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Joseph Veleno

East Notes: Tuch, Red Wings, Sgarbossa, Point, Dauphin

December 19, 2021 at 8:25 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

The Sabres are set to welcome back winger Alex Tuch for their game on Monday, notes Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.  The 25-year-old was a big part of the Jack Eichel trade but he has yet to play this season after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.  With Vegas, Tuch was used in more of a secondary scoring role but with Buffalo, he should get a chance to play a considerably bigger role.  He was expected to be back in roughly six months and if he does suit up against Columbus, he’ll have gotten back in just under five months.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • When the Red Wings had their pre-holiday break games postponed, some wondered if there may be more positive tests coming from them. That’s indeed the case as the team announced (Twitter link) that centers Pius Suter and Joe Veleno plus winger Sam Gagner along with assistant video coach Jeff Weintraub in COVID protocol.  That brings them up to nine players currently unavailable.
  • Capitals center Michael Sgarbossa was a late scratch from their game tonight against Los Angeles and it turns out that it was COVID-related as the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been placed in COVID protocol. The 29-year-old was coming off a two-point performance on Friday and has three points in seven games with Washington this season.  The Caps did get some good news on that front as well, however, as winger Garnet Hathaway was taken out of protocol.
  • The Lightning could be getting a key player back soon after the holiday break. Head coach Jon Cooper told reporters including Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link) that center Brayden Point could be reclassified as day-to-day once they return from the break.  Point has been out with an upper-body injury for just under a month and was off to a strong start to his season before it occurred with 13 points in 16 games.
  • The Canadiens announced that they’ve placed center Laurent Dauphin in COVID protocol. The 26-year-old was recalled two weeks ago and has three points in five games since then including his first NHL goal in over five years.  The team has also shut down their facilities through December 26th.

Alex Tuch| Brayden Point| Buffalo Sabres| COVID Protocol Related Absence| Detroit Red Wings| Garnet Hathaway| Joseph Veleno| Laurent Dauphin| Michael Sgarbossa| Montreal Canadiens| Pius Suter| Tampa Bay Lightning| Washington Capitals

1 comment

Expansion Primer: Detroit Red Wings

July 3, 2021 at 6:01 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 9 Comments

Over the next few weeks, we will be breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, who will likely warrant protection, and which ones may be on the block to avoid the risk of losing them for nothing? Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4:00 PM CDT on July 17th. The full eligibility rules can be found here, while CapFriendly has an expansion tool to make your own lists.

The last time we gathered here to determine the Detroit Red Wings’ expansion draft considerations, the team was in a steep downward decline. Yet they still ended up losing a bit of a diamond in the rough, as the Vegas Golden Knights selected forward Tomas Nosek. Nosek’s been a contributor in a bottom-six role every season in Vegas’ history, robbing Detroit of some quality depth. Now, with Detroit having hit the rock-bottom of their rebuild, their expansion situation looks fairly clear-cut this time around. With a lot of young talent exempt (and no Jimmy Howard/Petr Mrazek goalie controversy), the Red Wings and general manager Steve Yzerman are in a good position coming into 2021’s Seattle expansion draft.

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards:
Riley Barber, Tyler Bertuzzi, Adam Erne, Robby Fabbri, Dylan Larkin, Frans Nielsen, Richard Panik, Vladislav Namestnikov, Michael Rasmussen, Givani Smith, Evgeny Svechnikov, Hayden Verbeek, Jakub Vrana

Defense:
Dennis Cholowski, Danny DeKeyser, Christian Djoos, Filip Hronek, Gustav Lindstrom, Troy Stecher

Goalies:
Kaden Fulcher, Thomas Greiss

Notable Unrestricted Free Agents

F Valtteri Filppula, F Sam Gagner, F Luke Glendening, F Darren Helm, F Bobby Ryan, D Alex Biega, D Marc Staal, G Jonathan Bernier

Notable Exemptions

F Joseph Veleno, F Filip Zadina, D Jared McIsaac, D Moritz Seider, G Filip Larsson

Key Decisions

The key decisions start with Detroit’s young forward group. They’ll undoubtedly be going with the seven forwards/three defensemen protection scheme. Four of those forward spots are relatively clear-cut, with Larkin, Bertuzzi, Fabbri, and recent acquisition Vrana being protection locks. That leaves three spots remaining, but with a mix of four veterans and young forwards competing for them.

The veteran of those candidates is Namestnikov. Signed to a two-year, $4MM deal prior to 2020-21 to provide some veteran presence during their rebuild, Namestnikov had his worst offensive season to date with just 17 points in 53 games. His defensive metrics were mediocre, which is on-brand for the versatile Russian forward. Detroit was Namestnikov’s fourth team since the beginning of 2019-20, and if left unprotected, Seattle could be his fifth.

However, there’s a trio of three younger forwards who could also vie for those spots. Erne, Rasmussen, and Svechnikov all looked good with the Wings this season. It was an especially important season for Svechnikov, who’s struggled with frequent injuries. He rebounded this year for eight points in 21 games while posting incredibly impressive possession metrics. Erne had a nice rebound season after a ghastly 2019-20 performance, scoring 11 goals and 20 points in 45 games. While his 15.5% shooting rate doesn’t scream sustainability, the 26-year-old showed nice flashes this season. There’s also Rasmussen, who’s still a developing project despite already playing in over 100 NHL contests. Drafted ninth overall in 2017, Rasmussen’s now totalled 30 points in 102 NHL games, including 12 points in 40 games last season. He’s consistently posted decent possession results, suggesting that the goal-scoring touch he had in juniors could be coming.

Detroit faces a similar quandary on defense with three names fighting for two spots. Hronek’s protection is a foregone conclusion, but Stecher, Cholowski, and Lindstrom are names that could fall into those last two spots.

Stecher sits as effectively a more impressive Namestnikov. Joining Detroit as a free agent prior to this season, Stecher settled nicely into a top-four role, posting admirable defensive metrics considering the hacked-together situation that was Detroit’s defense. However, like Namestnikov, he’s under contract for just one more season and there’s no guarantee that he stays. There’s also a pair of younger defenders in Cholowski and Lindstrom. Cholowski was a first-round pick in 2016 and showed great potential in his 2018-19 rookie season, but has stagnated at all levels since then. Detroit is willing to play the wait-and-see game with the young defender, who may see a full-time role again next year after just 16 games played in 2020-21. Lindstrom’s a year younger and doesn’t have as much upside, but he’s cobbled together four assists in 29 NHL games and could have third-pairing potential.

Projected Protection List

F Tyler Bertuzzi
F Adam Erne
F Robby Fabbri
F Dylan Larkin
F Michael Rasmussen
F Evgeny Svechnikov
F Jakub Vrana

D Dennis Cholowski
D Filip Hronek
D Troy Stecher

G Thomas Greiss

Skater Exposure Requirement Checklist

When Vegas had their expansion draft, a minimum of two forwards and one defenseman had to be exposed that were under contract and played either 40 games in the most recent season or 70 over the past two combined.  Due to the pandemic, those thresholds have been changed to 27 games played in 2020-21 or 54 in 2019/20 and 2020-21 combined.  In creating our expansion list for each team in this series, we will ensure that these criteria are met.

Forwards (3): Vladislav Namestnikov, Frans Nielsen, Richard Panik
Defensemen (1): Danny DeKeyser

There are very few pickings here that the Kraken would be interested in, and Detroit is likely to emerge from the expansion draft unscathed. While Detroit will have some depth forwards exposed, Seattle can likely find cheaper and better options elsewhere. Seattle could end up taking an AHL skater with limited upside like Lindstrom or Smith, or take a pending UFA like Glendening if they really don’t like any of their options.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Adam Erne| Alex Biega| Bobby Ryan| Christian Djoos| Danny DeKeyser| Darren Helm| Dennis Cholowski| Detroit Red Wings| Dylan Larkin| Evgeny Svechnikov| Expansion| Expansion Primer| Filip Hronek| Filip Larsson| Filip Zadina| Frans Nielsen| Frans Nielsen| Gustav Lindstrom| Hayden Verbeek| Jakub Vrana| Jared McIsaac| Jimmy Howard| Jonathan Bernier| Joseph Veleno| Luke Glendening| Marc Staal| Michael Rasmussen| Moritz Seider| Seattle| Seattle Kraken| Steve Yzerman

9 comments

NHL Draft Picks Participating In The World Junior Championship

December 26, 2019 at 12:45 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

The 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship is underway from Ostrava and Trinec in the Czech Republic. The tournament began today and will run through the championship game on January 5th. Each of the NHL’s 31 teams has at least one representative at the WJC. Five teams have only one draft pick participating, while the Los Angeles Kings (9) and Arizona Coyotes (7) each have more than those teams combined. However, it only takes one player and one moment to make history at the WJC. Check out which future NHLers will have that chance this year:

Anaheim Ducks (2):

G Lukas Dostal, Czech Republic
F Trevor Zegras, USA

Arizona Coyotes (7):

F Barrett Hayton, Canada
F Jan Jenik, Czech Republic
F Matias Maccelli, Finland
D Aku Raty, Finland
D Victor Soderstrom, Sweden
F Valentin Nussbaumer, Switzerland
D Ty Emberson, USA

Boston Bruins (3):

F Jakub Lauko, Czech Republic
F John Beecher, USA
F Curtis Hall, USA

Buffalo Sabres (4):

F Dylan Cozens, Canada
F Matej Pekar, Czech Republic
G Erik Portillo, Sweden
D Mattias Samuelsson, USA

Calgary Flames (1):

G Dustin Wolf, USA

Carolina Hurricanes (5):

D Anttoni Honka, Finland
F Lenni Killinen, Finland
F Patrik Puistola, Finland
F Dominik Bokk, Germany
F Jack Drury, USA

Chicago Blackhawks (2):

F Antti Saarela, Finland
F Michal Teply, Czech Republic

Colorado Avalanche (4):

D Bowen Byram, Canada
G Justus Annunen, Finland
F Sampo Ranta, Finland
D Daniil Zhuravlyov, Russia

Columbus Blue Jackets (4):

F Liam Foudy, Canada
F Kirill Marchenko, Russia
F Dmitri Voronkov, Russia
D Tim Berni, Switzerland

Dallas Stars (3):

F Ty Dellandrea, Canada
F Oskar Back, Sweden
F Albin Eriksson, Sweden

Detroit Red Wings (5):

D Jared McIsaac, Canada
F Joseph Veleno, Canada
D Moritz Seider, Germany
F Jonatan Berggren, Sweden
F Jesper Eliasson, Sweden

Edmonton Oilers (4):

F Raphael Lavoie, Canada
G Olivier Rodrigue, Canada
F Matej Blumel, Czech Republic
D Philip Broberg, Sweden

Florida Panthers (3):

Justin Schutz, Germany
F Grigori Denisenko, Russia
G Spencer Knight, USA

Los Angeles Kings (9):

F Aidan Dudas, Canada
F Akil Thomas, Canada
F Lukas Parik, Czech Republic
F Rasmus Kupari, Finland
D Kim Nousiainen, Finland
D Tobias Bjornfot, Sweden
F Samuel Fagemo, Sweden
F Arthur Kaliyev, USA
F Alex Turcotte, USA

Minnesota Wild (1):

F Alexander Khovanov, Russia

Montreal Canadiens (4):

D Alexander Romanov, Russia
D Mattias Norlinder, Sweden
F Cole Caufield, USA
D Jordan Harris, USA

Nashville Predators (1):

D Spencer Stastney, USA

New Jersey Devils (5):

D Kevin Bahl, Canada
D Ty Smith, Canada
D Daniil Misyul, Russia
F Nikola Pasic, Sweden
G Akira Schmid, Switzerland

New York Islanders (2):

F Jacob Pivonka, USA
F Oliver Wahlstrom, USA

New York Rangers (5):

D Nico Gross, Switzerland
F Karl Henriksson, Sweden
D Nils Lundkvist, Sweden
D Zachary Jones, USA

D K’Andre Miller, USA

Ottawa Senators (3):

D Jacob Bernard-Docker, Canada
D Lassi Thomson, Finland
F Shane Pinto, USA

Philadelphia Flyers (4):

F Egor Zamula, Russia
D Adam Ginning, Sweden
F Bobby Brink, USA
D Cameron York, USA

Pittsburgh Penguins (1):

D Calen Addison, Canada

San Jose Sharks (1):

Santeri Hatakka, Finland

St. Louis Blues (2):

G Joel Hofer, Canada
F Nikita Alexandrov, Russia

Tampa Bay Lightning (3):

F Nolan Foote, Canada
F Maxim Cajkovic, Czech Republic
G Hugo Alnefelt, Sweden

Toronto Maple Leafs (3):

D Mikko Kokkonen, Finland
D Rasmus Sandin, Sweden
F Nicholas Robertson, USA

Vancouver Canucks (4):

F Karel Plasek, Czech Republic
D Toni Utunen, Finland
F Vasily Podkolzin, Russia
F Nils Hoglander, Sweden

Vegas Golden Knights (3):

F Pavel Dorofeyev, Russia
F Ivan Morozov, Russia
G Isaiah Saville, USA

Washington Capitals (2):

F Connor McMichael, Canada
D Martin Has, Czech Republic

Winnipeg Jets (2):

F David Gustafsson, Sweden
D Ville Heinola, Finland

AHL| Anaheim Ducks| Arizona Coyotes| Barrett Hayton| Boston Bruins| Bowen Byram| Buffalo Sabres| Calgary Flames| Carolina Hurricanes| Chicago Blackhawks| Cole Caufield| Colorado Avalanche| Columbus Blue Jackets| Connor McMichael| Dallas Stars| Detroit Red Wings| Dylan Cozens| Edmonton Oilers| Florida Panthers| IIHF| Jan Jenik| Jared McIsaac| Joseph Veleno| Kirill Marchenko| Lassi Thomson| Liam Foudy| Los Angeles Kings| Matej Pekar| Mattias Samuelsson| Minnesota Wild| Montreal Canadiens| Nashville Predators| New Jersey Devils| New York Islanders| New York Rangers| NHL| NLA| Oliver Wahlstrom| Olivier Rodrigue| Ottawa Senators| Philadelphia Flyers| Philip Broberg| Pittsburgh Penguins| Rasmus Sandin| San Jose Sharks| Spencer Knight| St. Louis Blues| Tampa Bay Lightning| Tobias Bjornfot| Toronto Maple Leafs| Vancouver Canucks| Vegas Golden Knights| Ville Heinola| Washington Capitals| Winnipeg Jets

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NHL Draft Combine Results

June 4, 2018 at 9:58 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

The NHL held its annual Draft Combine over the past week, with players able to speak with their potential teams and participate in fitness testing. The physical part of the week was held on Saturday (with a select few tests occurring the day before), with upwards of 100 prospects trying their best to show off their strengths in the gym. Here are the results of the tests, thanks to NHL Central Scouting:

Aerobic Fitness: Test Duration

  1. Xavier Bouchard – 16:45
  2. Curtis Douglas – 16:35
  3. Mattias Samuelsson – 16:30
  4. Kevin Bahl – 16:10
  5. Oskar Back – 16:08

Aerobic Fitness: VO2max (ml/kg/min)

  1. Cameron Hillis – 65.0
  2. Aidan Dudas – 63.0
  3. Xavier Bouchard – 62.0
  4. Jack Drury – 61.0
  5. Ty Dellandrea – 60.0

Read more

Agility & Balance: Pro Agility – Left (sec)

  1. Jonathan Tychonick – 4.2
  2. Liam Foudy – 4.2
  3. Jacob Bernard-Docker – 4.3
  4. Jack Gorniak – 4.3
  5. Aidan Dudas – 4.3

Agility & Balance: Pro Agility – Right (sec)

  1. Jonathan Tychonick – 4.2
  2. Liam Foudy – 4.3
  3. Jack Gorniak – 4.3
  4. Andrei Svechnikov – 4.3
  5. Jacob Bernard-Docker – 4.4

Agility & Balance: Pro Agility – Left Max speed (mph)

  1. Jack Gorniak – 13.5
  2. Carter Robertson – 13.4
  3. Jay O’Brien – 13.1
  4. Ty Smith – 13.0
  5. Nico Gross – 13.0

Agility & Balance: Pro Agility – Right Max speed (mph)

  1. Curtis Hall – 13.2
  2. Carter Robertson – 13.0
  3. Tyler Madden – 13.0
  4. Gabriel Fortier – 12.9
  5. Dominik Bokk – 12.8

Anaerobic Fitness (Wingate Test): Max Effor5 #1 – Mean Power Output (watts/kg)

  1. Gabriel Fortier – 17.2
  2. Adam Boqvist – 16.8
  3. Kristian Reichel – 16.7
  4. Alexander Khovanov – 16.7
  5. Jonathan Gruden – 16.2

Anaerobic Fitness (Wingate Test): Max Effort #1 – Peak Power Output (watts/kg)

  1. Liam Foudy – 19.8
  2. Kristian Reichel – 19.6
  3. Adam Boqvist – 19.6
  4. Alexander Khovanov – 19.1
  5. Luke Henman – 19.1

Anaerobic Fitness (Wingate Test): Fatigue Index

  1. Joseph Veleno – 13.3
  2. Tyler Madden – 14.0
  3. Jordan Harris – 15.6
  4. Kevin Bahl – 17.1
  5. Grigori Denisenko – 17.7

Wing Span (inches)

  1. Kevin Bahl – 81.75
  2. Curtis Douglas – 81.25
  3. Jack McBain – 81.25
  4. Mattias Samuelsson – 80.75
  5. Kevin Mandolese – 80.25

Body Composition Yuhasz % Body Fat

  1. Xavier Bouchard – 6.96
  2. Joel Farabee – 7.28
  3. Tyler Madden – 7.28
  4. Carter Robertson – 7.52
  5. Luke Henman – 7.64

Force Plate: Vertical Jump (inches)

  1. Liam Foudy – 27.65
  2. Nils Lundkvist – 26.7
  3. Martin Fehervary – 24.1
  4. K’Andre Miller – 23.98
  5. Gabriel Fortier – 23.82

Force Plate: Squat Jump (inches)

  1. Martin Fehervary – 23.1
  2. Liam Foudy – 21.87
  3. Eric Florchuk – 21.32
  4. Gabriel Fortier – 21.29
  5. Jack Gorniak – 20.77

Force Plate: No Arm Jump (inches)

  1. Liam Foudy – 27.81
  2. Martin Fehervary – 24.07
  3. Gabriel Fortier – 20.92
  4. Nils Lundkvist – 20.69
  5. Jack Gorniak – 20.51

Musculoskeletal: Bench Press 50% Body Weight – Power (watts/kg)

  1. Rasmus Kupari – 8.25
  2. Ty Emberson – 8.03
  3. Jack Gorniak – 7.74
  4. Liam Foudy – 7.72
  5. Martin Fehervary – 7.59

Musculoskeletal: Left Hand Grip (lbs)

  1. K’Andre Miller – 170
  2. Curtis Douglas – 166
  3. Ryan McLeod – 159
  4. Seth Barton – 156
  5. Brady Tkachuk – 155

Musculoskeletal: Right Hand Grip (lbs)

  1. K’Andre Miller – 180
  2. Curtis Douglas – 179
  3. Gabriel Fortier – 160
  4. Jacob Pivonka – 160
  5. Ryan McLeod – 157

Musculoskeletal: Pull-Ups Consecutive (max #)

  1. Jacob Bernard-Docker – 15
  2. Evan Bouchard – 14
  3. Jordan Harris – 14
  4. Gabriel Fortier – 13
  5. Martin Fehervary – 13

Musculoskeletal: Standing Long Jump (inches)

  1. Liam Foudy – 118.8
  2. Jacob Ingham – 115.0
  3. Nils Lundkvist – 114.5
  4. Martin Fehervary – 113.5
  5. K’Andre Miller – 113.5

Andrei Svechnikov| Brady Tkachuk| Joseph Veleno| Mattias Samuelsson| Prospects

2 comments

2018 NHL Scouting Combine Player List

May 28, 2018 at 11:08 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

The 2018 NHL Entry Draft is fast approaching on June 22nd, and the league has released the list of 104 players invited to this year’s scouting combine. The group includes top prospects like Rasmus Dahlin, Andrei Svechnikov and Filip Zadina, along with many others who are just hoping to hear their name called at some point in a few weeks.

Starting today, teams are able to meet this week with potential draft picks for 1-on-1 interviews to better determine the kind of person they are. Though obviously these discussions likely won’t change the first-overall selection, they could bring a player further onto a team’s radar for later in the draft. It’s a chance to impress with your dedication and drive, before getting the opportunity to show them your physical attributes next weekend. The fitness testing will commence on Saturday, with potential top pick Rasmus Dahlin getting involved early (currently scheduled for 8:30am CT).

Below is a full list of the attending players, but for more detailed information check out Scott Wheeler of the Athletic’s Twitter image.

Read more

Calen Addison
Alexander Alexeyev
Oskar Back
Kevin Bahl
Seth Barton
Nicolas Beaufin
Xavier Bernard
Jacob Bernard-Docker
Dominik Bokk
Adam Boqvist
Evan Bouchard
Xavier Bouchard
Michael Callahan
Kody Clark
Rasmus Dahlin
Ty Dellandrea
Stanislav Demin
Grigori Denisenko
Noah Dobson
Lukas Dostal
Curtis Douglas
Jack Drury
Aidan Dudas
Sean Durzi
Ty Emberson
Joel Farabee
Martin Fehervary
Eric Florchuk
Cole Fonstad
Gabriel Fortier
Liam Foudy
Patrik Giles
Adam Ginning
Jack Gorniak
Alexis Gravel
Nico Gross
Benoit-Olivier Groulx
Jonathan Gruden
Curtis Hall
Filip Hallander
Jordan Harris
Barrett Hayton
Luke Henman
Cameron Hillis
Mitchell Hoelscher
Quinn Hughes
Jacob Ingham
Jan Jenik
Blade Jenkins
Filip Johansson
Keegan Karki
Martin Kaut
Michael Kesselring
Alexander Khovanov
Liam Kirk
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Filip Kral
Vitali Kravtsov
Rasmus Kupari
Philipp Kurashev
Jakub Lauko
Isac Lundestrom
Nils Lundkvist
Anderson MacDonald
Tyler Madden
Kevin Mandolese
Jack McBain
Jared McIsaac
Black McLaughlin
Ryan McLeod
Allan McShane
Ryan Merkley
K’Andre Miller
Serron Noel
Niklas Norgren
Jay O’Brien
Jacob Olofsson
Matej Pekar
Jackson Perbix
Jacob Pivonka
Sampo Ranta
Alec Regula
Kristian Reichel
Carter Robertson
Olivier Rodrigue
Milos Roman
Mattias Samuelsson
Rasmus Sandin
Jakub Skarek
Ty Smith
Riley Stotts
Riley Sutter
Andrei Svechnikov
Akil Thomas
Brady Tkachuk
Jonathan Tychonick
Giovanni Vallati
Joseph Veleno
Oliver Whalstrom
Tyler Weiss
Bode Wilde
Jake Wise
Jett Woo
Filip Zadina

Andrei Svechnikov| Bode Wilde| Brady Tkachuk| Filip Zadina| Joseph Veleno| Martin Kaut| Mattias Samuelsson| NHL Entry Draft| Prospects| Schedule

2 comments

NHL, Stakeholders Discuss Possible Change To Draft Age

November 16, 2016 at 10:29 am CDT | by Brett Barrett 2 Comments

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.

Aaron Ekblad| AHL| Auston Matthews| Bob McKenzie| CBA| CHL| Connor McDavid| Jack Eichel| Jesse Puljujarvi| John Tavares| Joseph Veleno| Mitch Marner| NCAA| NHL| Noah Hanifin| OHL| Patrik Laine| Pierre-Luc Dubois| QMJHL| Rookies| Salary Cap| WHL

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    West Notes: Kurashev, Kolesar, Johnsson, Knyzhov

    Robert Mastrosimone Unlikely To Sign With Detroit

    College Notes: Polin, Colangelo, Quillan

    Lightning Prospect Isaac Howard Transfers To Michigan State

    Sharks Sign Henry Thrun

    East Notes: Roslovic, Harris, Joseph, Greig

    Jakob Chychrun To Miss Multiple Weeks

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