Greetings, all! With all the Monsters success we’ve almost forgotten about the fun part of the NHL’s offseason, the entry draft!(what?) My previous Q&A focused on Finland and this one will be more of an overall look at the upcoming draft overall including a question about a big time CBJ prospect.
For this one I went big. I got answers from Mike Morreale a staff writer for NHL.com, Ryan Kennedy who’s an associate senior writer for the Hockey News, Mark Seidel who is the Chief Scout for North American Central Scouting, Corey Pronman from ESPN and TSN Director of Scouting and one time GM of the Calgary Flames, Craig Button.
Without further ado, lets get this started.
The Blue Jackets have a “no brainer” pick at the overall number three position. Who could you see the Jackets taking at 34?
Mike Morreale: Since there’s no telling what will happen from picks No. 4 through No. 20, it’s hard to predict what might be available when the Blue Jackets select No. 34. It seems like Columbus has a pretty good stable of defensemen in the mix for the foreseeable future so perhaps loading up on centers might be the best option. The three names that come to mind are Pascal Laberge of Victoriaville, Sam Steel of Regina or Jordan Kyrou of Sarnia. I’m also a big fan of North Bay defenseman Cam Dineen if they opted to go defense.
Ryan Kennedy: Since the talent pool plateaus around pick No. 23, I’m going to say Saginaw defenseman Markus Niemelainen. He may be gone in the first round, but if he’s still there, it gives Columbus a tall, mobile defender with a lot of upside that is still being unlocked.
Mark Seidel: Depends on who falls to them but I could see them going after guys like Charlie McAvoy, Taylor Raddysh, Libor Hajek or Cliff Pu..
Craig Button: They will have options on position and type of player. They can go skill and scoring with players like Vitali Abramov or Alex Debrincat. They can (go) two-way with players like Dillon Dube or Sam Steel. They can (pick) defense with a player like Adam Fox or a bigger defending type like Markus Niemelainen. They could also go Ryan Callahan type in Will Bitten or a very good offensive winger in Janne Kuokkanen. They will have many options to choose from
Who do you see being the “steal” of this year’s draft?
Morreale: So tough to predict a steal without seeing the actual draft take place. I’m curious to see where defenseman Dennis Cholowski of Chilliwack in the BCHL is taken. The kid was 5-foot-6 just three years ago and now is 6-foot-1. He’s improved steadily and will attend St. Cloud State in 2016-17. He wants to major in engineering, so he’ll be quite busy. But scouts really like his size and the way he skates; there’s a lot of upside there. So he could be a steal if taken later in the first round.
Kennedy: I think Mississauga’s Mikey McLeod is really underrated right now. His speed can’t be taught and he played through some tough injuries at the end of the season that obscured his value.
Seidel: I think when we look back in 5 or 6 years, the steal of this Draft is going to be Nathan Bastian from the Mississauga Steelheads. He can play the wing or centre and is a big body that plays a heavy game, can go up or down in your line-up and has a passion for the game.
Pronman: The two biggest risk-reward guys for me are Tyler Benson and Dmitri Sokolov.
Button: Steals are usually discovered a few years after the fact. My history of steals is that it’s usually one of three things. 1. A smaller skilled player who was underestimated. (Gaudreau) 2. An underperforming player in his draft year. (Saad) 3. Russian Factor (Kucherov) Lots to choose from in all 3 categories.
Is there any player in this draft that you would hate to play against but love to have on your team?
Morreale: Without a doubt, Matthew Tkachuk of the London Knights
Kennedy: Victoriaville’s Pascal Laberge is going to be a handful. He’s got the nasty demeanour and right now he loses a lot of battles because he’s not strong enough – but that will come through time in the weight room.
Seidel: I think William Bitten is that kid this year. He plays every shift incredibly hard and despite his size, he is fearless. Skates very well and finishes every check. Kind of this year’s version of Travis Konecny.
Pronman: Max Jones.
Button: Two players come to mind. Tyson Jost and Carl Grundstrom.
After the big 3, who are some other European players who are draft eligible that fans should know about?
Morreale: Rasmus Asplund, a center from Farjestad in Sweden; German Rubtsov, a center from Russia’s U18 team; and also goaltender Filip Gustavsson of Lulea in Sweden. I feel Gustavsson, who had an outstanding World Under-18 Championship in Grand Forks, N.D., will be the first goalie off the draft board. Rubtsov and Asplund should be first-round picks.
Kennedy: German Rubtsov will be a big x-factor in the first round. He was caught up in that Russian drug scandal (which didn’t seem to be any fault of his), but he’s very smart and very dangerous around the puck. Rasmus Asplund will be interesting as well. I thought he was pretty good for Sweden at the world juniors and he’s another kid that plays with a lot of intelligence. Carl Grundstrom was on that Swedish team too and he brings a lot of good energy to the ice.
Seidel: German Rubtsov doesn’t get nearly enough love. He is a big strong Centreman that can play in both ends and will be a horse at Centre. Filip Gustavsson has really played well since XMas and is a Swedish Goalie that fans should be aware of.
Pronman: German Rubtsov, Rasmus Asplund, and Carl Grundstrom come to mind for skaters, Filip Gustavsson and Mikhail Berdin in goal.
Button: Janne Kuokkanen as mentioned above. Henrik Borgstrom. Rasmus Ashland. Jonathan Dahlen. German Rubtsov. Vitali Abramov. Artur Kayumov.
Seems like no one is talking about any players from the WHL. Is this a down year for the league draft-wise or just no big names at the top?
Morreale: Well, the top players our west this year from actually from the British Columbia Hockey League in Dante Fabbro, Tyson Jost and Cholowski. I feel defenseman Jake Bean of the Calgary Hitmen will likely be the first player from the WHL selected. He’ll likely go in the first round. I love his skating and shot; he plays in all situations and he showed great perseverance. He wasn’t drafted into the WHL during his bantam year in 2013 (250 players) but earned a tryout with Calgary, made the team, and set a rookie record for points by a defenseman in 2014-15. He set a record for goals (24) by the defenseman this season in Calgary. He’s good on the power play and is one of the elite thinkers among defensemen in this class.
Kennedy: It’s a down year for the ‘Dub’ for sure. One reason is that Tyler Benson had a nightmare draft year, while Kale Clague and Sam Steel had a tough go as well. Plus, Tyson Jost and Dante Fabbro stayed in the BCHL. Next year will be better and Nolan Patrick may even go first overall.
Seidel: The game is very much cyclical and this is a bit of a down year out west. Benson was a kid that had people excited about coming into the year but injuries have hurt him this year. Jake Bean has had a phenomenal year and should be the 4th defender taken in the Top 12 so there is no need to worry about the WHL as they will likely have the #1 overall in Nolan Patrick, next year.
Pronman: Yes, and that two of the best western players decided to go the college route and play BCHL in Tyson Jost and Dante Fabbro on top of guys like Benson and Sam Steel having down years.
Button: Two of the best players in the West played in the BCHL. Jost & Fabbro. Jake Bean is a very good player. The BCHL could have 3 first round picks with Dennis Cholowski of Chilliwack likely to be drafted. So Jake Bean and Brett Howden are WHL players I expect to be drafted in the first round but Jost & Fabbro were the 7th and 8th overall picks in the WHL bantam draft who elected to go the NCAA route.
What are your thoughts on probable CBJ pick Jesse Puljujärvi and what kind of impact could he make with the Jackets?
Morreale: Columbus will be getting a absolute two-way machine for many, many years. Puljujarvi would have probably joined Patrik Laine for Finland at the World Championship had it not been for a lower body injury that he had sustained earlier this season. That injury kind of hindered his ability but make no mistake, Puljujarvi is an elite player. He is strong at both ends of the ice. I feel he’s more of a two-way player than Laine. Laine has a better shot though. Puljujarvi always has a smile on his face, loves coming to the rink and competing and winning. The fans in Columbus are going to love him.
Kennedy: I’m a big fan. His size, his offensive power and his ability to play a rounded game will make him a long-time pro in the NHL. He’s not the No. 1 center they need, but he will contribute immediately and be a top-line player in the near future.
Seidel: People forget how dominant Puljujarvi was at the World Juniors. He was right in the discussion with Matthews until Laine took off in the 2nd half. I think if the Jackets take him then they will get a great long term Pro that has tremendous character and hockey IQ and can make plays. He will be a big piece of Columbus’ future for the next decade. He will be in the League next year and like all kids, he’ll have an adjustment but his work ethic, talent and hockey IQ will tame that learning curve rather quickly.
Pronman: Star-level prospect, could go toe to toe with some of the lesser #1’s (RNH, Yak, Ekblad) of past years.
Button: I think Jesse is a very well rounded player. Can do everything in the game well and play all situations. He’s ready to play and contribute in the NHL next season IMO. He is an ‘engine’ type player who reminds me in style to Blake Wheeler of the Winnipeg Jets. Involved in every critical area of the game.
Do you think Zach Werenski makes the Jackets out of camp next season?
Morreale: Yes I do. And the future of this franchise along the blue line will be Werenski, Seth Jones, David Savard and Ryan Murray.
Kennedy: Yes, I do. He’s been great for Lake Erie and would provide a marked skill upgrade for that corps, which is starting to round out nicely.
Seidel: Absolutely and will be a contender for Rookie of the Year. We loved him in his Draft Year, we loved him this year and Blue Jacket fans will LOVE watching him for the next dozen years.
Pronman: Yes.
Button: Yes I do. He’s an elite prospect IMO who can do everything well. I see him eventually as a top defenseman in the league who can play in all situations & have a significant impact in all regards. I think the sophomore year at Michigan helped him tremendously on and off the ice and I think that’s being evidenced by his play in the AHL with Calder Cup Champion Lake Erie Monsters.
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There you have it folks – I’d like to thank these gentlemen for helping me with this Q&A at a busy time of year. I’ll be back with an AHL finals recap and then it’s time for my Prospects Awards – coming after I work on my mock draft for this year along with my usual recap post of who the Jackets select.
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