|
2015 Draft : Some Reasons You May Not Know Why It'll Be Good |
|
|
|
|
|
Yes I know, worst title yet, go stare at the ice girl.
The 2015 draft has already been hyped up as a great draft, one to rival 2013 and yet nobody has really tried to explain it, other than simply say “Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.” In 2004 the tagline was “Ovechkin…and this guy named Malkin,” it was a weak draft after the double dipping Russian roulette. Have no fear though, 2015 at the moment does not look like 2004 and this article will go in more depth to help show why.
Rasmus Andersson : Right Shooting Defenseman, 6’0, 214lbs, Malmö in the Allsvenskan
43 games – 3 goals – 10 assists – 13 points
For the past two seasons Andersson has been playing a steady role for Malmö, graduating to the second pairing after a bottom pairing rookie season as a 16 year old. While people were high fiving each other on twitter showing how William Nylander and David Pastrnak were some of the highest scoring U18 players in Allsvenskan history, nobody seemed to notice a strange name on that list just behind them…Rasmus Andersson. His 24 points in 81 total games is amazing production from any 16-17 year old, let alone a defenseman. Yet it’s his two-way game that really stands out as he isn’t a dynamic offensive wizard. He plays a physical game and is built like a pro already, he also possesses a near pro level shot and he can really tee it up. At the U18’s he was very solid and at least from my viewings seemed out there for every defensive zone start and on the second PP.
Next season he has a choice, he will either play his third year in Malmö and hopefully continue to grow into a more prominent role, or he can go to the Barrie Colts in the OHL who used the 37th pick in the Import Draft on him and rumours are flying that he may make the jump. “There is an out in the contract and we will not stand in the way of Rasmus says sports director Patrick Sylvester Farm thus confirms that he sees "Ralle" as lost.” I’m not sure what Ralle means, but hey, it’s from a Swedish blogger so we’ll see. If he makes the move to Major Junior, I’m really interested to see how he fares, logic dictates he would do extremely well, but many imports struggle their first year regardless of age or previous competition.
He's also the brother of Rangers prospect Calle Andersson.
Mikko Rantanen : Centre, 6’4, 196lbs, TPS in the SM-liiga
37 games – 5 goals – 4 assists – 9 points
The 17 year old big pivot had a very strong U18’s and I think it has really helped his stock after two tepid forays into the SM-liiga as a fourth line centre. Regardless, his 9 points in 37 games was good for second in scoring for U18 players and eighth for U20. He’s a puck protector with really good hands with a surprising ability to accelerate quickly that looks really weird to see, nobody seems to expect him to be able to turn on the jets so quickly at his size. He was the best Finn for the disastrous U18’s and was noticeable every time he had the puck; he also was a killer at the Ivan Hlinka tournament where he finished third in scoring despite being one of the few 2015 eligibles in there. Wish he would play more physical, but that isn’t really his style. He’s a smart player that won’t burn you with bad penalties or poor defensive decisions, but he really does need some more ice-time to prove what he has. Hopefully next season he will move up the lineup.
Erik Cernak : Right Shooting Defenseman, 6’3, 203lbs, HC Kosice in Slovakia
13 games – 0 goals – 0 assists – 0 points
The big defensive defenseman has been really intriguing and having seen him play only on the international stage I don’t really know what he has done domestically, but I do know that he is one of only two players in history to play in the Slovakian men’s league on defense at 16 for more than just 1 or 2 games of being called up. Regardless, Cernak is shaping up to be the premier defensive defender in the draft and has proven at 15 that he can stop the best U18 players and handle himself in the defensive zone. At both U18’s he has been fantastic and it’s hard to believe that he will be in the next one as well, each time he was the Slovaks top defender and while that isn’t exactly hard, it’s damn impressive at 15-16. Heck he even made the U20 squad…at 16…though admittedly he got dummied a lot just like the rest of the Slovakian defense. Strong skating, physical play and being near impossible to beat one on one has a guy with some dismal stats looking like he will be the just the second Slovak taken in the first round since practically a decade.
Pavel Zacha : Left Wing, 6’3, 201lbs, Bili Tygri Liberec in the Czech Extraliga
38 games – 4 goals – 4 assists – 8 points
Another guy who caught my eye at the U18’s, Zacha has been climbing the ladder of this draft pace and will likely do so even more if the rumours come true about the move to the Sarnia Sting who selected him first overall in the Import Draft. Now it isn’t a guarantee…but when a team takes you first overall in that kind of draft you kind of are expected to go there. Zacha is a physical scoring winger that seems to have some issues with staying away from the danger zone. In the U20 Czech league his hit from behind on a player followed by a slash on a guy who came to stop him apparently sparked a bench clearing brawl where he took on three players at once. I really wish there was video for this and not just some Czech local paper and a games stats sheet because It sounds fantastic. He was a part of the Silver winning Czech squad and was a big factor for secondary scoring. It will be interesting to see how he does in the OHL if he decides to make the move; it could push him into the top-10 if things go right.
Yevgeni Svechnikov : Left Wing, 6’2, 185lbs, Bars Kazan in the MHL
29 games – 14 goals – 13 assists – 27 points – 68PIM
There may be no other player gaining quite as much traction as Svechnikov as he has recently confirmed that he will be moving to Cape Breton in the QMJHL for next season. Svechnikov has gone on record saying that he wants to be “The Next Ovechkin.” He loves Ovechkin, he tries to be Ovechkin, in practically every way. He has become a very physical player and in a league like the MHL you get noticed for finishing your checks and not only just to finish them, but to bury the guy. He is the most penalized Russian prospect in a long time. He has a nasty wrist shot and a lethal one timer; all he does is try to score goals. Some think he lacks the vision to be a truly elite player and I might agree, except that when he does decide to pass, he’s pretty good at it, he just doesn’t want to. He wants that puck and he wants his team to give it to him. At the U18’s he was electric beside some very skilled teammates. That first line for Russia was great. Next season will be telling as he will be expected to carry the load for the Screaming Eagles offensively.
Daniel Sprong : Right Wing, 5’10, 161lbs, Charlottetown Islanders in the QMJHL
67 games – 30 goals – 38 assists – 68 points
The Dutch born speedster was unfortunate in the race for the Rookie of the Year title this past season; he had no chance of winning with Ehlers gobbling all the points on a superstar team. Yet despite not getting any hardware, it’s hard to imagine a player more important to his team despite being a rookie. His 68 points were top for the Islanders and 20 ahead of his next teammate, after that the highest scorer was 36…and so on. He was the offensive life force of the woeful Islanders. One wonders how he would have done with some better help. Even in the playoffs he was an animal scoring 4 goals in the 4 games it took to be eliminated. He also holds the record for most points in the QMEAA one of the feeder leagues for the QMJHL, he shattered Alex Killorn’s previous record by 26 points. Sprong will be one to watch next season as he has all the skill to be a top-10 selection, just needs to work on his size, his defensive play and find some freaking teammates!
There are many and more strong looking prospects, I might continue to talk about them.
Thanks for reading.
Join the Discussion:
»