Well, the Golden Knights certainly spent a lot of time at the "tables" during their inaugural Draft, as they made a whopping 12 picks in seven rounds. But will George McPhee's gambling pay off? We'll see, but here's a look at every prospect picked by Vegas, from Cody Glass to Ben Jones.
A couple days ago, we spotlighted the Golden Knights' top picks --
Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, Erik Brannstrom, Nicolas Hague, and Jake Leschyshyn -- now, let's look at the rest of the expansion team's selections:
#65 Jonas Rondbjerg, 6'1", 194, SuperElit
Rondbjerg impressed HockeyProspect.com during the World Juniors with his ability to win puck battles. However, they questioned the Dane's offensive upside:
Good two-way forward...
Protects the puck really well in the offensive zone...
His skating is okay, but he'll need to work on improving his acceleration and agility...
He didn't show any elite skills [offensively]...
(HockeyProspect.com's 2017 NHL Draft Black Book
is out now!)
Future Considerations, however, thought more of Rondbjerg's skating:
His edgework is probably the strongest element of his skating, although he has deceptive acceleration as well.
Overall we would like to see him more engaged in the play on a consistent basis...
(Future Considerations' 2017 NHL Draft guide
is out now!)
Uffe Bodin, Editor-in-Chief of Hockeysverige.se, shared his thoughts about the Danish center-right winger, who spent most of the season in Swedish juniors:
From people who I've talked to in the [Vaxjo] organization, they say he's a smart, two-way centerman...
He looks like a really smart player from what I've seen...
Lars Eller is a name...good skater, pretty good all-around game...
Rondbjerg looks to be a player with skills that will translate well to the higher levels, but the jury is still out about his future role. We'll see if the 18-year-old can graduate to the SHL next year.
#96 Maksim Zhukov, 6'2", 194, USHL
Zhukov is a toolsy netminder with clear NHL starting potential.
"Lots of raw skill and very good size," wrote
Greg Balloch of InGoal Magazine. "Came over to North America from Russia to show that he can play. He deserves all of the hype he’s received so far."
The Hockey News added, "Aggressive goalie...can sometimes overcommit, get scrambly."
(
The Hockey News excerpt from May 29, 2017 Draft Preview issue,
available now.)
"Moves east-west as quick as any goalie in this draft," observed HockeyProspect.com. However, they spoke with an NHL scout who offered this concern, "I like him, I just worry about signing him."
#127 Lukas Elvenes, 6'0", 172, SuperElit
Bodin was surprised that Elvenes fell to the fifth round. He tapped Elvenes as a third-round talent, adding, "He's from a great hockey family from the southern part of Sweden. His dad and uncles were legendary players for Rogle."
The Hockey News wrote, "Strong playmaker with great hands must work on his stride."
However, HockeyProspect.com disagreed sharply about center-right winger's skating:
He has excellent skating ability, changing speeds and stopping/starting on a dime. His evasiveness makes him extremely difficult to defend, especially in open space. Lucas has high-end puck skills and his creativity is off the charts. He can do things with the puck that very few prospects in this year's NHL Draft can do.
He also possesses a bust factor due to his struggles finishing and his sometimes overly individual style of play.
Future Considerations also concurred about the Swede's skating:
He is a great skater with a low center of gravity, generates good power from each stride, and is tough to push off the puck...
If he can improve his consistency in the defensive end, he could be a pleasant surprise...
Elvenes has the look of a steal, a possible top-six talent unearthed in the late rounds.
#142 Jonathan Dugan, 6'2", 185, USHS
The Hockey News liked the Providence commit: "Raw, passed-over kid has skill, skating, hands."
HockeyProspect.com talked to an NHL scout who concurred, "He has skill and a kid I'd pull the trigger on...in the 3rd round." They added about the 19-year-old:
Dugan is a solid frame power forward who is strong on his skates...
He makes plays with his vision and his ability to shoot the puck hard, quickly, and accurately...
#158 Nick Campoli, 5'11", 190, OJHL
HockeyProspect.com had divided thoughts about the incoming Clarkson centerman:
In the good viewings, he flashed skill and his scoring ability and good hockey sense. In his viewings where he didn't impress us as much, it was mostly due to his inconsistent effort and his already average at best skating.
#161 Jiri Patera, 6' 1", 209, Czech2
Future Considerations had a lot of good things to say about the butterfly goalie:
He moves very effectively and very fast for a big, thick goalie...
Very strong covering the bottom of the net...
He does not look rattled very often...
Consistency and rebound control are two areas for improvement for this project pick...
Between Marc-Andre Fleury, Calvin Pickard, J.F. Berube, Zhukov, and Patera, Vegas has put together a solid goaltending pipeline quickly.
#189 Ben Jones, 6'0", 187, OHL
Brock Otten from OHL Prospects was very high on the pesky pivot:
Easily one of the more underrated players available for the draft this year...
He definitely revels in playing the pest type role and consistently gets himself involved in scrums and is generally a tough player to go up against. He's also a committed two-way player whose effort, in combination with his smarts, makes him effective on the backcheck. Adding strength would definitely improve that effectiveness away from the puck even more, as the will is certainly there...
His scoring came in bunches and consistency will need to be improved upon, but the potential is there for him to be a big time scorer in this league. Again, it all comes down to his smarts and playmaking ability. Has great vision and really makes good decisions with the puck in the offensive zone. As the physical attributes improve (bigger, stronger, faster), this is a guy that could really look like a steal in a few years...(OHL Prospects)
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