Tag Archives: Matthew Boldy

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: The Three Coaching Candidates, Draft Notes, and Lucic Trade Proposal

Hell of a press conference introducing Ken Holland as the Oilers new general manager and president of hockey operations yesterday. I feel like somebody might’ve mentioned back in March that Darryl Katz wanted Holland as POHO all along.

That’s weird. Rod Pedersen and I can now share the “Ken Holland to the Oilers” spoils. Although I get the feeling that Hot Rod isn’t much for sharing…

Nearly passed over that tweet. I didn’t see the blue checkmark. Well, no matter anyhow. Friedman was talking about Holland long before any of us.

Anyways, we can move on from that and actually talk about the presser now.

I was a bit worried at the beginning of the event. Holland sounded a tad nervous and that’s fine, it was a momentous day in his life. Where he got me was when he started talking about hockey and his vision for the Oilers. He got me fired up when he was talking about how you have to grind. How he loved the challenges. Hearing him speak about scouting games instead of just watching them was something that resonated with me too.

I thought he was the star of the show, but that was until a very ill Darryl Katz was addressed in the Q&A. If you click play below the clip should start right as Mr. Katz starts his epic reply to a question about how he feels about the displeasure being shown by season ticket holders.

Look, I think most people came into this introduction thinking that it was going to be Bob Nicholson or Ken Holland saying something that might be considered a rallying cry to the fans. I would be willing to be ZERO percent thought it would’ve been Katz.

Anybody would’ve understood if he had declined to make himself available considering the shape his health is in. The passion he showed yesterday morning was awe inspiring. Honestly, I never took him to be that sort of guy given the previous interviews I’d seen him featured in, but man, I have the utmost respect for him now. I feel like this is an opportunity to rally around the owner of our team and really throw our support behind the club.

If Mr. Katz can do this for us, surely there’s something we can do for him.

#DoItForDarryl

The Big Three

A lot of names are popping up for the Oilers coaching gig like Jay Woodcroft, Trent Yawney, and Glen Gulutzan from within the team. Ken Holland said he wants to bring change and hiring someone who is already here doesn’t make sense to me. I have it on pretty good authority that the assistant coaches have already been told that it’s up to the new coach as to who will be staying with the team and they have permission to seek employment elsewhere.

It’s my belief that there are three main candidates that will be heavily considered for the vacant head coaching position in Edmonton:

  • Dave Tippett
  • Todd Nelson
  • Lane Lambert

I’m not a huge fan of Dave Tippett and I’m not sure there’s an absolute need to hire a veteran coach just because Calgary, San Jose, and Vegas have veteran coaches. Let’s keep in mind, those are veteran teams as well.

I don’t think it’s got that much to do with his defensive style as it does that he’s been out of the game for some time and when he left, his team’s weren’t exactly winning divisions. That said, he did have some great teams in Dallas and Arizona and he had some highly skilled players playing for him in both cities.

I think Buffalo has eyes on him though… So we’ll see if he can turn this into a bidding war or not.

As for Lane Lambert, Kurt Leavins has a slice of info up at the Cult of Hockey on him.

But I would suggest to you that the New York Islanders’ Lane Lambert is a dark horse candidate. A long-time coaching apprentice of Barry Trotz in Washington and then Long Island, Lambert also played for Holland in Detroit. That Red Wings experience also happened to include time with AHL Adirondack…

I’m slow… I think I’ve been saying he’s an assistant in Washington this whole time on Twitter… Ah well.

Point being, if I recall correctly, this is a coach that was a serious candidate for the Colorado Avalanche before they settled on Jared Bednar and has been in the running for multiple coaching jobs since. I don’t know much about him or the role he’s played on Barry Trotz’s bench over the years mind you. I will say that if there’s a coach you want mentoring you at the NHL level today; it’s probably Trotz and if he’s anything like his teacher, he’s going to be a helluva bench boss some day.

My support is behind Todd Nelson. When he’s running the bench, his players produce and his teams win. I mean, he found a way to make Anton Lander a productive NHLer! I look back at how he reinvigorated Nail Yakupov and I can’t help but think that he’s just what the doctor ordered for Jesse Puljujarvi.

This is a guy who gets it. He knows how to man-manage, he knows how to communicate with the young players and the vets. He has a history with Ken Holland being that when the Red Wings AHL affiliate won the Calder Cup, Nelson was the head coach of that team.

He’s been interviewed countless times since leaving the Oilers organization. Other NHL teams want this guy guiding their players and I think it’s time to bring him home to finish what he started back in 2014.

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2019 Draft Notes

As I have it today, the Oilers should be selecting USNTDP forward Matthew Boldy. He’s a 6’2″ 190lb Boston College commit that can play every forward position effectively and that’s something that I think holds a lot of value. If you have a player like that on your team, it’s basically like holding the trump card. When injuries or slumps hit, he can fill in where needed.

Other things I really like about him are:

  • His vision is elite. He can make high-end passes in the most compromising of positions and hit his teammate on the tape near every time.
  • He’s a very underrated goal scorer. Cole Caufield racked up the goals this year for “The Program” but not many people know that Boldy was the 2nd highest goal scorer on that team.
  • He stirs the drink. You’re probably thinking that he’s the recipient of playing on one of the most talent-laden teams in junior hockey history, but I’m here to tell you that his linemates were the ones that benefitted the most. As I watched him play on a line at the u18 tournament in Sweden with Alex Turcotte and Bobby Brink or Trevor Zegras, I noticed he drove that line on every shift and the play went through him.
  • He knows where to go on the ice before the puck gets there. Now usually when we say something like this we mean that on the offensive side of the game, but I’m talking about both sides of the puck.
  • He’s got NHL size already. He’ll only need one season at Boston College before he’s ready to join the Oilers in my opinion.
  • He wins board battles smartly. Even though he’s got the size to do some damage, he’s such a cerebral player along the boards and wins those battles often.

If there’s something that he’ll have to work on, it’s his speed and quickness. His edgework is fantastic but he could use some more power and nimbleness in those legs.

I’d take Boldy over almost every player that is rated in the top-ten save for Hughes and Kakko and Byram. I think he’s a more rounded forward than Dach, Cozens, and Turcotte. He’s way more responsible and lower risk than Zegras and Krebs. Better offensively than Podkolzin I think but the Russian is quite proficient on the defensive side, so it might be a toss-up there.

If you want Leon Draisaitl on his own line AND scoring 50 goals annually, having Boldy on the German’s left/right wing would go a long way to making that happen.

My 2019 top-fifteen looks like this:

  1. Kaapo Kakko – RW – TPS (SM-Liiga)
  2. Jack Hughes – C – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  3. Bowen Byram – LD – Vancouver (WHL)
  4. Matthew Boldy – LW/C/RW – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  5. Dylan Cozens – C – Lethbridge (WHL)
  6. Alex Turcotte – C – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  7. Peyton Krebs – C – Kootenay (WHL)
  8. Cole Caufield – RW – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  9. Kirby Dach – C – Saskatoon (WHL
  10. Vasili Podkolzin – C – SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
  11. Philip Broberg – LD – AIK (SHL)
  12. Spencer Knight – G – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  13. Alex Newhook – C – Victoria (BCHL)
  14. Trevor Zegras  – C – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  15. Raphael Lavoie – RW – Halifax (QMJHL)

What’s going to make it interesting is if there’s a team that really wants Cole Caufield or Philip Broberg and are willing to move into the top-8 to pick them. Or if there’s a team drafting ahead of Edmonton that has eyes on those two.

If you remember last year, the Oilers had their choice of Evan Bouchard, Noah Dobson, or Oliver Wahlstrom. This is going to happen again.

A Milan Lucic Trade Proposal

I don’t know if Ken Holland will be able to move Looch or not but he did find a way to trade Pavel Datsyuk’s contract back in 2016, right?

Now, It doesn’t have to be Arizona obviously but I do reckon that Holland is all-in on this draft and if he can help it, he’s not interested leaving the draft without a pick in the first round. So perhaps a team that is looking to move up that has multiple 1st rounders would have some interest in a trade?

Funny, all the rumors of a Lucic/Eriksson swap going on and the draft being in Vancouver… What better time to strike a deal?!

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Edmonton Oilers Rumors: The Draft, Lucic’s Leg, and Mike Gillis Interviewing Soon?

It’s been a slow week or so regarding the Oilers until recently. My DMs have been on fire the last couple of days with news about Milan Lucic, Mike Gillis, Ralph Krueger, etc. I’ve also been upping my draft research to boot. All the while recovering from surgery… If I’m gonna be laid up at home, I might as well make good use of the time.

MILAN LUCIC’S LEG

A good friend of mine sent me a private message asking if I’d heard the rumor about Milan Lucic this week and I hadn’t heard anything, so he sent me a pic from facebook and it had a little story attached to it.

It said that Milan was out at an establishment in Calgary before that final game of the year and a bouncer, who was a Flames fan, got into it with Looch, they fell, and Lucic’s leg is in a cast now.

I’ve also heard this happened in Airdrie (a small sleeper community north of Calgary but very close to the airport) but I lived in Airdrie and who in their right mind would go there to party (no offense if you live there)?

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*Edit*: So I totally forgot that the boys were out in Airdrie at a Boston Pizza before the final game of the year. Apologies to the Airdrie folk! I still love you!

https://twitter.com/Refmaksy/status/1114605307617890305

I asked folks around the Oilers organization about this injury and nothing was confirmed or denied. It was all very quiet. Short answered replies and nothing more…

This leads me to believe that there’s some truth to what happened, be that the story or that Lucic’s leg might actually be broken or sprained badly.

*EDIT*: Ryan Rishaug confirmed today that Milan Lucic’s leg is indeed in a cast now.

Now Mr. Lucic does have a history of fighting in clubs. Apparently, he had a dust-up in Boston during his time there and as well as in Vancouver back in 2013.

What if that leg is badly damaged? Broken? Well, that’s 6-8 weeks for a minor fracture and 3-6 months if the injury is severe. If it’s only a high-ankle sprain, that’s six weeks to 3 months…

So There go all the plans for getting more on-ice workouts that Looch was talking about in his year-end media avail. And there go the plans the Oilers have for trading him. It might open up a spot on a flight to Ference Island though but I think it’d have to be a pretty bad injury for that scenario to occur.

I hope that Milan has a speedy recovery. Truly. As much as I feel that Lucic isn’t helping the team on the ice or that his contract is a major albatross, he’s still a human being with a family. So all I can wish is for the best going forward.

MIKE GILLIS COMING TO TOWN?

I’ve heard that Mr. Gillis will be arriving in Edmonton this week to conduct some interviews with Bob Nicholson. I’m sure this has the OBC and the local media absolutely running for their lives (not really).

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody. Elliotte Friedman has been talking about it for a few weeks now during his spots on Oilers Now.

You might not like what he did in Vancouver, but what if hiring him meant that the Oilers got Laurence Gilman too. What if it meant a prior relationship with Ralph Krueger could be used to convince him to let bygones be bygones so that he’d come back?

Gillis’ teams were competitive and he thought outside the box quite a bit. Some of the more unfavorable moves he made were influenced by ownership as well. But with this push for investment into analytics and sports science, he’s a really good person to be talking to I feel.

I just think that if he can usher in an era of success, I don’t care if he’s a nice man. I don’t care if he gives a good interview. In fact, I would almost prefer if he was prickly to the Edmonton media. They’ve had a pretty easy ride for a really long time, perhaps it’s time to flip the script.

The fact of the matter is, any new GM could come in and move Nugent-Hopkins and Klefbom for example. And use them to upgrade the wings. The new management team could also come in and use Puljujarvi, Jones, and Yamamoto to do the same.

Difficult decisions are coming…

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My issue with Gillis is his draft record or lack thereof. That’s where I’d need reassurances that he’d adopt the draft and develop philosophy currently being implemented. I’d need input on what kind of plans he would have for the current amateur scouting staff and any future plans for that department.

Whether Mike Gillis gets the job or not remains to be seen but the Oilers are going to spend quite a bit of time with him gleaning as much information as possible. Isn’t that a good thing?

THE DRAFT

I’ve been chatting to scout after scout the last few days, asking them about the kids from the USNTDP, Peyton Krebs, Vasili Podkolzin, etc. I have a burning desire to know what the Oilers are getting themselves into here drafting 8th overall.

I don’t know how you have the top 8 panning out but I have a feeling it’s going to go something like this:

NJ: Jack Hughes (C) – 5’10″/160lbs – USNTDP
NYR: Kaapo Kakko (RW) – 6’2″/194lbs – TPS (SM-Liiga)
CHI: Kirby Dach (C) – 6’4″/185lbs – Saskatoon (WHL)
COL: Dylan Cozens (C) – 6’3″/181lbs – Lethbridge (WHL)
LA: Bowen Byram (D) – 6’1″/191lbs – Vancouver (WHL)
DET: Vasili Podkolzin (RW) – 6’1″/185lbs – SKA (Russia)
BUF: Alex Turcotte (C) – 5’11″/194lbs – USNTDP
EDM: Matthew Boldy (LW) – 6’2″/185lbs – USNTDP

This leaves Trevor Zegras (USNTDP), Peyton Krebs (Kootenay), Cole Caufield (USNTDP), Ryan Suzuki (Barrie), Artur Kaliyev (Hamilton), Victor Soderstrom (Brynas), etc. all on the board. These players display skills that the Oilers organization could desperately use. In Zegras, Suzuki, and Krebs, these are extremely gifted playmakers, Caufield and Kaliyev are elite finishers, and Soderstrom is this year’s Adam Boqvist; a highly offensive right-shot dman.

What I’m wondering is if there’s a team ahead of Edmonton that might go off the board a bit and throw a wrench into everything. Sort of what happened last year when Barrett Hayton was selected by the Coyotes leaving the Oilers to choose from Evan Bouchard, Noah Dobson, and Oliver Wahlstrom.

My worst-case (best-case) scenario is if the Oilers have to choose between Podkolzin, Turcotte, and one of Dach or Cozens. But that would mean a couple of teams would be taking players in spots unexpected.

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I love what Turcotte and Podkolzin bring. I’ve been told the Russian could be the kind of player you build a team around and with the way the Russian hockey federation is pushing him, I think there’s an outstanding player there, think the dynamic play of Pavel Datsyuk and the PP threat of Alexander Ovechkin.,. If he’s available at 8th overall, I think you sprint to the podium to take him.

There might be some that are afraid that he’s committed to playing for SKA (Yakupov and Datsyuk’s team) for the next couple of seasons and to that I say, no worries. It’s probably a blessing in disguise given how Edmonton treats its 1st rounders anyhow.

Keep him in Russia, bring him over as a 19-year-old like Vancouver did with Pettersson even leave him there until he’s 20 and then sign him and reap the benefits of having a physically mature game-breaker line-up alongside one of Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.

Read this if you want a complete picture of Vasili Podkolzin.

With Turcotte, I find he’s got everything you want in a player. He’s tenacious, he’s fast, his edgework is outstanding, he’s got a killer shot, he’s a creative playmaker. Add to that, he’s fearless and his 200ft game is polished.

The one concern with him is injuries… He’s had a tough time staying healthy this year. Why is that? Is it his style of play, or because he’s not strong enough or is it genetic? A major question there.

My wildcard right now is Matthew Boldy. The left-wing seems like the most realistic possibility for the Oilers right now. I like his size (6’2″ 180lbs) first off. He should be able to handle the rigors of the NHL when he decides to join.

When I watch him, I see a bit of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the way he moves on the ice, but he’s a much better playmaker. When he passes, he rarely misses the mark. No matter how contorted his body is or how compromised the play, the puck gets to the intended destination.

But last night, as I talked to a scout out of the Northeast, he told me that his shot might be his best attribute. He said that his shot might only be bested by Kaapo Kakko and Cole Caufield in this draft class. That his release is so quick that goalies have a tough time reading where it’s going to go.

Do you know who else has this kind of attribute?

Actually, after watching Vegas dismantle San Jose, Boldy might be more comparative to Max Pacioretty and if the Oilers can come out of the draft with a sniper of that quality, they’re gold.

What do you think? Is Lucic’s leg busted? Should the Oilers hire Mike Gillis? And who’s your pick at 8th overall for the Oilers?

Leave your comments below.

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Edmonton Oilers: McDavid At Fault for Injury?

Last night was shaping up to be a beautiful night of hockey, was it not? Bob Cole had called his final game, Leon Draisaitl found a way to score #50 for the Oilers, and it was the final Battle of Alberta for 2018/19.

Then the unthinkable happened early into the 2nd period.

I think that this injury could’ve been avoided 100% and here are a couple of my reasons as to why:

  • I hear a lot of people asking why Mark Giordano didn’t “let up” on McDavid. It was game 82 and a meaningless game. So in that same vein, why did Connor have to try and pull that move off at that time of the game? Why did he feel the need to try and score another goal for his team?

Sounds ridiculous, right? Just as a scorer wants to score every chance he/she gets, a defender wants to stop a goal every chance HE/SHE gets. You don’t ask the players to let up nor would you expect them to. Personally, I don’t think it’s in either player’s DNA to EVER give up on a play. That’s character and leadership on display and that’s why they’re the captains of their teams.

  • McDavid grabs Giordano’s stick (as he’s done countless times to numerous defenders in his entire hockey career to gain an advantage), but this time I feel like that combined with Giordano colliding with his rear-end causes him to lose balance.

    I don’t believe that Giordano intentionally took out McDavid’s legs with a “chop-block” style hit you might see in football.

You really have to wonder what the end result would’ve been had he not grabbed hold of the Flames captain’s stick here…

If we try to break it down using screencaps, it helps a bit but I feel like if you’re still convinced that it was a malicious play by Giordano, you’re probably not going to change your opinion on the matter. Regardless, I’d like to take a gander.

This is the moment that Giordano decides he’s gonna make a leap of faith here. It’s do or die and whatever happens, happens. He’s got a pretty good case to make the play too… From this screen cap.
I think McDavid knows what’s about to happen and leans in to protect the puck, not only by shielding it with his leg but also with his shoulder. This is where he decides grabbing Gio’s stick would also be beneficial to his cause. A mistake that would cost him, in my opinion. Now with his opponent’s stick fully gripped in his free hand, Giordano bumps into Connor’s hind quarter and all hell is about to break loose. McDavid, still holding onto the stick is now about to go full flight into a steel pipe designed to stop a vulcanized disc of rubber that might reach speeds of 120 MPH.

So, what if instead of bearing down and driving the net, Connor pivots back towards the blue line and gets the shop set up? Is there a different result knowing that Giordano is starfishing into the corner?

Here’s the thing, Giordano didn’t injure McDavid. The collision with the goalpost did. Giordano simply facilitated the injury by poorly executing a desperation play. Did he have to dive for the puck? No, he didn’t, but then we’re getting back to questioning the character of the player. On an odd-man rush, a defender can trust his goalie to take the shooter. On a play where a forward is driving the net, the defender has to be there to do whatever he can to deny the scoring chance.

So should we be mad at the Flames defender for doing something we’d expect Adam Larsson or Darnell Nurse to do in the same scenario? There was no intent to injure on this play nor was it malicious, it was merely the worst possible scenario playing out.

Should we be focusing our attention on the NHL and directing our rage at their inability to provide nets that don’t injure players if there’s a collision of this magnitude?

It’s 2019, do hockey nets really need to be made of steel now? Is there not a material available that is not only strong but lightweight that could withstand the force of a player going 42 km/h going into it?

If there is a silver lining to this, it’s that it happened on the last game of the year and there are a good 5 months of off-season to rehab depending on what the MRI reveals.

I don’t know how you feel, but there’s a part of me that doesn’t want the Oilers to release the information. I think everyone has a good idea of what the injury could be but where’s the benefit of making it public? I mean did you know that Mats Zuccarello lost the ability to speak temporarily after sustaining a concussion last year? I didn’t but I might’ve felt different about head-shots and concussions had I known.

L50N

Congratulations to Leon Draisaitl for scoring his 50th of the year. I didn’t expect him to put up 50 dingers, I always thought of him as more of a playmaker. But good on our big German! Maybe he’s the winger we’ve been looking for all along and it’s incumbent upon the new GM to build a line around RNH?

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2019 NHL DRAFT LOTTERY

Today, the Oilers have the 7th overall pick but by Tuesday night they could be selecting first through third or eighth through tenth. They’ve got a 20.4% chance of jumping up into the top-three and a 6.5% chance at winning the lottery outright and getting the chance to select Patrick Kane v2.0, Jack Hughes.

Nearly every time I’ve launched the lottery sim at Tankathon.com, the Oilers have won a place in the top-three. It’s actually pretty maddening because it’s getting my hopes up. And so for that reason, I’m going to go WAY out on a limb and say the Oilers will NOT be winning the lottery nor will they be selecting 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in Vancouver.

This is not a bad thing. You’d love to have a crack at Hughes (he trains with McDavid in the summer in Toronto) Kakko, or Byram, but there’s no shame in picking top-ten this year. I mean, after Hughes, Kakko, Byram, and Podkolzin, there’s a drop-off but that group from 5-10 is pretty close and then it drops off again.

So who are we looking at from 5-10?

  • Alex Turcotte – C – USNTDP: Smaller version of Chris Kreider. He’s a bulldog out there. Hunts the puck like he’s possessed. Will that disregard for personal safety bite him in the ass at the pro level? He’s already had injury problems.
  • Trevor Zegras – C – USNTDP: Highly skilled pivot. Drives lines. Lacks intensity and physicality according to some. Needs to add muscle. Might take a bit of time before he’s NHL-ready.
  • Matthew Boldy – LW – USNTDP: Best two-way forward in the draft? Is he going to be more Doug Jarvis or Sergei Federov though? Reminds me a bit of Nugent-Hopkins.
  • Kirby Dach – C – Saskatoon (WHL): Ryan Getzlaf with less bite. Can slow down a game to his speed and has no problems making highlight reel passes. Slightly inconsistent during the regular season mind you.
  • Dylan Cozens – C – Lethbridge (WHL): Jeff Carter-like ability to dominate games. Has a laser of a shot and knows exactly where to go and how best to get there at both ends of the ice, but what happened in the playoffs this year?
  • Peyton Krebs – LW – Kootenay (WHL): A better version of Sam Bennett. Highly intelligent and skilled junior player. The best player on a poor team. Not a smooth operator to me though. His movements seem forced and they lack fluidity.

Who’s on your list right now if the Oilers are picking in the latter half of the top-ten?

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@TPEHockey’s 2019 Mid-Season NHL Draft Rankings

1) Jack Hughes C (USNTDP, USHL) – 179cm, 73kg

It was unfortunate that due to injury Hughes missed much of the World Juniors. Although in his few games we saw his unparalleled skating ability and skill. He registered an assist in each of his games and played a crucial role in the Americans silver medal run.

From what I saw, Hughes was the best player on the ice every time he went out. He had an especially good game against Russia where, when given ice time, he was clearly the best player on either team. It was really too bad the USA staff favorited their veterans over their better young stars.

2) Kaapo Kakko RW (TPS Turku, Liiga) – 186cm, 82kg

The gold medal-winning Kaapo Kakko played an enormous role in Finland’s gold medal run. He scored the game winner in the finals and was clearly a top 2-3 player for Finland. In my opinion, only Aleksi Heponiemi played better for Finland.

Kakko has gotten a lot of attention as a possible #1 pick after this performance, but personally, I still see Hughes as better. Nonetheless, Kakko still shows the top talent and hockey IQ in the class outside of Hughes. Nobody is even close to challenging Kakko for the 2nd spot.

3) Dylan Cozens C (Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL) – 191cm, 80kg

Outside of Hughes and Kakko, Cozens is clearly the most NHL ready player in the class. He has the size and speed to hold his own in the NHL right now. The top 3 players are the only players could survive the NHL game right now. His straight line speed is the best of the 6ft plus players in the draft class. He’s also got an NHL ready shot and elite playmaking abilities. If a team wants an immediate solution at the 3rd or possibly 2nd line center spot, and a future number one center then Cozens is the guy.

4) Trevor Zegras C (USNTDP, USHL) – 180cm, 72kg

Nobody is trending up like Zegras has been. During Turcotte’s now ended absence, Zegras showed he is every bit as good as anyone in the draft class. He’s outproduced Hughes in the USHL and sees the ice as good as Hughes does. To continue the Hughes comparisons Zegras plays exactly like him. He usually plays center but due to some new found chemistry and Turcotte’s return, he’s being tested out on Hughes’ wing. Zegras is the 2nd out of 3 possibly elite centers out of the NTDP.

5) Alex Turcotte C (USNTDP, USHL) – 180cm, 88kg

The 3rd NTDP center in the top 5 is Alex Turcotte. The draft’s second-best skater is finally back from his injury that has cost him his entire season up until a few weeks ago. It hasn’t taken him long at all to get back up to pace as he’s already had a 3 point game against a collegiate opponent. With the rise of Zegras in his absence, there will be a coming battle between the two as to who the 2nd best center out of the NTDP will be.

Elias Pettersson’s nickname is “Alien”. Here’s a shirt to celebrate it! Click the image to buy one!

6) Kirby Dach C (Saskatoon Blades, WHL) – 192cm, 84kg

Saying Kirby Dach hasn’t had a good month is an understatement. In December, Dach scored only 4 points in 10 games with 3 of those points being in the last game of the month. He went on a 7 game point drought and had 1 point in his 1st 9 games. None the less, Dach is still one of the best players in the class. He has exceptional playmaking skill, underused shooting ability, and two-way prowess.

7) Peyton Krebs C/LW (Kootenay Ice, WHL) – 180cm, 78kg

Krebs continues to tear up the WHL without any support from his Kootenay Ice teammates. Krebs is the only major offensive driver on his team and still manages to be at over 1.2 points per game. None of his teammates are even close to one point per game with the highest being 0.79. Krebs has begun to be one of the more underrated players in the class. He’s showing he’s every bit as good as his fellow WHL stars in Cozens and Dach.

8) Alex Newhook C (Victoria Grizzlies, BCHL) – 180cm, 83kg

It’s really too bad that Newhook is stuck playing in the BCHL. He clearly exceeds the talent level in that league and is totally dominant. Newhook looked less than dominant at the recent World Junior A Challenge when the best players in non-CHL junior leagues compete for their countries. He was outplayed by players like Bobby Brink and Vasili Podkolzin, who will be found further down this list. Due to the lack of exposure in the BCHL, it’s going to be important for him to have a good showing at the U18 World Juniors.

9) Bowen Byram D (Vancouver Giants, WHL) – 183cm, 81kg

Vancouver’s star defender has rounded out another impressive month for the Giants. Byram has been a consistent threat from the blue line all season. He’s shown abilities in every aspect of the game including defense which many young flashy defensemen tend to lack. He’s up there as the best transitional defensemen in the class and impresses offensively. Expect Byram to plant himself in a top 10 spot as he continues to dominate the WHL from the blue line.

10) Ryan Suzuki C (Barrie Colts, OHL) – 183cm, 78kg

Ryan Suzuki has had a drop off in his stats as of late, but statistics don’t reflect the prowess of Suzuki. He is clearly the best passer in the draft, in my eyes. He makes impossible passes that you’d think he wouldn’t be able to see. He has unrivaled vision of the ice. He seems similar to your player in NHL 19 that can see the entire ice and make crazy passes because you have a bird’s eye view of the game.

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11) Cole Caufield RW/C (USNTDP, USHL) – 168cm, 70kg

Nobody in this class has the nose for the net that Caufield does. In the NTDP college cross over game, Caufield has 12 goals in 16 games. These goal counts from a draft eligible player is unheard of. Teams have learned from the success of Alex DeBrincat and getting Caufield anywhere past the 15th pick would be an absolute steal.

12) Bobby Brink RW (Sioux City, USHL) – 178cm, 75kg

Despite an injury, Brink has moved up my list. He’s been out for a while, but the more I watch him the more I like him. He does everything right, and it’s a shame he won’t be able to go to the U18 World Juniors since he isn’t on the NTDP. Playing in the USHL he doesn’t get the exposure other prospects do. It will be interesting to see where he ends up going come draft day.

13) Ville Heinola D (Lukko, Liiga) – 180cm, 80kg

Heinola is my sleeper pick to be the best defensemen out of this draft. Bowen Byram still remains well ahead of him but Heinola has surprised us before. He played as a top pairing defenseman for the gold medal-winning Finnish team alongside Henri Jokiharju. He thrived in that role not only showing offensive acumen, but very good defense too. While he hasn’t gotten a lot of attention up until now I think that will change after his WJC performance.

14) Vasili Podkolzin RW (SKA St. Petersburg, MHL) – 181cm, 75kg

Podkolzin is another draft-eligible player that attended the World Juniors. He seemed a bit out of his league but was able to hold his own and be a productive player. One of my criticisms of his play at that tournament was that often he would lose the puck in his feet and have his head down. Multiple times the tougher competition would realize that and he’d get lit up. This is less of a big criticism and more of a sign of a bigger problem. Podkolzin has the skill, strength, power, and versatility to be a great NHLer, but it’s the little things he seems to get wrong.

15) Arthur Kaliyev LW (Hamilton Bulldogs, OHL) – 188cm, 86kg

In terms of statistics, Kaliyev is one of the top performers. He’s got 33 goals in 42 games as a 17-year-old in the OHL and is on pace for over 100 points. With that, there is still some controversy around him. Many scouting services still have him ranked in the late first round due to some consistency, skating, and a few other small problems. For me, I see some of the same problems with Kaliyev but his sheer production is starting to override any doubts.

16) Anttoni Honka D (KeuPa, Mestis) – 179cm, 77kg

Nobody has fallen this season like Honka. At the World Juniors Summer Showcase Honka looked like the top 5 player we thought he could be last season. He had the trust of the Finnish staff and looked to be an important part of the World Junior team. But at the World Juniors Honka played the 7th defensemen spot and the Finnish coaching staff clearly had no confidence in him. It’s frustrating to see such a great player fall off as he has.

17) Connor McMichael C (London Knights, OHL) – 183cm, 77kg

With high expectations of players like Alex Formenton and Liam Foudy, they have both been outplayed by Connor McMichael. He’s been London’s best forward throughout every game. He’s got great vision for the ice and blazing speed. McMichael also plays a great 200ft game. It looks like London is going to have a player selected in the first round again.

18) Jakob Pelletier C/W (Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL) – 175cm, 72kg

Jakob Pelletier is another player ripping up the CHL. He’s been a key part of the Moncton Wildcats offense. He’s been one of the more underrated and underexposed players in the draft.

19) Mikko Kokkonen D (Jukurit, Liiga) – 180cm, 86kg

Kokkonen has been an offensive dynamo for Jukurit in the Liiga. To put things in perspective, Miro Heiskanen finished his draft year with 10 points in 37 Liiga games. Kokkonen, on the other hand, already has 13 points in 36 games. It was criminal that Kokkonen was not named to the Finnish World Junior team.

20) Matthew Boldy C/W (USNTDP, USHL) – 183cm, 79kg

Boldy is going to be a favorite for many NHL teams. As big, fast, skilled power forward Boldy can contribute with goals, assists, and physical play. I’d consider Boldy to be one of the “safer” picks in the first round with a very high floor.

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21) Raphaël Lavoie C/W (Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL) – 193cm, 87kg

The only 2019 eligible player named to the Canadian World Juniors selection camp was Lavoie. It was really unfortunate for Lavoie that he didn’t make the team because he hasn’t lived up to last season’s expectations and he hoped to prove himself at the World Juniors. Hopefully being cut will motivate him to get back on track.

22) Philip Broberg D (AIK, Allsvenskan) – 190cm, 90kg

The large and powerful skating defender out of AIK in the Allsvenskan finally got his first goal of the season recently. Broberg has been steadily adjusting to the pro game since his rough start to the regular season. While I think Broberg has been massively overhyped he’s still a solid option for a team looking for an offensive defenseman.

23) Moritz Seider D (Alder Mannheim, DEL) – 192cm, 83kg

Seider has been quite the force in the German league after returning from a more than dominant performance in the second-ranked division of the World Juniors. He served as captain and earned Germany a promotion to the main division of the World Juniors. The defenseman was astoundingly good by all accounts. He scored at more than a point per game and ended the tournament only one point behind 2018 first rounder Dominik Bokk (STL) for the lead in points.

Remember that Seider is doing this all from the blue line, and is more of a two-way defender than an all offense guy.

24) Cam York D (USNTDP, USHL) – 180cm, 75kg

The best of the NTDP blueliners hasn’t had the great season we’d hoped for, but he remains an integral part of the NTDP. He’s the best American puck-moving defensemen and has two-way abilities.

25) Spencer Knight G (USNTDP, USHL) – 191cm, 90kg

Knight remains as the top goaltender in the draft. He was the third goalie for the Americans at the World Juniors but didn’t get into any games. He’s a big, aggressive goalie that has been able to handle collegiate competition with the NTDP. Watch for him to be a player that jumps up on draft day to a team in need of goaltending.

26) Nathan Légaré F (Baie-Comeau Drakkar, QMJHL) – 182cm, 89kg

Légaré has been a big offensive producer all season. He’s on pace to be just short of 100 points by the end of the season. He has benefited a lot from being on a very high scoring Baie-Comeau team.

27) Alex Vlasic D (USNTDP, USHL) – 196cm, 86kg

Standing on the blueline at 6’6” (197cm) Alex Vlasic immediately stands out. Being a such a vertically gifted defensemen Vlasic is an easy candidate to be overrated. Although I don’t think this is the case. Vlasic is more than just imposing. He can shoot, move the puck, and defend exceptionally well.

28) Nils Höglander LW (Rögle BK, SHL) – 174cm, 84kg

The first Swedish forward off the board comes pretty late. After a tough start to the season, Höglander has shown he can contribute for Rögle in the SHL. He’s been able to score and play physically at the pro level. Watch for Höglander to be one of the more NHL ready players in the class, and he could surprise people by making the NHL a little earlier than you’d think from a late 1st pick.

29) Dustin Wolf G (Everett Silvertips, WHL) – 183cm, 73kg

The anchor in the CHL’s 4th ranked team’s net has been Dustin Wolf all season long. Before the acquisition of a reliable back up, Wolf played nearly every game. Wolf is top 5 in WHL GAA, save percentage, wins, and shutouts at 17. Dustin Wolf has also increased his assists total this season to 4. This gives him 8 career WHL assists in 60 games.

30) Nick Robertson C/LW (Peterborough Petes, OHL) – 175cm, 76kg

The brother of top performing American World Junior player Jason Robertson has a similar outlook as his brother. Injuries derailed his season early, but he’s recovered and become the Peterborough Petes best player. He’s one of the more underrated players in the class.

31) Pavel Dorofeyev W (Stalnye Lisy/Metallurg Magnitogorsk, MHL/KHL) – 184cm, 74kg

The hard-working winger and Nizhny Tagil, Russia product has been a player worth watching all season. He’s split time between the KHL and MHL but has shown his best in the MHL. Dorofeyev is phenomenal on special teams and a great forechecker.

Follow Max on Twitter @TPEHockey

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