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A Look At The Top Draft Eligible Wingers |
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The top talent for the upcoming NHL Draft can be divided up by tiers in terms of the talent level of the NHL prospects. Today I will focus solely on the wingers that could be of interest to the Canadiens. In some cases, the Canadiens would likely have to trade up in order to select a player such as Matthew Tkachuk. Pierre-Luc Dubois and Tyson Jost can play the wing or center but since they finished the season playing down the middle I will save them for the blog that discusses draft eligible centers.
Patrick Laine is the highest ranked winger and almost assuredly will be picked second overall by the Winnipeg Jets. He has impressed everyone this season, especially after his performance at the World Championship in May where we got to see him almost dominate playing against men. However, the likelihood of the Canadiens being able to trade that high to get him is almost impossible and so I will not include any further scouting report on him. Every team wishes that they were somehow able to get their hands on him and Winnipeg could perhaps be the biggest winner of this year’s draft by having scored on draft selection night and moved up to the second draft spot.
Jesse Puljujarvi - RW - 6’3”, 208 lbs
Team: Karpat (Finland Liiga)
Stats: GP 50 G 13 A 15 PTS 28
Rankings: NHLCS Euro # 3, ISS #3, McKeen’s #3, Bob McKenzie #3
Puljujarvi is the almost unanimous #3 selection in this year’s draft. The question is, will Columbus keep their pick or will they be enticed to move down? The invitation of defenseman Jake Bean to the Blue Jackets own combine raised a number of eyebrows as he is often ranked just outside the top ten. Could Bergevin make a real splash by acquiring the 3rd pick? If so, Puljujarvi might just be ready to play in the NHL next season and his talent level would immediately improve the Canadiens top six.
A knee injury forced Puljujarvi to miss part of the NHL Combine and surgery will force him to miss the development camp of any team that drafts him. Apparently the injury is a minor one and scouts are not too concerned of any long term effect.
Puljujarvi is an offensively talented big and strong right winger. He dominated the World Junior Championship, leading Finland to gold and ane being named the top forward as a 17 year old. While his numbers in the Liiga may not jump out, do not underestimate his skill. Puljujarvi shone in the playoffs for Karpat recording 9 points (4G, 5A) in 10 games and led Finland to another gold at the U-18 World Championships this past Spring. Some have compared him favorably to Teemu Selanne and he takes that as an obvious compliment although his favorite player is Alex Ovechkin. The chances of the Canadiens being able to move to draft Puljujarvi are probably less than 10% but it certainly would be exciting if they did…
Matthew Tkachuk - LW - 6’1”, 202 lbs
Team: London Knights (OHL)
Stats: GP 57 G 30 A 77 PTS 107
Rankings: NHLCS NA #2, McKeen’s #4, #ISS #4, Bob McKenzie #4, Future Considerations #5
The son of former NHLer Keith Tkachuk, son Matthew is a chip off the ol Dad’s shoulder. Tkachuk has a ton of skill but with a side of nasty he is not afraid to stir things up. He is a smart, confident player that can be dangerous in many ways. Tkachuk will likely go either 4th or 5th on Friday night. The Edmonton Oilers are in the driver seat when it comes to Tkatchuk as they can draft him and trade one of their forwards to create more cap room or trade the pick. While many Canadiens fans assume that a trade to move up would be to draft Pierre-Luc Dubois, Tkachuk should not be overlooked. Choosing between the two is a good problem to have.
Tkachuk had an outstanding first season with the London Knights playing on a line with the Leafs prospect Mitch Marner and Coyotes prospect Christian Dvorak. He amassed 107 points to finish in the top 5 OHL scoring and led all players with goals (20) during the playoffs/Memorial Cup. Yes, he might have benefited by playing on a stacked Knights team. However, he elevated his play and helped make his teammates even better. By playing with a bit of an edge, it makes Tkatchuk that much more desirable as he can bring intangibles to the table. There is little doubting his offensive instincts and as December birthday, he may be mature and ready to play in the NHL in the nearer future.
Alexander Nylander - LW/RW - 6’0”, 179 lbs
Team: Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
Stats: GP 57 G 28 A 47 PTS 75
Rankings: NHLCS NA #3, ISS #6, McKeen’s Hockey #6, Bob Mckenzie #7, Future Considerations #8
Should the Montreal Canadiens stay the course and draft 9th on June 24th, there is certainly a chance that Alexander Nylander could slide to them, especially if there is a run on defencemen. Nylander comes from a hockey family as his Father is former NHL player Michael and his brother William is a top prospect with the Maple Leafs. William is a former 8th overall pick so we’ll see soon enough how things shake out for the “littlest” Nylander.
He is one of the smaller players ranked in the top ten but he possesses elite vision and skill. Nylander is a very creative player with excellent speed. He led all OHL rookies with 75 points in his first season as recorded another 12 points in just 6 games during the playoffs. At the World Junior Championships he was expected to somewhat ride the coattails of his big brother but an early tournament injury to William led to Alexander getting the opportunity to shine on his own.
Drafting Nylander would certainly fill an organizational void for the Canadiens. There is very little depth on the Canadiens right side behind Brendan Gallagher and so he would fit the bill. Despite being a right handed shot, Nylander can also play left wing and so his versatility is an advantage. Next season, Nylander could still be playing for Mississauga but he is also eligible to play in the AHL as well. Some say that Alexander is an even better prospect than his big brother who has been impressive with the Leafs organization. If that is the case, the Canadiens would be lucky to get their hands on him.
Next up - Centers!
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Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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