HFNHL: CBJ 2020 Draft Recap

Ohio Jones

Game on...
Feb 28, 2002
8,257
201
Great White North
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.
 

DrSense

Registered User
Oct 4, 2017
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Askarov for Schneider and Lapierre will be a fun trade to look back on in 5 years or so. Great draft, and moves Douglas. This is why attending the draft is so important, versus submitting a list. I made several small trades as well to still get my guy, and a few more picks to boot. I'm sure all of these moves and the end pick results were not something you predicted heading into the draft, even if you had a scenario or two played out to trade back. Lapierre was good value too.

But overall, really struck by the old school nature of your cohort. Schneider, O'Rourke, Neighbours and Cuylle bring some talent and skill, but stand out for their truculence. That is a nasty crew that will make for a helluva rookie camp. Other than that, Berard was a player I considered as early as the 2nd round. Late birthday, super talented, great motor, feisty. If the talent is high enough, could easily slide into a top 6 spot down the road. I also liked Cotton.

Great draft with at probably 4 solid full-time NHL players coming out of it, I bet, which is traditionally twice as many as the average draft.
 
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Hossa

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Feb 27, 2002
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Very good draft, Doug.

Of your early picks, Lapierre is the most interesting, for obvious reasons. I thought he was absolutely sublime at the Hlinka, one of the few times a player's hockey sense seemed to actually stand out to the naked eye. I passed on him at 24 because I didn't have the numbers of picks you did to spread around the risk, but if the medical side works out, he could be very good.

As for the rest, Berard was top of my list for Day 2, so well done there. If you want to flip him for Peterson, give me a call. I'm not sure I agree with Nick that he's "super talented" - watching him, I didn't quite see that, although I wanted to - but he definitely maxes out what he has, thinks the game well and I think could work his way up the line-up once he reaches the NHL as well.
 

Ohio Jones

Game on...
Feb 28, 2002
8,257
201
Great White North
Thanks, boys - it certainly wasn’t what I expected - and why I kinda wish rounds 4-7 were live, too!

I’ve always valued physical play and presence, so it does feel a bit like a Brian Burke draft, for good or ill. One difference is that other than Neighbours, everybody is at least an above-average skater. The other is that, as you say, salted in amongst the truculence are guys like Berard and Novak who likely wouldn’t have been drafted a decade ago.

If I get four players out of it, I’ll be in good shape - but I admit I hope it’s closer to six, given how top-heavy the draft was. Plus, I have years of draft irrelevance this decade to make up for!

(And Sean - Peterson was high on my day 2 list as well, he’ll go earlier in the NHL. I’ll gladly take him off your hands...)
 

DrSense

Registered User
Oct 4, 2017
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Very good draft, Doug.

As for the rest, Berard was top of my list for Day 2, so well done there. If you want to flip him for Peterson, give me a call. I'm not sure I agree with Nick that he's "super talented" - watching him, I didn't quite see that, although I wanted to - but he definitely maxes out what he has, thinks the game well and I think could work his way up the line-up once he reaches the NHL as well.

Yeah, I've always been struck by the Brisson v Berard comparison. Berard actually produced more ppg in the USHL than Brisson (albeit a smaller sample size) and he is 11 months younger. Only a hair smaller too. I think when you factor in age, I'd have a hard time taking Brisson ahead of Berard if I weren't paying attention to the crowd think. Only the consensus ranking would give me pause.
 

Hossa

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Feb 27, 2002
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Yeah, I've always been struck by the Brisson v Berard comparison. Berard actually produced more ppg in the USHL than Brisson (albeit a smaller sample size) and he is 11 months younger. Only a hair smaller too. I think when you factor in age, I'd have a hard time taking Brisson ahead of Berard if I weren't paying attention to the crowd think. Only the consensus ranking would give me pause.

Interesting, that's not a comparison I had made, as I tend to find it hard to compare small sample size NTDP production against full season USHL production. But Berard's 18 points in 13 games was remarkable, even if that's only 13 games, and it's not that far off the points per game of Zegras and Caufield the year before, albeit in more games but also on that powerhouse team. So I get what you're saying on the USHL.

On the other hand, watching Brisson and Berard internationally, there seemed like quite a separation between the two. I wasn't sold on Brisson as a first rounder until watching the World Junior A Challenge, where he seemed to thrive in a looser system than with Chicago. By contrast, Berard at the Five Nations looked good, but more like an energy player providing secondary offence than a real driver. Rather, it would have been Bordeleau I probably would have compared against Brisson.

Anyway, sorry Doug for hijacking. Berard is small, Berard can score, go Berard.
 

Ohio Jones

Game on...
Feb 28, 2002
8,257
201
Great White North
Haha! All good. Hoping with added maturity and strength he can be a more potent contributor, but I certainly had Brisson and Bordeleau (among others) ahead of him.

He makes me think of Francis, actually, as mighty-mites with decent but not world-beating skills who usually all to NHL teams in the latter rounds. Wherever he lands (which could be nowhere), I hope he's taking advantage of this time to get stronger.
 

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