Finishing up the first round of this series. Next up will be steals and guys progressing extremely well...and there are a ton I can tell you now.
21. Frédérik Gauthier - Toronto Maple Leafs - Gauthier is a defensive centre. The End. My Leafs friends will know my thoughts on the Gauthier selection and how vehemently I despised it and still do. However, Gauthier is extremely good in his own end and at face-offs, like his mentor David Steckel...shoot there I go again! I struggle to call him a two-way forward, because that implies quality in the offensive zone, something he doesn't have. With just 7 points in 10 games this season, he has still yet to eclipse the PPG mark in the Q. Now I'm a Debby Downer on Gauthier and I think that spoils my take on him somewhat. The positive thing is that he has a very NHL style game and body (6'5) and I truly believe he will find his way into the NHL...my problem is that I think he makes it as Brian Boyle with less scoring...aka David Steckel. There is some chance he makes the U20's again this year, he was a disaster last go around, but that was on the big ice and his skating isn't up for that style of game, he's much better on NA rinks. 99% of Canadian players return, so if I'm a betting man, I'd say he's in.
22. à‰mile Poirier - Calgary Flames - With their second first rounder in the 2013 draft the Flames took Poirier ahead of most scouting services predictions, continuing a long standing tradition of Feasterisms. This one however will likely go down as a pretty good gamble as Poirier has worked on one of his major weaknesses in his skating ability. Now I'm not talking speed, Poirier is a very fast player with really great acceleration, straight line speed he is deadly, his problems were skating through traffic which led to him often letting others carry the puck for him in his draft season. There was a stark difference in his game the next season though and he began carrying the puck more and with confidence. He and Réway (Habs) formed one of the deadlier duos in the QMJHL. This season began with him in the AHL after recovering from a shoulder injury which he had played through for several months. His 4 goals and 9 points in just 9 games are extremely impressive for the 19 year old. He plays with an edge, is solid defensively, an excellent penalty killer and plays with a lot of heart.
23. André Burakovsky - Washington Capitals - After trading their Allsvenskan drafted Forsberg what do the Capitals do? Go back to the Allsvenskan again to draft t Austro-Swede speedster. Burakovsky has had an interesting path to the NHL, he moved to Eerie to play in the OHL and played on a line with McDavid (2015) and Brown (Leafs) forming one of the more terrifying lines for goaltenders. He was highly successful on the small ice and his game looked suited for it. This season instead of returning to Eerie, he made the Caps out of camp in a surprising move and has been...well pretty darn good. While he has been hot and cold (expected), he is still tied for third in rookie scoring and the fourth highest point getter for forwards on the Caps (12p). He has been quite the shocker this season, especially since he is playing centre at times and hadn't done that since is time in the SuperElit.
24. Hunter Shinkaruk - Vancouver Canucks - The big faller of the draft ended up being Shinkaruk. From a potential top-5 pick at the beginning of the year, to a 9-14 pick by years end, to eventually going 24th overall. What a wild ride. A hip injury riddled season was a write off the following year. He attempted to play through said injury and had a disappointing, but well fought 16 points in 18 games. Seriously, the poor guy couldn't skate to save his life, which is pretty lame when speed is one of your fortes. Why did he attempt to play through it? He wished to represent Canada with all his heart. Always a plus in my book. This season was going to be the real test for the small scoring winger. So what's the verdict? He's been fine for a 20 year old rookie in the AHL. 8 points in 18 games on the 2nd/3rd line, solid production at that age.
25. Michael McCarron - Montréal Canadiens - With a talented pool of forward prospects that lacked size, the Canadiens rolled the dice on the biggest mother trucker in the draft. McCarron at 18 was 6'6 225lbs, not sure what he is now, but probably even scarier. His first season in the OHL can only be called a horrendous nightmarish disaster. Like some Americans and Euro players, he struggled to adjust to the CHL and it didn't help that he played on a deep London squad that had no place in their top-6 for him (and he didn't do anything to warrant them putting him there to be fair). This season was make or break for the behemoth. After recovering from a minor injury sustained in pre-season, MacCarron has found his way onto a line with Domi and Marner as their "Troy Brouwer." He has 11 goals and 24 points in his first 14 games, with several massive multi-point games. Now there should be some tempering of expectations here as the two games he played away from Domi/Marner (they put Dvorak back there) he went scoreless, small sample size, but it's out there. Regardless it's a promising show of competency he (and Habs fans) desperately needed to see. He's finally playing like the complimentary player he was drafted to be as his physicality and defensive game have never been in doubt.
26. Shea Théodore - Anaheim Ducks - You know you're addicted to drafting offensive defensemen when you can lose Schultz for nothing, trade Gardiner away, grab the SM-liiga's Best Defenseman Award winner, pick Fowler when he fell and then have the temerity to select Théodore. Though to be fair, Théodore isn't terrible in his own end, it simply isn't a major strength. After an over a PPG season with the hard to score on Seattle Thunderbirds (coincidentally leading his team in points), he began this season on loan to the AHL and was again a PPG player before ending up back in Seattle. The 6'2 174lb (yikes) wizard has elite offensive instincts. He's a lethal PP Quarterback and highly creative. Obviously needs more grooming in his defensive game and gaining strength for the rigors of an NHL season. Will be interesting to see if he makes the U20 squad for Canada, will probably be in a fight with Jordan Subban for the position.
27. Marko Dano - Columbus Blue Jackets - The third selection in the first round for Columbus was my favourite selection. They picked the Slovakian darling that forced himself onto the scene with an eye opening U20 performance, a solid WC season and a very strong KHL campaign for a guy getting 9 minutes of ice-time. He became the first Slovakian player drafted in the first round since...Marek Zagrapan...remember that one? Dano played 8 games for the Jackets before being sent down to the AHL. I was wondering what their plans were going to be with him going into the season as his rights are owned by the Cougars in the WHL. He has a surprisingly pro frame and game though, and has been playing against men since he was 16. While not lighting it up in the AHL (3p in 8gp), this is his first season on the smaller ice. The gritty two-way centre should be a good one in a few years.
28. Morgan Klimchuk - Calgary Flames - How did you know Klimchuk was going to be drafted in the first by the Flames? Simple, look at Craig Button's draft list, pin point the players that are going earlier than any other scouting service has them, rinse and repeat! No seriously, that actually works every single time. To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of this pick and still think there were better guys sliding into the second. Regardless, Klimchuk improved on his draft season finishing third on the Pats in points. This season he has been fine, but I think more is expected of the 19 year old winger (8g and 17p in 16gp). He's often compared to Alex Steen without as much offensive upside. He works hard in all three zones, plays a smart quiet game, but lacks size. Not sure if he makes Team Canada, wouldn't be shocked if he didn't though.
29. Jason Dickinson - Dallas Stars - Jim Nill went bold in his first ever draft as the GM of the Stars. He would nab the falling Nichushkin, underused Elie, intriguing Desrosiers and the surprising Hansson. All pretty bold for their respective slots, yet none were bolder than Dickinson, a player with a ton of tools that hadn't figured it out. Still hasn't, but the tools are all there. Lanky size, explosive skating and great hands, but he seems a step behind in the thinking part of the game whenever I watch him play. He was pretty "meh" in the Mem Cup, feasting on heavy offensive zone starts and easy matchups, something he did in the playoffs as well for the stacked Storm. This season on a much worse Storm squad with the weight of the captaincy he has struggled out of the gate. With just 4 goals and 14 points in 17 games, he's not fairing well now that he is closer to being the centre of attention. There are positives though, Dickinson is a hard worker in his own zone and a noted shorthanded threat (due to those hands, boy they are quick in the lane and if he gets a step on you he's gone). I'm interested to see his continued development, because quite frankly he's giving me the Scott Glennie vibes.
30. Ryan Hartman - Chicago Blackhawks - Hartman was a player I figured the Blackhawks would take. Outside of Teuvo Terà¤và¤inen the majority of their first round selections have been pragmatic, and I'm sure Bowman was quite surprised he was sitting there at 18. McNeill (though he's looking mighty good right now), Danault, Hayes and now Hartman are all players with the projections of weaker second line options to great third line options. Basically imposing the idea that the top-6 is fairly set, but they'll need cheap role players to interchange going forward. Hartman is a pure effort player who models his game after Ryan Callahan. He does the little things to win and he will go at the opponent relentlessly. Very difficult to play against. He has shown sparks of offensively ability, but at the next level it's hard to see him being more than a 15-15 guy. Regardless he has started well in his pro career with 8 points in 14 games with Rockford in the AHL. I expect we might see him in Chicago as early as next season.