Another year, another iteration of the NHL Entry Draft. In here, we will list the picks, go through the players drafted by their respective organizations, and then grade the team’s draft. Here, we will do the teams alphabetically, split into four parts. Each part will be split into eight teams.
Part 1: [click here]
Part 2: [You are here]
Part 3: [click here]
Part 4: [click here]
Columbus Blue Jackets
Selections:
1st round: C Kent Johnson (5th), C Cole Sillinger (12th), D Corson Ceulemans (25th)
2nd round: none
3rd round: D Stanislav Svozil (69th)
4th round: D Guillaume Richard (101st)
5th round: D Nikolai Makarov (132nd), LW James Malatesta (133rd)
6th round: LW Ben Boyd (165th)
7th round: RW Martin Rysavy (197th)
Kent Johnson
What exactly Johnson will be in the NHL level is unclear so far. He has the skill and potential to become a first liner. His creative output is the byproduct of carefully honed techniques and a skilled mind. He handles the puck with his top hand free from his body, pushed forward with precision, quickness, and agility. When he feels it, the game looks easy. He anticipates player movement so well, whether it be his teammates or his opponents, and lets the mental map of the ice dictate his plan on where he will attack. He has the vision and the puck skills that few players are gifted to have. One of the better puck handlers of the draft class, he has so many options, having the skill to beat defenders one-on-one. He is electrifying and a magician with the puck, a real play driver, mixing it with poise and patience to let the game come to him to exploit the openings that he finds just by holding on to the puck. The game looks as if it is slowing down for him whenever he has the puck on his stick, making him a dangerous forward. His skating and consistency are what hold him back, however, and it could move him away from center. The highest he can go as a player is in the Mitch Marner caliber.
Cole Sillinger
The son of former Blue Jackets forward Mike Sillinger, Cole Sillinger was a force the past two years in the juniors, with 22 goals and 53 points in 48 games with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2020 season, and 24 goals and 46 points in 31 games with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede in 2021. He has a nice offensive firepower, with a potent wrist shot release. He makes the best of his shot with stellar off-the-puck instincts, an often-overpowering wall game, and a penchant for driving the center lane of the offensive zone. His concerns are about his skating and his consistency, but this is another solid pick by the Blue Jackets, as they added two high-level forwards to their team. Sillinger’s ceiling is that of Jamie Benn.
Corson Ceulemans
When Ceulemans played in the AJHL, scouts were questioning on how his game would translate to a higher level. At the U18s, he showed that he is a tough defender to play against, who can pinch, engage opponents, box them out, control them on the boards, and shove them away from the puck. His gap is tight in the neutral zone, and he defends the front of the net well. He has quick threat identification, and he attaches himself to opposing attackers. He also makes high skill plays as well. His shot from the blue line is a strong one, and he can also push the pace of the offense. The Wisconsin-bound defender also brings size, standing at 6’ 2”. His game is similar to that of Brandon Carlo.
Stanislav Svozil
Svozil works hard to attach himself to the checks he makes, mirroring footwork and body-on-body positioning, driving them to the boards, timing it right. He plays physically, but always does it with a purpose. He is tough to play against when in t he neutral zone, taking away the middle of the ice with hi stick, skating with his footwork, and closing in with his aggression with precision timing. Despite having limited offensive upside, with one goal and 3 points in 30 games with HC Kometa Brno of the Czech league in 2021, the 6’ 0” defenseman plays a strong physical and defensive game.
Guillaume Richard
Richard is a big-bodied stay-at-home defenseman, where he frequently kills off penalties. He has his knees bent, head on a swivel, constantly adjusting his positioning, and has projectable defensive range. His confidence defending the rush grew throughout the season, establishing the gap earlier and earlier to force opponents to dump the puck and neutralize any threat along the boards. However, he doesn’t really excel in one area or another.
Nikolai Makarov
Makarov bounced around the U18, MHL, VHL, and KHL, but spent 40 of his 44 games with the MHL. Although he has 5 assists and 43 penalty minutes, he brings size with him, as he stands a towering 6’ 4”. He is also capable of making dangerous plays on the offensive end. He has good gap control and uses his reach to his advantage.
James Malatesta
Malatesta plays at a breakneck pace. He has a high motor, trusting his reaction time, and can outspeed and outmaneuver anything in his path. He doesn’t just motor up the ice with the puck, he chases it just as hard on both the forecheck and the backcheck. He put up 33 goals and 68 points in 91 games with the QMJHL’s Québec Ramparts, with 10 goals and 23 points in 32 games in 2021.
Ben Boyd
Boyd recorded 7 goals and 10 points in 35 games with the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders in the 2021 season to go with 45 penalty minutes. He gives the impression that he would turn out to be a bottom six grinder.
Martin Rysavy
Like Boyd, Rysavy is a physical, hard-to-knock-off-the-puck power forward, and he plays a two-way game that every coach can be pleased with. He had 3 goals and 9 points in 19 games with HC Prerov, and also had two goals and 3 points in 5 games with the Czech U18 squad at the World Juniors. He is set to join the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors this all for some valuable North American experience and coaching.
Draft Grade: A
The Blue Jackets made the most of their Draft with a very solid first round. Johnson is a creative and fearless forward, trying a number of things that other players wouldn’t dream of doing. That also includes the “Michigan” lacrosse-style goal. Sillinger is a pure sniper who could arguably be the best shooter of this Draft class, with a powerful wrist shot that is accurate. Ceulemans is an excellent playmaker. He can carry the puck through the neutral zone and creates effective zone entries. He has excellent vision and passing skills as well. Svozil is a solid defensive defenseman, with strong lateral movements allowing him to maintain good gap control as well as forcing his opponents to the outside. Richard is a solid two-way defender who does a lot of things well, although he doesn’t truly excel in one area or another. Malatesta, despite being undersized, is a great skater.
Dallas Stars
Selections:
1st round: C Wyatt Johnston (23rd)
2nd round: C Logan Stankoven (47th), D Artyom Grushnikov (48th)
3rd round: LW Ayrton Martino (73rd), LW Justin Ertel (79th)
4th round: LW Conner Roulette (111th)
5th round: D Jack Bar (138th), D Jacob Holmes (143rd)
6th round: C Francesco Arcuri (175th)
7th round: RW Albert Sjöberg (207th)
Wyatt Johnston
Johnston didn’t play until the U18s because of the OHL not playing the 2021 season. He is an effective player on the forecheck, creating turnovers and getting the stick into the lanes. He runs the right routes in the offensive zone, supporting his teammates by occupying pockets of space and by arriving in scoring spots and the net at the right time to bang in rebounds. He slides passes through the defense, holds onto the puck to wait for open lanes, or can aim shots on the goalie’s pads to have them pinball into the open slot for trailing attackers. He is effective in all three zones, playing a shutdown role as Canada’s third line center while also pushing the play up the ice in transition, getting nice looks offensively. He is also a solid penalty killer. His motor is always running, although his offensive toolkit causes confusion onto why he was selected in the first round, and for good reason. The Stars went off the board with this pick, as he was seen more as a second rounder or a third rounder. Some considered him as a first round talent, but that was a minority opinion. However, it should be known that the Stars’ scouting staff watched him a lot back in the 2020 season when he played for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. Despite playing on a team with a lot of older forwards that season, he still managed 12 goals and 30 points in 53 games. He likely projects as a third line or bottom six center, but the COVID pandemic denied scouts a chance to see what he can do in his second year with the Spitfires. While there is risk in this pick, a long-term reward is possible so long as if he has a high development that is currently a little behind those who got to play in 2021.
Logan Stankoven
Stankoven is a name where many Stars fans were hoping would be selected at 23rd overall. There wouldn’t be a doubt if Stars fans would be upset with their team’s first two picks if the Draft order was swapped. Stankoven is a fearless puck carrier, always driving on the inside, not shy to set up shop near the net-front off the puck. He plays a North-South game and attacks at an unrelenting pace. The mechanics in his shot are clean, exerting the downward force while pushing his top hand off his body. He is an incredibly gifted goal-scorer, a big reason why he was considered a consensus first round pick. The results speak for themselves: 29 goals and 48 points in 59 games with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers in 2020, followed by 7 goals and 10 points in 6 games in 2021. There was so much confusion on to why he kept falling down the Draft. Stankoven’s game is similar to that of Cole Caufield. Although not at the same level, the similarities are there. This selection can make the Stars’ power play a very dangerous group five years from now with him, Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, Mavrik Borque, and Thomas Harley.
Artyom Grushnikov
The selection of Johnston was not the only one that the Stars relied on 2020 scouting reports to make their decision, as Grushnikov also did not play games in the 2021 season. He was supposed to play the 2021 season with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, but COVID caused the OHL to cancel the 2021 season. However, his earlier play is what the Stars went off of the most, and they saw that he is a defenseman who projects as a shutdown defender, someone not only with size, physicality and a high degree of positional understanding, but also someone who can skate to keep up with speedy opponents. He acts as both the supporting element in a defensive pairing, the element gluing himself to off-puck attackers and shutting down the pass, and the engager. He uses his body and skating to win puck battles one-on-one, along the boards or in the open ice, allowing his team to rapidly relaunch the attack—something he occasionally does through short passes. While there wasn’t particularly anything that the Starts needed urgently coming into the Draft, one that was noted was defensemen of shutdown potential to help complement Miro Heiskanen and Harley.
Ayrton Martino
The Stankoven selection wasn’t the only one where the Stars had positive reviews from scouts, as Martino was someone that everyone kept their eye on after he recorded 18 goals and 56 points in 38 games with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers. Martino moves well off the puck to find pockets to space offensively in spaces where he can get a quick shot. He excels at the give-and-go, identifying the best play before receiving the pass, and then one-times the puck to an open space in the net. Hook and slip passes allow him to shift his puck positioning to pass through defenders. Although he has a 2002 birthday, he was the guy in Omaha. His production is impressive given that he was a rookie in the USHL and that he didn’t have a lot of offensive support around him. With his speed, his hands, and his well-rounded game (he was killing penalties for the Lancers although he was their top offensive weapon), it was surprising to see him slip to the 3rd round. The concerns were around his skinny frame and a bit of softness, but he will spend up to four seasons with Clarkson in the NCAA to improve his strength and conditioning.
Justin Ertel
Something that independent scouts have that NHL scouts don’t is time, since most independent scouts do this as their full-time career, allowing them to dig into prospects on lesser-known teams in lesser-known leagues. Ertel is one of them, who played for the Summerside Capitals in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League, where he had 9 goals and 28 points in 18 games in 2021. The pick may look way out of the paper based off the independent rankings, but it could be a Draft steal. FCHockey had only one single view of him, but the scout loved what he saw. He possesses a combination of size, mobility, shooting, and playmaking. He will head to Cornell in the NCAA.
Conner Roulette
Roulette is more of a precision passer than a manipulative playmaker, identifying the next play before touching the puck. He can connect with his teammates with one-touch feeds, along the boards, or in-tight. From the backhand, he can slice pucks through narrow openings to connect with open teammates working in space, and frequent hook pass use limits turnovers. He averaged a point per game on a weak Seattle Thunderbirds team in the WHL, and then joined Johnston and Stankoven on Canada’s U18 squad, where the loaded depth pushed him down the lineups. He was ranked higher than where the Stars picked him, as high as 55th on Bob McKenzie’s list. He is not very big, and his skating needs to improve, but he does have that offensive side of him along with skills with puck control, shot, and playmaking. The Thunderbirds will be a young team next season, which will help him get more ice time and more opportunities to improve his game.
Jack Bar
Bar is another player selected way below where he was ranked by scouts, as high as 37th overall. This selection is a major steal for the Stars, as he is a big defender who can move very well and occasionally pull off something amazing. Curl-and-drag wristers make him a scoring threat, and he is not shy about using the threat of a shot to pass. He doesn’t settle for shots from the point, using give-and-goes and off-puck activation to become an option, then stepping to the inside to fire a shot. He sets up the defender to maximize his odds of getting the shot through. He hits moving targets through pressure, keeping lanes open by deceiving others. The USHL’s Chicago Steel has become one of the best teams for player development in junior hockey, and Bar was a member of their 2021 championship team, where he had 10 assists and 15 points in 34 regular season games and one assist in 7 playoff games. He will play for Harvard this fall.
Jacob Holmes
Holmes did not play this season because of the OHL not being able to get a 2021 season going due to the COVID outbreak, although he is a member of a strong OHL organization in the Soo Greyhounds, which recently helped produce 1st round defensive prospect Rasmus Sandin and 2nd round defensive prospect Ryan O’Rourke. Holmes was the 18th overall selection in the 2019 OHL Draft and the captain of his minor league team, so there is promise in him.
Francesco Arcuri
Arcuri was able to play hockey this season after the OHL was not able to resume action for the 2021 season, heading to an Austrian team—the Steel Wings Linz of the AlpsHL. He thinks ahead of the puck and connects with his teammates with hook passes and passes through pressure. He is often along the perimeter but turns to the inside to search for options instead of getting locked into the cycle. The outside leg wrister remains his shot, shooting off the pass as well. He also has a big body, but he needs to get quicker and more agile to open things up for himself. He will play for the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs in the fall, on the same team as 2022 projected 1st overall pick Shane Wright.
Albert Sjöberg
Given some of the Stars’ picks in the earlier rounds, it’s fitting if the Stars wrapped it up with selecting a prospect that was higher on independent lists by snagging Sjöberg. He focuses on speeding past defenders, on breaking in the offensive zone before the defense collapses on him, and then looks to fire toward the net. He is very net-focused, looking to get shots off on the rush. He can turn steals defensively into offense. He had a solid showing for Sweden at the U18s as they won the bronze. He might not possess a lot of offensive upside, but he is effective as a bottom six forward that can kill penalties, pressure his opponents on the forecheck, and use his speed and power to help transition pucks up the ice. With this selection, the Stars keep their streak of selecting a Swede in the Draft alive, having selected a Swede in every Draft since 2016 (seven in total).
Draft Grade: A
This is a great Draft by the Stars, as they brought a ton of high-end talent to the system. Johnston has a solid two-way game and a very high work ethic. Stankoven, although undersized, has high-end offensive skills. Grushnikov is a defenseman of shutdown potential, reading the opponent extremely well and has a knack for breaking up plays in the neutral zone with a quick poke check or by stepping up with a hit. Martino’s speed possesses a threat and helps him to generate breakaways and odd-man rushes, and he also has slick hands to finish plays. He also has a powerful wrist shot and snapshot. Roulette is a pure goal scorer, with an excellent array of shots. Bar is solid at starting the transition game, with a decent stickhandling ability and combines this with his skating to move the puck out of his end as well as to effectively skate the puck through the neutral zone.
Detroit Red Wings
Selections:
1st round: D Simon Edvinsson (6th), G Sebastian Cossa (15th)
2nd round: D Shai Buium (36th)
3rd round: LW Carter Mazur (70th)
4th round: C Red Savage (114th)
5th round: C Liam Dower Nilsson (134th), D Oscar Plandowski (155th)
6th round: LW Pasquale Zito (166th)
7th round: none
Simon Edvinsson
Edvinsson is a big, mobile, and detailed defender who does everything for a team, with his high-level in-zone instincts, a tight neutral zone gap, well-timed physicality, and supporting instincts to add to that. His defensive reads, and overall play without the puck are highly underrated. He maneuvers with the puck kept in his hip pocket, with his top hand in control, free from his body. With a smooth and gracious skating stride scaffolded on top of those mechanical handling skills, his tools take him to rarified air as a puck-carrier. His skating and puck-moving skills are the hallmarks of his game. A left-shot minutes, he can play big minutes and can add offense to his game. He will be part of the defensive prospect corps headlined by 6’ 4” Moritz Seider, who is projected to join the Red Wings in time for the 2022 season. Meanwhile, Edvinsson will likely stay in Sweden to play for Frölunda, but at some point, there is the hope that he and Seider will be towering powerhouses on the Red Wings’ blueline. While Red Wings fans were wanting the team to take William Eklund, the selection of Edvinsson is more of a schematic fit to feature a big, young, high IQ defenseman. As his ceiling is that of Rasmus Dahlin, it makes sense that he is selected to a team where Steve Yzerman wants a strong blue line that can anchor the team for many years.
Sebastian Cossa
This season marks back-to-back seasons of stellar numbers for Cossa, who improved his GAA and SV% from 2.23 and .921 in 2020 to 1.57 and .941 in 2021, respectively. Although he mixes things up, he recovers quickly on rebounds to get in front of multiple shot sequences to clear his crease. He’s not afraid to use his hands, and does a good job of covering up the puck before his opponents springs loose for scoring chances. He’ll use a wide array of save options to match whatever the shooter presents. He is a towering 6’ 6” and stays confident in his net, similar to Robin Lehner. He will turn 19 in November and will play his final year of junior eligibility with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. He also has a very likely chance of playing for Canada at the World Juniors to be held in his home province and hometown city of Edmonton, Alberta. The fact that he was taken before Jesper Wallstedt is surprising, as Wallstedt is the highest-ranked goalie of the 2021 Draft class, and that Wings fans are questioning on if this is the goalie they want, but not much is known about anything until a few years into the future. But knowing Steve Yzerman, he likely knows something that we don’t.
Shai Buium
At 6’ 3”, Buium is another big body to add to the Red Wings’ blueline. He is the second left-shot defenseman taken by them in the Draft, seemingly answering their questions on the left side of the defense. His hands and feet work independently, each transmitting different information to opponents. With changes of pace, fakes shots, and constant eye deception, turns exits into inside-lane entries, creates passing lanes, and hits teammates through heavy pressure. Give-and-goes with a space-filling approach allows him to create scoring chances for himself or his teammates. He has two-way upside, with the stickhandling ability and creativity to inside-out checkers off the rush or attacking off the point. He can make a first pass using his offensive talents as a playmaker, although he is inconsistent in this aspect of play. Although he has work to do on his shot, his quickness, and his physicality, he is still a strong passer who can play a solid two-way game. He has more defensive value to his game long-term than offensive value, but there is enough skill to his game to be effective on both sides.
Carter Mazur
Mazur, a Detroit native, was developed with the Little Caesars’ junior team, with Kris Draper, the Red Wings’ director of amateur scouting, was his coach. The 2021 season was a breakout season for him, as he increased his point production from 6 goals and 13 points in 47 games to 20 goals and 44 points in 47 games with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm. Although he was more commonly considered to be a 4th round pick, he is an under-the-radar player with solid offensive skills, although he needs plenty of development before he reaches his potential. Standing 6’ and weighing 168 lbs., he needs to add weight and strength to his frame before becoming NHL ready, but this can be solved by hitting the weight room more often. This is the classic Yzerman forward: A two-way player, high character, high motor, and high upside, which makes him one of the safer picks for the Red Wings in this Draft.
Red Savage
Savage is a flashy and dynamic offensive generator. When in transition, he would fool the defense with his hands and feet that transmit different information, eye deception, and unmatched pace, including with slick dekes or stickhandling moves. Slip and hook passes, even when moving, and a desire to look for the high-danger option makes him a set-up threat. He’s also a threat from mid-range with his wrist shot. He’s a beast on the penalty kill as well, and can be a problem for others when he is on the forecheck. The son of 12-year NHLer Brian Savage, he was the captain of Team USA at the U18 World Juniors where he had one goal in five games. He will graduate from Miami-Ohio next year.
Liam Dower Nilsson
Dower Nilsson is a playmaker, a passer, a guy who can feed his teammates the puck through three layers of defense right on the tape at the goalmouth and can quarterback a power play. He never reveals the position of his intended outlet to the opposition. He represented Sweden at the U18 World Juniors where he was the captain and had four points (one goal, three assists) in seven games. He will play for Frölunda of the SHL next season, with an outside chance of playing at the World Juniors in either 2022 or 2023. There is the possibility he could be the dark horse of the team’s Draft class.
Oscar Plandowski
Yzerman added yet another defenseman to the blueline with the selection of Plandowski. He is a strong defender who can generate offensive chances, can turn defense into offense, crossovers, absorbing contact… he can do all the skating moves that a team would want. The handling and shooting skills are there as well. He has his hands away from his body and can step into the pucks… truly an elusive player. He currently has two years left of junior eligibility in the QMJHL.
Pasquale Zito
Yzerman rolled the dice when he went with familiarity for his final Draft choice to add Zito. Although he was supposed to play for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, the OHL could not get a season going because of the COVID pandemic. However, in the 2020 season, he had 3 goals and 13 points in 46 games after being selected in the 2nd round of the OHL Priority Selection. He brings energy and emotion, a heart-and-soul type of player. Expect him to play for two more seasons at Windsor before turning pro.
Draft Grade: A+
Trust. The. Yzerplan. The legend of Steve Yzerman’s GM career continues to grow with an outstanding Draft. The theme of these picks is high upside. Each of these selections has a high ceiling, with some bust potential. You often don’t find a prospect who is both 6’ 5” and has the skating ability that Edvinsson possesses. That makes him stellar at playing a two-way game. Cossa is a tall goalie, calm and poised, and who racked up outstanding numbers with the Oil Kings. Buium can rush the puck and create offense, continuing to improve in both as he heads to the University of Denver. Savage is a safe pick in that the combination of his skating and defense makes him a good bet to develop into a full-time NHLer. Dower Nilsson is a playmaker who can handle the puck and protect it in traffic as well as the vision to spot openings to pass to a teammate. Plandowski loves pushing the pace of the offense and to be aggressive offensively, combining his skating with good stickhandling ability and can skate the puck out of the defensive zone as well as lead the rush through the neutral zone.
Edmonton Oilers
Selections:
1st round: C Xavier Bourgault (22nd)
2nd round: none
3rd round: D Luca Münzenberger (90th)
4th round: C Jake Chiasson (116th)
5th round: none
6th round: LW Matvey Petrov (180th), LW Shane Lachance (186th)
7th round: D Max Wanner (212th)
Xavier Bourgault
Bourgault has put up strong seasons in two straight years with the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes, with 33 goals and 71 points in 63 games in 2020, followed up by 20 goals and 40 points in 29 games in 2021. He has good hands, is creative with the puck, and can score goals when he gets the puck. He is an excellent playmaker, both as a passer and as a player, who can find the soft spots without the puck. His work ethic in the offensive zone helps him get opportunities to score and he wins more battles than he loses. He is a good skater, but seems to lack the agility when he moves laterally. The biggest question is his shaky defense, where he seems to find himself getting burned at times. He played a bit of center, but he projects as a winger, given the strengths and weaknesses of his game. Another question is if he can drive play in a depth role. Other concerns are about him tending to be over-aggressive at times, causing him to take sloppy penalties and fall out of position. It could take a bit longer for him to develop into a top six forward.
Luca Münzenberger
Münzenberger, a product of Kölner Junghaie, spent the last three seasons with the German U20 league, collecting 5 goals and 24 points in 57 games in that span. He has a strong net front presence and is aggressive in the slot area to try and keep his opponents out of that area. A Vermont commit, he has size (6’ 3”, 190 lbs.) but has the mobility and agility to cover the faster players, especially when holding his own and transitioning to a backskate. His stride is as wide as they come and although the style isn’t all that pretty, he can get from one place to another faster than the average teenage defenseman his size. He plays a physical style of hockey. He anchored the top penalty killing unit in Kölner Junghaie and played the point on the power play. He has soft hands and delivers clean passes to any area in the offensive zone, but what makes him dangerous is his cannon of a shot, not only for its speed but for the power he generates with little backswing. He often has a good reach on his opponents, but the concerns are with the puck on his stick, where he has issues with.
Jake Chiasson
Chiasson is described as a two-way forward, but he is not afraid to get to the front of the net to make a play. He uses blade deception and off-puck timing to fire away threatening shots when in scoring position. At times, he makes a perfectly timed move to get to the slot or fires a shot that could give NHL goalies trouble. Listed at 165 lbs., which may be light for a player getting in the dirty areas, he is still an excellent passer, a responsible player on his end and looks to be a good choice for the Oilers in the 4th round. His game draws similarities to Elias Lindholm, although going forward, he needs work on his skating.
Matvey Petrov
Petrov has the mechanics of a wrist shot down: The distance between feet, the downward pressure with forward force through the shot, the top hand out, and keeping his chest up. He can move the puck under his stick, saucer it above his stick, and deceive opponents with his lookoffs. Although he was the 1st overall selection in the OHL Import Draft in 2020, he never made it to North Bay because of the pandemic, and instead played another season with Russia where he finished 2nd in the MHL’s Krylia Sovetov Moskva in scoring (22 goals, 42 points in 58 games). He has good value given that he is a goal scorer and a sniper, setting up one-timers.
Shane Lachance
Lachance, who is a towering 6’ 4”, 190 lbs. winger committed to Boston University and the son of former Islanders defenseman Scott LaChance, played two seasons at Andover High School before transferring to Tabor Academy, where he had 13 goals and 22 points in 28 games in the 2020 season. His 2021 season was over before it began as it was cancelled due to the pandemic. He’s set to play for the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms starting in the 2022 season, although his skating is what needs work.
Max Wanner
Wanner had four assists in 17 games during the 2021 season with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. The 6’ 3” defenseman will enter his final season with them hoping that he impresses the Oilers’ coaching staff.
Draft Grade: D+
The Oilers lacked draft picks and reached on the ones that they chose. Bourgault and Petrov were good choices but it’s not clear what the Oilers were doing with the other picks. Besides, the Oilers had a chance at drafting Jesper Wallstedt but decided to trade down in the Draft, saying that they want to stick to their tandem of Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen, while the Wild snagged Wallstedt. Bourgault has an outstanding work ethic, getting in on the forecheck, pressuring defenders, and creating turnovers. Petrov is a pure sniper with an outstanding array of shots, wanting to set up the one-timer, especially on the power play. Münzenberger is a big and physical defenseman but has issues with the puck on his stick. Chiasson has offensive skills but needs real work on his skating. Lachance is another big winger who needs to work on his skating.
Florida Panthers
Selections:
1st round: RW Mackie Samoskevich (24th)
2nd round: D Evan Nause (56th)
3rd round: none
4th round: D Vladislav Lukashevich (120th)
5th round: G Kirill Gerasimyuk (152nd)
6th round: LW Jakub Kos (184th)
7th round: D Braden Haché (210th)
Mackie Samoskevich
Samoskevich was considered a reach in the first round, as he put up disappointing numbers in the USHL this season, but his offensive skill is among the best in the Draft class. The 5’ 11”, 191 lbs. right winger scored 13 goals and 37 points for the USHL’s Chicago Steel, and is headed for the University of Michigan to play for a team with national championship aspirations. His vision and hands are elite, getting into scoring areas, making elite dangles around defenders, and is very elusive on his edges. He blends pass receptions into highly creative dangles around defenders, with top-hand control of his stick pushed out from his body, and quick-twitch wrists to put it all together. He manages the space exceptionally well, constantly scanning for the positions of his teammates and opponents alike. He uses the mental aspect of the game of the ice to plan his every maneuver one or two plays ahead of the competition. If he can put it together, he could be a steal in the Draft, with his game similar to Jonathan Marchessault’s.
Evan Nause
Nause’s skill as a skater lends itself very well to the breakout. He creates advantages for himself on every defensive zone puck retrieval, shoulder checking opponents for options, using the environment to obstruct forecheckers, adapting his speed to the situation, using the middle of the ice to create controlled exits. He has a good combination of size and speed, and contributed four goals and 22 points for the QMJHL’s Québec Ramparts. He was viewed as a borderline first round pick. He models his game after Josh Morrissey and Duncan Keith.
Vladislav Lukashevich
Lukashevich is a small defenseman (6’ 2”, 159 lbs.), but he is a gifted puck-moving defenseman, who had three goals and 19 points in 36 games last season in Russia’s MHL for Loko Yaroslavl. His puck-moving is arguably the best aspect of his game, showing deception, an unusual patience with the puck, a desire to beat forecheckers one-on-one and make plays through them, and the passing ability that supports these plays. He needs to bulk up more, however.
Kirill Gerasimyuk
The Panthers traded away Devon Levi, one of their goaltender prospects, to land Sam Reinhart, so they drafted Gerasimyuk as a potential replacement for Levi. Gerasimyuk is calm and composed, quick to get down to the butterfly. He’s flashy in the glove side, and controls rebounds with ease. He had a 2.59 GAA and a .931 SV% in 27 games for SKA Varyagi in 2021 in the MHL.
Jakub Kos
The Panthers went back to drafting a forward in the 6th round. Kos had 5 goals and 18 points in 32 games last season for Ilves’s U20 team in Finland’s U20 SM-sarja in 2020. The 6’ 2”, 187 lbs. forward also played for the Czech Republic in the 2021 IIHF U18 World Juniors, and had a goal and an assist in five games.
Braden Haché
The Panthers wrapped up their Draft with their third defenseman. Hache had 5 assists in 29 games for the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs in 2020. He did not play in 2021 because the OHL canceled their most recent season due to COVID concerns. The 6’ 3” defenseman is the son of OHL Director of Officiating and former NHL referee Conrad Haché.
Draft Grade: B-
Samoskevich combines his skating ability with his stickhandling, helping him to be a playmaker, both on the rush as well as working in the offensive zone. Nause’s two-way game is based on his high-end scoring ability, making an excellent first pass to start the transition game. He also maintains good gap control and is tough to beat off the rush. Lukashevich is an offensive defenseman who can develop into a power play threat, although he needs to bulk up and improve on the defensive side of the ice. Gerasimyuk is a long-term goalie project.
Los Angeles Kings
Selections:
1st round: D Brandt Clarke (8th)
2nd round: C Francesco Pinelli (42nd), C Samuel Helenius (59th)
3rd round: D Kirill Kirsanov (84th)
4th round: none
5th round: none
6th round: none
7th round: none
Brandt Clarke
Clarke had an interesting season, as we went to play in Slovakia for the 2021 season as the OHL season was cancelled. The 6’ 2” right-shot defenseman is a smooth defender with slick moves, good passes, and is hard to play against. He wants to make something happen, and he is not afraid to push the play himself to see it through. His IQ and ability to process the movement of others on the ice to make his own reads is elite. He sees things that others do not, is patient with the puck, and allows the play to develop before making the decision. He isn’t afraid to create and join the rush, and he can push the boundaries of what teams will expect for him. He is an exceptionally good skater, with a good first-step and can reach top speed quicker than many of the other top defensive prospects in this year’s Draft. His speed helps him in puck battles and racing opponents to the loose puck. He still has some defensive lapses in his own end at times, and it will simply come with developing his game in the professional level against him, but it’s not enough to turn teams away from him. The offensive game isn’t truly that spectacular, but he can still make an impact on that area, drawing resemblances to Jonas Brodin. Depending on how he develops, he could be a top-pairing defenseman in the future, a potential game-changer for a franchise who shows the ability in all facets of the game. Inside the Kings organization, Clarke could be a lot similar to Tobias Björnfot, who is likely to crack the NHL roster this season. Both are smooth-skating, undersize puck carriers who will add a lot of power to the Kings, even on the power play. Being on the Kings is a good situation for Clarke as well, as he joins a young team on the rise with a great mentor in Drew Doughty.
Francesco Pinelli
Pinelli has the potential to be one of the biggest steals in this year’s Draft. His lack of game time in the last 12 months may have contributed to him falling in this year’s Draft. As he dropped, the Kings took an opportunity to trade up, giving away picks No. 49 and No. 136 to the Senators for pick No. 42, and for good reason. He is an all-action forward with no significant weaknesses in his game. He is a solid skater, with good vision, passing creativity, and a good hockey IQ. He is more of a playmaker than a shooter, although his shot isn’t bad, as he has a very good release, but lacks the power on his shot to consistently beat goalies at the next level. He supports his teammates, taking the optimal routes to prepare one or two plays in advance, always finding the soft ice in the offensive zone, and times his movements perfectly into those pockets of space to strike. With a no-drawback push release, he sends the pucks home as a capable one- and two-touch finisher. He's also a very good forechecker, quick on the puck and excelling at dispossessing opponents. Another one of his strengths is his defense, his intelligence, and he is not afraid to get on the physical side of things. He can project very close to Alex Iafallo. Listed as a center, Pinelli played mostly at wing with the Kitchener Rangers in his rookie year and if he makes the Kings roster, he could play on the wing. This has nothing to do with his inability to play center, but more to do with the abundance of center prospects. Depending on his development, he could be a replacement for Iafallo should the team move on from him after his four-year contract is up. At the best, Pinelli could be a 50-60-point scorer and is responsible defensively. At worst, he is a shutdown, bottom six forward who can play in all situations.
Samuel Helenius
The Kings traded up once again to draft Helenius, sending picks No. 72 and No. 109 to the Hurricanes for pick No. 59. The son of former enforcer Sami Helenius, Samuel shares some similar physical attributes to his dad, but plays a more complete game. He throws the body around a lot and does that well, making him a menacing force on the forecheck. When the play gets along the boards in either zone, he is hard to escape because of his size (6’ 6”, 201 lbs.) and massive wingspan. He’s a work in progress, but there is upside in him. He is an excellent skater for his size, especially when moving North-South. His lateral movement needs improvement, but it’s to be expected with someone of that size. He uses his massive frame very well to impose himself on the opposition, and as he gets stronger, it will only increase. He is somewhat limited offensively, and he is unlikely to be a big-time point producer. He displays decent hands in front of the net and has a hard shot, utilizing his big frame in both areas. However, he struggles with the puck in the open ice, and he needs to improve his release. He excels in the cycle game as he is difficult to dispossess along the boards and he makes safe passes. He could play in the front of the net on the power play, but don’t expect huge numbers. He displays a solid defensive game, with great positioning and an active stick in his own zone. He is also a physical player—he doesn’t throw a lot of big hits, but he is still difficult to play against, using his size well along the boards and in front of the net. While his passing isn’t all that spectacular, he is intelligent in the transition game and can quickly move the puck up the ice after forcing a turnover. Although he isn’t a top six caliber player, he is more of a third line shutdown center. As he adds muscle to his frame, his faceoffs should improve, leading him to someone who can play all situations.
Kirill Kirsanov
The final pick of the Kings’ 2021 Draft class, Kirsanov is another player that the Kings traded up for, trading away picks No. 89 and No. 168 to the Flames for pick No. 84. Any time when a player spends his 18-year-old year in the KHL, it would be impressive, especially for someone who played on a stacked team like SKA St. Petersburg. Kirsanov can pierce through neutral zone defenses, challenging defenders one-on-one and bumping the puck laterally to one of his teammates skating in a nearby area to win the blue line. Once his team sets themselves up in the opposing end, he turns into a passer, moving the puck laterally and taking his chances to shoot. Kings Director of Amateur Scouting Mark Yanetti believes that Kirsanov can make the jump to the NHL soon. He is a physically impressive 6’ 1”, weighing 198 lbs. On offense, he plays a simple game, with good vision and decision-making with the puck. He is solid in the transition game, moving the puck up the ice quickly and effectively. He can lack patience with the puck, sometimes making the safe play quickly instead of waiting for the better plays to develop. In the offensive zone, he prefers to work from the blue line, rarely finding himself deep inside the zone. His shot could get some improvement, although he will get better in this with age. Defensively, this is where he shines best. He isn’t the fastest skater, but he has great edgework and lateral movement, making him a difficult defender to beat one-on-one. With great gap control and an active stick, he would force players wide and into the corner before taking the puck away from them. Although he’s unlikely to be a top pairing defenseman, he should be a complement player on the second or third pairing.
Draft Grade: A-
Despite just four picks, the Kings did outstanding in the Draft. They took advantage of player falling and filling out team needs, adding to their already stacked prospect pool. They’re developing what could become an NHL dynasty, something that Kings fans should be happy for the future. Clarke has the potential to be a dynamic offensive defenseman, being a franchise-changing player and a number one defender. Pinelli shows a great all-around offensive game, pushing the pace of the play and creating offensive chances, scoring and generating on it. Helenius is a big-bodied center with a great wrist shot and a solid shutdown game. Kirsanov has the tools to play a defensive role in the top four of an NHL team should his development continue the way it’s going right now.
Minnesota Wild
Selections:
1st round: G Jesper Wallstedt (20th), D Carson Lambos (26th)
2nd round: D Jack Peart (54th)
3rd round: C Caedan Bankier (86th)
4th round: D Kyle Masters (118th), RW Josh Pillar (127th)
5th round: none
6th round: D Nate Benoit (182nd)
7th round: none
Jesper Wallstedt
Scouts have been on the Wallstedt bandwagon for several years, and for all the right reasons. He is a big and mobile goalie in the crease with excellent positioning and doesn’t mind getting out of the butterfly to challenge incoming threats. He will ramp up the aggression when necessary, but only when the situation calls for it. He tracks pucks well, doesn’t get unnerved when he makes a mistake. He finds his parameters around the blue paint and has a fairly evenly distributed ability to stop the pucks with his hands. He is the only draft-eligible goalie in the history of the SHL to play over 20 games. Goaltending can kill a team, so to put trust in someone that hasn’t been drafted yet and for Wallstedt to take the starting role ahead of established players tells a lot of what he can do between the pipes. The Wild took advantage of player falling, as Wallstedt was projected to be a top 10 pick, with Sebastian Cossa taken before him. But for a franchise that desperately needs some sort of direction in net, he has cemented his position as a No. 1 goalie in the future, with a solid chance that he becomes a star in the NHL.
Carson Lambos
Lambos bounced around teams this season because of the pandemic. After the WHL paused their season, he went to play for Finland for the JYP organization, but he didn’t find a temporary home there. It ended with two games in the U18 division, 13 at the U20, and two more at the top division with the Liiga roster. He had some health scares, but there is still faith in his talent. He is a great skater who can move up the ice smoothly and find seam passes. He is also tough to play against thanks to his smarts and reach. He’s also a solid shooter with the skill and the instincts to fool defenders and improve his shooting location. With and without the puck, he sets up things from the point, becoming a passing option and a scoring threat. He can fake shots and passes, waiting for the defender to commit, and then burst into the space he made. His constant head fakes are also part of his game when deceiving opponents. Some general discussion and expectation for him to wow some scouts, where he was solid, led him to slip down to being projected as a 2nd round pick. The Wild picked him up in the 1st round and were happy to do so. He can project into the top four of a defense and possibly take the reins over from Ryan O’Rouke as the top defensive prospect, now that Calen Addison is projected to be an NHL regular starting in the 2022 season.
Jack Peart
Peart is a very good skater, with heightened activity rate through his feet, using crossovers to cut laterally and quickly close space while he defends in transition. He keeps his feet stable in the neutral zone when he has established a gap with the closing opponent. He shoulder-checks for options when he gets the puck, layers deception onto his first touch, and sprints right past the first forechecker with ease. He is young enough to project a sizeable improvement in the future and it is perfect that he is staying close to his home both in the NHL and when he heads to St. Cloud State next season. He needs to work on his offensive decision making, but outside of it, he is solid defensively and with defending the blue line.
Caedan Bankier
Bankier is a skilled playmaker, looking for options and then quickly passing to a teammate who is in scoring position. Even off retrievals or when forced to backhand, he would generate positive plays. He isn’t the most skilled or the fastest skater or has the sickest hands, but has a solid foundation of playmaking and awareness on the ice that he can rely on in his development. He was Logan Stankoven’s center for the majority of the 2021 season with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, so it might have been a systems thing with the winger being the pinpoint for most of their offensive plans, but it is certainly a gamble to take any CHL player after the shortened season. One positive is that Bankier had more points than Wild prospect Connor Dewar when he was drafted.
Kyle Masters
Masters plans plays, moving the puck, not to the most obvious target, but to the one that creates the most favorable situation in the rink. He jumps into the rush by filling the space on the weak side, as the trailer, or becoming a forward—in every situation, he would speed past his man, establishing body positioning if necessary, and adjusts his route and speed to become a passing option. He’s a pure mobile two-way defenseman that can lay the body and sees the ice very well. He might not have the best shot, but with his awareness and the ability to read the offense and the defense, that shouldn’t really matter. This is a pick that is based on what Masters can become with his set of deceptive tools that can fool a lot of forecheckers. He doesn’t have a lot of top-notch point production (10 points, all assists, in 20 games with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels), but he led his team in scoring for defensemen and basically had virtually nobody to pass the puck to.
Josh Pillar
The foundation of Pillar’s game is his skating. He identifies opportunities to further his speed advantage by baiting defenders with changes of pace and hesitations, then accelerating once they reach. He turns into a direct checker who forces poor decisions, supports the play, and occasionally gets involved physically. He has improved on his shot and in his offense, though he needs to work on quickness. He’s not a bad choice, but in the mid to late rounds, teams would want to take swings that might turn out, not overagers that can play hockey well, but might not be anything more than a bottom six forward.
Nate Benoit
Benoit played in the Triple-A U18 last season and is going to spend a season playing for the USHL’s Tri-City Storm before heading to the University of North Dakota. There’s not much known about him and he can be a diamond in the rough, but there were more known quantities in the later rounds. Benoit played for Mount St. Cahrles Acad’s U18 Triple-A squad, where he had 11 goals and 32 points in 33 games, fresh off a season where he had 13 goals and 51 points in 63 games with 123 penalty minutes. As he was projected to be an undrafted forward, this pick seems confusing.
Draft Grade: B+
The Wild did well in the first half of their Draft, and then there’s the second half of the Draft, which wasn’t all that bad, but they could’ve done better there. Wallstedt is a steal, with his technique being highly advanced for a young goalie. He uses his size effectively, coming out to cut down angles and gives shooters very little net to look at. His rebound control is something to admire. Lambos is an offensive defenseman with a good slap shot and one-timer. He generates excellent power. Peart is another strong two-way defenseman. Bankier shows offensive skill, but he must be more consistent on a game-by-game basis. Pillar had a strong season with Kamloops, with an improved shot and offensive game, but still needs to work on quickness.
Montreal Canadiens
Selections:
1st round: D Logan Mailloux (31st)
2nd round: D Riley Kidney (63rd), C Oliver Kapanen (64th)
3rd round: D Dmitri Kostenko (87th)
4th round: D William Trudeau (113th)
5th round: D Daniil Sobolev (142nd), RW Joshua Roy (150th)
6th round: C Xavier Simoneau (191st)
7th round: G Joe Vrbetic (214th)
Logan Mailloux
For the controversy surrounding him, go here.
It’s true that Mailloux asked not to be drafted this year, renouncing himself from the Draft after the details of his incident received broader exposure. Whether he makes it to the NHL or not, his current status is that he is a prospect for the Habs, and he will be compared and contrasted with those in the system around him. The controversial defenseman put up 18 goals and 68 points in 48 games as a defenseman in 2020 with the London Nationals of the GOJHL. The 2021 season was supposed to be his first full season, but it was put on hold by the pandemic, so he ended up playing in HockeyEttan, amassing 7 goals and 15 points in 19 games. SK Lejon was the worst team of that division, so him managing the production in fewer than 20 games was impressive. He has size, and he uses it well on the ice. He plays physically along the boards and in front of the net. He still has room to grow his frame, so he can be a physical presence in the coming years. His skating is better than you expect for someone his size (6’ 3”, 214 lbs.) He has above average speed, with a powerful stride standing out when he joins the rush. He has soft hands and uses his frame well when he dekes to avoid opposing checkers. He can take bad passes and make them look good, and can execute impressive passes too. He also has good mechanics with his shooting motion, getting velocity that you rarely see from players of his age. He combines a loaded release with his shooting ability to shoot either off the foot or the rush. His issues mostly attribute to his decision-making. As he is offensively talented, he sometimes picks the wrong way to go. Venturing into the offensive zone can be an asset as a defenseman, but he needs to do better at picking his spots to create odd-man rushes the other way. Though his skating is good, there are some issues with pivoting to skate backwards on defense. Since he ventures to join the rush on offense, this is something he has to do frequently, and he struggles with it, causing problems for his gap control when defending. He also does not display the same spatial awareness and positioning in his own end that he does on offense. Although he makes up for it with his physicality at times, basic defensive positioning appeared to be an issue for him, so he’ll need to make this a focus in his game. Although his ceiling could be that of Shea Weber mixed with Jeff Petry, his floor is that he may not make the NHL at all. If he can’t improve on his decision-making and gap control, he may have a tough time in the NHL.
Riley Kidney
Kidney had a solid 2021 season with the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan, with 13 goals and 38 points in 33 games. His tools, especially his puck-handling abilities, and his offensive habits are eye-catching—the way he attacks at a high pace, scanning the ice before receiving the puck, and receiving one of them in motion. He has problem-solving skills, as he can bounce the puck off his skates, and instantly deking through opponents. When asked about who he would model his game after, he told the media that he would model his game after Nick Suzuki and Mitch Marner. His areas of improvement are mostly around his skating and strength. As he is 5’ 11”, he needs to fill out a little more to compete better in puck battles. Most scouts note some great edgework on him but agree that he needs to work on his acceleration and his top-end speed to succeed in the NHL. His offensive numbers are dazzling, but he is lacking in offensive zone retrievals and defensive plays. Getting bigger and quicker on his feet should help him in those numbers. Conversely, the same tracking tells some positives about his IQ and transitional play. He put up good numbers for controlled exits and entries which may suggest that he thrives in transition. It’s also interesting that his shooting numbers stand out despite one of the disadvantages in him being not shooting enough. Maybe it’s a perception issue because he focuses more on passing. This is a good selection for the Habs. The puck skills and IQ are tough to teach, and the areas where he needs work on are easily fixable. The Habs have decent center depth, so there’s no rush for him to be an NHLer. Expect him to be back with Acadie-Bathurst next season and he is definitely a player to watch. Him comparing himself to Suzuki and Marner shows confidence.
Oliver Kapanen
With the strong showing of Cole Caufield in the NHL and AHL, and with Jesse Ylönen making good impressions in the AHL, the Habs selected a sniper here. The cousin of Kasperi Kapanen, Oliver Kapanen’s game is predicated on becoming a threat on the rush into the offensive zone and utilizing his strong shooting talent to score on goalies. He never seen a shot he didn’t like, and when he hits the dots in the offensive zone, there’s a high chance that he will put the puck in the net instead of passing the puck. It’s all about the instincts in the offensive zone along with his finishing skill from close and in mid-range. His shooting mechanics allow him to generate lots of downward force in his stick. He turns it into goals from a distance, even when defenders give him room to get in the zone and fire his shots on net. He doesn’t just fire blindly, he will circle to find an opening, or move to a spot to receive a pass from a teammate and put it in the net. He can also get to a net-front area for deflections or to clean up rebounds created by his teammates. He recognizes space well and he takes advantage of even the slightest mistakes by opposing defenders. Those instincts can apply to his playmaking game as well, being able to draw in pressure before he dishes the puck to an open teammate. Although he is a shoot-first player, he is adept at drawing in the defense before passing the puck to an open teammate to generate chances. However, his flaws are that his skating requires lots of work on the mechanical level. It’s not unfixable, but his current skating robs him of explosiveness, which prevents him from finding another gear to separate himself from defenders consistently. He also doesn’t do well working on the inside when he attacks with the puck. For someone who thrives on the rush, this is something he will have to do to improve his offensive zone effectiveness when he faces tougher competition. Improving his skating should also help with his defensive flaws. It’s not that he doesn’t do anything in the defensive zone, it’s that he does the bare minimum and could do much more. He tends to be passive and oftentimes drifts into the space being occupied by one of his teammates, which can open up more space for attacking players. The real question is if he can end up in the forward group as he played both center and wing. If his skating or defensive issues don’t improve it’s likely he will end up on the wing where he can be used as a rush option while limiting his workload on defense, similar to that of his cousin, Kasperi, which isn’t all that bad considering Kasperi’s spot as an NHL regular.
Dmitri Kostenko
Kostenko alternated between playing in the VHL and the MHL in 2021. He is described as a player with slick hands, with an offensive upside through his vision and creativity. His size is decent, and he added 20 lbs. ahead of the 2021 season without losing his scoring touch. He’s at his best when he focuses on moving forward and passing the puck alternatively opening up a lane for his slapshot. He is a defenseman made for the power play. The question marks are there, of course, otherwise, he would have been selected earlier. The aspects that need improvement are around his skating stride and the effort in his own zone. Should he make it to the NHL, he has to round out his ability to play a tight and physical game. This could be why it would be interesting to see how Spartak Moscow will use him in 2022. They see tools that they like, and with Kostenko turning 19 in September, it’s likely that Spartak wants him on the KHL side. There’s no point in sending him down for another year unless he struggles mightily and needs to retrieve his confidence. He draws comparisons to fellow Habs defensive prospect Mattias Norlinder. Both can open up opposing defenders from the rear end with vision, puck-moving, and passing.
William Trudeau
Trudeau played on a dominant Charlottetown Islanders team on the QMJHL, where they won 35 of the 40 games they played in 2021, never going past regulation in any of them. Four of the top five scorers played for Charlottetown, and Trudeau himself had a solid season, with 8 goals and 31 points in 40 games, along with a +34 rating. He is an interesting player. He isn’t bad in any facet of the game, but isn’t outstanding in any category either. He responds to the forecheck confidently, forcing harder plays under pressure so that his teammates don’t have to. His effectiveness comes from frequent scanning before getting to the puck and from a combination of physical skills and deception. He can separate opponents from the puck, extend his limbs to protect it, and get it off the wall with a fake and a short pass. Despite his physical limitations, he can counter it with good on-ice smarts. Reading the play to adjust potential breakout passes, zone exits, or to change a course to slow down an opposing rush it a crucial part of the game that many young defensive prospects lack. He picks the safest option to either get the puck to his teammates or put it towards the net when attacking. Defensively, he does well at anticipating what his opponents will do with the puck, using his stick to break up passes and plays before they become dangerous. His offensive numbers look good, in part with it coming from how good the team was around him, but played a key part in it as well. He does what is needed, usually putting clean shots on net or dishing off to a better shooting option. When he is a shooting threat, he knows where the best lane for himself is and will walk in from the point before firing a strong wrister or a slapshot given the time. He reads opponents’ moves, allowing him to be a strong presence offensively. All of this is great. Maybe he could go earlier in the Draft, right? Well, a drawback in his game is one that can prevent him from being a full-time NHLer: His skating. He isn’t slow, but he lacks refinement in his skating, and that limits his agility and ability to keep up with shiftier opponents. Shaking pressure while carrying the puck is hindered by this, as he lacks the form to create separation and relieve that pressure. When given space, he is fine with the puck, but the prominent point is that unless his skating improves, he is likely going to have limited professional upside.
Daniil Sobolev
Despite his lack of game action in the 2021 season, the one thing that sticks out in Sobolev’s game is his modest stat line, especially when you consider that it took place in Russia’s U20 league. 2 goals and 6 points in 48 games don’t really scream puck mover or offensively gifted. His value comes in the defensive end. He is a physical defender who makes a lot of stops and has enough of a puck game and straight-ahead speed to pass pucks. He boxes opposing attackers out from high-danger areas, and pinches on them hard in the neutral zone as they receive passes, knocking the puck away. There is a physical element to his game, but it’s his overall engagement in the game defining him. His description is what made his media availability interesting. He said that his favorite player to watch is Cale Makar, but when asked about the differences between his stat line and Makar’s game, is interesting. He said that defensemen in Russia are not encouraged to play offensively, which is part of why he made the decision to play in the OHL, and why he declined to play in Russia even though he had the option to play there in 2021. He is adamant that he wants to develop the offensive side of his game. During his season without games, he still worked hard to improve on that in his times in Anaheim, and then Saginaw throughout the year. His skating is also good, but he can improve with some technique improvements. His mobility is a strength to his game. He also needs improvement in other things, but you can expect that with a 5th round pick in the Draft, but especially this Draft. It’s been a long time since people saw him in a game, and it will be interesting to see what progress he made.
Joshua Roy
Roy’s campaign was split between the St. John Sea Dogs and the Sherbrooke Phoenix, being traded to the latter during the season. In 35 games, he had 22 goals and 35 points (13 and 18 with Sherbrooke, in their respective categories). One of his main tools is his heavy shot, primarily seen as a shooter as seen in his uncanny ability to beat goalies cleanly. He waits for his teammates to find open lanes for scoring opportunities to strike on. He is deadly on the power play because of this, shooting hard and fast while having the reflexes. He is also physical and a good puck protector, turning his back to opponents as they pressure him, holding the puck on the boards, and finding short outlets. He isn’t small by any means. His stature and weight allow him to remain a physical threat and an excellent puck protector. Using his speed and low center of gravity, he uses his size to his advantage to block defenders from stealing the puck. He is not afraid to drive the net to put in rebounds or broken plays. He is also a decent puck handler, who understands when to pass and make plays through heavy physical contact. He also has good anticipation, knowing when to be aggressive or defensive, and reads the ice well, picking up plays and has a propensity to make defenders create turnovers. While he isn’t the best playmaker, he has decent vision of the ice, backchecking to support his defensemen and displaying a good awareness in all three zones. He is able to use his IQ to engage in defense and to read the plays unfolding before him, but it’s not really one of his strengths, and often is something to be worked on. He will need to keep developing his game if we wants to reach the NHL level and have a real impact on the ice. He makes up for his average speed by knowing how to position himself, helping him stay within the plays unfolding before him. The Habs landed a prospect much higher than where he ended up, with a lot of interesting tools that can be developed further.
Xavier Simoneau
Simoneau has already played four QMJHL seasons, having been a captain for the Drummondville Voltigeurs in 2020 and 2021, where he amassed 38 goals and 126 points in those 88 games played in those two seasons. 2021 was a tough year for him. He received an invite to Team Canada’s World Junior camp, but testing positive for COVID meant that he never got the opportunity to step on the ice. Although he is 5’ 7”, he plays bigger than his size. He is a tenacious forechecker, although he focused less on the ability to agitate the opponent the past two seasons, but at the pro level if he continues this way he wouldn’t be a top six winger, so he will have to channel that as part of his game again. He easily identifies coverage assignments and contains bigger opponents on the defensive side. He can feather passes with both forehand and backhand just as skillfully. His work ethic allows him to be a top penalty killer, unafraid to step in front of the shots. He has a good deal of skill too, but likely it’s not enough to play an offensive role full-time professionally. Small players usually don’t get on the radar if they aren’t great technical skaters with speed, and that’s a knock on him. He doesn’t have that elite part of his game, and it’s holding him back. He will reunite with Habs HC Dominique Ducharme, who was the acting HC and GM of Drummondville when he drafted the young forward 9th overall in the 2017 QMJHL Draft.
Joe Vrbetic
Vrbetic has only played one full OHL season with the North Bay Battalion, and his OHL career only has 43 games over two years. However, given the fact that he had a 4.23 GAA and a .881 SV% in 42 games in 2020, that stat line does not scream “NHL prospect,” however, on the other hand, there were many goalies with great stat lines that were not able to make the jump to the NHL. The main context for the stats that he put up was the team he played for. The Battalion were… in a rebuild, to say the least. As bad as his 14-25-1 record looks, the other North Bay goalies were a combined 3-16-3 in 2020, with none of them having a GAA better than 5.62 or a SV% higher than .837. While he has a mix of size and athleticism that makes scouts interested, he is also coordinated, semi-reflexive, and agile. He uses his physical gifts and advantages to transfer between the different techniques. His stance allows him to maintain a proper blocker and a glove seal, but he wide tracks his stance a lot, meaning he can’t use his outside edge as well to push off laterally. He maintains a compact butterfly, allowing him to break into his extensions quicker. He is excellent at contorting his frame and elevating his shoulders to absorb high shots labelled for the high shots. If a shot is redirected, he relies on his reflexes to kick out a pad or sprawl out in front of the puck. When he is reading the play well and gets set before the initial shot, shooters don’t have a lot of options to find an open seam. He is one of those rare goalies who rarely fights through screens and his height allows him to evaluate positioning as long as the play stays in front of him, which is good, because he struggles with puck-tracking. Because he was unable to play in 2021, it’s hard to see where his game is at right now.
Draft Grade: F
Kidney needs to work on his skating to make it to the NHL, but has all the other tools that a team would want in both ends of the ice. Kapanen’s skating helps him play a strong two-way game. He’s known for his goal-scoring ability, with a powerful and accurate wrist shot. He’s also good in his own end. Kostenko has all the offensive skills that one would look for in a defender and fills a need on the right side of the Habs’ blueline. Trudeau likes to rush the puck and push the pace on offense. He is a gambler who needs to work on his defensive game. Sobolev might be just 6’, but he plays physical, he loves to hit and will block shots. He’s another righty on the blueline as well. Roy has a great shot and release, but he needs to work on his skating, however. Simoneau is undersized but plays an agitator’s game and is a good playmaker. Vrbetic is 6’ 6” who played behind a dreadful North Bay team in 2020.
Under normal circumstances, I would have given the Habs’ Draft based on how well they did, and based on how they did, they would’ve gotten a C. Here? This is not the case. Why? Their selection of Mailloux, someone who was convicted of sharing a consensual sexual photo, which led to accusations of offensive photography and defamation. The Habs decided to select him against his will as he was preparing himself for the 2022 Draft. I simply just cannot be more angry at Marc Bergevin and the Habs front office. While I still want people to get second chances, those second chances must be earned. Mailloux, by his own admission, has not done enough to earn that second chance. There is no telling on if his Draft rights would be rescinded, but this is just flat out embarrassing for the Habs. By proxy, they get an F for this Draft based on this selection alone.
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