Tyler Weiss – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – COLORADO AVALANCHE – Top 20 Prospects

Sun, 18 Sep 2022 16:22:39 +0000

SAINT PAUL, MN - APRIL 29: Colorado Avalanche Left Wing Ben Meyers (59) lines up for a faceoff during the NHL game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild on April 29th, 2022, at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)

1 - Bowen Byram D

Byram barely keeps his eligibility for our list because he was limited this past season due to a very serious concussion that caused him to step away from the Avalanche for an extended period. He recovered in time to play a large part in Colorado’s Stanley Cup victory, playing well over 20 minutes per game in the Championship series against Tampa Bay. Byram can impact the game in so many different ways. He excels as a puck mover because of his high-end skating ability. Byram is not only an effortless mover in all four directions, but he is explosive moving forward, making him a very difficult player to pin down. His decision making with the puck and game management were inconsistent early on in his NHL career, but he has worked hard to improve this. Byram has also worked hard to be a better defensive player and a more imposing physical presence. This was evident in the playoffs, where he really stepped up his physicality to become a suffocating defensive player. Moving forward, the sky is the limit for Byram, so long as he can stay healthy. He has had trouble doing so in his career thus far, but if he can avoid injuries, he should emerge as a top four defender on the Avalanche this coming season (even with their depth) and have his best season to date. - BO

2 - Sean Behrens D

A late second-round pick at the 2021 draft, Sean Behrens quickly silenced any who might have doubted how well his game would work at the college level. Behrens’ five-foot-ten frame didn’t stop him from authoring an excellent freshman campaign, a season that culminated in him winning the NCAA National Championship with the University of Denver. Behrens’ prospect profile shares a lot of similarities with another undersized defenseman, New York Rangers prospect Zac Jones. Like Jones, the two traits of Behrens’ game that stand out the most are his skating and his intelligence. Behrens moves exactly as well as you’d want an undersized defenseman to move, and his mobility gives him upside as a transitional defenseman. Behrens’ stride is extremely smooth and looks almost effortless when he’s picking up the puck in his own zone in order to lead a breakout. Behrens can also be often found reading the play, scanning to see where the best options are and where he can best position himself to help his team. It’s always said that the best players are the ones who go to where the game will be, rather than where it is at any given moment, and Behrens is in the right place at the right time often enough to confidently say he sees the game at a higher level than many of his peers. Will he ever be a dominating two-way force? It’s unlikely, but a future as a top-four, puck-moving defenseman with an offensive bent isn’t out of the question. He’ll just need to get into more high-pressure defensive situations and gain as much confidence and fearlessness in his own end as he has when he’s attacking. - EH

3 - Ben Meyers C

After a highly successful three-year career at the University of Minnesota, center Ben Meyers was the big prize of the 2022 NCAA free agent signing cycle. Meyers, who went undrafted despite two promising seasons as an overager in the USHL, was a centerpiece player at a top NCAA program, even captaining the Gophers as a senior. Meyers’ highly productive senior season earned him caps for the United States men’s teams at the Beijing Olympics and IIHF World Championships. Meyers got into five NHL games with the Avalanche and managed to score his first NHL goal. Meyers has been a past-first center for most of his college career, although he did show off better goal-scoring touch in his final season as a Gopher. As a five-foot-eleven center, Meyers doesn’t offer the prototypical size many in the NHL look for out of their pivots, but he has the offensive flair to make up for it. Meyers’ toolset as a chance creator was on display for all to see last season, and it’s good enough to give him upside as a secondary scorer in the NHL. Meyers’ defense isn’t where he’ll carve out his niche, but that isn’t without trying. Meyers has a solid work ethic, but whether he can stick as a center in the NHL won’t be up to how hard he works, but instead how well he can match up against the high-end scoring centers he’ll face in the NHL. If Meyers spends next season in the NHL, he’ll be a 24-year-old rookie, meaning much of his development has already been completed. If he’s close to a finished product, the package of skills he currently puts forth is likely good enough to give him a chance as a middle-of-the-lineup player who can complement more talented offensive teammates in a pinch. - EH

4 - Oskar Olausson RW

The 28th overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, Oskar Olausson has had quite the journey since being drafted, but has been able to find success and produce wherever he plays. During the 2020-2021 season, Olausson spent time in three different leagues and was able to adapt well and still find a way to produce. Olausson spent 16 games in the J20 league finishing with 27 points (14G,13A), 16 games in the SHL and finishing with 4 points (3G,1A), and also 11 games in the HockeyAllsvenskan where he finished with 6 points (3G,3A). Olausson also got the opportunity to play in the U20 World Junior Championship. During the 2021-2022 season, Olausson spent time split between both the Barrie Colts and Oshawa Generals, finishing with 49 points (26G,23A) in 55 games, which was 4th on the team for points and 3rd on the team for goals. Olausson’s best assets are his shot and hockey sense. Olausson’s shot is a threat from most areas on the ice, but his ability to fire a cannon of a one-timer is where he’s best. He gets a lot of power and control on his shots, and he understands how to get the most out of it. He also has a great understanding of what he’s good at and knowing how to maximize his strengths. He shows a great understanding of awareness in the offensive zone, knowing where and when to get into open space for a shot, reading the play very well. Going into the 2022-2023 season, Olausson will make his return to the AHL and look to take a step forward and become a scoring threat in the league. - DK

5 - Martin Kaut RW

The clock feels like it’s ticking quickly for Colorado’s 2018 1^st round pick. Having gone 16^th overall that year, the Czech-born Kaut seemed to be on the fast track to making an organizational impact when he immediately jumped to North America and put in a solid rookie season in the AHL accompanied by a nice WJC performance in the 18-19 season. This came on the heels of having spent his draft year playing in Czechia’s top men’s league. His development continued in an upward trajectory in the shortened 19-20 season, where he got into nine NHL games, scoring his first two goals while his AHL stats improved slightly. Expectations were that he’d be prime candidate for an NHL spot during the 20-21 season, which ultimately saw him spend time on the taxi squad as well as the AHL, Czech Republic, and Sweden, featuring decent stats in each of the latter three stations. The 21-22 season presented a new challenge as Kaut went down with a shoulder injury in November. Finally, having picked up the pace a bit in the skating department, the injury threw him back a month after he had gotten into six straight games with the Avalanche, something that didn’t happen again for the rest of the season. A healthy playoff contributor for the AHL squad (five points and +7 in nine games), Kaut’s regular season PPG pace dropped from the season before, even if he did put up a career-high 19 goals. The task at hand is to now crack the line-up of a Stanley Cup winner. In this final year of his ELC, he may benefit from the team’s loss of players such as Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky, but any way you put it, he’s staring at a make-or-break-it season. - CL

6 - Nikolai Kovalenko RW

Nikolai Kovalenko seems to be one of the most likable Russian prospects, yet at the same time one of the most unluckiest of them: while the 2020-21 season had gone totally awry because he found himself in the coach’s doghouse and had to change teams in the offseason, last season, after a solid start, practically ended for him in October after a bad collision with an opposing player, which resulted in a major concussion, sideling him for two months. Once he returned, he just wasn’t the same player. As a consequence, this offseason his team decided that he wouldn’t be as helpful to them as they sought and so they traded him away, this time to Torpedo, which is a rather mediocre team coached by a former NHLer Igor Larionov. On the bright side, the move likely means that Kovalenko is expected to be among the leaders for his new team, possibly even wearing the ‘C’. Upon arrival to Torpedo, Kovalenko extended his contract through the 2023/24 season, which might be not something the Avalanche fans would like, but makes sense for the player, as the main goal for the coming season is both modest and important – to prove that the concussion didn’t ruin his potential. If he succeeds in achieving that goal his hard-working, tenacious, yet still creative playing style can result in a middle-six winger role in the NHL, just maybe a bit later than initially expected. - VF

7 - Justus Annunen G

A hulking 6’4”, 210 lbs., Annunen has been Colorado’s heir apparent for several years now and is coming off his most promising overall season since he was drafted. While his 24-13-5 record for the AHL Colorado Eagles couldn’t hide his 3.01 GAA and .893 save percentage, he picked things up in the playoffs with a 2.46 GAA and .923 save percentage, his best numbers since jumping over to North America. Annunen’s AHL performance earned him a two-game audition with the Avalanche, in which he registered a win and an overtime loss despite mediocre performances. The very athletic Annunen showed improvement to some degree in all departments requiring refinement, such as his movement from post-to-post. He also improved on his already strong puck-tracking abilities. Adept at using his incredible size to stay square to shooters, he continues to show a heavy tendency to spend time on his knees once a shot has been fired and until the whistle blows, even when hugging the post, leaving a hole for shots between his helmet and the crossbar. With the Colorado crease looking like a game of musical chairs in recent seasons, this might be the year Annunen gets a real shot with the reigning champion, especially as the team will kick things off this season with two goalies who have primarily been back-ups thus far in their careers. – CL

8 - Jean-Luc Foudy C

Things haven’t been extremely easy for Foudy the last two seasons. The dynamic skating forward was thrust into the AHL earlier than he was ready due to the cancellation of the 2020-21 OHL season, then continued in the AHL this year, even though he was eligible to return to the OHL. Was this best for his development? You could certainly argue that returning to a strong team in Windsor (who would win the OHL’s Western Conference title) would have been better for his development. Instead, he continued to struggle with consistency, posting a similar point per game average to the year prior. Foudy, much like his brother Liam, is a truly electric skater. He is lightning quick and he can drive play with his feet unlike many at any level. However, it is the rest of his game that remains a work in progress. That includes his play away from the puck, his decision making with it, his strength on the puck and his ability to play through the middle of the ice. However, it is easy to forget how young Foudy is. Under normal circumstances he would be entering into his first AHL season next year. Instead, the 20-year-old will be starting his third. In this year’s AHL playoffs, he was one of Colorado’s best players and that bodes well for the coming year, where he hopefully takes that next step forward and puts himself in contention for a call-up to the Avalanche. - BO

9 - Matthew Stienburg C

A bit of a late bloomer physically, Stienburg suffered through osteomyelitis as a teenager. As such, he’s taken a longer route to relevance as an NHL prospect. First it was St. Andrew’s College, then Cornell, then a year off with the Ivy League not playing during the pandemic. Stienburg returned with a vengeance this past season, leading Cornell in scoring. The power center plays a game tailored for a future bottom six role with the Avalanche. He competes physically. He uses his size to drive the net and dominate near the crease. He plays a 200-foot game. The key for him will be the continued development of his skating. Stienburg will return to Cornell again in 2022-23 and he should continue to be one of the better players in the Ivy League. After that, he would be likely to turn pro in a fairly shallow Colorado system, although returning to Cornell again in 2023-24 is absolutely not out of the question. Logan O’Connor, a similar kind of player, moved very quickly through the system to take on a permanent role with the Avalanche and if all goes according to plan, Stienburg could do the same. - BO

10 - Danila Zhuravlyoy D

Drafted in the fifth round in 2018, Colorado has been very patient with Danila Zhuravylov’s development as he has worked his way up to KHL regular. While his offensive development has been limited, he has become a strong defensive presence in Russia and as such, the Avalanche opted to sign him and bring him into the fold this year. Zhuravylov’s best quality is his mobility. He is not a big defender by any means, but he is effective defensively because of how quick he is to close gaps and how effective he is at defending pace. More of a positional, stick on puck defender, Zhuravylov can play that steady defensive first game, perhaps partnering with a more offensively oriented defender. That said, the KHL can sometimes hide the offensive talents of young defenders and if he can gain confidence in his play with the puck and ability to use his skating ability to be a puck carrier, perhaps Zhuravylov does have two-way upside. As is, he looks like a potential third pairing defender who can handle penalty killing assignments and be a steady, yet unspectacular presence. More will be known about his NHL upside and the likelihood of reaching it after his season with Colorado of the AHL this year. - BO

11 -Sampo Ranta

A speedy winger with size, Ranta was a major disappointment in his first full pro season. It is starting to look like his NHL upside might be capped.

12 - Mikhail Maltsev

Acquired from New Jersey in the Ryan Graves deal, Maltsev is a big winger with some skill who is close to being ready to take on a full-time role in the NHL with the Avalanche.

13 - Ivan Zhigalov

The big Belarussian netminder was one of our highest ranked goaltenders for the draft this year. He is athletic, but very raw. Zhigalov will play in Kingston of the OHL this year after spending last year in the QMJHL.

14 - Colby Ambrosio

An undersized, but skilled center, Ambrosio plays for Boston College. He is entering his junior season and will be looking to improve his production by becoming better off the puck and stronger on it.

15 - Tyler Weiss

Is Weiss even still Colorado property? Remains to be seen. He could return to UNO for another year (because of the pandemic), which would extend the Avalanche’s rights to him. Weiss is a skilled forward with an attacking mentality.

16 - Andrei Buyalsky

Buyalsky’s freshman season at Vermont was almost entirely wiped out by injury. The highly skilled forward will look to get his development back on track as a sophomore this year.

17 - Alex Beaucage

Beaucage, a big winger with a big shot, struggled in his first taste of pro hockey last season. Adapting to the increased pace of play was an issue for him. A rebound season in his second year would really help the Colorado system.

18 - Shane Bowers

A former first round selection by Ottawa, Bowers was a key piece in the Matt Duchene deal several moons ago. Thus far he has yet to look like an NHL player at the AHL level and now will need to clear waivers to be sent to the Eagles.

19 - Wyatt Aamodt

A dependable, stay at home defender, Aamodt was signed by the Avalanche this offseason after four years at Minnesota State University.

20 - Callahan Burke

The former University of Notre Dame captain was originally playing in Colorado (AHL) on a minor league deal, but the Avs scooped him up halfway through this year, signing him to an ELC. A solid energy player and penalty killer, Burke could one day become a Logan O’Connor type.

NCAA TOURNAMENT RECAP – Minutemen Win First NCAA Title

Jashvina Shah — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 14:32:24 +0000

The NCAA tournament featured 16 teams, but due to COVID protocols, there were some changes and eventually only 14 teams ended up playing. First St. Lawrence, the ECAC’s automatic bid and tournament champion, was removed because the coach tested positive for COVID in the hours after celebrating the team’s Conference tournament victory. In their stead, Notre Dame snuck into the tournament.

But when Notre Dame went through COVID testing at the Albany regional, they, too, were sent home because of COVID protocols. Then, on the day of their Midwest Regional game, Michigan was informed they would also not be able to play.

For COVID protocols, teams worked with local contract tracers — so those at the different regional states — to determine close contacts stemming from a positive test. A positive test does not automatically mean a team is ineligible, but teams can be deemed ineligible due to subsequent contract tracing.

Here is a recap of the weekend and the subsequent Frozen Four:

Fargo Regional

North Dakota vs. American International

In recent years, we’ve seen No. 4 seeds upsetting No. 1 seeds. We also saw American International, an actual No. 16 seed, knock off the No. 1 seed St. Cloud State in 2019. But this game was not made for upsets. North Dakota was considered one of the best teams in the country, and they skated away with a 5-1 victory.

Jasper Weatherby (SJS) struck first less than 10 minutes into the game. And about three minutes later, he scored again. North Dakota wasn’t done with scoring in the first, though, as Grant Mismash (NSH) and Collin Adams (NYI) also added tallies. American International’s lone goal came in the third period, courtney of Tobias Fladeby.

Adams added another tally in the third. Junior Adam Scheel (DAL) made 24 saves. Jacob Bernard-Docker (OTT), Tyler Kleven (OTT), Judd Caufield (PIT) Jake Sandseron (OTT) each recorded an assist. Stefano Durante started for AIC but was replaced by Jake Kucharski (CAR) after allowing four goals on nine shots. Kucharski allowed one goal while making 19 saves.

Minnesota-Duluth vs. Michigan

This game was not played as Michigan was informed the day of the game that they would not be able to play due to COVID protocols. A player had tested positive before regionals and was left on campus. A different player that traveled with the team later tested positive.

North Dakota vs. Minnesota-Duluth

The NCHC rivalry game ended up being the best of the NCAA tournament. North Dakota against the perennial, two-time defending champions.

For two periods, the game was deadlocked. Then early in the third periods the Bulldogs struck twice in 1:20 thanks to Jackson Cates (PHI) and Cole Koepke (TBL) to take the 2-0 lead. A well-coached team, the Bulldogs began to stymie the Fighting Hawks, looking like they would return to the Frozen Four.

And they were two minutes away from doing so, before Adams scored again. 50 seconds later, Jordan Kawaguchi (DAL) scored. The game went into overtime.

And overtime. And overtime. And overtime. At one point, the Bulldogs scored — or they thought they had scored, but the goal was called back. And so they kept on playing.

Finally, in the fifth overtime — officially making the contest the longest NCAA tournament game, men’s or women’s, in history, Minnesota-Duluth sent out its rested fourth line and Luke Mylymok (’01), who had barely played during the first seven (!!!) periods, scored the game winner.

Shane Pinto (OTT) netted two assists while Weatherby added one.

Loveland Regional

Minnesota State vs. Quinnipiac

The Mavericks, cursed by first-round losses, opened up this year’s NCAA tournament against the Bobcats, who made the NCAA tournament after losing in the ECAC’s three-team tournament, but whose regular season was strong enough to keep them in consideration. The forced elimination of St. Lawrence due to COVID protocols, as discussed above, further cemented their place in the tournament as the sole representative from the ECAC.

Odeen Tufto (TB) put Quinnipiac up 1-0 early in the first period. With five minutes left in the frame, Peter DiLiberatore (VGK) made it 2-0. The Mavericks cut the lead in half with the lone second-period tally.

The third frame featured the most scoring action, started by CJ McGee, who scored his first goal of the year, to bring the Bobcats back up to a two-goal lead. Nathan Smith (WIN) scored for the Mavericks and Cade Borchardt scored with a minute left in regulation to tie the game. Ryan Sandelin, the son of Minnesota-Duluth coach Scott Sandelin, scored the game-winning goal in overtime.

Dryden McKay made 27 stops for the Mavericks while Keith Petruzzelli (DET) made 34 for Quinnipiac.

Minnesota vs. Nebraska-Omaha

This game ended almost as soon as it started, with Mason Nevers scoring his first collegiate goal to put Minnesota up 1-0. Minnesota reeled off three goals in the first period before Taylor Ward put the Mavericks on the board. Less than a minute into the second period, Ryan Johnson (BUF) put the Gophers back up by three. Two more tallies in the period sealed the eventual 7-2 win for Minnesota.

Jack LaFontaine (CAR) made 26 stops for the winners. Jack Perbix (ANA), Scott Reedy (SJS) and Sampo Ranta (COL) all scored. Brock Faber (LAK) recorded five assists. Blake McLaughlin (ANA), Sammy Walker (TBL), Jackson LaCombe (ANA), and Johnson each contributed a single helper. Tyler Weiss (COL) recorded two assists for Nebraska-Omaha. Isiah Saville (VGK) got the start for the losing side but was pulled after allowing five goals on 10 shots.

Minnesota vs. Minnesota State

It seemed Minnesota used up all its goals against Nebraska-Omaha because they came out flat against the purple Mavericks. Minnesota State earned a 4-0 shutout backed by 22 saves from Dryden McKay and goals from Sam Morton, Sandelin, Smith and Dallas Gerads. Minnesota’s Jack LaFontaine made 23 stops in the losing cause.

Bridgeport Regional

Wisconsin vs. Bemidji State

The Badgers returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2014 and for the first time under Tony Granato, largely bolstered by decent goaltending and offensive power from Cole Caufield (MTL). On the opposite side were the Pioneers.

In the biggest upset of the first round, Bemidji State dominated Wisconsin. They scored six minutes into the game and added another goal with 16 seconds left. The Badgers took advantage of a 5-on-3 power play early in the second with power play quarterback Linus Weissbach bringing the Badgers to within one. The Pioneers struck twice more in the last five minutes — including on a shorthanded tally that got the better of Weissbach — to make it 4-1.

Another goal in the third seemed to put the game away. But none other than Cole Caufield struck twice to cut the deficit. A shorthanded empty net goal with two seconds left sealed the victory for Bemidji State.

Caufield added an assist to his aforementioned goals. Shortly after the game, he signed with Montreal. Not long afterwards, he won the Hobey Baker Award as the nation’s top player.

Massachusetts vs. Lake Superior State

The Lakers returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1995-96 after winning their first conference tournament since 1994-95. The Minutemen, meanwhile, returned after falling in the 2019 national championship game.

UMass started the scoring in the first, but Lake Superior State tied it before the frame ended. From the second period onward, it was all the Minutemen, who scored four more goals and shut out the Lakers for the remainder of the game en route to a 5-1 win.

Zac Jones (NYR) recorded three assists while Filip Lindberg (MIN) made 30 stops in the victory.

Massachusetts vs. Bemidji State

The Minutemen put out a statement on the regional championship game, shutting out the Pioneers 4-0 to claim a second-consecutive berth to the Frozen Four. Carson Gicewicz recorded a natural hat trick in the victory. Marc Del Gaizo (NSH) recorded two assists and Matthew Kessel (STL) had one. Lindberg made 18 saves in the shutout.

Albany Regional

Boston College vs. Notre Dame

Notre Dame received a positive test upon arrival in Albany for the regional and were forced to withdraw. Boston College advanced in light of the no-contest.

St. Cloud State vs. Boston University

After a scoreless first, BU opened the scoring eight seconds into the second frame. St. Cloud’s Micah Miller tied the game off a fluke play where the puck bounced high and everyone except for Nolan Walker — the player whose stick the puck landed on — lost sight of it. Nick Perbix (TBL) gave the Huskies a 2-1 lead before Jake Wise’s (CHI) first goal of the season tied it.

In the third period, the Huskies were awarded a penalty shot, which they converted to regain the lead. St. Cloud State added two more goals in the win. Drew Commesso (CHI) made 32 saves in a losing cause while David Hrenak (LAK) made 34 in the win. Veeti Miettinen (TOR) scored a goal for the winners.

St. Cloud State vs. Boston College

The Eagles struck first thanks to Matt Boldy (MIN) and retained the 1-0 lead into the intermission, but from there on out it was all St. Cloud State. The Huskies scored three goals in the third period from Luke Jaycox, Will Hammer and Nolan Walker. Micah Miller added an empty net goal in the third. Boston College’s Spencer Knight (FLA) made 32 saves in defeat. Hrenak made 26 in the victory. On a down note, St. Cloud’s leading scorer, Easton Brodziński, broke his leg in the game.

Frozen Four

The Frozen Four featured three title-less programs in UMass, St. Cloud State and Minnesota State. The Bulldogs, of course, were trying to earn their third-straight national title. This would also be Minnesota State’s first ever Frozen Four appearance.

The Minutemen started the Frozen Four without leading goal scorer Carson Gicewicz and starting goaltender Filip Lindberg, as well as two other depth players, due to COVID protocols.

Minnesota State vs. St. Cloud State

The in-state rivalry game featured offensive, fast-paced, back-and-forth play between two evenly matched teams. Precise passing on the power play led to a couple good chances. One of those chances was a rebound that bounced straight to St. Cloud’s Spencer Meier, who shot the puck into an empty net. On Minnesota State’s tying goal, the Huskies couldn’t clear and Nathan Smith won the puck battle, earning the goal. But Minnesota State’s euphoria was short lived, as the Huskies reclaimed the lead 10 seconds later. The defense allowed St. Cloud’s Nolan Walker to take the puck and he skated past a defender who was closing in on him, stickhandled around another defender and made a quick, slick pass to Kyler Kupka, who scored. The Huskies held on to the one-goal lead heading into the first intermission.

Will Hammer’s second period goal seemed to put the game further out of reach for Minnesota State, but the Mavericks did not go away quietly. They responded with control of the puck, turning up the pace of play scoring once just past the middle point of the period, and that continued persistence led to a tripping penalty on St. Cloud that, in turn, led to the Mavericks tying the game with another Nathan Smith goal. In the third period, the Mavericks took the one-goal lead early, through the stick of Dallas Gerads and kept up the pressure and followed with another onslaught.

The Huskies were without leading goal scorer Easton Brodzinski, but it was his replacement — Joe Molenaar — who tied the game in the third period. With the teams evenly matched, it looked as though the game would go into overtime. The Mavericks earned a couple of good chances very late into the game, but Hrenak made the stops. Minnesota State had an offensive zone draw, but the Huskies won the face-off and took the puck up ice. They fought to keep it in the zone with Seamus Donohue collecting the puck in the corner and sending it to Nolan Walker, who took the shot from the blue line that gave St. Cloud state the lead with 45 seconds left. It was all the Huskies needed.

In addition to Nathan Smith’s (WIN) two goals for Minnesota State, Sam Hentges (MIN) recorded an assist and David Hrenak (LAK) made 25 saves.

Minnesota-Duluth vs. UMass

The rematch of 2019’s national championship game was much closer than that title game. In 2019, the Bulldogs scored and then clamped down. This year, the Minutemen actually took the lead on a Zac Jones (NYR) goal in the first period. The Bulldogs, an exceptionally well-coached team, tied the game up a just a few minutes later and entered the first intermission tied 1-1. Cole Koepke (TBL) scored first in the second to put the Bulldogs ahead.

This time, unlike 2019, the Bulldogs were unable to put the Minutemen away. UMass — bolstered by previous Frozen Four experience — came right back with pressure and even a scoring chance, which led to a UMD icing call and was then another UMass scoring chance. Just like that, the Minutemen kept attacking. UMass set the pace in the third and kept the Bulldogs chasing. Minnesota-Duluth was able to even out the run of play eventually, but the Minutemen crashed the net midway through the third and tied the game, with Anthony Del Gaizo credited with the equalizer.

The game went into overtime. Unlike with UMD’s earlier game against North Dakota, from the time the puck dropped in overtime, this time the Bulldogs looked exhausted. The Minutemen dominated and It looked very uncharacteristic of the Bulldogs, who spent overtime on their heels. UMass attacked relentlessly. It seemed like it was only a matter of time until UMass would score. That break came late in the first overtime period, when Bobby Trivigno fought to hold on to the puck deep in the offensive zone, skated around the net and fed the puck to Garrett Wait, who was waiting at the edge of the crease. Wait had a small, empty hole of the net to shoot through. He made no mistake, putting UMass in the final again, and ending any hope of a threepeat from Minnesota-Duluth.

UMass vs. St. Cloud State

The Huskies started the final game of the collegiate 2020-21 season game strong and with energy. They even hit a crossbar early on. The Huskies kept up the pace but unfortunately for them, luck did not go their way. The Minutemen scored the first goal after a Husky lost an edge and fell into a teammate, giving the Minutemen a breakaway chance which was converted by blueliner Aaron Bohlinger, his first of the season. With just over a minute left in the period, Reed Lebster of the Minutemen scored on offsides goal that could not be reviewed for offsides based on NCAA rules.

Play at that point was still even between the two teams, and the Huskies believed they still had a chance. SCSU also had a shorthanded scoring chance early in the second. The Huskies managed to kill off the penalty and seemed to still be playing with jump and earning chances.

But things changed when the Huskies received a power play of their own.

The Huskies had regrouped in their own end and were bringing the puck back up the ice. One of the Huskies aimed to send a cross-ice pass at a teammate, but it was deflected by UMass’ Philip Lagunov, who chased it down in the neutral zone, picked up the puck, made an excellent toe drag to get around the lone remaining defender. Lagunov took it calmly to the net and quickly shot it stick side to give UMass a 3-0 lead.

It was all over for the Huskies, who were deflated by the shorthanded marker. The Minutemen won 5-0, winning the program’s first NCAA title.

In his return to net, Lindberg made 25 saves. Hrenak made 17 in the losing cause for Minnesota-Duluth.

***

Brock Faber's (LAK) five points led tournament scoring amongst drafted players. Minnesota State’s Nathan Smith (WIN) led all drafted players in goals, netting four. Wisconsin’s Cole Caufield (MIN) and North Dakota’s Jasper Weatherby (SJS) and Collin Adams (NYI) all had two-goal games. Zac Jones (NYR) recorded four points.

Lindberg (MIN) allowed just one goal in 254:30 minutes of play, good for a .986 save percentage. Hrenak (LAK) played the most minutes and posted a .895 save percentage.

NCAA: NCHC 2019-20 Season Preview – League of Champions

Ryan Wagman — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 20:07:01 +0000

The National Collegiate Hockey Conference, more commonly known by its acronym of NCHC is the League of Champions in the realm of collegiate hockey. Since our calendars began to start with a ‘2’, teams currently in the NCHC have won eight titles, including each of the last four. And despite sending a raft-load of their best players to the professional ranks over the summer – some after graduation and others after leaving school early – there is a pretty decent chance that the 2020 champion will emerge from the NCHC once again.

For reference sake, at this writing, the seasons are all one weekend deep, but conference play is still a ways away.

Colorado College

Around the turn of the century, from a period extending from 1995-2008, the Colorado College Tigers were a veritable powerhouse, appearing in the NCAA tournament in 11 of 14 seasons, a period which included four appearances in the Frozen Four and one appearance in the championship match. While those teams were not loaded with future NHL superstars (remember Joey Crabb?), they were fine for the collegiate level. Since the end of that run, the Tigers have only appeared in the postseason once, a second round loss in 2011. In fact, since the 2011-12 season, CC has not finished the season with a record above .500. Let’s take the troubles a step further. In the four seasons between 2013-14 and 2016-17, the team had a combined record of 27-103-14. Not good, Bob.

Things have begun to look up though, with two seasons of middling, yet respectable performances under head coach Mike Haviland. Despite the school’s poor recent history, they have managed to recruit some very talented players, even if there don’t seem to be many, if any, future NHL superstars among them. The roster is mostly made up of smaller players, with only two regular skaters listed as over 6-1”. In fact, the roster is, on average, the shortest among all 60 NCAA Division I schools, and only two schools are lighter. On the other hand, their players are more mature, as only Western Michigan has an older roster in the conference.

Despite the above, some of last year’s critical players, including the starting netminder and their top three scorers, have all moved on. The new starting goalie looks like Ryan Ruck, a graduate transfer from Northeastern, he had not played much since holding the reins as an underclassman. The defense-corps should be led by Zach Berzolla and Bryan Yoon, the latter of whom impressed last year as a freshman. Up front, Chris Wilkie returns after missing half of his junior season to injury. He has close to a point per game player when healthy and had a blockbuster opening weekend, picking up five points in two matches. He should be supported in the offensive game by the likes of playmaker Nicholas Halloran – also returning from injury – speedy Ben Copeland, and some sleeper types like Erik Middendorf, Bailey Conger, and Christiano Versich, and top recruit Josiah Slavin. The Tigers might not be ready to return to the tournament again yet, but they are inching closer.

Draft Players: LW Josiah Slavin (Chi, 7^th round, 2018), RW Chris Wilkie (Fla, 6^th round, 2015). Technically, D Casey Staum was also drafted, by Montreal in the 5^th round in 2016, but he took so long to get to campus, the Canadiens no longer hold his player rights.

Miami University (Ohio)

We are entering a new era in Oxford, Ohio, as former longtime assistant coach Chris Bergeron has taken over as the new head coach, following an intervening nine year stint in charge of the program at Bowling Green State. He comes to a program that, like Colorado College, has been struggling of late. In the Redhawks’ case, it is a four year run of futility (and five of six), without either an NCAA tournament run, or even a .500 record. The combined record from 2014-15 through last season stands at 47-81-19. To add to Bergeron’s challenge, not only did top seniors Grant Hutton (NYI) and Josh Melnick (Dal) graduate, but Johnny Gruden (Ott) left after an underwhelming freshman campaign to continue his development in the OHL.

On the bright side, outside of the three mentioned above, the only player who contributed even ten points to the 2018-19 season who has left is graduating forward Ryan Siroky and his 11 goal senior season. Miami will play out this season with a chance to surprise some teams, as their roster has some underrated firepower and a lot of speed. Florida prospect Karch Bachman is particularly fast and looks primed to have a career year. He will try to join fellow senior Gordie Green in leading the Redhawks’ offensive attack.

There are more questions on defense as they have surrendered over 3.25 goals per game for the past three seasons running. Senior netminder Ryan Larkin needs to do a better job of keeping the puck out of his net, or lanky recruit Ben Kraws, recently of Sioux City of the USHL, will have to prove he can do better. Of course, this isn’t only on the goaltenders, as the blueline will have to be more effective as well. Veteran Derek Daschke has piqued the interest of NHL scouts and Rourke Russell has also been reliable in his way. Perhaps one of the two freshman who are receiving regular shifts from the get-go, either Jack Clement or Alec Capstick, can help out more than previous defensive crews were able to.

Drafted Players: LW Karch Bachman (Fla, 5^th round, 2015)

St. Cloud State

In both of the past two season, St. Cloud State rampaged through the NCAA during the regular season and then were toppled in embarrassing fashion by the Atlantic Hockey representative in the first round of the NCAA tournament. In 2017-18, it was Air Force that turned the trick. Last year, American International did the deed. Last year was especially embarrassing as the Huskies entered the tournament as the top ranked team in the nation. Nonetheless, they will be hard-pressed to repeat those exploits this year, having lost five of their top six scorers from last season to the pros.

From a team that could outscore almost all comers last year, the Huskies should look to tighten up their defensive game now, as most of their key departures came up front, while Jimmy Schuldt (Vgk) was the only prominent blueliner to leave. The returning defenders combine skill, speed and grit. Little Jack Ahcan provides and he is more than ably backed up by Nicklaus Perbix, who looked very good as a freshman last year. Sophomores like Brendan Bushy and Spencer Meier should look to build off of promising freshman campaigns. Behind them, Slovakian netminder David Hrenak will have to continue to be reliable, even as trusty backup Jeff Smith has exhausted his NCAA eligibility.

It will not be possible to replace the likes of Ryan Poehling, Blake Lizotte, Patrick Newell and Robby Jackson, and the Huskies will largely be relying on positive developmental steps being taken by Sam Hentges, Nolan Walker and Easton Brodzinski, among others. Those three have proven able to score when they didn’t have to carry the offense, but they will have to move up while incoming freshmen including Chase Brand, Jami Krannila and Zachary Okabe will have to fit in those vacated support roles.

Drafted Players: G David Hrenak (LA, 5^th round, 2018), D Nicklaus Perbix (TB, 6^th round, 2017), C Sam Hentges (Min, 7^th round, 2018)

University of Denver

The University of Denver Pioneers have appeared in each of the last 12 NCAA tournaments, and have passed the first round in each of the last five, a stretch which includes three Frozen Four appearances and one championship. While many of the main contributors to that 2017 title have moved on, many to the pros, a few are still suiting up in the Crimson and Gold. On the blueline, Michael Davies and Erich Fear are still tied to glory. Up front, Liam Finley and Tyson McLellan are the last remaining holdovers.

Even if the current iteration of the Denver roster lacks players like Will Butcher, Troy Terry, Dylan Gambrell, or Henrik Borgstrom, this is not a roster devoid of high end talent in the least. Like any former champion, the Pioneers were able to leverage their high profile success into high end recruits. One such recruit, although not discussed much in national circles, may prove to be the most important, in Swedish netminder Magnus Chrona. Given the crease in Denver’s first five games this year, the Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick has allowed only seven goals. Hard to lose when the last line of defense is so tight. In front of Chrona most contributors to last year’s Frozen Four team are back, led by captain Ian Mitchell, one of the top defensemen in the country, while Slava Demin is primed for a stronger showing as a sophomore.

The forwards in Denver lack the great depth of the blueline, but there are a few players who look likely to stick out this year, starting with top recruit Bobby Brink, whose scoring exploits in the USHL were extraordinary. He is joined up front by a trio of drafted players in Mathias Emilio Pettersen, Cole Guttman, and Brett Stapley, in addition to the two aforementioned championship leftovers. Freshman Hank Crone should also lengthen the attack as he comes with solid offensive pedigree from his time in the USHL. I wouldn’t put another Frozen Four appearance past the Pioneers.

Drafted Players: G Magnus Chrona (TB, 5^th round, 2018), D Slava Demin (Vgk, 4^th round, 2018), D Ian Mitchell (Chi, 2^nd round, 2017), RW Bobby Brink (Phi, 2^nd round, 2019), C Cole Guttman (TB, 6^th round, 2017), C Mathias Emilio Pettersen (Cgy, 6^th round, 2018), C Brett Stapley (Mtl, 7^th round, 2018)

University of Minnesota-Duluth

I don’t want to bury the lead, so I’ll come right out and state here that Minnesota-Duluth will not be the first three-peat NCAA Ice Hockey champs since the 1951-53 Michigan Wolverines. The ghosts of Reginald Shave and Telesforo Mascarin can rest easy. The back-to-back champs from Duluth were not reliant on a handful of stars, but rather from incredible depth up and down the lineup. Of last year’s team, only Mikey Anderson and Riley Tufte have signed NHL deals, and only three other graduates have signed professional contracts, but the departed make up half of UMD’s top eight scorers.

Not seeing any change, though, is the Bulldogs’ crease, where the extremely consistent Hunter Shepard is back for his senior season. Shepard barely played as a freshman, but took only six combined games off in the past two seasons, with save percentages ranging from .923-.925. Even if his first few games this year were uncharacteristic, you know what you are going to get with him. The blueline is a different story. After Scott Perunovich and Dylan Samberg, two future NHLers, there are a number of question marks. Nick Wolff is giant, but has always had mobility concerns. Matt Anderson (no relation to Mikey or Joey) is now the best Anderson on the Bulldogs, but hasn’t shown he is more than a third pairing guy. Same with Hunter Lellig. Undersized Louie Roehl may be the best bet to step up among this crew.

Up front the energetic Cates brothers, Noah and Jackson, are joined by skilled Nick Swaney and a number of strong two way forwards including Cole Koepke, Justin Richards, and Kobe Roth. UMD will need for one of the above to move from solid into a new tier, or for one of their prized recruits, such as Brandon Puricelli, Quinn Olson, or Luke Loheit, to hit the ice skating, so to speak. Another odd point about the UMD forwards is that very few are natural centers, with Richards and Jackson Cates being the only two with any collegiate experience. The Bulldogs will be strong enough defensively to make a sixth consecutive NCAA tournament, and while anything can happen in a one-game playoff tournament, another long spring run would be very unexpected.

Drafted Players: D Scott Perunovich (StL, 2^nd round, 2018), D Dylan Samberg (Wpg, 2^nd round, 2017), LW Noah Cates (Phi, 5^th round, 2017), LW Cole Koepke (TB, 6^th round, 2018), RW Luke Loheit (Ott, 7^th round, 2018), LW Quinn Olson (Bos, 3^rd round, 2019), RW Nick Swaney (Min, 7^th round, 2017)

University of Nebraska-Omaha

Since joining NCAA Division I in 1997-98, Nebraska-Omaha has had its moments, chiefly the Frozen Four appearance in 2014-15, and the program has had its share of star talents, but, to borrow an expression from historical baseball, they have more often been a second division team than a challenger for glory. Outside of the aforementioned Frozen Four appearance, the school has only twice appeared in the NCAA tournament, and have finished with a record below .500 more often than not.

This year’s roster looks to carry on that fine tradition of unexceptional hockey with some highlights. Starting in the crease, Isaiah Saville, the top netminders in the USHL last season, gives the school potentially its best goaltending in program history. The Vegas draft pick is technically sound and very athletic. Protecting the crease will be a blueline corps not known for puck skills, although Dean Stewart may be underrated and Ryan Jones is off to a hot start as a senior. Then again, as his two goals in three games is equal to everything he has accomplished offensively in his first three years, we are right to remain skeptical. That said, keep an eye on freshman Brandon Scanlin, joining the Mavericks fresh from an AJHL Playoff MVP run with Brooks last spring.

The forwards are a mixed bunch, with a few “what if’s” that could move the needle on UNO’s season. What if Kevin Conley, who won an NCAA title with Denver as a freshman before transferring is ready to take on a leadership role? What if former USNTDP member Tyler Weiss is ready to play a skill game and not just flash skills while playing a two-way game? What if Zach Jordan can be more consistent and be not just one of the best forwards in Omaha, but in the conference as a whole? He has the size, speed, and drive to make NHL scouts take notice. What if undersized Tristan Keck is saving his best for his senior season, reprising his final year as the MP of the MJHL? The Mavericks should be fun to watch, but there are too many questions to expect them to emerge as conference challengers.

Drafted Players: G Isaiah Saville (Vgk, 5^th round, 2019), D Ryan Jones (Pit, 4^th round, 2016), D Dean Stewart (Ari, 7^th round, 2016), LW Tyler Weiss (Col, 4^th round, 2018)

University of North Dakota

After 15 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament, and 20 appearances in 21 years, a period in which the university won three national championships and appeared in eight additional Frozen Fours, North Dakota has missed the dance for the last two years. It is officially in a slump. If Head Coach Brad Berry thought that the job would be easy after winning a title in his debut in 2015-16, the subsequent seasons have definitely proven him wrong. And now that the last remnants of the championship season have graduated, the Fighting Hawks are now built entirely through Berry’s vision as all of the players on the roster have joined the team knowing he would be the head honcho.

To his credit, the roster has talent and depth at all positions, including many players who have heard their names called out on draft day by NHL teams. The forwards feature three former USNTDP members, although it is hard to state with certainty which players will end the season as “top six” players as most of them have offensive ability that would be wasted on most bottom sixes. On the other hand, among returning forwards, only one, Jordan Kawaguchi, topped 20 points last season, so there will be room for a lot of players to step up this year. Two of the USNTDPers in particular, Grant Mismash and Gavin Hain, will be looked to to provide more offense that they had in the past. Joining them and Kawaguchi are a number of talented recruits, including freshmen Shane Pinto and Harrison Blaisdell as well as Westin Michaud, a top scorer at Colorado College who joins UND as a graduate transfer.

There is actually a pretty good chance that North Dakota’s offense will again include hefty contributions from the blueliners, as three of last year’s top five scorers were defensemen, all of whom (Jacob Bernard-Docker, Colton Poolman, and Matt Kierstad) are returning. The first of those three was already drafted, while the latter two have some expectations of NHL contracts in the near future. The Fighting Hawks will also expect an increased contribution from Jonny Tychonick, who underwhelmed somewhat as a freshman. The crease will again be manned by a tandem of Adam Scheel and Peter Thome, with Scheel expected to get the bulk of starts. If there is a team that can withstand the inevitable injuries that accompany all hockey seasons, it is North Dakota.

Drafted Players: G Peter Thome (Clb, 6^th round, 2016), D Jacob Bernard-Docker (Ott, 1^st round, 2018), D Jonny Tychonick (Ott, 2^nd round, 2018), LW Collin Adams (NYI, 6^th round, 2016), C Harrison Blaisdell (Wpg, 5^th round, 2019), F Judd Caulfied (Pit 5^th round, 2019), C Gavin Hain (Phi, 6^th round, 2018), C/LW Grant Mismash (Nsh, 2^nd round, 2017), C Shane Pinto (Ott, 2^nd round), C/LW Jasper Weatherby (SJ, 4^th round, 2018)

Western Michigan

Despite eight years under the auspices of head coach Andy Murray, and constantly playing with a number of NHL-level talents, Western Michigan has struggled to win with any consistency, making the NCAA tournament only twice during the Murray reign. A big part of that lack of team-wide success has been a general inability to keep the puck out of their own net. Another part can be attributed to injuries. More of which on both momentarily.

About the defense, the Broncos have turned the net over to incoming freshman Brandon Bussi, coming off a strong season for USHL Muskegon. Bussi will be replacing the graduated Trevor Gorsuch, despite former two year starter Ben Blacker still being on the roster. On front of Bussi, Corey Schueneman is gone, but the rest of the blueline corps is back, and they will be supplemented by Ronnie Attard, who blew up the USHL last year with a 30 goal year from the back. Between Attard and Mattias Samuelsson, both big players with strong pedigrees, WMU has the core in place for an improved defense.

Up front, without overlooking the abilities of the likes of Hugh McGing, Josh Passolt, Austin Rueschhoff, and Dawson DiPietro, much will rest with the health of Wade Allison. The senior, who was absolutely electric as an underclassman, struggled with a severe knee injury last year, sitting out a large portion of the season, and playing with significantly recued effectiveness when he could play at all. Despite a slow start to his season (1 point in four games), there is hope that he can return to the level that had the Flyers use a second round pick on him in 2016. A return to full health by Allison could be the difference between the Broncos being competitive, and being in the thick of the NCAA tournament chase.

Drafted Players: D Ronnie Attard (Phi, 3^rd round, 2019), D Mattias Samuelsson (Buf, 2^nd round, 2018), RW Wade Allison (Phi, 2^nd round, 2016), LW Hugh McGing (StL, 5^th round, 2018).

NCHC Top Draft Eligible Players

Brandon Scanlin, D, Nebraska-Omaha
Adam Scheel, G, North Dakota

Neither Scanlin nor Scheel are top daft eligible players and both have been passed over twice already. But both have size, some ability, a history or production, and the opportunity to play a key role for their respective teams.

NCHC Undrafted Top Free Agents

Derek Daschke, D, Miami
Colton Poolman, D, North Dakota
Zach Jordan, RW, Nebraska-Omaha
Hunter Shepard, G, Minnesota-Duluth
Nicholas Halloran, RW, Colorado College

Colorado Avalanche 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 10:57:58 +0000

Prospects are never a sure thing, but we like to think that we know a thing or two about them here at McKeens, and I find it hard to think of a better pair of defensive prospects on any one roster than the Colorado duo of Bowen Byram and Cale Makar. I looked at last year’s rankings and Colorado actually had a good pairing then, too, between Makar and Conor Timmins.

Makar has seen his stock improve in the last 12 months, while Timmins’ has somewhat abated, through no fault of his own, as he missed the entirety of the 2018-19 season due to a serious concussion. We are optimistic about an eventual return to action for Timmins and didn’t really dock his grades very much, barring some for the lost development time.

While the Colorado duo was strong, they were really in a battle for the second best defensive pairing along with Toronto (Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren), the New York Islanders (Bode Wilde and Noah Dobson), and Chicago (Adam Boqvist and Henri Jokiharju). The best pairing, with no real doubt, belonged to Vancouver, with two recent top ten picks in Quinn Hughes and Olli Juolevi. The two individually ranked 12^th and 23^rd overall among all prospects, respectively.

We have not yet completed evaluating the entirety of the prospect class to determine where Byram and Makar ranks this year, but I have a good feeling that they will end up leaving the Hughes/Juolevi tandem in the dust.

That all said, there is good reason to believe that their status will be short lived, as Makar may be the most NHL-ready prospect among all 31 teams, while Byram also has a chance to make the NHL squad out of training camp.

Both defenders profile as future number one types, a ceiling height that is only approached by a few other prospects, including the aforementioned Hughes, Boqvist and Dobson, the Senators’ Erik Brannstrom, and possibly Rangers’ prospect K’Andre Miller.

Considering handedness, with Byram the lefty-handed shot to Makar’s right-handed stick, the Avalanche will have the option of putting them both together as perhaps the best skating pairing in the sport. Both players have elite or close to it speed with hands that are just as fast-paced as their feet. Both are possession drivers and love to push the play.

As enticing as such a combination would be, the Avalanche are unlikely to pair them for the near future. Even for a relatively progressive organization, such as Colorado is, there is a ton of risk inherent with rookie defenders and having two playing together would be piling on that risk. There is also the matter of the players’ respective game playing styles somewhat resembling one another, but there being only one puck on the ice at a time while they both like to play the puck. The team actually has a third such blueliner in the young Samuel Girard. I would have to think that the preference would be to split those three onto separate pairings (assuming Byram plays more than the nine game trial in Colorado), tethering one each to Erik Johnson, Ian Cole, and Nikita Zadorov, the latter three of whom are all better suited to protect a young partner who is trying to make something happen. We will all be smarter in two months or so, but until then, it is s fun proposition to think about.

-Ryan Wagman

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) (Photo by Russell Lansford/Icon Sportswire)

1 Bowen Byram, D (4^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Byram stepped up his game for his draft year and elevated himself up to the 4th overall pick by Colorado. He is an elite skating defender with great offensive instincts, a solid two way game, and is a tremendous puck mover. He is the first defensemen to lead the WHL in playoff scoring, putting up 26 points in 22 games, after scoring 26 goals and 71 points in the regular season. He dominates on the ice and can do it all. He will be a top defender, a PP QB, and will certainly push for a spot on the Avalanche in training camp this season. Selecting Byram also allowed Colorado to move defensemen Tyson Barrie in the off-season, and GM Joe Sakic will look like a genius in picking him, as he will look like the steal of the draft, even after being selected 4^th between his upside and his level of readiness. - KO

2 Cale Makar, D (4^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 1) Cale Makar is one of the more promising defensemen to play NCAA hockey. Last season with UMass he almost willed them to a National Championship with 16 goals and 49 points in 41 games. Everything ran through him. He was the 2019 Hobey Baker Award winner, showing that his draft pedigree was earned. He will have a huge impact with his skating and scoring in Colorado this coming season after teasing with his play for the Avalanche in the postseason. He may be able to replace the departed Tyson Barrie as the top power-play quarterback and overall #1 defenseman. It is a tall order but there is no reason to believe he can’t do that right out of the gate, barring injury. He has to work on his physical play and puck security as the Avalanche won’t let him be as freewheeling as he was in college. Makar did a lot to advance UMass as a top program in Hockey East and he seems poised to do the same for Colorado. - RC

3 Alex Newhook, C (16^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Newhook dominated tearing up the BCHL last season with 38 goals and 102 points in only 53 games. The Grizzlies captain followed that up with another dominating performance in the playoffs with 11 goals and 24 points in 15 games as they came up short losing to Prince George in the Fred Page Cup semifinal. Newhook was picked as league MVP, and put up another good showing for Canada at the Under18’s with 5 goals and 5 assists in 7 games. He will move on and take his skillset to play for Boston College next season as he continues to develop his game. He is a terrific skater who plays with speed and has high end offensive skills that any team would covet. He projects to be a top six forward and a special teams expert who will likely spend a year or two in college before turning pro. - KO

4 Martin Kaut, RW (16^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 4) A 2018 first-rounder who immediately made the jump to the North American pro game, Kaut showed maturity-beyond-his-years, as the intelligent winger scouts thought of him as before Colorado swiped him off the board. Although his offensive game was stagnant, his defensive game -- where his value is most apparent -- needed no adjustment from Europe to the North American style. His incredible rink sense make him a pest on the puck, and his willingness to play deep in the defensive zone is an unteachable, immeasurable talent. His top speed looked better than in his draft year, including his all-world technical skating skill, which allows him to cut and pivot beautifully. He would benefit from using his heavy, high-velocity wrist shot more, and taking more risks as an offensive player. He may not be the most dynamic player in the system, but he is arguably the safest and most reliable, and could be a future top-six two-way winger. - TD

5 Shane Bowers, RW (28^th overall, 2017 [Ottawa]. Last Year: 5) A first round pick of the Senators in 2017, Bowers was not everyone’s cup of tea, as he was more of a smarts and size over skill and production type of player as a junior star. Even though he began his collegiate career with aa bang at Boston University, he regressed sharply – along with many of his teammates – as a sophomore and turned pro shortly thereafter, getting a brief cameo with the Colorado Eagles before the season was done. Bowers is the type of player that specializes in performing the little things, doing the grunt work while his linemates hog the glory. He can accelerate the cycle game, bringing the puck in from the perimeter and putting a scoring chance in motion. He plays with energy and can be used in all situations. His upside may not be higher than a middle six role, but he is very close to that ceiling already, making him one of the safer players in this system. - RW

6 Conor Timmins, D (32^nd overall, 2017. Last Year: 2) 2018-19 was a year to forget for Timmins as he missed the entire season recovering from post-concussion syndrome. As of this writing, he is still not cleared for full contact, although Colorado hopes that he can be ready at some point this year. At his best, Timmins is a potential minute munching defender who can play in any situation. He is particularly effective at winning board battles in his own end and can swing play the other way for his team. Of course, it remains to be seen what repercussions this unfortunate injury has had on his development and whether he will be the same player he was prior to it. Until further notice, we will remain optimistic. - BO

7 Vladislav Kamenev, C (42^nd overall, 2014 [Nashville]. Last Year: 3) An upstart young center acquired by the Avalanche in the Matt Duchene trade of November 2017, Kamenev’s talent and drive has not been matched by his health, specifically his lack thereof. Since being shipped to the Colorado system, the Russian has only appeared in 35 pro games across parts of two full seasons, with a broken arm and shoulder surgery derailing an otherwise promising start to his career. He exhibits veteran vision and playmaking skills, with his shot evolving into a legitimate weapon from anywhere on the ice. He plays on both the penalty kill and power play, and at five-on-five has displayed the long-term potential to be a depth-scoring, physical centerman who can be trusted with a late-game faceoff. He has another chance at cracking the Avs’ bottom-six to start the 2019-20 season. - TD

8 Justus Annunen, G (64^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 8) Annunen has been the top Finnish goalie in his age-group dating a few years back. He had a decent season in Finland’s second highest league and his game improved towards the end of the season. He has strong overall skating ability, quick legs, and he moves effectively and quickly across the crease. He reads shooters well and is particularly difficult to beat down low. He flashes a quick glove from time to time and his rebound control. Whether it be on high or low shots, is solid. He is calm and quiet in the crease and has shown the ability t perform well in pressure situations I firmly think that Annunen has the potential to develop into a number one goalie for the Avalanche in time. - MB

9 Sampo Ranta, LW (78^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 6) A gifted shooter in his draft year with Sioux City, Rampo found it harder to score against the better goalies in the NCAA as a freshman. As the season progressed, he became more central to the Golden Gophers’ offensive attack, even if his full year numbers do not fully reflect his abilities. He is strong for his age, looks good driving the net and has the type of hand-eye coordination needed to play in front of the net. He needs to do a better job of recognizing scoring opportunities going forward to enable his production to be more in line with his ceiling. If his at times scintillating performance at the recent World Junior Summer Showcase is any indication, Ranta could find his way onto the Finnish WJC squad in the winter. His overall game is still raw, but he still has middle six upside. - RW

10 Drew Helleson, D (47^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Of all of the talented defenders in the USNTDP class last year, Helleson played the purest form of defensive defense. He is big and strong, and a bear along the boards. He plays a menacing style and has a knack for forcing opponents to the outside, thereby preventing danger from escalating. He keeps tight gaps and uses his stick well to strip pucks when he isn’t simply shutting them down with his physical game. He would occasionally jump into the rush with the Program, contributing with a quick shot release and solid skating, but he is more natural as an outlet option from the point. I expect him to stick to a defensive role at BC starting in the Fall, as he is groomed for a future role on the third pairing. - RW

11 Nick Henry, RW (94^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 10) Henry has a solid build on a short stocky frame. He uses it to be hard on pucks and relentless on the forecheck. Playing on a skill team in Lethbridge this season he showed he could be a play maker rather than only the trigger man on a line. He drives play with his ability to carry the puck through the neutral zone. He is a shoot first player but he has shown enough that you have to be mindful of the pass option. He isn’t a pure speed player but he moves around the ice well enough that guys have to respect him. His offensive skills will take a few years in the pros before he would ever get a look at an NHL team, but he could carve out a role in a bottom six even if his full skill set doesn’t translate. - VG

12 Logan O’Connor, C (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Jul. 23, 2018. Last Year: Not ranked) O’Connor became one of the best stories among NHL prospects last season. The captain at the University of Denver, he was invited to Avs training camp, where he promptly earned a two-year ELC and reported to the AHL club. In 64 games, the right-shot winger scored 19 goals and added 23 assists, even being rewarded with a brief, five-game stint in the NHL. He is a wonderful skater with the acceleration of a top-line scorer, and possesses the smarts and discipline to consistently make a major impact in all three zones. His versatility is his strongest weapon, as he can play all three forward spots -- up and down the lineup -- with surprising effectiveness. O’Connor is a hard-working bottom-six guy in the future, and his maturity and experience might make him an NHLer as soon as this upcoming season. - TD

13 Danila Zhuravlyov, D (146^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 19) Zhuravlyov had a solid season at home in 2018-19, playing pro hockey the whole season in the VHL and representing Team Russia at the WJC as an underager. The blueliner is an interesting two-way defenseman with a good shot which he should try to unleash more often. He should also work on his release, but he is on his way to being a solid pro and is still only 19. In his own zone, Zhuravlyov is sometimes too passive, but has a decent sense of positioning and rarely spends time in the penalty box. The Russian defenseman needs to mature and keep on improving his game. He has very good skills in most areas but needs to keep on working hard to jump to the next level. The next couple of years will be of paramount importance for him to fully understand whether he can turn into a real NHL player. - ASR

14 Calle Rosen, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 16, 2017 [Toronto]. Last Year: 7 [Toronto]) Rosen is a good skater and smart with the puck. He makes easy work of capitalizing on turnovers in the neutral zone. He can be a very bright and smart player but he can also be the player that turns the puck over in the worst situations. Until he lowers his number of turnovers and becomes more consistent, he will be relegated to a bottom four role at the highest level. Rosen has the potential to be a top two defenseman when on his game and present in plays but when he takes a step back or makes a sloppy play he damages his odds greatly. Despite being well known for his passing skills, he will need to be more confident in the passes he makes and win more physical battles in the corners next season when he starts with the Avalanche. Overall, the ceiling is still quite high and has a lot of potential. - SC

15 Trent Miner, G (202^nd overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Miner had an excellent season for the Giants on their way to coming within game of winning the WHL. Expected to backup Arizona prospect David Tendeck, Miner put pushed his way into a split situation putting up 1.98 GAA, a .924 SV%, and a 24-5-1-1 record. He took more of a backseat in the playoffs, but got in six games in accruing valuable experience. With both goalies playing well, it looks like it could be another split this season as he returns to the Giants, but Miner’s play should further improve. He works and competes hard, has decent size and his positional play is solid. He likes to stay involved and one of his strengths is his ability to play the puck, which he is good at moving up ice. He still has a few years of WHL eligibility before he would move up to the AHL levels. - KO

16 Alex Beaucage, RW (78^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Beaucage has an excellent shot and great hands. His father Marc played in the NHL and his hockey sense shows it. His five-on-five numbers are very encouraging, and his advanced statistics have some in the analytics community thinking he is a steal for the third round. He has great offensive potential, but his skating needs some work. The fact that he was overshadowed by other performers at the Memorial Cup, despite the small sample size, does not work in his favor. He is set to have much more ice time this coming season and to be a shining feature in the Huskies lineup, so he can improve his already-impressive 79 points in 68 games. The next season will be a telling one for Beaucage with an increased role, but his offensive talent could lead to a top-two line role sooner rather than later. - MS

17 Tyler Weiss, LW/C (109^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 7) A rare product of North Carolina, Weiss was a skilled but underutilized forward with the UNSTDP in his draft year and he – and the Avalanche – had hoped that he would grow into a bigger role on an average Nebraska-Omaha squad. That hope hasn’t yet diminished, but it didn’t happen as a freshman, as Weiss was limited to 11 points in 25 games between injuries and acclimation struggles. The raw tools are still there. Weiss is a fine skater and a gifted puck handler with some offensive flair. The underdeveloped frame and lack of physical strength are also still there and that is the first focal area needed for improvement before he can be compared against early expectations. He could play on a bottom six with his energy game, but needs more consistency and strength first. - RW

18 Brandon Saigeon, C (140^th overall, 2018. Last Year: Not ranked) Saigeon is a hard-nosed goal scorer who operates most effectively as a triggerman on the powerplay. His release, in combination with the power he generates on his wrist or snap shot, make him a threat to score on every shift. He is also a battler in the offensive zone who will grind away to find those soft spots in the defense. While his skating has already improved a lot, it will need to continue to improve for him to be an NHL player. As of right now, Saigeon will be playing next year on an AHL contract as Colorado decides whether or not to give him an ELC. He will likely need to show them that his game can translate rather quickly to the professional level. - BO

19 Nikolai Kovalenko, RW (171^st overall, 2018. Last Year: Not ranked) The American-born Russian forward is growing well at home within the Lokomotiv organization – one of the best of the country for young players. The son of a former NHL player, Kovalenko took significant steps forward last year helping Russia to get back home with a bronze medal at the WJC even if his contribution was limited due to an early injury. His game shows that he is the son of a coach, although he plays a different style when compared to his father, Andrei. He is less physical and plays more on the perimeter. Kovalenko is gifted with good skating and technique but needs to improve on his defensive game and gain some more meat. He is steadily progressing at home and when his contract runs out in 2022 he may be fully ready to the transition to the NHL, which will be easier in comparison to other Russian players due to his history. - ASR

20 Cameron Morrison, LW (40^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 9) Although mitigated by the fact that he missed around a quarter of the 2018-19 season, there is no denying the fact that Morrison’s offensive output has declined each season from his freshman high of 24 points. He has commendable alertness and demonstrates a knack for getting to loose pucks first despite lacking big wheels. His best tool is his big shot but he has struggled in getting into ideal shooting position and has thus not really fortified a spot as a genuine top line option at the NCAA level. The former second round pick is heading into his senior season and is not much closer to the NHL than he was on draft day, but the Avalanche would not have given up on him quite yet. - RW

McKeen’s 2019 NHL Shadow Draft

Ryan Wagman — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 12:00:27 +0000

Before writing up our division by division draft reviews, I wanted to take some time to conduct the McKeen's Hockey Shadow draft and then share a few draft thoughts. As a reminder, for the shadow draft, we assume that we are picking 16^th in any given round and simply draft the top ranked player on our board at that point, with the only tweaks being that we cannot draft more than one netminder and that our shadow draft class needs at least two forwards and two defensemen.

For additional context, here are our shadow classes from the 2017 and 2018 drafts, including the slot, the player we would have chosen, where that player was actually selected (if he was selected at all), and the actual player selected at that slot.

Pick #	2017 Draft - Player	McKeens Rank	Actual Draft slot	Actual Pick
16	Kristian Vesalainen	9	24	Juuso Valimaki
47	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen	32	54	Alex Formenton
78	Keith Petruzzelli	37	88	Stuart Skinner
109	Adam Ruzicka	40	109	Adam Ruzicka
140	Sasha Chmelevski	61	185	Zach Fischer
171	Kirill Slepets	74	Undrafted	D'Artagnan Joly
202	Emil Oksanen	76	Undrafted	Filip Sveningsson

The positional rules went into effect after the 2017 draft saw us pick two goalies and zero defensemen. How did we do? I think we come out ahead for 2017. Vesalainen has yet to fully breakthrough in the NHL while Valimaki split last season between the NHL and the AHL. I still believe that Vesalainen has greater upside. Formenton and Luukonen both had tremendous final seasons of junior eligibility last year, but “our” guy looks like a potential number one netminder and Formenton still seems more likely to top off as a third line forward with exceptional speed. Petruzzelli and Skinner might be a wash as it is too early to tell on either and neither has really demanded attention.

Ruzicka was nailed in the fourth round while we crushed the NHL in both the fifth and sixth rounds. The NHL picks at those slots – Zach Fischer and D’Artagnan Joly – were both left unsigned and their NHL rights were surrendered. We drafted Sasha Chmelevski, who has since blossomed into a top CHL player while Slepets went undrafted until now, but Carolina took him this year, showing that we were definitely on to something. I will give the seventh round to the NHL as Svenningson is moving up the ranks in Sweden, having a solid first senior season in the Allsvenskan. He isn’t yet signed to an ELC, but our pick Emil Oksanen was not been drafted or signed anyway and his career hasn’t really taken off.

Pick #	Player	McKeens Rank	Actual Draft slot	Actual Pick
16	Joe Veleno	10	30	Martin Kaut
47	Akil Thomas	26	51	Kody Clark
78	Blake McLaughlin	40	79	Sampo Ranta
109	Aidan Dudas	52	113	Tyler Weiss
140	Alexis Gravel	67	162	Brandon Saigeon
171	Merrick Rippon	85	Undrafted	Nikolai Kovalenko
202	Danila Galenyuk	96	Undrafted	Shamil Shmakov

It is harder to yet judge the 2018 results, but we’ll give it a shot. The real #16, Martin Kaut, went right to the AHL and more or less held his own as a teenager while also impressing at the WJC. Our pick, Joe Veleno, also made Canada’s WJC roster and finished fourth in QMJHL regular season scoring. Veleno may have had more of an eye-popping season this year, but I will not discount Kaut’s accomplishments in his D+1 season. Let’s call it a wash for now even if I may yet prefer Veleno as bias might be present.

In the second round, I prefer our pick of Akil Thomas to Colorado’s selection of Kody Clark. If we are comparing fathers, Clark wins hands down, but Thomas finished eighth in OHL scoring this year while Clark had less than half as much production. In a nice little coincidence, the third-round picks both went on to play for the University of Minnesota. McLaughlin had a slightly more effective freshman season especially looking better over the season half of the season, but the gap is not enough to overcome the confidence interval. We’ll call it even for now.

In the fourth round, neither our pick (Aidan Dudas) nor the real pick (Tyler Weiss) had especially good seasons. Dudas essentially repeated his production from his draft year while Weiss struggled to impact in his first NCAA campaign. No winner. I am prepared to give McKeens a slight edge in the fifth round, as Alexis Gravel took a big step forward last year, and was a rock in the QMJHL playoffs, taking Halifax to the Q finals and keeping up the good work in the Memorial Cup. To be honest, Saigeon had a nice season as well, but he was an onverager, so his step forward was less noteworthy. Neither of our last two picks, Merrick Rippon or Danila Galenyuk were drafted. Rippon was basically the same guy this year while Galenyuk took a modest step forward and I think we should continue to keep our eyes on him.

The NHL easily wins the sixth round, as Nikolai Kovalenko spent the year in the KHL and played in the WJC. He is still a far ways from the NHL but he is still on the radar. The NHL seventh rounder, netminder Shamil Shmakov, took a step back while failing to get out of the Russian junior ranks. I prefer Galenyuk at this stage, but will call it a tie, because Shmakov at least has his NHL rights under control for now.

Track record established (pretty solid) let’s look at how our shadow draft for 2019 played out.

Pick #	Player	McKeens Rank	Actual Draft slot	Actual Pick
16	Peyton Krebs	8	17	Alex Newhook
47	Albert Johansson	26	60	Drew Helleson
78	Pavel Dorofeyev	31	79	Alex Beaucage
109	Marshall Warren	35	166	Marc Del Gaizo
140	Yegor Chinakhov	49	Undrafted	Sasha Mutala
171	Nikola Pasic	53	189	Luka Burzan
202	Oleg Zaytsev	66	Undrafted	Trent Miner

Once again, we are going up against the Colorado Avalanche scouts this year, who had the 16^th pick, although the fourth-round pick of Del Gaizo was actually made by Nashville following a pick swap.

If you look at where we had ranked the players drafted, we are clearly excited by how our shadow draft played out. Krebs was a top ten talent and may have fallen a few slots due to an achilles injury that will delay his 2019-20 season a touch but should have zero impact on his long-term prognosis. We had our second and third rounders also slotted as first round talents. Both Johansson and Dorofeyev have dynamic offensive skills and I especially feel that Johansson will make his real draft slot look laughable (in a good way) within two years. He was a late riser and capped his season with an impressive WU18 tournament. Dorofeyev has his warts, namely lack of interest in his own zone, but I am happy to bet on the skills here.

As much as I like those picks, I love getting Marshall Warren in the fourth round. His real-life fall to the sixth was the biggest shock of the draft for me. He is a truly dynamic puck moving defender and while he can play a risky game, having seen him extensively, I always got the sense that his risks were calculated. I have inquired around with some sources about why he might have fallen and received some speculative theories, but nothing definitive. One source simply stated that he had no clue. Our bottom three round picks were long term plays with European flavor, although Zaytsev spent this past season in the WHL. They are all tools bets and I am happy to take those in any draft, but especially in the back half.

I am happy to welcome these seven young men into the McKeen’s family. We will look back at these picks again next year to track everyone’s progress.

Now for some random thoughts about the draft

I had thought that all of the USNTDP U18 class, barring Danny Weight, would be drafted. As it turns out, Michael Gildon and Cam Rowe joined him in limbo. Gildon’s not being selected was especially surprising. He plays a heavy game, but with good wheels and good hands. He can play with talented players and keep the pace. He is going to a good program at Ohio State and will have a chance to play in a top six role right away as the Buckeyes have had a lot of turnover. Rowe is a very athletic netminder, but his technical game falters way too quickly. North Dakota has a good reputation for developing goalies and he could be a redraft with a bit of refinement to his game.
As I personally cover the USHL most fervently, the late seventh round pick of McKade Webster by Tampa was odd. In his first year of eligibility, I liked him enough with Green Bay, although not enough to consider him for our draft rankings. A decent future collegian basically. He went back to Green Bay for 2018-19 but has limited to six games due to injury. What did he do in six games that he didn’t show when healthy the year before? I have no clue.
There were 41 players drafted that we didn’t have on our expanded list, slightly better than the 44 we completely whiffed on last year. A good number of the 41 we didn’t rank were redrafts we didn’t feel had improved enough. Most of the rest were deep scouting cuts from Europe. Also, there was Cade Webber, who I think we meant to have in our top 217, but somehow omitted. I will take the blame on that one. He went higher than we would have ranked him, but I will not slam Carolina for taking him in the fourth round when completed by reviews in the coming days.
I mentioned Marshall Warren in the shadow draft above as being the biggest faller. The biggest risers were a quintet of second rounders who we had as much later picks. Shane Pinto was the first pick of day two and while his numbers were great and he is a late bloomer, I never saw him as a dynamic player and would have been more comfortable with him in the third round. Artemi Knyazev was similar. Dillon Hamaliuk was ranked in the fifth-round area, but with the caveat that he could have been graded considerably higher if not for a devastating knee injury which cut his season short. We are not privy to medicals, so I will presume that San Jose was fine with what they saw there. The final two who jumped were a pair of combine stars in Jayden Struble and Samuel Bolduc. We actually had Bolduc as an honorable mention player (218-325) and probably should have ranked him closer to the 150 range. Still would have been drafted too high for our tastes, but live and learn. The combine can boost some guys into the second tier.
I didn’t count how many, but teams are more and more willing to draft second- and third-year eligible players, even pretty high. If I’m not mistaken, three were taken in the second round (Kotchetkov, Fagemo, Leason), all roughly in line with where we had them ranked.
This means nothing but a few giggles from myself on the media riser on day two, but we ranked a few guys exactly where they were drafted after the top two. Going exactly in line with our rankings were Matthew Boldy (12), John Beecher (30), Vladislav Kolyachonok (52), Gianni Fairbrother (77), Sasha Mutala (140), Elmer Soderblom (159). 24 picks were made within two slots of where we had them ranked.
92 of our top 100 were drafted, one less than last year, but roughly on par with our expectations. I’ll be satisfied when we break 95, but our misses included players from Russia, the Czech Republic, OHL, WHL, and the USHL. No real patterns to glean lessons from but we will come back better and stronger next year. Ever onwards, ever upwards.

NCAA: NCHC Playoff Preview – Small but mighty, three national champions in three years and the nations top ranked St. Cloud make this a division to watch

Ryan Wagman — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 15:39:24 +0000

Small, but mighty, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference has only eight teams, but three of them won national championships in the last three years (North Dakota, Denver, Minnesota-Duluth, from first to most recent) and another, St. Cloud State, carried the top ranking in the nation pretty much from end to end this year. Western Michigan is pretty good, too. Colorado College is no great shakes today, but won a pair of national titles in the 1950s. Even the two bottom feeders, Nebraska-Omaha and Miami (OH) have a few players of note each, making every team a potential winner.

After finishing the regular season schedule last week, the NCHC tournament begins this weekend. With an even eight teams in the conference, the tournament is fairly straightforward, with the top team playing the eighth seed, the runners-up playing the seventh seed, three playing six, and four facing off against five, with the higher ranked seeds getting home ice advantage throughout. The first round, running from Friday through Sunday (Mar. 15-17) is a best of three series, with Sunday’s games only necessary if the teams split the Friday-Saturday matchups.

Let’s have a look.

#1 St. Cloud State vs #8 Miami

Despite playing two fewer games on the year, the nation’s highest ranked team St. Cloud State, scored 55 more goals than Miami did this year. Miami allowed 38 more into their own nets. The SCSU Huskies were also substantially better on both the power play and the penalty kill. They lost only four times in regulation all year (at Northeastern, at Union, at Minnesota-Duluth, and at North Dakota), although they did tie both games in Miami in Late November/early December. Then again, in the two games the teams played in St. Cloud State this year were both won by the Huskies, by identical 5-1 scores.

The Miami RedHawks have only two drafted players in their lineup, but through three seasons, Karch Bachman has yet to turn his blazing speed into production and freshman Jon Gruden is still feeling his way through the collegiate game. Wingers Josh Melnick and Gordie Green were the only two players on Miami to eclipse ten goals and neither are high end NHL prospects. Keep an eye on blueliners Derek Daschke and Grant Hutton, the former a freshman and the latter a senior, as they can contribute to the attack from the back and Hutton may have NHL scouts sniffing around his big frame and right-handed shot.

Ryan Poehling (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire)

St. Cloud State is not the most prospect-laden team in college hockey, but they do not lack for future NHLers, and they play wonderfully as a team. The most well-known name on the team is former Montreal first rounder Ryan Poehling, a future third line center with second line aspirations, if there ever was one. The junior starred for Team USA at the most recent WJC, but was only fifth in team scoring for the Huskies. He is an exemplary 200 foot center with skills and finishing ability but lacking the instincts to play a top line role at the highest level. Also keep an eye on senior blueliner Jimmy Schuldt, a high scoring two-way defender who is likely to receive an NHL contract after the SCSU season ends.

Another player on the Huskies who has impressed me is freshman defender Nick Perbix, a former Tampa pick, who came on as the year advanced and might be a late bloomer to watch. He was recently name to the NCHC All-Rookie team. Patrick Newell is an undersized senior forward who has good offensive instincts while lacking in tools.

Prediction: St. Cloud State sweep

#2 Minnesota-Duluth vs #7 Nebraska-Omaha

The defending national champions did not dominate the NCHC this year, but the UMD Bulldogs are still a high-end college hockey team. The only two games between these two teams took place in late January in Duluth and the home team swept by a combined score of 10-3. Minnesota-Duluth plays a very stingy defensive game, finishing tenth in the county in gals allowed, at just 72, a touch over two allowed per game. As Omaha was in the bottom ten in goals allowed (126) and did not make up for it with a a big offensive attack, this looks like a mismatch close to the spread between St. Cloud State and Miami, above.

The UNO Mavericks have a few drafted players on the roster, with the most prominent among them being blueliner Dean Stewart (Arizona), who added an offensive element to his game this year, scoring five times after failing to get the red light going in either of his underclass year. He is still a shut-down defender at heart. Tyler Weiss (Colorado) struggled some as a freshman, but has a game full of skill and I expect his contributions to grow given full health (he missed ten games) and more physical maturity. Although undrafted, keep an eye on power winger Zach Jordan, who brings a good combination of NHL size (1980s style), good speed, and some finishing ability.

The two most well known names on the Bulldogs roster are former USA WJC team members Riley Tufte (Dallas) and Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg). Other former WJC participants here include Scott Perunovich (St Louis), Noah Cates (Philadelphia) and Michael Anderson (Los Angeles). Although Tufte is a former first rounder now finishing up his junior season, he has been underwhelming in the college game. Cates brings grit and fine hands to the ice and the most fun player to watch on UMD, for my money, is Minnesota pick Nick Swaney, who is small, but tenacious and with impressive puck skills. This series should be a mismatch.

Prediction – Minnesota-Duluth in a sweep.

#3 Western Michigan vs #6 Colorado College

Until ending strong against Miami last weekend, Western Michigan was limping to the finish. That poor end run included a split at Colorado College, winning the first game on overtime before getting run out of the Rockies by an 8-2 score. Although separated by 11 points in the NCHC standings both teams had goal differentials close to even, with WMU being the more high-event team.

This series has the makings of an upset, especially if Broncos’ netminder Trevor Gorsuch cannot turn around his late season malaise. Their most likely sources of offense are the undersized Hugh McGing (St. Louis) and senior Colt Conrad, playing for a contract. Wade Allison (Philadelphia) has the most breakout potential on the squad, but has had a very difficult season coming off a serious knee injury. A season ending hat trick may be a turning of the corner, but it has been so long since he powered WMU through the first half last season that we have to assume it was only a flash against an overmatched opponent until he proves us all wrong.

On the other side, we have a team in Colorado College that plays a fast paced game and in almost entirely made up of free agents, with only bottom six winger Christopher Wilkie (Florida) having an NHL team control his rights. Small winger Trey Bradley, son of Brian, has a high IQ, plays with pace, and has a fine offensive tool kit. They also have a talented all-situations defender in Bryan Yoon, who helps keep the puck moving in the right direction. Netminder Alex Leclerc is also worthy of a shout-out. At 5-10”, he is almost certain never to play at the highest levels in North America, but he does just fine at the collegiate level.

Prediction: Colorado College in three

#4 Denver vs #5 North Dakota

In the final matchup, featuring two recent national titlists, we have two teams who have struggled this year, but still have enough talent on hand to make a long run, both in the NCHC tournament, and at the NCAA tournament.

Both teams have experienced goaltending shakeups this year, with Denver’s top recruit Filip Larsson (Detroit) missing much of the early part of the year before returning to health and taking over the crease from Devin Cooley, who held his own during Larsson’s absence. North Dakota’s crease was also best by injuries. First, Peter Thome (Columbus) was hurt in the early going. Later, potential draftee Adam Scheel was hurt, likely for the remainder of the season, just as Thome was returning to health.

Among skaters, Denver was expecting to be led by its blueliners, including Ian Mitchell (Chicago), and Slava Demin (Vegas), but they will need strong performances up front by the likes of Lima Finlay, Mathias Emilio Pettersen (Calgary), Jarid Lukosevicius, and Cole Guttman (Tampa Bay). None of the four have much in the way of size, but they are opportunistic and can do some damage.

While Denver had five players with over 20 points, only Jordan Kawaguchi surpassed that mark for North Dakota. A number of the Fighting Hawks’ most highly touted recruits up front, including Gavin Hain (Philadelphia), Grant Mismash (Nashville), and Jasper Weatherby (San Jose) struggled, leaving the blueline to take up the slack, as three of the team’s top five scorers were defenders, including Matt Kiersted, Colton Poolman (Tucker’s brother and a very similar player), and Jacob Bernard-Docker (Ottawa). The last of those three has the makings of a future star at the collegiate level, even if his freshman year was already quite good.

Of the four games between these two teams this year, Denver won twice, North Dakota once and the teams tied in the other game. Considering that Denver’s goalies are now both healthy, while North Dakota will be without their more effective netminder, I give the Pioneers the edge, albeit in a low scoring fashion.

Prediction: Denver in three games

If the first round plays out as projected here, I would expect St. Cloud State to knock off Colorado College in the semifinals, while Denver enacts a mild upset of defending champs UMD. There will be no upset in the final as, unlike last year, when the Huskies fumbled a top seed in the conference tourney and then again in the NCAA tournament, SCSU will win the conference handily.

Dropping the puck on the 2018-19 NCAA season – Part 2 – Hockey East, NCHC, Big 10

Ryan Wagman — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 17:54:50 +0000

In yesterday’s look at the NCAA season that is slowly cracking open. We touched upon the Atlantic 10, WCHA, and ECAC conferences. While national champions have come from the latter two conferences in recent years, there is no doubting that the strength of the collegiate game lies in the three conferences discussed here.

Hockey East

While some of the more well-known traditional powerhouses are based in the northeast, the vaunted Hockey east conference had a down year last season and seem to be in line for a repeat (in relative terms) this year. There are teams that were also-rans last year and who will likely continue to be league doormats this year. Chief among those is Vermont. Outside of leading scorer, who left school early to sign an ELC with Tampa, the majority of last year’s roster has returned, but the roster was not a strong one. There are three players who have been drafted by NHL clubs on the roster, but none has yet made a strong case that they are worthy of high-level professional careers after leaving the Catamounts. If there is a player to watch, it is junior captain Matt Alvaro, the leading returning scorer. Despite their conference schedule opener, in which they shut out Boston University by a 4-0 total, Merrimack will be in tough to be a factor as the year draws out. Defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic, a Winnipeg draft pick, plays a strong two-way game, but each of the top four point getters from last year have moved on and the team will need younger players to step up and contribute in ways they never have. The early season results are promising, but it is far too early to assume the growth is real. That said, netminder Craig Pantano was strong in partial duty last year and may be the type of unsung hero the Warriors need to stay competitive. New Hampshire used to be a staple at the NCAA conference, but they have been on the outside looking in for each of the last five years. Unlike the other bottom feeding systems, the Wildcats have a few impressive players available to them. Sharks’ pick Mike Robinson barely played last year as a freshman, but he seems to have a grip on the job early on and has performed well so far. Athletic Panthers’ prospect Max Gildon leads the blueline, and senior captain Marcus Vela (San Jose) is the center-piece of the offensive attack. Joining the attack will be veterans Ara Nazarian, Liam Blackburn, and Charlie Kelleher.

In the next rung of teams in Hockey East, we can look at UConn. Still a relative neophyte to the upper rungs, the Huskies are only in their fifth season in the conference, after migrating from the Atlantic. They are an interesting team in that the majority of their players of note are European-raised players, including their top two netminders, Adam Huska (NYR) and Tomas Vomacka (Nsh), blueliner Philip Nyberg (Buf), and forwards Ruslan Iskhakov (NYI) and Jachym Kondelik (Nsh). A few scoring forwards of note who have not been drafted include a pair of juniors in big Benjamin Freeman and Alexandre Payusov. A seeming concussion sustained by Iskhakov in the season’s second game could be a big setback to the team if he is unable to recover in a speedy fashion. The Maine Black Bears were seemingly ready to get back on the upswing, if not quite reach the heights that the program has in the past thirty years, which has seen them crowned NCAA champs twice, and reach seven other Frozen Fours. Unfortunately, days before the opening game, defender Patrick Holway, a Detroit pick, left the team due to unstated personal issues. In his absence, the team will lean more heavily on senior Rob Michel, the team captain, and sophomore Brady Keeper, both of whom have two-way bonafides. Up front, the team will rely on Detroit pick Chase Pearson to generate offense, and he will be joined by freshman Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup, one of the top scorers in the USHL last year. More than anything, though, Maine’s hopes will rest on the crease work on Boston pick Jeremy Swayman, who was stellar as a freshman, earning Hockey East All-Rookie team honors and playing for Team USA in the WJC. He needs to be at least as good again for the school to have designs on a Tournament berth.

Next up are a couple of Massachusetts schools in UMass and UMass-Lowell. The UMass-Lowell River Hawks have been a solid contender ever since Norm Bazin took over the head coaching duties of a floundering program in 2011-12. They rarely get the press they deserve as they tend to lack in high profile, drafted players. With only four drafted players at present – only one of whom was taken before the sixth round, expect the team to be a sleeper again. Most of their top scorers return, led by Kenneth Hausinger, Ryan Dmowski, and Ryan Lohin (TB). The team has seen more turnover at the blueline, but Croix Evingson (Wpg) is slated to take a step forward, while Detroit pick Seth Barton has gotten his collegiate career off to a good start. Swedish puck mover Mattias Goransson could also garner NHL looks. Also, while Christoffer Hernberg had the lion’s share of the goaltending workload last year, Rangers pick Tyler Wall seems to have the coaches’ trust this time around. UMass Amherst does not have the recent success of Lowell to look back to, but they do have one of the top prospects in the collegiate game on the roster in Cale Makar (Col). The talented blueliner was strong last year, both as a freshman for the Minutemen as well as for Team Canada in the WJC, and should be even better this year, in what is likely his final season on campus. He is joined on the blueline by Mario Ferraro (SJ) and Marc Del Gaizo, both skilled puck movers. The forwards are less imposing as a group, but most of the big producers return from last year, led by Mitchell Chaffee, John Leonard (SJ), and Oliver Chau, who has missed the start of the season due to illness. A couple of exciting freshmen in Bobby Trivigno and Anthony Del Gaizo (Marc’s older brother), coming off strong USHL campaigns, make the team more of a scoring threat. Incumbent starting netminder Matt Murray returns, and he will be challenged by Finnish freshman Filip Lindberg.

Staying in the state of Massachusetts, powerhouses BC and BU have both gotten off to lousy starts to their respective seasons, but both have far too much talent up and down the roster not to expect brighter days ahead. Boston College may have the most deserved pessimism among the two, having scored only five goals in their first three games. Toronto pick Joseph Woll has as much talent as any collegiate netminder and he should keep the Eagles in most games, but he will need help. The most likely offensive presence is in the form of freshman Oliver Wahlstrom, a top draft pick of the Islanders and a pure sniper if such a beast exists. Another freshman with the burden of great expectations is Minnesota pick Jack McBain. Among returning forwards, Logan Hutsko (Fla), David Cotton (Car) and Graham McPhee (Edm) are the most consistent offensive threats. The talented and undersized Jacob Tortora could also take a step forward. The blueline lacks a true dynamic two-way threat, but Michael Karow (Ari) and Casey Fitzgerald (Buf) can both hold their own and Michael Kim is a good college player. Boston University also has a star between the pipes in Jake Oettinger, a former Dallas first rounder, who has been inconsistent, but with high end flashes in his collegiate career. The Terriers are deepest along the blueline, with five drafted players, all of whom deserve their high press. They are led by co-captain Dante Fabbro (Nsh), and supplemented by skill in David Farrance (Nsh) and Chad Krys (Chi), and more defensively centered defensemen, such as Cam Crotty (Ari) and Kasper Kotkansalo (Det). Up front, there are former first rounders including Shane Bowers (Col) and Joel Farabee (Phi) and later picks who are almost as talented in Patrick Harper (Nsh) and Jake Wise (Chi). Co-Captain Bobo Carpenter, a senior, has long been rumored to be a free agent contract beneficiary after graduation. While they have not done so yet, this team is chock full of players who can beat you on any given night.

Although Northeastern will no longer be able to rely on NCAA superstars Dylan Sikura or Adam Gaudette, they are still loaded with talent up and down the lineup and feature a stud netminder in Cayden Primeau (Mtl). An offensively inclined team, the attack includes assistance from the blueline in the form of Jeremy Davies (NJ), Ryan Shea (Chi), Eric Williams, and freshman Jordan Harris (Mtl). Even absent Gaudette and Sikura, the Huskies feature freshman Tyler Madden (Vancouver) and Matt Filipe (Car) up front, in addition to proven producers including Zach Solow, Brandon Hawkins, Grant Jozefek, and many more. In a conference full of outstanding goaltenders, it should be no surprise that our top ranked team, Providence, has one of their own in Hayden Hawkey (Edm), who is more than just a fantastic hockey name. Like with Northeastern, the Friars get a lot of offense from the blueline, led in their case by Jacob Bryson (Buf), Ben Mirageas (NYI) and Spenser Young. The Friars can also roll three solid scoring lines if everyone performs up to expectations. Philadelphia first rounder Jay O’Brien has been slow to start, but he should acclimate from the prep ranks to Hockey East in short order to take a place of prominence alongside player including Kasper Bjorkqvist (Pit), Brandon Duhaime (Min), Jack Dugan (Veg), Josh Wilkins, and Scott Conway. Any of the last four teams mentioned could feasibly end the year as Hockey East champions and pose legitimate title hopes. But if the last two seasons are any indication, they will have to prove they can hang with the titans from the Midwest.

National Collegiate Hockey Conference

For each of the past three seasons, when it came time to crown a national champion, the last team standing was a member of the NCHC conference. To give an idea at the depth of strength in this conference, the threepeat of sorts was accomplished by three different schools. One of those schools was not Miami University, although RedHawks were a finalist in 2009, their best ever finish. After three losing seasons, for them to threaten the powerhouses atop the conference once league play begins would be a shocker. Florida prospect Karch Bachman, one of the speedier players in the college ranks, may finally be ready to be a legitimate offensive contributor if his first few games are an indication. The team has some talent from the blueline as well, namely Grant Hutton, who is expected to have a few NHL options to choose from at the end of his senior season, and freshman Derek Daschke. The top new recruit though, and Miami’s big hope for the future, is Johnny Gruden, a top line player with the USNTDP last year and a fourth round pick by Ottawa. The team has a number of other solid players dotting the roster, but lacks much in the way of dynamic skill. A team with more higher end talent on the roster but a less cohesive team game is Nebraska-Omaha. Up front, there are offensively inclined forwards sch as Frederik Olofsson (Chicago), Steven Spinner (Washington) and Zach Jordan (watch out for this guy). Colorado pick Tyler Weiss should also be fun to watch, as he was often pigeon-holed into a bottom six role last year in the USNTDP, but his inherent skills suggest a higher ceiling. Pittsburgh draft pick Ryan Jones and Arizona pick Dean Stewart lead the blueline. Incumbent netminder Evan Weninger returns, but his position is not entrenched and Philadelphia prospect Matej Tomek will challenge after leaving North Dakota, where he never got a chance to play.

At this point, Western Michigan is probably also an underdog. Flyers’ prospect Wade Allison has dynamic scoring potential, and is one of, if not my absolute favorite player to watch in the college game, but he has not played since last January due to a lower body injury, and there are only rumors about the imminence of his eventual return. In his absence, St. Louis pick Hugh McGing will play a prominent role in the attack along with free agent Dawson DiPietro and Vegas pick Paul Cotter. Senior Colt Conrad is also auditioning for an NHL contract, after scoring at a point per game pace last year. From the blueline, the player to watch is Mattias Samuelsson, recently a second round pick of Buffalo’s. As he is more of a defensive defenseman, watch for smaller Cam Lee to add to the offense from behind. The squad will need more steadiness in net than they have received of late to launch a strong challenge for postseason play. Colorado College is a team on the rise, but it may be a year too soon to put them near the top. After four seasons with no more than eight victories, they took off with 15 wins last year, and should breach a .500 record this year with continued development from some of their key contributors. Netminder Alex Leclerc is too small to garner NHL interest, but is a very good collegiate goalie. Up front, Florida pick Chris Wilkie is ready to contribute after sitting out last season as a transfer. He joins a quarter of talented upperclassmen in Nicholas Halloran, Mason Bergh, Trey Bradley, and Westin Michaud. I also have my eyes on freshmen Benjamin Copeland and Erik Middendorf, both of whom were overlooked at the draft last year after strong seasons in the USHL. Although the forwards drive the Tigers’ attack, the defensive corps is not without talent, particularly in the forms of Kristian Blumenschein, and Benjamin Israel.

Three years removed from a championship, the North Dakota team that takes the ice today bears little resemblance to the title team. The only players of note with ties to the title are Dallas pick Rhett Gardner, a beefy two-way forward, and Hayden Shaw, a smaller, reliable and non-flashy defender. Hope and indeed expectations for continued contention is drawn from the Fighting Hawks’ recent recruiting classes. The blueline is receiving a talent injection from freshmen Jacob Bernard-Docker and Jonny Tychonick, who were ironically both drafted early by Ottawa last June. They join Colton Poolman, whose game is very reminiscent of brother Tucker’s. Versatile forward Grant Mismash, a Nashville pick, is expected to take his game up a notch up front. The team also needs to figure out which of Adam Scheel or Peter Thome (Clb) will take over as the starter from the departed Cam Johnson. Denver has more connections to their recent title, but now that Dylan Gambrell and Henrik Borgstrom have both turned pro, the core has changed. The team still has the makings of a contender though, with dynamic defender Ian Mitchell (Chi) set to be the main attraction. He is joined by a couple of freshmen blueliners of whom greatness is expected in Slava Demin (Veg) and Sean Comrie. Up front, the team will have to take a committee approach to scoring, as there is skill, but little of it is truly high end. There is a trio of drafted freshmen who could be better than anticipated in Cole Guttman (TB), Mathias Emilio Pettersen (Cgy), and Brett Stapley (Mtl). They join big game hero Jarid Lukosevicius. As with North Dakota, the Pioneers have to answers questions in net, as heralded recruit Filip Larsson is out indefinitely and Devin Cooley, who has taken the reins to start the season, is largely unproven.

The best hope for a fourth different NCHC championship in four seasons is St. Cloud State, which was actually the top ranked team in the country heading into the playoffs last year. There are teams in this conference with more NHL-bound talent than at St. Cloud State, but the Huskies do not lack in that regards either, while they fill in at the edges with a high caliber of support player. Former Montreal first rounder Ryan Poehling is ready to take the next step offensively and breach one point per game. Helping him to fill the nets are Patrick Newell, Robby Jackson, Blake Lizotte, and Easton Brodzinski. The blueline is similarly deep and skilled, led by tiny Jack Ahcan, Nick Perbix (TB), Jon Lizotte (no relation to Blake) and Jimmy Schuldt, who surprised many by ignoring the lure of the NHL after his junior season. Finally, in net, the team is equally comfortable going with David Hrenak (LA) or Jeffrey Smith, both of whom have displayed the ability to stop pucks at an above average rate in the NCAA. Of course, the NCHC could easily claim another title from a repeat champion. Last year’s champions, Minnesota-Duluth, were not expected to make a strong push, as they had a very young roster and were widely thought to be a season or two way from their “window”. Amazingly, only three of their top ten scorers from last year are gone. The blueline returns three sophomores who both spent time on the American WJC squad in Scott Perunovich (StL), Mikey Anderson (LA), and Dylan Samberg (Wpg). Netminder Hunter Shepard is still anonymous, despite his workhorse status on last year’s title run. Up front, former Dallas first rounder Riley Tufte is overdue to breakthrough, as he has been slowly refining his game to the point where he is nearly unstoppable down low. Helping out with the attack will be Peter Krieger, Nick Swaney (Min), and freshman Noah Cates (Phi). This year’s Bulldogs may be even better than last year’s champs.

Big 10

While last season saw the NCHC claim the crown for the third year in a row, it should not be forgotten that each of the other three teams in the Frozen Four came out of the Big 10. Of course, Michigan State was not one of those teams. The Spartans are now 11 years removed from their most recent title. They should see their wins total grow for the third year running, but are still not quite a challenger. They return nine of their top ten scorers from last year and Taro Hirose, Mitch Lewandowski, and Patrick Khodorenko are expected to lead the team once again. As promising as that trio is, it is unclear where the secondary scoring will come from. Starting netminder John Lethemon is good enough to keep MSU in games, but should not be expected to steal too many. After the Spartans, any team could reasonably reach the NCAA tournament, but some are less likely than others. Next up would probably have to be Penn State. It is easy to forget that the Nittany Lions have only been back in the NCAA for six seasons. Most of their top scorers from last year are returning, but the talent level is still something short of dynamic. Chicago pick Evan Barratt could be ready for the next step and Colorado pick Denis Smirnov is probably the most talented of the bunch. Upperclassmen Chase Berger, Brandon Biro, and Nathan Sucese are auditioning for NHL scouts and are productive, if not necessarily exciting players. The blueline is a relative weakspot, led as it is by Cole Hults (LA) and Kris Myllari. In net, Peyton Jones has had a nice career thus far, but it is unclear that he can be anything more than adequate at this level.

Since a pair of Frozen Four appearances earlier in the decade, Minnesota has been a bit of a hit-or-miss team. Last year saw a bit of both, but without second leading scorer Casey Mittelstadt on the team, the Golden Gophers could struggle once again to get back to the top. As always, they are exceptional recruiters, with this year’s star freshmen including Blake McLaughlin (Ana), Sampo Ranta (Col), and the draft eligible blueliner Benjamin Brinkman. Some of the returning players who could be critical include forwards Rem Pitlick (Nsh), Scott Reedy (SJ), Thomas Novak (Nsh), Brent Gates (Ana), and Tyler Sheehy along with blueliners Clayton Phillips (Pit), Ryan Zuhlsdorf (TB), and Tyler Nanne (NYR). In the early going it seems that last year’s backup netminder, Mat Robson, has surpassed former starter Eric Schierhorn. If Robson can maintain his performance over the full season such as he has in a part time role, the Gophers could be better than expected. The talent is here, but it needs to come together. Put anther way, Minnesota’s talent with Penn State’s structure could be a front runner. Wisconsin won 20 games in 2016-17 after combining for 12 victories in the two seasons prior, eliciting visions of grandeur. Unfortunately, the team sunk back down to 14 wins last year, prompting a rethink of the team’s standing. The Badgers are a team whose strength is on the blueline with five drafted players – all underclassmen - taking charge. Returning from last year are the physical Tyler Inamoto (Fla), the quiet puck mover Josh Ess (Chi), and offensively inclined puck rusher Wyatt Kalynuk (Phi). Joining them this season are a pair of USNTDP grads in checker Ty Emberson (Ari) and the dynamic K’Andre Miller (NYR), who has superstar potential. Veteran Peter Tischke rounds out the blueline corps. Up front, Wisconsin is not as exciting, but Sean Dhooghe, among the smallest high level players I have ever watched is a joy. Linus Weissbach (Buf) and Max Zimmer (Car) look like they will contribute and I have reasonably optimistic expectations of Tarek Baker as well. Like much of the conference, the Badgers are unsettled in net.

Notre Dame has been to the Frozen Four for both of the last two seasons, but the graduation of Jake Evans, the school’s number three scorer since the turn of the century, will have an impact. That said, the Fighting Irish are constantly restocking, so the team should be a strong competitor once more. Cale Morris was exception in net last year, winning the Mike Richter Award as the top goalie in the nation and will still be very good even if he takes a step back. Big Andrew Peeke (Clb) and mobile Matthew Hellickson (NJ) make a strong start to the blueline while veteran Bobby Nardella along with new recruit Spencer Stastney (Nsh) look like a good second pairing with two way capability. The top players up front include Callahan Burke, Cam Morrison (Col), and Dylan Malmquist. Even big Joe Wegwerth can overcome his stiff hands by being a tank in the opposing crease. Freshmen Jacob Pivonka (NYI), Graham Slaggert, and Alex Steeves could also go a long way to giving the Irish attack the needed depth to succeed. Ohio State does not have the flashy names that dot the rosters of most of the rest of the Big 10, but they have talent up and down the team and can win in many ways. They seem to be using a rotation in net, with both incumbent starter Sean Romeo and the younger Tommy Nappier in line to play a good amount. None of their key blueliners have been drafted, but any of Wyatt Ege, Grant Gabriele, Matt Miller, Gordi Myer, or Sasha Larocque can hurt you. There is a smattering of NHL interest up front, such as power forward Dakota Joshua (Tor), playmaker Carson Meyer (Clb) who transferred from Miami, smaller dynamo Mason Jobst and Hobey Baker candidate Tanner Taczynski (Phi). I could go on, but that might be enough to get back to the Frozen Four.

As good as Notre Dame and Ohio State are, not to mention Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Penn State, if the Michigan Wolverines get even halfway decent work in net, they could be the best team in the country. Quinn Hughes was a top ten pick last year by Vancouver and is as dynamic as blueliners get. This will be his last tune-up before moving to the NHL. First line center Josh Norris had a fine freshman season and then was one of the main pieces moving from San Jose to Ottawa in the Erik Karlsson trade. Will Lockwood (Van) is healthy again and provides an agitating, skilled presence. The Pastujov brothers, Nick (NYI) and Michael, provide strength and skill up front. Minnesota pick Nicholas Boka is a talented puck mover from the blueliner who can get the puck moving in the right direction when Hughes is catching his breath. Luke Martin (Car) and Joseph Cecconi (Dal) has shutdown qualities. Brendan Warren (Phi) can contribute offense while playing the tough minutes up front. Moving down the lineup there are other surprises in store as well. Ohio State may be a safer bet, but Michigan has the best chance among any team in the nation, to dominate any given night.

Colorado Avalanche Prospect System Overview

Tom Dorsa — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 20:15:11 +0000

The Colorado Avalanche are in a pretty unusual position right now. They do not possess the depth of scoring and blue line talent to make consistent postseason runs, but their surprising qualification for the 2018 playoffs, behind former Calder Trophy winner and league-MVP finalist Nathan MacKinnon, indicates that Colorado has the young talent necessary for contention.

A look at their prospect system says otherwise. With their former top prospects such as MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen already up and contributing greatly to the NHL club, the system does not have the same depth as it should. Combine that with some boneheaded trades (to be fair, some really good ones, we'll get to that) like throwing prospects away for late-season rentals, as well as poor late-round drafting, and no prospect pool will remain deep for long.

What the Avalanche have is one top-pair defense prospect with superstar potential, that being Cale Makar, then a massive crop of guys with role-player ceilings, then a complete bag of unknowns following up. It might be a positive to not have many Grade A stars on the club for financial reasons, but for pure talent and success reasons, it's a flat tire.

Luckily for the Avalanche, general manager Joe Sakic can act with impunity as a fan favorite, making trades and signings at his liking. Sometimes these deals work out very well, such as the Sven Andrighetto and Samuel Girard acquisitions, the Tyson Jost draft pick, or the Alex Kerfoot signing, transactions that made instant impacts on the club. Sakic has some experience in completely turning the franchise around and looks to do the same here.

Another thing that will help mightily is the expansion of the American Hockey League from 30 teams to 31, meaning the Avs return to manning their own farm affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, rather than sharing the San Antonio Rampage roster with St. Louis.

Though Makar, their top prospect, is still outside of the pro system for now, guys like second-ranked Conor Timmins and third-ranked Vladislav Kamenev will not have to worry about ice time or coaching disputes as Colorado receives the AHL expansion franchise. The development of guys like A.J. Greer and Nicolas Meloche were directly affected by the shared franchise in San Antonio.

If the Avalanche want to prove that 2017-18 was no fluke, and that they are ready to be regular postseason contenders, these are the guys that will have to help.

Cale Makar

1 Cale Makar, D (4th overall, 2017. Last year: 1st) Some scouts say Cale Makar could have gone first overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, and with his skillset, it is difficult to disagree. He made headlines a few month ago by electing to remain with UMASS-Amherst as a sophomore this season, rather than joining the Avalanche pro ranks, but fans in Denver will keep an eye on the highly-coveted defenseman nonetheless. Combining blazing wheels, insane vision, and a right-handed shot will make for an instant NHL-caliber blueliner, but Makar is much more, and has been the most purely skilled player on every team, and at every level, he has played on. He is a shifty, elusive skater with unbelievable raw skating power, coupling his mobility with dynamic offensive skills such as his swift, deceptive hands, nifty stutter-steps and dekes, and the occasional fake pass or shot that sends opposing defenders skating in circles. There really isn't much for him to improve upon, and he could hold his own in the NHL right now. He is a smart player who allows plays to develop with his ever-improving hockey sense and does not often force bad puck plays going up the ice, and is surprisingly physical for a 5-11" defender.

2 Conor Timmins, D (32nd overall, 2017. Last year: 3rd) He does not possess the same superstar ceiling as Makar, but the next best prospect defenseman in the Avs’ system is arguably a safer bet to be a consistent NHL contributor. The first pick in 2017's second round, Timmins outplayed 2018 first-rounder Rasmus Sandin on the blueline of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, posting a 0.87 points per game mark (36 in 41 games). For a player drafted so high on account of his sturdiness and responsibility, his offensive output is pretty solid. A very versatile defenseman, Timmins skates well with his athleticism being a driving force, has solid vision that makes for good first stretch passes, and has sneakily great shooting abilities; he can bomb them from the blueline, but also slide down into the play to find an open lane and score. His only issue at this juncture is patience and decisiveness with the puck, but at 19-years-old, he is about as complete as any defensive prospect in hockey. He is set to make the transition to the AHL this season.

3 Vladislav Kamenev, C (Trade: Nov. 5, 2017 [Nashville]. Last year: 3rd [Nashville]) The Matt Duchene trade continues to look better for Colorado as time elapses. Though Vladislav Kamenev has had a rough go at it in his short NHL time, including a broken arm in his Avalanche debut, his potential is another part of a clear winning trade for Joe Sakic and crew. After putting up near a point per game in his third AHL season, this one with Milwaukee (NSH) and San Antonio (COL), Kamenev cracked the Avs lineup sortly after the trade, indicating a sense of confidence from the coaching staff. A very smart, reliable center, the Russian former second-rounder is often used to protect late leads and kill penalties, something his skillset could allow him to do regularly at the NHL level. He is a solid skater with above average speed and good balance, and has the puck skills to generate scoring chances even when he can't beat a defender with his wheels. With good pure size (6-2", 194 lbs), it is more than likely that he will become a better player with the puck as he gets more NHL time. He is expected to compete for a roster spot in training camp.

4 Martin Kaut, RW (16th overall, 2018. Last year: IE) Martin Kaut is a very intriguing prospect. Without looking at his gameplay traits, he can impress just on account of the fact that he played alongside first-rounders Martin Necas and Filip Zadina at the WJC and was constantly developing plays and setting those two up, which is not easy to do at that level. He was also playing at the highest level of Czech hockey at 17 and 18 years old, impressing many along the way, racking up nine goals and seven assists in 38 games there last season. It is on account of that proven performance level that the Avalanche used their first-round pick on the young winger, as his maturity and hockey IQ are unmatched when considering his age and competition level. He is not a very good skater, though he is technically sound and has enough quickness to his feet to keep up with faster skaters. His biggest asset is the mental side of his game, as he processes things at a lightning fast pace and rarely makes a bad decision, coupling that with his effort on defense, where his promise really comes to light in coverage and on the backcheck. He may not be the most dynamic player, but there is a lot to like about Kaut, whose smarts project him as a middle-six winger at the highest level.

Shane Bowers

5 Shane Bowers, C (Trade: Nov. 5, 2017 [Ottawa]. Last year: 4th [Ottawa]) A power forward acquired from the trade that netted Duchene and Kamanev, Shane Bowers saw no drop in productivity this season as he made the jump from the USHL to the NCAA, scoring 17 goals and adding 15 assists with Boston University as a freshman. A former late first-rounder was one of a few impact prospects acquired from the Duchene trade, he might have the highest ceiling of the pack if he can round his game out. A strong and powerful skater despite of average size (6-0", 178 lbs), Bowers heads right to the net with the puck on his stick, and displays deft balance when making his way to the goal which makes him a handful for opponents. He has some intriguing, wonderful creativity and the hockey IQ to light a match on it all, making scintillating puck plays with ease. He is also dependable in his own end, and very physical when the task calls for it, but plays mostly a clean game (14 PIM in 41 games last season). There is a lot of risk/reward with Bowers, such as how his power forward game will translate to the bigger, faster NHL and how he can produce with a merely average shooting ability, but his ceiling makes him one of the most interesting prospects in the system.

6 Sampo Ranta, RW (78th overall, 2018. Last year: IE) The Sioux City Musketeers triggerman racked up 23 goals and 14 assists in as a second-year player in the USHL, finishing second in points on a team thin on dynamic talent. An easy comparison for Ranta would be Nashville prospect Eeli Tolvanen, given their shared native land and USHL club, but stylistically, there are not far off, as Ranta raises eyebrows with his shot and skating over anything else. Used as a power-play shooter, he showed off the blazing slap shot he possesses often with the Musketeers, although he was not solely a shooter, as his agility, edgework, and speedy momentum allowed him to weave through traffic and find open teammates for scoring chances. He is also a fairly reliable two-way player, one whose effort on backchecks and defensive zone coverage is pretty impressive. Ranta has pure skills, but whether he is a good, NHL-caliber player or just the best player on a bad junior team is the biggest question going forward.

7 Tyler Weiss, LW (109th overall, 2018. Last year: IE) An extremely lightweight winger, Tyler Weiss fell to round four of the most recent draft with concerns about his physical stature and whether he has the inherent skills to overcome it. The Raleigh, North Carolina native has one thing that skill or physicality cannot match, that being pure determination and drive, an attribute that helps him constantly improve in ways that keep turning heads. With the U.S. National Team Development Program, he chipped in 12 goals, 19 assists, and 31 points in mostly a bottom-six role, and now he goes to a system that has made use out of smaller, lighter guys like Samuel Girard and Sven Andrighetto. Weiss is a very quick skater with loads of agility and a certain elusiveness that comes with undersized forwards, using his quick acceleration and short, rapid strides to weave through defenders and enter the offensive zone without a challenge. He does not have much weight behind his shot, but carries more playmaking skills than goal-scoring attributes anyway. He plays with a very scrappy, push-and-shove game away from the puck, and brings an infectious energy to the bench. Colorado can see how his game, despite his diminutive stature, can translate to more physical levels as he plays with Nebraska-Omaha this season.

8 Justus Annunen, G (64th overall, 2018. Last year: IE) Easily the top goaltender in the Finnish junior ranks last season, Justus Annunen shot up draft boards with his mix of size, athleticism, and foot movement, hearing his name called in the early third round in June. At 6-4" and 215 lbs, he utilized his big frame to put up a 2.31 GAA, .907 Sv%, and even better numbers in 14 postseason games (1.83, .935%). In addition, he backstopped the gold medal-winning Finland squad at the Under-18 Ivan Hlinka tournament, and joins Liiga powerhouse Karpat next season at just 18 years old. His lateral movement is that of a goaltender four inches shorter, and that combination of size and agility in the blue paint is lethal for the young netminder. He has good play-reading abilities and maintains a solid post-to-post presence, with the most additional work needed being cutting down tricky angles and reading cross-ice passes with more urgency. Annunen enters a system with some underwhelming goaltending prospects and has a chance to solidify himself as the Avalanche's goalie of the future.

9 Cameron Morrison, LW (40th overall, 2016. Last year: 8th) Formerly named the USHL Rookie of the Year, Cameron Morrison has had an inconsistent, but at times promising, transition to the competition level and pace of NCAA hockey. He was over a point-per-game for a below-average Youngstown team in 2015-16, but has yet to eclipse 25 points in either of his two seasons at Notre Dame. With that being said, it is clear that Morrison is getting increasingly comfortable with making plays happen with his immense skill, working hard to do what he does best: getting inside position on opposing defenders and driving to the net. His speed and mechanics are not up to speed, but with scary size (6-3", 212 lbs), he can execute a power forward game from the wing and generate chances with his adept ability to shield the puck from defenders. A decently agile winger, he is effective on the forecheck and can help defensively at times, but defense is not a strength. The former second-rounder needs to be more consistent in creating offense to become an NHL-caliber player, but as with most college players, he remains a long-term project who is still relatively early in his development.

Nick Henry

10 Nick Henry, RW (94th overall, 2017. Last year: 11th) At first glance, one scary thought about Nick Henry is that his offensive numbers in his draft year came as a byproduct of a stacked Regina Pats team that dominated the WHL. This year was more a struggle, as he tallied only 29 points in 53 games. However, in fairness, he was recovering from a shoulder surgery conducted the prior summer, and simply started out slow; as soon as he felt 100%, he rocketed up again, scoring a hat trick in the playoffs against the eventual league champs from Swift Current. Henry possesses raw skill, headlined by a heavy, quick-release wrist shot capable of routinely fooling opposing goaltenders. With average skating speed, he does not carry the puck up much (not uncommon for any linemate of the great Sam Steel), but exhibits splendid hand-eye coordination, offensive creativity, and good hands when he does. The true test for Henry's real, sustainable game will be an eventual foray into the pro ranks, but as he only cost Colorado a fourth-round pick, they have time to wait.

11 Ryan Graves, D (Trade: Feb. 26, 2017 [New York Rangers]. Last year: 6th [New York Rangers]) Unfortunately for Ryan Graves, a very serviceable defender in his own right, Avalanche executives and fans will view him as the consolation for trading the disappointing Chris Bigras, a former high second-rounder whose development in the pros floundered and necessitated a trade away. Nonetheless, Graves offers a reason to remain optimistic, because at 6-4" and 225, there are quality aspects of his game around which to build. He is not a fast skater, but adapted to a playing style in the AHL that masks his flaws and allows him to be effective everywhere else, most notably in physical battles around the boards, stretch passes up the ice, and thunderous slap shots from the point. If any NHL success is to be achieved, the Avalanche will have to pair him with a more mobile, agile defenseman, but it is possible he finds a way to contribute in a supplemental, third-pair role.

12 Spencer Martin, G (63rd overall, 2013. Last year: 16th) Spencer Martin's 2017-18 season was less than ideal, but not exactly his fault. Colorado's AHL affiliate was actually a shared enterprise, with AHL expansion trailing the NHL’s version by 12 months, forcing the Avs and Blues to coexist as San Antonio's NHL parent clubs. With this, Martin got considerably less time than a denoted "goaltender of the future" should, battling with Blues' prospect Ville Husso for time in net. He did decently for a non-playoff team, nonetheless, but not NHL-caliber goalie numbers, going 14-15-0 with a 3.10 GAA and .893 Sv%. He has raw talent boasts extreme calmness under pressure that allows him to make easy -- and difficult -- saves at all times and in all positions. Fairly aggressive in his crease, playing up his big frame by challenging shooters into harder shot angles. Martin projects to be a backup at the NHL level, but still a useful one.

13 Denis Smirnov, RW (156th overall, 2017. Last year: 17th) Drafted as a 19-year-old overager in 2017, Denis Smirnov impressed the Avalanche brass into a draft position by racking up 47 points in 39 games as a freshman at Penn State. Smirnov, a Russian who has played in North American since his age-14 season, was a sneakily skilled scorer at the USHL ranks with Fargo before transitioning to the NCAA, putting to good use an advantage that many prospects from overseas do not have: a preexisting acclimation to smaller North American ice. He produces a lot of offense from the boards and the perimeter of the zone, using his slick hands to escape defenders and pass or exhibiting great assertiveness to fire a confident shot away from some distance. However, he is not a very fast skater at top speed and seems to be a non-factor when he isn't on his game offensively.

14 Ty Lewis, LW (Free Agent Signing: Oct. 3, 2017. Last year: IE) An undrafted, unsigned invite to Avalanche training camp before the 2017-18 season, Ty Lewis showed up ready to compete, and quickly earned himself an ELC with the team. In hindsight, it looks to be a stellar stealth signing from Sakic and company, as the 20-year-old led WHL Brandon in points last season as one of only nine WHLers to reach the 100-point plateau (44 goals, 56 assists). With a dangerous mix of speed, skill, and a nose for the net, he was a pivotal weapon both on and off the puck. When he carried the rubber, he showed his innate ability to either find the open man and drive to the goal to be fed a net-front return or create his own chance. Off the puck, his positioning led to an assortment of easy tap-ins. With the AHL team, Lewis will need to prove his game can transition to the pros, while working on his flawed two-way game.

Nicolas Meloche

15 Nicolas Meloche, D (40th overall, 2015. Last year: 6th) Nicolas Meloche dropped nine spots from last year's prospect rankings to this year's, an indictment of the slow pace of his development. He was generally a liability on the Rampage blueline in what was his first pro year, one supposed to be a highly-anticipated transition to the professional leagues. Instead, he suffered the occasional mid-game benching, healthy scratch, and even an ECHL assignment. Meloche had trouble adjusting to the pace and skill of the AHL, a fact you can blame somewhat on a team thin on the blueline. He still has some raw talent and fine upside as a 6-3", right-handed defenseman who can skate, with superb mobility, a fast, hard shot, and a cool, calm demeanor. An efficient two-way defenseman in the QMJHL ranks, that remains his NHL ceiling, and his late-season performances (five points in final eight games, top-four minutes, power-play time) inspire confidence going down the road.

16 Igor Shvyrev, C (125th overall, 2017. Last year: 15th) Igor Shvyrev is an international man of mystery, but every NHL prospect system needs a resident enigma. Shvyrev embodies that role perfectly; a versatile, extraordinarily-skilled centerman whose numbers in the Russian minor leagues scream future NHL stalwart at times, with 70 points (21 goals, 49 assists) in just 40 games in 2016-17, but he has not been able to stick in the KHL, having just one goal in 42 games at the higher level. So why would the Avs sign the Russian center to an ELC? The simple fact that Shvyrev was playing center in the KHL at 18 and 19, reliably so in the bottom lines for Metallurg Magnitogorsk, is a good sign. Elsewhere, he has a dynamic skillset headlined by swift hands, great vision, a responsible defensive game, and a heavy shot; with some seasoning in the AHL, the 20-year-old could be NHL ready in short order.

17 Scott Kosmachuk, RW (UFA: Jul. 2, 2018. Last year: IE) A third-round pick six years ago and an OHL champion four years prior, Kosmachuk has returned to prospect prominence. After a great season with the Rangers' AHL affiliate in Hartford, he was offered a two-way contract with the Avalanche and will bring with him to Colorado the offensive tools that first made him attractive to NHL teams as a teen. Scouted mostly as an industrious depth winger, Kosmachuk played as a first-liner and at times, completely shouldered the load for the Wolf Pack offense, using his net-front drive, high end shot, and tenacious physicality to become a pain in the neck for opposing defenses. He is a very dangerous at top speed, with tricky agility that is capable of dangling around defenders, despite not being an overly fast skater. If he produces with the Eagles like he did with the Wolf Pack, an NHL recall could be imminent.

18 A.J. Greer, RW (39th overall, 2015. Last year: 7th) Like Meloche, A.J. Greer is someone who dropped considerably from last season's rankings, mainly because of the same issue; inconsistency and the overall inability to reach their game's competitive ceiling. Greer does not have the same offensive chops as Meloche or his other peers, but the Rampage forward netted eight goals and five assists in 35 games with SA and earned the first somewhat long-term recall of his career, playing 17 games with the Avalanche. As a 21-year-old draftee of 2015, you can consider that development timeline normal and timely, but no actual development occurred because he plays such a simple, prototypical bottom-six game. He is effective when he hustles and is very physical on the forecheck, capable of securing loose pucks and scoring some tough, clutch goals thanks to rugged net-front tenacity, but very one-dimensional. He could compete for a roster spot with the Avs this season.

19 Danila Zhuravlyov, D (146th overall, 2018. Last year: IE) Definitely a long-term project, but potentially a steal, young Russian defenseman Danila Zhuravlyov displayed a pretty promising two-way game for Russian minor-league club Irbis Kazan (nine goals, nine assists in 28 assists) and for Russia at the World Under-18s (five assists in five games). He is underdeveloped physically, but he has great straight-line speed and acceleration, using those skills to push the puck up ice with frequency. He is not afraid to let the puck fly from the point (his nine goals last season should tell you that) and has a good slap shot to boot. He is an effective defenseman in his own zone despite the lack of size, with tight gap control and attentive coverage within his zone.

20 Sheldon Dries, C (UDFA: Jul. 2, 2018. Last year: IE) After playing as an AHL-contracted rookie with the Texas Stars, Sheldon Dries inked an entry-level deal with the Avalanche in free agency, his first NHL contract. The undrafted center lit the Stars' AHL affiliate up with 19 goals and 11 assists in the regular season, followed by a team-high ten goals on their way to the Calder Cup Final. He is a high-energy guy, one that plays a middle-six role in the AHL while competing on the penalty kill, power play, and defending late leads. A Swiss army knife in Texas' lineup last season, Dries scored the bulk of his goals by driving into the offensive zone with his blazing skating speed and letting it rip with heavy, accurate wrist shots from the slot or around the faceoff circles, putting more power in his wrist shot than his 5-9" frame suggests is possible. Of course, that lack of height is what has held the center back before, but the 24 year-old can be considered a legitimate prospect on account of his maturity, experience, and versatility.

2018 NHL Draft Review: Central Division

Ryan Wagman — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 14:37:30 +0000

The draft is over and 217 young players are newly affiliated with 31 different NHL organizations. Outside of three to six of those players, who could jump right into NHL lineups in the fall, we will not know whether the vast majority of those players are draft successes for two, three, four, or five years.

The lack of clear foresight aside, we should still be able to judge draft classes at least in terms of expected value. In some cases, we can look at strategy as well, although the way the board shakes out based on the picks that came before, we can rarely truly discern what a club was trying to do, but only what they were able to do.

I had hoped that we would be able to provide an average Overall Future Projection of the various draft classes, but there are a few picks from the high school ranks, the NAHL and a few European junior leagues for whom we lack enough information to give a full grade, so we will focus on where we had players ranked as we assess the draft haul of each team, as we run division-by-division through the NHL.

Here is the Central Division

Chicago Blackhawks
1 (8) Adam Boqvist, D, Brynas J20 (SuperElit) - ranked 9th
1 (27) Nicolas Beaudin, D, Drummondville (QMJHL) - ranked 55th
3 (69) Jake Wise, C, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 62nd
3 (74) Niklas Nordgren, RW, HIFK U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga) - ranked 49th
4 (120) Philipp Kurashev, LW/C, Quebec (QMJHL) - ranked 80th
5 (139) Mikael Hakkarainen, C, Muskegon (USHL) - unranked
6 (162) Alexis Gravel, G, Halifax (QMJHL) - ranked 67th
7 (193) Josiah Slavin, LW, Lincoln (USHL) - unranked

With one difference of opinion, I have a lot of time for the Chicago Blackhawks draft class this year. That they selected six players in our top 100 (top 80, actually), reflects a lot of convergence in our respective scouting opinions. Doing it without a second rounder to play makes the feat even more impressive. With a rare top ten pick, the Hawks selected young Swedish dynamo Adam Boqvist eighth overall. While the pick raised the eyebrows a smidge, considering the availability of Evan Bouchard and Noah Dobson, two better-rounded, potential top pairing blueliners, the gap between the three of them was minute and more down to preference than actual expected value. Boqvist is a little rawer than the other two, but his upside is truly immense.

Where the eyebrows truly shot up was when the Blackhawks selected Drummondville blueliner Nicolas Beaudin with the second first rounder. First, because between Boqvist and their first two picks in the 2017 draft (Henri Jokiharju and Ian Mitchell), they seemed to now have a pretty good core of young blueliners to plan around. Secondly, and more important, how could Beaudin be the first Voltigeur off the board with Joe Veleno still available? Beaudin has high end vision, and moves the puck fairly well, but his skating is a sore point, particularly his first few steps and his reverse. He can get up to a decent top speed, but as he so often falls behind, it is an absolute necessity. Third, as Beaudin is a marauding sort, who likes to engage deep in the offensive end, there must be the worry that his game is too similar in style to Boqvist’s.

As much as I did not like the second first rounder, I loved the Hawks’ two third rounders. Jake Wise is a very good skater who can perform some nice tricks with the puck yet can be trusted in all situations. Were it not for an early season injury that had him miss a good long stretch, he would have gone at least 30 picks higher. Five picks later, Chicago took another offensively gifted forward in Finnish winger Niklas Nordgren, who scored eight times in seven games at the WU18, but has historically been a stronger playmaker than finisher. He needs to add muscle mass and improve his explosiveness, but he can produce. Chicago took another offensively talented forward in the fifth, reminding us all that successful teams do not just grab bottom six types in the later rounds, but continue to draft for talent. Swiss import Philipp Kurashev has shown improvement year over year in his two seasons with Quebec in the Q. He reads the play well in both zones and has very soft hands. Although he lacks bulk, he is not a peripheral player.

They continued to hunt for point producers as the draft petered out, as seen with sixth rounder Mikael Hakkarainen who had 46 points in 36 games with Muskegon this year. Even after accounting for the fact that the Finnish USHL import was in his third year of draft eligibility, he has scored at every level in which he has played. He missed a chunk of the year to injury, but when he played, he was creating chances left and right. A few solid seasons with Providence, and he could be a real late round gem. Chicago was wise to snatch up a promising, if very raw, netminder in the sixth round in Alexis Gravel, both as his tools rate very highly, even if his results were sub-par in his draft year with Halifax, but also as the net is a weak spot organizationally for the Hawks and will have a chance to make an impact in time. If he can play more like he has in the postseason for the Mooseheads than he did in the regular season, more than a few teams will be kicking themselves for passing up on him for five full rounds. As for the seventh rounder, Josiah Slavin, the younger brother of Hurricanes’ blueliner Jaccob Slavin, the Blackhawks did finally take a low ceiling player who maxes out as a fourth liner, if he even gets there. He has good size and is a decent skater, but has never been a scorer all the way bac to Bantam hockey. Even though I don’t agree with every pick, the Blackhawks’ strategy of largely selecting players with aa history of offensive production and continuing to draft talent even in the middle and (most of the) later rounds, is a winning strategy.

OFP – 53.25

Colorado Avalanche
1 (16) Martin Kaut, RW, Dynamo Pardubice (Czech) - ranked 20th
3 (64) Justus Annunen, G, Karpat U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga) - ranked 98th
3 (78) Sampo Ranta, LW, Sioux City (USHL) - ranked 54th
4 (109) Tyler Weiss, LW/C, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 59th
5 (140) Brandon Saigeon, C, Hamilton (OHL) - ranked Honorable Mention
5 (146) Danila Zhuravlyov, D, Irbis Kazan (MHL) - ranked 131st
6 (171) Nikolai Kovalenko, RW, Loko Yaroslavl (MHL) - ranked 159th
7 (202) Shamil Shamakov, G, Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk (MHL) - unranked

The Colorado Avalanche have never been the type of team to heavily scout the CHL, but to have only one pick from their seven come from the hotbed of Canadian junior hockey is a surprise even for them. Even when accounting for the fact that two additional picks were playing in the USHL, one of those was actually a Finnish import. In short, the Avalanche went the full anti-Don Cherry in their 2018 draft class, with five of seven picks coming from Europe. There was some speculation of whether their first round pick, Martin Kaut, would drop down draft boards after a disputed heart issue was discovered during medical testing at the draft combine. Thankfully, he rushed back to the Czech Republic and had the matter taken care of immediately, and received a clean bill of health before draft day. Kaut does everything at an above average level, and if the early successes of Martin Necas and Filip Chytil last year are any indication, the Czech Republic is back to being a hockey hotbed. Kaut is expected to move to the AHL next season.

In the three of the previous four drafts, the Avalanche selected a netminder from Europe, and they continued that trend with the second pick of the third round, taking Finnish WU18 hero Justus Annunen. Far from a flash in the pan, he was named the top goalie in the Finnish junior league and has the size every team covets in net, as well as above average athleticism. Half a round later, the Avs selected an early season sensation in the USHL, in Finnish import winger Sampo Ranta, who naturally elicited comparisons to former Sioux City sniper Eeli Tolvanen. Ranta is no Tolvanen, and is prone to a few bone-head reads, but he has a fine collection of offensive tools, projecting to top six potential across the board, and is going to a good program at Wisconsin starting next season.

Staying in the USHL, the first North American product Colorado drafted was North Carolina native Tyler Weiss from the USNTDP. The program often relegates talented players to a bottom six role because they are both not as good as the first line players, and they play high energy games. Both are true of Weiss. He plays with great energy and he is not as good as the top line trio of Jack Hughes, Oliver Wahlstrom, or Joel Farabee. Of course, that latter point is a very high bar for comparison. Weiss is very talented, and like a few previous USNTDP grads, I expect his offensive game to flourish in a more fluid role at Nebraska-Omaha. He is a great skater with shifty hands and great puck control. With his inherent grit, I think he is looked upon as a steal in short order.

Fifth rounder Brandon Saigeon was long written off as a disappointment in the OHL, as the former fourth overall OHL Draft pick took four seasons to really break out. Finally, in his third and final year of NHL draft eligibility, he took off with a strong Bulldogs team, at least reaching the point per game mark in the regular season, OHL playoffs, and Memorial Cup. He is eligible to go back to Hamilton for one more year, or join Kaut next year in the AHL. His future success hinges on his shot continuing to sneak past netminders.

After drafting their one and only CHL player, the Avalanche finished their draft with three picks from the Russian junior league. Defender Danila Zhuravlyov is a promising two way player with a good set of tools who needs to refine his game away from the puck. Winger Nikolai Kovalenko, is actually an Avalanche legacy pick, as his father Andrei played with the Nordiques and the Avalanche between 1992-96. Ironically enough, like Tyler Weiss, Kovalenko was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, although Kovalenko moved back to Russia as a youth. He has very high hockey intelligence and grades out very well for both skating and puck skills. If he gets more attention on the international stage, he will be looked at as a late round steal in short order. Finally, for their last selection, Colorado drafted the player with the best name in the draft, in Shamil Shmakov. In his second year of draft eligibility, the towering (6-6”) Russian netminder was a workhorse for his MHL team. He is athletic for his size and reads the play well. Between the Russians and the college bound players, the Avalanche’s 2018 draft class may take four or more years before it can be adequately judged. That said, with the talent selected, they should be optimistic.

OFP – 53.75

Dallas Stars
1 (13) Ty Dellandrea, C, Flint (OHL) - ranked 32nd
2 (44) Albin Eriksson, RW/LW, Skelleftea J20 (SuperElit) - ranked 121st
3 (75) Oskar Back, C/RW, Frolunda J20 (SuperElit) - ranked 75th
4 (100) Adam Mascherin, LW, Kitchener (OHL) - ranked 64th
4 (106) Curtis Douglas, C, Windsor (OHL) - ranked 95th
5 (137) Riley Damiani, C, Kitchener (OHL) - ranked 107th
6 (168) Dawson Barteaux, D, Red Deer (WHL) - ranked 206th
7 (199) Jermaine Loewen, RW/LW, Kamloops (WHL) - unranked

Like some teams, the Stars have geographical hot spots that they tend to return to again and again when to comes to drafting. They love the OHL, the WHL, Sweden and Finland. They have sometimes strayed from those areas, most notably for some first rounders from Russia (Valeri Nichushkin, and Denis Guryanov) and Minnesota prep (Riley Tufte) and the NCAA (Jake Oettinger), but the majority of their picks over the years come from the four areas listed above. And low and behold, they stayed true to form this year, drafting entirely from the OHL, WHL and Sweden. Hosting the draft, no matter who they selected would be bound to receive hearty applause and the fans did not disappoint in that regard.

Even though they went off the board with their first rounder, Ty Dellandrea, the Flint center has a few factors that suggest an upside just as high as those who had been ranked in that range of the draft class. He is very young for this draft class, he put up decent numbers despite playing for a tire fire of an OHL organization. He stepped up his game in the high profile events of the CHL Top Prospects Game and the WU18 tournament. He is a great skater with a very high hockey IQ, gets top marks for intangibles and has nice hands. I cannot truly fault Dallas for making this pick. I am less bullish on their second rounder, large Swedish winger Albin Eriksson. He has soft hands for his size and has certainly scored plenty in the SuperElit, but there are questions about his skating and his overall ability to process the game. He was held off the Swedish WU18 team as the national braintrust did not see a fit for him as a top six player, and did not think his game would translate to a bottom six role. I see a lot of risk-reward in this pick.

The Stars went right back to the SuperElit with their third rounder, for versatile forward Oskar Back. Back is not as big as Eriksson, but has more than enough size-wise. He is also a better skater, plays a more effective physical brand of hockey and showed the ability to play a variety of roles at the WU18. Dallas returned to the OHL for their two fourth round picks and their fifth rounder, bookending two picks from the Kitchener Rangers program (Adam Mascherin and Riley Damiani) with the gigantic Windsor center Curtis Douglas. Mascherin was this year’s only redraft player, as the former Florida second rounder never came to terms with the Panthers and took his chances with the league this year. He is a shorter, stockier player, lacking much explosion in his legs, but has been a prime sniper in the OHL for years (at least 35 goals in each of the last three seasons) and is ready for the AHL. His OHL teammate Damiani was selected by Dallas 37 picks later. Rather small, and not overly toolsy, he makes his hay thanks to high end hockey IQ. He has enough in the wheels department to be useful on the penalty kill as well, although he is not likely to ever be a big scorer.

In between those two picks, the Stars drafted the most physical specimen of the entire draft class in 6-8”, 247 pound behemoth center Curtis Douglas. Douglas is very strong, with unbeatable reach, but is not aggressive so much as he is imposing. He is a decent skater for his size and has reasonably fluid hands. Sixth rounder Dawson Barteaux was once a first round pick in the WHL Bantam Draft, but could not eke out a regular role in the WHL until this year, where he emerged as a reliable puck mover for Red Deer. His upside is not tremendous, but he can skate and get the puck out of his own end and could provide reasonable future value for this stage of the draft.

The Stars ended their draft with the first Jamaican born player ever selected in Kamloops’ hulking power winger Jermaine Loewen. In his third year of eligibility, Loewen went from being a bottom line bruiser to someone who could contribute in a top six role at the WHL level. His NHL prospects’ depend on being able to combine the attribute of both areas. Like Mascherin, he could jump right into the AHL next year. Generally speaking, I do not applaud drafting for size, which the Stars were clearly targeting, taking four players who are at least 6-3”, 205, but with one exception, I have no fault in where those big guys were drafted. They took enough in terms of skill and IQ that the organization should see good results from their 2018 haul, even if they are bunched among forwards.

OFP – 52.5

Minnesota Wild
1 (24) Filip Johansson, D, Leksand J20 (SuperElit) - ranked 46th
3 (63) Jack McBain, C, Toronto Jr. Canadiens (OJHL) - ranked 51st
3 (86) Alexander Khovanov, C, Moncton (QMJHL) - ranked 61st
3 (92) Connor Dewar, LW, Everett (WHL) - ranked 153rd
5 (148) Simon Johansson, D, Djurgardens J20 (SuperElit) - unranked
5 (155) Damien Giroux, C, Saginaw (OHL) - ranked Honorable Mention
6 (179) Shawn Boudrias, RW, Gatineau (QMJHL) - unranked
7 (210) Sam Hentges, C, Tri-City (USHL) - unranked

For many years, new Minnesota GM Paul Fenton was lauded as a key driving force behind Nashville’s consistent success at the draft table, where he served as assistant GM since 2006-07 and was involved in other roles with the club since 1998-99 (i.e. Day One). In his first crack at being the final voice on all personnel decisions, the eight players added to the Minnesota organization are very underwhelming. And with four of the eight picks being in their second year of draft eligibility, potential untapped upside is also lacking. In fairness to Fenton, he only took over the franchise with about one month before draft day. With a lack of clarity over how much he could have brought to the scouting meetings, I will reserve judgement on Fenton until the 2019 draft.

They had one pick on day one and used it on a low upside, high IQ defender in Swede Filip Johansson. The right shooting blueliner plays a poised game, keeping his crease clear and featuring heavily in PK rotations. While right handed defenders are always a desired commodity, without the ability to score from the point, that value is diminished. I have a hard time seeing Johansson ever playing much of a role on the power play in the NHL. He projects more as a #4/5 defender at his peak.

The best value picks made by Minnesota this year both came in the third round. With the first pick of the round, they nabbed Jack McBain, a big center who moves well for his size and has been crushing the OJHL since he arrived there two years ago. He was a first round OHL pick too, but preferred the college route. He has very good hands and a hard shot and will be tested by a big step up in competition when he joins Boston College next season. Another high upside pick was made later in the round when the Wild selected Moncton center Alexander Khovanov, who many thought could be a top half of the first round player when the Wildcats selected him very early in last year’s CHL Import Draft. Unfortunately, much of his draft year was wiped out due to a bout with Hepatitis A. When he returned after mid-season, he still showed flashes of puck magic, but his strength and stamina had yet to fully recover by year’s end. A full offseason to return to his previous form could see him take off in a big way and there is a good chance that he ends up as the Wild’s top return from this draft class.

Their third third rounder, Connor Dewar, is more of a late bloomer than the other two, as he really took a few steps forward this year, in his second year of draft eligibility. He has a big motor and can finish. Dewar lacks the upside of McBain, or Khovanov, but it is easy to see a bottom six winger at the highest level in his future. Minnesota went right back to low upside after that point, such as with the pick of Simon Johansson (no relation to Filip, although he is a cousin of Columbus center Alexander Wennberg). Simon Johnasson put up very good numbers from the blueline in his second year of eligibility in the SuperElit, mostly thanks to a strong point shot and good distribution skills. Unfortunately, his skating is rather rough, and he is not nearly as strong away from the puck.

The second fifth rounder taken by Minnesota may have some “diamond in the rough” qualities, as Damien Giroux was one of the top players on a moribund Saginaw team in the OHL. He is very undersized, but he has a good set of offensive tools and could be a solid player in the coming years. There is decent upside in Minnesota’s sixth rounder as well. Although Shawn Boudrias was in his second year of eligibility, had he been born two days later, he would have been in his first year of eligibility. He led Gatineau in scoring by 20 points, and has great size, although he lacks any true standout tools. Minnesota ended their draft with another second year eligible player in Sam Hentges, of Tri-City in the USHL. Hentges put up decent numbers when he was healthy enough to play, although injuries kept him off the ice for much of the second half. The native Minnesotan is going to St. Cloud State next season. With a very low ceiling, medium floor draft haul. Minnesota did very little to move the needle for the organization.

OFP – 51.25

Nashville Predators
4 (111) Jachym Kondelik, C, Muskegon (USHL) - ranked 110th
5 (131) Spencer Stastney, D, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 151st
5 (151) Vladislav Yeryomenko, D, Calgary (WHL) - ranked 196th
7 (213) Milan Kloucek, G, Dynamo Pardubicec (Czech) - unranked

With only four picks to be made, there is not much point in searching for trends in Nashville’s2018 draft class. With their first pick, they went with a tree in USHL center Jachym Kondelik. The 6-6” Czech pivot battled injuries this year with Muskegon, but has decent hands, enough mobility for his size, and shows the ability to play in a defensive role. If he could add more intensity to his game, he could be a real force down the line. He will take his next steps at the University of Connecticut.

With their next pick, the Predators took USNTDP blueliner Spencer Stastney, another player who had some injury trouble early in the year. Stastney is a smart, undersized puck mover, who has shown that he can play in a variety of roles and situations. He has a lot of tools and a generally high hockey IQ, but is overly prone to bonehead plays. If Notre Dame’s coaching staff can iron those out, he has pretty good upside. Later in the fifth round, the Predators drafted Belorussian blueliner Vladislav Yeryomenko, a second year eligible who has been playing in the WHL with Calgary for two seasons, putting up good numbers from the blueline all the while. He turned more heads with a strong WJC for Belarus, showing the ability to withstand a massive workload on a generally overmatched team. He has good hands and in another high IQ player for Nashville’s system.

The Predators completed their draft class with Czech netminder Milan Kloucek, drafted in his third year of eligibility. He performed well in a 10 game run in the men’s league with Dynamo Pardubice, but between never having played in a major international tournament, and moving around a lot between the top two Czech leagues and the junior ranks, he was not really on our radar. Despite not having a big presence in the draft this year, the Predators came away with three skaters who have enough upside to project as potential middle of the roster NHL contributors.

OFP – 50.75

St. Louis Blues
1 (25) Dominik Bokk, RW, Vaxjo J20 (SuperElit)
2 (45) Scott Perunovich, D, Minnesota-Duluth (NCHC)
4 (107) Joel Hofer, G, Swift Current (WHL)
5 (138) Hugh McGing, C, Western Michigan (NCHC)
6 (169) Mathias Laferriere, C, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
7 (200) Tyler Tucker, D, Barrie (OHL)

Four guys with youth and physical upside, and two guys who are older and smaller, but with more proof of success at higher levels. Positional balancing. The Blues’ own first round pick was traded to Philadelphia in the Brayden Schenn trade, but they got a first rounder back from Winnipeg in the Paul Stastny trade. The Blues, sensing an opportunity to get their guy, traded away a third rounder to move up a few spots and select German talent Dominik Bokk at 25^th overall. After tearing up the German U19 league as a 16 year old, Bokk moved to Sweden last year and laid the SuperElit to waste as well. He was less successful in limited time in the SHL, but he did enough last year to prove that he is far more than just a big fish in a small pond. He is a fine skater with high end offensive tools. He should get a much longer leash in the SHL next year in order to be ready to move to North America in 2019-20.

With their second rounder, the Blues went for American WJC hero, the third time eligible blueliner Scott Perunovich. He was too small and wild to be drafted in his first year of eligibility out of Hibbing/Chisholm high school in Minnesota. In his second year of eligibility, he performed alright with Cedar Rapids of the USHL, but still struggled in his own end. This year, he went to Minnesota-Duluth and was the leading scorer on the eventual NCAA champions. In the middle, he took time off to play for his country at the WJC and was electrifying with his puck rushes. He will never be a force in his own zone, but he is a very good skater and capable of brilliance with the puck.

The Blues did not get any big upside plays after that, but each of their final four picks had something to recommend themselves to scouts. Fourth rounder Joel Hofer was a backup netminder with WHL champs Swift Current. He put up the best numbers of any draft eligible netminder in the WHL and has the ideal frame for modern netminders. With Stuart Skinner graduating, he is the likely starter for the Broncos next year. In the fifth round, the Blues selected Hugh McGing, another third time eligible player, who had come off a strong sophomore campaign at Western Michigan and almost joined Perunovich on Team USA at the WJC. The undersized McGing is a playmaker and skates just well enough to evade being a target.

Of all of St. Louis picks, sixth rounder Mathias Laferriere has the least upside. He is young and has decent size, but has not lived up to his advance billing as the seventh overall pic in the QMJHL Entry draft in 2016. None of his attributes project to above average. The Blues’ final 2018 selection came in the form of Barrie blueliner Tyler Tucker. Like Laferriere, Tucker was a high pick going into junior who has been little more than OK in his time in the CHL thus far. He has an adequate game with the puck and plays with a mean streak, but needs to improve his skating in order to make it. While I would have liked to see St. Louis go for more upside in the back half of their draft class, the dynamism of their first two picks could be very impactful to the NHL roster in the near future.

OFP - 51

Winnipeg Jets
2 (60) David Gustafsson, C, HV71 (SHL) - ranked 50th
3 (91) Nathan Smith, C, Cedar Rapids (USHL) - unranked
5 (150) Declan Chisholm, D, Peterborough (OHL) - ranked 141st
5 (153) Giovanni Vallati, D, Kitchener (OHL) - ranked 79th
6 (184) Jared Moe, G, Waterloo (USHL) - ranked 192nd
7 (215) Austin Wong, C, Okotoks (AJHL) - unranked

I often consider the Winnipeg Jets among the more astute drafting teams in the league. That is why it is now hard for me to express how much I dislike their 2018 draft class. I believe that when a team trades away their first round pick, it is all the more of an imperative that they aim for upside with their next few picks, as with expectations already lowered, they can only gain. There is very little upside in this class, and relatively little value in the picks they made. This does not mean that I hate the picks or cannot see a path to the NHL for any of the players whose names they called out, but as a group, I don’t see it. If anything, they targeted physicality over skill, a tactic I have a hard time getting behind.

Second rounder David Gustafsson is a decent pick at that spot. He is not the best skater, but he is strong on the puck, demonstrates a high hockey IQ and is big and effectively powerful. He spent the bulk of his draft year in the SHL and plays a mature game. He projects to third line upside. Their next pick, Nathan Smith of Cedar Rapids, was a real head scratcher, though. A second year eligible with a late birthday, Smith is a decent playmaker who plays a somewhat gritty game, but is a mediocre skater whose reads need a lot of work. To be fair, it was only the first year the Tampa native spent outside of Florida, so he may have more upside than his performance suggests, but I have never seen it.

After sitting out the fourth round, the Jets picked up two decent blueline prospects in the fifth round in Declan Chisholm and Giovanni Vallati, both OHL products. Chisholm, from Peterborough, is a good skater and has some puck moving acumen, but was held back by injury and a poor Petes team this year. Kitchener’s Vallati is an even better skater, who flashes high end IQ and a more physical game. For my money, the Vallati pick was the best value the Jets got in Dallas. I might have been more forgiving of their draft class had they selected Vallati with their third rounder and Nathan Smith with the late fifth rounder. Both Chisholm and Vallati have decent third pairing projections. In the sixth round, Winnipeg selected second time eligible Jared Moe, a big netminder who split the crease in Waterloo with Philadelphia prospect Matej Tomek, who he outperformed. Like Nathan Smith, this was Moe’s first season out of the high school ranks. Moe should have the crease in Waterloo to himself next year before going to Minnesota.

The Jets saved their toughest pick for the end, drafting Okotoks pugilist Austin Wong. Wong had decent, but not eye-catching offensive numbers for the AJHL, but one look at the PIM column lets you know wat kind of player the Jets are adding. He is one of, if not the most, physical player in the entire draft class. Of course, there are drawbacks to that style, often leaving his team shorthanded. If he can tone it down just a bit and work on his skating, he could be OK, but he seems more like a 1980s throwback as is. After drafting high end skill for a number of years, the Jets might have taken a step in the wrong direction with these picks, even if some of them hit their best-case projections.

OFP – 50.5

USA: Tyler Weiss (2018 Draft Eligible)

Ryan Wagman — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 15:12:59 +0000

In the McKeen's 2018 NHL Draft Guide Ryan notes that Tyler Weiss "With the right adjustments at Boston University, Weiss could end up a stealthy success and fan favorite once he reaches the pros." He provides a detailed scouting report below.

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

USA U18 vs Minnesota Wilderness

Tyler Weiss	2018 Draft Eligible
Position: LW/C, Shoots L	H/W: 5-10", 160 lbs
Stats to date (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS)	USNTDP Juniors, USHL (22-3-8-11-21)
	U.S. National U18 Team, USNTDP (58-12-19-31-39)
	USA U18, WU18 (7-2-2-4-2)

Skating: Explosive acceleration coupled with above average top speed leads to a player who can make things happen, but with a limited time window to strike. Weiss likes to take off with the puck near his own blueline and his first few steps help him catch the line of backcheckers on their heels. He can carry that momentum through the neutral zone, but lacks a second gear. He has subtly strong edges and can be shifty and slippery if not overwhelming on the rush. He looks downright dynamic when he cuts laterally through the offensive zone on a rush. Quick turns allow him to shake loose from tight coverage in the offensive end. Grade: 60

Shot: While Weiss has a decent wrist shot, with a quick, deceptive release, and will sometimes set himself in the slot as a one-timer option, he is not a natural finisher. Averaging around 1.5 shots on net per game in USHL play, you get the sense that he realizes that he lacks a sniper’s touch and would generally prefer to play the puck to a linemate in the offensive end to allow him to shoot instead. Even so, I would like to see Weiss pull the trigger more often, which would force defenses to treat him with more caution. Grade: 50

Skills: Despite his lack of high end point totals, Weiss is a skills player. He loves to skate with the puck, sometimes to his detriment. He has a set of nice dangles in his bag, and coupled with his high pace of play, has tricked many an opposing defender. If he sees a teammate in a scoring position, he can get the puck to him in a flash, although he can simply hold on for a very long if he does not see a better play. He will have to learn to play with quicker touches, which may be a function of playing on a lower line with the USNTDP. Playing more consistently with better linemates may help him play more decisively with the puck. He is skilled at obtaining and maintaining possession and his willingness to skate right at opponents is born from his ability to keep the disc under control. He can be fun to watch. Grade: 55

Smarts: Weiss plays with a ton of energy, making him a useful player at both backcheck and forecheck. He is creative, although it seems at times that he does not necessarily play with a plan. Often hamstrung with lower skilled linemates such as Jack DeBoer and Erik Middendorf, he can ensure that his team does not suffer for playing the fourth line, but neither did he turn those others into producers. His drive for the puck makes him useable in his own zone, although he did not spend much time on the PK. Grade: 55

Physicality: A chippy player who plays with some aggression and spunk, he nonetheless is not a very physical opponent in his own zone, prone to swiping at an opponent’s stick instead of trying to neutralize the body. Part of that is due to his lack of size. Small and lean, he would not be very effective if he were to be ore forceful. That said, he can be aggressive when he has the puck, daring defenders to get him. Grade: 45

Summary: Tyler Weiss is this year’s best example of how the USNTDP sometimes pigeonholes players into set roles and makes it very hard for them to break out. If a player is deemed not skilled enough, or otherwise suitable for a top six role, he will play further down and that is that. A previous example of that was Will Lockwood, now showing greater potential with the University of Michigan. Weiss is a similar type of player, although he is not quite as kamikaze as Lockwood. Having recently changed his college commitment from Boston University to Nebraska-Omaha, he should receive more opportunities to play up the lineup and he has the skill set to make it work, especially if he can get used to playing with more talented players and employing quicker touches.

Overall Future Projection (OFP) = 54