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Prospect Notes: Kaprizov, CHL Defensemen, Draft

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The Minnesota Wild and their fans are still waiting to see Kirill Kaprizov hit the ice with the team five years after they drafted him. The 23-year old forward is widely regarded as one of the best players outside the NHL, but for years there was little indication he wanted to come to North America. Now that there is—Kaprizov has made it clear that he is ready to sign with the Wild—the current league pause is getting in the way.

Despite being on the reserve list of the Wild, Kaprizov (and other players like him in similar situations around the league) isn’t being allowed to sign with the team for the 2019-20 season because of the current pause. Minnesota GM Bill Guerin is still holding out hope that the league will change their mind, telling Dan Myers of NHL.com that both sides are just taking it “day-by-day” and not jumping into an agreement for 2020-21 until it is necessary. As Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) has explained several times, a delayed start to 2020-21 could pose a threat for the Wild should Kaprizov decide he doesn’t want to wait around for the season to begin, but it does seem like finally, both sides are on the same page.

  • Each of the three leagues that make up the CHL have announced their Defenseman of the Year awards. Ty Smith repeats for the WHL, taking home the award for the second consecutive season and joining Kris Russell, Dion Phaneuf and Nolan Baumgartner as the only back-to-back winners. The New Jersey Devils prospect recorded 59 points in 46 games for the Spokane Chiefs and looks ready to make the jump to the NHL in short order. Noel Hoefenmayer doesn’t have quite the same name recognition as Smith, given that he was a fourth-round pick in 2017 and failed to sign with the Arizona Coyotes, but he was just as impressive this year in the OHL. Hoefenmayer recorded 82 points in 58 games for the Ottawa 67’s, an incredible total even if he was playing his over-age season. Hoefenmayer recently signed an AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies, his hometown minor league team. Jordan Spence takes home the award for the QMJHL, more exciting news for the Los Angeles Kings whose prospect pool is bursting at the seams with talent. As Scott Wheeler of The Athletic points out on Twitter, Spence now has a QMJHL Rookie of the Year and Defenseman of the Year award in his cabinet, but still isn’t even one of the very best prospects in the Kings’ system.
  • Everyone is waiting to see when the draft will be for this season, but the push to have it take place in June before finishing the season has seemingly come to an end. In fact, Bob McKenzie of TSN asked some general manager around the league yesterday, who told him they have “no clue” on when it will be. McKenzie reports that the entire focus is on returning to play right now and that the decision on when to hold the draft “won’t be made anytime soon.”

Snapshots: Gudas, CHL Lawsuit, Miller

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The NHL has been clear about their desire to resume and complete the 2019-20 season at some point this summer, but that’s not shared by every player in the league. Radko Gudas was interviewed in the Czech Republic about his concerns for a restart, and Alexandra Petakova of Russian Machine Never Breaks translated it to English. Never one to hide his feelings, Gudas doesn’t think restarting the season is a good idea:

If one guy is infected, basically the whole league has it in a week, given how they are planning to have everyone play against everyone. One stupid stumble and you can cancel it all again.

Perhaps more interesting from the interview however are Gudas’ comments on his future with the Washington Capitals. The veteran defenseman explained that the team is facing a difficult salary cap situation and believes that he and “a lot of the guys with contracts about to expire” will end up leaving the Capitals this offseason. Washington has four players on the NHL roster who are scheduled for unrestricted free agency: Gudas, Ilya Kovalchuk, Brenden Dillon and, perhaps most importantly, Braden Holtby.

  • The CHL has settled a class-action lawsuit that was originally filed in 2014. The legal battle was to determine whether junior players were employees or student-athletes, and the settlement will result in OHL, WHL and QMJHL franchises paying approximately $30MM. These settlement discussions were actually held before the COVID-19 shutdown. As Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes, the approximately $250,000 that each franchise will need to pay is not insignificant for some. This follows recent news that the Portland Winterhawks parent company filed for bankruptcy and are looking for new ownership to take over the franchise.
  • Kevan Miller hasn’t played in an NHL game for more than a year, and revealed yesterday that he is eight weeks removed from another surgical procedure on his right knee. A fractured kneecap ended his 2018-19 season and kept him out for all of this year, but he is still working to be ready for the start of the 2020-21 campaign. If he is ready to play again, where he hits the ice isn’t clear. The veteran defenseman’s contract is expiring and though the Boston Bruins have admitted they will “entertain the opportunity” of bringing him back, a tightening salary cap won’t make it easy.

NHL Announces New Player Transfer Agreements

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The NHL has announced new player transfer agreements today, including one-year extensions with the existing ones. Those include the IIHF Member Federations/Leagues in Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

They have also extended the existing CHL Agreement with the Canadian Hockey League (OHL, WHL, QMJHL). This means that nothing will change in regards to players drafted out of the CHL being eligible for AHL play before the age of 20. Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required) recently polled scouts on whether the believed the agreement should be amended; 60% felt it should be, however, any changes will have to wait at least another year.

The biggest news however is the new one-year agreement with the Swiss Ice Hockey Association and Swiss League, something that previously did not exist. This will provide extra opportunities for players in Switzerland to come over to North America, and will slightly tweak the rules for draft picks out of the league.

With these agreements announced, we will likely see a flood of contracts for European players officially filed over the next few days.

Michal Teply Signs With Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Blackhawks have inked another interesting prospect, this time signing Michal Teply to a three-year entry-level contract. Teply broke the news himself on Instagram, thanking his family and friends for supporting him in his journey so far.

Still just 18 years old, Teply was selected in the fourth round of last year’s draft and spent this season playing for the Winnipeg Ice of the WHL. During his 53 games with Winnipeg he registered 63 points, while also taking part in the World Juniors for the Czech Republic.

Even though he was a mid-round pick, it’s hard to know exactly where the ceiling is offensively for Teply. Standing 6’3″ 192-lbs, he is big enough to lean on defenders and use a long reach to protect the puck, but is also an excellent playmaker that almost always looks to pass first. There is still a lot to polish in his game, but the Blackhawks obviously felt he had shown enough to reward him with an NHL contract already.

Interestingly, even though he played in the CHL this season Teply could potentially spend the 2020-21 season in the AHL if the Blackhawks wanted him to. Drafted out of the Czech leagues, he could also return to Europe should they feel he needs to compete against players older than him. There are plenty of options for his next step, making his development path one to keep an eye on going forward.

Prospect Notes: Draft Rankings, 2021 Memorial Cup, McKay

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If you were perusing the NHL Central Scouting draft lists when they came out yesterday and wondered how exactly the North American and International skaters compared, Sam Cosentino of Sportsnet has you covered. The draft analyst released his latest ranking of the top prospects eligible for selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, led as always by Alexis Lafreniere.

Some of the other rankings, however, differ significantly from the Central Scouting lists. Of note is Jake Sanderson, who while fourth among North American skaters on one list, comes in seventh among the same group on Cosentino’s. If you want a riser, how about Dylan Holloway, who Cosentino believes is a top-10 talent despite his ranking of #12 among North American skaters by Central Scouting.

  • Many of the players drafted this year will be competing in the CHL’s 2020-21 season, trying to earn their way to the Memorial Cup tournament. They may have to wait a little longer, as Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that the CHL is considering pushing back the schedule for the 2021 Memorial Cup into June of next year to give them a little bit of wiggle room should the start of the season be delayed. McKenzie notes that the tournament will be held in either Oshawa or Sault Ste. Marie, though that decision has not yet been made.
  • Kirby Dach will have a familiar face at Chicago Blackhawks training camp after the Rockford IceHogs signed Riley McKay to an AHL contract for 2020-21. McKay, 21, played with Dach on the Saskatoon Blades in 2018-19, racking up 149 penalty minutes as one of the toughest players in the Western Hockey League. Undrafted, he’ll try to carve out a role for himself in the minor leagues, while still surely watching his teammates’ backs.

Frederik Dichow Coming To North America

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After a year playing in Sweden for the Malmo Redhawks organization, Montreal Canadiens draft pick Frederik Dichow will test his game on North American soil. The Danish goaltender has committed to the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL for the 2020-21 season. Sudbury owned his CHL rights after selecting him 41st overall in the 2019 Import Draft.

Notably, Dichow says he spoke with Buffalo Sabres prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen about the Sudbury organization:

I am super excited and can’t wait to get to Sudbury. After the draft last year, Ukko-Pekka reached out to me and let me know it is a great place to play and develop. I look forward to meeting the coaches and all my new teammates. I hear the fans and support are awesome in Sudbury and I want to help the Wolves win.

Luukkonen spent the 2018-19 season with Sudbury for his first taste of North American hockey and ended up being named the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player after posting a .920 save percentage in 53 games. Though the 19-year old Dichow isn’t quite as well-regarded as a prospect, he will try to follow in Luukkonen’s footsteps as a dominant presence between the pipes.

The Canadiens spent the 138th overall pick on Dichow in 2019, the 12th goaltender off the board. His huge 6’5″ frame is imposing in the net, though he still has plenty to work on moving forward. Montreal has not yet signed the young goaltender to an entry-level contract, but still have time to wait and assess his development next season.

Adam Fantilli Commits To USHL’s Chicago Steel

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In a move that may have NHL ramifications down the line, Adam Fantilli has signed with the USHL’s Chicago Steel for the 2020-21 season. The 15-year old forward was expected to be the first-overall selection in the OHL draft had he decided to stay in Canada and play in the CHL. His brother Luca Fantilli will be joining him, after the Steel picked him in the USHL Phase II Draft.

Already standing 6’2″ 181-lbs, Adam Fantilli is a blue-chip prospect for the 2023 NHL entry draft. Though there is obviously plenty of time for things to change between now and then, choosing to head the USHL route also may impact his draft and professional path.

Remember, players selected out of the CHL cannot play in the AHL until their age-20 season, something that already frustrates clubs with outstanding youngsters. There is also the fact that Luca Fantilli is committed to the University of Michigan to consider, given the propensity for USHL players to follow the college route.

Obviously he will be a player to watch moving forward, but the North Bay Battalion will have to move in a different direction. That’s who owns the first-overall pick in next month’s draft, scheduled to be held on April 4th.

WHL Designates Connor Bedard With First Ever Exceptional Player Status

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Exceptional player status in the CHL is only declared for those elite 15-year-olds deemed worthy of joining the major junior ranks a year early. Exceptional player status has been granted five times in the OHL – John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, Sean Day, and Shane Wright – and just once in the QMJHL – Joe Veleno – but never before in the WHL. That is, until today. Just one day after the WHL was forced to make the disappointing announcement that the remainder of their season had been canceled, tonight they made the exciting revelation that for the first time exceptional player status has been awarded.

The lucky 15-year-old-to-be is Connor Bedard of North Vancouver, British Columbia. Bedard played this season with the U-18 team of West Vancouver Academy in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League. In 36 games, Bedard recorded a whopping 43 goals and 84 points. He led the league in both categories by a significant margin and contributed on nearly 50% of his teams total goals on the year. While Bedard is still undersized at 5’8” and 165 lbs., he is still four years away from his draft year and will spend all of that time in the WHL growing his already-impressive skills in addition to growing physically.

The WHL Bantam Draft is set for April 22, 2020 and Bedard is now expected to be the prize at No. 1 overall. The 2020 WHL Bantam Draft Lottery is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday March 25 and will determine the order of the first six selections of the draft. In the running for the top spot are the the Swift Current Broncos, Moose Jaw Warriors, Tri-City Americans, Prince George Cougars, Regina Pats, and Red Deer Rebels. Just one will end up fortunate enough to land the first ever “exceptional” player in league history.

CHL Cancels Playoffs, Memorial Cup

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The Memorial Cup, a junior hockey trophy that has been awarded every year for more than century, will be dormant this season. The CHL has decided to cancel the rest of their playoffs and championship tournament in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The tournament was scheduled for May in Kelowna, British Columbia but will not be possible.

The CHL, made up of the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League, had canceled the rest of the regular season recently but held out hope until today that a playoff would be possible. This new update means that for many NHL prospects, the season is over. For many others who won’t be transitioning to the professional ranks, their competitive hockey careers will end without a chance to hoist the trophy or even compete for their various league championships.

In terms of NHL impact, it also means that scouting staffs will not get a chance to see draft-eligible players in the high stress atmosphere of the playoffs. Those best-on-best tournaments are often where final decisions are made about a player’s upside, and draft rankings are solidified. Without the U18 World Championship, CHL or USHL playoffs, scouts will be armed with much less information this time around.

It also obviously comes as an ominous sign for the future of the 2019-20 NHL season, which still seemingly hangs in the balance. The league today issued an updated FAQ that suggested they are still hoping to restart a training period after 45 of the CDC’s recommended 60 days with no gatherings of more than 50 people, but things are still changing rapidly as more information comes out.

Minnesota Wild Sign Adam Beckman, Damien Giroux

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The Minnesota Wild have started out this week with a couple of contracts, signing both Adam Beckman and Damien Giroux to three-year entry-level deals. Both players were mid-round picks by the Wild and are coming off outstanding seasons in the CHL.

In fact, Beckman’s performance may have quickly jumped him up the Minnesota prospect rankings. The 18-year old forward recorded 48 goals and 107 points for the Spokane Chiefs, leading all Western Hockey League skaters in both categories. Originally selected 75th overall in 2019, it’s easy to imagine him going much higher if teams had known how his offensive game was going to explode.

Obviously that doesn’t mean he’ll be an impact player at the NHL level, but the fact that Beckman has another year to dominate CHL competition before even being eligible for AHL play should be quite exciting for Wild fans. He’ll surely be an invitee should this year’s Summer Showcase happen, and should have a chance to compete for a spot on Team Canada at the World Juniors.

That’s not to take anything away from Giroux, who had an excellent season as the captain of the Saginaw Spirit. The 20-year old center scored 44 goals—good enough to tie for sixth in the OHL—and 75 points in just 61 games. Selected in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, his offensive production has steadily increased to the point where the Wild at least believe he’s worth of a contract slot.

Giroux’s deal will kick in next season when he will likely be assigned to the AHL, while Beckman’s will slide forward another year—unless he somehow makes the NHL roster and plays in ten games.

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