Tag Archives: NHL Prospects

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects

Edmonton Oilers Rumor: Should the Oilers Have Their Eyes on These Two Russian Players? + @TPEhockey’s Top 10 for the 2020 NHL Draft

What a great hockey game the Edmonton Oilers played versus the Washington Capitals last night. They’re really starting to remind me of the 2016 roster who could play any way you wanted. Wanna run and gun? Cool. We’ve got the pieces to do that. Wanna play a button-down defensive game? No problem. We can do that too. Wanna chuck knucks? Well, you get the point.

It was a full-team 60-minute effort to keep Ovechkin and co. off the boards let alone have Ovi and Kuznetsov finish the game dash three. Lucky for the Caps, Braden Holtby was standing on his head or that game could’ve looked different.

I hope we can see more of that on the weekend where we’re slated to get our first proper look at 6’7″ goalie Mikko Koskinen. I reckon Jesse Puljujarvi will draw back in on the 3rd line as well. I feel bad for the kid but the situation is what it is.

I do want to say this though on Pulju. At some point Yamamoto is going to get hurt, almost all little guys who play the style he’s playing do and whenever that happens that’ll be Jesse’s opportunity to take advantage of. But for the time being, he has to play his ass off on the 3rd line because there’s no way McLellan is going to put him ahead of Yamamoto or Rattie when he returns.

So Elliotte Friedman posted in his 31 Thoughts this week that Vlad Namestnikov and Sergei Bobrovsky are a couple of names that might be entering the trade market, my words not his.

I feel like Namestnikov has the tools to be a top-6 player in the NHL but might not be the coach’s favorite where ever he’s gone if you know what I mean. When I watched him earlier this season, he looked like a kid who had very good technical skills and was really good on his skates edge-wise but he wasn’t getting that much ice-time.

For whatever reason, this is the second team that he’s failing to catch on with.

As for Bobrovsky, I don’t think that the Oilers cap can survive a hit of the magnitude he’s looking for. I think I’ve heard that he’s looking for Carey Price numbers and that simply isn’t going to work in Edmonton. His play this season hasn’t really been all that inspiring either.

Do you think that either of those players would benefit the Oilers either on the short-term or the long-term?


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Our emerging prospects expert Max from TPE Hockey is back with a glimpse into the draft of 2020. This draft is looking like it might be top-heavy as many of its eligibles are making themselves known early and often. If you took in any of the games at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton this summer you would’ve noticed a good number of 2020 prospects had very good games.

Let’s get into Max’s top-ten 2020 NHL draft prospects!

1) Alexis Lafreniére LW (Rimouski Océanic, QMJHL) – 185cm, 87kg
Lafreniére is the talk of the draft. He holds 25 point in 15 QMJHL games and is one point away from being the league’s leading scorer. He dominated the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and was tied as the leading scorer and captained Canada to gold. Lafreniére dominates with his exceptional hockey IQ and utilizes his skill and soft hands to put himself on highlight reels. Rimouski had high expectations for him when he was selected 1st overall in the 2017 QMJHL Draft. Lafreniére has lived up to and exceeded all expectations.

2) Noel Gunler LW/RW (Luleå HF, SHL) – 185cm, 80kg
Of all undrafted prospects, Noel Gunler is the name to watch going forward. He has been on the radar for a while, but only this season has he rocketed up the rankings. Gunler has the same point and game totals as Lafreniére except in the SuperElit (Sweden U20) and leads the league and scoring. After 15 games of complete dominance in that league, he was promoted to the SHL. In only his second game he registered a goal and an assist against Malmö. In that game, Gunler had one of the best performances of a player his age in the SHL. Virtually every time he stepped on the ice he had or created a scoring opportunity. Gunler now has 3 points in 3 SHL games. If he plays more game like the one against Malmö then Gunler is in serious consideration for 1st overall.

3) Quinton Byfield C (Sudbury Wolves, OHL) – 194cm, 97kg
Byfield is one of the most physically impressive players in this draft. The 2018 OHL Priority Selection 1st overall pick is a big, tall power forward with amazing speed and skill. His height and weight make him one of the most physically imposing players we’ve seen at his age. Despite his size, Byfield is a fast, agile, and has great puck skills. In other words, he’s an athletic freak. Scoring wise, Byfield started off very strong but went on a 5 game pointless streak. Even though he had that pointless streak he still holds 10 points in 12 OHL games for the Sudbury Wolves. It’s also worth keeping in mind that Byfield is one of the younger eligible players for this draft. With all of this, Byfield has to pick up the pace to keep a top 3 spot. He still has all the attributes to make him a top 2 pick, but he needs to score.

https://twitter.com/NHLProspectsYT/status/1046761024475541505

4) Marco Rossi C (Ottawa 67s, OHL) – 176cm, 79kg
In my mind, the most underrated prospect in this draft is Marco Rossi. Being Austrian, Rossi hasn’t played in any top division international tournaments. Exposure was especially limited last year as he also played in the Swiss league. In Switzerland, he was the 5th leading player in points per game as a 16-year-old against 20-year-olds. He then decided to play in the CHL and enter the CHL Import Draft where he was stolen at 16th overall by the Ottawa 67s. Playing for Ottawa this season, he started slow. In his first 6 games he only scored 2 points, but in his next 8 games, he scored 14 points. In those 8 games he’s outscoring Alexis Lafreniére in terms of points per game, and in the slightly tougher OHL. Rossi uses his flashy skill and speed to take over when the puck is on his stick. He’s challenging Quinton Byfield and could end up ahead of him by next month. Time will tell if he earns the spot as the top OHL prospect.

5) Anton Lundell C (Helsinki IFK, Liiga) – 185cm, 83kg
Early this season Lundell was named to the HIFK pro team at the Champions Hockey League, which is a competition between the top European league teams. He performed well but was held pointless in 3 games. He then started the season with the HIFK U20 team in which he scored 11 points and 9 games and earned a spot with the pro squad. With HIFK in the Liiga Anton Lundell has put up 5 points in 9 games. Lundell has shown his great mind for the game as he scores at a staggering rate for his age. Keep in mind that 2019’s consensus #2 pick, Kaapo Kakko, played only 6 games in the Liiga as a 16 turning 17-year-old.

6) Lucas Raymond RW/LW (Frölunda HC, SHL) – 179cm, 75kg
Lucas Raymond became the first 2002 born player to compete in the SHL this season. Raymond has great playmaking ability but also has an underrated scoring ability. Raymond is all about skill, speed, and work ethic. Before his SHL promotion, he scored 17 points in 13 games but is pointless in 4 SHL games.

7) Alexander Holtz RW/LW (Djurgårdens IF J20, SuperElit) – 183cm, 83kg
The biggest faller since the beginning of the season is Alexander Holtz. He’s only at just over a point per game over 12 SuperElit games. Holtz is a sniper with a pro-caliber shot that tears apart junior aged goaltenders. Holtz also has an underrated playmaking game that he showed when he played with Lucas Raymond at the Hlinka tournament.

https://twitter.com/NHLProspectGIFS/status/1040932485461430272

8) Kasper Simontaival C (LeKi, Mestis) – 175cm, 78kg
Simontaival became the first 2002 born player to play professional hockey earlier this season. He started with Tappara in the Finish Liiga where he registered 2 assists in 5 games. Simontaival looked good in the Liiga but was demoted to the Finnish 2nd league likely so he could get more ice time. Over 3 games Simontaival has 3 assists. He is a pure playmaker with great hockey sense. In multiple international tournaments with the Finnish U18 team, he has 0 goals and 16 assists over 10 games.

9) Yaroslav Askarov G (SKA-Varyagi im. Morozov, MHL) – 188cm, 71kg
The only goalie in the top 10 and 1st round is Askarov. He was, in my mind, the best goalie at the Hlinka tournament despite being a year younger than most of the competition. He then proceeded to play in the MHL where he as shut down every team he’s competed against with a .934 Sv% in 14 games. These are similar numbers to what Andrei Vasilevskiy put up at the same age, but Askarov will end up playing more games.

10) Jan Mysak F (HC Litvinov, Czech) – 180cm, 80kg
Out of all the players in my top 10, Jan Mysak has gotten the least attention. Mysak has played in the Czech pro league and scored 4 points in 13 games. As a younger 2002, who is still 16, it’s impressive that he cracked the pro roster right out of the gate. It shows that his team has a lot of trust in him as a player. Mysak is also highly touted by the Czech international teams as in a Czech article the coach of the team said that they are seriously considering him for the U20 team at the World Juniors.

Give Max a follow on Twitter @TPEHockey if you’re a draft nut like me. He’s constantly throwing out updates and opinions on prospects!

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Around the Oilogosphere, Bakersfield Condors, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects, Rumors

Around the Oilogosphere – April 17th Edition – Bode Wilde, Cheering for Hall? Drafting a Smurf, and More News on Ilya Kovalchuk!

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On Lowetide’s show yesterday he had an outstanding prospects scout by the name of Simon Boisvert on and they talked about some of the potential players that the Oilers could select from if they end up keeping the 1st round pick at the draft this year.

Lowetide asked Boisvert for a few candidates that the Oilers might have a choice from and the first name that Boisvert said was Bode Wilde.

Simon Boisvert had this to say about Wilde:

I think he is a superb skater. He’s a defenseman. He has a good build and carries the puck, he has a good shot. This is a guy who can play on the powerplay. So to me, that would be a very very good pick for the Oilers.

Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Height / Weight: 6’2, 195 lbs
Born: January 24th, 2000 | Birmingham, MI
Nation: United States

An American defenseman who played for the u18 USNTDP this season with other top prospects like Oliver Wahlstrom and Joel Farabee as well as the player expected to go 1st overall in 2019, Jack Hughes. Wilde scored 11 goals and added 25 assists this season in 53 games.

Strengths: Outstanding shooter, very physical in front of the net, excellent vision, poise, and skating.

Weaknesses: A bit chaotic, takes chances, poor gap control, inconsistent, tends to go for the big hit more often than should.

NHL Comparison – A smaller version of Dustin Byfuglien

He is ranked more in the 14-20 range by most draft prognosticators and I feel like while Wilde has some very tasty looking strengths to his game, the knock on him is his defensive play in his own zone and his inconsistency.

Taking him at #9 overall would be a tad early. Especially if Quinn Hughes, Adam Boqvist, Noah Dobson, Evan Bouchard, Joel Farabee, or Joe Veleno were available. I’d have zero problems if the Oilers traded down to get him though because he’s definitely got the physical tools to play the game. The defensive limitations can be ironed out with time and good coaching. That said, where there is high risk, there’s usually potential for high reward.

Wilde is committed to Michigan for next season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9fqw0mcqMI

OILERS NEWS

Plan C – Is McLellan really willing or able to find the best and brightest to be an assistant coach at the most important position? One that might have a different vision and philosophy as he does? One that could possibly take over as head coach if we get off to another slow start next year? One that could take his job and get the team in a better direction, thus making him look more incompetent that he looks now?

Edmonton Oilers’ top affiliate Bakersfield Condors wind up another underwhelming season – What’s the value of a productive farm system? A modern fan of the Edmonton Oilers could be forgiven a terse answer like “I have no idea” or “I can’t recall”, but it actually isn’t all that long since the NHL club had enjoyed a steady pipeline of emerging talent.

Monday Mailbag – Chiarelli’s summer to-do list – It was a busy week in Oilers land so this edition of the mailbag could get spicy.

Will the Edmonton Oilers take a highly-rated Smurf d-man in the draft? – But the NHL is said to be moving towards smaller, faster and more skilled players, which means it’s more likely that a smaller d-man will be taken high in the draft this year, just as two Smurf d-men, Miro Heiskanen, 5-11, 182, and Cale Makar, 5-10, 175, were taken third and fourth overall last year.

Cheer for Taylor Hall in the playoffs? Not this Oiler fan, not in this lifetime – Hall is no longer an Oiler. In fact, he made it clear he didn’t cheer for the Oilers last year in the playoffs, which is a sentiment I perfectly understand. Why would he root for the Oilers? And, likewise, why would I root for him now?

NHL Rumors: Edmonton Oilers – Some Potential Changes To Watch For This Offseason

NHL NEWS

NHL Rumors: New York Islanders and the Chicago Blackhawks

NHL Rumors: Arizona Coyotes – Top-Six Need, Ekman-Larsson and Pending UFAs

NHL Rumors: Kovalchuk, Canucks and UFAs, Islanders and Tavares

NHL Rumors: Montreal Canadiens and the Calgary Flames

NHL Rumors: New York Rangers – Stevens, Montgomery, Kovalchuk and Grabner

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Edmonton Oilers, Kosmic Burrito, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects

Kosmic’s Top Ten 2016 NHL Prospects Draft Prospects: #6 Dante Fabbro

2 Comments

Well holy freaking moly!! It’s Friday BLH’ers! We made it! Well, some of us barely did. Happy Friday dudes and dudettes! This is the final prospect in the top half of this ten part series. I have tell you, it’s been tough. There’s some decent kids out there this year. Now mind you, this is what I think the Oilers draft list should look like. This isn’t a “draft the best kid available” list….well, necessarily. It would be kind of hard to ignore Matthews if we land the first overall pick haha! With that being said…Onward friendo’s, there’s f*ckery to spread!

Check out the players previous to #6 below!

10 – Alexander Nylander
9 – Pierre-Luc Dubois
8 – Mikhail Sergachev
7 – Matthew Tkachuk

So next on tap here at the Beer League brewery, we have #6:

Will Dante Fabbro be the first right-handed dman drafted in 2016?

Dante Fabbro
Penticton Vees (BCHL) *2016 Boston University commit*
6’1” 185lbs
45GP 14G 53A 67PTS 30PIM 0+/-

Here we are kiddies, #6 on the list, and looky looky, we got ourselves a defenceman! Now trust me, if this list wasn’t based on need, or taking a prospect that can’t be ignored, I probably would have placed both Dubois and Tkachuk hire than Sergachev and Fabbro. But that’s not taking anything away from these kids. It’s just, we need defence like I need burrito’s….burritos are life…mmmmm burritos….

”Whoa!!! BLH calling Kosmic, BLH to Kosmic, come back to your blog buddy, I have…….BURRITOS!”

There’s a lot to like about Fabbro’s slick, two-way defensive play. But one thing that stands out, is his maturity. At 17 years old, Fabbro is an incredibly dependable rock on the back-end, who makes a lot of smart plays while under pressure. If he’s not shutting you down with his body, blocking passing lanes, or just making smart defensive plays in general. Then he’s using his elite mobility to maneuver around defenders, and drive the offensive play. He’s a very cerebral player, who seems to be aware of the puck at all times, and constantly thinking ahead of the play. He possesses a high offensive upside to also go along with his already dependable defensive talents. He should also be able to grow into a true power-play quarterback, as he has excellent range, crisp and precise passing ability, and he possesses a deadly, hard and accurate shot with a super quick release. All in all, an excellent defensive prospect.

NHL Comparable(s): Tyson Barrie and Duncan Keith

On defense, he’s positionally sound in coverage and combines excellent gap control with an active stick. He runs into problems, however, during puck retrieval as he’s shown an aversion to physical contact. Far from soft, Fabbro needs to learn to take a beating to complete a play rather than continue to rely on smarts and stick skills. – Steve Kournianos, thedraftanalyst.com (source)

Though still needing refinement on the defensive side of the play, Fabbro projects to be a solid all-around d-man with scoring upside and should be one of the top 10 defenders selected in the 2016 draft. He is likely to need several more years before breaking into the NHL. – Dobber Prospects (source)

His low-maintenance style combined with an elite hockey mind that anticipates and reads his competition extremely well projects him as a high-end transitional defender. – Brendan Ross, McKeen’s (source)

Why would this player be on the Edmonton Oilers Draft List? It’s as simple as…WE NEED DEFENCE!! That’s it…Why wouldn’t we want a defender with Fabbro’s wide range of skills? I would welcome him with open arms….and maybe a burrito or two!

BLH’s Comments: To add to Kosmic, not only do the Oilers need defence but the team is devoid of quality right-handed shooting defensemen. Ethan Bear being the best of the bunch at the moment. I don’t like to read that he needs to learn to take a hit though… Sounds like someone the Oilers just jettisoned. And I’d be lying if I wasn’t concerned about how the Oilers have treated former right-handed shooting defensemen who plied their trades in the NCAA before landing in Edmonton. But that was under a different regime, one could only hope those days are behind us now. 

Well folks, there you have it. The top half is complete, stay tuned as we work our way from #5 on downwards! And remember to get out there and enjoy your mutha-f**kin’ Friday!!!

Write to me on Twitter @kosmicburrito

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpm7I8gV6oc

Edmonton Oilers, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects

2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Awards

Today Brayden Sullivan (@sullydraftgeek) blesses us with his 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament Awards for MVP, Best Forward, Best Defenceman, Best Goaltender, and Best 2017 Draft Eligible!

MVP: Tyler Benson
(Runners up: Michael McLeod, Jacob Cederholm)

Tyler Benson

The current Vancouver Giant was a beast throughout the tournament for Canada. He finished

the tournament tied for 3rd in scoring with 6 points in 5 games (2 Goals, 4 Assists) and with the game winning goal in the gold medal game. He beats out his team mate Michael McLeod for   this award because he was much more consistent then McLeod was and much more utilized/relied on.Another part that helped him was that he didn’t take a single penalty the whole tournament and drew a few penalties that helped his team win.

The thing he brought most to Canada was his playmaking abilities while still being somewhat physical, as he was a player who won a lot of his battles in the corner and always found the open man. As a 2016 draft eligible, Tyler is ranked very high as he currently sits ranked at 7th overall by Future Considerations and 14th by DraftGeek. It will be interesting to see how Tyler plays this year in Vancouver, under a new coach, and how he will be able to maintain his draft stock on a weaker team in the WHL.

Top Forward: Alexander Nylander
(Runner up: Sam Steel, Nikita Popugaev)

Alexander Nylander: Better than William?

Alexander Nylander’s current CHL rights are owned by the Mississauga Steelheads, as they took him 12th overall in the 2015 CHL import draft. His USHL rights are owned by Dubuque Fighting Saints. I predict that he will commit to Mississauga and have a great year playing alongside Canadian, Michael McLeod.

Going into the tournament Nylander was a player that everyone had their eyes on and was someone who everyone knew would play a lot for Sweden. He always seemed to be on the ice for Sweden and was easily one of the most skilled players in this tournament. He was a very quick and creative player throughout the tournament and he always showed that he wanted the puck on his stick. As the tournament progressed his skill did not decline but his shot started to become more of a weapon and he ended his tournament by scoring a great goal on a shot in slot that went over the shoulder of the Canadian goalie in the gold medal game.

Going into his draft year I hope that Nylander chooses the right team to commit to and gets the attention throughout the year that he deserves.

Top Defenseman: Jacob Cederholm
(Runner Up: Kale Clague, Libor Hajek, Markus Niemelainen)

Jacob Cederholm

The 6’3 Swedish defenseman was a wall for his national team, he was heavily relied upon and was by far the top defenseman in this tournament.

Cederholm is a big strong two way defenseman who is very good defensively but also brings high end puck moving skills. He possesses a very long stride which allows him to get to pucks first before using his body. He was someone who played crucial minutes for the Swedish side. He also came on as a leader through the tournament and took on the responsibility of captain. Jacob Cederholm beats out 3 high scoring blueliners to this award because of the way that he was relied upon and how he always rose to the occasion.

For the 2016 draft eligible the giant Swede is ranked 17th on DraftGeek’s new draft rankings, he should suit up this season with HV71 in the SHL but if not he will be a dominant force on their J20 team.

Top Goalie: Severi Isokangas
(Runner Up: Vladislav Sukhachev, Filip Gustavsson)

Severi Isokangas

The reason Isokangas beats out all goalies to this award is because how he makes himself look big in his net and how calm he looked at all times.

He finished the tournament with a 1.77 GAA and a .920 SVG % through 4 games and put himself 4th in goalie statistics. He’s a 6’1 goalie who is currently committed to Karpat in the Finnish league and will most likely play with their U20 team once again. Although Finland did not take home a medal in this tournament he was the true reason why they finished on top of group B and the reason why they made it to those semi-final games.

Isokangas is currently ranked 2nd amongst all goalies going into the 2016 draft by DraftGeek, right behind Sweden’s goaltender Filip Gustavsson. Through the 2015-2016 year it will be fun to see Severi playing up and down the Karpat junior system, looking for every starting opportunity he can get with the team as a 17 year old.

Best 2017 Draft Eligible: Nico Hischier
(Runner Up: Nolan Patrick, Kailer Yamamoto)

Nico Hischier

The final award goes to Nico Hischier as the top 2017 draft eligible through this tournament. As one of only a few 1999’s in this tournament, Hischier surpassed all expectations set and was by far the best player for a 7th place Switzerland side.

He finished the tournament tied for 3rd in scoring with 6 points in 4 games (3 goals; 3 assists), and was far and away one of the best forwards in this tournament. A strong playmaker who also possess some two way in his game, as he is always the deepest forward in his own zone. His skating was much better than anyone else’s on his team and playmaking abilities were heavily utilized by the Swiss. He was the most played player on his team and was always on the ice in the last 5 minutes, regardless of the score.

He beats out two of the top 5 2017 draft eligible, Canadian Nolan Patrick and American Kailer Yamamoto because of how he dominant he was on a 7th place team and how he always stood out in the games he played in. It will be good to see if Nico makes the switch over to NA hockey in the coming years and if he can push to be a top pick in the 2017 draft.

I wonder if any of these guys will be wearing an Edmonton Oilers jersey someday? Benson is a local boy but I’d be more than disappointed if Edmonton was in a position to draft him next summer.

Big thanks to Brayden Sulluvan for working his ass off to bring us coverage from the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup. It’s been a real pleasure working with him and reading his posts! So I urge you to head over to DraftGeek.ca for all your NHL draft information. I know Brennen and Brayden and they are top guys who know their stuff when it comes to the draft! Follow them on Twitter too @draftgeekDOTca and @sullydraftgeek.

And don’t forget to check out Jack Gruninger‘s Season Primer series. He’s up to Colorardo now and all we’ve gotten is rave reviews regarding the team previews! You don’t want to skip these ones! Check out his latest here!

Thanks for reading everyone! Have a good day!

Take Care!

– BLH (@beerleagueheroe)