So we all know the deal, this draft tappers off after the mid-second round. Obviously though, there are always some diamonds in the rough, or potential ones. Here are a few guys that might litter the second-seventh rounds that I find intriguing.
Hunter Smith : Left Wing, 6’6, 218lbs, Oshawa Generals in the OHL, 1995-09-11 : 18 years old
64 games – 16 goals – 24 assists – 40 points – 100PIM (Playoffs – 12 – 3g – 8a – 11p)
Hunter Smith went from scoring one goal in his rookie seasons to scoring 16! Fantastic. No but really Smith took huge strides in his game and went from a fighting caveman to a guy who might be an intriguing pick for a 3rd/4th line grinder someday. He can’t skate. That’s problem number one, it will make or break him. He is slow and slow and slow. However, he knows what his game is, he embraces being Holmstrom. He stands in front of the net on the PP and tries his best to make an impact on a cycle. 6’6 wingers are an extreme rarity in the NHL and it’s usually because of skating or they were just converted to defense when they were younger. His play in the playoffs was very encouraging. Any team with a second round or third pick and a decent prospect pool would be smart to take a chance on him. It might be 5 years before he steps on the ice, but by then, if he can skate he could be a useful role player. I won’t lie, he’s a huge longshot, but in a draft as shallow as this one after that mid-second, you might as well go for the “Hail Mary.… I think he plays the right way to one day have a shot at the NHL, I know his coach has said the strides he took on his skating from one year were staggering, but he’s still slow as dirt. He wasn’t selected last draft and rightfully so, maybe second times the charm? He was one of the youngest guys in 2013 and that also hurt another guy on this list.
Noah Rod : Centre/Right Wing, 6’0, 192lbs, Genève-Servette in the NLA, 1996-06-07 : 18 years old
28 games – 1 goal – 2 assists – 3 points
Rod is signed until 2018 with his NLA team, it’s weird to see that, but it shouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Rod caught my attention in the U18 tournament playing on a line with my favourite Fiala. He was a physical player and seemed to be a part of every big hit in the game. He was in every scrum, he was pushing people, and he looked like a pest. I have no clue how he did in the NLA or the U20 Swiss league, but at the U18’s he was great. He was fearless and showed decent skating. He seems to do anything to win; he even gave the killing blow to Virtanen’s shoulder in my opinion during the tournament. He could be a solid late round pick and teams looking for a pest who has a little bit of skill should look to Rod…oh man his name is just perfect.
Lucas Wallmark : Centre, 6’0, 176lbs, Luleॠin the Elitserien, 1995-09-05 : 18 years old
41 games – 3 goals – 7 assists – 10 points
Undrafted despite an elite performance in both domestic and international play. Wallmark is a poor skater and last year when his name might have been called he was listed at 5’10 156lbs, he was tiny. Poor skating, no size, no draft selection. This year he was a star for Sweden at the U20’s proving that his vision and ability to make space for himself overcame a lack of foot speed. There are a few guys who have succeeded very well in the European leagues that could never translate their play to the NHL because they were slow and smallish. Wallmark may very well be one of them. However, who wouldn’t take a chance on an 18 year old that just put up 8 points in 7 games at the U20’s (third for Sweden behind two of the top-15 prospects in the world), was great in the Allsvenskan for two seasons straight and was solid for his Elitserien team despite limited minutes? If he’s around in the third, he would be a steal. I’m still flabbergasted nobody took him in the seventh last time around.
Vladimir Tkachyov : Left Wing, 5’9, 163lbs, Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL, 1995-10-05 : 18 years old
20 games – 10 goals – 20 assists – 30 points (Playoffs – 6 games – 7 goals – 2 assists – 9 points)
It was a long fight to get Tkachyov over to the QMJHL after a big battle with his KHL/MHL squad Omsk, but when he got there he showed a great connection to fellow Russian Barbashev. The duo was electric in the playoffs. He just couldn’t stop scoring. It took about 10 games before the small speedster was able to adjust to a new style. He is an electric skater with amazing hands and a great shot. He has no idea that there is a defensive zone though. This has been an issue for him his whole career. He is an all offense player and is dangerous at all times. He took some bad penalties at times and plays with his heart on his sleeve which leads to retaliation and stupidity at times. He can be an absolute wizard on the puck and given time he will punish teams for letting him have a chance to accelerate.
Thanks for reading mates, enjoy the draft.