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Alexis Lafreniere

Early Notes: Klingberg, Canucks, Draft Rankings

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Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg will have an MRI today to determine the severity of his injury after being struck in the neck by a puck last night. The team announced to reporters including Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that it would be at least two weeks, while Dreger suggests a 2-4 week timeline was the original prognosis.

The Stars are already without Andrej Sekera, Roman Polak and Stephen Johns, meaning their defensive depth will be stretched awfully thin over the next few weeks without Klingberg in the lineup. That comes just as they are finally hitting their stride, winning seven of their last eight games to climb back into the Western Conference playoff race.

  • The Vancouver Canucks have given extensions to their assistant coaching staff according to Scott Rintoul of Sportsnet. The team has not confirmed exactly who received these extensions or how long they are for, but this is an obvious sign that the front office is pleased with the progress over the last while. The Canucks took the defending Stanley Cup champions to overtime last night and are now 9-3-3 on the season.
  • Sportsnet has released their November draft rankings for the 2020 class, and it comes as no surprise that Alexis Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield lead the group. The pair of CHL stars have absolutely dominated their respective leagues to this point, with a combined 76 points (43 for Lafreniere, 33 for Byfield) in just 36 games.

Snapshots: Gregory, Johansen, Canada-Russia

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Legendary NHL executive Jim Gregory passed away today at the age of 83. The former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager joined the league offices in 1979, coming to shape both the Central Scouting Service and the overall hockey operations department. Not only was he instrumental in building the NHL into what it is today, but Gregory was revered by almost everyone who knew him as one of the most gentlemanly people associated with the sport, and in general.

A beloved figure in the hockey community, Gregory was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007. Everyone at PHR gives their best to his wife and family.

  • The Washington Capitals don’t have much opportunity for young players thanks to a cap situation that limits movement, and Lucas Johansen knows it. The 2016 first-round pick is stuck in a rotation in the AHL and spoke to J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington, explaining that he hopes to find a way to the NHL with the Capitals but knows that chance may come somewhere else. The 21-year old will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season and to this point hasn’t had a sniff of NHL action.
  • The Canada-Russia series begins next week, and each of the three CHL leagues have named their captains for the short showcase. Los Angeles Kings’ prospect Aidan Dudas will lead Team OHL, New Jersey Devils prospect Ty Smith dons the “C” for Team WHL, and top 2020 draft prospect Alexis Lafreniere captains the QMJHL contingent. Dudas may not have the sort of name recognition of the other two after falling to the fourth round of the 2018 draft, but the Owen Sound Attack forward is off to a great start and has routinely represented Canada through his junior career.

Prospect Notes: Canada-Russia, U17, Dach

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The CHL has announced the rosters for the 2019 Canada-Russia series, which pits the top junior players from both countries against each other in a showcase as preparation for the World Juniors. The WHL, OHL and QMJHL will each enter a team for the series that takes place next month.

Leading the way are some top 2020 draft names including Alexis Lafreniere, Quinton Byfield, Justin Barron and Jamie Drysdale among many others. The event has been going on for more than 15 years now and often gives an insight into who is trending towards making an impact at the U20 tournament later on in the year.

  • The roster also includes Kirby Dach, even though he is technically not back in the CHL at the moment. In fact, Chicago Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton told reporters including Scott Powers of The Athletic that giving Dach his NHL debut is “on the radar” after his AHL conditioning stint comes to an end. Dach can’t spend the whole season in the AHL due to his age, meaning the Blackhawks may eventually be forced to send him back to the CHL if they feel he’s not ready for the NHL full-time.
  • Hockey Canada has also announced the 66 players that will take part in the World U17 Hockey Challenge next month. Canada will have three different teams in the tournament that also includes teams from the United States, Russia, Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic. The group includes Shane Wright, the latest to be given exceptional status into the CHL. Still just 15 years old, Wright has nine points in nine games for the Kingston Frontenacs this season after dominating Toronto minor hockey—to the tune of 150 points in 72 games—last year. Eligible for the 2022 draft, he’s already being considered as a franchise-changing talent.

Prospect Notes: Nalimov, Andersson, Pare

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The doctrine of “no trade-backs” apparently isn’t held in as high regard in Russia. Chicago Blackhawks goalie prospect Ivan Nalimov has had a strange past few months to say the least. The 25-year-old keeper signed with HK Sochi early in the off-season, but was surprisingly traded not long after to SKA St. Petersburg in July. A product of SKA’s system and a former first-round pick of the team, Nalimov actually seemed like he had stumbled into some good luck with a familiar fit on a top club. Yet, after not making an appearance through the first month of the season, Nalimov has been traded back to Sochi, the team announced. When Nalimov asked for a trade last season, he was talking about his NHL rights, but KHL teams obliged nonetheless, as this is his third time being traded since. He began last season with the Kunlun Red Star, but was moved to Avangard Omsk midway through the year. He’s now in his second stint with Sochi since last season ended. In fact, Nalimov has been a part of seven different KHL clubs over the past four years. Some would think that lack of consistency would have a negative effect on his development, but Nalimov has been solid for several years now and was stellar down the stretch and in the postseason for Omsk last year. Yet, it’s no wonder why he is so eager to make the jump to North America and find some normalcy to his career. Nalimov has since rescinded his trade request from the Blackhawks, and just in time too. Chicago’s tandem of Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner will both be unrestricted free agents this season and veteran minor leaguers Anton Forsberg and Jean-Francois Berube are now gone. If he plays well again this season and then signs with the Blackhawks, there’s a real possibility that Nalimov could compete with Collin Delia for the backup job in Chicago next year.

  • Another prospect getting a fresh start is young defender Axel Andersson. Property of the Boston Bruins, who selected him in the second round in 2018, Andersson stayed overseas last year in his native Sweden. While he made the jump from the junior-level SuperElit to the second-tier Allsvenskan, it was a somewhat underwhelming campaign. Andersson arrived at training camp this year looking for a change of scenery and for a while it looked like that might come with AHL Providence. Andersson suited up for a couple of Boston’s preseason games and then took part in the entirety of Providence’s camp. However, he always faced an uphill battle to find regular ice time with the team this year, as they count Alexander Petrovic, Urho Vaakanainen, Jeremy Lauzon, and Jakub Zboril, as well as long-time member Chris Breen and highly-regarded project Cooper Zech among the names with guaranteed play time. So instead Andersson has joined his CHL rights holder, the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. The Bruins have officially loaned Andersson to Moncton, who are excited to add a talented defenseman that they used a first-round pick on in this year’s CHL Import Draft. Moncton head coach and director of hockey operations John Torchetti, a Boston native, was no doubt influential in convincing the Bruins that the QMJHL would be more beneficial for Andersson than a return to Sweden or limited minutes in the AHL. He’ll get to play internationally this season anyway, as Andersson is expected to suit up for the Swedes in the World Junior Championship.
  • The Bruins are happy with the decision on Andersson, somewhat of a project player, but may already be regretting giving up on another slow-to-develop prospect. Cedric Pare, a sixth-round pick of Boston in 2017, is tearing up the QMJHL early this season. Pare is the first player with double-digit goals in the entire CHL, notching ten through eight games with Rimouski Oceanic. Of course, it bears mentioning that Pare is centering a line that features presumptive 2020 top pick Alexis Lafreniere and Calgary Flames dark horse prospect Dmitri Zavgorodny. However, Pare is still showing that his skill and skating are finally catching up to his size and two-way intelligence. Those latter abilities were on display though his first three junior seasons, but the offense was lacking. Pare has yet to crack 20 goals or 50 points in a season, but is well on his way at an outrageous pace of 80+ goals and 130+ points. The Bruins’ rights to Pare expired early this summer when the team opted not to extend him an entry-level contract. He is now likely to be a hotly-pursued free agent later this year and the odds are that Boston is not at the top of his list of destinations.

Snapshots: Draft Rankings, Konecny, Laine

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With training camp underway and the 2019-20 regular season just around the corner, Bob McKenzie of TSN has released his annual preseason draft rankings. This list is compiled from the opinions of ten active scouts around the league and given context by McKenzie, who will update throughout the year. It comes as little surprise to find Alexis Lafreniere leading the group, though none of them listed him as “in a class by himself.”

That may raise some eyebrows after Lafreniere took home the CHL Player of the Year award following his 105-point season with the Rimouski Oceanic, but it speaks to the strength of the players behind him. Those nipping at Lafreniere’s heels? They include power forwards, pure goal scorers, talented playmakers and even a potential franchise goaltender.

  • After the trio of high profile restricted free agents all signed contracts over the past week, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) examines what that will mean for next year’s crop. Mikhail Sergachev and Thomas Chabot are the focus of his musing, each in very different situations in Tampa Bay and Ottawa. LeBrun also gives an update on the ongoing negotiations with Philadelphia Flyers Travis Konecny, noting that there is “at least a path ahead” and giving a potential comparable of Bo Horvat’s $5.5MM average annual value. Horvat signed a six-year, $33MM deal in September 2017 following his first 20-goal campaign.
  • Patrik Laine has begun practicing with SC Bern of the Swiss NLA as expected, explaining that he knew the coaching staff and thought it was a perfect place to stay in shape. The team’s head coach is Kari Jalonen, who had Laine on the Finland World Championship roster in 2016 where they won a silver medal. Laine was named the Most Valuable Player of that tournament, scoring seven goals in ten games.

Prospect Notes: 2020 Draft, Reinhart, WHL

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It may only be August, but The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler is already hard at work evaluating next June’s draft class. The 2020 Draft promises to be chock full of talent, with Wheeler calling it more impressive than the most recent draft class and deeper at the top. In fact, he believes it could be the strongest class since 2015, which produced superstars like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Zach Werenski, Mikko Rantanen, Jake Debrusk, Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor, and Thomas Chabot in the top 20 picks alone. Also unlike recent drafts, Wheeler feels the 2020 class will be deeper at forward than defense and will be lacking impact American prospects, with the scout failing to see a U.S. product even enter the conversation as a top-ten pick. So who might be in contention for one of those elite slots? Canadian forward Alexis Lafreniere has long been considered the presumptive top pick and finds himself at No. 1 on Wheeler’s initial draft board as well. However, Swedish forwards Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz could push him for that top spot. College-bound Dylan Holloway is an interesting name to watch as a top-ten candidate, as is Wheeler’s highest-ranked defenseman, Jamie Drysdale. Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov also intrigues Wheeler; he feels the Russian keeper could be the best goalie prospect of this decade. Plenty could change in the ten months still to come before the 2020 Draft, but it never hurts to get a head start on researching who your team could be eyeing next year.

  • Unsurprisingly lost in the shuffle of an off-season that has left many major names unsigned is a former top NHL prospect in Griffin Reinhart. NHL teams have been tantalized by Reinhart’s upside seemingly forever without any real results to show for it, but it seems that luck has finally run out. The fourth overall pick in 2012 by the New York Islanders, Reinhart recorded one lone point in eight NHL games in his first pro season before the Edmonton Oilers traded a first- and second-round pick for him. He proceeded to score just one more point in 29 games over two seasons in Edmonton before being selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Expansion Draft. In two years in Vegas, he did not see any NHL action and became a Group 6 unrestricted free agent. Reinhart received the benefit of the doubt for many years, but it seems no longer, as there has been practically no talk of the young defenseman this summer.
  • The WHL is headed outdoors for just the third time in league history. Sportsnet reports that the Regina Pats will host the Calgary Hitmen in an outdoor game this season on October 27th. The game will take place at Mosaic Stadium in Saskatchewan just one day after the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames square off there for the NHL’s Heritage Classic. The last WHL outdoor game took place back in 2011 and was another Pats-Hitmen contest, again coinciding with the Heritage Classic.

Snapshots: 2020 Draft, Williams, Capitals

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The 2020 draft is shaping up to have some incredible talents available, and Craig Button of TSN shared some of his thoughts on the most impressive young players today. In fact, Button believes that there are six different players who could all challenge for first overall, a spot that has had Alexis Lafreniere penciled in for years. Button lists Hendrix Lapierre, Quinton Byfield, Cole Perfetti, Lucas Raymond and Yaroslav Askarov as the other top prospects and reveals some of his scouting takes on each one.

Not surprisingly, that group were some of the standouts at the recent Hlinka-Gretzky tournament that ended in a gold medal for Team Russia. Askaraov, the young Russian goaltender who has been dubbed the next great net prospect, stood on his head in the gold medal game leading Russia to a 3-2 victory despite being outshot 37-13. With so much talent at the top of the draft you can bet bubble teams will be hesitant to give up first round picks that could give them a chance at the draft lottery next year.

  • Justin Williams still hasn’t decided whether he is coming back for another season, GM Don Waddell explained to reporters today including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. Williams came second to Joe Thornton in our recent poll about veteran free agents and would be a big addition if he decides to return for the Carolina Hurricanes this season. The 37-year old scored 23 goals and 53 points last season and was his usual excellent self in the postseason.
  • With several NCAA players about to become unrestricted free agents, Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic gives us updates on the two that currently belong to the Washington Capitals. Chase Priskie was never expected to sign, but Steven Spinner will also not get a contract and will become a UFA at the end of the week. Spinner played four seasons at the University of Nebraska-Omaha but saw his offense completely dry up in 2018-19 when he scored just four points in 29 games. He still received a tryout with the Hershey Bears at the end of the year, but won’t be getting an NHL contract.

Snapshots: WJSS Top Performers, Compher, Stralman

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The World Junior Summer Showcase just ended and there were plenty of highlights and impressive performances among all the countries that participated. While there were many top performers, NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman picks out 10 players who stood out at the WJSS, putting quite a bit of emphasis on the play of Montreal Canadiens and U.S. prospect Cole Caufield, who tied for the WJSS lead with four goals and seven points, including three highlight-reel goals in each of his final three games. Early indications might suggest that the Canadiens may have gotten a steal with the 15th pick in this year’s draft after slipping a bit because of his size (5-foot-7).

While a number of first-round picks from both the 2018 and 2019 drafts are mentioned in his top 10, three players from the incoming 2020 draft were also on his list, including projected top pick Alexis Lafreniere as well as Alexander Holtz and Lucas Raymond, both who are considered potential top-10 picks next season and were considered to be some of the most gifted forwards on Sweden’s team.

The only non-first-rounder mentioned in his top 10 was forward Sampo Ranta, a fourth-round pick in 2018 by the Colorado Avalanche. Raanta was the final player to get cut from last year’s Finnish WJC gold medal team and scored four goals and six points for Finland last week. He will return to the University of Minnesota, but could be a top prospect for the Avalanche to keep an eye on.

  • Speaking of the Avalanche, the Denver Post’s Mike Chambers writes that trainer Ian Mack, who is known for helping Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane last summer have a career-high 110-point season last year, is working with a number of prospects, including Colorado Avalanche forward J.T. Compher. The 24-year-old forward has yet to have that breakout season the team has been waiting for since the team acquired him in the Ryan O’Reilly trade in 2015. A second-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres back in 2013, Compher finished last year with 16 goals, but is hoping that Mack will get him to another level after he signed a four-year, $14MM extension this summer. “I worked out with him for a full month before I got on the ice,” Compher said. “Once I got back on the ice, I felt more explosive and better on my lateral movements — and even better on my edges. I can move quicker.”
  • In a Q&A with new Florida Panthers defenseman Anton Stralman, The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) writes that the blueliner claims to be healthy after an injury-plagued year with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season. Stralman, who had surgery in May on both sides to correct a sports hernia injury that he tried to ignore, but was forced to sit out some time at the end of the season last year. Stralman finished the season playing just 47 games last year and only appeared in two games after March 5. He hopes he can make a difference with the Panthers defense after signing a three-year, $16.5MM deal this summer.

 

 

World Junior Summer Showcase Schedule

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While the hockey world waits for NHL training camps in a few months, draft gurus and prospect evaluators everywhere are getting ready to tune in to the World Junior Summer Showcase that starts this evening in Plymouth, Michigan. The two Team USA squads will take on each other and teams from Sweden and Finland before joining forces and taking on the rival Canadians. The full schedule is as follows:

All times central

July 26:

USA Blue vs USA White – 4:30pm

July 27:

USA White vs Finland – 12:00pm
USA Blue vs Sweden – 3:00pm

July 28:

USA Blue vs Finland – 12:00pm
USA White vs Sweden – 3:00pm

July 30:

Canada vs USA – 3:00pm

July 31:

Canada vs Finland – 12:00pm
USA vs Sweden – 3:00pm

August 2:

Sweden vs Canada – 12:00pm
Finland vs USA – 3:00pm

August 3:

Sweden vs Finland – 12:00pm
USA vs Canada – 3:00pm

This tournament will help the respective programs prepare for the next IIHF World Junior Championship which will be held in the Czech Republic starting on December 26th. It is also a great chance for players who were just drafted or aren’t eligible until next year to show off their skills to NHL fans that might have missed them so far. Several first round selections like Cole Caufield, John Beecher, Alex Turcotte and Cam York will be suiting up for the Blue squad, while the White team has Matthew Boldy, Trevor Zegras and returning players like Oliver Wahlstrom and K’Andre Miller.

There will also be plenty of attention placed on Canada’s roster, as potential 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere is set to suit up. The 17-year old had 105 points for the Rimouski Oceanic in the QMJHL last season and is one of the players that you never want to take your eyes off of. If you want to know more about the future of Swedish hockey pay close attention to Lucas Raymond, who played ten games in the SHL last season despite only turning 17 in March. Raymond and teammate Alexander Holtz are both in early contention for the second overall pick, though there is still a long way to go before any decisions are made.

Hockey Canada Announces Invitees For 2019 Junior Development Camp

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Hockey Canada has announced their 43-man roster for the 2019 National Junior Team Development Camp, the first step towards participating at the next World Junior tournament. GM Mark Hunter and head coach Dale Hunter will be evaluating all 43 players over a four-game stretch in Plymouth, Michigan between July 27-August 4 where they will take on a team from the United States as well as Finland and Sweden. Team Canada will be broken into two teams for the short showcase.

The list of players includes many already drafted names, but also some that are available this weekend or even next June in the 2020 Entry Draft. The full group is listed below:

G Colten Ellis (2019 draft eligible)
G Zachary Emond (SJS)
G Alexis Gravel (CHI, unsigned)
G Hunter Jones (2019 draft eligible)
G Olivier Rodrigue (EDM)

D Calen Addison (PIT)
D Kevin Bahl (ARI)
D Justin Barron (2020 draft eligible)
D Jacob Bernard-Docker (OTT, unsigned)
D Bowen Byram (2019 draft eligible)
D Peter Diliberatore (VGK, unsigned)
D Noah Dobson (NYI)
D Thomas Harley (2019 draft eligible)
D Braden Schneider (2020 draft eligible)
D Ty Smith (NJD)
D Jonny Tychonick (OTT, unsigned)
D Jett Woo (VAN)

F Luka Burzan (2019 draft eligible)
F Dylan Cozens (2019 draft eligible)
F Kirby Dach (2019 draft eligible)
F Riley Damiani (DAL)
F Ty Dellandrea (DAL)
F Aidan Dudas (LAK, unsigned)
F Carson Focht (2019 draft eligible)
F Cole Fonstad (MTL, unsigned)
F Nolan Foote (2019 draft eligible)
F Gabriel Fortier (TBL)
F Liam Foudy (CBJ)
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx (ANA, unsigned)
F Barrett Hayton (ARI)
F Mathias Laferriere (STL, unsigned)
F Alexis Lafreniere (2020 draft eligible)
F Raphael Lavoie (2019 draft eligible)
F Jack McBain (MIN, unsigned)
F Allan McShane (MTL, unsigned)
F Alex Newhook (2019 draft eligible)
F Serron Noel (FLA)
F Ryan Suzuki (2019 draft eligible)
F Akil Thomas (LAK)
F Philip Tomasino (2019 draft eligible)
F Joe Veleno (DET)

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