2019 NHL Draft Rankngs by League or Country

[spikelechien]

2019 NHL Draft Rankings by League or Country

Here are my latest rankings with comparisons to the recent NHL Central Scouting Rankings (combined). I am putting them out on a league or country basis. The points are 68 game equivalent points. Below, you will find my comments for some of the players from the QMJHL.

1. The Top Gun – Raphaël Lavoie (17) – RW, R, 6’4, 191 – 77 Pts
` Has the physical tools to be top 10 - finished 3rd overall in the on the on-ice testing at the recent CHL Top Prospects Game. Should be on a 100 point pace but has been hovering just above a point per game due to intensity and consistency issues. Has been paying with Morand and Asselin on the top line of late which is probably a big reason for his recent surge (14 pts in 7 GP). Hopefully, he can keep it up.
2. The Shooter – Nathan Légaré (28) – RW, R, 6’0, 205 – 89 Pts
Learned to be a shooter this year and it is paying off – has the ability to find the right place, put himself in a position to shoot to go with a major league release (38 goals so far, a 47 goal pace). Has man strength and could end up a power forward next year with the right focus as he has top notch board play and is high-end on the cycle. His detractors say he is slow afoot and benefits from playing on one of the Q’s top lines. I say that he is not a speed demon but has plenty of speed to keep up with the play and that it should not prevent him from succeeding at higher levels. As for the top line benefit, he gives as much as he receives so that is all you can ask for. He was 2nd overall in the off-ice testing at the recent CHL Top Prospects Game. A personal favourite of mine.
3. The Mighty Mite – Jakob Pelletier (29) – LW, L, 5,’9, 161 – 96 Pts
Jakob Pelletier is an under-sized competitor at 5’9 but is likely to be successful in the pros due to his compete level as much as anything. He is an agile skater with a high hockey IQ and vision. He is an adept passer and has a good shot and plays a strong defensive game. The only things holding him back from going higher are his size and the belief by some that his top end speed while good may keep him from producing at the same rate at the higher levels.
5. The Enigma - Maxim Cajkovic (48) – RW, R, 5’11, 185 – 54 Pts
Maxim Cajkovic is still an enigma that I have not completely deciphered. Consider the following:
- 2018 U18’s – Top 10 performance (11 pts in 5 GP)
- 2018 Hlinka-Gtetzky – 1st round performance (4 pts in 4 GP)
- 18-19 QMJHL – First 25 Games – Do not draft performance (15 pts in 25 GP while looking invisible most of the time)
- 18-19 QMJHL – Last 22 Games – Potential 2nd rounder with a point per game performance
However there are still question marks as his results have started to drop off again in February. A strong U18 would help to resolve the remaining question marks.
6. The Big Man – Samuel Bolduc (50) – D, L, 6’4, 210 – 35 Pts
Samuel Bolduc has the esses down - size, skating, stick. He is the go to defender for the Armada and plays the shutdown role with his calm demeanor. He is also starting to put a few points on the board – Had only 12 in his first 35 GP but 13 in his last 16 GP. He was 1st in the off-ice testing and in the backward skate at the CHL Top Prospects Game. He needs to work a little on upping his physicality to round out his game.
11. The QB - Spence, Jordan (88) – D, R, 5’10, 164 – 52 Pts
Jordan Spence has most of the things you are looking for in defenseman other than size. He is Moncton’s power play QB with his hockey sense, vision and playmaking ability. He is already the highest-scoring rookie defenceman in the history of the Wildcats. Not only is top on offense but he is the go to guy in every situation for the Wildcats.
18. The Last Man – Mathieu Bizier (160) – LW, L, 6’1, 184 – 40 Pts
Mathieu Bizier is the last prospect that I added to my rankings. He has produced decent offense since being trading to Gatineau (19 Pts in 20GP) after putting up just 12 points in 33 GP with Rimouski. The Gatineau Coaching Staff are big on Bizier as he brings leadership, consistency and defense as well as much needed offense to a team that could use, well, everything. If he keeps up the current pace, expect him to move up substantially.

						QMJHL
#		E-Mac		NHL		Name		Pts		Pos	S	Ht	Wt		Team		OA
1	-	17	-	17	-	Lavoie, Raphael	-	77	-	RW	R	6'4	191	-	Halifax	-
2	-	28	-	98	-	Legare, Nathan	-	89	-	RW	R	6'0	205	-	Baie-Comeau	-
3	-	29	-	28	-	Pelletier, Jakob	-	96	-	LW	L	5'9	161	-	Moncton	-
4	-	32	-	38	-	Poulin, Samuel	-	72	-	LW	L	6'1	206	-	Sherbrooke	-
5	-	48	-	90	-	Cajkovic, Maxim	-	54	-	RW	R	5'11	185	-	Saint John	-
6	-	50	-	136	-	Bolduc, Samuel	-	35	-	D	L	6'4	210	-	Blainville-Boisbriand	-
7	-	58	-	59	-	Knyazev, Artemi	-	37	-	D	L	5'11	176	-	Chicoutimi	-
8	-	65	-	91	-	Nussbaumer, Valentin	-	48	-	C	L	5'11	167	-	Shawinigan	-
9	-	74	-	66	-	Alexandrov, Nikita	-	69	-	C	L	6'0	179	-	Charottetown	-
10	-	80	-	81	-	Ellis, Colten	-	0.916	-	G	L	6'1	185	-	Rimouski	-
11	-	88	-	107	-	Spence, Jordan	-	52	-	D	R	5'10	164	-	Moncton	-
12	-	90	-	114	-	Serdyuk, Yegor	-	69	-	RW	L	5'10	158	-	Victoriaville	-
13	-	93	-	87	-	Abramov, Mikhail	-	57	-	RW	L	5'11	154	-	Victoriaville	-
14	-	104	-	105	-	Beaucage, Alex	-	82	-	RW	R	6'1	193	-	Rouyn-Noranda	-
15	-	147	-	NR	-	Bergeron, Justin	-	61	-	D	L	6'1	181	-	Rouyn-Noranda	-	OA 1
16	-	153	-	106	-	Guenette, Maxence	-	27	-	D	R	6'1	181	-	Val d'Or	-
17	-	165	-	170	-	Likhachyov, Yaroslav	-	28	-	RW	R	5'10	168	-	Gatineau	-
18	-	160	-	245	-	Bizier, Mathieu	-	40	-	C	L	6'1	184	-	Gatineau	-
19	-	168	-	156	-	Jentzsch, Taro	-	55	-	C	R	6'2	154	-	Sherbrooke	-
20	-	180	-	168	-	Budgell, Brett	-	41	-	LW	L	5'11	190	-	Charottetown	-
21	-	189	-	174	-	Barinka, Marcel	-	26	-	RW	R	6'0	166	-	Halifax	-
22	-	190	-	NR	-	Merisier-Ortiz, Christopher	-	39	-	D	L	5'11	165	-	Baie-Comeau	-
23	-	198	-	301	-	Baker, Jarrett	-	24	-	D	L	6'0	181	-	Drummondville	-
24	-	203	-	NR	-	McKenna, Jeremy	-	98	-	RW	R	5'10	192	-	Moncton	-	OA 2
	-	NR	-	205	-	Parent, Xavier	-	36	-	C	L	5'8	171	-	Halifax	-

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[spikelechien]

2019 – The Year of the Dub
2019 should be considered as the Year of the Dub in the NHL draft. I have seven WHLers in the first round and there could be even more. Kaden Korczak (35), Lasse Thomson (39) and Mats Sogaard (45) should not be counted out. Here are my comments on the Dub’s First Rounders.

1. The First Line Centre - Dach, Kirby (3) – C, R, 6’4, 199 – 80 Pts
Kirby Dach is a high-end skilled centre who can also play right wing. He has elite passing, stickhandling and shooting skills as well as being a good skater. His vision and creativity are the difference makers to his game. He has the skills to be a first line centre on a good team. My major gripe about Kirby Dach is that he doesn’t shoot more often as he has a great shot with a terrific release. Kirby came off an 11 game span in December where he registered only one assist but he still got lots of opportunities during that stretch so he was able to get past it. The fact that Kirby is a team player first who helps make his teammates better and contributes on defense did not go unnoticed during his dry run. As for Dach versus Cozens, in the two recent matchups, it was Dach all the way.

2. The Franchise D-Man - Byram, Bowen (6) – D, L, 6’1, 194 – 72 Pts
At the beginning of the year I was worried that Bowen Byram while good, may not be able to produce the high-end offense expected of the first d-man to be taken in the draft. Well, worry no more, Bowen Byram has passed the offense test with flying colours. With 24 goals, he is only three behind his team leader, Milos Roman, while leading the team in plus minus with a +31. Bowen is the only sure-fire high end franchise defenseman in this year’s draft. His combination of skating, shooting, stickhandling and passing are exactly what teams are looking for so he may go even higher than the 6th position that I have him at. Then you add some usually unheard of attributes for a defenseman such as elusiveness and creativity and you start to see why six may be considered low. OK, now add a Duncan Keith like edge with good defense and you are still just starting to paint the picture of how good Byram Bowen can be. To add a final touch, yes, he has the work ethic and approach to the game that says he will only get better.

3. The Big Man Centre - Cozens, Dylan (7) – C, R, 6’3, 181 – 84 Pts
It is extremely hard to find a big man centre; it is even harder to find a big man centre with good defense and it is almost impossible to find a big man centre with good defense who is also a good skater (first in one ice skills competition at the CHL Top Prospects Game). That is why I have Dylan Cozens as a high-end centre. The best spot for a player like Cozens would be the shutdown number two centre behind a high-end offensive number one centre such as Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado or Matt Barzai for the Islanders – teams set up like that could likely go a long ways in the playoffs for a decade or more.

4. The Mystery Man - Krebs, Peyton (9) – C, L, 5’11, 180 – 76 Pts
The Captain of the Kootenay Ice must feel very alone at times as he is the leading scorer on a very bad team by 17 points. In addition, he is on a team that is waiting for a the proverbial one-way bus ticket out of town as the team is moving from Cranbrook to Winnipeg next season. However, whenever Krebs has played with other high-end prospects he has excelled e.g. Gretzky-Hlinka and the CHL Top Prospects Game. So his likely appearance at this year;’s U18s is likely to be pivotal in finally slotting him. He is in the mix with the other centres not named Hughes to be the next centre taken in the draft e.g. Dach and Cozens from the WHL and Turcotteand Zegras from the USA U18 Team. The things that make Peyton Krebs special are things that coaches are looking for in todays NHL – Smarts (vision, hockey IQ or whatever you want to call it), the hard work to strive for continuous improvement and leadership. Add to that his physical skills (passing, skating, stickhandling, shot), his two way abilities (forecheck, boards, backcheck, PK), his compete level, his ability to perform under pressure, his ability to run a power play and you start to see why he will likely go in the Top 10. However, it is not just me that will be watching the U18s intently to nail down just how high-end Kreb’s offense can be. Good luck Peyton.

5. The Next Mark Stone - Leason, Brett (10) – RW, R, 6’4, 200 – 114 Pts
My Christmas present this year was ice level seats to see one of my favourite players, Mark Stone, play one of the all time greats. Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin was good, Stone was better but Washington won anyways. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I am a huge fan of Brett Leason, a player with the potential of being the next Mark Stone. He has most of the qualities you find in Mark Stone – Leadership (Captain of Prince Albert), puck turnovers and retrieval, compete, hockey sense plus the physical skills to produce high-end offense – Size, shot, stickhandling and passing. Like Mark Stone earlier in his career, the knock on Brett Leason has been his skating. However, like Mark Stone, Brett has worked hard to improve his skating prowess. At the CHL Top Prospects Game, the prospects were subjected to on ice testing including skating. So how did Brett Leason do? Well, looking below at the results, I would say more than just a pass was in order.
- Overall on ice – testing – 2nd behind only Dylan Cozens
- Forward skating without the puck – 1st
- Forward skating with the puck – 2nd behind only Connor McMichael
- Weave agility without the puck – 1st
- Weave agility with the puck – 1st
For the record, I lost any hesitation in picking Brett Leason so high after the U20s as he was one of the better forwards in the tournament. In fact, I would go as far as saying that Canada might have won the Tournament if Brett Leason was given more prominence, particularly on the power play.

6. Mr. Big Mobile D - Robertson, Matthew (29) – D, L, 6’3, 201 – 39 Pts
Matthew Robertson is the big mobile minute eater in high demand for today’s NHL game. He is big, strong, agile with a long reach and the willingness to deliver the big hit. He plays an excellent two way game and delivers an first-rate breakout pass. He was excellent in the Gretzky-Hlinka and you thought he might even challenge Bowen Byram for number one d-man at that time. He also started the season strong with 21 points in his first 30 games. However, he has really tailed off since the Christmas break with only 6 points in his last 17 games. Nevertheless, he is simply too good with too many assets not to go in the 1st round.

7. The Power Forward with Awesome Bloodlines - Foote, Nolan (31) – LW, L, 6’4, 190 – 64 Pts
Nolan Foote is a big power forward with awesome bloodlines. His father, Adam Foote, was taken 22nd overall in 1989 spending 19 seasons in the NHL where he won two Stanley Cups. Nolan’s Dad is also Nolan’s current coach in Kelowna. His brother, Cal Foote, was taken 14th overall by Tampa Bay (also from Kelowna) in 2017 and is currently in the AHL in his first season of professional hockey. The reasons that Nolan Foote is likely to be a first rounder include his size, shot, stickhandling, forecheck, willingness to work the dirties and puck possession – a power forward in the making. The major knock against Nolan is that he is only an average skater at this time.

						WHL
#		E-Mac		NHL		Name		18-19		Pos	S	Ht	Wt		Team		OA
1	-	3	-	3	-	Dach, Kirby	-	80	-	C	R	6'4	199	-	Saskatoon	-	-
2	-	6	-	6	-	Byram, Bowen	-	72	-	D	L	6'1	194	-	Vancouver	-	-
3	-	7	-	5	-	Cozens, Dylan	-	84	-	C	R	6'3	181	-	Lethbridge	-	-
4	-	9	-	11	-	Krebs, Peyton	-	76	-	C	L	5'11	180	-	Kootenay	-	-
5	-	10	-	22	-	Leason, Brett	-	114	-	RW	R	6'4	200	-	Prince Albert	-	OA 2
6	-	29	-	25	-	Robertson, Matthew	-	39	-	D	L	6'3	201	-	Edmonton	-	-
7	-	31	-	36	-	Foote, Nolan	-	64	-	LW	L	6'4	190	-	Kelowna	-	-
8	-	35	-	44	-	Korczak, Kaedan	-	29	-	D	R	6'3	192	-	Kelowna	-	-
9	-	39	-	18	-	Thomson, Lassi	-	45	-	D	R	6'0	188	-	Kelowna	-	-
10	-	45	-	43	-	Sogaard, Mads	-	0.925	-	G	L	6'7	192	-	Medicine Hat	-	-
11	-	49	-	113	-	Tracey, Brayden	-	84	-	LW	L	6'0	177	-	Moose Jaw	-	-
12	-	68	-	102	-	Williams, Josh	-	36	-	RW	R	6'1	194	-	Edmonton	-	-
13	-	69	-	356	-	Hamaliuk, Dillon	-	57	-	LW	L	6'3	190	-	Seattle	-	-
14	-	75	-	188	-	Wolf, Dustin	-	0.935	-	G	L	6'0	156	-	Everett	-	-
15	-	85	-	122	-	Lee, Jake	-	27	-	D	L	6'2	216	-	Seattle	-	-
17	-	100	-	74	-	Miner, Trent	-	0.925	-	G	L	6'1	192	-	Vancouver	-	-
16	-	101	-	65	-	Beckman, Adam	-	57	-	C	L	6'1	168	-	Spokane	-	-
18	-	110	-	133	-	Fairbrother, Gianni	-	41	-	D	L	6'0	194	-	Everett	-	-
19	-	111	-	110	-	Schmiemann, Quinn	-	31	-	D	L	6'2	185		Kamloops	-	-
20	-	119	-	55	-	Zaitsev, Oleg	-	43	-	C	L	6'1	186	-	Red Deer	-	-
21	-	130	-	126	-	Mutala, Sasha	-	41	-	RW	R	6'1	195	-	Tri-City	-	-
22	-	131	-	NR	-	Pachal, Brayden	-	49	-	D	R	6'1	193	-	Prince Albert	-	OA 2
23	-	134	-	101	-	Newkirk, Reece	-	57	-	C	L	5'11	172	-	Portland	-	-
24	-	135	-	128	-	Toporowski, Luke	-	51	-	LW	L	5'11	179	-	Spokane	-	-
25	-	141	-	67	-	Gauthier, Taylor	-	0.899	-	G	R	6'1	193	-	Prince George	-	-
26	-	143	-	144	-	Anders, Ethan	-	0.911	-	G	L	6'1	172	-	Red Deer	-	-
27	-	150	-	209	-	Rybinski, Henry	-	63	-	LW	L	6'1	176	-	Seattle	-	-
28	-	165	-	121	-	Basran, Roman	-	0.905	-	G	L	6'2	195	-	Kelowna	-	-
29	-	171	-	119	-	Protas, Alexei	-	45	-	C	L	6'5	205	-	Prince Albert	-	-
30	-	197	-	343	-	Barlage, Logan	-	37	-	C	L	6'4	202	-	Lethbridge	-	-
31	-	208	-	237	-	van de Leest, Jackson	-	22	-	D	L	6'6	222	-	Calgary	-	-
32	-	209	-	198	-	Burzan, Luka	-	77	-	C	L	6'0	184	-	Brandon	-	OA 1
33	-	212	-	256	-	Kemp, Brett	-	57	-	C	R	6'1	162	-	Edmonton	-	OA 1
34	-	213	-	248	-	Alistrov, Vladimir	-	43	-	LW	L	6'2	175	-	Edmonton	-	-
35	-	217	-	266	-	Lang, Martin	-	37	-	F	R	5'11	163	-	Kamloops	-	-
	-	NR	-	208	-	Brown, Mitchell	-	17	-	D	R	6'3	205	-	Tri-City	-	-
	-	NR	-	217	-	Hrabik, Krystof	-	54	-	C	L	6'4	218	-	Tri-City	-	OA 1

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