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Colorado Avalanche Select Bowen Byram Fourth Overall

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After Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko went first and second respectively, as many anticipated, the Chicago Blackhawks made the first surprise pick of the draft with WHL center Kirby Dach. That left Bowen Byram, the top defenseman in the class and considered by many to be the third-best prospect as well, on the board for the Colorado Avalanche. Joe Sakic and company jumped on the opportunity, selecting Byram and further strengthening an elite young defense corps.

Byram is the consensus top defenseman in this draft class, and by a wide margin. Byram wasn’t just one of the best defensemen in junior hockey, he was one of the best players overall. The centerpiece of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, Byram established himself as one of the most offensively gifted defensive prospects in recent memory. In 71 games, Byram totaled 26 goals and 71 points in 67 games. He then added 26 more points in 22 playoff games, becoming the first defenseman to ever lead the WHL in postseason scoring.

While Byram still has room to grow defensively, he is certainly a competent defensive player and sees the ice extremely well for a blue liner his age. Byram also possess more than enough skating ability to move the puck out of danger and can find space in all three zones. Byram is truly a high-end puck-mover with great offensive instincts and a powerful shot that he can use to create chances all by himself. Byram should push for an NHL role right away, but it also wouldn’t hurt for him to spend some more time at the junior level. With just a little time and patience, Byram could easily become a top-pair defenseman, power play quarterback, and one of the highest scorers at his position in the NHL. The same could be said for fellow Avs prospect Cale Makar, who could wind up on a dominant pair with Byram sooner rather than later. With Conor Timmins and Samuel Girard also in the fold in Denver, the Avalance blue line has a bright future.

Snapshots: Blue Jackets, Sharks, Avalanche

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GM Jarmo Kekalainen and the Blue Jackets knew what they were getting into when they held on to top impending free agents Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovksy, despite substantial hints that both planned to depart, and then went out and added another valued UFA in Matt Duchene at the NHL Trade Deadline. Columbus went all in, and while they didn’t win or even reach the Stanley Cup, they did succeed in winning the franchise’s first ever playoff round. Now, as they get set to potentially watch several star player walk away as free agents, Kekalainen and company are going to either squeeze every last drop out of those UFA’s or at least won’t make it any easier for them to jump to rival teams. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Blue Jackets have declined to give Panarin and Bobrovksy permission to talk to other teams about a sign-and-trade possibility. They have also kept the price of acquiring their negotiating rights high; LeBrun speculates the team is asking for a second-round pick. As the June 23rd UFA negotiation period approaches, and not long after it the start of free agency on July 1st, it seems Panarin and Bobrovsky are likely to remain Blue Jackets until the very last minute, unless a team ponies up. As for Duchene, the Blue Jackets remain interested in re-signing him, so similar rumors haven’t started yet, but don’t expect the deadline addition to be treated any differently if it comes to that.

  • Columbus has likely lost hope of re-signing their top free agents, but San Jose is still holding out when it comes to Erik Karlsson. Karlsson is set to be the top defenseman on the market, but the Sharks would like him to skip that opportunity in favor of remaining with the team. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz writes that the two sides continue to work on an extension, with terms rumored to be close to the eight-year, $88MM contract signed by Drew Doughty of the rival Los Angeles Kings. Barring a trade in the coming weeks, only San Jose can offer Karlsson that eighth year, which may be even more valuable to the veteran defenseman given his recurring injury issues this season. Kurz agrees that the market may have cooled for Karlsson, so a long-term offer from the Sharks will very likely be the best deal he gets. This makes his decision less about salary and more about whether San Jose is where Karlsson wants to potentially spend the rest of his career.
  • Misinformation is very common in draft and free agency season, so it should come as little surprise that one Denver source says the Avalanche are interested in drafting defenseman Bowen Byram just days after another said they weren’t. Byram is undoubtedly the best defenseman in the draft class, so no team with the chance to draft him is going to totally ignore him. The WHL product could go as early as No. 3 to the Chicago Blackhawks, but likely won’t get any farther than No. 6 to the Detroit Red Wings. Colorado falls squarely in the middle there at fourth overall and will surely consider Byram. But if Mike Chambers of The Denver Post is to be believed, the Avs will take the “best player available” route with their first of two first-round picks and would select Byram if he’s there. We won’t know for sure how it all plays out for just over one more week.

Matthew Savoie Signs With Winnipeg Ice

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You may not know the name Matthew Savoie just yet, but you will soon. The 15-year old forward was selected first overall in the 2019 WHL Bantam draft, despite having committed to the University of Denver. The Winnipeg Ice—newly relocated from Kootenay—took a chance on Savoie anyway, and have now convinced him to sign and play in the CHL. Playing in the CHL means Savoie would no longer be eligible for the NCAA, as they consider it a professional league since various players have already signed their NHL entry-level contracts.

Not only was it risky to pick a player with a commitment to such a powerhouse program like DU, but Savoie will only actually be eligible to play in a limited number of games next season given his age. He was turned down by the CHL when applying for exceptional status, but Tyler Yaremchuk reports that the Ice have found a loophole that will at least allow the young forward to play in 34 games. Injury and emergency recalls may even boost that number into the 40-50 game range, if Savoie is lucky.

Savoie won’t be eligible for the NHL draft until 2022, but he’s certainly already on the radar of teams around the league. The 5’9″ 165-lbs forward scored 71 points in 31 games for Norther Alberta X-Treme Prep this season, and added another 12 points in five playoff contests. The young forward has been dominating his age group for years now, and the Ice did everything they could to get him into the program, including trading for his brother Carter Savoie’s WHL rights in March.

It’s hard to see this as anything other than a huge win for Winnipeg, who also signed second-overall pick Conor Geekie a few weeks ago. Getting the top two players in the draft can only serve to help the program as it tries to establish some roots in Winnipeg.

West Notes: Canucks, Wheat Kings, Perry

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The Vancouver Canucks will not be signing Linus Karlsson or Toni Utunen this summer, according to Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet. Both prospects will stay in Europe for at least one more season to continue their development. Karlsson, acquired from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jonathan Dahlen, was a third-round pick last June and spent this season in the Swedish second league, where he put up 18 points in 52 games. Utunen meanwhile played the season in Finland’s top league after being a fifth-round selection by the Canucks last year. Vancouver will retain both their exclusive draft rights.

Dhaliwal also notes that the team may re-sign restricted free agent Reid Boucher, but no decision has been made at this point. Boucher played just a single game with the Canucks last season, but was a force at the minor league level with 62 points in 56 games. The 25-year old is arbitration eligible however, meaning that if the team issues him a qualifying offer he could file and force a potential one-way deal. Boucher has 42 points through 133 NHL games.

  • If you thought your job was complicated, imagine what it must be like for Kelly McCrimmon. The newly promoted Vegas Golden Knights GM is also still the owner of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, and today announced that the team will not be bringing back head coach David Anning. This comes after McCrimmon also relieved Wheat Kings’ GM Grant Armstrong of his duties last month, leaving huge gaps in management for next season. While his junior club is searching for a coach and GM, McCrimmon also has to navigate the upcoming NHL draft in which the Golden Knights hold five picks in the first three rounds.
  • Darren Dreger was on TSN radio today discussing potential buyout candidates, and noted that Corey Perry will have a market around the league if he finds himself an unrestricted free agent suddenly later this month. Perry looks like he will be leaving the Anaheim Ducks one way or another this offseason, and Dreger suggests the Edmonton Oilers as a team that may kick the tires on him as a veteran leader to help Connor McDavid turn things around. Perry currently has two years remaining on his current contract that carries a $8.625MM cap hit, but could be an attractive option at a much lower number if he happens to be bought out.

AHL Notes: Calder Cup Champions, Poturalski, Christoffer

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The Calder Cup Playoffs came to an end last night with a fitting finish to a dominant season for the Charlotte Checkers. The Checkers are your AHL champs this season, as the Carolina Hurricanes’ affiliate took home the title for the first time since moving to Charlotte in 2010, and did so behind a historic effort. Charlotte finished the regular season with an impeccable 51-17-7-1 record, one of the best in league history, accumulating 110 points, eight more than the next-best team in the league. They then stormed through the postseason, losing just four games in four rounds, including a second-round sweep of the perennial powerhouse Hershey Bears and a quick five-game win in the Final over the Chicago Wolves. The Wolves kept it interesting at the end, but the Checkers escaped with a 4-3 win last night to seal the series. Leading the way for Mike Vellucci’s high-flying squad this season were forwards Andrew Poturalski, Morgan Geekie, and Tomas Jurco – the AHL’s top three scorers in the playoffs – as well as Martin Necas, Aleksi Saarela, and Nicolas Roy. On the blue line, Jake Bean and Trevor Carrick had dominant campaigns. In net, Alex Nedeljkovic had the lion’s share of starts, regular season and postseason, and may have proved himself ready for a shot at the NHL, while Dustin Tokarski was stellar in the backup role throughout.

  • Poturalski, in particular, deserves specific accolades and the recognition has already come from the league. Poturalski was named the recipient of the Jack Butterfield Award as the AHL’s postseason MVP. The 25-year-old forward out of the University of New Hampshire recorded 23 points in 18 games, five more than the next in line, which included a dozen goals. It capped off an incredible season in which Poturalski led the Checkers with 70 points on the year, again way ahead of the pack with 16 more points than Saarela in second, and finished fifth in league scoring. Were it not for Daniel Carr, whose 71 points came in just 52 games with the Chicago Wolves, Charlotte’s success and the weight that Poturalski carried to get them there would have made him a likely candidate for regular season MVP as well. Yet, he may get rewarded this off-season nonetheless. Poturalski is a Group 6 unrestricted free agent and set to hit the open market. He saw only two games of NHL action over three seasons in the Hurricanes’ organization and is likely ready to pursue other opportunities elsewhere. There is no doubt that Poturalski, one of the youngest names on the market, will get considerable attention this summer after the season he had.
  • Former Edmonton Oilers prospect Braden Christoffer is headed elsewhere next season as well. The 24-year-old forward once looked like a hidden gem after going undrafted but finishing his junior career off strong in the WHL in 2014-15. The Oilers signed him to a three-year entry-level contract in hopes of big things, but when that contract expired last summer, Christoffer had just 28 AHL points to show for three years of effort. He hung around the organization this season on an AHL contract with the Bakersfield Condors, but failed to improve. As a result, he’s looking to rejuvenate his pro career by moving overseas to a league without much star power. Stjernen of Norway’s Get Ligaen announced that they have inked the young forward to a contract and were excited about the addition. Stjernen’s lone North American player from last season, Peter Lindblad, was their leading scorer, so it makes sense that they would be happy about another import joining the team. A fresh start seems to be exactly what Christoffer needs as well.

Canucks Will Not Move 10th Overall Pick

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If Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning was looking for some final answers on his draft board at the NHL Scouting Combine, he found them. Benning tells The Province’s Ben Kuzma that he will stand pat with his first-round pick as the NHL Entry Draft approaches, neither trading the pick away nor moving up or down the draft order:

Coming out of the combine, I felt even better and excited about the player we’re going to get at No. 10. The kids were excellent in the interviews because they can get into a room with adults and sell themselves on what they can do and what they can get better at. I’m super excited about the pick.

Heading into the NHL Draft Lottery in April, there was hope that the Canucks would finally have some luck with the ping pong balls. There was particular excitement over the possibility that Vancouver could land the No. 1 pick and pair Jack Hughes with brother Quinn Hughes. However, the team again missed out on a top pick, sliding back to the No. 10 slot. This prompted some speculation that perhaps Benning and company would look to move the pick, either in a trade for an established player or as part of a package to move up to try and add a difference-maker earlier in the first round.

As it turns out, Benning feels he doesn’t need to move the pick to land that “exciting” player. At No. 10, the Canucks will certainly miss out on the likes of Hughes, Kaapo Kakko, and Bowen Byram and will likely be unable to grab a player like Alex Turcotte, Dylan Cozens, Kirby Dach, and Cole Caufield. However, in such a deep draft class, that still leaves a number of really promising players with a chance to fall into Vancouver’s lap. USNTDP standout forwards Trevor Zegras and Matthew Boldy, WHL product Peyton Krebs, and Swedish blue liner Philip Broberg should all be available, among others with top-ten talent.

One player who is unlikely to be a target of the Canucks? Russian forward Vasili Podkolzin. Not only was Podkolzin not in attendance at the combine, thus unable to sway Benning’s opinion, but Vancouver is also looking to take a step forward sooner rather than later and the dynamic winger is at least two years out contractually from making his presence felt in the NHL. Fortunately, the team will have plenty of other options at that spot and the GM is content to stay put and take what he can get.

Nashville Predators Hire Dan Lambert

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The Nashville Predators have hired Dan Lambert as an assistant coach, adding him to Peter Laviolette’s group for the 2019-20 season. Lambert spent the last two seasons as head coach of the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL, where he amassed a record of 81-46-13. Predators GM David Poile had this to say about his new coach:

Dan is an experienced, passionate coach and will nicely round out our coaching staff in 2019-20 and beyond. Having enjoyed a lengthy career as a player and now a coach, he has had success at every level running the power play, and we look forward to adding his knowledge and insight in this area to the organization.

Lambert, 49, was named to the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence last month and was set to serve as head coach for the 2019 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. It’s not clear if he’ll still take on that role, but it goes to show just how he is perceived as an up-and-coming coach in the hockey world. Finishing a long professional career in 2009, he jumped right onto the bench of the Kelowna Rockets as an assistant, only to take over as head coach a few years later and win a WHL Championship. He jumped to the NHL after that with the Buffalo Sabres, and took over as head coach of the Rochester Americans of the AHL in 2016-17.

As a player, Lambert put up huge point totals in his career including a 102-point season in the WHL and an 87-point season in the IHL. As a coach with the Rockets, he helped develop NHL defensemen like Damon Severson, Madison Bowey, Josh Morrissey, and Tyson Barrie. That’s the exact type of development he’ll likely be asked to accomplish in Nashville, where the team already has an incredible defense corps but also a player like Dante Fabbro who the organization expects big things of. Lambert is also known as a powerplay specialist, something the Predators have struggled with for some time.

Minor Notes: Woods, Virta, McKenzie

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Even though the Stanley Cup Final and draft preparation is taking up most of the hockey world at the moment, there are things still happening behind the scenes and in the minor leagues. As always, we’ll keep track of the happenings in the AHL and other leagues around the world right here:

  • The Toronto Marlies have signed Riley Woods to a one-year AHL contract, giving the WHL forward a place to play next season. Woods finished his junior career this season with the Spokane Chiefs, recording 75 points in 65 regular season games and being named a second team All-Star. The Maple Leafs have built quite the development system in Toronto, and have now started bringing in late-blooming CHL stars to try and shore up their ranks in the minor leagues.
  • CapFriendly confirmed today that the New York Rangers have also lost the draft rights to Patrik Virta, their seventh-round pick from 2017, because they didn’t sign him by June 1. There was some confusion of Virta due to the fact that he played in the KHL for part of the 2018-19 season—which has no transfer agreement and therefor would have extended the rights indefinitely—but given his transfer to the SHL they have indeed expired. Virta was a top scorer in the Finnish league in 2017-18 but struggled in the KHL and Sweden this season. He is an unrestricted free agent now, and can sign with anyone.
  • Curtis McKenzie received 27 minutes of penalties at the end of game two of the Calder Cup Final, and will now see even more discipline. The Chicago Wolves forward has been suspended for game three after attacking a prone Steven Lortenz with 0.8 seconds left in the game. McKenzie has now amassed 51 penalty minutes in 19 playoff games for the Wolves, after leading them with 112 in the regular season. If that makes you think he’s only out there to fight you’d be wrong, as the former Dallas Stars forward also recorded 54 points in the regular season and has another 14 in the postseason. His loss is a big blow to Chicago after the series was tied 1-1.

Combine Notes: Hughes, Sogaard, Kallionkieli

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Today is the last day of the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo, with fitness testing, final measurements, and media availability for all invitees. An unexpected omission from the fitness testing portion though was none other than presumptive No. 1 overall pick Jack Hughes. Hughes was schedule to undergo the numerous fitness testing programs, but opted out instead. Speaking with the media, including The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington, Hughes simply said that after a long season he didn’t feel the need to further prove himself. The phenom forward just wrapped up a World Championship tournament that came after a full season with the U.S. National Team Development Program and stints at the U-20 and U-18 World Junior Championships. While Hughes has been busy playing hockey this last month, the vast majority of combine participants have instead been preparing for the specific fitness tests. Hughes accurately compared undergoing fitness testing without preparing to taking a test without studying. There is little question as to where Hughes will be selected later this month and thus no upside to his participation today. It also helps his case that Kaapo Kakko, the only player who could push Hughes from the top spot in the draft, skipped the combine entirely to celebrate his World Championship victory with Finland back home.

  • The minor deviations of height and weight recorded at the combine generally don’t make much of difference to NHL teams putting together their draft boards. However, sometimes those numbers are worth noting and one top goalie prospect in particular turned some heads this year. Danish keeper Mads Sogaard of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers received an official height measurement of 6’7 1/2″. As The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler notes, that would make Sogaard the tallest goalie in the NHL if and when he reaches that level. Devan Dubnyk, Ben Bishop, and the like all pale in comparison to Sogaard, who NHL Central Scouting ranked as their No. 2 goalie prospect. Size is a trait all teams value in their net minders, but combine Sogaard’s 99th-percentile height and his substantial talent, and you likely have a second-round pick in the upcoming 2019 NHL Draft. One last fun fact about Sogaard’s measurement: he is officially more than a foot taller than fellow top prospect Cole Caufield; the USNTDP sniper came in at 5’7 1/4″.
  • Forward Marcus Kallionkieli was a popular player for the gathered media today – and likely for teams as well this week – as there are still so few answers about his future. Kallionkieli came over from Finland this season to play in the USHL, in hopes of eventually landing in the NCAA. However, a year has passed and he is still without a college commitment. It certainly is not due to a lack of talent, as Kallionkieli was considered the top uncommitted player in the league this year, but for one reason or another, Kallionkieli lacks an NCAA team to play for next season. As such, Wheeler relays the news straight from Kallionkieli today that his plan for now is to return to the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers next season, which would keep the possibility of following the collegiate route open. So too would a return to Finland, albeit a less helpful choice if he is trying to land a long-term fit stateside. Yet, Kallionkieli also mentioned that he would consider playing in the CHL for whoever selects him in the CHL Import Draft. That decision would put an end to his NCAA hopes, but would be a just as acceptable developmental path. There are likely more details about Kallionkieli’s decisions that are not available to the public, but have been disclosed to teams, as the Finnish forward does not want to come off as being indecisive or malcontent. As for what his performance on the ice says, Kallionkieli was a near point-per-game scorer this season and has great hands and offensive instincts. He continues to be pegged as a third-round pick at worst, despite the mystery surrounding his future.

Willie Desjardins Returns To WHL

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It’s a homecoming for Willie Desjardins today, as the Medicine Hat Tigers announced that he will return as head coach and GM of the WHL franchise. Desjardins coached the Tigers from 2002-10 before taking his first coaching role in the NHL. His most recent NHL opportunity, coaching the Los Angeles Kings down the stretch, did not result in another position with the team after they instead turned to Todd McLellan this offseason.

Despite his stint in Vancouver not going very well, Desjardins is an accomplished coach. The 62-year old has won championships at the WHL and AHL level, along with medals at the World Juniors and Olympics. Unfortunately that didn’t carry over to the NHL, but there is little doubt that he can bring some stability and success back to the Tigers organization.

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