An incredibly eventful Montreal Canadiens offseason has brought us to the NHL Draft in Chicago where, after MANY rumors of more deals, the Canadiens got a chance to improve their club from within. The Habs stuck to their assigned spots, before making a last minute deal for a 7th round pick from Philadelphia, and brought in the next group of prospects that will, hopefully, become key components of the Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge.
The Canadiens first pick, 25th overall, was Ryan Poehling from St Could State University of the NCAA. Poehling ranked 15th by the I.S.S. and 13th by NHL Central Scouting for North American skaters. He is 18 years old and lines up at 6'2" and 185 lbs so the potential to have found that big Center they need is very real.
Comments from various scouting outlets label Poehling as a "Gifted skater, but his hockey IQ & overall playmaking skills that make him such a unique player." And, " "The 6-2, 183-pound forward brings speed and smarts and seems to make things happen at the right time. He generates offense in clutch situations, and is close to being the complete package despite being the youngest player in the NCAA; he turned 18 on Jan. 3." *Credit mynhldraft.com for the quotes*
Poehling put up 7 goals and 13 points in 35 games in the NCAA as the youngest player in the entire league. Furthermore, he added 4 goals and 6 points in 4 games at the Under 18 Hlinka Memorial Tournament and 3 goals and 5 points in 7 games for Team USA in the Under 18 WJC tournament.
Overall, this player does have sleeper potential and was selected a lot lower than expected. The pick hits to two drafting principals with one selection: 1) Draft best player available, 2) Draft for organizational need.
The next Canadiens pick came at #56 in the second round and was Defenseman Josh Brook from Moosejaw of the WHL. Brook, age 18, is listed as 6'1" 191 lbs. He put up 8 goals, 32 assists, and a +17 in 69 games for Moosejaw while chipping in 2 goals and 5 assists in 7 playoff games.
The reports on this prospect indicate he is a strong two way defenseman with offensive upside but is very good defensively. Overall, Brook could be another Victor Mete type pick. An under the radar but very good defensive prospect.
With their second 2nd round pick, 58th, the Habs selected Center Joni Ikonen of the Frolinda Jr team. Hailing from Espoo, Finland Ikonen had put up 22 goals and 19 assists in 40 games for Frolunda Jr and earned 10 games with the top club where he garnered no points but that's somewhat normal for players his age.
Ikonen's strengths are his shot, hockey IQ, and playmaking abilities. He is regarded as a hard working player who battles everywhere on the ice. There is some sleeper potential with this pick but it will likely be years before we see him in Montreal. Ikonen could impresses with a strong work ethic and willingness to play the hard areas of the ice. Great to hear.
In the third round the Canadiens selected Defenseman Scott Walford from Victoria of the WHL with the 68th pick. Lining up with a solid 6'2" and 193 lbs frame he is already man sized and he produced 6 goals and 24 assists in 60 games last season.
Walford is regarded as a safe, low risk Defenseman who has some offense to his game. He makes the right play and the proper low risk play for a responsible game. He is labeled a great skater and ended his season with 14 points in 13 games, although he isn't regarded as an offensive threat, it's good to see that he has the ability to play at both ends of the ice. Safe pick but not one I'm particularly impressed with.
With the 87th pick in the third round The Habs plucked Defenseman Cale Fleury from Kootenay of the WHL. Cale is the younger brother of Hurricane's D prospect Hayden Fleury, but does not have the same offensive pedigree of his brother. Cale is a more senior draft pick with 3 WHL seasons under his belt, and is 18 years old.
Fleury played with an abysmal Kootenay team where he's been said to have tried to do too much at times due to lack of a quality squad. Not a bad thing, but professional coaching will help him focus on what he needs to do and when.
Fleury produced 11 goals and 27 assists in 70 games, which was good enough for 3rd in team scoring (yikes). A telling stat here is his +\-, it was -61. Is this because he was on a bad team or is he a bad defender who struggled? I didn't watch any of Kootenay's games so if there's any commenters with some observations to add in the comments, please enlighten us. Seems like a risky pick, but could pay off if he flourishes in a better, pro run system.
A bit of luck enabled Montreal to draft their next pick. Rated the 41st best North American skater by NHL Central scouting, Bergevin selected Defenseman Jarret Tyszka from Seattle of the WHL. Seattle had a fantastic season as WHL champs before having a disappointing Memorial Cup showing.
Tyszka is 18 years old and is listed as 6'2" and 188 lbs. In 54 games Tyszka produced 6 goals and 19 assists with a + 5 rating. Draft commenters on Sportsnet compared him favorably to Shea Theodore of Golden Knights and that's great to hear. He is an excellent skater who plays a very responsible 2 way game with good transitional play. Considering his ranking heading into the day, it's a very solid pick by the Canadiens, who are clearly stocking up on Defense at this draft.
Marc Bergevin then traded with Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers to acquire the 199th pick in the 7th round for Montreal's 2018 7th round pick.
With said pick, the Canadiens selected former NHL F Keith Primeau's son, Cayden Primeau, a goalie from the Lincoln Stars of the USHL.
Primeau has a great goaltending frame at 6'4" 185 lbs and posted a record of 14-11-0-1 with a 3.16 GAA and .895 SP%. Primeau had a better second half of the season and showed great promise. He was the 7th ranked NA Goalie by NHL Central Scouting and was anticipated to have been selected in the second round. In that respect, great pick up. He is years away from making any noise at the pro level so he's a project pick and might be more of the "Best Player Available" draft strategy. In respects to the Canadiens organization goaltending depth, it's a puzzling pick. Carey Price is going to be around for a long time and even aside from that there is Charlie Lindgren and Micheal McNiven who are blue chip goaltending prospects. Depth is beyond good in goal and maybe this is a precursor to moving one of those blue chips?
That wrapped up the 2018 NHL Draft for the Montreal Canadiens. I wouldn't characterize it as an incredible draft, but there were a good number of picks of players that were slated to go much earlier than where Montreal picked them.
Players like Poehling and Ikonen they added some high reward potential F's that also are known to be responsible all round players. These picks were good for the organization as they could address the issue of skill at C and both do appear to possess high end skill.
The pick of Brook was good in that it brings in another skilled, two way D man into the system who has some offensive upside to go with a solid defensive foundation.
Walford and Fleury are safe picks to me but don't make me think that they nabbed a sleeper. Hopefully I'm proven wrong but they will have to come a long way to hit even the AHL, let alone the NHL. But they both have great size for their age.
In Tyszka Montreal gets a defenseman who was pegged for the 2nd round in the 5th. Already that's a shrewd, smart pick. Add to that he played on a championship defense and has comparisons to Shea Theodore and I would say I'm more impressed with Tyszka than I am with Walford and Fleury (with all due respect).
The final pick of Primeau is great in that he was second round worthy, but slipped all draft until the Canadiens traded to acquire the pick they then used on him. To get a goalie with his potential, and size, in the last 20 picks is a credit to the Canadiens. The only problem is the Canadiens have the best goalie in the NHL and two of the best goalie prospects not in the NHL. Where does Primeau fit? Is he more of a project? Is one of Lindgren or McNiven being moved? That question could be answered as early as this week, if at all.
I'll drop a draft day grade on Bergevin and Co. that takes into account the fact the picks were mostly late round picks and pre draft rankings. I liked the addition of two high potential Centers and two high reward Defensemen. I am impressed with nabbing Goaltender Primeau at the end as well.
Overall, I would say they deserve a B- considering everything. Poehling was available when he shouldn't have been and his type of play could be similar to a Kopitar/Bergeron type in the future. If he can develop into that kind of player then this entire draft was a success. Unfortunately it will take a couple years to see if Timmins hit another home run or this draft was another wasted opportunity. I personally think they did pretty good and look forward to seeing these prospects progress over the next few years.
Tell us what you feel about the Canadiens 2017 Draft and what you hope to see the Habs do next.
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