Hockey Stop: NHL Draft Breakdown 2018
This years draft featured many big name prospects drop drastically, and many teams taking advantage of those drops. Which teams played their cards right and which teams might just be disappointed? Who are late draft steals? We introduce you to all those things and more!
Buffalo- With the first overall pick, there was no going wrong. This draft was stacked, and the guy they got has the potential to be one of the greatest Swedish hockey players of all time, Rasmus Dahlin a franchise cornerstone on any teams blue-line. He will immediately slot into Buffalo's top D-Pair with Rasmus Ristolainen. He is absolutely unreal and immediately helps Buffalo out. As for the rest of their draftees, here they are. Mattias Samuelsson, defenseman, was the first pick of the second round. Not a great skater, but he has the size and strength that most teams love to see in defensemen. Matej Pekar, center, first pick of round 4. It's always important to scoop up a center at some point in the draft, and Buffalo did it here. He was rookie of the year in the USHL, and he has insane hockey skill at both ends, and a fantastic passing ability that he pairs with remarkable vision. You could potentially hear his name again. Linus Cronholm, defenseman, 117th overall pick in this draft, is a stay-at-home defenseman, but probably won't get far at the next level. Miska Kukkonen, defenseman, first pick in the fifth round. Has shown bright spots in his game but has been plagued by injuries. If he can stay healthy, he could be a steal. William Worge Kreu, defenseman, first pick of round 7. Buffalo uses their 7th and final pick on their 6th defenseman of the draft. Kreu plays a defensively focused game, using his long reach to break up passes. If he works on his game all around, he could potentially be another steal. All in all, Buffalo had a very good draft. One problem, they went for too many defenseman, but I guess you can never have too many.
Carolina- With the second overall pick, the Hurricanes went with the next best option, Russian sniper Andrei Svechnikov. Svechnikov is an absolute beast, and he could give Dahlin a run for his money when competing for the Calder trophy for Rookie of the Year next season. As for the rest of their picks (5), they were diverse. They almost drafted every position, starting with their 42nd overall pick going on Jack Drury, a center who will be playing in Harvard next season. He has improved in almost every category last season, getting better and better. That shows, to me, that he has heart, and the determination to be the best he can be. Because of his hard work, I view Drury as a big steal here, and Carolina should be very excited. Their next pick, 96th overall, was used to scoop up another center, this time it was Luke Henman. Although he is on the smaller side, he is still skilled, with very good hockey sense. He plays a smart game, and I can see him as the cushion for Drury, but will most likely slot into the third line in the future. In that same round, just 8 picks later, they selected right wing Lenni Killinen. Killinen is a decent hockey player all around, and has the skills of a second round pick, but was extremely underwhelming at the Under-18's, thus causing for his drop. I don't see him emerging as much more than a bottom six winger. Carolina used their 166th overall pick to scoop up their first defenseman of the draft, Jesper Sellgren. Sellgren is in his third draft, at 20 years old. He is fast, but doesn't have the necessary skills to make it in the NHL on a consistent basis. Their final pick, 197th overall, was used to select goaltender Jacob Kucharski. Kucharski has the size and skill to make it big as a goaltender, but he played for a bad team last season, which hurt his numbers. He could be a very good goaltender though, so keep your eyes on him over the course of the next 2-3 years. Overall, Carolina drafted two left wingers, two centers, a defenseman and a goalie, hitting almost every position. I love the two centers that Carolina scooped up, and their goaltender could be another potential steal in the draft. Carolina did a fantastic job on the surface, but only time will tell now.
Montreal- With the third overall selection, Montreal had a few options. The big 3 defensemen in Bouchard, Boqvist and Dobson were still available, and they could've used a defenseman. Or, they could go with elite goal scoring wingers in either Wahlstrom or Zadina. They could go for tough, gritty, but highly skilled Brady Tkachuk. They have holes at center, so they could go Kotkaniemi or Veleno. Montreal decided to take my favorite prospect, Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Kotkaniemi is very good at both ends of the ice, and he could be an immediate impact in the NHL next season. He might not be up at the top of the rookie scoring with the likes of Svechnikov and Dahlin, but over the years he will get better and better, and be a big time NHLer. With their 35th overall pick, they selected right wing Jesse Ylonen. Ylonen could be a top line winger in around 5 years, as most of his game is great for his age. He must get better defensively, and continue perfecting the rest of his game. He will be a long process, but it will be well worth it if he can become that top 6 winger h's projected to be. Three picks later they selected defenseman Alexander Romanov 38th overall. He has a great point shot, with good skating, and he plays the game very physically. He is dangerous at both ends of the ice, and could be a potential steal. He may be a few years out, but he also is worth the wait. With their third pick in the second round, 56th overall, they selected Swedish center Jacob Olofsson. Olofsson was one of the handful of players originally projected to go in the first round that dropped to the second. He is a very good shutdown defenseman, with some offensive upside. He could be yet another steal for the Canadiens, who, as we all know, are in desperate need of centers. He could turn out to be a huge help for Montreal within the next 3-4 years. Their first pick in the third round, 66th overall, they selected another center in Cam Hillis. He is an incredible skater, with the ability to beat defenders with speed and deceptive cuts. He must add muscle, but with time, he will become a middle-six center, probably right behind Olofsson on the third line. The second 3rd round pick was used on defenseman Jordan Harris. The 71st pick in the draft is a simple, modern defenseman. He moves fast, with and without the puck. His game is simple and smart, and could be another steal for Montreal. The 97th pick, center Allan McShane was originally projected in the second round. He isn't an explosive skater, but he is a solid player in ever other category. Montreal has officially been filed for 6 counts of theft. Anyways, to continue, with the 123rd overall pick, they of course selected another center, by the name of Jack Gorniak. This kid put up 120+ points in under 50 games with his high school team, and if he continues to dominate at the high school level, they could have a gem in their organization. And we all thought Zadina had an outrageous drop... 5 picks later they selected center Cole Fonstead. He had a point-per-game average on the Prince Alberta Raiders, and I genuinely don't know how the hell teams let these players drop to the Canadiens! Fonstead could be ANOTHER steal for Montreal in this draft, and I can see them being big contenders in 5 years, but who knows, their GM is Marc Bergevin, and he always finds a way to lose. Moving on, at 133rd overall, the Canadiens selected center Samuel Haude. He is small, but a good playmaker, He must bulk up and get better defensively, but before then, he isn't that great of a prospect, and will need a lot of time before he is ready. At 190th overall, they selected Brett Stapley, yet another addition for their center core. He also put up over a point per game average, with the BCHL Vernon Vipers. All he has to do is become a stronger skater, and he could be yet another huge steal for the Canadiens. Overall, the Canadiens had an absolutely fantastic draft, utilizing all their draft picks on low risk high reward players, and guys that many teams have apparently overlooked. What. A. Draft.
