Zach Sanford – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – NASHVILLE PREDATORS – NHL Player Profiles

Corey Sznajder – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 20:09:35 +0000

SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 05: Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) skates during a timeout during the NHL game between the San Jose Sharks and the Nashville Predators on March 5, 2022 at SAP Center in San Jose, CA. (Photo by Matt Cohen/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Filip Forsberg

It might surprise some folks that last year was only the third time Filip Forsberg eclipsed the 30-goal mark and the only season where he was a point-per-game player. Widely considered one of the league’s stars, it was always a struggle for him to have the point production that matched his talent. That changed in 2021. Forsberg had the golden touch, scoring on almost 20% of his shots, benefitting from Nashville playing more off the rush than in past years. For years, the Preds were a team that created off long, sustained possessions with Forsberg pulling the puck off the wall, using his great hands to create chances with minimal space. This was still part of Nashville’s game, but there was more of a direct approach with Forsberg this year. He attacked the net more frequently after entering the zone, taking more shots instead of looking and being selective. It made a lethal combination with Matt Duchene, as the two frequently set each other up on give-and-go plays. Forsberg is such a gifted player that he can play any style and be effective, but the rush-based approach did a lot for making him more of a game-breaker, giving Nashville a huge spark in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. His playmaking also came a long way, ranking as one of the best players in the league in assists on scoring chances. With goal-scoring on the rise, Forsberg is set to have another good year. Will it be the heights he reached last year when everything went right, or will he settle back into being the 25-30 goal guy he’s been for most of his career?

Nino Niederreiter

A player like Niederreiter is always going to be useful because even if he’s in a scoring drought, he is going to do something to help his line. He has the top-six skill with a fourth line mentality. He’s very smart with how he forechecks and disrupts plays without taking penalties and can keep pucks pinned below the goal-line for an entire shift. It made him a vital member of Carolina’s shutdown line with Jordan Staal last year, as he was the “skill guy” on the line, creating looks off the rush and being the first one on pucks to wear down defenders. The interesting thing about him is that while he’s productive, a lot of the goals he scores are of the “odd” variety. You’ll see a lot of bank shots off the goaltender or goals from impossible angles. Not many players will have back-to-back 20-goal seasons scoring goals like this, but that’s been the case for him. There’s a lot of different things Nashville can do with him. He would fit right in with Tanner Jeannot on the checking line, but he was moved around in Carolina before settling in on Staal’s wing, so he brings some versatility there. Special teams’ ice-time is the one thing to look for with him, as he produced with limited usage on the Carolina power play and didn’t kill penalties either. He could be more of a fixture on both in Nashville.

Matt Duchene

One year removed from being available in the expansion draft, Matt Duchene had the type of season Nashville fans were waiting for. It was his most productive season in his long NHL career and the first time he reached the 40-goal mark. Nashville changing their approach to more of a transition team and pairing him with Filip Forsberg was the main cause. He always created a lot of shots but would often find himself too close to the goaltender or at too weird of an angle to make any moves or use his great shot. Most of that is from the Preds expecting Duchene to drive his own line with other checkers instead of pairing him with another elite talent like Forsberg. Skill works with skill and the duo were unstoppable for the Preds, Duchene getting the full benefit of playing more off the rush and using his speed as a weapon more. He created less offense in volume, but the chance quality was at another level because of how much time and space he would have to shoot. This also applies to the power play because while he still played the net-front role, the Preds set him up with more diagonal passing plays, giving him space for one-timers at the side of the net instead of looking for rebounds and deflections. There is some concern on if Duchene can produce without Forsberg by his side, but the Preds likely won’t mess with a duo that gave them such great results last year. They figured out how to cater to their best players strengths, which is an encouraging sign for the team going forward.

Ryan Johansen

Johansen was another player who had a renaissance season in Nashville, reaching the 20-goal mark for the first time since his Columbus days, although his rebound season wasn’t talked about as much. His game isn’t as flashy as it used to be. Hips surgeries have impacted how much power he can get behind his stride and while his strength is still there, he isn’t the same player who can setup shop in the offensive zone like in the heyday of the JOFA Line. His hands, however, are still as strong as ever and you saw that with how great he was as a goal-scorer. Nashville set him up in a lot of ways from the bumper position on the power play, he might have been Josi’s favorite passing target with his precision on tip plays and how he could get himself open for one-timers. It’s a different look from his old days of quarterbacking the power play from the wall, but goal-scoring is where he was the most effective and it caught some teams off-guard. He still had more of a pass-first mindset, especially after getting bumped up to the Forsberg line, it just wasn’t as extreme as it was in previous season, and it was rare for him to be the one driving a line. Someone else had to set the table for Johansen to get into the zone or create a chance and it was up to him to make the final play. It worked last year, but it’s clear that he is more of a specialist than he was in previous years. Most players have to adapt and change their games as they get older, and Johansen is going through that right now.

Tanner Jeannot

It’s hard not to love watching Tanner Jeannot play. He is very easy to notice anytime Nashville is on because of how aggressive he is anytime the puck is in the offensive zone. He’s always the first one to deliver a big hit or get in on the forecheck, which is always going to be part of Nashville’s DNA. His 24 goals were a bonus with everything else he brought to the table, leading all rookies in that department. He scored a lot of “dirty” goals off deflections and rebounds where the puck took an odd bounce, or he found himself behind the defense. Jeannot had some very good offensive seasons in Moose Jaw, but not many had him pegged as a 20+ goal-scorer, especially in the role Nashville had him in. His line with Colton Sissons and Yakov Trenin played in more high-leverage situations as the season went on and Jeannot’s penchant for going to the net for tip plays made them more of a dual threat than just a line that forechecks. Repeating that next year might be tough, as his line didn’t create a lot of shots unless it was coming off Trenin’s stick and Jeannot was more of an opportunistic scorer than someone who drove play. Although Nashville will be happy if they got even half of what Jeannot produced last year with how good he is at being an agitator.

Mikael Granlund

Granlund is one of the tougher players to project on Nashville’s roster. He plays a lot of important minutes, which includes killing penalties and centering Forsberg/Duchene, but when you look at what he does on his own, it’s not much. He had another good season in terms of points, with 25% of them coming off secondary assists and was a mainstay on their top power play unit. It’s just that he’s more of a support player now and his production will mirror whoever his linemates are. If that’s Forsberg and Duchene again, he’s in for a good season. If he’s centering another line, he might go back to the 40–45-point player he was before. That’s not to say he’s a bad player, because he wears a lot of hats for Nashville and helps facilitate the rush offense for Duchene and Forsberg by doing most of the work away from the puck. His endurance and lower body strength make him a key part of the Preds but he kind of struggled against quicker opponents and made him more of a power play specialist than in years past. That said, he should be the 1C for Nashville unless someone else dethrones him.

Phillip Tomasino

The young winger had a solid rookie season in Nashville despite not having a clear role. His linemates were inconsistent with Nashville not trusting him on the second line just yet and the Jeannot line playing more third line minutes. Tomasino ended up getting the leftovers and he did surprisingly well with a rotating cast of linemates, producing more primary assists per 60 minutes than any other Nashville forward. He has the tools to make the jump to a top-six role, as he’s more of a shoot-first player despite the boxcar stats and has a deceptive release. He’s also a smooth skater and showed some ability to create off the rush, although it didn’t lead to many goals. Tomasino was pigeon-holed into more of a shoot-first role last year because of who his linemates were (Johansen, Cousins, Novak) and while he did fine, he was better as a playmaker in junior and the long stick he uses made it awkward for him to get the shot he wanted even if he was in good position. His passing was still a threat, but Nashville has a lot of similar forwards that they needed a finisher on his line. This will likely be the next step in his development. He had a good season with limited minutes and should be in line for a bigger role next year.

Eeli Tolvanen

While Tolvanen has struggled to be the force he was in junior, he has found a niche as a defensive-forward for Nashville, although it’s not always obvious when watching him play. He still has the bomb of a one-timer and shows flashes of high-end skill, but it’s been tough for him to produce at the NHL level even with decent minutes. However, he made himself an everyday NHLer by finding other ways to be productive. He was an excellent forechecker and was very good at using his stick to force turnovers, setting the table for the Jeannot line to follow it up with offensive zone shifts. Sometimes this is what you have to do if you’re skill isn’t producing results like you’d hope, and it showed some maturity in Tolvanen’s game. It could make him a nice fit with Nino Niederreiter in the middle-six or on the penalty kill if they want to use him there. That said, Nashville is hoping for more offense out of him if they’re going to continue to give him power play time. We’ve seen how good of a shooter he is in spurts and making his shot more of a threat is one thing the Preds can do to take Tolvanen’s game to the next level.

Yakov Trenin

You can take one look at the monstrous Yakov Trenin and have a good idea of how he plays. He is there to crash bodies, shoot the puck and be a general pain to play against. He was the catalyst of Nashville’s “Herd Line” with Jeannot and Sissons, usually the one taking most of the shots or hitting Jeannot for a deflection. It’s easy to forget that Trenin was a good goal-scorer at other levels, including fairly recently in the AHL, so his 17 goals weren’t totally out of left field. He shoots from everywhere in the offensive zone and isn’t a one-trick pony with taking empty calorie shots off the rush. He will go to the net and is skilled with getting deflections off point shots. It was just a perfect marriage of playing styles with him and Jeannot, as the duo spent a lot of time in the offensive zone and Trenin could play to his strengths more with playing a straight-line game and getting ga lot of shots on goal. He is the most likely member of The Herd Line to repeat his production from the past season.

DEFENSE

Roman Josi

The biggest catalyst of Nashville’s newfound offense was their best player, Roman Josi. The Norris runner-up was a few goalposts and mishits from being the first defenseman to reach 100 points since Brian Leetch. Better scoring from the forwards was part of it, but something else was a change in approach in how they used their star. Nashville tried to keep Josi out of the defensive zone as much as possible, sending him on the ice off opposing line-changes and having his partners retrieve the puck more, allowing Josi to get up in the play and create off the rush without expending as much energy. It also allowed him to play longer shifts in the offensive zone, which already catered to his strengths. He could treat five-on-five play like a power play and attack off the rush on more “re-load” type of plays against tired defenders rather than going the full-200 feet. Nashville already knows what they have in Josi, now they wanted to maximize how gifted he is with the puck rather than have him carry the entire defense on his back. Safe to say they got the result they wanted. It didn’t matter which forwards he was paired with because he can make anyone dangerous with how much attention he draws from defenders. Someone usually gets open and Josi is one of the best passing defensemen in the league. It was showcased even more on the power play, where he set career highs with 37 points and scored 11 goals, more than he has had in the past three years combined. Josi will get his offense, but it will be tough to replicate the gaudy point total he had this year, as so few defensemen have been able to replicate the type of season he had.

Mattias Ekholm

The workhorse of the Preds defense, Ekholm played more of a pure shutdown role than he ever has before. He started the bulk of his shifts in the defensive zone against top lines and did a lot of the heavy lifting when it came to limiting damage. There were few defensemen in the league who had more successful puck retrievals in the defensive zone, both to kickstart breakouts and to clear the zone. It was a bit of a thankless role, as Ekholm didn’t get to be up in the play much at all and his offense took a small hit. They were also very taxing minutes, and he doesn’t get enough credit for avoiding as many hits as he does because he’s so quick to make the first play after going back to get the puck. Killing other team’s forechecks is an underrated skill for a shutdown defenseman, as most are concerned with blocking shots and delivering hits. He fits the mold of a modern defenseman but doesn’t have the flashy plays that a Jaccob Slavin or Devon Toews, so he gets overlooked in that discussion. It also shouldn’t be overlooked that he took on these minutes alongside a rookie partner in Alex Carrier, who slowly picked up on some of Ekholm’s traits with protecting the puck from forecheckers to move it out of the zone. The downside is that this type of workload eventually catches up. Always playing on your heels, clearing pucks and swimming upstream has a trickle-down effect on the rest of your shifts if you’re not creating any offense. Ekholm managed to do well but it’s a tough role to play every year.

Dante Fabbro

Ending the previous year as a healthy scratch in the playoffs, Fabbro got his career back on track by solidifying himself as Roman Josi’s right-hand man. He had the less desirable job of the duo, going back to get most of the pucks and being the safety value while Josi did his usual roaming in the offensive zone. It had its perks. Fabbro got to play a little more on offense, utilizing the more skilled part of his game we saw at Boston U. Before then, he looked like a player who could eat a lot of minutes but not really do anything to shift the tides of the game. While that’s still somewhat true, Fabbro did show he can hang with the stars on the team, being a productive member of their top defense pair isn’t anything to scoff at. Especially since you’re going to deal with a lot of unpredictability with Josi as your partner. The most encouraging thing is that Fabbro translated some of his skills to the defensive side of the game, using some of his finesse to help start breakouts and using his skating to help get back to cover for Josi or defend entries. It’s exactly the type of thing you want to see with your young defensemen. Can he do it with a partner that isn’t a Norris runner-up? That remains to be seen.

GOALTENDING

Juuse Saros

In a perfect world, it’s hard to believe that the Nashville Predators would want to leave starter Juuse Saros to shoulder such a large chunk of the workload during the regular season. But thanks to the covid-19 league-wide hiccups and a slew of start-and-stops that left some of the league’s most storied veterans struggling to get themselves into top game shape, the 2022-23 season features a few too many open spots for tandem jobs and a few too many established names to fill them – which has left teams like Nashville to take gambles on available reclamation projects while hoping that starters like Saros can handle heavier volumes of work without fizzling out around the postseason.

The good news for Nashville is that Saros has been exactly what they hoped he would be, without suffering much in the way of growing pains as he adjusted to life without mentor Pekka Rinne sharing his crease. A structurally precise goaltender who tricks teams with his smaller stature and keeps them on their toes with surprisingly fast footwork and good pad reach, Saros has kept Nashville from plummeting once their giants hit a decline and left them facing down a likely-closed Stanley Cup window. What they might need to worry about, though, is just how healthy Saros can remain when holding down the fort every night – especially with a fairly unknown quantity behind him in fellow Finnish netminder Kevin Lankinen, who arrives fresh off a tumultuous handful of years with the Chicago Blackhawks. Lankinen’s speed and enthusiasm don’t necessarily compensate fully for the technical gaps in his game, particularly when it comes to his ability to adapt his play hinging out from the blue line – and Chicago’s complete lack of defensive structure left him with few good examples in the way of effective reading and reacting in the way of blue line systems. He has a lot of promise to his game, but a lot of bad habits that he’ll need to unlearn if Nashville hopes to utilize him as a quality backup option to tandem with Saros beyond this year.

Projected starts: 60-65

McKeen’s 17-18 Yearbook Updates

Ryan Dadoun — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 21:20:54 +0000

It is early in the pre-season, but Ryan Dadoun brings a round up of the news so far. Nothing earth shattering, but lots to keep an eye on. McKeen's will do an update end of day Monday based on injuries, camp performance, etc.

In the meantime here is what you need to know.

Anaheim

Hampus Lindholm – Shoulder injury will probably keep him out until early November. That’s not surprising given the initial projections from when he had surgery in May, but it’s his absence is more probable now than it was over the summer.

Ryan Kesler – The hope is to have him back by Christmas after he underwent hip surgery in June. Over the summer it looked like he might be back in November, so the recent news here has been discouraging.

Antoine Vermette – Might end up being the one to fill the void left by Kesler. He’s been practicing on a line with Andrew Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg. If we’re talking about standard fantasy leagues though, Vermette’s value is still borderline at best.

Arizona

Jason Demers – The Coyotes acquired him from the Florida Panthers. Arizona views him as a top-four defenseman, but it’s not clear who his defensive partner will be. He got a decent, but not great, amount of power-play time in Florida last season while Keith Yandle/Aaron Ekblad served as the team’s primary defensive options with the man advantage and he’ll probably end up in a similar situation in Arizona behind Oliver Ekman-Larsson/Alex Goligoski when it comes to power-play ice time.

Boston

Torey Krug – He suffered a non-displaced jaw fracture on Tuesday and was projected to miss at least three weeks from that date. That will cost him most of training camp and at least three regular season games.

Buffalo

Alexander Nylander – He suffered a lower-body injury on Sept. 8 and hasn’t skated at all in training camp as a result. Good news is that the Sabres think he’ll resume skating in near future, so maybe he’ll still return with enough time to spare to make his case for a roster spot.

Carolina

Lee Stempniak – More of a side note for now, but he’s been dealing with an undisclosed problem that might be more serious than initially believed. He has soreness in his hip/back and had an MRI on Thursday, so we’ll see what the results of that are.

Detroit

Andreas Athanasiou – Still hasn’t signed. There’s the threat of him heading to the KHL and even if he does re-sign in the not too distant future, he’ll be a young player that’s missed a good chunk of training camp/preseason play.

Edmonton

Ryan Strome – It’s a bit of a stretch to mention at this stage, but the Oilers seem to be going with a top line of Maroon, McDavid, and Strome so far. As a fun aside, McDavid also thinks Strome is a good sleeper pick in fantasy leagues. (https://www.nhl.com/news/edmonton-oilers-connor-mcdavid-sees-ryan-strome-as-fantasy-sleeper/c-290885390?tid=277729150)

Drake Caggiula – Similarly, it might be too early to read into it, but so far Drake Caggiula is being tested on the second line with Draisaitl and Lucic.

Los Angeles

Marian Gaborik – Is taking some contact as he recovers from a knee injury. Still unclear if he’ll play in the preseason, but it’s progress.

Nashville

Ryan Ellis – This happened a couple weeks before training camp, so you probably already have it in your projections, but just in case he’s out for four-to-six months with a knee injury. That has led to them mixing up their defensive pairings though. Ekholm and Subban were split up so that Ekholm is now with Josi (although Ekholm-Weber has also been experimented with) and Subban is with newcomer Emelin.

New Jersey

MONTREAL, QC - SEPTEMBER 21: New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier (13) waits for play to begin during the third period of the NHL preseason game between the New Jersey Devils and the Montreal Canadiens on September 21, 2017, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire)

Nico Hischier – Another stretch, but for what it’s worth Nico Hischier has stood out in preseason games so far, upping what were already good odds of him making the team. Hynes suggested that Hischier has forced talks of him having a bigger role than previously projected. Hischier-Hall is an interesting combo, though of course it’s another preseason pairing so who knows.

NY Islanders

Alan Quine – Quine sustained an upper-body injury in mid-September that was projected to cost him four-to-six weeks. So he’s missing training camp and a couple weeks of the regular season in all likelihood.

Ottawa

Colin White – Suffered a broken left wrist on Monday and is projected to miss six-to-eight weeks. He had been seen as being in a good position to make the team, especially due to Derick Brassard being a question mark. Although…

Derick Brassard – His recovery from shoulder surgery is ahead of schedule, per what Guy Boucher said today. He still might not be ready for the start of the regular season.

Clarke MacArthur – Unfortunately even after his strong playoff showing, he ended up failing his physical. Sucks to say, but it may be that his playing career is over.

Erik Karlsson – As of Thursday he still wasn’t skating due to his foot injury. He’s unlikely to be ready for the start of the season and who knows if he’ll be begin the curve once he finally is given the green light to play.

Philadelphia

Travis Sanheim – It’s still tentative, but he’s off to a good start and seems to have improved his chances of making the team. Had 10 goals and 37 points in the AHL last season.

Sean Couturier – The Flyers are toying with using Claude Giroux as a left winger. Couturier could be the beneficiary if that happens as he could move up in the depth charts as a result, possibly even on a line with Giroux and Jakub Voracek (which they did test out in practice, but that doesn’t mean they’ll actually use it in games).

St. Louis

Zach Sanford – Suffered a dislocated left shoulder that will keep him sidelined for the next five-to-six months.

Jay Bouwmeester – Has a fractured left ankle that will be re-evaluated in three weeks. Along with Sanford, these ones are fringe just because they didn’t have much in the way of fantasy value even when healthy.

Alexander Steen – Suffered a hand injury in the Blues’ first preseason game on Tuesday that will cost him at least three weeks (at which point he’ll be re-evaluated). Certainly he’s the most noteworthy of the three fantasy wise.

Toronto

Patrick Marleau – It’s looking like Patrick Marleau won’t play alongside Matthews in even strength as Babcock’s preference appears to be a trio of Zach Hyman, Matthews, and William Nylander. Marleau and Matthews should share the ice in power play situations though.

Joffrey Lupul – Team’s says he failed his physical, but now it looks like the league wants to look into it after Lupul’s claim of cheating followed by his retraction(deletion)/apology. Probably doesn’t matter fantasy-wise either way. Even if Lupul is deemed fit to play he’ll probably end up in the AHL at most.

Vegas

James Neal – Has a broken hand that was projected to sideline him for two-to-four weeks. He’s one week into that timetable at this point so perhaps he’ll be okay for the season opener. Still sucks to miss training camp on a brand new team though.

Washington

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: Washington Capitals left wing Jakub Vrana (13) makes a pass during an NHL game on March 16, 2017, at the Verizon Center, in Washington, D.C. between the Washington Capitals and the Nashville Predators. Nashville won 2-1 in overtime.
(Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire)

Jakub Vrana – More grain of salt stuff, but the Capitals have been giving him top-six opportunities. He played alongside Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov in Wednesday’s preseason game and tonight it looks like he’ll be with Backstrom and Oshie (Kuznetsov/Ovechkin aren’t playing).

Winnipeg

Tyler Myers – Feels 100% after only playing in 11 games last season.

NHL Prospect Watch: Trade Deadline Edition – Moving Prospects – Loov is in the air

Ryan Wagman — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 15:01:25 +0000

A few short days ago, the clock struck three and NHL General Managers across the continent put down their phones and dismissed their staffs to compiling lists for another day. Although NHL Trade Deadline Day was rightly excoriated for being slow and without excitement, 20 trades were finalized on this day to go along with the 11 other swaps consummated in the previous week.

As interesting as the ramifications of Kevin Shattenkirk moving to the American Capital are, you are not reading this space for that type of analysis. You are reading to find out about prospects. There were 19 prospects dealt in the run up to the deadline. For the purpose of this article, I will look at any player who was considered a prospect before the season began, that is, he is no older than 25 and has played no more than 25 games in the NHL. I will also ignore the waiver claim of former Anaheim Duck Joseph Cramarossa by Vancouver (meh) and the signing of former New York Ranger draft pick Ryan Mantha by Edmonton (nice). The profiles will be brief at first, and expand as we move from lower-likelihood NHLers to those with glowing profiles.

MONTREAL, CANADA - DECEMBER 26: Sweden's Jonathan Dahlen #27 skates during preliminary round action against Denmark at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Let the rankings begin!

Daniel Catenacci (New York Rangers, 3/77, 2011 (drafted by Buffalo) – LW/C, Hartford (AHL))

Taken by Buffalo in the third round in 2011 as a scoring winger from Sault Ste. Marie, Catenacci never took another step forward over two more seasons in the OHL. Now in his fourth season in the AHL, he has taken another step back this year, with only 13 points in 50 games for the Rochester Americans. He is system depth.

Kenton Helgesen (Chicago Blackhawks, 7/187, 2012 (drafted by Anaheim) – LW/D, Utah (ECHL))

Helgesen is a big guy who can play both at forward and on the blueline. Now in his second year as a pro, he has yet to play above the ECHL. Putting him above Catenacci is not a statement that he is better any more than it is a reminder that he has yet to wash out, as Catenacci is in danger of doing.

Cody Corbett (Washington Capitals, UDFA, 2014 (signed by Colorado) – D, Hershey (AHL))

Corbett was a significant contributor to the Edmonton Oil Kings’ Memorial Cup win in 2014, a sweet finish to a strong junior career. Now in his third pro season, he has flitted back and forth between the AHL and ECHL for the past two seasons. He has an offensive element to his game, but it is just as likely to hurt his tea as to help it.

Stefan Fournier (Tampa Bay Lightning, UDFA, 2013 (signed by Montreal) – RW, Syracuse (AHL))

Traded last year from Montreal to Arizona, February saw Fournier on the move again, this time to Tampa Bay, in exchange for AHL veteran Jeremy Morin. A pugnacious player with some decent offensive touch during his junior days in the QMJHL, Fournier has retained the pugnacity as a pro. With 11 goals in 139 AHL games, the offensive touch has withered away. He has enough puck skill and shooting prowess that a cameo in the NHL might one day be a possibility if the stars align, but I wouldn’t put any money on it.

Brendan Ranford (Colorado Avalanche, 7/209, 2010 (drafted by Philadelphia, not signed, signed as UFA by Dallas) – LW/RW, San Antonio (AHL))

Ranford has had an odd career. Promising enough for Kamloops in 2010 for the Flyers to take a flyer on him, his increased offense over two more seasons with the Blazers were not enough to push them to offer him a contract. The Stars gave him an AHL contract and rewarded a promising rookie pro season with an ELC. His two subsequent years were stellar by AHL standards, with 110 points in 149 games combined. Earlier this year, the Stars dealt Ranford to Arizona and he went dry in the desert. The Coyotes flipped Ranford to Colorado for 5-6” journeyman Joe Whitney. If Ranford rediscovers his exploits from the last two years, he might earn himself some time up with the Avalanche.

Adam Wilcox (Florida Panthers, 6/178, 2011 (drafted by Tampa Bay) – G, Springfield (AHL))

The trade of Wilcox from Tampa Bay to Florida for journeyman AHLer Mike McKenna raised some eyebrows, as Wilcox is younger and has more upside. Theoretically. He is a fairly athletic netminder, who moves well between the pipes. Unfortunately, the former Minnesota Golden Gopher has some problems when it comes to stopping pucks. His current save percentage of .895 is a career best. There is some talent here, but it is a ways away from being realized.

Grayson Downing (Arizona Coyotes, UDFA (signed by Minnesota) – C, Tucson (AHL))

Part of Arizona’s return in the big Martin Hanzal trade, Downing was in the midst of a let-down follow-up to a promising AHL rookie season last year. The former University of New Hampshire Wildcat has nice hands and good hockey sense, but is held back by very poor skating. He could carve out a nice minor-pro career or take his game to Europe, but his feet will prevent him from sustained success – or even too many full-fledged opportunities – in the NHL.

Sam Carrick (Anaheim Ducks, 5/144, 2010 (drafted by Toronto) – C, San Diego (AHL))

Carrick signed this past offseason with Chicago after he was not offered a contract to re-sign with the Maple Leafs. Carrick, whose younger brother Trevor is in the Carolina system, has a nice blend of skills, but no one element that allows him to stand up above the crowd. He has already had some NHL experience, having played 19 games over two seasons with Toronto, but was never going to get a real chance with Chicago. He was traded along with older AHLer Spencer Abbott to Anaheim for the aforementioned Kenton Helgesen and a 2019 seventh rounder.

Keegan Lowe (Montreal Canadiens, 3/73, 2011 (Drafted by Carolina) – D, St. John’s (AHL))

Keegan Lowe, son of longtime Oiler Kevin Lowe, is not the player his father was. The younger Lowe has a good body for the back line, but plays a very physical game. He is not a pure defensive defenseman, although his work is much stronger in his own end. Lowe is a solid skater and he has cleaned up his game over the four seasons he has now spent in the AHL, lowering his penalty minutes substantially over that time. Unfortunately, his offensive production has stayed pretty stable throughout, as he has scored between 11-14 points in each season.

Reece Scarlett (Florida Panthers, 6/159, 2011 (Drafted by New Jersey) – D, Springfield (AHL)

Scarlett is essentially the inverse of Lowe. This blueliner, moved from New Jersey to Florida for another minor leaguer who is too old for this list (Shane Harper), Scarlett has always put up respectable offensive totals in the AHL, but can be taken advantage of in his own end. He is mobile and is smart with the puck on his stick, a capable minor league power play point man. He will join a crowded blueline in Springfield.

Dillon Heatherington (Dallas Stars, 2/50, 2013 (Drafted by Columbus) – D, Texas (AHL))

The highest drafted player (so far) on this list, Heatherington is a big, broad stay at home blueliner. The former WU-18, WJC, and AHL champion is a decent skater, but loses a step if he has to turn around. His offensive game is minimal. I am not one to buy into the notion of a player having a “winning gene”, but I am happy to state that Heatherington’s game is fairly safe. He will not lead a team to victory, but can pay a role in staving off defeat. If he makes it up to a full time roll in the NHL, expect him to play heavy minutes on the penalty kill.

Philip Samuelsson (Carolina Hurricanes, 2/61, 2009 (Drafted by Pittsburgh) – D, Charlotte (AHL))

Now in his fourth organization, Ulf Samuelsson’s son (and brother of Henrik Samuelsson) started his career in the Penguins’ system, and passed through Arizona and Montreal before moving to Charlotte where his father is currently serving as head coach. Philip is a solid two-way defender for the AHL level, strong at beginning the transition from defense to offense, and should be able to hold down a sixth defender role in the NHL for a mediocre to average team. In spite of very poor numbers this year with St. John’s before the trade, Samuelsson is as good as he is going to be. If he does not add to his total of 13 career NHL games soon, he may never do so. He was traded straight up for Keegan Low, profiled above.

Pheonix Copley (Washington Capitals, UDFA (signed by Washington) – G, Hershey (AHL))

Copley was actually signed to his first pro contract by the Washington Capitals, a free agent after his sophomore season with Michigan Tech. He was traded to St. Louis just over one year later, as part of the return to the Blues along with Troy Brouwer, for T.J. Oshie. Copley has been above average at the AHL level through his pro career, and his current .920 save percentage has him in the top 15 leaguewide. His two NHL cameos with the Blues were forgettable, surrendering a total of six goals in under one and a half games. He has good legs, is calm in the crease and does a nice job in cutting down shooting angles when possible. At 25, he is still young for a goaltender and has the makings of a solid backup at the NHL level down the road.

Zach Sanford (St. Louis Blues, 2/61, 2013 (Drafted by Washington) - LW/C, St. Louis (NHL)

Part of the return to St. Louis in the deadline period’s biggest deal (Kevin Shattenkirk joined the aforementioned Pheonix Copley in going the other way), Sanford has already played enough in the NHL in his first pro season that he will no longer qualify as a prospect in the offseason. Sanford was a strong collegiate player at Boston College, playing with good net drive and showing flashes of plus puck play. He is the type of player who has less to gain by a lengthy AHL apprenticeship. His game is well suited to a bottom six role in the NHL, playing with energy, decent puck handling and the ability play in all three zones. If he does not stick with the Blues from here on out, it will be more because they prefer other players to any feeling that Sanford needs to develop further with the Chicago Wolves in the AHL.

Viktor Loov (New Jersey Devils, 7/209, 2012 (Drafted by Toronto) – D, Albany (AHL))

Traded from Toronto to New Jersey almost two weeks before the deadline, Loov has had a rough season, hampered by injury. That said, I am still a big fan of one of the best open ice checkers in the AHL. His offensive game has promise as well, with a booming point shot. To paraphrase Bono,

Don’t believe in fighting

Can knock you down with hip

He could cut and crack you open

Did you hear what I said?

Don’t believe in when they tell me

His skating’s not pure

He needs to stay healthy

But his game’s unmoored

I, I believe in Loov

Erik Cernak of the Erie Otters. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

4. Erik Cernak (Tampa Bay Lightning, 2/43, 2015 (Drafted by Los Angeles) D,Erie (OHL))

Cernak, a key part of the return to Tamp Bay from the trade of Ben Bishop to LA, is the only prospect traded this month to still be in junior hockey. Although he has spent the past two seasons with the highflying Erie Otters, Cernak is not an offensive player. As of this writing, he has played 41 games in both of his last two seasons (prior to that he played in Slovakia). His scoring has increased this year from 15 points….to 17 points. Likewise, in four WJC tournaments for his native country, he has a mere three points in 20 combined games. He does show flashes of offensive aptitude, but tends to mind his own end first and foremost. He is a good penalty killer and uses his long reach effectively. He will make his AHL debut next season, and knowing the Lightning, will be given the benefit of time to maximize his development.

Mark McNeill (Dallas Stars, 1/18, 2011 (Drafted by Chicago) – RW/C, Texas (AHL))

Finally, we have a former first rounder on the move. McNeill is a strange case. He has put up solid, if not spectacular, numbers in the AHL year over year, although he slumped somewhat this year. He plays a strong two-way game and demonstrates impressive hockey IQ in all three zones. He is a trusted penalty killer and has plus instincts in the offensive end. He can stickhandle, has a very hard shot from the slot area and will be physical on occasion as well. But he never received a chance with the Blackhawks, receiving only one game in the NHL across four professional seasons. I was surprised when he passed successfully through waivers before the season started, but the Blackhawks were able to use that to their advantage, packaging McNeill with a conditional 2018 fourth rounder to Dallas to re-acquire Johnny Oduya. The Stars would be wise to give him an NHL chance before this year is done.

Nikolay Goldobin (Vancouver Canucks, 1/27, 2014 (Drafted by San Jose) – LW/RW, Utica (AHL))

The main return to the Canucks for the services of Jannik Hansen, Goldobin would be one of the better prospects dealt at any deadline, much less a slowish one such as this. Goldobin is one of the more electrifying puck players outside of the NHL. When he is on his game, he can make good defenders look silly. The knock on him in his draft year and his rookie AHL season was his unwillingness to play hard in his own end. This year, he finally looks to have taken that criticism to heart, showing commitment even when his team did not have the puck. He will never be rugged, but he can be responsible. He has had cameos with the Sharks in each of his past two seasons and will likely receive the call up to Vancouver sooner than later. He is exactly the type of player that Vancouver needed in the fast approaching post-Sedin era.

Jonathan Dahlen (Vancouver Canucks, 2/42, 2016 (drafted by Ottawa) – C/LW, Timra (Allsvenskan))

Between Goldobin and Dahlen, stolen by the Canucks from Ottawa for the aging Alexandre Burrows, the Canucks have finally admitted that they are a rebuilding team. While bottom dwelling Colorado sat on their heels, limiting themselves to a few minor AHL swaps, the Canucks reeled in the two best prospects who were moved this month. Dahlen, scoring at a near point-per-game pace in the Swedish Allsvenskan, the number two league in the country is fourth in league scoring. IF we limit that to players under 20 (he is 19), no one is within six points of him. He also scored five goals in Sweden’s run to the semifinals at this year’s WJC. Ulf Dahlen’s son is a constant threat to defenders with his plus vision, agility, puck skills and strong shot. His contract with Timra is set to expire after this season, and the Canucks should be doing everything possible to ensure that the high scoring teenager crosses the pond this summer. He and Goldobin should be one third of the team’s future top six.

NHL Prospect Watch: Washington Capitals

Ryan Wagman — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 22:29:34 +0000

For all of the relative success that the Capitals have experienced in the Ovechkin era (2005-06-present), they have continuously managed to keep the system replenished despite generally not picking until the latter half of the first round. With few exceptions, this has been due to valuing tangible skills over intangibles. Even Tom Wilson, the one clear exception to this rule, has at least emerged as a bonafide (if limited) NHLer in short order. The Capitals have done a tremendous job mixing their scouting throughout the hockey world. They have been more open to Europeans – particularly Russians – than much of the hockey world, a trait that may have been helped by the Ovechkin-sized recruiting tool at their disposal. Outside of Europe, they have also not shown any particular bias towards either CHL or American junior ranks. They simply find talent.

28 September 2014: Michael Bournival #49 of the Montreal Canadiens challenges Nathan Walker #79 of the Washington Capitals during the NHL match at the Bell Centre in Montreal Quebec, Canada. The Capitals defeated the Canadiens 2-0.

A great example of that ethos is current AHL player Nathan Walker, a left winger they selected in the third round in 2014. Walker, an overager, was the first Australian player ever selected in the entry draft. Walker played most of his amateur hockey in the Czech Republic and also spent one season in the USHL and one as a rare amateur in the AHL. This past season, the undersized winger took his game to a new level with Hershey, in his third season at the level. An explosive player, he demonstrated great skating as well as real puck skills, more than doubling his previous career marks in goals and assists. Although small, he plays with remarkable tenacity, playing with an edge at both ends of the ice. IF there was a dark lining to his season, it was in the postseason, where his scoring touch dried up as the 17 goal scorer in the regular season saw his production drop to two goals and five points in 20 games as Hershey went on an extended run to the Calder Cup finals.

While short, it is not entirely accurate to call Walker small, as his 5-8” frame is relatively filled out at a solid 185 lbs. He brings his all out game to all three zones and has enough offensive skill, between the puckhandling, shooting, and skating ability to be a solid supporting cast player on a decent second line. The Capitals have good depth throughout the organization at left wing, so there is not likely to be an NHL role open for him this season, but another season of growth and development in the AHL will give him a pretty good chance to make his mark in 2017-18, with the contracts of both Daniel Winnick and Brad Malone set to expire after this coming season.

Jakub Vrana, LW, Hershey (AHL) (13^th overall, 2014)

Drafted 76 picks before Walker, Vrana was a more traditional scouting selection. Unlike Walker, an Australian who played amateur hockey in the Czech Republic, Vrana a native Czech player, did his early development in Sweden. In Vrana’s first “full” season in the AHL, he produced at a clip just shy of one point per game. This level of contribution is all the more impressive after considering that he missed much of the first half of the season after undergoing wrist surgery. While, like his Australian teammate, his scoring rate fell in the playoffs, Vrana’s was not as severe, still offering 14 points in 21 games. So he has produced more than Walker and has a much more impressive pedigree – Vrana is even three inches taller! And yet, this author thinks Walker has a better chance of having a long NHL career.

When it comes to offensive skills – skating, shooting, puckhandling and vision, they are roughly equivalent. Vrana produced more, but much, if not all, of that is due to receiving more favourable playing time with generally more talented linemates. His slapshot has juice and he has a knack for finding soft spots in coverage either for himself to occupy or to dish to a teammate. He plays with confidence when he has the puck, not afraid to attempt trickery to get past defenders. Unfortunately, those positive traits do not carry over to the other side of the puck. Some of his offensive success stems from playing on the perimeter, a perimeter which tends to be bigger, and closer to the net, in the AHL than it is in the NHL. In his own zone, he is a neutral observer as often as he is directly involved in trying to regain possession of the puck. He shies away from physical play. Should a fully healthy season from Vrana prove these last observations to be transient and should Walker fail to show more offensive development, these relative values will prove to be wrong. But three years removed from draft day is more than enough time for first rounders to disappoint and mid-rounders to emerge as sleepers. Even if this assessment is correct, Vrana could still be a solid middle six winger, with the versatility to play on either side, but he looks now to be less than his projections were on draft day.

Riley Barber, RW, Hershey (AHL) (167^th overall, 2012)

After three strong seasons with Miami University, and two star turns from Team USA at the WJC, Riley Barber finally got the chance to prove himself as a professional last season. With 55 points in 74 games, he proved that he can hold his own, although a slump that lasted through the postseason (four points in 17 games) showed that he needs more work – and needs to become better acclimated to the longer professional seasons.

Barber, despite having a lesser pedigree than either Walker or Vrana, he is right there with them both at the moment in terms of future projected NHL upside. The Pittsburgh native has high end skill, but suffers in his own zone. Further, while he has proven to be very creative, he can sometimes try to do too much, and can struggle to execute. His reads were still raw for the AHL level, although he was able to produce points throughout the regular season (26 goals and 29 assists in 74 games). The production as an AHL rookie is heartening for, although he always scored well with the RedHawks, his scoring rates barely budged between his freshman and junior seasons. With more attention to detail in his own zone, Barber still profiles as a potential middle six winger with strong offensive potential.

Travis Boyd, C, Hershey (AHL) (177^th overall, 2011)

The Capitals did not have a pick in any of the first three rounds on the 2011 draft, as the earlier selections had been traded away for Troy Brouwer, Joe Corvo, and Dennis Wideman, respectively. Their fourth and fifth rounders, Steffen Soberg and Patrick Koudys, both failed to develop and were never offered contracts, and the seventh rounder, Garrett Haar, only ever earned an AHL deal. Travis Boyd, a sixth round pick from the USNTDP, who went on to play at the University of Minnesota for four full seasons, is Washington’s only hope for NHL impact from the 2011 draft. Thankfully, the undersized center is trending towards the NHL. In truth, he was looking like another washout after his first two seasons with the Golden Gophers, in which he accumulated only 23 points in 75 games combined. He more than doubled that total in his junior season and finished his collegiate career on fire, with 41 points in 32 games as a senior. Last year, his first in the AHL, Boyd contributed 53 points in 76 games for the Bears.

The Minnesota native is a heads up player who consistently demonstrates plus vision, particularly in the offensive zone and has strong puck skills, whether stickhandling or making touch passes to teammates. His skating is also a positive attribute with his strong edgework allowing him to weave through traffic. His physical presence is rather empty, but his hockey IQ is high enough that he can overcome that natural handicap with adequate positional play. Further helping his chances at an NHL career beginning in the near future is the relative paucity of centers in the Washington system. The only one of note in the AHL is Chandler Stephenson, a decent defensive center whose offensive ceiling is nowhere near that of Boyd. Boyd should be the first center recalled in the case of injury to any of the anticipated top four and projects as a solid third line type who can add scoring breadth to his team within the next 12-24 months.

Madison Bowey, D, Hershey (AHL) (53^rd overall, 2013)

Hershey is deeper in future NHL forwards, but the best prospect to grace the Bears’ roster last season was blueliner Bowey, a graduate of the defence factory in Kelowna. Selected after Andre Burakovsky in the 2013 draft, Bowey made his AHL debut after a season in which he helped lead the Rockets to the Memorial Cup final after being part of a deep D-corps on a Gold Medal winning Canadian squad in the WJC. A point producer from the back in the WHL, Bowey still put up solid offensive numbers for Hershey, but not to the near point-per-game level he had in junior. Then again, he led all Bears’ blueliners in points with 29 in 70 games.

The Winnipeg native is a dynamic player, with high end skating and puck carrying ability. He enjoys jumping into the offensive attack, but rarely does so at the expense of his defensive responsibilities. His shot is strong, but not accurate enough to be a serious goal-scoring weapon at the highest level. In his own end, he has proven to be a fearless shot blocker. Another year of professional acclimation in the AHL would certainly not do him any harm, he projects as a fairly certain top four blueliner fit for the modern game in relatively short order, with some time as a #2 also not out of the question.

Ilya Samsonov, G, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL) (22^nd overall, 2015)

In the introduction to this essay, I made a point of complimenting the Capitals on their recent drafting record, and its focus on skill players. I mentioned a clear exception in the person of grinder Tom Wilson, taken 16^th overall in 2011, but I could have also included Samsonov as an exception to that rule, for the simple reason that it is almost never a good idea to draft a goaltender in the first round. This is not to say that Samsonov is not a good goalie prospect, as he most assuredly is, but more a polemic on the state of goaltending itself.

For his part, the Russian netminder is incredibly athletic and displays plus anticipation and recovery skills as well as body control and is generally very square to the puck. According to Hockey Prospectus’ Russian correspondent Alessandro Seren Rosso, however, these traits are not enough to lift Samsonov to the level of other recent young goaltending phenoms from Russia, as Seren Rosso has preferred both Andrei Vasilevsky and Ilya Sorokin among the current generation. Samsonov played a raw game, and while skilled, his skill set did not stand him out above other young goaltenders enough to be worth so high a selection.

Zach Sanford, LW, Boston College (NCAA) (61^st overall, 2013)

Zach Sanford left Boston College to begin his professional career after only two years with the Eagles. While never a gifted scorer, Sanford demonstrates a number of attributes that earmark him as a strong two-way player at the next level. Tall and with room to add to his listed 185 pounds, he plays a physical game. He does most of his work between the hashmarks, which suggests that he could be a good foil for one of the above-mentioned offensive players who are undersized and/or tending to play the perimeters, such as Vrana, Walker and Boyd.

In spite of mediocre offensive output in college, Sanford does show glimpses of emerging skills that suggest that his offensive game could be more late-blooming. He is a solid puck handler with plus offensive vision. While is skating is not high end, he has good edgework. He also has the versatility to play as a center. He projects as a bottom six forward, but potentially a good one.

Thomas Di Pauli, C, Notre Dame (NCAA) (100^th overall, 2012)

Born in Italy and raised in the US, Di Pauli is a very mobile skater who is very comfortable playing the puck. Although undersized, he is willing to engage physically and sometimes plays with a chip on his shoulder. After producing a mere 17 points in his first two seasons with the Fightin’ Irish, he combined for 61 in his final two seasons as his offensive skills matured. He still needs work in his own zone and needs to learn to go with the simple play more often instead of trying to force a fancy move, but he has a skill set that could work in a depth role. As of this writing (August 7, 2016), the Capitals have eight days to get him under contract, or the college grad will become a free agent. Reports indicate that Di Pauli will not sign, though, which is backed up by his absence from Washington’s recent development camps. In other words, this final note in the Washington Capitals article is about a player who really isn’t a future Capital at all.