Tonight was a huge night for a great number of young hockey players and their families. Years of dedication, sacrifice, and effort led them all to Chicago tonight in hopes of hearing their names called out and pulling a jersey over their head. They finished the journey of making to the NHL, and now embark on a even more daunting journey, becoming a professional NHL player. The thought of my boys one day being drafted into the NHL can stir up strong emotions within me so I can only imagine how the prospects and their families must feel the moment they hear their sons name announced in the arena. I wish them all the best of luck and hope they enjoyed the first day of the rest of their life.
All that said, it's time to examine what Marc Bergevin and his staff achieved today. Rumors of the Canadiens search for scoring have been rampant since before the last regular season trade deadline and even after the huge trade of Mikhail Sergachev for Jonathan Drouin (which was fantastic btw). The high profile social media commenters have all mentioned Montreal looking into Colorado's Matt Duchene, Buffalo's Evander Kane, and even moving up in the draft. We now know that the Canadiens did not move up but they did select 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."
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.
I honestly thought the Canadiens would be selecting a defenseman but this is a pick I can live with. There's high potential in Ryan Poehling and while he will be a couple years away from playing pro, it will be great to watch his progress this season in the NCAA.
What do you think of the pick? Who would you have rather season don the bleu, blanc, et rouge tonight?
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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