Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

2019 Draft Targets Part 2: Wingers

May 22, 2019, 1:01 PM ET [3 Comments]
Trevor Shackles
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
You can follow me on Twitter @ShackTS

For part one of my draft preview series, I took a look at which five centres the Senators could take at 19th overall. Today, I will be looking at five wingers. I’ll be honest, there were a ton of wingers that I had to exclude for the final spot or two just because it’s hard to distinguish between so many of them. Players such as Brett Leason, Patrik Puistola, Simon Holstrom, Nathan Légaré, Robert Mastrosimone, and Nicholas Robertson were considered, but I was only going to write about five players and had to leave them out.

Here are the five that I decided to write about who might be options at 19th overall for Ottawa:

Bobby Brink, RW, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)



Brink is definitely up there one my most-wanted list, as he has put up fantastic numbers in the USHL. His 68 points in 43 games ranked 4th in the entire USHL and he was behind only Jack Hughes and Alex Turcotte in points per game (although they both had fewer than 25 games played). He finished ahead of Matthew Boldy, Trevor Zegras, and Cole Caufield in points per game at the level yet he will probably get drafted somewhere in the teens.

He is an awkward skater and only 5’8”, 163 lbs, so that might be something that holds him back and a reason why Ottawa might not take him. Corey Pronman had great things to say about his offensive ability, something which the Senators really need up front:

“His hockey sense is just fantastic, though. He’s an elite passer with the patience, anticipation and overall vision to make unique passes seem routine. I’ve seen him hover around the zone, waiting out options as defenses scramble to figure out what play he’s going to make. Brink has very impressive hands and a good shot, too, but what will get him to the pros is his ability to make plays”


Despite the size and skating issue, Ottawa does love to take USHL players who are heading into the NCAA, so perhaps they can see past his size. I think he could easily end up being an underrated prospect just like Alex DeBrincat was and then turn into a quality first line player because his point totals this season were quite ridiculous. Plus his name is an 80 on the 20-80 scale, I just love saying it out loud.



Arthur Kaliyev, LW, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)



There’s no denying Kaliyev’s ability to produce at the Junior level. He scored a whopping 51 goals and 51 assists in 67 games for Hamilton this season, which put him tied for 4th and 6th in the OHL, respectively. Despite that amazing production, he is ranked all over the place in the first round, as he could be taken well before Ottawa or he might fall until later in the first round. The Bulldogs head coach Dave Matsos acknowledged some of his shortcomings but also recognized that he is improving in those areas:

“Artie’s ceiling is so high. When this guy matures physically and mentally – the guy just continues to score, that’s what he does. His 60-foot game in the ‘O’ zone is amazing. We’re trying to get him to play that 60-foot game in the neutral zone and that 60-foot game in the ‘D’ zone and he’s responding. And it’s not affecting his stats. He’s starting to get into bodies, he’s starting to block shots, he’s starting to get on the penalty kill; he’s doing so many amazing things”


He is not going to be a powerful force physically, but it’s hard not to want a player like him who can do it all offensively. Considering his potential volatility though, Ottawa might shy away from him because they rarely take someone with his kind of variance between ceiling and floor. Having said that, Kaliyev could easily end up being one of the top offensive players in this draft.



Samuel Poulin, RW, Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)



Poulin is in the class of many wingers who had just over a point per game in the CHL, and it might be hard to distinguish one from the others. He is listed mostly later in the first round on prospect lists, but he is certainly still an option for the Senators. 76 points in 67 games this year is nothing to scoff at, as it’s quite common for players with that kind of production to go in the top-15 or even top-10 in the draft. According to Pronman, he is smart, which bodes well for his chances to be taken by Ottawa:

“He’s a smart and competitive winger. He’s very intelligent, flashing high-end vision and tending to make good decisions with the puck. As the season went along he showed more consistent playmaking and overall dynamic elements. He’s got some soft skill, but he’s more of a distributor than an individual creator. He’s got very good hands in tight and scored several nifty goals.”


He seems to be pretty average or above average across the board, with his skating and physical game being the only things that are just OK. Perhaps he does not have as high of a ceiling as someone like Brink or Kaliyev, but he might also have a better overall chance of making it in the NHL if he doesn’t have a true weakness. I would say there is a decent chance that Ottawa has him higher on their list than other teams, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he is drafted by them.



Nils Hoglander, LW, Rogle BK (SHL)



Hoglander feels like someone who could be a steal of the first round. 14 points in 50 SHL games as an 18-year-old is incredibly impressive because he is playing against men in that league. For comparison, Mika Zibanejad had 9 points in 26 games in the SHL in his draft year, which would have been on pace for 17 in the same amount of games Hoglander played. So he was not far off of Zibanejad’s production, albeit at a slightly older age because he has a very late 2000 birthday. He was also on the U-20 Swedish National Team where he put up 7 points in 8 games, which ranked 4th on the roster despite playing at least five fewer games than the three players with more points.

According to Pronman, he has the best hands in the draft and is a fantastic playmaker as well. Because he is another player on the smaller end at 5’9”, 185 lbs, he will have to develop his strength further in order to be successful in the NHL. Hoglander is someone who will have the puck a lot when he is on the ice, and I’d be very intrigued if the Senators were able to take him 19th overall.



Egor Afanasyev, LW, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)



Afanasyev probably won’t end up going in the top-20 as he is ranked mostly in the second round, although so are many other wingers. Ottawa would have to be very high on him for them to take him at 19th, but every year there will be unexpected picks in the first round. He finished 10th in the USHL in scoring with 62 points in 58 games, and for comparison, he had six fewer points than Bobby Brink in 15 more games played. He still had a good season though, as now is a good time to remind people that Colin White had 17 points in 20 USHL games in his draft year.

Afanasyev is a big kid at 6’4”, 201 lbs, and despite the fact that he’s Russian, he has been in the USA for a few seasons and will be heading to College, which the Senators love to see. With how big he is, it is odd that one of his best attributes is his hands, but that is what makes him an interesting prospect. According to Last Word on Hockey’s Gabriel Foley, his weaknesses pertain to his defensive game, which is something that might give Ottawa some pause

“While Afanasyev’s game is fairly sound offensively, his defence could be a bit of a concern as he heads into the draft. He has periods where he looks fairly awkward in the defensive zone, trying to mix a man-coverage style of play with all of the responsibilities a center has in their own zone. This play leads to a weird imbalance that, at times, can give the opposing team great scoring chances.”


However, he also notes that he a promising prospect overall who can easily be a solid power forward:

“His combination of size and agility could make him a very attractive player for many NHL teams. As the league moves towards a smaller-but-faster style of play, Afanasyev is a perfect parallel. With how dominant he’s been in the USHL this year, the future looks very bright for the offensively gifted power forward.”


I don’t think Ottawa will reach for him at 19th, but some team potentially could around that spot in the first round.



Stay tuned for part 3 where I look at some defensemen in the draft!
Join the Discussion: » 3 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Trevor Shackles
» Goodbye For Now
» Very Early NHL Standings Predictions
» Bold Predictions for 2019-20
» The Worst-Case Scenario for 2019-20
» Sens Sign Colin White to 6-Year Contract