30. New Jersey Devils : Kasperi Kapanen 29. Los Angeles Kings : Brendan Lemieux 28. Tampa Bay Lightning : Julius Honka 27. Chicago Blackhawks : Conner Bleackley 26. Montreal Canadiens : Nick Schmaltz 25. Boston Bruins : Alex Tuch 24. Anaheim Ducks : Jack Dougherty 23. Colorado Avalanche : Travis Sanheim 22. Pittsburgh Penguins : Nikolay Goldobin 21. St. Louis Blues : Joshua Ho-Sang 20. San Jose Sharks : Brendan Perlini 19. Tampa Bay Lightning : Ivan Barbashev 18. Minnesota Wild : Roland McKeown
17. The Philadelphia Flyers select Left Wing Sonny Milano of the USNTDP in the USHL
5’11, 185lbs, 1996-05-12 : 18 years old
25 – 14g – 25a – 39p
Milano played on a line with Eichel and Tuch all season and the trio for most parts of the tournament also played in the U18’s as a line. The chemistry these three had is undeniable, but after watching the U18’s it looked more and more like Tuch is a passenger for two high-end talents. Milano’s stick handling is elite and I’m not just talking about that video he did for NHL.com before the combine where he dangled the puck like a madman to the delight of strangers passing by. Playmaking and timely goal scoring place Milano near the top in terms of offensive talent in the draft and while he doesn’t quite have the press or the other sides to his game that have distanced others ahead of him, his package is an enticing one. There’s something to be said about a player who just seems to know where he needs to be on the ice to receive a perfect pass or make a move to open space and Milano has that instinct.
The USHL is something of an oddball in the drafting business, it’s provided so much quality over the years, but there is still a stigma against it due to quality of competition in comparison to the CHL or leagues in Europe. This is another reason (added to his slight size) that a talent like Milano is usually regarded as a mid-late first. It’s a cautionary tale when you take a player regarded as a “boom/bust… style prospect in the first round, but when regarding the Flyers seemingly inexhaustible ability to breed and develop first round forwards, you’d be hard pressed to find a team more likely to get the best out of Milano. Does he fit their needs? Not exactly, we all know the Flyers are desperate to continue building their depth on defense, but Milano is the BPA at this time and the Flyers simply need good prospects regardless of position these days to continue their infusion of youth. They rolled the dice with a small forward with elite hands and beautiful passing before in the late rounds…maybe it works out again?
Comparison : PA Parenteau
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