What came before :
30. New Jersey Devils : Kasperi Kapanen 29. Los Angeles Kings : Brendan Lemieux 28. Tampa Bay Lightning : Julius Honka 27. Chicago Blackhawks Conner Bleackley
Now :
26. The Montreal Canadiens select Centre Nick Schmaltz of the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL
6’0, 175lbs, 1996-02-23 : 18 years old
55 – 18g – 45a – 63p
Nick Schmaltz enters the draft as the highest scoring draft eligible player from the USHL this year (Sonny Milano has a higher PPG), the Gamblers star improved on his rookie season where playing on the second line he putting up 18 goals and 52 points by taking the reins of the first line and leading his team offensively. While there have been exceptions, it’s not much of a secret that Trevor Timmins loves the USHL or just the US system in general for his first selections (McCarron, Leblanc, Pacioretty, McDonaugh, Tinordi, Kristo and Fischer) and Schmaltz by all accounts ranks as the number two offensive player coming out of the United States system this year. I know a lot of fans will see his size and groan, but at this stage of the draft he’s likely one of the last point producing centres left and the Habs are “loaded… on winger prospects and dicey up the middle.
Schmaltz was the best American player at the Ivan Hlinka tournament where they won Silver, in fact he was flat out dominant during the tournament, and he was a step ahead. Despite not getting much of a chance to represent his country thanks to not playing for the USNDP, the limited chances he’s had have been spectacular. Very strong skating including an extremely quick starting acceleration goes in tandem with Schmatlz' good hands and playmaking ability. He sets the tone of the play and likes to be very aggressive when carrying the puck to get near the net. His ability to make plays at full speed is very important; he can make the smart plays on the fly and while he’s often pass first, when he decides to shoot he’s actually pretty good at burying them. Connor Hurley (Buffalo) joined his line halfway through the season and instantly gave Schmatlz a boost, he needed some help carrying that offense by himself, especially as a playmaker, I think it showed some strong signs that given the level of linemates that his rivals in the USNDP play with all the time, he might have left them in the dust…or not, that’s always the difficulty of speculation when it comes to chemistry and roles.
There is a ton of raw skill in this player; some scouts have even said he might be the “most skilled player in the draft.… Obviously this is taken with a grain of salt as to whether skill will equate to production (we know the examples), but it’s hard to deny that adding some weight and strength in college could see a very talented top-6 forward emerge. There's some boom/bust level like a lot of the talented offensive players that seem to be hovering around the 18-35 range who have several weaknesses that are always pointed out. His weakness...easily, he needs to get stronger on the puck. The NCAA isn't known for its punishing hockey or anything, but he will be playing against older players next season and will need to show he can handle himself against a physical game.
He’s the younger brother of St. Louis Blues 2012 first rounder Jordan Schmaltz who went 25th overall, seems rather fitting to go around this mark too.
Comparison : Derick Brassard
Thanks for reading.