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Prospect Snapshots: DeBrincat, Second Round, Sergachev

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Since Chicago Blackhawks prospect Alex DeBrincat was cut from the United States World Junior team in late December, he’s determined to prove that it was a mistake. When he was dropped, he was the OHLs leading goal-scorer and trailed only teammate Taylor Raddysh (who played for Canada at the tournament) in points. He hasn’t slowed down at all, scoring four more points today for the Erie Otters and extending his lead in the scoring race. He now has 92 points in 45 games and is a clear leader in goals scored.

The Blackhawks signed DeBrincat to a three-year entry-level contract earlier this season, and it looks like he’ll be making an impact in professional hockey as soon as he makes the leap. His 39th-overall selection looks like a steal now, as he’s about to post his third straight 100+ point season in the OHL and possibly help his team to a Memorial Cup.

  • Over at Fan Rag Sports, Hannah Stuart took a look at five potential second-round steals in the upcoming draft. It even includes one Erie Otter rookie who will be getting a ton of extra ice time next season when DeBrincat, Raddysh and Ryan Strome all leave for greener pastures. Ivan Lodnia, the Otters’ young sniper has 21 goals and 45 points in his OHL debut. She also mentions Boston University’s Jake Oettinger, who sat in the press box at the World Juniors behind Tyler Parsons and Joseph Woll on Team USA. Despite being ranked 3rd on Central Scouting’s goaltender list, Stuart believes big things are ahead for the NCAA standout.
  • The Montreal Canadiens are in the thick of trade talks all around the league, and Darren Dreger of TSN says that GM Marc Bergevin is “all in” on upgrading this season. That has sparked some talk about the possibility of dealing last summer’s first-round pick Mikhail Sergachev, but The Fourth Period has shut that down. The report says that while Sergachev is basically untouchable, Noah Juulsen may be in play when it comes to big upgrades down the middle for the NHL club. Juulsen is the captain of the Everett Silvertips in the WHL and was Montreal’s first-round selection in 2015.

Los Angeles Kings Recall Paul LaDue

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According to Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times, the Kings have recalled former NCAA champion Paul LaDue from the AHL. LaDue is a sixth-round pick of the Kings from back in 2012, who went on to star at the University of North Dakota. In his time there he scored 62 points in 123 games from the blueline, took the team to the Frozen Four three years in a row, and won the championship last season as an alternate-captain.

A strong puck-moving defenseman, LaDue has recorded 18 points in 36 games this season (his first) in the AHL. After debuting for the Ontario Reign in last year’s playoffs, he has been made a staple of the club’s blueline this season.

It’s not a guarantee that LaDue will make his debut this time around, but he looks like a lock to join the Kings’ back end in due time. His skill with the puck and poise when in trouble are attributes difficult to find among 6th round picks, especially when they come right-handed. He’ll wear #38 when he makes his debut, according to Zupke.

Central Division Snapshots: Iginla, Blues, Weber

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One of the few teams at this point in the season virtually assured of becoming a trade deadline seller is the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche currently have the league’s worst record and rumors have already begun to circulate that they could attempt to move major core pieces as soon as this month. Even if they stay the course with their core group, yet again, it’s likely the club will still look to deal players with expiring contracts and/or complementary veteran assets. One of those pieces is Jarome Iginla, and according to Adrian Dater, one potential suitor for the longtime NHL star could be the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chicago boasts a potent top line consisting of Artem Anisimov, Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane. That trio has combined for 42 goals and 63 assists this season. The Hawks also have Jonathan Toews, one of the league’s top all-around centers, and terrific two-way winger Marian Hossa but have struggled in recent years to find another winger to fill out the line.

In his tweet, Dater indicates Iginla could function as a “replacement” for Hossa, but since the Slovakian winger is expected to be back in the lineup tomorrow, it’s unclear how, or even if, that would impact Chicago’s rumored interest in Iginla. It’s quite possible the Hawks would view the former Flames sniper as a player in need of a change-of-scenery and one who could contribute some big goals down the stretch and into the playoffs for a team with aspirations of capturing their fourth Stanley Cup in the last eight seasons.

Iginla is in the final season of a three-year deal with an AAV of $5.33MM and would qualify as a pure rental for any team looking to deal for him. After back-to-back strong seasons of 29 and 22 goals, the 39-year-old right wing has slumped to just five through 37 games this season for Colorado. However, a move to a playoff race, particularly if allowed to play with gifted offensive players like Toews and Hossa, could help rejuvenate the 20-year veteran.

The Blackhawks would have to figure out how to fit Iginla in under the salary cap as according to Cap Friendly, the team is slated to have just under $2MM in space at the deadline. They could certainly open up more room by reassigning a young player to the minor leagues and also could try to convince Colorado to take back salary by swapping a more valuable asset to the Avalanche in a hypothetical move.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • The St. Louis Blues are pushing for a renovation of the Scottrade Center and a recent proposal submitted to the city’s Board of Alderman seeks $67.5MM in taxpayer funds to help pay for it, as Mike Faulk and Koran Addo of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch write. According to the proposal, the city’s contributions would come from sales tax already generated at the venue and with a 1% sales tax on Blues tickets. The team’s Chairman, Tom Stillman, argues the arena is outdated and the renovations are necessary not only to satisfy the Blues’ needs but to ensure other events, such as NCAA basketball tournament games, remain in St. Louis: “The Scottrade Center is no longer competitive,” said Blues Chairman Tom Stillman, adding that NCAA and concert promoters have warned that they will stop coming to St. Louis without upgrades to compete with facilities in Indianapolis, Kansas City, Nashville, Tenn., and elsewhere. The team and the city also plan to petition the state for money for the renovation but governor-elect Eric Greitens has previously opposed taxpayer funding for stadiums/arenas, calling it “welfare for millionaires.” Whether Greitens’ reluctance to allocate public funds for such a project could hinder or even halt renovation is unclear. Additionally, if renovations are not completed on the arena, it’s unknown if that would prompt ownership to pursue moving the team to another market.
  • Nashville welcomed back Shea Weber for his first visit to the city as a member of the Montreal Canadiens last night. And while seeing the former team captain in a different sweater must have been bittersweet for many fans, particularly given Nashville’s struggles and P.K. Subban’s health issues, Adam Vingan of The Tennessean writes that ultimately the trade sending Weber to Montreal is one that shouldn’t be viewed with regret. Vingan argues that the reasons the trade was made last June still apply today. Simply put, Subban is younger and swifter than his counterpart and in four years, when Weber is 35 and likely well on the down-slope of his career, Subban will be 31 and likely still in his prime.

Western Notes: Jost, Dano, Coyotes

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When the Colorado Avalanche picked Tyson Jost 10th overall this year out of Penticton, they knew he was headed to the NCAA. After all, Jost played in the BCHL, an NCAA breeding ground because they retain eligibility unlike the CHL. But now it sounds like it will be one-and-done for Jost at the University of North Dakota.

Mike Chambers of the Denver Post writes in his latest column that Jost will sign after his freshman season concludes and may even make his NHL debut this season. The 18-year old center has 18 points in 17 games for the Fighting Hawks, and is starring for Canada at the World Juniors. For a team that is starved for something positive this year, the development of Jost is something to look forward to. He will likely slot in full time next season with the club, especially if one of their other young forwards is moved out between now and then.

  • After head coach Paul Maurice told us yesterday that Marko Dano would be out at least a few weeks, he clarified the diagnoses today. Dano will miss eight weeks with his lower-body injury, keeping him out until just before the trade deadline. The former first-round pick (by Columbus in 2013) has 10 points in 28 games this year, a solid pace for the 22-year old. He’ll have another setback now though as he misses more time. Jets fans will have to wait jut a little bit longer to see his potential come to fruition.
  • The Arizona Coyotes will watch two of their prized prospects battle it out today in the Canada-USA World Junior game. Clayton Keller and Dylan Strome each lead their respective teams in scoring at the tournament, and will be big parts of the Coyotes in the future. While Strome got a taste of the NHL this season before heading back to Erie in the OHL, Keller has been starring as a freshman at Boston University all year. 15 points in his first 10 games in the NCAA it won’t be long until he jumps to the AHL. Both top-10 picks, the Coyotes have a bright future in this tournament.

NHL, Stakeholders Discuss Possible Change To Draft Age

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Could the NHL change the draft age from 18 to 19?

TSN’s Bob McKenzie spoke about the possibility on Tuesday night’s edition of Insider Trading. Former third-overall-pick Pat LaFontaine is leading a group of stakeholders that includes the NHL, NHLPA, CHL, USHL, Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, and NCAA to discuss a “whole new development model.”

According to McKenzie, the model would go from age five to age 20, and would include changing the NHL Draft-eligible age to 19, with “some obvious exceptions for exceptional players.”

The system would likely feature an expanded version of the CHL’s Exceptional Player Status. Normally, players aren’t eligible to play in the WHL, OHL, or QMJHL (the CHL’s three leagues) until they’re 16. However, there is a process (outlined extensively by McKenzie here) where players deemed exceptional can begin to play Major Junior at age 15. Players and their families apply to the CHL and Hockey Canada, and the player is examined on and off the ice to determine if he truly is exceptional. So far, only six players have ever applied, with John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, Sean Day, and 2018-eligible Joseph Veleno being successful candidates. The first thee on that list went first overall in their OHL and NHL draft years, while Day went fourth in the OHL draft was a third-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2016. While it’s still early in his career, McKenzie noted that “some were questioning whether he was as blatantly exceptional as Tavares, Ekblad or McDavid.”

Changing the NHL Draft age would drastically change the way the draft is conducted. Looking back over the past two drafts, top selections like McDavid, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, and Patrik Laine would likely have been able to still be drafted at age 18. All four of them have been successful in their rookie seasons, and were clearly NHL-ready at age 18/19. While McDavid was a CHL exceptional-status player, the other three played NCAA, Swiss National League, and Liiga in their draft years. The NHL and other stakeholders would need to find a way to coordinate with all leagues to determine which players are truly exceptional and deserve to be drafted at age 18.

While the above mentioned players would still have been drafted at 18, elite prospects like Dylan Strome, Mitch Marner, Noah Hanifin, Jesse Puljujärvi, and Pierre-Luc Dubois may have been forced to wait an extra year, depending on the rules set out. As it stands now, several teams have issues with how the NHL-CHL agreement is laid out, as it forces 19-year-old draft+1 players to either play in the NHL or CHL when the AHL may be the best for their development. Strome is a current example: he’s posted 129 and 111 points in his last two years in the OHL and has nothing to gain from returning to junior, where he will dominate and potentially learn bad habits because of how dominant he is at that level. Strome has just one assist in six NHL games this year, and would be well-served by 40 games in the AHL to learn the pro game. That’s currently prevented by the NHL-CHL agreement. On one hand, it’s easy to see that CHL teams don’t want to lose their brightest stars before they absolutely have to, but at the same time it may not be in the player’s best interests to go back to junior. Changing the draft age to 19 could alleviate this issue, with drafted players only playing one more year of junior, at most, before turning pro.

LaFontaine and the stakeholders will meet again on Wednesday. On Insider Trading, McKenzie said they’ll “need to get some traction soon if it’s going to happen.”

The NHLPA would also need to agree to the change in collective bargaining when the current CBA expires in 2022 (both sides can opt out two years early). Convincing the Players Association that players will have to wait an extra year before making an NHL salary could be a tough argument, but it will be interesting to see how the discussion goes over the next little while.

Bowers Commits To Boston University

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Yet another top prospect is joining the Boston University Terriers. Shane Bowers has announced that he will enroll at BU next season, joining a team that is already stacked with early draft picks and has received a commitment from promising defenseman Kasper Kotkansalo as well. Bowers is considered by many to be a first-round caliber talent and is expected to go in the first 31 picks in next June’s 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

In last year’s draft, BU was proud to see both current players and 2016-17 commits selected early in the NHL Draft. Freshman Clayton Keller went #7 overall to the Arizona Coyotes, sophomore defenseman Charlie McAvoy was taken by the Boston Bruins at #14, freshman defenseman Dante Fabbro went soon after at #17 to the Nashville Predators, and almost immediately following that, freshman forward Kieffer Bellows went #19 to the New York Islanders. Yet another freshman defenseman, Chad Krys, was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round.

The school continues to put together an incredible array of talent, as they bring in a hard-working player with a complete game in Bowers. The Halifax native began eyeing an NCAA future last year, when he joined the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks. In 56 games in 2015-16, Bowers scored 33 points, and is off to a point-per-game start to the 2016-17 season. Bowers has a complete, 200-foot game and will be able to further develop his skill at Boston University.

Although recent draft speculation questions whether or not Kotkansalo makes it into the firs round, there is a consensus that Bowers will. In a first round that looks to be heavy with Canadian junior players, Bowers is joined by only two other NCAA-bound USHLers as potential first rounders at this point. Eeli Tolvanen has committed to joining BU’s biggest rival, the Boston College Eagles, next year and  Casey Mittelstadt has committed to the University of Minnesota. Both players have the makings of top ten picks next June, while Bowers is looking like a a mid to late-round pick.

Eetu Selanne Commits To Northeastern

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Teemu Selanne’s son grew up in southern California, is currently playing in Wisconsin, and now will head to Boston for the next chapter of his hockey career. Eetu Selanne announced yesterday that he has committed to play his college hockey at Northeastern University. The Huskies are the defending Hockey East champions and will look to get even stronger with the addition of Selanne in 2017-18.

In Teemu’s oldest son, Northeastern is getting a smart, two-center. Though he lacks the offensive firepower of this 10-time All-Star father, Eetu is developing into a solid defensive forward. With Teemu still playing in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks just three years ago, Eetu was also playing in SoCal as a member of the Los Angeles Jr. Kings. Even in a market not typically known for it’s junior hockey, he drew the attention of several teams. This season he is beginning his second year with the Madison Capitals of the USHL and looking to better his 10 points in 48 games from 2015-16. Though Eetu may lack NHL potential at this point in his hockey career, a (likely) four year stint at Northeastern, playing against the best competition in college hockey, should help him develop into a more well-rounded player. Given the legacy of his last name, Selanne will be given every chance to make in to the big leagues.

Should Eetu fall short of his pro goals, he does not represent the last chance for a Selanne family line in the NHL. Younger brother Leevi Selanne is just 16, playing for the Anaheim Jr. Ducks, and is considered to be the best of Teemu’s three sons. Leevi may stand a chance to hear his name called on draft day in a few years.

Not long after Eetu announced his commitment to the Huskies yesterday, former Jr. Kings teammate Dakota Raabe of the BCHL’s Wenatchee Wild also announced that he is headed to the NCAA, set to play for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 2017-18. Selanne is also joined by Eeli Tolvanen (BC) and Kasper Kotkansalo (BU) as high-profile Finns who will soon be Hockey East rivals.

 

Kotkansalo Commits To Boston University

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One of the best defenseman available in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft is set to join the team that cleaned up at the top of the 2016 Draft, Boston University. This June, the Terriers watched as a combination of current players and 2016-17 commits were selected all over the first round of the NHL Draft. Freshman Clayton Keller went #7 to the Arizona Coyotes, sophomore defenseman Charlie McAvoy was taken by the hometown Boston Bruins at #14, freshman defenseman Dante Fabbro went soon after at #17 to the Nashville Predators, and almost immediately following that, freshman forward Kieffer Bellows went #19 to the New York Islanders. Yet another freshman defenseman, Chad Krys, was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round. After the recent commitment of Kasper Kotkansalo, BU will have yet another defenseman go early in 2017.

Kotkansalo, a strong, Finnish defenseman who played most of his junior hockey with the Espoo Blues in Finland, finally made the jump overseas this year to play with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL. Just three games in to the new campaign, Kotkansalo has decided where he’ll be going for his next season in North America, as he’ll head to Boston to join the Terriers. In a draft that looks to be dominated early on by CHL junior players, Kotkansalo appears to be one of only three NCAA-bound players that look like first round picks at this point. His Blues and World Juniors teammate Eeli Tolvanen has gone from friend to foe, joining USHL rival Sioux City Musketeers this season, having already committed to joining BU’s biggest rival, the Boston College Eagles, next year. Tolvanen is expected not only to be a first round pick, but a top ten pick. After the winger Tolvanen is center Casey Mittelstadt, an American playing for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers and committed to the University of Minnesota. Mittelstadt too is a bona-fide first rounder, with potential to move up into the top ten ranger as well.

Rounding out the group is Kotkansalo, who is expected by most to be a mid-to-late first round pick, and right now is realistically the only NCAA-bound defenseman capable of being taken near the top of the draft. The fact that he is headed to a school where he will play with other top picks may be enticing for teams, as Boston University has put together an elite team where player development is assured. Watch for the big Finnish blue liner this June in the NHL Draft and next year in NCAA action with the BU Terriers.

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