Veit Oswald – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: 2026 European Free Agent Frenzy – 47 Players you may see with an NHL franchise next season

Chapin Landvogt — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 18:17:08 +0000

There was a time when almost every spring brought with it a free agent name or two out of Europe that created a bit of a bidding war among interested NHL teams. This aspect of springtime business has calmed down in recent years as the rate of regular NHLers to be found has also cooled down, perhaps considerably. The Panarins of the world have been few and far between, even if KHLers usually head the list of desirables. The New York Islanders gobbled up two respective top names coming out of that league in the offseasons of 2024 and 2025, with the results having been less than satisfactory to date.

2024 target Maxim Tsyplakov put in a fairly solid 10-25-35 statline in his first NHL season but had just one point in 25 outings for the Islanders this season before being unceremoniously traded to the New Jersey Devils in what was part of an Ondrej Palat salary dump, only to find himself waived by the Devils about a dozen games later. An undersized Maxim Shabanov was the most heavily targeted prize last spring and ultimately made his way to Long Island but has found himself scratched of late more often than not, even if his 4-12-16 statline over 42 games did include some plays of brilliance that indicated there’s probably more in the tank.

Interestingly, the Tampa Bay Lightning went free agent hunting in Europe last spring and made several signings, with current defenseman Charle-Édouard D’Astous having become the most successful of last year’s crop. He not only has 27 points this season but has regularly chalked up over 18 minutes of TOI throughout the season, serving as the prime example of what teams hope to get when they go this route. Two years ago, the Dallas Stars added 22-year old forward Arttu Hyry to their program, who went on to have a 49-point rookie AHL season and has gotten into 13 NHL games this season as lower line depth.

Each are an attest to what many teams hope to find when they chance it on a low-key signing of a player enjoying success in Europe’s top leagues.

What we’re seeing this spring is that the various European leagues are lacking in big must-have free agent names but are well represented in providing players whom a number of teams would appear interested in adding to their farm systems. Furthermore, a number of available KHL players are not only in their mid-20s but just happen to be free agents in Russia as well, a concern that always precludes some of the statistically most successful players from being market grabs each spring. No less than five forwards have excelled this season and find themselves open to go to whoever they see the best opportunity with, be it in North America or the KHL.

Likewise, leagues such as the SHL, Liiga, NL, and DEL just happen to have the odd U25 player or two available who very much look like worthy ELC candidates, even if none appears close to being an immediate homerun swing of any sort.

With this in mind, we have little doubt that a number of the following players - many of whom were draft topics at one point or have come out of nowhere in recent years - will land themselves a contract with an NHL team and their chances of doing so will be considerably better if they are open to multiyear two-way contracts for next season. As always, the NHL season is a long one with injuries always playing a role, so there’s plenty of reasons for players to pine for the kinds of opportunities that, for example, fell into Pavol Regenda’s lap this past season.

MOST LIKELY TO BE SIGNED THIS SPRING OR OFFSEASON

Vitali Pinchuk (BLR) - C - 24 - 6-foot-3, 203 pounds. - KHL

The well-built former Kingston Frontenac is the cream of the crop for this spring’s European free agents. There were things scouts liked back in the 19-20 season, but it never led to a drafting, and he was quick to return to Belarus (granted, it was the pandemic), where he got a lick of the KHL the next season. Now he’s wrapping up his fourth straight season of KHL play and what a season it’s been, seeing him finish sixth overall in league scoring (66 points) and third overall in goals scored (31). He also put up a +21 rating. Already last season, his 43 points raised a good number of eyebrows and had teams very curious about this season, knowing he was scheduled to become a free agent this spring. He’s in full playoff mode now with three points in an initial round sweep of Dynamo Moscow. It is felt that he should be NHL-ready right off the bat, capable of a heavy game and nifty stickwork. There was a bit more hoopla about Tsyplakov and Shabanov in recent years, but Pinchuk may have the kind of overall game that’ll make him a more versatile NHL option.

Danil Aimurzin (RUS) - C - 23 - 6-foot-0, 180 pounds. - KHL

Not the biggest, fastest, or slickest player out there, Aimurzin nonetheless is very solid on his skates, makes a husky impression, and, well, constantly brings the puck to the goal. And if he’s not doing it, he’s heading to the net to make himself a pass option or pounce on rebounds. There’s a solid offensive orientation to his game, featuring strong patience with the puck, and he plays in a manner that makes it feel like he doesn’t sense stress. Although very different in the highlights department from a player like Maxim Shabanov the year before, Aimurzin is still fairly young and has a puck-protection style that is easily imaginable on North American ice. Truth be told, he’s coming off his worst regular season (14-29-43 and -7) in several years but is only now truly a free agent topic due to his current contract concluding this spring. His 57 points last season (including 31 goals) would have made him a likely signing last summer, so teams that were interested then are surely going to continue being in the hunt. For what it’s worth, his Cherepovets team features two draft picks from both Carolina and Pittsburgh.

260108 Skellefteås Pontus Johansson under ishockeymatchen i SHL mellan Skellefteå och HV71 den 8 januari 2026 i Skellefteå.
Foto: Johan Löf / BILDBYRÅN / COP 230 / JH0083

Pontus Johansson (SWE) - LHD - 24 - 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. - SHL

A slick, mobile defenseman whose deep knee crouch and long, straight back are reminiscent of former Blackhawk and Coyote Niklas Hjalmarsson, Johansson is currently suiting up for playoff hockey in his fifth season of SHL hockey, having literally exploded onto the scene this season after four relatively anonymous seasons of SHL play. His six goals in 51 games are as many as the past four seasons combined while his 25 points and +15 far outweigh anything he’s done before. That he’s often chewed up over 20 minutes of TOI per game only goes to show how much his role has grown for an absolute championship contender this year, not surprising in light of Skelleftea’s regular ability to develop future NHL talent. Pontus’ age is just right to take the next step, and his all-round play should be making him an attractive target for teams looking for a wide variety of defensive depth options.

Nick Malik

Nick Malik (CZE) - G - 23 - 6-foot-2, 180 pounds. - CZE

It wasn’t too long ago that the US-born Czech goaltender was a Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick selected as a 20-year-old after a strong season as a starter for Kookoo of the Finnish Liiga. He continued to be a starter there in the years thereafter, but always with a losing record and numerical statistics that didn’t inspire Tampa to sign him on time to retain his rights. In the past two years, he’s taken his act back home to Plzen, where he’s served as the starter for a regular playoff contestant, putting up topflight stats in that league each year. At the moment, his team looks poised to easily get to the second round of the playoffs, naturally with Malik in net, so a signing will have to wait a few weeks. Alas, when a goaltender of this age in a pro league carries his team to the tune of a 25-14 record with six shutouts, a 1.65 GAA, and a .929 save percentage in a whopping 41 starts, he can become a hot topic for NHL teams seeking viable goaltending depth.

Daniil Gutik (RUS) - LW - 24 - 6-foot-3, 190 pounds. - KHL

Had Gutik been available last offseason, it’s hard to imagine that he’d not have been gobbled up. He was 23 and coming off a total of 28 goals and 57 points. He has size, can aptly get from point A to B, and has actually been more noticeable as a playmaker to that point, until he started putting pucks in the net with regularity. This season didn’t kick off as promising with an Admiral Vladivostok team that never really competed, but a midseason trade to Spartak Moscow saw him pick things up again, collecting 19 points in 21 games and now having scored two goals in three playoff games to date. All in all, he finished 20-27-47 in 65 games and has a total package that should lead to a couple of suitors, again fully aware of his current contractual status as an unrestricted KHL free agent. The assumption will be that he’d need some time in the AHL to gain his bearings in North America.

Skellefteås Rickard Hugg
Foto: Michael Erichsen / BILDBYRÅN

Rickard Hugg (SWE) - C/W - 27 - 5-foot-10, 190 pounds. - SHL

After captaining the Kitchener Rangers in the 18-19 season and scoring at over a PPG pace that year, some were surprised that Hugg didn’t latch on to an NHL organization. In light of his skating style and average size, it shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise. He then immediately headed back to his home region in Sweden and went pro with Skelleftea, playing two decent seasons on a lower line before becoming a top six mainstay. Over his last four seasons, he’s managed to put up between 40-50 points every year, playoffs included. However, as this year’s playoffs get underway, Hugg is coming off a career best 56 regular season points and a +13 rating, having established himself as a serious threat in every game and seen in the SHL as one of the top 5-10 forwards whatsoever. He’s simply hard to get the puck from and combines a hounding playing style with some very nifty mitts and a strong wrister. The feeling is that he can immediately jump onto an NHL roster and contend for a third line spot, especially in light of his cycling abilities and net-area instincts.

Simon Johansson (SWE) - RHD - 26 - 6-foot-2, 194 pounds. - Liiga

Johansson is a known commodity who, as a 2018 5th rounder, joined the Wild organization for two solid, but unspectacular AHL seasons not too long ago and actually has a contract for Kloten of the NL in the bag for next season. However, he’s coming off a monster season in the Finnish Liiga in which he accounted for 19-32-51 and a +16 over 58 games, regularly logging app. 20 minutes of ice time every night. This not only meant he was the league’s top scoring defenseman but 14th overall in league scoring. If there’s any hope on his behalf of giving the NHL another shot, now wouldn’t be the worst time. He has never been a defensive beast but has savvy transitional skills and comes with strong bloodlines (cousin to Alex Winnberg and brother to Anton and Victor, both drafted). Perhaps accompanying one of the pups to their respective AHL club next season would make for a good storyline.

SHOT IN NORTH AMERICA BECKONS!?

Matyas Filip (CZE) - 25 - C - 5-foot-11, 187 pounds. - CZE

Filip is just the type of unassuming player who could see himself in a Radek Faksa or Zemgus Girgensons role at the NHL level within a few years’ time if he plays his cards right. Having shown steady play as a lower line center for years now, Filip took a step towards being one of the Czech league’s most important two-way players. With 13 goals, 26 points, and a +11 in 46 regular season games as well as another 3 points and +4 in 7 playoff games, he’s assuming the middle six forward role to a tee for his Plzen club in this career year, but the stats only tell part of the story for a player who thinks team-first and is a go-to must when the defensive chips are on the line. Skating and average size is there for a player who could very well be a solid lower line option after a season of AHL preparation.

Tobias Normann (NOR) - 24 - G - 6-foot-1, 187 pounds. - SHL

Normann spent last season, his first in the SHL, as famed Frölunda’s 1B starter. This season, he made his way to being the team’s 1A. Ultimately, his season ended on April 2nd against Lulea with a 2-3 record and a sparkling 1.33 GAA and .921 save percentage, something his stacked club couldn’t make use of. Alas, Normann’s regular season saw a number of fantastic performances including three shutouts in 24 appearances. Furthermore, his 1.68 GAA and .923 save percentage led the entire SHL in both categories, even if his 14-10 record was good, but pedestrian for a club that had heavy title ambitions. Originally from Norway, Normann has extensive pro experience from teenage years back home and used a strong 23-24 season in the HockeyAllsvenskan to jump up to the SHL last year. He also stood in goal for Team Norway three times at the Men’s WC last spring, pitching a shutout and 2.63 GAA along the way. We expect him in net in Switzerland this spring as well, likely as his nation’s starter. The time is ripe for him to take a next step if he should have any NHL ambitions, even if Frölunda would love to see him finish off his contract there, which first expires after the 28/29 season.

Patrik Puistola (FIN) - 25 - RW/LW - 6-foot-0, 181 pounds. - SHL

It’s hard to say if the former Carolina Hurricanes draft pick could one day be a true NHL option, but it is clear that he’s not only overcome a few skating issues from his earlier years but has spent the past four seasons establishing himself as a top producer in both the SHL and Liiga, meaning there’s little doubt he’d at least contribute to an AHL line-up right off the bat. Anyone seeing him the past two seasons has noticed a player who is very keen on generating high octane opportunities and even found more of a playmaker gene than initially thought, seeing as how he was originally drafted as a gunner off the wing, thanks greatly to being a Mestis-league goalscorer in his draft year and then a bit of a sniper at ensuing U18 Worlds and WJC tournaments. Agile and slick with his turns in the corner, Puistola is not a speedster and certainly not one to be found deeply involved in rough stuff. It definitely feels like a team playing with house money would best be served by bringing him in and seeing how much of an option he turns himself into after he gets a bit of AHL play under his belt.

Theo Rochette (SUI/CAN) - 24 - C/LW - 5-foot-11, 172 pounds. - Swiss NL

A former Memorial Cup winner, Rochette first turned 24 in February and has taken his steady development to a new level this season, serving as perhaps the NL’s top U25 player whatsoever. After regular seasons of 30 and then 31 points the past two years, he jumped to 22 goals and 43 points this past season and just exited the playoffs in an exciting seven-game series, pitching in with seven points along the way. The author of 317 points in 271 career QMJHL games, it was felt Rochette may sign a contract last summer after a spring to remember featuring 11 goals and 17 points in 19 playoff games. When one combines his continued growth as a point collector with what’s been an uncanny ability to play meaningful hockey every spring - and constantly fantastic +/- stats to boot -, it should be a foregone conclusion that an NHL team will look to give him a shot as soon as this summer.

Sandro Schmid (SUI) - C/RW - 25 - 5-foot-11, 185 pounds. - Swiss NL

No relation to Swiss NHL goaltender Akira Schmid, the former Malmö Redhawk junior player is coming off his seventh straight NL season, and it has been his finest by a country mile, turning into a top league playmaker with a career year of 10-28-38 over 52 games. Actually, it’s been a longer stretch of fine play for Schmid who was not only a part of Switzerland’s silver-medal-winning WC squad last spring but contributed a 3-4-7 statline in the process. All this also led to him being at this winter’s Olympics where he provided a strong Swiss club with some feisty 3rd line play and intelligent corner work. And this is where it gets interesting because he’s always been capable of providing energy and conducting yeoman work but now it’s turning into more dangerous creation of offensive opportunities off the forecheck. This development would indicate there’s sound logic in believing he can step right onto an NHL checking line without missing a beat. Another strong WC performance this spring - a tournament taking place in his native Switzerland - might be all we need to see before he signs an ELC.

Axel Sundberg (SWE) - RW/LW - 27 - 6-foot-2, 215 pounds. - SHL

Last year, we identified Sundberg as a heavy-built winger who had come out of nowhere to put himself on the map of system depth options. With skating deficiencies that nonetheless look like they’d be little problem on smaller ice surfaces, Sundberg went from being a lower level nobody to a 2nd line SHLer last season. Now somewhat fully developed, he’s taken it all a bit further this spring, jumping from 25 to 34 points and engraving himself on the left face-off circle of the power play. There’s a physical dimension to his game and he uses his body adeptly to not only protect the puck, but ward off oncoming attackers. Sure, he’s come a long way in a short period of time while quickly heading towards his late 20s but it’s very easy to picture him wreaking some havoc on a North American ice surface. We’ll soon find out if an NHL team feels the same way.

JUST GETTING OUT OF THEIR DIAPERS

Hugo Fransson (SWE) - LHD - 21 - 6-foot-0, 176 pounds. - SHL

If he were one year younger, we’d have little doubt that Fransson would be an overage draftee this summer. Despite two straight seasons of SHL play with at least 27 contests per season, rounded out by some decent HockeyAllsvenskan play, no-one foresaw the kind of breakout season he enjoyed this year, albeit for an SHL team that needed to punch its SHL ticket for a 3rd straight year in the relegation round series. Finishing off with 11-16-27 numbers over 56 games, Fransson has been the discovery of the season in the SHL and everyone’s curious to see if that’ll pocket him an ELC, especially in light of how many smaller, mobile defensemen have made their way to the NHL in recent years. At his age, it would be akin to a team signing a draft pick.

Santeri Huovila (FIN) - LW - 21 - 6-foot-0, 172 pounds. - Liiga

After putting up a 9-33-42 statline in 49 games as a Liiga rookie last year, Huovila managed to tie that output this year with 5-37-42, yet he achieved that in all of 33 games! We understand if you need to blink twice seeing that stat. A 21-year-old undrafted player collecting more than one assist per game is something you quite frankly do not see in many established pro leagues, much less one featuring former NHLers and current NHL draftees. There is of course a reason for doubt, as he not only is a lightweight out on the ice but doesn’t have much of a second gear. However, there’s a radar in that head of his and if you’re open and in a scoring position, watch out! You will get the puck. He is incredibly adept at handling the biscuit and quickly distributing it. A team willing to invest in a physically underdeveloped player will add a skillset and player who has started looking underchallenged in the Finnish Liiga.

Adrian Klein (GER) - LHD - 22 - 6-foot-3, 212 pounds. - DEL

There was a time when Klein was just a 16-year-old gangly defenseman who managed to put up 11 points in Germany’s 3rd pro league circuit. It’s not something we see often, so the hope was that he’d make his way to being an NHL topic. Even though he progressed fairly evenly, bit by bit, getting 80 DEL games under his belt between the ages of 17-19, participating in a U18 Worlds and two WJCs, the size and experience combo just wasn’t enticing enough to overcome some mobility and hockey IQ issues and see him get drafted. What has happened since is that he’s become a DEL regular and after two seasons of being his team’s # 6/7 defenseman, he established himself as a clear-cut top four this past season, making incredible use of his size as a shot and pass blocker while regularly muscling out opponents along the boards and in front of the net. In addition, he put in a career year statistically with five goals, 16 points, and a+10 rating over 51 games heading into the playoffs. We’d love to see him play for Germany at the men’s WC and have to think there’s an NHL team out there that knows he’s ready for a bigger test - and may not want to wait to enter what would likely become a bidding war if he ups the ante once again next season.

Jere Lassila (FIN) - C - 22 - 5-foot-10, 176 pounds. - Liiga

There are those out there in the scouting community who wonder how players like Lassila slip through the cracks come draft day. Once the captain of Finland’s U18 entry (8 points in 6 games) and then two years later its WJC entry (8 points in 7 games), Lassila is basically a coach’s dream. He’s a hound out there who plays with intensity and simply understands where he needs to be and what he needs to be doing in situations in all three zones. He’s seen regular Liiga action for four straight years now, seeing his point production increase from 3 to 26 to 35 to now 58 points. Indeed, a 20-38-58 and +4 statline in 60 games for a non-playoff team is highly impressive for a player who just turned 22 at the end of March. Seeing as how his game is very much a two-way affair, it’s hard to imagine there won’t be an NHL team ready to bring him in and start shaping him for a future bottom nine role at the NHL level. There was a time when he was just felt to be downright small, but his actual size isn’t unheard of at the NHL level.

Vasili Machulin (RUS) - LHD - 23 - 6-foot-4, 201 pounds. - KHL

A no frills defenseman with great size, Machulin plays an unspectacular all-round game in which he has no hesitation to use his body in a variety of ways. Playing for a weaker Sochi team for several seasons now, Machulin racks up the TOI, often getting upwards of 21 minutes per contest, seeing use in just about every situation, save for the power play. There’s little risk in his game and yet it always looks like there’s a bit more that could be squeezed out under the right circumstances. He nonetheless has 19 and 14 points to show for himself the past two seasons. For teams that keep their eyes open for low-risk, physical additions such as an Artyom Zub or Ilya Lyubushkin, for example, Machulin could be right up their alley. He is well-schooled and now quite KHL-experienced for a player who hasn’t yet turned 24.

Janne Naukkarinen (FIN) - C/W - 22 - 6-foot-2, 192 pounds. - Liiga

The 23-24 season was Naukkarinen’s first full season of Liiga play (20 points) and also saw him get in some reps at the WJC where he collected two assists. This wasn’t enough to get drafted as an overager, but he continued to keep eyebrows raised with a decent 24-25 season that didn’t see any real progress pointwise (18 in total) yet a continued Liiga role as a third line center with five points over 21 playoff games to boot. This year saw him in a similar role but with a good bit more production, delivering 24 points and cutting down his penalty minutes. The skating is anything but polished yet he’s a big body with a solid slate of pro experience to date and an offensive game that keeps showing flashes of being deserving of more opportunity. Could that come in the AHL next year?

Nestor Noiva (FIN) - RW - 22 - 6-foot-0, 183 pounds. - Liiga

Despite strong U18 and U20 league stats, Noiva has only represented his nation in international friendly play and not at any of the major tournaments. However, he did work his way into a regular shift and 25 points last season as a Liiga rookie and there was no sophomore slump this year, as Noiva put up 12-24-36 and +5 regular season numbers, which he impressively improved on with 7 points in a 5-game first round playoff victory over Kiekoo-Espoo. His importance to his Assat team can’t be overstated as he regularly logs ca. 19 minutes of TOI per game and is coming off a recent 38-minute performance in a game that stretched over six periods. Should he get signed this offseason, we would say there’s good potential for Noiva to take the same kind of developmental path as recent Dallas Stars signing Arttu Hyry.

Veit Oswald (GER) - LW - 21 - 6-foot-2”, 179 pounds. - DEL

Where to start. After a quiet but interesting draft year with a sneaky good U18 Worlds performance, Oswald really made some noise in his DY+2 (both at the WJC and in DEL play) but didn’t get drafted and then fell off the planet a bit in conjunction with a disjointed Munich team in DY+3, despite having attended the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect camp the summer before. Still 21 right on up into August, Oswald has reset his clock this year, being the most effective U22 player in the DEL and serving as a multifaceted weapon for a Munich team with serious aspirations. Often playing with established ex-AHLers, Oswald has never looked out of place and set career highs of 12-14-26 and a +16 in 38 games before suffering an injury that has kept him out since mid-January. Chances are that his numbers would be even more appealing just now as his team found a bit of a groove right down the stretch. We’re convinced that a team ready to give him an ELC can throw him right into a top nine role in the AHL next season and think of him much like a drafted player with NHL upside moving forward.

Matvei Polyakov (RUS) - RW - 21 - 5-foot-10, 176 pounds. - KHL

Aside from strong MHL statistics the past two seasons for SKA St. Petersburg’s junior club, Polyakov hasn’t popped out as an overage Russian player you risk a pick on. That’s usually reserved for someone who is sticking out in the KHL. Now beyond draftability, the slightly undersized Polyakov decided to use the last year of his current contract to force his way onto St. Petersburg’s roster and simply become the veteran-laden squad’s sixth best scorer with a 16-13-29 statline. Likely a player St. Petersburg fully intends on retaining, signing him now would - age wise - be like investing in a recent European draft pick. Combine this season and the prior high-scoring junior years and well, Polyakov has clearly outplayed a number of Russian forwards who have been drafted this century.

Alexander Smolin (RUS) - G - 22 - 6-foot-2, 168 pounds. - KHL

One of the youngest goalies on the market, Smolin has seen an astronomic rise in his stock in a very short period of time. Only two seasons ago, he was splitting his time between the junior MHL, the second tier VHL, with a bit of KHL hockey sprinkled in between. Then he became a full-time back-up for Metallurg last season, generating all-round solid numbers and a 14-6-2 record. This season saw him split duties and take things to another level. A 23-8-2 record was accompanied by a 2.33 GAA and .915 save percentage, stats that are fine if not lights out in the KHL. He has kicked off the playoffs with three straight victories and a 1.00 GAA and .947 save percentage. There are Gagarin Cup ambitions here, so we’ll see where Smolin is at when all is said and done, but there’s no doubt the age/performance ratio is very enticing.

Jimi Suomi (FIN) - LHD - 23 - 5-foot-11, 174 pounds. - Liiga

Always known as a mobile and agile skater, Suomi was a known commodity (although a good bit smaller) in his draft year, when he put up four assists at the U18 Worlds. He followed that with 32 games and six points in Liiga play in his DY+1. Over the years, he kept gaining experience and after two straight seasons of regular deployment in Finland’s best pro league, he enjoyed a bit of a breakthrough this season with 11 goals, 31 points, and a +13 in 53 games. Suomi has a shot and has a real knack of avoiding the rough stuff when players come hunting for him. If he doesn’t make his way to North America, the feeling is we’ll see him in the SHL next season.

Jiri Tichacek (CZE) - LHD - 23 - 5-foot-9, 170 pounds. - Liiga

Yes, there’s a bit of a size issue here. We always knew that no matter what he achieved, that size wasn’t what you ideally want to use a draft pick on. He could be another Jared Spurgeon, but teams don’t make a habit of selecting that in advance. Still, Tichacek keeps arousing interest. He made the Czech Olympic team (alas, only getting ca. 10 minutes of ice time all tourney long) but more importantly, he took his gig to Finland after an impressive 24-25 season in the Czech Republic and actually took a little step in the process. Like in 24-25, he accumulated 31 points, doing so in two fewer games than the year before. He also improved by seven points in the +/- department. The question is if there’s a team out there who can hand him the power play blueliner job at the AHL level next season? If there is, there could be grounds for finding out if Tichacek could just be another Spurgeon.

Yegor Vinogradov (RUS) - C/RW - 22 - 6-foot-3, 203 pounds - KHL

The well-built forward who hasn’t exactly been fleet-of-foot in recent years took the next step in a major way this season. After three seasons of subtle KHL introduction to the tune of 17, 13, and 16 points, Yegor received a whole new role while suddenly displaying an almost newfound will to succeed, chiming in with 23-31-54 and +6 totals in 67 regular season games while having since chipped in 3 points in his team’s 4-1 first round playoff victory over Cherepovets. The author of a number of smooth moves and slick passes throughout the season, he did indicate a breakout might be coming when he played part of last season in Russia’s second tier pro league, the VHL, putting 23 points in 21 games and adding another 18 in 19 playoff games, 10 of which were goals. Whereas a team could worry about how much this season was a one-and-done productionwise, it was his 4th season of KHL play and a look at the production itself would indicate that he’s only just begun to realize what he’s capable of. Should his next contract be a KHL contract, rest assured that it’ll be a long one, so now would be the time to strike if you believe in his possibilities.

IS THE TIME FINALLY RIPE?

Boris Blank (GER) - LW/C - 24 - 6-foot-0, 187 pounds. - DEL

Already having completed six full seasons of DEL play, the former WJC participant was a draft topic for several years but simply didn’t display the overall speed to compensate for other holes in his game. This season, he has exploded onto the scene with 19-28-47 numbers in 52 games, becoming a clear-cut go-to offensive player. Plenty in the scene feel it’s time for him to get a WC call as well for Germany, but that is still up in the air. What is clear is that he has shown flashes for years now, but his skating has gotten to a point where it shouldn’t prohibit an international career. The question now is if a team sees him as a player who is simply a year of AHL play away from being an NHL option. His stats certainly trump other U25 players who’ve signed ELCs in recent years and he made a very mature impression this year, taking the bull by the horns for a club that needed him to score.

Max Franzreb (GER) - G - 29 - 6-foot-0, 198 pounds. - DEL

Actually smaller than he appears on the ice, Franzreb has been a goalie who has looked mentally stronger than most you’ll see around Europe for a number of years now, often scratching the surface of what seems to be untapped potential. This winter, he took over the reins as the 1A in net for yearly contender Adler Mannheim and has put in his best ever season, not only putting up a 23-11 record, but finishing third in GAA (2.04) and SV% (.921). He was also on the Olympic team and faced the US in a game where he put up a valiant effort for the first and final 20 minutes of play. He’s definitely a bit old to be an NHL option, but a strong playoff push (4-1 record in a first round victory) might be the cherry on top for a team looking to add a sneaky 3rd option for its goalie rotation next fall. His current coach and GM is former NHL official Dallas Eakins.

Leon Hüttl (GER) - RHD - 25 - 6-foot-0, 180 pounds. - DEL

Another player who has been seen at the men’s WC in recent years, Hüttl was a strong candidate for the Olympic team but the coaching staff went in another direction. His playoffs are about to begin and we’re thinking last spring’s decent WC performance should see him there again this year, but what we don’t have any doubt about is his mobility, hockey IQ, and overall understanding of how to push the game forward up the ice. He’s got another 25+ points (28 to date) but his +24 ties a career high and has him 7th overall in the league. He’s not the biggest player around and not a speed demon either, but he’s a Brian Rafalski of sorts by DEL standards and we’ve wondered what an NHL organization could make of him, considering he has a pure winner’s attitude and is a highly respected competitor in the DEL.

Yaroslav Likhachyov (RUS) - 24 - LW - 5-foot-11, 174 pounds. - KHL

He played three seasons of hockey in the QMJHL and was never drafted, with his final season coming during the pandemic. After two years of decent youngster production in the KHL, he kind of fell off the map last season with just 10 goals and 14 points. Little was expected this season, but in the final year of his KHL contract, he went out and blew away all previous highs with 22 goals and 39 points in 59 games. He was always a good player on the move with some solid hands and now it’s come to fruition. What is unclear is his exact contractual status as he played on loan with an option this season. If he feels he’s on the cusp of some big KHL numbers heading into next season, it may be worth it to ink a one-year KHL deal and see what next spring brings. But if Lokomotiv is his only option for next season should he stay in Russia, where he was stunted in the 24-25 season, he may feel the time is right to give North America another go.

Nick Olesen (DEN) - C/W - 30 - 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. - CZE

For sure, you’ll rarely see a player this old listed in this or any list of possible European free agents, but Olesen has something cooking recently that some team out there definitely has on its radar. Long a player who simply made noise in his native Denmark or in Sweden’s lower leagues, Olesen eventually made it to the SHL and played a minimal middle six role for 3 seasons, once even potting 13 goals. Then he took his act to the Czech Republic, where he had his best season as a pro and something went “click”. Last spring, a Team Denmark featuring Nikolaj Ehlers as its sole NHL player had a magical run in a tournament it hosted. A key in that run was Olesen, who whipped up 12 points in 10 games. He then blew all previous highs out of the water this season with 45 points in 51 regular season games for Ceske Budjevice, also participating in the Olympics along the way, where he led Denmark in scoring with 4-1-5 in four games. Quite clever around the net and in making use of time and space, while also fleet of foot, one has to wonder if he’s just the good old fashioned case of a very, very late bloomer. In any case, his most recent stats in conjunction with his above-average international performances have raised eyebrows and one should never underestimate how hungry a player from a smaller hockey nation like Denmark could be if the opportunity comes along.

Eugen Rabcan (SVK) - G - 24 - 6-foot-3, 196 pounds. - SVK

In his third season of regular top league play in Slovakia, Rabcan became an absolute minute-muncher for a run of the mill team that is in the midst of an interesting playoff battle at this time, one Rabcan has a 3-3 record in. All in all, Rabcan started 40 regular season games and put up a 20-20 record with a 2.52 GAA and strong .921 save percentage. There is talk of Rabcan having a good shot at being part of the country’s WC outfit (2-0 with a 1.49 GAA in several international outings this winter) and seeing as how he’s represented by an agency with a heavy emphasis on North America, Rabcan’s path to an NHL organization could be just a few contractual autographs away.

Colin Ugbekile (GER) - LHD - 26 - 6-foot-2, 198 pounds. - DEL

There were some who felt Ugbekile should have been on the Olympic team. It didn’t happen and we’ll be curious to see if he is one of the final cuts for the men’s WC or keeps strutting his stuff in Switzerland. Fact is, it’s likely now or never for the former USHLer who has clearly established himself as one of the top two-way defensemen and power play quarterbacks in the DEL, coming off a career season with nine goals, 43 points, and a +10 rating for a team that once again came up short of the playoffs. He’s got the size and wheels to give the AHL the good ol’ college try, and his game is definitely one that can thrive in a program that emphasizes the transition. But it’s easy to think that if an NHL contract isn’t offered this summer, that might be all she wrote for a player who’d spend the next 10 years likely being one of the DEL top five German defensemen on a yearly basis.

Libor Zabransky (CZE) - RHD - 25 - 6-foot-0, 203 pounds. - CZE

You look at Zabransky’s size and shot, and his plethora of WHL experience as well as his regular appearance for his native Czech Republic on the international stage (albeit, without any WC performances), and you have to wonder how come no-one has taken a flyer on him to see what he can do at the pro level in North America. Let there be no doubt that there have always been warts in his game, but he’s tickled scouts’ fancy here and there to keep his name in the notebooks. Now, after six seasons of pro play, with four of them having been in a bottom four role in the Finnish Liiga, Zabransky has cashed in his maturity cheque and set Czech league bluelines on fire to the tune of 18 goals this season. Considering he had never had more than seven in any given season, and that was five years ago, teams will have to determine if it’s just one-off or if Zabransky has reached the potential he once long hinted at.

YOU DON’T KNOW HIM, BUT DON’T BE SURPRISED IF HE GETS SIGNED

Ruslan Abrosimov (RUS) - C - 24 - 5-foot-10, 181 pounds. - KHL

A former MHL captain and top scorer, Abrosimov put in three straight seasons of KHL play and improvement before exploding this season to the tune of 24 goals, 48 points, and a +15 in 62 games, wearing an “A” on his chest while at it. If there are any NHL aspirations, the timing is just right for a player whose game is all about production. Slightly below average size doesn’t have to be an issue here as Abrosimov is adept at avoiding physical contact.

Vasily Atanosov (RUS) - RW/C - 23 - 5-foot-11, 160 pounds. - KHL

A strong identifier of opportunities and a player who knows how to read the room on the rush, Atanosov has done nothing but produce in recent years. Although he came in shy of the 40 points he had for Torpedo in their strong 23-24 season, Atanosov has deposited 21 shots in the net this year (36 points) and is finally a contractual free agent. There’s skill and vision here, and you never know how long the next KHL contract will be. He has consistently scored in the KHL for three straight seasons, so teams know what he is, but also that he’s quite a lightweight.

Tim Barkemo (SWE) - LHD - 21 - 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. - HockeyAllsvenskan

We’ll preface this by mentioning that you rarely see a Swedish UFA sign an ELC coming out of the second tier HockeyAllsvenskan. Then again, Barkemo had several solid U20 league seasons in the Skelleftea organization, even suiting up 13 times for the regular SHL contender. Last season was then his first full introduction to pro play, and he turned himself into a regular. This season, he turned himself into a top two defenseman who a number of SHL clubs are on the hunt for, with Skelleftea likely having the best cards. His 5-17-22 and +21 statline over 50 games is quite impressive for a player his age in a conservative league (scoring wise), but he put up six points in his team’s first round playoff sweep. Most importantly, he regularly sees upwards of 22 minutes of TOI per game. In his most recent playoff contest, he gobbled up 31:13 of ice time. We’re talking about a player that an NHL franchise could really mold quite directly as of next season. Otherwise, he’s clearly SHL-bound.

Maxim Fedotov (RUS) - RHD - 24 - 5-foot-10, 172 pounds. - KHL

That last name should ring a bell because Maxim is indeed Red Wings legend Sergei’s eldest son. The undersized righty shot defender actually had his best KHL season for Torpedo back in the 22-23 season, capped off by seven points in 10 playoff games. After finding lower line roles in the KHL in recent years, he was back in a top four role again this year, which he capped off with 24 points in 52 games, serving as his team’s best all-round defender after Artyom Serikov, who will hit the UFA market next summer. Fedotov now has loads of KHL experience, mostly with bottom-feeders, but without a KHL contract under his belt, the option is there to test his luck in North America and a certain someone may even be able to open a door or two to that opportunity.

Anton Kosolapov (RUS) - LW - 24 - 6-foot-1, 190 pounds. - KHL

Once a player with some good junior numbers, Kosolapov stood out mostly as a bit of a tenacious forechecker who liked to bang bodies. His VHL stats in recent years never really popped and until this season, it looked like he might just end up a minor leaguer in Russia for the long run. Then he got a shot with a new organization (Sibir Novosibirsk) and proceeded to go 17-21-38 and + 7 in 38 games. He’s still playing playoff hockey right now, but he’ll be a KHL free agent this offseason. It won’t be for long though as he’ll have a number of suitors and heck, he might be best served sticking with Sibir. But if an NHL team has seen something it likes, and Kosolapov put some wares on display, now is the time to bring him in, even if the plan would be to give him a year of AHL hockey and hope for the best.

Lucas Lagerberg Hoen (SWE) - LHD - 21 - 6-foot-2, 190 pounds. - SHL

For the draft gurus among us, you’ll recognize this last name and wonder what’s going on. No worries though, Lucas is just the older brother of Jonas, who is draft eligible this summer. But while Jonas unfortunately missed much of his draft season, Lucas was able to use this season to officially put his name on the map. It wasn’t a fairy tale ride though as Lagerberg Hoen spent some nights getting just 1-2 minutes of ice time and others with 19+, so there was a good bit of up and down in his role. But when all was said and done, he had eight points in 43 games and established himself as a physically adept youngster who skated and competed like an older player. This season came on the heels of two prior years in the HockeyAllsvenskan where he was often entrusted with a healthy dose of ice time. There’s a package here to build on and Lagerberg Hoen looks like the kind of player teams that haven’t drafted much in recent years would be interested in.

Danjo Leonhardt - LW - 23 - 5-foot-11, 185 pounds. - DEL

The stats won’t blow anyone away although his 29 points and +13 in 45 regular season games are career highs for a player who looks to explode in the DEL in coming years, but Leonhardt has long been on our watchlist and checks a number of boxes for teams that appreciate what the Ondrej Palats of the world can offer to an organization. He gets his nose dirty and does a lot of the little things right, making high value decisions all over the ice and being particularly effective around the opponent’s net. He’s been incrementally earning himself a closer look in recent years and it feels bound to come, next summer if not this one.

Aleksi Matinmikko (FIN) - RHD - 26 - 5-foot-11, 181 pounds. - Liiga

Some players just take a bit of time and Matinmikko is now one of those mid-20s European pros who is what he is, and you’ve got to wonder what a shot in North America might lead to. Having never played outside his native Finland, Matinmikko has been tasting Liiga waters since the 19-20 season, but it took a whopping 21-goal, 65-point season in the second tier Mestis to finally get the type of role he’s been auditioning for. Now he’s wrapping up his third year of full-time Liiga play and his 9-25-34 and +30 was clearly his best to date. His size is average and he isn’t the most mobile player around, but he has a bullet of a shot and has gotten incrementally better year after year for four seasons now.

Oleksii Myklukha (UKR) - C - 23 - 5-foot-10”, 176 pounds. - SVK

The former QMJHLer has never really given the scouting community the belief that he, at his size, had enough jam and enough tricks in the bag to become an NHL option. But in addition to last year’s playoffs, the agile Myklukha has exploded offensively in Slovakia’s top league. There’s a player here who creates time and space, then sets up the open players who can benefit from the newfound areas Myklukha has created, ringing up 18 goals and 55 points in 51 games this season. It’s clear that he’s ready to be playing in a higher profile league next season. Does an NHL team think that league should be the AHL?

Mikkel Oby-Olsen (NOR) - RW - 23 - 5-foot-11, 185 pounds. - HockeyAllsvenskan

Without a doubt, one of the slyest possibilities you’ll read about today. Despite playing almost a full season of HockeyAllsvenskan contests in the 22-23 season, he fell off a bit until latching on again last season to the tune of 25 points. That he’d push that production to 30 goals and 50 points in 54 games this season couldn’t have been expected. But it wasn’t just the numbers that made things special. It was the how. He’s been effective everywhere, controlling play as a puck-carrying trickster, making wonderful passes, and sniping from many spots, often on the power play. He was Almtuna’s all-purpose weapon and raised plenty of eyebrows this winter. The assist totals would have surely been more impressive if he had more talent to work with. We not only expect an SHL contact to be in the bag, but a spot on Norway’s next WC squad seems to be a given at this point. The question is if a team thinks it could find some unexpected gold by bringing over the Oby-Olsen train?

Jasper Patrikainen (FIN) - G - 25 - 6-foot-1, 176 pounds. - SVK

The smaller built battler had an eye-opening 22-23 season, when he pounced on an opportunity and put up a number of wins and some decent stats, but fell right back into more of a back-up role with time missed in each of the last two seasons of Liiga play. In fact, he was so disenchanted with where he was career wise, he jumped to Stavanger of the Norwegian league last season and went on an 8-1 tear in the playoffs. That landed him a gig in Slovakia and he’s been lights out this season, going 22-8 in the regular season with six shutouts. The 2.02 GAA and .930 save percentage haven’t been shabby either. In the middle of the playoffs, the question is if the size isn’t a deterrent, is he the dominating goalie we’ve seen in weaker leagues in Norway and Slovakia, or the player degraded after a strong season in the Finnish Liiga? Will an NHL team look to find out?

Eetu Randelin (FIN) - G - 24 - 5-foot-11, 187 pounds. - Liiga

Yet another smaller Finnish goalie, judging on size alone, you wouldn’t expect Randelin to be an NHL topic. But there’s a little engine that could aspect to his story, as he continues to beat the odds and work his way up the totem pole. Now he’s coming off his first season as a starter in Liiga action in which he put up a 21-9-6 record, steering his KooKoo club into the playoffs. He’s quick and agile, but most importantly, determined.

YEARLY SIDENOTE

As always, it bears mentioning every year that above and beyond the players listed above, the Swiss NL, SHL, and KHL - among others - are chock full of former NHLers, NHL draft picks, AHLers, Canadian juniors, and college hockey players, not to mention former European free agent signings of NHL teams that have since returned to Europe. These leagues also employ a large number of established pros who you’ll see dressing for their respective national teams. A prime example this year would be former Ranger and Golden Knight forward Oscar Lindberg, who exploded for 30 goals and 67 points in 52 regular season SHL games this season. Thus, these leagues also feature many players who were in the NHL in recent years or on the bubble to the NHL, usually as highly effective AHLers and as such, any number of these players could of course still be in the sightlines of NHL teams or maintain the connections that would see them return to a franchise in the coming months.

GERMANY: 2024-25 Hockey season kicks off!

Chapin Landvogt — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:30:36 +0000

Veit Oswald of Germany during the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Photo: Michael Erichsen / BILDBYRÅN / COP 89 / MI0591

The 24-25 season has been starting up across pro and junior leagues throughout Germany this past week. And we’re as excited as can be about some of the stories that should be unfolding on the prospect scene throughout the season.

One of key stories we’ll be following this season revolves around the DEL’s most successful clubs the past decade, the Munich Red Bulls. Aside from opening up a new arena, which will be the most modern in all of Europe, the team was one of the least active on the international market despite acquiring recent AHLer Adam Brooks and former NHLer - and cog in the German ice hockey scene - Tobias Rieder, who’ll be making his DEL debut. The underlying story is that the team appears to ready to double down on its intentions of bringing along internally developed U23 players such as goaltender Simon Wolf (20), defensemen Sten Fischer (21) and Jakob Weber (20), and forwards Filip Varejcka (23), Quirin Bader, Nikolaus Heigl (both 21), and Veit Oswald (20), who was the DEL’s shooting star last winter.

Oswald also proved to be a bit of a surprise seeing as how season’s such as the one he had have often led to getting drafted. It didn’t, but it did ultimately lead to him being invited to Toronto’s summer development camp. With a set role in a team filled with renewed championship ambitions, it still needs to be denoted that Oswald won’t turn 21 until August of 2025, so his draft eligibility is not yet a thing of the past.

And when one considers how similar his season was last year to the final season JJ Peterka had for the same club before jumping to the AHL, there’s probably no-one in the organization who’ll be more excited about the new arena’s opening night festivities, which will feature a match-up against Peterka’s Buffalo Sabres.

This all said, we’ve viewed goaltender Wolf as one of the most hidden goaltending talents in Europe in recent years and as things are now, he has a very good shot of sliding in as the team’s back-up goaltender, a move his pro play in the AlpsHL to date has supported. Could he become the next Arno Tiefensee?

Draftees

Speaking of which, naturally piquing our interest is what the season has in store for draft picks Kevin Bicker (DET), Hakan Hänelt (WAS), Nikita Quapp (CAR), and yes, Tiefensee (DAL). Of the three, Tiefensee is by far the most established and backed his surprisingly effective overage draft season with a 19-13 record and 2.43 GAA as the verified number 1 in goal for Mannheim last season, kicking that latter stat up a bit 2.32 in 7 playoff games. His upward trend is thoroughly expected to continue this season and on the whole, he’s in an ideal developmental spot for a player taken with a later round selection.

As for Bicker, Hänelt, and Quapp, all three are in more unique situations. For Bicker, this is Year 2 of his (probably rushed) DEL career, which saw him gather all of 3 points in 41 games last season before a leg injury ended his season prematurely. Bicker’s game is built on speed and after showing off his wares adequately at the WJC, he’s entering this year not only with a more prominent role in store for Frankfurt, but also the responsibility of being a go-to driver for this winter’s WJC. Hänelt’s great success last season was in actually getting through the season without any major physical setbacks. Otherwise, his 3 points in 40 games were nothing to write home about and he would need to make a big splash this season to re-garner a slot on the radar of prospect viability, as he’s quickly become an afterthought.

The 6’4” Quapp, on the other hand, is entering his first true DEL season after going 11-14 with a 2.63 GAA and .920 SV% in the DEL2 last season, decent numbers for a team that is among the most financially restricted in that respective league. He’ll now back up Norwegian international Henrik Haukeland, where he’ll have little competition entering the season. Furthermore, his Düsseldorf squad is itself among the most financially strapped in the DEL, meaning they’ll be counting on him as no less than a solid number 2 in net, with fire hydrant style responsibility if things sour. That’s how the season may have to kick off after Haukeland was injured in the most recent test game and is doubtful to be back in time for the opener.

U20 players

Unlike its European counterparts in Sweden, Finland, and even the Czech Republic, the number of players aged 17-19 who see ice time in the DEL can usually be counted on one hand during any given season. This leaves us wondering about the fates of a handful of youngsters who have been signed by DEL teams, unknowing what’s on dock for them. About the most fascinating thing that could happen on this front is seeing Dustin Willhöft (MAN), David Lewandowski (DUS), and Mateu Späth (CLG) wiggle their way into DEL action this season, hopefully even a (semi-)regular shift. That’s the kind of thing talents such as these tend to do in the aforementioned countries, even at the age of 17.

But there are a few more we’ll be watching closely. Edwin Tropmann (COL) was a top prospect heading into last season, as was Paul Mayer (MAN). And while Mayer saw DEL action and then finished the season with a fairly regular shift in the DEL2 - showing little statwise at either station - Tropmann’s early-season injury threw him out of the loop almost completely. We recently saw him playing this summer for the nation’s U20 team and he looked like he was getting back to form as the team’s top defenseman. These two defensemen are on the outside looking in with their DEL clubs, but both are strong likelihoods at one of the other two levels of pro hockey and should each be locks for the WJC team.

So, what will come of 6’7”, 207-pound defenseman Rio Kaiser in his draft year? He already got into 20 pro games (3 at the DEL level) this past season while being “Okay” at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this summer. He’s already played both of Berlin’s Champions Hockey League games, so he’s getting a look. And that size just does not grow on trees. A very similar scenario has set in for 5’7” Alexander Vladelchtchikov with Bremerhaven, a defenseman who looked like he might be all the rage back when he was 14. A strong DNL season last year finally earned the 19-year-old a DEL contract with Bremerhaven, a team that has traditionally had problems bringing in younger German talent. But even among draft-eligible defenseman, he has overager Rayan Bettahar ahead of him, a player who lost a good portion of last season to a broken jaw when he was cheap-shotted after making a thundering open-ice check. He has been getting long looks in the preseason. Chances are that Vladelchtchikov will see time in the DEL2 instead, where he recently got his first pro league assist.

Two more players we had on our draft radar not too long ago were defender Lua Niehus of Frankfurt and forward Linus Brandl of Straubing, both now 19. Heading into last season, much was expected of each but Niehus got into injury trouble while Brandl found himself basically being a 13th forward for Landshut in the DEL2. Both were part of Germany’s WJC entry, but Brandl’s role was that of an extra forward while Niehus’ tournament was already over after one game. The skill levels each possess were never really in question until last season, when the expectations proved to clearly be overwhelming, with Brandl’s skating weaknesses proving to be damning while Niehus’ 5’9”, 160-pound body just wasn’t up to the physical task. Will both or either take the next step already this season? Barring injury, you’ll see both at the WJC.

Getting long in the prospect tooth is former Rögle prospect, forward Roman Kechter (20), who was wonderful for Nuremberg last season, collecting 17 points and +1 rating over 42 games. He also captained the U20 team after having captained the U18 team in 2022. We mention him here because he’s finding himself in a situation with a low-budget team where he’ll be fully expected to carry the load of a top 9 forward and see situational ice time in what could be a lot of hard scenarios. In fact, there’s likely not a 20-year-old in the league who’ll have a more concrete regular shift and responsibility than Kechter. And it’ll bear watching.

What we can also say is that particularly Düsseldorf, Iserlohn, and Nuremberg look bound to make use of plenty of U23 players, with a good handful being under 20. Particularly forwards Lenny Boos (17) in Düsseldorf, Max Brunner (18) in Iserlohn, and defenseman Max Merkl (18) are players who bring above-average skill sets to the table (by German standards) and each was a cog in seeing the U18 team gain promotion this past spring. With Boos being the son of a long-time DEL pro, Brunner having spent the past two seasons in Sweden, and Merkl already the author of 15 DEL appearances in his young career, it’s not unreasonable to think each will see some DEL action this season. A breakthrough by any could earn draft consideration.

UFAs to be?

The league will also feature a number of young players we feel continue to be of interest to NHL teams under the right circumstances. Defenseman Colin Ugbekile (22) and Leon Hüttl (23) top that list on the defensive front. Each has established himself as an up-n-comer in the national team and each is an absolute cog on his team’s blueline, contributing value in all three zones. Ugbekile even became a power play specialist last season, putting up 12 goals and 33 points. Cologne’s goaltender, Tobias Ancicka (23), finally established himself as a DEL starter last season, going 23-15 with a 2.51 GAA. After spending part of his junior years in Finland, this son of a former German national team member (of Czech descent) is finally turning promise into results and will play for a Sharks team that has as much pressure as anyone to perform this season, seeing as how it has the best attendance in Europe and few championships to show for it.

His teammate Justin Schütz (24), a former draft pick of the Florida Panthers, put up a league-leading 30 goals in 55 games last season. Snubbed from the national team before the Men’s WC, it’s safe to say that he’ll be looking to verify last season’s results with a renewed push towards an NHL contract. At the same time, there’s probably not a German player in the league who has the wheels, hockey IQ, and hands of Wojciech Stachowiak, a 25-year-old forward who saw his stats drop a wee bit in DEL play last season, but then went 2-7-9 in 8 WC games in the Czech Republic. It’s difficult imagining a player with his drive and overall package not getting a look in North America at some point. There’s simply too much hustle there.

It wasn’t too long ago that we spilled some words in favor of now 22-year-old forwards Alexander Blank, Danjo Leonhardt, and former OHLer Josh Samanski. All three will be taking on even bigger roles for their teams, with Blank fighting relegation from the get-go while the latter two will be aiming for a top 4 spot in the league with their Straubing Tigers. And while Blank continues to see his game grow into that of a playmaker, there were times last year where we found ourselves thinking that it won’t be long until Leonhardt’s 13 goals turn into 25. He’s certainly got the surrounding cast for it this year. Neither is as entrenched in their team’s plans as Samanski is, who is on the fast track to a more stable spot in the national team. The 6’6” forwards skates like he’s 5 inches shorter and broke through last season with 12 goals and 33 points. It’s going to be hard for the NHL not to take notice if 40+ points and WC appearance ends up being in the cards for him this season.

Sticking with the Tigers, goaltender Florian Bugl (6’1”, 187 pounds) has really been nothing short of spectacular the past few seasons. He’s now 22 and although long thought to be ahead of Dallas’ Arno Tiefensee, hasn’t been drafted. But he’s put up 17-8 and then 15-8 records the past two seasons and even got into 3 of his team’s 6 playoff games last season. He once again has a veteran North American goaltender to share duties with, but with his Straubing Tigers now in the Champions Hockey League and fully expected to be a top 4 club in the DEL again, there’s no reason to believe he’ll see fewer starts than he has to date as “spreading the wealth” will be part of the goaltending ice time plan.

DEL2

As wonderful as it is to theorize about possible draftees getting their feet wet in the DEL, it’s the second tier DEL2 that plays a much more significant role for the development of draftable youngsters. There’s usually more ice time to go around and teams are regularly looking for cheaper options for lower line roles. In addition, there’s a U23 role in place that downright requires the team to suit up a certain number of players 22 or younger for every game. We even expect many of the names listed above to more likely find themselves taking shifts here rather than the DEL as just about every DEL team has an affiliate in the lower ranks to whom they send their most promising youngsters.

The most prominent parking stations are Munich’s affiliate Kaufbeuren and Berlin’s affiliate Lausitz. These teams usually have some of the smaller league budgets, but see their rosters pepped up with youngsters the DEL teams acquire or bring up through their own junior programs. This year, we’ll be keeping a close eye on Kaufbeuren samples Jakob Peukert (D/18), Fabian Nifosi (D/20), Leon Sivic (F/20), and Jonas Fischer (F/19). The same is true for Lausitz with respect to the aforementioned Kaiser (D/17), Marlon Braun (D/20), Nils Elten (D/21), and Filip Ziesche (F/19). If we’re lucky, Linus Vieillard (G/18) will already be up to the task, as we’d like nothing more than to see him force his way into WJC consideration. He’s been slyly good wherever he’s played to date.

While at it, Nico Pertuch (19) is looking like the frontrunner for the spot as Germany’s #1 at the WJC and he spent all of last season as the back-up in Ravensburg. That role - including more ice time - is all but certain this season, so he’ll be a name to follow closely. We’ve liked him since he was 17, but the 6’2”, 212-pounder really took some major steps last season and shows some impressive mental fortitude.

As far as players are concerned who were already in scout’s notebooks this past summer and who could certainly gain overage drafting consideration with a strong winter are Kassel’s Clemens Sager and Weiden’s Elias Pul, both forwards. A north/south player with some moxy, Sager has a penchant for being very involved in board work while smart enough to compliment skill players of any sort. His team is a heavy favorite for the DEL2 championship and with that, promotion to the DEL. Will he get the ice time we’d hope for on such a loaded squad? That’s something we won’t really need to be asking with respect to league newbie Weiden, which has plucked the solid two-way Pul from the Red Bull Juniors program and looks ready to force-feed him with DEL2 minutes. He’ll need to adjust to bigger and better opponents, but if the talent and overall wherewithal we’ve come to know from him truly speak of his package, then he could be turning a lot of heads by season’s end.

DNL

At the nation’s top junior level, Landshut was the surprise victor last spring, coming back from being down 2-0 in the series against powerhouse Berlin to come out on top with a 3-2 Best-of-Five victory, much of that success on the backs of forwards Tobias Schwarz and Simon Seidl. The two not only lead the way offensively throughout the playoffs, but also got into several dozen DEL2 games as well as a starring role in the D1A U18 Worlds, where Germany went 5-0 in gaining promotion back into the elite group. With DEL contracts in their pockets (Straubing), the sky's the limit for the duo, which is expected to spend most the season back in the DEL2, but should be about a lock for Germany at the WJC.

This DNL season will nonetheless be one that is all about redemption for traditional powerhouse Mannheim, a program that will host one of the biggest storylines coming out of Germany, a young man we’ve been talking about for a bit now named Max Penkin. We’re not going to hold back in saying that he’s the most dynamic forward prospect coming out of Germany since Tim Stützle. That’s the trajectory at this point. Now, Mannheim started slowly out of the gates last season and found itself on the outside looking in once the initial qualification round concluded after just 14 games, placing the team in a B group that would battle to retain the class and thus, out of championship contention.

This hiccup surely will be a thing of the past and many of the reasons could be seen at the Eli Palfreyman Memorial Invitational in Canada at the conclusion of August. There, fans were able to see Penkin’s exploits. To clarify, Penkin is a 15-year-old who is first eligible for the 2027 draft. He dominated the U17 league last season and is set to be a go-to figure already this year, maybe even getting a look at the pro level. He is that intriguing and he’s actually so young that he had to gain “Exceptional Status” to be permitted to play at the DNL level already this season.

But fans at the tournament above were also able to see several other players who’ll look to be draft topics next summer, namely crafty tiny tot Dustin Willhöft, defenseman Nick Mahler, and dynamic twins Gustavs and Rihards Griva, originally from Latvia. We’re also excited to see what 18-year old overager Nikita Zhvanov (Tschwanow) will be able to do after a shortened 23-24 season saw him put up 28 points in 33 games and another 9 (and +9) in 18 games for 3rd league pro team Heilbronn.

Along with Mannheim, the usual suspects are expected to throw their hats into the championship picture, namely Berlin and Cologne. And with Germany back with the big boys at the U18 level, the DNL will continue to hold great importance as the provider of what will likely be over 50% of the team come next April. The Hlinka Gretzky Cup this past summer once again saw Germany overwhelmed at times, but a 2-1 victory over Finland was huge for the program and a placement game loss to Switzerland saw a wonderful effort by Germany tossed down the tubes with a late breakdown.

With that in mind, some of the most exciting DNL names to follow this year are those of Maxim Schäfer, Elias Schneider, Tom Fitschen, Moritz Kretschmar (all Berlin), Tobin Brandt, Noah and Marco Münzenberger (both roughly 6’4” and no confirmed relation to Edmonton prospect Luca), Matthias Pape, Max Ziergiebel (all Cologne), Niclas Focks, Konstantin Redinger, Tim Schütz (all Krefeld), Peukert (Kaufbeuren), and Fabio & Timo Kose (Regensburg).

Following the DNL this year will be about focussing on what talent forces its way onto the U18 roster. If any come into WJC consideration, then we’re talking about an exception of sorts as Coach Abstreiter rarely strays from his eldest options, most of whom have pro or CHL experience under their belts.

But to be clear, we’re here to see just how far Penkin can take his prospect star at this early stage in his career. He’s got 3 points in the loaded team’s first 5 games.

2024 NHL SCOUTING REPORT (VIDEO + GRADES): Veit Oswald, LW, Red Bull Munich (DEL)

Chapin Landvogt — Sun, 23 Jun 2024 12:00:43 +0000

Veit Oswald

LW - #19 Red Bull Munich (DEL)

6’2, 179 lbs, Shoots: L

DOB: 31.08.2004 - Landshut, Germany

We’ve got to call a spade a spade when it comes to Germany’s prospect status regarding the 2024 NHL draft. Defensemen Paul Mayer and Edwin Tropmann as well as center Elias Pul were the first-year eligible names to watch heading into this past season, but none were able to muster up the kind of season and performances that warrant being drafted at this point, with particularly Tropmann falling off the map. We acknowledge that a player like overager Julius Sumpf (DY+1) got plenty of exposure in the QMJHL and may have piqued the interest of a club here or there. We also feel that any scouts having given special attention to the RB Junior program in their scouting endeavours will surely have noticed first-year eligible winger Paul Vinzenz, whose WJC-time injury parlayed into a very strong second-half at the pro level.

And sure, there are a few other names of interest that have made a splash this season and may become topics at a later juncture, predominantly 19-year-old goaltender Simon Wolf and 20-year-old DELers Roman Kechter and Adrian Klein. However, this year’s class has ultimately given the scouting community little reason to go fishing in German prospect waters for the upcoming draft. When all is said and done, we find ourselves tipping our hand at one German player who is almost certain to be an NHL property by the time the ongoings conclude on June 29th, namely winger Veit Oswald.

The long and short of it though is that Oswald, although still only 19 (late August birthday), just completed his DY+2 season. He unexpectedly made the top-flight DEL team Red Bull Munich (previously JJ Peterka and Julian Lutz) right out of camp and never looked back. He saw action in the Champions Hockey League, as the youngest member of Germany’s U25 “Team Perspective”, and as one of its shining lights at the WJC, playing a crucial role in retaining the class. After the WJC, he returned to his DEL where his ice time and role just continued to grow until things got tight in the playoffs. At the end of the season, he not only had 17 points in 38 games but also zero penalty minutes and a +4, which he topped off with two more points in 9 playoff games. In essence, he had the kind of year that would have any scouting staff raving to the fanbase about his progress - had he already been drafted.

Alas, an NHL team will look at his overall achievements this season, take his physical abilities and currently underdeveloped body into account, and weigh all that with the projectable outcome of a young man who has plenty of time before he’s got his man strength and a fully developed A-game. There’s a good argument here that Oswald has what it takes to one day don an NHL jersey, perhaps even in an offensively-oriented middle-six role.

Skating

All things considered, Oswald is a fast skater. He can really get from point A to B. He displays quick strides that get him up the ice at an above-average rate for the DEL. There’s some real speed generated in just a few hops. He does a good job using his knees as springboards to steer his turns and displays strong curving and crossover abilities. Things are less pretty in the agility department, but he keeps battling. We can’t forget that he’s a tall, skinny young man up to this point.

This is the key point because the technical skills are there and every time it looks like he’s having trouble slowing down or his mind is telling his body to do something before his feet get the message, we can rest assured that all these glitches will be solved as he acquires his man strength. Should there be extended focus placed on building his lower body muscle system, we could very well come to see a player who generates above-average speed and agility at the NHL level. But the balance and cleanliness of his movement will automatically improve with age and strength.

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Despite this description, you can see a number of things of importance in this clip. He moves from being flatfooted off a face-off in his own zone to forcing the defensemen to drop back deeper into their zone than any coach wants to see. He continually moves his legs over a good 20+ yard distance, adding an extra hop and shoulder jerk to buy more space. Once in the zone, he correctly twists on a dime towards the boards, buying time and space, and allowing for his teammates to all enter the offensive zone safely and controlled. There are many established pro forwards who can’t combine all these things as effectively.

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Here’s another sample of Oswald hopping on his horse and carrying the puck all the way from his zone. Granted, he isn’t challenged in the neutral zone and thus has little problem taking all that speed with him in dancing through 3 defenders and getting a shot on goal. We can already imagine what this will look like with another 15-20 pounds and more lower body control. This attack is already noticeable at this early stage.

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Did we mention that he can be off to the races real quick? Well, he smelled blood and started marching. Getting behind defences this efficiently is a very attractive trait.

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There are stickhandling problems to be seen here but if he’s given the neutral zone to build up speed in, there will be little the opposition defenders can do. A strong run is concluded with a nice scoring attempt with hints of power forward net-driving

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This clip kicks off with an opportunity (and ensuing goal) that is first made possible by some slick and timely edgework. The clip could be used to highlight his backhand shot or even his skill level throughout the play, but without the control and incredible skating balance displayed here, the play would have died on the blueline. The strong swerve while maintaining balance with an upper-body twisting in a non-flow-conforming manner to catch the puck on the backhand only to widen his stance with enough speed to stay ahead of the upcoming defender highlights the entire play which surely had veterans back on the bench thinking, “Did that kid just do what I think he did?”

What we know is that there’s some wonderful potential for Oswald to go from being a deceptively speedy, gangly skater boy to an overbearing attacker who runs past, if not over, opposition defensemen. Some of the clips in other categories will also touch on his skating.

Grade: 55

Shot

If Oswald has a slapshot, we haven’t really seen it yet. Instead, he seems to be all about placement and shot quickness. He’s more snap and wrist than anything else. There is a one-timing ability here but not in the sense of setting up on the power play and ripping pucks off of longer passes. More like launching the puck ASAP off of neat passes in the slot.

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Certainly to be seen here…

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And then here again in a motion that is basically a clone of the previous sample.

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The wrist shot here after quickly receiving the pass and using the momentum to place an accurate shot is a bit reminiscent of landsman Tim Stützle. His power play role with the U20 national team is naturally a different one than at the pro level, but here we see what he’s got.

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In this beauty of a give-and-go goal, which also puts his smarts and skating acumen (despite the slight stutter while receiving the pass) on display, we see the quick acquisition of the pass and deposition of the puck in the almost open goal.

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This is one of the few times we saw him shoot from a distance and again he decided to use his wrister. The more controlled shot looked like it could very well have been launched with the hope of his teammate tipping it out of the air or pouncing on an ensuing rebound. Less about scoring and more about getting the action to the goal.

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Alas, we’ve enjoyed his shots from in tight a lot more. It was smart to make that push back a step in the slot once the puck was on the goal line, but to coral that pass and laser the biscuit into the upper corner was pretty doggone slick.

There’s nothing overpowering in his normal arsenal. He’s got enough movement and jive not to be needing to take many shots from abroad. There’s a readiness and tendency to get shots off quickly, which will surely be a boon on smaller North American ice. What’s important here is that although his shot won’t be why you select this player, he’s got no problem knocking pucks towards the net and can be sufficiently quick and accurate in tight quarters.

Grade: 50

Skill

Oswald seems to have a love-hate relationship with the puck. We’ve seen him do masterful things with it. We’ve seen him fighting it. Here and there, it looked like a live grenade. He has moves. Sometimes he is successful with them although the puck doesn’t look like it’s fully under control. Other times, all was well and then the puck slipped away from him at the last second.

But he can create plays. He can finish them off. He gets to loose pucks and makes something of them with little ado. He makes moves at high speeds and he can rag around with it in corners as well as make quick passes in tight quarters. There are enough samples of a more than adequate skill set that is still being forged. We can’t forget that he was 19 and taking a regular shift in one of Europe's most veteran-laden pro leagues.

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A taste of that can be seen here, where Oswald gets a puck, releases it quickly, gathers in the blocked shot rebound, then skillfully recognizes that there’s actually a little window of opportunity, hoping to fool the goaltender while moving to a slightly better shooting position. He gets the shot off and it was all in all, a very astute play for the youngster in a matter of mere moments.

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Here he grabs the puck with his backhand along the boards and boxes his way through to a wraparound attempt, maintaining puck control with lots of moving pieces.

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This assist was definitely one to write home about. From puck contact to dishing off the nifty drop pass, Oswald did everything with speed and the guile of a more seasoned playmaker.

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But other situations allowed us to see some strong puck control and playmaking ability. This scene shows him playing shorthanded and not only does he steal the puck in his zone, curbing it handily up the ice and away from the closest opponent but also carrying it just long enough to allow a teammate to get into passing range before dishing off a strong pass to the net-charging colleague. Again, while shorthanded.

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Then we see another combination highlight, one that could just as easily be used to point out strength in skating and shooting. Alas, Oswald makes use of the two-steps-in, three-steps-out, then around the defender move that left his opponent in the dust, then perfectly placing a shot from the left side with another opponent coming over to cut him off. The skill was on display from start to finish.

So too was his youthful enthusiasm.

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We got to see more of this internationally. This clip unfortunately begins too late as it doesn’t show you how he pulled in a pass at a bad angle to then completely slide the puck and then burn past the Norwegian defender just to swoop on in and score one of the WJC’s best goals.

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None of these samples are as smooth as this beauty during a WJC preparation game against Slovakia. The cheekiness and finish here are, well, something you’ll want to see several times.

We want more. He’s got it in him. He’s got plenty of time to keep refining it and making it a more consistent part of his game.

Grade: 55

Smarts

It’s so hard to look at the mistakes of a 19-year-old in a men’s league and decide whether they’re made because the player isn’t smart or if it’s just part of the current learning process. There’s plenty of room for interpretation.

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Was this just one of those things where an opponent got the better of him or does he need to be smarter in his approach?

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But he does show that certain situational givens are part of his make-up. Here he sees the blueliner go deeper and he replaces him at the blueline. He then gets the puck and gets it to the net just like you’d want your average blueliner to do.

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Here he seems to know exactly what his defenseman is trying to do and gets the step on the opposition for the off-board rebound, smartly getting himself to the spot where he gets a quick mouth-front scoring opportunity.

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This clip highlights how he reads the movement of his teammates in the offensive zone and how he goes about looking to turn himself into a passing station, ultimately reading everything to the point of grabbing the puck behind the net and going for the wraparound.

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A quick grabbing of the puck off the boards turns into a corner drive towards the net and a quick lay-up pass for a one-timer. While assessing the continued play, he starts heading back up to be the high zone offensive player, who’d be the first man back if necessary.

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Out of nowhere, he creates a bumper man situation and then slides the puck to the next best-positioned teammate who proceeds to score.

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After using strong crossovers to create more space in the offensive zone, Oswald drops the puck and then follows the play intelligently, becoming a prime passing station in the high slot just moments later.

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This one really tickles our fancy, as he picks up a bit of a Hail Mary pass between two opponents just along the blueline, does a little spinorama thingy, only to then adeptly get the puck to the next man charging. It ends up being an assist.

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We sure enjoyed this dandy of a skill move in Germany’s historical victory over Finland to kick off the WJC, which proved to be the game-winner. The ability to think and react in this manner caught the goalie completely off guard, doing a right good job of nutmegging that puck into the net. You have to be smart to make this decision in such a small window of opportunity.

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Then there are just the times when we see how he plays his role in cunningly orchestrating his team’s attack. In this longer clip, he enters the opposition zone with the puck twice, setting up a teammate to get things set up before making his way to the net to play his role without the puck. It’s a synopsis of where he’s at and understanding what he’s got to do to contribute and supplement the veterans on the team, combining skill and effort, but more importantly an understanding of what it means to gain entry and establish puck control.

Ice hockey is a game of centimeters and it’s the little things that often make the difference. We’ve spent this winter feeling like Oswald simply gets it. He tries to go above and beyond now and again, but his game is generally safe and fundamentally sound. That can’t really be said for young players who don’t bring a certain on-ice IQ to the table.

Grade: 60

Physical/Compete

Oswald will check. He doesn’t have the strength to push men around yet, but he’ll check. He’ll get dumped but it won’t stop him from heading into traffic and establishing a net-front presence. He’ll look to edge people out on the walls, and he’ll get in the way of shots. At times, it looks good. At times, it looks like he’s just surviving out there.

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We saw plenty of this throughout the season. He likes to challenge but pro players will toss you around on plenty of occasions. But he keeps pushing the envelope.

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He’ll get open, get the puck, and then attack the net. If there’s a rebound, he’ll look to hunt it down and it won’t matter if it puts him between a rock and a hard spot.

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Even in situations where you could understand a young man perhaps getting a bit frustrated and then overly enthusiastic in his next physical encounter, he looks to keep things physical without going overboard. Remember: not a single penalty all season long until he got boxed for three minors in the playoffs.

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If he gets knocked down or tripped up, Oswald gets back up and keeps things going.

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A play can look to be dead or just hanging on a thread, but he doesn’t take to giving up on it. This attribute led to half his goals and assists this season, right when it looked like the train had left the station.

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When he’s on the ice and his d-men have the puck on the offensive blueline, you can bet he’s planting himself in the slot. This scene is one we saw a hundred times, trying to get rebounds and then chasing down the puck in the corners, happy to dish out a shoulder to gain ground along the way.

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Furthermore, that nose for the net is something most youth coaches harp on their players about. The goals don’t have to be beautiful, but they all count. Again, he knows where he’s got to go to pounce on opportunities like this one.

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We’d also highlight that he has shown the tendency not to give up on plays. Time and again, particularly when the opponent has the puck. He applies athleticism to his efforts in his own zone (and elsewhere), something that clearly gained the staff’s trust, even as early as last fall.

Be it as a pro or internationally, Oswald has shown us that there's quite a little lion in him. It’s still limited as his body - which is an ample frame just waiting for more muscle - isn’t at the stage of i.e. most of the DEL opponents he spent this past season playing against. Still, that never stopped him from applying all his attributes, standing out against competition in his age group, and giving it his all with the type of joie de vivre any hockey coach would want to see from such a young man in his shoes. And it's just these key components that have us placing faith in him as a player who will do all that it takes to realize his dream of becoming an NHL forward.

Grade: 55

OFP: 53

A note on the 20-80 scale used above. 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.

2024 NHL DRAFT: RE-ENTRY CANDIDATES – EUROPE

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 16:21:32 +0000

In a normal year, scouting hockey is marred by imperfection. Every year high end players get skipped over at the NHL draft for various reasons. Maybe they suffered through injuries. Maybe their team struggled, and it prevented scouts from getting a good read on them. Maybe their team was too good, forcing them down the depth chart with limited minutes and exposure opportunities. Or...maybe they just were not good enough. But thankfully human development is nonlinear and therefore unpredictable. Teenage hockey players are far from a finished product on the ice as their games mature just as the rest of their body and mind does. That is why it is critical to track players as they move through their second and third years of draft eligibility (or fourth years of eligibility for some European players).

For those unfamiliar, North American players with birth dates from January 1st to September 15th, will be eligible for three NHL drafts. Players with birth dates from September 16th to December 31st, will be eligible for two NHL drafts. And for European players (in European leagues), extend that eligibility by one year in both cases. In the last decade, NHL scouts have increased the rate with which they are selecting “re-entry” candidates, or players previously passed over. Contract limits have made it critical for teams to spread out where they select players from, in addition to their age. This has made second- and third-year eligible U.S. and European based players especially attractive. However, these players have had a lot of success in recent years too. Look around the league and you see these players everywhere. For example, Calgary Flames standout defender Mackenzie Weegar was one. Ottawa Senators standout forward Drake Batherson was one. So too was Winnipeg Jets starter Connor Hellebuyck. Pyotr Kochetkov, one of the top young netminders in the NHL was also one.

Last year, eight “re-entry” candidates went in the Top 110; Adam Gajan, Yegor Sidorov, Vadim Moroz, Florian Xhekaj, Cole Knuble, Patrick Thomas, Ty Mueller, and Bogdan Konyushkov. In our “second chances” article last year (Part 1): (Part 2): (Part 3): We wrote about five of those eight. In total there were 40 taken, right around the trend of other recent drafts (roughly about 20% of all players selected). Additionally, of those 40, we identified and wrote about 28 (well over half of them) in our aforementioned second chances series. Just like in previous editions of this annual report, we aim to identify more.

In 2024, we have some very interesting candidates. Maybe not at the level of Adam Gajan, who was nearly a first-round pick, but there are definitely a few players who could…and should go inside the Top 100. Finland’s Jesse Pulkkinen seems like the top candidate to go first among this group and has had a terrific year offensively. Tri-City netminder Lukas Matecha has been terrific in the WHL as an Import and played in this year’s CHL Top Prospect’s Game. North Bay’s Anthony Romani has been among the leaders in OHL scoring all season. This article intends to highlight them and many other candidates who could be part of that 20% this year.

This is part three of the series, putting the spotlight on those re-entries available from leagues across Europe.

Finland

LANDSHUT, GERMANY - MAY 1: Finland's Jere Lassila #28 stick handles the puck away from Czechia's Jan Gaspar #26 during Bronze Medal game action at the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship at Fanatec Arena on April 30, 2022 in Landshut, Germany on May 1, 2022 (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Jesse Pulkkinen - Defense - JYP (Liiga)

Pulkkinen should be the first re-entry selected this season, the 6’6” defender has come leaps and bounds from last season where he put up only 4 assists in 43 games in Finland’s U20 junior league - this season he has 11 goals and 17 assists in 18 games in the same league. Safe to say his progression from last year has been significant. In the 29 Liiga games Pulkkinen has played this year, he hasn’t looked out of place and has screamed the word “potential” with his play. He has showcased his mobility at his size, and how he isn’t afraid of taking risks with the puck while activating from the blueline. He is quite aggressive defending and although his play can be inconsistent in the defensive end at times, his size and skating combo point to this being an area that he can improve on significantly post-draft. (Steven Graves)

Jere Lassila - Center - JYP (Liiga)

Team Finlands captian, and leading scorer at the 2024 World Juniors has enjoyed a fantastic season for JYP in Finland's best mens league where he has 26 points in 45 games. Twice passed over in the draft, 2024 will be the last year in which Lassila is eligible to be selected. Lassila is a very smart player who boasts great vision and work ethic on the ice. He is able to thread passes through multiple players with precision and accuracy. He has an incredible motor that just chugs along all game long - Lassila is proficient in winning his 50/50 puck battles even though his frame isn’t great. Lassila seems like a good bet to carve out a career as a bottom-6 energy guy in the NHL one day. (Steven Graves)

Benjamin Rautianen - Wing - Tappara U20 (U20 SM-sarja)

Rautianen, a 2005 born winger has been obliterating the Finnish U20 league this season. His 1.72 P/PG average ranks second in the league. He is very dangerous with the puck on his stick, able to weave through defenders, change directions quickly, and protect the puck at a high level. Rautianen is an offensive first player who is always trying to make something happen when the puck is on his stick. He could be worth the investment in the mid-late rounds of the draft if a team thinks he can continue to develop into a scoring winger at the NHL level. (Steven Graves)

Noa Vali - Goaltender - TPS (Liiga)

Vali is one of the more intriguing goaltending prospects in this year's class. He isn’t the biggest goalie standing at 6’1” but he is technically sound in how he positions himself for oncoming shots and is quite athletic in the net, never giving up on a play and always trying to make a save. Although his numbers don’t look amazing this season, for a goaltender his junior to get as many reps in the Liiga as he has - you can’t help but be impressed at what TPS has entrusted him with. Vali won’t be the first goalie off the board, but could definitely hear his name called in 2024, after being passed over completely in 2023. (Steven Graves)

Kasper Lundell - Center - HPK (Liiga)

Florida Panthers centreman Anton Lundell’s younger brother is in his second last year of draft eligibility in 2024. Kasper is a similar player to his older brother in that he is a strong two-way center that lacks foot speed. But what he lacks for in foot speed he makes up for with how he anticipates and reads plays at both ends of the rink. Kasper is great at putting himself into excellent positions at both ends of the rink, this allows him to nullify plays in the defensive zone and also be an important piece in transition as a trailing forward. The questions persist with Lundell as they always have, “what can he be at the NHL level?” And I don’t think we’re closer to that answer this year like in years past. (Steven Graves)

Janne Naukkarinen - Center/Wing - SaiPa (Liiga)

Naukkarinen has sort of come out of nowhere to become a productive player in the Liiga this season. The 6’1 forward has really impressed with his consistency, vision, smarts, skating ability and playmaking. While it’s unclear what kind of player he can develop into, he has an intriguing physical profile and set of skills to grab an NHL teams attention ahead of the 2024 draft. (Steven Graves)

Peetu Kiukas - Defense - SaiPa (Liiga)

Kiukas has enjoyed himself a stellar offensive season from the blueline this season and because of it he may have found himself on NHL team’s radars. Kiukas is a slick offensive blueliner that is able to facilitate offence in an efficient manner from the blueline. He is great at moving the puck, so naturally his first pass and puck retrievals are some of his best assets. He is a bit on the shorter side for a defender, standing at only 5’11” but he is a competent defender in the Liiga, even if he has his warts from time to time. (Steven Graves)

Nestor Noiva - Wing - Assat (Liiga)

Noiva is a fascinating prospect for this year's draft. He struggled to produce at a high rate in Finland’s under 20 league this season as one of the older players in the league but once he played against men he didn’t look out of place, at all. Noiva has, in his arsenal, a very good snapshot, and if given time and space will make you pay. He is also a hound around the goal mouth, not afraid to get his nose dirty to corral a rebound. He is a player I think teams are going to appreciate. I think in three years’ time he could continue to develop into a hard nose bottom six player in the NHL. (Steven Graves)

Santeri Huovila - Wing - JYP U20 (U20 SM-sarja)

The leading scorer in Finland’s under 20 league has consistently shown flashes of offensive brilliance this season. But the question has to be asked if it is because he is developing, or if he is playing inferior competition? He has struggled to produce at Liiga level, although he just recently earned a contract extension with JYP and stands to earn more ice time next season. He is an aggressive offensive weapon who is always looking to score and create offense while on the ice. As a double overager for this draft, Huovila hopes he has shown enough offensive promise that an NHL team picks him in hopes he can harness that promise in the NHL one day. (Steven Graves)

Sweden

Luleås Isac Hedqvist under ishockeymatchen i SHL mellan Växjö och Luleå den 30 januari 2024 i Växjö.
Foto: Jonas Ljungdahl / BILDBYRÅN

Filip Sitar - Center/Wing - Malmo J20

After making the jump from AIK of the Allsvenskan to Malmo of the SHL, Sitar finds himself in a similar situation as last year. He has been piling on the points in the J20 but hasn’t had more than a cup of coffee with the senior team. He is still very intelligent and reads the ice exceptionally well. He still positions himself well off the puck and keeps an active defensive stick. The skating has even taken a step in the right direction, though there is still a way to go there. However, he is still being forced to the perimeter due to a lack of physical strength and intensity. His playmaking and passing ideas are quite good, yet there is a lack of precision on the execution. There is still a lot of room for growth, and betting on high IQ players gaining muscle and improving quickness isn’t completely ridiculous. However, teams must decide if the offensive upside is good enough to take a flyer on. (Felix Robbins)

Frans Haara - Defense - Skellfteå AIK (SHL)

While spending the year mostly a J20/SHL tweener, Haara got a nice long look in the top four of the senior squad filling in for an injured Axel Sandin-Pellika. He’s a mobile puck moving RHD who can skate it coast to coast and who looks comfortable jumping up as a 4th F on the rush as well. Straight line attacker lacks a bit of dimension/layers. A decent passer but wouldn’t say he’s much of a playmaker. He does have a booming shot, which he uses to generate a bit of offence. Haara seems to put a great deal of focus on play in his own zone at the SHL level, while showing much more offensive risk in the J20. He has the mobility to activate into play more than he does but chooses not to. I admire his commitment to playing a more well-rounded game. While his mobility is quite good and he’ll be a solid defender once he gets stronger, I wonder if he’s shown enough upside to entice NHL teams to take a flyer on him. However, right-shot defencemen are always coveted assets. Maybe he continues to build his 2-way game up from his strong skating and tops out as a bottom pair defensive puck mover – if he’s lucky. (Felix Robbins)

Svante Sjodin - Center - Orebro HK (SHL)

The youngest player eligible for the 2023 draft didn’t show enough to get drafted, but that may have been for the best. He was incredibly unrefined, but the straight-line skating and the work ethic was undeniable. This year, a clearer picture of what type of player Sjödin will be at higher levels has started to emerge. He’s added some delay to his skating patterns, so his rush attacks aren’t as predictable. He’s grown an inch and added a bit of muscle, helping him out-grind foes for possession along the wall and for prime netfront real estate. These promising steps have seen his point production in the J20 triple what it was last year. However, it was Sjödin’s contagious energy and his effort in the defensive zone that landed him a role with the senior club. With the steps he’s already taken this year combined with the fact that he’s got a ton of developmental runway left, I’m sure NHL teams are taking a good long look at Sjödin for a late round swing. (Felix Robbins)

Hugo Lejon - Wing - Vasterås IK (HockeyAllsvenskan)

Despite an impressive draft year campaign, the very skilled (but very raw) Hugo Lejon didn’t get his name called by any NHL clubs in 2023. He has bounced right back, putting up an obscene number of points in the J20 and earned an extended stay with the Västerås senior club. While the good parts of his tactical playmaking and deceptive on-puck game are still there, some positive growth has given more reason for optimism. His skating has taken a step, he’s showing more determination and a willingness to battle, and he’s getting more involved in play outside of the offensive zone - at least at the HockeyAllsvenskan level. He’s also developed some nice zing to his wrister, something that was missing from his offensive arsenal last year. Despite the encouraging signs, Lejon is still far from a finished product. His physical game still needs a good amount of work, and he could always get quicker. I think that with the improvement Lejon has shown this year, NHL teams would be wise to scoop him up before he becomes too hot of a commodity. (Felix Robbins)

David Granberg - Center - Luleå HF (SHL)

After a paltry draft year splitting time across multiple levels of play, Granberg took on a great deal more responsibility this year and has looked solid all the way. He’s worn the “C” for the Luleå J20 squad (scoring over a point per game doing so), done a stint with Piteå HC in the HockeyEttan, and had a taste of SHL action. The most consistent aspect of young Granberg’s play across multiple levels of hockey this season has been his strong commitment to his defensive game. He plays low, helping out his defensemen battle for retrievals and to provide a relief outlet to get breakouts started. He positions himself smartly away from the puck, reading play alertly and reacting appropriately. However, his offensive zone off-puck movement and willingness to drive to the net, which lead to so much of his production at the J20, hasn’t shown up at higher levels. He lacks the quickness and the strength to create space for himself. He lacks the hands, the creativity and the deception to do so for others. Granberg is an intelligent player with good physical habits and strong defensive instincts, but I worry that he may not have the offensive upside that NHL teams are looking for. If he can find some sort of space creator for himself in the SHL or learn how to be a more effective garbage collector, he may be worth taking a flyer on. (Felix Robbins)

Isac Hedqvist - Wing - Luleå HF (SHL)

It became very apparent very quickly that Isac Hedqvist was a standout prospect in an already deep Swedish prospect pool in 2023, yet he wasn’t selected by an NHL team. This year, Hedqvist has made those same teams look very foolish by bulldozing competition in the juniors and seizing an everyday spot on Luleå’s senior squad. His excellent motor is still running. He’s still quick on his feet. He’s still inside driven. He’s still tenacious in possession battles and never shies away from physical confrontation. His playmaking has taken a big jump. He sees passing lanes open up at their earliest and executes with precision. I love his involvement in all three zones, and he’s so dang feisty and competitive. I wouldn’t worry about his point totals in the SHL - His offensive contribution will come alongside physical maturation. Plus, he hit his previous year’s J20 point total in 20 less games. He could, however, stand to add some zing to his shot. Otherwise, I have nothing but praises to sing about Hedqvist. He is a stud of a prospect and really should have been drafted the 1st time. Hopefully NHL teams come to their senses and don’t make the same mistake twice. (Felix Robbins)

Isac Born - Center/Wing - Frolunda HC (SHL)

In his 3rd year of eligibility and enjoying his first full year with the Frolunda senior club, we have a pretty good idea of who Isac Born is. He brings a ton of energy to the lineup. He is a very strong skater who plays with a lot of pace. He gets his feet moving and keeps an active stick to mount pressure on puck carriers on the forecheck and in the defensive zone. He can generate some offence by carrying the puck in transition, slipping past defenders and funneling pucks to the net. Despite his excellent skating, he has a hard time moving off puck to get open, both in transition and on offence. As a result, he doesn’t get hit with many passes - most of his offensive possession time comes from grinding for pucks along the wall. At this point, it’s hard to see a path to North America for Born. He’s topping out as a bottom six energy forward with limited offensive production in the SHL, which doesn’t bode well for his NHL upside. You’ve got to really believe in his skating and work ethic to have him on your list for the upcoming draft. (Felix Robbins)

Lucas Nordstrom - Defense - Leksands IF J20

For a kid who didn’t play in the J20 at all in his draft year, Nordstrom has got a clean handle on the level of play. He’s an incredibly smooth skater with solid 4-way mobility. He’s calm, self-aware, and reads plays well. He looks very comfortable skating the puck out of his zone in transition and activating into play below the blue line. He keeps a clean gap and has a good, active stick. He definitely needs to pack on some pounds, as he’s ineffective at clearing the crease and physically knocking guys off the puck. He does have a willingness to battle, though. For someone who should profile as an offensive puck mover, the offence is limited. He tends to keep his passes short and simple, not showing much risk or creativity to his playmaking. He doesn’t show much deception or manipulation, and his hands are quite average. It’s rare to see a defensive puck mover make it in the NHL at his size, but the skating, the smarts and the physical/board play habits give reason for optimism. Nordstrom is an intriguing prospect, but he’s also still quite raw. NHL teams considering drafting him must be patient, as he’ll have a long developmental road ahead of him. (Felix Robbins)

Hugo Fransson - Defense - HV71 (SHL)

After a pair of rather disappointing years of draft eligibility, Fransson has finally had a stellar one his 3rd time around. He’s been playing pro all year long, splitting time between Nybro Vikings of the HockeyAllsvenskan, where he’s been very productive (4G, 13A in 26 GP), and HV71 of the SHL, where he’s been focused on his defensive and transitional play. Fransson is a smooth skating, mobile, offensive defenceman with solid defensive habits. He does a great job keeping his feet moving and instigating physically when engaging his man. When he’s not the first one in on retrievals, he makes sure to support his partner by staying close and open for a pass. Fransson has great vision. More than a few of his points this season have come from hard passes from his end to spring a streaking teammate for a breakaway. He’s also more than comfortable pinching and activating into play below the blue line, thanks to his excellent hands and agility. Fransson has shown he can be a very confident and dangerous playmaker who could probably distribute some pucks on a 2nd PP unit. Fransson isn’t perfect, however. He still needs to add a bit of mass to his fairly average frame, and sometimes the decision making after he’s retrieved pucks in his own end isn’t always great. Still, the pros outweigh the cons. Fransson is a very exciting offensive defenceman who is far from a liability in his own end. He can impact play in all 3 zones, and probably score a bunch of points while doing so. I think he’d be an incredibly intriguing option in the later rounds for NHL teams who need close-to-ready defensive depth with some offensive upside. (Felix Robbins)

Simon Carlsson - Goaltender - AIK J20

Carlsson gives his team a chance to win every night, and it shows in his numbers with AIK’s J20 squad. Watching him play tells more of the story. Stellar rebound control. Pucks shot at the chest and glove are swallowed up and never to be seen again. Kept a tight crease, no wild movements or adventures. Stays composed overall but can look a bit antsy when moving from the top of his crease and backwards. Could use a bit more agility, his lateral strides were consistently short and lacked power. He was able to mitigate that with some good athleticism/flexibility. Reads play very well, even through traffic. Goalies are voodoo, but Carlsson shows good habits and has a cool temperament. NHL teams could take a chance on him in the later rounds and let him marinate in Sweden - he might be something after a few years of pro hockey experience. (Felix Robbins)

Kalle Carlsson - Center - Örebro HK J20

Another year, another very productive season in the J20 for Carlsson. Will it be enough to get selected this time around? He has great vision and some interesting and creative playmaking ideas. I like the way he moves around the offensive zone, always on the hunt for some soft ice. He’s got nice hands that he uses to dance the puck around defenders sticks and come away with possession. Not sure it’ll ever be a separation tool, but he displays good patience and manipulation skills. His skating quickness is still not where it needs to be to be in the driver’s seat when on-puck, or to keep up with play off-puck. Instead, he relies on his hockey sense to read play and anticipate where the puck will end up, and paths accordingly. Same story on defence - he positions himself smartly in anticipation of incoming passes or skaters and uses a good stick to intercept the puck. While that is a nice workaround in many static situations, it renders him rather invisible in transition, limiting his impact on play as a whole. He’s also got to pack some more meat on his bones, as some pure strength would be a difference maker in forechecking and defensive situations. I think Carlsson’s intelligence, creativity and playmaking ability are standout traits of his that should have scouts mulling over whether or not it’s worth taking a risk on him. However, the skating may simply not be good enough to warrant a pick. (Felix Robbins)

Hannes Hellberg - Wing - Vasterås IK (HockeyAllsvenskan)

In his first full professional season in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Hellberg has established himself as an offensive threat. He’s quite skilled on puck - he can chain moves together to open up passing lanes or to undress a goalie for a tap in goal. His wrister is a dangerous weapon for him up close and from a distance, and his release is quick. He doesn’t always see every potential play or pass option available to him, but there is still a decent amount of vision and awareness there. He’s got quick feet which helps his rush attack, though a tad more agility would really aid his ability to get around defenders. Despite his success on the offensive side of the puck, I didn’t find Hellberg’s involvement on defence or in transition too inspiring. He tends to let his teammates do most of the work along the wall, and he tends to cheat for offence along the opposing blue line too much for my liking. Compete and intensity is just as important as fine skill to team AND individual success. If he can figure out how to put even 20% more effort into his play in all three zones, I think Hellberg would be a very interesting option for teams looking for a skilled forward prospect in the later rounds. (Felix Robbins)

Russia

Pavel Moysevich - Goaltender - SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)

The big Belarussian netminder (6’5) has been a revelation in the KHL this year, emerging as a potential star. He set the new save percentage record (.942) by a U20 player, beating Ilya Samsonov’s previous record of .936. NHL stars like Andrei Vasilevsky and Ilya Sorokin also find themselves on that list, putting Moysevich in some pretty impressive company. His size is so impressive. When he’s aggressive at the top of the blue paint, he gives shooters pretty much nothing, and when he collapses deep, he has great posture to remain upright, again, eating up space and making himself difficult to beat. He has quick pads for a bigger netminder and his rebound control is pretty refined for someone who is getting his first taste of the professional level. Being so slight, it’s obvious that he’ll need to improve his lower body strength to become more powerful in his pushes. He’s not the quickest post to post, relying on his sheer leg and wing span to make saves laterally. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of watching Matt Murray in his OHL draft year because of that. The upside here is tremendous and he should be ranked accordingly. (Brock Otten)

Ilya Ivantsov - Center - Severstal Cherepovets (KHL)

A player in his final year of draft eligibility, Ivantsov has taken that next step as a KHL player this season. His 35 points were fourth among U21 players and Ivantsov was the only player in the top six yet to be drafted. He shines defensively with exceptional awareness and positioning. His high hockey IQ allows him to anticipate plays and win puck battles despite his smaller stature. He utilizes impressive stickwork to disrupt plays and excels on the penalty kill. Offensively, he has some projectable talent with strong drives to the net and playmaking ability. However, inconsistency has been an issue, leading to hesitation with the puck and a lack of assertiveness. Further development in offensive confidence and physicality could unlock his full potential as a valuable two-way forward in a bottom-six role. (Josh Bell)

Nikita Telegin - Center - Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk (MHL)

One of the MHL’s most improved players this year, Telegin offers a blend of finesse and physicality, making him a fairly versatile center. He’s a skilled puckhandler and an aggressive forechecker, impacting the game in all situations. He excels in faceoffs and provides a reliable, dependable presence on the ice. While not flashy offensively, Telegin has solid passing abilities and a surprising shot. He maintains excellent awareness, scanning for passing lanes, and pressuring opponents without the puck. However, his defensive game could benefit from bringing that forechecking pressure and improved lane coverage. Despite average skating, Telegin keeps pace with the play in most situations. His reliability and well-rounded skill set make him a potential candidate for bottom-six or depth roles. (Josh Bell)

Nikita Surayev - Wing - SKA (MHL)

When he was passed over last year, Surayev was one of the youngest players eligible (born September 12th). As one of the highest scoring players in the MHL this year, he’s put himself back on the draft radar. Surayev impresses with a dynamic blend of speed and skill. His puckhandling abilities, especially at high speeds, are noteworthy. His strong hockey IQ allows him to capitalize on scoring opportunities and excel in transition play. He does bring an impressive ability to put the puck in the net. Surayev does lack physical strength and needs to work on his defensive awareness and overall commitment though. If he can address these weaknesses, Surayev's offensive potential is promising, making him a prospect with NHL-depth upside. (Josh Bell)

Ilya Nabokov - Goaltender - Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)

Another 2003 born player in his final year of draft eligibility, Nabokov has been a revelation in the KHL this season. Despite being slightly ‘undersized’ for a goaltender (6-foot, 179 pounds), Nabokov compensates with exceptional agility and athleticism. His strong positional awareness and anticipation skills are complemented by a quick glove hand and solid rebound control, limiting second chances. He has excelled in the KHL this season as a rookie and his impressive .930 save percentage is quite promising. His track record thus far leads me to believe that this isn’t a one-off season and the Russian netminder could very well be the real deal. Nabokov's raw talent and proven results in the KHL make him an intriguing goaltending prospect for a patient NHL team, despite going previously undrafted. (Josh Bell)

Dmitri Gamzin - Goaltender - CSKA Moskva (KHL)

Yup, you guessed it, another 2003 born player who has turned some heads this year. Gamzin shows off strong agility, reflexes, and anticipation skills, allowing him to make key saves and maintain a solid defensive stance. His technically sound game is complemented by impressive puck handling under pressure as well. He put up impressive statistics in the VHL (.922 SV%) and KHL (.937 SV%) this season, although I’d like to see him play with a heavier workload to really test how well he would translate to the NHL. His technical skills and athleticism make him a promising goalie, and he could be a late-round gamble for a team looking for some goalie prospect depth. (Josh Bell)

Mikhail Grass - Center - Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)

In a matter of a year, Grass has gone from being an MHL support player to being one of the top young centers in the KHL, earning a three-year contract extension from Metallurg. That kind of progression is impressive, especially when you factor in that Grass is a 6’4, 200lbs center. It’s clear that his game is still very raw, but what’s he going to look like in three years when his KHL contract expires? The skating is still a work in progress. He builds to a solid top speed for a big man and actually has good edgework, but the first few steps are lumbering and lack power. He also can struggle to corral pucks or maintain possession at full speed, which makes one wonder about the skill upside. However, he’s already a competitive two-way player. He is dangerous in the slot and near the crease. He flashes a very heavy shot (even if his release needs some work), that gives him excellent scoring potential. While he’s probably a draft longshot, don’t count out NHL teams from being enamored with his size and two-way upside. (Brock Otten)

Vladimir Mikhalyov - Wing - Sibir Novosibirsk (KHL)

Mikhalyov was on a few draft lists last year after a good year in the MHL, but he’s been even more impressive this year, splitting time between the KHL and MHL. He’s flashed high end creativity and puck skill at the KHL level, even scoring a highlight reel between the legs goal. He’s also a very intelligent off puck player who times cuts well and who succeeds in high traffic areas despite having only average size/strength. Additionally, his skating looks to have taken a nice step forward this year, improving his projection and upside. The MHL stats won’t blow you away, but context is important; his team is low scoring. What is also important is how well he’s played in the KHL as a 19-year-old with limited ice time. If he’s not on the radar of NHL teams, he definitely should be. (Brock Otten)

Makar Khanin - Wing - Dynamo St. Petersburg (VHL)

Another 2005 born Russian forward who has taken huge steps forward this year. He’s gone from being an MHL depth player to being the highest scoring U20 player in the VHL, ahead of some NHL drafted players. He’s a high-end skill guy who is both creative and confident with the puck on his stick. More slippery than quick, he can keep the puck on a string to help him escape pressure in the offensive end. For an average sized guy, he’s not an extremely quick or dynamic skater. He’s also a pretty one-dimensional player at this point. But, that one dimension is pretty impressive. Khanin’s offensive upside is pretty significant and the rapid progression he has shown this year is bound to have drawn some eyeballs. (Brock Otten)

Amir Nugmanov - Wing - Dynamo St. Petersburg (MHL)

A longshot to be drafted because he’s undersized and not a dynamic skater, but Nugmanov deserves mention for his progression this year. One of the youngest players eligible last year, Nugmanov struggled to be an impact player at the MHL level and was never really on the draft radar. This year? He’s become a standout in the MHL and even earned a call up to the KHL level where he performed admirably. He makes up for a lack of elite size/strength/quickness by being tenacious. A tremendous forechecker, Nugmanov is quite the pest. He consistently forces turnovers with his energy and physicality, and he has the skill to capitalize on them. He also possesses a great wrist shot and a quick release, making him a quick strike player. Nugmanov is someone worth monitoring in the future. (Brock Otten)

Switzerland

Simone Terraneo - Defense - Ambrì Piotta - NL

One of the most appealing aspects of the Swiss NL is that it is chock full of former NHLers, even featuring players coming straight over from the NHL each and every season. And beyond that, the league attracts many of Europe’s top scorers every summer, plenty of whom are members of their respective national teams. Outside of the NHL, there may not be a league on the planet featuring this many pro athletes that were, at some point, an NHL property. So, when a young Swissman 21 or younger finds himself taking a regular shift in this league, it usually indicates that he’s someone NHL scouts have good reason to be watching. Enter Simone Terraneo, a defenseman in his DY+2 season who will nonetheless first turn 20 a day after the 2024 Draft concludes. When we first started taking notice of the 5’11”, 190-pound blueliner, he was captaining a disappointing Swiss U18 Worlds outfit in which he jumped out at us as the most competitive and overall effective player for his nation. There was little about his U20 league play that season that had us thinking he could perform at this level, but that’s exactly what he did in Kaufbeuren, Germany. And this had us very curious about his DY+1 season, which ended up being a resounding success. Terraneo proved far too good for the U20 circuit (22 points in 16 games) and suited up 35 times second leagueist Ticino Rockets, for whom he racked up 21 points. This pretty impressive performance, done entirely as an 18-year-old, did not lead to him being drafted, but it did secure an NL contract and he hasn’t looked back since. Mobile, physical, smart, and competitive, Terraneo has quietly put up 5 points and +3 in 34 games for a sub-.500 club while averaging a bit over 10 minutes of ice time per night. His 3 points and +3 at the WJC weren’t too shabby either. Seeing as how it took JJ Moser 3 years of eligibility to get drafted, we can see Terraneo sliding through once again, but he’s given the scouting world plenty of reason to give him a good hard look. (Chapin Landvogt)

Kevin Pasche - Goaltender - Lausanne - NL

At just 5’10”, 170-pounds, Pasche provides nothing in the way of ideal goaltending measurements, especially in a day and age where it’s commonplace to see 6’3” giants in goal, often even at the junior level. Instead, Pasche makes a living in the net with flashy hands and incredibly quick movements and slides. His legwork and balance, not only in stopping pucks, but batting them to the side boards, are often so lightning quick that you don’t notice he was actually down in the splits making a save because he’s right back up on his feet again in no time flat. His recovery time is simply fascinating. And when you’re his size, there aren’t many advantages to spending too much time on your knees, so he’s clearly made “recovery” a key component of his make-up. His numbers in two WJCs and an U18 Worlds won’t jump out at you in a particularly positive sense, but that he garnered the kind of trust from the program that saw him getting at least 3 outings in each of these three tournaments should. Now, before we get into the nitty gritty of why the scouting community simply can’t look past him at this point, it’s important to know that he’s playing his first pro season after two straight seasons with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL. For a small Swiss netminder, that is a path less traveled. Heading into this season, it was felt he’d primarily be a second-league SL goaltender, likely platooning with fellow 21-year old Noah Patenaude, who spent three seasons in the QMJHL not long ago. Welp, a 9-4 record with a 1.76 GAA, 3 shutouts, and a .942 SV% quickly put an end to that. Joining NL club Lausanne at the end of October, Pasche has gone on to become the team’s 1A goaltender and almost hasn’t missed a beat, what with a 11-4-2 with a 2.10 GAA, 2 shutouts, and a .923 SV%. This makes him not only the top U25 goaltender in the league, but 5th overall in GAA and 6th overall in save percentage. The size will surely spook off a number of teams, if not a majority, but if Pasche were say 6’2”, it’s hard to imagine he’d slip through 7 rounds without hearing his name called. (Chapin Landvogt)

Tommaso de Luca - Center - Ambri-Piotta - NL

Italian U20 national team program center de Luca spent his draft year playing for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL and truth be told, his 49 points in 65 games were not only good for 3rd in team scoring but were also clearly one of the better first year appearances a Swiss-trained player has had in Canadian juniors in recent years. There were voices out there who felt he was worthy of a late-round pick in last summer’s draft, even if we at McKeen’s were not one of them. There was then some surprise when de Luca decided not to remain in the WHL for another crack at it, especially in light of the continued opportunity to play with a talent like Berkly Catton. Seeing what’s become of import forwards Rasmus Ekström and Lukas Kral, we imagine Spokane surely wishes he had. But the call of pro-league payment in Switzerland can be a tempting one and de Luca has proven worthy of it, ultimately becoming one of the absolute few U20 players in the NL to find himself taking a regular shift. In fact, he’s now gotten into 35 games, having seen between 10-15 minutes of ice in 25 of them. He even collected a hat-trick in a recent outing. All in all, the former WHL playmaker now has nine goals and 16 points to go with a +1 for a team in the bottom third of the standings. If anything, de Luca’s performance has proven that he’s not only pro-ready, but capable of taking on responsibility. He’d have likely played more NL games this season, but represented Italy at the D1B WJC, where his 10 points in 5 games were good for 2nd on the team, tying him for 3rd in the tournament. Italy will host the D1A Men’s World Championships this spring and it’s hard to imagine that the decision makers would leave the most successful Italian scorer in the Swiss NL off the roster. (Chapin Landvogt)

Germany

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA - DECEMBER 28: Germany's Roman Kechter #24 celebrates at the bench with teammates after scoring a first period goal against Canada during Preliminary Round - Group A action at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scotiabank Centre on December 28, 2022 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/IIHF)

Veit Oswald - Wing - Red Bull Munich - DEL

This is one of those seasons where someone who’s piqued our curiosity for several years now just simply arrives on the scene to make a convincing statement about what he’s all about. Now, we’ve talked about Veit Oswald in the past and were already feeling really good about him last fall, but this season has continued to unravel like a fairy tale ever since. And it’s one the 6’2” winger continues to be authoring with one feat after another. His climb from a solid lower line role last October and November, in which the youngster has gone from seeing between 8-12 to 15+ minutes of DEL ice time, has seen him pitted in all sorts of roles no-one could have possibly expected before the season, including some shifts here and there on the powerplay as well as in the waning moments of a tight lead. If anyone can be called the DEL’s shooting star, it’s Oswald! What has also made this season all that much more impressive is that he finally arrived on the scene internationally, serving as a key contributor to Germany’s successful effort to retain the class thanks to 3 goals, 5 points, 27 penalty minutes, and +1 in 4 contests, including several of the tournament’s absolute highlight reel goals. Before that, his name was surely just scribbled in the odd notebook here and there when his first year of draft eligibility saw him lead the German DNL in scoring and then earn a spot on the U18 team for a World’s tourney held right in his hometown of Landshut. His 3 points in 4 games there tied him for second in team scoring. He then entered the pro ranks the season thereafter, where he was solid in the country’s 3rd pro circuit, getting into 25 under-the-radar contests with Munich in the DEL (3 assists). That was accompanied by last winter’s WJC appearance, in which he had 2 points for a terribly low-scoring German side. Since coming home from Sweden in January, he’s taken his game to the next level. Four goals and 7 points in 10 games have accompanied a +5 rating, giving him 9 goals, 14 points, and a +4 in 38 total games to date. He was also selected to be part of a special Team Germany U25 outfit that looked mighty promising in several test games against the Slovakian national team earlier this month. Full of flair, possessing a strong motor, and constantly finding himself in the right place, it’s all but certain that Oswald will hear his name called at this summer’s draft, which will be a DY+2 affair for him. Despite that, a nice treat on top is that he first turns 20 on August 31st. We won’t be surprised if it’s with a DEL championship in his pocket. (Chapin Landvogt)

Roman Kechter - Wing/Center - Nuremberg Ice Tigers - DEL

Roman Kechter is a player we first talked about when he was 16 and found himself suiting up for 21 DEL games in the league’s pandemic-shortened 20-21 season, one in which admittedly many U21 players found themselves playing as cost-saving measures, if nothing else. Still, this made him one of the youngest players the league had ever seen. Also, he was coming in from his junior play with Rögle in Sweden, so he was certainly already understood as an above-average German talent. As normality returned, he and many other youngsters found themselves back in juniors and Kechter’s progress seemed to stall in Sweden. He improved, certainly, but the expectations after his DEL outing were obviously unrealistic and his decent, but by no means outstanding, showing with Rögle’s U20 outfit went largely unnoticed. A captaincy at the U18 Worlds couldn’t boost his draft chances. He then found himself in another 21 DEL games as well as 29 3rd league games (17 points) in his DY+1 season, which was accompanied by a solid WJC performance, but it was all too unspectacular for the 5’11”, 185-pounder to gain any notoriety. Having now just turned 20 in mid-February, Kechter has spent this season displaying a much different and more mature version of his abilities. Sure, his 17 points in 38 games are already a career high while his +2 rating sees him as one of only 5 players on his team without a negative rating, but he’s playing like a seasoned vet and making sound decisions across the board. His work outside of the offensive zone pops up as much as anything else. He also had himself a solid WJC, doing much of his team’s yeoman work in keeping an undermanned unit from getting relegated. Before that, he had formed a powerful line with Kevin Bicker and Moritz Elias in pre-tourney competition, one with which he put up 15 points in 5 preparation games. It only takes one team to like what they’ve seen to make the 3rd time around the charm for this budding forward talent, one who’s been reaping praise throughout the DEL this season. (Chapin Landvogt)

Adrian Klein - Defense - Straubing Tigers - DEL

Much like Kechter, Klein found himself in the DEL as a 16-year-old during the pandemic-shortened season. He actually got into 31 games at the time, scoring his first goal along the way. That was accompanied by another 9 pro games spread out among the 2nd and 3rd pro leagues as well as a U18 Worlds outing in Texas. Pretty nice experience for a player still a year removed from his draft, which came and went without much fanfare. The DEL time decreased in his draft year and even though the quality minutes increased in his DEL2, growing into what is now a 6’3”, 212-pound body had its growing pains and there was a lot of less-than-impressive hockey along the way. Or just the normal learning curve of an up-and-coming defenseman? A WJC appearance was in the cards as well that year, but it was especially clear at that event that he was still a good bit removed from his international peers. His DY+1 felt like a repeat of his draft year, admittedly getting in more DEL action while also experiencing a bit of a step back at both the DEL2 level and WJC. This brings us to this season where the best bet would be to assume more of the same, but he’s changed all that. Right from Day 1 of training camp, Klein played with a purpose and made it clear that he’s a capable DEL defenseman with upside. He’s even been paired the bulk of the season with former NHLer Justin Braun or DEL shooting star Nicolas Mattinen. With 2 goals, 7 points, and a +1 in all 48 games thus far, it’s clearly a career year to date, but what we like is that his 4-way ability has picked up considerably. His feet are moving. He’s got more urgency in his game. He catches and then launches pucks in almost one single motion. He’s heady. He’s aware. He blocks shots and battles out there. We’re seeing a level of confidence not yet seen from him. Whereas a drafting this summer is still highly unlikely, he should become a free agent topic in the coming years if he can continue blooming at the rate displayed this season. (Chapin Landvogt)

Czechia

Jiří Ticháček - Defense - Rytíři Kladno

Ticháček is a small (5'9") yet dynamic offensive defenseman who hasn't been selected in the last three drafts and now it's his last chance. He has taken a significant leap forward compared to last year. Although Ticháček plays for the worst team in the Czech Extraliga, he has a key role and even set a club record for points scored by a defenseman. Ticháček is limited by his height, which is probably the reason he hasn't been picked yet, but after a record-breaking season, he should at least have a chance to make the move to North America. He has exceptional puck-handling skills, remarkable agility and keen ice awareness. He's skilled at stealing the puck from opponents, but it's evident his weaker physical abilities hold him back a bit when it comes to defense. It's questionable whether he will ever make it to the NHL, but Ticháček's record-breaking season should not go unnoticed. (Matej Deraj)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2024 WORLD JUNIORS CHAMPIONSHIP – December 27th, 2024 Game Reviews

Brock Otten — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 14:12:52 +0000

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN - DECEMBER 27: Germany players celebrate after a 4-3 Preliminary Round - Group A win against Finland at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scandinavium on December 27, 2023 in Gothenburg, Sweden. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/IIHF)

Game Recaps

Slovakia 3, Switzerland 0

After a tremendous, rather dominating performance over Czechia the day prior, there was definitely some thought that Slovakia would beat up on Switzerland. Don’t let the scoreline fool you, as Switzerland largely controlled play in this one, outshooting the Slovaks by a rather large margin. No offense meant to the Swiss, but it was a rather flat performance by Slovakia in a game that was a mismatch on paper. If not for goaltender Adam Gajan, the Swiss would have likely taken this one. There’s something about putting on the Slovak jersey that makes Gajan, last year’s top WJC goaltender and an early second round pick of Chicago, an unstoppable force. His third period save on Gregory Weber was a thing of beauty and it preserved a 1-0 lead for Slovakia at the time. Eventually, the Slovaks notched two empty net goals and took this one 3-0 to go to 2-0 in the tournament. Despite the loss, the Swiss have to hold their heads high for how they outplayed Slovakia and must regroup to prepare for an even tougher test against the United States tomorrow. The Swiss coaching staff led by Marcel Jenni has to be especially happy with the performances of Miles Muller, Leon Muggli, and Alessio Beglieri.

Finland 3, Germany 4

What a monumental occasion! The Germans beat Finland for the first time ever at the U20 World Junior Championships, with Finland owning a perfect 25-0 record previously. Right out of the gate, this one felt like an upset, with Germany dominating time of possession in the first period, including outshooting Finland 13-6. Finland managed to secure the lead twice in an action packed second period, but each time Germany battled back. Eventually, Veit Oswald scored his second of the game to put Germany up for good (he opened the scoring in the first period). The third period saw Germany clinging to life, with goaltender Philipp Dietl holding down the fort, including a late powerplay for Finland that they were not able to capitalize on, despite pulling goaltender Niklas Kokko to gain a 6 on 4 advantage. Finland now takes an 0-2 record into their game against Latvia on Friday. Finland will need to win here…and win big (for protection against a three-way tie should Latvia beat Germany), to avoid a disastrous exit into the relegation round. A special note to the Finnish coaching staff; please watch some of Arttu Karki’s highlights from the OHL this season where he works the half wall on the Soo Greyhounds powerplay and is an absolute load to handle. Utilizing him there instead of the point could help the team’s 1 for 10 powerplay thus far.

Czechia 8, Norway 1

For the second straight day, Norway came out and played a very competitive first period against a top hockey nation, only to run out of gas in the second half of the game. The two main offensive cogs in the Czech lineup did their part as both Jiri Kulich and Eduard Sale finished the game with hat tricks. Michael Hrabal was also much sharper in the crease compared to a weak effort against Slovakia on day one. This was a big game for Czechia in order to get back on track before facing the powerhouse Americans on Friday. At this point, the Norwegians have to be proud of how they have played, but closing out games better has to be a priority. They’ll be in tough against Slovakia next but will have Saturday circled on their calendars as the big one as they take on Switzerland in what will likely be a battle to see who ends up in the relegation round.

Canada 10, Latvia 0

It was the Macklin Celebrini show in this game as the draft eligible forward and double underager (for this event) posted five points in the blowout victory. As the Latvians do, they kept the game close early, even if their chances were largely from the perimeter. However, by the third period, they had completely run out of steam and Canada expanded on their blowout. After Canada scored four goals in a span of about four minutes, Latvian coach Artis Abols even took a timeout to try to motivate his team to keep playing. Other than Macklin Celebrini, Carson Rehkopf and Matthew Wood also had big games for Canada, scoring twice each. Ironically, both players were swapping in and out of the Celebrini/Yager line and finding equal success. Wood was apparently battling an illness and was set to be the 13th forward in this game, but judging by his play you would have never known it. Canada now prepares for its biggest test against Sweden on Friday, which will decide who gets the top seed in Pool A.

Three Stars of the Day

#1 Adam Gajan - Goaltender - Slovakia

Last year Gajan came out of nowhere to capture the tournament’s top goaltender award, nearly leading Slovakia past Canada in the quarterfinals. He entered the 2023 tournament as Slovakia’s third string netminder and finished as a household name who would eventually become the 35th overall selection (to Chicago) in the 2023 NHL Draft in his second year of draft eligibility. Now, Gajan enters the 2024 WJC’s with large expectations and thus far he has lived up to them. He was great in Slovakia’s win over Czechia on day one and he was even better on day two against Switzerland posting a well earned shutout. Gajan made 36 saves against Switzerland, including a highlight reel game saving stop in the third period on the penalty kill against Gregory Weber. He was dialed in all game, fighting through traffic to make saves, limiting second chance opportunities, and showcasing his excellent athleticism to cover his posts.

#2 Macklin Celebrini - Center - Canada

I’m sure an argument could be made for Celebrini to be the first star of the day, but Gajan was just so good for his team in preventing a major upset. Celebrini, as previously mentioned, ended the 10-0 blowout of Latvia with one goal and four assists. His goal came after Matthew Wood sprung him on a breakaway where he finished on the backhand. Three of his assists were primary assists, with the setup of Brayden Yager's first period goal being the prettiest as he carved up the neutral zone and hit him with a drop pass after drawing in both defenders by attacking them head on. After two days, Celebrini finds himself at the top of the tournament’s scoring lead and is already 12th all time among U18 scoring for Canada at the event. Given his points per game average thus far and ice time/responsibility received, it seems pretty conceivable that he could pass the likes of McDavid, Crosby, and Lemieux to push into the top five among Canadian U18 players.

#3 Veit Oswald - Wing - Germany

No offense meant to Jiri Kulich and Eduard Sale, who probably deserve a spot on this list after hat tricks against Norway, but Veit Oswald’s two goals were a little more historically important. Oswald, a big winger out of EHC München, opened the scoring for Germany in the first period by banging home a loose puck near the crease during a scramble. Then he scored the eventual game winner in the second period by taking the puck to the net and banking it in off Finnish netminder Niklas Kokko. The second goal was a tad controversial as Oswald clipped skates with Finnish defender Jesse Pulkkinen before receiving the pass that sent him flying down the wing. Pulkkinen fell, affording Oswald the room to make a dash for the net. This is occasionally called interference, but it was not and Oswald made history helping Germany beat Finland for the first time.

MCKEENS 2024 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP GUIDE – Team Germany plus an interview with Norwin Panocha

Chapin Landvogt — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 14:38:30 +0000

Suddenly a regular in the quarterfinals after 3 straight appearances, Team Germany entered last year’s event as the biggest underdog on paper save for Team Austria. Long gone were the entries with names such as Tim Stützle and JJ Peterka, or even Maks Szuber and Benett Rossmy, and the staff was well aware of the uphill battle at hand as they made their way to Maritimes. With relegation once again part of the whole kit and caboodle, both Austria and Germany entered tourney action with December 30th encompassed by big red circles in their calendars. As preliminary round opponents, each knew to reckon with the victor of that game most likely avoiding relegation round play. Fortunately for Team Germany, despite spending the third period doing everything it could to grab defeat from the jaws of victory, a 4-2 triumph meant that the class had been maintained. The ensuing 8-1 loss to Czechia and 11-1 thrashing in the quarterfinal match-up against the US meant little in deterring from the achievement of earning a return ticket.

Germany is now entering this year’s event with some good vibes after strong summer showings and a recent 3-game bout against a group of selects from Finland, losing each contest by just one goal, with one game having gone to overtime. Granted, key returnees Rayan Bettahar (broken jaw) and Phillip Krening (having missed the entire season due to an undisclosed injury) aren’t going to be part of the fray, but Coach Abstreiter will be able to welcome four North American legionnaires to the line-up, with Arizona’s 2022 2nd rounder Julian Lutz being the most prominent of them. In addition, a line featuring former OHLer Moritz Elias, captain Roman Kechter, and current Detroit Red Wings 5th rounder Kevin Bicker went bonkers against Finland in the aforementioned test games, each accumulating between 6-8 points. All three are taking regular shifts in the DEL and will be joined up front in that capacity by Veit Oswald and Eric Hördler, with Oswald currently the DEL’s shooting “youngstar”. In fact, of the roster nominees playing in Germany, all of the forwards are gaining experience at the pro level this season.

Which brings us to the blueline, where we regret to inform you that there are no Mortiz Seiders to wonder at. In fact, the only returnee from last winter’s squad looks to be Philipp Sinn, a Red Bull Juniors regular who made highlight reels last winter with mindboggling defensive miscues. Spearheading the defensive efforts should be Buffalo Sabres 7th rounder Norwin Panocha and DEL youngster Lua Niehus, both of whom were go-to players for the U18 squad, which - we must mention - was unceremoniously relegated last spring. The scouting community would love to see 2024 prospect Paul Mayer, who has gained plenty of DEL experience this season (despite minimal minutes), in action, but he’s not even a lock to be in the top 6. Jakob Weber has been a DEL surprise this year, suiting up 20 times for reigning champ Red Bull Munich, while 6’2” Niklas Hübner brings not only DEL and DEL2 experience, but also spent 23 games in Finland’s top U20 circuit last season. Don’t be surprised to see Michael Reich or Samuel Schindler in the equation as the two program faves have been playing pro hockey all season, with the latter actually making a good bit of music as an Oberliga producer from the blueline.

What is as clear now as with last winter’s squad, is that any German goaltender seeing ice time simply has to reckon with more shots against than his peer on the other side of the ice. Probably far more. Had you asked us this time last year, we’d have said 6’3” Simon Wolf was the given #1 goaltender and he still should be, but his outings for Germany’s U20 squad simply haven’t been impressive this year. Phillip Dietl has been a bright light in Germany’s junior scene but is coming in with precious little pro playing time to date this season. He’s even splitting goaltending duties on his junior team. Third stringer Matthias Bittner has also spent most of his time in goal this season at the junior level but does have a 2-2 record and decent stats in 5 DEL2 outings.

Long story short, none of these guys is a Nikita Quapp, but as with years past, the team likely needs just one preliminary round victory to avoid the relegation round. That win will most likely have to come against Team Latvia, because odds are that group opponents Canada, Finland, and hometown favorite Sweden are simply a number too big. Weighing heavy for Germany could be the fact that Latvia has not only done extremely well against German U20 and U18 outfits over the past decade but is also bringing perhaps its most solid U20 team ever to Gothenburg later this month. While contemplating how Germany fell to Norway at the U18 Worlds last spring, we can’t help but think that Germany may have no choice but to try and return the favor early this January in the relegation round. Or will the cross-program shellshock vis-a-vis the Norwegians be too much to overcome? Without wanting to paint the Norwegians as a lock for the relegation round, you might want to plan with Team Germany being a relegation round participant if the squad doesn’t have any surprises up its sleeve in the preliminary round.

10 to Watch plus a Sleeper

Julian Lutz F

As a 2022 2nd rounder of the Arizona Coyotes, Lutz comes in as Germany’s clearcut go-to player. Truth be told, he’s finally giving his NHL organization a reason to experience a collective sigh of relief. After all, last season was anything but promising and gave reason for concern as he once again dealt with undisclosed injury issues while only producing very modestly with little sustained ice time at the DEL level. His 2 assists in last year’s WJC did little to inspire confidence as well. Now he’s in North America playing for the Green Bay Gamblers and seems to have a new lease on life, already registering 23 points in 19 games. As nice as that is, it’s nothing off the charts for a 19-year-old in a league geared towards producing NCAA players. For sure, Lutz has the power, skating, and offensive wherewithal to be a cog if this German team is going to push its way into a quarterfinal spot. But for that to happen, we’re going to pretty much need to see the best version of Julian Lutz we’ve seen to date.

Roman Kechter C

When Kechter was 16, he jumped down from Swedish juniors to spend the bulk of the pandemic-impacted DEL season with the Nuremberg Ice Tigers, looking like a terribly exciting prospect along the way. He hasn’t been able to build upon that since, despite renewed time with the Rögle organization, a U18 Worlds, and 3 points in 5 games at last winter’s WJC. Now 19, he’s entering this tournament as the team’s captain and he’s, well, red hot. With 15 points in 5 U20 test games this fall, his international play is only confirming his strong DEL showing, where he’s been a 3rd line catalyst for Nuremberg, collecting 5 goals and 12 points in 26 games. Put simply, Kechter is arriving as a serious pro player and he’s exactly what Team Germany needs in Sweden, where he’ll be lining up against a number of players he’s competed against in years past. There’s little talk about Kechter as an overage draftee option, but that could change real quick if he can spearhead an unexpectedly successful tourney for this underdog.

Luca Hauf C/LW

Similar in build and style to Kechter, Hauf is joining Team Germany all the way from Seattle, where he plays for the Thunderbirds of the WHL. It’s his second season in the WHL, having chipped in 21 points in 45 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings last year. He’s upped the ante a tick this season with 10 goals and 16 points in 25 games, but for this German squad, he’s going to need to play bigger. Already a heavy Oberliga contributor as a 16/17-year-old, Hauf has been looked to by the German program to assume a productive role up front, something he did well at the U18 Worlds (3 goals in 4 games) and not so well at this tournament last winter (only 1 assist). But there’s no time like the present for him to make more of his tools and simply be a hard player to defend against. His experience will surely be key, especially as a player who has often been lined up with Lutz in past international events. A first line role is there to be had.

Julius Sumpf C

Half Canadian, Sumpf comes in as Germany’s top overall playmaker and one of the few German players in recent years to have had such a successful transition to CHL hockey.

Currently 5th in scoring for the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL with 28 points and +12 in 30 games, Sumpf has been pivoting one of the top two lines since preseason action. For Germany, he was one of the few noticeable players at last spring’s disappointing U18 Worlds, serving as the team’s topscorer with 2 goals and 4 points in 6 games. What he won’t have in Gothenburg are linemates he’s all that familiar with, although he’s a lock for the top 6 and likely scheduled to line up next to Julian Lutz and Luca Hauf as a trio of North American legionnaires. We’re inclined to think that a strong WJC followed by a big second half push with a solid Moncton team could see Sumpf hear his name taken in next summer’s draft. He’ll have to show his true colors a few times in Sweden for Germany to have any real shot at avoiding relegation.

Norwin Panocha D

Without a doubt, Panocha was the fastest rising talent in Germany last winter. Featuring skating mechanics that may remind a few of Phil Housley, Panocha’s combination of mobility, puckhandling, and strong on-ice awareness allowed him to be a dominant figure in Germany’s junior league while sticking out as one of few German defensemen of international class throughout the season. The Buffalo Sabres snagged him last summer at the top of the 7th round and within weeks, he was scheduled to head to Chicoutimi of the QMJHL, where he’s taken on a regular role and collected 11 assists in 30 games. Granted, only two of those points have come in the last 10 games as Panocha has settled into more of bottom-3 style defensemen after an eye-opening preseason camp with the Sabres and a strong offensive showing in Chicoutimi’s preseason games. At this tournament, Coach Abstreiter will surely have a top 4 role in store for Panocha, even if Abstreiter generally looks to lean on his older players with bigger minutes. Thinkable is that Panocha will man the point on one of the powerplay units, something precious few of his blueline colleagues have been doing this winter.

Kevin Bicker LW

We won’t blame you for being surprised to see Bicker’s name in last summer’s draft, much less as a 5th round pick of the Detroit Red Wings and the first of 3 German players selected. Some may even think that whatever sold the Red Wings on Bicker, they saw it at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where Bicker had his speed and strong offensive skills on display with 4 points in 4 games for a heavily undermanned German side. His 22-23 season wasn’t all that bad, but definitely marred by injury, and featured a single game of pro play outside the DNL, where he did clip at over a point per game. His drafting was followed by a surprising DEL contract with Frankfurt, with whom he’s managed to suit up 24 times this season, despite just a single goal. Internationally though, Bicker has always contributed and is currently on a 3-game international U20 heater, collecting 8 points along the way. He’s here to outskate the opposition and ideally, continue to gel with Kechter and Moritz Elias in an offensive capacity. Enjoy what you see because Bicker can really turn on the turbo when heading up ice.

Veit Oswald RW

Oswald is a bit of a curiosity because all he’s done to date is excel at every step of the way. During his draft year, he was the German DNL’s topscorer and followed that with a solid U18 Worlds performance (3 points in 4 games) in his native Landshut. The next season saw him get into 23 DEL games while looking very comfortable in a secondary scoring role in the nation’s 3rd pro circuit. Now still just 19, he’s been a regular for Red Bull Munich all season long, delighting fans with 5 goals and 7 points in 24 games. More importantly, he’s a joker who has shown himself to be full of intangibles, something that has led to the coaching staff feeling very comfortable about putting him on the ice in all situations. We can expect Coach Abstreiter to lean on this attribute as well with serious top 9 minutes at this tournament. Oswald remains undrafted but there’s little doubt that he’s in the notebooks of scouts throughout the NHL. Will this tourney push him into “surefire overager” territory?

Simon Wolf G

Wolf is a big man who covers a lot of net. He can look hauntingly stoic only to be surprisingly quick on his feet while smothering pucks. Unfortunately, there are times when that puck-smothering turns into rebound city. There are also questions about his ability to read attacks through traffic. Either trend could lead to some ugly results at a WJC. After seeing Arno Tiefensee be drafted as a double overager last summer, Wolf definitely has some incentive in using this tournament to throw his name in the hat this time around. Unlike Tiefensee, he’s not spending this season splitting duties in a DEL net, but rather with Austrian Thomas Pfarrmaier for the Red Bull Juniors. There, Wolf has played 13 of 23 games including 4 of the last 5, putting up an 8-5 record with a 2.52 GAA and 9.15 SV%. He also got into two games a league higher for Salzburg, standing tall with a 1.92 GAA and .933 SV% in those outings. Alas, Wolf has been part of the program for several years now, even being the starter at the 2022 U18 Worlds, but it hasn’t been good. In fact, he hasn’t sported better than a 5.00 GAA in the past 4 years. Ouch!

Moritz Elias RW

A member of the Saskatoon Blades to kick off the 21-22 season (8 points and -8 in 28 games), Elias packed his tent and headed home by the holidays that season, proceeding to collect 15 points over 71 DEL2 games in two seasons before getting picked up last summer by expected DEL bottom-feeder Augsburg. Now officially one of the biggest junior surprises of the DEL season, the 5’8”, 172-pounder has already put up 9 points in 26 games in a lower line capacity, displaying savvy and confidence every step of the way. More importantly, the strong-skating battler has found a niche on the U20 squad together with captain Roman Kechter and Detroit 2023 5th rounder Kevin Bicker, having put up 7 points in 4 test games this fall. Elias will have to be a quiet generator in the background for Team Germany if a playoff spot is going to be a realizable goal.

Paul Mayer D

One of very few German defensemen currently considered to be of draft interest next summer (Edwin Tropmann being the other), Mayer was basically force-fed into DEL play this season by a Mannheim Adler team that has been losing many of its junior talents in recent summers. Only getting a handful of minutes at a time, he then spent 10 games with the team’s DEL2 partner in Bietigheim where he got plenty of action for a struggling team. Two more games with Mannheim, including a showing with almost 15 minutes of ice time, were put on the resume before joining the U20 squad in Gothenburg. For Mayer, this tournament will be less about excelling and more about showing that he can do a lot more swimming than sinking. Despite gobs of size, he just turned 18 three months ago and will see peer competition he’s seldom been exposed to. Germany’s blueline has precious little to offer, so it’d be telling if he isn’t taking a regular shift.

Sleeper

Lia Niehus D

Understandably passed over in the draft last summer, Niehus is a player insiders have been watching closely, and favorably, the past few years. After a fantastic DY-1, he failed to deliver with another step in progress in his draft year, even doing precious little in preventing Germany’s U18 team from relegation last spring. The surprise was rather large around ice hockey Germany when Niehus nonetheless received a DEL contract from regional rival Frankfurt, for whom he’s now suited up 15 times while also getting in 5 games of Oberliga play with farm team Stuttgart. What he’s shown though is that he’s an incredibly confident and shifty defenseman with strong overall mobility and a keen ability of getting pucks to the net. In two recent test games against Switzerland, Niehus was seen manning the point on the power play and jumping out as one of the top overall skaters on the ice. If he doesn’t end up being the sleeper on this club, then 6’3” forward Eric Hördler will be.

***

PORRENTRUY, SWITZERLAND - APRIL 29: Norway's Stian Solberg #10 gets tripped up by a stick while Germany's Norwin Panocha #6 and Linus Brandl #23 look on during Relegation Round action at the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship at Raiffeisen Arena on April 29, 2023 in Porrentruy, Switzerland. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/IIHF)

Q&A with defenseman Norwin Panocha

Here at McKeen’s Hockey, we were thrilled to watch mobile defender Norwin Panocha go from relative anonymity to a player deemed draftable by the NHL within a season’s time. Poise and maturity were regularly put on display in a junior league not quite on par with most of the circuits out there from which players are drafted, but we saw enough to know that what he was doing was above and beyond the norm. Ultimately ranking him 203rd overall in our draft guide, Panocha was selected 205th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in Nashville and proceeded to display his finest traits in the organization’s camp last fall, even getting to suit up for the NHL team for a preseason game in which he went +1.

Expected to be a cog on Germany’s blueline at the WJC, we conducted a short Q&A to get his thoughts on a variety of pertinent topics.

McKeen’s Hockey: Norwin, you find yourself in Sweden where you will be participating in your first ever WJC as a member of Team Germany. When you think about this opportunity to represent your country at this renowned tournament, what goes through your mind?

Norwin Panocha: It’s always a great honor to get to represent your county in any tournament and I’m now all that much more excited to get to do just that at this incredibly important event where we’ll be testing our metal against the best players in the world at this level. I’m also really excited about playing in this tournament with the class players ahead of me - those born in 2004 - and facing the challenges ahead with them.

MH: Your Group A opponents are Canada, Finland, Latvia, and hometown Sweden. It’s a group where no opponent can be taken lightly. Quite the opposite, in fact. What should spectators expect to see from Team Germany over the next 10 days?

NP: A strong team that is very unpleasant to play against. We’ve got a lot of character in this locker room and no matter who the opponent is, they’re going to have to battle hard for every inch out there.

MH: What are you looking forward to the most in the days to come in Gothenburg?

NP: I’m really looking forward to this opportunity to spend the Christmas holidays with my teammates. We’ve got a fantastic group of guys here and I can’t wait to go to war with them and put in a strong performance at this tournament.

MH: This past year has been anything but quiet for you personally. You developed in leaps and bounds with the Eisbären Berlin organization back home. Then you played at the U18 Worlds in Switzerland. Then you got drafted by the Buffalo Sabres and took part in their rookie camp. Now you’re playing for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL, a league that regularly produces NHL stars. How have you grown as a player and person over this period of time?

NP: Oh yes, this past year has been an unbelievable ride and a ton of fun. I’ve met so many new, interesting, and admirable people, all of whom I’ve been able to watch and learn something from.I’m truly thankful for everything I’ve been able to experience, both on and off the ice. I think it’s all helped me a lot in becoming a more mature and responsible player in every facet of the game.

MH: Looking back at the U18 Worlds, a tournament where a lot happens in a short period of time, what does a player go through when his team is relegated at such an event?

NP: It was a very disappointing and frustrating experience in a lot of ways, but especially in knowing that the next generation is now going to have to battle its way back up out of the D1A group. It’s not going to get show what it can do against the best at the highest level. Personally, and perhaps also due in part to the outcome, the U18 tournament in Switzerland was a very positive experience that taught me quite a bit moving forward. Also in preparation for this tournament.

MH: This season, you’re playing for Chicoutimi in the QMJHL. How’s it been going with the transition to a new league and life in a francophone region of Canada?

NP: It was admittedly quite an adjustment at the beginning. In comparison to the junior league I know and am familiar with back home, the game here is much faster and harder, it’s more aggressive, and the competition is generally much larger in size. However, I think I’ve slowly started to arrive in the league and figure everything out.

My life off the ice is running smoothly. My billet family and the people in the organization are wonderful. And I’m at a point where the language isn’t a problem anymore.

MH: With a good 30 games under your belt, what are you expecting from yourself and your team in the second half of the QMJHL season?

NP: I now know what to expect when I head back for the rest of the season. I’m actively trying to improve myself and develop from game to game and shift to shift. Our team is very young but is getting better from game to game as well, and we keep getting more close-knit. It’s all coming together just in time to put in a good playoff push. The experience of this WJC will help me as well moving forward.

MH: What kind of feedback have you received to date from the Buffalo Sabres?

NP: Most particularly after the main camp, but also during the regular season since then, I’ve been hearing from them and getting very positive feedback.

MH: We’re curious. What did you hear from current Buffalo Sabre and German national team member JJ Peterka, perhaps in the days following the draft?

NP: Yes, I got to know JJ at camp with the Sabres. He’s one of my big role models and I can't emphasize enough how cool it was that he promptly congratulated me on getting drafted and offered me his help and support with everything I’ll be encountering in this new environment. That means the world to me.

2024 NHL DRAFT: EARLY SEASON FAVOURITES – Central Europe – Leon Muggli, Vasili Zelenov, Paul Mayer, Veit Oswald

Chapin Landvogt — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 22:54:24 +0000

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

Chapin Landvogt - Central European Regional Scout

Leon Muggli - Defenseman - EV Zug (Swiss NL)

6’0”, 165 pounds - 2006-07-09

2023 is still several months away from concluding, but it’s been a very big year for young Leon Muggli, to say the least. He concluded last season with a regular shift as a 16-year-old in Switzerland’s top U20 circuit, even chipping in 3 points in 6 playoff games. This was followed up by a regular shift at the U18 Worlds in his native country. The summer then saw him taking on a key role as a defensive defenseman at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in what was the best showing Switzerland ever had at the renowned tournament.

This fine resume has now been enhanced by him having made Zug’s NL squad as a 17-year-old, where he’s put up two points and a +8 in 16 games. His TOI has sometimes hovered around 7-8 minutes per game, but he recently had a 6-game swing where he saw no less than 11:37 minutes and topped things off with 15:01 in a personally strong outing against Lausanne. Points have been secondary, but that’s not been his calling card to date. Rather, he’s settling in as a good old fashioned defensive defenseman with an edge to his game.

And while that is largely true, there’s good reason to believe that his contributions could one day increase considerably. He gets the puck to the net with regularity, and he has no qualms about joining the rush if the opportunity is there.

Bring on the videos!

Here we see what we basically see from Muggli (# 41) almost every shift. He’s the definition of the KISS principle. But again, he’s doing it against men as a 17-year-old.

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In defending, we see him making generally strong reads, but also being somewhat unconventional (perhaps as instructed) as we see here with him following his man away from his usual spot in order to suffocate that opponent’s shot attempt all the way up at the top of the slot (to be generous).

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A closer look leads to a number of shifts like the following beauty. Here, he handles a player who is too speedy for him by gaining center ice, then shuts down the next opponent along the boards, only to then join in on the rush, carry the puck into the opposition zone and make a safe, nifty drop pass, then re-orientate himself to his area of responsibility. Not shabby!

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That then leads us to seeing how he has little fear in being part of the rush…

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Sneaking his way into the slot…

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And firing away with wrist and snap shots from the blueline, which is a heavy occurrence…

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That in turn has us believing that he’s going to one day rake in some mid-level pointage with assists much like this one…

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All in all, it’s players like Muggli that one can safely say NHL scouts getting paid to find in the mid- to late rounds of the draft. What we’re seeing here is a player who may well be on his way to becoming a safe NHL option down the line. You should be seeing him at the WJC this winter, so we’ll have a better idea of where he’s at among his peers, even if he’ll be one of the younger participants.

Vasili Zelenov - Center/Winger - Red Bull Hockey Juniors (AlpsHL)

5’11”, 170 pounds - 2006-02-02

A Moscow native, the mid-sized Zelenov is a fluent German speaker who has - like his twin brother Ivan - been playing his hockey for the Red Bull program for no less than the past four seasons. Following up on a fantastic season for the program’s U20 team (as a 16-year-old) in Salzburg in which he collected 59 points in 29 games, including 12 goals in eight playoff games, Zelenov has been pacing the Red Bull Juniors hockey team in scoring this year, currently sitting second on the team with 14 points in 13 contests. He’s doing this as a 17-year-old.

For those not terribly familiar with the team, it’s a U23 outfit playing in a fascinating (if underdeveloped) pro league that stretches across Austria, Italy, and Slovenia. Despite the possibility, there are few players on the squad who are 20 or older, with this year’s edition thus far featuring a surprising number of U19 players. Zelenov has understood this to mean pure opportunity. He’s been strutting his stuff right from Day 1 and has a unique ability to not only stickhandle but slow down the game to create the time and space he wants to make use of. All facets of his game need work, no doubt, but he is just oozing with that oh so famous hockey sense that separates him from most of the competition.

Bring on the videos!

What we see from Zelenov (# 48) in this shift is something we’ve seen a lot of this season. Zelenov is on the move and strong on his edges. His head is swiveling. When it’s time to backcheck, he’s on it. He’s then ready to move in the other direction and start being part of the creative play going on in the offensive zone. He enters into traffic and battle areas as if totally unaware that he’s a 17-year-old playing against men.

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Part of this lack of fear has been demonstrated in many situations where he’s driving play to the slot. We’re fond of seeing a young man make this type of power move to the middle - and getting away with it. He should be punished by the opposition, but he makes it through to create a strong scoring opportunity.

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At other times, we’re enticed by the moves and the ease with which he can slice through the defense. This dandy was one of those shinny-style dangles he shouldn’t be getting away with at this level. And yet, he did…

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But as much as we can attest to a desire to drive the net and put the puck in himself, there’s really some impressive vision to his game. He may ultimately be a better playmaking passer than anything else when all is said and done if things like this little power play dish continue to come from his stick.

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Likewise the play here that sees him hunt down the biscuit and quickly seek the sneaky backhander to a teammate ready to one-time it for a tally.

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Of course, no matter how impressed we are with what we’ve seen from him, there are moments where the heart and mind are there, but the youthful enthusiasm can’t prevent his efforts being all for naught.

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Paul Mayer - Defenseman - Adler Mannheim (DEL)

6’2”, 192 pounds - 2005-09-25

When we see a well-sized kid playing for a DEL powerhouse like Mannheim at the age of 18, it’s usually a very good sign. It wasn’t too long ago that the exact same thing was happening with a young man by the name of Moritz Seider. But we need to be absolutely clear here that there’s good reason to believe that Mayer’s 11 games of DEL play this season, along with two in the Champions Hockey League (1 assist), have much more to do with Mannheim’s recent exodus of young talent from its organization than just about anything else. Mannheim has long been the ne plus ultra of Germany’s talent production, but the pro team is usually so strong and - at least on paper - so stacked, that young talent has had fairly little opportunity to get a sniff of serious DEL action. Look no further than Florian Elias, a young man who effectively centered Tim Stützle and JJ Peterka for one of the most effective WJC lines in recent memory.

This circumstance may be hard to imagine when the aforementioned Seider spent his draft year with the team only to be followed a season later by Stützle, who for all intents and purposes was a regular for the Adler in his draft year. In addition, although a two year overager, goaltender Arno Tiefensee was drafted just this past summer and has currently started 9 of the team’s 17 games to date. Alas, several of the junior program’s top players have jumped ship in recent summers to sign with interleague competition because, well, the path to the top would seem much shorter. Enter Paul Mayer, a well-built defenseman who made his DEL2 debut already with Kaufbeuren at the age of 16.

The young blueliner, whose father is a former national team defenseman and long-time pro, was brought in last season to anchor the blueline with the club’s DNL team but it was only the first of what is believed to be a 3-year deal in which pro play was basically guaranteed. His DNL season with Mannheim was, as expected, a very productive one that had him looking like a player ready for bigger tasks. What we have seen this season have been minimal minutes in the DEL over 12 games and another two Champions Hockey League outings (in which he had 10-16 minutes of ice time and collected his one point this season). A few DEL games saw him get just under eight minutes of play, but several others have been like his most recent outing in which he saw under four minutes of ice time.

This led to him being sent to Bietigheim of the DEL2 where he’s taken a fairly regular shift and gone +2 in three contests.

Bring on the videos!

Watching the tape shows us that Mayer (# 59) is truly quite raw. He doesn’t look small on the ice, but everything he does is a challenge. There’s effort and you can see that he’s figuring out just how much he’s allowed to think for himself and well, weighing that with letting the instincts take over. For many DEL shifts, he’s looked a bit like a fish out of water. For many others we see events unravel as they do here where he does an admirable job getting into the opposition zone, grabbing the puck along the boards and keeping it in the zone only to have to charge back in a one-on-one situation where it looks like he’s got everything covered, but then gets beat rather clearly by a seasoned pro.

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All part of the learning process for now.

But there are things he’s been effective at, especially when it comes to grabbing neutral zone pucks and moving them in the other direction ASAP, leading to prolonged attack time in the opposition zone.

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Not long thereafter, he successfully suffocates an attacker who looks like he should be able to get to the puck and break through. However, Mayer reads it well and uses his long reach to not only end any hopes but successfully move the puck up the boards.

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To his credit, there are lots of times where he just hasn’t been able to get the puck under control or keep it where he wants it to be, often with pushing and shoving and boardwork all part of the equation. But he will work to get back and try to cover up for the prior weakness, such as we see him successfully do here.

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Offensively, there’s really nothing to write home about. He keeps things extremely simple, but we have liked that he’s recently shown a better awareness in how much time he may have at the blueline and looking to vary things up a bit. A prime example of this was just last weekend and you like to see this out of a young man this age who is still feeling everything out at this level.

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In addition, the kind of moving in from the point seen below tells us that there’ll be more offensive opportunities down the line and that - whether it be a set play from the coaching staff or just a one-time thing - there’s an understanding for making use of time and space to become part of the offensive attack.

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For now, we feel Mayer will be well-served by some sustained playing time in the DEL2. It’s still a strong league chock full of experienced and heavy players. He’d be bound to get more ice time as well. He needs it. He needs to play and develop. We understand Mannheim’s desire to show a volatile junior circuit that young guys will get a shot at this level, but it shouldn’t be at the cost of the player if said player is simply better served with more time at another level.

Mayer will be part of Germany’s three U20 test games against Finland from November 8th-12th and is felt to be a prime candidate for the WJC squad, so we’re thinking he’s going to look like a much more mature and seasoned player once February swings around.

Veit Oswald - RW - EHC München Red Bull (DEL)

6’1”, 170 pounds - 2004-08-31

Another one of those names you don’t see every day, Veit (pronounced ‘fight’) Oswald has been aptly battling his way to a pretty nice gig in the DEL as a 19-year-old. It’s been a slow but certain climb to a solid lower line role in which the youngster is quietly seeing between 8-12 minutes of ice time at the DEL level for the still loaded returning champs in Munich. That ice time has even inched up to 16 minutes in Champions Hockey League play. While already raising some eyebrows in the early part of the season for sticking with the big club and getting a few shifts, he’s now posted five points in his last 6 games for the Red Bulls and gets shifts with some higher profile players every now and again.

Perhaps (un)surprisingly, Oswald just hasn’t been able to generate all that much international interest to date despite a fairly decent body of work to this point. In his first year of draft eligibility, he led the DNL in scoring and earned himself a spot on the U18 team for a World’s tourney held right in his hometown of Landshut, where his family name is well-known in the ice hockey community. His three points in four games had him tied for second in team scoring. He then entered the pro ranks the season thereafter, where he was solid in the country’s 3rd pro circuit and got into 25 under-the-radar contests with Munich in the DEL (3 assists). That was accompanied by a WJC appearance in which he had two points for a terribly low-scoring German side.

Now he’s in his D+2 although he’ll be 19 right on through next summer’s draft.

Bring on the videos!

What we’ve liked about his offense is that he’s been opportunistic. He’s going to the net, he’s taking the puck to the net, he’s getting the puck to the net, and sticking around the crease for garbage goal opportunities. Sure, he’s light for his 6’1” frame, but he’s pesky and hangs around despite being pushed around. He keeps those feet moving and his speed can be surprising. Wearing number 27, you can see that lankiness in his build, but the effort can jump out at you.

This all said, not every goal has to be pretty, but every team needs these kinds of goals.

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A number of his goals and assists this year have resulted from scenarios such as that, but the commonality lies in the continued presence around the goal and in the slot. He can score them like this too.

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Hanging around in this area has also led to the nifty assist or two along the way, with this one being a lovely piece of work born of simplistic quick-thinking urgency.

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But these were just scenarios where he’s been involved in scoring. What we’ve liked almost more is his readiness to attack and generally the type of deployment he’s gotten, even in times when a team wouldn’t necessarily go with a U20 player with so much on the line. Simply put, there doesn’t appear to be any fear in his game when it comes to challenging the opponent and forcing the play. We’ll spare you the forechecking videos, of which there are many, and hone in on a few of the most attractive traits coming from a player his age at this level.

Talk about safe entry, Oswald grabs the puck right off the face-off and charges up the ice with speed, entering the opposition zone without any ado, only to turn up and deliver it to the incoming blueliner. Et voila, you’re set up in the opposition zone just like that.

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Makes it look easy, eh?

On this recent shift, Oswald made two simple and effective zone entries (the first at the 24-second mark) that showed no hesitation and no nerves. In fact, you might usually think unestablished players this age would just get the puck and dump it in, but he’s showing no hesitation in getting the puck deep in the zone in another, more confident manner.

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Then you look at how the coaching staff has him playing on the shorthanded unit with less than 12 minutes to go in a game where his team is leading 4-2. That alone says something, but then you watch the shorthanded opportunity he creates here, and it becomes a lot less surprising where that trust is coming from.

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Another thing that has caught our attention is that although he’s not out there flopping around and throwing his body at every shot, he’s been very apt at shortening the opposition’s time and space for getting shots off, maintaining a safe distance only to stand in front of - and often block - shots, particularly from the blueline.

We saw this all the time in juniors a few years back…

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But we’re seeing it quite a bit at the pro level, basically on a nightly basis.

Be it on the backcheck…

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/8-veit_oswald_-_shot_blocking_-_1st_period_15_16_-_15_23.mp4

Be it in the slot…

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Or in charging to block shots from the point…

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The point here being that he’s already developed into a trustworthy and safe option in his own end of the ice. He’s earning his minutes and they’re on the uptick. He’s becoming the U20 story of the season in the DEL.

We’re thoroughly expecting him to be a key top six member of the WJC squad this winter. If we’re able to see the maturity he’s garnered from his pro play this season in the form of a standout performance in Gothenburg, we’d have to think that only a major second half crash could prevent him from being a strong option as an overager at next summer’s draft.

GERMAN PROSPECT MUSINGS 2022 #1 – Weak draft group, Rossmy’s late season surge, Germany host U18 World Championship, and more

Chapin Landvogt — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 18:03:29 +0000

Bennet Rossmy. Photo by Dan Hickling, Hickling Images

German Prospect Musings

The DEL season has now concluded and there are ultimately few surprises in the grand scheme of things. The reigning champion Eisbären Berlin, featuring draftees Dominik Bokk and Johan Södergran as well as overage draft-eligibles Tobias Ancicka and Bennet Rossmy, can be found at 1st overall while Krefeld is the team that finished last, meaning it will be relegated if the Frankfurt Lions of the DEL2 manage to win the DEL2 championship, for which they are still in the running. Many factors led to the last place finish for a Krefeld team that entered the season with a ton of established European pros and former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Jeremy Bracco, who did become the team’s top scorer. Saddening is that no DEL team was more ready and willing to provide ice time to youngsters, including regular shifts for WJC performers Alexander Blank, Justin Volek, Maciej Rutkowski, and Nikita Quapp, who of course is a Carolina Hurricanes prospect.

Quapp did end up seeing a bit of ice time this year but cannot claim to have been more than average behind a porous defense, one that had for several stretches of the season only had four or five bodies, with the top three long since lost to injury. In fact, his 4.04 GAA and .875 save percentage tell a much different story. His teammate Blank has, however, - in conjunction with his outstanding WJC performance - become the nation’s top overager on the draft front and perhaps its best prospect available for this draft. Should the team truly be relegated, which would be as unfathomable for the German ice hockey scene as seeing Modo or HV71 or Djurgarden drop down in Sweden, both young men will definitely be playing their ice hockey elsewhere next season.

What the DEL season did show was teams getting hit by Covid at various junctures and a ton of rescheduled games, which often led to 4-game weeks for several teams. This led to a situation where any number of teams could look like world-beaters on one evening, and juniors the next. Powerhouses such as Mannheim and Munich each suffered through various losing streaks and the odd blowout loss along the way.

Poor year on the prospect front

Despite all the thin line-ups and number of games that saw junior-aged players dressed (if for no other reason than) to prevent the team from having to forfeit a game, several players did manage to gain considerable ice time and throw their name into this summer’s draft hat. In addition to Blank, Munich’s Filip Varejcka and Maks Szuber each assumed much larger roles with more considerable ice time than anyone would have imagined coming into the season. It’ll be Szuber’s third go at it despite first turning 20 in August. For Varejcka, who has never quite been able to obtain draft consideration, it’s his last shot at age 21. A host of other young men saw some time with the DEL club, including Sebastian Cimmermann and Thomas Heigl, but the biggest disappointment this season has been Germany’s top overall prospect for this year’s draft, Julian Lutz.

It’s no real fault of his own. Lutz was injured right before the season began and despite being known as a fitness nut and winner of many internal fitness competitions within the Red Bull organization, couldn’t make it back into the line-up until several weeks ago. Coming back has been a slow process and his 1-2-3 and +3 scoreline in 13 games isn’t screaming “Yes, I’m a top 90 pick”, but simply being back has given his draft chances quite the boost. What we’ll now have to see is just how far Munich goes this spring, as Lutz is eligible for the U18 Worlds being hosted right here in Germany (more on that later). When healthy, the DEL club has more than enough organizational depth to do without Lutz, but will he become integral enough to a go at the championship to dispatch him to the U18 team?

We may know very soon.

Another young man who was thought to spend his initial draft year in the DEL was 17-year-old Luca Hauf. Yes, he got into 12 games with the aforementioned last place club but had zero points and a minus rating. It was a step too much for him. He continued to ravage the nation’s 3rd league to the tune of 32 points in 25 games and the nation’s junior league with 14 points in four games, but most interesting has been his three points and +2 in seven DEL2 contests with the Frankfurt Lions. Yes, that’s right, with the one team that could replace Krefeld in the DEL next year. His spring in the DEL2 will also determine if he’ll be able to participate in the U18 worlds.

Both Lutz and Hauf would be 2/3rds of U18 Germany’s first line.

A couple of other top candidates for the big tourney are Moritz Elias and Leo Hafenrichter. Fans of CHL leagues will recognize those names right away, as both were drafted by and began the season with a WHL and OHL club, respectively. Both returned. Both have since been playing regularly in the DEL2. Neither has done much in the point production department, but each has been an integral part of some interesting playoff success.

Elias’ Heilbronn Falcons knocked off the Dresden Loewen, who had spent much of the season in first place and finished 2nd overall. Kassel was a huge favorite coming into the season, but Hafenrichter’s Bad Nauheim just took them out in seven games. It’s doubtful that either team will survive the next round of the playoffs, so there really should be no danger of missing out on the U18 tournament. Both will be needed for their skillset, but also their knowledge of North American players, seeing as how Germany will be in a group with both Canada and the USA.

Lastly, we’d like to mention Roman Kechter, who plays in Sweden for Rögle BK, the same club top prospect Marco Kasper is playing for. As opposed to Kasper, whose name is popping up everywhere as a 1st round option for the draft, Kechter has taken a fairly large step back in his prospect status this season after having gained 21 games of DEL experience as a 17-year-old last season. That making his way into the SHL shouldn’t be expected was clear, but Kechter has played a bit of a menial role for the club’s U20 team, collecting 15 points in 31 games. Granted, he just turned 18 in mid-February and will have not only the Swedish junior playoffs to build his status with, but also the tournament in Landshut and Kaufbeuren. Of course, Kechter is currently seen as a Swedish prospect.

All things considered, the top names for first year eligible German prospects are going to need to make use of a big season-concluding tournament in order to really make themselves into possibilities for the draft. At this juncture, only Lutz seems to be a sure-fire pick and even that will be mostly based on what he did last season.

Late season splurge

Rossmy, Germany’s U18 captain last spring, was basically the top first year eligible prospect in Germany last season aside from Haakon Hänelt, a Washington Capitals draft pick who has come to play all of seven games for the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL. But Rossmy spent the bulk of this season showing the NHL scouting community that they were right to take a wait and see approach in drafting him. He wasn’t able to produce in the DEL in over twenty games from the Eisbären Berlin and his DEL2 play didn’t see him chip in at the level he did just last season as a 17-year-old.

Well, something went click in this year’s relegation round, when it mattered most. There he exploded for four goals, 11 points, and a +8 rating in just five games. Once the class was retained for his Lausitzer Foxes, Berlin called him back up and he promptly scored his second DEL goal of the season in a 5-1 victory over Augsburg. To jog your memory, the 6’3”, 195-pound winger was part of Germany’s U20 team this winter and will spend the rest of the season with 1st place Berlin, which starts its playoff run this week.

Junior champions decided

The junior season has concluded in Germany’s top three junior circuits, namely the DNL (U20), U17, and U15, and it’s been a dandy of a season for a bunch of young people have missed out on championships over the past two years, particularly with respect to the DNL.

That’s where we’ll start as this end result was the season’s biggest surprise. The new champion is the Eisbären Berlin Juniors and despite the DEL team’s many achievements, it’s the first ever title in four attempts for the boys from the German capital. Adding to the nuance was that Berlin had to defeat Cologne in a Best-of-Three series, one that featured three very hard-fought battles ending 4-3 in OT, 5-3, and then 3-2. In fact, it’s the first time since 2010 that a team other than the Mannheim Jungadler had won the title. In total, Mannheim has taken the prize 17 times in the league’s 20-year history. Cologne had disposed of Mannheim rather convincingly in the semifinals with results of 3-0 and well, 3-0. Quiet for Mannheim in those losses were both Ralf Rollinger and Luigi Calce, who have spearheaded the team’s attack and are draft eligible for the first time this year.

The top scorer of the playoffs was Pascal Steck (member of last spring’s U18 team in Texas) with 3-8-11 in five games, but Berlin’s Kevin Handschuh proved the hero with the game-winner in the final and his league-leading 8th tally. The league’s top scorer this season was Veit Oswald, with 28-23-51 in 31 games, a player you can count on seeing at the upcoming U18 Worlds. First turning 18 on August 31st, he’ll be one of the youngest players technically available in this summer’s draft.

Mannheim did however wrap up the championships at the U17 and U15 levels, continuing to lead the nation’s charge in prospect development. Names we’ll be following very closely in the coming years are Kevin Bicker, Linus Brandl, Lua Niehus, Max Herzogs, twins Gustav and Rihards Griva (GER-LAT dual citizens), and newly acquired defenseman Paul Mayer. These are all players who are first draft-eligible between 2023-25, but the younger guys have already been getting considerable ice time with the higher league teams.

Germany hosting U18 Worlds

The last time Germany hosted the U18 Worlds was in 2011, when the JT Miller and Seth Jones-led USA defeated the Mika Zibanejad-led Team Sweden in a thrilling 3-2 overtime dual. That tournament also featured a line for Russia that set all tournament scoring records, namely Nail Yakupov and Nikita Kucherov flanking Mikhail Grigorenko.

There’ll be no Team Russia or Belarus at this year’s tourney and that means there will only be eight teams. The scouting community was licking its chops to see no less than Slovakia added, but the Slovaks are hosting the D1B U18 Worlds and that just couldn’t be pushed off for a number of financial and organizational reasons. For Germany, that will stiffen the competition with little time to prove itself. The good news is that no-one will be relegated, and each team is making the playoffs. That makes the preliminary round a warm-up and jostling for initial playoff opponents. Otherwise, it’s clear as day that Germany will be an underdog, even with Latvia also participating in the tournament. The Latvians have traditionally been a nightmare for the German squad at this event.

For now, Germany is holding a camp consisting primarily of DNL and Red Bull Academy junior players. The big name on the team is, of course, Lutz, but no less than goaltenders Philip Dietl and Leon Willerscheid, defensemen Leo Hafenrichter, Niklas Hübner, and Michael Reich, as well as fellow forwards Moritz Elias and Luca Hauf spent time this season playing DEL or DEL2 hockey. In addition, forwards Daniel Assavolyuk and Philip Krening spent the season with RB Hockey Juniors in the AlpsHL while Nikita Krymskiy spent the entire season playing Oberliga hockey. There is some verifiable pro experience on the team.

In addition, coach Alexander Dück’s U18 squad will play several test games against the nation’s U17 team, which features players such as defensemen Mayer, Niehus, and Alex Vladelchtchikov as well as forwards Bicker, Brandl, Noah Samanski, Julius Sumpf, and Paul Vinzens. There are many involved in Germany’s junior ranks who feel this wave of players trumps many of the current, older candidates. As such, the opportunity is there for several underagers to still be a part of the upcoming U18 Worlds. And that’s taking into account that Willerscheid and the highly touted Edwin Tropmann are 2005-born players who are already currently in the U18 camp, meaning their spot on the team is basically chiseled into stone.

Prospect tidbits

The season ended disappointingly for the RB Hockey Juniors of the AlpsHL. The team started the year strongly and then saw things get tougher once all the players returned from the canceled WJC. In the pre-playoffs, the team quickly lost its best-of-three series 2-0. With that, the season was over for a good handful of young men the scouting community would have loved to see in continued action.

For Germany, that meant that the aforementioned Krening could concentrate on the upcoming U18 Worlds. A bit lost in the fray, Krening is a first eligible prospect who missed a good chunk of the season to injury. The 5’11”, 175-pounder is however one of the most promising skill players in this year’s prospect batch and actually managed to put up 6-4-10 and a +2 in the 16 games he did play. That had him on pace for approximately the same amount of points we saw out of Lutz last year. We’ll be keeping a close eye on him should he be representing Team Germany in Landshut.

In North America, several players we’d like to touch upon have seen their college seasons come to an end while one more finds himself playing in the NCAA’s Final Four this week, namely Julian Napravnik of Minnesota State University. With 49 points in 38 games, he’s currently 4th overall in the nation in scoring. It will be interesting to see what that means as a soon-to-be free agent, who will naturally look to add to his scoring feats and trophy cabinet on the biggest weekend of his young career to date.

Two others we’d like to point out are Lukas Kälble and Tommy Pasanen, both of whom suited up for Clarkson this winter. The former was a 5th year senior and led the team’s blueline in scoring with 7-15-22 in 32 games. He has signed with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL and has one point in three games. Highly sought after by German pro teams, Kälble is reported as now wanting to make his way up the North American minor league circuit with an NHL contract in site down the line. The 6’4”, 218-pound Pasanen completed his first season of play with seven points in 28 games, but the righty shot was also a +16. He has another three years of NCAA eligibility and is a name we’ll be keeping close tabs on as his career progresses.

GERMANY: PROSPECT MUSINGS III

Chapin Landvogt — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 13:59:20 +0000

GERMAN FRONT PROSPECT MUSINGS III

With the IIHF Men’s World Championships long since concluded, the German ice hockey scene can look back at what was a resoundingly positive season, having finished 4th overall at the WC tournament after conducting a DEL season that saw only one game be cancelled due to implications of the Coronavirus. Despite the national team’s disappointing quarterfinal and bronze medal game losses to Finland and the USA respectively, Germany is now ranked 5th overall in the IIHF’s world rankings. This puts them ahead of Sweden and the Czech Republic - for the time being.

The team that suited up in Riga, Latvia, didn’t feature any draft-eligible prospects, but it did feature the country’s top three drafted prospects outside of the NHL in Moritz Seider, Lukas Reichel, and JJ Peterka, with Florida’s Justin Schütz having been one of the last cuts before the tournament. Aside from Reichel’s five points in the first two games, all three got onto the scoring sheet at the tournament and Seider was even named the WC’s top overall defenseman, an honor previously unknown to German players, much less those strutting their stuff as 20-year-olds. It would seem that after having already been named the SHL’s Defenseman of the Year, the physical all-rounder is on the fast path to a fixed spot on the Red Wings’ blueline.

For Reichel, who mixed in a few costly turnovers among his many highly creative and effective plays, he put pen to paper on his ELC with the Chicago Blackhawks several weeks ago, coming off a regular season in which he centered the top line for the DEL’s champion Eisbären Berlin. Put simply, he may be coming off one of the best seasons any drafted prospect outside of the NHL had in a hockey world that has very much been scarred by the worldwide pandemic. Of course, the same could be said about Seider too.

Peterka and Schutz enjoyed nothing close to the same success, but each took steps in their development and clearly had their best pro seasons to date. Starting things out for Salzburg in the Austrian-based ICEHL, Peterka managed to chip in 16 points and a +4 rating in just 12 games while Schütz collected 15 and a -1 in 25 games. The tide flipped a bit once both were finally brought in to play with their mother club, the Munich Red Bulls. Schütz tallied 11 goals, 21 points, and a +11 rating over 34 games while Peterka did pretty much the same with 10 goals, 21 points, and a +8 rating over 32 games, having had his outstanding WJC (10 points in 5 games) in between the two pro stints. Alas, both experienced a very disappointing playoffs when their team was swept right in the first round by Ingolstadt, but both will be in very promising positions should they end up in Munich for a third season.

All things considered, the teams owning the rights to all four of these players can be happy with the steps taken this past season.

Bennet Rossmy. Photo by Dan Hickling, Hickling Images

U18 experience very telling

It was a very good thing that the first U18 WC tournament in two years was one in which no team was relegated, as Team Germany faced a number of challenges that ultimately heavily influenced the team’s performance at the tournament and would, in a normal year, have seen Germany playing against Latvia in a relegation round. The team was looking like it could have been quite interesting, and there were plenty of candidates who had spent this past winter playing pro hockey at some level. But the ideal situation crumbled very quickly.

As things were, the extended roster headed to camp filled with players who had only played 8-12 games of DNL hockey before their seasons were cancelled at the beginning of November 2020. Then a number of candidates had to step out due to injury or Covid, and this unfortunately included the nation’s top 1st year eligible prospect for this summer’s draft, DELer Haakon Hänelt, as well as three of the four most promising prospects for the 2022 NHL Draft, DEL winger Roman Kechter, DEL center Moritz Elias, and defenseman Leo Hafenrichter, each of whom was scheduled for a spot on the top two lines. In fact, the 16-year-old Hafenrichter was even expected to be on the top defensive pairing.

This led to a situation where Coach Steffen Ziesche had to put together a team where regular shifts would be taken by young men who hadn’t played competitive hockey since November. A few others had seen a few shifts here or there for a 3rd tier pro team. To make matters worse, the team’s test game weekend in Switzerland right before the flight to the States had to be cancelled due to a Covid outbreak, leaving it with no attempt to truly test its lines and systems until one single test game was set up in Texas, ironically against Latvia, to whom it lost.

Sadly, for Germany, the team also found itself in the tournament’s Group of Death, facing off against four of the world’s traditional top six nations in the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, and the host USA. The schedule didn’t help either. The Czech Republic was expected to be the most beatable opponent in the group, but Germany faced them right off the bat in its first game, having only played that one test game beforehand. A 3-1 loss in which goaltender Nikita Quapp made a number of very noticeable saves and was considered quite solid, but it never really felt like Germany was much of a threat and, as should have been expected, there were plenty of unforced, self-caused turnovers and errors that a more routine and practiced team likely wouldn’t have been guilty of.

Germany got a bit better over the next two games against Russia and the USA, with a 5-3 loss to the USA serving as a moral victory of sorts, but with the team out of playoff contention after three games, Coach Ziesche decided to start the team’s third string goaltender, Luca Ganz. This was surely a nice gesture, but the young man had only played two games this year and they were each last fall. The Finns proceeded to lead the game 2-0 after their first few shots and 5-0 after 13 minutes of play. The end result was 10-0, but the game felt like it was over after the first two goals against, for all intents and purposes. Ganz was left in net the entire time and the team played as if it was ready to head to the airport.

Considering Quapp was fighting to be a draft selection this summer and Simon Wolf (2022 eligible), who was quite solid for the majority of the game against the USA, is the likely starter for Germany next spring, one has to wonder what good this decision was for any of Germany's three goaltenders? It didn't help a guy playing for his draft position nor did it have an eye on the future when relegation will likely be part of the story again. In addition, what act of charity was it to keep a clearly overwhelmed netminder in goal for 10 goals against at a level of play he just wasn't ready for?

Whether related or not, Ziesche has since been replaced by former DEL defenseman Alexander Dück, who took over at the beginning of June.

FRISCO, TX USA - APRIL 26: Germany's Julian Lutz #16 skates with the puck while the Czech Republic's Jakub Altrichter #18 chases him down during preliminary round action at the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship at Comerica Center on April 26, 2021 in Frisco, TX USA. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/HHOF-IIHF Images)

What we did learn from the U18

With Hänelt sidelined, left wing Bennet Rossmy took over as the team’s captain and really tried doing all he could to make this a Cinderella tournament for Germany. He collected a few points, he threw some hits, he tried to be a playmaker - it was all for naught in the standings, but there’s a chance that he raised his draft prospects in the process. He’s coming off a year in which he spent the entire season playing for a DEL2 club in Germany’s second-best pro circuit, so he is one of the few German players to get in a full season of play.

Tiny tot defenseman Sandro Mayr showed some very good wheels and overall skating prowess, even though his proficiency dropped as the tournament wore on. It will be interesting if the rest of his game catches up to his feet over time. Defenseman Maxim Rausch might have been a bigger story too if pro rules had been called here instead of international junior league rules, as he can really use the body and knows how to box players out. Adrian Klein really is this year's top 17-year-old defenseman in Germany, and one could see why at this tournament. However, he was painstakingly careful in all he did, making it obvious that he's been playing pro hockey at a level so high (the DEL) that he's used to being on an extremely short leash.

Although all three of Germany's goaltenders got a start, Quapp got into two and put on a performance that only confirmed the progress he made this past winter in making it to the DEL. The Russian-speaker had several real nice moments against Russia and there was a definite difference in composure to that of his two teammates. With size and quickness from post to post on display, the results were less important than the analysis of his tools, as Germany's team defense was simply overwhelmed for large stretches of play.

We nonetheless saw one of this winter’s top German prospects leave us very disappointed, namely forward Sebastian Cimmermann. Yes, he had a nice counterattack goal against the US (one the goalie should have had), but he seemed to have very little overall puck contact and was always chasing the play. He was physically overmatched in most instances. In addition, he was on a line with Thomas and Nikolaus Heigl, both teammates of his at the Red Bull Academy, and both having had far less experience than him this past winter, yet both were far more visible and positively active than Cimmermann. In essence, it was hard to say that he showed the scouting community anything that would lead an NHL team to use one of its seven standard picks on him.

Julian Lutz is Germany's top prospect for the 2022 draft, and some would surely say we saw that here at this tournament, but those having seen him play in the AlpsHL this season will tell you that he didn't even begin to show what he’s capable of in Texas. He seemed hemmed up and just not ready to unleash the lion inside him. Alas, we'll have to wait for him to arrive internationally next year when he'll likely be on the WJC and U18 teams.

Forwards Connor Korte and Robin van Calster got better with each of the first three games and whereas we didn’t really see why exactly Korte put up 20 goals in Switzerland’s top U20 league, we did see that it's a crying shame that van Calster missed just about the entire season when the junior league was cancelled. He definitely showed that he possesses the kind of skill that usually entices NHL talent seekers. A surprise addition to the team, winger Roman Zap was all over the place in a skating capacity and would have been the team's top scorer had he made good on a penalty shot along the way, but for all his spirited forechecking and successful pokechecking, too many plays died when the puck was actually on his stick. That was likely a result of not having played a real game since November.

OTTAWA, ON - MARCH 22: Ottawa Senators Left Wing Tim Stutzle (18) skates during the first period of the NHL game between the Ottawa Senators and the Calgary Flames on March 22, 2021 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Steven Kingsman/Icon Sportswire)

Draft now in sight

The euphoria in hockey circles caused by the combination of a WJC playoff performance, the successful rookie season by Tim Stützle, and a DEL league that played some of its most attractive hockey ever despite almost not having taken place whatsoever has been extremely positive this year. This is especially true in light of the plethora of U21 players who saw time in the DEL, much less the DEL2 and Oberliga, many of whom having taken a regular shift.

That all led to more attention for the sport at the nationwide level with a 4th place finish at the Men’s WC. Indeed, a bronze medal would have taken things all that much further as the sport was seen on news channels, in magazines, and online at a level last seen with its silver medal at the 2018 Olympics, giving it a seldom seen rate of exposure two times within a 3-year period.

What will this mean for the upcoming draft?

As we detailed all winter, there is no Seider and there is certainly no triumvirate of forwards such as Stützle, Reichel, and Peterka to select from. Instead, we have a group topped by overage prospect Florian Elias who capped off his wonderful WJC performance and strong DEL season with the DEL’s Rookie of the Year award, although truth be told, there were a few first-year players who either had considerably better stats or meant a good bit more to their respective clubs. He didn’t have a lot of points for Mannheim, but each of his three goals were a thing of beauty, leading many to believe that he’s in store for a much bigger role next season.

After Elias, our list already ventures into a diaspora of young talents who are surely in the scouts’ notebooks, but there’s simply no telling if any team will be willing to take a shot on them in a draft that will feature a boatload of no less than Canadian players who played condensed seasons in the QMJHL and WHL as well as those who had no season whatsoever as part of the OHL. Will weight be placed on players who the scouting community actually got to see play? Will the handful of talents on our list be seen more favorably because they spent this year playing pro hockey? Were other prospects already scouted at such a rate in previous seasons that they’ll still be at the top of the lists for a number of teams?

More specifically, will a guy like Luca Münzenberger, who truly opened some eyes at the WJC, become a forgotten commodity, because his commitment to the University of Vermont prevented him from playing pro hockey this winter? Will the aforementioned Rossmy be a surefire, late round pick because he had a full season of pro hockey and showed his wares at the U18 while his 6’3”, 195 lbs. frame surely makes him enticing for a number of teams one way or the other?

Will an NHL team look at a big kid like 6’3”, 205 lbs. defenseman Klein, consider his full Oberliga season with 16 and full DEL season with 17, throw aside his rather measly offensive stats, and place extra weight on him first turning 18 on September 19th?

Does someone favor Hänelt so much from what they saw of him at Red Bull Academy that they’ll look past his injury woes that caused him to miss both the WJC and U18 as well as his one point in 22 DEL outings?

It’ll be an interesting draft for many reasons, but it would be most realistic to feel that there will be very few German names called. The lack of star power combined with incomplete bodies of work topped by some young kids having played against much older and more mature competition leaves for a difficult take on just what NHL potential lies in this year’s class.

On the other hand, hope springs eternal in a year in which many of the hockey community’s most scouted junior regions were hit hard by our Corona realities, perhaps opening a few draft weekend doors that might not otherwise be opened!

We’re thinking there may just be a surprise or two for the German scene come the end of July.

WJC und U18 teams already preparing for next winter’s challenges

Both Germany’s U20 and U18 teams held summer camps over the past few weeks, giving the program and players a solid opportunity to start forming the teams and pay some very careful attention to the details and gameplans that coaches Tobias Abstreiter (U20) and the aforementioned Dück (U18) wish to implement. In light of last year’s challenges, these measures are very positive and give the scouting community the opportunity to see what’s possibly in store this winter in Edmonton and then next spring right in Germany, where the nation will host the U18 worlds.

That U18 team will feature a number of names that will be of interest for the 2022 NHL Draft, most notably Lutz, Wolf, Luca Hauf, and Rayan Bettahar, who has the option of spending this next winter playing for Swift Current in the WHL. All four return from this spring’s tourney in Texas. The team will also feature a number of young men whose names have played a big role in German ice hockey history including Veit Oswald, Philip Ziesche, Eric Hördler, and Mason Sturm, who is – you guessed it – son of former NHLer Marco Sturm. In Hördler’s case, his father Frank currently plays for the Eisbären Berlin, with whom he has won eight DEL titles. In addition, Jesse Kauhanen’s father is Ilpo is a Finnish national who spent the bulk of his career in the DEL and still works and resides in Germany. Lastly, Moritz Elias is the younger brother of draft-eligible Florian and spent 16 games in the DEL last season, collecting two points along the way. Also, in attendance is Hafenrichter, who should be seen as Germany’s top draft-eligible defenseman for the 2022 draft.

For the WJC squad, 10 returnees from last year’s team will also be part of a special event this month in which the team will meet together in Füssen, Germany, before hosting the U20 Summer Challenge, which will pit the team against the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Slovakia. In total, 28 players have been nominated from the event, but not all of them were part of the camp earlier this summer, including DELers Elias and Simon Stowasser as well as part-time DEL2 defenseman Paul Reiner. A noticeable absentee for this notable mid-summer event will be defenseman Münzenberger, who was on the ice for over 22 minutes a game at the last WJC.

For scouts in attendance, it’ll not only be an excellent opportunity to gauge the progress of overagers whose tourney was cut short due to Covid in Jakub Borzecki, Josh Samanski, and Maks Szuber, but also see current draft-eligible players against older competition in namely Rossmy, Hänelt, Heigl, Blank, Glötzl, Klein, Quapp, and Danjo Leonhardt. A special treat will be viewing Kechter, who’ll be part of the fun as Germany’s youngest players. All in all, 12 of the players nominated spent at least part of last season playing DEL hockey.

In summary, the DEB appears to be very concentrated on repeating its WJC achievement even without the likes of Stützle and Peterka while fielding a U18 team that’ll be able to make some noise in a tournament Germany will be hosting. That was the case by in 2011 when Dresden and Crimmitschau were the venues of importance and Tobias Rieder and his band of relative no-names managed to gain its way into the playoffs. Lutz and co. will surely be happy to have history repeat itself next spring and if it does, he’ll have to be the right in the middle of it.