Vojtech Budik – McKeen's Hockey

State of the CHL: The Western Hockey League

Vince Gibbons — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 16:45:59 +0000

The ebbs and flows of Junior hockey is part of what makes each season so interesting and entertaining. Powerhouse programs must reset every couple of years and out of those ashes new teams move to take over the league and dominate the game. This year in the WHL is no different with a couple of teams really taking steps forward with a good shot at becoming the WHL Champions and Memorial Cup Contenders. With the trade deadline recently passing (and what a wild ride that was this season), the rosters have stabilized and these will be the teams going forward.

Moose Jaw and Swift Current have taken the league by storm this year as they battle for home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Their division also boasts a Brandon Wheat Kings team that has been in and out of the CHL top 10 standing all year as well as the 100^th Memorial Cup hosts Regina Pats so game in and game out there has been highly competitive hockey, for critical points in the standings. Out in the West things are as competitive as ever with Everett, Portland, Kelowna and Victoria all within 4 points of each other at the top of the Western Conference. Everett continues to impress league-wide, with a sound defensive game and high end goaltending and solid team game. The other top teams of the East are sporting high end offensive talents like Cody Glass (Por), Skyler McKenzie (Por), Matthew Phillips (Vic), Kole Lind (Kel), and Dillion Dube (Kel) who are all having excellent seasons having been previously drafted into the NHL.

The Eastern Conference:

East Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Moose Jaw Warriors 48-38-7-1-2-79

Jayden Halbgewachs. Photo by Marc Smith

Moose Jaw has been an offensive dynamo all season and at the trade deadline were able to add pieces that will help stabilize the back end and the defensive game. The scoring is being led by two 20 year olds in Brayden Burke (Unsigned) and Jayden Halbgewach (signed SJS) who are sitting one and two in the WHL in scoring. These two might not even be the most offensive players on the team as Brett Howden missed 24 games and has only lately seemed to be hitting his stride. At the deadline Moose Jaw addressed their biggest needs by grabbing a big stay out home defenseman in Brandon Schuldhaus from Red Deer as well as top scoring defenseman and recent World Juniors Gold Medalist Kale Clague (LAK 2016) from Brandon. His dynamic puck moving skills should only enhance this team’s offensive prowess. The largest contribution from a draft eligible player has to have come from Jett Woo. He has been a consistent defender in all situations showing a strong competitive fire in his own zone. He isn’t a dynamic player but more of a jack of all trades defender who can chip in offensively while playing steady responsible minutes. This team has set themselves up to come out of the East as they have the top offensive numbers averaging nearly 0.75 of a goal per game more than anyone else in the league. That coupled with the roughly 3.00 overall goals against average is a strong indicator of future success for this win-now franchise.

Swift Current Bronco’s 49-33-12-3-1-70

Tyler Steembergen, Swift Current Broncos. Photo courtesy of Swift Current Broncos,

Swift Current possess the most dynamic duo in the league this year and it really hasn’t even been that close. Tyler Steenbergen (Ari) is averaging over one goal per game with 36 in 34 games while averaging an assist per game at 35 assists in 34 games. Even more impressive is Aleksi Heponiemi (Fla) who has 89 points in just 37 games (2.41ppg). Throw in an amazing overage year for Glenn Gawdin (Cgy) and they were a one line team who were impressing night after night. Over the course of the season a number of key additions have been made to balance out the scoring and ensure the team kept rolling with a few key members at the WJC. Matteo Gennaro, Beck Malenstyn, and Giorgio Estephan now lead a more than capable supporting cast of forwards who will help the offense. On the defensive side Colby Sissons (NJ) has taken a big step offensively while maintaining his strong defensive play. Finally the addition of Stuart Skinner (Edm) as a true #1 has been a great add as they push for a seemingly inevitable clash with Moose Jaw in the Eastern Final. Riley Stotts (2018) had been their best draft eligible prospect but was moved out to add Gennaro and Malenstyn so they look pretty thin for 2000’s on the roster.

Brandon Wheat Kings 48-28-15-3-2-61

Stelios Matheos, Photo by Tim Smith, courtesy of the WHL

You can assess what Brandon thought of their chances of coming out of the East this year by what they did at the deadline. After being in and out of the CHL top 10 most of the season Brandon traded away their MVP and perhaps the top defenseman in the league this year to a divisional rival in Moose Jaw. Brandon had been paced by Ty Lewis and Stelio Mattheos up front both on pace for 40 goals seasons but that didn’t look to be enough to get past one let alone both of Moose Jaw and Swift Current. Brandon has a lot of young talent to build around going forward with Chase Hartje (2018) and Luka Burzan (2018) coming over in the deal for Clague, as well as the home grown Cole Reinhardt (2018). The nicest future piece could be the speedy play in Jonny Hooker (2020) who has not looked out of place in a his 31 games.

Regina Pats 49-24-20-5-0-53

As the Host of this year’s Memorial Cup Regina has a spot already booked in the tournament but has been adding veteran players throughout the season to ensure a strong showing. The team has been built around an impressive top pairing for Josh Mahura and Cale Fleury. Both log big minutes in all situations creating offense while shutting the door on some of the top forwards in the WHL. Mahura has taken another step this year and his offensive production has been amongst the league leaders from the back end. Cameron Hebig has adjusted quickly to add some 20 year old offense after a slow offensive starts to the season for Nick Henry (Col) and Jake Leschyshyn (VGK). Sam Steel (Ana) is really the straw that stirs the drink for this team offensively as he averages over 1.3 ppg heading into the last 20 games of the season. This team is poised to be the top wild card which is a pretty favorable outcome heading out of the division and avoiding the top three teams in the conference. Despite trading away a lot of youth to keep the team strong for a host season the club have managed to keep Emil Oksanen (2018) on the roster through the deadline. He is a fast, offensive minded right shot winger who is averaging just under a point per game while looking to be drafted in his second year of eligibility.

Saskatoon Blades 48-23-22-2-1-49

Saskatoon will likely make the playoffs as the Central Division is really struggling to produce anything that resembles a challenge for the Wild card. Saskatoon has to be pleased with the development of Eric Florchuk (2018) and Chase Wouters (2018) who have both been solid contributors. While neither looks to be a high end offensive talent at the pro level both have shown themselves to be effective secondary producers in junior. Throw in the development of Kirby Dach (2019) and Saskatoon looks ready to take over the division as some of these teams start to age out of their current rosters.

Prince Albert Raiders 47-18-20-7-2-45

As the division basement dwellers standing suggests they are weaker than all the previously mentioned teams. That said they likely would make the playoffs as a 2 or 3 seed in the Central division. The team plays a structured game and while there aren’t big name drafted players Vojtech Budik (Buf) has acquitted himself well on the back end. The real jewel of Prince Albert’s roster is Cole Fonstand (2018) who leads all WHL draft eligible players in primary points with 34 in 47 games. Overall he averages .98 points per game and is able to drive offense despite being undersized on a team that doesn’t have a ton of high end support for him.

Central Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Medicine Hat Tigers 48-24-19-5-0-53

The Tigers lead the Central division by a pretty wide margin in what could be the worst division in the CHL this season. The team is led in all respects by David Quenneville (NYI) who drives play with his excellent transition game and is leading the WHL in defensive scoring this year with 53 points. Medicine Hat has a pretty young team that is gaining confidence with each victory this year. That youth is led by 2018 draft eligible Ryan Chyzowski, who has good size and can play in all three zones. He has earned power play time in the second half of the season which should help improve his production (15G, 17A) as we close out the season.

Lethbridge Hurricanes 47-22-21-4-0-48

Lethbridge has been a team in flux. Earlier in the season they seemed to be making a push acquiring Lane Zablocki (Det) from Red Deer but then at the deadline shipped him to Victoria to help them make a push. Once the decision to move out some veterans had been made they moved major assets in Stuart Skinner (Edm) and Giorgio Estephan to bring back some youth and draft picks. In a division where a win one lose one record pulls you ahead for a playoff spot the team is not a serious contender to oust any of the power house teams in the Eastern division. Through all this transition one thing has been a constant; undersized defender Calen Addison (2018) has been driving offensive chances and using his great vision and playmaking to produce points at a very high level (G-7-A-33-PTS-40).

Kooteney ICE 47-21-23-3-0-45

Kooteney has been in the basement of this division since the departure of Sam Reinhart (Buf) to the NHL. This current incarnation’s place in the standings is more the rest of the division getting worse than it is of team gaining legitimacy as a force in the Central. The most impressive piece on this roster is 16 year old Peyton Krebs (2019) who looks every bit the part of a first overall pick from the 2016 Bantam Draft. He is near a point per game playing in all situations and is second on the team scoring in his Draft -1 year, very impressive.

Calgary Hitmen 47-15-26-5-1-36

The Calgary Hitman had a fire sale this season and while most of the assets collected came back in draft picks a good number of draft eligible players remain part of the roster. With Jake Bean (Car) moved out Vladislav Yeryomenko (2018) has become the number one defender for this team. He is aggressive and skates very well with and without the puck and is starting to show better playmaking skills. In addition a rookie in Jackson Van De Leest (2019) has shown he is capable of helping shoulder more minutes on the back end. Those kids coupled with the a nice collection of 17 year olds in Riley Stotts (2018), Carson Focht (2018), Tristen Nielsen (2018), and Egor Zamula (2018) are all getting valuable minutes for the remainder of the season.

Red Deer Rebels 47-11-25-8-3-33

The Rebels have under achieved throughout the early part of the season forcing management’s hand to start rebuilding. Two key pieces in the rebuild look to be Kristian Reichel (2018) and Alex Alexeyev (2018). While playing in the Czech league Reichel was overlooked but this year in Red Deer coupled with a strong showing at the WJC have him moving up draft boards. His skating is very strong which has helped him establish himself as a 200 foot player capable of producing and defending. Alexeyev has been impressive this year and he has dynamic skating and excellent vision and passing skills. He needs to work on his game in his own zone and can have mental lapses in his own zone but he has a ton of potential. They have also been running a 2019 eligible goalie as a starter for most of this season. Ethan Anders‘ (2019) numbers have been respectable despite a number of breakdowns defensively in front of him.

Edmonton Oil Kings 46-13-27-4-2-32

Edmonton’s Memorial Cup victory seems a long time ago as the organization has had another tough season after building back to back Memorial Cup teams just a few years ago. The offense comes from the stick of Trey Fix-Wolansky (Unsigned) who is a very dangerous undersized player. Brett Kemp (2018) may be a late round pick this year despite the team’s struggles overall. The real developmental progression for the Oil Kings is in the 2001’s where Matthew Robertson and Liam Keeler both have shown some real promise.

The Western Conference:

U.S. Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Everett Silvertips 48-30-16-1-1-62

Everett seems to be built for playoff hockey. Carter Hart (Phi), after being afflicted with mono to start the season, has rebounded to put up some ridiculous numbers. His sparkling 1.51 GAA in 24 games is leaps and bounds better than anyone else in the league. By comparison only three other goalies have a GAA under 3.00 (at least 20 games played) and the best of them is at a 2.77. His save % of .953 is 40 points higher than the next goalie who has played at least 20 games. The scoring is well distributed on this team but the real punch comes from two overage players that have produced while still buying into the defense first system of head coach Dennis Williams. Both Matt Fonteyne and Patrick Bajkov have really shown something this year as they both average well over 1.00 ppg. 2018 draft eligible Riley Sutter has shown that he too can generate offense while playing a sound defensive game. He has good size and speed that sets him apart from other draft eligible forwards in this year’s draft.

Portland Winterhawks 47-28-15-1-3-60

Portland boasts some of the most offensively gifted players in the league. Undersized Skyler McKenzie (Wpg) has a shot at eclipsing 100pts this year and is still targeting a 50 goal season. He likely is the third best forward on his line as he skates with Cody Glass (VGK) and Kieffer Bellows (NYI) on a nightly basis. On the back end they are led by Henri Jokiharju (Chi) and the recently added Dennis Cholowski (Det). Both of these defenders can carry the puck and distribute it at a high level. John Ludvig is the most likely 2018 prospect for this team. He is a pretty effective defensive defenseman capable of making a good first pass while playing a strong physical game.

Seattle Thunderbirds 47-25-16-4-2-56

After losing Matt Barzal (NYI), Ryan Gropp (NYR), and Ethan Bear (Edm) a by-committee approach has led to solid season in the US Division for Seattle. The team sports five players in Nolan Volcan (Unsigned), Donovan Neuls (Unsigned), Zack Andrusiak (Unsigned), Austin Strand (LAK) and Sami Moilanen (Unsigned) who all average right around 1.00 ppg. Seattle has been looking for a stabilizing force in net as three goalies have played over ten games each already this season. The duo of Dorrin Luding (Unsigned) and Liam Hughes (Unsigned) will be asked to deliver solid performances down the stretch if they have any hopes of catching either Portland or Everett.

Tri-City Americans 46-23-16-7-0-53

Juuso Valimaki of the Tri-City Americans.

A highly competitive team that relies on the strength of their back end and strong overage goaltending to compete in a challenging division. The deadline acquisition of Jake Bean (Car) from the Calgary Hitmen really sets the expectations for the group heading into the last 20 games. Dylan Coghlan (Vgk) , Bean and Juuso Valimaki (Cgy) all put up excellent offensive numbers. Up front Morgan Geekie (Car) has been very consistent this year averaging the 1.25 ppg he did in his draft season. Isaac Johnson leads the charge for 2018 potential draft picks as he has a big frame and some decent offensive skills for an overage player. Highly touted Michael Rasmussen (Det) has continued to show his goal scoring prowess this season dispute struggling to stay in the lineup.

Spokane Chiefs 47-25-19-1-2-53

Jaret Anderson-Dolan, photo by Larry Brunt/Spokane Chiefs

The optics of being last in the division do not reflect the strength of this team and their potential to win a round as a wild card in the playoffs. Jaret Anderson-Dolan (LAK) has been a consistent and steady force for this team as it started without one of the most dynamic players in the league in Kailer Yamomoto (Edm). Now 20 games in Yamamoto has rounded back into form and is averaging 1.48 PPG. Add in the early season trade the brought in Zach Fischer (Cgy) the team has a nice balanced group of forwards. On the back end they boast Ty Smith (2018) who has a real shot at going in the top 10 of this year’s NHL entry draft. Despite his stature he projects to be a dynamic playmaker that can carry the puck with speed, while displaying excellent vision and playmaking ability.

B.C. Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Kelowna Rockets 46-29-14-2-1-61

Cal Foote of Kelowna Rockets

Kelowna’s roster is loaded to bear and despite a lot of injury trouble with key players have been able to battle to the top of the B.C. Division. Kelowna was able to provide the captain for team Canada in Dillon Dube (Cgy), while also providing minute munching defender Cal Foote (TBL). Foote brings the gritty toughness you love in a top pairing defenseman while still being a good playmaker and shooter. Kole Lind (Van) has been pacing the offense this year along with Carsen Twarynski (Phi) as both are on pace to hit 40 goals this season. While being loaded with current draft picks the team still has a number of pieces NHL teams will covet over the next few drafts, Kyle Topping (2018), Libor Zabransky (2018), and Nolan Foote (2019) have all been large contributors to the team’s success this year which bodes well over the next few seasons.

Victoria Royals 48-27-17-3-1-58

Matthew Phillips (Cgy) has been one of the top goal scorers in the entire WHL over the past three seasons and with him signing his ELC in December will very likely be gone after this year. With a goal scoring talent like that leaving town Victoria has a gone all in this year adding Tanner Kaspick (StL), Noah Gregor (SJS), Lane Zablocki (Det), Andrei Grishakov, and Jeff De Wit, showing a real commitment to making their way out of the Western Conference. Tyler Soy (Ana) who early in the season was recognized as the CHL player of the week has had points in 13 of his last 15 games while the new players have since established some chemistry with their new team. In net Griffen Outhouse leads the league in shots faced and saves giving him a very respectable .912 Sv% this season which puts him 3^rd in the league for goalies who have played in over 20 games. If he can stay hot into the playoffs Victoria has a real chance at making the Western Final.

Vancouver Giants 47-25-15-4-3-57

Ty Ronning (NYR) paces Vancouver’s offense with his impressive 42 goals in just 49 games this season. This is even more impressive given that Tyler Benson (Edm) has continued to be plagued by injury problems, missing 13 games already this year after having missed 39 in 2017 and 42 in 2016. Milos Roman (2018) has taken advantage of this and has been providing a playmaking presence on the team with his 21 assists with many projecting him to be a top 60 pick this year.

Kamloops Blazers 47-21-23-1-2-45

Kamloops shipped out a number of their top guys at the deadline with key personnel Garrett Pilon and Ondrej Vala both leaving for Everett. The strength of the U.S. division means that a team stuck in neutral in the B.C. division is a long shot to make the playoffs and Kamloops would have to play lights out down the stretch to even catch a Wild Card spot.

Prince George Cougars 48-18-23-4-3

With Dennis Cholowski (Det) joining the Cougars this summer rather than continue along the college route there was a heightened expectation that was never reached this year. He was impressive scoring 13 goals and 26 assists prior to the trade deadline but could not carry the team. A major hole in the team this season has been scoring with just one player (Josh Maser) with over 20 goals. Nikita Popugaev (NJD), a promising Russian import was expected to lead the line offensively however his commitment to a total team game was lacking, as was his commitment to play in North America as he jumped ship back to Russian after only 13 games. There are a couple of promising youngsters that could hear their names called at the 2018 NHL Entry draft this year including Ilijah Colina, and Jackson Leppard. Leppard is a power forward with a big body and frame that can really shoot the puck, while Colina is a small speedy winger who was in the bottom six in Portland until heading north of the border. Since joining Prince George he has scored 6pts in 9 games in an expanded role with his new team.

***

This season the WHL has two highly competitive divisions and five elite teams in Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Everett, Portland and Kelowna all with a real shot at making the Championship series. The wildcard format is very practical this year, as without it a quality team would be left out of the playoff picture in each Conference. While it is a much debated structure in hockey this season in particular shows the practicality of having potential divisional cross over teams as it ensures that the best 16 teams in the WHL get a shot to go for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, which would not have been the case in a pure divisional playoff structure.

2018 WJC in Review: The Czech Republic

Ryan Wagman — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 22:04:35 +0000

It was whispered in some quarters (hint: here ß https://www.mckeenshockey.com/nhl-blog/wjc-2018-team-preview-czech-republic/) that the Czechs might be on the upswing. In hindsight, it should not have been hard to spot. Even though the nation had not been able to escape the quarterfinals of the year-end WU18 tournament since 2013-14 (and all of those players have since aged out of junior level hockey) the nation did medal in four of the past five Ivan Hlinka tourneys, including a 2016 gold.

That gold medal squad was well represented on this iteration of the Czech U20, including stars Martin Necas, Filip Chytil and supporting players Jakub Skarek, Jakub Galvas, Filip Kral, Radim Salda, Martin Kaut, Ostap Safin, and Filip Zadina.

With the more “proven” players listed above being offensively talented forwards, it should have come as no real surprise that the team had a very potent offense. Their 18 goals in the preliminary round was second only to Sweden in Group B, and fourth among all competing nations.

On the other hand, what proved to be their downfall was also relatively easy to spot. They surrendered 15 goals in those same four games, ranking seventh out of ten teams, ahead of only one squad that finished out of the relegation round. Their netminding was so unsteady that head coach Filip Pesan called for his backup in four of their seven overall games.

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JANUARY 5: The Czech Republic's Jakub Skarek #1 looks on during bronze medal game action against the U.S. at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

On the other hand, that type of quick trigger finger may have hurt as much as it helped, with both main goalies, the aforementioned Skarek – perhaps the top netminding prospect for the 2018 NHL draft – and Josef Korenar - signed as an undrafted free agent to an ELC by the San Jose Sharks after a solitary strong season with Lincoln of the USHL – anticipating a spot on the bench every time the opposition gained the zone with numbers. Skarek had moments were he looked like the real deal, especially early in the tournament. He moves around the crease very well, and is able to cover the net from post to post. But he fought the puck all too often. Korenar showed some scramble ability and comfort moving to get to second chances, but traffic was a bugbear and there were simply too many second chances for anyone’s comfort. Skarek will get another chance to redeem himself on the world’s greatest U20 stage next year in Vancouver.

The blueline also did its part in lighting fires. Despite having a broad range of NHL-affiliated young defensemen to play with, they could rarely keep their opponents from threatening the Czech netminder. Even relegated Belarus scored five of their 10 total goals in a thrilling game against the Czech side. Outside of clear number one blueliner Libor Hajek, a Tampa Bay second rounder, each member of their rearguard stumbled more than one. Hajek was awesome. A workhorse, he played a minimum of 20:22 in every game, including a staggering 30:46 in the quarterfinal upset win over Finland. He was a key cog at both ends, using positioning and a good stick to help sweep away danger in the defensive end and swiftly carrying the puck up the ice to help in the quick strike attack that was so effective at times for the Czechs.

Buffalo prospect Vojtech Budik, generally Hajek’s partner on the first pairing, did some nice things when he had the puck, but all too often avoided confrontation when defending, giving his opponent too much room in which to maneuver. Chicago prospect Jakub Galvas was reliable, but prone to own zone giveaways that saw him relegated to third pairing duties more often than not. Dallas prospect Ondrej Vala rarely did enough to escape the third pairing and was more often than not invisible, despite finishing second among Czech blueliners with 10 shots on goal. If there was a second defender after Hajek who escaped the tournament with passing grades it was draft eligible Filip Kral, now in his first North American season playing in the WHL with Spokane. Although he needs to add bulk, he impressed with his positional play and high panic threshold. His decent shot and above average puck moving ability should see him hear his name called on draft day this year.

If I wanted to nitpick the Czech attack, I would point out that I expected more from Rangers first rounder Filip Chytil. He was fine, scoring twice, and every now and then having a dominant shift highlighting his quick feet and hands. He even showed some toughness, playing with a broken nose. But I am selfish and wanted more. So for more I could turn to Martin Necas, who tied for the overall tournament lead in scoring with USA’s Casey Mittlestadt with 11 points, or Filip Zadina, one of the top prospects for the upcoming draft, who consistently demonstrated every type of offensive skill one could want in a forward prospect. His skating, shot, and puck skills all grade out as high end. He could stand to improve on his recognition and decision making in his own zone, but nothing about his game suggests that he is merely a one-way player. Zadina has superstar potential (Necas already is a superstar for this age-level) and is not far from reaching those heights. Among all players in the tournament, only American Kieffer Bellows took more than Zadina’s 37 shots on net.

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 28: The Czech Republic's Martin Kaut #16 skates with the puck while Sweden's Jacob Moverare #27 chases him down during preliminary round action at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

The next three most effective Czech forwards in the tournament were all as yet undrafted, although one has not yet been eligible for those honors. The youngest of the second trio was Martin Kaut, who will challenge Skarek for the title of highest drafted player in 2018 playing in the Czech Republic. Although lean, he plays a heavy game, making his presence felt in a physical way game in and game out. He plays a strong possession game, and shows solid passing skills. He finished the tournament with seven points in seven games. Radovan Pavlik and Kristian Reichel have both already been passed over in the draft twice each, but their respective performances in Buffalo might push their luck to change in their third go-round. It was the undersized Pavlik’s first appearance in the WJC and he made the wait worth it, with six points in the seven games. He is a nice skater with good edges, has good offensive vision and works hard for rebounds. He will have to improve his Czech league production to maintain his WJC momentum through draft day, but the last few weeks are certainly a mark in his favor. Kristian Reichel, whose father Robert had a long NHL career in the 90s, has been acclimatizing to the NHL game with a poor Red Deer squad and seemed to get better as the WJC progressed. A dogged player, he featured heavily on both Czech special teams’ units. He is an above average skater, which plays up due to his great hustle, can dangle with the puck and can score with both a slap shot and a wrist shot. His frame looks wide enough to carry more weight as he matures. I expect him to be drafted if his WHL play keeps up.

Of the players mentioned above, only Reichel, Pavlik, Hajek, Budik, Vala, and Korenar will have aged out by next year. If at least two of Zadina, Necas, and Chytil are not in the NHL and are thus available to represent their country once more, the Czech squad could be even stronger in 2019. Then again, with as talented as those three are, I would not bet on it. Still, even without them, there was enough production from the 18 year old cohort this year to expect the Czech Republic to show well again next year.

NHL Draft Review and Grades: Buffalo Sabres

Grant McCagg — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 18:50:46 +0000

Alexander Nylander of the Mississauga Steelheads was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, NY on Friday June 24, 2016. Photo by Aaron Bell/CHL Images

The Sabres are set at center for the next decade or more, so it made sense for them to draft the top winger or defenceman on their list. After securing the services of defenceman Dmitri Kulikov it made sense to take the skilled winger Alex Nylander, a hard shooting speedster with tremendous puck skills and vision who has the upside to play on their top line in a couple of years. Asplund gives the club another center to battle for a 3-4 slotting in a few years when he gains the requisite strength to battle NHL centers…he certainly has the smarts, skill and defensive conscience to become a solid NHL pivot.

RND	PICK	RNK	PLAYER	POS	CTY	HT/WT	TEAM
1	8	6	Alexander Nylander	LW	SWE	6-0/180	Mississauga (OHL)
2	33	23	Rasmus Asplund	C	SWE	5-11/175	Farjestads (Swe)
3	69	39	Cliff Pu	C	CAN	6-1/195	London (OHL)
3	86	118	Casey Fitzgerald	D	USA	5-10/185	Boston College (HE)
4	99	124	Brett Murray	LW	CAN	6-4/215	Carleton Place (CCHL)
5	129	NR	Philip Nyberg	D	SWE	6-3/195	Linkopings (Swe)
5	130	142	Vojtech Budik	D	CAN	6-1/195	Prince Albert (WHL)
6	159	105	Brandon Hagel	LW	CAN	6-0/160	Red Deer (WHL)
7	189	NR	Austin Osmanski	D	USA	6-3/195	Mississauga (OHL)
7	190	NR	Vasili Glotov	C	RUS	5-11/160	St. Petersburg (Rus)

Cliff Pu at the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo, NY on Saturday June 25, 2016. Photo by Aaron Bell/CHL Images

Cliff Pu at 69^th overall is one of the steals of the top 100 considering McKeen’s ranked him 39^th overall. He just kept improving as London’s playoff run peaked with a Memorial Cup championship. He has the size/skating combo to compete for a third-line center spot along with Asplund one day..the question is where will Buffalo find spots for its many talented centers. Casey Fitzgerald had a terrific freshman campaign at Boston College which propelled him from undrafted prospect last season to a third-round pick. Brett Murray is a 6-4 winger who caught the attention of scouts with his skill level, while Vojtech Budik fell this season due to a disappointing season but has the skating ability to push for an NHL position if he can develop the rest of his game. Brandon Hagel is the later pick that McKeen’s feels has the best opportunity to play in the NHL thanks to his smarts and passing ability...one of the draft’s best playmakers.

Grade – A- : Buffalo secured both quality and quantity, grabbing three players in McKeen’s top 40 and six in the top 125.

Vojtech Budik – McKeen's Hockey

State of the CHL: The Western Hockey League

The Eastern Conference:

East Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Moose Jaw Warriors 48-38-7-1-2-79

Swift Current Bronco’s 49-33-12-3-1-70

Brandon Wheat Kings 48-28-15-3-2-61

Regina Pats 49-24-20-5-0-53

Saskatoon Blades 48-23-22-2-1-49

Prince Albert Raiders 47-18-20-7-2-45

Central Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Medicine Hat Tigers 48-24-19-5-0-53

Lethbridge Hurricanes 47-22-21-4-0-48

Kooteney ICE 47-21-23-3-0-45

Calgary Hitmen 47-15-26-5-1-36

Red Deer Rebels 47-11-25-8-3-33

Edmonton Oil Kings 46-13-27-4-2-32

The Western Conference:

U.S. Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Everett Silvertips 48-30-16-1-1-62

Portland Winterhawks 47-28-15-1-3-60

Seattle Thunderbirds 47-25-16-4-2-56

Tri-City Americans 46-23-16-7-0-53

Spokane Chiefs 47-25-19-1-2-53

B.C. Division GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Kelowna Rockets 46-29-14-2-1-61

Victoria Royals 48-27-17-3-1-58

Vancouver Giants 47-25-15-4-3-57

Kamloops Blazers 47-21-23-1-2-45

Prince George Cougars 48-18-23-4-3

2018 WJC in Review: The Czech Republic

NHL Draft Review and Grades: Buffalo Sabres