2020 NHL Entry Draft

The Islanders emphasized one thing in their drafting this year

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The wait was long enough for the New York Islanders to finally get in on the action of day 2 of the NHL Draft yesterday.

No seriously.

The Isles waited an excruciating four hours and 56 minutes before they made their first of five selections on the day at pick number 90. With that pick, they would go on to select 18-year-old Alexander Ljungkrantz (yep that last name is a handful).

Ljungkrantz, a product from Brynas Jr. of Sweden’s J20 SuperElit league, was ranked the No. 66-ranked European skater by NHL Central scouting coming into the draft.

More importantly, Ljungkrantz is a winger. By selecting him — and the other two forwards in the fourth and fifth rounds — the organization showed exactly what the emphasis was going to be as the rounds forged on, and it wasn’t just picking the best players available.

It was about building up the youth on the wings.

“We’re pleased [with our 2020 Draft Class],” GM Lou Lamoriello told reporters after the draft concluded. “We drafted three forwards, all of good size and all wingers.”

The Islanders’ brass has done a better job at shoring up the winger spot the last two drafts. But it still hasn’t felt like it’s been enough at times.

They do have Oliver Wahlstrom, Kieffer Bellows and the aforementioned Josh Ho-Sang — who received yet another qualifying offer from the organization on Monday — but those are the only three guys who have played in the NHL recently. Behind them, Simon Holmstrom, Arnaud Durandeau, Cole Coskey, Blade Jenkins and Anatoli Golyshev are all in the system. All seem like they are still a few years away from reaching the pros. That’s why it was important the team keep adding to that position.

The Isles’ current core has five wings who are age 26 and above, with three others currently being the exception — Anthony Beauvillier (23), Michael Dal Colle (24), Otto Koivula (20).

In today’s game which only continues to get younger and faster, that’s not going to cut it. And though the other two wingers they selected — Alex Jefferies at 121 and William Dufour with the 152nd pick — might be longer-term projects (both are also 18), it allows the organization flexibility for the future and possible options a few years from now.

“I complement our scouting staff at the job they did, not having a first-and-second round pick,” Lamoriello also said. “The objective going into the draft was no different than any other draft… Trying to get the best possible players available that will allow you to stockpile your assets… That’s exactly what transpired today.”

The other two picks the Isles made in the sixth and seventh rounds they used on defenseman Matias Rajaniemi and goaltender Henrik Tikkanen. Rajaniemi, stands at 6’4, 201 pounds and plays with the Pelicans U-20 team in Finland’s Jr. A SM-liga; Tikkanen, who comes in at a towering 6’8, is a member of HIFK in the same league as Rajaniemi.

Lamoriello said the 20-year-old Tikkanen was someone the team identified because of his size and improvement from last year to this past one.

The Tikkanen selection signaled the end of the day for the Isles, one that actually turned out to be balanced and quite productive despite not getting to pick in the first and second round.

Productive because they made an emphasis to making the winger position a top priority.

 

The Islanders were a winner and loser of the first day of the draft

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Day two of the NHL Draft is set to begin today for the New York Islanders.

They did not make any selections last night in the first round, and will not make make one until the third round this afternoon as a result of the J.G. Pageau trade from back in February where they sent Ottawa their first and second round picks.

The organization’s first pick today will come at 90 followed by 121, 152, 183 and 214.

But let’s go back track to yesterday first. With how the day played out, the Isles were both a winner and loser of the day. You’re asking yourself, how can it be both? Well it’s simple.

Obviously not making a first round selection from what looks to be a very good crop of prospects hurts. Watching their noisy neighbors from Manhattan, the New York Rangers, take a stud in Alexis Lafreniere number one overall is also a bit of a tough pill to swallow. Add on to that the Blueshirts adding a gritty d-man in Braden Schneider at pick 19 and it was a banner night for a team the Islanders will be battling with for Metro Division supremacy for the next several years. All of their other division foes also made quality picks too.

So, there lies where the Isles were on the wrong side of things.

Now, the more positive way to look at day one for the Islanders should also be accounted for. One, there was only one significant deal made before the night got underway — Max Domi was traded to Columbus.

Sure, Domi being added to the Blue Jackets strengthens the Metro even more. But, no other huge names were moved. No Laine. No Hall. No OEL.

Could they all be moved today? Absolutely.

But the first night of the draft was relatively boring and that was a good thing for the Islanders.

What happens on day two, no one can predict.

With five picks to work with and some big decisions to be made by the brass, today could have a massive effect on the Isles moving forward. G.M. Lou Lamoriello hasn’t made a significant draft day acquisition since he took over the organization three years ago.

The time might be now for him to pull the trigger, especially with the Isles as close to a Stanley Cup as they’ve been in three decades.

 

Three players who could drop to the New York Rangers 22nd pick

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One of the factors that could determine if the New York Rangers trade or use their 22nd pick of the first round might be who is available at that pick. There are a handful of players that are ranked in the top 15 of this draft class that could fall far enough for the Rangers to select. Here is a look at three such prospects:’

Hendrix Lapierre, C, Chicoutimi-QMJHL

The issue that scares many from ranking him higher is his injury issue as Lapierre has had three concussions in a two-year span. However, Lapierre told The Athletic that the latest concussions were re-diagnosed as a neck injury. This has led some scouts to advise to select him the first round but also admitting that he has borderline top 10 talent. This had led to most experts referring to his projected selection in the NHL Entry Draft as the “most unpredictable.”

LaPierre is officially listed at six feet tall, 181 pounds, and has a left-handed shot. Lapierre was a highly touted player coming out of bantam and midget AAA hockey. So much so that Chicoutimi drafted him first overall in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Brendan Holmes at DraftGeek had this to say about Lapierre’s talent: Lapierre is among the best playmakers in the 2020 Draft Class and that’s in large part due to his elite passing ability. Hendrix’s passing ability is a trifecta of strength, precision, and creativity, as he can make difficult passes with regularity to find teammates both in the slot and across the seam in the offensive zone. He has the rare skill of being equally accurate on both his backhand and forehand with his passes, which allows him to catch defenders and goaltenders by surprise with some of the passes he can make. When you combine this passing ability with his puck skills, Lapierre becomes extremely dangerous as a puck distributor.

Dylan Holloway – C – University of Wisconsin

Taking Hollaway could eventually reunite him with former teammate now Blueshirt prospect K’Andre Miller. So how would a player who is ranked from 10th to 20th by most scouts fall to the Rangers? First, Holloway did not have a great freshman year at Wisconsin as he didn’t put up huge scoring numbers after dominating the AJHL the season prior. The second is that this year’s draft is loaded with forwards.

Steve Kourinas of the Draft Analyst wrote this about Holloway: “Once he has the puck under control, Holloway features a relatively wide skating base and accelerates with a powerful stride and above-average straight-line speed. His first step is quick, and he can make instant directional changes, tight turns, and pivot on a dime while moving at top speed, all while maintain control of the puck during these difficult maneuvers. His skating most certainly is a strong suit and his escapability along the boards while taking hard shoves reveals his elite balance.”

Jack Quinn – RW – Ottawa 67’s (OHL)

Quinn is a six-foot, right-shot wing born in September 2001, who scored 52 goals and 89 points in 62 OHL games. The reason why a player who is solidly ranked as a top 20 players might fall to the Rangers comes in a quote from an anyomous NHL scout who told the Athletic: “Quinn is an older prospect without much of a great track record, and using a high pick on him would worry me a lot. He’s good, but that one could be a bit of a mirage.”

Quinn has been a bit under the radar player as he never played internationally for Canada and was the 39th pick in his OHL Draft. However, last season his 52 goals were good enough for second in the league, behind only Toronto Maple Leafs’ draft pick Nicholas Robertson.

Corey Pronmon of the Athletic wrote this about Quinn: “he can certainly shoot it at a high level, but he’s also a player with a lot of skill and IQ. He can beat defenders with his hands, find teammates very well and score from a distance giving his game a lot of dimensions. The main reason for his sudden rise in prospect stock has been the continued improvement in his skating to being arguably above-average when it used to be a weakness for him. Quinn is solid off the puck, plays the penalty kill for Ottawa and is a player who coaches and scouts universally praise for all the dimensions in his game.”

The 2020 NHL Entry Draft will be the 58th NHL Entry Draft. The draft is scheduled for October 6–7, 2020 and will be held virtually via video conference call from the NHL Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.

 

 

 

Three more players the New York Rangers could select with their 22nd pick

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National Hockey League, NHL

The New York Rangers are in really good shape in this year’s draft. With the first and 22nd pick, the Blueshirts have many options at their disposal to build upon their solid foundation. Even though many experts feel that the Rangers will trade their 22nd pick, we will look at three players who can play right wing that may end up playing for many years in New York.

Tyson Foerster – RW – Barrie Colts (OHL)

The eighteen-year-old is described as a big winger who likes to play the physical game and does not mind battling for the puck. The Rangers might look to him as someone who will compliment the many skill players they have on offense.

Foerster shot up the draft rankings with his outstanding play last season. The highlight of the season came during the CHL Top Prospect’s Game. While everyone looked forward to watching Alexis Lafreniere, Quinton Byfield and Jamie Drysdale, it was Foerster who not only won the night, he won the MVP of the game.

Foerster made some nice improvements offensively for Barrie from 2018-19, when he had 10 goals and 23 points in 64 games, to 2019-20, when he piled up 36 and 80 in 62 games. He also led the entire OHL in power play goals with 18.

One of the things that scouts have praised him for is his cannon of a slapshot, that has often been compared to Alex Ovechkin. Foerster is also not afraid to shoot the puck, as he averaged 3.62 shots on goal per game last season.

He will need to work on his skating skills, and if the Rangers draft him, he will likely spend next season working on that in Barrie.

Noel Gunler, RW, Lulea-(Sweden)

Bill Plazcek of draftsite.com refers to Gunler as “an established creative scoring machine.” Gunler is more of a perimeter player who has quick hands and a quick mind.

Steve Kournianos of the thedraftanalyst.com wrote this about Gunler: “He is an excellent passer for a winger with a reputation as a goal scorer. He can go from receipt to delivery in one motion, even with his back to the play in the neutral zone. Gunler’s forehand-backhand mechanics are advanced and borderline on being elite among his top peers. One aspect rarely talked about is his breakout positioning — Gunler seems to get the gist of set breakout plays such as the “up” that allows him to receive the puck in stride in the middle of the ice.”

Scouts also agree that Gunler needs to add some muscle to his frame, as well as some aggresstion and intensity.

John-Jason Peterka – RW – Red Bull Munchen (Germany)

Scouts agree that Peterka is best known for his speed, which is high-end and likely near the top of the draft class. He also has very good hands that give him the potential for truly high-end scoring ability. The combination of speed and skill make him a player with a high ceiling, but his game is also a bit of a work in progress overall. Some evaluators note that he has some issues with consistency and has to clean up some mental lapses to become a more complete player.

Dayton Reimer of the The Hockey Writers wrote this about Peterka: On top of blazing speed, Peterka also possesses above-average hockey sense and intensity. He owns a patience unexpected for someone who plays at such a high speed, and he’s become incredibly dangerous on the Red Bull’s power play. His defensive game is not as refined as his offensive instincts, but he still shows no fear and is not afraid to get into high-danger situations despite his smaller stature. He’s a very intense player and doesn’t shy away from physicality.

Peterka played this past season in the DEL, Germany’s top men’s league, where he put up decent production in a limited role on one of Germany’s best teams. His team, Red Bull München, was atop the DEL when the season was suspended and then canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak. Peterka has also played internationally for German in World Juniors competition. He put in a very strong effort as a 17-year-old at this year’s U20 WJC with four goals and six points in seven games to help power an impressive performance for Team Germany and keep them safe from relegation.