An Early Look at the 2017 NHL Draft

It’s only August but scouting season for the 2017 draft is well underway. The Ivan Hlinka tournament finished up this weekend and the weekend prior we had the World Junior Summer Showcase. Teams from Finland, Sweden, USA and Canada met in Plymouth Michigan for a mini tournament in preparation for the World Juniors in December. The goal of the showcase is give the teams coaches a chance to see of the players they are considering for the WJC. Our own CBJProspects even traveled to Michigan and caught some of the action.

Each team played each other once and I watched all three of Canada’s games, getting a look at each team. The Jackets had a trio of player at the event but of more interest to me were the players eligible for the 2017 draft. As with the World Juniors it’s tough for draft eligible players to make the team, however each team had at least one player.

Canada

Cal Foote – D

Foote is the son of long-time NHL defencemen and former Jacket Adam Foote. He plays for the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL, and he played in one game for Canada against Sweden. Foote has a large frame at 6’3, and is still learning how to skate at that size. He is still growing and learning how to play at this size. This limited his blue line defence, he struggled at defending entries. He was targeted six times and allowed a shot attempt on five of them. He has great hockey IQ which helps him succeed in all three zones. He has a hard shot and was able to find the lanes against Sweden.

Sweden

Lias Andersson – C

Andersson is a late 98 born player and has spent the last season split between the SHL and the SuperElit. Andersson lit up the SuperElit leading the league with 59 points in 37 games. He’s a little undersized at 5’11 but is very strong weighing in already at 198lbs. He uses that frame well to protect the puck and engage in battles along the boards. He shoots the puck well with a great one-timer. He played 22 games in the SHL but failed to record a point.

Marcus Davidsson – LW

Davidson is in the same situation as Andersson as a late birthday player, though Davidsson has not had the same success. Davidsson had a good season in the SuperElit scoring 40 points in 45 games, and added another six in six playoff games. He played one SHL game and scored a goal. He played well with the puck gaining the zone with control. He has good hand-eye coordination lining up as the screen on the power play and scoring a goal, tipping Gabriel Carlsson’s point shot. He skates well and showed good off the puck awareness. He projects as a late first round pick.

Finland

Eeli Tolvanen – RW

Tolvanen is a pure goal scorer. He has a great shot and a quick release. He scored against Canada and has been a dominate goal scorer for Finland internationally. In the World Under 18’s last season he tied for the tournament lead in goals with seven. He played for the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL, where he scored 17 goals in 49 games. He’s likely a top 10 pick next summer and joins the long list of elite Finnish prospects.

Kristian Vesalainen – LW

Vesalainen looks to follow in the footsteps of Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi and is on the path to becoming the next big player to hail from Finland. Much like Laine and Puljujarvi, Vesalainen is big standing at 6’3. He’s a good skater and possesses a solid shot.  He’s been playing in Sweden and has already played 19 games for Frolunda in the SHL. He scored two points in those 19 games, which at first glance seems unimpressive, but it certainly is not. Vesalainen is one of just nine players under the age of 17 to score two points in the SHL, and one of just eight to play at least 15 games. He should be a regular in the SHL next season and is currently slated as a top 10 pick.

USA

Jack Ahcan – D

Ahcan was passed over in the previous two entry drafts. He had a really strong season in the USHL this past year finishing second among d-men with 44 points in 56 games. He’s gone undrafted because he’s undersized at 5’8.  He’s a good skater who can pass the puck. He showed some nice offensive instincts against Canada joining the rush. He didn’t play much in the game and struggled when he did posting a poor 38% Corsi. He isn’t a strong defensive player, as he lacked the size and strength to steal the puck from Canada’s forwards. Ahcan is headed to St. Cloud State University and will need a big season there to get drafted.

You can follow me on Twitter @PaulBerthelot