NHL draft 2017: Nico Hischier among standouts at world juniors

The recently concluded world junior championships provided loads of drama in the medal round — including a pair of shootouts dominated by Tyler Parsons in the American nets — and a very exciting gold medal game. 

With the top three players in Red Line’s rankings — Nolan Patrick, Gabriel Vilardi, and Timothy Liljegren — ruled out before the tournament even began, the draft-eligibles in Montreal and Toronto were always going lack in star power.

The one exception, of course, was the play of Swiss sensation Nico Hischier, who lit up the scoreboard, and in the process elevated himself into top-five overall status. Coming on the heels of his dominant first half performance with Halifax in the Quebec League, Hischier’s turn under the bright lights stamped him as a talent who can create his own offense against top level competition.

Other good performances were turned in by slick Czech center Martin Necas (who was the most creative player on their squad), bullish Swedish center Lias Andersson, and smooth Finnish defenseman Juuso Välimäki. With their efforts in Montreal, Necas and Välimäki both firmly entrenched themselves in the top half of the first round, while Andersson is knocking on that same door as well.

Unfortunately, the one nation that was loaded with first-year eligibles were the Finns. As a team, their stunning fall from grace saw them go from gold medal winners last year to playing relegation round games this year. Individually, the play of Eeli Tolvanen and Kristian Veasalainen — expected to be big offensive guns up front — and Miro Heiskanen on the back end was, shall we say, less than inspiring.

NHL draft 2017: Uninspiring class is short on big names, lacking in depth

NHL draft 2017: Active month in rankings; biggest surprises in Europe

We’d also like to mention a trio of lesser lights who played key roles for the Russians on their deep run that ended just a whisker short in the semifinal shootout.

All three are 1997-born forwards who caught our eye and may have done enough to get drafted. Huge winger Kirill Belyayev is a powerful beast of a skater with some puck skill who attacks the net, and skilled playmaking center Alexander Polunin is the man who made their offensive engine run, both on the power play and at even strength. Kirill Urakov is another rugged winger who set a physical tone by banging bodies and crashing the net.

Here is Red Line’s identification list of the top draft eligible prospects for the NHL’s 2017 Entry Draft in Chicago on June 23-24.

Rising:

Cayden Primeau (Lincoln) — Gave the Americans a huge edge in net at the World Jr. A Challenge, and was the biggest difference maker in the event.

Juuso Välimäki (Tri-City) — Despite Finland’s stunning problems in Montreal, Välimäki played well, and continues to build on a quietly effective season.

Ryan Peckford (Victoria) — One of Red Line’s underrated sleepers. He’s not particularly big or fast, but he can do a little bit of everything and is a player you win with.

Lias Andersson (HV 71) — Very strong showing for Sweden at the world juniors. Bullish on skates, competed very hard every shift, and has an underrated skill level.

Nico Hischier (Halifax) — Unquestionably the star of the show among draft-eligibles at the world juniors.  Has excelled at every new level, and his skills demand top five recognition.

Kole Lind (Kelowna) — Has the release and shot of a pure sniper, combined with elusive skating and a bit of an edge.

Falling:

Ian Scott (Prince Albert) — Struggling with the pressure of trying to be the starting goaltender in draft year, while facing a heavy workload on a young team.

Daniil Vertiy (North Bay) — Third-year winger’s offensive output continues to plummet - as does his draft stock.

Off the Record — News-'n-Notes from around the scouting community

A common discussion point in the hockey community is the adjustment period a player goes through when he makes a leap to a higher level league.  Casey Mittelstadt seemingly had no trouble making the leap from high school to United States Hockey league play. His 16-game stint to start the season had him leading the league in scoring with an 8-13-21 (goals/assists/points) line when he returned to Eden Prairie for the high school season.  Mittelstadt’s decision to return to Eden Prairie set off a chain of events that persuaded second-year draft hopeful Nick Leivermann and highly-regarded 2018 eligible Jack Jensen, along with the rest of Eden Prairie’s core, to return.

Mittelstadt has stated on numerous occasions that the main reason he decided to play another season of high school hockey was to win a Minnesota state championship with his friends after Eden Prairie fell one game short in 2016. However, they have stumbled out of the gates to a very modest 6-4-2 record. Mittelstadt has produced to the tune of 8-15-23 (1.92 points per game) in 12 games, down from 33-47-80 (2.58 points per game) in 31 games last year. They have looked disjointed and very individualistic, and Mittelstadt has often been visibly frustrated.

Oftentimes when players step down a level, they fall into the trap of trying to do too much with a lesser-skilled supporting cast.  It will be interesting to see if Mittelstadt develops any bad habits and what effect this has on his game going forward.

*****

The only undrafted member of the gold-medal winning USA junior team is a late bloomer in the truest sense of the word. Undersized in height (5-7) but not in heart, Jack Ahcan has seen his production increase every time he moves up a level in play. In the mould of Rem Pitlick, Ahcan heard the doubters through every level he ascended because he was always too short, but has added quite a bit of muscle to help make up for what he is lacking in height. And he will also look to emulate Pitlick in being drafted after NHL teams passed on him the last two years.

Ahcan entered St. Cloud State this fall after a banner rookie season with Cedar Rapids in the USHL, as he was named the league’s defenseman of the year. And he has hit the ground running under head coach Bob Motzko, playing in all situations for the Huskies and earning a spot on Motzko’s blue line for the world juniors.

Ahcan is a heady player who skates very well in all directions and uses his shiftiness to protect the puck from bigger forecheckers.He’s very good with the puck on his stick and sees plays develop early. He saw sheltered minutes in Montreal and Toronto but his poise and confidence allowed him to perform well on the biggest stage and play a bigger role as the tournament went on. And it is becoming increasingly likely that this will not be the last time he hears his name called in an NHL arena.

*****

Flying a bit under the radar in the first half was Peterborough center Zach Gallant. After being the fifth-overall pick in the Ontario Hockey League draft in 2015, Gallant had an awful rookie campaign in which he was unable to find the back of the net in 51 games, and finished with a woeful -16 mark in the plus/minus stats. 

Fast forward to this season, and he once again started slowly, but he has suddenly caught fire. He was recently named OHL player of the month for December after leading the Petes to a 10-0 record while compiling 15 Points (7G, 8A) over that time to put himself back on the prospect map.

In Red Line's last two viewings, Gallant has been a strong, immovable force out front with a wide skating stance that allows him to anchor around the slot. His first step lacks burst, but he glides well once up to speed. He possesses a smart decision-making process - driving into scrums to clear out traffic, then goes right back into open space, never getting caught flat-footed outside the play.

Now that he’s finally comfortable with the OHL pace, the skills that made him the fifth-overall selection are coming to the forefront. The puck barely hits his tape before he fires clean release shots that handcuff netminders. His hands, size/strength, and power up the middle of the ice stamp Gallant as one of the potential fast risers of the second half.