Snapshots: Coaches, Franson, Prospects
The morning after Halloween and the mask is coming off for some teams around the league. While Alain Vigneault and the New York Rangers stayed alive by fighting off the Vegas Golden Knights last night, seats are getting hotter for some coaches around the league. Frank Seravalli of TSN lists 13 potential hires should a team want to go in a different direction, including several very interesting names.
Along with the usual NCAA suspects like Jim Montgomery and David Quinn, Seravalli lists several options that are currently associate coaches in the league. It would be surprising to see any of them stolen away to coach a different team in the league mid-season, but don’t forget their names come springtime.
- Cody Franson has gone all the way from a professional tryout to the top pairing of the Chicago Blackhawks, as Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune reports that he practiced alongside Duncan Keith yesterday for the team. Franson’s summer was one of the most surprising in free agency, as the 30-year old defenseman was unable to find an NHL contract for some time. Even with a rumored handshake deal with the Blackhawks, who waited until Marian Hossa could be put on long-term injured reserve before signing Franson, he will still earn just $1MM this season. The right-handed defenseman has always been a fairly productive offensive player, and has two points through three games for the Blackhawks this season.
- Jeff Marek of Sportsnet released his November prospect rankings, and there is no surprise at the top. Rasmus Dahlin continues to lead the pack in the race to be the number one pick, and his recent naming to Sweden’s Karjala Cup roster certainly won’t hurt. Marek is lower than many on Ryan Merkley of the Guelph Storm, who figures to have a broad range of rankings due to his size and defensive play. The OHL defenseman is only 5’11” 164-lbs, but has incredible offensive upside and can carry and distribute the puck as well as any prospect in the draft. With 15 points in 15 games, he has a real chance to lead all OHL defensemen in points this season (though he’ll have to quickly make up some ground on the current leader, Sean Durzi, who has been lined up at wing in the past).
Rasmus Dahlin To Play In Karjala Cup
Team Sweden released their roster for the upcoming Karjala Cup today, and Craig Button of TSN provided us a snapshot of the list. Remember, this is the tournament where Hockey Canada will send their Olympic tune-up squad and will be a sneak peek of what to expect at Pyeongchang in 2018. If your eyes spot an odd birthday in the mix, you’re not crazy. Rasmus Dahlin, born March 13th, 2000 will be heading to the tournament for his country. The 17-year old defenseman is the front-runner to be the first-overall pick in next year’s NHL draft, and fans look like they might get an up close viewing of him against international talent over the next few months.
In addition to the Kajala Cup, Dahlin seems like a lock for Team Sweden at the World Junior U20 (though he would actually qualify for the U18 tournament) and could even work his way into a spot at the Olympics. While that still seems like a long-shot, even being in the conversation at this point is ridiculous. Dahlin is seven years the junior of the next youngest Swedish defenseman on the Kajala roster, and has just Linus Soderstrom—a 21-year old goaltender drafted by the New York Islanders—and Rasmus Asplund—a 19-year old forward drafted by the Buffalo Sabres—anywhere close to his age group.
Dahlin is playing for Frolunda in the SHL currently, recording six points in his first 14 games with the professional club. Even at 17, he doesn’t look out of place playing against men sometimes twice his age. A dynamic offensive player, who has looked better in his own end and adds some physicality at times, Dahlin is a franchise-changing player that should be considered among the best defensive prospects in several years. While there is a chance he falls out of favor and loses his #1 standing next June—this draft has several incredible prospects at the top—a good showing at international tournaments will only increase his profile.
Button also provides the roster for Team Finland, which has two standout names. Miro Heiskanen and Eeli Tolvanen will both suit up for their country, just a few months after being selected in the first round of the NHL draft. Heiskanen of course went third-overall to the Dallas Stars, while Tolvanen fell all the way to 30th thanks to a late denial of his Boston College application. He eventually went to the Nashville Predators, who are likely quite pleased with their selection at the back end of the round.
Tolvanen has 23 points in 24 games for Jokerit of the KHL, setting all kinds of rookie records in the process. The 18-year old winger has immense offensive potential, and already has experience with the North American game having spent two seasons in the USHL before being drafted. Heiskanen on the other hand is playing for HIFK of the Finnish Ligga (both Jokerit and HIFK are based out of Helsinki) and has recorded eight points in eight games while providing his normal error-less two-way game. Heiskanen and Tolvanen are among the early standouts from the 2017 draft class, despite not playing in North America this season. Both should have long careers ahead of them, and will start to prove it on the international stage at the upcoming tournament.
The Karjala Cup is hosted in Sweden and Finland from November 6th to 12th.
Ryan Merkley Pushing For Top Draft Spot
We’ve discussed the draft profiles of Andrei Svechnikov and Rasmus Dahlin in the past, the two favorites to be the first-overall pick next summer in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Both have a real shot at going at the top, thanks to dynamic offensive abilities from their respective positions.
Svechnikov is lighting up the OHL with his power-speed combination, scoring eight goals through his first eight games. Dahlin on the other hand is starring in the Swedish professional ranks, and even scored his first Champions League goal yesterday. Improbably, his defensive game looks nearly as developed as his offense, and at this point looks like a lock to play in the NHL for a long time.
While those two dominate many of the headlines early on, there are several other candidates to push for the top spot. One of them, Ryan Merkley, was profiled by Aaron Vickers of NHL.com who spoke to several scouts and teammates. The undersized defenseman has wowed spectators and coaches for years in southern Ontario, and is already showing he might be among the best players in the OHL—at 17. It won’t be surprising if Merkley leads all OHL defensemen in points this year, and he could be in for a race to the top defensive spot with Dahlin by the end of the year. Sometimes, even in the world of instant worldwide communication, the player closer to home is given a bit of a boost on draft boards. While every team will certainly have scouts attending Dahlin’s games, many front offices can attend Merkley’s games in person on a regular basis if they choose.
None of this is to say that Merkley is a lock for the top spot, or even the first few. While his ability to skate the puck out of trouble and distribute scoring chances for his teammates is incredible, he’s still listed at just 5’11” 170-lbs (which seems generous) and will always have his size working against him. While the league is slowly moving away from lumbering giants and embracing smaller skilled players, there are still some teams who would rather take the risk on a 6’1″ Jared McIsaac or 6’2″ Bode Wilde to plug into their blueline. Both are wonderful prospects in their own right, and have distinct size advantages over Merkley.
The biggest thing to take from Vickers’ profile, is how strong the 2018 draft is shaping up to be. There is a real chance a prospect like Merkley could fall to the middle of the first round, given the immense group of high-impact names that will be available. While last year had a deeper talent pool than some realize, 2018 is shaping up to be one of the best draft classes in several years, with at least a handful of players that have franchise-altering potential. Obviously many of them won’t reach that potential, but their ceilings will make for an interesting draft floor—expect teams to be very active trying to get their favorite new toy.