Morning Notes: Free Agency, Veilleux, Sweden
Though we’re only partway through the second round of the playoffs, many fans have already started dreaming about what could happen on July 1st in free agency. Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) gives us an update on each of his top-20 free agents, including superstar John Tavares.
Obviously Custance can’t handicap a market, but he does mention the San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues as potential pursuers if the New York Islanders’ captain does hit free agency. Tavares would have almost every team checking in should he get to the negotiating window a few days before July 1st.
- The Halifax Mooseheads have hired a new head coach for the 2018-19 season. Eric Veilleux will be behind the bench for the QMJHL squad next season, fresh off his own departure from the Colorado Avalanche AHL affiliate. Veilleux has plenty of experience in the Q, having played there as a junior and coached for nearly a decade.
- The IIHF handed out several suspensions yesterday to the Swedish World Junior squad, after the incidents that occurred after this year’s gold medal game. Players and coaches removed their medals before the post-game event was over, including captain Lias Andersson who tossed it into the crowd in frustration. Interestingly though, of the players suspended only goaltender Olle Eriksson Ek could realistically return to the tournament. The others—Andersson, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Jesper Boqvist and Rasmus Dahlin—have either graduated through age or are expected to be in the NHL full-time next year. Perhaps the biggest hit will be the coaching suspensions, which includes a three-game ban for head coach Tomas Monten.
Draft Notes: Mock Draft, Rangers, Canadiens, Sabres
Now that the lottery portion of the 2018 NHL draft has clarified, TSN’s Craig Button has already released his first mock draft. No surprise, the Buffalo Sabres are projected to take defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. The Carolina Hurricanes are projected to take winger Andrei Svechnikov at No. 2, who Button compares to Marian Hossa and who could walk in and join Carolina immediately next season, aiding their struggling offense.
Wingers Filip Zadina and Brady Tkachuk are targeted to be taken at No. 3 and No. 4 by the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, respectively, while the Arizona Coyotes are projected to select defenseman Quinn Hughes with the fifth pick, rounding out the top five.
- While there is no shot at getting Dahlin, the New York Rangers have made it clear they want to move up in this year’s draft. With the eighth-worst record in the NHL this past season, the team moved back a spot in Saturday’s draft lottery. The Rangers have the ninth-overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft, but have after tearing down their team at the trade deadline, the team has quite a few assets to offer a team willing to trade down. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes the team is focusing on two teams, including the Ottawa Senators and Arizona Coyotes, two former trade partners, as potential landing spots at No. 4 and No. 5. While it’s considered to be a deep draft and the Rangers would get a quality player at No. 9, there is said to be a drop off around No. 4 or No. 5. The Rangers not only have the ninth-overall pick, but also have two other first-round picks, including the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins’ first-rounders, which could fall anywhere between 24 and 31. They also have two second and two third-round picks.
- The Montreal Canadiens might also be a trade possibility for teams looking to move up. While the team had a couple of extra hours to imagine winning the lottery when they were among the top three first announced Saturday, the team ended up at No. 3. While there are plenty of high-quality wingers that would be available to the team, it doesn’t really help with the team’s top need, which is a big center, writes Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette. One interesting option would be if the Canadiens trade down or just reach for center Joe Veleno from the Drummondville Voltiguers of the QMJHL and was coached by Dominique Ducharme, who was just hired by Canadiens as an assistant coach. Cowan compares this situation to the 2016 draft when the Columbus Blue Jackets shocked everyone when they took Pierre-Luc Dubois with the third-overall pick, although no one is complaining now.
- An interesting note from the Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington, the Buffalo Sabres won the lottery twice Saturday. They initially won the No. 1 pick and then again won the No. 3 pick. The No. 3 pick was then was redrawn, which allowed the Montreal Canadiens to move up.
Patrick Roy To Return To Quebec Remparts
Patrick Roy‘s exit from the Colorado Avalanche was anything but smooth, resigning his post as head coach less than two months before the 2016-17 season began. The club moved on to Jared Bednar, who eventually turned them around in year two and took them to the playoffs.
Now, Roy will return to coaching in an old stomping ground. Mikael Lalancette of TVA Sports is reporting that the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL will announced Roy’s return as head coach tomorrow. The Remparts recently lost their head coach when Philippe Boucher resigned after five seasons with the team. Roy had coached the team for parts of eight seasons previous to his time in Colorado.
Roy had a 349-159-37 record during his first stint with the team, taking them to the QMJHL playoffs every season. They didn’t take home a league championship during that time, but will try again with the legendary goaltender at the helm.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Alexandre Alain
The Montreal Canadiens have signed undrafted free agent Alexandre Alain to a three-year, entry-level contract. Alain is still playing with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the QMJHL playoffs, where the team has advanced to the semi-finals and leads Charlottetown two games to none.
There is a lot to like about Alain, who has taken strong steps forward every year of his junior career. Initially seen as a future dynamic two-way center prospect, he struggled to create offense in his first few seasons and needed a trade from Gatineau to really find his game. This season he took it to another level, producing 87 points in just 65 games and adding another 19 in 11 playoff contests.
Absolutely one of the hardest centers in the league to match up against, there isn’t a single moment Alain stops working on the ice. His tenacity and willingness to go into rough areas are what have really stood out to scouts, even before his offense caught up with him this season.
Somewhat unfortunately, to stick as a center in the professional ranks there needs to be more than just work ethic. He’ll need to show that he can be a consistent offensive producer—or at least facilitate for his linemates—to ever sniff the NHL, though there is certainly a role for him in the minor leagues as the Canadiens try to find more depth down the middle. Alain was playing as an over-ager in junior, meaning he’ll be heading to the AHL’s Laval Rocket next season.
San Jose Sharks Sign Ivan Chekhovich To Entry-Level Contract
The San Jose Sharks have signed another prospect, inking Ivan Chekhovich to a three-year entry-level contract that begins in the 2018-19 season. Chekhovich has been playing with the San Jose Barracuda on an amateur tryout, after being eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs. GM Doug Wilson issued a statement regarding the signing:
Ivan had another productive season in juniors and took his game to a whole new level when he joined the Barracuda this season. He has proven in his short stint of professional hockey that he can keep up with the pace and physicality and, with help from scout Gilles Cote, has already become a difference maker in the Barracuda’s improbable run to the Calder Cup Playoffs. His offensive instincts and creativity make him a dangerous player in the opposing team’s end and we look forward to seeing him develop with our organization.
Selected in the seventh round in 2017, Chekhovich had another strong (but not outstanding) season for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, but has really made an impact in his short stint with the Barracuda. Scoring nine points in six games, he has shown the quick hands and offensive awareness that made him an interesting prospect last June.
Chekhovich had a wide variety of rankings before the draft, including #52 overall at Future Considerations. His final ranking with the NHL’s Central Scouting was 71st among North American skaters, closer to his eventual selection at #212. There was a chance that he could be drawn back to Russia, but now that the Sharks have him under contract his future looks to lie in San Jose.
Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Otto Somppi To Entry-Level Contract
Watch out NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning have signed another talented late-round pick. Today, the team announced a three-year entry-level contract for Otto Somppi, signing him ahead of the June 1st deadline. Somppi’s Halifax Mooseheads were eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs earlier this month, likely ending his junior career.
Selected in the seventh round in 2016, Somppi broke out this season in a more offensive role, scoring 83 points in 59 games for the Mooseheads. Known for his incredible hands—and semi-regular lacrosse-style plays—the 20-year old Finnish forward has many things teams look for in young prospects. A good defensive mind, if a little weak on his stick at times, Somppi can play a solid two-way game and contribute at both center and the wing. That versatility will come in handy as he tries to carve out a role for himself at the next level.
Tampa Bay has continued to develop a pipeline of talent in their minor league system, graduating players like Ondrej Palat (7th round, 2011), Jake Dotchin (6th round, 2012), Brayden Point (3rd round, 2014) and Anthony Cirelli (3rd round, 2015) in recent years. Though Somppi has a long way to go to be an impact player at the NHL level, he’s another talented player for the system to work with and hopefully squeeze some value out of.
An Underwhelming 2018 Goalie Draft Class
There are already 15 teams whose 2017-18 season has come to and end, with eight more joining the group in the next week or two. For those teams, full attention has already been turned to preparing for the off-season. The first major event of the summer is the NHL Entry Draft, coming up on June 22-23, where teams can add promising young prospects at every position. However, for any teams in need of a major addition in net to the pipeline, the 2018 class leaves a lot to be desired.
The days of goaltenders being selected early in the first round may be over, but at least one goalie has been selected in the first fifty picks of the draft every year since the turn of the century, including several years with multiple first-round keepers. That streak may come to an end in 2018. Somewhat lost in the hype of top prospects like Rasmus Dahlin and many other high-ceiling forwards and defenseman is the fact that few see any young goaltenders worthy of value picks this year. The first mock drafts from NHL.com and Yahoo both fail to include any keepers in the top 31 picks and Sportsnet‘s latest Top 31 makes no mention of one either. The Hockey Writers takes it one step further, including just one goaltender among the first 75 players in their Top 93.
That one goalie, Czech pro Jakub Skarek, is a polarizing prospect. Skarek has good size and put up good numbers for HC Dukla Jihlava, one of the worst teams in the top Czech league, earning his top ranking among European goalies by NHL Central Scouting. Yet, Skarek also looked completely over-matched at the World Juniors and many feel is still a very raw talent, lending some explanation to what some feel is a third-round grade. Skarek may be the best the class has to offer though. The QMJHL offers a relatively strong group – Alexis Gravel, Olivier Rodrigue, and Kevin Mandolese – but all pale in comparison to top prospects from recent draft years.
Could one of these goalies slip into the first round? It would be a major surprise. The top fifty picks? That could more likely, but at this point in the pre-draft process seems to also be a stretch. So, for those teams in need of a top goaltender in the system, and there a quite a few, this may be the year to look for a sleeper in the late rounds rather than reach for an underwhelming option early on.
Filip Zadina Joins Czech World Championship Team
Now that his Halifax Mooseheads have been eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs, Filip Zadina could settle in and wait for the upcoming draft, where he is expected to be among the very first few names off the board. Instead, he’s headed to join the Czech Republic men’s team as they prepare for the upcoming World Championships.
While it’s not clear if Zadina will suit up in the tournament for the Czech’s, the fact that he has been invited to their training camp shows just how talented the youngster is. The 18-year old recorded 44 goals and 82 points in the regular season for the Mooseheads, while being one of the most dangerous players at the World Juniors and putting up another 12 points in 9 playoff games. His year has been quite impressive, and an appearance at the Worlds would be icing on the cake.
Though he may still go third behind Rasmus Dahlin and Andrei Svechnikov (or even fourth behind Brady Tkachuk), Zadina figures to be a franchise-changing offensive talent in the NHL. The sniper can create offense all by himself by beating players with his speed and goaltenders with his shot, and he could likely slide onto an NHL powerplay right away. While he may need a bit more seasoning to develop his all-around game, there’s little doubt he can make an impact at the next level.
We won’t know where he’s going until the day of the draft, but on April 28th we’ll get an idea of where he could end up. That’s the draft lottery, where the Buffalo Sabres have the best chance at selecting first overall. Whoever ends up in second will have quite the decision on their hands, while third and fourth won’t complain about the superstar talent that falls to them.
Undrafted Free Agent Signings Dominating Juniors
Given that each team generally has seven chances to makes a pick in the NHL Draft each year resulting in, until recently, 210 selections, and now 217 moving forward, the bulk of top players in the league come through the draft process. However, no matter the level – Canadian juniors, American juniors and the NCAA, and Europe – there are always players that slip through the crack. Sometimes those particular players don’t slip too far. Case in point: take a look at some of the top players in the CHL this season. A significant proportion of 2017-18’s most valuable players in the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL are not just undrafted, but have also already signed with an NHL team.
In the Ontario League, Aaron Luchuk is the poster boy for the year of undrafted signings. The 20-year-old Barrie Colts center signed an entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators back in December. He’s rewarded them for taking a gamble on him by leading the league with 105 points thus far, including a league-leading 45 goals. This has been a major step up in his production of 60 points in 68 games in 2016-17. The 5’10” forward’s next step will be trying his hand at the AHL next season. Not far behind Luchuk is Sam Miletic, a fellow 20-year-old forward playing for the Niagara Ice Dogs. Miletic is fifth in the OHL with 86 points and also brings a good defensive sense to his game. Miletic signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins in September after recording 55 points in 65 games with the London Knights last season; Miletic had 54 points in just 35 games with London prior to being traded mid-season. Undrafted netminders are also making a splash in the OHL. The Detroit Red Wings signed 19-year-old Kaden Fulcher back in October and the Hamilton Bulldogs goalie has since been a top goalie in the league, currently fourth in goals against average and seventh in save percentage among starters. Boston Bruins prospect Kyle Keyser is right there with him, as the Oshawa Generals keeper is sixth in save percentage and seventh in goals against average among starters.
The Western League is littered with undrafted free agent signings among its top scorers. The Moose Jaw Warriors’ Brayden Burke has joined that group, having just signed with the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. Burke, 21, is tied for second in league scoring with 113 points in just 61 games, a pace of nearly two points per game this season. Burke is undersized at 5’10”, 165 lbs., but has done well for himself in the WHL, which is traditionally a heavier league, and will soon turn his sights on the pros. Also in the top ten in scoring are another Penguin, Jordy Bellerive, and the Colorado Avalanche’s Ty Lewis. Both forwards signed prior to the season and have each taken a big step in 2017-18, currently tied for eighth with 89 points. Bellerive, who is only 18, jumped on the opportunity to sign with the defending Cup champs after being passed over in the draft, and the Lethbridge Hurricanes center is now making the Penguins just as excited about the deal. Lewis, 20, has stepped into the top scorer role for the Brandon Wheat Kings left behind by Nolan Patrick and has excelled. Cameron Hebig of the Regina Pats is next in line with 88 points on the year, after signing with the Edmonton Oilers. The WHL also features an impressive undrafted goalie of their own in Cole Kehler, a 20-year-old for the Portland Winterhawks who inked a deal with the Los Angeles Kings in December as well. Kehler has a big frame and a quick glove, which has helped him maintain the best goals against average and fourth-best save percentage among goalies with at least 40 appearances this year.
While the Quebec League doesn’t count as many exciting undrafted prospects among its best, it does feature two consistent torrid scorers who, until recently, had been ignored due to their small stature. Alex Barre-Boulet joined the pro-bound on March 1st, when the Tampa Bay Lightning signed him to an entry-level deal. Barre-Boulet, 20, may stand only 5’10”, 165 lbs., but he is enjoying his third-straight 80+ point campaign. In fact, he is far beyond that in 2017-18, with a league leading 109 points that dwarfs the next-best scorer by 15 points. The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada star has at least earned a shot at the NHL. So too has Maxime Fourtier, the Halifax Mooseheads captain who has at least 70 points the past three years. Fourtier is slightly bigger that Barre-Boulet and has clearly focused on rounding out his game this season, after signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets in November.
The 2017-18 season shows that the draft is not the end of the line. These standouts make up only a fraction of the talented undrafted players skating in the CHL, some of whom are soon to be signed, and an even smaller fraction of undrafted players across the globe. Talent is always there to discover, even if it doesn’t fully manifest by the age of 18, and these players are proof. Expect to see many of them at the NHL level some time in the not-to-distant future.
Anaheim Ducks Sign Maxime Comtois To Entry-Level Deal
The Anaheim Ducks knew they had a steal in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft when they selected Maxime Comtois. Now they’re preparing to show the rest of the league exactly what they passed up on. Ducks beat writer Eric Stephens reports this evening that Anaheim has inked Comtois to a three-year entry-level contract.
If Comtois challenged for and won an NHL job next season, it would come as no surprise. When scouts originally started breaking down the 2017 draft class, the earliest projections all had Comtois as a surefire first-round pick. A big, physical forward and powerful skater who plays a complete 200-foot game, the Quebec native looked to be a bona fide future NHLer. In his first junior season in the QMJHL in 2015-16, Comtois was nearly a point-per-game player as a 16-year-old for the Victoriaville Tigres. Scouting reports raved about his quickness, especially at 6’2″, 200+ lbs., passing, poise, and natural instincts. However, some of that excitement wore off in 2016-17, his draft year, as his production dropped off from 60 points in 62 games the season prior to 51 points in 64 games and questions were raised about the ceiling of his offensive game. Yet, the the Ducks needed a high-upside pick at #50 after trading away their first-rounder for Patrick Eaves at the deadline. Despite some doubts over Comtois’ future ability at the top level, Anaheim made their selection and, in 2017-18, Comtois has proven them right. The left wing power forward has looked more like he did two years ago, having already racked up 73 points in 49 games and showing a previously unseen goal-scoring touch with 39 tallies. Perhaps most impressively, Comtois has continued his solid two-way game as well and sports a whopping +35 rating on the year.
Alongside U.S. Olympian Troy Terry of the NCAA, 2016 first-rounders Sam Steel of the WHL and Max Jones of the OHL, and his good friend and fellow 2017 second-rounder Antoine Morand, also in the QMJHL, Comtois is part of a deep, talented, and eclectic group of promising forward prospects in Anaheim. While not all are expected to push for a big league job next season, Comtois surely won’t be alone in fighting for one of the few open spots on the roster. Luckily for the Ducks, too many strong prospects at the same position is a problem any team would like to have.