Lord Stanley
Revoluccion Leader
Day one of the HFNHL draft was fairly busy for Vegas. Leading up to the draft the Golden Knights traded away picks they owned in the first and second round, in a trade for Johnny Gaudreau. After the deal and some others the Golden Knights attempted to get back into the first round and had talks with several teams leading up to the draft and during the draft. In the end we failed to get back into the first round. We did make one trade adding a late third round pick 92nd overall for a 4th (111th) and 5th (135th).
3rd round 66th overall: Sam Colangelo, RW
We were extremely happy to land Colangelo this late in the draft, we had him ranked 36th overall as an early 2nd round pick. We didn’t see a singe ranking with him outside the 2nd round. We think down the line we could have top 6 power winger.
“He can get himself into spots on the ice a lot of other people can’t… Strong on his feet, strong with his hands. Then he can fire a puck. When he gets an opportunity to shoot, he has a good shot. But he’s got to learn to get into those spots a little bit more during the game to utilize that… He also has a bit of an edge, which is good… He’s very strong for his age. He’s heavy on the puck. He can strip guys of pucks, which allows him to create more offense for him.”- Greg Moore, former Chicago Steel head coach
3rd round 81st overall: Eemil Viro, D
We had Viro ranked 57th overall, and were quite pleased to see him still available here. We were impressed with his ability to play a steady game in the top league in Finland at such a young age. Down the road we are hoping for a solid all around middle pairing defender.
“Viro is an average-sized two-way defenseman who doesn’t really have any standout qualities but he’s good at everything. He is a very good skater with edge work and three-step quickness being his biggest strengths in that area. He is also a very smart player who doesn’t usually force plays that aren’t there. He gives very good breakout passes and likes to join the rush. Even though he isn’t a puck-rusher, he can also carry the puck if passing lanes are not available. He can make flashy plays at times but those are not his calling card. Although he is a better player with the puck than without it, Viro is also a pretty good defensive player. He is not big or physical but he utilizes his stick effectively. His positioning still needs improvement but his good hockey sense allows him to improve in that area as well. Like most players his age, he needs to get stronger to win more battles at the pro level.” – Jokke Nevalainen, DobberProspects
3rd round 82nd overall: Roni Hirvonen, C
Similar to Colangelo we were excited to add Hirvonen in the 3rd round, as our final draft rankings had him 40th on our list. Five years ago as GM of the Hurricanes we drafted a similar smaller Finnish forward 86th overall by the name of Sebastian Aho. Hopefully we got another steal in Hirvonen.
“Hirvonen is an aggressive two-way center with quickness and tireless approach towards every shift while keeping his feet moving at all times. There are games where he will keep his foot on the gas from start to finish and maintain the intensity from start to finish. Even on power plays, Hirvonen stays in motion and will alternate sides of the ice. He handles the puck with ease and is agile in all directions, which helps him run the possession of a power play from the right half wall. Hirvonen also plays on the penalty kill and will pressure the points without overcommitting himself.” – Steve Kournianos, The Draft Analyst
3rd round 92nd overall: Jack Finley, C
We had the big centre ranked 81st on our list and decided to go off our board a little bit to take him. We had some higher ranked players left on our board, but as our pick was approaching we did some more digging on Finley and felt the upside was to high to pass on. Who knows what he will eventually be, but we are hoping he hits the ceiling.
“They’re going to get an NHL player for sure.” – Manny Viveiros Head Coach Spokane Chiefs offered up a simple scouting report for whoever picks him.
Considering we had no picks in the first two rounds, we are extremely happy with how things turned out for us with the four 3rd round picks. We still have four picks to make with three in the 5th round and one in the 6th.
3rd round 66th overall: Sam Colangelo, RW
We were extremely happy to land Colangelo this late in the draft, we had him ranked 36th overall as an early 2nd round pick. We didn’t see a singe ranking with him outside the 2nd round. We think down the line we could have top 6 power winger.
“He can get himself into spots on the ice a lot of other people can’t… Strong on his feet, strong with his hands. Then he can fire a puck. When he gets an opportunity to shoot, he has a good shot. But he’s got to learn to get into those spots a little bit more during the game to utilize that… He also has a bit of an edge, which is good… He’s very strong for his age. He’s heavy on the puck. He can strip guys of pucks, which allows him to create more offense for him.”- Greg Moore, former Chicago Steel head coach
3rd round 81st overall: Eemil Viro, D
We had Viro ranked 57th overall, and were quite pleased to see him still available here. We were impressed with his ability to play a steady game in the top league in Finland at such a young age. Down the road we are hoping for a solid all around middle pairing defender.
“Viro is an average-sized two-way defenseman who doesn’t really have any standout qualities but he’s good at everything. He is a very good skater with edge work and three-step quickness being his biggest strengths in that area. He is also a very smart player who doesn’t usually force plays that aren’t there. He gives very good breakout passes and likes to join the rush. Even though he isn’t a puck-rusher, he can also carry the puck if passing lanes are not available. He can make flashy plays at times but those are not his calling card. Although he is a better player with the puck than without it, Viro is also a pretty good defensive player. He is not big or physical but he utilizes his stick effectively. His positioning still needs improvement but his good hockey sense allows him to improve in that area as well. Like most players his age, he needs to get stronger to win more battles at the pro level.” – Jokke Nevalainen, DobberProspects
3rd round 82nd overall: Roni Hirvonen, C
Similar to Colangelo we were excited to add Hirvonen in the 3rd round, as our final draft rankings had him 40th on our list. Five years ago as GM of the Hurricanes we drafted a similar smaller Finnish forward 86th overall by the name of Sebastian Aho. Hopefully we got another steal in Hirvonen.
“Hirvonen is an aggressive two-way center with quickness and tireless approach towards every shift while keeping his feet moving at all times. There are games where he will keep his foot on the gas from start to finish and maintain the intensity from start to finish. Even on power plays, Hirvonen stays in motion and will alternate sides of the ice. He handles the puck with ease and is agile in all directions, which helps him run the possession of a power play from the right half wall. Hirvonen also plays on the penalty kill and will pressure the points without overcommitting himself.” – Steve Kournianos, The Draft Analyst
3rd round 92nd overall: Jack Finley, C
We had the big centre ranked 81st on our list and decided to go off our board a little bit to take him. We had some higher ranked players left on our board, but as our pick was approaching we did some more digging on Finley and felt the upside was to high to pass on. Who knows what he will eventually be, but we are hoping he hits the ceiling.
“They’re going to get an NHL player for sure.” – Manny Viveiros Head Coach Spokane Chiefs offered up a simple scouting report for whoever picks him.
Considering we had no picks in the first two rounds, we are extremely happy with how things turned out for us with the four 3rd round picks. We still have four picks to make with three in the 5th round and one in the 6th.