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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, International, NHL, Prospects, Rumors

Sunday Ramblings and A Czech Worth Cashing

2 Comments

 

Evening y’all! It’s morning over here in the land of stinky tofu and bubble tea, so I get the advantage of reading the day’s posts regarding the Edmonton Oilers (or otherwise interesting comings and goings) and commenting on them. To which I’ll do exactly just that!

WHO TO WATCH AT THE 2016 IVAN HLINKA MEMORIAL CUP 

  • This is the annual preview of the u18 tournament that our good buddy from Draftgeek.ca, Brayden Sullivan, does up for us. This year’s is especially amazing because Justin Froese from Future Considerations has decided to give us a hand! These are two great up-and-coming hockey minds covering NHL prospects folks!
  • Joseph Veleno (CAN), Klim Kostin (RUS), Ostap Safin (CZE), Timothy Liljegren (SWE), Michael Pastujov (USA), Nico Hischier (SWI), and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (FIN) are all potential future Edmonton Oilers who’ll look to make waves at this year’s tourney! Click the blue link above to read more on them!

CRUEL SUMMER by Lowetide

  • L1: Lucic—McDavid—Eberle
  • L2: Pouliot—Nuge—Draisaitl
  • L3: Maroon—??—??
  • L4: ??—Letestu—Kassian
  • D1: Klefbom—Larsson
  • D2: Sekera—Fayne
  • D3: ??—Davidson
  • G1: Talbot
  • G2: ??

Five question marks. Too many. Seriously. Connor McDavid is a fantastic talent and I do think the defense and goaltending will be better, but why have the Oilers done so little work on the 3 and 4 lines? Comes the answer: Jesse Puljujarvi! I honestly believe Nail Yakupov on the 1 line is a strong option, doubt the Oilers feel that way.

Folks, it isn’t enough, by plenty. It is August, and the only conclusion a reasonable person can reach is that the city of Edmonton is doomed to another winter of cheering for a losing team. At least the seats are nicer and the sight lines for goals against will be clearer.

So LT is a bit bothered by the moves and/or lack thereof from the Oilers. I don’t blame him one bit. I would however cut Chiarelli some slack though. PC has, in fact, changed the fabric of this team in two off-seasons and the days of the soft but skilled forward are soon to be forgotten (once Yak has been dealt that is).

Speaking of Yak, I believe there’s still a way to salvage him and it would be in the vein or the Derek Roy experiment a couple of seasons back. Enter Jiri Hudler.

The 32-yr old Czech is still without a team. Now at this point in the off-season the players that haven’t been signed are either SOL or have handshake agreements with teams but are waiting for those teams to make moves to open up some room under their caps.

But is Hudler not nearly a perfect match for this Oilers team?

  • He’s a veteran of nearly 700 NHL games.
  • He’s a centre (left-handed albeit).
  • He won a Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008.
  • Was a Lady Byng Trophy winner in 2014/15 for Most Gentlemanly player.
    • Accepted the award in his socks… LOLs
  • Is a high-percentage shooter with career average of 15.1%.

  • According to stats.hockeyanalysis.com, Hudler’s impact on his most common linemates (Hudler played over 400 min 5×5 w/Gaudreau and Monahan) was very positive.

  • I think price point could be somewhat of a concern. Hudler made $4M last season but his production fell off nearly 30 points as well.
    • He did much better in his time with FLA though (6g, 5a, 11pts in 19gp w/ only 2 goals coming on the PP).

So if the Oilers added Hudler at say $3M per year for 2 years, that would fill in the 3C spot and give Yak a skilled veteran centre to try to get his act together with. And Hudler’s skill set is not that far off of Roy’s.

Now you’d have:

L1: Lucic—McDavid—Eberle
L2: Pouliot—Nuge—Draisaitl
L3: Maroon—Hudler—Yakupov
L4: ??—Letestu—Kassian

The only issue might be Hendricks on that 4th line but if that line is only getting 6 or 7 minutes of 5×5 TOI per game, how much of an impact might they really have apart from those players getting more minutes on the PK. I think that Iiro Pakarinen, Tyler Pitlick, Jujhar Khaira, or possibly Drake Caggiula could fit that role adequately.

Then again, maybe it’s time to stop sinking money into the rehabilitation of Nail Yakupov’s career but I fear that the Oilers will do what they’ve always done with their high-profile 1st rounders and start Puljujarvi in the majors. I mean that scenario works if it’s Pulju instead of Yak as well.

I’m not as concerned about the defense as Lowetide, maybe I should be if LT is, because there’s depth there; unfortunately its young depth. Inexperienced depth. So we can only hope that the defense stays relatively healthy this year or that someone comes in via free agency as the team is on the brink of having said depth at nearly every position. But they’ll be going into next year by the skin of their asses and if that dirty pirate we call the “injury bug” sails back to port, there could be trouble.

Anyways, let me know what you think about Jiri Hudler or the Ivan Hlinka Memorial in the comments below!

Ciao!

Click on the pic and grab a new 16-bit Fighting Looch tee!

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Click the pic and grab a 16-bit McDavid tee for the summer!

 

Brennen York, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects

WHL Players to Watch

Another exciting season of WHL hockey is right around the corner, and with main camps kicking off this week, the anticipation of opening night is almost unbearable. There are tons of enticing storylines to watch for as the season gets underway, and the one I will be watching the closest is how the 2016 draft eligibles will perform. Over at DraftGeek.ca, we currently list six WHL’ers in our top thirty which is somewhat underwhelming, however I fully expect to see Sam Steel, Tyler Benson, and Jake Bean’s stock rise over the course of the year, meaning we could see three WHL players in the top ten come draft week. Aside from the draft eligibles, there’s a laundry list of players to keep an eye on this season for a number of different reasons.

Mathew Barzal (C) – Seattle Thunderbirds

After an injury plagued campaign in 2015, Mathew Barzal has possibly the most to prove out of any Western Hockey League player. Barzal will be a huge threat this year as his elite level puck skills and vision make him a dangerous junior hockey player. The T-Birds are a team on the rise with a good, young core in place; it’s possible we see them take over as the top squad in the U.S division. Though they will lose veterans like Shea Theodore, Roberts Lipsbergs, and Justin Hickman, players like Nolan Volcan, Gropp, Kolesar, and Bear will be able to pick up the slack, and along with Barzal carry the team into the playoffs.

Nolan Patrick (C) – Brandon Wheat Kings

Nolan Patrick may be the next superstar to come from the WHL. Since Ryan Nugent Hopkins, the WHL has lacked in elite talent near the top of the draft order, and I’m not saying they haven’t been producing great talent, there just hasn’t been a Jonathan Toews or Steven Stamkos level prospect come around for a while. That changes with Nolan Patrick. I believe he’s the next one. Nolan brings a unique package to the Wheat Kings in that he’s as good of a goal scorer as he is a puck distributor. He has a big frame and gets around the ice extremely well. The Wheaties will push for a memorial cup this season, and it will be on the back of Nolan Patrick.

Carter Hart (G) – Everett Silvertips

The 2014/15 season was an interesting one for the young netminder. Playing behind a veteran goaltender usually means you won’t see a ton of starts, and it’ll be a while before you see time as a regular. Carter had a different story to write. After unseating Austin Lotz as the starter late into the season, Hart ran with the starting gig throughout the playoffs posting a .929 save percentage along the way. Coming off a gold medal at the Ivan Hlinka tournament, expect Carter to come into the season with a ton of confidence. Without anyone to really push for the job, I fully expect Carter to run with the job and finish top 10 in the league.

Conner Bleackley (C) – Red Deer Rebels

It wouln’t be a huge surprise to see Bleackley stick around in Colorado this season, but with the additions of Carl Soderberg and Mikhail Grigorenko, it’s more likely he suits up for the Rebels this season. With a lack of game breaking forwards up front, Bleackley will be heavily relied upon as the key offensive spark plug for the Mem Cup hosts. Conner is a strong two way player who isn’t necessarily considered an offensive minded player, but this will be the year we get to watch him emerge as a dominant junior hockey player. If all goes well for Conner, his offensive totals will be in the 70 point range. If he can prove to be a reliable point producer this season, it’s likely he’s brought in as a third line NHL’er next season.

Of course there are a ton of players who will play key roles on their clubs this season, but if I were to list every player who’s poised to have a breakout campaign I’d be writing for weeks. In a year that almost any team will be able to push for a playoff spot, I think this will be a very exciting season, and I can’t wait to get things rolling.

NHL Entry Draft, Prospects

Day 5 of the Ivan Hlinka Memorial: CANADA WINS GOLD!!

After what was a great tournament that featured many highly skilled players and future NHL players the final day has come upon the Ivan Hlinka memorial tournament. Let’s recap what was the days efforts.

The first game of the day was the Bronze medal game between Russia and Finland where Russia went into the 3rd period down 3-1 but Finland collapsed in a major way. 2 goals from Nikita Popugaev and another from Artur Kayumov gifted Russia the Bronze.

The final most important game remaining was between Sweden and Canada. All it too was 4 goals in 17 minutes to sink the Swedes. Canada won the game 7-3 in what was their 8th straight gold medal at this tournament and 20th win in 25 years of the tournament.

If you’re interested in watching the game, I’ve included it at the bottom of the post for your viewing pleasure.

With all that in the books the final standings for the 2015 Ivan Hlinka memorial were as followed:

  1. Canada
  2. Sweden
  3. Russia
  4. Finland
  5. USA
  6. Czech Republic (host)
  7. Switzerland
  8. Slovakia (co-host)

After some very impressive showings throughout all of the Hlinka Memorial here are the players who stood out to me today:

Nikita Popugaev (Russia): Another skilled forward to add to a Russia empire filled with them. Nikita recently noted that he will not be showing up to the Moose Jaw Warriors training camp effectively ending any chances of him playing in the WHL this season. With all that aside Popugaev is a skilled forward who possesses a blistering shot and soft hands that all add up into to make a helluva pure goal scorer. Popugaev finished the tournament tied for 3rd in points with 6 in 5 games (3 goals 3 assists).

An aspect that Nikita showed today that caught my eye was his ability to make tape to tape passes through defenders with ease. As a 2016 NHL draft eligible he is going to have a lot of eyes on him and will most likely have a lot of controversy as the Russian factor still exists and he is small in stature.

In my opinion I would slot Popugaev somewhere in the first 2 rounds which may be high, but he played exceptional through the whole tournament and has potential to be a WJC threat in years to come ala Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Alexander Nylander (Sweden): He was crucial in today’s gold medal game as he was always on the ice, and scored the second goal for Sweden off of a wicked shot over the shoulder of Dylan Wells. He finished the tournament with 6 point in 5 games and was finished tied for 3rd and was one of the top European players.

Since he was drafted 12th overall in the CHL import draft in 2015, the Mississauga Steelheads are hopeful to see him suit up with them the coming season and play alongside Gold medal game opponent Michael McLeod. Talk about a 1-2 punch!

As the brother of former top 10 draft pick William Nylander, you could go on and say he is a mirror image of his elder brother when it comes to playing style. He brings along a very creative player who always finds a way to get the puck on his stick. Although he may not go as high as his brother did, he will still be a top prospect to any team he goes to. Depending on where in the draft he goes, he could be a steal.

Pierre-Luc Dubois (Canada): The current Cape Breton Screaming Eagle finished off an amazing tournament with a solid 3 point effort and was awarded player of the game in a 7-3 win over Sweden.

Pierre is a slick and shifty forward who can be a force on any power play unit. His skating stance is quite wide but he still able to avoid hits and uses that stance to protect the puck exceptionally well.

A couple of items I liked about his game was how he was chirpy at times and how he liked to get under the skin of opponents after the whistle. The other side I liked was his ability to pick pocket players before quickly turning up the ice.

Another potential top 20 pick who is someone to look for the coming season. I expect him to be paired on a line with Detroit Red Wing’s first round pick Evgeni Svechnikov this upcoming season.

Samuel Girard (Canada): The 5’10 defenseman who currently plays for Shawinigan in the QMJHL had a great tournament as he put up 3 points in 5 games to lead the Canadian defense in points.

A small two way defender who has a lot of offensive upside but doesn’t get enough credit for the defensive side of his game. He’s a very reliable defenseman who works hard defensively and uses his stick very well to break up the passing lanes and to separate the opponents from the puck.

He recently put up 43 points in 64 games, and was given QMJHL rookie of the year amongst defensemen. Going into his draft year I expect Samuel to try and bulk up as he only weighs 161lbs, he should also work towards being more physical. Personally I thought he was one of the top 2 defenseman on Team Canada.

Now that the tournament has wrapped up and all the medals have been handed out, I have to say THANK YOU! to everyone who read my work the past 5 days. I have tried my best to scout all players and to bring the ones that popped out to me. Tomorrow will be my last post on the tournament as I will be sharing my tournament MVP, best defenceman, etc.

Huge thanks to Beer League Heroes for having me guest write for him and I look forward to helping out again in the future. For any questions or if you want NHL draft news and rankings you can follow me @sullydraftgeek or you can find my scouting services at draftgeek.ca .

Edmonton Oilers, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects

Day 4 of the Ivan Hlinka Tournament!

Our coverage from the Ivan Hlinka Memorial continues with Brayden Sullivan guest posting for us! Follow him on Twitter @sullydraftgeek!

The beginning of the day started off with a consolation game for seventh place between Slovakia and Switzerland. The game went back and forth but Team Switzerland tied the game up with 27 seconds remaining! Overtime solved nothing and in the shootout is where Lee Roberts(SWI) scored to clinch seventh place for the Swiss.

The second consolation game featured the Czech Republic meeting the United States. The Americans won 4-3 including a five minute stretch in the third in which they managed to score three goals. Though they had a less than impressive performance, forwards Kailer Yamamoto and Casey Mittlestatd were more than impressive as both players combined racked up seven points.

Next up were two semi-final games which featured Sweden against Finland and Canada taking on Russia.

The first semi-final game was a Scandinavian grudge match where we saw Sweden take the win 2-1 and advance to the finals. A tightly contested match saw much of the game a 1-1 draw until the 7th minute of the 3rd period. That’s when Alexander Nylander’s shot was tipped by William Fallstrom. That goal stood and the Swedes moved on to the Finals.

The last game of the day was a classic as Canada matched up against Russia. Fans got more than they bargained for as the barn burner ended in a 2-1 decision courtesy of the shootout. Nolan Patrick scored the shootout winner against the hottest goalie in the tournament, Vladislav Sukhachev.

Tomorrow will be the last day of the Ivan Hlinka and will feature Russia vs. Finland for Bronze, and on the other side will have Canada vs Sweden for Gold. Canada has won seven straight U-18 championships, but Sweden has a loaded roster that will make Canada fight for that eight championship.

 

After some very impressive showings throughout day four of the Hlinka here are the players who stood out to me:

Nico Hischier (Switzerland): The 2017 draft eligible had a remarkable tournament. He has been a regular on the Swiss number one power play unit, and also finished 3rd in round robin scoring with six points in four games.

At 5`11, Nico is slightly undersized but possesses high end playmaking skills and good skating ability. He is very skilled with the puck and always has his head on a swivel. He was trusted in many key situations and saw more time than any of his teammates, which is impressive considering he is only 16 years of age. The downgrade to his game is his physical play, as well as his lack of support during puck battles in his own zone. He is a 2017 draft eligible which means he will have more than enough time to round out as a player. He was the sole spotlight on a sub-par Swiss squad.

Vojtech Budik (Czech Republic): Budik is a big, strong defender who has been impressive considering the caliber of his defensive partners. Players like Hrdinka, Hajek, and Novak were bound to be stand outs, but Budik held his own. The young Czech plays a powerful two way style and contains his opponents very well along the wall and in front of the net. He brings an awareness and reliability factor that scouts salivate over, and will likely trend upwards over the course of the coming year. Budik will fly over and ply his trade for the Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL this coming season. Everyone will expect him to have a strong start in his first year in North America. He will be a huge addition to a team that has struggled to make its mark on the WHL in quite a while. One aspect of his game that will need improvement is his offensive awareness as he is frequently caught going too deep into the zone and being the cause for odd man counter-rushes.

Ty Farmer (USA): Farmer demonstrated his smart two way game throughout the tourney but had an exceptional day four. He utilized his body well and wasn’t afraid to step up to make a big hit. In the game versus the Czechs he looked very confident with the puck and was very vocal at both ends of the ice. He currently plays for Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL and is committed to Michigan State. He looked to be having trouble distributing the puck today, but ended up scoring the second goal of the game. Farmer is a 2016 draft eligible who could climb up the ranks as he looks to have a successful season in the USHL.

Filip Gustavsson (Sweden): The top player in today’s semi-finals matchup between Finland and Sweden as he saved 38 of 39 shots in a 2-1 win. Gustavsson is a 6’2, 2016 draft eligible goalie, who currently plays for Lulea HF J20. Gustavsson is someone who looks big in his crease and isn’t afraid to step up on the shooter. He made a few smart poke checks when the opponent came close to his net but didn`t give up his position. Playing behind a strong defensive team like Sweden helps, but having a goaltender like Gustavsson instills a tremendous amount of confidence in his teammates. He finished as the only goalie to start in all 4 games and ended up 3rd amongst all goalies with a 1.50 GAA and a 0.956 SVG%.

Dante Fabbro (Canada): This 6’0″ 190lbs right-handed defender plays a good two way game. Fabbro currently plays for the Penticton Vees of the BCHL. He is someone who is very aware of which man he needs to pick up and isn’t afraid to step up to make a big hit. Fabbro is very confident in his own abilities and loves to get a bomb off from the point. He had plenty of ice time, and proved to be one of Canada`s best in the 4 on 4 overtime. Fabbro was relied upon for special teams, playing both penalty kill and power play. Currently ranked eleventh by HockeyProspect and twentieth by Future Considerations, he is likely to be a top twenty pick if he continues to progress. Should be interesting to see how his year goes in the BCHL, and if he can maintain or raise his draft stock.

Nolan Patrick (Canada): Patrick, the top ranked prospect for the 2017 NHL Draft, has been relied heavily upon by the Brandon Wheat Kings dating back to mid-season last year, as the 30 goal scorer has proven to be dominant in all situations. Though he`s not yet the fleetest of foot, Nolan makes up for any skating deficiencies by being agile and evasive.

Nolan Patrick brings a unique style as he is as much a goal scorer as he is a distributor, and though his offensive talents are talked about quite often, it`s his defensive abilities that push him over the edge. He is the definition of all-around player. He possesses great vision, good size, great puck handling abilities, and a deadly shot from all angles. One aspect of his game that doesn’t get much attention is his “Smytty” side, where he sets up his 6’2 body frame and parks it right in front of the goalies face. As the Brandon Wheat Kings will make a push for the memorial cup in the 2015-16 season, it will be interesting to see if he is featured in a prominent role on their run.

Vladislav Sukhachev (Russia): Sukhachev is the sole reason as to why Russia stayed in it against a loaded Canadian squad. He was spectacular. Sukhachev is small in stature but very mobile in his crease. He`s a very stylistic net minder who doesn’t shy away from the flashy save. He sees the puck well and challenges the shooter hard on odd man rushes. He finished the tournament with a 0.949 SVG % through one game and should likely have started more, but was caught in a 3 goalie rotation. He has played two games this year with Belve Medvedi Chelybinsk in the MHL and was perfect in both performances.

 

Only two days remain heading into the final day of the tournament. Sweden has some solid young guns on the back end, such as Jacob Cederholm, as well as a high flying offence with the likes of Bratt and Nylander.

On the other side, Team Canada is a defensive powerhouse, with tremendous goal scoring ability up front. I predict Canada comes out ahead 3-2, and 4-2 Russia in the bronze medal game. All games tomorrow will be aired on YouTube live and I will be keeping everyone up to date on Twitter @sullydraftgeek.