The draft report

QUEBEC | The NHL Draft is finally behind us, and after an endless year, players finally know their next destination. Although different in many ways, the virtual auction 2020 allowed some teams to come out with their hands full while others, a little less. Le Journal presents its results of the winners and losers of the last amateur auction.

The winners

Los Angeles Kings

Main selections

• Quinton Byfield (2^e) |
• Helge Grans (35^e) |
• Brock Faber (45^e)

It’s no secret that the Kings have both feet in a rebuilding process and the 2020 vintage allowed them to add elements that have the potential to play a very important role in the future. The choice of Byfield ahead of Tim Stützle is interesting. The big center is far from having reached its full potential and it has the profile of a first center of the West. Helge Grans at 35^e rank is a solid hold as he was considered a first-round prospect. Mention to the selection of Martin Chromiak in the fifth round.

Detroit Red Wings

Main selections

• Lucas Raymond (4^e) |
• William Wallinder (32^e) |
• Theodor Niederbach (51^e)

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman played with the team when several Swedish players were making the squad famous. Watching them get their hands on three talented Tre Kronor players with their top three picks brought back memories of the Wings’ glorious days. Besides nostalgia, Raymond’s choice could turn out to be a 4^e rank. The latter compared his style to a hybrid between Artemi Panarin and Mitch Marner before the draft. If that turns out, the Wings will be scary. Well done also for the selection of Kienan Draper, the son of the deputy general manager and former player of the team, Kris.

Carolina Hurricanes

Main selections

• Seth Jarvis (12^e) |
• Noel Gunler (41^e) |
• Vasily Ponomarev (53^e)

The Hurricanes kept their word by selecting a forward with their first pick. Seth Jarvis finished the 2019-20 season in a lion and if he continues his progression, he could become a dangerous offensive player in the NHL. The Canes Then set off for the long ball, getting their hands on several players with high potential, but with some risk. Noel Gunler in the second round could be the steal of the draft and Russian Alexander Pashin in the seventh round could cause many teams to regret in a few years.

Minnesota Wild

Main selections

• Marco Rossi (9^e) |
• Marat Khusnutdinov (37^e) |
• Ryan O’Rourke (39^e)

Before the draft, scouts agreed that after the top three picks, the order was extremely difficult to predict until the twelfth pick. Inevitably, a team that drafted around 10 would end up with a pleasant surprise and this was the case with the Wild who got Rossi in the 9^e echelon. The Austrian already looks set to make the jump to the NHL next season, if season there is. And we especially do not want to turn the sword in the wound, but it is at this rank that the Canadian would have spoken if he had lost against the Penguins in the qualifying round.

Nashville Predators

Main selections

Yaroslav Askarov (11^e) |

Luke Evangelista (42^e) |

Luke Prokop (73^e)

The selection of Askarov with their first choice is a stroke of genius. Pekka Rinne is getting old and there is no indication that Juuse Saros is capable of taking on the role of number one goalie. His start to the KHL season is something to dream about and the Predators had him much higher on their list. Luke Evangelista in the second round is also a good catch. A player who is in Dale Hunter’s good graces with the London Knights is never a bad sign.

Losers

Arizona Coyotes

Main selections

• Mitchell Miller (111^e) |
• Carson Bantle (142^e) |
• Filip Barklund (173^e)

The Coyotes are losers and, we tell you first, they should be in this category again when it comes time to judge the 2021 draft. Why? They have only them to blame. As they circumvented NHL rules by staging a private “trick,” the Coyotes were stripped of their second-round pick in 2020 and first-round pick in 2021. Their first pick this year was traded to the Devils in the Taylor Hall transaction.

Montreal Canadian

Main selections

• Kaiden Guhle (16^e) |
• Luke Tuch (47^e) |
• Jan Mysak (48^e)

The idea here is not to turn the iron in the wound. However, the Habs once again missed a great opportunity to trust a talent from here. That they follow a list in the first four rounds is completely understandable and it even seems that Trevor Timmins has asked Marc Bergevin to come forward to claim Mavrik Bourque. However, he could have tried his luck with his choice of the seventh round and go there with Louis Crevier, Théo Rochette or Xavier Simoneau. The latter was also disappointed that the CH did not trust him.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Main selections

• Yegor Chinakhov (21^e) |
• Samuel Knazko (78^e) |
• Mikael Pyyhtia (114^e)

The Jackets surprised everyone a bit when they announced the choice of Yegor Chinakhov with the 21^e choice in total. The Russian was skipped in the 2019 draft, but he’s having a good start to the KHL season with the Omsk Avangard. One wonders, however, if the Jackets could not have waited a bit, or simply retreated to the draft by adding another pick if they intended to select the 30.^e European skater according to the NHL Recruiting Center. We wish the supporters of the Jackets that this paper ages badly and that Chinakhov makes us lie!

Boston Bruins

Main selections

• Mason Lohrei (58^e) |
• Trevor Kuntar (89^e) |
• Mason Langenbrunner (151^e)

It’s mathematical here. The Bruins didn’t speak until the 58^e rank in the second round and only finished the draft with four new prospects. With their first selection, they opted for Mason Lohrei, a big defenseman of 6’4 ” and 201 lbs who was ranked at 132^e rank in North America according to the Central Recruitment.

New York Islanders

Main selections

• Alexander Ljungkrantz (90^e) |
• Alex Jefferies (121^e) |
• William Dufour (152^e)

A bit like the Boston Bruins, it’s hard to see any positive in the draft of a team that didn’t speak until the end of the third round. Their first two picks were sent to the Ottawa Senators in the deal that allowed them to get their hands on Jean-Gabriel Pageau. An excellent acquisition, of course. At least, for a second year in a row, they trusted a Quebecer in William Dufour. The Isles have drawn into the QMJHL’s backyard at least once in the last four draft.

• BONUS: The announcement of the selection of Ozzy Wiesblatt by the San Jose Sharks, in sign language, for the deaf mother of the hockey player. Candy!
• BONUS: The amateurs were probably the biggest losers. The spectacle offered by the NHL in this draft from a distance was not on the scale of what the NFL presents. And what about the endless second day … Can’t wait for a draft in flesh and blood in 2021!