1 G, 4 A) in three games, and St. Louis’ Jakub Vrana has five points (3 G, 2 A) in four games. Small samples, obviously, but take the preseason production as an encouraging sign.

#8 A couple more rookies that are producing in the preseason and might just be forcing their way into NHL jobs: Bruins C Matthew Poitras, who has five points (3 G, 2 A) in five games and could at least get a trial as Boston’s No. 2 centre as the Bruins try to fill the gaping holes left by the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Buffalo’s Zach Benson, the 13^th pick in the 2023 Draft, has been getting quality looks in Sabres camp, playing on the top line with first unit power play time, and has five points (3 G, 2 A) in five preseason contests.

#9 When the New York Islanders acquired Pierre Engvall from the Toronto Maple Leafs at last season’s trade deadline, he was given a bigger role, playing an extra couple of minutes per game with the Islanders, and he contributed nine points (5 G, 4 A) in 18 games. It looks like Engvall could have a chance to stick in the Isles’ top six, as he is skating with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri on the second line. Engvall has a career high of 35 points coming into the season and it looks like he will have a real shot to play a bigger role with the Islanders.

#10 Looking back at the past three seasons, the points per 60 minutes leaders tend to be expected names – Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Matthew Tkachuk – but there are always some surprises that deserve more notice. Carter Verhaeghe ranks 12^th among skaters that played at least 500 five-on-five minutes, with 2.62 points/60. Nikolaj Ehlers is 19^th at 2.57 points/60, Jakub Vrana is 21^st at 2.56 points/60, Michael Bunting 26^th at 2.49 points/60, and Andre Burakovsky 34^th with 2.43 points/60. That’s the second note in favour of Vrana.

#11 Turning the focus to goals per 60 minutes, the leaders are mostly as expected: Auston Matthews, Jakub Vrana, David Pastrnak, Max Pacioretty, Filip Forsberg, Jared McCann, Daniel Sprong, Carter Verhaeghe, Roope Hintz, and Cole Caufield, all coming in ahead of 11^th-ranked Alex Ovechkin. There are some players who have missed significant time in the past three seasons, including Vrana, Pacioretty, Forsberg, Sprong, and Caufield, but that is a third positive reference for Vrana.

#12 Andrew Mangiapane is not only getting a look with Jonathan Huberdeau and Elias Lindholm on Calgary’s top line, but he is getting first unit power play time, too. Mangiapane went from a career-high 35 goals in 2021-2022 to 17 goals last season with his shooting percentage crashing from 18.9% to 9.3%, so he is a prime candidate to rebound and especially if he is going to get a shot with top offensive performers.

#13 When winger Sammy Blais returned to St. Louis at the trade deadline last season, he was given a new opportunity. He saw his ice time jump nearly five minutes per game, from 9:38 with the Rangers to 14:36 with the Blues, and Blais contributed 20 points (9 G, 11 A) in 31 games. He scored on 23.1% of his shots and that is not sustainable, but that increased role and productivity put Blais on the radar for fantasy managers because he also had 119 hits in 31 games. He is an injury risk as last season’s 71 games was the first time that he had played more than 40 games in an NHL season, but if opportunity knocks in St. Louis this year, Blais is going to be in position to chip in and offer fantasy appeal, at least in deep or banger leagues.

#14 An efficient depth player for much of his career, Ryan Donato is the latest to get a look on Chicago’s top line, skating alongside Taylor Hall and Connor Bedard. In the past two seasons, Donato has scored 29 goals at even strength, the same number as Pierre-Luc Dubois, and more than Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evgeni Malkin, among others. With 1.08 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-five play in the past two seasons, Donato ranks 46^th among skaters to play at least 1,000 five-on-five minutes. He may not last alongside Bedard and Hall but might be worth a late-round flier in a deep league just in case he sticks there and continues to score, only with more ice time, in Chicago.

#15 The second pick in the 2020 Draft, Quinton Byfield has been making slow progress, but has loads of potential and has an opportunity to break through as he skates on the Kings’ top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. Byfield had 22 points in 53 games last season, managing just three goals, but he did have some flashes. He had nine points (1 G, 8 A) during a 10-game stretch in the second half of the season and contributed four points (1 G, 3 A) in six playoff games against Edmonton. It would help if he could increase his shot rate, but it is also too soon to be giving up on a 21-year-old who is 6-foot-5 and can skate like Byfield, so this could be a pivotal season for his development.

#16 Sticking with the 2020 Draft, top pick Alexis Lafreniere has not fulfilled his potential yet, either and it leads to complicated discussions. In three NHL seasons, Lafreniere has produced 44 even strength goals, which ranks 81^st in the league. It’s the same number as Anze Kopitar and one more than Mika Zibanejad, which would seem like pretty good company, but Lafreniere has a total of six power play points in 216 games and that leaves him with uninspiring point totals. With a new coach, Peter Laviolette, behind the bench for the Blueshirts, it looks like Lafreniere should have a chance to play in the top six, but it also looks like he is not getting power play time, and that is going to put a limit on his fantasy appeal.

#17 Nashville’s top power play unit is interesting. Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi are obvious veteran anchors for the unit, but Tommy Novak and Luke Evangelista are getting regular spots and then there is a spot for either Ryan O’Reilly or Cody Glass. If the Predators are trying to rebuild on the fly, giving young players like Novak, Evangelista, and Glass a real chance in prominent roles is a way to find out if they are going to be able to remain competitive through the process. For fantasy managers, that does elevate the appeal of those less proven Preds.

#18 With Vasily Podkolzin getting cut and Ilya Mikheyev’s health in question in Vancouver, that makes it look like Nils Hoglander and Phil DiGiuseppe will have regular spots in the Canucks lineup. Hoglander does offer more upside, scoring 24 of his 26 career goals at even strength, but he managed just nine points (3 G, 6 A) in 25 games before getting demoted to the AHL last season. Hoglander had 27 points (13 G, 14 A) in 56 games as a rookie in 2020-2021 but was going in the wrong direction, so this might be the opportunity he needs to get back on track.

#19 Looking back to the 2022-2023 season, there were a few players who really surged after the All-Star break. Many are the top players in the league, but some might come as a surprise. Arizona’s Clayton Keller, for example, ranked fourth with 45 points (19 G, 26 A) in 32 games following the break. Dallas defenceman Miro Heiskanen had 33 points (4 G, 29 A) in 31 games, Nashville’s Tommy Novak had 32 points (13 G, 19 A) in 32 games, Buffalo’s Casey Mittelstadt produced 31 points (8 G, 23 A) in 33 games, and Washington’s Dylan Strome had 29 points (12 G, 17 A) in 29 games. He missed some time, but Columbus’ Patrik Laine had 21 points (8 G, 13 A) in 19 games to finish last season.

#20 Finally, with the season just around the corner, beware of the injury bug. Last week, I wrote about how John Klingberg was getting a chance on Toronto’s top power play unit, and he hasn’t played since, as he nurses an upper-body injury. Roope Hintz and Wyatt Johnston have both been out for the Dallas Stars and while they appear to be making progress, it seems possible that they might not be ready for opening night. Mattias Ekholm has been out of the Oilers lineup, leaving a gaping hole on the Edmonton blueline. Ottawa centre Josh Norris is working his way back from shoulder surgery, but with Shane Pinto still unsigned, that leaves the Sens suddenly thin down the middle, at least for the time being. Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel was not expected to be ready for the start of the season, following offseason ankle surgery, but has been practicing with the Penguins so he may be getting close. San Jose’s Logan Couture does not appear likely to be ready for the start of the season. That probably gives Mikael Granlund a bigger role for the Sharks. Neck spasms have been keeping Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers out of the lineup, a huge absence for Winnipeg, and Winnipeg is being careful so he may not be ready for the start of the season either.

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – NASHVILLE PREDATORS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 19:58:08 +0000

NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 19: Nashville Predators center Thomas Novak (82) is shown during the NHL game between the Nashville Predators and Edmonton Oilers, held on December 19, 2022, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire)

Review: The Predators have rarely been listed among the main contenders for the Stanley Cup in any given year, but they have managed to stay consistently competitive, making the playoffs for eight straight campaigns from 2014-15 through 2021-22. They nearly reached nine consecutive seasons but came just short with their 42-32-8 record last year. Juuse Saros deserves most of the credit for keeping Nashville close. He’s one of the most reliable goaltenders in the world, and he stayed strong in 2022-23, posting a 33-23-7 record, 2.69 GAA and .919 save percentage in 64 contests. Consider that Nashville ranked 28th in 5-on-5 expected goals against (199.01), suggesting the Predators were among the league’s worst teams defensively and would have consequently been easy to score against if not for some stellar netminding. Saros’ role was even more important because Nashville didn’t do much offensively. None of the Predators reached the 60-point mark, though it didn’t help that Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and especially Roman Josi missed meaningful chunks of the season. The silver lining is Saros is just 28, and the Predators have two more seasons left at a team-friendly $5 million cap hit, so there’s still time to build around him.

What’s Changed? Deciding major turnover was necessary, Predators GM Barry Trotz bought out Matt Duchene’s contract and traded Ryan Johansen to Colorado. Nashville leveraged that freed cap space to ink top-six forwards Ryan O'Reilly and Gustav Nyquist. They also added defensive defenseman Luke Schenn, which might make life a little easier on Saros.

What would success look like? The Predators could absolutely make it back into the playoffs, but their push needs to start with another great campaign from Saros. Assuming they have that, an injury-free year out of Josi would do a lot to make up the rest of the gap. Meanwhile, it will be the first full NHL campaign for forwards Thomas Novak, Luke Evangelista and Juuso Parssinen, who could combine to make Nashville a significantly better team offensively than they were in 2022-23.

What could go wrong? Whenever a team relies so much on a single player, as Nashville does with Saros, the nightmare scenario is always an injury to said player. Although Nashville does have a sufficient backup in Kevin Lankinen, but being forced to rely on him for an extended period would be far from ideal. It’s also not clear how much offensive help O’Reilly and Nyquist will be. Both had up-and-down campaigns last year, so if Nashville was hoping to swap Duchene and Johansen for safer bets, they may end up disappointed.

Top Breakout Candidate: After scoring 17 goals and 43 points in 51 games last season, Novak is perhaps too easy of a choice, so instead let’s focus on one of his projected linemates, Evangelista. The 21-year-old also had an encouraging, albeit much shorter, stint with Nashville in 2022-23, contributing seven goals and 15 points in 24 contests. Evangelista also excelled in the AHL with 41 points in 49 outings and turned pro with plenty of offensive upside. He’s a big part of why Nashville has reason for optimism about the long-term outlook of its forward core.

Forwards

Filip Forsberg - LW

Looking to follow up a fantastic 42-goal season, Forsberg started off a little slow with only two goals in the first month of the season. He hit his stride over the winter, scoring at a point-per-game pace in November and December before a concussion in early February sidelined him for the rest of the season. Streaky scoring isn’t out of the ordinary for Forsberg, as he is the type of player who will run hot, and he was on-pace to match his typical season totals before getting hurt. Talent eventually shows through with most players, and he is the type you can always count on to go on a scoring tear at some point. Terrific at generating offense on his own, Forsberg is one of the most creative shooters in the league. He can test goalies despite being covered or tricking defenders by passing at the very last second to set up a breakaway or a lay-up goal for his linemates. He had fantastic chemistry with Matt Duchene in 2022 for this reason and while they struggled to repeat that last year, Forsberg still found a way to get on the scoresheet with a revolving door of linemates. His 42-goal campaign might have been an aberration, but at the end of the day the Preds will be happy with what they get out of Forsberg.

Ryan O’Reilly - C

Nashville shook up their forward corps this summer, shipping off veterans Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen and bringing in Ryan O’Reilly as their new centerpiece. Whether you’re a contending team or navigating a rebuild, O’Reilly is a good player to build your forward group around. He can handle the big minutes and the tougher matchups, which will make life easier for the Tommy Novaks of the roster. Nashville’s blue line will also benefit from him, as he acts like a third defenseman with how deep he plays in the zone and how good he is at starting breakouts. This along with his strength in making plays on his backhand are his calling cards. He has also made the most out of playing with some of the scraps in the St. Louis’ forward corps, as the more talented players were moved to more scoring lines. Last year he formed an excellent checking line with Josh Leivo and Brandon Saad. O’Reilly is the type of player whose line will usually dominate territorially even if they aren’t scoring a lot of goals, so this bodes well for what he can do in Nashville. Very high floor, but a lower ceiling than there used to be with him.

Tommy Novak - C

The former Minnesota Gopher might have been the best player in the second half of the season that you’ve never heard of (unless you’re a Nashville fan or a fantasy hockey player). Known primarily as a playmaker and a pass-first player, the 17 goals in 50 games Novak scored last year was one fewer than his career total in four years at college and more than he scored in any season in the AHL. It wasn’t the “playing out of the string” type of production either, as Nashville was fighting for a playoff spot in the second half and three of Novak’s goals were scored in overtime. He showed signs that he could be a good player during his first cup of coffee with the Preds. He has excellent hands and was very good at making safe plays to keep offensive zone shifts going. What changed last year was that he really started poaching for more offense and began shooting more. Some of that is from getting endless breakaway opportunities but he also worked his way into the slot to create his own shot instead of reverting to the point or passing it off to someone else. At 26, this was probably Novak’s last chance to prove he belongs in the NHL and to say he proved that is an understatement.

Gustav Nyquist - LW

Every team needs a player or two like Nyquist, a decent scoring forward who isn’t a top-liner but can keep up with your big dogs if you need someone to fill-in. Nyquist has that Swiss-Army Knife toolset where he can do just enough to help everyone his line without being the main driver of it, not being the first one on pucks, but usually being in the right spot to receive a pass or setup a give-and-go. Uses his stick well in the defensive zone and was a regular on Columbus’ aggressive penalty kill for years, scoring seven shorthanded goals in three years with Columbus. Had no real consistent linemates with the Jackets last year and didn’t see any action with Minnesota until the playoffs where he played on a line with Ryan Hartman. Doesn’t have the shot or the game-breaking skill to be the driver on his line, or a consistent offensive threat, but will pitch-in enough to help any line that he is on. Modern day utility player and a nice placeholder for the Preds.

Cody Glass - C

Spending all of 2021-22 in the AHL, Nashville made it a priority to fix Cody Glass’ development after getting him from Vegas. The former third overall pick had a rocky start in the NHL and his first full season with the Predators was a major step forward. Finding his way as a middle-six center, Glass seemed to find his niche as a goal-scorer and a net-front guy on the power play. Scoring six of his goals with the man advantage, Glass is more of the “goal/point vulture” mold right now, he hangs around the net most of his shifts and has slowly figured out the ins-and-outs of scoring a lot of dirty goals. He has terrific hands but slow feet, so this is a good way for him to make an NHL career. It makes him more of a secondary player on his line, as he doesn’t play with a lot of pace, or handle the puck much, but it’s also something you can work around since he will do the little things away from the puck. His defensive game was especially encouraging, always in the right spot in coverage to help generate easy exits. Great things were expected for Glass when Vegas took him with their first ever pick and a detour to Nashville seems to be just what he needed to get his career back on track.

Yakov Trenin - LW

Appropriately nicknamed “The Yak,” the Nashville winger is probably most known for being one of the only players to fight Zdeno Chara twice. What they might not know is that he’s become one of Nashville’s more reliable players since then. Scoring double-digit goals in back-to-back seasons, he found a home on what was dubbed “The Herd Line” by Preds fans. He was one of the straws that stirred the drink on that line because he is very direct in how he plays. He shoots the puck at every opportunity and will lay a shoulder into any player that is along the boards. The more skilled parts of his game showed out a little last year, carrying the puck into the zone more and surprising defenders with his puck-handling. He still doesn’t drift too far from his bread and butter, always hanging around or behind the net to set up shop in the offensive zone and being a nuisance to play against. Also, a fixture on Nashville’s penalty kill alongside Colton Sissons. Trenin should continue to be a regular middle-sixer for Nashville even with The Herd Line disassembled.

Denis Gurianov - RW

Dallas finally decided to cut bait with their former first round pick, sending him to Montreal in exchange for Evgenii Dadonov. Far removed from his 20-goal rookie campaign, Gurianov struggled to find the scoring touch after that and hasn’t found a niche in the other parts of the game. His last year in Dallas was his low point, with only two goals in 43 games. If you tuned into their games, you know it wasn’t for a lack of trying, as he averaged more shots per 60 minutes than almost any of their other forwards and the blistering one-timer is still there. Being able to get it on the net has been the issue and his game went from one-dimensional to zero-dimensional as a high-shot volume player who couldn’t score. A fresh start in Montreal helped for a pinch, scoring four goals in five games after the trade but they ultimately let him become a free agent. He brings some qualities that Nashville could use, especially as a triggerman for their second power play unit and someone who plays with a high-motor and will at least work hard in his minutes. It’s tough to say if he will get regular playing time with so many players from Milwaukee looking for full-time jobs too.

Colton Sissons - C

A hero from their 2017 Stanley Cup run, Sissons has been a mainstay in Nashville’s bottom-six for years, centering The Herd Line with Trenin and Jeannot. He was one of a few players that had their role increased last year due to injury, playing close to 19 minutes some nights and even getting some prolonged time with Filip Forsberg in the top-six at times. Sissons is typically the “next man up” for Nashville in these situations because of how reliable his game is as a defensive player and that he has the stamina to play bigger minutes if needed. Most of the time he has a pretty thankless role as the center who takes most of the defensive zone faceoffs and the main job is surviving the shift before even thinking about making a play with the puck. It’s a tough, but necessary role on most teams and you can do worse than Sissons. He usually finds a way to get to the 25–30-point range despite that, though. Last year was his highest goal total since 2019, as the extra ice-time allowed him to poach for more offense at times. He can also play the wing if needed, so should continue to be a fixture in Nashville’s lineup next year.

Phillip Tomasino - RW

After spending all of 2021-22 in the NHL, the former first round pick wasn’t called up to Nashville until February. This decision was met with the refrain of “it’s about time,” as he was a sleeper pick for some people last year. Not setting the world on fire but showing some flash as a playmaker and looking like he belonged in the NHL at the very least. His play down the stretch was more of the same, Tomasino getting more of a run in the top-six and showing some of that creativity that got him drafted so high. Why he was in the AHL for so long is tough to say. Either Nashville didn’t want to have one of their top prospects stuck as a checker or they felt his overall game needed more work. Regardless, it looks like he did enough to be on the opening night roster this year. He was a decent weapon on the second power play unit, setting up a lot of plays from the right faceoff circle and scoring a few “surprise” goals off deflections. The lack of goal-scoring and his spotty play-driving are legitimate concerns, but hopefully he will get a full-season to iron those out this time around.

Defense

Roman Josi - D

Following up a record-setting season is tough. Perhaps it’s even more difficult when someone on another team breaks your own record, which was the case for Nashville’s star defenseman. He was the first defenseman to top 90 points, something that hasn’t been done post-lockout, until Erik Karlsson scored 101-points this year. There wasn’t a lot that changed about his overall game this year except the puck went into the net less often, mainly on the power play where he had 13 fewer points. Josi was the same, roaming player he has always been, always looking to push for offense. Nashville’s forwards not scoring as many goals as they used to is what hurt his point total more than anything. The same passing plays he created in 2022 weren’t as freely available last year, so the points didn’t come as easily for him. The main difference for the Nashville captain this year was adjusting to a new partner in Ryan McDonagh, pairing him with another lefty for the first time in a while and someone who is a little tougher around the edges than Dante Fabbro. It made breakouts a little easier, as Josi didn’t have to go the full 200 feet to create offense and could get up in the play more with a steady partner back. Still projects to be the team’s best player for the upcoming season.

Tyson Barrie - D

Some players are a product of the situations they’re in and Tyson Barrie has been living his best life running the top of the umbrella of the Oilers power play. His vision and deception from the point made him a good fit for that spot, as he can do more than just distribute from the point and find the soft spots in the penalty kill. Nashville got to see glimpses of that during his audition with the team after the trade deadline. He’s also a decent goal-scoring threat for a defenseman, tallying 10 last season. He has some utility at 5-on-5 but was used primarily on the third pair during his final year with Edmonton, as he doesn’t handle forecheck pressure well and has trouble translating his strong puck-skills when the game gets quicker. Most of his value is attached to what he does on the power play, which was a lot with the Oilers. 54-percent of his points with Edmonton were with the man advantage. He could see a bigger role in Nashville but will have a tough time unseating Roman Josi as the team’s power play quarter back.

Ryan McDonagh - D

Few players deserved the “underrated” tag more than Ryan McDonagh in his prime. He did everything you want out of a top-pairing defenseman and could control 5-on-5 play better than almost anyone. As he has gotten older, he’s gotten less concerned with putting up points and more with taking care of his own zone first. He’s a strong skater still and will jump in for a splash play occasionally, but he’s not the one-man breakout he used to be. Pairing him with Josi made sense on paper, as McDonagh can still be effective with taking hits and killing the play along the boards so Josi can scoop the puck up, but there is only so much you can do as a defenseman playing this style. You’re making the first play, but everything else is out of your control, so the downside is you might have a season like McDonagh where you spend most of the time blocking shots and preventing damage in your own zone. There’s a role for these players, but it’s a taxing style on their bodies and McDonagh already has a lot of miles on his tires at 33-years old. His skating is still strong enough to keep him a viable option on the penalty kill and the top-four.

Alex Carrier - D

The young defenseman suffered two setbacks, first was having his season derailed by an injury, second was losing Mattias Ekholm, Carrier’s defense partner for most of his brief career. His game isn’t too different from top-pairing defensemen around the AHL or in other leagues, just needing a chance to finally get a chance in the AHL. He’s a good skater that uses his stick to disrupt plays without taking penalties and was a great fit for John Hynes’ system where the right defensemen step up in the neutral zone regularly. Very good with the puck even if it doesn’t translate to a lot of points, as exiting the zone with control is a strength of his. Could be in a tough roster situation this year with Nashville having four right-handed defensemen under contract and his regular partner now playing for another team. Mobility and willingness to play anywhere in the lineup should be enough to keep him a regular, although maybe with a different role depending on how the roster shakes out.

Goaltending

Juuse Saros - G

The Nashville Predators missing out on the postseason last year was hardly goaltender Juuse Saros’ fault. The undersized – but remarkably well-positioned and hard-to-shake – number one put up one of the league’s best performances last year, despite the raw numbers showcasing nothing more than an overworked (but better than average) starter on an underperforming team. No goaltender in the NHL made more saves above expected last year than he did, with the 28-year-old keeping his team not just in games, but close to the playoff hunt quite literally down to the bitter end. The Predators missed the postseason by a mere three points last year, and it’s hard to believe they would have been anywhere but the league basement without Saros’ steady presence in more than two-thirds of their games.

Of course, there’s only so long that the team can continue to trot out Saros for over sixty games a year. It’s hard to imagine they don’t want to split the workload more evenly, and there’s a chance that he’ll be able to take some breaths of relief with prospect Yaroslav Askarov looking more and more ready for regular NHL action. But ultimately. Saros is a smaller goaltender who has to rely on picture-perfect precision in his game to keep the team from backsliding; if they keep playing him with the kind of workload they’ve asked of him for the last few years, it’s hard to imagine it won’t start to show up in the form of fatigue errors before they’re ready to get Askarov into regular game action. The Predators have to find the balance between treating their current starter right and avoiding any kind of rush job for their goaltender of the future – and right now, they’re toeing that line a little too closely for comfort.

Projected starts: 60-65

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Difference makers in the final week of the season

Scott Cullen — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 19:01:41 +0000

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

This week, players that might make a difference in the final week of the season, including Alex Lyon, David Perron, and Thomas Novak, plus some keeper league options to consider.

#1 In a season with some unexpected goaltending performances, Florida getting clutch performances out of 30-year-old Alex Lyon is one of the bigger surprises. With the Panthers pushing for a playoff spot, and Sergei Bobrovsky injured, the job has fallen to Lyon. He stopped 56 of 58 shots in Thursday’s 7-2 win over Ottawa, marking his fifth straight win, and he has a .961 save percentage in those five starts.

#2 Veteran winger David Perron is finishing strong for a Red Wings squad that has generally been fading down the stretch. Perron has put up 16 points (8 G, 8 A) with 36 shots on goal in his past 16 games. He is making the most of his opportunity on Detroit’s top line with Dylan Larkin and Dominik Kubalik. That trio has been excellent, capturing 59.2% of expected goals and 68.1% of goals during five-on-five play.

#3 Nashville’s improbable push for a playoff spot has been due in no small part to the emergence of young players who have been thrust into bigger roles. Center Thomas Novak is still widely available in fantasy leagues, despite scoring 30 points (13 G, 17 A) in his past 26 games. The 25-year-old had seven points (1 G, 6 A) in 27 games as a rookie last season, and started this season in the American Hockey League, so maybe it should not be surprising that he is so readily available, but his production deserves respect.

#4 On a lesser scale, Predators center Cody Glass has at least established his credentials as an NHL player and has contributed six points (4 G, 2 A) and 17 shots on goal in his past seven games. He has been averaging more than 17 minutes of ice time per game since the trade deadline, and the Preds remain in the playoff hunt into the final week of the regular season.

#5 Although he was held off the scoresheet in Thursday’s 4-1 win against Minnesota, Penguins right winger Bryan Rust has finished strong in what has otherwise been a relatively disappointing season. The industrious winger has eight points (5 G, 3 A) and 30 shots on goal in his past nine games, giving him 20 goals for the fourth consecutive season. Rust has scored on just 9.6% of his shots this season, his lowest mark since 2015-2016.

#6 After erupting for a career-high 35 goals last season, Calgary Flames winger Andrew Mangiapane has 17 goals and 40 points heading into the final week of the regular season. However, he has been finding the scoresheet more frequently, putting up eight points (4 G, 4 A) in his past 11 games, as he continues to thrive on a line with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman. That trio has controlled 66.8% of expected goals and 72.9% of goals during five-on-five play. If the Flames somehow manage to reach the postseason, a lot of credit will be due to that line.

#7 Last week, I hit on several St. Louis Blues players that are providing good value late in the season. Add one more this week: Alexei Toropchenko. The 23-year-old scored a goal in Thursday’s 3-2 win over the Rangers, giving him six points (4 G, 2 A) and 15 shots on goal while playing nearly 14 minutes per game in his past six games.

#8 Consistency is sometimes elusive for the Rangers’ Kid Line, but Alexis Lafreniere has delivered seven points (2 G, 5 A) in his past seven games. He has scored 35 of his 39 points at even strength, the same as Matt Boldy, Alex DeBrincat, and Brad Marchand, among others.

#9 The top five defensemen when it comes to goals this season are largely who one might expect to finish in that top tier – Erik Karlsson, Dougie Hamilton, Roman Josi, and Cale Makar hold down four of the top five spots. Tied with Josi, and one goal ahead of Makar, is Carolina Hurricanes blueliner Brady Skjei who has nine points (6 G, 3 A) with 38 shots on goal in his past 13 games.

#10 Frequently a reluctant shooter, Blue Jackets center Jack Roslovic has put up eight points (4 G, 4 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past seven games. He has 44 points (11 G, 33 A) on the season, one off the career-high 45 points that he produced last season. Roslovic is having some late season success with rookie Kent Johnson on his wing.

#11 The Buffalo Sabres and Colorado Avalanche are the only two teams that still have five games remaining on their respective regular-season schedules. For fantasy squads that need every possible edge, finding a few extra games can make a difference. A couple of Sabres worth considering:

Owen Power – Buffalo’s rookie defenseman has six assists in his past five games. There is a ceiling on his offensive upside as long as Rasmus Dahlin is quarterbacking the top power play unit, but five games from Power could offer more potential than three games from other defenders.

Casey Mittelstadt – With Tage Thompson working his way back from injury, the Sabres have kept Mittelstadt with Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch. Mittelstadt could stand to shoot more but has delivered nine assists in his past five games.

#12 And a couple of Avs that could offer a late season lift:

Samuel Girard – Although Devon Toews and Bowen Byram are even better options, especially when Cale Makar is missing games, Girard has four points (1 G, 3 A) in his past five games, giving him a career-high 35 points but he also has a career-high 111 blocked shots and his 64 hits is one away from his career best, set last season.

Evan Rodrigues – With Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen out, Rodrigues has the opportunity to skate on Colorado’s top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen – a good place to ride their coattails to more points. When Rodrigues gets more ice time, the points have followed. He has 26 points (10 G, 16 A) in the 39 games in which he has played more than 17 minutes.

#13 The Top 10 scorers since the March 3 trade deadline, among players that were traded before the deadline:

Sammy Blais, St. Louis – 16 points (6 G, 10 A) in 18 GP

Marcus Johansson, Minnesota – 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 16 GP

Timo Meier, New Jersey – 13 points (9 G, 4 A) in 18 GP

Rasmus Sandin, Washington – 13 points (1 G, 12 A) in 15 GP

Jakub Vrana, St. Louis – 12 points (9 G, 3 A) in 17 GP

Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis – 11 points (4 G, 7 A) in 17 GP

Tyson Barrie, Nashville – 11 points (3 G, 8 A) in 19 GP

Patrick Kane, N.Y. Rangers – 10 points (5 G, 5 A) in 15 GP

Mattias Ekholm, Edmonton – 10 points (3 G, 7 A) in 17 GP

Nino Niederreiter, Winnipeg – 10 points (6 G, 4 A) in 17 GP

While players like Meier, Tarasenko, and Kane would have been rostered in most leagues, there was significant value to be found via unexpected sources. Blais is the most obvious, but Johansson, Sandin, and Vrana have seen a significant upgrade in their respective value since the deadline. Kane might have been the biggest name to move, but his production has been mediocre and he is nursing an injury, with an eye towards getting healthy for the postseason.

#14 If you’re looking for some keepers for next season, consider Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton of the Arizona Coyotes. Schmaltz has 33 points (14 G, 19 A) in his past 30 games and while he is not going to keep scoring on more than 22% of his shots, as he has during that hot stretch, he has a good thing going with Clayton Keller. Hayton has had similar success, putting up 28 points (13 G, 15 A) in his past 32 games and he has been generating more shots on goal, so he has not been as dependent on an inflated shooting percentage. The Coyotes should have some new faces up front next season, but Schmaltz and Hayton have shown in the second half of this season that they can be reliable offensive contributors.

#15 He has missed time following sports hernia surgery and has bizarrely seen his ice time cut this season but hold on to Winnipeg Jets right winger Nikolaj Ehlers. He has 36 points (12 G, 24 A) in 42 games but has played just 15:49 per game, a significant drop from the career-high 18:04 per game that he played last season. There could be changes in Winnipeg in the offseason, but Ehlers should be considered part of the solution there, with a bigger role than he has had in 2022-2023.

#16 A deeper cut for potential keepers for next season is Carolina Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The 22-year-old pivot has scored 14 points (5 G, 9 A) in his past 18 games, lifting him to a modest career high of 39 points. This late surge does show some promise and Kotkaniemi should still be on his career ascent, even though he is wrapping up his fifth NHL season.

#17 While most fantasy managers would already be inclined to keep Florida Panthers winger Sam Reinhart, he is probably even more valuable than expected. Not only does Reinhart have 64 points (30 G, 34 A) in 79 games, but he has done this with a five-on-five on-ice shooting percentage of 6.5%, which is very low for a scoring forward. That is the first time since 2017-2018 that it has been under 8.0%, so he is likely due to pick up more assists next season.

#18 On the surface, Ottawa Senators winger Alex DeBrincat has had a disappointing season, going from 41 goals in 2021-2022 to 26 goals this season. That does not mean that the 25-year-old sniper is not worth keeping for next season. His shooting percentage dropped to 10.1% this season, the second lowest mark of his career, but he generated 3.27 shots on goal per game this season, compared to 3.29 per game last season. A simple boost in shooting percentage could be enough for DeBrincat to get back to pushing for 40 goals. There is, admittedly, some uncertainty in where DeBrincat could play next season, as he is a restricted free agent due a high qualifying offer, but he is a good bet to be more productive in the 2023-2024 season.

#19 Known more for his defensive acumen, Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek has still produced a career high 61 points (23 G, 38 A). The fascinating part is that Eriksson Ek is one of four players to have at least 10 fewer goals than their expected goals total on Natural Stat Trick. He has scored 23 goals with 34.45 expected goals, so it is reasonable to believe that there is even more offensive production possible. The other forwards to have missed their expected goals total by more than 10 are Carolina’s Stefan Noesen along with Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson.

#20 Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid has run away with the scoring race, currently leading teammate Leon Draisaitl by 25 points. The last time a player won the scoring race by that wide a margin was in 1990-1991, when Wayne Gretzky had 32 more points than Brett Hull. McDavid has done this with massive power play production (69 of 148 points with the man advantage), so he has not even needed a lofty on-ice shooting percentage during five-on-five play. His on-ice shooting percentage of 9.4% is higher than last season but is still the second lowest mark of his career. This is all to say that even if the Oilers power play is not quite as dominant next season that McDavid still has some statistical wiggle room in his quest for another huge scoring season.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – O’Reilly in Toronto, Orlov in Boston – Beauvillier, Domi, Novak, Girard plus more

Scott Cullen — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 16:53:17 +0000

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 18: Toronto Maple Leafs center Ryan O'Reilly (90) readies himself prior to the face-off in the first period during the NHL regular season game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 18, 2023 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON. (Photo by Gavin Napier/Icon Sportswire)

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

This week, the trade business is starting to pick up, so look to Ryan O’Reilly in Toronto and Dmitry Orlov heading to Boston, plus Anthony Beauvillier, Max Domi, Thomas Novak, Samuel Girard and more that could be worth adding to your fantasy squad.

#1 The Toronto Maple Leafs made a big splash ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline, acquiring center Ryan O’Reilly from the St. Louis Blues. O’Reilly was having a rough year in St. Louis, with 19 points (12 G, 7 A) in 40 games, but has a whole new opportunity in Toronto. He is centering the second line, between John Tavares and Mitch Marner. In his first three games with the Leafs, O’Reilly has five points, including a hat trick at Buffalo on Tuesday.

#2 Coming with O’Reilly in the trade to Toronto is Noel Acciari, a versatile forward who does offer some banger league fantasy value. Acciari has 19 points (11 G, 8 A) in 57 games, so he is not a big scorer, but he has 181 hits, including 13 in three games for Toronto. Acciari’s 11 goals and 19 points is the most of any forward with more than 170 hits.

#3 Having traded already traded Vladimir Tarasenko and Niko Mikkola before dealing O’Reilly and Acciari, the Blues are left with a thin lineup. That could provide an opportunity to find value from players that might not be top of mind when it comes to fantasy value. Brandon Saad returned from injury to skate on the top line with Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. Ivan Barbashev still has a role in the Blues’ top six, at least until he is moved out before the deadline. That could open the door for Josh Leivo or Sammy Blais to see a more significant role down the stretch.

#4 The Boston Bruins did not stand pat with their league-leading record, making a trade with the Washington Capitals on Thursday for defenseman Dmitry Orlov and right winger Garnet Hathaway. Orlov has decent fantasy value in deeper leagues, even though he has never scored more than 35 points in a season. He is playing more than 22 minutes per game this season, the second highest average of his career, and his 88 hits in 43 games is a higher rate than he has recorded in any of his previous 10 NHL seasons.

#5 Garnet Hathaway’s contributions are not that different from Acciari. Hathaway had 16 points (9 G, 7 A) and 198 hits in 59 games for Washington. That style of play should endear him to the Bruins faithful and, playing for a strong Bruins team, might give Hathaway some banger league appeal. With Orlov departing, it looks like Trevor van Riemsdyk will see a bigger role with the Capitals, which includes time on the second power play unit. In his past eight games, van Riemsdyk has contributed four points (2 G, 2 A) with 12 shots on goal, so it would be too soon to recommend him in most leagues, but it is worth keeping an eye on his role.

#6 A new role with a new team can make all the difference. Just look at Anthony Beauvillier and what he has done with Vancouver since getting acquired in the Bo Horvat trade. Beauvillier has eight points (4 G, 4 A) with 23 shots on goal while playing more than 19 minutes per game in his first nine games for the Canucks. Skating on the top line with Elias Pettersson and playing first unit power play is a better situation than what Beauvillier was typically afforded during his time with the New York Islanders.

#7 While the trade deadline spotlight in Chicago is focused on Patrick Kane, do not overlook Max Domi, who is on a tear of his own and could be moved. Domi has 11 points (3 G, 8 A) and 13 shots on goal during a five-game point streak. He has 46 points (17 G, 29 A) in 57 games, the third highest point total of his career, while playing a career high 18:14 per game.

#8 One of my favorite value players, Columbus Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner is still available in many leagues and in his past 13 games, Jenner has 10 points (6 G, 4 A) and 54 shots on goal. Add in 32 hits and a ton of faceoffs and Jenner can contribute to a lot of fantasy categories. Getting to center Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine on the Blue Jackets’ top line has its benefits.

#9 While the popular opinion is that the Colorado Avalanche will acquire a second line center before the trade deadline, they have been getting quality production in that spot from J.T. Compher. In his past 14 games, Compher has produced 14 points (3 G, 11 A) while averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game. The Avs are running Mikko Rantanen on Compher’s right wing and that is a prime opportunity for Compher, who has already hit a career high with 38 points (11 G, 27 A) in 55 games.

#10 Known more for his defensive acumen, Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli becomes a more dangerous player when he is contributing offensively, too, and that is how it has been going lately. In his past seven games, Cirelli has eight points (4 G, 4 A) and 16 shots on goal.

#11 With Ryan Johansen suffering a season-ending injury, the Nashville Predators are getting thin down the middle of the ice. That does put second year pivot Thomas Novak into the spotlight, though. Novak has eight points (4 G, 4 A) during a four-game point streak and played a career-high 18:39 in Thursday’s win at San Jose.

#12 There have been ups and downs for second year Carolina Hurricanes right winger Seth Jarvis, but he appears to be hitting his groove. He has six points (4 G, 2 A) in the past three games and has recorded at least three shots on goal in six straight games. He has returned to skating on Carolina’s top line, with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, so Jarvis could be poised for a strong finish, though his long-term place on the top line could depend on what the Hurricanes do before the trade deadline.

#13 Although the San Jose Sharks are not headed to the postseason, veteran center Logan Couture is having another productive campaign. In his past nine games, Couture has 11 points (3 G, 8 A) and 22 shots on goal. He has 48 points (20 G, 28 A) in 59 games, giving him more than 0.80 points per game. The last time he finished a season with that per-game scoring rate was 2018-2019. It is fair to have some skepticism about Couture’s production, however, as his wingers are Michael Eyssimont and Alexander Barabanov, not exactly established premier scoring wingers, and there is a good chance that San Jose’s lineup will get depleted by trades before the deadline.

#14 With Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar again out of the lineup, it is worth paying more attention to puck moving Avs blueliner Samuel Girard. In his past 10 games, the 24-year-old defenseman has 11 points (1 G, 10 A) and 22 shots on goal while playing more than 23 minutes per game. He does most of his damage at even strength, too, with five of his 23 points this season coming on the power play.

#15 His track record leaves me wary, but Columbus Blue Jackets netminder Joonas Korpisalo has undeniably had a strong season and, with a contract that expires at season’s end, he could be a possible trade deadline addition for a team looking to stabilize its goaltending. Korpisalo has a .913 save percentage in 27 games, which ranks 16^th among goaltenders that have appeared in at least 20 games. The lure for any contending teams is that Korpisalo was outstanding in his only postseason experience, posting a .941 save percentage in nine games during the 2019-2020 “bubble” Playoffs.

#16 Leading the Pacific Division, the Vegas Golden Knights have lost goaltenders Logan Thompson and Adin Hill to injuries, prompting the club to recall Laurent Brossoit from the American Hockey League. Brossoit has stopped 62 of 67 shots in two starts since getting pressed into action and he will have value as long as he is going to play. Over his career, he has been an adequate backup, albeit one that does not play very frequently. Can he handle a starter’s role, even in the short term for Vegas? It could be worth a waiver add to find out.

#17 The New York Islanders are in a dire situation now as they battle for a playoff spot. Centers Mathew Barzal and Jean-Gabriel Pageau are among the five forwards out of the lineup. That means Matt Martin is skating on the top line and Kyle Palmieri is on the first power play unit. In his past six games, Martin has five points (2 G, 3 A), 11 shots on goal and 21 hits. In deep leagues, that’s worth a look, even if it is on a short-term basis. After returning from an injury last month, Palmieri has put up nine points (3 G, 6 A) with 32 shots and 21 hits in 13 games. Given his track record, and the fact that he gets more ice time, Palmieri is an even better addition for fantasy managers.

#18 Philadelphia Flyers leading scorer Travis Konecny is dealing with an upper-body injury and that means looking to young wingers who might get more of an opportunity. Owen Tippett has seven points (3 G, 4 A) and 36 shots on goal in the past 12 games. He played more than 20 minutes in Florida’s loss at Edmonton on Tuesday, the first time since November that he played more than 20 minutes in a game.

#19 In 2023, the leaders in terms of individual expected goals per 60 minutes (minimum 100 minutes): John Tavares, Brady Tkachuk, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Matthew Tkachuk, Kevin Fiala, Zach Hyman, Boone Jenner, Connor McDavid, Michael Eyssimont, and Timo Meier. There are a lot of expected names there, but Jenner and Eyssimont stand out for the company they are keeping in this regard. At the other end of the spectrum, there are some surprises, too. Naturally, fourth-line forwards tend to be the ones generating the fewest expected goals, but there are others. Among the 401 forwards that have played at least 100 minutes since January 1, Mitch Marner ranks 378^th. Some other notables: Joel Farabee (373), Andrew Copp (359), and Sam Steel (353).

#20 The most dominant line in hockey probably comes as a surprise. According to Evolving Hockey, there are 59 lines that have played at least 200 minutes together during five-on-five play. The same line ranks first in Corsi For percentage, Expected Goals Percentage, and Goals For Percentage. That line is the Calgary Flames trio of Andrew Mangiapane, Mikael Backlund, and Blake Coleman. In the past 18 games, Mangiapane has 15 points (6 G, 9 A) and 51 shots on goal, Backlund has 20 points (6 G, 14 A) and 63 shots on goal, and Coleman has 13 points (5 G, 8 A) and 50 shots on goal.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Konecny is the Hottest Player in the League – The Good and the Bad of Nashville Predators Prospects, The High-scoring Seattle Kraken – Kevin Hayes bounces back and much more.

Scott Cullen — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 15:51:27 +0000

OTTAWA, ON - NOVEMBER 05: Philadelphia Flyers Right Wing Travis Konecny (11) before a face-off during third period National Hockey League action between the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators on November 5, 2022, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

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

This week, Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers is the hottest player in the league; the good and the bad of Nashville Predators prospects, the high-scoring Seattle Kraken, Kevin Hayes bounces back and much more.

#1 Philadelphia Flyers right winger Travis Konecny is busting out with the best season of his career. He has already tied his career high with 24 goals but has done so in just 36 games. Konecny scored a hat trick in Wednesday’s win over Washington, extending his point streak to 10 games, during which he has piled up 20 points (12 G, 8 A) and 32 shots on goal. For a Flyers team that is starting to show improvement since, especially since the holiday break, Konecny has emerged as a bona fide star.

#2 Nashville has done some remodeling to their forward group on the fly, and it has included calling up Thomas Novak and Juuso Parssinen from the American Hockey League. The two centers are also getting first unit power play time. Novak, 25, had 26 points (11 G, 15 A) in 25 AHL games and has been able to produce for the Preds too. He has eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 25 shots on goal in 12 games for Nashville. Parssinen, 21, was called up sooner. He had a goal and an assist in Thursday’s loss at Montreal and now has seven points (1 G, 6 A) during a five-game point streak.

#3 Nashville’s handling of forward prospects has taken some heat, however, after they lost winger Eeli Tolvanen to Seattle on waivers. Tolvanen, 23, was a first-round pick in 2017. He scored a goal in Thursday’s win at Boston, giving him six points (4 G, 2 A) in seven games since he was grabbed off waivers by Seattle. Tolvanen has 14 shots on goal and 16 hits in those seven games, making an immediate impact in a depth role with the Kraken.

#4 Although he is not used in the role of a prime playmaking center, as might have been anticipated when he joined the Kraken via the expansion draft, Yanni Gourde is contributing. In his past 15 games, Gourde has put up 13 points (3 G, 10 A) and 27 shots on goal, and all of those points have come at even strength. The Kraken have scored 3.63 goals per 60 minutes, which ranks third, behind only the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins.

#5 One more to watch for the Kraken: defenseman Vince Dunn recorded an assist at Boston on Thursday, giving him 30 points (7 G, 23 A) in just 41 games. He is on a tear lately, producing 12 points (3 G, 9 A) and 16 shots on goal in the past eight games. Dunn tied his career high with 35 points last season, but it appears that he is well on his way to a new career high in point production this season.

#6 Although he was a healthy scratch recently, Philadelphia Flyers center Kevin Hayes has still been a productive playmaker. In the past five games, Hayes has six points (1 G, 5 A) and 17 shots on goal. The elevated shot rate is relatively new for Hayes. He has a career high 2.78 shots on goal per game, though he is scoring on just 8.8% of his shots, the second lowest shooting percentage of his career.

#7 While there are rumors about the Toronto Maple Leafs acquiring a forward to play in their top six, versatile veteran Calle Jarnkrok is making the most of his chance to play up in the lineup. Jarnkrok has 14 points (5 G, 9 A) in his past 15 games, and is skating on the left side with John Tavares and Mitch Marner, a line that is effectively Toronto’s top line while Auston Matthews remains out of the lineup. Jarnkrok, who scored a career high 35 points in 68 games in 2017-2018, has 20 points (9 G, 11 A) in 36 games for the Maple Leafs.

#8 Second year New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer scored a pair of goals in Tuesday’s big comeback win at Carolina, giving him seven points (2 G, 5 A) in the past six games. Consistency has been a little more challenging for Mercer, as this production followed a seven-game drought, during which he had zero points and 14 shots on goal. His role is suspect, too. He is most appealing when he ends up on the wing with emerging superstar Jack Hughes, but Mercer has moved to right wing on the third line, without a regular spot on the Devils power play now that Ondrej Palat has returned from injury.

#9 The Arizona Coyotes have been giving 22-year-old center Barrett Hayton, the fifth pick in the 2018 Draft, ample opportunity to prove that he belongs in the National Hockey League. With little competition in the middle of the ice, Hayton has recently been centering Arizona’s top line, with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz on the wings. Hayton has produced nine points (4 G, 5 A) with 21 shots on goal in the past eight games, which is taking his game to a new level and might offer some hope for his role in the future.

#10 Scoring the tying goal against Dallas in the final second of regulation on Thursday, New York Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller has seven points (3 G, 4 A) in the past five games, and has a career high 23 points (5 G, 18 A) in 43 games. The smooth-skating 6-foot-5 blueliner has just two points on the power play, so his 19 even-strength points puts him in a tie with Quinn Hughes, Darnell Nurse, Erik Gustafsson, and Hampus Lindholm for ninth among defensemen. His offensive ceiling is going to remain limited because Adam Fox is going to be the No. 1 power play option for the Rangers, but Miller is improving dramatically in just his third NHL season.

#11 With injuries hitting the St. Louis Blues hard, veteran left winger Brandon Saad has stepped up. Although he was held off the scoresheet in two games against the Calgary Flames, he still has eight points (6 G, 2 A) and 18 shots on goal in the past eight games and is skating on a line with Brayden Schenn and Ivan Barbashev. That is a veteran trio that plays hard and in straight lines.

#12 He is not playing enough to get a standard fantasy recommendation just yet, but Columbus Blue Jackets rookie winger Kirill Marchenko had a hat trick against Carolina last Saturday and has scored nine goals in his first 18 NHL games. Of course, he is still seeking his first assist so there is room for improvement, but the 22-year-old also had 19 points (8 G, 11 A) in 16 AHL games to earn his promotion to Columbus. The Blue Jackets are obviously rebuilding so expect Marchenko and fellow rookie Kent Johnson to see plenty of ice time in the second half of the season.

#13 Injuries in Philadelphia prompted the call-up of 23-year-old goaltender Samuel Ersson from the AHL. He had a .910 save percentage in 18 AHL games, which is solid, but he has delivered a .924 save percentage in his first five NHL games, flashing talent that might make him a legitimate long-term asset for the Flyers. For fantasy purposes, Ersson has little value when Carter Hart is healthy, but is well worth a look in long-term dynasty leagues.

#14 Los Angeles Kings right winger Gabriel Vilardi got off to a great start to the season, staying healthy for once and showing the kind of offensive chops that made him the 11^th pick in the 2017 Draft. He then went through a dry spell, a 17-game span during which he had four points (3 G, 1 A) with three of those points coming on the power play. Vilardi has rebounded, however, and has 11 points (4 G, 7 A) in his past 12 games, making the most of his opportunity to skate on a line with Kevin Fiala and Blake Lizotte, in addition to getting first unit power play time for the Kings.

#15 With No. 1 center Roope Hintz out of the lineup, veteran Tyler Seguin has moved up the depth chart in Dallas to play with Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski on the Stars’ top line. Seguin has a goal and an assist in two games since making the move and is worth adding while Hintz is out. Really, anyone getting a chance to play with Robertson and Pavelski will have some value, and Seguin is the lucky one right now.

#16 The Chicago Blackhawks have placed Patrick Kane on the injured list due to a lower-body injury. While this season has been far from vintage Kane, the Blackhawks will have to find new sources of offense. Rookie Lukas Reichel has displayed some potential with three points (1 G, 2 A) and eight shots on goal in four games since getting called up from the American Hockey League. Taylor Raddysh might have more immediate appeal, as the 24-year-old tallied his 11th goal of the season in Thursday’s win over Colorado.

#17 An injury to Jake Allen could give Montreal Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault some regular starts, at least in the short term. Montembeault has a .902 save percentage in 15 games for the Habs this season, and while that might sound mediocre, he had a .892 save percentage in 63 NHL games prior to this season, so this is progress. Of course, wins are not coming easily in Montreal, but if Montembeault can continue to play at this level, he will solidify his spot in the league.

#18 New York Rangers left winger Chris Kreider is out of the lineup, dealing with an upper-body injury and that has opened the door for Alexis Lafreniere. The 2020 first overall pick was a healthy scratch recently and last scored a goal on December 7, but he played a career-high 21:21 in Thursday’s 2-1 overtime win against Dallas. He also recorded three shots on goal, something he had done just once in his previous 12 games.

#19 It is looking like 38-year-old Florida Panthers center Eric Staal still has some gas left in the tank. Since the beginning of December, Staal has contributed 13 points (6 G, 7 A) and 38 shots on goal in 20 games. He played more than 15 minutes in 13 of those 20 games, a significant role for a guy who did not play in the NHL last season. With Anton Lundell moving up the depth chart to play left wing on Aleksander Barkov’s line, Staal has stepped in to handle the third-line center role for the Panthers.

#20 Since the holiday break, Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers leads in all-situations points per 60 minutes (minimum 50 minutes played), followed by Travis Konecny, Kyle Connor, Filip Forsberg, Lucas Raymond, Matthew Tkachuk, Viktor Arvidsson, Nikita Kucherov, Connor McDavid, and Kevin Fiala. Since returning from injury, Ehlers has changed the dynamic in Winnipeg, which is not unexpected – he is an elite play-driving winger who can create a ton of scoring chances. While most of those players are rostered already, Lucas Raymond and Viktor Arvidsson are more readily available to help your fantasy team.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

Nashville Predators Prospect System Overview

Ryan Wagman — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 18:09:48 +0000

The Nashville Predators were practically a non-entity at the most recent NHL Entry Draft, with only four picks made, none among the first 110 selections.

Since their first draft class in 1998, they had never made fewer than five picks, and the only time that occurred was back in 2006. This is a franchise that was built through the draft and they have earned a reputation as a strong drafting team particularly when it comes to the defense.

It is understandable that they would have had so few picks this time, though, as the 2017-18 Predators were the strongest team (at least in the regular season) in franchise history.

In most cases, teams that trade away too many picks end up with shallow pipelines, and while the Predators are not at their deepest, they do have a good number of players who still project with NHL upsides. Not high-end upsides, but NHL.

Where the Predators may have a leg up on other organizations that have been in position to sell the future for the present in recent years, is that their picks tend to meet, or exceed expectations. There are certainly exceptions, there aren’t that many and most of their picks end up at minimum, in the professional chain.

That belief in and success at drafting means that the Predators’ AHL affiliate in Milwaukee was stuffed not with professional journeymen (although there were a few – it is impossible not to have any), but with players that the Nashville brain trust hopes and has reasonable expectations to see in the NHL in the near future.

Fully eight of the top 20 prospects in the system spent all or most of last season in the AHL, as well as a few others who narrowly missed this list. Even though that AHL low ceiling, high floor depth does not extend to goaltending, the Predators are trying to change that by bringing in a few young and promising European pros in Miroslav Svoboda and Niclas Westerholm.

They will not all end up with lengthy and storied NHL careers, but the Predators are now in an enviable position of not only having a top tier NHL club, one legitimately discussed as a Stanley Cup contender this year, but they also are prepared for injury to nearly every role on the team, as they have someone ready and chomping at the bit on the farm that could be called up.

Considering how the NHL team currently lacks too many open spots, they are penciling in top prospect Eeli Tolvanen for a middle six slot at right wing and might have a competition for the 13^th forward with mid-tier prospects like Frederick Gaudreau or Emil Pettersson or Yakov Trenin pushing for the gig.

As much as the team’s prospect pool is currently on a low ebb, Nashville has a sustainable that is constantly being renewed with new talent. What they lacked in draft picks this year, they made up with one free agent signing from the AHL, two from the CHL, and four from Europe. None of those players has the upside of a first or second round pick, but they are all closer to being ready to help at the NHL level.

This approach can work, but I wouldn’t recommend the Predators doing this for too many more years.

Eeli Tolvanen

1 Eeli Tolvanen, LW (30^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 1^st) 19-year-olds rarely play significant minutes in the KHL. Before last season, the best year put up by an 18-year-old in KHL history was the 32 point season of Evgeni Kuznetsov in 2010-11. Tolvanen topped that mark by four points. A school credit issue prevented him from joining Boston College, as planned, but between his play for Jokerit and Finland at the WJC, Plan B turned out pretty well. Tolvanen has an elite shot, hard and precise and deadly even from a distance. Despite that tool, he is happy to dish to a teammate who is better positioned. He also does not hesitate to play a strong game, backchecking, fighting for pucks, and finishing checks. He was given a taste of the NHL last year, but he will stay for the whole meal this time.

2 Dante Fabbro, D (17^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 2^nd) Nashville’s first round pick from 2016 took some pretty big steps in his sophomore season at BU, increasing his offensive output by more than 50%, while showing very promising shut down abilities in his own zone. Although he is not especially large, he uses his body effectively in addition to his ability to use his stick to close a gap. He is a very poised, calm defender, reading the opposition well to create space for himself to make the right play and keep the puck moving in the right direction. Considering how stacked the Predators’ NHL blueline is, they don’t need Fabbro to be a top four defenseman, but that is what they’re getting. He will be returning to Boston University for his junior season, wearing the ‘C’ on his chest.

3 Rem Pitlick, C (76^th overall, 2015. Last Year: 7^th) Some players who are drafted in their second or third years of eligibility, they are simply grinders who took advantage of favorable ice time to excel. Others, such as Pitlick, always had the talent, but needed a bit longer to unlock it. Short and stocky, but with high end wheels, a killer shot and slick puck skills, Pitlick has spent two years now with Minnesota, providing top of the lineup scoring punch. While I would like to see more dominance, considering his skill set, he is not an all or nothing player. Willing to take a hit to make a play, he projects as a solid middle six forward who can create plays for his teammates and finish them off with equal efficiency thanks to high end vision and a touch of creativity.

Grant Mismash

4 Grant Mismash, C (61^st overall, 2017. Last Year: 5^th) A high end athlete in the USNTDP in his draft year, Mismash had a quieter debut with North Dakota than the Predators might have liked. He still demonstrated high end puck skills coupled with above average skating and good hockey IQ, but he was not able to showcase all those attributes at the same time. Between his passing ability, his strength, and ability to maintain possession when under pressure, he is strong on the cycle. The flashes of playmaking instincts he did show suggest that additional comfort at the collegiate level could help unwrap a dynamic offensive presence. There is still a lot of road ahead for Mismash, but the future looks bright.

5 Patrick Harper, C (138^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 12^th) Despite suffering through an injury-marred sophomore season at Boston University, Harper continued to dazzle on the ice and in the score sheet when healthy. A point per game player in the half-season he played, he overcomes his tiny size through shifty skating, and a keen understanding of what the other team is trying to achieve, which allows him to take advantage of the space on the ice. To his eternal credit, Harper plays a lot stronger than his 5-9”, 165 frame would suggest. He backchecks hard, does not avoid the greasy parts of the offensive zone and is quick to create a play for a linemate when he gets the puck in favorable position. If he can stay healthy, he could have a dominant junior season.

6 David Farrance, D (92^nd overall, 2017. Last Year: 8^th) A small but very mobile defender who flashed dynamic puck movement ability in his time with the USNTDP, Farrance found it harder to assert himself with any regularity as a freshman with Boston University. He still clearly has the high-end wheels, and his point shot, when he gets one off, is plus, with a quick release. In fairness to him, BU is a powerhouse with a stacked blueline and he still carried a regular shift, he just was not put in prime offensive situations. There is still plenty of reason to believe that the skills that he showed as a junior are still there and added familiarity and comfort with the level will help them shine with greater frequency next year.

7 Frederick Gaudreau, C (UDFA: Jan. 5, 2016. Last Year: 11^th) After four seasons in the Nashville system we know what Gaudreau is as a player. Over the last three years, his point totals in Milwaukee have hovered between 42 and 48. But in those three seasons, his games played have steadily dropped from 75 to 66 and finally, to 54 last year. The difference in games played in the AHL was made up for in time spent in Nashville. Despite playing 29 NHL games already, all three of his NHL goals came in the same playoff game in 2016-17. If Gaudreau breaks through and makes the team for good, his work ethic, heads-up hustle and hockey IQ make him a fit on the fourth line and penalty kill units.

8 Alexandre Carrier, D (115^th overall, 2015. Last Year: 16^th) The smallest in a group of smaller defensemen with AHL Milwaukee, Carrier is also the most gifted puck mover of the lot. He definitely would rather move the puck to a teammate than fire it on net, and he is skilled at cutting a seam with a sharp pass. He also has shown an increased mental aptitude for the game, reading opponents well and earning time on the PK. E could still refine a few areas of his defensive game, such as showing more faith in his legs by playing with tighter gaps, and being more aggressive in his own zone on occasion, but he has come along very well in the past two seasons and looks like the first defender recalled to the NHL in case of injury.

9 Anthony Richard, C (100^th overall, 2015. Last Year: unranked) More than any other player with Milwaukee last year, Richard took huge strides forward in his development, showing some of that offensive potential that he demonstrated from a young age in the QMJHL. He is a very good skater who owns a hard shot and plays with a chip on his shoulder. He is often the first forward up on the forecheck and he frequently forces the opposing defender or goalie into errors due to his approach. His hands are not the softest, which will limit his offensive upside, but his speed and energy should be enough for him to carve out a bottom six role, killing penalties and providing some additional length to the offensive attack.

Jachym Kondelik

10 Jachym Kondelik, C (111^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) A towering 6-6”, with over 220 pounds hanging from his shoulders, Kondelik looks like a nightmare condor, but too often plays more like dove. For all his size, he skates pretty well and he demonstrates soft hands often enough to believe that they are legit. He has dealt with injuries in both of the last two years with Muskegon of the USHL and they may have been a factor, but he plays with a notable lack of intensity. He will often pass up the chance to bump an opponent and fails to be assertive as a general rule. That all said, with his natural physical gifts, the Predators did well to gamble on Kondelik with their first pick of the 2018 draft and will be patient with him as he develops at the University of Connecticut.

11 Tyler Gaudet, C (Trade: Feb. 26, 2018 [Arizona]. Last Year: unranked [Arizona]) Acquired in a trade deadline deal wit Arizona, ostensibly for AHL blueliner Trevor Murphy, Gaudet is trending well for a player who was never drafted either as a junior or by an NHL club. A work working center, he makes the most of what tools he has. His skating is just fine, but his motor is always revving, and he does well at pressuring opposing puck carriers, whether he is forechecking or backchecking. Considering his plus size, his skating effectiveness is actually fairly impressive. He has strong enough hands to protect the puck from stick checking opponents, and a strong enough drive to be a force along the boards. Last year was the first of his professional career that he did not receive any NHL time. Expect that to change for the better this season.

12 Yakov Trenin, LW (55^th overall, 2015. Last Year: 10^th) If Nashville has a deeper system, Trenin’s rookie professional season would likely have dropped him from the top 20 altogether. In addition to the fact that he was all too often a non-factor on the ice, not involved in the center of the action at either end, he simply looked sluggish on his skates. Further, despite owning a big, muscular frame, he rarely used it to his team’s advantage, playing with less verve than the much smaller Anthony Richard, among others. To his credit, despite his struggles in the offensive end, Trenin remained committed to fulfilling his responsibilities in his own end. He will be afforded time to grow into the game, but he will need to show marked improvement next year to remain much of a factor in Nashville’s future plans.

13 Emil Pettersson, C (155^th overall, 2013. Last Year: 14^th) Five years after being drafted in the sixth round, Pettersson came over to North America just in time to miss his younger brother Elias light the Swedish league on fire. The elder Pettersson brother is not nearly as gifted as the Vancouver prospect, but he has smooth hands and good instincts on offense. Long and very lean, he can support two more gifted wingers, which is not a bad ability to have, but may not be able to create offense in North America on his own. He will also need to improve his skating, to get more explosivity, before earning a significant NHL chance.

14 Frederic Allard, D (78^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 9^th) As with most defensemen in the Nashville system, Allard has a smaller frame (tall enough, but thin) but makes up in mobility what he lacks in brawn. The former third rounder’s first year as a professional was a mixed bag, with decent offensive totals leavened by struggles to read the play in his own zone and a brief mid-season demotion to the ECHL. At this stage of his career, he is more effective when his team has the puck. As reminder that player development is not linear, in his last season in the QMJHL, his two-way game was more impressive than his contributions to the attack. His prospects would be better served with a swing back to his previous style of play.

Pavel Koltygin

15 Pavel Koltygin, C/LW (176^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) A potential steal in the sixth round, Koltygin’s draft stock suffered this year as he was unable to build upon a strong North American debut with Drummondville, dropping from 47 points in 65 games in his first year as an import player from Russia, to 42 points in 64 games with a stronger team around him in his second draft eligible year. Outside of the points, Koltygin was worth drafting as he combines powerful legs with a hard shot and quick hands. He also showed an increased commitment to the play in his own end this year, making him less of a pure risk/reward selection.

16 Tanner Jeannot, LW (UDFA: Apr. 2, 2018. Last Year: IE) Passed over three times in the NHL Entry Draft, the Predators gave Jeannot an ELC in his overage year in the WHL, a season in which he eclipsed his previous career in points by 28, doubling his previous career high in goals. Like Gaudreau above, Jeannot is not the toolsiest prospect, but he has good size, plays a heart-and-hustle game and features a pretty good arsenal of shots. He is not slow, but skating is not a strength of his game. The same can be said of his abilities with the puck. Jeannot is the type of player for whom the best-case scenario is not all that different from the most likely outcome.

17 Karel Vajmelka, G (145^th overall, 2015. Last Year: unranked) It might be somewhat telling about the Predators scouting when it comes to goalies that of the six “prospect” netminders in the system, all are at least 6-3”, and most have not lived up to their advance billing, but the one time they went with a smaller goalkeeper, Juuse Saros buzzed through the system and earned a spot on the NHL bench. Vejmelka is the goalie still percolating in the system, most likely to push for NHL consideration going forward. He is athletic in the crease and reads the play well. He split last season between three teams in the Czech Republic’s top two levels and will be challenged to win the starter’s jib again with Kometa Brno.

18 Spencer Stastney, D (131^st overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) On good days last year, Stastney was a dynamic puck mover who could be trusted with the toughest defensive zone shifts as well. He covered opponents tightly and would not bite on deke attempts. On his bad days, he would make poor pinching decisions, cough up the puck shift after shift, and telegraph his intentions, making him very easy to defend against. Combined, he showed a lot of potential as an all-situations defender who has a lot to learn before being able to play his game at the highest levels. For the price of a fifth-round pick, it was more than worth it for the Predators to gamble on Stastney ironing out the kinks and inconsistencies at Notre Dame.

19 Joonas Lyytinen, D (132^nd overall, 2014. Last Year: unranked) The former fifth round pick arrived in North America at the age of 22 and did not immediately show why Nashville had been keeping tabs on him for years. He struggled in the early going to make an impact, spending a few weeks in the ECHL as a consequence. While it is not reflected in the scoresheet, by the end of the year, Lyytinen was starting to show some things worth getting excited about. He moves the puck very well and his reads and reactions showed a respectable level. He has moved on from an afterthought to a player of note in the system, although he will need to take a few more steps forward next year to maintain that status.

20 Thomas Novak, C (85^th overall, 2015. Last Year: 18^th) Despite owning a seemingly hard slapshot, Novak has lit the lamp only 14 times in three seasons of NCAA hockey at Minnesota. His game is more about his hands than his shoulders. He is a skilled stickhandler and creative passer. With the puck on his stick, he is more likely to hit a streaking linemate with a nice diagonal feed, or jive past a defender, than he is to try to take the puck to the net on his own. He plays with good presence of mind but lacks any truly dynamic traits that would lead to an offensive role in his future.

Nashville – System Overview

Ryan Wagman — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 20:10:18 +0000

For years, the Nashville Predators were known as a defense-led team. Much of that reputation was the result of the 2003 draft. With the seventh overall choice, they selected Ryan Suter. With their second of three picks in the second round, they chose Kevin Klein. And with the third of three second rounders, they called out the name of Shea Weber. Between the three of them, there are now 2,381 regular season games of experience.

Of course, the Predators history of developing front-line defensemen goes further and deeper than those three, even if Suter and Weber are the clear best of the bunch. In their first ever draft, their final pick was used on Karlis Skrastins, now remembered as one of the victims of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash. His NHL career spanned 832 games.

In 2001, they used their first round pick on Dan Hamhuis, who is likely to surpass 1,000 games this year. In 2005, they used their first three picks on blueliners. While the first two are little remembered today, the third one is Cody Franson. Although more beloved by the analytics crowd than by old-school thinkers (great possession stats, but slow afoot), he already has 527 games to his credit.

This reputation was further enhanced in 2009, with the selection of Ryan Ellis 11th overall and Mattias Ekholm in the fourth round. Seth Jones was the most recent feather in the defensemen drafting cap worn by Nashville’s only ever GM, David Poile. The 4th overall pick of the 2013 draft was traded to Columbus for Ryan Johansen before reaching his full potential, but he has already won fans up and down the league.

All of the above is not to say that the Predators never miss when drafting a defenseman high. Ryan Parent (18th overall in 2005) and Jonathon Blum (23rd overall in 2007) are fairly considered busts, even though each has more than 100 regular season games played in their resume. And of course, for every later round defender who panned out four or five never had the pleasure of inhaling the scent of an NHL locker room.

In summary, it is fair to say that Nashville’s reputation in this regard has been well earned. And unlike other clubs with a history of success with a slice of the draft population, the amazing consistency of the people running the good ship Predator adds to that legacy. We recognize this success and applaud Poile, Assistant Paul Fenton and their entire scouting staff for this history of success.

What we cannot do, however, is presume that any blueliner in the Nashville is bound for glory just because he was drafted by this team. The list below is well-represented by defensemen, and justifiably so. But it needs to be said that the placement of Dante Fabbro, or David Farrance, or any of the others, is based solely on that player’s standing as a prospect in this system, in a vacuum. We would be doing a disservice to the player, to ourselves as talent evaluators, and to you, the reader, if we give a subjective boost to any of the below just because the Nashville Predators once drafted Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Kevin Klein in a single draft. Dante Fabbro is ranked highly for the simple reason that he is really very good at hockey.

Eeli Tolvanen

1 Eeli Tolvanen – Owning one of the better shots in the 2017 draft class, Tolvanen would likely have been drafted well before the Predators’ turn at the podium were it not for a slow recovery from injury suffered at the WJC that held back his production in the second half. An excellent skater and puckhandler as well, his shot will always be his main draw. Although lacking strength, he is committed to puck retrieval in his own zone. After a problem with his Finnish school credits left him ineligible to play for Boston University, elected to go back to Finland to play for Jokerit in the KHL.

TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 26: Canada forward Nicolas Roy (25) jumps in celebration as forward Dante Fabbro (8) joins him after scoring against Russia in the second period during the World junior Hockey Championships (Photo by Dan Hamilton/Icon Sportswire)

2 Dante Fabbro – A lights-out blueliner in his draft year with Penticton of the BCHL, Fabbro acquitted himself well as a freshman with Boston University. While he was not quite the same level of offensive contributor, he proved that his defensive game is quite advanced. He keeps a very tight gap, does not bite on dekes very often, has an active stick and is surprisingly physical down low. A very good penalty killer. Has a solid enough point shot to project improved offensive totals going forward.

3 Vladislav Kamenev – After taking the rare step of leaving Russia at 19 to play in the AHL, at the very least, Kamenev can state that his game is well-suited for North America. He has very slick hands, which he combines with agile feet to be a dangerous customer in one-on-one situations. A creative passer as well. Responsible defensively, he hunts for pucks, and uses his solid frame to help out in the dirty areas. All he really needs at this point is an opportunity to prove himself in the NHL.

NASHVILLE, TN - JANUARY 12: Nashville Predators right wing Pontus Aberg (46) . (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire)

4 Pontus Aberg – The most ‘ready-now’ player in the Nashville system, Aberg was a regular in the Nashville lineup in their run to the Stanley Cup finals last spring. A two-way forward with solid overall offensive tools, he likes to play near the opposing crease. Patient with the puck, he sees the ice well and is equally comfortable shooting in net as he is dishing it off to a linemate, although is more likely to contribute as a goal scorer at the highest level. Smart and ready to establish himself in the NHL.

5 Grant Mismash – A versatile forward with an NHL caliber shot, Mismash has explosive offensive qualities that become more and more prominent as the season wore on. He is a plus skater with very soft hands. Does well at maintaining possession of the puck under pressure. A diligent backchecker and very hard worker, he gets into trouble on occasion with unnecessary penalties. Plays a gritty, rough style, which makes up in energy what he lacks in the ability to punish. Going to North Dakota.

6 Samuel Girard – The epitome of the modern-day small and mobile defenseman, Girard has led the QMJHL in both assists and points by a defenseman in both of the last two years. A great skater with exceptional vision, he will have to prove that his tiny frame can hold up to the rigors of the professional game. Has taken big strides recently in his defensive awareness, but still struggles at times when defending against high end speed. May need to be sheltered, but the tools are there.

7 Rem Pitlick – A bit of a late bloomer, Pitlick went from 16 points in his year of draft eligibility to leading the USHL with 89 points, winning the player of the year honors, in his second go round. Blessed with outstanding speed and a sniper’s shot, the stocky forward was productive from the get-go with Minnesota. A great finisher, he actually looks for the pass more often. Needs to improve his decision making in his own end, although does not neglect his duties off the puck.

8 David Farrance – The most dynamic blueliner in last year’s USNTDP, Farrance should not have been available towards the end of the third round, when the Predators pounced. His high end mobility and puck handling skills, as well as great vision in the offensive end, should all more than paper over his slightly below average height and minimal physical presence. Flashes top four blueline upside regularly. Although competent in his own zone, was rarely used on the PK for the U18 squad.

9 Frederic Allard – Drafted as a high end offensive defenseman, Allard’s offensive game seems to have plateaued, but he has made up for it with improved play in his own zone. An excellent skater with great edges and impressive top speed. Produces at a top clip despite not grading out as more than average with his shot or his raw puck skills. Everything plays up due to his anticipation and overall hockey sense. Has nothing left to prove in the Q.

10 Yakov Trenin – The Predators top pick in the 2015 draft, Trenin has been a steady offensive producer in three years of QMJHL development. Was one of the rare CHL players invited by Russia to play for their WJC squad. Big but not very physical, his best trait is his hockey IQ, a common trait among Predators’ prospects. Projects more as a playmaker than a sharpshooter as he prepares for his first full pro season. Has middle six upside.

11 Frederick Gaudreau – A postseason hero for Nashville last year, Gaudreau has come an awfully long way from his year and a half playing with Milwaukee on an AHL contract. A strong offensive showing in his second pro season convinced Nashville to give him an ELC. He has not looked back since. Outside of hockey IQ, all of his tools grade out around average, but the intelligence and positive energy allows it all to play up. Has a good chance to spend the year in Nashville as a fourth-liner/13th forward.

12 Patrick Harper – A tiny forward who was drafted out of the New England prep school ranks, Harper gave a hint of what was to come during Boston College’s pre-season, where he teamed up with Clayton Keller to destroy game sheets. Continued to score once the games counted, with nearly a point-per-game as a freshman. He has very nice touch with the puck. Skating is better going east-west than it is north-south. Is a non-entity physically.

13 Tyler Moy – There were some who thought that the selection of Moy, in his third year of eligibility, in 2015, was a ploy by Nashville to convince Jimmy Vesey to sign. If so, it clearly did not work, but no matter. Moy has game. He has plus puck skills and remains in control even under pressure. Possesses a very good shot release that allows him to connect even from wide angles. Also grades out as above average with his skating and, naturally for a Harvard grad, for his smarts. Making his pro debut this year.

14 Emil Pettersson – Taken in the sixth round in 2013, Pettersson’s development has been slow and steady until he broke out with a point per game performance in the second half last season after moving from Skelleftea to Vaxjo. He has high end puck skills and above average skating ability. Can play a flashy game and makes consistently strong reads in the offensive end. On the downside, he has little defensive game and can be physically overpowered. Signed to an ELC, will be coming to the AHL this year.

15 Victor Ejdsell – A late bloomer, Ejdsell has great size and exploded as an offensive option in Allsvenskan last year, leading the league in scoring. Skilled with the puck, he is a terror when he comes down the wing with speed. Is used to creating offense when given room, but has been known to struggle in tighter games when facing a strong backcheck. Needs to do a better job of utilizing his teammates, even if they do not have his physical gifts.

16 Alexandre Carrier – A small defender with excellent puck moving skills, Carrier had an excellent pro debut with Milwaukee. Formerly the fourth overall pick of the QMJHL entry draft in 2012, he was able to both contribute offensively and play a regular role on both special teams units. A fantastic passer who knows what he wants to do with the puck before he gets it. Guards the middle of the ice well, but could stand to tighten his gaps.

17 Trevor Murphy – An undersized offensive defenseman, Murphy was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Windsor of the OHL after a strong rookie camp in 2015. He plays rough for his size, and makes up for his weak points (size, skating) with strong puck skills and a burgeoning two-way game. Very good at beginning the transition to offense with a lead pass out of his own zone, he also can show some wiggle when carrying the puck over the line.

18 Tom Novak – While a knee injury cut his season short around the mid-way point, Novak had been picking up where he left off from a solid freshman campaign for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. A strong skater with some dynamic puck playing elements to his game, he likes to play near the opposing crease in the offensive end, making the goalie and defenders work for rebounds. Assuming a full recovery from his injury with no loss of speed, he could be in line for a strong season to get higher up this list.

19 Justin Kirkland – A two-way energy forward in the WHL, Kirkland struggled in his first exposure to the professional game. He had a hard time keeping up with the pace of the AHL game – particularly in regards to his first few steps - and his shot was rarely used and was not much of a threat when it was. He still has some potential as a power forward, but needs to be more assertive to ensure that his presence is felt in every shift.

20 Pavel Koltygin – A strong skater with good balance who excels at creating space for himself and protecting the puck. Koltygin had a great start to his first season in North America, but slowed tangibly in the season’s second half. The former ninth overall pick in the CHL import draft at least ended the season well with a solid showing for Russia at the WU18. With more consistent showings of his offensive tools, he could out to be a late-round steal.

One of the facets that the Predators like to look for in their prospects is high hockey IQ. The prospects listed above all share an aversion to mistakes and have strong reputations at both ends of the ice. In light of that strategy, they consistently are able to ice a team at the NHL level – a team that is largely built from within - that is greater than the sum of its parts.

2015 NHL Draft – McKeen’s Top 120 Rankings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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