Ohio Jones
Game on...
DAY 1:
Columbus went into the draft with the 6th overall selection, having moved down one in the lottery. Lots of potential impact players available. And yet... we really wanted a top blueliner, and Detroit had just traded down from 2 to 4 so he could take Drysdale, which left Sanderson. Pre-draft rumblings suggested Sanderson had a shot to still be on the board at 10, so we traded 6 and 88 for 10, 41 and 69. (Other strong offers on the table included Cole Caulfield + Victor Mete from Montreal, and Owen Tippet + Nic Hague from Vegas, among others.)
No dice: the top 8 prospects going more or less in order, St Louis grabbed Sanderson rather than Askarov. Our gamble trading down hadn’t paid off, so we needed to focus on generating value to recoup the loss of an impact player. So - more trades! We swapped 10 for 11 with Calgary, gaining a few slots in the second round so he could grab Seth Jarvis.
At 11, we just weren’t prepared to invest in Askarov despite his high potential, partly because of the extreme volatility of goaltenders, but also concerns about his glove hand. Once again with multiple trades to consider, we jumped at Philly’s offer, sending them 11 for 20 and 26...
20th: RD Braden Schneider, Brandon
Schneider defends at a high level, bringing above-average mobility and toughness. Won’t see a lot of PP time, and some question whether his effectiveness comes from his physical maturity, but we see a right-handed Jake Muzzin who can be a defensive lynchpin and minute-eater in a top-4 role.
26th: C Hendrix Lapierre, Chicoutimi
Great name! Getting two picks from Philly gave us the flexibility to swing for the fences with this selection. Injury concerns make Lapierre a real draft wildcard after he lost most of the season to concussions - the most recent of which was re-diagnosed as a neck injury. If healthy (and that’s a big if), he has the talent and tools to be an impact two-way playmaking center - and COVID means he hasn’t missed as much development time.
At this point, seeing who was still on the board, we sent 41 and 109 to Minny for 30, which we used on...
30th: RD Ryan O’Rourke, Sault Ste Marie
Needs to mature into his lanky frame and add a little more speed, but has a solid combination of defensive acumen, nastiness, hustle and leadership, even at a young age - and more offensive spark than he’s given credit for. A long-term project, but with the drive and maturity he’s already shown as the Greyhounds’ young captain I wouldn’t bet against him carving out an NHL career.
42nd: LW Jake Neighbours, Edmonton
One of my favourite players from the early years of the HFNHL was Steve Konowalchuk. Complementary scorer, physical presence, two-way play, leadership... loved the guy. That’s who I see looking at Neighbours. Too much skill to call him a “lunch pail” guy, but that’s the approach he takes to the game. He’ll be a favourite wherever he plays.
44th: C Vasiliy Ponomarev, Shawinigan
Lots of different opinions on Pony. Skill aplenty combined with 200 foot hustle, but the production was underwhelming which led some observers to question his effort. We think the chance of getting a top-6 guy with good instincts in all zones is worth the gamble, but if he doesn’t stick in a top 6 role after his ELC, he’ll likely be KHL-bound.
67th: LW Pavel Novak, Kelowna
Blessed with good hockey sense, Novak understands the game, and can score and create. In the third round, that’s enough to get you consideration. Now the bad: scouts disagree on some of the basics, from his skating to his physicality to his play away from the puck and in traffic. Let’s hope some NHL team sees what we see: a middle-six blazer who creates and capitalizes on turnovers...
69th: LW Will Cuylle, Windsor
Classic power winger is a throwback to another Blue Jackets draft pick from the O: James Neal. He has size and isn’t afraid to use it, and he has a monster of a shot with power and accuracy. Works hard to separate opponents from the puck, and from their teeth. A late first/early second rounder a decade ago. Now? We’ll see if there’s a place in the game for a power winger who lacks a top gear.
DAY 2:
After fielding and making several offers to package picks to up, or get picks to move down, we settled on sending Tampa picks 160, 178 and 217 for pick 124. This had the advantage of shortening the list we had to prepare!
98th: RW Brett Berard, US NDTP
Game-breaking talent and skating, plays an attacking style and without the puck, showing good game awareness and anticipating plays. Forces turnovers and then converts them into chances. But he is smaller than small, so he will be the acid test to see if the “new NHL” really does have room for players like him to succeed. Boom/bust.
124th: RD Alex Cotton, Lethbridge
Always tricky to know how second-year eligible guys will be viewed. He came on strong this season, leading all Dub blueliners in scoring, but how much of that was his added strength, experience and maturity? He still needs work on his backwards skating and pivots - a fixable issue, but one that could curtail his pro potential if not addressed quickly.
130th: RD Luke Prokop, Calgary
Gifted with impressive size and mobility, but doesn’t take advantage of his physical edge as much as you’d like, and needs to work on his decision making with and without the puck. While he saw a big uptick in production in his draft year, he will strictly be a shutdown defender at higher levels. Long term project has bottom-pairing and PK upside.
So, a busy few days and a top-heavy draft that somehow netted four right-handed defensemen. Some safe picks, some real gambles, but if Lapierre pans out it will go a long way towards making the draft a success.
Columbus went into the draft with the 6th overall selection, having moved down one in the lottery. Lots of potential impact players available. And yet... we really wanted a top blueliner, and Detroit had just traded down from 2 to 4 so he could take Drysdale, which left Sanderson. Pre-draft rumblings suggested Sanderson had a shot to still be on the board at 10, so we traded 6 and 88 for 10, 41 and 69. (Other strong offers on the table included Cole Caulfield + Victor Mete from Montreal, and Owen Tippet + Nic Hague from Vegas, among others.)
No dice: the top 8 prospects going more or less in order, St Louis grabbed Sanderson rather than Askarov. Our gamble trading down hadn’t paid off, so we needed to focus on generating value to recoup the loss of an impact player. So - more trades! We swapped 10 for 11 with Calgary, gaining a few slots in the second round so he could grab Seth Jarvis.
At 11, we just weren’t prepared to invest in Askarov despite his high potential, partly because of the extreme volatility of goaltenders, but also concerns about his glove hand. Once again with multiple trades to consider, we jumped at Philly’s offer, sending them 11 for 20 and 26...
20th: RD Braden Schneider, Brandon
Schneider defends at a high level, bringing above-average mobility and toughness. Won’t see a lot of PP time, and some question whether his effectiveness comes from his physical maturity, but we see a right-handed Jake Muzzin who can be a defensive lynchpin and minute-eater in a top-4 role.
26th: C Hendrix Lapierre, Chicoutimi
Great name! Getting two picks from Philly gave us the flexibility to swing for the fences with this selection. Injury concerns make Lapierre a real draft wildcard after he lost most of the season to concussions - the most recent of which was re-diagnosed as a neck injury. If healthy (and that’s a big if), he has the talent and tools to be an impact two-way playmaking center - and COVID means he hasn’t missed as much development time.
At this point, seeing who was still on the board, we sent 41 and 109 to Minny for 30, which we used on...
30th: RD Ryan O’Rourke, Sault Ste Marie
Needs to mature into his lanky frame and add a little more speed, but has a solid combination of defensive acumen, nastiness, hustle and leadership, even at a young age - and more offensive spark than he’s given credit for. A long-term project, but with the drive and maturity he’s already shown as the Greyhounds’ young captain I wouldn’t bet against him carving out an NHL career.
42nd: LW Jake Neighbours, Edmonton
One of my favourite players from the early years of the HFNHL was Steve Konowalchuk. Complementary scorer, physical presence, two-way play, leadership... loved the guy. That’s who I see looking at Neighbours. Too much skill to call him a “lunch pail” guy, but that’s the approach he takes to the game. He’ll be a favourite wherever he plays.
44th: C Vasiliy Ponomarev, Shawinigan
Lots of different opinions on Pony. Skill aplenty combined with 200 foot hustle, but the production was underwhelming which led some observers to question his effort. We think the chance of getting a top-6 guy with good instincts in all zones is worth the gamble, but if he doesn’t stick in a top 6 role after his ELC, he’ll likely be KHL-bound.
67th: LW Pavel Novak, Kelowna
Blessed with good hockey sense, Novak understands the game, and can score and create. In the third round, that’s enough to get you consideration. Now the bad: scouts disagree on some of the basics, from his skating to his physicality to his play away from the puck and in traffic. Let’s hope some NHL team sees what we see: a middle-six blazer who creates and capitalizes on turnovers...
69th: LW Will Cuylle, Windsor
Classic power winger is a throwback to another Blue Jackets draft pick from the O: James Neal. He has size and isn’t afraid to use it, and he has a monster of a shot with power and accuracy. Works hard to separate opponents from the puck, and from their teeth. A late first/early second rounder a decade ago. Now? We’ll see if there’s a place in the game for a power winger who lacks a top gear.
DAY 2:
After fielding and making several offers to package picks to up, or get picks to move down, we settled on sending Tampa picks 160, 178 and 217 for pick 124. This had the advantage of shortening the list we had to prepare!
98th: RW Brett Berard, US NDTP
Game-breaking talent and skating, plays an attacking style and without the puck, showing good game awareness and anticipating plays. Forces turnovers and then converts them into chances. But he is smaller than small, so he will be the acid test to see if the “new NHL” really does have room for players like him to succeed. Boom/bust.
124th: RD Alex Cotton, Lethbridge
Always tricky to know how second-year eligible guys will be viewed. He came on strong this season, leading all Dub blueliners in scoring, but how much of that was his added strength, experience and maturity? He still needs work on his backwards skating and pivots - a fixable issue, but one that could curtail his pro potential if not addressed quickly.
130th: RD Luke Prokop, Calgary
Gifted with impressive size and mobility, but doesn’t take advantage of his physical edge as much as you’d like, and needs to work on his decision making with and without the puck. While he saw a big uptick in production in his draft year, he will strictly be a shutdown defender at higher levels. Long term project has bottom-pairing and PK upside.
So, a busy few days and a top-heavy draft that somehow netted four right-handed defensemen. Some safe picks, some real gambles, but if Lapierre pans out it will go a long way towards making the draft a success.