In the case of the Canucks and Hoglander, there were those in the organization that were initially skeptical about Hoglander's size and his wonky skating stride. It's often the general manager's job to litigate those concerns, to make the group dig deeper... They were concerns that the Canucks organization shed, but there's little question that they existed at the outset...
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Over the course of the 2018-2019 season, the club tracked Hoglander closely and with increasing interest. Jonsson, Brackett and cross-checking scout Derek Richard saw Hoglander frequently through the fall, sending back glowing reviews.
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When the Canucks shaped their list ahead of the 2019 NHL draft... Hoglander was the 17th name on the club's list, sources indicate... In constructing their 2019 draft, the Canucks had prioritized several defenders, one of whom was still available.
Multiple team sources declined to confirm the identity of the player ranked ahead of Hoglander...
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At the conclusion of Day 1 of the draft, Vancouver's amateur scouting department met, discussed how the board looked and had a lengthy conversation about Hoglander. They'd spend a lot of time watching him play and tracking him closely. There were a ton of Hoglander supporters internally...
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There was also a sense that the club had a real knowledge edge in Patrik, who could vouch for the other stuff - the commitment level, personality, humility, professionalism...
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Jonnson had made his character references, Brackett had seen Hoglander at tournaments, Richard had flown from Boston to Sweden to get additional live viewings as a cross-checker, senior management drove over the Port Mann Bridge to see Hoglander live during the holidays, the entire amateur scouting side had sat and watched shifts together in pre-draft meetings. Even Elias Pettersson was asked for his opinion..."
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Ultimately it was Benning himself who pushed in amateur meetings after Day 1 of the draft to move Hoglander up the draft list prior to Day 2.
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