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Jack Hughes, Kaapo Kakko Lead Central Scouting Mid-Season Lists

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With the 2018-19 NHL season more than half over, the league’s Central Scouting Bureau has released their rankings of the best draft-eligible prospects from around the world. These players are eligible to be selected in just a few months at July’s draft in Vancouver, and two familiar names lead the way. Central Scouting breaks their lists into the top North American and International skaters and goaltenders, not directly comparing the groups. The top names from each are as follows:

North American Skaters:

  1. C Jack Hughes, USA National Team Development Program
  2. C Kirby Dach, Saskatoon Blades, WHL
  3. C Dylan Cozens, Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL
  4. D Bowen Byram, Vancouver Giants, WHL
  5. C Alex Turcotte, USA National Team Development Program

International Skaters:

  1. RW Kaapo Kakko, TPS, Finland (Liiga)
  2. RW Vasili Podkolzin, SKA St. Petersburg, Russia (MHL)
  3. D Philip Broberg, AIK, Sweden (Allsvenskan)
  4. C Ilya Nikolaev, Yaroslavl, Russia (MHL)
  5. D Victor Soderstrom, Brynas, Sweden (SHL)

North American Goalies:

  1. Spencer Knight, USA National Team Development Program
  2. Hunter Jones, Peterborough Petes, OHL
  3. Mads Sogaard, Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL

International Goalies:

  1. Pyotr Kochetkov, Ryazan, Russia (MHL)
  2. Samuel Hlavaj, Slovakia U20, Slovakia*
  3. Hugo Alnefelt, HV71, Sweden (Jr.)

Hlavaj recently joined the Lincoln Stars of the USHL. 

Nick Suzuki Traded In OHL Blockbuster

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The OHL trade deadline is today for any deal involving over-aged players, while tomorrow is the deadline for any other deals. That means plenty of player movement has happened over the last few days and the Guelph Storm were at it again this morning. The team officially announced that they have acquired Nick Suzuki, Sean Durzi and Zachary Roberts from the Owen Sound Attack in exchange for a package including three players and four picks. Guelph is obviously working to load up before an OHL playoff run that will determine a Memorial Cup berth.

Suzuki, the prize of the deal, is a Montreal Canadiens prospect after he was included in an NHL trade prior to the season. The key piece coming back to Montreal in exchange for Max Pacioretty, he’s projected to slot into their forward group before long. This year though Suzuki is back in junior dominating in the offensive zone again, recording 45 points through his first 30 games. That run with the Attack was broken by a stint with the Canadian World Junior Team, where Suzuki ran one of the team’s powerplay units and recorded three assists in five games.

Durzi too is a huge addition for the Storm, coming off a Second All-Star selection in 2017-18. The cerebral defender was finally picked in the second round by the Toronto Maple Leafs in his second year of draft eligibility, and was sent back to junior for an over-age season. Unfortunately he has missed a good chunk of that season with an upper-body injury, but should play a big role for Guelph down the stretch.

Interestingly, this load up by Guelph comes less than a month after trading away San Jose Sharks first-round pick Ryan Merkley for a package of picks. Merkley had been dominating offensively like usual for the Storm, but was sent to the Peterborough Petes who are also fighting for a spot in the OHL playoffs.

World Junior Notes: Eriksson Ek, Czech Republic, Hughes, Keyser

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With the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship underway in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, those teams that have yet to fill out their rosters continue to do so in the midst of the first round. Sweden made a notable addition to close out their roster, adding another goaltender in Olle Eriksson Ek, the IIHF announced. The 19-year-old keeper was a fifth-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2017 and was a backup for Sweden at the WJC last year. Eriksson Ek is having an underwhelming season with BIK Karlskoga of the Allsvenskan, the Swedish minor leagues, and has yet to appear in the SHL. However, the younger brother of Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek has undeniable athleticism and ability and was worthy of a roster spot again for the Swedes. However, so long as Samuel Ersson, a Philadelphia Flyers fifth-rounder this year, continues his hot start to the tournament, Eriksson Ek is unlikely to see any action.

  • The Czech Republic has also rounded out their roster with addition of a pair of NHL prospects. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman notes that the Czechs have added forward Jan Jenik and defenseman Radim Salda to their tournament team. Jenik was a third-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes back in June and has been a regular contributor for Bili Tygri Liberec of the top Czech league. Jenik is a smart, hard-working player who will bring a boost to the bottom-six for the Czechs. Salda is also a recent selection, a seventh-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Salda currently plays for Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL and brings the offensive touch that is typical of defenders out of that league. Salda is having a strong season for Rimouski and could prove to be a major addition on the Czech blue line. The Czechs have yet to win a game in regulation through two contests and face a tough challenge in the Canadians up next. The team hopes their newest additions can both be difference makers through the rest of their games.
  • When it was announced that American prodigy Jack Hughes would miss his team’s game against Kazakhstan yesterday, few were concerned, as the Americans won handily anyway, 8-2. However, head coach Mike Hastings has now announced that Hughes will also miss tonight’s game against another undefeated team in Sweden and that is concerning. Hastings added that Hughes is “progressing” toward getting back in the lineup, but how long the presumptive 2019 No. 1 overall pick remains out with this undisclosed injury could dictate how far the U.S. goes in the tournament.
  • Hastings also announced that Boston Bruins prospect Kyle Keyser will be back in net tonight for the Americans after getting a rest against the underdog Kazakhstan team. With top 2019-eligible goalie Spencer Knight and impressive collegiate keeper and Montreal Canadiens draft pick Cayden Primeau also on the roster, few expected the undrafted Keyser to be the go-to goalie for the Americans. However, Keyser is in the midst of a dominant season for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals and performed well in the Americans first game of the tournament, so Hastings seems content to ride Keyser’s hot hand for as long as he can.

Snapshots: Keane, Byfuglien, Bruins

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The London Knights must have felt a little thin on defense with Evan Bouchard and Adam Boqvist off playing in the World Junior Championship. The powerhouse OHL organization has added another top option to their blue line, trading for Joey Keane from the Barrie Colts. Keane himself was almost suiting up for Team USA at the tournament, but was one of the final cuts just before Christmas.

After going undrafted in his first year of eligibility, Keane was snapped up in the third round by the New York Rangers in June after putting up a solid season with Barrie. His 44 points in 62 games were impressive, but it’s Keane’s legitimate shutdown ability that intrigued most scouts. While he’s not the biggest or strongest, the Illinois native is a force in his own end with his exceptional reads, and will only strengthen what is already a dominant London blue line. The opportunity he’ll get to compete in the OHL playoffs will only help his development as he tries to jump to the professional ranks down the road.

  • While the Department of Player Safety is looking more closely at a David Backes hit, they’ve already handed out punishment for a different incident last night. Dustin Byfuglien has been fined $2,500 for slashing Johnny Gaudreau in last night’s Winnipeg-Calgary game. When Gaudreau beat Byfuglien at the Calgary blue line and had a clear path for an empty-net goal to seal the win, the Jets defenseman spun and delivered a forceful slash. While he won’t serve any suspension for it, the incident will be taken into account in any future supplementary discipline. Gaudreau practiced today for Calgary.
  • It seems the Boston Bruins can’t possibly have everyone healthy at the same time. After activating Zdeno Chara, Kevan Miller and Jake Debrusk yesterday, the team has placed Charlie McAvoy on injured reserve today in order to get under the 23-man roster limit. McAvoy’s injury is only expected to keep him out a few days, but will definitely keep him out of tomorrow’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Whether he’ll be ready for Tuesday’s Winter Classic at Notre Dame is still undetermined.

Paul Cotter Signs Entry-Level Contract With Vegas Golden Knights

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The Vegas Golden Knights have inked another prospect, signing Paul Cotter to a three-year entry-level contract. Cotter currently plays with the London Knights of the OHL, and will remain there for the rest of the season.

Cotter, 19, made a huge impact during the Golden Knights development camp but looked like he wouldn’t be joining the organization for some time. That’s because Cotter was set to head to Western Michigan University, where he would be unable to sign a professional contract. After just eight games with the college though, the feisty forward decided to leave and play junior hockey, where his rights were owned by London. The Knights have an incredible chance at the Memorial Cup this year—especially after adding another top defenseman in Joey Keane today—and Cotter could be a real part of it.

Registering eight points in 12 games for the Knights, the biggest part of leaving Western Michigan is that Cotter will be able to start his professional career even sooner. Selected in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, he looks to have a legitimate path to the NHL through his hard work filling an energy role. Though he very well may never make it there, he’s at least taken the first step towards it today by signing his entry-level deal.

Ryan Merkley Traded In OHL

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When the San Jose Sharks strode up to the podium at June’s NHL Entry Draft, there was plenty of talent left on the board. They had the 21st pick of the draft, and big names that had been talked about for months like K’Andre Miller, Joe Veleno and Dominik Bokk were still available. They could have even taken Isac Lundestrom, one of the few players from the draft who has already made his NHL debut. Instead, the Sharks threw caution to the wind and selected one of the most polarizing figures in the entire field, Ryan Merkley.

Merkley was one of the youngest players eligible for the 2018 draft, and didn’t turn 18 until nearly two months after his selection. That youth, combined with some much publicized attitude issues scared away several teams. Once considered a potential top-5 or top-10 pick, he very well could have fallen out of the first round entirely if the Sharks hadn’t snapped him up in the later part of the round. Playing for the Guelph Storm, Merkley recorded 55 and 67 point seasons in his first two years in junior, easily showing off his skill from the blue line as one of the most exceptional passers in the league. This year he is off to an even better start, recording 39 points in 28 games for the Storm.

Those 28 games are all he’ll play for Guelph this year though, as today the team traded Merkley to the Peterborough Petes in exchange for Pavel Gogolev and a package of five draft picks (three of which are conditional). It’s not often you see a team that is in a playoff chase trade away arguably their best player, but the Storm must have felt it was the right time to cash in on their star defenseman. The Petes meanwhile will add a top talent as they try to compete in the OHL’s Eastern Conference with the likes of Ottawa and Sudbury.

Merkley was noticeably absent from the World Junior selection camp roster, but that likely has more to do with his age and the high level of competition than anything else. Unless he surprises everyone and makes the Sharks roster out of camp next year, you can be he’ll be among those competing to play in next year’s tournament. In fact, he very well could be the star puck-mover on that team, given how dominant he projects to be in the OHL next season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

St. Louis Blues Agree To Terms With Alexei Toropchenko

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While the rest of the league is waiting to see what the St. Louis Blues will do with their current roster, they’re busy adding players away from it. The team has announced they have agreed to terms with prospect Alexei Toropchenko on a three-year entry-level contract. Toropchenko was the Blues fourth-round pick in 2017 and is currently playing with the Guelph Storm of the OHL.

It’s been an interesting few years for Toropchenko, going from the Russian junior system to the OHL. Selected fourth overall by the Storm in the CHL Import Draft, he was expected to have a bit more of an immediate impact despite the cultural change. Last season was a fine one for the 6’3″ winger, but with Guelph’s relative struggles he recorded just 39 points in 66 games. Unfortunately, the big offensive numbers haven’t followed this year either but the Blues must see something they like in his development.

Even without big offensive numbers, there is plenty to like in Toropchenko’s game. Willing to go to the front of the net with speed and physicality, he very well could end up playing on the powerplay at the next level. There is a lot of raw ability there, but he’s still quite a distance from the NHL.

Michael DiPietro Traded In OHL

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Michael DiPietro has had a very interesting 24 hours. After being named to the Team Canada World Junior selection camp roster yesterday, the Vancouver Canucks goaltending prospect is on his way to a new OHL team for a potential Memorial Cup run. The Windsor Spitfires have traded DiPietro to the Ottawa 67’s in exchange for a huge package that includes forward Egor Afanasyev and seven draft picks. The Spitfires will get a second round pick in each of 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023, along with three conditional picks while Ottawa will also get a 2024 second-round pick and a 2020 fourth-round pick in addition to DiPietro.

DiPietro, 19, was selected 64th overall in the 2017 draft and is considered one of the top goaltending prospects in the league. He’s had quite the interesting junior career so far, including an invitation to the World Championships as the third goaltender alongside a group of NHL players. In Windsor this season he has a .920 save percentage through 21 games, and will battle Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ian Scott for the chance to be the starter for Canada at the junior tournament later this month.

For Ottawa, this is a chance to compete for an OHL Championship and potentially a Memorial Cup. The team is a powerhouse that has lost just three games in regulation all season, and leads the league with 123 goals for through 29 games. Though there will be some tough competition from teams like the London Knights and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Ottawa has a great chance to be the OHL representative in the prestigious CHL tournament, especially with DiPietro in the fold. For the young goaltender, this will be just another chance for development, before he enters the professional ranks next season.

Snapshots: Martinsson, Kovar, Niagara

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Eric Martinsson’s days with the Minnesota Wild seem to be numbered, but he’s not likely to be too upset about it. Swedish new source “Hockey News SE” reports that the Martinsson and the Wild have come to a mutual agreement that the recent free agent signing is to be placed on unconditional waivers in the near future for the purpose of terminating his contract. Martinsson, 26, signed with Minnesota back in May, looking to make the jump overseas after a successful stretch in the Swedish Hockey League with the Vaxjo Lakers. Instead of earning a spot on the NHL roster, Martinsson was in fact a relatively early cut from training camp. While the puck-moving blue liner has nine points through 13 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild, he seems no closer to pushing for a chance in Minnesota than he did before the season began. As such, Martinsson would like to return home to Sweden and the Wild are expected to oblige him. Eric Martinsson is just the latest in a stream of players departing the North American minors to return to Europe this season, although Hockey New SE speculates that Martinsson’s return will be of considerable interest to many teams in the SHL.

  • Veteran forward Jan Kovar is also pondering a return to Europe. Kovar signed with the New York Islanders this summer after years of success in the KHL and in his native Czech Republic. Kovar was expected to not only compete for a job with the Isles, but potentially even center a scoring line. Instead, Kovar proved to be a poor fit with the team in camp and did not crack the starting lineup. His contract was quickly terminated, but in holding out hope for another NHL opportunity, he signed with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. Kovar has nine points in ten games with Providence, while their parent club, the Boston Bruins, have struggled with injuries and consistency, but no contract offer seems to be coming. The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver now reports that Kovar has not practiced with the team in two days and is supposedly weighing overseas contract offers. Divver believes that Kovar has offers in the KHL and NLA, as well as back home in the Czech Republic, but no such opportunities in North America. Divver additionally questions whether Kovar plays with the requisite pace to succeed in the NHL, a criticism that has come up frequently during his brief efforts this season.
  • Less than 25 games into the season doesn’t seem to be too early for a blockbuster trade in the Ontario Hockey League. The Kingston Frontenacs, with just seven win thus far the second-worst record in the league, have cashed in on two of their best assets. The Niagara Ice Dogs announced today that they have acquired Jason Robertson and Jacob Paquette from Kingston. Robertson, a second-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2017, has back-to-back 80+ point seasons and is currently fourth among OHL scoring leaders with 38 points and second in goals with 23. Paquette, a seventh-round pick of the Nashville Predators in 2017, is a big, physical defender and a locker room leader as well. Niagara is currently tied for second in the Central Division and tied for sixth overall in the league, but will almost certainly see a considerable boost from this trade. Yet, Kingston also received a king’s ransom in the deal. The Ice Dogs surrendered a total of eleven future draft picks, including three second-rounders and three third-rounders, as well as promising draft-eligible defenseman Billy Constantinou and forward Ian Martin. The Frontenacs may have disappointed their fans by virtually giving up on the season less than halfway in, but will reward them with a solid flow of talent for years to come.

Paul Cotter Leaves Western Michigan, Signs In OHL

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The rich have gotten richer today, as the London Knights have added another talented young NHL prospect to their roster. After recently receiving Evan Bouchard and Alex Formenton back from the NHL, the Knights have signed Paul Cotter after he recently left Western Michigan University. Cotter, a fourth round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights, will join a powerhouse OHL organization that looks poised to compete for the Memorial Cup again this season.

Still 18 years old for a few more days, Cotter was the 115th overall pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft. A star in US junior hockey for the Brookings Blizzard (NAHL) and Lincoln Stars (USHL) including a Rookie of the Year award in 2017, he played just eight games for Western Michigan this season and recorded a single point. He has now given up his college eligibility by signing in the CHL, which is considered a professional league due to the fact that some of the players already have NHL contracts. Mark Hunter, who reclaimed his position as General Manager of the Knights earlier this year, had this to say about Cotter’s decision:

We are very proud to have signed Paul and we eagerly welcome him to London. Paul is an NHL level talent who will be a strong addition to our lineup for the remainder of the season.  We look forward to his arrival in London and the excitement he will bring to Budweiser Gardens.

It’s hard to argue with any prospect’s decision to join the Knights, who have continually churned out NHL stars and have some of the strongest development coaches in junior hockey. The program has recently convinced 2018 first round pick Adam Boqvist to come over to North America, along with potential 2019 first round pick Matvei Guskov. Cotter will be joining an incredibly talented group, and should be given an opportunity to grow and develop his offensive upside before jumping to the professional ranks.

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