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Draft Blog : U18's - Big Risers |
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Like everybody I’ve been enjoying these playoffs with perhaps a bit too much attention, plus I’m a lazy shite, so I apologize for the lack of content this very, very, very hot May. It hit 46 yesterday…and I happen to like playing soccer (yes of course I dive!). However despite the lack of content, my note taking did not take much slack and my draft preparation is well on its way. As a slight bit to tide over our favourite franchises that bit the dust early, or didn’t have any to bite in the first place, I have a bit to say about the 2014 eligibles at this year’s U18 tournament that took place about a month ago as well as some 2015 notables that will be the talk of the town next year.
First off, this was a really interesting year seeing as the Americans retook their place on the pantheon of absolutely owning every nation in the U18-U17 tournaments by providing 90% of a team of the best American players who happen to play together for the USDP team in the USHL and U18 version of their leagues. I’m not whining, just telling the truth, it’s extremely effective team building and it has paid off because the Yanks dominate these tournaments. Hell they would have won their fifth straight this year had Canada not been led by wunderkind Connor McDavid last time around.
The U18 tournament is a very interesting tourney and one in which we usually get to see many European skaters play for the last time before the combine while also letting the younger players in the draft have a time to shine or fail against their peers. Some of their peers are busy in the playoffs for their respective CHL squad, others are too old. Those include top-ranked prospects ; Sam Reinhart (18), Aaron Ekblad (18 and playoffs), Sam Bennett (Playoffs), Leon Draisaitl (18) and Michael Dal Colle (Playoffs). I really can’t stress how this was a big show for several European skaters who scouts seem very mixed about, William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, Jakub Vrána, Adrian Kempe, Vladislav Kamenev and perhaps the fastest riser in the draft Kevin Fiala being the most prominent.
So in a year where Finland won the U20’s for the first time since 1998 and both the Canadians and Americans went medaless, we had another weird finish.
Gold – USA
Silver – Czech Republic
Bronze – Canada
Yes the Czechs pulled off some major upsets and were led by their top ranked prospect Jakub Vrána to their first medal since 2006 when they won Bronze on that Tlusty, Voracek, Frolik and Neuvirth core. Major props to the Czechs.
As for the Awards they went as follows.
Best Forward – William Nylander (Sweden)
Best Defenseman – Haydn Fleury (Canada)
Best Goaltender – Mason McDonald (Canada)
A little commentary on this, arguments can be made against both Fleury and Nylander winning their respective awards, but McDonald was by far the best goalie in the tournament. Only America’s Alexander Nedeljkovic came close and more so based on how clutch he was to finish the tourney than his overall play.
Nylander was the best forward in the tournament until it counted. He was stifled by a defensive pairing of Fleury and McKeown who both shined on the PK that final Bronze game which really shut down his creativity. Honestly it’s hard to give it to any of the US skaters because they simply dominated as a team, nothing could stop the Milano-Eichel-Matthews line, then even when Tuch took Matthews spot at times their team was three lines deeper than any other. Personally I think Vrána or Fiala were the best forwards this tournament. Both were dynamic and looked a level above their opponent. Fiala in particular is one guy who continues to impress me and I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes in the top-6 when all is said and done. The expected three fastest skaters in the consensus first round happen to be Virtanen, Ehlers and Fiala, having seen Virtanen and Fiala on the ice at the same time, the advantage goes to the Swiss midget, he is lightning. I’m really interested in seeing him and Ehlers match up at the combine.
As for Fleury he was excellent defensively and I think really helped his draft position with his strong positional play and smarts. It’s pretty weird that it’s now two years running a defensive defenseman wins the Best Defenseman award, something the NHL might want to keep in mind when they vote on the Norris. I think one could argue that any of Jack Dougherty (USA), Roger Karrer (Switzerland) or Andreas Englund (Sweden) were fairly close.
So before I make this too long winded, I’m just going to post about some of the big risers for the 2014 draft in this one, then the big fallers next and so on. You know my shtick. Segmented for life!
Big Risers from the 2014 Draft
Kevin Fiala, Right Wing (Switzerland)
The Canadians were very lucky to get to the Bronze medal game, mostly off of Travis Konecny pulling some magic out of his arse in the dying seconds of a 2-2 game against Switzerland in the Quarterfinals. Fiala played about half of the game, or seemed to. He was everywhere and in the thick of things. It’s often said that the Swiss are the most North American team in Europe because they play a grinding trap and always finish their checks, Fiala does that as well, but with his skill level and speed he’s very close to a unique package. He had the tying goal in that game just to let you know and overall he finished the tourney with 4 goals and 9 points in just 5 games, basically on pace to be the second highest scorer there. This comes off his excellent U20’s where he was the Swiss’ top scorer and his near PPG play at the Elitserien level once he was called up in both the regular season (11 points in 17 games) and the playoffs (6 points in 8). All this for a 17 year old, it’s extremely impressive...heck he was at the WC’s and didn’t disgrace himself notching 2 assists in limited ice-time. If he wasn’t 5’10 the hype on him would be extreme. He plays with an edge, has ridiculous skill and lightning speed, how people have him past 20 I’ll never know. Fiala is my choice for the darkhorse in the draft, the guy who gets picked “off the board” in the top-6 and supplants one of the presumptive “locks.” Call me a sucker for skilled players that lay the body whenever they can even if they’re a smurf.
Jack Dougherty, Defenseman (USA)
Dougherty was one of the best defenders in the tournament and mostly because he gets it down at both ends of the ice. He’s really well rounded. I don’t get to see much and often any of the USDP or USHL games because they simply don’t film them even for stream purposes, so this was a good chance to watch him play again after impressing me at the Ivan Hlinka. He showed strong offensive instincts, including being the triggerman for the American power play. His defensive game was solid, at times spectacular; he cuts off angles and makes the smart and easy play often and well. If I have any complain it’s that his speed isn’t great and when he tried rushing the puck he looked lumbering, thankfully he was so strong positionally that he never really had any trouble all tournament long. He’s usually ranked around the late first and early second due to concerns about his foot speed. If he goes that late, some team will have a really interesting player.
Sonny Milano, Left Wing (USA)
Milano played with his USHL and USDP linemate Jack Eichel who is destined to be Connor McDavid’s one foe for first overall in 2015, he also played with their other oft times winger Alex Tuch. Basically the familiarity of this line was one of the reasons they were so dominant…plus there is a massive amount of talent there. He and Eichel have amazing chemistry and it showed again as both finished with 10 points for the Gold winning Americans. He showed a strong ability to beat defenders to the puck in the neutral zone using a mix of his speed and positioning. That’s the thing I like best about him, he’s always in a good spot on the ice to start a rush or receive a pass. I really like his skill level and I think some team will make him the first American drafted in 2014, just not sure where (20-30?). I would like to see him play without Eichel though, mainly because that is my major beef with Tuch who doesn’t seem to produce without playing with them.
Jakub Vrána, Right Wing (Czech Republic)
Vrána and his Czech teammate who also took his talents to Sweden were in a dogfight for the top ranked Czech this year and Pastrnak was usually on top, but the U18’s probably will have changed that. Not to say Pastrnak was bad, because he wasn’t, just snakebitten to all hell. Vrána was one of, if not the, best forward in the tournament. He was clutch for a team that really shouldn’t have done as well as they did. He ended with 8 goals and 10 points and really solidified his talents as an “any situation goal scorer.” While he’s known for his one shot scoring, I was more impressed by his net presence, he was pretty fearless. If he gets any room to shoot, there’s a good chance it’ll go in. A team like the Penguins with a lot of defensive prospects would be a really good team to gamble on his skillset in the mid-first round.
William Nylander, Left Wing (Sweden)
Nylander has been a bit up and down this season…mostly down, then up after moving to Södertälje in the Allsvenskan. While it’s pretty much a lock that he won’t be a top-5 pick this year like many expected going into the season, his dominant offensive outburst in this tournament mixed with his amazing performance once given ice-time in his domestic league will see him go in the top-10. He put up 16 points with almost a goal a game and was only stymied by Canada in the end and he still managed 7 shots that game including a breakaway where McDonald robbed him. His vision and natural ability to understand the game and be ahead of the play is really something to watch. One thing I will say though is that people hoping for a centre if they draft him will probably be disappointed; he’s destined for the wing.
Vladislav Kamenev, Centre (Russia)
Kamenev is the highest rated player coming out of the KHL/MHL system this season. While this year’s draft doesn’t have that one Russian who nobody can deny deserves to be in the top-5, there are some good ones playing in the CHL who were too old for the U18’s in Barbashev (QMJHL), Goldobin (OHL) and Sherbak (WHL). Kamenev has a really nice mix of size and offensive creativity. One thing that translated well to this tournament from what I saw in his MHL stint is that his puck possession skills are really something in his favour. When he gets the puck down low he’s hard to stop. He played right wing for Magnitogorsk in the KHL when he is up with them, but he looks so much better at centre. Unlike most Russian centres not named Datsyuk he was winning important face-offs all tournament long. He was one of the better guys on the draw and looked really good against one of the top face-off men in the OHL Jared McCann when Russia beat Canada 3-2. Being named captain, showing his scoring skills and more importantly some other aspects to his game (strong forecheck and face-offs) should help solidify him being drafted by a team willing to grab a Russian, probably in the second round though…by Tampa…
Travis Sanheim, Defenseman (Canada)
While Fleury won the Best Defenseman award, it was another WHL defender who made a real impression on the scouts which included him being raised by most scouting services and mock drafts into the late first. He led all defensemen in points with 6 assists and was responsible in his own end to boot. Team Canada’s coaching staff selected him as one of their top-3 players of the tournament (along with Fleury and McDonald). He showed a lot of that two-way play he is known for, as well as the calm strong skating to match his 6’4 frame. Wish he would learn to shoot more though, there were times he made Kaberle blush over his love for passing.
Ivan Nikolishin, Centre (Russia)
Nikolishin was expected to be a big performer after making the move to the WHL, but he struggled with consistency in the new league. He ended with only 59 points in 72 games for Everett (2nd on his team). The 5’9 speedster made a statement with this tournament however and was probably the best Russian other than Pilipenko, mostly because he was showing a heavy commitment to the defensive side of the game. He’s extremely shifty and shows some smarts; his major problem is that he is so weak on the puck, which thankfully the bigger ice of a tournament like this can mask with so much open space. He was really good, heavily involved and while this was a pretty weak Russian squad that wasn’t expected to do too much, he did himself a big favour with his play. I also have to note that while he is one of the worst face-off takers I’ve seen in a while, there is no doubt his game is tailored to the centre ice position where he can control the play. Might be a good guy to grab in the later rounds if he can put on some weight and get used to the North American game.
Brayden Point, Centre (Canada)
Playing primarily in a shutdown role, the diminutive lead scorer for the Moose Jaw Warriors really showed his versatility. Like guys like Gallagher and Marchand, being a smaller player (5’9) is a difficult thing to overcome to get to the next level of professional hockey. Despite his 91 points in the WHL which happens to be the third highest for draft eligibles there (Sherbak has a higher PPG), Point is ranked around the late second to late third. As mentioned before he played mostly on a shutdown line for the 4 games he was out there, mainly with top-15 expected two-way centre Jared McCann and John Quenneville, and colour me impressed. Loved his tenacity, liked that he can play very well in his own end, plus he can win face-offs, something small players struggle with usually. Overall really liked his game even if he was injured (against Russia) and unable to finish the tourney which might be a blessing to a team that picks up this potential steal in the mid rounds.
Mason McDonald, Goaltender (Canada)
McDonald had the tourney of his life, even if that only led to Bronze. Regardless he made up for his less than stellar season and…well, abysmal to say the least playoff performance for the Charlottetown Islanders in the Q. Not that it was really his fault, but I don’t think many expected this kind of performance out of him. Canada hasn’t been the best at producing goalies these days and the draft isn’t too kind to them even if they are consistently great, so expect McDonald to go in the 4th-5th round unless somebody really believes in him. You might wonder how a “Big Riser” is “Rising” to the 4th or 5th round and I wouldn’t blame you, but he was considered a borderline guy to even be drafted before this performance.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy Montreal-New York tonight.
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