2021 Draft

[GNick99]

What's everybody opinion of this upcoming draft? Habs have like 14 picks in this draft. That combined with the covid shutdown of many junior leagues will make it a draft like no other. There are many interesting pieces and moving parts in this draft.

Bob McKenzie in his rankings had University of Michigan's Owen Power as #1 ranked prospect. Many say he is like Victor Hedman. While other sites, like My Mock Draft, have his teammate Matthew Berniers #1. Power and Berniers teammate Kent Johnson is in top 10. I think makes first time for 3 NCAA teammates to go in first round of draft.

Besides the three NCAA teammates there are still some intersting pieces to this draft. First off there is Jack and Quinn Hughes brother Luke. Who is slated to go in top 5. Another could be Sweden's William Eklund. Who was having a good season in the Elite League, scoring 16 points in 29 games. Beforing testing positive for Covid and forci g him to miss Sweden's WJC team. Edmonton's Dylan Guenther is a RW who scored over a point a game pace as a 17 year old during season 2019-20. He is ranked as high end goal scorer. My knock on him is he is 170lbs. Kind of slender to go in top of draft. With the WHL shutdown, he is playing in the AJHL. How will this affect his ranking? Then there is Finland's Raty. Who a year ago was consensus #1 pick to go first overall in this draft. However, this season his play fell off and he missed Finland WJC team. Some scouts have him outside their top 5, some outside their top 10. Another wildcard could be USA Chaz Lucius. Who many scouts say have elite level skills but have been hampered by lingering knee injuries. He has not played this year.

For the Habs, if season ended today they would pick #26th. With Arizona pick removed we move up to 25th. Some interesting prospects who no doubt be gathering interest for the Habs could be Sean Farrell's teammates with Chicago Steel Matt Coronato. Who is a full year younger but scoring at same pace as the 19 year old Farrell. If Habs stay local, another player of interest could be Rimouski's Bolduc. Who scored at near a point a game pace a year ago and as a 17 year old. Earning him the QMJHL rookie of the year. If Lucisu slides he could be a shot in the dark for the Habs in mid-20s. If he was healthy, vitually every scout have in top 5 of draft. Another could be Mason McTavish. Who not only has hockey bloodlines but is already 6' and 200lbs at 18 years old. A pure goal scorer he had 29 goals last year in 57 games for the Petes as a 17 year old.

I could write more about some interesting players slated to go in 2nd round but am pressed for time

[folatre]

There are a lot of unknowns with this draft class, starting with the issue of when the draft will ultimately take place. 2021 was never projected to be particularly good or deep draft.

I suppose that it cannot hurt having a bunch of picks. If the draft goes forward this summer everyone is flying blind so having more darts could mean you hit on something. I kind of hope Timmins and Bergevin give it a rest with picking American high school kids with those mid-rounders. I know they like the long lag time in terms of delaying having to sign them to a professional contract.

The quality of the prospect pool in the Q is not as good as 2020, but it is still pretty good. Bolduc is a nice talent, though at least at this point it would seem he goes before the Habs select. I like L’Heureaux a lot but if Montreal is in the mid to upper 20s then it may not be possible.

I think it is viable and perhaps advisable to move up and get a player you really like in the first round when the organization already has a deep prospect pool. The question is basically whether Timmins and Bergevin like a kid (L’Heureaux or whoever) enough that giving up some additional picks seems like a solid use of draft capital. Or whether in a strange Covid draft class, they rather just have lots of picks between rounds 2-5 because they may foresee certain kids they like getting overlooked by other clubs because of how few games were ever played and how little some kids got scouted.

[NWTHabsFan]

Some big questions for the 2021 draft: When will it really take place? Will all the CHL kids get some league play in this season? How many of those picks will the Habs really make in 2021?

Thanks to both of you, GNick and folatre for starting off this conversation. The 2021 draft is seen as weak by many mainly due to its total lack of star power with the top end of the draft. A lot of tags on the strength of the draft really are about the top picks and/or the projected impact of the first rounders. This is a Defender draft at the top end, but no clear #1 like years in the past. The forwards take a step back in the first round to their defender brethren, and there are no obvious elite forwards either. But there are still a lot of good players to like in this draft. And that goes beyond the first round again. The huge wildcard is how will teams realistically rank guys against each other when the amount of playing time and competition will vary so drastically based on which league the player calls home. Most CHLers will not have played in 12 months. The lost development time and lack of competition in which to tone your craft is going to make a lot of draft selecting more of a crap shoot than ever. Compound that with scouts not having access to rinks, so almost all scouting right now is by video. Nothing truly replaces seeing a guy live. You see his play off the puck, his effort level, and lots of little things that the camera can miss.

I like a lot of guys in this draft. I am not worried about a lack of elite talent at the top of the draft, the Habs are not picking there anyway. My big worry is the CHL draft class. It is the big unknown. Those kids (and this is the major draw for teams drafting) are not playing while pretty well all others are in some shape or form. Teams will have scouted the 2021 draft class in the CHL for the last couple of years now, but that group also saw last year cut short and had no playoffs to show how they can perform as 16 or 17 year olds in big games. A lot of big questions about far too many draft eligible kids. No wonder there is movement afoot by GMs to move the draft from its proposed July dates.

I will jump in on specific draft eligible kids over time as this thread develops and as time permits. I think we will have lots of time to talk about this draft in the end.

Oh yeah, the U18s in April will be a huge scouting event to see how kids stack up against each other in a best on best pre draft tourney. But for a country like Canada, there will be so many draft eligibles that will not get this chance. So many.

[NWTHabsFan]

The AB division of the WHL started last night. The SK/MB and US divisions will kick off in March. Still no word on if or when the BC teams can start play. A number of good draft eligibles to watch in the Dub this short season. Two of the top prospects had a great debut last night, with my local Edmonton Oil Kings. Dylan Guenther had a four point (2g 2a) night and highly rated goalie Sebastian Cossa made 26 saves in a big 7-1 win. Cossa could be the second goalie to go in the draft after Swede Wallstedt. Guenther is in the conversation for the top ten, or better on some lists.

One of the other top WHL forwards is Cole Sillinger. He is with Medicine Hat, but has been playing with Sioux Falls of the USHL this season. He has 12 goals and 22 points in 14 games. He was not with the Tigers last night, so no he might be in the midst of quarantine. Edit: Nope, he is still playing with Sioux Falls on the same squad as Habs mystery prospect Jack Smith.

I might as well highlight a few of the other top guys from the Dub. The top defender is Winnipeg’s Carson Lambos. He is a good two way top tier defender, part of what should be a pretty decent draft class for top four defenders. He has been honing his craft this year in Finland’s top men’s league, Liiga. Moose Jaw’s Ryder Korczak just missed last year’s draft by a week or so, but he is a skilled playmaking centre. He was the top point producer on a bad Warriors team last year, and by a huge margin. And the final Central Scouting A rated player is Seattle’s LW Connor Roulette. He needs to get a bit quicker, but the raw skills are there. A late second rounder perhaps.

[seventeen]

Any relation to Mike Sillinger? I'm guessing, son.

[NWTHabsFan]

Feb 27, 2021 15:45:14 GMT -5 seventeen said:

Any relation to Mike Sillinger? I'm guessing, son.

Son.

[folatre]

Well, whenever this draft takes place, it looks more like Montreal will be picking in the 14-18 range, rather than the mid-20s. That could certainly alter the cluster of players Timmins may be studying.

[NWTHabsFan]

Feb 28, 2021 10:13:17 GMT -5 folatre said:

Well, whenever this draft takes place, it looks more like Montreal will be picking in the 14-18 range, rather than the mid-20s. That could certainly alter the cluster of players Timmins may be studying.

There will be some nice options in that range. I will keep profiling different leagues and countries over the next little while as I get more comfortable with this draft class.

Just a little plug for my local lad...Guenther had another two goals and an assist last night. I guess he has shaken off the rust pretty well. I had fun watching him live last season. The good old days!

[NWTHabsFan]

Okay, let’s have a peek at the Q draft class. It actually looks to be a pretty decent group. Although there should be no guys picked in the top ten, there should be several picked in the first three rounds and beyond. The Q did get some games in during the fall, and has just entered its restart. As with all multi jurisdictional leagues, the various teams are playing an unbalanced schedule. Some have not joined in the restart.

Who are the top guys? There are three skilled offensive forwards that are in the first round conversation for sure. Two of the Zachary’s start the conversation, with Rimouski’s Bolduc and Halifax’s L’Heureux often battling for prominence. Bolduc beat out L’Heureux for the Q rookie of the year, but both had strong seasons last year at around the ppg pace. L’Heureux is more of a physical forward, with a lot of points coming from the low slot. Rounding out the trio is Xavier Bourgault, Shawinigan’s elite scoring prospect.

In the next tier of kids, there are a number that should hear their names called early on Day 2 of the draft like big, stay at home smooth skating defender Cameron Whynot (easily the best draft name so far) who is working on developing his offensive game, speedy winger Quebec’s James Malatesta, two way centre Zachary Dean from Gatineau, and rising two-way defender Evan Nause who also plays for Quebec.

All in all, some interesting prospects in the Habs back yard this draft. And there is no doubt some obscure gars de chez nous that TT will pick in the 6th round, just because. I am kidding...okay, maybe only half kidding.

[NWTHabsFan]

Let’s flip overseas for a bit. This is poised to be one Swede draft. It looks like a very good draft for Swedish prospects in terms of both quality and quantity. They could even break the record this year of number of Swedes taken in the first round. When you have the top goalie, two of the top forwards and one of the top defenders in a draft being touted for its defenders, it is time to take notice.

Jesper Wallstedt is that big, steady, positionally sound goalie that is the consensus top stud goalie this year. He has been groomed for a while, wearing the tre kronor at a couple of Hlinkas, the U18s and this past WJC as an underager. His numbers in the SHL with Lulea are great, especially considering his age. After the last two years of high profile draft eligible goalies in Knight and Askarov, Wallstedt seems to be in that category.

On D, Simon Edvinsson is always in the conversation of the top defenders this year. A big, smooth skating defender with skills. Up front, there are a couple of skilled forwards getting some serious hype at top forwards in this draft. Frölunda’s LW Fabian Lysell and Djurgårdens’ William Eklund have a ton of buzz right now. I expect all these guys will be long gone when the Habs pick, but other high end forwards that could be available in the first include the skilled Simon Robertsson, Isak Rosén, and Oskar Olausson. The latter saw action at the WJC and is definitely on my list for when the Habs could pick, although that will depend on final positions. Another defender, Anton Olsson, could be a possible late first or second rounder too.

Sweden also has some good players that will hear their names called on Day two. This is not the year for teams to be skimping on their coverage of Swedish prospects. Given all our picks over the last number of years and again this year, I am a bit surprised that TT has not gone to Sweden more. Maybe this year. Maybe Vejdemo, Olofsson and Norlinder with have some fellow countrymen in the fold after this next draft. I thought TT would pick at least one last year too, for what it is worth. After all, you can sit on these picks for four years too, just like US high school kids, and these players usually are far more proven against better competition already.

[NWTHabsFan]

Another country that will fill the draft boards in this draft is the USA. It is a decently strong draft from our southern neighbour, as has been a trend for a while. I will break down the US draft class in three separate segments: the USNTDP, the USHL, and other leagues.

I will start with this post on the current US National Team Development Program. After a phenomenal year in 2019, the team and draft last year was a ton more modest. It was essentially Jake Sanderson and a bunch of other guys in lower tiers. The 2021 group is somewhere within that broad range, I would suggest.

At name at the top has familiarity in that it is a defender again, and also the latest instalment of the Hughes brothers. What distinguishes Luke from his two older brothers is his size. He is a 6’2” smooth skating defender. Without a consensus #1 this draft, he has been on the rise due to his steady play since the fall. I have seen his name at #1, in the top five, and only occasionally elsewhere in the top ten. Bottom line is he will be one of the most sought out picks this year. He is also one of the youngest players in the draft, so he should keep getting better.

I would consider the next tier of two players, both forwards. Chaz Lucius is the elite shooter and Sasha Pastujov is the top end playmaker. As GNick mentioned in the OP, Lucius has just recently returned from injury. That is the reason he has not yet been one of those names much higher in the draft. He still has a decent amount of season left to show off his skills and put up numbers, so he should be a riser for the rest of the year. Top ten? Pastujov has put up very strong numbers, but I have seen him ranked all over the first, and even in the second by a few. There are concerns about how his numbers will translate against tougher competition. Anyway, he is a high end prospect to watch this draft.

Day Two should hear names called from the second round onwards: Dylan Duke is a consistent North-south forward who goes to the dirty areas, Red Savage (son of Brian) is speedy, Boucher has decent size and there are two other puck moving defenders in Behrens and Hreschuk, and what would the team be without a huge defender - 6’5” Schmidt.

The structure of the team and the chemistry of playing together for two years always makes this program a big draw come draft day. They will also form the basis of the USA’s entry at the U18s in late April on home soil.

Two of the Habs most exciting prospects right now are graduates of this team: Caufield and Farrell.

[NWTHabsFan]

Let’s talk about Finland. If their age old rivals Sweden are poised for a very strong draft, the opposite is true for Finland. It lacks both quality and quantity, although there are always prospects to be found from Finland. A year ago, forward Aatu Raty was the talk of the draft and the consensus #1 guy. Then he started playing pretty poor hockey at the U20 level in the fall and was cut from the WJC team. His stock plummeted and the top spots in the draft were wide open. Since then, Raty has been playing good hockey at the Liiga level against men. His stock is rebounding. His top end is likely a strong 2C and he looks like he could remain in top ten.

There is a fair drop, as no other Finns are a slam dunk for the first round. Only scorer Samu Tuomaala comes close, but he is a shoot first (and always) kind of forward. His size, selfish play and poor defensive play keep him from the top tier. Samu Salminen is a big, not that quick, offensive guy who also needs to get better defensively. Samuel Helenius is a 6’6” two way centre with limited offensive upside. He is one of the best defensive forwards in this draft though. Ville Koivunen is the playmaker who sets up a lot of Tuomaala’s goals. Oliver Kapanen (cousin) is an average skater with a very good shot.

No real sure thing defenders, which is unusual. The two Aleskis (Malinen and Heimosalmi) are both good skaters and puck movers, but need to add a lot of weight and strength to ever be able to compete against NHL players.

[folatre]

NW, you are staying on top of everything despite the oddities of this draft year. Thanks, that is a lot of good information to absorb.

McKenzie was saying earlier this evening that he believes the draft will go forward in July as planned. He cites the league’s sense that all the clubs face the same turbulence so the playing field is basically level; also it seems there is not much appetite to negotiate with the NHLPA on the issues that would arise.

[folatre]

Feb 28, 2021 18:05:50 GMT -5 NWTHabsFan said:

Okay, let’s have a peek at the Q draft class. It actually looks to be a pretty decent group. Although there should be no guys picked in the top ten, there should be several picked in the first three rounds and beyond. The Q did get some games in during the fall, and has just entered its restart. As with all multi jurisdictional leagues, the various teams are playing an unbalanced schedule. Some have not joined in the restart.

Who are the top guys? There are three skilled offensive forwards that are in the first round conversation for sure. Two of the Zachary’s start the conversation, with Rimouski’s Bolduc and Halifax’s L’Heureux often battling for prominence. Bolduc beat out L’Heureux for the Q rookie of the year, but both had strong seasons last year at around the ppg pace. L’Heureux is more of a physical forward, with a lot of points coming from the low slot. Rounding out the trio is Xavier Bourgault, Shawinigan’s elite scoring prospect.

In the next tier of kids, there are a number that should hear their names called early on Day 2 of the draft like big, stay at home smooth skating defender Cameron Whynot (easily the best draft name so far) who is working on developing his offensive game, speedy winger Quebec’s James Malatesta, two way centre Zachary Dean from Gatineau, and rising two-way defender Evan Nause who also plays for Quebec.

All in all, some interesting prospects in the Habs back yard this draft. And there is no doubt some obscure gars de chez nous that TT will pick in the 6th round, just because. I am kidding...okay, maybe only half kidding.

I agree about the Q. This is a very solid year. Last year was simply exceptional. Not only was Lafreniere the first overall pick, but four other kids went in the first round. That is not going to happen in 2021.

I like the three talented forwards that you mentioned. L'Heureaux (reminds me a little of Marty Lapointe with more quickness) or Bolduc will be there in the 14-19 range, but they seem unlikely to stay on the board long after that. Bourgault could certainly get picked in the 20s.

Good research on the d-men. What are people saying about Isaac Belliveau these days?

[NWTHabsFan]

Mar 3, 2021 19:59:13 GMT -5 folatre said:

I agree about the Q. This is a very solid year. Last year was simply exceptional. Not only was Lafreniere the first overall pick, but four other kids went in the first round. That is not going to happen in 2021.

I like the three talented forwards that you mentioned. L'Heureaux (reminds me a little of Marty Lapointe with more quickness) or Bolduc will be there in the 14-19 range, but they seem unlikely to stay on the board long after that. Bourgault could certainly get picked in the 20s.

Good research on the d-men. What are people saying about Isaac Belliveau these days?

Crazy good numbers last year, but how much of that was inflated by those PPs with Lafreniere? His numbers were not good with a bad Rimouski team up to his trade at the end of December, but they have not really moved the needle much on a better Gatineau team. He seems to be dropping big time as not much buzz unless he picks up his offensive production. There was a fair bit of hype coming into this season. Which guy is he, come the draft?

[NWTHabsFan]

Mar 3, 2021 18:31:28 GMT -5 folatre said:

NW, you are staying on top of everything despite the oddities of this draft year. Thanks, that is a lot of good information to absorb.

McKenzie was saying earlier this evening that he believes the draft will go forward in July as planned. He cites the league’s sense that all the clubs face the same turbulence so the playing field is basically level; also it seems there is not much appetite to negotiate with the NHLPA on the issues that would arise.

NHL and NHLPA discussing the draft timing today.

[NWTHabsFan]

Okay, let’s look at some more draftees. Coming 2 America 2 - the USHL (non USNTDP players). This seems like a pretty solid year for the USHL, and we know from past experience it is a league that TT and crew pay attention to during the year.

The first name probably selected is one I have mentioned earlier in a previous post, Cole Sillinger. It looks like the SK born goal scoring LW is staying put and not returning to the Dub. Any why not, he is scoring at a very hot pace so far. His ppg pace only trails Farrell, Coronato and Pastujov and he has 14 goals in 15 games. I expect the next two names will be the Chicago Steel duo of wingers Matthew Coronato and Mackie Samoskevich. Coronato leads the league in goals and is second in points, while Samoskevich missed a chunk of time with injuries and plays lower in the lineup so his numbers don’t pop out as much. There are a couple of public scouting services that like the latter better though due to his better speed and skill. Coronato is known for his great work ethic, so with those numbers...he will be sought after.

Tristan Broz is a skilled LW playing with Fargo, and well travelled Ayrton Martino is an offensive-first winger with Omaha. The Ontario native played in the BCHL this year before it shut down, and in the OJHL last season. He thinks offence all the time, sometimes at the expense of his defensive coverage. Jack O’Brien is a decent sized centre who came over from Portland of the WHL with some fanfare. His season has not lived up to expectations yet.

On defence, there are a few good puck movers worth watching. RD Ryan Ufko definitely benefits from playing with such a stacked group of forwards in Chicago, and there are concerns about his ability to play any sort of physical game or his just average skating. Brent Johnson is another two way RD who logs big minutes for Sioux Falls. He does need to thicken up and add strength before moving up against bigger players.

Lots of others will be drafted over the seven rounds, so definitely a league to keep an eye on for sure.

[NWTHabsFan]

As Boney M would say, “Ooooooh, those Russians”. This is definitely not a banner year for Russia in terms of prospects. Russia does have a unique development approach as their prospects can actually play in and move between three different levels of play during the year: the MHL (junior), VHL (men’s second league), and KHL (top men’s league). While this is great for development, the reality is that a number of prospects “move up” and get very little ice time. A bit of a double edged sword for the younger prospects who need ice time.

Onto some of the names. The top name seems to be smooth skating LHD Daniil Chayka who played on the WJC team as an underager (rare for the Russians to have undrafted kids), and who played with Guelph in the OHL last season. He opted to return to Russia where he is playing against men this season due to the long delay in the OHL getting back on track. Another strong defender to add to the first round ranks of defenders this draft. The top forward is SKA’s RW Nikita Chibrikov. A very skilled winger with great vision and passing, but like many Russian juniors, is not strong defensively.

After those two, the next name should be centre Fyodor Svechkov of Togliatti. He has decent skill and shot, but many consider him the best defensive forward in the draft. Yup, a Russian! One of the more exciting and enigmatic prospects is winger Prokhor Poltapov of CSKA. He can give you highlight reel plays and head scratching moments in the same game. I really like his skill, and if he is still around by the third onwards, I will be table thumping on talent potential alone. RHD Dmitri Kostenko makes a good first pass and moves the puck well. He plays for Togliatti too same as Svechkov (both play in the VHL) and their team is bad. They don’t get a lot of support. Decent players on bad teams sometimes drop.

LHD Kirill Kirsanov from SKA is a good skater and passer and Dynamo’s small winger Alexander Kisakov is second in goals in the MHL, second only to 16 year old wunderkind Matvey Michkov (a teammate of Gordin). Kisakov does look and play a bit small, so he will need to add some beef.

There are a few other guys from SKA that I have seen watching Gordin that might be worth a late round pick if TT and crew think they are worth it: Lazutin, Dishkovky and Ivantsov all show occasional flashes and TT likes to pick Russians late in the draft.

There always seems to be value for Russia given the lingering “Russian factor” amongst some teams. This may not be a strong draft for Russia, but there are kids with potential there for sure. There is no rush to bring kids over and sign them right away either, so this is a big plus with so much flux in the CHL right now and lost development time this year.

[NWTHabsFan]

The last instalment of the American draft leagues focuses on the NCAA and USHS (high school).

It is rare to see many draft eligible kids already playing in the NCAA, and quite unbelievable to see three super high end kids playing for the same school. Cue the Michigan trio that GNick talks about in his OP: Power, Beniers, and Johnson. Power is a beast of a man, who can skate and play. A rare combo of size, skating and skill for a defender. The Ontario native honed his craft last season with the champion Chicago Steel, the US junior hockey factory. He is averaging .75 ppg at Michigan. There are mixed reviews on his decision making. One of the top defenders this draft.

Beniers and Johnson are very different and complementary forwards. Matthew Beniers is a very hard working and consistent north-south forward, who gets things done without the high end flash or skating. His stock really rose with a steady showing at the WJC as a 17 year old, although I am sure Caufield would have preferred a more complimentary centre to his style of play. Steady eddy, who likely projects as a very good 2C. BC born Kent Johnson is much more flash. The skilled playmaker tore up the BCHL last year and is fitting into NCAA hockey well. Both forwards are one point above a ppg pace, which is quite something as rookies. Johnson will need to add some beef and get stronger, as he is a tad skinny. Both are going to go really early in the first round.

A final NCAA draft eligible to note is Pointe-Claire forward Dovar Tinling. He will not hear his name called until much later in the draft as his numbers with Vermont are very modest, but there is the local West Island connection to this kid.

It is really hard to follow USHS, but there is one name jumping out this year as head and shoulders above all other high school draft eligibles. Smooth skating and skilled two way RHD Scott Morrow of Shattuck St. Mary’s is going to go early, maybe late first or in the second round. I have seen some highlights, and the kid does have talent, albeit against weaker competition. One other guy I have heard a bit about is defender Jack Peart who had 11 points in 15 games playing 25 minutes a game with a strong Fargo team in the USHL, before heading back to his high school team to finish off his final year with them. He is expected to be back for Fargo once his high school year is over. TT does love his long term USHS projects, so I will keep looking to research a few more as time passes and more info is available.

[seventeen]

Feb 28, 2021 18:05:50 GMT -5 NWTHabsFan said:

Okay, let’s have a peek at the Q draft class. It actually looks to be a pretty decent group. Although there should be no guys picked in the top ten, there should be several picked in the first three rounds and beyond. The Q did get some games in during the fall, and has just entered its restart. As with all multi jurisdictional leagues, the various teams are playing an unbalanced schedule. Some have not joined in the restart.

Who are the top guys? There are three skilled offensive forwards that are in the first round conversation for sure. Two of the Zachary’s start the conversation, with Rimouski’s Bolduc and Halifax’s L’Heureux often battling for prominence. Bolduc beat out L’Heureux for the Q rookie of the year, but both had strong seasons last year at around the ppg pace. L’Heureux is more of a physical forward, with a lot of points coming from the low slot. Rounding out the trio is Xavier Bourgault, Shawinigan’s elite scoring prospect.

In the next tier of kids, there are a number that should hear their names called early on Day 2 of the draft like big, stay at home smooth skating defender Cameron Whynot (easily the best draft name so far) who is working on developing his offensive game, speedy winger Quebec’s James Malatesta, two way centre Zachary Dean from Gatineau, and rising two-way defender Evan Nause who also plays for Quebec.

All in all, some interesting prospects in the Habs back yard this draft. And there is no doubt some obscure gars de chez nous that TT will pick in the 6th round, just because. I am kidding...okay, maybe only half kidding.

First, thanks for the great roundup on the kids available, NWT.

SEcondly I'll debate you on the best name in the draft. While Whynot is pretty good, James Malatesta will get Cranky's vote. In Italian is last name translates to 'crazy in the head', so one wonders, from generations past, what happened to originate that name, and if the genes from that are still there.

[NWTHabsFan]

Mar 8, 2021 13:56:24 GMT -5 seventeen said:

First, thanks for the great roundup on the kids available, NWT.

SEcondly I'll debate you on the best name in the draft. While Whynot is pretty good, James Malatesta will get Cranky's vote. In Italian is last name translates to 'crazy in the head', so one wonders, from generations past, what happened to originate that name, and if the genes from that are still there.

Well, seventeen, you have helped me learn something new today. Another successful day! I am with you with my newfound knowledge; that is a great draft name.

Another good one is Jimi Suomi. There is a lot of expectation when you have the surname of your country of birth. Jimmy Finland. If he participates internationally, he will have the same name on the front and back of his jersey.

[NWTHabsFan]

Of the major junior leagues, I have left the OHL for last for a reason. The reality is that this is a very poor draft class for the OHL come compared to normal. Usually the OHL has a lot of star power and boosts the overall strength of the draft, but not this year. Let’s look at some of the prospects though. The OHL not having any firm and announced return plans yet does not help things one bit for a lot of the kids, both top end and depth.

The top guy is still seen as one of the big four defenders in this draft. RHD Brandt Clark is a mobile aggressive defender, who should be playing in Barrie but is biding his time in Slovakia. The top forward likely is Peterborough C/W Mason McTavish, whose great shot and power game are getting fine tuned in Switzerland these days. Flint’s LW Brennan Othmann has good skill and shot, which he is also working on over in Switzerland as well. Slick, puck handling C Francesco Pinelli should be wowing the crowd at the Kitchener Auditorium, but is holding court in Slovenia of all places.

One of the top OHL based defenders, Russian Daniil Chayka, is over in Russia and I talked about him in that post. I expect he stays put and gets drafted out of Russia this season. Rounding out some other names are two way centre Brett Harrison of Oshawa (Finland currently) and Saginaw’s goalie Tristan Lennox who boasts that prototypical big size teams like in modern goalies.

I expect there still will be decent numbers drafted out of the OHL over the seven rounds, but this is a draft class severely lacking that normal “wow” factor that the OHL often boasts.

[folatre]

Based on what Daly said yesterday, it sure sounds like the momentum for postponing the draft has lost steam. Timmins and his scouts will have to be ready in July.

[NWTHabsFan]

I know he is a 2023 draft eligible, but what a way for 15 year old Connor Bedard to make his WHL debut and score his first goal. BTW, that LHD he beat was NOT Guhle, as Guhle wears #6. As I mentioned in the prospects thread, he is the first exceptional status player in the Dub’s history, he scored two and was named game’s first star in his league debut last night.

When you get to see the top projected guys for the 2022 and 2023 drafts looking good already, it is easy to see why scouts and watchers are excited about the top end of those drafts compared to 2021. However, there still are good players for this draft. And once the OHL starts play and BC allows junior kids to play (WHL and BCHL), then scouts will have some recent viewings of all the main prospects. They probably need a couple of months of hockey to shake off the rust and answer any consistency questions, and also show if their development has progressed or stalled. With so much time off for some of these kids, teams that have done their homework the best leading into this year will have a benefit.

[NWTHabsFan]

Only a couple more league/country profiles left for my initial 2021 draft takes, so I will get them both up now. I will shift to that broad category of Other European countries. I did individual posts on Sweden, Finland and Russia, so this is the rest.

In simple terms, other than the Czech Republic, this is a very weak to almost non-existent draft for many countries that are used to supplying at least a few decent prospects. The Czechs should see a decent number of players picked over the seven rounds. The top name is LHD Stanislav Svozil with Brno who had a very strong WJC for an undrafted underager. Button sure could not stop singing his praises. A few other names to watch lower down the draft include big LW Martin Rysavy and smaller LHD Jiri Tichacek from Kladno.

The Swiss have a few names to watch as the draft progresses. Both Shawinigan C Lorenzo Canonica and Zürich’s LHD Noah Meier saw action in Edmonton at the WJC. It is a big down year for Slovakia as they really don’t have anyone on the NHL’s draft watch list. After a huge year at the draft for Germany last year with the “Big Three” and Seider the year before, you likely will have to wait a long time to hear Ravensburg big goalie Nikita Quapp’s name called. There do not appear to be any notable Danes in the mix either. The one interesting story could be to see if Belgian born C Robin Van Calster, who plays for Koln in the German junior league, gets drafted.

[NWTHabsFan]

A quick pivot to Canada’s Junior A circuits under the CJHL. For a while now, the two top leagues for producing potential NHL talent are the AJHL and BCHL. The AJHL alumni boast last year’s Calder Trophy winner Cale Makar and exciting forward, and Caufield’s teammate, Dylan Holloway. If you have watched Wisconsin games this year, or the WJC, you can see that the Oilers have a decent prospect there.

One name from the AJHL stands head and shoulders above the rest, just like he does on the ice as a big, lanky defender. Brook’s RHD is a big kid who skates very well and is constantly jumping into the play. A first round projection, he seems to be in that second tier of defenders from this D heavy draft after the big four: Hughes, Edvinsson, Clark and Power. I watched part of his season debut (the restart version) last night, and you notice his size, smooth skating, and his engagement in the play.

There are two big names from the BCHL that have bolted to the USHL to get more hockey in this season as the BC government figures out if it will ever allow junior hockey to start. I already mentioned skilled forward Ayrton Martino in the USHL post, but another good one is BC born RHD Jack Bar. He has decent size and has looked good in the Chicago Steel games I have watched this year. A few other BCHL based players that have committed to good NCAA programs next season are Penticton’s skilled C Finlay Williams (Michigan 2021) and West Kelowna’s big and mobile RHD Charles-Alexis Legault (Boston U 2021) who is un gars de chez nous.

[seventeen]

Mar 13, 2021 10:37:25 GMT -5 NWTHabsFan said:

I know he is a 2023 draft eligible, but what a way for 15 year old Connor Bedard to make his WHL debut and score his first goal. BTW, that LHD he beat was NOT Guhle, as Guhle wears #6. As I mentioned in the prospects thread, he is the first exceptional status player in the Dub’s history, he scored two and was named game’s first star in his league debut last night.

When you get to see the top projected guys for the 2022 and 2023 drafts looking good already, it is easy to see why scouts and watchers are excited about the top end of those drafts compared to 2021. However, there still are good players for this draft. And once the OHL starts play and BC allows junior kids to play (WHL and BCHL), then scouts will have some recent viewings of all the main prospects. They probably need a couple of months of hockey to shake off the rust and answer any consistency questions, and also show if their development has progressed or stalled. With so much time off for some of these kids, teams that have done their homework the best leading into this year will have a benefit.

I like his skating. He has similarities to Jack Hughes, Dave Keon and Henri Richard. All seem to be effortless, like a waterbug. No one was catching him, though and he didn't even look like he was in anything but 6th gear of an 8 speed transmission. Fifteen, huh? Chuckle, Hockeydb doesn't even have him on their database yet.

[NWTHabsFan]

So, July 2021 draft dates stay put. Good. All teams are in the same boat.

[Habs_fan_in_LA]

Mar 16, 2021 17:02:38 GMT -5 NWTHabsFan said:

So, July 2021 draft dates stay put. Good. All teams are in the same boat.

Nothing is normal in the new normal.

[NWTHabsFan]

This news is indirectly related to the draft, as it affects the visibility of many draft eligible kids. This week, both the BC Division of the WHL and the BCHL announced their return to play plans, with both playing out of hub centres for the shortened season. The BC WHL teams will start play this weekend, and the BCHL teams on the Easter long weekend. The BCHL did get some games in the fall, but shut down in mid November when the tighter restrictions went into force in BC. You may recall that Fairbrother actually played games with the Nanaimo Clippers last fall to get back in game shape after being off for a long time with injury and then COVID shutdowns.

This now leaves the OHL alone in being the only junior league without any declared return to play plans.