After seeing the likes of DeBrincat and Robertson both fell outside of the first round due to their size, it’s not surprising to see people not so high on McClennon either. Friday night's contest was the first of four meetings in the... ... RELEASE: Crusaders Hire Sergerie as President of Operations. Makar had a very special set of skills that were evident from the start, especially his skating. He’s not fast but he opens up his feet top evade pressure and creates going heel-to-heel. Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. He has a variety of shots and shot angles that make him a threat to shoot the puck from anywhere at anytime. Despite his production and exposure on a larger international stage, McClennon is pretty firmly ranked in the third round at the earliest. if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thehockeywriters_com-box-4-0')}; While Guenther may not be as well known for his play away from the puck, he is certainly no slouch in the defensive zone either. You know how we love Kapanen for his speed, but sometimes wish he could do more with it? I’ve pleaded my case and some have come around. I don’t know if he’ll actually be picked at the end of the 2nd round like Elite Prospects ranked him, but I’m very much hoping he winds up falling to the fourth, fifth or even sixth rounds. His release is excellent, and he gets solid velocity that can beat a goalie from distance. Hudson Athletic Recruiting identifies elite student athletes across Canada in a variety of sports and supports them throughout their playing career. Spokane had a pretty dynamite PP1 unit with Adam Beckman, 2019/20 Stats: 70 points in 64 games (2nd on the team), 2019/20 Stats: 49 points in 42 games (5th on the team), 2019/20 Stats: 58 points in 55 games (1st on the team), 2019/20 Stats: 75 points in 54 games (4th on the team, 1st among defensemen), Team: Swift Current Broncos / Everett Silvertips. Canucks Weekly: Travis Green Contract Update, Prospects News & Rumors: Abramov, Katchouk & Schneider, Team Canada Has Non-NHL Options for World Championship, Hurricanes’ Slow and Steady Strategy Has Produced a Cup Contender, The Grind Line: Predicting Blashill’s Future With the Red Wings, NHL Rumors: Blackhawks, Kraken, Hurricanes, Avalanche, Oilers, Wild…, Canucks Prospects Report: Podkolzin, Lockwood, Gadjovich, Kunz & More, Kraken Expansion Watch: Bruins vs. Penguins, Team Canada: 7 Players to Keep an Eye on at U18 Worlds, Canadiens’ Poehling Finally Finding His Game in Laval, Anaheim Ducks’ Future Bright With Comtois, 5 Takeaways From Penguins’ Tight Win Against the Bruins, Predators’ Granlund Making the Most of His Second Chance. Now, that’s not to say that Benning will be the next Makar since points don’t tell the whole story. I love the way Garand moves in net. He plays much bigger than his size. Makes him a good PP QB. Because in his last game McClennon suffered a broken collarbone and will be out likely until the end of the WHL regular season, if not longer. To finally bring this back to Puutio, he had 16 points in 35 games for Swift Current before he was traded to Everett mid-season. AJHL Prospects - FAQ; HOCKEY CANADA - NATIONAL INSURANCE PROGRAM INFORMATION; AJHL Officials; 2021 AJHL Prospects Showcase; COVID-19. That extra inch of height might lead him to having a better fate than Dustin Wolf did last year, even though Wolf had a far better season. Playing for an almost historically bad team did his draft rankings no favours. Novak is pretty firmly ranked in the third round or early fourth round among the most recent rounds of draft rankings. He is a volume shooter too with an average of 3.45 shots per game. Jesper Wallstedt, G, Lulea (SHL) While this class has been referred to as the "draft of the defender," … Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of William Zapernick, 1999-11-16 Edmonton, AB, CAN Canada. Sherwood Park Crusaders. But here’s the thing. Apr 18 FINAL. Canucks-Grizzlys-Apr 23 7:00pm. When he does so in the WHL, he is extremely dangerous and has good hands in tight to find daylight. There is an elusiveness to his game that suggests he is moving faster than he truly is. Anywhere from the late-second to the late-third is a worthwhile range for him at this point. He’s got speed, shiftiness and an advanced nose for the net, but he also causes problems on the forecheck and finishes his checks with authority. The Leafs have the bulk of their picks in the fourth round or later (9 picks from rounds four to seven), and I can see them using at least one of them on a goalie. He won’t score much but will generate plenty of assists. Marvellous save by #2020NHLDraft prospect Dylan Garand on a 2-on-1 break. if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thehockeywriters_com-box-3-0')};With the start of the new Western Hockey League season having occurred on Friday, many people were ecstatic that the puck was dropped once again after nearly a year off. His right handedness opens up shot options. From Arlo Schulz at McKeen’s Hockey in March: Kasper Puutio is a slick-skating defenseman who moves the puck well and thinks the game at a quick pace. Western Elite Hockey Prospects. Scouting Reports The EliteProspects Rinkside 2020-21 Off-Season Prospect Pool Rankings: the No. This is the fourth part of a series I will be writing, trying to find hidden gems in the 2020 draft that fall through the cracks for one reason or another. Savoie has a truly impressive shot. Two more goals for 2020 #NHLDraft prospect Jack Finley w/ @spokanechiefs on Wednesday. Maybe perception of him would be different if he topped 20 goals (he had 19) or was at or over a point per game (he had 57 in 61 games). Crossovers, deception, changes in speed, handling, and off-puck acceleration -- here's how Wiesblatt combines all of those elements for transition success. The first prospect I want to mention isn’t even from the WHL, he’s from the AJHL — the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Now, that’s not to say that Zary is bad or Finley should also be a top 15 pick. The Cole’s Notes though…. Wolverines 0. In the highlights below, watch how often Wiesblatt (he’s #19 in the PA/green jerseys) uses quick turns or pivots on his edges and holds onto the puck just a biiiiiiiiiiiiiit longer to give a teammate more time to get open in a dangerous area. He played a lot of center this year and acquitted himself well, but he can be equally strong on the wing. Gym/Physical Fitness Center. But I do think it can add up to a not insignificant degree to which he gets underrated. Jack Finley is a weird case because he seemingly breaks all the rules for how a prospect usually gets underrated. Of those 48, they have only chosen 8 players from the WHL (Riley Stotts, Filip Kral, Ian Scott, Adam Brooks, Vladimir Bobylev, Jack Walker, Andrew Nielsen, and Rinat Valiev) and none of them were chosen before the third round. Savoie is a natural scorer who can hit small holes in the net from bad angles, finishing from just about anywhere in the offensive zone and making plays to the backdoor with and without the puck. Half a season, with no international play on his resume, and no playoffs this year to increase his profile, has some people in doubt about how legit his second-half was of his true talent. He had almost no powerplay time. For now, they range from 69 (Future Considerations... nice), to 81 (Elite Prospects), to 86th among North American Skaters (NHL Central Scouting). Wiesblatt is a smart, skilled and speed-driven winger who can help on both the power play and the penalty kill. He possesses a calmness under pressure. Double Digit Hockey. What a game, what a play. He had a chance to play for Finland’s U18 team in international play in the middle of the season and added 4 points in 5 games. So if I were to tell you that Dylan Garand, playing for Kamloops, led them to winning their division, the 5th best record in the WHL, and the 4th lowest goals against, with the third best save percentage in the WHL among starters (so excluding goalies who played less than half of the season), you’d think that would make him one of the better ranked goalie prospects right? Some scouts have him outside the top 10, and that may be due to the fact that he has not played a ton, but I think that is bound to change. In his first game of the season a few days ago, he was able to find some open space down near the net and made the opposition pay with his first goal of the season. Stadium, Arena & Sports Venue. Okay, first of all Ozzy Wiesblatt is a top-10 name in this draft. Instead, he’s on loan with the Sherwood Park Crusaders of the AJHL. People had a chance to appreciate his play for what it was without a raging tire fire in the background drawing their attention away. Most of his goals are scored from in tight and on deflections or rebounds. Those are certainly eye-popping numbers, and if he did it in the WHL he’d probably be a consensus top 10 pick. NHL Central Scouting rates him as the 6th best goalie prospect in North America. The team leader in points had 30 (in 42 games). What I think makes him underrated is that he seems to be great at making use of the skills he does have. His size, mobility, strength on the puck, and poise under intense pressure will be critical in allowing Finland to exploit the speed of its forwards. His vision allows him hit teammates through bodies and sticks. Kelowna finished the year technically in a playoff spot (15th overall), and while they were by far not the worst team in the league (and my god there was some bad teams in the WHL...) they had a 29-28-3-3 record and a -29 goal differential. Collision Course. But to that I say: phooey. He fared very well in Everett once he was on a good team. His ability to locate teammates and put the puck on their tape with a variety of passes that range from a beautiful bank passes up the boards to the soft-touch of a Pavel Novak saucer pass. Great shot on the 4-on-3 OT powerplay! Finley possesses a fairly hard wrist shot but usually doesn’t try to score from distance like so many at the major junior level do. He has good vision and passing ability that enable him to make higher end plays than most. Swift Current played 63 total games before the season was cancelled. He could be an effective middle six player that fits on both units of special teams and at worst carves out an effective bottom six role at the highest level. Won top Dman at JCWC pic.twitter.com/2k6L1itEwM, This is 2020 NHL Draft prospect Michael Benning, in the finals of the JCWC. He had 4 goals and 12 points in 21 games and played the top pair on a much more respectable team, and stood out for his skating and puck handling. He has elite vision and is able to find teammates ... Prospects, WHL … Sherwood Park Crusaders - AJHL - hockey team page with roster, stats, transactions at Eliteprospects.com He might wind up being right on the border of the top 100, which would put him close to one of the Leafs’ fourth round picks. HBIQ Sports. https://t.co/Xsf8rSY25B pic.twitter.com/pXctuRID5i, CHIEFS GET ON THE BOARD! Net. His hand-eye coordination is excellent resulting in deft deflections from in front, as well as in the faceoff dot. Guenther can be relied upon to play in many situations. What I love about the last two videos of his assists (see below) is they show him being able to pull away with speed, draw defenders to him, and/or make very nice passes to set up goals or at least quality scoring chances. Here are the others if you missed them: Part I: 15 overage prospects who were overlooked or late bloomers. Only Seth Jarvis had a better PPG over that span. In some pre-season rankings, some had Puutio has a borderline first rounder with a chance to only boost his stock. His shot is reasonable in accuracy but with room to improve still. Amateur Sports Team. Sports Promoter. He was well on his way to doing so when he broke his collarbone and his season ended. Most recently in the AJHL with Sherwood Park Crusaders. I personally believe it’s better than some have suggested, but there is no doubt it needs work. Then he played for Canada at this past Hlinka and added 2 points in 5 games. Puutio’s 16 points was still enough to tie for 7th on the team in total points for the whole season! #OneCru #AJHL pic.twitter.com/A8uazHDCMm, "Shot and a goal! He’s played in high level tournaments, including for Canada, and done well in all of them relative to his peers who were also top prospects. Why did I say “full”? His combination of size and smarts is well-suited to the pro game, most likely as a middle-six centerman. Ben Rishaug stopped 32 pucks on Saturday to get his second win of the weekend! His top speed is fairly average which is not a great review but his agility and acceleration are where he stands out a little more. Elite Prospects is pretty high on him overall, ranking him 61st overall. It’s not about the point totals. He is shifty through the neutral zone and does a good job of evading defenders as he walks the blue line. Bonnyville PONTIACS Prospects and Bantam Elite Camp - April 17 - 19, 2020 Changed to May 8. If that doesn’t sound that familiar to you, it is a junior league that noted scrub Cale Makar played in before being drafted by Colorado and playing two years in the NCAA. Kasper Puutio was the #1 import pick in the whole CHL last year, so he had some hype going for him. He's quick to track forwards moving into his d-zone, wins the majority of his 1-on-1 battles, and is physical when needed. He is very good at going far side on his off wing and the puck can come off his stick so quick a goalie almost doesn’t have a chance. Wolverines 0. He can also use his speed in recovery if a play has transitioned the other way. Benning(Brother of Matt) is an excellent skater and puck mover. He is comfortable holding the puck under pressure to make a play because he can stickhandle, pivot and move so effectively that he does not succumb to the pressure. He has already made his impact felt and will be a major reason why this team finds success this season. This week Tim Fragle, who will be coaching one of the teams this year at the Western Elite Hockey Prospects Game on July 31st, was announced to be the new Head Coach of the AJHL's Sherwood Park Crusaders. He recently went on an 11 game point streak and had 29 points in his last full 18 games played. Part II: Looking at 7 potential hidden gems in the QMJHL, Part III: Looking at 8 potential steals in the OHL. Apr 23 6:00pm. Carter Savoie from an impossible angle! Novák has a good wrist shot and can score from distance with it, especially from the point on the powerplay. I would expect most young players his age struggle in that regard against older, bigger players, but can develop physically and skills wise to do better. From Larry Fisher at The Hockey Writers at the CHL Top Prospects Game in January: Garand came within one second of pitching a shutout over the second half for Team White, stopping 10 of the 11 shots he faced. He is also highly skilled, in fact he matched the same point total (75 in 54 games) by Cale Makar when he was in the AJHL on his draft year. That night, he was on the top penalty-killing unit and tasked with taking a ton of defensive-zone draws — which meant a heavy dose of D-zone starts in a difficult matchup against Kelowna overager Kyle Topping. If he has space he will attack. Pavel Novák finished the season leading Kelowna in in goals with 25 and points with 58 — despite missing 8 games. But Kasper Puutio comes pretty close. It’s about how he got them. NHL Central Scouting rates him as the 38th best skater in North America, but that’s it. 1-0 KAM #WHL pic.twitter.com/5FLt3m4yJ4, Toronto Maple Leafs Schedule, Roster, News, and Rumors | Pension Plan Puppets, 2020 NHL Draft: Finding 9 potential steals from the WHL and AJHL. Benning moves the puck quickly because he seems to know what he wants to do before he gets the puck. Underrated plays like this make me happy. Thunder 3. He’s small-ish at 5’10” and 170 lbs, but a lot of scouts note he struggles a bit along the boards. I am a writer here at THW who covers the OHL and prospects in general. WESTERN ELITE HOCKEY . Tristen Robins is my favourite sleeper prospect this draft. I’d still be very intrigued if he is available in the second round when the Leafs have their pick, but it might still be a bit too early on him depending on who else is available. While he isn’t a typical pest, he doesn’t shy away from mixing it up with his opponents after the whistle when the situation arises. Saints 4. The Kamloops netminder is the top-ranked Canadian netminder on most draft boards but he is getting overshadowed by some very high-end European goalies. He does have some things to work on, but if he really does get passed over that much he could be a pretty nice steal for the Leafs with one of their three picks in the 4th and 5th rounds. Defensively, he processes the game at a high speed, and gets to pucks ahead of his opponents in 50/50 battles. Finley also reads and anticipates plays well, which allows him to follow developing plays and put himself in positions for secondary scoring chances. Last added: Tyler Amey Legault. He seems to be a great passer in part because of how he uses his speed — attacks aggressively at defensemen to either back them up or draw them to him wide, opening a lane for his linemates to get open. TV Channel. He's number 11. Over 3 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix. On one hand, he has exploded offensively after a slow start. We chat about some of the things we want to watch in the rest of the regular season, including some new additions to the Leafs lineup. He can carry the puck with pace through the neutral zone, enabling him to challenge guys one on one as he approaches the line. Wiesblatt is one of the few players in the WHL this year with speed to burn. #2021NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/2v7GQq72f5. 19-ranked Edmonton Oilers Mon, 30 Nov 20 15:00:11 +0000 I also wonder if he was in the OHL with higher scoring rates, would he have had even more points and a bigger draft profile? Last season, his draft year, he had even better numbers with a 1.69 GAA and .936 SV% — but as a 6’0” goalie he was only drafted in the 7th round by Calgary. With the WHL season starting late, Guenther was not as fortunate as others. Puutio made a lot of plays in making his case for the top 100. Even with pressure on him, he rains calm and is able to make the right play. 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