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NHL Entry Draft

Best Players Available On Day Two Of NHL Draft

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Two of the biggest slides in the first round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft belonged to Eeli Tolvanen and Klim Kostin. Tolvanen, a Finnish winger ranked #17 by International Scouting Services, was regarded as one of the top offensive talents of the draft thanks to his heavy shot and great speed. However, recent news that Boston College admissions turned him down for 2017-18 enrollment coupled with concerns over his lack of any defensive ability sent him tumbling. Kostin, a big winger from Russia ranked #16 by International Scouting Services, fell victim to the “Russian factor” as well as a lack of a 2016-17 resume due to injury, which overshadowed his potential to be an elite power forward. Both players were considered likely top ten picks at one point, but for a while looked like they would drop out of the first round. Unfortunately for the lowly teams at the top of the second round, Tolavanen was selected by the Nashville Predators at #30 and the St. Louis Blues traded up to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ final first round slot at #31 and took Kostin. So who is still available? Here are the ten best prospects remaining on Day Two:

Nicolas Hague
Position: Left Defense
Team: Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
ISS Ranking: #18
Scouting Report: The closest thing to a top-pair shutdown defenseman in this draft, Hague will never be a smooth-skating puck-mover at the NHL level, but possesses the defensive instincts and vision to dominate the defensive zone. At 6’6″, 214-lbs. already, Hague is a big kid who will fill out into a monster on the back end, equipped with a long reach and powerful checking ability. He also packs a punch with his slap shot.

Isaac Ratcliffe
Position: Left Wing
Team: Guelph Storm (OHL)
ISS Ranking: #22
Scouting Report: At 6’5″, 203-lbs., Ratcliffe is bigger than any player selected in the first round, nevertheless forward. However, don’t let the size deceive you; Ratcliffe is a powerful skater and has great hands for someone of his stature. He simply has a lot of frame to fill out before he can put it all together and be an elite power forward.

Kole Lind
Position: Right Wing
Team: Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
ISS Ranking: #24
Scouting Report: Lind is not a flashy, high-skill player, but he is consistent and efficient. Equipped with one of the more accurate shots in this draft class, Lind puts in the effort, wins battles, and puts up points. He has the ability to be a solid albeit unexciting top-six forward down the road.

Conor Timmins
Position: Right Defense
Team: Soo Greyhounds (OHL)
ISS Ranking: #29
Scouting Report: After a run on talented, two-way defenseman in Round One, Timmins is still on the board. A top-end puck-mover who can start the rush, make a great outlet pass, and more-or-less play mistake-free transition defense, Timmins offensive ability is unquestioned. He is an asset on the power play and capable of playing major even strength minutes. However, concerns remain about his compete level and reluctance to play physically and set the tone of the game.

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Winnipeg Jets Re-Sign Ben Chiarot

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The Winnipeg Jets were professional multi-taskers last night. Not long after drafting Kristian Vesalainen 24th overall in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft, the “True North” locked up one of their own in defenseman Ben Chiarot. Renaud Lavoie of TVA reported the extension close at close to 11 PM CT in Chicago, as the Jets’ brass were working into the wee hours of the night. Chiarot, an impending restricted free agent, will return for two more years at $1.4MM per season.

Winnipeg has already been masterful this season at keeping their defense intact. They first convinced veteran Toby Enstrom to waive his No-Movement Clause, allowing him to be exposed in Wednesday’s Expansion Draft so that Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers, and Jacob Trouba could be protected. Then, upon hearing rumors that the Vegas Golden Knights were considering selecting Enstrom, the Jets struck a deal to move down 13 spots in the NHL Draft, swapping their #13 overall pick with Columbus’ #24 overall pick, which Vegas had already acquired. Now, having survived Expansion with all of their top-four defenseman, Winnipeg has locked up their #5 at a reasonable rate over the next two years of the 26-year-old’s career. With youngster Josh Morrissey  and veteran Mark Stuart also in the fold, it seem that the Jets will enter free agency next week with a solid seven on the blue line and no need for concern.

Chiarot, a big stay-at-home defenseman, also put up a career-high 12 points in Winnipeg last year. In 59 games, the 6’3″, 219-lb. blue liner registered two goals and ten assists, all at even strength. While Chiarot may not be an asset on the power play, he is one of the team’s top penalty killers. Chiarot can check and block shots very well, though the Jets wouldn’t mind if he did more of both. They have two more years to work on rounding out the still-developing defender’s game before he hits unrestricted free agency in 2019. Don’t be surprised to see Chiarot on a short leash over the course of this new contract, as Winnipeg already sports strong depth on defense with top prospects Logan Stanley and Luke Green on their way up sooner rather than later as well.

Morning Notes: Dahlin, NWHL, Weal

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Rasmus Dahlin is the early favorite to go first-overall in the 2018 NHL Entry draft, and he’s about to skip another step in his outstanding young hockey career. According to Uffe Bodin of Hockeysverige, the 17-year old Swedish defenseman will skip the Ivan Hlinka U18 tournament and instead join team Sweden at the U20 tournament. Dahlin played last year in the Hlinka and the World Junior Championship, and will be all over the prospect circuit again this year as he tries to clinch that top spot.

A prototypical two-way defenseman, Dahlin has the size, physicality and offensive upside that makes him a dream for whichever team gets the chance to choose him next season. Likely battling with Andrei Svechnikov for the top spot, Dahlin should be seen with franchise-altering upside. He’ll be tracked carefully for the next year.

  • The NWHL has reached a streaming agreement with Twitter to show select games next season, bringing the women’s league to the forefront for the first time. Their games have previously been available to stream on the internet, but they’ll obviously be on a much bigger platform with Twitter for the next season. Last year the Buffalo Beauts took home the Isobel Cup, and just re-signed Corinne Buie the only woman to have won the Cup both years of the league’s existence. She seems to bring victory with her wherever she goes, winning a Clarkson Cup in her last season in the CWHL as well.
  • Tim Panaccio of CSN reports that agent J.P. Barry has spoken to Vegas about all the free agents he represents, mentioning Jordan Weal in particular. Weal is a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer, and though there have been contract talks between his camp and the Flyers to try and keep him around, he’s unprotected and could easily be a target of the Golden Knights in the free agency period. After playing well down the stretch with the Flyers and putting up another outstanding AHL season, Weal is determined to make an impact at the NHL level next season.

Official Entry Draft Order Released

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The NHL released the official order of selections for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft on Thursday, highlighted by the New Jersey Devils selecting first overall. The first round of the draft will be held on Friday, June 23rd in Chicago, with rounds 2-7 following the next day. The entire list can be found here, but as for the first round it will look like this:

  1. New Jersey Devils
  2. Philadelphia Flyers
  3. Dallas Stars
  4. Colorado Avalanche
  5. Vancouver Canucks
  6. Vegas Golden Knights
  7. Arizona Coyotes
  8. Buffalo Sabres
  9. Detroit Red Wings
  10. Florida Panthers
  11. Los Angeles Kings
  12. Carolina Hurricanes
  13. Winnipeg Jets
  14. Tampa Bay Lightning
  15. New York Islanders
  16. Calgary Flames
  17. Toronto Maple Leafs
  18. Boston Bruins
  19. San Jose Sharks
  20. St. Louis Blues
  21. New York Rangers
  22. Edmonton Oilers
  23. Arizona Coyotes (from Minnesota)
  24. Columbus Blue Jackets
  25. Montreal Canadiens
  26. Chicago Blackhawks
  27. St. Louis Blues (from Washington)
  28. Ottawa Senators
  29. Dallas Stars (from Anaheim)
  30. Nashville Predators
  31. Pittsburgh Penguins

It’s important to note that the lottery results do not affect rounds 2-7, thus giving Colorado the #32 pick. The Vegas Golden Knights will be given the third pick in each round held on Saturday.

Final Draft Order Set

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After the 2017 Stanley Cup was awarded last night to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the full order in which teams will select at the upcoming Entry Draft is set. Round one will go on June 23rd, with the remaining rounds being completed the next day. Below is the order as of now for the first round.

  1. New Jersey Devils
  2. Philadelphia Flyers
  3. Dallas Stars
  4. Colorado Avalanche
  5. Vancouver Canucks
  6. Vegas Golden Knights
  7. Arizona Coyotes
  8. Buffalo Sabres
  9. Detroit Rd Wings
  10. Florida Panthers
  11. Los Angeles Kings
  12. Carolina Hurricanes
  13. Winnipeg Jets
  14. Tampa Bay Lightning
  15. New York Islanders
  16. Calgary Flames
  17. Toronto Maple Leafs
  18. Boston Bruins
  19. San Jose Sharks
  20. St. Louis Blues
  21. New York Rangers
  22. Edmonton Oilers
  23. Arizona Coyotes (from Minnesota)
  24. Columbus Blue Jackets
  25. Montreal Canadiens
  26. Chicago Blackhawks
  27. St. Louis Blues (from Washington)
  28. Ottawa Senators
  29. Dallas Stars (from Anaheim)
  30. Nashville Predators
  31. Pittsburgh Penguins

It is important to note that the Golden Knights will pick third in each subsequent round, regardless of where they finished in the draft lottery. This is to try to give the expansion team a bit of an advantage heading into their first season. The wheeling and dealing will ramp up this week, and several of these picks will likely be in play.

Los Angeles Could Be Trading Partner For Vegas

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The Vegas Golden Knights have been open with the fact that they expect to acquire more picks as the NHL Entry Draft approaches, and Pierre LeBrun of TSN previously reported that he’d heard talk of a first-round pick in the discussions. Today on TSN radio, Gord Miller expanded on that idea by saying that Los Angeles is a likely partner for the Golden Knights. The Kings would send Dustin Brown to Vegas along with a first-round pick just to rid themselves of his contract. Dustin Brown

While it likely is just speculation from Miller, the idea that Brown is a perfect candidate for banishment to Vegas is not new. The Kings have two huge problems on their roster with Brown and Marian Gaborik, who combine for $10.75MM per year for the next four seasons. They both are obviously on the downside of their careers, with Gaborik only scoring 21 points this season. The Kings tried to move him at the deadline, but couldn’t find a palatable deal. Brown has some leverage on this front as his partial no-trade clause allows a deal to only eight teams that he specifies, making it even harder to move him.

Buyouts are options for the Kings, but with Gaborik rehabbing from surgery GM Rob Blake has already announced he won’t use that option with the 34-year old sniper. Obviously they’d rather move Brown out in a trade than a buyout but a first-round pick is a hefty price to pay especially when it comes at #11 this season. The Kings want to compete next season, and moving Brown or Gaborik would help their offseason, but they need to keep an eye on the future as well and make sure that it doesn’t cost too much to fix the mistakes of the previous regime.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Scouting Combine Update: Patrick, Hischier, Vilardi

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The Scouting Combine is a place where scouts and team management can get to the see the physical prowess of potential picks in an up close and personal environment. It allows these team representatives to screen for potential health issues which could derail a career, and have an early bit of insight into conditioning habits. A good combine rarely propels a player into a drastically higher draft position, but a remarkably poor showing or emergence of a serious issue can see a  player’s stock plummet.

So far, the preliminary results have been encouraging for Nolan Patrick. He was able to perform 11 pull-ups even though had been at a disadvantage. Patrick had missed a a majority of his games for the Brandon Wheat Kings with an upper body injury, which turned out to be multiple sports hernias. He had been expected to be the top pick all year, regardless, but the performance of Nico Hischier has made that conclusion less absolute. Patrick did experience a deal of difficult on the Wingate bicycle test, which monitors how well a player is able to deal with absolute exertion.

Hischier did slightly better in a couple exercises, topping the charts with 13 total pull-ups. He did have a more difficult time with the bench-press and high-weight activities in comparison to Patrick, which might be a factor in such a tight contest. Hischier did post the better long jump however, at 105 inches. Potential top-5 pick Gabriel Vilardi reportedly impressed with his above-average strength. His lower body tests beat out most of the competition, and he finished with an impressive second place in that grueling Wingate fatigue test.

Shane Bowers, center from USHL’s Waterloo, Kailer Yamamoto, an undersized (5’8″) right-winger from Spokane, and Josh Norris, a USHL center from Michigan, were all lesser knowns who had strong strong showings. Yamamoto and Bowers were slotted to be picked somewhere in the middle of the first round, whereas Norris finished at #34 in the NHL rankings after a season where he was noticed by scouts. No reports of major health issues have been reported, although such discoveries are often kept relatively concealed from the public for a time.

Bruins Notes: Draft Picks, Pastrnak, Bjork

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Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney met with the media today and spoke about many upcoming topics in the NHL offseason, including where he stands on the NHL Entry Draft. According to Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald, Sweeney is open to trading his team’s first-round pick in the right deal. The Bruins currently hold the 18th pick, but after selecting five times in the past two first rounds could move it for help next season.

As Boston looks to get back to the playoffs, they’ll be looking for defensemen to help young Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo on the back end.  Their top pick in combination with perhaps Ryan Spooner could make an attractive offer for someone looking to move a surplus defenseman. With both apparently available for the right deal, expect to hear more from Boston in the coming weeks.

  • Boston fans can breathe again after Sweeney reported that talks are “moving in the right direction” with David Pastrnak on a long-term deal. The Bruins GM seems confident that the two sides will reach a deal before next season. Pastrnak broke out this year with 34 goals and 70 points and is a restricted free agent this summer. Just 21, Pastrnak has already completed three NHL seasons and would be giving up four free agent years if he were to sign the maximum eight-year deal.
  • Sweeney also spoke about Anders Bjork, who they signed this week to his entry-level deal. Bjork had the option of going back to Notre Dame for another year, but instead chose to start his pro career early and join the Bruins organization. Sweeney claimed the “opportunity would be there” for Bjork, who will come to camp to compete for an NHL job right away. The 20-year old forward is coming off an outstanding year in the NCAA where he scored 52 points in 39 games but could need some seasoning in the AHL first.
  • Also, Sweeney confirmed what was reported yesterday in regards to Linus Arnesson. He has left the Bruins to sign in Sweden, but the team will extend a qualifying offer in order to retain his rights should he want to return to the NHL after his multi-year contract expires.

League-Wide Interest In Darren Raddysh

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Sometimes, the NHL Entry Draft gets it wrong. Not just the order of the picks, influenced by former biases or cultural stereotypes, letting players like Nicklas Lidstrom fall to the third round because of his heritage, or Jamie Benn to the fifth because of his competition. No, sometimes it’s even worse than that. Sometimes it misses players completely.

That’s the case for Darren Raddysh, the likely winner of OHL Defenseman of the Year and 21-year old brother of a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect drafted in the second round—Taylor Raddysh, who also had an incredible year. The elder Raddysh went undrafted through each year of eligibility and is now a free agent able to sign with any NHL team he wants, after each one passed on him dozens of times. As Scott Powers of The Athletic notes in his latest piece, the Chicago Blackhawks have considered Raddysh but you could say that for many teams. As his source tells him:

I think you might have 30 teams who would tell you the same thing. He had a very, very impressive year.

It’s true, Raddysh did have an impressive year. After two very successful seasons for the Erie Otters that saw him score 48 and 40 points, he exploded this season as an overager. While many players dominate the junior leagues after their 20th birthday, Raddysh performed on another level scoring 81 points in 62 games and another 22 in the playoffs. Even at his advanced age and on a team loaded with talent, the defenseman turned heads all over the league.

Now, there is no guarantee—or even really a likelihood—that Raddysh goes on to great things in the NHL. But you can be sure that he’ll be signing an entry-level contract somewhere, and will be given a chance to develop as a talented, puck-rushing defenseman. The fact that he’s right-handed helps his case, and though he’s not a bruising presence, he’s not small either. Standing at 6’1″, 200-lbs Raddysh can take care of himself in his own end and has enough offense to make up for it. Whether he can learn the systems of professional hockey and be sound enough positionally to make an impact is still to be seen, but people have underestimated him for too long. Now, instead of being chosen by an organization, it’s Raddysh that will get to make a selection.

Updated List Of Expiring Draft Rights

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According to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, the Blue Jackets will not sign either of Sam Ruopp or Markus Soberg, their two remaining draft picks whose rights will expire tomorrow. In early April, we examined the list of players closing in on the expiry date thanks to the help of CapFriendly’s list. Here that list is, with the updated contract situations.

Buffalo Sabres

Devante Stephens (5th round, 2015) — Signed, three years, $743K
Giorgio Estephan (6th round, 2015)
Gustav Possler (5th round, 2013)

Calgary Flames

Riley Bruce (7th round, 2015)

Carolina Hurricanes

Steven Lorentz (7th round, 2015) — Signed, three years, $728K

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